Adrian Tomine: Books

Note: This book has two stand-alone stories with happy endings. If Book 1 isn’t your style, jump to Book 2 at Chapter 69! BOOK 1: Adrian & Emily Blackwood "You look like a beggar; don’t bother me," Adrian Blackwood sneered when Emily St. Claire bumped into him after learning her husband cheated with his pregnant ex-fiancée. Little did Adrian know, he'd one day beg this hot divorcee for love. Emily thought she had it all—until she walked in on her husband moaning another woman’s name on their fifth anniversary. Shattered but not broken, she vows to dismantle the empire he built on lies. Enter Adrian Blackwood—the ruthless billionaire who bends the world to his will. “I’ll let you drain me dry,” Emily tells him, determined to reclaim her life and get revenge. But as passion ignites, revenge takes a back seat to redemption. Will their dark pasts consume them, or can they find love amid the chaos? BOOK 2: Vincent & Claire Everglow “I gave you everything,” Claire whispered, clutching her belly as the TV announced Vincent Everglow’s engagement to the world’s sweetheart, Layla Vanroe. Two weeks ago, Vincent knelt before her with a promise ring. “When I’m ready, I’ll marry you,” he said. But now, Claire is pregnant and alone, discarded like a secret. Vincent’s betrayal cut deep, but Claire swore to move on. So why does her heart betray her when their paths cross again? Why does Layla seem desperate to keep them apart? Love doesn’t follow rules, but when lies and betrayal threaten their fragile bond, Claire and Vincent must decide: will they fight for each other or walk away forever!

Every Christmas Eve, the heir of the Marco mafia family—Adrian Marco, must follow the family tradition: Draw a name to decide whether he’s allowed to marry me. Because I, Irene Cast, am not mafia-born. Unless he draws the slip with my name on it, he can’t take me as his wife. For four years, Adrian has drawn four times. And not once did he draw my name. I always thought he fought with his family because of me— that he was willing to risk losing his position as the Don, just to choose me. Every time he failed, he held me so tightly and whispered, “It’s okay. There’s always next year.” And I loved him so much it hurt. Hurt enough that I was willing to wait, year after year. This year, I told myself: If he still doesn’t draw my name… I’ll secretly switch the result. I sneaked to the door of Adrian’s study, and heard his younger brother ask: “Don… every year you do draw Irene's name. Why do you pretend you didn’t? Is it because you still can’t let Sera go?” But he simply said, in a flat voice, “Sera needs me for something urgent. Do what you always do: swap Irene’s name for a blank one.” He walked out without looking back. Instead of swapping, he tossed the blank slip into the trash, left the one with my name on the table, and hurried after Adrian. I went inside, picked up the blank slip from the trash, and replaced the one with my name. Watching my own name fall into the garbage. Adrian…I don’t want to wait and marry you anymore. I’ll grant you your choice.

Si Diana ay lumaki sa hirap, ngunit lalong naging mabigat ang buhay nang magkasakit nang malubha ang kanyang kapatid na si Lyka. Sa desperasyon, lumapit siya sa nobyo niya para humingi ng tulong, ngunit imbes na damayan siya, inakusahan siya nitong pabigat at inamin na may iba na ito. Durog ang puso, tumakbo siya palayo at sa gitna ng kanyang pag-iyak, aksidente siyang nabangga ng isang matangkad at gwapong lalaki—si Adrian, ang misteryosong CEO ng kompanyang pinagtatrabahuhan niya. Narinig pala ni Adrian ang buong usapan, at sa isang hindi inaasahang alok ay sinabi niyang, “Kailangan ko ng kontratang asawa, at kailangan mo ng pera. Pwede tayong magtulungan.” Sa kawalan ng ibang mapagpipilian, pumayag si Diana. Isang simpleng kasunduan lamang daw: walang emosyon, walang komplikasyon—pawang negosyo lang. Ngunit habang lumilipas ang mga araw, napapansin nilang hindi ganoon kadaling iwasan ang damdamin. Ang mga halik na dapat ay peke, tila tunay. Ang mga haplos na dapat ay scripted, nagiging totoo. Unti-unti, naguguluhan sila sa kung ano ang totoo at ano ang bahagi lang ng kontrata. At nang magsimulang pumasok ang pamilya ni Adrian sa eksena, naramdaman ni Diana na baka hindi talaga siya nababagay sa mundo nito. Kaya iminungkahi niyang lumayo na lang. Pero bakit gano’n na lang ang sakit sa dibdib ni Adrian? Kung peke ang lahat, bakit parang ayaw na niyang lumayo na lang.

Her past was stolen. Her future is on the line. And her heart is caught between two men. Kathryna returns after five years of hiding, determined to take down the man she believes killed her family. Adrian, wealthy, ruthless, untouchable. Getting close to him is easy. Keeping her emotions buried is impossible. Every moment with him makes her question the story she’s carried for years. But then Damian, the man she once trusted, returns with his own claims about Adrian’s guilt. Now Kathryna is trapped in a deadly triangle of revenge, forbidden desire, and betrayal. One of them is lying. One of them holds the truth. And the wrong choice could cost her more than her life, it could cost her heart.

Leila Oke has spent her career exposing the corruption of the rich and powerful. But when a scandal threatens to ruin her, she's forced into an unthinkable deal-marry Adrian Kane, the ruthless billionaire she despises, or lose everything. Adrian needs a wife to save his empire, and Leila is the perfect choice. Except she hates him. And he enjoys pushing her limits. Their marriage is nothing more than a contrast, a performance for the world to see. But the more they play the role of husband and wife, the more the lines between hatred and passion begin to blur. Secrets simmer beneath the surface. A past betrayal threatens to unravel everything. And in a game where love was never supposed to be real, losing might mean breaking the one rule they both swore to uphold- never fall in love.

Evelyn thought marriage was meant to be built on love, trust, and promises that last forever. But for Adrian, it was nothing more than a business arrangement — a convenient merger between two powerful families. She gave him her heart, he gave her his name… and then broke every vow he made. Cold, distant, and consumed by secrets, Adrian never expected Evelyn’s quiet strength to challenge his walls — or his guilt. But when betrayal tears them further apart, Evelyn must decide whether to fight for a man who never truly loved her… or finally walk away with her dignity intact. In a world where love feels like a luxury and loyalty comes with a price, can broken vows ever lead to redemption?

*Book 4* Isolde's life was full of love and joy. She was set to be High Priestess of the makkari, but everything changed in a single night when she lost everything at the hands of someone she thought she could trust. For centuries she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her, from destruction. Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she's been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone. A Queen Among Darkness is the fourth book in the Queen Among series. Each story is set up in the previous book, so reading the books in order is recommended. Here are the books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

A modern-day fujoshi (a woman who’s obsessed with pairing men together in fictional or real scenarios) dies in an accident — only to wake up in the body of Lady Seraphina Edevane, a noblewoman in a world of arranged marriages and rigid social rules. Seraphina is married to Lord Adrian Vale, a stoic duke rumored to have a scandalous past. The twist? Whenever Adrian gets within a certain distance of her, he starts hearing the original woman’s unfiltered inner voice — full of snark, romantic theories, and wild speculations about pairing him with other men. As the woman begins to warm up to him, the “voice distance” increases, forcing them to stay apart or risk exposure… until they realize the connection might hold the key to unraveling a curse tied to both their fates.

À Paris, Léana, danseuse de cabaret, vit dans la lumière des projecteurs et l’ombre des secrets. Chaque soir, elle enfile ses robes satinées, joue avec le regard des hommes et cache ses blessures derrière des pirouettes et des sourires mesurés. Mais sa vie bascule le soir où une mystérieuse enveloppe change tout : un homme riche et inconnu, Adrian, lui demande de danser… pour lui seul, dans le silence et sans contact. Adrian, blessé par un passé qu’il dissimule derrière l’obscurité, ne voit plus le monde avec ses yeux. Il “voit” avec ses autres sens : le souffle, le parfum, le mouvement. Quand Léana danse pour lui, il perçoit sa vérité, sa fragilité et sa force, comme si chaque geste racontait son âme. La rencontre de ces deux êtres fêlés devient un jeu dangereux d’interdits, de désir et de fascination. Léana, qui pensait tout connaître de sa séduction, découvre l’obsession d’Adrian et la puissance du silence. Et Adrian, qui croyait être seul dans sa solitude, se surprend à dépendre de la présence fragile mais brûlante de cette danseuse. Au fil des rendez-vous nocturnes, leur lien devient une danse intime et envoûtante, où chaque regard absent, chaque geste silencieux, chaque souffle partagé devient une promesse et une chaîne. Mais les secrets du passé, la peur de se perdre et les règles imposées par Adrian menacent de transformer cette passion en prison. Sous ta peau, mes chaînes est une histoire de désir, de vulnérabilité et de puissance, où l’érotisme se mêle à la tension psychologique et où la découverte de l’autre devient la seule musique qui compte.

*Book 2* Mei Liu learned suffering from an early age. After experiencing great loss, she spent years enduring abuse at the hands of a sadistic pack of wolves, while hiding her identity. All until the day she was saved by her fated soulmate arriving at her doorstep. Mei was finally free, loved and accepted, with her happily ever after on the horizon. But an unknown enemy has been searching for her and once he finds her he has no intentions of letting her go. Dark secrets will be revealed, and she will be pushed beyond her limits. Can she rise up and fight back and become the strong woman she was destined to be? Or will it all be too much for her to handle? A Queen Among Snakes is the second book in the Queen Among series. Each story is set up in the previous book, so reading the books in order is recommended. Here are the books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7