Now twenty-eight and a star in the Chicago improv scene, Stevie puts career first. No one’s going to get in the way of her New York City dreams. When her friends beg her to tag along to go see Constance Russo, a deaf psychic, Stevie begrudgingly agrees, as long as no one makes her get a reading. American Sign Language interpreter Bernadette Thompson has two priorities: caring for her mother and working with her best friend, Constance Russo. But when the headstrong Stevie Adams accidentally stumbles into her life, Bernadette feels an instant connection that’s so intense it frightens her. They can’t seem to stop bumping into each other, or deny their attraction. When Stevie’s goal of starring in New York becomes more than a pipe dream, will competing desires prove their love to be everlasting or a fleeting act?Cover Artist: Jeanine HenningGenres: Contemporary / Romance Tags: Children / Families, Big City, Age Gap, CelebrityWords: 86,000

    At least that's what she thought, until in walked Riley James. Her life would never be the same.​Riley James was looking forward to her friends’ wedding and the following two week vacation in paradise. She walked into a bar and her eyes locked with the bartender. She couldn’t look away.What can happen in two weeks? Alex and Riley were about to find out.But Alex had a secret. Would it end this love story before it even got started? It’s only two weeks.

    To make matters worse, hours at her job have been cut, and her kind landlady is moving away, handing the business over to her daughter Taylor. When Taylor finds out about Daisy’s dilemma, she makes her an offer that would solve the problem, but is morally questionable…but who’s to judge? Their arrangement becomes more complicated when emotions come into play, making it even harder to keep the secret...

     No one knows this better than Diane Hollenbeck, who has the settlement papers and scars to prove it. Determined to salvage her life from the ashes, Diane starts fresh, beginning with a long sabbatical in New England. A retreat to her friends' lake house seems idyllic--to ignite her writing career, rediscover herself, and rekindle her confidence along the placid shores of Lake Champlain. Until Diane encounters her new neighbor--a sexy recluse with a strong and stormy personality. Now navigating the small island town and finding her much-needed solace is impossible. Conflict swells. And sparks erupt. But as Diane draws closer to this fiery acquaintance, as discovers there's more behind her neighbor's stinging flames--a shared loss and longing that fuses them together.

    One of those people being Jess, her best friend who she'd completely lost contact with. Though she never stopped thinking of her, she could never bring herself to reach out after the shame of what she'd done to her. Gina didn't even want to come back to her hometown in fear of running into Jess, but she had to take care of her mother who is ill with cancer.But fate and a kitten brings them together again, meeting for the first time in years. The connection is clearly still there between them, but will Jess be able to forgive Gina in her time of need? As the change in seasons brings color to the autumn leaves, will it also bring a drastic change in both of their lives? In this heartwarming, steamy novella Edie Bryant takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster toward happily ever after.

    Between her role as a beta and an Alpha that refuses to run with the pack, she has very little room to breathe, if any at all. So when a friend suggests she go into the city to blow off some steam, she does exactly that. What she finds there is better than she ever could've imagined. Alison’s strong, confident, and Shay’s pretty sure she’s her mate. There’s just one problem. The woman she’s set her eyes on isn’t a shifter at all. She might act like an Alpha, but everything about her is human, from the light perfume she wears to the job she keeps as a chef not too far away. A union between a human and a wolf has never been done and is likely forbidden. However, no matter how much distance Shay puts between herself and the other woman, something keeps pulling her back. With a city that’s too cramped for her wolf’s liking and a pack that’s falling apart at the seams, can Shay control her wolf long enough to stay within the city, or is this one line she shouldn’t cross? Protecting Her Heart is a sweet lesbian romance with werewolves, fated mates, and a happily ever after.

    After being broken by her cheating ex, she’s not about to risk getting hurt again. But when former nerd runs into former cheerleader, Clare finds herself willing to gamble on a second chance at love. After all the bright lights and magazine covers, Mary is searching for a simpler life in her hometown. She didn’t expect to find middle-age butterflies and sweaty palms. A surprise reunion with the shy geek from high school gives her a chance to make the move she never did. The closer they grow, the more clear it is that they’re perfect for each other, but will Mary be able to break through Clare’s fear and self-doubt to show her she deserves a happily-ever-after?

     ***The Christmas Grump*** For Rachel Lewis, a security guard at the mall, the Christmas holiday season is one big headache. She wants nothing to do with the celebration of love, peace, and family harmony. Her disenchantment with the holiday slowly begins to change when she meets seven-year-old Tyler and his mother. ***Kissing Ms. Santa Claus*** Rachel is counting the days until she and Lillian celebrate their first Christmas together as a couple. She is filled with longing for only one thing to make her holiday complete: a long-term commitment from Lillian. She sets out to find the perfect gift that will reflect her love and devotion. ***The Christmas Elf*** After her home state finally recognizes same-sex marriages, Rachel wants to propose to Lillian. Rachel is confident she has it all covered. She plans to take a second job as the mall Santa Claus to earn the money for Lillian's ring. But luck is not on her side, so Rachel finds herself with bells on her toes, playing a Christmas Elf. Note: "The Christmas Grump" and "Kissing Ms. Santa Claus" have been previously published in the anthology "Gingerbread Hearts".

    All her sacrifice is about to pay off when she’s offered her first leading role, but there’s one catch: it’s the lead in the lesbian romance movie Real Love. Amelia’s never so much as looked at another woman, and she can’t help but feel intimidated at the prospect of faking intimacy with a girl. Especially when she finds out who the other star is… Heartthrob Jessica Black is known for her luscious curves, cheesy movies, and flings with actors—not for her acting talent. But the dates are all fake and sometimes she feels her entire life is just a publicity stunt. The only real relationship in her life is the one she has with Cleo—her rescued puppy. Jessica wants to create a film that will make the world a better place. But when she signs up to star in a lesbian romance movie to raise awareness for equality, she faces resistance from her publicist, her agent, and even her own family. And to top it off she seems destined to clash with her feisty, short haired, vintage suit wearing co-star Amelia. When the two decide to work out their scenes with some private rehearsals, their relationship only grows more complicated. “The kiss was supposed to be practice, but it felt real.” As friendship grows between them, it starts to seem like it could be something more. But with pressure from the public, and their own insecurities to work past, their relationship encounters one challenge after the next. Can Amelia and Jessica work through it all to create their own happily ever after?

    When the only romance in her life consists of Hallmark movie marathons, she’s pretty sure things could not get more discouraging. When a knock sounds at the door, Holly suddenly finds herself face-to-face with a stranger. A hot, handsome butch named Nic. When the chemistry sparks between them, Holly is faced with a tantalizing new dilemma – will she be naughty or nice? Need a little something to warm you up for a spell on a cold winter’s night? This steamy short story is exactly what you need. *** Includes a preview of KC Luck’s full-length novel “Welcome to Ruby’s” ***

     Natalie’s life is on a precipice with too many failed career moves in the last year. Faced with the loss of everything she has ever worked for, Natalie looks for a way to get out of the city and realign her priorities. When Jessica Morgan places an ad for a new farmhand, she doesn’t expect to hear from an urbanite. And when the respondent turns out to be gorgeous Natalie Wells, she’s really at a loss for words! Natalie thinks taking a job in the country is a great plan, until she realizes she’s attracted to her boss. When she learns her boss’s bias against her is the result of issues with an ex-girlfriend, Natalie realizes she’s not imagining the sparks between them – that Jess might just be open to a new relationship, if only Natalie can prove she belongs in Jess’s life. The last thing Jess needs is a new love interest, especially one who works for her! But she can’t deny Natalie is pretty darn cute trying to learn her way around the farm and as she falls in love, Jess wonders if there’s a chance for romance with the city girl…

    She works as a pediatric nurse at a local hospital, and she is engaged to a wonderful man. When Ronnie meets Amy Vascar, the mother of one of her patients, she realizes just how quickly someone's life can change in an instant of meeting just the right person, and how quickly friendship can morph into something more.

    What would you do to protect yours? Meghan, is a member of the Redstone Timberwolf Pack. She has been under the control of Calisse, the Alpha of the pack with some of the other females. Her life is mere existence and unhappiness. When her family decides to flee and seek refuge with Adrianna, Alpha of the Errigal Druid Pack, Meghan finds something more than what she bargained for. Will Calisse just let them leave? Delve into a world of pack rules, order, jealousy, domination and a battle to the death.

     Georgiana—Georgie to everyone outside her family—figured out long ago that being in love with your straight best friend sucks. Turns out it’s even worse when that friend, Madelyn, tells you she’s not so straight after all. After it becomes clear to Georgie that she needs to get over Madelyn, Georgie moves cities and starts a new job. To grad student Madelyn, though, the sudden rift between the friends prompts painful introspection. A year later, she realizes her feelings for Georgie are romantic after all. Madelyn plans to use their annual winter cabin getaway to confess her love. But Canadian winters are unpredictable. When Madelyn and Georgie are snowed into their cabin in the woods, the two are forced into difficult conversations that confront deeply felt emotions about the past, present, and future. Can the friends find common ground after all they’ve been through? An intimate, snowed-in friends-to-lovers romance, Never Just Friends is a standalone story.

    After thirty-seven years of heartache, Hannah Bradshaw has every reason to be cynical about love—except she’s not, which turns out to be a real problem when she meets Charlie on an alleged blind date.Just out of a relationship, love is the furthest thing from Charlie Meyer’s mind, although she is open to the idea of having one night of fun with the beautiful stranger she’s been set up to meet on the evening of her birthday.What starts off as a casual arrangement between Charlie and Hannah quickly becomes complicated as their feelings for one another begin to grow because Charlie isn’t ready for anything serious, but Hannah’s been waiting for someone like Charlie all her life.If two people who are right for each other fall in love at the wrong time, do they stand a chance?