His large, calloused yet soft hand enveloped mine and I intertwined my fingers with his. I never quite got over how our hands looked when we held hands; it was like the Yin and Yang circle, although our hands are not perfectly black and white but there is a contrast.

    Breakups, makeups, drama in the halls, it’s all in a school day’s work. Jack is your all-American teenager experiencing the usual woes of his generation. Crazy parties, locker scenes, immaturity, and if that wasn’t enough, he’s got serious girl problems. It just so happens that Jack’s friend, Lidia, is having her own dating issues and the two of them come up with a plan to get back at their exes. Pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend and flaunt their incredible happiness to make their past loves jealous. The plan is brilliant and they put on the performance of their young lives. They have high hopes the ruse will be successful and they’ll be back with their original partners before too long. Things are going good for the new, happy couple. But over the course of the faux relationship, they discover each other's true personas and are drawn together despite the false pretenses. Their affection toward one another becomes something neither one expected; genuine. Growing in Love is a tender, coming-of-age story about forgiveness, loss of innocence; self-discovery; relationships of all kinds–including abusive–and teenage love and romance.

    But when his interfering siblings hire Molly Abbott, a successful food entrepreneur and his high-school sweetheart, he’s livid. The way their relationship ended wasn’t pretty. And although Molly never married, she’s the single mom of an eleven-year-old daughter conceived right about the time of the breakup. Molly’s ideas about farm-to-table, health-conscious Mexican food conflict with Javier’s strong sense of tradition, even as her joyous faith convicts him about his own lapse from the church of his youth. Can a reunion romance bring happiness to two lonely souls who never forgot each other… or will their relationship be derailed by the secrets they both carry in their hearts? Secrets of the Heart is Book Four of the Arcadia Valley Romance series. These inspirational Christian romances all take place in the same Idaho town, with characters you'll come to love and a farm-fresh, sustainable foods focus. Look for a new book each month, including more books about the Quintana Family and El Corazon.

    Each will take around an hour to read, perfect for those small bits of down-time when you need to de-stress around the hectic holiday season. In these pages you will find tales of second chances, holidays spent with family, and a dash of romance. Jade O'Reilly and the 12 Days of Christmas - Tamara Ward For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, the crankiest old biddy in Sweetwater wakes up to a yard filled with Christmas decorations. But in her opinion, “they’re not decorations; they’re property damage!” Will Jade catch the decorator before Christmas? Everything to Lose - by Natalie G. OwensFrom the suburbs of London to the old charm of Ascoli Piceno, Italy, follow the journey a broken couple must take to discover long-buried secrets that shattered their marriage. Wrong Way Wayne - by D.D. Larsen Look up loser in the dictionary and you’ll find Wayne—Wrong Way Wayne, to be exact. Is it Wayne’s destiny to always lose? And if so, can a loser win for losing? Mistletoe Mischief - Stacey Joy Netzel Christmas in July at the zoo is the last place single parents Eric Riley and Marissa Wilder expect to find love. Thanks to some mistletoe mischief in the form of their two young daughters and Santa, they discover mistletoe rules were not made to be broken. The Gift - Rhonda Hopkins When workaholic Robert Chalmer's wife leaves to take care of her sick mother for two weeks, he is left with all the responsibility... including his seven-year-old daughter. With Christmas fast approaching, Robert must find a way to reconnect with what is most important, or risk losing it forever. Snow Dance - Alicia & Roy Street. A divorced Broadway dancer moves to a small town to open up a vintage clothing shop. She wants solitude and anonymity, but instead finds herself involved with a troubled teenage girl, an elusive ghost, and a sexy local fisherman who makes her believe in second chances. A Gothic Christmas Angel - Anna Erishkigal Dumped by her boyfriend on Christmas Eve, Cassie Baruch thought her pain would end when she aimed her car at an ancient beech tree. But when a gorgeous black-winged angel appears and tells her ‘this ain’t no stinking paranormal romance, kid,’ she realizes death hasn’t solved her problems.

    After the death of his wife and child, Skip blames himself. He has given up his friends, his job, and even his home. Now, homeless, he survives on the mean streets of Albany. He knows it can't go on, that life must end. But will it?Come join him on his most unusual road to redemption. The salvation of one life...lies along this road.Let the healing from "The Santa Shop" begin.

    Taking care of her abusive brother is just one of the many things threatening to hold her back. When a man from her past comes back into her world, Molly realizes that her carefully constructed mess might quickly become unraveled.

    But putting responsibility before everything else left her empty. Now her goal in life is to finally have some fun, and she believes local musician Graham Jordan will provide just that. The problem? Graham doesn’t know she exists. Ever Anders is the lead singer of the hottest rock band in the country. He's supposed to be keeping a low profile while he pens lyrics for his band Toxicity's upcoming album, but his manager keeps rejecting everything he submits. Ashlyn is desperate to capture Graham's attention, and Ever will do anything for an outside ear to scrutinize his new songs. But when kisses stop being for show and refrains are inspired by emotions, Ashlyn and Ever risk losing everything they've worked so hard to achieve. The two may find themselves in each other, but can their love survive the scrutiny of the world?

    When Sheldon Tanner, the CEO of the company calls her to his office, she has no idea he is the ‘unnamed’ man with whom she had a one-night stand, six years ago. Will Sheldon remember Elizabeth? And if he does, will sparks fly again and ignite their path to a happily ever after?

    Not to mention to escape her cheating, lying fiancé, Daniel. No matter how she tries to put it, she is running from her problems. Running from heartache. Running from the betrayal. Running from a broken heart. Home seems to be the perfect place to run to. But things back home have changed. More specifically, the help has changed. The minute the two men from her past step through the door of her father’s study, Angel’s blood begins to boil with resentment and anger. But also with buried desire. The two men in front of her are reminders of the past and the timid girl she’d once been in high school. It is becoming painfully clear that Jasper and Court aren’t going anywhere soon, which means Angel is going to have to play nice. Nice! Nice is not something the two of them bring out in her. They are dangerous and all too tempting. Will Angel give in to her desires for Court and Jasper? Or do they remind her of too much pain, both old and new?

    She has everything she wants: a successful career, the ability to make sure she is as far away from her parents as possible, and an almost equally successful boyfriend. One phone call from a dear friend brings her back to the States, to her old neighborhood where she comes face to face with her childhood crush, Christopher Hunter. And one look into his eyes brings back all the memories and feelings she thought she had long forgotten. Feelings she shouldn’t have.

    She digs deep for the strength to overcome her anxiety and see where this new dream will take them. Unfortunately, her anxiety isn’t the only threat to their happily-ever-after. Saved by the Movie Star If only their chemistry turned off when the cameras did.Veronica Pantoni can't possibly act in another movie with Chris Sanderson when all the world thinks she's the reason for his breakup with his A-list actress girlfriend. But how can she pass up the opportunity to star in her dream movie? And how can they continue to deny their growing feelings when touching and kissing are part of the script? If only love was the biggest danger chasing them. Saved by the Billionaire Protecting her got complicated Kara was determine to hide the existence of her baby from her criminal ex-husband, but some secrets are impossible to keep. Desperate to protect her son, she calls the one man she's always trusted. Warren responds by marrying her and sailing away with her and her infant son on his private yacht to keep them safe. But this marriage of convenience will only work if they can keep their emotions under control and a yacht is the worst place to keep your distance.  Saved by the Prince His life was not his own, but he would risk it to save hers. Falling for Prince Alexios had doomed Serenity to heartbreak because his duty and his future belonged to his people. When he asks her to design a wedding dress for his future princess, she desperately wants to refuse. But the nightmare from her past has returned—looking for revenge—and a royal palace in a little-known country on the other side of the ocean is the perfect place to hide. As vulnerable as their hearts may be, Alexios is determined to keep her safe from the danger that haunts her—no matter what it may cost. A collection of four sweet romance novellas with the perfect addition of thrilling suspense. Starting reading today!

    Not that she cares, though. This holiday season, like all the ones before it, she plans to spend curled up with her laptop, visions of pound signs dancing through her head. When a blizzard traps Janna in the country with handsome Alistair Randall, CEO of the UK's biggest Christmas tree supplier, Janna must either embrace the holiday spirit or risk losing her PR firm's biggest client. Can Janna muster up some Christmas cheer, or will her bah humbug attitude cost her dearly?

    Things are going according to planned until one day she gets the shock of her life. Jamie decides to confront her worst nightmare head on and live in the moment. A few weeks later Jamie finds herself aboard a luxury cruise ship deep on the Pacific Ocean. While on the journey Jamie discovers herself giving in to her inhibitions, as she longs to live, love and laugh again.

    Frankly, she didn’t even believe that any such emotion existed. After all, she had gotten along just fine all on her own for twenty some years. She certainly didn’t need some obnoxious, over inflated, egotistical man coming into her world and turning it upside down. “Mike,” thought entirely too highly of himself, and Jane was one woman that would not fall at his feet just because he was a prince (and probably the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life). His strong broad shoulders and dark brown hair or his midnight blue eyes did nothing for her, nor did his whiskey-smooth accent send messages of warning to her female parts. But most of all, Jane Smith was a big ole liar. Prince Mikal SuMartra had no idea why the small blonde on stage attracted him. Her figure was quite slim, which made other parts of her full lush body all the more tempting. The conflicting glimpses from the saucy siren with blushing innocence intrigued him. The way she reacted to his touch, he knew that a night in her arms would be pleasure-filled for both of them. Her blatant refusal only made him more determined than ever to have her. Mikal couldn’t wait to peel away the many faces of Jane to uncover the true jewel beneath. This over 15 thousand word novella is the complete story of Jane and Mikal as they struggle to find their way to the beginning of their happy ever after.

    One last fight, one more tragedy, one final lie, and the relationship is over. The novella One Last Night, explores the relationships that shaped both Ty and Jenna and made them who they are at the moment they meet in the hallway of their Texas apartment building. Ty and Hailey have been together since their senior year in high school. Their last night together is at a surprise going-away party for Ty as he leaves for Texas the very next day. Ty’s love and loyalty are challenged when Hailey goes back on a promise—resulting in a night that neither of them bargained for. Jenna thinks she’s found her true love in college football-player Jake. A whirlwind summer has been spent playing ball and playing house and Jenna thinks Jake is ready to pop the big question any day now. When Jenna arrives home unexpectedly, her solid world is shattered and she’s forced to confront a relationship full of lies. The prequel to the novel One True Thing, One Last Night takes you on a journey as two relationships end and one might just begin.