Cue Forest Ethridge, my prickly, defensive coworker. I'm drawn to him right off the bat...despite the fact that he seems to find me more of a nuisance than anything else. I fall hard and fast, despite his warnings that I should guard my heart carefully. Just as he's opening his own heart to me, Forest disappears without a trace, leaving me wondering what exactly went wrong. Ten years later I'm still grappling with the repercussions of my first devastating love...and that's when he shows up again. Can I look past my own pain long enough to find out what happened? Or is it better to move on with my life? "I have one rule: don't let anybody in." Forest: As a teenager, I learned the hard way that nobody except my sister Faye can be trusted. Still reeling from our parents' abandonment, we've figured out how to fly beneath the radar. For years I never let anybody in...until I met Blaise Lancaster. He's kind and funny and full of hope. Making out with him is a mistake, and promising to take his virginity is an even bigger one. But before I can make good on my promise, Faye and I are thrust into chaos once more. It's time to leave my hometown once and for all, and there's no time for goodbyes. A decade later I'm still wary and defensive. My solace at the end of each day is listening to Blaise's award-winning podcast. When I find out that he'll be visiting a local bookstore on a promotional tour, I decide to go and skulk in the back of the room. Then our eyes meet, and I realize that my feelings for Blaise have never truly flickered out. Is it too late to rekindle my first love? And will Blaise be able to forgive me? Guarded Hearts is a standalone enemies-to-lovers gay romance featuring a whole lot of mutual pining, a second chance at love, and an HEA.

    She had everything—fame, endorsements, and any woman she wanted. All was good until a tragic accident put everything in perspective. Tyler was forced to do some serious soul searching, and she was never forced to do anything.RN Rachel Whitaker was no stranger to disastrous circumstances. She left England because of them, hoping to hide in obscurity behind the stone wall she had quietly constructed brick by brick, but taking care of the convalescing arrogant skier was not helping.They annoy each other, help each other, and fight each other on a daily basis and hopefully, find love—before they kill each other.

    

    or the truth that draws tears?Dr. Olivia Crane lives a quiet life. No one questions why she doesn't socialize or where she spends every weekend. When the visiting physician from France strolls into her office, with open arms and a confident smile, her perfect control is about to crumble.Good God, he can't be Dr. Luc George, the man she loved ten years ago? Should she return his scorching kisses, or should she lock her door before he digs into her many secrets? Secret daughter, secret friend, secret enemy. Had Luc really known his sweet Olivia back then? He wants her back, but he wants the truth, too. Now, Olivia has to face her past before she can grab her second chance.

    While the teenager is unsure of which direction to take in life, he’s aware the road he’s on is a direct route to desolation. Being outed as bisexual in the bluegrass state is alienating, and the events to follow are worse. Still, Blake is driven—by any means necessary—to make something more of himself. Identifying an opening, Blake paves a path and finds His Own Way Out.Publisher Notes:13 Red Media, Ltd, parent company to Helix Studios, is pleased to announce Rise Up.Rise Up is a series of new adult novels that illuminates pivotal moments in the lives of LGBTQ youth. Each novel features a fresh protagonist and his experience navigating the ups and downs of adulthood. While the characters change and the stories vary, common themes—including the struggle for independence, identifying one’s passions, searching for acceptance and for love—are interwoven through the pages of the novels. These stories will open your eyes to worlds of possibilities, both conventional and off-beat, as these men take you on their journeys to self-discovery. Keith Miller, founder of Helix, says “I’ve heard such amazing stories of love and life over the years from our many models and now to see these stories used as a basis for an LGBTQ novel is truly a dream come true.“The novels are written by Taylor Saracen with story line input provided by exclusive Helix models. These novels will be released in print as well as digital platforms. Participating models will share in revenue from novel sales. According to Mitchell, “Helix has really given me great opportunities to grow my career, and I am excited to continue working with such a solid company. I can’t wait to share this story with the world and trust it will touch others as much as it has me.”

    His acceptance to Notre Dame came as no surprise but when he chose to enlist in the army instead everyone was shocked.Lexi Jones was the quiet girl in school and kept to her small group of eccentric friends. She had no connection to any of the popular kids except for one incident on Prom Night when her path crossed with Bryce's.When Bryce enlisted Lexi was the only one that wasn't disappointed and decided to send him anonymous letters as a way to feel connected to him. She stopped after a year because she felt there was nowhere for their relationship to go.Fast-forward four years and Bryce is back in Jonesville and once again he and Lexi cross paths. Only he's no longer the seemingly perfect man and Lexi's no longer the quiet girl. This time their relationship is quite different but both of them have secrets from the past and friends that threaten to ruin their chance at happiness together.

    The invitation to spend some time with his dad - the Baron Malcolm Spoor - comes as a surprise. But what awaits Torrance at his father's windswept estate is far worse than he could ever imagine. Welcome to the world of The Living One, one of the most frightening, clever, and suspenseful novels of the year. In this tour-de-force debut, Lewis Gannett spins a spellbinding story that summons up magic, body thievery, killer dogs, ESP wars, and lusty, genre-defying sex - straight, gay, and forms yet unnamed. The Spoors are the ultimate dysfunctional family. Wealthy, shamelessly extravagant, and impossibly attractive, they are also cursed. The curse has been handed down from father to son for seven hundred years, ever since the Crusades, when a bizarre and mystifying event created a recurring pattern of madness and death. As Baron Malcolm Spoor prepares for his demise, he must pass on the family riches - and its traditions - to his estranged son. But Malcolm and Torrance both have secrets they would rather keep to themselves, secrets that are nearly revealed when a shadowy government scientist picks up psychic readings from the Spoor estate and a bohemian teacher becomes personally involved with Torrance. These two begin an investigation into the extraordinary life of Baron Malcolm Spoor, and their findings are truly horrifying. Updating elements of the epistolary novel popularized in Dracula, Lewis Gannett tells his gothic story through the inventive use of videotape transcripts, diary entries, and historical records. Vivid, scary, mythic, and engrossing, The Living One explores the terrifying dimensions of family guilt, aging, and the murderous tensions between fathers and sons. Lewis Gannett has written a startling and thrilling novel that marks the debut of an original new voice in fiction.

    They were co-written by Kaoru Shizuka. Most of them are original stories which were later adapted in the anime. Others are adaptations of manga and anime stories. Only Volume 1 has been translated into English so far. The first novel, Rurouni Kenshin: Voyage to the Moon World, was published in Japan on October 10, 1996 and in North America on October 17, 2006.The second, Yahiko's Battle, was released on October 3, 1997. It retells various stories featured in the manga and anime series.The last novel is TV Anime Shimabara Arc which was published on February 4, 1999.

    Caide Palmer, Emerald Isle's resident chef and grieving father. Everything in his life is turned upside down when his ex-girlfriend Heather dies from an accidental overdose. She left behind their eighteen month old daughter. Heather's parents filed for emergency custody of baby Lucy. Now Caide is in the fight of his life to get custody of his daughter. The courts order Caide to attend parenting classes and Al Anon meetings. It is there that he meets twenty-two year old River. She is drawn in by his story, and she wants to mend his grieving heart. Will Caide allow River in to his world, or will he find his role as single father is to be faced alone? There's something about her that he wants to save. Can they really save each other?

    One day, while she was praying to the gods at a shrine, a devil calling himself Char appeared. Char who seeks the "blood of a virgin" is perverted, ill-tempered, and pompous. He isn't very straightforward, but the truth is that his kind touch is full of love, and while knowing an unforgivable a love before he knew it, his heart and body grew weak...

    . .Madeline O'Shea tells people what to do with their lives. A renowned life coach, she inspires thousands of women through her thriving practice--exuding enviable confidence along with her stylish suits and sleek hair. But her confidence, just like her fashionable demeanor, is all a front. For decades, Madeline has lived in fear of her traumatic past becoming public. Now a reporter is reinvestigating the notorious crime that put Madeline's mother behind bars, threatening to destroy her elaborate facade. Only Madeline's sister, Annie, and their frail grandparents know about her childhood--but lately Madeline has reason to wonder if her grandparents also have a history they've been keeping from her. As the demons of the past swirl around her, a childhood friend with a gentle heart is urging Madeline to have faith in him--and in herself. And as she allows her resistance to thaw, the pain she expects pales in comparison to the surprises headed straight to her door. With one bold, unprecedented move, Madeline O Shea may just wake up out of the sadness and guilt that have kept her sleepwalking through life for so long--and discover that the worst thing that can happen is sometimes the very thing we desperately need. The First Day of the Rest of My Life is an eloquent and triumphant tale of a fierce act of love, a family's legacy, and one woman s awakening to her own power--with no secrets.... .

    But real hoop dreams include the desire to be the best--to take the rock, drive up the lane, and take it to the hole. Nate Torres, perpetual wannabe, just wants his shot at high school fame and glory. But when he misses the cut for the high school team, he takes his dream to the only place he has left... the streets.

    In order to pass her final exam to graduate, she has to make a "love potion." In order to make that "love potion," Inori lives in the same house with Aoi, in hopes to get him to fall in love with her (required for the "love potion.") The only problem is they don't get along at all! So how will Inori get Aoi to love her when he's always picking on her?!

    At 29, he has great friends, a huge job, all the women he can handle, and no commitments. A public relations executive, Dylan has dashed up the ladder of success by mastering the art of the spin – bending the truth to his and his clients’ needs. But when a former lover steps back into his life with a three-year-old girl by her side (no, she’s not his), Dylan suddenly finds himself in a place he can’t spin himself out of. And when Dylan unexpectedly becomes the child’s sole guardian, he finds himself to be like a circus performer trying to keep all of his spinning plates from crashing to the ground. In what seems like a blink of the eye, Dylan Hunter’s life has changed completely…whether he’s ready for it or not.Alternately humorous and poignant, romantic and tragic, playful and dramatic, Spinning is the kind of wise, touching, emotion-packed novel readers have come to expect from Michael Baron.

    But when an average day ends in a tragic accident, Tru must embark upon a quest to regain the life she once had with her lover, while sinister outsiders take advantage of the precarious situation. Yearning, revelations, and lurking danger pull at the threads of a once-idyllic life. As You Were is a romantic story driven by mystery and suspense.