Best Contemporary Mystery Novels

Ethan Cole is a billionaire tech heir who needs a relationship as soon as possible. Not for love, but to secure a powerful merger and win control of his family's empire. Desperate, he turns to the most unexpected person: Jamie Rivera, his charming, openly gay best friend with dreams of owning an art gallery. What begins as a harmless fake romance soon turns into real emotions, with stolen glances, strange desires and forbidden kisses. But with jealous exes, ruthless family rivals, and the media watching their every move, pretending to be in love might destroy everything, unless they’re brave enough to make it real. A swoon-worthy, slow-burn romance where fake love turns dangerously real and one kiss was all it took.

He is supposed to be my best friend—at least I have been seeing him as one—doing a lot of things with him together. We go to school together, share the same hobbies, and love the same sports. He is my day one, my buddy. Up until after the summer vacation when we started a new life in the same college as freshmen. That is when I discover that I have developed a soft spot for him, which accounts for the way I missed him during the summer vacation. I have never missed Liam like that. I mean, I do miss him but not compared to last summer. I wanted him around me and his image occupied my mind's eye. Starting college with a crush on my best friend is not an ideal way to begin the academic year. No matter how I try to suppress it by going on dates and accepting relationship proposals from guys, instead of it going away, it doubles. Worse still, he sees me as his buddy. He has never looked at me the way he looks at other girls. I know I am a bit of a tomboy. My other friends tell me that my dress sense is a bit masculine. I try changing my fashion sense but to no avail. Sadly, all I am to Liam is his day one bestie and buddy. I do not want to tell him about the feelings I have because I do not want to put our friendship in jeopardy. I had already given up hope Until the dare at one of my other friend's parties _ Evie. The dare for Liam to kiss me. The kiss opens another chapter; I would never have believed in my entire life to be possible—Liam actually likes me!

In the late stages of her pregnancy, my wife slipped away into the mountains with her childhood sweetheart, seeking some reckless thrill under the open sky. Fate, however, had other plans. She suffered a massive hemorrhage, and the two were rushed to the hospital. As a doctor, I took one glance at her condition and instructed the nurse to prepare for the cremation. In my previous life, I had risked everything to save her. On that very operating table, she and the child inside her perished together. Her childhood sweetheart, overcome with grief and fury, rallied others to accuse me of seeking personal revenge. Their rage was relentless, and they broke my hands. "A butcher like you, without medical ethics, deserves nothing less than eternal damnation!" they shouted, their words burning like brands on my soul. Yet I distinctly remembered—the surgery had been a success. Her vital signs had stabilized. Clinging to hope, I begged my in-laws to conduct an autopsy, to uncover the truth buried beneath the accusations. Instead, they called the police, who swiftly charged me with performing surgery under the influence of alcohol. Stripped of my rights, I was thrown into prison, where suffering became my only companion. Years later, upon release, I stumbled across a sight that tore what was left of my heart to shreds—my wife, alive and well, behind the wheel of a luxury car, accompanied by her childhood sweetheart and their child, living off the fortune I had worked tirelessly to build. Their betrayal didn't end there. Coldly and methodically, they lured me into a trap, casting me into a cement mixer to erase every trace of my existence. When I next opened my eyes, time had rewound itself. I was back on that fateful day, the one when her hemorrhage began.

🥉3rd place in the writing competition "Me and My Womens" [21+, harem] Marvin Rock is the dream of many women because of his wealth and power, but his sincerity surpasses everything. His wife said proudly, "Not only loyal, you are also mighty!"

Sahabat itu teman yang selalu ada dalam suka maupun duka. Bukan hanya ada saat kau merasa bahagia dia ada, dan saat kau sedih dia tiada. Dengan sahabat kita bisa melewati segala rintangan, bersamanya cobaan seberat apapun akan terasa ringan. Sahabat adalah keluarga ke duamu, bersama mereka kau bebas menjadi apa saja. Ini kisah persahabatan yang tak akan bisa hilang dari ingatan. Tuhan memeprtemukan mereka di waktu yang singkat, begitupun persahabatan ke duanya. Tapi kisah di antara keduanya tak akan mampu terhapus di ingatan. Karena itu semua kekuatan persahabatan yang sesungguhnya. Persahaban tak kan terbatas oleh waktu.

Isang masayahin at palakaibigan na dalaga si Bella. Matalik niyang kaibigan na lalaki si Vin simula pagkabata. Magkapitbahay lamang sila at madalas na magkasundo sa lahat ng bagay. Naging magkaklase sila ni Vin simula elementarya hanggang high school. Sobrang close nila sa isa't isa kaya madalas silang magkasama. Ngunit pagdating ng college ay kinailangang umalis ni Vin upang mag-aral sa ibang bansa. Hindi naman lingid sa kaalaman ni Bella na nagmula si Vin sa mayamang pamilya kaya hindi na sya nagtaka nung kinailangang umalis ni Vin upang mag-aral sa ibang bansa. Lumipas pa ang mga taon ay bumalik na si Vin sa Pilipinas at nalaman eto ni Bella. Nang magkrus ang kanilang landas ay nagtaka si Bella kung bakit parang iba ang pakikitungo ni Vin sa kanya at madalas ay iniiwasan pa nga siya. Doon na nalaman ni Bella na may nararamdaman na pala si Vin sa kanya. Higit pa sa matalik na magkaibigan. Sobra ang tuwang nadama ni Bella dahil napagtanto nyang mahal na rin nya ang binata. Ngunit isang araw ay napalitan ng lungkot ang saya na nadarama ni Bella nang makita nya si Vin na may kasamang ibang babae, si Nicole, at napag-alaman nyang ikakasal na ang mga eto. Labis na nasaktan si Bella. Akala nya kasi ay si Vin na ang nakalaan para sa kanya pero may ibang plano pala ang tadhana para sa kanila. Magagawa pa kayang ipaglaban ni Bella ang pagmamahal nya kay Vin? O hahayaan na lamang nya etong magpakasal sa ibang babae.

On their first anniversary, Della's husband suddenly found his fated mate Flora, and Della found herseff in a bind ever since. She couldn't give up her marriage and her chosen mate, even though Kylian's family ignored and abused her because she was an omega. The heartbreak was intense, but she couldn't let it go until- Kylian asked her to take the blame for Flora, and questioned her in a hush tone: "If it wasn't for the money or Luna's position, why on earth did you choose to stay after I found my fated mate?!" Della's heart was completely broken, and she chose true freedom. She rejected her husband, returned to her home, and resumed her true identity- the Lycan King's most favored daughter! But who can tell her why Kylian satrted to hunt her like a different person after the rejection? Can he make a firm choice between his fated mate and her this time? When they see the other side of the moon goddess' gift, and when Della's fated mate showed up as well, where their destiny will lead them? Read to find out. *** The novel is co-written by Jane E.L. (aka Juliet Swanson) and Miss EA. The novel is copyrighted by Ideaink Six Cats.

In the world of werewolves, witches and vampires, aadhya a human always wondered if this is really the place she belongs to. No matter how many times she asked the question, the answer always remained the same… YES Her parents were one of the strongest beta couples (second in command) of their time on the whole continent. But even after having beta blood running in her veins, aadhya knew that she is different from all the werewolves that she have met in her whole life. She doesn’t have heightened senses of werewolves, she didn’t even transform into her wolf when she came of age which automatically made her “the pack’s weirdo”. Even after being treated as an outcast, bullied by other wolf kids and waking up every day with that eerie laugh and nightmare which always felt too real to be just a nightmare, she never let herself feel weak. She pushed herself to the most and trained herself as every wolf of their pack was trained. It was the day of her twentieth birthday when she suddenly felt the ‘mate-tingles’ from the touch of her number one bully, the to-be-alpha of their pack Ethan Smith. She knew that nothing is going to be normal from the time she felt that first tingle but she didn’t know that there is nothing normal in her life from the time she came into this world to start with. Will Ethan accept the gift of mate bond and leave his rank-holder girlfriend behind for a human? Will aadhya be able to survive all the things that are soon going to come her way? Join aadhya on the journey of her life which is filled with mystery, action, romance and many twists and turns..

My biased mother brought my sister, Irene Baxter, to help me with my child. But one day, I forgot to bring a contract to work. When I returned home, I saw two bodies entwined. To cover up their secret, my husband, Sam Hodgson, and Irene pushed me off the tenth floor. It was only after my death that I realized I had been nothing more than a tool for carrying on the family name. "It's better that she's dead. Now my sweet girl can be a mom without having to go through childbirth." "Sleeping with her was revolting; she was like a block of wood. Irene is so much better." Even Irene had regrets. "Still, we shouldn't have pushed her down. She was smashed beyond recognition—otherwise, we might’ve been able to sell her corpse for a pretty penny." When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day they pushed me off the building. This time, I wouldn't let any of them off the hook.

Paano kung masira ang kasal mo at ng taong mahal mo dahil lang sa kagagawan ng best friend mong may lihim na pagtingin sa 'yo, ano nga ba ang gagawin mo?