Now, years later, Amy returns to Little Dip, the Garoul home valley to help her aunt finish a botanical project. Except Little Dip is no longer the happy place of Amy’s childhood memories. There’s something sinister in the woods. And why hasn’t Leone moved on? Why does she still dog Amy’s every move? As more and more of the Garoul family arrive for a special hunting weekend, parts of the puzzle come together and Amy’s fears escalate as she moves closer to the truth—and the secret that has eluded her since childhood.

    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

    After having overcome a very emotionally trying childhood and young adulthood, Leigh finally managed to escape the harsh words of an emotionally abusive father, the estrangement of a family that refused to accept her lifestyle, and the horribly oppressive nature of the small, Midwest town she had always called home. Not to mention the memories of a brief, yet powerful love affair with a woman almost twice her age who not only became Leigh’s first and truest love, but who also became the source of her deepest heartbreak, and ultimately, changed her life. Twelve years after her tragic parting with Beth Layton, the older woman who had managed to steal Leigh’s heart as a teen, Leigh is living the high life over a thousand miles from her hometown in one of the largest cities in the U.S. Making a six-figure salary working for a publishing company, having just received a major publishing contract for her manuscript Fracture, having earned a reputation as one of the hottest lesbian commodities in the city, and with the love and respect of Jared Patel, the most incredible friend she could have ever hoped for, Leigh couldn’t ask for a happier, healthier, more successful life.That is, until the mass publication of and media attention surrounding her semi-autobiographical novel, Fracture, swiftly forces open the dusty doors to her complex past, and her long lost, but far from forgotten love, Beth, shows up in the city that Leigh now calls home, looking to rekindle a twelve-year-old flame. Will Leigh be consumed by the desires of her heart or by the fear of the heartbreak that dances in her memories?

    A horrific accident brings them together, but will the truth end up tearing them apart?

    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?

    Growing up in suburbia and attending an Ivy league school, Riley had always done exactly what she was supposed to do, including making an appearance on an impromptu blind date that would turn out far differently than she ever could have imagined. Suzie Jacobs had never needed anyone in her life, had never wanted anyone to stay in her life. She had put herself through college and opened a successful business, all on her own. As beautiful as she was carefree, Suzie Jacobs didn't answer to anyone but herself. That is, until she met Riley. When the two woman meet unexpectedly, their lives are thrown upside down, and both are led to question everything they have ever believed in.

    Free spirit Abby Hayes is flying into New York City to visit her mother before jetting off again. Both end up in Gander, Canada, when their flight is diverted because of 9/11. For ninety-six hours they share a rollercoaster of emotions and find themselves drawn to one another. Will their nascent connection survive everyday life when they return home?

    What she had not planned on was a trip…at gunpoint when her father dropped a bombshell in her lap…at his own funeral. Dr. Blair Whittington went to Peru in search of ancient artifacts. What she discovered was the illegal antiquities trade in which she had unwittingly become embroiled. Betrayed by Nicolas Grant, Blair must rely on his estranged daughter, the key to her freedom.Trapped in Peru, playing a game that neither woman ever dreamed she’d play leads them to discover the most ancient artifact of all—love.

    How perfectly romantic!When Dana meets Ellen she’s not entirely honest because she doesn’t want to look foolish. If she explained that she’s wingman to her BFF Trudy, who is trying to pick up men at an AA meeting, then Ellen would quite reasonably want to back away, slowly.The only way to see Ellen again is to keep going to the meetings and try really hard not to dig herself a deeper hole. But on the day Dana was born the good Lord was handing out shovels and whichever idiot said the course of true love was easy, well, they flat-out lied.If love wasn’t funny there’d be no way we’d survive it. Join Goldie winner Layce Gardner for A Perfect Romance.

    When he is rescued at last from the Venezuelan jungle, he is physically and psychologically shattered, but he slowly begins to rebuild the life he should have had before an innocent kiss sent him into hell. His childhood best friend David has lived those years with overwhelming guilt and grief. Every relationship David has tried has fallen apart because of his feelings for a boy he thought dead. When Zach is rescued, David is overjoyed--and then crushed when Zach shuts him out. Two years later, David returns home, and he and Zach must come to terms with the rift between them, what they feel for each other, and what their future could hold. But Zach has secrets, and one of them might well destroy their fragile love.

    Tully Stephens wants only to survive her sophomore year. They soon realize how desperately they want each other, but that’s easier said than done.Tulley is a nineteen-year-old new initiate in the Gamma Alpha Epsilon sorority who has never loved a woman. Sue is the twenty-six-year-old resident adviser who jumps from bed to bed. Tulley is discovering her true self while Sue wants to discover more about the sexy young butch who’s invading her fantasies.A sorority house is never the ideal location for keeping a secret, especially when the secret is a blossoming affair. Can their love withstand the strain of the concealment? Will their time together always consist of stolen moments? Or will they complete their Initiation of Desire?

    Devastated by the death of her longtime lover, Connor Hawthorne, a best-selling mystery novelist and former district attorney, is determined to bring her murderer to justice. Yet when the mystery is solved -- almost too easily -- she vows to put the experience behind her and rebuild her life. But someone is determined to make sure she doesn't. While vacationing in the Southwest, Connor finds herself running for her life across the high desert, aided by a beautiful Navajo guide. As the murderer draws closer, they must unravel the web of treachery, some of which lies in Connor's own past, to save their lives and prevent the discovery of a powerful secret someone is willing to kill for. Expertly weaving diverse elements of political intrigue, mystery, and Native American folklore, Lauren Maddison has crafted a tense, riveting thriller while exploring ancient mysteries and secrets.

    Cori is a student at the University of Guadalajara. One fateful afternoon their lives will come together under a flurry of gun fire. Questioning the lies around them, they will soon learn that they can not live without each other. On the run from an unknown enemy, they must learn to trust each other, and to believe they'll make it out alive.

    Yet when she meets the beautiful blond poet, Amber Reed, that's exactly what happens. But Meagan finds her relationship with Amber is fraught with just as many anxieties and frustrations as her previous relationships. She struggles to come to terms with her newfound attraction to Amber as she juggles work, familial expectations, and her own guilt and insecurity.At times it seems the only solace she can find is in the cherished moonstone ring her beloved grandmother bestowed upon her before she died, along with some sage advice Meagan is just now beginning to understand. Yet soon Meagan discovers she can’t be the person Amber needs her to be, and when their relationship comes to a dramatic end, Meagan finds herself fleeing to London in an attempt to put the pieces of her life back together. Just when she finally figures out how to make things right, a tragic accident occurs, threatening to undo everything and everyone around her.

    When her path crosses that of Jill Allen, the passion they’d shared before Caroline’s career had skyrocketed still seems to burn hot for both of them.But Jill remembers all too well being a distant second in Caroline’s list of passions. How can she trust that Caroline will be content in her new life and they can build something that will last?Romance sizzles in this sumptuous story of music and a secret that can tear two women apart.Genre:RomanceEditor: Katherine V. ForrestCover Designer: Kiaro Creative