Caden Connelly is hot. Dumb. And possibly cursed. Every girl he dates ends up falling for someone else-usually one of his teammates-and he's sick of being the universe's personal punchline. So this semester, he's got a new plan: fake date someone completely undateable. Someone so immune to hockey charm, the curse won't stand a chance. Enter Raven Alore. She's too smart to fall for a himbo goalie and way too busy trying to win a cutthroat sports media internship, take revenge on her ex, and survive living with her backstabbing roommate. She has exactly zero time for Caden's golden retriever energy or his abs of distraction. But when fake dating him gets her: a viral PR case study a shot at the internship and her ex shaking in his cleats... Well, she's in. With conditions. No feelings. No flirting. No shirtless selfies. (Okay, maybe one shirtless selfie.) But the longer they fake it, the messier it gets-because Caden's actually... not that dumb? And Raven's not that heartless. And this whole thing? Might not be fake at all. By the time the puck drops, someone's gonna catch feelings. Let's just hope it's not cursed.

Jane Caughill: Not a nobody, definitely not a somebody. From a young age Jane knew she was different. She could tell you how many boats were on Lake Mead or a random fact about giraffes if she wanted to. But the one question she can't answer is what she's going to do after college. Being undeniably smart had its pros: an early graduation and a bright future in the medical field. Though, it also had its cons: the constant nagging and reliance everybody had on her. But no matter what, she always found herself helping them. Here's the plan so far: graduate, land a high-paying job in the medical field, live a happy life, the end. But ever since Jane had stepped into that bakery back home as a child, she'd been hooked on the craft. But she's strapped for cash and the pre-med track sounds a whole lot more financially promising. All she needed to do for the next 3 years was keep her head down and work off her pending college loans. The last thing she thought she'd be doing was tutoring some jock. • • • • • • • • Aiden Parker: Definitely not a nobody, and most definitely a somebody. As a three year starter for one of the most prolific college hockey teams in the country he has it all going for him. The looks, the talent, the charm. But when it comes to the classroom he's quite literally failing. With the team nearing playoffs and a sweet chance at the title, Aiden needs to find a way to boost his grades or risk riding the bench. What he wasn't expecting was to be tutored by some chick who could give Einstein a run for his money. She could be a bit shy at times, a bit lost in her thoughts too, but she's exactly what he needs to keep his spot on the team. The two of them strike a deal: she tutors him, he pays her, and that's that. Developing feelings wasn't a part of the deal. But as his feelings fail to dissipate, he begins to realize that maybe winning a championship won't be the sweetest victory after all. Winning the girl is.

Zach Westbrook was my best friend-and the boy I'd secretly loved since forever. Until he said the one thing I was never supposed to hear. So I did what any heartbroken, humiliated girl would do. I ghosted him. Ditched the university we both planned to attend. And left without looking back. Our friendship ended the day I left town. Or so I thought. Three years later, I'm back. Not because I want to be, but because family comes first-and unfortunately, that means transferring to Ridgewater University. The same school Zach owns like a second skin. Still hot. Still cocky. Still the campus golden boy with a hockey stick. And still the last person I want to deal with. But I'm not the shy, awkward girl he used to know. I've changed. I've moved on. I'm no longer the girl who used to follow him around like a lost puppy. This time, I'm not the one getting benched.

[ON HOLD...sadly] Who knew "the sex god" and a deaf girl would ever hit it off? Levi sure didn't. ***** Levi Campbell, who goes to Yellow Meadows High School, home of the Monarch Butterflies, is known to be a sex god. From hooking up with random chicks at parties with his best friend, Brady to having sex on school grounds, Levi felt like senior year would be a cruiser. But when Brady fractures his kneecap and Levi's grade in English goes down, he's left with one option and one opportunity only, to write a twenty line poem by the end of the year that's worth half of his overall grade. And to get full credit, he has to write it with a partner which so happens to be the new deaf girl while also being Brady's driver to his physical therapy sessions. While Levi tries to figure the quiet girl out, he never would've thought he'd soon be wrapped around her small fingers by the end of school as she took his dominants without his consent. But Brady and his friends don't like what they see and can't let this slide. Romance/Drama/Teen Fiction A different kind of slow burn🔥 Good guy & Bad girl 🖤 Highest Rankings🥇: #1 - Deaf 11/10/23 #1 - Slow burn 5/15/23 #1 - Diary 7/17/22 #1 - Poems 7/13/22 #1 - Deaf girl 5/8/22 #1 - Overthinking 3/9/22 #1 - School Project 2/20/22 #3 - Teen romance 9/4/23 #3 - Blush 4/7/23 #3 - Sign language 7/28/22 #3 - Hard to get 7/7/22 #3 - Fake friends 1/7/26 #5 - Poem 1/7/26 #5 - Exes 1/7/26 #5 - Yearn 1/7/26 #8 - Quiet 5/21/22 #7 - Bad girl good boy 1/7/26 #9 - Dating 5/18/22 [[Word count (so far): 180,000+]] Copyright © 2021 by Jea Marie. All Rights Reserved (No part of my work or cover may be used or reproduced without written consent by me, the author.)

((This book can be read as a standalone. But spoilers for Pucking Expectations.)) Four chapters per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday). He's a heartbroken hockey player and she's a lost former supermodel. But together everything makes sense. Even though it shouldn't. She tried to hide, but her friends brough out her true self. And he saw her. He saw her and wanted her. And then he took her. He was going to leave it at that. But he hurt her. He hurt her and she knew it was going to happen. Everyone warned her. But they didn't tell her he would insist on making it up to her. In bed. She can... use him, right? Just a little? It was supposed to be once, he was supposed to make it better and forget her. But he keeps going back for more. He keeps showing up at her door, and she can't say no. As long as nobody else finds out...

"You look like the kind of guy who's never broken a rule in his life," she teases, leaning too close. "That's because rules exist for a reason," he replies. Vivienne wants to unravel him. Elijah refuses to be another casualty. But every sharp smirk, every late-night dare, pulls them closer to the line neither of them should cross. Soon, their game turns into something darker - something dangerous. In a town built on gossip and secrets, one kiss could ruin them both. And maybe that's exactly what they want. TW: Drugs, drinking, eating disorders, abuse, etc. Highest ranks: #52 deep SLOW BURN!!!

Eva Graham is a guarded, no-nonsense social science major who studies human behavior to understand why people leave-and how to make sure she never lets the wrong ones in. She keeps to herself, avoids drama, and especially avoids campus athletes, whom she considers walking red flags. Cole Grayson is a third-year psychology major, a cocky ice hockey star with a grin that disarms and a fanbase full of puck bunnies. While everyone sees him coasting, Cole's under constant pressure-trying to go pro, balancing school, and keeping up a charming front to hide just how much he's cracking underneath. When Cole starts slipping in class, he's assigned a tutor: Eva. Neither is thrilled. She thinks he's a loud, lazy distraction. He calls her "Teach" just to get under her skin-she responds by calling him "Skates," with just the right amount of disdain. What begins as bickering soon turns into banter... then something softer. The nicknames stick, becoming a quiet thread that ties them together as friends-and maybe more. Cole falls first. Hard. Eva, scared of being hurt and shaped by people who've left before, fights it. Still, she agrees to go to one of his games-just once. But seeing him on the ice, in his world, adored yet somehow still alone, shifts everything. Then the bet surfaces. A stupid, careless thing made before he really knew her-and it threatens to destroy everything they've built. Surrounded by puck bunnies stirring drama, teammates with their own loyalties, and a past Eva isn't ready to share, the fragile trust between them begins to crack. Between jealousy, late-night confessions, and moments where one look says everything, Eva and Cole must decide: is love worth risking it all-even if it started with a bet, a nickname, and everything going wrong?

Aira Verma, 19. Soft-hearted, quiet, and used to surviving in silence. Life never handed her comfort-only responsibilities. When she moves into the opulent Rathore Mansion with her mother, who works there as a maid, Aira begins helping too-never expecting her life to shift. But then comes an unexpected offer-a place at one of the most elite colleges in the city. A new beginning. Or so she thinks. Rihaan Rathore, 22. Feared. Desired. Untouchable. With a heart colder than ice and a reputation darker than sin, Rihaan doesn't do attachments-and he's never taken interest in any girl. Ever. The heir to a ruthless empire, he controls everything... until her. The maid's daughter. The girl with quiet defiance in her eyes and softness in her soul that makes him burn. They weren't meant to collide. A maid's daughter and a billionaire's heir-forbidden, impossible. But when Aira enters his college and his world, lines blur and limits shatter. Because once Rihaan lays eyes on her, there's no going back. She becomes his obsession. His addiction. His madness. And he'll tear the world apart just to keep her- even if it means breaking her in the process She fell first. He fell harder and harder. And now she belongs to him. ✦ Tropes: ▫️Maid × Billionaire heir ▫️She fell first and he fell hardest ▫️Rich bad boy × poor girl ▫️College romance ▫️Possessive / obsessive male lead ▫️Forced proximity (same house) ▫️Innocent girl × emotionally damaged boy ▫️Dark, steamy, emotional love ▫️Forbidden romance ▫️"No one touches her but me" energy ▫️Touch her and die

Arabella never meant to get close to someone like him. Warren is reckless, unreadable, and surrounded by rumors that make people run. But the more she's warned to stay away, the more she wants to know why he hides behind those walls...and why he can't seem to stay away from her either. ────୨ৎ──── Warren Reid is a name everyone in town knows, and not for good reasons. He left a student unconscious before disappearing into juvie, and now that he's back, the rumors are worse than ever. With a past that whispers warnings and a reputation that silences rooms, Warren is used to being feared, not understood. He trusts no one, lets no one in, and only keeps two people close. Emotions are weaknesses in his world, and vulnerability has never been an option. Until her. Arabella Winters is the picture of perfection and the last girl anyone would expect to cross paths with someone like Warren. Smart, sweet, and sheltered, she follows every rule her parents set, never once stepping out of line. She's the kind of girl who still believes in good graces, bedtime curfews, and fairy tale endings. But one knock on Warren's door throws her into his world, and nothing is the same after that. Everyone says he's trouble, but Arabella doesn't see the monster they all fear. She sees someone broken, someone hiding wounds no one else bothers to look for. What starts as innocent curiosity soon becomes an intense pull neither of them can resist. She's drawn to the shadows he hides in, and he can't stay away from the light she doesn't even know she carries. Now Arabella has to ask herself: is she helping Warren escape the darkness...or is she just letting it swallow her too?

At St. Xavier's High, excellence is the standard. For Rudra Malhotra, it's a way of life. A school topper, head boy, and basketball star, Rudra is all about discipline, focus, and control-except when his temper flares. With his eyes always on the prize, he doesn't have time for distractions... until he meets Sia Verma. an artist at heart, Sia is everything Rudra isn't. Bubbly, dramatic, and completely uninterested in academics, she's far more comfortable with a paintbrush in hand than a textbook. The youngest sibling of Rudra's best friend, Veer, Sia has always lived in the shadow of her older brother's achievements. But when she enters the same school, she's determined to make her own mark. Their worlds collide on the very first day, and sparks fly. Despite their stark differences, there's an undeniable pull between them, though neither is willing to admit it. In a school where excellence reigns and emotions are kept at bay, the lines between control and chaos begin to blur. Will Rudra and Sia overcome their differences, or will their fates remain as tangled as an unfinished sketch? --- #