🏆 Watty Award Winner (2022) This updated edition includes revised chapters and new scenes. Trans guy Collin makes a bet with his coworker that he can land a date with the hot new barista across the street. It should be easy. Except the more time he spends with her, the more the bet starts to feel like the worst idea he's ever had. ### It's 2003 in Santa Cruz, and 21-year-old Collin thought transitioning would be the hard part. But now that he's on hormones and passing with ease, he's still stuck wondering who he is and where he belongs. It doesn't help that his girlfriend of six years just dumped him. So when his coworker challenges him to prove he's still got game, Collin agrees to a stupid bet: get a date with Heather, the cute new barista who just started working at the café across the street. With some unexpected help from his roommate Sam, getting close to her might be easier than Collin expected. But what starts as a harmless distraction quickly turns into something real. And when the truth behind the bet finally comes out, Collin will have to decide whether risking his heart again is worth it... or if he's about to lose the best thing that's happened to him since the breakup. A nostalgic beach-town rom-com about bets, baristas, and what happens when pretending turns into something real. ☕ Tropes: friends-to-lovers vibes, a very bad bet, coffee shop flirting, early-2000s nostalgia, and learning who you are while falling in love. NEW CHAPTERS EVERY TUESAY & FRIDAY

In a land of swordsmanship and myth, three English children are about to change the course of history... ~~~ Colin, Madeline, and Brian Evans have always sought adventure. But try as they might to find intrigues and escapades at their ailing grandfather's estate, their quest continues to prove fruitless. Until one day, a misplaced door leading to a misplaced stairway takes them to a foreign world of warriors and legends. At last, an adventure seems within their grasp. In the beautiful and mysterious land of Makoto, the Evans children meet a pair of young samurai - siblings Shin and Min Kazuo - who show the children that Makoto's peaceful beauty is nothing but a façade. The country is plagued by unpredictable raids, a clan of merciless bounty hunters, and a faction of sinister Shōgun. When Min is captured and taken to the Shōgun's palace, Shin teaches the art of swordsmanship to the Evans children, and they begin a perilous journey toward freeing Makoto. However, the origin of the Shōgun's rule is far darker than the Makotan people know. Evil forces are at work. And amidst the war for freedom, the Evans children discover that no adventure comes without danger or cost. {For fans of Narnia, Oz, Wonderland, Neverland, and Japanese history & culture.}

☆ ᴡᴀᴛᴛʏꜱ 2024 SHORTLISTER!! ☆ A tragic misunderstanding. A murder. A secret. An unlikely partnership. A spirited countess and an enterprising racketeer. ~~~ Manchester, England. May 1925. The Roarin' 20s. An era of glamor, decadent parties, jazz music, flowing booze, and opulent wealth. Possibilities are endless. Anyone can be a success, even families once seen as working class. But beneath the glittering exterior lies a world of corruption, prejudice, and civil unrest. When the disappearance of a Russian refugee brings Countess Rose Sinclair to the doorstep of known racketeer William Mercer, neither party is prepared for the significant changes a single encounter can inspire. Blackmailed by William into employment, Rose receives a swift and unwanted education regarding a side of the class struggle she has never before experienced. As she unwillingly ventures deeper into the precarious world of the Mercer family and their notorious gang the Deansgate Streeters, Rose finds herself torn between her moral compass, her suppressed rebellious youth, her growing love for a motherless toddler, and her mounting attraction for William, a man she has every reason to despise. ⚠️ Read with caution: foul language, violence, trauma, and sexual content (fade to black only) within. This book is intended for readers 21+ ⚠️

This poem tells the story of an Angel who came to deliver man from his island and from the darkness that descended upon him. Man is not meant to be alone, and it is for this reason that God sent an angel to free him from his island, from his solitude, and from the dark, consuming thoughts that gradually ravaged his mind. The Angel came to his aid, sensing the distress of his soul from the Realm of the Gods. It was the clash between the world of Mortals and the Divine Kingdom. Man, flawed by nature and broken, could not rise to the level of this celestial being. Despite this, the Angel tried, as best she could, to rescue this soul in agony-wounded, lost, and wandering in the darkness. Despite her efforts, man could not be healed. The Angel painstakingly attempted to mend the wounds left on his heart and soul, yet the Angel herself was wounded. Nevertheless, the Angel restored life to the man. But life in a dead being, in a weakened and sickly body, did not last long.

Life is like a rollercoaster. It has its ups and downs, but it's your choice whether to scream or enjoy the ride. What happens when life throws you off track completely? Do you scream... or do you hold on tighter? For Ira and Rudraksh, the journey is far from smooth. One is suffocating under the weight of failure, the other carrying the fragments of a shattered heart. Two strangers, caught in life's ugliest turns, where every step forward is a fight against invisible battles. This is not a story of being saved by each other, but of learning to live despite the wreckage, of finding the courage to stand when the ground never stops shaking. However, if their paths ever converge, will they find solace in each other... or will their differences pull them apart? ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️ This is a character-driven literary fiction set in a contemporary world, where every character breathes fully and every emotion unfolds in its own time. It is the kind of story that feels less like something you read and more like something you live beside, watching the characters grow, falter, heal, and discover themselves at their own pace. If you have a moment, and a heart willing to feel deeply and quietly, I invite you into this universe of mine. And if you wish to know more, simply explore the tags. They hold the essence of what awaits you here... with a little something extra, like a cherry on top. Copyright © 2026 Jambudweep. This content is protected under applicable international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, translation, or redistribution on any platform without the author's explicit written permission is prohibited. Original publication: Wattpad.

Jake spent years building a life he enjoyed with a fulfilling tech career, close supportive friends, and the one biological family member who had ever cared for him. But a year after his best friend, Austin, has a baby and his brother moves out, Jake is the primary one maintaining those connections and feeling left behind. When his friend Austin connects him with Vi, an aro-ace woman with similar frustrations, who wants to start a family free of the obligations of romance and sex, they connect as friends, and it shapes how he envisions his future.

When visiting Canada for a wedding, a commitment-averse dive instructor must pretend to date her Australian seatmate to avoid conflict with her ex and judgmental mother. *** Audrey Clarke rarely felt like other women her age. Not as a teen who'd never gushed about gorgeous celebrities, nor at almost thirty, with no desire to marry, have kids, or settle down. She would much rather explore reefs in Southeast Asia and adventure around exciting places. Even when she meets travellers with similar dreams, none are the right romantic match. Until Caleb. When flying home to Canada for her friend's wedding, Audrey dreads confronting the pain she caused her ex and facing her judgemental mother. It drives her to connect with her seatmate, Australian environmental scientist, Caleb, who also craves a distraction. Despite his charm, he is enigmatic about the cause of his stress. They agree to fake a relationship to make their lives easier. The more time they spend together, the more real their act feels. Will Audrey be brave enough to share her true feelings before the trip is over? *** Featured on - Humor's 'Ambassador's Monthly Pick' reading list (Nov 2025) - Ambassador's recommendations "Aces! Bows and Aros" chapter (Nov 2024) - Chicklit's "Rom-Com" reading list (August 2024) - Romance's "Slow Burn" and "Fake and Arranged Relations" reading lists (June 2024) Winner - Grand Winner Aro/Ace Awards by the TripleACommunity and FreetheLGBT communities (Dec 2024) - First Place Harvest Festival Astania Awards Wild Card category (Nov 2024) by the Asatnia Community - Honourable Mention, Romance Awards, Romance category by the Romance profile (Oct 2024)

Madelyn Chung is one of the best clinical psychology PhD students Harvard has ever seen - the most controversial, too. After discovering a data fraud conducted by Harvard's star faculty, Dr. Charlotte Shelby, her future career seems uncertain as whispers accuse her of being a burdensome whistleblower. With a potential groundbreaking research project in the line, she is appointed to work with Dr. Alex Manning, Harvard's young neuroscientist and professor who revolutionized several research in his field. A life-changing opportunity for Maddie - but she must deal with the fact that Alex was one of Charlotte's past collaborators, and his career was at stake because of the scandal. Maddie has always been careful when trudging through the endless hours of clinical shifts and research. But when she doesn't know if the longing stares from Alex every time he tries to make her life harder are an indication of hatred, or if they mean something else, she starts to feel unprepared. Because Maddie knows she is a falling star, and if she holds onto the fragile trust between her and Alex too tightly, she will only fall harder.

*~~~~~~~° When Mia discovers her father's suitcase full of illegal drugs, she's plunged into a dangerous world of deceit and cartels. As she delves deeper into her family's past, she's forced to confront the possibility that her loving father may not have been who she thought he was. Meanwhile, Charlie's determination to start afresh despite his sister's arrest leads him on a similar path of questioning his beliefs. As their lives become intertwined, Mia and Charlie join efforts to withstand the whirlwind of high school. But can they stick together in a world where danger and unexpected consequences lurk around every corner? Note: mature.

[ONC 2023 and Wattys 2024 winner!] Drug dealer Nathan just can't be bothered to care about some of the stranger things in his life. Like the spellbook he found, complete with working magic and all. Okay, fine, maybe he tried one spell, and maybe that ended with his curtains on fire. Lesson learned: leave forces you don't understand alone. Powerful magic or not - for Nathan, this is just another Wednesday. Not everyone shares his opinion. When YouTube sensation Jamie insists on making a video about his discovery and said video goes viral, Nathan finds himself in a spotlight he completely failed to foresee. While he struggles to adjust to his newfound fame, Jamie and her oddly charming eccentricities drag him into a wacky investigation of his magical tome's origins and true nature. Finding answers shouldn't be that hard. But Nathan's criminal associates want his spellbook for themselves. And they'll stop at nothing to get it. ~Book one in the Witchcraft Wednesday Investigations trilogy~