Best Modern Novels

"Hands on the bed Tessa" Killian growled behind his voice rough and unsteady. My eyes widened as he pulls my legs apart and comes in between them and wraps the belt tightly against my neck choking out my breath from me But you're my stepbrother I choked against his hold. He smiles as he tighten his grip on the belt"Little slutty girls like you deserved to fucked.

On the night of their high-profile engagement, a wealthy heiress is blindsided when her billionaire fiancé arrives with a child, claiming the boy is his secret heir. This public betrayal shatters her world and ruins the union between their powerful families. Faced with a future of scandal and heartbreak, she must navigate the fallout of his deception. As hidden truths emerge, she struggles to reclaim her dignity and decide if their love can survive this ultimate lie.

After her father is framed for a crime he didn't commit, Elara’s life crumbles. To save him from a life sentence, she is forced to approach Silas Vane, a ruthless billionaire with a dark reputation. Silas offers a deal: he will clear her father’s name, but in exchange, Elara must become his wife in name only for one year. Bound by a cold contract and hidden secrets, Elara must navigate a world of luxury and danger while fighting her growing feelings for the man she should despise.

After losing her beloved child to a lethal dose of poison, a grieving mother makes a chilling discovery: her own husband is the one responsible for the tragedy. Driven by a desperate need for justice and answers, she begins a dangerous investigation into the man she once trusted. As she uncovers a web of dark secrets and hidden motives, she must navigate a treacherous path of romance and betrayal to expose the truth behind his horrific crime.

My husband made me ride in the freezing cargo hold because his mistress wanted peace and quiet. I died back there, clutching the "vitamins" she gave me, while they laughed in the front seat. It wasn't until my frozen body was found that Atlas realized he had just killed his own wife and unborn child. Ten years ago, I saved Atlas from a car crash that left me with the mind of a child. He hated me for it. He treated me like a burden and let his mistress, Kacie, feed me high-dose abortion pills disguised as health supplements. When the police uncovered the truth, Atlas' s world shattered. He discovered Kacie had never been pregnant-but I was. Consumed by a belated, violent rage, he executed Kacie with his own hands and demanded the death penalty for himself. He thought death would be his redemption. He thought he could find me on the other side and make amends. But when his spirit finally reached out to mine, begging for forgiveness, I didn't feel the love I had yearned for in life. I felt nothing. "Go away, Atlas," I whispered, watching his soul crumble. "I'm finally free."

After discovering her husband squandered her hard-earned fortune to fund a secret life with his mistress, a woman's world shatters. Betrayed by the person she trusted most, she refuses to remain a victim. As she digs into his deception, she uncovers a web of lies more complex than simple infidelity. Driven by a thirst for justice and the truth, she embarks on a calculated journey to reclaim her wealth and expose his dark secrets.

After three years of being the agreeable, invisible girlfriend to my tech CEO boyfriend, Edward, I finally left him. Then Brody Frazier, his charming rival, swept into my life, determined to use me to get under Edward's skin. But at a tech gala, Edward cornered me, publicly declaring his love and flashing a "promise ring" he claimed he'd bought for me weeks ago. He did this right after his high school crush, Jeannette, announced their engagement, and right before he accused me of humiliating him. He insisted his feelings for Jeannette were a "youthful fantasy" and that I was his "anchor," his "stability." He said he loved me. But I remembered the truth. I remembered the small, hand-carved wooden bird he'd once made. A gift he'd had me send to Jeannette years ago, along with a love note he dictated himself. And I knew his desperate confession wasn't love. It was damage control.

This was the ninth time I had discovered women's clothing in my husband Carl Wade's storage cabinet that didn't belong to me. Each time, he brushed it off with excuses like "holding it for a colleague" or "a friend's prank," then hugged me tenderly and apologized. This time, what I found was a set of baby clothes. He still smiled and explained, "A new intern at the company is struggling financially. I'm just helping her out." I nodded and gently straightened his tie. "You're always so kind," I said. "Then let's go help her together right now." The smile on his face froze. Before he could come up with a new lie, I had already pulled him out the door and headed straight to the apartment across the hall. I knocked on the neighbor's door. The door opened, and our beautiful neighbor who had recently moved in and claimed to be single stood there holding a crying baby. She wore the exact same style of dress that had appeared in my husband's storage cabinet before. I smiled and looked at my husband's ashen face. "Honey, look how wonderful fate is. The intern you mentioned from the company turns out to live right across from us."

The marriage between Joslyn and Kade was a union of two prominent families in the city, but it also hid her deep, unrequited love. Five years ago, she believed that Kade had lost his sexual function due to a car accident while saving her, so she willingly accepted a platonic marriage. She even continuously invested the profits of the her family into the his family to ease her guilt. It wasn't until a chance encounter that she discovered Kade's affair with his childhood sweetheart, Scarlett, that she realized the so-called "secret illness" was all a lie. Kade had not only fully recovered but had been spiking her drinks with sleeping pills for a long time. Moreover, due to a misunderstanding from when she returned from being taken away by her uncle-mistakenly deemed as being from a "place of ill repute"-he considered her "dirty" and deliberately kept his distance. More cruelly, the car accident back then was not to save her but because Kade was on his way to pick up Scarlett at the airport. The series of betrayals and schemes finally awakened Joslyn. Under constant threat from Kade and Scarlett, she faced numerous dangers-from being pushed in front of a knife, undergoing skin grafts, to nearly falling off a cliff due to tampered brakes. Ultimately, she decided to sever ties with the past and, with her uncle's assistance, went abroad. Overseas, Joslyn found her true self, pursued a PhD in finance, and took over her family business. Unexpectedly, she encountered Kade again while dealing with gangsters. Kade, now truly remorseful, did everything to protect her from the gang, even sacrificing the his family's interests, yet it couldn't undo the past wounds. Meanwhile, Kade's half-brother, Nicolas, allied with Scarlett to disrupt the family inheritance. In the end, both Nicolas and Kade perished in an explosion. Years later, Joslyn became a CEO. She let go of past love and hatred, established a foundation to support African communities in accordance with Kade's last wish, and shifted her life's focus to greater love and responsibility, embarking on a new chapter truly her own.

Aria Cole lost everything the day her father was arrested. To save her family, she accepts a deal she never imagined-marriage to Julian Blackwood, the billionaire who destroyed her life. Cold, cruel, and driven by revenge, Julian believes Aria's family is responsible for his mother's death. Their marriage is a contract built on hatred, silence, and punishment. But as secrets unravel and emotions refuse to stay buried, Aria must decide- will she survive loving the man who ruined her... or will he destroy her completely?

"This is not a game." As I wrapped my arm around her waist, I slipped my hand under her dress.  "What are you doing?" She froze, eyes like a deer caught in the headlights.  Kissing the back of her ear, I whispered, "Do you want me to take it out now?" I rubbed my finger against her pussy. As expected, she was soaking. A blaze of lust and need swept through me. My cock was hard, pressed against her ass. "You're drenched, my love. I know you enjoy it. Stop fighting it. Give in. Submit to your desire." *** TARA   A family practice forces me to run away from home, leaving me disgraced and my family in shame. Just when I start making new friends, someone threatens to expose who I am and the person behind my nom de plume. The condition- a contract marriage, the very same reason I fled from. So, what's so different this time? Mad Shanewood- the achingly handsome, with waving red flags, an irrefutable passion, or a magnetic attraction? With my secrets still haunting me, now the whole world is watching, and our delicately fragile public image is at stake. After a glimpse beneath his shallow exterior, there is a damaged soul who makes me feel as if I'm everything to him. And how is it that the one thing I never wanted has me fighting so hard to keep?   ***   MAD   I always get the deal done until my recklessness has thrown the company into a tailspin, derailing my path to a billion-dollar project.  With my image under brutal public scrutiny, marriage is my last straw.  Tara Montimer not only intrigues me. She's selfless, kind-hearted, and sexy as hell. And something deep in her eyes makes me question if I'm worthy to be her husband.   For me, it seems that it's not just fixing my reputation anymore- the entrancing deposed princess didn't only steal my breath away. She penetrates the protective wall around my heart that I built for years.  Our goals may be aligned. But then there's a disapproving father who is a King, a law, and constant threats that prevent us from getting married.  Will this razor-thin edge arrangement be enough to fix what's been broken, or is something between us worth fighting for?

My fiancé, the Underboss of the DeLuca Crime Family, promised he would burn the world down for me. But when my mother was dying in the hospital, he chose a ski trip with another woman. It was that woman's dog that attacked my mother, but when I called him, shaking, he was annoyed. He was in Aspen with Isabella, and I could hear her laughing in the background. He dismissed my mother's injuries as a "minor scrape" and told me not to "make a big deal out of this." While my mother's fever spiked, he ignored my desperate pleas. Instead, my phone lit up with an Instagram post of him and Isabella smiling by a fireplace, sipping hot chocolate. My mother slipped into septic shock. That picture was a public declaration, a judgment on my mother's worth, and my own. A cold fury burned away every last bit of love I had for him. She died at 3:17 a.m. I held her hand until it was cold, then walked out of the hospital and called the one number I was never supposed to use—the number for my father. "She's dead," I said. "I'm coming to Chicago. I'm leaving this life, and I'm going to burn his world to the ground."

Leland, the world's most eligible bachelor and powerful President, was rumored to be in love-with Valerie, the nation's favorite punchline. Once rejected by his nephew and scorned for her looks, Valerie faced public outrage for "leeching" off Leland's status and entering government circles. Elite society mocked, rivals sneered. But the tables turned: the mafia king was spotted carrying her bags, scientists begged for her help, and Valerie saved the nation. As chaos erupted, Leland posted on the presidential account. "My wife wants to dump me-how do I win her back? Urgent advice needed!"

After three years of marriage, Chloe remains an invisible wife, overshadowed by her husband’s obsessive devotion to his niece. When a medical emergency forces him to choose between them, his cold abandonment shatters her heart. Tired of being a second priority, Chloe demands a divorce to reclaim her dignity. However, her sudden departure sparks an unexpected desperation in him, leading to a relentless pursuit to win back the woman he lost.

Explore an expansive collection of fifty distinct stories that dive deep into the complexities of human connection. This anthology traverses the diverse landscapes of modern romance and LGBT relationships, capturing the heat of raw passion and the intensity of emotional bonds. From chance encounters to enduring flames, each tale offers a unique perspective on intimacy and longing, celebrating the many ways people find love and fulfillment today.

Estrella Ward gave five years of her life to her husband, draining her trust fund to save him from bankruptcy and raising his son as her own. But one night, she woke up in a freezing hotel room, drugged, with a stranger's bite marks on her skin. Her husband burst through the door with cameras, his vicious family, and her ten-year-old stepson, publicly framing her as a cheating whore. The horrifying truth soon surfaced: her husband had drugged her himself, selling her body to his Wall Street boss to secure a senior partnership. Estrella fought back with hidden security footage, blackmailing him into submission after discovering she was pregnant with his boss's child. But fate dealt a cruel blow. She was diagnosed with aggressive, terminal breast cancer. She refused to abort the baby to keep her leverage, but the cancer spread too fast. She died alone in a cold hospital room, her vengeance unfinished, while her husband and his cruel family celebrated. They thought they had successfully buried her and her secrets forever, escaping unpunished for destroying her life. But when she gasped for air and opened her eyes again, she wasn't in a cold grave. She was in a sterile hospital bed, looking at the perfectly manicured hands of Brooklyn Thompson—the notorious, empty-headed socialite everyone despised. Estrella's soul had survived the abyss. "You're going to pay for every drop of blood." She clenched her new fists, the fire of her vengeance burning brighter than ever.

Grace hid her identity as the heir to a multi-billion-dollar empire just to experience ordinary love, acting as a free, devoted assistant to her actor fiancé, Hayden. But while delivering his coffee, she caught him cheating with a new actress in his dressing room. Through the crack in the door, she heard the actress whine about Grace being a feelingless robot. Hayden just laughed, not stopping his frantic movements. "She is a shield. She is a boring, free assistant. That is all she is." He bragged that their upcoming engagement was just a PR stunt to build his perfect boyfriend image, and he would dump her the second he didn't need her. He thought he held all the power, completely unaware that every massive movie contract and endorsement he had was secretly funded by Grace. The betrayal poured over Grace like ice water, freezing her heart completely. She had fought her aristocratic family and lowered herself to serve a man who treated her like disposable trash. The girl who believed in simple love died in that hallway. Grace didn't cry or burst into the room. She calmly hit record on her phone, securing the evidence to trigger his morality clause. Then, she dialed her billionaire mother. "I made a bad investment. Now I am liquidating the asset." She was going to artificially inflate his fame to the absolute peak, and when he finally thought he was untouchable, she would strip him of everything.

At my own engagement party, my fiancé, Franco, abandoned me. He left me standing alone in a room full of guests to rush to the side of another woman, Katina, the one he truly loved. He called me a gold-digger, a parasite clinging to his family's name, and accused me of faking an illness just to get his attention. But he never knew the truth. He never knew about the secret I carried-a terminal leukemia diagnosis I received just two days before he humiliated me. He never knew that the night he called a drunken mistake, the night he spat on with disgust, had left me pregnant with his child. And he certainly never knew that while he was tending to Katina's fake anxiety attack, I was in a sterile hospital room, alone, terminating our baby to have a fighting chance at a life he made sure was a living hell. I thought my death would be the end of our story, a final, quiet release from his cruelty. But when I opened my eyes again, I was back at our engagement party, the scent of gardenias filling the air, just moments before he would walk out and shatter my life for the first time.

For three years, I was the ghost wife to tech billionaire Julian Petersen. I ran his empire from the shadows, securing the patents that were his foundation, while he publicly doted on his manipulative ex, Blair. On my 30th birthday, he forgot me entirely, choosing instead to solve another one of Blair's manufactured crises. That was the final straw. I tricked him into signing our divorce papers, hidden within a stack of routine acquisitions he never bothered to read. He signed away our future without a second glance, his mind already on her, leaving me to eat my birthday cake alone. When he finally saw Blair's true, venomous nature, his obsession didn't end-it just shifted to me. He hunted me down across the globe, offering billions not as an apology, but as a new set of golden chains. He thought he could buy me back after everything he'd done. He cornered me in my new life, his presence a suffocating shadow. His voice was a low command, "Get in the car, Arlene. We're going to talk." "And you will listen."

On what should have been the happiest day of her life, a young woman’s world shatters when she discovers her fiancé’s shocking infidelity. The betrayal occurs right at the altar, turning her dream wedding into a public nightmare. Amidst the heartbreak and humiliation, a powerful billionaire unexpectedly steps in, offering her a way out. Now, she must navigate a complex new path of revenge and unexpected romance in high society.

I stood at the edge of the freezing pond on the Boone estate, my body trembling with a fear that rattled my bones. Across from me, Amanda Olsen looked immaculate in her cashmere coat, a sharp contrast to the jagged reality I was trying to hold together. "Why?" I whispered. Amanda just smiled, admitting she killed Grandpa Boone because he actually liked me. She pulled out a thick envelope-divorce papers Cordero had signed that morning. She told me he called me a parasite and was celebrating with her the night I suffered a miscarriage. Before I could even scream, Amanda lunged and shoved me into the icy water. My heavy wool coat acted like a sponge, dragging me into the artificial abyss. I thrashed and gasped for air, but Amanda just stood on the bank, watching me drown with her hands tucked casually in her pockets. As my lungs burned and the darkness closed in, I realized I had spent my entire marriage taking their abuse. I was the "foster trash" and the "gold digger" who let them win every single time. I was dying alone, hated by the husband I had tried so hard to love, while my murderer stood victorious on the shore. I never fought back. I just let them destroy me. Then, a violent spasm tore through my body. I sat up gasping, sucking in dry, air-conditioned oxygen instead of murky pond water. I wasn't dead. I was back in the opulent master suite, surrounded by red rose petals and wedding decorations. The digital clock glowed: October 14, 2019. I had gone back five years to the very night my nightmare began. The bathroom door clicked open, and Cordero stepped out, looking at me with the same cold disgust I remembered. But as I gripped the silk sheets, a new resolve hardened in my chest. This time, I wasn't going to be the victim. This time, the Boone family was going to find out exactly what happens when you push someone too far.

For three years, I was the perfect wife to tech CEO Atticus Monroe, trading my architecture career to become his personal chef and perfect hostess. My world shattered when I brought him an eight-hour bone broth and overheard him confess to a friend. "I'm just... bored." His boredom quickly turned into an affair with his ex-fiancée, Isla. He spent nights at her apartment, then came home to blame me for his unhappiness. At a family gala, when I finally stood up to their public humiliation, Atticus grabbed my arm so hard it left a deep, purple bruise. He had cheated, humiliated, and hurt me, yet he refused my pleas for a divorce, desperate to maintain his perfect image. But his grandfather saw the bruise. He saw the video of Atticus and Isla. After punishing his own grandson, he handed me a check. "Go build the life you deserve." So I did. I filed for divorce to reclaim the life, and the career, I had sacrificed for him.

I walked into the hospital wing to find my fiancé, Derrick, holding his pregnant high-school sweetheart. His plan was sickening: he would publicly claim her baby to save her from scandal, while our child, the one I was secretly carrying, would be hidden away-a shameful 'accident'. He locked me in a damp guesthouse as his mother called me a whore and my unborn child a bastard. But the true cost of his weakness came when she dragged me to a clinic and forced an abortion, killing my seven-month-old baby while Derrick was away caring for his other family. Six months later, I returned. Backed by a powerful new family, I walked into the Bradford Corporation's boardroom to face them all. Derrick looked at me like he'd seen a ghost, not realizing I was there to take his entire empire. I signed the papers that made me his boss and smiled for the cameras. "The old Ava is dead," I whispered. "Long live the queen."

Ten years. Ninety-seven million dollars. And the wife wasn't me. I discovered Knox Miller's photograph on a Tuesday—him, his pregnant wife, and a future I was never meant to share. I could have walked away. Instead, I spent nine years becoming the architect of his rise, waiting for the perfect moment to engineer his fall. He never knew I was building a fortress behind his back. He never knew his wife Deana had become my secret ally. He never knew I was teaching his son to code through an anonymous online persona. He thought he was the smartest man in every room. He was wrong. When the moment finally came, I didn't just leave him. I burned his entire world to the ground—starting with the brownstone I bought us, and ending with a press conference where both his families stood on stage to destroy him. Revenge is a dish best served cold. I waited nine years to serve mine. And it was delicious.