Haunted by the past, Rhiannon Carmichael returns to her hometown for her father's funeral, only to uncover a web of secrets and a possible murder, forcing her to confront the family she left behind. *** Victor Carmichael, the titan of local construction industry, is dead. Officially, it was his failing liver that finally did him in. Off the record? He's been murdered, and the only one who suspects it is his prodigal daughter. Gaffney, South Carolina, holds the ghosts of Rhiannon's past - the past she desperately tried to escape. Forced to sift through fractured memories and lies, she must expose a killer possibly lurking in the heart of her family. Every smile hides a secret, and every hug is a potential weapon. Whodunnit? Her mother, Lorraine, who seems to hold back more than tears? Her resentful brother, Tom? Then there are Beverly, the enigmatic interior designer with a past as murky as the swamps surrounding Gaffney, and Aubrey, the glamorous influencer whose connection to Victor runs deeper than anyone knows... Each clue, each whispered secret, pulls Rhiannon deeper into a dangerous game. As the idyllic charm of her quiet hometown crumbles, the lines between friend and foe start to blur. The more time passes, the more she realises: her returnal to Gaffney is not a blissful family reunion. It's a deadly reckoning. © 2025 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompt 61: "The silence in room is deafening, as though it has a life of its own. It's time to rewrite the fairytale, but this time, the ending will be yours, and it won't be happy."

Sleeping Beauty with a few twists! Scarlett Bochelle is just fine alone, thank you very much. She is perfectly satisfied with her work as a Zookeeper for large primates and her hobbies. She certainly doesn't need her friend setting her up on a date with a rockstar with public commitment phobia. Little does she know that her friend and her date are hiding secrets that will put her in grave danger even before their first date begins. She will have to choose between her relatively safe but lonely life, and a breathtaking love that will require a leap of faith. #ONC2025 based on prompt 94

I summoned him to keep me alive. Not to kiss me and make me feel things. Prince Leonard is a paranoid wreck-hated by his court, haunted by his past, and one imagined assassination attempt away from losing the only person still on his side. So when his own guards turn on him, Leo makes the one move no sane person would: he summons a demon. What he expects is a bloodthirsty monster. What he gets is Razvain Nyxbourne-dangerously attractive, infuriatingly flirty, and far more interested in kissing than drinking blood. Leo is unprepared for his sharp smiles or the avalanche of inconvenient emotional intimacy that comes with them. Bound by magic to keep Leo alive, Raz and his disarmingly cute shadows have their work cut out for them, because every member of the court seems to be after the newly crowned king's fragile life. If Leo wants to survive, he'll have to confront the demons of his past to keep the one at his side strong enough to protect him. Mature rated for explicit sexual content

Markus has left everything behind to live in a remote cabin near a lake. He wants to be alone, but in the middle of a snowstorm, a stranger knocks at his door and asks for shelter. Prompt 44: In the middle of a storm, a stranger arrives at your cabin, and you offer them shelter. But the storm's forecast says you'll be stuck for much longer than expected. This novella is a standalone but is set in the For Centuries universe.

Elora isn't like other girls. Because she's a faerie. The wings, the pointy ears, the sparkles-- she's got it all. She's also not like other girls because it's not often that one is ripped from royalty, whisked away by a thief with long dark hair and stormy blue eyes. With her new captor in tow, the flames of a potential uprising boil over, and Elora is caught in the crossfire. Life is about to get a lot more spicy. And not just because her captor is hot. Definitely not because of that, even if it's true. Um, Stockholm Syndrome who? Will Elora manage a chance at better days, even with her turbulent fate? Or is she forever someone else's treasure and nothing more?

**WATTYS 2025 HONOURABLE MENTION** Cas and Vish are best friends whose feelings run deep. Whilst Cas is clever, sporty, and on the brink of a bright future at university, Vish has no such prospects. A painfully shy artist, Vish's horizons end at his daily routine of pills, sensory issues and panicking parents. When they celebrate what could be their final summer together by painting wildlife and swimming at a secret wooded wetland hidden in the Fens, the lads awaken something ancient and sinister lurking in the water. A voice in Vish's head -- Charlie -- tempts him to spend longer and longer in the woods. When villagers begin to disappear and Vish becomes increasingly secretive and distant, Cas is convinced that Charlie intends to claim Vish, body and soul. Lies, heartbreak and obsession push their friendship to breaking point, but nothing will stop Cas from protecting Vish from Charlie's onslaught, not even a fight to the death. --- This book started life as an ONC 2025 prompt: 105. Your childhood imaginary friend who disappeared years ago returns - only this time they're real.

Dom is a worldly man who has managed to carve out a path for himself despite his humble origins: He has traveled throughout the Duchy, studied under the tutelage of monks at one of the finest monasteries, and has also served as a soldier in the Great Alliance War. This résumé should be impressive, were it not for the fact that he hung up his habit as soon as he had the chance, deserted the battlefield, and now wanders from town to town like a fugitive from justice. But, in any case, what are these but irrelevant details? On this occasion, the road has brought him to San Cipriano dei Monti, a small village over which rumors hang about a monster: a vampire of uncertain origin who has been threatening for months to drink the blood of innocent children. Of course, Dom doesn't believe in such nonsense. But when he learns that the local count is offering a substantial reward for capturing and killing the vampire, he does not hesitate to join the hunt. After all, how hard could it be to capture a beast that doesn't exist?