Romance

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 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 London Renee

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

by 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. \ 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 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 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 Magic, 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 Friday.  My hope is to keep this free until I publish it fully so readers can give feedback on this they do and don't like. So please comment.

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 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 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 Amy Lynn Murdock

Weston Donovan has spent his entire life laughing at the old stories. Vampires are nothing more than campfire tales told to frighten children. The disappearances along the coast are blamed on storms, wild animals, or desperate men who wandered too far from home. Monsters don't exist. Until he falls in love with one. Brianna Nordith is a young mermaid who risks everything each time she rises from the sea. While her people fear humans and wage endless wars beneath the waves, Brianna is drawn to the quiet young man waiting on the moonlit shore. Their secret meetings become a refuge from two worlds that would never accept them together. Then Weston disappears. Attacked by something he never believed was real, he awakens with an unbearable thirst and discovers that the legends he once mocked are horrifyingly true. As he struggles to hide the monster growing inside him, Brianna is left alone to face an impossible future—and the child she never expected to carry. When Weston finally returns, the lovers are reunited only long enough to discover that their unborn son may be something the world has never seen before. The first of his kind. As ancient rivalries ignite beneath the sea and whispers of bloodshed spread across the surface, one desperate act to save the woman he loves unleashes a nightmare neither humans nor mer-people are prepared to face. A new breed of predator is born, and the oceans themselves become a battlefield. Bound by love, hunted by two worlds, and willing to sacrifice everything for the child stolen from them, Weston and Brianna must decide whether love is enough to survive becoming the very monsters everyone fears. Because some legends are born... ...and others are created.

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

[<u>Northanger Abbey</u>](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northanger_Abbey) by [<u>Jane Austen</u>](https://janeaustens.house/jane-austen/novels/northanger-abbey/) is a coming-of-age satire following 17-year-old Catherine Morland as she visits Bath, stays at a spooky estate, and learns to separate gothic fiction from reality.

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 JUSTIN HALL

Codey Hall is an exhausted twenty‑two‑year‑old scraping by in East Tennessee when a roadside ambush awakens the impossible: he is the prophesied “boy‑good witch,” born once every thousand years, the only soul who can keep the Veil between worlds from shattering. His power surges just as factions close in—warlocks, blood mages, werewolves, and vampires—some desperate to use his storm, others determined to tear the Veil open and unleash Hell’s triad. Thrown into a hidden war of ancient magic, coven betrayals, and buried family secrets, Codey must learn to control his will‑fueled mana before the forces hunting him rip everything apart. At his side stands Lucian, a rogue vampire protector whose cold devotion becomes the one anchor in the chaos, even as a charismatic blood mage sparks a dangerous love triangle. When Codey discovers he has a twin sister whose blood can break the Veil forever, survival turns into a race against destiny, betrayal, and the storm inside him that refuses to die. With vampire politics, coven sieges, and a cursed sword that chose him, Codey’s fight for love and power becomes the last barrier between Earth and ruin.

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 Scarlett Wolfe

# **The Last Thing to Die** Twenty years ago, Lillian Ashcroft watched the world collapse—and left the man she loved behind. On the first morning of the outbreak, Thomas Blackwood sacrificed himself so Lillian could escape a city overrun by the infected. She saw him bitten. She heard his final command to run. Since then, she has survived by becoming one of the deadliest hunters in the Eastern Settlements, burying her grief beneath duty, discipline, and the certainty that Thomas died long ago. Then, during a mission inside the abandoned city, an infected man looks into her eyes and speaks her name. Thomas is still alive, though nothing about his survival should be possible. His body belongs to the infection, but fragments of the man Lillian loved remain trapped within it. He remembers their engagement, the life they planned, and the promise he made to protect her. Yet every day, another memory disappears, and every moment Lillian spends beside him risks awakening the hunger he can barely control. Hiding Thomas could cost Lillian her freedom, her reputation, and her life. The settlement’s leaders would destroy him. Its scientists would cut him apart to learn what makes him different. Worse, another intelligent infected is gathering an army and believes Thomas represents the beginning of a stronger species—one destined to replace humanity. When Lillian discovers that Thomas may hold the key to a cure, she is forced to confront an impossible choice. Saving the world may require her to lose him a second time. In a world where death is no longer the end, love may be the last piece of humanity left alive.

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 Peju Perezña

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

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

by 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 K.A. Masterson

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. Dorin, the fated Chimera King, is determined to prove he can overcome the dark legacy of the Mad Kings and rule beside Deeana without repeating history. But Malcolm, the Wolf Shifter Alpha, has loved and protected Deeana since they were children. Though fate marked them as mates long ago, he has never demanded her heart, believing love means letting her choose him freely. 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  A novel in 64 parts published daily.  Synopsis: Dr. Aubrey Prentice is a rising psychiatrist with ambitions of writing a groundbreaking self-help book for women trapped in destructive relationships. But her methods are anything but conventional. Rather than observing from a clinical distance, Aubrey immerses herself in the lives of her male patients—crossing ethical boundaries in pursuit of deeper insight. Through intimacy, she believes she has uncovered what drives men, both emotionally and physically. The question is no longer what she has learned—but what it has cost her. At the center of her most dangerous case is Ian Henshaw III: a brooding, powerful billionaire whose influence extends far beyond the therapy room. What began as a professional relationship quickly evolved into something far more entangled—first patient, then lover, and now fiancé. But Ian is not a man who shares. Possessive, commanding, and accustomed to control, he demands absolute loyalty—even as Aubrey’s current marriage remains unresolved. Drawn into his world of wealth and power, Aubrey finds herself facing a chilling realization: the life she has pursued may come at the price of her independence. In a high-stakes collision of ambition, desire, and control, Aubrey must confront the consequences of her choices—and decide whether she is the architect of her own destiny, or merely another piece in Ian Henshaw’s carefully constructed empire.

by 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 Bambi U.

Sapphyra used to have it all. Great super-genius husband, great job as a superhero. She even got along with her dragon side. Really, nothing could go wrong for her. Until it did. When the world faced a threat she couldn’t punch, she tried to make the ultimate sacrifice so everything and everyone she ever loved could flee. But Wyatt, her husband with plans for his backup plans, wouldn’t allow it. He trapped her inside a digital coma, intent on waking her up when everything settled down. That was 100 years ago. When Sapphyra finally rips herself free from the nightmare, she finally sees the extent of the damage done to her city. Not just her city either. Her body has been twisted, her powers and dragon side locked away behind a Class System—something Wyatt placed inside her. It only gets worse from here. Guy, a charming labrador-energy man she met inside her coma is in the real world, with real feelings she’s returning. Oh and Wyatt? He separated his mind from his body, and now his consciousness follows Sapphyra around the broken city like a bad hangover. He’s less than thrilled to have competition for his wife but without a body, he’s screwed. As if an awkward love triangle and rebuilding a city weren’t enough on her plate, Sapphyra has to deal with a familiar face. Rupert Domingo, the madman who also escaped her digital nightmare now taunts her with all the answers she’s asking for…as long as she plays his game first. Sapphyra will have to navigate her new powers, her growing list of lovers and her grief with Wyatt if she wants to stand any chance of winning Ruperts game and fixing her city once and for all.

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 Blaze Fire

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

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

by 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.