~ 2021 WATTY'S SHORTLIST ~ "I-well, I..." I hesitated with my response. I wanted to let go. To not worry about what would happen in the future. I'd always loved staring into fires. It hypnotized me with its beauty and danger. It was so tantalizing to look at, but one little touch could destroy. I knew the heat between Tyler and I was similar. It started off small but it had only grown in the weeks he'd been here. We'd fed it unintentionally, and it had gone from an ember to a crackling flame. Every nerve in my body wanted to reach out and touch it, even though I knew I'd get burned. *************************************************** Pia Callahan always lived a carefree life with no worries. Her only responsibilities were to attend her college classes (sometimes) and keep herself fed (on ramen). When tragedy strikes, Pia is all of the sudden thrown into a whirlwind of change. She has to grow up and take on more responsibility than she could ever imagine: the custody of her best friend's son. Pia may not believe she is the best person for the job, but she is determined to do it. She'll trade in frat parties for PTA meetings and beer-bongs for apple juice. But what happens when the ruggedly hot motocross athlete Tyler Westwood shows up in her small town? Tyler lives on the fast track, never caring too much about consequences. You can't when your job is to do backflips through the air. Sometimes, you just have to send it and hope for the best. From the second Tyler meets Pia, he knows he wants her. But she is determined to ignore their bubbling chemistry. She has priorities now and a summer fling isn't one of them. Will Pia be able to stay away from Tyler? Or will she decide to hit the throttle? ***************************************************

Hooking up with her best friend's brother is Sam's childhood crush come true, but to have a future together, she'll have to overcome her past. ***** Sam Larson has always known Mason Wells is off-limits. He's her best friend's brother, and their family took her in when she needed somewhere to go as a teen. She thought she'd let her crush go, but seeing him at his sister's wedding brings all those old feelings back. And then some. Hooking up is one thing, but to have a real relationship, Sam will have to wrestle with the past she fears if she's going to have the future she longs for. [[Word count: 60,000-70,000]] Cover designed by @OutofMyLimit17 Content Warning: This book contains references to drug use, childhood neglect, and intimate partner abuse.

Sierra Lancaster has had an agonizingly mediocre life. She grew up in a happy home, made loyal friends, graduated college, and is now pursuing her dream of running her own bakery. Boring, right? A story like this wouldn't be one for the books. At least not until you bring a hot neighbour into the mix. A tall, brooding, shredded (like, wash your clothes on those abs shredded), and wildly successful sports agent. Interested yet? It gets better. Said neighbour isn't just a rando, but Sierra's childhood nemesis that made her formerly chubby days a living hell. Now we're talking, aren't we? Holden Rey has always been the golden boy. Holden...golden...you following? You'd think the bitchy universe would do its job and throw some karma his way but to no avail. Not only has he got it all, but he knows it too. He also still has it out for Sierra and resumes being a jack-ass of epic proportions (and his ass ain't his only epic proportion) as soon as he realizes who the new girl next door is. It's the same old story with these two except this time, there's unwilling attraction and sexual tension underneath all the hate. Is it just lust or does the bitchy universe actually have a plan? So maybe this story is one for the books after all. *A hilarious, enemies-to-lovers, romantic standalone. Rated 18+ due to mature content. All rights reserved to TheFeveredBookaholic.*

She hears all the locker room talk. She helps when the guys drink too much before a game. She tapes them up when they're injured. And in return, they watch her back. While most students spend their time partying, Lily spends her free time working. But her job as the assistant athletic trainer for the PSU football team comes with the benefit of being friends with every player on the team. Except the entirely too cocky, reckless, and charming golden boy of the team: Vincent Bradshaw. When they aren't spouting insults at one another, Vincent and Lily are doing everything in their power to avoid each other. That is, until Vincent gets injured.

Charming and elusive Evie Walker is certifiably the cutest girl at Somerset High, yet there is something off about her. Liam Davis is certifiably the hottest and most dangerous boy at SHS... And he's getting a little too curious. ___________________________________ Follow Evie as she navigates Junior year looking over her shoulder for anyone who might find out her secret, and keeping her emotions in check to save her from herself. Things get a bit more complicated when Liam Davis starts paying attention. Completed!! Ngl needs some edits though #1 in Narcolepsy #1 in Goldengirl # 1 in Goldenboy # 1 in yafiction #2 in Disorder #3 in NewAdult #8 in Romance

Annie Jacobs travels to Ireland for one final college assignment. All is going well until she accidentally insults one of the biggest musicians on the planet - Travis Sparks. One thing leads to another and...what happens in Ireland must stay in Ireland... ***** Determined to land her dream job of scoring soundtracks for major motion pictures, Annie must give everything she's got to land an internship in L.A. Five weeks in Ireland for her last college assignment is her one shot at impressing Alex Sullivan, CEO of Crypt Studios. But after a chance encounter at a local pub, she finds herself spending too much time with an overplayed musician. Travis Sparks is hiding from his career. Annie is trying to snag hers. Neither intends to find love while doing so. Five weeks together might lead to a lifetime of nothing but memories and lost opportunities...or maybe they'll find each other again one day. [[word count: 150,000-200,000 words]] Cover designed by Morgan King

A woman on the edge... Christa Evans is having a rough night. She's lied to and harassed, then she loses her job. And that's before the crash that sends her car careening to the bottom of a cliff. She'd be dead if not for the big, bearded recluse who pulls her from the wreckage and carries her back to his cabin in the woods. The quintessential loner... Wounded hero Micah Graham has no time for visitors. So, when he brings home the woman who nearly died on his mountain, he'll take her in, but he doesn't plan to let her stay. Then the storm hits. Heating up the Holidays...together While the snow piles up, trapping the two strangers together in the middle of nowhere, Christa and Micah find common ground in the attraction burning between them, proving that not only do opposites attract, they combust. As things come to a head, the question is: What happens once the ice melts?

Felicity has a secret, one that would make her college roommate extremely jealous - she knows one of the hottest stars in the music industry: Sawyer Reeves...or rather, she knew him, as they used to be best friends. She would never forgive him for stealing the fame that was meant to be hers. ***** When Sawyer Reeves was signing his name on a lucrative record deal, Felicity was mourning the loss of her brother. When Sawyer was playing sold-out arena shows to thousands of adoring fans, she was attending therapy sessions to cope with the trauma she'd experienced. Felicity vowed to never touch a piano again, and to never forgive Sawyer for betraying her - no matter how close he tries to get to her heart. [[word count: 90,000-100,000 words]] Cover designed by Ray Gardener

After surviving a tsunami together, art collector Genevieve and CEO Tristan face endless hurdles back home in the shape of vengeful exes and dark family secrets. ***** On the night before her entire life is changed, Genevieve Harding finds herself walking along Thailand's shoreline with a handsome stranger she only knows from magazine covers and newspaper headlines. Billionaire businessman Tristan Maddox is handsome and charming and it's not long before sparks fly. When tragedy strikes the next morning, their instant connection is tested in a way they never could have predicted. With their attraction pulling them together while a devastating tsunami knocks their lives into chaos, the two find themselves bound together by their shared experience. But upon returning home, life quickly becomes just as difficult as survival was. It's not long before secrets from the past and heartbreaking lies throw them back into rocky waters, threatening to tear them apart all over again. *Wattpad HQ's Editor's Pick - 2022* Content warning: This story contains mature sexual content and graphic scenes depicting a natural disaster and PTSD that comes from it. Also contains themes of blackmail and murder.

"Rose, I'm sorry, but your eyesight will be gone by the end of this year." Who knew one simple sentence could change a life so drastically? Rose is a normal seventeen year old girl with a normal life, normal friends, and what she thought to be normal vision. When she receives the news her vision is slowly deteriorating, she doesn't know what to think. Her life is over. What's a life without being able to see? Enter Chace, a young man who tackled Rose to the ground, mistakingly thinking she was about to commit suicide. He's handsome, suave, and has no idea why Rose is so upset. And even though she is a complete stranger, he decides he wants to help her feel better. With four months until her vision is gone forever, Rose slowly falls in love with this happy-go-lucky young man, but never reveals her problem to him. She's scared. Will he stay with her when he finds out she's going blind? Or will he ditch her when he finds out the truth?