Hardships

Nothing can bring two people together like an adorable little pooch! Brady Rogers took the job as the new city planner for Holiday Hills expecting a town rich with Christmas spirit. What he finds is anything but. Due to budget cuts, many of the Christmas activities have been cancelled. When a cute little dog steals his scarf, he's led to a couple of people who want to help Holiday Hills regain the towns reputation for being the place to celebrate. Could it be that little dog has also led him to love? Noelle Snow loves her job running the animal shelter, but she needs more money to keep the no-kill shelter a float. When she meets Brady, thanks to a sweet pup named Pooch, she might just be able to save the shelter, help the town find their Christmas spirit, and fall in love. But when the town's mayor has different ideas about how the budget should be spent, Brady and Noelle's plans might just fall apart and tear a riff between them. Will Pooch be enough to bring them back together?

I was finally pregnant with his child after being married to Grady Winters for five years. I planned to share the wonderful news with him in person, but on that fateful day, I encountered his first love, who had just returned from abroad. She scalded me with soup, spilling it across me before shoving me down the stairs. Curled up and fighting through the piercing pain in my abdomen, I heard her cold, mocking laughter from above. "Who do you think you are to be Mrs. Winters? I've seen plenty of women who are social climbers." Then, she turned to Grady, her voice laced with pride. She playfully pouted, asking, "Didn't I do a good job, Grady? Don't you think you should reward me as well?"

"I, Stephanie Orlov, promise in my faith that I will in the future be faithful to the Imperatum, never cause him harm, and will observe my homage to him completely against all persons in good faith and without deceit." To be a part of Imperatum, one of the most famous maf!a organizations in the world, the oath of fealty must be fulfilled. At hindi basta-basta kayang basagin ng kahit ano at kahit sino ang sumpaang 'yon, not even the maf!a lord himself. Bata pa lamang si Stephanie ay napilitan na siyang sumumpa dahil sa mga taong kumupkop sa kaniya. She picked a kn!fe on her first birthday instead of a toy, and learned to use a gün first instead of a pen. Miski and foster parents niya ay hindi inaasahan ang instinct nito lalo pa at hindi naman siya tunay na anak ng mag-asawa. Kaya naman napagdesisyunan nilang imulat ang munting bata sa mundo na kanilang kinalakihan. And when Stephanie turned twenty-four, binigay sa kaniya ang isang titulo na iilan lamang ang nakatatanggap-the title of a maf!a queen. She's now the leader of the fifth division directly under the Imperatum corporation. She was doing good in life. Proud ang parents niya sa naatim niya sa organization. She established a good relationship with different maf!a corporations. She was respected and feared at the same time. Ngunit sa pagdating ng isang hindi inaasahang tao sa buhay niya, magsisimulang matibag ang pundasyong tinayo niya. Will Ava Ramos, the most sought out billionairess in town, be able to tame the ruthless maf!a queen? O isa lang siya sa mga magiging laruan nito gaya ng iba?

Torn between the man she loves, and the man who loves her.... Cordia Pike has always been strong-willed, but she knows her family expects her to accept the hand of her childhood friend, Jaris Adams, in marriage. As the conflict between the states continues to escalate, Cordia hopes it will last long enough for her to find a way to free herself without breaking her friend’s heart. On the eve of war, as the men prepare to ride off to battle, Cordia meets a mysterious newcomer. There’s just something about Will Tucker that she finds both intriguing and dangerous. Under the guise of caring for his sister, she makes a plan to write to him. Perhaps by the time the war is over, Will’s feelings for Cordia will have blossomed into the love she is starting to feel for the Union soldier. But war is evil and complex, and by the time it begins to wind its way through Southwest Missouri, one of these men will be dead, and Cordia will find herself betrothed to a man she loathes. Will she have the courage to follow her heart and stand up for what she believes in like so many others, or will she do as she is told and acquiesce to a loveless marriage to a heartless traitor?

It's Summer break and schools out. . . Two adventurous groups decided to visit Sincity for its known beauty, wealth and name. None prepared for what they were about to encounter in the famous City. So many rules they didn't know about. So many laws and death penalties. The outside world has known Sinctiy for the better part of it but none ever visited and returned to tell the darkness that lies within the great city walls. Its hidden atrocities and abominations. What happens within the Great walls, stays within the Great walls. Would these groups be the Sunlight that the city desperately hoped would shine upon its darkened soul or would they end up like the many who had walked into the Great Walls and never came back alive to tell the tales of the horror that is, SINCITY.

Being the daughter of a mafia, Grusha Aslanov didn't lead the typical luxury, spoiled life. Not when she was accused of her mother's death which made her hate herself more than her family did. She lived with the worst emotion one could ever have. Regret. She regretted her birth. She was not satisfied with the mental damage her mother's death caused as she thought she deserved a worse punishment. That is why she didn't even protest when her brother and father abused her every day and night until her body went numb because she thought she deserved it. She had no feelings, no emotions, nothing. She was a numb body with scars on her that each contained a tragic tale. She was a living death until the devil takes interest in unfolding her every story. Mature content warning!!! Triger warnings: physical abuse, mention of blood, mention of self harming, torture!!!

Josef Hadrian is the young 18-year-old Crown Prince if the Austrian Empire. Despite his weak stature and illness, he is determined to rule just as his father did, but with a twist. The young prince loves being with the commoners and is constantly curious about their everyday lives and joining them in their endeavors while keeping an eye on the whole land. Striving to change the eyes of the world about his family, he ascended not one throne, but several thrones, including that of Hungary, he stood on the ready to face he hardships of ruling an Empire head on.

I was dumped because of my weight. My stepmother tried to comfort me, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. A little extra weight is good." I watched as my graceful sister took my place and married my fiancé. Meanwhile, I was sent abroad to be "fattened up like a pig." I barely escaped with my life and endured unimaginable hardships. Now, those who hurt me should, at the very least, face justice for their actions.

The romance between Avril and Sean starts with youth and innocence. They navigate the ups and downs of their relationship, sharing dreams and building a future together. However, when unforeseen family problems cast a stormy shadow over their lives, the young couple is forced to part ways. As years pass, Avril and Sean lead separate lives, each haunted by the memories of a lost love. But fate has an enigmatic way of doing its magic. They cross paths once more, but this time they are altered individuals who have been scarred by life's hardships. Avril and Sean need to face the demons of their past and work through the challenges of their current existence in order to make everything right. Can they rekindle the flames of their once-indestructible love, or will the shadows of the past prove too formidable to overcome?

Rebecca's world is about to be turned upside down as her memories are soon to be erased. Born and raised in a rural paradise, she is faced with the threat of losing everything she holds dear. The only way out of her predicament is through a man she fears, a man who offers her a way out in exchange for her father's debt. She accepts his offer, unaware of the loveless marriage that awaits her. As she tries to escape her unhappy life, she finds herself falling for her husband. But when she finally thinks she's safe, her past comes back to haunt her, threatening to drag her back to the life she so desperately wanted to leave behind. Can she find a way to escape and start anew, or will she be trapped in a never-ending cycle of pain and regret?