The only thing she ever wanted was to go to college, open up her own bakery, and marry the man of her dreams. Years later she still struggles to face a secret sheʼs hidden from everyone since she was little. With her brother, Jeremy, and her boyfriend, Luke having the time of their lives at Northwestern, she makes the hardest decision of her life--to let them go. Unfortunately, that means giving up her own heart to protect theirs. What she hadnʼt planned on doing was working at a strip club to pay bills, or to meet someone new that may be able to make her feel whole again.Luke Matthews has more than he could ask for. Heʼs attending his favorite University, has the girl of his dreams, and lives with his best friends. The one morning when he wakes to find her scribbled note telling him sheʼs leaving flips his world upside down. Unable to cope, he turns to booze and pills to numb his pain. It isnʼt until almost two years later and losing all hope when he stumbles upon Maggie. And of all places, working in a strip club.Convincing her to come home with them is the easy part, but finding out the real reason for her leaving could destroy them both.

    The ifs that linger between the pages of this novel will break your heart and stay with you long after the final chapter. Emerson Shaw thought she’d left her old life behind her, but when she returns home for her best friend’s wedding, she has no idea her past is waiting to reclaim her. Dark and broken, Lincoln Daniels never wanted to find love. But when he met straight-laced Emerson, he fell. Hard. The only thing they seemed to have in common was an undeniable mutual attraction, but from the moment he laid eyes on her, there was something about her that called to him. Until he lost her. Consumed by their pasts, it took years to slowly glue together the shattered pieces of their what ifs. Just when Emerson is finally ready to let go and stop existing in a past full of pain and regret, Lincoln returns, turning her life upside down. What begins as a tentative friendship quickly escalates, and the two soon realize that all the ifs lingering between them no longer matter. What happens when two broken people meet, fall in love, and realize they can never be? What happens when all the what ifs no longer make sense? If you knew your heart would break, would you still fall? This book is intended for mature audiences.

    Laine brings a new standalone New Adult Romance novel, Chasing Butterflies, about second chances on and off the field. One night … one kiss … one touch … will change everything. Kelley Moore’s tragic home life should make him a survivor. But when he’s uprooted yet again, his plans for a better future seem impossible. Being a player on and off the football field is all he knows, until Lenora Wells. The beautiful town princess makes him feel and want things he never thought he could have… Lenora will do anything to get out of her town, even if it means dating the wrong guy. There’s one problem: she can’t stop thinking about the gorgeous, complicated boy with the unusual eyes who gives her butterflies and makes her question her choices. When their lives collide, the world shifts and not in their favor. Four years later, the sins of their past can never be taken back and forgiveness won’t come easy. College is a different game, a second chance for something better. She’s not the girl he remembers and he’s the one boy she can never forget. He’s made a name for himself as the star quarterback -- the golden boy who can do no wrong. But he’s only interested in being her hero. Despite everything, she can’t deny he still makes her heart flutter; and she’s got him chasing butterflies. *Warning this new adult romance contains adult content and language and may not be suitable for younger readers.

    . . compatibility seems improbable.Adrift in a foul-mouthed world of ass kicking to survive life on the tough streets of Boyle Heights, Lila is anything but a refined girlie girl. Fighting tooth and nail for those she loves has left her with a chip on her shoulder as big as the gloves on her fists.After years of being surrounded by glamorous glitzy women, Sonny didn’t even realize how much he’s yearned for someone of real substance. So, when he meets the unapologetic, sexy-as-hell Lila, her in-your-face candor awakens something in him he’s never felt before.Despite Lila’s suspicions about Sonny’s intentions, the two begin a seemingly innocent, yet deliciously dangerous, online flirtation as his business keeps him away a lot.The more their rapidly growing connection intensifies, the more Lila feels Sonny is too perfect to be true. But when she’s blindsided by the truth about who Sonny really is . . .Compatibility suddenly feels impossible.The first in my new series "Boyle Heights." A spin off of 5th Street. Will feature character crossings from other series'. Stay tuned to find out who Lila's love interest will be. ;)Read the FULL prologue on my website now!

    Black,I know you were hurting. I heard your cries. I wished over and over again that I could make it better, but as you stated I was too inexperienced; too good for someone as bad as you.Perhaps you were right, but it didn't matter because what I did know was that I loved the way you felt--loved the way you smelled. I loved how hard you got for me, and when you called me your Little Knight.I can still remember that day in the park, when you held me close and kissed me deep. How you effortlessly made me cry your name on top of sweet smelling grass, making me feel like the only girl in the world. I loved how you looked at me, how you spoke to me.I had been madly in love with you ever since I was twelve years old, but I shouldn't have been.Isabelle would have hated it--my best friend. I couldn't afford to lose her. Besides, you two had already lost enough. Losing Mrs. Black was the epitome.It's Chloe Knight.I wanted to be there for you no matter what, but Isabelle needed me too.And she would have hated me if she ever found out I was sleeping with her father.** Tainted Black is a forbidden love-story about a girl who helplessly falls for her best friend's father. After a tragic accident ends the life of Theo Black's wife, he turns to the one person he has always found interesting.Chloe Knight, the girl from across the street, his daughter's best friend, and a person that is considered completely off limits for him. **- WARNING: If you aren't a fan of taboo love stories, age gaps/differences, of if you're expecting a novel with that "unicorn and rainbows" type of feel, then this may not be the novel for you. But if you want to read about an alpha male with a tortured soul that rides a motorcycle and owns a boat named Dirty Black, then READ this! You may have just have found the right kind of love story for you! -- Taboo Romance (Best Friend's Dad)- Full-length standalone (98K words)- New Adult / Erotica

    She wasn’t dealt the easiest cards in life. She wasn’t dealt the hardest. She has an illness, but she doesn’t let it rule her. The first time she laid eyes on her best friend’s twin brother she fell in love at first sight. It didn’t last very long. He was a hateful boy who made her miserable. The happiest day of her life was when he moved away to London six years ago.His name is Robert. He breaks the ones who love him. He’s always liked to play games with Lana, see how far he could push her. He once thrived on her pain, but no more. Now she’s coming to London to live with his sister for the summer and this time he plans on being her friend instead of her tormentor. But Lana is scarred by his past bullying. She doesn’t trust him, nor does she have any reason to.When the two find themselves living under the same roof, they call a truce. This summer will change both of their lives, as they put their history aside and learn one another from scratch.When fear takes over, we use cruelty as a mask. Robert and Lana’s story will see their masks slip away as the love they felt on the inside shows its true face.**Not suitable for younger readers. Contains strong language and scenes of a sexual nature.**

    The pre-season jock party isn’t her scene, but she’s roped into attending to provide her sister a sober ride home.Hiding in the kitchen to avoid an athletic sex fest, a drunken football player forces Rebecca to her knees, and thrusts his crotch in her face. Before Rebecca can extricate herself from the demeaning situation, an unknown champion saves the night. When Killian assists Rebecca off the floor, she’s stunned into silence while staring at the sexiest man alive.Will Killian’s bad boy rep and Rebecca’s need for commitment, make this the most impossible “Play” of the season? Or, will Killian’s haunting past and need for victory destroy the most important game of his life?

    I brought her back to meet you.” I’m normally not into jocks, but when Troy Wood asks me out, I feel like I’m the Chosen One. After all, he’s hot as hell and Silver Lake’s best athlete, practically the King of Campus. God’s gift to women—that’s what they call him, but I’ll make a gentleman out of him. Everything is perfect, and he already practically has his ticket to the Big Leagues. There’s just one little problem . . . I’m hiding a secret that could destroy him and his future. I can’t tell him . . . I can’t tell him that I’m pregnant with his baby. **Blitzed is a full-length romance with an HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger!

    It isn't supposed to leave you bleeding. Kona pushed, Keira pulled, and in their wake, they left behind destruction. She sacrificed everything for him. It wasn't enough. But the wounds of the past can never be completely forgotten and still the flame remains, slumbers between the pleasure of yesterday and the thought of what might have been. Now, sixteen years later, Keira returns home to bury the mother who betrayed her, just as Kona tries to hold onto what remains of his NFL career with the New Orleans Steamers. Across the crowded bustle of a busy French Market, their paths collide, conjuring forgotten memories of a consuming touch, skin on skin, and the still smoldering fire that begs to be rekindled. When Kona realizes the trifecta of betrayal—his, Keira's and those lies told to keep them apart—his life is irrevocably changed and he once again takes Keira down with him into the fire that threatens to ignite them both.

    Lovers. Enemies.Sometimes the lines between them are blurred.Gavin McBrideShe blindsided me. Broke me. Shredded me.And now she’s back, thinking I did the very same thing to her.Someone is lying. It's not me. But the thing is - it's not her either.When I reach out to her, I get more than I bargained for. Much more.Baylor MitchellI was eighteen when he left me.I found a way to survive. Without him. Without us. Without the future he promised.Now, a chance meeting threatens everything I know to be true.But loving him again isn't worth the risk I'd have to take or the secret I'd be forced to reveal.Or is it?One day… one moment… one letter.One lie.That’s all it took to change the course of their lives.Get this sizzling second-chance romance now.

    She just wants to work on her screenplay, go to her writing classes and flirt with the guy of her dreams, Nash, who is finally noticing her. Marcus wants to get up at dawn, run, snowboard, and basically take over her life, and even her body at times. He thinks she’s freaking hot and does not like Nash touching her. Marcus may be smart, talented at snowboarding, drawing and playing the guitar, but he’s not real! When she needs help, she has to call Nash. She can’t tell anyone about Marcus without sounding like she’s crazy. Meanwhile Marcus doesn’t know where he’ll go if he leaves her mind. Maybe she is losing it…

    Spread eagle. Make you beg for me. I’m sorry…Who is this? Forgot me so soon? Maybe I need a reminder... When a mystery man sends me a racy text message, I’m intrigued. When he sends me more, his filthy words steal my breath. I’m hot, and more than a little bothered.He’s got the wrong number. I should stop replying.I don’t.I feel dirty and I love it.He wants my submission. He wants to taste me. He wants to hear me scream his name.One message leads to dozens more. He says he knows me, but I’m sure he’s wrong. When he asks to meet, I can’t say no.The man who arrives, the man who promised filthy things, is tall and ripped and built for sin. He’s haunted my dreams. He knows me better than I know myself. He’s the last man I thought I’d ever see again. Ruined is a STAND-ALONE, full-length contemporary romance. There are no cliffhangers, and a happy ending is guaranteed!

    Chase now has to convince the only woman he has ever wanted that he is worth the gamble.Recommended for readers aged 18+

    When they head off to a new city to start their lives together, Denny at his dream job and Kiera at a top-notch university, everything seems perfect. Then an unforeseen obligation forces the happy couple apart.Feeling lonely, confused, and in need of comfort, Kiera turns to an unexpected source—a local rock star named Kellan Kyle. At first, he's purely a friend that she can lean on, but as her loneliness grows, so does their relationship. And then one night everything changes... and none of them will ever be the same.

    The charmer, the Adonis, the one who torched every woman's panties in our small town. He was my brother's best friend, practically part of the family. When he proposed, he promised me forever.Then the bastard disappeared without a word.It's taken five years to get over Ryan. I drowned myself crying a thousand times over. I moved on.I'm finally remembering what it's like to smile when guess who shows up. Everything about him is different. For one, he's become a freakin' billionaire. He walks like he's Mr. Tall, Dark, and Alpha incarnate. I know there's no justice in the world because his body matches his huge ego.Worse, he wants me to play Cinderella again. I can't. I won't.I don't believe in second chances. I'll never forget what he did.And if he's stupid enough to try kissing me with those unforgettable lips, he's going to feel my teeth.RYANI did a terrible thing. No, I'm not talking about the filthy secret that wrecked everything.Leaving Kara killed me. I didn't have a choice. No amount of money, success, or bedding any woman I want whenever I flash my patented smirk makes up for losing her.She was the one. Hell, she still is.Time to remind her why. Whatever it takes to put my ring on her hand for good.I'm ready for the curses, the screams, the burn of her palm against my cheek. I'll taste her lips again, even if she bites.Just one catch – she can't find out what happened the night I left. There are no second chances if my past ruins us.This is a standalone romance novel brimming with temptation, tears, and alpha male explosions. High heat, no chill, and Happy Endings galore!