Joyce Carol Oates Novel

“I agreed to treat him before I knew I was meant to kill him.” Dr. Cecilia Vale is a therapist, who has spent years learning how to fix broken minds, not destroy them. But when a powerful socialite offers her a job that could rebuild her ruined career and drag her out of a life she can barely survive. She accepts without asking too many questions. Her newest patient is Jude Martinez. A man feared by many, understood by none. Cold, and dangerously perceptive, Jude is not the kind of man who trusts easily. Yet, within the quiet walls of their therapy sessions, he begins to reveal fragments of himself that no one else has ever seen. And Cecilia finds herself drawn in, despite every instinct warning her to stay away. Because behind the smiles, deep conversations, and chemistry-filled banter, they exchange, there is a truth she cannot escape. Jude’s wife did not hire her to help him. She hired her to kill him. With a poison that leaves no trace and a contract she cannot break, Cecilia is forced to choose between her survival and her conscience. But as the lines between duty and desire begin to blur, the man she was meant to destroy becomes the one person she cannot bear to lose. And in a world built on power, betrayal, and blood, love is not just dangerous. It is fatal.

Joseph King becomes the youngest attorney to make partner at his firm, and boy is he loving it. While transitioning into his long awaited bask in the glory of self-made success, he takes on new roles, is given a luxurious office as well as a personal secretary, Alice Mendez, who is also new on the job and a young college graduate and singer. Alice moved out of her father's house in Scarsdale and now lives in her own apartment in New York city with her little brother, Miguel. After experiencing major setbacks in her music career, she has decided to explore the prospects of a day job, and excitingly, gets one at one of the most prominent law firms in New York. As she settles into her new role, she unexpectedly finds herself falling for her boss, who in more ways than one is a bit too hot to handle. As they work together, he seems to be developing an increasing interest in her as well. However, as many unanticipated mysteries continue to unfold, both parties begin to find that they may be biting more than they can chew, and that this rollercoaster of an experience which they thought was about them may not have been about them at all.

Cathy Wilkins' life has never been simple. Heartbroken and lost after her boyfriend of three years leaves her without a word of explanation, Cathy is left to pick up the pieces of her shattered world. Overwhelmed and desperate for a change, she decides to climb the town’s mysterious mountain, determined to debunk the rumors of monstrous men lurking at its peak. What she finds at the top is beyond her wildest dreams and darkest fears. In a secluded world far from her own, Cathy encounters a creature both terrifying and alluring, challenging everything she thought she knew about love and life. Will Cathy find the strength to face the unknown and embrace a love that defies all logic, or will her journey end in heartbreak once more? Join Cathy on a breathtaking adventure of self-discovery, passion, and the timeless search for a love that can conquer all.

Loraine Winehouse is a married woman, but she’s struggling to keep her own husband to herself. Jack Winehouse is every woman’s dream, but the ring on his finger keeps him chained to a life he’s not sure he wants. He loves women, but duty comes first—and that includes Loraine. But what happens when the air suddenly shifts, and Loraine becomes the very woman he can’t stop craving? Will Jack finally see her as his wife? Or will Loraine have to fight for their marriage the only way she knows how... by seducing her own billionaire husband?

The wheat has yet to ripen when my Grandma, Julia Simmon, appears to me in a dream. "There will be a plague of locusts in the autumn. Sell off the produce and raise fish to ensure the family has income." I, Vanessa West, convince my parents to harvest the wheat for grain and feed before irrigating the fields to raise fish. Then, a severe drought strikes and the fish die, leaving my family drowning in debt. We're at a loss to know what to do. Then, Grandma appears in my dreams again. "There are gold bars buried under the oak tree on the hill at our old home. Selling them will sort out our debts and leave you with money to spare." After telling my father, Alan West, this, he digs up a whole crate of white powder. The police happen to be staking out the area. They have him arrested, thinking that he means to buy the drugs. For the amount he gets caught with, he faces life imprisonment. My mother, Hannah Smith, is unable to bear the sight of this and faints on the spot. Again, Grandma appears to me in a dream and offers guidance. "Dr. Hank Vance at Central Hospital can cure her. If you don't hurry, she'll be in danger!" Desperate to save my mother, I threaten Dr. Vance with my life, and he agrees to operate on her. Then, my boyfriend gets into a car accident and urgently needs treatment. However, he succumbs to his injuries due to my asking for Dr. Vance. In the meantime, Mom doesn't receive treatment in time. As she is dying, Mom weeps, asking me why I ruined the entire family. Then, she passes away on the operating table. My boyfriend's parents think I am responsible for their son's death, and they stab me 18 times. While being rushed to the emergency room, I see Grandma again. However, she is grinning maliciously as she plunges a knife into my heart, mimicking the stabs I got from real life and giving me a ruptured heart. I died without understanding why Grandma's appearances led to my family's end. I open my eyes and find out that I've returned to the day Grandma told me to sell our crops.

Vivian Young becomes involved in an enticing romantic relationship with Louis Morris, the seductive billionaire. Their relationship swiftly develops into something much more than a passionate one-night fling, revealing the startling reality that Louis is not just a mysterious stranger but also her boss. Though their love grows quickly, they are ensnared in a forbidden relationship and stand on the precipice of power and danger. Vivian has to make her way down this perilous path where passion and danger converge. Will Vivian discover that her relationship with Louis is part of his revenge plan?