783 Book(s) Related to one fake kiss away

I never knew my blood could kill a king—until I met one. Sebastian, the ruthless and immortal King, rules with precision. For centuries, he's ruled with ruthless precision, his heart as cold as the stone throne beneath him. One moment, I'm nothing. The next, I'm his obsession. His touch burns like ice fire. His stare follows me through shadows. And when he feeds from me—God help me—it feels like drowning in darkness and craving more. He tells me my blood is unlike any he's tasted, that my scent drives him to the edge of madness.


He reached for the back of my head and pulled me up just enough to reach my neck. When his fangs slid into me, the pain was instant, electric. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My hands found his shoulders, clawing for something to hold. My legs kicked. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

He moaned against my throat as he drank, and the sound was devastating.

Ten years loving Liam Rockefeller cost me everything.

He said the football team jumped him—so I charged in and took the punches. He sobbed that his stepbrother would destroy him at Yale—so I ripped up my acceptance letter. He held me at midnight whispering "I'm so lucky to have you"—and I thought that meant forever.

Three months later, I heard him laughing in the locker room—laughing about me.

"Iris is like a fucking puppy, so easy to fool. Now that the Yale spot's open, Emily can go with me."

The bullying was staged. The tears were fake. Those intimate embraces—just tools to control me while he fucked his side piece.

He thought I'd still stand in front of him even with a broken nose. He thought I'd never wise up.

I wised up.

In his stepbrother Sebastian's bed.

"Hey, don't move!"
I was robbed by a stranger. But what he wanted was not money.
He tore my clothes off, kept kissing me hard, not to rape me.
He wanted me to cover his blood and track from his enemies.
I saw blood running out of his stomach.
He said thank you after he fooled his enemies.
I let him come into my place to get the bullet out of him.
I was a doctor.
He gave me a kiss the next morning and disappeared from my life.
It felt like a dream, I couldn't help thinking about the night making out with him.
Until one day, I saw him again in the hospital.
I learned that he was a soldier and that he had looked for me and loved me for a very very long time...
But I had no memory of him, until...

Emily Anderson once believed in love, family, and second chances. But when tragedy strikes, the man she trusted most, James Carter, becomes her cruelest tormentor. Haunted by the death of his mother and unborn child, James is determined to make Emily pay, no matter the cost.

Forced to live under the same roof, Emily struggles to protect her fragile younger brother, Oliver. But when James demands Oliver's kidney to save his own son, Emily's world begins to unravel. Her pleas are ignored, her sacrifices go unseen and soon, the line between justice and vengeance blurs.

As betrayal mounts from all sides—family, friends, and even fate—Emily is stripped of everything she holds dear. But in the depths of despair, something awakens within her. A spark. A purpose.

What began as a woman begging for mercy becomes a relentless fight for dignity, truth, and revenge. But just how far is Emily willing to go—and how much more does she have left to lose?

Once a bright and gentle boy, he has become the backbone of the Special Forces, the Sterling family's pride.
But he is no longer the man she once knew. Now, he is a blade: sharp, cold, and unyielding.

"I still love you," she said, "but I can never forgive you."

He was ready to pay the price.
What he didn’t expect was that the price might be his life.
Because Elena Cooper wasn’t just someone he loved.
She was his life.

Layla Byrne arrives at Blackwater Hall with one letter in her bag and one ugly truth in her chest. Someone is dead, someone is definitely lying.

The school welcomes gifted students, bloodline heirs, and the children of old magical families. It also hides a forest full of sealed power, missing students, and a history everyone has been trained to forget.

Layla is the outsider from the coast, the scholarship girl with the wrong surname, the wrong accent, and a magic she cannot control. The moment she steps onto Blackwater Hall grounds, she feels eyes on her. Notes appear where they should not. Doors open behind her when nobody is there. Someone knows where she sleeps before she does.

The worst part is that the boy who keeps appearing whenever danger comes near her looks like the one who is doing it. Callum Reid is the academy’s golden enforcer, the respected heir with sharp hands, colder manners, and a habit of being too close for comfort. Layla decides he is the stalker. Callum decides she is a threat to the school and to herself. Neither of them is completely wrong.

As Layla digs deeper, she learns that Blackwater Hall does not merely educate students. It ranks them, watches them, marks them, and uses them. Students with the right bloodlines are pushed toward the hidden forest seal beneath the school. Records vanish. Names are being erased. People disappear.

The woman running the academy smiles through all of it. The archivist who keeps the records knows exactly how the old power works.

And the first boy Layla ever trusted in the academy turns out to be the real predator, the one who has been stalking her from the shadows long before she understood she was being hunted.

"They said you killed him.”
“I did.”
“And the girl who tried to save you?”
“She died too… because I didn’t stop playing.”

"And you died once. Didn’t that teach you something?”
“Yes. That some lives aren’t worth reliving.”

When Elara Vance, a world-class tennis prodigy, dies after a betrayal, she wakes up three years earlier before everything went wrong.

But this time, life wasn’t how she remembered. The orphanage had given up her adoption to someone else, and they seemed desperate to marry her off to the very man she once sworn to kill.

Filled with vengeance, Elara vows to reclaim her title, her pride, and destroy everyone who once watched her fall, anyone who stands in her way.

But her greatest obstacle isn’t her rivals, it's her heart. Because the man she despises most might not be who he seems, and the deeper she digs, the truth takes a dark turn.

Someone posted a love confession to me on the campus board the same week I got nominated for the Outstanding Thesis Award. By that evening, my roommate's boyfriend had already commented—claiming I'd slept with our professor and faked my entire thesis.
My roommate swore she'd handle it.
She didn't.
A used condom appeared at my lab bench. Photos of a woman leaving my advisor's building at 2 a.m. went viral. The university pulled my thesis. My professor told me to disappear quietly. My parents drove six hours to slap me and tell me my sister would never.
I lost my degree, my family, and my name. Then I lost my life.
The night I died, I finally saw what I'd missed in those photos—a detail that proved it was never me.
I woke up three weeks before my thesis defense.
I remember everything. And this time, I'm not keeping quiet.

Criminal profiler in training (and newlywed) Jessie Hunt, 29, discovers that dark secrets lurk in her new suburban town; when a body turns up dead, she finds herself caught in the crosshairs of her newfound friends, her husband’s secrets, her serial killer caseload—and the secrets of her own dark past.In THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), Criminal profiler-in-training Jessie Hunt is sure she's finally put the darkness of her childhood behind her. She and her husband, Kyle, just moved from a cramped downtown Los Angeles apartment into a Westport Beach mansion. Kyle's promotion has them swimming in money. And Jessie is on the verge of getting her Master's degree in forensic psychology, the last step in her dream of becoming a criminal profiler. But soon after their arrival, Jessie begins to notice a series of strange developments. The neighbors—and their au pairs—all seem to be hiding secrets. The mysterious yacht club Kyle is desperate to join is rife with cheating spouses, and with troubling rules of its own. And the notorious serial killer being held at the psychiatric hospital where Jessie is completing her degree seems to know more about her life than is normal—or safe. As her world starts to unravel, Jessie begins to question everything around her—including her own sanity. Has she truly uncovered a disturbing conspiracy buried within a sunny, wealthy Southern California beach town? Does the mass murderer she's studying really somehow know the origin of her private nightmares? Or has her tortured past finally come back to claim her?A fast-paced psychological suspense thriller with unforgettable characters and heart-pounding suspense, THE PERFECT WIFE is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

After being poisoned by her foster sister for years—fed weight-gain hormones disguised as vitamins—Chloe Harrison lost 90 pounds and clawed her way back from rock bottom.
Her cruel foster sister Mia even tricked her into a humiliating one-night stand with what she called "a fat, balding stranger." But that night was anything but shameful—it was unforgettable.
Now Mia has one final insult: marry the "pathetic cripple" Mia publicly rejected—a bankrupt, wheelchair-bound recluse named Julian Astor.
However, everything changes when Chloe walks into that conference room. Julian isn’t a broken old man—he’s six-foot-three of raw power in a Tom Ford suit, a devastatingly possessive billionaire CEO who makes her forget how to breathe.
All of a sudden, her contract marriage turns into something dangerously real. Julian doesn’t just want her on paper—he wants to worship every curve, trace every scar, and take her every single night.
Why does his touch feel so hauntingly familiar? And why does he look at her like he’s been searching for her since that rainy night?
A ruthless billionaire couldn’t possibly be obsessed with the woman he was never supposed to keep… could he?

Seven days before the apocalypse, my vampire parents forced me to hand over three million to buy a house for my baby brother in full.

As an actuary, I knew that order would collapse in seven days and the money would become worthless. So I not only readily agreed, but also used their family's records as collateral to raise millions in high-interest loans, building an impregnable, top-secret fortress.

Seven days later, an unexpected change occurred.

The debt-collecting gangs and the endless horde of zombies drove them to the brink of despair. Meanwhile, I sat in a temperature-controlled safe house, sipping freshly ground coffee, calmly watching the cannibalistic karmic retribution unfold on the security camera.

In the apocalypse, there is no family affection, only the probability of survival.

My brother and my fiancée forged evidence of my crimes. They claimed I was guilty of corruption, bribery, and betraying the family—that I was a traitor to the nation. If not for their "mercy," they said, I would have already been sentenced to death.

But that wasn't enough. Three years later, when Father lay dying, my brother and fiancée threw me into the Gulf of Mexico, all to eliminate any chance I might have of competing for the family inheritance.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to three years ago—to the moment they framed me for treason...

Ethan Ashworth had nothing — no money, no family, no future. Just a rundown room, a handsome face that brought him nothing but pain, and the daily beatings from rich bullies who saw him as trash.

Then came the brutal ambush behind the school building. Left bleeding and alone as the weekend began, Ethan finally gave up on life.

That was when the voice spoke.

[Bloodline Legacy Contract activated.]

Suddenly, the frail orphan from the slums was thrust into another world — a realm of magic, kings, and monsters. With a mysterious system at his side and a sword in his hand, Ethan must complete deadly missions to grow stronger.

Because back home, the rich still rule… and he has a score to settle.

In the enchanted world of Netherland, fairies and elves live peacefully, protected from their enemies by their pure hearts and magical powers. But when the jealous and scheming Eliza falls into the trap of the black witch, the fragile peace is threatened. The witch escapes to Earth, where she plans to carry out her evil schemes.

The God of Fairy sends three powerful student fairies, Charlie, Roman, and Brielle, to capture the witch and bring her back to Netherland. But their mission is complicated by the rule that they must not fall in love on Earth and avoid getting distracted.

Charlie, the most gifted and respected fairy in Netherland, falls into a LAFS (Love At First Sight) with a popular band leader in the school where the witch is hiding. As Charlie tries to balance her feelings for her newfound love and her duty to stop the witch, she also attracts unknown enemies who threaten her and her mission.

Meanwhile, Eliza continues to scheme and manipulate, putting herself and her fellow fairies in danger. Will the three fairies be able to capture the witch and save their world? Can Charlie resist the pull of love and focus on her mission? And what consequences will Eliza's actions have on the fragile peace of Netherland?

Once Upon A Magical Saga is a captivating tale of love, magic, and adventure that will transport readers to a world of wonder and danger.

Every day, millions of players log into Aetheria, the world’s most immersive game. They slay monsters, start wars, and chase glory before logging off for dinner.

Zaren has spent his entire life in Aetheria. As a simple blacksmith from a peaceful town, he has watched players treat his world like a playground, destroying homes, causing deaths, and walking away without consequence. He thought they were immortal.

Then a system glitch changes everything.

Suddenly, Zaren can see the game’s hidden interface: levels, quests, patch notes, and one terrifying update.

NPC behavioral realism update successfully installed. Subjects appear unaware they are in a video game.

To the players, his world isn’t real. To Zaren, it’s everything.

Unable to fight thousands of godlike players head-on, he turns their own system against them, altering quests, spreading misinformation, and manipulating the game from the shadows. But as he digs deeper, he uncovers evidence of another “glitch” who tried the same thing long ago and became the most hated villain in Aetherian history.

Now Zaren must decide whether saving his world is worth becoming its next monster.

Wyatt’s eyes met mine, and I swear I saw them flash gold for a brief moment. The sunshine was coming through the window harshly though, so it was probably just a trick of the light.


Wyatt smiled and for a moment, it was like my heart leapt right out of my chest. He looked like a movie star standing there with the early morning sun behind him. His brown hair was styled a bit more than usual, with more prominent curls throughout and it was up and away from his face. His beard, which was usually more like a thick stubble across his cheeks and chin, had grown out a bit more, and I wondered how I hadn’t noticed that this morning.

That was when I realized I never really let myself look at him for more than a few moments. If I had, I would have noticed the full sleeve of tattoos he had on his left arm– especially when he was shirtless this morning. Or I would have noticed that yes, he was sexy. Yes he was gorgeous. But he was also quite handsome and seemed to have a sweet air about him…


I shook that thought out of my head. As an alpha, he wouldn’t even be hanging out with some random woman– and definitely not one that read as human instead of a werewolf.


Wrenlee "Lucky" Jones wanted to keep a low profile. Hell, her life depended on it. But when she turned 18 and discovered that a long-time crush of hers was actually her fated werewolf mate, things get complicated fast. Within weeks, she finds herself the victim of an ancient curse and has to battle against both magickal entities and her stubborn, authoritative mate, who happened to be the Alpha King of the Appalachian Dominion. Suddenly caught between fate, fear, and love, Wrenlee must navigate the curse surrounding her and make decisions that will not only cost her... but will cost her mate. (Introductory Book to the Appalachian Dominion Novels, told in alternating perspectives)

Off to the human world, I could pretend to be just an ordinary girl with ordinary hormonal girl problems.


As everyone knew, I would be the one to replace my father as the future Luna and leader of the underground workings of the city. I had a front-row seat to the back-alley politics of the city.

The reality is for a wolf at seventeen, your world is never the same. It can be a lot of pressure. Even more so when you are the daughter of the alpha and are the future Luna of the pack.


Off to the human world where I could forget about all the mating stuff and pretend to be just an ordinary girl with ordinary hormonal girl problems.


Jackson Douglas was the town's bad boy, right down to his slick black hair, leather jacket, and boots. Pulling right up on the sidewalk was a primer black muscle car. Clearly, it had a lot of time, but into the motor and parts under the hood. V8 from the sound of the engine even in Idol.


"Thanks, but I think I’ll just call an Uber.” I turned to walk away but he caught my arm. “First off I have your phone, secondly you really do want to get in the car with me so I can get you home safely.” All of a sudden, looking in his eyes I wanted to do exactly that. All the irritation and creeps I was getting off our city’s bad boy were gone. I felt relaxed. Whatever was happening it didn’t seem to have complete control over my mouth though. “Fine, anywhere but home though and I will find something to stab you with.” With a huge smile now plastered on his face he simply said “Deal.” and we walked to his car. I opened the door so I could slide in. Oddly gentleman-like for the bad boy I thought, and it made me giggle. This was not good at all.


Darkness fell around us. The danger creeped in like a fog making it almost impossible to see a way out. This was it I thought, the end. The end of everything I know, everything I want. At that thought anger like I had never felt before burned within me like the fires of hell willing me to unleash them. To allow them to burn this world to the ground and everyone who dares to harm those that I loved. I no longer wanted to hold the fire back. I wanted to let it loose. Allow it to consume me. Looking around at those who were my friends and family, those who were here to fight with me who barely knew me, just believed in what we were here to fight for. I let go. I released the flames of rage. I felt the burn as they took over my thoughts and body doing what had to be done...

Warning🔞🔞🔞: This story contains a lot of explicit violence, foul language, and gore scenes, which are strictly not for readers under 18.
“Six months! Within six months, I will make you want me so much that you will not be able to breathe without me,” he said as he kissed her earlobe while he straddled her on his lap.
“You are wrong; in six months I will have people dropping flowers in your coffin as they bid you farewell after I have driven a bullet into your head.” Scarlett rasped as she stifled a moan trying to escape her mouth.
“Then it's a bet, but I know fate will work in my favor.”
“No, fate will work in mine,” Scarlett blurted as she tried to pick up the gun by his side, but he yanked it off her hand as he locked his lips with hers.


Scarlett Kendrick lost her family at the hands of Logan Russo, a deadly mafia lord, and she swore on her parents' lives that she would avenge them if that was the only thing she could do, but her uncle ran into trouble, and she was used as a collateral bride to a gang boss.
But on her wedding day, as she made to escape the wedding, she was kidnapped by her sworn enemy, with no escape route, but had to agree to a game with him. A game that needed six months.
He only asked for six months; he wanted her to be by his side for six months, and if she didn't fall in love with him, he would let her go, but Scarlett challenged him instead. She would get him killed in six months and not fall in love.
Would any one of them have their wish granted in six months?

Elena, a strong-willed She-wolf is forcefully sold by her father to the cruel Alpha Damien; they tell her that once she bears the Alpha an heir she would be set free.

What she doesn’t know is the cruel Alpha is her mate yet he remains oblivious to their mate bond, he torments her everyday and when Elena discovers she is pregnant she runs away from the abusive grasp of Alpha Damien.

Alpha Damien swore to find her and bring her back but what he doesn't know is Elena is now a well sought out healer.

Will Alpha Damien be able to get back his healer mate? Or will she end up in the hands of a second Alpha?

Find out in the gripping twist ahead!!

“I, Alpha Damian Blackwood, reject you, Arielle Slyden, as my mate.” You are not my mate, Arielle. You never were, and don't think the night we shared together meant anything to me.” Alpha Damian yelled at me as I stared at him in shock, his forest green eyes had no remorse or emotion in them. My chest pinched at me causing tears to fill my eyes but I refused to let him see how much effect he had on me.


One reckless night of passion on her eighteenth birthday became a curse that would haunt her. When Arielle's mate bond manifested, it cruelly tied her to Alpha Damian—her crush's older brother, and the man who had disappeared without a trace after claiming her innocence.

Arielle is caught between two brothers, one who owns her soul but refuses to be her mate, and the other whose forbidden kiss she craves.

What happens when Arielle discovers the one that had refused to claim her as his mate had marked her to be bound to him forever!!

Arielle gets tangled in a dangerous game of lust, and both brothers' interest in her might run deeper than desire. And their dark secrets might destroy her before she learns the truth.

In this damned wasteland, nobody wants to travel with a burden.
But there were four filthy little ones who stubbornly insisted on following me, refusing to fight back or retaliate.
I looked at them, then at the approaching horde of zombies in the distance, and tossed a loaded pistol in front of them.
"Want to follow me? Fine."
I coldly placed a knife to the neck of the outermost zombie. "Here, if you want me, the lone wolf, to take you along, you'll have to prove you're not trash!"
"Take it and shoot it in the head! That's the only ticket to joining my team!"
The sixteen-year-old girl, tears streaming down her face, gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger.
I knew I could never shake them off again.

Tally Barca is done with her "all-star asshole" ex and ready to rebuild. What she's not ready for is being the fated mate to two powerful shifter alphas—the dominant Theron and the gentle Connor. With a malicious ex and a jealous rival on her tail, Tally must unlock her own latent power to claim her place in the pack and in their hearts.

If you love steamy shifter romance, fated mates, and a heroine finding her strength, you need to read Tally's story from start to finish!.

For the full experience, read from beginning to end. I can't wait to hear your comment❤️🙏

"You and I know she can never conceive. Not in this world, not in the next!"
"What if she mysteriously gets pregnant again?"
"Well, the company that manufactures the drug we fed her back then hasn't gone extinct. She will simply lose it like she lost the first..."
She was never meant to be his Luna, only his mistake.
On the night of Alpha Kael's ascension, one drunken error changed everything. Mistaking Aria, a mere maid, for his fiancée, he spent the night with her and sealed a fate neither of them could undo. What was meant to remain a secret didn't stay buried for long. When Aria discovered she was pregnant, the truth spread through the pack like wildfire, destroying Kael's engagement to his true love, Vivienne. Heartbroken and consumed by rage, the once warm Alpha turned cold, cruel, and unforgiving.
Forced to take responsibility, Kael claimed Aria as his mate and made her Luna. But to him, she was nothing more than a living reminder of his greatest mistake. When tragedy struck and Aria lost her child, Kael's words cut deeper than any blade: "Why should I mourn a mistake?"
Still, Aria clung to hope, believing that one day, giving him an heir might earn her his love.
Until the day everything shattered. On the day Aria discovered she was pregnant again, the woman who was supposed to be his Luna returned. And she didn't come alone. She was carrying his heir too. And hers wasn't a mistake.

Olivia Steele flees her oppressive stepfather, seeking refuge in an arranged marriage with Seth Brown, a man she's never met. Drawn in by Seth's striking looks and practical lifestyle, Liv wonders if this union could bring solace to her family. But as doubts creep in and Seth reveals his lack of intention, their marriage hangs in the balance. Can Liv find true love in a relationship born out of duty, or is she destined for a life of unfulfilled promises?

"If you want to get your needs met tonight, it will be with me and no other man. Am I clear?"

¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

Charlotte Hendry escaped Houston's gilded cage to chase freedom on her own terms, graduate school in New York, a secret life in New Orleans, and absolutely zero entanglements. Maverick Pierce built his empire from nothing, turning poverty and pain into a billion-dollar media dynasty. Neither of them planned for a collision that would shatter every rule they had carefully constructed.

When Maverick discovers Charlotte at his favorite private BDSM club, he faces an impossible choice: walk away or claim the one woman who challenges every part of him. Their connection burns fast and undeniable. But Charlotte's independence and Maverick's possessive nature could destroy what neither of them expected to find.

Can two people who were never looking for love actually build something real?

Aurelia, princess of the Light Fae Clan, sacrificed everything to save Caleb, a young noble cursed with blood plague. She fed him her golden life‑blood, bound herself with a silence spell to hide imperial secrets, and swore to protect him forever—even if it cost her freedom.
Blinded by false accusations and manipulated by a cruel dark witch, Caleb turned on the woman who gave him life. He chained her with deadly cold iron, tore out her Life Core, imprisoned her in a freezing basement, and watched his beloved’s younger brother die by his own hand.
When Aurelia unleashes the forbidden stardust self‑destruction curse and fades into glowing ashes, Caleb finally uncovers the terrible truth. Drowning in endless regret and self‑loathing, he embarks on a brutal path of atonement—punishing the witch, saving the last surviving Fae, and torturing himself for years.
But some sins can never be washed away.Some saviors never return.And the noble who killed his Fae savior will pay with his life.

In the wasteland era, the soil is dead. Whoever can grow food is king.
In my last life, my brother gave me the spore we had nearly died to get, and the two of us awakened plant-growing powers together.
But every grain he grew was full and perfect, and the leader placed him on a pedestal; everything I grew was poisonous, and I was mercilessly cast out as worthless.
It wasn't until I died that I learned the truth: his power was never plant-growing, but transfer.
As long as he had eaten the spore, he could transfer away all the crops I grew.
When I got a second chance, I returned to the very day my so-called brother tried to shove the spore into my mouth.
This time, I slammed into him, knocked the spore to the ground, and crushed it under my foot.

“A powerful opener to a series [that] will produce a combination of feisty protagonists and challenging circumstances to thoroughly involve not just young adults, but adult fantasy fans who seek epic stories fueled by powerful friendships and adversaries.”--Midwest Book Review (Diane Donovan) (re A Throne for Sisters)“Morgan Rice's imagination is limitless!”--Books and Movie Reviews (re A Throne for Sisters)From #1 Bestselling fantasy author Morgan Rice comes a new series for middle grade readers—and adults, too! Fans of Harry Potter and Percy Jackson—look no further!THE MAGIC FACTORY: OLIVER BLUE AND THE SCHOOL FOR SEERS (BOOK ONE) tells the story of 11 year old Oliver Blue, a boy unloved by his hateful family. Oliver knows he is different, and senses that he holds powers that others do not. Obsessed with inventions, Oliver is determined to escape his horrible life and make his mark on the world.When Oliver is moved to yet another awful house he is put into in a new sixth grade, one even more terrifying than the last. He is bullied and excluded, and sees no way out. But when he stumbles across an abandoned invention factory, he wonders if his dreams might be about to come true.Who is the mysterious old inventor hiding in the factory? What is his secret invention?And will Oliver end up transported back in time, to 1944, to a magical school for kids with powers to rival his own?An uplifting fantasy, THE MAGIC FACTORY is book #1 in a riveting new series filled with magic, love, humor, heartbreak, tragedy, destiny, and a series of shocking twists. It will make you fall in love with Oliver Blue, and keep you turning pages late into the night.Book #2 in the series (THE ORB OF KANDRA) and Book #3 (THE OBSIDIANS) are now also available! “The beginnings of something remarkable are there.” --San Francisco Book Review (re A Quest of Heroes)

"You should get ready. Our wedding is tomorrow." He whispered and left the room without another word. Leaving Emily standing there.

What could have been the best reaction to this horrifying moment? Waking up one morning and a stranger that is so good-looking and tempting comes into your peaceful home to take you with him and then announce his marriage to you?

Emily hoped that this was a dream, a dream that she was going to wake up from soon enough. She was determined to hate him till the very last day.

But for how long will the hatred last after seeing the bad and good sides of him?

Even if he hated me, I couldn’t look away from him. Even if he called me an imposter, a trickster, all I could think of was how alluring his scent was. Even when he was ready to take my sister’s words over mine, I couldn’t help falling for him.
I wanted him to take me in his arms and tell me that the last few weeks had been a dream after all. That he loved me, as a true mate would. I wanted him to be my Prince Charming. To be my salvation.
But that was not my fate. Goddess forbid if I had anything easy in life!
Sometimes, I truly believed that this mate bond was a curse. Not my being the Stealer.


Callista Leander turned eighteen with hopes of finding her happily ever after. But instead, she was left locked in a tower of a castle, doomed to be married off to her true mate’s feral brother to save him from certain death.

All because of one curse and a conniving sister. Her life was suddenly filled with betrayals and secrets, and in every corner she looked, danger lurked. Now, with the whole world against her. At the mercy of an angry king, her oblivious one true mate, will she make it out alive on the other side?

Perfect Luna. Devoted wife. Dead woman walking.

Ciara O'Callahan thought she had it all. A divine mate bond with the powerful Alpha Ronan O'Donoghue, a beautiful daughter, and the respect of her pack. Until the night she discovers her husband's dark secret: he shares more than just blood with his twin brother Ewan. Much more.

But uncovering the truth comes at a deadly price. Betrayed and murdered by her own mother-in-law to protect the brothers' twisted bond, Ciara's last desperate wish echoes through the veil between life and death...

And something answers.

Now seventeen again, blessed with a second chance at life, Ciara faces an impossible choice. Submit to the sacred mate bond that would lead her back to Ronan? Or defy the very foundations of wolf society and forge her own destiny?

This time, she refuses to be a pawn in fate’s cruel game. She will not walk blindly into a future paved with deceit. And when she crosses paths with Darragh Byrne, the mysterious and battle-scarred Alpha of the Moonveil Pack, the gods themselves seem to stir.

Darragh is everything Ronan is not. Calculating, unpredictable, and entirely uninterested in a mate bond. Yet when his sharp golden eyes meet hers, something shifts in the air. A force just as powerful as destiny itself.

Some say you can't fight fate, Ciara’s about to prove them wrong.

On our fifth Anniversary party, Harris got admitted to the City's Hospital.

Cancer. Stage IV.

I struggled to find words to whisper some comforting words to Harris .

Instead, he held my hands, and said,"It's alright, Darcy."

"Don't be afraid of anything that may happen. Even if I am about to die, I will always be with you."

Even when he was dying, he made sure to comfort me, which bled my heart.

I spent my days researching treatments, draining my savings for "miracle" consultations.

Then came the afternoon I went to his office early to surprise him with the appointment letter with Dr. Wilson, a world famous surgeon.

Harris had been trying to contact him for weeks now. But, everytime he declined him bluntly, only this time when I tried to contact him personally, his assistant reached out to me.

Finally, he had a chance to be saved. I cried tears of joy. I wanted to share this good news with Harris as soon as possible.

But, My hands, almost pushed open the door, , a Lively and joyous laughter echoed through my ears.
"Is the paperwork ready?"

I slightly opened it ajar and peered inside.
I froze on the spot.

Clara was sitting on Harris's lap, clutching to his shoulder like she owned him.

"Everything," Harris' voice sounded, confident and excited.

"By the time 'cancer' takes me, Harris Hudson will be dead, life insurance will be processed, and you and I will be halfway across the world with a clean slate."

Clara. Harris' first love. The one he told me was a 'closed chapter' years ago.

Something broke into my heart.
I froze at my place.

The cancer, the treatment, it was all a lie orchestrated by Harris to elope with Clara?

Lumi once lived a life full of hope and happiness, but after her parents' mysterious death, she’s left broken and enslaved in the Frostborne Pack. Interest: Discovering that her parents were murdered by the rogue Alpha, Kilan, and learning of her boyfriend Kael’s betraya

I was six years old when Mom took my brother and me by the hand, leading us into a mansion that looked like a palace. She told us this was our new beginning, after all the hardships we'd been through. But no one warned me that this so-called better life would mean giving up everything I had.

My scholarships, my prom dress, even my Stanford acceptance letter—they all turned into bargaining chips just to keep my stepfather and his daughter Sienna happy. Then, the night before my wedding, they even asked my fiancé to "temporarily" give himself to her as well.

I've always been the one giving everything, pouring myself out until there's nothing left, yet I've never heard the words, "You're enough." If love means endless sacrifice, why am I never the one on the receiving end?

Maybe only when I vanish completely will they remember my name—for the first and last time.

Everyone said I’d traded five years of my youth and my unwavering devotion for an engagement that every woman envied.
My fiancé, Felix Smith, seemed to believe it, too. He gave me pearls, promised me a bright future, and wrapped me up in a web of tenderness, layer after layer.
Until that afternoon, when he held me close, yet used a language he thought I didn’t understand to weave the perfect "wedding" con over the phone.
That was the moment I finally realized: over these five years, who had he really been looking at through me? And every pearl he ever gave me, whose tastes was he remembering?
When the elevator failed and darkness crashed down, the person he protected on instinct wasn’t me.
When the wind howled across the empty outskirts, the person he chose to abandon was me.
I’d been learning how to love him, how to become a proper bride. In the end, what I learned was how to exit quietly, out of his world with Serena.
Only when I slipped off that pearl ring did I understand—
Some love stories, from the very beginning, are nothing but long letters written to someone else.

When heiress Elena Vale is ordered to marry for power, profit, and obedience, she does the one thing her dynasty never anticipated—she runs.
One night of rebellion leads her into a smoky downtown bar and straight into the orbit of Jack Roman: tattooed, dangerous, and entirely wrong for her world. By sunrise, a drunken dare turns into a legal nightmare—a spontaneous wedding at a 24-hour chapel.
Horrified, Elena scrambles for control. Jack, infuriatingly calm and unreadable, offers a solution. Six months. A fake marriage. A clean escape from the life she refuses to inherit. It’s a contract—nothing more.
Until they move in together.
What follows is a slow-burning collision of class and chaos, guarded hearts and undeniable chemistry. As society watches in scandalized disbelief, Elena’s ruthless father works behind the scenes to destroy the marriage he can’t legally touch. Jack doesn’t belong among silk gowns and boardrooms—but he unsettles Elena in ways no polished suitor ever has.
Then secrets surface.
Jack’s past is tied to the very enemies threatening Elena’s inheritance, and the truth shatters everything she thought she knew.

A fallen hockey captain with a shattered reputation. A struggling artist with a dying mother. One fake deal born out of desperation, one that neither of them can afford to lose.

Dean Morgan is one scandal away from losing everything: his career, his team, and the last shred of respect the league still pretends to have for him. Lucius Kemper is out of time, out of money, and out of options as his mother’s life hangs on a surgery he cannot afford.

So when Dean offers Lucius a contract instead of charity, they agree to a lie that looks dangerously real in the eyes of the world.

But behind closed doors, nothing about their arrangement stays simple. Because the more they pretend, the harder it becomes to tell where the act ends… and where something far more dangerous begins.

“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) FACE OF DEATH is book #1 in a new FBI thriller series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews. FBI Special Agent Zoe Prime suffers from a rare condition which also gives her a unique talent—she views the world through a lens of numbers. The numbers torment her, make her unable to relate to people, and give her a failed romantic life—yet they also allow her to see patterns that no other FBI agent can see. Zoe keeps her condition a secret, ashamed, in fear her colleagues may find out.Yet when a serial killer strikes across the Midwest, strangling women in remote places and seemingly at random, Zoe, for the first time, is stumped. Is there a pattern? Can there be no pattern at all? Or is this killer as obsessed with numbers as she is?In a mad race against time, Zoe must enter the diabolical mind of a killer who always seems to be one step ahead of her, and stop him from claiming his next victim before it’s too late. At the same time, she must keep at bay her own demons, which may ultimately prove to be even more threatening.An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, FACE OF DEATH is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night. Books #2 and #3 in the series—FACE OF MURDER and FACE OF FEAR—are also available for pre-order.

I was reborn.
In my past life, for the sake of my childhood sweetheart Chiara, I rushed into a sea of fire to save her lover, but I was disfigured by strong acid. In return, I was rejected and abandoned by her, and ultimately died tragically on the street.
Reborn before the narcotics factory explosion, I coldly turned away from Chiara's pleas for help: "If it's true love, go in and die with her."
This time, I'm not a sycophant anymore; I'm going to make all those who betrayed me pay a bloody price.

I gasped, fear gripping me instantly. My gaze met the black holes in my ski mask. A sharp pain shot through the back of my head, and warm, wet blood trickled down. My mother lay dead in a pool of blood. Someone had broken into my house and killed her, but the culprit pointed to my abusive, alcoholic, and cruel father. I had no proof.

I thought my life would forever be shrouded in the shadow of my mother's death, until I left my hometown and unexpectedly encountered another monster who had bullied me in high school. I was once again drawn into a strange emotional entanglement with him, and even discovered he harbored a dark secret. My already tragic life became even more unpredictable…

“I can make you scream,” he whispered, “without fucking you, Val.”
Then his tongue flicked against her ear before he sucked it into his mouth, wet and hot, his hips pressing harder into her, making her legs tighten instinctively around his waist.


"In his world, you kneel for one of two things—to beg for mercy… or to beg for more.”

Five years ago, Valerie Ledford let a stranger kiss her like no man ever had. It was supposed to be one reckless night, a dare to savor before marrying into one of the most powerful crime families in New York. And she thought she’d left it behind her.

Until now.

On the eve of taking over her fiancé’s billion-dollar real estate empire, Valerie meets the company’s newest hire: Maximilian Cardini. The same man who once pinned her to a wall and made her question everything. He is as dangerous to her composure as he was that night.

But Max isn’t just an irresistible employee. He has secrets—dark ones, rooted deep in the underground world Valerie is about to marry into. And while she doesn’t know it yet, Max has no intention of playing nice.

On the ice he’s the ruthless Alpha. Off the ice he’s even harder to resist.
When a new girl transfers to Crescent Ridge Academy she doesn’t expect to catch the eye of the hockey team’s star player or the wolf that lurks beneath his skin. But his claim on her awakens more than just forbidden desire. Other wolves want her too his loyal beta his rival and even the quiet goalie who hides a darker strength.

Torn between passion and danger she discovers the truth. She carries a bloodline powerful enough to unite or destroy the packs. Every game becomes a battle every kiss a risk and every secret a blade pointed at her heart.

She isn’t just playing for love. She’s playing for survival. And in the end only the strongest bonds will hold.

Bethany Waters promised to never love again after having two failed relationships when she was young. Now that she has established herself as a strong and independent woman with an iron will, her life takes a fateful turn when she is getting to work with the man, she did not get to confess her feelings to when they were younger - Kevin Williams.

As her emotions took a swirl in confusion with his presence, will Bethany decide to love him, or ignore the lingering crush that she still has in fear of making the same mistake thrice?

In a world where swipe-left culture reigns, a disillusioned young woman, jaded by the superficial connections of her generation, has lost faith in the idea of true love. Convinced that genuine relationships are unattainable, she adopts a carefree attitude, seeking fleeting encounters and casual connections instead of investing in meaningful relationships.

However, her life takes an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon a profound connection with someone. Despite her initial reservations, she finds herself drawn to this person, and as they spend more time together, she begins to challenge her assumptions about love and relationships.

As she navigates this newfound connection, she must confront her own fears and vulnerabilities. Ultimately, she decides to take a chance on love, embracing the possibility of true connection and intimacy.

Not all broken hearts are beyond repair. Davis Jones finds the world to be chaotic and overwhelming, especially since his fiancé died. But as the owner of a small-town hardware store, he enjoys fixing what is damaged--his life excluded. Attempting to escape his demons, he visits his family where they are volunteering in Thailand. All he wants is to help others in relative peace and quiet. But the beautiful and gregarious service director has other plans. Chloe Rodgers has lived in Thailand for the past fifteen years. As the director of a service organization, she spends her time in remote villages, rebuilding when disaster strikes. But when an attractive volunteer arrives, she’s torn between her philanthropic lifestyle and considering the possibility of building a life of her own. Davis and Chloe have spent so much time fixing other people’s problems, that it will take a miracle repairing themselves enough to find the love they deserve. Building on Love is the fourth book in the Starlight Ridge romance series. If you enjoy stolen kisses in exotic locations and second chances at love, you'll love this small town love story. Grab Building on Love and read this sweet romance today!

As the last of his kind bound by royal blood, Kai never expected to fall for a human. Raised to be cold and calculating, the alien warrior has one goal: to protect his war-torn planet from an ancient enemy. But when he rescues Maya, a fearless human who’s crash-landed on his territory, Kai finds himself drawn to her in ways that threaten everything he’s ever known.

Trapped in a land of strange customs and ruthless power, Maya refuses to submit, even if it means challenging the alien prince himself. Her defiance only fans the flames of Kai’s fascination, but his duty comes first—or so he tells himself. Yet, as tensions rise and hidden dangers close in, they’re forced to trust each other to survive.

Now, Kai must make an impossible choice: cling to a legacy he was born into or risk it all for a love that could unite two worlds—or doom them both.

Heart of the Alien Prince is an unforgettable journey through forbidden romance, betrayal, and the power of destiny.

In a quiet and isolated village deep in the mountains, Castian, longs for something beyond the peaceful routine of Liang. Surrounded by natural beauty and the safety of family life, he finds himself torn between his love for the land and a burning desire to explore the unknown world beyond the hills. When a mysterious traveler arrives in the village, bringing stories of adventures and dangers, Castian is faced with the possibility of a destiny far greater than he ever imagined. As the young man confronts his doubts and desires, he discovers that the mountains surrounding him hold not only secrets about his past but also his future. With the support of his family and friends, Castian must decide whether he will be content to live a life of tranquility or have the courage to follow his heart in search of adventures.

Six months ago, a yacht explosion consumed everyone I loved: my husband Leonard, my parents, and my brother.
I escaped only because of stomach pain that kept me from boarding. My adopted sister Claire became the sole survivor.
Since then, I've become an empty shell.
Even after being diagnosed with terminal uterine cancer, even while carrying my late husband's child, I've endured the agony of chemotherapy alone, exhausting what little strength remains to scrape together money for Claire—who hides away in a private care facility, claiming severe PTSD.
Until this winter day, with a blizzard approaching.
Dragging my dying body to my husband's memorial to pay respects, I discovered a credit card statement—charges made three months after his death.
Following the address on that receipt, I pushed open the door of a luxurious suburban villa.
Inside, it was warm as spring. My parents and brother, who should have been at the bottom of the ocean, stood there perfectly alive.
At the center of the room, my husband—the man I'd grieved for day and night—was kissing my adopted sister, his lips tender against hers.
The whole family was celebrating, raising glasses to toast the infant cradled in Claire's arms—barely a month old.
There had never been any disaster at sea.
It was all a meticulously planned hoax—their twisted way to erase me from their lives forever.

I used to think I had the perfect family.
My husband Nico started coming home less and less, always saying he had a meeting. But the truth was, he had another woman, Alessia. And it had been going on for a while.
The affair I could've handled. What really killed me was that my son Leo and my daughter Mia had known all along. They'd even started calling his mistress "Mom."
They thought I was clueless. But I'd known for months, his assistant had told me everything.
I tried so hard to win them back. I did more for them, cared more, tried harder. But they kept choosing Alessia.
That day, I stopped trying.
They could all have each other—Nico, Alessia, Leo, Mia.
I hoped they'd be happy together.

Rumored to be a bloodthirsty monster, the Dark Moon Alpha terrified my twin sister into fleeing their arranged marriage to elope with a rogue.

In my past life, my parents forced me to take her place.

Instead of dying, I ended up in the Alpha's castle, showered in the pack's unimaginable wealth.

Starving on the run, my jealous sister conspired with our parents.

They drained my wolf bloodline and burned me alive in a pure silver mine, just so she could steal my face and the Alpha's favor.

Opening my eyes, I found myself back on the night of her escape.

Instead of begging, I willingly grabbed the wedding dress.

"Elope in peace, sister. I'll marry the monster for you."

She thought she was handing me a death sentence.

But she had no idea... the obsessive love of a top-tier Alpha, and the supreme throne of the Luna...

This time, they will all be mine!