Smalltown Stories

Book 1 of the Hearts of Oakhaven series He built a fortress around his heart. She brought a wrecking ball and a secret. Elias Thorne is a mystery in Oakhaven, A solitary figure and the owner of a successful tattoo franchise, his wealth is as carefully guarded as his silence. He is the quiet grump the whole town wants to decipher, but no one ever gets close. Elias likes his life neat, organized, and utterly empty of anything that could remind him of love and loss. Then June Hayes arrives. Burnt out from the new york art scene and pregnant via a donor, June is determined to create a peaceful, new life for herself and her baby. To the locals, she's just a sweet, new artist. They have no idea she's also viral sensation with over a million followers who sells her work to the A-list. June sees Elias's grumpy exterior and smiles. She needs a friend, and she has decided the broody, ball cap wearing man (no seriously I never see him without a hat on - June) across the street is it. She invades his quiet space showing up at the inkwell every Tuesday and spending the day, sharing her music, and poking at his meticulous order. Elias fights it all, clenching his jaw and pulling his cap low to hide the truth: he fell for the Wildflower the minute she crashed into his life. As June begins posting subtle, faceless photos of him, their reluctant friendship turns into an online viral romance that threatens to expose both of their secrets. How do you guard a heart that already belongs to a Wildflower, a baby, and a life you swore you'd never have? And what happens when the most careful grump in Oakhaven blurts out, "That's my wife," just to stay by her side? Tropes: - Grumpy x Sunshine - He Falls First - Protective - Pregnancy - Small Town - Forced Friends - Friends to lovers - Secret Identity CAN BE READ AS A STANDALONE

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION In 1955, mixed-race Ethan Harper leaves his progressive hometown for a summer in Alabama where he's not welcome, except by resident free spirit, Juniper Jones. ***** After getting himself into a bout of trouble, 16-year-old Ethan Harper's parents send him to Ellison, Alabama, to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer. But the year is 1955, and Alabama is a far cry from his beloved home of Arcadia, Washington. As much as it's hotter in temperature, it's colder in every other way, and Ethan learns the hard way that people see his mere existence as a threat. Amidst all the mayhem, a fiery, free-spirited, oddball walks into Ethan's life. Her name is Juniper Jones. She is the first person in Ellison who seems unfazed by their racial differences, and she promises to give Ethan a summer he will always remember, filled with endless adventure and discovery. With Juniper, Ethan can breathe, he can be, despite the incessant attention and bullying their newly formed friendship attracts. Can the two survive the summer, run in the light and block out the noise of the outside world? [Published version comes out June 16, 2020 with Wattpad Books!] [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]]

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION. There are some friends you never forget. It's the summer of 1955. For Ethan Harper, a biracial kid raised mostly by his white father, race has always been a distant conversation. When he's sent to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle in small-town Alabama, his blackness is suddenly front and center, and no one is shy about making it known he's not welcome there. Enter Juniper Jones. The town's resident oddball and free spirit, she's everything the townspeople aren't-open, kind, and accepting. Armed with two bikes and an unlimited supply of root beer floats, Ethan and Juniper set out to find their place in a town that's bent on rejecting them. As Ethan is confronted for the first time by what it means to be black in America, Juniper tries to help him see the beauty in even the ugliest reality, and that even the darkest days can give rise to an invincible summer . . .

Her blood makes her prey. Her scent makes her the most dangerous thing in town. *** Six months before everything went wrong, seventeen-year-old Kelsey thought the worst part of moving to her father's hometown would be awkward family dinners and small-town boredom. She was wrong. Cold Creek is nothing like she expected, a quiet forest town where people stare too long, whisper bloodkin like a curse, and act as if they're waiting for her to slip. Her father won't tell her why. Her grandparents avoid the truth. And the woods surrounding the town feel alive in a way that feels wrong. When Kelsey crosses paths with Ethan Greystone, the one boy she was warned to avoid, everything fractures - the town's rules, her family's secrets. Even her own sense of safety. Because the danger in Cold Creek doesn't just hunt in the shadows. It watches her. It reacts to her. And it's getting harder to tell whether she's the target... or the spark that could set the whole town on fire. Some secrets rewrite everything you thought you knew. Some instincts can't be ignored. And wanting the wrong person might be the most dangerous choice of all.

WATTPAD ORIGINAL EDITION When a summer of fun turns upside down, Olivia must figure out whether her paranoid imagination is playing tricks on her or if she's being followed - and by who. ***** It's been years since Olivia nearly drowned in Caldwell Beach, and after moving away, she's back for the summer to reconnect with old friends. However, not everything-or everyone-is the same. Her childhood best friend, Miles, is still sweet and carefree, but his older brother West is not. Disowned and working at the local garage, he's distanced himself from everyone, until Olivia accidentally uncovers the reason why. But as the two grow closer, strange things begin happening to Olivia. She can't stop seeing shadows and hearing voices, but as she slips into a downward spiral of obsessiveness and paranoia, she must fight to uncover the truth behind who is after her, and why. [[word count: 60,000-70,000 words]]

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION. The past always resurfaces . . . Five years after almost drowning, Olivia Cathart returns home to Caldwell Beach determined to face her fears and take some risks-not just by swimming but by opening her heart. Hoping to rekindle her friendships, she's excited about a carefree summer with her best friends Keely and Miles. But life in the sleepy town has changed, and no one and nothing is as it seems. When a series of startling crimes threaten Olivia's fragile state, she is plunged into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Her only solace from the chaos is West, Miles's disowned and ruggedly handsome brother, but even he can't answer the question on everyone's minds-is Olivia really in danger or is it simply all in her head?

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION Griffin Tomlin is dead. And Clara's sister killed him . . . Four months after the murder, the entire town of Shiloh is still in shock. For Clara Porterfield, the normal world has crumbled around her in a million chaotic pieces. Now Clara lives in a new reality, where her sister awaits trial for murder, her mother obsessively digs in a dead, frozen garden, and her father lives and breathes denial. At school, Clara is haunted by her classmates' morbid curiosity-and all of the unspoken questions they won't ask. But none of them knows what she knows . . . Now Clara's sister wants something from her-the one thing in all of this that Clara isn't ready to face: the truth about what really happened that night. Because this story didn't die with Griffin Tomlin. There's another story that needs to be told. And sometimes, the lies we're told are nowhere near as deadly as the lies we tell ourselves . . .

Kelly just wants her business to succeed, and getting involved with a bodyguard is not part of her plan - but he is the only one who can keep her safe... ***** Kelly Harris is determined to make her antiques business a success. She won't let Tanner, a bodyguard who likes first edition poetry books, interfere with her life. But winning a mystery box at an auction changes everything. With Tanner working alongside her, they decipher the code in a forgotten journal, uncovering a young girl's journey to freedom and a powerful family's secret. Working for a high-profile security company, Tanner has seen the worst that humanity can do. He doesn't believe in love. But when disaster strikes, he finds himself doing everything he can to keep Kelly safe - even if that means letting her into the most vulnerable part of who he is. Leeanna Morgan is a USA Today Bestselling Author.

When Hayley falls for a bodyguard whose secret is more dangerous than her own, she must decide how much she is willing to risk for love. ***** Tank has spent his life protecting people. He works for one of the most successful security companies in the world, makes more money than most people see in a lifetime, and has a past that no one can ever know about. Hayley Elliott will do anything to keep her mom safe. Her sister has found a cure for Alzheimer's and their mom is living proof that the supplement works - but hiding from the people looking for the supplement's formula is impossible. When the threat to their lives becomes deadly, she has no option but to trust a man who's living with a secret more dangerous than her own. With more at stake than their own lives, Tank and Hayley have to decide what is more important: protecting the past or risking everything for love. Leeanna Morgan is a USA Today Bestselling Author.

Aubrey Collins thought she had the perfect life-until she caught her fiancé with her best friend. Now she's back in her hometown, hiding a secret... and trying to stay away from the one man she's never been allowed to want.

Lena didn't notice the exact moment things changed. It wasn't sudden enough for that. It started with small adjustments-the kind that didn't ask permission. A shelf above the kitchen window. A presence that didn't announce itself but stopped leaving. A man who spoke in certainty instead of explanation. Tate didn't fit into her life so much as he worked his way through it, as if space was something you could measure, build into, and quietly occupy without disrupting what was already there. At first, Lena kept watching for the moment it would feel wrong. For the moment she would need to step back. But the moment never came. Instead, there were mornings where his tools stayed out longer than expected. Evenings where silence felt less like absence and more like company. Conversations that didn't circle toward meaning because meaning was already understood. Nothing about it demanded definition. And that was what unsettled her most. Because people weren't supposed to stay like that. Not without explanation. Not without effort. Not without being asked. Tate never asked. He just came in-and didn't leave. And somewhere between routine and recognition, Lena stopped trying to decide what this was becoming. Because it already had. Not loudly. Not all at once. Just the way things do when they're allowed to remain. *This is book 1 that will be part of a 3 book series.

~ But as he stepped toward the stairs, another flash of lightning lit up the room, followed immediately by a crack of thunder so loud it seemed to shake the foundation. Jake stumbled in the dark, and his foot caught on the edge of the kitchen table. I heard him curse softly as he lost his balance, and before my right brain could stop me, I lunged forward to catch him. My hands found his shoulders just as he reached out to steady himself, and his palms found my waist. The motion sent us both off balance, and we tumbled backward together. Jake's chest rose and fell against mine, each breath sending heat spiraling through my body. One of his hands was still on my waist, his fingers digging into the fabric of my shirt while the other braced against the counter beside me. "...Claire." His breath fanned my lips, hot as iron. ~ Claire Whitmore fled her toxic marriage for a quiet cottage by the sea, vowing never to let anyone control her life again. Practical, wary, and fiercely independent, she's content with her freelance work, her massive orange tabby, and a dying lemon tree that mirrors her own slow recovery. Until the day she rescues her neighbor's toddler heading straight for the deadly ocean waves-ALONE. Jake Morrison is a sleep-deprived single dad doing his best-and failing. When Claire marches over to scold him, she ends up feeling sorry for the struggling guy and takes a gig caring for little Emma. What begins as a reluctant favor turns into small moments of joy. Jake's daughter loves coloring on the floor, park picnics, and sandcastles, moments that slowly chip away at Claire's walls. And Jake? He's a joy all on his own. But as feelings grow, so do the complications in Claire's life. A high-profile job offer in New York. A manipulative ex who wants her back. Financial threats to her beloved cottage... and the constant fear that opening her heart means losing herself once more. [Cover by Jessica Henney]

Due to some unexpected complications, 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 finds herself living at her family friend's house. And not just any house-a freaking mansion. But what really throws her off isn't the size of the place. It's him. 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐫. The younger son. Popular. Smart. Gorgeous. Basically, the full package. Emma and Damian were never close growing up-barely even friends. He had his world, and she had hers. But now, under the same roof, everything changes. Because when Emma was at her lowest, fighting battles no one saw, there was someone who stood by her. Someone who gave her a reason to keep going. Her silver lining. And it just might be the boy she never expected. 𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 #1 in Boyfriend [don't you get it? Mr. Damian Harper is the perfect bf<3] #1 in Teenromance #1 in Highschoolsweethearts

Vivienne's life changes the moment she turns eighteen and the bond snaps into place-with someone she never expected. At first, it feels like fate. He's charming, attentive, everything a fated connection is supposed to be. But the longer she's with him, the more something feels... off. Subtle at first. Easy to dismiss. Until it isn't. Over time, the bond that was supposed to be a source of love becomes something else entirely-something heavy, something controlling. Vivienne finds herself shrinking in ways she doesn't fully understand, caught in a dynamic she can't quite name but can't escape either. And then, suddenly, it's over. In the quiet aftermath, she's left with space-more than she knows what to do with. Space to breathe. To question. To begin again. That's what leads her to a small farm, to something simple and grounding. She isn't looking for anything more than a furry friend. But she finds Noah instead. He's steady where her past was uncertain. Gentle where things once felt sharp. And though he's long past the age of expecting anything like fate, something about the way they meet feels quietly, impossibly right. This time, there's no pressure. No weight. Just a chance at something real. ***this story explores mating bonds in humans as a cultural norm. There are no werewolves or supernatural beings in this world***

chain, keep us together (running in the shadows!) fem oc x steve harrington stranger things season 2 - n/a! started: December 2025

18+ Content Warning! *Completed* #1 in Haunted town #1 in Ancient legends She's caught between two beasts. And neither plans to let her go. When Rachel moves to the quiet town of Camlocks, she hopes for a fresh start - new school, new friends, a chance to finally feel normal. But Camlocks is anything but normal. Legends cling to the town like fog, whispering of ancient curses that never died. For a moment, Rachel almost believes she belongs... until she meets Daniel and Trevor. One draws her in with charm and chaos; the other with shadows and silence. Both magnetic. Both impossible to ignore. And both tied to something older and darker than she could ever imagine. As their secrets unravel, Rachel discovers the boys she's falling for are bound to Camlocks' most haunting past - and she may be the key to awakening it. Love, fear, and destiny blur as the town's buried history begins to stir, reaching for her with cold intent. To survive, Rachel must uncover the truth hidden in Camlocks' shadows... before the past claims her as its next chapter. ❖ ❖ ❖ "I was the fool who reached for the monster... and I let him devour my heart." Rachel voice cracked, but she didn't look away. She wanted him to see the truth - all of it. Trevor's smile flickered, hollow and cruel. "So you finally admit it. You fell for a monster." ✦ ✦ ✦ Rachel tears welled as she guided his hands to her cheeks. "You told me you could take away every ounce of pain he's giving me." Daniel swallowed hard, his gaze darting back to Trevor, measuring his patience. "I want you to take it away. Kiss me, Daniel." ✦ ✦ ✦ STORY IS ONLY FOR THE 18+ AS IT MAY CONTAIN SOME ADULT CONTENTS. READ AT YOUR RISK. Copyright © 2026 by the author. All rights reserved.

Logline When Filipino American Cris and rural beauty Anna are drawn into a ten-day whirlwind romance, their short summer together unfolds as a love story for the Philippines, and years later, blossoms into a love story for God. ..... A deeply emotional romance novel... that absolutely subverts romance. ..... Synopsis "Orange, the Color of Sunset" explores the volatile, whirlwind relationship between Cris, a derisive, Manhattan-raised son of a powerful Philippine senator, and Anna, an academically accomplished yet fiercely guarded intellectual powerhouse rooted in her provincial community of Ilocos Norte. Their rapid summer romance escalates into intense ideological battles, reflecting deep class disparity, socio-political third-world corruption, and the resilience of the marginalized masses. Despite their abrupt and painful separation, their time together forces both characters toward significant personal transformation, in the hopes that, one day, their love may yet endure, for they are "just on Earth." ..... Romance, Subverted The "Meet Cute" -- There is nothing "cute" about their "meet." Their first conversation is her absolutely roasting him. A head-on collision between two wildly divergent worlds. The Simple, Innocent Rural Beauty -- There is nothing "innocent" nor "simple" about our rural girl. She's like a high-performance Ferrari who uses her beauty and brains for war. Rich Boy Saves Poor Girl -- Rich boy will not save the poor girl. Poor girl tries to save him... and fails. Spectacularly. A further subversion of the romance subversion. The Heroic Mantle -- Ultimately, the novel subverts itself, transferring the mantle of heroism from the lovers to the Dearest Friend, who then bestows it upon the smallest, the most humble, the least of us. ..... Orange, the Color of Sunset © National Library of the Philippines (NLP) Copyright

Fallon Hayes thought she was dating Colorado's golden quarterback. She didn't know Easton Avery had a wife, three kids, and an entire life waiting for him at home. After ending their relationship and discovering she's pregnant, Fallon's world begins to fall apart - until a sweet NHL player named Luca Bennett unexpectedly steps into her life and shows her what real love looks like.

"It is not the Earth that belongs to us; it is we who belong to it." Among the wild paths and timeless scents of Tenuta Agata, life flows to the slow rhythm of the seasons. Here, amidst the work in the fields and the wisdom that only nature knows how to whisper, a young woman lives with her family. In this place, which bears the name of a mother never forgotten, every fruit tastes like home and every wound finds its healing. But among the vineyards, the centuries-old olive trees, and the silences of dawn, a deep feeling lies hidden, rooted like an oak: a love that defies time, made of glances, waiting, and a silent understanding that grows alongside the lessons the Estate offers to those who know how to listen. This book is not just a story, but a journey of the soul; an invitation to find oneself in simple things and to believe in the strength of one's dreams. Author's Note This story was born from the desire to leave a message of hope and authenticity for the world. I want to dedicate a special thank you to José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal. Even though this book is not a fan fiction about him, his incredible tenacity in pursuing his dreams gave me the push I needed to start. Observing his strength gave me the courage not only to bring this story to life but also to overcome every fear and finally publish it here with you. A thank you to my family-as wonderful as they are crazy-the true source of inspiration for these pages. And finally, but not least, to my dear friend Gigi: thank you for believing in me from the start. Without you, this book would never have existed. I would also like to apologize if the English translation is not perfect. COPYRIGHT NOTICE This is a work of fiction. All characters, places (including Tenuta Agata), and events narrated are products of the author's imagination. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any way without prior authorization.