Before Marlowe Ackerman goes away to Brown University, she does the bravest thing she's ever done. She confesses to her best friend, Oliver Abbott, that she is in love with him. And Oliver breaks her heart gently. To him, Marlowe is his safe place. His best friend. The one person who has always been there for him. His feelings for her have never changed, and he is certain they never will. At eighteen, Oliver is desperate for a fresh start after years of being the awkward, gangly dork. Parties, girls, fraternity life, reinvention-he wants everything he thinks college is supposed to give him. But once he gets there, nothing feels right without Marlowe. While she thrives at Brown, Oliver falls apart. He fails classes, wakes up hungover, surrounds himself with the wrong people, and slowly realizes the reason his feelings for Marlowe never changed is because he has loved her all along. But he's too late. When he goes to tell her, he finds her in bed with her boyfriend, Sam. Jealousy and heartbreak make him spit ugly, cruel words he will regret for the rest of his life. Marlowe ends their friendship for good. Ten years later, Oliver has changed. He is a history teacher at their old high school, a wrestling coach, and a man who has spent a decade learning from the worst mistake of his life. When he hears that Marlowe Ackerman is coming back to town for their high school reunion, Oliver knows better than to think he deserves a second chance. But he wants one. Not just to tell Marlowe he still loves her. To show her he has become someone worthy of loving her the way she deserves. He was her almost. Maybe now, he can be her always.

She was never loved. Not by the world. Not even by her own father the man who tried to sell her when she was only seven. Growing up unwanted, she stopped asking for fairy tales. She stopped believing in miracles. All she ever wanted was simple to be chosen. To be kept. To be loved just once in her life. So when marriage came, she thought maybe this was it. Maybe this was her escape from a childhood filled with betrayal. Maybe her husband would finally see her worth. But she didn't know the truth. The man she married wasn't looking for love. He was looking for revenge. Haunted by the death of his parents, he vowed to destroy the man responsible. And when fate placed the daughter of his enemy in his hands, he made a promise she would suffer for her father's sins. To her, he was hope. To him, she was punishment. In a marriage built on revenge and innocence, can love survive? Or will hatred burn everything before it even begins?

Before I was old enough to understand marriage, I was promised to Ronin Byrne. It was a match made to bind our families and tie my future to his. I was the girl from Ireland, raised to believe marriage was sacred and vows were kept for life. He was the heir to Boston's Irish mob, his father's crown waiting to pass to him the moment we said I do. I thought we were already partners. I thought he chose me. But Ronin set me straight the night I became his bride. In front of his men, our families, and everyone who mattered, he showed me exactly what the promises he made to me were worth. Nothing. He broke me with a smile as he walked away with another woman, leaving me in the wreckage of my own beliefs. He made his choice. So I made mine. I disappeared. I covered my tracks. I buried the girl he broke so deeply I hoped she would never resurface. But the past has a way of finding you, no matter how well you bury it. When the man I once trusted with my heart tracks me down to remind me that wives don't get to vanish and that I belong to him, he won't find the girl who loved him without question. She no longer exists. And if Ronin Byrne wants even a chance at earning back what he destroyed, he'll have to decide how much he's willing to bleed for it. I am Alannah O'Connell... and this is my heartbreak. Content & Historical Context Notice Faithless Vows is an emotionally intense romance set in the 1950s. It reflects the social attitudes, power dynamics, religious expectations, and criminal realities of the era. This book includes on-page and off-page cheating or infidelity, sexual content, coercive dynamics and emotional manipulation, public humiliation, attempted abduction or forced return, threats and intimidation, and historical organized crime elements. Some situations may be triggering for certain readers. Reader discretion is advised.

"Be a good boy, Ares, and just follow my lead." His chest rose up rapidly, taking his hands into mine and placing them on my waist. Feeling him begin to grow hard and the pool of wetness between my legs ached my soul. I needed him now. A piece of his hair fell on his forehead, his thumbs moved in circular motion as I rocked my hips back and forth, holding onto his shoulders for support. I unbuttoned his shirt, revealing more of his toned chest; I was practically salivating at this sight. It was obvious that he was going to the gym, even just by looking at his arms you could tell. This man was pure perfection, and I was pure seduction. "W-we shouldn't be doing this," his voice was breathless and ragged. My back arched because of the growing sensation I was feeling; he dipped his head between my neck, placing light kisses. I fist his hair as my jaw drops; my panties are drenched. "We should, we had a deal." _____ Violet Gray was a sophomore in college and failing her classes. With her growing popularity due to her looks and partying every night, Violet had completely forgotten the true reason for being in school. She had two options: get kicked out of college or find a tutor. Violet didn't want either; she was embarrassed to be kicked out. Ares Meadows was the epitome of smart and talented; his grades were all straight A's. He didn't have time to party nor focus solely on his looks and popularity. Ares was a nerd with even more nerdy friends, but the way he looked distracted everyone from the fact that he was a nerd. But nobody wants an inexperienced man.

LJ has learned to never be hopeful. Hope is the most destructive emotion of all of them. LJ knew the only way to achieve what you want is to work for it...that didn't even guarantee success. Success didn't guarantee happiness. Everyday she worked hard to find her slice of happiness, she definitely didn't expect to find it in Division 1 Wide Receiver who's everything she's not. Callum lives his life one football season at a time. After all, he is the number one wide receiver at a top university. He loves his life - all the girls and recognition. This is why he works so hard. His freshman year in college. He led his team to a title. Everyone is expecting him to lead the team there again this year. Callum's whole life has been about football...until he meets LJ. 

He was my favorite mistake, until he became hers.

Alanna did everything in her power to gain her parents' approval: wore the right clothes, dated the right men, attended the right parties, and made enough money to get them through the doors of high society that had long been out of their reach. Instead of a thank you for all she had done, she was blamed for reacting the wrong way to finding out her husband had been cheating on her with her younger sister-and her family wanted her to accept it because it was "true love." When Alanna decided she was done vying for her parents' approval and started feeling isolated, an old classmate came to her with an offer she couldn't refuse: marry him and join one of the most powerful families in town. The catch? Intimacy was off the table. Any plans for future children would be done through surrogacy or artificial insemination. Deciding this was the only way to regain her dignity, she agreed. But her growing attraction to her new husband made the no-intimacy rule all the more unwelcome.

Clara My heart has belonged to Spencer Fisher since that day in high school, when he winked at me during Mrs. Doyle's chemistry class. For twelve years we've been together through the good, the bad, and everything in between. For twelve years I've stood by him and supported him and watched him as he realized every single one of his dreams. But when Spencer's father is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and he starts pulling away right when I need him most, we might have finally found the one thing that will tear us apart. Spencer I thought I had it made. But now I'm feeling it all slip away as the pressures of work and bills and hard decisions mount. And above all else, I have to watch my old man slowly wither away. I'm not used to feeling helpless, and now all I can do is watch the man who has always been larger than life to me die. I know Clara's doing her best to support me, but lately it feels like all I do is let her down. When my colleague introduces me to his sister Laney, it feels harmless at first. Laney listens without making demands. She's sympathetic. She reminds me to take care of myself. If she flirts occasionally and I find myself enjoying it? Well, that's probably harmless too. It's not like I'd ever act on anything. I'd never betray Clara. But the road to hell is paved with bad decisions, and by the time I realize what a fool I'm being, I might be too late to stop myself from losing the woman I love.

When Piper leaves the city to take over her grandmother's beloved bakery, she's expecting early mornings, flour-dusted hands, and a chance to rebuild something meaningful. What she doesn't expect is Flynn- the charming, steady regular who quickly becomes the best part of her day, and then her life. For a while, it's easy. Effortless. Real. Until Harriett comes back. Flynn's childhood best friend crashes back into town, and within seventy two hours, everything Piper thought she knew begins to unravel. Boundaries blur, truths twist, and one moment overheard is enough to shatter the fragile trust Piper had been building. Walking away should be simple. Necessary, even. But Flynn isn't ready to let her go. Not when he finally understands what he's about to lose. Determined to make things right, Flynn is forced to confront the loyalty he's clung to for years, and the damage it's caused. Because winning Piper back won't take words. It will take tearing down everything he thought mattered and proving, step by painful step, that she comes first. In a story about love, loyalty, and the courage to choose differently, Piper must decide if broken trust can ever be rebuilt, or if some betrayals leave behind nothing but bitter truths.

"Hey husband." He glared. "Since you married me out of so much love, princess treatment is mandatory." "You've been testing my patience since morning." Devin said flatly. "Oh, have you given up already? Bad. Don't give up so easily, husband. You have to bear with me all your life." He held my arms and pulled me closer. "I'm not good at taking tantrums." Our faces were inches apart. I whispered "Don't worry, I'll make you a pro." "Samantha, I'm not Davide who is madly in love with you and is willing to tolerate this bullshit." "Tantrums in front of Davide? Nope. Never." I smiled. His eyes flicked, just for a second to my lips before returning to my face. "It's only for you, husband." "Stop calling me that." "What? Husband? But you are my husband. Lawful husband." A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "You know... it'll be fun taming you. Now I'm here like you wanted, so let's go." "But-" I started. I am not going with you so easily. "Now what?" "My legs are hurting." I pouted. .... She was chaos. He was calm. She was a pure soul. He was a murderer. She was sold. He was the buyer. Samantha Jones, an innocent lively soul. She has a dream to open her own cafe. Devin Volkov, a CEO billionaire and mafia leader who is here to destroy Samantha's family. She started living with Devin's family 8 years ago, she was scared of him and he hated her for one mistake. He bought her for millions of dollars from her own father. Why did he? What did he have to do with her? Why did he marry her even after hating her? Tropes : grumpy x sunshine age-gap slow-burn forced marriage possessive she fell first, he fell harder