The Long Shadow Review

The supernatural creatures of the world have long been governed by The Council, made of representatives of each faction: werewolves, vampires, witches, and fae. The Council’s main goals were to keep the existence of magic from humans and keep any one group from becoming too powerful. Legends of a creature, a hybrid capable of being more than one supernatural creature, have existed as long as the beings themselves. A hybrid would be able to topple The Council, and whichever faction they were loyal to would rule with ease. As such, the purposeful creation of such a creature was forbidden. In 2012, ancient vampire Elias Elhassan found Claire Luna. After years of living in and out of the oncology ward, the 26-year-old was ready for death. Until he approached her and offered her a way to live without the constant pain she had become so accustomed to. 24-year-old Colin Lucin, the youngest, bastard son of the Alpha of the Half-Moon pack, did not want much from life. After a childhood filled with loss and pain, he was more than satisfied to be the pack’s nurse and stay out of the way of his father and eldest brothers. But in order to maintain a long-held pact with a local coven, once every generation, a witch is destined to mate with a wolf of the Alpha line. Thrown into a political battle that neither knows anything about, Claire and Colin are forced to navigate a centuries-old web of lies, torture, and manipulation. Though they are fated to be together, can they trust each other’s words? Can they even survive long enough to find out? Trigger warnings: Depictions of: violence, blood, language, sexual content (to what degree is yet to be decided) Implied: abuse, sexual content

On the day of my birthday, I'm burning with a fever that almost hits 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of that, I've called Tristan Graham more than a dozen times. He never picks up any of them. In the end, my dad has to take me to the hospital. When we walk past a corridor, he suddenly stops in his tracks. "Mr. Graham? What are you doing here?" I raise my head to see Tristan and Madison Franklin walking from the OBGYN department. Their fingers are tightly laced together. Tristan is even carrying a bag of medication. Birth control pills as well as ointment meant to be used on private parts can be seen in that bag. My mind goes blank at that moment. All I can do is stare at Tristan. As soon as our eyes meet, Tristan frowns slightly at me, though his gaze only lingers on me for a second before he turns to look at my dad. "I'll be hosting a banquet in the garden tomorrow night. Remember to decorate the garden nicely." Dad quickly accepts the order. "Don't worry, Mr. Graham. When Luna's fever breaks out, I'll deal with this task right away." Tristan is momentarily stunned by Dad's words. When he notices my unnaturally flushed cheeks, he instinctively takes a step toward me. But that's when Madison tugs his sleeve. "Stop wasting precious time on a gardener's daughter, Tristan. Let's go. I'm still in pain, you know." Tristan stops in his tracks instantly. Then, he leaves with Madison. Later on, he pays for my hospital bills. Our seven-year underground relationship that's considered a taboo is also paid off as well.

He killed a witch to stop a curse. Instead, he became its prison. Vaelor Rauvenhollow is an Alpha doomed by his own blood. An ancient evil is sealed inside him, one that feeds on his strength, his rage, his life. Every full moon, it claws closer to freedom. Every heartbeat brings the end of the world nearer. The only person who can stop it is the daughter of the woman he murdered. Ilyra Morwen crosses into wolf territory knowing she will not leave alive. She comes not for revenge, but to finish the spell her mother died casting. What she finds is worse than a monster… it is a man already breaking. They are enemies bound by blood, magic, and a curse that refuses to sleep. Hate turns to tension. Tension turns to something dangerous. And the thing inside Vaelor is watching them both. Because the seal is cracking. The shadow is awake. And when it breaks free, love will not be enough to save anyone. Read if you dare, before the curse does..

Selene was born an Omega, the lowest-ranking member of the Bloodmoon Pack—powerless, unwanted, a stain on their dominance-driven hierarchy. For years, she endured humiliation, pain, and suffering, tossed aside by the Alphas and Betas who saw her as nothing more than a weakling unfit for their world. They stripped her of dignity, stole every ounce of hope, and left her with nothing but scars and silence. Until one night, something changed. Until the darkness within her awoke. And when Selene escaped, she didn't just survive. She became something greater than them all.

My mother was the villainess of a story. When I was born, the story came to its end. In the past, she was a rich heiress who drowned herself in luxury and pleasure. At present, everyone condemned her and spat in her path. After my father, the male lead of the story, betrayed her, her family went bankrupt. She knew nothing and had no skills, but for me, she was willing to learn from scratch.

In the Kingdom of Deovaria, the peaceful Faery have been killed and enslaved by their neighboring Kingdom of Humans. The remaining few forced to choose between life or death, agree to live under the humans rule. Freedom comes with a price though. Faeries are to immediately stop all use of magic, and all faerie women are to be taken into the castle walls to bear one child that will be half human, and half faery. Giving the King a glimpse into what he always wanted, and invincible army. To try and protect their kind, a curse is placed on the Kingdom to stop all faery from having female children. Eighteen years later, Aspen, is the last female to turn of age. When she is taken by force, she turns her magic onto the humans, killing a guard in the process and committing treason against her new King. Little does she know she will soon come face to face with a furious Prince, and a longer journey than she had ever imagined.

Ava-Rose Redclaw is excited when she meets Alastor Drexel on her 19th birthday. He's handsome, powerful, and the Alpha of The Drexel Forest pack. Proud of the mate the Moon Goddess gifted her with, she wants to jump into her role as Luna only days after meeting. As soon as Ava-Rose touches the Drexel Forest pack's soil, her mate's true nature surfaces. He's a cruel tyrant, with a thirst for blood. Ava realizes that her mate has no love in his heart for her. Saddened by this fact, she turns to his younger brother, Beta Trenton Drexel and they begin a 10-year affair. He loves her dearly, but he loves his brother more, so much so, that he turns a blind eye to the abuse Ava-Rose endures by his brother's hand. Tired of the abuse and humiliation, Ava teams up with a White Witch she befriended who lives alone in the swamps. Winifred invites Ava to run away with her to a land far, far away, out of the reach of her mate. Ava sees this as the perfect opportunity, as she's been planning her escape for a while, knowing that the day is near when her secret will come out. On the day of the voyage, scores of she-wolves from near and far show up to journey with the Luna. They are tired of their abusive relationships as well. Days later and they arrive at Mount Hecate, a sacred place for white witches. Ava is content with getting revenge on the pack that tried to break her. Love is the furthest thing from her mind until she meets Typhon, a mysterious shifter that lives on the top of the mountain.

Sa mundo ng mga makapangyarihan, ang pag-ibig ay hindi isang pagpipilian—ito'y isang kasunduan. Para kay Klarise Olive, isang mailap at napakagandang ballerina sa Paris, at kay Louie Ray, isang mapagmataas at aroganteng billionaire cosmetic surgeon, ang kasal ay isang tanikalang pilit isinuklob sa kanila. Isang kulungang hindi nila ginusto. Isang sumpaang hindi nila pinili. Isang umaga, dinala sila ng kanilang mga magulang sa isang seremonyang inakala nilang isang simpleng pagtitipon—hindi nila alam, sila pala ang mga bida sa isang kasalang hindi nila alam na kanila. Sa puting bestida at tuxedo, natagpuan nila ang kanilang mga sarili sa harap ng altar, walang ibang pagpipilian kundi ang lumakad at bumigkas ng panatang hindi nagmula sa kanilang puso. At sa simula pa lamang, ang kanilang pagsasama ay puno ng tensyon at pangamba. Si Klarise, na buong buhay niyang inalay sa sining at kalayaan, ay ngayon nakagapos sa isang relasyong hindi niya ginusto. Si Louie, isang lalaking hindi kailanman naniwala sa kasal, ay napilitang pakasalan ang babaeng hindi niya hinangad. Ang digmaan ng mga titig, sagutan, at matitinding emosyon ay namayani sa kanilang pagsasama. Ngunit sa bawat pagtatalo, sa bawat sulyap na puno ng galit at pangungutya, isang pagnanais ng pag-unawa at pagmamahal ang unti-unting sumisilip sa kanilang mga puso. Galit nga ba talaga ang namamagitan sa kanila? O mayroon bang alon ng pagmamahal na higit pa sa lahat ng kasunduan ? O may isang damdaming mas malalim, mas totoo, at mas mahirap ipagkaila? Sa gitna ng kanilang magkaibang mundo at personalidad, magsisimula silang hanapin ang kabuluhan ng kanilang piniling kasunduan.

After being locked away her entire life for her protection, Esme is finally let loose on the world. Being half vampire half human in a new world of mean girls and social expectations leaves her unprepared. Luckily for her, she had a guardian ready and waiting to help her through the challenges. Will finding out the identity of her guardian turn out to be her greatest difficulty of all?

A number one CEO unbothered queen was kidnapped and hidden inside the island with her kidnapper--the mafia leader of the kidnapping syndicate.