[2021 Wattys Shortlist] Monica Kelly returns to her hometown years after abandoning it, only to bump into and befriend Liam Belkin-who, despite his walls and issues, cannot help but draw himself closer to someone he can't have. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎✦ ✦ ✦ After being screwed over too many times, Monica Kelly ran from her hometown as soon as she graduated high school, leaving her brother and former life behind. But it isn't until four years later when she returns, and in need of money and a distraction, she gets a job at the local diner. She swears this isn't a forever thing-when the summer is done, she'll go get her masters and become somebody, far away from the people who screwed her over. But when Liam Belkin, the towns residential brooding man who hides behind a baseball cap, steps into the diner every night, she finds herself breaking down her one rule: don't get close to anyone. And although he doesn't talk, or even smile for that matter, he finds himself doing so every time Monica is around. But when two people with broken pasts come together, there's no telling if two wrongs can make a right-especially when betrayal is right around the corner.

When senior students at Lincoln High receive the same deadly text message, it falls upon Helena Gallagher and an unlikely companion to solve the mystery and catch the killer. •••• High school student, Helena Gallagher is a murder fanatic. A devoted admirer of all things mysterious. Always watching crime documentaries on Netflix, she longs for a more exciting life. What she doesn't expect is for her small town in Michigan to become the centre of a very public murder investigation. What starts off as a harmless game soon turns sinister. Students are dying. Secrets are spilling. No one is safe. Would you die to keep a secret? * •Cover design by @laurellwrites

"What happens if a fish falls down the waterfall?" I ask Aiden, turning to him. He shrugs. "It probably dies." "That sucks. So a fish could like, push another fish? And then it falls and dies? That's murder." He starts laughing. "You're so weird." "Yeah, but you love me." I smile at him. He grins. __________ Alexandra and Aiden are married now, their family is growing, and they're learning the ways of love one step at a time. WARNING: THIS STORY INCLUDES THE VERY ATTRACTIVE DANIEL GRE WHO REMINDS ME AND EVERYONE WITH OVARIES OF A SOFT GOLDEN RETRIEVER PUPPY THAT IS SLEEPING ON YOUR CHEST SO PLEASE BEWARE THAT YOUR OVARIES WILL EXPLODE WHILE READING THIS STORY! AN: please don't steal this story. I'm working/have worked really hard to create this and develop the characters and story line. This is solely made up out of my mind.

When Emily applies for a position as a caregiver for Daniel, a boy with a permanent spinal cord injury, she never thought she'd also be dealing with his brash fighter of a brother, Lucas. Emily soon becomes involved in the world of fighting that seems to constantly surround Lucas as he attempts to find retribution for his brother. Can Emily help heal the relationship between the two brothers while also caring for the seemingly brute professional fighter? Will Lucas lower his barriers enough for Emily to do so?

After losing a friend, Clover Fields finds comfort in the one person who understands her feelings-Jared, her best friends brother. xxx After Clover Fields loses her best friend to a tragic accident, she enters her first year of university without a friend or a care in the world. She's alone, and she wants to keep it that way-it's easier that way. But when she finds herself bumping into her school's wide receiver and ultimate flirt, she does her best to keep him at arms length. Because even though they have chemistry and a past alongside it, Clover knows that mixing with Jared Harvey can only lead to trouble. Because despite having a friendly persona and seemingly bruised knuckles every time they meet, he's her best friends brother, and the last thing Clover wants is to be reminded of her guilt. But with an unidentifiable past that ruined her life, only Jared can bring the pieces back together-even if that means learning something unexplainable. t r o p e s: best friends brother, football romance, college romance, hurt comfort, underground fighting, mutual pinning

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~

FREE STORY WITH EXCLUSIVE CONTENT. This is *not* a Paid Story. Eighteen-year-old hockey prodigy Elliot Wexler has three goals for senior year. One: somehow graduate with a 3.5 GPA. Two: hide his bipolar disorder from his peers. And three: make it into the NHL with no scandals. Piece of cake. What he doesn't expect is to find Lucy, a homeless girl, hiding from the winter frost in his dad's shed. Elliot's busy, complicated life doesn't permit room for error, and falling in love with a girl from a totally different world sounds like the opposite of a good idea. But Elliot can't help but be drawn to Lucy and her elusive ways--even when she seems to vanish from his life non-stop, each time leaving him with a bigger hole in his heart. But Elliot is determined to break down Lucy's barriers. And when he does, he discovers that her life is more complicated--and dangerous--than he could have imagined. With drafting season approaching, and Elliot's fragile mental health deteriorating, he's forced to face a difficult question: Is first love supposed to hurt so much? *** PLEASE DO NOT ADD THIS STORY TO GOODREADS.

*WARNING: RATED MATURE DUE TO LANGUAGE/SEXUAL CONTENT. READERS MUST BE 17+* *CANNOT be read without reading prior novels in series* Asher Pryce hides behind a wall of secrets he's spent most of his life building up. How else is the adopted child whose birth parents run a drug cartel supposed to fit in? He's notorious for his overconfident swagger and total lack of patience for bullshit - a master of masks. The one thing in his life he can't fake? His feelings for his best friend's twin sister. When she returns back home after eight years of living in another city, Asher is ready to take their lifelong friendship to another level. Of course, life has rarely worked in his favour. Between the letters his birth parents keep sending him, a run-in with an old enemy that's out for his blood, and his responsibility to protect his adoptive parents from his fucked up birth family, he would only be putting the woman he loves in danger. He may make his living as a fighter but this is one fight he's destined to lose. Right? Aria Hunter has gotten pretty good at faking it until you make it. After getting through an abusive relationship and fleeing to another city Aria is ready to return home years later. Everything has changed, including her relationship with her best friend. There's a constant magnetic pull between them and Aria feels their intense chemistry with every touch and look Asher steals from her. Gone is the once scrawny and irritable ten-year-old boy replaced by a cocky and assertive man that's way too hard to resist. But his looks aren't the only thing that changed about him. When Asher finds himself part of his birth parent's crowd once again, Aria knows this only means trouble. The more she fights to keep him safe, the harder it is to hide how she feels about him. Maybe their feelings for each other just aren't meant to be realized. After all, falling for your best friend is just a cliché. Right? All rights reserved to TheFeveredBookaholic.

*WARNING: RATED MATURE DUE TO LANGUAGE/SEXUAL CONTENT. READERS MUST BE 17+* *CANNOT be read without reading prior novels in series* Wolfe Emerson is notorious for two things: being an absolute beast in a boxing ring and being a voluntary mute. His story remains unspoken and he prefers to live his life in silence. That is, until, his world is turned upside down when he meets someone who is louder than life. The complete opposite of him with her outspoken personality, Wolfe can't decide if this woman gets on his nerves or makes him feel things he's never felt before. The scariest part? For the first time in his life, he wants someone to know who he truly is and see him. Hear him. But will he be able to fight for her in silence, or will he finally have to speak up? Melanie "Lenny" Parks is notorious for one thing: being a total badass. At least, that's what she wants everyone to think. Her past is a deeply buried secret and she's more than happy to mask her pain behind tough scowls and cold smirks. That is, until, she meets a man who literally bulldozes into her life. This beast of a man seems to have his eyes set on her and what she's clearly hiding from the rest of the world. The kicker of it all? He doesn't speak. Yet he makes her want to fill in the unspoken blanks between them and finally show someone the real her. But does she even know who the real her is anymore, or has she been silenced for good? All rights reserved to TheFeveredBookaholic.

*Warning: LABELLED MATURE. Due to sexual content and graphic language, this book is recommended for readers 17+ in age* *CANNOT be read without reading prior novels in series* Nate Hunter; aspiring boxer, brother to five younger sisters, and...stripper. Yeah, you read that right. After his twin sister went through an abusive relationship, Nate fought to restore her honour by starting a chain of nightclubs that hire and help victimized women get back on their feet. It didn't take long for the stripper industry to deem him a knight in shining armour that beckoned damsels in distress. The damsel in his life? A fierce yet gentle woman who doesn't want his help and is more warrior than damsel. She's determined to keep Nate at arms length and ignore the ridiculously hot chemistry that fizzles between them. Now it's up to Nate to convince the woman of his dreams that fairytales still exist and that he wants nothing more than to be her prince. After all, he knows a thing to or two about putting up a fight. Delilah Stevens; aspiring author, voluntary loner, and...pregnant. Yeah, you read that right. Life has been unstable for Delilah since her father walked out on her when she was six years old. It shouldn't be a surprise that the father of her unborn child walked out on her too. The already shy and reserved girl retreats further into her shell until she is convinced that the real world is nothing like the books she reads and writes. Or is it? Delilah is forced to rethink everything she's ever known about finding "the one" when she is suddenly face-to-face with a man straight out of a romance novel who wants her - bad - and resisting his kind eyes and killer grin is no walk in the park. The question of the hour is whether or not the determined boxer will be another villain in her story or the hero that finally gives her a happily ever after. All rights reserved to TheFeveredBookaholic.