Library Hoffman Estates Novels & Stories

I made my way directly to the library with the present I had for Asher all nicely wrapped up, ready to be torn open. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. When I arrived at the library, no one was there. I sat there for a whole 20 minutes waiting for Mr. no show. I felt stupid for thinking he would actually come. I got dolled up for no reason at all. Maybe I’ll still meet my mate today. Then it won’t be for no reason. I got up from the table seat and went into the hall, hearing a lot of whispers regarding my new appearance. Some asking if I’m a new girl, others saying I’m trying too hard and others saying I look drop dead gorgeous. I didn’t know how to feel about myself. As I was wandering around the halls waiting for school to start, a smell hit me like a truck. It filled my lungs and took over my mind. It was the smell of after the rain had fallen. Petrichor. "Mate", I growled. I let the scent lead my feet to where my mate was. I was so excited and my palms are sweaty. It led me to the janitor’s closet and before I opened it I heard a moan. I put my ear to the door and heard shuffling. “Hurry Saige, I smell my mate, I can’t let her meet me like this.” I know that voice my heart skips a beat, fear and anger covers my heart like a blanket. It can’t be. It can’t be. There’s no way.

"Skin once broken ,can never be the same. Just like hearts once betrayed, struggle to beat again." ................................................... A broken piece of glass, a shattered heart. Was all that could define Ethan Lockwood's past. The heir to one of the biggest estates in the country, the most eligible bachelor as the tabloids said. With persona cold as ice and presence authoritative and terrifying ,he was making sure to not let anyone come close to him. Not giving anyone the right over him. Until he met her again. By hands of fate, the very girl he despised more than anything. The girl behind everything. But. What if the girl was no longer that beautiful confident rich man's daughter now? What if behind her beautiful smile she veil's a ugliness that made her insecure every night. What if she has been already punished in the worst way which resembled a nightmare. What if she was scarred beyond repair. Will he be able to see beyond her fascade? Does he have it in him to forgive her after everything? Circumstances change, people change and stereotypes break. But what remains is the beauty that lies within. And that's when my friends the journey of 'his not so beautiful wife 2 begins. *Could be read as a stand alone.

She came looking for a fresh start. She found something far more complicated. Beatrice has spent years keeping herself afloat — working jobs that drain her, paying bills that never shrink, going home each night to a silence that grows heavier by the day. When a housekeeper position at one of the city's most lavish estates falls into her hands, it feels like the universe finally offering her something gentle. Something quiet. She didn't expect them. Silas is everything danger looks like when it's dressed in elegance. Refined, wickedly intelligent, and devastatingly charming — he speaks in carefully chosen words and looks at her like she's already a secret he intends to keep. Atticus is something else entirely. Raw. Unpredictable. The kind of man whose presence fills a room before he even enters it. He looks at Beatrice like she belongs to him — like he decided that long before she had any say in the matter. And God help anyone who disagrees. Beatrice keeps her head down and her walls up. But walls mean nothing in a house like this, with men like these. Their world is intoxicating. Their attention is impossible to escape. The brothers take what they want. The brothers keep what they claim. And they have claimed her.

On her 19th birthday, Saffron is dumped by her narcissistic boyfriend, Maxwell. In a moment of pure spite, she kisses a brooding, dangerously hot stranger in the crowd only to discover he's her new stepbrother, Jason—an arrogant bad boy star hockey player.What begins as subtle tension and hate explodes into a forbidden passion. Stolen kisses, jealous rages, secret touches in the library, rink, locker room, and by the lake ignite a fire neither of them can control. But Jason’s former best friend now turned Rival, Elixir, exposes their secret .Saffron and Jason must decide if their love for each other is worth risking their parents' happiness for and attracting dangers from people who don't want them to be together.

Some people have a good life, some people have a great childhood, well some people have a roof on top of their head. But not me, I’m different than most people, I lived in my car, worked in the local library, I was no one, add to that being a little doesn’t really help my case at all. It was all going to downward to hell, until I met them, I’ve met her first, then her husband and they wanted me, homeless, bookworm and all. This our story, our adventures, and our love. Contains ddlg and mdlg, you’ve been warned. Apologies for any misspelling and grammar mistakes.

Synopsis The ice is cold at Blake University, apparently it’s not cold enough to keep Jace Carter away from the bookworm he so badly wants, that bookworm happens to be Aria Blackwell. She’s sworn off the drama and he’s used to being chased. But when a class project pairs the two oddities toghether, sparks fly and not the friendly kind. He lives for the rink, stardom and praise. She lives for the library and academic validation. He’s trouble. She’s temptation. When the late night study sessions turns into a forbidden touches, and a secret no one can know, Aria and Jake must make a decision. Will they risk it at the shot for something real? Or will their affair spiral into a tornado they both can’t handle.

At the annual company raffle, I had barely stepped onto the stage when my supervisor, Lily Smith, pressed a crumpled slip of paper into my palm. "A special reward for our top salesperson," she chirped. "Go ahead, open it. Let everyone see." Under the eager gaze of the crowd, I unfolded the note. Written in messy handwriting were the words: Clean the company toilets for three days. The room erupted in laughter. Lily folded her arms, cocked her head, and smirked at me. "Nice, right?" she said. "Everyone knows those sales of yours came from sleeping with old men. Dirty money. To keep things fair, the others get a break, and you pick up a little extra work. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" The laughter surged again, nearly lifting the roof. From the side of the room, my boyfriend, Seth Hoffman, the company's CEO, watched everything unfold. As usual, he said nothing in my defense. They all thought I would fall apart, cry, or make a scene. Instead, I simply gave a calm nod. The very next day, the company was hit with over three hundred property cancellations. Its cash flow collapsed overnight. That was when Lily and Seth rushed to me, demanding I go plead with the buyers. I smiled and said, "No thanks. I wouldn't want to help the company recover and end up with strong numbers again. That might make everyone even more uncomfortable."

In a high school world where popularity reigns, Ava Martinez prefers the quiet corners of the library to the chaos of the halls. After her mother's engagement to Mark, she's forced to navigate life with her charming yet unpredictable stepsibling, Ethan Davis. When a science project pairs them together, their playful banter ignites a connection neither expected. As Ethan helps Ava transform into the girl she thinks she wants to be, they both confront jealousy, self-discovery, and the complexities of their feelings. But when a betrayal threatens to unravel everything, Ava must decide what truly matters. In this heartwarming tale of friendship, identity, and the struggle for acceptance, Ava learns that the journey to find oneself is often the most rewarding adventure of all. Will she choose the spotlight or embrace her true self—and the unexpected love waiting right beside her?

On my twentieth birthday, I had to choose a husband before all of Olympus. Everyone thought I would choose Apollo Olympion, the radiant heir of the sun god and the man I had loved for years. In my last life, I did. Because of me, he gained Zeus’s favor, sacred estates, and the right to rise above every divine heir. But after our marriage, he gave his sunlight to Celeste, the dying flower nymph my mother had taken in. When Demeter drove her away, Apollo blamed me. From then on, he hated me. He humiliated me, broke me, and finally let my sacred medicine become slow poison. I died carrying his child, on the night the spring inside me withered. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on my twentieth birthday. This time, I let them have each other. So before Zeus and every god in the Golden Hall, I chose Cassian Hadeion, the last blood of Hades. The cursed underworld prince everyone mocked. Apollo sneered. “Choosing him just to make me jealous?” I ignored him. Because in my last life, after I died, Cassian was the only one who avenged me. Then Apollo stepped closer and whispered, “Funny. That wasn’t who you chose last time.”

The old duke had gone to the palace three times and surrendered control over three Northmere estates before my father finally agreed to the engagement. Cassian Blackwell, Duke of Northmere, was young, powerful, wealthy, and apparently handsome enough to satisfy the entire court. To me, he was simply the man my brother had chosen because he was terrified I would lose my head over some man at the border and forget my family entirely. So he ordered me home for the engagement ceremony. Out of basic respect for the occasion, I went to choose the pink diamond necklace I would wear that night. The moment I stepped into the jewelry boutique, one necklace caught my eye. “That one is pretty,” a sharp, arrogant voice said behind me. “I’ll take it. Bring it here.” Before I could react, the sales associate pulled the box out of my hand. I straightened and kept my voice even. “Did no one ever teach you that customers are served in order?” The woman looked me up and down with open contempt. “The necklace costs three point two million,” she said, smiling as she tapped the crest pinned to her jacket. “Can you afford that? I grew up with the Duke of Northmere. In this city, I decide what I get.” Blackwell. What a coincidence. Cassian Blackwell was the fiancé I was supposed to meet that night. I took out my phone and dialed his number. “Cassian, your childhood friend is trying to take the necklace I chose for our engagement ceremony. How would you like me to handle her?”