Reader-response Criticism

In the heart of New York City, where power is traded like gold and ambition can break you, Lily James is caught between two worlds. By day, she’s the epitome of grace, a picture-perfect heiress to the sprawling James family airline empire, bound by a legacy that stifles her every move. By night, under the cover of darkness, she sheds her delicate persona, becoming a fierce and untamed spirit—a woman who longs to break free from the chains of her family’s expectations. Her carefully curated life shatters when she is thrust into an arranged marriage with Vandaulf Claude Carlston, the cold, calculating CEO of Carlston Architectural Firm and ruthless heir to the rival Carlston real estate dynasty. To him, their union is nothing more than a business transaction, a means to strengthen their family empires. He dismisses Lily as fragile and unworthy of respect. But Lily isn't the meek woman he believes her to be—beneath her exterior burns an undeniable fire. At a Halloween party, fate intervenes. Lily, shedding her refined persona for the night, crosses paths with Vandaulf in the form of a bold, liberated woman he cannot resist. Neither knows the true identity of the other, and a night of passionate recklessness ensues. The consequences are shattering—Lily is pregnant. When she reveals the truth, Vandaulf’s response is cruel and devastating. He denies any involvement, accusing her of manipulation and deceit. His cold rejection cuts deeper than she could have imagined, leaving her shattered but resolute. In this world of power, deceit, and dangerous alliances, Lily and Vandaulf must decide: will they allow their differences to tear them apart, or risk everything to uncover the truth? The ultimate question remains: will Vandaulf ever acknowledge Lily's pregnancy as his own, or will their fragile truce crumble forever?

"First, I wanted us to leave separately after the wedding, next I won't interfere in your relationship, you can still have a lover and so do I, and third I won't go in your way I will stay away from you,and additional maybe giving our marriage a limit like two years so you can marry whomever you want and I can marry the man I wanted to,even were already couples I swear,you will never notice me like I never existed" She was expecting a positive response from her husband to be Asher Sebastian Voclain who was a famous car racers, but he looked displeased, after he refused to marry her for three consecutive years ay hindi na umaasa si Maleah na magpapakasal pa sila. But because of what she did she hits the most sensitive part of her narcissistic fiancee, which activates his possessiveness and obsessive sides towards her. He didn't want a divorce, he wanted her to stay with him but Asher is a womanizer and looks like she's just his second priority of course the fans will be the first. And she had enough of his self centeredness, and apathetic behavior towards her. She wanted to know his true self and she wanted to push him to his limit hanggang mapaamin niya ito. She was desperate to know what he really feels about her, because it's driving her crazy and breaking her heart every time. Does Asher really like her? Or Just using her to fulfill the last will in testament nang lola nito.

Extract The thought of Louis stalking me send cold shivers down my spine. Cold sweats formed on my forehead and I could feel my make-up washing off by my sweats. " Who are you?" Austin roared, but the wicked smile on Louis's face never left my mind. Why was he smiling that way? I couldn't help but wonder with my body trembling. " Louis Rusev" Louis answered and the audience gasped. At this moment, the priest had disappeared and everyone was holding their breath. " The alpha of lake pack?" Austin asked with squinted eyes to be sure the person standing before him wasn't an imposter. I didn't tell Austin the identity of my ex-mate, I only told him what happened between us. " Bravo, you know me well" Louis applauded and approached us on the stage. " What do you want?" Austin asked and I felt his grip tightened around my wrist in a protective manner. " I want my mate back" Louis answered calmly with a domineering voice. My heart dropped to my stomach at his response and I felt tears brimming in my eyes. Didn't he reject me? Didn't he send me away? why did he appear suddenly? In a world where people go over the moon when they find their mate, Nora's life crumbled after finding hers. Happy that her long-time crush, Alpha Louis Rusev was now her mate, she offered herself to him willingly not knowing Fate was Tempting her. How far can she survive the cruel action of fate and the partiality of the moon goddess?

Jax couldn’t believe how it felt to finally touch her the way that he wanted to. She was warm and sweet, and her response was incredible. Total surrender; aching want; hot need. He’d never have guessed that Sarah would give over so completely, and he kissed her over and over again, loving how she tasted. He finally pulled back, fighting with himself to do so. He opened his eyes and saw that hers were still closed. Her mouth was swollen and she trembled against him a bit. He ran his fingers through her curls, brushed her hair back from her gorgeous face. “Open your eyes, baby,” he said, his voice deep and husky. “Look at me.” **** Jax Hamill rebuilt his life on grit, dumb luck, and a refusal to look back. The past is buried. The bar is profitable. The house, truck, and bike are his. So is the no-strings sex in a back room he never plans to clean up. Jax lives for now. Everything is temporary.... until she isn’t. Sarah Matthews is drowning in responsibility. Overworked, overstretched, and painfully single, her life is a color-coded calendar of obligation. She doesn’t need romance. She needs escape....just once. Just long enough to remember who she was before life tightened the leash. Their deal is simple: no future, no promises, no feelings. Just heat. Just fun. Just temporary. Then a ghost from Sarah’s past crashes the fantasy – and turns desire into a battlefield. As Sarah fights to reclaim her life, Jax is forced to face the man he used to be, the man he pretends to be, and the man he might become… if he dares to want something real.

TRIGGER WARNING!!! This is rated 18+. Alpha Parthe is as dark as described. If you are not into dark romance, please, in the name of everything holy... ***Excerpt*** "My breath just made you quiver," He leaned closer so that I could almost taste his breath, "...Then imagine what my tongue would do." "I warned you not to play with fire if you are afraid of flames," He added, his voice hoarse with need. My plump lips parted in response, "I am not afraid to burn for what I love." I had just stirred something in him that had lay dormant all his life. "Then so be it... Princess." *** She was an angel craving chaos. He was a demon craving peace. She knew he was hell, yet she chose to burn with him. It takes a special kind of woman to handle his darkness and tame his demons. Alpha Parthe comes from a bloodline of cursed Alphas, endlessly consumed by the need to track and kill, constantly plagued by the scent of blood. The more they kill, the more they want to kill. It only gets worse on every full moon. No one mated to an Alpha from the Wild Wolf pack ever lived more than two years. And every Alpha from that lineage dies at thirty-three due to the curse. Parthe vowed never to have a mate or a son. But these vows crumble when he meets a girl he considers 'little and insignificant.' The fate of Luxuria, who was set to marry the love of her life, Kahel, takes a drastic turn when she finds out she was mated to this cursed Alpha, whom she dreaded with her life. What happens when his curse gradually seeps into Luxuria, the woman who was meant to be his remedy?

After years of battling several illnesses, I died and woke up in a werewolf romance as a girl named Selene. It was uncertain what book I reincarnated into but as an avid reader of werewolf web novels, I knew the basic plot-line so I didn’t panic. From what I learned about my character, I was obsessed with the Alpha’s son and I bullied the women around him. I was ‘that’ woman; the one that stands between the Alpha and his abused omega mate and meets an unlucky end. All I had to do was sever ties with the Alpha and enjoy my new life so how did I end up in bed with him!? And why was the Alpha who was supposed to hate me following me around like a lost puppy? ** To Xander, Selene is nothing more than his best friend’s arrogant, stalker sister. He hates her but one day things change. After a night of shared passion, she begins to avoid him. At first, he believes it’s a new trick to get his attention and later, he thinks she used him for his body and he wants her attention back on him. Xander and Selene seem like a match made in heaven but they aren’t. When Xander meets his fated mate, Selene’s worst nightmare is confirmed. She’s grown attached. Xander is unwilling to let Selene go but how can he hold on when his destiny lies with another woman? Is the love between the two strong enough to resist destiny?

"....do you Mr Amber take Miss Lexy to be your wedded wife till the end of time?" I waited for a response, I was supposed to be standing in front of my husband to be, waiting for him to say yes and then get wedded to him for the rest of my miserable life,but guess what? It wasn't My husband to be in front of me, it was his best friend holding up his phone! My husband to be claimed he had important things to do and so he wouldn't make it hear in person! And so,he decided to do a voice -not video call!! "Yeah sure whatever", he said immediately and hung the phone. I paused first... realizing what just happened. And then the conclusion was done. I was doomed! ********* Being forced to marry a well feared and known gangster is bad, but not knowing who you're married to is worse! Lexy finds herself being forced to become the wife of a well known serial killer and Don of all Don's. She finds herself trapped in all angles as she realizes that she can't leave this marriage until one of them is dead, and she gladly puts herself on the front line to die first than spend her entire life with blood and guns all over again like her previous life. But her Don doesn't give up on her anytime soon no matter how infuriating she was and keeps his vow he made to her mother. Allowing herself to finally submit, she realizes her life is about to destroy ten times more than how it was before. Will she finally break from his charm over her, or will she stay and fight with the most feared gangster in the world, the Don of all Dons

Alaric Royale, a ruthless and cunning CEO, believes Elona Carter, the woman he once loved, deceived him. Consumed by anger and a thirst for revenge, he sets out to destroy her. But fate has other plans. Alaric's world is turned upside down when he's left fighting for his life after a tragic accident. The woman he despised, Elona, becomes his unlikely savior, using her exceptional knowledge of acupuncture and herbal remedies to bring him back from the brink of death. As Alaric awakens from his coma, he's met with a shocking revelation: the woman he trusted, Harley, had drugged him, leading to his near-fatal accident. The truth about Elona's innocence and his own culpability hits him hard. Desperate to make amends, Alaric pleads for Elona's forgiveness: "Elona, please... forgive me. I was blind, deceived by Harley's lies. I swear to make it right, to give you and our children the life they deserve. I want to marry you, to give you the status and respect you've always deserved." But Elona's response is icy: "Mr. Royale, don't read much into it. It's a doctor's duty to save patients. Now that you are healed, I will disappear from Emerald Hill as per your initial command." Alaric's heart feels like it's being squeezed in a vice as Elona throws his own ruthless words back at him. He's forced to confront the consequences of his past actions and the depth of Elona's pain. Will Alaric be able to overcome his past mistakes and prove himself worthy of a second chance, or will his regrets forever define him?

Camelia Zahra adalah seorang violinist yang sangat popular dikalangan masyarakat, Selain dia begitu piawai menggesek biolanya dengan sangat indah, wajahnya pun begitu rupawan. Diluaran sana dia memiliki banyak penggemar dan pengagum rahasia baik tua maupun muda. Suatu hari Camelia kabur setelah selesai menyelenggarakan konser tunggalnya, hanya untuk menikmati beberapa menit kebebasan dari penatnya pertanyaan para wartawan, cahaya kamera, bodyguard dan manager cerewetnya. Namun dalam pelariannya secara tak sengaja dia bertemu dengan seorang pemuda bernama Giovanni Curtis. Giovanni adalah seorang pianis amatir yang bekerja paruh waktu di Cafe Hotel dimana itu adalah tempat konser sang pemain Biola tersebut digelar. Cita-cita terbesarnya adalah bisa bertemu dan berkolaborasi dengan violinist idolanya itu. Meskipun khayalanya itu bak bumi merindukan matahari, tetapi sang pencipta beberapa kali mempertemukan mereka secara tak sengaja, hingga akhirnya hubungan mereka pun menjadi hubungan rahasia dan hanya mereka berdua yang mengetahuinya. Tetapi semua itu tidak berlangsung lama karena hubungan mereka akhirnya terkuak hingga media gempar dibuatnya. Lalu, bisakah mereka tetap bersama? Meskipun hubungan mereka terhalang oleh status? *** Mohon maaf apabila penulisannya masih banyak kekurangan, tapi jangan berhenti untuk mendukung juga karya saya ini. Terima kasih reader :) Follow saya disini juga di IG @authorparadista

TRIGGER WARNING: This book contains violence, explicit words and sex. Some words and scenes might not be liked or can trigger some readers. Reader's discretion is advised. Caia Lilith Herald suffered tormenting abuse in her own father's hand, making her grow up weak and timid. She even had no wolf to begin with. Even her seven-year long fiancé never came to see her once that she started to believe how useless and unloved she was. However, one day, her fiance, Darkus Loiu Dark- the blood-lust alpha feared by everyone, just came to abduct her, saying it's about time he claim what should have been his. "I know you despise me so much that you kept refusing to marry a rogue man like me, Caia. But I won't let any other man have you. I own you. I patiently waited for seven years just to have you. And I think, it's about time I make you completely mine." What?! She refused him?! When did she refuse him? When all these years, she had been waiting for him like a fool, waiting until he came to save her from this misery. But now, it's even her fault?! What's happening?! This book is a sequel of my first book "The Unwanted Luna Goddess". It revolves around the story of Ruan and Kaliyah's son, Prince Darkus Loui Dark.