Val Westover Burns

Welcome back to Clifton Heights. Sheriff Chris Baker and Father Ward meet for a Saturday morning breakfast at The Skylark Diner to once again commiserate over the weird and terrifying secrets surrounding their town. Sheriff Baker shares with Father Ward the story of a journal discovered in the ruins of what was once an elaborate koi pond and flower garden, which regales a tale of regret, buried pain, and unfulfilled debt: “Sophan” – Jake Burns has always been a bit...off. Rude, awkward, sometimes brutish, he's tolerated by Nate Slocum and his friends because he hits a mean line drive, and because they all know but don't discuss the abuse he faces at the hands of his troubled father, a Vietnam veteran consumed by his demons. But Jake is suffering something far worse than domestic abuse, and when Nate discovers what, he faces an impossible choice: help Jake and put himself in the path of evil, or abandon him, only to damn himself in the process. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

Female Alpha Human mate *Breaking stereotypes* ..............*_*_*............... Audrey Moon, the Alpha of her pack and the strongest one at that there is. She keeps herself busy with her work yet not finding her mate on due time. But all her heart wants is to have him by his side when she feels the burns consume her at night. Chase Cedric, the youngest son of his family. He grew up knowing he means nothing, he worths nothing. But the harsh words never bothered him or refrained him from living his life to the fullest. Although the scars say otherwise. Read to find out how they finally meet and fall in love. If they have what their heart desires.

BROKEN BY THE BILLIONAIRE MAFIA Book Blurb Jessica martins the heiress of her father's Billion dollar empire faces trauma after witnessing the murder of her twin brother and parents the night she attended a party. She battles a demon of insecurity and took the large responsibility of continuing her family's legacy. Her life takes a different turn when she runs into the infamous Kessler Blackwell the Mafia king of Chicago. He would stop at nothing to have her but he's on a mission to steal the most precious heirloom her family owns. Will this crazy man be her flashlight? Or will Kessler just be another knife like the others that cut her deep and added to the many that brought tears to her eyes, burns in her lungs, and hunger to her soul?

Seven years ago, Emily Hart poured her heart out to Cole Grayson, the school’s golden boy. But instead of a kind rejection, Cole publicly humiliated her, leaving her heartbroken and vowing never to let anyone see her vulnerable again. She transformed herself, gone was the shy, sweet girl. In her place stood a confident, successful woman determined to chart her own destiny. Now, her father, a self-made billionaire, strikes a major business deal, sealing it with an arranged marriage for Emily. The groom? None other than Cole Grayson. The shock of facing the man who once shattered her lingers, but Emily refuses to let him dominate her life again. Cole isn’t happy either, he’s already engaged to his glamorous fiancée and despises the thought of marrying Emily. Forced into a loveless union, their hatred burns hotter than ever. Yet, as circumstances conspire to keep them together; living under one roof, attending public events as the perfect couple, they begin to see the cracks in each other's facades. Old wounds resurface, fiery clashes turn to unexpected sparks, and Emily wonders: is hate truly the opposite of love? In a wide range of betrayal, longing, and second chances, Emily and Cole must decide if they can rewrite their story.

“Alexander, this isn’t right,” Valentina whispered, her voice shaky as his hand traced the line of her jaw. He tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “It doesn’t matter what’s right,” he said, his voice low and commanding. “It matters what’s mine.” Her breath caught as his fingers slid to the back of her neck. “And you think I’m yours?” “I don’t think, Valentina,” he murmured, a dark smile curving his lips. “I know.” --- Valentina never expected her life to take such a dangerous turn. After her husband demands a divorce to marry his mistress, she finds herself entangled with Alexander—a powerful mafia Don whose reputation is as lethal as the man himself. Alexander doesn’t just want Valentina; he needs her. When he discovers she’s the daughter of Nico Vance, the man responsible for the tragedy that destroyed his family, his rage burns hotter. But instead of killing her, Alexander makes a chilling decision: Valentina will become his late wife, down to the last detail. Caught between desire and danger, Valentina must decide if she’ll run from Alexander’s dark world—or step willingly into it. Because once she does, there’s no turning back.

~ ALISTAIR ~ I hate him. There’s no point in admiring what you can’t be. I hate his sharp tongue, his smug smirk, the way he looks at me like he already knows how this ends. I don’t like men. Calvin Rutledge is a problem. A problem I can’t ignore. A problem that’s in my face, under my skin, unraveling me one smirk at a time. But the worst part? I want him. And he knows it. Now, every glance burns, every touch lingers, and every fight makes me crave the one thing I swore I’d never want—him. A man. A know-it-all who plays by his own rules. I was never supposed to want him. And yet, here I am… falling. __ ~ CALVIN ~ I know his type. Rich. Arrogant. A cocky football star who thinks the world revolves around him. Alistair Morano is all that—and more. My sworn enemy. My reluctant project partner. My ‘boss’. He thinks I’m just another nerd he can push around. Cute. But here’s the thing—he’s the one being played. By the time he realizes I’m the one pulling the strings, it’ll be too late. Because he’ll be mine. Mine to tease. Mine to break. Mine to ruin. And when he finally falls? I’ll be right there, waiting to catch him, just to break him all over again.

So . . . what am I told? A familiar small town. A wrathful, metamorphic killer with supernatural abilities. A young girl whose time has come—angel of life, and death—is the only one who can stop his unspeakable deeds. Katie Franklin has turned twenty-one at last, and been released from the Ransom Sanitarium. And hell has been released with her. Now it’s back to the Val, where monsters are real . . . Something evil is stalking the shadows of Blackwater Val, and it wants lifeblood and flesh. What she finds waiting in the unhallowed darkness there will forever haunt her—and you. Return with her if you dare. To see the dead children. Feel their torment. To face the old terror. ©️ Crystal Lake Publishing

My body hurt—badly. The bruises from Logan’s fists were fresh, my ankle throbbed from where he kicked me, and one of my eyes was nearly swollen shut. But I still limped down the hallway with a cold pack in hand, desperate for something… maybe comfort, maybe just his attention. I didn’t know. Then I heard it—low groans, heavy breathing, the unmistakable sound of skin against skin. Sweaty. Lustful. Raw. I opened the door and my heart shattered. There he was—Logan Hart. My husband. The man I loved more than myself. And with him? Tessa Black—his girlfriend, his mistress, the perfect model everyone adored. They were tangled in the sheets, bodies slick, eyes wild, too lost in each other to even care that I stood there. I couldn’t breathe. I screamed. And Logan… he didn’t even flinch. He didn’t apologize. Didn’t care. “Get out,” he said coldly. “I’m in the middle of something.” That was it. That was the moment I broke. I ran. Limping, shaking, crying—I ran and didn’t look back. What I didn’t know was… that heartbreak would be the beginning of everything.

“It's only fair to have some fun as well” I muttered to myself, ready to leave my dignity behind as I cheerfully reached for the bulge in his pants, letting my fingers roam wild as I pulled out his already hardened d**k, teasing the tip with my tongue as I marvelled at his size. “Suck it and don't stop until I tell you to” he ordered whilst grabbing a firm hold of my hair, yanking my head backwards. “Stop” I muttered inaudibly, "you're gripping too hard". “What? Can't handle it a little rough?” He mocked, yanking me up by my hair, pinning me against the wall. “i have no intention of being gentle with you, so if you can't sit pretty and take it like a good girl, then you're welcome to leave, but making that decision might cost you your life, because I don't like it very much when women walk out on me, especially during intimacy” “so…what's it going to be?” I smirked lightly as I answered his question by shoving him to the bed. “Then it seems I have no choice but to please you tonight, you can use me however you see fit and I'll ensure to ride you like my life depends on it” I responded, my clothes slowly falling to the floor layer by layer as I got on top of him, smiling in satisfaction as I buckled his belt around his wrist, restraining him to the bed as I positioned myself, ready to take full control. Elisa darkhorse, betrothed to Damian Greyhound but is met in matrimony with him young uncle (Leonard Greyhound) instead. will Damian give way for their relationship to blossom? or will the relationship prove fatal as a toxic love triangle is formed?

Jesse sets the flowers down on the dining table, plucking the card off the little holder to read out the contents. “Dearest Jesse, just wanted you to know that I'm thinking about you. I hope you're thinking about me too. Love--" He pauses and squints before cocking an eyebrow and pursing his lips turning to face his brother. "Wal, why is the boss of your little boy band gang professing his love to his son’s babysitter?" Wallace drops the noodles on the floor with a loud curse as he burns his hand. ************* Jesse offers to be a babysitter to a kid he hasn’t even met until he realizes he’s babysitting a mafia’s kid. The same mafia he had a one night run in with. Infuriated, he tries to back out since he has been trying his hardest to avoid the criminal life for a long time despite being born into it, but a cute kid and an infuriating Mafia Lord keeps pulling him deeper into the mix.