Ocean County Library Hours Novels & Stories

“Don’t tell me that meeting the man who slept with me at the whiskey library was all a part of your brilliant plan to Control me, my family, and my father's properties?” she throws the question at me. “It was not all a part of my plan” I try to defend. “If you knew something about the stranger at the whiskey library, why didn't you just tell me?” she asks, looking at me dead in the eyes with her Hazel eyes piercing deep into my soul. “Why did you bind me to an arranged marriage with you and accept my baby as yours when the Queen tried to throw me out as if you were doing me a favour?” she yells. “What was the aim behind your notion of false sacrifice?” she continues with her series of questions. “I know that you may not believe me right now, but I can swear on my life that the whole episode at the whiskey library was not part of the plan,” I try to explain even though I know that I sound really stupid saying that “So there was a plan,” she asks, wearing a smile that is loaded like a gun. “Can you please listen to me,” I plead. “Listen to you?” she scoffs. “Just because you are the billionaire crown prince of Orion you killed my father, then You set me up as the prime suspect in the murder case, blackmailed me to be around you or you exposed my identity as the legitimate daughter of Dylan Grayson and now I am stumbling on the secret that the stranger that I had a one night stand with at the whiskey library was all a part of your brilliant plan to get me entangled with you?” she scoffs in disdain

'The library is forbidden after dark!' But for Deborah Waters, an adventurous teenager and aspiring journalist, the thrill of the unknown is simply irresistible. As she navigates the challenges of settling into a new town and school, she can’t help but be drawn to the whispers of the library’s hidden secrets. With each step into the shadows, she uncovers spine-tingling tales that promise to reveal more than just stories—they hold the key to mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Will Deborah’s daring curiosity lead her to thrilling discoveries, or will she find herself entangled in a web of danger? Join her on this gripping journey where every page turned could be a step into the unknown!

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Gen Williams, a smart, usually confident, and beautiful girl, perfect in the eyes of college admissions personnel, parents, and teachers, gets her reputation tarnished because of one night. This night, seemingly harmless, filled with teenagers being teenagers, ended terribly once a rumor about Gen spread throughout her home of Clarenton county, New York. Her friends and acquaintances distance themselves because of the controversy, and she's left with one companion, whom she met on Tinder. Can she trust him, or will this end in betrayal, too?

Lena thought graduate school would be about focus, discipline, and finally proving to herself that she belonged in the world of academics. Books, research, and long nights in the library—that was the plan. Romance had no place in it. Especially not with the one man who should have been completely off-limits. Professor Jace Carrington is everything Lena was warned about. Brilliant. Confident. Dangerous in his quiet control. His lectures command attention, his presence silences a room, and when his eyes find hers across the crowded lecture hall, she feels both seen and undone. He is a man who draws lines with precision—and a man who knows exactly how to make someone want to cross them. What begins as a spark of curiosity turns into stolen glances, late-night office hours, and conversations that blur the line between mentorship and something far more intimate. Jace’s rules are simple: no one can know, and she always has a choice. But rules are easy to write and far harder to follow. The deeper Lena falls, the more she realizes this isn’t just attraction—it’s obsession, it’s surrender, and it’s freedom all at once. Secrets, however, have a way of surfacing, and on a campus where whispers spread like wildfire, forbidden love can burn everything in its path. Lessons After Dark is a steamy, character-driven romance filled with power, temptation, and the dangerous pull of a secret relationship. For readers who crave tension, intimacy, and the thrill of crossing every line you were told not to, this story will keep you turning pages long after the lights go out.

Ever since he was a kid, Sieghal was convinced that something terrifying was lurking under the sea, waiting for him with its jaws wide open. But he had no clue what kind of creature it could be. His fear only grew worse when his dad fell into the ocean, forcing him to return to his hometown—Shira, to face the terror he'd never been able to overcome for years. Returning to Shira after all these years was no cakewalk for Sieghal, who despised the sea. While most folks would say the ocean is a super romantic place, not for Sieghal, it was just a gateway ready to drag his soul into death. Unlike him, the people of Shira believed that the ocean, which had sustained them for decades, was protected by a guardian—a wonderful entity with shimmering silver scales. And it was this entity that had saved his dad when he fell into the sea during a massive storm that night. "Is seventy million dollars is enough to buy your dignity, Alfreeda Sieghal?" "Sir Dylan, I'm not to try sell my soul just to get money for my dad's medical bills."

Lola thought divorce meant freedom. In the mafia world, it meant death. Until Ocean, her cruel ex-husband's father, offered her an impossible choice: marry him or die. It was supposed to be protection. A cold arrangement. Nothing more. But the ruthless Capo who saved her life ignited something dangerous. Forbidden. All-consuming. Now she's pregnant, caught between the man she loves and the enemy who wants her destroyed. Because Ocean has secrets buried in blood. And when the past collides with the present, their love might not be enough to survive the war coming for them both. Some marriages are born from duty. Theirs will be made in fire.

16+The content contains slightly adult themes (sex, violence, alcohol, gambling, etc) that aren't as graphic as explicit-rated content. Layla Luther is the only daughter, and last child of the Lutheran family, a highly reputed family in the fictional county of Palmdale and beyond. Being the only Omega in the Silver Moon pack, she's often overlooked by her parents, and seen as weak, at the same time, constantly bullied and maltreated by her elder brothers. She soon realizes that her and her supposed mate, Jacob Calvin are not meant to be, since his family pack, known as the Crystal Crescent are actually enemies of the Silver Moon pack, and she is being used as a medium to settle the historical dispute between the two packs. The Silver Moon pack pushes her to the Crystal Crescent pack by telling her she is meant for Jacob Calvin, therefore she belongs to the Crystal Crescent pack. She catches Jacob cheating, and without remorse, he opens up about her not being his actual mate, and was just being used by her family to settle an unending rival, since she's considered worthless. In pain and anger, she leaves Palmdale and heads to Westwoods, where she feels the mate bond, and in no time becomes mated to Alpha Hermes who recently recovered from the grief of loosing his former mate. With the help of Alpha Hermes, she becomes a thoroughly feared Lunar in the county of Palmdale. But things are about to change when her rich family, seeks to come back into her life. It get worse when she realizes that the Silver Moon pack are behind Alpha Hermes grief, as they had slaughtered his former mate and the late Lunar of the Desert Wolf pack. Would she choose the Silver Moon pack over the Desert wolves?

At the bachelor party the night before the wedding, the truth-or-dare penalty was brutal—show the most hidden photo on your phone. Gina, Peter's so-called "girl bro," lost. She just grinned and cast her screen onto the big TV. A marriage license filled the screen, stamped by the county clerk. Names: Peter Cooke and Gina Draper. Date: yesterday. The room went dead silent. I stared at Peter's drained face. Gina didn't flinch. She patted his shoulder. "Oops. Guess you found out. Joey, don't take it seriously. Just a dumb bet. I wanted to see what the county clerk's office looked like, so I dared Peter to register a marriage with me." She leaned in, eyes on me like I was the joke. "You're still getting your wedding tomorrow. The vows, the ceremony. I just borrowed your fiancé for a stamp. Don't tell me you're jealous of his buddy." Peter jumped up and pulled me in. "Babe, listen. You're the only one in my heart. It was just a joke." He pulled out the diamond ring, dropped to one knee. "I'll file for divorce first thing tomorrow. It won't mess up our noon wedding. Invites are already out. Don't make this a scene in front of my friends. Once we're married, all my money's yours, okay?" I smiled. He had no clue how any of this worked. Didn't even know divorce came with a thirty-day wait. I didn't take the ring. I pulled out my phone and blasted a group text canceling the wedding.

For three years, we held a wedding in name only—my husband, Kit Rutgers, a pilot, canceled our marriage registration eighteen times. The first time, his female trainee, Katy Ferguson, had a test flight. I waited outside the county clerk’s office the whole day. The second time, he got a call from her mid-drive, made a sharp U-turn, and left me standing on the side of the road. After that, every time we planned to make it official, some crisis with Katy mysteriously arose. Eventually, I chose to walk away. But the moment I boarded a plane to Solara, he lost his mind—and chased me there.