Novel & Cerita Mary Alice Monroe Books

As one of London's premier wedding planners, I have spent my career orchestrating "perfect moments" for others, yet I never seemed to find my own. The ballroom at Claridge's was bathed in an opulent glow for my best friend Stella's wedding. The bridal bouquet sailed over the crowd. It brushed a young woman's fingertips, bounced once, and landed squarely in my arms. In an instant, half of London's high society turned toward Ryan. "Proposal! Proposal!" the crowd chanted over the rhythmic clink of champagne flutes. "Ryan, a sign like that is rare. Looks like we should prepare for the next big party!" Ryan was nudged forward by the crowd. In his charcoal Savile Row suit, he still managed to look detached, as if the noise had nothing to do with him. As I held the flowers, the lingering scent of fresh roses filled the air. For one ridiculous second, I even wondered whether I should warn him not to crease his trousers if he knelt. But he only smiled. Then, with practised ease, he took the bouquet from my arms. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and handed it to his assistant, Emily, who was standing nearby. "She touched it first," he said, ruffling my hair with the same flawless tenderness I had endured for eight years. "Be good, Claire. Let's wait for the right time." The attention followed the flowers as they moved away. I caught the flicker of triumph in Emily's eyes and quickly looked down, tracing the intricate patterns of the carpet while forcing a perfectly poised smile. Ryan lived by schedules and efficiency, yet he never understood one simple truth: some chances, once missed, don't come with a "next time". My own wedding is next Saturday. And he has been officially struck from the guest list.

He divorced her… not knowing she was pregnant. On the night their marriage ended, Aira Bennett walked away with nothing but a broken heart—and a secret she never intended to reveal. Three years later, she has rebuilt her life, raising her son in peace, far from the man who chose someone else over her. But fate is cruel. Because Lucien Carter is back. And this time, he’s not just her ex-husband— He’s the father of the child he never knew existed. When the truth comes to light, everything changes. Control turns into obsession, distance turns into tension, and the past refuses to stay buried. But Aira isn’t the woman he left behind. And she’s not ready to let him walk back into her life so easily. Especially not when another man has already stepped into the space Lucien abandoned. Now, with emotions rising, secrets unraveling, and a child at the center of it all— One question remains: Can love survive betrayal… or will it destroy them all over again?

I had never imagined my life would eventually turn into a business deal. But when my father's hospital bills reached a surprisingly huge amount, I thought that was all not until my landlord decided I was better off homeless. At this point, I had no choice but to sign a contract with Alexander Pierce, a man whose presence alone screams arrogance and pride with power. The deal was simple: marry him for a year and three months, feign to be his devoted loving wife, and in turn, I will regain my financial freedom. But I can't say there was something simple about Alexander. His gaze burns too deep, his touches linger too long, and harder it becomes to state what's real or fake. I signed a contract. I never signed up for falling in love. But tell that to my heart.

The day before the holiday, I gave the household staff the week off. Agnes was still in the kitchen before she left, packing desserts into a bag while talking to herself with a smile. "Miss Vanessa finally got what she wanted this time. Mr. Moretti even booked that seaside villa in Amalfi." I was texting Vanessa, asking her to come over later to try on the bridesmaid dress. Without thinking much of it, I asked, "Got what?" "The wedding," Agnes said naturally. "Isn't Mr. Moretti taking Miss Vanessa to Italy?" My fingers froze above the screen. Two seconds passed before I looked up at her. "Whose wedding?" The smile on Agnes's face slowly froze. She looked at me as if she had only just realized something was wrong. "You... didn't know?" For a moment, I almost laughed at how absurd it sounded. "Agnes, Luca and I signed the family marriage registry three years ago. Next week is only supposed to be the ceremony." The kitchen fell silent. Agnes opened her mouth, embarrassment spreading across her face. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I thought you knew." She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "A while ago, when I was cleaning the study, I heard Mr. Moretti mention it to his lawyer. He said the marriage registry in your hands was never officially submitted to the family council." My heart sank. Three years ago, Luca had handed that document to me himself. He said the Moretti family was unstable, that we could not announce the marriage yet. Once he entered the inner circle of the Five Families, he would hold a proper wedding. So for all these years, I never pushed him. I even turned against the Castellano family for him. Thinking back now, maybe he had never planned to truly let me through the doors of the Moretti family in the first place.

The night before I was supposed to stand beside Lucius Corleone at the altar and become his wife, he sent me a message. Sienna was pregnant. According to the family code, her child would be the first legitimate heir to the Corleone name. So Lucius ordered me to leave Sicily for three years—and tell everyone I had broken our contract first. For eight years, I had been his shadow. I wiped away his blood, buried his crimes, protected his business, and waited for the day he would finally bring me into the light. But now, he said Sienna belonged in the sunlight. I stared at the message, my hands still burning from scrubbing away the evidence of his latest murder. Then I typed back one word. "Understood." A second later, Sienna's official wedding announcement appeared on the Corleone family's private network. Apparently, she couldn't even wait until morning to wear my ring.

Rhea Morreti, the female lead and the daughter of a Sicilian gang member; was meant to be a silent spy and was planted in the Vitale family to dismantle them from within, under the guise of an arranged marriage with Adriano Vitale, the son of a rival gang leader. But when her own brother, Dante, exposes her to further his own agenda, she becomes the scapegoat for a war she never planned to fight alone. Marked for execution, she barely escapes with her life—only to return stronger, deadlier, and carrying a secret that could shake the very foundation of their world. Even though Adriano Vitale never wanted the marriage, he didn’t want Rhea dead, especially since they had fallen for each other. Yet, when she disappears in a hail of bullets, presumed gone forever, he buries the past and focuses on the war threatening to consume his empire. That is, until she returns, not just as the woman he once knew, but as a force of vengeance, standing at his side against their common enemies. Dante, on the other hand, had spent years hiding a secret that fueled his ambition and his hatred for his family. As alliances shift and the truth unravels, Rhea and Adriano must navigate a treacherous world of lies, deception, and deadly rivalries. But the question remains. “With enemies lurking in the shadows and betrayal at every turn, will they uncover the truth before it’s too late, or will their unknown enemies destroy them before they get their revenge?”

Christina McQuinn, a 16-year-old witch, and her mother, once again change residence out of fear of being exposed to mortals, this time ending up in Italy. Christina is dissatisfied and fed up with constantly moving, but knowing her mother, she has to come to terms with this decision. However, the young witch does not know yet how much her life will change in this country - especially when Christina meets the mysterious Oliver.

The Price of Vulnerability follows the journey of Mr. Wells, a charismatic yet emotionally unavailable man who has built a wall around his heart after a painful past. As the successful CEO of a leading tech company, he hides behind his stoic demeanor and seductive allure, unwilling to let anyone get too close. Enter Naomi, a driven and intelligent woman who crosses paths with Wells during a high-stakes interview. Confident in her abilities yet struggling with her own hidden desires, Naomi finds herself inexplicably drawn to Wells. Despite his cold exterior and unwillingness to commit, there’s something about him that sparks a longing for more—a desire for trust, love, and a connection that goes beyond surface-level attraction. As Naomi navigates her new role as Wells’ secretary, she discovers the fragile layers of his heart. Slowly, she begins to unravel the mystery of the man behind the business mogul persona. But in the process, Naomi finds herself confronting her own vulnerability, torn between the power of her ambition and the intense pull of her feelings for Wells. In The Price of Vulnerability, trust, love, and desire collide as two people with guarded hearts risk it all to face the pain of their pasts and the possibility of a future together. Will Naomi break through Wells’ emotional walls, or will the price of opening up be too great?

Leo is a story about a girl that had a hard life. She had only cared about two people, one was her high school sweetheart that unfortunately could not be faithful. The other was someone she met while working at the gas station. He gave her hope and put a sparkle back into her life, but not without presenting it own set of challenges. However, after sometime her heart began to soften.

On the day I died, my boyfriend was with another woman. He was a man I had rescued from the clutches of rich women. My condition was for him to be my boyfriend for three years, and he agreed. I showered him with money, resources, and connections, single-handedly making him famous. Yet, while he told me we could not date publicly, he casually engaged in fake romance rumors with others for publicity. One of his rumored girlfriends even came to me with a voice message. "If it weren’t for using her as a stepping stone, who would bother with someone so dull and boring?" But after I died, why did he go mad?