Early Bird Catches The Worm

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

From Alpha’s daughter to slave. Even the mighty must fall, but Ivy isn’t the type to cower. No, she is the type you never see coming. With Enzo at her side and her tenacious heart, Ivy is thrust into a world that wasn’t meant for her. Enzo worries it’s all too much for Ivy, but there is a storm brewing in Ivy’s heart. One that is fueled by rage and vengeance as they grow closer to their prey.  Ivy will stop at nothing to finish her mission, including seducing the Alpha of the Silvermoon pack. Much to Enzo’s dismay, Ivy enslaves herself to the pack and catches the attention of the Alpha, but he isn’t what he seems and suddenly Ivy is battling on more than one front. One for her heart and one for her vengeance-seeking soul. But what happens when the lines begin to blur and even Enzo can’t pull her out?

From the ashes of a shattered life, Nicholas Cooper, once the embodiment of popularity, finds himself confined to a wheelchair, his world forever changed by a tragic accident. Transferred to Westview High School, he becomes the target of Andrew West, the ruthless leader of "The Bloodline," a bully group. Andrew West is the school’s feared and admired golden boy with secrets of his own. But everything starts to shift the day Nicholas catches a glimpse of Andrew's hidden life—and sketches it. What begins as a twisted game of power, pride, and revenge spirals into something neither of them expected: connection. Real, raw, and terrifying. As secrets are revealed and emotions ignite, a forbidden bond forms between the bullied and the bully. But in a world fueled by lies, pain, and dangerous debts, love might not be enough to save them. He was supposed to break him. Instead, he fell for him. But when the truth comes out, will love be enough—or will it drown them both?

“There’s no sleeping and cuddling, Robyn. Just fu*king. I will f*ck you hard and fast. I will f*ck you until I lose interest in you. I will f*ck you every night. I’ll make sure you beg for more. That’s for a year. You will be naked in bed for 365 nights. After that, your debt is paid. I will forget you existed. Unless you have my three million dollars right now, then you have no choice but to bend to my will.” *** One night is supposed to be fun, not waking up sold to the highest bidder. Before I knew it, my boss, the beast with an ice-cold heart and a nightmare to work for, bought me and owned my very existence, turning me into his little bird in his golden gilded cage with impossible choices until I agreed to his dark bargain. Being at the mercy of a man like Spade Kolby with wealth, power, and an enigmatic past as dark as the night, I soon realized that having your boss save your life comes with a price. Nothing’s free. The only way to pay my debt is to be his wife and surrender my freedom. But the second our skins touch, there’s fire. The longer I try to resist his scorching touch and fight his death grip on my heart, the harder it gets, and I know nothing good comes out of falling for him.  Knowing the unimaginable consequences of escaping— how a snap of his fingers can destroy me, his words can rip me apart, and the unbreakable bond that binds us. After all, maybe once he gets what he wants, his obsession with me stops. Or maybe he’s not as cruel as I imagined him to be.

Breanna Wilson is a club stripper at night and a psychology student by day, joggling both lives to get a good education and pay her bills. Maxwell Caines, an ex national boxing champion turned psychology professor, is the youngest and hottest Professor in the entire university. A huge ladies man. Appears with a constant frown and talks like he owns everybody. She thinks he's a sad, angry, meddlesome man. He thinks she's a rude and arrogant girl that makes terrible life decisions and needs therapy. Both lives entwine when Maxwell catches her, one of his most promising students working at a strip club. He helps her get a job after witnessing the brutal death of her brother and a romantic relationship brews between a student and professor. Will their relationship stand the test of time when she gets kidnapped by familiar people and his job is threatened?.

Aries Greene, the daughter if the alpha and Luna. She's nice and Stubborn. She's everyone's favorite. She is the beloved of the most ruthless vampire in the world. She meets Axel at the firm she works at, she instantly catches the eyes of the infamous Axel Ryker. Axel Ryker, he is cruel, merciless and unforgiving. He's snappy and stubborn, he loves toying with people he doesn't like. He meets Aries and is immediately captured by her beauty but refuses to accept it. He tried his best to make her life miserable with the hopes of hating her. What happens when a vampire and a werewolf were destined to be? Forbidden love, rivalries and trials. What will Axel do when he finds out his mate is the enemy? Can Aries change him and make him finally accept his love for her.?.

When Nathan Rio, a guarded stripper with a haunting past, catches the eye of the city’s most powerful bachelor, his life plunges into a world of seduction, secrets, and betrayal. Donald Ervin is stinking rich, dangerously charming—and hiding more than just his criminal empire. One night of steamy passion between them ignites a fire neither can ignore. But when Nathan becomes his personal bodyguard, the line between love and hate blurs dangerously fast, and he finds himself pulled deeper into a world of crime. As the past claws its way back and enemies scheme to tear them apart, Nathan must choose: betray the man he has come to love in order to protect himself, or risk everything for a chance at redemption. In a world where love is lethal and secrets destroy, how far will he go to protect his heart?

Camelia Jones believes she has a perfect marriage with an understanding husband concerning her infertility. But not until she catches him cheating on the day she receives a report that she is pregnant. Presenting her with divorce papers and being framed wrongly, she flees out of the country. Four years later, Camelia is back, better than she left with her daughter beside her. She has two goals- one, get her revenge. Two, dominate the medical field and to do that, she must surpass Francis, her ex husband. Camelia is confident in her plans until things get awry and Francis tries to have his way back with her including his younger brother, Trevor, who suddenly has feelings for her. How will she navigate through this while maintaining her initial goal especially when her daughter becomes close to Francis?

Mia hasn’t had an easy life growing up in a trailer park with an abusive father. But after her father is arrested, she’s finally free. She moves in with her older brother who officially takes custody of her and for a moment she finally believes everything will be okay. That’s until she discovers her brother has a dark secret he has been keeping from her. Him and his friends are part of an illicit underground fighting ring. As Mia is accidentally thrust into this world, she soon catches the eyes of the infamous and ruthless fighter Kaden Scott, who is known for his undefeated record. Even though Mia wants no part of this life, she finds herself inexplicably drawn to Kaden and his mysterious, fast paced life. And against her brother’s wishes, she can’t seem to get enough of him and the danger that lurks around him.

Some women are born to obey. She was built to survive. When Elena is kidnapped and delivered to the Romano mafian family, her fate is meant to be simple: obey or disappear. In a world where women are stripped, sorted, and owned, she’s told she’ll either be trained for pleasure… or forged into a killer. Elena chooses neither. Her defiance catches the eye of Matteo Romano—the cold, calculating heir to the empire. To the family, she’s just another wild girl to break. To Matteo, she’s a challenge. A weapon in the making. A fire he’s drawn to… even if it burns. Thrown into ruthless combat training with other women marked for bloodshed, Elena fights to stay alive—and stay herself. But as Matteo watches from the shadows, the line between power and desire starts to blur. In a world ruled by fear, family, and unforgiving men, trust is a death sentence—and falling for the boss might be the deadliest mistake of all.