Duke Library Hours Novels & Stories

Matt Simpson meets Tess Holloway on a dating app through with the help of his friend Greg. They (Matt and Tess) go out on a coffee date where they bond after which they fall in love. It doesn’t take long before they get married. It doesn’t take long before tragedy strike. Tess dies a few hours after her childbirth throwing Matt into a deep sorrow. This incident leaves Matt totally devasted knowing how heartbroken he has been all his life after he lost his parents at an early age and also a series of heartbreaks. After some time, Matt decides to give Love another shot but after a few dates, he gives up any hope at getting a shot at love and tries to concentrate on raising his son. Just when he thinks he had forgot about the way Love feels, destiny smiles at him in a such a way that he never imagined. Gradually Matt is thrown into the dilemma of coping with stress of being a single Dad and maintaining a relationship with Karen who has just fallen in love with. He has to decided whether to be a father to his son or give up the custody of his son to Joan (Tess’s Mum) just to be with Karen.

BXB Kane Trésor is annoyed that he had to move six hours away, into a new home and even worse, share a room with his step-sister Ally. Even the new school he has to attend has the most annoying type of kids, and let's not even mention the jocks that truly believe they're up and above everyone else. But Kane has to include himself in the surrounding, that was why he agreed to go to the welcome party at a football guy's house. Kane was having a good time, but he found a few people playing pool downstairs. And that's when he met him. Jay Kalister had been intriguing from the moment he met him. He was frail, pale and had the most beautiful blond curls he had ever seen. He was way too friendly, and Kane cannot help but pursue a friendship with this boy. But there are secrets that a being kept...something happened months ago that nobody speak on, but everyone knows happened. And it involves Ally, Jay and Jasper, the captain of the football team. They did something to Jay, but nobody's admitting to it, and Ally tries to break the friendship between Kane and Jay as much as she can before he uncovers the truth. But she never realized how difficult it would be to break such a bond...certainly when feelings start to surface between Kane and Jay....

My boyfriend's childhood sweetheart bound herself to a transfer system: everything she ate would be redirected straight into my stomach. She opened a streaming account and broadcast herself eating for twelve hours straight. She earned a fortune. Meanwhile, I collapsed with acute pancreatitis and was rushed to the hospital. When I explained the situation to my boyfriend, he only stared at me like I was insane. "How could something that absurd exist? If food could really be transferred, no one in the world would ever starve. You're just jealous that she's making money from streaming." After that, every time his childhood sweetheart went live, I ended up hospitalized again. I kept hovering between life and death. I sought medical help, but the doctors couldn't explain my condition. Some even wanted to commit me to a psychiatric ward. Then, one day, in order to outdo her rivals in a PK match, she devoured ten pounds of rice in a single sitting. At that very moment, my spleen and stomach ruptured, and I bled to death on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of her very first livestream. This time, I was prepared. I rushed out and bought twenty takeout meals. "This time," I said, "I'll eat first."

Jenna’s life shatters when a dangerous-looking stranger corners her asking about Alpha Caesar, the most feared man on campus, survival instinct kicks in. She lies straight to his face and runs. But fate has other plans. She thinks she's escaped. She's wrong. The man in her bathtub proves it. Caesar—the ruthless alpha himself—is barely alive in her bathtub, his memories scattered like the trail of carnage he left behind. Jenna patches him up, counting the hours until she can shove him out her door and reclaim her quiet life. But when Caesar's eyes finally open, everything changes. He looks at her like she's the answer to a question she never asked. His words raw and impossible; "Mate." One word. Her whole world tilts. Because if Caesar believes she's his mate, whoever tried to kill him will be coming for her next. And the man who can't remember his own name somehow remembers her in ways that make her blood run cold. How can Jenna escape from the possessive grip of the Alpha who have sworn to never let her go?

In the shadowed alleys of Ravenwood, Celeste Osborne finds herself irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic and dangerously alluring Lucian Bathory. Hired as an au pair for the mysterious Bathory family, Celeste quickly discovers that Lucian is no ordinary man—he’s a centuries-old vampire with a thirst for blood and a hunger that goes far beyond the physical. As Celeste is pulled deeper into Lucian’s dark world, the boundaries between fear and desire begin to blur. Her days are filled with tension, but it’s in the secret hours of the night that their passions ignite. Lucian’s touch awakens something wild within her, something she never knew existed, but it comes at a price. His world is one of power, danger, and ancient rivalries, and loving him means embracing a darkness that could consume her whole. As their forbidden romance intensifies, Celeste must decide if she’s willing to surrender to the seductive pull of Lucian’s world, where every kiss could be her last and every touch could bind her to him for eternity. In this tale of love, lust, and immortality, Celeste will learn that some desires are worth risking everything—even her soul. "Crimson Shadows: Forbidden Thirst" is Book I of the Crimson Shadows series. It is a dark and passionate story where love and danger entwine, pushing the boundaries of what it means to surrender to desire.

"Do I feel like I need someone to warm me up?" He asked in a low voice. He had sat up, and suddenly, they were very, very close. "No," I whispered, staring at my hand that stubbornly attached itself to his chest. I had spent hours touching him, trying to find the worst injuries and treating them. But being face to face, where I could count each individual lash on his eyes, felt kind of intimate. I could feel the steady rhythm of his heart if I concentrated hard enough. Without thinking, I stroked his skin softly. He breathed in sharply, and I felt the shudder that ran through him. I felt like I was barely breathing at this point. If I inhale too sharply, something in the air would just snap. "I must admit," He said in a low voice as though it was some kind of confession, "If anyone had ever told me you would be my final undoing, I would never have agreed to allow you become my son's nanny." *** When the ruthless billionaire finds himself falling for the single mother that's supposed to be the nanny of his son, he expects history to repeat itself again. (Possessive, obsessed, nanny, strong female lead, dominating male lead)

Isabella Monroy is hours away from marrying the man she loves — until the night before the wedding turns into a nightmare. After her best friend secretly spikes her drink, Isabella wakes up in the wrong room, half-dressed, with a dangerously handsome stranger stepping out of the bathroom. Her fiancé and her guests witness her leaving the room. And that cost her wedding and reputation. The stranger is Dante Moretti — a seductive billionaire who is secretly the ruthless King of Mafia, known as Draco. Their encounter had been a complete misunderstanding… or so they both thought. Weeks later, with her life in ruins, Isabella runs into Dante again. Sparks and hate collide. Dante is amused by her anger, drawn to her fire, and refuses to stay away. But when a rival mafia faction uses Isabella as leverage, Dante’s true identity comes to light. As danger encircles her, Isabella uncovers the truth: her best friend Camila and her fiancé Sebastian betrayed her. The “accidental” night was a setup meant to trap her. Now forced into Dante’s dangerous world for protection, Isabella battles her feelings for the man who ruined her life… and then saved it. Their chemistry turns explosive, their enemies grow ruthless, and their pasts collide in blood, passion, and betrayal. But that only made Dante more obsessed.

On my wedding night, I was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance after a tampered condom left me in excruciating pain. The surgery took over twenty-four hours, and the story spread like wildfire. My husband, Alexander, let it be known that anyone who managed to photograph me in my post-surgery state would be rewarded with ten million dollars. Overnight, I went from being a billionaire's new wife to the laughingstock of every elite circle in New York. The next day, Alexander's childhood sweetheart Dahlia showed up at my door. That was when I learned the truth: she'd coated the condom with industrial-strength adhesive as part of what she called a "social experiment." She didn't show a shred of remorse. Her tone was flippant and cruel: "It was just an experiment. I mean, how was I supposed to know you'd react like that? Besides, we both know you were never good enough for Alexander. So drop the act." Alexander stood beside her, his gaze cold and dismissive: "If it weren't for the marriage contract, no one would've touched you. You know that, right?" What he didn't know was that the woman he was calling a slut had saved his life more times than he could count.

“Reject me!” She begs. “Reject me now!” His eyes are on the pitiful girl who is on her knees, begging for rejection. Her desperate tone makes his heart ache. He will do anything for this woman. Kiss her, love her and kill anyone for her. But reject? “You are stuck with me, my dear,” his silky voice resonates in her ears. His handsome face leans close, his scarlet eyes locked into hers. "You are mine, Roseanne and I will burn down this world if you go away…” In the kingdom of Ezealyra where supernatural creatures rule over the humans, 18 year old Roseanne Vadimovna is a witch and a slave owned by the Lycan Royal Family. Ruled by the ruthless Lycans, Roseanne is forced to do their bidding until one day she was sold off to an auction for lecherous werewolves. And her world turns upside down when he comes to her life. Dmitri Daskov, the Lycan Duke of Sloria. Her master. Her mate. Elusive, sly and manipulative, Dmitri harbors a dangerous obsession for vengeance against his enemies. When his eyes set on Roseanne, he becomes her new master with a purpose in his mind. Scared by her new circumstances, Roseanne finds herself in a new land with no hope of the future. Yet, she finds herself drawn to the dangerous darkness lurking within Dmitri, a darkness which is about to plunge her into the depths of hell. What will happen when she finds out his true intentions? Can she redeem him? Or will she also drown in his darkness? ... Part 2: The Hated Mate (Lycan and his lover 2) is out now!

The uprising killed the royal Cardinal family. The Cardinals were magic wielders and had ruled for over five hundred years with an iron fist. Eventually, the humans waged war against wielders and shifters. They overthrew the crown, branding all non-human beings as Unnaturals and leaving them to fend for themselves in a broken world. Ida has spent those last ten years since the uprising sold from one household to another, never able to repay her indenture. The situation, although not ideal, has offered her a second chance at life. A life in hiding was better than no life at all, and she did not wish to suffer the same fate as others of her kind. Sold into the services of Duke Kestrel, she meets a seductive yet mysterious Lord Alexander. Already in his thirties, Xander cares very little for his title and responsibilities. He should have been married years ago, but no woman appears to please him. Many assume he is simply difficult, but not all is what it seems. Xander carries the weight of being a shifter, unable to find his mate in this new kingdom. After a chance meeting between them, Ida becomes overwhelmed by Alexander's mixed signals. She dares not succumb to her inner feelings. Letting Xander in would mean opening up about what she truly is, and she is determined to keep her past hidden. Xander, however, has other plans. He intends to get his mate by whatever means necessary. When both their lives intertwine by fate, a new quest emerges fraught with danger as they encounter all walks of life trying to tear them apart. Can their love survive, or is there a more sinister plot afoot?