Val Valentino

Richard Franklin has left his Midwestern roots behind to live on the coast of Maine with his family. But in the autumn of the year 2000, he must return to his Illinois birthplace on a sorrowful journey. His wife Michelle has been killed in New England by a hit-and-run driver who is never found, so back home he comes with her cremated remains, to fulfill a final wish and on her birthday scatter her ashes in the park along the river in Blackwater Valley—simply Blackwater Val to locals—the small town where they both grew up and fell in love. With him he brings his six-year-old daughter Katie who still grieves for her lost mother: Katie, who can sometimes guess who’s going to be on the phone before it rings. Who can stop all the clocks in the house, and break up clouds in the sky with her mind, and heal sicknesses, and who sometimes sees things that aren’t there...people who are no longer alive. All gifts she inherited from her mother. Only something isn’t quite right in the Val. Sinkholes are opening up, revealing the plague pits the sleepy hamlet was built over in the 1830s, when malaria and cholera outbreaks ran riot. Mysterious bird and fish die-offs begin to occur, and Katie can see ghosts of the dead gathering all around. But what she can’t see is the charred, centuries-old malevolence which has been waiting for her, and wants her for its very own. Or the pale Sallow Man who haunts the town’s nighttime streets...or the river witch—another Blackwater Val, of sorts—each of whom will be drawn one by one into the nightmarish bloodletting about to take place. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

“Go down on your knees and show me you can be a good little student for me.” My heart rate and my breathing became labored. “N-now?” I stuttered. “Class is about to start.” Damon smirked, uncaring that we could get caught. “I guess you’d have to be fast then.” Dahlia Carrington cuts off her parents and runs away from home and she has to survive somehow and pay for her education herself. When she isn’t granted a student loan because of her rich background, she has to resort to other means to get herself through school, which lands her in a complicated relationship with her professor. Damon Valentino knows any kind of sexual relationship with his twenty year old student is immoral, but he can’t help himself, not after having a taste of her. BOOK TWO IN THE VALENTINO SERIES CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE AND DOES NOT CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE FIRST BOOK

Cassandra Salvatore never thought herself to be interested in the world of BDSM. She'd heard of it, of course. She'd also seen it in shows, but just didn't find an interest in it. Not until her friend, Jules, drags her to a BDSM club for just one night. There, she encounters the owner of the club, who happens to be a master and is searching for a slave. Will she become his sex slave, despite arguing that she's just a submissive and would be so for just one night? How about when she goes for her interview and realizes there are two of them? The Valentino twins. "You'll refill the forms." He stepped closer to me. "And if I find out you lied about your answers previously, I'll punish the fuck out of you." I didn't know whether to take it as a threat or a promise. On one hand, I was scared because I knew just how brutal his punishments were. On the other hand, I was anticipating it because I'd retake the test and he'd find out that I lied about a lot of things I thought was embarrassing. BOOK ONE IN THE VALENTINO SERIES

Being forged from the trauma that clings to your soul like an additional layer of sin has an elegance to it. When my father and I buried my sister, falling in love with her first love wasn't on the agenda. Don Alessandro Valentino has something I want. Something he refuses to depart with and no matter how much pain he inflicts upon me, I will never give up. I vowed to never let him win. I thought I had escaped his grasp, but his torment had only just begun. Despite everything, he still held the power to manipulate my heart and make me crave to be possessed by him. As secrets come to light and the truth is exposed, can I surrender the battle and surrender what I've been fighting for all along, without hesitation? --- He tore his lips away from mine, peering down at me, brushing the pad of his thumb along his lower lip—smearing my touch as far as it would travel. “You taste like mine.” He said in a cold and condescending tone. Then he left. He walked out of the wine cellar without a second glance over his shoulder as Riccardo locked the door behind them.

Two opposite personalities, Two different colleges, One goal... That made them 'The Rivals'_________ Ace and Edwin, the basketball captains of two opposite colleges, who always hated eachother. They both never leave a single chance to hurt one another. But one truth, a single situation changes every

Mary comes back to her hometown after a year of living with her family in London and this time, she's not going to let herself be pushed around by Tyler, her bully and ex-best friend. She also doesn't want anything to do with him anymore because he's bad news but his failing grades bring them together, making her his tutor. Their after school sessions soon grow heated - in a really good way - and the both of them grow closer till they fall for each other all over again.

One year of love, loyalty, and promises of forever, destroyed in a single day. Henry truly believed he would spend the rest of his life with Danny, his older boyfriend. He thought their relationship was unshakeable… until distance, excuses, and “busyness” became the new normal. Not even a message on their anniversary. Everything fell apart when Henry joined his roommates for their Friendship Day outing, only to discover that his so-called boyfriend was in the same building, proposing grandly to another person on the exact day that was supposed to be their anniversary. Caught between heartbreak and the burning desire for revenge, Henry made a daring move. He turned to Danny’s biggest rival, Maverick, a fellow student just like him. But things didn’t go as planned. Maverick wasn’t just a rival. He was powerful, possessive, and unexpectedly devoted. And he wanted Henry, even after learning the whole thing started as a game. What happens when Danny realizes his mistake and wants Henry back? And what will Henry choose: the one who broke him, or the one willing to fight for him?

At the Combined College of Magic and Science, CCMR, teens gifted with magic create a large body of students where they learn and grow out of childhood. It's there that Revel Ester arrives, an orphan and predominantly lonely up until now in his life. However, CCMR is a very bright place, full of kind teachers, friendly classmates, and new subjects to learn. In this environment, Revel comes to get new friends as well as a new routine of school he never knew, and can't help but enjoy a great deal. But with adversaries within and outside the walls of CCMR, Revel's got his plate full of trying to navigate a path of saving his new life, and school as some events escalate, and he even has to protect a lover he never had until now, Leonard. With a twist of magic and a turn every few steps, this teen story couldn't be anymore exciting.

Arlo Ford has everything he wishes for in life— a perfect family, great looks, and the greatest title. Being the next Alpha of the Blood Shadow pack, the strongest pack in the world, he has always been in the limelight and is loving every second of it. However, although all of those are important, he believes that the greatest blessing in life will be meeting his one and only mate. Hera Ahearn, on the other hand, never had any of those. She lived with her adoptive family, had little to no friends, and had the lowest title in their village. Growing up, she always heard stories about her mother and how she was ruthlessly killed in a war. So, when she hears that the perpetrators responsible for her mother’s death were in the Blood Shadow pack, she leaves everything behind and vows to take revenge. But what if the incoming Alpha of the Blood Shadow pack is actually her mate? Will she continue to pursue revenge for the sake of her mother, or will she follow her heart and fall in love with her sworn rival? [Sequel to The Alpha's Hidden Child. Could be read as a stand-alone.]

Adrian Hale, the alpha's son, has spent his entire life preparing to take over his pack, and he was ready to lead with strength, honor, and discipline, but everything changes on his 18th birthday when he scents his fated mate. Its Lucas Rayne, the cocky heir of a rival pack and a man he has hated for years. Lucas isn’t excited about it either. Known for his reckless charm and sharp tongue, he has no interest in being tied to his sworn enemy. But no matter how hard they try, neither of them can fight the bond pulling them together. As tensions between their packs grow and danger stirs on campus, Adrian and Lucas must choose. Will they reject the bond and keep their packs safe or risk everything for a love that could unite or destroy them both?