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!

The night Enzo was made boss of the Moretti family, I gave him my virginity. He was the heir I'd been promised to since before I could speak. We kissed against the floor-to-ceiling windows, tangled in the humid, twilight heat... His rough, urgent hands hurt me, but I didn't pull away. Even the pain felt sacred, a sacrifice I was willing to make for love. Lost in the heat of the moment, he promised me a pair of the most beautiful crystal shoes, so I could dance the opening waltz with him at his coronation ceremony the next day. The first dance is always reserved for the new boss and his future bride. I cried with joy, believing my years of secret pining and patient waiting would finally culminate in a fairytale ending. But I was wrong. So terribly wrong. The next morning, I dragged my aching body out to get his favorite espresso, only to overhear the guys joking as I returned: "So you finally popped the family cherry, huh? How was Vivian on your first night as boss?" Enzo's voice was lazy, mocking. "Face of an angel, body of a devil. She's a hot little viper in bed." The room erupted in sleazy whistles. "So, you really gonna marry her, young boss?" "Are you kidding me?" Enzo scoffed. "Vivian's just a warm-up. Once I get some practice in, I'll go tame the Falcone ice princess. When I get bored, I can always circle back and put a ring on her." I stood frozen in the doorway, my vision blurring, the coffee cup trembling in my hand. Before the world faded to black, I sent a coded message to the Don: "Uncle Romano, for the promotion in three days, get me a transfer. As far away from Enzo as possible."

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.

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.

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

"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.

"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.

He doesn’t sleep with the same woman twice, they said. And I believed it... until he couldn’t stop touching me. Night after night, he called me to his bed like I was his favorite secret. They told me I was lucky—an omega chosen by the Alpha himself. I believed that too... until I found out I was pregnant. Then he married his Luna. He didn’t even look back. So, I ran. I ran with nothing but my pride, my broken heart, and the child growing inside me. People called me foolish. Maybe I was. But now... he’s looking for me. Searching the world like he’s lost his mind. And just when I thought my heart couldn’t be pulled in two, a man with kind eyes and a powerful soul held my hand and whispered, “Please don’t go back to him. You’re mine now.” My mate. His cousin. And the father of the child I carry? No. It can't be that easy. Because my heart still burns for the Alpha who broke it. So tell me… How do I choose between the one who marked my soul…