Harper Avery Award Novels & Stories

Four years ago, Ellie Harper walked away from Damien Calder because loving him felt like disappearing inside his life. She had slowly reshaped herself around him, rejecting opportunities, prioritizing his schedule, and losing the creative ambition that once defined her. Terrified she would become “Damien Calder’s girlfriend” instead of herself, she left the only man who ever made her feel truly seen. Now, a leaked paparazzi photo has turned them into public obsession and triggered a scandal threatening both Ellie’s career and Damien’s empire. With limited options, Ellie agrees to Damien’s solution: a temporary contract marriage designed to control the damage before it destroys them both. But moving back into his orbit reopens every buried wound: old rituals, dangerous chemistry, and the terrifying realization that the safest emotional home she has ever known may still consume her. Because the real question is no longer whether the marriage is fake. It is whether they can love each other without one of them disappearing.

After my family went bankrupt, I begged my fiancé Ryan to pump cash into our business. He didn't just refuse. He turned around and got engaged to someone else. When I was at the end of my rope, Ethan Brooks stepped up, tossing all his savings into my family's mess. Sadly, we missed our shot, and our company crashed. My parents couldn't handle it. They jumped off a building. Even so, I was thankful to Ethan and married him to pay him back. Three years later, at Lily Carter's birthday party, I overheard her talking to him. "You tanked the Harper family so I could win that bid. Won't Kelly blame you?" "For you, I'd give up everything. I'll just make it up to her." My blood ran cold as I realized our marriage was all a lie. The one he loved was Lily all along. I turned and left. If he was that hooked, I'd set him free.

As the most well-known weather forecaster in the city, my forecasts were always wrong. Over time, everyone caught on. In this city, whether it rained or snowed depended entirely on the emotions of Cody Harper's lover. One moment, I'm on air announcing "moderate to heavy snow," but the next, the clouds in the sky parted and cleared. My boss openly mocked me. "You used to be the most popular presenter at our station, but not anymore, huh? Your husband’s throwing money around to manipulate the weather. What's the point of you reporting the forecast?" A coworker ruthlessly added, "I heard her husband's new lover doesn't like the cold, so there probably won't be any snow in the city for half a year. I think she's gonna be hit with a lot of fines." Clutching over a dozen penalty notices, I remained silent. When I got home, I tossed the penalty notices at Cody expressionlessly. "Clean up your own mess. I'm tired of being Mrs. Harper. I quit."

On a scale of one to ten, my life had always dangled between three and four, thanks to my very wretched humble background, until the day it hit zero. "I will give you the money on the condition that you send that text to Asher." Mia Harper began with a mischievous smile on her face. "Asher?" I repeated. "You heard me right." No way. Asher Thorne was the hottest, attractive and most popular kid in school. Bad boy, star hockey player, arrogant and snobbish, were the perfect words to describe him with. He hardly ever smiled and didn't talk to just 'anybody'. I stared down at the ridiculous message typed on my phone screen... And that was how it all started for the scholarship student, Grace Williams, the cool genius who preferred to stay invisible and out of trouble. But not for long. Thanks to Mia, she gets tangled with Asher and fresh troubles that came with their forbidden alliance. Determined to tame the bad boy, she steps into a world of secrets, rivalry, and dangerous attraction. Will she survive it? And more importantly… will she dare to step into the love zone?

My mate, Luther Evans, had spent 20 thousand dollars on two first-class tickets for the Moonlight Express to Vespera Coast. Just as we were about to board, he pulled me aside and gave my seat to my foster sister, Zoey Turner. He explained, "There's only one empty seat left on the train, and Zoey's son has never seen the ocean before. This is the perfect chance. Kids can't be separated from their mothers, so I'll take them first and get them settled, then come back for you." I nodded and stepped off the train, watching it disappear into the distance. Once they reached the beach, a friend asked Luther why I hadn't come along. He was busy inflating a pool float for Zoey, answering casually without looking up. "The Moonlight Express runs every three days. Avery Smith can just buy her own ticket and come later. I'll pick up some gifts to make it up to her. She's really understanding and won't stay mad at me." A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. The whole family had always favored Zoey, and now even my own mate was no different. Since nobody wanted to see me anyway, I decided I would leave in three days.

My roommate had a peculiar knack for pestering everyone into liking her posts on social media, all so she could collect enough likes to claim some prize or another. It was her way of life—nagging, nudging, and guilting us into clicking that little thumbs-up. One time, the campus beauty queen liked my roommate's ad for a facial mask. Not long after, she was in a horrific car accident. The vehicle caught fire, and her face suffered severe burns, leaving her disfigured beyond recognition. Meanwhile, my roommate seemed to undergo a miraculous transformation, her complexion turning porcelain fair and flawless as though she'd been kissed by the heavens. Then there was the academic prodigy, a shoe-in for graduate school, who liked her tutoring service post. Shortly after, he was exposed for academic fraud, and his once-brilliant reputation was reduced to ashes. Strangely enough, my roommate's research paper suddenly won an award, catapulting her to fame and fortune. And me? I fell into her trap too. I liked her rental agency ad, and before I knew it, my world crumbled. A scandal erupted, revealing that I was the result of a mix-up at birth. It turned out she was the long-lost child of wealth and privilege—a hidden gem cast into the rough, now reclaimed by her rightful family. As for me, I was packed off to the countryside village she had escaped from and forced into a brutal marriage with an old man. My life became a living hell, and eventually, I died there, broken and forgotten. But fate wasn't done with me yet. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day my roommate begged me to like her post in exchange for yet another prize.

The last thin strand of will escaped my lips in a form of question. “Why me? I am no one in your world…” He bit my earlobe and I couldn’t hide the moan that didn’t want to stay hidden anymore. “Oh, you are wrong. You are someone,” he said in such a cold tone it made me shiver. He then flipped me in one swift move, making me face him, my head tilted up to meet his eyes. “I just haven’t decided what you are to me yet.” And he crushed my lips, and I gave in to his hunger. - Stalked, betrayed, and silenced by those she once trusted, she’s swept into the deadly orbit of Rowan Hill, a ruthless mafia king who now has his eyes on her. Harper should run. Instead, she finds herself drawn into his world of secrets, violence, and undeniable attraction. But in Rowan’s empire, protection comes at a price, and obsession is deadly. - The Mafia King’s Obsession is the original work of Barbara A. Insfran B. an eGlobal Publishing signed author.

Everyone was shocked when Emily Harper rejected the proposal from Brandon Young, the handsome entrepreneur every woman dreamt of. Tired of facing people's comments, the heiress of the Savior Group ran away to another country. Without any bodyguard, without anyone to protect her. "Don't act like a child, Emily. Stop waiting for Cayden. That kid from 23 years ago must have forgotten you. Now go home! Don't let our enemies take this opportunity to kidnap you!" Unfortunately, Emily didn't heed the warning. She thought she was safe until she realized. Someone had put drug in her drink! What would happen to Emily? Would there be someone to save her from that dangerous situation? *** This book can be read as a standalone, but if you want to explore the characters' childhood, you can check my other books: CEO's Love in Trap (about Cayden) Hiding the Twins from Their Billionaire Father (about Emily and her twin brother) Mr. President's Lost Wife (about Sky)

She loved him in silence. From the moment she could remember, Sophia Thomas had watched Daniel Harper — her older brother Nathan’s golden-boy best friend — from afar. He was everything: charming, confident, kind. And to him? She was just “Nathan’s little sister.” At fifteen, she tried not to care. Tried not to notice how his smile lit up a room or how his laughter made her heart race. But when Daniel comes home from college and agrees to tutor her in math, Sophia realizes something painful: She never stopped loving him. As they spend more time together, buried feelings begin to surface — on both sides. What starts as stolen glances and quiet longing turns into late-night talks, shared secrets, and moments neither of them expected. But there are rules: - Don’t fall for your brother’s best friend. - Don’t let him see you as anything more than family. - Don’t believe he’ll ever feel the same. Too late.

“How cruel of you! You were the one who left when I was ready to fight for you. I searched the world for you, and now that I found you, you were betrothed to another man. Tell me how! How do I unlove you?” Tears fall from both our eyes and the next thing we know, we are kissing each other, deeply and passionately, as if the two years of longingness for each other have finally been released. _ Avery Anderson called "Ava" who is still a virgin in her early thirties is a career-oriented woman. She puts up her own business through her hard work and is envied by a lot of women because of her seven-year-long relationship with Seigfried Cohen, a hot bachelor in an accounting firm. Their relationship starts to fall apart as they get into a heated argument because of Ava's unfathomable sexual drive. Determined to lose her virginity, she travels to Austria to unwind and get laid by whoever finds her attractive. There, she encounters a guy named Dmitri, a gorgeous sexy billionaire: an encounter that shouldn't have happened in the first place. She will then, know a world, that she never expects to get addicted to.