Barely Synonym

The last thing Miranda thought when she responded to a prison pen pal request was to find true love. Joel, well, he was only hoping to pass time and maybe if he was lucky, he'd find someone to have a little fun with after doing ten years of hard time in the state penitentiary for a crime he committed when he had just barely turned eighteen years old. He had been hardened by the things he'd seen and the experiences of imprisonment and no longer believed in lovey dovey fairy tales or happily ever after. So hardened in fact, that he knew women only led to one thing-trouble. Not even a good girl like Miranda would break him ever again. Not with her long dark hair, those hypnotizing amber-eyes, and definitely not those full lips that would look so good…nope, nope, nope. What neither one expected was to find the perfect balance of emotional and physical attraction. Can Miranda's persistence and commitment soften and heal Joel's untrusting heart or will Joel break Miranda in ways she has never experienced before? This is the first book of three in the Locked-Up Lovers series. Enjoy!

Mature Content! Trigger warnings, violence and smut “I'll make you crave the darkness and beg for my salvation," he growls, his voice laced with both danger and desire. My eyes blazing with defiance, meets his gaze head-on. “I won't be owned by anyone, especially not a dangerous man like you.” my voice waver, barely a whisper. In the gritty underbelly of the city, where power, danger and secrets collide, an unlikely connection blooms amidst darkness and despair. Romeo Valentino, a dominant force in the mafia world, battles his inner demon, his alter ego seeking control. When he lays eyes on the enigmatic Julia, a fire ignites within him, compelling him to possess her, body and soul. Julia, a woman shrouded in mystery, harbors her own scars, her path intertwined with Romeo’s in unexpected ways. Drawn to his power and dominance, she fights the magnetic pull between them, even as her heart begs for his touch. As their paths entwine, passion blazes between them, fanning the flames of a love that could destroy them both. Will they find solace and salvation in each other's arms, or will their dark secrets tear them apart?

One night changed everything for Violeta Rivers. Once celebrated as her pack's beauty, her step-sister's cruel betrayal left her scarred and shunned. Sold to the notorious Lycan Theron, Violeta discovers a bitter irony: this ruthless, unforgiving man is her destined mate. Yet instead of the sacred bond she dreamed of, he refuses to claim her, keeping her as nothing more than his plaything—until she carries his child. When Violeta finally summons the courage to escape her tormentor, tragedy strikes. She loses not only her unborn child but also her place in the pack when Theron's fiancée frames her for an unforgivable betrayal. Hunted like prey, she barely escapes with her life. As she recovers Violeta discovered she is a powerful healer, but with her new-found powers and identity comes a shocking twist. As secrets unravel and new enemies rise, Violeta must seek vengeance on those that had hurt her. But she is met with an unexpected encounter when the very mate that had destroyed her is determined to reclaim what he had once lost. Can Violeta open her heart again for the man that had crushed them?

After two years of marriage, I believed I was living the dream—until the day I gave birth to our long-awaited heir. The house was filled with joy as my husband's family arrived, bearing gifts and ready to bestow a name upon our child, as tradition dictated. But the happiness of the day shattered in an instant when my husband walked in, hand in hand with his childhood sweetheart. In front of everyone, he announced not only our divorce but also his engagement to her, as if I had never mattered. *** "I’m divorcing Stacy," Jason announces, his voice unwavering, "to marry Nicole Cruz, my childhood sweetheart." He points to the woman standing before him who smiles and waves at everyone in the room. My world tilts on its axis. The words echo in my mind, louder and louder until they drown out everything else. What is going on?? "But why?" I whisper, my voice barely audible, even to myself. I'm unable to believe his betrayal. Jason doesn’t even glance at the child in my arms. "Because this has been a long time coming, Stacy. I’ve only stayed this long out of obligation and not love."

Sebastian's voice came from behind her, low and knowing. "You want to get back at them, don't you?" Kaira's gaze remained fixed on the disappearing figure of her sister, her emotions simmering just below the surface. She hated how easily Sebastian read her, seeing depths others missed. "Yes," she confessed, her voice laced with venom. "I want them to feel the same pain I feel." Sebastian stepped forward, his eyes locking onto hers as he gently wiped away the tears threatening to spill. His touch was soothing, but his words sparked a fire within her. "You can't take them down in your current state," he said, his voice soft but resolute. "But I can. I can make them pay, princess." Kaira's focus snapped to his, curiosity igniting in her eyes. "How?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Sebastian's smirk was a slow, deliberate curve of his lips. "Marry me," he said, the words dropping like a bombshell. Kaira's eyes widened, shock etched on her face.

In my last life, I made the dumbest mistake—picked up a Moonlight Ring from the grass. That cursed thing locked me into a mate bond with Silvermoon Pack's Alpha. Too bad his heart already belonged to my sister, Irene. She lived to a hundred, had five pups with her real mate in Ravenshade Pack while I rotted. Every time she got cozy with her mate, Leon tossed me in the basement. "You picked up that ring! I had to watch my true love build a family with someone else!" For eighty years, she lived happily. I barely lived at all. Leon flayed me open, let my skin grow back, then crushed my bones just to watch them heal. Every day felt like dying on repeat. Only when Irene finally kicked the bucket did he let me go. Then boom—I woke up, right back on the day I picked up that damn ring. I wasn't gonna screw it up again. But Irene—always the clean freak—snatched it off the ground before I could stop her.

Buried deep in the Aster estate was the Heartwood—ancient, sacred, mine. Told my husband, Julian Aster—back when he actually listened—that if it ever fell, I'd die with it. At first, he freaked out. Flew in glacier water, hired a whole squad of plant experts to nurture it 24/7. Then one day, just because his childhood friend—Isabella Duvall—got a scratch from the bark, Julian had the Heartwood ripped out. The second it crashed, I choked on glowing blood—ichor. My power? Gone. Barely standing, I grabbed his arm. "You knew. If the Heartwood dies, I—" He laughed. Straight-up mocked me. "Sera, come on. That fairy tale? Only Grandma still believes that crap. Is that mayo on your mouth? Relax—it's a tree. I'll buy you a forest if you want." Overnight, my hair turned gray. Skin cracked. Eyes dulled. Still, I dragged myself to his grandmother, Henrietta. "I kept your family safe for two hundred years. That's why the Asters thrived. But the Heartwood's gone. Debt's paid. One day left. Whatever happens next? Not my problem."

---> if you are interested in my work, please check out my novel The Starving Vulture. Available on Amazon, $3.99 for the Ebook and $14.95 for the Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Starving-Vulture-Miguel-Monta%C3%B1a/dp/1951150899<--------- Aster Likaya is a Battle Mage of the Zeraph Republic. Raised in a military family, she was destined for a life on the front. As a Battle Mage she has mastered the art of Controlling. A simple but effective kind of magic that is necessary when one bonds and commands the essential robotic warmachines of her world. The Gearbanes. And now, she is a Captain. But much to her surprise, she is not handed a company but a unit of stoic and silent soldiers that call themselves DragonWolves. Her second in command, is Lieutenant Able Froster, young but grim faced soldier who has seen combat since he was barely a boy. For their first mission, they are given a simple task. Retrieve an agent of the Republic who is lost in the vast swampland known as the Suha Marshes. Little do they know, that they are not the only factions searching for the man. For in the Suha Marshes, hunt the cannibalistic Birchmen and the Kolysian pirates. All eager for the prize the agent carries. This is the world of Likaya and Froster. Dominated by machines powered by magic, weapons ignited by runes and wars fought over ancient relics forged by a forgotten past. Welcome to Likaya's Wolves.

After Mom passed, it was just me and Dad, depending on each other. I’ve always had poor health, and people used to taunt me, calling me a “sickly, doomed child.” He kneeled by my bedside, making a promise. “I swear, I’ll get you the best treatment, no matter what. You’ll never suffer again!” Eventually, he became a powerful CEO, going so far as to buy an entire private villa just so I could recover in peace. However, his assistant assumed I was his mistress.  She came in with a group of security guards and surrounded me. “So, you’re the cripple who’s been seducing Mr. Johnson?” “Let’s see if you can still act high and mighty after I’m done with you!” She kicked over my wheelchair, yanked me by the hair, scratched up my face, and finally cut off my hand. Barely clinging to life, I lay there until Dad came back. She held up my severed hand, presenting it to him. “Mr. Johnson, this was a spy sent by a rival company. I took care of her for you.”

"And Action!” I slowly lick my lips as I glance across the room at Trevor lying on the bed. His bare chest glows under the spotlights and practically begs to be touched. Can I keep myself under control? What am I thinking? I have to keep myself reined in. I don't want to ruin anything between us. We are good friends and nothing more, but I can't confess to him I've had wet dreams of him almost every night. Tiffany, a struggling up-and-coming actor, finally gets the break she has been wishing for and wins the leading role in a new drama. Her sexy co-star, Trevor, is someone she is familiar with and knows from her initial days of her first drama. They barely had any scenes together during that first drama, but they've developed a friendship and share the same agency and manager. When the fans initially saw them together, they immediately wanted them to be a couple. This new drama provides them exactly that. With her dreams finally coming true, will Tiffany be able to keep her secret hidden? Or will the intimate scenes with her handsome co-star unravel everything she has worked so hard to hide?