Demanding Ransom — Megan Squires

Sometimes life takes things away from you. In nineteen-year-old Maggie Carson's case, it's taken more than its fair share. Determined to move forward, Maggie embarks on her first year of college, hoping to finally put her past behind her, exactly where it belongs. But that's hard to do when the present is just as difficult. And even harder when someone like Ran, the gorgeous paramedic that keeps crossing Maggie's path, challenges her to face things head on, rather than bury them like she always does. Ran hasn't had a perfect life either. But there's something different about him, and something different about the way he makes Maggie feel. Maybe meeting Ran is life's little gift for Maggie -- a sort of consolation prize for enduring everything she's had to go through. But things don't come easy for Maggie. Why should love be the exception? And just when everything starts to settle, it's all turned on its head once again. If there is one thing Ran has taught Maggie, it's that you can't sit on the sidelines of your own existence. When life takes something that's yours, you have every right to demand it back. Only for Maggie, that is easier said than done.