Barnes And Noble Desert Ridge Novels & Stories

My superior loved tricking me into wearing tight-fitting pencil skirts to serve wine to sleazy clients while sticking close to them. Then, she would hint that I was single and a valid target while she excitedly waited for the clients to make a move on me. It was all in the name of checking the integrity of the clients and whether they were worthy business partners or not. The moment a client fell for it, she would rush over with righteous anger and throw wine in their faces. Then, she would lecture me with a voice heavy with anguish. “Do you lack money so much that you’d throw your dignity away just for better results?” She would trample all over my dignity to set up her image as a refined, noble woman. This time, she even prepared a gown with a super low neckline and pushed me to serve a client with a rich and powerful background. She threatened me by saying that if I did not go, she would deduct my bonus for three whole months of full attendance. But when I saw the familiar, cold man sitting in the seat of honor, it was my turn to laugh. If my brother saw me serving wine in this kind of dress, I did not doubt that by tomorrow, the company would be under my name.

“You are no longer my daughter.” Those were the last words Velara heard before the world she knew shattered. Once heir to the noble Crescent Moon Pack, Velara was destined for power, until one fateful night changed everything. Betrayed by Alpha Damon, the ruthless leader of the Ironclaw Pack and the very male fated to be hers, Velara is cast out for bearing his child. Her title is stripped. Her name, erased. Her future, destroyed. Branded a rogue, Velara chooses exile over shame and raises her son, Kael, hidden from the packs that would hunt them. But as Kael’s powers grow, so do the whispers of something ancient stirring beneath their blood, something divine… and dangerous. When Damon returns, the bond between them reignites with a vengeance. But it is no ordinary bond. Velara discovers she is the last of the Lunar Order, a bloodline chosen to guard the balance between light and darkness. And Kael is not just her son, he is the key to an ancient prophecy that could save or destroy the world. As the Lunar Eclipse approaches, Velara must decide: protect the life she rebuilt, or embrace her legacy and risk everything to stop a rising evil, one that’s been waiting since the beginning of time. In a world of betrayal, prophecy, and forbidden love, Velara must rise, not just as a mother or a mate but as the light the darkness fears.

"Evelyn Vane. You conspired with the Fallen. You tried to murder Tania Swann, future Lady of the Nightfall Court. Today, your blood wakes the Blood Mirror. We will rip out your memories. We will seal your fate." In the ancient catacombs, the Blood Mirror cast a dark red halo in the candlelight. My former fated mate lounged on his black velvet throne. He was Valerius Cross, the noble Lord of the Nightfall Court. Those eyes used to look at me with love. Now, they held only disgust. "The Blood Mirror will show every betrayal you've committed against this Court. Our entire kind will see the monster hiding under that pretty skin!" Tania clung softly to Valerius's broad chest. She traced lazy circles on his skin. A sweet, smug smile played on her lips. She was so sure the mirror would condemn me tonight. She was so sure I'd burn to ashes. The rune-carved silver chains bit deep into my flesh. Black smoke hissed from my burns. Even so, I spoke. My voice was broken. "Valerius, are you sure about this? Do you really want my blood to show you my memories? Once it starts... none of you can turn back."

Photo by Anastasiya Doborvolskaya via Pinterest A hundred years had passed since the war against witches reached its conclusion, leading the Kingdom of Londeve to a century-long peace. Everything's all well either for the young village baker boy, Tristan who lives a simple life with his two younger siblings not so far away from the country's capital. As ordinary as he might seem, it is not to be expected that he's actually acquainted with the only living royalty residing in his homeland, Crown Princess Anne of Londevè. Even so, their decade-long friendship never brought any significant change in each others' lives throughout the years, and for the humble young man, it is something to be relieved for. However, fate seem to have its own mischievous way of twisting the humble orphan's life. It was a remarkable encounter that turned his seemingly normal life into a dangerous rollercoaster ride as he got involved with the epitome of misery herself — the manipulative and mysterious lady, Serina Lourdemayne, who has been ironically keeping the peace at the Kingdom as a substitute Queen despite being a witch herself. Will this accidental and unwanted engagement ever reward him? Will they be able to work progressively despite their obvious and huge differences with their loved ones, responsibilities and aspirations in line? Dive into the world of magic and witness the journey of Tristan and Serina together with the noble Paladins as they protect the Kingdom from the coming calamities and from the new enemies that could possibly be more powerful and sinister than the wicked witches the human race had faced before.

I was born into the Valerie family, with the noble blood that could give a vampire a powerful hybrid heir. I was meant to marry Ethan, heir to the Prince. But the night before the engagement, his younger brother Adrian knelt in the rain in front of me. “Elena, I’d give up everything.” “I love you. You’re all I want.” So I broke the engagement, let my family disown me, and married him without a backward glance. Then I got pregnant. He started keeping me at arm’s length, finding reasons not to touch me, not even willing to stay in the same room as me. Until the night I heard him tell his men: “Once Elena has the baby, we’ll hand it over to Ethan and Sophia.” “Sophia’s health is fragile. I can’t bear to put her through a pregnancy.” That was when I finally understood. Adrian had never loved me. He’d married me only to free up the place beside Ethan for my cousin Sophia. Even the child I’d struggled so hard to carry had already been promised away to the woman he truly loved. I rested a hand on my belly and called my father. “Dad, I was wrong about him.” Adrian thought I’d stay trapped in his web of lies forever. He had no idea. Two months from now, I would vanish from his world for good.

My father had always been against my marriage to Ryan Kane, a vampire of noble birth. He believed that as a human, I had no place in the vampire world. He warned me that if Ryan ever changed his mind, without his protection, my half-blood child and I would be nothing more than walking blood bags in the eyes of vampires. But I believed in Ryan—and in our love. My husband had always been gentle and attentive. He had even defied everyone to make me, a human, his vampire bride. That was before Ryan's human ex-fiancée had her engagement called off and returned to the country seeking his help. I went to the hospital alone. While I was learning that my pregnancy was high-risk, Ryan was there attending her prenatal checkup, even introducing her to the doctor as his wife. All he had for me was one cold line: "Keep pushing me and I'll file for divorce." I pressed my hand against my stomach and dialed a number I hadn't called in years. "Dad, you were right... I want a divorce." Two weeks. That was all it would take for me to disappear from his life completely. But later—that same vampire who had discarded me like I was nothing showed up at my wedding to another man, trembling all over, calling my name in a broken voice.

Lendon Martin was a renowned Duke of England. It said that he would lead world politics and business in the future. Everything was served to him on a silver platter, and his noble status was feared by many. His ruthless and cold temperament made everyone shivered, yet a dark secret lies on his deceiving look. For many years he suffered a series of attacks, and his body has been deteriorating. Kendra stumbled on his way, and he treated her like his possession. He gave passion yet caged her. One full moon night changed their lives together. “What is that smell?” The man suddenly got close to Kendra’s neck and whispered. He smelt Kendra’s body carefully. He had never smelt this fragrance before. It was not like the smell of rose or lily, but he was attracted. Who was this girl? How did she dare to come here on a full moon night? Wasn’t she afraid of death? The man stared at Kendra and wondered. Kendra moved back in horror, but the man kept coming to her. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” The man's voice came again. When the man opened his mouth to speak, Kendra thought he wanted to eat her alive. “Don’t come here! I…I just happened to come across.” she hurriedly retorted. “What a coincidence!” The man sneered. The next moment, the man rushed to Kendra and pushed her down.

Maria Addison, an orphan adopted by the noble Barnet family, was betrothed since she was little to one of their family’s descendants, a handsome man named Miller Barnet. The heir who was always relied on, praised, and proud of by his family as a perfect figure without any flaws at all. However, a week before Maria and Miller’s wedding, an unfortunate event occurred. A big fight caused the two of them to have a car accident which resulted in Miller suffering a head injury which put him in a coma. Feeling guilty towards the Barnet family, Maria was confused as hell, she hid the fact of Miller’s coma by taking a stupid way that was beyond everyone’s expectations. She was asking for help from another figure whose face was exactly the same as Miller to temporarily replace Miller as the groom and become the heir to the Barnet family business. The man was Alvin Barnet, Miller’s twin brother who had been hidden by his mother. All the twists and turns began, the ambition to get the Barnet family inheritance by using Alvin suddenly changed. Alvin’s attitude that Maria thought was so cold and arrogant turned out to always treat her warmly and attentively, and of course that made Maria start to hesitate. The love in her heart grew, until finally Maria decided to help Alvin seize what was rightfully his. So, will all those plans go smoothly?

“Please... Take care of my people...”-Lancelot Ral Constance- Sakamaki Yuu is a gay, middle-aged, disabled man. His vices are what makes him shy away from society, yet he harboured hope for a change in his life. It didn’t get any better. Receiving a report on his deteriorating health makes it feel like the entire world is falling on him. Rather than hoping for a change, he now hoped that he could at least leave a trace on this world, which was what caused him to insist becoming the donor for her nephew. A heart donor, which guarantees absolute death. Yet at the very least, his heart would live well inside her. It’s okay if his heart is the only trace that he left. That’s what should happen. Yet by the time he opened his eyes, he realized that he was reincarnated as one of the mobs that supports the villainess in one of the web novels that he had read, namely Lancelot Ral Constance. Not only that, his character is destined to die in a month by the crown prince’s hand. That being said, how donating his heart has to do anything with him waking up as a completely different person? And what’s with these people calling him a noble? And what’s with this need to appeal his knowledge to help the townsfolk? And why the crown prince is handsome damnit! [Uploading cadence: Every Sunday]

When Luca realized that I hadn't asked for money for five days now, he thought I'd finally stopped being a greedy slumdog and handed me a black card as if giving alms. "I can foot your mother's medical bills, but only as long as you stop trying to siphon money off the family. I'm doing all this because I want you to become an outstanding Donna, y'know." He had no idea that my mother was already dead, or that I'd signed the divorce papers—I certainly didn't need the money now. As I left, I found myself still wearing the soda can pull tab that he gave me on a whim for my wedding ring. I sighed—no one would believe that the noble Donna of the Gambino family needed approval just to get money for socks. All because he believed Lina, his secretary, who told him that I had married him for his money. When my mother's heart started failing five years ago, Lina refused to approve my request to foot the bill and even framed me for lying. Luca had no idea that I was only bearing with this abuse because my mother was being nursed in his private hospital. Now that my mother was gone, I decided to be myself again and leave him forever.