Emily McIntire

From USA TODAY bestselling author Emily McIntire comes an angsty, second chance romance and the first interconnected standalone in The Sugarlake series. Alina Carson meets Chase Adams when she’s eleven years old, after he moves in down the street carrying nothing but a chip on his shoulder and dimples in his cheeks. Immediately she falls, loving him before she even knows what loving is. But becoming best friends with Chase’s little sister means that he’s off-limits, no matter how much their connection screams for something more. Chase never cared much for following the rules. Abandoned by everyone who was supposed to love him, he’s broken and insecure, choosing to push others away before they have a chance to hurt him. But there’s something about the girl with golden hair, and before he can stop himself, he’s sneaking through her window, whispering his deepest secrets beneath her glow ‘n stick stars. As time goes on and they get older, he decides to give their love a chance, no matter what anyone else thinks. But old habits die hard, and when tragedy strikes, Chase is back to doing what he does best. Ruining everything. Chase disappears, and years pass, leaving Alina with no choice but to pick up her broken pieces and move on. Until one day, he’s back. All grown up and taking over his family’s business. When Alina and Chase are thrown together and forced to work in the same building, old feelings resurface, and Alina quickly realizes that Chase is on a mission, determined to right the wrongs of his past. Starting with her. **** *Beneath the Stars is the first interconnected standalone in The Sugarlake series. It contains mature and graphic content. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Full list of TW can be found on author's website.*

She doesn't belong to him...she belongs to the crown. Prince Tristan Faasa was never destined for the throne. That was always his brother, Michael. The same brother responsible for both Tristan's tormented childhood and the scar that mars his face. When their father dies, Michael is set to assume the throne, and Tristan is set to steal it. The leader of a secret rebellion, Tristan will stop at nothing to end his brother's reign. But when Michael's new betrothed, Lady Sara Beatreaux arrives, Tristan finds himself in the middle of a new kind of war. The kind that begs the question of what's more important, the crown or the woman about to wear it. Sara has one plan. Marry the King and eradicate the Faasa line, even at the risk of her own peril. But she never expects the Scarred Prince. He's dangerous. Forbidden. And one of the men she's been sent to kill. But the line between hatred and passion has never seemed so thin, and as secrets come to light, Sara grows unsure of whom she can trust—torn between vengeance and the villain she was never supposed to love. Scarred is a DARK Royal Romance and a complete standalone within The Never After Series (A series of fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains). It is not a retelling or fantasy. It contains subject matter which may be triggering for some. Reader discretion is advised.

She's his diamond in the rough. He's her worst nightmare. Yasmin Karam, daughter to one of the richest men in the world, has never known strife. So, when her beloved father falls ill, she's determined to make his final days his happiest. His last wish? To see her married to a man of his choosing. Except Yasmin's heart already belongs to someone else. A servant. A street rat. A man her father would never consider worthy. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Yasmin strikes a desperate deal with her father's right-hand man, Julian, not realizing he has his own twisted agenda. Julian Faraci has one goal: become the most powerful man in the world. He's built a future from broken bones and faded bruises, never caring who he hurt along the way. But when his mentor falls ill, he finds himself on the verge of losing everything, and he'll stop at nothing to inherit what is rightfully his. Even if it means forcing a woman he can't stand into marriage. Yasmin is a brat who speaks out of turn, and he's the villain of her story. But he decides she'll be his—no matter what it takes to convince her. *Twisted is a dark, contemporary romance (not fantasy or a literal retelling) and the fourth complete standalone in the Never After series: a collection of fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all readers. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.*

From bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a dark and delicious fractured fairy tale reimagining of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He is righteousness. She is sin. Father Cade Frédéric is a holy man. Brought up in the streets of Paris, he has dedicated his life to the church. But there’s a monster that lingers just beneath the surface. A sickness. One that bleeds darkness and feeds on the damned. When he’s tasked to become the priest in Festivalé, Vermont, a town both beautiful in architecture and riddled with despair, his sickness sings, demanding he rid the place of evil. Amaya Paquette is Festivalé’s beautiful mystery. She spends her days caring for her younger brother and her nights transforming into Esmeralda, dancing for greedy eyes and shameless lips. Although she longs for love, she shies away from companionship, afraid of being abandoned again. When Father Cade lays eyes on Amaya, he finds himself ensnared, convinced she’s using witchcraft to lure him to her. He can’t eat. Can’t breathe. Can’t think unless it’s of her. And temptation is a devastating mistress. She’s his weakness, so he decides he’ll be her demise…even if it means killing the only woman he might ever love. *** *CROSSED is a dark, contemporary romance (not fantasy or a literal retelling) and the fifth complete standalone in the Never After series: fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all readers. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Detailed TW can be found on the author's website. This series can be enjoyed in any order.*

Once Upon A Time, there was a wicked girl. She lost everything that mattered, causing darkness to unfurl. Impulsive and intelligent, she helped her family name grow strong. But then one day a man without a heart came along. An undercover agent, meant to spy and bring back tips. Following down her hidden path of faded yellow bricks. She hated him, he wanted her; she was too good to be true. But a woman can be great... and terrible too. Wretched is a dark contemporary romance and the third complete standalone in The Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It is not fantasy and it is not a retelling. Reader discretion is advised.

He's the prince of La Cosa Nostra. She's the witch who steals his heart. From USA Today bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a dark and delicious fractured fairytale of The Little Mermaid. Venesa Andersen has never been good. She wasn’t good enough for her parents, and she isn’t good enough for the gangster uncle who took her in after they died. But she’s cunning. Beautiful. Dutiful to her uncle’s demands. And she doesn’t have time for a moral compass, anyway. When her runaway cousin returns to their coastal southern town, she brings a man with her…and Venesa soon realizes he’s the only one who’s ever seen her for her. There’s just one problem: she can never have him. Enzo “Loverboy” Marino is a wealthy businessman by day and prince of the underworld by night. Underboss to a notorious mafia syndicate, he answers to no one except his father, the strongest don in the Northeast. When he’s tasked with marriage, Enzo doesn’t think twice. Until he meets his fiancée’s cousin. Venesa is everything he never knew he wanted, bewitching him with her sultry voice and supple curves. But Enzo learned long ago that for a man like him, life is better without the things you want. When plans unravel and temptation sings its siren song, they’ll both have to choose what’s more important: duty to their families, or a forbidden love that was never supposed to be.

Skelm Island, Maine has always been known for two things: lobsters and its broken lighthouse. But when corpses start showing up in the water, the isolated town becomes the face of a cryptic investigation. At the heart of which stands Lincoln Porter, a grumpy ex-SEAL whose lobstering business seems to attract more dead bodies than fish. When homicide expert Detective Sloane is called in to assist with the case, she begins digging up skeletons; ones that Lincoln would rather stay buried. Forced to work together, Sloane’s suspicious attitude and optimistic demeanor grate on the lobsterman’s nerves, resulting in a rivalry that’s as addicting as it is volatile. But as everything unravels and they have no one else to trust, Lincoln and Sloane must depend on each other to figure out what secrets should be brought to light… ...and which secrets should stay hidden. ******* *Be Still My Heart is a full-length, complete standalone featuring mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.*

From international bestselling author, Emily McIntire, comes a dark and delicious fractured fairy tale reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. A woman can be great, and terrible too. Evelina Westerly has always been the bad guy. As the brains, brawn, and botanist behind her family's drug empire, she's her father's ruthless secret weapon. With her days divided between perfecting her greenhouse, seeking revenge for her sister's murder, and putting a gun to the head of anyone in her way, Evelina doesn't have time for anything else. Especially not for love. After a one-night stand with a gorgeous man at a nightclub, she's sated her urges and is back to her criminal ways. That is, until that same man shows up as the new Westerly lackey...under a totally different name. But Nicholas Woodsworth's real secret is much more dangerous than an alias. He's an undercover DEA agent, and he's hell-bent on destroying the drug trade that devastated his family. When he realizes the youngest daughter of the Westerly empire is the same woman he's been fantasizing about since that night at the club, attraction wars violently with disgust. Evelina embodies everything he's against, and he's been sent here to be her downfall. Yet the more they learn about the darkness in each other's hearts, the more alike they seem, and when hatred turns to something more, Nicholas will have to decide whether he can love a wretched woman, even if it means bringing both of their lives to ruin. *Wretched is a dark contemporary romance and the third complete standalone in The Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales inspired by our favorite villains. It is not fantasy and it is not a retelling. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, check the author's website.* This is the republished edition with minor changes from the original version.

Tanto tempo fa, un re ci ha lasciato. Due figli aveva avuto: un reietto ed uno amato. Ma per poter salire sul trono a regnare Il grande aveva un onere: una sposa da trovare. E visto che il minore era un bruto ed un villano Fu detto a quella sposa di stargli ben lontano. La fulgida regina il divieto rispettava di giorno era perfetta, un'amabile sovrana. Ma al calar del sole, il talamo lasciava, e dal fratello oscuro scendeva nella tana. Dimenticò i suoi impegni e la sua posizione e fra segreti e sbagli, perdette la ragione. E mentre al primo re la mano aveva dato il cuore apparteneva al Principe Sfregiato.

From USA Today bestselling author Emily McIntire comes a dark and delicious fractured fairy tale reimagining of Peter Pan. He wants revenge, but he wants her more… James has always had one agenda: destroy his enemy, Peter Michaels. When Peter’s twenty-year-old daughter Wendy shows up in James’s bar, he sees his way in. Seduce the girl and use her for his revenge. It’s the perfect plan, until things in James’s organization begin to crumble. Suddenly, he has to find the traitor in his midst, and his plan for revenge gets murkier as James starts to see Wendy as more than just a pawn in his game. Wendy has been cloistered away most of her life by her wealthy cold father, but a spontaneous night out with friends turns into an intense and addictive love affair with the dark and brooding James. As much as she knows James is dangerous, Wendy can’t seem to shake her desire for him. But as their relationship grows more heated and she learns more about the world he moves in, she finds herself unsure if she’s falling for the man known as James or the monster known as Hook. Hooked is a dark contemporary romance and the first complete standalone in the Never After Series: A collection of fractured fairy tales where the villains get the happy ever after. It is not a literal retelling and not fantasy. Hooked features mature themes and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. For all content warnings, check the author's website.

Blakely My life is a stage. Followed by millions, and loved by none. And me, the captain of control, steering my image through choppy waters. Making sure I stay on top. No one ever sees me. No one ever looks. Until him. But he's everything impossible, and a thousand shades of wrong. Falling for him would ruin everything I've worked for. So why can't I stay away? Jackson My life is a back-up plan. Surrounded by friends, and loved by none. And me, the king of heartbreak, gluing my pieces back together. Making sure they stick. No one ever sees me. No one ever looks. Until her. But she's everything off limits, and a thousand shades of sin. Falling for her would ruin everything I've worked for. So why won't she stay away? Beneath the Hood is a full-length, interconnected standalone and book three in the Sugarlake series. The series can be read in any order, however it is highly recommended to start with Book One (Beneath the Stars) to enhance your reading experience. Beneath the Hood features strong language, explicit sexual scenes and mature situations which may be considered triggers for some. Reader discretion is advised.

Becca I hated before I loved. I loved and then I lost. And the only man I’ve ever wanted is the one out of reach. Temptation is the Devil’s candy, but I lost my faith in God years ago. He’s forbidden. Off-limits. My biggest secret. One I’m determined to take to my grave. I’ve learned to live in the ghost of his memory. Craving his touch, but relieved he never comes home. Until one day, he does. And everything comes crashing down. After all, nothing secret stays hidden for long. Eli I lost before I left. I left and then I loved. And the only woman I’ve ever seen is the one that I resent. There’s a thin line between love and hate, but I stopped playing in-bounds years ago. She’s forbidden. Off-limits. My sister’s best friend. The one who blazes like the sun. I’ve learned to live in the shade. Forgetting the heat and embracing the cold. Until finally, I’m home. And everything goes up in flames. After all, she’s the one who lights my fire, and I always chase the match.

From USA TODAY bestselling author Emily McIntire comes the fourth and final interconnected standalone in the Sugarlake series. Lily Adams ran away and never looked back. She got herself clean and lives a sober life, working hard to give her son a good home in a place where they’ll be safe. It’s been years since she left Sugarlake, and the last thing she’d expect is her brother sending someone to find her. Mason Wells is the best private investigator in Tennessee. Tasked with the mission of hunting down Lily Adams, he knows he’s the perfect man for the job. At least he thought he was, until he actually finds her. Immediately, Mason feels a pull. He needs to know the perky, dark-haired woman and the son she loves more tha the world. Before he can stop himself, he’s inserted himself into their lives, fake name and all, and even though he tells himself it’s temporary, every day he spends with Lily, the weight of his secrets push down on him more. When Mason’s past catches up to him, putting Lily and her son’s life in danger, he knows he has to do something major to keep them safe. Even if it means breaking both their hearts and losing them for good. **** *Beneath the Surface is the fourth interconnected standalone in The Sugarlake series. It contains mature and graphic content. Reader Discretion is Advised. Full list of TW can be found on the author's website.*