Lake Cliff Adjacent Series by K. Sterling

They called him the Red Death but all Anatoly Ivanof ever wanted was his freedom and his family. Kidnapped at the age of 12, Toly was a child prodigy whose childhood was stolen by the KGB and the Russian Mafia. Held by ruthless monsters for twelve years, Toly is a one-man weapon of mass destruction and his reign of cyber terror has made him a legend and a terrorist... moreThey called him the Red Death but all Anatoly Ivanof ever wanted was his freedom and his family. Kidnapped at the age of 12, Toly was a child prodigy whose childhood was stolen by the KGB and the Russian Mafia. Held by ruthless monsters for twelve years, Toly is a one-man weapon of mass destruction and his reign of cyber terror has made him a legend and a terrorist. Forced to commit unspeakable crimes and haunted by his atrocities, Toly offered his skin as penance and dedicated his body to his obsession and his dependence on technology for survival. Now, determined to set himself and his family free, Toly is ready to risk everything, including his life, to steal the last traces of his identity and stop an auction that will leave him in the hands of a new master. But first, he must survive the night. On the run, starving, sick and alone, Toly sends out an S.O.S. from the worst place any sane person would hide: The West Side of Chicago. They call Wilder Martinez a tank because of his size and his strength. But he’s been through too many battles and he can’t see the end of the war. Wilder’s story began in a heartbroken, hopeless moment; found as a baby in a stolen basket of laundry on Wilder Avenue. After a successful, but brutal, career as an undercover cop and rescuer of at-risk LGBTQ teens in Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods, Wilder has seen too much heartbreak and lost hope. Now, he’s ready to retire and distance himself from the violence and regret of his past and start over. But first, Wilder must handle one more errand for Sage Bradley. A quick mission to find a lost Russian hacker leads Wilder from West Garfield Park to Lake Cliff and into danger, redemption and possibly a little cyber temptation. Beauty is only skin-deep, so you should never judge a man’s character by the color of his skin. But, what about the stories we tell with our skin? One of our heroes used tattoos to erase his humanity, the other to disguise himself as a monster. Can a love story begin with two men who have painted themselves as outcasts and freaks? Can a lost digital boy with digital skin find safety and strength in a battle-scarred tank with a marshmallow center? Can two orphans from hard, dark, painful pasts find something safe, delicate and sensual in each other? Do they have the courage and strength to take on the world together? Digital Love is a spin-off from the Boys of Lake Cliff series but may be read as a stand-alone despite featuring characters from Lake Cliff. less

Long ago, Romance was ruled by rakes. The time of the ton came to an end and rakes gave way to new, more modern heroes. What if there were still some rakes left in the world? What if they were every bit as devastating and irresistible as the rakes we’ve loved and longed for but modern? K. Sterling believes there are still some rakes out there and their time has come. The rakes have returned. Gideon Drake is not a rake. He’s a journalist... moreLong ago, Romance was ruled by rakes. The time of the ton came to an end and rakes gave way to new, more modern heroes. What if there were still some rakes left in the world? What if they were every bit as devastating and irresistible as the rakes we’ve loved and longed for but modern? K. Sterling believes there are still some rakes out there and their time has come. The rakes have returned. Gideon Drake is not a rake. He’s a journalist. He’s covered every modern battlefield over the last decade because war scares him less than the pain of his past. An impossible lead, a myth and an assassination attempt introduces Gideon to an Israeli Butcher who isn’t Israeli or a butcher. Rami Ali is a rake. His story is very different. He is as mysterious as he is sensual and irresistible and he’s not what Gideon expected to find when he set out to uncover the elusive arms dealer. He wasn’t expecting the passion or the reckoning with his past and being in the middle of the ocean can’t save him from the heat. less

Lust. He's the man you can't resist. He's the voice that gives you chills and you ache to touch him. Marry. Is he the man you give your heart to? Can he ever truly be yours? Kill. Is he the man you kill? Is he next? This isn't Lake Cliff. Reginald and Paul find themselves on a very different kind of adventure and England will never be the same. Now that his secret is out and he's being forced to play the part, Reginald's not settling into his title quietly... moreLust. He's the man you can't resist. He's the voice that gives you chills and you ache to touch him. Marry. Is he the man you give your heart to? Can he ever truly be yours? Kill. Is he the man you kill? Is he next? This isn't Lake Cliff. Reginald and Paul find themselves on a very different kind of adventure and England will never be the same. Now that his secret is out and he's being forced to play the part, Reginald's not settling into his title quietly. He's determined to be his own marquess and Paul has to keep him in check while he figures out how to fit in the world of the modern rake. Is Reginald ready to make peace with his past? Can they solve the mystery of his father's murder? "It might be better if I went alone,” Reginald suggested carefully and Paul’s brows pulled together as he looked at him through the mirror. “What? Why?” He asked and Reginald’s lips twisted as he considered then rubbed his forehead. There was a tickle of anxiety and it was all over Paul’s ass. They wouldn’t be able to keep their hands off it. “There’s a very good chance it could get out of hand or a bit…sketchy,” he warned and Paul snorted as he turned back to him and hugged his chest. Reginald hissed as he straightened Paul’s arms. “The pins!” He reminded him. “Don’t pull them out or we’ll have to wait for Marco to re-pin it,” he scolded then offered him a sheepish wince. “Out of hand and sketchy is my bread and butter. It’s my happy place but I don’t know if I want you there,” he admitted and Paul blinked back at him. “You’ve got better odds on pulling a leprechaun out of your ass than walking into whatever this is without me,” he promised and Reginald swore as he scrubbed his face with his hands. “I have a terrible feeling about this,” he said and Paul chuckled as he poked at the items on the tray. “Definitely not going alone,” he stated firmly and Reginald swore as he slapped his hand away and reached for a pure white velvet pocket square. He presented it dramatically before folding it then slid it into the pocket on Paul’s chest. “I won’t be in any danger but you might,” he said as he left just enough of the white showing. “I’ve ran just about every type of undercover operation imaginable and survived your employer, I can handle whatever this party thing is,” Paul said and Reginald hummed in amusement. “It’s going to require all of my focus just to keep you from getting mauled. A gorgeous, impeccably built, circumcised American in a tuxedo this exquisitely tailored…” less

All Sheriff Decker Wright wants for Christmas is for the town’s new librarian to be competent and reliable. And not a serial killer. He and the good people of Covington, Rhode Island have been through a lot and Decker’s hoping a sane new librarian and a perfect holiday festival will help restore the town’s spirits after a string of tragedies.Luckily for Decker, Meredith Crane is extremely competent and reliable... moreAll Sheriff Decker Wright wants for Christmas is for the town’s new librarian to be competent and reliable. And not a serial killer. He and the good people of Covington, Rhode Island have been through a lot and Decker’s hoping a sane new librarian and a perfect holiday festival will help restore the town’s spirits after a string of tragedies.Luckily for Decker, Meredith Crane is extremely competent and reliable. Despite his intentions to make his stay brief, it doesn’t take long for the reserved librarian to become enchanted with the charming little town. There is the matter of the peculiar characters inhabiting Covington and the ghosts inhabiting the Malbourne Inn but Meredith is determined to make the best of it. The owners of the inn have adopted him and Meredith makes it his mission to solve the mysteries that haunt the colonial mansion and help Decker deliver the perfect Covington Christmas.Unfortunately for Decker, he can’t resist a well-mannered man in a well-cut suit and he’s not the only one who wants the town’s new librarian. The two do their best to ignore the heaps of sexual tension while hunting for answers to old mysteries. But fate, ghosts, and a few elderly matchmakers test their control and sanity.This heartwarming haunted holiday romance is a spin-off of Lost Ground but is intended to be a standalone with just a little help from a few Lake Cliff residents. You do not need to have read Lost Ground or any of Lake Cliff to enjoy Merry & Wright. less