What Are The Major Themes Explored In Us?

All my life, I thought I had it all figured out — the quiet, obedient girl who did what was expected and stayed in the shadows. But life has a way of turning everything upside down. I’ve lived with rules, expectations, and secrets I never dared to speak aloud. I’ve tried to be who everyone wanted me to be, but now… I’m starting to ask myself who I really am. And then there’s Lucas — a presence I can’t ignore, though I’m not sure what he truly means for me. Between past pains, the choices I make, and the life I’m trying to claim for myself, I’m learning that growing up is complicated… and sometimes, it hurts.

Bruises. That’s all Louis has ever known. At twenty-seven, you’d think he’d have escaped the violent grip of his abusive father—but breaking free from the man who raised you, no matter how monstrous, is never simple. Life has never gone easy on Louis, and now, he carries a secret that’ll finally get him killed by his father: his sexuality. He hides it, suffocates it, tries to erase it—but it never leaves him. All he needs is a savior. Someone to pull him from the dark hole he’s sinking in. But hope has never been more than a cruel fantasy—and he’s long since stopped believing in rescue. Then comes Elias Montgomery. The most feared and ruthless Don in the Midwest. Silent. Disciplined. Calculating. And utterly alone. No one dares cross Elias. He keeps his enemies close, and the traitors? Six feet under. Love has never been part of the equation, not after what happened the last time. So, what happens when, against all odds, Elias crosses paths with Louis? Will he bury the tension—and the dangerous spark between them—for the sake of his image and empire. Or will he risk it all for a boy who’s known nothing but pain?

The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death.~Oscar Wilde~Adoration is not profound enough a word to express the depth of my love for her. From the moment she walked into my life and set my heart and soul on fire, not a day's gone by that she hasn't plagued my every thought.We were each other's completion. She was everything I wasn't--the sigh to my roar, the virtue to my sin, the cure to my wounds.We Were One.Until the unthinkable happened.That I've survived such a tragedy without having completely lost it, is a mystery in itself. But as my mind starts to blur the lines between reality and my delusional heart, I begin to question everything, including my sanity.And then the real mystery begins . . .Author's note: We Were One is an alternate POV to Girl In The Mirror but both books can be read as stand alones without the need to read the other to follow along!We Were One is created by Elizabeth Reyes, an eGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Anya Moore is a pop sensation with lots of people who look up to her, though her passion is something else. Sadie Ozoa wants to chase her dreams and doesn’t want to take no for an answer, but it feels like she doesn’t have a choice. But unexpected decisions they made had created unfaithful circumstances that have brought two different individuals together. Next unthinkable move: run as far away from the situation that could have led to their wishes. They don’t know how they ended up walking together and they don’t know why. But all they want to do is to escape from the environment they were surrounded in. Anya and Sadie thought they would be distant but with every step they took, they started to know so much about each other and what they have one thing in common: they hated how the world has become. They then thought what if they rebuild Earth where it is all ruled by them--and only both of them. The two then thought what if we start to make it a reality? As they go on the journey to create their own world, Anya sees that Sadie is more than an outcast and Sadie sees that Anya is more than just a star--they are each other’s world. But with the world that is against their odds, will they be able to show their truth? In this first debut comes a coming-of-age story about realizing that in order to survive the world, you must choose whether to follow the rules or break them for the sake of doing something right.

HER A mystery. So very complicated. An enigma. A puzzle with so many missing pieces. Add one of the above ingredients into my plate and call me intrigued. Enter him. He is all of them and more...much more. He claims to be a monster. He doesn't believe in redemption. He is too vague and too dark for me to read. But it's my job now. To help him, figure him out, to find all of his missing pieces, arrange them together and finally obtain the final picture. It's my job, to find his deepest darkest secret. It's my job, to unravel the beast he claims to be and finally see the man behind. HIM Lost. I've been lost for way too many years. I thought it was over. I wanted it to be over. I had nothing to live for anymore. I've killed, I've destroyed and obliterated. It was enough. My role in the story should've ended there. I was too big of a monster to be tamed. Too dangerous to be kept alive. Enter her. Too loud. Too obnoxious. Too naive. Innocent, so very innocent. So intent on aiding me, redeeming me. She is unaware, she is opening a door that was shut down with a broken lock. I am scared. Terrified even. She is too white against my inner darkness. Too pure to be tangled with the devil living within me. We don't mix. We should never mix. Instead of pulling me out of that room, she might just get herself stuck inside as well. She wants to unravel the beast and meet the man behind, but I am scared that if she succeeded, she'll find nothing behind.

In a city where ambition shines brighter than honesty, Ethan Blackwood has built his life on control. A rising executive with a flawless image, Ethan keeps his emotions tightly guarded, believing that vulnerability is a weakness he cannot afford. Love, if it exists at all, is something distant—something meant for other people. Kai Rivera lives by an entirely different rulebook. A bold, intuitive photographer, Kai sees the world through shadows and light, capturing truths others work hard to conceal. Unafraid of emotion or connection, he moves through life with fearless curiosity—until a chance encounter at a rain-soaked art gallery collides him with Ethan. What begins as a charged glance turns into an undeniable pull. As Kai’s uninvited lens follows Ethan into quiet cafés, crowded elevators, and hidden rooftops, tension grows into something neither of them can escape. Ethan’s carefully built walls begin to crack under Kai’s relentless honesty, while Kai finds himself drawn deeper into a man who refuses to admit how much he wants to be seen. But desire is never simple. Jealousy, misunderstandings, and the pressure of expectations threaten to tear them apart. Forced into moments of uncomfortable proximity, both men are pushed to confront the truths they’ve been avoiding—about fear, identity, and the cost of loving openly. When emotions finally collide, Ethan must decide whether protecting his image is worth losing the one person who sees him completely. Shadows Between Us is a slow-burn BL romance about longing, restraint, and the courage it takes to step out of the shadows. It is a story of two men learning that love does not demand perfection—only honesty.