[watty's longlist 2018] Elisa Robinson has only one thing on her Summer to-do list: Go to Jamaica with her best friend. But after an ignorant tweet sent in the heat of the moment, her parents threaten to make her get a job so she could see life through a different set of eyes. Elisa was against the idea until she realized it was kind of perfect. If she stayed home, she could keep an eye on Adam, her boyfriend. She knew they were drifting a part and leaving the country might not improve things. So instead of sunbathing on an island, Elisa was scooping ice cream for rowdy kids. The only thing keeping her sane was her co-worker, Julian. He was the polar opposite of Adam and served as the perfect distraction from her failing relationship. An innocent friendship soon turns to something more as Elisa spends more and more time with Julian. Is it just a rebound or is she really falling for him?

Deeply hurt by a lover's betrayal, Noah Hunter leaves a shattered life behind and moves to Spring Lakes to join his brother's pack. All he wants is a quiet place and some time to heal. Fate has other ideas. In the middle of the night, on a lonely stretch of road, Noah hits a dog. When he brings the injured animal to a veterinarian, he crosses paths with the singular, mysterious, and aggravatingly handsome Ambrose Thorne. When, after learning that Noah needs a place to stay, Ambrose invites him to his home, Noah thinks he may have found just the sort of peace and space he needs, and the last thing he expects is to become entangled in the heart of a mystery. While helping his brother Dane on a case involving a string of inexplicable thefts, Noah soon discovers that his new acquaintance is more than he seems and is inextricably tied to the strange burglaries. As the case becomes complicated by occult rituals, murder, and mythical beasts, Noah finds himself in more than one kind of danger - because while he doubts that anyone would want something so broken and torn, it seems like his heart might get stolen, too. He just hopes that the one who steals it and the thief at the heart of the mystery are not one and the same. ----- WARNINGS: This story contains strong language, some violence, and sex. ----- DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and in