The Reading Hour
9 stories
A Fool's Tale by Jacobklop
A Fool's Tale
Jacobklop
  • Reads 563
  • Votes 111
  • Parts 37
Gael thought he knew what to expect after arriving at Castle Brimstone. In all the stories he'd read castles were majestic places with valiant heroes, grand feasts and wondrous magic. He dreamed of becoming a squire and eventually dubbed a famous knight who would compete in tournaments across the land. Instead, he's given the job of court jester, forced to attend feasts in motley and capering to nobles for laughs. It's not all bad. Gael's best friend is an actual princess. Talia taught him to read when he was a shabby boy in the forest and she's the only reason he became free of his abusive uncle. But now Gael's discovered the king's life is in danger, and nobody believes him. After all, he's nothing but a fool.
Sun Kissed by CocoNichole
Sun Kissed
CocoNichole
  • Reads 361,106
  • Votes 24,257
  • Parts 40
"They become like us, but beautiful. Dangerously beautiful. Oh yes. And they can make the sky do their bidding. They cast spells with their music that can take away your willpower. And their hair . . . is the color of blood." *** There's a legend in the Amazon that tells of attractive and dangerous shapeshifters known as Encantados. When Sofia Aguilar meets one in the flesh, her life is turned completely upside down. Can she reunite a legendary shapeshifter with his past without losing touch with her own reality? *** "We call them . . . Encantado." The word was familiar, yet it tickled Sofi's inner ear in a way that only foreign sounds could. It felt like a name from another world. Somewhere far and lost. Somewhere that should have never been or perhaps might never be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stunning cover done by the exceptionally talented @LigiaNunes Copyright © 2015 by Coco Nichole
Magic in Madness by AliBabDeBooks
Magic in Madness
AliBabDeBooks
  • Reads 107
  • Votes 1
  • Parts 13
The cost for Solariann's magic is her sanity. As a Sympathe, Solariann can detect and read other people's emotions. When she comes into contact with one of the Touched--wraiths who devour souls--her magic awakens into something powerful, giving her abilities she's never seen or heard of before. But it's so powerful it drives her to madness. Driven by a delusion that she will be Queen and leader of the Sympathes, Solariann infiltrates a Hatching and Bonds with a dragon, sparking a chain of events that will change her life forever. The crown takes her into custody and learns her magic makes her invulnerable to the Touched. Since her madness makes her a danger to herself and others, they give her one month to defeat the Touched and prove her mental stability to become a fully fledged Dragon Rider. The cost of failure is her life. To help in her task, the Council of Five assigns her a trainer to become a Rider: Lord Kiernan, the bastard son of the Dragon King with ambitions to take over the throne despite his illegitimacy. And to ensure her madness doesn't hurt anyone else, they also assign her a guard: Dariann, an arrogant Rider with a mysterious background and past. While they search for a way to destroy the Touched, Solariann finds her heart torn between the two very different young men. Their research reveals a menacing plot decades in the making, starting with their ancient ancestors and a God of Destruction. To make matters worse, Solariann's bloodline may trace back to an ancient, noble lineage tied to prophecy. Now, the Touched are tied to the very source of magic within their country, Salachar, and if they don't find a way to heal the source of magic, an army of the Touched will decimate the world. [PLEASE NOTE: this story will undergo revisions once it's finished.] ***Cover art belongs to Kayla Joncas (https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kaylajoncas/)
You're (Not) Alone  by socialbutterflies24
You're (Not) Alone
socialbutterflies24
  • Reads 35
  • Votes 3
  • Parts 3
Which one is worse? Knowing that your alone or knowing that you're *not* alone? Well for Stacey Acremè, it's both. When Stacey's parents go on a roadtrip for their anniversary and leave her alone she starts getting those paranoid feelings. The shivers down her spine and the millions of spiders in her hair, feelings. Will she live through this or will her parents come back to a very messy situation?
Faith Over Fear by ByFaithForFaith
Faith Over Fear
ByFaithForFaith
  • Reads 265,855
  • Votes 6,801
  • Parts 19
Rylyn Delson's life has been pretty predictable for the past eight years after her mother's death. She's gotten used to her dad being "clingy". But when life takes a turn for the unexpected, Rylyn has to face the reality of the world alone, with no one who understands. God understands, doesn't He? What good is He planning to come out of this anyway? Meanwhile David Ark and his wife, Mirissa, are just a Christian couple adjusting to their new lives in the town of Riverside. Getting to know the teens firsthand as a Youth Minister, he discovers the shy, only child girl with a hard past. Soon after gravitating toward her, tragedy strikes her hard. When they take her in, both of them go through hard times themselves. But God's ways are higher than our's, right? Told from the two perspectives that resemble a father-daughter relationship, they not only discover hidden truths of the struggles but also try to learn to take on unwavering faith. {Started: September 2014 Finished: February 2015} (Picture credit to legit-faith.com)
Huddled Masses by Feanor117
Huddled Masses
Feanor117
  • Reads 24,767
  • Votes 977
  • Parts 16
Miguel and his friends are just weeks away from graduating high school. Everyone is looking forward to graduation parties, summer break, and the start of college; but not Miguel. Miguel is undocumented and the President has just initiated the largest immigration crackdown in US history. Now he must navigate a world in which his very existence is treated with hostility by the country that he calls home.
Clara's Inkblot by RandomClara
Clara's Inkblot
RandomClara
  • Reads 1,295
  • Votes 51
  • Parts 35
Songs of a harp made of heartsrings.
Gaining Control by Kitabear22
Gaining Control
Kitabear22
  • Reads 304
  • Votes 21
  • Parts 4
Blind from birth, Nicolas has always felt like his life was out of control--until he discovered Bdsm. However, his blindness is a huge barrier that prevents him from exploring at the local Bdsm club.
Shovel Sisters by SarahTollok
Shovel Sisters
SarahTollok
  • Reads 95
  • Votes 7
  • Parts 1
The next reader at the open mic night didn't draw much attention at first. Classic mom style: birthstone necklace of her kids, baggy sweater, big cluttered purse, and cat socks. Boring. Probably going to read something she wrote about the sacrifices of motherhood but how it's all worth it when they smile. But her voice was stronger than expected. And her topic was justifiable murder. Shovel Sisters is a story in a story that explores the lengths that women will go to to protect themselves and their loved ones. It aims to challenge the societal narrative of women as victims only. What if men that violate women were given a damn good reason to have to look over their shoulders on dark nights.