When a girl disappears, long-buried secrets resurface…
Coco is missing. Her room’s a mess, and her phone is left behind in her dorm at Lainsbury Hall School
Ella, Coco’s childhood best friend, is desperate for her to return, although she knows that if she ever sees Coco again, there’ll be a lot of explaining to do.
Bea knows that her new group of friends attracts drama, and she thinks she has the last shred of common sense between them all. Only, if that was true, she would leave Genevieve, her toxic ex, well alone.
Conrad is confident that Coco will return safe and well. Only, the way his secrets are unravelling, he’s worried he won’t be when this is all over.
Harrison and Coco are the perfect couple. Everyone knows that. But looks can be misleading. Even the smartest boy in school can make a terrible mistake.
In order to navigate the web of secrets and lies that Coco leaves behind, her circle of friends needs to unravel a few of their own.
In the misty darkness lit only by a blue streetlamp, Ella knew that she was not alone. She turned and saw the faceless figure far down the drizzly street. It came towards her at speed. It didn’t seem to be moving, but she knew that it was gaining on her. She started to run, but her legs would not move. She was stuck, as though in quicksand.
When she dared check over her shoulder once again, the figure was only about five steps away, and she could see raspy breaths escape the black silhouette in a wispy white cloud. The scene whirred in front of Ella as she pulled on her legs, sobbing, begging them to move. But they would not. All she could hear was the breathing, slow and rattling, as though it was the figure’s very last. Four. Three. Two.
It was the skeletal hand on her shoulder that woke her. In the darkness of her room, she was alone. She turned her alarm off and felt uneasy in the silence. She was soaking wet, her back from sweat, her face from tears.
She washed her face, hardly daring to open her eyes and look into the mirror above the sink. She felt watched, hunted. As she brushed her teeth, she turned on all her lights and opened the dreary brown curtains that Lainsbury Hall School had placed in all the dorms. But even in her bright vanity lamps that took over her dressing table, drowning her in bright white light as she did her make up, her eyes darted around the corners of her mirrors, checking all angles of the room in the reflection for the faceless spectre. She was not herself today. Then again, she hadn’t been herself yesterday, either.
VB Furlong is a trainee lawyer and writer of young adult novels living in Berkshire, UK. She wrote her first “novel” at aged ten and has not stopped since then. Through her writing she aims to explore many of the issues she faced herself growing up, in the hopes that others facing the same issues feel some solidarity. Her friendships are a huge part of her life and consequently is a major theme in her writing, exploring the way in which we interact with each other, especially in difficult times.
Originally from Mumbles, Swansea, VB Furlong enjoys the sun and the sea, and walking her three dogs across the cliffs. These walks have offered her inspiration for many pieces of writing, including What Happened to Coco which she is excited to introduce as a coming of age boarding school thriller.
Half butterfly, half tiger. All deadly weapon. Game on.
In 2160, humanity is divided. The ruling class of prodigies dictates law and order for all, while normals fight to survive. Only the Councils in charge of advanced Core cities can decide the fate of a traitor.
A life of luxury is Willow Kent’s destiny. As long as she plays within the boundaries of the Core’s game, she can have anything she wants. Anything except for her friend Kane to avoid execution. Driven by guilt, she negotiates a secret Meta-X exchange to free him. But when a new threat emerges—one even her rare skill level cannot withstand—the stakes become dangerously high. To save Kane, she must navigate the slippery political terrain that surrounds her House, her mysterious Guardian, and the corrupt, unforgiving Council.
The most lethal terrain, however, lurks inside her own mind. Can she overcome her skillset before its savage intentions spiral out of control?
Gauntlet is the third book in The Prodigy Chronicles, a Hunger Games meets X-Men dystopian romance series about a young girl struggling to control her immense powers and find her place in a city filled with enemies.
Silence hung between us. Inside my belly, the tiger looked back and forth, gauging our unspoken feelings. She knew mine. All she got from Reece was a sense of conflict. The turmoil inside his cage baffled us both. For someone so confident, he seemed at a loss.
Commander and man, she whispered.
Well, he couldn’t be both. Not on this. He could choose duty and back Kristoffe, or he could be the man who stood by me. I would love him either way. But this was my life. I wanted a say in how to live it.
“I agree,” he said at last.
I turned to look at him. “You do?”
“Yes, because you’re right.” He spoke quietly, with a pensive tone I hadn’t heard before. “I knew the moment I saw him in the penthouse that it meant trouble. He is a threat to both of us.”
“Why would Morry hire someone like that?”
He paused before answering. “I’m sure she has her reasons.”
“That’s not good enough,” I said. Her reasons meant nothing to me, especially since I was the one suffering for them. “He’s intolerable, Reece. I can’t take any more.”
“Let me deal with him tonight. I’ll see what I can find out and will have a talk with Fenn. He’s not thrilled with Kris right now and disapproves of his methods.” Reece smiled encouragingly. “Perhaps we can come up with a solution.”
I tried to smile back, but it felt wooden. He didn’t know that I already had a solution. One that, if successful, would be a hundred percent foolproof and keep Kristoffe from making my life miserable.
You’ll be miserable anyway.
No, I won’t.
Leaving Reece will break you.
That’s ridiculous.
He’s your destiny.
I trembled briefly before thrusting her from my thoughts. She was being dramatic. Love didn’t rule my heart, nor did it choose for me. My destiny was of my own making.
“Anything you can do,” I said, “I’d appreciate.”
“Consider it done.” Rising, he tucked Ollie in beside me, and I took advantage of his closeness by wrapping my arms around his neck. I sighed as I drew him close for a hug.
“Willow,” he laughed. “I need to go.”
“A moment longer.” Clinging to him, I soaked in the heat radiating from his body. My lips twitched when he snuggled his face into my neck. His arm snaked around me, holding me tight. “Just what I needed.”
Reece smiled against my skin. “You’re playing with fire.”
I didn’t care. After Kristoffe’s abrupt violent streak, having Reece this close felt like heaven. He was warm and strong and safe. Everything I’d ever wanted. I squeezed him hard before easing back, my hands on his face, my eyes staring into his.
“Kiss me goodnight,” I breathed.
One corner of his mouth quirked. “I already did.”
“Not properly.”
His smile faded, and my heart throbbed when his arm tightened around me. Easing onto the bed, he pulled us up together, bringing me to his chest. His fingers slid gently into my hair. He leaned close, head slanted, lips hovering just over mine.
C.L. Denault is a speculative fiction writer who loves dreaming up tales of adventure and intrigue. A former systems analyst, she gave up her nerdy code-writing skills to care for her family (including a son with special needs) and currently lives among the vast stretches of cornfields in Illinois.
Writing and working out are her biggest passions, along with coffee and sci-fi. When she’s not hanging out with her husband and kids, she can usually be found at a library or tucked away in the shadowy corner of a hip coffeehouse. She’s also been glimpsed sneaking into her garage, late at night, to work on her time machine.
She enjoys connecting with people—especially those from other planets, nearby dimensions, and the future. To find her, just visit her website or social media pages. Or use a Stargate. Whichever is easiest.
Abigail Rose is CFO for Thomas Rose Associates, a successful New Orleans marketing firm she runs with her best friend Rosalinda Thomas, and their three fellow executives, Cyn, Vera and Skye.
Since all five are Dommes, they work and play together. However, Abby has lived with the threat of a severe mental illness for most of her life, and now the monster has come out of the shadows. Everything that defines her–including her control as a Mistress–is shattering.
Neil Shepherd is so calm under pressure, his SEAL teammates know he’ll hold the line, no matter what goes down on a mission. At home, he finds his peace navigating the waters of the Louisiana bayou. As a Dom himself, he shouldn’t be attracted to Abby, but Fate doesn’t consult the power exchange playbook when it comes to who is meant to be together. From the first time they meet, he knows he wants her.
Even the shadows that are trying to claim her won’t stop him.
Joey W. Hill writes about vampires, mermaids, boardroom executives, cops, witches, angels, simple housemaids . . . pretty much wherever inspiration takes her. She’s penned over forty acclaimed titles and six award-winning series, and been awarded the RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Erotica. But she’s especially proud and humbled to have won the support and enthusiasm of a wonderful, widely diverse readership.
So why erotic romance? “Writing great erotic romance is all about exploring the true face of who we are – the best and worst – which typically comes out in the most vulnerable moments of sexual intimacy.” She has earned a reputation for writing BDSM romance that not only wins her fans of that genre, but readers who would “never” read BDSM romance. She believes that’s because strong, compelling characters are the most important part of her books.
“Whatever genre you’re writing, if the characters are captivating and sympathetic, the readers are going to want to see what happens to them. That was the defining element of the romances I loved most and which shaped my own writing. Bringing characters together who have numerous emotional obstacles standing in their way, watching them reach a soul-deep understanding of one another through the expression of their darkest sexual needs, and then growing from that understanding into love – that’s the kind of story I love to write.”
Take the plunge with her, and don’t hesitate to let her know what you think of her work, good or bad. She thrives on feedback!
