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

"Cinta hanya omong kosong semata, aku akan menjual apapun yang ada di dalam diriku untuk mengobati ibu. Dia satu-satunya harapanku di dunia ini." Aurora Smith tak pernah membayangkan hidupnya akan runtuh dalam sekejap. Sepulang dari Manchester, ia harus menghadapi kenyataan pahit—ayahnya tewas ditembak secara misterius, ibunya terbaring lemah di rumah sakit, dan kekasihnya mengkhianatinya. Di tengah keputusasaan, pamannya menjualnya sebagai jaminan kepada keluarga William, taipan paling berkuasa di Las Vegas. Sebagai istri kedua, Aurora hanya memiliki satu tugas: melahirkan pewaris mereka. Namun, semakin lama ia berada di sisi William, semakin dalam ia terjerat dalam pesona lelaki itu. Apa yang seharusnya menjadi perjanjian tanpa cinta berubah menjadi hasrat yang mengikat. Bisakah Aurora tetap bertahan tanpa kehilangan dirinya sendiri?

Lisa Benedict is the only daughter of the Alpha of the Red Moon Pack. When she finds herself betrothed to a man she hates, she seeks to escape, only to fall into the arms of Adrien Winter, the Alpha King. Meeting him unlocks memories that Lisa thought were just dreams and imagination. With everyone standing in the way of their love, will they find a happy ending?

As an ordinary waitress, Hailey is chosen by the king of the mafia, Don Federico Vitale. She never imagines he is hiding a dark secret—he is a vampire, and she is stepping into the whirlwind of destiny.

They say, money is more important than love, it can be learned. But to Rhiedly, money isn't everything, it can't buy the most precious thing in the world, love. Rhiedly is a girl who has everyone's dream, until a sudden turn of event changed her life when her parents arranged her marriage to a billionaire playboy, Shuhn. Her dream of having a peaceful life with a happy family shattered like a broken glass. Love, revenge, greed, and innocence, a roller-coaster emotions and actions of humans, caused by their own oblivion. Different secrets, with different motive. A girl who seeks for love, and a billionaire who's attached to his past, will she leave him or choose to be entangled by billionaire's oblivion.

Maria Dela Vega, a bright and resilient young woman, takes a housekeeping job at the lavish Montemayor Estate to help pay for her brother’s medical bills. With dreams buried under the weight of responsibility, she never expected her quiet life to be disrupted by the enigmatic and cold-hearted billionaire, Sebastian Montemayor, who returns from abroad to take over his family's crumbling empire. When Sebastian catches Maria in what seems like a compromising situation, sparks fly—and not the good kind. He’s infuriatingly arrogant. She’s stubborn and unafraid to talk back. Yet beneath their clashes, an undeniable tension brews. As Maria uncovers the cracks behind Sebastian’s icy persona, she learns that wealth doesn’t shield one from loneliness. Meanwhile, Sebastian finds himself drawn to Maria’s warmth, honesty, and courage—qualities he never knew he craved. But their growing connection faces powerful enemies: class divides, secrets from the past, and a scandal that could ruin them both. Will love be enough to bridge the gap between their two worlds, or will their story end before it truly begins?

Aria Holt knows she's walking into a trap. When Damien Cross offers her a job at his tech empire, she knows exactly why eight years ago, her father's company killed his sister and destroyed his family. This is revenge. She takes the job anyway. Her family's name is a curse everywhere else, and her father is dying. She'll endure Damien's cruelty if it means survival. But Damien doesn't just want to humiliate her professionally. He wants to break her, piece by piece, until she feels every ounce of pain he's carried for eight years. He'll control her days, invade her thoughts, and prove that he holds all the power. Except his plan begins to unravel. Behind closed doors, the punishment turns into obsession. The cruelty shifts into desperate need. And Aria—quiet, guilty Aria—starts pushing back in ways that shatter his carefully constructed walls. When the truth about the accident finally surfaces, Damien faces an impossible choice: complete his revenge and destroy the woman he's fallen for, or let go of the only thing that's kept him alive for eight years.

Rain's life is shattered when the ruthless Devil Alpha, Kane, slaughters her family and pack. Captured and imprisoned, Rain's only solace is her burning desire for revenge. She'll stop at nothing to claim it, even if it means surrendering to the devil himself.

Alpha Damian "Dam" Voss; would soon be the Alpha King of the Darkwood pack and he needs a mate as matched to him, but it took an unfortunate turn for him as he discovered Anastasia Frost, a weak omega who turned out to be his mate. He blamed her for his misfortune and to punish her, he deceives and pretends to love her in private whilst he kept her under his shadow never to be known publicly as his mate, a lowly omega like her could weaken his power. Ana discovered she's just being used and damned under his shadows, and she took his rejection and ran away unknowingly with pregnancy until after six years she came back with her brilliant 6 years old male quadruplets whilst the king had no heir and in detriment of losing his position, As she denied Damian's paternity. Considering the deep rooted resentment she has for him would he be able to make it up to her? or will Ana's return spell his ultimate downfall?

"What if I choose not to go?” His phone rang. “Like I said, it is going to cost you dearly. Do not test me.” Emily was sold to Cedric in exchange for freedom. Waking up to this nightmare after the plane crash, she wished for death. Cedric Monette being a renowned CEO, wants nothing with her but she was the key to his wealth. He kept her on a tight leash until she began getting close to Elliott Budd. He was irrelevant until Emily began weaving her life around him. After unfortunate events, Cedric chased her to the ends of the earth until she was his alone even when her heart belonged to another.

"I'll do whatever it takes... I'll be a good servant." I spoke to him with a trembling body. The man looked at me with sharp eyes that stirred my feelings into turmoil. "You only need to serve me on the bed." He always looked confident. His heavy voice made my body tremble, and I could not say anything. "I've bought you fifty million, Elin." Of course, I still remembered that he was the man who had bought me from the auction house for an incredible price, Thane.