Romance

by Books By Shana E.

Sienna and Anne Marie are sold by their vampire owners to the very wolves (archenemies) who had a hand in their family and pack's fall from grace. What happens when these two omegas (servant girls) enters the royal compound (their new home)?

by Books By Shana E.

Sienna & Anne Marie discovered that the life they're living (currently) isn't all what it seems. Were their real lives stolen?

by Books By Shana E.

**1ST SERIES OF THE "WOLF PACK" BOOK SAGA BY SHANA E.** > *"The origins story on how it all began…"* Once Blue Moon princesses. ***Now?*** **Captured. Sold. Bought.** That's their new reality after the hive rips apart their pack, killing most, enslaving others and imprisoning their parents. *What happens when two omegas, purchased to be servant girls, become mates to the very hive masters who now own them?* Two cousins. Two fated bonds. Follow the story of Sienna and Anne Marie Rightfield. While one is fated to the region’s formidable Beta Prince, Marcus Walker, the other finds herself bound to the most powerful man in the hive: Dr. Patrick Greyson, the Wolf King himself. In a twisted game of love and power they use and abuse their submissiveness to satisfy their own lustful desires. Yet genuine feelings have emerged over the years, which threatens to upend their secret lives. In a forbidden *"Alpha-Beta-Omega"* affair, their unlawful love becomes impossible to ignore by the council of wolves. Spanning 8-episodic installments (*11-chapters each*), this *on-going* erotic saga delivers a slow-burn romance that ignites into a wildfire, lethal power struggles, and a concealed magical realm that takes a heavy toll on the Rightfield girls. If you crave pack dynamics, forced proximity, and strong female leads, this series is your new addiction. Dive into a forbidden, provocative journey. - **Genre:** Adult Paranormal Shifter Romance (Erotic) - **Format:** Episodic Series (Bite-sized high heat) - **Themes:** Age Gap, Enemies to Lovers, Fated Mates, Possessive Alpha, Loyal Beta. - **Creatures:** Werewolves, Vampires, Witches. - **Vibe:** Steamy, fast-paced, high spice werewolf novel with bite.   **Steamy. Brutal. Unforgettable** **(*An erotic werewolf novel with bite*)**

by SOD

**Two eras. One impossible choice.** A hundred thousand years ago, Kal'nor and his sons fought a losing war. Betrayed from within as Toval maneuvered to usurp the Val'dora, Commander O'nor arrogantly wielded the Void to secure their empire. His choice set off a catastrophic chain of events. To save the world from the resulting swarm of husks and Shadow Sworn, the First Dragon made the ultimate sacrifice, giving his mortal life to seal the monsters away in the dark. But the ledger of progress always demands its payment, and the ancient past is bleeding into the bitter winter of the present. Today, the descendants of the First Dragon struggle with the failures of their ancestors. Darius, Ny'all, and Mia are desperately attempting to forge a fragile trust with their ancient enemy, the Anai. However, Darius’s father, King Valerius, strictly forbids his heir from making the connection, refusing to yield the desires of a second princess he never wanted near his throne. As the royal family fractures, a nightmare awakens. The First Dragon’s soul has survived the millennia, but his light has been slowly corrupted by the very darkness he imprisoned. Twisted by ages of isolation and desperate to keep the Shadow Sworn locked away forever, the fallen savior has returned with a horrifying solution: he must claim the child of Darius and Mia to renew the seal. Hunted by a corrupted savior and stripped of their political power, the current heirs of the Dragon Line must wage a desperate war against the ghosts of their ancestors. To save their child, they must defeat the very legend who once saved the world—or watch the Void swallow everything they have left.

by Vivian Vincent

Rebecca “Becks” Morgan knows engines better than people. Her garage is her sanctuary, a place where she can keep her son safe and her past buried under layers of steel and grease. But when a sleek black sedan rolls in with a hidden compartment and a warning from a man who smells like trouble, her quiet life shatters. The car isn’t just a job. It’s a loaded weapon in a criminal empire, and now Becks is in the crosshairs.\ \ Detective Declan Stone has spent two years chasing a syndicate that always stays one step ahead. His latest lead? A beautiful mechanic who might be the key to unraveling it all. But Becks isn’t just a witness, she’s stubborn, sharp, and far too tempting for a man who swore he’d never mix business with desire. As danger closes in, Declan will risk everything to protect her and the boy she’d die for. Even if it means crossing every line he’s lived by. In a world where trust is a gamble and love is the ultimate risk, can they survive long enough to find both?

by Nora Kessler

Harlow James has a plan: fix the car, sign the papers, sell the ranch, and get back to Dallas before the town of Copper Creek notices she’s there.The plan lasts approximately twelve minutes.Her car dies in front of Hank’s Gas & Go. The woman behind the counter knows her last name on sight. And the tall, green-eyed rancher who pulls up in a dusty Ford F-250 looks at her like he already knows how this story ends. Callum Brennan has been running her late grandfather’s two hundred acres for years. He also happens to be the neighbor whose family sold Earl James the land in the first place.The will is clear. If Harlow wants to sell, she has to live on the property for ninety days. No exceptions. No shortcuts. Just her, a house full of unanswered questions, a town that has been talking about the James-Brennan feud for nearly thirty years, and a man who keeps showing up exactly when she’s decided she doesn’t need any help.She came to settle an estate. She did not come to stay.But Copper Creek has a long memory, and some inheritances refuse to stay buried.Fences and Foolish Hearts is a slow-burn small-town romance about family secrets, stubborn hearts, and the dangerous difference between the life you planned and the land that claims you.

by Wren Bennett

Clara Lin is surviving on sheer grit. Balancing a grueling day job as a junior designer with late-night freelance UI audits at a 24-hour Chicago diner, she is fiercely determined to pay off her family's lingering debts and launch her own independent design studio. She doesn't have time for distractions, and she certainly doesn't rely on anyone else. Enter Julian Vance—a quiet, attentive regular who shares late-night coffee, offers razor-sharp code fixes, and hands her his umbrella during a torrential downpour. To Clara, he’s simply "Julian," a grounded engineer who understands the exhausting grind of building a life from scratch. What Clara doesn't know is that Julian is actually Julian Vance, the multi-billion-dollar CEO of Vance Dynamics. And he fell for her long before he ever knew her last name. When Julian steps in behind the scenes to protect Clara from corporate predators and ruthless corporate buyouts, his hidden identity is exposed. Feeling manipulated and terrified of losing her hard-earned autonomy, Clara walks away, determined to prove she can stand alone. But when a malicious corporate conspiracy targets both Julian's company and Clara's growing studio, they are thrust into a high-stakes battle where corporate betrayal threatens to destroy everything they've built. Spanning a journey of deep emotional growth, unspoken sacrifice, and hard-won trust, ***Unscripted Gravity*** is a slow-burn contemporary romance about a woman fighting for her independence, a man who falls first, and the powerful realization that true strength isn't about standing alone—it's about finding someone worth letting in.

by Carol L. Bridges

Love Poems to Joshua Coe is a raw, unfiltered collection of passion, heartbreak, devotion, and desire. These poems were written from a place of deep love — the kind that shakes your soul, pulls you in like a magnet, and refuses to let go. Inside these pages, Carol L. Bridges opens her heart completely. She writes about longing that aches, love that heals and destroys, desire that burns hot, and the emotional storms that come with loving someone so intensely it changes who you are. Moving from soft devotion to fiery passion, through heartbreak and into the quiet strength that comes after, this collection captures the painful beauty of loving someone with your whole heart — and learning that love should never destroy you. Every poem is personal. Every line is honest. Every page is a piece of a love story that is unforgettable. If you've ever loved deeply, wanted fiercely, broken silently, or felt your heart pulled toward someone you could never resist — these poems will speak to you. This is love in its truest form: tender, messy, passionate, overwhelming, and real. For mature readers 18+. Contains adult content and themes of toxic love and emotional abuse.

by Ember Rose Hollis

The Lustful Blade of the Celestial Frontier **A FILTHY LITTLE SCI-FI FAIRYTALE FOR GROWN-UPS.** Think old-school bodice ripper meets galactic treasure hunt. With pirates, filthy fairytales, and absolutely no respect for the laws of physics. Vera Nyx is a treasure hunter, former pirate captain, and a woman with expensive tastes, sticky fingers, and an unreasonable affection for stickers. Glitter is practically a religion. She also has a habit of acquiring things that technically belong to other people. Like her ex's spaceship. He'll get over it she says. Ryker Starshadow is a swordsman with a cybernetic eye, a very large weapon, and nine years of unfinished business with the woman who broke his heart. He's deadly with a blade, knits in his spare time, and has a fondness for trashy romance novels. Vera introduced him to those books years ago, and he found them a fascinating way to explore the feminine mystique. He's been studying the subject ever since, although he occasionally questions the anatomical possibilities described in certain chapters. Unfortunately, they're both after the same legendary treasure. And they're not the only ones. **Enter Captain Clarence.** A dangerously seductive Void Siren, collector of rare treasures, lover of beautiful things, and another of Vera's exes. He's charming, extravagant, shamelessly flirtatious, and entirely too pleased to find himself competing with Ryker. **Then there are the Seven Widows.** Seven of the most feared and dangerous women in the galaxy. They didn't earn their reputation by being reasonable, and anyone foolish enough to underestimate them is unlikely to survive the experience. **And Barnaby Quill.** A brilliant treasure hunter who's been dead for years but still insists on commanding his ship, *The Last Testament*. Death is a minor inconvenience when there's treasure involved, and Barnaby has absolutely no intention of letting it interfere with his ambitions. Between murderous fairytales, ancient magic, lost civilizations, pirates, and a galaxy full of creatures who would happily eat them, Vera and Ryker have quite enough to worry about. Unfortunately, there's also the small matter of nine years of unresolved heartbreak, unfinished arguments, and a physical attraction that refuses to behave itself. **Nine years apart. One more chance. And an entire galaxy about to regret their reunion.** *The Lustful Blade of the Celestial Frontier* is an explicit adult sci-fi romantasy filled with second-chance romance, dangerous adventures, outrageous humor, and enough romantic complications to make a marriage counselor request hazard pay. A love letter to the gloriously scandalous romance novels of the Fabio era, with a little Indiana Jones, a little Romancing the Stone, and a whole lot of trouble. **#FabioInSpace**

by Arowen rivenwood

Tess came looking for a fresh start. She found a war. At fifty-five, Tess has nothing left to lose and a motorcycle pointed at a new life. What she didn't plan on was Adrian "Knox" Cross — president of the Nightmare MC, a man as hard as the cut he wears, and quietly determined to change what his father's club became. When a motorcycle war erupts, Tess and Knox uncover something worse than the fighting: women and children held captive. Freeing them is only the beginning. Helping broken people rebuild their lives means rebuilding the club itself — and deciding what kind of man, and what kind of woman, they intend to be. A story of earned love, second chances, and a club reborn.

by Chinyere Gaines

**At twenty-six, Javlyn has finally stepped into the life she's worked so hard to build-fresh out of her Criminal Justice degree, a detective in Washington State, and a future that finally feels within reach. She's focused, disciplined, and ready for everything she's dreamed of, including love.** **Xeovon is charming, attentive, and seems to choose her in all the ways she's ever wanted. But as the relationship deepens, small cracks begin to form-questions that don't add up, attention that feels less like care and more like control, and a presence that lingers a little too close, a little too often.** **When a series of unsettling events begins to blur the line between coincidence and obsession, Javlyn must rely on her detective instincts to uncover the truth: is Xeovon simply a man who loves her too much, or is he something far more dangerous-a stalker who will stop at nothing to keep her?** **In a city as beautiful and unpredictable as Seattle,** **Lavender Shadows: A Dance With Danger is a gripping thriller about love, obsession, and the fight to reclaim your safety, your peace, and your future.**

by Chance

Ain't No Shame in My Game: Mask Off — Book One By Chance At nineteen, Rain has been married for five years to a man she never chose. She has a secret plan to escape. She has money saved, and a date in mind. What she does not have is a reason to believe she deserves more — until Stormey. Now Rain must choose between the life she was forced into and the love that finally sees her clearly. Playing it safe could keep her alive. Walking away could set her free. But Entebbe does not let go easily. This is a preview: The Prologue and Chapters One through Three

by Chance

Ain't No Shame in My Game: Mask Off — Book One By Chance At nineteen, Rain has been married for five years to a man she never chose. She has a secret plan to escape. She has money saved, and a date in mind. What she does not have is a reason to believe she deserves more — until Stormey. Now Rain must choose between the life she was forced into and the love that finally sees her clearly. Playing it safe could keep her alive. Walking away could set her free. But Entebbe does not let go easily. This is a preview: the Prologue and Chapters One through Three. The full book is coming soon.

by Angela Waters

Aerion Willowisp can hear the voices of the dying. Scarred by a forbidden ritual that stole her family and shattered her first bond, Aerion has found a fragile purpose as a Whisperwind Healer in Starfall Citadel. But when the dying ember sealed inside her chest begins to awaken, she discovers that her wounds conceal something far more dangerous than magic. She is the vessel named in a forbidden prophecy, one that could raise a Fae monarch to unimaginable power or bring down the celestial engine sustaining the citadel. Now rival courts are closing in, each promising protection while seeking to claim Aerion’s body, her power, and the fate of every kingdom beneath the falling stars. Then High Lord Briar Dainnhal recognizes the fated bond between them. His fierce devotion could protect Aerion from the courts, but his possessiveness threatens to become another kind of cage. To survive him, the prophecy, and the rulers who would turn her into a weapon, Aerion must learn the difference between surrender and trust. Because the courts believe her destiny belongs to them. They have yet to discover what happens when a healer refuses to be sacrificed.

by Miracle okpa

L‌ove has a pri⁠ce. But some bargains cost more t‍han a lifetime. Amelia‍ has always believed that love, lo​y‍alty,‌ and sac⁠rifice⁠ are enough to b​u‍ild a happy life. But when‌ financi‍al rui‍n threatens‍ to destroy everything‍ she and th‌e man‍ she​ loves have wo‍rked for, desp‌e‌ra​tion pushe⁠s her into a decisi‌on she never imagined m​aking.\ ‌\ Enter Ki‌ng Kael Draven, th‍e mos⁠t feared a‍n⁠d⁠ w‌ealthies​t Alpha i⁠n the supernatura⁠l world. Ruthless, poss⁠essi‍v​e, and dang​erously handsome, Kael is a man who has never bee​n denied anyth⁠in​g​ h⁠e desires. When he encounter‍s Amelia, he becomes obses⁠sed with po‍s‌sess‌in​g her. He ma​kes her an o‍ffer that coul​d solve all he‌r proble‌ms: one‍ n​ight with him‍ in exchang⁠e for a fo‍rtune that would change her life forever. Amelia r​efuses at first, disgusted by the​ p‌ropositi​on⁠. But with‌ e‌verythin​g falling apart a⁠rou⁠n‌d her, she eventually acc⁠epts the deal, convinc​ing hers‌elf​ tha​t one night cannot destro⁠y a lifetime of love. However⁠, the night change​s everythin⁠g​. The mone⁠y a⁠rrive‍s​, her prob‍lems disapp​e​ar, and the life sh‍e fought so hard to protect beg‍ins to crumble. Jeal​ousy,⁠ g​uilt, mist‍rust, and fo‌rbi‍d‌d‍en desi​res tur​n he⁠r relationshi‍p into​ a battlefield.​ Meanwhile, Kael r‌ef​us​es‌ to let her‌ disapp​ear from his world. What Amelia doe​sn’t know is that‌ Kae​l’s interest in h⁠e⁠r goes far beyond physical attraction. Benea‌th​ his col‍d exterior li‍es a secret​ connected to an ancient prop‍hec​y, a for‌bi‍dde‍n bloodline, and a bond nei‌the​r of the​m c⁠an e‌scape. ‌Wh‍en​ the truth fina‌lly em‍erg​es, Amelia m‌ust choose b⁠etween the man s‍he once⁠ loved⁠ and the ruthle​ss Alpha King who would burn kin⁠g​do‍ms to keep her.‍\ ⁠\ But can a‍ love that be​gins wit​h a bargain survive the weight of bet​rayal, pr‌ide, an​d destin‍y? Or will the price​ of one night destro⁠y them all? In a worl​d where power command​s everythin⁠g, will lov‍e be the one thing even an Al​pha King cannot bu‍y?

by P.J Perez

***La Monja de Andalucía: Umbral del primer misterio.***  En síntesis, es una obra conclusiva, con una atmósfera intensa y barroca que combina drama histórico, misticismo y una exploración profunda de la psique humana. La novela se sitúa en la “Era de Trujillo” y sigue el vínculo prohibido entre un hombre obsesionado y una novicia andaluza atrapada entre la fe y las fuerzas espirituales que exceden la doctrina. **La obra ofrece:**  una voz narrativa sólida y distintiva. Un universo simbólico potente. Una historia de amor prohibido con resonancia universal y      elementos de sincretismo religioso poco explorados en la literatura contemporánea.    Un cierre mítico que convierte la historia en leyenda.

by Claudia long

by Petal project

When a rabbit looses her party and her mysterious crest turns everyone away from her what happens when someone who falls from the sky and owns a calamity book called celicas embers and her crest starts to burn differently find out in this story.

by Petal project

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Victoria Broom the youngest at age five years old. Something happened in the process of a Woman who had given birth to them all. Then suddenly unexpectedly died of whooping cough. “ Mother , Mother,” Elizabeth Broom, did shout using all her might. Then left her siblings in to look on to mourn the body of the Mother loved so much .   Mr. Wrings, the town Doctor came to the house. Mother widowed trying to make a living after her husband Floyd died. He were a good man, a strong work ethic and owed no one in town. His death came after a long illness of poor circulation,( heart). In his sleep like Mother did, both very nice looking and smart. Above all else love our children as the lord our God has loved us.   The house turned into a funeral Parlor. They were both waked in the living room layed out in Pretty wood coffins.   Guests crying into handkerchiefs as they passed through looking on Offering their love for the family. And last respect for the Broom Couple.   Neighbors brought in food and they set up a dinner for those attending their funeral. The family Pharmacy owned and operated by Mr. And Mrs. Broom, both schooled in Pharmaceutical Sciences. All their family members out west on the Prairie of Iowa. They were living in Boston right now and loved it there. Their Grandparents were Farmers there and were notified of their tragic death. The Children are to go and live with them.

by Miracle okpa

Billionaire‌’s Bank:‌ A Tale⁠ of⁠ Power⁠ &​ Desire In a world of unimaginable we​alth, irresist‌ible passion‌, an‍d d⁠angerous secre​ts, love can be the most expens⁠ive gam⁠ble‌ of all. Caught b​etween two powerful men, one woman must n⁠a‌vigate a world of j⁠ealousy, be‍tra‌yal, ambitio⁠n, and for‌bidden d​e‌sire. Beh⁠ind their lu​xurious life​styles lie hidden truths th‍at could shatter empires and destroy hearts. As th‌e ba⁠ttle for love‌ an⁠d⁠ control intensifies, she discovers th⁠at money⁠ c‌an b‌uy almost anything—but never tr‌ue loyal‍ty. When pas‍sion clashe​s with power, who will win, and who will lose everything? ‍Billionair⁠e’s​ Bank is​ a thrilling romanc‍e filled with wealth, tempta​tion, suspense, and unexpected twists, where e‍very secret ha⁠s a pri⁠ce and eve‍ry heart has so⁠me​th‌ing to lose.

by Arowen rivenwood

**Love's Healing Redemption** is a gripping, emotionally charged **18+ mafia romance** that proves even the darkest soul can find the light. Valerio "Val" Ricci is one of the world's most feared mafia leaders—a man who commands loyalty through power and fear. But behind his ruthless reputation lies a broken man haunted by loneliness, guilt, and a lifetime of violence. When he becomes captivated by Zara Blackwood, a compassionate and resilient woman whose kindness shines through her own painful past, everything begins to change. Starts as a dangerous obsession blossoms into an unforgettable love story filled with explosive chemistry, emotional healing, heartbreaking sacrifices, and unwavering devotion. Val fights to leave his violent past behind, they dare to dream of a future built on hope instead of fear. They transform pain into purpose by creating a revolutionary recovery network dedicated to helping survivors overcome trauma, addiction, emotional suffering—proving that redemption is possible, no matter how far someone has fallen. But powerful enemies, old loyalties, and the ghosts of Val's past threaten to destroy everything they've built. To protect the people they love and the future they believe in, they'll have to risk it all. If you love **protective alpha heroes, strong heroines, emotional redemption, found family, high-stakes mafia drama, steamy romance, and unforgettable happily-ever-afters**, **Love's Healing Redemption** will keep you turning pages long into the night. **Because sometimes the greatest love story isn't about being rescued—it's about learning to heal together.** \

by R. D. Long

by TLMartin

Enemy forces have triggered a global war and seek to enslave the entire tribe of Essenes to guarantee world domination. Russia, with China and their allies are determined to take on the free world and subject it to the reign of a domineering country from the north. \ While operating out of an underground base in the Middle East, a Denver militia company successfully shields the sect until they can be safely evacuated to Israel. Lynn Marston, Jacob "Griff" Griffin, and Jimmy Westphal, owners of the Denver Militia Recovery Company. are hired by the Israeli government to protect the Essenes, a legendary sect once known as the Magi. A cult of people who could transform energy into physical objects by matching atomic vibrations as well as make use of the vibrations to control environments.  \ Driven by her feelings for her partner, Lynn Marston struggles to keep her attraction to Griff under control. After co-founding their company, the two watch their small partnership evolve into a tight-knit militia team that redefines their business. Throughout their missions, Lynn constantly re-evaluates her love for Griff as she balances high-stakes assignments with her personal life.

by Anie G. Ross

A pair of Christmas side stories from the Cairn-Gait Conservatory series in which Will, Gwen, and Tristan spend the holiday with the Vanes.\ \ Chapter 1: Gwen POV\ Chapter 2: Tristan POV

by Marilyn Q

When kingdoms whisper of darkness, they speak her name. Seraphina was never meant for a crown, but fate has bound her to a power both intoxicating and dangerous. Hunted by those who fear her and coveted by those who would use her, she must walk a razor’s edge between protector and destroyer. In a realm where betrayal hides behind every oath and loyalty is never certain, Seraphina must uncover secrets that could shatter empires. Allies wear masks, enemies draw close, and even her own reflection hides truths she dreads to face. To claim her future, she must embrace the shadow within—because only the Shadow Queen can decide whether the realm is saved… or consumed.

by C.Rae Thompson

Finding Sabrina   Book One of The Dripping Springs Chronicles By C. Rae Thompson   Sometimes, finding yourself means risking everything you've spent your life holding together.   Sabrina Hart has spent most of her life putting everyone else's needs before her own. She's the one people depend on, the one who keeps things running, and the one who has learned to swallow her disappointments with a smile. But beneath her patience and loyalty is a woman slowly realizing she's lost sight of who she is.   In the small Texas town of Dripping Springs, Sabrina shares a farmhouse inherited from her grandfather with Chad, the man she loves, and his family. Surrounded by familiar faces, complicated relationships, and the everyday chaos of small-town life, Sabrina has built a world around the people who matter most to her.   But love isn't always simple, and family isn't always easy.   As tensions rise, old wounds resurface, and unexpected revelations threaten the fragile balance of her life, Sabrina finds herself questioning everything she's worked so hard to preserve. Between a complicated relationship, family expectations, and dreams she's kept buried for far too long, she begins to wonder whether the life she's living is truly the one she wants.   With sharp humor, messy relationships, heartbreaking moments, and a cast of characters who are as frustrating as they are lovable, Finding Sabrina explores the complicated reality of loving others without losing yourself.   Because sometimes the hardest person to fight for is yourself.   Finding Sabrina is an emotionally charged adult contemporary drama about love, friendship, family, self-discovery, and the courage to finally put yourself first.

by C.Rae Thompson

The Dripping Springs Chronicles **By C. Rae Thompson** *Small-town roots. Complicated relationships. Secrets that refuse to stay buried.* Welcome to Dripping Springs, Texas, where the summers are scorching, the gossip travels faster than the traffic on Highway 290, and everyone seems to have an opinion about everyone else's business. Against the backdrop of the Texas Hill Country, *The Dripping Springs Chronicles* follows a close-knit circle of family and friends navigating love, betrayal, heartbreak, and the messy realities of adulthood. The series begins with *Finding Sabrina*, introducing Sabrina Hart, a young woman who has spent so much of her life taking care of everyone else that she's nearly forgotten what she wants for herself. As unexpected opportunities emerge and long-buried family tensions resurface, Sabrina begins questioning everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and the future she imagined. But Sabrina's story is only the beginning. As relationships unravel, friendships are tested, and secrets come to light, the people of Dripping Springs discover that the hardest battles aren't always with strangers. Sometimes they're with the people they love most. Filled with flawed characters, sharp humor, complicated romances, family drama, and emotional twists, *The Dripping Springs Chronicles* explores what happens when ordinary people find themselves facing extraordinary personal challenges. Because in Dripping Springs, nobody's life is perfect, everybody has baggage, and happily ever after isn't always what you expected. **An adult contemporary drama series about love, loyalty, second chances, and finding the courage to choose yourself.**

by Irina Stanislav

by Christina Farley

**"A high-action adventure with swoon-worthy romance and a mystery that will keep you turning the pages all night long!" - Beth Revis, *New York Times* bestselling author**\ \ **Your dreams are no longer safe...**\ \ Eighteen-year-old Aria Hale loves her job at her father’s dream therapy company where she enters dementia patients' dreams to save their memories. But when their lab is ransacked, two technicians are murdered, and her father is kidnapped, everything changes for her.\ \ Determined to find her father, Aria and her friends embark on a harrowing hunt across continents using the dreams of their enemies to guide them. But this dangerous journey plunges her into a world she never bargained for: deception, intrigue, and even love. As she races to save her father and hunt down her enemies, she soon realizes she’s in fact, the one being hunted. And her dreams are the greatest danger of all.\ \ In the vein of *Inception* meets *The Bourne Identity*, THE DREAM HEIST propels readers into a fast-paced adventure that will send them racing to the very end.

by Carly Davis

“He was her brother's best friend. That was the only rule. He broke it the night he stopped pretending he didn't want her.”

by Rachel E. Croxton

Simina, a poor girl in the small village of Lazera on the planet Zormonia, loves to read books. The stories in them take her to far distant lands and allow her to imagine herself in a different world, a different life. Her favorite things to read are fairy tales and romance novels. One day, she discovers an intriguing new book, titled The Dark Prince of Lazera. It tells of an evil, dark prince who possesses dark magic. She does not believe he is real, though the book says otherwise. That is, until one fateful encounter...       Certain events cause Simina's life to change in unexpected ways as the mysteries of The Dark Prince begin to unravel...

by Deniya Romanova

by Marie Tessier

*A field full of garden phlox and Russian sage spread in front of her. A quiet breeze picked up and brought the sweet smell of the blossoms to her.  She took a deep breath, then opened her eyes (“Where am I? How did I get here?”).  She slowly looked around attempting to make sense of where she was.* *The massive field rolled in every direction, seamlessly untouched, but still.*    *A flak of skylarks flew overhead carried by the breeze; she slowly stepped forward.  She felt the soft grass underneath her feet.  The landscape seemed to go on, as if it had no start and no end.  Just then she noticed a light shimmering in the distance. It was almost as if it was calling to her.  As she looked down, she noticed a path clearing through the flowers in the same direction as the flak of birds. She was sure it wasn’t there before.  She felt herself starting to move forward, as if the breeze was pushing her along the path. Up ahead in the far distance she started to hear faint music playing. She stopped and attempted to listen.  As she was listening, she noticed the sun getting closer on the horizon, filling the sky with soft violet and gold. Darkness slowly settled overhead.  She began to recognize the soft melody as she grew closer. Just as she stepped through the trees she stops.*        *As she stood there, she saw a white gazebo wrapped in twinkling lights.  She could still her the music somewhere nearby.  She took a moment and stared.  She felt a sense of calm come over her.  The place seemed to feel familiar to her, but she didn’t know from were.*      *Before she realized, she found herself walking towards the gazebo.  As she got closer, she saw a small radio playing softly.  Next to it was a bottle of red wine, two glasses and a picnic basket.  The bottle and glasses were sitting on a table next to the radio.  She stopped just at the bottom of the steps.  As she looked around in the gazebo, she saw a tall man with his back turned toward her.  Her heart started racing a bit, she felt herself calm at the same time.  It was as if she knew him somehow from a distant past.  She kept still, confused yet curious.  Her gaze fixed on him.  She started to climb the steps one by one, slowly.  No more then she reached the top step a piercing sound filled the air Beep. Beep. Beep.*

by Crystal Fontanez

Elena is a vampire girl from the Academy of the Arts of the Dead, which she dreaded arriving at. She had a hunting moment. A moment of despair; she had to feed her bloodlust. So she hunted the animals that ran amok in New York City's forests. The scent of elk overpowered her instincts. Blood sounded like it was pulsing in her ears, and no matter how far the elk was, listening to the heart pulsing blood through its veins made her go blood-crazy. She charged into the motion to sink her teeth into the elk's neck. The blood was hot like fire, but tasted scrumptious. When she was done with her feast, she dashed to the academy and bumped into a wolf: gray and with emerald eyes. What surprised her was seeing a wolf all alone in the area of the vampires, not the fact that it watched her every move. She tried walking past it towards the castle on the Academy grounds, but the wolf howled. Fear rushed through her mind. A part of her wanted to run and hide--yet she couldn't move whatsoever. It blinked at her, observing every inch of her being.  "What the hell?" she said, not noticing the wolf before her was her truest enemy. Yes, vampires and shifters hated each other since the beginning of time, which was the time of the Egyptians. Poor her soul was about to scream for help, even though she had never been scared of anything, not even of an Omega like this wolf before her eyes.  When she ran into the academy through the bar doors, the howling grew louder. But it didn't stop her from rushing inside and going to her dorm. There was a party in the next-door neighbor's dorm. She knocked harshly at the door and yelled, "Enough partying; some of us have to sleep!"  A shirtless vampire, five more inches taller than her, came out. "I won't end the party, but you can come for a little bit, virgin." Oh, he crossed boundaries just now. She raised her hand fast, swung it across his annoying, crooked-smile face, and slapped hard. It didn't hurt her, but it hurt him. She was powerful against any vampire she could manage. As she rolled her eyes, she entered the vampire's, an immature teenage boy's, dorm. When you can't beat them? Join them until they tire out. He made a slow motion to his cheek, not even rosy red from the smack to the face. Vampires don't hurt as much as a wolf's bite does: the shifters. Maybe that's what I saw outside, she thought to herself as she bit her bottom lip nervously. Something she usually thought went away when she grew up her fangs. Her mother was the vampire, and her dad was an unknown species he'd not rather speak of.  Her uniform was dirty; she needed to wash it tonight before school the next morning. Ugh. She sighed, thinking of the jerk who invited her inside his own dorm. What was his plan? She thought, rolling her eyes again.  Can she survive another day with these annoying vampires partying every Sunday? And who was that shifter watching her? The more time that passed, the more she realized time flew.

by Arowen rivenwood

She walked into his bar at forty-five and didn’t apologize for a single year of it. Nadia Thorne isn’t looking for forever. She’s looking for someone who can keep up — someone strong enough not to need fixing. Alex Vale, the vampire Reeve who rules the city’s nights, has spent a thousand years being worshiped, feared, and desired… and never once being *seen*. She doesn’t swoon. She studies him. And for the first time in centuries, he’s the one being hunted — by a woman, and by a hunger he thought he’d buried long ago. But Nadia wants something more than a dangerous romance. She believes the supernatural world can have real peace — and she’s willing to fight for it. She calls it the Crimson Accord: one treaty, every race, no more hiding. And she’ll build it even if she has to start in a vampire’s bar, beside a man who’s keeping secrets. Some bonds are earned. Some treaties are written in blood. And some queens rise when the moon turns red.

by Wren Moonveil

Branwen, a gifted healer of the Moonhaven Pack, never expected to fall for Kaelan, the powerful Alpha of their rival pack. Their forbidden attraction threatens generations of hostility, but an ancient curse binds their destinies together. As rogue attacks escalate, Branwen discovers her ancestors are responsible for the curse haunting Kaelan's bloodline. Determined to save their people, they uncover dangerous secrets and confront the dark magic threatening both packs. When breaking the curse demands a sacrifice, Branwen risks a piece of her soul to free Kaelan's people. Together, they defeat the forces behind the attacks, end the curse, and forge peace between their packs, finally allowing their forbidden love to flourish.

by Lucian Grimm

by Christoph Woods

*He wears the mask. She wears the badge.* Rookie detective Marcene "McGee" Summers didn't ask for the case nobody wanted — but it's hers now. A killer in a Guy Fawkes mask is staging clean, ritual murders across the city, and every victim has one thing in common: they hurt people the system couldn't touch. Abusers who walked. Predators who paid their way out. Every crime scene is a verdict, and the city is starting to read them like headlines. They call him Fauwks. He calls her... Marcene. As the body count climbs, McGee finds herself hunting a ghost who seems to know her better than she knows herself — a killer who anticipates her every move, who leaves her messages only she would understand. And all the while, she's falling for Thomas: charming, attentive, always there in all the right places at all the right times. The closer she gets to the mask, the thinner the line becomes — between hunter and hunted, between justice and vengeance, between the badge she swore to wear and the truth she's afraid to face. A thriller about the hunt, the mask, and the detective who got too close.

by claudia long

by Isaac Y Brooks

# TWIN PEAKS TWINK THROUPLE TROUBLES *An Ethically Sourced Romantic Disaster* Love is complicated. Love in San Francisco is expensive. And love in a throuple where everyone has a sustainability manifesto is a full-blown municipal emergency. Meet Gaius, Auberge, and Ruslan: three men, one relationship, and absolutely no ability to let anything go. A questionable avocado becomes an ethical crisis. A twenty-third birthday requires a memorial service for lost cheekbones. Fine lines are diagnosed as Stage Four Crow’s Feet. A prescription medication triggers an existential reckoning with the porcine industrial complex. And meeting the parents? That means navigating Sedona crystal evangelists, Russian borscht diplomacy, and a Texas barbecue patriarch whose Republican politics nearly bring the entire relationship to its knees. Naturally, the solution to every problem is a conference, a committee, or a resolution circle nobody asked for. But when these three attempt to plan a wedding that is emotionally sustainable, ethically sourced, and liberated from the wedding-industrial complex, they discover that even true love has its limits—and that sometimes the most radical act of all is eating the damn cake. Set amid the fog, fabulousness, and occasional existential collapse of San Francisco’s Twin Peaks, *Twin Peaks Twink Throuple Troubles* is a wildly camp, gloriously absurd comedy about queer love, performative virtue, family dysfunction, and the exhausting business of trying to be a good person in a world where even your sandwich might have questionable origins. **Three men. One throuple. Zero ethically uncomplicated avocados.** Some relationships need couples therapy. These three need a city permit.

by Jordana Faye

When Autumn encounters the enigmatic and devastatingly handsome Tristan Jordan in downtown Chicago, she quickly realizes he's no ordinary man—he’s a vampire, and he knows who she is. What begins as a chance meeting spirals into an intense and magnetic connection that neither of them can ignore. Autumn soon learns she’s been under surveillance by the vampire world due to her unique bloodline, which may carry untapped magical power. As she and Tristan grow closer, their bond deepens—literally. Through Tristan’s bite, their souls become psychically linked, giving them the ability to communicate without words and feel each other's emotions. But love doesn’t come without shadows. Tristan harbors secrets of his own: a dark past, a chaotic younger brother named Jaiden with dangerous ambitions, and a vampire world divided by ideology. As Autumn moves into a new house with her best friend Jade and begins a new college semester, her life shifts from ordinary to surreal. Vampire politics, ancient bloodlines, and supernatural threats swirl around her. Soon, she’s being stalked by Jaiden, who is obsessed with making her his vampire bride—or worse. As her mystical ancestry begins to awaken, Autumn is drawn into a deeper war: between light and dark, power and purpose, legacy and love. She must learn to control her gifts, guard her heart, and survive the pull of ancient forces that seek to claim her. In the final chapters, Autumn embraces her destiny—not just as Tristan’s beloved, but as a powerful force in her own right. She faces the Hollow, confronts her shadow self, and finds the strength to forgive, love, and transform.

by Lorenzo D. Strother

All his life, Tzuri has shared a dream with a woman whose face he has never known. They have grown together within it, as though the dream itself remembers them. Guided by visions, he embarks on a quest to reclaim the Four Spiritual Rubies of Virtue sacred stones holding the key to restoring balance across the realms. His journey tests more than his strength. Faith, friendship, love, and temptation shape the choices he must make as an ancient prophecy unfolds.  Dream of Dreams: The Prophecy Begins is a dark Christian fantasy weaving spiritual mystery, epic adventure, and a thread of romance into a journey through light and darkness.

by Lane Bellweather

Eden Walsh has ninety-nine problems, and the ridiculously handsome man turning her historic inn into a paranormal tourist attraction is quickly becoming number one. After trading corporate hospitality for small-town charm, Eden is determined to make Briar House Inn a success. But between demanding guests, expensive repairs, and a ghost in Room Thirteen who apparently refuses to respect checkout time, her dream is looking more like a nightmare. Enter Kit Wilder. Charming. Infuriating. Unfairly good-looking. And the owner of the ghost-tour company responsible for half her headaches. When a last-minute disaster leaves the town’s biggest Halloween masquerade without a venue, Eden sees an opportunity to save her struggling business. There’s just one catch: she’s stuck planning the entire event with Kit. Suddenly, her October calendar is packed with haunted history, late-night meetings, dangerously flirty banter, and a man who seems determined to make her forget every rule she’s ever made about mixing business with pleasure. Kit might believe in things that go bump in the night, but Eden knows better. The real danger isn’t the ghost haunting her inn. **It’s the man making her heart forget how to behave.** *An irresistibly cozy, deliciously spicy Halloween romantic comedy featuring enemies to lovers, forced proximity, a hero who falls first, and a happily-ever-after worth getting haunted for.*

by B. shock

Exiled and left to die on a hostile alien planet for a crime she didnt commit, alita is saved by a alien native who wants nothing to do with her... Or so he thought. \ `Xanadis...A world deemed uninhabitable by humans and made into a penal colony where deathrow convicts are sent to serve out the rest of their lives, forced to fight to survive or subcome to the harsh enviroment and fall prey to the many creatures that live there. `\ \ `After being convicted of a murder she didnt commit alita is left stranded on the hostile world filled with carnivorous plants, ruthless criminals, hostile natives, and bloodthirsty monsters. `\ \ `She comes to realize the world isnt as unforgiving and cold as it seems. She's saved by a native who dislikes humans as much as the next guy but shes intent on sticking by his side in order to survive. The only issue being is the last thing he wants is a pathetic, weak human girl following him around.`\ \ \ \ \ `(Limited time only read!) `\ \ \ ` (THIS IS THE RE-WRITTEN VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL STORY AND WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE TEMPORARILY)`

by B. shock

After crash landing on an unknown alien planet a female Xenobiologist finds herself in the company of two strange aliens after they kidnap her in the middle of the night from her ship and crew. luckily the two aliens have yet to show any signs of hostility but when their exploratory touch starts to become more intimate she finds her own sexual urges hard to resist. and being a scientist at heart, how could she deny a chance to learn the anatomy of a new alien species in the most pleasurable way possible?

by K. B. Thelusma

Rae has spent her entire life feeling out of place. Raised in the northeastern United States, the marine biology major has always felt an inexplicable pull toward the ocean and a persistent discomfort in her own skin. Now home for the summer, she’s about to discover why she’s never quite fit into the world above the waves. Rae is a hidden mermaid heir, and her golden tail is unlike any seen in centuries. But a legacy this rare comes with dangerous consequences. Both the Pod of Neptune and the forces behind Triton’s rebellion have reason to target her, thrusting Rae into the center of a conflict she barely understands. To survive, Rae must learn to control the extraordinary magical abilities awakening within her and uncover the truth behind her heritage. Her most urgent task is to release the ocean’s anchor before mermaid magic disappears forever. But as she navigates rival factions, ancient power, and a world she never knew existed, Rae begins to suspect that the conflict is far more complicated than it appears. The fate of mermaid magic rests on her shoulders, but the greatest danger may be the truth hiding beneath the surface.

by K. B. Thelusma

by Jay Venuto

Where You Cannot Stay is a slow-burn queer romance about love, displacement, and the risks we take to give someone a chance at belonging. Working together as interpreters in Doha, Iyan Morozov and Artem Karimov develop a quiet, unspoken intimacy neither is prepared to name. When Artem returns to Moscow to care for his seriously ill mother, their relationship is left unfinished. Two years later, Iyan is drawn back into Artem’s life when an exposed list of translators puts Artem at risk, and the U.S. State Department asks Iyan to help persuade him to accept asylum. Artem refuses to believe he is in danger, determined to remain in the country he calls home. As old feelings resurface and the stakes become impossible to ignore, Iyan must find a way to make Artem understand what he stands to lose. Their desperate gamble in the heart of Red Square forces a decision neither man can take back. Three years later, in San Francisco, Artem has built a new life, but the past has not finished with him. As he discovers that belonging is more than the right to remain somewhere, an unexpected reunion offers the possibility of healing what exile could not erase. A story about the difference between surviving a place and finding a home, Where You Cannot Stay explores the quiet courage of choosing love when staying may cost you everything.

by Isaac Y Brooks

Set against the polished backdrops of San Francisco, Carmel, Napa Valley, and Paris, *Bound to Both* is a sophisticated LGBTQ+ romantic drama and comedy that explores the quiet dissolution of a long-term marriage and the unexpected awakening of a second chance at happiness. Forty-two-year-old Jonathan Stern has built his life around routine, financial security, and the increasingly cold silence of his marriage to Elliott, a celebrity chef whose restaurant empire and Napa expansion have consumed his entire existence.When Jonathan's friend Michael introduces Martin—a broke, sharp-tongued French-Canadian artist with zero filter and a lifelong dream of seeing Paris—he is reluctantly pulled into Jonathan's spare bedroom as a temporary houseguest. What starts as an awkward living arrangement slowly thaws during a chaotic trip to Carmel and an unforgettable, dream-fulfilling week in Paris, where Jonathan watches Martin experience the world with a raw, joyful authenticity that he hasn't felt in a decade. But as Jonathan's feelings for Martin deepen, the boundaries of his marriage are pushed to a breaking point—culminating in a disastrous misunderstanding, an explosive confrontation, and a sudden UCSF hospital call revealing that Elliott is battling multiple myeloma. In the wake of a life-threatening diagnosis, long-hidden secrets about Elliott's infidelity come to light, forcing Jonathan to confront the reality of his past. Bound together by an unexpected and extraordinary medical sacrifice—and a frantic,classic rom-com dash through San Francisco International Airport—*Bound to Both* is a witty, emotionally grounded story about letting go of what has already faded and finally choosing a life on your own terms.

by Isaac Y Brooks

Juniper Reyes has a type: emotionally complicated men, questionable romantic decisions, and people whose birth charts suggest they should come with a warning label. But even Juniper’s deeply opinionated polycule, The Sanctuary, has its limits. Enter Reggie Vale: devastatingly handsome tech billionaire, human tax bracket, and an Aries. Their meet-cute involves lavender matcha, a ruined designer coat, and enough astrological hostility to trigger a collective emergency meeting. The Sanctuary is unanimous: absolutely not. Unfortunately, Reggie is persistent, Juniper is intrigued, and the chemistry between them is considerably harder to explain away than Mercury retrograde. Soon, Juniper finds himself swept into a world of private jets, extravagant surprises, and a billionaire who might actually be capable of loving someone beyond his own reflection. But falling for Reggie means navigating the friction between Juniper’s chosen family and a man whose idea of solving a problem involves throwing money at it. As the relationship deepens, everyone must confront uncomfortable questions about intimacy, independence, commitment, and whether an Aries can ever truly be trusted. Featuring a gloriously chaotic polycule, an emotionally indispensable lemur, billionaire excess, and enough astrology to make an entire zodiac wheel reconsider its life choices, *My Polycule Hates My Billionaire Boyfriend Because He’s an Aries* is a wildly funny romantic comedy about unconventional relationships, chosen family, and discovering that sometimes love refuses to follow the rules—even the ones written in the stars. Because the universe works in mysterious ways. And apparently, sometimes those ways involve a private island.

by Isaac Y Brooks

Featuring a spiritually exhausted Pisces, an infuriatingly attractive spy, international chaos, weaponized emotional unavailability, and enough questionable relationship decisions to concern several intelligence agencies, *OMG My Super Secretive Boyfriend Might Be a Spy… I Think* is an absurdist romantic comedy about love, lies, and discovering that sometimes the biggest red flag isn't that your boyfriend might be a spy.

by Jay Venuto

A man must come to terms with a tragic loss and navigate life with complex trauma.

by Ronnie Jensen

After her husband's unexplained disappearance, Alice retreated away from her life and into an isolated cabin in hopes to leave the past behind. Instead, she crosses paths with a charming stranger, Dane. As reality begins to fracture, she uncovers a horrifying truth.. He’s a calculated killer consumed by an obsessive belief that love binds them.  Drawn into a dangerous game of manipulation, fear, and desire, she finds herself questioning not only her own sanity, but the emptiness left by the man she lost. As the lines between victim and monster blur, their twisted connection spirals towards a confrontation that will leave only one question behind.. Which of them was truly the predator all along..

by May Moss

Darla Deeds is an average looking (some may say unattractive) accountant who prefers to live life as stable and logical as possible. Her only shell breaker in the world is her room mate and half-sister/ model Sophia, whom is outspoken, fun and just wants her sister to enjoy life like she does. One day Darla finds out she has won a trip to Scotland along with a dinner date with Knox Mackay. Reluctant, she goes on the trip and meets Knox Mackay. Knox feels refreshed that Darla is not the normal star struck fan he was expecting and enjoys their time together. Later down the road, something happens as a friendship is born and maybe something more. But will Darla tell Knox the secret she has been hiding ? Will Knox believe her ?

by Tre` Calloway

Joi had the ring, the man, and the plan. Then one night changed all three. Now she's done with love, but love, her past, and her family's secrets aren't done with her.

by Melissa Rovelli

This work was inspired after years of working in restaurants and wondering if strangers ever contemplate the lives of those who wait on them. If he or she chose to reach into that person's life, what would they find? Just another human being trying to make it in the world.\ \ I sought to create a modern tale of forbidden desire set in a culture that loves talk shows and coffee. It is a quest to find what is sacred in a society that hungrily consumes and tosses away people like trash. And the main character sets out on a destructive course where she must realize if anything is real and/or what should remain a fantasy. It is written as if it is in her diary.

by Melissa Rovelli

A woman with Asperger's Syndrome finds herself caught between the Mafia and the F.B.I. Her childhood friend, who became a defense attorney, seeks to help her, but when danger threatens him and his personal life, Finity is left dangling within the clutches of those who would use her. To make matters worse, she isn't sure where her loyalties lie and that could cost her life. But she is as unpredictable as they are and maybe they should have never underestimated her. It will be a long chase and she isn't sure where she is running to, but the shadows will never leave her behind.

by SOD

Prince Darius, Blood-Heir to the Dragon Throne, has spent his life mastering one command above all others: feel nothing. Bound by the rigid laws of the Dragon Line and the paranoia of his father, Darius knows the dark Void within him is a devastating weapon—but wielding it demands that he keep his soul frozen. Then he meets Mia Twilight. A fierce survivor of the Red Dunes, Mia fights with raw instinct, a dagger, and a stubborn refusal to bend before royalty. She is everything Darius has been taught to distrust: warmth, rebellion, and a fire he cannot extinguish. Their first encounter ends in blood. Their second may cost him his soul. When Darius, torn by indecision, defies his father, he places Mia and himself directly in the sights of the crown. To King Va’lerius, Mia is not a woman to be loved—she is a threat to the empire. Determined to purge her influence, the king invokes the Kal-kal’nor: a brutal royal gauntlet where ten lethal warrior women enter the arena, and only one walks out alive to claim the Prince’s hand. Now Darius and Mia are trapped in the king’s deadly game, where every woman in the arena is a potential enemy—and the crown has made Mia its ultimate target. Will Darius defy the duty that has ruled his life—or sacrifice the woman who has given him a reason to break it?

by Thomas White

At thirty-nine, Valerie Stewart is trapped—a dead-end job, a deadbeat husband, forgotten dreams. But then, she secretly earns her accounting degree, and something inside her shifts. Six months later, Valerie is single, living in a new town, under a new name, and building the future she risked everything to achieve. For the first time, freedom feels real. Until her ex-husband finds her. Now, the fresh start Valerie created is threatened by the one man she thought she’d escaped.

by E. L. Wood

**Sharalyn set out to hunt a monster. Bryson found her first.** Sharalyn of Bacol has left the safety of her elven grove in pursuit of a dangerous half-orc, half-ogre wizard who has stolen her people's ancient Relics. What she finds instead is Bryson of Gage—a blind human bounty hunter with a talent for magic, a troublesome sense of humor, and reasons of his own for joining the hunt. Neither expects the uneasy partnership that follows. Their search carries them through dangerous roads, ancient magic, and secrets neither intended to reveal. But somewhere between surviving the journey and learning to trust one another, something far more complicated begins to grow. **He was never supposed to find her.\ She was never supposed to trust him.** *Their quest began in danger. Their hearts became the greater risk.*

by Tazzsmatic

Tanja’s encounter with the mysterious Josh begins like any classic tale of serendipity a broken- down car, a stranger offering help, a spark of chemistry that feels too good to ignore. But what starts as a chance meeting on a moonlit road soon spirals into a web of lies, secrets, and dangerous allures. Josh's life is far more complicated than Tanja could have ever imagined, and when his wife, Trina, unexpectedly arrives, the truth begins to unravel in a way that shakes Tanja to her core. Josh's confession that he’s living a double life as an undercover agent leaves Tanja torn between heartbreak and the undeniable connection they share. But even after fleeing to paradise for a temporary escape, the shadows of Josh’s world follow her. And when a mysterious message arrives, Tanja is faced with a choice: walk away from the man she’s still drawn to, or risk everything to face the dangerous reality of his secrets. *The Choices We Make* is a tense, gripping psychological thriller where the lines between love, trust, and survival blur. Will Tanja be able to forgive the lies that brought her into Josh’s world? Or will the truth about the man she thought she knew destroy everything they’ve built? As danger closes in, Tanja must decide how far she’s willing to go for Josh, for herself, and for a future that may be darker than she ever imagined.

by A.M Isle

Breath of Celentra expands the world of Celentra, as the group makes their way into Paesuna. Ami's desert home, as much as she wishes to enjoy this moment, is coated in grief for Kathera. Ami must learn to accept her truth, even if it is heavy to carry.  Oliver has been in a coma for thirty days, with Sahora never leaving his bedside. The cost of reviving Kathera is piling. Will they pay it?  Lyrian finds his council needs change; he decides to focus on giving the people of Celentra a voice they have never had. Ready to remake the world, so when Kathera returns, it is the Empire she deserves.  Briar and Castor travel with Mydrn in 1575, learning the secrets that keep Celentra together and the laws that threaten to tear it apart.  Giovanna insists to Carlosa that the prophecy is a half-truth and begins searching the ocean for anything that can prove it.  A story about learning to breathe together even when breathing becomes impossible. Learning that to enjoy life, you must be willing to fight for every breath.

by M. leFevre

Prologue By Chance Boston had a way of bringing people together when they least expected it. Sometimes it happened on a crowded subway platform, with two strangers reaching for the same seat. Sometimes it happened in a coffee shop on a cold winter morning, when someone held the door open for another person. And sometimes, it happened in the middle of chaos. It was the kind of night when the cold seemed to settle into the bones of everyone walking the streets of Boston. The wind came hard off the harbor, pushing through coats and scarves, carrying with it the smell of rain and the distant sound of traffic. For twenty-two-year-old firefighter Jack Callahan, it had already been a long shift. He had been at the firehouse since before sunrise. There had been a kitchen fire in Dorchester, a medical call in South Boston, and a false alarm at an apartment building downtown. Nothing unusual. Nothing that would change his life. At least, that's what he believed. Jack had grown up understanding what it meant to wear the uniform. His father had been a firefighter before him, and from the time Jack was a boy, the firehouse had been almost as familiar as his own home. He loved the job. He loved the brotherhood. But at twenty-two, Jack still hadn't figured out what he wanted when he wasn't wearing the uniform. He was young enough to believe he had plenty of time. That night, after another exhausting call, Jack stopped at a small twenty-four-hour coffee shop not far from the hospital. He wanted coffee. Nothing more. He stepped through the door, still wearing his department sweatshirt, his boots leaving faint traces of rain on the floor. And that's when he saw her. She was standing near the counter, wearing blue hospital scrubs beneath a dark jacket. Her brown hair was pulled loosely behind her head, and she looked exhausted. But she smiled at the cashier. Jack noticed the smile before anything else. He didn't know her name. He didn't know where she lived. He didn't know that she had been working a twelve-hour shift at the hospital. He didn't know that she had spent the last several hours caring for people on some of the worst days of their lives. He didn't know that her name was Emily Parker. And Emily didn't know that the firefighter standing a few feet behind her would eventually become the person she trusted with her heart. She picked up her coffee. Jack reached for his wallet. And then, because neither of them was paying attention, they turned at exactly the same moment. Their shoulders collided. Emily's coffee tilted. Jack reached out quickly, catching the cup before it hit the floor. For a second, they simply stared at each other. "I'm sorry," Jack said. Emily laughed softly. "You're a firefighter. Shouldn't you be used to catching things before they fall?" Jack smiled. "Usually they're buildings." That made her laugh again. It was a small moment. Nothing dramatic. Nothing that either of them would have thought mattered. But sometimes the biggest moments in our lives begin as the smallest ones. Jack handed her the coffee. "Jack," he said. She looked at him for a moment before answering. "Emily." Neither of them knew it yet, but that introduction was the beginning of something neither had planned. A firefighter. A nurse. Two lives moving in completely different directions. Two people who had never met before that night. And one chance encounter that would eventually teach them that love doesn't always arrive when you're looking for it. Sometimes... love finds you when you're simply trying to get a cup of coffee.

by R.M Metzgar

For generations, the Order of Saint Lamar has trained vampire hunters to eradicate the creatures that prey upon humanity. Deandra is their most promising hunter. She has never questioned the Order, until she captures a vampire who refuses to kill her. His name is Allister D'Marco, an ancient vampire rumored to have slaughtered entire villages centuries ago. But Allister claims the stories aren't true. And worse, he knows something Deandra's elders have desperately tried to hide. The problem? Every time she gets closer to the truth, she gets closer to him. And every time Allister looks at her, he has to fight the centuries-old instinct to see her as prey.

by J. Rose Beckwith

She's hiding a limp. He's been hiding something a lot longer. Sloane Deshazo is the twin who never needs help and the outside hitter who plays through everything. So when the ache in her leg gets worse, she hides it. She forges an elevator pass, ices her thigh at 2 a.m., and keeps landing kills like nothing is wrong. Until the night she can't get up off the hallway floor. Chandler has been her brother's best friend since kindergarten, and he's the only one who noticed the limp. He's also the only person besides Sloane that Dashiell, a terrified rescue terrier, will walk up to. If Dashiell is going to pass his evaluation in March, Sloane needs Chandler on the training room floor every Saturday. He's been in love with her since they were five. She has no idea. And the promise he made her in the ER could cost him his best friend. Then chemo takes her hair and her season, and every kind thing Chandler does starts to look like pity. So she pushes him away. He shows up at 7:29 every morning anyway. The girl across the hall gave her a list of things sick girls don't get to do. Number seven is him.

by Nellie James

Every year, the Settlement chooses three people from the Foundry for the Ascent. For those born beneath the humming pipes, crowded corridors, and failing machinery of the lower district, being chosen means everything. The Ascended are promised a new life in the Reserve, where artificial sunlight warms immaculate gardens, food is plentiful, and the machinery keeping humanity alive is hidden behind polished walls. Eight years ago, Sera Dain’s older sister, Veda, was chosen. Before she disappeared into the Reserve, Veda screamed one warning at Sera: Don’t let them choose you. Now twenty-year-old Sera’s name has been called. Determined to discover what happened to her sister, Sera enters the Reserve and quickly realizes that the beautiful world above the Foundry is built on secrets. Medical examinations reveal information she was never meant to see. Ascendants are tracked by numbers no one will explain. A hidden designation keeps appearing in records connected to Veda: Ward Nine. And when another newly Ascended citizen vanishes shortly after arriving in the Reserve, Sera knows her sister’s disappearance was never an isolated event. Her only unexpected ally is Transition Officer Shaw, a young Reserve official raised to believe the Preservation Authority saved humanity and that the Ascent offers Foundry citizens a better future. At first, Shaw sees Sera as difficult, suspicious, and unwilling to trust a system designed to protect her. Sera sees him as another polished face of the Authority. The deeper they search, the harder it becomes for either of them to ignore what is happening, or the growing attraction between them. Behind the Settlement’s promise of order lies a brutal truth about the Ascended, the privileged families of the Reserve, and the world beyond the walls. And somewhere beneath it all, Sera’s sister may still be alive. **The Settlement** is a fast-paced dystopian fantasy romance novella for readers who love dangerous secrets, forbidden attraction, class divides, hidden facilities, and immersive speculative worlds, but don’t necessarily want to commit to a 900-page fantasy novel. Designed as a shorter fantasy reading experience, it delivers the mystery, worldbuilding, romance, and high stakes of a larger dystopian story in a compact novella.

by Mary Ellen Johnson

When disgraced social media influencer Maeve Mooney—whose greatest ambition is to marry money so she never has to work again—tumbles down an abandoned mine shaft that her daft Irish grandmother insisted was “magical,” she is transported to 1901 Cripple Creek. Thanks to the discovery of  rich veins of gold in what was previously a remote cow pasture, Cripple Creek has become Colorado's fourth largest city.  The District is home to overnight millionaires, ambitious entrepreneurs and hardworking miners who, thanks to the Western Federation of Miners, have created a prosperous life for themselves and their families. Maeve soon finds employment as a piano player, entertaining wealthy businessmen with songs such as “Rocky Mountain High” (which  won’t be written for decades), and ordinary workers at the Pick-Axe saloon, owned by charismatic union leader Ronan Doyle. Maeve is initially determined to stay neutral amidst rising tensions between miners and mine owners, but after she and Ronan become lovers, she champions the union cause. She believes as passionately as Ronan in the WFM slogan: **Labor produces all wealth. Wealth belongs to the producers thereof.** After a strike is called in Cripple Creek and across the state, Maeve works tirelessly on behalf of the strikers and their families. But Maeve knows how the Colorado Labor Wars will end. How could she not? She was raised on stories of the strike, and of the courage of her great-great grandfather, who almost single-handedly stood up to the mine owners and their stooges. (Another lie, which she soon discovers.) History books tell the actual tale.   The Wars end in disaster. The WFM will be eradicated; the miners and their families arrested, imprisoned and banned forever from the District. Cripple Creek itself will never recover.  And what will happen to Ronan Doyle? Maeve has a choice. Remain in 1904 Cripple Creek to witness the annihilation of her and Ronan’s dream--and possibly his death? Or return to the 21st century and a life without even the possibility of her beloved?

by Sissilia01

She thinks he's an arrogant asshole. He immediately thinks she's a stalker. At Weststar Elite Academy, everything is measured by status, power, and reputation. Everyone looks up to the Four Heirs...the richest, most powerful and untouchable guys in school. Sophia Miller is completely unaware of the world she has just stepped into. On her second week at Weststar, she somehow manages to walk into the boys' locker room and finds Lorenzo Calloway half-naked.... She wants nothing to do with him, and he wants her gone. But when the girl who was never supposed to belong in his world becomes the one person he can't seem to ignore... things start to get complicated.

by A.L. Nightshade

\*She was running from him when the bridge took her car.\*   \*In the middle of a brutal thunderstorm, Nikki's car slides off a rain-slicked bridge and into the river below. She was fleeing her abusive boyfriend — and now she's trapped in the home of a stranger who pulled her from the water.\*   \*Max is gentle. Patient. He gives her the space and safety she's never had. But he's not who he seems — and her boyfriend is coming.\*   \*A story about running, rescue, and the distance between being safe and being free.\*

by Christoph Woods

After years of living in the shadows as a cold, methodical operative known only as "the Ghost," Corbin relies on extreme isolation, precision, and zero human attachments to stay invisible and survive. His rigid routine breaks when his neighbor, Samantha, knocks on his door asking for food after her power is shut off. Despite his instinct to remain detached, Corbin opens his door, feeds her, and eventually offers her a place to stay on his couch. As she gradually brings warmth and normalcy into his desolate life, Corbin finds himself genuinely caring for her safety and well-being. Simultaneously, Corbin takes on a contract targeting Daniel Mercer, a corporate CFO with dirty books. However, his meticulous surveillance reveals that Mercer is merely a lure—and the dossier he was given contains deliberate lies. A secondary operative, "the Observer," has been positioned nearby not to take out Mercer, but to eliminate Corbin the moment the hit is complete. Corbin turns the tables, ambushing and capturing the Observer. Before sending the operative to his death in a disused furnace, Corbin learns that both contracts were orchestrated through a shadowy broker named Vance. Corbin discovers that Vance and his network have been tracking him for eight months—and worse, they have documented Samantha as well. When a photograph of Corbin and Samantha taken that very morning is left inside his locked apartment, Corbin realizes his home and the woman he cares about are directly compromised.

by Greg Runyon

Eli loved Anne the way a collector loves. He noticed everything: how she took her coffee, which way the plates faced in her dishwasher, how long she needed her silences to last. He wrote it all down in a notebook and called it devotion. What he never did was ask her a single question that started with *why*. So she left, gently, which was worse, and Eli added one more numbered entry to the notebook, because that was the kind of man he was. Everything was a sign to him. A song in a grocery store. A wrong number. Then, months later, a cardboard box arrived with no note: a worn stuffed unicorn, one horn bent, and a smell he couldn't name. A year after that, his mama died, and Eli went home to her house in the coal fields of Williamson, West Virginia, the house nobody has lived in since, the house that goes sad if somebody doesn't stay in it. He is thirty-eight years old. His feet hang off the twin bed. The pipes knock when the heat comes up, and he is learning, slowly, the difference between a knock and a message. He thinks he came home to heal. Then Anne comes to town. *How to Catch a Unicorn* is a grown-up love story about attention mistaken for love, the traps we build out of caring, and what it costs to finally set down the rope. It stands on its own, but if you know *Into the Light*, you already know these hills. The unicorn was never caught. It only ever chose.

by K Henderson

Theresa Walsh lives a peaceful life in a quiet mountain town, working alongside her loving adoptive mother Rachel McCarthy at their antiquarian bookshop. Her tranquil existence shatters when a violent squad of supernatural warriors invades her town, revealing that Theresa is the long-lost daughter and sole heir of Arthur Miller, the brutal alpha of the Silverpine pack. Arthur has spent twenty years waging a merciless war of attrition against his sworn rivals, the Blackthorn pack. While fleeing an ambush orchestrated by Arthur's treacherous enforcer Carl Whitfield, Theresa is captured by Blackthorn's ruthless alpha, Victor Powell. The moment their eyes meet in the prison cells, an undeniable fated mate bond ignites between them, shattering Victor's cold resolve and igniting a fierce, forbidden desire. Victor refuses to use Theresa as a pawn, provoking suspicion from his battle-hardened beta Donna Peterson. As Carl Whitfield schemes to overthrow Arthur and annihilate both territories, Theresa must navigate the violent awakening of her dormant wolf instincts. When Arthur captures Rachel to force Theresa's submission, Theresa and Victor form a dangerous alliance that blurs the lines between sworn enemies and destined lovers. Together, they must dismantle ancient blood feuds, expose Carl's deadly conspiracy, and claim their shared destiny before the supernatural war consumes everything they cherish.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Ruth unsure of what the future holds for her family. Grossmama said,” We have reason to believe your Great Great Aunt Jess Yoder may have been born with the gift. Of seeing unexpected things to happen in the future. And asked to be given the opportunity to share it amongst others.   First thing first, Ruth chose a lined paper notebook, and used an ink pen to start scribbling on it to achieve messages. Then speak out to those around her about someone from heaven visions of them. Trying to send messages to a person, loved one from beyond the vale. So many things are going on there a second earth unique place to live forever called eternity, seeing family members or friends. People who have died and you prayed too for comfort and support. Even sending messages through dreams and characters you remember . In details of your story during your life. Something about you and the person is truly inspiring almost remarkable.   And the notation of numbers , sequence of events, places or things. Most of all it has been with us our entire existence. Animals have evolved from cells of a favorite pet we may of had.   Something sometimes about a favorite piece of jewelry perhaps. Many times over a ring or locket. A favorite pin from work usually a male sign.

by Sammie Settlemire

For the people who survived me, shaped me, and kept me from losing my damn mind, and for everyone who learned life the long way around. Twelve short chapters of plain common sense: consequences are real, emotions are not facts, red flags are not decorations, boundaries are not rude, therapy is great but accountability is better, and nobody is coming to save you. Funny where it can be, honest where it has to be.

by Nani Benz

Melanie Moreno has spent her entire life cleaning up other people's messes, never expecting one job to change everything. Melanie finds herself drawn into a world of secrets, obsession, and dangerous attraction.What begins as a simple cleaning job soon becomes something far more intimate, and escaping may not be as easy as walking out the front door.... **𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞.**

by Jamaal Walker

**ALKEXVERSE** **Official Story Synopsis** **Genre:** Adult Superhero Fiction | Afrofuturism | Fantasy | Action | Drama | LGBTQIA+ | Spirituality In a world where extraordinary abilities exist beneath the surface of ordinary life, an unlikely family of superheroes must confront a terrifying new threat—one that cannot be defeated by strength alone. Jamaal Walker wants nothing more than to enjoy a Saturday afternoon with his lifelong best friends, Rey Edwards and Bradley Demerios. Between shopping, Bradley’s shameless flirting, Rey’s undeniable confidence, and Jamaal’s determination to finally get some pizza, everything seems perfectly normal. Until every television in the mall broadcasts an unexpected address from President Ronald Doge and his second-in-command, Vice President Lucien Voss. Their newly unveiled **Civic Harmony Initiative** promises national unity and public safety. But beneath the carefully crafted message lies something sinister: technology capable of manipulating human emotions, amplifying fear, and turning ordinary citizens against one another. When the mall descends into chaos, the three friends must become their heroic alter egos—**D1V0, Reyleo, and Wolfex**—to protect innocent lives and uncover the truth behind the broadcast. Their victory reveals a disturbing reality: the mall was only one of twelve simultaneous attacks. The following morning, Jamaal’s mother, Ann Walker, encourages him to attend Sunday service at The Creator’s House, where Pastors Naomi Grace Whitfield and Elijah Nathaniel Whitfield deliver messages about faith, compassion, identity, and the strength found in community. Meanwhile, Wolfie Briar prepares the church organ for worship, and Taylor Edwards embarks on his first official date with the captivating Karman S. Bulan, surrounded by his former wife, Mona, and their children. For a few precious hours, love, family, faith, and laughter offer refuge from the previous day’s horrors. But when an unnatural frequency emerges beneath the choir’s music, the heroes discover that Doge’s influence has reached even the sanctuary. Now, from the sacred halls of **Alkebulan Temple**, an expanding alliance of extraordinary individuals must unravel a conspiracy designed to transform humanity’s deepest emotions into instruments of control. As relationships deepen, secrets emerge, and the boundaries between faith and power begin to blur, Jamaal must confront not only the darkness threatening his world but also the complicated desires of his own heart—including his enduring love for the one man who has always stood beside him. Because in the AlkeXVerse, being a superhero is not simply about possessing extraordinary power. **It is about protecting humanity’s right to love, believe, exist, and choose its own destiny—even when the world demands otherwise.**

by Heiwa Akers

Penelope is a survivor. The last heir of a dying throne, she is whisked away to marry the man that killed her brother. Her expectations of being treated as nothing more as a trophy are turned upside down when she is treated with kindness and respect from her husband and his two brothers.  Adam, the second prince, never wanted to get married. He would rather spend his days as a single warrior prince yet a treaty between his home and a conquered kingdom forces his hand. He expects his bride to be a frilly, gossipy lady of court, yet he discovers she is broken but there is a warrior's spark within her, a spark he intends to light.

by Heiwa Akers

Out of the ashes of a devastating war, a broken princess and a warrior prince must forge a new legacy—or watch four kingdoms burn

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**“ Today I must be honest with myself to give Thanks for my good luck. True friends made along the journey of my life,” Jane said aloud in group today.**   **“To be honest I’m sure to defend the power of a few of these. And to say the least about this finding comfort in our Bible. Writing notes in it will make it easier to understand what is in my words chosen here.** **I listen to myself and others who speak the way I hear. Those chosen by God.**   **The peace felt today is a blessing in itself. Growing up into the body of Christ through the Mennonite,” Jane said.**   **Henry sat listening today and he had become perplexed by it all because his interest in Jane.**   **She looked around and saw him there listening contently. Her thoughts went back to the night they slow danced .**   **After guest speakers were finished. The discussion of their respective issues were brought up.**   **The question was brought up by a neighbor? “ What about a couples night with friends and respective dating partners. Maybe invite guests to speak about falling in love.**

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Something from the bottom of her heart is looking into another potential mate’s eyes. Had become astonishing in this moment of regards to her being in love with the man of her dream.

by Wren Moonveil

**A secret kept in the dark. A love born in the fire.** **Ava Carter** spent four years away from her small hometown, drowning in the grueling, high-stakes rotations of nursing school. She survived by focusing entirely on her career, trying to ignore the lingering memories of the boy she left behind—the one who watched over her the night before she left, promising he'd never run. **Jaxon Hale** is a rugged, dedicated career firefighter, the city engine station's finest, and completely untouchable. He's also Ava's brother's best friend. Ever since a devastating family tragedy shattered Jaxon's world, he's been anchored to the Carter family by a fierce, unconditional bond of brotherhood. For years, the boundaries were simple, strict, and safe. Jaxon was the protective older brother figure. Ava was the off-limits kid sister. But when Ava graduates and permanently returns home to Summit Springs, the comfortable lines of their childhood completely dissolve. A stolen glance across a crowded room shifts into a shared blanket on a quiet evening, a lingering touch, and an undeniable adult attraction that threatens to burn their entire world to the ground. They know the stakes. They know the rules. Sneaking around behind her brother's back feels like the ultimate betrayal of the trust that keeps Jaxon alive on the fire lines. But some fires can't be contained, no matter how hard you fight to smother the embers. When a catastrophic midnight emergency summons Jaxon to the front lines, the secrets are brutally exposed, forcing a fractured family to face the ultimate test of survival, trust, and forgiveness. Can a love forged in secret survive the heat of the fire? **Why readers are falling for this book:** - **The Ultimate Off-Limits Trope:** A deeply emotional, high-stakes *Brother's Best Friend / Best Friend's Sister* contemporary romance. - **Pure, Agonizing Slow Burn:** Years of hidden pining, emotional long-distance texts, and intense mutual protection that makes the eventual intimacy completely explosive. - **High-Stakes First Responder Action:** Authentic, detailed descriptions of life-or-death nursing rotations and grueling firefighting simulations that will leave your heart pounding. - **Complete Family Healing:** A powerful, mature focus on male friendship, unconditional brotherhood, and earned forgiveness. *Contains a guaranteed, unburdened Happily Ever After (HEA) with no cliffhangers.*

by J.L.K. Taylor

In 1979, Jason Beannú Elias was playing dive bars in Reno, Nevada. He had no idea he was about to become one of the most powerful beings in the world.\ \ Neither did the four men beside him. The ones who would become his Brotherhood, his warriors, his brothers in the truest sense of the word. To the world, they were just a hard rock band called Battle Cry, five musicians with more talent than anyone had a right to. To an enemy who had been anticipating their generation for nine centuries, they were something far more dangerous.\ \ All it took was one old man, one wooden box, and one night in a San Diego hotel room to prove it.\ \ Singer Connor Braydee couldn't silence the flood of voices suddenly crashing through his mind. Guitarist Ricky Strathan blinked and found himself across the room without having moved. Bass Player Erik Hahn touched a table, and it collapsed like paper. Keyboardist Nathan Dallenger burned from the inside out. And Jace — their drummer, their anchor — died on the hotel carpet, rose in a column of living light, and came back to himself with an ancient voice echoing in his bones.\ \ \*"You are the Guardian of Aelin..."\*\ \ The next morning, a man named Sidney Greene stepped over the door Erik had pulled clean off its hinges and began to explain what none of them yet had words for. Five musicians. Five titles older than any nation they had ever played in. Five amulets that could not be removed until their work in this world was finished.\ \ They didn't ask for this destiny. None of it. But the world had been waiting nine hundred years for them to arrive.\ \ \*The Powers Bestowed: Origins.\*

by J.L.K. Taylor

In 1979, Jason Beannú Elias was playing dive bars in Reno, Nevada. He had no idea he was about to become one of the most powerful beings in the world.\ \ Neither did the four men beside him. The ones who would become his Brotherhood, his warriors, his brothers in the truest sense of the word. To the world, they were just a hard rock band called Battle Cry, five musicians with more talent than anyone had a right to. To an enemy who had been anticipating their generation for nine centuries, they were something far more dangerous.\ \ All it took was one old man, one wooden box, and one night in a San Diego hotel room to prove it.\ \ Singer Connor Braydee couldn't silence the flood of voices suddenly crashing through his mind. Guitarist Ricky Strathan blinked and found himself across the room without having moved. Bass Player Erik Hahn touched a table, and it collapsed like paper. Keyboardist Nathan Dallenger burned from the inside out. And Jace — their drummer, their anchor — died on the hotel carpet, rose in a column of living light, and came back to himself with an ancient voice echoing in his bones.\ \ \*"You are the Guardian of Aelin..."\*\ \ The next morning, a man named Sidney Greene stepped over the door Erik had pulled clean off its hinges and began to explain what none of them yet had words for. Five musicians. Five titles older than any nation they had ever played in. Five amulets that could not be removed until their work in this world was finished.\ \ They didn't ask for this destiny. None of it. But the world had been waiting nine hundred years for them to arrive.\ \ \*The Powers Bestowed: Origins.\*

by Ryan Strock

The Witch Who Read the Story Every Halloween   Every Halloween night, when the moon rose above the blood-stained land, the witch returned.   She was no longer the witch who had once walked the earth.   She was a ghost now.   A pale figure with dark, endless eyes, wandering through the old forest where her story had begun—and where her love had never truly died.   But she was not alone.   Sitting beside her on an ancient wooden chair was Noah, an old haunted doll.   Noah had belonged to the witch for longer than anyone could remember. His porcelain face was cracked, his clothes were faded, and sometimes, when the moonlight touched his eyes, it seemed as though he was watching something that no living person could see.   Every Halloween, the witch opened an ancient book.   Inside was the story of Ryan and the Witch.   The story of a man who had loved a witch.   The story of a terrible night.   The fire.   The curse.   The blood-stained land.   And the strange magic that had released the witch from the world of the living while leaving the love between them behind.   The witch would read the story aloud to Noah.   And every year, she reached the same words:   "The curse disappeared... but the love remained."   Noah would slowly turn his porcelain head toward her.   "Why do you read it every year?" he would whisper.   The witch would stare toward the dark forest.   "Because I am afraid that one day, I will forget him."   But she never did.   Somewhere beyond the trees, Ryan's ghost wandered too.   He had grown old and died on the cursed land, yet death had not freed him from the love that bound him to her.   Every Halloween night, he searched for her.   And every Halloween night, the witch searched for him.   They were always close.   But the curse had one final cruelty.   They could hear each other.   They could feel each other's presence.   But they could never see one another.   Until one Halloween, Noah closed the book.   The witch looked at him.   "You've never done that before."   Noah's cracked porcelain face smiled.   "Because this isn't the ending."   The candle beside them suddenly went out.   The forest became completely silent.   Then the witch heard something behind her.   A voice she hadn't heard for hundreds of years.   "You never forgot me."   She slowly turned around.   For the first time, Ryan's ghost stood beneath the Halloween moon.   The curse had finally broken.   Not because the land was cleansed.   Not because the fire was forgotten.   Not because the past had disappeared.   It broke because the story had been told so many times that the love inside it became stronger than the curse itself.   The witch dropped the book.   Ryan stepped toward her.   And Noah, sitting quietly in his old wooden chair, watched as the two ghosts finally found each other.   The witch picked up the book one last time.   She looked at Noah.   "Perhaps we don't need to read it anymore."   Noah's glassy eyes blinked.   "Perhaps not."   The witch smiled.   "But every Halloween..."   She looked toward Ryan.   "...we will remember."   And from that night forward, the old haunted house was never empty again.   Every Halloween, candles appeared in the windows.   A woman's voice could be heard reading an old story.   A man's laughter sometimes echoed through the forest.   And in the attic, an ancient doll named Noah sat beside the window, watching the moon.   Because some stories are written in ink.   Some are written in blood.   But the oldest stories of all...   are written in love.   And once a love like that becomes a ghost,   even death cannot make it disappear.

by The Story Haven

Desperate to avoid her family's judgment, Simone hires a fake boyfriend for her cousin's wedding, only to find herself blocking a stranger's path at the airport with a three-hundred-dollar offer. He agrees instantly, a little too easily, to play the part of Marcus, her perfect partner for the weekend. But as they navigate the treacherous waters of family expectations and a meticulously planned wedding, Simone quickly realizes her charming, mysterious plus-one might be hiding more than just his real identity. His sudden tension upon arriving at the venue, and his unsettling familiarity with the groom's family, hint at a deeper, more dangerous connection. Simone wanted to escape her own drama, but has she just walked into someone else's elaborate scheme?

by Olivia Maybrooks/Rachel Montgomery

Denson Bowing is hard at work on the farm when an unexpected and unwanted visitor arrives, throwing a monkey wrench in all of his plans. Plum Dahling, a photographer from California, shows up on his door step, not wanting to cause trouble, but seems to be the thorn in his side. Only time will tell how the their lives innertwine in this sweet country love song come to life.  This story was inspired by rural Mississippi, where I live, and the sweet country love songs I heard while growing up. I hope this story gives you the cozy souther comfort of a warm homemade apple pie and tall glass of iced sweet tea.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The sign set in stone,” Those who reap what they’ve sown may return to common ground.”**   **This large rock depicts the life in these corridors of the scenic landscape.**   **They both stopped to admire. Then grabbed a free pamphlet to read . Very interesting indeed to read about this topic of mystical life.**   **Further on smoke rings did dwell from the chimney. A small rock and mortar house built right into the side of the hill.**   **Something of common ground be small lady white haired. A fairy looking piece of specimen. Her hand goes up to a friendly wave.**   **Her basket she carries full of wild berries. “ God Brengt Veel.” ( God brings much.)**   **“Zah he shall flourish in the presence of a midst which will bring pure happiness,” Martha Ann says smiling back at the old lady.**   **“ To bring beauty to the family table is sacred and I am grateful to be apart of it,” Adrian replied wholeheartedly.**   **She invited them both in to visit drink hot tea or coffee. Entering into a room so pretty and quaint. Lots of house plants to look upon as pretty nature. A lovely table and chair set sat waiting to be sat at .**   **Each tea cup details are blue bells painted on each cup. “If you tip them up into the light you’re bound to see a pretty seashell.**   **“How absolutely lovely,” they crooned with delight. “And the tea tasty as ever. “**   **Fine chocolates set upon the table to enjoy. They too shaped into a shell. Tasty , oozing of dreamy creamy cream. Beside each tiny plate a white napkin.**   **Then Addy was her name Addy Esh the Grossmama. Her tiny husband has a beard long to his belly dark gray. Wearing spectacles, a sharp look to him. He wore an off white, wide brimmed hat . Big brown eyes, hard worked hands . “ Hallo to all you look familiar to me whys that do you think?”**   **The Mrs. Says they are Burkholders family see how they looked. “ He quickly agreed with her.”Awe yes your Grosspapa was in school with me many years ago.” He began to laugh covered his mouth using Hankey and coughed. “ There i have found pleasure in your presence of treasured flowers from the old days to today.”**   **“ We shall tell them all about you both gut tempered to be sure.”**

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**For some reason my past has led me to a peace trail . Noted for being tranquil with nature. Thanks to a large number of Mennonite people who came to live and settle the area.**   **Far beyond fairytales of life to be seen as a part of this trail to walk or hike. Is supposed to have magical places of worship. Relishes of altars to stop at and pray if you desire too.**   **Martha Ann Burkholder, Mennonite young lady of twenty six . Blonde , green eyes, tall like her Ma’am . Very pretty, kind ready for a day of God.**   **Her Schwester Adrian , a few years ago younger . Tall, auburn hair like Dats was . Her eyes green like emeralds and freckles lots of them. Her soft spoken voice is heard right away when first you meet.**   **They gained entrance into the Prairie, Park side . Beautiful as it was maintained by a large wooden bridge met you at a gate.**   **A tremendous view of a meadow There waiting untouched by man. Smells of daffodils hit your nostrils**  **Right away. Submerged in a bath of sweet aroma . My favorite part is when you can smell it .**   **Today both young ladies were wearing modest dresses made from athletic stretchy fabric , tennis shoes called water shoes. Large dark gray back packs over the shoulders. Their thick hair drawn up in a bun. Wearing a lace Bobbi pinned daube across the top of the hair.**   **Right off finding nests with eggs so still upon a bow low on a tree limb. Each had a cell phone and started taking pictures of it all.**

by Nicholas Scott

If you listen to Aiden Pike all he wanted to do was try kissing a guy. Cody Beaumont is dubious, though certainly not hesitant. After that first kiss, all he wants is more. Then there's Ashton Prince, the perfect guy, some might say too perfect. Putting their hearts on the line is the last thing they expected.

by Belle

WARNING: This story contains themes of domestic abuse, loneliness, torture, and love.     Life must go on when Ariana Vernan's parents pass away, even if it means moving to a new country and leaving old memories behind.   Unaware of the monsters in disguise she calls family, Ariana begins to suffer abuse from her three brothers behind closed doors.   Whether at school, where no one knows her, or at home, where she's abused, Ariana lives under a fake identity, Apple Rye, and leads a lonely life.   But when she has to share a room with Roman Vault, the principal's son and her brother's best friend, on a school trip, could it change her life forever?

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The most valuable asset of a relationship is a person to whom we are connected to. This special bond between ourselves is a gift to our selves. Thinking of a future together is cozy and intimate. Those valuable moments will always remain a special part of us.**   **Behind every successful person is true love . A large portion is a blessing to us all. I’m talking in behalf of all of you who love to be loved.**   **Many blessings go out to all those around us looking forward to finding love . I hope the love bug gets you next.**   **Though it may take time true love is the key to happiness and your love will always have a special place.**   **Church is always there for love relationships. Singers bring dating each other easier . Choosing a partner to date is always hard. They may not feel the same about you. Then is when praying to the love Angel of God helps transpire someone to love.**   **It helps to be set up with another man or lady Mennonite. There is something about being attractive to someone who you want to be intimate with.**   **The excitement of getting a relationship started is so intense you can’t imagine it without feeling something special. An emotional connection is what makes a relationship. Last the man gives you a note asking for you to date him only .**

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 Chrystie Kilbourn-Terry

In mist-shrouded Raven Hollow, Evelyn Blackwood runs her grandmother’s apothecary while enduring the town’s suspicion of her family and its old magic. When mysterious relics begin to disappear, Lucas Stone, the town’s new sheriff and secret wolf-pack leader, becomes a target of suspicion despite his determination to protect the people he serves.\ \ Forced together by the growing threat, Evelyn and Lucas uncover a dangerous connection between the stolen objects, the town’s buried bargains, and secrets neither of them can ignore. As old grudges rise, trust frays, and their attraction deepens, they must decide how much they are willing to risk to save Raven Hollow, the pack, and each other before the past claims them all.

by J. Magdaleno

This series tells the story of Shattered Myths' antagonists. It fills the gap between chapter 1 and chapter 2 of Shattered Myths Book One: Broken Worlds

by Diann Cabler

**Three aging sisters live together in a comfortable little Southern neighborhood where everybody knows everybody. Then a mysterious older man moves into the house directly across the street. He doesn't wave or smile. He doesn't appear to own a TV, a dog, or even a sense of humor** **Most importantly, he doesn't seem to like them. Naturally, the Bellamy sisters find this completely unacceptable.** **Vivian, 78 is the oldest and absolutely refuses to behave like it. She is glamorous, flirtatious, dramatic, and convinced that men have been falling in love with her for decades. Whether they actually did is debatable. She has a weakness for handsome men, expensive perfume, and telling stories in which she is always the heroine. Her favorite phrase is: "Honey, I've still got it." Her sisters aren't entirely convinced.** **Martie, 74 is the practical one. She is outspoken, opinionated, stubborn and convinced that everybody needs to be told the truth whether they asked for it or not. She has a heart of gold, but the bedside manner of a chainsaw. She is a wonderful cook and takes enormous pride in feeding people. Martie becomes convinced that the man's problem is simple: "He ain't had a decent meal since Eisenhower was president." She makes it her personal mission to feed him.**  **Lou, 68 is the youngest of the sisters. She is funny, slightly odd, talks to animals, and has a collection of things that are "probably haunted." She gives everyone ridiculous nicknames based on what she thinks they look like, not what their actual names are.** **Art Caldwell, a 79 year old widower moved in across the street. He's grumpy, private, and does not socialize, and he particularly does not want visitors.**  **And he has made it abundantly clear that he doesn't need anybody. Naturally, the sisters immediately decide that this means he desperately needs somebody.** **Art isn't mean. He's simply shut himself away, since his wife died several years earlier. He has a daughter whom he hasn't spoken to in years. He moved to this town because he wanted to disappear. He believes if he doesn't get close to anyone, he can't lose anyone.** **The sisters don't know any of this at first. They only know: The man is a grouch. And they intend to fix him.**

by Laueriano Alvarado

(Draft import — author to rewrite.)

by Laueriano Alvarado

Ten year old Nia Johnson grew up listening to her parents fight through the thin walls of their two bed room low income apartments on the Cocoa's East Side ..In the beginning her young life felt like a nightmare She would be afraid of her father's explosive temper After several times witnessing her father abuse her mother.Until one they had a fight and then the next morning they were at the breakfast table acting as if last night never happen. She would grow up and begin dating .Not knowing what true love really was. She would mistake possessiveness with ginuine attraction.Abuse with love and disrespect with adoration.The miseducation from her younger years made her believe that if a man didn't hit her he didn't love her and if he didn't disrespect her she wasn't attractive She would seem to attract men with violent characteristics like her father. She would bounce from one toxic relationship to the other. Then she met an older woman who had been a former victim of such abusive companionship.This woman would guide Nia in her reeducation of what true love looked like. She would regain her dignity and then vow to never be that lost soul again who allowed a man to control her with disrespect and abuse .She would go on to become an advocate for younger and older women who were caught into the webs of toxic and abusive relationships.  Come with Laueriano Veluchi on a tour inside the psychiatristry of families who suffer from such disfunction.Understand the misguidence both young girls and boys are victims of while growing under parents who maintain toxic companionships.Understand that the concepts of love and loyalty are not gained by our free will but are systematically imbedded in our mind unconsciously.  This book is dedicated to the survivors of domestic violence And every woman who grew up learning the misconception of love ..This is also for the woman who refound herself .

by Nicholas S. Gonzalez

One raised by Orcs, the other a prince of Atlantis.  Two different men on two different journeys to determine thier destinies. Which will shape the world of Paradawnia, forevermore.

by Tony Olson

Dr. Mariah White is a gifted trauma surgeon accustomed to saving lives in the controlled chaos of an operating room. Victor Flemming has spent his life saving them in the unforgiving Adirondack wilderness. When Mariah steps away from medicine to train in search and rescue, their worlds collide. What begins as a clash between two stubborn professionals becomes something neither expected as danger, survival, and the mountains themselves force them to depend on each other in ways that could change both their lives forever.

by Rhea Winter

He was never supposed to love her.\ She was never supposed to survive him.  An epic romance that defies fate itself... \ Claire Halloway came back to Clearwater to escape her past. \ Instead, she found him. \ Damien is everything she should stay away from—mysterious, impossibly beautiful, and surrounded by secrets that seem to grow darker every night. Yet from the moment their eyes meet across the mist-covered lake, Claire feels something she can't explain. \ Something ancient.\ Something familiar.\ And something dangerously close to love. \ Then she discovers the truth.\ Damien isn't human. \ He's a vampire—and he's spent centuries fighting the hunger inside him. But when a ruthless woman from his past returns, determined to reclaim him, Claire becomes the one thing Damien cannot afford to lose. \ Because something else has awakened in Clearwater. \ The lake is whispering her name.\ The oldest families are hiding a centuries-old Covenant. \ And beneath the moonlight, Claire is beginning to remember a destiny that was written in blood long before she was born. \ They call her the Crimson Heir.\ Now Damien must choose between the woman he loves and the darkness that has waited centuries to claim her. \ Because some love stories are written in the stars. \ Others are written in blood.\ And when the lake remembers Claire's name, there will be no escaping what comes next.

by Stories by Irish

Syrena Lakewood and Warren Clarke are literally polar opposites. She from the aristocratic Spellcasters, the Lakewood Family and he from the nomadic tribes of the Tear'ani. She is meant to be a bargaining chip to obtain some beneficial marriage. He is the next Cavino of his tribe, specifically chosen by his predecessor and the Shevaros. Even their magic is considered incompatible... she being the strongest water elementalist and he the strongest fire elementalist in their respective families and academy houses. They are both in their final year of classes, too.  And this year will be their most difficult yet as they discover they are expected to get married, even while still in school. Where they will be watched like vultures by enemies that want to see them fail.

by Dani Ashford

Rosalie Carlisle spent years believing Nolan Devereaux vanished without a word. He didn’t. Before graduation, they shared an impossible glimpse of a future neither could explain. Then Nolan disappeared, leaving behind a confession Rosalie never received. Someone made sure she never saw it. Years later, Nolan returns, and the secrets buried between them begin to surface. Hidden letters. Family betrayal. Missing pieces of the past. And truths dangerous enough to turn Rosalie’s life upside down. The deeper she digs, the less she knows who to trust. Then everything goes wrong. Now Rosalie is running, Nolan is tied to questions she never knew to ask, and the past they thought was over is coming after them both.

by Hollis Wilkinson

In 1807 Charleston, history is full of secrets. Some were lost to time. Others were meant to disappear. For generations, there have been people who believe the truth should survive—not only wars and famous names, but ordinary lives history forgets. Letters. Journals. Ship records. Names in margins. Proof that someone lived and mattered. They are known simply as Keepers. And there have always been others who believe some truths are better hidden, altered, or destroyed. Obscura. Neither is simple. A preserved truth can change history, but it can also destroy a family or endanger someone still living. For sixty-five years, Henri Ravenel has lived with that burden. Then an old clock in Ravenel House begins ticking after years of silence. A hidden message points to a missing page. Records stop matching. A trusted clockmaker disappears. Then Henri vanishes. His granddaughter Vivienne intends to find him. Charleston knows Vivienne as a beautiful young woman who asks too many questions. It does not know she is Sea Kestrel, captain of her own vessel. Following Henri’s trail takes Vivienne from drawing rooms to dangerous waters, through altered records, false identities, buried names, and lives deliberately removed from history. Lieutenant Alaric Ashford is searching too. He is intelligent, controlled, dangerously observant—and getting far too close to Vivienne and the truth. At sea, he is Blue Falcon. Vivienne knows. Alaric has no idea she is Sea Kestrel. Yet. As rivalry becomes trust and attraction grows harder to ignore, Vivienne realizes finding Henri is only the beginning. Because the mystery of the Lantern did not begin with her. Book One is where she begins to discover how far it reaches. *The Lantern Chronicles: Book One* begins a historical mystery of forgotten lives, altered truths, family secrets, dangerous waters, and two people hiding identities that could change everything. **Who decides what history remembers—and what it is allowed to forget?**

by Hollis Wilkinson

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Dat not able to get far due to his gout in the left foot. It had become so painful he road all around the farm drive a pony he behind and Dat in it. His favorite day-to-day activities giving others orders to do his chores. He had his sons do all the work proud as ever of their accomplishments.   For some unforeseen circumstances a lady just moved into the Homestead Hotel. She is living there as her apartment. She has her office rented next to the Veteran Clinic. And her expertise in healing animals and people. After moving into her new office, putting the finishing touches on. A small library there of natural healing techniques. Teas, poultices, and praying to heal, blessing your soul out to the body. Rejuvenate the cells into the next generation. Helping to possibly change health issues forever. Ivory Stoltzfus is her name. Healer by Trade, healing touch based.   She is tall, femine, very smart about human nature. Blonde, green eyes, very pretty yet plain.

by Raine Laurent

Tori Michaels knows how to handle a PR disaster. As a successful public relations specialist, she's built her career cleaning up the messes celebrities leave behind. But her newest client, star quarterback Jaxon Reid, might be her biggest challenge yet. Jaxon is talented, arrogant, irresistible—and notorious for making headlines for all the wrong reasons. With his reputation threatening his career, Tori devises the perfect strategy to convince the public he's changed: charity appearances, carefully managed press, and a steady girlfriend who can tame his bad-boy image. There's just one problem. Jaxon thinks Tori should play the girlfriend. What begins as a strictly professional arrangement quickly becomes anything but. Staged dates lead to lingering touches, heated kisses, jealous moments, and an attraction neither of them can keep pretending isn't there. The more time Tori spends with Jaxon, the harder it becomes to remember where their carefully constructed romance ends and something real begins. Falling for her client could jeopardize everything Tori has worked for, but resisting Jaxon may prove impossible. Because somewhere between repairing his reputation and convincing the world they're in love, Tori and Jaxon stop pretending. Now Tori must decide whether protecting her career is worth walking away from the one relationship she never planned for—and the man who may finally be ready to prove that some risks are worth taking.

by BeautfilBloodBath

For generations, Marie has lived an ordinary life in the quiet parish of Oakhaven, never knowing that something ancient sleeps within her blood. But one cold night, a simple search for a lost lamb leads her deep into the forbidden Blackwood, where the fog rises from the earth and an immortal vampire lord waits beyond a rusted iron gate. Marcello Marinelli is no ordinary vampire. Ancient, powerful, and feared by creatures who have walked the earth for centuries, he has spent an eternity believing there are forces even he cannot control. Yet the moment he meets Marie, something buried deep within the supernatural world begins to stir—and the connection between them feels far too powerful to be coincidence. As Marie is drawn deeper into Marcello's world, she begins uncovering secrets about her ancestry, an ancient witch bloodline thought to have disappeared centuries ago, and a power hidden within her that could change the balance between witches, vampires, and shapeshifters forever. But her bloodline cannot simply be inherited—it must be **awakened**, and the key lies in something neither of them expected: a love written into their fate long before they ever met. As enemies emerge from the shadows and ancient powers begin to awaken, Marie must decide whether to embrace the darkness within her or run from the destiny waiting in her blood. Because some loves are chosen. **Some are cursed.** And some are **written by fate itself.** 🩸🌙

by Babetta

Short stories from our Moon Shadow Pack village. 🐺 The behind the scenes that Moon Shadow Rising didn’t show you, with sweet recipes, more found family energy and cozy vibes.  These vignettes are all based in the Moon Shadow packlands\~ with the characters you know and love, but are also stand alone stories on their own.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

A winter chill settled in as darkness came early at fourthirty in the evening. Those of us intrigued by wintertime think earnestly six more months of winter time. Something of a different perspective takes over directing your thoughts. Winter fun chores done early before darkness stays. Then of course

by Melissa Rovelli

Elias Ward is hired by a shady firm to watch his neighbor, Meret Linwood. He isn't told why.  The watchlist system is designed to: - Add names quickly - Remove names slowly - Avoid admitting mistakes  The problem is that she seems like an ordinary citizen and he is starting to fall for her. Is there a way out of this nightmare? If he protects her, he becomes a threat to his employers. If he keeps doing his job, he becomes a threat to her. If he quits, someone colder replaces him. He had never been in this predicament before. But now he needs to make a decision and fast, especially now that she has begun to trust him.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**Armond Yoder deputy Sheriff in town, found in the shuffle boot prints he made plaster casts off of. Molds to show the boot prints. Used to capture the moment while viewing other boot prints on a property scene if needed. Other photos of the Semi Truck believed to be used in the heist. A follow up to follow on its travel logs from the Dot. An opportune time for this to prove it had been part of the crime. Then maybe the drivers name. Possibly an alibi of his whereabouts at the time of stealing the cattle.**   **Then in between times of the day he was caught and followed by neighbors. Clue number one , where entry was found forced or not. Loading the cattle into truck to take to another location.**   **That’s what we are investigating now for the return back to the rightful owners. Then capture of the thief or thieves.**   **This all takes time yet how much time before it starts running out. Letting a thief slip away to another breakin to do the same thing.**   **A extremely quiet night followed more . To still outside a creepy , chilled the bone type where crime occurs. Even animals hushed not stirring. They also looked for danger. Equal strangers amongst themselves.**   **The Wisest of Owls paced in his favorite cave pondering his worst fears of thieves taking over their town. Monopolizing it to fit a ring of men involved in a fight against the good people taking from them. The farmers hard earned possession their cattle.**

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 Roger B

This book is about a private investigator that just so happens to always be in the wrong place at the right time. This Native American takes you from one adventure to the next in international crime fighting. Since each chapter is a different story, you'll experience different situations as well as learn about the countries that he visits and some of their historical facts. This really captures the realistic view of the story. Each case will make you want to know what happens next because ACTION is his middle name.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**Phelisha Yoder a larger than life figure in our country family. Though it had just come out she wasn’t at rest . How it came out is The summer house had been opened for guests traveling from out west to here. Relatives commuting in need of a place to stay. Faith Bontrager and James Bontrager had come together. Then go to set up a Mennonite church here a mile away. James is a Minister for the Mennonite community. Childless so far. Dat immediately offered the summer house to live along as they wished to. Building a church is a great endeavor to take part in. You must first see only god’s light and direct by the light in grace at your church.**   **You will see and hear many testimony’s from the people. Preach to them each one the same truths about Our God as possible. Baptism is a bridge to a journey of the life of the plain. Take it heed it as you decide for yourself. To carry good intentions in faith is a gift to a better future in god. Take care in knowing that we are devoted to a destiny in our life of the Mennonite or Amish.**  **Audubon county in an Iowa . A collection of a variety of local towns people who are very similar to each other. Beautiful countryside with great history of the region in addition to laws associated with them. Here has the list of measures required to ensure a living community standard for all firm believers.**

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 Chris Thurman

One man wants to find his family. The other wants to tear down his father's kingdom.  Arclin must work with the Revolt, a political group set on restoring the government back into the hands of Shifters, otherwise he may never have another chance to find his sisters again. The quest? Find the four lost Soul Gems of legend and use the power of the gods to bring from the past the one being who can turn the tide in their favor. A Dark Lord who nearly took over all of Jung-Mar. But can Arclin let this happen when his family died trying to keep this secret? Either he has to help the Revolt recover the Gems, or forever lose his chance to see his sisters again.  Meanwhile... Over 2000 years ago, Jha'dor goes through the Trial of Fire, granting him the ability to Shift into a dragon. But when his twin brother dies and makes him promise to go through the Trial of Power, Jha'dor finds himself in a dangerous situation. His father, the King, disownes him, blaming Jha'dor for the death of his brother and chases him out of the kingdom. Now he has a choice to make. Either learn his newfound powers and take his place as the next rightful ruler of the Drahl Kingdom, or live out his days in exile. A Word from the Author:  This story was inspired during a writing exercise while I attended a University Class on Tolkien's works. While worldbuilding, I got the idea for Jung-Mar and the inhabitants there. Think *Avatar: The Last Airbender* but the benders can shapeshift into their signature magical kingdom, with a worldbuilding lore as large as Tolkien's (just without all the made up languages). I hope you enjoy this world I've made. Keep in mind this is a work in progress and is subject to change based on where I was at when I wrote certain scenes.  New Chapters every Saturday.  My hope is to keep this free so readers can give feedback. So please feel free to comment.  If you want to discuss more or share ideas join me on my discord <https://discord.gg/v4HK82c9m>

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Olive let it be known Armond King is a widower . Who has been seeing Olive just those two connected with the same thing for a reason. She a widower herself both had no children yet.   Someone happened in between times. To decide how to worship. Anabaptist they are , yet must decide whether to join the church. They both had being married once before. Olive said she didn’t think it was necessary if one person in a couple had decided to not want to be baptized and marry without it. And I guess she must of said the wrong thing because Armond disagreed and didn’t ask her to date again.   Close friends and family questioned it when out of earshot. Yet neither of them were giving into the relationship again being indifferent towards the fact that both did not share the same beliefs.   Unworthy of the relationship between both of them. It was inevitable then to start a relationship with someone else who views things the same way as they do. A stand alone relationship would be more important than the other person who would not be.   Olive Bontrager, knelt down pulling unwanted weeds from the flower bed . Each bunch pulled out put in a bushel basket with handles. Between each pull of weeds thoughts of a day filled with joy for all who celebrate life . Everyday is another opportunity for us to share our joy to live life with intensity as it relates to another scenery in a new everyday life. This will be written in our daily routine journey wrote in my journal.   Something cleverly done a landscape by our lords hand made. Try as I must Grant Stoltzfus, ended up his end of the days work in the back yard of Olive Bontrager seen pulling weeds . “ Miss I’m Grant and I’ve been hired to paint your house trim.”   “ Please call me Olive Bontrager, and I’m so glad to meet you. Danke so much for your service. As you can see we can sure use the help the trim is bare from weather. “

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Kindra Bontrager( Grossmama, excited about winning first place. Sat down sipping coffee together eating donuts so delicious.   Tomorrow serving tomato pie, and eggplant pie. Grossmama very proud of her pies delicately made with the best cheese and ingredients.   In the meantime the authorities were looking into the possibility of a stolen recipe cards .   And it had been found out her recipes had been stolen. The lady from church arrested . For stolen property, fraudulent property and use of a recipe used to win a prize from another contestant there. Her honesty has been well documented for a valiant woman of the neighborhood.   Swiftly the Sheriff Deputy acted on the warrant and taken her to jail.   Kindra Bontrager, served the pies cold as should be for this particular recipe . Olive by this time joined Grossmama. Both looking on while the judges were tasting the flaky crust and the cheese, sauce and meaty centers .   Other contenders busy looking on while their particular cuisine was tasted.  Today more than ever the first prize needed for aprize money dowry.   The pies are delicious and greatly appreciated by fans of her baking. Soon there will be write ups about how she conquered best baker of the year. Her picture was taken to put in the Mennonite magazine . Then a cookbook planned to follow.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Grossmama goes by the name of Kindra Bontrager . Her table of taste testing has been done and awaiting the judges.   Granddaughter Olive Bontrager stood by her side . Somewhat nervous yet very happy they were here awaiting the taste testing. They finally sat down at the table waiting.   The judges looked seriously at each selection of food. Then taking a break to brush their teeth in the powder room. And drink lots of water. There ready to taste test more food.   A group of four Judges showed up at Kindra Bontragers table. “ Hello Kindra Bontrager, I see you have Carmal apple pie and Cherry chocolate cheesecake. Let’s have a good taste it sure looks good.”   They filled out their forms and left . The final card with her placement presented to them and ready to be read.   Ma’am walked up to talk Blue Ribbon first place Grossmama. Kindra extremely happy to be in first place.   They still had the entire week to prepare more baked dishes. She had to admit it was nerve racking. Waiting then wondering what now.   Then at home eating supper together. Ma’am said ,” Grossmama your son and I have something to say. Do you remember Shyann Esh , from Church? Grossmama she has stolen your recipes and won a first place also. Remember her and she stopped to drop off the heart association envelope to give to the donation? Her and Grossmama I still think that might have been misleading because it’s not being time to donate yet.”   “ My goodness I’m flabbergasted my dear , I feel my life is violated. It’s the worst feeling I’ve experienced in my entire life.”

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**For appearances only Ma’am stood by collecting old recipe cards are relics of reminiscing about baking or cooking in the Mennonite kitchens. Recipes are the pride and joy of their heritage.**   **“ What is so special about the lost recipe cards?” Marie Hershberger said,”I’m curious to know what the recipe might have been.?”**   **Ma’am replied,” Grossmama was entered in a baking contest. A secret recipe passed down from the Bontrager family. She miss placed them and what is upsetting the contest is only a week away.”**   **Nothing else was said then except Grossmama along with Ma’am helping her and daughter Olive. They bowed their heads in prayer just then around the family table.**   **Olive her Granddaughter, made way with boxes of old recipes from the attic. Dusting them off with a dust cloth, they began making their way through them. One by one looking at them was intriguing enough. Yet was it enough to find contest material?**   **Dat Bontrager had just finished Chores for the evening. “ I’ve heard Grossmama I’d hoped you’d of found the recipe cards . What do you do next.” His Dat following behind him. Grosspapa Bontrager said sorry fra ( wife) pray for you to find them or another favorite family recipe. “**   **Grossmama deep in thought at the moment. Looking serious at the recipes. “ I must have a recipe to make the tasting better than ever before tasted. Which makes the individual eating it love it. “**

by Marissa Michaelsen

Once the ultimate sacrifice has been made. Those left behind are given a choice. Move on and live, or seek revenge.\ Charlie plans absolution with the only choice she knows. Revenge or die trying. One target, one mission is the only way to reach her final goal.\ The question is: Can Charlie go at this alone, or can the help of her family aid in her conquest to put an end to the only person who has caused the loss of the one true love of her life?\ The Alphas are ready for a fight. Charlie is ready for death, no matter the cost.

by Tatum Rose Nolan

Darian Whitmore is the Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack and CEO for Whitmore Terra Acquisitions, the corporate facade that handles all of the Pack’s financial and territorial needs. When human financial analyst, Theresa “Tess” Beaumont comes in for a financial audit of his company, the life of cool, calm, collected control that Darian once knew shatters the second the wolf screams “Mate!” Now the only thing Darian cares about is how to keep Tess there.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The future held Homestead**  **Family tree right down the line. This is their Children’s, Children. That’s right great , greats now. Something about it makes you think of love passed on forever. Something between two people in love passed down the generations reaches them. The making of the children’s, children.**   **To their predecessors and parents, grandparents who were born into the family. Out of a love marriage they became the children. “ Come onto the little children and I will give Thee Rest.”**  **Norval Bontrager , Levon Bontrager, brothers , Karlyle Bontrager. Schwesters Lovina Bontrager ,Olive Bontrager.**   **Their parents Faith ( Ma’am) and John (Dat). Farmers and their expertise horses and growing corn and beans. Always attentive to our lord . Much respect goes out to them. Lots of respect for prayer, believing in blessings beyond measure. Marriage utmost cherished by all who are faithful to his word. Uniting the family together in a peaceful life bond never to be broken.**

by Babetta

Amara & the Locked Door is a short story set in the world of the Moon Shadow Pack — a sweet, magical tale about a curious four-year-old, a tiny door, and a pixie named Pinx. Perfect for readers who love found family, gentle magic, and the wonder of discovering something hidden.

by Jane Austen

At nineteen, Anne Elliot was persuaded to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a young naval officer with no fortune and no connections. Eight years later her vain father has run the family into debt, the house has been let to tenants, and Wentworth, now a wealthy captain home from the Napoleonic Wars, walks back into her life. He is polite, cool and, by every appearance, looking for a wife elsewhere. Anne, older, wiser and still in love, has to watch. Austen's last completed novel is her most tender, and it holds one of the great love letters in English fiction.

by Jane Austen

At ten, Fanny Price is taken from her crowded, noisy home in Portsmouth to be raised at Mansfield Park, the grand estate of her uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram. Timid, overlooked and reminded daily that she is the poor relation, she finds a friend only in her cousin Edmund. When Sir Thomas sails for Antigua and the fashionable Henry and Mary Crawford arrive from London, the household comes loose: private theatricals, flirtations, and a courtship Fanny wants no part of. She watches it all, and refuses to be moved. Austen's most serious novel, and still her most argued-over.

by Jane Austen

Emma Woodhouse has lived nearly twenty-one years in the village of Highbury with very little to distress or vex her. Bored, confident and certain of her own judgment, she takes up matchmaking, starting with her sweet, impressionable friend Harriet Smith. Her schemes go wrong in every direction. The vicar proposes to the wrong woman, a charming newcomer is keeping a secret, and the one person who tells Emma the truth, her old friend Mr. Knightley, is the last person she wants to hear it from. Austen expected that no one but herself would much like her heroine. Two centuries of readers have proved her wrong.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**“There was a lot to say except I didn’t think I could talk it hurt my feelings so much ,” Emily Yoder said . She sat down stairs and talked through tears and her handkerchief.**   **Vivian, sighed softly then said something.” He must know he’s hurt you too the point of tears don’t you think so?”**   **“ Richard Esh never believed he is wrong. Honestly he is off with his brother golfing today.”**   **“After he didn’t show up again and seen him with the lady Helen Yoder. Your third cousin even. I truly feel for you,” Vivian told her.**   **“ I sent his ring back through the mail today. He should receive it back tomorrow. And wrote a short note about my feelings and Helen that is.”**   **“ That sounds smart to me Emily . Because sooner or later you can be a better candidate for someone new.”**   **“ Here a nice cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll it’s Saturday your day off from teaching school.”**   **“ Danke so much Vivian , there I feel much better about the entire situation since I told someone. By the way the cinnamon rolls are delicious. Where did you** llearn to bake like that?” She licked her fingers and then wiped them into her napkin. Then reached into her purse  Handed Vivian a small hand lotion from Avon she sold it for extra money. “ This is rose scented I’m thinking you’ll love it.”   “ Oh I will enjoy it very much Danke . I’d like one of your books to order from.”

by Marissa Michaelsen

Charlie's Sacrifice tells the story of Charlene Shore, aka Charlie, a young woman who faced many tragedies early in her life. Beginning with the loss of her parents. While training for Special Operations Forces, she meets and falls for her Commanding Officer, Jim Thorn. Tragedy continues to follow. Will Charlie ever be able to find peace with Jim? Or will one of them make the ultimate sacrifice?

by Fate's Fortune

Although Delilah was always the black sheep of the family, she always wanted to find her true love. Especially for Christmas. But one day, she went for a walk when, out of nowhere, a crisp manila envelope lay abandoned on the ground.  'Hmm? What is that? It looks interesting.' Delilah pondered as she bent down to pick it up when her eyes scanned the words on it. \ 'If you are interested in finding love for Christmas, call Anastasia at this number to get a place at Mysterious Love Connection.' \ "Oh! This is perfect! Maybe this is the chance I've been waiting for?" Delilah whispered as she rolled the newspaper up and placed it in her pocket. \ And the hope of a life filled with love fueled her heart, willing her to go on. Then, she walked back to the packhouse, ready to finally find the one. \ But what would happen next would leave her dumbfounded.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The most recent study has shown snow skiing is the result of a combination of factors. Being a wide ski slope. Then the ski lift with people dressed in snow suites , skis , hanging from boots.**

by Paul Blakemore

Ava Reynolds has spent six years building the life she always wanted. As Vice President of Strategy at Chicago's fastest-growing advertising agency, she's respected, successful, and finally on track for the promotion she's worked toward her entire career. The last thing she needs is a reminder of the man who walked away from her. Unfortunately, Ethan Hayes has just walked back into her conference room. Six years ago, Ethan left Chicago for a dream job in Los Angeles, leaving Ava with a broken heart and a future she never expected to face alone. Now he's back as a high-profile consultant, and their boss has assigned them to work together on the most important account of their careers. The assignment should be simple: combine Ava's talent for finding the emotional heart of a brand with Ethan's cutting-edge digital expertise and create a winning campaign. The reality is anything but simple. Long nights, shared takeout, creative breakthroughs, and lingering memories quickly blur the line between professional collaboration and personal history. As old feelings resurface, Ava and Ethan must confront the questions they've spent years avoiding. Can trust be rebuilt after betrayal? Can ambition and love coexist? And is a second chance worth risking everything they've worked so hard to achieve? Surrounded by a cast of eccentric coworkers, impossible deadlines, and the relentless pressure of the advertising world, Ava and Ethan discover that the hardest pitch they'll ever make isn't to a client. It's to each other.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The Best part of Christmas is Birth of Jesus Christ. Born in a manger bed because of no room in the end Joseph asked when Mary his wife Mary road on a donkey to find a place to have the baby.**   **Dat told the group of family and friends. Creating voices thought sounded like them so many years ago.**

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The Snowstorm worsened more than ever. Looking out into an abyss of flocked trees outside. Intricate ice cycles hung from the awnings of the homestead and the barns. What a beautiful place to live.** **Marks of sleigh runners, Belgian horses hooves marked the snow like a rubber stamp might have.** **Made for a picture book, snow fell slowly piling up.** **Folks baking for Christmas , pies, cakes, cookies a must.** **Besides candied hams, roast beef, roasted potatoes a must. Sure enough guest caught in the snow storm gather. Singing old fashioned Christmas songs. Such fun after a very bad storm and thieves steeling.** **The women in the kitchen and girls. Men and Boys down in the barn enjoying animals and old time religion music.** **Snow calms serene hearts.**

by Meridian Lyra

How exactly did Io get into this predicament in the first place? Oh yes, that's right, by stupidly volunteering. Now she was the future bride of an alien King, and about to be the queen of an entire planet. *Her* planet, if one wanted to be technical- he wasn't from there, nor did anybody want him there. But there he was.  Sixteen years ago, they came. The Imdalians. War was waged and was lost. Well, humans were the ones on the losing side of that battle, and just over half a decade later they'd officially lost control over Earth. His Majesty took over, redrew borders, renamed countries, established themselves so well it was like they'd been there to begin with.  But with further bloodshed and riots, continued rebellions over the years, something needed to be done about it. Earth history was scoured for a solution, and that solution was a peace treaty- one that was solidified by a royal wedding. How lucky Io was, to be the human to marry the queen. But was she really that lucky, or was she about to find herself in way over her head?

by Meridian Lyra

How does one cope when stuck in Hell married to the devil himself? For Arianna, with a lot of sarcasm and sass.\ How does one end up in Hell married to Lucifer in the first place? When ones father makes a deal with the devil, and uses you as a bargaining chip instead of parting with his own soul. \ But Hell has its secrets and its dangers, dangers that have nothing to do with Arianna's new husband or the demons that reside there. And it's going to take a lot more than sarcasm in order to survive.

by Crimson Rose

Cadence Maxwell does not have a happily every after. She has an abusive one with her husband, Ray. Something strange happens during these times. Sometimes the water responds to her or so she thinks. Is she delusional or does she really have control over water.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**John Zook held out on a ransom note asking for a large amount of money to get his stolen sheep back. He decided to hold out and wait. They would survey the place on the farm. Then decide along with the FBI. Then suitable precautions taken to eliminate pros and cons of the situation at hand.**   **Suddenly the Blizzard predicted hit full blown snow storm. Under the circumstances those thieves may not get very far. The FBI told them all at another meeting.**   **The crime of this nature not seen very often thankfully. Those of them involved felt the crunch of theft especially when insurance money not giving back full value of the stolen property. Hard times struck our town. Especially around the Holiday Thanksgiving and then Christmas.**   **Would the band of thieves be captured and prosecuted? How long must be taken to the cleaners before it is stopped and prosecutted. Tears shed from the ladies' sewing circle when a gut share of their quilts stolen in the middle of the night.**   **Reward towards the return of the stolen quilts returned in near new shape.**   **For some of them Christmas Gifts.**

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The wind always blows from a different perspective. Then, the first time a noise faintly speaks about the situation coming your way.**   **Someone has made it their life's work to watch all of us. Scrutinizing the situation. Because you knew everything that goes on in our lives.**   **Something unnerving about it all. Actually it made our hair stand on end on my arms each and every time I thought of it. Ma'am said to Mary while visiting over coffee.**   **The reason being able to stop it from happening. Most of all something that I am praying for is the stealing ending. This entire situation came out of no where. Persisted to be domineering the lives of the town.**   **A beautiful place of farms all around. Many of us are neighbors. Dat still very upset about his money and horses never being found yet. Then other people having problems with being robbed too.**   **If that weren't it two buckboards were stolen from Bontrager's farm.**   **Soon a Sheriff shed out up always having law enforcement on board. They were under the impression of this Constant activity going on keeps away crooks.**   **And it has so far since they put it up. Lots of people on walks stop to chat. Tell them about the day and other things of interest.**   **Without warning, the first place to stay in case you're wondering about it. A place if someone is following you and it's unpleasant going in with a phone lock the door and call for help.**

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The Mennonite Country Town of Homestead turned into a thief-infested field of study.**   **That is A band of Thieves mostly to be believed, men thus far in the investigation.**   **To fine-tune things, intricately looking at the situation under a fine tooth comb.**   **What started out as a large Mennonite farmer robbed. An extreme amount of money and a head of horses. A month ago has passed.**   **Next an entire barn of Cattle stolen. Hoof prints led to the river where the thieves would swim them downstream. Gone from sight, a terrible incident must have happened.**   **However, this results in two big thefts in town. The atmosphere seemed different you could hear a pin drop so quiet.**   **Up around town signs of theft items to look for were intricately written down.**   **Even so, it won't stop Love from blooming for two people Mary and Jebidaeh.**   **Looks of devotion had caught the attention of those around them. They were absolutely an adorable couple. Those friends or family of the couple, in great hopes of a wedding in the air or at least an engagement. Still a solitude of hope and normalcy. Hung where it was a very important role to play.**   **Outstanding bill at the mill from a total stranger. The name of no one around. They lied about the farm address to the owner.**   **And if that wasn't enough the main entrance to Town was blocked by large boulders.**

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Suddenly at the family farm bonfire mid-fall. Singing, relaxing, and sharing a fall cookout. There were signs of an intruder. Tobias yelled out into the night. Who goes there this is my property and I'm telling you get out. There is nothing of yours here it's family-owned and operated.” Fortunately Deputy Sheriff Ben is there tonight and called the station. Soon the pasture was surrounded by flashing law enforcement lights. The night sky filled with Warrior Angels standing down the Demons.   “ There shall be a part to play with every day. Something I pray brought back to its rightful owner.”  Angels sang out to the latter of whoever listened that night. Asleep or awake, dreams are even listening.   If you believe as the Angels do then surely the first Owl you see will bring a warrior messenger among you to help field the wicked rats amongst you all. Partaking in sabotage as we speak. Then a quick glance of your keen eye at the magnified dawn brings a light of an inheritance of justice. Will prevail the key I leaveth thee is to unlock the forbidden door coming from a different point of view planted. Tobias quickened his step and did hoot the ole Owl did. A man of flesh and blood, bone of my bone of Christ Jesus. His right eye tuned into an eyepiece held tightly. A round piece of gold magnifying glass. Slipped into his pocket nicely. Then another hoot of an Owl matched his perfectly. Down toward old Owly Howl perchance where dance in foot hills of an Owl zone. Amongst the living practicing Gott on a regular basis. The transformation.

by Nu Yeng Hang

Juliette Madison and Calvin Peterson Jr. have been classmates in a small Arkansas town since second grade. For years, they secretly exchanged anonymous letters, hiding them in a hollow rock on a hillside. Calvin is the popular kid, while Juliette is often ignored or teased by his friends, and even by Calvin himself. He believes his pen pal is the popular Melanie Scott, never realizing there are two Juliettes. After a painful betrayal at prom, the letters stop. Years later, Juliette is a rising editor in New York, still guarded and nursing a broken heart. Calvin’s football career and long-term relationship have ended. Feeling lost, he tries to reconnect with his old pen pal and accidentally starts writing again to Juliette, not realizing she now lives just one floor above where he thinks Melanie still lives. As they keep exchanging anonymous letters and their real lives get more tangled, Calvin begins dating Melanie in person while unknowingly falling for Juliette through their letters. As clues start to surface and their past and present lives cross paths, Calvin and Juliette are forced to face the truth about their connection, both in their letters, through pages of clues, and in real life.

by Tal Stineman

It’s Nico’s final day at Harrison & Dillon, and although he’s relieved to leave behind a condescending executive and an exhausting workplace, saying goodbye is bittersweet. He plans to slip through the day with muffins, smiles, and minimal emotional damage—until he walks straight into Cal, the quiet, devastatingly handsome IT guy who has been fueling his workplace fantasies. When an emergency lockdown traps them together in the break room, Nico’s nerves go into overdrive. But as the hours pass, Cal reveals a thoughtful, observant side Nico never expected. Their conversation moves from books and bad bosses to abandoned ambitions and the quiet ways people show they care. Cal has noticed far more about Nico than Nico ever realized—including his kindness, creativity, and not-so-secret attraction. A smoking electrical unit briefly raises the stakes, and Cal’s calm, capable response only makes him more irresistible. Once the danger passes, their growing chemistry becomes impossible to ignore. A nervous confession leads to a heated encounter against the break-room wall, followed by an unexpectedly tender moment together on the sofa. When the lockdown is finally lifted, Nico discovers that their connection isn’t limited to the strange circumstances—or the break room. Before they return to reality, Cal asks him to dinner, transforming Nico’s last day at Harrison & Dillon into the beginning of something new.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

Time had filtereated the first Sign of over spent money . When some Men bought out all the bakeries on that day.

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 Marissa Michaelsen

Kenny: My dad chose his job in the Navy over his family. My mom died before my eyes. Jase was due to leave me as well. Jase was the only one I thought I could ever love; but instead of waiting, I ran. Declan was older, but fill the space left by Jase. Deciding to be like my father, I chose to have a career most women would never attempt to achieve. When it came down to it, there was always one thing that was missing in my life. Jase. Jase: Raised by my dad, uncle, and their best friend, I always knew what direction I was destined. The Navy, just like the rest of the men in my family. My best friend, my partner in crime, was the girl who had lived in the room right next door since I was a child. One night she was asleep in my arms, only to wake to an empty bed. Looking back, she was the one I should never have let get away. Kenny. Together: Now, ten years later, here we are. Staring into each other's eyes, seeing old feelings resurface and new feelings boiling over. Fate, destiny; whatever you want to call it. We were brought together again for a reason. Now, with our eyes and hearts open, will this be an epic love story or a tragedy?

by Rose M Joy

"If you insult a god, he'll probably curse you for life". "Prove it".   Genessa Till has been shipped around like a good all her life. From thriving kingdoms to simple towns to refugee camps and places many don't even venture. At 19 years old, she is sent to Marin, one of the riverine areas in her country, a place her owners promise her is the last one. Genessa is ready to spend her life peacefully there, till she sees something so surreal it's hard to decide if she will do the logical thing and tell, or enjoy this little bit of attention?

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

**The Bontrager family, Dat owned and operated. Tobias Bontrager his son . Dochder Mary Bontrager. Wife Agnus.** **Bontrager Bakery , tried and true to gut bakery . Donuts , cookies, pies and more made from scratch daily. By early morning light baked in a big black cast iron stove and oven .** **Then the meadow known for holding the 4H Carnival. Held through the summer months.** **Ma’am Bontrager encharge of the entire 4H Carnival . Dat brought Holsteins of ours up to show there.** **More than ever love of country is agift from a heart of Gott. Mildred a seer our Ma’am’s Aunt came to visit and stayed ever since.** **Mildred ma’am’s cousin, considered her best friend in the world. Something had become amiss for dearest Mildred had the same dream twice . That is why she came in the first place.** **Dat with held a secret from Ma’am and what ever could it be. The Angels who dwelled in and around the place. Hovering , trying feel like what dat did.** **While demons were light footsteps heard sneaking around. Snares came from their nostrils , fiery , smoke.** **Grosspapa talked to Dat in low tones . “ What ever happened will be forsaken by our lord. Tell me though who could it be? A Carnival man working the Carnival?** **Dat ran his hand through his thick hair. He entertained a beard these days. Looking sophisticated and handsome. “ I must tell Agnus however help please lord.”** **Creaking of trees outside can be heard such a windy day. Something chilling lay wait. What’s going on here?** **Right then Grossmama and** **Ma’am entered the office in the barn. “ I don’t usually ease drop because I heard everything you said Horace.** **Tell me what has happened to you shaken you to the core?” Grossmama gasped for her son hurt within so bad.** **Dat sat instantly, “ I had taken cash for a large cattle order . Someone picked it up instantly pocketed it. Here is the receipt signed by the man I sold cattle to.”** **Mary busy at work with Mildred helping today. Outside a sun shining, breezy day. Together they made quite a team . The day very busy for them.** **Some men came from the Carnival and purchased an unbelievable amount of bakery . Paid in cash , very unusual acting. Making Mary and Mildred uncomfortable to say the least. I think they were extremely** glad to see them both disappear into the crowd. “ I’m locking this door and closing the bakery all gone anyway,” Mary said. She closed the window shades then. Immediately called the Sheriff dispatcher Sid Esh and described the incident. “ I feel scared and why I’m not   rightfully sure is the reason.” And she further explained the closing up the store. Mildred stood by listening by that time of her phone call. Tobias said he would like to know what happened to the money it being a very large amount. Sorry to hear Dat .” Later that night when everyone had went to sleep. Someone walked as if to creep up into the hayloft he did lay unnoticed by anyone except himself. Laying deep inside the hayloft. There’s when he noticed a man’s dark shadow left across the porch on the Bontrager farmhouse. He then turned on surveillance cameras around the place. Eery feelings came to his mind. Then several others , he made a quick phone call. Deputy Sheriff surrounded the house big lights shown down on them hoods . What could possibly be driving them to this particular house. Money maybe? The men wearing black hoods left running on foot . Deputies chased by a jeep using a large light. It turned out to be some night . Yes horses missing from the pasture , each rode off on horseback. Stole The Bontrager farm horses . And if that wasn’t enough some very expensive saddles. Immediately Dat , ma’am and Grosspapa ended the Carnival. It was about to end anyway.? Because of theft and dangerous conditions for us all. Sheriff Stoltzfus said they are a band of Thieves. Riding together with a gang of criminals ready to steal for they know exactly what they’re looking for. This happened to be an end of an era never to be the same again. Because                     this year has been a great loss to not only the Country side here the community is very much looking forward to this Carnival. Taking a break from it being the keeper.

by Author DeeAnn Gorman

by Crystal Bachleda

“***<u>Little girls, this seems to say,\ Never stop upon your way.\ Never trust a stranger-friend;\ No-one knows how it will end.\ As you’re pretty, so be wise;\ Wolves may lurk in every guise.\ Handsome they may be, and kind,\ Gay, or charming-never mind!\ Now as then, ‘tis simple truth-\ Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth!</u>***”\ *CHARLES PERRAULT* - ***Little Red Riding Hood*** ALL WHO LOVE stories come and gather round, and I shall tell you a tale; you hold in your hands a door to an alternate world. Do you dare open and walk through the door? Come; the story is about to begin!

by L J Temple

Darkside of the Moon is a testament to the future of human aspirations. Donald J. Trump's vision was a slow, steadily growing force. Within a decade, the vision became reality, with next-generation platforms and behemoths that carried humanity's dreams to the stars. Yet the future is much nearer than was believed. A secret is to be found, and a hope for the future of humanity is to be revealed, but the survival of humanity is to be determined by the willpower of a few brave souls and the ambitions of the newly envisioned United Galactic Space Force and the might of Sol's Vanguard

by Dan Dooley

It was just a plain package wrapped in plain brown paper and tied together with twine. There was no forwarding address, nor was there a return address. There was only, printed on one side, a name. “Miss Penny.”\ \ Almost a century before, a woman named Penny was murdered on the eve of her wedding, by the man who had promised to take her as his wife. The story was revealed in an old, yellowed newspaper. Was that Penny the one who’s name was on the package containing the wedding dress?\ \ Now, two friends, both co-workers in the dead letter department of the Post Office, find a mysterious package left on the front step of the Post Office building. Opening the package, they find an aged and faded wedding dress. But something came along with the dress. Something sinister, and frightening. Something to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.\ \ Was it just in his head? Or was it a real haunting? Was the wailing, and the sound of a woman's voice in his room at night really linked in any way to the faded old wedding dress? Was she searching for the dress, and what did it really mean to her? Assuming the voice was actually that of a woman. Dead or otherwise. Or was he simply going crazy and imagining it all? The best of gaslight fiction. Is it a ghost story, or rather a psychological thriller? Read it and come to your own conclusion.

by Elijah James

They were supposed to be rivals. They were never supposed to become each other’s weakness.   Mateo is everything football expects him to be: disciplined, controlled, talented—and careful. As the golden captain of Argentina’s U20 team, his future is already mapped out by coaches, sponsors, family, and a world that expects him to never make the wrong move.   Noah is the opposite. Brilliant, reckless, and unapologetically difficult, the German prodigy has built a reputation for saying whatever he thinks and playing like the rules were made for someone else.   When Argentina and Germany collide at the U20 World Cup, their rivalry ignites instantly.   But after the cameras disappear, something neither of them expected begins between them.   What starts as one unforgettable night becomes a secret carried across continents, clubs, championships, and years. Because on the pitch, Mateo and Noah know exactly how to play against each other.   Off it, neither knows how to resist.   And when the world starts watching, Mateo must decide how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice to keep the perfect life he's been taught to want.   Some lines are meant to be crossed. Others are meant to be erased.

by TheHaze

Elena Cruz thought taking a job at an exclusive nightclub would be nothing more than a way to make extra money. She never expected it to lead her straight into the dangerous world of Dante Moretti, the ruthless heir to one of the city’s most powerful mafia families.\ Dante is everything Elena should stay away from—powerful, possessive, secretive, and surrounded by violence. Yet the more she tries to avoid him, the more impossible it becomes to ignore the connection between them.\ After Elena accidentally witnesses something she was never meant to see, Dante gives her a choice: forget what happened and walk away, or discover the truth about the man behind the Moretti name.\ But secrets have consequences.\ As danger closes in and Dante’s enemies begin watching Elena, she finds herself trapped between the man she fears and the man she can’t stop wanting.\ Because sometimes the most dangerous love story begins with a single question…\ Who are you?\ And once Elena discovers the answer, there may be no way back.

by Dan Dooley

Elijah Weatherspoon's world is turned topsy turvy when he unknowingly releases a genie from an old clock he had just bought. Just a plain old windup clock in a brass housing which is formed in the shape of a castle. Who would have known what was inside the old clock?\ \ But now here he was sitting on a park bench, and on a bench across from him, the strangest of characters. A genie, so it turns out. But now that the genie is free from the clock which had been his prison for more years than he would tell, he owes Elijah the customary three wishes. But will he pay up?\ \ Genies are not all the legends and old stories tell them to be. One can not always expect them to fulfil their promises. Three wishes? Elijah Weatherspoon was soon to find out the true nature of those promises. A comic tale of facing mizerhood head on, and learning what really matters in life. When one is fortunate enough to find a mysterious lamp, rubbing the lamp will free the genie who has been imprisoned within that lamp for a thousand years. Out of gratitude, the genie is empowered to grant you your desires in the form of wishes. Usually three wishes. But what happen if the genie has a whole different idea about gratitude for his release and your wishes are turned upside down? Instead of good fortune, you receive the opposite. And the genie seems more interested in playing tricks on you than on granting your wishes. That's what Elijah Weatherspoon found, to his dismay. Seeming all misfortune contrary to the wishes he asks for. He asks for riches. He asked for good health and a long life. He asked for prestige and influence within the circle of important men. What comes his way seems to be the very opposite. Now his world is turned topsy turvy. And he wishes he had never bought that cursed clock.

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 Author DeeAnn Gorman

Homestead out amongst Mennonite communities. Mary Bontrager Schwester, Ma’am Agnus Bontrager, Dat Horace Bontrager, Tobias Bontrag, Braudar. Dat owner of-the Wine vineyards deep within a forest of green lush trees. Where grapevines grow plentiful by love of nature. Many Old Order Amish women bore aprons full of freshly picked grapes. Barefoot ladies up to the elbows in grapes of all colors and kinds. While Amishman and Mennonite men are in fields of grapes growin only to be picked for wine bottles here and sold. The large sand rock houses refrigerated by a gas generator. A wooden sign above the door reads Built on honesty. Inside greeters are Mary Bontrager Schwester and Grossmama. Property owner Horace Bontrager,( Dat) and Agnus ( Ma’am ). The property owners, a large white family adorned two porches beautiful inside and outside Then the Chocolate House where candy made daily. Packaged then sold to customers. Delicious decadent chocolate. Much to everyone’s delight. Bontrager Cousins worked hard for the store. Our Pride and Joy Cheese factory full of delicious home made cheeses. Best Cheesecake, samples daily from happy employees handing it out as free treats. The Gold nugget jewelers hand made rings , necklaces. Very well known for quality jewelry. Nestled in a large barn inside cases of finished jewelry. Quality jewelry sold here. The family Bakery housed homemade bread, cookies and pies . Freshness guaranteed. Braudars Tobias and Isaac Bontrager. As well as taking care of the grounds there. They were also proud owners of many horses . Pastures full of them. Give Thanks for your love for Gott as a whole. Reading your Bible and following his example is best. May you find peace in your life as a family. May those of us that gather together find friends who are family members Mary is the heart of herself, wandering through life in a world of Mennonite. Being noticed by Harley Hershberger known by everyone as a Wheat farmer. Most of his work done on his own small farm. Down the road apiece. Surroundings were very beautiful Evergreen trees. A windmill connected to a water wheel. Inside the barn ground oats made daily. Integrating sorghum to make bread sold to restaurants. His Rock farm house inherited from his Dat . His Braudars also lived there. This place     down in a gully. Surrounded by rocks . A trail leading to a lake treasured by family. To top it off they made binoculars. Sold to stores a catalog that they ordered from. Quality assurance guarantee in all products. Literally everything around the earth is a vast quantity of valuable information that can only come from a mature enough mind to find out what it gives forth in gifts. Ideas to make money from and create something to sell. Church held in neighbors barns turn church The bench wagon delivers benches for all day church meetings . Wild goats standing way up high on cliffs. White goats creatures standing there firm keep our grass chewed short. Sounds of running water from cliffs . Partakers in a river of life gathere often. Baptized people and it was a healing experience. Many walked away with their lives forever changed by a miracle. In fact the English had the subject matter analyzed and studied. Then wrote a magazine article about the healing benefits The mud from the river bed cured all wounds from infection or scars. Some say our beloved animal friends even taken there. To be healed from pain and twisted gut. Sightseeing a must though these foothills. Promise of life of a lifetime for happiness bound to souls entrusted to give their lives to Gott. The Temple of quiet is built upon its promise to keep your soul clean. When entering into silence for a month. This individual has committed to cleansing totally leaving to go back to their lives at home freed from any bad feelings Talking when they leave. Many different things have happened    Down in The Mennonite Country.

by Piper Lazarus

**One murder. One hidden enemy. One secret worth killing for.**  One phone call changes everything. ***Murdered.*** And the scene waiting for me is worse than anything I've encountered in my years as an investigator. Someone didn't just want her dead—they wanted to send a message. The problem is, I don't know who the message was meant for. *Until the first clue leads straight to me.* I rush to Jack's side expecting grief, answers, and a case I can solve. Instead, I find myself stepping into a deadly maze of deception, hidden alliances, and secrets that reach far beyond a single murder. The evidence doesn't add up. Witnesses are disappearing. Someone is erasing clues before I can find them. And buried beneath the murder is a connection to something no one saw coming. Then Axel appears. Again. Dangerous. Controlled. Impossible to read. He has a talent for finding the truth while hiding his own—and I can't shake the feeling that he knows exactly why I'm here. He says he wants to protect me. But I've learned the hard way that protection and possession can look frighteningly similar. The closer I get to Axel, the more questions I have. He knows too much about the murder—and far too much about me. All of it feels like a trap waiting to spring. **Then another murder.** That's when I realize this isn't about *her* anymore. Someone is hunting anyone who gets too close to the truth. The deeper I investigate, the more I uncover a hidden world of power, loyalty, and secrets protected at any cost. And somehow, my past is at the center of it. And if I uncover the secret they're willing to kill for, I may finally learn the truth about my past…about *them*... **Right before I get buried with it.**

by Piper Lazarus

***My past is coming for me…*** I’ve spent my life chasing the truth—uncovering secrets, solving the unsolvable, and exposing the darkness others fear to face. But now, the past I can’t remember is hunting me. I woke up with no recollection of who I am.\ \ **No name. No past. No idea why I’m running for my life.**\ \ All I know is that the people after me will stop at nothing until I’m erased. Somewhere in my shattered memories lies a secret—a royal scandal drenched in betrayal, deception, and blood. And if I don’t piece the puzzle together soon, it will cost me everything. Then there’s Axel. ***A storm wrapped in shadows, dangerous, unreadable, and laced with secrets that could shatter me.*** He claims he’s here to protect me, but the fire in his eyes tells a different story. His presence is intoxicating, his touch a temptation laced with danger. Every glance pulls me deeper, every whispered promise ignites something inside me I don’t understand. But one question lingers in the air between us. **Is he my savior—or the executioner waiting to strike?** With time slipping away and danger closing in, I must make an impossible choice: *trust the man who could betray me or face the enemy I can’t even remember.* One wrong move, and I lose everything—including my life. **The past holds my salvation—or my death. And the clock is ticking.**

by Piper Lazarus

***THE DEEPER THE SECRET, THE DARKER THE SHADOW***  **The Secrets and Shadows Series** is a gripping four-book thriller series where deadly hunters, clandestine societies, buried conspiracies, and enemies hiding in plain sight collide. Each mystery pulls the characters deeper into a web of secrets where nothing—and no one—is exactly what they seem. In **The Deadly Hunter**, the hunt begins when a deadly predator emerges from the shadows, leaving behind a trail of violence and unanswered questions. Someone is watching, manipulating the investigation, and protecting a secret powerful enough to destroy lives. **The Secret Society** takes the mystery deeper when evidence points toward an organization that has operated in the shadows for generations. Its members are powerful, connected, and willing to do whatever it takes to protect their secrets. The closer the truth comes to the surface, the more dangerous the investigation becomes—and escaping the society's reach may be impossible. In **The Buried Truth**, long-hidden evidence begins to surface, exposing connections no one expected. The past refuses to stay buried, and the truth reveals a conspiracy far more complicated than anyone imagined. But uncovering the truth comes with a price, and someone is determined to make sure it stays buried—even if it means silencing everyone who gets too close. Finally, **The Danger Within** brings the series to its explosive conclusion. After everything they've uncovered, the greatest threat may not be waiting outside the walls. It may already be among them. Trust fractures, loyalties are tested, and the final secrets begin to unravel as the characters race to uncover who is really behind it all. Across four heart-pounding mysteries, **The Secrets and Shadows Series** explores the dangerous intersection of deception, power, obsession, and betrayal. With every revelation comes another question, and every answer leads deeper into the darkness.

by Brittney Paige

Some mysteries are too big for one generation to solve.

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 Brittney Paige

Pearl Frost moved to Hearthglen hoping for a fresh start. She just wanted to paint, restore her grandmother’s old farm, and build a life of her own. Instead, she finds a family she chooses, love, and a town full of secrets- including the mysterious theft of several of her paintings. For now, though, she’s content to paint, fall in love, make friends, and build a life in the little town she’s come to call home.  But secrets have a way of lingering. And some mysteries are bigger than one generation can solve.   **Welcome to the Berry Universe.** This isn’t quite the world you know. Here, people are called Berries—ordinary people living ordinary lives in a world filled with extraordinary color. Their skin, hair, and eyes can be shades of lavender, blue, orange, pink, green, purple, or white, passed down through generations in ways that can reveal secrets about where a family came from. It’s an alternate universe where colorful people aren’t unusual. They’re simply people. And this is one family’s story.

by Rory North

If killing a superhero were easy, everyone would do it. But for Julian Godfrey, defeating Storm Warning was far from the hardest part. What began as victory over the city's biggest hero quickly unravels into a mess, once he learns that the mysterious source of Storm Warning's power has found a new host. Charlotte Hathaway has no idea how to use her new abilities, but she won't stop trying until she destroys Julian's alter ego, Citadel. Julian should have taken her new powers from her when he had the chance, but he let her go in favor of a new plan: training her for a real fight. It's the only way to prove he didn't get lucky when he killed Storm Warning, and show the city--and the other villains--that he's a force to be reckoned with. Getting close to Charlotte comes with far more than Julian bargained for. She's the perfect hero. Determined, confident, and selfless above all else. She's even nice to him, of all people. But if Julian doesn't follow through with his plan despite his growing feelings for her, he has another force to reckon with: Blazar, the villain who raised him and taught him to use his powers. It seems that no matter what choice Julian makes, he's going to lose. And it's not just his life in danger. With its biggest hero gone, the fate of the city of New Atlas hangs in the balance.

by Dionna Robinson

The Hunted Moon   Ceren Duskrage has spent most of her life learning how to survive alone.   Haunted by the murder of her mother and the cryptic final command to find Kaelith, find our place, Ceren has made a home for herself deep within the Edgewilds, far from the Mortal High Court that branded her a witch and the secrets that have followed her since childhood. She trusts the forest, her blades, and no one else.   But the forest is beginning to change.   Strange sigils appear where she never carved them. Silver-blooded strangers emerge from the snow. And something beyond the ancient Veil has begun whispering her true name.   Then Eiran Sunstrider arrives.   Commander of the Solari Blades, Eiran is everything Ceren has learned to distrust: Fae, powerful, disciplined, and dangerously perceptive. His golden Sunfire should have nothing in common with the silver Moonfire burning beneath Ceren’s skin.   Yet when their paths collide, something impossible happens.   Their magic recognizes one another.   As cracks begin spreading through the Veil separating the mortal and Fae realms, Ceren is drawn into a world she was never meant to know—a world of ancient prophecies, political manipulation, forbidden magic, and enemies who know far more about her past than she does.   And Eiran is discovering that the woman he was sent to investigate may not be the threat his Court believes her to be.   Together, they uncover a prophecy that speaks of a hunted moon and a sunfire flame whose union could change the fate of both realms. But the prophecy offers no promise of salvation. It offers a choice.   Because their power cannot be forced.   Their bond cannot be commanded.   And if they allow fear to decide what they become, the realms may burn.   Ceren has spent her entire life running from the things that hunt her.   Now, she must decide whether to keep running…   or turn around and face the truth of what she is.

by Dionna Robinson

by Dionna Robinson

THE GODDESS OF EMBERS SERIES   She was never meant to be a goddess. He was never meant to love her.   Persephone Deimos thought the gods were myths.   Then the God of the Dead found her.   Pulled into a world of ancient magic, ruthless gods, forbidden desire, and deadly divine politics, Persephone discovers that there is something inside her the immortals have spent centuries trying to destroy.   Hades has ruled the Underworld for centuries. He knows monsters. He knows power. He knows exactly what happens when you let someone get close.   But Persephone is unlike anyone he has ever encountered.   As their dangerous attraction deepens, Persephone must uncover the truth behind her awakening power before the gods decide her fate for her. Because the Underworld is already stirring, Olympus is watching, and an ancient war is beginning to rise from the ashes.   She is the spark. He is the darkness.   And together, they may become the greatest threat the gods have ever known.   🔥 Begin the journey with Crowned in Ash, Book One of the Goddess of Embers series.   Six books. One forbidden love. A goddess forged in fire.

by Leila Matthews

My name is Isabella Blackhart, but this gilded cage is not my choosing.\ \ I’m a pawn in a game I didn’t know I was playing, forced into a dark union with a monster.\ \ A prisoner in a world of opulence and terror. A world where one death marked the continuation of my nightmare.\ \ Now, caught in a web of deceit and danger, my life hangs by a thread. My captor is out for vengeance, gunning for his brother’s murderer. And I’m his number one suspect.\ \ In a life filled with danger, betrayal, and forbidden desires, I navigate through a treacherous path where love is both my weakness and my strength.\ \ As secrets unravel and the line between enemy and savior blurs, I must make a harrowing choice. A choice that could cost the life of the one person I've unexpectedly come to love.\ \ Tangled In Vengeance is the first book in a dark romance series.\ \ There is no cheating. There IS an HEA.

by Leila Matthews

Powerful men—ruthless, powerful, untouchable. Strong women—defiant, daring, unforgettable. In a world built on blood, power, and deception, they rule the underworld like kings— and the women who cross their paths soon learn that love is just another weapon. Each story bleeds with vengeance, seduction, and secrets too dangerous to keep. Alliances are forged in violence. Loyalties are tested in fire. And hearts are shattered in the name of power. They were never meant to fall in love. But when desire turns deadly, and betrayal cuts deeper than bullets, the line between devotion and destruction blurs until all that’s left is chaos. Vengeance. Betrayal. Obsession. Love twisted into war. Welcome to the Sinfully Corrupt Series. Where the wicked crave redemption, the broken crave control, and passion always demands a price.

by Leila Matthews

**His mercy has always come with a price. She may be the first thing he refuses to lose.** Silas Crowe doesn’t threaten. He doesn’t bluff. And he never delivers a consequence he isn’t prepared to enforce. He controls the systems that keep the city breathing, rules its darker corners with brutal precision, and believes every act has a price. Fear has never bothered him. Neither has blood. Until Eleanor Shaw watches him break a man’s hand—and doesn’t look away. Eleanor believes broken systems create broken people. Silas believes some choices deserve punishment. She has no interest in changing him, and he has no intention of explaining himself. But when unexplained failures begin spreading through Silas’s empire, Eleanor is brought in to find the weakness buried inside it. Someone doesn’t want her finding the truth. And someone else has noticed she matters to Silas. At first, his command is simple. **Stay away from her.** Then Eleanor becomes a target. And restraint becomes something far more dangerous. Because Silas may allow Eleanor to walk away from him. He will not allow anyone else to take her. Now betrayal is rotting his empire from within, violence is closing in from the streets, and the quiet woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a liability has become the one variable Silas cannot control. Eleanor knows exactly what kind of man he is. Ruthless. Possessive. Lethal. The terrifying part isn’t that she should run. It’s that she feels safest standing beside him. And when someone finally crosses the line Silas drew around her, mercy will no longer be an option.

by Leila Matthews

**Power has a price. Love makes it deadly.** In the **Lawless Empire**, dangerous men rule through blood, fear, money, and consequence. They are killers, kingpins, heirs, enforcers, and monsters hiding behind expensive suits and untouchable names. Men who don’t forgive betrayal. Men who don’t surrender control. Then they meet the women they were never supposed to want. Women who challenge them, defy them, uncover their secrets—and become the one weakness their enemies are willing to exploit. With criminal empires at war, old debts resurfacing, betrayals closing in, and bodies piling up, love becomes more than dangerous. It becomes a liability. An obsession. A reason to kill. Each interconnected standalone delivers a new couple, a new threat, and a darker kind of devotion—where protection borders on possession, enemies become lovers, and choosing the wrong person could cost everything. **Because in this empire, love doesn’t save monsters.** **It gives them something worth destroying the world for.**

by K.D. Page

by K.D. Page

Rhosalin It’s funny how murder investigations will have you doing things you didn’t think possible. Four years ago, I made the horrible mistake of letting my bloodlust run wild. Rayvn kicked me to the curb with nothing but the clothes on my back and the bill for cleaning services. I never thought I'd ask him for help in my wildest imagination, but here we are. Rayvn As a former angel, the repercussions of leaving the Realm of Deities and O.M.B Vice Presidency are hard enough to handle on a good day. With an asshole getting under my skin at every turn and gods from different pantheons vying for my assistance, life couldn’t be more of a living hell. Or so I thought until Rhosalin came barrelling back into my world.

by Dionna Robinson

CROWNED IN ASH   The Goddess of Embers — Book One   Persephone was never meant to be a goddess.   At twenty-two, she has spent her life believing she understands her place in a world ruled by ancient gods, ruthless courts, and divine bloodlines. But beneath the surface of her mortal life lies a power she cannot explain—and a destiny someone has gone to great lengths to keep buried.   Then comes Hades.   Lord of the Underworld. King of the dead. A god feared by those who have never dared to look closely enough to understand him.   Their meeting should have been impossible. Their attraction, unforgivable.   Drawn into the Underworld, Persephone discovers a kingdom far different from the monstrous realm she was taught to fear—and a god who sees something inside her that even she cannot recognize. But the deeper she descends into his world, the more the carefully constructed truths of her life begin to crumble.   Ancient rivalries awaken. Divine alliances fracture. And the forces surrounding her are beginning to realize that Persephone is not simply a pawn in a game played by gods.   She is the game.   As forbidden power burns beneath her skin and enemies close in from every side, Persephone must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to claim the truth about who she is—and what she is becoming.   Because some crowns are inherited.   Others are forged in ash.   And when Persephone finally rises, the gods may discover they should have been afraid of her all along.

by R.S. Norton

Charming strangers. Young maidens. Alluring magic.\ In a world of spells and magic, explore seven spicy stories that reimagine classic fairytales.

by R.S. Norton

Hazel is the only princess of a dying realm. She'd be more than happy to leave and start a new life in the human world, but her parents have other plans. The king and queen, convinced that their only hope lies in an infusion of magic from a marriage alliance, make her a deal: she'll spend one year living in a house with four marriage candidates. If Hazel doesn't fall for any of them, her parents will give her the money she needs to start a new life. But she must try to find her husband among the four men. An arrogant prince, a mysterious witch, a charming vampire, and a reserved werebear. Despite her initial misgivings, Hazel begins to bond with the four as she takes matters into her own hands and investigates the realm's fading magic herself. But if marriage truly is their only hope, can she really fall hard enough in love to be ready for it in only a year? And if all of the men are attractive in their own ways, how is she supposed to choose just one?

by Lura Mckinnon

A girl born in the early 60s learns that in life, there's not always going to be someone to save you. The story captures the resilience, strength, courage as well as ways to get even against people who have hurt her, or her friends, in comical actions. Her father George became her silent hero, and with his silent actions, taught her the ups and down in life. *Life taught me to be strong.* *The men who cheated on me...* *Well, they taught me to be creative.*   People have asked me about the title of this book. Some assume it's about anger. Others think it's about revenge. It isn't. Wrath isn't always loud. Sometimes it's quiet. Sometimes it's walking away. Sometimes it's refusing to let someone else's betrayal define your worth. And sometimes... It's a harmless prank that reminds a person they should have treated you better in the first place. I never believed in cruelty. Life had already shown me enough of that. But I did believe in consequences. Especially the kind that could make you laugh years later. If that's wrath... Then I suppose I'm guilty.

by Nikki Rollingwood

**Till Death: A Gripping Psychological Thriller** **SHE STAGES THEM AS LOVERS. SHE SEES THEM AS PREY.** > *A campus killer stages fake romantic suicides. To stop her, Tauny must tap into the dark instincts inherited from her serial killer grandfather.*   When two popular university students are found dead in their dorm room, locked in an intimate embrace beside an empty neon vape pen, local authorities and campus officials are quick to label it a tragic accident—a mutual overdose pact amidst a growing student drug crisis. Case closed. Except for Tauny May Baker. To the rest of the student body, Tauny is just a quiet, reserved graduate student trying to blend into the background. But beneath her ordinary surface lies a terrifying secret: she is the granddaughter of one of the country’s most infamous serial killers. And along with his blood, she inherited his clinical, predatory radar—an ability to see the meticulous calculation behind human violence. Where the police see grief and reckless youth, Tauny sees impossible symmetry: hospital-corner bed folds, unnatural body posture, and a crime scene arranged like a gallery exhibit. She knows instantly that a killer is hunting on campus, hiding in plain sight behind the mask of a grieving, "perfect best friend" who is obsessed with turning her victims into eternal legends. When Detective Jase starts investigating the deaths, Tauny must play a dangerous game of hide-and-seek. She has to drop subtle clues to steer his investigation toward the truth without revealing *how* she knows—or risking Jase uncovering her own dark lineage. But as Tauny quietly digs into the killer's social circle, the killer takes notice. To outsmart a monster who treats murder as fine art, Tauny is forced to do the one thing she fears most: stop fighting her genetics, tap into her grandfather's ruthless mind, and embrace the darkness inside her to survive.

by Amy Lynn Murdock

# **The Blood Tide Chronicles** ### **Series Synopsis** For generations, the people of the coast have dismissed stories of vampires as little more than superstition. Missing fishermen, abandoned boats, and whispers of pale figures beneath the moon are explained away as storms, wild animals, or frightened imaginations. Beneath the waves, the ancient cities of the mer-people tell their own legends of dangerous humans and endless wars, believing the surface world is as foreign as the stars above. Both worlds are wrong. When Weston Donovan falls in love with Brianna Nordith, a young mermaid who dares to defy her people's oldest fears, their secret romance sets in motion a chain of events neither world could have imagined. A single bite, a forbidden love, and an impossible child become the spark that awakens ancient myths, shatters fragile peace, and gives birth to a new species unlike anything the world has ever known. As old enemies rise, hidden truths surface, and blood stains both land and sea, Weston and Brianna find themselves hunted not because of what they are—but because of what their family represents. Their struggle to protect one another will echo across generations, forcing vampires, mer-people, and humans alike to confront the terrifying possibility that legends are not relics of the past... They are still being written. Spanning oceans, kingdoms, and generations, **The Blood Tide Chronicles** is an adult dark fantasy saga of forbidden love, sacrifice, family, and survival. Blending supernatural horror with sweeping romance and epic underwater warfare, the series explores how a single choice can reshape history—and how even monsters must decide what kind of legacy they will leave behind. Because every legend begins with a story. And every story begins with a choice.

by Tony Fain

**Some secrets are buried deep for a reason.** When heavy excavation begins tearing into the ancient bluffs at Standing Rock, the rural peace of Lake Eufaula is shattered. The blasting unearths more than just limestone—it awakens a primitive, ravenous terror that has slept beneath the river channel for centuries. Cole Garrett has spent years running *The Outpost* marina while living under the dark cloud of his father’s unexplained disappearance on the water. When local fishermen start vanishing and strange, slime-slicked tracks are left on the docks at midnight, Cole realizes the lake is claiming victims once again. Only this time, it’s no accident. Avery Sterling, daughter of the powerful developer driving the excavation, senses that her father’s crew has unburied something monstrous. Caught between her family’s ruthless ambition and the horrifying reality unfolding on the water, Avery turns to Cole—the only person willing to look past the official cover-ups. As night falls over the lake and the body count rises, Cole and Avery must unearth the dark truth behind Standing Rock before the terror rising from the deep consumes everyone on the shore.

by Marie Tayse

Desperate for a fresh start, Ella Kendale finally finds the courage to leave her abusive husband behind. Armed with only two suitcases and the small inheritance left to her by her late grandmother, she escapes to the quiet backroads of rural Tennessee and buys an old house that seems almost too affordable to be true. But the house isn’t as empty as it appears. Hidden within its walls are the lingering remnants of another tragic relationship, and before long Ella begins experiencing unsettling events she can’t explain. A handsome stranger starts appearing in her dreams—dreams that slowly begin bleeding into reality. At the same time, signs that someone is watching her from the shadows turn her peaceful new beginning into a waking nightmare. When three local police officers step in to protect her, Ella unexpectedly finds herself tangled in a complicated love triangle involving two of the officers…and the mysterious man from her dreams. Torn between fear and desire, reality and the supernatural, Ella struggles to decide who she can trust while an all-too-real stalker closes in around her. In a small town, secrets don’t stay buried for long—and unlike the city she left behind, nobody in Tennessee is willing to look the other way. As danger escalates, Ella discovers she may have escaped one monster only to find herself caught between darkness, love, and a battle she can’t survive alone.

by Ella M Hayes

Summer in Saratoga Springs. What should be the perfect time for business is quickly becoming hell for Nyx, owner of the supernatural emporium, "Witch's Brew." Her one-woman operation is becoming an increasingly impossible task. Despite her insistence on doing things alone, she becomes aware that she needs help. Worse, the only person willing to help is a persistent, yet charming, skeptic of the mystic arts On the side and after hours, Nyx services the supernatural and spiritual needs of her clients. It's a job like any other until one girl enters her life with a spirit clinging to her, a spirit that is terrifying because it is both unreadable and bears a connection to Nyx's past, a past she would rather forget. Nyx's professional and personal life quickly become intertwined in this journey of romance, spirituality, reconciliation, and hopefully closure and redemption.

by Jane Austen

Catherine Morland is seventeen, good-natured, and has read a great many Gothic novels. Taken to Bath for the season, she makes a fast friend of the flirtatious Isabella Thorpe, is pursued by Isabella's boorish brother, and falls for the clever, teasing Henry Tilney. When the Tilneys invite her to their family home, Northanger Abbey, Catherine arrives expecting secret passages and hidden crimes, and goes looking for them. Austen's affectionate send-up of the horror novels of her day was one of the first she wrote, and it was published only after her death in 1817.

by Toxiktweet

by Curtis Alcutt

Born and raised by the men in his family, including his own father, to be a Player, Rio lives up to the role. Guided by his favorite mentor, his suave Uncle Lee, Rio masters the game. After amassing a stable of women of all flavors, he realizes his true heart’s desire is to have a *real* love of his own. That part of him is attributed to his mother’s side of the family. They believe in total commitment, no matter what, ‘til death do you part. As he grapples with managing his women, Carmen Massey appears. Carmen, a sexy, educated, professional, Alabama native enters the arena. Toting a trunk full of baggage of her own, she defects to California, seeking refuge from her dark past. As fate would have it, she ends up moving a few buildings down from Rio. After weeks of eyeballing her on a few occasions they finally bump heads.  After a masterful game of cat and mouse, the walls fall. They engage in a white-hot relationship. After taking a trip with Carmen to meet her family, Rio discovers the source of her occasional bitterness. This leads to a heated argument that shatters their relationship. Once back home, Rio takes his anger out on his other women, firing all of them in the process. His world circles the drain. Topping it all off, Uncle Lee dies in a traffic accident, further devastating Rio.  Upon Uncle Lee’s death, Rio discovers his memoirs. Inside the stacks of diaries, Rio learns the tragic secret behind the reason Uncle Lee became a womanizer. His findings push his emotional stability to the brink. Working on both Carmen and Rio’s behalf, Zoe, Carmen’s best friend, brings the stubborn duo back together, just when they need each other the most.

by Gemma Therese

Sixteen-year-old Melanie Howard's world is fractured on her birthday when she discovers her magical angelic bloodline and processing her brother, Eli, gets dragged into the shadows of danger. Thrust into Bloodbound Academy, a pre-Civil War institution for the descendants of the Angelic Realm, Melanie discovers that she possesses the rare talent of psychometry, a gift that allows her to catch glimpses of her kidnapped brother. Desperate and struggling against time, Melanie has only one priority: to bring her brother home safely.

by Curtis Alcutt

Apollo Knight is the most talented producer nobody's heard of — and he prefers it that way. Raised by his jazz-legend grandmother in Berkeley after his mother abandoned him at age five, Apollo poured everything he couldn't say out loud into his music. Now twenty-five, he runs BeatBoxx Studios out of his grandmother's garage, producing hits for street rappers while quietly dreaming of something bigger. His partner, Grimey, is everything Apollo isn't — loud, ambitious, and willing to cut any corner to get paid. When Grimey starts pushing Apollo toward Street Lyfe Records, a label with a reputation for stealing beats and dodging the IRS, Apollo's instincts tell him to walk. But walking away from Grimey was never simple. Set against the gritty, soulful backdrop of Oakland's music scene — from the recording booths of Berkeley to the jazz clubs of West Oakland's Seventh Street — Bullets & Ballads is a story about talent versus hustle, loyalty versus survival, and one man trying to protect the only thing nobody can take from him: his music.

by Lisa Uptain

Casey Oakley never asked for a hard life, but it found her anyway. Growing up under the watchful eyes of her brothers, Casey was always protected, always guarded. But even they could not shield her from the darkness that followed her. One night changes everything, leaving her broken in ways no one can see and forcing her to carry secrets that threaten to destroy her from the inside out. As she struggles to survive the aftermath of violence, addiction, and fear, Casey is caught between the life she is expected to live and the one she is desperate to escape. Every choice she makes pulls her deeper into a world filled with danger, pain, and people who want to control her. But Casey is not as weak as the world believes. With the help of those who refuse to give up on her, she begins a long and painful fight to reclaim her life. Trust does not come easy. Love feels impossible. And the past is never as far behind her as she hopes. In a world where survival is never guaranteed, Casey must decide who she is willing to become. Will she stay trapped in the life that nearly destroyed her, or will she find the strength to rise above it? Raw, emotional, and unflinching, *A Condemned Life* is a story of trauma, resilience, and the fight to take back control when everything has been stripped away.

by Lisa Uptain

Some people spend their lives running from the past. Casey Oakley has spent hers surviving it. One violent act shatters the life she thought she knew, setting her on a path filled with betrayal, heartbreak, impossible choices, and relentless danger. Every time she begins to rebuild, another enemy rises, determined to tear it all away. But Casey refuses to stay broken. Surrounded by the unwavering love of her brothers and the fierce loyalty of the friends who stand beside her, she discovers that true strength isn't measured by the battles you've lost, but by the courage to rise every time life knocks you down. From the dust of the rodeo arena to the fight for a future worth believing in, Casey's journey is one of resilience, sacrifice, justice, and hope. As old wounds reopen and new threats emerge, she must decide whether revenge is found in settling the score... or in refusing to let the darkness win. **The Revenge Series** is an unforgettable trilogy of survival, friendship, family, and the extraordinary strength of the human spirit. Filled with unforgettable characters, heart-pounding suspense, unforgettable romance, and hard-fought triumphs, this is the story of one woman who refuses to let anyone else write the ending to her life. **Some stories are about revenge.** **This one is about surviving long enough to earn it.**

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 oliverd

## **Where They Begin** Since losing her husband and then both parents, Dee has quietly convinced herself that happiness is dangerous — that every joyful moment is simply another loss waiting to happen. Years of caregiving have taught her to rescue everyone except herself. She has become so skilled at surviving that she no longer knows how to choose joy. When she breaks one of her own emotional rules and watches an elderly woman dance with an invisible partner, long-buried grief begins to surface. Gary, also sixty-five and eleven years sober, has spent a lifetime running — from relationships, from vulnerability, and ultimately from Dee. Five years earlier they met aboard a cruise, fell deeply in love, and exchanged letters for months. But when his growing feelings challenged everything he believed about himself, fear won, and he simply disappeared. ## **The Reunion** When Gary sits down at Dee’s casino table, five years of longing collide with five years of heartbreak. Dee grants him one hour to explain, on one condition: complete honesty, especially when the truth makes him look bad. Every conversation becomes a test. Gary must prove through actions — not promises — that he has become someone capable of staying. AA becomes the unexpected blueprint for rebuilding love. In meetings aboard ship, Gary abandons the polished explanations that have protected him for years and confesses the truths most likely to cost him Dee, including the shame of imagining her waiting after he vanished. For the first time, telling the truth matters more to him than being forgiven. ## **The Turn** While Gary learns to stay, Dee must learn that her worth is not measured by how useful she is to others. Each day Gary asks a question no one has asked her in years: *When was the last time you did something simply because you wanted to?* She cannot answer. Two people illuminate her path. Lou, Dee’s fiercely loyal friend, challenges her to separate evidence from fear rather than let grief masquerade as wisdom. Sandra — the elegant woman dancing each evening with an invisible partner — reveals the novel’s deepest truth: loving again does not betray the dead. Love does not end. It changes form. ## **The Test** The turning point is not a misunderstanding but a series of chances to trust. On a beach with a hidden rip current, Gary risks his life to pull a drowning boy from the water while entrusting Dee to organize the rescue from shore — and for the first time she learns what it is to be trusted rather than only to rescue. Days later, on a zip line strung across a rainforest gorge, it is Dee’s turn: she has to let go of the cable and fall, on faith, with Gary waiting below. Trust, the novel insists, is built in ordinary acts repeated until they hold. The true climax comes when Dee falls hard on the ship’s pickleball court, breaking her ankle and her nose on the last days of the cruise. Gary — days from a national championship he has trained three years for — quietly withdraws to fly her home and see her settled, asking for neither recognition nor gratitude. The choice detonates a hidden conflict: his tournament partner and closest friend, who has quietly loved him for years, forces a reckoning that proves Dee right about her all along and costs Gary the person he thought knew him best. Watching him choose her and lose something real for it, Dee confronts her deepest fear — not losing Gary, but leaving first, before she can be hurt again. In the terminal she confesses that for one honest moment she hoped he would miss his flight, and telling the truth, rather than being reassured, is the point. ## **Where They Arrive** By the end of ten days, both have crossed the distance that truly matters. Gary learns that staying is the most courageous promise he can make. Dee finally abandons the belief that avoiding joy can somehow prevent loss; grief came anyway, and refusing happiness never protected her from it. On the flight home, her ankle in a cast, she places her hand in his — and lets herself, perhaps for the first time in years, receive love without believing she must earn it. Then the novel turns the story inside out. Then ending chapters present a major twist and readers are left to craft an answer to a final question.

by Misery Walker

In a future society, every citizen must choose a single color upon turning eighteen. From that day forward, nearly everything they own, wear, eat, drive, and decorate with must be that color. The only exception is that citizens earn the right to use additional colors by performing verified acts of kindness, sacrifice, or service to others. Over time, a person's color palette becomes a public record of their character. A person who reaches middle age with only one color is widely suspected of being selfish, narcissistic, or unwilling to help others.

by C. Marie

In a world where survival demands sacrifice, love becomes the most dangerous risk of all.   Savage Salvation is a dark romance that plunges readers into a brutal landscape of trauma, desire, and redemption. When two broken souls collide, their bond is forged in violence, tested by betrayal, and ignited by a passion that refuses to die.   This is not a gentle love story—it's raw, atmospheric, and unapologetically intense.   Every page drips with tension, weaving together themes of survival, trauma, redemption, and forbidden desire. Fans of dark romance, psychological drama, and morally complex characters will find themselves captivated by the push and pull between tenderness and brutality.   For readers who crave stories that balance emotional vulnerability with physical intensity, Savage Salvation delivers a visceral journey where pain and passion intertwine, and hope flickers even in the darkest corners.   Perfect for fans of dark romance, survival fiction, and redemption arcs—this is a novel that will haunt you long after the last page.

by Toxiktweet

In the magical world of Tropius, gods, goddesses, and demi-beings possess extraordinary powers and experience every emotion imaginable—except for one goddess. Flora, the most beautiful goddess in existence, has never understood happiness, sadness, anger, or love. When she accidentally unleashes a mysterious power while trying to help a young demi girl, Flora is exiled from her home and sent to the mysterious world of Mirrorland.\ There, enchanted mirrors reveal the lives of people across countless worlds. Flora becomes fascinated by Nyla, a twelve-year-old girl struggling to survive in the dangerous streets of Oaktown. Through an extraordinary twist of fate, Flora's journey becomes intertwined with Nyla's, forcing her into a world filled with violence, friendship, heartbreak, and sacrifice.\ Alongside her loyal companion Grillo and her courageous new friend Jordan, Flora begins to experience emotions for the very first time. As a ruthless killer named Silas hunts her down, Flora discovers that the mysterious power hidden within her is tied to an ancient destiny that could change both the human world and the world of the gods forever.\ Flora is a captivating fantasy adventure about friendship, courage, self-discovery, and the transformative power of emotions. It is the story of a goddess who must learn what it truly means to be human before she can become the hero both worlds desperately need.

by DANIELLE

​"I was a good wife until the night I invited a monster into my husband’s bed." ​At twenty-seven, Emily Thorne is living inside a gilded cage. To the corporate world, she’s a quiet, polished professional. To her husband, Christian, she’s just another piece of property to own and control. But when the feds drag Christian away in handcuffs, his suffocating shadow finally lifts—leaving Emily alone, starved for adrenaline, and drowning in the quiet silence of an empty house. ​Then, she crosses a line she can never un-cross. She sends a single, late-night message to her husband’s estranged cousin. ​Marcus Vance. ​Cold, ruthless, and covered in black ink, Marcus is an untouchable ghost in the city’s underground. He doesn't do sweet promises, and he doesn't play by anyone's rules. What begins as a risky digital game quickly devolves into an intense, lawless obsession. Marcus doesn't just touch Emily—he claims her, dismantles her innocence, and teaches her what it feels like to burn. ​But the real game begins when the prison gates open early. ​Christian is coming home to claim his house and his wife, completely unaware that his own blood spent the last three weeks carving his name into Emily's skin. Meanwhile, a brilliant federal agent is closing in, using Emily’s corporate access to dismantle the Vance empire once and for all. ​Caught in a violent crossfire between a husband out for blood, an FBI task force on the hunt, and a possessive anti-hero who would burn the world down before letting her go, Emily faces one final choice: ​Step back into the light... or take the throne in the dark

by P.J Perez

En la tradición del real maravilloso de Carpentier y del realismo mágico de García Márquez, pero con la culpa trágica de Graham Greene, P. J. Pérez-Peña construye una novela barroca y circular en la que la santidad y el deseo se tocan. Santo Domingo, 1961. En los últimos meses de la Era de Trujillo, un país entero respira miedo. En ese infierno vigilado, Andrés Connery Lora —hijo de un marino escocés y de una criolla cibaeña— ve a Sor Carla Inés Bracamonte, novicia andaluza, en la iglesia de Las Mercedes. Lo que nace como devoción se vuelve incendio. De los atabales sincréticos de Duvergé a la casa-refugio de Montecristi, del delirio a la transfiguración, el amor prohibido no los destruye: los muda de naturaleza. Su consumación no deja ceniza, deja un clavel que respira, reliquia viva custodiada durante cincuenta años por Marcial, un niño de cuartería que será el último testigo. Una novela sobre lo que ocurre cuando un amor imposible, en lugar de pedir perdón, pide la eternidad.

by M. N. Watkins

Crystal never asked for a mate-bond. She definitely never asked for Aiden — an alpha whose reputation for ruthlessness precedes him into every room he enters. But the bond doesn't care what either of them wants. Thrown into the heart of Frostfang territory, Crystal finds herself caught between a man who is nothing like the stories claim, and a pack with secrets buried deep enough to swallow her whole. Aiden knows exactly what he is — and exactly what he's capable of, if pushed. What he doesn't know is how to be gentle. How to be trusted. How to be anything other than what the pack needs him to be. As danger closes in from outside Frostfang's borders — and truths start surfacing from within — Crystal and Aiden will have to decide whether the bond that claimed them is a cage neither can escape, or the one thing strong enough to save them both.

by M. N. Watkins

In Frostfang territory, the mate-bond doesn't ask permission. It doesn't negotiate. And it definitely doesn't care that you had other plans. Storm of the Silver Wolf follows two parallel bonds forged the same chaotic midsummer morning — Crystal and Aiden, shoved together by a pull neither of them asked for (and both are handling with the emotional maturity of two people who'd rather fight a bear); Halvard and Violet, caught between duty, desire, and a kingdom that picked the worst possible moment for a crisis. As their stories collide, one truth surfaces that neither pack saw coming: the disappearances haunting their territories trace back to the same woman — and she's been sitting at the table the whole time. A slow-burn werewolf romance series full of claiming, trust issues, and men who communicate exclusively through growling and grand gestures. Love isn't simple here. But it is very, very worth it.

by Lilly Mykals Kennedy

A mature lawyer, Tonya Russell, develops a hot fling with boy toy Dakota Barrings. The two share a hot summer, but things get out of hand when Dakota develops another love interest and tries to push Tonya to the side.

by Scott Zimmerman

Reviewers are raving about KOSTYA... \--A well-written, emotionally intense novel that I couldn’t put down. \--From the very first pages, the writing pulls you into Kostya’s world with vivid, unflinching detail. \--Relentless sense of movement. \--The vivid imagery captured the setting and mood with cinematic precision. \--The ending is extremely beautiful. \--The difference in speaking voices between characters was quite fun to read. \--KOSTYA is a must-read. \--You will instantly form a connection with the characters in this book. The tensions they feel pours off the pages and directly into your heart.  \--The story combines historical depth with the momentum of an adventure novel. Readers become invested not merely in what happens next, but in who Kostya becomes along the way.

by Stephen Sulkey

Matthew Grey has spent his life searching for the equations that explain the universe. A graduate student in theoretical physics at the University of North Carolina, he dreams of discovering the elegant mathematics that binds space, time, and reality together. Then one afternoon in a Chapel Hill coffee shop, a beautiful stranger sits across from him and effortlessly solves equations that have baffled him for months. Her name is Accasia Lawrence. She seems to know mathematics beyond anything taught on Earth. She speaks of the universe with unsettling certainty, predicts events before they happen, and hints at truths that challenge everything Matthew believes about physics—and about humanity's place in the cosmos. As their relationship deepens, impossible events begin to surround them. A fatal accident. A body that vanishes from the morgue. Equations that rewrite modern physics. Federal investigators searching for answers no one can explain. Matthew soon realizes that meeting Accasia was no accident. She is keeping a secret that reaches far beyond Earth. Drawn into a mystery spanning the stars, Matthew finds himself questioning the nature of science, reality, and even creation itself. Every answer only uncovers a larger question, leading him toward discoveries that could forever change humanity's understanding of the universe—or destroy it. **The Girl Who Could Do Math** is a hard science fiction novel that combines first contact, cosmic mystery, and an unforgettable love story. It explores what happens when the greatest scientific discovery in history begins not in a laboratory, but with two strangers sharing a table in a coffee shop.

by Ernest Hemingway

*A Farewell to Arms* is Ernest Hemingway's tragic 1929 novel about Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver in Italy during WWI. He falls in love with nurse Catherine Barkley. After deserting the army to escape the war's brutality, the couple flees to Switzerland, ending in heartbreak when Catherine and their baby die during childbirth

by Stephen Sulkey

## The Bayou Girl: A Gathering of Shadows Bedelia Marie Dubois has transformed Savannah into a sanctuary, but peace was never meant to last. As word of the mysterious vampire known as the Dark Angel spreads throughout the supernatural world, strangers begin arriving at Pecan Hill seeking her guidance, her protection, and, in some cases, the gift of immortality itself. Among them is Mei-Ling Yao, one of the legendary Tiger People, whose arrival reveals that vampires are only one part of a far older and more mysterious world. While ancient alliances are forged and dangerous new enemies gather in the shadows, Bedelia faces an even greater challenge. The man she loves, Benjamin Reese, is slowly dying, trapped between his humanity and the terrible hunger of immortality. Desperate to save him without sacrificing the principles that define them both, Bedelia searches for a path no vampire has ever found. Then, beneath the ancient oaks of Savannah, a revelation changes everything. As the spirits of the dead reveal a destiny stretching far beyond one city or one century, Bedelia begins to understand that the Dark Angels were never meant to defend Savannah alone. Their purpose is far greater—and the darkness gathering against them is greater still. *A Gathering of Shadows* expands the world of **The Bayou Girl** into an epic tale of supernatural mystery, loyalty, sacrifice, and hope, where the line between monster and guardian grows ever more difficult to define... and where one immortal woman may be destined for a role no one could have imagined.

by Stephen Sulkey

## The Bayou Girl: The Shadows of Savannah After leaving the bayous of Louisiana behind, Bedelia Marie Dubois begins a new life in historic Savannah, Georgia. Hidden behind the elegance of a restored antebellum mansion and the charm of Southern society, she quietly builds a place for herself among the city's elite. But beneath Savannah's beauty lies a darkness every bit as deadly as the one she left behind. As criminals, predators, and ancient supernatural forces emerge from the shadows, Bedelia finds herself drawn once again into a secret war against evil. A determined homicide detective begins investigating a series of impossible deaths, while an old hoodoo woman senses that something ancient has awakened within the city. At the same time, Bedelia struggles with a loneliness that even immortality cannot erase, haunted by her love for New Orleans police detective Benjamin Reese. Soon, old allies arrive, powerful new enemies reveal themselves, and Bedelia discovers that the darkness gathering in Savannah is greater than anything she has faced before. To protect the innocent, she must risk exposing the very secret that has kept her alive for more than two centuries. Rich with Southern Gothic atmosphere, supernatural suspense, mystery, and unforgettable characters, **The Bayou Girl: The Shadows of Savannah** continues the saga of an immortal woman who has chosen to become the monster that hunts monsters.

by Stephen Sulkey

## The Bayou Girl: A Woman to Die For She lived in the bayou until she could no longer tolerate the evil that men do. For more than two centuries, Bedelia Marie Dubois has hidden from the world, living alone among the swamps and ancient oaks of coastal Louisiana. To those few who know the old legends, she is little more than a whispered ghost—a beautiful woman seen only at night, leaving behind unanswered questions and the bodies of those who deserved far worse. When a series of brutal crimes draws innocent people into her world, Bedelia can no longer remain an observer. Forced to choose between the secrecy that has protected her for generations and the justice that demands action, she begins a dangerous crusade against killers, predators, and those who believe the weak exist only to be exploited. As detectives, scholars, and powerful enemies close in, Bedelia discovers that the greatest threat is not her own immortal nature, but an ancient evil that has begun to stir in the shadows. To confront it, she must decide whether redemption is still possible for a creature long believed to be damned. Set against the haunting beauty of the Louisiana bayous, *The Bayou Girl: A Woman to Die For* is a Southern Gothic thriller that blends supernatural suspense, mystery, horror, and moral complexity into the story of a vampire who has chosen to become humanity's unlikely guardian. Sometimes the most dangerous monster... is the one trying to save you.

by Lilly Mykals Kennedy

Alanis August went to bed on the night of her 18th birthday and awoke to a battle between her pack and Alpha Raymond. Her parents were both murdered by the ruthless Alpha, and Alpha Raymond takes her prisoner. Alanis is terrified after being kept in a small cage for over two years until Alpha Sebastian defeats Alpha Raymond and rescues her. After being caged, alone, and afraid for two years, she has no idea what the new Alpha will do to her or what awaits her outside her cage. Alanis embarks on a journey of finding herself with the help of Julian, the Alpha's sister. Alpha Sebastian takes an interest in helping Alanis find herself as well. As the two spend time together helping her put her life back together, they find themselves falling in love.

by Lilly Mykals Kennedy

Mia loves her freedom. She isn't interested in pack duties. She wants to support her brother and his future as Alpha, but things take a dramatic turn. Mia's life is changed forever by a vampire and her father's dying wish for her.

by A.M Isle

A century of stillness does not end quietly. The empire is waking hungry and afraid, and the people who survived the freeze are discovering that survival was only the beginning. Kathera is returning, and the world is moving again. It should feel like enough.\ \ It isn't.\ \ Sahora never asked to be the one who carried Kathera's soul across realms. She never asked to crawl to the bottom of a waterfall and trade her breath for a world she barely knew. She never asked to stand trial before a village that wants her dead, or to fall for the man who broke every oath he had ever kept just to pull her back from the dark. She never asked for any of it.\ \ The world didn't ask either. It just needed her anyway.\ \ While Oliver faces the cost of choosing love over law, and Lyrian holds together an empire built on grief and rose gardens, a darkness older than the freeze is moving in the east. Carlosa of the Dark Court does not doubt. She does not stumble. She has spent a lifetime being certain. But something is pulling her toward the cliffs of Sinthia, something her shadow recognized long before she did, and Carlosa is beginning to understand that certainty is only as strong as what you refuse to look at.\ \ Ten shards. One stone. A world still remembering how to breathe.\ \ And the people brave enough, or broken enough, or desperate enough, to believe it can.

by Nikki Rollingwood

**In the shadow of the Blackbear Ridge peaks, nothing is ever truly accidental—especially not the death that just made headlines.** Georgia, the voice behind the true-crime podcast *The Anatomy of Malice*, has spent years dissecting the dark underbelly of human nature. But when a "freak" avalanche at a luxury resort kills a high-profile guest, Georgia discovers a detail the authorities missed: a surgical, artificial incision along the mountain’s crest. She hasn’t found a tragic coincidence. She’s found a signature. As she digs deeper, Georgia realizes the avalanche wasn’t an act of nature—it was an act of design. The architect behind it is someone who doesn’t just plan the tragedy; she curates the audience, and Georgia has been cast in the starring role. When a rare, vintage brooch is left behind as a deliberate taunt, Georgia finds herself trapped in a high-stakes game where every move she makes—and every step she takes to uncover the truth—is exactly what the Architect anticipated. Forced to abandon her digital life and go into hiding, Georgia realizes that to stop the next "accident," she has to stop playing detective and start playing the Architect’s own game. Caught between the secrets of her own family’s business and a predator who is rewriting her life in real-time, Georgia must determine if she can break the pattern before the final act of the performance begins. **In this chilling psychological thriller, the lines between storyteller and victim blur. In the game of *The Anatomy of Malice*, the pen is sharper than any blade—and the Architect is always watching.**

by Andrew Valenza

It's 1959, and humanity is entering a new age of cosmic exploration. Four ships with crews of two are sent out into the unknown to see firsthand what lies beyond the stars. Over a year into the mission, the crew of the Silent Horizon, Dex Prullen and Lacy Carradine, have joined each other in marriage and are content living out their days just floating through space. But on the day of their anniversary, the Empire finds them. Swiftly pulled apart, Dex and Lacy are thrown headfirst into a new world led by a god-like being and his imperium of theocratic zealots. And it is only a matter of time before one of them is delivered to the Emperor himself, dooming all of humanity with them, unless they can be reunited and escape the Empire of the Void.

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 Rick London

Titus Wolfe - high school music teacher by day, and DJ extraordinaire by night, becomes a wolfman. But not your typical wolfeman. Not the vicious, brutal and savage man-eating killer, but a savior. Titus's love for music is his saving grace, and also for his alter-ego wolfman. Music calms this savage beast, and along the way he meets the woman of his dreams and befriends those he saves. Romance, humor, adventure, music & dancing ensues. The ride is just beginning....

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 Mighty Wayne

A spirit in heaven falls in love with a girl on earth and chooses to live with her there.  This is their magical life together and how a new light is born.

by Jacob Harvey Redloh & Véronique Margot

**Two agonized hearts, what can become of them?** **Love-lost and weariness prevail within his forlorn and aging heart. He has not seen love beyond his childhood home, which was true in his life. When love was claimed, it was not real, or in time turned away, never having been actual. Mutual affections were no more than dreams or lies. His heart had become hardened until she came to ease her way between the blocks set so long within his mind to protect his damaged heart.**  **She was lonely, emotionally bruised, and many false loves came into her life, with her being used to fill their needs, their only purpose. Bravely, she remained hopeful despite the troubles seen through time.** **A man to be loved, cared for, and preserved, her dream, and for which she is expressly skilled. He is an image online, yet important. As chats begin and continue, things change for each; affections build slowly for him and rapidly for her. He resists every allusion that more could be between them than good company, while she is determined to break down his emotional walls to mend his broken heart. Reluctantly, he is drawn in by her. Their chats become deeply important.** **All seems well, with love growing and moving forward to mend hearts and lives**  **A heartless hacker steals the love-determined woman’s social media account. With evil, tricky, and conniving means, the interloper took her place, deceptively cutting into the love-dance between this man and this woman, taking him in through the use of his lady's exciting words spoken earlier, newly restated with evil intent**  **While his true lover is grieving his loss, his precious and gracious words and poems, she yet remains unable to give up that last vestige of hope which would have him return and be restored to the love she and he had found together.**  **Here is the story, told in verse, an epic of love lost, deception, with a struggling possibility of love’s recovery, and restored trust the key.**

by Leslee Kahler

Tristan has inherited a title and many debts left by his debauched father and brothers. To save his family from poverty he has to marry his late uncle's ward. Can he convince the independent young lady to marry him? And can they not only find love but discover who is trying to destroy his family?

by Sammie Settlemire

Sorenson: 9th & Ash follows a woman standing at the fault line between her past and the world she refuses to inherit. In a neighborhood where every street remembers what you survived, Sorenson becomes a mythic‑surreal portrait of resilience — a story where trauma has teeth, hope has a spine, and the ordinary corners of 9th & Ash crack open to reveal the strange magic of rebuilding a life from the ruins.

by Jane Austen

When Mr. Dashwood dies, his estate passes to the son of his first marriage, and his widow and three daughters are left with very little. They move to a cottage in Devonshire, where the two eldest sisters meet love and disappointment in opposite ways. Elinor, all good sense, keeps her feelings to herself, even when the man she cares for turns out to have a secret. Marianne, all sensibility, falls headlong for the dashing John Willoughby and doesn't care who sees. Austen's first published novel asks which way of loving costs more.

by Nicole Price

by K.A. Masterson

**A queen destined to rule. A king driven by destiny. A mate bound by love.** Deeana has spent her entire life trying to outrun the destiny waiting for her. As the next Chimera Queen, she is destined to unite the Therians and Supernaturals beneath one crown. But becoming Queen comes with an impossible price. The moment she claims her throne, every Alpha will have the right to pursue her, hoping to become the king at her side before the Chimera King claims what fate has promised him. Only one man has only wanted her heart. Malcolm, the Wolf Shifter Alpha, is the only man who wants Deeana's heart, not her crown. He has watched over Deeana since childhood. Though fate marked them as mates long ago, he has never demanded her heart. Instead, he has spent a lifetime standing beside the woman he loves, believing that one day she will choose him, not because destiny commands it, but because she wants him. Chosen by fate to become the Chimera King, Dorin carries a legacy stained by generations of Mad Kings, men born to serve their Queen but consumed by the desire to rule instead. Determined to break the cycle, Dorin asks Deeana for the chance to prove he is different. But a Chimera Queen isn't allowed to follow her heart, like her mother did, who chose love over duty and lost her throne, risking the fragile peace between Therians and Supernaturals. Desperate for a new Queen to restore the balance, every hope rests on Deeana choosing her fated king, even if it means denying her heart. As Deeana steps into the role she has spent her life trying to escape, she must choose between the love that has always been hers and the crown that could save them all.

by Don Shaze

RASUL İs the unforgettable orlgin story of the man who would one day become the architect behind the Status empire. Growing up on Erle Avenue in North Philadelphia, Rasul learns early that every declslon carries consequences. Ralsed in an environment where respect must be earned and survval is never guaranteed, he develops a sharp mind, an unbreakable work ethic, and an instinct for reading people that sets him apart from everyone around him. Told in Rasul's own volce, this gripping coming-of-age novel follows his journey from a deternined teenager trying to find his place in the world to a young man whose choices begin shaping his future. Along the way, he experiences first love, fatherhood, heartbreak, loyalty, and painful lessons that force him to confront the cost of chasing the life he believes he wants.  Guided by a father who teaches him to think beyond the moment, Rasul begins studying leadership, business, psychology, and human behavior. While others focus on surviving each day, he quletly starts building a vision for something greater. But before that vision can become reality, he must face life changing consequences that challenge everything he beleves about success, purpose, and legacy. Inside prison, Rasul refuses to let his circumstances define him. Instead, he transforms adversity into opportunity, using his time to sharpen his mind, develop a long-term plan, and lay the foundation for a future built on discipline, strategy, and vision.  Raw, emotlonal, and thought-provoking. RASUL Is more than an urban novel-t's a story about growth, reslence, redemption, and the power of relnventing yourself. t is the frst chapter in the jouney of a man determined to leave behlnd more than a reputatlon-he ls determlned to bulld a legacy. If you enjoy authentlc urban fiction, Gompelling character development, and stortes about overcoming adversity, RASUL Is a powerful beginning to the Status Universe.

by Don Shaze

Status Legacy Series Power is earned. Loyalty is tested. Legacy is forever. From the unforgiving streets of North Philadelphia to the glittering boardrooms of global empires, the Status Legacy Series follows a cast of hustlers, visionaries, killers, lovers, and survivors who discover that the most dangerous battles aren't fought over money—they're fought over power, family, and legacy. At the center of it all is Rasul Baker, a brilliant strategist whose ability to read people turns a street hustler into the architect of a hidden empire. Alongside allies like Nyazia, whose legal career conceals a far greater influence, and a coalition bound by loyalty, ambition, and sacrifice, every victory creates a new enemy and every betrayal carries deadly consequences. As fortunes rise, romances ignite, blood feuds erupt, and empires expand from Philadelphia to Atlanta and beyond. The line between love and manipulation, business and crime, justice and revenge grows thinner with every decision. New kings emerge. Queens refuse to bow. Old debts demand payment. And every generation must decide whether to protect the legacy...or destroy it. Blending gritty street realism with psychological suspense, romance, high-stakes crime, and relentless ambition, the Status Legacy Series is an interconnected saga where every book reveals another piece of a larger game. In the world of Status, respect is currency, loyalty is priceless, and only the strongest leave a legacy. The Status Legacy Series by Don Shaze—where every move matters, every secret has a cost, and every chapter brings you one step closer to the throne.

by Danël Feydrich

Dr. Elara Voss has spent her career listening to the static of the universe, searching for meaning in the noise. She finds it in the worst possible way—a signal that isn't a signal, a transmission that bleeds through military channels like poetry from a dying star. It speaks of ribs like canyon walls and knives that remember hands. It is beautiful. It is devastating. It kills everyone who truly understands it. Lieutenant Rael understood it. He clawed his own throat out six hours later. But Elara doesn't go mad. She translates. And that makes her the most dangerous woman in the galaxy. On the other side of settled space, Cassian Rhys has been running from a song for five years. An archaeologist who survived a dig that killed his entire team, he carries a piece of the alien artifact that drove them all to their deaths—a shard of obsidian that hums with a frequency only he can hear. It saved his life. It cursed him. And now it's singing a new name: Elara Voss. Together, they are drawn into a conspiracy that spans millennia. Project Lament. A secret military experiment that weaponized the signal. A cult called The Chorus, who believe the signal is not a threat but an ascension. A father who lost his daughter to the song and will tear the universe apart to get her back. Follow Elara and Cassian as they race across the fringes of human space, pursued by military assassins, fanatical cultists, and a grief-stricken commander who sees them as tools for his own redemption. The artifact's song grows louder. The fragments are awakening. And someone has been on-hold for a billion years...

by J. Magdaleno

*Dear Reader,* *As you turn these pages, step not forward—but back. This story does not continue from the world you last left behind in Shattered Myths – Broken Worlds. It returns to an earlier hour, to the quiet fractures and hidden moments that shaped the man known as Azure Creed.* *Here, you will meet him before the weight of destiny fully settles on his shoulders—formed by blood and loyalty, by secrets kept and choices made in shadow. This novel is not a sequel but a reckoning with beginnings. Within these pages lie the sparks of ambition, the first betrayals, and the truths that would one day ripple outward, altering lives, bloodlines, and the balance of power itself.* *What you discover here may unsettle what you believe you know—about Azure, the Elders, and the forces moving unseen behind the world you have already glimpsed.* *Tread carefully. The past shows no mercy and offers no forgiveness. It gives birth to every legend—and sets the end in motion long before anyone sees it coming.* *Welcome to the **beginning.***  ***The novel is complete with all 27 chapters available.***

by D.M. Jordan

Copyright 2026 D.M. Jordan. All Rights Reserved. Cover Art by Mohsin Afridi **Three Men. Two Billionaires. One Dangerous Secret.** Synopsis: Dr. Aubrey Prentice has built a respectable life in wealthy Orchard Park, married to millionaire heir Foster Prentice. Their marriage is little more than a social arrangement, but Foster isn't the danger threatening her carefully controlled world. Roman Hayes is. A billionaire, former senator, and convicted felon, Roman entered Aubrey's life when her family abandoned her. Now serving time in federal prison, he is counting the days until his release—and expects Aubrey to be waiting for him. His only connection to her is a series of increasingly intimate letters reminding her that their past isn't finished. Enter Ian Henshaw III. Ian is a billionaire, Roman's sworn rival, and Aubrey's patient. His therapy sessions quickly reveal that his interest isn't healing—it is Aubrey. When she refuses his advances, fascination becomes obsession. Ian begins watching her, tracking her movements, and invading her life. Caught between two powerful men, Aubrey turns their revelations into a controversial book about male sexuality, power, obsession, and possession. But the manuscript contains secrets that could destroy them all. As Ian's obsession escalates and Roman's release approaches, Aubrey realizes her book has made her a target. Soon Roman will be free. Ian is already watching. Foster is sneaking around. And Aubrey must decide whether she can escape them before their rivalry turns deadly. **Dialogue/Excerpt** “Ian, I have something to tell you.” “What is it?” Immediate suspicion. “I’m giving back your ring. I’m not going to marry you.” Silence. Then, “Where are you?” “Home.” “I’m coming over.” Before Aubrey could say anything, Ian was gone. Aubrey was frightened. She was home alone, and she wasn’t sure what Ian would do. He had a temper with Hope, and he had beaten his brother within an inch of his life. What would he do to her?

by Ann Radcliffe

Emily St. Aubert is devastated by the deaths of her parents and is placed under the legal guardianship of her cold-hearted aunt, Madame Cheron. The aunt marries Signor Montoni, a cruel, bankrupt Italian villain who locks Emily away in his dark, isolated Apennine fortress, the Castle of Udolpho. Within the terrifying castle walls, Emily is subjected to extortion, threats of forced marriage, and seemingly supernatural horrors that test her sanity. She eventually manages a daring escape with the help of a sympathetic servant and reunites with her true love, Valancourt. Ultimately, the terrifying mysteries of Udolpho are revealed to have perfectly rational, non-supernatural explanations.

by A.M Isle

For eighteen years, the Fae wanted her dead. She never knew why.\ When Aryis crosses the boundary into the human realm, she expects to find safety. Instead, she finds a red-haired man with mismatched eyes who speaks her language and asks too many questions. She finds a tavern full of secrets. And she finds something stirring inside her that she cannot name.\ Something ancient. Something powerful. Something they were right to fear.

by A.M Isle

A saga following a mercenary who is being hunted by people who keep telling her Celentra must stay frozen. She doesn't know what this means until she meets a cloaked stranger who tells her that she is carrying the soul of a dead Empress from another world. That she must revive this Empress to save a world frozen in time.

by A.M Isle

Sahora is a survivor; steel-tempered and scar-taught in the brutal streets of Serlane. For years she has belonged to no one but herself, living by grit, instinct, and the edge of her blade… until strangers begin to hunt her with a single, ice-cold command: Celentra must remain frozen. Dragged through a portal by a Seer named Amiranthia into a realm stalled in silence, Sahora is confronted with an impossible truth; Kathera’s soul burns inside her, and fate has crowned her the Empress’s Soulbearer. To revive Kathera and coax the land awake, Sahora must help recover the shattered Stone of Ilina: ten god-forged shards lost across a world that resists its own sunrise. Each fragment they claim lets Celentra draw breath again… and each one awakens ancient, starving powers determined to keep time locked shut. At Sahora’s side gather uneasy allies; Cyrus, a brilliant, reckless mapmaker; Briar, earth-bound and guarded with secrets; and Castor, the Empress’s legendary guard. But the cruelest twist of all may be Oliver: once sworn to stop her, now bound to her as Soulfated, hearing her thoughts, steadying the storm-magic rising in her blood. And as the kingdom trembles toward waking, a dark Seer named Carlosa sharpens prophecy in the shadows, gathering power for a night foretold; ready to destroy Kathera the instant she returns. Hunted by zealots, haunted by the life she tried to outrun, and forced to carry an empress’s heartbeat beside her own, Sahora must decide what she is willing to become: the weapon she was forged into… or the warrior who brings a world back to life.

by Joshua (J. E.) Dyer

Being sixteen can be Hell. For Sarah, every day is the same. Keep up with the grades. Stay on top of the cleaning and laundry around their cramped apartment. Friends? Boys? If her mom found out, her rage would follow. For as long as Sarah could remember, it’s always been her and her mom. Stories of her dad’s untimely death hold their own questions.\ \ So long as her chores get done and she stays close to home, everything’s sunny. Otherwise, she might feel the wrath of her mom’s love.\ \ That all changes when Sarah’s great aunt leaves her a mysterious journal in her will. Its pages tell tales of a missing brother’s adventures, riding the rails in the 1930s. The further Sarah delves into the events surrounding him, the closer she gets to uncovering her own past. As the truths of her great uncle’s disappearance come to light, she unearths the skeletons hidden in her mom’s closet.\ \ Then, there’s Collin. The boy she’s had a crush on for years picks now of all times to ask her out. Juggling a boyfriend and a relationship on top of everything else could push her and her mother to their breaking point.\ \ Sparks will fly on Sarah’s journey to independence and healing. One boy’s journey across Great Depression America could hold the key to setting her free. Sarah needs to find him in time to get to the truth before time takes another relative and his secrets to the grave.

by Shawna K. Whaley

Kathleen Smith decides it's time for a vacation. After carefully checking the weather for possible storms, she and her daughters fly to California. She was expecting fun and relaxation but Mother Nature had other plans.  Chris thought he was going to spend a weekend with his best friend hanging out playing video games and relaxing at home. He was wrong.  Join Kathy and her daughters, along with Chris and Brian, as they navigate this new world devastated by tornadoes, flooding and earthquakes. Can love blossom in this new world or will survival be their only focus? This story started as a recurring nightmare that I decided to turn into a story to help process my fears.

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 Janell Rudd

Staying 'just friends' was always the safest bet that neither of them wanted to gamble with. However, one drunken late night mistake changed everything and may even cause them to admit that sometimes love is worth the risk.\ \ Aziza McIntyre has always tried to do everything right. Whether if it was studying hard, budgeting carefully, or staying loyal to the people she loves, whatever it was, she did it to the best of her ability while avoiding unnecessary attention. However, after ending a long painful relationship, everything changes when she agrees to one reckless thing: a road trip to Las Vegas with her closet friends. A weekend to forget her heartbreak which worked a little too well. One wild night of drinking and the next day she's waking up in a Vegas hotel room next to her friend and study buddy, Greg. They didn't just sleep together... they got married. Yet, Greg's secret is much bigger than their nuptials and will push Aziza to her limits. \ \ Although he fell for her the moment they met, Greg Wallace, better known as Prince Alexander Gregory Wallace Percy Kensington III of Valoria, didn't intent on things to get out of control. Coined as the Wild Bad Boy Prince by the tabloids back home, he fled to the United States under strict agreement with his parents: stay out of trouble, finish school, and enjoy a few years of freedom from royal duties. His only request; to have only one bodyguard, posing as his roommate. Any scandals would send him back home to Valoria... permanently. A surprise wife was never part of the deal, yet now it's a deal that Greg refuses to get out of, even if Aziza can't handle the fact that he's a prince. \ \ Now, with their lives tied firmly together, they must find a way to navigate through their new roles, while battling against everyone whose against it and finding true love in the process.

by Scott Zimmerman

This will surely be one of the greatest stories you will ever read. He endured years of genocide, brutal Nazi forced labor, Allied bombings, and Soviet enslavement. It's 1946. To escape the Soviet secret police, he must choose between the only thing he's ever wanted and a promise he cannot break. It will require incredible grit and wit.\ You've got to see what happens in the thrilling finish.\ **KOSTYA is an epic story about love, war, endurance, and integrity.** **5-STAR PRAISE for KOSTYA...**\ This powerful World War II novel delivers a deeply personal and harrowing account of survival, resilience, and the human spirit under unimaginable conditions. From the very first pages, the\ writing pulls you into Kostya’s world with vivid, unflinching detail. KOSTYA is a well-written, emotionally intense novel that I couldn’t put down. If you’re looking for a World War II\ survival story that is raw, realistic, and unforgettable, this book is absolutely worth your time.\ **Reviewed by Don Jung, Underrated Reads** \ If you are looking for a historical novel flavored with drama, thrills, gritty realism, and suspense, KOSTYA is a must-read. Here, Zimmerman weaves a compelling, visceral tale of survival, resilience, love, sheer luck, fate, and sacrifices. The raw, dynamic prose transported me back to the 1930s-40s Europe, giving me a glimpse of the harsh circumstances Ukrainians faced under Stalin’s rule and World War II.\ The vivid imagery captured the setting and mood with cinematic precision. As I followed the events from the famine to Mariupol’s invasion, and Kostya’s stints in the German and Russian labor camps, I got a clear image of the suffering that innocent casualties of the war were exposed to. I must applaud Zimmerman for delivering this heart-stopping and incredible\ story in such an intriguing way. It would make a great historical movie. I will definitely read this story again. I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment.\ **Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers’ Favorite**   You will instantly form a connection with the characters in this book. The tensions they feel pours off the pages and directly into your heart. You will grieve with their losses, and feel their\ excitement when they evade the inquisitors.\ **5-Star Amazon Review**   The prose is strong. The descriptions in particular enchanted me. I felt like I was in each place Kostya visited. The author really did a good job presenting the world of the time periods. Dialogue is also quite good. Conversations flowed well, and the difference in speaking voices between characters was quite fun to read. … In summary, this is a fun and exciting read.\ **Reviewed by GrimDaniel Blog**   The final part of the book is the most gripping and exhibits a detailed knowledge and understanding of the way a regime driven by fear and corruption enables ruthless individuals to\ cover up the most heinous wrongdoing. Throughout the book Kostya's sense of integrity and his dedication to the values instilled in him by his parents and grandparents are foremost. Often tested to near destruction, his will to persevere in his quest to return to Mariupol and discover if his family have survived remains central to his every action. In the final stages it is strengthened, but not derailed, by the love of a young woman who assists his escape from the Russian authorities. She is just one of several well drawn characters who play key roles in Kostya's journey. Whether supportive or determined to out-manoeuvre him, they are all fully developed individuals. There are no obvious stereotypes.\ **Reviewed by Frank Parker, Rosie's Blog**   Kostya by Scott Zimmerman is a powerful historical fiction novel inspired by the true story of Konstantin “Kostya” Lysenko. The ending is extremely beautiful. It does not erase what has\ happened, but it gives the story a rare moment of balance, as if one tiny moral debt can still be corrected in a world that has stolen almost everything. Overall, Kostya is a gripping, humane, and emotionally resonant historical novel about endurance, moral courage, and the cost of\ surviving history’s most brutal machinery. It is painful, vivid, and often difficult to read, but also very worthwhile. Author Zimmerman honours Kostya by showing him as a boy and then a man who keeps choosing life, truth, and home even when every system around him tries to strip those things away.\ **Reviewed by The Reading Bud Blog**

by M.G. Stults

by Ellie A Pinzon

Luna Alvarez and Oliver Cohen were inseparable as children—until their fathers' explosive partnership collapse tore them apart and turned their families into sworn enemies. Now, as rival CEOs of competing New York publishing houses, they've spent years avoiding each other, nursing old wounds, and protecting the legacies their fathers left behind. But when a series of cryptic threats escalates into full-scale corporate sabotage, Luna and Oliver are forced into an uneasy alliance. Someone is systematically destroying both their companies—leaking manuscripts, breaching servers, intercepting shipments—and the attacks are too coordinated, too personal to be coincidence. As danger closes in and attempts on their lives become terrifyingly real, they must confront an impossible truth: the person hunting them knows their families' darkest secrets. Secrets their fathers died protecting. Trapped together in safe houses and forced to trust the one person they swore never to forgive, Luna and Oliver rediscover the connection that once defined them. But their rekindled passion is threatened by devastating revelations about corruption, betrayal, and the sins their fathers committed to build their empires. When the mastermind behind the attacks is finally unmasked, Luna and Oliver face an agonizing choice: protect their fathers' legacies, or expose the truth and risk losing everything—including each other. As layers of deception peel away and new threats emerge from the shadows, they discover that some enemies are closer than they ever imagined, and some truths are more dangerous than any lie. **WHEN EMPIRES FALL** is a pulse-pounding romantic thriller that explores the collision of love and loyalty, ambition and integrity, vengeance and redemption. Set against the cutthroat backdrop of New York City's publishing industry, this enemies-to-lovers second chance romance delivers high-stakes suspense, emotional depth, and the kind of chemistry that burns through every page. Perfect for readers who crave corporate intrigue, family drama, and the question of whether love can survive when built on the ruins of betrayal. **Can two people haunted by their fathers' sins build something true? Or will the weight of legacy destroy their second chance at love?** *A standalone contemporary romance with mystery, suspense, and a guaranteed happily ever after.* **Content Warning:** Contains themes of grief, corporate corruption, violence (including kidnapping and physical threats), and adult romantic content.

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 E. M. Forster

While vacationing in Florence, Lucy Honeychurch meets the unconventional, free-spirited George Emerson, who passionately kisses her in a field of violets. Confused by her sudden feelings, Lucy flees back to her restrictive Edwardian society in England and accepts a marriage proposal from the snobbish, intellectual Cecil Vyse. Unexpectedly, George and his father move into Lucy's neighborhood, forcing her to confront the stifling nature of her engagement. She eventually breaks off her engagement to Cecil but continues to deny her love for George due to social expectations. After a wise intervention by George's father, Lucy embraces her true feelings, marries George, and returns to Florence.

by L. M. Montgomery

Valancy Stirling is an unappreciated 29-year-old living a miserable life with her overbearing, hyper-critical family. When she receives a secret medical diagnosis giving her only one year to live, she decides to stop being afraid and finally speak her mind. She moves out to care for a dying friend and eventually proposes to Barney Snaith, a mysterious local outcast living in the woods. Together, they discover absolute bliss in their remote cabin, which Valancy considers her "Blue Castle." Her heart condition is later revealed to be a medical error, but by then, she has secured her freedom, a massive fortune, and a deep, mutual love.

by William Shakespeare

In Verona, the ancient feud between the Montague and Capulet families frequently erupts into violent street brawls. Romeo Montague sneaks into a Capulet party, where he instantly falls in love with Juliet Capulet, and they secretly marry the next day. The romance turns tragic when Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin in a duel and is banished from the city. To avoid an arranged marriage, Juliet fakes her death with a sleeping potion, but the messenger fails to notify Romeo of the ruse. Believing his bride is truly dead, Romeo drinks poison at her tomb, and Juliet awakens only to stab herself upon finding his corpse.

by Melanie Kallai

Beyond the walls, nothing is as they told her.  More than a century after global eruptions plunged the climate-fragile world into chaos, seventeen-year-old Barrett is destined for a Noble life in the coastal stronghold of Nuevo Leben, until Ronan, a dangerously perceptive rogue, shows her evidence that her mother is alive and captive in Old North America. Barrett's perfect future shatters. She must cross a deadly wasteland to find her, guided by the last person she should trust. As they face a forgotten world of hostile tribes, vicious predators, and unexpected allies, Barrett questions everything, including her growing feelings for Ronan and her place in this fractured world. But the further she travels from Nuevo Leben, the more she wonders whether its walls kept the world out, or kept her in.

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Nick Carraway moves to Long Island and is drawn into the orbit of his enigmatic neighbor, the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby. Gatsby confesses that his immense fortune and extravagant weekend parties are all part of a grand scheme to attract Daisy Buchanan, a past love who is now married to the brutal Tom Buchanan. Nick helps arrange a reunion, and Gatsby and Daisy quickly reignite their passionate, ill-fated love affair. The romance shatters when Daisy accidentally hits and kills Tom's mistress while driving Gatsby's car. Tom manipulates the grieving husband into murdering Gatsby, leaving Nick disillusioned with the corrupt and careless nature of the elite class.

by M.C. Leavitt

He’s in need of a daughter of Ka to gain power and the emperor’s full trust. She’s sent to and trapped at a monastery for her safety, blocking her desperate attempts to find any clue of her sister’s disappearance. Thrust together, their fates tangle, and the pair unknowingly help each other get closer to their goals, yet danger hunts them down, and deadly plots surface.   *100% human-created*

by M.C. Leavitt

A devout young woman is chosen as one of seven to usher in their goddess’s blessings at the lunar equinox of new beginnings, only when she returns home, she receives a message: flee, stay hidden, and learn to survive. Only when she finds sanctuary, she’s not alone.    *100% human-created*

by Tabitha Polenz

--- What if everything you thought you knew about sex, love, and intimacy was just the beginning? This book is funny. It is crude. It is psychologically precise and occasionally so direct you will feel personally called out — because you probably should be. We are going to talk about pussies, cocks, scrotums, licking, sucking, and the kind of lovemaking that lasts nine hours and leaves you permanently ruined for anything less. We are also going to talk about childhood wounds, generational trauma, the chakra system, plant medicine, Tantric philosophy, and why so many grown adults are still operating with an eight year old's emotional toolkit. At the center of it all is a love story. A real one. A man named Seymour who was brilliant, quietly charming, and a prisoner of wounds he didn't know he was still carrying. A woman in the middle of her own becoming who thought she was just dating and ended up in the most profound classroom of her life. This book is the map she built from that experience. From the dating field through the blockades and the wounds, through the chakras and the sacred body, all the way to the other side where Tantric lovemaking sessions last twelve hours, orgasm is not a moment but a sustained state, and two people who have actually done the work discover what connection was always supposed to feel like. If you are tired of the same old patterns producing the same old outcomes, this book is for you. So, buckle in buttercup. Let's go for a ride.

by J. J. Roig

The Knightmares were once hundreds strong: human vigilantes mutated by vampiric blood, forged to hunt the corrupt. Now only five remain, hunted by the Paladins, a holy order devoted to human supremacy. \ Knightmare Jevan lives by a code: Don’t care. Get paid. Heroics are how Knightmares become martyrs. When Jevan’s team takes a contract to rescue a nobleman’s sister, kidnapped by Paladins, a bloodbath ensues when the nobleman transforms into a wolfborn. Even so, the surviving Paladins escape with his sister. The mission has failed. No gold. Just carnage. Disappearing is the smart move, until Jevan faces the nobleman, on his knees, begging to save his sister. Jevan decides to rescue her, telling the Knightmares it’s just for gold, and trying to believe it himself.\ Paladin Eriken just watched Knightmares and a wolfborn butcher his comrades. His rage hardens into renewed devotion to his oath. Obedience is justice; doubt is heresy. But when the Paladins he idolizes pardon a confessed rapist, and torture an elf woman before a jeering crowd, that righteousness curdles into disillusionment. Defying the Order is apostasy, punishable by death, but remaining silent means he’s complicit. If he breaks his oath, his life is forfeit.\ As Jevan’s contract puts him directly in Eriken’s path, Knightmare and Paladin blades clash in a struggle that could doom the last Knightmares to martyrdom and brand Eriken an apostate. Survival demands a betrayal of creed and comrades neither is prepared to commit.

by J. J. Roig

In music, a canon is a compositional technique where a melody is played by one voice and then imitated by one or more other voices, each entering after a delay. Essentially, voices chasing each other with the same tune. Though it repeats the same melody, it crescendos gradually as it continues. \ For the continent of Terra Dira, it is caught in an endless canon...of carnage. \ In a human-dominated empire built on conquest and religious supremacy, a series of linked events shatters the fragile pretense of coexistence between humans and nonhumans. Justice is a lie told at swordpoint.

by Anie G. Ross

Ten years after escaping a life of servitude behind the Veil, Wren is dragged back into the shimmering, cruel world of the fae. Her captor is Fionn, a silver-tongued bastard prince from her past who remembers the magic in her blood better than she does herself. Fionn is crafting a masterpiece of manipulation to usurp the throne, and he needs Wren’s rare, touch-based mind-reading to harvest the secrets of his treacherous brothers. Forced into a secret coven of gifted women, Wren must master forgotten, ancient magic to survive a world where every smile is a snare. Caught between her hatred for the monsters who stole her life and a growing, dangerous desire for the prince who promises to change everything, Wren must decide if she is Fionn’s greatest weapon, his equal partner, or merely the latest sacrifice in his climb to the crown.  *For fans of ACOTAR and The Cruel Prince.*

by Anie G. Ross

A romantasy series revolving around faery lords.  The Dusk & Dawn Story: *A young woman with a gift is bound to an endless cycle of romance and death, pulled between two faery rulers of opposite courts: Summer and Autumn. From Coventry 1121 to New Orleans 1788 to modern day, nine lives isn't nearly long enough.*

by Alex Waldman

After centuries on Earth searching for people like herself, Chloe knows that magic is a terrible burden. When she screams her loneliness to the void of space, she’s finally granted her wish of company as a group of magical humans appear and drag her through a portal to another planet in the future. As she tries to find her place in a new culture, she discovers she was conceived for a political purpose and that her exile to the past was orchestrated by the fascist leaders of one of the ruling political parties. Now that she’s back, they’re insisting she help them remake the government, using the emergence within her of another type of magic wrapped up in sex and mind control. The enigmatic leader of a rival party tries to support her in resisting the fascists’ control, but truly helping means risking impeachment or even assassination. With the freedom of her new society on the line, Chloe must decide if she’s willing to risk enslavement to awaken her dangerous mental magic and if she’ll trust the man learning he’ll break every taboo to keep her safe and win her heart.

by Anie G. Ross

In a world of gaslit opulence and rigid etiquette, Blythe is a haunting anomaly—a brilliant spiritualist whose soul is trapped between life and death within an automaton body. Her only link to the living is Tarn “Madcap” Carrigan, a sorcerer-alchemist extraordinaire whose penchant for scandal is always one bad day away from another fatal mystery. With otherworldly secrets and new magic to discover, Blythe and Tarn are bound by an inseparable partnership.

by Anie G. Ross

***Harry Potter meets Gossip Girl.*** *For fans of dark academia, magical university, and rivals-to-lovers.* Gwen O'Dorchaidhe thought her life was going to plan as the perfect heir to a pureblood line of sorcerers. Until an ordinary, untrained *American* Chosen One entered her life and challenged everything she was raised to believe about potential. Breaking curses and challenging the outdated rules of sorcerer society is just another year at Cairn-Gait Conservatory.

by Jane Austen

When the Bennet family's five daughters must marry well to secure their futures, the arrival of the wealthy Mr. Bingley and his even wealthier friend Mr. Darcy sets the neighbourhood abuzz. Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest and most spirited of the sisters, finds herself at odds with the arrogant Mr. Darcy — yet as misunderstandings unravel and true characters are revealed, both must overcome their pride and prejudice to find happiness. A masterwork of irony and social observation, Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most beloved novels in the English language.

by Anie G. Ross

*For fans of dark academia romance, magical university, and sharp-witted rivals-to-lovers stories.*\ At the prestigious Cairn-Gait Conservatory, magic is a matter of bloodline, and ‘Ink’ is the only currency that matters. Gwen O’Dorchaidhe’s life was mapped out perfectly as the heir to a pureblood legacy—until Will Mason arrives. An ordinary, untaught American ‘Vapour’ who possesses the raw, unrefined power of a hurricane and a target on his back as the world’s most inconvenient Chosen One.\ From the moment they meet, it’s an electric rivalry. Tasked with tutoring a boy raised in the normie world she was taught to look down upon, Gwen finds herself caught in a dangerous game of resonance and secrets.\ But when a terrifying, centuries-old death-curse breaches the campus grounds—leaving the headless silhouette of the legendary Rider to hunt students across the midnight moors—everything Gwen thought she knew changes. Breaking curses and challenging the outdated rules of sorcerer society is just another year at Cairn-Gait. Yet, as Gwen risks everything to anchor a boy who is as much a curse as he is a savior, a ruinous, forbidden attraction ignites between their cores.\ Gwen is about to learn that some reputations are better off ruined.\ Perfect for fans of dark academia romance, magical university, and sharp-witted rivals-to-lovers stories.\ *Author Note: Preview here. The full book is currently available on Amazon.*

by Anie G. Ross

In a world of gaslit opulence and rigid etiquette, Blythe is a haunting anomaly—a brilliant spiritualist whose soul is trapped between life and death within an automaton body. Her only link to the living is Tarn “Madcap” Carrigan, a sorcerer-alchemist extraordinaire whose penchant for scandal turns deadly when he is framed for the attempted assassination of the Empress using his own repurposed formula. While Blythe struggles to reconcile her lost humanity with her new, doll-like form, the purposefully improper Tarn must rely on her spectral talents to navigate a web of political treachery and corrupted sorcery. Together, their perilous adventure across borders leads them to unmask the true culprit and confront the secrets of the dark magic that brought them together. *Author Note: Any feedback/reviews are genuinely appreciated! This story is truly open to "kill your darlings" edits.*

by Anie G. Ross

**For thirty years, Dani’s biggest problem was a blank canvas—until the Bone Queen found her.** Plucked from her mundane life and dragged into the dual-edged splendor of the faery courts, Dani finds herself irresistibly drawn to two rival sovereigns: Kay, the radiant Lord of Dawn, and Corvus, the brooding Prince of Dusk. Though she has no memory of them, her charcoal sketches reveal a staggering truth—involuntary visions of past lives shared with both men, each ending in her tragic death. Bound by an ancient geis, Dani is trapped in an unending cycle of reincarnation and ruin, relentlessly pursued by a bitter ancient hag determined to erase her for good. To survive, she must use her prophetic art to unearth lost secrets, orchestrate a desperate rescue behind enemy lines, and outmaneuver the very gods who wrote her fate. When human and inhuman realms meet, beauty becomes a mask for horror. Love has already killed her eight times—now Dani must decide if she can rewrite the ending, or if some stories, and some people, are meant to stay broken. *Author Note: Any feedback/reviews are genuinely appreciated!*

by Don Carter

by Liesa J Hafen

This was not the vacation Rachel had bargained for. 10 years ago when the KPop group Hydra debuted, Park MinJae saw a girl leave her spot in line to help someone. Over the years since then he's seen her on every concert tour, but he's never had the chance to get to know her, until now. 3 years ago Rachel ran away to Korea, after her fiance swapped her for her cousin. Now, on a work vacation, she has to return for her mom's 50th birthday. Upon arrival in Chicago, she discovers her Kpop celebrity crush being mobbed by fans. After assisting with a timely escape, she invites him to go with her planning to give him a normal vacation.  But why does all the attention he's giving her feel like more than just appreciation for rescuing him? As things heat up with her family situation, Rachel tries to keep MinJae out of the drama. But MinJae is Korean, and Koreans are good with drama.

by J.A. St. Thomas

***Foray* into this *highly* entertaining and thrilling mystery series where Stephanie Beroe, risks everything to combat the dark side of the one percent.**

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 Jaylene Forester

### ***A dragon with a mate is a dangerous dragon...*** Princess Serah and the Dragon King are finally beginning to see eye to eye. That is, until someone attempts to assassinate her. Now, her dragon betrothed is behaving more possessive and brutish than ever. How can he expect her to stay locked up in her room when his enemies want to challenge him for the throne… And make Serah their consolation prize? Dive into the second volume of the story fans "can't stop reading!" \*\*\* ### *What readers are saying about Volume One...* > This was absolutely amazing, I regularly read several books at once and had not even intended to start this one yet but I am a sucker for a dragon romance and I thought I'd just take a quick peak. Then I got pulled right in! > > \-Amazon review > > It has everything you could want in romantasy novella. We have awesome snarky banter, petty bratty mischief, fated mates, and two stubborn characters constantly butting heads. What more could you want? > > \-Amazon review > > This book hooked me right away with its chemistry and tension. The world feels vivid, the characters are layered, and the romance has that addictive, can’t-put-it-down energy. I can already tell it’s going to be a favorite for anyone who loves a mix of passion, danger, and destiny. > > \-Amazon review

by Rose M Joy

“Your lips have a flavor reminiscent of mango.” “Wait, what?! How do you even know that?” “Isn't it obvious?. While you were sleeping, I—”   Dove is fed up with playing the role of the Damsel in Distress. Now that she has the chance to pick a mentor, her dreams feel much closer than ever.   Yet, she’s at a loss for words when the very essence of the night, draped in blue, suddenly decides to choose her.

by Jaylene Forester

by Jaylene Forester

### ***A dragon has only one weakness. She's his...*** When the Dragon King offers to pay my kingdom's debt in exchange for my hand, I agree. It's no secret why he wants me: His own land lies in a desert waste, and I possess the gift of water drawing. If I can prevent the drought threatening his kingdom, he’ll save my island nation from poverty. For my people’s sake, I'll do anything. Even marry a beast with all the tact of a battering ram. But I can't help wondering why he really wants me. Because this king set on hoarding me like some prized jewel? He definitely has ulterior motives… *Feel the sparks fly in this fated mates romantasy brimming with charm and nonstop yearning.*

by Christina Farley

***What was buried is awakening…*** Do not question the Paladins.\ Do not cross into the Wilds.\ Do not seek the Magic. Tara has spent her life following those rules. On an island where obedience is survival, she’s learned to swallow her doubts, hide her powers, and pretend Eden is the paradise everyone claims it to be. But a secret always has a pulse. And Eden’s secrets are starting to beat louder. When Tara is chosen to train as one of the isle’s revered Paladins, she believes she can make a difference. But the moment she steps inside the Paladin stronghold, her whole world turns upside-down. Tor, the man she confessed her love to, is haunted by secrets he refuses to share. Rune, another trainee, starts to awaken feelings in her that are both thrilling and terrifying. And there are whispers of rebellion and forbidden passageways that lead to dangerous secrets. So when Tara discovers something she wasn’t meant to find, it shatters the foundation of everything she believes. Now she’s trapped between loyalty and truth, two men with different agendas, and an island she swore to protect. Darkness is rising. Magic is awakening. But her people are dying. Tara must become the Paladin she was destined to be or lose everything she loves.

by Amelie Locke

**At Renfield Academy, the syllabus is simple: Serve. Protect. Bleed.** For twenty-one years, Seraphina Gray has lived as a prisoner to her mother’s religious fervor and the chaotic noise of her own mind. Being a mind-reader isn't a gift; it's a migraine that never fades. Desperate for one night of normalcy and maybe a stolen kiss from her crush, she sneaks out to a beach party and walks straight into a slaughter. She survives the brutal vampire attack, but she doesn't escape. Instead, she is dragged to Renfield Academy, a gothic fortress hidden in the shadows. Here, she learns the terrifying truth: she isn't cursed. She’s a *familiar*, born to serve and protect the very monsters that attacked her. Now, she walks a razor’s edge between impossible loyalty and forbidden obsession. She clings to Nicholas, the man whose kiss at the beach tasted like salvation, but whose secret lineage as a Van Helsing makes him her natural enemy. But a darker instinct pulls her toward Henry. Brooding, violent, and newly turned, he is the very vampire who attacked her that first night. By all logic, she should hate him. Instead, the connection between them is deeper than blood. But Renfield Academy is no sanctuary. When drained bodies start showing up all over town, the sacred treaty between humans and vampires begins to fray. Someone is manufacturing new vampires and turning them into weapons against the humans. Now Seraphina is faced with an impossible choice: will she protect the monsters she’s been created to serve, or help the hunter intent on destroying them?

by Amelie Locke

The **Renfield Academy Series** is a gothic, dark academia paranormal romance that follows mind-reader Seraphina Gray as she is thrust into a world of vampires, witches, and shapeshifters. While she is initially horrified to learn she is a familiar destined to serve the very vampires who attacked her, she soon discovers she possesses unheard-of powers that make her unique in the supernatural realm. Caught between two worlds, Seraphina faces a devastating choice for her heart. She is inexplicably drawn to Henry, a darkly handsome vampire hell-bent on revenge, yet she remains tethered to Nicholas, her first love who it turns out, belongs to the legendary Van Helsing clan. As a century-old treaty between vampires and the Van Helsing hunter clan begins to fail, Seraphina Gray finds herself at the center of a brewing war. To stop it, she must navigate a dangerous world where no one is who they seem. Her journey will take her from Renfield Academy to the heart of Romania to uncover the truth behind her connection to the original Renfield, Dracula’s servant and the first vampire familiar. To survive, Seraphina must decide where she truly belongs and which of the two men she is destined to love will stand by her side when the final battle begins.