In which an underground fighter in desperate need of anger management and a snarky mafia boss make a deal with an explosive reaction. ... Some people were born lucky with silver spoons in their mouths and trust funds established long before they were born; others were born with dirt underneath their fingernails, barely scraping by. Twenty-three-year-old underground fighter Linus Ward was used to the latter. Raised in the foster system and bounced from one bad situation to another, Linus learned early on that surviving wasn't a simple task but having his foster siblings did make it a lot easier. However, when Linus' foster sister got caught up in a con gone wrong, what should've been a routine identity switch and a clean getaway ended with spilled blood on her hands and a target on her back. To guarantee his sister's safety, Linus was forced to make a deal with someone as dangerous as the people hunting him: recently-named mafia boss Teodoro Raymond. A paid bodyguard position with guaranteed safety should have been a good thing. Yet, when sparks started to fly and the lines between protection and obsession blur, Linus was left to decide if he was clawing his way out of the world that's always tried to chew him up, or falling even deeper into it.

[BOOK TWO] Hugo never thought a sexuality crisis would be on the cards for him. Seriously, him being anything not straight was never even really something he'd even thought about. That was, until he kissed his best friend and it should have meant nothing but well... did this type of thing come with an instruction manual? Alex just wants to keep his best friend. Does he have feelings? Maybe. So far he's managed to ignore them. Conceal don't fucking feel as the Disney obsessed dickhead would say. But hell, he had feelings for Hugo of all people? Seriously? What the fuck universe? After winning nationals, Hugo starts acting weirder and weirder, Alex has no idea what to think. Usually, weird is normal for Hugo. They both struggle to reconcile their rapidly fading friendship. Then, well... Shit happens, and Hugo and Alex are forced closer than ever. It's a whole thing. Seriously. IMPORTANT NOTE: this is a continuation of head over heels, it picks up where the story left off, only from Hugo + Alex's povs :) I would HIGHLY recommend reading head over heels first.

[COMPLETED] [2025 Wattys Honorable Mention] Danny's neighbor should be illegal. There's no way someone should be that attractive. They've lived next door to each other for over a year. As a skinny, clumsy, sweater-loving, Modern Poetry professor, Danny never believed someone like him could catch the eye of someone as perfect as Brett. But when Danny (accidentally) RSVPs to a destination wedding he never wanted to attend, he realizes he's in a bind-he needs a plus-one. And somehow, Brett becomes his unexpected solution. Brett's MMA career was on the brink of greatness until an injury stopped him cold. Now, trying to reclaim his spot in the octagon and live up to heavy expectations, the last thing Brett expected was to build a friendship with the neighbor he's been crushing on. However, Danny is undeniably gorgeous and way out of his league, so he needs to maintain realistic expectations. But, when Danny needs a date for a destination wedding, Brett's first instinct is to offer his help. Being his fake boyfriend would not be a hardship. A romantic beach, a fake relationship, and one bed... what could go wrong? Genre: Contemporary Romance / Fake Relationship / Friends to Love / HEA Guaranteed / Dual POV There will be mature scenes between two men that I will mark accordingly. These scenes are intended for mature audiences. This is a spin-off of the worlds of King of Hawkings/Death & Tequila and A New Song/Beats of the Heart, but it is a stand-alone novel, so reading the other novels is unnecessary. However, some old characters will appear, so you may enjoy it more with the full background.

Alistair McClair, Seattle's #1 most eligible bachelor, has had a string of horrible breakups. 99 ex-girlfriends to be exact. And now was his time for a new match. But an issue arises in the matchmaking process, linking him up with a man. Alistair seems hesitant to date Calvin Fischer, a local artist. But will this accidental match prove to be the one that will finally land Alistair's wandering heart? Or will this be just another inevitable breakup?

Amara Alonso is 22 years old and is in her final year studying English literature at NYU. She's smart, kind and gentle, she always has been. But she carries a quiet sadness that most don't see. After losing her mother and sister in a tragic car accident 8 months ago, she was left with an alcoholic father who she blames for their death. She promises herself to push through her last year of college but soon falls into a cycle- skipping classes, tear-stained eyes, and an empty stomach. Emilia Zayed is a 29 year old creative writing professor. Emilia is poised, intelligent and emotionally guarded. She keeps everyone at arm's length- students, colleges, friends, and especially family. She doesn't trust people and shows no intention to. She shows no interest in anybody around her, until a soft brown eyed girl enters her lecture with a look of hurt deep in her eyes that she can't seem to stop thinking about. Emilia notices Amara's writing first. There's something about her work-so raw, so aching, so lonely. It touches something in Emilia she thought she'd buried. Never has a student's piece of writing made her feel this way. They shouldn't get close. They can't get close. But they do. And it's slow, quiet, and deeply emotional. It's Amara showing up during Emilia's office hours not just to talk about writing but about life. It's Emilia realising Amara needs more than feedback-she needs someone who sees her. And it's Amara finally finding someone who doesn't leave. The two form an unspoken bond they can't explain. It's forbidden in the eyes of everybody else. But they can't help but feel softer around each other. Will they ever act on it? Will Amara's hurt or Emilia's closed offness prevent them from ever truly opening up and giving in?

When a scandal forces hockey star Amelia Bennett into a fake relationship with guarded photographer Harper Lane, neither expects the headlines, or the feelings, that follow. What starts as a PR stunt begins to spark into something real, threatening to expose more than just their hearts. *** She's the world's best hockey player. She's a heartbroken photographer with nowhere else to go. And they were never supposed to fall in love. At 24, Amelia Bennett is the most talented hockey player on the planet-chaotic, impulsive, and the last Bennett standing without a ring on her finger. After a very public scandal threatens her sponsorships and reputation, the team's PR crisis plan is simple: clean up her image fast. Step one? A fake relationship. Something that should be easy, right? Harper Lane has no interest in fame, or falling for another golden boy-or girl-with a spotlight stitched into their skin. After catching her long-term boyfriend cheating, she's sworn off chaos and charm. But when her best friend Audrey begs her to stay with Millie temporarily, Harper finds herself in the middle of a media storm-and somehow agreeing to pretend to be Millie Bennett's girlfriend. It's only for the cameras. Just long enough to fix Millie's image. Just enough to keep Harper's ex boyfriend off her back. But fake smiles turn into real moments. Cold shoulders warm under shared blankets. And the girl Harper was warned about-the reckless, beautiful mess, is nothing like the one who makes her tea when she's anxious and kisses her like she means it. In a house built on secrets, one accidental love story is about to mak

Tyler O'Connor had it all; the perfect husband, the perfect daughter, the perfect life. Until his husband left him for another man and his life crumbled around him and his daughter, Saskie. Cue Sorcha, his best friend, barrelling into his life like a whirlwind and whisking him off from Ireland to England to open an art gallery. The new job is perfect for distracting him - as is Saskie's attractive new teacher, Elliot Rose. Join Tyler as he starts anew, building a new life, co-parenting with his ex, and learning how to fall in love again.

[𝐌𝐌] 𝐕𝐎𝐖𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 & 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐎𝐍𝐄 ╰┈➤ 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒚. ── 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐄 - Defiant, reckless, and vengeful. Gray Farrow, the blond leader of a nameless underground crew, thrives on chaos. For him, dismantling Chicago's mafias with a flare for destruction is merely a hobby. As a vigilante who revels in the ruin of his enemies, Gray believes himself to be untouchable...until he crosses the wrong man. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐏𝐓𝐎𝐑 - Sarcastic, possessive, and unhinged. Kaz Hirai, the shadow that refuses to quit until what he desires truly belongs to him. He calls himself an admirer rather than a stalker, though he has haunted Gray's every step for four long years. Watching, waiting, and sculpting his muse in silence. And the best part? Gray has no idea he's even there. ── When he finally rids himself of the mafia that screwed him over, Gray turns his attention toward a new rising power; a Japanese syndicate known as the Vipers. Their sovereign is a feared figure. One that people say is a terribly beautiful man with eyes of sapphire blue. The same man whose gaze never strays from his heart's desire. He's the one who watches his muse from the shadows, and sculpts him to be his in the light.