52 Book Club 2023: #43 A Book "everyone" Has Read

Fate has entwined the lives of Bianca and Niko through a reluctant, forced marriage, thrusting her into a world she never imagined. As she navigates the complexities of her new life, Bianca feels herself gradually succumbing to the enigmatic devil she is bound to call her husband. Niko, has magnetic presence and piercing gaze, possesses a rare ability to dismantle her carefully constructed defenses, awakening within her a whirlwind of emotions she never knew existed. In this tumultuous sea of conflicting feelings, Bianca is left to ponder a haunting question: what does one do when escape feels impossible, and she finds herself hopelessly in love with a man whose very essence is shrouded in danger, offering no assurance of her safety? ***THIS IS BOOK TWO IN THE DEVIL'S SNARE SERIES*** ***Book One is : His Pretty Little Liar - The Devil's Snare - Book One***

Lizette Steyn is searching for her place in a dangerous world. Tired of betrayals, she runs from the one man who craves her love. The Kenyan bush and a new job as a flight attendant is a reprieve from reality - until reality hunts her down. Professionally, James “Johnny” Cane is a military beast, but his personal life is a mess. After Lizzy walked away, he pined from a distance. When fate throws them together, Johnny rushes to his challenging woman’s side. It could mean getting his heart broken again—and protection isn’t enough. When a mastermind terrorist captures Lizzy, Johnny and his MIT2 team race to find her before it’s too late. (Preferable to read Book One first - Siren in the Wind.)

Is she luring him to destruction or his lighthouse in the storm? She's hiding... Abigail Evans spent a lifetime outrunning her turbulent past. Her ordered existence keeps her hidden, knowing interference could ruin her plans for retribution. However, nothing can stop the dark winds of the past, from sweeping through her future. He's hunting... Mobile Intelligence Team Leader Erik (Max) Andersen is searching for a suicide bomber, and Abigail Evans is his prime target. He'll do whatever it takes to win her trust. 
But Max knows that the truth is rarely straightforward. Soon, it becomes clear that Abigail is hiding a barrage of secrets. Secrets that lead to a powerful enemy, who’ll do anything to see her dead. As a Tier One Operator, Max’s skills are put to the test as he races across Southern Africa to save everything he cherishes most.

BREE LEV. I thought it stands for something simple until I heard his deep soulful voice. A single hello was all it take for him to have my undivided attention. Akala ko hulog siya ng langit. Isang anghel na magsasalba sa akin. I was all wrong. He's a fallen angel with dark blue eyes and cold leather-covered hands. A man mantled with power and veiled with sin. We're opposites. I'm weird and a social butterfly. He's terrifying and brooding. A lone wolf. I love pinks and swirls. He prefers pointed knives and black guns. Darkness seems to be his fave companion and death his pastime. I, on the other hand, will always choose life. He told me to stay away from him. Guess, you know by now, that I did the exact opposite, right? I stayed 'cause I want him so bad, it hurts. I, Bree De Veyra, daughter of one of the families of The Council, lay my life to the head of the Foedus Corp– Lev Petrov. My father's sworn enemy. The master manipulator and my protector. Or my destroyer? LEV Three years ago, one phone call, two minutes. I swore I will kill her. Four weeks before her 16th birthday, I did the unthinkable. I destroyed her trust and left her. Broken and beyond repair. Twenty-four hours before her 18th birthday, nagbalik ako para bawiin s'ya. Twelve hours after I abduct her, we exchange I dos. Eight seconds after our first kiss, I know I will protect her with my gun and with my life. I, Lev Petrov, Heir to a fallen empire, vows to avenge Bree from all of the people that wronged her. It will be my life's mission until the last drop of my sinful blood...I will never let them rest in peace.

On our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband was in a car accident and lost his memory. He forgot everyone, including me, but he clung to his young assistant, Sophie. "The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was her. She's the most important person in my life. I want to marry her!" he exclaimed. Sophie, tears streaming down her face, pleaded with me, "Nadine, I'm sick. My only wish in this life is to marry the one I love. Please, have mercy and let us be together." Even my husband's so-called loyal friends, who had always referred to me as "sister-in-law," suddenly turned on me, urging me to step aside for their sake. Watching Lawrence's overly dramatic performance, I swallowed my pain and forced a smile. "Fine. I'll grant you your wish." After all, Sophie really was sick. It just wasn't cancer—it was something else.

Tina's world crumbled when her engagement to her CEO and true love, Alpha Derrick Ortega, was abruptly broken off. In a desperate attempt to save his life, she had donated a kidney to him. In return, the Alpha's parents had promised that she would be married to their son when he recovered. However, when Derrick was strong enough to marry, he was betrothed to Katherine Rodriguez, a rich heiress and daughter of the wealthiest Alpha, in order to increase the wealth and power of the pack. Tina's heart shattered into a million pieces. She was pregnant with the Alpha, but she was forced to flee in secret to save herself and her unborn children from harm after a failed attempt to assassinate her. Five years passed and Tina came back as a strong businesswoman and CEO, who was ready to enact revenge on the people that maltreated and defrauded her. But things don't always go as planned, especially when Alpha Derrick desperately wants Tina back into his life as his Luna and the mother of his triplet. Will Tina be able to let go of her thirst for revenge and embrace a future with Derrick, or will her pain and mistrust keep them apart forever?

Lucas Fenrir was the son of the Alpha of the Silvertail Pack, born as the pack's greatest pride. When his Luna and first love, Nara Boris, chose to leave, he married me in a fit of rage—the most unremarkable Omega in the pack. Everyone said I was just a substitute for Nara. They were waiting to see me abandoned, to see me cry, and to see me beg on my knees. Nonetheless, I always smiled and calmly fulfilled Lucas' every demand. I helped him stabilize the pack's morale, stood up for him in public, and even defended him against the rumors that he had rekindled his past romance with Nara. Until one day, I saw him on the streets during the Moon Goddess Festival. He was holding Nara, kissing her deeply. Meanwhile, I simply turned my head away in silence from behind the crowd and pretended I saw nothing. A few months later, I was diagnosed with wolfsbane poisoning that had spread to my nervous system. My condition was beyond saving. I was admitted to the ICU of the pack's hospital, with only a few days left to live. Lucas came when he heard the news. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared and grabbed my dying body. "Why didn't you tell me? Why are you trying to die alone in secret?" I looked at his unhinged expression, my gaze as gentle as it had always been. There was even a faint mocking smile curling at my lips. "Lucas, I've never loved you. "The one I loved… was actually your twin brother—Derrick."

Emma and Luca have spent the past six years apart, during which time their mutual trust has progressively diminished. However, a significant life event has brought them together once more: their parents have orchestrated their marriage. This matrimonial union is strategically devised to unite their opposing mafia families, presenting itself as the most formidable business arrangement of the century. Conscious of the ramifications of defying their parents' mandates, both Emma and Luca acquiesce to the matrimonial contract with apprehension. Yet, beneath the facade of compliance, they each harbor profound sentiments for one another, emotions that have remained suppressed over the years. Will they succeed in transcending their animosity and rekindling their affection before external forces orchestrate their separation? Only time will unveil the outcome.

Gair, the third-born son of the Laird to the largest clan on the border, is one of three identical triplets. He is quite content with the fun and freedom of a third-born son. He enjoyed spending his days training with the men and his nights laying with willing lasses. Leaving his brothers to squabble over how to run the clan and worry about providing heirs suited him fine. Unfortunately, the king has other ideas. To keep peace in the highlands and unite the borderlands the king feels all three men must have a clan of their own. Since he believes all three are unwed, he chooses brides for them which will result in each having a clan to rule and a wife to create heirs with. He wed Gai to a beautiful woman. The problem? The woman had married his brother two years earlier! With a coin toss, the brothers swap identities, switching wives and clans. Will anyone notice? Will Gair regret leaving his home and the beautiful woman the king had gifted him to head off into the unknown, to run a clan he's never visited and marry a woman he's never met? Isobel is an outcast in her own clan. She refuses to dress or act like a lady. Instead, she has found a way to become nearly invisible, and to help and who are being abused to escape to new lives. She had thought herself safe from the dangers of marriage. It hadn't occurred to her that the king would see it done. Can she trust this stranger with her secrets? Can he help her heal from the past? Most importantly, can she help him save their clan from being taken over by a band of rogue mercenaries?

Everyone knows the mythology of the gods. What happens if what is known was manipulated by the gods themselves. Our favorite triplets are back. This is their story of how they came to be. Follow along as they grow up and find friends, enemies, and their soul bonds along the way. This is book #2 in the series. They weren't supposed to exist, yet here they are. "We have to keep them protected" Zeus roars. "That doesn't mean we have to keep them locked up." Aphrodite states. The gods turn as they hear the door opens slamming against the wall. There stand the triples. A look of surprise spreads across everyone's face. "What the hell did you do to your hair and are those tattoos?" Poseidon asks. "We dyed it, and yes they are tattoos and we also got a few body piercings" Kylani answers. "We will not stay hidden away or kept locked up. We have no interest in this life. We are going to walk on the earth with the supernatural and humans. They accept us more than you do." Mykenzie announces. The girls vanish at that moment. Chris stands there with a look of regret in his eyes. He knew this was coming. They wanted sweet, innocent goddesses like their mother and aunts. What they got was an attitude in a 5'4" package only doubled. "I told you not to force your ways upon them. They have been independent since birth. You brought this upon yourselves." Hades tells them