Best of
High-School

2022

The Words


Ashley Jade - 2022
    Eight weeks. Forty shows.Countless opportunities to make him pay.The world thought he was a God...But I knew the truth.

Ruin


Caitlyn Dare - 2022
    Shielded from the dark and dangerous world my big brother inhabits.But not any longer.Now, Savage Falls is my home, the Sinners MC, my family. I’m the new club princess, a burden I neither want nor need.Because I’m not as innocent as they all think.Not by a long shot.Not when I spend most of my days dreaming of them. Club prospect Jax Pitman, my best friend’s older brother Diesel Walker, and the Red Ridge Chapter’s newest bad boy Zach Stone.One of them broke my heart.One refuses to fix it.And one of them is slowly bringing me back to life.But together…Together, they might just ruin me.RUIN is a full length dark enemies-to-lovers/bully romance. This is a why choose novel, meaning the main character has more than one love interest. It is book one in the series.

A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime


Monica Murphy - 2022
    They all want to be her friend. Only I see Wren for who she really is.A repressed little virgin who keeps her feelings locked up so tight she’s probably close to bursting. She thinks she’s above us all.Even me.I shouldn’t be drawn to her. She’s not my type.Until we’re forced to work together in class and realize we might have more things in common than we originally thought. Soon enough I find myself completely obsessed. I will do anything for this girl to make her fall in love with me.Anything.

Blurred Lines


R.A. Smyth - 2022
    I’ve played hard, too.Still, I don’t know if I started living until Hadley showed up. And now she’s missing.Her guys are being tight-lipped and trying to keep me out from what’s going on, but I’m not backing down. Not from them, and definitely not from her gorgeous, arrogant brother, Hawk.My calm in the storm comes from the most unexpected place, because Wilder Clearwater is by my side constantly.The elite have never included me, but the lines drawn are becoming blurry.***Blurred Lines is a 36k Pacific Prep novella. It is highly recommended that you read the rest of the series first and to check the front of the book for content warning.

Dirty Love


Bethany Winters - 2022
    In a small town like ours, you’re either straight or you keep your mouth shut.Being gay would be dirty.Touching the guy who’s been your little brother since you were three would be dirty.Falling in love with him would be even worse.I protect him because it’s my job.I resist him because I have to.But when one night leads to two and two nights lead to more, lines are blurred and morals are tossed and my sanity takes a walk.Now we’re risking everything we have for something we know we shouldn’t want.And the only thing we’ll have left is each other.This is a 60,000 word, M/M, dark high school, stepbrothers-to-lovers romance with themes some readers might find offensive.Complete standalone with a HEA and no cliffhanger.

These Dirty Lies


L.A. Cotton - 2022
    Betray you. And in the end, it’ll kill you.Phoenix Wilder is angry.At least, that’s what it feels like, eating him up inside.He knows one thing though: never trust your heart.It won’t fix things, it’ll break them. Taint them. And in the end, it’ll destroy them.Once upon a time, Harleigh and Nix were everything to each other. They shared their secrets, their hopes and dreams.But things are different now.They’re different.And maybe everything they remember was nothing but a lie.* These Dirty Lies is the first book in Nix and Harleigh's duet. Due to mature content that some readers may find distressing, this book is recommended for readers 17+

Falls Boys


Penelope Douglas - 2022
    So polite. So sweet. Such an upstanding young man. A virgin, too, I hear. He never gets naughty with a girl. Probably because Jesus told him not to. And now here he is, trying to be the hero by protecting another girl from me. He calls me a bully. Irrational. Unreasonable. A criminal. He can call me anything he wants, I’ve heard worse. And he can try to stand between me and my money, but he’s never had to fight for food. That rich, clean, school boy doesn’t have what it takes. HAWKE I surprised her. You should’ve seen her face. Just because I don’t have a record, honey, doesn’t mean I’m clean. It just means I’m better at not getting caught. That is until I realize I might’ve actually gone too far this time. She’s there. I’m there. The scene of the crime. It’s dark. The police show up. We have no choice. We run. Down High Street, into Quinn’s bake shop, and I pull her through the entrance to the old speakeasy that everyone forgot was here decades ago. The door locks, the cops circle the building, never knowing we’re right here, and I’m hidden in plain sight, indefinitely, with someone’s who’s awful. Mean. Rough. Dirty. A thief. A delinquent. Until one night, lost in all of these rooms together, I don’t see any of those things anymore. She’s smart. Daring. Soft. Hot... Everything’s changing. It’s this place. It does something to people. We have a silly urban legend in Shelburne Falls about mirrors. They’re a gateway. Don’t lean back into them. But we came through front first. I don’t care what the county records say. This was never a speakeasy. It’s Carnival Tower.*FALLS BOYS is a standalone New Adult romance suitable for readers 18+. Reading the Falls Away series first is helpful but not necessary.

Tangled Truths: an enemies to lovers high school reverse harem (The Apocalypse Society Book 2)


Aly Beck - 2022
    

Surge


Maya Nicole - 2022
    Now, three men want answers I don't have, and they'll do whatever it takes to get them.Jax, Morgan, and Blake want to destroy me, but I know their secret.I’m questioning everything I knew to be true. Especially when the truth about them leads to discovering a deep, long-hidden secret about myself.They aren't who they appear to be... but neither am I.*Surge is a paranormal enemies-to-lovers romance where the heroine does not have to choose. There are adult situations and light/medium bullying happens in book 1 only. Series is complete.

The Boy Who Steals Hearts : A Sweet YA Prep School Romance (Hallisburg Prep Book 2)


Emily Lowry - 2022
    

Lord January


Dakota Krout - 2022
    Time is a Weapon. Time is running out.Grant Leap is an orphaned, mortal farmhand in a world where cultivation methods and Weapons of Power are jealously guarded and only passed down among family. He’s not content with his lot; as a Januarian, someone living in District January, he should be living the good life just like everyone else. Food, parties, food, entertainment, and food are the minimum requirement. As an orphan, specifically a reviled Leap, there’s not even a chance of being treated as a human.When a celestial event pours time magic into his field, coalescing into a lost Weapon of Power, Grant leaps at the opportunity to advance beyond even the scope of standard cultivation. At the first touch of the weapon, the orphan gains everything he’s ever wanted: a Sword and a Name. Also, a pesky mandatory quest with his life as the price of failure. It doesn’t take him long to realize that the best thing for him to do is to sell it and live on borrowed Time.Yet, that would never happen. The blade offers him the first major choice he’s ever had to make: surrender to his desires… or live like a King.

Corrupt Educator


Bianca Cole - 2022
    This book can be read as a standalone and has a happily ever after ending. This story has dark themes, hot scenes, violence, content some readers may find upsetting, and bad language.

How Our Hearts Break: A Novel


L.K. Reid - 2022
    I met mine when I was five. Noah Kincaid was my best friend, my person, a shoulder to cry on—until he wasn’t. Until he shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces with just a few words. But now he’s back, saying all the right words, doing all the right things, but it was too late. He was too late for our happily ever after, because life had other plans.Tragedies were never part of my plan—they weren’t on my bucket list. I always thought they happened to some other people, but never to me. Until they did. AUTHOR'S NOTE: HOW OUR HEARTS BREAK is a standalone, dark contemporary romance, with themes that might be too heavy for some readers. It contains explicit language and sexual content only suitable only for 18+. Please bear in mind that there's no guaranteed HEA.

Back Where We Began


C.W. Farnsworth - 2022
    Buttercup. A pretty nickname in an ugly tone. A term of endearment time twisted into an insult. A taunt that nothing has been forgiven—or forgotten.She’s back to sever ties. Break promises. Keep secrets. All easier said than done. The memories she left behind aren’t all bad…more like mostly good.Being reminded of the happy times before the heartbreak doesn’t change the fact that this visit is a farewell tour, not a reunion. Caden Bennett is the guy she left behind. Being back where they began doesn’t change that.But she never intended to fall for him the first time, either.

King of Spades


Steph Macca - 2022
    Literally.This town was run by violent gangs and I lived a quiet life as the criminal prosecutor's daughter. But the day of my 18th birthday, everything changed. Suddenly I was on the radar of both gangs. I should be scared. I should be fearful.But my desire for danger has taken over.I could be walking into a trap. But Reed, Colton and Grayson, the infamous Spades Trio are dragging me into the darkness...And down the rabbit's hole I go....Please note this is a dark contemporary gang novel. It contains violence, adult themes and a minor reference to birth trauma. Readers should proceed with caution and take care if they have known triggers.KING OF SPADES is a full length mature dark high school gang related adult romance with some enemies-to-lovers themes. This is a reverse harem novel, meaning the main female character has more than one love interest. KING OF SPADES is book one in the Black Spades Trilogy.

Born Reckless


B.J. Alpha - 2022
    I grew up with no real home or blood family around.That is until my uncle decided to be an unwelcome hero. He offered me a new life, a home in his mansion, and a fresh start at an exclusive private school. He thinks he’s better than me… They all do. Especially his hot as hell adopted son, Cameron. The reason I’m on lockdown.Uncle Jimmy thinks he’s doing me a favor, but I know his secrets, just like he knows mine. But the difference between us all, is I’d rather live my previous life than one like this. CameronIn one night, she destroyed something that meant the world to me. After filing charges, I inflict what I think is hell by having her sent to a detention center, a place with no future. Lock-up. Where she belongs. I want my revenge, what was lost to me forever, but I’ll take what I can get.That is until my adoptive father introduces me to his niece, and I see before me the very bane of my existence. I refuse to look into her eyes, to give in to the intrigue she stirs within me.I refuse to want her. Until the choice isn’t even mine.JP Hero ✅Bad-ass FMC ✅Step-cousin relationship ✅Enemies to lovers ✅WARNING: This book has triggers.It contains a pregnancy loss storyline. Graphic sex scenes, violence and strong language recommended for readers aged eighteen and over.This is a stand-alone book and ends with a HEA.

Burn Me Up: An Enemies to Lovers High School Romance


MJ Asher - 2022
    

The Hate Between Us


Vera Hollins - 2022
    That’s all it takes for your life to do a one-eighty. One moment to have your dreams shattered and freedom stolen. One moment to forget who you are.The night Caroline Adams decided to drive drunk and ended up striking me as I stood on the sidewalk was when that moment happened to me. Nothing has been the same since.In a wheelchair and broken, I’ve started my senior year at Lake Gate High, where I have to deal with the humiliating stares and whispers. Moreover, I have to see him—Jason Adams, Caroline’s brother.He doesn’t hide the fact that he hates me for being the reason Caroline ended up in juvenile detention, and that he wants me to stay away from him. But that might prove to be impossible when we’re cast as the leads in our school play and that line between us gets blurred.But I won’t let my old feelings for him resurface.Not when he’s a jerk.Not when that moment keeps haunting me and reminding me of the darkness.The darkness of that night I might never be able to escape from.This book includes sensitive themes and situations that may be triggering for some readers, so caution is advised.

Love, Michael


Gina A. Jones - 2022
    Now it's our daughter's wedding day, and your smile tells me you're here for more than to walk her down the aisle. When we met, it was the summer of Shania Twain, the color of Mocha Iced lipstick, Sand & Sable perfume, and the summer I began a seventeen-year-old mother. But time has changed me. So tell me, why are you back? Jill

Made for Cyn (The Made Series, #1)


Nina Lincoln - 2022
    She never dreamed it would leave her floundering between violence, love, and a deadly ever after…Rain Flaherty thirsts for real-world experiences. And the shy teen’s discomfort with the strange new attention she receives from her religious compound’s prophet drives her to request a year attending a traditional high school. But her excitement over her parents’ agreement is quickly tempered by confusing surroundings… and an unpleasant altercation with the drool-worthy local bad boy.Confused by how this stone-cold blackmailer sparks her heart, Rain’s conflicted loyalties aren’t helped when her creepy step-uncle starts showing his cruel side. And although everyone around her is playing a game she doesn’t understand, the sheltered girl is certain the slightest misstep will be paid for in blood.Can Rain capture the liberty she craves, or is she doomed to sinister enthrallment?Made for Cyn is the first book in The Made Series of high school bully romances. If you like innocent heroines, dark twists and turns, and cliffhanger endings, then you’ll adore Nina Lincoln’s steamy angst.Buy Made for Cyn to step into temptation today!

The Bookworm: A Sweet YA & Teen Romance (Covington Prep: The Girls We Love Book 2)


Kylie Key - 2022
    

Dry Heat: a Novel


Len Joy - 2022
    Then things get bad.The high school bonfire is supposed to be the kickoff to a great night: Joey has just won a football scholarship and he's hoping for a sex breakthrough with his new girlfriend. Then his true love--but ex-girlfriend--Mallory tells his she's pregnant. He's reeling from that news when the bonfire explodes.Joey, his new girlfriend and her drug dealer friend TJ, flee in her truck. When the police pursue, TJ shoots at the cop's car. It crashes and in the ensuing chaos TJ slips away undetected. Joey, the only adult in the truck, is hauled off to jail.Joey is charged with attempted murder and released on bail. TJ is nowhere to be found. When Joey discovers that Mallory's father is pressuring her to terminate the pregnancy, Joey has to remain free to prevent that from happening. In desperation, he reaches out to notorious gang leader, Chico Torres, whom he met in jail, for help locating TJ.When Joey is offered a deal--his freedom in exchange for his cooperation in nailing Chico--he faces a decision that will change the course of his life and Mallory's.

Dry Heat: A Novel


Len Joy - 2022
    Then things get bad.The high school bonfire is supposed to be the kickoff to a great night: Joey has just won a football scholarship and he's hoping for a sex breakthrough with his new girlfriend. Then his true love--but ex-girlfriend--Mallory tells his she's pregnant. He's reeling from that news when the bonfire explodes.Joey, his new girlfriend and her drug dealer friend TJ, flee in her truck. When the police pursue, TJ shoots at the cop's car. It crashes and in the ensuing chaos TJ slips away undetected. Joey, the only adult in the truck, is hauled off to jail.Joey is charged with attempted murder and released on bail. TJ is nowhere to be found. When Joey discovers that Mallory's father is pressuring her to terminate the pregnancy, Joey has to remain free to prevent that from happening. In desperation, he reaches out to notorious gang leader, Chico Torres, whom he met in jail, for help locating TJ.When Joey is offered a deal--his freedom in exchange for his cooperation in nailing Chico--he faces a decision that will change the course of his life and Mallory's.

Hooked on Him (Lakeview Prep Duet Book 2)


Victoria Stevens - 2022
    

A Beautiful Soul


Rollen Joy Buhian - 2022
    I can't promise you anything, and I know… I fucking know that I'll eventually hurt you."I ache for this boy. I truly do."Then don't make any promises," I whisper softly. "I don't want promises anyway. I just want you."To Caroline Preston, admiring Ares Angelo Wright Villin from afar since she was twelve years old has been enough. He is Master Ares, and she's the help's daughter. They are worlds apart. But what if a tragedy on her seventeenth birthday brings them closer together? Now separated only by a thin wall and her self-control, she will come to realize how wrong she was to think that they could never be.

Waiting to Ignite


E.J. Everette - 2022
    Years in abusive homes have made her hesitant, anxious, and all-around antisocial. So why do these five guys make her want to spend every moment with them? Why doesn't she fear their presence, a presence they basically force upon her within minutes of meeting? And what is with the way her body literally buzzes when they touch her?After decades bouncing between realms, Reid, Rip, Mitch, Chance, and Dean have finally found the prophecy girl they have been searching for. But...she has no idea who she is, what she is capable of, or how important she is to them and their people. Worse yet, the council has forbidden them from telling her anything until she comes into her power. That task, in and of itself, isn't too hard, except that every single one of them know the truth and they can only resist the pull for so long before they claim what is rightfully theirs. Shit, it's been prophesized. Waiting to Ignite is book one in a slow burn new adult paranormal reverse harem romance series. Gray has a lot to learn about who she is and where she really comes from, but first she has to survive summer school and the guys who guest star in her dreams at night. Not to mention someone, or some thing, has a special interest in her as well, and they aren't looking to date her.

Conversation Hearts (Hectic Holidays, #3)


Kata Čuić - 2022
    She might change her mind about manifesting. Does it count if she’s fake engaged to the man of her dreams? Even though he’s been her best friend for years, Liv doesn’t know how to communicate on a deeper level with Ollie. When she discovers that their baby making pact is a success, she has two choices. Either crack his secret code or walk away to let him live his best life. Unfortunately, their friends and family keep complicating an already complex task. What Liv needs is a little help from Cupid. She’ll have to learn a love language that has no words.

Oliver Cucinelli does not count keeping secrets among his strongest skills. He’s never been good at lying, but he’s painfully familiar with the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it.” He didn’t plan on a fake engagement to the love of his life as a way to win her over, but he’s not going to waste this opportunity to research exactly, specifically, categorically how Liv defines love. Communication is key. Unfortunately for Ollie, communication is also not his strongest skill. To complicate matters, Liv is acting strange. How can he learn the deepest desires of a woman whose personality seems to change every hour? Language is hard, so he’s going to let his heart do all the talking.

A Tortured Soul


Rollen Joy Buhian - 2022
    With her beside him, all the hurt and pain that had consumed him fade into oblivion, and there is only her. He's seen her bloom from the shy, innocent girl to a gracefully strong woman as they build their perfect life together. But that perfect life gets shaken when he finds another man in his bed. Blinded by fury, he banishes Caroline only to discover years later how wrong he was about... well, about everything.

Found


D.M. Page - 2022
    Instead I met them, five guys who became the center of my universe. Our friendship grew but so did my feelings. What should I do when I could never choose?She’s our fated mate but she doesn’t even know about supernaturals. We know she’s something, but we aren’t sure what. We have to gain her trust before we can reveal everything.*This is a medium burn, paranormal, reverse harem, meaning she doesn’t have to choose and book one in the series. The story changes POVs between the main character and her men. The steaminess factor will go up as the series goes on and is intended for 17+. This is 30,000 words and ends on a minor cliff hanger*