Best New Historical Fiction

“You should go into hiding, Janice... because you are about to become a character in my own book. PS: It's Horror with a slice of sex" Those were the words he said to her, and soon she became a slave in her own house to a fictional character she never thought would become alive and hunt her for a book she wrote.

"If you offend Alpha Carlen, Luna Irene might plead for you. But if you cross Luna Irene, there won't even be a scrap of you left." That's a widely circulated saying in the werewolf upper circles. I'm Irene Chandler. Because of one game, I've decided to dissolve the mate bond with Carlen Alvarado. During the game, he says drunkenly, "I love resting my head on the belly of an expecting she-wolf and listening to the pup's heartbeat." The room falls silent. Every werewolf turns to look at me. There's no surprise in their eyes. What I see is their pity for me, the rightful Luna, and a flicker of panic that their secret has been exposed. At that moment, I understood everything. They all know Carlen has a pup with another woman. They've been helping him hide it from me. That's because they know I'm Carlen's everything. I'll leave him if I ever find out. And if I leave, he'll lose his mind. I have to admit that they know me well. After learning the truth, I plan to do three things. First, I toss the wedding ring Carlen designed for me into the furnace. Second, I save the video of Lily Chalvez flaunting her pregnancy to provoke me onto a flash drive. Third, I submit documents to the Pack Affairs Department, applying to become a researcher on the isolated Icebound Island. The day I leave the pack happens to be our seventh wedding anniversary. I'll vanish from his life like a wisp of smoke.

[ ғʀɪᴇɴᴅs ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀs - ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ ] Emily Willows longs for passion, but only with the man of her dreams: the brilliant, warm and dashing Edward Jones. If only her oblivious, dreaming neighbour can stop with all his gentlemanly-ness and just pin her into the nearest solid obstacle available. And then, perhaps encircle her whimpering body into the solid rippling confines of his warmth- But no, he would not. He could not. As they’ve been best friends for, well, ever. And that's why it becomes extremely challenging for her when he asks her the biggest favour he could ever ask. The one favour she was sure no friend would ever ask their own. The one she was sure to lose herself to. The one she knew she shouldn’t say yes to. But it would indeed be the one to make her crazy all the same. Oh, dammit, all to hell. ~ritikablush.Copyright StarryRitika 2020

Limang taon si Clyde at isang taon si Christine nang pareho silang ikasal sa isa’t-isa. Isang kasunduan ng pamilya na kapwa nila tinutulan. Ngayong bente na si Christine, kailangan nilang tumira sa iisang bubong sa loob ng isang taon… bago tuluyang maghiwalay. Si Christine, nagtago sa likod ng maskara upang protektahan ang pusong takot masaktan. Si Clyde, itinulak ang sarili sa piling ng iba, para lang huwag mahulog sa babaeng buong buhay niyang tinanggihan. Ngunit paano kung ang babaeng gusto niyang mahalin… ay siya ring asawang gusto niyang kalimutan? At paano kung ang planong wakasan ang lahat… ay mauwi sa simula ng tunay na laban, lalo na’t may isang babaeng handang sirain ang umuusbong nilang pagmamahalan? Sa mundong puno ng lihim at pride, may pag-asa pa bang magtagumpay ang pusong nagsisimula pa lang magmahal?

“Next time I see you, I’m not letting you walk away.” The stranger said as Nova wiped his cum off her lips. Nova was a quiet, shy, and bookish girl… also very innocent. At least, that’s what everyone thought. Until one filthy game of truth or dare in an exclusive club stripped away her innocence and left her kneeling in the dark… mouth full of a stranger’s thick cock, swallowing every drop of his release without ever knowing his name. She fled after he finished. But he didn’t forget and neither did she. And the next day, when she followed her best friend to her father’s luxurious estate for his 45th birthday dinner, she locked eyes with the last man she expected to see— The man she gave head to the night before. Her best friend’s dad. Now he knows. Now he wants her. And Nova’s filthy little secret? She wants him too.

My best friend and I were in relationships with the brothers from the Wilson Family, and we both got pregnant at the same time. She flaunted her relationship publicly, making everyone in Junopia know that Rick had left the monastery for her. On the other hand, I kept silent about my relationship with the heir of the Wilson Family. Thus, everyone mistakenly thought I was single. That was until my best friend saw my pregnancy report. In a fit of rage, she rallied a group of friends, stormed into my dorm, and vandalized my room with food waste. "I thought you were my best friend, and here you are, trying to steal my man," she accused. Not only did she live-stream this accusation, trying to paint me as the other woman, but she also spiked my chicken soup, hoping to get rid of my unborn child. In defiance, I poured the contaminated soup over her head. "Just so you know, Rick isn't the only Wilson brother," I retorted. Later, Rayden, the man who controlled Junopia, wrapped his arm around me and declared icily, "I've heard troubling rumors about my wife being called a mistress. We need to talk."

When Jeremy thinks life couldn’t get any worse after catching his boyfriend cheating, his parents who hadn’t spoken to him in six years suddenly reappear. But they don’t come with apologies. They come with threats. And an ultimatum. Enter an arranged marriage with a man he doesn’t know… or watch the only people he cares about lose everything. Thrown into a cold, loveless union, Jeremy braces himself for more heartbreak. But the mysterious man he’s forced to marry is hiding a dangerous truth. A truth that whispers of power, blood, and the the moon. The deeper Jeremy is drawn into his new husband’s world, the more secrets unravel about his partner, his family, and himself. Because Jeremy isn’t as human as he always believed. And the life he thought was his… was never his at all. Now, caught between betrayal, forbidden desire, and a destiny he doesn’t yet understand, Jeremy must decide if he will resist the beast within — or embrace it.

When I stand in the sales office and watch my best friend beat me to purchasing the foreclosed property I have my eye on, I finally know for sure that she has been reborn too. In my previous life, both my best friend and I had some savings. She invested all her money in the stock market, while I decided to buy a house to live in. Since I didn't have much savings, I ended up buying a foreclosed property where a murder had taken place. But inside the ceiling cavity, I discovered a safe containing ten million dollars in cash and over a dozen gold bars. Meanwhile, my best friend's money was trapped in the stock market. She lost everything and even ended up in debt. When she watched me move into a villa, drive luxury cars, and spend money extravagantly every day, my best friend flew into a rage. She lured me to a highway where an oncoming freight truck killed me. After my death, my soul floated in the air as I watched her and my boyfriend deceive the police together. They claimed I had been drinking and ignored traffic rules, rushing onto the highway to my own death. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the day I'm supposed to buy the foreclosed property.

Blurb: Orphaned Maya Jensen was in desperate need of money. She had overdue debts to pay and no money to survive on. When she saw a miracle job opening that could potentially solve all her problems, her best friend, Violet, convinced her to immediately apply. What she didn't expect was for her life to be turned upside down by a 6’2 grey-eyed hunk of a man who was used to getting his way.

For eighteen years, my bestie Sarah and I were just regular humans. And then, all of a sudden, we both awakened our werewolf blood. She ended up mated to Logan, like, the most powerful Alpha around. And me? Fate, or whatever, paired me up with Ethan, an Alpha from a pack under Logan's. The day of our mating ceremony, Sarah was all like, "Go on, enjoy Ethan's mark!" I mean, the guy had an eight-pack and was drop-dead gorgeous. But almost a year into our mating, Ethan still hadn't marked me. I cried to Sarah, "What's the point of a mate who won't even mark me?" I never expected Sarah to burst into tears too. "Logan and I… our genes aren't compatible. He can't get me pregnant. I want to break our mate bond too!" So, just like that, we hatched a plan to escape. After a "car accident," both Alphas' mates vanished. It wasn't until we started our new lives that we found out... We were both pregnant!