WHEN IT HURTS TO BE PERFECT The Hurt Series - Book 7 🩺💔 A spin-off set in a different place, but within the same timeline and character universe. Works as a standalone. ⚠️ Content Warning: Mature content, explicit scenes, strong language, family trauma, chronic illness (MS), includes ER scenes, surgeries, and references to serious injury and patient loss. Please read with care. Abandonment themes. 🔞 18+ only. © All Rights Reserved "Little shit. Infuriating, gorgeous, perfect little shit. She's going to ruin me. I'm going to let her." "I've been perfect for twenty-seven years. And I've never been more empty." 🥀 Josh Reid has been perfect his whole life. Perfect grades. Perfect career. Perfect son. Watching out for his little brother Marcus. Surgical resident at Johns Hopkins. The golden boy who never cracks. 👨⚕️✨ But perfection is exhausting. And underneath the white coat, he's drowning. Maya Chen doesn't believe in perfect. She's been taking care of herself since she was twelve - since her dad walked out and her mom was diagnosed with MS. She doesn't do relationships. Doesn't do need. Doesn't let anyone close enough to leave. 🖤 Then she walks into his teaching session late and looks at him like he's nothing special. Something in him cracks. He's her supervisor. She's his student. This could end both their careers. 🔥 But she sees through his performance. And he can't stop wanting her. "Tell me you don't want me." He can't. So she takes. Forbidden. Desperate. Inevitable. 💋 He's terrified of becoming his father. She's terrified everyone leaves. Maybe they can prove each other wrong.

~ 2021 WATTY'S SHORTLIST ~ "I-well, I..." I hesitated with my response. I wanted to let go. To not worry about what would happen in the future. I'd always loved staring into fires. It hypnotized me with its beauty and danger. It was so tantalizing to look at, but one little touch could destroy. I knew the heat between Tyler and I was similar. It started off small but it had only grown in the weeks he'd been here. We'd fed it unintentionally, and it had gone from an ember to a crackling flame. Every nerve in my body wanted to reach out and touch it, even though I knew I'd get burned. *************************************************** Pia Callahan always lived a carefree life with no worries. Her only responsibilities were to attend her college classes (sometimes) and keep herself fed (on ramen). When tragedy strikes, Pia is all of the sudden thrown into a whirlwind of change. She has to grow up and take on more responsibility than she could ever imagine: the custody of her best friend's son. Pia may not believe she is the best person for the job, but she is determined to do it. She'll trade in frat parties for PTA meetings and beer-bongs for apple juice. But what happens when the ruggedly hot motocross athlete Tyler Westwood shows up in her small town? Tyler lives on the fast track, never caring too much about consequences. You can't when your job is to do backflips through the air. Sometimes, you just have to send it and hope for the best. From the second Tyler meets Pia, he knows he wants her. But she is determined to ignore their bubbling chemistry. She has priorities now and a summer fling isn't one of them. Will Pia be able to stay away from Tyler? Or will she decide to hit the throttle? ***************************************************

After embellishing her resume, Valerie-a single mom-lands a job as an administrative assistant to the hottest, most entitled and obnoxious man she's ever met: Preston Cartwright, the CFO of the prestigious Cartwright & Sons Enterprises. Several years her junior, Preston is used to working hard, playing harder, and answering to no one but his father. A few mistakes early on leave him unimpressed with Valerie's work, and the uncontrollable attraction he feels towards her mostly just annoys him. He wants her gone, but Valerie is no pushover. She has had to fight for everything she has and sets out to prove Preston wrong. But when some suspicious activity on a project leads to Valerie and Preston working even more closely, heat flares between them, and Valerie is caught up in a delicious, dangerous seduction. Standalone in the Cartwright Brothers series

Normani Williams gave her heart to the wrong man-her son's best friend-and paid the ultimate price. Now a single mother raising her daughter alone, she's picking up the broken pieces of her life, one day at a time. She promised herself never again. No more secrets. No more shame. No more letting a man destroy her. Zane Carter has everything-NFL fame, money, women on demand-but none of it fills the void left by the woman he walked away from. Haunted by regret, he tries to forget her the only way he knows how: recklessly. But fate has other plans. When their worlds collide again in California, old wounds reopen, unfinished feelings rise to the surface, and nothing is as simple as it once was. With new opportunities, unexpected friendships, and a slow, burning connection with someone she didn't see coming-Normani must decide if she's ready to love again... or if the past is all that's left of them. 🖤~"She promised herself it would never happen again. But what do you do when the man who destroyed you is also the father of your child?"~🖤

Normani is use to being in control-of her body, her home, and especially her heart. A stunning, single mother and seasoned flight attendant, she knows better than to entertain distractions. But when her son comes home from college for the summer and brings his best friend with him, all bets are off. Zane is tall, tatted, and built like temptation in human form-confident, cocky, and way too grown for his own good. He's got bedroom eyes, a mouth full of slick charm, and zero shame in how hard he flirts with her. She knows he's trouble. She knows he's off-limits. But every night, he's just down the hall... Because temptation has never looked this good. And it might just be the best worst decision she's ever made.

[WATTYS 2025 HONORABLE MENTION] 🔥Rated R for mature sexual content and graphic language 📚For fans of You've Got Mail (and underwear kinks) OR as one reader put it: "A yuletide story of what happens when his package gets shoved in her box by mistake." *** Zoey Franklin's post-college life is a mess. She's jobless, newly single, stuck living with meddling parents, and forced to hang out with her parents' friends, the Londers (AKA complete strangers), for Christmas. The only thing maintaining her sanity? A flirty, banter-filled text exchange with a mystery man, sparked by a package mix-up. Tristan Londer is finally going home for Christmas for the first time in forever. While he hoped for some much-needed quality time with his family, instead he gets a house full of strangers taking over his space. Especially that one stranger--the one with the voice, and the eyes, and the sass, who's claimed his bedroom as hers for the trip. Even though Zoey Franklin is the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, he can't stand the entitled princess. Good thing he has his mystery woman to text with late at night. If there's anyone who can turn his mood around, it's her. *** Cover co-designed by @LNRoberts1 and myself

Lily Conway's dream job as stylist for rock band Incarcerated is hampered by her feud with surly guitarist, Rhydian Byrne, but when their mutual loathing unexpectedly explodes into passion, Lily discovers that the grumpy, arrogant rockstar may be everything she's been looking for. But Rhydian's dark past is fast catching up to him and threatening everything that he and Lily are starting to build.

Kendall's story. Description to come. Tropes: strangers to friends to lovers, new adult, good girl/bad boy, ballerina, street racer, Formula One, diabetes awareness, she saves him

After a career-ending injury, NFL star Mason Reeves returns to his hometown in search of new purpose. He finds his ex-girlfriend dating new men, and his teenage children want nothing to do with him. As a matter of fact, they're hellbent on making him as miserable as possible. When Mason barrels back into her life, Mallory Robinson refuses to fall for his temporary charm or ill-kept promises. Years ago, she forced him to follow his dreams of playing professional ball, but she didn't wait around to be his second option. As a recent widow with three children, she has finally found the strength to date again. Now, Mason is back and sabotaging her love life at every turn. Not only does he want a relationship with his kids, he wants Mallory. Worse, she doesn't know how much longer she can resist him. *Intercepted is a romantic comedy featuring a lovable antihero experiencing great personal growth. It explores the untraditional modern American family and highlights the resilience of love. This book contains mature themes. Viewer discretion is advised.* Noteworthy: Watty Award Winner 2023 Featured on @StoriesUndiscovered Shortlisted on @ContemporaryLit Featured on @adultfiction

Aidan Reeves is trying to define himself within the confines of his father's shadow. After losing the Super Bowl, his family begs him to come home-to heal. Olivia Allard returns to her hometown for closure. A single mom with a sordid past, the last thing she needs is another problem falling into her lap. And that's what Aidan is for her-a problem she can't help but be drawn to. Aidan and Olivia are at major turning points in their lives, but neither knows if they're heading in the same direction. Aidan is circling the drain, and Olivia has too much at stake to let him drag her down with him. What's worse, Olivia's secret may push Aidan off the deep end. "Out of Bounds" is a spicy romance novel with mature themes. It isn't necessary to read "Intercepted" first, but the author recommends it for the optimal storytelling experience. While still a romantic comedy, "Out of Bounds" covers slightly darker subject matter than its predecessor. Viewer discretion is advised.