The Ruins of Emblem Series by Cora Brent

"I'm ruined in the best way. .. ". TRISTAN. This is a tough town. A sheltered college girl like Cadence Gentry doesn't belong here. She's got a job teaching at the high school and I can tell she has all these hopeful fantasies about being the bright light everyone in Emblem has been waiting for. She hasn't yet figured out that she'll get eaten alive. I want her as much as I want to mess with her... more"I'm ruined in the best way. .. ". TRISTAN. This is a tough town. A sheltered college girl like Cadence Gentry doesn't belong here. She's got a job teaching at the high school and I can tell she has all these hopeful fantasies about being the bright light everyone in Emblem has been waiting for. She hasn't yet figured out that she'll get eaten alive. I want her as much as I want to mess with her. Cadence will see me as a project, a version of some wayward kid in her classroom that she can tame and domesticate the way her sister has house-trained my brother. I can't freaking wait to see her try. In fact it's all I can think about. .. CADENCE. By the time I finished college I had big plans. I would move to Emblem. I would teach at Emblem High. I would see past the crime and poverty that the town was infamous for. I would make a difference in the lives of the kids who lived there. Tristan Mulligan never figured into those plans at all. He was a local criminal and former gang member who mocked everything I cared about, provoked me at every turn and kept me up at night with hot fantasies about how good he'd feel. I knew better than to start something with him. I did it anyway. Tristan might shatter my heart. He might destroy my future. And there's something dangerously explosive about the way we are together. You can warn me about him all you want. Everyone else has. I haven't listened yet. Whether I'm ready to admit it or not, I'm already his. **Tristan is the first story in a brand new series of interconnected stand alones from NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Cora Brent. **. less

"This was all nuts. The way I wanted him. The ways we knew each other. And the ways we didn't. .. ". LEAH. When I was too young to know any better Ryan Jedson fascinated me. After he went on the run I thought I'd never see him again. I was wrong. Now that he's back in town I realize it's a bad idea to catch his eye. And yet I can't help it. Sometimes you want the one you shouldn't want. But there's a complication. He has no idea that I'm the reason his life fell apart... more"This was all nuts. The way I wanted him. The ways we knew each other. And the ways we didn't. .. ". LEAH. When I was too young to know any better Ryan Jedson fascinated me. After he went on the run I thought I'd never see him again. I was wrong. Now that he's back in town I realize it's a bad idea to catch his eye. And yet I can't help it. Sometimes you want the one you shouldn't want. But there's a complication. He has no idea that I'm the reason his life fell apart. And I don't know what he'll do if he ever finds out. RYAN. Back in the day when we were neighbors she was too young, not even worth a second look. However, six years have gone by and now Leah Brandeis is fair game. I see how she looks at me. I understand she thinks her secret is safe. And I'm playing along. For now. But soon the truth will come out and there will be hell to pay. Because I know what she did. I've always known. **Stand alone. Enemies-to-lovers. Tons of angst, secrets and steamy vengeance. **. less

LANDON. My former student. My new roommate. My greatest weakness…. Autumn:. It’s not that I’m hiding out in this hard luck little town. But I’m twenty-six years old, I’ve had one boyfriend and he ditched me for my sister. So I might be a little cynical. Then again, perhaps a high school math teacher shouldn’t expect romance. I’d be better off sticking to the good things in life, such as my job at Emblem High, my amazing circle of friends, and my vintage record collection... moreLANDON. My former student. My new roommate. My greatest weakness…. Autumn:. It’s not that I’m hiding out in this hard luck little town. But I’m twenty-six years old, I’ve had one boyfriend and he ditched me for my sister. So I might be a little cynical. Then again, perhaps a high school math teacher shouldn’t expect romance. I’d be better off sticking to the good things in life, such as my job at Emblem High, my amazing circle of friends, and my vintage record collection. I shouldn’t waste time beating myself up over past choices or crying over the people who betrayed me. And I definitely shouldn’t obsess over the washboard abs belonging to the guy who just moved in down the hall. There’s no denying Landon Gentry is hot. He is also crude, sarcastic, messy and downright exasperating. And just to add one more complication, Landon also used to be my student. All in all, my new roommate is the last guy I should be thinking about. That doesn’t mean I’ll be able to resist him. .. Landon:. The football scholarship was my ticket out of town and I never planned to come back. However, blowing out my knee in the last game of the season spelled the end of my college days. Still, I wouldn’t have returned if not for my little brother. He’s lost his way since I left. And I’m the only one who cares enough to help him find it again. Between working two jobs and trying to steer my brother back in line I’ve got enough to focus on. I don’t need to get distracted by a quirky schoolteacher with a great body. But Autumn’s not just some sexy girl who rents a house with me. She’s gorgeous and feisty and clueless about the fact that she’s been my fantasy for years. Seeing her right in front of me every day is just too tempting to pass up. Even if giving in might mean disaster for us both. .. l. less