Jess

From bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A.N. Roquleaure. In the traditional folktale of 'Sleeping Beauty,' the spell cast upon the lovely young princess and everyone in her castle can only be broken by the kiss of a Prince. It is an ancient story, one that originally emerged from and still deeply disturbs the mind's unconscious. Now Anne Rice's retelling of the Beauty story probes the unspoken implications of this lush, suggestive tale by exploring its undeniable connection to sexual desire. Here the Prince reawakens Beauty, not with a kiss, but with sexual initiation.

Ruthless. Meticulous. Arrogant. Dante Russo thrives on control, both personally and professionally. The billionaire CEO never planned to marry—until the threat of blackmail forces him into an engagement with a woman he barely knows.

When raven shifter Riley Porter was given sanctuary by the Phoenix Pack, she let them believe she had left her flock. Reluctant to divulge the secrets of her past, she was still embraced as family. Only Tao Lukas, the protective and passionate Head Enforcer of the pack, was resistant to the enigmatic shifter. Until Riley started to arouse in him something other than suspicion.

I don't like to be touched. I'm the hacker-geek-goddess of the FBI. When I'm hiding behind my screen, I'm a safe distance from everyone; isolated, powerful. No man has ever touched me, but when I'm captured by Colombian drug lord Andrés Moreno, I no longer have the right to refuse. He's scarred and scary, and his cruel brother Cristian has tasked him with breaking me. I try to fight, but I can't escape his strong arms and harsh discipline. He demands that I accept his touch, and my virgin body can't help but respond to his masterful manipulations.

Azar has taken over Fort Dallas. He rules with complete authority, and everyone bows down to him. Everyone except one woman. Melina, the fort's medic. No matter what he offers, she refuses to give in. A good man would know to stop asking. Unfortunately for Melina, Azar is not a good man.

It happens whenever wolf shifter Roni Axton is near Marcus Fuller: a crackle of sexual awareness that's intoxicating...and deeply annoying. Marcus is a pack enforcer who oozes power, but Roni is lethal in her own right - nothing like the flirty females who flock around him. Even still, his possessive gaze makes one thing clear. Marcus has singled her out for seduction, and he wants to make her sit up and beg.

Jenny's dreams have turned to nightmares. Every night, her thoughts are filled with evil. Something is reaching out...and she's not so sure she wants to reach back. That is, until someone new appears in her dreams. Someone who protects her, comforts her, and thinks of Jenny as his mate. Imaginary friends aren't real, but Jenny likes to pretend, anyhow. Then, one day, one of the mindless dragons guarding the fort awakens...and Jenny realizes that the friend from her dreams isn't a figment of her imagination. He's a dragon. And he's looking to claim his female.

After discovering the rightful heir to the Phaetyn, an alliance with the healers should be easy as pancakes. But while the armies of Verald and Gemond march to the border for war, the emperor delivers a crushing blow that threatens to put everything at risk. As I fight my father’s staggering power, I’m compelled to face evil on his terms. A twisted darkness worse than anything I’ve experienced. Nothing could’ve prepared me for this. How far would you go to defeat a merciless sovereign?

Everything I know is a lie. I'm an ordinary mortal girl. Lord Irrik is a depraved dragon shifter. King Irdelron is an immortal tyrant. In the disease ridden land of Verald, life is mapped out much like the established rings of our kingdom. Everyone has a role. Me? I'll be uselessly serving potato stew for the rest of my life because I can't make anything grow. But starvation brews rebellion. When the king strikes, I'm captured by Lord Irrik. Instantly, I'm embroiled in a deadly game. One where I'm desperate to understand the rules.

Bloodlust and insanity rule my existence. As a fierce drakoni warrior, this strange new world I find myself in eats at my mind until there is nothing left. There is no light or clarity...until she arrives. I save her life, plucking her from the sky. From that point on, she is mine. But the human I have chosen for my mate - Sasha - is fragile and wounded. She does not trust me and fears my presence. I will not give up, though. I will do anything to give her my fires and bond us both in body and spirit.