Miguel Hernandez has known a few things well: the cushion of an older brother rising to stardom, basketball and sex. His reputation's whispered from the luxury corners of the Upper East Side, spanning over New York City. Debauchery's come to be his middle name. Girls are rarely pictured leaving his side. A comfortable, familiar routine that he doesn't stray from, nor does anyone expect him to. Until her. Eyes that harbour secrets, a tongue sharp enough to cut, passions she's given up and a darkness bearing on her shoulders, Malibu Adams knows nothing but survival. Unapologetic about the trail of messes she leaves behind or the anger festering within her that will only set her on one ruinous path, love had never been on her radar. Nobody knows her enough to understand her nor the pain seeping from wounds she disregards. Until he becomes desperate to. She breaks everything she touches, they say - he isn't afraid to bleed.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭. . . . . . . . . . . Living in The Colony was all Josie knew. To the outside world it was a cult of brainwashed victims all under the spell of Kade Rogers, but to her it was home. That was up until a series of events that led up to her escape. If only fate wasn't so cruel as to lead her away from one monster and put her directly into the hands of another. Now, with a new sense of determination, Josie explores the world outside of The Colony and learns the hard way that trust is a dangerous weapon of destruction. Trying to lead a normal life starting college proves to be impossible after meeting Nico Blaine. He was everything she was suppose to stay away from. But when Josie lay's eyes on the tattooed beauty, she can't help it. What starts out as a innocent infatuation turns into a twisted tale of betrayal. .. . . . . . . . . . - Dark romance - Explicit sexual content - Mature themes - Criminal - Villain - Anti-hero #1 goodgirlxbadboy #1 darklove

𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 & 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗼 'Poor little soul.' A pure, innocent soul forced to face the harsh realities they said. A soul that was led down the path of darkness, One that was bent and made to be other's nightmare, only to end up deemed nature's lost cause. How tragic, right? Wrong. Because this, this is not nearly as simple. You see, mostly, if not always, the only real difference between a hero and a villain is a matter of perspective- WHO is telling the story. But not in his case. What if he really embodies the epitome of a real-life villain, instilling terror in the hearts of all those who cross his path, or even hear whispers of his name? What if he's a wicked man who ceaselessly gets whatever his icy heart craves? A monster who seeks power more than salvation, A nightmare who believes vengeance is unerring. A killing machine, devoid of heart or soul, let alone a pure one. Damien, they call him, His name whispered with terror and fear, Because Damien is not an ordinary man, but a man who clawed his way out from the depths of hell. One who's driven by a relentless pursuit of the very thing that threatens to bring downfall to the world we know. He is the reigning terror among monsters, holding dominion over the dark underworld of New York City, Even with his true identity hidden from the prying eyes of all. Damien is no ordinary man. But he is the Devil. So what happens when an angel meets the devil? When a naive runaway escapes one demon, only to find herself in the clutches of the worst of them all? ⊱ ʚɞ ⊰ ~𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗠𝗮𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 ~𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 ~𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 ~𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 Complete✔️

*WAS DELETED AT 600K READS* Adriana Mancini I was raised to bite, not bow. So when they told me I was to marry Nikolas Volkov-heir to the Bratva, enemy to my blood-I didn't cry, I laughed. They thought they could tame me with diamonds and alliances. And for the first time in my life, I realized I didn't have a choice. As for him.. It's the eyes that speak to me. Blank but compulsive with secrets, empty yet dominating with control. Like stone. I wonder, is his heart made of it too? Nikolas Volkov After a bloody feud with the Cosa Nostra, I'm forced into an arranged marriage-to the one woman I can't control. Adriana Mancini. A hurricane in stilettos with venom in her smile. She tests my patience, taunts my power, and tempts my darkness. She thinks I won't ruin her just because she wears my ring. But this marriage was never meant to be peaceful. It was built for war.

18+ | 2026 WATTYS SHORTLISTER | First Draft | Not edited. |"You gonna sit there all night?" Luka glances at me, smirking. I glare back. "I was enjoying the last few seconds of peace before having to spend an evening pretending to like you." "That's funny," he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Why?" I snap. "Because I was thinking the same thing." | The rules? Easy enough. 1. Pretend to be the perfect couple. 2. Keep it professional. 3. And whatever you do, don't. catch. feelings. Simple, right? Sofia Calloway never planned on going viral for throwing a drink in Luka Mikhaylov's face. But one video, one pissed-off hockey star, and one furious university later... she's suddenly stuck in a fake relationship with the guy she can't stand. He needs to clean up his image before the NHL draft. She needs the free tuition that comes with the deal. All they have to do is smile for the cameras, hold hands at the games, and act like they don't want to strangle each other. Then come the late-night arguments that last too long. The stolen glances that feel too dangerous. The moment where "pretend" starts looking way too real. Because when you break the rules, someone's bound to lose. And this time, it might be both of them.

𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐒, renowned CEO and entrepreneur. Ruthlessness was all she knew after her first love disappeared without a trace. Worst of it all was she was carrying his child, who turned out to be more of a blessing than a curse. Celeste worked her way around the single mother life and built an empire at the feet of her daughter. As time passed over, she never anticipated the return of her lover, the father of her daughter. Does he deserve a second chance? Will Celeste ever forgive him for leaving? 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐗𝐄𝐑

Running from hell isnʼt easy. Especially when someoneʼs dragging you back down into it. Belligerent, brash and always in shades of black, Freya is hardly a lady. Hidden away by her father, sheʼs lived a normal life despite being born into the dark waters of New Yorkʼs underworld. Heʼs cold, cruel and calculating, with a proclivity for destruction. Feared by even Made Men, Torren is the boss of the stateʼs most leachorous crime syndicate. Freya hates his crudity and possessiveness, but she canʼt deny the way her breath hitches at his rough touch, the deep timbre of his voice, and his dark, heated gaze. Torren hates her disobedience, her recklessness, and her chaos. To him, sheʼs only something to be tamed. And after he slips a ring on her hand, snatching away her future, she makes only one vow---to become his biggest torment.

{𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘌𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘖𝘎𝘠 } Hudson Tempest's an enigma nobody's capable of solving. Darkness has been moulded into his skin, running through him as easily as his blood. More than he's ever allowed anyone to see. Swept up into a world of sin and deviance, Hudson Tempest was broken as a boy and shattered several times over the course of his life. Made to be cruel and forced into a pool of self-destruction, a life that will only ruin him if it continues. Death has been the only thing in sight to him, for a long time. But how hard it is to save someone, who wants to let themselves drown. Val Emerson's the embodiment of light. A heart that outpours warmth like she was made to love, from the very moment she was born. The sunny side up sort of girl with an affinity for the sea, and smiles. When the cruelest of them all and the happiest of them all collide. When her hatred turns into a desperate desire to save the most broken of them all, far past salvation. When his hatred morphs into something he promised not to feel. Opposites. Dark, to light. Whole, and broken. Rivals, in all they do. Until somewhere along the way, they find themselves falling into each other's arms. Somehow, into each other's clashing hearts. <3

{𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘖𝘕𝘌 𝘖𝘍 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘓𝘌𝘚𝘚 𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘓𝘖𝘎𝘠} Ria Romano knew hurt like the back of her hand. She was dealt her fair share of bad cards, more than anyone so young should have to face. A cynical girl riddled with the remnants of her past, a shattered sort of soul. She concealed like it was second nature; her instinct being to suppress. She'd offer you a cigarette with a shrug while you were crying because she never was too great with affection. She didn't smile so often but when she did and it was directed at you, you'd never feel such satisfaction. I was told Aria preferred to be alone, isolated; clouding her mind with inhales of her cigarette and drowning it in alcohol. Until she was dealt her good card, out of the pack of bad. They had a love beautiful enough to last a lifetime, the type directors desire to capture and authors aspire to write. Two souls, shattered by the cruelty of the world time and time again with flames that rekindled each others. They were each other's oxygen. They breathed life back into each other, those two insomniacs. <3

𝐈𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. . . . . . . . . . . We've all heard the tales of good and bad, the tales of innocent deceit and her hero, the tales that despite their nature, show us the beauty in contrast. But it's the tales of pure evil that get swept under the rug. The tales of deception, where cruelty is rewarded. The tales that have you questioning who the real villain of the story is. There's a simple philosophy to most thing in life; two wrongs 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 make a right. So what ensues when you put two of the worst kinds of people together? Loyalties transfer, lines blur, and hatred ignites complete chaos. She's cunning. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. She's dangerous. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴. She's evil. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦. Or so that's what we're told. The devil is always worse. But maybe, just maybe, she's the devil in disguise, playing his advocate... . . . . . . . . . . - 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 - 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞. -