Banter Knife

In a college world where every hallway is a battlefield of intellect, pride, and desire, Rival Hearts explores the thin line between hate and a love that burns hotter than anyone expects. When fiercely independent Harper Lawson, a chemistry major with a sharp tongue and a stubborn streak, collides with Emery Collins, a confident and ambitious literature student, sparks fly—literally. Their rivalry begins in classrooms and spills into dorms, cafeterias, and late-night campus corners. Harper thrives on rules and routine, while Emery lives for unpredictability and teasing chaos. Every insult, every sarcastic remark, every heated debate draws them closer to a truth neither is willing to admit: attraction doesn’t always ask permission. What begins as antagonism turns into stolen glances, secret touches, and nights filled with whispered confessions and passion that neither can deny. Their friends notice the chemistry, professors are oblivious, and both women struggle with pride, past heartbreaks, and the fear of being vulnerable. As the semester unfolds, Harper and Emery navigate parties, group projects, dorm-room secrets, and the intoxicating highs of desire and intimacy. Amid campus gossip, emotional upheavals, and raw, steamy encounters, Rival Hearts captures the journey of two women learning that love can come disguised as hate, that surrendering to desire can be terrifyingly exhilarating, and that the fiercest rivals often make the strongest partners. Full of witty banter, heart-pounding tension, and intimate romance, this novel is a slow-burning, passionate exploration of the chaos of first love and the unstoppable force of attraction.

**"This isn’t just any party, it’s your wedding."** The words hit me like a truck as I stood frozen in disbelief. **"To Angelo Rizzo."** My stepbrother’s voice was cold, detached. My heart pounded in my chest. **"You’re joking, right?"** But one look at his face told me he wasn’t. **"You’re the payment for my debt to the Cosa Nostra."** His betrayal was a knife twisting in my gut. --- Attending a party with my stepbrother, I was prepared for an ordinary night. Instead, I was thrown into a nightmare. Without warning, I found myself standing beside Angelo Rizzo—a man as feared as he is cold—as his bride. My stepbrother owed the Cosa Nostra money, and I was his only way out. With no escape and no choice, I now wear a wedding ring tied to a man I fear. Three hours later, my world has turned upside down. There’s no running from Angelo, no hiding from the life ahead. My only hope? To survive being married to the infamous Angelo Rizzo.

Book 1 Mikhail & Sophia Story (Completed) Book 2 Jake & Anastasia Story (Completed) Book 3 Alexei and Irene Story (Completed) Book 4 Lucas and Aurora Story (Completed) Sophia always dreamt of finding her true mate, someone who would finally see her. But fate twisted the knife when the Moon Goddess bound her to cruel Alpha Mikhail known as the Blind Alpha. Mikhail had no interest in a mate. He already had a perfect shewolf who has proved her worth to him. Yet, when Sophia stumbled into his life as his fated mate, he couldn't reject her. A curse chained him - his wolf craved a mate, and rejecting her now would drive him mad. His plan? Endure the mating bond until the Red Moon, where he could break it without losing his wolf. What will happen when Sophie will learn the truth of her mate? What will she do when she will realize that she was, is, and will always remain unwanted?

They called him the Mafia King, but I knew him as the devil who ripped my sister from this world. My mission was sacred; vengeance. My method; Seduce the beast, then plunge the knife deep when he least expects it. I stepped into his world and offered him my supposed innocence, and like all devils, he took the bait. ​Dominic Sokolov didn’t just want me; he claimed me. Every possessive stare, every burning touch, every depraved whisper chipped away at the vengeance that once fueled my soul. He was a poison I craved, a sin I embraced, and with every scorching kiss, the bullet meant for his heart began to feel like my own. But a devil always finds his due. And when he discovers the assassin hidden beneath the lover, I know what waits. ​A hell far worse than death itself. CONTENT WARNING: This book contains mature themes, including dark romance, morally complex characters and situations that might be intense for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Leah was born into a poor family of six. Since she could remember, their family has suffered from debt and debt collectors, which led to their parent's divorce and the reason she stays with her father while the other stays with their mother. It was either her or the younger one, and she couldn't for the life of her allow her younger siblings to stay with their irresponsible father, who drinks half his life away each day wallowing in sorrow and debt. Her prayer for an escape was answered alongside her most cherished wish, as she received a letter containing her admission letter and a scholarship to Lora's fashion school. Her life became easy and peaceful after moving to the institution and away from her father, well the peace lasted a while. She found herself on a rollercoaster of intense events after saving an injured man with a knife wound close to her apartment building. Plunged into the world of the mafia, crimes and invading feelings, she found out their family debt wasn't what she always thought they were.

I'm traveling through my pack when some Rogues ambush me. They chase me without mercy. I scream for Grayson Atwell, my Alpha mate, through the mind-link. But he shuts me out, muttering something about being "busy with pack affairs". I force down my fear and run, but they catch me anyway. Just as the silver knife grazes my throat, Vidar Mallory, the guard captain, bursts in. He drives the Rogues back and takes me to the hospital. Lying in the hospital bed, I overhear Vidar talking to his men by accident. "Freya is carrying a seven-month-old pup. How could Grayson abandon her just to take care of Bella's pup?" "Bella's pup had a fever last night. Grayson stayed at the hospital the whole night." My heart shatters. Even the pup I fought so hard to conceive was lost in the accident. I decided to leave and take on an entry-level healer position at a hospital in another pack. But after I'm gone, Grayson loses his mind searching for me.

Daisy: My life was cool and perfect until I met him—my best friend’s husband’s brother. He is an asshole, and I wouldn't mind plunging a knife into his perfect skin. Deep down, though, all I really want is to savor that skin all day. He brought nothing but trouble into my life, digging up my past and forcing me to relive it. But why do I crave his attention? Adriano: I have a dark side that no one knows about, not even my brother, who grew up beside me. I thought I had it all tamed—until she came into my life. She embodies everything I despise in a woman: sassiness, a smart mouth, and a knack for getting on my nerves. She brought out a part of me I never knew I had, and I hate it. She's running from someone, and I intend to find out who's after her. No one gets to be her nightmare except me.

All Tori Wright wished for was a young pup to call hers. After being married to Wade Wright for three years of trials and errors, her time to shine finally came. She's pregnant. And on the day to share such news of a new life growing in her, her husband betrays her, alongside the last person she expected. She gets stabbed with a silver knife and that's the end. Or, was supposed to be the end. The Moon Goddess has mercy on her and she is reborn, right to the point where she has to make her decision, the decision to make or mar her life. She opts for Wade's Step Brother instead. Wayne Wright. Only, Wayne has his own secrets, and it'll take a lot of love and trust to pry them out of him. Tori is about to make Wayne Alpha instead of Wade, and only her, just her, knows how to do it. Or maybe, there is someone else who has been reborn too, and knows about what's about to happen in the future. Either good or bad, The Wrights are about to find out.

I wasn't supposed to fall in love. My job was simple, spy on him, and help break Capo Enzo Valenti but now, I'm the one breaking. He kisses me like he owns me, f*cks me like I’m the only thing holding him together, and I let him. Every.Single.Time. Because somewhere between the lies and the orgasms? The lines blurred and my loyalties conflicted. My name is Alessandra, and I’m holding a knife to my husband’s back while begging him to f*ck me like I still belong to him. . . 🦋 When Alessandra Romano's sister angers the next Capo dei Capi Enzo Valenti, he picks her to replace Sofia. However, she has secrets, secrets that would make Enzo bury her. But, what happens when Alessandra finds out she's not the only one holding secrets in their marriage? Can a love built on lies survive the truth, or will they destroy each other the moment the masks come off?

I was the girl Ian Sutherland, the underworld boss himself, personally picked to be a shield for his beloved. By the third year of our marriage, I'd been kidnapped by his enemies for the eighth time. When Ian came with his men to rescue me, the negotiation hadn't even lasted five minutes before the girl called him. "Ian, I lost a dare and have to kiss one of the guys here. But I want my first kiss to be yours. Can you come get me?" … The moment Ian left without a second thought, a knife plunged into my abdomen, and blood gushed out. His men handled it the same way they had the last seven times—paying off whoever they had to, then sending me to the hospital. In the ambulance, I heard someone wondering if I'd live long enough to see the day that girl could stand on her own. They burst out laughing, while I was the only one crying. My mission to save the underworld boss had failed, and I was about to be erased by the system. Ian, I wouldn't live to see that day.