~ 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? ***************************************************

Boring. That is one word to describe Sadie Jefferson's life. She goes to school, is on the honor roll, has two best friends, comes from a wealthy family, and is secretly in love with Lucas Favero, who doesn't know she even exists. It's the beginning of every romance novel she has ever read but when she meets an angry and tattooed older boy named Bash, her story begins to take a turn for the worse. As much as she wants to never see the boy who almost took her virginity and then threw it back at her face again, she realizes that fate will not let them be apart. Besides, Bash doesn't want to run away from the only person who has ever cared for him, even if it was for just a couple minutes.

"My god, she's going to kill me." He mutters throwing his head back into his seat as he covers his face with his hands releasing a groan. "You? What about me? I'm her best friend!" "Yeah well I'm her boyfriend who isn't supposed to get her best friend pregnant!" He yells, causing their conversation to cut short.

Olivia Bailon was a beauty and she knew it. The thing she despises most is a cheater. So she's made it her life mission to give all the men who cheat a taste of their own medicine. That is until Hunter Davis walks into her life, threatening to change all that she loves and hates about life. The edited version is now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Cheaters-Masqueraders-Rebecca-Wolde-ebook/dp/B09VZ2GCQ1/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&tag=wattpad-20

Mia Gibson and Hunter James were always meant to be. But dating the star quarterback that was destined to be in the NFL was not easy. Especially when even his parents believed you were ruining his career. With no other option Mia broke up with Hunter, pushing aside her feelings in order for his dreams to come true. Five years pass after their breakup. Hunter's dream came true however Mia's life turned out different than she hoped. But what happened when they cross paths once again years later? Old sparks start to fly but can they rekindle the love they use to have? New cover done by: @hornsOfARebel Previous COVER DONE BY the amazing @kimberly_white101

In which I fall in love with my brother's best friend. ***** "Don't pretend like you don't feel anything." His voice is low, sending shivers down my spine. "What do you mean?" "You know damn well what I mean." "I don't know what you're talking about." I pretend to ignore him, flipping some pages in my book. "Come on. I have all these assignments waiting. Aren't you supposed to teach me tonight?" "It depends on what you want me to teach." He smirks, his voice sounding even more dangerous. ***** I thought that my brother was the most popular guy in school, but as soon as I step into my university life, I realize how wrong I was. Meet Vaughn Cooper, his best friend. The guy is the epitome of every girl's dream. Godlike handsome. The quarterback. He's got the looks, and he's got the brain. Come on, he's got the scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in the country, while I have just barely passed the entrance examination after long years of struggle during high school. How could a guy who worked that hard and deserves nothing more but adoration be labeled as a bad boy? Yeah, the answer is simple. The moment we lock eyes, I realize something as I stare into those piercing, amber eyes. He's not every girl's dream. He's every girl's nightmare. In my case, MY nightmare. Calm down, heart. Our story hasn't even started. ***** THE SPENCERS SERIES BOOK #1 © 2020 Anya Jayvyn. All Rights Reserved. (Content warning: This book has descriptive sexual content, explicit language, and triggering themes)

COMPLETED. A university student. A professional hockey player. They've proved they can be friends. Can they be more? Although they're both in their early twenties and living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, their lives couldn't be more different. Camille Riccardi is a university student who doesn't feel like she has her life together quite just yet. A scary thought, considering she's graduating in a few months. Taylor Hudson, on the other hand, is exactly where he wants to be in life. Drafted first overall in the spring, he's set to begin his first National Hockey League season with the Winnipeg Storm. When they meet through mutual friends, they realize that they may have things in common, after all. They realize that maybe they could be friends. Maybe they could be even more. But it's not nearly as simple as it all sounds. This is their story. Cover designed on Canva with photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash.

UNEDITED After violating campus rules and committing student misconduct, twenty-three-year-old Warren Ashford is deep trouble and at risk of losing his volleyball scholarship -- the one thing he truly values other than his bad boy reputation, and his family. There's only one way Warren can salvage the scholarship that's giving him a free ride through university and that involved keeping his lifestyle low-key. Meaning, no partying at clubs on Friday nights and no late-night hookups with random girls. No fun. Just him, his education, and volleyball. Oh -- and the high-strung, sassy girl with the deepest brown eyes he's ever seen. The moment she walks into his dorm room -- the same room she's staying in because of a glitch in the computer system -- he wants nothing more than to strip her down both physically and mentally. Not only is she immune to boys like Warren, but she makes it obvious that she's not interested in having any kind of relationship with the campus' star athlete. Warren likes the challenge, but little does he know that Nova Elliot, behind her spitfire attitude and deep brown eyes, is still nursing a broken heart and a past full of despair. The last thing she wants is to hand her heart over to a boy like Warren Ashford (who has a faultless smoulder) -- the kind that only ends up breaking hearts after toying with them. But as the winter semester passes and the heat of summer arrives, Warren's bad boy charm begins to crack Nova's structurally built walls as the two of them head out on an unforgettable trip to Halifax. The two of them begin to learn that two people often fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time and do unexpected things. Highest Rankings: #4 in Romance 17.01.19 #1 in Love 25.12.19

After a one night stand on New Year's Eve, Lia and Derrick don't expect to see one another again. After all, she's a Harvard PhD student and he's a professional hockey player for the Boston Knights - there's no way their paths should cross again. Except when they do, it's immediately obvious the chemistry between them hasn't dimmed one bit. Too busy for the real thing, neither of them sees the harm in continuing to see each other in a casual sense. Though when Derrick gets traded to a team in California and things begin to go sideways with Lia's research team, the pair can't seem to shake the fact they've grown to rely on one another, even now that they're thousands of miles apart.

When Everly Reed collides with the cynical and devilishly handsome Mason Valdez, she knows trouble is ahead, but she never could have guessed how much she would be drawn to the storm. ***** Nineteen-year-old Ever Reed likes when things make sense. Which is probably why she excels at math, enough to secure her a spot at an Ivy League school out of state. Sheltered by her mother and older brother Asher for most of her life, Ever hasn't experienced much of the world, but she knows New York will be an adventure. Enter Mason Valdez: cynical, arrogant, and undeniably attractive-exactly what Ever doesn't need. But as their paths keep crossing, Ever finds herself intrigued by Mason, and eager to know the boy behind the bitter mask. As secrets, scars, and painful pasts rise to the surface, Ever knows one thing for sure: they can only make it through if they face their storms together. [[word count: 150,000 - 200,000]] Cover designed by Frances Louise De Ramos Spinoff to The Hoodie Girl Book One of the A Thousand Storms series [[The Fiction Awards 2018 Best Overall Story and Best Romance Winner]] Content/trigger warning: This story mentions sexual assault and childhood abuse