Imagined Synonym

Arranged marriage, age-gap, forbidden love, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, Romeo and Juliet vibes, family saga, Mafia/cartel romance, slow burn, redemption, morally gray hero, dangerous romance The Roríguez cartel is spinning out of control, tragedy putting the alliance and our future in question. I’m Emiliano Ruiz and throughout the last few years, I’ve witnessed my sisters being doled out to members of the Luciano Mafia. The cartel has also taken famiglia women. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Luciano famiglia’s turn to take a bride. My mind is set—it’s my turn. I never imagined marrying a young bride until I caught sight of Isabella Luciano. She’s only eighteen, and with her long yellow hair and big brown eyes, she’s a vision to behold. She sees me, however, through the tinted lens of her father’s hatred. Carmine Luciano’s disdain of the cartel and the alliance isn’t a secret. His opinion won’t stop me. I’ll prove to Isabella that even bad men can be good husbands. No matter what her father says or what happens in our war, Isabella will be mine. Have you been Aleatha’d?

Two years ago, Ryder “Ghost” Callahan lost everything. His president, his brothers… and the man he loved all because of one betrayal. Luca Torres was once family, a Serpent through and through until the night a deal went wrong. Branded a traitor, hunted by the club he once called home, Luca vanished without a trace playing dead. Now Ghost finds him again, alive under a false name and working quietly in a small town garage not so far away. The rage Ghost buried rises fast and he drags Luca back to the compound, ready to make him pay for every scar and every grave he left behind. But the man chained before him isn’t the enemy Ghost remembers. He doesn’t fight or beg and when the club is attacked, Luca stands his ground to protect the very brothers who wanted him dead. Each revelation questions if Luca truly betrayed them or it was all a misunderstanding. As old lies unravel and new wars ignite, Ghost is forced to face the truth; the real traitor was closer than he ever imagined and it wasn't Luca. Now, to save the club and the man he had fallen in love with, Ghost must choose between vengeance and redemption… Between the patch he swore to protect and the love he thought he buried.

Prologue Celine Dela Cruz never imagined na mauuwi sa ganito ang buhay niya. Sa probinsya, simple lang ang mundo niya—gising ng maaga para tumulong sa tindahan ng pamilya, makipagbiruan sa mga kapatid, at mangarap na balang araw… magkakaroon din siya ng love story na parang sa pelikula. Pero isang gabi, habang sabay-sabay silang kumakain, bumagsak ang bombang hindi niya inasahan. “Anak…” mabigat ang boses ng tatay niya. “May kasunduan tayo. Ikakasal ka.” Nag-freeze si Celine. “What? Papa, seryoso ka ba?” At doon niya narinig ang pangalan. Liam Alcantara. CEO ng Alcantara Group. Isa sa pinakamakapangyarihang tao sa Maynila. Mayaman, guwapo raw sabi sa mga balita, pero kilala ring cold at walang puso. Arranged marriage. Hindi niya choice, hindi niya gusto. Pero dahil nalulunod na sa utang ang pamilya niya, wala siyang nagawa. Sa moment na iyon, narealize niya—hindi lahat ng love story nagsisimula sa kilig. Minsan, nagsisimula ito sa kontrata. At minsan, ang taong akala mong magpapabagsak sa’yo, siya pala ang matututunan mong mahalin.

Barbara Neil Aryan never planned to become a killer. But after discovering her boyfriend’s betrayal with her best friend, a thirst for vengeance and a mental illness leaves her with no choice. Desperate to escape incarceration, she stumbles into the dark underworld, where she is promised a chance to reinvent herself and clear her name, but Barbie gets sucked further into the underworld, where she is reborn as the “Black Widow,” an assassin with an unmatchable kill record and a deadly reputation. Even though it is not the life she imagined for herself, she embraces it, until her broken world shatters once again when she’s assigned an impossible target: Xavier Knight. He’s cunning, he’s lethal...and something she never expected—a werewolf. But those creatures aren’t real, right? Xavier is everything Barbara despises—arrogant, magnetic, and maddeningly charming, but as he draws her into his world, Barbara discovers more than just a target. For the first time in her life, she’s faced with a man who might actually mend her fractured heart and restore her hope in men. Now, Barbara stands on the edge of two paths: abandoning her deadly past or embracing an unknown future in Xavier’s arms. But when vengeance is all you know, can you really surrender to love?

Maurine Elizabeth Lopez is a young, innocent girl who has been deceived by the man she loves. Bullied by her stepsister and betrayed by her stepmother, she finds herself sold to settle a debt. Mikhail Esteban Rostova, a notorious and cold-blooded Russian mafia boss, takes her. Everyone assumes that Mikhail will dispose of her as he pleases. However, to save her life, Maurine pleads for mercy and deceives Mikhail, leading him to believe that she is in love with him and willing to do anything for him. She knows she cannot afford to die without exacting revenge on those who have tormented her. Mikhail believes her and spares her life. However, he insists that she marry him and bear his children. With no other options available, she reluctantly accepts his proposal, recognizing that marrying a cold-blooded Russian mafia boss might be her only chance for survival. This time, Maurine is determined not to let anyone deceive or bully her. She plans to use Mikhail to achieve her revenge and nothing more. After she is done with him, she will dispose of him before he will dispose of her. However, dealing with a powerful man was not as easy as she imagined it would be. Since Mikhail is willing to murder and flip the world upside down if ever she ran away!

Lisa Moon never imagined that a wax-sealed envelope from her high school best friend—who just happens to be a prince—would turn her quiet blogging life upside down. But when she’s invited to the glittering kingdom of Veloria for a month of garden parties and royal indulgence, she packs her doubts and flies across the world in search of magic. She expects champagne. She doesn’t expect Cassian Velarion—the prince’s mysterious and devastatingly handsome uncle, who she accidentally walked in on wrapped in nothing but a towel at an airport spa. What begins as awkward tension quickly ignites into something far more dangerous—desire, secrets, and the kind of chemistry that makes rules irrelevant. But not everyone wants to see Lisa and Cassian together. Victoria Beyers, a cold and calculating noblewoman, will do anything to drive them apart. Jonah, Lisa’s high school ex, isn’t ready to let go. And as the truth about Cassian’s past unravels, Lisa must choose between the life she thought she knew and the love she never expected. In a world of royalty, revenge, and red roses, A Girl Can Only Dream is a dazzling modern fairytale about forbidden romance, second chances, and finding your place in someone else’s palace.

THE ALPHA KING AND HIS PRISONER Ashina never thought she would be captured by the rival pack, let alone become a bargaining chip in their alpha's quest for power. As the daughter of her own pack's alpha, Ashina was raised to be strong and independent, but now she finds herself at the mercy of her captors. However, Ashina soon discovers that the rival pack's alpha, Draco, is not what she expected. He's not the ruthless and heartless leader she imagined, but rather a complex and conflicted man with a troubled past. As Ashina spends more time with Draco, she begins to see him in a different light, and a forbidden attraction starts to grow between them. Caught between loyalty to her own pack and her growing feelings for Draco, Ashina must navigate a dangerous and unpredictable world of werewolf politics and power struggles. But as she gets closer to Draco, she realizes that he may hold the key to ending the conflict between their packs and bringing peace to their World. As the tension between their packs reaches a boiling point, Ashina and Draco must decide whether to follow their hearts or their loyalties. But when a common enemy threatens them both, they'll have to rely on each other if they want to survive. Will their love be enough to overcome the odds stacked against them, or will they be forced to choose between their families and their happiness?

**EXCERPT** He rasped, his teeth grazing my earlobe. "I'll make sure you're addicted to the way I fúck you until you can't breathe without wanting me inside of you." Jesus Christ. He was going to kill me at this rate with his words... ⫷◍◍◍◍◍◍◍◍◍⫸ Lilith has perfected the art of disguise. She is an ambitious college student balancing her family’s needs by day. By night, she transforms into Raven—a mesmerizing dancer in a club where secrets reign, and the most feared man in the room, Giovanni, watches her every move. Giovanni's ruthless reputation is undeniable, but beneath his icy demeanor lies a deeply complex soul. When he hires Raven to uncover his rivals' darkest secrets, Lilith seizes the opportunity. The payout could change everything for her family—if she can handle the risk. One reckless night intertwines their fates in ways neither expected. As she ventures further into his world, every lie and secret draws her closer to disaster and a desire she never saw coming. If Giovanni uncovers her true identity, he’ll claim her in ways she never imagined—or destroy her in the process. *MATURE CONTENT AS THE CHAPTER PROGRESSES*

When Deidre Carey inherits her grandmother’s woodland cottage, she returns to Moonhollow Village for the first time in years for a fresh start. When she learns that her first crush is still living in the village, she finds herself drawn to him, regardless of his tempestuous moods. When she begins to unearth the web of secrets her grandma left behind, Deidre finds herself caught up in more than she ever could have imagined when she returned to the sleepy little mountain town. Grant Hawthorne was always going to be the town disappointment, but something has changed in all those years since Deidre’s been gone. In an accident that took his older brother’s life, Grant’s world was changed forever when he became not just the sole guardian to his young niece, but a werewolf. Grant does everything in his power to keep the curse subdued and secret, but all his walls come crashing down around him when his world collides with the force of nature that is Deidre Carey. “Of Wolves and Magic” explores the tumultuous relationship between a newly realized witch and a troubled man suffering from a lycanthropic curse as they navigate the complex secrets of the supernatural world lurking just beneath Moonhollow’s deceptively cozy surface.

“I’ll ask again,” He says with an husky finish on his voice, leaving his sitting position over to mine and squatting in front of me “Have you ever consider me as your type of guy?” I have the answer to that question already in my heart and he looking closely into my eyes freezes them from coming out. He’s close, again, too close. Before I know what is happening, he steals my last words, like knowing exactly what I want to say next and preventing me from saying them. I shiver from the touch of his lips on mine and exactly as I imagined, his lips are soft and juicy. Gently, he stroke my bottom lip with his tongue, massaging them slowly and as if carefully. ******** With everything going on in Eno's life, romance was the last thing she had expect to happen. Her first love dumping her with a pregnancy broke her to bits and in the process of picking up her life, hustling between jobs and caring for her daughter, she had to give up love. Not until her accidental encounter with Wale, the tall, dark and handsome playboy who turned her boring life with a lots limitations into a life where it is impossible to live without him.