"Acting is my job, but even I can't pretend Ash Draper isn't the hottest guy I've ever met.
Ash was my first love—and my first heartbreak. When our high school relationship fell victim to distance and circumstance, I focused on my career. My first major movie releases in a few months, and I'm on the cusp of breaking out. For publicity, I'm paired with an established actor with a reputation in need of rehab. The assignment is simple: pretend to date. I'll get exposure, and the beleaguered actor gets my squeaky-clean image.
But the plan doesn't account for my still-gorgeous ex-boyfriend.
Ash has transferred to Chesterboro University to play for their hockey team. Before long, the tabloids learn that we used to date, and a simple gesture sets off a firestorm of gossip placing me in the middle of a fake love triangle. To diffuse the situation, Ash and I need to pretend to be friends. Though we've both changed, the more time we spend together, the more we find that nothing has changed how we feel about each other.
We couldn't weather hard times before, though, and I'm not sure we can do it now. But Ash wants to convince me that we deserve another chance . . ."
"She wants my help to make her stronger, but this girl can bring me to my knees . . .
Growing up in Chesterboro, good girls were warned away from my brothers and me, and Penny Hampshire is a good girl. We're from opposite sides of town—her side has money and mine barely makes ends meet. But when a trauma leaves her feeling out of control and vulnerable, she asks me to teach her to fight. My family owns a martial arts gym, and I've been training and teaching forever, so I agree. Besides, private lessons pay well, and I'm saving up to move away from Chesterboro for good.
Penny is different than I expect. Sure, she's gorgeous, but she's also smart and braver than I ever imagined. We shouldn't be compatible, but the more time I spend with her, the more we feel right together. But when forces from the past resurface to stir trouble for us, can what we're building together overcome small-town prejudices?"
"I'm no Romeo, but Shea Carmichael is so off-limits, her name might as well be Juliet.
Shea's my best friend's sister . . . and the only girl I've ever wanted. She's always had a boyfriend, though, so I've been able to keep my distance. Now she's single. As her friend, she asks me to help her navigate our campus dating scene. Of course, I agree. I promised her brother I'd keep her safe—and keep my hands to myself. The only problem? The more time I spend with her, the harder it is to deny how I feel.
Except I'm holding my life together by a thread. I need to rehabilitate my hockey career after spending a year recovering from concussions, and my family is in financial ruin. I shouldn't be anywhere near Shea with my mess, but what's between us is real and the attraction is too hard to resist.
When everything starts to unravel, though, can we find a way to keep our forbidden romance from ending in tragedy?"
"Playboys and virgins shouldn't mix, like vodka and important decisions. But some things are worth the risk . . .
Until now, college has been fun and games—all girls and hockey, all the time. It's senior year, though, and I'm still undrafted and unsigned. If I plan to play professional hockey, I need to prove to my critics that I can be a leader and take my hockey game seriously.
But that doesn't mean I need to get serious in my private life.
As the team captain, I'm expected to compete in a campus dance competition, and I get partnered with Ivy Deveraux. She's beautiful, no-nonsense, hyper-focused on her dance career . . . everything I'm not. I'm drawn to her but she doesn't strike me as a casual kind of girl. I expect her to steer clear of a playboy like me. Except, Ivy has just come through something life-changing, and she's ready to have some fun—by getting involved with me.
Spending time with her makes me want to be better, on the ice and off. But can I prove to her that the playboy in me is worth a real chance?"
"Cord Spellman might be everyone's Prince Charming, but I'm only his fake Cinderella.
Since my dad died and my mom bailed, I've been living in a trailer park, barely making ends meet. I can take care of myself, as demonstrated by my acceptances to a handful of elite music graduate programs. So what if funding my success has meant sacrificing my college social life?
That's why Cord's offer is perfect. The hot hockey star has playoffs coming up. He doesn't have time for girls, especially his cheating ex who's determined to get back together with him. He needs to focus on his game, so he asks me to divert the attention—as his fake girlfriend.
I pretend to be in love with him and get a taste of the party life before graduation. Cord is free to concentrate on hockey. But when the line blurs between what's real and what's fake, can we create our own fairy tale ending?"
