The Spindle Box: A Retelling of Pandora and Sleeping Beauty (The Fairmyth Chronicles) by Abigail Manning

Pandora meets Sleeping Beauty A Fairmyth Chronicles Short Story All Princess Twyla wants for her birthday is a box. Not a pillow, not a dress, and certainly nothing else that’s round. She wants a nice squared box with sharp edges so she can prove to both the king and her charming guard, Felix, that there's no reason for her to fear them. Now that Twyla is eighteen, she should finally be allowed to learn why the king insisted she grow up in a round tower with round furnishing. However, the king shows no interest in explaining himself to Twyla when he has other ambitions for her circular little world... Getting a box seems far less exciting when one learns they are already cornered. The Fairmyth Chronicles is a collection of clean interconnecting fantasy romance novels that can be read in any order. For more updates on The Fairmyth Chronicles and my other series, sign up for my free newsletter atabigailmanningauthor.com

Mountain Man's Lucky Heart: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #02) by Lilah Hart

A reclusive mountain man. A woman who believes in fate. One life-changing night. I didn’t believe in luck. Life in the foster system teaches you self-reliance, not miracles. I built everything I have with my own hands— a remote mountain cabin, a solitary woodworking business, a quiet life in the mountains that didn’t need anyone else. For twelve years, that was enough. Then a woman blocked my driveway. Josie Brennan was pure sunshine— a bright, talkative heroine with a hopeful heart, a woman who believed in fate, signs, and second chances, and the most beautiful distraction I’d ever seen. She’d driven a dangerous mountain road looking for her missing friend. I told myself I was just helping— a search through the woods, a shared dinner, one night in my spare room when she didn’t want to stay with strangers. That was all it was supposed to be. But Josie believed in meant-to-be love, and the way she looked at me cracked open every wall I’d ever built. One night. One connection. One woman who saw something in me worth staying for. She called me her lucky charm. Turns out, she was mine. Tropes: ⛰️ Mountain Man Romance 😠Grumpy Hero / Bright-Spirited Heroine 🤝 Forced Proximity 🔥 One-Night Connection 💘 Instalove Romance 🛖 Remote Cabin Setting 🧔‍♂️ Protective Alpha Hero ✨ Fate & Destiny Romance 🌲 Small-Town Mountain Life 💛 Emotionally Guarded Hero 🐾 Search for a Missing Friend 🥂 Strangers-to-Lovers Mountain Man’s Lucky Heart is a mountain man instalove romance featuring a reclusive, protective hero, a bright-spirited heroine, forced proximity in a remote cabin, and a fate-driven connection that turns one night into forever.

Hidden Away with the Mountain Man (Valor In The Mountains Series) by Lilah Hart

When nowhere feels safe, a gruff mountain man offers shelter, silence, and more. I defended myself. The internet destroyed me for it. One viral video. Fifteen seconds. No context, no explanation—just me, standing up to a man who wouldn’t keep his hands off me, while millions of strangers decided who I was. So I ran. I didn’t plan an escape. I didn’t even notice the snowstorm until it swallowed the road whole. I was just trying to reach my brother’s cabin in the mountains—somewhere I could disappear until the world forgot my face. That’s when I hit the bear. Not a real bear. A chainsaw-carved mailbox holder. One careless moment in a blizzard that left it splintered in the snow. I could’ve driven off. No one would’ve known. But that’s not who I am. So I knocked on a stranger’s door at midnight, shaking in my work uniform, ready to confess. The man who answered was big, gruff, and clearly irritated—until he looked at me like he could see straight through every defense I had left. T.J. didn’t know about the video. Didn’t care about my body. Didn’t reduce me to fifteen seconds of someone else’s narrative. He saw the bruise on my arm and wanted to burn the world down for me. He listened to my story and believed me without hesitation. One night. One storm. One man who saw the real me when the rest of the world refused to. Sometimes love doesn’t come from being understood by everyone— but from being believed by one stranger in the woods with a mailbox he never liked anyway. They’ve served their time in the armed forces. They’ve faced battles most people could never imagine. They carry the scars—emotional and physical—to prove it. Now these gruff, off-the-grid mountain men want nothing more than peace and solitude. What they don’t expect? For her to walk into their lives. She’s half his age. She’s completely off-limits—maybe she’s the landlord’s daughter, his daughter's best friend, his best friend’s little girl, the sheriff’s daughter, his younger nanny, or the girl next door he watched grow up. She’s the temptation he swore he’d never touch. And yet, in the quiet of the mountains, the lines start to blur… and resisting her might be the hardest mission of his life. Each book in the Valor In The Mountains series is a standalone romance with high heat, real heart, and the kind of spice that will warm you all year long.

Mountain Man's Lucky Love: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #1) by Lilah Hart

A reluctant hero broke his own rules for the woman who changed everything. I wasn’t looking for love. I was looking for answers. Someone had turned my property into a three-ring circus without authorization—and I intended to shut it down. Then I saw her. Peyton was covered in dog hair, dirt smudged on her cheek, fire in her eyes. She was running a full-scale rescue operation on my land, breaking half the terms of my lease agreement—and when I confronted her, she didn’t flinch. Didn’t apologize. Didn’t back down. She told me to help. I’d spent nineteen years building my wealth. Investing early. Protecting what was mine. Keeping everyone at arm’s length. Control was everything. Feelings were a liability I couldn’t afford. Until her. She didn’t care about my money or my reputation. She saw past the power and straight to the man underneath—and somehow rewired everything I thought I knew about myself. I showed up the next morning with supplies I had no business buying, for dogs I had no reason to care about, just to be near a woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. She was twelve years younger. A student with her whole life ahead of her. I was thirty-five and had forgotten what it felt like to want something money couldn’t buy. She made me remember. One weekend. One rescue operation. One volunteer coordinator who turned my world upside down. I came to protect my property. I left with something far more valuable. Tropes: 🐾 Rescue Animals Romance 🔥 Age-Gap Attraction 🛡️ Protective Alpha Hero 😤 Grumpy-to-Gone Hero 💼 Wealthy Investor Hero 🚪Forced Proximity Weekend 💥Instalove Chemistry 🥰 He Falls First Romance 💖 Fast-Burn Emotional Connection 🐕‍🦺 Small-Scale Rescue Operation Setting Mountain Man's Lucky Love is a steamy, standalone instalove romance featuring a protective hero, a passionate heroine, and a rescue operation that saves more than just the animals.

Ice Hearted Mountain Man (Not Looking for Love Series) by Lilah Hart

A grumpy mountain man romance sparked by a Valentine’s Day meet-cute he never saw coming. I wasn’t looking for love. I’d watched it destroy my parents—two people who started out crazy about each other and ended up tearing each other apart piece by piece. By the time they were done, there was nothing left but wreckage and regret. I wasn’t making the same mistake. I moved to Wildwood Valley for the solitude. The silence. A life where no one got close enough to hurt me. I had my work, my cabin, my peace. That was enough. Then she walked into my construction trailer on Valentine’s Day and ruined everything. Gemma Ellis was warm where I was cold. Hopeful where I was bitter. She had plans for her life. Dreams for her future. And a smile that hit me like a punch to the chest. She was exactly the kind of woman I should’ve stayed far, far away from. But I couldn’t. Something about her got under my skin—the way she laughed at her own jokes, the way she called me out when I tried to push her away, the way she looked at me like I was worth saving. Even when I warned her not to bother. She made me want things I’d sworn I’d never want. Made me believe in things I’d convinced myself didn’t exist. One day. One tiny construction trailer. One woman brave enough to crack open a heart I’d frozen shut years ago. I told myself love was a trap. Gemma made me wonder if I’d been wrong about everything. Tropes: 🏔️ Grumpy Mountain Man ☀️ Sunshine Heroine 💘 Valentine’s Day Meet-Cute 🏡 Forced Proximity 💥 Opposites Attract Romance 🔥 High-Heat Instalove 🛠️ Blue-Collar Hero ❄️ Emotionally Guarded Hero 💞 One Day, Life-Changing Connection 🧸 Soft-Hearted Protector Ice Hearted Mountain Man is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Not Looking for Love series.

Mountain Man's Winter Sunshine (Wildwood Valley Firehouse, #6) by Lilah Hart

A grumpy firefighter. A fake romance that burns real. I came to Wildwood Valley to disappear. To escape a controlling mother, an ex who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and a life that felt suffocating before I was even living it. Slipping behind the bar at a mountain town roadhouse was supposed to be temporary—just long enough to breathe again. Then he walked through the door. Not the man I was running from. The one who watched me from the corner booth every night. Silent. Intense. A grumpy firefighter with dark eyes and a permanent scowl that made my pulse trip every time they lingered on me. I told myself I didn’t notice him. I lied. When my past catches up with me at the Roadhouse, panic takes over. I need protection—fast. And the most dangerous-looking man in the room is Briggs. Six feet of muscle, bad attitude, and barely contained heat. So I climb into his lap and beg him to play along. One whispered please changes everything. He calls me his without hesitation. Puts himself between me and the world like it’s instinct. And suddenly, the man who’s been watching me for weeks isn’t pretending anymore. But I’ve spent too long being someone’s project. Someone’s sensible choice. Trust doesn’t come easy. Briggs has one night to prove that he doesn’t want to save me. He wants to keep me. Tropes: 🔥 Grumpy Firefighter Hero 🎭 Fake Relationship Turns Real 🛡️ Protective “Touch Her and Die” Energy 🍻 Small-Town Bar & Roadhouse Romance 💥 Instalove with High Emotional Stakes 👀 Brooding Hero Who’s Been Watching Her 💋 Fast-Burn Chemistry & Open-Door Heat 🏔️ Mountain Town Escape Romance 🖤 Woman on the Run Finds Safety ❤️‍🔥 Alpha Protector Who Claims Her Publicly Mountain Man's Winter Sunshine is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Songbird (Wildwood Valley Firehouse, #5) by Lilah Hart

A blizzard shuts roads. A firefighter opens her heart. I’d spent my whole life playing it safe. Stay in Wildwood Valley. Work my steady job. Keep my dreams locked away where they couldn’t hurt me. People said my voice could stop traffic—but I’d never been brave enough to let anyone really hear it. Then the blizzard hit. The roadhouse filled with stranded travelers and restless energy, and that’s when I saw him. Knox. A firefighter with broad shoulders, dark scruff, and the weight of the world etched into his posture. Quiet. Watchful. The kind of man who didn’t ask for attention—but commanded it anyway. I didn’t plan to sing that day. But the crowd needed calming. Elsa needed help. And somehow, I ended up on stage with a microphone in my shaking hand. When I opened my eyes, Knox was watching me. Not glancing. Not distracted. Watching—like something inside him had shifted. He put his phone down. He walked toward me. And everything I believed about playing it safe went up in flames. Knox didn’t try to save me or fix me. He just stood there, steady and sure, while I finally took the leap I’d been avoiding my whole life. Some risks are worth taking. And this one? He was mine. Tropes & Vibes: ❄️ Snowed-In by a Blizzard 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🎤 Hidden Talent Heroine 💘 Instant Connection / Instalove 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🧥 Quiet, Protective Alpha 💥 One-Moment Life Change ❤️‍🔥 He Falls First ✨ Finding Your Voice 🏡 Wildwood Valley Romance Mountain Man's Winter Songbird is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Playing Cupid for the Mountain Man: A Curvy Girl Forced Proximity Matchmaking OTT Instalove Short Romance (Willowbrook Ridge Holdiday Special) by Julia Stone

She came to fix his love life. Falling into his arms wasn’t part of the plan. Gavin: I don’t need a matchmaker. What I need is a woman who won’t bolt the second she realizes what life on this mountain really means. I’ve tried the mail-order bride thing more times than I should admit, and it always ends the same—women who decide my world isn’t for them. I own a bar. I live alone. I’ve accepted that love probably isn’t in the cards. Then Daphne shows up. She’s too soft, too curvy, and entirely too distracting to be here on business. She looks at me like I’m not a problem to fix, and when an early snow traps her on the mountain after a failed day of searching, everything shifts. She’s here to find me a wife, but I already know who I want. This time, I’m not letting her walk away without asking her to stay. Daphne: I’m a professional matchmaker. Falling for my client is not part of the job. Gavin is supposed to be another difficult case—a gruff mountain man with a long history of women who didn’t last. I come prepared with plans, profiles, and a clear end date. Then the snow keeps me longer than expected, and Gavin starts looking at me like I already belong here. He’s older. Quiet. Built like the mountain he refuses to leave. Every moment between us crackles with heat I shouldn’t want—and can’t ignore. When Gavin finally makes his choice, it isn’t another profile he reaches for. It’s me.

Runaway for the Mountain Man (Veterans of Willowbrook Ridge, #3) by Julia Stone

I live on the mountain for a reason. Out here, it’s quiet. Safe. No attachments, no risk of losing anything—again. Then she comes tearing through the woods in a storm, soaked to the bone, wedding dress ripped and clinging to her curves. Too young. Too innocent. Too tempting. I should send her away. But with the thunder rolling in and the roads washed out, she’s stuck in my cabin. With me. She ran from a man who didn’t deserve her. She ran straight into the arms of the one who will ruin her. I was supposed to marry a man who only cared about my last name. Instead, I bolted—straight into a thunderstorm, down a mountain trail I barely understand, and into the path of the grumpiest, roughest man I’ve ever seen. Bentley doesn’t smile. Doesn’t talk much either. But he watches me like I’m the only thing that’s ever made him feel something. He’s a reclusive veteran with a beard, an axe, and eyes that make promises without saying a word. I should be scared. But in this cabin—stranded with lightning outside and heat crackling between us— I’ve never felt safer… or more wanted.

Mountain Man’s Winter Treasure: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #4) by Lilah Hart

He watched her for weeks in silence. Now they're snowed in together. I was freezing to death in someone else's house when he showed up. The power was out. The snow had buried the doors. I'd already accepted that this house sitting gig might be the last decision I ever made. Then headlights cut through the storm, and a man climbed out of a truck like he'd driven straight out of my darkest, most desperate fantasy. Broad shoulders. Dark beard. Eyes that looked right through me. He didn't say much. He got the fire going, checked the pipes, made terrible instant coffee. And when I asked his name, he gave me one word. Wolfe. He told me he was staying. Protocol, he said. He couldn't leave me alone with no heat and no way out. But the way he looked at me had nothing to do with protocol. I didn't know he'd been watching me for weeks. I didn't know he'd memorized my schedule at the roadhouse, that he'd stared at his menu every time I came to take his order because he couldn't trust himself to look at me. I didn't know that when my name came through on that emergency call, his heart stopped. But I was about to find out. 🔥 Forced Proximity ❄️ Snowed In Romance 🐻 Grumpy Hero / Sunshine Heroine 👀 Secret Pining 🌸 Virgin Heroine 💘 Instalove 😍 He Falls First Mountain Man's Winter Treasure is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Sweetheart: A Steamy Instalove Romance ((Wildwood Valley Firehouse #3) by Lilah Hart

Snowed in with a rugged firefighter. Falling wasn’t optional. I don’t do distractions. I have a plan. A timeline. A future that doesn’t include this tiny mountain town—or the firefighters who pack into the roadhouse every night, loud and charming and impossible to ignore. Especially him. Hux is six-foot-three of trouble wrapped in flannel. A smile built to break hearts. A laugh that fills the room. I’ve watched him flirt his way through every shift, and I’ve kept my distance for a reason. Then the snowstorm hits. He stumbles through the door half-frozen, collapses on my counter, and wakes up to find me standing over him with a bowl of soup I don’t remember deciding to make. Now we’re trapped. The roads are impassable. The power’s flickering. And somehow, Hux has ended up in my kitchen—following my rules, watching me like I’m something worth seeing. He’s not what I expected. Under the jokes and easy charm is something steady. Something real. Something that makes me forget why I was so determined to leave in the first place. The storm won’t last forever. Neither will the forced proximity. Neither will the heat that builds every time he looks at me like he’s already chosen. He says he’s serious about me. And that terrifies me more than the storm ever could. ❄️ Snowed-In Romance 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🍲 Caretaker Moment 🧣 Forced Proximity 💕 Instalove Sparks 🛡️ Protective Hero Energy 🌨️ Winter Storm Isolation 💫 Opposites Attract 🏡 Found Family Vibes Mountain Man's Winter Sweetheart is an OTT age-gap firefighter romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive by Alison Gadsby

Breathing is How Some People Stay Alive is due to be released on March 1, 2026. Extraordinarily powerful, both edgy and foreboding, Alison’s layered character-driven stories search for happiness and hope in an unhappily-ever-after world. More about Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive: Breathing Is How Some People Stay Alive blurs the lines between horror, catastrophic speculative fiction, and psychological realism in a collection that might best be described as weird fiction. These connected stories offer dark reconstructions of lives brimming with desperate loneliness. They allow us to bear witness to the life-altering love of sisters, brothers, mothers… the life-altering love that buoys them as they struggle to stay afloat in the wake of childhoods they merely survived. About Alison Gadsby: Alison Gadsby lives and writes in Tkaronto/Toronto. Her short fiction appears in Blank Spaces, The Temz Review, The Ex-Puritan, Blue Lake Review, and many other literary journals in Canada and abroad. She holds an MFA from the University of British Columbia, and a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from York University. She is the founder/host of Junction Reads, a prose reading series in the west end of Toronto where she lives in a multigenerational home that includes several dogs. She enjoys writing novels, but is always writing weird, dark and strangely funny short stories. You can find links to her work at www.alisongadsby.ca and more information about Junction Reads at www.junctionreads.ca

Weird Babies by Jaclyn Desforges

Weird Babies is a short story collection about weird babies: a miraculous set of reincarnated quadruplets, babies born from the bellies of trout, babies who are destined to molt like tarantulas, babies who hatch from piles of warm clothes. It’s also about the weird baby living in each of us—the tenderest part of ourselves that longs, at whatever the cost, to be loved.

Moon Dust by Millie Abecassis

"A short and brutal sci-fi thriller with an emotional twist of an ending. [...] I’m still recovering. Read this." — L.N. Holmes, author of The Floating Castle An underground lab. A dead scientist. A mysterious machine he was trying to destroy. Syd didn’t think things could get worse than being the reluctant leader of her own crime family—which she hates. That was before she found the dead body of Dani, the lead chemist of the family’s underground lab, and next to him, a mysterious machine he tried to hammer down. According to her late father’s notes, it’s a time machine, and Dani used it to steal the recipe for moon dust, a highly addictive drug that made the family’s fortune. Except Dani didn’t only bring a recipe back from the future. He also brought back a deadly pathogen that’s killing everyone underground. Moon Dust is a gritty thriller with sci-fi and horror elements in a huis-clos setting that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Warmed Up by her Brother's Best Friend: A Small Town Age Gap Curvy Girl Short Romance by Julia Stone

Training her body was easy. Resisting her was impossible. I’ve been in love with my brother’s best friend for two years. Which is exactly why my New Year’s resolution is to finally get over him. Lose a little weight. Gain a little confidence. Stop staring every time Cash he crashes at our place. Simple. Achievable. Easy. Thanks to my overprotective brother, Cash decides he’s the perfect person to help me “work on myself.” Morning workouts. Close proximity. Lot’s of hands-on activities. Getting over Cash was supposed to be the goal. Falling harder was never part of the plan. I’ve noticed Adelia since the day she became off-limits. She’s sweet. Curvy. Innocent in a way that makes me want to protect her from men like me. Especially from me. She’s Toby’s little sister. I don’t cross that line. Can’t. But when she asks for help learning how to catch a man’s attention, I can’t say no. Not when I know no one will ever be good enough for her. If she’s going to belong to someone, it should be a man who knows her worth. A man who wants her completely. A man like me.

Code Red (Side Hustle) by Lilah Hart

She lost a cat. He found his forever. I've been a good girl my whole life. Followed the rules. Obeyed my father. Kept my head down and my heart locked up tight. One day in Wildwood Valley changed everything. It started with a cat. A diabetic escape artist named Snowball who bolted from my clinic on my very first day flying solo. Desperate and panicking, I ran to the fire station next door for help. I didn't expect to find a man in nothing but black boxer briefs, singing into a spatula like he owned the world. Devon Carlisle was grumpy, gorgeous, and completely off-limits. A rugged construction foreman with callused hands and a volunteer firefighter's heart. He had no business looking at me the way he did—like I was trouble he wanted to get into. I had no business letting him. But somewhere between chasing that cat through the woods and sharing drinks at the new honky-tonk in town, I stopped being the pastor's dutiful daughter. I stopped playing it safe. I started playing with fire. Code Red is a short and steamy instalove romance set in the small mountain town of Wildwood Valley, North Carolina. This 1-hour read is part of the Side Hustle series. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Side Hustle series! About the Series: From broke beginnings to business dreams, the real hustle begins after hours. Whether it’s garage startups or late-night gigs, these blue-collar heroes and heroines are chasing goals bigger than the next bill. When love throws them a curveball, they learn that building a future means risking their hearts. Side Hustle is a multi-author series of short, steamy instalove stories with guaranteed happily-ever-afters. Each one delivers open-door heat, real-world grit, and chemistry that burns hotter after midnight.

Mountain Man's Winter Darling: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #02) by Lilah Hart

Snowed in. Guarded heart. One firefighter who stays. I’d spent years building walls. As the manager of Wildwood Ridge Roadhouse, I was the woman with the clipboard and the answers—the one who handled every crisis, solved every problem, and never let anyone see me crack. I’d watched charming men try to get past my defenses before, and I’d shut every single one of them down. Then the blizzard hit. Conner was everything I’d trained myself to avoid—a firefighter with a sharp tongue, an easy smile, and a reputation for never taking anything seriously. The jokester. The flirt. The last man I should have trusted with my secrets. But the storm stranded us together. And somewhere between the snow piling against the windows and the hours slipping quietly by, he stopped joking. He looked at me like he saw past the role I played for everyone else. He didn’t see the manager. He didn’t see the woman in control. He saw me. I’d never let anyone that close before. Never wanted to. But Conner made me want things I’d convinced myself weren’t real—the kind of connection that happened in one impossible night and changed everything. He said he wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to believe him. But I’d been the responsible one my whole life—and responsible women didn’t fall for strangers during snowstorms. They didn’t risk everything on a single night. …Did they? Tropes: ❄️ Snowed-In Romance 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🧊 Forced Proximity 😏 Jokester Hero Who Falls Hard 🛡️ Guarded Heroine ❤️ One-Night-to-Forever Love 💋 Steamy Instalove Chemistry 🥰 He Falls First 🏡 Standalone Romance with HEA Mountain Man's Winter Darling is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Beauty: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #1) by Lilah Hart

Trapped by winter. Claimed by a mountain firefighter. I noticed Mason the moment he walked into the roadhouse. Hard not to. He was built like the mountains surrounding Wildwood Valley—broad shoulders, powerful arms, hands that looked like they could either break you in half or hold you like you mattered. One of the new firefighters in town. The kind of man every woman noticed. Except he didn’t notice me. Or so I thought. For weeks, Mason came in with his crew. He talked to everyone—the bartender, the cook, the manager. Everyone except me. When I refilled his sweet tea, he couldn’t meet my eyes. When I asked for his order, he answered in single words, like speaking to me was harder than running into a burning building. I told myself it didn’t matter. I was just the server. The small-town girl nobody really saw. Then the snowstorm hit. The roads closed. My car couldn’t make it up the mountain. And suddenly I was stranded in a ditch—in the cab of Mason’s truck—with nowhere to go and no way out. That’s when everything changed. That’s when the quiet firefighter finally told me the truth. He hadn’t been avoiding me because he wasn’t interested. He’d been avoiding me because he was terrified of how much he wanted me. We had one hour before his crew reached us. One hour to decide if this was real—or just the storm talking. One hour that could change everything. Sometimes the best things happen when you’re trapped in the cold… with the one man who can keep you warm. Tropes: 🔥 Firefighter Romance 🏔️ Mountain Man Alpha Hero ❄️ Snowstorm Forced Proximity 🛻 Stranded Together 💪 Protective Age-Gap Hero 😳 Shy Alpha, Hidden Desire 🌸 Virgin Heroine / First Time ⚡ Fast-Burn Instalove ❤️ Small-Town Romance 🌡️ High-Heat OTT Novella Mountain Man's Winter Beauty is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Fight For Me by JJ Clapton

Alec spends his life travelling the world, teleporting between slopes, cities, and beaches to fill his time. As an immortal warlock he has plenty of it. Nothing ties him down, apart from the warded warehouse he calls home and a weekly appointment with his only friend at a local bar. Trading insults with Euan is the one part of his life that fills the loneliness. Not that he'd ever admit that to the damn fey. But when Alec returns from his latest trip to find the local fairies out in numbers hunting a vampire - their most hated enemy - Euan leaves early to help his fellow fey in the hunt. Rather than stay alone, Alec gives in and follows. But before Alec can find him, Euan gets attacked and turned. Now, the fairies Euan was hunting alongside want him dead too. With Euan hurt and in danger, Alec quickly realises exactly how, and with who, he wants to spend the rest of his very long life. Now all he has to do is risk his own, but what are friends for? Fight for me is a 12,000 word short story about an Aro/Ace warlock and his immortal best friend.

Warmed Up by the Firefighter: A Second Chance Instalove OTT Steamy Short Romance by Julia Stone

One bad breakup. One unexpected firefighter. One second chance she never planned to take. Reese: They say I’m crazy. That’s the story my ex told after our breakup—loud enough that the whole town believed him. So maybe breaking into his house to get my things back doesn’t help my case, but I refuse to let him keep pieces of my life hostage. I don’t expect to be caught. I definitely don’t expect his new roommate—naked, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly calm about finding me trespassing in the middle of the day. Jaxon isn’t what I’m ready for. He’s heat and safety and everything I swore I was done believing in. One look at him makes me want to risk my heart all over again. But I’ve already loved once and paid for it. No matter how much my body betrays me, I can’t cave. Not again. Jaxon: I step out of the shower and find a woman breaking into my house—and just like every fire I’ve ever run into, I know I won’t walk away unchanged. Reese is sharp-tongued and wound tight, carrying scars no one ever taught her how to heal. The second our eyes meet, something in me locks into place. I don’t question it. I never do. I’m a firefighter. I run toward danger for a living. And Reese is danger in the most tempting form. She doesn’t fall into my arms the way women usually do. She fights it. Pushes back. Keeps her distance. That only makes me want her more. She’s running from something, and I’m not the kind of man who lets someone burn alone. She thinks love is a mistake she can’t afford to make again. I think she just hasn’t met a man willing to fight for her. Mature Novella Romance Short Story Short Romance Second Chance Steamy Quick Read Small Town Instalove Note from the Author: This short read will take 1-2 hours to read.

Memento Moreau by Conrad Altmann

HoloBionTech Unlimited has a broad portfolio of interests. From rumors of aggressive plant-life to pushing the boundaries of brain-circuit connections and beyond; they send their field agents globally to collect data on what may become the next big technological advance. Sometimes those forays into the unknown go awry. These seven accounts—recently declassified from the HBT archives—share some of the misadventures of their field agents, shine a light on product development, and reveal the truth behind the last days of installation HBT003. They contain depictions of out-of-body experiences, fungal infections, genetic sabotage, evolutionary revenge and sexual deception. All are based in truth, though are yet unproven.

Moral Laundry by Conrad Altmann

This collection of seven short stories stems from a dire outlook on the future of humanity, though there are rays of hope interspersed. Figures of authority are faced with profit or morality, the lonely find companionship in an unlikely space, a young boy learns that what was once beautiful to him holds a deeper and more somber meaning that he alone must carry, and a young actor reconciles to a normality that may leave him without an identity.

Gem Music and Other Silent Comics by Keilani McConnell

A wonderfully illustrated collection of five short dialogue-less comics, touching on themes of friendship and belonging. Three explorers visit a cave where gems glow when there is music; a flower magician attends a flower festival for the first time; a girl makes a surprising friend on her walk home; a boy and his grandfather go to a lake to paint together; and two cats enjoy the end of the day. Each comic is appropriate for all ages and reading levels, celebrating small, happy moments Includes five comics: -Gem Music -The Flower Magicians -Snow Day -Canvas -Sunset

Queer Resistance by Kassandra Morgan

A Confession for Two is a poem written from the depths of myself. From my teenage and young adult years spent living in shame until finding my voice as a bisexual woman living her truth unafraid as an adult, this peace holds all those emotions.

A Million Spinning Moons by MJ Anthony

Sometimes a family is an onion farmer discovering herself on sabbatical, her alien girlfriend, and their arctic moon. A short, sapphic romance/coming out story starring a trans protagonist.

A Study on Magic and Crystals by May Barros

Talita is the heir of Lilyduan, the human kingdom. When her father invites her to join a dinner with fairy dignitaries, she sees herself having to deal with the responsibilities of her status. Sent on a mission to solve the magienergetic crisis of the kingdom, she must travel to Alyra, the fairy realm, and count on her friend Marcela, a shameless necromancer and the fairy Solis to learn all she needs to know about the Crystal Power Plant to fullfill her part of the deal with the fairies.

The Gift of You by Chloe York

"It's not a sin if I don't touch you." Forbidden fruit is the sweetest, and Miriam Everleigh is absolutely scandalous. The heir of Everleigh Manor has almost everything her heart desires, except a future with her best friend. With Cecile's wedding fast approaching, Miriam is willing to go to drastic measures to preserve what they have. Because Miriam Everleigh always gets what she wants.

Dum Spiro, Spero by Grace Manders

What does it mean to live and love? How do we deal with loss? What if the stories we were told growing up were told from a different perspective? Dum Spiro, Spero is a collection of short stories and poems based in hope and the human experience.

Suck Suck Suck by Brandt Scheidemantel

"Riveting, disturbing." "Deeply weird...very ticklish...the strangest thing I have ever read." "An odd collection...Scheidemantel can weave a story!" In this genre-bending debut short story collection, psychological horror gets a magical twist. A man makes a routine stop at the bank—and surfaces days later sucked dry of his identity. Faced with eviction, a babysitter trades her sin to a troll—but there’s a lustful catch. A breast cancer survivor awakens in the Devil’s sock drawer and runs like Hell. Two closeted young men find love—but a deranged murderer finds them, too. Suck Suck Suck is a surreal ride fueled by dark comedy, satire, and desperate longing.

Scrooged by the Mountain Man (Log Cabin Christmas) by Lilah Hart

She brought Christmas to his mountain cabin. He was determined to stay a Grinch forever. I show up at my Christmas cabin rental with a decorated tree, twelve boxes of vintage cards, and dreams of my big break at Wildwood Valley's festival. There's just one problem. The cabin isn't a rental. It's home to the grumpiest, most gorgeous mountain man I've ever seen, and he wants me gone. Chase Matthews doesn't do Christmas. Doesn't do joy. Doesn't do anything that remotely resembles holiday cheer. He lives alone in these mountains for a reason, and that reason is to avoid people like me—the kind who hum carols and believe in happy endings. But when the sheriff convinces him to let me stay, everything changes. Three days, he says. That's all I get. Three days in his cabin. Three days of stolen glances and simmering tension. Three days of discovering that beneath all that gruff exterior is a man who's been hurt, who's lost everything, who's convinced he doesn't deserve a second chance at happiness. I should keep my distance. Should focus on my business, my meetings with store buyers, my carefully planned future. Instead, I fall for him. Hard. Fast. Completely. But loving Chase means understanding his scars. It means accepting that Christmas—my favorite time of year—is the season that broke him. And when I push too hard, when I try to bring light into his darkness too soon, I might lose him forever. Unless he's brave enough to believe that some things are worth fighting for. That some people are worth the risk. That maybe, just maybe, this Christmas can be different. Because I'm not giving up on him. Not on us. Not on the possibility that a girl who loves everything about the holidays and a man who can't stand them might just be exactly what each other needs. Scrooged by the Mountain Man is an OTT age-gap holiday romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity holiday romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. It's part of the Log Cabin Christmas Multi-Author Series.

Forgotten Mountain Man by Sofia Aves

I've spent years hiding from a world that's best forgotten me. I'm a man who prefers the company of the wind to my own kind. Strangers are never welcome. When a woman who should never have crossed into my territory decides to set up house right on my doorstep, I'm forced to endure the calamity she brings with her. My existence is upended by a redhead tornado hellbent on destroying the peace I've garnered in the remotest corner of Montana. By the time I've accepted her changes in my life it's too late...I've fallen for the girl who dared poke the proverbial bear. But she's brought a secret to my mountains that means leaving my hidden corner of the world or risk losing everything I've found with the girl who healed me.

Her Feral Biker by Sofia Aves

I’ve never been one to stake my claim on a woman—until I meet the one who knocks me on my a** with a pretty smile and a mouthful of sass behind everyone’s back. Especially when this sweet thing isn’t afraid of me. Annalise Hampton is all the things a wholesome, small town girl is supposed to be: she’s pretty, she smiles a lot, she loves families, and she even has her own local business, a kid’s clothing shop. She’s nothing I should ever want, or ever touch. She was never made for me. Maybe that’s why I can’t keep my hands to myself around her. Maybe all the wholesome goodness is why I want to stain her with my brand of sin and make her mine. And the way she feels in my arms? Too f*cking good to deny. And everything is peachy, right up until I realize there’s someone else sniffing around her shop in the darkest hours. And she lets them in. I know that ink, and I know those marks. No way in hell am I letting someone else take what’s I’ve claimed. But then, that’s why I have brothers who will back me when I rain hell because someone dared touch the girl who belongs to me and mine. The Savage Kings MC isn’t just a club—it’s a brotherhood forged in blood, loyalty, and an unbreakable code. These men live by their own rules, protecting their territory and loved ones at all costs. Fierce. Possessive. Unyielding. In this scorching collection of standalone but interconnected romances, each Savage King faces his ultimate test—a love that threatens to unravel everything he thought he knew. From enemies-to-lovers showdowns to forbidden desires, and from runaway heroines to second-chance romances, these bikers don’t just take—they protect, defend, and fight for what’s theirs.

Puck Me Sideways by Sofia Aves

Working alongside the hottest hockey team is her dream-right up until the most droolworthy defender on the ice does the one thing that ruins all her fantasies. He notices her. Hallie Newman has spent the last four months at the home of the Jericho Chimeras pretending not to exist. After all, the curvy marketing graduate knows exactly what it feels like to have her heart broken by a pro hockey player, and stomped all over by a puck bunny WAG wannabe. But when she finds herself in Solace Hunter's sights he leaves her no room to escape. He's been watching her for longer than anyone knows. Because Hallie is his obsession. And just like his job as goalie for the Chimeras, Solace takes the protection of what he considers his seriously...and he's already claimed Hallie whether she knows it or not. PUCK ME SIDEWAYS is a standalone dark romance read in Sofia Aves' JERICHO CHIMERAS ICE HOCKEY SPORTS ROMANCE world.

Mountain Man’s Winter Wonder (Wildwood Valley Christmas Book 5) by Lilah Hart

She’s spent her life living for everyone else. He makes her wonder if she could finally choose herself. I’d spent my whole life living for everyone else. Since the age of twelve, I’d worked in my parents’ restaurant—trading proms for late-night shifts, friendships for endless obligations, and love for a future I never chose. At twenty-three, I was still stuck in their dream, not mine, pouring my heart into crafting snow globes that captured the kind of family and freedom I’d never have. Then came the Wildwood Valley Christmas Festival. One careless moment—a pack of kids knocking over my display—sent my carefully built world crashing in pieces across the frozen ground. And that’s when he appeared. Buck. A mountain man with steady hands, eyes warm as melted chocolate, and a quiet strength that made me feel seen for the very first time. He didn’t just help gather broken glass—he saw beauty in what was shattered. He saw me. Mountain Man's Winter Wonder is an OTT age-gap holiday romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Christmas series!

Ghost: A Small Town Age Gap OTT Instalove Biker MC Steamy Short Romance (Steelwood MC Book 1) by Julia Stone

He stole her to save her. Now he can’t let her go. I found her by accident—just a glimpse during a job finished a few months back. One little discovery turned into an obsession. I told myself to forget her, but that was a lie I never stood a chance of keeping. When I learned her father planned to trade her to another club’s bastard, I couldn’t let it happen. So I took her. Now she’s here, hidden away in my world of smoke, leather, and scars. She looks at me like I’m her captor, and maybe I am. But I’m also her only chance. Every day she’s near, I lose another piece of the restraint I swore I’d keep. I can’t let her go—but I can’t let myself have her either. Because if I touch her, there’s no coming back from it. My whole life has been planned for me—every breath, every choice, every future moment dictated by my father. I never questioned it until Ghost tore me from that life and dropped me into his. He’s chaos made flesh—scarred, and dangerous—but somehow, he feels more honest than anyone I’ve ever known. He says he took me to protect me. Maybe that’s true. But the way he looks at me burns hotter than any lie. The longer I stay, the more I see the man beneath the rough edges—the protector, not the villain. Somewhere between fear and fascination, I start to fall. Ghost may have stolen my freedom... but he’s the first person who’s ever made me feel free. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed read in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series!

Memories of Enaros Vol 1 by Astrid E. Abell

Memories of Enaros Volume 1 is a collection of short stories centering around the time Inarora Beservera, the protagonist of Inarora's Excursion, was a young child. Three of the short stories are from Kaedan's point of view and one is from Byron's point of view. Precious Protection Kaedan and his parents finally take the opportunity to lock out his soon-to-be ex-fiancée, Iris. However, they are not prepared to what lengths she will go to in order to remain in Kaedan and Inarora's lives. Babysitting with Fibro Kaedan and Xarlen leave Byron and Seri alone with the baby for the day for a court hearing. Unfortunately, both men discover babysitting isn't very easy when both of you are in a fibromyalgia flare. Kaedan's Injury The Second Rhanalanian War needs code breakers like Kaedan and his team. Unfortunately, that puts them directly on the front lines, forced to witness the atrocities of war. Even worse, they are targets themselves when Kaedan and his comrade, Xavier, break a code from the Patriot Defense Forces. Kaedan has to evacuate the Rhanalanian Defense Force headquarters, but what is the cost? Mela Súle It's Kaedan Beservera's first Mela Súle in a wheelchair and without his mother. With his father and grandfather both sick, this year's celebration will only be spent with his child, Inarora. As Kaeden worries he will disappoint his daughter, the two stumble upon a foreign family enjoying Mela Súle for the first time. It will be a memorable winter holiday season for all.

Percival Gynt and the Inevitability of Fire and Other Cases by Drew Melbourne

One day, the fate of the entire universe will rest in the hands of one man. A hero. An accountant. But Percival Gynt is neither of those things. Not yet. Collected here for the first time are the early adventures of Percival Gynt, a young man caught between his own dark past and an incandescent future. A future of starships and sorcery. Of monsters and mysteries. Of... um... card games and... conference calls? In this volume, you'll learn how Percival caught his first killer, toppled a despot, and saved Christmas. And YOU will guide Percival through his darkest day, as he seeks any path to escape... ...the inevitability of fire. Percival Gynt and the Inevitability of Fire and Other Cases presents eleven stories of maximalist space-fantasy, existential angst, comedy, adventure, and mystery in the 201st century, in this standalone prequel to the novel Percival Gynt and the Conspiracy of Days.

EXEQUIAL by Hannah Rebekah Graves

Don’t be late for your own funeral. An embittered soul ascends from the underworld to seek revenge on those who wronged her. (“The Dead Rise in Greece”) In an online forum, a tight-knit group takes their serial-killer infatuation to the next level. (“A (Potential) Ghost Story”) A corpse laments the loss of each falling petal. (“On Bodies and Bouquets”) Thirty encounters with ghosts, cursed books, incriminating VHS tapes, entities from the skies, and questions that are best left unasked.

The Secret of Plants in the ENVIRONMENT by Rishikesh Upadhyay

Plants are sessile organisms that are unable to move but face the challenge of ever-changing or adverse environments. The study of the development of environmental changes in tolerant plants is fundamental for the maintenance and streamlining of high crop yields and plant adaptation in natural environments. The identification of genes that lead to changes or stress tolerance is urgently needed for the growth and development of plants in their natural environment. The Secret of Plants in the ENVIRONMENT addresses environmental concerns such as the different types of stress situations and plant adaptation to changing environments, including the positive and negative effects of stress on the growth of crops, the beginning stages of plant life cycles, and plant output. This book seeks to discuss the impact of environmental changes or stress on plant life, environmental stress physiology, and adaptation mechanisms. It highlights the impact of environmental stresses on plants and crops under changing environments and gives a comprehensive overview of how plants respond to such environments. In addition, it serves as a helpful guide to the students of BSc, MSc and to all professionals engaged in teaching and research on environmental-related subjects. It dwells on some important aspects of environmental change or stress as the main issue affecting the survival of plants at the early stages of their life cycle. Hence, the author hopes that both early-career scientists and research scholars interested in pursuing environmental science to an advanced stage would also benefit from the important information discussed in this book.

Stress in Plants: The Hidden Half by Rishikesh Upadhyay

This book, in a comprehensive manner, provides an overview of the challenges of increasing crop or agricultural productivity to meet the demands of a growing population, linking descriptions of physiological, ecological, biochemical and molecular activity in plants with their tolerance and adaptation to natural environments. In the case of plants, a stress is an adverse condition or substance that affects or blocks a plant’s metabolism, growth, or development. The threat to productivity in crops and agriculture due to these stresses cannot be overstated, nor overlooked, especially in light of climate change. The information covered in this book will be helpful in building strategies to counter the impact of stress on plants. The book also provides an overview of the essential disciplines required for sustainable crop and agricultural production for policymakers, scientists, academics, and students of plant science, agricultural science, environmental science, biochemistry, biotechnology, and related areas.

The Life of Plants in a Changing Environment by Rishikesh Upadhyay

Plants experience stress due to environmental changes, either in biotic or abiotic form, during their life cycle. Non-heritable modifications in morphological, physiological or biochemical characteristics tend to reduce or decrease growth and productivity, and sometimes lead to death. This book presents an exhaustive overview of the specific effects and modifications that could occur in this regard, and will serve to consolidate the ideas to promote standardization of plant adaptation to these changes in the environment. This book returns to the facts of both biotic and abiotic stress, detailing an essential aspect of plant life in the context of stress response. The text is a comprehensive, current reference that effectively addresses issues and concerns related to plant stress in natural environments. Although many reference books about abiotic stress and other environmental stresses have been published, they all exist in relative isolation from one another, covering only one specific topic. This book is, rather, a comprehensive review of all aspects of the responses of plants to changes in the environment.

Plant Heavy Metal Stress by Rishikesh Upadhyay

Increase in environmental pollution as well as contamination of water by heavy metals, associated with plants and other food products due to increase in human anthropogenic activities, has resulted in damages to natural resources. Plants, be aquatic or submerged ones, are the best indicators of such unseen killers, and as such develop tolerance to such metabolically toxic pollutants, including heavy metals. Aquatic ecosystem is susceptible to such pollution, precisely because of different effluents draining off finally to some water bodies that subject the flora of that system to encountering toxic substances. Screening followed by the proper monitoring of the impacts of these heavy metals is very important. Therefore, approaches to develop plants with reduced heavy metal uptake are important. "Plant Heavy Metal Stress" aims at giving an overview of the most important basic aspects of physiological and biochemical basis for such contamination, toxicity and tolerance in widely grown aquatic model plants. The book is expected to serve as a reference to researchers and students of plant sciences and environmental stress.

A Machine for Hugs by Galen Gower

A Machine for Hugs is a collection of tales embracing the everyday strangeness of being alive. These stories explore forgotten avenues and dark corners too weird to ignore. A lone gravedigger’s life hangs in the balance between insanity and damnation... A pair of erstwhile goldminers unlock a horrible secret on their trip home to Kansas... A lonely boy creates a machine for hugs and learns some of life’s hard truths... ...and more. All this and more waits for you in this fifteen-story odyssey from Galen Gower, a writer whose imagination is only surpassed by his willingness to explore absurdity and fantastical new themes with a keen eye regarding the human condition.

Artifice & Access by Ella T. Holmes, Ashley N.Y. Sheesley, M. Stevenson, Lynne Sargent, Kara Siert, Adie Hart, Harper Kinsley, Natalie Kelda, Rascal Hartley, Casper E. Falls, Zira MacFarlane, Tam Ayers, Elior Haley, Rory G.

It’s long been acknowledged that disability representation is lacking in the fantasy genre landscape, so in this cozy anthology, fourteen writers from around the globe come together to bring you wonderful fantasy stories centering disabled and chronically ill characters. Teeming with magic, otherworldly creatures, discoveries, and journeys, every story is as thrilling and fascinating as it is passionate and meaningful. Worlds are discovered, lives are changed, and swords are drawn. Disabled and chronically ill characters go questing, fighting dragons, healing, and enacting strange magics. Familiar fairy tales are reimagined, and new fairytales are forged, with each story shattering stereotypes and challenging traditional narratives. Come see yourself reflected—or discover something new. Stories included: One Cream, Five Sugars by Harper Kinsley A Witch's Tale by Rascal Hartley Use Your Words by Zira MacFarlane The Changeling of Brushby by Natalie Kelda To Make Her Eat by M. Stevenson Hope, Be It Never So Faint by Ashley N. Y. Sheesley A Night For Mischief by Elior Haley Lessons in Botany by Casper E. Falls Stroke of Midnight, Shoes of Glass by Adie Hart In Another World, I Twist The Knife by Rory G The Knife That Makes The Cut by Lynne Sargent Angharad ferch Truniaw by Tam Ayers The Girl & The Gum-riddle by Ella T Holmes City of the Sun by Kara Siert

The Tales of Blended Magic: A Short Story Collection by E.R. Munley and Ruth Sanger

They learned the price of broken magic. They worked to mend the severed magic. Then, they fought to balance magic. But that wasn’t the entire story... From the authors of The Statera Cycle comes a collection of twelve short stories. Revisit with your favorite characters and learn what happened outside of their quest to rebuild the ancient staff of power.

Letters to Satan by G Eilsel

The One Handed Holidays: Crossed Swords Edition Series - Christmas Novella Just when things in Hell are starting to get boring, The Lucifer receives another of these blasted letters... the candy-striped, smiley-faced, hopeful letters of humans. Only these letters aren't intended for him, and he's tired of reading about the silly Christmas wishes of mankind. The best solution is the most obvious one: go to the North Pole, and demand Santa do something about it. Only things don't... quite... work out the way he's imagining. Lucifer's riled up and ready to put Santa in his place, but the tall, dark, and somber man who greets him at the workshop door isn't a man that can be bossed around, and he's quick to put Lucifer in his place. Only Lucifer isn't so easily dissuaded, and soon, he's causing chaos right underneath Santa's nose. It quickly becomes a game of cat and mouse, until they're no longer Lucifer and Santa, but Damien and Niklaus, and what's happening between them is a lot more complicated than either of them could ever have expected. Author's Note: This is an 18+ erotic novella based loosely on holiday themes. Read accordingly.

Digital Extremities by Adam Bassett

A collection of eight stories, Digital Extremities shines a spotlight on ordinary people in a callous yet hopeful future. Set across small towns and remote islands, where neon flickers against old buildings and oaks, this collection paints a unique view of a traditionally cyberpunk setting. In 2089, a woman miscarries and seeks a way to find peace amidst overwhelming grief. Years later, a young man must find a way to pay rent outside of his job at the glassblowing studio. A pair of students, excited to go to college, install new hardware that promises to improve their cognitive functions. A private investigator searches for a missing child who has a reputation for embarking on risky adventures. Each tale is shaped by love, loss, and perseverance, weaving a vision of life outside of the megacities.

Caught by I.V. Shady

She didn’t expect a quiet night with a steamy chapter to turn into something more. Curled up with her favorite spicy read, she lets the story sweep her away—heat building, heartbeat racing, and self-love taking center stage. It’s her moment, and she intends to savor every second. But just as fantasy begins to blur with feeling, unexpected footsteps shift the mood. Her partner arrives—and he's brought company. What follows is anything but ordinary... and she’s about to find out that some plot twists can’t be written. Only lived.

Bound by I.V. Shady

Surrender was never the plan… but it’s definitely part of the game. You’ve let me tie the knots, but we both know who taught me how. Tonight, you're mine—every smirk, every breath, every twitch I see. Follow my voice, stay still... pretend I'm the one in charge. And when you're ready to flip the script? Well, I already know I’ve earned it.

Spinning Out of Control by KL Hill

Lucas Adler has dedicated years to climbing the ranks and becoming the club's top Enforcer of the Rebel Kings Brotherhood Motorcycle Club and the right hand to the Sergeant at Arms. But, despite the status, power, and respect the club affords him, there’s one important thing missing. The one thing that would make all the blood, sweat, and tears spilled worth it. The one thing he let slip right through his fingers. And now, after all these years, he’s going to do everything in his power to get her back and never let her go. Callie Hansen is powerful in her own right as she uses her body not only for pleasure but for information. Working beside the Dominatrix, Tasha, inside the sexiest club, Masquerave, a place where secrets and desires intertwine, has given her the freedom she’s always wanted. Now, even behind the safety of her mask, Callie is forced to confront her past and the one person she never thought she'd see again. Because if she lets him see one crack in her carefully constructed facade, he’ll shatter it and her heart along with it. She’ll need to use every trick up her sleeve to ensure that it doesn’t happen…again.