❝Why do you have a tongue piercing?❞ I asked, observing the other piercings he had and the designs inked on his skin. I'd never seen so much work done on one person before. ❝What's the purpose?❞ A playful grin quirked on to his lips, challenging me. ❝Would you rather I tell you or show you its purpose?❞ ♡♡♡♡ Set in the years 1987-1993 ♡♡♡♡ HIGHEST RANKING: #1 in Diverse Lit 1/3/19 #2 in Teen Fiction 11/13/18 #1 in Completed #9 in ChickLit 11/18/18 #1 in Crime

The story of Dakota and Silvia continues in the sequel, Dismissing Dakota. ⚠️ DO NOT read the summary unless you want to be spoiled. None of this book makes sense if you haven't read Disarming Dakota ⚠️ Silvia Ellington is crushed by what she has just learned. A revelation she wasn't expecting has been thrown on her lap for everyone in town to see. Dakota is now a stranger - and Silvia wants to keep it that way. As weeks pass, Silvia can't help but miss the bad boy she's dismissed so easily. But she knows what she's done is the right decision. Soon enough, something more sinister begins to brew in the town of Crescent Heights. Silvia's trust in Dakota gets tests once more when the truth is revealed. Silvia OWN hidden past from Maine may not remain a secret for long either.

Right when Silvia Ellington is about to start her senior year, her mother decides to have her move in with her aloof father and his "perfect" family in California. She promises to be on her best behavior, and for the most part, she's able to keep her snappy attitude in check...until she ends up going to a party one chilly night. In the adolescent madness, she finds a tattooed boy named Dakota. He's ungodly tall and has crystal blue eyes that can sway any good girl to do bad things. When they first meet, he makes it his job to show that he doesn't like Silvia. And he's got reasons. All she has to do is disarm this bad boy and unlock the secrets he's keeping deep inside. Before they know it, Silvia and Dakota embark on an emotional roller-coaster of a relationship that is bound to ruin a few lives. But when Silvia's own secrets come knocking on her door, will it tear them apart or will love prevail? HIGHEST RANKING: #1 in Action #2 in Humor #2 in Teen Fiction #1 in Drama #8 in Romance --- written in 2015-16 rewritten in 2022-26