Showing results by author "Ivy Smoak" in All Categories

I'm an addict. It's hard for me to know the difference between addiction and love. But when I'm with Penny, I don't need any other vices. I feel like I can breathe for the first time in years. I feel… whole. I know I've messed up so much in my life. But it's time to move forward. It's time to make amends. Because no one deserves to be punished forever. Even a monster like me deserves to be loved.

When Penny Taylor runs into a handsome stranger in a coffee shop, she believes her luck has finally changed. After having her confidence unwound by her ex, she falls hard for a true gentleman. But once she realizes that her crush is her communications professor, her world is turned upside down. Haunted by dreams of the alluring Professor Hunter, Penny can't seem to dismiss her fantasies and the temptation to have him grows deeper.

I'm not supposed to leave the house. But what my husband doesn't know won't kill him. I break his rules every morning on my runs. It's always been best when I have a routine. So every day I wake up, run, clean the house, wish for a better life, repeat. Every day is exactly the same. Except Thursdays. I live and breathe for Thursdays. It's when he comes. I watch from a distance. I can't help myself. But I was never supposed to talk to him. I know what you're thinking. But you don't know my story. You don't know the kind of monster my husband is. And trust me, you have no idea who I am.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Mistletoe and holly and lights all aglow. It's my favorite time of year. Until my husband had to go and ruin it. Christmas is officially canceled at my house now that I've kidnapped my husband and locked him in the basement. And not even Santa can get me out of this mess. I know what you're thinking. That I'm crazy. But I swear I'm not. I'm going to let him free eventually. Or maybe with a little Christmas magic he'll fall in love with me again.

The Untouchables. That's what everyone calls them. At least, it's my best friend's nickname for them. And since she's the only one that talks to me at my new school, I'll take her word for it. The nickname probably comes from the fact that they're exorbitantly wealthy. Old wealth. The kind that isn't flaunted around. But you can tell by the way they carry themselves. Or maybe the name just refers to the fact that they're so beautiful it's almost hard to look at them.

The rumors you've heard about the summer games are true. I mean...what do you expect when you put a bunch of sex-starved athletes in the best shape of their lives together in one small village? But it doesn't matter to me. I'm focused on winning gold. Who cares if the hottest guy at the summer games seems intent on winning me over? Because I'm focused on...wait, what was I focusing on again?

Matthew Caldwell is NYC's most eligible bachelor. Charming. Gorgeous. Wealthy. Great with kids. Broken. Sixteen years ago, he lost everything. He made a vow to never love again. But suddenly everyone in his life is acting like a matchmaker. He can't help but wonder if a broken vow is better than a broken heart. There's just one problem. Only one woman in the city has caught his attention. And it's the only woman he can't have.

There's a fine line between love and obsession—and I've crossed it. I told myself that if I had one taste, I'd be able to move on. But I'm more addicted to her than ever. I tried to be a good man. I tried to stay away. I really did. But I kept watching her through the cameras I installed, replaying the footage in my head late at night. I'm sick in the head. I know I'm a monster. But sometimes the villain wins the girl. Right?

I intended to keep my promises to you. I swear. I loved you, Matthew Caldwell—with my whole heart. I think a piece of me will always love you. But it all came crashing down when I realized you didn’t keep your promises to me. I refuse to take any of my days for granted. I learned that the hard way. So I’m sorry. But I can’t keep my promises to someone who didn’t keep theirs. XOXO, Brooklyn Sanders

I never meant to break the Untouchables. And I’ll do whatever it takes to piece them back together. Even it means embracing what I most feared. I’m going to become one of the elite. I’m going to live like an Untouchable. And not even Isabella will be able to break me. Ever. Again. But while I’m focused on outsmarting Isabella and fixing my mistakes, I forget that the stakes are so much bigger than who’s the most popular at Empire High. I’m playing with life and death. I should have seen it coming. After all...he’d betrayed me before.

My last single friend just got married, leaving me roommate-less. When Rory shows up at my door, I'm more than a little surprised to find out that a guy has answered my ad. Living with a man wasn't exactly what I had in mind - especially one as handsome as Rory. He's charming, confident, and...completely off-limits. He's a total player. And I don't want to end up getting played. But when all the other applicants don't seem to be a good fit, I can't help but let my mind wander back to him. What's the worst that could happen if I let him move in?

When I came to New York City, I was engaged to the man of my dreams, and I was ready to take the marketing industry by storm. But now? I'm single and working at a dead-end job with a pervy boss. It's official - this city kicked my a**. It's time to pack my bags. A blind date that my friend set up to convince me to stay is most definitely not going to change my mind. Zero chance. Goodbye NYC.

The easiest way to get over someone is to never see them again, right? So when my ex stomps on my heart and throws it into the ocean...I decide to spend my summer on the opposite side of the country. And this summer is all about me: mending my broken heart (screw all men), figuring out what I want to do with my life (a life that thankfully does not include my ex), and trying to better myself (does eating ice cream count?). But all of my perfect planning comes to a halt when the sexiest lifeguard in existence asks me out. I have to say no.

He's still in love with his ex, and I refuse to be a consolation prize. So why did I just agree to a spur-of-the-moment road trip with him? I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm doing this for me. It has nothing to do with the gorgeous man staring at me like I'm a crazy person.

Fame. Fortune. Penny has the whole world at her fingertips. What more could a woman ask for? But all she wants to do is work on her manuscript - a novel about defying the odds. After getting denied by dozens of literary agents, her confidence has been unwound. Her husband should be enough. Her family should be enough. But she doesn't feel worthy of any of it. She wants to make a name for herself, untainted by her husband's status. As she pens her story, she doesn't even see the real story unfolding in her life. A story that will threaten her family's existence.

Temptation has quickly turned into addiction. Penny Taylor fell hard for the sexy, mysterious, exciting, and dangerous Professor Hunter. But scandalous affairs are meant to go down in flames. Now that he's not speaking to her, she feels numb. And what hurts the most is that he appears to be completely fine. As she struggles to accept that their relationship is really over, her best friend's crude advice is in the back of her mind - the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.

I've always regretted not being confident enough to talk to my college crush. When he shows up during my friend's bachelorette party, I refuse to let my second chance slip through my fingers.

To most people, suburbia is synonymous with good school districts, manicured lawns, and friendly neighbors. But you can never really tell what's hiding behind those white picket fences and smiling faces. I mean, we all have secrets. The kid down the street steals lawn gnomes. The woman on the corner is having an affair. And me? I'm a murderer. At least...that's what everyone thinks. Because that's the other thing about the suburbs. Rumors spread like wildfire. Handsome detectives start poking around. Houses explode. You know...the usual.

It's hard to be consumed by revenge when my heart feels like it's breaking in two. A part of me is still in love with Miles. I think I always will be. He embodies everything I thought my life could be. Every hope and dream and wish. But I'm not the girl he remembers. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't started to fall for the New York City vigilante. He's the only other person who knows what it's like to live behind a mask. There's a darkness in him that mirrors my own. He embraces my broken soul.

Tick tock. One day before the wedding of her dreams, Penny is in a city that is no longer her home. Alone. Heartbroken. Lost. Could the past few years really mean so little to a man that became her world? To a man she'd do anything to protect? There is no future without him. There is no her without him. With only 24 hours until the wedding, is there enough time to repair the damage? Tick tock.