Val Westover Burns

A San Francisco boy. Famous actor and model. Renowned playboy. Damaged lover. And a heartless robot. He needs to fix his reputation. I need money for my sister's treatment. Everything about us is fake ... but sometimes the line between fake and real can get blurred. Enrique Blackburn turned himself into a robot. Untouchable. Emotionless. The quintessential bachelor of the silver screen. He doesn't do love. He can never say the words. Especially not to me, his contracted phony girlfriend. But despite the consequences I let him take my breath and steal the things I know. Like fire on fire, he burns himself into my heart. And that's the last place I want him to be. We made an arrangement. We agreed to a contract. No sex. No love. No relationship. Can I unfold him? Can I make this real? Can I make him find his heart? But most importantly - can I make him say the words?

One wrong move. One dangerous mistake. Miley thought the worst betrayal she could ever face was walking in on her best friend and her boyfriend in bed together. But heartbreak was nothing compared to this—now the mafia wants her dead. The only man who can save her is the last one she should trust: Clifford Alfonso—her ex’s uncle. Cold. Ruthless. Sinfully handsome. His offer is as shocking as it is inescapable: “Marry me, so I can give you all the protection you need. Nothing more…” But nothing between them feels like nothing. His presence ignites heat she can’t ignore, his touch lingers longer than it should, and behind his hard gaze lies a temptation more dangerous than the bullets aimed at her. A marriage forged in blood and necessity. A chemistry that burns hotter with every stolen glance. In Clifford’s world, desire is dangerous… and falling for him might be the most reckless mistake of all.

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

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.

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.

I thought I buried them in the past, but oh, was I wrong. Five years ago, my father told me to protect the pack even if it meant framing three boys I barely knew. The Alpha triplets, golden boys, were responsible for my mother’s death. I thought they were gone for good. But now they’re back. Stronger, Colder, ready to drown in the blood of their enemies, me. And somehow... the Moon has chosen them as my mates. They don’t want love. They want revenge. And I’m the girl wearing the crown they swore to destroy. They were my enemies, my mates. I could run. I could fight. But in this school, there’s nowhere to hide. And I was no coward. I would never submit, even if it meant going through hell for the crimes I didn't fully understand. And the worst part? This cursed mate bond. The heat, the lust, the pull. I hate them. They hate me. And still, my body burns for them. They were my biggest punishment and in a twisted way, my salvation.

Reese Carter has the perfect life like every woman dreams of. A billionaire husband. Beautiful kids. A luxury fashion empire. To the world, she’s living every woman’s dream. But behind the diamonds and dinner parties, she’s suffocating. So she does the one thing no one would expect.. She downloads a secret dating app. One swipe, one match… and her past comes crashing back. Her first love. Her biggest heartbreak. The boy she once knew..now a man shaped by danger and sin. He’s here to win her back. He’s here to ruin her. To remind her what real desire feels like. Their messages ignite into obsession. Their meetings turn into fire. Every secret she’s buried came to haunt her, threatening to destroy the perfect world she built. Because this isn’t just lust. It’s a deadly addiction. And when the truth finally explodes, Reese will have to choose.. The life she built… or the man who still burns in her blood.

Selina Vanderbilt was raised for one destiny—to become a Luna. Groomed into perfection, she believed her future was secure until everything crumbled on her wedding day. In front of her entire pack, her fated mate, Alpha Matteo, uttered the words that shattered her world: he rejected her. Humiliated and heartbroken, Selina is swept into chaos as war erupts between rival packs. Forced to flee, she escapes into the human world, where no one knows her name, her lineage, or the pain she carries. There, she tries to live an ordinary life, far from the chains of duty and expectation. But even as she hides, her heart aches for the family she left behind—and for the Alpha who broke it. Because rejection was never the end. When fate draws Selina and Matteo back into each other’s lives, old wounds resurface, but so does the bond that never truly died. Amidst the threat of war, betrayal, and forbidden longing, they will be forced to face not only their past, but the love that still burns between them. This time, will the Alpha say yes?

They say opposites attract. Yet, Raffaele and Edwina avoid each other like the plague. Physically present, but lost in separate dimensions—two forces resisting, yet desperately needing each other to survive. They are each other’s equilibrium, just as fire needs air, just as heat demands the cold. They know it, but they fight it. Raffaele Marcello is the undisputed King of the Italian Mafia. A ghost in the underworld, ruthless and untouchable. One look in his eyes, and you’re as good as dead. He is a killer who has carved away parts of himself just to survive. Blood stains his hands—someone, somewhere had to die for him to live. He is his own law, the embodiment of power itself. Edwina Gemstone is fire wrapped in elegance, a force to be reckoned with. Sassy, sharp-tongued, and unapologetically fierce, she never bows to anyone. Success drapes around her like the finest diamonds, and she wears it with the confidence of a queen. But to touch her is to invite scars—she burns, and she does not regret it. Different paths. Twisted fate. A collision inevitable.