Love and retaliation conspire to foil a billionaire land developer's attempt to bulldoze a family business. Heather Clayburn owns Nuance, a thriving upscale restaurant in a nineteenth-century house in Vancouver's West End. Her family has lived above the restaurant for generations, but after her divorce, only she and her twelve-year-old daughter, Sage, remain. As Downtown spreads westward, massive office and condo towers threaten the last of the houses, and she is determined to preserve the family legacy. Strathaven Land Development owns the adjacent vacant lot, leasing it to the restaurant for client parking, and they recently bought the 1950s apartment building on the other side of the house. When Strathaven's owner tells Heather about an old verbal purchase agreement, she refutes its validity. He forces his son, Sinclair, to coerce her into selling. Sinclair becomes a regular diner at Nuance, catching Heather's eye, and while looking for ways to do his father's dirty deeds, he is increasingly attracted to her. Unaware of his motives, she moves him to the top of her dream hunk list.

Bella Moretti has it all-a devoted husband, a glamorous life, and a wardrobe that could make royalty jealous. As the beloved wife of Adrian Moretti, one of the most powerful men in the country, her days are filled with charity galas, luxury vacations, and stolen kisses over morning espressos. Then, one day, a mysterious man arrives. Her employers have been waiting. The mission she never knew she had-the one she was trained for but somehow forgot-has begun. And her target? Adrian Moretti. Her husband. Does she finish the job-or betray everything she was trained for? Because if Adrian finds out first, she might not get a choice.

Lorelei Engel is at the peak of her career. Her songs are performed by dozens of popular artists, but her own versions top them all. A meeting with a top city bureaucrat pays unexpected dividends when she discovers a second set of documents hiding unethical and illegal contracts. She takes the folder of files with her, leaving hastily to meet her private jet at the airport. In the limo, another unexpected passenger complicates her life. Meeting Taron, her pilot they take off. But life is never what you expect, and her personal mission must succeed at any cost.

Esme and Matt can't stand each other, even if they have to play nice for the cameras. As public speculation about their chemistry heats up, they're forced to confront what's real versus what's just for show. ***** Esme Mendoza is everything Matt Crain isn't--polished, optimistic, and proud of her golden girl image. He's brooding, arrogant, and impossible to work with. As co-stars in an indie romance film, they're forced to act like soulmates on screen while barely tolerating each other behind the scenes. When their banter and lingering stares spark fan speculation during the press tour, their PR teams jump on the opportunity, but Esme and Matt aren't too thrilled. Suddenly, they're everywhere--public appearances, exchanging snarky remarks in interviews, and fueling endless rumors. As their forced chemistry starts to feel a little too real, Esme and Matt are left questioning: are they just playing a role, or could this be end game? ***** WARM HANDS #1 Open Novella Contest -- prompts 45 & 127 [[OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025 ROUND 2 AMBASSADORS' PICK]] © 2025 caterina george // all rights reserved

A war won. A triumphant return home. Ell is a member of the Lion Regiment, a special forces squad trained to be the very best. After years spent fighting insidious demon armies, he returns with his squad to their barracks on the outside of the royal capital. Just as the yellow sun breaks through the turbulent, volcanic clouds above, just as the blissful days of silence, of a job well done wash over him and his fellow squadmates, trouble arises. GENRES: *action,* fantasy, tragedy, romance ~~~ ONC 2025 Entry |PROMPT 31 WITH SOME OF 61| First Draft version Prequel to an unwritten story Word count for project: ~34,000 COVER ART NOT MINE TAKEN FROM PINTEREST AND FILTERED

She's an angel. He's a demon. What could go wrong? Sunny, studious, and chatty to a fault, Siah Umbrath can't wait to enroll at St Sybil's University, the prestigious institution of higher learning in Chthonia. Most angels would balk at setting foot deep into demonic territory-not Siah. When the Angelic Council appoints her father as ambassador to the demonic kingdom, Siah sees it as a thrilling opportunity. Her parents, however, view things differently, with her father issuing a warning not to get involved with the male students. It's an easy request, one Siah feels she'll be able to uphold until she meets a grumpy blue demon on her first day. Kion Fellrose looks tough on the outside-tall, with a stern, unyielding expression, and a dozen boxing titles under his (literal) belt. But his gruff exterior hides wounds few know about, very little understand, and no one new will ever discover. Uninterested in most things life has to offer, all he wants to do is graduate and move as far away as possible. Everything is going according to plan until his father, the deputy mayor of Cinderforge, assigns him to keep an eye on the new angelic ambassador's daughter. Initially annoyed, Kion finds himself being pulled into Siah's orbit like a moth to a flame. The earth may not shatter when an angel falls in love with a demon -- they might save it instead.

1893. In Victorian London, a world marked by deep class divisions, young worker Henry Hops stumbles upon a secret manuscript by an unknown thinker. Fascinated by the radical ideas regarding the liberation of the working class and the contradictions within society, Henry embarks on a quest to find the mysterious author. A handwritten invitation in the manuscript leads him to an exclusive book club. Henry must decide how to navigate these ideas and how to fight for the rights of the working class, all while grappling with his own emotions, relationships, and the tension between aristocracy and social justice. ONC | 2025

She'll make kings and demons kneel to save the world from the rise of the Succubus Empress.