Small Mercies Dennis Lehane

The sleepy English locality of Middletown is about to get even sleepier, as a strange malady starts to affect the population. It spreads quickly, causing the authorities to quarantine this small city, and seek out the only person who might be able to help: Doctor Andrew Strauss. However, Strauss has a secret, one that has linked him to this place all his life, one that has linked him to a particular person there, though he doesn’t yet know who. But he’s not the only one hiding things – and as he ventures into Middletown to collect samples with an army escort, a mixture of UK and US troops, cracks soon begin to appear in the operation. Especially when his team comes up against the most terrifying threat humankind has ever known.

"I'm sorry, Sophia. But her daughter's hurt even worse." Among the rubble, Sophia watched in disbelief as Jared pushed her aside, choosing to go to his first love. But who would save her daughter, who lay unconscious, a steel rod piercing her small body? At Molly's funeral, Sophia silently vowed she was done with Jared. She wanted a divorce. But just as she made up her mind, Jared stumbled back to her, grabbing her hand and telling her she was the one he loved. Sophia looked at a handsome man beside her, her arm linked with his. She smiled slightly and said, "Alright. If Molly agrees, I'll consider it."

Marise is a black wolf who is fleeing from her pack where the son of the obsessive and evil alpha, Orfeo, is determined to have her as his mate. This is so that his family can secure a strong bloodline, against her own free will after they killed her mate. A year on the run, and now Marise finally thinks she can settle down in a small town in Spain. Her best friend, Edira, who is a mixture of werewolf and witch, is by her side through it all. But is it possible for them to settle down in peace? Or are they not aware that they have chosen to stay a few miles from the border of the pack "El eclipse de luna"? A vicious pack where notorious brothers rule with a strong iron fist, known for launching wars between packs and practicing black magic.

Jada Montgomery was a jovial, caring, loving and helpful young lady who tries to help everyone. Her first boyfriend was after college, they met at a small café in Chicago and stated dated for some times. She love him endlessly and will do anything for him but he broke her heart by sleeping with her best friend. She wasn't taking the break up to well, her parents suggested she go spend sometime with her sister Katie in Florida but still wasn't helping poor Jada. One night she ended up at a bar and drinking her pain away, she then met and stranger and had a one night stand which leads to alot of things she wasn't expecting. Read and enjoy..... More details in the chapters

From a young age, Rhiannon Brink felt like a failure that didn't belong. No matter how hard she tried, nothing she did seemed to ever be good enough in the game of life. Every day felt like nails being dragged across a blackboard, and the only thing that kept her going was the thought that there had to be more to life, more than what the small town in the middle of nowhere offered her ..... but what happens when that's exactly the case? Truths are revealed turning Rhiannon's life upside down, and she must learn to trust others as well as herself ..... can she handle what's thrown at her and become the woman she needs to be, or will reality break her to pieces?

Bleu is the illegitimate son of the alpha king. Not wanting the world to know his mistake, Bleu and his mother were banished by the king to the far end of the kingdom. Later losing his mother and growing up as a rogue, Bleu had become quiet and feral. He spent his days mostly in wolf form and was only focused on surviving. That was until he found a small, naked unconscious woman in the swamp.... His mother always told him stories of the beauty of having a mate. Could this female be a gift from the heavens? Hazel is the daughter of the duke and was being forced into a political marriage with the son of the alpha king. Deciding to run away, she flees but faints due to exhaustion. She wakes up to meet Bleu. A sweet feral wolf who happens to think that she was his mate.

When my son was born, I noticed a small, round birthmark on his arm. But the weird thing? By the time I opened my eyes again after giving birth, it was gone. I figured maybe I'd imagined it. That is, until the baby shower. My brother-in-law's son, born the same day as mine, had the exact same birthmark. Clear as day. That's when it hit me. I didn't say a word, though. Not then. I waited. Eighteen years later, at my son's college acceptance party, my brother-in-law stood up and dropped the truth bomb: the "amazing" kid I'd raised was theirs. I just smiled and invited him and his wife to take their "rightful" seats at the table.

This is the story of Millicent Walker, a mysterious orphan who arrives in the small coastal town of Crimson, mute, nameless, and with no memory of her life before. Hired out by the orphanage to pay for her room and board, her strange appearance and mannerisms lead her to be seen as a freak. To many, she was seen as having less value than the rags she used to clean the floors. When a blight comes to Crimson, the dragon demands a virgin "of marriageable age" as a sacrifice in exchange for his assistance. Seen as strange, even cursed, Millicent was an easy choice for the sacrifice. Loved and wanted by no one, there was nobody to fight for her when they chained her to the cart and left her at the base of the hill to be defiled or devoured. Little did they know, her sacrifice would be their biggest mistake.

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

He is called the EMPEROR of the business world, he is filthy rich name it he has it all except his empress. A god-like human, it’s like God sculpt him perfectly. Possessing a dark blue tantalizing eye that held so many secret, has a jet black hair that makes him more look divine, sharp jaws that looks like God carve it himself, a pale heart shape pink lips, and a sharp well carved pointy nose. Ladies flocked to get his attention but they only receive a sharp dangerous glare. She came from an abusive, a heartless family who is insecure on what she has, jealous on the gift she has. Only her dad and granddad treated her well. She possesses a sweet smile that can melt a frozen heart. A heart shaped goddess like face, that god has sculpture her beauty with care and perfection, possessing a silver dark eyes that shouts so many emotions, a small pointy nose and a pouty natural red small lips. What happen if the cold, ruthless, and dangerous emperor laid his dark blue eye on a girl who possesses a sweet smile and a goddess like face? Fate has a plan for them, destiny is just around the corner and cupid is ready to match. “Love, keep your smile for me that is exclusively mine only,” Zhane sweetly told her wife his dark blue eyes shows so much love while looking at his goddess wife. Shayne nod smiling sweetly to his husband. The whole room was quite, mouth-wide open, eyes popping and shock written in their faces. They couldn’t believe what they have witnessed they just saw and heard their master in a different aura, gone the cold, dangerous aura, deadly eyes, emotionless face and cold as ice voice of their master.