Roses are such a beautiful part of our world, representing love and all that is good. They are meant to bring people together and bind them in happiness. But all roses have thorns that draw blood from those who were too naive to stay away. So, what happens when a someone so naive decides to mess with the Roses?

book 1 of the windows of the soul duology ✿ ✿ ✿ lucent: softly bright or radiant ✿ ✿ ✿ My brother's hand traces the cut on my right cheek for some minutes. I have no idea how a cut can be so interesting, but I won't judge a book by its cover. He unexpectedly moves and places a heartwarming kiss on my crown, brushing through the strands of my hair. But what startles me the most, is when he speaks, "Duerme bien, mi niña bonita." And just as I wasn't able to sleep hours ago because of my stupid fear, I let myself fall into a dreamless sleep as his soothing voice travels through my ears. ✿ ✿ ✿ Layla Rivera. A young naive fourteen-year-old who's just lost her childhood best friend and guardian. She's anxious and timid when meeting other people, so she usually cowers and distracts herself, immerse between the pages of books. When she is thrown into the lion's den - or also named as her older brothers' house - she's left fearful and intimidated by the six foot three males who she never had a clue about. Trying to make sense of what her new life will bring while being unaware of the dangers her new home beholds, she tries to make her way into her new family, but it doesn't seem as easy as she expected, or is it? ©️juststarsandbooks All written works on this account belong to Juststarsandbooks. I do not condone any reproduction/duplication of this book anywhere - app, website, etc - without my consent. Pics aren't mine.

'Dysfunctional: not operating normally or properly' That was one way to describe Clara Campbells family. Dysfunctional; not operating properly. That was just what happened when your older siblings leave you. Or that's what Clara had always believed. She had never had any parents there to hold her hand or any older siblings to tease her; they had grown up before her. She knew how to cook, clean, walk around her parents emotions, go to and from school; she know how to take what life gave her. Well, what was the other opportunity that she could of had? But what happens when her ship gets rocked and thrown off course? When people you thought left you years ago decide to show up again? Clara has always known one way to live, and that gets ruined, so how is she supposed to cope with the change? She has taught herself everything else in life, so this can't be any different, can it? "There is no book about independence and there is no book about dependence. You have to write it yourself; you have to be the one that lives through it" Clara was that girl in class, when she was asked about relatives or family members, she always said she had none. Everyone believed her because she never had anyone there, not like it mattered to her or any of them. "It was you had lost someone, or that was what I thought about whenever someone asked about my siblings and the rest of my family. I didn't know who they were, and they didn't know who I was. I mean, I didn't know me either" Clara grew up without them as they grew up without her, so what will they do when a wave rocks the worlds they live in? "I heard her screams, Colt, I heard them. You weren't the one to hear the screaming and crying of your baby sister, it was me, and I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn't save her" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Started: 9.03.22 Finished: -

They will claim to be her salvation as they take her through hell. Left in the care of her brothers, Isabella starts to realize this as the truth begins to crack the surface of all that she has left and she realizes there is no escape. • • • A thriller/mystery based book about family. Contains sensitive material (no cliches). Copyright © 2020 by luxedreams. All rights reserved.

Evanna Halls, a 12 year old girl tries to overcome her mental illnesses while dealing with bullies in school and a divorce from their parents. After a horrific accident, she is forced to move away from her normal life and move in with her dad, who became the step-father of 6 boys, making her their newest step-sister. Jayden, the youngest boy, who is the same age as her, despises her the most. Throughout the book, his backstory, along with many other dark secrets will be figured out. Author's Note:
I wrote this book when I was a teenager, during a time when I was working through a lot of intense feelings and experiences in my own life. The story reflects that period of my imagination and emotional processing. Some of the content involves abuse, bullying, and mental health struggles, and it may be difficult or triggering for some readers. I've shared this story because it helped me feel seen and understood when I needed it most, and I hope it can offer some sense of connection or comfort to others as well. Please take care of yourself while reading.

Skylar, a 15 year old girl who lives with her mother and step father. She gets horrible news about her mother's health and is now living with her step father alone. The step father is involved with some sketchy business she doesn't know about until an estranged man and crew barges into their home "She's not my kid" I exclaimed "She looks exactly like you, and the locket" my sister shouted What could go wrong? Who are these men? What does her step-father do? Read the estranged family to find out (book cover creds go to @_navyblueee_)

"What about me? I have feelings too, you know?" Words can mean a lot to someone, especially when they are repeated. They make you question how you think, how you operate, and most of all, how you see yourself. It makes you wonder how you fit in to this puzzle of the world, and it makes you second guess everything. A single word, can really change how everything revolves around you, when you have nobody to fall back on. At 16 years of age, Thalia has never truly understood what it feels like to be included. Inclusion is not something that people did and immediately thought of her. People looked at her, and decided to walk around her, or to purposely go out of their way to not pick her. Even teachers turned a blind eye on the girl that was truly suffering. People never understood the full weight of their words. Actions were something you could dismiss, but it was the words that hit their target, every time. They hit her in the school hallways, and they took full force when she walked in through the front door of her house. It was a house, something with four walls and people in it, but never a home. Nothing that said people of a family lived there. Those people that made a family, had one of their own. They had a family, that did not extend to the young girl that was their step-sister. They made it clear, they were step-siblings, and not siblings. Growing up, it became 16 against 1. Older sisters are supposed to share their clothes with their younger sisters and prepare them for what was awaiting for them. Older brothers were supposed to protect the younger ones and tease them from time to time. But these people, simply preferred to hold the title, rather than to act. Only one day, that would all change. It would all change, but was it for the better? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Started: 3.10.22 Revised: 17.02.26 Finished:

Olivia has been abused by her brother all her life, and she has the bruises and burns to show it. When she makes a stand and moves out, she meets a boy; a wonderful boy. But the two boys, brother and lover, are connected, and Olivia is scared. Scared of the brother's hate, and afraid of the boy's love.

"We fought an uphill battle. One we had no hope of winning." ~~~ Felicity-Flick as most call her-Carter, has learned a thing or two in her 12 years of life. How to deal with drunk parents without waking the neighbors, how to smoke a cigarette without burning your fingers, and how to be abandoned by your siblings without losing your mind. All skills acquired through heartbreak and survival. Cigarette smoke filled lungs, late night talks on rooftops, make up most of who Flick is. But when her fractured family begins to mend itself, Flick is faced with a new chapter in her life that involves the very people she never wanted to see again. Started: January 10th 2021 Finished: December 2nd 2021