Contemporary Books

Erin O’Connor is broke in more ways than one. A rising star in the art world, her last showing crashed and burned, wrecking her marriage on the way down. Now her finances are in ruins, and she may have to leave New York City. To help Erin out, her best friend, journalist Nat Robicheaux, hires her to help research a story about racist practices at a local realty company.

Catherine Williams, Sumter Realty’s top saleswoman, thought she was done with relationships when her last one imploded. But when Erin walks into one of her open houses, all bets are off. She invites Erin to a private showing. Then, she asks her to dinner. And a friend’s wedding. The more time she spends with Erin, the deeper she falls.

Jaxon Lavigne left the small town of Chackbay, Louisiana, to escape disapproving parents and has never looked back. She’s now a popular English lit professor. Life is good. Really. The only problem is the invite in her mailbox. Who in their right mind has a fifteen-year high school reunion?

Iris Long’s days are predictable. She did the safe thing and married the high school quarterback. While her life isn’t a grand love affair, it’s comfortable, and as the secretary at the local high school, she can see her daughter and son throughout the day. Her family is great, but Iris longs for the one person she can’t have. 

Jaxon comes back to town amid gossip that started sixteen years earlier and never really died down. After crushing on Iris in high school, seeing her again is a welcome surprise. But it’s Iris’s daughter, Sean, whose dark hair, blue eyes, and brilliant mind are startlingly like Jaxon’s own who exposes scars from small town secrets.

Jaxon has been kept in the dark by those she loves most, including Iris. But when the truth is finally revealed, will she leave for good?

They say opposites attract. They aren’t kidding.

When Casey meets Olivia—the actress she’s driving around for two weeks—she figures it’s going to be all business. Sure, Olivia’s hot and has women throwing themselves at her feet, but Casey is only interested in making the money she needs before going back to Portland. London is full of painful memories, and anyway, perfectly put together celebrities are not really her thing.

Olivia loves being “Susie,” her TV alter ego. She’s sassy, sexy, and never short of admirers, but living her life in the public eye is taking its toll. When her new driver turns out to be tall, dark, and undeniably handsome, Olivia is intrigued. But Casey seems like she has something to hide, and the last thing Olivia needs is someone she can’t trust.

The only girl in a house of boys, Julia Martini worked extra hard to get noticed. That has made her business-minded and driven, and she’s determined to turn her family’s struggling bar around. Simple. All she has to do is remodel, re-staff, and rebrand the place, work insane hours and ignore the sexy blonde who comes in to...she’s flirting, right? ’Cause Julia’s rusty and has zero time for dating, even if their chemistry is off-the-charts steamy.

Savannah McNally’s needs always come last. A caretaker by trade, she also takes care of her widowed dad, her brother, her sister, and everybody else on the planet, it seems. When her dad finally starts dating, Savannah can focus on her own life for once—her career, her house, maybe even that super-hot bartender at Martini’s who has her thinking naughty thoughts. 

When family feuds are exposed and a popular blog trashes the bar, the weight of business decisions, family loyalty, and life in general may outweigh their attraction that could lead to more.

Taylor Braxton needs to get married, then divorced, with no strings attached. 

Taylor, a physical trainer, has just inherited her grandfather’s B&B on Maui, but there’s a catch. She can’t have the deed until the day after her one-year wedding anniversary. She’d rather stick a fork in her eye than get hitched, but the B&B is a dream come true. So all she has to do is find a woman who will agree to fake a marriage. How hard can it be? 

Jayden Wheaton could use a year in paradise to help her recovery. After a crippling accident, she hires Taylor in the hope of gaining back some mobility. When Taylor casually mentions her dilemma, Jayden jumps at the chance, hoping the warm island temperatures will help with her chronic pain. A marriage masquerade in exchange for a year in Paradise? Yes, please. After all, it’s not like either of them are looking for romance, so there’s zero chance of their feelings complicating the arrangement. Right?

Ashling O’Rourke has always seen love through the prism of her vintage romance novel collection. The dukes, the duchesses, and the corsets and carriages help her to experience different kinds of love. She’s content living a sheltered life in a small village and even gets a job working for the Rosebrook Village Trust. Ash’s newly exciting life is only marred by the arrogant Archie, who thinks she’s the office tea girl.

Steff “Archie” Archer is a Townie who never likes to be more than a mile away from a coffee, sushi, or juice bar. Despite being an avid environmentalist and working for Rosebrook Village Trust, she never wants to live there. She’s lived the country life before and vowed never to return.

When unsentimental Archie falls for the hopeless romantic Ashling, Archie needs to learn how to make her sweetheart swoon, but will she be able to settle in the village and make her home where her heart is?

The last person Shelby Ryan expects to run into is Iris Calhoun, the sister of the man who killed her wife four years and three thousand miles ago.

Shelby hasn’t seen Iris since the day Iris testified in court to put her brother behind bars. When Iris becomes an administrator at Hopewell, the local nursing home where Shelby volunteers, avoiding her becomes impossible. Seeing Iris causes her grief to resurface, and she relies on her father and friends to help her through. There’s no way she would consider falling for anyone related to a murderer.

Iris believed her brother deserved a life behind bars, even if her family considers her a traitor. But then he was killed by a fellow inmate only months later, and Iris has struggled to forgive herself. 

Shelby and Iris know the best thing to do is stay away from each other, but neither of them is prepared for the instant attraction they feel. Can they put their horrific pasts behind them and move forward together?

Kendra Blake is having her best year ever. At forty-five, she’s finally fulfilled her lifelong dream of writing a lesfic novel and is excitedly awaiting its publication. Alison Chatterley, a British au pair, aspires to stay in America and become a journalist. While neither woman has finding romance on their radar, when their paths cross at a dance, their chemistry and connection are instant, and they’re swept into a passionate relationship. But is it too much too soon?

Before long, the bloom falls off their rose when a nasty book review, Alison’s secrets, and baggage from Kendra’s past derail their promising future. Unable to trust Alison, Kendra calls it off. Despite a career change taking Alison’s life in a new direction, she is determined to prove what they had is worth fighting for. But convincing a skeptic like Kendra will be harder than she thinks.

In the majestic mountains of Lake Tahoe, true love might be right next door.

Shawn spent much of her adult life running her diner, giving all her passion to the great outdoors, and bedding the occasional tourist. But loneliness has crept up on her, and suddenly in her late thirties, she’s turning over a new leaf and looking for more than transient passion.

Following a bad breakup with her good-for-nothing cheating ex, Morgan escapes to Lake Tahoe to heal her heart. Her temporary neighbor, Shawn, is ruggedly handsome in all the right ways, but Morgan is determined not to notice and risk her heart again.

Shawn helps Morgan to slow down and appreciate the moment but finds it increasingly difficult to deny her attraction. Morgan’s definitely not staying, and the last thing Shawn needs is to fall in love with a tourist.

Three stories of fun in the sun during one unforgettable summer.

In Maui Magic, Addison Bradbury can build anything, but her love life falls apart before it even gets going. Erin Williams, the owner of Maui Magic Catamaran, is more interested in having fun with a woman than building a future with one. Addison is used to getting her way and Erin simply sails through life. There’s no way they’ll fall in love, right?

In Bahama Breeze, Samantha Recker is not a stereotypical CFO. She’s into Harleys, hang gliding, and living life on the edge. When she meets Teresa Tinsdale, Sam is completely thrown. She has met her match in more ways than one. Like magnets, they are pulled together and pushed apart, and there’s no way they’ll stay together, right?

In Jamaican Haven, as an introvert, Cora Donaldson expects to spend her volunteer time quietly cleaning kennels and poop-scooping for a charity dedicated to rescuing stray dogs, until she spills her entire bucket of poo on beautiful, captivating Tyler Sanchez, the shelter’s director. There’s no way Cora is ever going to recover, right?

Audrey Knox has been America’s Sweetheart since she appeared in her first film at sixteen. Never one for a scandal, she’s lived a predictable and well-manicured life. With each movie more successful than the last, she has the world at her fingertips. An undeniable connection with bad girl superstar Harlow Thorne was never in her plan. 

Harlow Thorne left her childhood trailer park with nothing but her guitar and twin brother. Those times are nothing but a distant memory now, and she’s consistently at the top of the pop music world. She has managed to keep her mother in her rearview mirror through all her success, but that all changes when her mother reappears with a family secret.

Together these two could conquer the world—but in a town where careers are made and broken by the press, the secrets and lies may be too much to overcome.

Nev Wakefield is happy working as a blacksmith on her sprawling ranch, until one fateful evening driving home, her past comes rushing back, literally running her off the road. Kinsley Padovano escapes to a spiritual retreat only to be nearly run down by Nev, a woman she never expected to see again. 

Nev and Kinsley share a history of heartbreaking loss. Twenty-five years ago, Nev’s twin and Kinsley’s best friend, Vivian, died in a plane crash, leaving Nev alone with parents too caught in their grief to notice her and spurring Kinsley toward a career as an aviation expert.

Now, Kinsley’s retreat is right next door to Nev’s ranch, and they’re thrust together as undeniable attraction becomes too irresistible to ignore. Can they overcome the pain of their past to turn fate around?

Sometimes opposites really do attract. Fall in love with these butch/femme romance novellas. 

In An Epiphany in Flannel by Meghan O’Brien, small-town waitress Maisie Davis resolves the mystery of her sexuality after an unexpected encounter with a handsome stranger seated in the corner booth of Moe’s Fine Diner. Aiden Crane opens Maisie’s mind and body to exciting new possibilities—but can she find the courage to follow her heart?

In Follow Her Lead by Aurora Rey, venture capitalist Jude Benoit is named Majesty of Artemis, New Orleans’s premier lesbian Mardi Gras parade and ball, and enlists the expertise of private dance instructor Gabriella Viard to save her from making a fool of herself. Jude can follow the steps, but what happens when Gabby challenges her to lead with her heart? 

In Just as You Are by Angie Williams, Dylan Fleming is a confident and capable woman in every way except the stereotypical ways her ex-girlfriend thought she should be. When her insecurities get the better of her and she fumbles on a date with beautiful auto mechanic Carrie Grice, Dylan has to let go of the past. Can she accept that she is loved just as she is?

Fraser Park, the award-winning Scottish nature reserve and theme park, means everything to Beth Fraser. She’s more than a little preoccupied saving her family’s legacy and struggling against a board of directors who all seem to hate her. The last person she wants to need is selfie-obsessed, filtered to perfection, social media influencer Jemma Johnson. But she’s got to protect Fraser Park from a corporate takeover, and according to her brother, that means boosting their online presence. Jemma might be necessary, but Beth doesn’t have to like her, or follow her, or whatever it’s called.

Jemma Johnson, an Insta-success with hundreds of thousands of followers, is proud of her perfectly curated life. When she’s invited to stay at Fraser Park, the trip sounds like a fun adventure for a good cause, until she meets Beth, the only woman who sees beneath her sparkly facade and reminds her that not everything is as easy or flawless as it seems.

On their path to #truelove, will Beth and Jemma discover that reality is even better than illusion?

Unexpectedly, loss can teach us how to love.

For Eliza Walsh, life is full of risk. She knows a thing or two about pain, and not just from her job as chief resident at the hospital. She’s reeling from a car accident that took the life of the only woman she’s ever loved, and her parents’ betrayal has strained their relationship to the point of nonexistence.

But Blake Navarro enters the picture and challenges Eliza’s cautious way of living. Blake’s everything she isn’t: open, carefree, and a little reckless. When Eliza discovers that Blake, too, is healing from a huge loss, she feels seen, understood, and less alone.

As Eliza and Blake fall for each other, they heal in ways they never expected. But when Eliza’s troubled past catches up with her, it changes everything, and she has to decide if fully opening her heart is worth the risk.

Lauren Calloway can’t get a date, her newly lovestruck bestie is never around, and she just blew a major deal at her luxury real estate job. So, a one-night stand with an attractive stranger seems like the perfect distraction and the immediate gratification she’s lusting for.

Thea Boudreaux left her family’s dairy farm to escape the painful memories of her father’s tragic death, but when her mother tells her they’re going to lose the farm to debt, Thea is devastated. Can she live with her father’s legacy being torn down for luxury condos? Or can she still save it and honor her father’s memory?

When Lauren’s boss tells her about a lucrative land sale that could help her get back on track, she jumps at the opportunity. Never would she have bet her unforgettable one-night stand would be the person stopping her from making the deal of the century.

Advance praise from Publishers Weekly: "Riley winningly showcases women's friendships as integral to romantic success. This is a fluffy delight."—Publishers Weekly, 3/25/21