Watty Finalist: Mystery/Thriller, On the Rise I see him vividly in my head. Him. The guy who calls himself A for whatever reason. The guy dressed in a black cloak with a hood that makes his face look like an endless sea of darkness. The guy whose voice is like velvet; so smooth; yet so deep and dark it sends chills down my spine every time he speaks. The guy whose simple words and actions are enough to send my heart into a frenzy. The guy whose black-as-night eyes captivate me day and night. The guy who enjoys teasing me and making me angry, like it's one of his new hobbies. The guy who has the power to make my legs turn to jelly in an instant. The guy whose past is so deep, dark, and bottled up that it scares me. The guy who spends most of his time stalking me; visiting me at night. The guy whose arms hold me so tight and securely. The guy who evokes feelings in me that honestly scare the hell out of me. But he's not just a guy. He's a criminal. The criminal that calls me cupcake.

Holly's new, young teacher has a dark past, and a dangerous future. She soon finds herself charmed by his ways, and gets thrown into the chaos. Who knew having an ex-gangster for a teacher could be so troublesome? As Holly and Mr. Heywood grow closer, more questions about his past come upon Holly, as does danger. What is Mr. Heywood keeping from Holly? And why is it so bad? But most importantly, if she falls for him, could their relationship survive? After all... it would be a proscriptive relationship.

When Adalina is forced to marry the heir to Sicily's largest mafia, she's thrown into a tangled web of greed while navigating an electric attraction to her new husband. ***** Adalina Romano is tired of being manipulated by the men in her life. After her greedy uncle drags her halfway across the world to barter her in a deal between him and the heir to Sicily's largest mafia, the Cosa Nostra, she finds herself married to a man who makes her uncle look like a saint. She shouldn't be attracted to Vincent Salvatore, but Adalina cannot avoid his unforgiving stare nor deny the electrical charge she feels whenever they touch. Vincent sees Adalina as an obstacle in his fight for power, but soon has no choice but to keep her safe when they're caught in a war of dominance and greed. As Vincent's walls begin to slip, Adalina discovers a spark of light in his darkness, and once she's had a taste, she only wants more. When their spark turns into a fire, protecting Adalina amid one of the biggest mafia deals of Vincent's life means going against everything he's ever known, consequences be damned. Content Warning: contains violence and mature themes.