11 Books Every Man Should Read (@mantalks)

When I was nine, I was hit by the blast of an explosion while saving Simone Scott. From that day onward, I have to rely on hearing aids to get by. Overwhelmed with guilt, she suggests we get engaged and swears to me with teary eyes, "Justin, I'll take care of you for the rest of my life." But at 18 years old, to satisfy a dare from the school heartthrob, she rips off my hearing aid and humiliates me in front of him and our classmates. Disgust fills her voice as she says, "You're nothing but a burden. I've been sick of you for a long time. I wish you'd died back then instead of being saved." I clutch the hearing recovery report in my hand and say nothing. After that, I quietly change my college applications, bring my parents with me, and formally call off the engagement. Simone, this is where our paths split. There is no reason for us to ever see each other again.

Amy was a single mother of three. She worked security at one of the largest casinos in Oklahoma. No time for games or drama she was doing what she needed to do to get away from her ex with her children. Amy was independent and didn't need anyone... or did she? Amy was determined to do it for herself and her kids. She didn't need any help and she wasn't looking for anything anyone had to offer. Dedicated only to her job and her kids Amy was dead set on getting out of her current living condition and starting a new life. June would change everything when Amy is blind sided by a real life Adonis. Find out how Amy handles the changes that are about to take over her life in A Man I Never knew I Needed.

Seven years ago, I disappeared without a word. Today, the man I ruined owns the contract that decides whether I breathe freely or not. Adrian Blackwood is untouchable. A man whose signature ends careers, whose silence erases people. His empire was built too fast, too violently, for anyone to question how. When I come to him desperate for money, he doesn’t ask for explanations. He offers a contract. One year. One signature. Public role: Lover. Private role: Property. The rules are simple and unforgiving. How will I survive being the kitten of Adrian into his dark passionate world? ⌘⌘⌘ A dark MM romance where love is mistaken for ownership and redemption comes only after damage is done. ⌘⌘⌘ Trigger warnings: captivity, psychological punishment, coercive control, power imbalance, emotional manipulation, isolation, trauma, possessive male lead, steamy and forced proximity.

After an extended silence, she gathered the courage to speak. “Mum, what do you mean? I have my life in Paris.” she implored, clutching her mother’s hand. Lois diverted her gaze, the moment slipping away. “Refusing my offer means also returning all the assistance I provided when your business was in trouble,” she said, rising to leave. “You have just 48 hours to agree to my terms, and remember, I dislike waiting.” Dianna has always been in love with Clinton Blackwood before he married her twin sister and since then she has despised him. She maintained her distance from her twin sister, Daphne, and her husband enjoying her peaceful and lonely life. Her life took a turn when her sister died. Dianna's mum, Lois Aaron, proposed a new business contract for the Blackwood's, leaving them in a tight corner. She was made to get married to her sister's husband a year after her sister's dismay.

My best friend, Yvonne Greene, has a very masculine boyfriend named Clyde Carroll. So much so that I can see his huge bulge through his trousers. One night, when I am trying to relieve myself while fantasizing about him, Yvonne suddenly comes over with tears running down her cheeks. "Michelle, please help my fiancé out. He seems to have undergone another growth spurt down there. I can't withstand his tormenting anymore." Upon hearing that, I instantly get wet. Clyde is already huge to begin with. What kind of inhuman size has he grown into after getting even bigger? I purposely dress myself in a very low-cut top and a micro skirt with crotchless tights before showing up at Clyde's place. "I heard you're very robust. Let me take a look and see how big you are."

Is Landon my Daddy or Gray? Little Lyra asked. Ren ignored the little girl. The man she'd fallen in love with, the man she risked everything for, kicked her out the moment he recovered from traumatic brain injury. He never thought of all her sacrifices and dedication. Now he's back, asking. "Is she mine?

I was known all throughout high society as the perfect, obedient daughter. Suitors lined up at my door in droves, yet I insisted on marrying Grayson Thatcher, whose family fortune had crumbled, all because of a promise we made when we were young. I thought we would be partners building a life together, but he fell deeply in love with his childhood sweetheart, a girl who spent her days running wild. The night before our wedding, he went street racing with her and they both got arrested, causing him to miss the ceremony entirely. The scandal made it everywhere. On New Year's Eve, he left me to organize the family banquet alone while he ran off with his childhood sweetheart to some crowded plaza. To see a different display of fireworks, they set fire to balloons people had released into the sky and triggered a massive blaze. Once again, I exhausted every connection I had to get him out of the mess. I cleaned up 999 of his reckless mistakes and kept the Thatcher family's business afloat, making sure he could live without a care in the world. I thought that eventually, he would at least remember some small part of what we meant to each other. Yet when I fell critically ill and needed a heart transplant, he took the only available donor heart and gave it to his childhood sweetheart instead. That was the first time I broke down and demanded answers. He stared at me, cold and unmoved. "You have the nerve to ask me that? If you hadn't forced yourself on me, I would've gotten together with Maeve years ago. You're as stiff as an old lady. How could you ever compare to someone like her? She's full of life. "I've let you play Mrs. Thatcher for over a decade. I was more than generous. Maeve is going to be my wife now. When she dies, we'll be buried together. You won't even get that much." I died consumed by bitterness and rage. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the matchmaking event. I picked up the marriage proposal the Thatchers had sent and tore it to pieces. Then, I reached for the one from the wealthiest family in the room and smiled. "Dad, if I have to get married anyway, I might as well marry the man with the most money and power."

David Smith was a man both feared and respected. In the underworld, he held the highest position, leading the most powerful organization. His influence was vast, and his wealth immeasurable. Yet, David chose to abandon it all, tired of a life filled with constant danger. He wanted a fresh start, a peaceful life. For certain reasons, he married Luna George, a daughter of the esteemed George family. However, his presence in the family was met with scorn, as they saw him as a poor man with nothing to his name. Will David reveal his true identity? Will he return to the underworld and reclaim his throne?

The game: Mafia. The rules: Lies are required, deceit is essential, betrayal is highly encouraged. Who wins? The remaining one left at the top. Who loses? The one who falls in love first. Eirene Evander's identity had always been kept a secret, her family made sure of that. Since she could remember, she was trained in the art of illusion and deception. But a tragic event led her to run off and enlist in the Marines as Rein. Now that she’s come home, it’s time to see what the mafia’s up to these days. Will pretending to be a man help with her mission for the military? Will she finally find the truth about her father’s death? Or will it lead to her demise just like her predecessor? Delian Leofric is a calculated, mean-spirited brute. Every person he meets would warn others to avoid even just a glimpse of his shadow. But what they don’t know is that he’s more than that. Now that he’s about to become the mob leader, will he turn things around? Or in the end, will he be swallowed up and forced to do their bidding until he’s replaced by another? A vengeful soldier, a puppet mob king, with all the other players from the underground organization and more. These combinations may just bring tragic deaths, unexpected greatness, or maybe a concoction of both.

Kissed by the Man Who Broke Me By Nweke Ogochukwu Divinefavour She loved him like he hung the stars. He loved her… until he didn’t. Liana Reed never meant to fall for Adrian Blackwell — her boss, her mentor, the man every woman in the city wanted. He was powerful, charming, and impossibly hard to resist. One kiss turned into a secret love affair that consumed them both. But just when Liana believed she’d finally found her forever, a single lie shattered everything. A whispered rumor. A woman’s perfume on his shirt. A betrayal she never saw coming. Now, two years later, she’s back — no longer the naïve girl who once believed in fairy tales. She’s beautiful, successful, and determined to make him pay for the way he broke her heart. But revenge is never simple. Because the moment she sees him again, those old by feelings burn brighter than ever — and the man who once destroyed her is the same one her heart can’t seem to forget. Love. Hate. Passion. Pain. How do you destroy the man who still owns your heart?