2026 WATTY AWARDS SHORTLISTER 🏆 Selene Moreau was never just a wife. She was the architect. While the world saw a graceful First Lady, she was the one writing the speeches, managing the donors, and making Alexander Moreau untouchable. She built him from raw ambition into the most powerful man in the country. Then he decided he didn't need her anymore. When the mistress surfaces and the scandal breaks and the man she made tries to erase her from the story, Selene doesn't defend herself. She moves through Washington's corridors, its private clubs and the carefully maintained silences between powerful men. She turns what she knows into leverage. And she knows everything. But a dangerous billionaire has been watching her longer than she realizes. A rival is waiting for the right moment. And Camille Durand is not the simple threat she appeared to be. Every player in this city has a game. Selene is the only one playing for the end. What readers are saying: "Why is this the best book I've ever read here?" - SuzeenaXtha "The way the story spiraled throughout had me hooked. I can't name one character as my favorite - all of them were great." - the_infinite_flame "Totally not expecting this ending. Really not sure what I want now - excited for a second book but not sure my nerves could take it." - 538409c

[Wattys 2026 Shortlist | ONC Longlist 2024 ] Sydney 2112. Young men are disappearing without a trace. On the other side of town, an up-and-coming sculptor's works eerily resemble the missing men. Can the Inspector solve the riddle before her son joins the collection? *** Keya Sapkota needs to create artworks for her first sculpture exhibition at the prestigious Museum of Contemporary Arts, but a recent date-gone-wrong has left her a mess. She has no memory of what happened, but a feeling that something horrible transpired that left her with broken lips and bruised body. Keya hides in her loft, chipping away at her marble columns on autopilot. The more she chisels the more lifelike her statues become, ones she can't remember carving, but does she care? She needs exhibits for her show and the strange figures may as well be her pieces. The new Stone2Stone sculpture exhibition at the MCA catches the eye of Inspector Reina, who is desperately searching for her son who disappeared from a nightclub on his twenty-first birthday. Reina can't put her finger on it, but the sculptor, Keya, seems strange. Then there's the eerie marble statues that share their likeness with young men who have recently disappeared. Inspector Reina is determined to find answers before her son's sculpture turns up in the artist's collection. --- ONC Prompts: 60. "Look what you made me do." -Tayler Swift 3. Your greatest fear is monsters in the dark. The last thing you expect is to become the Monster in the dark. 95. "I will become as monstrous as I must." Features: - @Fantasy - Urban Fantasy (Oct 2025) - @paranormal - Investigations & Academies (Sept 2024) - @action - Thriller (Aug 2024) - @APIFantasy - API Fantasy & Science-Fiction Entries (March, 2024) Trigger warning: Slight depictions of SA. Please read at your own discretion. [Strictly no copy, translation or adapting of this story in part or whole is permitted without the author's permission.]

Gabriel Martinez, Jason Williams, and John Anderson are billionaires and childhood best friends. Their personal assistant Diana helps run their personal and professional business smoothly but what happens when Diana starts showing up to work late and seem more distant than normal? Can they figure out what is going on with their favorite chase? What will happen if she finds out more about their personal life than she expected?

Flo is moving across the Country for her first year in college, when her plan starts to fall apart she finds herself living with four men who all have a soft spot for her innocent nature.

It's quite cruel how violently life changed after the Battle of Hogwarts. The murders of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore meant the Wizarding World was left vulnerable against the Dark Lord's command. He quickly took power, like any tyrannical ruler might, slaughtering all souls unwilling to swear allegiance. Though there were cowards among the fallen, those of us who surrendered for the sake of survival. We few were special to the Dark Lord, meant to be entertainment for him and his loyalists. Entertainment crafted by the mundane, he'd taunted. Our existence had been diminished within a matter of moments, lessened by just a few spoken words. My life, my body, they were suddenly no longer my own, not until he came along and changed everything.

> "You talk too much, Niko." "Tie me up, then. Shut me up with your mouth." Niko knows he's hot - cocky smirk, inked skin, always in control. He's used to being chased, used, and worshipped. Until Lance. Lance is the last person you'd expect to ruin a bad boy. Top grades. Cold eyes. Always watching, always quiet. But underneath those soft sweaters is someone dark, dangerous, and dominant as hell. And Niko can't stop pushing. He wants to be punished. Wants to be broken. Wants Lance to finally lose that calm and grab him by the throat. > "You like acting tough, but I see it, Niko. You want to be told when to kneel." "Then fucking tell me Lance. I'll kneel. Just don't stop. Please I beg you." One insult turned into obsession. One power play turned into Niko begging for more. Now they're toeing the line between hate, lust, and something that sounds dangerously close to love. He wanted control. He got Lance.

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 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."

BOOK 3 IN 'THE MORETTI SERIES' ⚠️SLOW BURN⚠️ Damon is a great guy. The highschool jock who never got over his golden boy ways. He keeps his personality light and fun, much like his love life. But is the rare easy going Made Man hiding something darker behind his flooring looks and flirtatious charm? Aurora is a Mafia Princess who has made her life as an independent woman, aside from her family name. But now, she's back in Italy, and dealing with everything that had driven her away from home. She has a no nonsense attitude and has little patience for flirting and even less for a blue eyed menace who seems to never leave her alone. But is the strong independent woman just hiding a broken child who never got to heal?

"Is this right?" Aiden whispered, fingers trembling inside of me. "Tell me what to do." And then his teammate walked in. Ψ The first time Aiden Wilder touched me, he asked if he was doing it right. The second time, he begged me to teach him more. The third time, we weren't alone. Aiden is the NHL's #1 draft pick. Nineteen. Six-foot-one of raw talent and a contract worth millions. He's fast on the ice, awkward off it... and a virgin. I was hired to coach him through fame. Help him deal with the media, the fans, the pressure. Not teach him how to take off my clothes with shaking hands. Not guide his mouth between my thighs and whisper praise into his ear. Not fall for the way he moans like he means it. But then his teammate Luke Mitchell walked in-older, cockier, and definitely not as straight as everyone thinks. He saw what we were doing. He didn't walk away. He asked if we needed help. And Aiden? He said yes. Now there's three of us. No rules. No labels. No going back. But somewhere between the lessons, the touches, and the kisses we shouldn't have shared...someone caught feelings. And I'm scared it wasn't just one of them.

"I hate you." "Good. I hate you too." "Then why can't I stop thinking about you?" ═════════════════════════ Cameron Price has spent her whole life being perfect UT's star forward. Dean's list. Boyfriend who plays pro. Daughter of the Longhorns' head coach. She says the right things, smiles the right way, and never lets anyone see her crack Jordan Mitchell has spent her whole life proving herself Texas State's captain. Rough edges, short fuse, and zero patience for people like Cameron. Daughter of the Bobcats' head coach. She doesn't do polished. She doesn't do perfect. And she has never, not once in twelve years, backed down from a Price Rival schools Rival coaches Rival daughters They've been at each other's throats since they were ten years old on the field, off it, every single time their worlds collide. It's the one thing in Cameron's life that doesn't feel rehearsed and Cameron's the one person Jordan has never been able to shake Same program. Same kids. Every Saturday for three months It's supposed to be uncomfortable and It is Just not in any way either of them prepared for Because hate doesn't do this. It doesn't make you notice every small thing about a person, the way she laughs, the way she argues, the way she looks at you like she already knows all your secrets Hate doesn't keep you awake at 2am replaying moments that shouldn't mean anything One kiss was supposed to end it Instead, it started something neither of them has a name for something that breaks every rule, crosses every line, and threatens everything they've each spent years building Their parents coach against each other. Their schools have a rivalry older than they are. There is no world where this works But they're running out of reasons to stop ═════════════════════════ Two rivals. One secret. Everything to lose