They know there are whole worlds out there that have never been seen, some as distant as the Amazon rain forest, others as close as a neighbor’s house, the curtains left open. Laura van den Berg helps us discover these worlds, blending the mundane and routine with the strange and unexpected. The search won’t always end with the stories—these restless narrators will always be left with mysteries unsolved, questions unanswered and hidden aches not quite healed—but what they see along the way will be nothing short of marvelous.Order here.

    Agonizing nightmares terrorize her by night as painful memories of a love lost haunt her by day. Ava has vowed never to love again, but she will soon find out that sometimes vows are made to be broken. Attorney Langston Warrington III is the one man that can make Ava love again. The only problem is . . . he's her archenemy! And to make matters worse, Langston has a secret of his own-a secret that will change Ava's life forever.

     Marcus Forde, Jr., is the heir apparent and CFO of his father’s multi-million dollar wealth management firm. He’s wealthy, strong-willed, lives in his father’s image, and gives him unyielding loyalty. For as long as he could remember, he’s modeled himself after this one man, to a fault. Until it all crumbles... Unfortunately, the faults of his father become a scandal that threatens to ruin the family name, which makes them call on Charlisse Lageaux, a no nonsense crisis management expert that can make all of this mess go away. Her first order of business is to protect what is left of the Forde’s diminished empire. To Charlisse, all of these wealthy men are the same, but while working with Marcus to clean up this mess, she notices that there’s more to the reckless, rude, and heavily guarded finance magnate than meets the eye.

    He's been avoiding her for weeks, but when one of the football players starts failing her class, Jill decides to corner Liam in the locker room one night after hours, vowing to fight her attraction to the obnoxious man. However, she doesn't count on Liam being able to give as good as he gets, or the steamy seduction of a shower built for two...Liam can't help it if Jill Langer's prickly exterior turns him on, but he knows that the brainy literature professor must want better than a lowly football coach. His preconceptions are shattered the day he discovers that the prim Ms. Langer has a love of steamy, hardcore erotica. When she corners him in the locker room one night, he sets out to prove to her that they may have more in common that she thinks, and that he might just be the man to bring all of her naughty fantasies to life.

     At least not for Nori Davis as she basks in the single life which includes frequent happy hour visits, lots of alone time in bed with her “favorite things”, and of course being sought after by guys she’s not interested in. But when she’s caught off-guard by a man who’s a little different than usual - on a mission a little different than usual - she can’t help but to get lost in his seemingly impossible potential no matter how hard she tries to fight it. Maxwell Watson doesn’t have time for a serious relationship. Between opening a lounge, being the owner of a lounge and… the lounge, there’s just no room for anything beyond it. Still, when he notices one particular patron who is palpably dissatisfied with his business, going after her for more information isn’t even a question. And when more turns into a whirlwind of energy neither can deny - turns into an encounter that can’t be forgotten - Nori and Maxwell find themselves attempting to navigate what can only be identified as love at first… spite.

    She gave him everything. Her body. Her heart. Then it all came to an abrupt end. She didn’t anticipate he wouldn’t trust her. She didn’t anticipate she couldn’t trust him. He wants his son. Three years later, Prince Kofi returns and he’s not the same man. He’s bitter and angry and knows he has a son. He’ll do whatever it takes to bring his heir back to Zamibia, even if it means marrying the woman he believes betrayed him. Dahlia must now raise her son in a culture she doesn’t fully understand, but when a nightmare strikes the royal family, will it bring her and Kofi closer together, or tear them apart for good?

    She has never even been on a weekend away with her boyfriend. Everyone knows she is just not the adventurous type.But, when her boyfriend doesn't turn up for their romantic mini-break, Nell has the chance to prove everyone wrong.Alone in Paris, Nell meets the mysterious moped-riding Fabien and his group of carefree friends. Could this turn out to be the most adventurous weekend of her life?

    He's a widower with a small daughter who needs him. She's a struggling single woman who can't afford to miss a day's pay. But when they spot each other across the courtroom, suddenly jury duty doesn't seem like such a burden after all. Together with their fellow jurors, they must decide the fate of a defendant who believes he's Santa. It's a seemingly unromantic task for two infatuated strangers, but love could find a way with a little help from the magic of Christmas. Like a stocking stuffed with all the special treats of the season, this Tess Thompson novella is as sweet as sugar plums and as satisfying as a batch of fresh, warm cookies.

    No fantasy--however dark and dirty and depraved it may be--is forbidden. You have no past, no inhibitions, no morals...and no memory.All you have to cling to is the memory of a scorching touch, a searing kiss, the wet slide of skin on skin, and the heat of breath across your flesh.Step forward...Turn the knob...Step through into THE BLACK ROOM.

    The one thing each of them lacks is a special woman to share his life with—until true love steps in to transform three sexy single guys into grooms-to-be…A fender bender seems like a stroke of lousy luck, until attorney Kyle Chatham glimpses the woman who just put a dent in his vintage Jag. The fact that gorgeous social worker Ava Warrick wants little to do with him only piques his interest. What starts out as simple friendship gives way to cozy dinners and blissful, breathless nights…until Ava brings their relationship to a screeching halt. Kyle's sure she's his soul mate. But now that the confirmed bachelor is ready to commit, can he convince a woman who's learned never to trust in love that a connection this real, this passionate, is anything but an accident?

    When she’s not working, she’s swimming—lap after lap at the local indoor pool, in a desperate attempt to wash away the sting of professional failure and heartbreak that she can’t seem to shake. It takes an unexpected client to show her that appearances can be deceiving, and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is simply dive back in.

    A single father. A woman in pursuit of freedom.Garner Bradford, heir to the troubled Bradford Shipping empire, doesn't know much about babies. But he's going to have to learn fast because he's just become a single father to his newborn daughter. As he confesses through his journal entries, he's not entirely sure how to keep a newborn alive, whether or not he'll ever patch together his shattered heart, or how to forgive himself for his mistakes.Career girl Kathleen Burke is wholly uninterested in settling down. She has big dreams, and none of them include Garner and his small hometown in Washington State. Yet she can't seem to get her handsome boss out of her head or her heart. There's something extraordinarily tempting about his beautifully sad green eyes. . . . Told through journal entries, phone conversations, and letters, Then Came You is a unique, heart-stirring romance novella by acclaimed author Becky Wade.

    He held all the features: striking feline eyes, golden russet skin, incredible sex appeal, wealth exuding like the enticing scent of cologne, and mind-blowing determination. He was also trouble from the other side of the tracks, something I’d sensed. Sadik was an Ellis man with a solid education, his own thriving businesses, and self-obtained wealth. However, the Ellis family was known for their long underbelly ruling of the state of New Jersey. When Sadik assured his life was separate of his father’s, I believed him each time. I fell completely and dangerously head over heels for him. And, my God, all the red flags were there. Yet I ignored them all, throwing caution to the winds of naivety just to add a little spice to my mundane world. A world that will never be the same because I allowed it to be infiltrated by an Ellis. Publisher’s Note: “He Who Is a Friend” is book ONE of a THREE book series. It ends on a suspenseful CLIFFHANGER. This book contains angst, violence, profanity, sexual explicit content, and gory material. If any of these elements is not what you prefer between the pages of a novel, this is not the venture for you.

    “Coal” is a realist story set in the war years and depression that followed as folks try to find a new place in the world. Senior’s trademark children awakening to self-awareness and to the hypocrisy of adults are here too, from the heartbreaking “Moonlight” and “Silent” to the girls in “Lollipop” and “A Father Like That” who learn to confront loneliness and vulnerability with attitude.

    But like the bamboo, if you plant and nurture it in the right soil, it has the potential to grow vibrant and strong."Walking with a pronounced limp all her life has never stopped fifteen-year-old Kiva Mau from doing what she loves. While most girls her age are playing sports and perfecting their traditional Samoan dance, Kiva finds serenity in her sketchbook and volunteering at the run-down art center her extended family owns, nestled amongst the bamboo. When seventeen-year-old Ryler Cade steps into the art center for the first time, Kiva is drawn to the angry and misguided student sent from abroad to reform his violent ways. Scarred and tattooed, a friendship is formed when the gentle Kiva shows him kindness and beauty through art, until circumstances occur beyond their control and they are pulled away. Immersed in the world of traditional art and culture, this is the story of self-sacrifice and discovery, of acceptance and forbearance, of overcoming adversity and finding one’s purpose. Spanning years, it is a story about an intuitive girl and a misunderstood boy and love that becomes real when tested.