Read Jennifer Lynn Barnes' ‘Glorious Rivals' Excerpt
Cosmopolitan has an exclusive look at Glorious Rivals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, which is set to be released on July 29, 2025. With the grand prize up for grabs and everything on the line, how far are these seven strangers willing to go to win it all? Here's some more info from our friends at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers:
Don't worry, we gained access to the Hawthorne vault to get a special look at what we can expect next and, trust us, you won't believe how this new book kicks off. Check out a special excerpt below! Just make sure to pre-order Glorious Rivals and check out Jennifer Lynn Barnes's other reads as well!
An Excerpt From Glorious RivalsBy Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Kissing Grayson Hawthorne felt like stepping out of time. Nothing else existed. Not the ground beneath Lyra's feet. Not the ruins or the cliffs. Just this. Every place their bodies touched. His lips and hers. A jagged breath— this.
The right kind of disaster just waiting to happen, Odette's voice whispered in Lyra's memory. A Hawthorne and a girl who has every reason to stay away from Hawthornes.
As if he'd heard Lyra's thoughts, Grayson pulled his lips slowly back from hers. 'I usually have more control than this,' he said, his voice achingly low.
'I usually have better sense,' Lyra replied, keenly aware of just how close her lips still were to his— and how close the two of them were to a repeat performance. That kiss, their first, their only, had been earth-shattering.
It had also almost certainly been a mistake.
The wind off the ocean picked up behind Lyra, sending her ponytail flying into her face— and his. Grayson tamed her long hair, pushing it back, and as he did, the wind calmed, too, so suddenly and completely that Lyra couldn't shake the illogical thought that he had calmed it through sheer force of will.
An alarm went off in the back of Lyra's mind. This wasGrayson Hawthorne.
And even if he wasn't the cold, above‑it‑all, asshole rich boy she'd thought him to be twenty-four hours earlier, he was still a Hawthorne. His blood wasn't just blue; it was practically cerulean. And soon enough, the Grandest Game would be over, and promises or not, Lyra and Grayson Hawthorne would go back to being what they'd always been: little more than strangers . . . with every reason to stay away from each other.
Neither one of you knows what you think you know. Another of Odette's warnings echoed through Lyra's memory, but even that couldn't distract her from the fact that she was still so close to Grayson that she could feel his every breath on her skin.
'We should try to get some sleep before phase two,' Lyra said. The words came out throaty and low. She'd been aiming for practical. They'd been given twelve hours to recover from the first phase of the game. So far, Lyra hadn't managed anything resembling respite.
'We should,' Grayson agreed, but instead of putting even a modicum of space between them, he brushed the knuckles of his right hand lightly over her cheek, stealing her next breath like a born thief. 'I meant what I said, Lyra. We'll figure this out— the game and all the rest.'
The rest. That was the understatement of the century, and even just thinking the words had others ringing through Lyra's mind. A Hawthorne did this.
A Hawthorne.
Omega.
There are always three.
Lyra took a step back. Maybe with a little more distance, she'd be able to breathe, to think, to focus on what came next. The two of them were standing on what had once been the cliffside patio of a glorious mansion that was nothing but ruins now, a charred and visible reminder of the way even the grandest things could be reduced to ashes.
'Someone sent me here.' Lyra focused on that. 'Someone put me in this game, and whoever that person is— they know about my father. I'm someone's pawn.' Lyra looked away from Grayson's pale and piercing eyes. 'Or a weapon. Or a bomb.'
That was the logical conclusion, wasn't it? That the person who'd sent her that ticket had put Lyra in the Grandest Game because of her history with the Hawthorne family? Because of her father's death.
Because of Alice Hawthorne's role in it.
'You are no one's weapon, Lyra,' Grayson said, his tone making it perfectly clear just how rarely he lost arguments of any kind, 'bomb or otherwise, and you are certainly not a pawn.'
'Then what am I?' Lyra retorted, her gaze returning to his like a homing missile.
'You are lethal,' Grayson said quietly, 'in the best possible way.'
Where did he get off saying something like that and sounding, for all the world, like he meant it? Lyra went to take another step back, but Grayson reached for her shoulder, and the next thing she knew, he'd reversed their positions. Now Grayson was the one standing with his back to the cliff's edge, and Lyra had the magnificent ocean view.
He'd just put himself between her and the drop-off. 'I don't need your protection, Hawthorne.'
Grayson arched a brow. 'Agree to disagree.'
The wind off the ocean picked up again. A front rolling in. A slight shiver passed through Lyra's body. Eyeing her, Grayson undid the top button on the jacket of his fits-like‑a‑glove suit. The middle button was next.
'What are you doing?' Lyra asked. She wasn't just talking about his suit jacket, and he was perceptive enough to know that. What are we doing?
'I would think the answer apparent.' Grayson undid the final button on his jacket, and then . . .
The jacket came off, and Lyra's body remembered: My lips and yours. A jagged breath.
'You'd better not be planning on offering me that jacket.' Lyra steeled her voice.
'You're cold.' Grayson's lips curved. 'And I believe that I have already acquainted you with the fact that when I encounter a problem, I solve it.'
This was about so much more than the damn jacket. It was about his family and hers and an unknown threat. It was about the fact that Odette Morales, the one person who might have known some fraction of the big picture here, had given up her spot in the Grandest Game— and her chance at millions— because of the danger that Lyra and Grayson somehow represented.
The right kind of disaster just waiting to happen.
'I don't need your jacket,' Lyra told Grayson.
'Perhaps I need to give it to you,' Grayson suggested. 'Chivalry. It's a coping mechanism.'
'I'm warning you, Hawthorne: If you try to put that jacket around my shoulders, I'm taking mine off and giving it to you.' To make her point, Lyra lifted a hand to the zipper on her own athletic jacket— which, to be fair, was more of an outer shirt.
Grayson took a moment to assess whether or not she was bluffing.
Lyra was not bluffing.
'Consider me warned,' Grayson replied archly. He slipped his suit jacket back on.
Lyra narrowed her eyes. 'Why do I feel like I lost this argument?' she said.
'Because,' Grayson replied, 'I'm still standing between you and the edge of the cliff.'
Copyright © 2025 by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. From GLORIOUS RIVALS, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Reprinted by permission of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a Division of Hachette Book Group.
Glorious Rivals, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes will be released on July 29, 2025. To preorder the book, click on the retailer of your choice:
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Three years later, she cast him as her love interest in her "Bye Bye" music video. That April, Mariah's rep denied dating rumors to People. However, while they were keeping their relationship secret from the public, things were moving rather quickly behind the scenes! Nick proposed to her twice — once with a 17-carat pink diamond ring hidden inside a Ring Pop, and once during a NYC helicopter ride. Less than two months into their relationship, they were married. Mariah told People, "We really do feel we are soulmates. I never felt a love like this was in the cards for me." They divorced in 2016. Nick later told the Ray Daniels Presents podcast, "I got married in my 20s to the biggest star in the world. I would lay up at night thinking, 'Is this who I am? Am I Mariah's man? Is that what my life's supposed to be?' There's nothing wrong with it. And I got really comfortable in it. She got islands. I'm waking up at noon, and I'm being served steaks on a platter... Then when you have children and the hierarchy of man shit is like 'Wait, I'm carrying the purse, the diaper bag, and I'm standing on the corner waiting.' She's rocking being all the alpha that she is..." He continued, "And the love kept me there because I was like, 'You need somebody. You need a support system. You need somebody that don't want you for your money. You need somebody that's sincere. You need somebody that's ready to build a family, raise some amazing kids together. And that was my goal. But then there was something constantly in me like...' ....I was wearing suits every day cause I'm trying to prove that I'm a man. The inner adolescent in me, I'm trying to prove that I'm a man because I'm standing next to a woman." Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom met at a party in August 2009. Just a few weeks later, they got engaged. Lamar later told Playboy, "Most people don't want to get married. Being married, that's a responsibility. I always used to tell that to women. I don't want a girlfriend because that means I've got a responsibility. I have a responsibility to call you. I have a responsibility not to be with another woman. I have a responsibility to be there on time when you need me. With her I was like, If I do what I normally do, I'm going to lose her. And if I lose her, I think it's going to hurt a lot. Right then and there I knew. We were together every day." Then, on the one-month anniversary of the day they first met, Khloé and Lamar tied the knot. It was filmed for Keeping Up with the Kardashians, leading to speculation they rushed the wedding to boost ratings. However, Lamar denied it was "PR stunt," telling Playboy, "That's just how gossip works, you know? You can't stop it. Because at the time, with us being so successful — me in basketball and her show doing so well — it was too big. It was too huge. It caught people off guard. It looked as though we had too much to gain. That let me know, damn, it's a big deal. Even the wedding was big. The list of her family [and] friends was crazy. Those were her people showing up, showing their love. For some people, that was too much to even think about. And it was quick. I guess that just added to the speculation — 'Why can't they wait?' I didn't want to wait." Ultimately, Khloé filed for divorce in 2013, and it was finalized two years later. She told Complex, "When you genuinely feel like that was the right relationship, you're supposed to give it all you can. That's what marriage is about. It's not, 'Let's see if it works, if not, we always have divorce.' I am not one of those girls. You took a vow before God, and you're supposed to abide by that... Lamar is genuinely one of the best people I've ever met, and everyone says that when they meet him. I think Lamar's going to always be that person [for me], but that's what made it so special. Even if I had it for five years or whatever, it was the best ever, and I'm grateful I did." In early 2010, a talent agent introduced Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth. By September, they were publicly dating. Chris told Elle, "There was no light-bulb moment. From the first time we met, we just made sense. She's fun. She's outgoing, and she has a sense of humor and a passionate attitude toward life, which is nice to try to keep up with." Over Christmas, they spontaneously got engaged — and married — in Indonesia. On Good Morning Britain, Chris said, "There was no great plan to any of it, to be honest. We were on holiday, and we said, Why don't we get married too?' There probably should have been some planning, but it all worked out. Honestly, we had both our families on holiday at the same time, just randomly, and we said, 'This is a good opportunity with everyone together,' so we just did it." Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee first met at a club on New Year's Eve in 1994. Six weeks later, they went on their first date in Cancun. Just four days into the trip, they tied the knot. However, Pamela filed for divorce in 1998 after Tommy pleaded no contest to felony spousal battery. He was sentenced to six months in jail. In 2001, he was released, and they briefly got back together. They reunited for a third and final time in 2008, ultimately parting ways in 2010. In 2013, George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin met through a mutual friend in July and kept in touch via email until going on their first official date in October. In April 2014, he asked her to marry him. George told CBS This Morning, "I knew fairly quickly that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Amal. When I asked her, we had never talked about it. There wasn't like, 'Maybe we should get married.' I dropped it on her!" They got married in Venice in September 2014. In 2011, Nikki Reed and Paul McDonald got engaged after two months of dating. Responding to criticism of their quick timeline, Nikki told People, "I love him, and I don't care. I've never met anyone like him. I've never met anyone who has such a good, solid heart and comes from such a good, solid family and is just a genuine person. We have the exact same sense of humor. I've never laughed so much with anyone as I do with him." Four months later, they got married on a Malibu ranch. They told Us Weekly, "We couldn't be happier! [We were] surrounded by our family and friends. We're so glad this day has come!" However, they separated in 2014 but released their debut album as a duo later that year. They finalized their divorce in 2015. Nikki Reed went on to experience a friends-to-lovers romance with Ian Somerhalder. They started dating in July 2014 then got engaged six months later. A source told Us Weekly, "They were friends before; the groundwork had been laid before. They had always been attracted to each other, but always in another relationship. It may seem quick, but they knew it was right. They believe in the same things. They are dedicated to their work and helping others." Three months later, they got married at Topanga Canyon in Malibu. In February 2004, Nicolas Cage met server Alice Kim at an LA restaurant. Two months later, they got engaged. Since Nic was filming Lords of War in South Africa, he and Alice decided to go ahead and get married that August so she could travel with him — and because they "loved each other." He told the Guardian, "I made a very clear decision to marry out of my own zip code. I mean, way out of my own zip code. I married into another culture, and it's interesting because in Korea they call me the Son-in-Law." However, in 2016, they separated. He told the Guardian, "It was a shocker for me – I definitely didn't see it coming... She was quite young when I married her, and I don't really have any ill will towards what happened. That's all I'll say." In 2012, Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger met while working on her album together. A month and six days into their relationship, he proposed by taking a picture of himself with the ring, slipping it into a scrapbook she had at the studio, and spelling out, "Will you marry me?" in stickers. He told HELLO! Canada, "I knew I was falling for her. It was incredibly powerful and something I'll never forget." She told On Air with Ryan Seacrest, "We started dating, and the next day, he's like, 'You know, I'm going to marry you.' And I said, 'I know.' It was just one of those things we knew." In 2013, they got married at a castle in France. However, they announced their separation in 2015. On Instagram, Avril said, "Through not only the marriage, but the music as well, we've created many unforgettable moments. We are still, and forever will be, the best of friends, and will always care deeply for each other. To all our family, friends and fans, thank you sincerely for the support." And finally, we'll end on a really wholesome one: Amy Schumer and chef Chris Fischer met when she visited his family farm in Martha's Vineyard with his sister, who's also her assistant. They were just friends until she got him to help her with the food at a friend's birthday party. While getting things ready together, something shifted between them. They were first romantically linked in November 2017, and they made their relationship public in February 2018. Shortly after, they got married. Amy told the Howard Stern Show that they planned the wedding in only three or four days. She texted her loved ones, "I'm getting married on Tuesday. I hope you can come."
Cosmopolitan
2 days ago
- Cosmopolitan
Paulina Porizkova Dropped a Refreshingly Relatable Bikini Pic
Paulina Porizkova may have made a name for herself as a successful supermodel, but she's reminding fans that she's still going through life like them. The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue fan-favorite recently got candid about her journey with aging when she dropped a set of refreshingly relatable bikini pics on social media. In a July 28 Instagram post, Paulina included two unretouched photos that showcased how different settings can impact her appearance online and in real life. 'This is me. Vacation, pretty light, posing for a shot,' she wrote along with the first photo, where she's smiling in a white-and-metallic-gold string bikini. Then she shared a makeup-free mirror selfie, taken with overhead bathroom lighting. 'This is also me. Home, not great light, not posing,' she added. 'This is 60.' She went on to write, 'This is 60 years of sometimes healthy eating, sometimes not. 60 years of sometimes working out, sometimes not. 60 years of doing the right things followed by doing the wrong things and over again and again.' The 26-time Cosmopolitan cover girl added, 'It's 60 years of learning of what works and what doesn't. And just as I think I've figured it out, everything changes and I have to start again. The beauty of 60 is that now I understand the importance is IN the lesson, not passing the exam.' Following her social post, Paulina included a slew of hashtags, including #betweenjloandbettywhite, #thisis60, #bikini, #nomakeup, #nofilter, and #keepinitreal. So true, queen. Naturally, her vulnerable revelation received love in her comments section. Some commended her for sharing her thoughts, with one fan writing, 'Words can't express how thankful I am for women like you, Paulina. Keeping it real. You are beautiful inside and out. Age is just a number. I wish more women felt beautiful in their own skin. ❤️❤️' Fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista threw in a praising hands emoji while Charmed star Alyssa Milano added, 'The most beautiful at any age and in any light.' This isn't the first time Paulina has used her platform to spread a positive message around aging. During a January appearance on The Today Show, Paulina said, 'We're so terrified of wrinkles because I suppose wrinkles make us no longer relevant, no longer sexy, no longer desirable, and as women, that has been sort of our calling card. It's tagged with us for such a long time.' She continued, 'And I keep looking at wrinkles, mine, yours, any woman that I see, and I think, 'It's your map of life.' I see how you are as a person. Why would you want to erase it?'
