Wattys Shortlist 2022 - In the shadow of a ruined world, survival comes at a cost. Decades after modified radiation bombs decimated the earth, the survivors of New Australia live in fractured Zones-regions ruled by scarcity, controlled by gangs, and governed by fear. The bombs didn't just destroy cities; they unleashed two devastating plagues. D.V.B, a deadly airborne illness, wiped out millions. But M.A.D was worse-a mind- warping disease that turns victims into violent, flesh-hungry predators. In the RedZone, where hope is a luxury and danger is routine, Violet Warrendale has learned to hide in plain sight. By day, she's the reluctant daughter of a prominent gang leader. By night, she's Viper-a deadly ghost in the underworld, wanted for assassination. Vi has only one goal: escape Lake Darling and disappear. For good this time. But when the military storms the RedZone and abducts everyone under twenty-eight, her plan shatters. Imprisoned in a Reproduction Facility-where survival means obedience-Vi must conceal her identity from the enemy. Worse, her cellmate is the gangster responsible for her brother's disappearance. With enemies on every side, secrets buried deeper than the fallout, and a rebellion brewing in the blood-soaked cracks of the system, Vi has a choice: stay hidden, or burn it all down. ... Enemies to Lovers Young Adult Post Apocalyptic Mature (18+) ...

Wattpad Editors' Choice, Winner of the 2020 Fiction Awards (for Best Plot Twist) and 2020 Mafia Romance of the Year. A chance encounter with an enigmatic Russian oligarch turns a young woman into the target of a criminal empire. Caught in a web of deceit, greed, and betrayal that stretches from the depths of Russia's gangland to the Kremlin's gilded halls, she is forced to forge a perilous alliance with an unlikely protector. From London to Moscow, this thrilling, sensual, and richly textured story transports the reader to the heart of a mafia empire - perfect for fans of dark romance and spine-tingling suspense. Genres: spy fiction | espionage thriller | political thriller | spy thriller | mafia romance | mafia thriller | romantic suspense | mystery | Dark mafia romance

Criminal necromancer & vampire private eye team up to solve the case of the missing barista. *** When a client drops dead in her fortune telling parlor, 'reformed' necromancer Isla has no choice but to illegally resurrect the poor gal. Your girl's got priors, alright? Hiding a corpse will send Isla back to the slammer. The client's just a Tourist, so Isla is certain nobody will notice. But you know what they say: The only things certain in life are death, taxes, and a handsome vampire poking his fangs where they don't belong. Gregor, a vampire private detective, has been hired to find another vamp's misplaced favorite bloodbag-- I mean, barista. Greg knows the fraudulent and distractingly attractive psychic, Isla, is the key to the barista's whereabouts, but he just can't put his fangs on what it is she's hiding from him. If her little whoopsie is discovered, Isla fears both the otherworldly authorities and an ancient vampire will have her throat. So she does what any girl would do in her situation. She hires Greg to find the risen barista for her first so that she can undo the resurrection. Sparks fly and blood splatters as Greg and Isla investigate Philadelphia's secret paranormal society, throw literal bones at the werewolf mafia, commune with the spirits of dead vampire-brides, dodge arrest by the magic fuzz, and occasionally pop off for late night cheesesteaks. The Vampire Always Bites Twice is the Wattys 2022 Grand Prize Winner! The "Bites Twice" Mysteries 1 - The Vampire Always Bites Twice 1.5 - Doubull Indemnity [revised version coming soon) 2 - Shadow of a Curse (Coming Fall 2025) This book contains explicit sexual content, paranormal violence, animal harm, and gore.

A story in which a girl falls in love with a sociopath. Highest ranks: #1 in Teen Fiction, #1 in Humor, #12 in New Adult, #26 in Romance.