~ 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? ***************************************************

Some flames burn quietly... until they don't. Aurora Bellini is the picture of innocence. Quiet. Kind. A law student with a soft heart and a tragic past. When a violent attack threatens her safety, she's placed under the protection of the Vitti family - Italy's most feared crime syndicate. More specifically, under the cold, watchful eye of their heir: Angelo Vitti. Angelo doesn't want her there. Too sweet. Too soft. Too breakable. But there's something about her that unsettles him. Her gentle smile, her quiet strength - it seeps past the walls he's spent years building. He tells himself she doesn't belong in his world. He tells himself to stay away. But he watches her anyway. Protects her anyway. And slowly, against his better judgment - he starts to burn for her. With war simmering between the Italian and Russian mafias, every secret is dangerous. Every glance, every touch, every whisper in the dark... it all matters. Because nothing is ever what it seems. And sometimes the softest things burn the most.

*COMPLETED* Kiara Rivera has never been able to stand her brother's best friend, Damien Stone. Not when they were young kids. Not when they were rivals in high school. And also not now that, in their second year of college, she has to move to his school. All she wanted was being drama free and have a normal year with her best friend. But Stone has different plans and he always gets what he wants. - • - • - • - • - • - • - • "He's pretty, is he your boyfriend?" "No, we can't really stand each other." "I wouldn't bring food to someone I can't stand." - • - • - • - • - • - • - • "it's one of the best enemies to lovers i have ever read, i really recommend it, their love is really cute and the hole story had me giggling and kicking my feet" - @amoacaii - • - • - • - • - • - • - • #1 IN ENEMIES #1 IN HUMOUR #1 IN OFFLIMITS #1 IN POPULAR #1 IN NO STRINGS ATTACHED

He walks closer to me, pushing me back against his desk. "I'm going to throw you down and fuck you until you scream my fucking name." His fingers slip under my dress and the heat between my legs grows, causing me to cross my legs. He pushes his knee in between my legs, separating them apart. "I'll fuck you so hard that you won't be able to walk away from me again." His soft pink lips, curling into his signature smirk. - - - - - - ♡ - - - - - - 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐢, the daughter of a notorious assassin and a prodigy. She is ruthless and kills without hesitation nor emotion, making her deadly. With stunning green eyes, a sculpted body and a magnificent mind she gets anything and everything she wants. 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢, the leader of the most powerful and feared Italian Mafia. No one dares to question the man running the biggest mafia in the world. A man that has been raised with power, wealth and fame. With his alluring features, killer charms and a malevolent mind, he is the one to be or beat. When Lorenzo's mafia gets threatened by an upcoming- a nobady American Mafia, Lorenzo struggles to uphold his criminal empire without it crumbling to the ground. After struggling, he finally decides to ask one of his biggest enemies for help, but it's not such an easy feat because his enemy is a bigger asshole than him.

Thalia Kennedy is a positive ball of sunshine, she likes dirty jokes and smiling whenever. When she meets a man, the complete opposite of her she immediately takes a liking to him and wants to be the one to teach him how to enjoy the little things is life. Heath Jackson was a complicated man in many ways, from his complicated past to his guaranteed complicated future, he was never able to run away from his silent fears he'd face alone. He was closed off and hated the thought of even interacting with people, until someone was heavenly brought in to save him. --------------------------- "I'm thinking" He tells me and I frown. Is it really that hard to think about something nice about me? "I like your lips" He finally answers with a sly smirk on his face thinking he did something. "Which ones?" I ask before I could stop myself and bite my lip. "Don't you dare answer that" I point my finger at him, the smirk still on his face. ----------------------- #3 in cold 7/11/22 #1 in sarcasm 8/10/22

FIRST BOOK OF THE VELVET & VOWS SERIES ♟️❤️‍🔥! ------------------------ Isabella Romano left her parents with nothing but a dream. Years later, she is a famous fashion designer with her own luxury brand in New York. Power. Money. Success. She has it all. What she doesn't know... is that New York is owned by the mafia. And the man who controls it is Matteo Lorenzo Moretti. Their worlds should never collide. But when they do, there is no escape. Because Matteo never loses what belongs to him. And once he sets his eyes on Isabella... she becomes his obsession. ----------- "Dio, Isabella... guarda cosa fai a me." (God, Isabella... look what you're doing to me.) he murmured, my name falling from his lips like a warning and a confession at the same time. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly too tight. He lifted his hand, slow enough that I could've stepped back. I didn't. His fingers brushed my waist. Just barely. A ghost of a touch. But it lit every nerve in my body on fire. I exhaled shakily, my voice barely a whisper. "Matteo..." His jaw flexed. His eyes dropped to my lips. Heat rippled through the space between us. And then - completely undone - he whispered, "Fuck it." Before I even realized he'd moved, his mouth crushed against mine. The kiss hit me like a shock - fierce, hungry, weeks of tension igniting in one impossible explosion. His hand slid behind my neck, pulling me into him as if he'd been holding back a storm and finally let it break loose. ------------ #1 gunfights - 01/22/2026 - 01/25/2026 #1 fashiondesigner 01/25/2026 #1 badboy 01/25/2025

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐮𝐭. . . . . . . . . . . Living in The Colony was all Josie knew. To the outside world it was a cult of brainwashed victims all under the spell of Kade Rogers, but to her it was home. That was up until a series of events that led up to her escape. If only fate wasn't so cruel as to lead her away from one monster and put her directly into the hands of another. Now, with a new sense of determination, Josie explores the world outside of The Colony and learns the hard way that trust is a dangerous weapon of destruction. Trying to lead a normal life starting college proves to be impossible after meeting Nico Blaine. He was everything she was suppose to stay away from. But when Josie lay's eyes on the tattooed beauty, she can't help it. What starts out as a innocent infatuation turns into a twisted tale of betrayal. .. . . . . . . . . . - Dark romance - Explicit sexual content - Mature themes - Criminal - Villain - Anti-hero #1 goodgirlxbadboy #1 darklove

After an unexpected ceiling collapse sends her apartment into chaos, Madelaine Grayson ends up living with her brother - and dangerously close to his tattooed, way-too-charming roommate. He's off-limits... but resisting him might be impossible. *** When Madelaine Grayson's bathroom ceiling caves in, it's not just drywall that crumbles. It's her entire world. Forced to move in with her brother, she finds herself swept up in the chaos of his new protective attitude - especially when it comes to his tattooed roommate, Noah Laurier. Noah is the epitome of perfection: sweet, hot, and embedded into every thought Madelaine has. But he's forbidden, and the closer she gets, the harder he is to resist. Well... what her brother doesn't know can't hurt him, right? *** "Matt's sister, I presume?" He walks towards the couch and my eyes widen. He's tall. I thought I was tall but this man could tower me, and when he reaches a hand towards me, there's an intricate clock tattooed on the back of his hand and his fingers have bones tattooed over them. This man is not human. He's tall and angular and dripping with sex appeal. This man is hot. Capital H, capital O, capital T. I don't think I've ever seen a human being so attractive. All I can think about as I force myself to keep my eyes on the screen is the feel of his jaw beneath my hand, and it takes everything in me not to look

*COMPLETED* Willa Hawthorne didn't come to Boston for distractions. Not for her ex-boyfriend, not for drama, and definitely not for the infuriating stranger she meets on a plane. But Jacob Kingston isn't easy to ignore. He's tempting hot, intriguing, and most of all uninterested in everything and everyone around him. So when Willa decides to use him for a little revenge, it's supposed to be simple. It isn't. Because Jacob doesn't play games. And once he decides something is worth his time... he doesn't walk away.

(I plan to start editing Vol. 1 very soon. If you see any obvious errors feel free to comment them. <3) **This is book one of Raw Love** She is warm. She is pure. She is beauty. She is gentle. Klarissa Molina is the definition of sheltered. Since her father is apart of the Spanish Mafia, he knew that he had to protect his daughter from the monsters he works with. Even though she knows little of her fathers business, she does not question her fathers numerous safety demands. She never questions anyone. He is cold. He is dark. He is aggressive. He is angry. Lorenzo Russo is a twenty-seven year-old man who controls the entire Italian Mafia. Despite his young age, he is the most respected and powerful leader the Mafia has seen in years. However, this man does not only demand power in his work, but also in the bedroom. He always gets what he wants, so why even try to fight it. What will happen when he meets her? Has this Mafia boss finally met his match? And will love be enough? Warning: Mature Content/Some examples of self harm/sexual themes!!! Highest Rankings: #3 Italian #5 in Heartbreak #23 in Mob #13 in Sensual #7 in Violent #2 in Spanish #3 in Anger