Val Westover Burns

They say hatred is stronger than love. For Selena Cruz, that has always been true. Born into a cartel dynasty, she swore no man would ever own her—not her father, not her enemies, and certainly not Dante Moretti, the ruthless heir of the Italian Mafia. Their marriage isn’t a choice. It’s a weapon. A deal struck in blood to end a war neither of them wanted. Dante is everything she despises—cold, controlling, untouchable. But every time he looks at her, she feels her resolve crack. He wants her obedience. She wants his downfall. And yet, the fire between them burns hotter than either can control. When betrayal shatters the fragile truce between their families, Selena and Dante are forced to fight side by side. In a world of guns, lies, and vengeance, enemies can become lovers…and hatred may be the only thing keeping them alive. In the mafia, love is never pure. It’s a weapon. And sometimes, it’s deadly.

Emily never thought her crown would come with a gun to her head. Forced into a marriage with Jason, the ruthless heir of the mafia empire, she is torn between the innocence of her royal upbringing and the violent world he drags her into. But the deeper she’s pulled into Jason’s life, the harder it becomes to tell whether he is her captor… or her protector. When her cousin Adriana begins whispering warnings about Jason, Emily struggles to listen until betrayal slices through her world. Adriana, the cousin she trusts most, becomes Jason’s secret lover. And while Jason’s loyalty is tested between blood, power, and love, danger brews in the shadows of their enemies. In a world where alliances shift like loaded dice and passion burns as hot as bullets, Emily must decide: will she fight for her freedom, or surrender to the man who was never supposed to have her heart?

Some chains are made of iron, others are forged by fate. Edrian Lorne has never dreamed of freedom. Born a slave, trained to obey, and scarred by a master’s cruelty, he has learned one truth: hope is dangerous, but when war tears his world apart, he finds himself standing before the Crown Prince of DarkMoonCrest… and the impossible happened when their eyes met, and the mate bond roared to life. Prince Xander Veyrion has spent his life pursuing one thing, the throne. The bond to a slave is a threat to everything he has built, to every alliance he needs. Yet denying the pull between them proves harder than ruling a kingdom cursed to rot without a noble-born mate. In the shadows of court intrigue, deadly magic, and whispers of rebellion, the bond between Edrian and Xander burns hotter with each stolen glance and forbidden touch. But when betrayal strikes and a killing curse forces their hands, they must decide, cling to ambition and lose each other, or defy the kingdom and claim a love that could bring an empire to its knees. A slave with no hope. A prince with everything to lose. And a bond that could change the fate of a kingdom.

How could you forgive the one who shattered you and still makes your heart burn? Seth was a broke scholarship student by day, and a forbidden secret by night. Caught between survival and desire, he sold pieces of himself until one man changed everything. Then came a night of passion that ended in tragedy… and turned his world upside down. When the truth explodes, Seth is branded as a liar, a gold-digger, and worst of all…August’s ultimate betrayal. But love this raw doesn’t die so easily. Every kiss burns like revenge, every touch blurs into need, and the line between hatred and obsession vanishes between them. He’s the boy August can’t forgive… and the man he can’t let go of.

Eighteen was supposed to be fun. I was supposed to lose my virginity to the boy of my dreams….but instead, he’s dead. And it’s my fault. Now I’m being dragged to Ravenside Academy, home to the Elite—the four clans who rule this world in shadows. The werewolves, who think themselves kings of the wild. The witches, guardians of nature’s fragile balance. The vampires, as cruel as they are beautiful. And the dragon riders, who believe they’re gods among us. And let’s not even talk about the hybrid. I thought I was ordinary. Human. Powerless. But Ravenside has other plans for me….and so does he. The one boy I should never want. The one whose fire burns hotter than anyone else’s. The one who might just be my ruin or my salvation.

Blurb: She signed the divorce papers. He never signed away his obsession. Veronica Stanford was the perfect wife—devoted, patient, and hopelessly in love. But when her billionaire husband, Jason Harper, trades her in for her treacherous best friend, Rhea, Veronica’s world shatters. Broken and betrayed, she drowns her sorrows in a bar, only to be saved by a dangerously alluring stranger with emerald-green eyes and a lethal reputation: Monte "Four" Zagcanni, the ruthless heir to a mafia empire. Four is everything Jason isn’t—dark, dangerous, and devastatingly protective. When Veronica discovers she’s pregnant with Jason’s child, she strikes a deal with Four: a fake marriage to shield her from scandal. But what starts as a cold arrangement ignites into a passion neither can resist. Jason, realizing his mistake too late, wants Veronica back—along with the son he never knew existed. But Four isn’t a man who surrenders what’s his. And Veronica? She’s done being the meek wife. Betrayal runs deep. Revenge burns hotter. As secrets unravel—her father’s bloody past, Rhea’s twisted obsession, and Jason’s deadly lies—Veronica must decide: trust the man who destroyed her once, or surrender to the devil who might destroy her forever. One wants her back. The other wants her forever. And neither plays nice.

Blurb. The candle tilted in his hand, a drop of wax falling onto her breast. She gasped, arching, but he held her down with a firm grip on her hip. “Too much?” he asked, his lips brushing her ear. Her breath shook. “No…” Another drop slid lower. She whimpered, thighs pressing together. “Open for me,” he said, voice low but steady. She obeyed, shivering. “Luca…” He smirked, dragging his tongue over the hardened wax. “Not Luca.” She tried so hard not to say the words, but the wax kept on dropping on her skin, his touch against her body was nothing to write home about. Her cheeks flushed. “Daddy…” “That’s better,” he whispered, another drop marking her skin. “Say it again.” Her nails dug into his shoulders as she moaned. “Daddy.” ****** She's 21 and he's 39. Sold at an auction, Mirabelle never expected her buyer to be Luca DeLuca—the most feared mafia heir in the country. Luca had bought her for a different reason, but didn't imagine he'd keep her. Their marriage was supposed to be a lie, a deal for power and just to deceive his father. But his touch burns, his jealousy cuts deep, and every night with him pulls her closer to danger and to a love she swore she’d never feel.

Born under the silver glow of the moon, Liora was marked with a mysterious birthmark and a destiny she could neither understand nor escape. Raised in the Beta household, her life was one of cruelty...scorned by her stepmother Mariseth and tormented by her sister Ravena, whose envy grew sharper with every passing day. Liora’s only solace was Kaelen, the Alpha’s son, her childhood sweetheart and the secret keeper of her fragile hope. But everything shatters on the night of the shifting ceremony. While Ravena blooms into a powerful wolf, Liora collapses under the weight of the Moon’s power, left motionless and declared wolfless. Whispers spread like wildfire, unwanted, useless, broken. Yet, Kaelen’s lingering affection keeps her spirit alive… until the truth claws its way into the light. The Moon Goddess has chosen. Drawn by an irresistible bond, Kaelen and Ravena discover they are mates, bound by fate itself. To Ravena, it is triumph at last, the ultimate way to crush the sister she loathes. To Kaelen, it is torment; his heart burns for Liora, yet the pull of destiny ties him to another. And to Liora, it is the ultimate betrayal: abandoned by the one she loves, broken promises and hunted by the jealousy of her sister. But Liora’s birthmark holds secrets far greater than anyone realizes. A destiny tied not just to a pack, but to the balance of wolves and the Moon itself. As love turns to obsession, and envy turns to violence, the question lingers: Will Liora rise from the ashes of rejection to claim the power meant for her, or will the wolves who betrayed her destroy her first?

Princess Elara was destined to rule the Mooncrest Pack—until betrayal stole everything from her. Her so-called mate chose power over love, leaving her to die with a shattered heart and a stolen crown. But the Moon Goddess is not done with her. Reborn into her younger self, Elara remembers every lie, every deception, every knife in her back. This time, she will not be the naive princess who trusted the wrong wolf. This time, she will seize her destiny with fangs bared. Yet fate has its own cruel twist. The mate bond burns again… not with the traitor who destroyed her, but with his greatest rival—a ruthless Alpha prince feared across the lands. Torn between revenge and the pull of an irresistible bond, Elara must decide: will she risk her heart once more, or use her second chance to rewrite both her fate and the kingdom’s future?

When Elara Santos walks in on her long-time boyfriend tangled in the arms of her best friend, her world shatters in one night. Heartbroken but determined, she flees to Manila to rebuild her life and prove she doesn’t need anyone to survive. Enter Adrian Velasco—the ruthless, impossibly magnetic CEO of a leading architecture firm. Cold, untouchable, and dangerous to fall for, he’s the last man Elara wants in her life. Yet fate keeps pulling them together. Every clash between them burns with friction. Every accidental touch lingers. Every glance dares her to surrender. But their growing passion hides darker truths. Adrian’s past is entangled with the betrayal Elara ran from, and lurking in the shadows is Cassandra Ramirez—a beautiful, venomous woman determined to destroy Elara and claim Adrian for herself. As secrets unravel and desires ignite, Elara must decide: Will she guard her heart and walk away, or risk everything for a love that could consume her? In a world of betrayal, ambition, and forbidden passion, one thing is certain—when fire meets fire, someone is bound to get burned.