HOOKED || JJ Maybank

preface

PREFACE
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They say the Outer Banks is paradise on earth—a place where sun-soaked beaches meet endless possibilities. But beneath the golden sunsets and ocean breezes lies a great divide. In this island it's Kooks versus Pogues, wealth versus want, perfection versus chaos.

And in a world where your status defines you? Breaking free feels impossible.

Grace Beaumont knows this all too well. Raised in the shimmering façade of Figure Eight, her life has always been about appearances, expectations, and the unspoken rule that her desires will always be secondary to loyalty—to family, to class, to legacy. But loyalty has a cost, and for years, Grace has been willing to pay it.

Until JJ Maybank comes crashing into her perfectly curated world.

JJ—a Pogue from the wrong side of the island—is everything Grace wasn't supposed to want. His life is messy, unpredictable, and far too dangerous for a Kook Princess like herself. But the longer she's around him, the harder it becomes to ignore the freedom he offers. What begins as a forbidden spark becomes a year of passion and escape. Until it all falls apart.

Now, everything has changed. Grace is back in the world she fought so hard to escape, tethered to a future she is terrified to accept. JJ has moved on—or at least that's what he wants everyone to believe, even as he's forced to watch the one thing he's ever wanted slip farther and farther out of reach.

HOOKED is a story of love and rebellion, tracing Grace and JJ's journey from stolen moments in the past to a collision course with the terrifying truth. In the Outer Banks, nothing stays hidden forever—not secrets, not love, and not who we truly are.