52 Book Club 2024: #1 Locked-room Mystery

A student on a school camping trip gets possessed by an unknown creature; giving him special abilities and forcing him to its bidding, thus bringing a devastating threat to the camp and its surroundings. Has an elusive evil truly returned? Can the possessed student find a way to regain full control? And what are the origin and motives of the creature? Dive into a world of ignorance, mysteries, and thrills as the Unknown Origins series unfolds. Black River (Apocalypse Uprising) [Major sub-story synopsis] Dolly and her best friend Chesa go on a trip to visit the enchanted river, unaware of the strange happenings in the community living close to it. What will happen if their quest for paradise leads to desperate attempts to survive? and will they ever return home from the nightmare? [sub-stories in this book can be read at anytime the reader wishes, but it is advised to follow the plot sequentially. See note for more information. This book is rated 16+ because of its dark theme.]

In the shadowed alleys of Ravenwood, Celeste Osborne finds herself irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic and dangerously alluring Lucian Bathory. Hired as an au pair for the mysterious Bathory family, Celeste quickly discovers that Lucian is no ordinary man—he’s a centuries-old vampire with a thirst for blood and a hunger that goes far beyond the physical. As Celeste is pulled deeper into Lucian’s dark world, the boundaries between fear and desire begin to blur. Her days are filled with tension, but it’s in the secret hours of the night that their passions ignite. Lucian’s touch awakens something wild within her, something she never knew existed, but it comes at a price. His world is one of power, danger, and ancient rivalries, and loving him means embracing a darkness that could consume her whole. As their forbidden romance intensifies, Celeste must decide if she’s willing to surrender to the seductive pull of Lucian’s world, where every kiss could be her last and every touch could bind her to him for eternity. In this tale of love, lust, and immortality, Celeste will learn that some desires are worth risking everything—even her soul. "Crimson Shadows: Forbidden Thirst" is Book I of the Crimson Shadows series. It is a dark and passionate story where love and danger entwine, pushing the boundaries of what it means to surrender to desire.

Mina endured unimaginable pain—physically, mentally, and sexually abused by her own mother and stepfather. When she was finally rescued and placed under the care of her real father, her life slowly began to change. But the scars of her past refused to fade. The nightmares still haunted her, pulling her back to the darkness she desperately wanted to escape. And no matter how hard she tried, the dream of living a normal, peaceful life always seemed just out of reach. Because peace, it seemed, was never meant for her. Kristoff and Kenobi Sandoval—two brothers burning with hatred for Mina’s biological mother—decided to make her the target of their rage. Kenobi made it his mission to turn her college life into a nightmare. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried to stay out of his way, he always found an excuse to bully and humiliate her. Then there was Kristoff. The complete opposite of his brother. He was her unexpected protector—the one who always stepped in to shield her from Kenobi’s cruelty. But behind his gentle facade was a secret agenda, a hidden motive for getting close. And Mina, once again, finds herself caught in the middle of a game she never wanted to play.

After the rising of humankind, creatures of the night were forced to fallback when they were almost faced with extinction, driving them into hiding. Many years have passed and a new creation emerged from death, roaming the new world with vague memories, trying to remember who she is. But little did she know her DNA was the key to end an ancient war, and a power source humans envied.

On my sixteenth birthday, everything changes. One moment I'm your below-average girl—the next moment, I’m a monster. A werewolf. As a danger to society, and with my parents' refusal to help me, I have no other choice but to go to the werewolf place. Nothing prepares me for what waits for me inside the Academy of the Moon. Not only do I learn that the horrid tales I’d been told about werewolves were not true—but that I am different from the others. This results in my being a scapegoat for condemnation. What’s even worse is that the boy who marked me might be a murderer. He’s on the loose. Will he come back for me? Am I turning into an evil beast, like him? And then, there’s Elijah Ledger. The future alpha—a gorgeous werewolf who appears to be bearing dark secrets from everyone. I’m drawn to him. But he’s a magnet for misfortune, and his secrets start to unveil themselves. While I’m dealing with an array of problems, including a jealous girl who can’t stand my newfound attention from Elijah—one by one, students are getting attacked at the academy. The big question is: who is it? And why are they doing it? Things get ugly—and I am caught in the middle of it.

How can someone fall in love when they don't even know who they are? At the age of ten, she was left at the orphanage without any recollection of who she was and where she came from. Twenty years later, Clara now the CEO of her own security company, SST, provides top-of-the-line security systems and technology that stamps out the competition. If only they could get the biggest shipping company in the country to upgrade their outdated system. But it seems that the CEO, Sebastian Colfer, will do everything to thwart their efforts. Or so it seems. Behind his icy demeanor, he has a hidden agenda. The mystery surrounding her appearance at the orphanage keeps her busy these days, and having somebody in her life is not part of her plan. ---=--- This book is purely fictional. Any similarities with people in real life are purely coincidental. ---=--- Sitting in the back seat of the car, Clara could feel the heat emanating from his body. His legs were spread out a little too wide, and they were rubbing against her outer thigh. She tried not to let it affect her, but his arm seemed to graze hers every time the car moved, and that unnerved her a little. They were sitting a little too close if you asked her. She tried to get away from him, as far as the space could allow, but her brother won't cooperate. He scolded her to stop squirming. She was just trying to find a comfortable position that would keep their body parts from touching. Sebastian was tormenting her and she's had enough, elbowing her brother she told him to switch places with her. ‘Are you scared of me?’ Sebastian whispered.

My name is Rayne and I've always been alone in life. Except for him… The Demon that watches me in the night. Reavers are ruthless, blood thirsty creatures. Disguised as distinguished gentlemen in suits and ties, the brothers will kill without rhyme or reason. Everything about them is made to attract you, make you forget that you should be fucking running the opposite direction. And it works. I live in the most powerful pack in the world. But even my Alpha is afraid of the brothers. The Reaver with eyes of molten gold, hunts me like it's a fucking game. He follows me, watches me in secret, and makes himself known if I do something he doesn't like… It's been 7 years since he laid his claim on me, but he should have let me fucking drown. He tries to control every aspect of my life, but I will do what I want, when I want, and I would like to see him try and fucking stop me. In fact, I'm counting on it… I refuse to be anyone's puppet. Not the Demon who watches me, not my Alpha's, and sure as fuck not the Demon's younger brother. I've heard the whispers. I know there's something different about me... But that gives exactly no one the right to think they fucking own me. How much am I willing to give up to prove that point? I ask myself this question, and then make a choice… A choice that nearly destroys me. Lucky for me, The Darkness would never let me face this trauma alone… With The Darkness on my side, I feel fucking invincible, and I'm going to go out of my way to make sure that everyone knows exactly where I fucking stand. (Book 1 in The Reaver Chronicles Series)

Her name is Luna. No one sees her except her twin sister. She envies her twin sister's life, although their parents never failed to tell her they love her even though they can't see her. Luna was in total darkness while her twin sister had the life she wanted to be. She wanted to be as happy as her twin sister, but how? She's invisible. The thought depresses her so much that it leads her to run away from the palace. However, she accidentally fell into the portal, going to other dimensions that she didn't know existed. She doesn't know how to come back to her world. Later on, she accepts her fate and lives a life of being in different places, especially when something strange happens to her. She misses her family so much, but how could she come back? Will she remain forever in different dimensions? Will she survive alone? Unexpectedly, a twist happened. Leena, twin sister of Luna, fell into the portal too when she learned that her twin sister accidentally fell into the mysterious portal tree. However, fate never let them see each other and she's gone to a different dimension. The twins face a different path. Will Leena find Luna? Will they reunite again?

Nadia Jenson returns to her past, her home growing up, Havenwood. Full of revenge, anger and a need to make things right. She storms into town revealing shocking truths but is soon taken aback when she finds more than what she bargains for. By righting a wrong, she has uncovered many hidden truths, hidden secrets that have been buried far too long. This book takes readers through Nadia’s unforgiving revenge, unexpected love and testing of loyalties.

"You, Mr Bryan, my dear husband is stuck with me forever. I'm yours and you're mine! Don't you dare look at another woman because, you won't like the other side of me" Bryan stared at his wife, amazed. "So, is my dear wife threatening me or what?" He asked, sneaking his hand to her waist and pulling her closer to his body. "Yes, I'm threatening you, dear husband. Don't you dare look at another woman. I won't share what's mine with other preys put there" "Damn! I swear, I fucking love you" he said before placing his lip on hers and kissed her passionately. • Emily Thompson, tough and strong. Got hurt and cheated by her ex boyfriend and later got married to the most powerful, richest Mafia. Her brother's best. She vowed to protect what belongs to her and never lose it again. Bryan Samuel, a powerful Mafia and the most richest business man in whole country. He is cold like an ice, he never cared about anyone except his friends but, that perspective of his changed the moment he set his eyes on only one woman, Emily Thompson, his best friend's sister. After spending a night with her, everything about him changed. He vows to make her his wife and he succeeded. But, what happens when the woman he loves so much becomes too possessive? Her possessiveness ends up landing them in trouble.