Things Aren't Always What They Seem

This book is principally about a girl named Izzy, a young beautiful Christain girl who has left her country of birth in search of education in a foreign land; but along the way meets her true self. The self that’s been hiding behind the curtains of her parent’s discipline. Her new found self surprises no one, even those she’s involved with and by “those”, I mean boys and men! Her parents have no idea of what her life is like without them and apparently, you’d be surprised to find out how easy it is to trick or better still “deceive” strict parents. Her parents still believe their daughter is pursuing “their” dreams with her eyes on the prize. Well her eyes are on the prize, it’s just not the prize they have in mind. Now, don’t get me wrong, she’s still all about the education, but alongside that, is what she finds pleasure in doing- changing partners when the sex is not what it used to be, cheating, being bisexual along many others. She has a turnaround in her life when she finally goes upcountry to work as a member of an NGO that provides for the poor, where she unexpectedly meets a man who changes her life and brings her back to the faith. This time, she wasn’t Izzy that followed her parents to church and not know why she went, but Izzy who understood her faith and why she loved the Lord and it inspired others in every way. People knowing who she was starts to shame her for who she is now, but she’s a goddamn QUEEN in her own way, and for her, that’s the best way and because she believes it, it’s become contagious!

I'm the Moonlight pack's Luna. Today is my tenth wedding anniversary with my Alpha, Aaron Renfield. To my surprise, I find out he has a pair of twin pups. He says to me matter-of-factly, "Don't overthink this, Ruth. I'm an Alpha, so I need an heir. With this, the elders won't keep complaining about you failing to give birth to an Alpha heir. You'll still be my Luna forever." I can't believe my ears. As the pack's Luna, I've given it my all for the past decade. My uterus was permanently damaged by a knife covered in wolfsbane when trying to save Aaron, and the healer diagnosed that I would never be able to have my own pups. Yet now, the elders are using that to reprimand me. I turn to leave this wolf I've loved for years—I reject our mate bond. But later, Aaron begs me not to go.

Gwen Shivers worked as a fashion illustrator and designer at one of the biggest fashion companies in the country. Charles Emmett is the new CEO of Emmett Inc. met Gwen on an accidental encounter. They fell in love with each other at first sight. Their relationship was kept secret from everyone around them because of Charles status. Gwen got pregnant, Charles was so happy that he proposed to her. Their conversation was heard by his mother who vowed to do anything to split them apart. Seven months into her pregnancy, she was pushed down the stairs by Charles's mother and was rushed to the hospital. When she woke up from her unconsciousness, she got to know that Charles was engaged to another woman and they were planning to get married. She was devastated and vowed not love again and just take care of her child. Charles' mother told him that Gwen said she didn't want to marry him anymore and that their baby is dead. He didn't believe her but she showed him the engagement ring he gave her. He searched everywhere for her but it was as if she disappeared. He also vowed not to love again, he became ruthless and cold to everyone around him.... Six years later, they were brought together again......

Paula gave her all for her husband, only to discover to her regret, she was just a substitute for the woman he truly loved. Heartbroken, she was kicked out of the house, not even being given the opportunity to reveal she was pregnant. Paula still had hopes of winning her husband back, but then he framed her, leading her to go jail for two months, for a crime she didn't commit. This brewed hated in Paula's heart for him and she decided to get even, and returned back to her father as the prodigal daughter, to claim her rightful place as a powerful heiress. Five years after, Paula returns back to the city, popular and well-known and this time, her ex- husband wants her back and would do anything to make her his again, but how? All Paula wants now is to ruin the man she once loved, with the help of her billionaire fiancee who will give the world to her if she asked. What happens when Paula finds out later on, that she was actually wrong and the new enemies are those closer to her?

All her life, Bryanna thought sparks in your heart, butterflies in your belly was the start of a great love story. She saw it in her parents' and best friend's relationships. So, when Nate walked in and made her a blubbering mess, Bryanna was pretty sure he was the one. But the sparks he started? Those butterflies he awaken? Left her heart broken and ... pregnant. Then there was Lincoln. His grumpy self and brooding expression saved her from herself and it scared her. What was this? But if one thing those hurt Nate caused taught her was; that true love is hard to find, and it is something you don't let go. You'll hold for that kind of love forever. For ... Always. **** I loved Bryanna since as long as I can remember. And I loved her enough to see her happy with someone else. But, when that fu*ker left her? I snapped. But love had never been easy. Now that she finally knows that I love her, I will do my best to prove my love. I have loved her from the start, I will love her forever. I will love her, ... Always.

After the plane crash, my body was never recovered. My soul drifted back to the home I hadn't stepped foot in for five years. They didn't know I was dead. They were still waiting for me to come home for Christmas. When my mom got the call from the airline, she froze for a long time, completely at a loss, before breaking down in tears. I followed them as they went to the memorial crash site. That was when I noticed something strange—I could see their levels of regret hovering above their heads. My brother's regret level read: 40%. My father's showed: 60%. Even my sister-in-law had 30% over her head. But my mother's regret level? It flashed a cold, unchanging 0%.

Arealis City's elite wolf packs have a secret—the head of the Ferguson family, Evan Ferguson, worships his wife but also has affairs with other women. He treats them like princesses and satisfies all their desires. He only has one rule—they must never allow his wife to learn about the affairs. After all, she was the one who'd nursed him for three years after his family had betrayed him. She'd even gone on the run with him for 48 days, almost giving her life to restore him to his rightful place in his family. Evan's newest lover is bolder than everyone else, though. She brazenly taunts me, emboldened by his feelings for her. "You're just a weak human, Ms. Castillo. I bet you can't endure such intense intimacy, right? Last night, Evan told me I gave him a thrill he's never felt before. Look at all the love bites he's left on me!" It's then that I realize I have no choice but to believe the man who once loved me with all his heart has changed. His love for me is no longer untainted. I pack my things and prepare to leave. When I turn around, I see a 17-year-old Evan looking at me pleadingly. "That's not me, Bella. Don't leave me."

Savannah Canterbury, privileged and grew up in a rich household whose parents are both doctors. All her life she has always been wanting to please her parents and to never disappoint them. She is the kind of woman who isn't looking for love because she is too focused on having an accomplished life. Nick Wilde, a secretive and cold-hearted first boy with a lurking dark past of murder who grew up in awfully poor family. He has disabled himself to feel anything coming from anyone because of the tragic thing that happened in his life. He only cares about his younger sister Tracy and no one else. Nick is a man who never wants to fall in love again. Until he meets Tracy's roommate Savannah where his world turns upside down. An unexpected and unwanted relationship where they are bound to set three rules: 1.Live the present in secret 2.No commitment 3.Never expect for a future. Nick can close his eyes to the things he doesn't want to see but he can't close his heart from the things he doesn't want to feel. When everything falls out of place, hearts get broken, tears turns to anger and their love gets hideous, is Savannah willing to risk everything even after his ugly past? Love has never been pretty for Nick but will he allow himself to feel again? Will a love that started so ugly turn out into something beautiful?

Lumi-as someone who's being told what to believe and hope in everything as she grows up-reckons that living is a way to comply with and entrust one's entire life to serving superiors on top of the hierarchy. Who will not think of that way anyway? Being harbored in the lands of Castellanos, it is engraved in her mind that she lives to pay her debt of gratitude to the family who sheltered her, who protected her from all the cruelties the outside world has to offer behind those fences. What they're doing is to protect her life and welfare-that's what they told her. So there's no other way to live but be the gullible and obedient yokel of the Castellano clan, because they're doing everything just for her safety. But that's before her life turns upside-down as she discovers a strange note from the attic. "To whoever finds this message, they erased us. This is all that remains. Remember us, please." What does the note want to convey? Is it just one of those mundane trivial stuff found in an attic like the usual when someone decides to clean it? Or is it something connected to her... "safety?" For sure it is for her safety. That's what they always tell her. But what one hears is not always the version of reality. Most of the time, it is the most convenient scheme to twist and bend the truth. That... That's what they will never tell her.

The things we want are so very rarely the things we need. Clifton Heights, a modest Adirondack town, offers many unique attractions. Arcane Delights sells both paperbacks and hard-to-find limited editions. The Skylark Diner serves the best home-cooked meals around, with friendly service and a smile. Every August, Mr. Jingo’s County Fair visits, to the delight of children and adults. In essence, Clifton Heights is the quintessential small American town. Everyone knows everyone else, and everyone is treated like family. It is quiet, simple, and peaceful. But shadows linger here. Flitting in dark corners, from the corner of the eye. If you walk down Main Street after dark, the slight scrape of shoes on asphalt whispers you're not alone, but when you look over your shoulder, no one is there. The moon shines high and bright in the night sky, but instead of throwing light, it only seems to make the shadows lengthen. Children disappear. Teens run away. Hunters get lost in the woods with frightening regularity. Husbands go mad, and wives vanish in the dead of night. And still, when the sun rises in the morning, you are greeted by townspeople with warm waves and friendly smiles, and the shivers pass as everything seems fresh and new... Until night falls once more. Handy's Pawn and Thrift sits several blocks down from Arcane Delights. Like any thrift store, its wares range from the mundane to the bizarre. By daylight, it seems just another slice of small town Americana. But in its window hangs a sign which reads: We Have Things You Need. And when a lonely traveling salesman comes looking for something he desperately wants, after normal visiting hours, after night has fallen, he will face a harsh truth among the shelves of Handy’s Pawn and Thrift: the things we want are rarely the things we need. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing