Village Of Shadows

"Part One: TakenJessie Coford had a plan: work hard, save money, open her own restaurant. She sacrificed her relationship with the man of her dreams to get it. Then, in the blink of an eye, she lost her job and her apartment and her life crashed around her. Until a letter taking her to Fort Mavis, Texas, and an unexpected windfall.Part Two: TamedShea Prescott was astonished when million Cruz Castillo chose her to design his new home on his ranch. They hardly traveled in the same circles. But Cruz had been hot for Shea since he first saw her and at their first meeting the chemistry between them ignited. Cruz coaxed her deeper and deeper into a whirlpool of erotic sex, awakening latent sexual desires and bringing her orgasms beyond her wildest imaginings. Her body screamed yes at his every touch, but will she say yes to the most important question?USA Today best-selling and award-winning author Desiree Holt writes everything from romantic suspense and paranormal to erotic. and has been referred to by USA Today as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, and is a winner of the EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice nominee. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times and numerous other national and international publications.Taken by Surprise is created by Desiree Holt, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author."

“You belong to me now.” A promise. A threat. A hunger. Kael Volkov is the Alpha of Shadows—merciless, cold-blooded, a king carved from power and violence. His command is law, his body a weapon, his touch a sentence. He needs only one thing to secure his throne, a Luna who rules just like him. He never expected his wolf to snarl for a trembling Omega hiding in the dark. Rebecca has survived by disappearing—an orphaned shadow masking her silver-white blood, the last heir of a murdered lineage. The monster who destroyed her world sits on the throne. And his son, Kael,the Alpha who drags her into his chambers and chains her to his presence is every whispered nightmare she grew up fearing. She expects pain. Control. Domination. What she doesn’t expect is the bond. Every breath shared becomes a battle her fear against his hunger, her defiance against his command, her trembling innocence against his ruthless desire to claim, teach, consume. He tells himself she is property. His silence. His servant. His obedience to shape with touch and punishment. But his wolf knows the truth before he does, The girl he caged is his fated Luna. The fallen princess destined to dethrone him. And when her silver fire rises, Kael must choose between the crown he bleeds for, or the woman he would burn the world to keep. Dark desire. Forbidden bloodlines. A bond born in shadows and sealed in heat.

My younger sister and I unlocked our systems on the same day? The setting? The nation decades ago. She went for the learning system and married an intellectual. I had no choice but to go with the useless storage space system. Then, I was forced to marry a thug. A very rude and crass one at that. Thanks to the storage space system, I got through a famine and became the village's richest person. My sister's learning system was useless, and she almost died of starvation. Driven by jealousy, my sister seduced my husband and slept with him. To get my wealth, they came up with a plan and pushed me down a cliff. When I came to, I realized we'd returned to the day we awakened our systems. My sister shoved me away and picked the useless storage space system. "Move, you bitch! Now I have your system! I'll survive the famine and get rich! You'll live in my shadow forever, as you should!" She was so smug. She was gloating. I took the learning system and smiled to myself. Unbeknownst to my sister, I got rich during the famine, not because of the system, and my dream was to score high on the exam and get into a good college. My sister managed to mess up her life even when she had the better system. Now she took the useless one. I could practically see the misery waving at her down the path.

The Hunters. The legendary Archers of Alestari were known world wide. Many trained for years, from youth to adulthood, to be good enough to qualify to be an apprentice to the Hunters. Every year, the Hunters would travel all across the land of Alestari, searching for a single apprentice. Many hearts were crushed in this process. Because there were many years, that none were selected to train under the legendary Archers. They would travel to every kingdom, city, town, village and tribe, searching. Royalty and common folk alike revered and worshiped the Hunters, for they were the true protectors of the land. A single Hunter was as good as 20 regular Archers. But they were also known to be excellent spies, as well as swordsmen. Any weapon in the world, they knew how to use properly. Thus they were highly sought after for military purposes and occasionally mercenaries. To have a family member who was a Hunter, was the highest honor. They were treated like royalty, even by royals themselves. Whatever a Hunter said, whoever they chose as an apprentice, no one ever argued. To fight with a Hunters choice, was to eliminate any chances you had of your family becoming one. And for years, no one fought their decision. Until this year. In the kingdom of Alestari, anyone was eligible to try and become an apprentice. Anyone, but a woman. Women were forbidden to learn any kind of weaponry, especially archery. So when the King of the Hunters, chooses a woman to be an apprentice, many were angry. And they were out, to make her pay.

To protect my boyfriend, Nico, the illegitimate son of our allies, the Moretti family, from their internal power struggles, I agreed to leave New York with him. But on the eve of my adoptive father, the Don of the Falcone family, signing our transfer orders, he backed out. Through the hidden door of the cigar lounge, I heard his right-hand man tease him: "So you really kept up that act for three months just to get rid of the princess?" "But she's your childhood sweetheart. You really have the heart to some miserable fishing village in the Baltics all by herself?" Nico's voice was nonchalant. "It's just an outpost across the pond. How far can it be?" "Scarlett is too controlling. If I don't get her out of the picture, how am I supposed to get any breathing room? Besides, I need to put Chloe at ease." I stood behind that hidden door for a long time that night, my grip on the doorknob tightening until my knuckles were white, before I finally let go. I turned and walked away, pulling out my tablet to change my flight plan. I changed the destination from the official plan of that desolate Baltic outpost to a seat at the High Table in Sicily, which is the absolute center of old-world Mafia power. Everyone seemed to have forgotten. I am the princess of the Falcone family. And he is nothing but filth from the gutter. We were never a match.

The scent of pine and damp earth clung to the air as the full moon created long shadows across the Ancient Clearing. Tonight, was supposed to be our marking ceremony, a sacred ritual binding Alpha Anderson and his chosen Luna before the eyes of the Frostmoon Pack. “My heart,” his gaze locked on Leah, who stood under the moonlight “has always belonged to another. My first love, the one whose spirit has been weakened by the venom of wolfsbane, is my Luna.” He drew Leah closer, his hand possessively circling her waist. Under the watchful gaze of the moon, he smiled. “Our traditions are clear,” he continued, “Only the woman who stands with me at this altar, witnessed by all, shall be my Luna. Though I had always thought that Irene was my mate which I mistakenly marked a time ago. But thanks to the goddess for making me see clearly before it was too late.” They exchanged vows beneath the trees, witnessed by the werewolves and the Moon Goddess. The silver crowns were placed, the ceremonial kiss sealed their bond. I stood hidden in the shadows of the surrounding forest. For twelve years, from the moment my wolf recognized his at eighteen until my thirtieth moon cycle, my love for Anderson had never changed. But his heart, it was clear, belonged to Leah. If that was the truth, then I would release him. He had never truly seen me, never truly cared. Yet, the act of my departure seemed to unravel him in ways I couldn’t understand.

'The library is forbidden after dark!' But for Deborah Waters, an adventurous teenager and aspiring journalist, the thrill of the unknown is simply irresistible. As she navigates the challenges of settling into a new town and school, she can’t help but be drawn to the whispers of the library’s hidden secrets. With each step into the shadows, she uncovers spine-tingling tales that promise to reveal more than just stories—they hold the key to mysteries waiting to be unraveled. Will Deborah’s daring curiosity lead her to thrilling discoveries, or will she find herself entangled in a web of danger? Join her on this gripping journey where every page turned could be a step into the unknown!

After the brutal assassination of her parents, and loss of powers Sera is kept alive by promises: a future throne, a loyal uncle, and faith that her time will come. But on the day she is meant to be crowned, everything is taken from her. Her body is broken. Her crown is stolen. Stripped of her birthright, Sera is forced into a marriage with Alpha Alaric of Wolf Noir—the feared shadow commander rumored to have slaughtered his own blood Before she can even stand beside him, Sera must survive the Ritual of Shadows—a night meant to break the weak. Instead, it awakens something deadly within her.

When Sera Thorne discovers she's fated to Lucien Ashcroft—the vampire prince whose ancestor was murdered by her witch bloodline—she knows their bond is a death sentence. Centuries of war have made their clans sworn enemies, kill on sight, no questions asked. But as mysterious deaths mirror the ancient murder that started it all, Sera and Lucien must uncover the truth behind the conspiracy that destroyed their ancestors' love and shattered two worlds. With a traitor hiding in the shadows and their people demanding blood, can they solve a centuries-old murder before history repeats itself, or will their bond be the final spark that burns both clans to ash?

What if the man you thought was dead… was secretly building an empire in the shadows? Ethan Whitmore didn’t lose his memory in that Los Angeles fire. While the world thought he was gone, he was alive—working in secret, creating a tech startup so powerful it shook Europe’s biggest corporations. Now he’s back. Not just as a husband, but as a billionaire with dangerous secrets. And the people who tried to kill him? They’re still out there. For Lauren, love isn’t the only battle— She’s caught in a storm of lies, betrayal, and billion-dollar wars where her heart is the ultimate prize.