THIS IS BOOK TWO. BOOK ONE, THE GIRL WHO LOVED TWO PRINCES, IS ALSO ON MOBOREADERâ¤ď¸ Aria Maine is a new queen. She comes to Caines in search of a king consort. With three suitors landing right in her lap, boy oh boy, (oh boy) how does a girl choose? Princess Caroline (CC) Condor is about to marry Lord Bartholomew Arden, a man she's loved since she was eight. But when a mysterious woman from Bart's past shows up, will their love be strong enough to weather the storm? Prince Aaron Condor is committed to keeping the gorgeous Queen Aria Maine from his sister's unusually charmed fiance. No one plays the game better than him. The Casanova of Caines is in for a rude awakening though. He might not remember their past, but she sure as hell does. And she's not about to give up her grudge for the likes of him. After bringing an end to the war between Warlanda and Sartis Est, Prince Troy Pierce finds himself in the middle of a power struggle with his older brother, King Dean Pierce. Troy proposes to Aria in an attempt to unite their nations. It's all well and good to want to charm her, but can he stop being distracted by his former fiancee, Caroline? Lord Bartholomew (Bart) Arden is just trying to do right by his belated friend's sister. He wants to be there for Aria during these trying times, but she's not making it easy for him. Aria has always been something of a flirt, but he's not single anymore. Caught between two feisty women, can he make it to the altar?
2017, June 4th
Another insufferable ball. And the excuse for it? It was his birthday.
Lord Bartholomew Arden would rather be sitting in his room preparing for midterms than be here with his parents and all of these pretentious people. Duke Arden took Bart around the room, drilling into his head the name of every nobleman and noblewoman in attendance and their current dealings with the Arden House. As though Bart weren't already aware of them all. He would have given many things to not have to endure this night.
Grievances aside, there was one thing Bart looked forward to about tonight. He would get to see her. At least he hoped he would. Things between their families were still very unstable and he hadn't seen her since the last time she came home. Mind you, there was no guarantee he would see her tonight. She had elected to spend this year at a prestigious boarding school abroad, intending to shun her father's wishes for her by attending fashion school next year. He didn't know if his birthday was reason enough to bring her home right before midterms.
Relief washed over Bart as his mother approached with a friend in tow.
Look who I found," she said in greeting, shutting down Duke Arden's potential deal, the nobleman they were talking to excusing himself.
"Ethan Maine."
Bart held out his hand, a ghost of a smile on his face.
"Hey Barry," Ethan grinned, picked up his somewhat larger friend and crushed his arms around his ribs.
Duke Arden scowled at his wife, whose voice he still had not learned to find bearable even after being married to her for 20 years.
"You just have the best timing, don't you?" Duke Arden hissed.
"Play nice, dear. It's Bart's birthday," she said, holding out her hand to him.
Duke Arden watched his too serious son's face soften for the first time in days and took his wife's hand.
"I know," he said begrudgingly as they walked off.
"Don't hurt yourself now," Bart said arrogantly as Ethan set him down.
Ethan held onto his lower back. He wasn't a freaking giant like Bart, but being the captain of an army necessitated that he look after himself so Ethan's own routine was rather rigorous. Still, no one could keep up with this guy. Ethan had never seen anything like it. Didn't matter what it was, Bart seemed to do it better and more efficiently than the rest of them. Bart kept telling Ethan that he'd probably just been slacking off since he got to Terres Somnia, which was likely true. Ethan was sure combat training would be a bitch to get back into when he went home in a few weeks.
"Shit Barry, you must have gained 20 pounds since the last time I saw you three months ago, all of it pure muscle too. Look at you, you're a fucking beast!"
"Mind your language, Your Highness," Bart chided. "How was the visit back home?"
"Oh, you know how it is. King's on my case about coming back full time. Same old," Ethan said, shrugging the serious stuff off as usual. "I brought someone with me this time that I want you to meet," he continued, changing the subject. "Better do it quickly too, I bet the chicks are lining up to check you out."
Ethan put his hand on Bart's bicep. Bart slapped it away. He wouldn't know if they were and it didn't matter anyway. They would never be her.
"This isn't UC, you dweeb. And you're here representing your country. Act accordingly," Bart whispered, himself straightening up.
Ethan was about to respond when they walked in and Bart's deep blue eyes glazed over. Bart folded his arms and zeroed in on her. She was a 6'1" goddess with long, silky, chestnut brown hair pulled back behind her. Her piercing, blue-green eyes and beautiful fair skin. Everything about her seemed to alert you that she'd arrived even before her party was announced. The dress, the shoes, the tiara on her head. Her stance, every elegant step she took. Ethan had seen enough of them to know when a princess walked into the room. She was definitely a princess.
As soon as she heard the announcer say, "Presenting their majesties King Henry, Queen Mary and their highnesses, Princess Caroline and Prince Aaron" she was looking too. Until her eyes found Bart's. When she found him, she broke out into a dazzling smile. Bart, in true Bart fashion, only continued to stare blankly, making no effort to show pleasure or displeasure. But Ethan was becoming familiar with reading his new best friend.
"That's her then. Your girl," said Ethan, watching Bart intently.
"She's not my anything," Bart returned sharply, turning his back on her.
"Someone should maybe tell her that then. She's coming for you, dude," Ethan said, watching her make her way through the crowd.
Every few seconds, she threw a glance back up to where they were standing on the second floor.
Bart struggled against his rapidly beating heart, telling him to turn back around. To go out and meet her, to give himself a dance with her as a birthday gift. A dance was hardly a proposal. A dance was okay. But Bart was an Arden and Ardens made decisions with their heads. So instead, he pulled Ethan towards him, so that his back was now to her too.
"That bad, huh? Hey I get it. She certainly is a bombshell," Ethan grinned, throwing another glance at her over his shoulder.
"Stop looking at her," Bart growled.
Ethan snickered, raising his hands in the air in surrender.
"It's not me you should be worried about."
Caroline (CC) Condor was about halfway through clearing the lower level of the Arden House's grand ballroom, steadily making her way to the stairs. He came out of nowhere. Was in front of her before she knew it. She tried to sidestep him, the way she had every man who had tried to ask her to dance up until now, but this one was not to be turned away. This man was a prince.
A tale as old as time⌠He ran a finger along her burning cheek, his eyes on her lips as he watched them part. "If you're found like this with me, there'll be no discussion about it. You'll definitely be stuck with me then. Are you really, really sure, princess?" Two brothers, vying for the attention of the same woman⌠"I do see you Zoey, whether you're at an art class or just wandering around taking in the sights. I see everything you do. That's the problem." He rounded the corner and bent down on one knee, pulling the robe over her shoulders. "Lately, all I see is you." Can one heart truly belong to two men? She's engaged. So is he. And according to the headlines, so are the mouths of their betrotheds. How far will he go for revenge? Lady Zoey is the daughter of Duke Arden, only she's never met the man. So what right does he have to marry her off to some pompous, playboy prince? Prince Aaron Condor is in love with Lady Emily Maine. But when King Henry and Duke Arden decide to mend fences, Aaron ends up engaged to newcomer Zoey. Duke James Beaumont returns to Caines after being exiled five years ago. He's only back to propose to his childhood sweetheart, Emily Maine. 3 months later, Aaron and Emily are caught together in a compromising liplock. James wants revenge. Zoey wants someone to tell her it's okay to give her fiance a second chance. When the jilted lovers meet on the streets of Caines and he proposes to her, Zoey learns that that person is not James Beaumont. She meets with James again anyway and accidentally ends up married to him. It was all a drunken mistake, but that doesn't make The King's Guard hunting them any less real. One small-town girl turned noblewoman, an entitled heiress and two best friends who just can't stop getting mixed up with the same women.
After five years of marriage, my husband is always absent on my birthday. No gifts, no blessings. He said, "I've given you the money, buy whatever you want." But he started preparing for Fiona's birthday half a month in advance. He said, "She's different, she only has me." As the sole survivor of a unexpected fire, he has been heartbroken for over a decade. Watching Fiona in Moments holding a cake and kissing his face. I slowly commented. ăJust this useless person, I'm giving him to you.ă
Lindsey's fiancĂŠ was the devil's first son. Not only did he lie to her but he also slept with her stepmother, conspired to take away her family fortune, and then set her up to have sex with a total stranger. To get her lick back, Lindsey decided to find a man to disrupt her engagement party and humiliate the cheating bastard. Never did she imagine that she would bump into a strikingly handsome stranger who was all that she was currently looking for. At the engagement party, he boldly declared that she was his woman. Lindsey thought he was just a broke man who wanted to leech off her. But once they began their fake relationship, she realized that good luck kept coming her way. She thought they would part ways after the engagement party, but this man kept to her side. "We gotta stick together, Lindsey. Remember, I'm now your fiancĂŠ. " "Domenic, you're with me because of my money, aren't you?" Lindsey asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Domenic was taken aback by that accusation. How could he, the heir of the Walsh family and CEO of Vitality Group, be with her for money? He controlled more than half of the city's economy. Money wasn't a problem for him! The two got closer and closer. One day, Lindsey finally realized that Domenic was actually the stranger she had slept with months ago. Would this realization change things between them? For the better or worse?
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true statureâthe wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
They don't know I'm a girl. They all look at me and see a boy. A prince. Their kind purchase humans like me for their lustful desires. And, when they stormed into our kingdom to buy my sister, I intervened to protect her. I made them take me too. The plan was to escape with my sister whenever we found a chance. How was I to know our prison would be the most fortified place in their kingdom? I was supposed to be on the sidelines. The one they had no real use for. The one they never meant to buy. But then, the most important person in their savage land-their ruthless beast king-took an interest in the "pretty little prince." How do we survive in this brutal kingdom, where everyone hates our kind and shows us no mercy? And how does someone, with a secret like mine, become a lust slave? . AUTHOR'S NOTE. This is a dark romance-dark, mature content. Highly rated 18+ Expect triggers, expect hardcore. If you're a seasoned reader of this genre, looking for something different, prepared to go in blindly not knowing what to expect at every turn, but eager to know more anyway, then dive in! . From the author of the international bestselling book: "The Alpha King's Hated Slave."
Corinne devoted three years of her life to her boyfriend, only for it to all go to waste. He saw her as nothing more than a country bumpkin and left her at the altar to be with his true love. After getting jilted, Corinne reclaimed her identity as the granddaughter of the townâs richest man, inherited a billion-dollar fortune, and ultimately rose to the top. But her success attracted the envy of others, and people constantly tried to bring her down. As she dealt with these troublemakers one by one, Mr. Hopkins, notorious for his ruthlessness, stood by and cheered her on. âWay to go, honey!â
Allison fell in love with Ethan Iversen, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Moonlight Crown pack. She always wanted him to notice her. Meanwhile, Ethan was an arrogant Alpha who thought a weak Omega could not be his companion. Ethan's cousin, Ryan Iversen, who came back from abroad and was the actual heir of the pack, never tried to get the position nor did he show any interest in it. He was a popular playboy Alpha but when he came back to the pack, one thing captured his eyes and that was Allison.