Harper Avery Award Novels & Stories

Julian Ziegler betrays his and Willow Harper's four-year marriage. He pursues his true love like mad, wanting to make up for the regrets he experienced in his youth. Willow loves him deeply and tries her best to win him back. However, he wraps an arm around his true love and mocks her. "You're the furthest thing from a woman I've ever seen, Willow! I can't even get it up when I look at your icy face!" Willow's heart dies at his words. She no longer clings to him and leaves, not wanting to embarrass herself further. … Julian doesn't recognize Willow when they meet again. She sheds her strong, domineering façade, revealing a softer, more affectionate side. Countless big shots pursue her—even the most powerful man in the city smiles only for her. Julian loses his mind! He loiters outside her door every night, giving her checks and expensive jewelry. If possible, he would dig out his heart for her. When others are curious about their relationship, Willow merely smiles indifferently. "Mr. Ziegler is just a passing chapter in the book of my life."

Do you ever wish a secret billionaire would sweep you away to a tropical island? Do you ever wish that you could be like Cinderella and find your happily ever after with the prince? From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes, comes a sweet but spicy Billionaire Romance Series that will have you believing in happily ever after! Each story in this series is a stand-alone one. But with all the stories happen in one world, characters will reappear in other stories. ****** The First Set: Saltwater Kisses– An accidental marriage between Jack and Emma. Rainwater Kisses– Falling in love, and finding how they fit together with Owen and Kaylee. Freshwater Kisses– Finding love in childhood friends with Robbie and Sam. BONUS: Kisses From Jack: The first half of Saltwater Kisses, but from Jack's perspective! Timeless Love Stories: Champagne Kisses– A story of long lost love and second chances with Dean and Rachel. The Second Set: Sandcastle Kisses– Finding love in all the wrong places with Noah and Izzy Hurricane Kisses– Surviving the storm together with Logan and Olivia Barefoot Kisses– A Cinderella story with Aiden and Lena The Third Set: Sunrise Kisses– Ava and Bastian discovering true beauty Waterfall Kisses– Leo finally succumbing to Charlotte's charms Island Kisses: Gabe finally meets his match in Harper!

I was born in the slums with nothing to my name, yet somehow, I once saved the most dangerous man in all of Sicile. In a crumbling shack, I treated his wounds while he patched the leaks in my roof whenever it rained. Later, he pulled me out of that miserable life and brought me into the heavily guarded estate of a mafia family. Together, we even had a son. However, seven years had passed, and he still had never publicly acknowledged either our child or me, all because my background was too lowly. Gabriele Carlos once told me that as long as our son proved himself exceptional enough, the family would eventually accept him. So even at only seven years old, my son pushed himself desperately hard to study languages, etiquette, and even firearms training. On his birthday, he was burning with fever, his little face pale, yet he still came out as the top student in his grade. Holding his award certificate tightly in his hands, his eyes shone brighter than I had ever seen. “Ma, Papa’s finally going to acknowledge me this time, isn’t he?” So, I took the certificate and went to look for Gabriele at his residence. However, through the heavy doors, I overheard him discussing a wedding with the daughter of another mafia family. They talked about the wedding date, the alliance between their families, and how the territories and profits would be divided afterward. Then, someone suddenly asked, “What about her and the child?” After a brief silence, Gabriele answered calmly, “Just keep them hidden.” Those words struck me hard. So the seven years my son and I had spent waiting meant nothing at all. We had only been fooling ourselves, believing things would change. Well, Gabriele might want us hidden, but unfortunately for him, I was done hiding.

Charlotte Flair, the daughter of Kyle and Nicole Flair, had always harbored doubts about her true parentage because of how they'd always treated her. On her 20th birthday, she attended a gala event with her parents, only to be knocked out and wake up naked beside Desmond Elliot Elijah, the country's most eligible billionaire bachelor. Believing they had been intimate, both their parents quickly arranged their marriage, and they were wed. Desmond, however, was furious, convinced that Charlotte had orchestrated the incident to trap him into a marriage. He grew to resent her, seeing her as a manipulative schemer who had used underhanded tactics to become his wife. For six years, Charlotte had lived as a hidden wife— unacknowledged, unloved, and expected to satisfy Desmond's desires whenever he was in the mood. That was the only moment he would show her tenderness and passion, and once their intimate moments were over, he would return to his cold, distant self. For six years, Charlotte had endured his emotional cruelty, the constant humiliation from his Aunt and her daughter, and the feeling of being invisible, until the night her husband introduced another woman as his fiancee. Avery Gilbert— the only daughter of one of the country's most prominent billionaire, Bernard Gilbert. When the truth shatters her world, Charlotte decided to leave, but discover a shocking truth— she was the true daughter and only heiress of the Gilbert's family, and wasn't related in anyway to the Flair's.

THE ALTAR WE BURNED- Synopsis We burned in silence. We sinned in shadows. And in the house of God, we made a bed of ashes. Every time he pushed me away, I came back craving more. Every time he prayed for forgiveness, I found another reason to fall deeper. What started with longing turned into obsession and the line between salvation and damnation vanished. But loving him comes with a price. He was a man of God. I was the girl who shouldn’t have looked twice. Father Arthur Harper; the parish’s miracle, young, striking, and painfully devoted to his vows. They whispered about how he turned down wealth, women, and a powerful life just to serve behind the altar. But beneath the collar was something dangerous. Magnetic. Something that set fire to every quiet confession and holy glance. I shouldn’t have been drawn to him,but I was. He saw me; Isabella Luca the troubled soul who came to church for peace but stayed because he made my heart race, One touch, One stolen moment, One kiss,That’s all it took to unravel us. The Altar We Burned is a fast-burn, emotionally intense, and sinfully steamy forbidden romance that explores the cost of desire, the power of temptation, and what happens when love crosses the ultimate line. Prepare to confess… because this story doesn’t play by the rules.

Married for five years, I'm known as the woman with the perfect husband. Alexander Foster is tall, strong, endlessly passionate, and people love to joke that we can't keep our hands off each other. Then he goes on a mission one day and never returns. I fall apart. I try to end my life six times, and six times someone drags me back. On the night of the sixth attempt, I overhear my mother-in-law, Anna Greyson, whispering to the man everyone believes is Alexander's younger brother, Daniel Foster. "Alexander, how long are you going to keep hiding this? Mia has tried to kill herself six times because of you." Alexander's voice stays calm. "Mom, before Daniel died, he asked me to take care of Lily. She's fragile, and now she's pregnant with my child. If she learns the truth, she won't survive it." And that's when the truth hits me. My husband isn't dead at all. He's been pretending to be his own younger brother and plans to have a child with Lily Harper under that lie. After crying until I can barely stand, I contact Margaret Warren at the matchmaking agency. "About that blind date you mentioned. I'll take it. And I want the wedding as soon as possible."

My mom is an HR professional. She uses KPI to determine my entire life. "If you get into the top ten of your grade, you'll receive a B grade as well as a bonus of 500 dollars. If you can achieve a ranking at a state-level competition, you'll receive an A grade as well as a bonus of 1,000 dollars. Of course, if you can get into a top-tier university after scoring well in your SATs, I'll give you an S+ grade as well as a year-end bonus of ten thousand dollars!" I work my ass off in my studies and manage to earn the offer letter to a top-tier university. But that's when my mom puts a contract in front of me. "Congratulations on getting hired. From today onward, your allowances will be determined by the total of your base salary, KPI, as well as your full attendance award. "Your base salary is 500 dollars. It's to make sure that you won't starve to death, at the very least. In order to help you adapt to workplace stress in advance, I'll check on your progress randomly. If you don't meet my requirements, I'll deduct your salary." When I'm down with a fever of 104 degrees Fahrenheit, my mom deducts my full attendance award, claiming that my physical attributes aren't up to par. In order to catch up on my studies, I've completely forgotten to submit my weekly report to my mom. Because of that, she suspends my allowances. So, I have to sell my blood to a hospital behind her back just so I can survive. At the end of the school term, I show my mom my grades as well as the certificate to my scholarship, thinking that I'll be eligible for the highest KPI and the bonus. But that's when my mom tells me coldly, "The company has decided to give your S+ bonus to your younger brother as a form of investment. After all, he has more potential to achieve better results compared to you." As I gaze down at the 200-dollar consolation prize, I can't help but laugh. It turns out that I'm not even worthy of being recognized as a good employee in my mom's company.

Some people are trained to disappear. Others are trained to make problems disappear. Reid Calder operates in the space no one admits exists. His team is untraceable, unacknowledged, and brutally efficient. They are deployed when the mission cannot fail and cannot be traced. Control is the only reason it works. Distance is the only rule. Alexis Harper is not part of his system. She’s a linguistic and counterintelligence specialist designed for environments Reid’s team can’t survive. Unassuming when she wants to be. Invisible when it matters. Dangerous in ways that don’t leave bruises. She’s placed into his unit without his consent, into a world built on silence and authority, and she refuses to play small. They clash immediately. Reid sees her as disruption. Alexis sees him as arrogance wrapped in control. Their arguments are sharp, relentless, and impossible to ignore. Every room tightens when they’re together. Every exchange feels like a challenge neither is willing to lose. The closer they’re forced to work, the more volatile the tension becomes. Because some battles aren’t about dominance. They’re about restraint. And when two people trained to never lose control are pushed into constant proximity, the fallout is inevitable. Proximity Hazard is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance packed with covert operations, razor-sharp banter, forced proximity, and tension so thick it borders on reckless. Perfect for readers who crave dangerous men, brilliant women, and chemistry that feels like a threat.

Content Warning: This book contains sexually explicit material and is intended for readers aged 18 and above. "I’m engaged to your sister. You can’t do this." His dark-green eyes bored into mine under the sheets, as he stroked my cheeks. "You’re not even into women, Liam. You know you’re not. You know you want this. You want me." And Liam couldn't deny it, He lived to burn for Jackson Maddox. ~ Liam Sinclair had always lived according to his father’s rules, polished, quiet, and hidden in the perfect image of a future CEO. Behind closed doors, he carried a secret that could destroy everything his father built. He was gay. But scandal had no place in the Sinclair legacy, and Liam made sure no one ever found out. That is, until the night everything changed. When his father arranges an engagement with Avery Maddox, a woman Liam barely knows, he unravels. A single night of rebellion leads him to a club, where a one-night stand with a seductive green-eyed stranger spirals into something far more complicated. The next morning, the stranger's identity is no longer a mystery. His name is Jackson Humin Maddox, the brother of his intending Fiancee. Now Liam is trapped between duty and desire, legacy and love. But Jackson doesn’t care about titles or contracts. Engaged or not, he wants Liam, and he is not letting go. This is a forbidden tango of chemistry, but Liam Sinclair has to choose, to either pretend his one time mistake was baseless, or to fall maddeningly in love with it.

Blurb: She signed the divorce papers. He never signed away his obsession. Veronica Stanford was the perfect wife—devoted, patient, and hopelessly in love. But when her billionaire husband, Jason Harper, trades her in for her treacherous best friend, Rhea, Veronica’s world shatters. Broken and betrayed, she drowns her sorrows in a bar, only to be saved by a dangerously alluring stranger with emerald-green eyes and a lethal reputation: Monte "Four" Zagcanni, the ruthless heir to a mafia empire. Four is everything Jason isn’t—dark, dangerous, and devastatingly protective. When Veronica discovers she’s pregnant with Jason’s child, she strikes a deal with Four: a fake marriage to shield her from scandal. But what starts as a cold arrangement ignites into a passion neither can resist. Jason, realizing his mistake too late, wants Veronica back—along with the son he never knew existed. But Four isn’t a man who surrenders what’s his. And Veronica? She’s done being the meek wife. Betrayal runs deep. Revenge burns hotter. As secrets unravel—her father’s bloody past, Rhea’s twisted obsession, and Jason’s deadly lies—Veronica must decide: trust the man who destroyed her once, or surrender to the devil who might destroy her forever. One wants her back. The other wants her forever. And neither plays nice.