Better Off Dead: A Jack Reacher Novel

The life trial system "If You Think You Can Do Better, Prove It" burst onto the scene like a traveling circus promising wonders. The idea was plain enough: "If you reckon someone's life is a mess, and you think you can do better, go ahead and prove it. There's a reward waiting if you do." Before I knew it, my whole family had me pegged for the fool in the middle of the show. There was my mother, dreaming of turning me into some grand goose; my husband, who'd spent years dodging his rightful share of the family load; and my son, mortified by the very sight of me. They shoved me onto the "judgment seat" like I was the villain of the tale. Every last one of them swore up and down that, given my place, they'd manage my life better than I ever could. The stakes? Well, if they pulled it off, my consciousness would be erased—gone, wiped out like a mistake on a chalkboard—and turned into their personal servant. On top of that, they'd waltz off with a cool million dollars. But if they couldn't? Then I'd be the one raking in three million dollars. Now that's a gamble for the ages, isn't it?

Valeria Sienna, gadis berumur 18 tahun masuk ke dalam novel yang dibacanya setelah menjadi korban ke 11 pembunuh berantai saat pulang berbelanja. Menjadi pemeran utama bernama Elleonore tidaklah mudah. Kehidupan yang jauh dari kata bahagia harus dijalani detik itu juga. Sosok papa Elleonore yang menyayangi anak angkatnya dibanding anak kandung, menjadi tantangan sendiri untuk Sienna. Di tambah obsesi gila teman papanya bernama Izekiel yang berusaha melakukan apapun agar Elleonore menjadi miliknya. Tidak segan-segan menyingkirkan orang di sekeliling Elleonore agar obsesi itu tercapai. Ending cerita, Elleonore mati dibunuh kakak angkatnya. Untuk itulah, dengan sekuat tenaga Sienna akan merubah ending ceritanya.

I fall for Asher Kline, the son of Mom and Dad's sworn enemy, and chase him for three years. When we finally start dating, our private life becomes full of debauchery. From tents and luxury cars to lounges and studies, any place that offers privacy and a thrill becomes ours. We push into every advanced position we can manage, filming plenty of steamy videos along the way. Then one day, I overhear him chatting with his best friend. "Aren't you taking it too far, using Rhea to get back at her parents? Maybe you should drop it and find another way." "No. I'm sticking with it. When the time comes, I'll leak those videos of us. Those two old farts will be so furious that they'll choke on their own rage. That's exactly what I want." "But you've been with her so long. Don't you feel anything for her?" "No. I only approached her to get revenge and destroy her family's company." I'm crushed when I realize his so-called love is filled with nothing but payback and scheming. But when I walk away and am about to marry someone else, he falls apart and begs me to forgive him.

Matagal pinangarap ni Fae makatuluyan sa paglaki ang kinakapatid, pero d-in-ate nito at pakakasalan ang kanyang college bestfriend. Heartbroken man, dumalo siya sa kasal kaso fake pala ang invite kagagawan ng malditang babae. So... napahiya siya, nakagawa ng eskandalo, at niligtas ni Jigo na bestfriend ng groom bago siya mapahamak sa kalasingan noong gabing iyon. He ends up carrying her to his suite—right into a perfect rebound situation. Jigo is decent, a gentleman—alright. And drop-dead gorgeous! Wala nang Carl so who cares if she goes for another man? She discovers a perfect Mr. Rebound behind closed doors. Hot sex, sweet talk, flirting... she's so comfortable with him kaya pinutol agad ni Fae ang weekend at tumakas. She can't fall in love with a rebound! Noong kumatok ito sa kanyang pinto sa Manila all familiar and real, she's already missing him like crazy. Hindi na siya lumaban... and the next days and nights are the best of her life! She starts to hope that maybe, walang Mr. Rebound. Maybe... he's actually Mr. Right.

I hated the heroine. Now I am her. When nineteen-year-old Ashley slips in the bathroom and dies with popcorn in her hair and a love letter unsent, she wakes up inside the worst romance novel she’s ever read as Arianna Salvatore, the pathetic, weepy female lead she couldn’t stand. The catch? Everyone thinks she faked a suicide attempt to win back Damian, her cruel, emotionally unavailable husband. And her sister? She’s gunning for him next. Ashley wants out. But the book has other plans and if she’s going to survive this twisted love triangle, she’ll have to rewrite the story herself. Goodbye, tragic heroine. Hello, chaos.

Simula ng magkaisip si Hilda Alegre bukod sa pagmamahal at maka-survive wala na siyang ibang hinihiling pa. Inasam niya ang pagmamahal na iyon at proteksyon mula sa sarili nito na ama kalaunan ay nabigo din siya after mag decide ito na ipakasal siya sa italiano na matanda. Naisip ni Hilda hindi nagba-bound sa dugo at laman ang pagmamahal. Pinili ng ama ni Hilda na ibenta siya— dugo niya at laman para mailigtas ang step sister niya na ni walang isang patak ng dugo galing sa ama niya. Umalis si Hilda at tumakas sa kapalarang inilatag sa kaniya ng sariling ama. Hinanap nito ang kalayaan sa italy. "Saan ba ako nagkamamali?" ani ni Hilda na ngayon ay hawak ang ulo habang nakatitig sa pregnancy test na hawak. She marely survive by little lucky of hers and now— may isa pa siyang buhay na kailangan protektahan. "Hindi nga ako sigurado sino ang tao na nakasama ko sa kwarto." May pagkakautang siya na need bayaran kay Arthur Cage Nicastro kaya tinanggap niya ang mission na bantayan ang anak nito na si Aron Nicastro. But during mission may nangyari na aksidente. Lasing siya 'non at ang huling nakasama niya ay si Aron Nicastro. "Importante ba sino ang ama?" bulong ni Hilda tapos sumandal sa sofa. Walang buhay ang mga mata na tiningnan mabuti ang pregnancy test. "If nag-fail ang mission, nakahanap ako ng opportunity at the end— if gusto ko mabuhay. Kailangan ko ulit tumakas at wala ako balak iwan ang bata na ito. Sino 'man sa dalawang Nicastro ang ama."

When I return to the day I discover my husband, David Stone, is cheating on me, I immediately switch shifts with my colleague. In my previous life, David had been fooling around with my best friend, Roxanne Lane, in his car when they got into an accident and were rushed to the hospital. When I received the news, I hurried there at once and saw them tangled together, naked, in the aftermath of the wreck. My colleague operated on them, and both of them survived. However, the shock was too much for me, and I passed out. When I woke up, David sent me divorce papers, demanding that I leave the marriage empty-handed. Citing his affair, I demanded half of his assets. In response, he sneered, "Me? Cheating? Where's the evidence?" That was when I remembered that I had fainted before taking any photos. The hospital's surveillance cameras happened to be down that day, leaving me without a shred of proof. I lost the case and walked out with nothing. On the day of the divorce, broke and numb, I stumbled out of the courthouse and was hit by a car. Now, the moment I open my eyes again, I'm back on the day David and Roxanne are taken to the hospital.

“Dad What do you mean, you sold me to the Russian mob?” Ana never thought her father capable of betrayal, but the truth hits harder than she ever imagined. Sold to New York’s most feared Bratva boss, Dmitri Orlov, Ana’s life turns into a waking nightmare. Dmitri is a man whispered about in dark alleys—a ruthless crime lord with a reputation carved in blood. With his sharp suits, chilling smile, and a voice that can command armies, he’s the very definition of danger. And now, he owns Ana. Their arrangement is simple: she’s the price her father paid, and Dmitri has no intention of letting her forget it. Cold and calculating, he’s determined to use Ana to exact his revenge. But there’s a darker, more complicated truth behind Dmitri’s anger. The beast with a soul as black as midnight has a weakness—and it’s her. Every heated touch, every possessive growl, chips away at Ana’s defenses. Despite her fear, she starts to see glimpses of the man behind the monster, the one who wants to claim her not just in body, but in soul. But falling for Dmitri was never part of the plan, especially when she discovers she’s carrying his child. Now Ana’s running for her life, caught between her father’s betrayal and Dmitri’s wrath. But there’s one thing she can’t escape—the fact that no matter how far she goes, she belongs to him. And Dmitri will stop at nothing to bring his wife—and his heir—home. Because in their world, “till death do us part” isn’t just a vow—it’s a warning.

There are monsters in this world. And they used to be us. Now it's time to euthanize to survive in a hospice where Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. Post-infection Chicago. Christmas. Inside The Hospice, Emily and her fellow nurses do their rounds. Here, men and women live out their final days in comfort, segregated from society, and are then humanely terminated before fate turns them into marrow-craving monsters known as ‘Smilers.’ Outside these imposing walls, rabid protesters swarm with signs, caught up in the heat of their hatred. Emily, a woman haunted by her past, only wants to do her job and be the best mother possible. But in a world where mortality means nothing, where guns are drawn in fear and nobody seems safe anymore – at what cost will this pursuit come? And through it all, the soon to be dead remain silent, ever smiling. Such is their curse. It won't be long before that snow-speckled ground will be salted by blood. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

My name is Hazel Falken, and I am the only daughter of the Base Commander during the apocalypse. Even though it is the apocalypse, I am still spoiled left and right by my family and raised to be their little princess at home. My dad, Ernest Falken, is worried that I will marry into a family that will mistreat me. So, he decides to choose four husband candidates and bring them up in our own home for me to pick from when I'm older. In my past life, I chose Curtis Granger, whom I have liked for a long while, when Dad asked me to pick my husband. However, not long after our marriage, Curtis volunteers himself as a guard to be stationed outside the base perimeter. He never returns home after that, and I am left living as a widow in the safety of the base's inner district. 30 years later, when my hair has turned fully white, I decide that I can't wait for him anymore and go out to find him. I then realize that he has formed another family outside the base without my knowing. It then dawns on me that Curtis never liked me. He had also only married me because he wanted to repay Dad for bringing him up. Not long after that, a wave of zombies attacks us. Curtis pushes me down and shields me under his body. "Hazel, I know that I never should've lied to you. I'll give up my life to repay the kindness that Commander Falken has shown to me. "But if there is a next life, I hope that you won't pick me again." When I open my eyes again, I find out that I have travelled back in time to the day when Dad asks me to pick my husband. "Hazel, these four people are my right-hand men. Whom would you like to pick as your husband?"