Better Book One: Collision by Carrie Leighton, translated from the original Italian
She shouldn’t want her new college classmate—a bad boy with a dark side who kisses as rough as he fights—yet, she can’t seem to stay away in this angsty new adult romance for fans of Penelope Douglas, L.J. Shen, and the After series.
There is no rose without a thorn. There is no passion without torment.
Vanessa Clark, a second-year college student, has a visceral love of books and rainy days and an unbreakable bond with her best friends. Marked by her parents’ difficult divorce, she found comfort in Travis, apparently the good guy that all mothers—including hers—would like next to their daughter. With him she hopes to be able to build a happiness that she has been missing for too long now. After two years, however, even that love seems to have cracked and only rubble remains in Vanessa’s heart. At least until, in class, she meets new classmate Thomas Collins for the first time.
With a body covered in tattoos, green eyes in which it is all too easy to get lost, and a troubled past, Thomas is an explosive mix of charm and arrogance. He and Vanessa, so different from each other yet deep down so similar, fit together like pieces of a puzzle, giving life to a tormented relationship, made up of moments of passion and glimpses of tenderness, furious quarrels and reconciliations.
But Vanessa wants more, she dreams of true, romantic and all-encompassing love, the kind of love story told in the novels that she never gets tired of reading. Thomas, on the other hand, shuns every bond, feeling as though a perennial tangle of thorns is agitated in his chest. And yet, if understanding each other is difficult, parting is impossible.
This Work has been translated with a grant from the Center for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Better Book Two: Damnation by Carrie Leighton, translated from the original Italian.
There is no light without shadow. There is no love without pain.
Loving each other has never been easy for Thomas Collins and Vanessa Clark. Their romance is fueled by passionate nights and fierce jealousy, hot sparks and seemingly insurmountable misunderstandings. After nearly losing each other, their relationship finally appears to be growing in the right direction. For the first time, Thomas confides in Vanessa, sharing the traumas in his past that have turned him into a broken soul incapable of bonding with anyone.
But not even this rekindled closeness can overcome Thomas’s deep, gripping distress. While Thomas spirals into self-destruction, Vanessa does her best to move on. She revisits her relationship with her old boyfriend, Logan, who has never accepted the end of their relationship and is ready to provide the support she deserves.
Thomas is devastated and angry, because he knows that Logan isn’t the right guy for Vanessa. But Thomas can’t seem to keep himself together, his pain and addictions tearing him apart. Can there be a happy ending for two hearts on a collision course?
UPCOMING—Better Book 3: Obsession by Carrie Leighton, translated from the original Italian
Angsty sexy New Adult college romance from Italian bestseller and Wattpad sensation Carrie Leighton. For these two lovers, being together is a torment, but parting is impossible. The flawed love story between Vanessa and Thomas has reached the final stop: arguments and reconciliations, betrayal and lies have now divided them. But can something that is this broken—and has broken both their hearts—be mended?
Vanessa Clark returns to Corvallis, harboring a deep resentment towards Thomas Collins, the bad boy who broke her heart. Meanwhile, Thomas has straightened himself out, but the anger they both feel triggers clashes and provocations. The attraction that binds them still smolders like fire under the ashes and needs only a spark to flare up again.
But Logan, Vanessa’s old boyfriend, stands between them, doing everything he can to stick to Vanessa’s side. He seems like the perfect companion, a better man who only wants what’s best for Vanessa. Or is he?
Logan seems to have his own agenda, and perhaps Thomas is right in always warning her against him. To piece their relationship back together, Thomas must show Vanessa that he wants their love to last—because despite all their flaws, they cannot live without each other.
Kiss Me Like You Love Me Book One: Let the Game Begin by Kira Shell, translated from the original Italian.
A bingeable dark college romance featuring a chilling cat-and-mouse suspense subplot from Italian bestseller and BookTok sensation Kira Shell.
Love the players. Hate the game.
Selene Anderson reluctantly moves to New York to live with her estranged father and his new family for her first year of college. She’s immediately drawn to Neil Miller like a moth to a flame. Neil is the eldest son of her father’s new wife; constantly battling a sinister past that gives him no respite. Selene would do anything to break down the walls Neil has built around his heart. But Neil is not ready to open up to anyone, believing himself to be too damaged to be loved.
As Selene and Neil wrestle with conflicting emotions and forbidden fantasies, in the shadows lurks Player 2511—a stalker looking for revenge against Neil. With his riddles, threats and attacks, the ruthless stranger drags Neil into a wicked game that he must play if he wants his family to live—and win if he wants a future with Selene.
Let the Game Begin is the first in the Kiss Me Like You Love Me dark romance series. It features mature themes and explicit content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised. Please check the content warning at the beginning of the book.
This work has been translated with the contribution of the Center for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
Kiss Me Like You Love Me Book Two: A Dangerous Game by Kira Shell, translated from the original Italian.
She is the salve to his tortured soul. He is the answer to her darkest fantasies. Together they are the target of a deadly villain in this thrilling dark college romance from international bestselling author Kira Shell.
After barely surviving Player 2511’s attack, Selene decides to move back in with her mother in Detroit, take the reins of her life, and forget about Neil, his golden eyes, and his contradictions. Despite being aware that her feelings for him run deep, Selene understands that Neil cannot let himself be loved by anyone, least of all her, and that his soul is permanently riddled with scars that keep him from living a normal life.
However, when they reunite unexpectedly, Selene realizes she cannot live without him and chooses to remain by his side. Neil must then fight his trauma and inner turmoil to return her feelings. At the same time, Neil is forced to be constantly vigilant, as Player 2511 is still lurking, determined to have his revenge. No one is safe, and fear prevails, because nothing less than life is at stake.
This work has been translated with the contribution of the Center for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture.
UPCOMING—Kiss Me Like You Love Me Book Three: Game Over by Kira Shell, translated from the original Italian.
Bingeable dark romance featuring a chilling cat-and-mouse suspense subplot from Italian bestseller and TikTok sensation Kira Shell.
Neil Miller looks for the slightest inkling that could lead him to uncovering Player 2511, the violent masked stalker threatening his family and his girlfriend, Selene Anderson. On one hand, the bond Neil shares with Selene grows stronger, unbreakable. But on the other hand, Neil is afraid his painful past will keep him from a full and meaningful life with her. Selene wants to know Neil for who he really is; wants to love him unconditionally. But he’s used sex as a psychological release for too long, struggling to come to terms with his childhood abuse that haunts his everyday life.
When a revelation about his past overwhelms Neil’s fragile ability to keep himself together, he turns his back on everyone he cares about and runs far away to find himself and regain some balance, torn between his escape and his powerful but undefined feelings towards Selene. But as Neil tries to clear his head, Player 2511 prepares his final assault—and he plans to spare no one.
This work has been translated with the contribution of the Center for Books and Reading of the Italian Ministry of Culture.