K. Jamila

Sheyanne Shaw hates nothing more than she hates her hometown of Flagstaff, Arizona.Except maybe being forced to return to it. After escaping her estranged relationship with her father, leaving behind her brother and her best friends, she returns after four years away. All to help her father in sorting out the house and the stables she grew up on. But she is not just greeted by him and the demons she tried so hard to leave behind.Liam Landon never thought he’d step foot in such a small town.Raised in the city of Vegas, the small town was not what he expected. Hired to help Mr. Shaw manage his finances, he can’t turn down the opportunity to help out his grandparents and start building a life for himself. While traveling for the job isn’t unheard of as a freelancer, it’s a bit different to be expected to stay for three months. Liam is open to it—only to be met with the absolute spitfire of his boss’s daughter.Sheyanne is forced to confront her demons and her past relationships that have faded into nothing in the years she’s been gone. And she is forced to confront Liam. A man here on limited time, who seems to see straight through her defenses. He is cool, calm, and collected, and there for her every step of the way.When faced with her worst fear and her own thoughts, will Sheyanne decide to leave like before? Or will she stay?

Valentina Scott is a cynic for love. After her first and only relationship left her burned and broken, she is hesitant to open herself up to the idea of love again. Even throwing herself into work at Poze, a major fashion magazine, drunken nights with her friends in the city, and long therapy sessions, haven’t quite changed her mind—Nina still tries to keep the walls around her heart sealed up tight. A wedding invitation sends her straight to the past and to the bars. And the blurry night ends with sea-blue eyes, blonde hair, and a bright smile. Jackson Ross holds the sun in his hands. He’s overly optimistic and wouldn’t know a rain cloud if it hit him. And he’s anything but deterred by her negative outlook on relationships. If anything, it just enchants him more. When he finally begins to whittle his way past her walls, life comes crashing in when he least expects it. Will Valentina take a chance and let Jackson in? Will Jackson make his way through the rain? Or will life and all its disasters come crashing down and shroud them in the darkness just when they were ready to step into the sun?

June 12, 2025.

Isaiah Bryant left five years ago and couldn’t look back. Aurora Matthews has spent those five years wondering if the rest of her life will be spent trying to fill the void. For the most part, Aurora loves her life. She’s the captain of the Philadelphia Royals, a professional women’s soccer team, with a once in a lifetime chance at selection for the women’s national team. The women she plays with are more like sisters than teammates and her family, though chaotic, is always by her side. Years of hard work, her fathers coaching, sweat and tears—it’s all paid off. Aurora has earned her spot on every team. Has earned her spot in the game. And yet…that space will not fill. No matter how many tournament wins, awards won, trophies raised…she cannot deny that she misses him. Isaiah Bryant left five years ago and couldn’t look back. Not if he ever wanted to come back. His brother left without a word. The pressure from his mom was a heavy weight and combined with an innate fear of self-inflicted failure, at eighteen he felt the weight of the world and didn’t know how to escape it. When he returns like a ghost in the night, Aurora is left to decide what’s next. Does she try to rekindle the friendship—the love—they once shared? Or does she protect the fragile heart she’s had to re-build? Isaiah isn’t one to give up easily. He left and now he’s back. For her. The only girl he’s ever loved. Can he win her back? Will she let him? Love is a game. Who’s going to win?