*Wattys 2018 Winner / Hidden Gems* CREATE YOUR OWN MR. RIGHT Weeks before Valentine's, seventeen-year-old Kate Lapuz goes through her first ever breakup, but soon she stumbles upon a mysterious new app called My Dream Boyfriend, an AI chatbot that has the ability to understand human feelings. Casually, she participates in the app's trial run but finds herself immersed in the empathic conversations with her customizable virtual boyfriend, Ecto. In a society both connected and alienated by technology, Kate suspects an actual secret admirer is behind Ecto. Could it be the work of the techie student council president Dion or has Kate really found her soulmate in bits of computer code? She decides to get to the bottom of the cutting-edge app. Her search for Ecto's real identity leads Kate to prom, where absolute knowledge comes with a very steep price.

[Edited] "You had to be extremely low on cash to wank into a cup for it," Dani sneered, feeling like a vindictive bully in a playground. But Carlo deserved it. She felt the first sharp stab of fear that went through her heart when Carlo looked at her with thunder in his eyes. "What are you going to do now? Kill me?" she continued. Fingering the 9mm in her back pocket, she remembered that she'd never even shot the damn thing, despite her brothers' pleas to teach her. Carlo's shadow blanketed her. "Kill you?" His brow furrowed. "Do you really think that lowly of me, cara? I'm wounded." "Then what the hell do you want?" His face flashed with a look she barely recognised - pure arousal. Even when he reached out and pulled her to him, she could feel it. "I realised that the mother of my child is more of a spitfire than I thought." His lips brushed her earlobe. "Call me a pyromaniac." *cover by @bullethood*

Hope Montoya knows someone is poisoning her, but who? She suspects her mother was also poisoned and knows her father was murdered. Who wants her family eliminated? She vows to fight! She realizes she won’t last the eight months until she turns twenty-five and her uncle no longer controls her or her estate. Never will she be dominated by a man as she was by her father, as she has seen her mother and grandmothers dominated. If she marries, she gains control now, but only if she weds a man she can trust. Only one man meets her requirements. Can she trust him to protect her and capture the killer...but then to leave? Micah Stone has been in love with Hope since the first time he saw her. But he was accused of her father’s murder and surely would have hung if not for his two brothers’ aid. Most in the community still believe him guilty. But the drought has him too worried about water for his dying cattle to care about his neighbors’ opinions. When Hope proposes a paper marriage in exchange for land on the Brazos River and much needed cash, her offer rubs his pride raw. His name may be Stone, but he’s not made of it. He can’t refuse her for long, and so their adventure begins. He and Hope have to stay alive and discover the killer before they become victims in the deadly assaults.

I was sure the worst thing to ever happen to me would be being kidnapped, and sure, that was pretty bad. However, what was worse was being kidnapped, held captive for years, and then being auctioned off to the highest bidder. I thought maybe I had caught a little break when I found out that me and five other girls were being sold to royalty, but I should have known something about that wasn't right either. Under the cover of eternal darkness, and deep beneath the ground, was a whole world I never even dreamed existed in my wildest dreams. It was a world that promised to be more than anything I could imagine. The people who bought us told us we would have the luxurious life of a princess, but there were only two catches... 1. We would be competing against each other for the affection of the Prince who would change our whole lives by picking one of us to rule at his side. 2. That prince just happened to be a vampire.

What will happen when Janie gets a job as a Maid in order to pay for college tuition? What will happen when her first job is for a sexy millionaire who loves raw kinky sex. Would Janie be able to keep up with Justin's demands for her to be his servant in bed even though she is a Virgin? What will happen when Justin brings another maid in the house and expects a 3 some from his maids. What will happen if Janie gets introduce to BDSM lifestyle and likes it?

Sabrina Welsh was just a simple waitress when Liam Collins walked into her life. He wanted her but she was too cautious to let him have her. So he gave a offer she would be too foolish to turn down. Be his paid girlfriend. "God you're so fucking sexy," he'd breathed, his face moving closer to mine. "Go out with me," he groaned. I gasped before nodding. His scent was so intoxicating. His eyes so hypnotizing... "Kiss me," he growled, his eyes suddenly dark and wild with...with lust.

When Arianna marries billionaire Zach Price to save her family, she doesn't expect to fall in love with a man who'd always consider her a second choice. An unexpected turn of events brings the couple closer together, but can a marriage based on lies and deceit ever survive? ***** When Arianna's older sister, Olivia, decides to run away on the day of her wedding, Arianna is forced to take her place to save her family from ruin. But her new husband is angry, heartbroken, and seems to hate her guts. The cold, elusive billionaire Zach Price has never quite struck Arianna as the kind of man she'd want to spend her entire life with. She was more than content with her sweet, thoughtful boyfriend Noah, but when circumstances force them together, Zach and Arianna's hearts get entangled in a way she never saw coming. As the couple grows closer, they must battle the demons of their past and of the lives they left behind - especially when Olivia returns and decides she wants Zach all for herself. Content/Trigger Warning: This story contains scenes of violence and sexual abuse, and mentions abortion and miscarriage. [[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]] Cover designed by Ren Tachibana

[Edited Version ● Alternate Ending] "Colin? I feel so awful lying to you so I have to tell you what happened..today," Frankie blurted out, nervously cracking her knuckles as she stared at her boyfriend from one side of the living room. Colin's bright blue eyes danced. "What is it, sweetheart?" "I...I bumped into my ex-husband in the elevator today." "And?" Frankie exhaled. "And we had sex. In the elevator." There was an interminable silence before Colin smiled. "We'll work through this, honey. Don't worry." "Work through this?" she spluttered in disbelief. "How? How can we, when all I want is for him to do it again? And again, and again, and again, and..." She trailed off, sighing. It pained her to see Colin's hurt expression, but then again, it pained her to know that Konstantin had made her climax in that elevator more times than Colin had in their whole relationship... *cover by @hartlings*

Eleanor "Elle" is fun and outgoing. She's a talented young girl full of dreams and life...which makes her the exact opposite of what her stuck-up snobby family wants her to be. Although Elle's been "disowned" for leaving behind the Mercer family name and fortune to pursue her dreams in Florence, Italy, her older sister decides to invite her to her wedding. Reluctantly, Elle agrees to be the M.O.H (Maid of Honor) and travels back to the States three weeks before the wedding. What Elle finds there shocks her and takes her on a whirlwind adventure; the groom and future husband of the ever perfect Simone Mercer is an old flame of hers that's best left extinguished. Will this trip serve as a means of closure for both, or will Elle end up Stealing the Groom? *The Wedding Party Series Book I*