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Playing to Win by Shelley Munro


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Longing for You


Kelli McCracken - 2015
    This time, he's fighting for her heart. Theo McCabe has it all—a record deal, a future tour, and any woman he desires. Almost. In truth, the only person he's ever wanted is Cassie. Too bad a fight his senior year stole his chance to be with her. She never knew he'd fought to protect her or that any woman he'd met since would never be enough. Cassie Clarke doesn't believe in fairytales. Happily ever after didn't exist, and love was a four-letter word she refused to say. Besides, being single had its perks. So did working at a recording studio. Yet the moment she and Theo cross paths again, she can't help but feel drawn to him. Though Cassie doesn't want to fall for Theo, the more time she spends with him, the more she worries there's no turning back. Theo is desperate to have one night with Cassie, but doing so means risking more than his career. It means exposing his heart to the only woman who could break it. After all, he's not the only man in Cassie's life. Longing for You is the first installment in the Touched by Magic Series. If you like second chance romance novels blended with humor, heat, and hope, then you'll love Kelli McCracken's captivating look at finding love where you least expect it.

The Aubrey Rules


Aven Ellis - 2015
     *Always keep your work and private life separate. *Being open to new experiences will never involve eating kale. *Never, ever date a professional athlete. For Chicago social media professional Aubrey Paige, the rules are everything. So much so that Aubrey has painstakingly written her rules for living into a polka-dot Kate Spade notebook that she carries with her at all times. It’s her personal guidebook to living her life. These rules are the Holy Grail—ones never to be broken. They guide her actions for everything, from dealing with workplace drama to finding a great guy to date. After all, these are her own rules, built from her life experiences and observations. So they have to be perfect, right? Or are they? Because when Aubrey meets a cute Canadian, she suddenly finds her rules being tested and challenged in ways she never dreamed possible. Beckett Riley is the shy, quiet, determined captain of the Chicago Buffaloes, a hockey team on the verge of turning the corner to becoming a winning organization. He’s Aubrey's opposite, with so many qualities that Aubrey had listed as ones she’d never want in a man. Yet Aubrey finds herself drawn to Beckett in ways she’s never known. And when she unexpectedly finds herself working with Beckett, she wonders if rules are meant to be broken after all . . .

This Christmas


Jeannie Moon - 2014
    Having Charlie meant putting some of her own dreams on hold, but Sabrina is content to surround herself with family and friends, safe from the realities of the outside world. She had enough of that when the man she loved broke her heart. Jake Killen’s career in professional hockey has brought him many rewards on and off the ice, but returning to New York brings back a flood of memories. When he sees Sabrina again, he discovers that he didn’t just walk away from her ten years ago, but also from their unborn child. Struggling with anger, guilt, and chemistry that’s off the chart, Sabrina and Jake wonder if they can find love again and, this Christmas, make all their wishes come true. Christmas in New York Book 1: This Christmas by Jeannie Moon Book 2: All I Want for Christmas by Jennifer Gracen Book 3: A Light in the Window by Jolyse Barnett Book 4: Goodness and Light by Patty Blount

Spinning Out


Lexi Ryan - 2016
    I had it all, and I threw it away with a semester of drugs, alcohol, and pissing off anyone who tried to stop me. Now I’m suspended from the team, on house arrest, and forced to spend a semester at home to get my shit together. The cherry on my fuckup sundae? Sleeping in the room next to mine is my best friend’s girl, Mia Mendez—the only woman I’ve ever loved and a reminder of everything I regret.I’m not sure if having Mia so close will be heaven or hell. She’s off-limits—and not just because she’s working for my dad. Her heart belongs to someone else. But since the accident that killed her brother and changed everything, she walks around like a zombie, shutting out her friends and ignoring her dreams. We’re both broken, numb, and stuck in limbo.Until I break my own rules and touch her. Until she saves me from my nightmares by climbing into my bed. Until the only thing I want more than having Mia for myself is to protect her from the truth. I can’t rewrite the past, but I refuse to leave her heart in the hands of fate. For this girl, I’d climb into the sky and rearrange the stars.SPINNING OUT is a sexy, emotional novel of 100,000 words. It is first in the Blackhawk Boys, a series of standalone novels.

Love With An Imperfect Cowboy


Ann Major - 2016
     Should she? Or shouldn’t she? Hannah Lewis never imagined she’d run from her own magnificent, Upper East Side wedding. Born and bred in a penthouse on Park Avenue, she excels at everything - except maybe juggling a career, planning a wedding and paying attention to her fiancé. But couldn't he have chosen another day to cheat with her twin sister? Now Hannah's headed as far away as she can get from New York and her public humiliation. No one will expect to find her at a dude ranch in Lonesome, Texas … but just maybe she can find herself there. Liam Stark is trying to hold it together on the anniversary of the worst night of his life. When a stuck-up beauty walks into the Lonesome Dove Bar, full of rough truckers and ranch-hands, she's trouble in red cowgirl boots--trouble that Liam doesn't need. Especially when he offers her safe haven from a storm on his ranch, and she stirs up memories he'd give anything to forget. Liam has lost too many people he loved--his wife and son on a dangerous stretch of Texas highway, and men under his command in the Afghan conflict. This beauty will be gone in a New York minute as well … unless he asks her to stay. Attraction flames between them, hot as the Texas sun. But when their pasts cause problems, can they trust each other enough to believe they can share a future?

Taming Mad Max


Theresa Ragan - 2011
    Believing his life will be cut short, Max tries to live every moment to its fullest. For this reason, Max shies away from forming close relationships. What would be the point of falling in love and starting a family only to leave them as his father left him and his sisters? When Max discovers he has a thirteen-year old daughter though, it throws all his years of planning and preparation for an early death into a tailspin.Nutrition expert, Kari Murphy, used to think Max Dutton, aka Mad Max, was to die for, but she’s older and wiser now. The last time Kari reacted with her heart instead of her brain, she conceived the thing she loves most in life…her daughter, Molly. As much as she dislikes Max Dutton for taking her declaration of love and throwing it in her face fourteen years earlier, she knows that if it wasn’t for him her life would be meaningless. And that really ticks her off, especially when she’s hired by the NFL franchise to follow Max around for a couple of weeks and give him healthy-eating advice, foolproof facts about carbohydrates and tasteful tips on cooking and shopping smart. Kari doesn’t want to be anywhere near the man, but what choice does she have? Her career is on the line.Taming Mad Max finaled in RWA’s 2008 Golden Heart competition under the title, Better Late Than Never.

Begin Again


Kathryn Shay - 2015
    Follow these six beautiful blond sisters as they try to make their way in the world after a tragedy strikes the family. Each book has a cameo appearance by one of the sexy heroes from Shay’s beloved O’Neil series. BEGIN AGAIN tells the story of Paulina Ludzecky who, since her husband died three years ago, runs a contracting business with her twin, Antonia. She’s ready to dip her toes in romance, when she meets Adam Armstrong, the architect on the new music hall her company is building. For Adam, opposites attract and he’s drawn to this no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl next door. She’s equally interested in him though he’s too different from her to settle down with. But alpha male Adam has other plans for Paulina and isn’t about to let her go, even when Paulina has trouble with committing to him. Sex, yes! Love, no! This second chance at love story will tug on your heartstrings. If you like sisters in love stories, New York City romances and family saga romances, try the rest of the books in The Ludzecky Sisters: PRIMARY COLORS, RISKY BUSINESS, THE WAY WE WERE, HANDLE WITH CARE and LOVE STORY. Praise for Kathryn Shay romance novels: “Kathryn Shay writes some of the cleanest prose around, and it’s my belief she’d make the Yellow Pages sound interesting if the phone company put her on staff. And Ms. Shay knows her way around a steamy love scene.” The Romance Reader

Afterglow (Four Corners Book 1)


Artemis Anders - 2018
    But when a friend's party means facing her ex and the woman he left her for, Teagan skips town and heads to the scorching heat of Arizona.She never expects to meet Aaron, an Army Major who's smoking hot... and also coming off a divorce. He's so not her type, but he gives her two days and one sizzling night to remember.When Teagan returns to Colorado and her man-free existence, Aaron keeps finding excuses to see her and inch his way into her heart. But when Aaron's past finds them, it threatens to shatter their connection... and break Teagan's heart for good.If you love steamy romance with heart-stopping twists and an HEA, you'll love Afterglow.Afterglow is a standalone novel in the Four Corners series.

Love Bats Last


Pamela Aares - 2013
    What he can't seem to run is his love life. He's closing in on the perfect vintage and the perfect game, but so far the perfect woman has eluded him.Veterinarian Jackie Brandon is eluding her aristocratic past and memories of a soccer star who jilted her just before their wedding. She devotes herself to a marine mammal rescue center on the northern California coast, where hundreds of seals and sea lions are washing up dead.A chance meeting in a midnight storm brings Alex and Jackie together to rescue a stranded whale. Watching her work, he realizes she's the passionate, courageous woman he thought he'd never find—he just has to overcome her deep distrust of jocks. Jackie’s passion and courage lead her to discover what's killing the sea mammals. The culprits want to silence her, and Alex is the only one standing in their way. What will he sacrifice to save the woman he loves?While each book in the Tavonesi Series, by award-winning author Pamela Aares can be read as a standalone, you may enjoy reading the entire series.Love Bats Last (Book 1)Thrown By Love (Book 2)Fielder's Choice (Book 3)Love On The Line (Book 4)

Wicked Muse


Lexi Whitlow - 2017
    Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest.As a student, and my friend's daughter, Chloe should be off limits.Not my perfect muse.Sweet and innocent, her untapped sensuality calls to my art.And the wickedness in my soul.Broke and on the edge of homelessness, I offer her and her v-card a place to stay.She tells me not interested in my parties, or the girls I bring home.She's just focused on success.But the longer she stays, the deeper my fantasies become.I want to give her lessons I can't teach in the classroom.But when I finally have her in my arms,it's impossible to let her go.My career is on the line--and Chloe's future is too.But I'll risk everything to keep her.Even if it means losing myself along the way.Wicked Muse is a full length novel of 80,000 words with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happy holiday ending!

The Misadventures of Catie Bloom


Brooke Stanton - 2016
    He's a player ready to settle down. Can they fake it till they make it into each other's arms? Catie Bloom dreads being found out as a hot mess. So when the high-profile domestic goddess’s supposedly perfect life is scheduled for a TV special, she’s desperate to hide the slovenly reality while she scrambles to learn to cook and find a studly pretend hubby. And with her future on the line, she reluctantly accepts the office playboy’s lifeline to help her cover up the cracks and look the part… Sportswriter Sam Harding buries authenticity behind his breezy charm. And though he knows Catie’s less-than-tidy secret, he’s frustrated when his lady’s man reputation gets in the way of intriguing the one woman who holds his heart. So when he discovers her goose could be cooked, he jumps at the chance to stand in as her handsome prince. As Catie struggles with burned offerings, her growing attraction to Sam is a grease fire waiting to happen. While Sam worries if he keeps his desires hidden for much longer, he’ll lose his opportunity to move from bogus husband to the real deal. Is their passion about to be roasted, or can they whip up a gourmet romance?The Misadventures of Catie Bloom is the hilarious first book in the Bloom Sisters romantic comedy series. It’s a dash of Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret, with a helping of Christmas in Connecticut, and a recipe all its own, mixed into a delicious and romantic romp. Buy The Misadventures of Catie Bloom to set a table for two today!

Breakaway


Ali Parker - 2016
    He’s hard-hitting, rough and puts up with very little. He’s kept to himself throughout his years at Providence University, but it’s time to train the next man up in line for his position. His second on the Hockey team has a twin sister that catches everyone’s eye and leaves most of the guys acting like idiots, but Lucas isn’t interested. Girls are too needy, too catty and a pain in butt. Plain and simple. Aubrey Moore’s had her eye on the captain of the hockey team for the last few years since her brother, Jayce joined the team. He’s known for being a complete jerk, but Aubrey’s had the pleasure of seeing around the edges of his personality and wants to know him more. Now she just has to figure out how to help him breakaway from being so jaded and join her in the best adventure anyone could embark on -love. 18+ Explicit sexual content, possible foul language and violence. **HEA - these novels are all within the Pro-U series, but are about different couples at the university and should stand-alone.

The Story Sisters


Katy Regnery - 2017
     Priscilla Story, the self-proclaimed “wild child” of the straight-laced Story clan, has always had a knack for getting herself trouble. Except this time, her “growing problem” is going to require a Daddy sooner than later…or she can kiss her inheritance good-bye. Shane Olson, who previously dated Priscilla’s sister, Margaret, isn’t opposed to a marriage of convenience for the sake of furthering his business interests, but Priscilla – with her wild ways – is just about the last woman he’d choose to marry. In order to make the marriage look convincing, they end up having to spend more time together than they’d originally planned. When rolling stone, Priscilla, who lives by the seat of her muu-muu, and seriously-ambitious Shane, who’s had his whole life planned since he was eleven, start falling for each other, it’s going to take a whole lot of compromise for this Bohemian and her Businessman to find their happily ever after. The Director and Don Juan is the second of three books about the Philadelphia-based Story sisters who are all on the look-out for love. Heiress Alice Story left her father's company three years ago in a blaze of glory, inviting all of his employees to jump ship and join her, but only one accepted her offer: mail room clerk, Carlos Vega. While Alice spent the next three years getting her own company off the ground, Carlos became her indispensable right-hand man -- executive assistant and office manager, loyal counsel and trusted co-worker. And all the while, they were quietly falling in love with each other. When Alice is offered a lucrative business deal in Puerto Rico, island-born Carlos is the perfect person to accompany her on her trip as translator, but as they travel together from Philadelphia to Santo Domingo to Ponce, two unlikely co-workers will discover that during their three years working together, their feelings for each other have grown far deeper than they ever could have guessed. And though business-minded, proper Alice will try her very best to ignore the longings of her heart, scorching hot, insanely sexy Boricua, Carlos, has no intention of letting her go.

The Connector


Aubrey Parker - 2016
    Fortunately, it can buy everything else. A week ago, I didn’t know who Nathan Turner was. That’s because he doesn’t own deals; he makes them instead. He’s the man behind the curtain — more powerful even than the man in front of it. He’s a multi-billion-dollar networker. A connector, in his own words. Nathan’s job is to pull strings. And when I butted my way into his office, he told me he planned to pull my strings, too. I thought I could make my own deal with Nathan, but now I’m in over my head. What he’s connecting now isn’t a takeover or a buyout. I think he’s forming a secret society instead: a Syndicate of billionaires who want to pool their assets into a trillion-dollar pool, then rule the world. I’m not up to this. I’m just an 18-year-old girl. But there’s no way Nathan will let me out now. The Connector is the first book in the Trillionaire Boys’ Club series by Aubrey Parker. Each book tells the story of another of the Club’s powerful members … and you’re going to want to collect them all.

Northern Lights


K.B. Winters - 2016
    The worst part was—Taylor carried the weight of her father's death in addition to her mother's wrath. After all, it was her ex-boyfriend that scammed her father’s company, causing him to lose everything—even his life! In the wake of the tragedy, her mother, Beatrice Vanderfelt, demanded that Taylor find a rich man to help resurrect the family business. When Taylor refused to go along with the plan, she signed her up with a billionaire matchmaking website in search of the perfect son-in-law. Beatrice's plan backfires--in a big way--when Taylor finds Blake Cunningham, an ex-Navy SEAL who was as far from the clean cut, cookie-cutter trust fund baby as she could have ever imagined. Blake wore faded jeans, flannel shirts and smelled like a fisherman! Surely he had no business being on an exclusive billionaire matchmaking website? Had he tricked the matchmakers? Or, was there more to his story? And where would his secrets lead? Find out in Evie Monroe’s first book in the short reads series, Northern Lights!