Romans & histoires Hope Emily Dickinson

In Alabama’s rot-soaked bayous, Drucilla Drakes survives by three rules: silence, scars, and never letting Louise—her Bible-thumping captor—catch her hoping. But when a schoolyard ambush leaves her bleeding beneath a stranger’s leather jacket, invisibility becomes a death sentence. Enter Dragon Morales: New Orleans’ most notorious runaway, a cartel prince turned outlaw mechanic with grease-stained hands and a death wish. He doesn’t save people—he survives them. Yet in Dru’s lashed flesh and hellfire gaze, he sees his own shattered reflection. Their bond is gasoline and matches. Dragon’s father—Colombia’s cartel kingpin—hunts them relentlessly. Louise, armed with voodoo rites and the chaos-hungry loa Marinette, vows to break Dru. Their only allies? The Lou Nwa, a bayou biker gang trading in bullets and black magic, and Papa Legba, the crossroads spirit who offers Dru a lethal bargain: *“Her soul or yours.”* Fleeing through the Deep South’s cursed underbelly, they dodge cartel hitmen, haunted swamps, and safehouses reeking of betrayal. Dark magic seeps into old wounds; family secrets tighten like nooses. Dragon swears he’s too ruined to love. Dru knows she’s too shattered to trust. But in the bayou’s choking heat, desire is a grenade they can’t outrun. This isn’t a fairytale. It’s switchblade kisses and saintly curses—a collision of fire and ruin where protectors become predators. Dru doesn’t need saving; she needs an inferno. And Dragon? He’s got a lighter and nothing left to burn. Will they raze the South to ashes, or become the sacrifice the crossroads demands? One truth remains: in the bayou, even survival leaves scars. **Warning:** No princes here. Just bayou smoke, blood-soaked magic, and the kind of love that devours.

“Didn't you say that a deal with the devil is not a deal but a death sentence?” “Yes, but that doesn't matter if you're both devils.” “I'm not like you,” Liana retorted. “You're about to become worse,” he chuckled, shaking his head. "I have never betrayed a friend.” *** Gina and her best friend Liana are the only people who know her darkest secret, or so she thinks. When Liana disappears, she begins to realize things aren't as they seem. The blackmail following the disappearance leaves Gina with some startling questions about whoever knows her secret obsession. She slowly finds herself drawn into a web of robbery, kidnap and murder. Can Gina discover who the person behind everything is before it's too late or will the cagophilia she battles lead to her demise?

Harley Gibson is a strictly by-the-book homicide detective with an impressive conviction rate. She is also living a dangerous double life. In the human world, she is respected for her skill at always getting her perp. However, in her native werewolf world, she is on the run, being hunted by the Lycan king, who also happens to be her sperm donor. To Lycan Ian Steel, his only daughter is only a means to an end. Harley doesn't know, but she was destined from birth to become one of the highly sought guardians of Sauther Lake. Ian always had. He killed his mate, Harley's mother, to keep her from taking their daughter back to the lake, where she would be protected from him turning her into his assassin. With divine intervention, Harley escaped Ian's pack. For a while, she stayed under her father's radar by changing her last name and never staying in one place for too long. She became too comfortable in LA after being promoted to homicide detective at the prestigious Santa Monica Police Department. After years of searching for his wayward daughter, Ian finally finds her and pulls out his big gun. Bounty hunter Nicholas Reins is to bring her back. Ian uses his mafia ties to get Nick into the police department under the ruse that he is an FBI agent sent to help Harley solve a high-profile murder case, making national news. Only Ian doesn't know that he also has ties to the syndicate committing the string of murders his daughter is investigating. Nick may be a ruthless huntsman, but the Lycan Princess will soon show him she isn't his usual bounty. Together, they will uncover the truth about her past, their future, solve the 'Anacapa Island' murders, and take down two of the mafia's bosses.

Heartbroken after her breakup with James, Charlotte seeks refuge at a club, where a one-night stand with billionaire Charles Goldberg leaves him obsessed with her. He’s drawn to the star-shaped birthmark on her back but never sees her again. Charlotte’s life spirals when she loses her job as an actor and faces financial ruin. Raised by her mother, who told her her father died young, Charlotte fights to stay afloat while supporting her sister, Olivia, in college. Desperate, she concocts a risky plan with her best friend Emma: disguise herself as a man to land a job at Charles Goldberg’s company, unknowingly setting the stage for a dangerous game of deception. As Charlotte juggles her secret identity at the company, Charles begins obsessively searching for the mystery woman, unaware that the “man” in his company is the same person. Meanwhile, a rival billionaire’s daughter, infatuated with Charles, complicates the game. As Charlotte’s secrets unravel, her life threatens to implode under the weight of her lies and growing desire for Charles.

If there’s one thing I know to be certain in life, it’s to expect the unexpected. I never expected to become a teen mom or have to flee a toxic relationship years later. And I certainly never expected to go head-to-head with Jacob Harris, doctor of veterinary medicine, to prove I’m worthy of running the struggling rescue full of misfit animals I suddenly inherited. Jacob is as smug as he is good looking, and I refuse to let that cocky grin or sharp jawline distract me. I won’t go down without a fight, and this time, it’ll be easy to stand my ground when my opponent is someone I can’t stand—even though my body reacts whenever he’s around. This time I’m not backing down no matter how much he gets under my skin. But the more I push, the more he pulls..until I don’t know what I’m more at a risk of losing: the rescue or my heart.

After being humiliated by her boyfriend at homecoming, Jenna Phillips wanders into the nearby park. To her astonishment, an old manor stands among the trees. Curious, she enters to find a ballroom filled with dancing couples decked out in gorgeous masquerade masks. Injured by the press of the throng, Jenna finds herself tended by the mysterious host, a handsome young man known only as "Lord Masquerade." Invited to stay, Jenna remains, little knowing the hidden secret lurking behind those seductive eyes - or the dangerous beckoning of her heart as she begins to fall for Lord Masquerade.

True love never dies. Not even when those around me are trying to kill it. With vampire bounty hunters still out for me, having the Grand Coven accuse me of treason against witches is the last thing I need. No one should tell me who I can and cannot love. Determined not to let anyone or anything get in our way, Lucas and I decide to lay low for a while and let everything blow over with my coven while Lucas hunts for the vampires who tried to kidnap me. But things, of course, don’t go according to plan, and when I stumble upon an ancient evil force hiding out in the underground of Chicago, we realize our forbidden romance is the least of our worries. As we search for a way to defeat unbeatable odds, I start to discover that things aren’t what they seem…including my very existence.

Eliza Just a few more months until I'm free from this town, but more importantly free from my Father. Nothing was going to get in the way of my great escape. Not even when Ryan, the high school heart-throb, takes an interest in me. But when Zak, shows up that first day of school, I know things are going to get complicated as I instantly feel the connection. Zak When I first saw her, I knew my fate was sealed with hers. There she sat, my fated mate. The only problem was she was human and I was a werewolf. The council would never allow her to become Luna. I had to stay away from her to protect her, but could I resist the mate pull?

Getting pregnant was the last thing Quinn thought would happen. But now Quinn’s focus is to start the family Archer’s always wanted. The hard part should be over, right? Wrong. Ghosts from the past begin to surface. No matter how hard they try, the universe seems to have other plans that threaten to tear Archer and Quinn apart. Archer will not let the one thing he always wanted slip through his fingers. As events unfold, Archer finds himself going to lengths he never thought possible. After all he’s done to keep Quinn...will he lose her anyway?

On the drive back from picking up our marriage license, Emily Adair suddenly spoke up. "I cheated on you." She pointed at the passenger seat where I was sitting and smiled with cruel amusement. "He was sitting right there yesterday, kissing me. He's an amazing kisser. I couldn't help myself, so I slept with him." Betrayed for the second time. I froze, the pain crushing my chest so hard I couldn't make a single sound. But Emily's smile only grew wider. "I finally get what Jessica saw in him. Honestly? Dylan is way more of a man than you'll ever be." Jessica was my ex-wife. Dylan used to be my closest friend. Five years ago, I walked in on the two of them together in bed. When I'd lost all hope, Emily came into my life and saved me. But now, she had betrayed me with the same exact man.