In my defense, my new migraine meds had packed quite the drowsy punch that morning. One minute I was trimming his GQ-worthy locks and the next, I'd given him a side shave that would make a Marine jealous. Fast forward through a ticked-off Dev Menon storming out of my salon, threatening legal action, and I'm thinking the day couldn't get worse. Except it does...

Forgive me, Father, for I am undeserving when blood soaks these hands that hold Your gift to me. I am broken and find solace in the darkness. She is pure and basks in the light. Did You send her to be my shelter? I made a vow of celibacy. She remained untouched. Did You create her for me? I am a sin eater, a purger of evil. She is an angel, a guardian of good. Did You know she would be my savior? Thank You, Father, for she is the one sin I will willfully commit. Broken is a forbidden, dark romance and a complete standalone, performed in duet narration.

Rowan Kincaid hasn’t dated in over a year. Not since the mother of his children unexpectedly passed away leaving him to parent their three children alone. Exhausted, overworked and feeling like he’s failing at every turn he’s desperate for help. The help that shows up? A gorgeous woman almost twenty years younger than him. She’s compassionate and charming and the kids fall for her instantly. And despite the fact that she should be off limits, he falls for her too.

My life is too complicated for more than that. Besides, what would I do with a possessive, demanding, sexy-as-hell motorcycle man? Especially one who's younger than me. As an executive with a demanding career and single mom to a three-year-old little girl, my life is planned down to the minute, but everyone knows what they say about the best-laid plans… When Jake Hayes walks into Rossi Motors looking for a partnership between our two companies, I'm lost for words.

Fighting wildfires is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do and I’m damn good at it. Being the captain of an interagency hotshot crew of wildland firefighters is high-risk, high-reward. The risk blindsided me five years ago when I lost one of my crew and was changed forever. Now the only rewards I allow are to work harder, smarter, and enjoy easy, sexy nights with strangers. Until I meet Prescott Timmons. Her smart-mouth and adventurous spirit have me forgetting all of my rules—until her past shows up and lies start to feel too familiar.

I know better than to get involved with celebrities. Especially a Rock God like Sebastian Kane. A man who knows how to make the ladies scream, as evidenced by the leak of his recent sex tape. Which leads to my problem . . . I'm the girl in the video with him. Grief will make you do crazy things. After all, I'm the smart girl, the good girl, not the rebel. But now I'm face to face with the one man I was never supposed to see again. A man with a gorgeous dark smile and even darker secrets.

At eight, he gave me roses. At fifteen, he gave me butterflies, and at seventeen, he gave me sanctuary. I wasn't a damsel in distress. He wasn't Prince Charming waiting to whisk me off my feet. We didn't meet by chance. He's been part of my life for years, and for most of that time, I've been under his spell.

He was supposed to be my savior, but became my keeper instead… I’ve spent years learning everything I can to take over my family’s restaurant. I’ve never envisioned myself doing anything else. It all comes to a crashing halt when rumors of an arranged marriage circle the Famiglia and my brother doesn’t stop my name from being put forth as an eligible bride. Determined to not have my dreams taken away, I do the only thing I have control over: get rid of my virginity. It’s supposed to be a simple one-night stand with a stranger until I figure out the man I’d bedded is our biggest rival.

Planes, trains, heights…you name it, Nina was afraid of it and led a sheltered life ruled by irrational fears and phobias. When she moves to Brooklyn for nursing school, that life is turned upside down as she develops an intense but unwanted attraction to her gorgeous roommate, who’s pierced, tattooed and just happens to be the smartest person she’s ever met.

To her quaint New England community, she's the sweet owner of Annie's Pies, but the world knows Annie Smith as someone else entirely. When the threat moves closer to home, Annie must choose between life as she knows it or the unknown. Miles Zhou is no stranger to a fight. A decade in the ring as an MMA fighter taught him a thing or two about adversity—and how to take down a threat quickly and quietly. He's the perfect addition to the executive protection team. Playing bodyguard to a small-town baker shouldn't be a difficult job, but Annie Smith isn't sugar and spice and everything nice.

I only wanted one kiss. One kiss, under the dark of night, in a city where no one knew us. One kiss fueled by my hormones and alcohol and the blinding grief over losing my mother. One kiss from the man I told myself was untouchable. But, it didn’t stop at one kiss. And now we are running full speed down a road with no intention of stopping. His touch disarms me. His kiss revives me. But our love could destroy me.

One minute, I'm in a hospital, about to kick the bucket, and the next, I’m in a weird jungle teeming with ridiculously oversized bugs and demon-like lizard people determined to enslave me. Nope, I didn’t die. And no, sadly, it’s not a hallucination.

Two years ago an accident shattered Casey's world. Now, college promises a new beginning, a chance to truly breathe again and leave her past behind—with the exception of Gray Andrews. Through it all, Gray has been her lifeline, her hope for a happy future, the only guy she's ever wanted. Until she sees him.

Let me tell the story of how I fell in love with a woman who had no idea that we were even dating. The ridiculousness started when she stole my beer, and trust me, my grumpy self doesn’t normally share. But somehow, Avery Wilson is the exception to every one of my many rules. Unfortunately, I’m not hers. Not only is she the daughter of the Rev’s coach who hates me, she’s also sworn off dating for the year.

We were 16 the night she was violently assaulted while I helplessly watched. I’ll never forget the sounds of her suffering. Or my inconsolable agony when she left Oklahoma. Years later, she returns to honor our teenage pact. Except the boy she loved is gone, replaced by a ruthless cattle rancher knotted with secrets. She doesn’t know my dark cravings or the trails of sin that lead to her. I don’t deserve her, but one truth remains: She’s mine.

In my defense, my new migraine meds had packed quite the drowsy punch that morning. One minute I was trimming his GQ-worthy locks and the next, I'd given him a side shave that would make a Marine jealous. Fast forward through a ticked-off Dev Menon storming out of my salon, threatening legal action, and I'm thinking the day couldn't get worse. Except it does...

She's the girl next door. He's the guy who's loved her from afar. They're in for an unexpected tumble into love. For Stella Allesandro, chaos is good. She's a rising star at a leading sports publicity firm. She's known throughout the industry as the jock whisperer - the one who can tame the baddest of the bad boys in professional sports without losing her signature smile. But Cal Hartshorn is an entirely different kind of chaos.

I waited eight years to marry the father of my children. I worked on our relationship. I was patient. I forgave—the thoughtless remarks, the disappointments, the test results when I was expecting our youngest that proved he hadn't been "working late." Then, when we finally made it to the altar, he looked deep into my eyes, smiled, and cracked a fat joke. That wasn't the worst of it. His vows weren't a promise to love. They were a final test of exactly what I'd do to get his ring on my finger—what I'd take—in front of our family, friends, and their cell phones.

Lennox Kennedy is beautiful, loud, and the love of my life. She's also my ex-girlfriend. The first time I saw her after ten years apart, I slammed into the plexiglass minutes before our game was set to begin. The second time I threw up. The third time's a charm apparently because as my fiancée and I walked into an appointment to meet the woman hired to plan our nuptials—there she was again. Obviously, I did what any smart man would do—I called off the wedding. I don't have a plan per se, other than winning back the only girl I've ever loved.

Beckett Langfield is grumpy, rich and hates kids. I’m an overworked, overstressed, and overweight single mom. The only reason we’re getting married is because he needs to fix a PR disaster and I am available. As in sitting next to him, in a bar, when he has this brilliant idea. Considering I just got divorced, I’m not looking to do that again. But Beckett makes me an offer that I literally can’t refuse, so I don’t.

My new boss is a CEO Billionaire who hired me to be a nanny for his son. This should have been easy for me considering my experience with children. Except the man I'm working for is Thomas Ford. A man I never thought I would see again, especially not five years later. Now, I live in his penthouse in the city. I refuse to cross the line because one, he's my boss and two, I don't do relationships anymore. It's hard to deny this man when his touch lights my body on fire.

My rock bottom is a warm beer in a smelly country bar, an empty wallet, and nowhere to sleep. A few days ago, I made a terrible mistake. I stole something valuable from very bad people. And now they're here, armed to the teeth, about to put me out of my misery. Except they don't. Because an unexpected stranger swoops in out of nowhere and saves me. Anton Ulianov. Six and a half feet of broodiness, arrogant as hell, he's the dictionary definition of "D.A.N.G.E.R." And he takes out my attackers like he's taking out the trash. One thing leads to another, and I end up in his bed.

Drunk on you is an age gap, enemies to lovers, fake engagement, office romance.

Pro football might see me as their favorite underdog, but Madison Westfield would rather see me six feet under. My ex-best friend’s little sister has every reason to hate me. I took her boyfriend’s spot on this team, her brother might lose his too, and our short-lived engagement years ago is part of the reason our families are locked in a grudge match that has the whole league on edge. Ruining me would fix most of her problems, but she's stuck trying to work a PR miracle with my career instead.

Milo lives in the barn, a cowboy through and through. I live in a castle, but I'm not a princess. When the only person who loves me dies, Milo's there. As I get older, I no longer look at Milo like a big brother. I look at him like the man God made just for me. With the first glimpse of freedom from my pathetic excuse for a father, I imagine a future with Milo. I dream of the day when we won't have to hide our feelings. But Milo has a secret. He is not free. The man I love is marrying the woman I hate.

Fighting wildfires is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do and I’m damn good at it. Being the captain of an interagency hotshot crew of wildland firefighters is high-risk, high-reward. The risk blindsided me five years ago when I lost one of my crew and was changed forever. Now the only rewards I allow are to work harder, smarter, and enjoy easy, sexy nights with strangers. Until I meet Prescott Timmons. Her smart-mouth and adventurous spirit have me forgetting all of my rules—until her past shows up and lies start to feel too familiar.

It's not like I planned to fall for my older brother's best friend. It just happened. With a perfect body covered in tattoos, and a dirty mouth, Roman is the kind of guy women notice—and believe me, I noticed. Even when I tried not to. When he finally gives in to temptation, there's no going back. At least for me. Too bad Roman doesn't see it that way. He thinks he needs to protect me and my relationship with my brother, but I don't need him to fight my battles. I just need him.

When I walked in on my girlfriend screwing another guy, I never would have thought I’d be sitting at their wedding less than six months later. But who am I to turn down a night of free food, booze and pretty bridesmaids? But at the back of the room, at the rejects table, I’m captivated by the woman sitting next to me. She’s gorgeous and smart, and I can’t work out how she’s single. Until I realise she’s the groom’s ex.

Flint Hopkins finds the perfect tenant to rent the space above his Minneapolis-based law office. All the t's are crossed and i's dotted on Ellen's application. Her references are good. And she's easy on the eyes. Until... Flint discovers Ellen Rodgers plays music. Bongos, guitars, singing - not Beethoven administered through noise-cancelling headphones. The cut-throat attorney serves up an eviction notice to the bubbly, constantly humming redhead who's too sexy for her own good. But luck is on Ellen's side when Flint's autistic son, Harrison, takes an instant liking to her.

Fall head-over-heels in love with the unforgettable men of The Exception Series from USA Today Bestselling author Adriana Locke. This collection includes The Exception, The Connection, and The Perception.