Soft: A Short Story


Kristen Mae - 2019
     The woman across the restaurant counter has flint-gray eyes, chiseled planes for cheeks, and dark hair cut like a boy’s. A key is tattooed on her forearm. The energy between them is the same every time, electric and undeniable. Painful. But there’s nothing to be done about it. A delicate gold cross hangs heavy around her neck, an ever-present reminder of her husband’s edicts on what constitutes sin. A reminder of her obligation to purity, obedience, and conformity. A reminder that she must always follow the rules. But, today she will defy life’s rules. Today, a gray-eyed angel will unlock the door to all the things she hides from herself, to a world she’s always seen as inaccessible—forbidden. Today, she will discover paradise.

Pretend Girlfriend


Lily Craig - 2018
     When Celeste Lamontagne receives a wedding invitation from her ex, she’s furious. The only thing worse than being cheated on? Seeing your ex and the girl she cheated with get married. Less than a year later. And as part of a two-week long Mediterranean cruise. But they say the best revenge is a life well lived, right? Not for Celeste, it isn’t. It’s arranging an elaborate fake relationship with someone to make your ex jealous. Lane Bishop is the perfect someone to do just that. Impulsive to the extreme, she loses her job right in front of Celeste. There goes Lane’s best shot at becoming a stylist in New York City. She can have another chance if she agrees to travel with Celeste, pretending to be her girlfriend so that Celeste’s ex sees her happy and thriving. The only catch? Celeste’s an heiress accustomed to getting everything she wants. She’s rigorous about details—some might say spoiled—which clashes with a free spirit like Lane. Two weeks travelling in close quarters challenges the faux lovebirds. They’ve got to appear harmoniously in love, even when they’d rather rib each other than whisper sweet nothings. But the sparks between Celeste and Lane become harder and harder to ignore. Can they convince the wedding guests of their passion without the flames setting them both alight?

The Fake Game


Kim Hartfield - 2020
    It’s a dream job... and a certain colleague is the cherry on top. Marie is kind and supportive, as well as drop-dead gorgeous, and Tabby’s heart does a little dance whenever she’s around.Given half a chance, Marie could fall for her smart, witty coworker - but Tabby is straight, so they can only be friends. When the two run into the last jerk Tabby dated, Marie pretends to be her girlfriend as revenge. It's just a silly game to put the ex in his place... until he gets hired at their company.Now Tabby and Marie can fess up to the truth - or double down and fake a whole relationship. Choosing to continue is a dangerous game. But what if the prize could be greater than either of them imagine?

Spindrift


Anna Burke - 2020
    But it all comes crashing down when her fiancée dumps her after realizing that Morgan’s job will always come first. And, while Morgan still has the job and friends, her heart is broken into a million tiny pieces.Emilia Russo is a burned-out shelter vet. When the unexpected death of her father triggers a mental breakdown that hastens the end of her relationship, she retreats to his house in Seal Cove, Maine. She plans on spending the summer renovating it while she figures out how to pull the pieces of her life back together. But when she runs into Morgan at the dock where her father’s sailboat is moored, her plans for a quiet summer of healing and reflection sink like a stone—the attraction is immediate and obvious, and Emilia finds herself slipping seamlessly into Morgan’s world.Each woman knows this fling will end when Emilia returns to Boston at the end of the summer, but they’re unprepared for the intensity and depth of their attraction. And, as the gales of fall begin to drive leaves like spindrift upon Seal Cove, Morgan and Emilia must each come to terms with how much they’re willing to give up to stay together.

The Plus One


Natasha West - 2016
    Shoes? £60. The perfect date? Priceless... Charlie Black has found the one. And this time it’s for real. Not like the last time. Or the time before that. Or the time before that… And now she’s going to parade the one in front of everyone at her sister’s upcoming wedding. She wants to prove that her new girlfriend Lucy is special. She’s going to show everyone she can make it work. Especially her judgmental sister Maddie, Bride-Zilla herself. But a few weeks before the wedding, Charlie gets dumped. Again. And she can’t face the humiliation of going to Maddie’s wedding stag. Not after loudly and repeatedly telling her family that this one is different. She needs a date to the wedding and fast. Maybe she could get someone to go with her, but how the hell is she supposed to convince anyone to pretend to be Lucy, her very serious girlfriend of four months? It’s too humiliating. But the wedding creeps closer and closer, with no obvious solution in sight. Then Charlie happens across a website. ‘Rent-a-Date. It's just the thing Charlie needs to save her from the embarrassment of admitting that her sister was right again. That’s one wedding gift Charlie refuses to give her. So after booking herself a date from the company, she’s guaranteed that a hot woman will show up to the wedding with enough knowledge to pretend to be the real Lucy, at least for the length of the big day. But when Charlie turns up at the church, her date has a surprise in store…

The Clinch


Nicole Disney - 2021
    When the master of the dojang offered to train Eden as a live-in student, he started her on a journey that would eventually lead her to become the UFC featherweight champion of the world. Eden loves competing and coaching the underprivileged kids of her community, but just as she’s getting comfortable with her champion title, a new martial artist from a legendary family comes roaring onto the scene with a dynasty on her shoulders. Brooklyn Shaw is a loud, cocky, aggressive Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu genius who’s also unfortunately pretty dreamy. Brooklyn and Eden’s rivalry attracts worldwide attention, but as they spend time together, Eden sees past Brooklyn’s showmanship to who she really is. They ought to be perfect for one another, but can either really fall in love with the person standing in the way of her dreams?

Madam President


Blayne Cooper - 2001
    Painfully realistic, "Madam President" is a drama set against a dynamic backdrop and follows the lives of those in the highest positions of power.

Ships in the Night


Erik Schubach - 2016
     Ligaya is a quantum physicist working in a research lab at the University of Washington. She is seduced by the numbers and math with a drive that excludes everything in her life including social interactions. Emotions have always been hard for her to understand or express. When she meets an ex firefighter, Allison, she finds herself fighting to understand all the new feelings rising inside. Allison has a primal drive to help and protect people and Ligaya’s innocence is like a drug to her. With the the non-subtle meddling from the women at the Pike, Ligaya and Allison find themselves pulled inexorably to each other. (The Pike series is set in the same world as Music of the Soul and London Harmony, and can be read as a standalone book.)

When Tara Met Farah (Bollywood Drama & Dance Society, #1)


Tara Pammi - 2021
    But her bone-deep aversion to math + a soul-deep desire to please her mother = her failing math grade + exploding food vlog ‘this masala life’.Enter her mother’s research intern and resident math genius Farah Ahmed. Tara makes a deal with Farah - help her pass the math course and she’ll welcome Farah into the local Bollywood Drama & Dance Society.Grumpy girl gets life lessons…After losing her mom to a heart attack, dumping her small-minded boyfriend (she’sbisexual, not confused) and reluctantly moving to the US to be near her dad - all in the span of eighteen months, twenty-three-year-old Farah has hit the full quota on LIFE. Two things keep her going - her internship with a brilliant statistics professor and the possibility of meeting her dancing idol through the Bollywood Drama & Dance Society. That is, if her new hot-mess housemate will let her.Soon Tara and Farah are bonding over chicken biryani, dancing to Bollywood Beats at midnight and kissing... against all the odds. And maybe beginning to realize that while life’s even more complicated than math, love is the one variable that changes everything!Will they realize that together they have the recipe for a Happily Ever After?

Tapping into Love


Monica McCallan - 2019
    When Sierra Westmoore blows back into town after her father’s death and tries to rent a room at Lucy’s family’s bed-and-breakfast, The Maple Inn, Lucy kicks her out on the spot. It doesn’t matter that Sierra hasn’t set foot in Maple Run in fifteen years—the Westmoores are not allowed. But small towns don’t leave a lot of room to hide, and Sierra and her brother, Drake, have set their sights on improving the town’s opinion of them now that their father is gone. Lucy doesn’t believe any Westmoore could have good intentions, and although she may have to play nice with Sierra, it doesn’t mean she’s going to like it.

The Blind Side of Love


Ingrid Díaz - 2013
    On a trip to New York she sees the artwork of artist Kris Milano, whose talent is not the only thing she's attracted to. Undercover of email, she begins a correspondence with the artist . When she comes to New York for filming and finally meets her, will she tell Kris the truth ... all of it?Themes: Romance, lesbian. Length: approx. 195,000 words

Naughty List: A Short Story


K.C. Luck - 2018
    When the only romance in her life consists of Hallmark movie marathons, she’s pretty sure things could not get more discouraging. When a knock sounds at the door, Holly suddenly finds herself face-to-face with a stranger. A hot, handsome butch named Nic. When the chemistry sparks between them, Holly is faced with a tantalizing new dilemma – will she be naughty or nice? Need a little something to warm you up for a spell on a cold winter’s night? This steamy short story is exactly what you need. *** Includes a preview of KC Luck’s full-length novel “Welcome to Ruby’s” ***

Last Salute


Tracey Richardson - 2013
    Numb with grief, she buries her sister but not her rage.Among the mourners is Trish Tomlinson, who loved Laura long ago and has found the news of Laura’s death sharply painful. She remembers Pam as an unwelcome third wheel, but now finds comfort in the company of the young medical resident, and in the details of Laura’s journal that Pam shares.Brought together by grief, something more grows. Guilt and anger cloud their feelings and jeopardize any chance at a future. How can love blossom in the shadow of death?

In Development


Rachel Spangler - 2018
    Only, she's not a teenager anymore. Ready to challenge herself artistically and earn the part she's always dreamed of, she's forced to face the realization that in order to win the roles afforded to edgier actresses, she might first have to audition by playing someone edgier in her day-to-day life.Pop star Lila Wilder built a multimedia empire by always having her finger on the pulse of what's hot. However, as she struggles to produce her next smash hit record, she's finding it hard to keep her name in the public eye, and a string of tumultuous relationships with Hollywood boy-toys no longer captivates anyone's attention.Both women tentatively agree to a headline-grabbing fauxmance, with two simple rules: Always stick to the script, and never forget that on the stage of public perception, nothing is real. Can two women find love in a world of carefully crafted illusions, or will a successful charade mean the potential for something more gets left on the cutting-room floor?

All That Lies Within


Lynn Ames - 2013
    She also has a carefully guarded secret life. As Constance Darrow, Dara writes Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction, an outlet that allows her to be so much more than just a pretty face. Rebecca Minton is a professor of American Literature in love with the work of the mysterious, reclusive author Constance Darrow, with whom she strikes up a correspondence. A chance phrase in a letter leads her to a startling conclusion about the author. What happens next will change the course of both of their lives forever.