Marianna was never meant to be a pawn. When Kade enters her life, he does so with intention. A lie. Disowned by his powerful rival family, he uses Marianna to secure what he's been denied: access, protection, and her family's connections. Their relationship is supposed to be a strategy. A means to an end. Except Kade doesn't expect to fall in love with her. What begins as careful manipulation turns into something dangerously real. Stolen glances linger too long. Arguments end in confessions neither of them are ready to make. Every quiet moment chips away at the wall Kade built between who he is and who he's pretending to be. And threaded through it all is a bond that refuses to behave: distant, muted, wrong. Like it's waiting. Watching. Holding its breath. When Marianna finally learns who Kade really is, and why he chose her, the fallout is brutal. The truth detonates everything: her love, her trust, the future she thought she was choosing. She walks away shattered, furious, done. Whatever fragile thing existed between them is ashes in her hands. And that's when it happens. When Marianna has nothing left to give him. When she's chosen herself. When she's finally, truly through- The bond snaps into place. Sudden. Violent. Unmistakable. The universe doesn't reward patience. It doesn't care about timing or forgiveness. It simply claims what it's owed, binding her to the man who betrayed her at the exact moment she no longer wants him. Betrayal was always part of the plan. Falling in love was not. And the bond? The bond has the worst sense of humor of all.

Dr. Indiana "Indie" Miller never believed in fairy tales. How could she? Everything she accomplished was paid for with blood, sweat, and tears. Emancipated at sixteen, she attended medical school while juggling three jobs-and now she's completing her oncology residency. She never allowed herself the hope of being someone's first choice. Until her favorite patient introduces her to her grandson. Teddy Williams is everything she never dared to dream of. He's kind, steady, and completely devoted to her. Two years later, deeply in love and on the verge of an engagement, they're preparing to move across the country for Indie's dream job. Then Nana Ellie passes away. Without the woman who adored Indie there to shield her, Teddy's overbearing family begins crossing boundaries, convinced Indie isn't the right woman for him. But his childhood best friend-and ex-girlfriend-Lily? She's perfect. They grew up together. Their mothers are best friends. To everyone else, it looks like the perfect second-chance love story. But Indie is in the way, and the family does whatever it takes to make sure that she feels unwelcome. As the pressure builds and the disrespect becomes impossible to ignore, Teddy finds himself caught between the family he was raised to put first... and the woman he loves more than anything. He chooses wrong. And he loses Indie. Quickly, he realizes his mistake and discovers just how deep his family machinations go. Will it be too late to prove to Indie that she is his one and only choice? Because Indie Miller is done waiting for a fairy tale. This time, she's going to make one for herself. TROPES: ⚠️ OW drama ⚠️ emotional manipulation ⚠️ GROVEL ⚠️ strong but kind FMC ⚠️ gentle giant MMC ⚠️ no cheating ⚠️ HEA with original couple

After meeting the man of my dreams, I thought my future was set: he and I making a life together. We had been on the same page, after all. At least, that's what I thought. Why else would he take me to meet his family on Christmas Eve? Color me surprised when I find myself not only rejected by his family, but also by the man I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? I think not. For readers: *I do my best to proofread before publishing, but some typos and errors will slip through. Feel free to point them out! *Comments, active engagement, and helpful critiques are welcomed. *Mean, unnecessary comments that attack me, personally, or other commenters will be ignored and deleted. *I'm not a spicey writer. I rather use my word count for plot, character development, and GROVEL!!! *Most importantly, I hope you enjoy the little world I'm creating.

COMPLETE When Sophie's marriage implodes in her face, she has no choice but to start over with her infant daughter Lou. Betrayed and jaded, Sophie is struggling to establish a life with her young daughter, while still bound to the man that chose another woman over his wife and child. When she meets Linc, a new vision for her future begins to appear.... but can their relationship withstand the forces against them? Faced with Sophie's controlling ex-husband and his jealous new wife, Linc has to fight to protect the burgeoning relationship he is building with Sophie and her daughter. For Linc, Sophie is so much more than a pretty face. Second best? A place holder? No, for Linc, Sophie was his everything.

Wren falls in love before she understands what love can cost. Knox stays close enough to hurt her, never close enough to choose her, teaching her that longing can be cruel when it has no name. Years pass in avoidance and restraint, in almosts and maybes that rot into silence. By the time fate finally claims them, Wren has already learned how to live without him, and Knox has learned too late what it means to lose her without ever truly having her. The bond snaps into place like a sentence, not a gift. Love is no longer innocent. Forgiveness is not promised. But somewhere beneath the damage, something still aches to survive. This story is set in a universe where bonding and mating is commonplace. There is always a HEA ***this story explores mating bonds in humans as a cultural norm. There are no werewolves or supernatural beings in this world***

Becky For three years, Carter Stewart was the perfect boyfriend and fiancé...until a few weeks ago. Late nights, cancelled dates, and strange phone calls begin to overshadow our wonderful, happy life together. I let it slide at first; my vision clouded by trust for this man. That is until one message, one lie, and finally, one confession brought everything I thought I knew crashing down around me. While I'm picking up the pieces of my shattered life, Carter starts popping up all over the place, acting like the man I always thought I knew. I desperately try to hold onto the logic of leaving him, but soon, I learn that everything is not as it seems. Carter One random, stormy afternoon, a gorgeous woman and her dog came stumbling into my perfectly ordinary life and made it into something extraordinary. Now all I want is to do more-to be better for Becky Duchamp. Only, in my jumbled attempts to make those improvements, I made stupid choices that hurt her. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't. Now I have to live with the consequences and let her go...or I can do everything in my power to win her back. Personally, I've never been a fan of consequences. **** An extra angsty, sometimes humorous, small town romance about two imperfect people who might just be perfect for each other.

He's the storm. She's the sunshine. Magnolia, Louisiana, will never be the same. Maverick Hayes came to Magnolia to stand up in his best friend's wedding, not to put down roots. A former Marine with scars too deep to count, he's spent his life running from the wreckage of his past. But when a gruff favor at a women's shelter pulls him into the orbit of Kayla Broussard, he finds himself caught between walls he's built and a light he can't resist. Kayla has always been the strong one-teacher, caretaker, and the quiet force behind The Magnolia House, a shelter she built in honor of a friend she couldn't save. She knows better than to fall for a man with storm clouds in his eyes. Yet every time Maverick shows up-for her students, for the shelter kids, for her-the pieces of her heart fall faster. When Maverick's past crashes back into Magnolia, threatening everything he's found, Kayla must decide if her sunshine can weather his storm. Together, they'll learn that home isn't where you're from-it's who you fight for.

Aurora Hale knows how to make anything bloom. Roses. Nightshade. Even love. In the sun-washed city of Elysian Coast, she runs Thorn & Bloom-a café-floral atelier that deals in beauty with a bite. Her husband, Jeremiah, is chasing the kind of perfection that photographs well: seaside dinners, charity galas, and promises whispered through polished smiles. But the petals have started to fall. What once felt like devotion now feels like decay, soft, slow, and deliberate. Thier relationship is withering under the weight of its own rot. And in Elysian Coast, everything that grows beautiful must feed on something dying.

Elizabeth Williams is a woman who has it all. A highly rewarding job, good friends, respect in her field but most of all; she has the best husband in the world. Then one day, she overhears her husband talking to another woman. A woman he swore was nothing but a friend and coworker. A woman who she never truly warmed up to. And what she hears breaks her heart. Now she's questioning everything about her husband and marriage that she thought was true. And she's wondering if she can still stay. But her husband has made it clear that he's not willing to let her and their marriage go. No matter what he has to do. _________________________________________________________________ A heartbreaking betrayal. A marriage in shambles. A husband's regret. A fight to win back the woman he loves. A satisfying grovel.