Riley Thornton knows the rules. Don't cross the line. Don't let things spiral out of control. Do not get close to him. JJ Maybank is the line she always wanted to keep away from. She knows the rules. He breaks them. She comes from order. He - from chaos. Their worlds were never meant to collide. But the more words, the sharper they cut. The longer they look, the more dangerous they become. After all, the Kook and the Pogue aren't supposed to get close, right? There are rules that should never be broken.

The Outer Banks is a place where storms never stay on the horizon for long. Maisen Jade Lewis has always felt them coming, whether it is weather patterns, secrets, the way danger hangs in the air before it finally crashes down. She grew up on the edge of the island's wealth, full born Kook as they say, caught between the gold-plated world of her father's estate and the saltwater freedom of the Pogues. For years, she's managed to ride both currents, until now. When Big John's tape resurfaces, the hunt for the Merchant gold isn't the only thing dragging the Pogues deeper into uncharted waters. Big John left a message not just for his son but for Maisen too. A cryptic warning about her father, Alexander Lewis, and truths that could tear open everything she thought she knew about him... and herself. Maisen isn't the type to let anyone fight her battles for her. Not even JJ Maybank, the reckless, sharp-tongued Pogue who somehow keeps finding his way past her defenses. Together, their story unfolds in the riptide-pulled between loyalty and lies, love and survival, treasure and betrayal. The deeper they dive, the more dangerous the water becomes. Because storms don't just break on the Outer Banks-they uncover everything buried beneath. **All additional characters and their personalities belong to me.** #1 in P4L 11/7/25 #1 in katiedouglas 12/27/25

Everyone knows Blaire Whitmore and JJ Maybank are inseparable. Best friends. Practically family. Untouchable by rumors or labels. But the Outer Banks is built on division, and no one forgets which side you're born on. Blaire is a Kook with expectations she never asked for. JJ is a Pogue with a reputation he can't escape. As stolen glances turn heavier and late-night conversations start meaning more, they're forced to face the truth: some feelings can't be ignored, and some risks are worth taking-even if the fallout destroys everything they've ever known.

ᴊᴊ x ᴏᴄ ᴏᴜᴛᴇʀ ʙᴀɴᴋꜱ ʀᴇᴡʀɪᴛᴇ ꜱ1- ꜱ4 (ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ) ⎯ ɴᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴏɴᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ꜱᴀᴠᴇᴅ. ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴘʀᴏᴍɪꜱᴇꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴛᴀʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛ ɢᴇᴛꜱ ʜᴀʀᴅ ⎯ · 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 ·

The Outer Banks has always been home to sun, salt, and secrets, but this summer, it becomes something else entirely. When Malory Jade Parker and her friends uncover a trail of gold and betrayal, they're pulled into a storm that will change them forever. Love, loss, and loyalty collide in a story where paradise isn't what it seems, and survival means more than just staying alive.

Insult? Hate? Those two words perfectly describe Lilianna Smith and JJ Maybank, pure enemies since the first day they met. Coming from two different sides of the island of Outer Banks, they've both heard about each other. Coming from one of the richest families on the island, Lilianna's been told to smile when she needs to and to stay away from the Pogues, especially from JJ Maybank and whatever she does, never ruins her family's reputation. Still, Lilianna has a way to put herself in chaos and trouble. When there's chaos it also means JJ Maybank's not far. JJ Maybank has always hated the Kooks but one in particular, Lilianna Smith. He can't stand her but when he gets dared to make Lilianna fall for him he takes the occasion to make her suffer. As they grow closer, JJ starts feeling something he'll swear he would never feel, at least not for some Kook. As the Pogues get thrown into an adventure, JJ and Lilianna find themselves working together. Could the secret JJ's been holding from her get revealed and break her and come back as it was: them being enemies?

Some people don't stay dead. Some love stories don't stay buried. And some girls will do anything to bring their boys back. JJ Maybank was everything to Mara-best friend, twin flame, almost lover. And when he died, a piece of her did too. But grief does strange things. It whispers. It twists. And sometimes, it brings the dead home. Now JJ is back. Changed. Crowned. Haunted. And the past he left behind is clawing its way to the surface. This time, Mara won't lose him. Not even if it kills her. ***I can not stress enough that JJ will NOT die in this book, no matter how much it seems like it-HE IS NOT DYING***