Wattys Shortlist 2025 & 2026 When college junior Maddie Arden catches her hockey-star boyfriend cheating, she turns her viral breakup into a power move-by getting herself hired as the team's new social media manager. Armed with a camera, a grudge, and her sharpest comebacks, Maddie infiltrates the locker room drama with one goal: make Austin regret ever messing with her. But revenge gets complicated when Nate Kincaid, the team's quiet backup goalie, volunteers for a fake relationship that quickly starts to feel a little too real. As locker room secrets unravel and team tensions rise, Maddie must decide if getting even is worth risking the one guy who might be worth falling for.

[WATTY'S 2026 SHORTLISTS] Sophia Honey never expected college to mean sharing an apartment with her childhood nemesis. ~~~ Freshman Sophia Honey never imagined her brother would stick her with Theo Gray-his best friend and her childhood nemesis-as her roommate. But things get complicated fast. Theo, with his shirtless mornings, flirty remarks, and those intense stares, pushes all of her buttons. Just when Sophia thinks she can handle their awkward living arrangement, she discovers he's not just popular-he's one of the hottest seniors on campus. And as the star of the hockey team, his status skyrockets, forcing her to tread carefully around him to avoid drama. But drama comes knocking When Sophia lands a side gig with the seniors in her photography department to make some extra cash, she doesn't expect her first assignment to be Theo Gray shirtless in front of her camera. She definitely doesn't expect him to say yes with that smug grin-and one condition. What he wants in return? Not money. Something else. Something dangerous. As the photo sessions begin, so does the unraveling. Their banter becomes charged. His touches linger a little too long. Her defenses are violently slipping. ​Then comes the night the mask shatters. When Theo stumbles home drunk, his eyes glassy and his defenses down, he confesses a truth that breaks every version of him Sophia thought she knew. ​Gone is the boy who teased her growing up. This Theo is raw, complex, and beautifully broken in places she never noticed before. ​Suddenly, Sophia wants things she never dared to dream of. His kisses. His hands on her skin. His body-yes-but also his secrets, his pain... him. What started as a paycheck has become a dangerous line they can't stop crossing, forcing her to realize the most terrifying truth of all: ​What if falling for Theo Gray was the real assignment all along?

Brea Lancaster may have been born in the country, but she is a city girl through and through. She is stylish, influential, and loves the excitement that the party life has to offer. When she receives a call from her brother, who she hasn't spoken to in years, she is forced to return to her small country town that she hasn't been back to visit for almost a decade. Glendale is far from the pretty lights and vibrant parties of the city that Brea is used to. Especially the people in town. When Brea runs into-quite literally-her brother's nemesis and childhood friend, Zander, Brea starts to wonder whether everything she has grown up to think of Glendale may not to be true. This is a contemporary romance about a girl learning there is more to life than what meets the eye, and realizing how incredible but terrifying, falling in love is. A steamy, small town, brother's rival romance.

A Good Girl's Guide To Being Naughty • • • Ivy Collins is a normal 21 y/o woman. Except for the fact she's a virgin ... or at least she was until she had sex with her university rivals hockey captain. After a quick (devastatingly quick) night with the man and being called a lousy lay, Ivy made a promise to herself that she wouldn't do it again ... sex that is. Who needs sex when all it brought was insecurities and more, and it wasn't even that good to begin with. Enter Asher Hudson, Ice Hockey captain, her brothers best friend and her best friends brother - triple trifecta of why she shouldn't get involved with him. But when he overhears a conversation Ivy has with her best friend, he gives her an offer she can't refuse. Well, she can, and she should, but why would she want to? Three months, she helps him with his grades, and he'll help her with her sex life. Only one rule, don't fall in love. Easy, right? He'll teach her everything she wants to know, and show her that sex can be fun, you just have to know how to do it right. And Ivy should refuse, after all he's the Ice Hockey captain, her brother's best friend and her best friend's brother - but what's the fun in that. Ivy knows she should say no, but she won't. And she won't fall in love, she can't. ••• Completed • First Draft - Edited. Watty2025 winner #1 in #Romance #1 in #Brotherbestfriend #2 in #bestfriendsbrother #2 in #icehockey

She falls for her twin brother's best friend, but their forbidden romance is only the beginning. *** Vanessa Adams knows falling for her twin brother's best friend is a terrible idea. Matt Jones is brooding, irresistible, and exactly the kind of mistake she should avoid. But stolen kisses soon become stolen moments, and before long, keeping their relationship a secret is harder than denying the chemistry between them. Just when Vanessa thinks getting caught is the biggest risk, her brother's growing attachment to Matt and long-buried secrets turn everything upside down. Some loves are forbidden. Some secrets are impossible to outrun.

In which a teenage girl sets her sights on the mafia don, and innocently seduces him. . . . . . . . . . . She gets what she wants because no one dares to refuse the Principessa. But when they can't give her the one thing she wants, she gets it herself. . . . . . . . . . . 19 year old Giana is beautiful, sweet and convey's innocence. Giana is also bratty, spoiled and manipulative. What happens when she's sent to live with La Famigilia after her own family dies? She craves the one man she can't have. The man that is to take care of her. The man that will always give her what she wants, yet the same man that tells her she can't have him. But like the brat she is, she doesn't listen. . . . . . . . . . . - Forbidden romance - Age gap - Dark mafia romance - Explicit sexual content Highest Ranks #1 in Spoiled #1 in Seduction #1 in SpoiledBrat

Jesse and Kathy are enemies. What they have in common is that their best friends are dating. This summer, Kathy is forced to go on a road trip with everyone, including Jesse. Will they get on each other's nerves? Or will things start to change between the two enemies? Written by: Emilia-Milly.House Original title: On the road with my enemy

"We could just . . . *do it*, you know," he says now, teasingly. "Clear all that sexual tension up with one quick ten minute session?" I seriously hope he's joking, but I'm not certain he is. Either way, I can't prevent the exasperated huff of laughter that escapes my lips at those words. "You must be dreaming if you think there's *any* sexual tension between us," I scoff. "Anyway, I'd rather not be another notch on your bedpost, thanks very much." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ruby Rafferty has won the ultimate prize - a luxury holiday in Crete! In theory, it couldn't be more perfect - endless sun, Greek food, an unlimited free bar . . . There's only one problem. The man she has no choice but to share the prize with. Lewis Sheridan may be ridiculously attractive, but he is also cocky, cynical, and comes complete with his own specific set of red flags. He's everything Ruby has never wanted in a guy, and she's not sure she can survive *one* day alone with him, let alone ten. It's *fine*, though . . . Their suite is massive, the cocktails are flowing, and Ruby can't help but notice how handsome and charming the hotel manager is. If only he didn't think she and Lewis were already a couple . . . Will forced proximity push our vacationers closer or further apart? Can enemies really become lovers? And what will happen if anyone realises they're technically on holiday under false pretences? I guess we're about to find out . . . Cover by @jspromcoms

Aubrey Wilson has the heart of an angel. As the type of person to always trust in others, she's admirable to peers. A total darling, but with a sadness that encases her heart. Anyone could shrink down in fright at the receiving end of Luke Taylor's infamous glare. Tall, muscular, dark-haired, and handsome, he's no stranger on or off the field. Not a kind stranger either. A total brooding asshole, but with a sadness that encases his heart. --- "You didn't have to hit him or anything," I lie my head on his broad, strong shoulder. "He shouldn't have touched you like that," he tucks a curl behind my ear. ~Strong Language~ ~Mild Violence~

Reese Cassidy struggles in her school like everybody else, but is doing her best. She has best friends that she can always count on, bullies that make school life hell, a part-time job as a waitress to pay half of her tuition, and a family that's too broken to even function. Ethan Mitchell just came back. He's excited to get in school as a Senior, to get in the basketball team, and to possibly see the one person he's been dreading to see all those years. It's just一there's a slight problem. Reese is different now than before. COMPLETED • 2017 • SPIN-OFF OF TAKE ME AWAY & TAKE ME BACK COPYRIGHT © 2017 BELLA O'BRIEN author's note: this is a rough draft. i wrote this when i was about 13-16, i'm not sure. read with your own discretion guys. truthfully, i'm not happy with how i wrote this but i'm too tired of rewriting books so this will most likely be left as it is.