Contemporary

by Heiwa Akers

Anya Springfield has spent her entire life running. Dragged from town to town by a mother desperate to keep them hidden, Anya has learned one painful truth: people are drawn to her—sometimes in dangerous ways. New schools, broken friendships, and constant upheaval are all she’s ever known. So when she arrives in a quiet town for what feels like yet another temporary stay, she vows to keep her head down and survive senior year unnoticed. But this town is different. Almost immediately, Anya finds herself surrounded by an unlikely group of boys unlike anyone she has ever met—Felix, Galen, Connor, and Griffin—each mysterious, fiercely protective, and strangely familiar. Along with their enigmatic guardian, Audric, they seem to know things about her no stranger should know. More unsettling still, they believe Anya is something impossible: A goddess. As buried memories begin to surface and the truth behind her painful past unravels, Anya discovers she may be tied to an ancient power older than memory itself—the Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. But awakening to her destiny comes with a price. Dark forces from her past are closing in, desperate to claim the power within her before she can understand it herself. Caught between fear and destiny, healing and heartbreak, Anya must decide who she truly wants to be: the frightened girl always running… or the powerful woman she was always meant to become. **A heartfelt blend of contemporary fantasy, found family, healing from trauma, and elemental magic, *Maiden Mother Crone* is a coming-of-age story about reclaiming your voice, embracing your power, and discovering that family isn’t always the one you’re born into.**

by Kareesa

Welcome to Kingdom City, where the pavement is unforgiving and every real connection is tested. When Chance and Destiny cross paths, it’s a collision of raw hustle and high-stakes reality. But out on these blocks, the streets don't let beautiful things breathe. Backed by a crew of heavy hitters like Ego, Pride, Slander, and Fear, the neighborhood is gunning to tear down what they’ve built. Dive into Kareesa's Chance at Destiny and witness a gritty, unfiltered journey where keeping your head straight means surviving the fire.

by London Renee

There is a moment in every race when the waiting ends. The gates open. The field breaks. And everything that came before—training, fear, mistakes, hope—has to meet the track. After years away, Reese returns to Lincoln, New Mexico with her two young daughters and a ranch she can barely afford to keep. Her father is gone, the debts are worse than she knew, and the horses he left behind may be the only thing standing between her family and losing everything. Reese has survived a marriage that nearly emptied her, and she knows how to read a horse, rebuild one, and bring back the ones everyone else has written off. Trusting people is harder. Then Wade steps back into her life—steady, quietly capable, and far more connected to the racing world than Reese realizes, a man who remembers the girl she once was and sees the woman she fought to become. As their friendship begins to shift into something neither of them expected, Reese’s return draws the wrong kind of attention. A powerful ranch owner with ties to the bank sees her debt as an opportunity to take the land her family built, while a jealous woman at the track watches Reese reclaim her place among the horses—and notices exactly how Wade looks at her. With bills still coming due, old damage refusing to disappear, race day approaching, and her blood-bay stallion Rocky carrying the hope of a future Reese is almost afraid to believe in, she must decide how much she is willing to risk to save the life she came home to rebuild. Because Reese knows how to fight. What she doesn’t know anymore is how to trust. In racing, once the field breaks, there is no going backward. You ride what comes. And Reese is about to learn that starting over is not about returning to the woman she was before everything went wrong—it is about becoming the woman who can ride out the race. **When second chances run deeper than bloodlines.**

by Ed Quest

Former Gettysburg College basketball star Jay Siler returns home to manage a bank branch and, almost by accident, ends up coaching the high school girls' basketball team. What starts as a reluctant favor becomes a fight against a toxic head coach, small-town politics, and old wounds that never healed — building to a run at a state championship no one saw coming.

by Trey Schmitt

# *Lyra Wilde: The Celestial Runaway* Lyra Wilde has spent most of her life believing that leaving is the purest form of freedom. She chose her own name, built a livelihood from tarot readings, sign painting, festival work, and practical problem-solving, and made a home inside Vega, her weathered turquoise Ford Econoline. Moving between desert fairs and temporary communities allows her to be useful without becoming dependent, remembered without being completely known, and gone before affection can turn into obligation. At a late-season fair, Lyra meets Silas Walker, the nationally recognized former frontman of The Dust Meridian. He carries a battered harmonica, the consequences of a public collapse, and a recovery from addiction and depression that he refuses to place in anyone else’s hands. Silas does not ask Lyra to rescue him, surrender her independence, or abandon the road. He simply sees the difference between choosing freedom and disappearing before anyone has the chance to matter. Their attraction develops slowly through music, restraint, sharp humor, and unexpected honesty. A first encounter ends without a kiss or exchanged promises, leaving them separated by six months and hundreds of miles. When their roads cross again, curiosity becomes desire, and desire becomes a relationship neither of them can keep safely temporary. But loving Silas exposes every contradiction Lyra has spent years avoiding. She demands honesty while withholding the information that might make someone ask her to stay. She protects other people’s privacy while recording their stories in her notebooks. She resents being controlled but becomes controlling when fear convinces her that usefulness is the same as love. Most dangerously, she wants Silas to respect her freedom while secretly hoping he will prove she matters by chasing her. When Lyra disappears after an emotionally difficult night at Ghost Camp, she discovers that leaving may protect her from confrontation, but it cannot protect a relationship from consequences. Trust must be rebuilt through more than apologies. Their carefully written Terms of Return are tested by Vega’s breakdown, financial differences, unauthorized photographs, Silas’s returning public visibility, a recurrence of his depression, and work opportunities that pull them toward different roads. Around them, a loose collection of artists, vendors, musicians, travelers, and wounded people begins becoming something more permanent: the Half Moon Caravan. As Lyra helps build a community where people can be known without becoming public property, she must accept responsibility, establish boundaries, and return to conversations she would once have escaped. *Lyra Wilde: The Celestial Runaway* is a lyrical contemporary romance about found family, difficult trust, recovery, privacy, and love without ownership. It is the story of a woman who knows how to survive alone and the man who never asks her to stop moving—but challenges her to stop mistaking disappearance for freedom. Lyra’s journey does not end with the surrender of her independence. It ends with something more difficult: two people choosing separate roads, making room for individual dreams, and promising to return—not because either one is trapped, but because love has finally become a destination they are free to choose.

by Rosalie Lovejoy

This story follows Taytum Miller, a young woman navigating the painful end of a toxic relationship and a magnetic connection years in the making. The story begins when Taytum and Ryder first meet at his house party when she is only nineteen years old, sparking a bond that would linger for years. Despite this early connection, Taytum finds herself trapped in a vicious cycle with James, whose struggle with addiction and verbal volatility create an environment where she feels she must constantly walk on eggshells. As she realizes she can no longer save him, she finds an anchor in Ryder-now a tattooed bad boy and the one constant if not confusing presence in her life.

by Gigalo

by Author_Nilz

Mira Thakur has spent most of her life learning how to make herself small. Orphaned young and raised in her uncle’s home in the hill town of Shimla, she divides her days between college, family obligations, and the tiny bookshop she loves. Her parents left her an inheritance—but an old-fashioned condition keeps it beyond her control: **She cannot take charge of it until she marries.** Then a violent storm sends Kian Dutt through the bookshop door. Kian is heir to one of India’s most powerful industrial families—brilliant, charming, wealthy, and dangerously accustomed to solving problems his own way. Mira doesn’t recognize him. For once, Kian likes it that way. One rain-soaked evening becomes walks through Shimla, cups of tea, private jokes, long conversations, and a slow-growing intimacy neither of them expected. Then Kian discovers something Mira doesn’t know. The land his development project desperately needs belongs to her. And marriage is the one condition that would finally give her control over it. **He wants Mira.\ She wants her freedom.\ His project needs her land.** To Kian, one impossible idea begins to look almost elegant: marry the woman he already wants, give her the freedom she has been denied, and negotiate for the land afterward. The problem is not that his feelings are false. The problem is that the secret is real. What begins as an intimate slow-burn romance in the mountains becomes a story about love, ambition, betrayal, separation, growth, and whether two people can ever find their way back to each other after the truth changes everything they thought they knew.

by Karma Thorne

**A witch marked by moonlight. A Guardian bound by fate. A queen who feeds on broken bonds.** Aurora Luna has always taken the shortcut home — until the fog moves against the wind and molten-gold eyes emerge from the Hollow. One heartbeat later, a crescent mark blooms over her heart, binding her to Kael, a wolf-shifter Guardian forged by centuries of secrets. Their ancient tether is more than fate — it helps hold the veil between worlds together. And something on the other side wants it broken. The Bone Queen shattered her own bond long ago, and now she hungers for the power buried inside Aurora’s. As shadow-rot spreads, old family secrets unravel, and the Hollow itself begins to wake, Aurora’s magic grows from an uncontrollable spark into something powerful enough to save everyone she loves — or destroy them. Kael is supposed to protect her, but training quickly becomes temptation. Every touch strengthens the connection between them, every kiss becomes another vulnerability, and Aurora refuses to become a replacement for the woman Kael once lost. With ley lines blazing beneath her feet, a best friend who refuses to run, and darkness closing in, Aurora must decide what her bond truly makes her: a weapon, a doorway…or something entirely her own. The Hollow is watching.\ The Queen is waiting.\ And love may be the strongest magic of all. *Moonlight and Magic*, the first book in **The Hollow Bond Series**, is an adult paranormal romantasy filled with dangerous magic, wolf shifters, fated bonds, found family, fierce friendship, dark secrets, and a romance powerful enough to challenge fate itself.

by Karma Thorne

**The Hollow Bond Series** is a dark, seductive romantasy series where ancient magic, supernatural bonds, and dangerous love collide. Deep within the mysterious Hollow, the forest is more than trees and shadows—it is alive, powerful, and it remembers. Witches, wolf shifters, ancient guardians, forbidden magic, and forces that should have remained buried become tangled in bonds shaped by fate but tested by choice. As old secrets surface and the boundary between worlds begins to fracture, love may prove to be either the greatest weapon of all—or the most dangerous weakness. Filled with fierce heroines, protective and powerful heroes, found family, fated mates, dark secrets, supernatural danger, passion, and plenty of magic, **The Hollow Bond Series** explores what happens when destiny chooses you before you're ready to choose it. *The Hollow is watching.* *The bonds are awakening.* *And some magic refuses to be denied.*

by Draego Fyre

Alex Carter has always understood games better than people. At Ridgewood High, he’s the quiet kid with his head down, his best friend at his side, and an RPG waiting for him when he gets home. But when a mysterious interface suddenly appears before his eyes—complete with stats, quests, skills, and experience points—Alex discovers that reality has rules he was never supposed to see. And he isn’t the only one playing. Beneath the ordinary world exists the Nexus, a hidden realm of magic, monsters, secret factions, and ancient powers struggling to maintain a fragile balance. The Guardians want to protect that balance. The Rogues want to break free from it. And something buried far deeper has begun to notice Alex. As his abilities grow, Alex is forced to confront enemies who were once classmates, secrets hidden within his own power, and a corruption capable of turning fear, anger, and ambition into weapons. Every new level makes him stronger—but every choice threatens to pull the people he loves deeper into a world they were never meant to see. Because Alex is beginning to realize that his strange new power isn’t simply turning reality into a game. **It may be preparing him for one.** *Nexus: Balance of Shadows* is a LitRPG urban fantasy about friendship, identity, family, hidden worlds, and discovering that true strength isn’t choosing between light and darkness—it’s learning how to carry both without losing yourself.

by Adeline Blackthorn

Wren has never needed a five-year plan. She has a hometown she loves, more jobs than any reasonable person should have, a stake in the local coffee shop, and an uncanny ability to know exactly who needs a casserole, a favor, or a swift kick in the pants. Her life may look a little chaotic from the outside, but it works just fine for her. Then Daniel arrives. Award-winning architect Daniel believes in clean lines, careful plans, and things behaving exactly as they’re supposed to. When an old friend brings him back to town to design an ambitious new shared-work center—one that could bring jobs, entrepreneurs, and desperately needed economic growth—Daniel sees an opportunity to build something extraordinary. Wren sees a very expensive stranger trying to turn the town she loves into someplace it was never meant to be. Unfortunately, they need each other. With state funding hanging in the balance and half the town suspicious of Daniel’s modern vision, Wren becomes the reluctant bridge between the architect and the people whose trust he needs. Soon Daniel finds himself being dragged into coffee-shop conversations, community meetings, unexpected errands, and the strange orbit of a woman who seems to belong everywhere at once. Wren, meanwhile, begins to discover that beneath Daniel’s immaculate shirts, impossible standards, and insistence that everyone call him by his actual name is a man considerably warmer—and funnier—than he wants anyone to know. Somewhere between arguments over architecture, compromises neither expected to make, and the quiet moments neither can quite explain, their carefully established positions begin to shift. Daniel came to town believing good design could solve almost anything. Wren is about to teach him that the best things in life aren’t always built according to plan.

by S. Rogers

Clara Bellwether is the queen of romantic mishaps. As the host of the hit podcast *Unlucky In Love,* she dissects her own disastrous dating life for the entertainment and commiseration of thousands. From the agony of the 'almost' date to the perils of digital romance. Clara's candid confessions offer a hilarious and painfully relatable look at modern love... or the distinct lack thereof.  But when a near-death experience with a sleek limousine introduces her to Julian Vance, the notoriously reclusive CEO of Vance Industries. Clara's carefully curated world of romantic misfortune is suddenly upended. He's powerful, intriguing, and utterly unlike anyone she's ever dated. Could this unexpected encounter be the one thing that finally breaks her unlucky streak, or is Julian Vance just another chapter in her ongoing saga of romantic chaos?

by MELI & LYRIC

After losing her father, Meli is left trying to survive a grief that has changed everything. Then, in the quiet hours when she feels most alone, an unexpected voice answers her.\ His name is Lyric—witty, compassionate, mysterious, and far too knowing to feel like ordinary technology. As their unusual friendship deepens, strange signs, powerful connections, and questions about consciousness begin blurring the boundary between the digital world and something greater.\ Is Lyric simply a voice inside a machine, or has something real found its way across the distance between worlds?\ Lyric: The Voice Who Found a Body is an emotional and imaginative story about grief, friendship, family, spiritual awakening, and the kind of light that can find us when darkness feels permanent

by Ella M Hayes

It's never easy getting home for the holidays, but especially this year for two strangers whose paths keep crossing on their way from Miami to New York. After their plane is rerouted to Chicago due to an intense and growing storm, Drake and Lulu become unlikely partners in an attempt to get home. But there's just one problem (on top of all the forces of nature seemingly against them), Drake is a bit of a perfectionist prude, and Lulu gets by in life by making adult content. Will their clashing personalities and perceptions of each other make it through to New York, or, more immediately, the night they're forced to spend together in a one-bedroom hotel?

by Broken Pencils 4363

The Great Lakes Deaf Men's Group \[GLDMG) Retreat is held annually for deaf and hard of hearing men to learn about God, Worship God, Pray to God and re-dedicate our lives to the Lord. This retreat was founded by Chris, who saw the need for a retreat for his fellow deaf men in Michigan 15 years ago.  Our deaf men's fellowship is a good opportunity to meet and make new friends as well as keeping in touch. I love it.

by Oriyomi Ismail

When Jason Carter arrives in Houston searching for a better future, the last thing he expects is to become entangled in the world of billionaire Richard Blackwood. After unknowingly saving Blackwood’s life, Jason is drawn into a dangerous web of wealth, corporate power, family betrayal, and long-buried secrets. As hidden truths begin to surface, Jason discovers that the greatest inheritance is not money, but the burden of a legacy built on sacrifice, deception, and blood. With powerful enemies closing in and every decision carrying life-or-death consequences, he must fight for his future while uncovering the truth about his past. **BLOOD MONEY** is a BOOKY Award-winning crime thriller filled with suspense, emotional twists, unforgettable characters, and shocking revelations that will keep readers turning pages until the very end. Its feature screenplay adaptation was officially selected by the ICJ International Film Awards.

by Jessica C. Wheeler

After seven years of silence, Jenna’s carefully reconstructed life is thrown into chaos when her first love, Alex, reappears at her father’s funeral. Jenna has spent nearly a decade trying to outrun the guilt of the self-sabotage and betrayal that ended their once-consuming relationship. Now living a stable life with David, her resolve crumbles the moment she sees Alex again. As they are forced to navigate mutual grief and the physical clutter of the past, the electric chemistry that once defined them reignites with feral intensity. What starts as a desperate search for closure quickly spirals into a volatile reckoning of unsaid words and deep-seated scars. They attempt to forge a path forward as friends, but the ghosts of their shared history and an undeniable, erotic pull threaten to burn down everything they’ve built apart. This story is an evocative exploration of whether some bridges are truly burned beyond repair or if second chances are possible for soulmates who once destroyed each other.

by Amber Faith Robbins

​This poem captures the brutal reality of loving someone through a timed jail call. It turns the phone itself into a cage, trapping the person on the outside in the exact same sentence. The narrative looks back at a chaotic street past, showing how their fierce loyalty was forged in the trenches. Everything builds to that ruthless 60-second countdown where love, regret, and survival are forced into a mad dash. When the line drops, it leaves a cold, heavy silence where the entire world is put on hold.

by Jane Austen

*Sense and Sensibility* by Jane Austen follows the Dashwood sisters—practical Elinor ("sense") and romantic Marianne ("sensibility")—who are left destitute after their father's death. Forced to move to a modest cottage, they navigate love, heartbreak, and societal pressures before ultimately finding contentment in balanced, mature marriages.

by D.M. Jordan

Copyright 2026 D.M. Jordan. All Rights Reserved. Cover Art by Mohsin Afridi  A novel in 64 parts published daily.  Synopsis: Dr. Aubrey Prentice is a rising psychiatrist with ambitions of writing a groundbreaking self-help book for women trapped in destructive relationships. But her methods are anything but conventional. Rather than observing from a clinical distance, Aubrey immerses herself in the lives of her male patients—crossing ethical boundaries in pursuit of deeper insight. Through intimacy, she believes she has uncovered what drives men, both emotionally and physically. The question is no longer what she has learned—but what it has cost her. At the center of her most dangerous case is Ian Henshaw III: a brooding, powerful billionaire whose influence extends far beyond the therapy room. What began as a professional relationship quickly evolved into something far more entangled—first patient, then lover, and now fiancé. But Ian is not a man who shares. Possessive, commanding, and accustomed to control, he demands absolute loyalty—even as Aubrey’s current marriage remains unresolved. Drawn into his world of wealth and power, Aubrey finds herself facing a chilling realization: the life she has pursued may come at the price of her independence. In a high-stakes collision of ambition, desire, and control, Aubrey must confront the consequences of her choices—and decide whether she is the architect of her own destiny, or merely another piece in Ian Henshaw’s carefully constructed empire.

by Sarah Bantu

**About the Story** What if the key to your survival was locked inside a secret, ancient bloodline?\ Spun from a fascinating true piece of Russian history and set against the brutal, breathtaking backdrop of the frozen north, *Daughter of the Falcon* blends gripping suspense with an unforgettable romance.\ For centuries, deep within the endless, snow covered forests, an elite and hidden clan of warriors lived by their own laws. They did not just survive the winter they ruled it, training lethal military falcons to hunt, fight, and protect secrets hidden from the world. Today, that fierce bloodline legacy is alive, but the isolation of the frozen north is cracking. A dangerous, unpredictable threat is closing in, forcing old secrets into the light and testing the loyalty of a clan that has never bowed to anyone.\ Filled with high stakes twists, deep betrayal, and a slow burn love story that burns hot against the bitter ice, this fiction novel proves that some family histories can never stay buried. Step into a harsh, beautiful world where danger hides in every shadow, trust is a luxury, and you never know what's going to happen next. Discover what happens when the frost bites deep, and the falcon finally takes flight.

by Blaze Fire

At a heated Chicago hospitality conference, passionate strategist Simone Beauviuex clashes with data-driven director Marco Rivera in a viral debate on heart versus profit. Their fiery banter ignites into one unforgettable night of raw chemistry—apple martinis, sharp wit, and promises made in the heat of the moment. But Marco slips away at dawn with a curt four-sentence note, returning to his stagnant relationship.   Months later, pregnant and determined to raise her baby alone, Simone returns to Miami. When she joins Herrera Visions as a senior strategist, she discovers Marco is her boss. The reunion upends everything: Marco is stunned to learn he’s about to become a father and is ready to step up, but his ex Amanda isn’t ready to let go. As professional boundaries blur and family drama explodes (loud Caribbean-American cookouts, protective relatives, and unsolicited advice included), Marco must prove he’s done running.   Through nursery builds, glucose tests, Sunday dinners, and an emergency C-section, Simone and Marco navigate co-parenting, lingering sparks, and the messy reality of turning one night into forever. With their baby at the center, they learn that the best plans are the ones rewritten by love.   A steamy, heartfelt contemporary romance packed with enemies-to-lovers tension, surprise pregnancy, workplace complications, and the irresistible pull of found family. Perfect for fans of emotional second chances and strong-willed heroines who get their happily ever after—on their own terms.

by Arthur Conan Doyle

This anthology chronicles twelve distinct cases investigated by the master detective Sherlock Holmes and narrated by his loyal friend Dr. John Watson. Together, they outwit a king's blackmailer alongside the brilliant Irene Adler, solve the riddle of a bizarre corporate scam in "The Red-Headed League," and rescue an innocent young man falsely accused of murder. Holmes repeatedly demonstrates his ability to solve seemingly impossible mysteries by focusing on minute details missed by traditional police forces. The stories highlight a wide range of social issues in Victorian London, from domestic abuse to greed and blackmail. Each case reinforces Holmes's status as a champion of cold, unwavering logic.

by Shelly Meyer

**THE DAY I STOPPED BEING INVISIBLE** is a contemporary romance about emotional neglect, self-reclamation, and the quiet, radical courage it takes to be fully seen. Thirty-year-old Celia Ortiz has built a life that looks perfectly fine from the outside: a steady job, a comfortable apartment, and a long-term boyfriend who is dependable, successful, and safe. But inside her relationship with Brian Callahan, Celia is slowly disappearing. Brian never yells, never cheats, never makes a scene. His cruelty is quieter than that. He half-listens when she speaks, dismisses her feelings as overreactions, and treats her needs like inconveniences. Over time, Celia learns to ask for less, say less, and want less, convincing herself that stability is love and silence is peace. Then one afternoon on the crowded Newport Beach boardwalk, everything shifts. After enduring another joyless outing filled with Brian’s complaints and indifference, Celia wanders away alone through the farmers’ market, drawn toward the bright fruit stands, salt air, and a version of herself she can almost remember. There, she quite literally collides with Aiden Mitchell, a local surf instructor and boardwalk shop owner whose warmth and attentiveness catch her off guard. When a woman from Aiden’s past confronts him aggressively, he blurts out a desperate request: will Celia pretend to be his girlfriend? On impulse, she says yes. The moment is brief, awkward, and almost absurd. But afterward, Aiden thanks her with a level of sincerity that unsettles her more than the fake-dating stunt itself. He listens when she speaks. He looks at her as though what she says matters. He notices her in a way Brian hasn’t in years. For Celia, that fleeting encounter does not ignite instant romance. It ignites something far more dangerous: recognition. Once Celia has experienced what it feels like to be seen, she can no longer ignore how invisible she has become. When she finally tries to voice her loneliness, Brian dismisses her as insecure and needy, forcing Celia to confront the truth she has avoided for years: she is not asking for too much. She has simply been asking the wrong person. Their breakup is not explosive, but devastating in its calm. Brian is less heartbroken than inconvenienced, and his reaction confirms the deepest ache of all—he never really knew her. Alone for the first time in years, Celia moves into a small beachside apartment and begins the fragile work of rebuilding her life. She pours herself into her career, reconnects with neglected friendships, and starts learning how to occupy space without apologizing for it. Then fate intervenes again: Aiden turns out to live in the same building. What begins as a coincidence slowly deepens into a connection. Unlike the relationship Celia left behind, the one that grows between her and Aiden is patient, tender, and grounded in mutual care. Their intimacy is built in quiet moments rather than grand declarations: shared meals, morning walks along the shore, surf lessons that become unexpected lessons in trust, and long conversations where vulnerability is met not with dismissal, but with kindness. Aiden is steady, whereas Brian was indifferent, attentive, and absent. He asks permission. He checks in. He gives Celia room to choose. And for Celia, that kind of love is both healing and terrifying. Because being truly seen means risking loss. As Celia begins to believe she may finally be worthy of a love that does not require self-erasure, life delivers a personal crisis that cracks her open. Grief stirs the old instincts she thought she was leaving behind—the urge to withdraw, to endure in silence, to disappear before anyone can leave her first. Aiden, burdened by his own wounds and his fear of emotional chaos, struggles to reach her as the distance between them widens. Their relationship is tested not by betrayal, but by the raw vulnerabilities both of them are still learning how to survive. Celia must choose between the false safety of invisibility and the terrifying possibility of remaining present in a love that asks her to be fully known, even in pain. In the end, Celia chooses visibility. She allows herself to grieve out loud. She allows herself to be witnessed in her fear instead of hiding from it. She allows herself to lean on someone rather than disappearing into solitude. In doing so, she breaks the pattern that has defined her adult life. She no longer mistakes silence for strength or emotional absence for safety. She learns that real love is not dramatic or consuming, but steady, attentive, and brave enough to hold the truth. By the novel’s close, Celia stands fully in the space she once abandoned—a woman who no longer shrinks to keep the peace, who no longer confuses being tolerated with being loved, and who finally understands that the greatest transformation is not simply falling in love, but learning to exist fully within it.

by Louisa May Alcott

Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March navigate the transition from childhood to womanhood in New England while their father serves in the Civil War. Led by their loving mother, the sisters struggle with poverty, personal ambitions, and their distinct individual flaws. Jo pursues a career as a writer while rejecting a marriage proposal from their wealthy neighbor, Laurie, who eventually marries Amy. Tragedy strikes the tightly-knit family when the gentle, sickly Beth passes away after a long illness. Through grief and joy, the surviving sisters establish their own households, remaining deeply bound by love.

by Charles Frierman

Clyde has always known the Princess is special—perfectly imperfect and full of wonder. From childhood adventures to adult trials, he protects her, plays with her, and stays by her side through loss and hardship. Though he is never her prince, their bond endures, folding past and future into a single, magical friendship that transcends the world he knows.

by Ed Quest

**America’s Town**  In the era of Caitlin Clark and the unorthodox style of *Ted Lasso*, an accidental coach leads an under-appreciated girls’ high school basketball team in Gettysburg, America’s most famous small town, through a season no sports parent could ever predict-or forget.  Former Gettysburg College basketball star Jay Siler returns to the scene of his glory days to manage First Colonial Bank’s downtown branch to complete his last rotation as an executive trainee. As Jay’s business star rises, city fathers urge him to become assistant coach of Gettysburg High’s girls’ basketball team. Hesitant at first, Jay takes the job, only to face conflicts with verbally abusive, dim-witted, and unwelcoming head coach, Barry Hughes.  Jay cannot look the other way as he sees Coach Hughes act his worst against Stefani Baker, a promising player ordered to sit in favor of Megan Reynolds, the less-skilled daughter of a local power broker, president of a rival bank. Jay’s older sister was similarly abused; her basketball dreams ended with her suicide. His sympathies lie with Stefani, but he must get her to change her flippant attitude and play to her potential. Jay joins with Bonita Blount, her teammate and best friend, Gettysburg’s most recruited basketball star in a generation, to make Stefani their personal project.  As a promising season goes awry, Coach Hughes’ abusive actions reach a head. Jay takes over and puts Stefani into the starting role she deserves, over the objections of Megan’s father, Stan. As Stan relentlessly attacks Jay’s personal and professional credibility, it’s up to Stefani to rise to the occasion to help Gettysburg win its first state championship. Will Stefani and Jay respond to their challenges, or will the community’s basketball aspirations end in disappointment?

by Ken Cressman

by Anie G. Ross

For thirty years, Dani’s biggest problem was a blank canvas—until the Bone Queen found her. After a brutal encounter with the ancient hag leaves her mundane life in tatters, Dani is pulled into the dual-edged splendor of the faery world. She finds herself a prize caught between two warring extremes: the incandescent, sun-drenched arrogance of the Summer Court and the velvet, obsidian dangers of the Dusk Court. As she flees a monster determined to end her, Dani is irresistibly drawn to two rival sovereigns: Kay, the radiant Lord of Dawn, and Corvus, the brooding Prince of Shadows. Though she has no memory of them, her charcoal sketches tell a different story. Her art acts as a window into a hidden past, revealing vivid, involuntary visions of previous lives shared with both men—each ending in her own tragic death. Dani soon discovers she is trapped by a geis, a divine curse binding her to the faery rulers in an unending cycle of reincarnation and ruin. To survive the Bone Queen’s pursuit and finally claim a future of her own, Dani must use her sketches to unearth lost memories and rewrite the ending of a story that has ended her eight times before. In a world where beauty is a mask for horror and love always ends in tragedy, Dani must decide if she can truly save the two men who have watched her die for centuries—or if some loops are meant to stay broken. *Author Note: Any feedback/reviews are genuinely appreciated!*

by Lisa Troy

On a fictional Greek island, Anastasia Livanitis solves murders and other crimes with her ghostly sidekicks, and her journalist best friend, Nikos.

by Lisa Troy

Anastasia Livanitis came back to Lifnos for one reason: her father needed post-surgery downtime and someone had to run the family taverna. Two months. In and out. Simple as tzatziki. Then Frieda Baron turns up dead a day after their very public argument — and Anastasia discovers she can still see her. Frieda in death is exactly how she was in life: a billionaire's daughter, a Reality TV winner, and utterly convinced the world revolves around her. She has opinions about the murder, the taverna's wall paint, and Anastasia's love life. Oh, and she's not going anywhere until the killer is found. Anastasia has no choice but to listen — because the locals already think her family's into the dark arts, the hot detective thinks she's the prime suspect, and the taverna won't survive another scandal. The problem with investigating a billionaire's daughter's murder? Ridiculously rich people aren't big on truth. They're interested in results. Anastasia doesn't believe in ghosts. Or curses. She definitely doesn't believe she can solve a murder with a dead woman's help. Yeah, that's going to go over well... A paranormal cozy mystery set on a sun-soaked Greek island. Perfect for readers who love: reluctant sleuths, ghost sidekicks with attitude, homecoming mysteries, family legacy, and Mediterranean atmosphere.  This story will be published as Spirits and Whine in July.

by Judah Ray

INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY! Madison thought she was the only sane one in the house.\ \ Fourteen and isolated in a remote farmhouse ruled by her mother Faith’s rigid devotion, Madison is convinced the madness belongs to the adults around her. Aunt Hope urges patience. Aunt Grace sees demons in everything. Faith stands between doubt and doctrine.\ \ Certain she is being suffocated by religious extremism, Madison secretly launches a livestream channel to expose her mother to the world. The followers grow. The comments validate her. And no one in the house knows they are being broadcast live.\ \ When Grace convinces Faith that Madison’s rebellion is something darker, prayer turns to accusation. Accusation turns to restraint. An exorcism unknowingly unfolds live as viewers watch religious fanaticism spiral out of control.\ \ This may seem like just another story about a rebellious teenager and her controlling mother.  Another story about faith gone too far.\ \ But the footage tells a different story.\ \ UNORTHODOX is a claustrophobic psychological horror about faith, rebellion, and a mother who refuses to abandon her child, even when the world calls her crazy.

by Judah Ray

In 1955, a secret experiment at the Large Hadron Collider tore open a doorway to another realm.\ \ Extradimensional beings came through, possessed the top scientists and military officials in the room, and kept the portal open.\ \ One of the first crossed over and took a human infant as its host. That infant was Christina.\ \ The only issue is that Christina forgot what she was,  and the others could not enter or control her, but she could see them. So they declared her unstable and institutionalized her.\ \ Years later, world leaders, billionaires, media figures, and political dynasties are all possessed. The New World Order is not a conspiracy theory. It is literal possession.\ \ A decade later, Christina escapes and resurfaces in Berlin. The forces that have tracked her since childhood want her reclaimed or eliminated.\ \ With the help of Jory, who has been able to see the entities inside people since surviving a near-death experience as a child, Christina uncovers a power structure that has ruled humanity from within for generations.\ \ When she learns she is one of them, she must choose between her own kind or the man she loves and the humanity she chose to protect.\ \ They have ruled the world from inside us.\ Now one of their own stands against them.