Summer Reads Novels & Stories

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

My fiance, Victor Blackwood, is a mafia boss who rules the country's underworld with an iron fist. To the rest of the world, he is the epitome of power. Yet to me, he is the embodiment of love. But I do not realize the cost of loving a man like him. On Valentine's Day, I cook his favorite dishes and wait for him to come home. However, time passes, and his chair stays empty. Uneasy, I go to Queenie Stone's social media page. She is Victor's foster sister. She posts, "All I said was that I felt lonely, and he came right away. "Even when I accidentally spilled wine on him, he didn't mind. Victor is still someone who puts family first, even if it means neglecting his lover. "He never lets me down. I hope things stay that way." In the photo, Victor's shirt is soaked at the waist. Queenie's handkerchief lingers near his most private parts, but he doesn't pull away. He merely looks at her affectionately. I do not make a fuss and give Queenie's post a like. Then, I send Victor a message that reads, "Let's break up." Victor ignores it as always. Later, I discover that when my breakup message popped up, he had said offhandedly, "Vivienne can't live without me. She's just acting out. "If I ignore her for a few days, she'll come crawling back by herself. She's easy to please." What he doesn't know is that I was easy to handle only because I once loved him. But now that I have decided to leave, he cannot make me turn back, no matter how he tries to win me over.

Isla Walker thought her summer would be dull, not dangerous. A scholarship student at an elite High school, Isla’s only goal was survival. Juggling part-time jobs to escape her drunk father and leech of a stepmother, she never expected her already fractured life to spiral into a nightmare. Sold like property to settle her family's crushing debts, Isla finds herself handed over to a man feared across cities — Grayson Voss, the cold and calculating mafia lord of the Voss Syndicate. But Grayson isn’t a stranger. He’s the man who saved her once. And the man who now owns her. What Isla doesn't know is that Grayson has been watching her. Ever since that night at the club, her face has haunted him — softening his steel walls and stirring something he's spent years burying. But affection has no place in his world. To him, Isla is nothing more than collateral — a debt repayment. A useful pawn. One he can't afford to care about. Except he does. And when someone lays a hand on what he owns... all hell breaks loose.

"Do you want to get fu¢ked too?" he continued, his green eyes boring into mine as he bit his lips. "Do you want to swallow my ¢øck like that?"My nipples tightened painfully, and I hated the sweet, strange feeling spreading through my body. What was wrong with me?But then his expression changed, becoming cruel and cold."Your type belongs in the zoo," he said with a disgusted laugh. "With the big mighty elephants, waiting for your fat thighs and fat pussy."I choked on my own saliva, the words hitting me like physical blows. Axel had never talked to me that way before. Why was my body still reacting to him? Sera lived a life of humiliation due to her physical body size in Summer West Academy, she suffered and lived through the trauma just because the society didn't see her as a normal human. She hid her wolf and identity trying to blend in and lay low until the day the moon Goddess decided to pair her with Four dangerous Biker Alphas in the school. What started as hatred and disgust turned into something extremely Feral when she decided to take her revenge on them.

I could smell his tempting cologne as he walked closer, his presence making my heart skip a beat. He placed his hands on the wall, caging me in with his strong arms. My breath hitched. He leaned in, his honey-colored eyes boring into mine like he was trying to solve a puzzle. Meanwhile, I was melting—like ice cream on a summer sidewalk. "You look familiar," he murmured, biting his lip as if deep in thought. "Have we met before?" Of course, Jack Harrison—the most popular lacrosse player at Wilford High—wouldn’t know who I am. Why would he? I’m the invisible girl. The one who hides behind books and avoids eye contact. The one no one remembers. And yet… I’ve always noticed him. Jack Harrison. The boy every girl wants. The boy I’ve secretly dreamed about since sophomore year. And then—just when I thought I’d spend another year in his shadow—I found out a new family was moving in next door. To my utter disbelief, it turned out to be him. Jack Harrison, the boy I've always wanted.

WARNING!!!!! THIS BOOK IS PURELY EROTICA AND IT CONTAINS EXTREME EXPLICIT CONTENT IN ALMOST EVERY CHAPTER. RATED 18+ 🔞 IT'S A COMPILATION OF COUNTLESS RAW INTENSE UNFILTERED ADDICTIVE TABOO EROTICA ROMANCE STORIES IN ONE. MAIN STORY When Grace comes home for the summer, she never imagines that her mother’s new husband, Julian, will ignite a fire inside her she can’t—won’t—resist. Older, commanding, and dangerously magnetic, Julian pulls her into a world of secret glances, stolen touches, and forbidden nights drenched in sweat and sinful desire. Their connection is electric, a volatile mix of obsession and lust that shatters boundaries and burns every rule to ash. With every heated encounter, Grace spirals deeper into a dark, intoxicating addiction—where love is a dangerous game and surrender is the only escape. This collection explores the raw, unfiltered hunger between a young woman and the man she’s been warned to avoid—a taboo so forbidden it tastes like salvation. Prepare to dive into stories dripping with passion, betrayal, and the kind of heat that will leave you breathless. Welcome to Sinful Cravings—where sin is the sweetest pleasure, and craving never ends. YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR RATINGS/REVIEWS WILL BE WELL APPRECIATED, PLEASE 🥺 🥹

When 24-year-old Lila Carter returns home for the summer, she expects an empty househer mother is away on a three-month cruise. Instead, she finds Julian Reyes, her mother’s dangerously handsome 39-year-old husband, the man who’s fueled her forbidden fantasies for years. With the house to themselves, the tension that’s been simmering since Julian married her mother finally ignites. Stolen glances turn into midnight swims, whispered touches become breathless, sheet-clenching nights, and every moan is caught on hidden cameras neither of them knew existed. They’re careful. Or so they think. One stormy night changes everything. One secret lens records it all. Soon, a faceless blackmailer has every explicit secondthe pool, the laundry room, the master bedand the price of silence is climbing fast. If Lila and Julian don’t pay, the first clip goes straight to her mother. Caught between scorching desire and the threat of total destruction, they’ll risk everything to keep their darkest fantasy alive… even if it means burning their old lives to the ground. A high-heat, age-gap, forbidden step-romance loaded with sneaking around, possessive passion, heart-pounding close calls, and sex so intense it’ll leave you aching for more.

Elijah and Corbin are the best of friends growing up around their older family and friends. Elijah has always had strong feelings when it comes to his friend. He likes to give her all of his time when they are together. So, when another comes between them Elijah's jealousy kills their friendship. They become the worst of enemies. Corbin used to love going to the palace when she was younger. It all changed one summer when her ex-best friend hurt her because she was getting attention from someone else. Growing up these two find themselves. Elijah, losing his sister, one day she just ups and disappears leaving him to become the next King of Werewolves. He puts all his effort into becoming the best King possible even if he is the second born. Becoming strong and domineering. Corbin becomes a beautiful young woman. Friendly and outgoing, everyone flocks to her like a magnet. She goes to the palace knowing that Elijah is away at Alpha school. Until the day that her dad’s make her attend Elijah graduation and his eighteenth birthday ball. What will happen when these two meet after their eighteenth birthdays and find that they are Fated Mates?

To help my husband, Henry Carter, pay off a million-dollar debt, I clean windows and scrub toilets in an office building on Valentine's Day just for the triple pay. After I'm done with the windows, I am about to transfer the last 50 thousand dollars of the debt when a post suddenly pops up on my phone. The title of the post is, "What is something you see in real life that makes you feel sorry for someone, even if they are your enemy?" One of the top comments says, "The person I hate the most is my boyfriend's wife. My boyfriend pretends to be poor to spend money on me and cheats his wife out of over a million. That woman works day and night at a cleaning company just to make money for me! "This has gone on for eight years. That woman has been scrubbing toilets for eight years! Even if she is my enemy, I feel sorry for her." I freeze, and my fingers tremble uncontrollably. No way. It has to be a coincidence. I stare at those words, stunned and unable to recover from the shock. Then, a new comment appears, "Now, my boyfriend plans to fake an illness by telling his wife that he has cancer. He's going to trick her into giving him money to buy me a car." At that exact moment, Henry sends me a message. The instant I open it, I feel my heart skip a beat. It reads, "I'm sorry, honey. I'm sick—I have cancer. The doctor says we need to prepare 80 thousand dollars for treatment. I hate myself for this. Why am I even alive? I'm just dragging you down with me." The words "late-stage liver cancer" in the attached diagnosis report are painful to look at. I think in dismay, "Henry, you do not need to pretend to be sick. You are indeed in the late stage of cancer."

A writer once said, "We don't need down jackets in summer, fans in winter, and attention after we're disappointed." After the breakup, I became happy and even found myself. Thanks for letting me go. This is a series of stories after breakups. A relationship may not necessarily make people happier, but a breakup will definitely do it. “Seven Ear Piercings” I had a secret relationship with my stepmother's son. When we broke up, it became particularly unpleasant. One day, he got drunk and intercepted me in the bathroom. He said, "I'm a masochist. We'll torment each other until our hair turns grey. What can you do to me?" “Blind Date With an Undercover Cop” I never expected to meet him again. The last time I saw him, he was a clumsy barista who messed up my order nine times in a row. I felt sorry for him, so I tried to crack a joke. "Hey, are you an undercover cop?" He looked startled and denied it quickly. But as soon as I left the cafe, he locked the door and disappeared. Later on, we ran into each other again. He stopped me and said, "You're under arrest, because you have stolen my heart, darling."