Malikah knows her place. It's with the other defects in the outer rings. In her world where perfection and Unitarianism are the only options, and all who don't fit the mold live out their lives in the slums of the outer rings she's used to doing whatever it takes to survive another day. Fighting in the pits and helping out at the baker's hut has become her daily routine for so long that Malikah doesn't expect anything out of the ordinary. But that's exactly what she gets. With her hard earned savings in hand, ready to buy her own pair of shoes she goes to the market place, but instead of shoes, a mysterious necklace seems to literally be calling to her, begging her to buy it. She does. And her whole life changes. With the help of a handsome stranger and a insanely strange group of people who say she belongs with them, Malikah may just find that she doesn't know her place after all and her world, might not be the only one there is. Thrust into adventure filled with strange creatures, Gods, betrayal, destiny, and maybe even love, Malikah must stay true to herself if she wants to not only save the world, but fulfill her destiny.

Four years ago, Natalia Moretti disappeared. No goodbye. No explanation. Just silence. Once the youngest princess of the Italian mafia, Natalia was raised to obey-to smile, to submit, to accept a future chosen for her. Instead, she chose herself. Now she's back in New York. Her parents are gone. Her brothers rule the Moretti empire. And the boy she once loved-the one who thought she betrayed him-has become a man shaped by power, pride, and unfinished heartbreak. Natalia returns different. Stronger. Untouchable in ways no one expects. She's built a life of her own, far from the shadows she was born into-and she carries a secret that could change everything. As old feelings resurface and fate pulls her back into the orbit of the man she never forgot, Natalia must decide how much of her heart she's willing to risk again. Because love in their world is never simple. And some secrets aren't just dangerous- They're legacy-changing. Heir of Silence is a slow-burn mafia romance about first love, second chances, and the quiet strength it takes to protect what matters most-when the whole world is watching.

Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong? *** It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed. Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out? Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her? Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires. *This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.

"I won't be able to control it then, Eos. Once I'm inside you, there is no going back." He had secrets. I had mine. All was well until he returned. The dark billionaire who made himself out of nothing, the mysterious handsome man that held deep, evil secrets within himself, and the man who was well-known across the country. King I wondered who was he and what he was doing here-in a small town, in the outskirts of the country. I learned my answer when he gave me his curse and told me to live with it forever. An eternity of sadness and despair until he became my new addiction. And I became his.

Aspiring writer Norah Jacobs needs an escape. In the span of two weeks, her corrupt brother has been jailed for murder and his partner has been hovering on her doorstep, threatening to ruin what little peace she has left. Packing her car, Norah flees the city and goes off the grid, finding refuge in the small coastal town of Bellvale. However, Norah's newfound refuge lands her right in the middle of a power struggle between creatures she thought only existed in fairy tales, and she begins to see that no matter how hard you try to run from your troubles, they seem to have a way of catching up with you... Watty 2014 Winner Haven Copyright © Melissa Lucas 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this literary work may be reproduced or used without written consent from the author.

Bay Lawson is only seventeen years old but she has already learned that life can be cruel. In a pack where everyone knows his or her place, she feels lost. From the first time Bay met Flynn Cruz, she feels an attraction she can't explain. It doesn't matter that he is the enemy. After a confrontation where Flynn makes the choice to save her life, Bay is left with the realization that he is more to her than just a passing attraction. And she can't ignore how she feels about him. Their worlds are too far apart to bridge, but while she wrestles with the knowledge of who he is to her, danger looms on the horizon. In a war, love blurs the lines. * Please note this is only a five chapter sample of the published book.

Crystal Adams had a teenage crush on Kyle Jensen. It turned to love the day she realized he was her mate. But before she could tell him, she discovered something that would change everything. She is hiding a secret that will endanger him. To protect him, she made the hard decision to leave his pack. But destiny doesn't give up that easily and events force her to face him again. This time, leaving is harder. This time, he knows she is his mate. He'll move heaven and earth to find her. And destiny is on his side. * Please note this is only a five chapter sample of the published book.

Shifters never mingle with humans. They reside high in the mountains venturing below only once a year for the night of the Red Moon. They invade the human villages below, take and kill who they want, but they never leave any witnesses. Not before Freya. Season 1 of Cloud Piercer ***** 18-year-old Freya Raune will do anything to find out why the shifters took her brother. And that includes searching for the deserters, an elusive rebel group determined to end the shifters' rule. But as the next Red Moon approaches and the mysterious yet charismatic Killian Li sweeps into her village, Freya is forced to be more careful. Those caught fraternizing with the deserters are murdered, and Killian's arrival is a reminder that nobody can be trusted--even those Freya is closest to.

||2022 WATTYS WINNER|| A scholar boy who denies the existence of elemental magic. A hidden princess who can control all seven elements. A mystical quill capable of rewriting both of their destinies. In the realm of Rainier where magic should no longer exist, eighteen-year-old Sebastian d'Aximos, a nobody scholar from an insignificant fishing village, finds himself accused by the Salvera Crown for using forgotten elemental magic to murder his own mother. There exists one problem with the Crown's theory, however; magic resides only in the Scribal legends about the Authors of Old, a rare race of humans who controlled the seven elements by weaving elemental threads into storybooks called Monvertas. But the Monvertas are myths; they have never been real. Yet, when Sebastian's soul cries out to the hidden heir of Rainier's Crown, Astrid Salvera, his beliefs in logic and facts are challenged. Because Astrid controls the seven elements, and she and her mother have worked to release magic back to their kingdom since it had been stolen by the enemy lands of Soleita two decades previously. Together, Sebastian and Astrid must work to find a mystical, hidden artifact: the Black Quill. A tool used by the original Author to unlock the Monverta and release its magical secrets. A tool that could redeem the realms of their world and reinstate magic. Ancient myths, prophecies of saviours and villains, and deadly trials by elements awaken to meet both Sebastian and Astrid as they work to unveil the secrets hidden from Rainier and learn the dark truths of each other. **Book 2 OUT NOW!**

(The Madison Chronicles #1) WINNER Wattys 2022! Unlock the power of music, magic, and memory. Inspired by 'His Dark Materials' and the 'Mortal Engines' books, 'Sadie Madison and the Boy in the Crimson Scarf' is the first book in 'The Madison Chronicles': an epic tale of music, magic, and memory. Since the beginning of time, the Narrowers have collected and stored every memory that was ever forgotten in a dimension known as the Vents. Now, at the turn of the twentieth century, the Foretelling-a prophecy that threatens to tear theVents apart-is poised to reveal itself. Twelve-year-old Sadie Madison cannot forget. Anything. Sadie lives with her family in the town of Iron Bridge, on the banks of the River Myr, deep in the Shadow Valley, where she loves reading scary books and playing make-believe. But when her father tells her a bedtime story about the Narrowers, Sadie wonders whether her ability to remember is somehow linked to the Vents; connected to every memory, hope, and secret that has ever been...