I had a plan to escape the friend zone. Step one: sneak into Reed’s room. Step two: sleep with him. But when the lights turned on, it wasn’t familiar blue eyes I saw. These were dark, angry, and full of demons. And they belonged to Reed’s much-older brother. Four years later, Nash Prescott is no longer the help’s angry son. I’m no longer the town’s prized princess. At 22, I’m broke, in need of a job. At 32, he’s a billionaire, in need of revenge.

I loved to hate her...She made it so easy. She was everything I wasn’t - everything I didn’t want to be. A reminder that from the moment I was born, I was the outcast. The rebel. I went against everything that was expected of me and created a life on my terms. I built my own empire, carved out my own destiny. Then she shows up at my tattoo studio, representing everything I tried to escape. She expects to just fit in...like she ever could. The posh girl trying to prove everyone wrong...that she can be something else - someone else. She hates me because she knows I’m right.

Declan Hardy, All-American heartthrob and retired NFL billionaire, is my complete opposite. He's commanding where I'm cooperative. Spontaneous while I am deliberate. Loud when I stay quiet. The only thing we have in common is that both our names are on my father's will.

I hate Dante Moretti. He is cold, calculating, and vicious. It’s no secret that he wiped out his former fiancée and her entire family on the eve of their wedding. He’s the kind of evil that makes even devils cry. But that’s not why I hate him.

From a poor underground street fighter, I rose to fame as the world heavyweight boxing champion. No one knew I was also a monster who hunted in the shadows. Trapped in the mafia until my debts were paid. A simple deal held my freedom—unify my belts. It seemed simple until an enchanting British firecracker landed on my lap, knocking me sideways. Wanting her was dangerous for us both, but I took her anyway. Leaving me with the choice, fight for my freedom or hers. When the truth is unmasked, could she still love me? Would love be enough to battle our demons and come out on top?

Emmett Lasker is impossible to work for. He might be model handsome and stupidly wealthy, but he also has it out for me. He’s given me more last-minute and weekend requests than anyone else, ruining any plans I make. I should quit. And I will. Just as soon as I hit my two-year anniversary and earn out my signing bonus. But after a particularly awful day at work, a breakup (via text!), and my computer crashing, I’ve had enough! So at 11:59 Friday night, I barge into Emmett’s office to tell him what I really think of him. Only, that’s not what happens. AT ALL.

I’ve traded my hand in marriage for six months to save my city. To Sebastian Armanelli: most powerful man in the city...and the hottest one-night stand of my life. My new husband promises to be a gentleman by day and play his part. But in the dark of night, he’s commanding, ruthless. And possessive. I’m starting to feel he can’t share what’s his. And that now includes me...his lawfully wedded wife.

One minute you’re a struggling graphic designer in L.A. who's finally coming to terms with being single forever, and the next, you're flying to New York in a private jet to get engaged to your ex-boyfriend’s older brother. At least...that’s what everyone thinks. Forced to clean up his playboy image in order to protect his company, Beckham Sinclair, the city’s most eligible billionaire bachelor, wants me to be his fake fiancée and personal assistant. Now I'm spending every spare second with a man I thought I’d never see again.

It was supposed to be a harmless kiss at a lavish debutante ball. A clandestine moment with a handsome stranger. But unlike his namesake, my Romeo isn’t driven by love. He’s fueled by revenge. To him, I’m a chess piece. Leverage. His rival’s betrothed. To me, he is a man deserving of poison. A dark prince I refuse to marry. He thinks I’ll accept my fate. Well, I plan to rewrite it. And in my story, Juliet doesn’t die. But Romeo? He perishes.

My whole life was mapped out, designed for me, before I was even a twinkle in my old man’s eye. I am the heir to the Valentino throne. A kingdom built with blood and dirty money. But one I’ll rule all the same. My father was the youngest Don to ever be crowned king. However, with any luck, the controlling bastard will drop soon, allowing me to beat his record by a few years.

Desperate and out of options, Elena Rousseau walks into a gentlemen’s club, ready to sell her body in a last attempt to save her mother’s life. She didn’t expect Alexander Kennedy to be there, and she certainly didn’t expect him to propose a marriage of convenience instead.

Running away from home at 17 wasn't easy. Let's face it, though, nothing before or in the ten years since has ever been easy for me. And I'm doing okay—sorta. I just need to keep scraping by, living under the radar. Staying out of people's way, off people's minds. When a man walks through my open patio door, stepping boldly into my home and my life, I should be scared, frightened, terrified. I must be more broken than I realized because I'm none of those things. I'm intrigued—and I'm wondering if the way to take control of my life is by giving in to him.

“Give me a second chance, babe . . . and I’ll blow your mind.” Monroe doesn’t know why she answers the text that’s obviously meant for someone else. Or why she keeps answering. Maybe it’s because she’s all alone in a big city and in desperate need of a lifeline. Or maybe it’s because each exchange leaves her intrigued and more than a little turned on. Still, Monroe never would’ve snarked back if she’d known she was talking to the “Golden Boy” of the Dallas Knights.

Rule number one for becoming an NHL team’s social media manager: Don’t hook up with the star center in an elevator a week before starting your new job.

As a divorced single father, I live by three rules: Make sure every day my daughter, Paisley, knows she’s number one in my life. No matter what, keep contact with my cheating ex-wife to a minimum, and turn Maxwell Wineries into a legacy that keeps Paisley set for life. When I hire Lexi to look after my daughter, I realize I need another rule: Don’t pursue Paisley’s nanny. But even if I had that rule it wouldn’t matter. Because I'm breaking it already.

Not once…but twice. I slept with him twice. With the one man that I was supposed to stay away from. Not only that…I got pregnant the first time around and never told him. My world is spinning. How complicated could my life be? Especially now that Chase is also my boss? That’s not the only problem. Chase is also my brother’s best friend. And let me just say that my brother would be furious. He would be furious if he found out who the father of my first child is.

It seemed harmless when we met. He needed a nanny, and I needed a job. Badly. I was the only thing keeping food on the table and lights on in our not-so-happily-ever-after home. I thought working for Dominic Reed would be easy. I thought very wrong. It was the exact opposite of easy. In fact, it was impossible when he was my boss, and I was his employee, and fate decided it didn't care about professionalism or boundaries. It didn't care that I was ten years younger. It didn't care that I'd built the entire foundation of my adult life on the fact that love was poison and men were the devil.

She was my best friend's little sister, which meant she was off limits, but I couldn’t help myself. I never could when it came to her, and in the end, I left town and made something of my myself. Ten years later and I'm one of the richest men in the world. I have everything I ever wanted...except for her.

Sounds like the start of a crude joke, right? Yeah, well, the joke's on me because I'm investigating the gorgeous one in the heels with the great body. Jensen Montgomery. Now, I'm treading that area between right and wrong, good and bad, where sin and honor meld to become gray.

Tales you win. Heads you lose. And the fighters of Tales never lose. The men my father ruled were his faithful soldiers sworn to protect the club, him, me. Until one day, his most loyal soldier, Beast, makes a decision that changes my story forever. But this is no fairy tale and I don't own a crown. This is real life. Bloody, violent, and filled with alpha men who use their fists to settle every dispute. And if the man who calls me Princess thinks he can break my heart and get away with it, he can think again.

Boone Price and his brothers know oil; at least, the dirty, backbreaking side of working an oil rig. But when their scrubby, worthless hunting land turns out to be sitting on top of one of the biggest oil wells in North America, they go from the rig to the boardroom and end up billionaires practically overnight. Now with enough money to do whatever he wants, Boone is developing a taste for fine things.

Billionaire Hayes Rivers came into my life like a hurricane. Heir to an oil empire, he was sexy and seductive, controlling and scorching hot. I craved every touch, every filthy promise that fell from his beautiful mouth, knowing he could break me. My past had left me battered and bruised, with scars he was determined to heal.

Dane is a former SEAL turned CEO. Oh, how I wish CEOs weren’t that irresistible. As a self-made woman who never used her daddy’s resources, I have a ton of pride. I would never risk my career by sleeping with my boss. I would never destroy my reputation by falling into bed with my dad’s best friend. Or so I thought. Yes, I did those exact things but that’s not even the worst part. I’ve got a bigger problem to deal with. Not one but two problems. I’m having his twins, and I’m effectively panicking. Am I about to lose my heart, my career, and my sanity all at once?

Have you ever loved anyone so much that you’d give them up at the expense of your own happiness? No? Well, I did. Okay, that’s not the first lie I’ve ever told myself. I fought tooth and nail for the only man I’ll ever love, but in the end, I had to concede defeat. Even now, seven years later, the cruel words Ryker uttered the morning after he took my virginity still wield the power to shatter the remains of my heart. Yet fate has a way of shaping our lives. No matter how hard we fight for a different outcome.

My fiancé is screaming at me in public. I'm used to it. My role here is to look pretty on his arm and to play nice so he doesn't hurt my sick daughter. What I'm not used to is the man who comes to my rescue. Adrik Tasarov is a tall glass of gorgeous. He's got a jawline that could cut glass and eyes that could melt steel. Best of all: my fiancé is absolutely terrified of him. So when Adrik asks me to dance, I say yes. When he asks me to do a little more than that, I say it again. Then comes the make-or-break moment. Adrik offers me a fake marriage to get me out of my real one.

Four years ago, I had a ridiculous crush on my sister's boyfriend. But when they moved away together, I put Beck out of my mind and my heart. But now he's back, and roasting the best coffee in Vermont. I need to convince him to supply the Busy Bean. And I need more of those kisses we accidentally shared outside the coffee shop. He still makes my heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso.

Luke Pardini is many things: playboy, tabloid fodder, ridiculously attractive billionaire. He's the Prince Charming every woman dreams of. And he wants me to be his fake girlfriend. I don't want a relationship, even a make-believe one, but I do need the money. Writing isn't paying the bills, and I hardly have time for a second job, let alone a romance. But he's offering me a dream-come true. I'll get the fancy dresses, the formal dinners, the full Luke Pardini experience. I get to be Cinderella for a few weeks, then I'll trade in the shoes. No problem, right?

With my clan threatened, I don’t have time for romance with a pesky Earth female. Until I meet Piper. She and her youngling son are part of our planet’s new settlement. Soon, I find myself helping her plan her home and talking about odd Earthling activities. What is a square dance, and must I do it? She’s soft and lush in all the right places, and I could pick her up and carry her around with one arm. And her son…I ache to show him how to tame a mighty winged trundier. Piper may say she doesn’t need love, but I'll do whatever it takes to win her heart.

Author K. A. Linde presents One Cruel Night, a prequel to the Cruel series.

Moving to Melbourne for university, Josie Alexander knew the transition would be hard. She didn't realize just how difficult it'd be until things turned ugly. Damaged by a past that leaves her struggling with physical contact, her brave move to start afresh soon turns into a nightmare. Afraid and vulnerable, Josie's fragile independence threatens to unravel around her. That is until the two men who refuse to leave her thoughts show up in Melbourne.