Penn Warren University Series by J.L. Minyard

Bryn St. Jean is a brassy, vivacious, irreverent relationship columnist and online personality; a famous, pseudo-celebrity in her Southern college town. Vivien Leigh Martin is that quiet, weird, smart girl you knew in high school, who knows she’ll never be able to live up to her namesake or her mother’s exacting standards. But—and here’s the kicker—they’re the same person... moreBryn St. Jean is a brassy, vivacious, irreverent relationship columnist and online personality; a famous, pseudo-celebrity in her Southern college town. Vivien Leigh Martin is that quiet, weird, smart girl you knew in high school, who knows she’ll never be able to live up to her namesake or her mother’s exacting standards. But—and here’s the kicker—they’re the same person. Vivien reinvented herself when she moved away to college, and she hides her insecurities under green hair and a louder-than-life persona. Bryn is living the college dream: a hot-as-sin hometown not-boyfriend, an off-campus apartment, and a roommate who does all the cooking. But not all is what it seems. Even as Bryn, Vivien still feels the pressure to always be better. Be smarter. Be funnier. Get accepted to a prestigious journalism internship in Boston to start after she graduates. Then she meets someone who wants to tear down her carefully constructed façade. At 6’6, with a ponytail and a poet’s heart, Tobias Doan makes Vivien feel—dare she say it—dainty. And worthy. And wanted. But Tobias is going to make her choose. Between Bryn and Vivien. Between a painful past or a risky future. Does Vivien have the courage to finally take her own advice? less

Roommates, hookups, friends, idiots. What could possibly go wrong? Emory Storey is a strong, independent college student, if a bit directionless and surly. The last thing she needs is a relationship—platonic, romantic, or otherwise. Too bad she’s stuck in a roommate agreement with Sebastian Rees, a devastatingly attractive fifth year senior with more abs than ambition. Their single hookup over a year ago was a mistake not so easily forgotten... moreRoommates, hookups, friends, idiots. What could possibly go wrong? Emory Storey is a strong, independent college student, if a bit directionless and surly. The last thing she needs is a relationship—platonic, romantic, or otherwise. Too bad she’s stuck in a roommate agreement with Sebastian Rees, a devastatingly attractive fifth year senior with more abs than ambition. Their single hookup over a year ago was a mistake not so easily forgotten. They’ve both—silently and separately—agreed to keep their distance. Not an easy task when Emory can't stop thinking about the taste of his mouth. Or what his body feels like pressed to hers. When a rogue winter storm traps them together with no power or heat for days, they're forced to confront their one time together…and come out on the other side in a roommates-with-benefits arrangement, a complication Emory finds impossible to resist. What was supposed to be no strings sex quickly morphs into late night gaming, inside jokes, and wing eating contests…and something that feels suspiciously like real friendship and real feelings. But someone else is jealous. Someone else wants Emory. Someone who may not take no for an answer…forcing Emory to take a stand if she wants to claim her happy ending. Trouble With the Truth is chronologically the third book in the Penn Warren University series but can be enjoyed as a standalone. It is intended for mature readers. less