Imagine my surprise when my new neighbor turns out to be one of Scotland’s most famous (and hottest) professional footballers, Callan Keen. I’m even more shocked to discover that the brooding player is still holding a grudge for something that happened (or didn’t happen) between us years ago. Too busy trying to take my social media management company to the next level, I don’t have time for this gorgeous blast from the past. Or at least I shouldn’t. Yet whenever I see him, I can’t help but engage in a battle of wits with the grump upstairs.

My world is small and predictable—that's how I've designed it. It doesn't extend beyond my tiny studio apartment, the local bagel shop, and the bookstore I manage. So, when a mysterious man crashes into the shop late one night while I'm doing inventory, I should be terrified. But I've never reacted normally to danger. And this man is as dangerous as they come… at least, for my heart.

Once upon a time, I was an 18-year-old psychology student. Now, I'm a man's property. Stolen and sold, I've been decorated in bruises since the day my world changed two years ago. I suffer in silence, I crave freedom, but I never break. I can't. Until he arrives. Elder Prest, the only man to look at me and see me. The only man more ruthless than my owner. He wants me for reasons I don't understand. He claims me for one night then leaves and never looks back. Until he returns. And life becomes much more complicated.

The night of my birthday looked as boring as the rest of my life. Sitting on my own, trying to avoid my insanely gorgeous but horribly mean flatmate, all while waiting for him to leave so I could have a party for one…if you know what I mean. But that was before I almost crashed on the way home, when a big top rolled into town. Before I locked eyes with the hottest guy I’d ever seen swinging a sledgehammer in the rain. Before I read the flyer promoting the once-in-a-lifetime circus. A circus that wasn’t the usual garish carnival…oh, no…this one was most definitely not for children.

I'm not the kind of girl who has one-night stands. Except...I did. What can I say? After a few drinks with a gorgeous man who made me feel alive for the first time since losing my mom, I was powerless to say no. And I didn't regret it. Not one minute of our hot, mind-melting night together. But he wasn't a forever kind of guy. So I walked away. I wasn't supposed to ever see him again. Then I did. Turns out my sexy one-night stand is Dr. Jacob Mitchell - and he's the cardiothoracic surgeon who just saved my dad's life.

For years, I existed alone. Fighting the urges, doing my best to stay good. Until Esclave 58 entered my life and I didn’t have to fight so hard. She makes me better, she makes me human, but then he arrives on my doorstep. He says he’s my half-brother.

Bash Everette's reputation precedes him as a reckless, irresponsible, eternal bachelor who never takes anything seriously. Only he's been living in his personal form of hell. One where the days meld together into a sea of everlasting boredom. That's until he catches Anastasia Volkov, disguised as her brother, attempting to steal from the Order of Saints. Shattering every preconceived notion he has of the perfect society princess. She's like a live wire, shocking his heart back to life, stealing every ounce of his attention.

I’d been in Curmudgeon Bakery for one of those lemon baby-Bundt cakes I’d been craving since I found out I was pregnant. The draw had nothing to do with the baker himself. Tall, tatted, and edgy, he looked more like a biker than a man who makes baked goods. I hardly knew him other than taking a tumble in a rainstorm in front of his shop... and then tossing myself at him after he rescued me. We shared a moment, but it’s not what you’d think. Months later, he delivered my baby among his cookies and cakes. Talk about a second chance encounter.

It didn’t take long for news to spread that Tagger Grange was back in Peachtree Pass. I found out even faster when I fell right into his arms—not by choice. The barstool wobbled under me when reaching for a cheddar biscuit. They’re my weakness. Much like he used to be. Rolled up sleeves and tailored pants have replaced the boots and jeans my brother’s best friend once wore. But it’s not just the clothes that have changed. His shoulders are broader and he’s broodier. Somehow, he's even more handsome than ever.

They were medical students with their whole futures ahead of them, A fatal misunderstanding drove them apart, But he’s back in town, and he’s got a big, big surprise waiting for him… HER I had my whole life planned out, I was going to be a doctor, there was no backup plan. I never even meant to ask Blake out, But one thing led to another, and we fell in love. I let myself fall too hard, and he broke my heart, It was only later that I found out I was pregnant, Four years on, and my life plan has had to change a lot, Now Blake’s back, and I don’t know if either of us can bridge the ...

She was only meant to make the royal wedding gown, not wear it. Belle never dreamed of ballrooms or crowns—she dreamed of seams and silks, of becoming the most sought-after dressmaker in all of Solmane. But when the fae princess flees her arranged marriage, Belle is left holding the wedding gown. As the fearsome Beast Prince prowls towards her looking to collect his bride, it's either pretend to be the fairy princess so her dress gets a chance to be seen by potential new clients or get sent back home poor and empty handed. She only has to hold the lie while the guards hunt down the runaway.

When I agreed to interview Alexis, all I knew was that she was a recent college grad looking for some summer work. When she walks into my office, I'm struck by her beauty. There's no way I can have her living under my roof. She's pure temptation. There's just one problem… after being picky during my interviews, I now need someone to start next week. I have no choice but to hire her. I just need to keep my distance. It shouldn't be hard. Life has made me a cold, bitter man. These days, distance is all I know.

Six years ago, Maria Romano got her birthday wish—a kiss from Enzo Costa. A man she could never take her eyes off, but who seemed as haunted as her favorite book boyfriends and strictly off-limits. Just one unforgettable moment in the dark and then he was gone. Now Maria is a divorced single mom, moving on and open to romance again. Fatefully, it’s with the new head chef at her sister’s restaurant: Enzo. A gentler man than the one she remembers, yet fire still burns. And a warning still lingers: don’t get too close.

It’s complicated. Two years ago, he broke my heart when he left me to do his father’s bidding. After months of crying, I finally accepted he was gone and wasn’t going to look back. That maybe he’d never loved me at all. I never wanted to see Luca again. Now, a cruel twist of fate has signed me over to him in a heartless deal. I’m his. He thinks he did me a favor, but I feel like I’ve been given a death sentence. He doesn't want to get married because he still loves me. No, he did it for money. More power.

Tennessee Tigers wide receiver Jace Thatcher steps off the sidelines in The Wrong Play, a dark football romance from USA Today–bestselling author C.R. Jane.