Sarasota Herald-tribune E Edition

Valentine lived with her abuser—her own father. Hence, she started to become responsible and independent at such a young age. With too many goals set in mind, she ended up seeing love as something stupid and a complete waste of time. Who would have known what her own life has in store for her? Her father got sent to the hospital, suffering a condition which she concluded was the consequence he needed to face after abusing her for so many years. A handsome man—her high school bully—appeared in the scene; Valentine was forced to wed him, bound by a contract in exchange for his financial support to pay the hospital bills for her father's treatments. He loved her; she hated him. Will they be able to stay together until their marriage contract ends? How will they face their own problems now that they're married but with no mutual feelings attached?

THE UNSEEN HUSBAND Complete Story Synopsis Genre Historical Romance / Family Drama / Political Intrigue Set in a fantasy Mediterranean-inspired kingdom (early 1900s technology level) PREMISE Alessia Castellani Russo (23) receives divorce papers from her husband Sebastian Russo (27) after five years of marriage. They spent only one night together—a traditional ceremony in darkness where neither saw the other clearly—before he left at dawn for military duty and never returned. The divorce papers reveal Sebastian believes there are no children and that Alessia has been unfaithful with a merchant. But Alessia has triplets (Dante, Marco, and Lucia, age 4) from that one night, and she's been faithful despite years of believing she was abandoned. Alessia discovers that Sebastian's mother Helena has been intercepting ALL correspondence between them for five years—keeping Alessia's letters telling Sebastian about the children, and keeping Sebastian's letters asking about Alessia and sending money to support her. Helena embezzled all of Sebastian's money for herself and her biological children (Tomasso, Giuliana, and Catarina) while Alessia and the triplets lived in poverty as servants in Helena's house. Alessia decides to travel to the capital to tell Sebastian the truth before signing the divorce papers—so he'll at least know his children exist.

When Miles Morretti abandons Lila at the altar for the third time—choosing his manipulative stepsister Valeria over her yet again—Lila makes the most impulsive decision of her life. She calls Alexander Calvert, her childhood best friend, and asks him to be her groom. Ten minutes later, she's married to the right man. For three years, Lila poured her heart into Miles and her talent into his company, only to watch Valeria steal credit for every success while Miles remained blind to the truth. But walking away from Miles means walking away from the empire she built—and watching it crumble without her. As Lila's new marriage blossoms into genuine love, Miles finally realizes what he's lost. His company is failing, Valeria's lies are exposed, and the woman he took for granted is thriving without him. But some mistakes can't be undone, and some chances don't come twice. A story of betrayal, empowerment, and discovering that the love you've been searching for might have been right beside you all along.

The universe and the Gods themselves may be keeping us apart but I'll rewrite the universe, go against the gods just to be with you once more. Watch me set the earth and the heavens ablaze just so I can hold you. All that I am and all that I have are yours now and forever. With surging tide, the waves are thrown An Entity, of all its own But on it's surface you may see Reflected in the waters, be The Orchestrator, pale and still Pulling strings, enacting will V7 a perfect angel, that was created to become the leader of his kind, is suddenly replaced? In rage V7 sets off to take back his destiny, just to find out that, the demigod has taken his place. Little does he know, that demigod never wanted his place, rather he wanted all that was V7, his heart, his soul, his whole being. Will V7 escape his love trap? Or lose all that he was created for? ____________________________________________ It was at, that trigger moment I understood what I wanted. I cupped his face pulling him close and hungrily kissing him as I lay him down and got on top of him. " Mmmm! Hmmm." Kean moaned as I slipped my tongue into his mouth, exploring every inch of his mouth and sucking on his tongue. Wanting to taste him more as my body craved his every touch. I broke the kiss leaving him gasping for breath. " I love you, Jessica. " Kaen lovingly whispers to my lips. My brain went blank from shock as my heart was suddenly filled with rage and it didn't make it any better that I was still hot, excited, and semi-hard from earlier. ______________________________________________ Brought to you by V1 Productions YouTube The Night Known As You (Game Edition) Chapter 1, Part 1 ______________________________________________

Elizabeth Jael Valmonte is one of the ten undeniably gorgeous and passionate heirs of the Valmonte clan, a ravishing, rich, and famous family known for being business-oriented and having members that are at top of their respective fields. She loves singing more than anything. She's born to conquer the stage and make everyone fall for her sweet voice. But when her father, Arthur Valmonte, fell into a coma and her mother, Harriett Valmonte, suffered severely because of a car accident, her world fell apart into pieces right before her eyes. According to the investigation of the police and base on the damage, at least two or more vehicles should be involved for the accident to happen that way. But the big mystery is why only her parents' car was present when a witness came to the scene? Lost and devastated because of her parent's situation, her older brother, Rueben Valmonte found something that could be the reason behind everything. Struck with amazement that her father might have an affair with Lucille de Silva, known for her acting awards, generous donations, and the wife of Gabriel de Silva, a potential candidate for the position of Mayor in the upcoming elections, she prepares herself for war. But what can a seventeen-year-old do to avenge her family when all this time she thought she had a perfect one? Jael met an arrogant guy in a shoe store. They both liked a limited edition designer heels but only one stock is left for their desired size. This guy caught the attention of Jael because of his inconsiderate and nosy attitude. She met the same guy again where her parent's accident happened to found out that he bought the whole area, making him her new lead to know the root of the tragedy.

A week after I gave birth via C-section, Mark Whitman invited his friends over to celebrate the birth of our son. The crowd was boisterous—more than a dozen people. Not one of them bothered to remove their dirty shoes. The wooden floor was soon covered in muddy footprints. Mark came into the room and, without a hint of concern, ordered me out of bed. "Everyone's waiting outside. Don't just hide here and rest—you're embarrassing me in front of our guests." I had no choice but to push through the pain, forcing my body to prepare a huge meal for the large crowd, all on my own. When I carried the final bowl of steaming soup to the table, Lily Hoyte—whether intentionally or not—jabbed her hand against the wound on my abdomen. My hand trembled from the sudden pain, and the bowl slipped slightly, spilling the hot soup onto Lily's shoes. Mark's face darkened instantly. "What the heck did you do, Cammy? Lily rushed here right after her plane landed from overseas to see our son, and this is how you treat her?" The crowd quickly chimed in. "Come on, Cammy, no need to be so petty." "Mark and Lily grew up together. If there was really something between them, do you think you'd even be here now?" "Do you even know how much those shoes cost? They're limited edition—easily over ten thousand dollars. And you just ruined them." Lily stood up awkwardly, her eyes misting with tears. "If Cammy doesn't like me," she said softly, "then I'll leave. I don't want to be a bother." But Mark grabbed her hand in an exaggerated display of protection, his voice harsh as he turned to me. "Wipe Lily's shoes clean. Right now." His partiality for Lily made something sharp twist in my chest. My lips quivered as I fought back tears. "The wound on my stomach hasn't healed yet. I can't bend over." At that, his expression grew colder. "Don't use childbirth as an excuse. If you can't bend over, then kneel and wipe them. And if you won't, get out of my house!"

Ingrid was born into a family of werewolf hunters. She was raised to believe that the creatures were nothing more than ruthless killers. Though trained as a hunter, she has never participated in a hunt—until the night her father forces her to join. What should have been a simple mission turns into a nightmare when she is captured by a ruthless Alpha seeking revenge against her family for slaughtering his pack. Locked away with no escape, Ingrid fights to survive by using her training to stay alive. When she finally manages to break free. she thinks she’s won—until the Alpha finds her again. He sinks his fangs into her, expecting the venom to end her life, but Ingrid doesn’t die. The bite should have killed her, but it doesn’t. It changes her. Ingrid soon discovers a horrifying truth: the werewolf bite only turns those who carry the gene. She discovers that her entire life has been a lie. Her family, the people she trusted most, hid the truth from her. Now, she’s no longer the hunter—she’s the hunted. With her own people turning against her and the wolf inside her growing stronger, only one person can help her—the same Alpha who cursed her with this fate. Will their hate for each other blossom into something deeper? or does fate have something else planned?

"I would do anything to have you back, even if it means fighting the Gods" Armando Russo, a name that struck fear into the hearts of many who crossed his path. He strode into the room with an air of confidence that demanded attention, his sharp Italian-cut suit exuding power and authority. His dark, piercing eyes were windows into a calculating mind, a mind that had made him a force to be reckoned with in the world of business and beyond. Weakness? He had none. Until she came into his life- the daughter of his business rival whom he despises the most. Aurora Vero, a name that conjured a different kind of aura in the world of high-profile events. She entered any room with a grace that was both captivating and commanding. Dressed in elegant couture, she wore her status as a badge of honour, but it was her charisma that truly set her apart. With a smile that could light up the darkest corners of a room, she exuded a warmth that belied the fierce spirit within. What happens when such two different personalities are forced to tie a knot? Will Armando accept Aurora as his wife or keep his resentment towards her forever ?

Falling in love with a Mafia Lord is one of the worst things a girl can do. More so, a good girl that has lived a protected life throughout her childhood. When Laura meets Arthur in college, their love bloomed into a heart-wrenching romance that was bound to last for only a while because unknowingly to Laura, Arthur was the son and future heir to the mafia underworld kingdom. Arthur belonged to the Salvatore family of NYC and when Laura finds out, she leaves despite Arthur's begging and negotiations. She thinks she can cut off everything from her past life, but fate has other plans because she is pregnant with Arthur's child. Determined not to go back on her word, she starts raising her child alone. Arthur becomes a heartless monster after Laura leaves. He ruthlessly rules the underworld and one of his enemies from a rival family gets the better of him by finding out that he has a son. Now, Laura and her child are both in danger. Will she run back to Arthur for protection or will she battle the storm on her own? Read this book to find out.

There had been a war in the Golden Sun pack and her parents had died trying to save a stranger, mateless and wolfless Melissa was left alone to suffer until the Blue Moon pack rescued her and made her a worker in the pack to be able to cope with the loss while stories of who wiped her pack clean tangled with the famous lycan king's ruthlessness. She suffered some more when rumors started to spread about her statelessness and selflessness and she was bullied for it for a very long time. She was turning 20 on the same night that there was a moon alignment, although she was excited to meet her mate, she still endured the sufferings that went alongside the rumors until she started to get a sense that her mate was near. She had just experienced the most humiliating rejection, unable to take the taunting anymore, she lashes out and runs into the woods to escape judgment. What she wasn't expecting was to run into the arms of drunk rogue wolves who wanted nothing but trouble. Fighting to survive and nearly losing the battle, she is saved by a handsome stranger who turns out to be her second mate, and as the moon rose in all of its glory, they had a fiery night of passion and by morning he was gone. What happens when Melissa is accused of being a slut and then finds out that she was pregnant and what happens when her stranger comes to save her but this time brings knowledge of who he was. An enemy. Her mate. How does she escape the same fate her parents had? She had a responsibility now and that was to take care of her new family and nothing was going to get in the way.