I was raised to obey. Polished. Perfect. Promised. When my father ordered me to marry the heir to one of the Dominion's ruling families, I understood exactly what it meant. Power traded for peace, my freedom bartered for his empire. My new husband wasn't the monster I expected. He was patient, careful, and treated me with nothing but respect. It didn't take long for me to fall in love. I thought it was mutual. Then the truth unraveled, and I learned another woman still whispered his name in the dark. But I was never meant to be a quiet tragedy. When the truth broke me, I didn't stay broken. I made sure I was the one they whispered about next.

I knew my best friend since childhood loved me. I knew it. And when I got back from my business trip, I was going to tell him how I felt, especially when he told me he had something exciting to tell me. But it wasn't that he loved me. He'd gotten married while I was on an overseas business trip to my worst enemy.

Julia Marcelli thought she'd won the dream. A husband who adored her, a family who lit up her world, and a home on the Miami coast that felt untouchable. But perfection has a way of splintering. Ethan Marcelli is a man who carries secrets as easily as he carries a case file, and when temptation slips into his world, Julia begins to sense cracks in their marriage she can't explain away. Love. Betrayal. Obsession. Control. In a life built on power and secrets, forever always comes with a price. (ETA The Silent Hour is now an omnibus edition, both books in a duet combined into one. This accounts for the higher chapter count. The story contains intense dark and graphic romance themes, crime-world elements, and later explicit steam. Please review the trigger warnings.)

Disabled by a dog attack in her childhood, Beatrice Lockwood knows what it is like to become friends with loneliness. After years of hard work to cement herself into the small Yorkshire community of Impling, she has managed to create a meaningful, simple life with people who actually care about her. So when James Bancroft, an outsider, makes his disdain for her clear in front of everyone in town, she knows that keeping her distance is the only option. She cannot afford to lose the crucial support she has garnered. The only problem is that the damned man can't seem to stay away from her now. James Bancroft - stoic, chaste, and looking for nothing but peace - is not trying to make friends in Impling. Still, he had not intended to make enemies, either. After badmouthing a beloved pillar of the community at a dance, he knows he must make amends, and quickly. But the more he tries to make things right with the morbid Miss Lockwood, the more she pulls away. As his passion toward her grows, he finds himself unable to cope with his newfound feelings. After all, he knows quite well what it looks like when a man does not control himself. Vibes: Foggy moors, folklore, small rural community Tropes: *Overheard *Grovel *Cynical hero Trigger Warnings: Scenes of domestic violence, scenes of dog attacks, scenes of animal slaughtering/death *Though this book is set in the same universe as the Gentleman's Proposal series, it is largely unrelated to the other books. Therefore, I have chosen to list it as a standalone.*

Zach Westbrook was my best friend-and the boy I'd secretly loved since forever. Until he said the one thing I was never supposed to hear. So I did what any heartbroken, humiliated girl would do. I ghosted him. Ditched the university we both planned to attend. And left without looking back. Our friendship ended the day I left town. Or so I thought. Three years later, I'm back. Not because I want to be, but because family comes first-and unfortunately, that means transferring to Ridgewater University. The same school Zach owns like a second skin. Still hot. Still cocky. Still the campus golden boy with a hockey stick. And still the last person I want to deal with. But I'm not the shy, awkward girl he used to know. I've changed. I've moved on. I'm no longer the girl who used to follow him around like a lost puppy. This time, I'm not the one getting benched.

I allowed myself to look past my intuition and distrust of a certain someone and their interactions with my fiancé ... I mean ex-fiancé. I chose trust in him over distrust of her at every crossroads his choices created, and now I'm lost. Maybe breaking it down again, piece by piece will help me look at the big picture logically. Maybe then I can feel less illogical pain and find my way back to myself again. A story about a relationship breaking down because of broken boundaries and a breakdown in communication.

PAUL I cheated on my fiancée. Sophie and I were building our future. In love, happy, peaceful. Then she found a lump in her breast and I made the worst choice: I numbed my fear by sleeping with someone else. My worst mistake and my biggest regret. Now I see Sophie around town with him. She's radiant and laughing with people who actually show up. I'm trying to learn how to be a man who does. If she lets me, I'll spend the rest of my life proving I can choose her when it's hardest. If she lets me... SOPHIE I thought the promise was in sickness and in health. But he buried his fear in someone else. On the same night, I walked into a bookstore and meet the gentle giant owner who invites me to his book club full of misfits. I'm laughing again, I smile more than I ever have, I heal my heart. My ex says he can learn to stay, but my bookstore owner keeps showing up like it's as easy as breathing. I don't know what the future holds; I don't know if I'll win this battle against cancer, but I do know I'm done wasting time on people that love only when it's easy. CALLUM She came in to Rivers & Rhodes Bookstore and asked for books with happy endings only. I gave her a recommendation, an invitation, and an offer of friendship. Now, this beautiful brave woman is completely under my skin. I'm not here to win a competition against him. I'm here because choosing someone, second by second, is the only way I understand love. 12/10/25 - Currently undergoing edits. Content Warnings: on page cheating, emotional and physical infidelity, cancer, mentions of vomiting, bleeding, surgery. Please be advised.

He had the money, the charm, the world at his feet... But he didn't have her anymore. Michaela Ravens thought she had finally moved on. From the man who broke her heart. From the life she never chose. From the past that wouldn't stop following her. But she was wrong. They say love is sweeter the second time. But what if the second time comes with more pain, more secrets, and more reasons to walk away? Now, stuck between the ghosts of who they were and the ache of who they might still be, Mika must ask herself: Can she forgive him? Can she forgive herself? Can she move forward... or will she fall back into his arms all over again?

When Lily Langston goes to a game with her best friend. The last thing she ever thought to happen was being hit in the face with a ball. But what left her even more shocked was when the guest pitcher himself, the known ruthless billionaire Hayes Grant came to apologize to her. Hayes Grant was a selfish, arrogant, narcissistic, ass hole who'd rather shoot himself in the foot than apologize. So when he sucked up his pride to give one to Lily, he's left shocked when she simply ignores him. But when Hayes finds himself needing a wife to salvage his family ties. He gives Lily an offer she simply can't ignore. She finds herself with a wedding ring that felt more like a chain than freedom.

Nina Reyes lost her job, her health insurance, and maybe her last shred of stability. She's barely scraping by when she's appointed roommate to her high-school tormentor: Lincoln Carter, golden boy graphic designer... turned amnesiac who thinks they're dating. She doesn't trust him. Not his charm, not his chiseled jaw, and definitely not his sudden need to make things right. Lincoln Carter doesn't remember much before the accident, except Nina's warm brown eyes. But she flinches when he gets too close and flattens him with one-liners and vagueness. He does know possession. Nina feels his. He also knows guilt. Sticking and sinking into his skin. Now he's on a mission: figure out what happened, fix it, and win her. Even if it means airing out a few secrets. Forgiveness is not enough, he wants forever. #3 Top USA Stories 09/01 #1 Overheard - 09/02 #11 FamilyDrama - 09/25 #27 ContemporaryRomance - 09/24 #1 amnesia-love-story - 09/26