A busy young woman working her way through college, Natalie isn’t looking for any complicated emotional entanglements. Madeline Garret has been married to the same man for nearly twenty years. With her daughter in college and him frequently away for work, Maddie often finds herself alone in their empty house. When circumstances conspire to have Natalie around, Maddie thinks she's found a way to be closer to her daughter. And maybe a new friend. Natalie is okay with that... but as they spend time together, something begins to change. [A slow burn May-September romance.]103,000 words

    Discover the irresistible magic of the morning after, or the month after, or even years later. What happens when it’s not just about discovering new love, but letting love settle a little? What are these passionate lovers, fighters, executives, and explorers up to now? These charming, funny, and entertaining short stories can each be read as standalone pieces to whisk you into new and different worlds…or immerse you in universes you already know and love, and can’t wait to revisit. Find out what happens next in this After Happily Ever After anthology, with stories by Jae (Under a Falling Star), Lee Winter (The Brutal Truth), RJ Nolan (L.A. Metro), Lola Keeley (The Music and the Mirror), Chris Zett (Irregular Heartbeat), Cheyenne Blue (Code of Conduct), Roslyn Sinclair (The Lily and the Crown), Alex K. Thorne (Chasing Stars), and G Benson (All the Little Moments).

    That’s Riley Fauchet’s motto, until a new job lands her at the same company—and on the same team—as her rival Brooke Landry, the frosty jammer for the Big Easy Bruisers.In Private Equity by Elle Spencer, Cassidy Bennett spends an unexpected evening at a lesbian nightclub with her notoriously reserved and demanding boss, successful venture capitalist Julia Whitmore. After seeing a different side of Julia, Cassidy can’t seem to shake her desire to know more.In Closed-Door Policy by Erin Zak, going back to college is never easy, but Caroline Stevens is prepared to work hard and change her life for the better. What she’s not prepared for is Dr. Atlanta Morris, her new professor whose tough demeanor is no match for Caroline’s burgeoning confidence.Cover Artist: Tammy SedickGenres: Contemporary / Romance Words: 91,000

    Everything's totally fine, except that it really isn't. Shelley manages depression and crippling anxiety because of the secret she can never reveal: she's gay.Rand Thomas is a psychotherapist, transgender rights activist, and political liberal. Widowed and struggling with her wife's toxic parents, Rand isn't going to allow herself to love again.When Shelley and Rand meet in Manhattan, neither one expects to find that the other is exactly who they need.

    But when the glitter fades, she relocates to the little village of Cauthwell to start over. Relationships are off the table, but she manages to find plenty of temporary company in her area. Until, that is, she takes on an auction for a very special client. Kim Besson is lost. After her father dies she gives up her life in Manchester and heads to Cauthwell to sell the family home. With no family or friends, she has no idea what to do with the next stage of her life. When enigmatic, charming, older woman, Philippa, comes into her life, she starts to realise just what it is she might have been missing. But surely someone like Philippa wouldn’t be interested in a country girl like her… When big city meets small town, home is what you find.

    She has a new job at the Health Department, a tiny apartment, and has dealt with being unlucky in love for most of her adult life. She’s hoping a new city and a fresh outlook will help her find the woman she’s been waiting for.Keira Worthy has had a rough few years. She lost her best friend and business partner almost immediately after starting their dream event planning company. She’s barely hanging on financially and takes a job for the Health Department in hopes of landing more customers if it goes well. When she meets her liaison, Emma, under not the best circumstances – sparks fly. And not the good kind of sparks.When they bump into one another at a lesbian singles night, they have to decide if they want to take the chance on something that could possibly be forever. Recommended order of reading the books in the series: Checking the Right Box (San Francisco Series Book #1) Keep Tahoe Blue (Tahoe Series Book #1) Macon's Heart (San Francisco Series Book #2)

    After all, it’s not every day you get a chance to play alongside your idol and the woman you’ve crushed on for years.Sutton Flores has soccer in her blood. Her father raised her to play, her brothers pushed her even harder, and her coaches shaped her into a superstar athlete. Despite her success, Sutton never lost sight of what matters most—her family, friends, and the woman she’s dating—even if most of her relationships fizzle out as quickly as they start.Kenzie and Sutton’s chemistry as teammates quickly escalates to undeniable attraction off the field, but when allegations of sexual harassment rock the team and their relationship, they must decide if they’re willing to sacrifice their dreams for love. Are they destined to last, or are they players in a game set to lose?Cover Artist: Tammy SeidickGenres: Contemporary / Romance Tags: Sports, Celebrity, Friends to Lovers Romance

    Christine Graham, host of the late-night radio show The Midnight Couch. Every night when midnight approaches, she vows that this will be the day when she asks Christine on a date—only to chicken out every time. But when Christine hosts a special show about revealing secret love on Valentine’s Day, Paula suddenly finds herself on The Midnight Couch.

    She’ll never get there if she stays where she is, coaching for a small-town college. She wants to move on and move up, so a relationship is the last thing on her mind.English professor Celeste Bouchard is exactly where she wants to be teaching at Glassell University. Popular and on a first-name basis with her students, Celeste loves her job. She doesn’t love the gossip and rumors that followed her disastrous romance with a fellow professor, but she’s never getting involved with a coworker again.When Lisa’s star player has trouble in Celeste’s class, they have to work together to find a solution. The attraction is off the charts, but Lisa and Celeste are determined to block another shot at love.Cover Artist: Tammy SeidickGenres: Contemporary / Romance Tags: Sports, Workplace Romance, College Life

    Desperate, she takes a job as a short order cook in a quaint diner. Now she just has to find a place to live and learn how to cook.Lauren manages Greta’s Diner the same way she manages everything in her life, with calm and order. All that changes the moment Hayley walks through the door. She’s loud, opinionated, wild, and completely alluring. When Lauren finds out that Hayley’s been sleeping in the diner, she makes a decision that will change both their lives forever.Cover Artist: CJ BirchGenres: Contemporary / Romance

    Unfortunately, five years into their marriage, happily ever after didn't seem so happy anymore. Reaching the end of her rope, Kennedy asked for a divorce and the two separated.After six months of being separated, Skylar still hasn't told her family about the impending divorce. When the time comes for the annual family beach vacation, what choice does she have but to ask Kennedy to come along and pretend they are still together? Telling the truth isn't an option since it will only make her already-strained relationship with her family even harder.Two weeks pretending to be madly in love. How hard could it be? It turns out the hard part might not be faking it. The hard part is not getting their hearts broken all over again when the two weeks comes to an end.BONUS: Don't miss the winner of the short story contest, Intimacy, included at the end of the book!

    Bert struggles to succeed with the whims of Mother Nature. Alissa owns a successful advertising agency and is the epitome of high class and high fashion. When Alissa volunteers to help on the boat, Bert is more than a little surprised at how well she does.The attraction between them grows, and one stormy night their pent-up desires crash together like the waves against the ship. When the ship returns to port, both women realize their lives are too different for anything other than their brief affair. They are simply too different. Their families are too different. Their lives too different. Then why do they keep coming back to each other?

    But in affairs of the heart, she’s newly alone and happy to stay that way. After receiving a phone call from her aunt, she rushes across the country to be by her dying grandmother’s side.Janice Carpenter is a recently divorced literature professor who can’t seem to get her best friend’s daughter, Carla, out of her mind. Ever since Carla came out, Janice has been inexplicably fascinated by her, and when she sees her again, her feelings are uncontainable. Before she knows it, she’s offering Carla a quiet place to stay to regain her balance during her visit.Under the same roof, the fiery passion neither wants to end bursts free. But Carla was never planning to stay, and Janice struggles to come out. Will Carla and Janice realize that the road to home is closer than they think before love flees?Cover Artist: Jeanine HenningGenres: Contemporary / Romance

    Playful wit, tight jeans, cowgirl boots—the sparks are real. She might even be sad when the affair ends. And they always end.Kristine is back in the saddle to deal with unfinished business from her last summer guiding horseback tours at Mammoth Lakes. A dalliance with an attractive blonde biologist isn’t in her plans. She can only hope the thin air is why she feels so weak.Only a fool takes two things for granted—Mother Nature, and the ways of a woman’s heart.

    Right as she's about to graduate college and will have to start making real decisions about her future, there comes an offer for them to go on a small tour with pop-country sensation Kristen Nichols, who is looking to make serious changes to her sound and image and believes touring with indie darlings Right Turn will give the new 'her' credibility. Kristen Nichols is the embodiment of everything about the music industry that Ali scoffs at, but she's offering them an affordable, real tour, and that's very hard to say no to. Putting up with a pop princess for a summer is a price worth paying--or so Ali thinks before she actually meets Kristen. 'K-Nic' does absolutely nothing for her, but Kristen Nichols in person? Yeah, that's a different story...