Welcome to Nickajack Lake

A small town community surrounded by love, passion and unspoken desires

Enjoy meeting the couples who reside in this small town community along the banks of Nickajack Lake in southern Tennessee. Love and passion, discovery and renewal. You will find it all. You will become part of them. The stories are rich. Their journeys will make your heart race. Please know these stories are all PG-18 with lots of steamy scenes (even some erotic) and strong language. They are all stand alone. They run in tandom instead of chronological. No cheating, no cliffhangers. Just very satisifying HEA's with lots of heart pounding love.

Buck and Ruby - A Love Story

Novel: 310 pages, 102,824 words

Buck and Ruby

A Love Story

Ruby was a woman well-loved. But like so many women, she carried a longing she was taught never to name—never even to think of such things. But her husband loved her with a patience few men possessed, and when he discovered her deepest secrets, that patience became a mission. It took some time, but he began to wear her down. Then he ran out of time. And suddenly Ruby knew her secrets would remain just that. Secret. But that didn’t matter anyway, because love only comes around once in a lifetime, after all.

Buck didn’t trust women. He wasn’t big on people in general. Not after he survived the sharp sting of betrayal so many years ago. But that didn't matter now—life was good. When he found his private plot of land, he was relieved that the family next door shared his desire for solitude. Then he saw her long auburn curls and heard that infectious laugh. But that didn’t matter either because she was another man’s wife. He’d never live in her world.

In her debut novel, Alys Locke takes you on a journey with two people who believed they knew everything there was to know about love, only to discover a truth neither expected. Buck and Ruby is a ‘Later in Life’ love story. You can love more than once in your life, but rare love only happens once in a lifetime.

Please note: This book contains adult themes, consensual erotic scenes, and strong language. There is no cheating. No cliffhanger. With a very satisfying HEA! Suggested PG-21.

BONUS CONTENT: Buck and Ruby - The Wedding Chapter

Click here to download The Wedding Chapter

Thomas and Annie - A Man'sJourney Through A Woman's Hear

Short Story: 44 Pages, 12,686 words

Thomas and Annie

A Man's Lifelong Journey Through A Woman's Heart

You might think that after more than forty years of tasting the same woman, I’d be bored by now. But that couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to my Annie. And us. I think it was that slap that set us on the right path. Cleared away any doubt. Confirmed our destiny, as cliché as that sounds. It was what happened afterward that shredded my heart. Just when I thought we’d gone as far as we could go, she showed me how very wrong I was. My Annie. My very soul.

Thomas and Annie serves as a prequel, if you will, to Alys Locke’s debut novel, Buck and Ruby. The two stories are loosely connected, offering a casual nod to each other. They are both stand-alone, set in the same small rural town in southern Tennessee.

This short story will give you an early glimpse of Alys Locke, showcasing what’s to come. Thomas and Annie is a timeless love story, told from Thomas’s perspective, a man deeply in love with the one woman who stole his heart. I hope you enjoy it. They could very well steal your heart, too!

Please note: This short story contains adult themes, consensual erotic scenes, and strong language. Suggested PG-21.

Gavin and Grace - Sexual Renaissance

Short Story: 48 Pages, 12,856 words

Grace and Gavin

A Sexual Renaissance

Grace Hamlin loves sex. So what if she’s fifty-one years old? She craves the touch of rough hands and heated kisses more now than ever before. Her family is grown, her career established. Maybe she's more relaxed now. Maybe she finally stopped listening to the status quo and started listening to what she wants, instead of what she's supposed to want. Maybe she finally realized those fantasies she never dared whisper to her husband really are okay. Maybe she has finally fallen in love—perhaps for the very first time.

Gavin has spent his whole life working damn hard, driven by a singular purpose. Yet, long hours and time away from his family have made fulfilling that purpose increasingly difficult, leading him to question his choices. Then, one night, in a random hotel room halfway through a tedious two-day road trip, he discovered a new purpose and new goals. Just when he believed there was nothing left to strive for, his life veered in an unexpected direction, in the most unlikely way.

A Later in Life short story about passion and fantasies most wouldn't dare dream.

Please note: This book contains adult themes, consensual erotic scenes, and strong language. There is no cheating. No cliffhanger. With a very satisfying HEA! Suggested PG-21.

Derrick and Bella - Captured by Innocense

Novella: 139 Pages, 38,604 words

Derrick and Bella

Captured by Innocense

Derrick Hamlin has everything a man could want– good looks, a successful family business, loyal friends, and never-ending attention from women.

None of it means a damn thing.

After years of chasing temporary satisfaction, Derrick has accepted a hard truth: he'll probably never find the woman who truly understands him. The woman who wants all of him–not just the charming smile and playboy reputation everyone else sees.

Isabella Hurley has loved Derrick for as long as she can remember.

The trouble is, everyone knows Derrick Hamlin.

The handsome flirt.

The heartbreaker.

The man no respectable young woman should want.

When an embarrassing accident throws them together, sparks fly immediately. But in a small Tennessee town, not everyone is willing to give Derrick a chance–especially Bella's fiercely protective family.

As feelings deepen and secrets become impossible to keep, Derrick must decide whether Bella is worth risking everything he's built.

And Bella must decide whether she's brave enough to follow her heart instead of everyone else's expectations.

A heartfelt small-town romance about first love, second chances, and discovering that sometimes the person everyone misunderstands is exactly the one meant for you.

Please note: This short story contains adult themes, consensual erotic scenes, and strong language. Suggested PG-21.

Raynor and Rose

Alys's New Novel Coming October 2026

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