A Grief Observed

My husband, Hank, is dead.  On our wedding anniversary, he ventured out in the pouring rain to buy me a cake, only to be hit by a truck. His body was badly mangled in the crash.  My sister-in-law, Lyra, called me a killer, claiming that I did not deserve Hank’s inheritance.  My mother-in-law, Judy, kicked me out of the house.  Overwhelmed by grief and guilt, I often wondered if he would still be alive had I stopped him that day. Eventually, emotions gripped me, and I was diagnosed with cancer.  Judy came to visit me on my deathbed. “You’re an idiot to believe everything!”  She threw a family photo in my face.  The shock and anger were more than I could handle, and I breathed my last.  It turned out that Hank was never dead. He had a child with his old flame.  When I opened my eyes once more, I returned to the day my husband faked his death.

Theo Earl Andreas is an Alpha mafia; the leader of the Black Lotus organization and has great power in the underground business world in the Uthaman Empire. He is known as the heartless Alpha and is notorious for his way of torturing his enemies. What happens when this heartless Alpha meets a Mate who is his line of fate on the auction stage? Theo wanted to claim as well as mark Damelza even considering it a gift from the Moon Goddess. But he knew he wasn't good enough for her because he was the killer of his omega brother and the cause of her trauma. He also had no intention of staying away from her, even though his Omega refused him to do the mating bond. So, what should Theo do to keep Damelza by his side? Can he make the best decision when his enemies target his Omega, which turns out not to be as innocent as he thought? A journey of fate filled with bloody tragedies, revenge, grief, regret, and hope for a second chance.

“Well done, Mr. Alexander. My baby’s dead. I want a divorce. You’ve taken the only reason I stayed.” ********************** Becky’s world turned upside down when she woke up in her boss’ bed. Expecting to be fired, she was blindsided by his proposal, a desperate move for Alexander to retain his CEO position in his father’s corporation. But behind closed doors, Alexander made a cruel promise to his childhood love, Helen: “It’s just for a year. I’ll get rid of her like a waste bin.”   Their marriage was all for show, glamorous on the outside but cold and harsh behind closed doors.    What happens when Alexander abandons Becky during labor, leading to the tragic loss of her baby? Her grief fuels her strength, and for the first time, Alexander fears losing her.   Now, Alexander  seeks a reunion, but Becky’s heart burns for revenge. Can she ever forgive him, or has his betrayal left a wound too deep to heal?

Everything Danielle has ever known changes in an instant when, on her eighteenth birthday, the Alpha arranges her a mate.Danielle has always wanted a mate—someday—but she just turned eighteen. Danielle argues that she’s too young, that she’s not ready. But no one can argue with the Alpha.So Danielle accepts her fate and prepares to meet her mate. But nothing could prepare her for who her mate is: Cameron. Not only is he from outside of their pack, but, to Danielle’s greatest disbelief, he is an Alpha.Cameron is a good man and a strong leader. But his true mate, the former leader, recently died, and he is still grieving. Danielle feels an instant connection, and she can’t understand why he is unable to reciprocate her feelings.Soon, Danielle finds herself caught amidst emotions deeper than she’s ever experienced before.Can Danielle help the Alpha move onto this new love? Or, at only eighteen years old, is she destined to a lifelong grief?

My husband, a surgeon, committed a fatal error during surgery. In despair at the loss of his patient's life, he chose the ultimate escape via sleeping pills on the very same night. By the time I reached his side, his ice-cold body was already being carted into the morgue. His death set the beginning of my tragedy. The patient's family, consumed by grief and rage, turned their wrath on me. Their cruel vengeance eventually took my life. As my spirit left me, I came to witness a shocking revelation. My supposedly dead husband was, in truth, alive and well! While I suffered, he enjoyed a life of luxury with his mistress and his new family. He had it all—sleek fancy cars, a stately mansion, and a mountain of wealth. The discovery burned me with rage. So furious I was, I couldn't rest in peace. When I opened my eyes again, I awoke not in the afterlife, but on the day my husband faked his death. I had returned…

"BEATIFUL" tells the story of 29-year-old Alicia who goes through a divorce with Gabriel a man with whom she shared 10 years of marriage and he leaves her for a woman with a figure that Alicia after having a daughter had lost, Alicia feels devastated by her husband's betrayal and decides to start working to distract her mind from the grief of a separation, she finds out about a job in a large company, because Luis Gabriel's ex-friend, her ex-husband informs her of said position, somewhat fearful she goes to the job interview where she meets Axel Caballero, a man who in his first impression turned out to be a little arrogant, but he did not know that he was also dealing with professional things, Alex Caballero only wanted to work in peace and for that same reason he gives the opportunity to Alicia even if he is not so convinced. The relationship between the two becomes more intimate and enjoyable; he begins to see Alice with different eyes, but he was not the only one who looked at Alice, if he were

Julian Hayes has spent his life carrying the weight of a family that never wanted him. When his father’s reckless debt delivers him into the hands of Adrian DeCarlo — the city’s most feared mafia king — Julian vows to escape, even if it means betraying the devil himself. Risking everything, Julian flees to reunite with the woman he loves. But freedom is short-lived. Adrian tracks him down, threatening her life if Julian doesn’t return. Forced back into captivity, Julian’s world shatters when his girlfriend is found dead the next day. Grief turns to rage. Convinced Adrian’s cruelty has stolen everything, Julian swears vengeance. When a rival mafia offers him the chance to strike back, he seizes it without hesitation. Yet every moment in Adrian’s world feeds his hatred as much as it ignites something far more dangerous. Because hatred was supposed to keep him alive, not make him crave the very man he vowed to destroy.

Trust is a weapon. Love is a weakness. And revenge? It's the only thing keeping her alive. They took everything from her. Now she's in their house, cleaning floors, serving their meals, and plotting their downfall. When Inés Montoya loses her family in a fire no one dares investigate, she trades her grief for grit. Her only lead? A symbol linked to the notorious Delgado Mafia family. To get answers, she becomes their maid; silent, invisible, watching. But nothing in the Delgado mansion is what it seems. The twin heirs, Alejandro- ice cold and unreadable, and Alonso- reckless and magnetic, both want to claim her. So do two other men sworn to the family's bloodstained throne. Caught in a dangerous web of obsession, secrets, and seduction, Inés must play a deadly game; earn their trust, uncover the truth, and destroy them from within. But what happens when the lines between hatred and desire begin to blur? What if the man she's falling for, is the one who lit the match? Revenge has never been this intimate.

After suffering the devastating loss of her aunt and her second child, Keilah makes the heart-wrenching decision to step away from her life with Ralph, the Alpha of Moonrise Pack.  However, as she grapples with her grief, the vampire’s mark that had once vanished resurfaces with an overwhelming force, consuming her thoughts and pulling her towards the very vampire king she thought was gone forever. Damien Draven, the vampire king who saved Keilah from the brink of death with his venom, vanished into the shadows of the underworld where no light or human soul could reach. Yet, even in the darkest depths, he couldn't escape the persistent echo of Keilah's name, a call so powerful it drags him back to the human world. Here, love and war are set to collide once more, forcing both Damien and Keilah to face a destiny neither of them can outrun. "The Sting of the Vampire's Bite" is a spin-off from "TETHERED." To fully understand and enjoy Damien and Keilah's story, be sure to read "TETHERED" first.

There are a lot more truths in the books we read, than we’d like to admit. What if a book delves into the lives of the very town you live in? Reveals to you some personal stories of people you know? Or thought you knew. Bookstore owner Kevin Ellison faces this truth when a mysterious book shows up in Through a Mirror, Darkly by Kevin Lucia. Through a Mirror, Darkly is a Supernatural Thriller collection masked as a novel. With elements of mystery, suspense, and otherworldly horror, Through a Mirror, Darkly successfully delves into the worlds of Lovecraft, Grant, and the mysterious Carcosa. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing Arcane Delights. Clifton Heights' premier rare and used bookstore. In it, new owner Kevin Ellison has inherited far more than a family legacy, for inside are tales that will amaze, astound, thrill...and terrify: An ancient evil thirsty for lost souls. A very different kind of taxi service with destinations not on any known map. Three coins that grant the bearer's fondest wish, and a father whose crippling grief gives birth to something dark and hungry.