Midsummer By Manuel Arguilla Summary

When Mabel Jordan, a bartender scarred by a past betrayal, meets Steve Harrison, the billionaire CEO of Ryder Enterprises, the chemistry is instant and dangerous. Steve is a man who never loses control, but Mabel is the wild card he never saw coming. Unwilling to let go of her, yet terrified of the vulnerability she represents, he creates a single rule to protect himself from the very thing he desires most. "I can't give you the perfect relationship you want, Mabel. But I also can't let you go." He makes her an offer that is both selfish and brutal: an exclusive, no-strings-attached arrangement. "I want a relationship with no strings attached. Just sex. Only with you, no other woman." The rules are simple, but the most devastating one is a lie they both hope to believe. "You can’t fall in love with me, Mabel. If you do, it will be over." What begins as a reckless game quickly becomes a battle of wills and raw desire, where every touch is a lie and every kiss is a risk. Mabel struggles to guard her heart, while Steve fights to keep a soul he swore was dead. Can they survive a game with only one rule? Or will they be destroyed by the very feelings they swore to avoid?

My name is Rayna Giancarlo and I’m many things. I’m an abused daughter, the school ridicule, the abused fiancée, the vengeful daughter, the bitter niece, the runaway wife. But not for much longer. I won’t always be a victim. Soon I’ll rise up from the flames like a Phoenix and then I’ll burn everyone who had ever wronged me to ashes.

Dorian’s eyes darkened with something dangerous as he watched her reaction. “You think you can stand on your own?” he whispered, his voice low and thick with intent. “ If you think is possible then, Prove it, little hybrid.” Before she could respond, his lips descended on hers. The kiss was fierce, almost punishing, as though he was trying to dominate her through sheer force. But what surprised Irwin more was her own response. Her body acted on its own, her lips moving against his, her hands gripping his arms as if she couldn’t bear to let go. Dorian groaned softly as his hands roamed down her body, pulling her closer. His touch was rough, possessive, and yet it ignited something deep within her that she had never felt before. Irwin gasped as he kissed her harder, his hands sliding under her clothes, brushing against her skin.

Andrew is an Alpha Lupus, a prince who does not want to be King, much less marry an ordinary Omega like Lady Artanis. The Prince discovers a secret that could change the course of the kingdom, and runs off in search of clues that will lead him to find the true heir to the throne, the Lost Prince. Andrew's paths cross with those of Noah, a young man who awakens the Prince's most intense desires. Noah always thought he was different, he believed he was not Omega, Alpha, let alone a Beta, and that he was descended from the Witches. Everything changes in his life after a stranger is captured by the rebel army of which he is a part. The man awakens unknown feelings for Noah, leaving him completely lost, and trying to fight something he can't, the predestined connection between a Lupus Alpha and a Lunar Omega. Andrew must flee to find the Lost Prince, but he knows that there with the rebels, he has found something he has been waiting for for a long time, his Lunar Omega. Will Andrew be able to leave without taking his predestined one? Can their bond succumb to the social differences between them?

The betrayal of her lover left Stella destitute. She thought it was the end of her life as a widow. But Mr. Marvin comes like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, making her strong so she can take revenge on the parasitic lover who drained her of all her wealth. Who is Mr. Marvin? Stella thought he was just an angel who came down from heaven to help. As she finds out the reason behind it, she's stunned.

During the height of the plague, Elizabeth is known for touching the dying without fear and for surviving longer than anyone should. The village calls her witch. Death calls her interesting. Malachor is a demon bound to plague and passing souls, ancient and cruel, intrigued by a healer who refuses to beg. When Elizabeth is condemned, thrown into a plague pit, and left to die, she calls out, not to God, but to the darkness watching her. He answers. Bound to a demon of death, Elizabeth survives… and is slowly claimed. Desire becomes devotion. Mercy becomes sin. A dark historical fantasy romance of plague, power, and forbidden surrender where love corrupts, salvation fails, and Hell is the only vow kept. TRIGGER/CONTENT WARNING: This story contains mature themes and content intended for adult audiences (18+) Reader discretion is advised. It includes moments of violence, coercion and domination themes, sexual content and dark erotic elements, emotional trauma and moral corruption, blasphemous themes involving demons, faith, and damnation

Sloane Wentworth was looked down on by her Stepmom and siblings. But when she accidentally signed her marriage with Carlo Alistair, a third generation grandson and heir to a multi trillion dollar enterprise, everything is set to change. In a dramatic cycle of revenge and struggle for power, what will be the fate of a love story built on a lie?

"Now tell me, young lady, who wants you dead?" Nicholas asked as he stared intently at me. His words froze me in place. My eyes widened, and my heart raced uncontrollably in my chest. I looked at him, my eyes diverting to the blood trickling from his shoulder where he was hit by a bullet while trying to save me. "I... I don't know," I stammered, still bewildered by the events that had unfolded. Laura Dickson had endured an abusive relationship at the hands of her boyfriend Santos, to whom she felt indebted for assisting her in settling some debts. Eventually, she reaches the conclusion that she can no longer tolerate the relationship and flees, disregarding Santos' threats of ending her life should she ever leave him. At a charity ball event, she encounters Nicholas, a strikingly handsome and powerful billionaire, the head of Brandson mafia family, who saves her from a serial killer intent on shooting her. Nicholas takes it upon himself to provide her with protection at his covert hideout until the serial killer is captured. What will unfold when they discover that the serial killer was actually closer to them than they had presumed and was in fact not who they thought it was? How will Laura react when she uncovers a grave secret that will profoundly shake her foundations? And what will occur as Laura falls In love with Nicholas, a billionaire mafioso who only sees women as objects of sexual desires? Discover the answers within the gripping pages of the thrilling novel, "Bound by Passion."

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I ran away with my new husband, Keith, chasing something—adventure, maybe, or just a way out of my dead-end town. He promised Vegas, bright lights, and fortune. Said he’d win big at the Moon Crescent Casino. I went along for the ride, naively thinking this was the start of something new. Instead, Keith lost everything. And I mean everything. And his genius solution? He sold me. To pay off his gambling debt, he handed me over like property—to a pack. Not just one man, but three. Wolves, apparently. Dangerous, intense... and off-the-charts gorgeous. Husk is tall, dark, and terrifyingly silent. When he does smile, it looks like it hurts him—and frankly, it gives me nightmares. Winter, with his pale hair and soft eyes, is gentle… on the surface. But there’s something immense in him, some power pulsing under his skin, like he could take control of my very soul. Then there’s Sky—moody, brooding, unreadable. He shifts between warm and cold so fast I get whiplash. They tell me I have to stay with them at the casino for thirty days. Just thirty days, and the debt is paid. Sounds simple, right? Except nothing about this is simple. And I know there’s a catch. So, I run. Only to find out—they need me. Not for money. Not just for fun. For something deeper. Something... ancient. Suddenly, I’m not the girl people overlook. I’m not the small-town girl with a too-big heart and nowhere to put it. I’m the key to something much bigger, something magical. And maybe, just maybe, these wolves aren’t my captors… they’re my future. I left to escape. But it turns out, what I needed most was exactly what I tried to leave behind.