To confront those fears, Valencia’s therapist suggests that she fly somewhere—anywhere—before her upcoming birthday. And as Valencia begins a telephone romance with a man from New York, she suddenly has a destination in mind. There’s only one problem—he might not actually exist.Mrs. Valentine is an eccentric old woman desperate for company, be it from neighbors, telemarketers, or even the funeral director (when you’re her age, you go to a lot of funerals). So she’s thrilled when the new cleaning girl provides a listening ear for her life’s story—a tale of storybook love and incredible adventures around the world with her husband before his mysterious and sudden disappearance.The stories of Valencia and Mrs. Valentine may at first appear to have nothing in common…but then again, nothing in life is as straightforward as it seems.

    She did not expect a traumatic event to devastate her life and force her to drop out of college. Disillusioned by the cruelty of people, Helen retreated from society to live by herself as a reclusive writer in the woods--where no one could ever hurt her again.When a brilliant young doctor shows up on her doorstep, promising her that his new research can give her the ability to see for the first time, Helen stubbornly refuses. She has learned not to trust anyone, and to rely only on herself. But Dr. Liam Larson will not take no for an answer. He makes it his personal mission to rescue Helen from her loneliness, and bring joy into her world once more--the joy she has denied herself for so long.When Helen's demons come racing back into her life, threatening to rip her apart and destroy the strength she has carefully rebuilt, Liam is the only one who might be able to save her. Can he reach the broken girl in time, helping her to heal and see the world in a different light? Or will Helen's grief send her spiraling out of control, lost to him forever?**********This is the first book of a three-part series.**********

    He hides the darkness in his past, content to run an island adventure company in the Caribbean with members of his former SEAL team—until resort guest Emma Richardson targets him for a vacation fling. Her fresh innocence and insistence on seeing hero material in Dex where none exists makes him yearn to be the man she deserves. And that terrifies Dex more than any war zone he's ever faced, until he discovers Emma has demons of her own…

    He broke her heart to save his own.As an elite police diver tormented by her father's fatal drowning accident, Piper Harland is forced back to the one place she'd sworn never to return. Her tiny hometown on New Zealand’s isolated Stewart Island hasn’t much changed in the nine years she’s been gone. But she soon comes face to face with everything she ran from — grief, regret, and the scalding pain of a love lost.The one place Ryan "West" Westlake belongs is a hundred feet below Stewart Island’s dangerous waters with one breath of air and only a line to guide him to the surface. Down deep he can forget his mentor’s death. Down deep he can forget the one woman who seared his heart when she left. Only now she’s back, and as it turns out, he hasn’t forgotten a thing.Desire and tempers flare when West and Piper cross paths again. Can they face their past and be together? Two hearts. A second chance. Everything on the line...IN TOO DEEP is the first story in Tracey Alvarez's best-selling Stewart Island books set against the stunning backdrop of Aotearoa, New Zealand. If you like heartwarming, sexy and sweet small town romances with a touch of comedy, you'll love sharing the journey with these authentic men and women struggling to find their special someone.Intended for mature 18+ aged readers who enjoy their feel good romance on the steamier side.

    She prides herself on being a lady in public, but after she's dumped yet again for being a lady in the bedroom, she's ready to go back to school.Determined to find her inner sex diva, she enlists her childhood friend, Max Dalton, to tutor her after hours. Instead, she ends up in the wrong bed and gets a lesson in passion from Max's twin brother, Rhys Dalton, a man Melina's always secretly wanted but never thought she could have. Despite craving the occasional adventure, Melina's a small-town girl who wants roots and a family. Rhys and Max, on the other hand, are celebrities who travel from one city to another, changing bed partners as easily as plane flights. Rhys is outwardly the more reserved of the two but, unable to believe his good luck when he finds Melina waiting for him, he gives Melina her first taste of multiples right out the gate. Come morning, she's so mortified that she threw herself at Rhys that she blurts out the truth about her tutoring experiment. Not about to let her get away from him, Rhys convinces Melina that when it comes to sexual lessons, he's more than man enough for the job. His biggest challenge is teaching Melina that when it comes to pleasure, the key to his own is hers.Can a woman who's always longed for hearth and home find satisfaction with a man whose entire life has been about moving on to the next big thing?

    An anonymous existence and nearly absolute solitude has gone a long way toward healing the scars. But four years later, Laura has discovered she will never truly escape the madman that is after her. Even the FBI couldn’t help her before and now she finds herself trying to trust the small town sheriff with her life.Sheriff Trevor Holbrook has never given a second thought to the beautiful mysterious woman that lives in the woods outside of New Jackson. She made it clear to the entire town she wanted to be left alone. But when a horrifying turn of events drops a killer in the middle of the small town he is sworn to protect, he has no choice but to figure out the mystery that is Laura Broderick. Her dauntless courage awakens passionate feelings Trevor never could have anticipated. The deeper he delves into Laura’s past, the more terror seems to be unleashed on his town.Can one small town sheriff help her stop a psychopath the FBI hasn’t been able to touch?

    But no matter how much time passes, she can’t forget Pete, the only man she’s ever loved. Meredith wonders how she can move on, when just looking at her little boy so painfully reminds her of everything that's happened.Her son is five when Meredith returns to Crossroads to claim The Serenade—a popular hotel, bar and restaurant—which she inherits from a dear friend who treated her like family when her own family did not. A single mother from a rough background, Meredith knows life is not all roses, and that she will have to work even harder than ever with her new responsibilities. But she has no idea of the obstacles that she must overcome, now that she has moved back home to claim her inheritance and hopefully reunite with Pete.

    But when Quinn Ryker, her landlord andbillionaire playboy, refuses to renew her lease, her entire world and all thosewho depend on her, are at risk.Quinn's spent months trying to stifle his curiosity for the gorgeous chef who runs thekitchen of his favorite bistro like she's a five-star general. He can't helpbut want her, especially when she comes marching into his office full of fireand passion, furious with him and demanding he renew her lease. Yet he now hassomething she wants, and he knows just what he'll do with that heat and angerof hers, especially once she's in his bed. A bargain is stuck that will save Emma's restaurant and give Quinn what he mostdesires-Emma. But it turns out there's a lot more on the line when negotiatingmatters involving one's body, heart, and soul.*** This novel contains a Happily Ever After ending for the couple, though some minor plot lines continue to the next book and are resolved completely during that story. Due to the adult language and explicit sex scenes, this book is for adults only.***

    Intending to spend only a day or two tying up the loose ends of her recently deceased grandmother's will, Hope has no idea what is in store for her. Eccentric townspeople, a mother with an agenda and more Christmas "spirit" than she can handle, soon make her visit to Noel far more interesting than she ever expected. As if she doesn't have enough problems, she finds herself falling for the town's gorgeous mayor. Tucker Reed is not her type.....or is he? Before long, Hope finds herself in a battle to save not only her grandmother's beloved bakery, but also her heart. Look for Book 2 in this series - Head Over Heels For Christmas, coming in NOVEMBER 2013.PLEASE NOTE: This is a 2nd edition with a few minor editorial and creative changes.

    Modern-day Prince Adrian of Monaforte has a most old-fashioned problem: his demanding mother wants him wed to her best friend’s daughter, the hard-partying Serena. When his refusal falls on deaf ears, Adrian decides it’s time for him to slip away from his gilded cage and figure out his life, all on his own. As luck would have it, event photographer Emma Davison, weary of a revolving door of lost-cause men and tired of her outsider-looking-in career, is in need of her own escape clause, just in time to help a wayward prince in need. And she soon discovers that sometimes a girl’s gotta sweep a prince off his feet.For any girl that’s ever held out hope that some day her prince would come…or better yet, hoped that some day she’d come to him.

    Wealth, a faithful best friend and more than a few boys to choose from as she comes to the end of her last year in college, but something has always been missing inside her since losing her mother as a girl. When she meets the insanely sexy fiance of her lifelong nemesis, fellow debutante Tori Wexler, she starts to feel whole again, but Wade Donovan is forbidden fruit. Erin’s father and Tori’s father run a billion dollar business together and a scandal like this one could rock its foundation, destroying not just Wade and herself, but everything her father has spent a lifetime building. Like love, some decisions last forever.

     And as for mum - she's only been tending my recently-rehabilitated sister's cannabis bush, thinking it's a tomato plant! Hurtling through her thirties, Tara is still yet to find her perfect man, despite gruelling efforts to transform herself into the perfect woman. Tara's prayers appear to have been answered when she miraculously falls into the arms of Travis Coleman - the famed, silver-tongued sex demon. It would seem the years of curling, plucking, painting and waxing may have finally paid off... However, Tara's fairy-tale soon spirals out of control when Travis inexplicably ceases all contact with her. Distraught and desperately stumbling from one crisis to another, Tara ultimately loses her mind, her dignity and - shamefully - her Knickers. Fur Coat No Knickers is a hilarious, touching and outrageous tale; bound to relate to any woman

    Trades.Wanted: Single actress for an extended gig abroad.France's mega-rich playboy Julian de Laurent is up to something and Camille's boss expects her to find out what. Who knew the eccentric gazillionaire was looking to hire a temporary wife?When Camille refuses to accept Julian's proposal--and secretly write a juicy tell-all about the de Laurent family--she's fired and left financially destitute, forcing her to entertain Julian's proposal for real.But what'll happen at the end of the contract period, after Camille has spent six months as the wife of a man she learns is capable of stealing her heart?**This is a re-release of The Marriage Bargain, originally published in August, 2010. This version has an ALL NEW ending.**

    All she wants is her late father's dream to come true by making his beloved King's Department Store thrive again. However, her stepmother has other ideas. Charlie agrees to help her stepmother find grooms for her sheltered stepsisters. In exchange, the stepmother will release her stronghold on the store's budget. After all, one good deed deserves another, right? But, Charlie has no idea what her heart's in for when... Alexander (Alex) Royale, dubbed by society newspapers as Prince Charming, arrives for dinner to meet the all-female King family. His ailing grandparents yearn for his marriage and then the baby carriage. Well, that and running the family company. Having unsuccessfully searched for months, Alex doesn't hold out any hope in finding his future bride among the King sisters. However, all his expectations, including his idea of a business-like marriage of convenience, vanish the moment Charlie crashes into him. When Alex sets out out to win over Charlotte, he has no idea he has to bargain with the stepmother, secretly buy the store, court Charlotte after the wedding, and, oh yeah, be featured in Charlie's new fairy tale ad campaign, The Charmings, based on them. Can a guy ever get a break? The couple never factored in falling in love with each other. Now, faced with losing all their families ever wanted, Charlie and Alex must choose: Do they live their families' dreams or do they finally live their own?

    Recently divorced from a man who wouldn't or couldn't understand her, she retreats with her daughter to her grandmother's summer cottage on Lake of the Pines. Liv has fond memories of the summers she spent there with her grandparents. Always a safe haven, she hopes to spend the summer relaxing, healing and finding herself again. In the midst of a panic attack, she finds herself face-to-face with Cameron Preston, the boy with whom she'd spent her childhood summers. In love with him back then, she never found the courage to tell him and they drifted apart...Her heart leaps at the second chance for love. Confusion swamps her as she tries to figure out why Cam keeps pulling away... Can Liv rekindle their old friendship and to turn it into something more? Cam quit his busy big-city medical practice exhausted and disillusioned. He returns to his family's summer home on Lake of the Pines to regroup and determine where and what he wants to do next. When he runs into Liv, the girl he let slip away, he knows where wants to head and with whom. When Cam meets Liv's eight-year-old daughter, he assumes Liv is married. He struggles to keep his feelings for Liv in check while resuming the friendship he desperately misses. His one regret was not kissing Liv all those years ago when he had the chance... He has never stopped loving Liv. Will he let her slip away again? Not if he has his way.