Grayslake Public Library Novels & Stories

They were never supposed to be real. Mira Chen has one rule: never lose. Not at debate. Not at life. So when she catches her boyfriend cheating with her best friend, she doesn't cry, instead she plans. The perfect revenge? Fake-date Sebastian Kessler, her arrogant, chaotic academic rival, and make Ethan watch. Seb has his own reasons. He needs the Covington Scholarship, the same one Mira is fighting for. And if pretending to love his worst enemy gets him closer to victory? He'll play the part. Even if she looks at him like he's a mistake she keeps wanting to make. Their contract is simple: public appearances, no feelings, end it when the scholarship is decided. But late-night debates turn into confessions. Accidental touches linger. Arguments become foreplay. And when the scholarship committee announces that only one of them can win and the loser must leave the debate team forever, Mira and Seb realize the truth. They were never acting. Now they must choose: destroy each other for a prize… or risk everything for a love that was never part of the plan.

The AFA 2020, or the Antonio Facundo Awards, is a competition for journalists like Avery Taylor. It is also often open to writers and directors. They will take a subject, a prevalent person with people, and publish to the public how that person lives. Avery earns the honor of being an exceptional reporter and journalist every year. She won AFA 2019 last year, and he will never relinquish her seat. She will make sure she gets the same award again this year. All she had to do is find someone, a person everyone looked up to with a mysterious identity. Cormac Carter, one of the richest bachelors in the entire Philippines and owns one of the most popular car brands globally — C.C Cars, will be Avery’s target. He’s the gem of the competition. That man already has all the ‘ingredients’ for that, and Avery will not let the opportunity slide. With that desire, she had so much to go through, but Avery never expected that by digging into his past, she would find her past that was buried into her mind for a long time ago. The incident that caused her to be hit by a car and develop amnesia, the incident that made her feel the hardship of the past fifteen years..

The world might think billionaire Xavier Gaines has it all, but he’s got a big problem. His successful software company is about to sign a government contract that’ll land him smack in the glare of the public limelight, and his lifelong battle with social anxiety has marked him as a cold, uncaring bastard in the eyes of the press. To dispel the unflattering image, he needs help, and there’s only one person he trusts with the job—Peyton Smoke. Gorgeous, kind, and funny, she agrees to be his media relations director and soon imbeds herself so deeply in his life, his world will crumble if anything upsets the balance. He cannot screw up their solid unit. No matter how achingly he desires her. Yet, how is he supposed to resist when she tugs emotions from him he didn’t think he was capable of experiencing? Especially since it appears he’s not the only one fighting their undeniable attraction. Ever-after might be possible...if he can convince her to believe in love again.Counterbalance is created by Kelly Moran, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

“Where the hell is Victoria?!” Mrs. Langston’s scream echoed through the hall, her voice trembling with anger. Everyone looked as confused as she was—the bride at the altar wasn’t her daughter. **** Victoria Langston—powerful, ambitious, and determined to save her family’s legacy, even at the cost of marrying someone she didn’t love—billionaire Micheal Sterling, left everything behind. She survived a fire accident, only to wake up with no memory of her past and a burning desire to escape from the life they claimed she once wanted. Jake Blackwell, her fiercest rival who also turned out to be her savior, lost everything in the fire—his identity, his position as the CEO of the Sharks Luxury Hotels, and most importantly, his father’s trust—driving him to seek revenge against the Langstons. In public, the two are sworn enemies, in a quest for power, and dominance over the other. But behind closed doors, their forbidden desires burn uncontrollably. Shattered by the flames, consumed by revenge, and betrayed by every trusted ally—will they discover the truth before their pain destroys them? Or will it be too late to heal their decaying scars?

The world thinks The Fox is dead. That’s exactly how she planned it. Born to two of the most powerful superheroes on the planet, The Fox spent her life trapped behind mansion walls, brutal training sessions, and the crushing expectations of heroes who cared more about perfection than their daughter. To the public, General Storm and Lady Rose are icons. To The Fox, they’re the reason she learned how to survive bruises with a smile. So she vanished. With the help of the only person who ever truly loved her, The Fox fakes her death and disappears into the underground, determined to build a normal life far away from capes, cameras, and violence. New name. New city. New rules. But the world is falling apart faster than she can outrun it. Monstrous creatures are crawling out any crack. Entire cities are collapsing overnight. And when the Fox discovers the terrifying truth behind the outbreaks, she realizes her family may not be the heroes humanity believes they are. Now hunted by the people who raised her and haunted by powers she tried to leave behind, The Fox has two choices: Keep running. Or turn around and fight.

Melody Sullivan's ex-husband had always been a cold, distant man. By day, she worked as his secretary. By night, she was his wife. In their two years of marriage, she never received even a hint of real affection from him. The day his childhood sweetheart returned to the country, they calmly signed the divorce papers. No one expected that six months later, Melody would find out she was pregnant. She had loved him in secret for years, but now she was done. Without hesitation, she left with his kid and cut him out of her life. He made his relationship with his childhood sweetheart public? That had nothing to do with her. He proposed to her? Melody congratulated them and wished them a happy life together, But then, the man rumored to be getting married showed up outside the delivery room the very day she gave birth. He asked to get back together! Melody shook her head repeatedly. "Mr. Hunt, the baby isn't yours." Caleb Hunt looked at her, his voice firm. "Even if the kid isn't mine, I still want both of you."

I had been in a secret relationship with my mafia boyfriend, Dante Castellano, for seven years. No public contact. No photos together. No proof I had ever stood by his side. He told me, "Once I'm powerful enough that no one dares touch you, I'll make it official." I believed him. The day before our seventh anniversary, I found a ten-carat diamond ring in his suit jacket. I cried with joy, thinking seven years of hiding were finally over. The next morning, I wore my most expensive dress and sprayed on the only perfume he had ever given me. I practiced my smile in the mirror, the one I would give when he proposed. Then, my phone lit up with a breaking news alert. [Breaking News: Seven-Year Love Story Reaches Perfect Ending—Romance Blogger Alessia Romano Accepts Boyfriend's 100th Proposal!] In the photo, the influencer with eight million followers stood on her tiptoes, kissing a man. His hand rested on the back of her neck. On that hand was a scar I would never mistake. It was the scar Dante got when he took a knife for me.

"Sofia, listen to me—marry Ethan, or your family loses everything." Sofia Vanguard never had a choice. Born into wealth, groomed for power, and shackled to her father’s ambitions, she was a pawn in a world where love was a liability. But when a single night—one she can’t even remember—leaves her pregnant with Ethan Reagan’s child, her fate is sealed. Ethan never wanted a wife. He never wanted a family. But in a game where power is inherited, and his ruthless brothers are willing to destroy him for it, marrying Sofia is the only way to survive. The plan was simple: a contract, five years, no strings attached. They’d live their separate lives, tolerate each other in public, and walk away free. Except Ethan can’t stand the thought of Sofia with another man. And Sofia can’t ignore the way Ethan looks at her. But love isn’t the only battle they have to fight. Kidnappings, betrayals, corporate sabotage, and an empire built on secrets threaten to tear them apart before they even have a chance to come together. And when their enemies strike where it hurts the most—their son—Ethan and Sofia will learn that in a world of power and blood, family isn’t just a bond. It’s a battlefield.

“Falling for him was never part of the plan. He was poisonous, but the way he kissed me made me yearn for him anyway.” >>>>>>>> Calantha Brooks is a a lowly omega sold into slavery by her adopted family, ridiculed and abused by those who see her as worthless. When her long-time online boyfriend, Ryker, humiliates and breaks her heart in public, her heartbreak drives her into the arms of a cold arrogant stranger, leading to a one night stand. Little does she know that the arrogant stranger is no other than the Lycan King: Kaiden Orion. What happens when she gets caught up in a deal with Lycan Kaiden to act as his mate? Can a lowly omega handle being a Luna in a pack of alpha wolves, hot women who want to take her place and her ex who wants her back? Can she handle the uncontrollable darkness and secret past that Kaiden can never heal from? Or is there more to this lowly omega than we see? Asides from being an innocent sunshine in the grumpy Lycan King’s life, she might be the most powerful being to ever exist. You just might never know. Read to find out!

"You are not my mate," he tells me firmly, pushing me against the wall and holding my wrists over my head to stop me from struggling. "You're just an impostor, a liar!" A smirk appears on my lips. "Me? An impostor and a liar?" I lean forward, making sure that our lips are only inches apart. "I can prove it. Let me go and I'll show you who I am." He swallows hard, his gaze wandering from my eyes down to my lips, going farther down with renewed purpose. . . . * * * Meredith Lane is the most beautiful girl in the kingdom of Raven Solstice. With her angelic features, she could have been blessed by the gods themselves. But there's one catch. She's a mere human in the world of Lycans, and the daughter of a Duke's lowly maid. Inhibited by her status and forever hidden from the public, Meredith decides to break some rules and explore what the world has to offer. And it just so happened the universe granted her the attention of a Lycan Heir, Zeus Antonov. But what if someone is just out there lurking, waiting for the right chance to take Meredith's beauty, along with her royal mate?