'Look at me, Celeste,' he gently lifts her chin up with the tips of his slender fingers. 'I'm right here, okay?' *** When Celestine Vora enrols at the elite Marion University to study medicine, the last person she expected to come face to face with was Adrian Schulz. Always condescending, never conceding. As her brother's best friend, he always caught glances of her in the background, the silent, quiet shadow of an adopted girl who never quite matched her brother's innate talent. One who always seemed to be a hindrance, his biggest competitor for valedictorian in high school. He was looking forward to a fresh start. That is, until she shows up in front of his apartment in the middle of the night, and shakily utters the words, 'He's missing.' ~ [This is a work of fiction. All events and characters are fake.]

After having her heart broken by the boy she'd been in love with her whole life, Brimmy Somell decides to take a little...vacation. Little does she know, it turns out to be much more permanent than she had originally thought. After meeting tall, sexy, and mysterious Marcello Pietro, Brimmy finds herself having to make a life-changing decision and putting herself in a dangerous position she'd never imagined to be in. °•°●°•°●°•°●°•° "I love you." He says with no hesitation. It takes a moment for my hazy mind to catch up. I'm still in a daze, mesmerized by his perfections, and the deep dimple set in his cheek. I blink, "What?" "Don't make me say it again." He says, sounding frustrated, but I catch the hint of embarassment in his voice as he runs his hand through his hair and takes a step back. I grab a hold of the neckline to his shirt and yank him back within close proximity of me. "What if I want you to say it again?" I ask, studying his eyes. "Isn't it enough that I said it once?" He scowls, trying to pull back, but I restrain him from doing so. "Nope. Just say it one more time and I'll be satisfied." I state bravely, feeling a boost of confidence I didn't have earlier. He glances down, then looks back up into my eyes, allowing me to spot the vulnerability and uncertainty he feels. "I love you." He says, putting more strength in his voice than he looks to have. I grin, pulling him in for a kiss, but right before I do, I say the one phrase that will seal my fate, "I love you too, big, bad mafia boss." ••••• The story may be rough but the comment section makes up for it. ••••• Word count: 51,173 ••••• Written and published 2018-2019

When Franny learns why former popular boy Tyler fell from grace, she gets thrown head-first into his dangerous world but also closer to his timid heart. ***** Eighteen-year-old Tyler Madden used to have everything. He was captain of the football team, popular, high achiever, and was set to have a successful career. But when a secret too hard to handle comes to light, he turns to underground fighting to deal with the pain. Now, he's in too deep. And when Francesca Howard befriends him at school in the hopes of figuring out what went wrong, she unknowingly gets pulled into the criminal world he's now stuck in. As the two find comfort in each other, they find themselves faced with their impending future and trying to get Tyler out alive. Content/Trigger Warning: this story contains scenes pertaining to drug use, substance abuse, and violence. [#1 in teen fiction, romance and action]

"Feel that?" He asked, keeping her hand still. "That's what you do to me. Every time I see you. Every time I hear you laugh. Every time I think of you." ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ It started with an accidental run in, but blossomed into something more. Aurora never thought she could ever love herself again, let alone give her love to another. Yet after meeting him, her doubts slowly began to fade away. Xavier was never a man of many words. Known to be cold and closed off, he found himself opening up to her as he fell for her fast. Join Aurora and Xavier as they learn to love and trust each other, forming unbreakable bonds. ❤︎ Extended description inside ❤︎ #2 in romcom 07-20-2022 #2 in sweet 04-23-2021 #1 in loveatfirstsight 04-14-2021 #1 in fiction 02-15-2021 #2 in billionaire 11-14-2020 #3 in chicklit 11-13-2020 #4 in protective 10-18-2020 #1 in boyfriend 10-15-2020 #1 in drama 10-8-2020 #4 in love 9-23-2020 #2 in humor 9-20-2020 #1 in sweetromance 9-14-2020 #1 in asiansinlit 9-04-2020 #1 in newadultromance 8-16-2020

She's a wild, free spirit who sees the good in everyone, and he's the hardened, bad-tempered loner who wants nothing to do with her-yet no matter how hard he tries to push her away, she's the one temptation he can't escape. *** He's never met someone with such a bubbly personality. Not to mention the wildness and odd phrases she says every five minutes. He hates it. He hates how he can't stay away from it. He hates what she does to him; it's not like him to chase after some girl. She gets under his skin like no other. She's never met someone with such a bad attitude. He's ill-mannered and menacing. The glare never seems to leave his face. Considering it all, she can't help but feel the attraction toward him. Dangerous attraction toward a seemingly dangerous man. Maybe it's the tattoos on his arm that gets her attention. Or maybe it's because she can tell there's hope for good under his rough exterior. And she's about to find it, whether he likes it or not. It's no secret that the two of them are complete and total opposites. *** "You like being called Sugar, don't you?" I tease, placing my toothbrush back after finishing. He does the same and gives me a side-eyed scowl. He grips my chin harshly and kisses me. My body temperature raises a good ten degrees and my right leg goes all wiggly. He pulls away. "You like it when I kiss you, don't you?" He teases the same way I did to him and I'm left blubbering. "I think both of our questions are rhetorical," I lower my voice up at him. His lip curls up into a smirk. *** #1 in Young Adult #9 in Badboy #1 in Cold #3 in Goodgirl #1 in Sweetheart #14 in Love *** *Warning* This story contains mature themes (language, scenes)

he wasn't supposed to be intrigued by her innocent nature and she wasn't supposed to become bedeviled by his snap and senselessness. he thought he was getting along fine before, until he made the graceful mistake of letting her become his world. © lostinrealitys 2015

❝ I don't have time to waste thinking about a boy who will only destroy my future,❞ I say getting closer to him with every word, maybe a little too close. I feel his breath fanning my face. He licks his lip as a sneaky smirk slips onto them, his greenish-gray eyes shift between my lips and eyes, making my traitorous breath hitch. ❝ You saying you think about me, Torres? ❞ ~ Mariana Torres is the first in her family to go to college. Being the first in a Latinx family comes with more pressure and stress than usual, something Mariana is used to. She wants nothing but to make her family proud, even if it means pursuing something she's not interested in. Now heading off to UCLA on a full-ride with her best friend, she's finally getting the chance to get a strong education and become a successful doctor. But every perfect plan has bumps in the road, and this one just happens to be a beautiful one. Aiden Grey lives life like he's dying. He parties, drinks, smokes, burns through his money, and sleeps around with every girl at UCLA. He isn't attracting the ladies by being a brooding bad boy, but by being so carefree you feel your problems slip away when you're with him. Too bad Mariana can't afford for her problems to slip away. *** Warning: Book contains swearing and mature content. WARNING... PART 2: This story contains emotional rollercoasters, flawed characters, tears, sometimes a scary amount of anger and frustration, a really really strong 'has to be you' type of love. *This warning was apparently needed...* ENJOY ~ COMPLETE ~ #1 in Adult-content 6/27/2020 #1 in Romance 6/28/2020 #1 in University 7/4/2020 #5 in Drama 7/6/2020 #3 in College 7/10/2020 #1 in Collegeromance 7/10/2020 #4 in Slowburn 7/18/2020 #1 in Love 10/21/2020 #1 in Singing 11/29/2020

Workaholic wedding planner Sophia gets the surprise of her life when her new clients' best man turns out to be her ex-boyfriend. ***** When taking on new clients, Sophia Coleman expects the same old routine - wake up, go to work, go home, binge The Bachelor, go to sleep, repeat. What she doesn't expect is her ex-boyfriend, Carter Stone, to be the groom's best man. His sudden appearance throws her off, and she refuses to let anyone - let alone a guy - get in the way of her success. Especially not after the last time. Planning a wedding in three months is hard enough, but between cake tastings and dress shopping, there's Carter's cheeky smile and relentless charm. As the big day gets closer, so do Sophia and Carter, until all that's standing between them is their history. Can Sophia say yes to a second chance, or will this rekindled romance get left at the altar?

When River crosses paths with a man who speaks to every hidden hunger inside her, their connection spirals into an all-consuming pull neither of them can resist-but is she Grayson's salvation... or his ruin? *** Everyone in River Avelle's hometown knows about Grayson Maddox-the troubled bad boy who almost killed another student in the middle of the school hallway. Those who look into Grayson's eyes only see pure fury and hatred. They all think he's beyond redemption, even Grayson himself. But not River. As the seemingly perfect good girl, River saw something more in those alluring grey eyes. Something worth holding onto. From the first time their eyes connect, both Grayson and River feel the intense, undeniable attraction between them...but neither of them understand what's pulling them together so fiercely. The closer they get and the more vulnerable they become, River has to wonder: is she saving Grayson from his darkness? Or is she just pulling him further into hers? *** He tips my head toward his with his index finger, keeping my eyes trained on him and driving me crazy with the primal look on his face. His grey eyes look heavy, filled with dark desire, and a shock runs up through my core. Everything around us disappears and all I can sense is him and the hardness pressing between my legs. "What are you doing to me, River?" he whispers, his voice raspy and utterly captivated. His face is lowering and I'm closing my eyes, waiting for soft lips to press against mine. My whole body is on fire as I hold my breath for his touch. *** Cover by @strayin

Reece Bremer goes through life with a scowl and cold personality. Jessica Andrews goes through life with a glowing smile and positive outlook. Reece looks at life with dull, judgmental eyes that make him hate the world and the people living in it. Jessica, well... She looks at life through a camera. Literally. They're polar opposites, and that's what sparks Reece's immediate hate for Jessica the moment they meet. All he sees is a girl with the best life, put in the category of those who get everything handed to them on a silver platter. But who says Jessica's life is like that? Just like a photograph, there's more to the story than what you see. Stumbling across one of Jessica's hidden portfolio might reveal that her happiness isn't all that true. Behind that smile and each picture she takes, holds a thousand words of a very big secret - one that Reece is determined to find out. And who knows? It just might change everything between them. cover by dysanic || 2015 watty's winner for talk of the town ||