Rachel Higginson

16-year-old Eden Matthews has been in and out of private schools for the last two years. She can't seem to stop herself from closing them down. Kingsley is her last chance to finish high school and the last private school willing to accept her. She is focused on just getting through graduation until she realizes Kingsley is not like the other private schools she's been to. The students may be different, but so is she. And after meeting Kiran Kendrick, the boy who won't leave her alone and seems to be the source of all her problems, she is suddenly in a world that feels more make-believe than reality. To top it off, she is being hunted by men who want to kill Kiran and her best friend Lilly is taken away to a foreign prison. Eden finds herself right in the middle of an ancient war, threatening everything she loves. She alone has to find a way to save her best friend and the boy who has captivated her heart. Reckless Magic is an intricate story about mystery, adventure, magic and forbidden love. Eden Matthews is an unlikely heroine determined to save the world and be with her one, true love before it's too late.

Fifteen years ago I met Sayer Wesley. I fell in love with him. I promised I would never leave him. I swore nothing could break us apart. Five years ago I broke my promise. I ran away. I took the one secret that could destroy us both and disappeared. Five days ago I thought I saw him. I knew it was impossible. Sayer was locked away, serving a deserved sentence in federal prison. He couldn’t find me. He wouldn’t find me. I was too good at hiding. Too good at surviving. Because if Sayer ever found me, there would be hell to pay for a plethora of sins. The worst of which, he didn’t even know about. Five hours ago, I told myself I was crazy. Five minutes ago, I saw him again. Five seconds ago, I was too late.

I quit life. Or at least my new job. My new, fancy, head chef position at one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the city is not turning out like I’d hoped. I’m a mess. Totally out of my element and underqualified, I’ve been thrown into a fiery kitchen and I’m not sure I can handle the heat. On top of that, my personal life is falling apart. And to make matters worse, my best friend's brother keeps popping up at all my worst moments to save the day. I’ve never claimed to have it together, but I certainly don’t need a man to rescue me every time I get my heel stuck in a sewer grate. Except that’s what keeps happening. Vann Delane is pushy and stuck up and thinks he knows everything there is to know about everything. And for whatever reason, he keeps saving me. Not that he’s happy about it. He’s made it clear what he thinks about my money and dream job and the designer shoes he saved last weekend. He’s not impressed with me and my penchant for disaster. I’ve decided to stay away from him. I’ve got too many other fires to put out to worry about the something between us that doesn’t have a name. So, he can give his knight in shining armor kindness to someone else. And he can save those intense glances and butterfly-inducing smiles for the nice girl he’s looking for. And he can deny it all he wants, but I know he likes me. He says I drive him crazy. But I know there’s something about me that he can’t deny.

I’m over men. I’m done with them. Or at least the ones that work in my kitchen. Fine, one man in particular. Wyatt Shaw is cocky and condescending and so far out of his element that he doesn’t know which way is up. Or how to run his brand new kitchen all by himself. That’s where I come in. Sous chef extraordinaire. Second in command. Bane of his existence. I am the reason Wyatt’s doing so well as the new executive chef of one of our city’s most prestigious restaurants. He has me to thank for his glowing accolades and five-star write-ups. Only if you were to ask him, he’d say I’m his biggest problem. Despite his discouragement and bullish behavior, I’ve set two goals for myself. The first? I’m going to fight my way to the top of this male-dominated industry and claim my own award-winning kitchen. The second? I’m going to do whatever it takes to ignore Wyatt and his rare smiles and the thickening tension that’s started to simmer between us. Wyatt Shaw might be Durham’s new shining star. He might be up for a James Beard Award. He might be my new boss and key to my future success, but he’s also in my way. So he can keep his smoldering looks and secret kisses. And he can be the one that figures out how to make it through service without getting distracted by me. I’m not the problem. The problem is him.

All Ellie Harris wanted was a life of her own. In a shortsighted decision, she follows her high school boyfriend to college, only to get cheated on and then dumped. And to add insult to injury, her overprotective family is suddenly clinging to her again, fighting to control every part of her life. Bad luck follows her hasty decision and when her roommate steals her identity and leaves town, Ellie is left to clean up a gigantic mess. Fin Hunter insists Ellie owes him seven thousand dollars from an online poker game and he won't stop until he collects it. Determined to keep her family out of her life, Ellie agrees to work for Fin in his illegal online poker operation. He's given her six weeks to pay off the debt. Soon sparks are flying between them and the only thing keeping her from falling for him is the debt she still owes and the money she doesn't have. At the end of those six weeks, Ellie will have to pay the mistaken debt or bet that her feelings for Fin will be worth more than the money. This book was previously titled Bet in the Dark.

I'm cursed. At least when it comes to finding Mr. Right. I'm tired of men that only want one night stands or blind dates that are nothing but awkward and uncomfortable. I'm tired of avoiding inappropriate text messages and the constant disappointment of always meeting Mr. Wrong. After all these years of dates that lead nowhere, I can admit that it's me. I'm the problem. I'm shy and picky and cursed. Definitely cursed. So I've decided two things. The first? I'm giving up dating and relationships and men in general. Maybe, possibly, forever. The second? I'm going to have to try harder to avoid Ezra Baptiste. If I couldn't hack it in the kiddy pool of dating, I certainly can't swim in his deep end. He's too successful. Too intense. He's all man when I'm used to nothing but boys pretending to be grownups. He's everything I'm afraid to want and so far out of my league we might as well be different species entirely. So he'll need to find a different artist to paint his mural. And a different graphic designer to help him with his website. He'll need to find someone else to glare at and flirt with and kiss. It can't be me. We're too different.

I’ve sworn off men. All men. Famous last words, right? You’re expecting some epic tale of reluctant love and my dramatic change of heart? Well, you’re not going to get it. I’m stubborn. And headstrong. And I’ve just survived the worst three years of my life. After escaping an abusive boyfriend to live in hostels and cheap hotels while I worked my way across Europe, I’ve come to two conclusions. The first? Now that I’m back home, I’m going to squander my expensive culinary degree on a food truck that caters to the late night drunk crowd. The second? I’m going to prove to the bastard across the plaza that my street food is better than his fussy five course monstrosities. Killian Quinn might be Food and Wine’s Chef to Watch Out For. He might have a Michelin Star. He might have every food critic in the city wrapped around his too-large fingers. But he’s also pretentious and unbearably arrogant and the very opposite of me. So he can keep his unsolicited advice and his late night visits and his cocky smiles. I want none of it. Or him. I want the opposite.

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Haley Gable has been on the run from Zombies and other evils for almost two years. She is exhausted, cynical and bored. Her overactive brain is ticking away at her sanity and the endless struggle for survival ahead of her seems overwhelming. Until she meets the Parker brothers. Now traveling in company with five overprotective brothers and a little girl that has completely stolen her heart, Haley finally feels a breath of relief. That is until Nelson, the middle brother, decides that Haley is exactly the girl he’s been waiting for. Panicked by the idea of love and confused about what kind of future any relationship could possibly have when surrounded daily by the looming threat of death, Haley avoids Nelson and all his advances. When the group finds a solar powered farmhouse, Haley’s defenses are down in light of such an exciting thing as electricity and Nelson takes the opportunity to pursue her. Caught up in Nelson’s charm, Haley has trouble resisting him and everything he offers her. A temporary fling doesn’t sound so bad, but what Nelson wants from her is something so much stronger than casual, so much deeper than anything she’s ever felt before. Nelson wants all of Haley, every last part. But can she give up her fear and doubt and give him a chance? Will he turn her world of decay into something made of love and hope? Love and Decay, Episode Four, is the fourth in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.

All Ellie Harris wanted was a life of her own. In a shortsighted decision, she follows her high school boyfriend to college, only to get cheated on and then dumped. And to add insult to injury, her overprotective family is suddenly clinging to her again, fighting to control every part of her life. Bad luck follows her hasty decision and when her roommate steals her identity and leaves town, Ellie is left to clean up a gigantic mess. Fin Hunter insists Ellie owes him seven thousand dollars from an online poker game and he won't stop until he collects it. Determined to keep her family out of her life, Ellie agrees to work for Fin in his illegal online poker operation. He's given her six weeks to pay off the debt. Soon sparks are flying between them and the only thing keeping her from falling for him is the debt she still owes and the money she doesn't have. At the end of those six weeks, Ellie will have to pay the mistaken debt or bet that her feelings for Fin will be worth more than the money. This book was previously titled Bet in the Dark.

In the final installment of the Star-Crossed Series, we find Eden Matthews a prisoner in the very household she set out to destroy. She's without magic and engaged to the same boy who betrayed her and everyone she loves. With her wedding looming on the horizon, conditions for her people continue to worsen and her goal of offering her kingdom freedom seems further away than ever.Her brother is free, however, and building a Rebellion that hopes to rescue her. Eden's parents are working with the Resistance. And inside the Citadel, Eden finds more allies than she thought possible.But there is more at stake for Eden than just an unwanted marriage. Her heart is on the line too as she fights the pressures of palace life, the prejudice ingrained in her people, and a seemingly unbeatable king. The Star-Crossed Series continues in book 5 with The Reluctant King.

Seraphina Van Curen and Sebastian Cartier thought they were soul mates once upon a time. But for over a year, they have been well aware of just how quickly love can turn to hate and how cruel fate can be. They might not be able to stand the sight of each other, but that’s okay since they avoid each other like the plague. When danger strikes too close to home, and ancient Magic surfaces, they find themselves in the center of a deadly war. Seraphina and Sebastian strike an uneasy truce in order to end Dmitri Terletov, once and for all. They must work together to save what’s left of the Kingdom and protect the people they love most. Along the way, they discover fate isn’t finished with them yet. Fate is just getting started.

Breathless Magic is proud to be part of the Open Hearts Chronicles. And they lived happily ever after… Or that was supposed to be how the story ended. Unfortunately for Eden Kendrick, a new enemy threatens her beloved Kingdom, one more dangerous and deadly than ever before. After enjoying a deliciously elongated honeymoon, Eden returns to the Citadel with her husband and happiness intact. She’s unexpectedly pregnant, but that’s just one more blessing to add to her blooming happiness. Eden’s heart is full and her endless life has never been more happy. That is until Dmitri Terletov returns from the dead and threatens everyone she loves and the Kingdom she worked so hard to build. This time around, Eden is supposed to be shielded from the conflict. She has her growing babies to protect now and Kiran wants her as far from the battle as possible. Although she’s a little stir-crazy with idle hands, she agrees that keeping away from Terletov and his deadly experiments is definitely the right course of action. Unfortunately, Terletov doesn’t agree. And when he arrives at the Castle, uninvited and desperate for the Magic Eden once stole from him, she has no choice but to fight once again to save the people she was born to protect.

Jericho Bentley is disillusioned by life. He feels lost in a world of peace and restless in a time threatened by war. He has given up on love, forgotten how to trust others and decided a lifetime of bachelorhood is all that remains for him. Olivia Taylor was struggling to find her way in a human world. Now taken from the only life she’s ever known and changed on a molecular level, she is more lost than ever. With her sister struggling to survive the after effects of one of Dmitri Terletov’s experiments, Olivia sets off with Jericho to find a cure for both herself and her sister. Together, Jericho and Olivia find more than vengeance and answers, they find a deep friendship that might teach them both to trust again. Maybe even to love again. As long as they can both put the hurt of their past behind them for good.

Avalon St. Andrews has endured Hell and war in an attempt to secure freedom and immortality for his people. Raised and conditioned to be both warrior and leader, he now sits on a throne with his sister Eden, governing the Kingdom in peace. While his people enjoy the benefits of his struggle and loss, he is restless, bored and alone. Avalon is summoned to fight to save his people once more as the Kingdom is threatened by a brand new evil. In addition to reigning in a kingship he doesn’t want, he is fighting against the very people he has fought so hard to protect. They are determined to throw away their newfound freedom and their newfound leaders. In this war and in this kingship he feels alone. And for the first time he feels hollow. That is until Amelia Cartier shows up, invading his every thought and shaking up his carefully controlled world. Now he faces yet another battle—making Amelia his queen.

Eden Matthew's world is in shambles. Her grandfather viciously murdered, her twin brother held without magic, and her best friends imprisoned, all at the hands of the one man that was supposed to love her for eternity. She has been betrayed, and now she is being hunted by a king that wants her dead. Eden must pick up the pieces of her life and stand alone against the tyranny that threatens to destroy her world. Alone she must find a way to rebuild the Resistance, locate her missing parents, save her loved ones and take down the monarchy. Everything is against her, including forbidden feelings of a love that she thought was buried. She has declared war and now stands on the precipice of defeat. Losing is not an option however, and Eden must find a way to overcome her emotions, fight through her pain and restore the magic to her kingdom. Fearless Magic is the third installment of The Star-Crossed Series.

After returning home from Romania, and successfully saving her best friend Lilly, Eden Matthews must now come to terms with her future as an Immortal. She's in love with the crown prince, but he's betrothed to someone else. Her family desperately wants her to join their rebellion, but that would mean fighting against her true love, Kiran Kendrick.She must fight off assassins who want her dead, an Immortal rite of passage that takes her to India, and a deadly disease that no one has thus far survived. Danger seems to lurk around every corner as Eden struggles to keep her true identity a secret and protect those that she loves.Eden must find a way to be with Kiran, or turn her back on him forever and fight to save her people. Hopeless Magic is the second installment of the Star-Crossed series.

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. After escaping Kane and The Colony, Reagan, Haley and the Parkers have acquired new traveling companions in the form of Tyler and Miller Allen. Neither are prepared for the struggle to survive daily or fight off the ever present Zombies. On top of dealing with Tyler’s bad attitude and Miller’s careless ignorance, they are struggling with finding safe places to stay, an unreliable van and a dangerously depleting weapons stash. Life seems deadlier than usual for Reagan and friends, but it also seems happier in places too. Hendrix holds her attention now and with life and death scenarios at every turn, their relationship is encouraged to develop. When they are suddenly surrounded by hungry Zombies and every one of their lives is threatened, the tension between Reagan and Hendrix finally comes to a head. Love and Decay, Episode Six, is the sixth in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Morning has come to the lonely farmhouse where Reagan, Haley and the Parkers set up camp and watched as Page came down with strep throat. Hendrix and Nelson haven’t returned from their medicine run. Page is still very sick and the “contingency plan” hangs in the air. Determined to save the boys she has come to care so deeply about, Reagan teams up with Vaughan to set out and rescue Hendrix and Nelson from whatever trouble they’ve gotten themselves into. However, before they can liberate anybody, they themselves are captured. Introduced to another scary settlement, Reagan is split up from the Parker brothers and put in the custody of a boy not much older than her. Kane Allen is possessive and fierce in his attempt to own and possess Reagan. She learns a fear that even in her dangerous, Zombie-filled life, she has not known before. Before the night is over she has to find a way to escape Kane and his horrifying captivity. She will face armed guards, starving Zombies and the worst danger of them all- Kane. Love and Decay, Episode Five, is the fifth in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. On the heels of escaping Gary and his camp of militia, Reagan, Haley and the Parker brothers are traveling south without a car and not much in the way of weapons. Conditions are bleak, but they have each other and they have hope. When an unexpected thunderstorm hits and they are exposed on the open road, the group must fine shelter in an abandoned barn. The structure is crumbling and dirty but they are able to escape the worst of the storm. Hoping to make it through the blustery night, they make camp and hope for the best. However, when a horde of Zombies follows them, they realize how precarious their temporary lodging is and how unlikely it is they will survive the night. Now they must find a way to fight off the aggressive Feeders while still keeping everyone alive. They are low on ammo, fighting blind in the dark and struggling against the elements. Reagan has come to care for this group too much to lose someone now. But staying alive until sunrise feels like the hardest task yet. She’s used to danger, killing and surviving; but nowadays she’s not as concerned with her own life as she is with those that surround her. Protecting those she loves comes with great cost, but it’s a fight she’s desperate to win. Love and Decay, Episode Three, is the third in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Reagan and Haley thought they had life figured out. Kill a few Zombies in the morning, scavenge for food, kill some more Zombies, find a place to take cover for the night. Life was simple and relatively routine. Well, until they met the Parker brothers. Now, they’re road-tripping south together, in the hopes of escaping the Apocalypse riddled world they live in and finding some peace on the other side of the equator. Hendrix and Vaughan make some things easier with their ample supply of weapons and ability to scout out safe places and travel unharmed. But then some things are more difficult with two gorgeous, protective boys working hard to convince Reagan she needs them. But who has time for feelings when there are scarier things to worry about? When they run into an outpost of militia, their futures might be decided for them. Now they don’t only have to dodge Zombies, but figure out a way to escape a settlement full of men intent on making the Parker brothers soldiers and Haley and Reagan join their brothel of women. Survival at the end of the world is a costly thing, and Reagan can only take it one day at a time. With the Parker brothers and their precious sister Page now in the mix, survival is even more imperative and this day, more than any other, might be the most dangerous of them all. Love and Decay, Episode Two, the second in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.(less)

Zombies- as if that wasn’t enough to ruin any girl’s dream of a happily ever after. Reagan said goodbye to love when she was forced to run her high school boyfriend over with her mom’s car just to keep him from eating her for dinner. Now, two years later, and in need of a serious shower, she’s just over the entire concept of a soul mate- or really, any kind of mate. Well, mostly anyway. When she runs- literally- into a group of boys holed up in a relative utopia of peanut butter and bottled water, maybe all hope in the love department is not lost. But at the end of the world, nothing can be simple. And with a horde of Zombies after her, Reagan is going to have to schedule falling in love between hunting and surviving. Hopefully she can last long enough find out if true love can still exist when everything else has started to fall apart. Love and Decay, Episode One, the first in a novella series in a Dystopian Romance about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. This story takes place over multiple episodes, with a release date every two weeks. Approximately 20,000 words.

A life not her own—A future already decided. Every facet of Ivy Pierce’s life is meticulously planned out and plotted. Cynical and jaded by sixteen, Ivy’s only hope is to escape the legacy she was born into. She has a plan, a carefully thought out, feasible plan. She just has to play by the rules until everything falls into place. Unfortunately as predictable as her life can be, she never sees Ryder Sutton coming. He tumbles into her life unimpressed and untouched by her and the life she lives. He’s an enigma to her. A gorgeous, frustrating, sincere mystery and a complete phenomenon in the ugly world she lives in. What blooms between them is a fiercely intense attraction that cannot be ignored. Even though they would both be better off without each other—Even if both their lives depend on staying apart.

Trailer park born and raised. It’s my legacy. That’s how my mama lived. And that’s how her mama lived. It’s the life I was born into and it’s the life I swore I would leave the second I was old enough to make it out. Only legacies have a funny way of sneaking up on you. An innocent decision the night of high school graduation led to a series of complications in my plans to escape. Seven years later, I’ve resigned myself to this small town and the roots I’m tied to. Nothing could make me leave. And nothing could make me spill the secrets that keep me here. Until he walks back into town with a chip on his shoulder and a stupid hunch nobody else in town has been smart enough to follow. Levi Cole is my opposite. Born on the right side of the tracks with family money to spare, he’s the kind of black sheep that can afford to be rebellious—because his family will always pay for his mistakes. He’s also the only living heir to Cole Family Farms, after his brother Logan was killed in duty seven years ago. He sees something in my life that he thinks he has a right to. But he’s wrong. And obnoxious. And he needs to take his stubborn good looks and that intense way he looks at me and go back to wherever it was he came from. I know better than to trust men like him. I was born and raised in a trailer park, I know nothing good happens to girls like me—girls with trailer park lives and trailer park hearts. Especially from gorgeous, kind, pigheaded men like him.

The Five Stages of Falling in Love is a Contemporary Romance. Elizabeth Carlson is living in the pits of hell- also known as grief.Her husband of eight years, the father of her four children and the love of her life, died from cancer. Grady's prognosis was grim, even from the start, but Liz never gave up hope he would survive. How could she, when he was everything to her?Six months later, she is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and get the kids to school on time. Both seem impossible. Everything seems impossible these days.When Ben Tyler moves in next door, she is drowning in sorrow and pain, her children are acting out, and the house is falling apart. She has no time for curious new friends or unwanted help, but Ben gives her both. And he doesn't just want to help her with yard work or cleaning the gutters. Ben wants more from Liz. More than she's capable of ever giving again.As Liz mourns her dead husband and works her way through the five stages of grief, she finds there's more of her heart to give than she thought possible. And as new love takes hold, she peels away the guilt and heartache, and discovers there's more to life than death.

Librarians note: this book was previously published as "Starbright" Stella is a Star, sent by a Council of Elders to live on Earth and protect the planet from the Darkness, a terrifying evil that would suck the good from every living thing and leave the planet empty and desolate. She has until her twenty-fifth birthday before the Protectorship becomes hers and Earth is left solely her responsibility. Stella’s fate goes on fast forward as she struggles to balance the rest of high school with the duties of protecting humanity from the deadliest kind of evil. With her parents and Seth, the boy intended to be her Counterpart, by her side she faces down demons and fallen angels in an effort to protect the last inhabited planet in the universe. But evil is not her only enemy. She also fights her future as she tries to decide if she’s willing to give up her human relationships, especially that of her best friend Tristan, in order to save humanity.

Five years ago, I escaped a dangerous life I had always wanted to leave. I got away. I found freedom. But it cost me the love of my life. For five years I lived in hiding, protecting my most valuable secret while Sayer Wesley sat in prison paying for both our sins. I promised to love him forever. I promised to never leave him. I broke my promises. Five months ago Sayer found me. Five weeks ago, I was forced to face my past. Five days ago, someone took my daughter. They kidnapped her in order to make Sayer and me suffer. I will do anything to get her back. Even if that means coming clean to Sayer, letting him into my life and introducing him to our daughter. All I wanted was to protect her from this life and now she’s right in the middle of the chaos. Sayer is the only one that can help me. He’s the only one that can get her back. But it might mean losing him again. Fifteen years ago, I met Sayer Wesley. Now I must pay the consequences for falling in love with a con man.

My name is Clover Calloway and I’ve lived two separate lives. The first, I like to call “my past.” I never talk about it. I try not to think about it. My rockstar days of playing in one of the hottest bands on the planet are over. Along with the most volatile, beautiful, tragic love story of all time. Over the past five years, I’ve settled into my second life. My “normal life.” The one where I work a normal job, hang out with normal people and fall in love with a normal, but wonderful guy. The life where I’m admittedly a little bored, but also safe. My past wasn’t boring. But my past broke my heart into a million, unfixable pieces. So, I’m determined to keep it where it belongs—behind me. And the man responsible for the shattering of me? Malachi Porter, lead singer and mastermind of Bright Tragedy, should stay there too. Far away from me and this idyllic life I’ve carved out for myself. But what happens when my two lives collide? When Malachi comes crashing into my perfectly normal world, he threatens to destroy it, promises to annihilate everything I’ve replaced him with. He upends everything I thought I wanted and forces me to question the reasons I left Bright Tragedy all those years ago. But I didn’t walk away five years ago, I ran. As fast as I could go. And while my heart is whispering that it’s different this time—that he’s different—my brain is screaming for me to run again. Malachi Porter isn’t a normal guy. And he doesn’t belong in my “normal life.” But, nevertheless, he’s bound and determined to make a place for himself here. I just hope my heart can survive him, that we don’t burn into another bright tragedy.