Showing results by author "Eva Du" in All Categories

Lady Augusta Penworthy is in dire straights. Her father has spent every last coin, and she and her sisters cannot even afford coal. One chance encounter and a torn gown changes everything. While one might think a sudden marriage to a wealthy lord a relief if that marriage is to the Duke of Blacktower, one would be vastly mistaken. For no young lady wishes to be that infamous rake's bride.

A seriously entertaining collection of feelgood stories guaranteed to put the smile back on your face written especially by 10 best-selling novelists. From a hilarious race against time to a moment of unexpected eavesdropping, from righting wrongs in rural India to finding joy in unlikely places, these stories are all rich in wit and humour, guaranteed to lift your spirits and warm your heart.

I did a bad, bad thing. Thanks to a blank in my memory, I'm not sure what that thing was, but it was horrible enough to get me locked up in the psych ward for seven years.

I knew the past would come back to haunt me. It was only a matter of time before my world came crashing down. The only thing I didn’t expect was Mateo. The head of the Italian mafia. We were never meant to cross paths; our worlds vastly different. His green gaze captured me, his touch burning through my defenses. The words he whispered melted away all the years of loneliness. But the secret I kept could get me killed. If he spared me, his rivals wouldn’t. As my secrets unravel, it could cost me everything and everyone I loved.

Every beat of my heart is the tick of a time bomb, reminding me to squeeze as many thrills out of life as I can. A horde of nightmarish monsters jumping me in the middle of the night? Nope, that's too much even for me. So when three demonic figures leap out of the shadows to my defense, my choices are trust my unexpected champions... or die. Not exactly a tough decision. The beastly men wrench me away from my home, claiming they'll keep me safe. They say there's something special about me—something the others want to devour and they mean to protect.

Once, I destroyed my fated mates. This time I'm going to save them. One moment, I'm living my downtrodden life: disowned, outcast, and barely scraping by. The next, I'm wrenched into an alternate universe where I'm rich, privileged—and dead. No one knows that last part yet except the killer and the woman who summoned me. And she won't send me home until I pose as my spoiled other self, infiltrate the upper echelons of magical society, and flush out my own murderer. If only I didn't walk into Luminary Academy and find myself face to face with my worst regrets: my fated mates.

I was starting to think I knew what I was dealing with at the university, best known as Villain Academy. I’d come to believe that by owning my role as the last remaining Bloodstone, I could change this place for the better. Then, a series of shocking revelations turns everything I believed on its head. The other scions have my back now, with all the trouble that's brought them. How much more will they have to sacrifice before we can find some kind of peace?

When I go looking for excitement on my 21st birthday, getting kidnapped is a little more than I bargained for. So is finding out that shifters exist—and that I’m one too. As the last of the dragon shifters, I’ve got a role to fulfil: Take the alphas of the four shifter groups as my mates and unite all shifter kind. No pressure, right?

Our souls are bound together. Our powers will tear us apart. There were six of us. Caged, turned into monsters, and tormented with brutal tests of our dark powers. We had only each other to count on... until an escape attempt ended with one dead, the others recaptured, and me dragged away into a different nightmare. When I finally fight my way back, the men I set free are hardened, beastlier versions of the devoted boys I knew. They see me as a traitor and a murderer, but they refuse to let me go. Even with our former captors hunting us down, they want to make me pay.

When mages slaughter my parents in front of me, I have no time to mourn. The murderers drag me into a society of dark magic where power is created by fear. It turns out I'm the long-lost heir to one of their royal families—guaranteed to possess a talent even more vicious than most. And I'm trapped here until I accept my role. But I don't want these wicked skills I have no idea how to tap into. I don't want the mansion or the fancy clothes or the massive bank account I inherited. I especially don't want the attention of my fellow heirs: four scorching-hot, arrogant men.

In Fairview Heights, there’s one rule everyone knows. Don’t cross the Black Rose gang. Not if you want to live. My father broke that rule. Now he owes the notorious Black Roses a favor, and to make sure he pays up, they’re taking me as collateral. Until Dad completes whatever job they gave him, three gang members will be my keepers. Sloan, Rory, and Levi. The boss’ son. The man with a secret. The flame from my past. They’re all dominant, cocky, and hot as hell, and I know from personal experience that one of them is a damn good lay.

Winston Ashford, not exactly Prince Charming. Arrogant. Bastard. Gorgeous. I’d mistaken him for a ten when he turned out to be a minus five. He was so beautiful but damaged beyond repair. There was no amount of understanding or love that could save a man who didn’t want to be saved. So, after one night together, I gladly washed my hands of him. Until everything went south. My father was dead, my sister needed help, and it was time I behaved like a responsible older sister with a plan.

I thought I was ordinary Rory Franco: college student, artist, and over-protected daughter. Then, mages barge into my family’s home, murder my parents, and whisk me off to a university known as Villain Academy. It turns out I’m Persephone Bloodstone, the long lost heir to one of the five royal families of dark magic. I’m destined to learn how to manipulate the world with fear—and to stand beside the four other scions: the scorching-hot, arrogant young men who rule this school. The four of them crush anyone who doesn’t kowtow.

I'll never forget the sight of my little sister's lifeless body—or that my rogue magic killed her. Sorcery like mine is punishable by death. So I live in the shadows, stealing from the corrupt to give to the needy. Maybe a little good can wash the blood from my hands. It seems like a decent plan... until I try to help a dying noblewoman and somehow steal her soul instead. Now her ghost is demanding I take up the quest that got her killed: exposing a conspiracy at the royal college to unleash a deadly power on the entire kingdom.

Ghost lied to his club to protect me, putting a target on both our backs. Trouble is… I didn't know I needed saving. Or that I was still being haunted by my past. Now, my loyalty to the Twisted Kings is in question, and the only man who can protect me is a tall, tattooed biker with a taste for revenge and a vow of abstinence.

When Neith Salah—a quantum curator charged with traveling to our parallel Earth to rescue precious artefacts—is ordered to save a priceless Faberge Egg, she figures it's just another job. The only problem: she's not sure what the egg looks like. Or where it is. Or when it is.

I make a living out of screwing over the jerks who capture and torment supernatural beasties. But when I free a bunch of particularly powerful monsters from their cages, I'm not counting on them following me home like lost puppies. Stunningly hot lost puppies, but still. These manly monsters are determined to repay me for my help, and they won't get out of my apartment until they're satisfied we're even.

There were six of us. Caged, turned into monsters, and tormented with brutal tests of our horrific emerging abilities. We had only each other to count on... until our escape attempt ended with one dead, the others recaptured, and me dragged away into a different nightmare. Now I've finally fought my way back to rescue them. Except the men I set free are hardened, beastly versions of the devoted boys I remember. They see me as a traitor and a murderer—but they refuse to let me go now that they have me back.

Charming. Devastatingly handsome. Ridiculously rich. Kristoff Baldwin came without warning. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and before I could even realize the impact he was making, I was too far gone, despite knowing the consequences of falling. A future together was the impossible dream. My past haunted me and even he had ghosts of his own. Then everything changed when his past came after me and my daughters.

Some people wear their heart on their sleeve. I wear vengeance like a suit of armor. I’ve got a list with six names on it. Six people who wronged me, who hurt me, who took everything from me. Six people who turned me into the monster I am now. And I’ve crossed off every name but one.