Ruth Ware Books Ranked Novels & Stories

She stood before the mirror, her hands trembling as she ran a brush through her hair. Her eyes were wide and fearful, a far cry from the confident and self-assured woman she had been just a few hours before. This was no ordinary betrothal – she was being forced into marriage with a man of immense wealth and power, a man she knew nothing about. She felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter. Olivia Archer woke up one morning to discover that she had been betrothed to a ruthless billionaire. She felt a mix of emotions: shock, fear, and confusion. She knew that saying no to the betrothal would have dire consequences, but saying yes seemed even more dangerous. What was she to do? The options before her seemed impossible, and yet she had to make a choice. Which path would she take?

WARNING: Please, before reading this book, note that it contains: violence, abusive scenes, and mature scenes. "I was supposed to kill you, Cassius," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Do you think you can?" he replied, his gaze piercing. He gently took my hand, the warmth of his touch contrasting sharply with the coldness of the IV drip that fed into my arm. "I would shoot a bullet into your head if..." I started, but before I could finish, he sealed my lips with a kiss—soft yet filled with an urgency that took my breath away. **** Zara Singh, an undercover assassin, receives a contract to seduce and eliminate Cassius DiMarco, the most feared Mafia king who is known for his ruthlessness. But what would happen when she finds herself unexpectedly drawn to Cassius? And what would happen when Zara finds out Cassius had a hand in her parent's death? Would she be able to forgive him? #2

I was supposed to marry his nephew. That was the agreement meant to end twenty years of war between our families. As the Valente family’s unwanted daughter, I was the sacrificial lamb and I didn’t have a choice. But on my wedding day, the groom disappeared and before anyone could react, his uncle stepped forward. Don Maxton Retroferd, the most feared man in the underworld. Cold, ruthless and Untouchable. And in front of everyone, he claimed me as his wife. I expected him to break me or treat me like nothing more than a pawn in his dangerous world and I prepared myself to survive a man with no heart. But the Don who was supposed to ruin me became the only one who protected me and truly saw me for who I am. Now I’m trapped in a marriage I never wanted… with a man I was never meant to love and the more I tried to resist him, the more I realized that the ruthless Don didn’t just marry me...He claimed me.

Venus Carter has never known love, only cruelty. Orphaned and left in the hands of her merciless uncle, she endures years of torment, treated worse than a slave. But when her uncle sells her to the ruthless Alpha Maxine Blackwood, she realizes she has lost even the little freedom she once had. Her purpose? To bear him an heir. But Venus refuses to be just a vessel. She secretly takes contraceptives, defying the powerful Alpha’s will. When her deception is discovered, Maxine’s fury knows no bounds, and her punishment is worse than anything she has ever endured. Just when she believes she can’t take any more, fate twists in an unexpected way—Maxine is poisoned with wolfsbane, a slow and excruciating death for a werewolf. Only Venus holds the cure. With the Alpha’s life in her hands, she finds herself with the rarest thing of all—power over the monster who ruined her life. But with that power comes a choice: save him and risk losing her chance at freedom or let him perish and be rid of him forever. And if she saves him, will she uncover the man beneath the beast?

Annabella has spent her life as the invisible daughter, the "little mouse" her brother mockingly named her. As the Beta's third-in-line heir, she should command respect. Instead, she endures her father Eugene's abuse in silence, documenting everything with hidden cameras while treasuring anonymous gifts from a secret admirer who sees her worth. For three years, she's found solace in Lucious, the second-born Alpha Heir who defies his brothers' cruel jokes to love her openly. But on her eighteenth birthday, everything changes. The mate bond doesn't just snap into place with Lucious; it ignites with all six Alpha Heirs. A legendary sixfold bond, the rarest connection their kind has known in centuries. Before Annabella can process this revelation, her world shatters. Her father didn't just abuse her; he sold her. A contract with the Moon Slashers Pack, half a million dollars, and a plan to rip her from Lucious's arms and deliver her to another Alpha's bed. Her brother Tate, her supposed protector, helped orchestrate it all. When Eugene's betrayal explodes at her coming-of-age breakfast, Annabella's forced first shift becomes a desperate flight for survival. Six mates who failed to protect her now race to prove their worth. A father willing to destroy anyone in his path to power. A mother she believed dead for five years: alive, drugged, imprisoned. And hidden camera footage revealing a conspiracy that spans multiple packs, threatens the Alpha's reign, and exposes a trafficking ring built on selling she-wolves like livestock. The little mouse was never weak. She was waiting for her moment to roar. Six mates. One truth. And chains that are finally breaking.

Elara Moonfall, an omega, is publicly rejected by her fated Alpha mate during the Moon Bond Ceremony and sold at dawn to settle her pack’s debt to the Lycan Dominion. Delivered to King Kael Varyn a ruthless ruler bound by ancient law. Elara is claimed without negotiation but kept at a careful distance. Within the Lycan court, Elara becomes the focus of political tests as rival Alphas challenge the King through her. Though not imprisoned, she cannot leave, and as Kael enforces absolute protection over her, an unexpected bond begins to awaken, one that threatens Lycan law, pack hierarchy, and the balance of power. A slow-burn rejected-mate Lycan romance centered on power, betrayal, and fate.

My husband is a haute couture designer. When his true love goes blind in her right eye, he goes to his mother's ward and asks her for help in getting me to sign an organ donation agreement. What he doesn't know is that I'm already dead.

Love is not bound; however, in life, we will only love one person and take them as our partner for the next seven births too. When the love of our life leaves us, we won't be able to move on and remain alive with their memories as our companions. Adrien Rodriguez, a 31-year-old billionaire with a combination of deadly looks and cold-heartedness, happens to meet a girl who looks like his late girlfriend. He was hit by a wave of shock and confusion, which drove him to go crazy. Fate played its game by bringing her into his company, which also led to some misunderstandings about the relationship between her and his best friend. Adrien planned a game that would make everyone rethink if the closest ones were really that close. Some unfavorable incidents and twists of plans can make every relationship questionable. What made his closest person his biggest enemy and what made him fight an invisible battle? What made the person behind the facade think of their revenge against Adrien? To learn more about their revenge story, come and join me on this journey. This story is a mix of revenge, backstabbing, sadness, love, and many more.

I stopped at her cell and if it was impossible for me to stop breathing, I think I did for a second. The second I met her eyes, those brown eyes, my wolf cried out inside. I could't stop staring. She had an oval face, pale skin, large brown eyes and full lips. Her hair was a mess and I could see her shivering. To me, she was the most beautiful woman to walk the realm. “Caden?” Dorian's voice pulled me out of the trance. I had even forgotten he’s there. “What’s your name?” I demanded. She bared her teeth at me and looked to the side. I couldn't sense any wolf. Could she feel anything? Is she drawn to me, the way I'm drawn to her. The Goddess gave me a wolfless rogue as a mate after all the years of waiting. This wasn't fair. *** Selene ran from her pack, locked her wolf, and chose exile. Alpha Caden spent years hunting rogues. Now the Fates handed him one as a mate.   The bond is silent on her end, he could easily reject her. That's what his pack would want, Instead he’s dragging her into his cabin, telling himself it’s protection.    Selene knows that if he learns who she really is, he’ll chain her and deliver her back to the Alpha she escaped.  When enemies close in and her secrets threaten to rise to the surface. Selene must choose: run from the Alpha who could ruin her… or risk trusting the one who might be her salvation.    

Selena's life changed for the worse when her boyfriend, aunt, and cousin joined together to damage her position among the elite and take away her chance to become the CEO of her father's company. When they succeeded in ripping her world apart, Selena vowed to have her revenge one way or the other.Then she meets an alpha as stubborn as she is and accidentally becomes his mate.Is he the help she needs to get her payback or will he become another pain in her neck?"So what do you plan to do with them?" Gabriel asked."I want them all to pay with their wealth, happiness, and bodies!" Selena answered in tears, but Gabriel understood the hate in her words, and he loved it. Gabriel was a bit worried that the things he had planned for the Adler family may affect Selena's emotions negatively. But since he knew that they were now on the same page, he did not intend to hold back on the punishment that he originally planned for each of them. "Thank you for trusting and telling me. Since you are now my omega, your wish is my command.""Wait, what do you mean?" Gabriel did not answer. He stood up from his seat, approached Selena, and gently kissed her on her forehead before leaving the room.