Love and Lyrics Series by Nikki Ash

CamdenI’ve been in love with my best friend since high school. My biggest regret? Walking away without telling her.I planned to. But then catastrophe struck, making us part ways without a word.She left for Boston with her fiancé, while I left for L.A. with my band–Raging Chaos. For the next five years, I lived and breathed music, trying to forget the beautiful girl who shattered my heart without even knowing it.Until I see her again…I walked away once, and I've learned my lesson... moreCamdenI’ve been in love with my best friend since high school. My biggest regret? Walking away without telling her.I planned to. But then catastrophe struck, making us part ways without a word.She left for Boston with her fiancé, while I left for L.A. with my band–Raging Chaos. For the next five years, I lived and breathed music, trying to forget the beautiful girl who shattered my heart without even knowing it.Until I see her again…I walked away once, and I've learned my lesson. Layla is my forever, not another item in my pile of regrets.And she's about to find that out.  LaylaThe moment I saw Camden on stage, something inside me came to life.His tragic song of unrequited love was a confession that had me questioning everything.Five years might’ve changed who we are—he’s a rock star and I’m a single mom—but my feelings for him are as strong as ever. His lyrics make falling in love seem easy. For him—maybe it is. Only I’ve learned the hard way that real life isn’t as simple as writing a love song.AUTHOR’S NOTE: Like real life, the characters are far from perfect, make morally gray decisions, and deal with subjects that may be sensitive for some readers. If you are looking for a safe romance, this series is not for you. Trigger warnings (which contain spoilers) can be found on my website. less

BraxtonOur senior year, I promised my girl forever. Forever, as it turned out, wasn't enough. She told me so in her actions. When she took a match to my life, burning it to ash. I headed to LA with my band—Raging Chaos—like we always planned, while Kaylee went to college, taking my damaged heart with her. This was where our story was supposed to end. Only six years later, our lives collide again... moreBraxtonOur senior year, I promised my girl forever. Forever, as it turned out, wasn't enough. She told me so in her actions. When she took a match to my life, burning it to ash. I headed to LA with my band—Raging Chaos—like we always planned, while Kaylee went to college, taking my damaged heart with her. This was where our story was supposed to end. Only six years later, our lives collide again.Kaylee is the only thing I ever loved more than music, and I wish I could hate her for it, but the line between love and hate is thin, and often straddled.And the thing about collisions? They result in deadly debris. KayleeWhen you love someone, you let them go. But what I did was so much worse. Because instead of pushing him away, I shoved Braxton straight over the edge.I’ve spent the past several years avoiding him, trying to make things right.When my reputation has been dragged through the mud, and I’m given the opportunity to clean it up, I have no choice but to cross paths with him again.Being around Braxton is a harsh reminder of the way I lit his life up in flames, but I'm not sure he knows I've been burned, too. If suffering in silence is the cost, I'll pay the price to make things right. I just hope our history won’t play on repeat and he’ll see me as more than the stupid girl with the lit match. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Like real life, the characters are far from perfect, make morally gray decisions, and deal with subjects that may be sensitive for some readers. If you are looking for a safe romance, this series is not for you. Trigger warnings (which contain spoilers) can be found on my website. less

KendallMy life has been an endless loop of heartache and breakup songs. I’ve lived in fear that I’m broken and will never find the kind of love that would piece me back together into something whole.When my boyfriend proposes, I say yes, desperate for an easy fix. For a super-glue solution. But, on the day of my wedding, when my dad tells me to follow my heart, it doesn’t lead me down the aisle. Instead, it takes me straight to Declan Pierce’s car—where I crash his road trip... moreKendallMy life has been an endless loop of heartache and breakup songs. I’ve lived in fear that I’m broken and will never find the kind of love that would piece me back together into something whole.When my boyfriend proposes, I say yes, desperate for an easy fix. For a super-glue solution. But, on the day of my wedding, when my dad tells me to follow my heart, it doesn’t lead me down the aisle. Instead, it takes me straight to Declan Pierce’s car—where I crash his road trip.The more time we spend together, the more he shows me it’s okay to be broken. With him, lyrics aren’t just words on paper. Promises aren’t just whispers in the dark.And having a few cracks...well, they help the light come through. DeclanI’ve had feelings for my best friend’s sister for as long as I can remember. Watching her jump from guy to guy, I’ve been biding my time, waiting for the right moment to tell her.And then she does something I never thought she’d do…she gets engaged.This is the part where I’m starting to accept that the woman I love will never be mine. Until she jumps into my car in her wedding gown and tells me to floor it.With Kendall in my passenger seat and the past in the rearview mirror, I plan to do whatever it takes to show her that she doesn't need super glue.She needs to find the beauty in the cracks. less

Gage: I lost my first love. This time, I'm going to win the second girl who owns my heart—no matter the stakes. Being the drummer for Raging Chaos is the only thing that’s kept me going for the past six years. Even the music isn’t enough to drown out the guilt that's been suffocating me since what happened to Tori. When Sadie storms into my life, ripping through my trepidations, sorrows, and bitterness, I can't help but wonder if she could be my second chance... moreGage: I lost my first love. This time, I'm going to win the second girl who owns my heart—no matter the stakes. Being the drummer for Raging Chaos is the only thing that’s kept me going for the past six years. Even the music isn’t enough to drown out the guilt that's been suffocating me since what happened to Tori. When Sadie storms into my life, ripping through my trepidations, sorrows, and bitterness, I can't help but wonder if she could be my second chance. I could love her, but in order to do that, I have to stop hating myself first. Easier said than done. Before I have the chance to mend this broken heart, I push Sadie away and hit rock bottom. The next time I see her, she has a baby. And if that's not hurtful enough, it's not just any baby. It’s my baby. Sadie: Bleeding hearts can still beat. I'm living proof of that. At first, Gage was just someone to take away the pain—until I realized he was battling demons of his own. I never meant to get too close to the devil with the drumsticks, but once I did, he shoved me out of his life with a force. My heart might be cracked, but his is completely broken. And trying to save him would destroy us both. So, I do the right thing and I walk away—not only to protect me but also our unborn baby. I had no idea who Gage was to the world when I slipped into his bed. Now that I'm out of it, it's clear he’ll have to clean up his act before he’s father material. But then we meet again, and I'm reminded of the man he could be. The man he was born to be, before tragedy struck and the chaos left his heart barely beating. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Like real life, the characters are far from perfect, make morally gray decisions, and deal with subjects that may be sensitive for some readers. If you are looking for a safe romance, this series is not for you. Trigger warnings (which contain spoilers) can be found on my website. less