8 Second Decision


H.J. Bellus - 2015
    He’s blessed with his granddaddy’s love of the ranch yet haunted with chasing that gold buckle eight seconds at a time. Tensions are high on the ranch when circumstances threaten to take it under. His dad and brothers pressure him to stay home and become an active cowboy on the ranch. However, Merek is addicted to the road and rodeo. He’s home anytime he can be and provides plenty of money to keep the family ranch afloat, but sometimes it takes more than what’s in the bank to protect tradition. Now home on a three-month break, Merek finds himself all tied up with the new girl in town. She’s quiet and reserved but there’s something about Challis’ green eyes and feisty attitude that makes her irresistible. When he runs into her at a rodeo and catches a glimpse of her on horseback all hopes of leaving her alone flies out the window. There are several rumors floating around town about her, however that doesn’t stop Merek from going after what he wants. He knows she’s off limits and only full of trouble, but Merek thrives on trouble and adrenaline. Then the road calls again and it’s time to leave. Eight SecondsGold BucklesAnd the high…What will he choose?

What are the Chances


Brittany Taylor - 2019
    I thought I’d leave the red-headed stranger with dark green eyes behind and good freaking riddance. Except he’s not even close to being gone. Mason McConnell is everywhere, drawing me in, like an invisible thread. I just hope that string doesn't snap and break my heart. Mason: Two weeks was all I needed to go home, spread my cat’s ashes, and visit my brother. But one foolish decision at the airport managed to throw all my plans off track. Somehow, I had unknowingly cast the line, and Charlotte Kelley took the bait. The chatty, prying American somehow had a way of bringing me back to life. I didn’t want her under my skin, and I certainly wasn’t expecting her to make her way into my heart, yet once she did, I didn’t want her to leave. But with one secret wedged between us, I'm not sure I have the right to ask her to stay.

Play of Light


Debra Doxer - 2014
    At fourteen, my life was perfect. The beach was my playground, and the boy who stole my heart lived just around the corner. But perfect never lasts. In one horrifying moment, I lost it all. My family was destroyed, and the boy I believed in turned his back on me. Paradise became a nightmare. That was five years ago. Everything changed when we moved from our home by the sea. I've changed, and I don't like who I've become. I miss the smiling, carefree beach girl who disappeared that terrible night. I want to find her again. I want to face the people we ran from so long ago. Most of all, I have to face Spencer. So I can prove that when he broke my heart, he didn't break me. But when I see him again, Spencer Pierce is no longer the boy from my memories. He's now a man who could devastate me if I let him. He watches me when he thinks I'm not looking. There's regret written on his face when he's near. Each time I see him, my heart aches for what might have been, and I think his does too. How can I convince myself I'm over him when I suspect he never got over me?

Back to Black


Katerina Winters - 2018
    Stolen in the dead of night, forced to submit to her captors. Obsession College student, Everly Pengram, was trying to turn her life right side up again. Heartbroken, pregnant, and alone in a new town, Everly just wanted a fresh start. Abducted Lured by her smile and driven by need, two brothers will stop at nothing to have her. It was supposed to be a simple bank robbery, get in and get out. With one look at her, plans changed. After years of searching, they finally found the perfect woman, and they weren’t going to let her get away. Enslaved Ensnared by their strong, gentle hands, they demanded everything from Everly. Taking her freedom and forcing her submission, the two tyrants would stop at nothing until they claimed her heart. From the author: This is a stand-alone story about a young pregnant woman captured and whisked away by two gorgeous hot men. This contains no MM and is a ménage love story. Full of sweetness wrapped around slightly dark themes (abduction, pregnancy sex, slightly non-consensual). No cheating and of course a happy every after ending as always.

With You All the Way


Cynthia Hand - 2021
    She just caught her boyfriend cheating on her after a humiliating attempt at losing her virginity, and she’s had it up to here with her gorgeous older sister’s unsolicited advice.But things really hit the fan during a family vacation in Hawaii, where Ada discovers her own mother is having an affair. Apparently, everyone is falling into bed with people they shouldn’t. Everyone except Ada. But when Ada decides she’s going to stop trying and start doing—sex, that is—her best laid plan overlooks an inconvenient truth:Feelings, romantic or not, always get in the way.

A Borrowed Life


Kerry Anne King - 2020
    Thomas Lightsey, exemplary pastor’s wife and mother. But maintaining appearances for the congregation and catering to her demanding husband takes a toll, and she’s lost herself in meeting the expectations of others. When Thomas suddenly dies, Liz feels shock, grief, and, to her surprise, the siren song of freedom. Dare she dream of a life to call her own?Despite the resistance of her daughter, Abigail, to even the smallest changes, Liz lands a role at the community theater. Inspired by new friends and the character she plays, she explores life’s possibilities, including an unexpected—and steamy—relationship with her leading man.Just when Liz thinks she might be winning, life hits her with an unthinkable shock. She’s pregnant at forty-nine. Torn between conflicting loyalties to her daughter, her lover, her unborn baby, and herself, can Liz find a way to rebuild her dream life one more time?

Risking It All


S.M. Koz - 2019
    She’s inherited her father’s no-nonsense attitude and whip-smart intelligence, all of which have made her the perfect Wallingford cadet.Logan has spent the last five years doing as little as possible. Once a star basketball player and one of the most popular boys at school, he now spends his days playing video games. When a friend borrows his car and commits a crime, Logan takes the fall and ends up at Wallingford as part of his court order.When Paige is asked to mentor Logan, it’s the perfect opportunity to prove her leadership skills—but she doesn't account for the feelings that start to develop or the baggage from Logan's past which could threaten her future.

The Heebie-Jeebie Girl


Susan Petrone - 2020
    Between the closing of the city's largest steel mill and the worst blizzard in more than 40 years, the table is set for remarkable change. Unemployed steel worker Bobby Wayland is trying hard to help his family and still pay for his wedding, but the only solution he can think of involves breaking the law. On the other side of town, a little girl named Hope is keeping a big secret, one she won't even share with her Great Uncle Joe―she can make things move without touching them. Watching over both of them is the city herself, and she has something to say and something to do about all of this.The Heebie-Jeebie Girl is the story of an era ending and the uncertainty that awakens. It's the story of what happens when the unconscionable meets the improbable. It's the story of dreams deferred, dreams devoured, and dreams dawning. It is likely to be the most distinctive novel you read this year, but it will startle you with its familiarity. Author Susan Petrone has created an unforgettable tale of family, redemption, and magic.

Marrow


Tarryn Fisher - 2015
     In the house there is a girl. In the girl there is a darkness. Margo is not like other girls. She lives in a derelict neighborhood called the Bone, in a cursed house, with her cursed mother, who hasn’t spoken to her in over two years. She lives her days feeling invisible. It’s not until she develops a friendship with her wheelchair-bound neighbor, Judah Grant, that things begin to change. When neighborhood girl, seven-year-old Neveah Anthony, goes missing, Judah sets out to help Margo uncover what happened to her. What Margo finds changes her, and with a new perspective on life, she’s determined to find evil and punish it–targeting rapists and child molesters, one by one. But hunting evil is dangerous, and Margo risks losing everything, including her own soul.

Breathless for Him


Sofia Tate - 2014
    L. James comes the stunning, erotically charged story about a woman who's not looking for love and the tempting billionaire who left her breathless . . . As a gifted opera singer, Allegra Orsini's only obsession is music-until she meets him. A strikingly handsome and powerful man with a life splashed across the tabloids, Davison Cabot Berkeley isn't what she expected. He's unlike the other wealthy patrons who dine at Le Bistro. Davison sees more than just a coat-check girl working her way through grad school. And from the moment he looks at her, those deep green eyes ignite a fire inside Allegra she's never felt before. She craves Davison's touch-his possession-endlessly. Even though every fiber of her being is telling her to stay away, that it's best for both of them, she can't. As his passion consumes her, Allegra can no longer deny Davison's hold on her. He'll never let her go. But as much as she wants him, Allegra can't surrender to his love-not until she faces a painful secret from her past that could destroy them both . . .

The Worst Girlfriend in the World


Sarra Manning - 2014
    . .Franny Barker's best friend, Alice, is the worst girlfriend in the world according to the many boys of Merrycliffe-on-Sea. She toys with them, then dumps them. But she'll never dump fashion-obsessed Franny. Nothing and no one can come between them. Not even tousle-haired rock god, Louis Allen, who Franny's been crushing on hard. Until Alice, bored with immature boys and jealous of Franny's new college friends, sets her sights on Louis. Suddenly, best friends are bitter rivals.Is winning Louis's heart worth more than their friendship? There's only one way for Franny to find out.

The Last Boss' Daughter


Sam Mariano - 2017
    Annabelle De Luca craved it. On the heels of her beloved father’s murder, betrayed by those closest to her, Annabelle had a choice to make: accept the man responsible and fall in line, or suffer the consequences. Never one to back down, she rejected her new stepfather—then spent years ignoring his best efforts to crush her spirit. Atonement. Liam Hunt never needed it. Some people deny the darkest sides of themselves; Liam’s made a career out of his. Never once has he hesitated to pull the trigger, but an unexpected encounter with Annabelle leads to feelings he hasn’t experienced before—and doubts about his current assignment. Liam knows he should leave her alone, keep his head down, and do what he’s being paid to do, but he can’t bring himself to stay away. He’s the last person anyone would classify a hero, but he can’t shake the doomed desire to be hers. He shouldn’t want her. She shouldn’t trust him. On a course set for utter devastation, can these forbidden lovers find their way to happily ever after? Inspired by the classic tale Snow White, The Last Boss' Daughter is a modernized, darker re-imagining.

Walland


Andrea Thome - 2016
    But when she decides to call off her high-profile wedding and take time off from her network television job, everything turns upside down. Tranquil Blackberry Farm in the moody Smoky Mountains of Tennessee was supposed to be a place she could hide out and lick her wounds. Instead she finds herself questioning everything she ever thought she wanted.Wyatt is a man with scars that run deep. He's built a careful life for himself, and he has no intention of letting anyone get close to him . . . again.But what happens when two people who are running away from love run right into one another? Will the intense chemistry they feel be enough to overpower their fears? Or will their time together in the Smoky Mountains end with broken hearts?

In Paris With You


Clémentine Beauvais - 2016
    Eugene and Tatiana had fallen in love that summer ten years ago. But certain events stopped them from getting to truly know each other and they separated never knowing what could have been. But one busy morning on the Paris metro, Eugene and Tatiana meet again, no longer the same teenagers they once were. What happened during that summer? Does meeting again now change everything? With their lives ahead of them, can Eugene and Tatiana find a way to be together after everything? Written in gorgeous verse, In Paris With You celebrates the importance of first love. Funny and sometimes bittersweet this book has universal appeal for anyone who has been in love.

The Futures


Anna Pitoniak - 2017
    For Evan, who grew up in a small town in Canada, Yale is a whole new world, and Julia--blond, beautiful and rich--is part of his vision for a successful future. After they graduate in 2008, they move together to New York city, where Evan takes a job at a hedge fund--another step forward in the life he imagines for himself.Julia, who has only known a life of privilege, graduates with an art history degree and no plan for her own future. She lands a low paying assistant job at a nonprofit, unsure about what she really wants, and wondering when everyone else figured that out for themselves. With the market crashing and banks failing around him, Evan becomes involved in an increasingly high-stakes deal at work, and begins to realize that the price of privilege may come with dangerous strings attached. Meanwhile, Julia reconnects with someone from her past--someone who offers her a vision of a different kind of life.Told in alternating perspectives, The Futures is a vivid story about love--falling in and out of it--betrayal, and the burning desire to be valued.