Edgar Awards Best Novel

From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes, comes a sexy standalone novel about the baddest bad boy doctor and the sweet little nurse that he falls for. When I left my small hometown years ago, I never expected to come back. I certainly never expected that when I did, I'd be working for him. He's the town's doctor. He's supposed to be a respectable member of society, a pillar for the community. He's supposed to have come a long way from the bad boy who rode a motorcycle in high school. But he hasn't. One glance from those lustful eyes looking at me tells me that he has the same voracious appetites that he did when we were younger. Only it's not quite the same stare. It's more urgent. It's more intense. I'm not the same nerdy girl who tutored him. I've grown up, developed fertile curves that I know he finds irresistible. In this small town, rumors travel fast, and the family doctor can't be seen as a player. So he does try to resist. And I do too. But with every smoldering glance and moment of sexual tension, we find our barriers breaking down. After a stressful night of touch-and-go baby delivery, a moment of elation overcomes our inhibitions. It seems like maybe we'll need to confront those rumors sooner rather than later, especially before I begin to show the results of that night. Can I give this doctor the family he has always desired?

Life wasn't that good to Moriah as her groom decided against the marriage and left two hours before the wedding began. As if life hadn't been satisfied being cruel to her as it yet gave her another huge blow as she ended up marrying her sworn enemy. For her to salvage her reputation and that of her family, she has to walk down the aisle and marry the substitute groom. Walking down the aisle, she saw the man waiting for her. He was her archenemy, the billionaire business mogul, her fiancé's best friend, Ethan Miller. The blissful marriage she had been dreaming of with the love of her life turned into a nightmare.

Three years ago, My husband Thomas brought me the divorce paper with his girlfriend Sarah by his side. He had lost all his memory in a car accident, when I woke up from my coma, he had already moved on. I lied to myself that somewhere deep inside, the man I loved was still trapped inside and his warm eyes and gentle spirit were just overridden by anger and amnesia… but I could no longer believe in that lie. He was gone. Forever. Now, I am waiting in my dressing room to go on stage. The young girl who had fallen in love with Thomas had been bright and pretty but this woman who stared back at me in the mirror … She is beautiful, strong, and supported. She has two beautiful kids, even though their father don't know their existence. She had suffered and survived. The me now is the best version of me. I could not wait to show it to the world. However, after I finished my performance, I found, front and center, Thomas is giving me a standing ovation. For the first time in years, he seems to recognize me. Then, the producer Richard found me backstage and inform me that my ex-husband just bought the theater company. What does he want? Can my life ever go back to normal?

Being young and naïve, she was just that open-minded and what she desired was not something much but to be with that one person she strongly admired. Having a crush on someone she couldn’t easily attain; Selena could only watch as a spectator and pray for her beloved to smile at her even if he didn’t mean it. Dreaming to become strong, happy, and live with the people that she loves, meeting him changed everything. Her naiveness and her love for him made her muddleheaded that she unknowingly fell into a trap that he made for her. Selena found herself living in the dream she never thought she will be, having a contract marriage with the man of her dreams, falling for him deeply every single day, she knew that she was done for. However, despite the circumstances that brought the two of them together, Selena wasn’t going to just give and be comfortable with what she had. What she wanted was his heart, soul, and body and no one was going to stop her from being with the man she sets her heart on. Who cares if she is poor? As long as her heart is rich with love, she was satisfied with that.

"Sophie Patterson. Don't you dare walk away from me." Logan's menacing stare bore at me. I suddenly didn't feel drunk anymore. I sobered up quickly. "What, Logan? You're gonna tell me that you suddenly love me again? That you're here to sweep me off my feet? Please! I didn't need you all this time, and I don't need you now." He clenched his jaw, fisting his hands. "Enough. Stop being so damn stubborn. You know I do. I love you. I never stopped loving you, Sophie. It was always you." I left my hometown hoping to never see him again. I left with his baby still inside of me. Seven years after, and here I am again. Standing before him and a six-year-old wanting to know who his dad is, and asking me to marry him because everyone in his class but him and his best friend don't have a daddy.What am I supposed to do with all these feelings that are resurfacing? I'm realizing every day that I never got over him. I merely suppressed my feelings, and him telling me this now- in my face, just made things more complicated.

"HHHEEYYY YALL IT'S YOUR FAVORITE GIRLS! We are back yall. We were pissed too, that we had to leave yall with that cliffhanger. But best believe somebody got a call about that . Anyway, we're back and on the Hunt for Shawna and Trixie. We know they're still out there alive, we just have to find them. But you already know that we have to deal with fake mated she-wolves, who just can't read the room. So, we have to deal with them hoes, aliens, and oh yea The Ocean God. I know yall thinking how the hell yall pissed off the Ocean God, but we will explain that later. Right now, buckle up, get your wine glasses, and make sure your phone cases are sturdy just in case you throw it. Now enjoy the emotional rollercoaster of The Hunt for Shawna and Trixie!

Controlled and beaten by her husband, Millie walker, a kind and caring person, saw no way out. She was trapped.That was, until her best friend Megan provided her with the perfect opportunity. It was one that she just couldn't turn down.With Megan's help, Millie left her home and the small town she grew up in for a new life. One without pain, one without control and one without him. Millie was enjoying her newfound freedom, however everything suddenly changed one fateful night. She had found herself involved in a world far more precarious than the one she had left behind.It was full of danger, werewolves and magic. A supernatural world which was only found in childhood tales and stories, had become her reality. Torn between fearing the unknown and embracing the need of her heart, she must contend with a handsome Alpha, his twisted Luna, death, deceit and betrayal.

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

Ever since her parents died, nerdy Amelia Forbes has always been bullied by the school's bad boy and jock, Jason. Ruthless and drop dead gorgeous, Jason makes her school years a living hell. Meaner than the devil himself, he is always sure to ruin Mel's day. One day, they are paired up for a school project and in the process of working on the project at home, Jason forces himself on her. Ashamed, Mel feels disgusted with her inability to stand up for herself and soon, she finds out she is pregnant with her bully's baby. Scared out of her wits, poor Mel is helpless. No one is willing to come to her aid except Adrian, Jason's best friend. And as Jason sees Mel with Adrian, he begins to get jealous and soon, he finds himself falling for Mel. But will Mel ever forgive him? Will she ever forget the wrongs he had done to her?

When Brigitta discovered her husband's appalling betrayal involving her stepsister and best friend, her world crumbled. Her subsequent divorce led her to a local bar, where a chance encounter with a charismatic stranger resulted in a passionate night. Five years later, she found herself back in her hometown, with five beautiful children and an ailing grandmother in desperate need of medical care. In the face of these dire circumstances, Brigitta made the drastic decision to impersonate her stepsister and enter into a marriage with Ragnar Marshall, the seemingly ill and vegetative son of the notorious Wigglesworth family. Her surprise was palpable when Ragnar was revealed as the continent's wealthiest CEO, a man whose features mirrored her children's. Yet, disturbing rumors about Ragnar compelled her to shield her children from him. How long could she keep them hidden, especially when the children were so determined to make Ragnar Marshall their daddy?