SECOND EDITION released in Sept 2016Would you take another shot at love? Or just settle on a friend with benefits?THEIR HEARTBREAKING PAST WILL MOVE YOU. THEIR PASSION WILL MAKE YOU BLUSH. THEIR ANTICS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH OUT LOUD. Twenty-five-year-old Natalie Davenport lugs substantial baggage. One boyfriend after the next has been a total disaster, leaving Natalie distrustful toward the male population in general. So when Colin Hampton crosses her path, she’s cautious. Her heart (and some other body parts!) nudges her to go for it, while her head wants her to run for the hills.Colin is one of those gorgeous guys who attract women, no matter the age or marital status. With a successful career at a popular Seattle radio station, hard body, and charming personality, he is the complete package. But something dark lurks in the corners of his soul; some murky experience that has changed him—maybe for the better, but maybe for the worse.Will he steal her heart and stomp over it like other guys did? Will she let him into her heavily fortified world despite herself?Or will they settle somewhere in the middle—establishing the emotional boundaries to protect them from falling in love?***********************************This dark romantic comedy blends humor, sensuality, and angst, with zany characters and witty dialogue. ***Warning: contains sexual situations (some quite vivid!), profanity, and a high dose of sarcasm. Oh, and there is a lot of appletini and beer drinking. May not be appropriate for readers under 18 years old. Not intended for prudes and killjoys with no sense of humor***THE SERIES:The Almost Bad Boys series are the stories of four feisty twenty-something women who refuse to let their past drag them down.***The books in the Almost Bad Boys series are best read in order. They are not stand-alone books, although these are three different stories/no cliffhangers:Almost Matched (book 1)Almost Broken Up (book 2)Almost Too Far (book 3)***

    Each standalone story ends in a happily ever after.WHO WILL SAVE YOUR SOULEmily's a pathological liar. When her life is at stake, will anyone believe her?MAFIA CINDERELLAOne dress. One dance. Lucia has one chance to change her life--and the lives of her family.BEDTIME STORYJessica is on the run when her car breaks down. A small town sheriff can't be her knight in shining armor.HEAVY EQUIPMENTCold. Rough. Merciless. The foreman of the construction crew is going to make her pay every last cent.

    Nothing on that list describes Delaney Shields, the woman who once jilted him. Now, she's back in town, and with one kiss, their past attraction flames from teenage infatuation to full-fledged lust. ...but she's back, sexier and sassier than ever... Delaney never expects to see her first love, but a run-in with sexy-as-sin Cal sets off her craving for a second chance at the passion they once shared. Acting on those naughty fantasies would be disastrous, because she's not the sticking kind, and Cal has roots a mile deep. ...and they're both hiding heart-breaking secrets. When Delaney is backed into a corner, her first instinct is to bolt. But with every kiss, every touch, she finds herself falling for the man she once believed was her soul mate. Will Cal be able to seduce his way back into her heart, or will her secrets from the past tear them apart for good?

    Like many small towns, Chance California is losing businesses and residents at an alarming rate. Can five women who suffered recent heartbreak put their energies into stopping the town's decline?This short prequel introduces you to the women who join forces to bring new businesses, new residents and new life to their town. And who knows... they just might find that elusive love at the same time.

    It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better.

    It’s something I never wanted and decided I’d never have. Love nearly killed my mother. It devastated and destroyed her. I promised myself I’d never be captured or ensnared like she was. Love deceives. It isn’t genuine. It doesn’t last. It’s just poison…a silent killer. The one taste I got nearly killed me but I was fortunate enough to escape it. But then I met him, and love didn’t just catch me. I collided with it.

    After a tragic event that has rocked her to the core, she is determined not to let it taint her future. Her entire world is turned on its axis when her new roommate isn’t the person she thought they would be. Making the best of the situation, like she always does, she trudges forward and learns that, although life may not seem perfect all the time, it can end up being pretty damn good. Damien Blue, a tattoo artist by day and a musician by night, is a man-whore. With a revolving bedroom door, he knows no limits when it comes to women. Then he meets his game-changer. Everything he knew before is completely and utterly turned upside-down when he can’t keep the one woman he thinks is too good for him from his mind or his heart. When fate rears its ugly head again, will they be able to come together as one, surviving their hot and cold relationship? Will Sydney be able to let go of her past and fight for their future? Together, will they be able to find The Right Kind of Love? (17+) This book contains mature subject matter that is not suitable for those under the age of 17

    Single mom Anne Fraser has sacrificed plenty to get ahead in the world of corporate hotel management. Just ask her eight-year-old daughter, Zoey. When her stepfather asks Anne to fill her late mother’s shoes at the Silver Rose Guest Ranch, Anne can’t say no. Even if the job includes sharing the reins with the man whose kiss she’s never forgotten. Will Cavanaugh planned to be the top bull rider in the country. He’s come close in his fifteen-year career, but now an injury has him sidelined for the summer. He answers his grandfather’s plea for help but soon realizes he’s facing a new dilemma. Could one summer with Anne and her daughter possibly be enough? Or is it just the beginning? Battered and a bit disillusioned by life, Will and Anne return to the Silver Rose to repay old debts. To fall in love again. But, just for the summer. Or, maybe...for a lifetime.

    Two young boys with difficult lives at home banding together with a cool girl who didn’t mind mucking through the mud on their hikes.They grew up to be Duncan Holloway, activist, CEO and face of the popular River Rain outdoor stores, Imogen Swan, award-winning actress and America’s sweetheart, and Corey Szabo, ruthless tech billionaire.Rich and very famous, they would learn the devastating knowledge of how the selfish acts of one would affect all their lives.And the lives of those they loved.Start the River Rain series with After the Climb, the story of Duncan and Imogen navigating their way back to each other, decades after a fierce betrayal. And introduce yourself to their families, who will have their stories told when River Rain continues.This series was started with the help of you, my readers, during the pandemic crisis of COVID-19. The first book in this series is free, a gift to my Chicklets for their loyalty and support over the years, and a project we all banded together to produce during a challenging time. Thank you for years of kindness and encouragement. I hope you enjoy what we built together. Please note: This book is a love letter to my readers, a project we worked on together, and as such, for the time being, will only be available right here on my website. In time, I will put it on vendors to be made available widely, but now, it’s just for you

    She's a style icon, the paparazzi's darling and everyone wants to be her friend. But when her safety is threatened, her whole life starts to unravel. Enter Nathan Regan, an ex-elite soldier who is assigned to protect her. He's a good man doing bad things but what drives him? Passion? Madness? Or grief? Demons from his past are threatening to consume him. Can he win the fight alone or will he have to admit he needs help? As the threat deepens, Autumn starts to find out who she really needs in her life. Is there still room for personal assistant Janey or rapper boyfriend Rockweiler? When everyone around her is feeding her lies, how does she work out the truth? Does her record producer know more than he's letting on? What is her mother, the British Foreign Secretary's involvement in the situation? And can Autumn put her faith in a forty-something Jamaican woman who handles an automatic weapon as expertly as she cooks? Eluding kidnap and trying to stay alive, can Autumn find the strength to be the person she longs to be? And can two people, poles apart, forge something strong enough to survive anything?

    So when she meets Jake Morgenstern she refuses to let the stubborn, sexist, obnoxious pig of a man disrupt her calm demeanor. No matter how strong, gorgeous and ridiculously appealing he is. He is expecting a man. So when Jess Wythe turns out to be Jessica, he is thrown off. When he finds that the somewhat frumpy architect is hiding a beautiful woman behind those boxy suits he is even more surprised. Imagine his utter shock when he finds that not only is she gorgeous, but he is drawn to her on an almost visceral level. The attraction between these two explodes in more ways than one. You're never quite sure if they are going to make love or war. Will they ever find a way to make the fireworks work for them?

    After all, you protect your own, and Bella certainly doesn’t belong with the likes of him.But it’s hard to move on when you’re chained to the past, and Bella is intent on getting justice for her sister…even if it’s at the cost of her own life.

    Twelve years, three cities, and too many pairs of stilettos later, Shaelyn Lawrence is back in the one place she vowed never to return: New Orleans.Thankfully, her hometown stint is temporary. Better yet, she has a plan guaranteed to get her out ASAP: Return her aging-but-still-crazy grandmother back to health;Help her cousin with her boutique;Evade Brady Taylor, her high school sweetheart, a.k.a the reason she fled Louisiana in the first place.Brady isn't even a footnote... until one unexpected run-in with him changes everything. She shouldn't be tempted by his drawl, she shouldn't be tempted by the promise of his kiss, she shouldn't want him.But she does.Oh, boy, this was so not the plan.----------Twelve years, one city, and too many issued traffic tickets later, Homicide Detective Brady Taylor is all geared up for being promoted to sergeant within the New Orleans Police Department. Or, he would be — if he wasn't sitting in third place.Thankfully, he's cut out every possible distraction:Hanging out with his buddies;Women;And, God help him, football.His life should be distraction-free... but then Shaelyn Lawrence waltzes back into it, with her sexy red lips, curvy body, and her f***-me heels. Brady should run in the opposite direction. He definitely shouldn't spend time pursuing her, kissing her, or landing her in his bed.But he does.Shaelyn may have left once, but Brady is determined to prove that Shaelyn belongs in New Orleans. She belongs with him. For fans of Jill Shalvis and Lauren Layne, Maria Luis’ new sexy contemporary romance will leave you laughing and desperate for more! SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is the first full-length novel in the NOLA Heart series, but can be read as a standalone.

    And Jack Hansen thought the sperm he'd donated had gone to the wife of his sterile twin... Until they learn that two vials of sperm at the fertility clinic were accidentally switched.The shock sends Grace into early labor, and the only place she can have complete bed rest is at the Dancing Moon Ranch owned by Jack and his twin, Sam. But soon, Grace finds herself falling in love with a hard-edged cowboy who appears to want to control every aspect of her life, now that she's carrying his son. But Jack has his reasons. He also has no intention of marrying, and Grace is determined to learn why.

    One ‘Dear John’ letter haunted Bobby Baker’s every living moment. It was the letter he’d stupidly written to his high school sweetheart, Belle, right after he had left to join the Army. The letter in which he’d told her that he wasn’t so sure they were ready for forever yet. Before he could let her know that the letter, and his second thoughts, were nothing more than a mistake, she disappeared from the small Georgia town they had both been raised in. Fifteen years after the letter, Belle unknowingly walked back into Bobby’s life when her job as an ATF Agent forced her to work with a group of men secretly headed by the CIA to help her track down whoever was involved in funneling black market weapons to a drug cartel in Mexico. Bobby planned to use this mission to try to soothe Belle’s hurt feelings while proving to her that their love was meant to be forever. He would use every dirty trick he’d learned since he had joined the Army to maneuver her back into his life for the long haul. Belle was not making it easy, though, as she continued to keep him at arm’s length in the hopes that mistakes of her own would never come to light. Warning: Mature themes and a secret baby! <- You've been warned.