Summer Reads 2023

Lacee never knew werewolves existed. She also never knew such gorgeous sexy men like the Alpha Rinc existed, but when he saved her from being attacked on a dark summer night, he awakened the wolf inside of her and he opened her eyes to a world fill with scary and beautiful creatures she never knew she were around her. Now, not only does she have to continue building a good life for her and her sister, but she also has to learn how to be one with the wolf inside of her and be one with the moon before the next big moon festival, or else her and her sister will be thrown to the wolves, literally. With the enemies all around, and her constant urge to be with the Alpha, Lacee is stuck in a new dangerous world and dangerous love.

When Lisa Dumont travels down to New Orleans to stay with her mother for the summer, she finds herself entangled in a web of century-long territorial disputes between undead and supernatural forces. Lisa soon realizes that she has become torn between the blood-loyalty to her mother, Voodoo Priestess Madam Dumont, and the intrigue she has grown towards Elder Vampire, Hezekiah Mercier - the enemy. And consequently, the heavy discord between the two factions leaves Lisa with life-changing decisions to make that could possibly alter the fate of both groups and everyone else in between.

It’s all fun and games until a body washes up…. Beth Monroe just wants to make it through the summer baseball season without being the constant target of her brother Shane’s jokes, but he is relentless, and she’s ready to lock herself in her room and hide. Until the new girl shows up. Halley appears in small town Barryville like a ghost. No one knows where she came from or anything about her past, not even her last name. When she gives Beth a piece of unsolicited advice that, “It’s what’s on the outside that counts,” Beth changes everything about herself. By the time Beth realizes she’s becoming a monster, it might be too late, and Halley has already sunk her claws into Beth’s best friend Ryan—who might’ve been something more if Beth had opened her eyes a little earlier. As Halley’s past catches up to her, Beth realizes there’s more to this mysterious girl than she realized. Can she stop Halley from revealing her true, monstrous nature to Ryan before it’s too late?

It's Summer break and schools out. . . Two adventurous groups decided to visit Sincity for its known beauty, wealth and name. None prepared for what they were about to encounter in the famous City. So many rules they didn't know about. So many laws and death penalties. The outside world has known Sinctiy for the better part of it but none ever visited and returned to tell the darkness that lies within the great city walls. Its hidden atrocities and abominations. What happens within the Great walls, stays within the Great walls. Would these groups be the Sunlight that the city desperately hoped would shine upon its darkened soul or would they end up like the many who had walked into the Great Walls and never came back alive to tell the tales of the horror that is, SINCITY.

Russell Knight is not your average geek. Sure, he may seem like the quiet, shy, and vulnerable guy in school. But there is far more to Russel than meets the eye. At just 10 years old, Russell had already gone through the heartache of losing both of his parents. He was left under the guardianship care of his uncle Frederick Knight, a struggling handyman living from paycheck to paycheck in the small town of Lakeview. But now that the years have gone by, he finds a way to let out steam and anger taking a liking to getting his hands dirty. Loving the feel of adrenaline as he steps into the underground rinks of a good old fashion cage fight. As the summer ends, and junior year of college begins, he sees eye to eye with Samantha Adams, his new roommate. Will she be able to handle all his hidden secrets? or will she call it quits before it even begins? Realizing college is not what she expected, Russell won't make it easy for her to concentrate in school. He's hot, very hot, and it's going to take a lot of willpower to keep their hands off of each other.

That winter, our whole family went skiing in Aespen, Amestia. It was a popular spot for werewolf nobles and the wealthy. Then, the avalanche struck. My father's first instinct was to scoop up Summer—his sleeping adopted daughter—and flee. My mother, panicked, still made sure to grab the stray puppy Summer had found. They returned to the Moonshadow Pack that same night, posting a flood of photos online and rejoicing over their miraculous escape. Not one of them remembered me. Their biological daughter was still buried beneath the snow, waiting for rescue. When I was finally rescued, I did not look back. I took my mentor's offer to study abroad and left the pack behind. I moved to Cascade City to study medicine. No more pleading, no more shrinking myself in hopes of earning back my family's love. Yet they only seemed more disgruntled. "Rose, why aren't you competing with Summer for our attention anymore?"

Caitlin Van Dyke is at a crossroads. She’s thirty-two years old and she’s never been married, has no career, or a real life by the world’s standards. Caitlin is determined to find herself and figure out what she wants out of life. So, she made an impulsive purchase online – a fixer-upper in Key West. While there she plans to discover herself and try new things. Before she leaves she attends her sister, Catherine’s wedding. During the reception, her boyfriend, Hector Beaumont, proposes to her. Caitlin explains where she’s at in her life and tells him she’ll think over his proposal while she is away. Caitlin had planned to be alone to find herself on the tropical island – and to renovate her new purchase. But when she arrives, she discovers that the fixer-upper is in worst shape than she had thought. She has no choice but to hire a handyman. A.J., lone wolf, drifter, and he lives on a boat but he came highly recommended. So, Caitlin hired him not knowing that doing so would turn her life upside down. Their attraction is too strong for them to deny. Their chemistry boils over during Hurricane Bart on a private island. After two or three weeks of bliss, Caitlin decides she has to return to the real world – without A.J. After returning to New York, Caitlin accepts Hector’s proposal. Her mother can’t wait to start planning wedding weekend events Van Dyke style. Everything is going according to plan until A.J. pops up in New York at a dinner Caitlin is hosting under his real identity. Pregnant and engaged, what is a girl to do when her summer lover shows up, demanding that she be with him?

Amelia Young was like any other girl. After graduating from college, she got a job as the President’s personal assistant at her dream company, DRIVEA; it’s considered the biggest car manufacturing company in Japan and the only one who specializes in high-tech cars. It’s owned by the most influential and powerful group in Japan; the Pearce family. Kael Pearce is the President of DRIVEA and Amelia’s childhood crush. She’s been fantasizing about him for years and now she finally has the opportunity to meet him. But she was quickly dismayed when she found out that her cousin, Natalia Bradley, was dating the President. Not wanting to make trouble, she decided to hide her feelings and confided in a diary which she carefully kept hidden. But an unfortunate event leads Natalia to find the diary. She reads it and is overwhelmed by her cousin’s feelings. Without talking to Amelia first, Natalia breaks her relationship with Kael giving him the reason that Amelia wanted to pursue him and she was forced to break up with him. Enraged, Kael confronts Amelia. Confused, Amelia tried to explain but Kael refused to listen. As his revenge, Kael decides to make Amelia’s life in the company hell. He also refuses to let her resign thus leaving her no choice but to stay and suffer.But Amelia held a secret. A secret she never told another soul. If her secret will be revealed, what could be in store?

When a child mysteriously disappears from a small town and even his mother seems indifferent, it’s time for the new sheriff to step in. Meet Chris Baker, the new sheriff of the quiet Adirondack town of Clifton Heights. As one inexplicable case after another forces him to confront the townsfolk in The Skylark Diner, it’s the furtive Gavin Patchett that hands Chris a collection of not-so-fictional short stories that tumbles him into a world of monsters, ageless demons, and vengeful citizens. As Chris reads through the stories the veil starts to lift, and he soon questions what is real and what’s not, and whether he really wants to know. Nothing will ever be the same again. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Also known as Daddy Won't Know. Scarlett could have pulled out all of her hair and screamed into the void until her lungs give out thinking about being her dad's plus one to a week long business trip on the last two weeks of her summer vacation. Then she found out that for the week they will be sharing a luxurious rental with her father's boss: Mr Blackwood, one of the most powerful men in the world who has a reputation for being ruthless, deadly, feared by anything and everything that walks and is infamous for not being particularly fond of women- And she concluded that her summer was officially ruined. Scarlett hesitantly makes the trip having convinced herself that her father's boss is probably another ugly, rich, fat, power- crazy man with a collection of tacky vintage suits and she's set on going out of her way to avoid him. That is, until on the first night, she awakens in the middle of the night and finds the muzzle of a gun pointing at her and a very tall, very naked, muscular, sexy as hell man of otherworldly gorgeousness wielding the weapon. And when he spoke in that dark, deep, velvety voice, she knew that her summer was about to get very interesting. "Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my bed?"