Iu South Bend Bookstore Novels & Stories

Luna synopsis “You're just a spoilt brat, aren't you?” he growled. “Guilty as charged,” I shot back. “I should treat you like one then,” he drawled, tone charged in a way that melted my blood into liquid fire. “I should bend you over this desk and give you a spanking you would never forget.” And before I could stop myself, the damning words were out of my mouth. “And would I call you Daddy while you do it?” It's the merging of two great packs through marriage, an alliance that would strengthen their military force and give them the advantage to defeat the evil rogues terrorizing them. 19-year-old Francesca Reginald however is furious that her Alpha mother, the head of their pack, agreed to marry 32-year-old Alpha Ian, even though she understands the reasoning behind it. Things escalate when on the eve of their wedding, Francesca comes to know that Ian was her destined mate. She now has to live with the pain of being his step-daughter when all she wants is to be his Luna. Three months after the wedding, Francesca's mother is brutally murdered by the rogues, and her secret power is awakened. She gets a vision that would change everything. Chaos descends and war between the rogues and the pack is declared. Francesca can't trust Ian with her vision because of the devastating results it could have. On his side, Ian is desperate to keep her safe. But what Francesca needs more than protection is his love. Will she succeed in getting it?

Alina Ysabelle Allard has lived her whole life behind gilded walls, the only daughter and heiress of a powerful business tycoon. Raised to be flawless, she knows her worth depends on meeting impossible standards, being the best, never questioning orders, and sacrificing everything for family legacy. When her father arranges her engagement to Lance Villion, the eldest son of another influential family, Alina forces herself to accept what duty demands. Yet buried memories whisper of someone else, a boy she once shared secrets and tears with, though his face feels lost to time. Leon Claude Villion, the younger son, grew up invisible in his father’s eyes. Overshadowed by his brother, Leon’s quiet rebellion was his unspoken devotion to Alina, the girl he once knew beyond the masks wealth and power demand. For years, Leon watched from a distance, unable to speak, unable to forget. When fate brings them together again, Alina doesn’t recognize him. And when Leon learns she’s being forced into marriage with his own brother, the love he hides turns into a burning resolve to change destiny itself. As a contract marriage looms, betrayal reveals itself. Leon must choose between family loyalty and claiming the only woman who ever truly mattered. Alina must decide how far she’ll bend under her father’s shadow and whether it’s worth losing her heart to keep his love. In a world ruled by power, secrets, and blood, how far will they go for love that was never meant to be?

Born under the blood moon, Menodora ia marked for death from her first breath, a half shifted at birth and a curse in the eyes of her pack, she lived in isolation her whole life, always in fear of possible execution. Then one night, everything changes…no longer is she just a curse not to be named, but a culprit in the death of the only heir of the Alpha. With only half shifted claw prints as evidence of her crime, Menodora is immediately sentenced to be executed with the Moon Council watching over her execution. The unexpected happens and for the first time in 18 years, she shifts fully, destabilizing the equilibrium of the moon…the very thing the Moon Council fears,now unfolds before their very eyes. In the chaos, Menodora escapes into Rougeland and comes into contact with Orvax, an exiled rogue Alpha.  Their fates somehow end up tangled not by the moon, but by their own choice…what starts out as a fragile alliance now stirs into something that neither of them can control. But the Moon Council is always watching, hot on her trail and waiting for the right moment to erase her existence completely. Unknown to her, she is the last descendant of the Blood-bound women, a line of powerful wolves that do not bow to the moon. The Council, unable to control them, resorted to wiping them out of the history books for daring to challenge them  and their barbaric rules. When killing Menodora fails, they try to break her and bend her to forcefully do their bidding, but they soon realize that she is not one to be controlled. With Orvax choosing to stay by her side as her mate, she becomes to the end to usher in a new beginning…

Laila Jones has spent eight years building a quiet, beautiful life for herself and her daughter, Malaya. After her high school boyfriend caved to his racist grandfather and chose football and family approval over her and their unborn baby, Laila left Ohio, moved south, and raised Malaya on her own. Now Malaya is eight, there’s a daddy–daughter dance coming up, and her one Christmas wish is simple—and heartbreaking: she wants to meet her dad. Going home for the holidays was hard enough. Running into Jordan Hall, now the golden-boy quarterback of the Cincinnati Bengals, is worse. He’s famous, gorgeous, and acting like he has the right to look at her with regret. Laila is ready to avoid him, yell at him, or both. What she doesn’t know is that after his grandfather’s death, Jordan discovered every letter she ever sent—proof that she kept their baby, begged him to come, and raised their daughter without him. The truth wrecks him, and this Christmas, he’s determined to fight for the family he should have had all along. But Laila isn’t interested in being anyone’s redemption arc. Especially not while his nasty fiancée is calling her a liar to the press and the internet is tearing her apart. As secrets unravel and emotions explode in front of cameras, Laila and Jordan have to decide what matters more: anger, pride, and old wounds…or the little girl who still believes Christmas wishes can come true.

Everyone in the pack envies how devoted Kingsley Laurent is to me. After getting appointed as Alpha, he turns down every she-wolf who throws herself at him and vows to wait until his position is fully secure before marking me. The mate bonding ceremony he promises is the most sacred of all, one that would place me beside him as Luna and establish our pup as his rightful heir. Kingsley openly despises my rebellious sister, Heather Johnson. His eyes harden whenever her name comes up. "Don't let your train wreck of a sister ruin our ceremony." Until one night, when I find a voice message on Heather's phone and hear his voice—hoarse, ragged with desire. "Will you shift for me tonight, baby? I want to see you in chains." While he claims he's on a business trip down south, he's actually spending the night with my sister at a couples' hotel. Over the phone, he swears his devotion to me. "If I ever betray you, may I be punished by losing you forever." At the same time, he grabs Heather by the chin and says coldly, "I will only ever have one Luna, and that's Eliza Johnson. You're just a plaything." Since he made that vow, I'll fulfill it for him. I fake my death, burn down our home, and vanish from his world with his pup growing inside me.

Three days before my wedding, I found out that Shane Dawson had changed the venue from Grandma Mae’s home in the South to Castillo de Sol, the Spanish castle that Tania Collins, his childhood sweetheart, adored. I confronted him, only to overhear him complaining to his friend, "Thank God Tania has taste. Otherwise, I’d be laughed at for life." His friend reminded him, "Didn’t you promise her you’d hold the ceremony at her grandmother’s house? Aren’t you afraid she’ll get angry and refuse to marry you?" Shane just laughed, sharp and dismissive. "The Quinns are on the verge of bankruptcy. Marrying me is her only way out. She can’t afford to gamble. I’ve already asked the planner to call her. She’s probably scrambling to change her flight right now." Anger and humiliation burned in my chest. I bit down on my lip and, in the end, turned away. Three days later, the castle wedding went on as scheduled, but I didn’t reschedule my flight. I didn’t show up. Instead, I stood in Grandma Mae’s old courtyard and exchanged rings with another man. To this day, Shane doesn’t understand. I never married him for some so-called escape route. I married him for a love that lasted ten years. However, once the dream was over, it was time for me to choose a different path.

“You really think a chrome leash makes me yours?” Timothy’s voice was a jagged shard of glass, his pulse thrumming frantically against the cold metal of the Blackwell collar. Kan leaned in, the scent of expensive bourbon and gunpowder clinging to him. He captured Timothy’s chin, forcing those defiant lavender eyes to meet his own. “It doesn’t make you mine, little ghost. It just keeps you still long enough for me to show you why you’ll never want to leave.” Behind him, Gideon’s shadow fell over them both, heavy and suffocating. “Careful, Kan,” the enforcer rumbled, his knuckles still stained with the blood of the men who’d tried to stop them. “He’s a reaper. He doesn't want a home. He wants a body count.” One Ghost. Two Predators. No Escape. Timothy Gal is a shadow. A high-level operative for the Nash Rebellion, he’s spent his life as a nameless tool in the war-torn Sopttyi District. He doesn’t feel, he doesn’t miss, and he certainly doesn't belong to anyone. But when a routine surveillance mission in Saati Town goes south, he catches the eye of the two most dangerous men in the Blackwell Mafia. Gideon Blackwell is the muscle—a man of controlled violence and territorial hunger. Kan Nelblack is the mind—a predator with a silver tongue and a taste for absolute submission. They don’t just want Timothy’s secrets. They want his soul.

"You have no idea how badly I want to make love to you," he responds with a shake of his head. "I love you so much," he continues and my heart melts. "I love you," I whisper back. "Okay, I'm going to make love to you now, Angel. It will hurt a little, so let me know if it hurts too much," he says and leans down to kiss me. "I'll be gentle," he tells me. Keeping his eyes locked on mine he shifts his hips forward slightly and enters inside of me. My mouth widens as he enters, and I feel a slight pinch. He was right, it does hurt, but it's not terrible. "Christ! You're the sun!" he calls out. I watch his face crumble. He buries his face in my neck and then he's above me again, his hands on my cheeks again. ... For 20 year old Alison Scott, love was never something she deemed herself worthy of. Not until he came along. With his tousled brown hair, lean muscular body and smile that ignited everything south of her body; he was unbearably attractive and intimidating to Alison. She thought he could never be interested in someone like her, until he was. Was living in the same household together with someone you want and need such a great idea? As they embark on this journey together, Alison discovers her own desires as well as all the secrets Isaac keeps.

Miguel has built his life around the land. Born of indigenous Costa Rican ancestry, he believes ownership is stewardship, not control. High in the mountains of Monteverde, he struggles to preserve his farms and a failing eco-lodge sustained by pristine mountain springs that carry life-giving water for the entire valley. Bobby, a kindergarten teacher from Ireland, arrives in Costa Rica carrying a private grief. A genetic diagnosis has ended her hopes of motherhood, and leaving Ireland for Costa Rica is the only way she knows to start a new life. Vulnerable and unmoored, she falls under the influence of Sean, a charismatic expatriate who offers work, protection, and belonging—while quietly binding her to his business interests. The springs beneath Cabinas Las Nubes become the fulcrum of their collision. To Miguel, it is sacred. To Sean, it is a commodity to be stripped and laundered through shell companies tied to South American narco networks. When Miguel refuses to legitimize the illegal extraction, intimidation escalates into violence, culminating in the kidnapping of a child—Christopher—to force his compliance. Bobby recognizes the danger too late but refuses to run again. Risking her life to save Christopher, she confronts the man who once controlled her and exposes the depth of her courage. Her choice strengthens Miguel’s resolve. Working from within, he dismantles Sean’s operation and reclaims the land before it is destroyed. Set against Costa Rica’s ancient waters and living terrain, the novel explores grief, integrity, and the quiet ferocity of love chosen under threat.

It's been three years since I went against my family to be with my boyfriend, Marvin Stuart. At last, my parents have finally agreed to let me marry him. I rush back to our place at once, eager to share the news with him—only to end up overhearing his conversation with his childhood friend, Camellia Hough. "They're redeveloping the area where my family home is, and we're going to get a huge buyout payment! You can finally abandon that loser and officially be with me now," she declares. "You wouldn't have had to settle for being with her if my family hadn't gone bankrupt back then." Marvin agrees to it right away. "I'll lie to her, saying that my family is in debt, so that she'll break up with me. Let's get married right after that." I swallow down the words I'd been prepared to say and calmly enter the house. Marvin turns to me with a sorrowful expression. "My family owes a debt of five million dollars. I don't want you to have to suffer with me. Let's break up." I nod. "Sure." Soon after, I sent my parents a text. "You don't need to transfer the three buildings to Marvin anymore. Also, call off the redevelopment project on the south side of the city." Since Marvin wants to break up with me, I'll grant him his wish. As it stands, we've always been from two different worlds.