Library And Information Resources Network

Our expedition team ventured into a desert wilderness to investigate rare mineral resources when we were suddenly struck by extreme heat that reached 158 °F. I nearly passed out from dehydration and quickly reached into my backpack for the electrolyte water I had prepared in advance. Just as I was about to drink it, I realized the bottle was half-filled with urine. When I turned around, I saw Ben Murphy, my wife’s childhood friend, gulping down my electrolyte water. As I was about to confront him, Amy Garner, my wife, grabbed my sleeve and said, “Don’t be mad. I gave Ben your electrolyte water. He’s almost dehydrated. You can make do with this for now.” My vision started to blur. Clutching the half-empty bottle of urine, I asked through gritted teeth, “I’m dehydrated. Instead of letting me rehydrate properly, you want me to drink this? Are you trying to kill me?” Amy was upset. “Don’t be ridiculous! Ben doesn’t work out daily like you do. He can’t handle this heat. Wasn’t it right to give him the electrolyte water? Besides, urine can hydrate you, too! Don’t be picky at a time like this.” Seeing how unreasonable she was being, I sent a distress signal with my location just before losing consciousness. [Severely dehydrated, near death. Expedition mission suspended. Request immediate rescue. Also reporting a robber in the team. Notify the police immediately.]

Emma Scott has always had it all—wealth, beauty, and power. As the privileged daughter of a business tycoon, she ruled her university years with confidence, arrogance, and an undeniable presence. But beneath her sharp tongue and ruthless attitude was an obsession she never dared to name—Killian Thomas, the one man who never bowed to her. Killian, a hardworking scholarship student from a middle-class background, despised Emma for the torment she put him through. She was cruel, entitled, and always seemed to have a target on his back. But when one heated argument after class turns into something far more physical, their hatred transforms into an addiction neither of them can resist. What starts as secret, no-strings-attached encounters after lectures spirals into something far more dangerous. They become study partners, but their breaks are filled with untamed passion. One night, they get locked inside the library and spend the entire night indulging in their darkest desires. Their obsession only grows stronger. Upon graduation, Killian is offered a job at Emma’s father’s company, the very place where Emma works. Their sinful rendezvous continue in secret—stolen moments in offices, forbidden trysts during business trips. They think they’re careful, but when Emma’s father catches them in a compromising position overseas, their affair is exposed. Faced with an ultimatum, Emma refuses to back down. She confesses that her bullying was always a twisted way of masking her love for Killian. She threatens to leave everything behind if her father dares to fire him. Forced to confront their true feelings, Emma and Killian finally make their relationship official. But even after marriage, their hunger for each other remains insatiable—whether at home, at work, or in places they should never be. Their passion is reckless. Their love is ruthless. And their temptation?

Reina Carlo was forged by the Stingers, a shadowy organization that raised her to be a weapon. Her memories of a family—a mother’s face or a father’s embrace—were long lost, replaced by the harsh discipline and ruthless training of her surrogate family. To her, the Stingers were everything, until betrayal shattered the fragile foundation of her loyalty. Now, Reina walks the streets as the hunter, her mission deeply personal. A man who dared to strip away her last shred of innocence must face the consequences. Her scars are tools, her training a guide, and by sunrise, her vengeance will be complete. But each kill leaves a stain on her soul, no matter how she rationalizes it. She tells herself the trade is fair: she removes monsters, and the world lets her survive another day. Redemption and forgiveness don’t belong in her world—they are luxuries for those unbroken by life. Yet the nightmares persist, whispering of a stolen past and a family that might still exist. Did they abandon her, or did they think her lost? These thoughts claw at her resolve, forcing her to confront a truth she can’t bury: forgetting isn’t the same as letting go. Her pact with Marco Alessandro—a powerful, calculating man—only adds to her turmoil. Their marriage of convenience grants her the resources to find her family and avenge her past. But Marco’s unrelenting gaze and quiet intensity break through her defenses, challenging the walls she’s built. As vengeance, love, and identity collide, Reina faces a choice: cling to the darkness she knows or risk everything for a future she can’t predict. In this world of shadows and betrayal, Reina Carlo fights not just to survive—but to discover who she truly is.

In my past life, my boyfriend Jared Xanderson's childhood sweetheart, Cindy Smith, pretends to be a rich heiress and fools around recklessly. When I expose her lies, she snaps and rams her car straight into me. As I lie on the brink of death, Jared's older brother, Mark Xanderson, gets down on his knees and begs him to save me. But Jared doesn't even flinch. "That's impossible. Cindy's of noble status—why would she dirty her hands over a nobody like her? Just because she's dating me doesn't mean she can climb above her station. She needs to remember her place." Mark kneels and pleads for three days and three nights, but it's useless. In the end, he's beaten to death by thugs Cindy sends after him. Even as my heart stops beating, Jared is still defending Cindy. He covers up the evidence and refuses to believe she killed someone, even as she destroys his own brother. Now, reborn, I don't waste time begging Jared to visit me. This time, I call my brother, Eric Spencer, first. "Eric, there's a woman out there impersonating me and running wild. Handle it. Also, about the Xanderson family engagement—I'm switching grooms from Jared to his brother, Mark." Over the years, I've poured massive resources into the Xanderson family, but it seems I've only raised a pack of ungrateful snakes. Now I want to see how long Jared and his precious Cindy can stay on their high horse without me!

On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, all three of my fiancés showed up with the worst reports from their family-run businesses. My father had declared that I would marry the one who could bring the greatest benefit to our family. However, all three of them had already fallen for a penniless scholarship girl named Amelia Jones, and none of them wanted me. In my previous life, I kept them close, mentored them, and poured my resources into helping them rise. By the time they had each become powerful men in my family, they repaid me by framing my father, getting him arrested, and making him age more than 10 years overnight. He was dragged to prison. Me? They hired a crew of street thugs to brutalize me, leaving me to die while my private photos spread across the internet. As life slipped away, I heard their sneering voices: "Did you really think we ever liked you? Everything we did was for Amelia." "If you hadn't chained us to your side, we'd have married her long ago, we'd have a house full of kids by now!" "You and your father ruined her future. She couldn't afford college because of you. She had no choice but to jump!" Then I opened my eyes: reborn on the very day of my coming-of-age ceremony. I pulled my father aside, looked him in the eye, and said, "I'm an adult now. Throw them out. Strip them of every business and every asset we gave them." "I'm not choosing any of them. I chose Bruce Sullivan, the Don of the Sullivan family."

The demons of Hell and the werewolves of Earth have battled for eons, vying for the power to rule the the world. Fallon, self-proclaimed queen of demons, refuses to bow to the wolves, staking her claim in the city of Chicago. Her demons, will hunt every werewolf into extinction under her reign. Liam Rowlyn, Beta of the Chicago Wolf Pack, has led the charge against demons since before he even knew how to fight or defend his family. Demons stole his mate, leaving with him an unrelenting drive to exterminate the soul-sucking demons infiltrating his home of Chicago. When several young wolves are found murdered and left in plain sight in Millennium Park, Liam knows without a doubt it was the demons he's hated all his life. Among the dead is his Alpha's son, a power play that could send his pack into chaos and ruin. He'll come face-to-face with Fallon Taylor, a face much more gorgeous than he ever could have imagined. The murder of his pack members. Where Fallon will play with Liam like a toy, he'll need to rely on her for information, as prominent werewolf families are murdered all over Illinois. He'll put off killing her in the pursuit of justice for his kid. Her game and his determination will merge, their hearts rebelling against nature and history. Will they destroy each other or partake in the most forbidden love of all time?

The childs gone. The dreams gone. I've become comfortably numb Valentina Lombardi has been through a lifetime of trauma throughout her years. From her absentee, abusive father who's neglected her all her life to her even more abusive legal guardian who's been the one to traumatize her. A trip to what she sees as her second bedroom, the police station, takes a turn of events with a piece of information she receives that changes everything. Zane Marino, leader of the Marino mafia, and Raul Romano, one of his top men. Dead. The two men who've destroyed her are now out of her life, a miracle to her. Now, she's being thrown into the custody of her eight older brothers she never knew she had. Her biological family. Not to mention, her eldest brother who's now her legal guardian, also happens to be the leader of the Sicilian mafia. Her "father's" pure enemy. What happens when she has to learn to deal with the infamous, ruthless Lombardi brothers, the ones she was raised to hate? Marino through adoption and Lombardi by blood. A dangerous mix. Throw trauma, boys, secrets, and utter chaos into the mix. How will it all play out when her inner demon's come to the surface, making everything unravel right under her two feet?

"Fuck.." I moan as my feverish skin makes me dizzy with lust. [Yes.] "Evet, Mila. You make me want to ravage you when I should be disgusted by the thought of even touching you." He mutters. "But I'm not. Instead, everything about you makes me mad with desire and I can not control it. God's, I tried to but I don't want to anymore." He removes his hand from the wall, wrapping his fingers around my jaw and he forces me to stare up at him. "You've already had a taste of me and one taste is all you get." I swallow loudly, throwing his words back at him. >>> When it comes to my prince charming, my life has been anything but a fairytale. The Esposito family robbed me of all I held dear to my heart. From the depths of my dignity to the depths of my son. I was living in continual terror; my body, as well as my trust and beliefs, were being exploited. Until one fateful day, I gained the strength to flee, dashing into an Irish bar and meeting a Turkish man. I stayed with him for the night before being compelled to return to the house of terrors. After being thrown down a flight of stairs 37 weeks later, I gave birth to my son. I knew who the father was the moment my son's gaze met mine, but I opted to keep it to myself. However, destiny had other plans for me, and I begged my son's biological father for protection as I fled the Italian mafia. We will work together to rescue our son and demolish their network, all while finding love along the way. My name is Mila Starkk, and this is my Screwed Up Love Story.

Discovering this piece of information out, I groan without thinking about it and then everyone stares at me.  Quickly, I turn to Arabella and that is when she raises her voice after winking at me, and states with a smirk on her lips, “I agree, it is to die for.” At that moment, I know our match is perfect.  After we finish dinner, I scoop her up and carry her upstairs, while kissing her passionately in front of all the onlookers.  Unable to take my hands off her, I kick the door open to the bedroom and then walk in quickly.  I throw her down on the bed and kick off my boots before climbing on top of her.  When I gaze into her eyes there is a fire inside and I realize that I have never seen that particular look there before.  She pulls my head down and wraps her fingers in my hair, while she returns my hot kisses everywhere.  Feeling the pressure in my pants, I break our kisses off suddenly and straighten up.  With a confused and hurt look in her eyes, she asks, “Do you not want me?” Julian the Alpha King has a secret. One night when he goes to save some of the humans from being massacred, he meets Arabella and feels drawn to her like no other before. However, when she finds out that werewolves exist, she runs from him repeatedly. After all, she thinks he is the big bad wolf.

Avalin is a 22 year old who has never had sex and can not begin to know we’re to start. She has never wanted to have sex and has been content with that. Avalin works at a lingerie store and has seen the rich and famous and those scrounging for enough to buy one bra. On this particular Wednesday a women walks in with her daughter and needed two sets of lingerie. “Honey it doesn’t matter if you like the lingerie what matters is that he likes it.” The mother said. “But mom, I don’t even know Mr. Kenway.” “Shut up Eveline, you will get him to sleep with you and get pregnant. Then we can live the lives we want.” The mother said well paying the bill and turning to walk out. This was not the first time Avalin has heard of someone buying lingerie to get there daughter to try and trap Mr.Kenway. Avalin reached for the phone to call the Kenway residence. “Kenway residence.” Avalin has called multiple times to give information so that Mr.Kenway didn’t get trapped. However this was the first time she’s heard this voice. It is more gruff and sullen than the cranky man who usually answers the phone. “Eveline Perry, will try to trap Mr.Kenway on Friday. She will drug his drink at Sky Bar after his dinner meeting.” “How do you know about my dinner meeting?” Mr.Kenway said. Avalin hung up the phone as quick as possible.