Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Fri, 25 Jun 2021 22:11:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Stolen Love (Beauty in the Stolen #3) Read Online Charmaine Pauls http://www.books2020.com/stolen-love-beauty-in-the-stolen-3-read-online-charmaine-pauls Fri, 25 Jun 2021 21:55:01 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/stolen-love-beauty-in-the-stolen-3-read-online-charmaine-pauls Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Dark, Romance, Suspense Authors: Charmaine Pauls Series: Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls
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Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66929 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Stolen Love (Beauty in the Stolen #3)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Charmaine Pauls
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	9782491833114
Book Information:
A DIAMOND MAGNATE NOVEL Once upon a time, a thief stole me in the middle of the night. He took what he wanted, gave me an illusion, and ripped it all away to claim his ultimate trophy. My heart may be physically weak, but fighting to live made me stronger. I won’t perish as easily as that. I’m turning the tables on him. After all, I learned from the best. I’m robbing him of what he stole from me. *Stolen Love concludes the trilogy. Other books in the Diamond Magnate collection: Beauty in the Broken (Standalone) Diamonds are Forever trilogy Diamonds in the Dust (Book 1) Diamonds in the Rough (Book 2) Diamonds are Forever (Book 3)
Books in Series:	Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls
Books by Author:	Charmaine Pauls

Chapter 1

Cas

There was a time when I was sweet and naïve. I heeded the law, minded my own business, and lived by the rules. Then I fell for a thief and gave him my heart. He didn’t even have to steal it. I handed it to him wrapped up with a pretty bow on a silver platter. The consequences are my burdens to carry. What happened to me is nobody’s fault but mine. I opened my heart and legs wide while closing my eyes.

I was stupid to fall in love with Ian Hart. He didn’t deserve my heart. He ordered Ruben, a member of his gang, to aim for the very organ I gifted him after rowing me to the middle of the Zambezi River and posing me like a sitting duck in his boat. When I dived into the water in a futile attempt at dodging the bullet, Ruben shot me in the side instead. I fell into a river infested with crocodiles and hippos, a very convenient grave. Indeed, there isn’t a more effective way of disposing of a body. The turbulent water swept me over rapids for more than a kilometer before hurling me over a waterfall.

I should’ve drowned. My defective heart should’ve stopped. The crocodiles should’ve dragged me to the bottom or a hippo should’ve chomped my body in two, but the god of the water, Nyaminyami, had mercy on me. Instead of taking two lives, he only took the life growing inside me. He spat me out on the banks below the falls. I’d rather it was the other way around, but Nyaminyami is a god of tragic love. Being separated from his wife by a manmade dam, he appreciates the suffering of unrequited love. Or maybe he’s punishing mankind.

The children fetching water found me. The men carried me to the huts. The women nursed me. None of them said a word to Ian, the man who owns the lodge on the banks of that river, because once upon a happier time, I was one of them. I worked, lived, and laughed alongside them. Perhaps they kept quiet only because I saved Banga and freed them from the evil spirit who’d taken the shape of a baboon.

It’s a good thing I’m used to fighting for survival. I’ve been fighting since the day I was born. Ironically, my weak heart made me strong. It took me three months to fully recover. The road to healing was painful in more than one way. The physical part was the easiest. The hardest part was dealing with the truth. Ian had ordered my death. The worst was mourning my baby, our baby, and later finding out I’ll never have other children.

One month later, on Christmas day, Ian scattered flowers on the water and declared me dead. That’s what the villagers told me.

“What kind of flowers?” I asked.

“Does it matter?” the women replied.

“Yes,” I said. “It matters.”

Orange blossoms.

There was even a ceremony. Shona, Banga, Waitada, and Garai wept as the coffin was lowered into the ground.

“What did he bury?” I asked.

What could he put in the casket? Did he sink it empty and lonely into the grave?

“The gun Ian gave you,” Vimbo said, “the one with the ivory grips.”

Ian stood stone-faced, they said, not shedding a tear. The cross stands on the hill that looks out over the river, the place where Ian took me for sundowners when he told me I could be happy there. I always thought there was something sentimental in him. Why else would he have tattooed love, survival, and humility on his skin? I guess I fell into the survival bracket. He planned my murder because he believed I betrayed him. He didn’t love me enough to let me explain. He once told me humility means we carry all the blame for our mistakes but not all the credit for our accomplishments. Ha. I carry all the blame for loving him.

Now there’s a cross at the very place where we conceived our baby, a child he’ll never know existed. It’s ironic but also fitting.

The villagers loaded me into a van with enough food for a week, and the driver smuggled me over the border into South Africa. After the night Ian had stolen me, he’d given me five million rand in an offshore account. I wasn’t planning on ever using that money, but I withdrew some cash. The first thing I bought was a gun. The second was a false identity. Officially, I’m dead. I’m not Cassandra Joubert any longer. I can be whoever I want to be.

I stay on the move between Botswana and South Africa, training every day. With each passing day, I get stronger and faster. Where I’d once sworn I wouldn’t touch the money Ian gave me, I now use those funds for one purpose only—to find the man who killed me. When I do, I’m going to kill him right back.

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Advertisement Stolen Life (Beauty in the Stolen #2) Read Online Charmaine Pauls http://www.books2020.com/stolen-life-beauty-in-the-stolen-2-read-online-charmaine-pauls Sun, 23 May 2021 21:50:43 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/stolen-life-beauty-in-the-stolen-2-read-online-charmaine-pauls Genre: Alpha Male, Billionaire, Contemporary, Dark, Erotic, Romance, Suspense Authors: Charmaine Pauls Series: Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls
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Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >78

Read Online Books/Novels:	Stolen Life (Beauty in the Stolen #2)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Charmaine Pauls
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	9782491833107
Book Information:
A DIAMOND MAGNATE NOVEL Ian Hart stole a night of my life but he took so much more. His obsession pinned a label on me. His lust put me in an impossible situation. Now I have to choose sides. I have to decide between right and wrong. Only, no matter what choice I make, each comes with dreadful consequences. There’s only one way this can end—how every tragedy ends. *Stolen Life is Book 2 of the Beauty in the Stolen trilogy and ends on a cliffhanger. Book 3 will be released on 22 June 2021.
Books in Series:	Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls
Books by Author:	Charmaine Pauls

Chapter 1

Ian

Some will find it strange to see a man carrying an unconscious woman in his arms. Not so if that man is me. I’m a criminal, the most wanted man on the continent, and this time I stole myself not money or jewels but a woman.

My woman.

I knew she was made for me from the moment I laid my eyes on her at Sun City while the heist was going down. I told her so in no uncertain terms when I claimed and marked her even as I prepared to leave her, because a man like me is forever on the run.

Then I went back for more. I couldn’t stay away. Lusting after her cost me. I paid a heavy price for a night with her. I got myself shot and left DNA behind. The police have photos of us. They know my identity. They no doubt scared her shitless when they took her in for questioning, but I told her I was coming for her. I’ll never throw her to the wolves. Yet she outsmarted the biker I commissioned to bring her to meet me at the airport, stole his bike, and tried to run from me.

It’s not going to happen. I thought I could let her go, but when I stood in front of the door of the hotel room in which she was hiding, I could only do what was always destined to happen. I could only steal more, not simply a few more hours of her time but her life.

I’m taking her home with me.

The pilot is waiting and the plane ready for takeoff when we arrive at the Wonderboom Airport outside Pretoria. Cas passed out sooner than I hoped, but it’s already dark outside, and there’s no one around to see me carry her unconscious form to the plane.

It’s the drug I gave her after she fought me like a lioness.

Walter, the guy I paid to keep an eye on her, leaves after dropping us off with my promise that payment will be in his bank account in twenty-four hours. He knows I’m good for my word. It’s not the first time we do business.

“She okay?” the pilot asks, shooting a worried glance over his shoulder as I secure Cas’s safety belt.

“She will be.”

The look I cut him tells him to mind his own fucking business, and he turns away quickly.

I let her limp body rest against my side and support her with an arm around her shoulder for the takeoff.

“There’s a storm building,” the pilot says over the noise of the engine, not looking at me this time. “Do you want to divert?”

I tighten my arm around Cas. “How bad?”

“We should be able to make it if the current weather prediction holds.”

It takes a second to make up my mind. “Go for it.”

“If it gets worse, we won’t have a choice but to divert to Polokwane.”

I acknowledge with silence but pray the weather will play in our favor. Every minute we’re on South African soil is a minute closer to getting caught. There won’t be any deals for Cas. Not any longer. She’s chosen sides, as per my making. Wherever I go now, whether it’s up or down, I’m dragging her with me.

Peeling back her eyelid, I check the pupil. The black is dilated, but not overly so. I move her handbag that’s pressed between us to make sure she’s comfortable.

A good hour into the flight, we hit the thunderstorm. Lightning cuts open the sky and raindrops the size of four-carat diamonds pelt the windscreen. A thin trickle of water runs underneath the glass onto the dash. The pilot tears paper towels from a roll and sticks them against the windscreen to stop the leak.

For the first time in my life, I fear in spades. Not for me, but for the woman I’m towing along. The plane rattles as lightning crashes on the left. I see the flash three seconds before I hear the sound. That means it’s close.

I don’t bother the pilot with meaningless questions. His knuckles are white from how hard he’s clenching the yoke. I let him concentrate on navigating the storm while I rub a hand over Cas’s arm. I take her hand in mine. Her skin is cold, too cold for my liking. It bothers me, even if I know it’s a side-effect of the tranquilizer.

I’m torn. On the one hand, I would’ve preferred not to drug her. On the other, I feel better not submitting her to the stress of being abducted to a different country and a place she doesn’t know.

The plane drops as it hits an air pocket, startling me from my thoughts. The aircraft hits a second pocket, the drop significant enough to make my stomach climb into my throat. Only the seatbelts prevent our heads from bumping against the ceiling. Another few minutes, and we break through the cluster of clouds and hit a clear night sky.

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Advertisement Stolen Lust (Beauty in the Stolen #1) Read Online Charmaine Pauls http://www.books2020.com/stolen-lust-beauty-in-the-stolen-1-read-online-charmaine-pauls Sun, 18 Apr 2021 23:43:43 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/stolen-lust-beauty-in-the-stolen-1-read-online-charmaine-pauls Genre: Alpha Male, Crime, Dark, Erotic, Romance, Suspense Authors: Charmaine Pauls Series: Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls
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Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 66215 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >70

Read Online Books/Novels:	(Beauty in the Stolen #1) Stolen Lust
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Charmaine Pauls
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	9782491833091
Book Information:
A DIAMOND MAGNATE NOVEL Ian Hart is the most notorious criminal in the country. Like the thief he is, he came in the dark and stole a night of my life. He left me with souvenirs. Disaster and fear are my new realities. I’ll forever look over my shoulder, terrified he’d return, because when he took me, he stole more than just a few hours of my time. His crime has consequences neither of us could’ve imagined. If I’m to escape the nightmare of my life, I have to outsmart him. If I’m to survive, I have to outwit every enemy he’s turned against me, including Ian himself, the most dangerous and cleverest man I know. *Stolen Lust is Book 1 of the Beauty in the Stolen trilogy. Book 2 will be released on 18 May 2021 and Book 3 on 22 June 2021.
Books in Series:	Beauty in the Stolen Series by Charmaine Pauls
Books by Author:	Charmaine Pauls

Chapter 1

Cas

The lights of the casino are dazzling from afar. A blanket of diamonds twinkle in red, yellow, gold, and white. The picture is like one of those snowy Christmas card scenes with the tree draped in tinsel and fairy lights, but in reality, it’s just a cardboard fantasy. I’ve never seen snow. It doesn’t snow much in South Africa. Definitely not around Rustenburg.

Inside, the noise is infinite. Day flows into night and night into day. Whether there’s a sun or moon outside, under the dim lights glowing in the ceiling, all the hours look the same. Slot machines ring out tinny, and over-dressed billboards parade showgirls in fake ostrich feathers. Women feed the machines coins and spin the reels, their concentration on the payline. Men drinking rum or brandy at their stations—the favorite mixes with Coca Cola around here—lift their eyes as we pass.

One of them hollers, “Nice ass.” He pumps his fist, making a gross sign. “Come over here and let me show you who’s your daddy.”

Next to me, Mint glowers, but he avoids eye contact. I’ve already told him we’re not having sex. Maybe he thinks without the extra on the side I’m not worth the fight.

I flip off the guy and am about to pass when he says, “If you don’t want the attention, honey, you shouldn’t dress like that.”

That makes me stop in my tracks.

Mint grips my shoulder. “C’mon, Cas.”

Taking a wide stance in front of the guy, I prop my hands on my hips. His smile slides, the corners of his mouth drooping like an ice cream cone in the hot sun. The blotchy skin of his cheeks turns red. Bullies never think you’d take them on when they’re bigger than you.

A few men wolf-whistle. The attention makes my admirer snarl. The man criticizing my choice of wardrobe wears a khaki shirt with a fat stain on the stomach, creased Bermuda shorts, and long socks with sandals. To round off the ensemble, a comb is tucked into his sock.

Leaning closer, I say, “Here’s a tip, cowboy. Bad pickup line. If you want some ass, try to be a decent human being.” I run my gaze over him. “Since you obviously do want the attention, I’ll share another secret with you. Dress the part.”

Laughter erupts. Our spectators whistle through their teeth. The guy clenches his coin cup so hard it dents in his fist.

“Let’s go,” Mint says, pulling on the sleeve of my jacket.

I shake off Mint, and the crude fat guy doesn’t exist any longer. The minute I turn for the exit, he’s not worthy of my energy or thoughts. I don’t waste my anger or time on scum. All I want is to get out of there. I hate the noise, and I’ve never been a fan of gambling. It’s not that I have anything against it in principle. I just find it boring.

“I still have chips left,” Mint says. “How about another go at the poker table?”

I hasten my steps. “No, thanks. I have to be up early for work.”

The red carpet with the golden sun imprints smells like stale popcorn. Outside the fast food court, I step on something gooey.

Cursing, I lift my foot. A blob of chewing gum is stuck on the sole of my sandal. Great. This date was a mistake. I never should’ve let Mint wear me down. It took him a year to talk me into it. Why did I accept? Because everyone deserves a fair chance. There’s something attractive in everyone. However, if tonight taught me anything, it’s that there are always exceptions.

After rubbing the gum off on the carpet as best as I can, I continue on my way.

“So,” Mint says, running a step to catch up with me, “my new jewelry store is going to whack another million in less than a year. I reckon I’ll buy a house in Durban.” When I don’t reply, he says, “On the beach.” Still not getting a reaction, he adds, “Frontline beach.”

We hit the cashier desk where the aircon blows at full force. Goosebumps run over my skin.

“Yeah.” I zip my leather jacket up over my camisole. “I’m happy for you.”

“Jeez, that’s so decent of you. Most people are jealous of my success.”

For crying out loud. Doesn’t he get I was being sarcastic?

Rubbing the sore muscles of my neck, I make a beeline for the closest register. I’m dead tired and broke. I volunteered for overtime, doing double shifts of filing at the bank archive where I work as a cashier, and I still feel the strain in my back from being bent over boxes of papers for hours. I wasted precious sleep in lieu of veggie burgers and fries with Mint at Sun City, ominously called Sin City by the folks in our town who condemn gambling. Which is why the gambling happens on what was previously the other side of the South African border, on the Bophuthatswana side. Sol Kerzner didn’t have a choice. When he built the casino, gambling had been illegal in South Africa. Bophuthatswana had since been reintegrated into South Africa.

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Read Online Books/Novels:

Stolen Love (Beauty in the Stolen #3)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

9782491833114

Read Online Books/Novels:

Stolen Life (Beauty in the Stolen #2)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

9782491833107

Read Online Books/Novels:

(Beauty in the Stolen #1) Stolen Lust

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

9782491833091