Small Mercies Dennis Lehane

Love was never supposed to be this dangerous for Valerie Lawson. Born into wealth and groomed to carry the legacy of her mother who built one of the largest companies in the country she became a force of power. She was the woman everyone admired. The woman every man feared to approach. From the polished floors of luxury board rooms to the flashing headlights of black tinted convoys Valerie lived in a world where she controlled every situation at the snap of a finger. But beneath that perfect exterior there was a secret she buried deep inside. A secret that shaped the entire path of her life and turned her heart into a guarded fortress. Her family portrait had once been perfect. A loving mother. Two beautiful twin daughters. But darkness crept into their home the moment her father allowed insecurity to corrupt his soul. Instead of valuing his successful wife, he resented her. He felt small watching her empire rise. He felt like a guest in a palace built with her brilliance. Not having control, he sought validation elsewhere. He brought another woman into their home. planned it like a secret meeting but fate rarely allows betrayal to stay hidden. That day when Valerie and her twin sister were supposed to be in school tragedy struck. Vera fainted and her mother rushed to pick her up refusing to call her husband because a small voice in her heart whispered that he should not be trusted. After treating her daughter she returned home quietly hoping to surprise her husband with good news about their little girl. Instead she walked into a horrifying betrayal. Her husband was in their marital bed with a strange woman. The scene shattered her soul. She demanded a divorce and vowed to take her daughters along.

Hazel Dalton has always known her parents never wanted her. She is the girl, who should have been a boy. The family dissapointment. Keeping her nose in a book, Hazel tries to escape the world, who does not want her. But always looking down, is not only a good thing, especially when you dream of finding your mate and hoping he might be the strong and handsome Alpha of your pack. Grady Starwood becomes Alpha of the Starfall pack when he is 18, and if there is something he dreams of more then lead his pack to greatness, it is to find his destined mate and cherish her forever. His parents has instilled a love for the matebond, and a respect for the gifts the Moon Goddess bestows upon you in him since he was a small pup. It is with some disappointment, but also a small hope, that Grady does not find his mate right away. He has always had a crush on the quiet and shy Hazel Dalton, and found her astoundingly beautiful. Despite his daily fan club of hopeful she-wolves, lead by Josie Dalton, waiting for him to pick one of them as his chosen mate, Grady remains steady in his resolves to wait until Hazel is 18 and see. What happens when Grady finds his dream girl to be his mate, but a severe misunderstanding drives her away from him and his pack? Will she ever return or will he be forced to take a chosen Luna? Can Hazel ever come back and forgive her mate for what she thinks is his betrayal? Will she give him a chance to explain? Or will the mate she so badly wanted be the villain in her story forever? Drama, twists and unexpected turns. This is; The Alpha's Runaway Luna

"I think you enjoyed at least part of your punishment last night, sweetheart." "No," I whispered, my voice barely audible, my eyes still on his hand, on his fingers as they drew small circles that made my toes curl on my exposed, sensitive skin. He moved closer to me, making a small gasp push past my lips as I looked up, our gazes colliding. "Relax. Do you know what the fun part is, Lana? It doesn't always have to be a punishment. It could be something... exciting too. Something you'll most definitely like." — To save her entire family from the Stravkos Mafia - which was the most powerful Mafia family in Tuscany, Italy - Twenty-two-year old Solana Williams agrees to take her sister's place and becomes a sacrificial lamb - becoming Abel Stravkos' wife. Theirs is just a mere marriage of convenience, but Solana is embittered, vowing revenge for all they did to her family. Abel Stravkos has no need of a wife, but with his cold-hearted father handling the helm of affairs, he's helpless to object. His heart isn't tied to this strange, beautiful, vengeful woman who's been forced down his throat. But the line between love and hate is thin, and Solana's staunch disobedience to his orders, fuels his need to control her in every way possible. Driven by revenge, and an undeniable passion sizzling just beneath the surface, it's only a matter of time before their attraction for each other becomes apparent, much to the dismay of his father and mistress who become forces, trying to pull them apart. Will they ever rise above obstacles lodged in their paths and get their happily-ever-after?

Growing up the only wolf in a trailer park, Emily has no idea of the mysteries of her past, wondering why she's always had a repeated dream of a redheaded woman telling her that she is the last hope of her pack. Only the death of her parents by the hands of her 'mate' unlock the chain of events that lead to her finding out who she is really meant to be, and it is not just a small town girl with a crazy mate. She discovers packs, wolves and Alphas are real, and that they live amongst humans. The revelations are shocking, but not as much as the fact that she is made to choose between the Alpha and the Chief Warrior of her new pack, both of whom are intent on winning her heart for very different reasons.

So . . . what am I told? A familiar small town. A wrathful, metamorphic killer with supernatural abilities. A young girl whose time has come—angel of life, and death—is the only one who can stop his unspeakable deeds. Katie Franklin has turned twenty-one at last, and been released from the Ransom Sanitarium. And hell has been released with her. Now it’s back to the Val, where monsters are real . . . Something evil is stalking the shadows of Blackwater Val, and it wants lifeblood and flesh. What she finds waiting in the unhallowed darkness there will forever haunt her—and you. Return with her if you dare. To see the dead children. Feel their torment. To face the old terror. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

In the 1980's in a small, not too well known town, a young Black girl named Ariel Smith in a mostly white school juggles her studies to get into college, and deal with a murderer committing multiple hate crimes, so you'd think she wouldn't have time for romance until she saved a young white boy named Ernest Rivers from drowning, literally. "Dangerous? He looks so peaceful here. Angelic almost. How could someone so beautiful be dangerous?" Satan was once an angel. Warning: depictions of sexual assault, racism and murder throughout the story. If any of these topics are triggering for you, I do not recommend reading. Thank you.

"Miss Hudson, we have prepared a corpse identical to you, just as you requested. It will be delivered to your wedding with Mr. Warhol in ten days." Hearing the voice on the other end of the line, Violet Hudson felt a small knot of tension unwind inside her. "Alright. Thank you." "You're welcome. This is our job. Please rest assured—no one will ever suspect a thing." With that guarantee, she exhaled, the weight on her chest easing just a little. After confirming the final details once more, she ended the call and pushed open the door to the private room. The noise inside had been a constant hum, a mix of voices overlapping, but the moment she stepped in, silence fell like a curtain.

Moving away from the small town where she grew up, to live with her childhood best friend. Twenty- One year old, Lilith Black is an Innocent, God-fearing, Sweet, Charming young lady, trying to further her education by going to the city, where most opportunities are. There she will meet the most intriguing brothers, who she will fall hopelessly in love with, but she has to choose where her heart truly lies, or maybe she doesn't. Learning she isn't human, but a being from the Bible who is shunned by believers of God, She has the option to choose good or evil, which path will Lilith walk?

Despite all of the struggles that Jade has endured, she remains resilient, determined to make it in this ruthless world. The safe path was the most logical choice for her: a reliable career, a close-knit group of friends, and her handsome, successful fiance, Jonathon. She enjoys it all, very comfortably, in a small town suburb. Or at least she did... The stability of Jade's mundane life comes tumbling down when she receives a gift that wasn't intended for her, signed by none other than the man she loves. Heartbroken and on the run from reality, she finds herself in the arms of a stranger. A one-night-stand that gives her more than she ever bargained for.

Collins’ and Alan’s story wasn’t like that of most werewolf mates. They’d both been through a lot when they finally found each other. But now she’s off to college, and he’s training fighters for the impending pack wars. The biggest thing keeping them apart now, however, is themselves. She hopes he will wait for her, but her past threatens to ruin their relationship before it even begins. Alan is being tested left and right. But the true test, is whether or not he will love a ghost for the rest of his life. The odds are stacking against them. Will love overcome it all? Or will it ruin them, and rip them to shreds, one small piece at a time?