Synonym Hoping

Moving to another state seemed to be the most logical answer for my problems. My dad got a job as a wildlife tracker and in less than a week we were gone. I'm leaving some things behind, or rather two people. I was conflicted about the relocation, yet I knew that it's what I needed to do. I'll be with my dad until my sister and mom join us later. The past year has been difficult for my sister health wise, so we are hoping for a fresh start. Entering the diner outside Bluehills, I could taste the atmosphere of the place; my senses heightened as I felt on edge. An imposing man approached me right away. He appeared to be the father of five men arguing fiercely over something on someone? One of the guys is screaming: “Mine” and seem to be going insane. Something strange was happening and my dad wasn't telling me anything about it. One quick glance at one of them made my heart race; I felt connected to him, to this town and alive for the first time ever. The nature here was greener and more vibrant, while its inhabitants were large, intense and secretive.

In "Unexpected Arrangement," Emily Rhodes, finds herself in a desperate situation when her mother falls ill and needs an expensive surgery. Emily is determined to find a way to raise the money, but her efforts are thwarted when she accidentally spills champagne on billionaire Gabriel Specter, the host of the event at a high-end charity event where she is working. Humiliated and without a job, Emily struggles to make ends meet. She eventually lands a position as a housemaid for a wealthy couple, but quickly discovers that the job is not what it seems. The couple is seeking a surrogate mother, and they offer Emily a million-dollar cheque to carry their child. Despite her reservations, Emily agrees to the arrangement, hoping that the money will be enough to pay for her mother's surgery. As the due date approaches, Emily's emotions are thrown into turmoil as she tries to reconcile her growing feelings for Gabriel with the reality of their arrangement. With her mother's health at stake, her heart and life on the line, Emily must make a difficult a decision that will change the course of her life forever. What happens if Emily gets accepted by Gabriel Specter? Their burning hatred just might lead to something else. And with the dark secrets surrounding the Specters, Emily might get burnt in the way.

17 was the year everything shattered. My parents divorced. My lover cheated. My best friend deceived me. Now, all I want is to survive senior year in silence. But silence isn’t possible when your skin suddenly glows with weird runes, the world freezes in arithmetic class, and a recruiter pulls you to The Obsidian Academy school for monsters that shouldn’t exist. I don’t know what I am. But the boys here… they appear determined to find out: A storm-eyed werewolf who saves me but swears I’ll ruin him. A vampire prince who says my blood is his alone. A dragon boy who nearly burns me alive protecting me. A sinfully hot professor who stares at me like I broke his heart in another life. I came here hoping for answers. Instead, I’ve unearthed a curse older than the Academy itself, one that binds me to them in ways I can’t fight. And when passion becomes deadly, treachery bleeds deeper than love. I thought I was human. But the monsters aren’t my foes. The true risk is what I’m becoming.

“This time”, he said quietly “you won’t walk away untouched.” He walked away. Two years after her father is convicted of murdering Holly Voss, Keira Reed arrives at Blackthorn University on a scholarship, hoping for a chance at a normal life. Instead, she is forced to confront the past she tried to escape when she comes face to face with Adrian Voss, the son of the woman her father was accused of killing. As Keira struggles to navigate a world dominated by wealth and legacy, she begins receiving anonymous messages from a source known only as Judas. The information she receives suggests that her father may have been framed, and that the truth behind the murder was deliberately hidden. Her search for answers leads her into a web of buried secrets tied to powerful families and a secret society that operates from the shadows. The deeper she investigates, the more she realizes that the case against her father was only part of something much larger. Caught between suspicion, danger, and a growing connection with Adrian, Keira must decide how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth. Because at Blackthorn, power protects its own. And some secrets were never meant to be exposed.

One divorce. One hundred dollars. One hell of a mistake. Katherine West had it all, until her husband, George, dropped a bomb on their five-year anniversary: He’s gay, he’s in love, and she’s evicted. Left with a frozen bank account and a shattered heart, Katherine decides to go out with a bang. She spends her last hundred dollars on the most dangerous-looking man at The Gilded Lily, hoping for one night of friction to erase five years of lies. It worked. It was the best mistake of her life. Until the next morning, when a court order forces Katherine and George to live together for ninety days of marriage counseling. George has lost his fortune and moved them into his mysterious new lover’s penthouse to save face. The door opens, and Katherine meets her new landlord: Killian McLeroy. The man she hired last night. The man her husband calls the love of his life." Now, Katherine is trapped in a house of glass with the man who knows her body, the man who stole her husband, and a secret that could burn all of Manhattan down. Ninety days. Two enemies. One bed. Let the games begin.

Natalie Taylor has one goal when she signs up as a companion at Dreams: to make a shit ton of money and get out fast. She's not looking for adventure or hoping for love and romance. But days into her moonlighting job, her quiet determination is shaken when she confronts her biggest problem yet—Levi Van Holt, heir to a mega-billion hotel chain and CEO of a gaming startup. Levi is everything she wants in a man. Gorgeous, wealthy and generous to boot. There's just one problem. He's her new boss... Harbouring a dark secret and nursing wounds from his past, Levi has one rule and one rule only for his companion: no falling in love. But with his desires continually tested, the more time he spends with Natalie, it doesn't take long for both their lives, real and secret, to converge, the lines between illusion and reality begin to blur, and the temptation to break his only rule becomes harder to resist. © 2022 Val Sims. All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author and publishers.

Alena Sabine Florence, now an aspiring drummer, was originally inspired by the young prodigy of a guitarist boy when she was a kid. Driven by the desire to play music with him someday, she chose to take on the path of a complex lifestyle and thrived hard to be as good as she could with the drums. She had never stopped hoping to meet the boy again. She thought, that as long as she kept working hard to make a name for herself, they will eventually meet again. So, when an opportunity has risen; a way to challenge her skills came, she joined her friend’s indie band. However, fate seemed to work way more twisted than she expected, because when her greatest wish came true, it didn’t bring her joy as she imagined. The boy she considered an unreachable star, was stuck in a nameless local indie band. Furthermore, his sound doesn’t resonate the joy of making music, or love for music anymore. He just sounded bland, flat, and boring. Just another typical story of a bright, hopeful girl, and the lackluster, musical genius boy. Except, it ain’t typical. Hear thy heart’s rhythm; a search for a melodious love.

SEQUEL TO CAGED TO HER OBSESSIVE ALPHA "I, Fallon Tutor, reject..." "Don't you dare finish that sentence." He growls, pinning me against the wall. "You haven't even given me a chance to prove myself to you." "Prove yourself?" I snap, shoving him away. "And how do you intend to do that? By mistaking me for my mother again?" At my words his face falls and a look of helplessness begins to shine in his bright blue eyes. "I'm not her." I continue. "And I never will be. Just forget this night and stay away from me." For eighteen years I waited for him, hoping he would realize that I was the one he was always pining over. That he would forget my mother and notice me. Little did I know that he would not only continue to pine for her, but in a drunken stupor he would mistaken me for her and force something sacred on me. After that night, my love for him died along with my heart. Now, my only focus was growing stronger and taking my place as my packs alpha and forgetting the man that hurt me the most.

A theft and an abduction -- it's how it all began. Mafia Don Frank is seeking revenge to punish his enemy for stealing from him and abducts the thief's daughter at gunpoint. Jennifer goes with Frank, hoping to save her family by doing so. They hate each other with a passion. Getting along seems impossible as she tries to stay alive in his mansion? But destiny has other plans for them. When Frank's father suddenly pays him a visit, Frank is forced to talk Jennifer into a deal. She has to pretend to be his girlfriend whenever his father is around. She only agrees when Frank promises to leave her and her family alone. During their time together, Frank learns her secret, an old secret she's been hiding from the rest of the world, and Frank's attitude towards her starts to change. Jennifer reconsiders her options when she sees a whole new side to the ruthless mafia don, but neither of them is ready to acknowledge the truth. Will they give in to their feelings and find their happily ever after? What if Frank's rivals hear that she's now their enemy's lover? Will they talk things over? Or will they choose to kill?

When Anastasia finally separated from her childhood best friend and first love, her world almost came crashing. She was only 8 years old when she was sent out of the country to further her education and 12 years later, Anna returns to New York a new version of herself, hoping that one day, fate would certainly bring Dylan Scott back to her. But unfortunately, there's a twist as an arranged marriage was put in place for Anna and all efforts to cancel her marriage with James Smith fails. Just a year into the marriage, a devastated Anna goes clubbing and mistakenly gets involved in a one night stand with a total stranger. Two weeks later, after Anna discovers that she is pregnant, she files for a divorce, and walks out of her marriage with James Smith who doesn't seem to care about her even a little bit, but like a child, fate plays yet another trick on Anastasia, letting her encounter the man she had never stopped loving for 18 years, and how does she react when she discovers that Dylan Scott is the father of Emma, the result of her one night stand 5 years ago.