A cute little romance on a beach in Australia ☼ 18-year-old Indy has finally returned to her mother's pretty little beachfront cottage, where she used to spend every summer. This is going to be the summer she finally confesses her love to Ryan, the boy next door. But this year, Ryan has brought along a girlfriend. Indy is determined not to let heartbreak drown her, because when you get wiped out, you've just got to get back on the board.

Olivia Foster came to university for a fresh start. Jack Parker was never supposed to be part of it. He was the annoyingly charming rugby player she met once during Freshers, only to find sitting across the lecture hall days later. The boy with too many girls in his phone, too much confidence, and absolutely no interest in relationships. Liv couldn't stand him. At least, that's what she told herself. Somewhere between shared lectures, group projects, drunken nights out and far too many hours spent together, Jack Parker went from the boy she avoided to the person she trusted most. They were friends. Best friends, eventually. Best friends who slept together. And that should have been simple. Except Jack started getting jealous. Liv started looking at him differently. And somewhere along the way, the lines they'd sworn they'd never cross began to disappear. Because Liv and Jack were always just friends. Until they weren't.

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 She wants freedom, he craves control - but when their families force them into marriage, their union becomes a dangerous game of power, passion, and betrayal. ... Emilia, a mixture of Enzo and Elianna. She isn't afraid of anyone and is a headstrong force to be reckoned with. For most of her life, Emilia had only had two goals in mind: attaining her degree and finding her forever. Santo, a mixture of darkness and cruelty. He loves to be in control and is known for being the heartless leader who killed his people. For most of his life, Santo had only one goal in mind: kill anyone who gets in his way. ... A marriage between these two will result in a disaster. What will happen when the fathers of these two strike up a deal that will benefit both mafias? Will Santo stop Emilia from achieving those two goals she has in mind or will she stop him first? ・‥...━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━...‥・ A STAND-ALONE! *SLOWBURN* *MATURE* This book contains sex scenes, some inappropriate language, physical and verbal abuse which may be triggering for some readers. Please read at one's own risk as a trigger warning will not be designated at each chapter. THANK YOU FOR THESE TOP RANKINGS #1 in enemiestolovers #1 in enemies #1 in mafia #1 in mafiaprincess #1 in Italianmafia #1 in hate #1 in rivals #1 in slow burn #1 in lovers #1 in agegap #1 in arrangedmarriage #1 in forecedmarriage #1 in sunshinexgrumpy #1 in mafiaromance #1 in darkromance All Rights Reserved

18+ | 2026 WATTYS SHORTLISTER | First Draft | Not edited. |"You gonna sit there all night?" Luka glances at me, smirking. I glare back. "I was enjoying the last few seconds of peace before having to spend an evening pretending to like you." "That's funny," he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Why?" I snap. "Because I was thinking the same thing." | The rules? Easy enough. 1. Pretend to be the perfect couple. 2. Keep it professional. 3. And whatever you do, don't. catch. feelings. Simple, right? Sofia Calloway never planned on going viral for throwing a drink in Luka Mikhaylov's face. But one video, one pissed-off hockey star, and one furious university later... she's suddenly stuck in a fake relationship with the guy she can't stand. He needs to clean up his image before the NHL draft. She needs the free tuition that comes with the deal. All they have to do is smile for the cameras, hold hands at the games, and act like they don't want to strangle each other. Then come the late-night arguments that last too long. The stolen glances that feel too dangerous. The moment where "pretend" starts looking way too real. Because when you break the rules, someone's bound to lose. And this time, it might be both of them.

After being forced to replace her sister as the bride of a mafia don, twenty-two-year-old Sofia must deal with the ruthlessness of the mafia world while battling her feelings for her new fiancé. Season 1 of Possession *** The daughter of a crime lord, Sofia just wants to be left alone to mourn the death of her first love. But when her older sister begs Sofia to take her place as the bride of the city's most powerful mafia don, Sofia must sacrifice herself to save her family. Gabriel De Luca was prepared for a businesslike marriage with a refined woman trained to be the perfect mafia queen, not the rebellious Sofia. Sinfully handsome and infuriatingly stubborn, Gabriel is far more alluring to Sofia than she's willing to admit and she's determined not to be seduced by him. Gabriel and Sofia clash over the details of their arrangement and the simmering tension between them. But as violence and betrayal erupt amongst the dons, a true partnership might be the only thing that can save them both... Content warning: This story contains depictions of violence and sexual assault that may be upsetting for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

After being caught, tried and arrested for a crime she didn't do; Lexi Hunter has a choice. It's either Juvie or spend the summer on her dad's ranch working off her probation. Should be an easy pick, right? Only problem is, she hasn't seen or spoken to her dad in ten years. The last time she saw him was through a car window as her mom drove them and all their possessions away to go live a normal, busy, eccentric lifestyle in New York. So basically, being back at a place she used to call home with a man she can't muster the respect for to actually call 'dad', is a prison sentence in itself. Lexi is determined to hate and ridicule everything about her situation. Wanting nothing more than to get the summer over with so she can go back to real life. That all changes when she meets Dawson Priest; the ranch hand who she is forced to work side by side with. His optimistic, simple, almost eloquent outlook on life, the world, and the small town ranch life in general sparks her to see things from his perspective and may even challenge her enough to mend the strained relationship with her dad. This is a story of self discovery, personal growth, a steamy cowboy fling, and learning the importance of forgiveness. This simple, small town life may not seem as much of a jail sentence by the end of the summer. Who knows, maybe Lexi turns out to be a country girl at heart after all.

Emory Hart is a simple woman. She loves her family, enjoys her trips to the book store and to the coffee shop and she can never turn down her best friend when it comes to random nights full of chaos. She's content. All it takes is one run in with the one person she never seemed to win over and a surprise visit from her brother to shift Emory's whole world on its axis. After two years of successfully avoiding him, Emory's "simple" and "content" are about to morph into something a bit more frustrating and confusing and it comes in the form of her brothers best friend. Adrian Harley is a man of control. He's easy going and has charmed his way into the hearts of the entire Hart family. Emory has always been his biggest challenge. It's not because he can't win her over with the same easy going routine he uses with everyone else. It is simply because he can't find himself wanting to. No, what Adrian seeks from Emory is something much more intense. Darker. It's only because of his relationship with her brother that he swallows all of those urges for the sake of his closest friend and his own sanity. When Adrian offers his guest room to his best friend, he comes face to face with the one thing he can't have and his self control begins to snap. Adrian finds himself crossing the one line that was silently drawn when befriending the Harts. The line that leads to the one woman he isn't allowed to want. He's unleashed. Obsessed even. And she thinks he hates her.

Perspective is a funny thing; Stirling Thomas, those two words alone were enough to have anyone running in the opposite direction and cowering in fear. The town has heard all of the rumours, they know he has just been released from prison and they know he is notoriously infamous for being in some sort of crime gang. But they don't actually know HIM. When his sweet old mama invites the girl next door to live with them for a while he has to learn how to find the balance between being a brutal crime lord or revealing something nobody ever thought he had - his heart. This isn't a gang story per say, it's more about the man BEHIND the gang. 🩶

Cameron Cole has a plan. After yet another relationship ends because of certain shortcomings-literally-Cameron decides it's time to swear off dating and focus her energy into her junior year at the University of Charlotte. There's an internship up for grabs and there's no way she's letting that slip through her fingers. But then she's goes and makes one impulsive mistake that changes everything. Wesley Reed has it all. As the golden boy of the Charlotte Colts football team, he's got the talent, the looks, and a future so bright it's practically blinding. Girls throw themselves at him, professors let things slide, and the world bends to his will. But when a required freshmen paper threatens his eligibility, the two are brought together in a sick twist of academic fate. Cameron can't get him out of her head and Wesley isn't making it any easier with his cocky smirk and insistent charm. Their arrangement teeters on the edge of disaster as unresolved tension and late-night study sessions give way to a steamy, no-strings-attached deal. But in the game of love and lust, someone always has to loose-and the stakes have never been higher.

Briar has to move to a new place with her mother after she has found a new job. One that can benefit both of them. She now has to go to a new school which she is not looking forward to and meets a boy with who she wants to try new things. But with her mother's past experience with her father, is she able to leave the past in the past? -------- "I'm going to shower," I say and get up. I hear him shuffle on the floor before his voice comes from right behind me. "I'm coming too." He says. I turn around and look at him. "What? No, you shower after me." I say and enter the bathroom. He's right behind me so I playfully push him away. Which did nothing considering his muscles. "Or....we could shower together." He suggests and shoves us both inside, locking the door behind us. -------- Alec Hart is the quiet type. He doesn't talk to anyone who he thinks isn't worth talking to besides his best friend. He's never really had an intimate relationship and is not looking for one, that is until she came. He's taken an interest in her and is willing to wait for an eternity to ensure her happiness.