The China Story Book

Betrayal always offers the choice: Bitter or Better? After her sister's death, wedding cake artist Milli Velvet Haywood left her busy life in Vegas behind; Hoping for a new beginning in the small town resort community of Pagosa Cliffs, Colorado. But with a newstart comes challenges. Her attempt to return to her old life brings a different set of dangers. Can she move forward and be better? Or will the bitterness of her life sour her future chances at happiness and love. This story is all about choices. It is about overcoming versus succumbing.

16 year old Scarlet Paine struggles to understand what’s happening to her, as she wakes and realizes she’s becoming a vampire. Alienated from her parents and her friends, the only person she has left to turn to is Sage, the mysterious boy who has quickly become the love of her life. Yet Sage, whose house she finds boarded up, is nowhere to be found.

Scarlet, alone in the world, with nowhere left to turn, seeks out her friends and tries to reconcile with them. All seems to be patched up when they invite her to join them on a trip to an abandoned island in the Hudson—but as things get out of hand and Scarlet’s true powers are revealed, who her friends and enemies are becomes more confusing than ever.

Blake, still interested in her, tries to make amends. He seems sincere, and Scarlet is confused as she has to grapple with whether to be with Blake or to wait for Sage, who is nowhere to be found.

When Scarlet finally finds Sage, they have the most romantic time of her life; yet it is tinged with tragedy, as Sage is dying, with but a few days left to live.

Kyle, meanwhile, turned into the only other vampire left in the world, is on a murderous rampage, seeking Scarlet; Caitlin and Caleb consult with Aiden, and they each embark on different missions—Caleb to stop and kill Kyle, and Caitlin, to the famed Yale University library, to research the ancient relic rumored to both cure and kill vampires for all time.

It is a race against time, and it may be too late. Scarlet is changing rapidly, barely able to control what she’s becoming, and Sage is dying with each passing moment. As the book culminates in an action-packed, shocking twist, Scarlet will be left with a monumental choice—one that will change the world forever. Will Scarlet make the ultimate sacrifice to save Sage’s life? Will she risk everything she has for love?

Molly absolutely loves Christmas. Candy canes, egg nog, mistletoe, the works. She can't get enough of it. And so it's only natural that she works at the local Christmas store, Christmas Wishes. But when the Scrooge-like Nicholas comes to town, looking to sell his father's business out from under him, it looks like Molly's dream job is disappearing. Worse yet, she's starting to fall for Nicholas, despite everything telling her not to. With one last chance to save the store, Molly appeals to the power of Christmas itself, attempting to convert Nicholas to seeing the beauty of the holiday. Can Christmas magic really make Christmas Wishes come true? Fans of Hallmark Christmas movies will be swept away by Christmas Wishes, a small-town standalone holiday romance with mistletoe and magic. Grab a glass of eggnog, sit by a warm fire, and enjoy!

16 year old Scarlet Paine finds herself changing in mysterious ways. She is becoming sensitive to light, able to read peoples’ thoughts, and is faster and stronger than she’s ever been. She doesn’t understand what’s happening to her, and tries to ignore it. But she can only dismiss it for so long.

Caitlin Paine, her mom, knows too well what’s happening to her daughter. She underwent the same transformation to vampire once, centuries ago. But now, in the present day, as a mere human, she has no memory of it. All she has is the journal she found in the attic—her mysterious vampire journal—telling of her exploits in another time and place, and of the vampire race being eradicated. But was there one exception to the rule? Could it be that Scarlet, her daughter, is the last remaining vampire on earth?

As Scarlet tries to fight who she’s becoming, she also tries to fight her intense feelings for Blake, a boy in her grade who she has a crush on. She can’t tell, though, if he’s into her, and with the big Halloween dance just days away, the pressure is on. She would do anything for Blake to ask her. But Vivian, the meanest of the popular girls, is also on Blake’s radar, and she’ll do anything to make Blake hers—and to make Scarlet’s life a living hell.

Luckily Scarlet has her own clique of friends to back her up, including her best friends Maria and Jasmin. They, too, have guy troubles—but it isn’t until Sage appears, the mysterious new boy, that her friends become obsessed. Scarlet finds herself attracted to him, too—and is surprised when it is her, of all the girls in the school, that he pays attention to. But her mind is set on Blake, at least for now, and she continues to hope he’ll ask her to the dance.

Just when it seems that Scarlet has what she wants, her body changes. Soon it may be impossible for her to be near her fellow humans. Soon, she may have to choose between her desire to live and her desire for love.

Ryan Carter came to Arkwood University to escape his past especially Jake, the possessive ex who blurred every line between love and control. But his “fresh start” takes a messy turn when he clashes with Daniel Brooks: the cold, perfect, student body VP with too much power and zero patience for Ryan’s sharp tongue. They hate each other on sight. But hate has a way of burning too hot and the line between enemies and something else is thinner than either of them is ready for. What starts as tension becomes obsession. And when the past comes knocking, Ryan finds himself stuck between who he was, who he’s becoming, and a boy he never planned to want.

When Caterina Mari Santelli--daughter of a Capo--was born, she became a living curse. It was against the Italian mob to fraternize with the Russian enemy. And when her father decided to marry her late Russian mother, their family was walking on a thread in the Mafia industry. So, here comes Lucas De Marchi--a Boss--pure Italian from the greatest and legendary bloodline. His goal is to marry Caterina for her to be stripped off from being a curse, for him to be, someday, head of both clans and another dark mission he has to fulfill. But Caterina isn't a damsel in distress. When she met Lucas and discovered the truth, she knew there was blood to be shed. Only she didn't know whose.

Caitlin and Caleb find themselves, once again, back in time—this time, in the London of 1599.

London in 1599 is a wild place, filled with paradoxes: while on the one hand it is an incredibly enlightened, sophisticated time, breeding playwrights like Shakespeare, on the other, it is also barbaric and cruel, with daily public executions, torture, and heads of prisoners impaled on spikes. It is also a time of superstition and grave public danger, with a lack of sanitation, and the Bubonic Plague spreading in the streets, carried by rats.

In this environment Caitlin and Caleb land, on the search for her father, for the third key, for the mythical shield that can save humankind. Their mission takes them through a whirlwind of London’s most amazing medieval architecture, through the British countryside’s most breathtaking castles. It takes them back into the heart of London, where they just might meet Shakespeare himself, and see one of his plays live. It brings them to a little girl, Scarlet, who just might become their daughter. And all the while, Caitlin’s love for Caleb deepens, as finally they are together—and as Caleb might just finally find the perfect time, and place, to propose to her.

Sam and Polly have traveled back, too, and as they find themselves stuck together on their own journey, their relationship deepens, as they each, despite themselves, can’t help feeling more deeply for each other.

But all is not well. Kyle has come back, too, as has his evil sidekick, Sergei, and they are both intent on destroying everything good in Caitlin’s life. It will be a race to the finish, as Caitlin is forced to make some of the hardest decisions of her life if she is to save everyone who is dear to her, save her relationship with Caleb—and try to make it out alive.

Dalia Reyes came to the city chasing dreams—not trouble. But being undocumented means she’s always one step away from losing everything she’s worked for. Cleaning condos for people who don’t even know her name, she’s learned to survive quietly, invisibly… until one bad day throws her right into the path of Lucas Daniels the cold, arrogant, impossibly handsome billionaire heir who seems to have it all, except what he wants most: his father’s approval. When Lucas powerful father demands he “settle down” or lose his inheritance, Dalia becomes the most unlikely solution to his very expensive problem. The deal is simple: a fake marriage. Six months. No strings attached. But nothing about their arrangement stays simple for long. Because somewhere between the lies, the late-night arguments, and the moments they forget it’s all pretend—Dalia starts to feel something dangerously real. And when secrets from both their worlds collide, they’ll have to decide what’s worth saving: the truth, their freedom… or each other.

"I need you to stay here, spy on Leonardo. Feed me information on his every move." "A spy?" I repeated. "Yes," he said. "We'll use your proximity to our advantage. You'll be my eyes and ears inside the estate.” “Agreed.” Genna , a vulnerable witness to her brother's brutal murder, is sold into slavery to the notorious Sorrento family—the same clan that killed her brother. Their lives become linked when Genna meets Leonardo Sorrento, the family's enigmatic Mafia Lord. However, Marco, Leonardo's vicious twin brother, manipulates Genna and ensnares her in a web of deceit. Torn between revenge and love, Genna must face the dark legacy of the Sorrento family and her own destiny. As she makes her way through this dangerous terrain, her love for Leonardo ignites a passion that threatens to consume them. But will their love withstand the secrets, lies, and the mafia's deadly grasp, or will Genna 's quest for justice and redemption tear them apart? Will the memories of Genna 's past destroy their chance for happiness, or will their love serve as a ray of hope in the shadows?

"Please," I whisper as his teeth graze my neck, my body betraying every promise I made to keep him at a distance. "We can't—" "Can't?" His laugh is dark, dangerous. "Your wolf is screaming for me, Fin. I can smell how much you want this." His hands pin my wrists above my head, his body pressing mine against the wall. "Tell me to stop. Tell me you don't dream about my hands on your skin, my mark on your throat." His lips brush my ear, voice rough with need. "Tell me, and I'll walk away. But we both know you're tired of denying what's between us." Finley Bennett never expected to be Alpha of Forest Trails pack. But when her brother refuses the role, she's determined to prove a female can lead - even if it means burying her broken heart. Because the one wolf who was supposed to be her perfect match chose another, leaving her with nothing but duty to cling to. When Mountain Ridge's powerful Alpha arrives to discuss border threats, his sudden marking of her as his mate offers a second chance at happiness. But fate isn't finished testing her yet. Another cruel rejection leaves her wondering if she's destined to lead alone. As mysterious attacks threaten pack lands and ancient magic stirs, Finley must navigate pack politics, unseen enemies, and the return of her first mate. But something darker lurks beneath the surface - a hidden enemy whose manipulation could cost her everything she's fought to protect. With her territory under siege and her heart torn between two wolves who rejected her, Finley must decide: can she trust fate's choice a third time? Or will opening her heart again destroy everything she's built?