call me ishmael opening line novel Audiobooks

Once upon a time, a girl saved my life. I was p*ss-drunk, high as a kite, and about to jump from a bridge. She stopped me. I told her to f*ck off. Exactly how all great love stories start. A year later, I met her again. Sober this time, after yet another stint in rehab. She’s still pretty, still a spitfire, still lights up a room when she walks in. And she doesn’t realize I’m the guy from the bridge. Frankie doesn’t know anything about me or my past. She doesn’t know I’m a former rock star or an ex-junkie. She doesn’t know that two years ago, someone died and it was my fault. She doesn’t need to know. She’s got problems of her own, and they’re what keep her coming back to see me time and again, even when we both know she shouldn’t. I should be staying far, far away from this girl, but it’s like telling water to flow uphill. Can’t be done. Frankie and I may be going down in flames, but we’ll be going down together. Ever After is a full-length, standalone novel.

Can a Case of Mistaken Identity end in True Love? A warrior who knows nothing about Christmas, Force to pay Santa...with disastrous results... A girl running from her past, who lands in a dead-end job as Santa's Helper Elf. Can Lisa keep herself from... Falling for Kindred Claus? It's a week before Christmas and Lisa James is stuck in a dead-end job, playing Santa's little Elf at the local mall. After fleeing her home to get away from an abusive drunk of a husband, she's trying to keep a low profile, so it's not exactly like she has her pick of career paths. Still, she can't help feeling like she's hit rock bottom...that is until the mysterious Kindred playing Santa at her mall shows up. Asher is part of the Kindred Elite Espionage Corps. Sometimes he serves as an assassin, other times a diplomat, but he's never been Santa before. And he's not supposed to be now. When he mistakes Lisa for his contact and she mistakes him for the Kindred who is scheduled to be Old Saint Nick, two hours of confusion and peeing, puking kids are the result. After all, who ever heard of a seven-foot-tall Santa with fangs? The kids are scared, Asher is frustrated, and Lisa loses her job. To make up for the confusion, Asher offers to take Lisa on his next diplomatic mission--a boring and safe affair where all they have to do is attend the coronation of an alien Potentate. But things go horribly wrong when there is an assassination attempt and Lisa and Asher are caught in the middle of it. Will the two of them escape with their lives? Will Asher listen to his heart, which tells him Lisa is his fated mate? And will Lisa be able keep herself from... Falling for Kindred Claus?

In a world where women are seen as a commodity to barter, Alaska promised a sanctuary. But to stay, I have to enter the wife lottery. Six men, one wife . And I have no say in who those men will be. It's more than a game of chance--it's my life falling into the hands of strangers. But the men who win my hand are ruggedly handsome and promise to protect me until death do us part. Fallon and his strong will. Giles and his protective streak. Salinger and his easy smile. Banks and his intellect. Emerson and his faith. Huxley and his charm. I want them all, each for a different reason. My body is awake, my heart beats wild. But I'm also a woman running from a past that's catching up. Fast. My father is coming for me and he'll make my husbands pay--and that's not a gamble. That's a guarantee. *The Wife Lottery is book one of a six book series. Passion and suspense fill the pages of this dystopian romance. The world as we know it may be over, but Tia and her six men of Alaska aren't giving up without a fight.

From paranormal romance author Bella Lore comes a collection of nine epic novellas, guaranteed to make your heart swoon and your jaw drop. In Book #5, MY TRUE ALPHA, Samantha has always been a bit of a rebel. Yet, her life stays the same as it ever was. Until, for the first time in Samantha’s life, someone in the pack issues a Challenge. Gutsy, brave Rafael challenges the Alpha to a duel. When Rafael wins, he upsets the hierarchy of the entire pack and becomes the new Alpha. And while he’s stirring tensions, something begins to stir in Samantha’s heart. She can’t seem to forget the strong and charming rebel who overthrew a nation. But the old Alpha won’t let an outsider take over that easily. As tensions rise, Samantha can’t help but get involved. Because Samantha thinks Rafael might just be her true mate. Books #6-#9 in the series—PROMISED TO THE ALPHA, THE ALPHA’S BRIDE, THE ALPHA’S DESIRE, and THE LUNA’S CHOICE—are now also available!

From paranormal romance author Bella Lore comes a collection of nine epic novellas, guaranteed to make your heart swoon and your jaw drop. In Book #9, THE LUNA’S CHOICE, Victoria has lived as a Luna all her life, the highest of all wolves. But, when her pack is wiped out, she is arranged to an Omega. At first, she is in denial and argues back. She refuses to let her entire life change. After all, she was set to marry the current Alpha. But now, she finds herself at the bottom of the pack. Now, she is arranged to marry Impala, a common guard. Victoria must accept her new station and new life as she enters an unfamiliar pack with unfriendly strangers. Can she find love with the Omega? Is there a sensitive, protective side under Impala’s gruff exterior? Or will Victoria always long for her life as a Luna?

I pull into the diner of this small mountain town, knowing there’s only two things I want: To put down roots and find someone to build a life with. And when I slide into the booth, the woman who pours me a cup of joe is sweet as sugar and warm as apple pie. She serves me up a “Josie Special” and I know she’s made to order—the only woman for me. My past is dark, too dark for a ray of light like her. But she cracks open the clouds and lets the sunshine in … she sees me as the man I can become. Her father wants me gone. He thinks he knows all about me. But he’s wrong, and I’ll do whatever I can to clear my name. For Josie. For our love. For the life we will build together. Dear Reader, You’re going to melt when you meet Beau Montgomery—he’s BUILT, if you know what I mean. He’s all man, all alpha—and all yours. This mountain is full of babies, and he’s gonna make one fine baby-daddy—guaranteed! xo, frankie

Baby it’s cold outside…but things are about to heat up. I missed the last bus to my sister’s for Christmas, and now I'm stranded in a bus station—in the middle of a blizzard—with a giant package covered in naughty wrapping paper. Then he shows up: Kalen Welles, the football star from my high school fantasies—and offers me a ride. Just when the car is getting cozy, the roads get shut down due to snow. Luckily there’s a nearby cabin where we can hole up for the night. A warm fireplace, cozy blankets, pent-up longing we both spent years ignoring… maybe I’ll be able to unwrap Kalen's big package before Christmas morning. But when the snow clears and the ice melts, will the former football star and the shy nerd finally get a happy ending? Unwrap this sexy holiday story from Opal Carew!

A Monstrum Warrior who has vowed never to Claim a bride… An older woman, who thinks she’s done with Love… Can they come together to save the Earth…and each other? What’s the worst Christmas present imaginable? A cheating husband? An angry mob outside your front door? What about Menopause? Minister Emilia Oxley has gotten all three this Yuletide season and she could do without them all, thank you very much. Enter Chief Commander Rarev, the leader of the Monstrum Kindred. He’s had his eye on Emilia from the start. Her courage and determination are incredibly attractive to him, as are her lovely full curves. Also, he can tell by her scent that she’s entering her Second Mating Period—the time of life when a female is most attractive to a Feline Monstrum. Since Rarev is a Lionus Monstrum, he can’t help but notice that Emilia is ripe for the plucking. After he rescues her from an angry mob, the two of them find themselves on a mission to Rigellen Five. There they must compete against three other couples in a series of Trials to earn the right to mine Yillium. The rare mineral is what the Monstrum need in order to defend the Earth from the Darklings, ravenous creatures from another universe which are threatening to overrun the planet. Only if Em and Rarev win the Rigellen Trials can they gain the rights to the Yillium. But since the Rigellen people believe in public displays affection, the Trials are an intimate affair— extremely intimate. Can Em and Rarev come together to save the Earth…and might they find love in the process? Read Loved by the Lion to find out! *Author's note--there is a scene in here that might bother anyone who has ever been attacked before, but I promise it comes out all right in the end. Please read responsibly!

From paranormal romance author Bella Lore comes a collection of nine epic novellas, guaranteed to make your heart swoon and your jaw drop. In Book #2, DESIRED BY THE ALPHA, Marla is arranged to marry Dean, a mate within her pack. And although he is an honest, kind man, she is already in love with Lucas. Lucas, however, is a wolf outside her pack—making theirs a forbidden, secret love. Marla’s mother tries to convince her that she is lucky. Dean is a good Alpha, and she should be grateful to be with him. But her heart knows the truth. Can Marla grow to love the Alpha? Or will she always truly belong with Lucas? Books #3-#9 in the series—FALLING FOR THE ROGUE, MATED TO THE ALPHA, MY TRUE ALPHA, PROMISED TO THE ALPHA, THE ALPHA’S BRIDE, THE ALPHA’S DESIRE, and THE LUNA’S CHOICE—are now also available!

“I never thought I could want anyone as much as I wanted Nash, then I met you”~Royal When I was sixteen I was afflicted with a terrible curse...I fell in love with my straight best friend. I never thought I’d move past my feelings for Nash and find someone who could love me in return, until the day a gorgeous marine plopped himself down in my chair and asked me to ink him. I’m falling fast for Zade, but my feelings for Nash are still very real. When life starts getting complicated and Nash speaks the words I never thought I’d hear, the only thing I want is for us to find a way to make this work...together. “What if I told you, you'd never have to choose?”~Zade I thought I’d stay in the marines for life, that was the plan. But after a traumatic event I couldn’t make myself re-enlist when my contract was up. Confused and unsure what to do next I called up my best friend for a place to stay. What I didn’t count on was my best friend’s boyfriend practically throwing a sexy tattoo artist at me to keep me busy. Royal is everything I’ve ever wanted and his roommate, Nash, is starting to grow on me, too. “A few weeks ago I thought I was straight. Now I'm sandwiched between two sweaty men. Can't say I do anything half-assed.” ~Nash Of course I’ve noticed that my best friend, Royal is crazy good looking. I have eyes, that doesn’t mean I’m into guys. Although, when I start to notice that his new boyfriend, Zade, is pretty hot too, that makes me start to question things a little. Not to mention the dreams I keep having of the three of us together. I’m willing to try if they are. **This is NOT a love triangle, just good old fashioned man-on-man-on-man love **Every book in the Heathens Ink series can be read as a stand-alone, but it’s way more fun to read them in order.