[2024 WATTYS SHORTLISTED] [18+] In the picturesque lakeside town, the calm waters mask the storm within Juniper Jenkins' heart. Betrayed and broken by her cheating boyfriend, she flees to the sanctuary of her friend's lakeside house, to work remotely for the summer. What she doesn't expect? Running into Wells Hansen-her rival from the Seattle Sun Times-of all people. And of all places, he's running the only coffee shop in town with decent Wi-Fi. She's sworn off men for the summer-pinky-promised no boys-with her two best friends. So there's no way she's breaking that pact. Not after what just happened. But fate doesn't care about pacts, and Juniper keeps bumping into Wells no matter how hard she tries not to. She resents him, and the feeling seems mutual. At least, that's what she believes.

Despite her struggles to make ends meet, Emilia is determined to honor her dad's last wish and graduate from UNI majoring in art. She has one year left. And she needs to make it count. The perfect opportunity appears in the form of an internship at a museum. It would open all the doors for her and might even lead to a future career. All she has to do is win it. After surviving for years as an unwanted foster child, Hudson, goalie for the UNI Lions, now has stability. But how do you get rid of the fear of constantly getting kicked out? Life is fragile and there is no safe place. Hudson refuses to let himself relax. And then he sees the sunshine that is Emilia. She's happy and confident and her smile lights up the room. And when she smiles at him, it makes his heart full. Emilia doesn't understand the solemn goalie. He never smiles and pushes her away as often as he answers her questions. Even so, she thought that since their friends are having a baby together, they should try to get along. Until she finds out that he's also going for the internship. The one he definitely doesn't need, but she does. He's a hockey player who dabbles in art for fun. Art is her life. And it all gets way more complicated when they end up sleeping together... Will Hudson finally let someone into his life? And can Emilia be honest about what she needs? Updates four times per week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Have a wonderful day and I hope you enjoy the story!

"You're going to keep living, V." Everyone thought Ivy Archer had the perfect life. Because they had no idea what she was hiding: her mums terminal cancer. When the inevitable happens, Ivy is forced to face her grief for the first time, in front of everyone. Insert Quinn Hale, the boy next door who everyone loves. But not Ivy - she always hated him and even more so now that he witnessed first hand everything she's going through. What happens when it seems her next door nemesis understands her more than anyone else?

After fleeing her abusive ex in the middle of the night, Chloe Dawson arrives in a small coastal town with nothing but a duffel bag, a crying six-month-old baby, and the last of her savings. She rents a tiny apartment where the walls are paper-thin. Next door lives Sergeant Mason Kane, disciplined, exhausted, emotionally closed off, and currently on leave between military assignments. After years in the army, silence is the only thing that helps him sleep. Then the baby starts crying every night. At first, Mason is irritated. Chloe is terrified of him. Every knock on the door reminds her of the man she escaped.

| He waited 1,093 days for her to notice him. She never saw him coming. | Noah Gallagher has senior year mapped out: - Tape ankles. - Ace exams. - Accept her promotion. - Absolutely do not look twice at wide receiver Fox Heeler. Focused, disciplined, and determined, Noah knows the rules keep her future safe. But Fox - Atlantic State's star receiver - has been waiting 1,093 days for her to finally look up from her clipboard. When a freak storm traps them together, the rules Noah lives by suddenly feel harder to follow. And Fox? He's not about to waste his last season - or his last chance - staying quiet. Now Noah has to decide if she can stick to the plan she's chased since freshman year... or risk everything for the boy she was never supposed to want. --- Highest Story Rankings: #1 in slowburn (12.6.2025) #1 in sports (12.28.2025) #1 in friendstolovers (1.1.2026) #1 in student (1.7.2026) #1 in americanfootball (2.25.2026) #1 in workplace (2.25.2026) #2 in sportsromance (1.8.2026) #2 in college (12.22.2025) #3 in love (1.9.2026) #3 in drama (1.13.2026) #3 in football (12.17.2025) #3 in new (2.21.2026)

One summer. Two Neighbours. A closed-off first-round NFL Draft Pick. A bubbly college girl. A small town beach town that makes it impossible to ignore each other. What could possibly happen? Things didn't go as planned when Parker McIntosh and the world were shocked when he was drafted to come back to his home state of New York to play football. Especially when he rather be anywhere else other than where he grew up. Especially since for the first time in a while someone's caught his attention and NOT in a good way. Things don't go as planned when Daisy Ledger finds out the super hot but rude assh*le from a run-in at her local supermarket is her next-door neighbour. It gets even worse when it seems like her perfect summer is getting away from her, and her old friends are not the same as they were. Things are never seamless, nor go by the planned route. *this book is mature for graphic scenes* tropes: grumpy x sunshine NFL player I hate everyone in the world but u roommates taking care of one another opposites attract

When Farrah Blake let's slip that she wants to lose her virginity this summer, she doesn't expect her childhood best friend, trust-fund baby Ethan Sinclair, to offer her a deal: if he doesn't find a nice guy for her by the end of their joint family vacation, he'll take her virginity himself. Standalone in the Just One Kiss series *** Farrah Blake is dead-set on losing her virginity as soon as she can, so when the guy she's had a crush on for as long as she remembers offers his help, she can do nothing but accept. Ethan Sinclair has been in her life forever - he's her best friend, just like his mother is her own mother's best friend, and their families go on a joint vacation to the lake house every year. Ethan Sinclair is out of time. His parents have arranged his marriage, just as they arranged his brothers. At the end of their summer vacation, he'll be expected to propose to a woman he barely knows. One last summer of freedom, one last chance to do whatever he wants - and he wants nothing more than to make sure his best friend loses her virginity in the most positive way possible, even if that means hiding his upcoming engagement from her. But as time goes on, and feelings grow, will Ethan follow his family, or his heart?

Dani Rosewood was never the queen bee. Even after dropping thirty pound to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer, she never felt truly beautiful - definitely not desirable like Jess, her best friend who changes boyfriends every six months. But one thing Dani always knew: she'd get into the Academy and dance ballet until retirement. Then she tags along with Jess to an audition she wasn't supposed to attend - and something, or someone, starts to unravel her plans. His name is Austin Blackwell. A young, ambitious music producer with a cold heart and a dangerously perfect jawline. Austin has one goal: to build the next best thing in music industry: the next-gen girl group - and prove to his distant father - the owner of a massive entertainment empire - that he's worthy of the budget he demands. When he sees Dani dance, he's speechless. And he's not letting her go. But is the mission he took on too big for him? Can you succeed in the industry without losing yourself - or the people you care about? And is Dani - sensitive, perfectionist Dani - truly built for a world that exposes, critiques, and tests you at every turn? Between the lines: Is Austin's interest in Dani purely professional - or is something about to break the rules? A story about ambition, desire, and jealousy. About the painful price of fame. And about love and friendship blooming in the most unexpected places - changing you from the inside out. Content warning: Dani's journey includes emotional and physical struggles related to self and body-image. The story contains references to eating disorders and may be triggering for some readers.

Kade has never had the luxury of being a kid. Living in an abusive home, he learned early that protecting his younger siblings was his responsibility. Between taking care of them and fighting his own addiction, Kade is barely holding his life together. Then there's Julie Gates. To everyone else, Julie has the perfect life, a perfect family, and a future already planned for her. But behind closed doors, Julie is hiding a secret that is slowly destroying her. Two people carrying wounds no one can see. Two lives that were never supposed to collide. Until they do. And somehow, they become the one thing neither of them knew they needed. TRIGGER WARNING! MATURE !

Scarlett Sovanna doesn't have time for nonsense-especially not the kind that wears a backwards cap and throws parties on Tuesday nights. As a dedicated ballerina at a top-tier arts college, her world revolves around perfect pirouettes, brutal rehearsals, and keeping her spot in the program. There's no room for distractions. Especially not him. Elliot Sinclair is college royalty-the star quarterback with a devil-may-care attitude and a line of admirers trailing behind him. He lives for the game, the thrill, and the spotlight. He and Scarlett couldn't be more different... except for one inconvenient truth: their families are practically intertwined. When Scarlett's dorm situation turns into a nightmare, the Sinclairs offer Elliot's guest room to her. Sharing a space with the person she finds most insufferable on campus? Not ideal. But as the walls come down, so do their assumptions about each other. What starts as chilly silence turns into heated banter. And somewhere between late-night talks and stolen glances, feelings develop. She's all discipline. He's all chaos. Together? They just might fall into something real.