Hands Down Mariana Zapata

I gasp, surprised and he leans towards me. I catch the scent of his cologne and the faint scent of the cigarette smoke, lingering around him. But underneath it, there’s the scent of earth and rain. I see his muscles flexing under the thin linen of the shirt. I also notice the outlines of a scar, running down his forearm. I imagine his hands on me, his lips on mine. What is happening… Why am I thinking this? “Oh, don’t worry, Lily. “ his smile is canine, the words that come out of his mouth are a snarl, “I won’t touch you. I don’t want to. “ When her mother got sick, Lily had no choice but to marry a man she never met. At that time she didn’t know Arthur Stark was not only beautiful but as cruel as the rumours said. Her husband is a cold billionaire involved with the mafia. He never touches anyone. Not even his own mate.

Elliot O’More is Killian’s (Betrayed the Mafia) left hand in the New York Irish Mob. He is known for his ruthless killings and way around the dark web. Elliot might look like the guy next door, but he is not as lovely as it seems. He is a player that has given up on love. And we all know how dangerous that can be. Hazel walks into Elliot’s life, turning his head upside down, and the only way he can get her out of his system is by forging a contract marriage. He will protect her, and she will be his. His obsession with her soon becomes love, and Elliot struggles to stay sane and protect her when everyone around them wants them apart. Hazel is a pawn in the hands of the Russian Mafia. They use her to their benefit, and what happens when they decide to use her against the Irish, to use her against her husband?

In a world where power is king and betrayal a currency, Francesca Marino is a woman with a mission. Haunted by the brutal death of her parents, she has spent years honing her skills, waiting for the day she can exact her revenge on those responsible for their murders. Her path leads her straight to Vincenzo Lombardi, a man with bloodstained hands and buried secrets. Drawn into his world in the guise of deceit, Francesca expects a ruthless opponent. What she finds instead is a man who is both captivating and intoxicating. When their worlds collide, passion flares and the thin line between hatred and love is blurred. With truths long buried exposed, Francesca finds herself compelled to face it all—her retribution, her family, and the man whose destruction she had promised upon. With the past breathing down their necks and the future hanging by a thread, will Francesca and Vincenzo weather the storms, or will love be the ultimate casualty of a war written in blood? Power is seductive, betrayal inevitable but love? The deadliest of all the weapons.

His reputation stretches far and wide and is darker than his dark suits and ties. After Lauren's first encounter with her father's killer, she realizes he’s just as dangerous as he is handsome. She doesn’t like the man or anything he stands for, though that doesn’t stop her heart from wanting to jump out of her chest like an excited rabbit when he’s near, nor the shiver that ghosts down her spine at the sound of his voice. And he’s always near. Telling her what to do. Dragged into his world in a contract marriage that'd benefit the dark lord and satisfy her thirst for revenge against her mother's enemies, her life and heart goes towards a downward spiral. Lauren may be a sweet girl on the outside, but she’s beginning to learn she has a taste for the darkness, for rough hands on her neck, cigarettes, and emerald-colored eyes.

In a world ruled by werewolves, humans are no longer free. After a brutal war, the balance of power shifted—and every year, humans are selected and sent to serve the werewolf elite across the divided territories. Ava Sinclair is a human who has always been a fighter. So where she is selected on her eighteenth birthday to fulfill her duty to the kingdom, she vows not to go down quietly but fate has other plans. She's delivered straight into the hands of the ruthless Alpha King—Xander—the very symbol of the power she despises. But what no one saw coming… was the bond. Ava is his fated mate. Their connection is forbidden. Dangerous. Explosive. As secrets unravel and rebellion brews on both sides, Ava and Xander find themselves standing on the edge of war. Torn between loyalty to their people and the pull of a love written in the stars, they must decide: Will their love unite two worlds torn apart by centuries of bloodshed? Or will it destroy them both?

On the day I miscarried and suffered from haemorrhage, my husband posted a photo of a newborn’s tiny feet on his Instagram Story. The caption read: “Welcome, little angel. Daddy will always protect you.” With trembling hands, I called him. “The baby’s gone. Can you come to the hospital?” On the other end, I heard a baby crying, followed by the man’s impatient voice. “In that case, take good care of yourself. Louise just gave birth and needs someone to care for her. I can’t leave. “Besides, the dead shouldn’t compete with the living for affection. Got it?” He hung up right after. I broke down alone on the hospital bed, and when I finally wiped away my tears, I dialed the number of his sworn enemy, Levi Snow. “Marry me, and the entire Wright Corporation will be my dowry. All I want is for you to bring Finn Yeaton down. Do we have a deal?”

Message alert. "Meet me backstage." Summer's heart fluttered. They were dating for four years and they had planned their lives together. Bobby would study law and complete his football career and Summer would graduate from law as well. They would open up their own law firm and have two gorgeous babies. A huge house on lake Sol with a pool and a rose garden. "This was it." Summer thought," he is going to o propose to me. I will be his fiance' and his wife in a year or two." She stood dumbstruck, watching Bobby kiss Brook passionately, squeezing her buttocks against the piano. Tears streamed down her cheek as she watched them gliding their hands all over eachother. Brooks mini dress now looking like a crop top. It was over! Her dreams were shattered. A murder mystery, revenge and an unexpected cursed Lycan mate unfolds as Summer reinvents herself.

Mia's world turned upside down the day her own flesh and blood, her father, traded her to the creatures of the night. She was powerless in the face of his betrayal, forced into a life of servitude and submission at the hands of her new masters. The darkness of her captivity surrounded her like a shroud. Yet, amidst the hopelessness and fear that threatened to consume her, Mia struggles with an unexpected and forbidden emotion: attraction. Her captor was unlike any other creature she had encountered before - powerful, alluring, and utterly captivating. Despite her anger and resentment towards him for holding her captive, Mia could not help but be drawn to the raw power and magnetism that he exuded. She wondered how long she could resist the pull that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day. But even as she grappled with her feelings, Mia remained determined to escape her captors and break free from the chains that bound her.

TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains physical harm, torture, explicit contents including— Dark themes, erotic sex scenes, non consensual situations. And mature topics including trauma, loss. While this is a romance story, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. — — — — — — — — — — — — “You’re mine now,” he breathed those words on my neck, his hands trailing down my body and stopping only to linger on my thighs. “I’m Axel Salvatore Rossi. And whatever I want— I get.” * * * * * Bound to a man she barely knew, Olivia is confined to a world of games and organized crime. After her sister steals a priceless item, she’s left to pay— with her existence being tied with the mafia lord, Axel. What starts as an unexpected encounter turns out to be something more. Passion ignites, past secrets are revealed, and an ex lover knocks at the door to interrupt a new beginning. Olivia must make a choice— play the game, or fight the players who play dirty…

As Jastrelle's golden girl, I draw lots to pick my groom, and fate finally hands me Felix Ledger, the childhood sweetheart I've wanted forever. During the impromptu wedding, a funeral convoy belonging to a scion of a rich family in Jastrelle passes right outside. I hate the omen. Felix laughs, pulls me into his arms, and places the veil over my head himself. "I'll take it as a good omen. With you, I'm covered from first breath to last," he says. His adoptive sister, Winnie Ledger, hears him, bursts into tears, and bolts outside. The funeral convoy runs her down, and she dies. Felix barely reacts. Three years later, Dad is framed, driven into bankruptcy, and falls gravely ill. He dies, and I lose everything. At the funeral, Felix sends everyone off, shoves me into the open grave, and buries me alive. He spits, "You rigged everything to get me. You left Winnie ruined. She bolted outside, and that funeral convoy ran her down. For three years, remorse has eaten me alive. I want you torn apart! "With your last protector gone, I can finally make you suffer a hundredfold the pain Winnie felt and ease my hatred!" When I open my eyes, I'm back at the groom-selection ceremony. Dad smiles as he hands me the lots. I shake my head, look out the window, and point at the funeral convoy passing outside. "I'm not choosing anyone. I'll marry that dead man!"