[actively editing] With her nose in books and his brawn getting him nowhere on or off the ice, they find themselves drawn together, sharing their baggage and learning what it might mean for each of them to love again. Jake Bryers is no stranger to the pressures of being a professional hockey player. It's something that he's dealt with consistently for the past fifteen years. Throughout his career, he's experienced it all-the electric thrill of winning divisions and conference titles, and even making it to the Stanley Cup Finals on more than one occasion. His dream was always to skate the cup at least once, but as he enters the late stage of his long, tumultuous career, he finds himself struggling to perform like he once had as a younger, inspired player. Harper Clark has been proficient at one thing throughout her life-constantly moving forward without really going anywhere. After having moved to the Big Apple to pursue a better life outside of the dangerous one she found herself leading in the Midwest, she finds herself stagnating after getting her degree from Columbia. She quietly enjoys her job at the public library, treading water while the undeniable feeling of discontent grows stronger within her. It's nothing short of fate when Jake and Harper happen to cross paths at the library, and though their lives couldn't be any more different, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another as they try to navigate mending each other's wounded hearts.

When a fire takes everything from Mia, her parents, her home, and the life she once knew, she is adopted by her mother's best friend, Jules Kingsley. Moving into the Kingsley mansion should be a fresh start, but her new brother, Damon, has other plans. Damon is ruthless, possessive, and impossible to avoid. He's made it his mission to remind Mia that she doesn't belong, and their hatred for each other burns brighter with every interaction. But living under the same roof means there is no escape, no distance, no way to keep the lines from blurring. He wants control. He wants her submission. He wants her, no matter how wrong it is. And the more Mia resists, the more his obsession grows, twisting every fight into something darker, every stolen glance into a game neither of them can win.

Four brothers. One small town. And a past that just won't let her go. • • • Benny Lane didn't come to Cedar Creek to make friends. She came to disappear. After years trapped in the shadow of an abusive marriage, all she wants is quiet, safety, and a chance to remember who she is without someone telling her who to be. But small towns don't let strangers slip by unnoticed. Especially not when four protective brothers seem to be everywhere she turns. Beckett, with his quiet watchfulness. Sawyer and Dawson, with their easy banter that chips away at her walls. And Wells, the sheriff, whose steady stare makes her pulse race for all the wrong reasons. They see more than she wants them to. They see her fear. Her secrets. And maybe-just maybe-the woman she's fighting to be again. Benny came to Cedar Creek to hide. But what if she's found something worth healing for? ••• **completed** a small town slow burn why choose cowboy romance ••• #1 in #WhyChoose #2 in #smalltown #3 in #cowboy/s #3 in #reverseharem

Marcus Cordell is the largest, most intimidating member of Bravo Team at Knight Security. With a massive muscular build and a permanent scowl, Marcus is the definition of the strong silent type. But when the ghosts of his painful past resurface, will he be able to maintain the tough exterior that he's built around his heart or will he melt into the man he once was before his world was torn apart.

Caleb Tanner is a unique combination of both killer and savior all wrapped into one. As a former Navy Seal and medic, Caleb has the ability to both take life and restore it with ease, making him a vital member of Bravo Team at Knight Security. He would kill or be killed for his teammates and the women they love, earning him the reputation of both fearsome warrior and compassionate caregiver. When a new job assignment flares every protective instinct within Caleb, he is fully prepared to step in as a knight in shining armor, but what if his new assignment, Elaina Flores, has no interest in being saved?

Grayson "Gray" Miller had never had much luck with love. While his talent as a special operative for Knight Security was unmatched, his love life was lacking. When an injury forces him to take a step away from his team, he finds himself in close quarters with a breathtaking physical therapist. Emma Bailey understands him in away no other woman has, but for reasons that make their relationship anything but simple.

"You refuse to speak because you think your voice is a curse, Butterfly. A poison that destroys everything it touches. So poison me. Whisper their names, and I will gladly show you how a real monster burns the world to ash just to keep you warm. You think you are trapped in the dark with a psychopath, papillon. You don't realize I am just waiting for your command." - Nikolai de Rivel ____ To Leah, silence is the only armor she has left. Deaf, traumatized, and terrified of physical touch, she just wants to survive Ardencrest University without being seen. When she completely ignores the school's most dangerous French heir on her first day, she thinks she safely avoided a predator. She has no idea she just gave the Reaper Prince a puzzle he is dying to take apart. Behind his polite smiles and lethal elegance, Nikolai de Rivel is an empty-eyed psychopath who demands absolute, psychological control. He doesn't just want to claim her body; he wants to conquer her mind. Leah thinks the campus is naturally parting for her; she doesn't know Nikolai is viciously destroying anyone who steps too close. She thinks she is finally finding peace in the shadows; she doesn't know he is meticulously rewriting her entire reality so she has no choice but to crave his touch. He doesn't want to hide her from the monsters of her past. He wants to drag her into the dark, place her on his lap, and teach her how to rule it. He is the devil. And her rare voice is his trigger. ______ "The Reaper Prince | 18+" is the third book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series. {Can be read as a standalone}

"You think you're a ghost in these halls, Aurora, but I have memorized the frequency of your breath. Go ahead-run. But I am the horizon; no matter how far you go, you are still within my sight. I will dismantle every version of a life you've built without me until the only thing left for you to lean on is my shadow. You aren't just a part of my world; you are the pulse I use to measure it." - Evander Laurent __________ In the hallowed, gothic halls of Ardencrest University, being a 'Ghost' is a survival strategy. Scholarship student Aurora Lane knows the rules: stay invisible, protect her brother, and avoid the gaze of the Elite. But she made one fatal mistake. She was noticed by the Crown Prince. Evander Laurent doesn't just lead; he possesses. He is a mastermind who views people as chess pieces, and he has decided that Aurora is his most prized prize. He doesn't want her heart-he wants to be the very air she breathes. He is systematically isolating her, tearing down her world until he is the only thing she has left to hold onto. In a game of psychological warfare and dark obsession, Aurora must decide: will she break under his control, or will she learn to rule the shadows he created? He's not just watching her. He's rewriting her reality. ____ "The Crown Prince |18+" is the first book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series

"You call me your safe heaven, Sunflower. You think I hold your hand because I'm a good friend. I hold it because the second you step out of my sight, the static in my head gets so loud I have to butcher someone just to make it stop. You are the only quiet thing in my mind. If you ever try to leave me in the dark, I will drown this entire fucking city in so much blood you'll have no choice but to slip right back into my arms." - Landon Ashford To Hazel Bloom, Landon Ashford is a saint. He is her safe haven, her best friend, and Ardencrest's flawless Golden Prince. She has absolutely no idea she is holding the leash to a psychopath. Behind his polite smiles, Landon is a feral predator biologically tethered to her presence. Hazel thinks her bullies simply leave campus; she doesn't know Landon is slaughtering them in the alleyways. She thinks he's just fiercely protective; she doesn't know he hacks her vitals to listen to her heartbeat just to survive the night. Landon has orchestrated a flawless, blood-soaked illusion so her gentle heart never has to touch the dark. But when the mask inevitably slips, Hazel will realize her sanctuary is a cage. He isn't hiding her from the monsters. He is the monster. And he is on his knees for her. "The Golden Prince | 18+" is the second book in the Princes of Ardencrest Series.{Can be read as a standlone}

"𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐲." ~ Marriage was never for love-it was for legacy. A strategy. A performance. And for the Lombardis and the Morettis, it was the most calculated, showstopping alliance of the century. Roman Moretti, Don of the La Cosa Nostra, and Angeline Lombardi, only daughter of the French-Italian Mafia Capo, had been betrothed since her birth --matched to unite two empires under one crown. Hidden from the world, Angeline was raised to be the perfect wife. Groomed. Silenced. Controlled. She learned early that one misstep would strip her of everything-including her name. Everyone's first mistake? They underestimated her. Though no one had ever seen her, the world assumed the Lombardi Princess was a polished doll. Quiet. Disposable. Roman saw the marriage as a formality-another calculated step toward total dominance. He had no plans to love her. No plans to live with her. Just a wife on paper, tucked away from him elsewhere, summoned when needed for appearances. But everything changed the moment he saw her walking down the aisle. She was perfection. Untouchable. She would be his ruin, his weakness, his obsession, his motivation. His everything. But what if that had been her plan all along? Not everything buried stays dead. Not every identity is what it seems. In a world where saints become monsters and monsters are worshipped like gods, Angeline must decide what's worth saving: her bloodline, her love, or herself. ~ -HEA -18+ -Romance/mystery/thriller -No Cheating/OWD -DARK ROMANCE "OMYGOSH. This book was immaculate. I could NOT put it down at all. Every chapter was AMAZING, the writing is shakespears work and each chapter made me laugh, smile, cry so much and this whole thing was a rollercoaster of emotions." -@Sunfloweraate8