Contemporary Books

When Kelly Newton decided at the last minute to join her friends for a two week getaway, all she expected was time away  from the stress of her job, a hot tub, and hiking trails by the water. She didn’t count on her powerful attraction to Josie Harlow, the charismatic and totally unavailable owner of the lesbian resort in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Josie Harlow knows from past experience that happily ever after is a fairytale. When she meets Kelly, her desire is instantaneous, but a beautiful distraction is the last thing she needs as she works to make the resort a success, withstand the pressure to sell her land and hunt down the hooligans damaging her property. When her grandmother is no longer able to care for herself, Josie has to figure out how to support her Elder and deal with her growing feelings for Kelly too. 

Can a romantic looking for a long term, committed relationship and a jaded cynic too busy for love conquer life’s struggles and find their way to what matters most?

When Sebastian, the Crown Prince of Belgium, overdoses on heroin shortly before he is set to launch Belgium’s campaign to host the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, his family manages to hush up the scandal. While the royals are debating how to proceed, Sebastian’s twin sister, Viola, decides to impersonate him to keep Belgium’s bid hopes alive.

Missy Duke is a freelance reporter covering Belgium’s World Cup bid. A former women’s soccer player whose career was sidelined by injury, she is now trying to break into the male-dominated sportscasting world. While in Belgium, she meets the imposter Sebastian and soon realizes that he is actually Viola. Sensing a big story in the making, Duke feigns ignorance and plays along with the charade.

Real sparks develop between the two women, but will the double deception doom this fairy-tale romance?

Advance praise from Publishers Weekly: "[A]n ornate tapestry that explores gender presentation, familial love, and social responsibility for two women enduring public opinion in the spotlight."

Sydney Carter is shocked to discover her maternal grandmother, a woman she had never met, just recently passed away and left Syd her farmhouse in Iowa. She has questions about her grandparents that she hopes to find the answers to while preparing the farm to sell. 

Abigail Price, a neighbor of Syd’s grandmother, has lived on her grandmother’s farm in Iowa for most of her life, leaving only to promote her latest novel. In helping Syd find the answers she’s looking for, they develop a mutual attraction and deeper feelings for each other.

Syd has to return to her life in Chicago, but will Abby stay in Iowa, or will she give the big city, and love, a chance?

When the widowed owner of the wine bar Vineyard decides she wants to take some time off and travel abroad, she leaves her business in the very capable hands of the two women she trusts most: her daughter Piper and Vineyard's general manager, Lindsay.

For Lindsay Kent, Vineyard is her dream job. She’s thrilled when her boss leaves her in charge (well, half charge) and tells her to feel free to make changes. Lindsay has tons of ideas that she's been dying to put into action, and this is her big chance to increase the success of the business and prove she’s more than ready to run things solo. But getting the boss's daughter on board is harder than expected. The uptight and annoyingly attractive Piper is blocking her every move.  

For Piper Bradshaw, Vineyard is not her job. She already has one. She's VP at a large tech company, and she's damn good at it. Who cares if people say she’s a workaholic and an icy bitch? She didn't get to the top by being prone to whims and experiments. She's not happy when her mother suddenly decides to gallivant all over the country and furious that the family business has been left in the hands of the happy-go-lucky, born-a-generation-too-late hippie who manages it. Good thing Lindsay can't make any changes unless they both agree, because Piper doesn't intend to. 

Lindsay and Piper are like night and day. Working together won’t be easy, but not falling in love might prove the hardest job of all.

For Erin and Jen Bennet, growing up in craft-beer-obsessed Colorado made opening Bennet Sisters Brewing their only dream. Their beer is popular, but like any small business, their brewery is never far from closing forever.

When Boston brewer Charlie Betters and his friend Darcy Fitzwilliam ask for their help, the Bennet sisters are happy for the attractive distractions. Life, after all, is more than making beer. Still, while Charlie and Jen seem to be made for each other, Darcy’s pretentiousness and her cruel remarks make a bad first impression.

Despite this, and almost against her will, Erin finds herself attracted to Darcy, but events out of their control result in a misunderstanding that might ruin the chances for love for both couples.

Praise from Publishers Weekly: "Greene’s charming retelling of Pride and Prejudice transplants the Bennets into the world of Colorado craft beer....The story beats are comfortingly familiar, with the unusual backdrop of brewing and beer competitions, modern setting, and twists on the characters providing enough divergence to keep the reader engaged....Feminism, lesbianism, and class are all touched on in this refreshing update on a classic." (starred review)

Going to work never felt so good. Three office romance novellas from talented writers Julie Cannon, Aurora Rey, and M. Ullrich. 

In For Your Eyes Only by Julie Cannon: Dress for success takes on a very different meaning. CFO Riley Stephenson finds herself in a particularly difficult position when the stripper she's fallen for shows up at her office - as her new employee.

In Lead Counsel by Aurora Rey: Attorney Elisa Gonzalez is happy working behind the scenes while still having time for a life. All that changes when her firm takes on a major case and Parker Jones, powerhouse litigator and her law school crush, is named lead counsel. 2019 RITA® Finalist! 

In Opportunity of a Lifetime by M. Ullrich: Luca Garner is eager and hardworking but her new boss is a total nightmare: snarky and uncooperative, not to mention an ice queen. VP Stephanie Austin doesn’t mean to be unkind but the last thing she wants is an assistant getting under her skin, especially one who is as attractive as she is kind.

Kat Jackson is successful despite her estrangement from her parents and the loss of her wife. She’s resigned to live alone while struggling to maintain her dream ranch. When she falls for weekend cowgirl DJ Callahan, she soon fears all she knows to be true may be a cruel façade developed for her own protection. 

DJ Callahan is a corporate lawyer who lives in the moment, never limiting herself to any one relationship. When DJ arrives at the Jumpin’ J Ranch, she has no plans to become involved with Kat, let alone open the door to her own past, which bubbles just below the surface, threatening to destroy her entire existence as a “big city lawyer.” 

Having everything she could ever want in life, twice, is something Kat never expected. When she gets a second chance at love, following her heart will prove the hardest decision of all.

Falling in love is the hardest business of all.

Entrepreneur and innovator Kadrienne Davenport gets results. A demanding executive and stickler for punctuality, Kade throws herself into work to avoid hurting anyone, convinced she only causes pain to those she loves.

When Jennifer Spencer meets an incognito Kade at a conference, sparks fly. But when Kade unexpectedly becomes her boss, Jen’s problems multiply. The company she founded is going broke, her grandmother’s dementia is worsening, and her attraction to Kade—her difficult, brilliant, charismatic mentor—is growing.

Kade’s desire to keep things professional between them is in Jen’s best interest. Yet what’s in Kade’s best interest…is Jen.

Ronda Meyers plays cornerback for the Texas Stars. She’s the league MVP, and she plays hard both on and off the field. Ronda’s life is going great until she gets a devastating injury in the second game of the new season.

Gayla Adkins is Ronda’s assistant and part-time lover. She takes care of Ronda after her injury and does her best to nurse her back to health. In the process, they discover love. They’re very happy until Gayla suspects Ronda of becoming addicted to her pain pills. She gives Ronda an ultimatum—get off the pills or lose her.

Is Ronda strong enough to kick her addiction? Or will she choose the easy way out and lose Gayla?

Nora Calhoun keeps her life just like her Provincetown B and B, neat and tidy. She’s thrilled when her niece Graham comes to stay with her while completing her graduate fieldwork aboard the Dolphin Fleet. She’s less than thrilled when Graham starts hanging out with Willa Lange, a sexy wanderer who works for the Fleet and seems to have her sights set on Graham. 

At the encouragement of her sister Emerson, Will’s short stay in Ptown becomes a fresh start. She’s doing great—a decent job, a place of her own, and new friends. But when she meets Nora, she finds herself pining for more. The only problem? Nora is fifteen years her senior and doesn’t like her. Can the women overcome past hurts and find love or will their affair leave battered hearts in its wake?

It’s a long weekend among six friends whose lives have intertwined through years of U-Hauls and regrets, almosts and what-ifs. As that poorly timed snowstorm whirls into town, it threatens to kick pent-up desires and tightly held secrets over the edge—especially for Jessie, who can’t stop thinking about her best friend Hadley.

Meanwhile Brie’s past overshadows her present-day, and the Lasleys just hope to enjoy their much-anticipated wedding anniversary. If everyone would just keep it together for the next few days, and if this snow would taper off, they just might pull off Sunday’s celebration. Drama free.

Advance praise from Foreword Reviews: "Truth or Dare is an entirely fun read. It’s a low-tension slice-of-life meditation on the way that lives intersect....This book is a must for fans of multiple-character structures and shows like The L Word. Truth or Dare is charming with its stories of queer women falling in and out of love. It is smart, funny, and romantic—the perfect read for a snowy night in."

Dakota Scott has spent her entire adult life trying to outrun her past, but even the privilege and reputation her family name affords her haven’t helped her forget. Her mother’s mental illness and the memory of the night that haunts her from so long ago won’t release her. When the one woman with the power to set her free shows up, Dakota is drawn to her, but she is a painful reminder of everything Dakota has been trying desperately to escape. 

When Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown after thirty years of avoiding it, she knows she has demons to face and a conflicted past to resolve, but she has no idea love awaits her. Can she give her heart to Dakota with the tragic past that lies between them?

No one pencils in falling in love.

All work and no play has Autumn Primm in the market for a little excitement. Her Venice Beach coffee shop, The Cat’s Pajamas, is her pride and joy. While she doesn’t mind the long hours, she finds herself staring dreamily out the window, imagining the life she’s yet to lead. The time has come to take off the apron and see what the world has in store.  

Kate Carpenter needs to get away. And quick. A small-town firefighter, Kate’s been crowned a local hero for reasons she can’t quite get behind. An open highway and some time off have her fleeing the scene to sunny California to catch her breath and put some distance between herself and the unwanted acclaim. Dreamy Autumn Primm was never supposed to be part of that bargain. What Kate needs is a temporary escape, emphasis on temporary.

Successful but suffocated by the demands of her corporate career, Shaw Daily walks out on it all. She returns to her grandparents’ rural property in Cooper’s Creek, North Carolina, with a plan to hide out and reboot her life to be simple and stress free. But escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small-town beauty Kate Elkins.

Kate has spent almost her entire life in Cooper’s Creek. For Kate, the bonds of small-town life are a source of strength and comfort. When her aging mother weakens, Kate takes a leave from teaching to care for her. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she bumps into her unrequited teen crush Shaw Dailey just back from California. Long-buried feelings resurface for Kate, but all Shaw sees is a beautiful woman saddled with the responsibilities she is finally free from.

Police detective Callie Burke returned to western New York after a bad breakup. She immerses herself in work as a way of avoiding any personal connections. But as her feelings for her sister’s boss and late friend’s widow move beyond friendship, she isn’t quite sure how to handle it.

Bar owner Taylor Fletcher lost her firefighter wife almost four years ago. Dating is the last thing on her mind. She gave her heart away once and isn’t willing to risk that kind of pain again. But now Callie, a woman she isn’t even sure she likes, is getting under her skin. 

Because of a threat on Taylor’s life, they spend more time together, and both begin to feel things they never expected. Callie’s never had the once-in-a-lifetime type of love. Taylor has, but Callie makes her wonder if it’s possible to find that kind of love twice in a lifetime.

Olivia Reynolds is just where she wants to be—in control. The youngest brand manager for Vital, an athletic wear company, she has no family, no pets, and no obligations. When Olivia literally bumps into Cardic Lawson, her world is turned upside down. Cardic insists a no strings fling will meet both their needs. No commitments and sex anytime, anywhere.  

Cardic is as carefree as they come. Other than her career, life is all about fun. She’s a cultural anthropology professor at Loyola, and studying human culture and growing up in a household of infidelity has made her bitter about love. After an eighteen-month field study in the Amazon, Cardic is back in the states and ready to let loose. She wants nothing more than a casual affair with the fiery redhead, but will her desire to break Olivia’s control also break the bonds of her own heart?

Haven Thorne and Willa Bennette were childhood sweethearts who had it all—a partnership, a home, and a future planned out ahead of them—until Willa’s life is threatened by a silent killer and their relationship is torn apart. Heartbroken and alone, both women struggle to live without each other for the first time.
 
Years later, they both believe they’ve finally moved on and settled into their new lives. But it doesn’t take long for fate, chance, and Mother Nature to step in and mix things back up.  Can true love withstand both time and distance in order to bring Haven and Willa back together or are they now as different as the sand and stars—too far apart to be together once more?

Finnian Kane, famous master of illusion, mentalist, and renowned atheist, has a crisis of faith after her sister’s death. She rents a cottage in the village of Axedale in Kent, desperately trying to find a safe haven from the intrusive media to grieve and work out how to move on. 

The Reverend Bridget Claremont makes it her mission to help the enigmatic Finnian find her faith in life again. Bridge has long yearned for a life partner, and her best friend’s wedding has intensified that desire. But when you’re a lesbian vicar in a small English village, it’s not easy to find your perfect match. 

Their chemistry is clear from the start, despite their different beliefs and Bridge insisting Finn isn’t her type. But will the mentalist find the magic that can charm the vicar?