Elio Moretti's world was bleak. Grey. Dark. When the woman he loved, Alina Romanov, died in his arms, she took all the light with her. He drifted through the years like a ghost, tethered to duty, a life waiting for the end to claim him, but no matter how recklessly he walked the edge --- it never did. Then came Hanna Park. Sharp. Clever. Enigmatic. Disarming without trying. What began as a no-strings-attached arrangement, a fleeting connection, began to fracture, reshape, and bleed into something deeper. Grief, however, does not loosen its roots so easily. And Hanna, she had never meant to fall for a man whose heart still beat in the rhythm of someone gone. Yet the closer she got, the less she could resist. When loss hollows you to the bone, can anything grow in the emptiness? And when love promises to burn you alive, do you flee --- or let it quietly consume you? ------------------------ *Afterlight is a standalone set after The Lies We Rehearsed; reading TLWR first is recommended.*

Vampire King, Acheron, has been waiting for his fated bond mate - his Queen - to be born for over four hundred years. Once he discovers her, he finds that she's already given her heart to another. But she's his fated bond mate and Queen. Their love is written in the stars and Acheron won't let anyone get in the way of claiming his Queen. Even her husband.

*NEW CHAPTERS WEEKLY (SOONER IF POSSIBLE)* She swore she'd never trust him, but she may not have a choice. He knows she could be his greatest weakness, but she may be everything he's been searching for. ____________ "The underworld doesn't forgive. It doesn't forget. And it doesn't let go." Mia Caruso thought she left it all behind-the grief, the chaos, and Marco Reyes, the reckless orphan who dragged her brother into crime and shattered their childhood. But running from one nightmare only led her into another. After five years trapped in an abusive marriage, Mia finally makes her escape with her four-year-old daughter in her arms and forty-six dollars to her name. Returning home was supposed to mean safety. Instead, it throws her straight into the crosshairs of a Mafia war. Anthony is no longer the boy she remembers. And Marco? He isn't the troublemaker she once despised. He's the lost heir of the Moretti crime family-now a ruthless Mafia boss consumed by blood feuds and revenge. Her return makes her and her daughter targets. But it also awakens instincts in Marco he never thought he possessed... and a dangerous desire he can't ignore. As enemies close in, the danger Mia fled collides with the war Marco can't escape. And the underworld always takes what it wants. This time, it wants them both. ____________ This will be a standalone Dark Mafia Romance with more than a few trigger warnings. Please make sure you read the full list of triggers on the opening page. If any of those triggers bother you, please skip this read. Trigger warnings will be updated as the story unfolds since this book is still a work in progress so if you are reading it then make sure you check the list regularly. This is also a dual POV. Since this is a work in progress, ANY feedback is welcomed so that the final product is as perfect as it can be. With all that being said... BUCKLE UP AND HANG ON! ;)

Everyone knows the number one rule in the locker room: Don't even look at the coach's daughter. But Maddie Blake has never been great at following rules. After years of living in her dad's shadow, legendary head coach of the NHL's top team, she's finally back in town, older, bolder, and completely over hockey... or so she tells herself. Then she meets Levi Hunter. Captain of the team. League MVP. NHL's golden boy. And the one guy her dad has literally warned every player about. He's cocky, charming, and stupidly gorgeous. And for some reason, he won't stay out of her way, or her thoughts. What starts as innocent flirting turns into stolen glances at practice, late night texts, and a spark that threatens to become something deeper. In a world where the game comes first, falling for him might just be the riskiest play Maddie's ever made. And in hockey, one wrong move can cost you everything. *closed door romance*

A Good Girl's Guide To Being Naughty • • • Ivy Collins is a normal 21 y/o woman. Except for the fact she's a virgin ... or at least she was until she had sex with her university rivals hockey captain. After a quick (devastatingly quick) night with the man and being called a lousy lay, Ivy made a promise to herself that she wouldn't do it again ... sex that is. Who needs sex when all it brought was insecurities and more, and it wasn't even that good to begin with. Enter Asher Hudson, Ice Hockey captain, her brothers best friend and her best friends brother - triple trifecta of why she shouldn't get involved with him. But when he overhears a conversation Ivy has with her best friend, he gives her an offer she can't refuse. Well, she can, and she should, but why would she want to? Three months, she helps him with his grades, and he'll help her with her sex life. Only one rule, don't fall in love. Easy, right? He'll teach her everything she wants to know, and show her that sex can be fun, you just have to know how to do it right. And Ivy should refuse, after all he's the Ice Hockey captain, her brother's best friend and her best friend's brother - but what's the fun in that. Ivy knows she should say no, but she won't. And she won't fall in love, she can't. ••• Completed • First Draft - half edited. Watty2025 winner #1 in #Romance #1 in #Brotherbestfriend #2 in #bestfriendsbrother #2 in #icehockey

[Book 3] With him, she loses control. With her, he finds it.💜 ************* Rebecca Chen doesn't trust people. She doesn't rely on them, doesn't fall for them, and definitely doesn't let them close enough to hurt her. And she has no patience for Lewis Reynolds. The smug guy with the lazy grin has made a hobby of getting under her skin-calling her Princess, acting like life's just one big joke, and most importantly... stealing her heart. She should hate him. She tells herself she does. But hate shouldn't feel like this. Like sparks whenever he's too close. Like fire when they fight. Like wanting him even when she swears she doesn't. And Lewis? He knows he should leave her alone. She's prickly, stubborn, impossible. But he's addicted. To her eye-rolls. To the fire in her voice. To the way every argument feels like foreplay. Becca Chen is chaos wrapped in sharp edges, and Lewis is helpless against the pull. He swore he'd keep it light, but with her, light has never been enough.

When Ella Jones' twenty-first birthday ends with a bang - literally - she never imagined it would be with her best friend since freshman year, Ryan Owen. A year later, after their so called "mistake", they're still best friends and about to rock their Senior year at the University of San Francisco. But when Ryan returns from spending a summer in Australia and brings back a friend, Liam George, who takes an immediate liking to Ella, Ryan starts to question the Aussie's intentions with his best friend. The trouble is, Ryan has a girlfriend of his own, and Ella and Ryan swore they would never cross that line again - until they do. They try not to let their second slip up affect their friendship, but when Spring Break forces them to vacation under the same roof; and Ryan's ex walks back into his life, Ella is shocked by a fierce stab of possessiveness. And when Ella continues to see Liam, Ryan finds himself plagued by unfamiliar jealousy. With their friendship strained for the first time, Ella and Ryan face an alarming truth: Maybe they can't be just friends. Maybe they are falling faster than expected. And maybe, deep down, they want to.

He loved her from the shadows long before she ever learned to protect herself with claws. Aiden Reyes has spent a lifetime guarding Gabrielle Severin-the mafia princess raised on blood, power, and her father's impossible legacy. She is the empire's heir. The crown. The storm. And he is nothing more than the orphan taken in by her family, trained to stand behind her, to die for her, to want nothing from her. But he broke the rule he swore to obey: He fell in love with her. Silently. Hopelessly. Completely. He watched her shatter, watched men use her name, her wealth, her heart... and he stood invisible beside her, wishing he could be the one she ran to. Wishing she'd look at him-not as a soldier, not as a weapon, not as her shadow- But as a man. Gabrielle never believed in love. Not for monsters like her. Not in a world built on loyalty, violence, and fear. Yet when the truth rises-when she realizes the love she's been searching for has been beside her all along-she's faced with a choice: Get off the throne for him... or remind him he was never meant to touch royalty. He would die for her. She might destroy him. And somewhere between devotion and power, a forbidden love waits to be chosen... or silenced forever.

Isabella learned too late that love is the most dangerous currency of all. As Queen of Mayhern, she ruled through restraint, not fear choosing compromise over conquest, mercy over suspicion. Every alliance cost her something. Every promise demanded a sacrifice. She gave until there was nothing left but the crown and the quiet ache of everything she had denied herself. The betrayal came from the hands that touched her daily. Those she trusted most sold her death as necessity, wrapped in loyalty and whispered justifications. Isabella was erased carefully, efficiently her blood spilled not in war, but in silence. Her crown passed on before her body was cold. She dies believing love made her weak. Death returns her broken and changed. Isabella rises bound to power that does not forgive and does not forget. The woman who believed in peace is gone, replaced by something sharpened by rage, grief, and the memory of betrayal burned into her bones. She no longer seeks mercy. She seeks control. And then there is him. A man who should have been her enemy. Dangerous. Unyielding. Everything she was taught to fear. He stands at the edge of her revenge, tied to her fate by blood, power, and a truth she is not ready to face. He does not ask for her trust. He does not offer redemption. He offers understanding the kind forged through shared darkness. As Isabella dismantles the lies built over her grave, she finds herself drawn to the one man capable of matching her fury and surviving her wrath. Loving him would be reckless. Trusting him could destroy what remains of her. But some bonds are born in ruin.

He doesn't know how much he's breaking my heart right now. "Trinity, I don't know how to show you how much sorry I am." He states, rubbing his face with his hand in frustration. "You can't, your 'sorry' doesn't changed what happened." I point to my face, where the bandage is. "This could have been prevented but you didn't even move a muscle to come and save me." "Trinity, if I did that it could have ruined my plans." He says, lowly. "It doesn't matter. If you truly love me like you say you do, you wouldn't have hesitated to come save me. I was so scared Aaron, I thought I was going to die." I respond, tears spilling before I can stop them. "I do love you Trin, I love you so fucking much." He states, clutching his shirt where his heart is. "Not like the way I love you Aaron. If you were in the position I was in, I wouldn't have fucking hesitated to come save you. I would die for you and you clearly wouldn't do the same." - Trinity's planner didn't originally have "falling in love with Aaron Florence" on it, but after a heated night and multiple dates, it became a daily thing. That is until, she learns about what he does for work. She knew he worked with Reid Laurent, but she didn't know about what they did. Ambitious, Aaron Florence is willing to do anything to finish a work task, or mission, even if it puts his loved ones in danger. And it did. Now, terrified and pregnant, Trinity doesn't know what to do, how can she co-parent with the man who claimed to protect her at all costs but didn't? - scandalous © r3mismylove 2022 all rights reserved