Harper Avery Award Novels & Stories

Madison Harper knows all too well the chaos Alexander Knight leaves in his wake. As the billionaire CEO’s personal assistant, she’s cleaned up after countless scandals, soothed ex-lovers, and kept his messy private life from spilling into the boardroom. But when one fateful night lands her in Alexander’s bed, the dynamics shift dramatically. What begins as a moment of uncontrollable spirals into a neither can resist: Madison needs financial help for her mother’s mounting medical bills, and Alexander offers the resources—on the condition she becomes his girlfriend for a year. No strings, no emotions, just business. But as the lines between their professional and private lives blur, Madison’s resolve to keep her heart guarded begins to waver. Beneath Alexander’s reckless charm lies a magnetic that draws her closer than she ever intended. Just as she starts to believe she might be more than his latest “arrangement,” the ghost of Alexander’s long-lost first love, Katherine, reappears, threatening to unravel everything they’ve built. Can Madison protect her heart while navigating this high-stakes game of desire and deception? Or will this with her infamously reckless boss cost her more than she’s prepared to lose?

“Do you know why people call me the devil? It’s because I live up to that name,” he chuckled and tightened his hand around my neck, making my pulse race. “I've shed a lot of blood, and killing someone as insignificant as you… It means nothing." “Then why haven’t you?” I dared to ask. I shouldn't test his patience, but the thrill of danger was so… Tempting. “You fascinate me. It would be a shame to end someone as amusing as you too soon.” His lips almost brushed against mine, stealing my breathe. "One month. Escape with Clara within one month, and it would seem like you never met me." “And if I fail?” “I’ll kill you. ~~~ When Gwendolyn Harper and her best friend are kidnapped by Lorenzo Raimondo, the ruthless, cunning mafia lord of Sinclair City, she's faces an impossible choice: save herself and abandon her best friend or risk everything to save them both. She chooses defiance, striking a dangerous deal for their freedom. But Gwen may have underestimated how much power Lorenzo had and the seductive, dangerous charm that she couldn't resist. Will she fight for a freedom that seems nearly impossible, or will she succumb to the temptation of the man who holds her life?

After my grandpa receives a critical notice regarding his illness, he takes my boyfriend, Layne Harper, by the hand and pleads with him. "Layne, please marry Aleah while I'm still alive this month. I want to see her live happily ever after." Everyone sheds tears in the hospital room, thinking that Layne will heed Grandpa's words right away by getting down on one knee and proposing to me. After all, I have been waiting for him for the past ten years. With tears brimming in my eyes, I wait for Layne's response eagerly. But he covers the speaker of his phone out of worry that he might awaken his childhood friend, Ruby Martin, whom he has spent the last five hours coaxing to sleep. Finally, Layne replies gently, "Don't worry, Grandpa. I will give Aleah the happiness she deserves. Even if we don't get married in the end, I'll stick with my promise." My relatives stop cheering Layne on immediately. Then, they turn to look at me sympathetically. But I just smile and go with the flow. "I'll still be happy even if I don't marry Layne, Grandpa." After all, in two hours, I will accept another man's marriage proposal.

Two years after I die, my husband, Devin Pollard, kidnaps my best friend, Vanessa Harper's, son. He stands before her with the arrogance of a man in power. "Nicole is sick and urgently needs a kidney transplant. Tell me where Shirley is, and you'll get your son back. "She's perfectly healthy even after donating blood to Nicole for three years, so I'm sure giving up a kidney isn't an issue." My brother, Scott Weber, tags along. He gives Vanessa an annoyed look and says, "Shirley always has to make trouble. We wouldn't have sent her to a psychiatric hospital if she hadn't maniacally stabbed Nicole back then. "But now, it's bad enough that she refuses to show remorse, but she also runs away. "Tell her that if she comes back and donates her kidney to Nicole, I'll consider her my sister again." Looking at the way they arrogantly demand my kidney, Vanessa suddenly laughs. "You want Shirley's kidney, don't you? She's been dead for two years, so search through these ashes and see if you can dig up a kidney!"

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.

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.

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.