Bella Vance travels to Italy to reunite with her brother after years apart. Instead, she steps into a hidden world of mafia power, control, and silence. Her brother works under Alessandro De Luca—a feared mafia boss who does not believe in love, attachment, or emotional weakness. He lives a life of control, violence, and temporary pleasures, keeping women at a distance emotionally despite their constant attention. But Bella is not supposed to stand out. Yet she does. And in Alessandro’s world, being noticed is never harmless. It is the beginning of something dangerous.
College was supposed to be a fresh start. For Belle, it turns into something else — chaotic nights, messy friendships, toxic relationships, and feelings she doesn’t fully understand. When she meets a group of senior boys who seem to run everything, her world shifts fast. Especially when one of them starts getting a little too comfortable around her.
Bella Moretti left Blackwater Cove at 14 when her family relocated to Italy for her father’s career. The move changed everything. While Bella and her older brother continued growing up in Italy, the life they left behind in Blackwater Cove slowly fell apart—especially for Nathan Hayes. Before leaving, Bella promised Nathan she’d stay in contact. She didn’t. Years passed. Nathan lost his father to cancer. And the boy Bella once knew turned into someone colder, quieter, harder to reach. Now at 20, Bella returns home for Christmas expecting nostalgia. Instead, she finds Nathan still carrying the wound she left behind. And worse? A part of him still belongs to her.
Belle Valenti thought Brookhaven was just a memory—soft, distant, something she outgrew. Until her parents bring her back for one last summer. Back to the beach house. Back to her mother’s best friend. And back to the Carter brothers—Alex and Eli. The boys who once treated her like a princess. Now they look at her like something else entirely. And Belle? She still thinks they’re just the same boys she left behind. She has no idea… They’ve been waiting.
Belladonna Reyes Calloway only wanted one thing when she entered Beaufort College: survive graduation quietly. Too bad the universe sent Aurelian Beaufort into her life. Arrogant. Rich. Hockey-obsessed. Annoyingly attractive. The entire college worships him, but Bella can’t stand him — especially when he keeps reminding everyone she only got accepted because of her father’s friendship with the principal. But when Aurelian’s grades drop so badly that his father threatens to bench him from hockey permanently, he’s forced to ask the last person he ever wanted help from: Bella. Now they’re stuck together after classes, during weekends, and in private tutoring sessions filled with arguments, tension, and way too much eye contact. And the worst part? The more Bella gets to know the real Aurelian Beaufort… the harder it becomes to hate him.
Cassie Sullivan has never needed a man to save her. At twenty-two, she lives alone, works nights as a bartender, pays her own bills, and manages Type 1 diabetes on her own—even when the cost of staying alive becomes harder to afford. Then there’s Luke Miller. Twenty-nine. Six-foot-five. Blonde. Blue-eyed. A Marine. Heir to a family empire he never asked for. And according to his grandfather’s will, Luke has one year to get married before the shares he’s supposed to inherit go to his cousin instead. They meet at a club. He needs a wife. She needs healthcare. Neither of them expects the other to become something more. So they make a deal. A secret marriage. No falling in love. No catching feelings. No crossing the line. Simple, right? Yeah. Not fucking likely.
One coffee accident. One terrifying CEO. One completely ordinary girl. After accidentally spilling coffee all over billionaire CEO Nicholas Vaughn, Hailey Hart assumes she’ll never see him again. She is wrong. Days later, he walks into her coffee shop. Then he comes back. And back. And back. Now Hailey is trying to figure out why one of the most famous men in the country suddenly knows her usual lunch order, remembers every little thing she says, and keeps showing up wherever she is. Nicholas Vaughn has built an empire. But winning over the girl who lives in Apartment 4B might be the hardest thing he’s ever done.
Belladonna Moretti always gets what she wants. Pretty face, cherry red hair, expensive perfume, and a dangerous reputation — Belle knows exactly how to make people stare. So when Ryder Knight refuses to give her attention, she immediately becomes obsessed with getting it. Ryder is older, colder, dangerous. A tattooed biker with grey eyes, a black Ducati, and a personality that screams stay away. He barely talks. Barely reacts. And somehow, that only makes Belle want him more. Between late-night parties, biker races, jealousy, tension, and reckless decisions, Belle slowly realizes Ryder isn’t just another game for her to play. Because the more Ryder tries to stay away from her… the more obsessed he becomes.
She had spent nineteen years building the perfect life. Perfect grades. Perfect family. Perfect reputation. Perfect boyfriend. Perfect future. Then she got paired with the one person she was never supposed to meet. Cameron Reeves was everything Delaney Anderson had been taught to stay away from—reckless, tattooed, violent, unpredictable, and buried so deeply in a world of secrets that one wrong step could ruin everything. He didn’t belong in her world. And she definitely didn’t belong in his. But when a college art project forces them together, hatred slowly turns into curiosity, curiosity into attraction, and attraction into something neither of them can control. Because Cameron knows exactly what kind of girl Laney is. A good girl. A girl with too much to lose. A girl he should leave alone. And Laney knows exactly what kind of boy Cameron is. A bad one. A dangerous one. A boy her parents would never allow anywhere near her. But sometimes the person you should run from is the only person you don’t want to leave behind. And when the world starts closing in around them, they have two choices— walk away from each other… or become you and me against the world.
Arabella Fleur Whitmore built a life that felt like her own—quiet, independent, and filled with flowers. At twenty-one, she runs a small flower shop she poured everything into, far from the expectations of her wealthy family. Her world is soft, predictable… safe. Adrian “Ryder” Valentino lives the opposite. Raised in a boxing family, he’s spent years surrounded by discipline, violence, and silence. He doesn’t do attachments. He doesn’t believe in anything that feels too gentle to last. They weren’t supposed to cross paths. But one unexpected encounter is enough to shift something neither of them planned for. She’s everything he avoids. He’s everything she’s never known. And somehow, they don’t walk away.
" He was raised to become perfect. She was raised to survive. " 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝. Allie Reyes doesn’t believe in love. Not when she spends her nights dancing beneath neon lights at Velvet Room and her mornings pretending to be a normal college student. Love is messy. Temporary pleasure is easier. Then Elias Whitmore walks into her life. Quiet. Rich. Intelligent. Untouchably perfect. The kind of boy who should stay far away from girls like her. But Elias can’t stay away. Not after seeing the loneliness hidden beneath Allie’s reckless smile. Not after realizing the girl everyone judges is the only person who’s ever made him feel alive. Now he’s sneaking into clubs, lying to his family, and wanting someone he was never supposed to touch. A slow burn forbidden romance filled with obsession, tension, secrets, emotional chaos, and a good boy yearning for the one girl capable of ruining him.
She came to town to buy land. He came to make sure she didn’t. Lucy Bennett is a city girl who has absolutely no business being in a tiny cowboy town, let alone spending an entire month there negotiating the purchase of one of the biggest ranch properties in the area. Unfortunately for her, the land belongs to Cameron Reed. Six-foot-five. Green eyes. Cowboy hat. Cigarettes. A permanent bad attitude. And apparently, the word no is the only answer he’s willing to give her company. What starts as a business negotiation quickly turns into arguments, insults, petty competitions, accidental teamwork, and way too much tension between two people who absolutely cannot stand each other. Meanwhile, Lucy’s coworkers are dealing with their own problems. Hails is secretly crushing on John, who seems to enjoy making her blush. John and Hails argue so much that everyone thinks they’re secretly dating. Elliot is just here for the entertainment. And Matt has already decided he’s going to survive this month through sarcasm, expensive outfits, and roasting everyone within a five-mile radius. One month. One ranch. One ridiculously stubborn cowboy. And absolutely no chance Lucy is falling for him. …right?
Vivienne Moretti never wanted to work inside a maximum-security prison. But after being personally selected for her exceptional talent in psychotherapy, she finds herself walking through the gates of Italy’s most feared correctional facility. A place filled with killers. Monsters. And men who have forgotten what humanity feels like. Her most dangerous patient is Niccolò Marchetti. Twenty-eight years old. A serial killer whose crimes still haunt Italy. Covered in tattoos and surrounded by rumors darker than death itself, Nico is a man nobody dares approach. Nobody except Vivienne. What begins as mandatory therapy sessions slowly turns into something neither of them can explain. Something dangerous. Something forbidden. Because while Vivienne is trying to understand the monster… The monster is becoming obsessed with her. And monsters don’t know how to love. They only know how to possess.
Beverly Hills, California. Adeline “Addie” Whitmore has everything a girl could possibly want. Money. Beauty. Popularity. Designer clothes. A mansion behind enormous iron gates. A brand-new car bought by her lawyer father. Parents who have spent her entire life making sure she never has to hear the word no. She’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and practically untouchable at school. Then there’s Nicholas Blackwell. Twenty years old. Covered in tattoos. Six-foot-four. A former inmate with a violent past, a broken family, and a reputation that makes people cross the street rather than walk beside him. He deals drugs. He rides a motorcycle. He disappears into clubs at night. He doesn’t trust people, doesn’t talk much, and doesn’t give a shit about what anyone thinks of him. Addie knows exactly what kind of man Nick is. Nick knows exactly what kind of girl Addie is. They come from completely different worlds. So when a sheltered rich girl meets the boy she was always warned about at a party she was never supposed to attend, becoming friends should have been the end of it. Except friendship doesn’t explain the late-night drives. It doesn’t explain the midnight calls. It doesn’t explain him showing up outside her mansion at two in the morning. It definitely doesn’t explain the way she forgets how to breathe whenever he calls her princess. “Just friends?” “Yeah. Just friends.” They both know they’re lying.
Kaiden Walker never cared about love. As the captain of Chicago’s NHL team, hockey has always been his only priority. Until Angelina Bennett walks into his life. Beautiful. Brilliant. Untouchable. And unfortunately for him? She’s his coach’s daughter. Angelina Bennett grew up around hockey players her entire life, so she promised herself she would never fall for one — especially not a famous NHL captain with bruised knuckles and way too much confidence. But between late-night arena visits, press scandals, hockey fights, stolen moments away from cameras, and tension that refuses to disappear… The line between hate and obsession slowly starts disappearing too.
When Delilah Carter returns to Willowmere after nearly a decade away, she expects judgment. What she doesn’t expect is Liam Callahan. Her first love. Her greatest mistake. The boy whose heart she shattered when she left town without saying goodbye. Now he’s a successful doctor with a fiancée, a guarded heart, and enough reasons to hate her. But Willowmere is a small town. And some memories refuse to stay buried. Especially the ones waiting by the lake.
He has ten days to make her fall in love with him. The problem? Emilia Sullivan hates his fucking guts. She’s a brilliant Fine Arts student who’d rather spend her nights painting than flirting with men. She’s convinced relationships are a distraction, and she’s perfectly happy keeping everyone at arm’s length. Jackson Carter is the exact opposite. He’s Maplewood’s hockey captain, resident heartbreaker, rich as hell, and completely convinced he can make any girl fall for him. So when his friends dare him to make the one girl on campus who supposedly hates men fall for him in ten days, Jack accepts. The rules are simple: Make Em fall in love. Ten days. Then break her heart. Easy. At least, that’s what he thinks. Because Em isn’t interested. And somewhere between annoying her, making her laugh, stealing her coffee, showing up at her diner shifts, and accidentally learning things about her that nobody else knows… Jack starts forgetting that this was supposed to be a game. And Em? She’s starting to wonder if the biggest mistake she could make isn’t falling in love— but falling in love with him.
Scarlet Bennet thought she’d left her childhood behind. She was wrong. At twenty-four, Scarlet has a tiny apartment, an exhausting job, a questionable bank account, and absolutely no idea what she’s doing with her life. Then she walks into a meeting and catches the attention of a dangerously attractive stranger. Colton Hayes. Cold eyes. Tattoos. Money. Power. And an attitude that screams stay the fuck away from me. Except Colt knows her. He knew her when she was seven. He knew her when she used to sneak him candy at night. He knew her when she patched up his wounds with scraps of colorful fabric. And he remembers the bracelet she gave him before they were separated. Scarlet doesn’t recognize the man sitting across the table. But Colt recognizes his girl immediately. He just has no intention of telling her that he’s the same boy who promised he’d come back. Because Scarlet doesn’t know he’s a mob boss. And Colt would very much like to keep it that way. Unfortunately for him, keeping secrets becomes difficult when the woman he’s spent seventeen years searching for keeps accidentally walking straight into his life. Again. And again. And again.
At Kingsley University, Seraphina Beaumont is known for her soft style, quiet personality, and effortless beauty. She keeps her life simple — classes, fashion, and staying away from drama. Tyrell Scott, the basketball star with braids, brown eyes, and a calm but playful attitude, lives in a completely different world filled with friends, parties, and chaos. They were never supposed to connect. But one friendship changes everything… slowly.
Eliana Brooks left Carmel, California when she was fourteen. Six years later, she’s back. She’s older. Hotter. More confident. And completely over her childhood crush on her brother’s best friend. Or so she thinks. Zane Carter used to be the cocky teenage boy who spent every summer at the beach with Ellie and her brother. Now he’s twenty-three, tattooed, working at the local boxing gym, and unfortunately still has that stupid fucking smirk that Ellie remembers way too well. The only problem? He’s taken. And her overprotective older brother would probably commit a felony if he ever found out what kind of tension exists between them. Then there’s Rory, Ellie’s chaotic New York best friend, who has absolutely no intention of letting Ellie pretend she doesn’t still have feelings. Summer in Carmel was supposed to be relaxing. Instead, it’s turning into a fucking disaster. Childhood crushes. Second chances. Beach parties. Bad decisions. One overprotective brother. And way too much sexual tension. Sometimes going home means finding out that the person you left behind isn’t the same person you remember. And sometimes… neither are you.
Three best friends. One robbery. One mistake. Avery Brooks, Harper Collins, and Quinn Carter have been inseparable since childhood. Each woman is drowning in problems they can no longer afford to ignore. A failing marriage. A custody battle. A daughter who desperately needs life-saving surgery. With nowhere left to turn, they rob the supermarket Harper works at, believing it’ll solve everything. Instead, they accidentally steal hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to notorious crime boss Enzo Moretti. Rather than putting bullets in their heads, Enzo gives them another option: Work for him… or die. Now the three women must launder money, transport illegal shipments, lie to everyone they love, and survive a criminal empire that only gets darker. The deeper Avery falls into Enzo’s world, the harder it becomes to remember who’s really the villain. Because monsters aren’t always the ones holding the gun. Sometimes… They’re the only ones who make you feel alive.
Sienna Romano came to Italy for one summer. She wasn’t looking for trouble. Unfortunately, trouble was driving a fucking motorcycle. When eighteen-year-old Sienna nearly gets run over by Alerico Santoro, a dangerously charming Italian street racer, she immediately decides she hates him. Rico feels the same way. Probably. Because somehow, the arrogant American girl keeps showing up everywhere he goes. The garage. The streets. His races. His nightmares. She’s sunshine. He’s a fucking storm. She’s rich. He’s barely holding his life together. She doesn’t speak Italian. He refuses to stop flirting with her in it. And somewhere between late-night arguments, dangerous races, family secrets, and stolen moments under the Italian summer sky… Sienna starts realizing that maybe the boy she was warned about isn’t the most dangerous thing in Valerosa. Maybe falling for him is.
Five best friends. One impossible dream. And one girl who’s been standing beside them the whole time. As senior year comes to an end, a group of lifelong friends spend every waking moment chasing their dream of becoming a famous band. Between garage rehearsals, disastrous gigs, beach bonfires, and questionable life choices, they’re determined to make people remember their name. But for Scott Hayes, surviving senior year might be harder than becoming famous. Because he’s been in love with Sophia Bennett for four years. And she has absolutely no idea.
You weren’t meant to stay. Sent away from the life you knew, to a quiet town that never asked for you, you find yourself trapped between expectations and something you refuse to feel. Then there’s him. The farmer’s son. Too warm. Too patient. Too persistent. He looks at you like you belong here. You don’t. No matter how many times he tries, no matter how gently he speaks, no matter how much he cares— You push him away. Because people like him don’t fall for people like you. And people like you don’t stay. …right?
Eleven years after losing everything, Kelly Hart returns to the town that she left Her daughter doesn’t know her. The family she once loved wants nothing to do with her. And the only person willing to listen is Ryan Walker—the bartender with haunted blue eyes and the best friend of the man Kelly lost. As buried truths begin to surface, Kelly must fight for a place in her daughter’s life while navigating an impossible connection with the one man she should never want. Some mistakes leave scars. Some loves never disappear. And some people deserve a second chance.
