Now that Sparrow, her ward, has reached nine years of age, she reckons he needs a male role model in his life. With typical efficiency she sets about finding a father-figure by drawing up a series of checklists for each candidate, and following a strict protocol for interviewing them.So far, all the contenders have failed miserably to get enough ticks in the right boxes. But Ferne is focused and nothing is going to stop her from fulfilling her responsibilities…...except maybe a saboteur out to wreck her business; drunken neighbours; her unfortunate past from which it is so difficult to escape; her estranged mother; long-lost sister; and her Jack Russell, Merrie, who is not above galloping over and nipping any prospective role models she thinks Will Not Do.Katie Fforde (best-selling rom com author and President of the Romantic Novelists' Association) said of 'All His Own Hair': 'Susan Alison handles difficult issues with quirky humour and uplifting results.'(To give you some idea of length - 'White Lies and Custard Creams' is 83,700 words long and 'All His Own Hair' is 87,300 words long.)Susan Alison is the Katie Fforde Bursary Award winner for 2011. She has won competition awards for short fiction and sold numerous stories to commercial publications. Her fiction concentrates on the relationships humans forge with each other (and quite often with their dogs). She is a freelance artist.Jill Mansell (best-selling rom com author) said of 'White Lies and Custard Creams': "Susan Alison has written a lovely, quirky romp packed with off-the-wall characters - original, intriguing and great fun!"

     9 strong heroines. This is NINE works of fiction from some of today's most exciting authors. A star-studded anthology of thrilling, action-packed and totally swoon-worthy first books by your favorite women authors. We hope you find some great characters to fall in love with. ***WARNING*** These books are part 1’s of different series. All your questions won’t be answered without purchasing the next book. Books included in anthology are: Second Chances by Dale Mayer Alyssa's Redemption (Part One) by Karly Morgan My Despicable Ex Book One by Sierra Rose Tangled Beauty by K. L. Middleton Saving Forever (Part One) by Lexy Timms Hooked on the Game by C.M. Owens Patriotic Duty by C.J. Pinard Crossing the Line (Part One) by Samantha Long Opposing Sides by CM Doporto ***All books are recommended for audiences 18+ years of age!***

     The Sweetest Seduction (Book 1): Lia Mantovani has created one of the hottest restaurants on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, but all that could disappear if she loses her lease with Kelly Properties. Having had her dreams ripped away from her before, she’ll do everything in her power to keep her restaurant. Her fate hangs on the whims of the frustratingly handsome Adam Kelly. Adam has spent years trying to convince world famous chef Amadeus Schlittler to open a restaurant in Chicago, but he wants the prime location held by Lia. Business has always come first… until sparks fly when Adam meets her. When things get hot outside the kitchen, though, they’re both in danger of getting burned. Breakaway Hearts (Book 2): Hockey star Ben Kelly has retreated to his mountain cabin in the ski town of Cascade, BC, to recuperate from a season-ending knee injury and contemplate his future in the NHL. He never expects to run into the one woman who got away. Nine years may have passed, but nothing has dulled the explosive chemistry between them. Now he wants more than just one night. Hailey Eriksson had Olympic-sized dreams until an accidental pregnancy from a one-night stand halted her ambitions. Her life was shattered when her son died. Nothing will keep her from fulfilling her promise to him to make the Olympic team, especially not the charming Ben Kelly. Unfortunately, he’s out to sweep her off her feet this time, and she finds him harder and harder to resist with each passionate kiss. But when he learns about the child he never knew, will their rekindled romance be on thin ice? Falling for the Wingman (Book 3): Air Force pilot Caleb Kelly has come back home with one mission in mind—to propose to the woman whose letters and lucky charm helped him survive his deployment in Afghanistan. But when he finds their apartment empty with a note saying she’s left him, he arrives at her mother’s house in rural Alabama less than a week before Kourtney is about to marry another man. Now he’s out to win her heart again and gets some unexpected assistance from her younger sister, Alex. Alex Leadbetter has always thought Caleb was too good for her manipulative, social-climbing sister. She had assumed Kourtney’s identity to write letters to him and keep his spirits up until he returned home to the hard truth, never expecting to fall in love with him along the way. After he shows up in town, she convinces him that the best way to get Kourtney back is to make her think he’s fallen for someone new — her. But when a fake romance becomes all too real, her deception may leave them both grounded.

    Add in the fact they’re living in hell with a crazy mistress, things go from hot to explosive. Their basic urges will take over, or they’ll kill each other.An Unexpected Diversion by Vella DayCheyenne Snow has been given an ultimatum by her father—the pack’s Alpha—find a shifter husband soon, or she’ll be forced to marry. Understanding that the odds of her meeting the deadline are slim, Chey decides to go out with a bang and find a human diversion.Waking the Bear by Kerry AdrienneOverprotective bear shifter, Griff Martin, reluctantly rents his mountain cabin to an artist, Amy Francis. He quickly realizes the plucky artist is his mate. But danger is brewing in the forest, and Griff has to be ready to safeguard both his female and his den, at the risk of losing both.Prime Desire by Andie DevauxNicolas can’t stop thinking about the woman whose life he saved, and Evie has never forgotten the weretiger who rescued her from certain death. When apparent serendipity brings them together again, Nicolas is faced with controlling his inner tiger around the woman he desires above all others. But will Evie be able to overcome her fear of his nature to give them a second chance at love?Bear Essentials (A BBW paranormal romance) by Lia DavisWhen bear-shifter Trey meets the curvy, raven-haired goddess, Nichole, he realizes exactly what he wants and knows she’s worth any amount of trouble. All he has to do is seduce all of her insecurities away and claim her as his bonded mate.

    Having lost her parents in a tragic car accident when she was a little girl, she’s struggled to get close to anyone. Instead, she prefers to avoid all relationships, keeping them superficial at best.Until retired Navy SEAL Alexander Burnham walks into her life and sparks something inside her she thought was dead.But he has demons of his own, ones that could turn her world upside-down.Ones that could reveal the truth that’s been kept from her for years.Ones that could cost her everything…Including her life.The Beautiful Mess trilogy is a gripping, suspenseful story about two souls destined to be together and the forces threatening to keep them apart. Pick up your copy of this USA Today Bestselling series today!Collection includes:1. A Beautiful Mess2. A Tragic Wreck3. Gorgeous Chaos

    From around the edges of every day existence lurks mystery, betrayal, greed, and death. With every turn of the page, feel the heat of adrenaline as fear lights up the night. Fight alongside the tenacious heroes and heroines as they battle for survival. They'll put everything on the line to thwart the evil coming after them. They want to trust in the power of love. But is it enough? Click to buy and let the adventures begin. EVERY SALES HELPS a VET get a PET Judith Lucci - RUN for your life"Besieged by threats and haunted by memories, can Alex and Jacob survive another fiery attack?" Stephany Tullis - Blue Lady's MISSION UNDER FIRE"The mission changed. Her cover is blown. With no where to run and nowhere to hide, what can she do to survive?"Fiona Quinn - Cold Red"Undercover, under fire, under arrest, it's hard to save a special agent's life while handcuffed."Anna Celeste Burke - Lily's Homecoming Under Fire"When Lily returns home to California's wine country, sparks fly amid a hail of bullets as she and US Marshal Austin Jennings take cover. Who wants Lily dead?" Margaret A. Daly- Monsters in my Closet"No one knows her secrets, not even her best friend. Can she keep her secrets and her monsters at bay long enough to give love a chance again?" Linda Watkins - The Witches of Storm Island, Book I: The Turning"In 1685, a forbidden love catapults young Maude Prichard into a life fraught with danger...." Tamara Ferguson - Two Hearts Under Fire"Will Two Wounded Hearts Under Fire Survive LOVE?" Suzanne Jenkins - Running with Horses"Moving horses to the high country comes just in time when Mindy and her coffee date witness murder at a Mojave Desert cafe." Inge-Lise Goss - Diamonds and Lies"When murder upends a diamond heist, can the jewel thief trust the mark who vows to protect her?" S.R. Mallery - Tender Enemies"When Lily sets up a spy trap, she faces great danger--of falling in love." Jinx Schwartz - Baja Get Away"Sometimes love is... Murder." Uvi Poznansky - Virtually Lace"Michael creates a virtual reality simulation of the murder. Can he solve it in time, before the killer turns on the woman he loves?" Kathryn Knight - The Haunting of Hillwood Farm"A dangerous ghost brings them together...but will they survive long enough to find happiness?" Stephanie Queen - Ace Under Fire "Can this bad boy make a come back to save an old flame?" Casi McLean - Reign Of Fire"Lies, Corruption, and Murder... exposing the truth leads to love--and a ghostly encounter. " Valerie J. Clarizio -The Code Enforcer"Can they overcome their painful pasts--and a murder investigation--to find happiness together?" Chris Patchell - Deception Bay"She's armed. He's dangerous. Together, can they stop a killer from tearing a small island community apart?" Aaron Paul Lazar - The Asylum: A Carmen Garcia romantic suspense novel"Carmen has a secret, and his name is Dr. Micah Worthy." Alyssa Richards - Chasing Secrets"Her husband's secret is priceless, her attempts to retrieve it could be deadly." K.M. Hodge - Summer of '78"Susan Evenbright, pledges to make her last summer in Texas a killer one." Pamela Fagan Hutchins - Buckle Bunny"The last guy to call Maggie a buckle bunny didn't make his eight seconds."

    Butler. The Strong Silent Type (East Coast 8 #0.5) by USA Today bestselling, RITA-award nominated author Elle Kennedy. Her Next Breath (Uncharted SEALs #2) by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Delilah Devlin. SEAL's Defiance (Take No Prisoners #7) by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Elle James. A SEAL's Chance (The Heroes of Chance Creek #6) by NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Cora Seton. One Hot SEAL (When SEALs Come Home #5.5) by NYT and USA Today bestselling author Anne Marsh. A SEAL's Duty (SEAL Team Alpha #1) by NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Lowery.

    Even if it means breaking down all the carefully placed defenses she’s built around her heart…Logan Grant needs to make good. After accidentally ruining his best friend’s career, he tries to make up for what he’s done in the only way this prideful family will accept. The only trouble? He never accounted for how he’d be affected by his best friend’s suddenly sexy sister…Search Terms: different worlds, deal, bargain, baseball, sports romance, sexy, romantic comedy, best friend's sister, older brother's best friend, unrequited love, reunited lovers

    I wrote this series so one story picks up where the previous story left off, which makes it fun to binge read all together. Book 1: The Opposite of Wild Ex-cop Ryan O'Hare takes one look at buttoned-up control freak Liz Garner and just itches to loosen the woman up. Not that he’s into her. Because a woman like that comes with way too many expectations. Not to mention, she practically works for him, and he didn’t hire Liz to watch after his beloved Harley-stealing Gran so he could turn Liz loose in his bed. Still, there’s something about her, a hidden wild side, that makes him wonder what it would take. Book 2: Daisy Does It All Exhausted single mom Daisy Garner is shocked when her blog about her perfect life with husband and baby brings a national talk show to her door. Amazing! Except she made the whole thing up. Enter Travis O'Hare, her fake husband, who's intent on becoming the real deal. Book 3: Bad Taste in Men Rachel Miller knows opening a café will make her struggling bookstore the place to hang out. But when the bank turns her down and her best friend Shane O’Hare steps in, the café suddenly has too much riding on it—her career, her best friend, and her heart. Book 3.5: Kissing Santa (A Novella) Samantha Dixon’s impulsive confession on Santa’s lap backfires big time when Santa turns out to be the major player from a horrible date. It will take a little of his Christmas giving and a lot of her goodwill toward men to move them from humbug to love. Don’t miss my new spinoff series, The Clover Park STUDS series, with some Clover Park favorites popping up too!

    Or that it could cost me my life.I'm Brent Hearst, for God's sake. A member of the one percent. As in old family money. Yet somehow I'm standing here, smiling while there’s a gun strapped to my leg ruining the line of my Italian suit.But my real issue isn’t with that gun. Oh, no. It’s my other weapon I can’t control when I’m around the sexy-as-sin brunette who might or might not be a spy. It seems I don’t care which while I’ve got her against the wall with my hand fisted in her hair.Oh, and while I figure out if I’ve been sleeping with the enemy, I’ve also got to keep us both from being killed by a couple of gun-toting Russians.No problem.Billionaire for Hire is a full-length standalone contemporary romance in the For Hire series, a loose spinoff from Cat Johnson's Hot SEALs with cameo appearances from favorite characters.

    Leo doesn’t know how to be a single parent since the death of his wife, and he certainly has no desire to return to Bluestone. But he needs a place for his son, a place where he’ll be with family, while Leo does his job. He’ll stay long enough to get Max settled, then go back to work. School counselor Trinity Madison watches Leo struggle with his son, trying to overcome the mental barricade she’s erected against the man who sent his son away when he’s perfectly capable of caring for the child. The situation brings about her own unsettled feelings about giving her child up for adoption when she was young. But as she observes Leo’s difficulties, his sacrifices, she softens toward the man. While he’s in town, he ends up working with some old friends and Trinity on a committee to revitalize Bluestone. The former resort town is struggling and looking for ways to bring tourists back. Leo finds himself charmed, then smitten with the feisty counselor, but will he still love her when he learns her secret? Waltz Back to Texas (Lost in a Boom Town Book 1) After growing up in a dying town, with only two restaurants, no movie theater, and no future, waitress Cassidy Simon wants out. For once, luck is on her side when the oil boom comes to South Texas. She’s determined to use it for her advantage, starting up an RV park for the oilfield workers to add to her escape fund. She’s never been out of Texas, and she’s itching for adventure. Grady McKenna couldn’t get away from his family’s ranch fast enough when he was a teenager, but a tour in the Air Force in the Middle East is enough to convince him there’s no place like home. He’s seen the world, had his adventure. Now he’s ready to contribute to his family’s legacy in Evansville. Naturally, the woman who draws his attention is the one intent on slipping through his fingers. How can he convince her life with him will be all the adventure she needs? The Love I Want to Be In (The Off-Season Book 1) Single mother Brioney Mayburn has learned about responsibility the hard way, working as a maid in the motel in the small beach town of Avalon Island, Texas and looking after her younger brother. Local jack-of-all-trades Blue Maddox was her sister's high school boyfriend, but stayed behind when she went off to college. He's now drawn to Brioney, admiring her drive, her determination to give her daughter the best life she can. But will Brioney look past his beach-bum facade to see who he really is?

    She's been branded a troublemaker, her reputation is in tatters and she's stuck in Pipers Cove, a speck of a town on the coast of Tasmania. Thankfully, it's temporary. Her lifelong dream of travelling the world is just months away from becoming reality. All she has to do is ride out the last few months of high school, which is easier said than done thanks to a trio of mean girls known as The Beautifuls. When Adam Décarie arrives in town, all the way from New York, life takes an unexpected turn. His arrival sets off a chain of events that alters her life forever, convincing her of one thing. Fate brought him to her. Saving Wishes is the story of a girl who doesn't quite fit the life she's living, and the boy who helps her realise why. *Second Hearts (Book 2 of the Wishes Series)* Charli Blake's high tolerance for risk doesn't always work in her favour. After a year of living out her dream of travelling the world, the sunny West African village of Kaimte would be her last stop. She's bound for New York, in search of the boy she'd let go of long ago. For Charli, nothing has changed. She's travelled thousands of miles but hasn't moved an inch. Adam Décarie still means everything to her. But reality soon hits hard. For Adam, everything has changed. Memories of the best love she's ever known is all she has left, until Charli makes a shocking discovery. None of it had ever been real in the first place. *Storm Shells (Book 3 of the Wishes Series)* The only way to move forward was to go back to the very beginning…. After three miserable weeks without Charli, Adam makes the decision to follow her, desperately hoping to find a way of following through on his promise of a happy ending. He finds her back in Pipers Cove, healing her broken heart by spending time with the one person who never lets her down. Both know nothing has changed. They're desperately in love, hopelessly stuck in limbo, and unable to find common ground. When fate offers them a chance at a different kind of ending, it’s a one-shot deal. Running with it means changing their plans – something neither of them has ever been willing to do before, even for each other. Just as one begins to find their way, the other completely loses direction – and neither of them realise that time is running out.

    There is also a bonus scene! It is a delivery/baby chapter told in Gage Grendel's POV.Who He Is (Book 1)Eliza Smith has never been the one to seek a relationship. She's never dated a guy in her life, never even hugged a man (outside of her father/manager of the hot and popular rock band, FireNine) but when she decides to spend her summer on tour with FireNine, it all changes. Eliza really gets to meet Gage Grendel - her former crush from high school and the lead singer of FireNine - and witness sides to him to which she'll begin to truly despise.She'll ignore him, she'll dislike his ways, she'll do anything to try and stay away from him until Gage finally gets her to slip up and give in. She agrees on a casual fling with Gage, but soon they'll both see how the fling will blur into something they can't control and when it's finally time for Eliza to go and accomplish her own dreams, she'll know there's more she took from Gage than she ever thought possible.Who We Are (Book 2)Eight months.That's how long it's been since Eliza last saw Gage and they both feel as if they don't deserve one another's forgiveness. He screwed up. She walked away without looking back. They'll try and make up all the time they've lost with one another, that is until they're facing the choices of either going their separate ways, or hanging on and fighting for dear life.The fights will be endless. They heartache will be real. The demons will return, and they won't back down without a fight.There are some who will do anything to keep true love apart, and those same people will dig deep into their demonic ways until Eliza and Gage are literally no more.Can Eliza and Gage overcome it all? Will they be able to face the true demons that are seeking to destroy them? Or will they just forget about everything they've worked so hard for and go their separate ways?Sometimes you have to go through struggles in order to reach an ultimate point of peace... but will their struggle be worth it?Who I Am (Book 3)Some stories aren't easy to tell.Some situations aren't easy to relive.But I was raised to be strong--to hold my own. Because of it, I was hurt, torn down, beaten and even had my heart snatched right out of my chest.But I'm ready now. It's time for me to speak up. You want to know what really goes on inside my head, well I'm right here.Real. Raw. Intense.This is all me. Roy Sykes. This is my story, and trust me... its far from pretty.Who I'm Becoming (Book 4)Montana Delray is the most laid back of the popular rock band, FireNine. He's goofy, charming, blatantly honest, talented, a massive flirt, and extremely handsome. The girls literally throw themselves at him, and he accepts it. He loves the attention. The fame. The parties. His single life. With so many women to choose from, it's not in his nature to chase after just one, but when Lauren Harkin enters his life, that all changes. Lauren is smart, sexy, confident, and knows exactly how to get under his skin... and although he hates to admit it, he loves it. He wants her in every way possible, but she doesn't want anything to do with him. Famous FireNine rocker, Delray isn't the kind of guy Lauren needs to bring into her life. After having her emotions tampered with repeatedly, she refuses to give into someone who will most likely take her for granted and make things worse.

    In The Beauty, part of Claire's Bride Quest II trilogy, a maiden pledged to the convent heals the heart of a crusading knight returned home to find his legacy stolen.In The Rose Red Bride, part of Claire's Jewels of Kinfairlie trilogy, a damsel seeking adventure and romance is abducted, but only she can see the valor her captor would hide from the world. In The Warrior, part of Claire's Rogues of Ravensmuir trilogy, a daughter considered undesirable is chosen by a dangerous knight of dark repute to be his bride, only to be haunted by dreams of their shared past. Three wounded champions, each more honorable than he believes, each destined to be healed by a lady who steals his shielded heart.

    Madden When Veterinarian Willow James' office is broken into, it's natural that she turn to her soul mate, former Navy SEAL K9 handler Joe Flynn, to track down the culprits. The trail leads to a notorious Pit-Bull fighting ring. It may take a Christmas miracle and a helpful nudge from an old partner to get everyone home safely. Noel's Puppy Power by KaLyn Cooper Tanner Hill is better at communicating with animals than women. That might be why he hasn’t had a second date in over two years. He’s also been extremely busy with his kennel that has become the premier training facility, specializing in supplying dogs to veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Then again, there is this psychologist he can’t get out of his head, or his heart. Dr. Bailey Conrad would never allow the loss of half her right leg to an IED in Iraq to stop her. Every day at the VA hospital, she sees patients who have lost so much more to the war effort. It’s her goal in life to help as many vets as possible to find a 'new normal', because she knows firsthand, it’s the internal scars that can be the most difficult to heal. Snowflake’s Gift by Lindsay McKenna Two veterans—one human,one canine—have returned to Montana to recover from the traumas of war. FormerArmy Ranger Nick Conway depended on his WMD dog Snowflake to help him navigateIEDs on the battlefield. Now he needs his best friend to help him cope with hisPTSD and acclimate to civilian life. When he meets Holly McGuire and agrees to help her deliver meals to the elderly, her inner light calls to him, but his demons hold him back from giving in to his attraction. But Snowflake takes an immediate shine to the kindhearted Holly—and he has never led Nick down the wrong path.