100 Must-read Books: The Essential Man’s Library

When my wife, Sandra Lane, finally returns from her business trip, I pin her against the wall, my lust overwhelming my rationality. Halfway through our session, Sandra's phone starts ringing all of a sudden. She quickly pushes me off her body before grabbing her phone. "Sandie, I'm feeling a little uncomfortable. Can you check out what's wrong with me?" A racy video is soon sent to Sandra's private chat. Angered, I question Sandra, "Has William gone nuts? Why did he send you these videos? Is he going to keep badgering you just because he can't find himself a wife?" Sandra responds by slapping me instantly. "What the hell are you talking about, Steven? What's with that gutter mind of yours? I've just rescued William from another city! His parents are already dead, so I'm the only one left in his life! Naturally, I'm obligated to take good care of him! "You disgust me to no end, Steven! Hurry up and apologize to me right now, or else we're getting a divorce!" Sandra and I have been married for six years. During these years, she has used divorce as a threat against me multiple times. But when I'm with Sandra, I've already confessed 1001 times to her. Upon noticing my silence, Sandra just smiles smugly, thinking that there's no way I will ever leave her. But this time, she's wrong.

The day after we set our wedding date for the tenth time, my fiancé reached past me to kiss his adopted sister. He presented crimson roses to her as she descended from the stage. "My princess, in this lifetime, I'll only ever be your protector." I stood quietly beyond the cheering crowd, then turned and walked away without looking back. After five years of engagement, this was the moment I finally gave up hope.

When the mission ends, the real war begins. Captain Jack McCormack has lost everything that mattered. His partner, Lieutenant Michelle Richards, was killed during a covert operation in Iraq—her death a brutal reminder that even the best can fall. Months later, his ASIO team—friends, family in all but name—were systematically executed during a routine bonding session at a suburban paintball park. It wasn’t an accident. It was a message. Now isolated and hollowed out by grief, Jack tries to disappear into the shadows. But when a dangerous new synthetic drug called Supernatural starts flooding the city streets, he’s forced back into action. Jack knows this drug. He’s seen what it can do—what it did before, in a mission buried so deep it was meant to stay forgotten. With ASIO compromised and political forces tying his hands, Jack turns to the only people he can trust—his retired SAS brothers, elite operators with scars of their own. Together, they launch a black-ops investigation to uncover who’s behind Supernatural… and why the same shadows keep reaching into their past. But some ghosts aren’t just memories. Some are still alive.

Anya Petrova has always lived life her way—strong, fearless, and in control. But when she’s bought by Viktor Romanov, the most dangerous man in Moscow, everything changes. He says he owns her now, but Anya has never been one to bow to anyone. Viktor wants more than her obedience—he wants her to give in to him completely. But Anya is not the kind of woman to back down, and the tension between them is as dangerous as it is irresistible. Viktor is used to getting his way, and Anya’s defiance only makes him want her more. But she’s not someone he can easily control. The more she fights, the deeper Viktor falls, and soon, what started as a battle for power becomes something much more dangerous. But Viktor doesn’t know everything—Anya has secrets even more dangerous than his own. As desire clashes with control, they’re drawn into a world of secrets, betrayal, and a passion they can’t deny. But with enemies everywhere, trusting each other might be the most dangerous risk of all. Warning: Mature content, blood, fights, and explosions.

My husband, Chandler Goodwin, claims that he doesn't understand what the phrases "silent treatment" or "giving the cold shoulder" mean. Yet, in the three years we have been married, he has never once spoken to me sweetly. The first time we have a falling out, I remain proud and dignified. We end up ignoring each other for seven days straight. The seventh time we have a cold standoff, I start to panic a little. However, despite trying all sorts of methods, he doesn't back down. The 11th time it happens, I have already learned to work through my emotions myself. Chandler doesn't even need to say anything before I take the initiative to apologize first. I simply think that he's just a naturally indifferent person, that nobody can warm his stone-cold heart. Then, on the third year of our marriage, I accidentally ruin his dress shirt while ironing it. Chandler doesn't say a word, but that very night, he packs his things and moves into a hotel. On the third day of being blocked, I head to his company with a handwritten apology. While passing by his office, I spot him leaning over to shoot his angry assistant a doting smile. "I'm sorry for raising my voice at you just now and upsetting you. It's been 57 minutes since you started ignoring me. Please stop giving me the cold shoulder, alright?" I freeze on the spot, the apology letter in my hand practically burning my fingers. As it turns out, it's not that he doesn't know what the silent treatment means—it's just that I've never been the person he wants to coax.

Stranded and alone, Prince finds himself at the mercy of Lory, a beautiful but cunning woman. Their whirlwind marriage is met with opposition, but Lory sees an opportunity to secure her future. As Prince struggles to recall his past, Lory's family and her ex-boyfriend threaten to destroy their relationship. But what happens when Prince's true wealth and status are finally revealed?

Everything is ready on the day of my wedding. But the bride, Adella Marlowe, is nowhere to be seen. That's when she texts me on my phone. Apparently, as a national shooting champion, there's a last-minute competition that she has to attend right away, all consequences be damned. But the next day, I see a social media post uploaded by Raiden Chase, the newest recruit in Adella's team. In the photo, I see Adella with one foot on a dead wild boar while propping her gun with a proud smile on her face. The caption goes, "I'm so glad to have a wife who's also a national shooting champion! Now, Grandma won't have to worry about her corn fields getting attacked by wildlife!" As I stare at the post, I just smile and leave a comment. "As expected of the champion whose heart goes out to the normal folk!" Adella quickly calls me the next moment. "Delete your comment right now! Also, stop being all passive-aggressive around me! It's just a missed wedding; must you be so snide about it?" This isn't Adella's first time leaving me at the altar. It's been two years, and every time she ditches me at the altar, she always has an excuse to do so. I just hang up on Adella without saying a word. She's right, though. This is just a wedding, isn't it? I might as well call it off once and for all.

On the night she was meant to be celebrated, Jane Vale is exposed as a criminal and abandoned by the very family she gave everything to. Then comes the truth, the name she bore all her life was never hers and her marriage? It was a lie. Her world crumbles before her eyes. Left with nothing, she is saved by the one person she never expected, her quiet high school deskmate, Dravyn Woods who is now a powerful man with influence that runs deeper than the law. “Be with me,” he says, “and I will help you destroy everything they value.” With nothing left to lose, Jane agrees, but strictly business. No love. No feelings. Just revenge. Jane builds, rises and finally strikes with his help. But taking down a legacy built over generations comes at a cost. What could that cost be? If Jane is not a Vale, what then is her real identity? How far is she willing to go for revenge? And when revenge is within reach, will she still be able to walk away from the man who gave her power? She was their sacrifice. Now, she will be their downfall.

Made men are trained to conceal their emotions if they have one, while those who have no empathy or emotions left in them after years of training are blessed. But what could be the downfall of a Made man? Perhaps, could it be the feeling of humanity? *********** Vincenzo Salvatore De Luca, the eldest son of the Bratva, a Made man, feared by all, except his arranged bride, Ava Morales. Ava, the daughter of a businessman, whose father borrowed money from the Bratva and was unable to pay it back. In exchange for the debt he owed, he gave his daughter out for marriage to the Bratva. Among all three sons of the Bratva, Vincenzo accepted to marry Ava, not because of love, but because she intrigued him and he wanted to see how much he could break her. But what happens when he begins to feel some stir in his chest at the sight of his wife? What happens then, when he sees his wife flirting with other men and his vision is clouded red and filled with the need to chop off the fingers of the man flirting with his wife?

Before my parents died, they entrusted me to the most powerful vampire clan — the Vanderlooms. I married Jason, the heir, and spent ten years by his side — only to discover he'd gotten his vampire subordinate pregnant. He said I was just a human. That conceiving a vampire's child was nearly impossible for someone like me. That even if my parents died saving his life, it didn't mean I could hold on to the title of lady of the house forever. Vicky said she needed human blood for her pregnancy and demanded I serve as her blood thrall. Jason just watched with casual indifference. He didn't stop her. So I packed my bags and calmly handed him the divorce papers. He sneered. "That trick doesn't work anymore. You want to leave? Go ahead." "Give it a week. You'll come crawling back." But what he didn't know was that I'd already accepted another man's proposal. This time, I was done loving him for good.