The Saints Of Swallow Hill

My roommate sets me up. She deliberately forces me into a death-trap survival game. As I shut my eyes and wait for death to take me, I realize that the game's bosses can read my mind. "Look at the blood spurting from this baby doll's neck. It's like a fountain of pee." The baby doll is baffled. It's about to launch its ultimate move, but it falters. "Man, look at how this guy is still sweeping the streets when he's so old. Does he not have a pension?" The old man is about to swallow me whole, but he suddenly gets a heart attack. An ambulance takes him away. "Oh, so this is the amusement park's owner. Oh, dear god, he's handsome, albeit a little skinny. I can send him flying with a kick!" The handsome owner's expression darkens. He instantly takes off his shirt to reveal his washboard abs. "Do you still think I'm skinny?"

“Is there something I can help you find, love?” His rich, smoky, slightly accented voice made it hard for me to concentrate. “I…uh. I…I was w-wondering w-where the c-coffee maker was.” Was that my voice? Since when did I sound like a sultry sex kitten? I slowly looked up. I was met with his intense baby blues and once again my body, the treasonous bitch, reacted to him. It took all I had to swallow and don’t think I missed for one second the way his eyes followed my natural body function. This man was sex incarnate and if I was being forced to cohabitate with him I was going to have to be extra careful. “I don’t drink that shit.” His mouth pulled to the side in his trademark smirk. “Then what’s in that?” I point to his mug. “It’s tea.” He said, trying not to smile. “Close your mouth, love. Unless you want me to put something in it?” He whispered in my ear.

"You'd look pretty rolling your eyes like that when I'm in your throat." ~ Marriage was never for love-it was for legacy. A strategy. A performance. And for the Lombardis and the Morettis, it was the most calculated, showstopping alliance of the century. Roman Moretti, Don of the La Cosa Nostra, and Angeline Lombardi, only daughter of the French-Italian Mafia Capo, had been betrothed since her birth --matched to unite two empires under one crown. Hidden from the world, Angeline was raised to be the perfect wife. Groomed. Silenced. Controlled. She learned early that one misstep would strip her of everything-including her name. Everyone's first mistake? They underestimated her. Though no one had ever seen her, the world assumed the Lombardi Princess was a polished doll. Quiet. Disposable. Roman saw the marriage as a formality-another calculated step toward total dominance. He had no plans to love her. No plans to live with her. Just a wife on paper, tucked away from him elsewhere, summoned when needed for appearances. But everything changed the moment he saw her walking down the aisle. She was perfection. Untouchable. She would be his ruin, his weakness, his obsession, his motivation. His everything. But what if that had been her plan all along? Not everything buried stays dead. Not every identity is what it seems. In a world where saints become monsters and monsters are worshipped like gods, Angeline must decide what's worth saving: her bloodline, her love, or herself. ~ -HEA -Mature scenes/18+ -Romance/mystery/thriller -No Cheating/OWD -DARK ROMANCE

In a city of cold glass and dark secrets, the Thorne family rules with an iron fist and a hidden curse. For a hundred years, the "Beast" has lived in their blood, fueled by the power they stole from the Sterling family. ​Elena Sterling thought she was just a girl from the gutters, trying to save her dying father. She didn't know that her blood held the Sterling Spark—the only light capable of taming the darkness. When she is forced into a contract with the cold and powerful Alaric Thorne, she expects a prison. Instead, she finds a man fighting a war inside his own soul. ​As Alaric’s curse grows out of control, Elena’s hidden power awakens. Together, they must flee the city, face the ghosts of their ancestors in a shadow dimension, and discover the truth of a lineage that could save or destroy the world. ​But the Council is watching. They want the power of their child—the first "Balance" the world has seen in centuries. Can Elena and Alaric survive the hunt and reclaim their home, or will the legacy of the Beast swallow the Spark forever?

“Come with me,“ he ordered.  “I'm not going anywhere!“ Freya stood her ground, looking up at his blank face.   Something flashed past his dark eyes as he heard her. “You really have some guts, don't you?“   “Well, I don't care what this is. I don't care why I'm in a wedding gown and why I'm being treated like I chose this. You could kill me if you want. But I'm not—”   “Is this about the kiss, my Lady?“ he asked, sounding amused.  Freya wanted the ground to open up and swallow her at that moment. Her face went scarlet red and she almost forgot the other reason why she was angry. “Why should I care about the fact that you didn't kiss me? I barely know you and—”   “Right.“ That was all he said before he gently grabbed her waist and crushed his lips on hers...

" Are you sure you want to do this?" His deep voice made her swallow hard, his dangerous yet beautiful eyes drew her in and finally, his warm touch left sparks on her skin." Ezra will have my head." His words didn't match the look in his eyes. She knew he wanted her as much as she did or maybe more! " I just want my mate." she finally said, making her intentions clear, the desired look in her eyes matching his." I'm here." It all started when Catherine became the chosen mate of the Lycan king who was known for his cruelty. But everything went downhill when fate intervened and her fated mate surfaced, he was no other than the strongest Lycan warrior and the most trusted warrior to the Lycan king. Fate, betrayal, love, and destiny, would Catherine be happy especially when the Lycan king wants no other woman as his mate aside from her?

🔥Her mate abandoned her for her sister. His dangerous brother decided to keep her.🔥 Olivia Reed's one-sided love for Eric ended in public humiliation when he ditched her at the airport during the camp trip for another woman-her own sister. Alone and exposed, she wished the earth would swallow her whole. Then a voice, dark and luring, cut through the air: "She's with me." It was Killian Roosevelt. Eric's estranged brother. Where Eric is false sunshine, Killian is all brooding danger, tattoos, and deadly allure. He wasn't part of her plan. Neither was sharing a room together. Now, forced into close proximity with the one man her husband hates most, Olivia is about to discover that sometimes salvation comes from the most forbidden place... And it looks damn good in leather. ~~~~~~ This is a dark, steamy standalone werewolf romance with themes of revenge, secrets, possession, and healing. Reader discretion is advised due to mature content and triggering themes, including violence and abuse, etc. 🔞

All along, I've been following a social media account that's dedicated to a couple sharing about their romance. It doesn't have a lot of followers, but the posts are all very heartwarming. The owner of the account records all the little details about his relationship with his girlfriend. They get into arguments over a plate of pasta before breaking into laughter and calling each other an overgrown child. They climb up the hill to hold each other under the sky full of stars, wishing they could make time pause at that very moment. Even though the owner of the account never reveals his face, I am always moved by the words he writes. The day before my wedding, the owner uploads a new post. "This marks the end of our ten-year relationship. From now on, she'll be his wife, and I'll only be his friend. There won't be any more updates to this account. I wish nothing but the best for my best friend and the woman he loves the most." The picture uploaded with this caption is one of my fiancee and me, taken from behind.

This story continues from Fated Mate Life had been great these past few weeks. I have a hot boyfriend, got back my dad and my adopted sisters were happy with their significant others. Life was good. That is until I started getting attacked by bouts of pain that would render me unconscious. Something was wrong with me, Ash knew but he wasn’t sharing. He's afraid I'll take off again, like the last time he dropped a bomb on me. Finding out that my dad was not dead and had been living with the love of my life for the past thirteen years, without bothering to drop in at the orphanage where I lived with a how do you do even once, who wouldn't have a fit and take off? Worse than that, Steve, in the worst form possible, is back to haunt me. And Ash with his hug archaic pride just won’t let it go. And things just seem to be going down hill from there. What’s a girl to do to get some long term happiness?

Every woman who marries into the Ardhana family dies on her wedding night. Alika, a quiet orphan with no memory of her origins, receives an unexpected marriage proposal from Damar Ardhana—a wealthy heir known for his cold demeanor and the dark rumors surrounding his bloodline. The townspeople whisper of a curse. Seven brides. Seven deaths. All on the first night. Alika doesn’t believe in superstitions—until she finds herself standing in front of an ancient mansion atop a mist-covered hill, saying vows to a man who won’t meet her gaze. That night, she hears whispers behind the walls. Sees a bride in the mirror who isn’t her. And remembers fragments of a life she never lived. Something isn’t right. Something inside this house wants her dead. But something else… wants her to remember. Now, trapped between a marriage she can’t escape and a past that won’t stay buried, Alika must uncover the truth before she becomes the next name on the gravestone. Because this curse doesn’t kill at random. It kills for a reason.