2548 Book(s) Related to how to buy audio books on audible

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.In A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3 in the Keri Locke mystery series), Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, follows a fresh lead for her abducted daughter. It leads to a violent confrontation with The Collector—which, in turn, offers more clues that may, after all this time, reunite her with her daughter.Yet at the same time, Keri is assigned a new case, one with a frantic ticking clock. A teenage girl has gone missing in Los Angeles, a girl from a good family was who duped into drugs and abducted into a sex trafficking ring. Keri is hot on her trail—but the trail is moving fast, with the girl being constantly moved and with her abductors’ single, nefarious goal: to cross her over the border with Mexico.In an epic, breathtaking, cat and mouse chase that takes them through the seedy underworld of trafficking, Keri and Ray will be pushed to their limits to save the girl—and her own daughter—before it is all too late.A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF VICE is book #3 in a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)Book #4 in the Keri Locke series will be available soon.

A new fantasy by the Bestselling author! CHARLOTTE TWEED & THE SCHOOL FOR ORPHANED DRAGONS (Book #1) tells the story of Charlotte Tweed, a 15 year old orphan who longs to know who she truly is, and who her true parents are. Charlotte is kicked out of every foster home she is sent to, and living with a cruel family and sent to a school where she is bullied, Charlotte ducks off the fire drill line one day and cuts school. During this fateful walk she meets Tom Throtteldon, a wizard from another land, and he tells her he’s come to take her home.Charlotte is brought to the land of Annarunnus, the land, and is led to the famous Bellins School for Magic, where she must train to learn who she is and how to use her unique powers. Charlotte also discovers that a rare and precious event has taken place: dragon eggs have been found, hatching just two days before Charlotte’s arrival. Each student receives their own baby dragon to bond with, tame, and train. At Bellins Charlotte meets new friends, and struggles to discover herself and to bond with her obstinate baby dragon. She also meets Tyron, one of the handsome Outcasts. But dating is forbidden at Bellins, and they will have to decide if they will risk it all for love.

“Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….This is the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re For Now and Forever) “A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman (Emily) to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”--Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re For Now and Forever)FOREVER, WITH YOU is book #3 in the romance series THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which begins with book #1, FOR NOW AND FOREVER—a free download!35 year old Emily Mitchell has fled her job, apartment and ex-boyfriend in New York City for her father's abandoned home on the coast of Maine, needing a change in her life. Tapping her life savings to restore the historic home, and with a budding relationship with the caretaker, Daniel, Emily prepares to open the Inn at Sunset Harbor as Memorial Day comes.But all does not go as planned. Emily learns quickly that she has no idea how to run a B&B. The house, despite her efforts, needs new, urgent repairs she cannot afford. Her covetous neighbor is still determined to make trouble for her. And worst of all: just as her relationship with Daniel is blossoming, she learns he has a secret. One which will change everything.With her friends urging her to return to New York City and her ex-boyfriend trying to win her back, Emily has a life-changing decision to make. Will she try to stick it out, to embrace small-town life, her father’s old house? Or will she turn her back on her new friends, neighbors and life—and on the man she has fallen in love with?FOREVER, WITH YOU is book #3 of a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, make you cry, will keep you turning pages late into the night—and will make you fall in love with romance all over again.Book #4 will be available soon.

“Sophie Love's ability to impart magic to her readers is exquisitely wrought in powerfully evocative phrases and descriptions….This is the perfect romance or beach read, with a difference: its enthusiasm and beautiful descriptions offer an unexpected attention to the complexity of not just evolving love, but evolving psyches. It's a delightful recommendation for romance readers looking for a touch more complexity from their romance reads.”--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan re For Now and Forever) FOR YOU, FOREVER is book #7 in the #1 bestselling romance series THE INN AT SUNSET HARBOR, which begins with For Now and Forever (book #1)—a free download!Fall has arrived in Sunset Harbor, and as the town clears out, Emily Mitchell enters her second trimester. Their new rooms at Trevor’s house open for their first guests, while their new spa and restaurant open for business. All the while, they pursue their bid on the island, hoping to add yet another dimension to their life at Sunset Harbor.Amy insists on throwing Emily a layette in New York City, and Emily returns to her old home, in shock at how much she has changed—and at the unwanted guests who show up. She is mortified to learn that there will be a new resident of Sunset Harbor—a NYC developer who will open a rival inn—and destroy Emily’s business.Chantelle goes back to school, but her new grade is an unpleasant surprise, and as things don’t work out, the drama puts her into a tailspin.Roy is getting sicker, and as the weather turns cold, he invites them all to a getaway in his home in Greece, and Emily, although worried for her growing baby, cannot refuse. It is a trip that will change all of them forever, culminating in a Thanksgiving none of them will forget.FOR YOU, FOREVER is book #7 in a dazzling new romance series that will make you laugh, cry, keep you turning pages late into the night—and make you fall in love with romance all over again.Book #8 will be available soon. Sophie’s new romance series, LOVE LIKE THIS, is now also available!“A very well written novel, describing the struggle of a woman (Emily) to find her true identity. The author did an amazing job with the creation of the characters and her description of the environment. The romance is there, but not overdosed. Kudos to the author for this amazing start of a series that promises to be very entertaining.”--Books and Movies Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re For Now and Forever)

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Mystery) is book #1 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. FBI Evidence Response Team intern Chloe Fine, 27, finds herself forced to confront her own dark past when her troubled twin sister needs her help—and when a body turns up dead in her small, suburban town.Chloe feels life is finally perfect as she moves back into her home town, and into a new house with her fiancé. Her career with the FBI looks promising, and her wedding is on the horizon. But, she learns, all is not as it seems in suburbia. Chloe begins to see the underside—the gossip, the secrets, the lies—and she finds herself haunted by her own demons: her mother’s mysterious death when she was 10, and her father’s imprisonment. And when a fresh body is found, Chloe soon realizes that her past, and this small town, might hold the key to solving both.An emotionally wrought psychological suspense with layered characters, small-town ambiance and heart-pounding suspense, NEXT DOOR is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #2 in the CHLOE FINE series will be available soon.

In an elite suburb of New York City, girls are dying. That doesn’t happen in Greenvale, with its immaculate lawns, exclusive yacht clubs and multi-million dollar mansions. But behind its perfect façade, its trimmed hedges and luxury cars, a darkness lies. Girls, dependent on Adderall, outmaneuver each other to get into top colleges, while the mothers’ need to live vicariously only makes it worse. Bella DeFranco is one of the Bronx’s top SVU detectives. At only 37, she disarms everyone with her stunning good looks, yet she is as tough as most men—and a lot smarter, too. Yet when is summoned to Greenvale, she finds herself getting lost in a case that even she can’t comprehend. She stumbles into a land of secrets, a place where husbands hide their pasts from their wives, where friends are not what they seem, and where no one wants to know too much. As she digs deeper into layers of suburban dysfunction, she comes to learn that, behind all the fake smiles, there is a subtle violence--rivaling even her crime-ridden streets of the Bronx. With a killer on the loose, time running out, and a new partner who never recovered from his washed-up alcoholic days, the odds are stacked against Bella. She is determined, though, to save these girls, whatever the cost. Yet as she gets close, the depth of psychosis she discovers shocks even her….

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.In A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2 in the Keri Locke mystery series), Keri Locke, Missing Persons Detective in the Homicide division of the LAPD, remains haunted by the abduction of her own daughter. Encouraged by the new lead that has landed, the first in years, she pursues it with all that she has, determined to find her daughter and bring her back alive.Yet Keri, at the same time, receives a phone call from a frantic husband, a famed Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who reports that his wife has been missing for two days. A wealthy socialite with no enemies and little reason to leave her life, he fears the worst has become of his wife.Keri takes on the case, assigned a new partner whom she hates, as Ray still recovers in the hospital. Her investigation leads her deep into the elite Beverly Hills world of the idle rich, to encounters with lonely housewives, and those with shopping-addicted, empty lives. Keri, in over her head in this world, becomes increasingly puzzled by the conflicting signals: did this woman, with a stalker and a lurid, secret past, run away, or was she abducted?Or did something far more sinister happen?A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, A TRACE OF MURDER is book #2 in a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)Book #3 in the Keri Locke series will be available soon.

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) SILENT NEIGHBOR (A Chloe Fine Mystery) is book #4 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has over 1,000 five-star reviews. When a flashy, new neighbor flaunts her wealth in a suburban town, it isn’t long before she’s found murdered. Did her flaunting ways upset her envious neighbors? Or was there a deeper secret to her husband’s fortune?FBI VICAP Special Agent Chloe Fine, 27, finds herself immersed in a small-town world of lies, cliques, gossip and betrayal as she tries to separate truth from lies.But what is the real truth?And can she solve it while also dealing with the release of her troubled father from jail, and the spiraling down of her troubled sister?An emotionally wrought psychological suspense with layered characters, small-town ambiance and heart-pounding suspense, THE SILENT NEIGHBOR is book #4 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Book #5 in the CHLOE FINE series will be available soon.

"With blood, fire, and magic I claim you Urmah son of Abdi_ili and Anunit, the descendant of royals, blessed by the two gods of the sun..." ... "I am Tiye daughter of pharaohs, I am Sekhmet daughter of the great god Ra, we claim you, body and soul to the rest of your days in this world and the after to be our lord and guardian, to be our love and spirit, here we bound you to us. May we never be set free forever and ever."

Princess Tiye was meant to be a goddess queen, she would sit on Egypt's throne and rule with Sekhmet's blessing, but before her eighteenth name day she was betrayed by her uncle and cousin, and she became a fugitive, a murderer.

on her journey for safety, she meets prince Urmah, The forsaken son of the Akkadian king. He promises to help her to take back what is rightfully hers and get her revenge after his visit with his father. But their plan fails when her troubles follow them to Akkad, and that's when the goddess makes her presence known to the world.

Who would prince Urmah choose, the woman he renounced his God for, or his father's approval and acceptance? And what would Tiye do when she is forced to witness the murder of her loved ones for the second time? Are her throne and revenge worth the sacrifice?

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Blake Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.” --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) TINTED WINDOWS (A Chloe Fine Mystery) is book #6 in a new psychological suspense series by bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has over 1,000 five-star reviews. When a popular personal trainer is murdered in a high-end suburb, FBI VICAP Special Agent Chloe Fine, 27, is summoned to sift through a small town filled with cheating spouses and figure out who may have wanted him dead—and why.Behind the manicured lawns, Chloe learns, lie broken marriages, lonely spouses, secrets, and endless lies—all hiding behind the veil of perfection. Beneath the carefully built façade of a polished, upstanding community lies a populace dishonest to its core.What secrets led to this man’s being murdered?And who will be next to die?An emotionally wrought psychological suspense with layered characters, small-town ambiance and heart-pounding suspense, TINTED WINDOWS is book #6 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

“Morgan Rice has come up with what promises to be another brilliant series, immersing us in a fantasy of valor, honor, courage, magic and faith in your destiny. Morgan has managed again to produce a strong set of characters that make us cheer for them on every page.…Recommended for the permanent library of all readers that love a well-written fantasy.”--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Rise of the Dragons)From #1 Bestseller Morgan Rice comes an unforgettable new fantasy series. In A SONG FOR ORPHANS (A Throne for Sisters—Book Three), Sophia, 17, journeys in search of her parents. Her quest takes her to foreign and strange lands—and to a shocking secret she could never imagine.Kate, 15, is summoned by the witch, as her time has come to repay the favor. But Kate is changing, coming of age, become ever more powerful—and what will become of Kate if she makes a deal with darkness?Sebastian, a romantic, follows his heart, throwing it all away to reject his family and find Sophia. But Lady D’Angelica is still bent on killing her—and may have other plans.A SONG FOR ORPHANS (A Throne for Sisters—Book Three) is the third book in a dazzling new fantasy series rife with love, heartbreak, tragedy, action, adventure, magic, swords, sorcery, dragons, fate and heart-pounding suspense. A page turner, it is filled with characters that will make you fall in love, and a world you will never forget. Book #4 in the series will be released soon.“An action packed fantasy sure to please fans of Morgan Rice’s previous novels, along with fans of works such as The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini…. Fans of Young Adult Fiction will devour this latest work by Rice and beg for more.” --The Wanderer, A Literary Journal (regarding Rise of the Dragons)

I stare at him, watching his chest expand.

How is it that someone so strong, so powerful, so dangerous to find become so small when faced with an adversary? The adversary being me.

I see him, knees on the cold tiled floor, his eyes fixated on me in equal parts disbelief. I disconnect my vision from his small form, looking briefly at what I'm wearing.

This morning when I woke up, the sun was shining, snow melting on my front lawn. My kids were sleeping, my husband gone, as usual, working, making money.

Everything was normal except when I woke up this morning, I received a message. This message contained a lot of things I've been waiting to hear but one part, in particular, stood out and made today different. This person on his knees in front of me was the big difference in my day. So when I woke up this morning and decided what I was going to wear I decided I would not wear black because black represented the sign of mourning. I wasn't going to wear white. After all, white represented a sign of new beginnings and not blue.

Blue, well blue was a sign of trust and green with a side of healing so when I woke up this morning I decided I would wear beige, it was an indifferent color something that matched any mood any desire any belief it doesn't necessarily represent anything but nor did it negate anything.

'You know what is so satisfying about killing you?"

'What?" He inquires with that tilt of his mouth and thin lips I have seen a time or two. Many women found this man handsome. sexy even. I was not different, but I knew more than many of them what made him, his colors, the layers that fell away leaving only the middle left and when you looked at it with naked eyes you'd see it was rotten.

I laugh.

'I became a player in this cat and rat game much later. I find it comical that I am the one who gets to catch you, considering there are many people who started in the beginning. What is even funnier is I am the one who would get to kill you."

'You didn't catch me Mrs. Catelli."He says my surname with a pinched face as though he can't bear the sound of it coming from his lips.

'Then what do you oppose I did?"

He smiles, but it is not a nice one. It is filled with the ugliness which has corrupted him over the years.

Copyright © 2022 Shan R.K

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction from the Author's imagination.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations for reviews or fan-made articles.

Any names resembling any living person are purely coincidental.

First Edition.

April, 19th 2022

Written by Shan R.K

Dedication

I dedicate this book to you the reader. Please enjoy it and look out for the anthology on my website coming soon for free.

From the day I met him at the age of ten, I worked hard to improve myself, all just to catch a glimpse of him in the crowd. He promised to protect me for a lifetime. However, those twelve years turned out to be nothing but my own laughable obsession... He was no longer my brother.
After being sent to prison by him for three years, I returned with a vengeance. I was no longer the woman who loved him to the point of self-abasement!
I tore apart the homewreckers, trampled on the scum, and was about to ruthlessly punish the scumbag when... the man who had previously been cruel and indifferent to me suddenly became gentle and tender!

Ashley had it all—raised in privilege as the daughter of an Alpha and heir to her pack. But her world was shattered when her pack was attacked, her parents killed, and she was taken captive. Beaten, humiliated, and stripped of her long hair, she was forced into servitude. At the Alpha Prince's coronation, she was recognized as his mate, but he publicly rejected her, deeming her unworthy, and cast her out as a rogue.

Now on the run, starving and desperate, Ashley stumbles upon a prestigious all-boys school. With no other choice, she disguises herself as a boy to hide among the Alpha students. But fate isn't done with her yet. Her new roommates—three Alpha triplets—are all her destined mates.

Everett, the cocky hockey player, finds amusement in pushing Ashley's buttons. Ethan, the easygoing band member, is intrigued by his new roommate. And Elias, the cold and domineering biker, seems completely indifferent—until he’s not. As Ashley tries to keep her identity hidden and control her growing attraction to her mates, her past looms ever closer.

Will she be able to rise from the ashes of her old life, reclaim her birthright, and embrace her destiny with her mates by her side? Or will her secrets destroy her before she can?

The day my son called another woman "Mom," I signed the divorce papers and left.

Five years later, now a top scientist, my ex-husband cornered me at a gala. I tried to push him away, but he gripped my waist tighter, his hot breath against my ear sending shivers down my spine.

"Stop pretending," he rasped. "Your body still remembers me."

I scoffed. "Ex-husband, have some dignity."

Just then, my phone rang with my son's desperate sobs. "Mommy! The bad woman hurt me... Please come save me! Daddy said you don't want us anymore..."

I felt my heart tighten in my chest as I watched with horror, my fiancé and my best friend having sex in the hotel. They were so engrossed and couldn’t even care less that they were half naked and anyone who cared, could see them from the glass wall of the building’s fourth floor. Sonia was pressed to the wall while Dennis worked her insides from behind. I couldn’t hear her moans but with every second that I imagined it, my heart sank the more.
Tears flooded my face as I flashed into the last two years of my life when I met Dennis. He was everything I wanted and more. Tall, handsome, broad shoulders and chest, I couldn’t stop drooling as he pulled me into a hug. For a moment there, my heart forgot how to beat, and the moment he smiled and introduced himself, I knew I was going to marry him. I had fallen hard in love with him.
Freya decided to try love again after several heartbreaks, she thought Dennis was different but reality dawned on her when she caught him cheating with her best friend, Sonia, the same person who matchmade them in the first place.
Actually, Dennis wasn’t cheating on her with Sonia, he was cheating on Sonia with her! The two have been dating over five years, and she never knew. She was the third wheel in their relationship…
What will happen now that Freya has found out? Find out in the story!

Betrayed. Beaten. Buried.
Until she wakes up - alive, angry, and done being obedient.
This time, Sabrina won't beg for love. She'll take back her pride, expose their lies, and burn every bridge that once held her down.
But her cold, controlling husband Cassian doesn't plan to let go.
A diamond mine? Hers. A fortune? Hers. Freedom? Never.
When she demands a divorce, he offers power. When she says he's not enough, he shows her just how wrong she is.
She was once their victim. Now, she's their reckoning.

Once the tub is filled, I slide in and get comfortable.

I must doze off because instead of warm water lapping at my pale, soft skin there are three very skilled and hot tongues following the few curves of my body that I do have.

Despite not being able to see who are giving me great pleasure, I feel all of my body begin to shake. One mouth claims mine as a second one sucks one of my nipples while the third mouth envelops my clit.


After fleeing from an orphanage that was the source of constant torment, you find yourself in the land of dragons, the most feared and merciless beings around. You count down the days until you are an adult and can run away. You thought that you caught a break when you were offered a job in the palace until you learned that you were working for the Royal Trio, group of 3 brothers who torment you. However, your life takes an unexpected turn during the Trio’s Grand Ceremony, a coming-of-age party where dragons learn their destiny and mate. Does your life improve or spiral more out of control when your tormentors’ eyes become fixated on you?

Sofia Jones is a seventeen-year-old human who has never met her father. Her mother is never around because she would rather spend her time at the club than with her daughter. She isn't the most popular girl in school and only has one friend, Ella. Sofia has been in love with her best friend's twin brother since middle school, but she knows they can never be together, not only because he is the most popular boy who has been bullying her since freshman year but also because he is her best friends brother.

Ethan Black is the most popular boy in school. He is the Quarterback of the football team, and he can have any girl he wants, except for the one he has been in love with since the fifth grade, Sofia. She is his twin sister's best friend, but that is not the only reason he can't have her. Ethan Black is a werewolf, along with his twin sister and the rest of his family, and Sofia is a human who knows nothing about werewolves. Ethan has been bullying her since freshman year. He feels it is better to push her away than to stay close to her. He knows he will meet his Mate soon since his eighteenth birthday is coming up, but something shocking happens. He discovers that Sofia is his Mate.

Now, he is determined to make Sofia his, but will he be able to do that after the way he has been treating her? How will Sofia react when she discovers werewolves and other supernatural beings exist? What happens when the Vampire King takes a liking to Sofia and wants to make her his? Who will Sofia end up with?

You will have to read to find out!

MATURE CONTENT DISCLAIMER
This story is strictly intended for adults (18+ only).
This story contains explicit adult content, themes of power imbalance, themes of dominance and possessive relationship.
Reader discretion is advised!
°°°°°°°°°°
Thalia Emerson didn’t just beg for help—
she humiliated herself for it.
After a minor accident involving a luxury car, she tries to swindle the owner for money… and fails. But walking away isn’t an option. Not when her aunt is dying and she has nothing left to lose.
So she does the unthinkable.
She asks him to lend her the money.
She promises to pay him back.
And when that isn’t enough to convince him… she offers herself as a slave.
The man she’s begging isn’t just rich—he’s Alpha Cassian Frostclaw, heir to the royal Alpha family. Dangerous enough to crush her without effort.
Instead of rejecting her, he agrees to lend her the money—but under one condition: a three-year contract marriage.
Driven by desperation, Thalia signs without reading, convincing herself she can survive anything for three years.
But the moment the deal is sealed, Cassian disappears—leaving her with silence… and the illusion that she got away cheaply.
For nearly three years, she lives as though she has escaped the consequences of her choice. She rebuilds her life, clings to her freedom, and counts down the days until everything will end. But he returns.
And to Alpha Cassian, Thalia was never someone he could let go. He intends to collect every second she owes him.
What follows is not peace—but chaos.

Aria Thorne was born into a pack where she was treated like dirt beneath their paws. Born as a StillBlood - a wolf who could not shift, she was mocked, beaten, and branded "broken."
Her only chance at escape? An arranged marriage to a fallen and crippled Alpha whose scars ran deeper than flesh.
Lucien Vine was once a man of legend. A ruthless warrior. A king among Alphas. Now he’s a shadow of his former self, crippled and discarded by the very pack he had once led and bled for.
Lucien saw nothing but another chain when the new alpha, his brother, forced him to mate with a StillBlood. He considered her as nothing more than one more curse.
However, fate has a perverse sense of humor. Because the Broken Luna possesses a hidden ability that she is unaware of, and the only person who might be able to awaken it is the Crippled Alpha.
Will they ruin one another? Or rise together and set the world on fire?

“Mate is back,” Cyan retorted with excitement in her voice. “Let's go see mate, Evie; let's go see him.” She urged.

“We'll see him tomorrow during the ceremony,” I replied.

“What if he doesn't know you anymore? Aren't you at least curious about his looks?” she retorted.

She had a point, though; it's been ten whole years since I last saw him, and I'll be turning eighteen tomorrow, which is the perfect time to get a mate. I stood there contemplating between going to bed or satisfying my curiosity.

After much thought, Cyan won. I turned sharply, heading for Kieran's room. Even though it was just a glimpse of him as he slept, that would be okay, I thought.

I climbed through the walls, peeping through the window, but was met with great darkness. I stepped into the room, scrutinizing through the darkness until I found the switch, taking back my full shape, leaving me with ripped and torn clothes. I turned on the lights as my eyes danced through every corner of the room.

I felt my shoulders slump in defeat as nothing had changed; the room remained untouched, as the surfaces were filled with dust. The only thing that changed was the sheets. The beautifully colored sheets I had placed the last time I came here to clean had been changed into a sparkling white one.

I turned around in disappointment about leaving when I felt an intimidating presence behind me.

“Looking for someone?” A husky voice echoed, making me freeze. “You're trespassing, little wolf; care to explain why?” he added in a stern voice. I inhaled sharply, the rich scent of Bourbon filling my lungs. My eyes widened in shock.

Betrayal.

A young woman, Elena Mendez, was deceived and murdered by her fiancé and her best friend. However, instead of dying, her soul was sent back to the day before her wedding, giving her the chance to relive her life. Only this time, with enough knowledge about the future to change her destiny. Now she seeks revenge against those who have wronged her, and she approaches her ex-fiancé's rival to help her take revenge on her ex-fiancé and best friend but in the process of vengeance spirals into a different web of emotions and now they see their self falling for each other but won't admit.

Will their relationship be all about vengeance or will something magical come out of it?

"Ten years of atonement, and you flee?"

His fangs glinted as he gripped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. Dragon scales shimmered along his neck, breath scorching my skin.

"Your Majesty... I beg—" He shoved me onto the bed. Silk tore with a sharp rip, cold air rushing over my exposed body.

"Scared?" He smirked, palm sliding down my waist, fingers tracing slow, burning circles. "Yet you shiver... not from cold."

I lunged for the candlestick, but he caught my wrist, pinning it overhead. His knee forced my legs apart.

"When your father gave you to me," his lips brushed my ear, voice a dark rumble, "you were already mine."

On the eve of freedom after ten years of servitude, Lina Valeria stood one night away from reuniting with her betrothed. But Dragon King Augustus condemned her to the Abyss Mines on false charges—a trap forged from obsessive desire.

Augustus Ashenwing, Supreme Sovereign of Skyhold Citadel, is ruthless and feared by all races. His obsession stems from ancient grudges and dragonkind's most dangerous instinct: possessive desire. He demands her submission, binding her to his throne as his consort.

From prisoner to queen, Lina battles him through court intrigue and twisted passion—fighting for her mother, her freedom, her dignity.

Yet this cold-blooded tyrant reserves all tenderness for her alone. He indulges her temper, bends his pride, compromises without limit—anything to see her smile. Gradually, her heart wavers. But loving him means betraying Kain, who waited eleven years. Torn between duty and desire, she drowns in agonizing guilt.

Love and hatred intertwined—a forbidden dragon romance in a realm of oppression.

“You want to betray your husband-to-be?”
Rhaedon asked lazily as he pulled on his shirt, covering the last of his scarred, toned torso.
His golden gaze settled on me.
“Why should I trust a woman like you?”
I met his eyes without hesitation.
“Because I’m the only one who can put you on the throne.”
☆
Aveline Thorne was killed by the man she loved and the sister she trusted—only to wake up five years before her death.
On the night of her wedding anniversary, she’s betrayed by Lucien Ashbourne, her husband who chose her sister over her, used her silence to climb toward the throne, framed her, and had her killed the moment she became an inconvenience.
Given a second chance at life, one thing is painfully clear to Aveline: her life was never meant to be about love. It was about power—and this time, she refused to be the one sacrificed for it.
Instead of marrying the man who would destroy her, Aveline allied herself with the feared Crown Prince Alpha whose name alone made the realm shake—and Lucien’s most hated cousin—Rhaedon Ashkaar.
In exchange for power, status, protection, and revenge, she offered him something no one else could: knowledge that could help him win the Alpha Selection—a brutal competition to crown the next Alpha of Alphas—and a chance to cure the sickness slowly killing him.
As she helps Rhaedon rise and take revenge on those who betrayed her, the man who once believed she was useless finally realizes what he has lost. But by the time regret takes hold of Lucien, Aveline is already standing somewhere he can never reach.
With her second chance at life, she isn’t living for love or forgiveness.
She’s surviving to take back everything they stole from her—including the throne!

After years of bloodshed and power, Alpha Marcel leaves the ruthless world of werewolves behind to build a quiet life with his beloved wife, Ella, and their innocent daughter, Evelyn. In a remote town, they find fleeting peace—until whispers turn to accusations. Locals call Marcel the devil and brand Evelyn as his cursed offspring. As fear spreads, violence brews, forcing Marcel to flee with his family to protect what matters most.
But peace is short-lived.
Just when they think they’ve outrun the hate, a shadow from Marcel’s past resurfaces—an enemy cloaked in vengeance, determined to destroy everything Marcel holds dear. With his family in the crosshairs, Marcel must embrace the beast within once more. Because this time, survival isn't just about running. It's about fighting back.
Can a former Alpha escape the past—or will it come for his blood and his daughter's soul?
Note: This is book 2 of the Series, Sold To The Notorious Mafia Alpha- His Pleasure Thing

Alicia's life takes an unexpected turn when she is forced to marry Tobias Wilton, the mysterious brother of the powerful Alpha of the Golden Moon Pack. But their marriage is anything but conventional. Alicia never sees Tobias, and her life remains the same, except for her new status as a married woman. She wonders if she is doomed to a loveless, lonely life.
But one fateful night changes everything. Alicia accidentally sleeps with her mate, Damian Howard, and suddenly, her whole world is turned upside down. But little does she know, Damian is actually her husband Tobias, who has been living a double life in his quest for revenge against his uncle and grandfather.
Tobias’ past is shrouded in secrets and intrigue. All he did was to take revenge, including choosing an ordinary girl as his wife in his old role. For him, the fact that his wife is his mate is just an entertaining game beyond revenge, because he never believes in love and mate things.
As they navigate the treacherous waters of love and betrayal, secrets and lies threaten to tear them apart. Can they overcome the obstacles in their path and build a future together? Or will the forces working against them keep them apart forever?
This is a story of passion, loyalty, and love filled with lies. Join Alicia and Tobias on their journey and it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

"Lily," he growled one evening as I helped adjust his pillows. "Why are you still here?" His eyes were hard, and angry when I turned to face him. The accident had taken so much from him, and he hated feeling helpless. He still hadn't accepted it. "Because I care about you, I'm not going to leave you like everyone else." "You're wasting your time!" He snapped. "Look at me! I'm a broken man. I can't walk, I can't even take care of myself. What do you expect to accomplish by staying here?" "I expect you to fight! I... I expect you to try and get better, Marcus. You're not done yet. You still have a chance." He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "There's no chance Lily. The doctors said-" "I don't care what the doctors said! I believe in you, Marcus. I know you can recover. You just have to try." For a moment those eyes softened, and in that split second, I thought maybe, just maybe, I'd gotten through to him. But then his face darkened and he turned away. "I don't want your pity, just... leave me alone."

[WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] "Each time you break a rule; I'll claim a part of your body as mine"
Forced to marry the heir of the largest mafia syndicate to pay for her parent's debt and her grandmother's hospital bills. "Live with my son for 30 days, if you don't fall in love with him, I'll cancel this contract."
Can Malissa live with the handsome, hot and dominating Hayden for 30 days without falling for his charms? However, there are rules to living with this lusty monster and as Malissa breaks them, she learns of pleasures that she never knew existed.
As his touches set her on fire, her heart starts to melt. But does the two have a future together when Hayden is in love with someone else and Malissa cannot get over her ex-boyfriend? READ NOW to find out!

I am Harper, the wife who loved too deeply in a marriage built on a lie. For three years, I endured my husband Brandon Martinez’s cold indifference, knowing I was merely a pawn in his gamble against his first love. But when she returned, shattering my last illusions with her presence and his undeniable devotion to her, I finally woke up.
After a car accident left me injured and alone, while he comforted her, I realized my love was nothing but a one-sided tragedy. I chose to leave, signing a divorce agreement and walking away with nothing but my dignity. Now, as he desperately tries to win me back with belated tenderness and possessive demands, I stand firm. My heart, once broken by his neglect, has hardened. I am no longer the submissive wife waiting in the shadows; I am reclaiming my life, my career, and my future.

"You think I'm the devil for wanting my wife's baby sister spread open and begging. But you came here, Felicia. You texted me back and you ran here. You let me finger fck you against a hotel wall like a desperate little whre while Eva's probably acting like the perfect wife at home."
Felicia Lawson thought college would be her escape but nothing prepared her for Ian, her sister's husband or for Jake, the charming upperclassman who made her believe in something real again.
While Felicia battles guilt and longing, her roommate Zara hides secrets darker than love, a mafia lineage that's about to pull her into a marriage with a dangerous don.
"You're going to marry me, little sunflower."
Zara's eyes snap open, the water sloshes as she jerks against my grip, but the chain on her ankle rattles like a laugh. She can't go far. She can't go anywhere.
"Fuck you," she spits, voice raw from screaming at the ceiling all night. "I'd rather die."
He smiled. It was small and polite, the kind he used to give people who betrayed him right before he buried them in the ground. "That can be arranged. But first…"
Massimo curled his fingers inside her. "You're going to come on my hand," he said calmly, "and then you're going to say yes."

Chained in a dark basement and abused for three years, Evie finally escaped. Returning home, she saw her sister, Vivian, surrounded by a crowd, blowing out candles on a five-layer cake.

——

Kidnapped by a gang, Evie endured three years of hell. She discovered that it was all orchestrated by Vivian, whose goal was to make her completely disappear from this world.

Heaven-rending hatred outweighed despair. Having cheated death and returned to the Vance family, her adoptive parents avoided her like the plague, and her fiancé was already with Vivian.

Evie didn't care at all. She would return the suffering she endured twofold. With careful planning at every step, she took over the Vance Group, transforming from someone universally loathed into a universally worshipped multi-faceted boss—she possessed countless hidden identities.

Even the fiancé who had once betrayed her knelt before her, begging for forgiveness.

Evie gave a seductive smile, "My apologies. I am already with your CEO cousin. You should call me your cousin-in-law now."

As soon as he made sure the door was locked, he slammed his lips on mine again, devouring me and punishing me. He bit my lips hard and a metallic taste filled my mouth.

I don't want to think about the blood now as I try to match his needy pace.

He cupped my breast with his free hand and pinched my nipple. Hard.

This man doesn't have a single patient bone in his body. The way he dominated me made me feel so good that I came faster than usual.

He removed his finger and undid his belt. He sat me on a table and thrusted in me in one go.

I gasped at the sudden movement and wrapped my legs around his torso, taking in his full length.

He fucked me for a long time that I forgot all about my problems and was moaning loudly.

I am sure all the guards standing outside heard my moans because I didn't even attempt to keep it low. . . . After finding out about her boyfriend's betrayal, Iris decided to drown her sorrow in booze.

One thing led to the other and she ended up having a one night stand with a stranger. Days after Iris's reckless decision, she found out that her one night stand was her twin sister's fiance.

he was also her mate. Iris must choose between making her family happy or going after her heart. After being forced into an engagement with one of the Smith twins, Darius Acrux was determined to destroy the entire White Rock pack and its Alpha.

But things took a different turn when he found out that his future sister-in-law was his mate. Two people faced with the decisions of their family's happiness or their own heart desires.

Sienna Cruz thought being forced into a cold marriage with Biker Don Kanan Maddox was the worst fate imaginable, until she was slaughtered alongside her family and unborn child by her own husband.
But fate decides to give her a second chance and she’s transmigrated into the body of a lethal street fighter known as Siren. Sienna now has the skills to match her vengeance and she returns underworld with a simple mission: find her ex-husband. Gain his trust. Destroy him from the inside out.
Kanan becomes obsessed with Siren the moment she enters his world, never suspecting she’s the ghost of the woman he failed to love, the wife he murdered.
But as Siren tears through his criminal empire, she begins to uncover cracks in the carefully constructed lie of his cruelty. The massacre was professional, cold, and flawless... too flawless for a monster driven by simple greed.
She came back to kill her enemy, but she might be playing right into the hands of a monster.

Sophie Bennett is a ghost. A scholarship student at Crestview Academy, her only goal is to stay invisible and get close to Daniel Vale, the golden heir her family desperately needs her to befriend. Daniel is perfect, kind, and safe. But on her first day, a wrong turn puts her in the path of the "Wrong Brother."

Harrison Vale is the school’s shadow. He’s dangerous, silent, and feared. While the world sees Daniel’s light, Sophie is inexplicably drawn to Harrison’s darkness. As Serena Cole and the elite "Royals" of the school target Sophie for her low-income roots, Sophie finds herself caught between two brothers: the one who can save her future, and the one who might destroy her heart.

Aria Thorne was born into a pack where she was treated like dirt beneath their paws. Born as a StillBlood - a wolf who could not shift, she was mocked, beaten, and branded "broken."
Her only chance at escape? An arranged marriage to a fallen and crippled Alpha whose scars ran deeper than flesh.
Lucien Vine was once a man of legend. A ruthless warrior. A king among Alphas. Now he’s a shadow of his former self, crippled and discarded by the very pack he had once led and bled for.
Lucien saw nothing but another chain when the new alpha, his brother, forced him to mate with a StillBlood. He considered her as nothing more than one more curse.
However, fate has a perverse sense of humor. Because the Broken Luna possesses a hidden ability that she is unaware of, and the only person who might be able to awaken it is the Crippled Alpha.
Will they ruin one another? Or rise together and set the world on fire?

I was reborn. My younger brother stole the woman who had lost her leg and was blind, thinking he had seized the throne of the apocalypse.
He didn't know that her power in her past life stemmed from the pendant on my chest—which contained a fountain of life.
This time, I'm not a savior. I'm handing the spring over to the nation.
The Pentagon has given me a new designation: National Assets.
While the younger brother was being beaten up by his neighbor for a half-empty can of cola, the National Guard's superhumans had already begun clearing out the infected.
He called, his voice hoarse: "Her superpower is only enough to chill a glass of cola... You tricked me?"
I hung up the phone and went into the lab.
"What's the extraction rate of the spiritual spring water today?"

The doctors gave me three days. And my husband Donald used that time to beg me to give my uterus to Hailey, the "sister" I'd rescued from the streets.
"Her need is greater," he said.
So I smiled and signed over the design empire I'd spent fifteen years building to the girl who once shivered in my doorway.
My daughter Flora curled in Hailey's lap. "I love Hailey Mommy best!"
I nodded. "Be good for Mommy Hailey."
My parents squeezed Hailey's hands. "Sometimes, she feels more like a daughter to us than you ever did."
Even Donald looked at me with soft eyes. "This is the Audrey I always hoped you could be."
Dying, I had finally become their perfect woman—quiet, generous, and uncomplaining.
With the clock ticking down, I stitched the final thread into a wedding gown. Let them have their perfect ending. They'll discover, when the last breath leaves my body, that some gifts are curses in disguise.
Was it a devoted wife's final sacrifice... or a dead woman's ultimate revenge? The answer will unravel in the silence after my heart stops.

Ever since Her Majesty the Queen fell gravely ill, the entire dragon realm had been teetering on the brink of collapse.
In that precarious moment, it was I who held the throne together, heartbroken yet unyielding.
I depleted my magic without reservation to repair the realm's protective barriers, working through endless nights to brew life-sustaining elixirs for the Queen.
Yet when the Dragon Legion finally drove back the abyssal demons, what awaited me wasn't victory—it was a fatal blade.
My magic was shredded apart. The soul core in my chest was ripped out by a pair of familiar hands.
In my final moments, I saw the face of the one holding the knife.
My newly wedded husband, Drystan.
And beside him, pulled tight against his chest, was my half-sister Vespera.
"You're brilliant, Vespera." Drystan turned the faintly glowing core over in his palm. "A single forged love letter, and this fool willingly died defending our dying realm. Now even her core is mine."
Vespera nestled against him, emerald eyes glittering with greed. "Once you absorb this power, we'll return to the throne together. You'll still be the Empire's Crown Prince, and I'll wear the Crown Princess's coronet. As is only right."
Amid this sickening pledge of betrayal, I drew my last breath.
When I opened my eyes again, cold gray stone vaulting stared back at me.
I had returned to the day news of Drystan's death in battle reached the capital.
One glance toward the corner of the great hall told me everything.
That man stood there wearing a cold iron mask, posing as my dear sister Vespera's sworn personal knight.
You want to drain me dry? Steal my soul core?
Dream on.

I died the day I caught my fiancé cheating.

I had walked in on my cousin and my fiancé, completely naked in the backseat of a brand-new Porsche. It was a car bought with stolen money—embezzled from the estate of my recently deceased grandmother, Margaret.

Panic had set in the moment I discovered them. To stop me from calling the cops, he slammed his foot on the gas.

As a pool of warm blood spread beneath my head, I heard him lying to the first responders: "She’s mentally unstable. She threw herself right in front of the car."

I died exactly like that—labeled a hysterical, suicidal woman.

But just when I thought it was all over, my eyes snapped open.

The hot blood that had just blurred my vision, the shattering agony in my bones—it was all gone.

I've been married to my husband Jake for three years. In that time, I've been pregnant twice.

But each time, I lost the baby.

What took my children wasn't a medical condition, but a painting.

A black bird, painted by Jake's ten-year-old blind brother, Billy.

My in-laws claimed he had the gift—a psychic born with sight beyond sight. And the black bird was an omen. It marked my baby as cursed, a threat to the family.

To save my second child, I got the best amniocentesis report money could buy, proving the baby had no genetic defects.

It happened again anyway.

At three in the morning, I woke to the agony of another miscarriage and stumbled to the studio door.

That's when I found out the truth.

Married to Declan Hargrove for three years, I kept my past locked away tight. I let no one near Greybell, and I never, ever mentioned the name Calloway.
Until Piper excitedly dug up the "incest scandal" between me and my own brother. The Hargrove family booked their flights that very night, vowing to fly to Greybell and tear my "white-trash" parents to shreds.
I knelt on the carpet, shaking and sobbing.
But hiding behind the curtain of my long hair, no one saw the truth. I wasn’t begging for my own life.
I was begging for theirs.
Because my brother, Reid, had already gotten the news. He was in Greybell right now, preparing an unforgettable "feast" for our arrogant guests.

Three years ago, my pairs skating partner and I had a beautiful wedding surrounded by friends and family—but we never actually got around to signing the legal papers.
Over those three years, he has stood me up at City Hall exactly twenty-eight times.
One time, he stole my cab while I was burning up with a fever, leaving me shivering on the curb because his new, pampered protégée had a stomachache from drinking too much champagne.
Another time, he blew off our anniversary to rush to her side for a minor sprain.
Every single time we were supposed to finally make our marriage official, his precious junior skater somehow had a devastating emergency.
After twenty-eight broken promises, I finally stopped waiting. I dropped our partnership, shredded our application, and boarded a one-way flight to Milan.
But the moment I completely vanished from his life, the man who couldn't spare an hour to marry me suddenly lost his mind—chasing me across the globe to a city he swore he’d never return to, begging on his knees outside my door for a twenty-ninth chance.

On the three hundredth day of my marriage to Gu Cheng, as usual, he fed me expensive pregnancy-preserving medicine.
He vowed to me with deep affection that as long as I safely gave birth to the Gu family's first grandson, this wild girl raised in an orphanage would finally become the respected Mrs. Gu.
I always believed this was his effort for our shared future, irrefutable proof of his deep love for me.
Until I accidentally overheard a secret conversation between him and his lawyer in the study.
"Though Wu Qian is low-born, she has a strong body. Using her as a pregnancy vessel guarantees a robust eldest grandson."
"After she gives birth, we'll fabricate a case of postpartum depression and send her to a psychiatric hospital. Keep the child, get rid of the mother. A foolproof deal, isn't it?"
At this point, the lawyer mentioned a name: Song Ya.
The moment he heard that name, Gu Cheng's voice immediately softened.
"Yaya has been pampered since childhood. How could I bear to let her suffer the ordeal of childbirth, which is half a step through death's door?"
In that instant, the marital dream I had poured everything into shattered into pieces.
I withdrew my hand, frozen mid-air, stroked my bulging pregnant belly, turned around, and dialed the pre-booked private clinic.
"Doctor, an abortion procedure. How soon can it be done?"

As a regular student, I never expected to fit into the world of trust fund kids. But this real estate heiress reached out to me, said she'd show me how the other half lives, even promised to introduce me to New England's most powerful heir.

I thought she'd be my friend. Thought she actually cared. I even fell for him.

Until she framed me for stealing confidential school files. Until he said, "Just a scholarship kid. No one's gonna miss her." That's when I understood. I was never more than their toy.

They tore up my textbooks, stuffed dead rats in my locker, spent six months tormenting me online and off. My mother couldn't take the vicious comments. Her heart gave out. And me? After I completely broke down, they drove me to the coastal cliffs.

Ice-cold water flooded my nose and mouth. Suffocation dragged me down into despair. I hate myself for being weak. Hate them for their arrogance. Hate this rotten system that treats people like me as disposable.

But when I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the night she pushed me toward him.

This time, I won't be fooled.

Five years. That's what I gave Vaelor, Crown Prince of the Dark Elves.
I was already dressed for the betrothal ceremony when I caught his voice through the gap in the council hall door.
"You're really going through with it? The human?"
"Of course. The Alliance has kept a blade at our throats for years. Their leader's apprentice, given to us in marriage—that puts it away."
"But if she suspects—"
"She won't."
"And Lyseth—"
"Lyseth is who matters. The human is manageable."
I didn't make it out of the courtyard. A blade came from the darkness before I could summon a defense.
When I woke up, I remembered everything. Aldric. Isara. The Alliance. Five years of roads, every step.
Just not his face.
Aldric's messenger stone was on the nightstand. Short, direct: Return to the Alliance. Political marriage. Orc Royal House.
I wrote back: Seven days.

I came back to New York for one reason: to meet the man my mother arranged for me to marry.
I never made it to dinner.
His "sister"—the woman he'd been protecting since childhood, the one he clearly loved more than he'd ever love a fiancée he'd never met—snatched a twelve-thousand-dollar dress out of my hands at a Fifth Avenue boutique and had me thrown out. When I called him about it, he told me I should be grateful to be marrying into his family at all. Then he hung up.
An hour later, she accused me of stealing her ring. Had me pinned against the wall. Told his men to strip me down and film it for "evidence."
Nico laughed when I told him the whole Ferrante family would answer for this.
"With what? You?"
My name is Sera Vitti.
That's all I'll say.

"No. Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. Say one truth. I dare you to tell me one fucking truth."

"I love you."

"No, you don't. Say something else."

"I can't live without you."

"Shut up, you bastard! How can you say you love me when all you ever do is hurt me?"

Once a predator locks onto its prey, there's no letting go.

Leah Walsh is a lonely wife, starved for the love her husband no longer gives.
Aiden Kingston is a ruthless caporegime of the city's most feared crime family. A man who doesn't understand the word no.

She fights her attraction to him, but one reckless choice shatters her marriage and binds her to him. Now, Leah is trapped in his violent world, where simply standing by his side makes her a target for his enemies. Every attempt to escape his chains only tightens them, and Aiden's obsession grows stronger each passing day.

Will leah break free or surrender to the man who is determined to ruin her and claim her as his?

"You were meant to be my death. Instead, you've become my damnation."
Aria Thornwell has spent three years as a healer in her town, attempting to forget the night her former fiancé publically humiliated her by selecting her affluent stepsister instead—taking Aria's family fortune with him. Now, she lives quietly, utilizing her skill to aid the underprivileged while her stepfamily flaunts their stolen fortune.

But on the winter solstice, everything changes. She's chosen as the ceremonial bride for the vampires' holy Winter Feast—a "honor" that guarantees death at daybreak following the Christmas Eve rite. Dragged to the Crimson Vale with five other human tributes, Aria is prepared to meet her fate with dignity.

Until she meets him.

Lord Sebastian Thorne, the ancient vampire who has presided over the Winter Feast for eight centuries, is meant to drain her at dawn following the binding ritual. It's tradition. It's law. It's survival—the ceremonial blood maintains the vampire realm for another year.

But as Sebastian's lips brush her throat in the ceremonial hall, something unbelievable happens. Her blood doesn't simply sustain him—it wakes something in him that's been dead for generations. And in a move that shocks the whole vampire court, he refuses to complete the rite.
"This one is mine," he proclaims, his old strength sweeping the hall. "Anyone who touches her answers to me."

Trapped in the Obsidian Palace as Sebastian's "protected bride," Aria discovers three frightening truths: Sebastian isn't protecting her out of mercy—he's dying from an ancient curse, and her blood is the only thing keeping him alive past Christmas; the vampire court will do anything to kill her and reinstate the ritual; and her "ordinary" healer's gift is actually a rare and dangerous power that vampire nobility has been hunting for generations.

"Very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery, with some twists and an intelligent plot. You will not be disappointed. Excellent way to spend a cold weekend!" --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (regarding Murder in the Manor) BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE is the debut novel in a charming and hilarious new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, whose bestselling Murder in the Manor (A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery) has nearly 200 five star reviews. Allison Sweet, 34, a sous chef in Los Angeles, has had it up to here with demeaning customers, her demanding boss, and her failed love life. After a shocking incident, she realizes the time has come to start life fresh and follow her lifelong dream of moving to a small town and opening a bakery of her own. When Allison spots a charming, vacant storefront on the boardwalk near Venice, she wonders if she could really start life anew. Feeling like it’s a sign, and a time to take a chance in life, she goes for it. Yet Allison did not anticipate the wild ride ahead of her: the boardwalk, filled with fun and outrageous characters, is pulsing with life, from the Italian pizzeria owners on either side of her who vie for her affection, to the fortune tellers and scheming rival bakery owner nearby. Allison yearns to just focus on her delicious new pastry recipes and keep her struggling bakery afloat—but when a murder occurs right near her shop, everything changes. Implicated, her entire future at stake, Allison has no choice but to investigate to clear her name. As an orphaned dog wanders into her life, a devoted new sidekick with a knack for solving mysteries, she starts her search. Will they find the killer? And can her struggling bakery survive? A hilarious cozy mystery series, packed with twists, turns, romance, travel, food and unexpected adventure, the BEACHFRONT BAKERY series will keep you laughing and turning pages late into the night as you fall in love with an endearing new character who will capture your heart. Book #2 in the series—A MURDEROUS MACARON—is also available!