Alice Rhodes's got a problem. Two problems, actually. One, she's starting to find it difficult to differentiate water from a decent bottle of tequila, and two, she needs a boyfriend. Fast. The latter wouldn't be a problem at all if only she could keep her dates around for more than a week. It was a disaster how fast boys kept dumping her just because...well, she didn't really understand why. Attachments were scary, especially when they were mostly always unrequited. And as long as she kept them a kiss away, they wouldn't tear her apart, would they? But then the universe, in its cruelest of ways, sends her stumbling into the path of Ryder Octavio McQuillan, and every single thing about him sets her off balance. He's everything Alice doesn't need in her quiet life. Because Ryder carries secrets--dangerous secrets--that only seem to breathe trouble. Alice desperately needs to stay away, but what if the only thing that can save her is the danger that's knocking on the door? . . . . . Text copyright © Crystal7016 ™ 2022

Being the proud owner of Elles bakery, Evangeline Cahill puts all her priority into working so that she is able to stay and live in New York City. All the while across from her own apartment is New York cop, Elijah Benson. He's blatantly honest and is much like Evangeline when it comes to lacking friends. So when he is in dire need of someone to watch his dog, Harvey he turns to the one person he's talked to longer then a whole of five minutes. Willingly saying yes, Evangeline thinks nothing of it other than she'll be able to come home to something other than her television. But with dog sitting comes dinner dates, dog walks, and lots of late night conversations. Copyright © oliviamckenny 2019

• WATTYS 2022 WINNER • When Iris Monet married millionaire Jared Darling, she had only one rule - that he could cheat on her with anyone except the household staff. This arrangement of theirs would have gone on quite happily if she hadn't caught him on the snooker table with their maid, and on their wedding anniversary night no less. Humiliated and more than a little drunk, Iris storms out of the house vowing never to return unless it's for a well-compensated divorce. But as the train trundles out of the city, she slowly calms down and quickly realizes that there's a problem. A big problem. Because the only thing Iris has ever done in her life is being a trophy wife. The prospect of unfunded singlehood on the cusp of her thirties is a horrifying nightmare she's unprepared to deal with. So naturally, when she lays eyes on who she thinks is the richest bachelor in Ryefair, Iris is more than ready to put her claws into him. Except, Satoh Akai isn't the richest bachelor in Ryefair - not by a long shot. And as someone who speaks better with animals than people, romance is the furthest thing from his mind. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, anything is possible but one thing is certain - worlds will collide and hearts will burn. ✒ 17th November 2021 (start) ✒ 27th July 2022 (end)

UNEDITED Gemma Alder is used to being the unlucky one in the Alder family: from a nasty rumour about her back in high school to inexplicable mishaps, she seems to be the comical target for unfortunate situations. But if there's one thing she's good at, it's acting. After she graduated from high school, Gemma remodelled herself and decided to pursue a career in acting-but not in the way you think. Gemma Alder has managed to keep a steady business going across Vancouver Island by playing the fake girlfriend for various customers. Her job is difficult and sometimes it blurs the lines between acting and reality, but it's the only job where she can handle taking orders from the boss: herself. And when a ghost from her past appears, the very ghost that destroyed her reputation back in high school, comes to her, begging her to play the part to get an investor for his company off his back, Gemma take the job without a second thought. Because she sees this as a prime opportunity for revenge. Jake Swift is surprised with Gemma's decision but he's desperate to stop Olive Garcia, a well-known investor, from throwing herself at him. All Jake wants to do is make money and provide for his little sister, Hanna. After their parents died in a car accident, Jake has been the sole guardian of Hanna since he was seventeen and he has no interest whatsoever in a romantic relationship until his little sister has graduated from high school. Long story short, Gemma's agreement is a blessing in disguise. Until, that is, things start to go terribly wrong during his company's two-week getaway to a campground in the middle of nowhere. From unexplainable food poisoning to waxing cream in a sunscreen bottle, Jake can't seem to catch a break, which Gemma is pleased with. However, as time begins to tick away, both Jake and Gemma notice a similarity between themselves which, inevitably, leads to something more. Can the two of them forget the past? Or will their relationship go up in smoke?

When the quiet girl in Clayton Hugh's chemistry class comes knocking on his door at five in the morning barely covered up in her little pajamas, inattentive, and drooling like crazy, he has no choice but to take her inside. But once Lucy Walker wakes up inside a room she has never seen before wearing an over-sized t-shirt and gym shorts, you can imagine the pure panic setting in her. The subtle addition of Clayton entering the room shirtless doesn't help much either. After three years of fawning over him, leave it up to her sleepwalking to finally get Clayton Hugh to notice her.

When she uncovers his plan to lead an entirely uneventful life, Mia Evian is determined to teach Preston Maddox how to stop living like a ghost, but Mia and Preston have history, tension, and a lot of complicated feelings. ***** This is a love story. Mia hasn't seen Preston for a year, and she's convinced she's experiencing a cosmic glitch when they bump into each other at a London university house party. Now reunited, it's like they were never apart, only there's an unfamiliar tension between them that Mia insists is platonic. As she and Preston navigate these feelings, Mia makes it her mission to convince Preston he's worthy of enjoying life, not just existing through it. The trouble is that Preston still has secrets, and if anyone in London discovers anything about the past he's hiding, living a full life could become the least of his and Mia's worries. This is a love story - one more like the kind you might expect. ***** Content warning: This story contains mild drug and alcohol use and themes of mental health, self-harm, and suicide. ✨ Sequel to THE BOY WHO BROKE MIRRORS, but can be read as a standalone ✨

Nova has to start over at a new school with only a couple months left in her senior year. Grieving the loss of her father, without most of her belongings, she leaves the life she knows and moves in with her new foster mom on the lake. Greyson's plan is to graduate high school and go to college. Truth be told, he doesn't care about any of it, but he made a promise he intends to keep. When he sees Nova, he knows this is the perfect time to keep another promise. One he made to himself. From their very first interaction, they hate each other. Nova quickly finds out there is more to Greyson, and more to her old life than she could've ever imagined. Little does Greyson know, Nova has secrets of her own. There's always more under the surface.

* * * Lauren Collins is a good girl. She's responsible and shy but has a tight knit group of friends, excellent grades, and is dating Thomas Clark, a popular football player at Littleton High School. Nathan Rhodes is a bad boy. There are too many rumors to count about the times he's been in jail, or come close to it. But behind the tough, arrogant bad boy facade, Nathan is a mysterious, observant guy with a few too many unrevealed secrets for Lauren's taste. When Lauren finds out her boyfriend has been using her for sex, she decides it's time to quit playing nice. With the help of her best friend, Lauren decides to create a social experiment that makes her become popular and outspoken; she goes from being invisible to being the center of attention overnight. She even seems to capture the attention of Nathan Rhodes. Both of them of secrets that they don't want to share. Both of them have enemies they want to get back at. Both of them have to realize that they aren't so different after all. * * * disclaimer: so far this story is unedited, and will probably remain unedited until i complete it. enjoy!

Addie May knows loss like no one else and when she has nothing left for her in Beverly Hills, she flees to Texas where she meets Zac Ryan, the one man who might change it all. But Texas holds more than just the potential for romance. It holds part of her past, a new beginning and perhaps, it might just be meant for her. "Can I offer you something to wear to bed?" His tone was low and quiet. "A t-shirt?" "That would be great actually," I said, steadying my uneven breath. His eyes dropped to my shoulder where the strap of my dress had fallen again. I felt his fingertips on my skin as he lifted it and slid it back into place. "No problem," he murmured, his lips barely parting to let the words out. "Wouldn't want to wrinkle this beautiful dress." ©️

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.