2026 Watty Awards Shortlist Finalist! Helena Pierce has it all. A company built from nothing, wealth, a best friend who knows her better than she knows herself, and a brother who would move mountains for her. On paper, her life is flawless. But perfection doesn't fill the emptiness. Helena is lonely and love has never come easily, and when it did, her need for control always pushed it away. She rules every part of her life with iron precision, and that same power keeps her from letting anyone in. Helena doesn't know how to surrender - and maybe, deep down, she fears what would happen if she did. ❁ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ˋˏ༻❁༺ˎˊ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❁ June Holloway refuses to back down. Words are power, and behind a screen, she wields them all. Declared deaf at six, though she had struggled to hear long before, she controls her world from home, safe from the noise and chaos she can't fully navigate... but safety has a price. She has her work, a best friend who never leaves her side, and a brother who would give his life for her. Yet love has always been complicated. Speaking, hearing, connecting - it should be simple, but for June, it's a battle she fights again and again, never easily won. Even so, she keeps trying. Even so, she refuses to be silenced. ❁ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ˋˏ༻❁༺ˎˊ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ❁ Since June starts working for Helena, things begin to unfold and feelings grow quietly, almost unnoticed. Both hide behind screens, careful and measured, yet there is a pull between them they can't ignore. Every word, every message lingers a little longer, makes them think a little more. Neither is ready to admit how much they want it to go further. Helena doesn't know June is deaf, and could that secret change everything between them? #1 under #lesbian 1/9/26 #1 under #wlw 1/11/26 #1 under #sapphic 1/12/26 #1 under #girls 3/15/26

Adrienne Brookes is a highschool senior with a sharp tongue and a talent for trouble. Her sarcasm is a shield, one she learned to wield early, because surviving her home life means never letting anyone see too much. And Adrienne has secrets. More than she can carry. But one slip in her carefully crafted mask is all it takes for Ivy Adair, her cold and calculating psychology teacher, to notice the cracks. Ivy is the last person Adrienne should trust, and the only one she can't seem to stay away from. Wanting distance is easy. Keeping it is impossible. ‼️ GAY ‼️ SEXUAL CONTENT ‼️ ABUSE AND VIOLENCE - There will not be warnings in individual chapters. This book is for mature audiences only. Do not read if sensitive to the above content.

WLW age gap| teacher x student Navigating her last year of high school was supposed to be simple for Kate. She had a plan, a loyal best friend, and a supportive mentor in her math teacher, Miss Bennett. For years, opening up to her had been Kate's safety net. But there is a dangerous line between a teacher who cares, and a woman who can't stay away. When the line blurs after a breathless midnight encounter, Kate is caught in a dizzying reality. Every point of contact, from a brush of fingers to the weight of a shoulder pressed against hers , proves that the affection isn't just one-sided. Miss Bennett is just as flustered, just as drawn in, and just as terrified. They are playing with a fire that could burn both of their lives to the ground. But as the winter nights get colder, pulling away is the one thing Kate can't bring herself to do.

They both promised their husbands, "till death do us part." They didn't know wanting a woman would undo that promise first. Sienna has spent her life being good. Camille has spent hers being careful. Neither woman expected that one shared project would awaken a hunger neither of them had allowed themselves to name. What begins as professional ease becomes emotional safety. What feels like friendship becomes dependence. What feels like relief becomes obsession. They don't mean to change. They only mean to stay close. But once you discover the version of yourself that exists only in another woman's gaze, it becomes impossible to return to who you were before. As tensions rise and secrets grow, the world around them closes in and threatens to expose the chaos "Between Us." Between Us is a slow-burning, emotionally charged story of forbidden longing, unraveling identity, and the devastating question of what happens when the truest thing you have ever felt asks you to destroy the life you promised to protect.

~Book 1 of 2~ Nineteen-year-old Alison Greystone has crafted a peaceful life in London, focused on finishing school and preparing for university. After a troubled childhood, she lives with her brother George, balancing friends, a part-time job, and the pressure of good grades. But her calm world is disrupted when a mysterious older woman sparks feelings she knows she shouldn't have. 『 °*• ❀ •*°』 Feel free to share your thoughts or reactions, I'd love to hear them.

My boss is cruel, demanding, and determined to make my life miserable. Every shift leaves me wondering why I haven't quit yet. But when circumstances force us to spend more time together, I catch glimpses of the woman behind the sharp tongue and impossible standards. The closer we get, the harder it becomes to ignore the chemistry between us. Falling for my boss was the last thing I wanted-but now, she might be the only thing I can't walk away from. ❤️🏳️🌈

When nineteen-year-old Emilia starts her first year at university, she's determined to leave her past behind and finally prove she belongs somewhere. Architecture was supposed to be her fresh start-a place to disappear into floor plans and future dreams. But then there's her. Professor Sophia Voss. Brilliant. Composed. Distant. Untouchable. Until she isn't. Drawn to each other by something neither of them dares to name, Emilia and Sophia find themselves trapped in a connection that defies logic, rules, and every boundary they swore they'd never cross. What begins in silence soon turns into stolen glances, late-night thoughts, and moments too intimate to forget. But secrets don't stay quiet forever-and the line between right and wrong begins to blur. __________________ A slow-burning, emotional story about forbidden love, identity, and the parts of ourselves we hide-until someone sees them.

Hettie's last year at Cackle's Academy is thrown into discourse as she makes a new chaotic best friend who starts a relationship with the Deputy Headmistress. Then to her utter surprise, Hettie finds herself drawn to the new Head of Herbology: Ms. Reed. Thank you to everyone who read Focus. and if you are new here- this story is from an OG character point of view from Focus. so please read that first :) This chapter takes place after the Christmas Ball whilst Hettie is at home with her family for the break. Enjoy! So excited to share this new perspective on the completed story with you!

In a world where magic and mortals collide, the unyielding Ms. Hardbroom's carefully constructed life is shattered by the introduction of a new student. Enter Holly Draven, a young woman repeating her final year, whose very presence ignites a dangerous spark. This is a story of guaranteed angst and nail-biting, told from a first-person perspective that's sure to make you blush. This tale is for those who dare to delve into a forbidden romance and witness Ms. Hardbroom become a mistress of more than just potions. (Uses Worst Witch and Harry Potter magical worlds and descriptors) TW: Mental Health, Panic Attacks, descriptions of abuse.

At twenty-two, Hailey Parker is a single mom just trying to survive her new job as a secretary at the elite Bailington Academy. She's messy, bright, and full of heart-everything Professor Ellena Thorne has worked hard to shut out. Ellena is brilliant, reserved, and emotionally off-limits after a painful divorce. But when Hailey crashes into her world-literally-what starts as irritation turns into something far more complicated. Two women. One impossible attraction. And a slow-burn journey toward love, laughter, and maybe even healing.