Secret Society Romance

Date Published: 01-22-2026

Publisher:
Evernight Publishing

In a city ruled by a secretive Coalition, the gap between rich and poor is
evident. When the leader dies, a fierce competition arises. James Roarke
believes he’s destined to lead. To secure his place, he chooses Kleya
Dane as his wife, drawn to her kindness for all, regardless of wealth.

Together,
they form an unbreakable bond, but power comes at a price. As the competition
intensifies, James learns that to claim leadership, he must make an
unimaginable sacrifice: Kleya’s life. Can love survive when ambition demands
the ultimate cost?

 

About the Author

 

 I’m passionate about weaving tales of romance and connection, inviting
readers into worlds where love conquers all. Crafting heartfelt stories and
steamy scenes that make the pulse race, as well as taking readers on
swoon-worthy adventures. I try to weave emotions into my stories that punch
you in the gut because I love stories that break your heart before putting it
back together. I try to write characters who aren’t cookie cutters and push
myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve,
forcing me to think outside the box. I strive to create characters who are
complex and full of flaws. Deep passion romance between heroes and heroines
who find redemption through love.

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LGBTQ Romance, Romantasy

Date Published: July 3, 2026

Aaron Pryce has lived a reclusive life for centuries, content with his dogs
and his cabin. A one-night stand, however, sends his comfortable existence
into a whirlwind. He’s the best candidate to take over the former House
Zalis, but nothing is ever easy. When he visits the compound, he gets the
shock of his life.

Zach Cane couldn’t get the man he’d spent one night with out of
his head. So imagine his surprise when they meet at Saridan Tower weeks later.
As they work to navigate a new relationship, old secrets from Aaron’s
past come to light… none of them good.

WARNING: Depictions of domestic violence, child abuse, violence, and strong
language may be triggers for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

“There is no way in hell I am going to take over an entire house.”

The words — my words — still rang clear in my head. Two weeks had passed
since that conversation with Raphael Santos. I had been very determined to nix
the idea completely, but a tiny glimmer of “what-if” lingered. I
also couldn’t fathom the work needed to run what was left of House Zalis
now that its founding leader, Ivan Zalis, was dead.

Raph had been right, though. The house needed a magic user to run it. I wanted
to kick myself for even thinking about it.

Swift on the heels of that came the reminder that it wasn’t just me and
the pups now. Although we hadn’t talked about the future during the past
couple of lunch dates we’d had since our unexpected meeting at Saridan
Tower, there was no denying Zach Cane and I were mates. I had known that first
night, when a few hours of insanely hot, quasi-anonymous sex had sealed my
damn fate.

I didn’t know if Zach had any clue what we were. Surely, as an alpha, he
did, but he hadn’t shown any indication that night or any time since. I
certainly hadn’t told him either. I was still struggling with it myself.
I’d spent my entire life torn between hoping for my fated mate and
praying I never found him. I put the blame squarely at my parents’ feet,
too. My alpha father, Stefan, had been a narcissistic asshole who’d used
his magic to cause trouble for just about anyone he met, and my omega
stepfather, Martin, had despised him for it. I’d been hidden away by him
in hopes that my own magic would never be an issue. Hell, Martin had forced me
to live as a laicas, a commoner. When he died, though, all bets were off.
That’s when I began honing my skills as an Incantas. But watching my
folks’ marriage deteriorate, magic or no, soured me on relationships.

Then Zach waltzed into my life.

Barking from inside the house snapped me back to the present. I realized
I’d been sitting in the truck for longer than intended. I got out and
grabbed the bags of dog food. As soon as I stepped into the house, all four
pups swarmed me as if they’d been starving.

“It’s only been an hour, you idiots,” I said with a laugh.

I set the bags down and sat on the floor to get kisses and tail-smacks in the
face. I never really intended to have this many pets. I’d started with
one, then came another. Then I rescued two more. Now I couldn’t imagine
life without my furbabies.

“Okay, okay,” I said as I stood. “Let’s get you
nutcases fed.”

I picked up the bags and headed for the kitchen. The cabin wasn’t huge,
but it suited me perfectly. I spent the majority of my life here after Martin
whisked me away once they split up. Growing up, I hated the isolation, but,
over time, I soon preferred it to the city and being around other people. I
still had an apartment at Saridan Tower, but this was home. Just me and the
pups.

My phone rang as I started filling the four food dishes. I answered it and put
it on speaker.

“Hey.”

“Got a minute?” Deacon Saridan asked.

I glanced over at the phone and inwardly sighed. I had the feeling I knew what
this was about. “Sure.”

“I’ve been in talks with Javier Torneau. We agree that, while the
former House Lorthaen should be dissolved completely, what remains of House
Zalis is simply too important, magic-wise. That said, they need a
leader.”

“Fuck,” I grumbled. I sat down at the dining table and sighed.
“Deacon…”

“I know it isn’t something you really want, but you’re the
most obvious choice,” my half-brother said. “You’re one of
the strongest Incantas in this area.”

“I don’t want to lead.”

“That’s precisely why you’re the best choice,” Deacon
countered. “You’re not the type to let any sort of power go to
your head.”

I grimaced. “That’s what Raph said. Have you two been
talking?”

Deacon chuckled. “Perhaps, but we’re right.”

“You’re also an asshole,” I muttered. “Both of
you.”

“So I’ll see you this afternoon then for a meeting? Say…
two?”

“Ugh. Fine. Jackass.”

Deacon laughed. “See you then.”

We hung up, and I dropped my head to the tabletop, tempted to bang it a few
times for good measure. Yes, I knew they were right. Ivan Zalis had been a
Spiritori, but his death left a lot of good magic users in limbo without a
leader. Magiens, Incantas, even a few Spiritori made up what had once been
House Zalis. That much firepower, so to speak, couldn’t be unchecked and
left to float around without direction and someone to watch them. An Incantas
could also weed out the undesirables from the ones who just wanted to live
without trouble. Much like myself.

When my phone pinged with a text, I half dreaded looking at it. I did, though,
and couldn’t help but smile. Despite the mates issue lingering like an
elephant between us, seeing Zach’s name pop on my screen made me ache
with a hunger I hadn’t felt for anyone before meeting him.

Got any plans this evening?

Mychael Black has been writing professionally since 2005. He writes gay
romance and erotica, but also het romance as Carys Seraphine and queer fantasy
as Katherine Cook.

He’s an avid PC gamer with a love for RPGs, a horror fanatic, and a fantasy
nut. He also has a weakness for anything relating to skulls, dogs, and
Spongebob Squarepants.

Mychael lives on the Eastern Shore of the US with his family. He loves to hear
from readers, be it via email or Facebook.

The digital parenting guide: from first phone to social media to AI
safety, age by age

Parenting & Families

Date Published: May 26, 2026

* Do you know what age to hand over a smartphone and how to actually do it?

* Do you know which AI chatbots your kid is talking to, or what to say when
one of them gets weird?

* Are you tired of being told to “limit screen time” without a plan for
keeping kids off social media past Wednesday?

Screen-Proof Family is the missing manual for the smartphone and AI era of
parenting.

Inside, you’ll find:

* An age-by-age roadmap with milestones, red flags, what to roll out and what
to delay at each stage.

* The 30-Day First Phone Rollout – a day-by-day plan for the single
highest-stakes handover in your child’s digital life with a Readiness
Checklist for kids 9 to12.

* A Family Tech Contract template you can adapt in twenty minutes, plus the
conversation script that gets your kid to actually sign it.

* The Family Safe Word – one low-tech rule that defends against AI
voice-cloning scams and deepfake calls targeting kids.

* The Mirror Check – the research-backed parent habits your kids are already
copying, and the systems that change them (because the strongest predictor of
your child’s phone overuse is yours).

* Conversation blueprints for the talks no one wants to have – smartphone
addiction, social media and teenagers, cyberbullying,online predators, AI
chatbot dependency and “everyone else has it” talk.

* A Parental Controls Field Guide – current router-level, device-level, and
monitoring tools, organised by age stage.

* Neurodivergent considerations woven throughout – because ADHD, autism and
screens interact differently than generic advice assumes.

What makes this different. A system, not a rulebook. Research-backed and
platform-agnostic – built on habits, environmental design and conversations
that survive the next app, the next AI model or the next app update. Every
chapter ends with three things you can do this week, one habit to establish
this month and one conversation to have this quarter. No alarmism or tech
jargon. No screen-time math that doesn’t really work.

Who this is for? Parents and guardians of kids 0 to 18. Also grandparents who
may feel out of their depth. Pediatricians, teachers, and counsellors who want
a single book to recommend. Anyone tired of being told what’s wrong with
screens but not what to actually do.

Phones aren’t going away, neither is AI. Your job isn’t to fight the future –
it’s to raise a kid who can stand inside it, with judgment and confidence.

About the Author

 Max Hartman is an IT specialist. A few years ago he moved abroad with his
wife, to a country where neither of them spoke the language, and they worked
it out the slow way, on the ground. His wife now teaches English to adults:
transferred professionals, trailing partners, people seeking asylum.

He wrote The Relocation Companion about the move he actually made — the
one he and his wife did badly at first, then figured out what would have
helped. Screen-Proof Family he comes at from the other side of his work: he
knows how the phone in your pocket is built to pull at you, and what that does
to the kids growing up around it.

He writes from what he’s lived or learned, not from theory, and brings
in research only where it earns its place. He’ll tell you the truth
about how hard a thing is, and give you something concrete to do about it.
That’s the whole job.

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Date Published: 07-07-2026

Publisher: Dream Weaver Press

This captivating tale is a stirring blend of romance, suspense, and family
drama, perfect for readers who crave richly drawn characters, heartfelt
emotion, and the tension of real-world stakes. Will Elaine secure the future
of Hartland Orchards, or will the challenges she faces prove insurmountable?
Dive into a story of ambition, loyalty, and love, and experience a journey
where every decision carries weight, every relationship matters, and every
secret has the potential to change everything.

“If I have to wait until Monday for him to repair the car, I’ll
need to find a hotel.”

“There’s one inn and one bed and breakfast in town and
they’re both completely booked months in advance.” His eyes
twinkle and he laughs the deep, echoing laugh that I’m starting to get
use to. “I’m not making this up. You can call and check for
yourself, if you don’t believe me. Strawberry Festival is a big deal and
people travel from out of town to come and enjoy the festivities. You’ll
have to spend the night with me.”

The last thing I need right now is to spend the night with David. With the
undeniable attraction between the two of us, I know exactly what will happen.
My vow to not mix work and my social life has completely gone haywire, because
here I am sitting in the cozy intimacy of his car. Betsy is on the way to the
mechanic’s garage and I’m stuck in a remote little town that I
never knew existed until a week ago. On top of that I’m with the most
magnetic man I’ve ever met, who manages to make me feel emotions that
are simultaneously new, exciting and frightening.

“I’m okay with that.” He’s the kind of man that I can
trust. It’s me I’m more worried about. If we are going to be in
close proximity, I’m not certain that I can keep my hands to myself.
“Do you have a two-bedroom apartment in Littleton?’ I try to sound
nonchalant.

“No, I don’t.” He has a twinkle in his eyes. “I have a
one bedroom.”

“Oh,” I sigh, resigned to the fact that this is going to be a
super challenging weekend. “We’ll have to make the best of it
then, won’t we?”

He throws his head back and lets out a deep, robust laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Here I am getting all sweaty, nervous and
yes, even a little aroused, thinking about the possibility of sharing a bed
with him and he’s laughing like its a joke.

“Okay.” He gains control of himself—finally, casting a more
serious expression in my direction. “You should have seen the look on
your face. As if it would be torture to have to share a bed with me.”

“That’s what’s so funny?” I glare at his remarkably
even features. If only he knew that I was wondering what kind of underwear he
wore, boxers, briefs or God forbid, that the man slept in the nude.
“Better that you don’t try to read my mind. Although, I’m
glad to see that you have a good sense of humor.”

“Of course I do.” He gives me an odd look, and his words are
slightly defensive. “Who doesn’t have a sense of humor?”

“Can we stick to the subject?” I tap my fingers on my leg and l
glance at him inquisitively. “So…we’ll be sharing a room,
is basically what you’re saying?”

About the Author

 Dalia Dupris is a recipient of the RWA Spectrum Award and is a two-time EMMA
Award winning author. She has BA in English Literature and Master’s
degree in Social Work. In her spare time, she enjoys bike riding along the
California coast with her husband and hiking with her daughter. She loves
hearing from her readers. Their words of encouragement inspire her to continue
creating memorable characters and compelling stories. Subscribe to her website
for a chance to learn more about Dalia and her books at http://www.daliadupris.com.

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Strategies to Unbias Your Business Decision Making

Unconscious biases, however, cloud our view, and threaten our ability to make
optimal, rational decisions. These biases impact our thinking without us even
being aware of it, so, because we don’t see our own unconscious biases, we
often feel our decisions are based purely on “merit”.

This is not so. This book will lift the cloud, explain why decisions made
purely on merit are generally a “myth”, and show you how unconscious bias
impacts your decisions. This book will then provide you with practical
strategies to minimise bias in your decision-making processes, helping you to
optimise your organisational decision making and your organisation’s
outcomes.

 Fabi Fugazza ANZAM LLB BBusComm MMgmt GDLP is a management expert, author,
international academic and lawyer with extensive experience in equity
initiatives, human/civil rights and organisational management.

She has owned unconscious bias consulting and training business jObjective
since 2018, is Co-Executive Director of the Italy-based human/civil rights
coalition CILD and is a multi-award-winning academic at two universities based
in Australia. She has taught unconscious bias, law, business, and social
sciences in undergraduate and graduate programs across three continents, and
in executive education programs. She is a former Lead Scientific Adviser of
New York University’s Public Interest Law Clinic in Paris, has delivered
several CPDs on unconscious bias, and has worked with non-profit organisations
for over 15 years.

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Date Published: 06-30-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press

A former lawyer who once helped the FBI convict her own husband for fraud, Ann
Audrey has settled into a reclusive life, until her longtime friend Flynn
Reynolds asks for help. His elderly aunts are convinced that another nephew
was murdered by his wife, Kathryn, whose second husband is now also dead. Ann
Audrey is skeptical. Still, she owes Flynn, and there are some odd questions.
Complicating matters is Kathryn’s latest mother-in-law, a woman who rose
from an impoverished background into Atlanta’s upper circles and
recognizes a kindred spirit in her dead son’s ambitious widow. She
doesn’t believe Kathryn is a murderer—but she has heard rumors,
and she wants them stopped.

Set in Atlanta in January 2000, as the city buzzes with anticipation for the
upcoming Super Bowl, Ann Audrey searches for the black widow through the
city’s frenetic bar scene, private clubs, high-rise offices, and beloved
local institutions like Mary Mac’s Tea Room and The Varsity. With help
from Flynn and her friend Theo, along with the return of sexy detective Mike
Bristol, she pieces together a twisting story of social climbing, carefully
managed appearances, marriage, and murder. As the Super Bowl kickoff draws
near, the case reaches a climax when an ice storm shuts down Atlanta’s
roads and power, leaving secrets and murderers with nowhere to hide.

 Following her mother’s lead, Mississippi native Winnie Simpson was an
avid murder mystery reader beginning in the third grade, starting with Nancy
Drew and moving through the classics of British, American, and international
crime. Winnie studied music at Duke University, later receiving an MFA in
Music at SUNY Buffalo, where she worked as an arts administrator before
throwing it all over in order to make a decent living. After finishing law
school at Emory University, she became a partner in a large firm in Atlanta
where her practice focused mainly on securities litigation. Retiring early,
Winnie relocated to Northern Michigan where she lives in a renovated
nineteenth-century building that served as a former Michigan state asylum. For
more than a decade, she has taken writing classes and participated in writing
groups. She is fond of opera, hiking, cycling, and Duke basketball, most
seasons.

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