Thorns of the Past


Gun Brooke - 2017
    Framed for a bad shooting while on the force, she is set on finding out the truth about what happened. Sabrina Hawk, a successful accountant with an impressive client list, still suffers the after-effects from an assault during her college years. Victim blaming on campus was bad enough, but she loathes the authorities for mistreating her. Darcy notices Sabrina often works late, and the elegant blond stirs her innate protectiveness. Sabrina finds herself able to relax around Darcy. A mutual attraction develops, but then Sabrina’s office is subjected to several break-ins. Wary of the police, she hires Darcy to investigate. Darcy fears Sabrina’s reaction once she learns Darcy was a cop—a cop who left the force in disgrace.

Texas Blues


Ashley Quinn - 2016
    Trying her best to hold it together in Chicago, she is battling both the effects of her mother’s death and the betrayal of her ex-girlfriend. Opting to throw herself into work and the gym, she at first ignores an invitation from her largely absentee father to take some time off at his estate in Texas. He may be the Chairperson of Foster Oil & Gas, but it doesn’t change the fact that he was never part of her life. Besides, she’s up for a big promotion and sees it as the solution away from her one-way track into deep depression. In many ways, Natalie Silva is the complete opposite of London. Where London is pale, Natalie is sun-kissed. In that dark space deep down where London is filled with regrets and bitterness, Natalie radiates warm light. As a Texas native and sort-of Southern belle, Natalie is compassionate, kind and raised with a healthy dose of Southern hospitality. She’s followed her passion for baking throughout her adult life and it’s led her to being a co-owner of Mission Bakery – A popular bakery and food truck she manages with her lesbian aunts and the occasional help from her best friend’s precocious daughter. After a years-old heartbreak, the one lesson she has taken through her life is to never fall for an outsider. You know the type – The mysterious, attractive out-of-towners who offer equal promise of passion and complications. London and Natalie are less than impressed with each other upon their first meeting. But fate and Texas have a very different and much more sensual plan for these two polar opposite women. In the sultry-hot summer heat, they will learn just as much about themselves and their lives as they will about each other…And it might just be everything they want.

The Good Girls


Claire Eliza Bartlett - 2020
    The overachiever. The cheer captain. The dead girl.Like every high school in America, Jefferson-Lorne High contains all of the above.After the shocking murder of senior Emma Baines, three of her classmates are at the top of the suspect list: Claude, the notorious partier; Avery, the head cheerleader; and Gwen, the would-be valedictorian.Everyone has a label, whether they like it or not--and Emma was always known as a good girl. But appearances are never what they seem. And the truth behind what really happened to Emma may just be lying in plain sight. As long-buried secrets come to light, the clock is ticking to find Emma's killer--before another good girl goes down.

Take My Hand


Missouri Vaun - 2018
    Setting paints aside, she takes a job at her grandfather’s garage seeking the restorative comfort of small town life where women are sweet and life flows as slow as molasses.Manhattan art gallery owner River Hemsworth is preparing for a show when she’s informed her aunt has bequeathed her a local gallery in Pine Cone, a place where the idea of fashion is anything with a Carhartt label. En route to review inventory and unload the property quickly, River wrecks her car and Clay comes to her rescue.If River can convince Clay to start painting again, she may be able to pull off the show that will make her career and quench the desires she never expected to feel again.Cover Artist: Evelyn Braddock and Missouri VaunGenres: Contemporary / Romance

Tripping Arcadia


Kit Mayquist - 2022
    . . and all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide.Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job, any job, to help her parents, who are approaching bankruptcy after her father was injured and laid off nearly simultaneously. So when she is offered a position, against all odds, working for one of Boston’s most elite families, the illustrious and secretive Verdeaus, she knows she must accept it—no matter how bizarre the interview or how vague the job description. By day, she is assistant to the family doctor and his charge, Jonathan, the sickly, poetic, drunken heir to the family empire, who is as difficult as his illness is mysterious. By night, Lena discovers the more sinister side of the family, as she works overtime at their lavish parties, helping to hide their self-destructive tendencies . . . and trying not to fall for Jonathan’s alluring sister, Audrey. But when she stumbles upon the knowledge that the Verdeau patriarch is the one responsible for the ruin of her own family, Lena vows to get revenge—a poison-filled quest that leads her further into this hedonistic world than she ever bargained for, forcing her to decide how much—and who—she's willing to sacrifice for payback. The perfect next read for fans of Mexican Gothic, Tripping Arcadia is a page-turning and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today’s world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth.

Affinity


Sarah Waters - 1999
    Amongst Millbank’s murderers and common thieves, Margaret finds herself increasingly fascinated by an apparently innocent inmate, the enigmatic spiritualist Selina Dawes. Selina was imprisoned after a séance she was conducting went horribly awry, leaving an elderly matron dead and a young woman deeply disturbed. Although initially skeptical of Selina’s gifts, Margaret is soon drawn into a twilight world of ghosts and shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions, until she is at last driven to concoct a desperate plot to secure Selina’s freedom, and her own.

Heart's Tempo


C.L. Ryder - 2017
    She’s been single since college, and she just can’t admit to herself that she’s got a thing for women. That is, until she meets her at a client’s wedding. She’s impossibly gorgeous, she’s got a voice of gold, and she’s one of the most famous pop stars in the world. Passions under the spotlight… Winona Heart’s life has been a flurry of stage lights, five star hotel rooms and flashing cameras, never giving her a moment to pursue her true passions or show her real self to the world. She also desperately needs a change, to make a true connection that has been sorely missing in her heart. When she meets Lily, the beautiful stranger unaware of her celebrity status, the two hit it off in a way neither have felt before. Their desires must stay backstage… As the notes of their passion begin to perfectly harmonize, they must do everything they can to keep their relationship out of the public eye and away from Winona’s uptight and authoritarian stage mother. Can the two women keep their secret hidden, or will the curtain come crashing down on their love forever?

Last Car to Annwn Station


Michael Merriam - 2011
    Passing on an invite from Jill, her flirtatious coworker, Mae just wants a quiet night in. Leaving the office late, she's surprised to find the Heritage Line streetcars up and running and hops aboard, eager for a quick trip home.But this is no ordinary streetcar. Death is one of its riders, and Mae is thrust into Annwn, a realm of magic and danger. "Your transfer, miss. You'll need that." Mae's life is turned upside down as human and fae worlds collide. Her budding relationship with Jill takes a perilous turn when they are hunted by mythical beasts, and Mae is drawn into a deadly power struggle. With Jill at her side, Mae must straddle both worlds and fight a war she barely comprehends, for not only does the fate of Annwn rest in her hands, but the lives of both a human and fae child...81,000 words

I Remember


Julie Cannon - 2013
    Dana Worthington’s only plan is to improve her tan and have her passport stamped in every port. Adventure, anonymity, and the idea that they will never see each other again propel Emery and Dana into twenty-one days of pleasure. Neither woman has any idea their vacation will be one to remember in more ways than one. But the biggest discovery awaits them when they return home.

Throwaway Girls


Andrea Contos - 2020
    That's when she'll finally escape her rigid prep school and the parents who thought they could convert her to being straight.Until then, Caroline is keeping her head down, pretending to be the perfect student even though she is crushed by her family and heartbroken over the girlfriend who left for California.But when her best friend Madison disappears, Caroline feels compelled to get involved in the investigation. She has her own reasons not to trust the police, and she owes Madison — big time.Suddenly Caroline realizes how little she knew of what her friend was up to. Caroline has some uncomfortable secrets about the hours before Madison disappeared, but they're nothing compared to the secrets Madison has been hiding. And why does Mr. McCormack, their teacher, seem to know so much about them?It's only when Caroline discovers other missing girls that she begins to close in on the truth. Unlike Madison, the other girls are from the wrong side of the tracks. Unlike Madison's, their disappearances haven't received much attention. Caroline is determined to find out what happened to them and why no one seems to notice. But as every new discovery leads Caroline closer to the connection between these girls and Madison, she faces an unsettling truth.There's only one common denominator between the disappearances: Caroline herself.

The Other Woman


Ann O'Leary - 1999
    Yet, as too many lovers have discovered too late, though Joanna's bedroom door is always open, she keeps her wounded heart under lock and key.Knowing too well Joanna's "love 'em and leave 'em" reputation, beautiful Fiona Maddison is determined to keep their friendship platonic -- unless she can break through Joanna's impenetrable public persona. But as the sexual tension between them starts to smolder, Fiona's resolve starts to melt.Editor: Christine CassidyGenre: Romance

Close Enough to Touch


Cade Brogan - 2017
    She's murdered before and she'll do it again. She's intelligent, educated, and beautiful. At thirty-five, Rylee Hayes is a respected homicide detective. Her best friends are her grandparents, her coonhound, and her partner—in that order. She's about ready to give up on the idea of a relationship. She hasn't seen the love of her life, Kenzie Bigham, since college. At thirty-four, Kenzie Bigham is the single mom of a thirteen-year-old, a church secretary, and a woman who's struggled much of her adult life with her own sexuality. Their paths will cross when Rylee's new investigation involves members of Kenzie's congregation. They'll discover that the passage of time may have offered them a second chance at love—just as Joanna sights her next target. Will Rylee have what it takes to meet the challenge of a serial killer who's proven herself to be a more than worthy opponent?

Flight Risk


Kim Baldwin - 2007
    For Blayne Keller, being in the wrong place at the wrong time just might turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to her - once she stops running for her life.

Sharpshooter


Leslie Murray - 2014
    A vicious killer who will stop at nothing. Two women on the run for their very lives. After 9/11, an experimental branch of the U.S. government has been tasked with the mission of proactively putting a stop to terrorism. They have sent a team to eliminate a financier responsible for funding the worst of these organizations. Everything is going according to plan. Until it’s not. The team is ambushed, and when the mission is looking its darkest, it goes from bad to worse. Former Marine scout sniper Seven Michelis is a black ops sharpshooter now injured and on the run for her life. Peace Corps volunteer Dr. Jenny MacKenzie defies good sense and sets out to help a stranger in need. What she finds is something else entirely. From the rugged foothills of the Andes through the dense forests of the Amazon river basin, Seven and Jenny fight to survive the perils of being hunted through Bolivia by a killer hell bent on homicide. Who can they trust, and what fresh hell awaits them if and when they make it home? Will they survive long enough to explore their growing attraction? Words: 160,000

Making Time


C.J. Harte - 2014
    She has spent the last fifteen years trying to forget Teri Stanton. Just as she thinks her life is moving forward, Mia loses her lover and then must become her parents’ caretaker. She is still determined to make a life without Teri’s ghost haunting her.Teri Stanton has sold her soul to her family’s business. She’s tripled the net worth and made it a global company. One day she will be the CEO. That is all she cares about. Until Mia Daniels shows up and keeps telling her to go away. Mia is attractive and smart, and Teri is interested, but Mia has too many responsibilities for Teri to deal with.Mia may be Teri’s one chance to regain her soul back, but first she has to make time to prove to Mia she is worth the effort. Teri’s not sure if she can.