Showing results by publisher "Spoken Realms" in Romance

Escaping the mafia should have been simple. A new life with a new identity in a new location. But that plan was conceived long before Simone captured Maria’s heart. Maria’s love for Simone changes everything. When Maria receives devastating news that sends her world into turmoil, she must overcome her demons and face her toughest adversary to date.

Bound by the Mafia’s code of honor, loyalty, and silence, Maria Lombardo has always dreamed of another life. But when her father dies, she must take over from him as head of the Lombardo clan, the most powerful member of the Sicilian Mafia, La Cosa Nostra. On the other side of Palermo, the Amato family’s growing lust for power presents a dangerous problem. Maria is forced to take action that goes against every fiber of her being, or she will lose the respect of her clan. Falling for Simone complicates an already complex situation.

On the back of an unhappy marriage and bitter divorce, stressed-out Ariana Carter-Cruz returns to the remote Greek island of Sakros, to claim the estate of her late grandmother, Sophia. A straightforward affair — go there, sell the house, get out — and start a new life with her daughter. What she didn’t factor into her plans was that stunning local taverna owner and harbor master Nikki Kefalas would still be living on the island.

"Prey for the Daughter of Hell" is a captivating short story by Conrad Kimball that combines elements of horror and romance. The story revolves around a 12-year-old girl who becomes the victim of a curse imposed by an Asian mystic. The mystic hypnotizes her, making her believe that her love life will mirror that of a female praying mantis, where she mates with males and then consumes them.

Tryon Dunham, a wealthy attorney is approached by a young woman who is running from some unknown danger. She is beautiful, well dressed, and obviously educated. She won't tell the young man why she's running, but he decides he will help her. Tryon arranges to take her along to a dinner party to which he has an invitation. At the dinner party, "Mary" (the name Tryon has given her) plays the piano beautifully and charms his hostess and the other guests. But, she is desperate to escape, so he provides her a ticket for a train to Chicago. ....He decides he must find her again.

Five fables: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", "The Remarkable Rocket". Each illustrates a moral, contrasting fake with real, selfishness with unselfishness, though Wilde wrote "I like to fancy that there may be many meanings in the tale". First published in 1888.

Sophia Westcott has mourned her late husband for a respectable amount of time by society's standards. She was now a dowager Duchess and independent in her own right. She was Sophie. Her life on her own terms. Sinclair Montgomery was returning home. The second son, now the heir. He had mourned the passing of his brother as he travelled abroad. In all his wildest dreams Sin never imagined to be stunned so forcefully by a vision of beauty. And so captivated by the inner workings of another's mind.

Nancy Morris, a shopkeeper's daughter from Sandwich, becomes a governess with the help of a benefactor, Sir Gervase Damian. One day she helps a stranger whose advances she gently rebuffs, only to meet him again when she takes a new position in the North.

As the first light of dawn creeps in, the steady beep of a monitor becomes my anchor. When that beeping fades away, I'm thrust into a world where the North Star has lost its brilliance. It's scattered into a thousand glittering fragments, and nobody knows how to mend it. But how am I supposed to find my way back without the light of my guiding star? And how can I help North rediscover his own light?

Madeleine isn’t like other grieving war widows. Claudette isn’t like other young French women. As their lives collide, Madeleine and Claude will discover a depth of connection and desire they never knew could exist. Can their love flourish in post-WW2 France or will their past derail their future?

What is there to celebrate when you turn thirty-two? You’re still desperately single and thousands of miles away from home. As Ashley contemplates her life as a lesbian stuck in the middle of the Syrian oil fields surrounded by more men than there is sand, a blast from the past brings with it the opportunity to rekindle old flames. But what of the local chef Iman? As she awakens to her sexuality, in a country where such love is forbidden, will her heart’s yearning be satisfied or forever denied?

Elodie Marchand has it all. Money, power, women. As the owner of a prestigious winery in France, she enjoys freedom on levels most people only dream about. She’s built a perfect life and is happy sharing it with no one. But when a travelling stranger drops into her world, Elodie is forced to reassess everything she thinks she knows about the way she lives.

Patterson Greeves, a noted scientist and academic, is retiring to his family manse to write a book. But on arrival, he finds two letters, one from each of his daughters, announcing their imminent arrival. One plans to visit and the other to live with him. He panics: though a man of many accomplishments, he has been an abysmal and absent father.

Whether she was a woman or a devil, we will never know for sure, but when she stood before him in all her awful beauty, all thoughts of love and honor fled from his mind, and he arose to answer her call to embrace the blossom of fire.

Johanna Neumann, a once-acclaimed pianist, is forced to leave her high-society life in Berlin to support her military husband, the newly appointed Kommandant of Erstein. With her son enlisted in the Hitler Youth and her dreams of music silenced by the clamor of conflict, she grapples with the harsh realities of her new existence in a place where she is neither welcome nor trusted. Haunted by loss and loneliness and disillusioned by her husband’s transformation, she yearns for an end to the war so she can go back to her beloved homeland before her daughter is recruited into the Nazi regime.

Sebastian came into my life in small, intense doses. Until I was addicted. Now, breaking that addiction hurts worse than anything I've ever gone through before. I no longer know who I am, who I was, or even who I want to be. My world is shattered like the shards of my broken mirror. And seeing a bit of myself in all of those pieces, I know I'll never be whole again. Not without him.

"The Mermaid's Husband" is a poetic short story by Lord Dunsany, a writer known for his contributions to fantasy literature in the early 20th century. The story revolves around a mermaid and her husband, exploring themes of love, longing, and the complexities of relationships across different worlds. The narrative presents the mermaid as a creature of beauty and the sea, caught between her oceanic home and the world of humans. The husband, who is a human, represents the terrestrial life that clashes with the enchanting but perilous allure of the ocean.

Mrs. Bennet is desperate for her five daughters to marry in order to secure their future. But with no romance on the horizon for her eldest, Jane, things are looking bleak. Practical Mary shows no interest in anything other than her studies and music. Her youngest two, Kitty and Lydia, have a frivolous approach to their quest for romance, which is unlikely to end in marriage… Meet Elizabeth Bennet, the second-eldest daughter. Sensible, witty, headstrong, and an excellent judge of character—or so she thinks…

L’embarras d'être la seule fille qui n’a jamais été embrassée du lycée est une chose que Sandy Cardington refuse d’accepter. Le projet du premier baiser est son plan infaillible pour enfin se débarrasser de ce statut lors de la fête qu’elle organise pour son 17e anniversaire pendant que ses parents ne sont pas en ville. Avec plusieurs garçons potentiels à embrasser sur sa liste d’invités, cela devrait être une promenade de santé. Mais elle n’avait pas prévu que son frère aîné reviendrait de l’université et chamboulerait ses plans.

A successful young executive meets a beautiful woman; falls in love, and then strange things begin to happen. He loses his job, his car is repossessed, and no matter how hard he tries he can't seem to be hired anywhere. He has just signed up for his final unemployment check when he finally makes eye contact with the "Are You Ready Willing and Able to Work Sign Up Here Please Girl". She slips a note warning him that he is in danger and to meet her after work.