{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?

Lena has hated Jace Hartley with a burning passion since kindergarten. But when everything she thought she knew about Hartley suddenly changes, will she still cling to the familiar feud between them, or will she slip and fall into something far more terrifying? *** Sarcastic rich girl Lena Montez is sure about one thing. Jace Hartley is the worst person. Ever. They've been playing a game of pranks and one-ups for over a decade, fueled by their never-ending feud and mutual burning hatred for the other. But when a car accident keeps Lena at home for months, she returns to school to find that something is different. Instead of spilling his drink over her, Jace is offering to carry her books. Instead of making rude comments about her, he is sending her pretty smiles and gentle laughs. Suddenly, Lena finds herself walking a tightrope between hate and something else. [[word count: 100,000-150,000]]

𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐄 is pretty sure her new neighbor is a serial killer. What else could explain his antisocial behavior, creepily minimalistic apartment, and that inhumanly emotionless demeanor? Not to mention the bloody body parts that have started showing up. It's too bad she's not scared of him. Or his unveiled threats on her life. But an emotionally scarred gangster on the run -- riding the brink of insanity and followed by a host of trouble -- is a lot more than she could've bargained for. 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐎 𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐎 is beyond redemption. Capo of the Romano crime family, the sociopathic Prince of Chicago, hell wrapped in a designer suit. He exemplifies cold precision and perfect control. His job has always come easily to him for the very same reason that his name is feared widely: he's incapable of emotion. But something horrifying and sinister is beginning to happen to him. And it turns out that pesky slipping sanity is the least of his concerns. Because his new neighbor is a ray-of-sunshine wildcard dipped in beauty like he's never seen, and she won't leave him alone. Worse, he can't decide if he should kill or protect her. Massimo doesn't count on Vivienne being the first person to look at him like he's human. Or demons from his past coming back to haunt him. Much less a new threat looming on the horizon. Or love. Especially not that. ♛ Deviant Prince is a slow burn, enemies to lovers, dark mafia romance. WARNING: this story gets very dark. You must check the CW in the intro. [ Book 2 in the Romano Brotherhood Series | COMPLETED ✔ ]

Everyone who works within the New York Warriors organization knows that star player August Fletcher refuses to talk to most people...and especially team reporters. All except Quinn Castle, that is. Quinn doesn't know why the broody football player has singled her out, but she knows she doesn't like it-not when being around him and his hot gazes makes her feel like she might accidentally do something that risks her career. So when August unexpectedly retires, Quinn can't help but feel relieved...until she finds herself with a new assignment: spend the summer in August's hometown on Evergreen Isle and write a flashy retirement piece on the Warrior's biggest star. It would be easy enough...if it weren't for the team's secret agenda: convince August to return to New York. It would be easy enough...if it weren't her job on the line if she doesn't see it through. It would be easy enough...if it weren't for the heat in August Fletcher's eyes.

Leah Stokes is determined to get a spot in one of the most prestigious internships programs in the country. The problem is she's been applying each year, yet hasn't gotten far enough in the process to even garner an interview. It's her Junior year and time is running out if she wants to kickstart the career of her dreams. When she finds herself in the same class as the CEO's son- charming quarterback, Nate Holloway, she's determined to convince him to put in a good word for her. Nate has an even better idea, he'll guarantee her a spot, but only if she'll help him pass all his classes this semester. Nate's star doesn't shine as bright off the football field as it does on it, and he's found himself on the verge of academic suspension after a lackluster semester. He needs Leah's brain power as much as she needs his connections, even though he finds her to be a uptight know-it-all and she finds him to be a vapid egotist. As they spend time together, they realize there's more to each other than meets the eye, but with so much riding on their partnership, one bad judgement could ruin both of their for goals for good.

*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.

COMPLETED. Francis Duval-a mysterious enigma who cared for nothing. A soul too smart for his own good in a world that moved entirely too slow. A boy with a dangerous past that stayed hidden for reasons unknown, tied to highest of the elite. Harsh green eyes that could read everyone like an open book, the pages too easy for him to comprehend. The very definition of irresistible. Glitz and glimmer never did it for him-until it walked in, wrapped in pink. Painfully brilliant. Effortlessly cruel. Startlingly apathetic. Kings of New York - Book 1. TW: Discusses themes of domestic and child abuse. Rankings: #1 - highschoolromance #1 - steam #1 - french #1 - richkids #1 - richgirl #1 - pink

When Serena enters a new workplace, she has one rule; stay focused- no matter what. It soon turns out to be easier said than done when she meets her new boss. Valentino is strict, the epitome of difficult and much to her dismay; unbelievably fucking hot. She's determined to ignore the attraction she feels to him for the sake of keeping her job. But what Serena doesn't know is that Valentino can't get her out of his his head. He thinks about her everywhere. He feels captivated by her. He wants her. And he hates every moment of it.

**SAMPLE ONLY - READ ON KU, EBOOK, OR PAPERBACK** US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GV177BWC UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GV177BWC AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0GV177BWC CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0GV177BWC 𝐇𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭. Emerald Sawyer has always been my home. She saw something in me when everyone else saw a hockey goon who could barely read. When the world called me stupid, she called me capable. Her faith built me in ways my father's cruelty never could. Now I'm Hayden "Haymaker" Sawyer-the league's most feared enforcer. My violence goes viral. My fists pay the bills. Every hit, every fight, every autograph, every deal-I told myself I was doing it all for her. Somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing what it was costing our marriage. I let my agent handle the business so I could focus on the game. I ignored the threats and harassment. The fans who hated her simply for being mine. When Emerald tried to show me how cruel it had gotten, I told her it didn't matter. That I would always keep her safe. I was wrong. The losses piled up. The fans turned vicious. My temper snapped, and with one ugly moment, I pushed away the only person who has ever truly loved me. Then, while I was smiling for the cameras, my wife was brutally attacked by a fan wearing my jersey. Now I see everything too late. I want blood from every single person who touched her. And the deeper I dig, the clearer it becomes that none of this was random. My agent, Rick Fox, has been pulling the strings for far too long. I'll do whatever it takes to bring down the people who came for my wife, earn back the woman I love, and prove that this time, I won't fail her again. Because Emerald Sawyer is my home, my heart, my everything.

Blaire. Kai. Jude. The world didn't exist outside of the three of them. Bound by blood, fear and the hope of leaving together. What happens when the trio decide to leave their foster home, find a home for themselves elsewhere? What happens when they stumble upon familiar men? What happens when these men hunt them down? Not to kill. To bring them home. Will Blaire learn to trust anyone other than the twins? Will the twins learn to give over control, allow themselves to live? Or will secrets turn it all upside down? Started: 4/12/25 Ended: 7/02/26