Showing results by narrator "Desiree Ketchum" in All Categories

When I met the Monroe brothers, it was under unfavorable circumstances. I was supposed to be their revenge, but it blossomed into so much more. They became mine, just as I became theirs. Now, days with them feel like a distant dream. I spent so many years running from my inevitable fate, but my father tracked me down and dragged me back to Rogue. He aims to marry me off to his second-in-command to ensure his legacy. Power and greed fuel them both.

Some love stories are a slow burn. Others are quick to ignite, scorching and branding your very soul before you’ve taken that first breath. You’re never given a chance to run from it. That’s how I’d describe what happened to us. Everything around me blurred and all that existed were his lips, his touch.... The chase and the heat between us became addictive. Our nights together were a distraction, one we craved to the point of letting the world crumble around us.

It’s the instinct former-SEAL Jude Williams must fight every time someone touches him. His six months being tortured in an enemy prison camp may be long over, but he’s got scars—all over his body and mind—keeping that time at the forefront of his psyche.

I was the only daughter of the Italian American mafia boss on the East Coast. After my mother was murdered, he made sure the world forgot he had a daughter. I had to pretend to be the girl I’ve never been: meek. There is not one submissive bone in my body, but I had to look and act the part. Matteo De Salvo is the only person that has ever made me nervous. My skin itched around him and my throat closed up. I watched him from a distance, the defiant part of me hoping he’d catch me. He did.

Ten years ago, I crushed Damiano De Luca’s heart, vowing false promises I never delivered. The revenge? Didn’t happen. The destruction? As if I could. Betrayal? Not. A. Chance. We were 18 when I left, taking my secrets with me. Now at 28, there’s no trace of the jaded mafia prince with the protective streak. He’s crueler. Colder. More calculated than ever. And he’s glaring at me from a funeral pew, looking at me and my wedding ring like we should be the ones buried six feet under. The war is back on, but I’m not that teenage girl anymore. This time, there will be blood.

I used to fantasize about meeting a masked madman who would love me endlessly and obsessively. He would look after me in a world where no one else did. He would manipulate all the strings that held up my life until I had exactly the one I wanted. And then one night, I met him. Only he wasn't the hero I always imagined he would be. When we left the forest together that night, I thought I'd escaped the villains relatively unscathed, but my true villain was the man whose arms I felt safest in.

Raised in a cult where opinions and freedom in women were not tolerated, Mara Greene narrowly escaped a life as a child bride—one where she would’ve been shared and owned by all the men in the compound. Her testimony helped put the cult leader in prison, but she’s never truly gotten past the horrors inflicted on her. Her conditioning to keep silent persists even now—despite having found a safe haven at the Resting Warrior Ranch.

He had a way of pulling everyone into his darkness. Then, to make matters worse, he convinced you that you liked it there. Kyle Davis—ex professional baseball player and current felon—loved Sara, his best friend. Strictly platonically, of course. He’d do absolutely anything for her, even put up with Greer, Sara’s other best friend

Harlow Krane and Finn McKay have been trying their best to enjoy their seaside summer in Nea Sterlis. As they fall deeper in love, surrounded by their friends and family, that should be easy. But as the summer begins to wind down, it's clear that the problems they left behind in Nuva Troi have followed them to the beach. Between the paparazzi and the elder Illuminated, someone is always watching Harlow and Finn—recording their every move. As a storm of rebellion brews in far-off Falcyra, new secrets about the Illuminated are revealed.

All I wanted was to understand what turned my stepbrother so cold. I never expected that the journey would end with him and his friends crouched around a bloody corpse. But when they reveal that they've been investigating an unsolved crime that tore my family apart without me even realizing it, how can I walk away? The deeper I tumble down the rabbit hole with them, the more I believe their theories. If what they're saying is true, then my life might be on the line as well. And even though I'm falling for all of them in ways I never expected, they can't protect me anymore.

One bad date, and suddenly I want the one man I shouldn’t—my best friend. I’m in love with Grayson Bennett. My best friend. My confidant. My protector. The man who treats my son like his own. And for one brief moment, things are perfect. We’ve taken our friendship to the next level. My photography business is booming, and not even a disgruntled colleague-turned-competitor can dampen our bright future together… Until a visit from my ex turns our world into a nightmare.

She was hell-bent on making her father disown her. Her rebellious attitude and the color that marred her snowflake skin was proof of that, so I used that knowledge to my benefit. I promised her hate and blood. Instead, she got my heart and a weak man on his knees in front of her. She was never supposed to be my bride. She was the daughter of a rival family, not even of Italian descent. She was from a different culture. Sasha Nikolayev was my vice. I was an addict for her. I would have said and done anything to chain her to me—so that’s what I did.

This is my last chance to ditch my playboy reputation and finally fulfill my potential. So I’ve made three rules for our biggest season yet: no boozing, no women, and no scandals. Especially that last thing. So who do I befriend on the very first day back at the rink? An amazing female hockey player. I want Sylvie in a way that’s more than just friendly. I crave her. But I have a championship to win, and so does she.

High school graduation is supposed to be the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. The excitement of college comes, and the mystery to what the future holds. Mine ended in tragedy, and although my life didn’t end, and the world didn’t stop turning around me, my heart still broke. They told me she was dead. But that was a lie.

For Cooper Miles, life used to be an endless party. He worked hard and played harder - as often as possible. But things change - people change - and lately, the party life isn’t doing it for him. Enter Amelia Hale. Cooper doesn’t see her coming. But it isn’t every day you meet a girl in a wedding dress in a bar - a girl whose life just took a sharp left turn she wasn’t expecting. Kissing her is totally no big deal. She’s had one hell of a day, and a little kissing lesson by Cooper is bound to make her feel better. But he wasn't expecting the invitation back to her hotel....

From the moment Creole Williams met Audric Ingram, they were inseparable. But not the way one would think. They shared a best friend. What they did not do, however, was like each other. You could say that it was a war to win the best friend title. The only problem was, their best friend would never choose a clear winner. So they spent their teenage years fighting it out. What Audric didn’t know, though, was that Creole was desperately in love with him. The same went for Audric. He wanted Creole more than his next breath. But it was never the right time.

This is Kade and Isabelle's story. This will be an enemies to lovers dark college romance.

I learned the hard way that actions have consequences. One misguided night has left me with both physical and emotional scars. I'd hoped transferring colleges would help me heal, but I never expected him to be my remedy. Hudson Wright looks at me like I'm another trophy to win. A challenge. A game. I should hate him and I definitely shouldn't trust him. The truth is, I'm caught up in his storm.

Who in the world would go on a dating show to find love? Turns out, I'm that person. Paige Holland, lifetime resident of Elk Lake, Wisconsin, and dedicated seventh-grade math teacher. I love my charming town, but there's seriously no single action here. Unless of course I want to date the painfully boring mailman or the kid at the Quick Mart. Hard pass to both. So, what's a girl to do? Apparently, apply to Midwestern Matchmaker and hope the reality show gods will smile on me.

Waking up beside my best friend after a crazy night in Vegas is nothing new. However, waking up wearing nothing but two shiny, matching wedding rings is. For the girl who promised to never settle down, it's her worst nightmare. For me, it's a dream come true. I've wanted Raelynn Vos since she first propositioned me at a frat party. I, of course, turned her down, knowing I'd need more than a one night stand. Nothing less than forever would do.