top books to read in 2023

A growl escaped his throat as my robe fell and pooled at my feet. I was completely naked. I saw his eyes dilating. He wanted me. That was all that mattered. A seductive smile curled on my lips, hiding the nervousness I felt. "I'm all yours, Alpha..." "Get dressed! And get out!" His breathing hitched as his gaze swept all over my naked form. I walked towards him, biting my lower lip as I reached for his shirt, unbuttoning it while ignoring his anger. He would have pushed me away if he didn't want this, but instead, he moved swiftly and pinned me against the wall. "Is this what you want?" His said hoarsely. His breath brushed against my neck, sending pleasurable tingles between my thighs as he pressed his front against mine. I stared back at him, letting my eyes show the emotions I had kept hidden all these years. "I want you, Caspian." ***** In a world where Alpha Females are pawns for the Claiming, being an Omega Female is considered a blessing. Andrea was born and raised as an Omega. She had the freedom to choose whether to be claimed by her mate or be someone's chosen. And so she thought, until the reality of her past came hunting her.  Alpha Caspian knew from the very beginning that he wanted Andrea, whether they were fated mates or not. But by the time he was ready to make amends for sending her away when she was 15, a secret from her past had resurfaced.  Would he let her go this time? Or was she worth fighting for? ***** A spin-off novel from the Black Shadow Pack Series. While the story is stand-alone, I recommend that you read the Black Shadow Pack Series to gain a better understanding of the characters.

Adele Wilson, a bloodthirsty revenge seeker returned to LA just to find the killer of her parents. She never let her secrets and dark sides trace the well-preptended ordinary and simple life.But darkness was the only thing that pulled her like a magnet and she let herself drown into that.*** Albert Knight who was known as a cold, arrogant, rich and overbearing business tycoon was actually a heartless and ruthless mafia gang leader. He was a devil monster who was addicted to blood, power and money. But he never wanted the world to touch his darkness. Because once you stepped in, there would be no way out.*** He was compelled to marry her for the sake of his business. And she agreed just to keep her secrets safe. Neither he was interested in this marriage nor she cared. When he hid his soft heart behind his beast, she kept her secrets under the mask of a normal life. Both of them were bound to darkness, yet walked on a different paths for years. Is it possible to find any trace of light when their darkness collides?

Nia is faced with different choices and terrible decisions as her mom lays sick in the hospital. She is forced to take up a job which brings her drama, trouble and love. Life doesn't get better when she becomes a maid in the Williams mansion, home to a large British family, who aren't very welcoming to strangers. Surrounded by different people, some who despise her, others, trying so hard to get her out of the mansion, Nia has to adapt to different ways and things in order to save her mother's life.

I was raised with the criminal underground’s most notorious crew turned government-sanctioned mercenaries in Texas and Colorado, known as the Death Kings. My uncle is one of them known as the Gator King. Now I walk in his footsteps, leading a crew of my own with his backing. To my family, my nickname is Seraphim, but in my kingdom, I’m the Viper King. Now the boys who left me, who swore they would stay by my side to protect me, are back in town. They are attempting to become like C.H.A.O.S. who run Palomino Bay, Texas. That will not happen because Grêle, Louisiana, is my stronghold. The person they need to protect is themselves because it isn’t me. …They don’t know my secret, but I know theirs…

Being the youngest child of the De Hizon, Emerald strives hard to be the perfect daughter she could be to be loved and accepted by her own family. Life must be cruel when the truth revealed that she was only adopted. What can be more cruel when she finds out she was ought to be engaged and bound to be married to the person he knew her brother! Sebastian Alexander De Hizon- the rebel, ruthless and dominant brother who hates her for unknown reasons. He bestowed her nothing but ruthlessness and showed her how he was against the arranged marriage. With Alec's strange behavior and stolen glances and how her silly heart throbs whenever he comes near her. Will she finally know what are those meant for?

[ A Beauty & the Beast retelling ] Anyone can ask for a favor from Fortune 500 pharmaceutical heiress, Camille Delacourt―who has the city of New York wrapped around her perfectly manicured fingers and rules it with an iron fist. Dealing out social ruin and favors in equal measure; every request comes at a cost, and once done, you'll forever be in her debt. But when a seemingly crude Italian business mogul who claims he is looking to expand into American markets arrives with a proposition that she can't turn down, things take a sudden twist. Because there's always room to fall, and all is fair in love and war.

I die in the basement after being burned by acid. My family doesn't recognize me, and they don't call the cops. My mother picks up the scalpel that hasn't been used in years and debones me. My father excitedly mixes my skeleton with concrete and turns me into an exquisite statue. My sister uses the sculpture she's made out of my flesh and portrays herself as a genius sculptor whom everyone admires. Later, the sculpture is shattered, revealing half a broken finger inside. That's when everyone panics.

Ever heard the saying, “There is no secret that won't seek the light.” Nadia and Lyra are daughters born from the illicit affair between Senator Gideon Powell and Elizabeth ginger. Life for these ladies changes when their father dies and they are thrown into the trenches. Their mother is killed leaving the two alone. In order to save herself, Lyra abandons her sister at a child prostitution home disguised as an orphanage and goes to America. Through countless scheming, she ends up married to billionaire Adam Vanhelsing. Years later, Nadia enters are sister's life to take revenge using one of her sister's stepson Justin Vanhelsing, but ends up falling in love with another stepson, Eric Vanhelsing. Peace is lost. Tables are turned. Swords are drawn. Who will remain standing after the war? Will Love prove its power or would the Vanhelsings be destroyed?

Gaining wealth and having everything you ever wanted at such a young age was not really heaven when you needed to deal with your past trauma and intense fear of abandonment by your loved ones. Because money might allow you to impress someone temporarily, but without commitment, the other person might suffer and leave. That was the case for Nathaniel Anderson (Niel), a narcissistic young billionaire who became the sole heir of his late grandfather's inheritance, making him richer than his own parents who abandoned him when he was just a baby. He had a long crush on Haylee Johnson, his classmate during high school. During senior year, she got into trouble and her mother chased her away from home. Being deeply in love with her, Niel rescued her and sheltered her, giving her everything he could, except for one, his love. He couldn't give his love to her for fear that she might one day abandon him. So, to make her stay, he gaslighted her unintentionally, making her thought that she would be an ungrateful person if she ever leaves him. However, being young and wild, Niel couldn't resist the temptation of having a good time and playing around with the other girls. He dated a lot of them, but nothing lasted, which convinced him even more, that the same thing would happen if he ever date Haylee. So, he decided strictly to not date her despite knowing that she loved him too. Would Haylee stay inside such a painful meaningless relationship and convinced Niel to commit to her? Or would she leave and find a better man for herself?

For a man who has spent years without any emotional attachment due to the nature of his work and because he saw them as distractions, he fell pretty hard for Nova. Years of restraint down the drain at the mere sight of the gorgeous black woman, that soon became his maddest obsession. Even though I tried to stay away... "She's like the strongest addiction, She's my obsession" He's a stranger "She belongs to me. Her very being, and just like every cell in her body will call out for me soon enough." "He makes me feel things, that I've never felt before" "She's mine to do as I want, She's mine to ruin" "In the end, I was only His To Ruin"