Cookie Lyons Empire Novels & Stories

At her own engagement party, Cassie Reeves is humiliated in front of the elite when her fiancé chooses her best friend instead, turning her heartbreak into a public spectacle. But before the whispers can settle, his brother makes an offer. Dominic Hale has always lived in the shadow of the perfect heir, dismissed as reckless and underestimated by everyone who matters. Marrying Cassie is supposed to be a strategic move to secure power, restore his place in the family, and take everything his brother never thought he could. For Cassie, it’s simple. Revenge, reputation, and a chance to rewrite the narrative. Six months, one contract, no feelings. But the man she thought was a mistake becomes her strongest ally, her safest place, and the one person who sees her clearly. As more secrets unfold and betrayal cuts deeper than expected, Cassie realizes this was never just a game. The most dangerous move wasn’t marrying her ex’s brother. It was falling for him.

Seraphine Hale, a genius musician, announces her return to the country. When a reporter asks whether she's back for her first love, she smiles icily. "Are you talking about that trash? It wouldn't be any of my business even if he were to drop dead tomorrow." What she doesn't know is that I've already been dead for close to a decade.

I've been caught in a relationship with a divorced man for eight years. We've broken up and reconciled too many times to count. In the end, I tallied ninety-four breakups and five divorces between us. One more would make it an even hundred, but I'm too exhausted to continue this cycle. The first breakup happened when I was giving him my virginity. Halfway through, his ex-wife called asking him to pick up some bread, and he simply left. The fifth breakup occurred when he abandoned me, newly pregnant, on the highway to comfort his ex-wife who was having complications with her own pregnancy. I ended up in a car accident and miscarried. He arrived at the hospital with his clothes disheveled. Despite all the pain he caused me, I could never bring myself to truly leave him. Our most recent divorce happened for an equally absurd reason. His ex-wife and their child were participating in a family reality TV show that required them to appear as a complete family unit. To protect his ex-wife's public image, he divorced me yet again. When filming wrapped, he called to discuss remarrying. This time I refused, because I'm going to marry someone else.

Angela Bailey spent six years believing her marriage was built on love, only to discover her devoted husband was nothing more than a polished illusion. When she filed for divorce and asked her daughter to leave with her, the little girl clung to another woman’s hand and called her “Mom.” Donald Turner, cold and entitled, told her, “As long as you apologize to Nina, you can still live your high-society life.” Angela scoffed. “You might not even stay in high society yourself.” She walked out of the Turner household with nothing, determined to rebuild her life from the ground up. With her own talent and grit, she joined a new company and went head-to-head with her ex. Just when Donald realized his mistake and wanted her back, another man stepped into Angela’s life—someone who protected her openly, supported her quietly, and cherished her without hesitation. Donald regretted everything and wanted her back. He appeared with their daughter, eyes red as he pleaded, “I’ll give you the entire Turner family. Please love me and our daughter again.” The man beside Angela laughed. “The Turner family? That means nothing. Angela doesn’t need it. And as for a daughter…” He looked at Angela, and together they said, “We already have one.”

Nia, after losing the man she loved—Ares—to a sacrifice she didn’t deserve, Nia’s life ended in guilt and heartbreak. But death isn’t her escape. Instead, the Moon Goddess Selene offers her a deal: live again in the bodies of women who met tragic ends, rewrite their stories, and fill a glowing necklace with enough energy to bring Ares’s soul back. There’s just one catch: Ares’s soul, it’s shattered, scattered across the worlds she’ll enter, hidden in the men who make her heart race and her pulse pound. From forbidden kisses with a nobleman who knows too much, to heated nights in a warrior’s tent, and the tender touch of an artist who paints her like he’s worshiping her body, every life brings her closer to completing her mission—and losing herself to desire. But as the necklace glows brighter, the truth becomes harder to ignore: these men aren’t just strangers. They’re pieces of Ares, tempting her to fall in love all over again. Will Nia bring back the man she lost, or will the fragments of him in every lover leave her longing for more than one lifetime can handle?

Claire has had a crushed on her best friend's dad, Rawls, since she was sixteen years old. Now that she is all grown up, she wants it to be so much more. Does she take the chance and tell him how she feels? Or does she just sit in her window and dream about him.

Mayson has come back to her home town to help take care of her dad, who is ill. She left the town of Chance years ago and hadn’t planned on coming back. The first person who had her heart and also broke it lives in Chance. She will do everything in her power to avoid him but will fate step in and give them a second chance.

Rosalie Lardner has 19 chances to get Brandon Searle into bed. Succeed just once, and she wins. Fail all 19, and she loses the title of "Mrs. Searle" for good. This is the bet she made with Brandon's stepmother—a deal she signed with complete confidence. But unfortunately, she fails every single time. Eighteen attempts, 18 failures. Now, it all comes down to the 19th try.

"You don’t know what you’re playing with." He murmured, His hand traced a slow path down my arm, fingers firm but deliberate, sending a shiver straight to my core. "You are scared" “I’m not.” I whispered. He smiled. “You should be.” Before I could think, he closed the distance, his lips crashing onto mine, rough, urgent, claiming and fierce, consuming fire of his touch. "I can't stop. I don't won't to." Then he claimed my lips again. And soon, my lips moved. I was kissing back. This shouldn’t be happening. Just then footsteps echoed. “Rylan—stop, someone’s coming—” But his hands only gripped my waist tighter, holding me still. he whispered. “Let them. I don’t care.” then his lips crashed against mine, harder. I tried turning away but he grabbed my neck and stuck his tongue into my mouth. "Rylan please." my eyes dart to the door. "Stop." I struggled. His hand slipped down to grab my ass. Squeezing it tightly. "If you weren't wearing a jean, I would have stuck my fingers right into your holes. Fuck." He hissed then continued. A light knock sounded at the door followed by the twisting handle. No! ★ Some-secrets are born in fire... and some desires, forged in darkness. Alyssa Milano carries a past she can’t outrun-one soaked in blood, silence, and a secret that could ruin her. At fifteen, her innocence was stolen. Rylan Russo is danger, ruthless, powerful, and used to getting what he wants. When he sets sights on Alyssa, their worlds collide in a storm of obsession and desire. Is this a love story tocall? In a world where trust is poison and passion is a weapon, Alyssa must choose her path. A dark, twisted romance where survival comes at a cost.

Anne Mancini died six years ago. At least, that’s what Luca Romani—the ruthless Don of the Italian mafia—was forced to believe. He mourned her. Buried her memory deep inside his cold, violent heart. But he never stopped loving the woman who vanished without a trace. Now she’s back. Alive. Hiding under a false name. Desperate to uncover the truth about her past while protecting the son Luca was never supposed to know existed. But secrets do not survive in Luca’s world. When he discovers Anne alive after years of grief and betrayal, his love turns into obsession. His obsession turns into revenge. And revenge becomes something far more dangerous when he realizes the woman he hates is still the only one capable of destroying him. Because Anne carries more than secrets. She carries his child. His past. And a bloodline tied to Luca’s greatest enemy—the Russian mafia. Caught between two criminal empires, hunted by enemies on all sides, Anne and Luca are dragged into a brutal war fueled by betrayal, obsession, jealousy, and a love neither of them can kill. He should destroy her. Instead, he burns the world for her. But in the mafia, love is never gentle…And obsession always comes with blood. The Don’s Sinful Obsession is a dark mafia romance filled with enemies-to-lovers tension, secret children, betrayal, possessive antiheroes, dangerous passion, mafia wars, and emotionally addictive twists.