High Rise

Hazel Jones slides on a beautiful red silk dress with a slit up to her curvy hip and black strappy heels. Her long, chocolate brown hair is up in an elegant style, exposing her neck. She applies mascara and matching red matte lipstick for the finishing touches. She studies herself in the mirror before leaving her apartment and getting into the limo. Hazel may never see her family again but missing the Mate Gala is not an option for her. -------- "How is this possible?" "I don't know, but she is mine too." King Octavius Storm and his mate, Valentina watches as their surprise mate makes her way to The Royals' table. She's a human, and they are the Lycan Royals. A Lycan King has never had more than one mate. It is normal in the Full-Blood District, but not in the Lycan Colony. What makes it even more unique, Octavius and Valentina both felt the mate bond before Hazel stepped foot in the ballroom.

I had spent my whole life living in the shadow of my sister, Juliana, the woman everyone in the mafia's heir circle adored and protected. She had no idea that I had been reborn. Just like in my previous life, she smiled sweetly and gently, insisting that I pick my fiancé first, pretending to be thoughtful and gracious. However, this time, I refused. In my previous life, I naïvely believed she meant well. I married the man she recommended, Chester Kane, an heir who was said to have been paralyzed after an ambush. I gave up my right to inherit the family, becoming his caretaker, his crutch, the medicine he used to fight loneliness. However, no matter how much warmth I gave him, his heart remained frozen. The truth only came out during my sister's pregnancy celebration. When an assassin from a rival family raised his gun toward her belly, the man who had not stood in years suddenly rose to his feet. He shoved me toward the muzzle of the gun. All seven bullets tore into my womb. As I collapsed, I saw him pull my sister into his arms, shielding her with his own body and taking the final shot for her. Only then did I understand. He had never been paralyzed. His family had never abandoned him. He pretended to be sick because Juliana's heart belonged to another man, and he refused to be tied to me. "I'm sorry, Tania," he said. "I lied to you. However, I couldn't let Juliana lose the heir she's carrying. I'll repay what I owe you in our next life." When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my father asked us to choose our marriage partners. This time, I chose no one. Yet back then, they were the ones who begged for my love.

"Part One: TakenJessie Coford had a plan: work hard, save money, open her own restaurant. She sacrificed her relationship with the man of her dreams to get it. Then, in the blink of an eye, she lost her job and her apartment and her life crashed around her. Until a letter taking her to Fort Mavis, Texas, and an unexpected windfall.Part Two: TamedShea Prescott was astonished when million Cruz Castillo chose her to design his new home on his ranch. They hardly traveled in the same circles. But Cruz had been hot for Shea since he first saw her and at their first meeting the chemistry between them ignited. Cruz coaxed her deeper and deeper into a whirlpool of erotic sex, awakening latent sexual desires and bringing her orgasms beyond her wildest imaginings. Her body screamed yes at his every touch, but will she say yes to the most important question?USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.Taken by Surprise is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

"That's okay baby. I won't be taking her away from you because you will be coming with us. Me, you, and Aria, together. A perfect family. What do you think about that?" Riccardo De Luca, popularly known for his ruthlessness and unforgiving spirit, has led the Italian Mafia for twelve good years now. He is feared and respected- either forcefully or willingly- by everyone including the Italian government. The title has been in his family line for...longer than he can even remember and all of a sudden his position is being threatened because he doesn't have an heir. Not under his watch though. He is going to keep this position no matter what it takes. with the mafia baby, Emilia Salvatore left Italy five years ago and vowed never to return again. She set up a life for she and her daughter in New York City. But what happens when Riccardo suddenly shows up at her door five years later demanding to be a part of not only his daughter’s life but also a part of Emilia’s life?

My in-laws were old-fashioned. They insisted that spending New Year's in their hometown was a must for a smooth year ahead. We could not get train tickets, so we decided to drive back. When my wife’s first love heard about it, he insisted on coming with us. He even brazenly took the front passenger seat from me. “Charles, I get carsick easily. I can only sit in the front.” Evan shot me a disdainful look. "It's just a seat. Why are you being so touchy?" “If you knew how to drive, would this even be an issue?” My in-laws chimed in as well. “You’re a grown man. Why are you making such a fuss over something so small?” Outnumbered, I had no choice but to squeeze into the back seat with my in-laws. Then, when we were passing a toll booth, Yvonne spotted a stray dog and was suddenly overcome with compassion. “That poor dog. Let’s bring it home with us.” I immediately objected, “The car is already full. If we bring a dog too, we’ll be over the limit. We won’t even be allowed on the road.” Before I had even finished speaking, Evan turned on me without hesitation. “Charles, in that case, why don’t you give up your seat for the dog? You can just take a cab back!”

Jane had no idea that the new year would be the biggest and most significant change of her life for her, she will finally understand what true love is and she will discover that her happiness has been there all the time but she had never noticed it for being stuck in her past. Travis takes the reins of what he truly wants and goes for it no matter what or anyone ... if he doesn't make his first move, someone else will probably do it and he's not willing to be the spectator again. But not everything is rosy, there will be many tests that they must overcome and do their part to cope with every situation that fate places on them. Because that's what life is all about, overcoming, learning, and adapting with each other, forging a bond so strong that nothing and no one can break, make mistakes and fix them and discover that things that are taken for granted take an unpredictable turn changing it. everything. Do you dare to discover what happens in a whole year for these two?

“Who are you? You don't even know me. Why are you helping me?" I asked, and he just went back to his straight, expressionless face. "I'm D..... You are?" he asked, and suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. It must be because he looked like a cold-hearted person; maybe the chills were coming from him. Or maybe because I couldn't even get past the first letter of his name. Why won't I remember his name? What happened to me? What did my brother do? Why won't I remember the name of my mate?! Mated to the Beta of her pack, Diana struggles with sleepless nights as a Stranger visits her dreams every night showing her proofs that her life in the pack might be a lie and her mate may not be her true mate.

How do you survive when the only life you have known has been stolen from you? At six years old I was branded a murderer,blamed for what I knew nothing of and a slave to my cruel Aunt and Uncle. For fifteen years , I endured their abuse and believe the lies they told me. Until the day I was auctioned to the highest bidder: the arrogant Alpha Lukan. I thought being sold would only bring more misery, but instead it brought me to the powerful and mysterious Alpha of the Nightbane pack. He was ruthless yet kind , cold yet tender and seemed to promise me the love I have never known. But nothing is ever that simple. Why did he choose me? Why does he keep me close yet seem so distant, as if searching for something I can't see. But when the Moon Goddess decides to play chess with your life, you have no option but to move with the game. With every step I take, new secret stepped forward, eager to break the fragile happiness I have found. Now I must decide—am I just another pawn, or can I become the queen in a game I never choose to play

This world is not for a simple and innocent beings. People can eat you alive, without thinking twice. Same happened with a small town farmer's boy. He just wanted to study and learn more, was it really wrong? To wish for a better life? To be eligible for someone?You know Human can be ruthless, they hit you where it hurts the most.They said, until the end is not happy it's not the end. That's not how it works in reality. They say everyone get better, everything gets better, but what if destiny decided not to give you the chance to be better? What would you do?Think before you do anything.It all started with an absurd mistake and that made an innocent boy's life a living hell. When death was only safe escape for him.The other was guilty, ashamed and wanted to apologize but to whom? When the one whom he wanted to apologize was already gone.

Ava Lynx rejected her gentle Alpha, Orion, calling him weak. That rejection breaks Orion, but it also unlocks the hidden power in him. Orion returns scarred, strict—the High Alpha of the North. He drags Ava into his court, treating her with anger, knowing the twisted mate bond makes him stronger every time he inflicts pain. Ava risks everything to escape weakness. Now, she must confront the savage king she had made by herself, or the price of his return will destroy her world.