Like most young hot shots, I made mistakes. Big ones. But Bonnie Pinkett wasn’t one of them. She deserved better. She was perfect. And me…Well, I was the star basketball player who dumped her for fame and fortune. Sure, I’ve been married over the years—shotgun weddings that didn’t mean a damn thing. But now I’m older. Wiser. A man who knows what he wants. Bonnie. The moment I saw her at the game, I fell in love all over again. But the hurt of the past was still there, and when I later found out she had grown-up twin girls, my girls, I should’ve been angry. But how could I be after what I’d done to her? Neither of us wants to live in the past. And we’re not foolish college kids anymore. We have a shot at rekindling something that should’ve never burnt out. I just hope Bonnie can forgive and forget. I’ll do whatever it takes to get my girls back…

    Gabriel is also caught up in his mysterious past, which seems likely to cause even more trouble. Yet the attraction between Amandine and her handsome lover is more intense than ever, and their encounters grow more and more sensual.

    

     The stories in this collection, because they all happen in Upper Nettlefold, have things which happen, that influence the other stories. So the order in which they are presented here aligns with the timeline in which events in the stories happen. Read through this collection in order, and you will find that each story builds on the ones before, weaving the magic of community and interconnection between characters. There is also a map of Upper Nettlefold to help you visualise everything as you read. Although each story can stand alone, we’re sure that you’ll love finding the linkages as you go. This is our first visit to Upper Nettlefold, but it won’t be our last. You may see other collections based here, or you may see individual books from the various authors, but we will keep expanding the stories about the people you’ll first meet in this collection. The Viscount’s Summer Love A new Viscount with old secrets, a baker’s daughter, love thwarted, the threat of murder, a dramatic revelation, a long-held love finally returned. The Duke and the Spinster A Duke who needs to marry, a Lady who expects to never marry, a summer house party, a nefarious plot, gossip designed to harm, a desperate adventure, a love that redeems. Stitched in Love A seamstress who struggles to sew, a blacksmith beset by admirers, an accident with a dress, a runaway horse, a situation saved – barely, an unexpected love. Love Finds the Earl An unmarried Earl, a reserved widow, a clever sister, a social occasion, an accidental meeting, shady business dealings thwarted, a second chance for love. Doubting the Marquess An unrepentant rake, a woman more interested in business than men, a meeting, jealousy, an accident, a revelation that leads to love. The Degenerate Baron A fearless schoolteacher, a Baron lost in grief and despair, a collection of degenerate friends, a near accident that leads to a meeting, a reminder of past pain, a love beyond fear. Escaping the Scurrilous Earl A merchant’s daughter, a lonely physician, a thoroughly unscrupulous Earl, a debt called in, an impossible choice, an escape, a threat, a rescue, and a new love found. Esther, the Earl’s Hellion An orphaned young woman, a gentleman working undercover, a boarding school with a new owner, a despicable scheme, a rescue, a trap set to save, a dramatic conclusion, a fated love found. A Gentle Heart A spinster employed as a companion, a gentleman of means, a social opportunity, an act of kindness, a misunderstanding, a long hoped for love.

    Cold-hearted CEO of Inferno Partners. Hot-tempered womanizer with the looks of a GQ model. My new boss. My even newer husband. All it took was one wild night together in Vegas, and our relationship has irrevocably changed. Now we are intertwined, and I’m suddenly wrapped up in Dante Farris’s strange world of fancy dinners, private jets, and Caribbean Islands. He tells me that the marriage will be annulled and everything will continue as if the crazy Vegas night never happened. But somehow, he keeps finding excuses. Excuses to touch me with his knowing hands. To make sure I’m still crying out his name as he makes me his and owns me completely. Dante Farris told me to trust him. Told me that everything would be okay. But I must be crazy, stupid, or blind. Because only a fool would believe a word Dante Farris says.

    When a fortune-teller reveals that she and her sisters have the power to end the Curse of Clan McBride forever, pragmatic chocolatier Mari McBride dismisses the claim as nonsense. But when a series of tragedies befall her family and send her on a quest to save those she loves, she turns to mysterious gunslinger, Luke Garrett, for help.Luke’s desire to protect--and seduce--the beautiful Menace leads them both into danger. The violent collision of Luke's past and present reveal sinister secrets that push Mari further away. Is she cursed to be the next victim of McBride bad luck? Or will the true love of a wicked man be her--and her sisters’--salvation?

    B. Collins together into one e-book for a great value!The Third TargetWhen New York Times foreign correspondent J. B. Collins hears rumors that an al-Qaeda splinter cell—ISIS—has captured a cache of chemical weapons inside Syria, he knows this is a story he must pursue at all costs. With terrorist forces trying to bring down two Arab governments and the U.S. president about to make a trip to the region, can Collins uncover the terrorists’ plot before it’s too late?The First Hostage“The president of the United States . . . is missing.” With these words, New York Times journalist J. B. Collins puts the entire world on high alert. The leaders of Israel and Palestine are critically injured, Jordan’s king is fighting for his life, and the U.S. president is missing and presumed captured. Working with the Secret Service, Collins must locate and rescue the leader of the free world before ISIS’s threats become a catastrophic reality.Without Warning (2017 Christy Award finalist, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category)As he prepares to deliver the State of the Union address, the president of the United States is convinced ISIS is on the run. But with the Middle East on fire, the Israeli prime minister dead, and Amman in ruins, journalist J. B. Collins fears a catastrophic attack inside the American homeland is imminent. He argues that only an all-out manhunt to capture or kill the leader of ISIS can stop the attack and save America before it’s too late.

    He only has 24 hours before he returns to stone.Can he convince her to spend it with him?BLAZE - A computer geek turned rock star…Mike is good at playing with two things--numbers and his guitar. People, not so much. So when he stumbles upon two women having fun in the shadows at an underground club, and a bouncer urges him to get one to safety, he's not sure how to respond. But, when he discovers she's been bitten and her neck is bleeding, something wakes inside of him.He's compelled to protect her. But--why?

    With spendthrift ex Darius back on the scene, she finds herself in a dilemma.Will Sophie fall back into her old ways, or can she find the confidence to make the right decisions and find happiness?

     Book 1—Daddy Heart M.D. Working with celebrities everyday has got her jaded. They’re all fake and self-obsessed, most of all, Sawyer Barnhart. Being a doctor, the man is supposed to save lives, not focus on dazzling audiences with his perfect smile! Okay, so she’s noticed his smile. He might be a heart surgeon, but he’s not getting a piece of her heart Book 2—Daddy Ivy League She’s been assigned to interview her college heartthrob. He’s the guy who was always too good for her- Isaac Parnell. If he sleeps with one more student he will lose his job. Now, that his world collided with Margo she’s all he can think about. The nerd of the class is now the woman he wants. Book 3—Daddy CEO Cliff was the guy of her dreams . Now her dream of owning a café seems too far out of reach. She’s still smoking hot, just like the meals she cooks up. She has him salivating and ordering seconds. Book 4—Daddy Player Vince is one of the hottest NFL players in the country. But he hates social media and being in the limelight. Now she’s just walked into his field, and she’s not going to just watch from the sidelines. Warning: This box set contains 4 sizzling hot 30000 word standalone novellas. Be prepared, these books all have steamy happily ever afters that will have you flipping the pages way past your bedtime!

    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.

    "A wonderful, sexy, empowering read from beginning to end!"" Ariella.For as long as I can remember, I've had a boring, predictable life. I work at a low-paying job and have ho-hum missionary sex with my long-term boyfriend, who calls me "pear shaped" (and not in a good way). I've never been with more than one man or explored myself sexually. That's for sexy, skinny girls. Girls with exciting lives. Girls I'm not.When a series of events send my life into a tailspin, I find myself at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, locking eyes with a gorgeous, sexy stranger who sends my heart racing. He’s a millionaire Olympic skier who rocks my world, but does he have a secret side? I’ll never forget our first night together. Or the next. Shockingly, he wants to pay me lots of money just to have me as his personal sex goddess. Best of all, he's not the only one.Soon, I'm discovering my sexuality for the first time, caught up in the exciting, glamorous world of high-class escorting. I'm also discovering myself: the independent, sexy, confident woman I was meant to be. Trouble is, I can't give my body without giving my heart. I'm falling in love with more than one man, and they with me. I can't choose just one... Or can I? THE BOX SET INCLUDES:1.Beautiful People2.Snow3.Darkness4.Art5.Twins6.Choose7.One8.HEA9.Christmas in SeattleGet your copy today and find out why readers say it’s a delicious turn on, unique, exciting, sensual, thrilling, and highly addictive.

    Willow Creek may be a sleepy little frontier town but the characters who live there are as untamed as the land itself! Book 1: The Lawman On the run from her ex-lover… Jilted by a no-show husband… And now mistaken for a whore in the Diamond Back Saloon… Abigail Thornton doesn’t think things can get any worse. That is until a single slap to a man’s face starts a barroom brawl that lands her in the last place she expected to be. Book 2: The Outlaw Sarah Hartford always dreamed of a grand adventure. She just never expected to find it in the arms of an outlaw. Book 3: The Gambler Emmaline Hunt only had one thing she could call her own. A piece of land that held a secret not even her drunken stepfather knew about. When he gambles it away in a high stakes poker game, Emmaline hatches a plan to get it back. She wants her land, and Tristan Averys money, and she’ll do whatever it takes to get them. All she has to do is convince him she’s there to stay, outwit him, find a way back home and not let a single soul know she has a gold mine bursting at the seems with untapped wealth. Book 4: The Rancher Laurel Montgomery wanted a new life, one that didn’t include a man. She’d had enough of their pretty lies and broken promises but one night of reckless abandon weeks before taking a job as the new schoolteacher in Willow Creek would come back to haunt her. The man she thought to never see again turns out to be the father of one of her new students. A man so handsome and rugged he takes her breath away. Too bad she’s sworn off men forever. If only the stubborn man would take no for an answer.

    And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground. Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber

    When their existence is no longer a secret, enemies will arise and new allies will be made all to protect their future.As their pride grows, the females will prove their worth, rising to stand alongside the Guardians who’ve vowed to protect them. Ancient traditions will be broken as they band together to fight off those who wish them harm.Book 1- TalonBook 2- WinterBook 3- SavageBook 4- The Birth of an Alpha