"Sutter Mason is sick and tired of ballplayers. And as far as she's concerned, the broken promise the last ace left her with was her final strike.
The problem? Her dad is the coach of the hometown minor league team. And the hot new lefty who just joined the squad? He's her brother's new roommate. This time around, instead of falling for the player, she's going to use him to get what she wants—the perfect case study for her psychology thesis.
No dates. No feelings. Zero extra innings.
Jensen Hawke is laser focused—on proving he's more than just hype, on breaking the league's strikeout record, and on getting called up to the big leagues.
Jensen doesn't do relationships. But his attitude is getting him in trouble. His curveball is a mess. And every time his roommate's sister points out that it's all in his head, he wants to scream.
But when a conversation with her seems to up his game, Jensen decides maybe he's got time for one relationship. So what if Sutter gets him more than anyone ever has. And so what if he's starting to feel things he swore off for good.
In baseball, sometimes all it takes is one play to change the game. And Jensen Hawke and Sutter Mason didn't see each other coming."
"Casey Coffield has a growing list of personal flaws he keeps locked away in his head:
He’s never on time.
His list of IOUs to his best friend is endless.
Money is always short.
Goals are never in reach.
Oh, and he’s decided to add college drop-out to that list, too. He doesn’t really think that last one’s such a bad thing, but his family insists it is, so it stays on the list.
On paper, he’s a zero. But in person, when he’s mixing tracks for a sea of bodies at the hottest clubs and parties, he’s downright irresistible. Just-right stubble on his chin, body of a boxer and a smirk that stimulates all the right nerves—women have never been a problem. They flock to his swagger and fall for his charm…fast.
All except for this one.
Purple hair, gray eyes, a raspy voice and sass, Murphy Sullivan is a little bit country and a little bit rock-n-roll. And her and Casey? They have history. He can’t remember it, but she wrote a song about him—and it’s not exactly a love song. But it is good. Damn good. And uncovering her inspiration just might be the key to solving a few of his shortcomings—not to mention open doors to his own big break in the music industry.
But sometimes dreams get messy when they collide. Sometimes life changes patterns. A past paints the wrong picture and futures get cloudy. The only question that remains is who will you choose when the dust settles—you? Or the girl of your dreams?"
"Morgan Bentley is good at getting attention, except from those she wants it from most. And for a while, the privilege and ease that came along with fame was enough. But as Morgan grew up, being thought of as the pretty face who told the masses what to wear and where to be seen wasn't what she really wanted out of life.
James Fuentes might be the most talented quarterback to ever throw on the Welles Academy field. While the gridiron comes easy to James, though, the classroom is another story. And his big business dreams are riding on his football talent to get his foot in an Ivy League door.
Confident, beautiful, curvy and the literal object of every guy on campus' fantasies, Morgan is impossible to ignore. What starts as innocent flirtation and a crush grows into the only meaningful relationship either of them has.
But being the center of attention—and gossip—comes with risk. Reputation is everything at Welles Academy, and rumors have a way of taking people down. Even the truest of loves might not stand a chance when whispers start to circle. But what good is all that fame and power if you can't use it to satisfy your own heart when it's on the verge of breaking?"
"On the surface, Cameron Hass always seems a bit risky. First to take the dare, last to leave the tracks in the face of an oncoming train, the Boston rebel has always liked to flirt with danger. But underneath, he's terrified. Not about breaking an arm or getting pulled over for driving twice the speed limit, but about the man he's going to become when he graduates from Welles Academy. His role models have never really been much to look up to.
Brooklyn Bennett, on the other hand, always appears to have it together. Every button is done, every hair in the perfect place, every grade not just an A, but an A+. Beautiful, smart, and from political royalty, Brooklyn set her future goals at the age of five, and she's never strayed from the path of following in her parents' diplomatic footsteps.
Until now.
Surviving a terrifying car crash her junior year left Brooklyn questioning a lot of things. Losing her best friend left her feeling alone. But Cameron's always been a good listener. And messy or not, his heart has always been in the right place. Maybe . . . he's been there all along.
But how do chaos and rules go together? And what happens if the rest of the world wants to keep them apart?"
"Theo Rothschild wasn't a bad boy, but he wasn't quite good either. And shy Lily Beachem was content admiring the hottest guy at Welles Academy from the comfort of her quiet corner. Until Lily's best friend, Theo's sister, decided two lonely souls should be together.
And maybe she was right.
Theo and Lily felt something that night they sat awake and talked for hours under the cover of the woods and a blanket of stars. But when tragedy struck their small, elite East Coast boarding school, robbing them of friendships and any hope of a normal life, being alone became the only thing that made sense.
But sometimes the deepest bonds are forged through pain, and for Theo and Lily, holding on to the threads of their connection might do more than ease their broken hearts. It may finally make them whole."
"Johnny Bishop crashed into my life like a hurricane. Not once, but twice.
The first time, we were teenagers. He was the star quarterback destined to save our small town's high school team. I was the music nerd desperate to shine but always falling short. Until him.
Johnny was good at football, but he was great at music. And when I realized we shared a love of performing, I fell for his charm. I drank in his words and was hypnotized by the way he sang. I was never fully in the spotlight with him, but the way he held onto me and kept me close felt good enough. His star was bright enough for both of us, and his dreams were worth all the risks, even if they were my dreams first.
When he left our town—leaving me in it—the damage in his wake was devastating. I spent a decade trying to piece together my broken heart. A decade trying to avoid his music, a nearly impossible feat considering he was selling out arenas and piling up Grammys. While he tore through city after city, I built a quiet life as a music teacher in my hometown.
I'd made peace with the fact that a now-famous rockstar once held my hand and told me he loved me. But when he shows up unannounced, begging for help, I'm sucked right back into his gravitational pull.
I want to hate him. I want to punish him for turning his back on me. But I can't when he's so broken. And the more time we spend in our present talking about our past, the more I start to wonder if maybe Johnny left to save us all from the storm.
Maybe that story about me and the famous rockstar has a lot more to be told."
"When Dustin Bridges left Camp Verde to try to make it on his own, he left half his heart behind. A life with Hannah Judge was just too dangerous. A mountain of chaos and violence was always aiming for the target on Dustin's back, and that made giving up the only person he ever loved feel necessary.
But impossible isn't a word Dustin believes in. Defying odds is what he's good at. It's how he's survived. And when fate calls him home, he sees it as his chance to take back his girl, to make his heart whole and to put his makeshift family back together.
Just one thing. That family? And more importantly, that girl? They want nothing to do with him.
When Dustin left Hannah without a word, he broke a promise. More than that, he broke a bond. He broke Hannah. The life she saw in her future was gone in a blink, and in its place she grew a heart of stone and a craving for danger.
But isn't danger what Dustin Bridges is really all about?"
"Dustin Bridge's world is about speed. About the edge. His life has been carved by cutting corners and making moves, following impulsive decisions while weighing the facts at hand.
On the track, that has never steered him wrong.
In life, though? That's another story.
On the cusp of greatness, the world's up-and-coming racing star seems to be living the perfect story. A hero to his hometown. A partner to his best friend. A man poised to take the throne, to become the greatest, and to reap the rewards and attention that come along with it.
He's been branded the track's most eligible bachelor. And rarely does he cross a finish line without a dozen screaming, adoring women brandishing his name on glitter-covered T-shirts across their chests, just hoping he'll break his own rules and take one of them to bed.
But he won't. As loose as Dustin may be on the road, he's become disciplined in life. He let love in completely—once. For one person. Hannah Judge. And she wrecked him.
And now, she's back."
"June Mabee is a lot of things.
She's the girl next door. She's the best friend I ever had. She was my first kiss.
And she's the last person I should have feelings for.
Two years ago, I cut all ties with her because I had no choice. No more late-night phone calls, no hellos or goodbyes, not even a passing smile. I left her to wonder what happened to the us we used to be. We were best friends, and then suddenly . . . we weren't. And I know it hurt. But the truth would have hurt her more, and being anything with June would have destroyed my family.
For a while, we managed to exist a hundred feet apart with no connection at all. She changed schools. I kept busy. We existed, apart. But no matter how hard I tried to not think about her, I just couldn't stay away from the funny, adventurous, steadfast girl with wild green eyes.
She's back. We're seniors now. We've grown—all of us. And while I might be different, she's different too. She takes risks, stands up for herself and doesn't back down. The more we're forced together, the more I miss her. But for June to be a part of my story, I need to tell her the whole truth, everything that happened. And I'm not sure any of us are ready for that."
"Dustin Bridges has always had two things he could count on—his fearless instincts behind the wheel and the support of his two best friends, Tommy and Hannah Judge.
Dustin brought the speed. Tommy, the brains. And Hannah . . . she was the glue that held everyone together.
Together, they were unstoppable.
From the dirt tracks of their youth to the late-night drag races under a desert moon as teens, the Judge siblings pushed and watched in awe as their friend edged closer to his dream. Always racing, always running. That was Dustin's gift and curse. And while his life at home was unbearable, his world with the Judges always seemed perfect.
Growing up with people makes for a special bond. But sometimes life has a way of testing just how strong a relationship is. And falling in love with one of your best friends, not to mention your other best friend's sister? Well, that can be the toughest test of all.
Heartbreak doesn't know what it's up against, though, because when there is a prize to be won, nobody bets against Dustin Bridges."
"Hollis Taylor is allowed to break the rules. She's coach's little girl. And she's good. If that means she gets to bump one of the guys for the starting catcher's job on the Public High baseball team, then the others on the squad better suck it up and deal. But breaking rules has taken Cannon Jennings far in life. One of the nation's top pitching prospects, he came here to throw to his cousin and show college recruiters everything he could do on the mound. Taking his signs from a girl was not part of his blueprint, especially one that screwed over his favorite relative and best friend. Too bad he broke the biggest rule of all before he knew exactly who she was. It was just a New Year's kiss. Totally forgettable. Especially under the circumstances. So why can't he stop thinking about it?"
"Abby Cortez is a girl with goals, on the verge of turning eighteen and on the brink of stardom. Falling in love isn't just something she doesn't have time for, it's something she doesn't really believe in. Her rule? Date but never, ever fall.
Tory 'Salvatore' D'Angelo loves falling in love . . . just not for real. The star basketball player at Allensville Public High gives his heart away one girl at a time then takes it back when he's ready to move on. No serious feelings, no serious pain.
They're both good plans until Abby's jaded heart gets all tangled up with Tory's hopeless one. A friendly rivalry grows into friendship, and long talks start to blur the lines. Just one problem—Abby's current boyfriend is Tory's twin brother, Hayden."
