Virtue & Vanity

"How about a one-night stand? You are the first and only person to ever show me your filthy middle finger! Don't you think I should show your place?" My frustration boils over hearing him, can't gather my thoughts over how dark the other side of the handsome face can be! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gracia Judy is a 25-year-old independent girl currently living alone in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. She is an orphan who was raised by her grandmother. She attains every virtue from her grandmother. Some days, Judy and Smith fall in love with each other. His presence makes her life heavenly. Everything is going well despite a lack of funds until she gets into an argument about her rights with a well-known, arrogant billionaire named Ellen John. How can the powerful, rich, and arrogant billionaire tolerate an ordinary girl’s pride? Her life turns upside down when she slaps him in return for his disrespectful words against her, and she becomes his one and only enemy, whom he keeps chasing nonstop to ruin her life. When she discovers his nefarious plot against her, she has no choice but to flee to avoid his lethal clutches. Ellen keeps looking for her everywhere; however, he finds no clue about her, but the real shock comes when he discovers his enemy standing in front of him as his bride!

*Book 4* Isolde's life was full of love and joy. She was set to be High Priestess of the makkari, but everything changed in a single night when she lost everything at the hands of someone she thought she could trust. For centuries she has been on the run, helping the supernatural community under the cloak of anonymity while she works to clear her name and save the very people after her, from destruction. Enemies are closing in, but an unexpected complication befalls her when she realises she's been fated to someone who wants her species exterminated. After all, an evil chance seldom comes alone. A Queen Among Darkness is the fourth book in the Queen Among series. Each story is set up in the previous book, so reading the books in order is recommended. Here are the books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

“I am betrothed to marry you…” Esmé mumbled, shivering from her shoulders down her spine. Maybe it was because her clothes were soaked from the rain or the cold stare that the man was grazing towards her—piercing, cold, and judging. "You’re sexy underneath those already-drenched clothes. I could understand if you wanted to tempt me. But you’re crazy enough to tell me you’re marrying me,” he said with a smirk. She never thought she’d be on her knees in front of any man, crying and begging for him to take her in. Left with no options but to beg for shelter at the hands of the most dangerous mafia in their city, Esmé lets go of shame and pride just to talk to the man who is promised to her. With no parents to support her claim that she is betrothed to the billionaire mafia praised by many, she only has her words which he labeled as lies. But Esmé won’t give up that easily, especially when she has dedicated her life to honor her parent’s words before they were assassinated. It was then that Esmé knew she had to stay alive to avenge her parent’s death. But nothing comes easy, especially when it’s a forced marriage to a man who doesn’t want her. By virtue of courage, trust, and seduction—Esmé will go to the depths of hell just so she’ll get his attention, devotion, love... and never let her go.

*Book 2* Mei Liu learned suffering from an early age. After experiencing great loss, she spent years enduring abuse at the hands of a sadistic pack of wolves, while hiding her identity. All until the day she was saved by her fated soulmate arriving at her doorstep. Mei was finally free, loved and accepted, with her happily ever after on the horizon. But an unknown enemy has been searching for her and once he finds her he has no intentions of letting her go. Dark secrets will be revealed, and she will be pushed beyond her limits. Can she rise up and fight back and become the strong woman she was destined to be? Or will it all be too much for her to handle? A Queen Among Snakes is the second book in the Queen Among series. Each story is set up in the previous book, so reading the books in order is recommended. Here are the books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

They called her "mad." The woman who once ruled Zhou's halls with laughter and grace now sat hollow in a white cell. Rose Sallow had lost everything. Her inheritance. Her child... her little boy, whose last breath faded against her trembling arms after the poison took hold. Her husband, Duke Sallow, once sworn to never leave her, now stood beside another. Lisa Zhou. Her cousin. Her sister in all but blood Now the new "Madam Sallow." She was carrying Duke’s child, the 'heir' he publicly acknowledged as his first child, and Rose's son’s name was erased from the family records. In the mental hospital room, she laughed when they handed her the divorce papers. That night, Rose decided to end it all. But fate, cruel, capricious fate, had other plans. When her eyes fluttered open, she didn’t find herself among the angels. She was staring at her reflection in a golden mirror, and on the bed behind her was her wedding gown. It was her wedding day. A chance to change it all. To rewrite fate. But as she rose from the bed, a shiver crawled down her spine. There, on the vanity, a note written in red... "Congrats... You have been granted a second chance." Then came the knock. Three slow, deliberate taps on the door. She froze. “Lady Rose?” a deep voice called. It wasn’t Duke’s voice. Softer, steadier, yet commanding. “Forgive the intrusion, but… I couldn’t wait any longer.” She opened the door. Standing there was a man she had never seen before. He bowed slightly, eyes dark as midnight. “Marry me,” he said simply. In her first life, this had never happened. No mysterious man. No interruption. No warning. Why now?

Liliana Andrea Cabrera, preferably Lily or Andrea,the supposedly tough-skinned adopted daughter of the simple lovely Perkins family, struggles dealing with the trauma from her childhood; the fear of her biological mother and the curse against love bestowed as a gift, as well as the guilt of her father and brother's deaths. Antonio Robles, tge business tycoon, devoted to work only because "All others? Vanity!" Aside the lack of affection growing up, after parents'plane crash and death, he buttresses this view with the determination to find his undisclosed enemy, "The Godfather", orchestrator of the attempts to snatch his most priced company, using his ex-fiance, the infamous Rachel, to do so. Things take a wild turn upon an encounter at the airport. The unexpected and novel reaction of a woman to him, leaves Antonio stunned, intrigued, still, infuriated. Unmoved by the threatening aura of the young man followed by body guards, she speaks her mind with ease. "Do you have any idea who I am?" "I believe your question should be do I care who you are and my answer is a sure bloody no....what I do know is that you need to learn some manner, jerk," she said nonchalantly. Now, she finally has his full attention. Antonio vows to bring her to her knees, no matter what. Finally succeeding in trapping "Miss Manners" who believes him to be all bark and no bite, it turns out he was rather underestimated by everyone. Regardless, an undeniable heat trolls their journey together, defying all odds. Love; they both combat tooth and nail. A feisty self-righteous lady; an arrogant self-centered gentleman; wild but tender in mysterious ways; a relationship many cannot fathom. This love-hate affair, secrets, action, comedy, and romance is packed with great nerve-racking suspense and heartwarming emotions.

*Book 5* One mistake centuries ago left Lemuel cursed by the Goddess Merlos and forced to wander the earth granting the wishes of those who touch him. Lemuel was looking at an eternity of loneliness until his unexpected soulmate plucked him right out of the sea. Shocked to find he's been bound in more ways than one to Sebastian, the future King to the Kingdom of Atlesper, Lemuel resists Sebastian's advances at every turn, believing this may be one pairing Goddess Zarseti got wrong. Lemuel will have to face his past in hopes of starting a new future, but an overly flirtatious King is the least of his worries when he learns Sebastian's parents are convinced that a conniving usurper disguised as a curvy blonde, is the future king's true soulmate. A Queen Among Tides is the fifth book in the Queen Among series. Each story is set up in the previous book, so reading the books in order is recommended. Here are the books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

Landry Green's biggest regret is the night he rejected his soulmate at the Vernal Ball - a yearly gathering that sees packs around the world come together in hopes of its members finding their soulmates. Instantly left broken and ashamed for his rash decision, he worked to earn his way into Jennifer's heart with the help of his new Alpha. Every day he wakes up stunned that this sweet, loving woman gave him a second chance, and so he has vowed to never let her down again but their families couldn't be less pleased, though for entirely different reasons. Landry will prove to himself and everyone else that he can be the man Jennifer deserves and a man strong enough to stand up for those he loves and what he believes in. Whole Again is a spin-off in the Queen Among series (specifically A Queen Among Alphas). It takes place during the events of A Queen Among Blood. The setup to this story and background events will make more sense if you have read the main series. Here is the list of books in the series: A Queen Among Alphas - Book 1 Bite-Size Luna - A Queen Among Alphas Prequel A Queen Among Snakes - Book 2 Runaway Empress - A Queen Among Snakes Prequel A Queen Among Blood - Book 3 Whole Again - A Queen Among Alpha's spin-off A Queen Among Darkness - Book 4 Dark Invocation - A Queen Among Darkness spin-off A Queen Among Tides - Book 5 Valor, Virtue, and Verve - A Queen Among Tides Prequel Spin-off A Queen Among Gods - Book 6 A Queen Among Tempests - Book 7

One night of rebellion. A lifetime of consequences. I was the princess of the High Pack, destined for a life of luxury and a bonded mate. Then the fire happened. My father was imprisoned, our lands were seized, and my name became a curse. Now, I’m just Ivy Mercer, a struggling medical intern fighting to keep my mother alive in a sterile ward I can’t afford. When my fiancé, Blake Ryder, publicly discards me for a cruel opportunist, I do the unthinkable. I walk into SkyDeck 71, drown my sorrows in moon-essence, and surrender my virtue to a lethal, golden-eyed stranger. I didn't know he was Cole Ryder. The "Ice King" of the West Coast. The Alpha of Alphas. And my ex-fiancé’s uncle. Now, I’m caught in a dangerous game of territory and temptation. Cole is cold, controlling, and far too powerful to cross, yet he’s the only one standing between me and the vipers who want to see me crawl. He offers me a contract to save my family, but his touch demands a much steeper price: my absolute submission. As the pack secrets unravel and my heart begins to heal under his unexpected tenderness, I have to wonder—is he protecting me from the wolves at my door, or is he the most dangerous predator of them all? He’s the Alpha I should fear. He’s the protector I crave. And in the dark of the moon, he’s the only one who can make me feel whole again.

His fingers were already at the lace between my thighs when he pushed me against the marble vanity, breath hot, voice darker than sin, his arousal pressing against my throbbing core. "Open your legs for me, Mrs Valentino." He didn’t wait. He plunged into me roughly, his mouth trailing down my neck like he owned it. I hated the way my body arched for him. I hated even more that he smirked when it did. I was supposed to be terrified, not trembling for the man who forced a ring onto my finger two days after abducting me. Before Dante Valentino touched me like that... before he whispered filth and promises into my ears, I was Valentina Morrison: a quiet girl, psychology graduate, volunteer counselor blissfully unaware that my entire life was a lie. I didn’t know the truth about my parents. I didn't know my bloodline belonged to a mafia empire that their hands were filled with blood. I only knew one thing the night I witnessed a murder in a Manhattan alley and it was that I was going to die...until he showed up. Dante, the most feared Italian boss in New York. He was ruthless and calculating. He didn't save me, he claimed me. Only because I’m not just some civilian. I'm the last surviving Castellano heir, the one piece of leverage that can rewrite the entire underworld. So Dante forced a marriage to protect me. To control me. To bind me to him in pleasure and law. And somewhere between running from gunfire and running from him, I made the worst mistake possible: I let the devil touch me. I let his hands teach my body a language my mind despises but my body craves. I let him explore me.