She must work with her worst enemy to stop a dark plot, otherwise she'll have to marry him . . . --- Joy is kidnapped from the mortal world and taken to the icy kingdom of Yule. Here, she is tormented by the cold hearted heir to the Yule Throne, Friedrich. He's cruel, petulant, and they hate one another. But when the two discover that they are part of a dark plot to overthrow the biggest of the winter kingdoms, they must work together to stop it. Because there is a reason that Joy has been brought to Yule. And if she doesn't get back home before the big winter feast, the two enemies will have to do something unspeakable. They will have to get married. --- An enemies to lovers holiday themed romantic fantasy from the author of Cupid's Match and The Wolf King

Highest rank #1 in Adventure # 1 in FantasyAdventure Ling-ling was struggling financially when a proposition too good to pass fell on her lap. It is a proposal to marry someone. The dowry is big and the family is one of the richest in town. The contract guaranteed her financial security, not only for her, but for her entire family. But, there's a catch and it's a catch that would make her think otherwise. Her groom to be died six months ago from a car accident, so, this means she'll enter a marriage without a husband...or...will she? ***This story is influenced by, "The Ghost Bride", by Yangsze Choo***

Li Xiang is the Priestess of the Moon, she can see read the stars and fortune as well as misfortune to her people. However, the life of a Priestess consists of nothing but loneliness: she can neither leave the palace nor meet with anyone but the Emperor and his advisors. One day a mysterious servant boy named Rui sneaks into her room, daring her to go outside if he wins against her in a game. Upon meeting him, she also befriends a female warrior and a scholar, and realizes life is much more than the palace. When the day comes she can either choose to go down the road her heart truly desires but bring ruin to the kingdom, or ignore the one chance she will ever have to leave this life? *** "My fate has been decided for me." "There's no such thing as that," he said. "We all make our own fate." "But the stars tell me--" I stopped talking when he holds my face in his hands, warm hands cupping my cheeks, brown eyes looking into my eyes. "Then stop looking at the stars. Look at me." A love story about fate, finding one's identity, stepping out of your comfort zone, and, most of all, choosing between your happiness or the happiness of others... [[Word Count: 80,000-90,000]] Wattys Fantasy Winner 2021

"If they aren't pretty when they are dead, then why bother keeping the bodies in my cemetery? Just burn them. Burn all of them, and give me the charming ones." I laughed at how psychotic he sounded; or even how psychotic he was."You're young, why do you even own your own cemetery? That can't even be legal." "Why bother concerning yourself over my affairs? This cemetery-" he quickly corrected himself, "My cemetery is the most luxurious and ravishing of them all." He bent down, and began to whisper in my ear, "And I know, that you, my lamb, understand my funeral style, don't you?"

Henrietta serves the riches and cruelest man in all of Theodosia. After having lost his wife during child birth he retreats from the world and Henrietta is left to fulfill her mistress last wish. As the years go by, Calvin soon realizes that a maid has been a mother figure to his son. Angered and ashamed, Calvin opens the doors of his Manor to seek a proper mother for young Henry. He seeks to rid himself of Henrietta, but soon he will realize how much he really needs her.

To the unknowing eye, the exotic young woman making her way through the English countryside is just another poor girl, hungry and looking for work. But Elena Del Fuego is much more than that. She is the youngest daughter of the King of Spain and she is running from an arranged marriage he forced upon her. Elena learned of the betrothal when she was ten years old, and found out that it was to happen on her eighteenth birthday to a Portuguese Prince twenty years her senior. She had eight years to plan her perfect escape. Her escape takes her to Derbyshire where she finds work as a housemaid at a grand estate called Ascot. While Elena had always planned to keep her head down, she cannot help but notice the handsome heir to the dukedom, David Wilde. But life is not like a fairy tale. The handsome heir cannot marry the maid and turn her into a princess, for Elena is already that. She is a princess with two nations chasing her, two nations determined to keep Elena and David apart and to take Elena home.

In a world of stalking troll hordes and malicious plotting for the throne, two former childhood friends are forced together by an archaic tradition. Luana and Baylin's lives are vastly different. She, the peasant daughter of the town drunk, left to care for her family's goat farm. He, the Prince and future King of Grasmere, who nobly rides into battle to protect the kingdom from lurking evils. However, Fate intercedes with a time-honored tradition that dates back five hundred years. To their mutual distain, Luana's life is thrust into the hands of her future king, filling both with resentment over the intimate duties forced upon them. Unable to escape their callings, the pair must discover if friendship or affection can be formed when the freedom of choice is wiped away. Fans of high concept fantasy and sizzling intrigue will love The Bed Wife! PLEASE NOTE: This story contains mature themes and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers. *note from author* This started as a Thorin Oakenshield fan fiction that quickly found it's legs and took on a whole new world. It is now a three book published series. This is the complete book one in the series as it is published.

**A Blue Beard retelling** Based on Charles Perrault's fairytale, this YA Historical Fantasy short story set in Victorian England mixes romance, magic and mystery. After agreeing to an arranged marriage to escape her greedy relatives, 18-year-old heiress Amelia moves into her husband's manor determined to start a new life. But the gothic mansion's forbidding surroundings, the servants' strange demeanour and her husband's mysterious past soon awaken her suspicions. If Amelia truly wants to become the lady of the house, she'll have to discover what secrets lie beyond closed doors and unravel the mystery of the old house's forbidden room. But sometimes secrets are kept for a good reason... HIGHEST RANKING IN HISTORICAL FICTION # 44 Copyright © 2017. All works posted here are the property of EM Castellan. Please do not use without permission. Any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal. Cover artist: @seventhstar

With one thing going wrong after another, Callie's life seems to be in total disarray. Until HE shows up. After moving into a new secluded home, her new mysterious companion might just bring some sort of balance to her world...or completely turn it upside-down.

Chloe wants to show the kingdom of Sarias, where music is everything, that song should be filled with emotion and passion. But living in the shadow of her popstar step-sister, she has no choice but to hide who she is, even when her voice captures Prince Ethan Alexander's heart... ***** In the kingdom of Sarias, popularity and worth are defined by a ranking on Musetunes. Music is how every Ace in the land discovers their mate. Only when two Aces sing to each other can they find their true love. Chloe Leighton has decided to give singing a try - as long as no one finds out who she is. There is no profile picture. No age. No name. Just Anonymous. That's how she must stay. But can she hide her identity when she gets to the top of the charts? [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]] Cover designed by April Alforque