"Benny
Big Bend is my home. I love it here. I love everything about it.
It's my senior year, and I'm determined to have the best one yet. Of course, that's when life gets confusing.
I think I may have a little bit of a crush on my nemesis.
Something I never saw coming.
I just hope I can find a way to make him give me a chance because being together would make not only this year great but this life of ours—absolutely epic.
Rowan
Benjamin McBride is the bane of my existence. He simply won't quit—he never does.
He's too happy. Too confident. Too unafraid.
I can't let him get to me.
He thinks we could be epic together, that us in a relationship would be some saving grace—a Hail Mary—a way to make this year and our lives the best they can be.
But I'm not destined for happiness.
I have to make him understand.
It's never going to happen."
"Dallas Boone
Welcome to Big Bend—my nightmare and my home, all in one.
I don't fit in here. I don't fit in anywhere. I've made so many mistakes. Over and over.
Two of those mistakes haunt me. One, being responsible for a friend losing his job and reputation in this town. And two, well, that one is even worse.
I ruined so many lives with one stupid decision I barely even remember. And now, I'm going to pay for it.
Colt Howe
Kensley. A place I never wanted to be again. But I had to come back home. My sister Chloe needs me, which is more important than escaping the town I grew up in.
I'm here for two reasons and two reasons only: my sister and my nephew. I'll make sure my nephew has a better life than I had. That his father is there for him, whether he wants to be or not. That's my promise.
I was so damn close to getting out of this town for good. Right in that red zone, I could see the goal, but then I got hit with a force I never saw coming.
And that changed everything."
"The emo kid, the loner, the cynical wallflower with an attitude.
It's no secret that I've never quite fit in.But it's glaringly obvious now that I've moved to this Podunk small town that seems to run entirely on sugar, friendliness, and cheer. (And cows, an ungodly number of cows.) I hate it—this place where everyone knows everyone, and I'm still the outsider.
Who wants to fit in anyway? I've never really tried, never even thought I wanted to… until I met him.
Jimbob is living his best life out here, farming the fields of Kansas, well and truly happy. And I just don't get it. His charming smiles, playful winks, and easy-going attitude infuriate me, but I can't look away. He's like a bright, sunny day sweeping through my prickly hailstorm.
I'm so utterly confused because I've never felt this way before. There's just something about Jimbob that makes me want to try. Makes me want to belong. Makes me want to put down roots in the glow of his sunshine."
"Sebastian
I'm the good one, the pretty one. The one who follows the rules and always takes the high road.
I've hidden my true self for so long I barely know who I am anymore. But I don't know if I can do it much longer.
I love the race, but I'm tired of sacrificing my soul to do what I love.
Axel
I'm the rebel, the bad one. I follow no rules on the track or anywhere else. I'm the obnoxious bad boy the fans secretly root for.
I don't mind playing my role. I'm good at it, and it pays to be the dark to his light. Until the good boy starts to get to me. I'm confused and unsure of what I want, when it was all so clear before.
They say good always wins, but is that truly the case? In the race between the far-too-pretty good boy and the angry bad boy, who will actually win?
Only time will tell."
"Nolan
I’m a teacher who has only one thing missing from his life: a healthy relationship. I have a plan in place. This should be easy. No more toxic men. No more casual hookups. I want something real. A love that’s equal, not lopsided. I’m a fixer at heart, but I’m done with the hopeless and the selfish.
Rafe
I’m a dad. Pure and simple. The only thing I want is for my daughter to be happy and healthy. I keep my head down. I work like crazy, and I found her a great school in a new place. I don’t have time for anything else but her. She has my heart, leaving little for anyone else.
When this kindergarten teacher and single father come together, something has to give. Lines are crossed. Secrets are shared. Hearts shatter. Who knows? Maybe they can teach each other something."
"When you’re young, everything seems brighter, more hopeful, and like anything is possible.
Which is great. But it can also lead to so many mistakes.
Mistakes you promise yourself you’ll never make again.
You promise yourself you'll be smarter, guard your heart, and make better decisions. And you won’t ever let anyone crush you again.
But what happens when you’re confronted with the past?
Nash Davis is settled and happy, helping his brother and his wife pursue their dreams. But when his biggest regret comes crashing back into his life, will he have the strength he promised himself he’d have? Can he keep his walls up? Or will Adrian Walker’s presence be too much?
Will it lead toward an inevitable backslide to where they began? Or can there be a future after so much pain?
When Nash and Adrian are thrown together in the Ozarks for months, they’re about to find out."
"Grady
A preacher’s son. I’ve done everything I can to defy his rules. Reckless, destructive, immoral. But after all this, there’s only one thing I haven’t allowed myself to indulge in...him.
Ryan
A welder's son. I’ve done everything I can to make him proud. Hardworking, loyal, strong. I’ve accomplished all his dreams while denying my own. But there was only one thing I’ve ever wanted...him."
"Grayson
Life has been easy for me. Top of my class. Star quarterback of the football team. Every guy wants to be my friend, and every girl wants to date me.
Yeah, life is pretty sweet.
Except it’s not.
It’s all fake. School comes too easy for me, and I’m bored. Football isn’t fun anymore. The guys I hang out with aren’t really my friends.
And the girls? I don’t want to date them.
The only one I want to date . . . He’s a little bit . . . hostile.
Rhett
Life has never been easy for me. A foster kid, lucky enough to be adopted as a teen but who still can’t find a way to be happy.
I have two best friends who are amazing and supportive, and yet, I can’t bring myself to tell them my biggest secret.
Parents who pay for a private school a kid like me could never have dreamed of . . . that I hate.
It feels all wrong when it should feel right.
And I guess . . . that’s made me nothing but . . . hostile."
