small mercies dennis lehane

After running away from home seven years ago to escape a loveless arranged marriage, Kyra Wilder has finally mastered up the courage to be back in her small town of Ruthwell in Washington DC. She’s ready for a second chance with her parents and the people who used to be her friends back in high school and most of all, she’s ready to tell her parents that she’s about to become a bride. But the small town she lived in hasn’t changed all that much in the past seven years and no one seems to have forgotten her betrayal, or seems anywhere near ready to forgive her for her past mistakes. Everywhere she goes, she’s met with hostility and anger and it’s thinning out her chances of redemption ever second. Now, how does she tell her parents and her friends that not only has she moved on in her life, further than anyone had ever anticipated, but she’s happy and successful in what she does? And amid all the truths and revelations, how does she tell everyone that she isn’t marrying a man, but the woman of her dreams?

[*Reverse Harem*] Growing up at her uncle's place, Anila was strictly controlled by all the outdated values in the small town. The worst thing was her uncle trying anything he could to stop her from leaving. But one day, a hot stranger Xaden appeared and handed Anila an offer from a university on the mysterious "Were-land". On the plane there, Xaden surprisingly revealed his true identity as a werewolf and introduced himself as Anila's "fated mate". Before Anila could process all the crazy news, she realized Xaden wasn't her only mate..... ---“Now, welcome to Zelds’ university, the best magic school available in all of Wereland.”Jet engines whir, the door sealing me inside as my eyes bulge out of my head in shock.Witch professor? Magic School?---Then I felt it, all over my flesh, that undeniable connection, the same one I felt when I first met Xaden.My eyes gravitated down the hall, knowing where to look in an unfamiliar place, butterflies left the confines of my stomach and fluttered in my skull, when my breath holds in my lungs, I have found them.That’s right. Them.

“I've wanted this all my life,” he said. “I want you.” Carter Between running a company and a recent attempt on his life, billionaire Carter Williamson doesn't need any more stress. So when a trio of orphan children breaks into the Colorado ranch he's hiding out in, his first instinct is to just let the police handle it. That was before their spunky social worker Mia showed up. Mia Mia Amesworth has worked hard to make sure that the Smith kids aren't separated from each other, but she can only do so much. With her own body unable to produce children, the kids are the closest thing to a family she's got. When the handsome ranch owner offers to let the three troublemakers pay for the damages with hard work over the summer, she happily accepts. When he suggests they go on a date, she can't say yes fast enough. Even though Carter's secret assailant keeps threatening him, he feels like he might be falling for the small town girl. And though Mia knows that a family might not be in the cards for her future, she longs to create a life with Carter. And then, a miracle happens...

“I tried to find you everywhere, and now you're here, I won't ever let you go again” Alexa Antonio is a princess in her own world in a small town in Pangasinan. She was known for being the 'spoiled-brat-mayor's-daughter. “Life is short, so better live your life to the fullest”, that is her motto in life but she seems to be overreacting because at the age of 21, she almost did every naughty thing you might think of, and she still has a lot of evil thoughts to do because based on her, she doesn’t want to regret something when she grows older just because she was afraid to try different things. But what if life's play with her and taught her a lesson? Will she be able to face the consequence of all of her actions or just choose to give up?

Kate Harrison lives in a small town where reputations were everything and petty gossiping was the norm. Her life takes a dramatic turn when she gets pregnant and her boyfriend abandons her. In a bid to avoid a scandal and save her family from embarrassment, Kate decides to marry Tony DaCosta, a wealthy stranger she met during an outreach program. Their sudden marriage raises eyebrows in Tony's social circle, while Kate finds herself in the middle of a family feud with Tony's adult children. As romance begins to bloom between Kate and Tony, a disturbing rumor about Tony's past starts circulating and secrets are exposed. Can Kate and Tony overcome these troubling circumstances or will their love be swallowed up in the storm?

Meet Rylee Parks. JV Cheerleader, kick-ass bowler - and she is in love with her best friend's brother. Meet Aiden Reed. A varsity Football player, he can drink Ireland under the table, and would do anything to protect the friend he sees as a brother. This is Rylee's first year of University and her last year of fawning over a boy who will never look at her the same. But what happens when Aiden is finally woken up to the realization that Rylee won't stay the small and innocent girl she always has been, and his time with her is quickly running out?

Not a Slave It is a time where a woman is used for attaining something precious which would fulfill the dream of becoming a king of the kingdom they wish for without a war. It is a time where a Son is born to embrace the duty as a King after his Father in the royal family irrespective of the ability he has. It is a time where a small land of people is looked down when they are not part of the council, which has all the elders with wisdom as members and the Kings of all kingdoms have to follow the rules laid by them regarding their ruling. And then it is also a time where a girl child is born to change all the past practicing traditions paving the way for a new one, but had to go through the danger of becoming a slave with no one to protect her. But she will never let anyone make her a Slave as she is not a Slave. I am a Queen I am a Queen who had done nothing but what everyone asked me to do. I fulfilled everyone’s wishes without giving those any second thought. I am a Queen who got blamed for the things about which I don’t even have a minimal idea. I am blamed because there is nothing else they can do other than that. I am a Queen who wishes at present to go back being a princess as my life is going to be taken away by the person who is none other than my Father in a few seconds just because I am a Queen. I closed my eyes hoping that this ends once and for all…

For years, the Lycans and werewolves have been locked in a bitter war, their hatred spanning generations. Rosalee, born under tragic and cruel circumstances, was abandoned as a baby at a werewolf pack. Treated worse than the lowest omega, she endured years of neglect and scorn. On her sixteenth birthday, everything changed. Her first shift revealed a truth that shattered her world, Rosalee was no ordinary werewolf. Cast out from the only home she had ever known, she was forced to fend for herself, alone and afraid. Desperate for safety, Rosalee found refuge in a quiet human town, where she built a new life. Working at a small hotel, she finally felt a sense of belonging, even forming a close bond with Dameon, the son of the hotel’s head chef. But her secret loomed over her like a shadow, a constant reminder of what she could lose if the truth came to light. Her fragile peace is shattered when the Lycan King, a powerful, enigmatic figure, arrives at the hotel one fateful night. His presence is a threat to the life she’s built, and his intentions are as clear as his connection to her past. As tensions rise and old wounds resurface, Rosalee is thrust into a dangerous game of survival. To protect her secret and those she cares about, she must confront her identity and uncover the truth about her origins, before the war she escaped catches up with her once again. In a world divided by blood and betrayal, Rosalee must decide where she truly belongs and whether she can forge a path of her own.

Noel Ashford is the only child of Scott Ashford, famed law attorney of the small town of Bisbee, Arizona. Life for the two is rather simple. Until the day her father brings home a stray criminal in the form of a 6-foot devil, by the name of Harken Lewis - who makes it his everyday mission to uproot Noel's simple life and welcome her to the dangers of his. At the loss of her mother at the age of 10, Noel has depended on herself in the absence of her father, counting down the days until she can leave her small town and finally start living her life outside of her shut-in home. Harken Lewis has lived his 18 years in and out of juvie and foster homes, never knowing the meaning of a home, never allowing himself to be tied down. Shacking up with his lawyer and her daughter is meant to be a means to an end, a pit stop on his journey to greener pastures. He doesn't expect to find the one thing to shake his resolve and shatter everything he thought he knew about himself. Stick a shut-in hermit and an adrenaline junkie delinquent under the same roof, what do you get? Disaster.

"You have to stop doing that, Camilla." "Doing what?" Jesus Christ! Did she not see what she was doing? "Being so goddamn sexy, I can't stand it." She tiptoed, bringing her lips closer to my face. "Why? Why can't you stand it?" Questions, too many questions. I pulled her closer to me, so she could feel the bulging of my crotch between her legs. Her lips parted slightly, I watched her sigh in satisfaction. Her wet tongue licked her lips gently. My length hardened against her, a small moan escaped her lips. "Fuck!" I cried out and turned my back on her. I wiped my sweat off my forehead with my right palm. "Mister Ivan…" "If you call my name one more time, you won't be able to blame me for how good I'll fuck you, Camilla." I blurted out. I did not care how it sounded, I did not care that she might take me to be a pervert. I only wanted her to know what she was doing, and the effect she had on me. What I did not expect were the next words that strolled out of her lips. "Then turn around and fuck me." ~•~ From doctor and patient, to friends and then illicit lovers. Can Camilla and Ivan finally stand together to fight the forces against their relationship? Or would both retire to fate and let fear and mistrust take the lead?