cannery row

The Crown’s Bargain Emilia Valoria has spent her life in the shadows of her royal lineage, content to be overlooked as the second princess of the Kingdom of Avariel. But when her elder sister defies tradition and elopes, Emilia is thrust into the spotlight, forced to fulfill the royal obligation her sister abandoned: an arranged marriage to the stoic and enigmatic Prince Kael of Arindale. Determined to protect her kingdom from the fragile alliance's collapse, Emilia reluctantly agrees to the union. However, her first encounter with Kael proves more tumultuous than she expected—his cold demeanor hides a kingdom scarred by betrayal, and his heart, she suspects, is locked away behind impenetrable walls. As Emilia navigates the intrigue of a foreign court, political machinations threaten to tear the kingdoms apart. Bound by duty but drawn together by fleeting moments of vulnerability, Emilia and Kael must decide whether their marriage will remain a mere contract or evolve into something neither of them dared to hope for: love. Caught between loyalty to her kingdom and the desires of her heart, Emilia must find her voice in a world that demands silence, proving that even in an arranged marriage, she has the power to rewrite her own destiny.

My husband, Theodore, was about to take his childhood sweetheart, Rosalie, around the world in a hot-air balloon when I was kidnapped by his enemy. They were about to throw me into a snake pit. I gave up asking Theodore for help and called my father-in-law instead. In my previous life, I begged Theodore to save me, even kneeling in front of the phone camera. Hence, he abandoned the hot-air balloon ride with Rosalie and rushed to negotiate with the kidnapper. Rosalie was all alone and angry. She took another hot-air balloon, but it exploded mid-way, causing her to die on the spot without even leaving behind an intact corpse. Hearing the bad news, Theodore showed a rare calm expression. He seemed to forget about Rosalie's existence and took me on a trip around the world. As we were sailing in Norwol, he suddenly pushed me into the sea. "I should never have saved you. Snake pit? Kidnapper? How could they have had the courage to push you into it? I should've never saved you if I knew it'd kill Rosalie. You should go to hell sooner!" When I opened my eyes again, I had come back to the day I was kidnapped. This time, I chose not to call for help. Humble love would only leave you bruised and battered.

"You don't say no to me, Lilian. You're my property. You belong to me!" His voice was calm, yet the scariest she ever heard. She shivered on the spot as she stared at the dangerous and scary man in front of her. How she suddenly ended up here in a lion's den and there was no hope of escaping, was what she never imagined. She knew her stepmom hated her so much, but if there was one thing she never imagined, it was the fact that she could go to the extreme length of selling her off to a stranger. "Re... Ren... Don't touch me..." Her voice quivered as she pressed her back further into the wall, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. She wished she could disappear into the wall, but was that even possible in reality? "I beg you, please... Leave me alone," She suddenly fell to her knees when her legs couldn't carry her anymore, and he rolled his eyes momentarily. "I'll spare you tonight, Lilian... Not because of your pleas, but because I am in a good mood. When next I want you..." He paused then squatted in front of her and smirk "I will torture you until you can't take it anymore and beg me to f*ck you so hard, Lilian. I'll make you hit orgasms five times in a row, and I promise that by the time I'm done with you, you'll never remain the same again," He whispered against her ear as a dirty smirk played at the corner of his lips, and her heart sank into her stomach. Will she ever get out of this?

“And down here, there's no one to stop me," he purred, taking another reckless step toward me.Then his lips were on mine. They crashed to me like waves on the beach, and I lapped him up hungrily."I'm sorry," I breathed hoarsely.And then I ran.***Genevieve worked her entire life to get the position she holds now–head of security for the Duchess of Reyna. She wanted to leave a life of poverty behind her, and she did. The Duchess is set to be married off to a playboy prince and Genevieve must accompany her to the new country. What she never expected was to like the prince. She doesn’t want to betray her country, her duchess, or herself, but she can’t help it. When Genevieve uncovers a plot against Prince Rowan, she knows she has to act. She must decide if her loyalty to her country is worth more than the love she has for a prince she just met. Prince Rowan’s Treasonous Love is created by Amelie Bergen, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

The past Day 159 after the first New Species were freed Joy tried to relax in the chair but worry over her client made her fidget. She glanced at the clock, noting he was late again. Minutes ticked by while her anger grew. It was the fourth session in a row that 466 had blown off. He did it on purpose. She knew he was going to be irate over what she’d done in retaliation but he’d left her with no choice. The loud sound of a menacing growl startled her. Her gaze flew to the door a second before it was thrown open. 466 hovered in the hallway, his rich brown hair messed up as if he’d dried it upside down with a blow dryer to give it that fullness. Rage showed in his narrowed, dark gaze. She guessed he’d been the source of the noise. He was pushed forward as one of the guards entered the office behind her client. “Here he is. He wasn’t happy but we got him.” The man shot a dirty look at 466. “Four of his men convinced him to come along or we would have had to drag his inside in shackles. He wanted to fight me.” She winced. “Please sit, 466.” “It seems I don’t have a choice.” He sauntered over to the chair in front of her desk and dropped his big body down hard enough to make the piece of furniture groan. “So much for saying we are free.”

“Either you make me forget, Lucas. Or I'll find someone who will." For a moment, he doesn't move, and I think he's going to push me away. But then, something shifts in his eyes and he closes the distance between us, his lips capturing mine in a heated kiss. Amelia's life takes a drastic turn when her boyfriend of two years, Ethan, who she discovers is also her mate, rejects her just days before his coronation—a coronation she meticulously helped organize. In an attempt to escape her painful reality, Amelia's best friend takes her out to celebrate her birthday. But fate intervenes when Amelia sees Ethan with another girl. Heartbroken and frustrated, she turns to liquor to numb her pain. In her intoxicated state, Amelia encounters Lucas, Ethan's cousin and the heir to the throne. They share a passionate night, and Lucas, both mysterious and cunning, proposes a contract marriage to make Ethan jealous and secure his position as Crown Prince. Amelia finds herself torn between two powerful men: her ex-boyfriend, whom she thought was her soulmate, and the Crown Prince, who challenges her in ways she never expected. As the contract marriage begins to feel more real, the tension escalates. Both Lucas and Amelia struggle with their deepening feelings, navigating a complex web of love, power, and betrayal.

Rosalie Maxwell is the breadwinner of her ungrateful family. She does everything she can for them, pays medical bills, electricity and tends to all their needs even though they've never appreciated her. The only reason she looks forward to the daily visits to her parents house is because of her grandmother, the woman who did a better job at raising her and her brother than their own mother. Taking care of her family, taking their constant ungrateful treatments, and the insults has become a normal routine for Rosalie. But one day her whole life is up in shambles when her beloved grandmother goes missing. When Rosalie finds out that her, Grandma Mary has Alzheimer's which makes Rosalie all the more scared about what may happen to her. She has nowhere to run to. So, she goes to the only person she thinks can help her. Her boss, and the man that seems to inherit space in all of her wet dreams, Nicholas Sinclair. Philanthropist, Most handsome man three times in a row on the cover of Rayview Magazine. Rosalie is ready to do anything if it means getting her grandmother back. She'll take on extra hours, whatever it takes! But what happens when Mr Sinclair wants something far different from extra hours at work? What will she do when her boss tells her what he wants? He wants, Rosie.

Lauren thought her life was perfect until a Valentine’s Day dinner turned into a nightmare. Accused of pushing her mother-in-law down the stairs, she quickly realizes it’s a setup. Sylas, her husband, and her own sister Taylor orchestrated the whole thing to trap her and end their marriage. With nowhere to go, Lauren runs straight to the one person she never expected: Enzo, her mysterious and ruthless neighbor, the Mafia King everyone fears. As she starts plotting revenge, she uncovers a shocking truth: Sylas is involved with a rival mafia family, and she’s been dragged into a war that could destroy everything she knows. But things get even more complicated when Enzo reveals he’s hunting for a set of rare paintings that hold the key to a hidden vault of untold wealth. Intrigued, Lauren agrees to help him, even though she knows it could drag her deeper into the mafia’s deadly world. As Lauren navigates this treacherous new reality, she must decide whether to use Enzo and the growing attraction between them to exact her revenge, or risk losing herself in the chaos. Will she expose the lies and take back control, or will she be consumed by the very world that betrayed her?

Samantha Collins is a wild and rebellous rodeo girl, the daughter of Kevin Collins, the famous bronc and bull rider. She has spent her entire adult life traveling from Rodeo to Rodeo with her best friend and team mate Danielle Morgan, banking their earnings so that they can buy out her Father and take over the family's horse training and breeding facility. When she decides to attend the Red River Cattle Company's three day rodeo weekend, her father worries but sends her on her way.Alexander Bennett is the eldest of the four Bennett brothers, and the future Alpha of the Red River pack. He is in charge of the security and safety of the packs and, for only the second year in a row, the humans allowed to attend the rodeo. When his father, Alpha Michael, receives a registration for a Samantha Collins, he becomes increasingly anxious about her arrival. He places Alex in charge of her safety, and increases the patrols. He refuses to explain why, and simply attributes it to having humans at the rodeo.After running into the Bennett brothers, and having an accident at the camping site when she first arrives, Sam and Dani are into a world of werewolves, and secrets. Will Alex be able to keep her safe when she herself doesn't even know exactly what is going on? When a stranger appears at the rodeo, and Sam's past is revealed, can the pack's future be saved?

I sat on the front row,listening to Dad preach against sin with all act of seriousness. I could feel the word 'sin' disgusted my father, and listening to his words gave me goosebumps. Being a preacher's only child came with responsibilities and expectations. I lived by dad's rules. I rarely lied, I never stole, I read my bible every single day, just as a pastor's son should. But still, I have one problem. It started the moment my parents separated me from the opposite gender, sending me off to a boarding school, which consisted of only my gender.