The teenagers quickly make college plans and can’t wait for Vanessa’s next visit at Christmas.But Vanessa’s mother has other ideas and does a terrible thing. Their lives will never be the same.Do you believe in miracles? How about a Christmas miracle? Vanessa does. And twenty five years later her son, two entwined trees, and a Christmas Stroll just may be the Christmas miracle she always hoped for.

    Galen Burgess has a reputation for keeping it casual. She likes women close—but not too close. Nothing is more important to her than her budding surgical career as chief surgical resident at Boston City Hospital. After spending years trying, and failing, to please her father, Galen knows getting close enough to care is a recipe for heartbreak. Everything in her carefully structured life begins to change when she meets her newest intern, the disconcertingly beautiful Dr. Rowan Duncan. Sheltered doesn’t even begin to describe Rowan’s comfortable, quiet life before moving to Boston. When Rowan starts to fall for Galen, everything Rowan's ever known comes into question, including her relationship with high school sweetheart Brian. With her own heart on the line, will Rowan have the courage to make the cut, or risk losing Galen forever?

    When medical debt looms, she doesn’t hesitate to do whatever it takes.Even if it means putting herself – and her inexperience in love – up on the auction block.She only asks that nobody discover her biggest secret. The reason she’s gone gray at twenty and now has something to offer a would-be suitor looking for a month-long affair.ASTRID EVANSTwo years after the death of her husband, Astrid is used to the jokes and jeers from the peerage. Everyone knows she’s a trophy wife who received the inheritance of a lifetime.But it didn’t come without a price. Traumatized by her former experiences, Astrid now spends her nights subjecting herself to the same events that once changed her life.That’s how she discovers Tara, a young and naïve woman who will be chewed up by the same system that stole Astrid’s own youth.THE ONLY KEY… IS HYPOCRISYWhen Tara arrives at Evans Manor for a month of companionship, Astrid rejects their mutual attraction, if only to sleep better at night.Soon, she can’t sleep at all.The electric chemistry between Astrid and Tara is unlike anything to hit the quiet country manor. While Tara explores what it means to fall in love and indulge in her lifelong fantasies, Astrid confronts the nightmares that have turned her into the ice-cold queen of her fortress.Everything she needs is within grasp – yet she denies it.Until she can’t anymore, and all hell breaks loose.

    As work takes them to Australia, Maddie is goaded into a brief, seemingly harmless bet with her enigmatic boss—where they have to tell the complete truth to each other. It backfires catastrophically. A lesbian romance about the lies we tell ourselves.108,000 wordsThemes: Australia · media mogul boss · New York · newspaper · reporter

    An early morning hotel fire turns out to be anything but routine, and firefighter Reid Webb's best friend and partner, Jimmy Grant, dies. Guilt-ridden and grieving, Reid feels responsible for her partner's young son, Chase. She would do anything for him, even if that means spending far too much time in the company of the woman she's harbored feelings for since high school. Isabel Grant doesn't know anything about raising children. But when she returns to her hometown to assume custody of her orphaned nephew, she gets a crash course. Isabel's struggle to keep her footing in the midst of chaos is further complicated by her growing attraction to Reid, a woman whom Isabel blames for her brother's death.

    A rising star in women's professional downhill mountain bike racing, she has all the tools to become a world champion. All she needs to do is fully commit herself. Something far easier said than done. As stubborn as she is independent, Sierra has always carved her own path, refusing to fall in line with the controlling, commercialized aspects of the sport. Her trademark no-holds-barred, reckless style of riding has earned her as many cheers as it has jeers. Dr. Kara Davies, a highly regarded and accomplished physician, is well on her way to achieving her dreams in chiropractic research. Commitment to her goals has never been an issue, but her personal life is a different story. Preferring the comfort and safety of her lab over personal relationships, Kara's one-track mind allows no deviation. But life is full of twists and turns. After an accident on the track lands Sierra in Kara's on-site medical center, the doctor suddenly finds she has more on her mind that work. Blindsided by mutual attraction, Sierra and Kara struggle to accept their feelings for each other and to deal with the change it brings. Will love be enough? Or will life's little switchbacks send them both careening off course?

    Taylor self-identifies as a complicated woman, and there's nothing Lexie enjoys more than a good fixer upper. But Taylor's complications run deep, and way into her past. Surrounded by an eccentric and spirited group of family and friends, including a spunky and lovable dog named Cashmere, the two women navigate a series of obstacles that have them questioning their choices. As their journey unfolds, neither women is prepared for what happens when they start to break down the old and discover the new.

    Though, does anyone? A friendship-turned love affair is hard enough to navigate through; throw in IEDs and gun battles, along with the separation that inevitably comes with life in the military and you're asking for trouble. This is uncharted territory for both of them; Tyler has been openly gay for years, whilst Shenin has always dated men. With the government's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy, it's a path that could endanger both of their careers, but realising they cannot live without each other, they take it all on to prove that love really can win.

    New home. New job. New town. She's moved in with her politically-active best friend from university who has promised to find Millie a date before Christmas.  When news that the local head of the council, Nightmare Nightingale, has decided that there will be no Christmas tree in the town centre that year, Millie is quick to pick up a placard and join the protests. After all, what is Christmas without a tree? But Millie soon discovers that Professor Kay Nightingale isn't quite the nightmare she is painted to be.  What will happen when Millie gets closer to Kay? How will she explain the confusing relationship to her friends? And will there be a Christmas tree in the end?

    She’ll risk her life to save anyone, even a tiny kitten.She has a crew that trusts and adores her. A best friend who loves her above everyone else. But what she doesn’t have is someone who will be All In with her. She wants a wife and a family. But being a firefighter who risks her life for the lives of others makes it hard for lovers to see a future with her.At forty-years old, time seems to be running out to have the full package – to have a full and happy life.But when an ex decides to give their relationship another try, hope begins to burn bright. Can Ashton hold onto love and her career, or will everything burn in the fires of fear?97,000 words

    The trauma of Sydney's dark childhood is something she would do anything to forget. Now only nineteen, she's trying to start over with a new life and a new name, but you can't escape the past...Caroline is the most stunning woman Sydney has ever seen. Every night, Sydney hears her singing from her apartment window, and every night, Sydney's heart aches with something indescribable. When Caroline offers singing lessons, Sydney jumps at the chance to be in the captivating woman's presence...but her desire for Caroline can't be hidden. And Caroline is over twice her age. Through Caroline's gentle instruction, Sydney finds her voice again. The broken girl feels like she's starting to mend. But her infatuation with Caroline is reaching a fevered pitch...Will Sydney lose everything if Caroline finds out the girl is in love with her?Provocative, passionate and achingly raw, THE LONGING, the latest romance from best-selling author Bridget Essex, explores the unbreakable human heart in a love story that you'll never forget.59,500 words

    She returns to her grandparents’ rural property in Cooper’s Creek, North Carolina, with a plan to hide out and reboot her life to be simple and stress free. But escapism eludes her when her attentions are captured by small town beauty Kate Elkins.Kate has spent almost her entire life in Cooper’s Creek. For Kate, the bonds of small-town life are a source of strength and comfort. When her aging mother weakens, Kate takes a leave from teaching to care for her. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she bumps into her unrequited teen crush Shaw Dailey just back from California. Long-buried feelings resurface for Kate, but all Shaw sees is a beautiful woman saddled with the responsibilities she is finally free from.

    Now she’s driving through drenching rain, a sad song on the radio, the seat beside her as empty as her new dream house. Without the loving and faithful partner who turned out to be neither.Still, she’s looking forward to making a fresh start in The Lakes. When she finds the house as cold, drenched, and power-outage dark inside as outside, she makes a tactical retreat to a B&B down the road. And wonders if she’s made a tactical error.Cait Taylor has poured every ounce of her energy into the guest house she owns with her brother. But lately, everyone seems set on pushing the “town sweetheart” to find a sweetheart of her own. The attraction she feels for Harper goes far beyond mere sympathy for her plight, but it’s clear Harper isn’t ready.Yet as the two dance around each other, Harper realizes Cait makes her feel the way her ex never did. And she wonders if it’s time to let Cait into her empty heart…and make it home.

    Film star, Hollywood icon, tabloid darling. To her fans and the media, she appears to be living a dream life. But things aren't always as they seem. The price she pays to maintain her fame is to deny who she is. Siena's number one rule in life - self-preservation at all costs. Admitting the truth could be a career killer.Enter Julia Westbrooke...Julia is soaring to new heights as a nationwide entertainment news anchor. Since coming out, she has been presented with countless opportunities - most recently, entry into a new circle of friends who are among the Hollywood elite - a circle in which Siena Armetta plays a starring role.Unwillingly thrown together, Siena and Julia fight their growing attraction. Will Siena risk it all for Hollywood's most prominent media personality? Will Julia ignore everything she's worked for and step quietly back into the closet?After the Glitter Fades is an irresistibly emotional roller coaster ride.94,000 words

    Sure, she’s single, but Erica’s fine with it. As far as she’s concerned, not everybody gets a great love. Then one day she delivers flowers to her aunt’s newest client, Catherine, a forty-year-old bridal shop owner, and Erica finds herself drawn to her. While the attraction initially catches her off guard—she’s never desired a woman before—she soon realizes that her crush is the real deal. And Erica isn’t the only one experiencing sparks. Catherine feels them, too. But between their age difference, the need to remain professional, and both of their past experiences with love, both women are hesitant to make a move. Soon, however, it becomes obvious that they need to stop holding back and let their love bloom. IN BLOOM is a standalone age-gap lesbian romance with an HEA.