Twenty years ago, best friends Alice and Misty shared a kiss... …and then their entire relationship unraveled. Alice Cavanaugh has spent the past twenty years trying to forget her best friend’s betrayal. She moved on with her life as a single mother and librarian in her hometown. But when Alice finds out Misty is coming for their high school reunion, she can no longer hide her feelings. In 1996, Misty Morse promised Alice they would go to Seattle together, so Misty could pursue her dream of being a musician. With one quick, fearful decision, though, Misty ended up on her own. And she has regretted it ever since. When Misty returns, the former friends are thrown together for more than a week in small-town Vermont. Can Alice forgive Misty for leaving her behind all those years ago? And will Misty tell Alice how she really felt about her all along?

    With a successful career in San Francisco and plenty of opportunity for casual relationships, the last thing Joy wants is to return to the small town she’d planned her whole life to escape. But family obligations pull her back home and it isn’t long before Joy runs into someone she’s always dreamed of seeing again—the first girl she ever imagined kissing. Kelsey West.Olympic dreams are a thing of the past for Kelsey. Now an out of work swim coach recovering from a bad relationship, she’s back home only long enough to get her life together. When she learns that Joy Henderson, the high school crush she never forgot, is also back in town, she can’t help but wonder if there’s a chance to rewrite the past.Time has changed their hometown. Time has changed Kelsey and Joy. But when it comes to two women who have never trusted love—has time changed them enough?

    Her mother’s mental illness and the memory of the night that haunts her from so long ago won’t release her. When the one woman with the power to set her free shows up, Dakota is drawn to her, but she is a painful reminder of everything Dakota has been trying desperately to escape. When Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown after thirty years of avoiding it, she knows she has demons to face and a conflicted past to resolve, but she has no idea love awaits her. Can she give her heart to Dakota with the tragic past that lies between them?Cover Artist: Tammy SedickGenres: Contemporary / Romance

    When she falls in love with Secret Service agent Alexandria Warner, she is forced to choose between her heart and her career.

    The trauma of Sydney's dark childhood is something she would do anything to forget. Now only nineteen, she's trying to start over with a new life and a new name, but you can't escape the past...Caroline is the most stunning woman Sydney has ever seen. Every night, Sydney hears her singing from her apartment window, and every night, Sydney's heart aches with something indescribable. When Caroline offers singing lessons, Sydney jumps at the chance to be in the captivating woman's presence...but her desire for Caroline can't be hidden. And Caroline is over twice her age. Through Caroline's gentle instruction, Sydney finds her voice again. The broken girl feels like she's starting to mend. But her infatuation with Caroline is reaching a fevered pitch...Will Sydney lose everything if Caroline finds out the girl is in love with her?Provocative, passionate and achingly raw, THE LONGING, the latest romance from best-selling author Bridget Essex, explores the unbreakable human heart in a love story that you'll never forget.59,500 words

    All that changes when her firm takes on a major case and Parker Jones, powerhouse litigator and her law school crush, is named lead counsel. 2019 Romance Writers of America® RITA® Finalist

    By the time they reached high school, Rebecca became interested in soccer and running with the preppy crowd, while Cassie was more interested in skipping class and shoplifting. Their lives cross paths again when Rebecca ends up teaching Cassie's little sister. Aside from their sexuality and distaste toward their small town, it seems the two have nothing in common. But as the two begin getting closer, it becomes obvious that there is much more to people than what meets the eye. Is Rebecca willing to possibly risk her career to pursue a relationship with a student's relative? Will Cassie be able to let go of the past to move into the future with Rebecca? Life would be simple if these were the only problems they had to face, but it turns out Rebecca and Cassie have much bigger mountains to climb if they want to reach their happy ending.

    A penthouse in Manhattan, a beautiful girlfriend, and a circle of perfect friends. Or so she thought. When her girlfriend sends her packing, Charlie ends up unemployed. Without a place to live or money of her own, she’s forced to do the one thing she vowed she never would: go back to Shaker Falls, Vermont. Back to her parents, back to the bakery where she worked as a teen, back to the small town life―and the people―she left behind.Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet and made her a trophy wife. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma’s shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in Shaker Falls. As for her love life? She doesn’t need one. Something else she doesn’t need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery’s pie.What happens when Charlie and Emma realize their differing paths have led them right back to each other?

    As their paths cross,both professionally and personally, a friendship develops, one they each try to maintain despite the obvious attraction between them. But still, Jay is not willing to throw away an eight-year relationship, even when it becomes painfully obvious the end is near.The Rainbow Cedar is the journey of one woman struggling with the loss of love and commitment from one, and the possibility of finding it all again with someone new.

    Her powerful political family sees her as the Chosen One who will someday be president. Upholding a carefully crafted veneer is second nature until the first day of class when Maya's mysterious gray eyes hold her in thrall. Ainsley may be out publicly regarding her sexual orientation, but she lives under the shadow of the Carmichael's ancient but shrewd matriarch in this contemporary lesbian romance. The girls pair up for a history project, and it soon becomes clear Maya is hiding something when she cuts their first kiss short by pointing out they come from different worlds. The privileged world of the Carmichael clan stands in stark contrast to Maya's limited means. Ainsley's sexually fluid, quirky, and carefree cousin helps her investigate, only to discover details of Maya's past are sketchy at best as the suspense builds in this work of LGBT fiction. Family scandal erupts, making the inevitable truth come out about Maya the Gray. Will Ainsley’s love for the enigmatic girl enable her to break her Carmichael shackles?

    After a devastating ultimatum from her lover, Campbell Carson returns to her childhood home, Bear Run Ski Resort, seeking her family's unconditional solace and support.

    She returns to her grandparents’ rural property in Cooper’s Creek, North Carolina, with a plan to hide out and reboot her life to be simple and stress free. But escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins.Kate has spent almost her entire life in Cooper’s Creek. For Kate, the bonds of small-town life are a source of strength and comfort. When her aging mother weakens, Kate takes a leave from teaching to care for her. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she bumps into her unrequited teen crush Shaw Dailey just back from California. Long-buried feelings resurface for Kate, but all Shaw sees is a beautiful woman saddled with the responsibilities she is finally free from.

    Tired of her impulsive streak leaving her heartbroken, she's determined to do everything right the next time she's in love. But her resolve crumbles when a technical glitch matches her with perfection in Claire, a woman who lives on the opposite side of the country. Who is straight. And under the impression that Jamie's a guy. But Jamie can't help being smitten. Would one tiny lie be so terrible if it gets her closer to the woman of her dreams?Claire Flores is a dreamer and a believer in signs, but she has a secret that keeps her cautious about love. All she wants is a picture-perfect family of her own, but she's never met a man who attracts her. Until now. Throwing caution to the wind, she goes from Portland to Boston to meet Jay, her online love. Instead she meets Jamie, his work colleague, who befriends her in Jay's unexpected absence. Claire's heart is aflutter. Jamie stirs up feelings Claire never knew possible, but how close can she get without having to admit that she's been lying to herself about her dreams all along?What starts as a simple fib soon snowballs as Jamie fabricates increasingly ridiculous tales to keep her identity as Jay under wraps, until a comedy of errors threatens to topple the whole charade to the ground. Can true love prevail when it's founded on a lie?

    We were totally wrong for each other, so why does this feel so right? Lisa was the good girl. Prom queen. Captain of the cheer squad. Geeky games weren't her thing, but she was home from college and bored. And when she heard Kylie was going to be there she knew she had to at least check things out. Kylie was a proud geek who didn't care what the world thought. Kylie figured it was game night as normal until Lisa stepped into the game room reigniting old feelings she never thought she'd nave to deal with again after going to college. Two girls who've spent years hiding who they truly were. Two girls afraid to admit how much they need each other. Two girls who are tired of denying who they really are. Especially to each other. What was supposed to be a simple game quickly becomes a game of love that will change both of their lives! But will they be able to let go and finally let it happen?

    She eats, she sleeps, she works. On the path to becoming a manager, she doesn't spare much time for anything else.Then she bumps into Nira, one of the regulars she's had a crush on for years, for the first time in a while.Nira isn't in a good place. She needs a friend.Ashley decides that putting the crush aside is a no-brainer. She'll be the friend Nira needs, even if it ends up giving Nira's other friends the wrong idea.There are definitely worse things than people assuming they're dating.