On Christmas Eve, around 1812, Pip, an orphan who is about six years old, encounters an escaped convict in the village churchyard while visiting the graves of his mother, father, and siblings. The convict scares Pip into stealing food and a file to grind away his shackles, from the home he shares with his abusive older sister and her kind, passive husband Joe Gargery, a blacksmith. The next day, soldiers recapture the convict while he is engaged in a fight with another convict; the two are returned to the prison ships from which they escaped...

More than eight years before the novel opens, Anne Elliot, then a lovely, thoughtful, warm-hearted 19 year old, accepted a proposal of marriage from the handsome young naval officer Frederick Wentworth. He was clever, confident, and ambitious, but poor and with no particular family connections to recommend him. Sir Walter, Anne's fatuous, snobbish father and her equally self-involved older sister Elizabeth were dissatisfied with her choice, maintaining that he was no match for an Elliot of Kellynch Hall, the family estate. Her older friend and mentor, Lady Russell, acting in place of Anne's late mother, persuaded her to break the engagement. Now 27 and still unmarried, Anne re-encounters her former love when his sister and brother-in-law, the Crofts, take out a lease on Kellynch. Wentworth is now a captain and wealthy from maritime victories in the Napoleonic wars. However, he has not forgiven Anne for rejecting him. While publicly declaring that he is ready to marry any suitable young woman who catches his fancy, he privately resolves that he is ready to become attached to any appealing young woman except for Anne Elliot.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers. Cover done by @zuko_42

Cara’s mother has disappeared. Her father isn’t talking about it. Her big brother Max is hiding behind his iPod, and her genius little brother Jackson is busy studying the creatures he collects from the beach. But when a watery specter begins to haunt the family’s Cape Cod home, Cara and her brothers realize that their scientist mother may not be who they thought she was—and that the world has much stranger, much older inhabitants than they had imagined. With help from Cara’s best friend Hayley, the three embark on a quest that will lead them from the Cape’s hidden, ancient places to a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. They’re soon on the front lines of an ancient battle between good and evil, with the terrifying “pouring man” close on their heels. One chapter will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until all 10 chapters are up. These will be followed by the second book in the series, The Shimmers in the Night. A Junior Library Guild Pick; Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011; Selected for the ABC Best Books for Children Catalog; Locus Notable Books.

The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London.

Henley agrees to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for a fee, falling in love as she wonders - how is he involved in her brother's false conviction? ****** Henley Linden's brother is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and she'll take any job to raise the money needed to free him. Soon, she's agreed to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for ten thousand dollars, so his mother will ease up the pressure on him to find a wife. But once Henley is enmeshed in Bennett's world, he falls for her, and she starts to have feelings for him as well. Despite her romance with Bennett, as she grows closer to the Calloways, Henley realizes they are somehow involved in her brother's conviction. Journeying deeper into a world of wealth and conspiracies, Henley is forced to rely on Bennett, though doing so could cost her everything. [[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]

New and improved version of Kiss and Tell is now published by W by Wattpad Books under a new name "As Long As You Love Me". The book is available for order now, link in the chapter inside. As Wattpad reader you can access the original version- Kiss and Tell right here! *** Cata and Gabe are college and internship rivals. But when Cata's visa renewal is rejected, will their fake-dating-to-marriage-of-convenience turn into the real thing? *** Cata is a Venezuelan immigrant who left home after her brother was killed in a political protest. Now a college senior, she has her eyes set on a full-time position at the company where she interns so she can stay in the US. There's only one catch: Puerto Rican Gabe, aka the campus babe. Gabe has it all, and he's poised to snatch the coveted full-time position for himself. But when Gabe breaks up with his girlfriend and needs a date for his brother's wedding, he and Cata strike up an arrangement: a fake date for a very real job. It's all fun and games until Cata's visa renewal is rejected, threatening to bring all her plans crashing down. Will their fake-dating-to-marriage-of-convenience turn into the real thing? [[Word count: 90,000-100,000 words]] Cover designed by Jill Caldwell ©2020-present marianna leal / hubrism. This body of work is available exclusively on Wattpad. If you're viewing it on a different website or under a different username, it has been illegally stolen and you may be at risk of malware. Please notify the original author.

When a storm strands Ira Hale at the stately Beaufort Manor, she joins the household to work under the mysterious and reclusive Valeri Beaufort, but what secrets are lurking in the shadows? *** Ira Hale joins the Beaufort household under the employ of Beaufort Manor's mysterious master, Sir Valeri Beaufort. She soon comes to care for the reclusive noble and his haunted home. When a series of gruesome murders in a nearby town expose Sir Beaufort as a vampire, both the town and Beaufort Manor fall under the scrutiny of a ruthless police force known as the Amith Capil. In a world where monsters walk among humans, the true killer hides in plain sight. *** Book I of Kingdom at the End of the World series. 2021 Watty Winner in Horror *** Content warning: This story contains graphic depictions of violence and death.

After an offended Greek goddess sends Kenna back in time to Elizabethan England, she discovers she must stop the theft of Shakespeare's best known tragedy before returning to her century, all while resisting the charms of the theatre's Romeo. ***** After being dumped via voice note, Kenna Fernsby is convinced there was never a tale of more woe. Offended by the insult to true tragedy, a Greek goddess banishes Kenna to Elizabethan England, where she stumbles upon a plot to steal the priceless first draft of "Romeo and Juliet" from right under William Shakespeare's nose. Determined to outwit the thieves, Kenna dives into the intrigue, even when doing so may tangle her healing heart with a man from the past and force her to choose between the 16th century life she has fallen in love with and the fate of the play she loves as much. [[Wattys 2021 Winner in Historical Fiction]] [[Word count: 80,000 - 90,000 words]] The quotes from Romeo and Juliet used in this story were taken from the iBooks edition of the play. The text was originally from playshakespeare.com. ©2005-2022 PlayShakespeare.com. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this information under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. Terms at http://www.playshakespeare.com/license

◤ SEMIDEUS SAGA #02 ◢ Elysian Oracle - the oracle of Elysium, the highest oracle of the realms. The Alphas know it isn't over. The Gods are constantly up on their sleeves, giving them missions, perhaps proving the Alphas' loyalty to their deities. What is it with the deities lately? The mortal realm is in for a big surprise after the demigods learn more about the war that has happened. Unfamiliar voices and faces will slowly reveal the truth about what the world will soon become: a battlefield. Our heroes will have to sacrifice something for the sake of their future... or is it a someone?