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Degrees of Love by Lisa Slabach


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The Donut Trap


Julie Tieu - 2021
    With no boyfriend or job prospects, Jasmine returns home to work at her parents’ donut shop. Jasmine quickly loses herself in a cyclical routine of donuts, Netflix, and sleep. She wants to break free from her daily grind, but when a hike in rent threatens the survival of their shop, her parents rely on her more than ever.Help comes in the form of an old college crush, Alex Lai. Not only is he successful and easy on the eyes, to her parents’ delight, he’s also Chinese. He’s everything she should wish for, until a disastrous dinner reveals Alex isn’t as perfect as she thinks. Worse, he doesn’t think she’s perfect either.With both sets of parents against their relationship, a family legacy about to shut down, and the reappearance of an old high school flame, Jasmine must scheme to find a solution that satisfies her family’s expectations and can get her out of the donut trap once and for all.

Saint X


Alexis Schaitkin - 2020
    Several days later, Alison’s body is found in a remote spot on a nearby cay, and two local men – employees at the resort - are arrested. But the evidence is slim, the timeline against it, and the men are soon released. The story turns into national tabloid news, a lurid mystery that will go unsolved. For Claire and her parents, there is only the return home to broken lives.Years later, Claire is living and working in New York City when a brief but fateful encounter brings her together with Clive Richardson, one of the men originally suspected of murdering her sister. It is a moment that sets Claire on an obsessive pursuit of the truth - not only to find out what happened the night of Alison’s death but also to answer the elusive question: Who exactly was her sister? At seven, Claire had been barely old enough to know her: a beautiful, changeable, provocative girl of eighteen at a turbulent moment of identity formation.As Claire doggedly shadows Clive, hoping to gain his trust, waiting for the slip that will reveal the truth, an unlikely attachment develops between them, two people whose lives were forever marked by the same tragedy.

What the Fireflies Knew


Kai Harris - 2022
    And all of them are keeping secrets.Pinballing between resentment, abandonment, and loneliness, KB is forced to carve out a different identity for herself and find her own voice. As she examines the jagged pieces of her recently shattered world, she learns that while some truths cut deep, a new life--and a new KB--can be built from the shards.Capturing all the vulnerability, perceptiveness, and inquisitiveness of a young Black girl on the cusp of puberty, Harris's prose perfectly inhabits that hazy space between childhood and adolescence, where everything that was once familiar develops a veneer of strangeness when seen through newer, older eyes. Through KB's disillusionment and subsequent discovery of her own power, What the Fireflies Knew poignantly reveals that heartbreaking but necessary component of growing up--the realization that loved ones can be flawed, sometimes significantly so, and that the perfect family we all dream of looks different up close.

The Family You Make


Jill Shalvis - 2022
    After strong winds hurl the gondola in front of them into the ground, Levi calls his parents to prepare them for the worst...but can't bring himself to say goodbye. Instead, wanting to fulfill his mother's lifelong wish, he impulsively tells her he's happily settled and Jane is his girlfriend--right before his phone dies.But Levi and Jane do not.Now Levi's family is desperate to meet "The One." Though Jane agrees to be his pretend girlfriend for just one dinner, she's nervous. After a traumatic childhood, Jane isn't sure she knows how to be around a tight-knit family that cherishes one another. She's terrified, and a little jealous. But an unexpected series of events and a host of new friends soon show Jane that perhaps this is the life she was always meant to have.As Jane and Levi spend more time together, pretend feelings quickly turn into real ones. Now all Jane has to do is admit to herself she can't live without the man she's fallen in love with and the family she has always dreamed of.

Back to You


Carly Grant - 2021
    That’s how Annie Collins left small-town Crestpoint Beach when she was eighteen and an aspiring interior designer. And that’s how she returns years later, starting over as a widow at thirty-five.Coming home to help care for her aging father while she sorts out her life, Annie moves into her grandparents’ old beach house. The big, beautiful home needs a little TLC, but Annie has the support of her free-spirited younger sister, Hannah, who dreams of turning the beach house into a B&B together. If only repairing Annie’s wounded heart were that easy.Complicating things even more, her high school heartbreak, Noah Davis, still lives in Crestpoint Beach. Now the town’s favorite science teacher, recently divorced single dad Noah is the same handsome, charming man he was back then. Soon, that charm draws Annie back into his life with his teenage daughter, Lainey. Noah walked away from Annie once; will he stand by her this time, even when his ex-wife would like nothing better than to split them apart?BACK TO YOU is a clean contemporary romance, and Book 1 of the Turning Tides B&B series. Pre-order Book 2, MEANT TO BE, which is coming March 17, 2021.

Kiss Me Cowboy: A Summer Box Set


Tessa Layne - 2017
     All Proceeds go to Heroes & Horses - Grab your copy and help an American Hero today! Prairie Heat (Cowboys of the Flint Hills #1) Tessa Layne Will an Alpha Cowboy find true love on the range in this sexy, small-town western? Blake Sinclaire will do anything to reclaim his family’s stolen land, including talking sexy scientist Maddie Hansen into a fake engagement. As he falls for her, will he risk losing everything when long kept secrets come to light? Forever a Soldier (Always a Cowboy #1) Genevieve Turner Solider Hank Moreno has finally returned home from combat, ready to lick his wounds in solitude. But when beautiful historian Lale Pehlivan crashes into his life in search of an old family mystery, will their hearts survive the upheaval? Return to Love (Willow Valley #1) Christine Kingsley Cassie Powell is perfectly happy with her small town life in Willow Valley until her old crush, Jack Martin swaggers back into town. As things heat up with Jack, secrets she's worked too hard to keep threaten to bring it all tumbling down around her. Secret Heart (Hearts of Three Rivers: The Montgomerys #1) Amity Lassiter Former rodeo star Nate Montgomery has returned home to Three Rivers to nurse his wounds and come to terms with his new life. Perpetual girl from the wrong side of the tracks Layla Sullivan's been keeping a secret for nearly two years that's about to turn his world upside down...if they can keep the sins of their past from destroying it. Accounting for Love (Long Valley #1) Erin Wright When Stetson Miller inherits his father’s farm in Idaho, he’s too focused on crops and yields to pay attention to the financial side of things. The next thing he knows, he’s got a stack of unpaid bills, the bank is threatening to foreclose … and the auditor who’s come to examine his accounts is the sexiest thing he’s ever laid eyes on. The sparks between them fly even faster when the road washes out and Jennifer has to spend the night on the farm. But passion alone won’t pay the bills. Can Jennifer find a way for Stetson to save his farm? And if she can’t, will he ever forgive her? Mountain Angel (Northstar Angels #1) Suzie O’Connell A strong-willed woman, a heart-weary deputy, and a cozy mountain cabin. What could possibly go wrong… or right? Aelissm Davis has finally returned home to Northstar, Montana - exhausted by fast-paced city life and shadowed by an obsessive friend. The last thing she needs is another complication, and sexy Deputy Pat O’Neil is definitely that. Still, there’s something irresistible about the haunted man, and as she gets her bearings again, a different kind of problem arises. When his “vacation” is over, will she be able to convince him to stay? AUTHOR QUESTIONS Q: What makes Kiss Me Cowboy special? Many of us write Military Heroes (or are planning to real soon!) in our western romances. While we guarantee happy endings for our heroes, we know that the men and women who serve our country often aren’t so lucky. Twenty-two veterans kill themselves each day.

Cowboy, Yours (Cowboy, Mine Book 2)


Kathleen Ball - 2016
    From the best-selling authors who brought you Cowboy, Mine… Fall in love again with six sexy cowboys who know how to make a woman smile. Ryelee's Cowboy by Kathleen Ball: Ryelee Snyder is pregnant and alone. Fortunately, she finds a job as a nanny. Rancher Clint Maloney needs help with his daughter but he never bargained on Ryelee Snyder. Secrets, misunderstandings, and cattle rustling put an increasing strain on their relationship. Will they part or will love allow them to turn to each other? In a Cowboy's Arms by Krista Ames: Growing up on a farm with three brothers, Lacey Connelley was not attracted to Cowboys in the slightest. Wannabe cowboy Jordan Cross is the glitch she never expected and he's determined to prove her wrong about him. The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch by Cheryl Gorman: A woman struggling to save her failing ranch, overcome the tragedy of her brother's death and one man's determination to preserve his best friend's memory. Coming Home by Melissa Keir: Fate threw Shevonne and Jackson together in a desperate search for her missing father. Can a blind woman and the womanizer rely on each other to rescue Mr. Wilder or will insecurities and stress cause their blossoming relationship to self-destruct? A Totally Different Life by Lyssa Lane: Queen of Country Music, Miranda Wallen, has been divorced for almost two years with no love in sight. Finn Lindemann loves his job at Happy Trails R&R Ranch. Neither expect the relationship that ensues and both are scared of what it might lead to. Cooper's Redemption by D’Ann Lindun: Elizabeth Adams’ mother travels to Colorado to sell her inherited ranch…and vanishes. There is no proof JB Cooper murdered his neighbor, but the people of Salt Lick, Colorado believe him guilty. Can Cooper help find Elizabeth’s mother in time? Or will the dark eye of suspicion on Cooper tear them apart?

Heartbreak for Hire


Sonia Hartl - 2021
    Once a rising star following in her mother’s footsteps, she’s now an administrative assistant at an insurance agency—or so they think.In reality, Brinkley works at Heartbreak for Hire, a secret service that specializes in revenge for jilted lovers, frenemies, and long-suffering coworkers with a little cash to spare and a man who needs to be taken down a notch. It might not be as prestigious as academia, but it helps Brinkley save for her dream of opening an art gallery and lets her exorcise a few demons, all while helping to empower women.But when her boss announces she’s hiring male heartbreakers for the first time, Brinkley’s no longer so sure she’s doing the right thing—especially when her new coworker turns out to be a target she was paid to take down. Though Mark spends his days struggling up the academic ladder, he seems to be the opposite of a backstabbing adjunct: a nerd at heart in criminally sexy sweater vests who’s attentive both in and out of the bedroom. But as Brinkley finds it increasingly more difficult to focus on anything but Mark, she soon realizes that like herself, people aren’t always who they appear to be.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid


Alison Rose Greenberg - 2022
    Ten years, three empire waist dresses, and ZERO brides have walked down the aisle.After strike three, Zoey is left wondering if her own ambivalence towards marriage has rubbed off on those she loves. And when her building distrust of matrimony culminates in turning down a proposal from her perfect All-American boyfriend, Rylan Harper III, she and Rylan are both left heartbroken, leaving Zoey to wonder: what is it exactly about tying the knot that makes her want to run in the opposite direction?Enter Hannah Green: Zoey’s best friend, who announces that she’s marrying a guy she just met (cue eye roll). At a castle. In gorgeous, romantic Ireland, where Rylan will be in attendance, and Zoey will be a bridesmaid. It’ll be fine.Okay, the woman definition of fine (NOT FINE).Determined to turn her luck around, Zoey accepts her role and vows to get Hannah down the aisle—all the while praying her best friend’s wedded bliss will allow her to embrace marriage and get Rylan back.But as the weekend goes on, Zoey is plagued with more questions than answers. Can you be a free spirit, yet still want a certain future? Can you have love and be loved on your terms? And how DO you wrangle a bossy falcon into doing your bidding?

Follow Me


Kathleen Barber - 2020
    Having just moved to Washington, DC, Audrey busies herself impressing her new boss, interacting with her online fan base, and staving off a creepy upstairs neighbor with the help of the only two people she knows in town: an ex-boyfriend she can’t stay away from and a sorority sister with a high-powered job and a mysterious past.But Audrey’s faulty door may be the least of her security concerns. Unbeknownst to her, her move has brought her within striking distance of someone who’s obsessively followed her social media presence for years—from her first WordPress blog to her most recent Instagram Story. No longer content to simply follow her carefully curated life from a distance, he consults the dark web for advice on how to make Audrey his and his alone. In his quest to win her heart, nothing is off-limits—and nothing is private.

Serendipity


Marissa MeyerSarah Winifred Searle - 2022
    The secret admirer.The fake relationship.The matchmaker.From stories of first love, unrequited love, love that surprises, love that’s been there all along, ten of the brightest and award-winning authors writing YA have taken on some of your favorite romantic tropes, embracing them and turning them on their heads. Readers will swoon for this collection of stories that celebrate love at its most humorous, inclusive, heart-expanding, and serendipitous.Contributors include Elise Bryant, Elizabeth Eulberg, Leah Johnson, Anna-Marie McLemore, Marissa Meyer, Sandhya Menon, Julie Murphy, Caleb Roehrig, Sarah Winifred Searle, and Abigail Hing Wen.

Family Money


Chad Zunker - 2022
    They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect—until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.Alex’s world is about to be turned upside down. He can’t bear to tell his grieving wife why. The man they’ve both idolized has been keeping secrets. The pledged millions are nowhere to be found. The source of the original investment is a mystery, even to Joe’s financial adviser. No one, it seems, has any idea who the man they knew, loved, and trusted really was.As Alex digs deeper into Joe’s shadowy life, the most shocking surprises are yet to come. Deadly ones, too, because every lie that Alex uncovers in Joe’s dark past puts his family in more danger.

Blue Bottle Beach


Amie Denman - 2011
    Jackie and her accountant friends call in sick and escape wintry Chicago to celebrate in the sunshine, but an unexpected twist breaks up the party. On her own for a weekend in America’s least inhibited city, Jackie meets a man who makes her heart do a tropical dance. Mitchell is handsome, charming, and knows just where to touch her. If he looks a little familiar, the thought is quickly lost on the hot sands. Mitchell finds Jackie equally irresistible as he romances her on Blue Bottle Beach, but he has no idea she should be in her cubicle in Chicago balancing the books for one of his many companies. What will happen when Mitchell and Jackie eventually look past their attraction to discover he’s her boss? Will a hot weekend in Key West still sizzle in wintry Chicago at the corporate Christmas party?

No Foolin'


Lisa Scott - 2012
    This may be their biggest scoop ever.When sexy Hollywood bad-boy Teague "T-Rex" Reynolds comes to this quiet Southern town, he needs a fake girlfriend to hide the secret that brought him there. School nurse Kate Riley takes the job, but she won't fall for a movie star, no ma'am. That's fine with Teague. He hung a closed sign on his heart years ago.Convincing the press they're in love is one thing. Fooling each other they're not is getting harder each day. Despite scandal, heartache, and misunderstandings galore, they might just find the sweet thrill of true love. Book one of The Willowdale Romances.Lisa Scott is a former TV news anchor who now makes up stories instead of sticking to the facts. Learn more about where her ideas come from and what's on the way at ReadLisaScott.com

These Girls


Sarah Pekkanen - 2012
    It’s a professional coup, but her new job comes with more complications than Cate ever anticipated.Cate’s roommate Renee will do anything to nab the plum job of beauty editor at Gloss. But snide comments about Renee’s weight send her into an emotional tailspin. Soon she is taking black market diet pills—despite the racing heartbeat and trembling hands that signal she's heading for real danger.Then there’s Abby, whom they take in as a third roommate. Once a joyful graduate student working as a nanny part time, she abruptly fled a seemingly happy life in the D.C. suburbs. No one knows what shattered Abby—or why she left everything she once loved behind.Pekkanen’s most compelling, true-to-life novel yet tells the story of three very different women as they navigate the complications of careers and love—and find the lifeline they need in each other.