Novel Word Count

Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, possessive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved—dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?

From New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes, comes a sexy standalone novel about the baddest bad boy doctor and the sweet little nurse that he falls for. When I left my small hometown years ago, I never expected to come back. I certainly never expected that when I did, I'd be working for him. He's the town's doctor. He's supposed to be a respectable member of society, a pillar for the community. He's supposed to have come a long way from the bad boy who rode a motorcycle in high school. But he hasn't. One glance from those lustful eyes looking at me tells me that he has the same voracious appetites that he did when we were younger. Only it's not quite the same stare. It's more urgent. It's more intense. I'm not the same nerdy girl who tutored him. I've grown up, developed fertile curves that I know he finds irresistible. In this small town, rumors travel fast, and the family doctor can't be seen as a player. So he does try to resist. And I do too. But with every smoldering glance and moment of sexual tension, we find our barriers breaking down. After a stressful night of touch-and-go baby delivery, a moment of elation overcomes our inhibitions. It seems like maybe we'll need to confront those rumors sooner rather than later, especially before I begin to show the results of that night. Can I give this doctor the family he has always desired?

Being young and naïve, she was just that open-minded and what she desired was not something much but to be with that one person she strongly admired. Having a crush on someone she couldn’t easily attain; Selena could only watch as a spectator and pray for her beloved to smile at her even if he didn’t mean it. Dreaming to become strong, happy, and live with the people that she loves, meeting him changed everything. Her naiveness and her love for him made her muddleheaded that she unknowingly fell into a trap that he made for her. Selena found herself living in the dream she never thought she will be, having a contract marriage with the man of her dreams, falling for him deeply every single day, she knew that she was done for. However, despite the circumstances that brought the two of them together, Selena wasn’t going to just give and be comfortable with what she had. What she wanted was his heart, soul, and body and no one was going to stop her from being with the man she sets her heart on. Who cares if she is poor? As long as her heart is rich with love, she was satisfied with that.

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

After breaking up with Aubrey and kicking her out of his car, Chase Walker is struggling to forget her and move on with his life. His father has set up a meeting for him with another pack, in the hopes of securing another Scion for his son to marry. chase reluctantly agrees to his fathers plan, because he knew be couldn't return to Aubrey. How could he ever made her when he knew that she was still in love with his cousin Jesse. He refused to come second best in his relationship, especially to a dead man. Olivia is the Scion that his dad has chosen for him. She is beautiful, smart and funny. She's certain to be a distraction from his fixated thoughts of Aubrey Miller. Unfortunately for him, Olivia isn't interested in him at all, in fact, she wants nothing to do with Chase or her packs arranged marriage. It's probably for the best considering they are both madly in love with other women. Desperate to free themselves from their complicated lives, they turn to a powerful which, but all is not as it seems and soon enough their lives end up messier than ever before. Will Chase's love for Aubrey hold true? Or will his heart be captured by another?

The world might think billionaire Xavier Gaines has it all, but he’s got a big problem. His successful software company is about to sign a government contract that’ll land him smack in the glare of the public limelight, and his lifelong battle with social anxiety has marked him as a cold, uncaring bastard in the eyes of the press. To dispel the unflattering image, he needs help, and there’s only one person he trusts with the job—Peyton Smoke. Gorgeous, kind, and funny, she agrees to be his media relations director and soon imbeds herself so deeply in his life, his world will crumble if anything upsets the balance. He cannot screw up their solid unit. No matter how achingly he desires her. Yet, how is he supposed to resist when she tugs emotions from him he didn’t think he was capable of experiencing? Especially since it appears he’s not the only one fighting their undeniable attraction. Ever-after might be possible...if he can convince her to believe in love again.Counterbalance is created by Kelly Moran, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Slave. A word I've been hearing for the past 10 years that I have completely forgot what my real name was. My money driven parents sold me to the Alpha of the New moon pack when I was only 10 in return for a large sum of money. I was nothing but a worthless human who never had her first shift and I was kicked to the lowest of the low, beaten, worked to death and cursed all day. Losing all hope in life, something still made me want to hang on a little while longer. I can feel my chest warm up with fire and I pray to God that I'm not being delirious.

I thought I had it all figured out. I rejected my destined mate for the love of my high school sweetheart, Curtis. But everything shattered when Curtis met his mate and chose to lie to me instead of rejecting her. With my heart in pieces, I sought solace in the last place I expected—my Alpha's arms. One night turned into a dangerous entanglement, and now my Alpha refuses to let me go. As the Alpha’s obsession grows, I'm caught in a web of desire and fear. Curtis, the boy I once loved, still holds a promise I made, but the Alpha’s powerful presence pulls me deeper into his world. Should I forgive Curtis and keep my word, or should I risk everything for a chance at something wild and unpredictable with the Alpha who won’t take no for an answer? *** “There are no limits between us,” he chuckled, the mirth sparkling in his gorgeous eyes. “And all of this stems from the night you gave me both pain and pleasure. I’m simply returning the favor.” He took two steps forward, and I stepped back. “But…” The memory of what I had done filled me with fear, and I knew I had to get out of there. “I…” “No, Firecat.” He placed an index finger on my lips. “This will take your mind off that son of a bitch.” His strong hands pulled me by the waist until I felt his hard manhood.

"Make sure you wipe the counter," I remind him while wearing my panties. "With my tongue?" "Sure, if you wipe again with disinfectant after that." "Awww my little girl all grown up, using the word disinfectant and all. Bet you're getting deflowered any day now!" I smack his head while he laughs, thinking it's funny to keep on teasing me since last week. "I hope his willy isn't as big as mine," okay what now, "so he won't hurt your flower." I wanted to be mad at him, I do, but I laugh instead, stupid Toffer and his little boy talk. *** 30 year old Nina is confused with her hopeless love life. While her best friend pleasures women in the next room, she remains in her space keeping her virginity in-tact, wondering if she’s meant to be with her first love or she needs to move on to find her true soulmate. It takes my first love to end my dating strike. But will it take my first love to end my virginity?

Seven years of love, shattered by seven months of betrayal. Some promises are easier to break than to keep. Kyros Arnaud Ferrero was supposed to be my forever—the man I gave my heart to at seventeen. But love isn’t always a fairytale. I never imagined that his devotion would come with deception, that the man I trusted most could betray me with the very friend I held dear. He lied. He cheated. And he did it all without remorse. So, I did the one thing he never saw coming. To get back at him, I married the one person he despises most—his brother, the powerful president of his company. *** For five years, I did everything to avoid Maximus Ferrero. A relentless control freak, a man who sent letters that made my skin crawl. The last time I saw him, he leaned in and whispered, “When you eventually decide to leave Kyros, inform me immediately. I’ll arrange our marriage without delay.” I swore he would never be an option. Until he was... *** Trigger Warning: Some chapters in this novel contain dark themes that may be distressing to some readers. Please proceed with discretion