{2022 WATTY SHORTLISTER} {18+ COMPLETED} England, 1842 Lady Hutton, otherwise known as Penelope Chapman, cares not that her husband has a wandering eye. That is, until he wanders away completely--all the way to the continent with his mistress, where he's been for the last five years. Abandoned, Penelope decides she shall not spend her life living without the occasional night of casual companionship. But then Penelope meets British naval officer Beckett Ash, and she realizes that there isn't anything casual about him. The man who has been assigned to protect her whilst uncovering a smuggling operation at her summer house party is strikingly handsome, and their connection is increasingly difficult to ignore. There are only two problems. Firstly, Beckett hasn't a clue that Penelope already has a husband. And secondly, his best friend and fellow naval officer is Penelope's protective half-brother. What happens when Beckett decides to marry an already married woman?

Book 1 of The Accident Series. cover by @/fleanr on instagram [PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS THERE SHE GOES] Have you ever accidentally liked an Instagram photo of the captain of your university's varsity volleyball team? From three years ago? A guy you have never spoken to in your life? Jaiyesimi 'Jaime' Okusanya can relate. As a second-year biophysics student at Herringway university, Jaime is trying to do what every person at university is as well: survive. Especially as she tries to fulfill the requirements to obtain a research position at Dalhousie Laboratory. But when she accidentally likes Aven Montaque's Instagram picture after noticing him twice over a few days, she attempts to survive her fascination with the hot and cold fourth-year criminology student who's aspiring to go to law school. In a coming-of-age story of romance, friendships, drama and mottos, Jaime discovers that her priorities are about to shift. And Aven Montaque might become one of them.

"School sucked." Elliot Remmer has been living in the shadow of his brother, Oliver. The one who survived depression, fights, and court cases. The one everyone expected Elliot to emulate-or fail at. But Elliot isn't Oliver. He's chaos. He's fire. He's reckless, broken, and often lost in his own self-destruction. Between drugs, family pressure, and a life that feels like it's closing in, Elliot is learning the hardest lesson of all: surviving isn't enough-you have to fight for a life worth living. C O V E R B Y @ZiaDavis

Emerson knows high school can be messy, but nothing could prepare her for Oliver Remmer's return. Dangerous, mysterious, and rumored to be a psychopath, he's the kind of boy everyone fears... and everyone watches. Yet Emerson isn't everyone. She sees the layers beneath his intense exterior-the boy shaped by a troubled past, moments of tenderness hidden under bursts of anger, and a vulnerability most people would never notice. Between the gossip, the chaos, and the adrenaline-charged tension, Emerson can't help but be drawn in. Oliver is unpredictable, and being near him is thrilling-and maybe a little bit reckless. Standing her ground almost feels like a dare. But some loves are worth the risk. Some loves are easy. Back Cover Copy: "Write down one word that describes you." Oliver didn't hesitate. Psychopath. Everyone expects me to run. To stay away. To be careful. But I didn't. Because there's something behind the intensity, the walls, the mystery. Something only I get to see. Because sometimes the thrill of the unknown is exactly what your heart has been waiting for. Set in North Carolina, Open is a teen romance about taking risks, discovering who someone really is, and finding that love can feel mysterious, dangerous... and irresistible. C O V E R B Y @ZiaDavis

BOOK ONE Coming out was supposed to set Julian free. Instead, it left him with a broken arm, a mother who won't stop preaching, and a silence that grows heavier every day. High school feels like a cage, and Julian is certain he doesn't belong anywhere-until Paul crashes into his world. With his inked skin, effortless charm, and a following that makes him untouchable, Paul should be the last person Julian lets close. But in Paul's arms, Julian feels something he's never known before: safe. As their connection deepens, so does the danger. Loving Paul means risking exposure, rejection, and heartbreak all over again. Worse, it means facing the cruelest voice of all-the one inside Julian's own head. Tender, raw, and unflinching, Open is a story about first love, first heartbreak, and finding the courage to believe you're worthy of both. ::: I could feel it when his body finally went slack, when he'd fallen asleep and soft snores emitted. And I thought I was getting better at this breaking down thing... I honestly did but when I was alone, I seemed to fall apart. Endless serenades of how worthless I'd been and how destructive I was; I was a disappointment to literally everyone and I hated it. My breathing became shallow as I cried for the second time that day, finally feeling content being immersed in guilt. A shudder wracked through my body, tears escaping and Paul pulled me closer as he woke silently. Mumbling soft nothings against my skin and kissing it to slow my breathing, he tried to lull me to sleep, "It's okay, you're okay." Refusing to speak -my voice failing me- his arm came up to wrap around my shoulder and I held him there, placing a small kiss to his tattooed skin in a broken sign of gratitude, I must've run out of tears. And I felt at ease.

BOOK TWO On the outside, Julian Douglas has everything: college athlete, good grades, friends who think he's unstoppable. But inside, he's unraveling. And the one person who ever made him feel whole-the boy he loved and lost-is the one person he can't let go of. Paul Jones is brilliant, beautiful, and broken. His art reaches millions, but behind the screens and gallery walls, he's drowning in silence, addiction, and a love that still lingers. When Julian and Paul collide again, old wounds resurface, old habits threaten to consume them, and both must decide if love is enough to heal what life has shattered. Heartbreaking, intimate, and unflinching, Alone explores the raw edges of mental illness, addiction, and the desperate, dangerous hope of holding onto someone who feels like home. : : : "I'm your boyfriend, Jules." He looked so sad then, so completely vulnerable and it was my fault. It was all my fault and I didn't notice until it was too late. "Do you forget that?" Maybe I did. Maybe I thought ignoring him would stop these feelings from surfacing, that missing him wouldn't take over if I never thought of him. And Paul had sighed, his hands coming up to wipe the few tears that hadn't fallen. His cheeks were flushed, he'd done enough crying for the day, and his hair was all over the place from his frustrated tugging. We'd both looked rough but seeing him just as a mess as I was... it made my heart hurt. So did his next words and I knew he'd already given up. "Do you wanna be with me or do you just not wanna be alone?"

"What would you like me to play; The violin or your pussy?" • • • He lived on the street. They called him a tramp. He slept with trash and found his meals in the garbage. Nobody knew who he was. Melody knew the moment she met him, something about him was off. Something about him was missing. Impassive and unpredictable, he always lurked around, his hulking figure a wandering question mark on the streets of New York. But give him a violin and watch him play...

"Guns and sex... that's what you are." • • • Rya Wilkins is a top trained agent, working under the orders of the president of USA. Her job involves brutal interrogations, dangerous undercover CIA work, and killing people who pose a threat to their nation. - And a threat like that just so happens to come in the form of a lethal and dangerously handsome Italian agent, who managed to break into the CIA and steal confidential information. It is now Rya's job to retrieve that information and stop the goddamn mischievous, sexy, son of a-I'm-going-to-make-your-body-explode-in-more-ways-than-one agent and bring him into custody. But there's a thin line between hatred and love - and that line turns out to be Rya's thong.

"You want me to be a genius or do you want me to fuck you?" • • • The Alexandrettia is the finest school in the state, known for producing the smartest, and most talented kids in America. 21 year old keen painter Mia Hanson managed to get a spot. She worked her whole life to get inside, to see the hallowed halls her biggest idols once walked through. But those very same halls gets vandalized one wild night, and the person responsible gets sentenced to do community service, working as a janitor to clean up his mess. With his brooding eyes, filthy mouth and body covered up in ink, Eli the type of guy you run away from; The type who only lives for the trouble; The type you just know packs a brain the size of a peanut. But when one of Fermat's biggest unsolved mathematical problems gets solved by an unknown source, rumors start as to who and where this genius might be... Well: Three guesses who?

"We could be more than just friends, Soph." • • • He was a player with the brain of a genius. She was his best friend, the only one who could resist his charm. And yet... - Hold on to your panties, because a genius is loose.