They said the Hunt was sacred. That if I was chosen, it meant fate. But fate didn't feel like a mouth on my skin or claws at my back. It felt like blood. Mine. For years, I stayed hidden. Quiet. Unclaimed. I stole seeds from the state fields, grew food in secret, fed my family from soil and silence. I did everything right - stayed beneath their radar, beneath their noses. I didn't make waves. I didn't ask for more. But monsters never forget a scent. And when the Hunt came, I was scented. Tracked. Taken. I stabbed him. I buried the blade in his shoulder and watched him bleed. It didn't matter. Because he still bit me. And the world saw. Now my face is on every screen. The girl who didn't run. The girl who fought back. Some call me a rebel. Some call me a mate. But they all forget one thing. I wasn't made to be claimed. I was made to survive. And if they want to collar me, cage me, crown me - they'll have to reckon with everything I've kept buried beneath the roots. Because I am not the flower. I'm the fire beneath it. Rewrite version of formerly known book Escaping the monsters Embrace

Book One : Cambodia Slade Wilson is paid to kill, not to rescue girls from brothels in the middle of a war. But when he finds her again-barefoot, shaking, holding a baby that isn't hers-walking away stops being an option. He doesn't speak her language. She doesn't know his name. The only things they share are a child, a jungle full of enemies, and the way she clings to him like he's the safest monster she's ever met. This is a dark, slow-burn romance about a mercenary who never meant to care and a woman who has every reason to fear him... and chooses him anyway. ⚠ CW: This story contains mature themes including sexual trauma, implied/attempted sexual assault, brothel settings, violence, non-graphic nudity, language barriers/miscommunication, a baby in danger, past sexual trauma, PTSD, violence, infidelity/secret relationship, and emotional dependency. Reader discretion is advised.

Jane Blackridge has no illusions about herself. She knows herself to be no great beauty, yet she possesses what Society too often undervalues: a sharp mind, an observant eye, and a tongue inclined toward wit rather than flattery. Content to remain in the shadow of prettier debutantes, Jane intends only to endure her first Season with dignity intact. Nathaniel Ashworth, heir to the Marquess of Worthington, has never known what it is to be overlooked. Handsome, charming, and assured of his place in society, he moves through ballrooms with effortless grace, the object of admiration from every quarter. Yet beneath the polish lies the constant weight of expectation-the heir, the model son, the man who must never falter. When his attention falls upon the unassuming Miss Blackridge, no one is more surprised than Jane herself. Her calm indifference unsettles him, her quiet humor disarms him, and soon Nathaniel finds himself drawn to the one woman who refuses to be dazzled. What begins as sport becomes something far more dangerous: a contest of pride and perception, where one risks his heart, and the other, her trust. But when the truth behind his courtship comes to light, Jane's trust is shattered - and Nathaniel must decide whether to defy society's expectations, or to lay himself bare for the for the only woman who ever saw him clearly. To Woo a Duchess is a Regency tale of sharp minds, subtle flirtation, and the unexpected power of seeing - and being seen - for who you truly are. COMPLETE

A Marriage in trouble story. They were the "couple goals" from the moment they met in high school. The ones everyone believed would make it. Ten years later, their once-solid marriage begins to fracture under the weight of vicious gossip, half-truths, and misplaced trust. As outsiders worm their way into their private world, Paige and Trevor are forced to confront what's real, what's been lost, and where their loyalties truly lie.

Historical context: By the time the Powers had caged Napoleon Bonaparte (Boney) his armies had ravaged all Europe. Only little England remains unscathed but for her soldiers. Her citizens were only touched emotionally. Soldiers return to crowds of hero-worshipers. The younger brother of the guillotined Louis 16th is propped up on the throne of France vacated by the Emperor Napoleon. But the ogre's old Grande Armee chafes on the bit of idleness and King Louis's aristocrats pant for revenge. Story: Peacetime is no more tranquil than wartime for some families. The Darnleys are in debt. What is the solution? Their children must marry money. But while showing obedience, the siblings form their own ideas. Could the perfect partners fall for them? Could they fall for the perfect partners? Do perfect partners even exist? Politics refuses to bury the past. Covered intrigues and grudges must surface. Secrets decades old collide and rock foundations. Reputation and wealth is everything. War might return. Extract: "You are three-and-twenty and have been nine months in the army. You are inclined to kick up larks, gamble, game, bet, and flirt with actresses. You want taming. In a few words, you want a wife. Our house is on a financial precipice. Any gust of wind could push us onto the rocks below. We want wealth. Look about you at this season's debutants. Neglect the belles backstage. Look around you with a keen and serious eye. Before you have only inspected society beauties with a mind for dalliance. Now inspect them for the qualities that might suit you in a wife. I cannot dictate them. You are familiar with your own tastes. Let her be decent. Let her be comely and, above all, let her be wealthy." Completing this speech, Lord Darnley placed his fingertips together and awaited his son's response with a touch of his former anxiety.

Lady Helena Blackwell enters her first Season expected to be chosen-never to choose. But when she crosses paths with Gabriel Bennett, Viscount Hays, their quiet connection ignites into something dangerous and undeniable. As Society watches with sharpened smiles and her mother tightens her grip on Helena's future, Helena does the unthinkable: she listens to her own heart. When blackmail threatens to drag her back into scandal, Gabriel refuses to let her face it alone. Yet love does not silence the past so easily. Helena must stand against a mother who treats her like a bargaining chip, while Gabriel confronts the legacy of a family that taught him distance instead of devotion. Judged, whispered about, and pushed toward obedience, Helena chooses him anyway-learning that courage sometimes means disappointing everyone else. Set against glittering ballrooms and moonlit gardens, their story is one of defiance, resilience, and learning to stay-proving that real love is not perfect, but fiercely brave.

In the mist-shrouded Highlands of 1795, a cursed laird prowls the moor as a beast. When he claims the brave barn girl who once hid him from hunters, their bond ignites a dark, possessive romance that defies fear and fate. Torn from cruelty and offered sanctuary in his isolated castle, Isla must surrender to the wolf within the man or lose the only safety she has ever known. A sweeping historical dark romance of moonlight, blood, and unbreakable devotion. Where captivity becomes chosen forever.

❤️ NOTE: Fully edited and completed book is available on Amazon and KU ❤️ Louise has finally left her abusive ex behind, but starting work as a weekend ranch hand has more in store for her than she ever bargained for. And it comes in the form of two men who find her more than irresistible. Vaughn, the enigmatic ex-bronc rider turned horse trainer with a past he can't outrun, and Matt, the playful Southeastern circuit champion tie-down roper who won't take no for an answer. Both skilled cowboys. Both with a hatred for one another that runs deeper than the Jim Walter coal mines. As loyalties blur and secrets surface, Louise's heart is caught at a crossroads. But with someone in the shadows pulling strings, will she survive long enough to tell the man she truly loves that her heart will always be his? *Book 1 - Country Hearts Series* *Please note: Contains mature content, including strong language, mental & physical abuse, sexual references and mature sexual content. 18+ readers only. *Note - All chapters are titles of songs - you can find the full playlist on YouTube here: http://bit.ly/4m311or

Iris Mercer was never meant to be loved. Not in that marriage. Not by a man like Elliot Graves. It was supposed to be an arrangement. It became a year of shared silence that was never empty, of touches that were careful not to want too much, and a love that grew anyway, stubborn and deep. Then Elliot forgot her. The accident took the year that belonged to her. It left Elliot with memories of another woman, a different life. A life before Iris. He remembers nothing of the marriage that changed him. Iris remembers it all. She watches her husband move through their home in a body that knows her but a mind that does not. She hears Elliot's voice form another man's words. She grieves for a love that existed only in a single, stolen year, because some kinds of love are not repeated. They are built once, and lost forever. This story contains explicit intimacy, strong language, emotional trauma, and themes of memory loss, manipulation, and familial abuse. Intended for mature readers only.

[WATTYS 2025 HONORABLE MENTION] 🔥Rated R for mature sexual content and graphic language 📚For fans of You've Got Mail (and underwear kinks) OR as one reader put it: "A yuletide story of what happens when his package gets shoved in her box by mistake." *** Zoey Franklin's post-college life is a mess. She's jobless, newly single, stuck living with meddling parents, and forced to hang out with her parents' friends, the Londers (AKA complete strangers), for Christmas. The only thing maintaining her sanity? A flirty, banter-filled text exchange with a mystery man, sparked by a package mix-up. Tristan Londer is finally going home for Christmas for the first time in forever. While he hoped for some much-needed quality time with his family, instead he gets a house full of strangers taking over his space. Especially that one stranger--the one with the voice, and the eyes, and the sass, who's claimed his bedroom as hers for the trip. Even though Zoey Franklin is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, he can't stand the entitled princess. Good thing he has his mystery woman to text with late at night. If there's anyone who can turn his mood around, it's her. *** Cover co-designed by @LNRoberts1 and myself