WATTYS 2022 SHORTLIST EDITOR'S CHOICE -- SEPTEMBER 2021 EXCLUSIVE CHAPTERS AND WRITER'S REVEAL CONTENT AVAILABLE - NOT A PAID STORY Appearances can be deceiving. What if the Bad Boy wasn't so bad and the good girl wasn't quite so good? Kelly Wankum has an unfortunate last name and even worse luck. By the tender age of twenty-three, she's broken her tailbone, thumb, her nose, hip, and now her rib. It wouldn't be so bad if she could say something funny like, "I broke myself on a stripper pole" or "I was mugged in a Walmart parking lot." That would actually be believable, right? Instead, she breaks her rib reaching for a ball of yarn. Even worse, everyone knows she's so accident prone, she could sneeze and lose a tooth. They'd probably bet on her swallowing it in a pancake. Oh wait, she's done that too. Another trip to the Urgent Care has the doctors shaking their heads, offering to pray for her health while new, sexy Doctor Blake Cole immediately gets off on the wrong foot. Months after their first encounter, Blake and Kelly meet again by chance. After inadvertantly humiliating her, Blake tries to set things straight and make it up to her. The problem is, Blake's lifestyle is painfully different, and Kelly can't help imagining him like every bad boy she's ever read about online. Can Blake convince her to give him a chance and prove he's actually a good guy? **This story is set in the present and the pandemic is part of the narrative.** --Cover by AnnieRosebud-- ©2020, 2022

I hesitated. Then sighed. "What would I have to do?" "Marry me." ______________ Lucian King doesn't care about anyone. The only thing that he cares about is King Enterprises; his father's company. Life is already hard enough for Lucian as the CEO's son, but without a doubt, the ultimatum that his Father enforces on him only makes life harder: Either gets married and Lucian's father will give up his spot as CEO to Lucian or Stay single and never work in King Enterprises again. That's where 24 years old, Malea Hayes comes in. Malea works full time as a bartender a club that coincidentally Lucian attends often. In a drunken haze, Lucian chats up Malea. A deal sparks between the two. Malea must help Lucian find a wife. Malea knows she needs help financially and hesitantly asks her best friend, Alesandra Rodriquez for help. Alesandra suddenly is thrust into the world of fame, money, deceit, and lies. With Alesandra married to Lucian, Malea thinks she's finally happy and at peace. But is she wrong? ________ Also published on Hinovel, Goodnovel and Readict

*** So excited to share this is only a sample as this story will be featured on the Galatea app starting August 12th. I appreciate and thank you for all your support! *** Connor Matthews, 28 years old, is a high-profile attorney whose devilishly handsome good looks and charming personality has earned him a reputation as the Casanova of the courtroom. His romantic adventures have been the subject of just about every tabloid feeding the playboy rumors that swirl around him. Karina Monroe, 25 years old, is a no-nonsense law student working three jobs to support herself and pay her mother's medical bills. After coming out of an abusive relationship, she's turned her focus on work, finishing Law School, and taking care of her mother. What happens when Connor sets his sights on Karina? Will his Casanova reputation precede him and ruin any chance of a relationship with her before it begins? Or can he show her that he really isn't the playboy everyone says he is? Please note, this story is for mature readers (17+) and contains some strong language and sexually implicit content. Copyright © 2020 C.B. Rose. All Rights Reserved.

❦ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 & 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱-𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭 In her three years of teaching, the last thing Charlotte Dawson was expecting to discover that one of her students was being mistreated at home. For Jax Beckett, the last thing he was expecting the day he left jail was to hear his younger brother was in the hospital after being harmed by their parents. The person who was alerted to the situation and saved him was none other than his brother's elementary teacher. Jax wants to take custody of his brother but because of his status as an ex-convict, the children's protection services want to make sure it never happens. Luckily for him, Wren's teacher is able to come up with a crazy idea to help him. Move in with her and together they take care of Wren. What happens when Jax's past starts to catch up with him? What happens when feelings arise between the two of them? Will Charlotte be able to handle the ex-convict? Get ready for a burning love between a teacher and an ex-convict. ✘✘✘ ⚠️𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐝𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭/𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.⚠️ ✘✘✘ What readers have to say: "I'm IN LOVE with the story!! It's so well developed and intriguing that I can't help but want more! You're doing an extremely amazing job! ❤️❤️❤️ It also feels more of a reality book than fiction because many things that happen in the book do happen in real life!!"

What happens when a man who should be at the top of the world suddenly decides to take his life? Lincoln, a pediatric surgeon who has been confronted with more than one disaster in the past weeks, is convinced his life is not worth living anymore. But just as he decides to end it, he comes across a girl that might just change his mind. When Mia drives home from her friend's house, she does not expect to find someone standing at the ledge of a bridge, trying to end his life. She especially does not expect that specific someone to be the one man she definitely should not be close to right now. Will she be able to help him without getting too close? Or are these two bound to end up together? Warning: This story contains depictions of mental health issues such as suicide, depression, and anxiety. Please read with caution, it can get very intense. (C) Copyright reserved - Jana Malek (Jane C. Rain) 2020. The author expressly asserts all intellectual property and moral rights over this work. Any attempt to recreate it in any way will be reported and pursued accordingly.

Why do I always end up putting myself in the most awkward situations? All I wanted to do was leave the bookstore and go home. Why was that so hard for me to do?

A change of venue. One drink, poured carefully and sipped slowly. Is that truly all it takes to see the potential for your future? Part of the NARomance #SpringIntoLove contest Prompt 5 (gif)

NA Romance Spring Into Love Prompt #4 After missing your flight to Paris for a vacation, you grabbed the soonest flight possible. Only this was a private jet and you're stuck with a cute pilot who decided it was going to be an interesting flight. With destiny merging your paths, will love bloom this spring in the City of Love? Or is this flirting flight end with the holiday? Hansel Smith missed his flight because of his ex husband. He runs into a handsome stranger, which happens to accommodate him with a flight to Paris in a private jet. Hansel is surprised to find out this handsome stranger is the pilot of this flight, Sebastian Steel. Do sparks fly or will they go their separate ways.

Kensy's first love was her high school sweetheart, Jackson. They were happy and wanted more than anything to stay together, but college and distance got in the way. Kensy and Jackson drifted apart, ending their high school romance during their Freshman year in college. Six years later, Kensy and Jackson reached for the same book at a new bookstore. Had the years apart destroyed the love they once had for each other, or was this accidental meeting a gateway to fall again? SpringIntoLoveContest One Shot for NARomance's Spring Into Love Contest Prompt 3: As you were checking out the new eccentric bookstore that just opened, you were surprised to see someone you haven't seen in several years the one that got away. Spring is the season for new beginnings, right?

Book 1 of The Flaw Series. You can't scream at the world and expect the world not to scream back. Via is the type of girl who loves to live in it with everything around her. She finds solace in her art and starts every day with a smile on her face. The moment she runs into Zach, her life turns upside down. His goofy and sweet personality contradicts his bad-boy exterior. Soon, she begins to question everything she believes in. She doesn't know who's telling the truth or who she can trust as she realizes there's a bigger mystery to her life than she knows. What happens when the one who never looked back has to face the Forbidden Territories of her own past? A story about self-acceptance, facing your demons, and finding love along the way. ----------- TW: Language, violence, sexual scenes, mental health issues, medical issues, mentions of death / losing a loved one ____________ Given that this is my first story, every vote and comment is appreciated. Let me know what you think. Constructive feedback is more than welcome. ____________ The cover photo made by: wattpad: @anndjj Instagram: @intothemadness.x ____________ #wattpademmyaward2021 ____________ [W o r d c o u n t : 90 000 - 100 000]