best books of 2022

Luna, princess of Lunaris, has her perfect life shattered into pieces when a great tragedy strikes her out of the blue-prompting the Royal Council of Lunaris to force an ultimatum upon her. She either proves her worth by attending and graduating from Starlight University--the Starry Galaxy's top prestigious educational institution for royals, nobles, and talented/gifted individuals--or revokes her status as princess and heir to the throne of Lunaris. Faced with a tough decision, Luna decides to attend Starlight University. While attending Starlight University, despite the hardships Luna faces from some of her peers, she sets off on a road of self-discovery, overcomes her fears, stumbles into romantic encounters, and forges true friendships. While at the same time, she must fight against an army of evil, led by a supreme being forged from chaos and destruction, who wishes to pummel the entire Starry Galaxy into the darkness. -"I'm not a hero or a saint. I'm just a person trying to change myself for the better." a quote by Luna

Garren Ryuu, the God of dragons, has waited over five hundred years for his mate. An equal on all fronts. But when he comes face to face with his mate at long last, he is forced to make a decision. Turn his back on his people and their traditions for his heart or break it and accept the life of a mad king. It's a dark and dangerous path that only the strong survive. So will fate be on his side or is she just another cruel obstacle set to take him down?

“Elena,” he says. My name has never sounded more filthy. He slams the door shut behind him with a kick of his foot and I flinch. My hand remains behind my back, it is a good thing he does not notice that my hands are now free. He inches forward and I take as many steps back as I can until I hit the wall. He comes even closer until his ugly face is mere inches away from my own. I can smell the stench of his wolf as he roughly grabs me by the chin. I quake uncontrollably, it is as if a wave of parasitic worms has taken hold of me, his touch is repulsive as it is nauseating. This man, who is old enough to be my father leans in and smiles. My eye starts to water and a sob escapes my lips. ****** Elena is a wolf-less girl who hails from a long line of omegas. One day, the enemy pack comes demanding for tributes, virgin girls to work as their slaves and to save her family, Elena volunteers to become one. She ends up a slave to the alpha of the enemy pack where she is horribly tortured. All hope seems lost and all she wants to do is to die, but then her savior comes in the form of Hunter, the alpha of the Storm Riders pack. Hunter takes one look at her and realizes she is his one true mate. But the only problem is, she has already been claimed by the alpha of the enemy pack. Will Elena be set free and allowed to choose her own path and happiness? Or will she be forever doomed to live in the shadows of her scars and past?

Once in a millennium, the Phoenix will rise. The earth, the shifters, even the planet will call to her, pleading for her help. When they do, she always answers their call. Each time, she will choose a young woman who is deserving of carrying her fire, someone who is loving and caring, but with an inner strength that is difficult to break. Emmi Johnson is a human orphan who was kidnapped by The Mean Ones, grotesque shifters who wanted to create an army to destroy the elemental dragons and other hybrids. The dragons saved her and the others who were being held hostage, but the damage was already done. The Mean Ones were injecting her with their Komodo dragon DNA to make her into a shifter. The pain was excruciating, but the headaches that began soon afterward were worse. Ajax is a human runaway that was captured and experimented on by The Chief and Oliver. They injected him with earth dragon and elf DNA, turning him into a dragon hybrid. When Emmi senses chaos around her, something inside of her begins tearing at her insides. The screeching in her head makes her head throb. Ajax is the only one who can calm the fury inside her. Emmi is terrified that something’s wrong with her. Doc Everett can’t figure out what she is. That is until one day when the danger becomes so great that the Phoenix rises, melding itself to Emmi in a dangerous display of fire that is stronger than any fire dragon’s. Can Ajax help Emmi to find herself? Can she accept that she is no longer human, having been chosen by the ancient Phoenix? And can she become one with her shifter spirit before the danger that threatens them all comes for them?

Celeste Rodriguez and Trevor Fleming have been married for seven years. He treats her coldly throughout the marriage, but she faces it with a smile because she loves him deeply. She also believes she can melt his heart one day. However, all she gets is the news of him falling for another woman at first sight. He gives her all his care and concern, but Celeste stands strong. On her birthday, she flies abroad to be with Trevor and their daughter, Jordyn Fleming. To her devastation, Trevor brings Jordyn to meet his true love. They leave Celeste to spend the day alone. She finally gives up on him. She's also no longer hurt when Jordyn wants the woman to replace her as her mother. Celeste prepares a divorce agreement and gives up her custody rights. She leaves without another look back, cutting Trevor and Jordyn out of her life. All she needs to do now is wait for the divorce to be finalized. After giving up on her family and returning to the workplace, she easily makes a fortune. She shows the people who once looked down on her that she's better than they think. Celeste waits for her divorce certificate to arrive, but it never comes. She also notices that Trevor starts coming home more often when he's always refused in the past. He clings to her, too. When he learns that she wants a divorce, he drops his usual aloofness and pins her to the wall. "A divorce? That's not happening."

I am Athena the first born child of the Alpha Caden. I have come back to take my rightful position." She paused.  "As Alpha." Gasps and murmurs of wonder disbelief rose in the crowd. It had never been recorded in history that an Alpha werewolf should give birth to a female as a first child. But everyone saw the uncanny resemblance between her and the first queen the heard the Alpha voice of authority in her. But it how was it. She let the noise die down before she continued. "Although I never knew my father, you all knew him, Alpha Caden kind, considerate, passionate and respectful of his people. He entertained complaints from the lowest of ranks. Joined in manual labor and from time to time visited the poor. He was loved by many." She let the whispers of agreement die down. "I am nothing like him."

18th birthdays are always a milestone, but I didn’t expect mine to be THIS big of a milestone. Finding out my life isn’t what I thought it was, my parents aren’t who I thought they were, and my whole life got turned upside down. I have more family than I ever knew about, or honestly, I knew about but had my memories of them taken. Everything is about to change as my life fills with people and things I thought only existed in books and movies. Here’s to 18. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.

Rhaenyx Maltalor, an assassin of the Henla guild is captured and her identity changed. In exchange for her freedom and pardon for her crimes, she must work with a competing guild to overthrow the monarchy. Will she find love in the man that changed her face? Or in the princess who works to restore peace to the kingdom? Will her skills be up for the challenges she faces, or will her arrogance be her downfall.

Brian Pradipta's life was perfect. Many men were jealous of his life. At the age of 35, he was already a very successful CEO. He lives happily with the woman he loves, Azzura Wijaya. Azzura Wijaya was the daughter of Antony Wijaya, the biggest investor in his company. The reason they got married was not that, but because they loved each other. From that marriage was born a beautiful daughter named Kyra Wijaya Pradipta. Bearing the big names of two families, Kyra's life is a dream for many girls of her age. Even during her eleventh birthday celebration, Brian presented his daughter with a helicopter. Kyra transformed into a socialite at a young age. Brian was so grateful for his perfect life that a request from Azzura shook his self-esteem. "Honey... I want you to get married again." Like being struck by lightning, what Azzura said that night sounded like a joke to him. After their hot night, even the mixed feelings of tiredness and sweat haven't completely disappeared. Azzura uttered a sentence that Brian had never expected before. Or maybe Brian never thought about it at all. "What do you mean, Zura?" Brian was an ordinary guy who would probably be greedy for love, but not once did he have such thoughts. No matter how much money he had, no matter how handsome he was, he had no intention of looking at other women. Why be ambiguous if what he wants he has already gotten from Azzura. "I want you to get married again.

Jasmine’s life seemed to take a dramatic turn when she made a heart-wrenching decision to step back and let her mother find happiness with Earnest’s father. Despite her deep love for Earnest, Jasmine chose to prioritize her mother’s joy over her own feelings. Believing her romance with Earnest was a closed chapter, Jasmine left her home and her past behind, hoping to start anew. But fate had other plans. When Jasmine and Earnest’s paths crossed again, their love was rekindled in a way neither of them expected. To their surprise, Jasmine discovered she was pregnant with Earnest’s child.