Ann Patchett's "52 All-time Favorite Books From The Year I Turned 52"

I poured out my heart to him, telling him everything and not leaving a single part out of it. "Please, Don Xander, I will be grateful if you could grant me just this one wish" I begged desperately, my voice cracking at the end, even though I tried so hard to stay strong. He tilted his head to one side and smirked. "I can do that for you" he said, and my eyes beam with happiness immediately. "But..." He trailed off, swirling his drink in his hand. "What do I get in return for helping you? After all, it's all about give and take" My jaw dropped instantly. His playboy attitude playing in my head. "I... I can't... I mean, I'm sorry Don Xander but I'm not the type of girl who sleeps around with men. If it's okay with you, I can work for you instead" I suggested. He wave his index finger, shaking his head. "No, Bella" he said in a low, husky voice. Then, he rose from his seat and walked towards to me, his movement graceful and deliberate. I shivered, still seated as he crouched beside me. He leaned closer to my face and I tilted my head to look at him in the eyes. "If I will help you..." he whispered, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "You must give me something in return" "What do you want?" I asked in a low voice. His eyes gleamed with intensity. "I want you, Isabella" he whispered, his lips grazing my ear. I jerked back, shocked by his request. "Don Xander!" I exclaimed, my voice trembling.

A decade has past since Evangel set her eyes on the man she hated with her whole heart. Her ex boyfriend Trenton Wade. A handsome playboy who broke her heart several years ago. She never expected to see him again and was shocked to find him at her father's birthday as handsome as ever with that devilish smirk on his face pleading for her to smack it off. Worse of it all she never expected to find out that her father has arranged a marriage between her and the bastard. Never. Hell will freeze before Evangel agrees to marry the bastard and she will do everything in her power to make sure it doesn't happen. Trenton Wade has had everything handed over to him. The word responsibility has never been used in the same sentence with his name. All he had ever cared about was women and having fun. He was the resident playboy. A reckless mistake on his path is about to drown his father's company and he must find a way to save it or risk losing everything to his half brother. What better way could he find than running towards their company rival for help, only the help comes with a price. He must marry his daughter. A daughter that turns out to be the woman he hurt years ago and hates his guts Will Trent be able to convince Evangel to marry him and what happens when two others comes into the midst. A drama filled with a lot of twist is what you get.

During my wedding, hundreds of photos of me being sullied flutter down from the top of the church, landing before the guests below. My fiancé instantly calls off our engagement and turns to kiss my sister. Devastation washes over me. Just then, my childhood friend Derek Church, the Capo of the Church family, the East Coast's most powerful mafia family, pulls me into his arms. He kicks the church's door open and presses a check worth a million dollars into my father's hands. He pulls me to the priest and has him announce that we are husband and wife. I'm so touched that I agree to marry him. From then on, I become the Capo's wife. Two years later, Derek and I finally conceive through IVF. I want to share the exciting news with him when I overhear his conversation with his subordinate. "Lilyanne is afraid of pain and becoming ugly, so we can use Nicole to give birth to her child. Once she produces an heir for the Morse family, her position will be solidified. Then, the Morse family will become the Church family's MadeMan." "As expected of you, boss. You knew the Morse family is full of politicians who would never accept a sullied woman into the family. The only way for Lilyanne to marry into the family was by having Nicole sullied." My blood runs cold when I hear this, and the pregnancy report in my hand feels unbelievably heavy. The man I thought was my salvation was actually the devil who pulled me into the abyss. I dry my tears and call the Capo of the West Coast's mafia family, Derek's nemesis. "I have a way to help you become the mafia Capo dei capi. Do you want to work with me?"

After eight years together, I've proposed to my boyfriend 108 times. Each time, he found a different excuse to turn me down. On the 109th try, I give up a promotion and transfer opportunity. Finally, he said yes. I think he's moved by my sincerity. But instead, he brings his first love into our marital home and falls into our bed with her. "I only proposed to her to spite you. If you just say the word, I'll dump her at the altar and marry you instead!" Staring at the scene before me, I take the tight engagement ring off my finger and toss it down the drain. I decide to call off the wedding before he can. But after I walk away, the man who swore he'd marry someone else went crazy searching for me everywhere.

Regina Murghan had always been treated like an anomaly among the witches. Compared to others, she had insignificant powers. On top of that, no one had any idea who her parents were. She had been abandoned on the doorsteps of Vivian, her loving guardian. All these made her subject to criticism for years until she left Witches Academy in Coven Community, where she stayed with Vivian, and transferred to Neutral Academy, a school for the three supernatural species that existed in Mistworld; Werewolves, Vampires, and Witches. Regina finally settled into a life of peace and meeting friends who genuinely cared about her, but unfortunately, things began to go awry when news of people being brutally killed began spreading. Not only that, strange things started happening to her after her sixteenth birthday, and secrets about her began unraveling. To top it all, two deliciously gorgeous alphas were fighting over her for the first time ever. But there was only one literally made for her. In order to protect those she had grown to love, MistWorld, and the human world above them, Regina had a lot of work cut out for her. Now, the question is, with her seeming lack of power, will she be able to overcome the monster from her past, whose motive was to bring the end of everything she knew and loved? Or she would fail, dooming her world, her loved ones and the human world?

I'm five months pregnant. One day, I leave the house to do some grocery shopping. As I wait at a red light, I see a woman kiss my husband. I follow them in shock, snapping to my senses when I hear the screeching of a car's brakes. I get into an accident and end up comatose, losing my child in the process. Not only does my husband not care for me, but he even has his lover move in with him proudly. The moment I wake up, they panic.

Aria was the Luna of the Winter Mist pack, renowned for her achievements in war strategy. Her contribution was crucial in her pack becoming the most powerful in the entire country. Everything in her life should be perfect. ...Except it wasn't. In actuality, Aria's life was anything but successful. She was helpless to the whims of her abusive Alpha mate and his mistress. A mate who never loved her. As she watches their relationship grow, her options are to run away or die trying to keep her Luna position. But this is not the story of how Aria sways his closed-off heart until he finally loves her. No, this is the story of how Aria died. So when she is faced with the opportunity to go back in time and try again... will she take it? ...Or is she fated to relive her mistakes all over again? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "...And if I refuse?" I asked hesitantly. "Then you will remain in the Abyss, forever reliving your earthly memories." My mind recalled the images that had just tormented me, showing me my death over and over again. I knew now she must have shown me that strategically so I had a taste of what my refusal would look like. "Then I don't want to be Luna again... and I don't want to be Aleric's mate," I said, surprising even myself that I was bargaining with a Goddess. But I couldn't shake the feeling something seemed off. "That is the fate I have chosen for you." "Then I don't accept," I argued. "I think there is something you're not telling me. A reason why you need me to go back so badly." She was silent, her silver eyes regarding me warily. "...So I am correct," I said, taking her silence as confirmation.

Hela Lyon: being an alpha in your pack meant one thing, sacrificing your happiness for the peace of your pack. not that i am an acting alpha yet, my biased father will never allow a woman to rule. I just didn't expect him to decide my life for me. a marriage, an arranged one at that. never in my twenty four years of living would i have imagined getting married to someone who isn’t my mate, talk more of him being the alpha king, the devil himself. The fact that I have no say in this arrangement irks me out and now I have to comply as it is the only way we can assure peace. Eros Rain Vasilios: power doesn't come till you work for it no matter who you are, that is why i worked for mine. Being the king doesn't mean my life was rosy, it was quite the opposite. After the death of my parents, we were left with power hungry relatives. so my brother and i had to fight through it to succeed. These days all I envision myself to be is a selfless ruler who puts his people's needs before his own, the king with his people, for his people and of his people. So I know what I wanted as I took up the marriage partnership as a deal, i was killing two stones with one stone, to some i may be declaring false vows with a female alpha, to me, i was scheming and at the same time declaring my love to my mate(the perfect pawn for my plans). Emotions and words are the center of this story. Read to find the rollercoaster they both find themselves in and also watch out for the blooming love between both siblings.

Falling in love was easy, but falling out of love was challenging for a foolish little fragile heart. Have you ever thought of reaching out to the stars for someone? To some, marriage is like a dream come true, but little did anyone know it would be someone's greatest nightmare. This is story follows a woman named Erina, who got a taste of bittersweet love. However, will she remain the Erina they once knew? Perhaps, someone different? Will the 'new' Erina be able to claim what's hers again as her journey to vengeance dawn!

An alpha king rejected by his mated queen when they found each other. But Alpha king didn't accept her rejection and want to know her reasons first which he found as very complicated they need to make alliance with each other to stop the biggest fight with the rogue. Queen has the ability to predict things and it happens that way. She is like the next to the moon goddess has power to overcome any poision. She had already rejected two mates as she is selfless. She can link to any one in any pack.