Jax ‘The King of Chaos’ Carter and Lily’s story begins the new era of the Beneath the Secrets series.

It doesn’t matter that Wes Beckham owns the company I work for or that he’s twenty years older than me or that there’s a strict “no fraternization policy” in place. She is convinced he wants me and that the office holiday party is the perfect place to let him know I’m interested. Because while he’s technically my older, very off-limits boss, he’s also gorgeous and charming and despite his grumpy nature, he seems to have a soft spot for me. So, I go for it. I take a risk for once and choose to be spontaneous and have one wild night with my boss.

I sit on a throne of sins. Silent in the shadows, untouchable like the King of the Underworld himself. Few even know the sound of my voice, but those who fear me call me Monster. My men just call me Pakhan. To her, I am Nikolai. Her savior. Her captor. Her lover. With hair as bright as the sun, a face that could sink a thousand ships, and more curves than I can handle, Cassiopeia. Is. Everything. But she’s in danger. And safety comes with a price tag.

Becoming a godfather was a close second. Paul and Emily Clarke have been my best friends for over twenty years. We've gone through it all. We were the three musketeers. When my best friends are ripped from all of our lives, leaving behind a broken piece of themselves, I know it's up to me to put things back together.

When I tried to blackmail Ezekiel St. James, I thought it would be easy. Turns out I had no idea who I was dealing with. Turns out I had no idea who I was dealing with. The moment his steel-grey eyes locked on mine, I knew the game was over. He knew exactly who I was. What I’d done. And he wasn’t going to let me walk away. With his immense wealth and power, he had me kidnapped. He could make me disappear. I’m no easy prey, though, and it’s not just my life on the line. I have to protect my sister.

Work, sleep, and sometimes eat. Rinse and repeat. That’s been my life for the past two years. One struggle after another. Fighting to keep my sister alive. Fighting to maintain the strength to not give up. I had everything under control. I had a routine. Order. Until a certain Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome turned my world on its axis. He’s relentless. No matter how much I shut him down, he keeps showing up.

Not only is my boyfriend dead, but he left me with a sizable loan in my name to a mafia boss. When Dimitri Federov, a handsome, loaded Russian playboy, appears on my doorstep, I panic. He wants money to repay the debt. Money I don't have. The prick offers me a solution—pay with my body. I turn him down flat, but the indecent proposal remains in my thoughts, forever reminding me of what could have been…

My father had just sold me off. Bartered my body to erase his debt to the very devil himself. A Beast of a man. Literally. A creature whispered about amongst the villagers and feared by all. He was a beastly visage at three times the size of a man, his monstrously huge body covered in fur. Sharp fangs and eyes that held an unearthly red glow. He had paw-like hands tipped with claws and horns that arched back from his inhuman face. I was to live with him, to be his in every way—all ways—he saw fit.

Charming, captivating, seductive—and a cold-blooded killer. I married the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva anyway. I had to, it was part of the deal. Now, I’m faking marital bliss as I tremble with fear, and I cannot wait to be out of the clutches of this ruthless man.

Being the eldest son has always been a blessing and a curse. I was raised to be one thing and one thing only. A monster. My father did everything in his power to make sure that’s exactly what I became too. He wasn’t expecting that the monster he created would be the one to take him out though. Now I’m in charge. Of the family, the empire. Everything. I’m learning real fast that being the boss isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The first order of business was finding a new place to live.

I hated the gangs that ruled my city. After my friend was killed and my father vanished, I had no choice but to infiltrate one to figure out why. Entering their infamous club quickly showed me I was in over my head. Then the most feared gang leader took an interest in me. Arran was corrupt, deadly, and his searing gaze both terrified and tempted me. In my search for answers, I stumbled into his dark and dangerous game. The result? I belonged to him, with no chance of escape. In a heartbeat, I became Arran’s obsession. And in a terrible twist, I think he’s becoming mine.

I owe everything to Emilia's father. I'd do anything for the man. When he asked me to marry his daughter, I thought he was insane. I was only going to protect her. That was my job. Yet, one innocent kiss changed everything. Now, it's not about what her father wants. It's all about her. When enemies try to take her and the life we could have away, they will learn why they call me the devil. I'll show them no mercy. Emilia is mine, and God help anyone who tries to come between us.

A dangerous Bratva mobster walked in on me... As I was getting my Brazilian wax. And now, I'm pregnant. Okay, I know that's a lot for one day, but bear with me. It all started when I got kidnapped by "Mr. I Ooze Danger" I just told you about. There's a lot more to Timur Yakov than just oozing danger. Sure, he's a 6-foot-4 mass of broody arrogance. Sure, his gaze could pierce through ice, and his body deserves a standing ovulation. Excuse me… ovation! But Timur is haunted by demons. Demons that could easily crush me and tear my heart to shreds.

My rock bottom is a warm beer in a smelly country bar, an empty wallet, and nowhere to sleep. A few days ago, I made a terrible mistake. I stole something valuable from very bad people. And now they're here, armed to the teeth, about to put me out of my misery. Except they don't. Because an unexpected stranger swoops in out of nowhere and saves me. Anton Ulianov. Six and a half feet of broodiness, arrogant as hell, he's the dictionary definition of "D.A.N.G.E.R." And he takes out my attackers like he's taking out the trash. One thing leads to another, and I end up in his bed.

It was an innocent mistake; she knocked on the wrong door. It was mine. If I were a better man, I would've just let her go. But I'm not. I'm a cruel bastard. I ruthlessly claimed her virtue for my own. It should've been enough but it wasn't. I needed more...I craved it. She became my obsession. Her sweetness and purity taunted my dark soul. The need to possess her nearly drove me mad. A Russian arms dealer had no business pursuing a naive librarian student. She didn't belong in my world. I would bring her only pain. But it was too late...she was mine and I was keeping her.

Living in a year around Christmas town has its drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It's why I like to hibernate away in my cave - I mean housekeeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits. And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest - which she was determined to win.

When mystery author D. B. Ziegler is late delivering her book, Abi Schore steps in to help. Surely she can give her favorite author moral support over the holiday break and get the manuscript to her boss at Tea & Sympathy Publishing in time for the new year. When Abi shows up on Ms. Ziegler’s doorstep bearing holiday treats, she’s met by the author’s handsome grandson Dov, who reveals a startling plot twist. His grandmother isn’t able to finish the book and Dov promised he’d complete it so fans won’t be disappointed—a task that’s harder than he ever imagined.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of best-selling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish. Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read.

All newly minted pediatrician Jamie Malek wants is to borrow a roasting pan for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, that requires her to interact with Marc—her best friend’s troublemaking brother, who’s now a tech billionaire. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who broke his heart. Outside, a howling blizzard. Inside, a crackling fire. Suddenly, being snowbound with the man she never expected to see again might not be such a bad way to spend a winter’s night.

Five Years Earlier: Henry Dunne knows three things: that agreeing to host this raucous house party was a terrible idea, that he absolutely cannot show up to his nursing shift tomorrow with a hangover, and that the beautiful redhead in the corner will be sleeping in his bed tonight.

Evie Crowe is starting over in a strange town with her newborn, and men are the furthest thing from her mind. If only the quiet, hulking farmer, Luke Ward, would stop coming into the thrift shop and piquing her reluctant interest. Evie wants to stay single all the way—she can’t trust anything more than friends-with-holiday-benefits. But Luke is in it for the long haul. He’s fixed on making this a Christmas Evie will remember forever. If she gives him a chance.

Obituary writer Nadine Barbault doesn’t mind being called “Lady Death”. It suits the ice queen persona she’s cultivated to survive the fast-paced Toronto Herald. So when Nadine learns that famous (and reclusive) author Dot Voline has died, she doesn’t hesitate to run the obituary…only to discover that Dot is very much alive. Nadine’s screw-up has brought Wesley Chen of the rival Spear no end of joy—she’s been a thorn in his extremely ambitious side for years. But the renewed interest in Dot also surfaced chatter about a mysterious past scandal.

Tilly Farriday isn’t feeling very jolly this season. Recently divorced and broke, she’s squatting in one of her rental agency’s properties until her new home is ready. The sprinkles on top of the burnt Christmas cookie that is her life? The new owner shows up early, forcing Tilly to hide in the attic to save her job…and what remains of her dignity.

After watching my mother succumb to a mysterious illness, I promised myself two things. I'd find the cure for what ravaged her and leave the godforsaken city where she abandoned me. Four years later, I received an acceptance letter from Dracadia University, one of the oldest most prestigious schools in the country. Nestled on a secluded island off the coast of Maine, it's rumored to be haunted by the souls of the mental patients exiled there centuries before, those whose bones are said to make up the island's white sandy shores. And restless ghosts aren't even its most daunting peculiarity.

There's no place like home for the holidays ... especially for Lesley Carver. Life in the big city just wasn't her jam and now she's back in Hickory Falls, working at the family diner and helping her mom after she took a tumble. Lesley longs to build a life here, working at the cafe, selling her handmade ornaments and ... er, apparently reviving her high school crush on her best friend’s older brother. Only one problem, her mom wants her to leave Hickory Falls far behind.

I’d lost everything after my parents passed away, but Hades was there, pen in hand, for me to sign my life away to him. I could have refused, but then I’d be without a home. Without a support system, I’d be penniless. So I said yes. Hades was my guardian. I was his ward. He was cruel. I was too innocent. The longer I was in his care, and the more I saw how cruel and cold he could be, the more I wanted him.

My father had just sold me off. Bartered my body to erase his debt to the very devil himself. A Beast of a man. Literally. A creature whispered about amongst the villagers and feared by all. He was a beastly visage at three times the size of a man, his monstrously huge body covered in fur. Sharp fangs and eyes that held an unearthly red glow. He had paw-like hands tipped with claws and horns that arched back from his inhuman face. I was to live with him, to be his in every way—all ways—he saw fit.

I left everything behind years ago after the woman I was with betrayed me. Now I work as a lumberjack and live my life as a recluse. Being celibate for the last five years says a lot about my self-control, but I'm a man and have needs, and not giving into what I really want is hard as hell. But I can't let myself get close to anyone, not even for a few hours. Getting close is how I got screwed over before. As soon as I see Vivian, I know I have to have her. It's been forever since I've had a woman. Because of a storm rolling in, she'll have to stay with me overnight.

All I knew about life was anger and violence. Pain and suffering. Kill or be killed. I was a “fixer” for the Ruin - a syndicate for the Bratva, Cosa Nostra, Cartel, and any other organized crime faction that dealt in the darker, crueler aspects of humanity. I was a free agent who was called upon to do things weaker men didn’t have the stomach for. And when you surround yourself with death for long enough, soon you don’t remember what it felt like to be alive. And then I saw her.

I wasn’t human, not completely. A Lycan—a centuries-old wolflike creature that was feared by all, stronger than anything on the planet, and who was only ever after one thing. For over 300 years, I had one purpose in life. Find her, the one female born to be mine. My female who’d cause the Linking Instinct—that supernatural connection that told me she was mine and I hers—to finally take root and make me whole. And for hundreds of years, I’d been alone. Until I scented her, saw her, finally felt my heart beat and the blood rush through my veins with anticipation. Mine.

Ivy. So sweet and young, so innocent and mine, even though I was crossing a line by simply desiring her. Forbidden. I should stay away, but in my mind I’d already claimed her, already made the decision I couldn’t let her go. If wanting her was wrong...I didn’t want to be right. I was still in high school, hadn’t even experienced the world, but I already knew who I wanted to spend my life with.

Eleven years ago, I met him. A year later, I was betrothed to him. Now he’s come to claim me, slaughtering anyone standing in his way. My husband-to-be is a monster from a family as ruthless and powerful as mine, a man who deals in violence and destruction...a man terrifyingly like my father. For more than a decade, he’s stalked me, shadowing my life. I fear him. I hate him. Worst of all, I want him. My name is Alina Molotova, and Alexei Leonov is a fate I can’t escape.

The first lesson my father ever taught me was that power is the only currency, loyalty is the law, and always take what you want. When the Mayor of our city begs me to keep his precious daughter safe, I seize my chance to strengthen the DeLuca hold on the town. I’ll keep her safe, but it’ll come at a price. Mia Gordon, the sheltered heiress, must become my wife.

After an erotic one-week fling with a musician she meets in a bar, Thea Cunning never expects to see Levi Black again. Then Monday morning comes around, and she discovers that her former lover is not only her professor, but he's also one of the top criminal lawyers in the state of Massachusetts.

I thought coming to this unknown town would keep me out of trouble, that it would be the perfect place to hide and start a new life. Instead, I found myself a different kind of trouble. The kind of trouble that makes good girls like me want to be all kinds of bad. This obsessed hero is dark and dirty and willing to unleash all kinds of evil to protect the woman he loves. Hold on tight while he takes you on a fast and sexy ride in this stand-alone motorcycle club romance with no cheating, minimal angst, and a guaranteed HEA.

Somewhere in the night, there's a predator called Casanova. He's transformed a beautiful college campus into his hunting ground. The lavender rose I find marks me as his next victim... unless I'm willing to turn to the most powerful person I know. Shane is devastatingly gorgeous. And secretly dangerous. Our poisonous past has him bent on revenge, so if I want his protection, I'll have to agree to his dark demands.

When I tried to blackmail Ezekiel St. James, I thought it would be easy. Turns out I had no idea who I was dealing with. Turns out I had no idea who I was dealing with. The moment his steel-grey eyes locked on mine, I knew the game was over. He knew exactly who I was. What I’d done. And he wasn’t going to let me walk away. With his immense wealth and power, he had me kidnapped. He could make me disappear. I’m no easy prey, though, and it’s not just my life on the line. I have to protect my sister.

It was supposed to be a simple weekend away to forget the heartache caused by my cheating husband. But the man sitting next to me in 1B has different plans. Cash’s whiskey-colored eyes and easy smile beg me to dance beneath the stars, kiss in the moonlight, and walk hand in hand down the streets of Boston. Unfortunately, life has other plans because I’m still married, and Cash James is the billionaire playboy standing between me and my dream promotion.

The city's golden girl falls heart-first into a dark underworld. I want two things in life: to be the leading ballerina in my academy—And Max Butcher… A massive, tattooed boxer, and renowned thug. And my very first crush... I may be a silly little girl to him, but he's intent on protecting, possessing, and claiming me in every way—his little piece of purity. But there is more to Max Butcher than the cold, cruel facade he wears like armor. I know; I saw the broken boy inside him one day when we were only children.

Tearing off the gilded veneer of elite privilege exposes the sordid scandals, dark secrets, and taboo desires of New York's jaded high society in this dark romance series from best friends and USAT bestselling authors Zoe Blake and Alta Hensley, writing under their new pen name, Blake Hensley.