Stories by @dollaz

Blossoms & Steel

Chloe Lockwood’s legacy balances on a tightrope. Her nemesis holds the rope. As the sole heir of Lockwood Blooms, the flower farm is Chloe Lockwood’s priority. After her father suffers a stroke, Chloe takes the reins. She’s confident in her skills growing the most beautiful blossoms in the Pacific Northwest, but keeping the farm her great grandfather began from sinking? Insecurities get the best of her. Kipling Harris dreams of proving himself without his wealthy father’s help. He’s well on his way, two thousand miles from home, when an opportunity returns him to Seaside Pointe. Harris Development is Kip’s if he finds peace with returning to small-town living and his father’s side after seven years away. Kip and Chloe are the latest in a generations-long feud. They grew up with the stories and added fire to the disdain, until one moment, they swore changed nothing. A thin line exists between love and hate. Kip and Chloe are about to discover how fragile that line is.

Quicksilver

Do not touch the sword. Do not turn the key. Do not open the gate. Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses, or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen’s reservoirs for as long as she can remember. In the land of the unforgiving desert, there isn’t much a girl wouldn’t do for a glass of water. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone. When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares…but it turns out they’re real, and Saeris has landed right in the middle of a centuries-long conflict that might just get her killed. The first of her kind to tread the frozen mountains of Yvelia in over a thousand years, Saeris mistakenly binds herself to Kingfisher, a handsome Fae warrior, who has secrets and nefarious agendas of his own. He will use her Alchemist’s magic to protect his people, no matter what it costs him… or her. Death has a name. It is Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate. His past is murky. His attitude stinks. And he’s the only way Saeris is going to make it home. Be careful of the deals you make, dear child. The devil is in the details... Now with an embossed cover, silver foiling, and an updated interior design.

Shield of Sparrows

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel. I’ve spent my life kneeling―to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king. I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood. But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father’s throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life. Now I’m crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him―bound to a future I didn’t choose and a husband I barely know. Everyone wants me to be something I’m not―a queen, a spy, a sacrifice. But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there’s power in being underestimated? And what if―for the first time―I reached for it?

Long Live the Elf Queen

Held for weeks without food or water, Layala's resolve begins to fracture as an evil darkness looms over her. She’s the key to destroying the Void or reviving its creator— the long-dead Black Mage she has a mysterious connection to. Layala and Thane learn what it truly means to fight for love as their enemies surround them and it becomes a struggle for revenge, the kingdom, and finding the truth about why Layala seems to harbor the power of whether Palenor falls into darkness or if her Lightbringer name holds true.

Bow Before The Elf Queen

In hiding all her life, Layala prepares for the day the wicked High Elf King Thane will come to steal her— his powerful mate. She trains to take her revenge for the wrongful execution of her parents, who died for her freedom. Now that day has come, forcing her to come face-to-face with what she’s hidden from: a dangerous, dark-haired, warrior king determined to marry her. After she’s shoved into a black carriage pulled by six ominous steeds, Layala makes plans to take her captors’ lives and free herself... ...but Thane has a secret that makes it impossible for Layala to slay him. She has an even darker truth that makes loving her forbidden, no matter how much Thane wants to touch.

Rebel Witch

A WITCH... Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches―something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish. A WITCH HUNTER... Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by joining forces with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die―especially Rune Winters. AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE... When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

Four Ruined Realms

The King of Yusan may be the greatest liar of them all. His sister’s ring is in his sights, and he will do anything to get what he wants. Even manipulating the five blades to steal it... Bonded by a common enemy, then divided by deceit, the blades must rely on their skills to pull off King Joon’s pursuit or risk his legendary wrath. A foreign rule of law stands between them and Quilimar, the Queen of Khitan. Now they have one month to steal the powerful Golden Ring of the Dragon Lord. But that impossible task might be easier than trusting one another, even though their lives, their families, and the realms depend on it. They can all agree on one thing: the king can’t win. But can they beat him at his own game? Because for the blades, this time it’s not just personal, it’s revenge. Lies may have torn them apart, but now vengeance will bring them together.

Five Broken Blades

It’s the season for treason… The king of Yusan must die. The five most dangerous liars in the land have been mysteriously summoned to work together for a single objective: to kill the God King Joon. He has it coming. Under his merciless immortal hand, the nobles flourish, while the poor and innocent are imprisoned, ruined…or sold. And now each of the five blades will come for him. Each has tasted bitterness―from the hired hitman seeking atonement, a lovely assassin who seeks freedom, or even the prince banished for his cruel crimes. None can resist the sweet, icy lure of vengeance. They can agree on murder.

Paper Planes and Other Things We Lost

On June 18, 1992, Flight 397 crashed off the coast of Long Island. But this story isn't about the crash. Not completely. RUBY The likelihood of dying in a plane crash is one in five million—meaning my mom shouldn't be dead. But she is, and no one understands my grief. Needing to vent, I pen a letter to another who lost her parent on that flight. BRETT My parents are dead, and my twin sister is spiraling out of control. The new year isn't doing me any favors until Ruby arrives in my mailbox. Her letter is intended for Amber, but her words are meant for me. Ruby's quirky facts save me from drowning under the weight of my responsibilities. Our bond grows as we share the pain of celebrating milestones without our loved ones, but the paper planes that heal us create a dilemma. How do we plan a future together while living on opposite sides of the country?

Neighbors Like That

He started our war–I intend to finish it.Buying a house in the suburbs was supposed to be low stress: my own little haven to decorate and landscape exactly how I want. Instead, I find myself locking my garbage can to keep pests out–pests that are six-foot-one, green-eyed, and far too good looking. My trespassing neighbor is rude and entitled. It isn’t long before war is declared and I find myself stooping to immature pranks. When trouble lands at my door, my unlikely neighbor starts knocking on my heart. Was I ready to answer?

Drinker of Ink

Paris-born Vivienne Lebrun longs for a different life. One where she doesn’t attend college three thousand miles away from her family in New York City. A life where she is sophisticated and has kissed many men, both standing up and sitting down, like the lovers in Rodin’s sculpture. In that life, she would skip her final year of school and start writing books and working at a New York bakery. And her French mother wouldn’t (possibly, maybe) be dealing with the return of cancer. In her real life, all Vivienne can do is obsessively catalog her longings in her journal. But as a new semester begins, she enrolls in a poetry class taught by Peter Breznik, a handsome Yugoslavian graduate instructor. In a heartbeat, she’s taken by his spell-casting blue eyes, his almost smile, and his romantically worn canvas satchel. Soon—though Vivienne suspects she’s stumbled into a dream—Peter is talking to her in chance library encounters about poems, future plans, and his violently unraveling country. And Vivienne is not just writing her fantasies, but wondering if she might (possibly, maybe) be singled out by the universe to live one. Until struggles intensify for both their families—Vivienne’s mother’s health, Peter’s brother’s recklessness in war-torn Croatia—and they are pulled by demands beyond their control. Through distance and heartbreak, can Vivienne and Peter find one another and choose the life they had dreamed of together?

The Exception to the Rule

On February 14, an accidental email to a stranger opens the door to an unexpected relationship in a captivating short story by the New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners. One typo, and a boy and girl connect by chance. Wishing each other a happy Valentine’s Day isn’t the end. In fact, it becomes a friendly annual tradition—with rules: no pics, no real names, nothing too personal. As years pass, the rules for their email “dates” are breaking, and they’re sharing more than they imagined—including the urge to ask…what if we actually met? Christina Lauren’s The Exception to the Rule is part of The Improbable Meet-Cute, irresistibly romantic stories about finding love when and where you least expect it. They can be read or listened to in one sitting. Let’s make a date of it.

Love in C Minor

A broken promise. A reckless love. A life-changing ending. When you’re the daughter of the mayor and the police chief in a sleepy Kansas town, perfection is expected. Seventeen-year-old Reagan strives to maintain the image her demanding mother desires until Regan’s older brother’s best friend changes the game. Ridley’s tormented and teased Reagan her entire life, but he’s always kept his distance. He’s always played by his best friend’s rules—until now. When Ridley breaks a promise, late-night phone calls and secret rendezvous in the haystacks transform into a reckless, all-consuming love. Some promises are meant to be broken. Some secrets will not be contained, and sometimes the consequences we render are more than we can bear. Jump in the pick-up truck and ride down some backroads in this swoony tale where Trouble is the hero’s middle name. Fans of brother’s best friend, small town, secret romance, and innocent heroine tropes should grab their tissues and be ready for an ugly cry.

Two Twisted Crowns

Gripped by a tyrant king and in the thrall of dark magic, the kingdom is in peril. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last—and most important—one remains to be found: the Twin Alders. If they’re going to find the card before Solstice and set free the kingdom, they will need to journey through the dangerous mist-cloaked forest. The only one who can lead them through is the monster that shares Elspeth’s head: the Nightmare. And he’s not eager to share any longer.

Storms and Embers

Archon of Zephyr. Queen of the Goddesses. A Broken Woman. Hera has reigned over Olympus and humanity for millennia. Seen as cold, sarcastic, and callous, she uses this to her advantage, keeping everyone, including her sisters, at a distance. It's a lonely life, but it worked, until the Titans decided that breaking her father out of Tartarus was a good idea. A move that put her and her sisters against the Titans in a battle for their thrones upon Olympus. Dr. Viktor Alden understands being alone. As a man who has spent his immortal life as a nomad, living with a curse that has kept him from allowing anyone to really know him, he is fascinated by the enigmatic woman who quite literally runs the world. Too bad they have a battle they may not win, or even live through, for him to learn the intricacies that make up the Queen of the Goddesses. Now, two people who have spent their entire lives distrusting the world must learn to trust each other if they want to survive the upcoming war.

Sirens and Leviathans

Goddess of the sea Head of the Zephyr Maritime Administration. Spymaster. Amphitrite has always lived in the shadows of her sisters, but the shadows are where she does her best work. Living two lives was always easy enough for the Goddess; from being a pirate ship captain chasing secrets instead of gold to an upstanding government official. She has worked alongside her spies and sirens for centuries, guarding both the sea and Halcyon. But a war has started against the Titans, and the darkness taking over the sea is now more than she can handle alone. West Murphy has been the golden heir all his life, making selfish choices and surrounding himself with disposable people. That was until the night an act of violence forever changed his life. Now, feeling betrayed by everyone he knows, he considers himself a hollow shell of a man with no true purpose. Until a tsunami changes the tides of his fate forever.

Shadows and Vines

Everything you know about the gods of Ancient Greece is a lie. Zeus. Hades. Poseidon. They do not exist as you’ve been told. For centuries, Persephone, the true Ruler of the Underworld, has watched humanity destroy themselves and the world around them. Known for centuries as her alter ego, Hades, she has guarded the souls under her care, her only interaction outside of her realm as C.E.O. of the largest financial company in the world, Cerberus Financial. She is content with this, except a soul has called to her and her alone for thousands of years. One that she finds herself bound to in more ways than one. Devon Aideonous was murdered, his killer unknown, his past as a mercenary haunting him in the afterlife. He is sent to the Underworld, but not as a soul meant to live out eternity there. He is something far more powerful, and the more he learns about his new power, the more secrets are uncovered from his past.

The Archer and his Rosebud

At nineteen, Willa Hawthorne had ambitions, a determination in her heart, and plans for the future. All of which vanished the moment she saw two pink lines. College parties and independence are replaced with late-night feedings and howling cries. As a single mom in a town that isn’t her home, she’s hanging by a thread. When her newborn’s rare moment of sleep is interrupted by her noisy neighbor, the thread snaps. Rebuilding his life after his marriage left him in shambles, Archer Thomas isn’t expecting his new neighbor to have a breakdown at his front door. The last thing he needs is to become involved, but Archer can’t help stepping in when the struggling young woman’s daughter steals his heart. Willa isn’t one to ask for help, but when life flips the script, sometimes accepting the hand of the gorgeous single dad next door is the only answer.