The Truth Beneath 2016

I saw a post while scrolling through my social media. [Adult male merman for sale. Hard to tame. Letting go for cheap.] I commented, [I'll take him.] The seller asked for ten thousand dollars and promised doorstep delivery. When I opened the package, the merman was nowhere near 160 pounds. He barely weighed over a hundred. His skin was sallow, his ribs visible beneath it, and his tail fin was rotting at the edges. I messaged the seller, [I want a refund.] The message failed to go through.

“I'd do it,”   a voice interrupted. “I'd kiss her.”   Laughter cut short like a needle across a vinyl. Heads turned. Eyes widened. There he was— leaning against the auditorium doorway, dressed in all leather black, clutching a helmet, exuding that dangerous calm was— Killian Lancaster— The school bad boy— The school rebel. The dream boy of every female. Boys wanted to be like him, girls wanted him as a boyfriend, teachers saw him as a nuisance who's hardly in school or attended classes but somehow aced all his classes. He's freaking hot with his tall lean intimidating height, coupled with his pretty face and his long jet black hair hanging on his shoulders to round off the ensemble. His water glass eyes that melted both boys and girls fixated on me. —- Brielle Everly has spent her life in the shadows—overweight, shy, and constantly mocked for her body. She’s invisible to the world, an outcast in her own school. But everything changes when she’s tricked into the lead role of the school play. And the worst part? She has to practice kissing scenes with him—Killian Lancaster, the untouchable bad boy wrapped in leather and mystery. But Killian isn’t just a rebel on a motorcycle. Beneath the smirks and defiance lies a secret the school knows nothing about—a truth darker than anyone could imagine. As their worlds collide, an undeniable pull draws him to Brielle—one he can’t explain, control, or resist. But when she discovers who—or what—he really is, will she be his salvation… or his downfall? Because in the end, Brielle isn’t just a girl he can’t ignore. She’s the key to breaking the curse that haunts him and his kind. The only question is… will she save him, or doom them all?

In Alabama’s rot-soaked bayous, Drucilla Drakes survives by three rules: silence, scars, and never letting Louise—her Bible-thumping captor—catch her hoping. But when a schoolyard ambush leaves her bleeding beneath a stranger’s leather jacket, invisibility becomes a death sentence. Enter Dragon Morales: New Orleans’ most notorious runaway, a cartel prince turned outlaw mechanic with grease-stained hands and a death wish. He doesn’t save people—he survives them. Yet in Dru’s lashed flesh and hellfire gaze, he sees his own shattered reflection. Their bond is gasoline and matches. Dragon’s father—Colombia’s cartel kingpin—hunts them relentlessly. Louise, armed with voodoo rites and the chaos-hungry loa Marinette, vows to break Dru. Their only allies? The Lou Nwa, a bayou biker gang trading in bullets and black magic, and Papa Legba, the crossroads spirit who offers Dru a lethal bargain: *“Her soul or yours.”* Fleeing through the Deep South’s cursed underbelly, they dodge cartel hitmen, haunted swamps, and safehouses reeking of betrayal. Dark magic seeps into old wounds; family secrets tighten like nooses. Dragon swears he’s too ruined to love. Dru knows she’s too shattered to trust. But in the bayou’s choking heat, desire is a grenade they can’t outrun. This isn’t a fairytale. It’s switchblade kisses and saintly curses—a collision of fire and ruin where protectors become predators. Dru doesn’t need saving; she needs an inferno. And Dragon? He’s got a lighter and nothing left to burn. Will they raze the South to ashes, or become the sacrifice the crossroads demands? One truth remains: in the bayou, even survival leaves scars. **Warning:** No princes here. Just bayou smoke, blood-soaked magic, and the kind of love that devours.

Raquel Renaud has spent her entire life overshadowed by the brilliance of her younger sister, Camille—the epitome of beauty and perfection. Raquel has long accepted her role as the family's overlooked daughter, enduring subtle humiliations and a constant sense of inadequacy. When her parents arrange her marriage to Alvaro Bernardi, a strikingly handsome and wildly ambitious businessman, Raquel dares to hope that this union might finally grant her a life of purpose and love. To Alvaro, Raquel is just a tool to fulfill his family's obligations. He hates her—her looks, her existence, even her audacity to love him. Alvaro’s contempt turns to betrayal when Raquel discovers the cruelest truth: Alvaro is having an affair with Camille, her younger sister. The betrayal shatters Raquel to her core. With her heart in ruins, she walks away from the wreckage of her marriage, keeping one devastating secret: she’s pregnant with twins. Five years later, Raquel returns—not as the woman once overlooked and discarded, but as a force to be reckoned with. Her beauty, strength, and newfound grace now turn heads, leaving everyone who once dismissed her in awe. Beneath her dazzling transformation, Raquel hides the wounds of a past that refuses to heal. When fate thrusts her back into the path of Alvaro—a man now consumed by the weight of his past mistakes—and Camille, who has woven herself deeply into Alvaro’s life, old secrets begin to unravel, threatening to tear everything apart. In a world where love is laced with regret and revenge, Raquel must fight her fiercest battle yet: to protect herself, her children, and the fragile happiness she’s painstakingly built. Will the ghosts of her past rise to destroy her, or will she finally take control and emerge victorious in the story of her own life?

Makayla Hopkins - I promised myself I’d never get involved with a politician, but Stacey Sherbourn changed everything. Now I know the truth, and it’s uglier than I ever imagined. Her lies aren’t just personal—they threaten everything I care about. Armed with proof of her corruption, I’ve come to the Colorado Rockies to stop her before she can destroy the pristine wilderness she’s so eager to sacrifice. But what I didn’t plan for was Lilac Ray. Fierce, sharp, and breathtaking, she’s everything Stacey isn’t—and everything I can’t afford to be distracted by. Lilac Ray- When Makayla Hopkins arrived in the Rockies, I knew she wasn’t just another hiker seeking solace. She came with purpose—and danger. My half-sister Stacey had already done enough to destroy these mountains, and I wasn’t about to trust her ex, no matter how determined or charming she seemed. But Makayla’s not who I expected. Beneath her cool, tech-savvy exterior, there’s a fire that matches my own. The closer we get to taking Stacey down, the more I realize the real danger might not be trusting Makayla—it might be falling for her. Book 6 in the Ravenwood Series. It can be read as a standalone. However, to learn about the characters and past events that may be referenced, you should check out the rest of the series. Book 1 - The Princes of Ravenwood (staring Makayla's triplet cousins Darius, Elijah, and Forrest) Book 2 - Chasing Kitsune Book 3 - Expect the Unexpected Book 4 - Out of My League (staring Makayla's cousin Reese) Book 5 - Man's Best Wingman (staring Makayla's cousin Clay featuring her in a supporting role)

"He was the fire I should’ve run from. But I walked straight into the blaze, begging him to burn me. He loved me so hard it bled. Then, he left me — shattered— and now when I hold the power to destroy him, he wants to claim every broken piece." In a world of deceit, can love survive the truth? Kiss of His Betrayal– for those who love dangerous men and the women who dare to love them back. A dark romance of obsession, betrayal, revenge and the kind of love that scars. Read if you crave enemies-to-lovers, twisted chemistry, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. Character Intro: Shefali D'Souza - Barely eighteen… A pure soul with dreams bigger than the sky. Ambitious, fearless, breathtaking— A girl whose beauty wasn’t just on her face, but in the fire burning quietly in her eyes. Her charm? Chaos and poetry wrapped into one. Her sass could stop hearts, and that dimpled smile… dangerously unforgettable. One look at her— and his whole world surrendered at her feet. Damon Knight - He was the sole heir to the most powerful empire in the country— a name that made business tycoons bow and enemies tremble. To the world, he was the renowned boxer, the young CEO, the most eligible bachelor everyone dreamed of. Elegant. Charming. Untouchable. But beneath the tailored suits and angelic reputation… lived a devil carved out of fire and darkness. A man obsessed with the idea of taming innocence, claiming purity, and turning an untouched soul into his most prized possession. Her beauty caught his eye. Her fire… ensnared his soul. What began as a spark of curiosity twisted into an obsession he couldn’t control— and before he even realized it, the devil himself had fallen hopelessly, dangerously in love.

He was a man made of sins. She was the one mistake he couldn’t undo. Luca Romano — the ruthless Don of the Romano crime family — has lived in the shadows for years, drowning in blood, money, and women. But beneath the armor of power lies a ghost he can’t escape: Serena, the girl who once saved his broken soul before vanishing without a trace. Decades later, when Luca sees her again in a supermarket — the same eyes, the same delicate face — he loses control. Within hours, she’s in his mansion, locked away, his lost angel finally returned to him. But she isn’t Serena. She’s Sienna, Serena’s twin sister — the one thrown away, forgotten, and left to survive the streets. Unlike her gentle twin, Sienna bites back. She curses him, fights him, and makes him question the monster he’s become. “You think you own me, Don?” she spits. “No, dolcezza,” he murmurs, pressing his thumb against her jaw. “I think I finally found the one woman who could destroy me.” What begins as a twisted act of obsession turns into a war between them — a battle of wills, lust, and long-buried secrets. Because the more Luca learns about the woman he’s captured, the more he realizes: He might have stolen the wrong twin, but he’s finally met his match. And when the real Serena returns — sweet, innocent, and hiding a darkness he never imagined — Luca will discover the cruelest truth of all: The angel he adored was a lie… and the devil he stole might be the only one who can save him. “I thought you were my redemption,” he says. “No,” she whispers. “I’m your reckoning.”

After awakening years before the demise that once destroyed me, I, Lucy Hale, swear I will never again fall for Adrian Hawthorne. In my last life, loving him earned me nothing but humiliation, betrayal, and a future broken beyond repair. Now, armed with memories I shouldn't possess, I tuck myself away inside my boutique, determined to avoid him, avoid fate, avoid everything. But the universe has never been kind to my plans. No matter how I twist the timeline, Adrian keeps slipping back into my life, closer, impossibly entangled. His eyes linger longer than they should. His questions cut deeper than I’m ready to admit. And worst of all, he seems drawn to me in ways he never was before. And then there is Elias Ward, quiet, observant with eyes sharp enough to see through any disguise. Elias is nothing like Adrian. Where Adrian gleams with cold polish and empty promises, Elias is warmth wrapped in quiet mystery. A man who shouldn’t matter to me. Yet, somehow, he does. As I try to distance myself from the Hawthornes, Elias drifts steadily closer, noticing the cracks in my composure, the ache beneath my smile, the truth I’ve fought so hard to hide. He becomes the one thread I can’t cut, no matter how much I fear being stitched into someone else’s future again. With Adrian circling me like a ghost from the life I escaped, Elias begins to draw me toward a fate I never expected, a fate where for once, I might finally choose myself. And maybe him, too. But the past doesn't release its hold so easily. And neither do the Hawthornes.

Twenty-five years ago, a part of her died... Her father, Grendel Wythorn, is the second-in-command to the twenty-two fanged kingdoms–an indomitable clan of vampires. Grendel Wythorn thirsts for power, and to quench his raging desire—he engaged his daughter to the newly sworn in Shadow emperor—Mark Valtimore. She thought all would be well. At first, it was, until the past loomed in, taking the form of a werewolf alpha. And now, she must fight the face beneath the mask. She is... Erin Grendel, the heiress to the Nebramos kingdom and protector of her family's Faberge!

Since a little boy, William always wanted to be a knight to help the Kingdom's people fend off their enemies and provide safety to his family. So, he found himself a mentor has dedicated from a nobody to a fledgling squire. But fate shall test William's resolve as every step to reach knighthood; new enemies arise to challenge him. Join William as a powerful shadow organization threatens the Kingdom and his loved ones. Would he rise to the occasion and be a knight that the Kingdom needs? Or will he crumble beneath it all?