starved rock

IRAARIAEC

But Owen. You can’t just quit your job, sell your house, and run away with a band. People just don’t do that. When her childhood sweetheart Owen breaks off their engagement, quits his job, and sells his house to pursue a career as the lead guitarist of a band, Emily’s world comes crashing down around her. Owen was, after all, her best friend and always had been. They had grown up next-door neighbors, gone to the same school, the same university. They had even bought houses next to each other. They had been each other’s first for everything. Absolutely everything. There had never been anyone else, not even for a moment. Just as Emily begins to find her feet again and form her own plans, Owen’s backup singer calls in sick, and Emily steps in to save the day. Soon she finds herself swept up in a crazy ride to the top of the music industry which might just save her relationship with Owen or end it completely.

The Citizens of Ottawa, Illinois were your average, friendly Midwesterners. However, when seemingly insane things begin to happen, as any Patriotic American would, they answer the call. From the New World Order to the Total Collapse of Society, the Ottawans following the lead of the Ghost of Ottawa struggle and try to survive even the most impossible of odds stacked against them. But is their American Heritage and Midwestern Grit enough to survive? {Rated R due to profanity and the nature of the violence portrayed in the novel.}

Author: Cindy Spencer Pape firmly believes in happily-ever-after and brings that to her writing. A multiple award-winning author, she has published almost sixty novels and stories. When not hard at work writing, she can be found restoring her 1870 house, dressing up for steampunk parties and Renaissance fairs, or with her nose buried in a book. Visit her website: www.cindyspencerpape.com. Six romance stories hot enough to melt the hardest stone. Between a Rock and a Hard Dragon What happens when you mix a half-dragon, a pixie and a little sex magic in a wooded park on Halloween? Neither Bram nor Twyla have any idea but when it all comes together the magic explodes in a frenzy of hot sex and sizzling romance. Stone and Earth Gargoyle Damien St. Pierre has to find an ancient artifact needed by his people. When he meets earth witch Katie Calhoun, he can't keep his hands off her. Because of the problems his people are having, Damien is afraid to attempt the conversion necessary to make her his mate. But Katie is determined to help him in his quest and to become the gargoyle of his dreams. Can her faith overcome his fear? Will the magic of love succeed in the mating of stone and earth? Three for All In her six hundred years, elven reporter Eislinn has had two great loves in her life—paranormal police officer Callum, another elf, and Lothan, a demon enforcer. One hot summer night the three of them come together and Philadelphia practically explodes with the passion. Stone and Fire When half-dragon Dana Logan meets gargoyle Beau Dumont at her friend’s wedding, something clicks between them. Halfway through the most passion-filled night of their lives, his phone rings and he rushes home to Montreal. Several months later, they’re in England to catch a ring of antiques smugglers but the two can barely keep their hands off each other long enough to find the thieves. The sex between them is explosive and they’re falling in love as well. Between battling the bad guys and fighting their feelings for each other, the two may just set London on fire. Stone and Sea Sent to Atlantic City to retrieve an ancient artifact vital to the future of his clan, gargoyle Remy Rocher meets sexy selkie Marina Bell and ends up getting shot for his efforts. Now he has to find the chalice and keep Marina and himself alive—all while dealing with the hottest sex of his life and emotions that scare him more than evil wizards or mobsters with guns. Stone and Sky Marc Armel is a gargoyle under pressure. It’s up to him to find the fourth and final artifact necessary to save his race. When he goes off to think, what does he find instead but a gorgeous harpy, washed up on his beach in a tattered evening dress, no luggage and no memory. Aldara knows she came to Canada for a reason, but she can’t remember what. Their nonstop sex may have to wait, though, when danger threatens to tear them apart. While Marc is determined to come through for his clan, he’s even more set on saving Aldara.

Menceritakan petualangan seorang pria dalam mencari jati diri setelah mengalami insiden yang membuatnya kehilangan sebagian ingatan. Petualangan untuk bertahan hidup di tengah kondisi dunia yang sedang kacau pun harus dijalaninya. Perjuangan, kekuatan, persahabatan, pengkhianatan serta pemberontakan untuk meraih kembali sesuatu yang hilang. Seseorang yang sangat berharga menjadi satu-satunya tujuan dan harapan untuk kembali mencapai kebahagiaan yang diimpikan. Berpetualang bersama sahabat, melakukan perburuan rock eater yang saat ini menjadi satu-satunya sumber daya energi dan harapan untuk hidup. Namun, petualangan tak semudah yang mereka duga. Pertarungan, kesedihan dan kematian selalu mengintai perjalanan mereka. Ikuti ketegangan petualangan yang mereka lakukan demi tercapainya tujuan yaitu mendapatkan kembali ingatan dan kenangan bersama orang-orang yang sangat berarti.

Rory Brown grew up in care but found a home, friendship, and a much-needed sense of security working on the Double J ranch. As far as Rory is concerned, fellow cowboy, Zane Fox, is perfect. Zane is strong but gentle, kind, big, ruggedly handsome ... and straight.<br><br>Rory works alongside Zane, eats alongside Zane, and when an ice storm causes a power outage, he sleeps alongside Zane ... for warmth.<br><br>Inhibitions lowered after getting drunk on his twenty-first birthday, Rory Kisses Zane and confesses his feelings for the man. The next day, when Rory learns his father is dying, although estranged from the man, Rory feels obligated to see him one last time. Zane follows Rory to Kansas and confesses he has feelings for Rory, too. After learning his father has died, Rory and Zane set off for home in Zane's old truck. However, bad weather and a mechanical breakdown mean they have to hole up in a guesthouse. Rory doesn't mind, it gives him a chance to explore things with his hunky new boyfriend. And there's a lot of Zane to explore.<br><br>Life on the ranch is little short of idyllic, Zane is everything and more Rory could want in a lover, protector, and friend. A tiny part of Rory knows he should brace himself for if/when the other shoe -- or cowboy boot -- drops. Rory is thrown when evidence of Zane's heterosexual past reveals itself, leaving him totally devastated.<br><br>Are Zane's feet made of clay, or can he redeem himself and once again become Rory's rock?

Colin Hunt, a vivacious and outspoken art student, is a comic-reading, anime-loving, all-around geek. What he lacks in size, he most definitely makes up for in personality. But things have been tough for him lately. A heavy workload. A showcase to prepare for his final. A sick mother to take care of. Ever the optimist, he's more interested in finding someone to have some fun with rather than finding anyone serious.<br><br>For Dexter Erikson, life has been difficult ever since an accident left him in foster care and cost him part of his arm. After discovering music therapy, he found an outlet for his pain and the perfect way to express himself. Now, sporting tattoos and piercings, Dexter is the lead singer of a pretty kick-ass punk rock band and owns the stage like it's nobody's business. He’s also goofy and dorky, shy and bashful, with a bad habit of falling in love yet a horrible fear of commitment.<br><br>So what happens when vivacious geek meets shy punk rocker? The first answer is a lot of sex.<br><br>The second answer might bring both Colin and Dexter to places they never dreamed possible.

In Joseon Korea, General Yi Sun-sin is a man of iron, forged by duty and war. At seventeen, a young noblewoman becomes his wife—fragile yet unyielding. Their bond is not romance, but the silent cracks in the rock where a flower dares to bloom.

I went to bed a broke, washed-up ex-soldier with a beer gut and a thousand-yard stare. I woke up inside a cryo-tank, being rebuilt by a four-million-year-old, flip-flop-wearing AI bombshell who calls herself my wife. Now I’ve got a year before I’m reborn into the perfect war machine… While she builds a planet-sized spaceship army, upgrades her own body, and preps to conquer the galaxy—because, apparently, she’s bored. Our enemies? Every government, mega-corp, and god in the known universe. Our plan? Total f*cking war. Welcome to Project: Apex. Hope you brought body armor. And emotional damage insurance.

Worlds Apart, Hearts Entwined Fanyin's life was already complicated, but nothing could have prepared her for the ultimate plot twist: being thrown into alternate worlds by a system with a bee mascot. The catch? She has to complete tasks to get back home. But every world has a familiar face-his face-different bodies, same magnetic presence, pulling her in despite her best efforts to stay detached. With every mission, Fanyin fights to keep her walls up, but piece by piece, she's falling for the soul inhabiting these different men. Sexy, hilarious, and brimming with chemistry, Fanyin's journey isn't just about the worlds she's thrown into. Who is behind the system, and what grand design is forcing her to complete these quests? Is there a deeper truth she's being led to discover, or is it all part of a cosmic game? Get ready for a wild ride full of steamy moments, laugh-out-loud banter, and the question of whether love truly transcends worlds. ... Bee Mine Across Worlds Fanyin was minding her own business—until a sassy bee system threw her into alternate realities with one goal: complete the missions or never make it home. Easy, right? Not when every world comes with a man who’s too familiar. Different face, same vibes, and definitely too hot to ignore. She’s here to get in, do the job, and get out. But something about him keeps pulling her back in every world. Is it just coincidence, or is there a deeper reason behind these encounters? With snark, steam, and sparks flying, Fanyin must figure out the game—before her heart loses control. Why her? Why him? And who’s really pulling the strings? There’s more at play than she thinks, and the answers might be closer than she realizes… ROCK YOU WORLD AFTER WORLD © 2024 Kashish Mishra (bliss_incarnation). All rights reserved. Excerpt from RYWAW "Going somewhere?" His voice drops, teasing, but there's a dangerous edge beneath the surface that makes my pulse quicken. The playfulness in his eyes has faded, replaced by something more primal, more intense. I flash him a sly smile, forcing myself to remain calm. "No," I murmur, leaning back into him, though my heart pounds against my ribs. "Just getting comfortable on my lover." He raises an eyebrow, his gaze narrowing slightly. The smirk returns, slow and deliberate, but there's a hint of something else-something darker, lurking beneath his usual charm. "Is that what we're calling it now?" Before I can respond, Wilde moves with swift precision, his hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck. The air between us grows heavy, charged, and then his lips crash against mine. It's not soft or slow-it's raw, demanding, and ignites a fire deep in my chest. I gasp, my hands instinctively gripping his jacket as his other arm pulls me flush against him, the heat of his body searing through the thin barrier of clothing. My mind spins, thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm as I lose myself in the kiss. The driver, without a word, flicks on the partition, a subtle acknowledgment of the moment as the car continues to glide down the road, but it's as if the world outside no longer exists.