Barnes And Noble Valley Forge Novels & Stories

She was meant to save the heroine, but now she's carrying the tyrant's baby. "Found you." He smirked, tightening his grip on Selene's arm. ~~~ Selene is an avid reader of dark romance and is currently obsessed with a tragic tale where the beautiful Rosalind, daughter of a fallen noble, becomes a servant and falls into the clutches of the ruthless tyrant king, Alaric. When Rosalind becomes pregnant, the king casts her aside for another woman, leaving her to die in heartbreak. Devastated after finishing the book, Selene's emotions overwhelm her-until, in a flash, she's pulled into the very world that shattered her heart. But to her surprise, she's no longer just a reader but Rosalind's loyal servant. She then accepts her destiny and becomes determined to rewrite the story and protect the female lead from the king's cruelty. Yet fate has a twisted sense of humor. As Selene tries to shield Rosalind from King Alaric, the tyrant becomes captivated by Selene's fiery defiance and wit. Instead of Rosalind, it's Selene who catches his eye... and soon, it is she who is carrying the tyrant's child.

“Listen, Gadreel Ødegaar," she looked at him, not hesitating this time. "It's my anniversary present for you. Let's divorce." *** Ivory Remington had sacrificed five years to look after her husband Gadreel who was in a vegetative state after an accident and a few months ago, he finally awakened like a miracle. She thought it was the start of their happy life but Gadreel still had no heart for her. On their anniversary and her birthday, she received a cheating video of her dear husband and her stepsister. Heartbroken, Ivory chose to quit this stupid game. She decided to set him free but the reason she left on the divorce agreement pierced Gadreel's noble pride. *** "Impotent? Are you serious?" He gripped her wrist and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. “I’m a woman, Gadreel. I’m tired of being in a sexless marriage. Let’s end it once and for all.” “Sexless, huh?” he chuckled lowly and without warning grabbed her chin in between his hands, pulling her face closer. "Turns out my wife was so eager to get a man between her legs? "

Richard Franklin has left his Midwestern roots behind to live on the coast of Maine with his family. But in the autumn of the year 2000, he must return to his Illinois birthplace on a sorrowful journey. His wife Michelle has been killed in New England by a hit-and-run driver who is never found, so back home he comes with her cremated remains, to fulfill a final wish and on her birthday scatter her ashes in the park along the river in Blackwater Valley—simply Blackwater Val to locals—the small town where they both grew up and fell in love. With him he brings his six-year-old daughter Katie who still grieves for her lost mother: Katie, who can sometimes guess who’s going to be on the phone before it rings. Who can stop all the clocks in the house, and break up clouds in the sky with her mind, and heal sicknesses, and who sometimes sees things that aren’t there...people who are no longer alive. All gifts she inherited from her mother. Only something isn’t quite right in the Val. Sinkholes are opening up, revealing the plague pits the sleepy hamlet was built over in the 1830s, when malaria and cholera outbreaks ran riot. Mysterious bird and fish die-offs begin to occur, and Katie can see ghosts of the dead gathering all around. But what she can’t see is the charred, centuries-old malevolence which has been waiting for her, and wants her for its very own. Or the pale Sallow Man who haunts the town’s nighttime streets...or the river witch—another Blackwater Val, of sorts—each of whom will be drawn one by one into the nightmarish bloodletting about to take place. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

In her past life, when a truck barreled toward them, Lillian Hogan instinctively pushed Elton Ruiz out of harm's way. She paid the price with both her legs crushed. When she woke up in the hospital, the aloof, noble man lowered his head for the first time. Standing by her bedside, he promised to marry her. Tearfully, she accepted the proposal from the man she'd loved since she was eight. But after the wedding, Elton often stayed out all night. His attitude toward her grew cold and harsh. When an infection from her injuries left her on the brink of death, the billionaire didn't spare a single penny for her care. "I never thanked you for saving my life," he said. "Our marriage was a mistake from the start. Let me go." His face grim, he pulled out her oxygen tube. Lillian's eyes widened in shock. In the agony of betrayal and heartbreak, she took her last breath. If she could do it all over again, she vowed never to love Elton again.

Aria Hale once believed the Moon Goddess had blessed her when she found her fated mate. But the night Alpha Kael Blackthorn rejected her before his entire pack, her world shattered. She had come to the Silver Crest Pack with nothing but courage and hope, an orphan from a destroyed clan, dreaming of a place to belong. Instead, she was branded unworthy, her heart torn apart by the man destiny had chosen for her. Kael was power and pride wrapped in human form, a leader who feared weakness more than death. He convinced himself that love was a burden he could not afford, that tenderness would destroy the Alpha he was meant to be. So when fate placed a gentle, broken girl in his path, he turned away. He broke the bond and drove her from his territory, believing that rejection would set him free. He was wrong. Years passed, but her scent of lavender haunted him through every battle and every sleepless night. His wolf mourned for what had been lost. He told himself she was gone, but the ache never faded. Somewhere deep inside, Kael knew that part of him had died the moment she walked away. Far from his reach, hidden in a quiet human valley called Mistwood, Aria built a new life. She healed others with her herbs and her kindness, raising a secret that carried both her heart and her pain — a boy with golden eyes and the same strength she once saw in his father. She named him Liam, and he became her reason to breathe.

"Gentle isn't my thing...but tonight, I can make an exception." He whispered in my ears, wrapping my legs around his waist.----Mia is the oddball that nobody likes in the Dark Fang Pack. Her mom, a prostitute, ran off right after having her, leaving Mia to grow up hated by her Alpha father and Luna Helena. To make it worse, she never got a wolf. When she turned 19, Luna Helena told her she'd be sent to the border to become a military prostitute. Just when things seemed hopeless, the King of the North, Alpha Draven, showed up with an offer – become his exclusive plaything and no one would ever bully her again. But she must never fall in love with him. Mia signed the unfair contract and followed Draven to his kingdom. There, she'd become his most cherished woman and get tangled in even more danger and chaos. She'd uncover the truth about her mother, finding out the hidden power that she possessed. In the end, will she get to be with the noble king? Or is her destined mate actually someone else?

It's the tenth anniversary of my bonding with my warrior mate, Owen Chase, and also our son Leo's birthday. A month earlier, I spent $8000 arranging a trip to the Blood Moon Forest. I plan to take my mate and pup to the Moon Goddess' sacred grounds to receive her blessings. This is supposed to be a happy anniversary celebration for our complete werewolf family. I've prepared everything and booked tickets for the Twilight Coach. But on the night before our departure, Owen and Leo suddenly block our mind-link. "Dad and I are having dinner with Ms. Emma on the 24th floor of Moonlight Restaurant. We've cancelled the tickets—we're not going." The call ends there. They promptly block my number as well. I rush back to our pack overnight, only to find that the security system no longer recognizes me. That night, every household locks its doors and activates protective barriers against the toxic mist of the Silver Mines in the nearby Moonveil Valley, while I could only huddle on the stone steps outside our house, inhaling the silver-laden fog all night. The poisonous substances flood my systems. I am sent to the hospital, burning with fever as my wolf grows weaker with every labored breath. Meanwhile, my family is busy touring Central City with Emma Skinner, spending the money I had worked so hard to earn. Owen posts a photo on his social media. In the photo, Emma, my mate Owen, and my child Leo stand hand-in-hand in front of the wishing fountain in Central City, all smiling brightly. The caption reads: "A perfect trip, a perfect family of three." It is only then that I finally understand—this family exists in name only. It's time for me to rebuild my life.

Sanjana lost her parents when she was just a child. Raised by her maternal uncle in the breathtaking valley of Kashmir, she grows up clinging to two dreams—her passion for journalism and the music that flows through her veins. To survive, she sings on the radio, her haunting voice slowly becoming a quiet comfort to countless listeners. Liam, the son of a ruthless billionaire, wants nothing to do with power or legacy. Music is his only escape. On his friend Kabir’s advice, he travels to Kashmir in search of a voice powerful enough to heal him—and finds Sanjana. Her innocence, strength, and quiet resilience pull him in, and love soon takes root. But fate is merciless. A horrific car accident leaves Sanjana’s face severely disfigured. Before she can recover, Liam’s powerful mother steps in, threatening and forcing Sanjana to disappear from Liam’s life forever. Pregnant and broken, Sanjana vanishes without explaining the truth. Unable to watch her suffer, her uncle reveals a long-buried secret—Sanjana’s father belonged to an elite British family. With the help of his brother, a renowned plastic surgeon, Sanjana is given a second chance. In London, she emerges with a new face, a new name, and a shattered heart. Years later, Sanjana is Samantha Blake, a successful journalist in the UK. Fate brings her face-to-face with the past when she is assigned to cover the engagement of a billionaire—Liam. He doesn’t recognize her face. But her voice refuses to let him forget. As buried truths surface and old wounds reopen, love is tested by betrayal, loss, and the question neither of them can escape— Can love survive when everything has changed… except the heart?

After being reborn, the first thing I did was forge a medical report diagnosing chronic kidney disease. In my previous life, my nephew had been diagnosed with kidney failure, and he needed a transplant to survive. I rushed to get a matching test and donated one of my kidneys to him. But over time, my health deteriorated. At twenty, my body felt like it belonged to someone eighty. Even simple chores like sweeping the floor left me exhausted. I couldn't go out to work or earn a living, yet my brother and sister-in-law scolded me for "pretending to be sick." "It's just a kidney." my sister-in-law snapped. "Do you expect to leech off our family forever?" She even went so far as to buy a pair of fresh pig kidneys and smash them in my face. "Since we took one of yours, here's a new pair. Happy now?" Because I had lost a kidney, I died before the age of thirty, alone in a rented apartment. The next time I opened my eyes, I was back—before my nephew's diagnosis even came in.

Louis has had series of failed marriages and he was about to have his third wedding when his bride-to-be vanished without warning, leaving him with a wedding in shambles and a reputation in tatters, desperate to salvage his pride and avoid further humiliation, Louis embarked on a frantic quest to find a replacement bride. The wedding plans are in motion and everything has been paid, so he was forced to turn to Flavia, a woman he despised with every fiber of his being. Their mutual hatred was very noticable, and their union seemed doomed from the start. Yet, they sealed their fate with a kiss, exchanging vows in a ceremony that was bound to end in doom. Flavia and Louis's home became nothing short of a battleground, a war zone where two menace clashed in anger, resentment, and disdain. It was obvious that their loveless marriage would be a never-ending cycle of conflict and chaos. But when a common enemy emerged, threatening to destroy everything they had, Louis and Flavia were forced to put their differences aside and work together. Could they find a way to put their hatred aside and forge an unlikely alliance, or would their marriage crumble under the pressure? The battle lines were definitely drawn, and the war between Louis and Flavia was about to take a dramatic and unexpected turn but what will be the outcome?