Born into slavery, Lena Wells escapes in search of freedom-but instead finds a Union camp overflowing with runaways, soldiers, and the man whose gaze she can't seem to forget. What begins as stolen glances soon becomes forbidden touches and passionate, secret kisses. But war has a way of claiming everything, and when Julian is called back to his regiment, Lena is forced to let him go. Four years later, Lena has built a fragile new life in Philadelphia-a seamstress by day and a devoted mother by night, determined to protect the child who carries the face of the man she lost. Julian Dennis, wounded and discharged, is living in the same city rebuilding a life that no longer feels like his own. When a chance assignment brings Lena into his home that he shares with his mother-who has hired her to sew a few dresses-the past collides violently with the present. One look at Lena's little girl sends Julian spiraling. She looks like him. She acts like him. And the timing is undeniable. Yet Lena insists the child isn't his. Now Julian is torn between hope and heartache, while Lena clings to the truth she's carried alone for years. As long-buried emotions resurface and new wounds open, both must confront not only the ghosts of the war, but the powerful forces of society, race, loyalty, and love that threaten to keep them apart. Because sometimes the war doesn't end on the battlefield- Sometimes it finds you again, exactly where you're trying to start over.

Adam never believed in magic until the night he saved a woman with wings. Wandering through the forest, he stumbles upon Lysandra, a breathtaking fairy with silver-lit wings, wounded and barely conscious. Against all logic, he takes her home, unaware that he's just entangled himself in a world he was never meant to know. Lysandra is a creature of light and enchantment, bound to a realm where humans are nothing more than a fleeting myth. She knows she should leave, disappear before the fairy court realizes she's broken their most sacred rule-revealing herself to a human. But something about Adam keeps her from flying away. He's kind, protective, and his touch ignites a warmth she's never known before. As Adam helps her heal, a forbidden love blossoms between them. He shows her the beauty of the human world-sunrises over the ocean, music that stirs the soul, and love that isn't bound by magic but by choice. And Lysandra? She makes Adam believe in the impossible. But the fairy realm does not forgive those who break its laws. When Lysandra's people discover her secret, she's given a choice-return to her world and erase all memories of the man she loves, or risk everything to be with him. Will they find a way to bridge the impossible gap between their worlds? Or will fate tear them apart before they even have a chance?

Welcome to Corvessa Academy-where Outcasts don't just survive... they enchant, manipulate, destroy. Sirens. Seers. Necromancers. Illusionists. And her. Norah Ryx was never meant to be normal. Daughter of a siren queen and an illusionist, she steps into Corvessa with a bloodline wrapped in secrets and a mission she won't speak of. Then there's Jude Lansting-quiet Seer, gold-hearted boy, the only one who sees her beyond the smoke and power. Their love isn't sweet. It's dangerous. And when the truth starts unraveling, they'll either burn the world or each other.

Born an elf into a world where elves are hunted and killed, twenty-two year old Faeda fears she may be the last of her kind. Hiding amongst those who would sooner see her demise than help her, Faeda is forced to live a life of secrecy. When she hears whispers of a place filled with those of her kind, Faeda goes out on a desperate journey to find them. However, as she meets and discovers new friends and companions, Faeda has a gruesome realization: there are beings out there killing people like Faeda-and they're working for more powerful beings. Now, Faeda must protect her new friends and keep herself safe...before she and those she loves are killed. Will she survive the madness? Or will she lose herself and all those she holds dear? *** **mature for violence *** (Highest Rankings) #6 blackwriter (06.16.2022) #7 bwwm (07.19. 2022) #2 realm (07.24.2022) #4 blackgirl (03.24.2023)