Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program Novels & Stories

Stavros Venieris is one of the most powerful landlords in the town. Although not of noble origin he managed to make the largest fortune in the area. He is highly educated and one of the most handsome men in the town. But his personality isn't so charming as his looks. He is despotic and merciless and most of the times behaves arrogantly and badly. Melina Komninou is a girl of noble origin. Her ancestors were the lords of the area for centuries. But this ceased to happen since her father, Aggelos Komninos took over the management of the family property. In a short time, he managed to lose everything and now he and his family lives on loan. What will happen when the lenders will ask Aggelo's back what they have given him? Will he be willing to lose all his status and become poor? What role will Stavros play in all this? Read this book and watch how the lives of two young people who were united by fate unfold. Copyright 2021- 2022

Arc 1: Protecting the Noble Princess Arc 2: War of Yin Mimi Bay Arc 3: Adventure at Yeongsan Country Arc 4: Shamo Land Conflict Arc 5: Immortal Continent (The Beginning of the Story) Arc 6: Revange of the Calestial Sovereign! Zhou Fu is a mysterious boy who was harshly trained by an old man, Li Xian on a deserted, uninhabited island. The purpose of the training was to prepare Zhou Fu for the harsh fate that awaited him. Li Xian himself was one of the few greatest cultivators in the entire Eastern Continent. He intervened to educate Zhou Fu because the fate that Zhou Fu had to go through was extremely heavy. However, before Zhou Fu's training period ends perfectly, an encounter with the noble daughter of Miss Shen Yang forces him to leave the desert island and embark on a new adventure. Zhou Fu's strength was not perfect yet. Will he overcome many obstacles on his way? Who exactly Zhou Fu is? Why did he has to be forged with a hard training?

After a year of healing, Ari had moved on from the horrid life in highschool she'd suffered inside the Silver Reed Pack. Now in college, far away from her past she is happier than ever. When Summer Break finally comes around and her mother has a surprise for her, she returns home, eager to see her new family. But she didn't expect to see them again. Zayn and Zach, the Alpha twins and sons of the Alpha of the pack. Her tormentors throughout high school that made her life a living hell. Her new step brothers. Even worse, they are her mates?! All Ari wants is peace for the summer, but with the new closeness she has to the men she hates, she cannot hold back the draw even when everything in her resists it. It seems like they are either set on ruining her, or having her. And she doesn't know which is worse…or why she wants it.

"You want to know what I am?" his voice is barely controlled. "I'm possessive. You're mine, Summer. Not his. Not anyone else's. Mine." "Possessive isn't love, Luxian...." I said gasping. "Who said anything about love?" His hand wraps around my throat, not squeezing, just holding. "Did you let him touch you like this?" his other hand finds my blouse, ripping it open with one sharp pull. Buttons scatter across the floor. "Did you shake for him the way you shake for me? Did you wet the way your cunt wet for me?" *** Things can't seem to get any worse for Summer, branded as a lunatic, barren, and stabbed in the back by her husband, Rhys Glomarian, and stepsister, Virginia Paraguz. She loses it all in one day. *** It was Rhys' birthday, and he announced to everyone that Virginia was his fated mate and was expecting Rhys' pups. Three years of a nightmare marriage was enough for her. Summer decided to rescue herself from that hellhole, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. None of the guests that night were moved to save her despite her disheveled and scarred condition. They even looked at her with disgust and mockery. But just when she was beginning to lose hope, an unexpected savior appeared – a cursed Alpha, dreaded by all for his ruthlessness. Still, he is the wealthiest and the most powerful of all, Alpha Luxian Alderon. That night, he arrived to rescue Summer from Rhys' grasp and claim her as his fate mate. But her joy in escaping Rhys is cut short when she learns that Luxian comes with a deadly curse for anyone who becomes his mate.

A disgraced college hockey star facing a career ending scandal must fake date the cynical campus journalist who detests him all for the cameras of a high stakes reality TV show. The Setup: Jaxson Reed is one step away from the NHL draft when a viral video of a campus fight brands him a violent liability. Facing immediate suspension, his only lifeline is a deal struck by the athletic board and a streaming network: star in a new campus reality show, Beyond the Ice, and use a wholesome "fake girlfriend" to rehabilitate his image. Summer Brooks is a fierce journalism major who hates sports privilege. But when her tuition funding falls through weeks before graduation, she’s backed into a corner. In exchange for playing Jaxson’s devoted partner on television, the network agrees to pay her tuition in full and secure her post-grad career. The Conflict: The rules are simple: fake it for the cameras, ignore the mutual dislike, and don't catch feelings. But forced proximity quickly blurs the lines. Behind the script, they discover the truth about each other’s hidden vulnerabilities, and their bitter rivalry ignites into a very real, terrifying love. The Climax: Just as they find solid ground, the show's producers leak old footage of Summer admitting she took the gig purely for the money. With the championship game hours away, Jaxson feels utterly betrayed, and their contract dissolves in front of millions. To save his career and win back his trust, Summer must step away from the script, risk her own future, and expose the truth before the final buzzer sounds proving that sometimes, the most authentic love stories are the ones you never planned to write.

Stella has to learn to over come a tragedy that happened to her over the summer, when she went to a party with her sister Dakoda. When Stella moves to Hawaii after spending months in the hospital she finds her self liking this boy named Kai, but could he ever love someone like her, someone so damaged?

BLURB They called her daughter “defective.” They called her “human trash.” Garett Blackthorn abandoned her in an ICU while their child died. Then he signed divorce papers and married a crown. Cyhilenia died begging for her daughter’s life. She woke up wearing the face of Summer Varye, an abdicated heiress, Logan Dorne’s contract wife. Logan bought Summer for 20 million and a blood oath. Death doesn’t void it. Now his “wife” has blue eyes, steel-cutting claws, and a dead daughter’s locket around her neck. He thinks he claimed to be a runaway heiress. He doesn’t know he claimed a grieving mother with nothing left to lose. Cyhilenia will play Summer. She’ll wear the crown Garett threw away. And when she’s done, the Supreme Alpha who called her trash will beg on his knees. Because blood doesn’t void. And neither does a mother’s promise. He owns her contract. She owns his downfall.

I loved Alpha Lucien Grey with all my heart. From the moment I first saw him, I was drawn to him. However, I always knew the one Lucien loved was someone else. Her name was Summer White. I thought I’d be like one of those tragic side characters in romance stories—forever on the sidelines, watching the man I loved build a life with another woman. However, everything changed three years ago when Summer ran away on the night of the marking ceremony, saying she wasn’t ready to be claimed. Lucien had to make a decision and announced he would find a new partner. So, I stepped forward. Wearing a dress that didn’t quite fit, my hands trembling, I stood in for Summer. That day, Lucien and I formed a bond as mates. For the past three years, Lucien had treated me with warmth and kindness. He was gentle and thoughtful. He took care of me in every way. However, just over a month ago, Summer came back to our pack. On the night of our anniversary, she got drunk and called Lucien in tears, sobbing that she regretted everything. Lucien’s hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped his phone, but he didn’t hang up. He just stood there, torn. When his eyes met mine, full of confusion and pain, I took his hand—still trembling—and said softly, “Go to her.” The moment he left, I filed the mate-bond termination papers at City Hall, requesting to break the bond. After all, these years of stolen happiness were never really mine to keep. It was time for me to leave, too.

Excerpt from 'Escapades with the fake maid' Chapter ?? ~ Layla gave the 'maid' standing before her, teary-eyed, a scrutinising once-over. "The job posting was for a female. And...you are not." Ignoring the maid's pale look, she continued, "So, what's your real name and age?"  "M-my name is Carle," the maid divulged with a shaky voice, "Carle McCarthy. I'm...actually...29," "Why are you, a man, disguising yourself as a maid in my household?" Layla asked with a brow lifted in curiosity. "My late father...he was a drunkard, a gambler and a chronic debtor. Even wanted to use me as payment to one of the numerous creditors. But the latter thought I wasn't even worth a dollar and sent me back. By chance, I..." ~ Want to know how this turns out? You simply have to turn the next page and read all the way. This book is a compilation of over twenty delicious tales of varied length. And they are not limited to just one genre. One moment, you could be reading a werewolf story or a mermaid story. Next thing, you're reading campus romance, vampire romance, sports romance. And before you know it, you're reading about a perverted demon king and a feisty human warrior (BL)! Exciting right? You never know what genre or how creamily-gripping the next story will be! But...there's bound to be three things; Mind-blowing plot twists, Satisfyingly executed revenge plans, And, most importantly, blush-worthy scenes! So what are you waiting for?

Naelis Haldrith is many things, daughter to the South's most strategic Alpha, an Omega with Alpha genes, and an unapologetic misfit. During summer break, she decides to journey to Frostpine and spend her heat cycle with her boyfriend, the golden pea of the Thalric pod. But during a collared moment, a secret of his is revealed, and Naelis realizes that their relationship was more complex than it seemed. Choosing to return to her pack, she steps outside under a storm, and it is at that moment she crosses paths with a man she had never seen before. Zoran Vyer Thalric. Uncle to her ex. Member of the Elder's Council. The otherworldly primordial with red-ringed eyes and a wolf barely chained beneath his skin. Desire sparks instantly, and her sights are immediately set on him, but... he is a devotee of the Citadel, celibate, untouched, and unwilling to be the calm to her fury. She is fire, wild and untamed. He is steel, honed and contained. And for the first time, Naelis is the hunter after her prey, and the line of resistance slowly blurs as he finds his years of enforced self-control and suppression unraveling at the tint of her touches. And with a maniac on their radar, this summer break will demand blood, sacrifice, and passion that howls to the moon.