Best Contemporary Novel

Als Lykanerkönigin wurde Lyra geboren, um zu herrschen — nicht um zu lieben. Gefährten sind Schwäche. Gefühle sind Verrat. Und ihr Vater hat sie zur perfekten Waffe erzogen. Doch am Tag eines öffentlichen Urteils riecht sie ihn. Ihren Gefährten. Die Bindung zwischen ihnen entfacht augenblicklich ein Feuer, das das gesamte Rudel spürt. Ein König darf keinen Rivalen dulden — und ihr Vater stellt ihr ein unmögliches Ultimatum: Töte ihn. Oder töte mich. Um ihren Gefährten zu beanspruchen, muss Lyra den Mann stürzen, der ihr Leben lang über sie herrschte. Doch während Machtspiele, Verrat und Blut das Rudel zerreißen, wird klar: manche Bestien tragen Kronen. Liebe bedeutet Krieg. Und eine Königin muss entscheiden, wessen Blut den Thron färbt.

Bertha Cobb's first love, Owen Rountree, made a mistake during his experiment, leading to an explosion occurring in the lab. Eight students died in this explosion as a result. However, Bertha insisted that I take on the responsibility of this accident and admit that the explosion occurred because of the error found in my data. "You're a professor here. Nothing will happen to you if you're the one taking on the responsibility. But Oewn, on the other hand, will get admonished by the victims' families." I got dismissed by the university afterward. In the end, the victims' families burned me to death. My daughter, Leah Callahan, got bullied as well. She was forced to drop out of school later on and died from depression. While Leah breathed her last on her bed, Bertha was in the middle of celebrating Owen's promotion as a professor. When I opened my eyes again, I realized that I was five minutes away from the explosion in the science lab.

paano kapag matatali ka sa isang kaibigan mong matagal mo nang minahal pero hindi ka naman mahal? hanggang saan ang kaya mong isakripisyo para sa inyong pagsasama kung alam mo namang may ibang pangalan ang isinisigaw ang puso niya? kaya mo bang magpakatanga para lang makasama siya kahit na alam mong hindi ka niya kayang mahalin kagaya ng pagmamahal mo sa kanya?

19-year-old Ethan moves in with his best friend for the summer, only to fall for the one woman he should never want: his best friend’s mom. She’s beautiful, mysterious, and completely off-limits. But the more he tries to stay away, the closer she pulls him in. One look was all it took. Now, there’s no turning back.

That night I found out my Beta husband banged my bestie, who is 10 years younger than him, I also slept with someone 10 years younger than me in a bar. When they decided to kick me out of the pack, my ONS showed up unexpectedly and stopped them. He turned out to be my bestie's brother Chris, the supposed Alpha heir of the pack. I thought what between us was just an embarrassing one night thing, but he wouldn‘t let me go again, and claimed that he had a crush on me since years ago…

Ava Monroe thinks she’s living every girl’s dream. Her best friend, Mia, introduces her to Ethan Blake—a gorgeous, smart, slightly mysterious senior who’s only at their school to finish his final exams. Their connection is instant, electric. For six months, Ava falls harder than she ever knew possible. Ethan is everything: attentive, passionate, and hers. But when summer arrives and Ethan prepares to leave for university, everything shifts. The texts slow to a trickle. The calls stop. He grows cold, distant, and finally asks for a “break”—to focus on school, to not distract her. Ava is shattered but tries to move on. Then the new school year begins. Mia returns from holiday with a confession that rips Ava’s world apart: Ethan didn’t leave because of university. He left because he’d started falling for Mia. And Mia—Ava’s best friend—let it happen. Now Ava must navigate the wreckage of two betrayals, reclaim her sense of self, and decide if some wounds ever truly heal.

This is a diary of dark, depraved thoughts. Turn the page if you dare. *** *** She’s a secret erotic artist. Behind closed doors, she sketches the same man over and over again—filthy, dangerous, and forbidden. Then she sells the drawings to the black market to pay for her mother’s medical bills and her sister’s college tuition. It should be simple. Except the man in those drawings isn’t a stranger. He’s Dominic—her father’s best friend. Every sinful stroke of her brush chips away at her innocence and poisons her love life. Every relationship she tries to build ends the same way—ruined by a man who doesn’t even know she’s obsessed with him. Until the night everything goes wrong. She wants to stop, wants a fairytale love life, but she owes her anonymous collectors one more portrait. Determined to make one final drawing of her darkest fantasy, she locks herself in her studio… only for Dominic to walk in and see the explicit portraits displayed across her walls. Her secret should destroy her. Instead, Dominic makes her a far more dangerous deal. For 365 days, she’ll work for him as his obedient secretary—and in return, he’ll keep her scandalous secret buried. But the closer she gets to the man she’s spent years drawing in the dark, the harder it becomes to remember one thing: Some fantasies should never come to life.

After arguing with my husband, Percy Egan, over our intimacy incompatibility, I decide to stay over at Katie Langdon, my best friend's house for the night. Unexpectedly, Katie's husband, Stefan Foley, has returned from his business trip on the same day. Having mistaken me for Katie, he crawls over my prone body instantly and begins groping me everywhere. Strong waves of pleasure as well as Stefan's scent attack me from all sides. Dizzy from the sensations, I find myself panicking because of how abruptly these powerful yet foreign feelings are overwhelming me. Meanwhile, Stefan's huge member keeps wedging against me. It makes me feel as though it can kill me just by penetrating me. For the first time ever, my body trembles in a mixture of fright and anticipation.

Being an omega is the only crime Bethany ever committed. Her life is turned upside down by the betrayal of the man she loved and those she called family. Her wolf howls for revenge and to spite them both, she kisses her sexy as hell best friend and announces their marriage. A contract was never truly part of Bethany's option. It was only a ruse to defy her father but when presented with an ultimatum by him, things get drastic. Now, she has no choice but to marry her best friend. The plan was to not fall in love, but little did they know that love and attraction were no respecters of friendship. However, Bethany realizes a bit too late that the fire and need that ignites between them are the least of her problems. At least, not when some deep, dark secret that could either strengthen or threaten their bond is lurking around the corners.

ADRIAN'S POV My head was pounding, a dull throb that echoed the frantic beat of my heart. I was hot, too hot, my skin slick with an unfamiliar sweat. I knew it instantly: drugged. One moment I was escorting Aria, basking in the glittering lights and dancing with her in the ballroom at her birthday party. Next, a wine from a waiter, a trip to the bathroom, and then… darkness. I blinked, trying to focus on the blur above me. Damien. My stalker. The man who’d been haunting the edges of my life for weeks, whispering cryptic claims of a shared past I couldn’t recall. He was on top of me, pinning me to the plush velvet of some unfamiliar bed. His eyes, usually so intense and unsettling, were filled with a disturbing mix of guilt and desperation. "I’m sorry, Adrian, I'm so sorry I had to do this, but I can't stand seeing you with her. Watching you rewrite our history... please, remember me. Remember us." He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. "I promise, I'll cherish you this time." Then, his lips crashed onto mine, a fierce, possessive kiss that stole my breath away. His hands moved over me, desperate and knowing, igniting a fire that both terrified and strangely thrilled me. Maybe it was the drug blurring the lines of reason. Or maybe… just maybe, deep down, my body recognized something my mind couldn’t. It responded to his touch with a shameful eagerness, a desperate need that mirrored his own. All I could do was surrender to the moment, to the heat, to the undeniable connection I felt with this man, Damien, as I returned his kiss with a fervor that shocked us both.