"Please, Beau? I don't want to talk about this so, please, just shut up." Beau tilts his head, surprised at first, before a wicked gleam appears in his eyes. "Make me." ** "...one of the best romantic novel developments I've read..." ~ @renegxde ; The Mono Reviews Emma is a quiet girl in a small town, filling her days with shifts at the local coffee shop so that she can one day fulfill her dream and put herself through college. Her life isn't glamorous, but hard work rarely is. Her mind is on the prize and nothing will stop her from achieving her dreams. That is, until lonely and misunderstood bad boy of the most popular band comes to town and stirs up enough crazy to last Emma a lifetime. Their deal is simple, Emma helps Beau with his image for generous pay, setting her on the fast track to accomplishing her dreams. But the most important rule isn't exactly included in the fine print: Under no circumstances is anyone to catch feelings. Shouldn't be hard, right? As Emma gets closer and closer to mysterious Beau, she finds it harder and harder to stay true to their deal. Who knew the bad boy would be so hard to resist? As she struggles not to break their number one rule, she faces another problem - he's even harder to love. Text copyright ©kjobrien™ 2020 Shimmer and Shine: An Awards 2020: 1st place in ChickLit The Sparkle Awards - 2nd Edition: 1st place in ChickLit The Oasis Awards: 1st place in ChickLit Skyfall Awards 2020: 2nd place in Romance Rose Gold Awards 2020: 2nd place in Romance The Spotlight Awards: 2nd place New Adult #1 in Women's Fiction #1in Romantic Fiction #1 in Slow Build #1 in Famous #1 in Rockstar #1 in Boyband #1 in Concert #1 in Romance Reads 2021 #1 in Small Town Girl #1 in On Tour #1 in After Dark #2 in Flirtationship #2 in Love Story #2 in Slow Burn #2 in Bands #3 in Young Adult #4 in Adult Fiction #4 in Hot #4 in Steamy #5 RocknRoll #5 in Alcoholism #5 in Flirty #5 in Witty #6 in New Adult

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

|| Featured FREE story with exclusive paid chapters - previously a paid story || When Haley discovers the truth behind Xavier, whose silence holds a deeper meaning, she sets her mind on making his life better one small step at a time. ***** Haley Rosamond is happy with her simple life, content under the wing of her father. Well-protected, she has no idea of the darkness surrounding Xavier Hunt, with his all-black attire and infrequent presence in school-accompanied by his bruises and scars. That is, until Haley catches a glimpse of Xavier's reality and is made to question everything she knows about family and life in general. The truth, she realizes, couldn't be more different from everything she has heard. Supported by her father, Haley sets her mind on helping Xavier any way she can, and what begins with tutoring sessions, free food, and random acts of kindness blooms into friendship and something a little more. But when Haley's admission into her dream college and another tragedy in Xavier's life threaten to undo everything she has worked for, Haley needs to decide if she'll stick by Xavier or simply be another person in his life that disappears. [[word count: 80,000-90,000 words]] Cover designed by Holly Thurston

"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 ***************************************************

That's one bad thing about this small, no-hope town. When people come back, you remember them, long after they've forgotten about you. *** A short story I wrote for university about a boy, a girl, and a past that can't be let go.

*previously called Living Situations Jennie has always been on her own. She stays out of drama, keeps to herself, and hates trouble. Specifically, she hates soft-haired, annoyingly charming, gray-eyed Italian trouble named Nico Accardi. Since the end of their childhood friendship, Jennie has had little to nothing to do with him but after a series of unfortunate events resulting in him getting kicked out of the house and breaking into hers, Nico offers her a deal she can't refuse: a revenge makeover in exchange for a place to stay. Suddenly, the boy she thought was out of her life forever is sleeping in her bedroom, unraveling memories she thought she kept locked and hidden away. And maybe, the mischievous boy next door has his fair share of secrets too. But as they spend more time together, Jennie can't help but notice how this living situation is starting to feel like a home.

Self-proclaimed weirdo April Hale and the notorious troublemaker Ryder Black have been living side by side for more than ten years. Both never attempted to communicate with each other, but on the night Ryder Black is thrown out by his own father, he asks her a question that might change both of their lives: "March, will you let me stay in your room?" He even got her name wrong. - A coming of age story about loss, the wonders of falling in love, and ultimately, pretending to be normal. Get inside April's distorted and yet humorous perspective, and watch as her tale unfolds into a shocking finish. COVER BY @RIVIIX

"Never call a girl a bitch," I glared into his eyes as he opened them, piercing into me, the bright blue drink I had just poured over him still dripping from his dark hair. "Or she just might act like one." I gave him one last sarcastic smile before pushing by him and walking away, practically strutting. Well, this year will be fun... • • • • Crystal Summers; a self-proclaimed expert in all things sarcastic and the human embodiment of destructive decisions. Trying to get away from her troubled past, she moves with her mom to California to start a new life, and potentially not screw this one up. There, she quickly meets Scarlett and Savanah, her new-found partners in crime, and her life finally begins to feel normal again for the first time in years. But she just so happens to also collide with the school's sexy, notorious jackass, Ashton Monroe.. and his pack of asswipes. She loathes him, and the feeling is mutual. But as the poets say, the line separating love and hate is a very thin one. And often times, when two people hate each other, it can grow into much more. Hopeless devotion, if you will... • • • • !!!TRIGGER WARNING!!! • slight mention(s) of suicidal concepts • substance abuse, addiction, anxiety, PTSD • sexual assault, domestic abuse • strong language and mature scenes • • • •

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.

How do you win a best couple contest when you're still single? When Marilyn makes a bet with her arch enemy Beth, she didn't know what she signed up for. Marilyn has to win the title of 'Perfect Couple' at the annual Valentine's Ball and what's worse is that she doesn't even have a date. After getting caught in Sex God and ultimate bad boy Jace Collins' car, Marilyn manages to convince Jace to be her date. Fuelled with their personal vendetta against Beth, Marilyn and Jace team up to become the best couple Chesterville has ever seen. But Marilyn soon realises that she signed up for more than just a dance with Jace and that Cupid's arrow never misses anyone. (NOTE: Unedited version)