Black Water Joyce Carol Oates

They say Paris is a home for love, a home where broken hearts come to heal and lonely souls hope to begin again. A place where the streets carry stories of passion, mistakes, and second chances, and where people arrive believing that somewhere between the cafés, the quiet alleys, and the lights of the city, they might find the love they lost or the love they have been waiting for. But I didn’t just find love. I found a love so forbidden that even the sun had to look away. I did everything according to my checklist. But being fucked every night by my Boss and his step son was never on the list. My name is Elara, and this is my story.

In the heart of Cedar Grove, shadows conceal more than secrets— they whisper truths. Dr. Isla Rivers never thought she'd return to her small hometown, let alone to the clinic her father built. But after his mysterious disappearance, Isla steps into his shoes, seeking solace among furry patients and the echoes of a life she left behind. The quiet town holds more than nostalgia, though. Strange sounds haunt her clinic, shadows stretch unnaturally, and whispers from her childhood dreams beckon her toward the unknown. When a journal marked with her father’s enigmatic crescent moon symbol appears, Isla is thrust into a world she never imagined—one where werewolves roam the woods, a prophecy threatens to unravel reality, and her own bloodline holds a secret more powerful than she’s ready to face. Guided by a cryptic stranger named Astra and an unwelcome connection to Luca Moreau, the brooding alpha of the local pack, Isla must confront the truth about her father’s disappearance, her heritage, and the prophecy that ties her fate to the Crescent Moon pack. But as passions ignite and dangers close in, Isla must decide who to trust and what sacrifices she’s willing to make—for love, for family, and for the truth that could reshape both the human and werewolf worlds forever. Welcome to Cedar Grove. The wolves are waiting.

When Thalia wakes reborn in the heart of Silverpine—a secluded werewolf pack—she remembers only fragments: the terror of her escape, the fire she unleashed, the coven sisters she left behind. Haunted by guilt and desperate to hide her witch’s power, Thalia is forced to play the role of the Alpha’s fated mate to protect herself and the pack from enemies within and without. Silverpine is a fortress of secrets, suspicion, and pack law. The council circles, hungry for weakness. Livia, the Alpha’s rival, wants Thalia gone. Only a handful know the truth of Thalia’s magic—and if word spreads, it will mean death for her and danger for the wolves she’s learning to care for. As she navigates brutal trials and dangerous alliances, Thalia is drawn to Rowan, the troubled Alpha who carries scars—physical and emotional—from battles with witches long past. Their fake engagement ignites a bond that neither can ignore, but trust is as dangerous as betrayal. When Rowan’s need for a mate clashes with Thalia’s instinct for survival, both are forced to confront the wounds of their pasts. Haunted by memories of her old coven—of Mira, the friend she left to burn—Thalia must decide: keep hiding, or reclaim the full force of her power. But the magic that saved her may destroy everything she’s come to love. As rival packs close in and the council demands blood, Thalia must choose between saving Silverpine and saving herself. In the ashes of her past, can she forge a new future—or will old betrayals rise to consume them all? A witch among wolves. A lie that can’t last. And a power that refuses to stay buried.

Angela Baker is forced to marry a self centered, Arrogant handsome man Nathaniel Williams, a Mafia boss by her mother who is keeping a big secret from her. It turns out Nathan is her adopted brother hence the reason why Mr Williams arranged the marriage with Mrs Baker so he can keep the wealth and family secrets in the family and have his blood as the future heir of the Williams fortune . Now that the secret is out Angela decides to take over the empire while crushing anyone who gets in her way.

Four years ago, I committed the ultimate sin. I almost killed my adoptive mother, and for that, I was sentenced to a living hell. My father caged my wolf, stripped my dignity, and bartered me off like livestock to a ruthless CEO to seal a blood alliance. I didn't fight. I didn't scream. I quietly accepted the chains and walked away from the fated mate bond I shared with my step-brother. Damon Enzo Vitale was my first heartbreak—the man I once loved, and the man who truly hated me. Now, I’m back in Vesper City, but the girl Damon once knew is gone. In her place stands a woman shattered by a monster’s touch, clutching a dying daughter to her chest. I have nowhere left to run except into the arms of the man I once sacrificed everything to leave. -- Ophelia Vitale is a harbinger of ruin and a shameless seductress. Four years ago, she brought our family to the brink of collapse and walked away from the fated mate bond we shared without a backward glance. I, Damon Enzo Vitale, have spent every night since fueling my hatred for her, trying to burn away the memories she left branded on my soul. But the woman who collapsed on that highway isn’t the girl I remember. She’s covered in scars I can’t explain and carrying a child with my family's eyes. As I look into the trauma she’s desperate to hide, the foundations of my world begin to crack. Was my hatred truly valid? Or had I been blinded by a web of lies designed to destroy us both?

Jeffrey leaned against the door, his eyes locked on Ronald. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?” he asked, his voice low. “Like you’re holding something back.” Ronald’s stare didn’t waver, “Because I am.” Jeffrey stepped closer, heat building up between them. “Then stop.” Ronald’s fingers brushed his jaw, slow and intentional. “You have no idea what I’d do to you if I let go.” “I’m not afraid of you,” Jeffrey whispered. “I’m afraid you won’t.” The tension grew as Ronald’s lips were only a breath away from his. “Say it,” he said. Jeffrey didn’t blink. “I want you. I’ve always wanted you.” That was all it took. Ronald grabbed him by the waist and pulled him in with a wild kiss… ***** Ronald was to be engaged to seal a business alliance between both families, unknown to them that he was into men. The night before his engagement, he found a man that stole his heart. And this man happened to be his fiancée’s brother. Would Ronald overcome his desire, or would he choose love? Explore a tale of romance, suspense, treachery, and love. The fascinating novel ‘LOVE IS WAR’ will have you reading until the very last page.

Banished from her pack for being wolfless, sold to an Alpha as a sex slave, her family killed… Lyric Adams has much to face for a mere eighteen-year-old innocent woman. Hope keeps her going, and the search for true love and acceptance drives her onward.

Ten years ago, Seraphine was cast out in disgrace when her father was condemned for murdering the Alpha’s son. Now she’s back—stronger, deadlier, and hungry for the truth that destroyed her childhood. But the boy who once shared her secrets is now the ruthless Alpha who refuses to let her leave. Zephyr is convinced she’s returned for blood, and he’ll keep her caged before he lets her tear apart everything he’s built. What he doesn’t expect is the mate bond that ignites between them like wildfire. What she doesn’t expect is how much she still wants the man who never fought for her. Trapped together in a deadly game of dominance and desire, neither realizes that the real killer walks among them—watching, waiting, and willing to destroy them both to keep the past buried. Some betrayals cut deeper than claws. Some truths are worth dying for. And some mates are worth forgiving.

Hazel Queen had loved her husband with all her heart for three years. But the one thing she never saw coming was the cold, shocking truth: he wanted a divorce because his mistress was pregnant. Heartbroken and betrayed, Hazel decides to move on and returns to Queen Corp, where she steps into her true role as the powerful female president, worth hundreds of millions. This revelation shocks her ex-husband, Damon Price, who never knew that the woman he left behind was the mastermind behind the famous Queen Corp—the Heiress of the Queen family, who had supposedly died in a fire three years ago.

I, Xavier Locke, had married the same woman, Melanie Slater, seven times. But for the sake of her first love, Leonard Blueman, she divorced me seven times. The first time we got married, she told me, "I'll only love you for the rest of my life." But every time Leonard came back to the country, she sang a different tune. "Can't you be more sensible? How can you bear to stand by and let Lenny be called a homewrecker who snatches a married woman from her husband?" The first time we divorced, I cut my wrists to make her stay. I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, but she never showed up even once to see me. The third time we divorced, I humbled myself and applied to be her assistant at her company. I did that just so I could see her a little more. By the sixth divorce, I had learned to quietly pack my things and move out of the home we shared. My hysteria, my repeated backing down, and my tolerant compromises brought me nothing—just Melanie repeatedly divorcing and remarrying me. Time and time again, she pulled the same trick. With history repeating itself, I decided enough was enough. After hearing that Leonard was coming back again, this time, I handed her the divorce papers myself. As always, she set a date for our next remarriage. But what she didn't know… was that I was leaving for good this time.