tasting history cookbook

"Repeat that, Bella. Say 'no' again, and I promise you that'll be the last thing you ever say on this earth," Damien Alejandro says, pointing a gun to my head. His icy, cold voice sent shivers down my spine, and somehow, his voice scared me more than the gun pressed to my temple. “I…I…I do," I stammered, the words tasting like bile on my lips. “You may now kiss the bride," the priest announced. --- Isabella is kidnapped on her wedding day and taken to an undisclosed location, where she is forced to marry a stranger, Damien Alejandro, who turns out to be a dangerous Mafia king. He claims her father sold her to him, but there's one problem—she has no father. She promised herself she wouldn't fall for the enemy, but what's a girl to do when a six-foot-three, gorgeous man shows a soft spot for her and can't keep his hands off her?

Rosalie was the black sheep in her family. She was a matured girl but hadn't turned once in her entire life. She was thought to be a burden on her family. They decided to get rid of her by marrying her off to her sister's crippled ex.  Nathan was supposed to be the CEO after his father. But his position was cruelly snatched from him after an unfortunate accident. He went from being a powerful soldier and the billionaire’s heir to someone everyone ridiculed. His fiance cheated on him with his cousin.  Things took an ugly turn when his marriage was arranged with his ex fiance's sister.  Two people of completely different history forced into a marriage in exchange for power. How would they deal with this? Would they survive and get back at the people who mocked them? Or would they perish in the middle of foes? 

In the high stakes world of wealth, philanthropy, and power plays, Shadows of Desire weaves a tale of love, betrayal, and redemption. At the center of it all is Sophie Langston, a passionate and driven woman who co-founded a charitable foundation with her long-time business partner and lover, James Thornton. Their organization, built on the ideals of changing the world, has become a beacon of hope for struggling communities. But as the foundation grows in influence, so do the enemies lurking in the shadows. Sophie and James find their relationship and partnership tested when an unexpected visitor walks into their lives, Richard Mallory, a disgraced businessman with a tainted past. Despite having tried to undermine the foundation before, Richard proposes a substantial investment, claiming he wants to make amends. Torn between suspicion and the potential benefits for their projects, Sophie reluctantly agrees, setting off a chain of events that unravel deep-seated conspiracies and hidden agendas. Soon after, whispers of internal conflict and financial instability begin to surface. Rumors swirl about a power struggle between Sophie and James, putting their relationship under intense public scrutiny. Behind the scenes, they uncover a more sinister plot at play. Dominic Kane, a ruthless corporate raider infamous for hostile takeovers and blackmail, has set his sights on their foundation. With a history of exploiting the vulnerable for profit, Kane sees their organization as his next target, aiming to use it as a pawn in his larger schemes. As Sophie and James grapple with this new threat, they must navigate a web of deceit, power struggles, and hidden motives. Old allies resurface, trust is tested, and secrets from the past are unearthed, forcing the couple to confront their own vulnerabilities...

The Shadow Bride is a haunting tale of duty, mystery, and a love that defies fate. When 23-year-old Avery is forced to marry her late sister’s fiancé to preserve a long-standing family tradition, she finds herself leaving behind her dreams for a life she never chose. Set in the quiet, eerie countryside of Montana, Avery is thrown into a loveless union with the brooding and distant Elias—a man mourning the woman he was meant to marry. But Avery soon senses something more than grief lurking in Elias’s eyes. Whispers of secrets buried in the woods, a strange connection to the moon, and a family with a history shrouded in darkness begin to unravel around her. She may have said “I do” out of obligation—but what she doesn’t know is that her husband’s curse is only just beginning to unfold.

Not every love story ends in happiness, and sometimes, the most painful twists come not from fate, but from our own choices. Yeonho loved Vaani—but he couldn’t save her. Zane loved Vanessa—but his own actions led to her death. Now, Zane has been granted a second chance—an opportunity few are ever given. Thrown into a time he never knew, with questions that have no answers, Zane must unravel the mystery of his survival and the purpose of his unexpected return. What is he meant to do in a world where he never existed? Can he right the wrongs of the past, and what sacrifices will he make to ensure his future? The clock is ticking, and Zane's journey to redemption is about to begin. Will he find the strength to rewrite his fate—or will history repeat itself?

Tristan Hayes's life took a sharp turn, one moment he was on the cusp of his dream then suddenly found himself drowning. Trauma surgeon residency was brutal enough; losing his scholarship was a knockout blow. Desperate, he swallowed his pride and became "Titan" at Club Inferno. Six months, and he was their star, his body a commodity. Tonight was his last dance – he was booked for a bachelorette party for a bride-to-be linked to the Mafia family. He remembered the haze of perfume, the clamor, the hands pulling him closer and the willing mouths tasting him. He remembered the bride, her eyes wide, her laughter turning into moans and gasps. He entertained the women, the night ending with the bride's face covered in his thick sticky seed. After this night, he wanted to close this chapter of his life. He wanted to forget it all. He should have. Tristan awoke in a cold, unfamiliar room, the fear paralyzing. Now, bound and gagged in a concrete cell, the memory was a burning brand. He learned why they called Giovanni Sokolov "The Siberian Winter." Giovanni, a face carved from granite, stood before him. "My bride," Giovanni’s voice was a low growl, "You entertained my fiancée, She died a week ago, trying to run away with a man. Your seed was the catalyst. You helped her betray me." Giovanni leaned closer, his eyes devoid of warmth. "She was running away, Dr. Hayes. You helped her crave forbidden fruit. You opened the door to betrayal." He smiled, a cruel, predatory expression. "Now, you will pay the price of her betrayal. You will take her place... as my companion in bed... my slave and my plaything. Don't worry I'll make you'll enjoy every second of it."

In a world of hidden pasts and intricate fates, Alice meets someone on a flight..Alexander, a mysterious stranger with a dark, alluring presence... they instantly felt a strong attraction to each other. Although their first meeting seemed purely by coincidence, they soon discover an uncanny truth: they were Already engaged to each other by their families, and their paths were always meant to intertwine. As Alice moves to the Alex's mansion to honor this arrangement, she unearths secrets about him that bind them even deeper than family obligations. Raised by a mafia boss yet now reunited with his real parents, Alex carries scars from a life spent on the edges of crime and loyalty. Unbeknownst to Alice, his family holds the key to a traumatic incident in her past—her mother's tragic murder. Through twists of fate, betrayal, and hidden affections, Alice and Alex find themselves caught in a dance of desire and danger. As their connection grows, so does the revelation of a shared, tragic history that binds them far beyond any contract. But will the truth of Alex’s family and the buried sins of the past be too much to overcome, or will it be the final key that brings them together in a love worth fighting for? In this journey of love, redemption, and the unraveling of painful secrets, Alice and Alex will be forced to confront their own darkness to find the light they never knew they needed.

The Billionaire Love From The Hill is a love story of redemption. After Phoebe's engagement to Jacob was called off, the man she had envisioned herself with for eternity, her life takes a dark turn. Phoebe has not only come to know disappointment like none other from Jacob’s betrayal, but also the desolation of her family because they have all left to escape their debts and she is alone with terrible financial obligations. It is only when Phoebe's heart-wrenching tragic flaw pushes her to her limits that an unexpected savior emerges who helps her seek and change the events that bring her to dangerous Jayden Dark. Cold and ruthless, Jayden is a powerful man troubled by his childhood memories. So when he meets Phoebe, who is somewhat unremarkable, he feels a strong physical attraction not to her certainly but to her capacity to cause desire something he had not felt for years. As for Phoebe herself, since she enters into the relationship with Jayden, quite a lot changes in her surroundings. Anger and strength in equal proportions are useful for the girl: from doggedly avoiding attempts on her life to constant conflicts with Jayden’s deceitful ex, Vanessa, who wishes to impose herself on him. However, it is not only the circumstances that prevent her from peace but also her heart, or her feelings for the person she knows she shouldn’t admire so much. However, when an earth-shattering revelation about Jayden’s history is bared, that is the moment when Phoebe becomes pitted against the wind. How will Phoebe and Jayden overcome the situation and embrace their love for each other? Find out the love story of Phoebe in this interesting romance novel.

Blackmailing a billionaire was Mia Roseford's last shot at keeping her dying sister alive. It was a desperate plan, but desperation was nothing new to her. The moment she walked into Lucas Norwig's office, she believed her hope was finally turning into reality. But something felt off—Lucas's intense gaze, the way he seemed to know her better than she knew him, like he was holding on to something—something she should remember but couldn’t. Lucas had never forgotten her. He met Mia and was in love with her over ten years ago but Mia abandoned him heartbroken and only returning now to threaten him with his past secret that can ruin his reputation. However, instead of paying her off, Lucas decides he’ll make her his wife. If she can't remember the past, he’ll ensure she has no choice but to create a future with him. What starts as an intricate game of leverage and desperation soon spirals into a battlefield of forgotten memories, rekindled feelings, and undeniable passion. Now caught up in an arranged marriage that neither of them exactly planned for, Mia and Lucas must cautiously navigate fields filled with traps of trust and betrayal. As their shared history slowly gets revealed and buried feelings resurface, they are forced to confront the truth about their past. With old enemies lurking in the background and new threats emerging, the question becomes: can they restore what was lost, or will the very secrets that brought them together tear apart their rekindled love?

When Henessey returns to her home country after 15 years away, she's not welcomed in the usual sense. Instead, her identical twin sister begs her to swap places for a date with the billionaire prince of the country, Kellen Powers. The plan was simple: ruin the dinner so he would reject the arranged marriage proposal. But everything backfires when Kellen accepts the proposal, seeing Henessey as the perfect crazy person to survive his family's politics. Henessy rejects him and runs away, only to end up spending a night with Kellen after getting her heart broken by her boyfriend. Despite their explosive attraction, she still refuses to marry him, driving the billionaire to obsession. With no other option, Henessey reveals her true identity to Kellen. Furious, he forces her into a contract marriage, threatening to destroy everything she holds dear. Henessey agrees to sign to protect her sister, but on the official wedding day, Kellen discovers his bride has been swapped with the original bride. Enraged, he abandons the wedding to search for Henessey, bringing chaos to her family's doorstep for their deceit. Kellen and Henessey share a history that only he remembers, making him bitter and determined to make her pay for what she did in the past. There’s a thin line between love and hate but the couple seem to be drawn to hate. Will their love be strong enough to overcome the secrets, pain, and deceit that await them? Or will they tear each other apart?