Define Reads

“Marry me!” he said, seriously. She chuckled “Is that an order?” “It's a request.” “You know, you have this habit of not giving me other options when you give your ‘requests’” She said with a teasing smile. “There are other options. You either marry me, or I marry you or we get married. Your choice.” Angela, a twenty-three-year-old, is trying to make ends meet. She meets a stranger in a store and slapped him due to an argument not knowing he's her future boss. But when her future boss Tristan, enraged by her action, finds out about her past, he uses it as leverage to make her work for him as his personal assistant. At first, Angela resents Tristan for using her past against her, and the two clash constantly. Tristan is demanding and expects nothing but the best and perfection from Angela, who finds herself struggling to keep up with his high standards. As they work together day after day, Angela begins to see a different side to Tristan. He may be demanding and harsh but he is also kind and thoughtful, and Angela finds herself slowly falling for him. Tristan, too, begins to see Angela in a new light. He admires her hard work and determination, and he can't help but be drawn to her fiery personality. As they spend more time together, their feelings for each other grow stronger, but Angela is still haunted by her past, and she worries that Tristan will never be able to look past it. In the end, Angela must decide whether to let her past define her or whether to trust Tristan and let herself be vulnerable to love. Tristan, too, must decide whether to let go of his past and embrace the future with Angela.

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Gina was a fine statement of a woman. She was intelligent, beautiful, glamourous, and ran a free lifestyle. Her beauty and charm should've set her life for good, she could marry a rich man and be the trophy wife. But she met The Boss, who introduced her to the world of business and professionalism, who brought up a side of her she didn't know existed. As she grew under his wings, she developed a strong feeling for him, but her romantic interest was unrequited, or so it seemed. It was a strange relationship she was not familiar with and was trying to grasp. One she had to deny until it came to clarity. Then Rhonda, her best friend, who was almost as beautiful, and sexually provocative, came to the mix. Clarity never came and Gina had to learn a new kind of relationship. One that had no bounds to define, one that was so volatile. Between indulging in the interests of other fine males on her and her growing interest in her boss, Gina had to navigate her choice carefully. Could a woman with all the worldly choices available to her risk them entirely and choose an unbeaten path to seek and experience a new kind of love?

Ning Tian Tian was one of the few people who could see ghosts. She was destined to be the Queen of the Spiritual world. She had the power to choose if the soul could go back to the body or will the soul keep wandering. The souls would have only 100 days to find their killer and make them confess with the help from Ning Tian Tian. Sounds easy, Right? No. Tian Tian cannot make even a single mistake, it will cost her something that she would never think of. Apart from helping the souls who had died due to a mistake she also has to be extreme careful so as not to let a vengeful soul fool her. ---- Gu Shen was an extraordinary person who had the power to kill a vengeful soul. But he also had the choice to kill any soul who tries to disturb the realm of living world. Smart, cold, handsome and decisive was all that could define his character. He was young but was strong enough to hold all the responsibilities. He can kill a vengeful soul but, will it not affect him? He would have only three chances to kill a vengeful soul, but were they enough? ----- What will happen when, these two meet and decide to make the world a better place by fulfilling the incomplete wishes of those wandering souls. Would they be able to find love amidst of the chaotic world or would their own wishes remain unfulfilled. -----

"I'll never accept you as my Luna! You're nothing but a worthless woman!"Instead of allowing the Alpha King's hurtful words to affect her, Fia brushes them off. If he doesn't want her, then fine. She has more important things to focus on and take care of. She doesn't need any more chaos in her life. If it's just another source of pain, she'll learn to accept it.The Alpha King may have used and rejected her, trying to amplify her pain, but Fia refuses to let that define her. She has been through enough and doesn't want anyone else to uncover her vulnerabilities. They should leave her life, as anyone has the potential to hurt her deeply.However, the Alpha King's sudden change of heart surprises Fia. He decides not to release her, finding pleasure in controlling her. He has many ways to manipulate her and keep her under his influence. He will pleasure her intensely, making her moan with satisfaction. He will ensure she craves more as he leaves his mark on her.

This Thanksgiving, Elmer Fuller finally agrees to go on a trip with me. But when I wake up in the hotel, I don't see him anywhere. I spend the entire day desperately searching for him, only to stumble across a social media post from his first love. It's a selfie of her and Elmer having a cozy family dinner with her parents. The caption reads, "Someone's finally meeting the parents on Thanksgiving night. Mom and Dad can stop pressuring me to get married now!" Around her neck is the scarf my mother knitted for me before she passed. I left a comment. "Stop using my things to flirt with my husband. Take the scarf off—you can have him." Not long after, she posts an update. The scarf is shredded into pieces and tossed into a dog bed, with the caption, "What trash—too filthy even for a dog!" Elmer likes the post.

Melissa's life was never the same after discovering her husband's infidelity. She closed herself off to love and threw herself into work, believing that was all she needed to be happy. But on a hot and unexpected night, she met Ricardo, a charming and seductive man who completely changed her perspective on life. Despite resisting at first, Melissa eventually gave in to the seductive game proposed by Ricardo. Their forbidden and intense romance was a rollercoaster of emotions, leaving her torn between the fear of surrendering again and the desire to live a true love. Meanwhile, Ricardo tried to convince her that the past didn't define her future and that she deserved to be happy again. Together, they faced many obstacles and surrendered to desire, not knowing what the future held for them. Amid ups and downs, Melissa discovered that love can arise when least expected and that sometimes it is necessary to take risks to be happy. But would she be ready to fully surrender to Ricardo and leave the past behind? The answer would only come with time, and many twists and turns were still to come.

I'm an heiress who's been bound to a gossip system. Everyone reads my mind on my first day back home after being reunited with my family. "Mom sure has done a good job of maintaining her beauty. It's no wonder she became an OnlyFans streamer after divorcing Dad." My mother is about to berate me for something, but she pales and stops when she hears my thoughts. I glance at the fake heiress, who's weeping pitifully. "My, she's pregnant. Is it John's or Zach's?" My two brothers exchange odd looks. Then, my father arrives. I cluck my tongue. "Oh, it's Dad's."

Eyare gets married to the love of his life, Osagiede, shortly after completion of his university education. On the first day of their honeymoon in Ghana, he discovers his wife’s diary, and curiosity gets the better of him and he reads it. Therein, he finds out she married him as a measure to save face, a plan b, and a way out of her dilemma. Heart broken and torn between staying or breaking up with her, he comes to the decision of paying her back for all the hurt he’s feeling. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he is not able to carry out his plans, because he has fallen deeply in love with his own wife. Osagiede, meanwhile, gets reacquainted with her ex – Geoffrey. She decides to re-ignite a dalliance with him against the warnings of her best friend, Onari. Unbeknownst to her, she is being manipulated diabolically by him, and her best friend is in on it as well. Eyare is an heir to the throne in his hometown, but he is reluctant in ascending it. Forces from within will do everything in their power to try to stop him from being the next king. Question is, will they succeed? Plans will be made, negative acts will take place, and dangerous secrets will unfold. Through all this, love finally blossoms in Osagiede’s heart for her husband, but will their new-found love be enough to save them from the onslaught to come.

From an awkward, insecure teen to a fully grown woman—she's come a long way. After everything she’s been through, she knows now that the cheap love of her past doesn’t define her worth. Her past may be messy, even painful, but just look at the woman she’s chosen to become: strong, beautiful, and unshakable. It’s hard for her to give love a second chance—especially after building walls so high. And then he said, "I know it’s too much to ask for a second chance. Deep down, I know how badly I hurt you. My heart aches every time I replay what I said, what I did. I wish I could take it all back. I know you're scared and hesitant—but please… let me in again."