Showing results by narrator "Alexander Cendese" in All Categories

They say love comes from the most unexpected places. I found mine hiding in my bushes from the cops. My life before Luke was a carefully structured routine. It was predictable and organized, just the way I like it. Some would call it boring, but I call it smart self-preservation. If there’s one thing that could threaten to bring it all crashing down, it’s Luke van Beek. He swept into my world like a tropical cyclone, all hot and chaotic, and tore down my safeguards. Now I can’t seem to rid myself of this charming, larger-than-life, ridiculous man.

A skilled hunter is found dead in the first few moments of opening day for deer season. Everyone assumes it was an accident. When Jake learns the victim is his best friend, Ben Wayne, he must push past his crushing grief and process the scene. Two things become horrifyingly clear. Ben was shot through the head with a high-powered rifle. And this was no accident; it was an execution. As the town grieves, Jake discovers there has been a series of similar killings throughout southern Ohio.

The Foxes are a fractured mess, but their latest disaster might be the miracle they've always needed to come together as a team. The one person standing in their way is Andrew, and the only one who can break through his personal barriers is Neil. Except Andrew doesn't give up anything for free, and Neil is terrible at trusting anyone but himself. The two don't have much time to come to terms with their situation before outside forces start tearing them apart. Riko is intent on destroying Neil's fragile new life, and the Foxes have just become collateral damage.

Five years ago, I walked away from Sunbury, Oregon, and left my best friend behind. The move was supposed to get my life on track. I even had a list: Life changing epilepsy surgery. Check. See the world. Check. Get over my straight best friend... Not exactly. No matter where I go or who I meet, I can't let Tanner go. I'm back to tell him how I feel. To get the closure I need once and for all. Only now I'm here and falling for him all over again, it's getting harder to say the words. Because once I have my closure, I'll be gone. And this time it will be for good.

"Look out for Zach, and don't hit on him." My brother's request sounds easy enough. Keep an eye out for his best friend on campus and keep my hands to myself. Easy. Even if Zach is a quintessential nerd, who I've always thought was cute, I don't have the time to think with my...stick. There's only one stick I should be focused on this year, and that's my hockey stick. My goal once I graduate is to get an NHL contract. The last thing I need is a distraction. On or off the ice. Only, keeping to the rules is harder than I thought it would be. 

Being a lifelong Chicago Thunder fan, I know that Blaine Olsen is trouble. Because all hockey players are. He's a notorious playboy, and I refuse to be another notch on his bedpost. But when he shows me the part of himself he keeps hidden, it gets harder to resist him.

Max has been in love with his childhood best friend, Ash, for years. The reason he has kept it a secret is because Ash also happens to be Max's brother's ex-boyfriend. Complicated doesn't begin to explain their relationship.

Dillon Dawson loves to write romance despite her latest relationship ending with her traveling to the Maldives alone on what was supposed to be her honeymoon. Now, the only thing she wants is two weeks of uninterrupted peace and quiet with absolutely no men in sight. West Oakley doesn’t even believe that romance exists, and he has no desire to convince himself otherwise. The only reason he’s heading to the Maldives is to escape a scandal and spend time on an island where no one knows who he is.

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone… Police academy cadet Charlie Burns can’t believe his luck when the gorgeous blonde he meets in a bar murmurs those magic words: “Nothing serious, ’kay?” Mind-blowing, no-strings sex with Ever Carmichael—it’s the holy grail of...

Sometimes your dream guy isn’t who you think he is. Sem has been stalking me for months. He shows up everywhere I am and lurks in the background, his eyes always on me. I don’t understand his fascination with me, but he won’t leave me alone. He’s definitely not my type. He’s too big, too reckless, and too feral. But then one night he breaks into my apartment and dares me to do something crazy and I can’t say no.

Apparently, the trauma from being kidnapped doesn't end when you're rescued, although I'm doing better. I have a roommate who has become family, and we've been adopted by a pack of otherworldly creatures who protect us. I'm still a little jumpy, and most people make me uncomfortable, but baking, therapy, and my daily walks are all helping. The sweet guard dog who follows me around in the woods helps, too. I can tell him anything I want—even how scared I am of my own family. I'm afraid to bring trouble to my new family's doorstep, but I can't end up caged again.

Word of advice: Don't come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they're charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help. My family believes I can't be happy if I'm not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name. I really should've asked for his name.

Before their futures become the present, Noah convinces his friends they need a group vacation—a final play before they're all tied down by responsibility and unyielding schedules. Everything is changing. Marriage. Kids. Careers. A trip to Fiji is the last hurrah to end all hurrahs. And from disastrous marriage proposals to grand gestures to life-changing confessions, two weeks on a private island becomes the beginning of the rest of their lives.

The last thing Ash Forester needs is to be in a relationship. For the past seven years, taking care of his eight siblings has been his top priority. With a life full of signing school agendas, diffusing tantrums, and attending parent-teacher conferences, Ash has almost forgotten what real love feels like and he's determined to keep it that way.

Ari Daniels didn't count on her whole world tumbling down around her in a mess of shredded promises, broken love, and unbelievable heartbreak. Alone and stricken with grief, she shouldered the blame and eventually closed her heart off, refusing to open it for another. After all, anytime she tried, guilt and regret were waiting in the wings to remind her how painful it was. A bet and one steamy night with a stranger force Ari to confront all she's been hiding behind. She tries to move on, but he refuses to stand down, wanting what she is terrified to give - herself.

My newest obsession is nothing like any of my past hookups. A perma-scowl and general leave-me-alone attitude? Yeah, that's the kind of thing I usually stay away from. But the most shocking part about all of this is that the person who's got me all out of whack . . . isn't a girl. Bash is a six-foot-four-tatted personal trainer who seems to want nothing to do with me. Until I'm naked, that is. As soon as I'm dressed, he's more than ready to say goodbye. But if there's one thing getting a taste of Sebastian Crawford has taught me, it's that one taste just isn't enough.

Since I was six years old, my world has revolved around two things: Carter Lockwood and hockey. We made a pact in college before we turned pro to always put each other first. To make each other our priority, but being in love with your straight best friend can make that hard, especially when you have to watch them fall in love with someone else. I don't want to break my best friend's heart to save my own, but I need to put some space between us to save our friendship. Only this time, it's not just the defensive zone I'm protecting, but also my heart.

Lovely, guileless Rowan Murray was drawn to darkly enigmatic Liam Donovan with a force she'd never imagined could exist. But before Liam could give Rowan his love, he first had to trust her with the incredible truth about himself…and his family.

Five years ago, I ruined the best thing I had in my life and ran. Now, I'm finally back to make things right. I need Circus's forgiveness, and then I can finally move on. I'll leave Sunbury for good this time and never look back. Maybe then I can finally live life as an out gay man - without my family ever finding out. But earning his forgiveness isn't as simple as I hoped it would be. He's going to make me fight for it. And I don't blame him at all.

Detective Jake Cashen is called to a cul-de-sac on the edge of Blackhand Hills, where a teenage girl has discovered the victims of a murder-suicide. Newlyweds, shot in their own home. It looks open-and-shut. But something about the scene feels wrong—and Jake can't shake the parallels to his past. The case dredges up memories of his own parents' deaths under the same circumstances. His father snapped. His mother paid with her life. End of story. But as Jake digs deeper into the present-day investigation, he finds unsettling threads that lead straight to the tragedy that defined his childhood.