They are charged with ridding the world of Evil, fighting to keep the ever-changing balance between the nefarious and virtuous. In doing this, Fal prefers solitude, but it leaves her frigid and more than difficult to approach. Just as well. She’s not much of a social butterfly, anyway. Due to demons from her past, Fal has refused to allow any emotion other than rage consume her, turning her into a destructive monster as self-defense. Getting too close and comfortable with anyone could get them killed, and Fal will not let that happen. Not again. On one mission, Fal finds herself in a Seattle club, waiting out her next target. Nina, a sapphire-eyed, poetic spitfire, catches her attention from across the bar and Fal is caught off guard by the kind smile Nina sends her way. No one smiles that way at an assassin. After an incident involving Fal saving Nina’s life, they become connected on a level neither of them understands. But, this connection is forbidden in the assassin lifestyle and punishable by death. Hunted by her demons and haunted by her past, Fal must discover what she values most, and if she’s willing to risk her life—and Nina’s—to get it.

    With its circulation dwindling, Genevieve is desperate for a good story. When she hears about a reclusive mountain woman, she realizes her chance.Graham Sheridan needs her seclusion for a multitude of reasons, none of which she wants to impart on the intrusive, tenacious reporter.Was it fate that bought them together or something otherworldly?

    She thought she had it all - until her lover threw her out for a younger woman. Now Sarah is hunting for a new place to live. A place where she can start over. When she finds the perfect house, she has no idea she is about to meet the woman of her dreams. Kristen fell off a ladder while remodeling her Victorian house and died instantly. She had a lot of unfinished business in life and is destined to roam the rooms of her house, all alone. When Sarah moves in, Kristen is overjoyed for the company. She has been lonely far too long. However, the last thing she expects is to fall in love. This is a romantic journey of two star-crossed lovers—one woman in the physical world, the other woman in the spiritual world. Can they overcome the great divide to find true love in each other’s arms?

    After thirty-seven years of heartache, Hannah Bradshaw has every reason to be cynical about love—except she’s not, which turns out to be a real problem when she meets Charlie on an alleged blind date.Just out of a relationship, love is the furthest thing from Charlie Meyer’s mind, although she is open to the idea of having one night of fun with the beautiful stranger she’s been set up to meet on the evening of her birthday.What starts off as a casual arrangement between Charlie and Hannah quickly becomes complicated as their feelings for one another begin to grow because Charlie isn’t ready for anything serious, but Hannah’s been waiting for someone like Charlie all her life.If two people who are right for each other fall in love at the wrong time, do they stand a chance?

    She came to me at a time in my life that I needed her most. Having just started her freshman year at college, Natasha Blake has a lot of issues to deal with. She’s a bit of a geek, an outcast, a ball of nerves. Oh, and she’s got this feeling mounting deep inside of her — a feeling that’s been there for a lot longer than she might let on — that maybe, just maybe, she prefers girls over boys. Okay, no maybes about it… but that still doesn’t make it easy to accept who she is, having come from a somewhat conservative Irish Catholic family life. Why did it have to be so hard? Enter Hosannah. Bright, funny, really pretty, a junior living in Natasha’s dorm. Hosannah was like a liberated version of Natasha, a girl who knew who she was and what she wanted. But having been burned in the past, Hosannah had no time for girls who couldn’t admit their personal truths. Natasha knew that Hosannah could help her come out of her shell, but would she be able to take the first step alone? Can this college romance blossom into a wonderful coming out for Natasha? Or will Hosannah’s patience for her uncertainty run thin? Coming-of-age indecision peppered with a dash of anxiety can really throw a girl for a loop. Lucky for Natasha the answer lives just two floors up.

    Moving to big, bustling New York City from rural Georgia is already exciting enough for country wolf Riley Evans, but it becomes downright exhilarating when she spots a beautiful woman in a yellow dress on her morning commute. The only problem is, she has no idea what to say to city girls…especially one that happens to be a vampire.Words: 10,770

    Her ex is a nightmare and her boss is a pervert, the last thing she needs is her budding friendship with fellow single-mom Rhia throwing her entire life into confusion.But as their ten-year-old daughters Teagan and Piper spend more and more time with each other, Rhia and Sabrina become close. Rhia thinks she’s deluding herself by lusting after a straight woman, and Sabrina has never considered herself to be anything but straight before.

    A chance encounter with a surprising lookalike leads her towards a risky solution. Captain Caroline West knows she is lucky to be one of the few women cruise ship captains in the world. Sadly, not having a standard nine to five job means relationships are nearly impossible and she's all but given up on finding anyone. Join these two women for an all-expenses-paid cruise of the Mediterranean and find out what happens when an identity thief with a heart of gold meets the rule-abiding woman who could throw her in jail.

    Upon the distant shore prowls an ancient sea god kept captive by a generations-old spell, a spell that Meriel alone must protect.Meriel's life has been lonely and unchanging--until the arrival of Nor. Nor's shape is that of a woman, but her heart belongs to the sea. Even though Nor is also held captive by Meriel's spell, she shows kindness to the isolated witch. Nor sparks a passion within Meriel, defying every law that binds them both.This award-winning short story ("The Witch Sea" won first place in the "Kissed by Venus" Fresh Voices short story competition) is a dark fantasy tale of love, loss and the price of freedom.

    Angel’s memory loss cover story? Lame. Robbing a passing ruffian of his shirt to cover her naked body? NOT a good way to avoid attracting attention! As a science fiction geek, Kim felt herself uniquely qualified to watch Angel and thwart her dark mission…once the alien got around to it. But Angel had her own questions. She couldn’t help but wonder, why would Kim invite a stranger home? Surely, it could only be for romance! Kim didn’t dare correct her, not without giving herself away, and so both found themselves in an escalating romantic relationship neither actually wanted. Is it possible lies and deception could lead to true love? Could projected feelings designed to fool the other become genuine? “A Date with Angel is a romantic escalation comedy full of misinterpretations, grand theories, and devious, romantic traps ... and a suspected alien woman doing her best to meet a sci-fi paranoiac's expectations."

    Lead Me Into Darkness is a compilation of original tales of queer paranormal romance by five of the hottest authors of contemporary romance.Take You Farther by Santino HassellBrian Watts' boyfriend is a newly turned vampire, and he's shouldering the blame. Watts would do anything--including offering up a vein, stripping for cash, and demanding answers from other creatures of the night--to redeem himself and save the man he loves.Memory Hill by J.C. LillisBilly Hartigan's been dead for ten years, and it's really pissing him off. Stuck in Memory Hill Cemetery due to "unfinished business," he fritters away the long days playing monster movies in his head, reliving the glory days of his indie band, and mourning his missed chance at love with his best friend. Then one Halloween he gets a visit from troubled teen geek Todd Racklin, the last living fan of Billy's old band. Todd needs some beyond-the-grave help from his idol--and his visits might hold the key to Billy's release from Memory Hill.Grave Circumstances by J.R. GraySecret agendas collide with guns, ghosts and confusing erections, on a tour through a haunted graveyard. Jesse's been carrying a secret and needs a night alone with George. But George has his own agenda, leading Jesse into darkness, the fright of his life, and a blinding release he won't soon forget.Boyfriends in the Boneyard by Kris RipperIn a perfect world, Truman Jennings would be spending Halloween with both his husband and his boyfriend; alas, in this one he's on a ghost tour with his husband, and his boyfriend is probably watching scary movies and eating pizza rolls.The cemetery is appropriately creepy, their tour guide weaves a good yarn, and Hugh's in a very odd (but utterly delightful) mood. When Hugh leads him away from the group Truman doesn't know what to think, but considering his husband's filthy, kinky mind, he's more than willing to find out.As usual, Hugh has both tricks and treats up his sleeve.Mayfair by Roan ParrishJocelyn has been secretly in love with her best friend Bethany for a year. And it's hell. But there are other things—dark, creeping, illusory things—that are tormenting Jocelyn even more. They've been appearing more and more lately and Jocelyn is starting to doubt her sanity. But a Devil's Night ritual in a Detroit cemetery may reveal more than she ever imagined…

    Becoming a vampire complicates things. So does a bizarre mentor, a group of vampire hunters, and an unexpected, new attraction for his openly gay best friend, Connor. An occasional uncontrollable hunger for blood might be the least of his worries.

    One sleeping bag and a storm that leaves them without power will set into motion a few events that have been waiting to occur.

    And then there’s the truth. Divorce is rarely pretty and never fair. When successful divorce solicitors Harper Anderson and Dylan Blue find themselves on opposing sides of a bitter separation, they become uncontrollably consumed by more than just the case… Dylan is fiercely ambitious, Harper a crusader for justice, so when the adversaries lock horns in professional combat, the tension is overwhelming. Harper hates Dylan’s ruthlessness, Dylan is repulsed by Harper’s ‘bleeding heart liberalism’. As they both battle for their clients’ interests, they find themselves at once repelled and strangely attracted to one another. It is a case which will divide, infuriate and ultimately unite the two women, who find a deep love and understanding in the ashes of their clients’ broken relationship.

    An unexpected gift bestowed on long-distance hikers. Raven is two years cancer-free on the day she arrives on the Appalachian Trail, ready to prove to the world that she’s more than just a breast cancer survivor. She’s still Raven, and she’s strong enough to tackle the 2,000-mile journey. Kit shows up with nothing but a hastily-packed bag and a new pair of hiking boots. When her boss and her girlfriend dump her on the same day, she decides now is as good a time as any to tick the AT off her bucket list. Trail magic brings Kit and Raven together on the mountain. Raven needs a friend and Kit needs an experienced hiker to guide her. They share meals, fireside stories, old wounds and new dreams… and a one-man tent in the wilderness. But can they bring that magic with them off the mountain?