Val Westover Burns

“Well done, Mr. Alexander. My baby’s dead. I want a divorce. You’ve taken the only reason I stayed.” ********************** Becky’s world turned upside down when she woke up in her boss’ bed. Expecting to be fired, she was blindsided by his proposal, a desperate move for Alexander to retain his CEO position in his father’s corporation. But behind closed doors, Alexander made a cruel promise to his childhood love, Helen: “It’s just for a year. I’ll get rid of her like a waste bin.”   Their marriage was all for show, glamorous on the outside but cold and harsh behind closed doors.    What happens when Alexander abandons Becky during labor, leading to the tragic loss of her baby? Her grief fuels her strength, and for the first time, Alexander fears losing her.   Now, Alexander  seeks a reunion, but Becky’s heart burns for revenge. Can she ever forgive him, or has his betrayal left a wound too deep to heal?

“Tell me, Thalia, does it hurt to be cast aside, thrown to the wolves?” I laughed harshly, “Is this what it feels like? To be nothing? To be forgotten?” “Ronan… please…” Her voice was so soft, so broken that it almost made me feel sympathy for her, but in an instant, I crushed that emotion. I couldn’t allow her tears to sway me. “Don’t you dare cry,” I spat. “Save your pathetic, fake tears. They mean nothing to me now, just like you should have meant nothing to me then.” Thalia Sinclair was once a respected Luna, but her life fell apart when her mate rejected her and sold her to the cruel Rogue Sovereign. Forced to toughen up, she learned to survive alone, with no one to trust. Ronan Kane has waited for the moment to make Thalia pay for the hurt she caused him. But when their paths cross again, anger and pain mix with something neither of them can deny. Can they overcome their broken pasts, or will their scars keep them apart forever? Betrayal cuts deep. Vengeance burns hotter. Love is the deadliest weapon of all.

At the Davenport family dinner, I arrive wearing the same dress Tucker Davenport's true love once wore. His face darkens immediately. He glares at me coldly and orders that my dress be burned on the spot. "Damn it, Willow, can't you show a little self-awareness? Shelby might be too naive to notice, but there's no way I'm letting you appear like this in front of her." The intense heat rushes toward me as the flames consume the fabric. A sharp, burning pain shoots between my legs, crashing over me like a tidal wave. The pain drags me under, but I suddenly jolt awake, barely able to gasp a plea for mercy. Tucker doesn't spare me a glance. He simply turns away to help Shelby cut the cake. Days later, he finally remembers I exist. "As long as you behave and don't bother Shelby again, you'll still be Mrs. Davenport." I stare at the burns on my legs as my tears dry up. I refuse to beg any longer. I'm done being Mrs. Davenport.

She came with claws and fire, scent like sin; his wolf didn’t stand a chance. Neither did he. ••• Brant Paxton has always been the wild one—gorgeous, untamed, and irresistible to everyone. But when Sable Knox returns, everything changes. She’s no longer the sweet girl he remembers. She’s fierce, sexy, and carries a scent that sets his wolf on edge. The heat between them is dangerous. Forbidden. But Brant can’t stay away. Sable once called the Paxtons her family, but one tragic night tore it all apart. Now she’s back, stronger and smarter, ready to make them pay—especially Brant. But nothing prepares her for the fire that ignites when they’re close. Her wolf wants him. Craves him. And Sable doesn’t know if she’s falling into his arms or into a trap. As old wounds reopen and passion burns hotter, Brant and Sable must choose: follow the rules or give in to the sin that could ruin them both. Content Warning: This book contains sexual content and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.

The last thing Sienna Carter expected from her one-night stand was for him to be mafia. A rich, cocky man? Sure. But a crime boss? Never. Adrian Volkov knew exactly who she was from the start—an investigative journalist who should have been off-limits. But the thrill of the night was too tempting, and now, their worlds were colliding in the worst way. When Sienna stumbles into the middle of a blood-soaked scene, Adrian is right at the center of it all. Run? That’s the smart choice. And she tries—until she’s taken by Adrian himself. Trapped in his world, they strike a deal—one that ties them together in ways neither of them expected. But their arrangement doesn’t come without consequences. Betrayal brews among Adrian’s men, old enemies rise from the past, and amidst the chaos, an undeniable, dangerous passion burns between them. And once you enter the mafia, there’s no way out. A steamy, action-packed mafia romance filled with danger, obsession, and a love that could destroy them both.

Grace Turner was the picture of suburban perfection—devoted wife, PTA president, and quiet survivor of a loveless marriage. But when her husband’s financial collapse drags her family into ruin, she teams up with her two closest friends for one desperate, reckless act: robbing a neighborhood grocery store. What they didn’t know? The store is a front for a brutal crime syndicate. Now, with the gang’s blood money in their hands, the women are given two choices—work off the debt, or disappear. For Grace, survival means submission to their mysterious leader, Cain Russo—a man as dangerous as he is magnetic. Cold-blooded and commanding, Cain makes it clear: she belongs to him until the debt is paid. But lines blur when power games turn into obsession, and desire burns hotter than fear. As Grace is pulled deeper into Cain’s violent world—and his bed—she’ll have to decide what’s more dangerous: the gang that owns her… or the man who’s claimed her.

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

You didn’t stumble here by accident. You came looking for something. Something hot. Something raw. Something that burns your thoughts long after you’ve closed the app and makes you reach for the lock on your bedroom door. This isn’t soft porn. This isn’t romance. This is sin, unwrapped. Every chapter is a confession. Every story is a dirty little secret you swore you’d never want—but can’t stop devouring. From the preacher’s daughter getting her mouth blessed behind the pulpit… To the best friend’s dad who can’t keep his hands off what’s forbidden… To the virgin roommate who learns fast just how rough her lessons will get… These are the stories you’ll read under the covers with your legs clenched and your breath held. Welcome to your next obsession. Don’t expect mercy. Don’t expect morals. Just pleasure. Vivid. Filthy. Unforgiving.

“You’re my goddamn stepbrother. You know this, so let’s set boundaries,” I whisper as if I’m speaking of something abominable. But it’s something that should be normal. Sane. Logical. Then Riven Rythrone lifts a hand and grabs my chin, forcing my gaze up to his. His eyes don’t belong to someone normal. They belong to someone dark. Abnormal. Insane. Illogical. “You begged to be mine. Remember?” My breath hitches, my pulse riots, and my body stupidly flinches as he snakes a hand around my waist, dragging me closer. Close into his twisted, demented world, where he rules, where reason burns, and where I’m the only thing he refuses to let go of. Twenty-year-old Adelina West has no reason to hate her mother’s marriage to a California millionaire. But when a devil with blue eyes is involved, resentment comes easy. She wants to escape him. He wants to own her. And when Riven Rythrone wants something, not even blood or sin can stop him.

She was never meant to be a bride. Let alone his. Mute. Marked. Mistreated. Isla has always been a ghost in her own pack—silent, unseen, and used. But when the spoiled daughter of her Alpha refuses to marry the ruthless Mad Alpha Lucien, she offers Isla as a substitute. Thrown into a deadly game of deception, Isla must pretend to be the bride of Alpha Lucien, and must not be found out as a fake as her life relies on it. But Lucien isn’t the monster the rumors say—he’s something far more dangerous. He’s her mate. And she feels nothing—— which day by day, is making Lucien grow more obsessed with her. He wants answers. And she wants her freedom. Which one would prevail? Love or freedom? And what happens when Lucien finds out that Isla is not just a mute bride, and she’s far far more than what he’ll ever be? Find out in this gripping story. Perfect for people who like slow burns, fated mates and stolen identity.