Sterling Carter's life is built on control-perfect grades, perfect form, perfect trajectory straight to the Olympic volleyball team. At twenty-two, she's the star outside hitter at the University of Michigan and top of her class in dentistry, the golden product of an old-money family that only loves success. One game, one bad landing, and one opponent's foot hidden under the net is all it takes to blow it apart. With a torn ACL and PCL and a nine-to-twelve-month recovery, Sterling's dream is suddenly on life support. The scouts stop calling. Her parents pull away. For the first time in her life, there's no plan she can grind her way through, no version of "try harder" that will fix what's broken. Enter Maddox King-twenty-four, captain of Michigan's D1 hockey team, human freight train on the ice, and soft-hearted menace off it. He has everything Sterling doesn't: a loud, loving family, a stupidly loyal group of friends, and the unshakable belief that people are worth more than what they can do. When a twist of timing and one overinvested best friend pull Sterling into Maddox's orbit, he becomes the one person who refuses to treat her like she's ruined. As the season she was supposed to dominate turns into a year on the sideline, Sterling has to learn how to exist without the one thing that's always defined her-and decide whether letting Maddox in is one more risky play she can't afford... or the first choice she makes entirely for herself. Book #1 in the 'Carter' series

Soren Woods was born to play hockey-until he destroyed it. Suspended. Canceled. Done. Now he's hiding out in a no-name town, licking his wounds and haunted by the wreckage he left behind-his career, his brother, and whatever pieces of himself he hasn't already burned to the ground. Coaching wasn't part of the plan. Coaching a college women's hockey team? Hell no. But when the offer comes from a desperate program and a paycheck he can't afford to ignore, he figures how hard can it be? The ice is about to get dangerously hot. [Book number 3 in the Puck Me Right Series] [18+ Mature Audience] [Smut Warning: Starts Chap 13+)]

Anneliese is an empathetic, goofy, outgoing young woman who has struggled finding a place to discover herself. Often looking for new ways to meet friends, she wouldn't pass the opportunity to chat someone up. Even a stranger at the diner she works at to pass time and support herself. A dedicated man takes to the nativity of Anneliese. He's direct and prefers to keep to himself. Even an isolated man by choice can't withstand Anneliese's pull. Gravitating towards her, he manages to bring her a sense of comfort to the new beginnings in life. Not all beginnings are as true as they let off. ~ ❀ ~ I can't help but stare at her. Her face, lips, and smile, and her nose. Even her long, curled lashes. "Let's do a butterfly kiss!" She exclaims, pulling my face close suddenly. Kiss? My heart hammers in my chest, my breath hitching. Her small hands hold my face close to hers. It's not very forceful, I could pull away if I wanted to, but I let her have control. Her hands are warm and soft against my jaw. Getting closer, her eyes lashes flutter and I find myself holding my breath. She brushes her lashes to mine, her breath fanning against my lips. Subconsciously, I lean forward, wanting my lips to be on hers. June flutter her lashes, grazing her lashes to mine. Out of nowhere she bursts out in a fit of laughter. I flinch back. Butterfly kiss. That was not a fucking kiss. ~ ❀ ~ #1 cliche 2025 #1 sweatheart 2025 #1 opposites 2026 *Warning* Mature themes will be covered (language, actions, etc).

The followers are convinced Adrienne and Jackson are dating. She's the social media manager for his hockey team, and he's the captain. When her boss asks them to give the people what they want for the content's sake, they can do nothing but agree. So, they're not actually dating. Not yet, at least.

"I know heaven's a thing, I go there when I touch you- honey hell is when I fight with you" Aelia Auclair, a young woman who has crossed countries, continents by the influence of her mother, who wanted her to become a ballerina known worldwide for her roles in the ballet world. While she left the comfort of her home in France behind and decided to put every effort into her career, she found something entirely different than what she originally set out for- that something being a tall, brooding young man whom she stumbled upon one rainy night, all thanks to a kitten in great need of aid. Jack Blackwell, a young man who has spent his whole life becoming too familiar with abandonment, is a complete stranger to love, in any kind of form, and only has a few people left in his life who is willing to stay. Will she find a way to break down the walls of steel he has spent years on constructing, all to keep others away? Or will she just become another person in his book who ends up leaving? written june 2023

Julius Santo was a name that had every human's skin crawling. Most people know of him due to the lethal Mafia he leads, his silver eyes that have watched countless souls fade away, or the sinister scar that crosses his brow. But for Hazel Alexis, Julius Santo was a man of kindness. Someone who was willing to listen to her vent, converse with her, or simply be in her company. Julius was a saviour to Hazel. A hero who guarded, supported, and kept her safe. Hazel Alexis is an innocent, quite oblivious, nineteen-year-old woman. She works as a nurse in a small health clinic, aiming to earn enough money to leave her toxic household, and also spends her weekdays studying at her local college. As her new friendship with Julius evolves, she can't help but fight the overwhelming feelings that develop between them. Obtaining a crush on your best friend could never end well, could it? Every day, the simple things he does drive her deeper into the obsessional crush she has with him. But the hidden truth that remains between the two was the undeniable reality of how their end could possibly be. The mixture of his secret, her obliviousness, and the ultimate reality of it all was bound to cause chaos. What happens when Hazel discovers Julius Santo's true identity? ••• Best Ranks #4 Friendstolovers - March 2022 #1 GrumpyxSunshine - May 2022 #8 Chicklit - May 2022

Romero, struggling to push through the day to day life of his world: court bills, money, family, money, the past, money, his own mind, and more money. Carmen has been pushing to become a lawyer her whole life; wanting to be taken seriously in a field dominated by men is not easy though, and if putting up a front to be taken seriously is what it takes, then so be it. A certain struggle comes with feeling as though you have to act a certain way versus who you really are. Except a sensitive heart of gold can't be hidden behind a brick wall forever. Two people, walking across the same tight trope on opposite ends, trying not to fall. One going against the law and one trying to be the law. One born with a silver spoon and one suffering from the abrasions of life. Both trying to survive in worlds not made for them. Except everything in this world overlaps; bridges connecting different lives and stories. It's just a matter of realizing you're not too different from the person on the other side of that bridge. Highest ranks: #1 in poorboy #1 in latino #1 in feminism #1 in rich girl #1 in law #1 in fictional characters #2 in girlxboy #3 in teen romance #1 in first love #10 in cute #10 in academia #7 in Top 10 in U.S. ('24)

Dolly and Valentino. Sweet and intense. Crazy and serious. Two opposites. Two hearts. Two lonely souls. Dolly Armstrong is a crazy 19 year old with no experience of friendships or relationships. Isolated her whole life, she's desperate for a friend, someone she can waffle her heart out to, someone she can dress up in matching duck onesies with, someone who can tame her little crackhead self. Valentino Dominguez, a 25 year old lawyer who has no time for anything or anyone. He didn't care for a relationship, he told himself he was content on his own, basking in the silence of his own presence. That's how he liked it, quiet and calm. Until a talkative girl without the ability to be quiet stumbled into his gym. Can these two opposites ever become one?

[2025 Wattys Shortlist] After getting cut off by her wealthy, business-obsessed parents, Emily Grayson finds herself broke, stranded in a small town, and working at a boba café, something she never imagined in her wildest dreams. Her first days on the job are a disaster, her patience (and Jake Sherlind's) running thinner than the tapioca pearls she keeps burning. Jake, the charming yet hardworking guy with big dreams, has no patience for entitled rich girls who don't know how to hold a job. But when Emily starts proving him wrong, their tension brews into something neither of them expected. Between spilled drinks, late-night confessions, and an orange stray cat that won't leave the back door, Emily begins to wonder... maybe losing everything was exactly what she needed to find herself. A small-town rom-com about growth, second chances, and love that's better steeped with time.

Beyond White Coats follows Lucas Elijah Tuarez, a sharp-tongued and intimidating neurosurgeon with zero tolerance for mistakes. Known for being strict with interns, he keeps his distance, believing that emotions have no place in his world. But everything shifts when he meets Vivienne Aurora-a confident, fearless nursing intern who refuses to be just another face in the hospital halls. She challenges him in ways no one else dares to, unbothered by his cold demeanor and blunt remarks. And for the first time, Lucas finds himself paying attention to someone he shouldn't. As the tension between them builds, their worlds start to blur-professional boundaries, personal emotions, and a connection neither of them expected. Set in the fast-paced medical field, Beyond White Coats is a slow-burn romance filled with undeniable chemistry, witty clashes, and the struggle between control and surrender. When the lines between mentor and something more start to fade, will Lucas and Vivienne resist-or risk everything for a chance at love?