Showing results by author "T.L. Smith" in All Categories

Everything changes, in seconds, minutes, hours. I know, it happened to me. It wasn't for the better, it was for the worst. I am broken, no that doesn't sound right, I am chipped. Pieces of me have been chipped so bad that it's impossible to claim them back. Even if I want to, even if it's for her.

Betrayed, deceived, broken. They are the only words used to describe who I have become. Make no mistake, I let this happen. But do you want to know the thing about letting someone into your life? It can be undone. Lucas Rossi may think he has won this round. But I have news for him: I’m going to win every other one he sends my way. My heart may be in shackles, but my head has perfect clarity.

Detective Braxton Hero should keep his distance from me. Even though I can't seem to stay away from him. Letting him get too close is a mistake. One I can't stop making. He sees me. The woman I pretend to be and the one behind the mask. And for the first time, I don't know which version is real. Even though I've spent my life in the shadows, I've never been conflicted about who I am… until he blurred the lines. The thought of him seeing my darkness does something to me. He makes me want things. Things I can't have. A life that isn't mine to take. A love built on lies.

When a popular podcaster receives a disturbing package in the mail, FBI profiler Victor Loshak heads to Denver to investigate. The grisly contents of the bubble mailer are unlike anything he's seen. Somewhere out there is a victim without a face. Feds swarm the scene. The US Postal Inspection Service tracks down the point of the packages origin.

A mass-shooter rages through Chicago in the days after Christmas. Brutal. Efficient. He etches a path of destruction through the city. Shooting up the mall. Opening fire in traffic. Rampaging through a movie theater. That's just his opening act. FBI profiler Victor Loshak heads to the windy city to investigate and finds himself swept up in a frenzied manhunt.

Death slays me, and I let him . . . Kingdoms are broken. The world has shifted. We are not the same as we once were. The queen is no longer the queen, but I am expected to take her place. The tricky part is I'm not sure I want that responsibility. My heart screams for Death while he stays as far away as possible, believing in the prophecy, whereas I believe in us. But sometimes, that simply isn't enough. The real question now is . . . what do I do?

Ford Ivanov follows the rules. I was born to break them. A single scandalous moment turns into a year of lies, stolen kisses behind closed doors, and whispered promises in the night. Sneaking around with my brother's friend is forbidden. Because where I come from, love isn't just dangerous; It's deadly. The lies are unraveling. And in a world where love is a weakness, we're about to find out just how strong we really are.

Some conspiracy theories turn out to be true. FBI profiler Victor Loshak works a brutal murder case in Watertown, New York - a woman found strangled in her basement, her face gone purple and baggy. But as he sifts through the crime scene details, his mind keeps drifting back to Kansas City, his last job. The human trafficking case there ended in something of a cliffhanger, and it's a loose end that everyone else in law enforcement seems in no hurry to tie up. The truth is out there. Always just out of reach.

A shocking death launches Special Agent Victor Loshak on a new investigation with an ominous message: They know everything. He heads to Tucson, Arizona, where a recent murder spree seems to be linked to the human trafficking conspiracy he's been working in secret for months. Loshak still has dreams about the Kansas City case. Nightmares about the team of techs peeling up the floorboards in a suburban home. Finding the rotting bodies face down in the muddy earth of the crawlspace. A grisly discovery that ultimately led to more questions than answers.

I am loyal, but I will betray you. I am strong, but I have scars. I am an angel, but the devil. I met her when I was 16 and she was a breath of fresh air. She swooped in, making me smile. But then she left, taking my next breath with her. Her smile could light up a room, making my black heart pitter patter. I found her again 10 years later, with a syringe in her arm. Blood coming from between her legs. She was broken and I was glad she was broken. She wouldn't think less of me and my damaged ways.

Beth Chambers's life is no fairytale, even if she feels like a damsel in distress. After four years in a destructive relationship, Beth has decided enough is enough and leaves her girlfriend, taking with her only her dog Dudley, her broken spirit, and a shattered view of life. At her lowest point, she meets Amy Fletcher, a woman who has it all—and from whom she believes would never want more than friendship. What Beth fails to realize is that there are definitely two sides to every story. Could Amy Fletcher be Beth's Princess Charming? Could her story end with a happily ever after?

To break a heart is easy. All you have to do is reach in, wrap your blood-covered hands around it, and pull. This happened to me. Two hands, both red as my hair, did this exact thing. Tore it away like it wasn't made for me. Maybe it was his to take? Because years on, with those same blood-red hands, he still has it. In his clenched fists. And he won't give it back. But the real question is, do I want it back? He is dangerous, uncontrollable, and downright sexy. I fell for it all, but, in the end, he didn't catch me. He let me fall.

He wasn't meant to be on my radar; he was definitely the off-limits guy. My brother's best friend, my friend's ex, but most of all he was my boss. Hawk Carnage resembled one thing, and one thing only. Sex. He used it, he knew it, he lived it. Hawk owned the largest lingerie company in the world, and I was his leading lady. In business. But now business and friendship were about to be crossed. The lines blurred, and I was ready to dip my toes in the forbidden water.

A wound to the heart, a hole so deep. Can it be fixed? Or simply replaced? People lie. Those closest to me, tell the most lies. Do they not know who I am? What I'm capable of? Sometimes I wonder if they do. Because when I unravel their lies, they will be delivered to the hell I once visited. And it won't be pleasant.

Schoolteacher Gemma Hughes is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life. Disorganized and clumsy, she soon finds herself in the capable hands of the beautiful Dr. Maria Moran. Everything goes wonderfully until Gemma starts doubting Maria's intentions and begins listening to the wrong people. But has Maria something to hide, or is it a case of swapping trust for insecurity, respect for jealousy and finishing with a world of heartbreak and deceit? Can Gemma stop her actions before it's too late? Or will she ruin the best thing to happen in her life?

"You, Delylah Andrews, agree to marry Korton Whiskey, on the date supplied in the attached contract. In doing so, you will not, by any means, try to break this contract. If you do, the envelope held in escrow will be released to all involved, and you will forfeit your right to the privacy Mr. Whiskey has granted you." I stare at the letter I received attached to the contract in disbelief. A one-night stand who’s now blackmailing me - the daughter of a senator! If he thinks he can extort anything from me with his perversions, he can think again.

We are a people of stories. We use them to entertain, to teach, and to instruct. Sometimes they warn us of the dangers of wandering too far into the woods, or they can be a detailed story to explain how magnificent landscapes came to be. Story has always been the way we pass time, the way we connect to each other, and most importantly, how we promote our values. Parables, especially, have a dual purpose. Not only do they keep us entertained, but they also make a point. Consider Aesop’s fables—tales of talking animals who learn valuable life lessons.

A provocative look at the remarkable contributions of high-skill immigrant entrepreneurs in America. 

You would think that after 16 years of attempted co-parenting, even the worst situations would be better. How is it that most other single moms in your life have managed to make it through the trenches? Yet, here you are still dealing with "Daddy Deadbeat". Over the years, you've done all you can to create a functional co-parenting situation and a sense of balanced love and stability for your child. Still, you can't seem to win from losing.

Restaurant Chatatouille serves up delicious Disney goodness as two friends watch the classic Disney movies and give them (and each other) the business!