Fifty First Times A New Adult Anthology

For New Adult and Young Adult fans, nineteen stories … fifty unforgettable experiences. Nineteen fabulous tales of first kisses, first loves, first … everythings. All compiled by Julie Cross. With stories from Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn, Sophia Bleu, Lisa Desrochers, Cole Gibsen, A. L. Jackson, Sophie Jordan, Melissa Landers, Lauren Layne, Roni Loren, Molly McAdams, Myra McEntire, Hannah Moskowitz, Lyla Payne, Mark Perini, Carrie Ryan, Andrew Shaffer, Alessandra Thomas, and Tracy Wolff.

Sensational New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams breaks bounds with this emotionally wrenching, heartbreakingly real New Adult novel of love, passion, guilt, honor, and infidelity. Twenty-three year old Kamryn Cunningham has left behind a privileged, turbulent past for the anonymity of small-town life. Busy with her new bakery, she isn’t interested in hook-ups or fix-ups. Then she meets the very sexy, very married Brody. Though she can’t deny the pull between them, Kamryn isn’t a cheater and she’s not good at sharing. Twenty-six year old Brody Saco may be married, but he isn’t happy. When his girlfriend got pregnant six years ago, he did the right thing . . . and he’s been paying for it ever since. Now, his marriage is nothing but a trap filled with hate, manipulation, and blame—the remnants of a tragedy that happened five years earlier. While he’s never broken his vows, he can’t stop the flood of emotion that meeting Kamryn unlocks. Brought together by an intense heat that is impossible to resist, Brody and Kamryn share stolen moments and nights that end too soon. But is their love strong enough to bear the weight of Kamryn’s guilt? And is Brody strong enough to confront the pain of the past and finally break free of his conniving wife?

Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic novel anthology. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through Indigenous wonderworks, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. This is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter initiative. With this $35M initiative, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.

Today’s premier New Adult authors combine their talents to tell four original stories from inside one house. When four girls decide to live off campus together as juniors at a college in Michigan, they expect it to be their best year yet. Little do they know, it’s a year that will change the rest of their lives. BEHIND HER EYES by A.L. Jackson Unable to live down her ex-boyfriend’s deception, Misha is determined to avoid betrayal. When, the new guy next door, Darryn starts to get under her skin, her defenses start to crumble. But trusting Darryn seems impossible, especially if he’s not sure he can trust himself. SAVING ME by Molly McAdams On the outside, Indy is always ready for a party—but inside she’s breaking. Kier makes a weekly routine of saving the girl next door from herself on Saturday nights… but when will she be ready to remember him on Sunday morning? FOULING OUT by Tiffany King Working at a sports bar, Courtney has become a pro at sidestepping propositions from arrogant jocks—which makes her a more elusive catch for campus basketball star Dalton than he expected. But when he falls for the saucy waitress, Dalton will have to rethink his game plan to prove he’s not the jerk Courtney expects. BENEATH YOUR LAYERS by Christina Lee In order to ace her fashion internship, Chloe must team up with local college dropout and set builder, Blake—much to her chagrin. But after some "hands-on" experience, Chloe will have to ask herself if Blake factors into her carefully laid plans…

Everything she wants. Everything he needs. The supportive friend, the reliable daughter, the doting big-sister: Finley is used to being the glue that holds everyone together. But while her sweet demeanor makes her the perfect confidant, her wholesome look isn't landing her the high paying modeling jobs, which are what Finley needs if she is going to reopen her mother's dance studio. Enter Eddie. He's intense and driven, not to mention the life of every party, and he completely charms Finley. The last thing she wants is another commitment to stand in the way of her dreams, but when she's with Eddie, their chemistry takes over and she can let go of her responsibilities and just be. After all, what's so wrong about putting herself first once and a while? Except Eddie is hiding a secret. A big secret. And when it surfaces, he and Finley are going to have to choose between their love for each other and everything else... "Halfway Perfect reaches deep into inner truths while stripping away the shine of outer beauty." —New York Times bestselling author Jay Crownover

Bestselling author Julie Cross teams up with Ford model Mark Perini to pen a poignant and gritty YA novel about love and the dark side of modeling and the fashion industry Eve had it all-emphasis on had. She was a rising star with a modeling contract destined to catapult her to celebrity...until the devastating night when she walked away from everything, everyone in her life. Eve's worked hard to put her troubled past behind her, and photography's given her a fresh start. She just never thought her dream internship would force her back into the industry that broke her trust and her heart. Alex is a regular, good guy from Nebraska, but as an up-and-coming model, he's learning that appearances are everything. The fake relationship Alex's agent concocted for Alex and his underage costar? That'll land them both the hot jobs. But Alex hadn't counted on falling for Eve, the girl behind the camera. With careers and love on the line, Eve and Alex are about to prove you may want what you can't have-but sometimes it's worth the risk.

In 2015, a race of alien Others conquered Earth. They enslaved humanity not by force, but through an aggressive mind control that turned people into contented, unquestioning robots. Except sixteen-year-old Althea isn’t content at all, and she doesn’t need the mysterious note inside her locket to tell her she’s Something Else. It also warns her to trust no one, so she hides the pieces that make her different, even though it means being alone. The autumn she meets Lucas, everything changes. Althea and Lucas are immune to the alien mind control, and together they search for the reason why. What they uncover is a stunning truth the Others never anticipated, one with the potential to free the brainwashed human race. It’s not who they are that makes them special, but what. And what they are is a threat. One the Others are determined to eliminate for good.

Althea and Lucas barely escaped the Others’ clutches in the autumn, and were separated in the process. Alone and on the run from the cruel alien race determined to exterminate her, Althea struggles to adapt and survive in a world she never imagined. When a boy named Pax appears out of nowhere, he quickly recognizes Althea for what she is – a human/Other hybrid just like him. Althea begs him to help her find Lucas, but Pax refuses, intent on following his own mysterious agenda. The Others’ presence continues to devour the planet’s resources, and if history is an indication, they won’t leave until Earth is destroyed beyond repair. Althea and Pax sense the only way to save themselves – and maybe their home – is to understand the powers simmering inside them. Together they push the limits of their capabilities in the quiet Wilds, but are soon confronted with a terrifying fact: no place is safe from the relentless pursuit of the Others. Least of all their own minds.

A final battle for the survival of Earth is coming. Between the alien Others and the destruction of humanity stand four Dissidents. When the Prime Other banishes them to the Harvest Site to live the remainder of their time on earth as slaves, the Dissidents use the opportunity to learn more about the substance that keeps the Others alive…and how they might use it to their advantage. But the Others guard their secrets well, and the Prime Other has proven his willingness to do whatever’s necessary to secure a future for his race, no matter what or who is destroyed in the process. When Althea and the boys realize their lives could be the key to allowing another planet to suffer the same fate as earth, they promise they’ll die before they let that happen. If they can’t figure out how to turn the tables in their favor before the Summer Celebration, they might have to do just that. The end draws near, and there’s only one question left—are the Dissidents going to save their chosen people or perish alongside them?

Gypsy and her friends may still be reeling from the information overload after learning more about who they are, not to mention the losses they sustained, but between the government, the Olders, and the Siphons, they have little time to rest. After the Siphons force Pollyanna to commit a horrific crime on live television, the Cavies know they have to focus on not only getting her back, but by bringing the group of rogues to justice once and for all. The deeper they get into the world of experiments and government conspiracies, the clearer it is that there's no one to trust but themselves - any maybe they can't even trust that, anymore. With their talents developing, their relationships changing, and millions of lives hanging in the balance, can the Cavies find a way to convince the world that they're more than what's been done to them? If they can't, they'll the ones who will spend their lives locked in padded cells...and the truth will be buried with them.

Althea assumes now that she, Pax, and Lucas are reunited in spring that the next steps are obvious - locate Deshi and prepare to take down the Others once and for all. But she doesn't expect the subtle changes in Lucas. After being left alone last season with only his Element father for company, Lucas has started to question whether their rightful place isn't with the strange alien race as opposed to humanity. When an emergency forces Lucas to aid the Others so they can remain on Earth, Althea worries that she's lost him once and for all. The one thing she knows is that Deshi's the key to any hope of reclaiming the planet. So as the Others gut their already wobbly support system, Althea and Pax gather together the beginnings of a plan - and maybe an army. Even if she can convince Lucas their side is the right one, the Prime Other holds Deshi captive and shrouds any knowledge about their fourth in clouds of secrecy. What they discover deep underground is a roadblock they didn't expect - and one that could steal their last hope of saving humanity.

Inconsequential: not important or significant. Synonyms: insignificant, unimportant, nonessential, irrelevant In the world of genetic mutation, Gypsy’s talent of knowing a person’s age of death is considered a failure. Her peers, the other Cavies, have powers that range from curdling a blood still in the vein to being able to overhear a conversation taking place three miles away, but when they’re taken from the sanctuary where they grew up and forced into the real world, Gypsy, with her all-but-invisible gift, is the one with the advantage. The only one who’s safe, if the world finds out what they can do. When the Cavies are attacked and inoculated with an unidentified virus, that illusion is shattered. Whatever was attached to the virus causes their abilities to change. Grow. In some cases, to escape their control. Gypsy dreamed of normal high school, normal friends, a normal life, for years. Instead, the Cavies are sucked under a sea of government intrigue, weaponized genetic mutation, and crushing secrets that will reframe everything they’ve ever been told about how their "talents" came to be in the first place. When they find out one of their own has been appropriated by the government, mistreated and forced to run dangerous missions, their desire for information becomes a pressing need. With only a series of guesses about their origins, the path to the truth becomes quickly littered with friends, enemies, and in the end, the Cavies ability to trust anyone at all.

Before That Night, Sadie Mays was a college graduate with an acceptance into a great PhD program, a fun summer nanny job abroad, and enough confidence to believe the world would always lay at her feet. After That Night, Kayleigh Vicks is nobody. She survives the only way she knows how—staying alone, keeping her mouth shut, and turning her back on every single hope Sadie had for the future. It’s working, at least as far as keeping her safe, but when handsome, charming Logan keeps popping up out of nowhere, Kayleigh struggles to push him away. Maybe it’s because she likes him, maybe it’s because he’s persistent, or maybe it’s simply because she can’t remember the last time she connected with another human being. She would never guess he’s haunting her life because he’s working for the people she’s been hiding from for years—and that it’s his job to bring her in. Their friendship, built on sinking sand, persists despite the odds and when it’s time to do what he came to do, Logan doesn’t know if he can. Torn between loyalty to his family and his feelings for the girl he just met, he’s desperate to find a way out that will save them both. But the secrets of That Night are starting to bubble to the surface, and neither Logan nor Kayleigh have enough of the pieces to see the whole puzzle. By the time all of them fall into place, it might be too late to save anyone.

Toby Wright has always prided himself on being one of the most normal guys at Whitman University. He loves his parents, has a great job lined up after graduation, and with the exception of attempting to cross the unbalanced Sebastian Blair sophomore year, has kept his nose pretty clean. But the rich never have empty closets, and memories long stashed away come spilling free when notorious party girl Kennedy Gilbert almost dies in his dorm room. Nobody really knows how Kennedy manages to stay in good standing at Whitman–she never goes to class, doesn’t pretend to care about her future, and as far as people can tell, is never sober. This isn’t her first meeting with a stomach pump, but it is the first time she’s woken up to Toby’s concerned brown eyes. Despite the fact that she prefers life without friends, he gets under her skin with his insistence on playing her guardian angel. No one knows better than Toby that people can only be saved if they want to be, but the realization that she has no one else draws him back into the shadows of Kennedy’s life–and eventually into her bed. But she long ago came to terms with a truth that Toby refuses to accept: she doesn’t want to be rescued, she only wants to forget. Unwilling to give up on her, Toby’s dragged under by this broken girl and her dark, twisted Whitman University he never guessed existed. If he struggles to the surface, he’ll abandon someone he loves for the second time in his life. If he doesn’t, it won’t be long until they both drown.

When a knee injury ends twenty-year-old Quinn Rowland’s pro tennis career, he’s not only dumped by his hot Russian girlfriend but ordered to attend college by his disinterested billionaire father. A rich kid who’s not used to being disappointed by life, Quinn and his sociopathic half-brother Sebastian create a frat house game intended to treat girls how they see them—as simple game pieces to be manipulated for their pleasure. College sophomore Emilie Swanson knows Quinn’s reputation—after all, he did send one of her sorority sisters into therapy earlier in the semester—but the game and his charm bring them closer together and soon she starts to believe there’s more to Quinn than people think. But what if the more is something darker than a game of toying with emotions and breaking hearts? Quinn and Emilie might be falling for each other, but there are secrets he’s not ready to tell—and lifestyle changes he’s reluctant to make. She willingly stepped on the court, but if Emilie finds out she started out as nothing as a pawn in Quinn and Sebastian’s twisted game, she might never forgive him. To his surprise, Quinn finds that he might finally care about someone more than he cares about himself…even if that means letting Emilie walk away for good.

TRIGGER WARNING: The beginning of this book deals with a physically and emotionally abusive relationship in a honest and realistic, violent manner. Jeyne Dalton has graduated from college, medical school, and has slogged through half of a surgical internship year with flying colors, which she figures HAS to mean she’s put her past – and her family – behind her for good. If only she hadn’t answered that random ad for a roommate, her life would be pretty damn perfect. Dinah Robbins knows that, no matter what she does, the horror that is her life will never be behind her…unless her controlling, threatening, abusive boyfriend finally kills her. She’s floating, waiting, and advertised for a roommate as a last ditch, listless effort to save herself a few beatings here and there. Jeyne and Dinah may have been roommates for months, but they’re not anything like friends. In fact, they hardly know each other at all – until the night Jeyne comes home late to find Dinah in a heap of trouble. The two girls then find themselves sharing a secret that brings them together in a way they never expected. And upends their lives in a way they may never be able to set right.

After being unceremoniously dumped freshman year because of her family’s “new money” status, Ruby Cotton has taken care not to put her heart on the line. No matter how enticing Emilie and Quinn make it look, relationships are scary and hard—while a string of flings is easy and fun. That’s what Ruby wants. Easy and fun. The only problem is, when it comes to satisfaction in the sack, most of the boys at Whitman are nothing but pretty window dressing and false advertising. Ruby takes it upon herself to make campus life more fulfilling, creating a referral database that allows female students to rate their sexual experiences, thereby informing girls of what they’re getting into before agreeing to a date. When her acting partner, Liam Greene, finally shows some interest, Ruby figures she won’t need to utilize the helpful gossip. He’s handsome, fun, and most importantly, not a guy she’d ever fall for hard enough to let him break her heart. Not only that, but dating Liam gives Ruby the perfect excuse to say no to Cole Stuart. As a star swimmer and heir to honest-to-God Scottish royalty, Cole sits at the top of Whitman’s A-list—but he’s also the lowest rated referral on Ruby’s website. The ratings make rejecting his repeated requests for a date a no-brainer, but her real reason for avoiding Cole runs deeper than a string of unsatisfied exes. He’s gorgeous, he oozes sweetness and charm, and the electricity between them could power half of Whitman, but Ruby knows it will only last until his family or friends convince him she’s not good enough. Before she knows it she’s falling anyway, waiting for the other shoe to drop but clinging to a tentative hope that Cole might be as different as he seems. When the secret behind his low ratings comes to light, that hope is torn apart, and Ruby wonders if she was right to give him her heart…and whether she has the strength to let him keep it.

After being back in Heron Creek for eight months, Graciela Harper isn’t surprised when she sees ghosts. Not anymore. When it comes to the Boone family, and Leo in particular, though, there are some metaphorical ghosts Gracie - and everyone else - would rather stayed put in their graves. But when one of their own returns from the dead to ask for help, Gracie and the Boones have no choice but to face the past - and the present - no matter what sort of havoc it wrecks on their lives. Add a new ghost to mysterious car trouble, random, anonymous “gifts” and a moonshiner still missing, and Gracie’s up to her neck in trouble. Good thing she’s getting used to it.