Tropical Places In The Us

Stolen as an infant, Isla has lived her entire life under the control of cruel strangers who never let her feel like she belonged. Years of abuse dampened her spirit, and when she escapes to college, she only wants to finally live her life without any dark cloud looming over her. Instead, trouble seems to follow her. Stalkers, threats, and shadows from her past keep dragging her into danger.     That’s until she keeps bumping into her college lecturer in unusual places and she realizes that there’s a whole lot more to him than what he lets on. Protective, ruthless, and dangerously charming; willing to risk everything for her, he vows to keep her safe.     The deeper she’s drawn into his orbit, the more she realizes her past isn’t what it seems to be — and the truth may be darker than she ever imagined.

In my fourth year of becoming the wife to Matteo Costa, the Don of the Costa family, as know as La Rosa Nera, I no longer insist on making our relationship public. He has once told me that he will publicly announce my identity as Donna on our wedding anniversary this year. But ever since Vera Barbieri returns to the country, Matteo never brings this up again. He puts all his attention on Vera and always places all her needs first. He even abandons me on the highway because of a single phone call from Vera while my mother is on her deathbed. My mother never gets to see me one last time before she dies. At this moment, I finally give up on him. I prepare the divorce agreement and book a ticket to leave Nevoli. The day after tomorrow, I will leave this place and leave Matteo to his childhood sweetheart.

“You can reject me all you want, Destiny… but I will never let you go.” Those were the words that turned my rejection into a prison sentence. I gave my heart, my loyalty, and my life to Alpha Coren Silver. I stood by him through war, prayed for his return, and waited for the mate I loved to come home. But when he finally did, he came back with another woman on his arm… and his child in her womb. When I finally found the strength to reject him, he didn’t accept it. But Destiny, my name and my truth, does not bow easily. No matter what chains he places on me, I’ve promised myself one thing: I will reclaim my life… even if the Alpha who owns my heart and body won’t let me go until I remember exactly who I belong to.

“Don’t you feel a bit of regret, or even sadness? You should know you’ve spewed coffee at Mia, because if one day I exchange places with her and she’s still mad at it, she would definitely get back to you and she might even get frantic. Do you understand how terrible a frantic woman can get? Are you not afraid?” Charles raised his eyebrow, “She won’t have that opportunity.” ******************************* Maria replaced her sister to marry Charles. She originally thought it would be a widow-like marriage, but Charles who had disappeared for two years suddenly came back. All she wanted was her father’s well-being, but is tangled with Charles and her sister’s life. What will she do when it’s time for her to leave but she was already in love with Charles, who she believed loved her sister, the real Mia?

On the party of our seventh year anniversary, Luca Romano wheels me into the venue. Both of us are dressed to the nines. Our daughter, Sofia Romano, suddenly leans into Luca's ear and says in fluent Bellavian, "Dad, Ms. Celia is eight months pregnant now. Once she gives birth to my little brother, will they be living with us?" Celia Amato is Sofia's private tutor. At the moment, she's staring at us jealously from a short distance away. Luca lowers his head and tucks in the blanket on my lap lovingly. Then, he replies in Bellavian, "I've made a vow to your mother that I will never betray her. So, once Celia is done with her labor, I'll send them to another country overseas. If you miss your little brother, we can visit them together." Once he's done speaking, he tries to kiss me. I lower my head quietly to avoid the kiss. Luca doesn't know that I understand Bellavian because I've grown up in Sisse, Bellavia since I was a kid. He also has no idea that my legs were fully healed a week ago, and that I've uncovered the evidence of his affair with Celia in the estate's wine cellar. Of course, he doesn't know that I've promised my grandma that I'll return to Bellavia and take over the family business. Once all the paperwork is done, I'll set off on a lone journey, and I will never return.

Jane had no idea that the new year would be the biggest and most significant change of her life for her, she will finally understand what true love is and she will discover that her happiness has been there all the time but she had never noticed it for being stuck in her past. Travis takes the reins of what he truly wants and goes for it no matter what or anyone ... if he doesn't make his first move, someone else will probably do it and he's not willing to be the spectator again. But not everything is rosy, there will be many tests that they must overcome and do their part to cope with every situation that fate places on them. Because that's what life is all about, overcoming, learning, and adapting with each other, forging a bond so strong that nothing and no one can break, make mistakes and fix them and discover that things that are taken for granted take an unpredictable turn changing it. everything. Do you dare to discover what happens in a whole year for these two?

What would you do if the TV celebrity you despise is the only one who can help you? Fran Garner finds herself living in a haunted house, but among all the weird things around, there's something darker and more dangerous lurking. To her dismay, the only one who can deal with it is the king of TV ghost hunters, Brandon Price. Not only is he the last person she would like to turn to for help: they're also black-and-white opposites about pretty much everything. But teaming up will bring them much closer than they ever expected, and now it'll be up to them if they follow their hearts or turn their backs to the unyielding feeling that binds them together. A story about bonds that transcend realms, about love and light even in the darkest places, and the struggle to overcome an inner darkness that can be scarier than actual demons. "A mix of romance, humour, special friendships and the supernatural, with uncommon spins like no other."

Set in the vibrant campus of Hudson State University in New York City, emotions and humor take readers from noisy dorm rooms and busy classrooms to football fields, bleachers, family homes, and unexpected moments where friendships are formed, insecurities are faced, and love slowly begins to grow. When quiet and insecure Hannah transfers to the university, she never expects to cross paths with Zachary Reed—the arrogant star quarterback known for his cold attitude and sharp words. What starts as painful encounters and misunderstandings slowly turns into something deeper as they are forced into each other’s lives through family responsibilities, personal struggles, and hidden dreams. As Zachary struggles under the pressure of his father's expectations and Hannah learns to find her voice and confidence, both must confront their fears, heal from past wounds, and discover that love can grow in the most unexpected places—even between a bully and the girl he once hurt.

I've been working for five years now. This is the first time my mom takes the initiative to call me to go home for the holidays. So I travel home with heaps of luggage. Still, I manage to free one hand to produce an envelope filled with cash and give it to my mom. A grin blooms on her face instantly. But when she realizes that there's only ten thousand dollars in the envelope, her grin starts to falter. "Oh, it only makes sense that you're the most manipulative out of the bunch after all these years." I pause momentarily as I'm about to go through the front door. "You've been working for quite a few years now, and yet you only bring home ten thousand bucks. Meanwhile, Sabrina gave us 100 thousand dollars in her first year of working a nice job. Having a bachelor's degree definitely pays off a lot!" Upon noticing how stunned I look, my mom yanks the gifts over right away. "Don't go around looking as though we owe you a life debt, Regina! See, Sabrina has better grades than you, and she doesn't have the intention of hiding anything from us. The gifts she always brings us are top-end supplements, so you should stop bringing us cheap stuff like this." I can only grip the hems of my shirt tightly. But the thing is, I'm the one with better scores back then…

Tru Parker didn’t know how ideal her life was until everything normal and safe evaporated in an instant. With her mother gone and nightmares plaguing her sleep, it takes the iron will of her best friend to help her fit in again at school. But that’s hard to do when supernaturals start popping up all around her -- and she learns that one of them killed her mother. Even worse, she realizes she might not be human herself. You’d think that the two swoon-worthy guys dogging her steps at school would make life better, but deciding who to trust only comes after more heartbreak, danger, and self-discovery. Unlikely alliances form around Tru, and together they work to debunk supernatural lore and decipher a prophecy that places two people in the center of it -- the boy she’s falling in love with and herself. The TRUE NATURE SERIES is created by KAREN LYNN BENNETT, an eGlobal signed author.