The Saints Of Swallow Hill

What does the underboss of an infamous crime family have in common with a spirited primary school teacher? Absolutely nothing, except a marriage of convenience, of course. When Lionel Tyson defaults on a gambling debt and offers his most prized possession as collateral, Austin Hawthorne is underwhelmed. But in desperate need of a housekeeper and permanent child minder, he knows he’d be an idiot to look a gift horse in the mouth. So, against his better judgement, he accepts an offer he should absolutely refuse. Marybeth Tyson is horrified to learn that not only is her father wanted by loan sharks, but he has also sold her off to a mafia boss. Bound by duty and pushed by guilt, she agrees to give Austin Hawthorne one year of her life, despite common sense screaming at her to run the other way. After all, how hard can pretending to be madly in love with someone be? It’s all fun and games until play pretend becomes all too real, and an earth-shattering secret from Austin’s past comes to light, threatening to destroy his second chance at love with his dogged pursuit for answers. Betrayal, especially at the hands of his older brother Blake and long-time friend, Andrei Ivanov, is a bitter pill to swallow for Austin, and letting them off scot-free is not an option. Driven by his unquenchable thirst for revenge, Austin will stop at nothing to get to the truth, even if it means destroying decade-old friendships and fragile ties to The Corporation. 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.

Fabian is selective when it comes to women—he doesn’t just pick random girls from the bar. He has a long list of women who are only a call away, ready to satisfy him in bed. He wants them to be educated, intelligent, sexy, wealthy, and, of course, experienced in bed. He prefers women from the wealthiest families and insists on them being insanely beautiful. But all those high standards are about to be thrown out the window when he meets Georgina, a stripper at a club. Horrified by the intense attraction he felt when he first saw her dance, he immediately dismissed the idea of having her in his bed. Yet, night after night, images of her naked body moving seductively haunted his dreams. He saw her perky breasts bouncing as she swayed, her inviting pink slit tempting him for a taste. And every time, he would wake up drenched in sweat, his body aching with desire. Can the high and mighty Fabian Romano swallow his pride for a woman who never fails to make him hard in his dreams? Georgina is the breadwinner of her family—a stripper and an on-call escort. She’ll do anything for money, including selling her body and soul. What choice does she have? She doesn’t know any other way to make good money except by stripping and entertaining the rich patrons at the club. She openly admits she’s ambitious—she wants to catch a wealthy man who will lift her and her family out of poverty. And she doesn’t care who she has to step on to achieve that dream. She’s a bitch, a gold digger, and a homewrecker.

From the kind boy next door, Rhys became her protector, standing next to her as she grieved the death of her mother, and slowly, he became a significant part of her, her only friend, and the man who made her heart flutter, her boyfriend, and her future Alpha. To Sabrina, everything was figured out, marrying Rhys after graduation and serving the pack as its Luna. All she had to do was wait for three years, three agonising years, surrounded by bullies, a nonchalant father, and an indifferent pack. In those years, the thought of reuniting with Rhys was the only thing that kept her going. And yet, just when she thought that it was all coming to an end, fate unleashes its fangs at her. He is back, but this time, he is no longer hers, unlike before, he no longer has eyes for her. And the future that he promised her? It's there, but she is no longer a part of it. Amery, her stepsister, her bully, is the woman beside him. He is no longer her protector. He has joined the enemy camp. Betrayed, heartbroken, and dejected, Sabrina chooses to leave the pack. Three years later, a call from her estranged father has her finding her way back to the pack, to attend Amery's wedding, and the Groom? Her once-upon-a-time, boyfriend and the future Alpha to the pack. A rejection is inevitable when Rhys and Sabrina find out that they are fated mates, but he is forced to swallow back the rejection by his Alpha father and this time, Sabrina is the bride, the future luna, the woman next to him, and the woman he hates. How far with their enemity stretch? With love and enmity simmering between them in equal measures, what does the future hold?

After being sent back in time to relive my life, I stopped standing up for the popular girl who got caught stealing. When she returned to college for classes, I dropped out. When she came to my house looking for me, I moved. I did everything I could to cut off all contact with her. Before I died in my last life, I knew she married me only for my family’s money, yet I still handed her my heart like a fool. The jewelry I gave her was “tacky.” Trying to get close to her was “annoying.” I held on to a cold, empty marriage, thinking that as long as I waited, she would eventually turn back to me. However, for more than twenty years, all I got was her indifference. I didn’t even dare touch the doorknob to her room. Then came the fire, and I risked my life to push her out the window to safety. Right before I died, I saw my wife, completely unharmed, run straight into the arms of our college valedictorian. Crying, she said she was finally free from the marriage that had made her miserable for decades. If life could start over, she said, she hoped to walk hand in hand with the person she truly loved. In that moment, my heart went dead. I let the fire swallow whatever remained of my life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the bar where the popular girl was working part-time and stealing money from a customer. This time, I chose to call the police.

It's the final round of this year's Pack Pup Tournament. I can't take my eyes off my pup, Patrick Grant, as he wins the title. When the host calls Patrick's parents onstage to celebrate, I leap up, thrilled. But then I see Nicholas Grant, my Alpha mate, walk up with his secretary, Natalia Lawson. They stand side by side under the spotlight, kissing Patrick on both cheeks. It's as if Natalia is the mother, as if she's the Luna of our pack, as if they're the perfect family. I can only stand there in the audience, feeling the weight of countless startled stares, too ashamed to lift my head. Later, Nicholas brushes the incident off. "You were seated farther back. It was easier to bring Natalia up on stage," he explains. Easier? I swallow the humiliation and force myself to believe it was just an unfortunate coincidence—until today, that is. I sense through our blood bond that something's wrong with Patrick, so I drop everything and race to the pack hospital. But when I arrive, Patrick is lying in Natalia's lap, whining to her in a soft voice. I step forward to introduce myself, but the healer only looks surprised. "The emergency contact form lists Natalia as his mom, though." It turns out Patrick himself had stripped me of my role as his mother. And Nicholas didn't stop him. I finally understand. I don't belong in this family anymore. That night, I tell Nicholas I want to dissolve the mate bond between us. He doesn't even look up as he says, "Don't be dramatic. You'd dissolve our bond over a single name on a form?" "Yes."

"Your insecurity is my temptation," I groaned, lowering my head and kissing every one of her exquisite curves. Araceli Serrano — innocent, sheltered, and trapped under the mercy of a cruel stepmother and a venomous stepsister — had no control over her own life. So when she was suddenly handed over in marriage to Matvei Orlov… a man she had never seen, never spoken to, never even dared to imagine — fear became her only companion. He was darkness where she was light. Power where she was powerless. Danger where she had only ever known silence. Thrown into his ruthless world, her insecurities and fragile naivety clashed violently with the cold man she now belonged to. But somewhere between his dominance and her fear… something began to shift. Because the more his dark world tried to swallow her whole, the more it awakened a confidence in her no one had ever seen before. Matvei Orlov — a powerful mafia king, feared, obeyed, and never questioned — was a man carved from ice. Cold. Cruel. Proud to the bone. So when he chose to marry a mere commoner, Araceli Serrano, it wasn’t out of love… It was revenge. A calculated move meant to spite his father and prove that no one — not even blood — could dictate his choices. To him, she was nothing more than a pawn. Soft. Powerless. Easy to control. But Matvei had ruled empires, not innocence. What he never saw coming was this —trying to tame someone so untouched by his dark world… might be the very thing that would drag the mighty Matvei Orlov to his knees.

It happened on Thanksgiving Day. I was on my way to my girlfriend's house when a car slammed straight into mine. The road was deserted, not a single person was around. The doors were jammed shut from the impact, and flames were licking toward the engine. I fumbled for the safety hammer, only to find that someone had replaced it with a toy hammer shaped like a cartoon bear. Panicking, I called my girlfriend. But before she could even pick up, her ringtone started playing from the car that had just hit me. Luna Hill stepped out, hand in hand with her childhood sweetheart, Julian Ford. Julian put on a show of alarm. "Oh no, I'm such an idiot! My first time driving, and I already hit a car." When Luna saw that it was me in the crushed car, she quickly tried to calm him down. "It's fine. He probably did it on purpose." I pounded on the window, shouting for her. "Luna, the safety hammer's been switched out! Please, help me get out!" Julian burst into a grin. "Sebastian, that was me! The little bear hammer's adorable, isn't it?" Luna's face twisted in disgust. "You're fine. Stop being dramatic. Figure it out yourself." Thick smoke was billowing inside the car, and it was about to explode. I begged her to get me out. Julian chuckled. "Sebastian, are you cooking in there or what? That smoke's killing me!" He patted his stomach and said with a laugh, "Man, I'm starving. Luna, let's go home and eat." Luna hooked her arm through his and tossed a parting line over her shoulder. "Enough already. My parents are waiting for us to start dinner." Just as I was about to pass out from the smoke, I slammed my hand on the car's emergency button.

“You are mine alone! I forbid you to look at any other man, your eyes should be on me!”, he snarled at me, trapping me to the wall, and his grip on my waist got stronger. I winced in pleasure and pain, his touch always has that sinful effect on me, His eyes were daring me to say something to push him off the limit but I know my mate too well now, how ruthless he can be when it comes to his possession (me). “I won't be a scapegoat today,” she thought to herself, pressing her wet hips together, trying to stop her body from wanting him. ******* Being the unwanted pup in the family came with many sufferings. Tahlia's father hated & tormented her because he lost the love of his life (her mother), during her birth. Until he came like a storm into her life without any warning. The only existing lycan descendant and royal Alpha Caspian kade Lexington of north hill park (the biggest and strongest park in the whole vicinity) is known for his godlike and Gorgeous features but his vile nature, raging temper, killer, and brutality reputation always preceded. Everyone feared him and he showed no mercy or weakness, it’s like he enjoyed it. He claimed her as his mate, known to always takes what he wants, but she’s also very stubborn, she will fight for her life and freedom, but her resistance, seems to spark the fire in him, none of her tactics were working and she was getting weak. The strong mate bond and the heat were getting to her - will Tahlia Bryony be able to find the true meaning of love in her mate or flee from it? Will Alpha Caspian open up and give her what she always hoped for?.

Josh Carter, a beguiling wealthy person known for his costly occasions and laid-back manner, is at crossroads. At the point when his dad dies suddenly, he is given a horrendous predicament framed in his dad's will: wed to acquire the Carter family riches, or watch everything deteriorate away. The Carter realm's past weighs intensely on Josh's shoulders, yet the idea of surrendering his unique lone fierce way of life feels like detainment. Josh makes a dangerous arrangement to get away from this unexpected circumstance. He moves toward Amy Wesley, the contemplative and bashful proprietor of a little bookstore in the downtown area, with a fascinating proposition: a contract marriage. Amy, who is lowered under water and fantasies about reestablishing her valued yet monetary striving bookstore, takes Josh's deal. They start their contract marriage, what starts as a ploy changes into considerably more. Josh's unbending facade starts to break, finding scars from a difficult past he's for quite some time tried to neglect. Amy, with secret stores of force, shrewdly directs Josh through the complexities of their bogus marriage. Their lives become weaved surprisingly, and the limits between what's valid and what's only for show get obscured. Amy finds a secret note tending to her, covered in the dusty profundities of the bookstore, similarly as they have faith in the possibility of certifiable love. The note implies a labrynth of foul play and covered thought processes that causes some qualms about Josh's real goals. Amy starts on an excursion to find the purpose for Josh's inspirations, driven by encoded hints from the note, and the plot takes an unexpected bearing. The novel closes with a strained excursion through the city's complex roads, leaving Amy's life in risk, and a dark message implying towards a perilous plot squeezing to swallow them both.

Death doesn’t scare me, Firefly. Even if I must swallow poison, I shall claim you as mine,” Keir whispered in her ears, holding Eliza’s wrist firmly. While trying to push him away, Eliza growled, pointing her dagger at him, “Any last wish then?” “Yes, fall in love with me.” Pulling her closer to his chest and looking into her eyes, he leaned closer to her face, “Damn! You are gonna kill me just with your glare, Firefly.” Eliza's face turned pale, hearing the clattering of footsteps, “Just leave before my brother finds you!” Keir brushed his thumb on her delicate lips as he whispered in a husky tone, “I will be back for you. Don't forget that you belong to me.” _____ Eliza, a werewolf princess, committed the sin of falling in love with her greatest enemy, Keir, the Lycan Prince. She faced the consequences too. Her family was murdered brutally while she escaped somehow. She pledged her hatred towards Keir for eternity. The destiny had another plan for them. Eliza found herself pregnant with Keir’s child. As a single mother with no money and power, it was extremely difficult to take care of everything when she collided with Keir once again. Surprisingly, Keir didn’t even remember her existence yet his soul recognised her scent. The intoxicating scent of desire and passion! The scent that tempted him 5 years ago to break all the rules and taboos to be with that divinely enchanting maiden. The closer he went to her, the more obsessed he became to claim her. That passionate flame was reignited when Keir found Eliza on his bed 5 years later, once again, asking for his love and passion. While Keir was ready to claim her again, Eliza was determined this time not to repeat her mistake…