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

When Ava gets offered a job as a maid at the Chastain estate it almost seems to be too good to be true. The work is easy and fair, her coworkers seem nice enough, and the best part? The owner doesn't even seem to live there. That is, until he returns. 11/30/21 ranked #1 in 'millionaire'

Henley agrees to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for a fee, falling in love as she wonders - how is he involved in her brother's false conviction? ****** Henley Linden's brother is in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and she'll take any job to raise the money needed to free him. Soon, she's agreed to pretend to date millionaire Bennett Calloway for ten thousand dollars, so his mother will ease up the pressure on him to find a wife. But once Henley is enmeshed in Bennett's world, he falls for her, and she starts to have feelings for him as well. Despite her romance with Bennett, as she grows closer to the Calloways, Henley realizes they are somehow involved in her brother's conviction. Journeying deeper into a world of wealth and conspiracies, Henley is forced to rely on Bennett, though doing so could cost her everything. [[word count: 200,000-250,000 words]]

"You just have no idea." His voice was thick with restraint. "W-what," I breathed. His gaze flicked to my lips as his thumb stroked again. The calloused pad against my soft flesh sent goosebumps down my arms. His once warm eyes were dark as they lifted and bared into my soul. "What you do to... men." His husky whisper weakened my knees. I almost fell but his other hand settled on my hip, pulling me closer to him. "What you do to me," he added on a breath. The hand on my jaw shifted. His fingers left trails of tingles as he slipped them back slowly, under my earlobe and into my curls. *************************************************** As a young girl, Charlotte Avery's favourite pass time was daydreaming about her Prince Charming: Archer Johnson. She never stopped to consider that Archer was her brother's best friend.. Or that he always appeared severely creeped out by her attention. On her 16th birthday, Charlotte received a harsh reality check. Realizing just how embarrassing she had been acting, she swore to never make a fool of herself in front of Archer again. The problem? She is about to head to college and unfortunately it's the same school where Archer is currently the star quarterback. Follow Charlotte during her first year at USC as she juggles new experiences, social anxiety, family drama back home, and avoiding Archer. These are the unintended consequences of an embarrassing childhood crush. *************************************************** Top Ranks: #1 - Hot #1 - Collegeromance #1 - Brothersbestfriend #1 - Football #1 - Brooding #1 - Slowburn #1 - Quarterback #1 - Athlete #2 - Newadult #2 - Player #5 - Badboy #73 - Romance ***************************************************

(THIRD BOOK in the Golden Girl Series) **** "Till death do you part?" The priest finishes off with. "I do," I answer - knowing how ready I am to die with this man. *** You've been on Amber Marigold's journey since she arrived at Tygerwell. Now join the end of her journey. In the final book to the golden girl series, we level up. Bigger races. Epic fights. And much more death. It's not just Tygerwell or the country that's at risk. It's the whole world. "This has become so much bigger than us." And in the final battle of blood and loss and pain, victory is not a certainty. Good guys don't always win, because the lines between good and bad are blurred. Not everyone is going to make it out of this alive. **** "Sterling? The South? They both have a common enemy now..." he whispered. "Us," I answer.

As he took one last step closer, his muscles made direct contact with every fragment of my body, and I could feel my skin become ten times warmer. "I shall keep my word for you, as a car is waiting down for you and a cloth change has been prepared." He placed his left hand beneath my chin, arcing it up slightly and running his thumb quickly over my lower lip in the process. "But prior to leaving," I felt his right hand shift at that, as it moved to make contact with my.. my bare thigh. Either his long and well-steeped index and middle fingers moved, tracing up the side of my thigh and beneath... his thin shirt... "I have one last task for you." ~~~~~~~~~ 'Pain re-creates humans; shaping them differently as they try to adapt to it.' They say. Suffering yet another shock following her parents' separation, Charlotte now has to pick her broken pieces again and move on with her life. She has developed even further aims now -besides living a loveless, peaceful and happy life, she wants revenge. Between family bond, friendship, and love, the young, innocent, and naïve Charlotte will struggle to achieve her new aim while trying to keep her position as the perfect secretary of the one and only Rickard Ellington Conway! Follow Charlotte in her final journey, delving into the depth of human bonds, and enjoy her story -Charlotte's Story. Book III of the Charlotte's Story Series. Trigger Warning: This story may contain scenes/content of violence, vulgar language, and sexual scenes that might be triggering to some audience. ©️ 2018 Athenas

He placed both his hard, and muscular hands over my upperarms, as he pinned me to the wall ─preventing me from moving. Questions shot my mind like a thousand bullets, and I shuddered fiercely. What... What was happening?! God! What's he doing?! An-And... here!!! In front of two-hundred Goddamned people!! He clenched his jaw, as he parted his lips, against mine, and spoke: "Resist me." ~~~~~~~ Charlotte Thorne; innocent, dreamy, and naïve, gets her life turned upside down after she decides to leave her parents' home and enjoy a new space of independence ─New work, new place, new relations, new... Employer ─None other than the business magnate Rickard Ellington Conway. Her story continues on as she dives into the cores of human bonds while she aims for a decent and peaceful life. Accompany Charlotte in her search for a 'loveless' life, and continue to enjoy her story ─Charlotte's Story. Book II of 'Charlotte's Story' Series. Trigger Warning: This story may contain scenes/content of violence, vulgar language, sexual scenes that might be triggering to some audience. ©️ 2017 Athenas

(Sequel to Two Gangs and a Golden Girl) *** "If you even think about touching me, I will literally rip off your arm," I growl when Xavier prowls closer. He doesn't stop. His poison green eyes drill into mine. "I will have you, Marigold, and we will rule this world. Mark my words," he says when he's right up against me. My skin starts to burn when he touches me. I am NOT falling for this guy! *** You've all met Amber Marigold. The golden girl that only wants to save the world. But what happens when gold falls? Amber has a dark side and it's time for one of these bad boys of Tygerwell to learn how to tame it. Or should I say men? This is the book where Amber finally puts an end to your question: 'Who does she pick?' But with Xavier's plan, it's going to be a little hard. "You once told me that love and hate are two sides of the same coin. I'm quite positive you're obsessed with me, Marigold..." Get ready for the next level. This time we're going bigger, more expensive and dangerous. You've all just seen the start of Amber's story. It's time we get to the good part. *** "Forget what you've been told. Forget about who is the smart choice. I love you and I know you love me. Please, will you marry me?" "Yes." *** COMPLETED (11/03/2019)

He let out a slight shrug, "Putting you to death was not what I was pointing towards. After all, it is merely the mouth that talks." I shivered, as I blinked naïvely, "Humph! A-And are there methods to silence this alone?" I huffed. He snapped his arrogant, coldly-heated gaze in my direction, and my insides clenched, as I noticed his deep, powerful ocean orbs snap down to my... lips. He then snapped his gaze away, fixing his right wrist watch as his deep, authoritative voice came: "Many, trust me." ~~~~~~~~ Fate has a weird hobby of slamming us right in the face about things we so took for granted. My name is Charlotte Thorne. Never claimed to be special, never cared about that. I grew up behind the pages of my books and in the different worlds of my love and romance novels. The world, as I knew it, consisted of my humble yet happy family, my studies, hobbies, friends and a potential perfect love story I was supposed to live. Now what happens when the world, as I knew it, turns out to be mostly a lie I've lived in for a long time? I conclude a simple golden rule: Love is pure, illogical crap. And so, long story short: with my nëw rules, a strict vow, a new family, fresh job, and on top of all those, a cold and arrogant Rickard Ellington Conway as my employer, guess I have a whole lot to deal with in this fresh new world of mine ─which'll get rather interesting... Book I of the Charlotte's Story Series. Trigger Warning: This story may contain scenes/content of violence, vulgar language, etc. that might be triggering to some audience. Genres: Romance • Drama • Action • Thriller ©️ 2016 Athenas

Grier Johnson has a hard time handling life as a college student, but she has an even harder time being a college student who goes on world tours and is famous. Hollywood is notorious for making people lose focus of who you are and what you want. And Grier begins to be a victim of this. How can she handle a world that she wasn't quite ready for? - This is a continuation of 'Miss. Popular'. Please read that before reading this :) -