Esquire's 80 Books Every Man Should Read

“Wait.” His voice was soft as he stepped closer. “Who are you?” I turned back to him, my smile never wavering while I tried to slow my heart rate racing. “Oh, it's Emilia Cattaneo from Verona.” I lied. He stared at me, his gaze unwavering. “Funny because last week… you said your name was Juliette” My blood froze. He remembered? No way. My mouth opened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have mistaken me for someone else.” His smile vanished and I could make out the tick in his jaw. “Don’t lie to me in my house.” ****** He was never meant to fall for her. She was never meant to betray him. Isabella De Luca enters the world of the Romano mafia empire with one mission: destroy it from the inside. Armed with secrets and trained for deception, she becomes the perfect candidate for the mafia king’s bride — beautiful, bold, and completely fake. But Matteo Romano is not just a cold-blooded heir. He’s cunning, ruthless, and dangerously magnetic. The deeper Isabella sinks into his world, the harder it becomes to tell where the mission ends and where desire begins. When betrayal collides with bloodlines and a buried truth resurfaces, everything unravels. A deadly empire. A forbidden pregnancy. A woman torn between revenge and love. And a king who must choose between power… and the one person who was never supposed to matter. In this world, loyalty is currency. And trust? The deadliest weapon of all.

“Kael…please…make it fast. I want you.” ungol ko. At ginawa nga ni Kael, mabilis siyang gumalaw sa ibabaw ko, at sa sobrang bilis niya gusto ko na siyang tumigil lalo na’t mabigat ang paghawak niya sa baywang ko habang binabayo ako. “Kael…stop, ” Hindi natapos ang sasabihin ko nang bigla siyang tumigil. Tumayo siya, mabigat ang bawat galaw. Nakatitig lang sa sahig. “Kael?” mahina kong tanong. Tahimik siya at saka dahan-dahan siyang tumingin sa akin. “Solene,” sabi niya, kalmado. “Let’s get a divorce.” Parang may sumabog sa tenga ko. “Ano?” halos hindi ko marinig ang boses ko. “Ano’ng sinabi mo?” Tuwid ang tindig niyang sumagot. “I already talked to my lawyer.” Huminga ako nang malalim, pilit na pinapaklam ang sarili ko. “Bakit?” “She’s sick.” Tumigil siya sandali bago tumingin sa akin. “Si Natalyn… she only has six months left.” Namilog ang mga mata ko. “So?” “She wants to spend her last days as my wife.” Walang pagbabago sa tono niya. “After that… I’ll come back to you.” Napangiti ako. Mapait. “Babalik ka?” bulong ko. “Para ka lang aalis sa bakasyon.” “Please, Solene.” Mahina pero mariin. “She’s dying. Don’t make this harder.” Natahimik ako. Ang hangin sa pagitan naming dalawa ay mabigat. Ang mga kamay kong kanina’y nakayakap sa kanya, ngayo’y nakalapat sa kama, nakakuyom. Anong kahibangan ito? Hindi pa kami tapos sa ginagawa namin pero bigla nalang siyang titigil at isang nakakagulat na balita ang sasabihin sa akin?

I was a top-tier heart surgeon. The kind they gave a government-issued black SUV with diplomatic plates—armored, red-light-skipping, cleared-for-anything kind of ride. I parked it at my fiancé Marco Varonetti's place so he could keep it in shape. Bad call. One day, I got an emergency call: heart transplant for the Chancellor—yeah, that Chancellor, the one with state secrets ticking inside him. I rushed over to Marco's to grab the car. Right as I was about to leave, some rando slid into the back seat like she owned it. "Mall first. I need a mani," she barked. "Then get the ice cream Marco ordered. If it melts, I'll kill you." Excuse me? "This is my car," I said, trying to stay chill. "I've got a critical airport run. You need to get out." She rolled her eyes. "You're just the driver. Open those eyes and check the plate." Then the maid chimed in. "Everyone knows Mr. Varonetti takes Ms. Caro out in this car. Nobody says a word." I froze. Marco used my federally issued SUV... to chauffeur her? This wasn't just messy. This was criminal.

He told me she was the little glimmer of light in his dark soul but he lost her and I was the replacement. "You shine like the fucking sun but I don't want you bright, I want you tainted". With that, he claimed me. ***** Tammy Jones was just a college student that returned home for the Christmas holiday. Little did she know the beginning of the holiday was going to be the start of her new life in a world where mayhem and danger lurked. At the time when she'd lost all hope of escaping the cruel world, an extremely good-looking stranger rescued her. But there was more to this stranger than just the good looks. What could go wrong with getting kidnapped and then rescued? You might want to read to know! WARNING: +18 and contains scenes of violence and sexual abuse!!!

"Let me clarify this so there's no more confusion. I reject Ava as my mate and accept Isabella as my Luna, now and forever.", Aiden said. With those devastating words, my heart shattered into a million pieces. Aiden, my childhood friend, the one who had always been there for me, had just revealed that our connection was nothing more than a challenge. The hidden affection I held for him was meaningless in the face of his choice. Determined to leave my past behind, I fled the pack. Six years later, I found myself a mother of triplets, but my world was once again shaken when my children were snatched from me. I had no choice but to return to the pack I'd left behind, no longer the innocent girl I once was. Fueled by a burning desire for retribution, I had a new ally by my side, Logan, who I soon discovered had been there with me all along. But as I fought what I thought were the right battles, I couldn't help but wonder, was I missing the real battle? The one that could save not only my children but also my own heart?

When an adventurous and a bit odd university student Marcus Collins was trapped inside a deadly game of life and death, like himself, he followed the flow~ Ordered to keep one's consciousness so the person and him stayed alive, Marcus thinks that every little thing is an adventure for him. Well, at least not for the person he's assigned to. Tyler Brock has everything you wanted; riches and fame, and even things you couldn't even imagine a human would have. But rising along all those advantages, were threats and attempts that can make him lose his life. Only a simple incident happened, yet these two different worlds collide, and the roles are now completely changed...

Elena Marquez has always lived a quiet life, caring for her little brother and helping her mother keep their small family shop alive. But peace has a price, and her late father’s debts have begun to circle back like vultures. When the DeLuca family — the most feared mafia clan in the city — comes to collect, Elena is forced into their world. There, she meets Adrian DeLuca, the infamous heir to the DeLuca empire. Cold, calculating, and dangerous, Adrian is everything she should fear — but something in his eyes unsettles her. What neither of them know is that Adrian’s father — the powerful Don Vittorio DeLuca — is the man responsible for her father’s death. As Elena is drawn deeper into the DeLuca world, tension turns to reluctant trust, and trust slowly burns into something far more dangerous — love. But when the truth comes to light, Elena must decide if she can ever forgive the blood that runs through Adrian’s veins… and Adrian must choose whether to remain his father’s heir, or burn everything down to protect the woman he loves. A story of love, vengeance, and power, Mafia’s Heir is a slow-burn, heart-wrenching romance that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

“Pig,” I muttered under my breath. He took a deep pull of his pipe and breathed out. Even though his manner was easy, I could see something dangerous flash in his eyes. “Now, now. There’s no need for names. Once we get to know each other better, I’m sure you’ll find me quite irresistible. They all do.” He patted his lap, and he was back to his languid self. “Here. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable? I’m told I make a very pleasant seating arrangement. Careful, I might poke you in the middle.” _________ Clara Grey is a cursed werewolf. Her parents betrayed the Moonstone Pack and were killed when she was a child. Now she has nothing to look forward to in life except for being bullied by the horrible members of her pack. However, everything changes when vampires attack her city, and she meets the mysterious, but terrifyingly handsome Prince Deanneth of the Dark Shade pack. Not everything is as it seems with Prince Deanneth. He is a dark, twisted werewolf with a desire to possess Clara’s heart, soul, and mind. Clara Grey must not only battle the newly arisen threat of the Greater Vampires, but also the cruel manipulations of her new Alpha Deanneth Legiere. ________ Daily Update. This is NOT a story for faint-hearted. This is a story about dark hierarchical werewolf society containing explicit sexual content, menage, violence, abuse, trauma , drug and strong language. Definitely not suitable for readers who get triggered by these topics. Please read at your own risk.

Once, she was innocent and he was the love of her life, but then Alpha Kayden betrayed her by the singular act of believing her wicked step-sister against her. He hurt her, broke her, and branded her as a murderer yet,she held her fort. But when she heard that her babies were dead because of Alpha Kayden and her stepsister, something inside her snapped. She fled, vowing her revenge, and when she returned five years later, she was every bit the monster they once said she was. Now, destruction follows in her wake. She is Melissa, Alpha Kayden’s mate.

*Excerpt* “You don't understand, Xavier," I take a step back, “Brandon will find me. He always does. And when he finds me this time, he'll kill you. As much as I want to be free of him, this isn't the way.” “I'll protect you–” “You're not listening to me. I'm not worried about me. If he catches us, he'll just punish me but he won't kill me. I'm too important to him. But you…” My throat closes up as I turn to leave, but Xavier grabs me by the elbow as I push back the door. I turn to look at him, my heart aching for us. There's a cold indifference in his eyes though, and for the first time ever, I'm scared of what he's capable of. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Audrey. All I know is that I'm not leaving you here.” *** Audrey Watson has been scared of dreaming about a better life, because as the saying goes, dreams are for losers. But Xavier came to the scene as her knight, albeit one with rude behavior. This was it, her better life. Or so she thought. Little did she know that this was basically a new chapter of hard decisions and regrets. They always say that when life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade out of them. But what if life gives you bitter kola instead? How do you go about making it into something sweet? Find out more about Audrey and Xavier's journey in this captivating novel.