Beauty Touched the Beast


Skye Warren - 2011
    Morris’s house twice a week, soaking up every moment with the reclusive ex-soldier she secretly loves. Blake Morris knows he’s scarred both inside and out and is no good for the beautiful young woman who cleans his house to pay for college. But when Erin walks in on Blake touching himself and moaning her name, all bets are off.

To Have


Alessandra Torre - 2013
    I combined all of the Dumont Diaries novellas into a standalone novel, which was rewritten, expanded, and retitled as Trophy Wife. I step on the dark stage, the cheap plastic of my platforms cutting into the top of my toes, every step bringing a pinch of pain. I keep my eyes down, following the flecks of silver on the unforgiving stage, waiting, exhaling a breath in controlled anticipation, my abs tightening. Then, the lights come on and I have almost three minutes to forget. Welcome to my life, a drained bank account and six nights a week spinning around a greasy strip club pole. When salvation comes in the form of six feet of drop-dead-gorgeous, complete with a limo and a thick wad of cash, my stilettos run happily out the door to freedom. They say that money doesn’t buy happiness. But it does buy escape. Happiness is an overrated fairytale. *To Have is a novella, 15,000 words in length, and was part 1 of a 4-part series. Their titles are: To Have To Hold Till Death Do Us Part

The Roommate


Brandy Bush - 2020
    & Mrs. Yu, while spending the holiday break at their house, but I’ve never felt anything like it before and I’m certain that I never will again.So, maybe this is the point of being young, experiencing new things because I can, and I want to. And I do…want to…have one night fulfilling my ultimate fantasy, so I know just how good it can be getting everything I want.That's what my roommate's parents give me, and I don't regret a thing.

A Gentleman's Agreement


Joy Avery - 2015
    Yes, this task is outside Eunice Howard's usual realm of responsibilities, but he's willing to make it worth her time. Plus, she's ideal for the role. Who better to play his pretend lover than the one woman who knows him almost better than he knows himself? The last thing Eunice Howard expects when summoned to her boss's office is a request to play the role of his new love interest to appease his mother, restless to marry him off. Foolishly agreeing, she ventures with him to Farrington Estates for the Thanksgiving holiday. She thought she'd seen all sides of Blake Farrington, but the man who emerges is a man she could easily love. Their agreement blossoms into a connection neither expected-nor are willing to admit. When the lines between make-believe and reality blur, something phenomenal occurs.

Dark Crime


Christine Feehan - 2015
    R. Ward) Blaze McGuire knows who killed her father and she has merciless plans for payback. Until a phone call from a seductive stranger pleads with her to wait. Retribution is in his blood, too. Now, he and Blaze will be united in the blood of the guilty. Tonight, vengeance is theirs.Dark Crime first appeared in the anthology Edge of Darkness.

Home for Christmas: A Short Holiday Love Story


Brookelyn Mosley - 2019
     As a former college phenom turned Bronx Ballers’ shooting guard, Jaleel Gordon hasn’t reached his level of success doing the bare minimum for his struggling team. He’s been grinding and grinding hard, but success doesn’t come easily or without its share of sacrifices. For Jaleel, his biggest sacrifice was his relationship with his soon-to-be ex-wife Eva. Business owner, Eva Gordon is so through with her soon-to-be ex-husband, Jaleel. She’s no stranger to hard work but even she knows when to work hard and to play harder. After patiently waiting for her husband to tap into that philosophy she’s given up on him altogether. Which is why six months ago, after yet another explosive argument with Jaleel, Eva demanded a divorce... even though her heart is taking a bit longer to catch up to her demand. This Christmas, Eva and Jaleel’s son isn’t asking Santa for a new bike or video game. On the contrary, what baby boy wants won’t be able to fit underneath the tree at all. His one and only wish this Christmas is to spend the holiday with his separated parents... under one roof. So, Jaleel is coming home for Christmas... but can Eva and Jaleel put aside their differences to make it through the holiday intact and in one piece? *This is a holiday short story.

Keep Me Warm


C. Morgan - 2019
    My wealth.But a weekend at the Winter Moon Lodge is exactly what I need to clear my head.And the hordes of hunky handsome guys that are coming out of the woodwork are just what the doctor ordered.But one has my attention without effort.Hunter. And this man is on the prowl.I, for one, am happy to get caught up in his net.Unfortunately, my family will never accept him.Wealth hasn’t corrupted me, but they’re a different story.If our love affair could just be a fling, all would be fine, but I can’t settle for anything less than all of him.Love or family? That is the question…

Concourse D with Love


Cassandra B. - 2020
    Take the step into the unknown and find what you’ve been missing.”Those words lead Kelani Thomas into a forty-eight-hour adventure with a handsome, alluring, mysterious stranger. With Kelani missing a flight and Israel’s flight was delayed a spark was ignited in the Sky Lounge of Concourse D. But after the haze of lust evaporates in forty-eight hours can the raw emotions formed last?Join Kelani and Israel for the ride and find out.

If She Says Yes


Tasha L. Harrison - 2020
    Tomás Martinez has had a crush on Darcy MacFarland, his best friend’s mother, for longer than he’s willing to admit.Would it be wrong to make those feelings known the weekend of his best friend’s wedding?Or would that a big-time party foul?Tying himself up and offering up his body for her to defile wouldn’t be on his list of best man duties either, huh?What if he dropped to his knees and begged her to let him worship her in every way he fantasized about over the years?Would that be a wedding day faux pas?And what if...What if she said yes?

Christmas Without You


Celeste Granger - 2020
    Being married to the love of her life is Wren’s dream, and it’s finally coming to fruition. She’s excited about their upcoming holiday vacation to the Swiss Alps. Phillip, a commercial airline pilot, maintains a hectic schedule, but he promised Wren the Alps. He promised uninterrupted time together to kindle their loving relationship.But Phillip can’t keep his promise, again, a reminder of all the other promises he’s failed to keep. That disappointment causes Wren to go home for the holidays instead. To her surprise, best friend, Torrence Edison, makes the same decision. Their reunion is a pleasant distraction. Emerging desire threatens to cross the friendship line when Torrence’s suppressed desire rises to the surface. His impassioned yearnings for Wren are hard to contain; yet, Torrence doesn’t want to push her to a place she’s not willing to go.Wren is surprised by her own eager response to the man that has always been there for her. She has a decision to make; hold on to the promise of forever or risk it all with someone who’s kept every promise he’s ever made.This is a standalone with an HFN/HEA.

Eli's Triumph


Joanna Wylde - 2019
    Some might call it a dead end job, but to her it was an investment—another six months, and she’d have enough money to buy the place. Life would've been perfect if Eli hadn’t come home. Eli King is ready to settle down. He stood by his brothers when they needed him, paying the price for their freedom with his own. Now it’s time to claim his reward—the Starkwood Saloon. He’s got the cash to buy the bar, the skills to run it, and just one person standing between him and his dream: Peaches Taylor. She’s been driving him crazy since they were kids, and not in the good way. When she was six, she shoved a spider down his pants. When he was ten, he locked her in a closet overnight. Then she hot-wired his car at seventeen, and things got ugly… They’re adults now, and the Starkwood isn’t a toy to fight over—it’s the hill they’ll die on. No prisoners. No compromises. No mercy. Peaches Taylor and Eli King are going to war. **Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, 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.**

Feud


Phyllis Bourne - 2018
     The man has a body that makes Alex want to make love, not war. But there is an additional quarter million-dollar inheritance at stake. She’ll have to run him out of the neighborhood to become the legendary feud’s sole survivor – if he doesn’t run her out first.

Strumming My Pain


B. Love - 2020
    After witnessing the murder of the man she loved, anxiety had become her relaxed state and trust is a fair-weather friend. Forced into witness protection while awaiting her moment of testimony at the murderers' trial, she meets someone who provokes her truth. Her spirit, searching for soothing, cries out. But claiming healing isn’t so easy.Izeah Moses is a guitarist with a head for business. As owner of an apartment complex, the presence of his new tenant sends his fingers into a melodic frenzy. Easily, she captured his heart, but grief and fear have overtaken her mind. Fulfilling her needs takes more than a serenade.In this Spiritually Street Romance, will Elise and Izeah become their very own love song? Or will the past forever haunt, leaving them plucked to pieces?

Grading Curves


Naima Simone - 2019
    I didn’t know him when he taught me about the kind of pleasure I’d only read about in kinky millionaire romances. I didn’t know that when I walked into my college classroom the next morning the man who’d inked my skin and dirtied my body would be sitting in front of me. Dean Shaw is my student. My secret. And my downfall if the truth about us comes out. The problem is, he’s also everything I crave and can’t let go…

King of Libertines


Pam Godwin - 2020
    It doesn’t spoil the main story.