Still Beating Jennifer Hartmann

“Poor Alondra, finally falling for someone, yet, he is the one she cannot have.’’ ** “Can a heart be broken when it’s already stopped beating?’’ Seraphina asked, while she stared at the moonlight. “I suppose not.” “Then strive to be so, Alondra. Your love for the Alpha tears you apart. What happens when you finally see him mate with another? Will you break? Or will you finally stop holding your breath…” *************** Raised in a classic Cinderella story, everyone believed Alondra Greene was cursed. With a stepmother who hated her and two step sisters who mistreated her, she couldn’t have it any worse. However, having fallen in love with the only good thing in her life, her best friends, and soon to be Alpha, Weston Pierce, she is just unsure of everything. What happens when Weston is to assume the new role of Alpha and the responsibilities that come with it? Can Alondra caution the fall that comes with being abandoned by him and having to bottle her feelings for him? Does the Alpha feel the same, or is all this just some hopeless story where Cinderella loved the wrong prince?

Zara always lived a life of fear and abuse at the hands of her alcoholic father and brother. She lived in an average pack, isolated from the rest of the werewolf community, and had no one to turn to for help. One night, after enduring yet another beating from her brother, Zara knew she couldn't take it anymore. Urged on by her wolf, Zara ran away from her pack. As she ran, she could feel the weight of her pack's disapproval and abandonment bearing down on her. She was a rogue now, an outcast. But she didn't care. She just wanted to be free of the abuse and the terror that had defined her life for as long as she could remember. Zara ran until she reached the border of a notorious pack, known for its brutal treatment of rogues. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had made a terrible mistake. But then she heard the sound of her brother's voice in her head, taunting her and telling her she would never amount to anything. That was all the motivation she needed. Zara crossed the border into the unknown, determined to make a new life for herself no matter the cost.

"Our heart beats only with their permission." For as long as she can remember, the bookworm Synecdoche Rochet, 23, has lived a simple life in Maharlika Nation—hiding in the grasses and grains of District G to avoid the terrifying power of the Embassy and its ruthless Ambassador. In a dystopian world that is controlled with surveillance, Synecdoche Rochet embarks on a mission to get back their rights on their district's valuable resources—the grains. When she discovered her intellectual ability, she found herself drawn to the charismatic Giovanni, the long-lost Ambassador's privileged son together with other intelligent students, Ulap, Token, and Keithwarth. They found themselves being the tributes on the 2nd Maharlika Spelling TwistBee—trapped in the Word Arena. An annually commemorated game where each district will represent one letter in the Alphabet, spell the given English words not verbally, but by beating other competitors who have letter tattoos on their arms. The rules are to Spell and beat them. Within the competitor's reach, the team-up of Synecdoche, Giovanni, Ulap, Token, and Keithwarth isn't a coincidence, it's a conspiracy. What if Synecdoche's age will be reversed? Will they use their intelligence for vengeance? Will they compel love and trust to survive the competition? Is their life the price or the prize? "Even the shortest word has the longest meaning."

Eidolon Avenue: Where the secretly guilty go to die. One building. Five floors. Five doors per floor. Twenty-five nightmares feeding the hunger lurking between the bricks and waiting beneath the boards. The sequel to Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast (“a great read...powerful and jarring” - Cemetery Dance) returns to the voracious Eidolon as it savors The Second Feast. A narcoleptic man in apartment 2A battles a vengeful past determined to rob him of everything as he runs from the barbaric disaster of a delusional love. A woman in 2B, reinventing herself to please a callous boyfriend, discovers the horrors that wait in the shadows of her self-renovation. The man in 2C, a teacher at the nearby Catholic girl’s school, collapses beneath the brutal consequences of his lecherous desires. An older woman in 2D, after decades dedicated to the church, is cornered at last by the grisly carnage beating at the hollow center of her faith. And a college student in 2E, hungry to escape an ignored life of invisible anonymity, finds herself captured between the pages of a ravenous book. All thrown into their own private hell as every cruel choice, every drop of spilled blood, every silent, complicit moment of cowardice is remembered, resurrected and relived to feed the ancient evil that lives on Eidolon Avenue. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Adira lives in a place where there are many so-called gangsters, and she belongs there. She is an orphan with her sister, but her sister does not treat her well, so she decides to leave to go off on her own. Now she lives alone in an old warehouse ever since their parents passed away. The only thing she makes a living from is accepting missions from those who can afford her services. Adira does not accept a mission if the price is life. The king, King Stephen, has been receiving threats on his son's life. He doesn't trust his companions inside the palace except for his son and General Agustin. Even though it was against Adira's rules that she would not accept a mission similar to that of the prince, she accepted it because of the king and his love for his son, agreeing to train him with the sword and keep him safe. Now, with her rules compromised, she's committed to the family. Will she be able to keep her emotions in check? How can she explain the sudden beating of her heart every time the prince is around her? Is she prepared to risk her life for this man?

Rose's career as a successful writer was cut short when she found out that her secret boyfriend and CEO of her agency, Ethan Evans, was already married. The public hounded her of her affair, even though she was also a victim of deceit as she never knew that she was dating a married man. She lost everything, her good reputation and her career as Ethan blamed her for seducing him making the public hate on her more. When things couldn't go worse, her stepmother wanted her to get married to the woman beating Mayor's son. But hope came to her in the form of Aiden, Ethan's rival. She prospered a plan to him: Marry me for just 2 years and I will help you destroy Ethan. With Aiden's help, Rose restarted her career to become the best bookseller in New York. But what happens when her ex-boyfriend, Ethan claims that he had divorced his wife and beg Rose to take him back? Also how will Rose take it when she discovers Aiden secrets. With family troubles and secrets threatening her marriage and her new found romance with Aiden, can Rose overcome them and finally get her happily ever after. Read Disgraced and Desired: The scandalous writer is the CEO wife to find out.

Aurora's life became a mess, a total mess. Her life was perfect at first. A loving family, a happy home. Her life was simple and perfect. But the arrival of a letter was what caused her whole world to crumble, but in a way, started a new beginning for her. **** Her heart was beating loudly in her ears. Her breath coming out as small sighs. They were so close, noses slightly rubbing. She couldn't believe what was happening. She had tried to run away from him but she kept falling into his arms. His hazel coloured eyes watched her every move, a charming yet devilish grin plastered on his face. He had his arm over her head. "Your.." "Why do you try to run? Have you forgotten that you live under my roof?" He asked. She shivered when he ran his thumb on her cheek. "Please let me go" She pleaded. She felt light-headed because of his proximity. "How can I when I'm not even holding you." He asked with a smirk. Her expression pleased him. He leaned towards her ear and whispered; "You can hide all you want, but you'll always come back to me, both as a king and as a man."

A white wolf was a special breed. A witch was respected but also not very common. So imagine the surprise when one girl holds both in one body. Rumors and myths were made about her but no one knew for certain if she existed. Stories claimed that her mother, Rose Taylor, who was a witch was mated to an Alpha werewolf where they had four children. Three of which didn't bear the gift of witchcraft, but their daughter did. The family denied all allegations and nobody was the wiser. But what if I told you she did exist? That her name was Emerald Taylor, she was nineteen years old, and she was deprived of seeing her wolf and being in fresh air for nine years. Her parents died trying to keep her safe one night and her brothers never forgiving her for it, so their revenge? Locked her away like Princess Fiona to never be seen or heard from again. Only to be viewed when she received her daily beating from none other than her own brothers and being fed by the maid that has been serving her for years. The maid is the only person who truly understood her and cared for her. When enough was enough and she finally escaped to only become a rogue who could be sensed entering any territory. What's a witch/white wolf to do? To be concealed of course.

“I reject you as my mate and the Luna of the pack.” Nathan gave me a bored look, the disdain on his face obvious as he pushed me away from him. My heart began beating fast, as the searing pain from the broken bond makes me slump on the ground, an ache so painful in my heart it has me looking for anything or anyone to hold on to. Alana is suddenly rejected by her mate in front of everyone after she has given him her virginity and they’ve planned their life together. Shocked by his rejection, she refuses to tell him about her pregnancy. Alana leaves the pack with a strange man much to Nathan’s dismay and disbelief. The pack she goes to and her old pack join hands suddenly due to a circumstance that makes packs close together to join hands, Nathan wants a second chance and he is sure the boy he sees with Alana is his, but she doesn’t believe him or want him anymore. “At least give me a second chance please.” He pleads, but she scoffs looking away. Will Alana accept Nathan’s apology? Will she risk having her heart broken again? Many things are exposed and Alana discovers many truths, will she accept them and face the common enemy about to break everyone down with Nathan?

He should have been satisfied. Lucas had dismantled the Montage Empire, reduced its legacy to ash. Arabella Montage had nothing left: no power, no family, no future. Just her name and a heartbeat he hadn’t yet taken. But when he saw her on that auction stage, trembling under harsh lights, something inside him shifted. She was being sold like livestock. A girl once untouchable, now displayed for the highest bidder. He was the architect of her ruin. And still... he bought her. She was the last remaining piece of the empire he had destroyed. And he needed to possess it. To possess her. To own the symbol of everything he had conquered. To fill the aching void that victory hadn't satisfied. She used to be a free bird. Until he clipped her wings. Now, he would remake her. Mold her. Give her purpose again, just so he could tear it all away. Break her. Destroy her, all over again. He didn’t want her dead. Anything was acceptable, as long as her heart kept beating. To her, he’s just another powerful man playing God. But one thing becomes terrifyingly clear: Lucas will keep her heart beating, just so he can be the one to crush it. Again and again