Thanks #seventeen

EXCERPT: Students were running for their lives, vampires were hunting down their preys, friends betrayed friends by leaving them behind and saving their own lives first and soon, they all spread across the streets, causing chaos and killing anyone that they came across. There was carnage everywhere and from where Amber and the others stood, horror filled their eyes and Amber knew just what was happening. It was like the story that Hazel had told her back at the bookshop. The Chosen One didn't make a sacrifice. She wanted revenge and these were the army she was after. The last war was not really the last after all. Now, the fate of mortality lies in her hand. She was the Chosen One, but she does not remember any of that, even though she has a feeling that she knew these people. *** This is a story of Amber Willow, a seventeen year old girl living in a small City called Cinder. Though, her life doesn't always go according to the way it should, she believed she was just as normal as the rest of the kid out there but what she didn't realize was that, she was the One sent to bring an end to the existence of the wild creatures and because of that, other covens wanted her dead. The day she remembers who she really is, is the day the war would continue from where she last ended it and this time, she would not make the same mistake she made the last time. Her revenge would begin and it would start from the ones who took away the people dear to her. One by one, she would haunt them down and put an end to their immortality. ---Kyra Blackburn

My mom is 71 years old. Thanks to her arthritis acting up, she's in so much pain that she can't descend the stairs at all. She tentatively calls me and asks if she can rent an apartment that comes with an elevator of its own. But my wife, Lucy Glaser, brings out the household ledger and points at the red numbers on the pages. "Last month, you bought yourself a tie, which is 300 dollars beyond our monthly budget. Yet now you're planning on adding another impulsive expense?" Only then do I realize that I don't even have the freedom to buy myself a tie despite earning an annual salary of tens of millions of dollars. My mom is still trying to explain herself in a humble tone over the phone. "Oh, please don't feel troubled about it, Caleb. I was just asking on a whim. I've already grown used to my old home anyway…" After I end the call, I feel rather stuffy in my chest. What's there for me to feel troubled about? After all, I'm a partner of a top-tier law firm who earns tens of millions of dollars every year. The one who keeps standing in my way is Lucy, who's only a mid-level lawyer yet insists on controlling my finances. She also calls herself the best candidate for the household asset allocation.

I specifically accompany my wife, Sophie Caldwell, to visit her family during the holidays. My mother-in-law, Margaret Jackson, brings over a basket of apples. Then, she says in a half-teasing manner, "These apples are meant for the Jacksons. Once you've had your apple, you'll be blessed with a life as sweet as these apples. By the way, outsiders aren't allowed to take the apples." Everyone begins fighting for the apples happily. So, I grab an apple of my own too. The next thing I know, the atmosphere in the living room goes eerily quiet. Sophie drags me to a corner and starts berating me. "Are you so poor that you can't even afford to buy your own apple? Must you steal apples from my family? "Didn't you hear my mom saying that outsiders aren't allowed to take the apples? Why did you even take one from the basket? "Thanks to you, now Julius doesn't have an apple!" I look around my surroundings. It turns out that there are only eight apples in total, while we have nine people sitting in the living room. So the "outsider" she was talking about is me. I decide to hand the apple over to Sophie's godbrother, Julius Sterling. Then, I call my dad on the phone. "Dad, you don't have to bring the holiday gifts over now."

Juliana Anderson once enjoyed a happy life until her mother passed away. To compensate for the Beta who sacrificed his life to save him, her father, Alpha Anderson, married the Beta's widow and treated their daughter, Arlene, as his biological daughter. Thanks to Arlene's sham, everyone thought she was an innocent victim who had to suffer her stepsister Juliana's bullying. But no one knew Juliana had lost everything she cherished because of Arlene. Father, happy childhood, the chance to be admitted to her dream college, and her boyfriend, Carl. Arlene took all of them from Juliana, leaving Juliana no choice but to leave the home she had been living in for eighteen years. However, the nightmare didn't stop, and Juliana was kidnapped by a group of rogues. When she thought it was impossible to survive, she encountered a young man. He gave her the protection and love she hadn't experienced for ten years; then he went missing in a fight. No one knew whether he was dead. Juliana didn't give up hope and kept searching for him. Finally, she saw him again. But this one, who had the same face as her lover, was wearing a king's crown. So, was there any possibility that her missing lover was the legendary tyrant, the Alpha King? Picking Up an Alpha King is created by Cara TaleSmith, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

She gave up her future to save his life. Six years ago, Aurora Hale, once hailed as a medical prodigy, walked away from her dreams to become nothing more than a devoted wife. For six years, she devoted her life to the man she loved, quietly standing in his shadow while others basked in his light, and he reveled in good health, thanks to her. But in return for her devotion came betrayal. To Ethan and his powerful family, she was nothing but a college dropout, an unworthy woman who had schemed her way into their home. And when his elegant first love, Dr. Celeste Moore, returned, even their daughter turned against her. Broken with hurt, Aurora files for divorce and walks away from the man and family who never saw her worth, reclaiming her true identity as the brilliant scientist the world once called a medicine genius. Now, the woman they dismissed as ordinary is about to shock the world. And the man who once cast her aside, realized too late what kind of genius he let go. He comes begging, pleading for her to let him back into her life, his life slipping away from him, but she treats him like one who never existed to her. "Please return, Mr Langford. Never again will I stoop so low to be with someone like you."

Red alert: This book is going to be full of erotic content. High sexual content, use of vulgar words and foul language. Thanks for the support of those that chose to proceed. “I know you are a werewolf and I know why you are here, but be rest assured I will never accept you as my fated mate and Luna queen. I, Newton Ashton Montgomery, hereby reject you as my fated mate.” “No, I will never accept your rejection, King!” Gwendolyn Hills grew up having everything she always wanted in life. Right from when she was a pup, she merely had to snap her fingers and get whatever it is. Every girl either wanted to be her or be her friend. The one thing she always looked forward to was her eighteenth birthday when she will shift to her wolf and become mated to her childhood crush and best friend, Julian, the incoming Alpha. Then on that very day, not only was she unable to transform, her once-perfect life fell apart before her eyes. In the snap of a finger, she became nothing but the pack’s new freak. When she had an encounter with the cold-hearted King of Lycan’s, her life further plunged deeper into a bottomless pit and this time, plunged with her heart. How is she going to fix the missing puzzles of her life, mend her broken heart and find true happiness in the midst of trying to find herself? Let's journey together to find out.

My wife had risen through the ranks of the Confidential Bureau, becoming its youngest team leader—all thanks to the "voice" of the baby boy in her womb, who could somehow identify traitors from within. When the holidays came, I went to visit her. But the moment I arrived, I heard the voice of that unborn child in her belly. "Ah, it's Bad Daddy! He's the one who's been secretly selling off the core technology!" I froze, stunned. Before I could even speak, my wife raised her gun and fired. The bullet tore through my shoulder. "Who did you sell the technology to? Talk!" Through the searing pain, I struggled to explain. "I don't even know what technology you're talking about. How could I possibly—" Her expression turned glacial. Without a word, she lifted the gun again and pulled the trigger, blowing my head apart. "Mommy is amazing! Bad Daddy is finally gone. The stolen data is all hidden on that USB drive." Even as I died, I couldn't understand how I had become a traitor. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of the visit. This time, I took the initiative. I pulled out the USB drive and handed it to my wife. "If this is the evidence you want," I said, "go ahead, shoot me."

Morgan is just trying to survive her cousin’s destination wedding in Bermuda. She didn’t come prepared for emotional damage, and she certainly didn't expect the biggest drama of the weekend to involve a head injury, a blocked tunnel, and a very confusing run-in with three dudes dressed like they raided a Pirates of the Caribbean casting call. Turns out they’re not LARPing. They aren't actors. It's not a fun sunset cruise. No. They’re privateers. Like, real ones. From the actual year 1725. And Morgan? She’s stuck. She may have a pretty good handle on how to survive in the wilderness, thanks to her ex-Green Beret dad. But eighteenth-century ships, sexist crewmates, and suspicious captains aren’t exactly her area of expertise. Especially not Flynn, the broody, grumpy, maddeningly handsome Captain who might rather toss her overboard than deal with whatever disaster she’s brought onto his ship. But as danger closes in, from rival ships to secrets Morgan didn’t mean to bring with her, she’ll have to find her place in this brutal new world. That is… if she doesn’t drive Flynn to keelhauling her first. Or fall for him. Maybe both. Adventure, slow-burn tension, and fish-out-of-water chaos collide in this swoony, high-stakes romantic tale across time. For fans of enemies-to-lovers, pirate drama, and heroines who don’t know when to shut the fuck up.

My younger sister and I unlocked our systems on the same day? The setting? The nation decades ago. She went for the learning system and married an intellectual. I had no choice but to go with the useless storage space system. Then, I was forced to marry a thug. A very rude and crass one at that. Thanks to the storage space system, I got through a famine and became the village's richest person. My sister's learning system was useless, and she almost died of starvation. Driven by jealousy, my sister seduced my husband and slept with him. To get my wealth, they came up with a plan and pushed me down a cliff. When I came to, I realized we'd returned to the day we awakened our systems. My sister shoved me away and picked the useless storage space system. "Move, you bitch! Now I have your system! I'll survive the famine and get rich! You'll live in my shadow forever, as you should!" She was so smug. She was gloating. I took the learning system and smiled to myself. Unbeknownst to my sister, I got rich during the famine, not because of the system, and my dream was to score high on the exam and get into a good college. My sister managed to mess up her life even when she had the better system. Now she took the useless one. I could practically see the misery waving at her down the path.

Celestia Quinn Vircacel came from a wealthy family. She had an almost perfect life, not until her father's new girlfriend came into their lives. Since then, her life was controlled and she was deprived of freedom.Her father became strict with her, thanks to the influence of his new woman. But that wasn't the worst part. She learned that her father arranged for her to marry someone she didn't know! She would never live her life being controlled like a robot, and she would never marry a man she did not love, let alone a complete stranger! Thus, she decided to run away. Unfortunately, her father learned about this and stopped her. He made a deal that if she would agree to sign the marriage contract, he would allow her to live her life away from their house; otherwise, she stays and lives with her father's controlling girlfriend for life. The proposition was like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea, but she had to choose one and she chose freedom. Hence, she blindly signed the marriage contract and left the house. She made her way to a place called ‘Punto Sierra’, and there she met Wayde Amadeus; a strikingly gorgeous man who offered his rented house for her to stay in. His kindness urged her to accept his offer; she stayed and planned for the future. But unbeknownst to her... Wayde was actually not the man she thought him to be.