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testblog – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png testblog – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Antonio Miles (Kiss of Death MC #17) Read Online Marteeka Karland http://www.ilovenovels.com/antonio-miles-kiss-of-death-mc-17-read-online-marteeka-karland Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:38 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/antonio-miles-kiss-of-death-mc-17-read-online-marteeka-karland Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, MC Authors: Marteeka Karland Series: Kiss of Death MC Series by Marteeka Karland
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Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66697 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 333(@200wpm)___ 267(@250wpm)___ 222(@300wpm)

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Tessa’s mine now, and I will put anyone who tries to hurt her six feet under.

Tessa – When Antonio Miles and his enforcers from Kiss of Death MC rescue me from a human trafficking ring out of Nashville, Tennessee, I know it’s only a matter of time before Iron comes after me. I’ve seen too much. Know too much. Nothing but my death will ensure my silence. Antonio knows, as well. He takes me to his home in the Great Smoky Mountains, where every door answers to him. He calls it protection. I know captivity when I see it, but Antonio’s control feels dangerously good, and the closer we come to destroying our enemies, the more I want things I can never have – like Antonio. Forever.

Antonio – I swore I’d never love again, but the moment Iron and his men come for Tessa, the protection I promised becomes possession. So I take her where no enemy can reach us. Home. My home in the Great Smoky Mountains. She challenges me, demands to know my plans, and refuses to hide while I fight her war. Every act of defiance only makes me want her more.

The only way to keep Tessa safe is to put Iron and his hired guns out of business. Permanently. No one touches my woman, and make no mistake, Tessa’s mine.

Warning: Antonio Miles includes scenes of graphic violence, drugs, and human trafficking which may trigger some readers. No cheating, and as always, Tessa and Antonio get their happy ending

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Antonio Miles

The Miles family estate sat thirty miles outside of Nashville, a sprawling colonial with white columns and black shutters that had been in my father’s family since before the Civil War. The private room where we brought Judge Isaiah Marlin had no recording equipment and no witnesses beyond the two of us. My father had designed this room to be a space where business could be conducted without fear of electronic surveillance or prying eyes. Soundproof walls, a single tinted window reinforced with bulletproof glass, and the door locked with a key that existed only in Seth’s pocket and the safe in my office.

The room itself was spare and deliberate. A large, polished table sat in the center, its surface gleaming. Two chairs faced each other across its width. A bulletproof briefcase lay open on the surface. The contents fanned out in neat rows was the only disruption to the room’s careful geometry.

Marlin sat in one chair, his posture rigid despite the exhaustion evident in the lines around his mouth. His cuff links were gone, his collar open at the throat. A bruise yellowed along his jaw where one of my men had caught him with an elbow during the estate raid. He’d stopped asking for his lawyer an hour ago.

My father stood near the window, hands clasped behind his back, saying nothing. Even in his sixties, he carried himself with the easy confidence of a man who knew his word was law and that law was absolute. His salt-and-pepper beard was trimmed close to his jaw, his eyes calm as he watched the afternoon light slant across the hardwood floor. He’d let me take the lead on this one. As a rule, we worked together as an almost symbiotic unit. My father might be a caring person, but Seth Miles was ruthless and demanded obedience and perfection. From everyone, but most especially his son. I might be in my prime, but Seth was more than my match in any situation. I wasn’t too proud to admit he could take me.

I sat across from Marlin, my posture relaxed but alert. “The Vossberg account shows six deposits over the last eight months.” I slid a document across the table. “All matching special handling purchases from Iron’s network.”

Marlin’s gaze dropped to the paper but he didn’t touch it. “As I’ve explained, I never purchased anyone. I provided a location for transactions. A neutral ground.”

“A neutral ground,” I repeated, keeping my voice bland like I could give a damn when I really wanted to skin the guy alive just to hear him fucking squeal. “With six-figure deposits into an account under your daughter’s name.” I placed another document beside the first. “An account your ex-wife knows nothing about.”

Marlin’s jaw tightened. “Those are business investments. Nothing to do with --”

“The trust that owns the property on Lake Radnor,” I cut in, placing a third document on the table. “Where you kept the girls between transactions.”

A flush crept up Marlin’s neck. “That’s not -- you can’t prove --”

“The coded buyer logs,” I continued, sliding another page forward. “The transport manifests. The payment records.” Each document landed with a soft whisper of paper against wood. “The security footage from the club where the Garrison girl was processed.”

Marlin’s face slackened with each new page, the color draining from his cheeks. “This is circumstantial at best. A judge would never --”

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Bound (A Faery Story #1) Read Online Lexi Blake http://www.ilovenovels.com/bound-a-faery-story-1-read-online-lexi-blake Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:36 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/bound-a-faery-story-1-read-online-lexi-blake Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Magic, Paranormal, Vampires Authors: Lexi Blake Series: A Faery Story Series by Lexi Blake
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Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 121008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 605(@200wpm)___ 484(@250wpm)___ 403(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >130

Megan Starke has never been special to anyone. With an unrewarding job and a failed marriage, no one would confuse her life with a fairy tale. So when she is kidnapped and taken to a magical world to be the grand prize in a fierce and bloody tournament, she isn't sure if she is in a dream or a nightmare.

Beckett Finn was supposed to be Prince Charming. He and his brother, Cian, were to inherit the throne of the Seelie Fae and rule over a fantasy kingdom. But the thrust of a traitor's blade stole that future. Now the brothers are fading, cursed by their royal blood unless they find a mate who can restore them.

When Beck sees Meg, her body calls to him and he knows she is the key to their salvation. Bound by passion and fate, it's time for Meg to find her happily ever after.

** A Siren Erotic Romance - [#390 Siren Menage Everlasting: Erotic Fantasy Menage a Trois Romance, M/F/M, BDSM, spanking]

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Meg

Once upon a time, in a land closer than you would think…

I’m having the weirdest dream. I try to take in the scene around me. I call it a scene because this isn’t real. This can’t be real. I wasn’t taken by some guy—demon—and transported to…

I’m in some sort of luxurious tent. There’s lush carpet on the floor, but on the outer edges of the space I see grass and patches of loamy earth. Odd lanterns illuminate the space. I call them odd because there doesn’t seem to be a flame. The light is strong, but it’s almost like it’s moving inside the opaque glass.

Like fireflies flickering.

“Are you okay?”

I turn to the sound of a feminine voice, looking through the metal bars of the cage I find myself in. Bile rises. Cage. I’m in a cage. What is my fucked up brain trying to tell me? I mean, honestly the cage totally makes sense. I’m feeling trapped by work and the place in life I find myself, so I understand the setting of this dream. The gorgeous, slender blonde chick in the cage across from me I don’t understand at all.

“I get the cage,” I explain to the blonde. She’s naked, but then everyone in the cages are naked, including myself. “I even get the nudity. I’ve got a meeting with my regional manager next week, and I’m not ready for it. Nudity is a sure sign of anxiety. The cage is because I hate my job and my life, and I can’t seem to find a way out. Hence the luxury of the cage, though I think my subconscious is wrong about that. I mean my paycheck is good enough to keep a roof over my head, but nothing like this.”

The bed I’d “woken” on is the most comfortable I’ve ever been on. The silk sheets are soft and lush. It’s why I thought at first this was going to be some sort of erotic dream, or maybe I’m so tired my dream is being kept in a cage like a beloved pet. I might need therapy because at first I was cool with all of it. Some short chick had brought me lunch, and it was delicious. It was when I requested coffee and the small serving lady asked me what coffee was that I realized I was dreaming.

And it might be a nightmare.

I can still see his face. It had been too long, too skeletal. Something inside me had known. Something had feared that thing in the alley.

The blonde’s head turns as though seeing me from a different angle might help her understand. “You speak too fast. I understand some of your plane’s words, but not all. I am fresh from the old plane.”

Yeah, a gorgeous blonde who doesn’t speak my language and flies on old planes. I have no idea how to interpret that one.

A withered hand reached out to me and when that hand touched my arm, the world had gone cold.

What a find you are, my dear. I think I know just where to take you.

I shake my head, forcing the vision back. That had been a dream, too. A prelude to whatever this nighttime vision is supposed to teach me. It hits me suddenly what all of this is about. I decided a few weeks ago I’m going to take a step that could change my life.

“I’m going to a munch,” I explain to the only woman in the tent who seems interested in me. “That’s a safe way to meet people in the lifestyle. I’m going to see if this is for me, and no anxiety dream is going to make me change my mind. That’s why you’re here. You’re the inner symbol of my insecurity. I’m fairly certain I’ll be the worst-looking potential sub at that munch. Yeah, that’s what this is about.”

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Beast (A Faery Story #2) Read Online Lexi Blake http://www.ilovenovels.com/beast-a-faery-story-2-read-online-lexi-blake Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:34 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/beast-a-faery-story-2-read-online-lexi-blake Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Magic, Paranormal, Vampires Authors: Lexi Blake Series: A Faery Story Series by Lexi Blake
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Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >109

I am a werewolf without a home.

My life was never easy. I grew up in a frozen tundra, but at least it was familiar. Then one cold day, my pack exiled me. I was thrown from the only home I’ve ever known and forced to find a new one.
Now I’m in a strange new world, surrounded by bright lights, loud noises, and far too many people. I’m frightened and trust no one. I wake up in a cell with no one who speaks my language. I’m sure death will come for me.
Instead, I get a vampire.
Dante Dellacourt has been given an ultimatum. Either he takes a consort and settles down, or his very wealthy, powerful family will disown him. Unwilling to lose the life he’s accustomed to, he reluctantly agrees to find a wife.
He chooses me.
He’s unlike any man I’ve ever known. We can’t be more different, but I still find him irresistible.
But I know that inside him hides a ferocious beast waiting to be unleashed. I only need to find the key to unleash him or we might both be lost to betrayal and war

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Kaja

The Werewolf Plane

I look up into the eyes of the woman who raised me, seeking any kind of understanding there. Helga is not a kind mother. The older wolf isn’t my mother at all. She was designated by the First as my keeper when I was orphaned. But Helga was the one to ensure I survived. Helga gives me food and grudging shelter when the weather is too cold for any wolf to stand. Helga only beats me when there is no other option. I’m aware I’m far too thin for a she-wolf of four and twenty, but it’s only to be expected. I have no mate, and Helga must think of her own children first.

But she owes me answers.

“What does it mean?” I ask.

I don’t understand what just happened. It makes no sense. My hands tremble as I pull the thin shawl around my shoulders. I think about changing. I always change when I feel this anxious. Fur and fangs and four strong paws seem more solid than my two-legged body. I hold fast to my human form since I need to understand how my life has changed following the wisewoman’s pronouncement.

Mere moments before, the wisewoman, a large, sturdy wolf, stood up in the middle of the evening meal and spoke. I was at the edge of the dining hall, as is customary. I’m not allowed to eat until the rest of the pack is done. Though I couldn’t hear everything that was said, I felt the eyes of the pack turn, seeking me out. They stared, some with open sympathy, most with sneers.

I do not understand why.

Helga’s eyes are anything but kind as she looks at me. “It means you are outcast. Do you understand the word, girl? You are no longer welcome in the pack. I risk the First’s anger by even speaking with you, but you are too stupid to be expected to understand on your own.”

“Why?” My voice sounds as small as I feel.

I ignore the insults. They are as ordinary to my life as breathing. I was never particularly welcome in the pack, but it’s the only home I know. The world is a cold place. How will I survive on my own? It’s winter, and there is barely enough food to feed the pack. I can’t compete with the warriors on my own. If I am outcast and they catch me hunting in their territory, they will kill me.

Sven will kill me.

Tears pool in my eyes as I think of the handsome Second. He is every inch his father’s son. He will be First someday. I fought him, but he doesn’t take no for an answer. I hated the mating, but somewhere in the back of my mind I wonder if Sven will help me. He desires me. That has to mean he cares about me. I have always known that Sven will not ask me to be his permanent mate. He will select a much more suitable she-wolf for that honor. But he has promised me the role of concubine. It is not without its benefits. I will be respected as the Second’s mistress. I will be the she-wolf who holds his heart. Even if he never holds mine, I will be fed and have a place of honor.

“Sven will not allow it.” He called me beautiful. He won’t allow me to be thrown out of the pack. He can’t. He was the one to pursue me. The truth is I loathe him, but I don’t see another way.

Helga sighs. “He’s done with you, idiot child. He’s going to permanently mate with the wisewoman’s daughter. Did you think she would allow her daughter’s future husband to keep you as a concubine? That is an embarrassment she can not endure. You should never have given yourself to the chief’s son.”

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Beauty (A Faery Story #3) Read Online Lexi Blake http://www.ilovenovels.com/beauty-a-faery-story-3-read-online-lexi-blake Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:32 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/beauty-a-faery-story-3-read-online-lexi-blake Genre: Alpha Male, BDSM, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Magic, Paranormal, Vampires Authors: Lexi Blake Series: A Faery Story Series by Lexi Blake
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Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 661(@200wpm)___ 529(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >141

In one horrifying night, I lost my family, my kingdom, and my Dark Ones, the princes who haunted my dreams for years. Left alone, I fight for survival and crave revenge against the uncle who took everything from me.

But I’ve never forgotten my Dark Ones.
I hide along with my guardian, but a war is raging across two lands. Lives are being lost. I want to fight but everyone around me tries to hold me down. They want me to lay low and keep quiet because they see me as a figurehead, but I know I can be more.
And then my Dark Ones find me. Lach and Shim McIver are the future kings of the Unseelie Fae. They believe that I am the bondmate that will connect the halves of their shared soul. They want to take me back to their kingdom and keep me safe.

But my brothers, the true Seelie kings, are taking back their throne, and I plan to be by their side when they do

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Bronwyn

The Seelie Plane

Thirteen years before

I look down at the hole in MY stomach and wonder how long it will take to die. I stumble into my mother’s room, pushing back the ornate double doors. I hold my hand to my gut, trying desperately to stem the tide. Smoke and tears seem to be all I can see now, obliterating the familiarity of my home. I grew up in the White Palace, the marbled floors always beneath my feet. My father’s room was off-limits to all but Beck, but my mother’s room was a sanctuary.

It is why I ran here when the world exploded around me.

But Mother is nowhere to be found.

My hands shake. I am losing control.

Of course you are, Bron. You took a knife to the gut. Not much coming back from that.

My uncle’s men. Torin turned on us all. I make it to my mother’s big bed, pushing past the filmy curtains and collapsing on the mattress. As a child, I pulled them closed and pretended I was in a whole other world. A world where the friends from my dreams were real. Tears blur my eyes. My Dark Ones. They were with me for as long as I can remember, but I stopped speaking of them years ago. My father called me crazy when I told him of their nightly visitations. My mother called in healers. Only Cian listened without prejudice. Beck couldn’t listen. He didn’t have time, and he was almost never allowed out of our father’s sight. Still, he would catch my eyes and wink or ruffle my hair as he walked past. He is going to be a king.

I cry out. Is Beckett even alive? Has Torin killed all of my family?

When I die, will I see them? My Dark Ones?

“You ain’t dead yet, girl.” A menacing voice pulls me from my misery.

I look up and see the soldier who attacked me. He’s dressed in my uncle’s colors, black and gold, with the Finn family crest upon his breast. My crest. My kingdom. But it doesn’t matter. It’s Uncle Torin’s world now.

I try to move, to force myself to run. There’s a nasty gleam in the soldier’s eye telling me he’s happy I’m not dead yet. He wants to play. I shake my head, horror suffusing me. I’m dying and yet, in the moment, the thought of his bloodied hands on my body is more repugnant than death itself.

But I have no choice. None. So much of my life has been thus. Do your hair just so, Bronwyn. Stand up straight. A princess shouldn’t be friends with her servants. Don’t speak so freely to the brownies. Put that book down. A princess doesn’t need to know such things.

A princess didn’t need to know how to protect herself. A princess didn’t need to understand politics.

A princess dies as easily as her sweet brownie friend did.

His hand snakes out, grabbing my ankle and pulling me down the bed. I can see I soaked my mother’s pristine white sheets with bright red blood. My blood.

My mother gave birth to me in this bed. I will die here.

“Don’t,” I beg. I want to close my eyes. Goddess, I want to see them one last time. I’m shocked to find that in my last moments, all I want to do is sleep and be with them again. My Dark Ones. My friends. The shadow men who hold my heart. I want their arms around me, their voices whispering. The dreams changed recently, becoming more physical. I kissed them the night before, a soft touch of the lips, moving from one to the other because I can’t favor either. I love them both.

No more phantom kisses. Only pain and humiliation and death.

I try to kick out, but I’m weak, so weak. My legs won’t move. It doesn’t matter. The soldier can move them. He spreads them wide, shoving my skirt up. Stupid skirt. I tripped over it. It’s how he caught me in the first place, but a princess doesn’t wear anything practical.

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Beg Me – Play Me Read Online Adriana Locke http://www.ilovenovels.com/beg-me-play-me-read-online-adriana-locke Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:31 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/beg-me-play-me-read-online-adriana-locke Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Sports Authors: Adriana Locke Advertisement

Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89503 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >92

Markie St. James is officially done with men.

Unfortunately, she needs one to defend her pickleball championship title against her cheating ex-boyfriend.

Her solution comes in the form of Jory Plath, her brother’s best friend, a single dad, and a professional rugby player. He’ll help her defend her title if she helps tutor his son. It’s a simple arrangement. Everybody wins.

Until they don’t.

Somewhere between practices, late nights, and giving the town something to gossip about, Markie and Jory go from pickleball partners to fake dating. And the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes he’s exactly the kind of man she swore off.

Now she’s not sure what’s worse—losing her title, losing the man, or losing her heart.

__________

Tropes:

* Single Dad
* Fake Dating
* Small Town
* Brother's Best Friend

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PLAYLIST

Playlist

Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain

Hell at Night by BigXthaPlug and Ella Langley

Dry Spell by Kacey Musgraves

U + Ur Hand by Pink

Can’t Feel My Face by The Weeknd

When You Say Nothing At All, by Keith Whitley

CHAPTER

ONE

Markie

“Do you think anyone would notice if I shoved a bunch of napkins between my boobs?”

My best friend Nettie laughs at my question, brushing a strand of dark hair away from her eyes. “Without a doubt. But it might make your job a little easier. They’ll come for the boobs and leave with a jar of jam.”

I laugh, too, shaking my head and wiping a sheen of perspiration from my forehead.

A sea of umbrellas forms a colorful line to my left in a futile attempt at shielding the farmers’ market stalls from the unrelenting sun. The doors of the old Dairy Barn housing the year-round vendors are wide open in hopes that a little air circulation might prevent anything, or anyone, from melting.

“What are you doing tonight?” Nettie asks, swirling a straw around her lemonade.

“I’m not sure. My evening interview canceled on me.” The memory of the text I received this morning from a potential pickleball partner spikes my blood pressure. “Get this,” I say, placing a hand on my hip. “He said it was too hot and asked if we could reschedule to next week when the temperature wasn’t so … what word did he use? Obscene.”

Nettie’s hand lifts as if I’m a feral animal that she’s trying to calm. “It is ninety-three degrees today.”

“What if it’s ninety-three degrees during the pickleball tournament? What if it’s one hundred? Do you think they’re going to call off the games because it’s too hot?” I lift a brow, challenging her to debate me. “Five years ago, we played through a thunderstorm while lightning danced in the periphery. The tourney stops for no one.”

My hand slips off my hip, probably because of the sweat coating my body, and I groan.

In the decade I’ve been competing—and winning—the Sugar Days Pickleball Tournament, I’ve never had this much trouble finding a partner. My usual prospects are either out of town, dealing with a broken leg, or in a new job that prevents them from playing. Normally, I’d find a man with mediocre talent and enough ego not to want to suck and call it a day. I’m used to carrying the team on my back, after all. It happens every year. But this year, the stakes are far too important to entrust the odds to an inferior partner.

Losing is not an option.

“The tourney stops for no one,” Nettie repeats. “But neither does heatstroke.”

“Which is why I have to find someone already in decent shape, but with enough humility to listen to my instructions. I don’t have time to turn a dud into a stud.”

Nettie snorts. “Stop.”

I shrug because there’s nothing that I can say to temper that statement. I know how it sounds. But the facts speak for themselves, and I’m not in the business of shrinking my abilities to make others, namely men, feel comfortable.

“Why do they have you out here hawking jam?” Mr. Crowder asks, shuffling to the stand. He grips the edge of the table with shaky hands. Out of all the Saturday regulars, he’s my favorite. “I looked for you inside by the concessions where you usually spend your time instead of working.”

Nettie snickers as I pretend to be offended.

He grins. “I thought this was your weekend off.”

“It was,” I say. “But Brenda called this morning and said she wasn’t feeling well. So I volunteered to stand in for her today. I mean, we can’t have people going without her famous peach jam, can we? The whole town may come to a stop.”

Nettie touches me lightly on the shoulder. “I’m going to head home. Mom’s coming over this evening so I can help her plan her new husband’s birthday party.” Her eyes roll. “Yay, me.”

“Have fun.”

“I’ll call you later.” She waves at my customer. “See you soon, Mr. Crowder.”

“Perhaps at church in the morning?” he asks.

She purses her lips. “Perhaps.” Her nose wrinkles as she turns away, heading toward the parking area.

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Bonetide Read Online Karina Halle http://www.ilovenovels.com/bonetide-read-online-karina-halle Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:29 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/bonetide-read-online-karina-halle Genre: Alpha Male, Dark, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Karina Halle Advertisement

Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 146289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 731(@200wpm)___ 585(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >153

"Don't let him in."

Widow's Bay meets Haunting Adeline in this standalone dark gothic horror romance from the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of Blood Orange, Grave Matter and Realm of Thieves.

When Iris Galloway inherits her great-aunt's cottage on a remote Scottish loch, the terms are live there one year, and it's hers.

She doesn't know about the disappearances yet, nor does she know about the handsome man who swims in the loch at night, who watches her cottage from the dark water, and who appears at her door very wet, very naked, and asking to come in.

Meanwhile, the locals warn her about a murderer on the loose, the police are in over their heads, and her aunt's letters say to keep the salt lines around the house and the doors locked after sundown.

And never, ever invite him inside.

But Iris has spent her whole life being careful.

And this wicked stranger is going to ruin her for it.

Bonetide is a dark gothic romance that’s tinged with horror. While this book starts off almost like a cozy gothic mystery, it does pivot later into darker territory. Which also gets a little weird. If you’re here for the cozy, know that it doesn’t stay cozy. If you’re here for the dark romance, know that it’s coming. Please see inside the book or author's website for the content warnings.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Playlist

Below are some songs that I either listened to while writing or songs that encompass the vibes of the book.

“Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn” - The White Stripes

“DNA” - The Kills

“Soothe My Soul” - Depeche Mode

“Initiation” - +++(Crosses)

“Castle” - Halsey

“Loverman” - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

“Fortress” - Queens of the Stone Age

“Vivien” - +++(Crosses)

“Kraken” - Florence & The Machine

“Bells in Santa Fe” - Halsey

“Ghost Ride” - +++(Crosses)

“Don’t Say You Love Me” - Depeche Mode

“Into the Void” - NIN

“Before We Drown” - Depeche Mode

“Drag Me Under” - Sleep Token

“La Mer” - NIN

Prologue

She comes in the late afternoon, in a dark jacket too thin for the weather, dragging a suitcase that catches every uneven stone on the path. She’s not alone, she has the solicitor with her—a portly man who smiles too much. It’s a smile that most give around these parts, nervous and wary, as if they believe all the sordid tales that abound in this region but don’t want others to know.

I’m used to those looks and those smiles.

They no longer bother me, if they ever did.

I’ve been waiting such a long time.

Neither of them can see me. I’m across the water—half in shadow—and she’s still looking at the cottage as if she can’t believe her eyes, perhaps thinking it’s bigger or smaller, more well-kept or less well-kept than she thought. Her hair is darker and longer than her great-aunt’s was, her face shaped like a doll, but there is something of the old woman in the line of her jaw. A stubbornness. A way of standing as if she is alone in the world and has decided that is fine.

I knew Eufemia Galloway for a long time. I know that jaw.

The new one, the one the people in town called Iris when I was last eavesdropping, sets her suitcase on the step and looks behind her at the solicitor. He had been standing there staring at the loch with a look on his face one can only describe as frozen, his mind perhaps torturing him with stories of the drowned wives. Then he snaps to it and hands Iris a key which she accepts with some reverence. It makes me glad to see that she already respects the cottage.

She fits the old key into the lock. She has to lean her weight into it. The door has always been stiff. Then she is inside, and I lose her to the windows for a while, only her shape moving room to room as she opens curtains and cupboards, learning the bones of the place that is now hers.

She comes back out at dusk—the solicitor long gone—and stands at the edge of the water with her arms wrapped around herself.

Now I let her see me.

Not all of me, though—not at first. Just enough that I’m a mere shape across the bay where there was nothing before. A stillness in the dark that her eye catches and holds. I watch her register me. I watch her go very, very still in the way a rabbit does when they know they’re being watched; that primal instinct that knows before the mind does.

Like the rabbit, she does not run unless she has to. I won’t give her a reason yet.

I want her in a way that will terrify her. I want my mouth on the soft place beneath her ear where the pulse runs close to the skin. I want to know what sounds she makes when she is afraid, and what sounds she makes when she is not. I want her on her knees in the salt grass with her hands fisted in my shirt, telling me to stay. I want—and this is the older want, the patient one, the one I have nursed through every long winter on this loch—to take her apart slowly, in the way only she will let me.

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Bred by the Beast – Breeding Season Read Online Sam Crescent, Stacey Espino http://www.ilovenovels.com/bred-read-online-the-beast-breeding-season-read-online-sam-crescent-stacey-espino Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:27 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/bred-read-online-the-beast-breeding-season-read-online-sam-crescent-stacey-espino Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Sam Crescent, Stacey Espino Advertisement

Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >47

Poppy
I came to the mountains chasing the photograph that could save my career. Instead, I witnessed something I was never supposed to see. Now ruthless men want me silenced, and my only hope is the mysterious recluse who lives deep in the wilderness. Wilder is gruff, guarded, and impossible to resist—but the longer I stay in his cabin, the harder it becomes to remember I’m supposed to leave.

Wilder
I’ve spent years alone, protecting my land and avoiding the outside world. Humans only bring greed, bullets, and trouble. Then I find a terrified little photographer running for her life, and every instinct I have demands I keep her safe. She may not know my secrets, but she already owns my heart. Anyone who comes looking for my mate is about to discover why a grizzly never backs down from a fight

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

Poppy wasn’t a hiker.

Trekking for hours through the rugged terrain had her thighs burning and feet aching. But she was determined to get a pic of the notorious giant grizzly. There’d been supposed sightings the past month, and she wanted to be the one photographer to capture the image. The hefty five-thousand-dollar prize offered to the person who brought in a clear picture was a definite incentive. Poppy was not rich, and photography certainly didn’t pay the bills. Today could be a game-changer.

Not only would she win the cash prize, but her name would be out there for all to see. The jobs would come flooding in, and her financial worries would be over.

She stopped, set down her oversized backpack, and pulled out her water bottle. God, the views were breathtaking. Poppy loved nature, especially the sunsets and wildflowers. She’d been drawing and scrapbooking flowers for years. She was proud to know the scientific names of countless plant species, not that such knowledge would ever prove useful.

After readjusting her ponytail, she slung the backpack on again and started heading in the same direction. It shouldn’t be too much longer according to her calculations. Then she’d settle in with her binoculars and watch the mountainside for movement. No one said this trip was going to be easy, or everyone would be cashing in. So, she wouldn’t complain. Not about the aches and pains, the dropping temperatures, or the deep-seated fear of the unknown playing with her imagination.

After another hour or so of trudging through the thick underbrush and fallen trees, she decided she couldn’t go any farther. Poppy got to the edge of the mountainside and looked down the cliff face. It was thick with tree coverage and seemed to go on forever. She decided it was a good vantage point, so she dropped everything and started to settle in.

She sat down, leaning against a tree, and pulled out her notebook. She wrote down everything from to-do lists, to random thoughts. As she fanned through the old book, she exhaled. At thirty-two she was sitting here in the middle of nowhere like a loser hoping for the needle-in-a-haystack picture.

Poppy had no savings, no property, no boyfriend, and unstable employment. She had to lose at least fifty pounds, her cholesterol was too high, and her window to have a child was getting smaller each year.

She laughed to herself. It sounded worse than it really was. She wasn’t unhappy, just lonely. Survival wasn’t a big deal, as she was used to it. It was the quiet evenings, watching other couples holding hands, envisioning growing old alone. Those were the killers.

She chewed on a piece of beef jerky. It was extra good because she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. As she chewed on her food, her peripheral vision alerted her to movement. Poppy gasped, scrambling to locate her binoculars and camera. She crawled to the edge of the embankment and started focusing the settings, a piece of jerky still between her teeth.

As the image cleared, she stayed as still as possible. It wasn’t across the valley like she expected, but just down a bit on her side of the slope where there was a grassy clearing. There were three men.

Shit.

Others obviously had the same idea. She wondered if they’d already gotten a picture of the mysterious monster grizzly. The tabloids called it, “The Beast of the Mountain.” They looked so much better prepared than her with a lot of equipment.

She sat back down on her butt but kept watching. If they weren’t packing up, maybe they hadn’t gotten a picture yet. And with all those supplies, it would take them longer to get out of the forest. If she got her pic in first, she’d get the reward, no matter how many pics they brought in later.

Poppy examined the plants and weeds nearby from where she was sitting. Nothing exciting was happening when she checked her binoculars. She noted a few highly poisonous weeds and berries, and some edible plants she may clip and eat later if she had to. Maybe her useless knowledge would come in handy after all.

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Cipher (Black Crowns MC #2) Read Online Fiona Davenport http://www.ilovenovels.com/cipher-black-crowns-mc-2-read-online-fiona-davenport Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:25 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/cipher-black-crowns-mc-2-read-online-fiona-davenport Genre: Alpha Male, Biker, Insta-Love, MC, Virgin Authors: Fiona Davenport Series: Black Crowns MC Series by Fiona Davenport
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Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63763 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >69

Corbin “Cipher” Ralston had solid reasons to stay away from Bex Raines. She was too young for him and the sheriff's daughter, but that didn't stop the Black Crowns enforcer from wanting her with a violence that made him dangerous.

When Bex stumbles onto a conspiracy deep within her father's department, Cipher quickly gets her under his protection—and in his bed where she always belonged. Anyone who comes for what’s his is going to learn exactly why they call him Cipher

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

PROLOGUE

CIPHER

Ahead of my club president’s wedding, I had mapped every inch of the Rutledge property. I’d also done a deep dive into each guest before Stryker put a ring on his old lady’s finger. None of it demanded much conscious effort, because assessing a crowd had become as natural as breathing sometime during my first deployment.

Rebecca Raines was the only part of the evening I couldn’t reduce to useful information, because the reaction she caused in me was completely fucking unwelcome.

I’d known exactly who she was before the bride introduced us. Bex was nineteen, Jacqueline’s best friend, and Sheriff Raines’s only daughter, giving me three separate reasons to keep my hands away from her. And her father understood precisely how dangerous I could be.

Those facts should have settled the matter for a man who trusted logic. Instead, one look at her in that pale-blue maid-of-honor dress had sent enough blood into my cock to make the rest of the ceremony an exercise in controlled suffering.

The soft fabric ended above white cowgirl boots and followed a slender yet undeniably feminine body, curved in every place my hands wanted to close around. Loose honey-blond hair brushed her shoulders, catching gold beneath the strings of lights, while her hazel-green eyes seemed to shift between warm amusement and wicked curiosity depending on whether she thought she had caught me watching. Her full pink mouth made restraint even less pleasant, especially when my mind insisted on picturing those lips swollen beneath mine while I found out what sounds she made when a man stopped treating her like the sheriff’s sweet little girl.

I had spent years extracting useful intelligence from visual details, but nothing about knowing the exact shape of Bex’s ass in that dress was helping anybody survive the night.

I kept my place beside the makeshift bar, a bourbon sitting untouched between my fingers while I tracked her through the reception without moving my head enough to make it obvious. Every man who looked at her stayed in my awareness longer than he should have, and each one who made her smile produced an irrational pressure beneath my ribs that had no tactical value whatsoever. I’d convinced myself no one noticed, although Stryker glanced my way twice, looking like he was waiting for me to finish making a bad decision.

And Bex was just as aware of me, which explained why she had spent the past twenty minutes finding increasingly weak reasons to return to the bar. Her first visit had been for sparkling water, the second for a napkin she could have taken from any table, and the third because she claimed the bartender had hidden the lime wedges from her.

Each time, she stood close enough for the citrus-and-vanilla scent of her skin to reach me, gave me a warm smile, and waited as though she expected me to flirt. But I answered only what she asked and watched her walk away while my cock stayed hard enough to punish me for the decision.

A burst of laughter pulled several guests’ attention across the lawn, but mine was fixed on Bex when she stopped beside me again. She tilted her face toward mine with determination bright in her eyes and the impish curve of her lips telling me she knew exactly how closely I’d been tracking her. “You know, watching every man who asks me to dance is a lot more work than dancing with me yourself.”

“I’m not watching every man.” The lie was defensible because I was also watching the entrances, perimeter, and half the club, but the slight lift of her brows said she wasn’t interested in technicalities. My gaze dropped to the pulse at the base of her throat before moving back to her eyes, and the soft pink beginning to spread over her skin made me want to put my mouth there until the color deepened beneath my scruff. “Some of them aren’t worth monitoring.”

Her smile widened as she held out one slender hand. “Then dance with me and save yourself the trouble.”

I stared at her fingers for a second too long, imagining them tangled in my hair while I held her against a wall and dragged my mouth down her body. My restraint had already been reduced to mere avoidance, which irritated me nearly as much as the erection pressing against my zipper.

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Colt (Double U Ranch #1) Read Online Jessica Peterson http://www.ilovenovels.com/colt-double-u-ranch-1-read-online-jessica-peterson Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:23 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/colt-double-u-ranch-1-read-online-jessica-peterson Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Jessica Peterson Series: Double U Ranch Series by Jessica Peterson
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Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 115683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 578(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >117

She isn’t supposed to care about a ranch.
She definitely isn't supposed to fall for the foreman.
And his six-year-old son is absolutely, definitely not supposed to capture her heart.

Lainey Brown is not ranch material. She's a city girl who landed on the legendary Wallace Ranch to give the place a fresh coat of branding—and get her career back on track. She's got no interest in cowboys, cattle, or the infuriatingly gorgeous foreman who clearly wants her gone.

Colton Wallace has spent every day since losing his wife building something worth leaving his son: a spotless reputation, a thriving operation, and a life with no room for complications. The last thing he needs is a firecracker from Austin with a sketchbook full of big ideas and a smile that makes him forget every reason he swore off wanting things he can't keep.

But somewhere between their very first fight and a Texas night sky that stretches on forever, something shifts. Lainey stops counting the days until she can leave. And Colt stops pretending he wants her to.

The ranch has always been the Wallace legacy. But Colt is starting to wonder if the best thing that's ever happened to it—and to him—just walked in wearing city shoes

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

CHAPTER 1

Eldest Daughter

LAINEY

OCTOBER

That can’t be it.

Using a pair of metal tongs to turn over the meatballs in Mom’s ancient cast iron pan, I try not to wince as the memory of today’s interview loops through my head for the thousandth time.

The parade of haughty private equity bros in their matching puffer vests.

The not-so-subtle digs about me applying for a “non-income-producing seat” in the marketing department.

The freezing conference room with a sad little office park pond outside the windows. Even the fountain looked depressed, trying in vain to keep the toxic-looking sludge from crowding the pond’s surface.

The cherry on top, though, was being propositioned by one of the firm’s partners at the end of my interview. Randolph Price Edwards III was his name. No, I’m not joking. Just like he wasn’t joking about the two of us—and only the two of us—hanging out afterward.

Yeah, Prestige Partners can’t be the company—the type of job—I’ve spent years busting my ass for.

“So?” Mom drops some ice cubes into a glass of pinot grigio and hands it to me. “Did you get the job?”

Taking a long, hard pull of wine, I give the meatballs another flip. They’ve started to sizzle, releasing the mouth-watering scents of butter and garlic. I don’t love coming home to Fort Worth anymore, but I do miss Mom’s cooking.

“I didn’t get an offer, no,” I reply. “Honestly, I’m relieved. The people I met…they just didn’t feel like my kind of people. One of the guys I interviewed with had the balls to ask me out. During the interview. Can you believe it?”

Even now, my stomach turns over at the way Randolph kept fluttering his stumpy, lily-white hands between his thinning mop of brownish hair, the arms of his chair, and the pile of paper in front of him.

My résumé was on the top of that pile. The one I’ve meticulously built, first with internships at marketing firms in college and then with a very specific selection of courses in business school at the University of Texas at Austin, where I still live.

It was almost like Randolph wasn’t sure what his most vital appendages were for. Bet that applies to more appendages than just his hands.

But the memory of Randolph keeps me from following that train of thought, even though I’ve had sex on the brain lately. Guess that’s what happens when you haven’t gotten laid in a year.

Longer than that if we’re talking about getting properly laid. But I’m starting to think good guys who are also good in bed just don’t exist.

“Huh.” Mom lights the burner underneath a giant pot of water. “I’d take the invite as a compliment if I were you. That’s just how men are, sweetie. I think you’re expecting too much of these guys.”

I blink. Sip my wine.

I’m…honestly not sure what to say to that. I recognize that Mom comes from a different generation. She also hasn’t worked since I was born, so her view of how people act in the workplace is probably a little skewed. But surely I’m not asking for too much by wanting to be respected?

“I’m not sure I agree.” I avoid meeting her eyes.

She shrugs. “You haven’t had much luck in your job hunt so far. I’d keep an open mind if you really do want an offer.”

Thing is I don’t want an offer. Not anymore. But I’m not sure how to explain that to my parents.

Letting out a silent sigh, I tell myself I’ll only be back in my hometown of Fort Worth for thirty-six hours. Maybe less if I play my cards right. I made the three-hour drive from Austin right after my bomb of an interview because it’s Mom’s birthday this weekend. If I don’t celebrate the occasion, no one else in my family will.

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Cowboy Daddies – Dirty Daddies Anthologies Read Online Laylah Roberts http://www.ilovenovels.com/cowboy-daddies-dirty-daddies-anthologies-read-online-laylah-roberts Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:28:21 +0000 https://www.ilovenovels.com/cowboy-daddies-dirty-daddies-anthologies-read-online-laylah-roberts Genre: Alpha Male, Erotic, Insta-Love Authors: Laylah Roberts Advertisement

Total pages in book: 248
Estimated words: 236036 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1180(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 787(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >248

Love is a wild ride…

These cowboys are looking for their cowgirls with feet in the stirrups, heads in the clouds and hearts set on love.

With six brand-spankin-new stories to spice up the loneliest nights, this anthology is chock-full full of rough and tumble dirty-talking Daddies and the sassy Little ones they are going to lay their claim on.

Saddle up and sit tight, because we’re going all in to conquer the wild west of your heart

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter One

“We’re having an adventure, adventure, adventure. We’re having an adventure wherever it may go,” Sage Cartwright sang, butchering the children’s song “Following the Leader” at the top of her lungs, completely off-key and loving every second of it.

Bumping along the winding gravel driveway in her beat-up SUV, Sage drove as fast as she dared. Dust swirled behind her like a trailer-park tornado.

Remote Wyoming ranch land stretched out on both sides, wide open and rugged, with mountains standing guard in the distance. Sage had driven the forty-five minutes straight from her hometown of Wilder, fueled by cheap gas-station coffee and pure stubbornness.

Having a client so close to Wilder had never happened before. Grady Kane owned Stone Creek Ranch, and it was only thirty-eight miles outside of town. That meant she could visit her friends and grab a cinnamon roll at Bread & Batter, the best bakery in Wyoming.

You would think that, living in Wilder, she would have worked on a ranch before. She’d heard plenty of stories about what it was like, but this would be a first for her. Even better, she didn’t have to do any actual ranch work. There was no way she’d be much help anyway. If Mr. Kane doubted that fact, all she had to tell him was that, despite living in Wilder–ranch capital of the state–she was probably the only person in Wyoming who couldn’t ride a horse.

Her back and butt aching thanks to the worn driver’s seat, she leaned forward to try and get some relief. She kept forgetting to get a cushion so the springs wouldn’t keep jabbing her in the backside. But that was a problem for another day. This day was her chance to start fresh.

Sure, by Wyoming standards this ranch was small, but she preferred to think of it as cozy. Cozy meant getting to know people on more than just a “Hey, I know your name” level, right? But… what if Stone Creek Ranch turned out to be an even lonelier place than Wilder?

Not that her loneliness was Wilder’s fault. Being so DDlg-friendly, the town should be the perfect place to live. The problem was her. She would be the first to admit she wasn't your typical Little.

But she wasn’t in Wilder right now. All she had to worry about were the people living at Stone Creek Ranch. Specifically, the precious girl who was looking to her for help. Even if she wasn’t very good at helping herself, Sage was darn good at helping children with special emotional needs. As a homeschool nanny, that was her whole job. A job she was very good at, thank you very much.

But every time she met a new family, she had the same worry. What if she couldn’t connect with the family? What if Rose, the silent little girl she was supposed to help, was too far gone for anyone to reach?

Once again, that was a worry for another day.

To distract herself from the never-ending road that might just be leading to nowhere, she turned on the radio. She did her best to sing along with Jordan Davis’s song “Turn This Truck Around” and hoped it wasn’t an omen.

Her tummy tingled at the memory of the things everyone at the Haven Agency had said of the mysterious rancher who owned Stone Creek Ranch. What were their words again… “stern,” “intense,” “not exactly warm and fuzzy.”

But what about all the things they didn’t say? To her, he sounded like a great dad.

You mean a great Daddy, her needy Little chimed in.

Oh, for heaven’s sake!

The last thing she needed to be worried about was whether her new client was a Daddy. Strong, stern ranchers weren’t all Daddies. For that matter, they didn’t fall for the nannies they hired for their children. Only in cheesy romance novels did that ever happen. Even if it did, nobody would choose a Little with the kind of baggage she was carrying.

Enough! She was there to do a job, and she would do it successfully. She squinted through the dirty windshield, hoping something–anything–would appear to end her trek. Maybe Stone Creek Ranch was some fantasy land found only in mythology. It sure didn’t seem to be anywhere on this road. Where was this darn ranch house?

Turning the radio back off, she belted out, “I’ll have the time of my li-i-ife,” channeling her inner Jennifer Grey, imagining the mystical Grady Kane instead of Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, the best movie ever made. Hey, if it happened to Baby, it could happen to Sage. She wailed the song at the top of her lungs as a talisman against negative thoughts.

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