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Curious Reads
130 stories
All The King's Men by hunnyhays
hunnyhays
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Princess Amelia survived a brutal attack on her family. Now, after living twelve years in a secluded castle, she must rejoin the world of royalty. But growing up secluded from the world did not prepare her for life in the royal palace. Life's hard lessons teach her that some things are worth fighting for. Sir Lucas' father died while defending the king. He has been raised ready and willing to do the same. Chivalry is not the only way of life but it is his life. He would do anything to protect the royal family, including denying his love for the king's sister, in order to see the royal line continue.
Hybrid Queen of Earth by Helthera
Helthera
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Abducted from Earth during an alien invasion, Selene finds herself drawn to the very aliens who took her. As she uncovers the truth behind the mysterious race that abducted her, three very different Thalrian males begin to challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and humanity itself. Some choices change your future. Others change what you are.
A Deathmarked Bond (Complete) by CMalla
CMalla
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In the fae Summer Kingdom, healers are taught to preserve life while obeying the rules that keep them safe: never use magic on another fae. But when Lucinda uses healing magic to save Oto, a fae boy cursed with lethal shadow magic, she binds her magic with his in a way their kingdom strictly forbids. Lucinda and Oto's magic becomes intertwined, linking them in an escalating psychic connection that will slowly descend them both into madness. While both haunted and comforted by his empathetic connection to Lucinda, Oto must grapple with his own uncontrollable dark magic. As a weapon who kills everything he touches, including his own father, Oto must conquer his own demons before he can give in to his feelings for Lucinda. As Lucinda struggles to obey her father and suppress her growing bond with Oto, the Autumn Kingdom's armies are closing in, threatening to overtake the Summer Kingdom. As Lucinda and Oto's connection develops, they navigate their psychic bond while being tested and manipulated by those who want to exploit it. Plagued by prophetic nightmares of Oto's death on the battlefield, Lucinda must choose between safety and love, obedience and defiance. To save Oto's life again, she must abandon the comfort of everything she knows and take a leap of faith in herself as she follows him to war against the Autumn Kingdom. As their connection deepens and political tensions escalate, the line between protection, possession, and outright madness begins to blur.
The Plague Doctor's Daughter by rskovach
rskovach
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[2021 WATTYS Winner] Giovanna joins a handsome nobleman to save a friend from an arranged marriage, but they discover a plot that may have victims of Venice's Black Death rising from their graves. * * * As a child, Giovanna Visconti learned the arts of bloodletting and elixir brewing from her father with an intent to simply support his work, not take it over. But when he falls ill from the pestilence that's been ravaging Venice for months, she reluctantly dons the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Vowing to protect her father however she can, Giovanna hides him away and sees her first patient--the handsome, but alarmingly feverish Matteo Barozzi. Although she successfully treats this son of a high-ranking official, in a careless moment Giovanna fails to properly conceal her identity. The only reason she isn't tossed into a dank jail cell is thanks to the young man's honor and feelings of indebtedness. The association between the charming aristocrat and the clever commoner should end there, but when Giovanna's dearest friend goes missing right after her betrothal to the Doge's son and amid strange reports of nighttime attacks, violent commotions, and inexplicable behaviors in the community, the only person Giovanna can turn to for help is Matteo. Together, they must carefully navigate Venice's increasingly deadly canals to uncover a sect peddling false cures and a smuggling plot involving the highest levels of government or risk the entire Republic falling victim to something even worse than the plague: the risen dead. Historical Fiction with Fantasy Elements THE BORGIAS X FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH * * * WATTYS 2021 winner for Historical Fiction and special HQ prize for "Catchiest Hook" AMBYS 2022 winner for Best Zombie story Content Warning for adult situations including assault and death.
Emberfall by Space_Queen_Q
Space_Queen_Q
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She wakes with missing hours, a burning imprint carved into her shoulder, and no memory of who put it there. Nyxara Blackvein is an assassin who survives by control. Control over her body. Her blades. Her choices. But the mark beneath her skin has a will of its own, pulling her toward Stillreach-a city protected by an impossible shield and a power no one dares to name. Torin Cross was never part of the plan. A half-elf bard with a charming smile and secrets of his own, he's headed in the same direction for reasons that don't quite add up. When violence forces them to fight side by side, trust forms before either of them is ready for it. Whatever waits in Stillreach is already watching. ONC 2026 Prompts used. 32. Two assassins from rival organizations are sent on the same secret mission, only to realize the assignment holds a much bigger truth. 86. A wasteland hides pockets of thriving communities protected by mysterious shields. 99. You wake up with a strange mark on your skin after a late-night encounter you can barely remember, and its meaning grows more unsettling by the hour. If this is posted on any other site, please let me know. I have not given anyone the right to use it.
My Alien Lover by NiallFictionx
NiallFictionx
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After fighting an enemy on a planet he swore he would never set foot on again, Orion finds himself in a new galaxy, crashing on an unknown planet, injured and with a broken ship. He thinks he is doomed, until a strange creature that resembles him, but ugly, finds him and surprisingly, helps him and works alongside him to get him back into space, but what if things take a turn and end up basically kidnapping that clumsy female human while trying to get home? And what's worse, her presence is doing things to him he refused to feel again, and yet there he was, craving another human and at the same time, wanting her far, far away from him. Until the attraction gets harder and harder to deny and his primal instincts insist on claiming her as his mate, but, would she be willing to leave behind her home to move to another planet, far away from everything she knows?
A Xhyaxon's Mate by 88Celestine88
88Celestine88
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Cheated on by my boyfriend, then abducted by aliens. How worse could my life really get? He says he is better than a human male in every way possible, I'll be the judge of that. Follow Amelia as she discovers a new planet, new friends, and a new found love.
Your Protector ✓ by softsloth
softsloth
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"He's not a monster! Elik is my mate. The holder of my heart. He's a protector. He's my protector." ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ ◍ ◎ Penelope thought her life was over when she was taken. The abuse lasted months, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. That is until Elik came along, and ripped the door off of her cage. Literally. She knows he's different from her kind. He's not human. In fact, he's a 7ft tall muscular alien, and his kind have deemed him unworthy of taking care of a mate. Penelope knows different. She feels safe around him, despite his rugged appearance, and his deadly family history. Elik doesn't know what to think about the tiny female that is determined to stay glued to his hip. All he knows is that he will protect her no matter what, and he's determined to keep her. Even if it means snapping a few necks. [ book 2 of the Rytarian mates series. can be read as a stand alone novel ] *Rankings* #1 in safe - 3/14/20 #8 in Alien - 5/10/20 #4 in Rescue - 5/6/20 #5 in Abandoned - 5/6/20 #10 in Aliens - 3/18/20 #9 in Warrior - 5/10/20
The Queen of Blood: The lost child by vivvianrose2010
vivvianrose2010
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A fallen royal line. A child marked by fate. And a brother who lost everything... except her. After a massacre that destroyed the royal family, Valour escapes with his newborn sister, Zen. But survival is only the beginning. In a world ruled by betrayal, war, and forgotten gods, one promise remains: "I will protect you... no matter what it costs."
Flame in the Palace by SelunaDrake
SelunaDrake
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Orphaned and raised by her grandmother, Myria Hawthorne spends all of her formative years working at The Morning Glory, her grandmother's tavern, teaching herself small amounts of magic from the mages that pass through Everhaven. However, a chance opportunity offers her the ability to learn magic like the noble elite and save the financially-struggling tavern. The only catch? Win the prince's heart by the end of the summer to become the future Queen of Avalion. Five other ladies contend for the same prize, enduring grueling challenges to prove their value and securing their victory through other nefarious means. However, when Myria is suddenly thrust into this new world of glittering ballrooms, venomous smiles, and excessive wealth, she quickly learns not all is as it seems. Her mother had been a noble, pursuing the same path and winning the king's heart and hand over twenty-five years ago before mysteriously fleeing court the morning of her wedding. As Myria learns more about her mother's history, she is confronted by her own decisions. Does she really want to marry the prince? Is learning magic worth the price of joining the ranks of the nobility? Or should she leave the court before encountering the same, mysterious evil that frightened her mother? The dazzling court of Avalion promises secrets, glory, and even riveting danger to those deemed worthy.