Best Contemporary Western Novels

Noami grew up in the quiet comfort of the orphanage, raised by nuns and surrounded by children who, like her, were longing for a family they never had. She had long accepted that the four walls of the orphanage would be her home for the rest of her life. But fate had other plans. Her peaceful world shifted the moment a stranger came looking for someone else—her twin sister, who had been adopted years ago and now lay in a hospital bed, unable to wake. In a desperate plea, the woman who adopted her twin begged Noami for a favor only a sister could give: take her place. Pretend to be her. Marry the man she was supposed to wed. And just like that, Noami became Mrs. Arvenze. The wife of a doctor she didn’t even know. A substitute in a marriage that was never meant for her.

“Strip.” He ordered simply, his eyes boring tentatively, “I'll not give you the liberty of picking up your clothes if you will not do as you're told.” “You married me to get revenge on me!” I spat, angrily. “You are not supposed to have any carnal knowledge of me, I won't let it happen.” He smiled. The same smile that cuts across his lips yet doesn't reach his face. “You want me to have sex with you?” “Isn't that what you mean by stripping?” I asked, confusion boldly written on my face. A loud, dry mocking laugh from him almost made me wish for death. “No wife.” He whispered, standing up from the bed towards me. “I don't want to see any of my properties on you in my house, I want you tattered and extremely void, I want to see what you will do when you're all bare before me.” I stumbled backwards at the hatred in his voice. “I want to see you at your lowest, Now strip!”

I was raised by my mother, a single parent who never revealed the identity of my father. For years, that part of my life remained a mystery until her final moments. With her last breath, she asked me to find him. I shared this with my best friend, who had never known her own parents. With tears in her eyes, she confided in me that she longed for a father, too. She tried to manipulate me, suggesting I work as a housekeeper for my father so she could claim him as her own. Soft-hearted, I agreed to the plan. When I finally met him, he was stunned. The resemblance between me and his first love was undeniable. He wanted to take me under his wing as his mistress. "Come to my room tonight and wear something… revealing," he said. To protect myself, I laid all my cards on the table.

My best friend has always been stingy to the bone, so the moment she volunteers to buy a bottle of water for the heir to Bellaris' most powerful family, who collapsed from heatstroke, I know she has been reborn, too. In my previous life, she and I sat for the college entrance exam together, and when the results were announced, we both got the same high score. Both of us had our eyes on Kingsley University, yet the admissions quota was limited, and neither of us wanted to jeopardize our friendship, so we kept delaying our application. In the blink of an eye, it was the last day to file our applications, and as I was about to start on mine, I stumbled upon the heir to Bellaris' most powerful family, who happened to be suffering from heatstroke. I not only bought him a bottle of water, but I also held an umbrella over him until he came to. By the time he regained consciousness, I had already missed the submission deadline. My best friend submitted hers just in time and got accepted into Kingsley University. Because I never submitted mine, the opportunity to attend university slipped past me. However, the heir apparent was touched by my act of kindness, and he asked for my hand in marriage. In the end, I married him and became a socialite, whereas my best friend, despite getting into Kingsley University, was overwhelmed by the demanding curriculum. Watching me live with more money than I could spend, she was fueled with jealousy until one day, she snapped and stabbed me. The moment I open my eyes again, my best friend and I are back on the day the heir to Bellaris' most powerful family passes out from the heat.

Noami grew up in the quiet comfort of the orphanage, raised by nuns and surrounded by children who, like her, were longing for a family they never had. She had long accepted that the four walls of the orphanage would be her home for the rest of her life. But fate had other plans. Her peaceful world shifted the moment a stranger came looking for someone else—her twin sister, who had been adopted years ago and now lay in a hospital bed, unable to wake. In a desperate plea, the woman who adopted her twin begged Noami for a favor only a sister could give: take her place. Pretend to be her. Marry the man she was supposed to wed. And just like that, Noami became Mrs. Arvenze. The wife of a doctor she didn’t even know. A substitute in a marriage that was never meant for her.

After falling for and marrying one of the most powerful billionaires in New York, Kylian Kincaid, Chloe believed her life was perfect. It truly seemed so until Kylian began to change. The loving man she had married was gone, replaced by a monster she couldn't recognize. Emma, her cousin, became the sole source of love remaining in her life. Heartbroken, Chloe decided to divorce Kylian with the help and support of her dear cousin, Emma, as she attempted to rebuild her life. Little did she know the betrayal she would soon uncover and the horrific incident that would leave her scarred forever. Unintentionally, Chloe caught the attention of another billionaire, Max West, who was even more influential than Kylian. He was used to getting whatever he desired. Max and Kylian had been rivals since high school. What happens when Kylian discovers that his arch-enemy, Max, has fallen madly in love with his ex-wife, Chloe? Kylian swore to get her back from this overly possessive man willing to kill anyone who tried to take Chloe away from him. Chaos ensued as Chloe was torn between these two men while she sought swift revenge on the one woman who had initially ruined her marriage. Who was this mysterious woman?

The hotel called, politely reminding me that the condoms used last night were unpaid and had been charged to my membership card. I was stunned. I'd been working late until midnight and hadn't set foot in any hotel. I confronted my husband, the only person who knew my card code. Nathan Phelps looked at me, bewildered. "Honey, that hotel costs over $10,000 a night. I'd never go there. It's probably a system error. Someone must have mistyped the card number. I'll file a complaint tomorrow." Unconvinced, I called my best friend, who managed the hotel. "Tracy, check who Nathan was with at the hotel last night. I'm catching him red-handed."

When I saw my best friend tending to the elderly man upstairs with such diligence in washing his clothes, cooking his meals, feeding him medicine, and giving him massages, I immediately knew that she had been reborn, too. In my previous life, my best friend and I shared an apartment. We were often awakened in the middle of the night by the old man’s cough from upstairs. When I went up to check on him, I learned that his legs were paralyzed, and he had no children or family. Out of sympathy, I decided to care for him. I brought him his daily meals and gave him massages. A month later, out of the blue, the old man mysteriously handed me a bank card and said, “There’s eight million here. It’s my reward to you.” With that money, I immediately went and paid off my father’s medical bills. Later, the old man went even further and transferred the ownership of the apartment that we were renting to me. He told me, “When your father is discharged, move in together. That way, I’ll have someone to keep me company, too!” When my best friend learned of this, however, she went ballistic. During the few days I was having trouble sleeping, she had secretly spiked my water with a lethal dose of sleeping pills. She watched as I died in agony. After my death, my boyfriend, posing as my fiancé, cut off my father’s medical bills and took away the old man’s bank card. Meanwhile, my best friend spread slanderous rumors among the neighbors, claiming the old man gave me money because I had sold myself to him. Half a year later, the two got married and paid in full for a luxury apartment in the city centre. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on that very day when the old man upstairs was coughing uncontrollably.

We tend to keep secrets as humans. It is perfectly normal. Sometimes it is to protect others, but other-times it is to protect our very own selves. We fight so much to keep these secrets, but not all of them survives in the dark. Some of them begs to see the light of day. Meet Quincy Daniels, a college freshman whom life has been a secret from the moment he was conceived. When he finds out that his mother whom was presumed dead just happens to be living in the same building as him, he loses everything he thought was true about his life. Secrets that were long dead begin to rise again. Murders that were covered, children that were abandoned, lies that were hidden; inevitably ends in trust being shattered, mysteries revealed, and hearts broken. Quincy later becomes a CEO of one of the best companies in the Western World. But will his secrets let him enjoy what he has built? Ride along with Quincy as he unravels these deadly secrets that holds so much darkness that he thought it'd be best his mother died in the first place.

I accidentally stumbled upon numerous explicit videos on my husband's computer while tidying up his desk. The videos showed him in bed with my unmarried best friend. The relationship between my husband and me had been platonic ever since I gave birth 40 years ago. His reason was that he was no longer capable of physical intimacy. Now, it felt like my entire life had been a sham, despite all my efforts for my family.