Childs's creative writing students are expected to keep personal journals for self-expression. But when clues from a murder investigation cause police authorities to confiscate the students’ journals, writing intended to be private is no longer. Words meant to liberate now condemn. And an innocent writing project, meant to empower students, as well as rescue Mrs. Childs from her own personal tragedy, now open deep conflicts within the class. "A unique and richly interesting story of survival during some of the most complicated years of life; reminding us all about what is truly important." –The Book Stalker "The Other Side of Quiet has enough adventure and mystery to keep you turning pages, but also an underlying message of love and acceptance. This is a book that all teenagers, and parents should read. It will inspire you to believe in our youth, love them through their challenges, and leave you with a desire to be a better parent, teacher and friend." –Katie Millar Wirig, Founder of The Power of Family "I am a firm believer in classroom read alouds, alongside in-depth class discussions. This book is a perfect read aloud for middle grade and high school classrooms. Students in your classroom can learn from the students in Mrs. Childs’s classroom. The Other Side of Quiet brings up questions that students today should be asking and learning how to answer. This novel will help educators to discuss otherwise difficult concepts . . . and help students come out stronger with more understanding toward others." –Brittany Boman, former teacher, Alpine School District Venture Academy High School Creative Writing Students “The Other Side of Quiet is written with amazing craft. It portrays life and family situations that are not only relatable, but also intricately weaved into a story that will keep you reading until the very end.” – Alana, age 15 “Awesome book. Such a good read!” - Josh, age 15 “An intriguing novel that can teach anyone important lessons about life and family. Tara C. Allred builds character that feel real, and that many can relate to in more ways than one, and builds suspense with a thrilling murder mystery. Reading this novel you will laugh, cry, and find a certain peace in its ending.” – Berea, age 16

    What many consider a gift means her doom when she’s forced to marry Luca Vitiello to bring peace between two mafia dynasties. Luca is the future Capo of the New York Famiglia, a man known for his brutality—and for crushing his cousin’s throat with his bare hands.Aria is terrified of marrying a monster like him. He may be one of the most sought-after bachelors in New York, thanks to his good looks, wealth and predator-like charisma. But Aria knows the bad boy aura isn’t just a game; blood and death lurk beneath Luca’s striking gray eyes and arrogant smile.In her world a handsome exterior often hides the monster within; a monster who can just as easily kill as kiss you.Yet, there’s no escaping the arranged bond, much less a man like Luca. He’d follow her to the end of the world.Her only chance to survive in a marriage with Luca is to gain his affection and work her way into his heart—even when rumor has it that Luca doesn’t have a heart to begin with.A mafia princess known for her beauty given to a monstrous man. Even monsters have a heart.She has every intention of working her way into his.

    Instead, I found myself right in the middle of a dangerous mafia war.When my father's life is at stake, becoming a surrogate for an insanely wealthy couple seems the right thing to do.But when the casual meeting with the future parents turns into a raging mafia war, I find myself in mortal danger.The loving couple was a fraud, and I've been duped in the worst possible manner.My child's real father is a man that makes my blood run cold.A menacing mafia boss.A ruthless killer.And the catch is – he had no idea he was going to become a father...Powerful, brutal, and deviously handsome, Vlad is someone I should avoid.But when a powerful enemy who's determined to kill us is getting dangerously close, there's no one I trust more than him to protect me and my unborn child.What do you do when the monster you loathe is the only one who can ensure your survival?"Surrogate Betrayal" is the first book in the "Ruthless Russian Mob" bad boy mafia romance series from author Aria Ray.It is a stand-alone Dark Mafia Romance, complete with HEA and no cliffhangers.

    They haven’t seen each other in ten years. And now they have to fake a relationship to keep their land.At seventeen, Katya Savage eloped with her lifelong best friend, Brodie MacGregor. Everything was perfect for two glorious years—until Katya became obsessed with her great-grandmother’s legacy. To be fair, who wouldn’t get excited about having a female bomber pilot in the family tree? Brodie, that's who. Because when Katya asked him to help her find a plane exactly like the one her great-gran flew during World War Two, he had a hissy fit and gave her an ultimatum—him or the plane. Yeah, that was a dumb move…Anyway, now Katya’s back. With her plane. And all she wants to do is set up a scenic flight business on the land gifted to them both. Unfortunately, there are a few teeny tiny problems with her plan: 1. Brodie has his own ideas for the land that don’t involve her or her plane. 2. The family who gifted the land to them wants it back. 3. The only way to keep the land is to convince their families, the town, and a bunch of lawyers that they’re back together again.Now, if they could just stop fighting long enough to act like they’re in love...★ A hot and steamy, second chance romance with fake dating, a small Highland town full of quirky characters, and lots of heart warming laughter.★

    To have so much pain you can barely breathe. My entire life got burned down in flames, and now I’m nothing. My escape? Friends, booze, and willing women. They make me feel numb. Better yet, they keep me distracted from the memories that plague me. When a curvy brunette walks into my tattoo shop I immediately recognize the sad look in her eyes. Pain. Regret. Grief. But I’m drawn to her, wanting to be near her all the time. Maybe it’s because we have something in common. A broken heart. Harlow has just about as many walls around her as I do. We’re both ruined, but despite being shattered into a million pieces, the more time we spend together the more she’s beginning to show me what hope looks like. It’s terrifying. If I keep on pursuing her, there are only two ways this could end. We’ll either help each other mend, or we’ll destroy the last bit of humanity we have left.

    filth·i·er, filth·i·est1. Covered or smeared with filth; disgustingly dirty.2. Obscene or offensive.3. Vile; dirty. adv. filth·y1. To an extreme and often disgusting extent. Newly released from prison after serving a three-year term, Johnathan Marcello just wants to get his head straight, but he's the only one who believes he can do it. Stepping into her mother's shoes is the very last thing on Catherine Marcello's mind, but it's already too late and she's got her own games to play. The spotlight wasn't in Andino Marcello's plan, but the Capo might not be given a choice when Cosa Nostra starts looking for la famiglia's next boss. Being the baby of the family and a good girl is all Lucia Marcello knows, but a little freedom and space could give her the chance to shed those masks. In the Marcellos, being filthy isn't a birthright, it's earned. A new generation is ready to take their thrones, but it's not that simple. This family is a legacy and this generation might just be the filthiest yet.***PLEASE NOTE: Filthy Marcellos: Legacy is a COMPANION piece to the Marcellos series. It is NOT intended to be a standalone in the series. It is not intended to be a full length story with a formal HEA, but a 20k PREQUEL to a new series featuring the involved characters. Coming December 2015

     When you’re done with me, you can walk away with no regrets. That’s how my husband sees me. I try to be the best wife possible for him. After all, he took me on when no one else would. Now--he’s in debt and owes more money to the loan shark than we can possibly repay. But, don’t worry, he’s come up with a solution, it’s just not one I was expecting. ...I’ve been TRADED. **Content Warning: this book contains adult language, Sexual situations and situations of emotional abuse. Please use caution when reading. **THIS BOOK IS MEANT FOR ADULTS 18+ ONLY**

    That all changed in a blink of an eye the moment Bree came home for break. She didn't expect to find her dad strapped to chair, a gun pointed at his head. Alzerro “Zerro” King wasn't a man to be messed with. Women flocked to him and men ran from him. He ruled the mafia with an iron fist and no one ever crossed him unless they wanted to pay the price. He believed the only way to pay for something, if unable to do so, was to do it in blood. Nothing got him harder than stringing someone up, and putting a bullet in their head. That is until Bree. One look is all it took for him to know she could pay for her father’s debt in many other ways… Ways that could get him hard. Could a big city mafia king fall in love with the small town country girl? Would she be able to handle his dark and demanding ways? When push comes to shove, would Bree end up running only to be killed? Or would she sacrifice herself for love?

    Who just so happens to also be my ex-boyfriend.It’s complicated. Two years ago, he broke my heart when he left me to do his father’s bidding. After months of crying, I finally accepted he was gone and wasn’t going to look back. That maybe he’d never loved me at all. I never wanted to see Luca again.Now a cruel twist of fate has signed me over to him in a heartless deal. I’m his. He thinks he did me a favor, but I feel like I’ve been given a death sentence. He doesn't want to get married because he still loves me. No, he did it for money. More power.I’m going to be a mafia wife. And there’s only one way out of it. Death.But as it turns out, someone else doesn’t want me to marry the ruthless Luca Bianchi. And if he has his way, I’ll see that early grave.Due to mature content and themes this book is recommended for readers aged eighteen and over. Code of Silence is an arranged marriage and a complete standalone. This novel may contain triggers.

    DEATH... LOVE... FREEDOM. THIS IS A STORY ABOUT FOREVER. Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco grew up under vastly different circumstances. Haven, a second-generation slave, was isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege and excess. Now, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think. In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that began before either of them were born threatens to destroy them instead. Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price-especially not freedom. But how much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free?

    Anguish is a mafia romance box set containing the first five books in the romantic suspense series, The Clans. Promised Mariana has been a prisoner for years, but Ion is determined to find the queen of the clans and make her his forever. Only, Mariana is not so easily tamed. The Trade Natasha thinks she has found a man to stimulate her mind and her body, but then she watches Anton kill her uncle. Will she ever be able to see him as anything but an enemy? Cherished Willow ran away from her mafia heritage to another country only to be dragged back by a sexy and cocky American she thought was just an ordinary guy. Now, she is tasked with taking over her father’s clan and marrying a Romanian man, but her defiance may lead to another choice entirely. Deceit Aria is broken, betrayed by her own father and now seen as useless. Salvatore thinks he can swoop in and be the monster she needs to solve all her problems. Love Is War Rhys screwed up, and he is ready to finally go to the Ukraine where he intends to fix it by winning the country back for the Romanians. Only, he finds opposition in the form of a powerful criminal mastermind, a woman that he hopes is willing to marry the enemy to solidify both their agendas. Be prepared for the lust, torture, and heartbreak that faces the men and women in the Romanian mafia clans.

    But when one of her clients vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst and embarks on a mission to uncover the truth with the help of an elite forensics team known as the Tracers and jaded, sexy homicide cop Nathan Devereaux. As a grim picture of what really happened begins to emerge, Nathan realizes this investigation runs deeper than they could have guessed. And each step nearer the truth puts Alex in danger of being the next to disappear.UNSPEAKABLE Elaina McCord's dream of being an FBI profiler is threatened by her very first case--investigating a string of murders near a Texas beach resort. Her hunch--met with disbelief by local police--is that these are only the latest offerings from a serial killer who has been perfecting his art for years. Her only allies in a case that's turning dangerously personal are a team of forensic experts known as the Tracers and true-crime writer and irresistable playboy Troy Stockton. A killer is taunting Elaina, letting her know how ruthless he is and how close he's getting. Now it's not just her career that's in jeopardy--it's her life.UNFORGIVABLE A DNA espert, Mia Voss has made it her mission to put away vicious criminals. When her already lousy day ends with a carjacking, it seems like just the icing on top of the cake. But what what Mia thought was a random incident is followed by another sinister episode. Suddenly, she's found herself the target of a sadistic madman. And the only way to protect the people she loves most is to either deliberately destroy her reputation and risk letting a killer walk free or put her trust in Detective Ric Santos, whose turbulent past ruined his chances with Mia in the past. Only Mia can uncover the truth behind the case, but first, Ric will have to get her to entrust him with her secrets...and her life.

    Ordered to protect her, Aleksei will do anything to possess her as well—on his own wicked terms.Rules are made to be broken…Grad student Natalie Porter had barely recovered from her first sight of the dark and breathtaking Sevastyan before the professional enforcer whisks her away to Russia, thrusting her into a world of extreme wealth and wanton pleasures. Every day under his protection leads her deeper under his masterful spell.Are you ready to play?Yet all is not as it seems. To remove Natalie from an enemy’s reach, Sevastyan spirits her into hiding. From an opulent palace in Russia to the decadent playgrounds of the mega-wealthy in Paris, the two lovers will discover that even their darkest—and most forbidden—fantasies can come true...

    But after another failed relationship and her biological clock ticking double time, she’s desperate enough to try online dating. Following a series of worst dates ever, she decides happily-ever-after isn't in the Tarot cards. Forget Cupid, it's time to take matters into her own hands. A simple seduction should do the trick, but then everything that can go wrong...does! …Turn out to be so rightDak Savage isn't interested in commitment. He's been burned by women before - lied to, used, even shot. Hell, he considers women a curse and has one rule he never breaks - don't pick up women in bars. But when he agrees to a guys' night out and meets up with the feisty, fast talking Quinn, his rule shatters like a dropped shot glass. A one night stand turns into a long weekend and as Quinn tries to abandon her ridiculous scheme, she finds herself nose-to-nose and toe-to-toe with the best mistake she's ever made.

    Germain.How much is a life worth?I grew up in Colombia, the daughter of a wealthy drug lord. I lived a life of extravagance, until one day a drug run went horribly wrong and everything came crashing down around us.I was given away. A payment for a debt. The Gypsy Brothers Motorcycle Club became my new owners, and I did everything I could to survive.But falling in love with the man who owned me wasn't part of the plan...