Metanoia (n.) the journey of changing one's mind, heart, self or way of life. Part one Darcy Russo a nine year old girl living in a run down orphanage on the outskirts of Athens, Greece has had to fend for herself for the majority of her life. Being abandoned as a child and having to endure cruelty and abuse from those who were supposed to look after her has caused her to become untrusting and wary of others. Instead she seeks solace in nature, spending any and all free time exploring the wilderness and the ocean with her dog Bear. Although Darcy has accepted that she can only depend on herself, what happens when she finds out that she wasn't abandoned she was taken and her eight older brothers will stop at nothing to get her back. Part two After being kidnapped by the Russian mafia and tortured for years for information she doesn't have, Darcy Russo becomes cold and calculated. When the leader of the Russian mafia Ivan Volkov offers her a deal, train and work for him as an assassin or die, she can't exactly refuse. Being nicknamed 'Sin' by the underworld, she changes her identity and becomes a ruthless, efficient killer. But what happens when she is sent on a mission to destroy the family she once loved. Will she let the resentment she has for them for being the reason she was tortured take over or will she spare their lives? And what happens when she catches the attention of her brother's best friend.

Elena Smith had never worried about hockey boys. She knew who she was, and she knew what she could handle. That certainty starts to crack when her brother, Will Smith, becomes best friends with his teammate Macklin Celebrini-and Elena realizes she may not be as unaffected as she once believed.

She's back and better than ever. Living in Chicago for the junior Law program was a fun year of her life but Bailey-Belle couldn't be happier to be home. Just in time for senior year too. She missed her six brothers, her hometown and everyone else in it. Well... almost everyone. Caleb Kazer has been best friends with her older brothers since birth. He's the ultra smart, flirty and ever charming bad boy who has teased Belle since they could talk. He is undeniably hot and he knows it. He's arrogant, cocky and constantly teasing or antagonizing Belle. But despite all of this, she can't deny the fact that she would defend him if he were ever in trouble. She says she can't stand him, but deep down she knows things would be boring without him. Bailey 'Belle' Kalanski is this intimidatingly intelligent, fun loving spitfire of a girl that Caleb can't help but be intrigued by. He always has been, ever since they were kids. She's annoyingly stubborn and always has an answer for everything. The only things they seemingly have in common is their smarts, sarcasm and love for fun and their family. Shes the ultimate pain in his ass, but he knows that he would protect her forever, even though she really didn't need. He couldn't deny the fact that things wouldn't be the same without her. Through nightly talks and their constant bickering the two suprisingly grow closer. What happens when, to both of their confusion and dismay, feelings start to bloom? What happens when both of their worlds come crashing down around them? They say a lot can change within a year, and although Belle likes to let go of most of the turmoil that's happened througout her life, this year would definitely be impossible to forget, no matter how hard she tried. 'Never in a Million Years' is the hilarious and heartbreaking tale of Bailey-Belle Kalanski's life, full of family, friends, love and laughter.

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***

They're Off Limits Reading Event 😈 They know they shouldn't. They're going to anyway. Forced proximity, messy boundaries, and stories that don't hold back. 📚 Read from the They're Off Limits Reading List 🏆 30 mins → 30 Coins 🏆 90 mins → 90 Coins 🏆 150 mins → 150 Coins 📅 May 11 - 17 Stay for the tension. Leave with Coins. After an unexpected ceiling collapse sends her apartment into chaos, Madelaine Grayson ends up living with her brother - and dangerously close to his tattooed, way-too-charming roommate. He's off-limits... but resisting him might be impossible. *** When Madelaine Grayson's bathroom ceiling caves in, it's not just drywall that crumbles. It's her entire world. Forced to move in with her brother, she finds herself swept up in the chaos of his new protective attitude - especially when it comes to his tattooed roommate, Noah Laurier. Noah is the epitome of perfection: sweet, hot, and embedded into every thought Madelaine has. But he's forbidden, and the closer she gets, the harder he is to resist. Well... what her brother doesn't know can't hurt him, right? *** "Matt's sister, I presume?" He walks towards the couch and my eyes widen. He's tall. I thought I was tall but this man could tower me, and when he reaches a hand towards me, there's an intricate clock tattooed on the back of his hand and his fingers have bones tattooed over them. This man is not human. He's tall and angular and dripping with sex appeal. This man is hot. Capital H, capital O, capital T. I don't think I've ever seen a human being so attractive. All I can think about as I force myself to keep my eyes on the screen is the feel of his jaw beneath my hand, and it takes everything in me not to look

Soleil Dubois was the sweetest person you could ever meet. Her name meant 'sun' in French and that was exactly what she was. Sunshine. But don't let that sweet personality fool you because she was sarcastic and had the mouth of a sailor. Cursed like one too. She was still grieving from the loss of her mother, along with her older brother, Lucas who wasn't doing too well either, but they had decided that some things were meant to let go of, and their mother's death was one of those things. And in order for that to happen, they decided to sign up for an exchange program that would be happening in their rival school; NorthFields Academy. The school that most of their competitions were held against, but the biggest one was Football. Every semester, NorthFields Academy and SouthFields Academy played against eachother, and the one who got the most goals by the end of the year would win trophies, more fame and money. That's when Elias Morano came in. He was the captain of the football team of NorthFields Academy and despised Lucas with all his heart. Their feelings were mutual for eachother, but for some reason, his eyes were always on Soleil, the one girl that hated him as well. The one girl he couldn't have. Why her out of everyone? And feelings build up when Soleil goes to NorthFields Academy for a month and a half to complete the exchange program. What's worse is that those football games would be more often and both schools would be playing against eachother. The worst thing is that Elias and Soleil are assigned together for the program, meaning they have to spend more time together. Soleil soon realises that what she feels for Elias isn't hate, its something more than that. But she can't do anything, can she? He is her brother's rival after all.

Academic Rivals to Lovers in a Boarding School ..... "You wanna know the really dumb meaning behind my name?" He muses and I walk ahead of him. "Nope." "Basically, it means the transporter of goods by cart or wagon, it's from an old french word I believe. You wanna know yours?" "You looked up mine?" I question, hiding the small smile on my face, because I'm mad at him or whatever. For... I don't know why but I'm mad at him because I am. Carter catches up to me, grinning to himself. "Emilia means rivals, it's derived from the root of some latin word. Isn't that strange?" That's just a coincidence, he's probably lying anyway. "Yeah, real peculiar." I reply. ..... #2 - onebedtrope 16/06/22 #1 - mila 16/06/22

Summer Gray had a picture-perfect childhood, with a wonderful family and an ideal life. Well, it's almost perfect. Despite being the daughter of the renowned Garrett Gray, she knew what people thought of her. But Summer never let that bother her until she crossed paths with her brother's sworn enemy, Nicolas Alvarez, known as Nico. Nico's life was the complete opposite of Summer's. At just 19 years old, he had to face challenges that most teenagers never had to. When Nico and Summer first met, they immediately despised each other. Their rivalry seemed unbreakable, until a fateful day when Summer stumbled upon a phone number that would completely change their dynamic. Summer swore nothing would happen between Mr. Rivalry and her. But then again, nothing ever stays the same.