Ordinary Monsters

Family is everything. Blood is everything. You only live, die and kill for your family." Born and raised in secret, like a ghost who never existed, Lilliana Moretti was brought up to be used as a secret weapon against one of the most ruthless crime families-the Romanos. And when she walked into the devil's lair willingly-pretending to be in love with the second-in-command of the Romano Empire, Dominic Romano-too many buried secrets were unearthed, leaving her shattered. An uphill battle between two crime families unleashed chaos like never before. While two people were out for each other's blood with bleeding hearts, little did they realize their love was more lethal than their hatred for each other. ************************* E X C E R P T - My fingers tangled in her hair as I forced her downward. “I’m not going to kneel before you like you’re some kind of god,” she snarled. The corner of my mouth curved into a slow, dark smile. “No,” I agreed, voice low and steady. “You’re not going to kneel for me.” I leaned in closer, eyes locked on hers. “You’re going to spread your legs for me, Lilliana—because I’m the monster, baby. The real one.”

In June of 1975, Ryan Baxter's mom moves him and his brother, Matt, to the small seaside town of Bayport, MA to escape their abusive father. For an eleven-year-old, spending lazy days hanging out at the beach and the arcades sounds like a dream.When he meets Leah and she agrees to be his girlfriend, Ryan is happier than he's been in his young life. Then the "Sea Monkeys" knock-off he bought from the back of a comic book starts to grow...and grow and grow.©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Her village burned. Her family died. Liora fled to Kraithan, thinking she had left the monsters behind—but one high-ranking vampire shows up in her apartment, wounded, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. Weak but cunning, he carries secrets that could lead her to the creature who destroyed her home—or drag her into a darkness she has spent her life running from. To survive—and to strike back—Liora must confront what it truly means to become the monster. And in a city where vampires, werewolves, and humans collide, every choice could be deadly.

Jake Storm always knew that he was different, he was faster, smarter, and good in a fight, he always saw things that others didn't think were real or ever existed. He felt like a freak of nature in his own family until his father sat him down and told him that he came from a long line of monster hunters. When a new family made their way into his home town and strange things begin to occur all fingers point to a set of siblings but things were not as they seemed and the monster lurking in the shadows did not seem so monstrous and those thought to be saints were the true predators lying in wait.

"Monster," I smirked to myself as I read the morning paper. If they only knew the truth. I sipped my coffee as I skimmed through the story. They had all the details wrong and the police were idiots. I heard the bell chime on the door to the coffee shop and saw her walk in. Her hair was down just the way I liked it. She was perfect I thought to myself as I eyed her and planned my next move. I think when she finally saw me she made the connection. Her eyes got wide. "Ethan?" Ethan Graves is a well-known man in the community with a dark secret. His darkness is so great that even he can't control it sometimes. He plays his role well during the day but at night he takes on a whole new persona. The newspapers call him a monster and the police are baffled. Then the new detective on the case walks in. The one that he let go. The one he was obsessed with. It was finally time to make her his. The game of cat and mouse had never been something he would ever consider, he usually likes the woman to be weak and defenseless against his charm and good looks. However, for this kill, he would play the game and Josephine Wells would be his trophy.

“I was born incapable of love. My hands know only blood. My heart knows only ice. But for you… I would carve out a new soul, even if it kills me.” Alessio “Alec” Moretti rules his city like a god draped in shadow. Cold, ruthless, and untouched by emotion, he’s a mafia boss born from bloodlines and brutality. Psychopath, they whisper incapable of love, addicted only to control. No one defies him. Until Noa Hartmann spits in his face. Noa is everything Alessio doesn’t understand fiercely ,independent, maddeningly fearless, and completely uninterested in bowing to a monster. He’s just a university student working in a dusty bookstore café, trying to survive the same violence that killed his family. But one moment one public act of defiance and Alessio is obsessed. At first, it’s a game. Alessio wants to break him, tame him, make him kneel. But the closer he gets, the more the lines blur. Why does he want to protect Noa? Why does he feel anything at all? What begins as possession becomes something darker, deeper… and far more dangerous. Because monsters don’t love,they consume. And when the past reemerges in the form of a long-lost brother turned rival mafia boss one who blames Alessio’s family for the massacre of Noa’s everything explodes. Noa is caught between two devils: One who stole his life. One who wants to own his heart. With empires collapsing, secrets unraveling, and love bleeding into obsession, Noa and Alessio are forced to face the truth: Some monsters can love. But they will burn the world for it.