Shirley M

Help Wanted: Grumpy mountain man seeks baby momma. Job is an incubator position only. Surrogate must be impervious to grunting as the form of communication and nosy brotherly neighbors. Rustic mountain range housing available upon request. I wanted to pummel my irritating brothers when they posted their own version of a wanted ad to help me with my life. But I can’t fault the results once the right woman lands in my lap. Becoming a single father is not a decision I made lightly. In fact, it’s the biggest decision of my entire life. Which is why when I interview Trista, I know she’s perfect.

A sugar-daddy website doesn't seem a sound basis for an A1 life plan, but I'm a small-town girl with big dreams, and there's this one advert, this one crazy advert I can't stop thinking about.... Two hot guys seeking their Little Miss Right. Someone who can entertain them, amuse them, fit in with their corporate schedule. And sex. They want sex. Lots of sex. Bonus, right? One major dose of epic win.

Trauma nurse Aly Cappellucci doesn’t need any more kinks. She likes the one she’s landed on just fine. To her, nothing could top the masked men she follows online. Unless one of those men was shirtless, heavily tattooed, and waiting for her in her bedroom. She dreams about being hunted by one in particular, of him chasing her down and doing deliciously dark things to her willing body. She never could have guessed that by sending one drunken text, those dreams would become her new reality.

I've always done what was expected of me. Layla Birch, the good girl. Forced to grow up too fast. To take care of everything myself. I had a plan. Only, I didn't count on him. Colton Wilder, the cowboy nearly twice my age. He's my dream man. One who takes care of me, gives me a job, and makes my pulse thud harder every time he comes near. My ex-boyfriend's father. The nights are long and cold on top of this mountain. As the snow grows thicker and the tension builds between us, we're both inching closer to a line we shouldn't cross.

They say he's nothing but Mayhem, yet when he's with me, he's my salvation, everything I need and more. The problem is… he has a fascination for blood. I can't handle it—in more ways than one. He has a fascination for me. I hate it, even though I can't stop thinking about him, either. Some people should not be together, and that's us; we could never work. But letting go is impossible when my serial killer of a husband is determined to prove me wrong.

We met at his ex's wedding, where she uttered their safe word in her vows. Immediately, his jaw clenched, and his hands balled into tight fists. Moments later, he told her I was with him. When in reality, I had snuck into the wedding. Knowing full well he was trouble, I tried to leave when he gripped my arm and whispered in a low, intimidating voice, "Do you sneak into weddings often?" His words had me stuck to the spot.

I lie to one of the city's most ruthless men—and it feels so good. Deception is a drug, and I'm quickly becoming an addict. Each time we speak, Zuko has no idea it's me. The lie tastes sweet leaving my mouth. I couldn't stop now, even if I wanted to—which I don't. He thinks our conversations are more than just sex. He's wrong. The intimacy he feels is all a facade. Until the day an embodiment of my darkest fantasies walks into my bar, and his unmistakable voice sends a shiver down my spine. It turns out I'm not the one in control.

Bloody, lost, broken. We live to fight another day. But with so much stolen from us, can the fates ever twist in our favour again? My sister and I have been torn apart by shadows and despair, and now we each stand alone.

Living in a year around Christmas town has its drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It's why I like to hibernate away in my cave - I mean housekeeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits. And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest - which she was determined to win.

Father Cade Frederic is a holy man. Brought up in the streets of Paris, he has dedicated his life to the church. But there's a monster that lingers just beneath the surface. A sickness. One that bleeds darkness and feeds on the damned. When he's tasked to become the priest in Festivale, Vermont, a town both beautiful in architecture and riddled with despair, his sickness sings, demanding he rid the place of evil.