★ Matteo's arms draped over the cushioned chair, eyes cold. "I don't enjoy violence." He paused. "But if you lay a finger on Victoria, or any of my soldatos again, I'll turn your corpse into art." The suited man froze at his warning. Behind him, Victoria held a revolver to his skull. Violence wasn't the solution. It was a language they understood. ───────────────────── Victoria Greenwood, a 20-year-old who grew up on the streets of New Orleans, suffers from mental scars and an enormous debt from loan sharks. Being an orphan, she learned to fend for herself, living amongst the troubled and surviving. Only when mistakenly confronting the Lucchesi family did she understand her life's fragility. They took her prisoner and gave her the choice to work for them or face the repercussions. She refused to be controlled, but mounting debt and dwindling escape options forced her hand. She stepped further into the underworld and met women like her with the world's weight against them. Her relationship with the underboss, Matteo Lucchesi, grew dangerously closer. The question persists. Should she break or keep her loyalty to the Cosa Nostra? ───────────────────── 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: This book is primarily action-based with a side of romance, involves complex characters, and systems similar to a Sicilian mafia. There's no smut, however there are sexual themes that aren't explicit. 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭: violence, profanity, sexual themes (attempted S/A (no rape & smut), etc.), mental health themes (sh mentions, trauma, etc.), death, non-explicit gore 𝟑𝐫𝐝 (𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫): 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝟏𝐬𝐭 (𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧): 𝐇.𝐒. 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬

| | Wattys 2025 Shortlist | | Iris is the oldest of a group of orphans, working hard and without complaint to help bring in money to feed and clothe the younger children. Everybody knows and loves her. She wants nothing more than a normal, safe life―but war looms on the horizon, threatening her plans. Char is a dragon and a certified troublemaker. He and his brother are a pain in their commanding officer's side and a favorite at parties, especially among the girls. But when Char's familiarity with humans earns him a routine scouting mission, he meets Iris―and finds more trouble than he ever expected. She's suddenly at the center of a war, shackled with a magical amulet she doesn't understand and can't control. He's too impulsive to stay out of the tangled web tightening around her, even if that means lying to his brother and risking his life to keep her out of the hands of a psychotic mage. Nowhere is safe. Nothing is normal. And Iris may hold the power to end the war and save them all. ***** A Song and a Storm: Book One

This story is a love letter to C-dramas-sharp, seductive, and just a little unhinged. When Lin Yueqin signs heartthrob actor Xu Zhihao, it's more than just a power play- it sparks a collision of fantasy and reality, where obsession simmers and love threatens to undo everything. === "You rewrote the confession," Lin Yueqin finally broke the silence. He turned, unsurprised. "I did." Her tone was cool, but not icy. "You changed it's entire tone." "You said it felt unearned." "I didn't ask for you to start crying." He studied her for a moment. "Would you prefer I stayed untouchable?" She met his gaze, unreadable. "I'd prefer you stay on script." There was a flicker of something behind his eyes-something sharp. "The original script wasn't working. If the audience doesn't believe it, they won't care." "You changed the tone of the entire confession because I made one comment?" she asked, bewildered. "How do you know the audience won't believe it?" He blinked. Just once. And then- "Maybe you're the audience that matters." === Lin Yueqin is a ruthless business tycoon with a heart of ice-or so the world believes. Known as the Ice Empress of Linhua, she dominates boardrooms with cold precision. But behind closed doors, she secretly binges romance dramas and obsesses over Xu Zhihao-the brooding heartthrob who plays emotionally wounded men just a little too well. Xu Zhihao has made a career selling the illusion of love. On screen, he's perfect: cool, distant, devoted. Off screen, he sees love as a trap-shaped by the wreckage of his parents' relationship. He's never been in love-and he intends to keep it that way. When Yueqin signs him to a creative deal, the script changes. She thought it was business. He turns it into something else. Now, every moment feels like a scene. And when the roles blur, neither of them can tell who's really in control. She's not the type to fall. He's not the type to let go. And some illusions are harder to walk away from.

Good morning, I'm Kalliope Aoidós (yes, spelled like this: Καλλιόπη Ἀοιδός... pretty impressive, right?), Technical Account Manager at a company in... well, I'm sure you don't really need my CV for this. Let's try again. Hey, I'm Kalliope Aoidós, and I've got a little problem. Okay, more like an incurable, family-heritage problem. Technically, it's genetic-something my family has been conveniently passing down for centuries. One of my great-great-great-great-grandparents thought it was totally appropriate to insult his muse, calling her a "good-for-nothing" and a "sellout." How charming, right? Too bad that muse was THE Muse after whom I'm named. Apparently, she's not exactly the warm and fuzzy type. So why on earth do I have the honor of carrying the name of the one who cursed my entire family tree? Oh, that was my grandmother's brilliant idea. In a way, they "sacrificed" me to her by giving me her name, hoping it would change her mind about the curse. Spoiler alert: It didn't. So here I am, just like hundreds of my ancestors, stuck in the same lovely swamp. I'm a Book Jumper or, as my grandmother (who has a flair for dramatic epithets) likes to call me, a βιβλιοποδητής, which basically means "walker of books." And these are my stories. Or, more accurately, my delightful misadventures. Copyright 2025 AnemoneMarino. All Rights Reserved. Note: All the pictures I've used in this story are not mine; they belong to their respective owners. The cover and banners are made by me.

To the world he is the Godslayer, the beast who devoured gods and razed kingdoms. To himself he is only Bane, a dragon betrayed and entombed by the man he trusted most: his own rider. Now, centuries later, Bane is dragged back into a mortal shell and bound to a king's command to fight another war. But the rider who once caged him offers a bargain: survive four trials, and be restored to his true form. Freedom, redemption, even love, all whispered on the serpent's tongue. To follow him is to embrace the hate they share, and the ruin it promises. Yet hate runs close to love, and love close to madness. Every trial drags old sins into the light and knots their bond tighter with blood and memory. Together they could unmake empires, or unmake each other first.

-Thomas's eyes grew in amusement, "I like that accent." Newt dropped his hand in sudden embarrassment. 'The hell? Why am I so flustered?' Ever since Newt showed up to W.I.C.K.E.D an academy for students with special unique abilities- the environment has shifted to chaos. Newt's ability remains an unknown mystery - even to himself. He finds himself struggling against the competitive environment. Thomas on the other hand, is one of WICKEDS star students- a natural leader with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy. Thomas is intrigued by Newt, causing him to form a close friendship. But as their connection grows - so does their feelings for each other. NEWTMAS FANFIC!! BXB Slow burn!! (Kinda) I don't like immediate romance Rating: #1 newtmas 3/15/25! #3 academy: 3/15/25! #1 maze runner au: 3/17/25! #6 boyxboy: 3/17/25! #3 bxb: 3/19/25! AU ! I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS, FROM THE NOVEL SERIES MAZE RUNNER BY JAMES DASHNER !!