It's hard to forget your past when you're staring at it. That's the conclusion Emma Watkins arrives at when she returns to Hayden, Maine—population 2,253; now 2,254—for the first time in nine years. When she sees him for the first time in nine years. When that word leaves his mouth. Buttercup. A pretty nickname in an ugly tone. A term of endearment time twisted into an insult. A taunt that nothing has been forgiven—or forgotten. She's back to sever ties. Break promises. Keep secrets. All easier said than done. The memories she left behind aren't all bad . . . more like mostly good.

The first time Ryder James broke my heart, I was fifteen and fearless. The second time he broke my heart, I was eighteen and jaded. Both times, I fell for him effortlessly. Falling is easy. Our landings are hard. Painful. We were a sad song with a slow melody. Flowers with paper petals. Hidden letters with visible tears. A beautiful tragedy. Except tragedies have endings. Our story just . . . stopped. Seven years later, I still have more questions than answers. Questions I'm too proud to ask after almost a decade of silence.

His name starts with a H. So does happiness. Heartbreak. Home. Hoops. All things I associate with him. Ever since my family moved in across the street when we were both kids, Holden Adams has been that guy. My first crush. My former confidante. My best friend's brother. He's the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I love him. I hate him. One of those is a lie. I'm just . . . not sure which.

Saylor's goals have always involved the literal kind constructed from posts and netting. Her single-minded focus has cost her a lot, but it's also earned her recognition as the top female college player in the US. She doesn't get attached. Meeting Adler Beck, the notorious player celebrated worldwide and coveted by women everywhere, challenges her indifference. But Saylor perfected the art of appearing unbothered a long time ago, and her scoring percentage is even higher off the pitch. Might as well add a gorgeous German to the tally.

Ever since her younger sister's engagement was announced, Harper Williams has been dreading the wedding. What should be a joyous, sun-drenched affair is sure to be filled with plenty of awkward moments, thanks to Harper's strained relationship with her only sibling. Awkwardness enhanced by the wedding's location—a lake in Maine, swimming with painful memories of their late father. Running into Drew Halifax—her childhood crush, who grew up to be the golden boy of hockey—is a surprise. Not nearly as shocking as his offer to be her plus-one is, though.

When people choose to leave, you should let them. That’s a lesson Lyla Peterson has learned over and over again. Abandoned more than once, her focus is on ensuring her son never experiences that familiar sting, not on lingering questions from the pain-filled past. Until the opportunity arises to seek elusive answers, and Lyla seizes it, opening old wounds and revealing dangerous secrets. He chose to leave. She should have let him.

The first time I saw Grayson Phillips, I fell. Tripped, to be specific. His seven-year-old self saved me from scraped knees and sentenced me to a fate of pining after my brother’s best friend for years. People change. Childish crushes fade. I’m an adult now, a doctor with more important things to worry about. I gave up on the boy next door ever loving me a long time ago. Or so I thought…until he returns to our hometown on leave from the Air Force. For the first time, not everything between us feels one-sided. That doesn’t make it matter. He’ll take off soon—literally.

Rylan Keller is dreading the start of spring semester. After choosing a college across the country and spending the past fall abroad, she’ll be a Holt University student. Worse than starting over at a new school? Starting over at a new school where your dad is the head coach of the men’s hockey team. And reluctantly agreeing to tutor a player, then coming face-to-face with the guy you thought you’d never see again. Aidan Phillips has a reputation on campus. One he’s carefully curated to include limited reliability or responsibility.

When Austin Keller's family moves across the country for his chance to play with the prestigious Frost Lake soccer team, he's ready to seize the opportunity. But on his first night out with the team, a dare to kiss the team captain's ex-girlfriend sets in motion a rivalry that threatens his future.

Georgette Adams is trouble incarnate. Spoiled, sassy, smart . . . and the President's only daughter. Getting summoned to a meeting at the White House felt like an honor-until I caught the catch. I'm the newest member of her security detail. Not only for this summer in DC, but once she leaves for Stanford in the fall as well. Her safety is my responsibility.

My whole life, I've come out on top. One of the finest players ever to grace the NHL? Check. Most prolific playboy with an enviable reputation between the sheets? Check. Award for the cockiest athlete in America? Also, check, and well deserved I'd say. So why does my life feel anything but the perfect image I project? And why won't the one woman who came crashing into my life and knocked me on my six-foot-four ass take me seriously?

Transferring to UC Santa Mira is supposed to be my ultimate college experience—until housing falls through at the last minute. So when I overhear a group of guys complaining they need another roommate, I jump at the opportunity. They’re just football players. Even if one of them makes me weak in the knees, it doesn’t mean anything unless I let it. And I won’t. We want different things. Wanting each other doesn’t change that.

When seventeen-year-old Violet is left heartbroken by the captain of her school's ice hockey team, she vows to never date a jock again. But, in an attempt to prove she's moved on, she turns to the most unlikely person—her ex's biggest rival, the notorious captain of the Ransom Devils. Reed Darling is gorgeous, mysterious, and intimidating, both on and off the ice. Wild rumors constantly circulate about him, and the only thing people love to talk about more than his hockey skills are his exploits as a ruthless heartbreaker. Who better to serve as Violet's fake boyfriend?

I met my dream girl. That’s right. She’s stunning and the worst bartender I’ve ever seen. I should have gone home and gone to sleep—dream girl or not. I had an early morning and the season was starting soon. But when she threatened me with boy band karaoke, I couldn't help myself. I went. The stars aligned. I have never felt more alive or wanted anyone more than I want her.

Football is my everything. I live, eat, breathe the sport. But when I transfer to McKee University to escape the distractions that nearly cost me my future in the NFL, I’m faced with another consequence: retake and pass the writing class I failed at my last college, or lose any chance I have at making it big. That’s where fellow senior Beckett Wood—gorgeous, stubborn, and just my type—comes in. She’s the key to my success in this class… but the price of her help is a fake relationship, and I never do things halfway.

After losing her husband in a tragic accident, Julia Gentry is barely surviving. Raising her young daughter alone takes everything she has—and that’s not enough. She’s barely making ends meet. And then tragedy strikes again. Julia’s only hope lies in the last place she wants to look—in Crew Gentry. Her husband’s brother is broody. Irresponsible. He’s broken her heart more than once and let her down every time she’s needed him.

Rhys Garrett—recent high school graduate, ex-captain of the basketball team, and my brother's rival both on and off the court. Oh, and he's also the guy I just hit with my truck. Awesome. To be fair, he had it coming. Why else was he dressed in all black, in the middle of the night, if not to hide out amongst the darkness?

The first time Ryder James broke my heart, I was fifteen and fearless. The second time he broke my heart, I was eighteen and jaded. Both times, I fell for him effortlessly. Falling is easy. Our landings are hard. Painful. We were a sad song with a slow melody. Flowers with paper petals. Hidden letters with visible tears. A beautiful tragedy. Except tragedies have endings. Our story just . . . stopped. Seven years later, I still have more questions than answers. Questions I'm too proud to ask after almost a decade of silence.

Some couples have chemistry, others have a connection. We have both. We took turns walking away. Somehow, we’ve still ended up here. On stage, together, in front of tens of thousands of people. Him holding a guitar, me a microphone. Singing the song I wrote that launched my career and dubbed me the princess of pop music. The song about him. Maybe we were inevitable from the start. To love. To dream. To end. Our song had one ending. Our story might have another.

I may be back in my hometown and down on my luck, but I know better than to fall for Lyric again. Been there. Done that. Have the heartbreak to show for it. When my business and apartment burn down, there’s only one thing I can do—return to my hometown of Winter Falls with my tail tucked between my legs. I won’t be here long, though. As soon as the insurance company decides I didn’t start the fire—one little accidental fire to get out of a math test does not make me an arsonist!—and cuts me a check for the damage, I’m out of here.

Ever since her younger sister's engagement was announced, Harper Williams has been dreading the wedding. What should be a joyous, sun-drenched affair is sure to be filled with plenty of awkward moments, thanks to Harper's strained relationship with her only sibling. Awkwardness enhanced by the wedding's location—a lake in Maine, swimming with painful memories of their late father. Running into Drew Halifax—her childhood crush, who grew up to be the golden boy of hockey—is a surprise. Not nearly as shocking as his offer to be her plus-one is, though.

By the age of twelve, we had become best friends, and by the time we turned sixteen, we were more. I had eyes for only one girl. My girl. But then life changed, and different paths led to broken promises. When she left town, I was forced to let go of our dreams. I spent my days existing. Baseball, classes, and working at the family farm became my life. I didn't care about anything else. Until I met Allison Jo. AJ was the quiet girl I never expected. She brought me to my knees with that beautiful smile. She made me laugh and slowly brought the old me back to life.

Wilder Cromwell is pure temptation in a delicious package. Gorgeous. Smart. Athletic. He's also my student. The minute I saw him, I should have known better. But falling for him was as inevitable as breathing. He's more than just a face in my class. He's the man who came to my rescue on one of my darkest nights. Wilder has become a safe haven against my husband's monstrous brutality. Being with him is an escape from the cage my life has become. With him, I'm adored, and I'm safe—two feelings I've never felt before. But one mistake on one unforgettable night changes the course of my fate.

Korie Potter’s got goals. Goals that do not include following in her mother’s footsteps. Rock stars and the life of the rich and famous? Yeah ... not interested. She likes her heart in one piece, thank you very much. Until a weekend of booze and bad decisions at camp Pour Judgment finds her fake-engaged to country music’s most notorious bad boy, Rhett Taylor, and completely at his mercy. You see, Korie Potter’s also got a dream, and her new “fiancé” just may have the connections to make it come true.

He's known as Father Anton to his teammates - the brooding, sexy captain of the NHL's Chicago Blaze has a reputation for...not having a reputation. Just like his diet and sleep routines, celibacy is part of Anton Petrov's on-ice mojo. Or so they say. Anton stays mum on the subject. If the world thinks he chooses to abstain from sex, so be it. Better that than the truth getting out: There is a woman he burns for, but he can never have her. She's his teammate's wife, after all.

One look. One touch. One sound of her beautiful voice and I’m hooked. Like a dream I never want to wake up from, she pulls me in and wraps me around her. Consumed. Driven with need. Fueled by an unrelenting desire to make her mine. One night, I take more than she has ever given before, which only leaves me wanting more. Needing more. Craving more. She’s the one I’ve waited for my whole life.

DR. DYLAN WEST is a highly motivated medical resident who is determined to secure a coveted spot in a new, exclusive medical fellowship that specializes in LGBTQ+ medicine. She strives to win every award and honor to make her application stand out. When she doesn’t win the Intern of the Year award, given to the most promising first year resident, she quickly develops a chip on her shoulder.

Tallulah Russel knows she's made a mistake. Unfortunately, it's too late to do anything about it. Snatched from her home and held prisoner in a cabin by a man whose behavior grows more confusing by the minute, she has two choices. She can escape the second she gets an opportunity, or she can put her trust in her kidnapper when he tells her he's the only thing standing between her and certain death.

The first time I saw Grayson Phillips, I fell. Tripped, to be specific. His seven-year-old self saved me from scraped knees and sentenced me to a fate of pining after my brother’s best friend for years. People change. Childish crushes fade. I’m an adult now, a doctor with more important things to worry about. I gave up on the boy next door ever loving me a long time ago. Or so I thought…until he returns to our hometown on leave from the Air Force. For the first time, not everything between us feels one-sided. That doesn’t make it matter. He’ll take off soon—literally.

I was forced to marry a monster. Luca Vitale is the heir to his father’s empire. He has the reputation of being a dangerous monster who can bring even grown men to their knees. And he’s about to become my husband.