For Emma Archer, college isn’t about freedom. It also isn’t about getting a degree to make money. She wants no part of the world of wealth that could be hers by birthright. For her, college is about the chance to put in her dues and land a coveted position at a publishing company, a chance to make something of herself through her own efforts. Gavin Locke’s arrival changes all of that. The brooding, devilishly handsome brother of her best friend seems determined to destroy her careful control and plans. Already wounded by past emotional betrayal, Emma doesn’t want to be the victim of a man who represents everything she is trying to flee. She’ll have to navigate the struggle of her pride and heart or face a future of both personal and professional failure.

Living the high life in Grace Locke’s elite world has left her listless and unfulfilled. Her parents have it all mapped out for her, from birth to marriage, including the man she’s supposed to love and marry. It’s too bad she can’t get her kiss with Dean, a cowboy from outside her circle, off her mind. Things change when her grandmother challenges Grace to break free and begin to learn who she is and not who her parents want her to be. Attacking her new life with the gusto of self-exploration, Grace finds she really only feels free with Dean. Unfortunately, that soon becomes complicated when she’s drawn into helping her ex-boyfriend, not out of love, but out of her concern for his suffering younger sister. Sworn to secrecy by her ex to protect his family’s reputation, Grace has to deal with a suspicious Dean and her ruthless parents who care little about her happiness. Freedom, Grace, soon learns can come at a cost.