Rachel Spangler

Lisa Knapp has never been the romantic lead. She's better suited to comic relief, but when another guest at her best friend's wedding doesn't go for the easy laugh, Lisa has to face the prospect of getting serious. 

Getting Serious was previously published in Sweet Hearts (Bold Strokes Books, 2015).

Do you ever wonder Whatever happened to...? Find out when you reconnect with your favorite characters from Melissa Brayden's Heart Block, Rachel Spangler's LoveLife, and Karis Walsh's Worth the Risk.

In Firework by Melissa Brayden: Lucy Danaher was born into a life of privilege, and has always enjoyed the view from the top. But after clashing with reporter and rights activist Kristin James, she wonders if there's more to the world than she once thought.

In Getting Serious by Rachel Spangler: Lisa Knapp has never been the romantic lead. She's better suited to comic relief, but when another guest at her best friend's wedding doesn't go for the easy laugh, Lisa has to face the prospect of getting serious.

In Risk Factor by Karis Walsh: Myra Owens runs a therapeutic riding program for returning soldiers. She won't risk getting hurt by becoming personally involved with her riders until Ainslee Harriot challenges her to take a chance on love.

Sometimes baseball is just a metaphor for life, and sometimes it works the other way around. All Sarah Duke ever cared about was baseball, and she's finally earned her shot as a full-time sports writer. She loves the work, she loves being one of the few women to ever gain access to a man's world, but most of all, she loves the game. When Duke meets Molly Grettano and her two sons at the ballpark, she instantly connects with the young family, but Molly isn't sure Duke's ready for something more. Molly wants someone softer, more feminine, and more importantly, someone steady. She and her boys have been abandoned before, and she's vowed never to put them in that position again. If she were ever to trust anyone, it would have to be someone fully dedicated to her and her children. Duke has a lot of heart, but neither woman is sure there's enough room left in it for anything other than baseball.

What would you change about your past if you had the chance? What if you didn't have a choice?

Stevie Geller doesn't do conflict. She likes her job as a successful novelist and playwright because it allows her to peacefully ensconce herself in her New York City loft, avoid human interactions, and leave personal drama for the page and stage. When her agent asks her to return to her hometown of Darlington, Illinois, to accept an award, she agrees only because he promises the process will be quick and easy. One panic attack and concussion later, Stevie is forced to confront her past in ways that seem to defy reality. As if befriending a social outcast and confronting high school bullies weren't enough, she also finds herself falling for a closeted teacher. Along the way, Stevie must decide if some things are worth fighting for. In her rush to escape the past, will she leave behind a better future, or are some conflicts really timeless?

Annabelle Taylor has been in her ideal relationship with an adoring partner for thirteen years. Davis Chandler is jaded from years of bad luck with women, but she thinks she's finally started dating the girl of her dreams. The only problem is they're both in love with the same woman. Nic McCoy is living a double life that is about to come crashing down on all of them.

All three women are left trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of shocking realizations that leave them second-guessing everything about themselves and each other. As they struggle toward recovery, they each face life-altering questions about trust, redemption, and the possibility of finding love in the wake of betrayal.

What's the point of finding yourself if you lose your heart in the process?

Ren Molson should be chasing a bright new future. Instead, she's spent the last two years floundering in a small-town community college. She hates being the only lesbian she knows, and a virgin. She's tired of watching her friends move forward while her momentum stalls. Most of all, she's sick of feeling lost and confused about who she is or what she's supposed to do with her life. Desperate for a change, Ren hopes to use her Spanish class tour through Spain to remake herself.

True to her plan, as Ren travels through Spain, she learns more about herself than the country she's visiting. What she doesn't expect is to fall in love with her beautiful young tour guide, Lina Montero. She'll have to decide if her life can handle any more uncertainty and just how far she's willing to go in order to become the person she thought she wanted to be.

Life coach Elaine Raitt is educated, elegant, and dedicated to her profession. Blue-collar boi Joey Lang is too insecure to even approach herthat is until her well-meaning but meddling best friend Lisa decides to break the ice and makes Joey a life-coaching appointment with Elaine. A session meant to bring clarity only leaves them both feeling more confused about their purpose in life and love.

Will Joey be able to find the strength to chase the woman of her dreams, and even if she does, will Elaine be willing to risk the life she loves for the woman who could be the love of her life?

They say you can't go home again, but Raine St. James doesn't know why anyone would want to.

Rory St. James was disowned after she came out at seventeen. She rebounded by moving to Chicago, changing her name to Raine, and putting down her hometown to audiences around the country. Now, ten years later, too old to be considered a gay youth, broke, evicted, and fresh off a much needed breakup, Raine St. James is forced to accept a job teaching at Bramble University in Darlington, the town she's been publicly bashing for the last decade.

Beth Devoroux was born and raised in Darlington. Despite losing her parents at a young age, she is well loved by everyone who knows her. She leads a comfortable life with good job at Bramble University, a long-term but closeted relationship, friends that she can count on, and everything she thinks she wants, so why is she so drawn to a rabble-rouser like Raine St. James?

Can Raine and Beth face their pasts and come to terms with their differences in order to have any hope for a future together?

Every skier knows that anything can happen when trails merge.

After a devastating ultimatum from her lover, Campbell Carson returns to her childhood home, Bear Run Ski Resort, seeking her family's unconditional solace and support. Parker Riley escapes to the mountain after the high-powered world of Chicago's political machine leaves her questioning her judgment in both life and love. Despite their initial wariness, the women find their budding friendship snowballing toward romance. The idyllic mountain resort is the perfect setting for them to learn to rebuild trust, and perhaps to find a second chance at love. However, when Parker's past resurfaces, Campbell is forced to face her own hard truths. As barely healed wounds reopen, the unexpected obstacles in their path threaten any hope for a future together.

Ashton Clarke, a local Casanova with a long history of falling into bed with a different woman every night, is perfectly content with her free and easy existence until she gives in to her best friend's request to spend an evening helping out at the local gay and lesbian youth center. There, Ash meets Carrie Fletcher, a women's studies professor who not only intrigues Ash but causes her to question the direction her life has taken. As if this disquieting attraction isn't aggravating enough, Ash is forced to deal with Carrie's teenage neighbor Tess, whose bad attitude and biting wit seem to complicate every situation. Ash doesn't want to be attracted to Carrie, who isn't looking for a relationship with anyone, and Tess is angry at the world, but especially, it seems, with Ash. Despite resistance on the part of all three women, it soon becomes obvious that the trio's destinies are hopelessly intertwined and the lessons in store will change all their lives.