Lord Brisbane, the Bear of the North thought he'd snatched up a beautiful blonde bride but when he goes to collect his wife-by-proxy, he finds himself wed to her cousin instead. Gina Marie hated decieving a stranger for her own gain, but she was desperate for a way out from under her uncle's control. When Bane rejects their marriage on sight - she's certain all of her hopes are dashed. But a forgotten pair of gloves and an unexpected streak of posessiveness from her brand new husband catapaults her into the life of a Marquis' wife, on her way to her new home. But what neither of them expected was the enemy from the past that shadows them all the way home.

When Everly Reed collides with the cynical and devilishly handsome Mason Valdez, she knows trouble is ahead, but she never could have guessed how much she would be drawn to the storm. ***** Nineteen-year-old Ever Reed likes when things make sense. Which is probably why she excels at math, enough to secure her a spot at an Ivy League school out of state. Sheltered by her mother and older brother Asher for most of her life, Ever hasn't experienced much of the world, but she knows New York will be an adventure. Enter Mason Valdez: cynical, arrogant, and undeniably attractive-exactly what Ever doesn't need. But as their paths keep crossing, Ever finds herself intrigued by Mason, and eager to know the boy behind the bitter mask. As secrets, scars, and painful pasts rise to the surface, Ever knows one thing for sure: they can only make it through if they face their storms together. [[word count: 150,000 - 200,000]] Cover designed by Frances Louise De Ramos Spinoff to The Hoodie Girl Book One of the A Thousand Storms series [[The Fiction Awards 2018 Best Overall Story and Best Romance Winner]] Content/trigger warning: This story mentions sexual assault and childhood abuse