D'Artagnan Conti was born into poverty, raised to be a soldier in my father's savage regime. I grew up in luxury, longing to escape my family's cruel machinations, and the young man with sapphire eyes and the voice of an angel became not just my forbidden crush but my everything. Then he was taken from me, killed in a brutal attack by our enemies. Or so I was led to believe....

If you're forced to come to an arrangement with someone as dangerous as Jagger Calduchi, it means he's about to take what he wants, and you'll give it to him...even if it's your body. I got caught snooping where I didn't belong, and Jagger made me an offer I couldn't refuse. A week with him where his rules are the only rules, or his bought-and-paid-for cops take me to jail.

Treating a mobster shot by a rival’s goons isn’t really my forte, but when a man is powerful enough to have a whole wing of a hospital cleared out for his protection, you do as you’re told. To make matters worse, this isn’t first time I’ve met Giovanni Calduchi. It turns out my newest patient is the stern, sexy brute who all but dragged me back to his hotel room a couple of nights ago so he could use my body as he pleased, then showed up at my house the next day, stripped me bare, and spanked me until I was begging him to take me even more roughly and shamefully.

I have always been the good girl. The quiet girl. And I’m sick of it. I want to play; I want to have some fun. And there is one man with whom I want to do that. Caleb Anderson.

If you throw an Irish billionaire out of a plane at 40,000 feet, would he fly? That's the question I ask myself on our flight when Declan Bryne told me that it’d be “grand" if I could stop talking. I can’t help it. I’m a nervous flyer. But that should've been my sign to hit EJECT! Because this is doomed to fail. He’s a total grump. He obviously doesn’t like me. He's too distractingly gorgeous to be around for any length of time. And he’s made it clear that as soon as he can find another nanny, I’m gone.

Cain, Hunter, and Cristiano were heirs to some of the richest and most powerful families in the world, men who might as well have been kings. Ten years ago, they took an interest in me. Or at least that’s what happens in the fleeting memories I still have left after the car accident. I never expected to see them again, until the day a ruthless Chicago crime boss and two of his closest friends came to watch my show and then decided they wanted to see more of me. By the time the memory of their faces returned, I already knew I wouldn’t be able to forget them.

You know the story where the hero comes in and saves the day, rescuing the heroine right in the nick of time? This isn't that story. Instead of a knight in shining armor, he's a sexy, tatted-up Bratva boss with a reputation for being brutal and fierce. Vasily finds me after I've already been brought to my lowest—broken by cruel men until I barely recognize myself. He doesn't offer me salvation. He offers me protection and revenge. And I gladly take it. Because I don't need a knight in shining armor. I need a villain who doesn't mind getting his hands dirty.

Ten years ago, I fell in love. The pop princess and the rock star. On paper, we should never have worked. In public, she was a sweet girl-next-door bubble-gum pop singer. But when we were together, her passion matched mine. I was ready to make her mine forever, and then she told me it was over.

Brooke Sullivan’s carefully ordered existence is spiraling out of control. Two years ago, she was violently abducted by a terrorist group and nearly killed. She’s worked hard to get her life back on track—moving to a new house, changing careers, going on a couple of dates. When she witnesses a murder, she’s plunged into a new nightmare. And as the past threatens to repeat itself, she’s not sure she’ll survive this time.

The only thing Logan despises more than a weak man is one who preys on others. He finds himself in a battle between a group of people he never dreamed existed, and those who want them dead. Clara has always known she carried the spirit of a lioness within her. An impulsive quest finds her at the mercy of a man she's spent her entire life hearing about. She wants to claim her place as part of his pride, but to do so means turning her back on the one who reared her.

When it comes to hockey and women, Marty LeBrun is used to coming in second to his best friend and teammate, Zach Pruitt. And that’s okay because Marty’s sole aim is breaking into the NHL, a climb as steep as Mt. Everest—without oxygen—for a guy whose heart is greater than his talent. But all that changes when Claudia Campbell walks into their lives. Suddenly, playing Zach’s wingman is a role Marty is no longer willing to fill.

Eleanor "Ellie" Rockwell thought her days of excitement were over. After being laid off from her corporate job at forty-nine, she moved to the small town of Tablerock, Texas, opened the Silver Circle Cat Rescue, and settled into a quiet life with her daughter, Evie. Little did she know, her life was about to get a whole lot more...furry. When a magical crystal platter that allows cats to communicate with humans falls into her possession, Ellie finds herself thrown into a world of murder mysteries and feline sleuthing.

She needed to learn the hard way that bad girls who spy on men like me don't just get spanked. They get taken roughly and shamefully, with every climax more overwhelming than the one before.

From New York Times best-selling author Vivian Arend, books one to four in the Takhini Shifters series: Copper King, Laird Wolf, A Lady's Heart, and Wild Prince.

Five years ago, my fiancé disappeared. He left me with a wedding dress I’d never wear. Left me with the kind of scars that can’t be healed. The man I built my future on vanished like a ghost. All that remained were my broken heart and a million unanswered questions. Until a mysterious stranger arrives in town.

A wedding is supposed to be the happiest day of a girl's life. For me, it was a nightmare. The man I'm promised to isn't exactly Prince Charming. And the way I ended up on this altar isn't exactly the stuff of fairy tales. You see, my family isn't like yours. My father and brother do... things... that should never see the light of day. Things like wagering me at a poker game to be the wife and baby momma of a dark-eyed devil.

I couldn't believe it when my friend called to tell me she knew someone desperate for a nanny. Jobless, broke, and with a landlord who hated me, I had to take it. Turns out it was too good to be true. Rex Sloane is cold, hard, and impenetrable. I'm not convinced he's even human. Oh, and he's a dick. I should've walked my over-qualified legs right out of his penthouse the moment he screamed at me for wearing a tutu with his daughter, but stupid me, I didn't.

I was supposed to marry Viktor Volkova, heir to one of the most powerful families in the society. But his older brother stole me on our wedding day, just as we were about to take our vows. Like a hellish wild card, Desmier Volkova stormed into my life, seeking revenge for my father’s sins. He forced me to marry him, dragging me into his game of lies, revenge, and deceit.

Cruelty is his middle name, and I'm at his mercy. My father has kept me locked away in an ivory tower. I thought he wanted to protect me, but he only wanted to protect his asset. An untouched, sheltered mob princess is worth a lot of money to the right buyer. My father's greed means Sicily is no longer big enough for him. I'm shipped across the Atlantic to Boston to marry a man I've never met, whose reputation for cruelty reaches as far as the shores of Sicily.

The lovely attorney kept a secret from me. A baby she’s been carrying since Valentine’s night. The night we were thrown together by the roulette wheel. She never contacted me. Meant to keep me in the dark. She’s about to find out what happens when you cross a bratva boss. Punishment is in order. Sequestering until the birth. And I’ll use that time to win her surrender. Because I don’t just plan to keep the baby - I plan to make his mother my bride. And it would be much better for both of us if she were willing.

If you're forced to come to an arrangement with someone as dangerous as Jagger Calduchi, it means he's about to take what he wants, and you'll give it to him...even if it's your body. I got caught snooping where I didn't belong, and Jagger made me an offer I couldn't refuse. A week with him where his rules are the only rules, or his bought-and-paid-for cops take me to jail.

As a bodyguard, I have one rule: don't get attached. Yet Daisy's got me hooked. When I'm asked to protect her, I can't resist. She's warmth and kindness wrapped up in a curvy package, and I'm willing to cross any line to keep her safe. Almost. No matter how torn I am between duty and desire, there’s only one chance I can’t take. For her, I’ll risk anything—except for my heart.

I met the love of my life at ten years old. At sixteen, I gave him my heart. Three years later he was drafted to the NHL and moved across the country. Five years after, he’s back. And he’s meeting his daughter for the first time. I still hate him. Even if my heart says that’s a lie.

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.

I am the illegitimate son. Unwanted. Hated. The jealous, possessive villain who once wore the mask of a hero. Ophelia Hart is the girl next door. Growing up, I rescued her countless times from my idiot half-brother. Now, the rivalry between him and me has changed. The stakes are higher. And Ophelia is in danger. But I’ll be damned if I let him touch her. She no longer thinks me the hero of her story, though. She’ll fight me. I’ll fight for her.

Ten years later, I'm back on the island for my best friend's wedding as her maid of honor. Who's the first person I literally stumbled into? Riley Dixon. Even worse? He's the groom's best man and a self-made billionaire to boot. Being forced to spend an entire week together for wedding festivities quickly leads to more—hot hate sex, late nights of sneaking out, and unexpected revelations. The boy I knew a decade ago is gone, and the hate becomes… something else entirely. And I begin to wonder if Riley is hiding some secrets of his own.

D'Artagnan Conti was born into poverty, raised to be a soldier in my father's savage regime. I grew up in luxury, longing to escape my family's cruel machinations, and the young man with sapphire eyes and the voice of an angel became not just my forbidden crush but my everything. Then he was taken from me, killed in a brutal attack by our enemies. Or so I was led to believe....

I’ve spent the better part of the last few years successfully avoiding my brother’s best friend, Weston Aldrich. As CEO of Andes Inc, the infuriatingly handsome and incessantly grumpy Weston also happens to be my new boss. It shouldn’t have been hard to continue avoiding him. After all, he’s on the executive floor, and I’m one of many copywriters. Weston has his own ideas about how things should go between us. He’s in my emails, leaving notes on my desk, and as if that’s not enough, he arranges for me to accompany him on a business trip.

My fresh start turned into a dumpster fire. Awesome new job. Small town heaven. Friendly faces galore. Then I strolled into my new home and found the unspeakable. Just when I'm sure it can't get worse, I'm “rescued” by a man who makes me see red for miles. Enter Lucas Graves. A bossy grump with a badge who's sworn to keep me safe. He rocks the scary-hot vibe, he reads too much, and he never misses a chance to give me crap for being a nerdy little cactus who mouths back. Not the type of man I'd go for in my right mind. Definitely not the type I should keep trading bruising kisses with.

I'm about to marry my worst nightmare, and he doesn't know I have his daughter. Elio Rossi is a dream on paper. He's rich, handsome and head of his family's multi-billion dollar business. He's also a ruthless Mafia Don, and my older brother's best friend. But even that isn't a huge issue to me. No, Elio is my nightmare because he used to be my dream man. We've been betrothed since childhood. But the night of our engagement years ago, our parents died in a tragic accident. One that I'm sure Elio's family planned. In a moonlit sky he claimed my innocence. Now he says I'm his, and no one can ...