A popular artist suddenly goes into seclusion; a reluctant reporter wants to know why; and a heart locked away yearns to be set free.Sometimes the greatest test of love is the willingness to take a chance when there are no guarantees.At the peak of her career, painter Cori Saxton's life changes irrevocably. With her future suddenly uncertain, she seeks refuge at her country home in Upstate New York where she successfully manages to shut out most of the world—until journalist Bennett McClain is assigned to get the story. Soon Cori has to remind herself that the charming reporter is simply there to do a job, even though something about the woman makes her want to reveal all her carefully guarded secrets. When Bennett accepted the assignment, she didn't expect to find Cori so attractive, on so many levels. Cori's intensity and energy are more appealing than down-to-earth Bennett cares to admit. But when Bennett discovers the truth behind Cori's seclusion, she is torn between a desire to soothe away Cori's pain and the instinct to flee that is born of her own painful past.

    Shannon’s niece Amanda, with friends Claire and Jordan, will soon be witnesses to the forthcoming nuptials. Together, they’re a party of five intent on having an unforgettable week in Las Vegas.Though far from home, none of them can outrun the pasts that have shaped their lives so far. The brides each harbor a secret that could bankrupt their wedding dreams. Jordan, the self-avowed eternal bachelor, finds herself in an unexpected high stakes game of love. Claire, a doctor still grieving the loss of her long-time partner, hits a jackpot she isn’t sure she wants. And Amanda, carrying a secret of her own, decides to gamble it all on love.It’s a dizzying, exhilarating week of discovery, passion and surprises, and no one knows where the spinning wheel will stop.The stakes are high, the risks life changing and the pay offs beyond measure in this latest romantic tour de force from Tracey Richardson.

    They've been through everything together, always finding comfort and solace in their enduring friendship. After living apart for years, they're now following their lifelong dream of opening their own flower shop together. Life has never been better. The last time Jody met Denise's daughter, Ellen was nothing more than a seventeen-year-old whiney, spoiled brat. So when Denise announces that the now twenty-six-year-old Ellen is returning home with a broken heart, Jody can't help feeling a total lack of sympathy for the younger woman. But then Denise tells Jody that Ellen has confided that she's a lesbian…and who better than Jody to take Ellen under her wing and show her the lesbian life in San Antonio? Jody cannot believe that the once spoiled child has grown into such a kind and exquisite woman. She and Ellen find their attraction for each other overwhelming…but can they confront and overcome all of the challenges that lay ahead? Not only is Denise furious about their new relationship, but Ellen's ex-lover has come to town to try to win her back…and then there's something even more devastating that could threaten to tear all of them apart forever

    She had everything—fame, endorsements, and any woman she wanted. All was good until a tragic accident put everything in perspective. Tyler was forced to do some serious soul searching, and she was never forced to do anything.RN Rachel Whitaker was no stranger to disastrous circumstances. She left England because of them, hoping to hide in obscurity behind the stone wall she had quietly constructed brick by brick, but taking care of the convalescing arrogant skier was not helping.They annoy each other, help each other, and fight each other on a daily basis and hopefully, find love—before they kill each other.

    You name it and Adrian Edwards is there, prowling like the fiercest of hunters, focused on a perpetual search for that ever elusive four letter word called ‘love.’ From woman to woman she goes, relentless in her pursuit. Tamara, her best friend since high school, is always there to lend an ear or to roll her eyes as Adrian once again casts aside another woman, ticking off all the things that were ‘wrong’ about her. So used to the game, Tamara gives her gifts for the ‘hunt’ like safari hats, compasses and old fashioned looking glasses. Only problem is, they don’t seem to help.Searching as if truly blindfolded, Adrian continues on her quest, going from a young, troubled go-go dancer, to an obsessive mail carrier, to a tweaked out tomboy, to a lusciously aggressive accountant with way more than numbers on her mind.Until one day Adrian realizes she has to learn to be with the person she’s been resisting all along. Herself. It is while on this inner journey that a special someone truly steps into view and shakes up her world for good, proving once and for all that love is never elusive… as long as you love yourself.Chasing Love is a heartfelt journey, one full of humor, sex, startling frankness, gripping reality and hard learned life lessons.

    Laurel Hoffman, an associate professor of women's studies in Berkeley, struggles to stay on track for tenure while caught up in the last throes of a crumbling relationship with a senior colleague. When she hears of a hotel being renovated and a secret room full of papers about women who once stayed there, she knows she has a potential career-saving article. Stefanie Beresford, the hotel owner, is not exactly receptive when Laurel approaches her about researching the hotel’s history, but that doesn't stop her from flirting with the alluring academic. She doesn't need the distraction, but for the first time in her life she wants to take a chance on more than a fleeting encounter. While Laurel can't deny her powerful feelings for Stefanie, she fears she's risking her heart as well as her future if she acts on her desires. But can a simple encounter between two rational adults really be all that dangerous?

    But when she meets Lane Connor - herself struggling with a broken heart - she realises that there may be a chance for true happiness after all.

    The death of her older brother, and her parents’ denial, have left her shaken and grateful her simple needs are being met. She’s not looking for the future—today is all she needs.It’s the last summer Emily MacKenzie will get to spend hanging out with friends, soaking up the sun and checking out the women on Seattle’s sporting fields. Come fall, she’s an assistant soccer coach with responsibilities. She’s planning on making every day of summer count.When their paths cross, Emily is surprised Sam remembers her. Years ago, they played soccer on the same high school team, only Sam was the star and Emily the new kid. Their youthful camaraderie had been simple, but under the warm Seattle sun, simple is the last word that describes their feelings.In this rich story of long days and hot nights, newcomer Kate Christie follows the collision course of two women during the summer that changes their lives.

    Just fired from her job and besieged by hysterical phone calls from her mother, Shelby Pratt has locked her keys in the car, capping off the lousy week that began with her grandmother breaking her hip. Collapsing in tears on the curb, she’s infuriated when Gwen Lawford, one of the women who just got her fired, stops to offer help.Gwen, director of a small museum on an abandoned military base on San Francisco Bay, has troubles of her own. She’s working desperately against time and the City Council to save the museum from redevelopment. To her surprise, Shelby holds the keys to a mysterious WWII-era love affair between a Rosie-the-Riveter shipyard worker and a Navy WAVES recruit.Their investigations quickly move beyond mere academic curiosity. Secrets, old and new, threaten their future happiness—and it may already be too late.Golden Crown Literary Award winner Robbi McCoy offers a fascinating look at the history of the San Francisco Bay in this story of impossible love, female courage and the resilience of the human heart.

    In this tumultuous time, factory worker Virginia Chisholm hopes for more, but her dreams go up in smoke when a tenement blaze rips her family apart. Aided by Lindsay Killian, the street-wise, rail-riding drifter she meets in a charity hospital, Ginny follows the orphan train that has taken her siblings west. The desperate quest to reunite her family takes the young women from the slums of New York City to the farms of West Virginia and the bustling frontier beyond. This harrowing journey moves Ginny and Lindsay from one mishap and adventure to another. It also leads them from friendship to a tender and unexpected romance.

    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

    It turns out that Brooklyn York is extraordinary. Yes, she has to be at work at 6 am, still…when you have to pay a perfect stranger very good money to be a human alarm clock it might be time to reassess. But Brooklyn isn't the most introspective person in town. She's much better at aiming pointed barbs at politicians and celebrities during her mornings on talk radio and her evenings on the college lecturecircuit.Kiri Klein rides to the rescue. She's very adept at helping celebs stay out of jail and rehab. Actually, Brooklyn is the easiest client she's ever worked with. The only problem is how to keep things strictly professional. Brooklyn is charming, generous and kind and Kiri begins to lose the battle. Maybe theycould have sex but keep it casual. That wouldn't be hard, would it? Well, would it?

    After a full weekend of celebrating her birthday, she goes to work thinking it will be just another typical workday. That thought comes to a crashing halt when she flips the “Closed” sign to “Open” and finds an elderly mustachioed man standing at the door.Gordon LeVitt, Attorney at Law drops a bombshell that will flip Cassie’s life upside down. The man that she believed to be her father for the last thirty-three years is not really her father, and her recently deceased biological father Collin Masterson has named her as an heir in his Last Will and Testament. The catch: Her presence is required at the reading.Cassie heads to Masterson, West Virginia and has a blow-out that sends her car careening off the side of the road. With her heart racing in her chest, she is relieved when the most gorgeous creature she’s ever seen stops to help and then Cassie does something she has never done in her life—make mad passionate love with a complete stranger named Eelyn M. Carmichael who has agreed to drop Cassie off for her appointment.After Mr. LeVitt’s introductions, Cassie gets an even bigger shock when Eelyn comes strolling into the room and takes a seat next to Lenora, her father’s widow. Feeling sick to her stomach and thinking her world is crashing down, Cassie does the only thing she can—she runs with no intention of looking back. The one thing Cassie forgets is that things are seldom what they seem and Eelyn M. Carmichael has already made up her mind that Cassie Reynolds is not going to be the one who got away because some things that happen in the now, can and do last forever.

    When she meets Dylan Mahoney, however, the rules go out the window. During Rebecca's rumspringa—the four-year period during which Amish teenagers decide whether to join the church or leave it for the outside world—Dylan, a film buff and aspiring movie critic, shows Rebecca a world she never dreamed of. The pair make plans to spend the rest of their lives together until a rift forms between their families and forces them to part ways. After much soul-searching, Rebecca decides familial loyalty is more important than her own happiness. But when Dylan develops feelings for another woman, Rebecca's loyalty is put to the test.Love or tradition? Which path will she choose?

    But she does just that. The urban comforts of New York quickly seem light years away when her journey is hampered by cars that won’t start, locks that won’t turn and a strange dog that has decided that Libby would be the perfect owner.Quinn Barnett is in no mood for damsels in distress. Her reasons for partaking of New England’s fall colors are deeply personal and painful. She’s promised to do one thing on this trip, and falling in love isn’t it. Once her mission is accomplished she’s moving on—if only she can start some cars, unlock some doors and get that bothersome stray to leave her alone. The golden shores of a beautiful New England lake and the glory of October’s sunsets should create the perfect stage for falling in love, unless two stubborn women decide to keep the wrong promises.Bella Books proudly presents this refreshing, new voice in lesbian romance! Marianne Garver’s charming first novel features an unforgettable Cupid in a setting readers will wish they could find on a map. Editor: Katherine V. ForrestCover Designer: Linda CallaghanGenre: RomanceWinner, Golden Crown Literary Award.