Lull Before Storm Novels & Stories

The Lighthouse at Black Hollow The storm came in without warning. One moment the sea beyond Black Hollow was silver and calm, and the next it was a heaving wall of iron-gray waves crashing against the cliffs. Wind screamed through the narrow streets, slamming shutters and rattling doors like impatient fists. Sixteen-year-old Mara Ellison stood at her bedroom window, heart pounding—not from the thunder, but from the light. It had flashed three times. Not lightning. The lighthouse. The old lighthouse had been dark for years.

Thalia Sinclair never thought her quiet admiration for Asher Vaughn Caldwell would lead to marriage. He was the golden boy of their youth, and she was a shadow in the crowd. Years later, an unexpected reunion, one night, and a life-changing twist brought them together in a marriage without love. She thought their story was over when she asked for a divorce—until the day she saw the storm in his eyes. Could it be that the man who seemed so distant had been hiding his true feelings all along?

I'm at an auction with my mother-in-law, Agnes Bachert. She spots a breathtaking emerald necklace, and we end up winning it for 30 million dollars. The auctioneer signals for payment. To make things easier, Agnes suggests charging it to my father-in-law Otto Garrett's account. But just as she says this, a flashy middle-aged woman and a young woman storm over. The younger woman, Janette Saccone, grabs Agnes' arm while the middle-aged woman, Ruth Coleman, slaps her hard. "I knew something was off!" Ruth snarls. "You're a nasty old bitch for destroying my family and trying to seduce my husband! I hope you suffer!" I rush to shield Agnes. "Are you okay?" Ruth's sharp gaze snaps onto me when she hears me speak. "Your mother-in-law has no shame, throwing herself at rich men. And you're not even embarrassed for her?" I step in front of Agnes and tell Ruth that I'm married into the Garrett family, then demand to know who she is. Ruth gives me a cold, arrogant look. "Who am I? I'm Otto Garrett's legal wife—the one he married officially!" She gives me a look of pure contempt. "And who are you to question me?" Before I can say a single word, she pulls out her phone and dials a number. "Clement, my dear son, get to the auction house right now! Help me catch this homewrecker!" Clement Garrett? That's my husband. Since when does he have another mother?

The day we submitted our college applications, the school beauty, Hayley Law, suggested we all go rafting to unwind. Every single person in class raised their hand in agreement. In my previous life, as the class monitor, I did everything I could to stop them. Wild rafting was far too dangerous. Without any safety measures in place, accidents could easily happen. In the end, everyone made it back safely and got into the colleges they wanted. But before the semester even started, news came that Hayley had gone rafting alone, slipped into the water, and drowned. When Terry Vargas, my boyfriend and the most popular guy in school, heard what happened, he took the lead in organizing a memorial at sea. Then, when the waves were at their worst, he shoved me into the ocean. Later, when the police questioned them, they all told the same story as if they had planned it. "Katrina insisted on a sea burial for Hayley. During the storm, she got swept away by the waves and disappeared." They even produced fake evidence to clear Terry's name. My parents were shattered. They went to Terry again and again, desperate for the truth, but he had them set up and locked away in a mental institution, where they were tormented to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Hayley first suggested the rafting trip. I stood there quietly, watching my classmates pile into the bus she had rented, heading off to that same reckless trip. This time, I would just look out for myself.

Luca Ferraro is a revered Italian mafia boss with a cold heart that is thawed by Elena Rossetti, a kleptomaniac woman who agrees to marry him when caught stealing from him to avoid a death sentence. Elena Rossetti grew up fending for herself by stealing, she lives an average life until she steals from the dangerous Luca Ferraro, her only way out is marriage to a man she should be scared of. When love suddenly visits them, will it be enough to help them weather the storm?

“What the fuck, Jace?!” One dinner. One secret. And suddenly, the boy I’ve loved for three years is staring at me like I’ve betrayed him. Because the man my mother is finally happy with–the man who treats her like she matters—just happens to be his father. Now Jace is furious. Obsessed. Unforgiving. He thinks I knew, that I kept this twisted truth hidden from him. I didn’t. But try telling that to the storm in his eyes, the rage in his voice, the way he corners me and demands answers like my heart isn’t already breaking. For my mom, I should let go. She deserves her fairytale, and if that means cutting Jace out of my life, then I’ll do it—even if it feels like tearing my chest open. But Jace? He refuses. “Walk away from me, Jae,” he swears, “and I’ll burn it all down. Your mom’s happiness. My dad’s engagement. Every ounce of peace you think you’ll have.” Because to Jace, I’m not just his girlfriend. I’m his obsession. His possession. His everything. And he’ll set the whole world on fire before he lets me go. … An obsessive boyfriend who would rather destroy everything than see the girl he loves as his stepsister. And a girl who wants nothing more than to protect her mother’s happiness, even if it costs her own. However, is the sacrifice worth it?

My husband is a stranger. Everyone says I was madly in love with him, that I couldn’t wait to marry him. But when I look into his eyes, all I see is darkness. Cold. And Bottomless. This can’t be love. Not the kind you choose twice. I don’t remember him. Not the wedding, not the vows, not the man I supposedly gave my heart to. But what I do see… makes me question why I ever said yes in the first place. Then the memories come crashing back, a painful memory I wish stayed burried hits me and I understand. I understand why he looks at me with hatred. Why our love was doomed from the start. Why I had to leave. He wouldn’t let me go, so I forced his hand and disappeared. Five years later, fate brings us face to face again. "I can’t live without you, Dear stranger, marry me again." he says. And just like before… My heart remembers what my mind forgot. That a love so deep cuts just as deep. ............. His love will heal her, his rage will burn anyone who tries to hurt her. Ian Quinn Wasn't just passionate, he was explosivey intense. He loved like a storm and hated like a war. He lost her once, this time he will tear the world apart, if it means making her his again.

When Lexi Thompson flies to Vegas for her bachelorette party after her long-time boyfriend proposes to her she gets into the most unexpected altercation with a handsome man. Their accidental Vegas wedding with the Trillionaire, Ethan Blackwood, leads to not one but two babies. The pregnancy and accidental wedding brew up a storm of blackmail, passion, and threats. Can the two, despite their differences, follow their burning chemistry, and erotic desires and protect each other through challenges and obstacles coming in the form of Ethan’s ex-fiancé and Lexi's Ex-fiancé and Step-sister?

Didi has spent her life believing she is unworthy of love until the night she meets the three Supreme Alphas, the most powerful wolves in the world. Bound to all three, she must navigate desire, danger, and the storm of one brother’s prideful rejection. When a threat forces her to confront her hidden power, she discovers her true strength and the love she was always meant to claim. In a world that once told her she didn’t belong, Didi finally learns she is chosen.

That night, I got off work early and brought home some late-night snacks. When I opened the door, I saw a pair of high heels carelessly tossed in the entryway and Gregory’s blazer thrown over the couch. His heavy breathing and the woman’s moans could be heard through the gap between the door and its frame. I was all too familiar with this sight. This time, I did not storm out like I used to. Instead, I sat quietly at the dining table and finished my cold pizza.