Library Manhattan Beach Novels & Stories

Welcome to Blackwood University, where the tuition costs a fortune, but the secrets cost your life. I thought a scholarship to the country’s most elite university was my ticket out of the shadows. I was wrong. I didn’t just walk into a school; I walked into a lion’s den. And sitting on the throne is Niccolò De Luca. Nico is beautiful, brilliant, and brutal. He is the heir to the most powerful crime syndicate on the East Coast, and he runs this campus like his personal kingdom. He breaks hearts, he breaks bones, and now, he’s decided to break me. Not because I’m the scholarship case. But because he knows who I really am. I am the daughter of the man who stole millions from the De Luca family and vanished. Nico intends to use me to lure my father out of hiding. His plan is simple: torment me until I break, make my life a living hell, and keep me under his thumb until the debt is paid in blood. But the line between hate and obsession is razor-thin. When his torment turns into possessiveness, and his taunts turn into touches I can’t refuse, the game changes. I was supposed to be his pawn, but I’m becoming his weakness. Now, with a rival family closing in on campus and my father’s enemies circling, Nico has to make a choice: Hand me over to settle the score... or burn the world down to keep me. "You think you can hide from me in the library, little mouse?" Nico whispered, his breath hot against the shell of my ear as he pinned me against the stacks. "You are living on borrowed time. And unfortunately for you, I’m the one collecting the interest."

A Golden Cage. A Secret Predator. An Unyielding Obsession. My family sold me as collateral to a monster, but the man who dismantled my hell was a coffee-brewing widower with a trillion-dollar secret. To Manhattan’s elite, I, Claire Desmond, am nothing more than a flawed asset—ready to be liquidated to save my family’s throne from bankruptcy. Jake Floyd, the arrogant billionaire holding my father’s debt, wants me as a submissive trophy in his golden cage. Amidst the desperation and the betrayal of my own flesh and blood, my only sanctuary is the warm embrace of Gareth Hamilton—a single father and SoHo cafe owner who looks at me as if I’m the only woman left on earth. But Gareth is more than just the scent of espresso and the denim jacket he lent me on a stormy night. Beneath his deadly calm, he is a cold-blooded apex predator capable of erasing my enemies with a single snap of his fingers. He quietly hacked his way into my life, bought out my family’s debt, and built an impenetrable fortress around me—all without letting me see the chains he was forging. When the lies about his true identity unravel and the ghosts of his dark past come seeking vengeance, I’m forced to face a reality that shatters my sanity. Is the man who claimed me with an intoxicating kiss the home I’ve been searching for... or just a new master, far more dangerous than the devil I left behind?

On the day I rejected Isabelle Hale, Wall Street's newest golden girl, everyone thought I had lost my mind. She had everything: a Wharton degree, a national finance championship, a perfect family name, and a résumé polished enough to make doors open before she even knocked. But I knew what was hiding behind that name. Fifty years ago, her grandfather stole my grandmother's acceptance letter, her New York scholarship, and the future she had earned with her own hands. He used them to escape an Appalachian coal town with another woman, then built himself into a celebrated Ivy League professor who lectured rich students about ethics. My real grandmother, Grace Walker, was left behind in coal dust and shame. My mother grew up carrying the weight of that stolen life. They lifted me out anyway. I made it all the way to Manhattan, to a glass conference room at Northbridge Capital, where Isabelle sat across from me in a black suit tailored like victory. She thought her family name would protect her. She thought I would bow. Instead, I closed her file and said, "You didn't pass." By the next morning, they had fired me, dragged my name through the mud, and turned a press conference into my public trial. They forgot one thing. I didn't climb to the top of Wall Street to beg for a seat at their table. I came to take back every name, every chance, and every voice they stole from women like us.

My grandma and I were on a perfect beach in Golden Bay. The sun warmed my skin, the sand was soft beneath my feet, and she was resting peacefully nearby. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my mind. A mind link. It was Brenda. Assistant to my mate, Gideon, the Alpha Heir. The image she sent was horrifying. An old woman in simple clothes, lying in a pool of her own blood. Deep gashes, down to the bone, from a silver-laced weapon. Brenda's voice echoed in my head, dripping with arrogance. “Cora, do you Omegas do anything but freeload?” “Gideon just bought this estate, and you’re already letting your pack-leeching relatives squat here? As the Alpha’s assistant, it's my duty to protect his land from trespassers.” “This is what happens when you trespass on an Alpha’s private property!” I froze. I looked over at the sun umbrella. My grandma, Maria, was napping peacefully. I replayed the image from the link. My blood ran cold. That face… bloody and broken, but I knew it. I would never mistake it. It wasn't my grandmother. It was Eleonora. Gideon’s grandmother. A rival pack had attacked her months ago. Her wolf was weakened. She was in a pack clinic. Her mind-link was damaged. She could only receive, not send. Today… she was supposed to come home. I pushed back against the link with all my strength. “Brenda, are you insane? Look who you hit! That's Eleonora! Gideon's grandmother!” Brenda cut the link. Her last words were cold and stupid. “Gideon made it clear. Your family is your problem. His family is his. He doesn’t claim trash like them.”

Aria Dever is used to being invisible. Brilliant, reserved, and fiercely independent, she hides in the school library to escape high school drama and people like Adrian Cole, the cocky captain of the basketball team. But one accidental text—a private photo meant for her long-distance boyfriend lands in Adrian’s hands, pulling her into his chaotic world. Adrian is everything Aria has learned to avoid: arrogant, charismatic, and impossibly handsome. But beneath the golden-boy façade lies a dangerous secret—he’s a werewolf, bound by pack loyalties and a hidden bloodline. When Adrian fails a critical test, he corners Aria with a deal: tutor him until finals, or risk the photo leaking. Furious and trapped, she agrees. What starts as sarcastic banter and forced proximity soon spirals into something neither of them can ignore. But high school politics, a jealous cheerleader, and a charming new transfer student with his own secrets threaten to tear them apart. As Aria discovers Adrian’s supernatural nature, she realizes she’s immune to his powers—and part of a prophecy that could change everything. When the state basketball championship becomes a battlefield for both victory and revenge, Aria is kidnapped in a scheme orchestrated by her greatest tormentor. Adrian will stop at nothing to save her, even if it means risking everything. In a world where loyalty, love, and pack bonds collide, Aria and Adrian must confront enemies, rivals, and their own hearts. Can a nerdy bookworm and the golden-boy werewolf survive high school, sports rivalries, and supernatural danger—and come out stronger, together?

Lila Bennett has always been invisible. The quiet, bookish girl who prefers the library to parties, she spends her days studying and her nights dreaming about someone she could never have Ethan Ryder, the charismatic captain of the university hockey team. Confident, talented, and adored by everyone, Ethan already has the perfect girlfriend: Vanessa Hart, the beautiful and popular queen of campus. For two years, Lila has secretly admired Ethan from afar, writing about him in her private notebook while keeping her feelings hidden. But when Ethan’s academic performance falters, putting his spot on the hockey team at risk, he is assigned a tutor and that tutor is Lila. Suddenly, the invisible girl and the campus king are forced together. Late night tutoring sessions turn into shared secrets, stolen glances, and undeniable chemistry. Ethan begins to see Lila in a new light intelligent, kind, and unlike anyone he’s ever known. But love on campus is never simple. Vanessa notices Ethan’s growing interest in Lila and will stop at nothing to maintain her status and control. And when another hockey player, Lucas Hale, begins developing feelings for Lila, she finds herself caught in a complicated love triangle. Jealousy, rumors, and hidden truths surface, forcing Lila to confront her feelings, assert her confidence, and decide what and who she truly wants. In a world of rivalry, heartbreak, and high stakes, the quiet girl who was once invisible may finally become the one everyone is fighting for.

Three years ago, Lucian Vale destroyed her father's empire without a second thought. Now Aurora King is dead buried with her grief and Aurora Miller has taken her place. She built herself from nothing, fueled by one goal: make him pay. But revenge gets complicated when the enemy doesn't know you're alive. At a Manhattan charity gala, Aurora comes face-to-face with the devil himself. Lucian is younger, sharper, and more intoxicating than she imagined. One heated conversation leads to a private penthouse, his arrogant mouth on hers, and his dominant hands stripping away every vow she ever made. She hates him. She craves him. And when she flees into the night, she realizes the most dangerous weapon in this war isn't his money, it's the way he makes her feel. Forced into close quarters when Vale Industries needs her consultancy, Aurora must play the professional while hiding the truth: she's the daughter of the man he broke. But Lucian doesn't let go of what he wants. And after one taste, he wants her. As lines blur between enemy and lover, Aurora's revenge plan crumbles beneath stolen kisses and forbidden nights. Because the only thing more dangerous than his secrets… is hers. A steamy enemies-to-lovers billionaire romance featuring a dominant CEO who always gets what he wants, and the woman willing to burn his world down if his touch doesn't destroy hers first.

"You are just a golden cage ornament, Celestine. Two years. No touch, no real feelings, and never enter my room. I bought your freedom, so you owe me your life." ​To save her sick father from a lifetime behind bars, Celestine Aragon commits the ultimate sacrifice: she sells her freedom to Cyrus Valdemor—the ruthless, cold-hearted billionaire CEO who rules the city's corporate empire with an iron fist. ​The rules of their marriage contract were simple, practical, and completely devoid of warmth: Maintain a flawless public image, smile for the cameras, and remain absolute strangers behind closed doors. Celestine expects a lonely prison, but she doesn’t expect the strange, suffocating tension that ignites every time Cyrus is near. Nor does she expect the fierce, alpha protectiveness he unleashes whenever the world tries to tear her down. ​But one forbidden, alcohol-fueled night in his private library shatters all their rules. A dangerous passion breaks through Cyrus’s icy defense, leaving them breathless and bound by a desire neither can deny. ​Just as the lines between their fake marriage and real feelings begin to blur, a dark secret from the past comes to light. Cyrus discovers that Celestine's family is tied to the tragic accident that killed his parents decades ago. Stricken by guilt and targeted by his sudden, icy hatred, Celestine is cruelly cast out into the freezing rain—shattered, helpless, and carrying a secret of her own. ​She is pregnant with the billionaire's heir. ​When the truth finally unravels and the ruthless CEO realizes he banished the only woman he ever loved, will it be too late? Can a marriage built on vengeance and secrets survive the ultimate betrayal?

Ivy Sinclaire was born a powerful Heiress to House of Valemont and Manhattan royalty. But power doesn’t stop betrayal from crawling into her life, all cloaked in the form of her husband and her closest friend/ legal counsel. On the night she receives her Woman of Year award in global business, she walks into her office and finds Harry between Vivienne’s legs on her Italian marble desk—the same one she had closed multi-million deals on. The same night, her car crashes in a fiery wreck, and she’s declared dead. She is saved by the one man who’s always wanted her and her nemesis. Chase Sterling. An arrogant billionaire and philanthropist in a tailored suit. A man who’s watched Ivy from the shadows for years. Keeping his distance, waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in and be her hero. “They tried to kill you and they almost succeeded,” Chase scoffs, adjusting his cufflinks. “I shouldn’t have trusted them,” Ivy wipes the tears streaming down her cheeks violently. “So what now?” She looks him dead in the eye. “I’ll give you 30% of House of Valemont. In return, you help me destroy them.” Reborn as Victoria St. James, Ivy returns to New York unrecognizable, vengeful, and dangerous. With Chase at her side, she sets the stage for a merciless takedown, but as their dark alliance deepens into something twisted and magnetic, and the question remains: who’s really in control? Because Chase didn’t just save her… He remade her, and he has no intention of letting her go.

GENRE: Billionaire Romance / Forced Proximity / Fake Relationship] ​"Five years. You will be my wife just for show." ​To save her family's failing oil empire from a crushing financial debt, twenty-five-year-old Ruby Bells agrees to the ultimate sacrifice: a five-year contract marriage to Manhattan’s most ruthless, untouchable billionaire, Alexander Ray. ​She expected a cold, distant stranger. She expected a marriage devoid of emotion. What she didn't expect was a man who looks like a walking Greek god, whose very touch sends a dangerous heat rushing through her veins. ​Alexander Ray has rules. He doesn't do commitment, he doesn't do vulnerability, and he definitely doesn't do love. He only agreed to this marriage to satisfy his family and keep up appearances. He thinks Ruby is just another pretty face he can ignore. But Ruby is smart, sharp-tongued, and entirely unwilling to be a pushover—constantly throwing Alex off his game from the very first morning in his penthouse. ​But as the lines between their fake marriage and real desire begin to blur, a dark secret threatens to burn their contract to ashes. ​Because Alex has a hidden past... with Ruby's own sister, Chloe. And Chloe is determined to take back the billionaire she believes belongs to her. ​Can a marriage born out of a business deal survive the secrets of New York's elite? Or will the intense passion between Ruby and Alex destroy them both? ​