Paws, Plants, and Perjury
By @john1208
I promised my dying sister I'd take her place. Now I'm pretending to be the glamorous, politically savvy bride to Vrokas, the terrifying Alpha of the Garkyran Sovereignty. To survive a royal pack that brutally governs all werewolf law, I play the part of a cheerful, clueless airhead to lower their expectations. My only escape from the deadly politics is botany. But every time I wander into the monstrous Xyloth Wilds looking for rare ferns, my fearsome husband goes on a berserk, blood-drenched rampage to 'rescue' me. The feral beast treats me like spun glass, especially after I accidentally discover my touch completely cures the bone-breaking agony of his shifts. Between dodging jealous she-wolves who want the 'weak human' dead and managing a giant predator who turns into a needy puppy around me, keeping my younger brother safe is exhausting. The hardest part? Falling for a man who thinks I'm someone else. If the royal court discovers I'm an imposter, werewolf law demands my execution. How long can I smile through assassination attempts before I accidentally reveal my sharp edges to the beast who holds my heart?
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The Frostbound Itinerary
By @john1208
Nairi’s fierce loyalty to her late best friend, Lusine, erupts at an engagement party she deems a disrespectful sham. Storming out of the lavish celebration, she is comforted by Lusine’s older brother, Tigran, who gently gifts her Lusine’s unfinished bucket list and the deed to an isolated cabin in the Khazhar Peaks. Seeking closure, the hot-tempered Nairi dives into the perilous snowy wilderness, only to nearly freeze on her very first reckless excursion. She is rescued by Toros, the village’s notoriously grumpy local doctor. As Toros reluctantly patches her up and helps her navigate the mountain's perilous tasks, their clashing personalities melt into a profound, bittersweet love. But knowing their lives belong to entirely different worlds, they part in agonizing silence. Returning to the neon-lit city of Tsovasar, Nairi uncovers a terrifying secret hidden within the final journal entry: Tigran orchestrated Lusine’s death. Now allied with her bitterest professional rival, Nairi is hunted by the very man who financed her healing journey. Cornered in her apartment during a torrential downpour, a desperate knock sounds at her door. Will the mountain doctor who crossed the storm for her be enough to help her survive the truth?
1
Out of Office and Over the Edge
By @john1208
At her department head’s funeral, Marenka Voss mathematically calculates that a spontaneous breakdown is her most efficient option. Fleeing severe corporate burnout and crippling depression, the notoriously cold strategist books a one-way ticket to Kovalen - a sprawling, anonymous foreign metropolis. But when her attempt to locate a silent urban retreat goes horribly wrong, she finds herself lost in the treacherous wilderness bordering the city limits. Enter Bram Kinsey, a rugged, exasperated outdoor guide who saves her from a ravine while she’s trying to professionally negotiate with a wild dog. Told in alternating third-person perspectives, this laugh-out-loud comedy follows Marenka as she applies ruthless corporate efficiency to wilderness survival, while Bram forces her to confront her buried emotions. Despite their profound connection, a bittersweet, unspoken love keeps them silent. They part ways, convinced their lives are incompatible - until months later, when Bram walks into her boardroom as her company's new experiential consultant. Now she’s his boss, their feelings are strictly undocumented, and her former corporate nemesis is about to reveal a shocking, sympathetic secret that caused her burnout in the first place. Can Marenka finally optimize her way into a happily ever after?
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What the Water Gave the Mire
By @john1208
I, Rhys Llewellyn, was once the best detective in the rain-slicked city of Aberddu, until a case gone wrong left me disgraced and my partner dead. Now, I'm stuck with the dregs: cold cases nobody wants. That’s how I found her - Ffion, a sharp-witted ghost bound to the crumbling riverside manor where she was murdered a decade ago. She can’t remember her killer’s face, only that she trusted them. The catch? I can only see her in reflections - a fleeting image in a windowpane, a shimmer on a puddle, a glimpse in my own weary eyes in the mirror. She is my only witness, and I am her only link to the living world. As we piece together the puzzle of her last days, a fragile, unspoken love blossoms in the space between our worlds. We dream of finding a way to bring her back, but the city’s strange magic has a price. What if solving her murder isn't enough, and the very connection that allows us to meet is also the one that's pulling her apart, reflection by reflection?
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