Showing results by author "Brooke St. James" in All Categories

My mother wrote a young adult novel that eventually became a Hollywood blockbuster hit. Somehow, during production of the movie, I became friends with the star. Heath Vick was Hollywood's favorite leading man—a heartthrob, for sure. We instantly hit it off, but he was in a long-term relationship, so we ended up being friends. Then, out of the blue, Heath decided to leave her and set his sights on me. He was rich and famous, and he assumed he would have my undivided attention the second he wanted it.

I was all set to embark on the most epic adventure of my life. I was ready for anything. My life had been filled with predictability since the day I was born, but that was about to change. I had devised a plan. Over the course of the next five years, I would live in five different cities. I would get to see, taste, and experience things I had previously only read about. I had been preparing for this moment for nearly a decade, and now it was time.

Charlotte Ritchie was traveling halfway across the world to attend her brother's wedding. She and a small group of family and friends planned on spending the week prior to the wedding volunteering at a rescue center in Kenya. Her new sister-in-law had grown up there with her missionary parents, and everyone thought it was the perfect way to celebrate the event. Falling in love might not have been on Charlotte's to-do list that week, but as we all know, life doesn't always turn out the way we plan.

Alec Abramson was a notorious player—an unapologetic ladies' man. He lived that lifestyle for years until the day he was reunited with his first love. Alec was a literal rockstar who had all the women he could handle. But after a chance meeting with Grace, he realized she was the only one he wanted. He had made a mistake by being careless with her feelings all those years ago, and now he had to begin the quest to win her back.

Lines had been drawn and sides had been taken years ago. The King family did not interact with the Elliot family, and neither did the Grahams nor the Castros. The Elliots had burned those bridges decades ago, and none of the Bank Street crew made mention of them. They certainly never ate at their restaurant. The Elliots didn't shop at King's Hardware, go to Bank Street Boxing, or the ballet studio on the corner. In fact, they didn't even go to Carson's Diner. The Elliot family stayed off of Bank Street entirely. Both families had a stake in Galveston, but they lived without supporting each other or interacting in any way.

Having a crush on someone who barely seems to notice you is never easy. It only leads to heartbreak and disappointment. Mia Hunt occasionally found herself in that very situation. Fortunately, her dream guy lived all the way across the country and their encounters were rare. When they were in each other's presence, she made every effort to keep her distance and not get her hopes up.

It's a difficult thing to be in love with someone who only sees you as a friend. That feeling was something Kristen Hall had long since grown accustomed to. Her epic crush on Jake Reynolds had lasted so long that her friends didn't even tease her about it anymore. Or maybe it was that she had just gotten better at hiding it after all these years. Kristen couldn't help but hope that maybe one day, somehow, miraculously, Jake would decide he loved her back. Perhaps something would just click, and he would realize he couldn't go on living without her.

Theo Duval was born and raised in Montréal. He was only 10-years-old when he met a young American girl named Caroline at a public library near his home. Though there were some serious language barriers, the two of them quickly felt the first sparks of young love. Caroline's visit to Montréal was brief, and Theo was soon left with only the vivid memories of his first crush. They had haunted him for years, and he always felt like she was the one who got away.

I had a crush on Evan King when we were kids. If I'm being totally honest, I had a crush on him all throughout high school, too. I hadn't seen him in years, and then out of nowhere, we had a chance encounter on the beach in Galveston. I was anxious to see him, but we connected under less than ideal circumstances. Evan had been through a lot, and I considered getting in touch with him after that. But in the end, I decided not to.

Mac Klein had made a series of disciplined life choices. He was now thirty years old and a successful professional athlete. He certainly would never think of looking up his childhood crush on social media so he could contact her in an effort to reconnect.

Ozzy Abramson had made a name for himself as a photographer. His specialty was portraiture, and he built beautiful scenes around the people he photographed. He had a gift for saying just the right things to get his subjects to look their best. Ozzy worked with famous actors, models, and musicians all the time. He was extremely talented and easygoing, and that only served to increase his popularity. He was obsessed with finding ways to make people look even better in photographs than they did in real life. But then he met the woman who made that task impossible.

I was heartbroken and oblivious the first time I met Warren Manning. I wasn’t a fan of country music, so I had no idea who he was. We had a brief but heartfelt conversation, and Warren left my life as quickly as he entered it. A few months later I discovered just how famous he was. It was cool that I had met him once, but I figured I would never see him again.

Isaac Alexander had just experienced the most vivid and stirring dream of his life. The dream, a t-shirt, and a woman he just met were all oddly connected. But the woman was gone just as quickly as she appeared, and he only came to realize she was his destiny after it was too late. Isaac thought had no way to find her and no hope of ever reconnecting. He would need the help of a hopeless romantic to hatch the most bizarre plan if he ever wanted to see her again.

Laney King had been in a relationship with Michael Elliot since they were in high school. Everyone in Galveston assumed they were destined to be together. Michael wasn't true to her, but he never thought she’d find out he had been unfaithful while he was out of town. Things didn’t turn out like Michael planned. Laney had an unexpected hero looking out for her. Though James barely knew her, he felt compelled to set things straight. He just couldn’t sit back and watch Michael mistreat her.

I wasn't the only woman in the world who had been cheated on. I certainly wasn't the only woman who had sworn off men because of it. I was, however, one of the few who was willing to stick to my guns about it. Men would sometimes see that as a challenge, but before too long they would realize I wasn't interested.

The first time I met Daniel King, he had a busted nose. He was also a couple of years younger than me, which seemed like a lot back then. I had always thought of him as more of a little brother or friend.

For some, it's love at first sight. But things don't always work like that. Sometimes people take time getting to know one another before sparks begin to fly. And people can even fall in love with someone they once considered their enemy. I, Tara Castro, could for instance, get all caught up in the magic of finding a secret room and fall madly in love with someone who I initially despised.

It was a surreal evening when I finally got to see Micah Lacey live in concert. He played a sold-out show, and I had front row tickets. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. Micah said some things to the audience near the end of the performance—some personal things about his own life. I wasn't normally the type of person to follow clues, but Micah's songs and his life before stardom seemed interesting.

She's out of your league. It was a cliché term and one that no man ever wanted to hear. But it defined Micah's relationship with Claire Alexander. She was so out of his league that he had given up hope from day one. A relationship with Claire was not a possibility. She simply would never be his. He was broken and she was too good for him—out of his league in every way. Micah and Claire were friends. That's all they had ever been and all they would ever be.