She muddles through daily routines, her only respite coming in the form of a harmless crush on Rebecca Greenway. Claire believes that the sexy restaurant manager is safely unavailable. But when Rebecca shows signs of interest, Claire's past unravels, revealing an immeasurable love and a dark secret. .an outstanding contribution to lesbian fiction. Author Margaret A. Helms deftly alternates past and present events in the life of Claire Blevins to build an enthralling and intriguing story. Her rich prose, compelling plot, lively pace, and strongly-drawn characters make The Fifth Stage an outstanding contribution to lesbian fiction. -- Nann Dunne, editor and publisher of Just About Write (www.justaboutwrite.com), author of The War Between the Hearts, and other stories.

    Always reliable, always there when they need her. After a lifetime spent consulting with the FBI and working for the Seattle Police Department, Anita tumbled onto the front line of the Four Point Killer case. During those years, she helped the people she cared about through endless emotional and physical pain. Now, while the survivors grow beyond the influences of their shared trauma, and begin thriving in their newfound love and happiness, Anita endures the aftermath of the case on her own. Forever on the outskirts, can Anita relinquish the role she's bound herself to over the years in order to embark on her own healing journey? Or will she remain the sole survivor still stuck in the rubble of a collapsed life?

    When Cassie Hollander spills her guts to her very straight best friend, she doesn’t get the answer she wants, and even though she knew that would probably happen, she’s still crushed. She’s used to hiding in the shadows, masking her true self and pretending to conform to a life that doesn’t fit her. Everything happens for a reason, and in Cassie’s case, being rejected by Jessica Taylor was the catapult she needed to get her life together in more ways than one. Come along as Cassie figures out who she is, where she’s going, and how wonderful things happen when you open your heart to the chance for real love.

    Things are definitely looking up when a beautiful woman named Shari asks her out for drinks – and possibly more. Too bad the night turns whisky-sour when Shari not only rejects Vivian, but confirms her most self-conscious fears! Enter Kat the bartender, who has seen this train wreck of a date with her own observant eyes. It’s not the first time Shari has destroyed a woman’s self-confidence in one night, but it is the first time Kat has decided to personally cheer up the latest victim. What ensues is the most fateful week to ever befall Vivian the legal secretary and Kat the bartender. Nobody’s sure if a real relationship is on the docket – all they know is that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, and at least one drink is always on the house.

    Harper, the woman she'd been crushing on for the last three years.After five years of teaching accounting at the same college as her brother, Lauren Harper was finally settling in.She'd left behind a high paying, high stress job at an accountancy firm, and although teaching didn't pay nearly as well, she was starting to enjoy the simpler things in life, like sipping on a whiskey while she played cards at a local casino.When one of her students sits down at her poker table, it piques Lauren's curiosity. It wasn't unusual for students and teachers to mix in such a small town, but for some reason, she didn't expect to see Riley playing poker.Lauren had been badly burned by a student in the past, and there was no way she was going there again.No way. Under no circumstances.That's what Lauren keeps telling herself anyway, but as the two get to know one another, Lauren finds herself being drawn to the younger woman.How bad would it really be to date a student?

    She’ll risk her life to save anyone, even a tiny kitten.She has a crew that trusts and adores her. A best friend who loves her above everyone else. But what she doesn’t have is someone who will be All In with her. She wants a wife and a family. But being a firefighter who risks her life for the lives of others makes it hard for lovers to see a future with her.At forty-years old, time seems to be running out to have the full package – to have a full and happy life.But when an ex decides to give their relationship another try, hope begins to burn bright. Can Ashton hold onto love and her career, or will everything burn in the fires of fear?97,000 words

    Which one carries the highest cost? And what price is worth paying? The quiet, tough Aya Lawson has been forced to leave her career as a professional boxer behind and now scrambles for a purpose. Gwen Davies is a chatty barista, and artist in her free time, who lives with clinical depression. They both have battles to fight but they also have something else in common - pining over the woman of their dreams. When daydreams one day meet reality, things get complicated. Is it best to stay with what’s safe? Or to fall and maybe break? If they do take the chance and break, who will get back up?

    Practicing law by day, she moonlights as a singer in a rock band by night. Young, beautiful, smart and talented, her life is nothing if not busy. So, why does her boss think she has time to not only train, but spend her spare time babysitting the lead actress in the TV series he’s producing? With a small contingent of both male and female fans waiting for their chance and one very persistent special friend, Jessie is already on the verge of overwhelmed. Not sure where her life is going, if anywhere, she’s still hiding from her past. The fact that her favorite actress just walked through her door isn’t helping either. Actress Stephanie Winters arrives in Ohio determined to just ‘do her job’ and go home. Still depressed after her latest failed relationship, she has no desire to take on a new role, let alone a part in a new TV series. Still, she does need to work and keep her career going. At least that’s what her agent keeps telling her. When she meets Jessica Drake for the first time, she becomes intrigued by the emotionally detached, yet gorgeous lawyer. No longer interested in one night stands or long distance relationships, Stephanie still finds herself drawn to Jessie. Can Jessie move beyond her inability to trust someone again? Is Stephanie Winters worth the pain? For that matter, is Stephanie willing to break her own self-imposed loneliness and wait for Jessie?

    Tired of her impulsive streak leaving her heartbroken, she's determined to do everything right the next time she's in love. But her resolve crumbles when a technical glitch matches her with perfection in Claire, a woman who lives on the opposite side of the country. Who is straight. And under the impression that Jamie's a guy. But Jamie can't help being smitten. Would one tiny lie be so terrible if it gets her closer to the woman of her dreams?Claire Flores is a dreamer and a believer in signs, but she has a secret that keeps her cautious about love. All she wants is a picture-perfect family of her own, but she's never met a man who attracts her. Until now. Throwing caution to the wind, she goes from Portland to Boston to meet Jay, her online love. Instead she meets Jamie, his work colleague, who befriends her in Jay's unexpected absence. Claire's heart is aflutter. Jamie stirs up feelings Claire never knew possible, but how close can she get without having to admit that she's been lying to herself about her dreams all along?What starts as a simple fib soon snowballs as Jamie fabricates increasingly ridiculous tales to keep her identity as Jay under wraps, until a comedy of errors threatens to topple the whole charade to the ground. Can true love prevail when it's founded on a lie?

    Will Frankie's secrets shatter their relationship before it begins?A sizzling hot Age Gap Romance from Grace Parkes.Cara Taylor has spent her life in a small village without much excitement. She works in a bar, lives with her best friend and without realising is in need of something new and exciting.After meeting her best friend’s new tenant Frankie, she is desperate to find out more.Can Cara break down Frankie’s barriers and find love in the land that time forgot?

    Evie is plagued by nightmares and fears racing again, but she doesn’t want to give up her dream. Blythe Pierce, renowned photographer, struggles with her own demons, having worked in one warzone after another.Blythe witnessed Evie Marshall’s crash through her camera and is impressed by Evie’s courage. She persuades Evie to allow her to document her recovery and return to racing. Blythe finds Evie irresistibly attractive and fears she can’t hide it. Evie in turn is mesmerized by the loving but enigmatic Blythe.But as Blythe’s past catches up with her and Evie’s fears grow as her first race nears, can they find the strength to triumph over their pasts and find love together?

    They haven't spent three minutes with us in an alleyway."Meet two women with sharp knives, soft hearts, and a big secret. Oh, and a new recruit they can't seem to dislodge from the back seat.Carly and Jane travel the roads, helping women in need. This time, someone has asked for their help - but the guy she wants them to take care of isn't scared of their knives. And probably hasn't done anything worth ending up dead for. Yet.

    Janet ran away from forbidden love 15 years ago. She did what her parents wanted, married the boy who got her pregnant and became a mom. Now a working single parent struggling to take care of her father and a teenage boy, she is still trying to do the right thing and keep everyone happy while denying her own true desire.It’s only when her boy gets in trouble with the law that she realizes that she can’t do it alone. Everyone needs love and to feel desire. When Officer Susan Carter reenters her life, will she take the safe way out or risk everything to experience the heart-melting passion she had so long ago?HER KISS is a short story by author Willow Hawke and contains sexual themes. It is not intended for readers under the age of 21.

    She will be part of a very special unit that requires her unique skills. It's what she has always wanted but what she didn't bargain for, was falling for her Chief. From a mission gone wrong by betrayal, will JC come out on top, or will she lose her freedom and the woman she loves.

    Reece Corbett grew up on the mean streets of New York City; abused, used, and in trouble with the law. A mysterious man named Frank stepped in, pulled Reece from despair and saved her life. The obstinant, angry street thug eventually earned respect and makes a name for herself, not to mention a "reputation" despite the demons that still haunt her. When Frank dies suddenly, he leaves her his business, a Gentleman's Club called "The Lounge," which may be the only thing she takes pride in. That, and protecting her "girls," especially one freaky little dancer with a heart of gold named Cori the unspoken friend, ally and confidante of one Reece Corbett. Faith Ashford grew up wealthy with all the creature comforts that wealth provides. Country Clubs, a house in the Hampton's, and debutante balls with white gloves, taffeta and gardenias. There was one difference though, Faith wasn't like the other spoiled rich girls, she had no desire to follow those rather shallow footsteps, instead, she wished to follow her own dreams wherever they may lead her and those dreams lead the aspiring actress into a tenement in New York's Alphabet City, working the night shift in a rather seedy Lower East Side bar whose denizens, a sea of oddities, freaks, and frat boys that call themselves customers. Then one night an exotic dancer with electric blue hair wonders into Faith's bar. Cori of the myriad piercings and tattoos has no idea, but she would become the blonde's ultimate salvation in her moment of desperation, just as Frank was for Reece. Faith needed a break, she needed a change, and bartending at The Lounge would at least afford her something new, more new than she could possibly imagine in fact, a tall drink of water by the name of Reece Corbett who in turn had been looking for "this woman" all her life.