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A jaded executive needs to save a horse and ride a cowboy instead. * * * * *When a careless mistake forces Manhattan financier and champion show jumper Alejandra Barros into a posh Colorado rehab facility as a term of keeping her jet-setting job, the perfectly chiseled abs of a local cowboy might be intriguing enough to make the workaholic reassess her priorities. But Ali doesn't count on hot-as-hell ranch hand Hank Mathis being just as physically and emotionally damaged as she is, even if he's a lot better than her at hiding it. These polar opposites will first need to be honest with themselves - and then with each other - to not only start to heal, but to also forge a relationship outside of Pebble Creek Lodge that's worth fighting for. Otherwise, Ali and Hank will risk losing the one thing that could truly make them happy: each other.* * * * *This book was previously published by Pocket Star/Simon and Schuster under the title: THE LAST RESORT (2017).Content Warning for mature situations and discussions including sex, trauma, PTSD, hidden disabilities, addiction, and psychological/physical injury.…

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Sometimes you just might have to die to live again. ***** When art historian Reine Baldwin meets Gabe Moran, a charming journalist, she has no idea their blossoming love will shatter her comfortable life. But a series of clues lead Reine to discover that she's not alone in knowing that she was born centuries ago and-worse yet-there are many things she apparently doesn't even remember. Reine has to face a forgotten past and a forgotten ex-husband (the handsome billionaire Max Baldovini), who-like her-is immortal and cannot truly die. Should she trade her ordinary life with Gabe for the love of Max, a man who's worshipped her for half a millennium? The choice should be easy, until Reine starts to remember things that Max is desperate to make her forget.[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]…

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Out of all the guys in the world, why did Lauren have to fall for her own teammate? ***** Lauren Dimas has been riding motorcycles since kindergarten, and she's pretty sure Cadmium Racing contracted her based on her technical skills. But as the first girl in international road racing, she still has to fight for respect from fans, sponsors, and the media to prove she's not just a token pretty face to drive up viewership and endorsements. Getting her world champion teammate and resident bad-boy Seb Bianchi to take her seriously is another matter. Seb's support could sway the rest of the paddock in Lauren's favor, but she's struggling in the middle of the field while he's hell-bent on becoming number one again. When rumors link them romantically and team bosses decide to embrace the false gossip for publicity, the lines between pretend and reality suddenly become blurred. But is putting both of their hearts and careers at risk worth it?* Honorable Mention/Shortlist @NARomance 2021* For fans of A QUARTER MILE AWAY or Tamara Lush's DRIVE[80,000 - 90,000 words] This book is edited and complete. If you are reading this on another site besides Wattpad, you are reading pirated material and your computer is at risk for malware/viruses.(c) 2017-19 RS Kovach - All Rights Reserved.…

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He just wants her booty, but she'll end up stealing his heart. *****After pirates kidnap seventeen-year-old Ana in a case of mistaken identity, the orphaned housemaid prepares for the worst. Instead, between a shipwreck, mutiny, and her growing feelings for her captor -- the dashing Pirate King of the Caribbean, Alestair Kincade -- Ana soon realizes the secret she keeps is far from the most dangerous part of her new life. But playing the wholesome daughter of a Spanish admiral among rag-tag buccaneers isn't easy either, and to avoid both discovery and the gallows she'll have to learn to rely on more than just her wits and her charm. But is Alestair Kincade really on her side? Or will his protection and his love both disappear the moment he learns the truth? Book Two of The Pirate King Series is called SCUTTLE (formerly The Reluctant Pirate Queen)[Now an audiobook from Hachette, Powered by Wattpad][word count: 90,000-100,000 words] PLUNDER (Book One in The Pirate King Series) © 2014 by R.S. Kovach. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the author's written permission.Cover designed by Ren T…

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Instead of planning her wedding, Ana is preparing for war. *****Captain Alestair "Cade" Kincade has renounced piracy, but he can't yet forgo being a soldier. Despite the risks and against his beloved's wishes, Cade joins the British fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake and disappears in the melee. Left on the wrong side of victory without a ship or crew, Ana journeys into hostile territory determined to find him. Fearing he's become a prisoner of war in the American Revolution, she uses her few remaining allies to attempt a rescue. Even if she's successful, there's no guarantee he'll be the same man she once knew. She certainly won't ever be the same girl who just a few weeks earlier set sail for the New World. No matter how much Ana wants to deny it, she will have to become the Pirate Queen or die trying. [Word count 60,000 - 70,000 words]This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Scuttle (Book Two in The Pirate King Series) © 2014-16 by R.S. Kovach All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the author's written permission.Cover designed by Ren T…

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2025 WATTYS Honorable Mention * * * Academia is a different beast all together when a university is run by werewolves and your new dean is a literal Alpha. * * *At twenty-five, Barlow Milligan is looking forward to starting her first job after grad school as an Assistant Professor at the prestigious Packard University. Little does she count on the quaint, upstate New York school being controlled by two rival packs of werewolves. Luckily, the secretive factions have made peace, at least for now, through the promised union of Clayton Ward, Alpha of Allegheny pack and Gemma Calhoun, daughter of the leader of Black River pack. That is, until Clayton sets his sights on making newcomer Barlow his Luna, instead. But Barlow doesn't know how to control her wolf, nor has she ever been in a pack outside of her family before. Can she learn to fit in and more importantly, can she avoid being the cause of an all-out pack war?* * *A Packard University Novel: Season ONE. Found exclusively only on WATTPAD. (c) 2024-25…

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[2021 WATTYS Winner] Giovanna joins a handsome nobleman to save a friend from an arranged marriage, but they discover a plot that may have victims of Venice's Black Death rising from their graves.* * *As a child, Giovanna Visconti learned the arts of bloodletting and elixir brewing from her father with an intent to simply support his work, not take it over. But when he falls ill from the pestilence that's been ravaging Venice for months, she reluctantly dons the beaked mask of the plague doctor. Vowing to protect her father however she can, Giovanna hides him away and sees her first patient--the handsome, but alarmingly feverish Matteo Barozzi. Although she successfully treats this son of a high-ranking official, in a careless moment Giovanna fails to properly conceal her identity. The only reason she isn't tossed into a dank jail cell is thanks to the young man's honor and feelings of indebtedness.The association between the charming aristocrat and the clever commoner should end there, but when Giovanna's dearest friend goes missing right after her betrothal to the Doge's son and amid strange reports of nighttime attacks, violent commotions, and inexplicable behaviors in the community, the only person Giovanna can turn to for help is Matteo. Together, they must carefully navigate Venice's increasingly deadly canals to uncover a sect peddling false cures and a smuggling plot involving the highest levels of government or risk the entire Republic falling victim to something even worse than the plague: the risen dead.Historical Fiction with Fantasy ElementsTHE BORGIAS X FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH* * *WATTYS 2021 winner for Historical Fiction and special HQ prize for "Catchiest Hook"AMBYS 2022 winner for Best Zombie storyContent Warning for adult situations including assault and death.…

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A town with secrets. A girl with questions. And a revelation that's more shocking than any of them ever expected. * * * * *Sarah wants to spend the last months before college exploring her aunt's sleepy New England town while quietly crushing on the local football star, but the resident ghost has other plans. When evidence of an eighty-year-old murder is discovered, Sarah becomes convinced that the victim is trying to give her a message or perhaps, even a warning. But how could any of it be connected, and most importantly, what is there for her to be afraid of in sweet-as-(pumpkin spice) pie New Bedford?* * *CONTENT WARNING: This story has discussions and depictions of certain themes that some readers may find triggering. This includes verbal, physical, and sexual assault, issues surrounding mental health, and child loss. Read at your own discretion. Note that this is a first draft of this story. It is exclusive to Wattpad and if you find it elsewhere, it has been illegally pirated and you're at risk for malware.[Approx. 50K word Novel] (c) 2021-22 All Rights Reserved - Copyright RS Kovach…

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Some relatives are meant to stay distant. * * *Josephine Lyttleton-Bradley can't understand why she must leave her London home - in the middle of the night during a wicked storm, no less - to live with a relative she's never even met. When Josie realizes she's stuck indefinitely in Great Aunt Donatella's lavish, but spooky mansion in the English countryside, she must uncover why her parents kept details about this branch of the family a secret or risk missing her chance to ever leave.[Approx. 30K word Novella] (c) 2014 All Rights Reserved - R.S. Kovach…

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[2021 WATTYS Shortlist] When the heir to Christmas falls for a girl who hates the holiday, he risks losing his birthright to a trickster cousin unless he can melt her bah-humbug heart. * * *With his pet reindeer, grumpy gnome friends, and perpetual Yuletide cheer, Nick is the most eligible bachelor in the Arctic Circle. He's also the envy of his cousin Piet, who wants nothing more than to destroy the holiday forever. And how better to poison the heart of the most festive man in the reach of the aurora borealis than getting him to fall in love with woman who hates Christmas more than anyone else in the world?Noelle Nixon is "one of those" people. Everyone knows one: someone who lives for sun, surf, and palm trees, someone who'd rather be in perpetual vacation mode, and someone who'd gladly skip from Halloween directly to Easter rather than having to deal with the gloom, stress, and forced cheer of the "holiday season." When magical scheming during the winter equinox between a vengeful Black Buck and a clever Frost Fairy forces this New York City violinist to travel across the North Atlantic for a private holiday concert, the pure, unsuspecting Nick will risk losing his claim on Christmas in favor of his heart unless Noelle's one flaw is a deal breaker to what would otherwise be a perfect match.Awards: WATTYS 2021 Shortlist(c) Copyright 2019 - RS Kovach All Rights Reserved.…

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Most days, life 1,500 ft below the sea is peaceful or even predictable. But this isn't one of those days. * * *Will Scott has never seen daylight. He was born eighteen years ago aboard Vanguard, an undersea base where the remaining members of humanity took refuge after destroying the environment. During a botched mission to catch food, the cocky teen discovers that contrary to what he's been told, there may be survivors of the catastrophic climate change on the mainland. More importantly, there may actually be a place on the surface that's still habitable.Going against the Amended Maritime Code, Will makes it his purpose to find the survivors. To do so, not only does he need to learn to trust others (not his strong-suit), but also avoid the nasty results of a depleted ozone layer (easier said than done). Driven by the desire to finally breathe fresh air and feel the sun on his face, he'll risk not only disobeying his superiors, but also his life to lead the remaining members of society toward a new civilization.1st person Male POV in THE SILO (or FALLOUT) meets THE 100 but make it underwater. This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.Vanguard © R.S. Kovach All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the author's written permission.…

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When Grace Cho's parents unexpectedly move the family from vibrant Seattle to sleepy Gallatin, Montana, the seventeen-year-old isn't surprised the locals treat her as an outcast. Wanting nothing more than to finish her final year before college in peace, Grace is actually disappointed when three other members of the Class of 2016 attempt to strike up a friendship. Jack, Luke, and Maddie have all-American good looks and should have varsity popularity, but for some reason, never hang out with the in-crowd. Focusing their attention instead on the new girl, their efforts to connect quickly escalate from sitting together in the cafeteria to making her an unwitting accomplice in a Halloween prank. But when Grace realizes she may be the only person who can see and hear the trio, her problems become far bigger than after-school detention.(c) 2015 All Rights Reserved - R.S. Kovach…

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***WINNER of the #mediacorpcontent podcast Contest*** Rebecca Fong has been saving for a Balinese vacation for years so when the resort upgrades her from a sparse jungle cabin to a lush treehouse villa, she thinks she's hit the jackpot . . . until the switch also lands another guest in the same bungalow. Still, sharing the unexpected luxury wouldn't be a problem if Rebecca's new suite mate wasn't Simon Marshall, a fellow traveler she'd met on the flight out of Singapore. But the extreme sports' presenter couldn't be any more different than the bookish college student, and the only way the two won't kill each other during their holiday week is if they fall in love first. Little do they know it's her estranged crime boss father's goons and their kidnap plot intended to stage an all-out gangster war that they should really be worried about.* * *This is a 1,500 word entry into a contest for MediaCorp, written in the form of a podcast. At this time, there are no plans to continue the story beyond one chapter on Wattpad. As the contest winner, this has been optioned by MediaCorp for production into a podcast.…

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When the best man for the job is a woman, the Covert Analytical Network Design Yard (or CANDY for those who prefer silly acronyms) sends in Meg Brandon to clean up the mess. An undercover agent by training, she can blend in with street urchins in Morocco as effortlessly as she can neutralize the radioactive core of a dirty bomb in Vladivostok. Being a spy is highly stressful, but Meg knows how to best decompress: preferably in the beds of her most trusted informants, although an occasional target has been known to slip in, too.Money, murder, and mayhem. Why should the guys have all the fun?[Approx. 20K word Novella](c) Copyright 2017-19 R.S. Kovach. All rights reserved.…

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Five ordinary people. One risqué art exhibit. Many, many secrets.* * * This novella contains the stories of five individuals interweaved around a fictitious art exhibit called 'Kink: Attitudes Toward Sex, Then and Now' inspired by two ONC 2023 prompts: can we go back to the start when we were all strangers in the dark (#6) and three women, three secrets, three tangled lives (#15). * * *ONC 2023 Shortlister. This story is marked Mature for adult themes, language, and light erotica. It has been written under a pseudonym, but it is my original work.…

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Modeled after Giovanni Boccaccio's classic from the 14th Century, this collection similarly brought 100+ short stories to Wattpad readers. The original's premise was simple: ten individuals entertained themselves over a span of ten days by telling a different tale while hiding out from the plague outside of Florence. Each day had a theme, leading to an end product that was both cohesive, yet unique. This Wattpad collection aimed to give readers a similar experience. The Decameron 2.0 originally appeared on Wattpad in 2016, but was moved to draft form when I joined the Futures Program. Now that the FP is gone, this collection can be reposted. Participation was by invitation only with each "day" having a Group Leader, otherwise known as the King or Queen for the day. They had the great responsibility to not only pick the other nine authors in their team, but also the theme that they wrote around. Awards were given to the best story within each theme and the overall best story from all the shorts, each chosen by Guest Judges. Readers also had a chance to vote for their favorite to get a special Readers' Award. Stories are between 1,500 and 3,000 words each. They are the sole properties of their respective authors.…

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Suzi needs a date. Well actually, based on the bet she just made with her two best friends, she needs thirty-one dates. Thirty one blind dates to be exact. * * *This one-shot is part of the 31 Blind Dates anthology from more than two dozen Wattpad writers including members of the Stars program, published authors, Ambassadors and Wattys winners. At the end of each story, you will find the link to the next chapter in the collection.…

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Once Upon Now Grand Prize Winner published by Gallery Books.Sixteen-year-old Mira Sighansen never questions her place in the majestic wilderness of the Yukon Territory until she witnesses her brothers' oil rig explode. Refusing to believe the young men are dead, the teen's suspicions are strengthened when their bodies aren't found and she's later visited by six wild egrets. But these are no ordinary birds, and Mira is faced with a remarkable task not even the loss of her voice or the anger of her best friend (over a boy, of course!) can hamper.Convinced she can break a magical enchantment to bring her brothers back, Mira will risk jail and even psychiatric commitment to stop the rig from being rebuilt. Failure to overcome the doubts of her mayor mother, the opposition of her drilling foreman step-father, and the wrath of an industry thirsty for the valuable natural resource could mean not only the end of her family as she knows it, but also the loss of a vital part of her peoples' culture.This 9,000 word original short story is a modern-day retelling of the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale number forty-nine 'The Six Swans' with a First Nations twist. It was part of the #OnceUponNow contest sponsored by @Target for a chance to be included in a published anthology. As of July 5, 2016, it has made it into the Top 25 and as of August 16, 2016, it has been announced as one of the Top 10 Grand Prize winners.…

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*WINNER of the XOXO Connects flash-fiction contest for a publishing contract with Pocket Books.*What's your deepest, darkest desire? Shelby Weeks is a six out of ten on a good day, but her brains and ambition make up for her woeful lack of allure. Nick Farmer, on the other hand, is a handsome, charismatic man who happens to be her boss. They're also both happily married . . . to other people. Shelby can't help to daydream about her undeniable attraction, but she'll never make a public confession about her feelings. There's really no need. She knows that to keep her idyllic life, all she can do is look, but don't touch.This flash-fiction piece is under 2,000 words and was written for the XOXO Connects contest for the theme "confessions". A huge thank you to everyone who voted between October 19 and 21, 2015 to get this story into the top 5. After the editors read the finalists, this story ended up winning the contest!(c) 2015 All Rights Reserved - R.S. Kovach…

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What if you could make travel planning effortless? This collection contains my entry for the Marriott #travelbrilliantly contest that was chosen as a Top 10 story, along with some other one shots related to travel.…