University professor Cora Glass may be an expert on the topic of red/green colorblindness, but when her walking red flag of an ex shows up on campus, is she smart enough to say no to a second chance? *** Three years ago, scientist Cora Glass met a stranger over cocktails in an airport hotel lobby. His name was Jamie Bowen: an irresistible charmer with a talent for impersonating men he'd never be - and the only man who ever succeeded in breaking Cora's heart. Their fiery relationship flamed out years ago, but forgetting about Jamie is a different story. Seeking a change of scenery, Cora accepts a junior faculty position at prestigious Wallingford University and throws herself into her research with single-minded focus. She couldn't be less interested in the campus gossip surrounding the hot new professor who just joined the English department. That is, until she sees him, and he turns out to be none other than... her ex? But the man who won her heart three years ago was a high school dropout, not a PhD. Jamie could only be at Wallingford now as an impostor - and Cora's determined not to let him drag her into whatever game he's playing. ONC 2023 Contest Prompts: 51. The problem with red flags is that I'm attracted to them. 63. A rivalry between two coworkers has unforeseen consequences. 6. Can we go back to the start when we were all strangers in the dark?

Ari Callahan has no idea how to talk to boys -- or how to talk to anyone for that matter. Enter Zac, the cute new guy in town who won't stop texting her. But is his interest real, or does he have a hidden agenda? ***** Found as a young child washed up on the beach, 17-year-old Ari Callahan has never uttered a word out loud to anyone -- not even her adoptive family. Psychologists have diagnosed her with a condition called selective mutism, but Ari can't help identifying with her namesake character, Ariel, the little mermaid in the fairytale whose voice was stolen by a sea witch. Mermaid-obsession aside, Ari's silence makes socializing tough. She's never had a boyfriend or been asked out on a date. Not until Zac, the confident new arrival in town, asks for her number. But Zac has his own reasons for texting with Ari. He's part of a movement to sabotage the artificial music app called SirenSong, threatening to render human singing obsolete. Zac's collaborators have scoured the globe in search of a singing voice perfect enough to break the SirenSong spell, and their search has led them straight to Ari's beachside town. Will her relationship with Zac help Ari find her voice and unlock the secrets of her origins? Or will he use her and leave her high and dry? Title: Ari and Zac (formerly The Mermaid Hypothesis) Content Warning: This story contains references to selective mutism, suicidal thoughts, and early childhood trauma.

Callie and Dayton have been best friends since they were young. She's best woman at his wedding, a day she is helping to plan...along with the bride's evil bridesmaids. Bentley is Dayton's older brother, his mood swings come thick and fast. He and Callie deny their chemistry to everyone but they can't lie to themselves. It would be messy, people would get hurt, but they know they can't fight it forever.

Ellie Sandberg would love to reinvent herself. When she earns a spot at an elite boarding school for young inventors, it seems like the perfect opportunity: A summer away from home, away from her overprotective parents, and away from the hopeless crush who rejected her in the final weeks of school. But no one at the Winthrop Academy Summer Maker Program is exactly as they seem-least of all the charming but mysterious Maddox Cruz. Maddox and his group members are working on a new and improved version of InstaLove, an augmented-reality app invented by a former program attendee, and Ellie soon finds herself invited to join their project. But InstaLove has a history of glitches. Weird little accidents... injuries... users wandering into places they were never meant to go... When a fellow group member goes missing, the tech trail for the crime leads back to InstaLove-and to Ellie. With no one else to trust, Ellie must race to uncover the truth and clear her name...or she might be the next to disappear.

For months Summer is trapped in a cellar with the man who took her - and three other girls: Rose, Poppy, and Violet. His perfect, pure flowers. His family. But flowers can't survive long cut off from the sun, and time is running out...

Kate Morgan walked out on her boyfriend seven years ago, without so much as a backward glance. She had no idea he'd go on to become the notorious Aidan Sands, Hollywood 'It' Boy and frequent flier of the celebrity gossip columns. Now Aidan's back in the picture, trying to rekindle the past - and neither of them can shake the feeling that they're trapped inside some formulaic Hollywood chick flick. He's an LA heartthrob with impulse-control issues, who always gets caught with his pants down in the most embarrassing places. She's an uptight Manhattan workaholic who can't stand that he's already co-starred with every leading lady in town. Can these two produce a remake that's better than the original? Or are romantic comedies a lot less funny when you're living them in real life? Copyright © 2014 All Rights Reserved Note: This is an original novel. All characters and events are entirely the product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real-life personalities or events is unintentional.

When Rosalie moves to the Outer Banks for the summer, sparks fly with the local lifeguard. *** British socialite Rosalie Harrington enjoys the power and respect that her position as Queen Bee brings, so she's horrified to hear that she'll be spending the summer in a remote American coastal town. With opportunistic friends and a rocky relationship, it's the worst time to leave London, and she drags her heels all the way to the Outer Banks. One day into her so-called holiday, a careless mistake has Rosalie fighting against a rip current. Fortunately, the local lifeguard is on hand to help. Brent might be an expert at saving troubled swimmers, but he is drowning in problems of his own and is far from impressed by this tourist's recklessness. The two of them couldn't be more different, but their attachment to the beach forces them together and sparks fly as they try to ignore the sizzling chemistry that soon develops. Rosalie and Brent are both about to learn that it's not just the ocean where there is more beneath the surface than meets the eye. Achievements: 2015 Wattys Winner #1 in Romance 𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿: ❌ I do not use generative AI to write my books. ❌ I do not consent to my books being used to train AI models. ❌ I do not consent to my books being used to create AI-generated content.

Devon Barnes and her best friend, Dante Granger, have just finished University and move into the third story flat in a gorgeous, newly renovated town house. The excitement of her first place soon wears off for Devon as she notices some strange things happening in the flat. Dante brushes it off as stress from the move and Devon’s new job, so she finds herself trying to work out what is happening alone. With only a two initials scribbled on a piece of paper, she sets out to find who ZJ and SM are. None of the neighbours seem to want to discuss the previous tenants, but when Devon overhears them gossiping about ‘poor Spencer Morgan’ she is halfway to discovering what is going on. Things take an unexpected turn as Dante starts to notice Devon acting out of character, and he is forced to face the truth – something out of the ordinary really is going on.

After escaping from police custody, Clover tries to piece his life back together. Determined to return to home and be reunited with his family, he has to first elude the country wide man hunt. Will he be able to resist his old ways in order to remain undetected? After hearing that Colin has escaped, Summer and Becca prepare themselves for the inevitable; Clover is coming back for them. Will the police and their families be enough to protect them? Clover's coming back and he's determined to prove to the girls; 'You'll always be mine'.

For eleven years, Oakley Farrell has been silent. At the age of five, she stopped talking and no one seems to know why. Refusing to communicate beyond a few physical actions, Oakley remains in her own little world. Bullied at school, she has just one friend, Cole Benson. Cole stands by her refusing to believe that she is not perfect the way she is. Over the years, they have developed their own version of a normal friendship. However, will it still work as they start to grow even closer? When Oakley is forced to face someone from her past, can she hold her secret in any longer?