Mark Twain Library Long Beach

Do you ever wish a secret billionaire would sweep you away to a tropical island? Do you ever wish that you could be like Cinderella and find your happily ever after with the prince? From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes, comes a sweet but spicy Billionaire Romance Series that will have you believing in happily ever after! Each story in this series is a stand-alone one. But with all the stories happen in one world, characters will reappear in other stories. ****** The First Set: Saltwater Kisses– An accidental marriage between Jack and Emma. Rainwater Kisses– Falling in love, and finding how they fit together with Owen and Kaylee. Freshwater Kisses– Finding love in childhood friends with Robbie and Sam. BONUS: Kisses From Jack: The first half of Saltwater Kisses, but from Jack's perspective! Timeless Love Stories: Champagne Kisses– A story of long lost love and second chances with Dean and Rachel. The Second Set: Sandcastle Kisses– Finding love in all the wrong places with Noah and Izzy Hurricane Kisses– Surviving the storm together with Logan and Olivia Barefoot Kisses– A Cinderella story with Aiden and Lena The Third Set: Sunrise Kisses– Ava and Bastian discovering true beauty Waterfall Kisses– Leo finally succumbing to Charlotte's charms Island Kisses: Gabe finally meets his match in Harper!

She was soft—kind, trusting. Until betrayal carved her open and buried the girl she used to be. What rose from that grave wasn’t weak. It wasn’t gentle. But when a ruthless Lycan Alpha steps into her path, Fate begins to stir. As secrets unravel, bloodlines collide, and marks awaken, one thing becomes terrifyingly clear: Some marks are fate. Hers might be war.

My boyfriend, Tom, promised a grand mating ceremony for my twentieth birthday. But at my banquet, he publicly requested a mate link with my stepsister, Lily. While the whole pack roared and cheered, I just stood there like a fool. The betrayal hit hard. Before I could even breathe, Sam—the Obsidian Pack's Alpha heir—said he'd secretly loved me all along and asked to claim me. I said yes. For five years, he spoiled me. Memorized my favorite runs, my wolf's quirks. Then I overheard him with his Beta: "Sam, Lily's Luna of White Rose Pack now, just like she wanted. You still gonna fake it with Any?" "I can't have Lily. Doesn't even matter who my mate is anymore. As long as I'm with Any, Lily's safe and happy." Later that night, I found his safe in the study. Inside? Every single thing she ever gave him. Handmade wolf fang pendants. Letters sealed with her paw print. His prized chest armor, every single scale etched with her name: [Lily, my dearest love. I'd shred through every thorn for your smile.] [Lily, rip out my wolf heart if you needed it. ] [Lily! Hell, I'd steal the whole damn world if you asked.] Five years. Five years of lies, shattered in seconds. I filed my request to leave the pack. In two days, I'd be out of Sam's life for good.

Kat is weeks away from her eighteenth birthday, but unlike other werewolves her age, her wolf has yet to awaken — leaving her feeling weak, outcast, and broken. When her mother abruptly tear her away from their pack, Kat is left with more questions than answers. Their desperate escape is cut short by a brutal attack, forcing Kat to flee into the depths of the forest, alone. She stumbles upon the River Moon Pack and its enigmatic Alpha Liam — a man whose piercing gaze unsettles her, even as he offers her sanctuary. What Kat doesn’t know is that Liam is keeping a secret: they are fated mates. Just as Kat begins to hope for a fresh start, sinister messages appear, warning her to leave the pack—or face deadly consequences. Determined not to be a victim, Kat joins the pack’s warrior training, unaware that something far more dangerous than her enemies is stirring within her. A hidden power. A deadly prophecy. And a bond that could either save her—or shatter her completely.

"He drags me from wall to table to wall again, like he can’t decide which surface deserves this. Wood bites my spine, the table squeals... His hands are everywhere, rough, greedy, feral. He palms my throat, my jaw, my hips. He fists a hand in my hair and angles my mouth... The kiss is vicious. He grinds me open with it... 'Kneel,' he says. The command is a shove under the skin. My legs fold. It’s humiliating how fast I go and how much I love myself for it." He owns my mouth. My body. My fucking soul. But I never said he could have my heart. Eli’s been chained before and it damn near killed him. So when he’s caught running through Blackthorn pack lands by Ronan Vale, the savage Alpha of Blackthorn, he's horrified when the brute marks and claims him. But Ronan doesn’t just bite. He binds. With ropes, with rules, with a voice that makes Eli's knees go weak and a touch that turns resistance into hunger. The bond between them is feral. And Eli hates how much he wants it, how much he wants Ronan, even when he has him spread out and shaking, marked and owned, begging to be filled so he’ll stop feeling empty. Eli swore no one would ever own him again. Then came the Alpha whose bond feels like a brand and a promise all at once. He hates how much he wants it. Ronan’s voice. Ronan’s hands. Ronan’s brutal, worshipful need. This isn’t love, it’s obsession. And Eli is afraid that he's starting to like it.

Hazel Queen had loved her husband with all her heart for three years. But the one thing she never saw coming was the cold, shocking truth: he wanted a divorce because his mistress was pregnant. Heartbroken and betrayed, Hazel decides to move on and returns to Queen Corp, where she steps into her true role as the powerful female president, worth hundreds of millions. This revelation shocks her ex-husband, Damon Price, who never knew that the woman he left behind was the mastermind behind the famous Queen Corp—the Heiress of the Queen family, who had supposedly died in a fire three years ago.

"Ms. Medici, you've officially purchased the island. It's completely off the grid—once you're in, no one can find you. Also, the custom-made family you requested is ready. They're professionally trained to give you nothing but unconditional love."

Adam Smith, Ceo of Smith enterprises, New York's most eligible bachelor, was having trouble sleeping since a few weeks. The sole reason for it was the increasing work pressure. His parents suggested him to get another assistant to ease his workload. Rejection after Rejection, no one seemed to be perfect for the position until a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl walked in for the interview. The first thing any interviewee would do when they meet their interviewer is to greet them with respect but instead of that Kathie Patterson decided to spank Mr. Smith's ass. Surely an innovative way to greet someone and say goodbye to their chance of getting selected but to her surprise, she was immediately hired as Mr. Smith's assistant. Even though Adam Smith had his worries about how she would handle all the work as she was a newbie, all his worries faded away when she started working. Always completing the work on time regardless of all the impossible deadlines. An innovative mind to come up with such great ideas. She certainly was out of this world. And the one thing Adam Smith didn't know about Kathie Patterson was that she indeed didn't belong to the earth.

Does no one want him? Is he so undesirable his mate rejected him and chose someone else? Is he so despicable even his second chance mate doesn’t want to be with him? What’s more, he realized that members of his pack don’t actually like him. They fear him. They don’t like his methods. They prefer his younger brother to become the next Alpha of Blood Moon Pack. His father made the decision to strip him of his position after he made a number of unconscionable acts. Jared smirked, scoffing to himself as he drove off the territory. Where is he supposed to go? Would anyone still welcome him? He thought of Polly and how he hurt her many times. He would consider it a miracle if she still accepts him even after being marked against her will. ******* Each book in the Snow Mountain Pack Series can be read as a stand-alone. If you'd rather not have any spoiler, the sequence is as follows: Book 1 - Begging His Luna (completed) Book 2 - Found by Her (completed) Book 3 - His Unknown Mate (completed) Book 4 - Marked Against Her Will (ongoing) Book 5 - Alpha King's Mysterious Mate (completed) Book 6 - The Last Lycan's Fate (2024) Book 7 - Rejecting Her Rejection (2024) Book 8 - The First Alpha Queen (2025) Book 9 - The Vampire's Lone Wolf (2025) Update Schedule: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday

“You breathe when I say you breathe. You look at me when I command it. You belong to me, Little Bird… body, soul, and every filthy thought in between.” Aria was born to be forgotten—an Omega with no name, no family, and no future. Beaten, broken, and sold by her pack to a slave auction, she swore she’d never submit again. Until he walked in. Damien Voss, the infamous Mafia Alpha whose name makes even kings tremble, bought her at a ridiculously high price—without blinking. To the world, he’s the devil in a designer suit. To Aria, he’s the monster who caged her, marked her… and awakened something inside her she can’t control. She hates him. She craves him. And the worst part? Her wolf wants him too. But when another Mafia boss whispers promises of freedom in her ear, Aria finds herself standing between two devils — one who wants to own her, and one who wants to use her. Her heart beats for the man she swore to destroy, and her body betrays her every time he whispers her name. “You can run, Little Bird,” Damien murmured, his hand closing around her throat, possessive and tender all at once. “But I’ll find you. And when I do, you’ll beg me to chain you again.” In a world ruled by blood, power, and secrets, love is the most dangerous sin. And Aria is about to find out that the devil doesn’t just want her submission— He wants her soul.