Showing results by author "Monica Murphy" in All Categories

My first crush. My first kiss. The boy who ripped my heart out of my chest again and again. Over and over. I let him have it every single time. Willingly. We are that toxic high school couple you hear about, the one you witness in the hallway as they avoid each other. You laugh at them in class when they’re forced to work together, their gazes full of hatred. We are the couple you gossip about when they win homecoming prince and princess their sophomore year.... The back and forth is what kills me the most. I’m not his princess, I’m the girl he toys with when he’s bored.

People say the youngest child has it easy, but nothing can be further from the truth. Unlike my two sisters, Violet and Lily, I'm never in the limelight. I just work my butt off for Fleur Cosmetics and get little to no thanks for it. I've been pushed too far one too many times, and I'm finally brave enough to do something about it. Maybe my newfound courage has something to do with the amazing pink and white diamond necklace I wear to the party in Cannes.

It's bad enough Jade Frost's boyfriend dragged her to a boring poker game. It's even worse that he actually threw her into the betting pot during an intense round - and lost. Talk about the perfect excuse for Jade to make him her ex-boyfriend. Now she supposedly belongs to the ultrarich, extremely gorgeous Shep Prescott. He could have anything he wants, yet he seems to be in hot pursuit of her. No matter how rude, how snarky, how impossible she acts, it doesn't stop him.

Caroline Abbott loves her job - helping engaged couples pick out the perfect save-the-date cards and invitations for their dream wedding. Working at Noteworthy means she has to deal with the occasional bridezilla, but Caroline’s always up for the challenge. Until one particular bridezilla, whose fiancé happens to be the boy Caroline shared her first kiss with, walks into the stationery store. Alexander Wilder is all grown up now, helping run his family’s successful luxury hotel chain, and is somehow even better looking than she remembers.

Working at Bliss, Sarah Harrison deals with all sorts of...interesting clientele. Yet no one sparks her interest more than Jared Gaines, the ultra-rich, ultra-sexy businessman who frequents her shop, buying delicate little “gifts” for the women in his life. But one day, Jared sends Sarah a gift from Bliss. Then another - and another. So when Sarah walks into his office demanding to know why, he makes her an offer she somehow can’t refuse: be his fake girlfriend for the weekend while attending his brother’s engagement party.

Sydney Walker's new job is perfect. As the live-in nanny to the most famous quarterback in the NFL and his beautiful wife, she couldn't have it any better. Their kids are adorable. Her bosses are more than generous. Plus, there are hot football players at the house all the time. Life can't get much better than this. Until her life turns into an absolute nightmare. The media is abuzz with rumors that she and her boss, Drew Callahan, are having a torrid affair.

Newly broke girl Alexandria Asher just wants to live a normal life. After her parents are sent to prison on embezzlement charges, she enrolls in college under her mother's maiden name and tries her best to pretend she's someone else. Tristan Prescott is everything Alex is trying to avoid. A seemingly egotistical, lazy, rich jerk, she dumps her beer on his head when he comes on to her one night at a party. This only spurs Tristan into action. He loves nothing more than a challenge.

Stuck spending the summer with his screwed-up family, Gabriel Walker is bored out of his mind and looking for an adventure. And he seems to find it with the hot girl who lives next door. The attraction between them is instant and electric. Soon they're spending every stolen minute together. Talk about the perfect summer fling.

I'm in trouble. Again. And instead of facing my problems head-on, I've run away. Far away this time, and no one can catch me - not my two younger sisters, Violet and Rose; not my father, my grandmother, or that witch, Pilar, who wants to take control of my family's cosmetics company. Now I'm in Hawaii, enjoying the sun and sand and water, where nobody knows the hot mess known as Lily Fowler. And I'm loving every minute of it. But someone is watching me. Following me. He's gorgeous.

I've moved through life doing what's expected of me. I'm the middle daughter, the dutiful daughter. The one who braved a vicious attack and survived. The one who devoted herself to her family's business empire. The one who met an ambitious man and fell in love. We were going to run Fleur Cosmetics together, Zachary and I. When Zachary got a promotion, however, he left me in the dust. Maybe it's for the best, between his disloyalty and his wandering eye. But another man was waiting for me. Wanting me.

"J'ai un cœur de pierre, mais je ne peux pas me passer des filles. Leurs sourires, la manière dont elles retiennent leur souffle lorsque je me penche sur elles pour les embrasser, leur peau douce et la facilité avec laquelle elles se débarrassent de leurs vêtements et s’offrent à moi." Owen est irrésistible et il le sait. Il accumule les conquêtes d'un soir et passe son temps à faire la fête. Avec la vie qu'il mène, ses résultats à l'université sont en chute libre, et sa place dans l'équipe de football est menacée s'il ne se reprend pas rapidement.

J'ai désespérément besoin d'elle. Si elle s'en allait, j'aurais l'impression de perdre une part de moi-même. Je crois que je suis amoureux d'elle, malheureusement j'ai le don de faire du mal à ceux que j'aime. Je ne peux pas lui infliger ça, mais je ne peux pas non plus la laisser s'en aller.

Hanté par des souvenirs qui l'empêchent de poursuivre sa relation avec Fable, Drew disparaît sans donner signe de vie. Deux mois après cette séparation, il n'arrive toujours pas à tourner la page. De son côté, Fable a trouvé un poste de serveuse dans le club branché où Drew se réunit avec ses coéquipiers les soirs de victoire. Quand il se retrouve nez à nez avec Fable, le jeune homme comprend qu'il n'a jamais cessé de l'aimer. S'il tient vraiment à elle, il devra se battre pour l'en convaincre.

Temporaire. Ce mot résume parfaitement ma vie. J'ai un job temporaire jusqu'à nouvel ordre. Je suis temporairement la mère de mon petit frère. Et je suis la fille temporaire que tous les mecs désirent parce que j'ai la réputation d'être facile. Depuis que sa mère a déserté le domicile familial, Fable travaille dur pour élever son petit frère. Victime de sa réputation de fille légère, elle enchaîne les aventures sans lendemain. Pour Drew, l'étudiant le plus en vue de la fac, c'est une chance inespérée.

Candice Gaines loves Christmas. Not only does she bask in the twinkling lights, sing Christmas carols, and go crazy with the decorations, she’s also in the giving spirit - donating much of her time and wealth to various charities in the local area. Charlie Sullivan despises Christmas. Though it keeps his family afloat, considering they own Sullivan Family Christmas Tree Farm, the main provider for Christmas trees on the Monterey Peninsula. He’d much rather work among the trees than deal with people. 

Designing wedding cakes is Maisey Henderson’s passion. She puts her heart and soul into every cake she makes, especially since she’s such a believer in true love. But then Tucker McCloud rolls back into town, reminding her that love is a complete joke. The pro football player is the hottest thing to come out of Cunningham Falls - and the boy who broke Maisey’s heart back in high school. He claims he wants another chance. She says absolutely not. But Maisey’s refusal is the ultimate challenge to Tucker.

I'm your average girl at your average high school, trying to figure out my place in life. After catching my now ex-boyfriend messing around with my now ex-best friend, I've made some big changes. No more band, no more backstabbing friends and no more boring old life. Now I have new friends, a new job and new interests. But there's a certain someone who's interested in me, and I don't get it. Jordan Tuttle could have anyone he wants. He's the most popular boy in school.

It's the end of summer. Just before I start senior year with my two best friends in the whole world. Dustin and Emily are everything to me. We've been inseparable since middle school, and when we're together, nothing can go wrong. But things aren't always what they seem. Em's turned into a drunken mess who parties too much. Dustin and I have hooked up a few times - and now he's ready to take our relationship to the next level. Yet I'm not sure I want things to change.

She's all I could ever want.... I have a reputation around school. Cold. Untouchable. Unfeeling. Only one girl could ever make me want to change and that's Amanda Winters. Too bad I broke her heart and drove her away. So to get through the rest of my days in high school, I tell myself I need to focus on more important things. Like taking our football team to championships. Get accepted to the college of my choice. And finish my senior year without wanting to run away from my problems.

Enjoy this collection of magical short stories about dragons. In "When Dragon Shrank", hear an enchanting story of the friendship between Dragon and Red Squirrel, who swap sizes for a day. They experience one another's worlds and learn to appreciate themselves just the way they are. Also included are four other dragon stories: "Sir Thomas and the Dragon", "Too Many Dragons", "There Goes the Neighborhood", and "Mae and the Dragon."