Forced into a marriage neither of them wanted, a fierce Greek mafia princess and a ruthless Sicilian underboss must navigate a storm of power, passion, and betrayal-only to discover that their greatest battle might be against their own hearts. *** They hated each other from the moment they met, but little did they know, they were destined to be together. Millicent Rhea Darmos: Princess of the Greek Mafia. At 25 years old, she's established herself as a self proclaimed boss bitch, running her own publishing company. But now it's time she fulfils her duty to her family's organisation. It's time she gets married. Costantino Salvatore Accardi: Underboss and Heir to the Sicilian Mafia. At 28 years old, he has no interest in settling down-he already has it all. He believes in family above all, so why bring in an outsider? Yet, after a strange string of events, the two of them find themselves thrust into married life. It's full of chaos, drama and all kinds of tension. The question is, how do they survive their marriage and the storm that follows? *** "I've never kissed anyone." My voice trembled with a tinge of vulnerability - something I hated. But Costa didn't seem to mind that I was nervous or anxious. "Good. You're mine." He spoke so seriously, without a flicker of doubt as he took my hand in his. "So you want it be special, principessa?" "Every girl's first kiss is special." I whispered, watching as he brought my hand up to his lips. "I only care about yours."

Wesley Davis has no interest in becoming a beta tester for his friend's new language app, PollyGot. But when he's introduced to the alluring Livia Spencer, she challenges him to a bet: she'll learn more French than him in two months. His competitive side can't resist. What begins as a playful challenge soon turns sinister after the app's adaptive AI, Polly, integrates with his smart home. As the inexplicable injuries and accidents pile up, Wes begins to question his sanity. Is he just imagining things, or is Polly manipulating him in a twisted attempt to master a new language at any cost? - - - ꒰ঌ( •ө• )໒꒱ - - - Author's Note and Trigger Warning Thanks for checking out my entry for the Open Novella Contest for 2025! This story was inspired by the prompt below. 88. Lately, your phone feels ... off. It seems like it's watching you. At first, you dismiss it as paranoia. But one day, each message on your phone reads, »I'm watching you.« This story is rated mature due to language, violence, gore, sexual content, mature themes, and general chaos. Thank you so much for reading! Don't break your reading streak... or else.

Octavia. That's the name the world knows her by. One word. One name. At seventeen, she was a girl who had her spotlight when she was whisked away to co-star in what would be an award-winning movie. From that moment on, she had never strayed away. Now, at 24, Octavia is a star and has found herself in multiple productions. As she finds herself in Milan, Italy for a new and upcoming movie she is cast in, she crosses paths with Caleb Henderson, the famous writer known to the world as Romero Henderson. However, as the production of the movie begins, Octavia immediately decides her opinion of Caleb. She doesn't like him. She borderline hates him. She hates how annoying he is. She hates the stupid, random topics he always brings up. She hates how he almost always cuts her off whenever she's speaking. She hates how attracted she is to him. I exhaled, trying to rub the tiredness off my face with my hands. I looked down at his shadow on the ground to him. His face looked as if it was glowing from the sun, his eyes narrowing from the brightness. I let my gaze trail from the exposed tattoos on his arms to the stupid smile that was still on his face. "Why are you like this?" For a moment he didn't answer me. He simply glanced at me, knowing that I meant more in the five words. The smile on his face went from pure amusement to bitterness. It was something I had never seen before and I didn't think I wanted to see him smile like that ever again. He pivoted his head towards the sun once again and in a serious tone asked, "Would you have me any other way?" Cover: @EmSlough_

The gods have no pity for humans and their impermanence. Why would they care for lives measured in years, when time marches into millennia for them? The immortals stay in their city. The humans remain in their parts of the world. That is until a human terrorist group gains control over the Goddess of Death, forcing her to kill their enemies and increase their power. All immortals keep their backs turned on humanity. Except Samil, the God of Festivals and the Arts. Samil knows he isn't very powerful among his kind. Or important. Or confident. Yet, when he learns that the humans are desperate, he chooses to do a deceptively simple thing: Help them. ___________________________________ @Voyageavecmoi was kind enough to write this review of my book and she described it 100x better than I ever could lol. With her permission, I'm posting it below. Also, check out her book "Flight Risk." It's a sweet and deep romance about two characters negotiating their feelings for each other while life is doing everything to tear them apart. The characters have such mature conversations and, there's no reliance on the miscommunication trope at all. I'm *obsessed.* If you enjoy intriguing fantasy novels with deep and thoughtful themes, check out 'The Gifts of Mortality' by @eleanorkennedy14 . It explores the concept of mortality and how it gives life meaning through the eyes of both gods and humans. The story follows Samil, the god of the Festivals and the Arts, who is shocked by the apathy of his fellow gods when a human terrorist group gains control over the Goddess of Death. Despite finding no support among his kind, he's determined to help the humans, which sets him down an interesting course. There are lots of great twists in this novel, and I also loved seeing how queerness was worked in throughout both the immortal and mortal realms. Samil is a sweet and refreshing character to root for who is determined to see the good in the world.

The EKG flatlining. Time of death: 3:30pm. •°•°•°• I managed a smile then. "Great. What time do we have this deal?" Still holding onto my hand, he cast his gaze to the black android watch around his wrist. "Right," he drawled. "Now. 3:30pm on the dot." •°•°•°• The day things went from bad to worse for Cleo Petrakovski was the day her mom walked out the door and out her family's lives. For good. Cleo and her brother, Dante, after years of abuse at the hands of their father, vowed to find a way out. For Cleo, that meant college. The farthest one from home. She could get a loan, scholarship, whatever. Whatever it took to get her out of there. But the world comes to a standstill the moment Dante dies. With her failing grades going even more downhill and barely pulling through to senior year, Cleo puts herself in a situation where she has to find a tutor before her first week runs out. One that'll guide her through her finals if she's ever going to graduate. What she doesn't expect though, is a deal with Brent, "the pest", Lockwood. A deal in which he'd be her tutor in exchange for . . . her. Will Cleo be able to scale through the stress of senior year stuck between school work, an unlikely deal and mutual feelings for her ex?

FEATURED on OFFICIAL WATTPAD's Community Happenings] Cover by the magician @MoranaInDesign (she is literally a magician!) Maya, a journalist, finds herself in the middle of religious panic when a prostitute she had met is found to be murdered. **** Lucifer, as they have been named, faces the namesake of the Devi in Devipuram. Will they be able to sacrifice this rose too like the other ones, or will the thorns now make them bleed to death? **** Maya has been tasked with writing something about the folk of Devipuram for the upcoming Puja magazine. She decides to visit the slums where the prostitutes live. Here, she meets Radha- a beautiful prostitute with a daughter. The very next day, Radha is found dead in the temple premises. And what the villagers label as the next-in-line in a chain of paranormal murders is a magnetic mystery in the life of Maya which tempts her to get to the root of this cruelty. Will she succeed in finding out the culprit or succumb to death like the five victims? WORD COUNT: 60,000-65,000 words

After a tragedy, Amila Johnson abandons her life in New York and retreats back to her birthplace of Houston. She tries to start anew but she can't get far with the skills of being an almost classically trained ballerina. Deciding to take up her friend's offer to pick up a few shifts at a coffee shop, she becomes reacquainted with a person from her past. He wants to help her but values his privacy and she doesn't like handouts. So, they formulate a contractual agreement. An agreement that's pleasurable for them both but will feelings get in the way of this act of ink and lust or will things stay professional. Luxury and sex; what's more to want?

Madisen and Noah unexpectedly wind up as roommates in Viña del Mar, Chile when Noah's host family drops out of the exchange program. Sweet, gorgeous and down-to-Earth Madisen is happy to share her living quarters with a familiar friend, unaware that Noah has harbored a massive crush on her for over a year. With his reserved and unemotional exterior, Noah manages to mask his ever-ripening feelings for Madisen, who is accustomed to ignoring and evading most male attention. Navigating cultural mishaps, communication challenges and an unfamiliar, somewhat disorganized university system together, the pair quickly grow close. After reflecting on things from a different perspective-quite literally, upside down-during one picturesque afternoon at a vineyard, Madisen begins to consider whether her deep fondness for Noah could mean something more.

One disastrous spill. One powerful man. Maya Knight's mistake at a high-end Malibu restaurant lands her in the unexpected servitude of the undeniably alluring and intensely private Theodore Duke. Across the Atlantic, as she works to repay her debt, a far deeper connection sparks between them. Beneath Theodore's wealth and brooding exterior lies a wounded soul, and Maya discovers her own heart holds unexpected vulnerabilities. In this journey from obligation to intimacy, can they truly mend each other's broken pieces?