Showing results by narrator "Rachel Leblang" in All Categories

I've been here from the start—watching, waiting, and breathing in the fear that clings to her skin. She prays to a god that doesn't listen, locks doors that don't keep me out, and walks through a world that I've already carved her name into. She thinks she's alone. She isn't. I live in the shadows, in the walls, beneath her feet. I sleep under her bed. I steal the scent of her skin from the clothes she sets aside. I keep her safe, even as I pull the strings that unravel her sanity, thread by thread. She calls me a demon. A nightmare. A Hellkeeper.

Grad Student Sydney Denik is getting a second chance. When a dream opportunity presents itself with a prestigious foundation doing promising Alzheimer's research, Sydney leaves the shambles of her old life to join a dozen other students at an isolated lodge hidden away in a remote, fog-shrouded inlet on Vancouver Island. But the Madrona Foundation harbors more than brilliant minds. Everyone around her is hiding a terrible secret—including the resident psychologist she's falling in love with.

Ophelia was born into a family of Hunters, tasked with protecting the humans from the creatures of the night who feast on their fear. Except Ophelia always found the idea of monsters kind of intriguing. She even made the grave sin of committing some X-rated monster thoughts to paper—which in hindsight may not have been the best idea because her parents were mortified—but you live and learn. Well, everyone finds out your secret, you get banished from society, and then you learn.

Astrid is the kind of Hunter that all Hunters aspire to be: lethal, focused, ambidextrous. In contrast to her disgraced sister, Astrid has done everything right. Now, she’s coming to realize that everything she’s ever known is wrong. Soren wants to be the kind of Shade that all Shades aspire to be: brave, decisive, powerful. But his disgraced sister is determined to ruin him, and now there’s a deadly Hunter in his realm, smelling like the most delicious thing he’d ever taste. And the king wants them to work together. And the king wants them to work together.

Students are branded by affinity: water, air, earth, or fire. But Nessa's mark is different. A silver spiral—the mark of an unbound. It's a power so dangerous her kind were hunted to extinction centuries ago—or so the Empire claims. To survive, she must hide what she is in a castle that reeks of blood, where students kill each other for advantage, and failing to tether an elemental means death. Nessa's greatest threat may be the only other volunteer—Raith Hollow, a powerful fire affinity whose scorching gaze follows her every move and whose secrets could topple kingdoms.

Arc was an ordinary young woman from Earth when she was summoned to an icy hell where she fought for her survival in the name of training to become a hero. Now, after defeating the Overlord itself and achieving the status of hero, she leaves with the goal of enjoying her freedom. She arrives at Arlas, a fantasy world with magic and monsters, a world with numbers, tiers, and classes, a world governed by the System that summoned her.

In the ruthless kingdom of Aedronir, Queen Lilith reigned for years through bloodshed and fear. Despite being unmatched on the battlefield, she was far less suited for the throne. Waiting patiently, her enemies put into motion the ultimate betrayal that led to her execution and what should have been her end. Instead, Lilith's soul awakens in Graedon, a strange new world where mana flows through everything. Reborn as Lilliana, she is the bastard daughter of a baron and is treated as little more than a bargaining piece for marriage.

My fated mate betrayed me, leaving me broken and alone. As the future second-in-command of my pack, my destiny was clear—until the leader of a rival pack rejected our bond, shattering my heart and destroying my world. But his cruelty didn't stop there. He unleashed a brutal attack, slaughtering everyone I loved. Barely escaping with my sister, we were hunted, wounded, and desperate. Swept into a raging river, I thought death was inevitable—until Ryker, a dangerously sexy shifter cloaked in shadows, pulled me from the water.

Mara Vance never thought her useless psychology degree would lead to studying an actual monster. Subject X-13, aka "The Nightmare," is armed with sharp teeth, claws, and a constantly shifting form… yet Mara finds the huge shadow creature as intriguing as he is terrifying. As Mara studies him, she soon realizes that The Nightmare is far more intelligent than her shady superiors say he is. And every night, she indulges in twisted fantasies about the same monster. What happens in her dreams stays in her dreams—right?

A mysterious portal has opened up in town . . . and for once, Francie isn't the one responsible. It's just a run-of-the-mill portal to an alternate dimension, right? Nothing to worry about. Except when a rare book dealer turns up dead and Lizzie is the number one suspect. Despite an ironclad alibi, there's a hundred witnesses who swear they saw Lizzie at the scene of the crime. Just who—or what—is coming out of that portal? And can Francie stop it before it invites more of its friends to cross over?

Three science prodigies go on a time-traveling adventure to save the Earth—if they don't accidentally destroy it first.

Lucius, the man Áine loved, is dead. The Shadow King is merely Angelina's puppet, her conduit for dark, sinister magick that's drawing the Void ever closer. Angelina doesn't want to rule the world; she wants to destroy it. Free from the shadows and reunited with her coven and family, Áine has never been stronger. In claiming her position as Aradia's Chosen One as war rages across the realm, she is forced to bury her shame, guilt, and confusion.

Having brought down all the kings of Potestia, Lillith embarks on fulfilling her avenging promise to the feline Ember. Though still grieving the death of her brother, she plans to cross the border into the Republic lands and kill every sage keeping the population under magical control. But the sages have been preparing for this, stoking fear in their subjects by prophesizing the coming of death in the form of a destructive demon queen—who looks remarkably like Lillith.

War awaits across the sea. In order to ensure their survival, The Oncoming Storm and a band of misfits set sail for the land beyond the horizon. In a country where the power structure is as strange as the language, their desperate mission to secure a lasting peace will take them on a journey through halls of power and dark back alleys alike. Trusting the wrong person could get them all killed, but without help from the locals they have no chance of succeeding. They can only hope that they have placed their faith in the right people.

I'm broke and need a job fast. The best tattoo artist in the Pacific Northwest is hiring a manager for his tattoo shop. So I don't have any experience... A few lies on my resume can fix that. Anyway, how hard can it be? I get the job and quickly find out that running a tattoo shop is very hard. Especially dealing with my new wild, brooding boss. He's an orc. An orc with a fiery temper. He's not all bad, though, with a deep love for his three black cats. But for me? Not so much.

We did this. Our mate is broken. Trapped behind glass walls where we can't reach her, and our pack is trying to hold together the shattered pieces of what might have been in the midst of the wreckage Brett Rivers left behind. She's coming back. We won't stop fighting. But if we're ever going to have a chance of saving Kenny, we need to step up and be the alphas we should have been from the start. Even if these small parts of her are all we ever get.

Scarred on the inside and the outside, Valentina has spent the majority of her life living and working online. Online, no one can see her, so she can be whoever she wants to be, do whatever she wants to do… love whoever she wants to love. And she fell hard for the sexy thirst trap behind the devil mask. He's smart, sensual, and flirtatious, but also sweet, funny, and he makes her feel seen for the first time ever. But… he's never actually seen her. And it's better that way; someone as beautiful as him would never want to be with someone like her. Right?

A public rejection ignited a nightmare, but it also led me to Ryker, the ruthless, possessive wolf leader Fate truly chose for me. His promise won't ever be broken, forged by merging our two souls. Now, the real enemy emerges from the shadows wearing a trusted face, causing the sting of betrayal to run deeper than my new found family has ever known.

Six months ago, I had my life all figured out. I was going to be free of this horrible town, away from the small-minded, perfect people who judged me at first glance without bothering to look again. Nothing has changed. And yet everything has changed. The alphas that once acted as my shield now look at me with hatred in their eyes. They say it's my fault. All of it is my fault. But when fate decides I haven't suffered enough, she slaps me across the face with a mating bond none of us wanted.

After barely surviving last year’s lethal power struggle, the smart-mouthed thief known as The Oncoming Storm has solidified her long-standing belief that steering well clear of other people’s problems is the way to live. Even when a whole new civilization sails right into the harbor, she remains adamant. She is not getting involved in another political intrigue. But she might not have a choice.