Booker Prize 2024 Longlist

"They say the rich live beyond consequence. That no one bleeds behind a billion-dollar smile. They've clearly never met Rico Zane." Aria Lane didn't mean to sleep with a total stranger. Especially not the battered, bleeding man she pulled in off the sidewalk outside of an elite Manhattan nightclub. He had haunted eyes and a tempest brewing behind them. They had one night of weakness. One unforgettable mistake. And by morning, he'd vanished. Months later, she's now pregnant and swimming in secrets, Aria's life takes another sharp turn when stumbles into the father of her child again. This time, he's not bleeding in the shadows, he's standing in light and power. Rico Zane is not just anyone. He's the cold, brilliant CEO of Zane Industries. A billionaire who built a dynasty from the ruins of treachery and smashes anyone who gets in his path. And Aria? She's unfortunately the daughter of the one man who tried to ruin his family. To make matters more complicated, Rico's brother, who was presumed dead for years, returns to take the company and exact revenge on a past Aria is tied to by blood. While corporate wars rage and enemies loom in designer suits, Aria is swept up in a war of secrets, seduction, and strategy. She's both a pawn and a prize in a game of power where love is a liability… and trust a slow poison. Now forced into Rico's dangerous world for the sake of her unborn child, Aria must make a decision: does she stay with the man who sees her as both his weakness and his salvation? Or does she become the woman capable of rewriting her fate one secret at a time?

In my last life, my brother Leo—the heir to the Moretti crime family—stripped our estate bare of every last soldier, all for a Vegas jaunt. All because his new flame, Scarlett, had a jones for the high-roller tables. The Volkovs—our rivals, the very ones Leo had just pissed off—saw their opening and stormed our gates. My mother, Sofia, took a bullet meant for me. Died protecting me. I blew up Leo’s phone, my pleas turning to screams. He didn't answer. He waltzed back in after the shooting stopped, bringing our men home, but far too late for it to matter. Then, the news from Vegas. Scarlett was gone. A suicide note left behind. In it, she painted me as the monster. The one who’d leaked our weaknesses to the Volkovs. The one who'd orchestrated a fake kidnapping and torture plot, all to drive her to despair and lure Leo home. A perfect, tragic lie. Leo read the letter calmly. Then he burned the letter and told me, "Forget it. It's handled." Father tore into Leo for abandoning his post, for leaving his family to die. And me? I was named the new Consigliere. But after the celebration, Leo cornered me in the wine cellar. His face was a mask of cold fury as he pressed the barrel of his gun to my forehead. "This is for family traitors," he hissed, his voice pure venom. "The throne is my birthright, not some backstabbing bitch's prize!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Right in the middle of the fire and the blood. This time, I shoved my mother behind me, dragging her toward the panic room. And the bastards who were too blind to believe me? They’ll regret it.

As I walked through the dimly lit hallway, my heart was still racing, my breath uneven from the whirlwind of emotions that had consumed me in the last few hours. Then, my eyes flickered up, catching sight of the metal plaque bolted to the doorpost "Wing 1." A cold chill ran down my spine. My body went rigid as Otto’s letter flashed vividly in my mind, the words echoing as if he said it directly to my face "Room 316. Wing 2." No. No. No. No. Oh, God. A sickening wave of realization crashed over me, leaving me breathless. The man in the grey suit… He had smiled, nodded, and gestured me down this hallway. So confident. So sure. And like a fool, I had followed. I had made a mistake. A colossal, irreversible mistake. My stomach twisted violently as the truth settled in, thick and suffocating. I had entered the wrong wing. The wrong room. The wrong bed. I had given myself to a stranger. My heartbeat pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else. The world tilted, my vision blurred. What had I done? How far is too far? In this encapsulating masterpiesce, Sucre is down for whatever gets him closer to taking revenge on Otto - his twin brother's killer. But, would he really do all that is necessary? Would he chose his ambition over that of Luca the cartel’s underboss and his lover? Can he stop the knife and gun violence on campus and win the five million dollars prize money? Dive into a story of love, betrayal, romance and suspense. The Cartel’s Forbidden Love is a gripping and intriguing read that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

...“You can’t win this trial. The pack is against you. Your father is against you. Even your friend…” He paused. “Even she has betrayed you.” Kael’s eyes locked on mine, hard as iron. “So I’ll give you a choice. Trust me, and I’ll make sure you live.” “Trust you? You just claimed me like I was some prize to steal. You said you would kill me if I lost control.” “And I meant it,” he said, voice flat. “But I won’t let them tear you apart like animals. If you let me, I’ll fake your defeat. I’ll claim you fully... On the night of her eighteenth birthday, Lyra Vale’s first shift should have bound her to her pack. Instead, it marked her as the monster they fear most. Born under the cursed Blood Moon Oath, she is fated to either unite the supernatural world… or reduce it to ash. Now every faction wants her blood; the Vampire Courts whisper her name as the key to breaking their chains, while the Witch Sanctum swears she is a mistake of prophecy and her own pack and her family would rather see her buried than crowned. But fate is never merciful. Lyra’s soul is bound to a mate who is both her fiercest protector and her deadliest enemy. A boy who swore an oath that might kill her… and break her in ways no blade could. As betrayal coils tighter than love in a world where alliances shift like shadows and every truth has fangs, Lyra must decide: Will she chain the beast inside her or unleash it? This is because under the Blood Moon, even salvation tastes like blood, every choice bleeds and under the Blood Moon, will love be a weapon?

When Yelton Group tanked, their CEO and his wife showed up at our door, begging for a marriage alliance. My dad, thinking I was still head-over-heels for Rosie after ten freaking years, threw a million into their sinking ship and signed me up to marry Rosie. Wedding night? She blindfolded me and kept whispering how bad she wanted it. A month later, I tested positive for an STD. Then I caught her bragging to her friends. "Quinn got wrecked by, like, a dozen girls," she laughed. "Wanna guess who gave him the infection?" Her friends were cracking up. "I scouted all the grossest red-light spots," one said. "Each one's got a different flavor." "Just wait," another giggled. "When the symptoms hit hard, we'll know who wins." Rosie added, "Prize money's ready. Soon as we figure it out, she gets paid." That's when it hit me. It wasn't Rosie in bed that night—it was a lineup of strangers she set up. I lost it. Went straight to her, demanded answers. She didn't even flinch. "Mad? Please. If you hadn't dangled that million to force me into this marriage—or scared Caleb off—do you think I'd waste my time on you? "Once Caleb forgives me, you're done." I asked for a divorce. She locked me in the basement. "Chill," she said. "We're still placing bets on who gave you the STD." Six months later, I died down there. Just rotted away. Then I woke up—right back on the day her parents came begging for that deal. Only this time, on the wedding day? She was the one crying.

Eighty-five filthy stories. Eighty-five ways to fuck you raw. This isn’t romance. This is 100% sex—cocks filling dripping pussies, tongues licking where they shouldn’t, and hands pinning you down until you’re begging for release. A thousand sins running in your veins, and not one you’ll regret. From priests breaking their vows to fuck you on the altar, to stepfathers spreading you open on the kitchen counter…You’ll taste the sweat of a gym instructor’s private session… making you moan with every “stretch,” to professors grading your obedience with their cock deep in your throat—this collection will leave you soaked, shaking, and ruined. Your landlord will make you pay rent in the filthiest ways imaginable. You’ll be sold to the highest bidder at a dark, private auction, stripped and displayed like a prize to be claimed. Doctors will have you naked on their table, touching you in ways that have nothing to do with medicine, while gynecologists spread you wide and push deep, “examining” you until you’re dripping down their gloves. These virgins will get their bellies pumped full of cum, fingers ripping through tight, wet walls until they’re screaming, crying, and begging for more. Rough punishments, public fucks, forbidden touches, and nights so dirty you’ll need to shower twice—only to touch yourself all over again. Get your towels. Get your tissues. Get ready to be fucked by every fantasy you’ve ever had… and a hundred you didn’t know you wanted. If you can’t handle raw, filthy, dripping-hot sex—close the book. If you want your pussy aching, your ass red, and your mind corrupted—welcome to your new favorite addiction.

Lyric Greyheart spent years living the life everyone expected of her. She was the perfect Luna, perfect daughter, and perfect mate, but behind closed doors, the truth was nothing but blood and heartbreak. Every night, Lyric was forced to endure the agony of her mate's betrayal. And when Lyric finally snapped and invoked an ancient law to break their sacred bond, she uncovered a truth that put her life in danger: her freedom came at a prize almost too big to pay. Forced into hiding, Lyric leaves her pack and the world she was born into. She settles in a quiet coastal town and opens a small ice cream shop, trying to build a life that is gentle instead of brutal. A life without fear, without duty, without eyes watching her womb as if she were nothing more than an incubator meant to bring the next heir into the world. She has no wolf, no pack, and no intention to ever belong to anyone again. Then Noah Locke walks into her shop. He looks nothing like the tourists who usually wander in for soda floats and sundaes. Sharp suit, dangerous presence, eyes that see far more than they should. Lyric doesn’t know who he is or why he feels so familiar, but Noah is the kind of man who doesn't take no for an answer. And he keeps coming back. Asking questions she doesn’t want to even think about. He watcher her like he's been waiting for her his whole life. Lyric escaped a mate who tried to own her, and she has no idea she just crossed paths with a man even more powerful and far more dangerous than her ex-mate. A man, who will burn the world to the ground to keep her from harm

She’s a widow by day, a wild biker by night. Two ruthless men want her. Only one will own her in the end. Carlotta Russo survived her marriage to the cruel Alpha Dante—now, at just eighteen, she’s a widow with scars and secrets. By daylight, she keeps her head down, playing the good girl everyone wants to break. But after dark, she becomes a legend on the city’s underground racetrack—leather-clad, fearless, riding her bike like she’s running from hell itself. And hell is coming for her—twice. Gabriel, the school’s dangerous king, wants her on her knees, desperate for his touch. Paxton, the cocky, blue-eyed street racer, wants her screaming his name, begging for more. They don’t just want her. They want to own her. Tonight, the rules are simple—first to catch her, first to claim her. The loser walks away. The winner gets Carlotta in his bed. All night. No limits. “You want a taste, Gabriel?” Paxton smirks, eyes dark with hunger. “Beat me on the track. Winner takes her home.” Gabriel’s grin is pure sin. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll make you forget you ever belonged to another man.” Carlotta’s heart races almost as fast as her bike. She should run. She should fight. But every wicked promise, every hungry glance, makes her body ache for more. In the dark, between burning engines and hotter hands, she’s the prize in a game that will break every rule—and maybe her. Widow. Biker. Bad girl in the making. Tonight, Carlotta will be claimed. But when the sun comes up, who will she be calling Daddy? 18+ ONLY. BDSM, EROTIC, AND RAW HOT SCENES INSIDE. Read this book if you want to cum hard and beg for more.

WARNING: RATED 18+| NO RAPE!!! Excerpt; "Was I a good girl?" she hiccupped, her bare skin flushed and glowed as she rolled across the sheets like she owned the bed—and him. Six weeks without his touch had scraped her raw. She was slowly losing touch of her sanity. "You did good, Penguin," Alanis said, his voice low and rough as he reached for his tie. And just like that, the spell cracked. He was leaving...again. It wasn't fair, she had to remain in the shadows, while her perfect half-sister was rubbing his chest in public. Poppy slammed the door shut, while she arranged her robe, her eyes wet and wild. "Can you… stay… just one more night?" He hesitated. And she saw it, the guilt and pull. "You know how this—" Something made him stop mid-sentence. His gaze dropped. One sharp breath, and he was staring at her peaked nipple like it was a commandment. "Please?" she breathed, arching toward him. With a low growl, he tossed her back on the bed because he had been starved, and he was ready to devour his Penguin. ... Poppy never had a chance to be the golden girl. Not with a cruel stepmother, and a father who forgot she even existed. Penelope was given everything that belonged to Poppy. Now Penny's prize? A diamond ring—a wedding to Alanis Caelum, Velmora's most powerful billionaire. Cold, brilliant, and devastatingly magnetic. To everyone but Poppy. Because before he became Penny’s perfect fiancé, he belonged to Poppy—in the dark, in secret, in sin. He knows her body like a weapon. He calls her Penguin with a growl that makes her knees buckle. And when he’s inside her, he forgets who he's supposed to love. She had him wrapped so tight, he forgot the world.

"Finders keepers," Deangelo growled, his voice all sharp edges. "I found her first, commoners, she belongs to me. The only reason she's still breathing is because I saved her from that fucking fire." Romano snorted, pushing his way further inside. "You think you can just claim her like that? She's not a damn trophy, Scorpion." Fernando gave a series of hand gestures in sign language. Deangelo translated, "You may have found her, but that does not make her yours. We have a stake here, Papi." Vincenzo's voice cut like a knife through the tension. "This isn't some playground game. She's a person, not a prize to be fought over?" As their voices rose, they suddenly fell silent, snapping their eyes to Rosita. She was rushing towards the door. DeAngelo's eyes narrowed as he took a step towards her. "Little peasant, don't even think about it." **** Rosita's life has been anything but ordinary. Homeschooled and sheltered by her overprotective father after a near-fatal stalking incident, she dreams of escaping to college and pursuing her passion for music. But her father's plans to enroll her in an online university leave her feeling trapped and desperate. On the day, she finally decides to away, a fire overtakes their home, trapping her in her room. Just when she thinks all hope is lost, her metal door is broken down—not by her father, but by Deangelo Luis Valladares, the most-feared mafia drug lord in the whole of Mexico. With an intriguing, sinister smile, he extends his hand to Rosita through the smoke-filled room. Will Rosita take his hand and let him save her, or will she be taken by force? Can a breathtaking beauty like Rosita survive in a world ruled by mafia dons who live like kings and control Mexico City?