Mark Twain Library Long Beach

“Someone will hear,” I whispered, the words breaking into a tremor. His family and the entire Castillo group were gathered just down the hall. Smack. My gasp tangled in my throat. “No, they won’t.” His palm landed again, sharp and claiming. Smack. “Do you want to know why?” All I could manage was a desperate, breathless sound. “Because you’ll stay quiet.” His voice dropped, low and dangerous. “Won’t you, Abigail?” He rubbed the spot where he’d struck, the heat of his touch spreading like fire under my skin. Pins and needles rushed through me, making my breath hitch. I bit down hard on my lip, fighting the sound clawing its way up my throat. “Good girl.” His praise slid over me like sin, a command and a reward all at once. ***** Abigail swore off love the night she caught her boyfriend tangled up with the neighbor’s daughter. Relationships were nothing but heartbreak—until he came along. One touch from her new employer’s grandson, Christian Castillo, awakens a hunger she thought she’d buried forever. She knows it’s forbidden. She knows it can’t last. But desire has a way of burning through reason, and with Christian, surrender feels inevitable. Then her world shatters. Her employer is murdered, and the blame lands squarely on her shoulders. With prison looming and her only lifeline being a man who refuses to forgive her, Abigail is trapped between ruin and a marriage she never chose. But she won’t go down quietly. Someone is pulling the strings, and she’s determined to expose the truth—even if it costs her freedom, her heart, and the man she can’t stop craving. A story of love, betrayal, and the courage to fight for forgiveness—and for the truth.

Maya Lancroff blames the Lycan king for the death of her beloved parents, leaving her and her siblings to fend for themselves. The festival of seasons occurs once every four years, under the full moon, to celebrate the end of a fruitful season and the beginning of a new one. Maya uses this chance to exact her revenge but things don't go as expected. She ends up with a pregnancy and a heart that beats for the King. Scared and confused, she takes to the wind, taking refuge in the hands of the enemy. Four years later, there are no full moons and the Lycan kingdom isn't doing well. A seer prophecies about the King's missing child and it must be found before the end of that year, else the festival of seasons will not take place and chaos shall befall them. Determined, the King goes out in search of his child and finds more than he ever bargained for.

To save her brother from execution, an unmarked wolf is forced into marriage with the Blind Alpha..a feared leader who lost his sight and mate in a war her pack caused. The moment they touch, fate binds them… and he publicly rejects her as a traitor’s daughter unfit to be Luna. Cast as a servant, she discovers a dangerous secret: through the rejected bond, she can share her vision with him. From the shadows, she becomes his unseen guide and the woman he falls for. But if he learns the truth, will he claim her… or destroy her?

When her brother’s life is buried under a crushing gambling debt, Alina Dusk agrees to marry Dorian Vale—the ruthless black-market king feared across the underworld. The bargain is simple: her brother’s freedom in exchange for her hand. But from the moment their vows are spoken, Dorian reveals a terrifying truth—he has been watching her for years, and now she is his to cage forever. What begins as a marriage of convenience spirals into a dangerous game of obsession, secrets, and betrayal. Alina tries to run, only to discover that Dorian knows her darkest secret: the night she killed a man. Caught in his grip, she becomes both his queen and his prisoner, forced to navigate a world of blood and power where nothing is what it seems. When Alina learns her brother’s debt—and even his betrayal—were part of Dorian’s design, her world shatters. Yet, amid the manipulation, she finds herself carrying his child. As enemies close in, a spy infiltrates her trust, and a tragic miscarriage ignites a mafia war. Torn between love and hatred, freedom and chains, Alina must decide: is Dorian Vale truly her monster—or the only man who can keep her alive

“What if I reject you right here, right now, and end this before it even begins?” His eyes darkened considerably at my words as he stepped forward. "Do you for a second think a flimsy thing such as your rejection will stop me from having what was deemed mine by the goddess herself? I will never accept your rejection, Adelaide Silverstone. I’m not above chaining you to my bed if need be. And if you still plan on going ahead with your rejection, then your cousin's head will roll before you utter the words." *** Adelaide Silverstone is a woman on a mission: kill the man who destroyed her life. When her mate turns out to be that very man, rejection is no escape, but revenge has never been straightforward, especially when secrets and half-truths threaten to shatter everything she thought she knew. Will she choose revenge… or the desire that burns hotter than her hatred?

They say the happiest moment in a Lycan's life is meeting their fated mate. But what if you reject your fated mate to be with your chosen one, only to realize you made a mistake as your chosen mate betrays you? That's the dilemma Elara found herself in. After discovering she was pregnant with the child of her boyfriend and chosen mate, Elijah Reed, he rejected her and chose her step-sister, Fiona Arundel, instead. Little did Elara know, this was all a plot orchestrated by her step-sister and step-mother. They wanted to secure Elijah, the Alpha of their Forestheart pack. Since her mother's death and her father's absence, Elara had been slowly poisoned by her stepmother, leading to a miscarriage and her impending end. In her final breath, she uncovered the truth about her child's death and her stepmom's entire plan. "Even in your last breath, Elara, you remain naive. Too kind, just like your mother. That's why you'll die now without a fight." Fernanda smiled at her, covering Elara's face with a pillow. Helpless and unable to move her body, Elara had no chance. In her last breath, she vowed to seek revenge, to make those who tormented and belittled her pay. And as she opened her eyes, she found herself back in the past, a year before her death. There, she reencounters her rejected fated mate, Damian Raven Ashford, the man she would use to achieve her revenge. "Mark me and I will give you my body and my whole life. In exchange, help me seek revenge against those who have oppressed me." Elara saw the mischievous smile on Damian's lips. "If that's the case, start by making me happy using your body." They marked their alliance. a bond that would draw them closer to each other.

Exiled and branded barren, Jean is forced into a loveless marriage with an Alpha who wants her womb, not her heart. One forbidden night with the Alpha King changes everything. One bond ignites a war. And the child growing inside her becomes the prize two Alphas are willing to destroy kingdoms for. Now, caught between a husband who claims her body and a king who claims her bloodline, Jean must choose between submission and defiance… and this time, she refuses to be claimed at all.

On Mating Day, Elara Vale finds her boyfriend, Liam Ashcroft, cheating on her with her mean half-sister, Seraphina Vale. This happens on the same day he was supposed to choose Elara as his mate. It hurts even more when Liam says Seraphina is his true mate, giving them the right to be together. Heartbroken, Elara runs into the forbidden forest. There, she meets a dangerous stranger. His scent triggers a mating heat Elara was never meant to feel. Thinking he is a rogue, she gives in to one night with him and runs away before morning, never seeing his face. When Elara gets home Elara is really scared to find out that someone has marked Elara. Her father, Rowan Vale tells her that he will kill her if she does not find a man who's willing to marry a woman like Elara who has a mark. Elara thinks that no man wants to be, with her. Then something surprising happens. The man that everyone is afraid of, Alpha Kael Nightborne of Nightfall Pack decides that he wants to marry Elara. Alpha Kael Nightborne chooses Elara to be his bride. There is something about this person that feels really familiar in a kind of way. This person seems to be someone I have met before. I just cannot quite put my finger on who he is.. Something, about him feels dangerously familiar.

They called her weak. Worthless. A wolf-less orphan doomed to suffer. But when Elara is cast out of her pack and falls into the arms of a powerful stranger, her fate changes forever. One night of passion with the Lycan King leaves her pregnant with twins—and awakens the powerful wolf within her. Hunted by those who once broke her, torn between a mate who rejected her and a king who would burn the world for her, Elara must rise. Because her children carry a prophecy that could save the world… or destroy it. ONE WILL BE KING. THE OTHER, A DESTROYER. Will Elara survive the storm she was born to command?

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!