There was a darker side to this story though. The urgency was due to several assassination attempts and Malik had to marry quickly and produce an heir. The stability of his country depended on constancy and conservative leadership. He couldn’t allow his enemies to win. But he wasn’t prepared for the silver clad goddess that caught his vision as she snuck down the servants’ hallway. Nor was he prepared for her resistance. In a room full of beautiful women, his interest was captured by a beauty that wanted nothing to do with him. Except that she caught on fire when he touched her and her soft, sensuous body inflamed him with need. What was a man to do? Accept the challenge of convincing the lovely Shanelle to fall in love with him. Over a weekend of passionate kisses and stolen passion, Shanelle and Malik discovered that protecting the kingdom could be quite exhilarating. A very short novella by Elizabeth Lennox! Enjoy!

    Kilpack. When Lila overhears her uncle talking about a man coming to look for property in the county, she doesn’t think twice, until her uncle says he hopes Lila will find enough interest to marry the man. How can she marry someone named Mortimer Luthford, not to mention that his advanced age of thirty-three, and especially since she’s already in love with her absent cousin Neville? But when Mortimer arrives, Lila has to try every trick known to women to act not interested in the rather fascinating man, which proves a very difficult façade to maintain. UNMASKING THE DUKE by Donna Hatch. The last thing Hannah Palmer wants to do is flirt with men in a crowded ballroom, but when her sister throws a Masquerade Ball, Hannah can’t say no to the invitation and takes comfort behind a mask. She dances with a charming masked man, matching him wit for wit. When the glorious evening culminates in a kiss, and the two remove their masks, Hannah is horrified to discover the man she’s been flirting with all night is her most despised neighbor, the Duke of Suttenberg. No matter how charming the duke was at the ball, and how wonderful the kiss, he is the last man she’d ever accept. WHAT’S IN A NAME by Nancy Campbell Allen. Penelope Timely has a terrible secret. She’s been writing letters to the Duke of Wilmington, pretending to be her ever-proper twin sister, Persephone. Now, the duke has written that he’ll be coming for the Autumn Masquerade Ball and Festival. Penelope will have to continue the charade while the duke is in town in order to protect her sister. The Duke of Wilmington isn’t fooled for a moment, but instead of confessing that he knows about the deception, he finds himself utterly charmed by Penelope and jumps into the game of deception to see how far the twin sisters will take it.

     Being different was never easy. After 27 years of living as a social outcast, Selma has become quite accustomed to the isolation and lack of dreams for a happy future. What she's never gotten used to are the demons she sees; the dangerous creatures masquerading as humans, blending into the regular world as if they belong. No one else ever sees what she does—not when she was younger, and not the night she is attacked by horned monsters, losing the precarious grasp on her already damaged mind. Trapped in a mental hospital, Selma's only hope of gaining back her life is a young psychiatrist with smoldering looks and some very disturbing ideas for her treatments. If she is ever to see the outside world again, she must submit to him. But he is one of them—and his intentions are far more devious than they appear. First installment in the 6-part serial Demon’s Mark. Contains darkly erotic scenes and demons who like to play rough. Not for the faint-hearted. Demon's Mark Complete Series: #1 Branded #2 Tricked #3 Hunted #4 Captured #5 Claimed #6 Cherished

    The revelation sparks a change within Lex, and her dreams become far too real. She sees things she shouldn’t be able to see…knows things she couldn’t possibly know. Terrifying things. Deadly things.To distract her from the surreal changes taking over her life, Lex leaps at the chance to join an Egyptian excavation run by Oxford’s enigmatic Professor Marcus Bahur. But the distraction might be more than she bargained for. While deciphering the secrets of a mysterious stone tablet, Lex falls headlong into a prophecy created by a dying god over four millennia ago. She must rely on her frightening new psychic powers to dig up the truth. And it doesn’t take long for her visions to convince her that both Professor Bahur and his excavation are much more than they seem…The past clashes with the present in this paranormal tale of ancient prophecies and warring gods. If you like Egyptian mythology, steamy romance, and headstrong characters who won’t give up until they discover the truth, then you’ll love the first installment in author Lindsey Fairleigh’s sprawling time travel adventure.

    Pirates. The Peanut. What could possibly go wrong?Dragos Cuelebre needs a vacation. So does Pia, his mate. When the First Family of the Wyr head to Bermuda for some much needed R&R, it's no ordinary undertaking - and no ordinary weekend in the sun. Between hunting for ancient treasure buried beneath the waves and keeping track of their son, Liam—a.k.a. Peanut, whose Wyr abilities are manifesting far ahead of schedule—it’s a miracle that Pia and Dragos can get any time together.They're determined to make the most of each moment, no matter who tries to get in their way.And did we mention pirates?For fans of DRAGON BOUND and LORD’S FALL, passion, playfulness, and adventure abound in this Elder Races novella.

    Not the backwater voodoo witches practice where Mississippi Deputy Sheriff Margot Saulnier grew up. But the age-old black magic a woman weaves around a man that draws him under her spell. The kind Margot’s best friend used to kill her husband…and get away with it.Margot chases her friend to Scotland, determined to prove her guilty of murder. No one will stop Margot. Not the SAS agent sent to watch her…and not the Scottish lord legend says murders his lovers when they cannot free him from the spell that has imprisoned him in Castle Morrison for three hundred years.He’s just a legend.And magick doesn’t exist.THIS IS EROTIC ROMANCE

    He’s filled with turmoil and heartache and regrets, but for two hours every Wednesday all he feels is me. How much I desire him, how desperate he makes me, how much I’d like things to be different between us. Real.He used to be my best friend back before he got married. And now? Now, he’s a young widower. It would be wrong on so many levels to expect something more from him, so I give him what he needs. Dark, delicious fucking.But I know I can’t keep this up. I’ve already given him my body, my soul. I want him to have my heart. It might drive him away forever, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take.Wednesday is an angsty romp told from dual points of view. If you’re in the mood for something quick and dirty, you’ve found it. Proceed at your own risk.

    He’s a Werewolf. Their mission is redemption.Emma Monroe is a Fallen Siren, cursed by the gods and banished to Earth for her failure to prevent the kidnapping of Persephone. She’s had many names and many lives, but only one mission: redemption. Now she works for the FBI and is on temporary assignment in Charleston. Solving this next missing persons case could be the key to ending her ancient curse—unless the temptation that’s her new partner gets in the way.Zack Armstrong is a Werewolf. Tall, dark, and dangerous, he currently works for one of the bureau’s elite Child Abduction Rapid Deployment teams. In many respects the man is every bit as mysterious as his secret and perilous past. But there are two things he’s certain about, that he’s going to get his man and his woman.When Zack finds himself suddenly shy a partner and a third child goes missing in Charleston, Emma goes from consultant to CARD team member in the space of a few hours. The abductions of the first two boys ended in murder, an outcome that neither Zack nor Emma can abide. As they race against time to track down the kidnapper and rescue the latest victim, they find themselves fighting something just as treacherous—a growing attraction that can’t be ignored or denied.

    Will magic tear them apart?

    Yet the girl's quiet pride spoke to him from across the bar, louder than a shout. Troubled, hungry, and homeless, she'd placed her trust in him. But after losing the grip on his dark desires that one fateful night, James has spent the last four years atoning for letting her down.This time I'll finally crack him.Rock band drummer Lita Regina has had enough of James' guilt. She wants the explosive man she met that night in Hollywood. The man who held nothing back and took no prisoners - save Lita. And she'll stop at nothing to revive him. Even if it means throwing herself into peril at every turn, just to get a reaction from her stoic manager.But when Lita takes her quest one step too far, James disappears from her life, thinking his absence will keep her safe. Now it's up to Lita to bring James back...and ignite an inferno of passion in the process.Listener Advisory: Rough Rhythm contains fantasies of nonconsensual sex acted upon by consenting characters. Readers with sensitivity to portrayals of nonconsensual sex should be advised.Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a stand-alone story. For new listeners it's an introduction to an author's world. And for fans it's a bonus book in the author's series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.

    J. Walters Christina Beaumont impulsively buys an expensive tapestry that she sees in a shop window, having no idea how that one action will change her life. The magical tapestry not only transports her to Javara, a world that resembles medieval Earth, but also into the arms of two massive warriors who both want to claim her. Jarek and Marc, Brothers of the House of Garen, are elated to discover the tapestry has delivered Christina to them. Women are scarce in their world, so the men of a family must compete for the right to be her husband. But before she can choose, Christina first has to experience the lovemaking of both brothers, separately and together. Jarek and Marc use all their considerable sexual skills to pleasure her in ways she's never imagined. But the tapestry also offers another choice. Christina could return to her own world. Jarek and Marc join forces to convince Christina to stay with them even as they fight a rival family for the right to keep her as their very own.