Harris County Library Novels & Stories

Alina Hart, a sharp-tongued high school senior, hides behind sarcasm and wit to mask the pain of fractured family life. Shipped off to a prestigious boarding school by a father who no longer sees her, Alina struggles to find her place in a world of strict rules and academic expectations. Enter Professor Cristiano Wright, a 27-year-old literature teacher whose calm demeanor and sharp intellect make him both an enigma and a fascination. Tasked by Alina’s older brother Ethan to keep an eye on her, Wright finds himself drawn to the complexity beneath her rebellious exterior. In the backdrop of Shakespearean sonnets and Romantic poetry, Alina and Wright navigate an increasingly fraught connection. What begins as reluctant mentorship soon transforms into a tangled web of forbidden emotions, unspoken words, and an undeniable pull that neither can ignore. Set against the bustling corridors of an urban high school and the quiet corners of a library filled with unspoken confessions, Silent Flames, Forbidden Paths explores the fine line between admiration and desire, duty and vulnerability. As Alina and Wright grapple with their feelings, they must confront their moral boundaries and the cost of their choices. Can they maintain the lines they’ve drawn, or will their emotions blur them beyond recognition?

“At least my books can distract me from remembering what you did to me last night.” “A distraction?” His lips ghosted over my ear. “Then I'll have to be more memorable. I'll take you on every surface of this library until the only story you know…is ours.” When Mirabelle witnesses mafia don,Theo Gaspard commit a murder, her life is his to command. To save her family, she must play the part of the ruthless billionaire's beloved girlfriend, living in his luxury mansion and warming his bed. Theo is a man of ice and control, but the defiant, soft-hearted server ignites a fire in him he can't extinguish. Their forced proximity is a battlefield of whispered threats and stolen, scorching touches which he tells himself it's all to protect his empire. As a deadly betrayal closes in from the heart of his own organization, their dangerous lie becomes the only truth holding them together. But when a secret from the past surfaces, Mirabelle discovers the man who holds her captive is hiding the one truth that could shatter them both.

Alpha Wesly Harris is a hard man on an even harder mission. Feeling denied and rejected by his family. He left his brother's pack to start his own dynasty. He now wants an hier to go with it. He rejected his mate due to her infidelity. Now, only a pure blood virgin from the powerful Trentity bloodline would do. He finds and purchases the beautiful Annabella Collins from her Alpha. Only to discover she is not the willing play toy he expected her to be. Alpha Wesly would not be denied his prize. He intended to force her to do his will if necessary. His wolf, however, will not allow him to harm his second chance mate. It is Wesly who will have to bend to their wills in order to survive. He may learn along the way there is more to life than hate and vengeance. "I reject you, Lindsey Mills, as my mate." Alpha Wesly said to her, still straddling her in his bed. "Wesly," she cried as she clutched her chest. "How can you do this to me?" Alpha Wesly looked at her cold-heartedly. "Very easily, apparently." He said. "Accept the rejection!" He demanded. "I, Lindsay Mills, accept your rejection, Alpha Wesly Harris." She said as she glared at him. Alpha Wesly casually removed the used condom as he watched Lindsey leave his bedroom. He should feel something. Anything. But he doesn't.

Warning!! This book drips with heat, desire, and forbidden pleasure. Explicit content. Strictly for 18+ readers only. One reckless night. One irresistible stranger. One taste of sin that changes everything. They thought it was just lust, raw, intoxicating, and unforgettable. They thought they could walk away when morning came. But desire wouldn't fade that easily…not when the man they gave their body to turns out to be the very one they couldn't have. Her mother’s soon-to-be husband. Her Husband's Therapist. Her Soon-to-be Father-in-law. Her own student, young and untamed. Her Husband's nephew Her dangerously powerful new boss. The forbidden fruit was never meant to be touched, yet once tasted, it leaves them aching for more. Passion deepens, secrets twist tighter, and temptation refuses to let go. A collection of dangerously addictive series: Book 1: One-Night Stand With My Stepfather. Book 2: One-Night Stand With My Husband's Therapist Book 3: One-Night Stand With My Father-in-law Book 4: One-Night Stand with My Student. Book 5: One-Night Stand With My New Boss. Book 6: One-Night Stand With My Husband's Nephew. If you crave stories that are sultry, scandalous, and impossible to put down, slip this into your library and surrender to the heat.

Yselle Morel is watching her family's glassworks collapse—unpaid wages, angry suppliers, a bank ready to shut the gates. When Renaud Valois, a feared billionaire financier, offers a rescue, it comes with a cruel condition: marriage. He says it’s business. His eyes say it’s revenge. In Valois’s riverside estate outside Paris, Yselle plays the obedient wife—smiling, thanking staff, acting harmless. She calls it "wife camouflage." Then she finds a locked room behind the library wall: a war room filled with files, photos, and timelines about her father’s life… and a folder stamped with Yselle’s name. Renaud didn’t choose her. He planned her. As “accidents” start closing in—tampered brakes, poisoned tea, a near fall on a dark stairwell—Yselle realizes the marriage isn’t only punishment. It’s protection. Someone wants her silent before the Day 30 board vote that will decide her family’s future. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more she fears the man who raised her. On the eve of the vote, Yselle opens the last drawer in the war room and finds an envelope addressed to her—in her mother’s handwriting. The ink looks fresh. Then the lights go out, and a voice behind her whispers, “Don’t trust your husband.”

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

I married Leander Ivanov for love – even if our life together was more steady than passionate. After two years of building a quiet life side by side, I thought we were finally ready to start a family. I planned to tell him I was pregnant on his 30th birthday, surrounded by his favorite meal and the custom watch I’d spent months creating just for him. But when I turn on the news, I see him with Wren Harris – his first love, back in town after five years abroad. They look like the perfect couple, and the way he looks at her makes my heart shatter into pieces. When he comes home, he claims it was just a coincidence – but then Wren shows up at our door, wearing my watch and revealing the flowers he gave me were meant for her. As Wren and her mysterious business partner Leon Rossi weave their way into our lives, I start to suspect there’s more to their return than meets the eye. The rumors about a hostile takeover of Ivanov Industries aren’t just gossip – they’re part of a dangerous plan to destroy everything Leander’s family built. Now I have to fight for my marriage, my unborn child, and the company that means everything to the man I love. But can I trust Leander to choose us over the woman he once thought was his soulmate? And will the truth be enough to save us when lies threaten to tear our world apart?

They say he's a devil in a man's disguise. He destroys everyone who comes in his way to get something but they don't know that... Devils aren't born, they're made. He's ruthless, he's compassionate, he's aggressive, his heart is as tender as a new bud. No one knows that he's a broken soul yearning for love. "Hunter, please let me go." Her words come out more like a moan as his teeth grazed the soft skin of her slender neck. Her fingers buried into his thick hairs as his hands are doing unforbidden things to her own. "Shhh...breathe, Anna. I am not going to eat you. You're too precious to be lost and you're mine. Only mine, my kitten." He whispers in her ear and next she feels her lips being captured for a toe curling kiss. Anna Harris' world turned upside down when she woke up in a hotel's luxurious room with a sore body specially the pain between her legs. She felt completed thinking she lost her virginity to her lover but she hadn't the slightest idea that she fell into the hands of the devil himself, Hunter Storm, the mafia leader of Rivas gang. Heartbroken, homeless and humiliated when her father got arrested. She has no place to go with her family.When she's on the verge of loosing all hopes to keep her family alive, Hunter steps in offering his help.

While preparing for the SATs at the library, my brother is accidentally shot and injured, causing him to bleed profusely. I pass by this scene but turn a blind eye and quicken my pace to leave. This is because in my previous life, when I saw him, I rushed him to the hospital in a panic. He had intracranial hemorrhaging, and he urgently needed surgery. I quickly called my mom, the top neurosurgeon in the city, begging her to come to the hospital as soon as possible. However, she thought I was jealous that she had taken my adopted sister to the beach instead of spending time with me. She also believed I had fabricated the story about my brother's injury, and thus refused to return. By the time my dad and the rest of the family hurried to the hospital, it was too late for rescue efforts—my brother had passed away. The whole family blamed me for his death. They were convinced that I had deliberately misled my mom and delayed his critical treatment. When my mom returned from out of town, she lost her composure and pushed me down the stairs, watching coldly as I bled to death. After opening my eyes again, I had returned to the day my brother was shot at the library.

I had been on a business trip overseas for less than six months when I suddenly received a call from the hospital. "Mr. Jones, your wife is having a difficult labor. Should we proceed with a C-section or try to continue with a natural delivery?" The words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I stood there, frozen. When I left, my wife had not shown any sign of pregnancy. How could she be giving birth less than six months later? I quickly dialed her number. The moment the call connected, I heard her cries of pain. "Honey, what's wrong?" From the other end of the line, I could hear a nurse urging her to push harder. However, my wife forced her voice to sound calm. "Sweetheart, I just slipped and fell a moment ago. It's nothing serious. You should keep focusing on your business trip. Don't worry about me." As I listened, the faint sound of a baby crying filtered through the phone. My grip tightened so hard around the phone that it nearly cracked. "Is that so? Then, get some rest," I said calmly. After hanging up, I immediately called my father, the richest man in the country. "Dad, Rebecca's cheating on me. She's in the delivery room right now, having another man's child. Stop all investments in the Harris family immediately. I want her thrown out with nothing to her name."