Too bad Emily's heart is not available for love. Two years after her husband Melvin passed, Emily is still grieving his death. She's buried herself in her work, in making her high-end boutique a success. She has no interest in dating again and she's definitely not about to be swept off her feet by one of those Champion brothers. ***The Champion Brothers series books are all standalone books.*** Book 1, His Paradise Wife is Dante Champion's story. Book 2, When A Champion Wants You is Dimitrius Champion's story. Book 3, The Best Thing He Never Knew He Needed is Desmond Champion's story. Book 4, Wives And Champions is a family novel. Book 5, The Way Champions Love is Harding Champion's story.

    One year that changes everything. They seem to have it all. They’re in good health and are financially secure. They live in a pleasant and comfortable town. But as their lives intertwine, cracks emerge and restlessness grows. For Clive, is retirement the beginning of the end? Can fun-loving Saskia break free from her adulterous husband? Will Andy marry his childhood sweetheart? Is Jamie prepared to change his dishonest ways? Might Ellie’s happy marriage be shattered by temptation?Heart-warming and heart-breaking collide in this novel about aspirations, expectations and the realities of everyday life.

    Each story connects a group of friends living in the Paradise Palms condos, a place to heal and find love. In Book 1, Single & Seeking Fabio, Shelley runs from a relationship after discovering she's "the other woman" and settles for fictional love between the pages of romance novels. Until she meets Duke! Book 2, Single & Seeking a Touch of Love, features Rachel and Liam, two painfully shy people who find love, along with an orphan in search of the perfect parents. Book 3, Single & Seeking Mr. July, tells the story of Jillian, the single mother of three boys, and Quinn, the fireman who falls for all four of them. Book 4, Single & Seeking Second Chances, completes the series with Kayden's story. She was forced to give up her daughter for adoption 14 years ago and, like a Christmas miracle, gets another chance to be a mother and reconnect with Tripp, the love of her life. Real-life characters and real-life situations, this collection is a must-read if you enjoy laughter through tears and satisfying happily-ever-afters!

    She will run the inn, write her cookbooks, and pick up an occasional catering job with her cousin, who owns the local bakery. Her life in Harbor Falls is predictable--a welcome change from the chaos of recent months (when her sister ran off with her fiancé)--and that's the way she likes it. Until chaos rides his bad ass Harley up to her bed and breakfast doorstep--and her perfect, predictable, and well-planned world starts crumbling like yesterday's blueberry muffins.Brad Matthews has other ideas. When Suzie worked as his sous chef in Asheville months earlier, he had no intention of falling in love with the sassy chef--no room in his life for romance. But when she disappeared and took Brad's heart with her, his good intentions shattered. Even though Brad's plan to win Suzie back involves making the people of Harbor Falls a bit angry (Suzie included), it is part of his bigger plan to get his life and career on track, and to win Suzie Hart back into his arms--permanently.But can Suzie let go of their muddled past, and her well-planned future, in order to find happiness with hunky Chef Brad? Can Brad alter his own plan, in order to win Suzie back? Take My Heart - When Shelley Hart ran off and married her sister, Suzie's, fiancé, the whole town of Harbor Falls was in a twitter. A few years later, her husband deceased and with two little girls in tow, her only recourse is to go home for the holidays. Will Suzie, forgive her? What about that boy she left behind?Harbor Falls Police Officer Matt Branson values being alone. Dubbed the town hermit, he prefers the solitude of his mountain cabin to socializing with friends--friends who say he still pines after the woman who got away. But the snowy day he pulls over an older model sedan speeding into Harbor Falls, things change. His gut slams against his backbone as a tearful woman rolls down the car window. His heart melts when she looks up into his eyes.Shelley Hart is back in town--the woman who sent him into his cave in the first place.

    In return, he holds her captive.April Cooker loves her life as an ER doctor but in a horrific twist of fate she suddenly finds herself whisked away to a heavily guarded mansion in order to care for a man she found bleeding to death in an alley. This is no ordinary situation. She has walked into the world of Valentin Ivankov, Russian mafia don. Forced to tend to his injuries, April starts to learn more about the man whose life she has just saved and can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever see her own life again outside the magnificent mansion that has become her prison. Will this devastatingly handsome but dangerous man let her go or is she forever trapped in this world by her brutal captor?Book II: Escape is her only thought. He is determined to make her his, permanently.April has now learned who her patient is and he doesn’t seem intent on letting her go.When her own secret is revealed there is suddenly more at stake regarding her life than ever. As she catches glimpses of the real man beneath his cold and hard exterior, April is drawn into the dark, violent world of the handsome Valentin Ivankov. Will she be able to resist this dangerous man or will she find herself helplessly drawn into the arms of her Brutal Captor?Book III: Being drawn to her captor was never the plan. His tenderness something he never knew that he had.Russian mafia don, Valentin Ivankov, has taken Dr. April Cooker away from everything she’s ever known and, much to her shock, he’s now announced he’ll be taking her as his wife. Escape is still her only thought. But, while she attempts to gain his trust she finds herself unable to resist the pulse-raising effect he has on her.Craving the touch of her Brutal Captor is not something she ever would have thought possible and his tenderness something she never expected. Perhaps it’s not just her life that’s in danger but also her heart.Book IV: The captive comes to hold power over her captor.A mafia Don is expected to take a wife, not necessarily to love one. Marrying April was purely a strategy in order to gain leverage against his fiercest enemy. But now, Valentin finds himself helpless against her. Each day he sees more and more that without April his life would be empty and meaningless and he will stop at nothing to protect her. And it’s this that is planting April right in the crosshairs of the violent mafia war with the Ivankov family’s longest standing competitor, Capeci. Who just happens to be April’s father.Will Valentin’s love for April be the thing that destroys both of them in the end?Book V: Having a future with him is exactly what she wants, or so she thought.Against all odds, April has fallen in love with her Brutal Captor and the man who forced her to marry him. The passion she and Valentin share is like nothing she has ever experienced before and having a future with him is exactly what she wants. Or so she thought. April soon finds out that perhaps the only thing you can count on in Valentin’s world is betrayal and ever-present danger... especially at the hands of family.Book VI: It’s life or death for both of them. Is blood always thicker than water?The war raging with his enemy Capeci is not letting up and April finds herself forced, once again, to play the role of a pawn at the dangerous hands of her father. The extent of the Capeci’s stronghold over Valentin and the Ivankov bratva is finally displayed in a crushing blow that brings Valentin to his knees. A final showdown with Capeci is about to go down and April herself has been positioned as the sacrificial lamb. Is the new love of Valentin and April strong enough for them to triumph over this nightmare or is it true that at the end of the day blood is always thicker than water?

    But when she arrives, the job has fallen through. Andthen nearly getting run over by a handsome bachelor? Hardly surprising at thispoint. She can’t refuse his offer for a job though, especially because it comeswith room and board.Conner Sanders bought the Turtle Dove Inn—a romantic notion to give hisparents a chance to relive their honeymoon. But the inn needs a lot of work,which is why Riley is the perfect answer. If only he could figure out why , thesmall-town residents don’t seem willing to help him. Or why he can’t stopthinking about kissing his beautiful new hotel manager.Riley isn’t looking for love and Conner doesn’t think love is in his skillset.Can two strangers learn to let go of their past mistakes and be healed byunconditional love?Start reading today and discover the small-town charm, irresistiblechemistry, and sweet storylines of the Inheritance Bay series.

    Ace Jackson Jr. resembled the Wileys and not his father, Ace Jackson Sr. His mother, Celia Jackson, told him to ignore the whispers and the innuendos, he was Ace Sr.’s son and not the son of their former gardener, Micky Wiley. For thirty-six years Ace Jr. managed to do just that. He ignored the speculation because he didn’t want to upset the status quo. However, a part of him was curious as to what was the truth of the situation, but he would honor his mother’s wishes. And then he met and developed feelings for Kiya Brady, the rumored love child of Micky Wiley, and then he realized that maybe he shouldn’t be honoring his mother’s wishes after all…

    But her insecurities creep up upon her as her life starts to fall to pieces all around her.Are second chances possible?Honeymoon BlissNow, married at last, Ava and Nico escape to their honeymoon, to relax and unwind. Together, they find bliss and a chance to forget the troubles and worries of their hectic lives. But even in paradise, problems from home and as far away as Denver, seep in.

    “You just have to figure out where to find it.”He’d finally found it. It was inside this woman. And it was perfect.—RemingtonPart 1The boys from Golden Sphinx Ranch are trying to have a quiet breakfast in the local diner when one of them sees a man attempting to pull a woman out of her car by her hair. Unable to let that pass, Westin rushes outside and attacks the man, dragging him off the woman, his friends close behind. Before they can figure out what’s happening, the man jumps into the car and takes off. The woman, Lea Adams, is now penniless, homeless, and stuck in the middle of nowhere. She convinces the ranch hands to take her back to their ranch and give her shelter until she can figure out what to do next. The only problem is, they think they’re helping a woman on the run from her ex, but the truth will drop them in the middle of a fight that was never meant to be theirs.Part 2Dixie Till was once a happy, go-lucky girl with her whole life in front of her. But life has a way of beating a person down. Her father’s death left her with few choices in life. She chose the Army, chose to do something honorable, but that took her into a nightmare that came very close to breaking her. She thought she was strong, thought she was well enough to help a boy who needed her, but she wasn’t. She failed him, and her entire community turned on her, accused her of unthinkable crimes against a boy she cared deeply for. When the boy’s body is found, Dixie finds herself in the center of an investigation that could save or destroy her. And in the middle of it all is Remington Echols, a man as broken as she. Will Remington and Dixie be able to find strength in one another, or will their equally traumatic pasts be too much to overcome?Part 3Grace Norwood is a child of privilege, though she struggles to admit it. She grew up with everything she could want despite the death of her mother when she was young. Her sister stepped in, made life idyllic for Grace. How could she have known the price her sister paid to do so? When Eve went missing two years ago, Grace fought to get the police to take her pleas seriously, but everyone told her that Eve had just had enough of all the responsibility. She ran off of her own free will. Was it true? Would she do that? Grace has one last chance to learn the truth, but she’s derailed by handsome, sexy Landry Grooms. His very presence threatens everything Grace has put into motion. But can she really deny the passion she feels whenever he’s around?Part 4Bowie Wheeler was a child prodigy whose every move was dictated by controlling parents until he was an adult, and even then he found himself fighting his mother’s desire to cash in on his gifts. To escape her control, Bowie disappeared, working cash only jobs, leading to a gig as a ranch hand on Golden Sphinx Ranch in Colorado. Bowie decides he likes the quieter way of life, the luxury of doing what he wants when he wants. It’s a freedom he loves, and he isn’t ready to give it up for anyone, not even the sexy lady sheriff Jack Reeves.Part 5Clint Grooms has just been arrested for a crime he could never in a million years even contemplate committing. His only thought is that he fought for months to get visitation with his daughter, and now this was going to ruin everything. He didn’t care about his reputation or his job. Never mind his freedom. All he cared about was his daughter. If he lost her, his life wouldn’t be worth living.Parker Quinn is the lawyer assigned to Clint’s case. Everyone says he’s a good guy, but the charges against him are compelling. Can she prove Clint’s innocence before they both lose everything that matters?

    See author's note, below Pulling Home (That Second Chance #1) It's taken nine years and a cross-country move, but Audra Valentine Wheyton has kept her secrets safe. She's created the perfect life: a husband who loves her, a daughter she adores, and a position as head writer for an award-winning daytime soap. When her husband dies suddenly, Audra returns to her hometown for the funeral and faces a community that has not forgotten her meager beginnings and the man who has never forgiven her for marrying his brother. Jack Wheyton is a successful pediatric neurosurgeon who is about to become engaged when Audra walks back into his life with her daughter. He forgave his brother long ago for taking something that had been his, something he hadn't even realized he wanted until it was gone. But forgiving Audra is another story...and forgetting her? Near impossible. When a shattering illness strikes Audra's daughter, she turns to Jack to save her child and risks exposing a secret that will change their lives forever. A Family Affair: The Promise (Truth in Lies #7) Grant Richot sprinted through life, a boy wonder with talent, intelligence, confidence, and charm. He never doubted the world awaited him, just as he never doubted the right woman would come into his life—but only when he was ready for her. Anyone before that was simply preparation for the one. How wrong he was. Years and a tragedy later, Grant arrives in Maggie Finnegan’s hometown of Magdalena, New York—broken, uncertain, and searching for that second chance with the woman he cast aside. But Maggie’s no longer naïve and impressionable; she’s a confident, competent widow with a child, who has more at risk than another broken heart… Note from Mary: I love secondary characters: writing them, reading about them, even watching them on the big screen. Secondary characters support the “stars”; make them more vibrant and compelling. But when the story ends, I’m often left wondering what they’d do if they were in the “spotlight”. That’s why I’ve created special boxed sets that were part of That Second Chance series and the Truth in Lies series. These boxed sets let the reader follow the before and after of select characters as they first appear in That Second Chance series and later in the fictional town of my bestselling Truth in Lies series. Boxed Set One contains Pulling Home and A Family Affair: The Promise. I invite you to follow their journey!

    I fell for her crooked smile and ocean blue eyes the first time I met her in the fifth grade. In high school, no one understood me the way she did. Paige is the only girl I've ever trusted enough to let into my world.But I buried those feelings the day she chose my brother nine years ago.Fate seems to have a sick sense of humor because my newest client decided to sponsor her vlog. I advised them to cut her loose.It’s not personal, it’s business.And besides, I have another proposition that could give us something we both want.But my plan to stay cool, calm, and in control vanishes the moment her lips touch mine.She should run fast in the other direction.My soul is damaged goods.I could never give her the love she deserves.Luke Mason. My gorgeous, loner friend from high school. The boy I almost fell for…until Fate led me into the arms of his twin brother, and eventually, a broken heart.If it wasn’t for the business proposition Luke makes—and one I desperately need—I’d run fast in the other direction.What wasn’t a part of our deal? The oh-so-hot kiss we shared during one of my infamous moments of spontaneity. A mistake neither one of us plans to make again.But when our stares get way more intense, his eyes linger too long on my mouth, and his touch ignites something deep inside I haven’t allowed myself to feel in years, our promise of “strictly platonic” goes up in flames.No matter what happens, I can’t let myself fall for him.But I’m scared I already have.A love story spanning over twelve years, TWISTED FATE is a deep, forbidden love romance with LOL moments, passion and angst, and all the feels. Can be read as a standalone.

    But that's exactly what she finds when she returns from being out of town. Worse, the bear has been deliberately trapped by the shop's owner, Will Parker.Will is starting a new life in the town of Reindeer Ridge. His shop, The Big Bear, sells novelty items while also providing guests the chance to see a live bear kept humanely upstairs. Unfortunately, the shop owner across the way seems to be determined to have his shop closed down.But Annaliese soon begins to realize that Will isn’t the bad guy she wants to make him out to be. As their feelings for each other start to grow, they both begin to realize the importance of compromise.This book was previously included in the December 2020 anthology, Small-Town Christmas. The rest of the series was not part of that anthology.The Reindeer Ridge series is a sweet, clean contemporary Christmas series filled with swoon-worthy heroes and a small-town setting.

    She is cooking and cleaning and hiding something. She meets Paul, the new equestrian teacher, who does cowboy rodeo events and seems entirely uninterested in the school, except when it comes to getting by with the minimum amount of work. Rachel discovers that Paul is recovering from a fire that happened on his ranch. Rachel doesn’t want to get too familiar with him or anybody since she has a secret, which has to do with being the witness at a trial long ago. Rachel is afraid all the time, and it’s unclear why. Paul begins to fall for her but isn’t sure he will ever get to the bottom of what’s troubling her. Can they find happiness? A standalone short story ending Happily Ever After and unlimited reading with Kindle Unlimited!

    Little did she know money had changed hands for her and the man she was going to work for was the sadistic self-appointed crime boss, Nick Orphanides. Worse still, was when Maria realised the very people she loved and trusted had known the nightmare she was entering? After living with, deprivation and sadism at Nick’s hands for three years; she believed her prayers have finally been answered when Jimmy Dixon wins her in a poker game. Despite Jimmy being one of Nick’s crew, it soon becomes apparent that Nick wants her back and a feud soon develops between the two men. She knows too much, including Nick’s secret links with the Russian Mafia. If Nick can’t buy her back he’ll silence her permanently, along with Jimmy and anyone who stands in his way. Maria finds herself falling for the charms of bad boy Jimmy. However, it isn't long before she realises that he too has a darker side. A deep rooted sadistic uncontrollable anger connected to his childhood Jimmy's Game is the first book in the RUTHLESS Series 1.

    A rocking career in finance, a great group of friends and singing with the community chorus fill her calendar and provide her with total satisfaction. Until the phone rings. Until an upbeat familiar voice from the past reawakens her heart and reminds her of what she’s been missing.Playwright Doug Collins has never forgotten the girl he left behind. Even though it was Jennifer who’d made that final decision. “Go to New York and have a wonderful life,” she’d said before running back to her family, a family that still needed her. But that was five years ago. Five years of Jen in the back of his mind, nestled in his heart. Now memories are not enough! Doug packs up his car and heads to Boston in search of that “wonderful life.”Most reunions have bumpy beginnings and not all end well. Jennifer and Doug have a lot to figure out. But they’re smart, honest, and were once madly in love. Do they have a chance at finding the ending they so richly deserve?