Linda kage

The kingdom of Far Shore still resents Donnelly, its neighboring land, for forming an alliance with those filthy High Clifters and then defeating them in war. Twice! They really must pay for such an insult. And what better way to prick their pride than to steal their lovely, revered princess, mutilate her a little, and then ransom her back to them for a hefty sum.

So, the king blackmails stable hand, Farrow, into accepting the mission of kidnapping Princess Nicolette and bringing her back to Far Shore to meet her gruesome fate.

With his sister’s life on the line, Farrow reluctantly accepts the quest and travels through desert and forest, only to find Nicolette eagerly awaiting his arrival with her bags already packed and good to go, spouting off insane nonsense about being his destiny and one true love.

What follows is a crazy, eclectic adventure that brings two lost souls together and helps them learn who they’re supposed to be and what they’re supposed to do in this ever-changing journey called life.

Due to a dark curse, the entire Graykey family has been marked for death. But Quilla Graykey has grown used to living on the run, constantly hiding and surviving under the radar of High Cliff soldiers, who’ve been sent out to hunt her down and destroy her.

So when a man bearing the mark of a High Clifter shows up on her trail, persistently tracking her, it’s really nothing new. Except she can’t seem to shake this guy. He keeps finding her, no matter how well she disguises herself. If she’s not careful, she might actually have to take a stand and fight him. Maybe even kill him.

But the handsome pursuer turns her world upside down when she discovers he’s not out to assassinate her after all, nor does he have a clue she’s a Graykey. His intentions are worse. He claims she’s his one true love, and curses, duty, or honor be damned; he’s not about to lose her. He wants to make her his happily ever after.

Used to eluding people and wanting to keep it that way, Quilla honestly has no idea how to avoid the likes of Indigo Moast.

Could this be the one evasion she can’t dodge?

Junior in college. Star athlete. Constant attention from the opposite sex.

On this campus, I’m worshiped. While seven hundred miles away, back in my hometown, I’m still trailer park trash, child of the town tramp, and older sibling to three kids who are counting on me to keep my shit together so I can take them away from the same crappy life I grew up in.

These two opposing sides of myself never mix until one person gets a glimpse of the true me. I never expected to connect with anyone like this or want more beyond one night. This may be the real deal.

Problem is Dr. Kavanagh’s my literature professor.

If I start anything with a teacher and we’re caught together, I might as well kiss my entire future goodbye, as well as my family’s and especially Dr. Kavanagh’s. Except sometimes love is worth risking everything. Or at least, it damn well better be, because I can only resist so much.

-Noel Gamble-

When a mysterious woman appears in Prince Olivander’s life and gives him a taste of forbidden temptation, he’s...well…

He’s confused.

You see, he’s been mated to his true love, Unity, since he was thirteen. The love mark tattooed to the side of his face has told him Unity will be his future, his soul mate, and partner in all things, but he questions how he’ll ever experience passion with her after they’ve been separated for years and he’s waited for her to come of age, especially when this intriguing newcomer right in front of him keeps causing him to forget Unity completely.

So just how accurate are these hallowed love marks, anyway?

Amid broiling scandals and palace intrigue, otherworldly visitors and magical ruses, Olivander and his new assistant must discover the truth behind a dangerous curse plaguing the Outer Realms, or else the Outer Realms may cease to exist entirely.

Don’t you just hate it when someone destroys all your carefully made plans?

I mean, I had goals: college to graduate in one semester, a future I was working hard to reach, and an image of myself I wanted the world to see. My life was stacked into these precisely placed blocks. But then Colton Gamble came along and knocked them all askew.

I hated how he messed everything up, how he could hog all my attention whenever he was around, how he made my pulse quicken—but only because he ticked me off...not because I was attracted to him. Oh! And I hated how he knew how attractive he was too, the shallow, full of himself, doesn’t take no for an answer, too flirty, too cocky, extremely irritating jerk.

The boy had all the qualities that turned me off. Or so I thought.

One night he wasn’t quite the brainless, overconfident jerk I assumed he always was.

One night, he took care of me when I was at my lowest. He opened up to me and made me open up to him.

Now I’m learning maybe he’s not what I first thought he was. And maybe I’M not what I first thought I was. Maybe it’s okay to rearrange a couple of my perfectly set blocks. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll stop worrying about what I’m afraid everyone else will think and finally reach for something I really want. It’s possible some of my plans need to be destroyed, and Colton Gamble is exactly the kind of mess I need in my life.

What do you think? Should I give him a try?

Desperately seeking your advice,

Julianna Radcliffe

I might’ve ruined any chance I ever had at a meaningful relationship when I decided to become a male prostitute at eighteen, but that was okay.

I paid off my mom’s debt, the rent, my sister’s hospital bills. I put food on the table and kept eviction notices at bay.

It was worth it.

But was it worth the price of my soul?

Two years later, this job has begun to kill me in every way but physically, until SHE comes along.

Reese is the breath of fresh air I need. She makes me smile, she makes me laugh, she makes me want more. But how can we ever be together after all the choices I’ve made?

Listing one mistake after another, these are my confessions and how we came through to the other side.

---

The Forbidden Men series concludes with THE PRICE OF MASON by looping back to the beginning and retelling PRICE OF A KISS through his eyes.

Just when you thought you knew everything, here’s the rest of the story.

Dori Baquet never thought her life was all that remarkable. A single waitress living in New Orleans, she was just trying to make it through the pandemic in one piece until one little brick to the head unexpectedly sucked her into an alternate dimension.

Now, she’s navigating an unfamiliar, medieval-type world called the Outer Realms, where there’s no chocolate…or books, and everyone lives in castles and rides horses while carrying around their own personal sword. If that weren’t strange enough, she learns she’s actually a descendant of the oldest, most cursed family here. Plus, she has magical abilities. But the craziness doesn’t end there.

She only got one of their love mark tattoo thingies to fit in with the locals and avoid being burned at the stake or some such atrocity. Except the very day she realizes how to get back home, her freaking love mark alerts her to the presence of her soul mate nearby. And Dori can’t seem to resist her insatiable need to see what this dude’s like.

Meeting the King of Lowden, however, changes everything, and Dori soon learns her adventures in this oddball world are just beginning.

Once upon a time, there was this pampered rich girl who was kind of full of herself. She really only cared about appearances and hiding all her dark, ugly secrets under the guise of an opinionated snob. But then Eva Mercer got pregnant, shot by a psycho, and kicked out of the only home she knew. Now she’s broke, unemployed, and has to start anew with a newborn to raise. But how?

On the other side of town, sexy, tattooed orphan, Patrick Ryan, can’t get a break. He’s out on parole for defending the last damsel in distress while trying to help her support her child, but all he wants is to find his one true love. He knows this woman by scent, smile, and laugh, but he’s never actually met her. He doesn’t even know her name. He just knows she’s the key to fixing everything.

One kind of hero can save you from physical harm. Another can rescue you from a different kind of doom. To reach their dreams, Eva and Pick can save each other. But first, they must open their hearts and learn how to trust.

How do you make yourself fall in love with someone?

After his family friend, Chloe Ryan, is traumatized by a disturbed ex-boyfriend, Luke Hamilton is "encouraged" to step up and be the kind of partner she needs. Problem is, he's never been in love before. He's not one to give up on much of anything, though. His stubborn, competitive nature, mixed with the dutiful loyalty he inherited from his parents, makes it impossible for him to say no. And romancing Chloe becomes priority number one.

But his feisty contender gives him the challenge of a lifetime when she'd rather argue with him than accept a simple compliment. Chloe demands honest, genuine feelings from someone before she'll even think about opening her heart again, and since Luke refuses to back down from his determined quest, he decides to grow some feelings.

Except, uh, yeah? That's easier said than done since he has no idea how to even begin the process of falling.

---

Chloe is a simple woman with simple wants. All she'd like is to work her job, find a partner to share her life with, and then grow a family with him.

But apparently, that's just too much to ask for. After her ex kidnaps and terrorizes her, Chloe is suddenly put on six weeks of leave from her job to recover, she can't handle it when anyone touches her to even consider dating again, and her big dream of the simple life seems more impossible to reach than ever.

Until Luke bulldozes his way into the picture, determined to help her through her rough patch and promising her everything she's ever wanted.

The problem is Chloe loved Luke way back when she was young, and no one's ever broken her heart the way he did when he didn't even notice her in return. No way is she going to risk more heartbreak at his hands now. And so Chloe becomes just as determined to push him away as he is to stick by her side.

Here’s the same old “girl posing as a boy” story but with a rock-n-roll twist.

Remy Curran dreams of one day being in a band, except the group she wants to join refuses to hire a girl drummer. So, she auditions as a guy...and makes the cut.

Becoming “Sticks,” a member of Non-Castrato, isn’t quite what she dreamed it would be, though. She spends most of her time keeping up the subterfuge and learning how to walk, talk, act, and drink like a man.

But what’s even harder to deal with is acting oblivious when the band’s heartthrob lead singer, Asher Hart, treats her like one of the guys and not a woman. She never imagined he’d be so much more than a pretty face with a nice voice. But he’s better than perfect. He’s perfect for her.

When love and lies combine, Remy must keep up the act or lose everything. But who knew lying to reach one dream could prevent you from attaining an even bigger dream?

I don't care what my cousin says; I am not the queen of impossible relationships. I mean, just because my last boyfriend tried to kill me and left a bit of a scar on my neck, then forced me to move across the country and legally change my name to Reese Randall to escape him, does not mean-

Oh, who am I kidding? For a freshman in college, I have to have the worst dating track record ever.

It's no wonder love is the last thing on my mind when Mason Lowe enters my life. But the chemistry between us is like bam! Our connection defies logic. And he's just so freaking hot. Being around him makes me feel more alive than I've ever felt before. I even like bickering with him. He could be my soul mate...except for one teeny tiny glitch.

He's a gigolo.

Boy, do I know how to pick them.

I fell in love once.

It was amazing. She was amazing. Life was amazing.

I lived for each time I could see her, and nothing else mattered, not that our families were enemies, our time together was forbidden, or we had to meet in secret.

Our love could conquer all.

Until it didn't.

So I was ripped away from the love of my life and shoved into hell, forced to continue without her.

It shattered me, broke the best parts of me, left me permanently damaged.

Or so I thought.

Years later, I swear history’s trying to repeat itself because she’s back in my life, and I’m just as drawn to her as I was before. But I'm older and wiser now, and I know she should stay away from a worthless piece of ex-con like me.

So, I will not let her in. I absolutely refuse to hurt her. I will keep her away.

Then again, sometimes risking your greatest fear to get to a smile makes everything worth it, and besides, I’m not sure I can resist her, anyway.

This is the story of how Felicity Bainbridge changed my life forever, starting one summer day long ago after I was forced to change a dirty diaper...

--Knox Parker

Custom demanded that Prince Urban get a love mark tattooed to the side of his left eye as an infant, just like the rest of his people, but to him, the stupid things have only brought on the scorn of his father, the misery of his siblings, and caused his entire kingdom to go broke from fighting so many wars over the irritating ink stains.

When Urban’s sister must travel to Donnelly, the kingdom within the sand, for her arranged marriage to align two realms, he goes with her. But he no sooner steps foot inside their castle than his mark starts itching like a son of a bitch, telling him his one true love is near.

It just figures, though, that the woman meant for him is completely forbidden. Now he must decide if he should ignore the persistent mark, telling him she's the one, in order to avoid a possible war between kingdoms, or if he should discover whether she's worth risking everything for so they can be together. Either way, his life gets sucked into chaos with threats of beheadings, dark magic lurking, castle traitors scheming, and sword fights eminent.

Who knew one little tattoo could cause so much trouble?

Three things in my life were fact.

I needed Sarah to survive.

I needed sex to remain sane.

And I could never mix sex with Sarah.

I just knew—deep in my marrow—that if I did, I’d somehow lose her. All my deepest darkest secrets would crack open, bleed out, and ruin everything between us. I wouldn’t unleash the shit inside me on my worst enemy, let alone her. So she stayed strictly in the friend zone.

People probably thought I never went there with her because of her cerebral palsy, but fck them. She knew she was the most important person in my world, and I wasn’t about to risk hurting our relationship just to make my cck happy.

Until the moment she begged me to take her virginity.

Now it’s all about to hit the fan, because how the hell do you resist the one person forbidden to you when she says please?

--Brandt Gamble

Let your hair down, Caroline, they said. It'll be fun, they said.

I know I've closed myself off in a major way in the past year, ever since “the incident” where I messed up my life completely. It's past time I try to live again or just give up completely. But this is quite possibly the craziest thing I've ever done. In a last ditch effort to invigorate myself, I'm standing outside Oren Tenning's bedroom, I just peeled off the sexiest pair of underwear I own, and my hand is already raised to knock. My brother would disown me for doing anything with his best friend, and he'd probably kill Oren. But if I play my cards right, no one will ever know about this. Not even Ten.

Maybe after tonight, I’ll finally get over this stupid, irrational crush I hate having on the biggest jerk I’ve ever met. Or maybe I’ll just end up falling for him even harder. Maybe I’ll discover there’s so much more to my crude, carefree hunk than meets the eye.

I used to think everything was black and white, truth or lie, easy or hard, that if I could just escape my strict, overbearing, abusive father, my life would be perfect. But since I’ve found a reason to risk his wrath and leave, to help a friend in need, I’ve come to realize everything I thought I knew is wrong.

Friends have their own agenda, honesty comes with a dosage of lie, easy doesn’t even exist, keeping secrets sucks, and love...love is the most painful thing of all.

Maybe if Quinn Hamilton hadn’t asked me to skip classes for the day and help him pick out an engagement ring for my best friend, I wouldn’t have fallen for him so completely on that sunny Tuesday afternoon and I wouldn’t feel so conflicted. But I did, and I can’t take it back, no matter how hard I try. So I have to deal with the fact that even I’m not as good, or honest, or caring as I’d always thought I was, and no matter what I do next, someone’s going to get hurt. Probably me.

-Zoey Blakeland

What if you fall in love with a ghost?

After four shots of cinnamon schnapps and something called heaven in a cup, Raina Bollen finally feels brave enough to meet her crush, star quarterback Foster Union.

Except her rideshare is involved in a car accident on the way there. Now she's stuck in a coma, and her soul gets severed from her body, only to tether itself to none other than Foster himself.

Foster never wanted some random spirit to suddenly start riding shotgun in his life, but it doesn't take long for Raina's bubbly infectious personality to win him over. She's just the breath of fresh air he craves because he's been in need of some serious living himself.

Now if he could only figure out how to help her live in return.

It was no mystery why I hated Genesis Gusano. She liked to take other people’s things. The bitch stole a pair of my cutest shoes along with my favorite necklace and a school paper I’d written, which had nearly gotten me expelled from Haverick University entirely. But the last straw came when she dared to take the one thing I’d been pining over for two years.

Him.

I had craved Hudson Ivey in a way I didn’t even know craving was possible, and that was before I’d learned his dang name.

He had no idea he’d become a possession that two enemies were warring over. All he wanted to do was graduate with his culinary arts degree and become the best chef possible.

But now he’s stuck in Genesis’s sick game until a ghost from his past changes all the rules, possessing him in a whole new, far more dangerous way.

I promised myself I was done with the paranormal life. I was determined to be a normal, everyday, average girl. But I can’t just stand aside and watch him be destroyed. So I guess it’s time for a little Faith to step in and save the day.

How do you rent a room from a ghost without even knowing it?

This year was supposed to be different because Oaklynn had a plan.

Stop partying.

Stay away from guys.

Focus on classes.

Graduate!

All she needed to do was find a place to stay near campus, and she’d be set. But when she finds the perfect room to rent, it brings the mysterious Damien into her life.

Her friend tries to warn her that he’s dangerous. He has secrets and darkness in his eyes. But the only danger Oaklynn can tell that he poses is to her attention. He’s all she can think about. Except, he’s hiding something, and when the truth comes out that her new roommate was murdered…a decade ago…nothing will ever be the same again.

So yeah, this year will definitely be different.

The days are numbered for Hope Langston.

She’s suffering from liver failure and isn’t sure if she’ll make it to a transplant in time or not. So she creates a bucket list of experiences she wants to try before it’s too late. Number four on her list is Parker Ohrley, one of her brother’s best friends.

Prickly, rude, and sarcastic, this jerk is all things brooding and tormented. But Hope’s curious. She wants to sample him like nothing else.

In the spirit of carpe diem, she says screw it, and she shoots her shot. Who cares if she gets a humiliating rejection, right? She won’t have to live with the embarrassment for long.

Except Parker might not say no.

And that’s when the real trouble begins.

Let the mess of secrets, lies, and heartbreak commence.