***COMPLETED!!!*** ---- Everyone has secrets... Vincent, Viscount Thorne, perfected his wicked grin and his good-humored mask years ago. He has no time for fools. Or that fickle emotion, love. The ton is full of sheep blindly walking into heartbreak. After all, he had ruined his best friend's little sister for love only to have ripped away from him. Thorne had no choice but to leave her waiting that night in the garden. It was his only choice. So, why does he still regret it so damned much? Especially now, when the lady in question reenters society, scarred but hardly broken. The Duke of Burkeley - that pompous, uptight wanker - declares himself her fiancee, and Thorne finds he will do whatever necessary to keep her out of that prig's clutches. A wager is in order. He'll find her a better bridegroom and then let her go. If only he could. ...but eventually, even the best kept secrets come out... Lady Georgianna is done hiding. So what, the love of her life left her waiting for hours in a darkened garden? So what, the fire chose that evening to entrap her, leaving her face burned? She dares anyone to place her into an imposed exile. Once was enough. With the Duke as her betrothed - the most arrogant and influential of them - Georgie will finally have everything she wanted within her grasp. Well, if Thorne hadn't intervened once more with his ridiculous talk of wagers. Suddenly, Georgie's in a game she can't afford to lose. But, what if she wins? ...Until everything comes crashing down... By season's end, the masquerade ball reveals more than their masked faces. It's a blazing unveiling that trumps even Beau Brummel's exile. The question remains. Will it lead to their ultimate ruination? Or might it just be their salvation? *** UPDATES: Irregular, but I'm going to try for every Friday! HIGHEST RANKING: #2 on 3/6/2017 Book 2 in the Spirited Brides series. **CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE** *** Beautiful cover and Graphic by @angelanguyenn!

**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

Elle Hallor's world revolves around artful lies and trickery. No one knows Myndor's underhand networks like her -- she spent years dabbling in most of them. Despite being an infamous assassin, Elle is bound by contract to carry out whatever missions her guild commands. Her next assignment is a death-wish: kill the Imperial Heir of DETRA. She cannot do it alone. The heir's identity is a closely guarded secret. Her team will have to infiltrate DETRA and compete in lethal challenges to win their places inside. With the help of her DETRA mentor, Cerid, it might just be possible. But when loyalties and love become entangled, truths are unveiled and Elle's past comes hurtling back -- will she succeed? Five notorious assassins. One deadly competition. And Elle Hallor wants her revenge... ((cover made by blackroguex)) !!Winner of Action in CSA 2019!! !!Winner of Mystery/Thriller in Discovery Awards 2019!! !!Winner of Action in Tetralogy Awards!! !!Winner of the Aurora Awards!!

A 1990s romance involving a young woman, two of Hollywood's famous heartthrobs, and another young soul - all trying to move through life with a purpose. For Mature Audience only. It is considered "Fan Fiction."

The world has been overrun by monsters. Governments have toppled, nations have fallen. Desperation has ushered in a new world order. Welcome to The Bright Waste where violence is cheap and salvation is in short supply. Where survivors are brutal and compassion is a rare commodity. Akiva is a scavenger for The Mothers. Her job is to scour the bones of the old world for any vestige of value, and to stay alive. That's the hardest part when the monsters have other plans. Her only hope is to stay in the light, glorious and burning bright. Editor's Pick List: June 2020

When she comes to school sick and sneezes on the notorious 'bad girl', Avery's attempts at being a wallflower backfire. *Disclaimer: This book was written and completed before the coronavirus pandemic. The author does not endorse sneezing on people. *

Stars in your lips, the universe in your eyes, my whole world in your hands. [ the titan's curse - the last olympian ] [ percy jackson/oc ]

"GOD SAVE ANYONE WHO STANDS IN HER WAY." Even the painters couldn't capture the kind of darkness with which she made an empire bow. • winner of thefaefolk's book of the month • © sianna okaat 2017 • 284 in fantasy • 5 in #tarot •

❝Tell me a story, love.❞ In which, a slave girl tells a bloodthirsty king a story in exchange for her life. [07.15.16] all rights reserved ©2016

[COMPLETED] When down on her luck, Abby Redding lands a position as the personal assistant for wealthy businessman Alex Carter, her first assignment is to fix up his new cabin in a remote town. Things don't go as planned when an unsolved murder and a haunted cabin leave Abby Redding fighting for her life. Is her handsome boss hiding secrets? Or is there something more sinister afoot?