A Long Grind to Daoist Monarch - Chapter 4: Breakthrough to Minor Accomplishment, Gaining Mastery of Swimming

Olivia Thompson thought she had it all — a thriving career as a fashion designer in Beverly Hills and the man she dreamed of building a family with. But her world shattered the night she caught her fiancé in bed with her best friend. Broken and lost, she drowned her pain in alcohol… until a stranger’s arms pulled her from danger. Gabriel Harris — the young, untouchable billionaire every woman desired. One night of passion with him changed everything.A month later, Olivia discovered she was pregnant. Determined to start fresh, she built a new life away from heartbreak, raising her son in secret. But five years later, fate brought her back to Beverly Hills and straight into Gabriel’s path. Only now, he wasn’t just the man she once gave herself to… he was her soon-to-be stepbrother.Caught between her mother’s happiness, Gabriel’s relentless pursuit, and the secret of their child, Olivia finds herself tangled in a forbidden love that could destroy everything. When jealousy turns deadly and the truth explodes into the public eye, Olivia must decide if risking her heart and her future for Gabriel is worth losing it all.

Absolute power comes at a price, Midas' touch is a fine example of it.After becoming an existence more feared than the demon king and his army of millions, Ethan returns home. However, while he lost all of his powers, one of them didn't leave him... the power to take the mana and memories of those he touches. He thought that his journey had ended, but it had just started, with the goal of learning how to control his power, he will have to travel Earth and other worlds again in search for what he wants.--------A few decades after the start of the new millennium, people all over the world began to disappear from Earth, only to reappear after days, weeks, and sometimes even years after. At first, those people stayed silent as to where they had been, but after a while, weird information began to spread. These people had gone to other worlds…No one took that information seriously. However, when one of those who disappeared returned, bringing a horde of monsters with them, some people began to think that perhaps not everything was nonsense. The information, after a while, began to receive more credit when a small country in South America got decimated by the horde of monsters. The same thing happened in Europe and Asia. After a while, it was learned that that happened because these people failed to save the other worlds, and even Earth had to pay a price for it.To avoid future disasters, many countries decided to do what they could to identify and train those people. So, in order to train the future heroes of other worlds, many countries created their own summoned heroes’ schools. Unfortunately, they also decided to put in check those who managed to return and use them as assets in exchange for many rewards, but who knows what their true intentions are...

[Volume 1: Dante Blackthorn]When Anastasia and her sister Marianne are captured and shipped across the seas by pirates, they become commodities to be sold in a distant land. Marianne is taken as a courtesan, while Anastasia barely escapes a terrible fate by pretending to be mute. She is forced into the lowest ring of servants at the royal palace, where she endures a life of servitude and creates beautiful artwork to mask her pain.Despite years passing, Anastasia has never forgotten her sister's promise to return to their family together. However, with her movement restricted and the guards vigilant, escape seems impossible.When Anastasia comes into contact with the Forsaken Prince, her life spirals out of control and she triggers a Crux of incredible proportions. Now battling her own inner demons while navigating the treacherous politics of the royal court, Anastasia must confront the truth about her sister's fate and make a choice that could alter the course of an entire kingdom.[Volume 2: Emily Blackthorn]Princess Emily's life takes a turbulent turn when she is rejected, leaving her heartbroken and her soul at the brink of corruption. In a desperate bid to save herself, she journeys to the West.Enter the Storm Prince, a charismatic archdemon with striking blue eyes, with a saint-like smile. Emily had hoped she'd seen the last of him, but fate has other plans. As if her soul dying isn’t enough, someone wants to steal it!Caught between the suitors and the haunting nightmares that have plagued her since childhood, Emily begins to see Raylen in a new light. The blue-eyed demon may not be the monster she once thought.

BOOK TWO OF THE HAMILTON SERIESWARNING: A Regency Era novel. Adult content with detailed smut…Read at you own risk⚠️⛔️Genre: Historical Romance / Smut / Enemies-to-Lovers / Mystery / Comedy[Book Two of the Hamilton Series. Can be read as a standalone, but better enjoyed after Lady Ines’ Scandalous Hobby.]To the world, Duke Rowan Hamilton is the perfect gentleman. But in the bedroom, he is a man possessed.Rowan Hamilton has it all: a Ducal title, the face of a fallen angel, and a smile that makes debutantes faint. He is the “Golden Duke”—charming, responsible, and utterly adored by society.But it’s all a lie.Beneath the coats and polite manners, Rowan is a man haunted by a ghost. For three years, he has remained faithful to the memory of a masked woman who stole a kiss, bested him at a game of chance, and vanished into the night. He doesn't want any one as his wife; he wants her.When his domineering aunt tires of his bachelorhood, she hires London’s most notorious underground matchmaker to force the issue.Enter Miss Delaney Kingsley.She is sharp-tongued, infuriatingly competent, and entirely unimpressed by his title. Her mission? To drag Rowan to the altar with the season’s “Diamond,” Lady Celine, within three months to collect the juicy payment Rowan’s aunt had to offer.Rowan intends to fire the meddlesome woman. But when Delaney looks at him with those hazel, intelligent eyes and orders him around like a young lad, he feels the first spark of life he’s felt in years.He decides to play her game. He will let her “coach” him on how to woo a lady. He will let her teach him how to dance, how to flirt, and how to seduce.But he has no intention of using those lessons on Lady Celine.“You were hired to find me a Duchess, Miss Kingsley. But the only person I want in my duchy and in my bed... is you.”As the lessons turn into forbidden nights and the bickering turns into scorching passion, Rowan begins to suspect that his matchmaker is hiding a secret of her own.She moves like a shadow, handles a rifle like a soldier, and tastes exactly like the ghost he’s been hunting for three years.What to Expect:* The Golden Retriever Duke: Who turns into a possessive Alpha behind closed doors.* The Matchmaker Trope: She’s trying to marry him off; he’s trying to take her clothes off.* High Heat: Slow burn that explodes into intense smut.* Competence Kink: He falls harder every time she bosses him around.* Cameos: Featuring the chaotic domestic life of Duchess Ines and Duke Carcel (and their baby Harry!).Excerpt:“Your Grace, please focus,” Delaney snapped, adjusting his cravat with efficient, gloved hands. “Lady Celine is waiting in the ballroom. You must look at her as if she is the only woman in the world.”Rowan caught her wrist, stopping her movements. He stepped into her space, backing her against the heavy oak door of the study, his “Golden Boy” mask slipping to reveal the hunger beneath.“And how, exactly, does one do that, Miss Kingsley?” he whispered, his voice rough. “Show me.”“I—I cannot show you, I am merely the coach—”“Then teach me,” he growled, lowering his head until his lips brushed the sensitive skin of her neck. “Teach me how to pretend I am not burning alive every time you walk into a room.”