Before Marlowe Ackerman goes away to Brown University, she does the bravest thing she's ever done. She confesses to her best friend, Oliver Abbott, that she is in love with him. And Oliver breaks her heart gently. To him, Marlowe is his safe place. His best friend. The one person who has always been there for him. His feelings for her have never changed, and he is certain they never will. At eighteen, Oliver is desperate for a fresh start after years of being the awkward, gangly dork. Parties, girls, fraternity life, reinvention-he wants everything he thinks college is supposed to give him. But once he gets there, nothing feels right without Marlowe. While she thrives at Brown, Oliver falls apart. He fails classes, wakes up hungover, surrounds himself with the wrong people, and slowly realizes the reason his feelings for Marlowe never changed is because he has loved her all along. But he's too late. When he goes to tell her, he finds her in bed with her boyfriend, Sam. Jealousy and heartbreak make him spit ugly, cruel words he will regret for the rest of his life. Marlowe ends their friendship for good. Ten years later, Oliver has changed. He is a history teacher at their old high school, a wrestling coach, and a man who has spent a decade learning from the worst mistake of his life. When he hears that Marlowe Ackerman is coming back to town for their high school reunion, Oliver knows better than to think he deserves a second chance. But he wants one. Not just to tell Marlowe he still loves her. To show her he has become someone worthy of loving her the way she deserves. He was her almost. Maybe now, he can be her always.

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, she's chosen herself. When she's finally, truly through, The bond snaps into place. 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. ***this story explores mating bonds in humans as a cultural norm. There are no werewolves or supernatural beings in this world***

For two years, Lia has built a life she never thought she'd have: quiet mornings, a man who feels like safety, and a love that doesn't hurt. Xavier Steel is everything she was never meant to trust, yet somehow, he becomes the only place she feels at home. But the past does not disappear just because she escaped it. When the truth of who she is comes to light, the man she loves stops seeing her as his future and starts seeing her as a threat. And when he sends her back to the man she escaped, he has no idea he has just delivered her to the one person who will use her to destroy him.

"I 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 him for thirteen years. Then I watched him 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞. And suddenly... I became the 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝." "𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭," he said. "𝐌𝐲 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭... is to remind you every single day- 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. He never realized he was breaking the girl who had loved him silently, completely, long before hate had poisoned his heart. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐲𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬. ᥫ᭡.ִֶָ𓂃𓂃✍︎ ----------------------------------------- Hide until this song ends... and I'll leave you 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝. "Run, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲," he whispered. 𝐑𝐮𝐧. 𝐑𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞." She noticed the notebook and pen in his hand as he read fiction. "Taking notes on how to be a 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧?" "No." 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬... 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐟*𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲. She snaps, "Go. Eat whatever you want. I don't care." He tilts his head, his voice low. "𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬, 𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐲." ----------------------------------------- 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 : ☆ Forced marriage ☆ Morally grey male lead ☆ Childhood friends to lovers

They grew up together in the Fire Bringers MC. Everyone said they were meant to be together. She was the MC Princess, and he was her protector, until he wasn't. He blamed her for his brother's death and left her, breaking her heart in the process. Now, seven years later, their paths cross again! She is in danger, and he wants to protect her, but this time she doesn't want him. #1 Unrequited (May 2026) #2 Overheard (May 2026) #3 Motorcycle (May 2026) #3 Old flame (May 2026) #10 Grovel (May 2026) Standalone: Characters connected to (Not) Written in the Stars book, but you can read this story even if you haven't read the other one.

This is a story about what happens when love meets grief and neither of them wins. Before, there was laughter in the dark. Stolen touches. The thrill of wanting something we were never meant to have. He felt like rebellion and safety all at once - like if I chose him, the world might burn, but he would stand in the flames with me. I didn't understand that some fires don't keep you warm. They consume. There was a night - the kind people whisper about later. The kind that divides your life into before and after. When the dust settled, something precious was gone... and the boy I loved was left carrying the weight of it. He never said it out loud, but I saw it in his eyes. The guilt. The unraveling. The quiet way he began pulling away from me long before I realized I was losing him. Grief changes people. It turns love into something desperate. It turns promises into things that tremble. It makes you cling tighter... even when you should run. I told myself he was hurting. I told myself pain makes people do things they don't mean. I didn't realize some damage can't be undone. By the time the truth surfaced, it was already too late. Too ugly. Too sharp. The kind of truth that doesn't just break your heart - it rearranges it into something unrecognizable. He says he'll spend the rest of his life making it right. But love born in secrecy. Love baptized in tragedy. Love tested by something unforgivable- It doesn't come out untouched. And if you're waiting for me to tell you we survive this... You should know something first. Some nights don't end when the sun comes up. Some nights follow you forever. And ours was the kind that leaves a body behind.

لا اتذكر ذلك اليوم جيداً اتذكر وجهه ملامحه الحاده وعينيه الفارغه ،يديه الصلبتين وجسده الذي احتواني كاللعبه الصغيره كان لازال شاباً يافعاً وانا كنتُ هشه لللغايه لم يسالني حتي ما اسمي ولا حتي من انا ....لا اتذكر اسمي كنتُ صغيره وضعيفه ادخلني سيارته بعد ان ابرح الاوغاد ضرباً كنت قد اختبئتُ في زاويه وانا اراه يضربهم بدون رحمه وعينيه كانت مُرعبه للغايه لم اري بهم سوي الفراغ فقط بعد ان انتهي منهم تقدم نحوي بهدوء وانا انكمشتُ خوفاً منه بقوه وعندما اقترب مني بهدوء مد يديه الصلبه ذات العروق البارزه رفع ذقني نظرت اليه بخوف وغرقت في بحر عينيه كان اوسم رجل اراه وسيم وجميل ظللتُ احدق به حتي حملني بهدوء شديد بين ذراعيه وادخلني سيارته كان قد انقذني من هؤلاء الاوغاد فقط انكمشتُ في حضنه ولم ارد تركه ابداً امر السائق ان يقود ثم غطيتُ في نومً عميق شعرتُ بالامان والدفء لم اكن اعرف اي شئ ،صغيره وضعيفه وادركتُ انه سيكون ملاكي الحارس تباً كم كنتُ غبيه ،تبًا كم كنت مُخطئه ...لم يكن به اي شئ جميل سوي خارجه ...وانا كنت صغيره للغايه لادرك الامر والان اصبحت اراه وضوح الشمس كان شيطاناً لعيناً لم ينطق كلمه واحده في حياته ...لم اسمع صوته الا نادراً جداً او يُهئ لي ذلك ....لان الكلمات الوحيده التي كان يُخرجها كانت تعريفاً لل

**SAMPLE ONLY - READ ON KU, EBOOK, OR PAPERBACK** US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GV177BWC UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GV177BWC AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0GV177BWC CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0GV177BWC 𝐇𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭. Emerald Sawyer has always been my home. She saw something in me when everyone else saw a hockey goon who could barely read. When the world called me stupid, she called me capable. Her faith built me in ways my father's cruelty never could. Now I'm Hayden "Haymaker" Sawyer-the league's most feared enforcer. My violence goes viral. My fists pay the bills. Every hit, every fight, every autograph, every deal-I told myself I was doing it all for her. Somewhere along the way, I stopped seeing what it was costing our marriage. I let my agent handle the business so I could focus on the game. I ignored the threats and harassment. The fans who hated her simply for being mine. When Emerald tried to show me how cruel it had gotten, I told her it didn't matter. That I would always keep her safe. I was wrong. The losses piled up. The fans turned vicious. My temper snapped, and with one ugly moment, I pushed away the only person who has ever truly loved me. Then, while I was smiling for the cameras, my wife was brutally attacked by a fan wearing my jersey. Now I see everything too late. I want blood from every single person who touched her. And the deeper I dig, the clearer it becomes that none of this was random. My agent, Rick Fox, has been pulling the strings for far too long. I'll do whatever it takes to bring down the people who came for my wife, earn back the woman I love, and prove that this time, I won't fail her again. Because Emerald Sawyer is my home, my heart, my everything.

He called her his. His ol' lady. His wife. Property of Clutch. Rebecca "Bex" Pierce never belonged to anyone. She chose him. She stood beside him. She wore his patch with pride. Until the night he chose wrong. When a lie tears through the Dawnbreakers MC, loyalty turns toxic and pride turns cruel. In front of his brothers, in front of the clubhouse, Clutch does the one thing Bex never thought he would. He doesn't hit her. He doesn't cheat. He just doesn't believe her. And if he doesn't believe her? Then the patch means nothing. So she takes it off herself. Throws it at his feet. And walks away from the only life she's ever known. No protection. No club. No husband. The fallout fractures the Dawnbreakers from the inside out. Secrets unravel. Brothers fall. The club reforms. But the woman he lost? She isn't waiting to be claimed again. If Clutch wants his wife back, he won't just have to apologize. He'll have to rebuild everything he broke. Publicly. Relentlessly. Without expecting forgiveness. Because this time, she isn't property of anyone. Not even him. This story was born inside the Grovel & Betrayal Facebook group during a live "build-a-book" day. You asked for: • Public humiliation • Believed-the-wrong-person betrayal • Nuclear heartbreak • A man who has to earn her back And as I was reading your comments, one character kept echoing in my head. Clutch. You met him in Unlawful Hearts. You saw the quiet weight he carried. You heard him whisper to Remi. You watched him stand in the fire with the Dawnbreakers. This is his story. Welcome back to the Redemption Road world, this is within the same timeline as Unlawful Hearts.

Once, she was his whole world - the one he promised to cherish forever. But when trust wavered and faith shattered, he turned his back on her, leaving her heart in ruins. What followed was unbearable - heartbreak, humiliation for sins she never committed, abandonment by her parents, and the cruel whispers of friends and neighbors. Unable to endure the torment or the betrayal of the man she loved most, she left everything behind - her home, her city, her country - determined to rebuild herself. Eight years later, she returns not as the fragile girl she once was, but as a strong, confident doctor - cold, composed, and unbreakable. Fate intervenes when she is forced to save the very man she once fled from - the man who had destroyed her, now lying on the brink of death. He had spent those eight years in regret, searching endlessly for the love he lost - only to find her when he least expected it. Now, given a second chance, he is determined not to lose her again. As he struggles to win back her heart, she battles with the scars of her past. Can he truly earn her forgiveness after such betrayal? Will she ever trust him again - or will the walls she built around her heart keep him out forever? Come, witness their journey - of pain, redemption, and love reborn against all odds.