Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program Novels & Stories

She tended to her in-laws, using her dowry to support the general's household. But in return, he sought to marry the female general as a reward for his military achievements. Barrett Warren sneered. "Thanks to the battles Aurora and I fought and our bravery against fierce enemies, you have such an extravagant lifestyle. Do you realize that? You'll never be as noble as Aurora. You only know how to play dirty tricks and gossip with a bunch of ladies." Carissa Sinclair turned away, resolutely heading to the battlefield. After all, she hailed from a military family. Just because she cooked and cleaned for him didn't mean she couldn't handle a spear!

The day I learned the family's secretary had been Richard's mistress for three years, I called off the wedding without a second thought. Heartsick, I took a family flight and moved out to the West Coast, only to walked straight into an ambush. When they had me surrounded, Richard appeared out of nowhere and threw himself in front of the bullet meant for me. He ordered his most trusted guards to keep me alive, whatever it cost. Dying, he stared deep into my eyes. "Elise, I have no right to ask your forgiveness. Just live. Live well, and let me love you properly in the next." The sea ran high and wild that day, and they never found his body. By the time the rescue boat pulled me out of the water, I had already cried myself hoarse. After that I lived to eighty, carrying the guilt of him every single day. Then I opened my eyes again and found myself back, before he had ever betrayed me. This time, before I could even speak, he fired Charlotte right in front of me. Apart from family business, his greatest interest was cooking dinner for me. Everyone marveled at it. The Don himself, Richard, loved Elise nearly to the point of madness. And then, the night before our wedding, I heard his thoughts. [I'm finally about to have Elise.] [This time I can't let her find out Charlotte exists.]

I was super clingy, always trailing after my boyfriend, Nate, like a lost puppy, constantly craving more of his attention. Tonight as I snuggled in his arms, pressing soft kisses to his lips as usual, I suddenly saw translucent comments fleshing across my vision, one after another. "Hasn't she noticed our Nate, the male lead, is trying his best to avoid her?" "Nate hates physical contact, especially with her. She can't seriously think he's with her because he loves her, right?” "Relax. Nate's true love, the heroine, is about to appear. Once she does, he's going to dump this stupid bitch so hard." My heart skipped a beat. The next second, I pulled away from Nate's chest. Nate glanced down at me. Something that looked suspiciously like irritation flickered across his face. “What’s wrong?" he asked.

Aaron Venandi is an Enforcer that dangles his fingers in the Mafia World. He is a typical bad boy that surrounds himself with fast cars and easy women. He lives his life on the edge and is drawn to anything that presents danger. Summer is a sweet girl that works as a waitress in some town in the middle of nowhere. She is innocent and untouched and presents everything that Aaron wants. One day while taking their business to the ends outside of town, they get lost and end up in a dinky toy diner where Summer works. But bad weather leaves them stranded, they are forced to stay there for hours. This is where Aaron gets drawn to Summer. Aaron will do anything to have this girl in his life, but he does not know how to get back to the diner, so he sets out to find her. But Summer holds a big secret, when Aaron finds out, he is face to confront her or keep it to himself. What is the one thing that Summer will keep hidden with her life? Will this rip Aaron and Summer apart?

At 16 years old, I travel with my sister, Sarah Barnes, to the remote mountains of Nectar Valley to participate in a program. While herding cattle in the mountains, I fall asleep. In my drowsy state, I hear strange panting and gasps. Thick fog has somehow risen throughout the forest by the time I wake up. Suddenly, Sarah's anxious voice calls out from within the fog. I'm about to respond when someone suddenly covers my mouth with their hand. A voice whispers in my ear, "Don't answer. That's not your sister. It's the Temptress!"

For as long as I can remember, I've been able to see spirits and ghosts. I can hear them talk, too. Because of that, everyone thought I was creepy. My parents would rather spoil my adopted sister, Sienna, than give me a second glance. Then Sienna got engaged to Felix Floyd, the heir to an old-money family, and she became the family's golden child. But right before the wedding, Felix was in a car crash and slipped into a coma. When the Floyds asked Sienna to honor the engagement— She didn't hesitate. "You want me spending my life changing his sheets and cleaning up after him? No way. I'm not throwing my life away on a vegetable. I'd rather die than marry him!" At that moment— I saw Felix's spirit. His face was pale, almost bluish. He stared at Sienna, hatred burning in his eyes. "I can't believe she's that heartless. The doctor said I'll wake up within six months. As long as someone's willing to take care of me, when I wake up, I'll give her twenty million dollars right away. Just to piss that tramp off." My eyes lit up. I raised my hand. "What if... I marry him?" Getting into a wealthy family didn't matter to me. I just really wanted that twenty million dollars.

I'm notoriously known for being a vile heiress in this city's elite circle. I do whatever I want just because my family is rich and powerful. If I don't like someone, I won't hesitate to slap them on the spot. If any family dares to offend me, I'll have my family terminate all contracts with that family's business. Everyone is terrified whenever they bring me up. But everything changes when my dad brings Gwen Herman, the low-income student he's been sponsoring, home with him. Suddenly, I can hear her inner thoughts. Gwen tells me that this world is actually a novel with a plot where everyone adores and dotes on the main character. Apparently, Gwen is the kind-hearted female lead loved by everyone, whereas I'm the evil side character who's destined to be humiliated at every turn. What a coincidence. I already found out about this fact ten years ago. I watch as Gwen cowers at the side delicately like some wounded angel who looks eerily similar to my dad. Meanwhile, my dad is awfully protective of her and goes as far as to be extremely mean to me to my face. That's when I begin chortling loudly. "Just because I call you 'Dad' doesn't mean you're really my father, my dear stepdad."

I accidentally spent the night with a wealthy heiress from Kingscourt after she was drugged. The next morning, I panicked and slipped away before she woke up. The following day, her childhood friend came to find me. He handed me a check for one million dollars and told me to leave the country. My eyes practically lit up. Just as I was about to take the check, I suddenly heard his thoughts. "Once he accepts the money, I'll report him for extortion and send him straight to prison. "Then I'll tell Valerie Cooper that I was the man from that night, marry into the family myself, and let him rot in jail." A chill ran down my spine. Well, he should've said so earlier. I can still tell the difference between one million dollars... and a lifetime of wealth and luxury.

As the reigning eight-time champion of the transmigration department, I'm deeply traumatized by the idea of having fight with the fake heiress. Unfortunately, not only is there an 18-year-old fake heiress in my family of this world, but she also has eight older siblings who dote on her endlessly. Seriously, the stereotypical real versus fake heiress plot is driving me crazy. I retreat into the depths of my mom's womb immediately, my tiny hands clamping down on the umbilical cord. My refusal to leave my mom's body is absolute. [Those idiotic brothers of mine keep spoiling that 18-year-old extremely childish fake heiress who insists on sitting in a baby trolley all the time! If I were to leave this place, I'd definitely get assassinated by them!] My mom, who can hear my internal thoughts, is forced to suffer due to the complications in her labor for 72 hours straight. Finally, she yields to me by signing the "Zero-Tolerance Treaty on Unequal Treatment". She also assigns 108 bodyguards to me overnight. Satisfied, I finally release my hold on the umbilical cord and make my flashy entrance to this world. Mom taps me on my forehead. "Natalie is extremely pure and innocent. She would never come up with ways to hurt you." On the first day I go home, Natalie Fairchild, the fake heiress, pushes my crib toward the staircase on purpose. "I wanna see if Nev can fly!" A bodyguard instantly reaches out to catch my crib from coursing through the air. Scared out of her wits, Natalie slumps to the floor immediately. There, she starts crying like a baby. My second brother, Elliot Fairchild, pulls her into his arms lovingly. He says reassuringly, "Don't be scared, Nat. The bodyguard must have frightened you because of his actions, right? Now, now, you can stop crying now. Nev is fine, isn't she?" The next thing he knows, he gets tossed into the heavy downpour by another bodyguard.

The summer that Allison Hart graduates from high school, she has one thing on her mind- to lose her virginity before she goes away to college in the fall. The only problem is she doesn’t want a random one night stand with a stranger. So when her stepbrother James Carter comes home for the summer, it seems like her problem finally has a solution. At first James is apprehensive about the entire thing, but then gives in to Allison’s request. They both swear that it will be just a weekend of sex and fun, but then the weekend turns into an entire summer of sneaky sex. As the summer comes to a close and both prepare to go off to college, both realize that they have fallen in love with each other. Neither of them are brave enough to tell the other, so they go off to college, both confused about their situation. When they finally reunite for Christmas, James confesses his feelings for Ali and asks her to run away and travel the world with him. She accepts and once school ends for the summer, they run off to start their adventure.