Lucas Andino had been summoned by the king…the only problem? He needed a wife…or at least a fiancée, which wouldn’t have been a problem except…his girlfriend just broke up with him. In desperation, he turned to his best friend, Francesca—or Frankie as she was known to, well, everyone. Frankie needed a topic for her sociology dissertation, and she needed it yesterday. When Lucas suggested they become fake engaged so he could answer the summons of the king, Frankie saw the opportunity for what it was. Who else would have unfettered access to a monarch for their dissertation? Who else could do an up close and personal examination of an emerging nation? Besides, Frankie would do anything for Lucas. They were best friends for a reason and if he needed her, then she was his girl. So what if she had a tiny crush on him? They were both going into it with their eyes wide open. No one was going to get hurt.
In near-future Shanghai, a group of teens have their world turned upside down when one of their own is kidnapped in this action-packed follow-up to the “positively chilling” (The New York Times) sci-fi thriller Want. Jason Zhou, his friends, and Daiyu are still recovering from the aftermath of bombing Jin Corp headquarters. But Jin, ruthless billionaire and Daiyu’s father, is out for blood. When Lingyi goes to Shanghai to help Jany Tsai, a childhood acquaintance in trouble, she doesn’t expect Jin to be involved. And when Jin has Jany murdered and steals the tech she had refused to sell him, Lingyi is the only one who has access to the encrypted info, putting her own life in jeopardy. Zhou doesn’t hesitate to fly to China to help Iris find Lingyi, even though he’s been estranged from his friends for months. But when Iris tells him he can’t tell Daiyu or trust her, he balks. The reunited group play a treacherous cat and mouse game in the labyrinthine streets of Shanghai, determined on taking back what Jin had stolen. When Daiyu appears in Shanghai, Zhou is uncertain if it’s to confront him or in support of her father. Jin has proudly announced Daiyu will be by his side for the opening ceremony of Jin Tower, his first “vertical city.” And as hard as Zhou and his friends fight, Jin always gains the upper hand. Is this a game they can survive, much less win?
NYT and USAT bestselling author and screenwriter, Cindy Dees, brings her formidable skills as a master storyteller and master writing teacher to this encyclopedic series analyzing the major tropes used in modern commercial fiction. In this volume, Cindy explores 32 iconic hook romance tropes, stories that explore ways your hero and heroine meet and come together as a couple and how that initial meeting establishes a set of problems that must be overcome before the hero and heroine can achieve their happily ever after. . Written by a working writer for working writers, this is a comprehensive reference guide and brainstorming tool to help you quickly generate ideas, create characters and plot, revise and edit, brand and market your story. You’ll write faster, cleaner, and deliver your audience a story they’ll recognize and love. If you’re writing a novel, script, play, comic, graphic novel, video game script, or any other story format, this book is for you. If you’re writing a love story specifically, or you’re writing any genre of fiction in which you’d like to include a romantic relationship, this book is for you. Each trope entry includes: a detailed definition and analysis descriptions of all obligatory scenes necessary to structure this trope correctly lists of additional key scenes important to this trope an extensive list of questions to think about when writing this trope an extensive list of traps to avoid when writing this trope reasons why audiences love this trope a list of similar tropes a list of examples of each trope in action taken from television, film, and novels …writers in every genre of fiction are going to want these guides in their go-to reference books… …a tour de force how-to on creating stories audiences adore… …the books every writer has been waiting for—a comprehensive walk-through by an industry pro of everything to think about when building a story of pretty much any kind…
The Instant New York Times Bestseller and TikTok Sensation! As seen on THE VIEW! A BuzzFeed Best Summer Read of 2021 When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman's carefully calculated theories on love into chaos. As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships--but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor--and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs. Suddenly their little experiment feels dangerously close to combustion. And Olive discovers that the only thing more complicated than a hypothesis on love is putting her own heart under the microscope.
n online romance our first line of contact is faceless and voiceless. And we rely on what the person tells you. The book helps to shorten your search for that special someone. How to identify scammers so as not to be cheated of your hard earned money. The book touches on typical profile of scammers, their mode of operations , the different types of scams, how to identify red flags and case studies of real scammers. As well as a whole chapter on Facebook and the friend requests. Who is genuine friend and who is fake.
Juliet's plans to wed Lord Elbourne come to naught when she discovers he's obliged to wed an heiress instead. To salvage her dignity, she enters into a ruse with the heiress's brother, whom she views as a rake. Unfortunately, he's also the most attractive man she's ever met. Cody Gryphon will do anything to see his sister Stephanie wed to Lord Elbourne, including entering into a temporary engagement with her romantic rival. Although he intends to return to Texas as soon as his sister is wed, he finds it increasingly difficult to resist Juliet's charms.
Known to his clients as Mister Romance, Max Riley is an escort with a difference and New York's socialites can't get enough of him. He keeps his real identity secret, but investigative journalist Eden Tate is determined to expose him and his ability to swindle lonely society women out of their fortunes. In order to protect his anonymity, Max challenges Eden to give him three dates and if she doesn't fall in love with him, she can publish her story. If she does, then the story dies.
The good thing about hitting rock bottom is I've nothing left to lose, and the only way is up. He thinks he's destroyed me. Broken me beyond repair. But he always underestimates women. All he's done is reinforced my resolve. I won't stop until justice prevails and he gets what's coming to him. Kaiden is the only light in the darkness. He gives me the strength to continue fighting for the future we both crave--a world where we are free to love one another and make our own choices. Until then, the charade must continue. Game on. This concludes Abby and Kai's romance. 106k words, full-length novel. This is a dark romance, and some scenes may be triggering. Only recommended to readers aged eighteen and older.
