Broken past. Fresh starts. Mirrored attraction.

 

Mina Sinoe

 

When I first moved to Barrow Grove, I quickly discovered that privacy was practically non-existent. I’d heard of places where everyone basically knew everyone to some extent, but now I was living in one. For someone who had no interest in reliving the past to appease the curiosity of virtual strangers, it was a bit of a shell shock. But I’d made the move, and there was no way I was going back home. 

Over the years, I’ve gotten used to the invasiveness with the help of my friends in the town book club, and one major rule. Don’t date anyone in town. The number of conversations I’d overheard about other people’s relationships cemented this rule for me. That is, until he showed up.

 

Flynn Knight

 

I moved back to Barrow Grove to fulfill a promise my late parents made to each other. Their love was the type movies were made from, and something I didn’t think I’d ever find, let alone actually look for. That is, until she ran into me. 

 

Snow is everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner. She’s smart, funny, snarky as hell, and unfortunately wants absolutely nothing to do with me. At least, that’s what she’d said. She said she doesn’t date guys in town, that she doesn’t want everyone in her business, and as much as I want to promise her that won’t happen, it does. Ironically, her friends convinced her to give me a chance, and while things are going great, I can’t help but feel like she’s holding back. 

One night. Two rivals. Three truths.

 

Ella Charmichael

 

I’ve spent most of my adult life just trying to get by. I go to work, keep my head down, and pray my step-family will just leave me alone. Somehow, I let my friends at book club convince me that the Barrow Grove end-of-summer masquerade ball, being held at my family’s hotel, is the perfect time for me to finally let my hair down. So I did. I put on a pretty dress, let Rose style my hair, and danced the night away with my friends. Or at least, most of the night. 

 

The girls told me they noticed a guy staring at me all night, and yet again convinced me to do something way out of my comfort zone. I went over to him. We talked, we danced, and then we got down and dirty in one of the storage rooms. It was the perfect night and exactly what I needed. Until I start feeling like crap a little over a month later and realize I’m late.

  

Everett Alexander

 

I haven’t always been a good guy. I did some pretty cruel shit as a teen, but I like to think I’ve made up for it in the years since… until I do something else that's arguably just as bad as my teen fuckup. I slept with the one woman in town who absolutely hated my guts without telling her who I was.

 

The genius of a masquerade ball is the anonymity, which I used to my full advantage to watch Ella as she danced around the ballroom with her friends. I was content just watching her having a good time since her only expression around me was a scowl. But then she approached me, we talked, we danced, and then did a bit of adult dancing in a storage room. I thought that’d be the end of it until Flynn lets me in on a secret that has me feeling just as fucked up as I did in high school. 

 

I like to think I’m a good guy. Now I’ve gotta step up and prove it, whether she wants me in her life or not. 

A chance encounter. Unbridled passion. No regrets.

 

Seraphina Phaire

 

Insomnia had been my unwanted bestie for as long as I can remember. At this point in my life, I was barely hanging on with the help of caffeine and my besties in book club. The girls thought a change of scenery would help, which prompted Ella to comp me a room at her hotel for the night. I thought I’d just hit the spa before climbing into bed and praying for sleep to consume me. I thought wrong.

 

Reading really is fundamental, because after spending way too much time in the steam room, I’m saved by the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. After lots of flirty banter and sensual touches, I ended up in his room instead of mine. And the biggest shock of all, I slept like a baby. Now I’m freaking out and wondering if it was a one-time fluke, or if my one-night stand was the answer to all my prayers.

 

Simon Arch

 

Moving to Barrow Grove was the biggest risk I’d ever taken in my life, but I did it with one goal in mind; find the girl of my dreams and settle down for good. Hey, it worked for my best friend Flynn, so what was the harm? Turned out the biggest risks have the biggest rewards because I found her.

 

Seraphina was the whole package, smart, funny, and sexy as hell. Women like her didn’t usually go for guys like me, but that night, we clicked. Saving her from heat stroke probably helped, but I’d like to think it was my own meager charms that convinced her to give me a shot. At least until she ran away the next morning… but there’s no way I’m letting her get away that easy. Stalking isn’t the greatest way to get your girl, but hey, it worked for Flynn. 

A hidden crush. Dueling love languages. Miscommunications galor.

 

Aurelia Solis

 

I’ve spent most of my life hoping for a grandiose love like my parents had. I mean, it had to be pretty damn special to survive raising seven girls with not much of an age gap between us. A love that lasted through going no contact with toxic family members, surprise illnesses, and sudden death. A love that’s stayed through her no longer being here. A love so grand I’d know it as soon as it happened.

 

Maybe I put too much into it, hoped for too much. Maybe a grand love wasn’t meant for me. But I do know I deserve respect and clear lines of communication. Not whatever this has turned into. 

 

Christian Baker

 

Being best friends with Alana Solis has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because as an only child, I got a front row view to how the other half lived; chaotic meals, unwavering support, and so much love it astounds me. A curse for the same reasons, since my home life was nothing like that, nevermind the fact that it gave me the chance to see her younger sister Aurelia grow into the beautiful young woman she is now. Not in a creepy way, get your mind out of the gutter.

 

But over the last few years, I’ve started seeing her differently. I no longer look at her and just see Alana’s younger sister. I see a young woman with a bright smile that makes my heart skip a beat, a carefree laugh that makes me want in on the joke just so I can laugh with her, and soft curves I find myself wanting to wrap my arms around and never let go. I’ve fallen in love with my best friend's younger sister, and I have no idea what to do about it.