Giving upcoming authors a chance to shine

In the gritty streets of Crown Heights, survival isn't just a choice-it's an art form. Twenty-two-year-old Amara "Mara" Johnson thought she had her life figured out until her world came crashing down. A college dropout drowning in her mother's medical bills, Mara finds herself pulled into a dangerous game where loyalty is currency and love can be deadly. Enter Dominic "Dom" Santiago-a rising Dominican gang leader whose cold exterior hides wounds that run deeper than the streets that raised him. When their paths collide at a neighborhood party, neither expects the magnetic pull that draws them together, or the chaos that will follow. Caught between her childhood friend Damon's growing jealousy and Dominic's intoxicating world of power and danger, Mara must navigate treacherous alliances, deadly betrayals, and a slow-burning passion that threatens to consume them both. As Detective Angela Hayes closes in and rival gangs wage war for territory, Mara discovers that in the streets, everyone has secrets-and some are worth killing for. With her best friend Keisha trapped in her own nightmare and the body count rising, Mara faces an impossible choice: save herself or fight for a love that could destroy everything she's ever known. In Crown Heights, the only rule is survival. But when your heart is on the line, even that might not be enough.

When R&B royalty collides with reggaeton's rising king, their forbidden love threatens to burn down two music empires. She's the daughter of Apex Records' ruthless CEO. He's the son of Sovereign Music's Latin powerhouse founder. Their fathers' decade-long rivalry has turned the music industry into a battlefield. One stolen glance at the Grammy after-party changes everything. In a world where love is the ultimate betrayal and loyalty means choosing sides, Aaliyah and Santiago must decide: protect their family empires or risk it all for a love that could destroy them both. Some secrets are worth singing about. Some loves are worth breaking every rule. Beats & Betrayal - Where star-crossed becomes chart-topping. ©️ Relle H

A kiss under a moonlit pagoda. A bargain older than the river. A fox who is starving for the right reasons. When Nia Caldwell, a Black American exchange student with a jasmine sachet and a spine of quiet steel, lands in Seoul, she only wants to pass her folklore class and eat her way through every market stall in the city. Instead, she meets Lee Seong-jin-an impossibly composed grad TA whose eyes feel like moonlight on still water. He never eats in public. He always knows when she's being watched. And in the spaces between stories, Nia starts to hear a fox cry. Seoul becomes a living folktale: lantern-lit festivals, temple bells at midnight, mountain shrines that remember your name, and a patron in a gray suit who smiles like a knife. Tied to an ancient debt, Seong-jin is a gumiho who's teaching himself to starve-choosing tenderness over hunger, choosing her. But breaking a contract forged on riverbanks will cost a heart of joy freely given... and hunters never stop hunting. As danger tightens-stalking footsteps by the bell pavilion, mirrors that whisper, and tests set at a temple gate-Nia and Seong-jin build their own rituals: red beans, honey on the tongue, rice shared slow. Their romance burns warm and intimate, on the border but never explicit, all breath and promise and lingering hands. Together they'll have to outwit a smiling predator, guard a young stream spirit, and decide whether love can rewrite a legend without devouring them both. • Modern Korean fantasy with thriller heat and romantic slow-burn • Black female lead x Korean gumiho male, both exchange students • Lush city vibes: Bukchon, Namsan snows, Jeju sunrises, Cheonggyecheon lanterns • Found family, fierce boundaries, and joy as magic • Sensual, mature moments without explicit content Jasmine on the air. Nine tails in the shadows. Under Seoul's jasmine skies, love doesn't just survive the story-it changes the ending. ©️ Relle H

Serena and Nicholas had always shared an unbreakable bond. No matter the circumstances, she would drop everything to be by his side, just as he would for her. Through his heartaches and bouts of sickness, she never wavered, always there to lend a listening ear or a comforting shoulder. But when Nicholas returns home after serving an arduous 18 months in Korea, his world is turned upside down. To his shock, he learns that Serena is getting married. The realization hits him like a freight train-this woman, who has always been his rock and the one who knows him best, is slipping away. As he grapples with his feelings, Nicholas understands that the one person capable of bringing him true happiness is about to walk out of his life forever. Time is running out, and he must confront his emotions before it's too late. ©️ _RelleLebby_//R. L.

Wes Lee hails from a long line of mercenaries, a lineage steeped in the art of assassination that stretches back through countless generations. Each member of his family is trained from a young age in the deadly skills that their ancestors mastered, preparing Wes to inherit the dark mantle of leadership from his father. However, fate has a way of rewriting plans, and everything shifts unexpectedly with the brutal loss of his mother. Her untimely death sends shockwaves through the family, and all evidence points ominously to their most formidable rival-Sanchez. The Sanchez family is notorious in the underworld, equally as skilled in the lethal craft of assassination, and their paths have long been entangled in a deadly dance of power and revenge. Consumed by grief and rage, Wes is driven to take matters into his own hands. Fueled by the desire for vengeance, he defies his family's expectations and goes rogue, severing ties with the only life he's known. He envisions a solitary quest where he can hunt down those responsible for his mother's death and make them pay. But like every meticulously crafted plan, the pursuit of vengeance rarely unfolds as one desires, leading him into a perilous game where every miscalculation could cost him everything he still holds dear. ©️ _RelleLebby_//R. L.

Two bodyguards. One cartel queen in silk. A city that forgives nothing. They swore to keep their distance-and her alive. Only one of those vows will survive Barcelona. ©️ Relle H

She was a trophy. A possession. A widow to her own life while still breathing. Trapped in a gilded cage by the man who orchestrated her parents' murder, Imani has spent eight years as the perfect wife to a Yakuza oyabun-silent, obedient, dead inside. Until him. Hiroshi Matsumoto-her new bodyguard, a former enforcer with blood on his hands and ghosts in his eyes. He's supposed to protect her. Keep her in line. Make sure she never escapes. But somewhere between the stolen glances and the dangerous proximity, between the lies they tell themselves and the truth their bodies can't deny, everything changes. One touch. One kiss. One moment of weakness that will set Tokyo on fire. Because loving her is treason. And she's already carrying the evidence. In a world built on violence and honor, they'll burn it all down for a chance at freedom. ©️ _RelleLebby_//R. L.

As We Fall, We Choose is a fate‑tinted, slow‑burn KMBW romance set in Seoul from winter into spring. Rocky Hayes came to Seoul to build bridges-cultural consultant by day, keeper of small rituals by night. After a breakup, her world shrinks to work, warm mugs, and a tulip in a jelly jar named Not Yet. Choi Min‑Hyuk (Liam) has perfected corporate polish at Hanul-glass offices, lilies on tables, a future mapped by other people's expectations. He hums while he cooks, removes his earrings at work, and keeps a single hotel napkin in a drawer like contraband. One yellow umbrella. One quiet bar in Gyeongnidan. A song that glitches and starts over. They don't exchange numbers. They promise to forget. Fate disagrees. Between metro chimes and elevator reflections, fishcake broth steam and ramen with cheese at 2 a.m., Rocky and Min‑Hyuk learn the delicate math of choosing each other-through corporate politics, found‑family chaos, and a pregnancy that redraws every map. ©️ _RelleLebby_//R.L.

What happens when the secret you've kept for seven years gets exposed in a single moment? Elianna Bennett thought she had it all figured out-a quiet life on Bainbridge Island, a beautiful daughter, and a love hidden across oceans. Seo Jae-hyun, global K-pop idol and main dancer of SE7NTH WAVE, has spent seven years living two lives: the perfect performer on stage, and a father in secret. One careless moment during a livestream changes everything. Now the world knows. The fans are watching. The media is digging. And the daughter they've protected for seven years is caught in the crossfire. This is a story about the price of hiding, the courage it takes to be seen, and what happens when love refuses to stay secret anymore. ©️ R. L.