The Ezra Klein Show Reading List: Books Recommended By Guests On The Podcast (part 1 Of 3)

I'm already half-blind in my left eye, but Cedric Thompson forces me to donate my right cornea to his childhood sweetheart. Her parents berate me. "She's blind now! It's not like you'll die without one eye's cornea!" Cedric consoles me. "We're only taking the cornea for one eye. It won't affect anything." I'm forcibly placed under anesthesia. I lose all hope in life before my eyes slide shut. I would never have married him if I'd know he would treat me like this. He has no idea I can barely see with my left eye now.

In the electrifying world of Formula 1, Alex Dupont and Marco Bianchi are more than just fierce rivals; they're each other's obsession. As they race towards the championship, their secret passion off-track intensifies, threatening to unravel their careers. When a devastating crash brings their hidden feelings to the forefront, they must decide if their love is worth the ultimate risk. "You know, I can't stand how you're always pushing me on the track," Alex said, frustration lacing her voice. Marco leaned in closer, his eyes locking with hers. "I can't help myself when l see you out there, Alex. You bring out the best- and sometimes the worst- in me." "Driven by Desire" is a captivating story of forbidden romance, high-speed rivalry, and the perilous balance between ambition and desire.

To the world, they are perfection, the billionaire and his elegant wife, the family everyone envies. But behind closed doors, they are strangers bound by a contract and by one secret that could destroy them both. When Alexander and Elena Harrington announce their “divorce,” everyone expects a scandal. But they can’t let the real reason for their separation become public. Their empire is built on illusion, and if the truth gets out, it could destroy everything. Their only son is the fragile thread holding them together, and the same reason they can’t let go. But love was never part of the deal. As society braces for scandal, a rival billionaire shows Elena what affection truly feels like. And the man who never shows emotion begins to unravel, consumed by jealousy and obsession. In a world where loyalty is currency and betrayal comes wrapped in diamonds, some vows are meant to break and others become the only thing worth saving.

Lily was the little sister of my fiancé’s best friend. She was a mistress to a mafia Don—a sugar daddy—until his wife found out, and the clip of Lily getting beaten up ended up on the local news. Yet, somehow, everyone thought the woman getting dragged on TV was me. People at work who never liked me jumped at the chance to pile on. One of them even pointed right at my face and called me shameless. I tried to explain, “My fiancé is Sam Johnson, the CEO of Johnson Group. He’s handsome and ranked third on the Forbes list. Why would I become a mistress to a sugar daddy?” However, no one believed me. If anything, they looked at me like I was even more pathetic. One coworker sneered and pointed to the TV. “You’re not just morally bankrupt; you’re a liar. The CEO’s fiancée? That’s not you.” The TV was playing a breaking news segment titled: First Appearance of Johnson Group CEO’s Fiancée. And there Sam was, arm in arm with Lily, officially announcing their relationship.

Kyra is a resilient, compassionate, yet quite naive nineteen-year-old girl who lived with her father and stepmother ever since she lost her mother. Her stepmother, driven by greed, was determined to sell her off to an old man for money. Due to this pressure, Kyra sold herself to a ruthless billionaire. Will Kyra's sacrifice lead to her freedom, or will it trap her in a cage she can never escape.

Their naked bodies were shipping against each other. Her sapphire glossy orbs were staring at his brown eyes. "I love you, Cia. I love you to the extent that I will end and taint that life which would even think about taking you away from me," The firmness of his words were evident in his darkened eyes. "Even if it's your life," he rasped against her mouth. They both knew his love was irrational, an obsession for her. They loved each other enough, especially for her to let his love taint her existence. "I love you, Zale," And her words were enough to make him lose everything in her. She beautifully moaned his name as soon his warmth engulfed her deepest depth which made both of them close their eyes in pleasure, but they had never in their worst ever thought that their eyes would have to witness that thing which their future had stored for them. His deep brown orbs were staring at her who was clad in a beautiful white gown. Her sapphire orbs were downcast as she was standing at the altar but the irony was she was not his bride but his brother's. "Do you, Mr Blake Alcazar, take Miss Celia Reyes as your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest's voice echoed, causing him to fist his palm and her heart to turn numb. "I do," A tear slipped from her eyes, hearing that person's answer who was standing in front of her and feeling those brown eyes penetrating her soul. "Do you, Miss Celia Reyes, take Mr Blake Alcazar as your lawfully wedded husband?" Those deep brown eyes turned predacious and her answer turned them voraciously vicious. "I do," she answered. An answer which sealed two destinies, which shattered two hearts and TAINTED two souls.

"I brought you here because you're my mate." "mate?" I ask incredulously. "yes. And I plan to make sure that you remain here, Tammy. Even if you try to run away from this, I will keep bringing you back every single time." Tammy is a nurse living a normal life. That changes after an encounter with a mysterious man, as her world begins to turn upsidedown. Adam Grayson, the next-in-line alpha of the skyline pack has been searching for his mate for eight years. His search comes to an end after a brief meeting with her, but claiming her poses a problem for him, so he begins making plans to get her. With the time of witch's curse manifestation approaching, Adam uses that to his advantage and gets ignorant his mate, Tammy, to cater for the wolves of his pack. And with her stay in the pack house, new developments occur, which disrupts her past and threatens her future with Adam. Will they still come together after terrible secrets unfold? Or would their bond be shattered? A scream pierces the air, and I whirl around, my attention now on the crowd. The lady, Amanda, points a trembling finger at me. "A witch! We have a witch among us!" I shake my head. "What? No!" I cry. "I'm not a witch!" "Witch! Witch! Witch!" The chants rise from the crowd. I turn back to Adam. "Adam, tell them I'm not a witch. Adam please!"

“I, Marcus Steele, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Luna Blackwood, as my mate and Luna.” Luna Blackwood’s wedding day becomes her nightmare when her Alpha publicly rejects her, declaring her too weak to bear his children. As her former best friend steps forward as his chosen replacement, Luna’s world crumbles. But what Marcus doesn’t know could destroy them all. Luna carries the last royal werewolf bloodline, a secret that makes her the most powerful supernatural being alive. Hidden from those who hunted her kind to extinction, she possesses abilities that could reshape their world forever. When mysterious Alpha Kai Nightshade reveals the conspiracy behind her rejection, Luna faces an impossible choice: remain broken and hidden, or embrace her destiny as the prophesied Lycan Queen who will unite all supernatural beings. From public humiliation to ultimate power, Luna’s transformation will prove that being rejected was the best thing that ever happened to her. But first, she has a war to win.

"Ella! You belong to me. Your body, your soul, all of you is mine, Alpha Marcus says. You're destined for me! You can run anywhere, but in the end, I will find you, you are meant for me." Ella struggled to catch her breath as she sobbed. She felt the pain that Marcus was with someone else, he was her mate, but he refused to get close to her, even though everyone feared him. She hated him, yet she had seen the good in him. She drank until she was drunk and then made her way to Marcus's room. She entered the room but didn't find him, so she headed to the bathroom where she found him in the jacuzzi, his massive muscles dripping with water. Marcus took the towel that hung nearby and asked coldly, "Ella, what are you doing here?" She was swaying, nearly falling, and said, "Why do you punish me like this? I'm hot and tempting. How can you not be affected by my presence?" Marcus realized she was drunk, picked her up, and asked in concern, "Are you okay?" He stood close to her, making it hard for her to breathe. It was as if she was about to have a breakdown. She was about to leave, tears streaming, but before she could make any more moves, Marcus immediately trapped her, placing his arms on either side of her. Both of them swallowed hard when their eyes met. A strange, powerful, but addictive feeling surged between them. "You have to stay here, Ella," he said. She looked at his half-opened lips. Intense and unwanted thoughts filled her mind as her breaths escaped her. Ella stated painfully, "I'm sure you feel it too, Marcus... You're my mate."

When Karen Miller gets convinced by her therapist to accept the contract of pretending to be Brody Taylor's girlfriend, she doesn't expect the worse to happen. Her life gets miserable when Brody's rich and arrogant family visits them. When Brody's parents secretly prepare a wedding party for him to get married to Karen, secrets are revealed and a bummer happens. It was just a contract, she wasn't meant to marry him. This wasn't part of the deal. Will Brody and Karen truly fall in love despite all the pretence?