The Practitioner

By Ronica Black

Actors/Artists
Age Gap

Johnnie Hamilton has conquered a lot in life. An anxiety disorder, loss of her business, and homelessness have been difficult to overcome. But Johnnie has come through the other side to find success as an artist. Now, however, she’s lost her creative drive and she’s struggling to produce.

Elaine Taylor has an interesting job. She’s a “creative practitioner,” known to awaken her client’s creative side by using many different approaches, including a sensual or sexual approach. Most of her clients are male and she likes it that way. Women are the last thing she wants in her life, having lost the most important woman she’s ever known, her wife.

Fearing she’ll lose all she’s worked so hard for, Johnnie takes her friend’s advice and calls a lone number on a business card, steps into Elaine’s office, and shakes up both their worlds forever.

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Unlikely Match

By Fiona Riley

A Perfect Match Novel
Financial gap/Class disparity
Workplace Romance
Children / Families

Shelly White is a coding genius who has mastered the IT world but hasn’t quite mastered dating. While she searches for Ms. Right with the help of Samantha Monteiro’s matchmaking agency, Shelly embraces her inner nerd, and when one of her newest ideas turns into a creative goldmine, she hires PR exec Claire Moseley to help her professional dreams become reality. But is Claire the girl of her dreams in more ways than one?
 
Being raised by four brothers has made Claire tenacious. Her assignment to Shelly’s high-profile project focuses her desire to prove her worth, even though she secretly fears she’s out of her depth. And she absolutely, positively isn’t going to let her growing attraction to Shelly White derail her career.
 
When passions and ambitions overlap, Shelly and Claire must decide whether mixing business and pleasure can result in a perfect match.

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Where Love Leads

By Erin McKenzie

Coming Out
Friends to Lovers Romance
Second Chance at Love
Children / Families

Sarah O’Shaughnessy, a high school counselor, is very good at taking care of others. What she hasn’t mastered is how to take better care of herself. Four years after the death of her wife, Sarah’s life has settled into a safe, solitary rut. That is, until the arrival of a new student and her mom.
 
Lauren Emerson and her teen daughter, Kat, move back to Lauren’s hometown in Central New York, fleeing her unsupportive husband and Kat’s traumatic bullying experience. Lauren is determined to create a better life for them both. She soon discovers that the compassionate Ms. O’Shaughnessy is someone in whom she can confide.
 
The newly forged friendship between Sarah and Lauren provides support and encouragement, yet neither is prepared for the undeniable attraction that ignites between them. When the future looks like nothing they had planned, will they find the courage to go where love leads?

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Forsaken Trust

By Meredith Doench

A Luce Hansen Thriller | Book 2
Women in Uniform
Small Town Romances
Private Investigator
Police / Cops
Workplace Romance
Police Procedural 
Psychological Thriller
Holidays |

Wallace Lake, Ohio, takes care of their own. Unwelcoming of outsiders, the community closes ranks when four women are found murdered along the water’s edge. Agent Luce Hansen of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation must find a way in before another woman loses her life to the ruthless serial killer.
 
With the help of her new team—a hot rookie and a smart, beautiful medical examiner—Luce uncovers a ring of devotion surrounding the prime suspect. As Luce works to unearth the dark secrets of this close-knit town, she learns to what extraordinary lengths people will go to protect the ones they love. And when Luce feels forsaken, both professionally and personally, she must regain trust in her most valuable investigative tool: herself.

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Her Best Friend's Sister

By Meghan O'Brien

California
Friends to Lovers Romance

At twelve years old, Claire Barker developed a massive crush on her best friend Sarah’s older sister, the handsome, butch Alex Williams. Now twenty-seven and a successful entrepreneur, Claire’s interest hasn’t waned—despite Alex’s fashion photography career keeping her overseas for months at a time. When Alex moves home unexpectedly, she and Claire end up enjoying a surprise, wine-fueled reunion that alters their relationship forever.

Are Claire’s dreams about to come true, or will real life prove to be more complicated than her fantasies?

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Letter of the Law

By Carsen Taite

Lone Star Law Romance
Animals 
People of Color
Federal Agents
Lawyers
Financial gap/Class disparity
Friends & Community
Enemies to Lovers Romance
Good girls/Bad girls
Children / Families

Federal prosecutor Bianca Cruz has spent her life balancing motherhood with the call of her career. As she draws closer to making the case against the notorious Vargas brothers, danger casts dark shadows over her family. When her case leads her to a gorgeous horsewoman with a mysterious background, will she take a chance at love even if it means risking everything she’s worked her entire life to protect?

To horse breeder Jade Vargas, happy family is a fiction. Unlike her privileged half sister, she grew up knowing her heritage was rooted in darkness, yet she’s managed to live in the light despite the looming criminal enterprise ever poised to drag her down. When crisis strikes, will she burrow back to her past or will her undeniable attraction to the prosecutor investigating her family pull her out of the darkness once and for all?

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New Life

By Jan Gayle

Blue Collar
Medical Romance

Trigena Gillmore is about to become a mother, but she never wanted children. Her wife, Dr. Karri Gillmore, PhD, is pregnant. Karri’s been dreaming about being a mom for as long as she can remember. Trigena is so in love with her wife, she agreed to the insemination to make Karrie happy. Trig thought she had plenty of time to get used to the idea of being a parent, but Karrie got pregnant on the first attempt. The baby is only a few months away, and Trigena’s fears run deep. The stress has made everything more difficult, and Trigena must keep it all inside. She can escape it all, but the loss might be too much.

 

"In this romantic journey, the main characters must find their fresh start if they are to survive the stresses and turmoil of a renewed life together....New Life is a thought-provoking story with charming main characters who seem more real because of their struggles." –Lambda Literary Review

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Royal Rebel

By Jenny Frame

Bodyguard/Protection Romances
Royalty
International Setting
A Royal Romance Story | Book 2
Celebrity
Financial gap/Class disparity

Princess Rozala of Denbourg enjoys her reputation as a wild child, especially when it annoys her father, the King. When Roza’s latest girlfriend brings scandal to the palace doors, her father sends her to Britain, in the hopes that time with her cousin Queen George and the new Queen Consort will finally make her face her responsibilities.

After overcoming personal demons and quitting the high-stakes world of finance, Lennox King is content to keep her life simple. As the new director of a hospice charity, she uses a strict business approach to help the charity grow and prosper.

When Roza comes to work at the charity under orders from the Queen Consort, babysitting a spoiled princess is definitely not on Lennox’s agenda. But when passion flares between them, will Lennox’s past stop their relationship in its tracks, or will a twist of fate bring a new future that neither was expecting?

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Unbroken

By Donna K. Ford

Small Town Romances

Therapist Kayla McCormick is the quiet, sensitive type who prefers her life orderly and predictable. Kayla has an open heart, but the pain of loss has taught her to avoid risks that could get her hurt. She dreams of family and forever but no longer believes she’ll have her own happy ending.   
 
Jackie Phillips hides her fear and hurt behind fierce independence and impulsive behavior. Raised in an atmosphere of abuse and neglect, she is haunted by the disappearance of her mother when she was a teenager. Determined not to need anyone, she has closed her heart and lets lust drive her encounters. 
 
When their lives converge in a classic case of opposites attracting, will Kayla and Jackie have the courage to embrace love and rewrite their own stories, when that might mean risking all?

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Where the Light Glows

By Dena Blake

California
Second Chance at Love

Izzy Calabrese wants to make her restaurant a success. She has a passion for cooking and life in general. Romance is the furthest thing from her mind when she finds Mel Thomas crying after being abandoned by her husband…again. She tries to distance herself from Mel, but she keeps showing up. 
 
Clients know Mel Thomas as the CEO of her own consulting firm. She’s smart, engaging, and successful. Anyone who knows her would never think she’s insecure, but she’s more fragile than anyone knows. Her marriage on shaky ground, she doesn’t know how, or if, it can be salvaged. All she’s ever wanted in a relationship is someone’s attention. She thinks she may have found the person who can give that to her. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect it to be Izzy.

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Forget Me Not

By Kris Bryant

International Setting
Animals 
Vacation

When Grace Danner finds out her great-aunt has passed away leaving her a flower shop in Ireland, she is anxious to get it off her hands as quickly as possible. Her career with the most prestigious advertising firm in Dallas has her busy six days a week, and she doesn’t have time to step away from her life to handle her aunt’s estate. She plans a quick trip to sign papers and save family heirlooms, hoping to return home before the end of the week.

She meets real estate agent Kerry Mulligan who was consigned to the property quite by accident. Their relationship starts off rocky, and as much as Grace wants to get to know the red-haired Irish beauty in the short time she is there, Kerry is nothing but business. Can Grace break through Kerry’s icy disposition and open her up to a quick affair? Even if Grace manages to seduce Kerry, can she return unscathed to the life she left in Dallas?

 

Praise from Lambda Literary Review: "This story is filled with loving familial interactions, caring friends, romantic interludes and tantalizing sex scenes. The dialogue, both among the characters and within Grace’s head, is refreshing, original, and sometimes comical. Forget Me Not is a fresh perspective on a romantic theme, and an entertaining read.

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Highland Fling

By Anna Larner

College Life
Coming Out
Age Gap
Small Town Romances
Friends & Community
Virgins/First Love
Vacation
International Setting
Second Chance at Love
Children / Families

Eve Eddison describes her ideal woman to her best friend, Roxanne, over pints in their local pub a few days before she travels to the Scottish Highlands. There she falls head over heels for an enigmatic local, Moira Burns, and the usually reticent Eve wants more than a holiday romance. Forestry officer Moira Burns has no intention of letting go—either of past pain or for present pleasure. If that means she misses out on her chance at happiness, so be it. Convinced Eve is headed for heartbreak, Roxanne advises her to let Moira go…but has Eve found her ideal woman at last?

From the breathtaking Highlands of Scotland to the buzz of a Leicester gay bar, family and friendship are tested to breaking point, as letting go proves painfully hard.

 

"Take a day off, curl up and lose yourself in this lovely lesbian romance by debut novelist Anna Larner. And you'll adore the gorgeous cover designed by Sheri Halal too!" DIVA

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Phoenix Rising

By Rebecca Harwell

The Storm's Quarry Series | Book 2
Magic
Other Worlds

The Iron Phoenix, the masked vigilante of Storm’s Quarry, has not been seen since the solstice and the tragedy it brought. Haunted by nightmares and striving for control over her powers, Nadya Gabori watches from afar as the city struggles to heal, and Kesali, the woman she loves, works to rebuild their dream of peace.

A new masked figure has arrived in Storm’s Quarry, the Shadow Dragon, one who can conjure blades of light. Nadya feels a powerful connection to her and begins to question if Kesali is the future she wants. When the neighboring Kingdom of Wintercress takes advantage of the city’s weakness, it will take the strength of both young women to defend Storm’s Quarry against invasion and save everyone they hold dear.

 

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Saints+Sinners 2017

By Paul Willis and Others

Saints+Sinners

An anthology of short fiction featuring the finalist selections from the 2017 Saints+Sinners Literary Festival.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Introduction by Michael Thomas Ford
  • Moonshine by Michael Chin
  • The Gay Restaurants of New York by William Moeck
  • The Gods Are Stacked Against Us by Sheila Morris
  • Jesus Year by Dale Corvino
  • Must Love Animals by Louis Flint Ceci
  • Temporary Adhesions by P.D. Walter
  • Leaves by James Penha
  • Curo The Filthmonger: A Tale of Art and Survival in the Cold Embrace of Outer Space by J. Marshall Freeman
  • Passing Through by John Morgan Wilson
  • Obituaries by Thomas Westerfield
  • The Fool by Ellis Anderson
  • Oni and Marie by Debra Curtis
  • Slaying the Dragon by W. C. Smith
  • Beauty Marks by David James Parr
  • Bear Food by Alise Wascom

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Soul Survivor

By I. Beacham

International Setting
Second Chance at Love

Internationally acclaimed American journalist Josephine “Joey” Barry is considered one of the most iconic correspondents of her time, having reported on major crises from many of the world’s hotspots. But everything crumbles when rebel insurgents near the Syrian border attack and kill her team, forcing her to hide. Rescued but traumatized, she finds she can no longer cope with who she once was, breaking down on national television during a live political debate. 

Sent to England to try to get her mojo back, her path crosses the Reverend Samantha “Sam” Savage, a charismatic vicar with an appetite for compassion and motor biking. Non-believer Joey is drawn to her, not knowing Sam is struggling with her own demons. Can their love grow through such adversity?

 

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Strawberry Summer

By Melissa Brayden

Small Town Romances
Reunion Romance
Virgins/First Love
Second Chance at Love
Homecoming

Just because you’re through with your past, doesn’t mean it’s through with you.  

Margaret Beringer didn’t have an easy adolescence. She hated her name, was less than popular in school, and was always cast aside as a “farm kid.” However, with the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret’s youth sparked into color. Courtney was smart, beautiful, and put together—everything Margaret wasn’t. Who would have imagined that they’d fit together so perfectly? 

But first loves can scar. 

Margaret hasn’t seen Courtney in years and that’s for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control of the family store, Margaret comes face-to-face with her past and the woman she’s tried desperately to forget. The fact that Courtney has grown up more beautiful than ever certainly doesn’t help matters.

 

Named one of The 10 Best Romance Books of 2017 by Vulture: "This small-town second-chance romance is full of tenderness and heart." 

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The Girl on the Edge of Summer

By J.M. Redmann

Private Investigator
Psychological Thriller
Micky Knight Mysteries | Book 9
Big City
New Orleans 
Multicultural 

Micky Knight reluctantly takes on two cases, one for money, one for pity. The first is a trawl though archives to solve a century old murder, for an arrogant grandson who thinks riches should absolve his family of any sins. The other, to answer a mother’s anguish as she tries to understand her daughter’s suicide. Micky sees no happy ending to either case; the dusty pages of history aren’t going to give up their secrets after holding them for so long. And even if she finds answers for the mother’s questions, nothing will bring her daughter back. But as Micky discovers, the past is never past and a young girl can lead a complicated, even dangerous, life. The secrets, both past and present, are meant to remain hidden—only the first murder is hard. The rest come easy.

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Unknown Horizons

By CJ Birch

New Horizons Series | Book 1
Space Opera
Workplace Romance
Women in Uniform

The moment Lieutenant Alison Ash steps aboard the Persephone, she knows her life will never be the same. She will never again watch the sun rise over the asteroid belt, never again see Earth from a handheld telescope, and never again see her family. 

In less than three weeks, the ship will dock at the Posterus and begin the most important journey humankind has ever undertaken. More important than discovering fire, creating language, or even abandoning Earth to live confined in biospheres among the asteroid belt over 100 years ago.  

What Ash doesn’t expect is that by keeping her recent memory loss a secret she is jeopardizing not only the Persephone’s mission but humankind’s launch of the first ever generational ship. Nor does she anticipate her attraction to Captain Jordan Kellow, but both will change her life forever.

 

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