Norton Critical Editions Novels & Stories

My Harvard scholarship was supposed to be guaranteed until the slots filled up and my backup plan became my only plan: win the debate championship or lose everything. There's just one problem: Diego Castellano. Football star. Serial heartbreaker. The boy who stood by while his cheerleader girlfriend made me the school's favorite punching bag. When he joins my debate team thinking it'll be "easy," I'm forced to choose between my future and my feelings for the one person I shouldn't love.

Damien Logan, a ruthless billionaire, is used to control and power. But his life is shaken after a one-night stand with a mysterious woman, Ariana. When he wakes up to find her gone, he assumes they’ll never meet again until fate steps in. Struggling with debt and the loss of her job, Ariana unexpectedly finds herself back in Damien's world. Faced with his grandfather’s demand to marry a woman of his choosing, Damien comes up with a bold plan: a marriage contract with Ariana. In exchange for pretending to be his wife, she’ll get the financial stability she needs. Reluctantly, Ariana agrees, stepping into a life of wealth and lies. But as their fake marriage goes on, their walls start to crack. The line between pretending and real feelings starts to blur. Secrets and insecurities threaten to ruin everything. Can a love built on a lie survive, or will their contract end before they find each other’s hearts?

Her silky hair was a mess. Her makeup, ruined. Her dress wrinkled like she slept on it. She was there, but her mind, elsewhere. Her eyes went to me. Her lips curled into a lazy smile. In every step she gave, my heart sank thinking she would fall. “What happened to you? Are you okay?” I rushed towards her. Her face twisted with disgust. “Oh, perfect Bella. The golden girl. Always correct. Always the best.” “What…” “Perfect Bella. Has the best grades. She doesn't have to fight to get into college, colleges fight over her.” “Emma, you are drunk.” “Perfect Bella doesn't drink. She is as pure as water. Saint Bella.” Her eyes glinted. “Perfect Bella doesn't sleep with her best friend's husband.” My body froze as a wave of chill ran through my spine. “What… what are you talking about?” She leaned in, her breath thick with alcohol, “Where do you think Marcus is? Why do you think I can barely walk straight? Is it hard to believe he took me and not you to that bad that was supposed to be yours?” My heart clenched. Tears started forming in my eyes. It didn't take long till they gave up to gravity. He… he didn't. We'd promised this morning. He couldn't. “He wouldn't.” ***** It's been a year, but the scars are still there. My past echoing in my head reminding me of everything that happened since that day. Every time I open my eyes in the morning to see... nothing. “You only get hurt by the ones you love the most.” “You only get betrayed by the ones you trust the most.” What happens when these two misbeliefs collide? ***** I hope I wrote this book good enough to make you feel it. Obrigada.☺️

Anne Jacobs hears what others keep hidden—their fears, their fantasies, their lies. It’s how she survived high school. It’s how she stayed invisible. Until Victor Blackwood decided she shouldn’t be. Victor is handsome, brilliant, and frighteningly attentive. He claims to love her, to protect her. But the thoughts behind his perfect smile are darker than anything Anne has heard before. And when those around her start to fall—bullies silenced, enemies destroyed—Anne realizes she’s not just loved. She’s owned. Now she must decide: expose him and risk becoming his next fixation… or stay close and try to control the monster who claims her heart. In a world where thoughts betray, love is the most dangerous lie of all.

Elena Russo has always lived life by the rules: excel at work, stay loyal, and follow a plan. Engaged to Matteo Ricci, the perfect fiancé, her future seems secure—until Damon DeLuca steps back into her life. Damon, cold, confident, and dangerously magnetic, isn’t just any man. He’s her family’s rival and now, her new business partner. From the moment he walks into her world, Elena feels the undeniable pull of something she shouldn’t want. Working alongside Damon is a battle of wits, sarcasm, and tension. Every glance, every challenge, and every subtle flirtation threatens to unravel her carefully controlled life. But the real danger isn’t just business—it’s Matteo. Elena thought she knew everything about her fiancé, but a shocking betrayal forces her to question everything she believed. Suddenly, the line between love and hate blurs, and the man she’s been trying hardest to resist may be the only one who truly sees her. In a world of corporate power, family rivalry, and forbidden desire, Elena must decide: stick to the life she planned or risk everything for the man who makes her heart race. Enemies. Business partners. Dangerous chemistry. One choice that could change everything.

Warning: This story is strictly 18+ and contains multiple sex scenes. ___ Nyx had a crush on her best friend, Lynn since high school, and now in college, she hoped he would look her way once. However, he would always go back, running back to his toxic girlfriend. But after a weekend trip, it took a few buttons to make her scream out a new name, like she hadn't hoped for Lynn for years. Ron, a possessive sex god, lusted after Nyx, and his sole purpose was to take her away from his niece, shamelessly and boundlessly. He went right into her class, appearing as her professor to sway her. Nyx couldn't help the dangerous attraction she felt for him, thirsting every minute he stood teaching until she was spread right on his table.

TRIGGER WARNINGS:  This book is explicitly sexual in some scenes with kinks like foreplay and spanking.Dive in homies let's see if you can handle this spice. The clicking of the door knob meant that he was in. “Did Riley call for you?" Kayla asked the guy who just entered as she scanned him under the dim light,this wasn't what she expected of a call boy,tall, muscular,thin waist,and to die for, that black hair that falls beneath the mask he wore.The messy but insanely handsome dk type with perfectly shaped jawline. “I heard my lady needs my touch" those flirtatious words got her smiling,somehow forgetting her worries as he advanced slowly towards her,inch by inch till he was a face away from her. She felt his hands going through her curves under her lingerie, missed emotions swept through her as she stared at the masked man before her. “SEX ME!" She mouthed as he let out a grin, taking her off her feet to the bed. 10 Nights is more than enough to have you yearning for more my dear readers READ IF YOU DARE

Lyria Vale thought her life of privilege was the hardest challenge she’d face—until she was chosen for Alpha Hall, an elite squad in Blackthorn Sovereign Academy where heirs are tested… and eliminated. Quite literally killed if they fail to pass academy tests. When out on a mandatory wilderness survival camping trip, Lyria and her group are kidnapped by a rogue group of trolls. Which is a break breach of accords between the human realm and Mystic realm. This specific tribe of trolls is suffering from an extinction threat because the massacred their entire female population for mixing with male human they considered inferior. Now they turn to kidnapping female heirs to breed with because they believe they have superior genes. As everything unfolds Lyria discovers her growing feelings for Alaric in a place where any distractions will cost her life or the lives of the ones she loves. Survival becomes a game of wit, strategy, and courage. In a place where every glance, every corridor, and every alliance could mean life or death, Lyria must learn quickly: in this world, power is earned, trust is a weapon, and the shadows are haunting. Will she keep her promise to return alive to her parents or will she succumb to her impending death and become another heir in history?

I have to go to the police station to bail two people out at 2:00 am. The young woman this time is different compared to the others in the past. She keeps her head hung and is as docile as a rabbit. Melvin Norton, my boyfriend, says with a smile, "I've just won her heart over. This is your junior colleague, Stacy Decker. "I joked about wanting to try having car sex with her. She dared not do that, so she grabbed the steering wheel from me. That's how we ended up crashing into the greenbelt." Stacy raises her head to glare at Melvin with red-rimmed eyes. But that's when the hickey on her neck is revealed. I just nod with a blank expression. Then, I begin the procedures fluently. The police officer in charge of the fine is already used to seeing me at this point. He asks casually, "How many times have you done this so far?" I'm temporarily taken aback by the question, resulting in me pausing in my actions. Last year, Melvin had cheated on me with a saleswoman. The year before, it was a nurse. The year before that year was the gym trainer… Suddenly, I lose all interest in this stupid game. "This is the ninth and the final time."

After dating Scott Kenta for 10 years, I said to him, "Scott, I'm pregnant." The file in his hands slipped and hit the floor. He frowned, clearly irritated. "Don't be ridiculous," he said. "This is a critical moment—my company's going public. I never planned on having a child." "It's fine. Your career matters more," I said, smiling gently. He didn't catch the meaning behind my words. I was pregnant, yes. But he wasn't the father.