Barely Synonym

A year ago, my life was simple. I was just Ariel Anthony…a regular college student, cheerleader with decent grades, daughter of a struggling baker, and recently appointed step-sister to a guy I barely knew. Nothing special. Then came the storm. Not just the thunderstorm that trapped me in Professor Grayson's apartment that night, but the storm that followed. The one that's still raging around me, that I created. They don't warn you about men like Luther Grayson in freshman orientation. They don't tell you how a single glance from the right person can make you question everything you thought you knew about yourself. About what you want. About what you'd risk to get it. They also don't warn you about guys like Ethan Cross, with his perfect smile hiding something dark. The kind of guy who's used to getting what he wants and doesn't understand the meaning of the word "no." And no one, absolutely no one…prepares you for what it feels like when the person who's supposed to be your brother looks at you with something else in his eyes. Mom once said I had a gift for making complicated situations worse. If she only knew. My phone buzzed beside me, and I glanced down to see Luther's name on the screen. My heart still jumps every time, even when I'm aware of what could happen if people learned about the two of us. I should ignore it. I should block his number, focus on my classes, help Mom with the bakery, and pretend none of this ever happened. But I'm already reaching for the phone. That's the thing about crossing lines… once you step over them, it's almost impossible to step back. And I've crossed so many lines now, I can't even see where I started.

It shouldn’t have to be difficult, Ashton,” I uttered, my voice quivering as I stared at him. “It was a mistake, Novah,” he sighed, closing the door on my face. “I love you,” I whispered, my heart cracking as I stared at the door. He was never going to see me as anything other than his pathetic step sister. I could never be more. Novah’s life wasn’t as perfect as the world thought. Trapped in a house that felt too cold to be called a home. With a father who barely looked at her, without hatred in his eyes. But the world didn’t know that, all they saw was the perfect daughter, and a great student. All Novah has ever wanted was love, someone who sees her to be just as more than just a nerd. Worlds collide when she realises that the boy she had been crushing on for two years would be her step-brother. Will Novah kill the feelings that she had harboured for years? Or will she act on them and deepen the rift between her and her father? In the toss of family and love, where do morals stand?

Title: The Alpha’s Luna and the Bloodmoon Amulet Genre: WEREWOLF Trope: HIDDEN HERITAGE AND BETRAYAL Theme: MYSTERY AND THRILLER Setting: MYSTICAL WORLD, CRIMSON CITY, MID 20TH CENTURY Blurb: Her legs had barely stretched as she stood when the hairs on her neck stood on end. An instinctive sense of awareness creeping through her. It wasn’t the usual eerie silence of the room, it was something more. A presence loomed behind her, dark and predatory. “Thought you could steal from me?”…. Lycia, a thief who never knew she was anything more than human, was sent to steal a magical artifact from a mansion. She was captured by Cove, a cold-hearted Lycan alpha. She had to take up the quest to receive a pay to afford the medication of her guardian, Jack. She’s thrown into a dark world of secrets, where she learns she’s far from ordinary. Hidden powers stir within her, and the truth behind her parents' death comes crashing down. Trapped between revenge, betrayal, and a destiny she never asked for, Lycia must face her fears, fight for survival, and scream out for the power that calls to her. What dark secrets about her past will Lycia uncover as she delves deeper into the world of Lycans? Can she trust the ruthless alpha who captured her, or is he hiding his own deadly agenda? What will happen when her brother, the merciless werewolf hunter, learns of her true identity? Will Lycia embrace her hidden powers in time to stop the war brewing in the shadows or will her enemies destroy her before she can reclaim her destiny as the true Luna?

On the night of her 23rd birthday, Nova's world shatters when she learns that her father has arranged her engagement without her consent to Henry, the heir of a billionaire family, a man she barely knows. Feeling trapped and betrayed, she makes a desperate escape, running from the life that others have chosen for her. With her father’s guards closing in, Nova takes a chance and slips into the first car she finds outside the mansion. But her gamble lands her face-to-face with Bentley Sterling, the cold and enigmatic CEO of Sterling Incorporation, a man notorious for his indifference to emotional attachments. Bentley has no interest in saving a runaway heiress, but when Nova offers a bold proposition, her personal services in exchange for his protection, he reluctantly agrees. As his live-in assistant, she endures his impossible demands and distant demeanor, but beneath his ruthless exterior, something unexpected begins to unravel. What starts as a transaction turns into something deeper, something Bentley wanted; desire, vulnerability, and a love he doesn't know how to handle. Will Bentley and Nova fight for their love or we will they allow external forces tear them apart?

"Marry me!." The words were out of my mouth even before I realized it. And that was how it started for Jazmine, who could barely make ends meet for herself and her siblings who their parents had abandoned and Ferdinand, the heir to J and J Consortium. That would only get his company when he gets married to the right candidate. Both, under the influence of the contract marraige, ate the forbidden fruit and fell in love, but it could only last for so long with their last threatening to destroy what they were building. Jazmine was stuck between choosing love or leaving it for the rich and the strong hearted. Ferdinand is stuck between going back to being a playboy or to stay faithful to the woman his wife really was

She was supposed to be broken, forgotten, and left to fade into nothing. But fate had other plans. After escaping a cruel mate and the pack that betrayed her, Seraya is barely clinging to life when she’s rescued by strangers, two powerful wolves from the mysterious Obsidian Fang Pack. Alpha Lucian is cold, unreadable and terrifyingly powerful. Beta Kellan is warm, protective and far too charming and they both swear to keep her safe. But safety comes with a price and feelings she can’t afford. Caught between two dominant wolves, haunted by her past, and carrying a secret that could destroy everything, Seraya must decide. Will she run again? Or stay and fight for a future she never thought she deserved?

Calla Winthrop thought she had it all—a devoted husband, a beautiful home, and a baby on the way. But on the night of their anniversary, everything shattered. A hidden mistress. A plan to steal her unborn child. And then the final betrayal… he killed her. But death didn’t take her soul—it gave her a second chance. She awakens in the body of Isadora Kane—a woman whispered about in fear, hated for her venomous tongue, cold cruelty, and ruthless past. Isadora’s name alone can curdle blood… especially her husband Madden’s. Cold, distant, dangerously powerful—he can barely stand the sight of her. But beneath the loathing is something darker... hungrier. Now trapped in the life of a woman everyone wants to see fall, Calla must play a deadly game. She must become the villainess the world believes she is—outsmart enemies she’s never met, unravel Isadora’s dangerous secrets, and resist the searing pull of a husband who wants nothing to do with her… until he starts to want everything. She’s got one goal: Take back her stolen child. Destroy the man who murdered her. But in a world where enemies wear the sweetest smiles, and the truth is tangled in seduction and lies, Calla’s second chance could become her final downfall. Because someone knows she’s not Isadora. And they're watching. Let the revenge begin….

There’s one rule in the Alpha’s house: do not touch the traitor’s daughter. Vanessa was supposed to die the night Alpha Alec took her father’s throne. Instead, loyal servants smuggled her into the palace under a false name, raising her in silence, training her for one purpose: kill the Alpha heir before he discovers who she is. But fate has its own plans. When Alec returns from war to claim his title, he barely notices the quiet maid scrubbing his floors—until the mate bond snaps into place. The pull is instant. Violent. Dangerous. Now Vanessa is torn between the revenge she was born for and the mate she never asked for. Alec swore never to be ruled by a woman again, especially not one with enemy blood. But her scent is wildfire, and the bond is unraveling his control. Choosing her could cost him his crown. Killing her might destroy his soul.

{SUPPORT = MOTIVATION = MORE UPDATES} Valery Hale ~ All I ever wanted was a comfortable life for me and my brother, Derek. With no parents, I had to work hard to put food on our table. Derek needs to go to school, and I need money for the never-ending bills. Just when life starts getting good, fate decides to throw in a box of scorpions. I can barely make ends meet every month, as if that isn’t hell enough. How am I supposed to make the CEO of a multibillion-dollar company fall in love with me? Did I mention he’s also an Alpha Lycan?   Nathaniel Kress ~ For generations, KressCo. has met the needs of The BloodFlame Pack. Being the next Alpha, I am to also take over as the CEO of the company, but my father won’t let me until I claim someone to replace my deceased Mate. I don’t believe in second-chance Mates and even if I did, not Valery. I should've rejected her from the start because now I can’t get her out of my head. If only I knew she wasn’t the innocent lamb she was so good at pretending to be... -- Jaden points the loaded gun at me. “Valery, you have three months to get the bastard to marry you. Succeed, and you’ll get your brother back in one piece. Fail.” My heart skips a beat at the click sound the gun makes in his hands. “Fail, and I’ll break every bone in his body, then feed him to my sharks.” He threatens with his hand outstretched to me. “It’s simple enough, so do we have a deal?” The Mafia Lord asks, his lips curving to form an evil grin. Like I have a choice. “Yes.” --

Two years. No love. No trust. Just a contract. Claire Donovan was drowning her business failing, debt collectors closing in, and eviction looming. Desperate, she had two options: beg her powerful family for help or take a deal with a billionaire she barely knew. Gordon Blackwood remembered everything. Ten years ago, her father destroyed his future, ensuring he would never rise in the corporate world. But fate had other plans. Now, Gordon owns everything except the one thing he truly wants: revenge. A two year contract marriage seemed like the perfect trap. She gets financial freedom, he gets a flawless cover to silence rumors about his personal life. But what Claire doesn’t know is that Gordon plans to make her life miserable. Cold. Ruthless. Unforgiving. Yet the woman he intended to break refuses to crumble. The more she fights back, the harder he falls. Hatred turns to obsession. Obsession turns to something else entirely. By the time Gordon realizes he’s in love with the woman he set out to ruin, it’s too late. Because Claire has discovered the truth. Now, the woman who once needed him is walking away, and for the first time in his life, Gordon is the one who stands to lose everything.