Lexi Ryan – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Lexi Ryan – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Tue, 05 Aug 2025 19:54:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Lexi Ryan – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Between These Broken Hearts – Cursed Stars Read Online Lexi Ryan http://www.ilovenovels.com/between-these-broken-hearts-cursed-stars-read-online-lexi-ryan Tue, 05 Aug 2025 19:54:42 +0000 http://www.ilovenovels.com/between-these-broken-hearts-cursed-stars-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal Authors: Lexi Ryan Advertisement

Total pages in book: 140
Estimated words: 132625 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)

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A human princess armed with death's kiss and a fae shifter on the run become unlikely allies when a mission to assassinate an evil king collides with a fatal prophecy.

Princess Jasalyn has eleven days to live.

Jasalyn is facing the repercussions of a deadly bargain. Her life, and the future of the shadow court, are forfeit on her birthday unless she can stop the evil fae king Mordeus. She needs to face her greatest fears and find him before she runs out of time, but even after everything, Kendrick won't let her face this alone.

Shape-shifter Felicity has vanished.

Felicity disappeared from King Misha's dungeons, and her friends have been searching for her to no avail. But even if she's found, Felicity will never be able to escape the oracle's tragic prophecy for her and her family. In her lonely battle with fate, Misha is the last person she can ask to stand by her side, but the first one she'll need

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

Abriella

Another day of searching for my sister. Another day of chasing ghosts.

Rage is my constant companion. I’ve stopped trying to contain the rumbling shadows that swirl around my feet and fingertips. I no longer care whether Abriella, queen of the shadow fae, appears gentle or brutal, kind or intimidating. My sister is gone. My court is falling apart. And if the winds don’t change soon, all will be lost.

“We are running out of time,” I say, spinning away from the setting sun to scowl at my visitors.

“You think I don’t know that?” When Hale Kendrick’s ice-blue eyes meet mine, they contain the fury of a tempestuous sea. “You think it doesn’t haunt me every day I fail to find her? Every day I fail them both?”

The ache in my chest intensifies at the reminder of my selfishness. I’m not the only one whose sister is missing. Kendrick lost the woman he loves and his sister, Felicity, in the same day. He hasn’t rested since, and the dark circles beneath his eyes hint at the exhaustion his posture never reveals.

Months. We’ve been at this for months and have nothing to show for it.

I thought this time would be different, but now I realize desperation was making me see what wasn’t there. The rumors of Jasalyn sightings hurt the stability of my court as much as they hurt my heart. Some say she ran back to the human realm. Some say she is hiding out in the Seelie Court. Too few believe she is with me, staying in the safety of the Midnight Palace until her eighteenth birthday.

Every rumor, every speculation makes me rage. And I can’t even defend my sister by sharing the truth because seers across the land have whispered prophecy about the shadow princess, and one hint of the truth of the ring and her blood magic connection to Mordeus would be the end for me. The end of everything good I’ve tried to bring back to these people.

Claim the princess and control the court.

“You said you had a lead. That someone had seen her. Was it lies?” I demand. That’s why they’re here, after all—to update me on their latest efforts to find Jasalyn.

Kendrick’s friend Natan nudges his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and steps forward. “It was more of the same,” he explains. “Someone knows someone who saw her—but tracking the rumors didn’t yield anything.”

Of course it didn’t. We can never find anyone who saw her with their own eyes. And I am unable to search for her myself because I have to remain at the palace and pretend she isn’t missing at all. We’ve had a trusted shifter take her form to make the occasional appearance on various palace balconies, but without Felicity’s special gifts, we can’t risk allowing anyone close enough that they might suss out our deceit.

I shake my head, the same questions that have haunted me for months spinning through my head. “If we can’t find her because of the ring’s magic, why are there any memories of her appearing at all?”

Natan shakes his head. “This ring—it’s a conduit to some of the most powerful and complex magic I’ve ever seen. Perhaps the magic is changing. Or perhaps the rumors are just rumors and that’s why we can never find a true source.”

My gut folds in on itself at the hopelessness of it all, but I keep my chin up, my face impassive. We haven’t lost this yet. Haven’t lost her yet.

“With all due respect,” Kendrick says, folding his arms, “finding her might prove futile without this mythical stone your seer claims can nullify the ring’s magic.”

My temper flares, my shadows surging alongside my rage. Because he’s right. The idea that we could have found her and simply don’t remember is as devasting as anything. And even if that hasn’t happened already, if I don’t track down the Stone of Disenchantment, that is exactly the challenge we have before us.

Finn, my king, my love, my bonded partner, places a hand on the small of my back, and I draw in my first full breath since Elora’s chosen king returned with more bad news.

“Misha is investigating a lead on Felicity,” Finn tells Kendrick, smoothly shifting the subject away from my futile search for the stone. I’m glad he’s clearheaded enough to share this latest bit of news. If someone could give me a small shred of hope regarding my sister, I’d want to hear it.

Finn looks to me and I give a subtle shake of my head. We won’t give this male more hope than that. Not until Misha brings Kendrick’s sister back safely.

“Misha’s team still believes she lives,” I tell Kendrick. Like me, he’ll have to sustain himself on scraps of hope, and when those scraps aren’t enough to put a dent in the fear and grief these months have planted in our hearts, we plow forward nonetheless.

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Beneath These Cursed Stars Read Online Lexi Ryan http://www.ilovenovels.com/beneath-these-cursed-stars-read-online-lexi-ryan Sat, 31 Aug 2024 08:14:15 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/beneath-these-cursed-stars-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Young Adult Authors: Lexi Ryan Advertisement

Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 123190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 616(@200wpm)___ 493(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)

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From #1 bestselling author Lexi Ryan comes a romantic fantasy in which a human princess armed with death’s kiss and a fae shifter on the run become unlikely allies when a mission to assassinate an evil king collides with a fatal prophecy.

Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies.
Shape-shifter Felicity needs a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, she’s been using her unique ability to evade a fatal prophecy.
When rumors of evil king Mordeus’s resurrection spread through the shadow court, Jasalyn decides to end him once and for all. Felicity agrees to take the form of the princess, allowing Jas to covertly hunt Mordeus—and starting Felicity on the path that could finally take her home.
While Jasalyn teams up with the charming and handsome Kendrick, Felicity sets out to get closer to the Wild Fae king, Misha. Kendrick helps Jasalyn feel something other than anger for the first time in three years, and Misha makes Felicity wish for a world where she’s free to be her true self. Soon, the girls’ missions are at risk right alongside their hearts.
The future of the human and fae realms hangs in the balance as fates intertwine. Between perilous tasks, grim secrets, and forbidden romances, Jasalyn and Felicity find that perhaps their stars are the most cursed of all.

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

Chapter One

Jasalyn

THE MALE I CAME TO kill is drunk when I find him. He’s lounging on a chesterfield sofa at the back of a crowded underground alehouse, his elven ears poking up through his mop of dirty-blond curls.

I weave through the crowd and sit on his knee as if we’re old friends.

“Hey there, beautiful,” he says, head lolling to the side, his smile as sloppy as his words.

Disappointment is an unexpected sharp pain in my otherwise numb heart. It’s a pity—the drunkenness. Killing him while he’s this inebriated won’t feel like the triumph I’m after. I’m tempted to come back another time, but I won’t risk losing my opportunity.

I tilt his face toward mine, remembering every nasty word he once hurled from his too-pretty fae lips. “I’ve been looking for you, Vahmer.”

“Are you real or a dream?” he asks. His gaze is fixed on my mouth.

I give him my most wicked smile. “What do you think?”

“I think if this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

I cup his jaw and stroke my thumb across his cheek. “Don’t worry,” I whisper. “You won’t.”

A mere three years ago, the faeries in this room—the nastiest, greediest citizens of the Unseelie Court—were enjoying ill-gotten wealth under Mordeus’s rule. When he died and my sister took the throne, they scrambled like rats from the sun, hiding away and hoarding their riches, scheming to overthrow the rightful queen.

Here, in the deepest caverns of the darkest mountains, they live like kings. Throwing parties where pleasure is the purpose and cruelty is the side act.

“Tell me what you want,” he says, attention still fixed on my lips. “Anything I have is yours. Anything I don’t, I’ll get for you.”

Such sweet words from a mouth that spit in my water just to see me cry. Such a hungry gaze from eyes that danced in amusement as my cellmate drew bloody pictures into my flesh with a knife.

Without the moonstone ring on my finger, I’d never be able to tolerate having him so close, but this ring puts as much of a spell on me as it does on those in my presence.

I rise from his lap and back away. “The only thing I want is for you to come with me.”

He follows, and the other revelers watch with stars in their eyes, wishing they were so lucky.

Like every night I seek out my enemies, my lips are bloodred. I painted them before I left my chambers—a reminder to myself of their deadly power. Neither the makeup nor my hooded cloak hides my appearance. They don’t need to. The magical ring on my finger enchants everyone around me. They won’t recognize me. They’ll be too bewitched to consider why my face looks familiar.

“I’ll go with you,” a barrel-chested dwarf barks. “He can’t give you anything worth having.”

A beautiful white-haired female reaches a delicate, pale hand my way. “No, take me instead.”

The crowd surges toward us.

They won’t touch me. They want to, but they wouldn’t dare without my command.

“You all stay here,” I say sweetly. “I’ll be back later.” It’s so tempting to poison their wine and command them all to drink, but I’ve never seen them before. I don’t know the atrocities they’ve committed. Anyone who’s part of this crowd is no doubt guilty of many, but even with this cold heart, I won’t execute without cause. I won’t be like them.

I lead my captive up the stairs and aboveground to the rain-slicked street. The air is crisp tonight, promising an early winter. I crave winter. Crave the bitter cold. The ice. The numbness that creeps into my fingers and toes.

This winter, thanks to the ring on my finger, I’ll have a heart to match.

“I’m very strong,” my newest victim tells me. “Strong and important. I could take good care of you.”

I spin on him. “You didn’t take care of Crissa when she was a prisoner in Mordeus’s dungeon.” I curl my lip and narrow my eyes. “You hurt her.”

“Who’s Crissa?”

Of course he doesn’t remember her. Humans are inconsequential to the fae. “She was the girl who shared my cell.”

“Why are you so worried about a human?” He says it like someone might ask why I’m worried about a piece of trash.

We were all cheap toys to him, and using his magic to control her, making her cut me up with no way to stop herself, that was nothing more than a game. “She was my friend.”

He shakes his head. “There were a lot of prisoners in that dungeon. I wouldn’t have hurt anyone if I knew they were friends with you.”

“You did hurt her. You made her cry and then you took her away.”

His brow creases, and his lower lip trembles. “I was doing my job, but if I’d known you wanted her safe, I never would have handed her over to the king. I would’ve been punished, but I’d take any punishment for you.”

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Every Chance With You – Orchid Valley Read Online Lexi Ryan http://www.ilovenovels.com/every-chance-with-you-orchid-valley-read-online-lexi-ryan Wed, 02 Nov 2022 21:50:20 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/every-chance-with-you-orchid-valley-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Angst, Billionaire, Romance Authors: Lexi Ryan Advertisement

Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106806 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 534(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 356(@300wpm)

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When I met Alec Hayes in Vegas, I thought I'd stumbled into a love affair with the man of my dreams. Alec's sexy, confident, and charming.
Our night together was full of laughter and the kind of toe-curling kisses that tempted me to believe in fate for the first time in years.
Until I flew out to LA to surprise Alec and ran into the unnamed half-brother he'd admitted to despising. But I know Oliver Rhett as soon as I see him.
Oliver's the reason I stopped believing in destiny. He was my first love and my first heartbreak. And now he's the reason I can't be with Alec.
It's not fair to give one man the scraps of my heart when Oliver would always be right there to remind me he still holds the rest.
But when Alec needs a favor, I can't turn my back on him. Even if it means falling a little more for his gentle charm every day. Even if it means facing Oliver and remembering exactly how brazenly he stole my heart.
My plan is to walk away. I can't make this family feud worse. But I didn't realize just how hard a broken heart can fall.

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

PROLOGUE

SAVVY

Some might say that showing up on a man’s doorstep in nothing but a scrap of lace and a trench coat makes me a walking cliché. I, however, like to think of this moment as an homage to the night I met Alec Hayes.

It was Vegas, and we were both looking for a good time. The night went exactly how you would expect it to—a blur of dancing, drinking, and hot, stolen kisses. The even blurrier moments—the ones just beyond my grasp—were the ones in his suite. All I have from the end of that night are bits and pieces: his lips skimming down the sides of my neck, his big hands gripping my thighs before sliding around to cup my ass, and the delicious weight of his body on mine.

That wasn’t a total blackout night for me, but I still wish I could remember it with more clarity. Which brings me here, to the doorstep of his fancy L.A. mansion. I’m ninety percent sure that it’s not nerves but excitement that has my hands shaking as I extend a finger to press the doorbell.

I hold my breath as the heavy footsteps inside make their way toward the door. I grip the ties on my coat, ready to give Alec a show the moment I see his face.

But when the door flies open, I freeze.

Time and space fall away. I don’t just question if I’m at the right house, but if the last five years ever happened. Because the man looking back at me is not Alec Hayes at all. The man looking back at me is straight out of my past. I haven’t seen him since I was twenty-one years old and he broke my heart.

A smile stretches across Oliver Rhett’s face, and he slowly scrapes his gaze down the front of my trench coat, as if he knows exactly what I’m wearing—or not wearing—beneath it.

“Savannah Downing,” he says, his voice a gravelly rumble. “Holy shit. You’re as beautiful as you were the last time I saw you.”

I could say the same for him. His gray eyes are like the sea before a storm. His dark hair is neatly trimmed but swept back as if he’s been dragging frustrated hands through it. And that body? I might only be able to remember snippets from my night with Alec, but I remember exactly how Oliver’s body felt—the way his hips pressed into mine, the way he’d hold my wrists and my gaze as he slid inside me, how it felt to hear him whisper my name like a prayer before he surrendered to his own pleasure.

I never thought I’d see him again.

My gaze flies to the house number and back to the door, but I double- and triple-checked the address. I know I’m at the right place. “What are you doing here?”

He folds his arms and leans one shoulder against the doorframe, his smile turning crooked. “That’s my line.” He’s silent a beat, then cocks his head to the side. “But from the look on your face, I’m guessing you’re not here looking for me? Do you know Rose?”

Who’s Rose? Is that his wife? Why does the idea of him being married feel like a dull blade in the center of my chest?

“This isn’t your house.” The words are strangled. Too desperate.

“You’re right. I’m here visiting my sister.”

I am a confident, self-assured woman. I won’t let Oliver turn me into a mess again just because this moment makes no sense. How could I come to surprise Alec and find myself looking Oliver in the eye? It doesn’t matter. He hasn’t mattered since he broke your heart and disappeared from your life. I’m here for a man I know would never do that. “I’m looking for Alec Hayes.”

Oliver straightens and drops his arms. All the warm amusement in his expression drains away and he turns as cold as his steely eyes. “I see. And how do you know my brother?”

Brother. Bullshit. There’s no way Oliver could be Alec’s brother. Oliver is hardened and calculating, while Alec is sweet and thoughtful and possesses all the goodness I long ago stopped expecting from men. Never mind that they don’t even share a last name. There’s nothing remotely similar about these two.

Except their jaw lines. Except their smiles.

Fate couldn’t be so cruel, could it? And anyway, wouldn’t Alec have mentioned Oliver? We talked about our families in Vegas. We talked about—

I take a step back. Alec did tell me about a half-brother he can’t stand. Did he ever say his name? Why didn’t I ask?

And Oliver . . . well, Oliver never told me shit about his family when we were together. Because we were never really a couple. That was just my overly naïve perception of a fucked-up situation.

“Is this your idea of revenge?” Oliver asks. “Seems a little petty. And after all this time.”

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These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2) Read Online Lexi Ryan http://www.ilovenovels.com/these-twisted-bonds-these-hollow-vows-2-read-online-lexi-ryan Sat, 30 Jul 2022 10:04:13 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/these-twisted-bonds-these-hollow-vows-2-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult Authors: Lexi Ryan Series: These Hollow Vows Series by Lexi Ryan
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Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 139662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 698(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lexi Ryan
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	0358386586 (ISBN13: 9780358386582)
Book Information:
Brie finds herself caught between two princes and two destinies while the future of the fae realm hangs in the balance. After Abriella's sister was sold to the fae, she thought life couldn't get any worse. But when she suddenly finds herself caught in a web of lies of her own making - loving two princes and trusting neither - things are not quite as clear as she once thought. As civil war wages in the Court of Darkness, Brie finds herself unable to choose a side. How can she know where she stands when she doesn't even know herself anymore? In this darkly romantic thrill ride, the more Faerie is torn apart from the inside, the clearer it becomes that prophecies don't lie and Brie has a role to play in the fate of this magical realm - whether she likes it or not.
Books in Series:	These Hollow Vows Series by Lexi Ryan
Books by Author:	Lexi Ryan

Chapter One

Beyond the castle gates, the sun rises and the birds sing, but the Golden Palace is draped in a veil of night. My night. My darkness. My power.

I throw out magic with abandon, trapping those who dare to chase me. Darkness trails behind me like the train on an elaborate wedding gown. But I’m not anyone’s bride.

I won’t let them fool me with their pretty lies and manipulations. Sebastian betrayed me. They all betrayed me, but his duplicity cuts the deepest. The male who was supposed to love me, supposed to protect me, used me to steal the Unseelie crown.

Rage floods my veins and feeds my power.

I run, even when the path beneath my bare feet turns rocky and sharp. I focus on the pain, welcome the sting of the gravel cutting into my soles. It’s the only thing that blocks out this other feeling—this anguish and frustration that belongs to the one I love. The male I’m bonded to forever. The one who lied to me, who betrayed me.

I don’t want to feel him. I don’t want to know that my departure is like a fracture down the center of his heart or that losing me has brought him to his knees. I don’t want to understand that he’s been trapped by his own duty or to comprehend the depths of his regrets. But I do. Through this bond between our souls, I do.

Sebastian betrayed me for the crown, and now he has what he wanted, while I have become that which I despised for so long. A faerie. An immortal.

Reason claws at me as I run.

I’m barefoot. In a sleeping gown. I won’t make it far like this, but I refuse to let them catch me.

I double back to the paddock, and when I push inside, the stable boy’s eyes go wide, his gaze fixed on the cresting wave of darkness looming behind me, ready to strike.

He’s young, with sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and pointed elven ears. I’ve seen him before, when getting a horse to ride around the palace grounds. Back when I thought I was safe here, when I believed Sebastian’s love was pure.

“Give me your boots,” I say, lifting my chin.

“My . . . my . . .” he stammers, his eyes darting toward the palace and the dark destruction I left in my path.

“Your boots! Now!”

He keeps his wide, worried eyes on me as he unlaces them and tosses them at my feet.

“Now a horse,” I command, stepping into the boy’s shoes. They’re a little too big, but they’ll do. I tighten the laces and secure them around my ankles.

His gaze darts back toward the palace again, and I throw out another burst of power, making the night beyond pulse with malice. His hands shake as he guides a white mare from her stable. “Wh-what’s happening, m-m-milady?”

I ignore the question and nod to the dark belt of knives buckled at his waist. “Your baldrick too.”

He unlatches it, letting it drop to the stable floor. Moving quickly, I snatch it by the buckle and wrap it around my waist, tightening the clasp before swinging up onto the horse.

“Thank you,” I say, but the boy is cowering, as if he expects me to end him with his own knives. His fear leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Is this who I’ve become?

This is who Sebastian made me.

I can’t think about it as I nudge my horse out of the stables, righting myself on the saddle before I feel a tug at the center of my chest. A sweet ache that begs me to turn back to the palace. Back to Sebastian.

Shouts carry across the lawn. With my new fae ears, I can make out the sounds of the chaos in the castle—the scrambling, the shouting, the pounding of feet running my way.

The shouts grow closer. My magic has slipped; my darkness has loosened its grip.

I drive my heels into the sides of the horse. She takes off, galloping at full speed while I hold on as tightly as I can.

Come back. I don’t hear the words so much as feel them, feel the ache that burns my chest and settles into my bones. I need you. Come back to me.

The reminder of my connection with Sebastian makes me ride harder. I don’t know if I can escape it, if I can mute his misery and heartache with distance alone, but I plan to try.

“I need a room for the night,” I tell the barmaid behind the counter at a run-down inn. My voice sounds like crushed glass, and every muscle in my body screams with exhaustion.

I don’t know where I am or how far I’ve ridden. All I know is that I raced away from the palace as fast as I could. I rode hard, passing through villages and farmlands until I couldn’t keep myself in the saddle any longer.

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These Hollow Vows (These Hollow Vows #1) Read Online Lexi Ryan http://www.ilovenovels.com/these-hollow-vows-these-hollow-vows-1-read-online-lexi-ryan Sat, 24 Jul 2021 22:16:02 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/these-hollow-vows-these-hollow-vows-1-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult Authors: Lexi Ryan Series: These Hollow Vows Series by Lexi Ryan
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Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 128374 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 642(@200wpm)___ 513(@250wpm)___ 428(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >136

Read Online Books/Novels:	(These Hollow Vows #1) These Hollow Vows
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lexi Ryan
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B08B3K64RC
Book Information:
From New York Times best-selling author Lexi Ryan, Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes. Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court. Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm. Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.
Books in Series:	These Hollow Vows Series by Lexi Ryan
Books by Author:	Lexi Ryan

For Brian—

they’re all for you.

Chapter One

COOL SHADOWS WASH over my sweaty skin, welcoming me, disguising me. I could revel in the darkness—happily lie under the stars and let the night air unravel my knotted, overworked muscles—but I won’t waste tonight on rest or fleeting pleasure. These are the hours of spies and thieves. They’re my hours.

I slide two hairpins into the lock, my chapped fingers dancing over them like the strings of a viola. This is a song I’ve rehearsed a thousand times, a hymn I’ve played in my most desperate moments. Better to pray to deft fingers, to shadows and camouflage, than to the old gods. Better to steal than to starve.

Frogs sing in the distance, and their chorus nearly covers the satisfying click of the lock releasing. The servant door into Creighton Gorst’s manor house swings open.

Gorst has business elsewhere tonight. I made sure of it. Nevertheless, I scan my surroundings for any sign of him or his staff. Most of the wealthy keep guards on duty, but a few—like Gorst—are so paranoid that they don’t even trust those in their inner circle to be unaccompanied near their vaults. I’ve been waiting for a night like this for months.

I pad down the stone stairwell into the cellar. The temperature drops with each step, but my skin is flushed from adrenaline and the climb over his property walls, and I welcome the chill that skates across my skin.

At the base of the stairs, a glowstone senses my movements and kicks on, dimly illuminating the floor. I disable it with a gash of my knife along its soft center, blanketing the room in a darkness so complete that I can hardly make out my own hand in front of my face. Good. I’m more comfortable moving in the dark, anyway.

Following the walls around the periphery of the cellar with my hands, I reach the cool steel of the vault door. I blindly examine it with my fingertips—three locks, but none too complex. They yield to my blade and pins. In less than five minutes I have the door open and can already feel relief loosening my muscles. We’ll make this month’s payment. Madame Vivias won’t be able to enforce more penalties this time.

My smile of triumph is short-lived as I catch sight of the symbols etched on the threshold. That quickly, the rush from my success ebbs.

Gorst’s vault is protected by wards.

Of course it is.

A rich man paranoid enough to forgo sentries would be a poor man very quickly if he didn’t employ a little magic to guard his wealth.

Tonight’s mission is dangerous, and I can’t risk forgetting that for even a moment. I only steal from those who have more than they need, but with wealth comes power—the power to have thieves like me executed if we’re caught.

I sidestep the markings and pull a starworm from my satchel. Its silky-wet skin is slippery between my fingers, but I lead it to my wrist, wincing when it latches on. As it slowly draws a trickle of blood from my veins, its skin glows, lighting the ground before me. I hate losing the darkness, but I need to see the symbols. Sinking to my haunches, I trace every line and curve, confirming their shape and intent. Clever magic, indeed.

These runes wouldn’t keep me out of the vault. They’d let me in and lock me there, make me a prisoner until the master of the manor could deal with me. A common thief schooled only in protection runes might make the mistake of thinking the wards were faulty when he passed them. A common thief would find himself locked inside. Good thing I’m anything but common.

I scour my mind for an appropriate counterspell. I’m no mage. I might like to be, if my fate had been different and my days weren’t so full of scrubbing floors and cleaning up after my spoiled cousins. I don’t have the time or the coin to spare on training, so I’ll never be able to carry magic at my fingertips with spells, potions, and rituals. I’m lucky to have a friend who’s taught me what he can. Lucky to know just how to get out of this vault when I’ve taken what I need.

I slide my knife from my belt and bite my cheek as I drag the blade across the palm opposite the starworm. The sharp pain makes my head spin and pushes every thought from my head. For too many moments I teeter, my body begging to give in to the reprieve of unconsciousness.

Breathe, Abriella. You have to breathe. You can’t trade oxygen for courage.

The memory of my mother’s voice has me dragging air into my lungs. What is wrong with me tonight? I’m normally not so squeamish about blood or pain. But I’m exhausted and hungry after working all day with no break. I’m dehydrated.

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If It’s Only Love Read online Lexi Ryan (Boys of Jackson Harbor #6) http://www.ilovenovels.com/if-its-only-love-6-read-online-lexi-ryan Sun, 01 Jul 2018 01:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/if-its-only-love-6-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Angst, Contemporary, Romance, Sports Authors: Lexi Ryan Series: The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series by Lexi Ryan
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Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	If It's Only Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #6)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lexi Ryan
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B07QGF2XVP
Book Information:
From New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new standalone romance in the bestselling Boys of Jackson Harbor series. Meet single dad Easton Connor as he leaves the NFL and returns to Jackson Harbor to fight for another chance with the love of his life. *** I don’t regret much. Not my decision to enter the NFL draft before finishing college. Not fighting custody of my daughter—even if, biologically speaking, it turns out she’s not mine. And certainly not seducing my buddy’s little sister ten years ago. But when it comes to Shayleigh Jackson, my no-regrets attitude stops there. I screwed up royally where she’s concerned. Then I made another mistake when I let her shut me out of her life. Now after more than a decade living in different time zones, I’m coming home to Jackson Harbor. My first priority is getting my daughter away from the media circus in LA, but the moment I see Shay, I know I’ll stop at nothing to win her back. So what if she won’t speak to me? So what if she’s changed? So what if she’s fallen for some douchebag professor? I’ve never gotten over her and I know she feels the same about me. I’ve let her go twice. I won’t make that mistake again. If It's Only Love and all other books in this series can be read as standalones, but you'll enjoy reading them together.
Books in Series:	The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series by Lexi Ryan
Books by Author:	Lexi Ryan Books

Shay

I was seven when I fell in love with Easton Connor. He was four years older than me and best friends with my brother Carter, but that didn’t matter to me. I never thought of him as too old back then. Never thought of him as off-limits.

When I fell off my bike while racing down the street after my brothers, it was Easton who circled back to help me. Easton who took me inside, helped me clean the bits of gravel out of my knee, and then dabbed it with hydrogen peroxide. Easton who turned my tears into laughter by telling me about Carter’s inability to speak every time he saw his crush in class.

I decided right then that I was going to marry Easton. Because I was seven and didn’t understand the realities of romantic love. Because Easton hadn’t yet become the Easton Connor. Because I hadn’t hit puberty and become chubby Shay. Because I still believed in fairytales, I believed I would marry this boy with the light brown hair and blue-green eyes.

It was my secret. One I vowed to keep to myself until the time was right. Easton didn’t know my plans.

And I had no idea he’d break my heart.

Shay

April 27th, draft night, thirteen years ago

“Shay!” Easton hoists a shot glass in the air and wriggles it in offering. “Tequila? What do you say?”

Carter spins on him and frowns. “What the fuck, man? Don’t give my little sister alcohol.”

“Shit, sorry,” Easton says, but his mischievous eyes are on me as he says, “I always forget she’s so young.”

The tequila must be going to his head, because there’s no other explanation for the way he’s looking at me. His eyes drop to my mouth, and warmth spreads through me. If I didn’t know better, I might think that . . . No. That doesn’t make sense. This is Easton. My friend now, sure, but East is everything. Girls everywhere are crazy about him—a football star on the brink of NFL fame, he could have any woman he wanted.

Carter grabs a beer and leaves the kitchen and pushes out the back door to join the party. And then it’s just me and Easton. Alone with a bottle of tequila and the full shot glass that’s still in his hand.

He flashes a glance over his shoulder toward the back door. “Does Carter have any idea that you’re not a little girl anymore?” he asks, closing the distance between us.

I bite my bottom lip. My skin flushes hot when he’s this close, and I swear he’s looking at my lips again. Do I have something on my face? Spaghetti sauce from dinner or something? I discreetly wipe my mouth with the cuff of my sweatshirt—or as discreetly as I can when he’s so close.

Easton grins, as if he knows he’s making me uncomfortable and likes it. “Have you ever done this before?”

A thousand possibilities fly through my mind at that question—most of them involving the hands and mouth of the man asking. “Done what?”

He lifts the shot glass and sniffs the tequila. “A snakebite. Salt, tequila, lime.”

I shrug. I’ve had alcohol before. My family isn’t exactly puritanical when it comes to alcohol. But I’ve never done a shot, and certainly never a snakebite. Whatever that is. “How do you do it?”

Grinning, he hands me the shot glass then grabs the salt shaker from the counter. He lifts my free hand to his mouth and licks the inside of my wrist. My breath whooshes out of me at the sensation of his hot tongue on my skin. I want to close my eyes, but he’s watching me, and I’m afraid he’ll laugh if he has any idea what affect he has on me.

Grinning, he sprinkles salt on the wet patch of skin before putting the shaker down and grabbing a wedge of lime from the counter behind me. “Lick the salt. Take the shot. Suck on the lime.”

“Lick, shoot, suck.” I nod. “I can do that.”

His nostrils flare and his pupils dilate, turning those blue-green eyes dark. “I think I’d like to see you try.”

I swallow hard. Is Easton Connor coming on to me? I don’t want to be the idiot who believes that could be true. I don’t want to be the dumb fat girl who fell for the practical joke because she believed a guy like Easton could be attracted to her.

I don’t know how long I stand there trying to decide, but my skin tingles where he licked, and my mouth has gone dry.

“Want me to go first?” he asks, his voice a little husky.

I nod.

He takes my wrist and brings it to his mouth, licking off the salt. Shocks of pleasure roll down my spine and settle into a riot of butterflies in my stomach. He doesn’t even take the shot glass from me, just wraps his hand around mine and leads the glass to his mouth so he can shoot it back. Then he pops the lime in his mouth and makes a goofy face at me as he sucks the juice.

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Crazy for Your Love Read online Lexi Ryan (Boys of Jackson Harbor #5) http://www.ilovenovels.com/crazy-for-your-love-5-read-online-lexi-ryan Wed, 17 Jan 2018 01:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/crazy-for-your-love-5-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Alpha Male, Romance Authors: Lexi Ryan Series: The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series by Lexi Ryan
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Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89083 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Crazy for Your Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #5)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lexi Ryan
Language:	English
Book Information:
A family wedding with a fake boyfriend, meddling parents, and an obsessive ex . . . What could go wrong? The only thing worse than being single at my sister’s wedding is finding out that my ex will be there too. Not just any ex—the guy everyone expected me to marry, the man I came to Jackson Harbor to escape. Now I need a date, and fast. Enter Carter Jackson—the firefighter who’s dealing with an unwanted five minutes of fame ever since a shirtless photo of him saving a puppy went viral. He’s warding off propositions left and right, and he needs a fake relationship as much as I do. Sweet and sexy, Carter is completely off-limits. See, I have a rule. A no heartache rule. Not only is Carter my friend and a known heartbreaker, but his job as a firefighter puts him in danger daily, and that’s something I just can’t handle. The commitment between us might be pretend, but the passion all too real. As crazy as it makes me, I have to keep Carter at an arm’s length. Even that might not be enough to spare my heart. Crazy for Your Love is book five in The Boys of Jackson Harbor series. All books in this series can be read as standalones.
Books in Series:	The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series by Lexi Ryan
Books by Author:	Lexi Ryan Books

Teagan

He’s nervous. Carter Jackson, Jackson Harbor’s most eligible bachelor, viral internet sensation, and the face of female fantasies all over the country, is nervous.

“If you keep pacing, you’ll wear a hole in the floor,” I say from my perch behind the curtain.

Carter stops and spins to face me, those midnight-dark eyes narrowing. “You have to get me out of this.”

I bite back my smile. I shouldn’t laugh. It’s not nice. But my hot friend’s predicament has been a laughter gold mine for me during the last month. Tonight is the first annual Jackson Harbor Brews for Shoes benefit dinner and bachelor auction. Two months ago, Carter agreed to be auctioned off for a good cause. At the time, it seemed like nothing. He was one of many firefighters who agreed to sell themselves for an evening of wining and dining. But one month ago, everything changed, and now the Jackson Brews Banquet Center is packed to capacity with crazy, screaming women from all over the country, ready to rip each other’s hair out to get the winning bid.

“Hero, hero, hero!” The chanting gets louder and louder.

“You want me to sneak you out the back?” I ask, grinning. “Save you from the scary rich women?”

His eyes are wide as he strides toward me. “Think you can?”

To say Carter is a ladies’ man is a serious understatement—he’s the biggest player I know. So why is he scared to let some women bid for a night of his company? I try not to laugh. I try, but it’s just ridiculous. A snort slips out anyway, and then my laughter follows.

Carter scowls at me. “I hate you.”

I hold up a hand. “Sorry. No, really. I get it.” I inch the curtain open and peer out onto the stage, where Molly McKinley is quieting the crowd and segueing into her speech about the good the Shoe Bus will do for the children of Jackson Harbor and surrounding communities. Beyond the stage is a sea of women, many pushing around each other to get closer to the front. “They do all look a little . . . intense.”

Sighing, Carter drags a hand through his dark hair. It does nothing to ebb that rumpled, fresh-out-of-bed look he has going on. I wouldn’t admit it if someone paid me to, but I totally understand why women lose their minds over this guy. He’s hot. So hot. “They’re nuts.”

On Labor Day weekend, Carter rescued a golden retriever puppy trapped beneath the trampoline float at the public beach. Some well-meaning bystander snapped a picture of him striding out of the water—bare-chested, his jaw set with determination, the sopping-wet pup curled in his arms. The Jackson Harbor Fire Department posted the image on their social media, and in the following forty-eight hours, Carter’s world exploded. The image went viral, and he became the face of every sexy firefighter fantasy out there. Carter did a couple of TV interviews, deciding to use his fifteen minutes of fame to speak to the public about life jackets and water safety, but his fifteen minutes lasted longer and stretched further than anyone expected. Suddenly, Jackson Harbor wasn’t only teeming with tourists here for the beach, but with women who made the trip for the scenery of the JHFD variety. Then when word got out that Carter was one of the bachelors up for auction tonight, Carter fever picked up anew, with tickets for the event selling out within five minutes of going live.

“You should have backed out when Molly gave you the choice.” I squeeze his arm through his suit jacket. “She would have understood.”

“I thought it would die down by now,” he grumbles. “There are men and women literally risking their lives saving people every day, and all these ladies are losing their minds because I performed a puppy rescue that my niece probably could have managed.”

My amusement fizzles away when I see the frustration in his eyes. As easy as it is to laugh about how any single guy would want the attention thrown his way the past month, the reality has been an endless invasion of his privacy at best. I slide off my stool and straighten his jacket. “I’m sure most of the women out there are completely normal. I doubt many of them plan to chain you in their basement.”

“Somehow, that’s not reassuring.”

Ava Jackson, Carter’s sister-in-law and one of my best friends, pokes her head through the door backstage, her new dark bob swaying around her jawline. “You’re up first, Carter. Are you ready?”

There’s something close to terror in Carter’s eyes. He’s six foot two, two hundred-some pounds of solid muscle, and he’s truly afraid of these desperate single women. “Ready,” Carter says without taking his eyes off me.

“You’ll be fine,” I whisper.

“I hope you’re right.”

“And if the lady who wins you turns out to be a serial killer, wave me down. I’ll be here all night.”

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Wrapped in Love Read Online Lexi Ryan (Boys of Jackson Harbor #4) http://www.ilovenovels.com/wrapped-in-love-4-read-online-lexi-ryan Fri, 22 Sep 2017 13:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/wrapped-in-love-4-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Contemporary, Romance Authors: Lexi Ryan Series: The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series by Lexi Ryan
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Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83718 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	Wrapped in Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #4)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lexi Ryan
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B07H43X7KS
Book Information:
A one-night stand with the boss was never in her plans. Neither was falling in love . . . The rumors are true. I am a hot mess with an awful track record at love. Single mom. Down on her luck. Yeah, I’m bad news. So if the hardest part of moving back home to Jackson Harbor was going to be people talking? I’d be fine. I’ve kept my chin up through worse than their decade-old gossip. I was wrong. The hardest part is resisting my boss. Brayden Jackson is the very picture of tall-dark-and-handsome. And thanks to an ill-advised one-night stand we had seven months ago, I know exactly what I’m missing when I turn him down. Every. Single. Delicious. Inch. But I have my son to care for and my job to keep, so I’ll keep on saying no. Until my string of bad luck continues, and suddenly my precious four-year old and I find ourselves with nowhere to live. At Christmas, no less. It’s for my son that I accept Brayden’s offer to stay at his place. One by one, my defenses are falling, as fast as I am. If Brayden was smart, he’d run, because it’s only a matter of time before he realizes he deserves better than what a girl like me can offer. Unless, for once, my bad luck is leading me exactly where I need to be.
Books in Series:	The Boys of Jackson Harbor Series by Lexi Ryan
Books by Author:	Lexi Ryan Books

Molly

I open my eyes and find myself in a warm tangle of limbs and sheets.

When can I see you again?

He asked the question as I was falling into a deep sleep. In my state of postcoital bliss, the words made me smile. I hummed a non-answer and let him hold me in his arms as sleep pulled me under.

I feel so secure and comforted by the heat of him wrapped around me. I don’t want to move, but I can’t stay. Those words echo in my head. When can I see you again?

Now that I’m no longer drunk on pleasure or delirious from multiple orgasms, the question thrills and terrifies me. I wish I were someone else. I wish I could make promises and take chances. But I’m not. I have secrets and priorities that have everything to do with the little boy sleeping at my best friend’s house. Brayden can’t know about Noah. No one can. But that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want this night to end. Not yet.

The light slanting out from the bathroom door casts the hotel room in a warm glow just bright enough to allow me to see his face—the shadow of his thick stubble, the slight parting of his soft lips. His muscled arm is wrapped around me, his calloused hand on my hip, and the feel of his breath on my neck is so sweet that I want to close my eyes and savor this moment. But I can’t. Because last night was a mistake. A terrible, rash, foolish, delicious mistake that I’ll be thinking about for many lonely nights to come.

I slip out of his embrace and out of the king-size bed that sits in the middle of his swanky New York hotel room. My hands shake as I snatch my bra from the floor and slide it back on.

Slowly, cautiously, I turn to look at him one more time. His face is so soft—as if sleep vanquished the typical hard lines and stern face I always associate with Brayden Jackson. His cold demeanor never made an appearance tonight. We did a little official business, made a few of the introductions he came to make. But then we started drinking, and I caught him looking at my mouth. Suddenly, all-business Brayden was a thing of the past, a memory of a man I could have easily resisted as too serious, too uptight. But this sleeping Brayden? And the two-beers-in Brayden, whose mouth crooked into a lopsided smile when the bartender thought we were a couple? This Brayden Jackson would have taken a will of steel to resist—a will I hadn’t known I’d need.

Tearing my eyes away from him, I scan the floor for my panties.

I swipe my foot along the side of the bed to see if I can feel them hiding under there. Where did I take them off? Images slam into me. His thumbs hooking into the black lace. His hands dragging them down my hips. His mouth . . .

I squeeze my eyes shut and turn toward the door, toward where I know I took off my dress. I slink into it and zip it without allowing myself to turn back. I need to walk out that door. If I look at his sculpted chest or the strong legs outlined under the sheets, I’m not sure I will. I know the delicious weight of that body on mine, how the faint stubble on his cheeks felt scraping against my neck, my breasts . . . lower. I know how those dark eyes made me melt a little inside.

I find my purse by the minibar and sling it over my shoulder. Pausing a beat with my hand on the doorknob, I pray he’ll forgive me, pray he’ll understand that I need this job and that last night was a mistake. As quietly as possible, I open the door, duck out into the hallway, and quickly walk away from my new boss and the hottest night of my life.

Brayden

I reach for her in my sleep and find the bed empty beside me. I sit up. “Molly?” I click on the bedside light and scan the room. Her clothes are gone. So is her purse.

I rub my eyes. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Snatching my jeans from the floor, I search the pockets for my phone. She’s sent me a text.

Molly: Thank you for last night. You’re a nice guy, but I want this job. I NEED this job. And that means it can’t happen again.

The clock by the bed says it’s two a.m., but I text her back anyway.

Me: Your job is safe, whatever you decide. Last night doesn’t have to mean anything you don’t want it to mean.

Putting the phone down, I drag a hand over my face and climb back into bed. Shit. I can’t believe I didn’t hear her leave. Did I say something to scare her off? Does she really think I’ll fire her because of what happened?

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The Wrong Kind of Love Read Online Lexi Ryan http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-wrong-kind-of-love-read-online-lexi-ryan Sat, 18 Mar 2017 01:57:33 +0000 http://www.test123.demo2.xyz/the-wrong-kind-of-love-read-online-lexi-ryan Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Erotic, Romance Authors: Lexi Ryan Advertisement

Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 101051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 505(@200wpm)___ 404(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)

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Read Online Books/Novels:	The Wrong Kind of Love
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Lexi Ryan
Language:	English
Book Information:
From New York Times bestseller Lexi Ryan comes a sexy new romance novel about a runaway bride, a single dad who’s sworn off love, and the kind of family secrets that can threaten to break even the deepest bonds. You never forget your wedding day. Or the moment your twin sister pukes on your bouquet and confesses she’s pregnant . . . with your fiancé’s baby. I wanted to get away, to hide until my heart mended. I found myself in a strange town with a mysterious stranger whose talented mouth and hands almost made me forget it was supposed to be my wedding night. Afraid to go home to face my broken life, I pretend to be my twin so I can take her job in Jackson Harbor caring for a six-year-old girl. Imagine my surprise when I find out my new boss is my mysterious stranger—Dr. Ethan Jackson. I never meant for Ethan to discover my secrets. I never meant for them to matter. But the longer I work with him and his sweet daughter, the harder I fall, and the clearer it becomes that I’m not the only one carrying a secret that could tear us apart. Get ready to fall for the boys of Jackson Harbor in Lexi Ryan’s sexy new contemporary romance series. These books can all be read as standalones, but you’ll enjoy reading them as a series!
Books by Author:	Lexi Ryan Books

Nicole

I’ve never been a runner—not marathons or 5Ks or those “fun runs” the kids at the preschool like to do. I don’t even have lofty goals of becoming a runner someday. Yet last night I dreamed of running longer, farther, and faster than I ever have before. Last night, I dreamed of running so hard my lungs burned. Today’s my wedding day.

A coincidence, I’m sure.

My future brother-in-law croons at the head of the aisle, his fingers dancing over the strings of his acoustic guitar, and my husband-to-be bobs his head to the beat. My groom, who’s maybe, most likely, not cheating on me. My groom, who wouldn’t do that to me. Probably.

I gulp in air, but it’s thick with humidity and too many people. The wedding coordinator set up this tent at the far end of my outdoor ceremony so no one would see me before my big moment. At the time, it seemed like a great idea. Right now, it feels like a torture chamber.

“Are you up for one last swap?” I ask my twin sister in a whisper.

Veronica’s eyes go wide. She looks gorgeous in the cranberry lace maid-of-honor gown, her long hair piled into a cascade of curls at the back of her head. “A swap? Are you serious?”

“No. Of course not.” Kind of.

We spent the entirety of seventh grade pretending to be each other just to see if we could, and we pulled it off. Why not for my wedding ceremony? Why not for . . . forever?

Okay, now I’m being melodramatic. But it’s my wedding day, and I’m supposed to be memorizing every detail, savoring every moment. Instead, I’m obsessing over two sentences I heard Marcus whisper into his phone yesterday morning. I stopped by to surprise him with my famous bacon cinnamon rolls—because everything’s better with bacon. His kitchen window was open, so I could see him holding his phone to his ear and could almost hear him. “Just one more time, baby. Please? I can’t stop thinking about you.”

At least, I think that’s what he said. But maybe it was “Just one more time, maybe Jesus. I can’t stop thinking that’s how too.” Sure, the second option doesn’t make any sense, but neither does what I think I heard. He’s about to marry me. Why would he be telling some woman he can’t stop thinking about her? And what would he be asking her to do one more time?

All questions you should have asked before you were ready to walk down the aisle, you big coward.

“You shouldn’t joke about that,” my twin says, disapproval twisting her lips. “You’re really lucky to marry Marcus. He’s . . . amazing.”

“I know that.” I force a smile. Because I do know that. Assuming he’s not screwing around on me. But I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours listening to women tell me how lucky I am to marry this man, as if I won the lottery or something. Are people telling him how lucky he is to marry me? Probably not. They’re probably warning him away. “This is your last chance to run, Marcus. You can do better than some foster kid nobody wanted.”

I suppose from the outside looking in, Marcus is brave for marrying me, and I’m lucky to marry him. Unless he’s a backstabbing, no-good, lying, cheating asshole.

“I didn’t mean I wanted you to marry him,” I tell Veronica, and my voice is doing that nasal thing that happens when I get defensive. “Just that I don’t want everyone staring at me.”

Veronica presses her lips together in a thin line. I wish we had that twin telepathy everyone always talks about in books and movies. I want to know what she’s thinking. I wish we were close like we used to be so I could tell her about what I heard—or thought I heard—and get her feedback. I guess I could have run it by a friend, but there are the friends you laugh with and then there are the friends you cry with. I’ve always struggled to open up enough to make the second kind.

It’s stuffy and crowded in here. Maybe there isn’t enough oxygen for all of us. I have seven bridesmaids—Veronica and all of Marcus’s female cousins, ages thirteen to twenty-eight—because every respectable Southern girl knows the bigger your bridal party, the happier the marriage.

I stick my hand between the flaps of the tent I’ve been peeking through and gulp in the fresh air.

Marcus’s mother, Martha, tugs my arm, pulling me away from the fresh air and my view of my maybe-cheating groom. “Someone’s going to see you!”

“It’s just so hot in here.” The lace on my wedding gown is itchy, and it feels like there are four thousand people sitting out there—though I know it’s only one hundred and ten. Martha was really embarrassed about that. “When my niece Kristen got married, she had one hundred and ninety people. Now I’m going to have to listen to my sister gloat.”

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These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows #2)

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If It's Only Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #6)

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Wrapped in Love (The Boys of Jackson Harbor #4)

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B07H43X7KS

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The Wrong Kind of Love

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