{2022 WATTY SHORTLISTER} {18+ COMPLETED} England, 1842 Lady Hutton, otherwise known as Penelope Chapman, cares not that her husband has a wandering eye. That is, until he wanders away completely--all the way to the continent with his mistress, where he's been for the last five years. Abandoned, Penelope decides she shall not spend her life living without the occasional night of casual companionship. But then Penelope meets British naval officer Beckett Ash, and she realizes that there isn't anything casual about him. The man who has been assigned to protect her whilst uncovering a smuggling operation at her summer house party is strikingly handsome, and their connection is increasingly difficult to ignore. There are only two problems. Firstly, Beckett hasn't a clue that Penelope already has a husband. And secondly, his best friend and fellow naval officer is Penelope's protective half-brother. What happens when Beckett decides to marry an already married woman?

Avyaan Vedang Vishwanathan "He never believed in love. Until she became his wife. Now he believes in nothing else but owning her." ............ Udita Avyaan Vishwanathan. "He felt like danger... but for once, I wasn't afraid. I wanted to fall-if it meant falling into him." ....................... Join the beautiful journey of Avyaan and Udita finding their peace in each other

Honours psychology student Layla Mitchell has above-average grades and a slightly-below-average sex life. When she enrolls in a senior course taught by the young, dark and mysterious Dr. Kayden Hall, she finds herself uncharacteristically intrigued by his research into sexual deviance. As Layla's academic fascination extends into the bedroom, her erotic discoveries begin to reveal more about the complex man she's experimenting with. Her inner psychologist is determined to figure him out but he isn't going to let her into his psyche that easily. A not-so-cliché BDSM Romance by Ami. Mature content and lots of steam.

What are the odds of a love happening between a man with failed parents and a woman who is a failed parent? In a normal setting, none. However, there's was no normal setting. When the second-in-line Prince of Jaigarh starts receiving death threats from a patient's husband he recently operated on, the royal palace goes into chaos. He's immediately appointed a bodyguard, who much to his chagrin, happens to be his brother's closest loyal. They don't see eye to eye. And they cannot stand each other. But bound to his brother's words, he accepts the woman, on a condition that she stays at least five feet behind him. And it was supposed to stay that way. Before he comes face to face with someone from the past, someone who had told him he'd die single. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Which is how he ends up introducing his bodyguard as his new girlfriend who he's so besotted by. In a nutshell, it's a set-up. So what could go wrong? Turns out, when feelings get involved, everything. cover credit: @mystwhizzpuzz on IG

She Leads Reading Event: Follow her lead If your favorite stories feature women who run the show... this one's for you. From March 30 - April 5, 15,000 readers will win Coins simply for reading stories with powerful female leads. 📚 Read the stories from the She Leads Reading List 👑 150 minutes → 150 Coins 🔥 250 minutes → 250 Coins + Wattpad Premium Whether you're here for bold queens, chaotic anti-heroines, or girls who refuse to play by the rules, the more you read, the better your chances. Go ahead. Follow her lead. "Our love was a case we both lost." When a brilliant lawyer and her ruthless prosecutor husband turn their marriage into the most brutal case they've ever fought, love becomes the one verdict neither of them can win-or walk away from. *** Naomi Carter is a fiercely intelligent lawyer with a near-perfect winning streak of 97% cases won. The only times she ever loses is to her husband. She's sharp, controlled, and commanding in the courtroom, but behind closed doors, she hides a woman who's never truly learned how to love. Nathaniel Carter is a ruthless prosecutor, relentless in his pursuit of justice, and impossible to read. Driven by a fierce need for control, he struggles to keep his own life from unraveling. He's the one man who knows his wife's weaknesses and exploits them with a quiet intensity, stirring both her frustration and desire. Their marriage is a constant battleground, scarred by a shared tragedy neither can overcome. Join these two broken souls as they fight to protect themselves while craving the one thing they fear most: each other. *** #1 in bwwm #1 in eroticromance #1 in blackwoman #1 in enemies #1 in grief #1 in childloss #1 in pregnancy #1 in brokenmarriage #1 in loverstoenemies #1 in darkromance #2 in mentalhealth #2 in enemiestolovers #1 in romance

Gayatri is the only virgin of the Tridhara Palace's Royal Vaishyalay. She is a dedicated devotee of the enigmatic god Nivarth, the god who has taken birth as the prince of Tridhara Palace. Gayatri's life takes a dramatic turn when she catches the god's attention. What happens when the very deity she worships begins to defile her? Destined for a purpose greater than she can comprehend, Gayatri may hold the key to salvaging Nivarth, the god of winter, from himself. Will the god's dangerous allure consume her, or will her love change the mischievous god's ways?

Hadiya Hafiz was asked by her brother to marry his best friend; Daivik Dewan. Hadiya had suffered all her life and she had no hope with this marriage either. Meanwhile, Daivik agreed to marry her out of pity. What will happen when he gets to know about her wife's past which had nothing but pain? How far will he go to save her from her demons? Will he ever be able to love her or she'll always remain uncherished?

❝𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚 & 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚❞ I should not feel anything for someone who is my enemy, someone who has caused me so much pain that the very thought of him should fill me with nothing but rage and bitterness. Yet, against all logic, I feel it-I feel the heat rising beneath my skin . The mere idea of his touch sends shivers down my spine, igniting sensations that I desperately want to ignore. This isn't right. I shouldn't crave the presence of someone I despise, but my body betrays me, responding to him in ways that my mind fiercely rejects. He stands so close that his breath fans across my face, warm and intimate, stirring emotions that I refuse to acknowledge. A slight movement is all it would take for our lips to meet, for this unbearable tension to shatter into something far more dangerous. His hands are braced on either side of my head, trapping me, yet he doesn't need to touch me to make me feel trapped. His body hovers just out of reach, yet I can sense him, every inch of him, as if the air itself is an extension of his presence. I shouldn't desire this man. I shouldn't want to close the gap, to feel the press of his body against mine. I should be repulsed, disgusted by how my thoughts betray my hatred. But my body doesn't listen to reason , it yearns for what it shouldn't, driven by instincts I can't control. I despise him-my enemy- My rival-but the line between hatred and desire is blurring, and I'm terrified of which side I might fall on. {𝖠 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝖾 } | | Mature content 18+| |

Coming out of an abusive marriage where she was assaulted for dowry, years later, Dhriti Diwan is a self made Billionaire. Saad Hafiz, a surgeon who hides an ugly past of his own agrees to marry the sister of his best friend. Two different people bounded in a marriage of convenience with a thread of pain. Will Dhriti ever be able to love again? What's going to happen when Saad gets to know about the body of his wife which is covered in burnt marks and bruises? Will he get repulsed by her? Dhriti considers herself unwanted, will Saad ever be able to love her?