Locavore Kitchen

Even before marrying Wayne Cooper, I knew he had a fierce sister-in-law. He would always tell me to never get into a fight with her. After we marry, we spend Christmas Eve at his parents' house for the first time. I'm forced to bustle around in the kitchen as I prepare a feast for over a dozen people. Meanwhile, Wayne's family lounges in the living room. They chatter away while enjoying the fruits I've washed and sliced. As I place the last dish on the table, Wayne's brother and sister-in-law, Kyle Cooper and Lucy Wren, arrive. When I want to take my seat, I discover there isn't one for me. That's when Lucy snorts and says sarcastically, "I heard you're a good wife who's obedient and easygoing, Melanie. I have to say that your cooking is… mediocre, though." This infuriates me. I'm about to retort when she turns to my mother-in-law. She says, "I think you should do the cooking from now on, Gloria. Your food is delicious…"

Kiara sat at her small kitchen table literally bumping her head into the wood. Several times. Why the hell did she agree to spend four days in a island with loaded snobs she knew nothing about? Of course, she didn’t know exactly what she signed up for before she accepted his offer, but she knew it came from the guy who sent her to jail and said yes anyway. And based on what? A hunch. Something so intangible and arbitrary she would be unable to explain even to her dad, who was always a firm believer in following your gut. But she saw it, right there hiding behind his handsome stoic façade. He was… desperate. --All Kiara has in life is her passion for art. Her career as a circus performer is a constant search for real attention, for people to see through the veil of plain entertainment. Chris Wright is the heir to one of the most profitable construction empires of the city, but to get to the top he needs the approval of his authoritarian father. Who knows what will happen when art meets business and passion meets duty?

After Oliver felt the excruciating pain of his mate's death, almost killing him in the process, he left his pack to travel and clear his head. He never expected that he would come across the one person who had caused him so much pain, to begin with, alive and well. Seeing that his fated mate had marked another as her chosen mate had broken him. She had known that placing the mark on someone else without rejecting her fated mate, Oliver, first could kill him. Yet, she did it anyway. Lana had enough of controlling men. She had lived her life in fear of the next time her drunken husband would raise a hand to her or her daughter. After running away from her abusive home, she finds peace in a small cabin with her daughter. When an injured wolf shows up, her daughter convinces her to take care of the wild beast. Seeing him transform into a man in her kitchen was the last thing she expected… Can be read as a STAND-ALONE. Book 3 of The Alpha's Girl Series

Because of a last-minute business trip, my husband missed the Thanksgiving family dinner. I spent the entire day helping out at my in-laws' place in the countryside with our five-year-old son, only to receive a complaint from the downstairs neighbor just before dinner. "Ari, could you please close your kitchen window when you're cooking? I can smell the hot sauce from all the way here. My husband has a lung condition—he can't handle it." My neighbor's words shocked me, and I immediately called my husband, who was allergic to chili peppers. "Honey, did someone break into the house? The neighbor said there was smoke coming from the kitchen." His breathing hitched for a second before he let out a casual laugh. "No break-in. My flight got canceled, so I was home alone cooking. When are you two coming back? I really miss you." I smiled and told him we'd stay a couple more days, but in the middle of the night, I packed up our son and drove straight home.

Julianna Macey, or Juls for short, is desperate to leave her parents' home. Living at home for her undergrad degree is ruining her social life and making it difficult for her to keep in touch with friends. So when her friend Carlo offers her the chance to move into a student apartment, she jumps at the chance. The only problem is that the available room is shared by his three friends Kyle, Mark, and Kent. As if living with three boys she's never met wasn't bad enough, Kent appears to despise her. When she's around, he makes a mess in the kitchen, never puts his laundry in the dryer, and acts as if she doesn't exist. Despite being good looking, Kent and Juls develop a fierce hatred for one another, and she begins to regret her decision to move in with them. However, because her lease still has a year to run, she is unable to leave. Juls begins to question whether living with boys has any benefits or if she acted prematurely. More importantly, she questions whether or not she and Kent will ever get along as well as why he despises her so much.

I've been married to my Mafia Boss husband for 15 years. When we first got married, he couldn't even afford a ring, but I didn't care; I loved him. I hid my identity. I secretly used my family's influence to help him build his empire from scratch, and I even bore him two children. His adopted sister always mocked me, calling me an old-fashioned housewife and saying I wasn't good enough for him. To avoid embarrassing him, I always endured it. Until our 15th anniversary, because both me and his adopted sister wore red dresses, he told me to stay in the kitchen: "Sofia's right. That red doesn't suit you. Don't come out until the banquet actually ends. Stay in the kitchen. I don't need the Dons from New York seeing you and getting the wrong impression." I was completely heartbroken and didn't argue anymore. I dialed a number I hadn't made in 15 years: "Principessa?" "It's me," I said, my voice steady. "Tell those old fossils on the Council... Isabella Corleone is coming home."

My mother-in-law is extremely frugal. She reuses paper others have discarded, carefully saving the unmarked portions. She even takes the black waste oil from the kitchen range hood and uses it to cook our meals. She says, "Frugality is a virtue—it brings blessings!" I try tirelessly to convince her otherwise, throwing out all her filthy items to protect my family's health. But while she praises me to my face, behind my back, she uses my baby's food scissors to clip her grimy toenails. My child eventually dies of a lung infection, leaving me heartbroken. My mother-in-law, however, points her finger at me, saying I'm unlucky and that I've brought misfortune to their family. Even my husband blames me. In the end, they use a knitting needle to pierce my throat and stab me to death. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the day I first see her picking up dirty paper. The first thing I do is hide all the high-quality tissue paper I had stocked up on before my pregnancy, pretending I knew nothing. She calls these blessings, right? Fine. The blessings of this miserly frugality—she can reap them all herself!

Gabriella Montez is an ordinary omega blessed with the gift of healing through the knowledge of herbs and her culinary skills. After being wrongfully accused of theft, she escapes her pack and finds refuge in White Pack, applying for a position in the mansion of Alpha Waylen, who has been desperately seeking someone to replicate his mother’s cherished mushroom broth soup. Once she secures the job, Gabriella heads out to a club to celebrate with her friend, where a night of unexpected passion with a mysterious stranger leads to a steamy one-night stand. The morning after reveals a shocking twist: the seductive stranger is none other than Alpha Waylen himself. As Gabriella whips up hearty meals in his kitchen, and heals his soul in ways he didn’t know could be mended, she gradually melts her way into his heart. Yet, their blossoming romance is met with challenges, as different forces threaten to tear them apart, and Alpha Waylen harbors secrets that could jeopardize everything they’ve built together. Can the forbidden love between an Alpha and an omega endure the trials ahead? Will it flourish against all odds, or will it wither away like a neglected plant in a once-thriving garden?

After the death of her mother Alice’s father found comfort in the nurse that took care of her. Everything happened so quickly and within what seemed seconds Alice was looked down upon in her family. Her father Karl drank almost every day, her stepmother Sarah treated her like a maid. Even worse, as she grew up, she started to feel a dirty gaze on her body from her stepbrother. Now she was older she was planning her escape. That was until her stepbrother found out the Alpha’s daughter is his mate. A big banquet was held and they invited many well-known alpha families. But Alice was not allowed to attend, she had to cook in the kitchen and to make things worse it was her 18 birthday. She was hoping to use the celebration as a way to sneak away and make her escape however her stepmother sent her to serve alcohol to some unexpected customers -the ruthless and barbaric Alpha Arkyn, the Alpha of Black Mountain pack. People said he turned into a cold-blood Alpha since he lost his Luna years ago. When Alice inside Alpha Arkyn’s room, she suddenly found a special scent from him. The scent is full of lust, and wonderful as heaven, it even made her dizzy. “Mate.” The ruthless Alpha growled.

Dark. Powerful. Dangerous. James Maxwell is one of the billionaire elites who rules Las Vegas City with an iron fist. You’re definitely worth two million, Mia. Think about it. Two million. Five years. Your brother will go free. It’s a contract. Those are the words of the gorgeous billionaire James Maxwell, the man who makes my heart race and my body tremble with longing. I want to refuse his proposal, but how can I? My brother owes him two million, and as dirt poor as we are, there’s no way we can find that much money to repay him. What’s worse, I think I’m falling in love with the man who thinks I’m just his mistress. My name is Mia Donovan, a twenty-two-year-old small-town girl working as a kitchen hand to make ends meet. My world is changing—both for the better and worse. James Maxwell, a gorgeous billionaire with beautiful Prussian-blue eyes, is the man behind this. He makes my heart flutter and my knees shake. When he kisses me, my world melts into a pool of exotic sensation. But his world is dark and dangerous, and being with him is a risk both to my life and my sanity. This is our story.