Showing results by author "L.J." in All Categories

They call me a playboy. Society’s pretty pet. What they don’t know is I’m so much more. My only directive was to keep her hidden, and safe. After everything she’s been through I’m the last person to offer comfort and care. I have little experience with either. Both of us have been broken by our pasts. But mine is catching up to me, and I would deal with it as I usually do: with total decimation. But that puts her in the crosshairs, and that’s unacceptable.

An escape - that's exactly what Birdie Devaine needs when witches around the world publicly announce their existence. Instead of performing for the sold-out crowd at her world-famous magic show in Vegas, Birdie runs away from the dazzling lights to her hometown in Mississippi. She thinks she has it all planned out - keeping busy with renovating an old beautiful house and eventually fading away from the spotlight. But the house has its secrets, including the haunted cemetery that Birdie is now responsible for. It doesn't help when her nosy neighbor catches on to Birdie's big secret....

They call me an animal. Ruled by my base instincts. Owned by the rage roiling inside me. A rage so deep I can’t see my way out of it. Until her. Cilla is a pretty little trap I walk right into. And when the bait becomes the prey I’ll show them how much of an animal I can really be. Bound by deception, ruled by desire, I’ll solve the mystery of little Cilla or we’ll both be consumed by the never ending fury which threatens my very sanity.

NIKOLAI: We built this empire with blood and brutality. We don’t answer to anyone. We’re untouchable. Or at least, we were–until someone dug deep enough to find the secrets that could burn it all to the ground. The price of their silence? A marriage that merges their dynasty with ours. I don’t want a wife–especially not Ani Sargsyan, the spoiled mafia princess with a sharp mouth and hatred for everything I am. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my family and what we’ve built, even if it means putting a ring on her finger… And a leash around her throat. She doesn’t have to love me.

In 1610, Galileo published the Siderius nuncius, or Starry Messenger, a "hurried little masterpiece" in John Heilbron's words. Presenting to the world his remarkable observations using the recently invented telescope, Galileo dramatically challenged our idea of the perfection of the heavens and the centrality of the Earth in the universe. Indeed, the appearance of the little book is regarded as one of the great moments in the history of science.

Los Angeles, 2001- Mike Green thought he’d left covert politics behind and built a new life. But when Mike's new life collides with a mission under Tony McCollister's command, the threads that once only connected them now inextricably bind them together. Between the black ops orchestrated in Washington and the gang war raging on the gritty streets of Los Angeles, the real battle is protecting life from a system designed to erase it.

Grayson Edwards is one sexy bastard. From the moment we locked eyes, I wanted him. I never would’ve guessed we shared a common link from my past. A past that still haunts me to this day. One so horrific, I had no choice but to walk away from the person I loved more than life itself. My soul mate. Two and a half years on and those feelings haven’t changed. He still owns my heart. I miss him with every fiber of my being. But how can I give my life to a man...bear his children...when he has the blood of the devil running through his veins?

She was a tiny little temptress of a woman that made my blood sing for vengeance. I should be punishing her, breaking her from the inside out after finding her in my father’s clutches. But when I discover the truth that she is just as much of a victim of my father’s wrongdoings as I am, I can’t follow through. I know then that I can’t break my little mouse. Not after she’s lured me in with her big blue doe eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and those pink painted lips that beg to be kissed again and again.

Keith left behind the feisty love of his life, Lexi Klein, 10 years ago when he chose to become a soldier and leave for Iraq, but after a tragedy struck Lexi’s family and Keith couldn’t come home, she felt abandoned. When Keith finally managed to make it back to Boston, Lexi had completely withdrawn from everyone, including him. She decides to end their relationship and move on. Keith returns to Boston years later for a wedding and finds out Lexi is dating the leader of the infamous Almas Perdidas Gang. Lexi is in over her head, and Keith will stop at nothing to keep her safe.

My past comes back to terrorize me. Someone wants me dead, and the closer I get to the truth, the more I realize my whole life is a lie. I am no longer sure what is more frightening - the attempts on my life or the guy whose heart and soul are synchronized with mine.

Detective Wade Jackson is in for a shock when he's summoned to the police chief's office - his sergeant has been poisoned, and Jackson's been tapped to lead the investigation. But before the Eugene Violent Crimes unit has a chance to respond, two people are gunned down at a licensed marijuana nursery. Jackson and his colleague Detective Lara Evans are on the case - but there are more suspects than evidence, and the crime is baffling.

To rectify the tragic loss of his eldest daughter Rebecca, doctor Johnathan Grunge searched for solutions through his genetic studies. It was time for Doctor Grunge to unveil his years of research to the public domain. He was never aware of the full implications of his experiments. His focus was not shifted away from his DNA program, to the monster he created in the dark.

It was such a shame that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She knew we would come for her. We had seen her delicate face that night, hidden in the shadows, and she had seen what we did, her gasp of horror giving her away. She was perfection, beauty, and oozed goodness, but that would...

Emma Locke recalled little about the brutal murder she witnessed after blacking out. The killer escaped. Now, years later and haunted by a terrifying past, the dark corners of her memory are about to light up. At a high-security facility in the Nevada desert, rookie CIA agent Emma Locke is on assignment. During an interrogation she suspects that Jonas Blackheart, a clairvoyant with a mysterious past, is her sister’s executioner. Revenge is on Emma's mind. Her finger is on the trigger. There’s only one problem. To stop a national catastrophe, it's her job to keep him alive.

Dylan Casablancas will in New York mit ihrer kleinen Tochter einen Neustart wagen. Rhyland Coltridge ist ein Frauenheld, so nervtötend wie sexy — und Dylans neuer Nachbar. Als Dylans Ex vor ihrer Tür steht, gibt Rhyland sich kurzerhand als ihr Verlobter aus. Während die beiden das verliebte Paar spielen, können sie die Funken zwischen ihnen nicht länger leugnen.

Meta-State spy Jack Reardon believes that after the showdown, everything has been taken care of. He has a verbal agreement with his boss to keep Blade happy, and Jack is more than willing to do his best in that regard. He also has his bargain with Ethan to keep seeing each other.

During Mike's hike in the Adirondacks, he'd managed to come across something that sent him from earth to this new world Cornu. He noticed what could only be McCormick reapers and Amish plows.

Step into the shadows with One Very Short Story, a weekly fix of wicked, noir-soaked tales. Each episode drips with desire and deception, spinning tight plots that deliver a sharp, unforeseen twist—just like your favorite smoky noir film. Dive in for intrigue and satisfaction that’ll leave you craving more. All stories, music, and podcast art produced by J.L. Stroud, Jr. For more info visit www.jlstroudjr.com.

Aries: I kept my distance to protect her. My little stepsister with wide eyes and soft smiles—too innocent for a world like mine. But while I was locked away in darkness, he took my place. My name. My life. Her. Now I’m back. Lilian: I was never meant to matter this much. Not to one brother—let alone two. Aries was my almost. The stepbrother I shouldn’t have loved. Arson was the secret. The lie no one warned me about . . . until it was too late. They hate each other. Always have. Always will. But now I’m gone, and the only way to get me back is to work together. Two monsters. One obsession.

As a lifer in the Imperial Navy, fighting in a war that has lasted generations, Lieutenant York Ballin's only hope for an honorable discharge is the grave. Neither the Empire nor the Directorate seems to care that millions have died or that millions more are doomed as hostilities continue. Ballin's only option is to hunker down, keep his crewmen and women in top condition, and try not to get them all killed.