Publication Day – Page 43

Happy Publication Day – 18 January 2024

Just Do It By Maxine Morrey

Lizzie Rose knows what she likes and likes what she knows.

Her role at the London Museum is more than a job, it’s her safe place and her passion. So when Lizzie is passed over for a chance in a lifetime opportunity in favour of her ex-boyfriend and fellow Egypt nerd Friedrich Klein, her heartbreak over their relationship pales into insignificance compared to her sadness at losing the project.

Best friend Colette thinks an evening of cocktails is just the medicine for a broken heart, and meeting dashing, charming, but very much ‘not her type’ Finn Bryson at the bar puts a smile on Lizzie’s face too. But Lizzie isn’t used to spending time outside of her comfortable world of academia and doesn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure. So when Finn’s job brings him to the museum, she’s determined to put an end to any notion of romance between them.

But what if Lizzie’s comfort zone isn’t that comfortable any more? Is it time for Lizzie to take the chance on love that fate keeps bringing her way – even if it means changing the habits of a lifetime?

Stand Up Guy By Nina Kaye

Dumped by Instagram post. Not a whiff of a social life. Can it get any worse?

After a string of failed relationships – romantic and platonic – Lea’s had enough of watching life happen without her. When she bumps into Shep, a comedian at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in need of accommodation, it feels like destiny. And voilá – Lea now has a lodger and some company.

The two get on like a flat on fire, and Lea can’t resist falling for outgoing Shep. But she knows it’s a mistake that will cost her heart – he’s just another guy passing through, after all. And with Shep’s stand up routine edging him closer to his big break, there’s no way he’ll stick around.

Love is no laughing matter as the Fringe draws to a close. Can Lea find the confidence to step up and confess her feelings to Shep? Will he want to stay?

Exposed By Leslie North

Undercover desire…

On leave while recovering from a bullet wound, Navy SEAL Eric Harvey is going stir-crazy. So when a buddy asks him to help his journalist sister go undercover to expose crimes at a couples retreat, Eric is all in. But he’s about to get more excitement than he bargained for. Beth, the journalist, is smoking hot and completely irresistible.

Beth Williams is desperate. She needs a fake husband fast. She’ll even take Eric, a Navy SEAL like her big brother. But she won’t allow anything to come between her and her career… Not even the smoldering attraction growing between her and Eric.

Right from the start, it’s clear that something is very wrong at this resort. As the danger mounts, Eric realizes that both his life and his heart are at risk. Beth has made it clear that when she’s done with her story, she’ll be done with Eric too.

Happy Publication Day – 14 January 2024

Hesi – Dating By Zoe Forward

I warn all my dates: Don’t fall for me.
I’m good for a date or two of no-strings fun, but then I’m a ghost.

Until the sheriff. He saves me from a jerky ex-date. Now I owe him a favor. Almost a decade older than me, funny, and insanely attractive, my chemistry with Seth is off the charts. His post-divorce hurt makes me want to heal his wounded soul. For the first time in ever, I say no. He doesn’t deserve my heartbreaking ways. I tell myself I must walk away since me dating law enforcement is a no-can-do. I’m not a felon, but I do have connections from my past that make it dangerous. If I’m truthful, it’s self-preservation. Seth threatens to awaken the desiccated organ inside my chest.

Then he needs a favor.
Calling in favors becomes our not-dating game.

I should have stopped helping him. I should have left well enough alone. But I just couldn’t resist. I have a connection to this guy. One that has me acting irrationally. One that snags the attention of the gang leader I wished would leave me alone.

I want to nurture our burgeoning spark, but I must protect us from the deadly dangers of my past.

Happy Publication Day – 11 January 2024

An Enchanted Moment On Ever After Street By Jaimie Admans

A tale as old as time…

Since her mum’s death, Marnie Platt has shut herself away from everyone who cares about her. Worse, her beloved bookshop on Ever After Street is suffering too. With sales down and the shop’s garden falling into disrepair, Marnie risks losing the very last thing she loves. Until a chance encounter with her surly and reclusive neighbour….

Dark and brooding, Darcy O’Connell likes to keep himself to himself. But when he hears Marnie needs help, he can’t turn his back on her. Soon they are spending most evenings together in her enchanted garden and a friendship starts to bloom…

With the help of old and new friends on Ever After Street, Marnie’s bookshop begins to thrive again, and with Darcy’s kindness, she starts to get her sparkle back too. She just can’t understand why Darcy continues to shut himself away – especially from her. Can she convince him it isn’t too late to embrace life, and maybe love, again?

The Allotment On Willow Tree Lane By Lilac Mills

When a local meadow is turned into a bee-friendly allotment, will romance also blossom?

New teacher Ceri has enough on her plate trying to keep her class in line and get them excited for her Foxmore wildlife efforts. Then she meets the mysterious – and occasionally grumpy – Damon, whose orchard she’d like to explore.

Rock star Damon has moved to Foxmore to escape the hounding paparazzi following the tragic death of his bandmate. Relocating to somewhere quiet and isolated is just what he needs to recover. Ceri is a ray of sunshine, but he’s not ready to share his dark secrets with her.

As love blooms, will Damon’s hidden past get in the way of their happiness? And can he bring himself to give up his music for love?

Happy Publication Day – 10 January 2024

A Breath Of Fresh Air By Jessica Redland

Rosie feels like there’s something missing in her life.

She loves her job as the manager of Willowdale Hall Riding Stables, caring for the horses and teaching children to ride, and she loves the home she shares with her mother in the beautiful Lake District. But she can’t help wondering how her life might look if things had been different. What if her father had been around to help care for her mother? And what if she’d found someone special herself?

When Hubert Cranleigh – the owner of Willowdale Hall – is taken ill, his son Oliver steps into the breach. Brooding and distant, Rosie is furious when he claims not to know who she is. Especially when they have a history.

Rosie’s life is about to be turned upside down, but with the New Year comes new opportunities. What Rosie feels is missing from her life might be closer than she thinks, and with more significant consequences than she could ever have imagined…

Happy Publication Day – 9 January 2024

The Island Cottage By Jane Lovering

When Brid Harcus is sent to the Orkney Islands, in the far reaches of Scotland, she has high hopes for her trip being short, straightforward and lucrative.

Her mother has inherited a cottage from her Great Aunt Jennet which has been unlived in and unloved for decades, and the time has come to make it habitable and saleable. Easy, right?

But Midness Cottage has other ideas. For one thing it’s rather more ‘fixer upper’ than Country Living, with a resident goose and her goslings who have made themselves at home. And Brid definitely hadn’t planned for the strongly-held local belief that the cottage is meant to be the home of the Orkney Witch, and whomever lives in it must fulfil this role. Not the best message for the estate agent brochure and of course Brid doesn’t believe in magic, let alone have healing powers.

But Orkney does have healing powers. Its beauty and peace are enchanting, its people welcoming, and Brid’s handsome new friend Magnus is rather charming too. When her life back in York starts calling her home, will Brid sell up and ship out? Or did the last Orkney Witch cast a spell and leave a legacy of love if only Brid believed in magic…

Meadow Falls By Carolyn Brown

Angela Marie has spent all of her thirty-five years on Meadow Falls, the farm that’s been in her Texas family for generations. It wasn’t her plan. It was an obligation. Now that her parents—less loving kin than strangers—have passed, the whole shebang belongs to Angela. And a legacy she never wanted is hers to uphold.

She can’t forsake it now. Her beloved nanny, Mandy, who was always more of a mother, needs a caregiver herself. And Mandy’s great-granddaughter, as close to Angela as a sister, has returned to roost. When a handsome veteran arrives seeking work as a farmhand, Angela thinks the future might not be half-bad after all.

But it’s the past that proves enlightening. Mandy is revealing secrets Angela never knew about her parents. As the clouds on her family history begin to part, the inheritance feels more like a precious gift, and Meadow Falls more like the home Angela’s been looking for her whole life.

Happy Publication Day – 4 January 2024

Enemies To Lovers By Portia MacIntosh

Lara and Sonny are sworn enemies.

As rival showbiz journalists, they are always out to get one-up on each other – whether being the first to scoop the latest celebrity gossip, or sabotaging a potential lead.

So when their bosses ask them to join forces and go undercover at an exclusive celebrity retreat, they can’t think of anything worse – except that they are going to need to pretend to be in couples therapy to blend in…

Being on a tropical island for work would be most people’s idea of heaven, but for Lara and Sonny it’s hell. Can a week of sun, sea and uncovering showbiz secrets together chip away at Lara and Sonny’s rivalry? And once they get home and the fake relationship is over, could a real one be left in its place?

Happy Publication Day – 3 January 2023

Sunrise Over Strawberry Hill Farm By Alison Sherlock

She drives a tractor. He arrives in a red Ferrari. What could possibly go wrong?

Flora Barton is desperate to save her family home Strawberry Hill Farm. She only needs one thing – a great business idea to keep the farm afloat!

So, when Nico Rossi arrives from Italy with a crazy plan to save the farm, Flora should be overjoyed. The trouble is the Rossi men are infamous playboys and sensible Flora doesn’t trust impetuous Nico at all.

Nico has been trying to escape the famous Rossi surname his whole life. Arriving in sleepy Cranfield after recently losing his beloved grandfather and family vineyard, he has no intention of staying on any longer than necessary. But he soon realises how desperate the situation is and throws caution to the wind to help turn the farm into a Glamping site.

Can Flora realise her dreams to keep the farm safe for the future and can Nico ever stop running from his past?

As they try to save Strawberry Hill Farm, secrets are revealed and just maybe they’ll discover why opposites attract…

Happy Publication Day – 2 January 2024

A Long Time Coming By Meghan Quinn

“Have you ever heard of a man-in-waiting?”

Yeah, not many have, Breaker Cane included. But his best friend, Lia Fairweather-Fern, can’t get married without some extra help. That’s why she’s recruited him to take on the snarling beast that’s her soon-to-be monster-in-law, Mrs. Beaver. For some reason, the groom’s mother seems to have never heard the phrase, “What the bride wants, the bride gets.” Lucky for Lia, Breaker has, and he accepts the challenge. After all, how much trouble can one woman cause?

The problem is, it isn’t Mrs. Beaver giving Breaker the most grief—it’s actually Lia. Because with every second her wedding draws closer, he’s starting to see her in a different light. She’s always been beautiful, but now, he finds himself staring a touch too long, his hand lingering for one more minute, and when she’s upset? Allowing her to sleep in his bed.

Before he knows it, it hits him like a ton of bricks: he’s fallen in love with his best friend.

Nothing is snapping him out of it. Not the girl he tries to date during the wedding planning. Not Lia’s increasingly suspicious fiancé. Not even the looming deadline of her upcoming nuptials.

Which means there’s only one thing left to do: prove to Lia he’s the one she should be with instead.

And it’s going to be a lot harder than he thinks.

Happy Publication Day – 26 December 2023

Claimed By The Crown Prince By Abby Green

Marooned in Malaysia…
with a forbidden princess!

Fleeing an arranged marriage to a king is easy for Princess Laia—remaining hidden is harder! When his brother, Crown Prince Dax, tracks her down, she strands them on a private island. But Laia isn’t prepared for the overwhelming attraction she feels, especially once she realizes Dax protects his heart as fiercely as she does…

Legendary playboy Dax has always remained loyal to the Crown. Until the alluring Laia’s fiery temperament and kindness tests his duty. And with ten days alone in paradise, it becomes increasingly difficult to avoid temptation…

Fling With The Reclusive Billionaire By Susan Meier

She was just meant to be writing a billionaire’s autobiography…notfalling for the handsome workaholic and his adorable son! Find out more in Susan Meier’s latest story for Harlequin Romance…

An opportunity to heal…together?

Arriving on reclusive billionaire Grant Laningham’s private island, Lola’s hired to write the memoir of the allegedly grumpy workaholic. Yet Grant is nothing like she expects. The “genius with a hot temper” is charming—and good-looking! Their attraction is undeniable, but a fling with her boss is dangerous to her already-shattered heart. Especially as Grant’s recently discovered he has a son! Losing her family devastated Lola—dare she take a chance on another?

Hill Country Home By Kit Hawthorne

Will her deepest secret…

Destroy her chance at happiness?

It’s hard to keep a secret in Limestone Springs, Texas, especially when you work for a trustworthy, unshakable man like Tito Mendoza. But Jenna Hamlin is determined to hide her child’s past no matter the temptation. So when an unwelcome visitor reveals the truth and Jenna needs help to keep her daughter safe, can she finally let down her guard to trust—and love—again?

Surgeon Prince’s Fake Fiancée By Karin Blaine

In the first story in Karin Baine’s Royal Docs duet, a cardiac surgeon is in for a shock when her royal rival asks her to be his fake fiancée!

Engaged…just for the cameras!

Prince Raed Ayad finds himself uncharacteristically begging brilliant rival cardiac surgeon Soraya for two favors. First, save his father—the king’s—life. Second, to keep the hungry press at bay, pretend to be his fiancée! Soraya agrees…after all she’s been through, she doesn’t want a real relationship anyway. But more dangerous than being caught in their lie, is starting to believe it themselves…

Miami Marriage Pact By Nadine Gonzalez & Overnight Inheritance By Rachel Bailey

Miami Marriage Pact by Nadine Gonzalez Love has nothing to do with this proposal… Film producer Gigi Garcia needs her inheritance to save her company, but it requires a husband—fast! All she has to do is convince rising Miami chef Myles Paris to marry her. Surprised by addictive passion, Gigi and Myles face off against professional rivals, erupting scandal and an enemy’s revenge. And now an unexpected secret could take their short-term marriage merger off the table…

Overnight Inheritance by USA TODAY bestselling author Rachel Bailey A fortune isn’t the only thing she inherited… Mae Dunstan just inherited billions, along with a seductive business rival. CEO and single dad Sebastian Newport wants to buy Mae out. But when the boardroom leads to the bedroom, their passionate affair reignites a long-standing feud between their families. Amid divided loyalties and open questions, will Mae risk more than the bottom line for a future with Sebastian?

A Temporary Texas Arrangement By Cathy Gilles

Sometimes unexpected circumstances

Become the best of dreams come true.

When widower Noah Lockhart offers veterinarian Tess Gardner a place to live until her reno is complete, she accepts. Tess falls hard for Noah, his three adorable daughters, their pregnant pet miniature donkey and life at the Welcome Ranch. Noah has sworn off love forever, yet Tess has him rethinking that vow—and considering another! Until a past trauma revisits, and Noah and Tess find themselves rethinking everything…

Watchers Of The Night By Charlene Parris

Looking for clues

They found each other

Haunted by the tragedies in her past, forensic investigator Cynthia Cornwall risks everything to keep Detective Adam Solberg informed about the explosion that led to his father’s death. Open, attentive and undeniably gorgeous, Adam seems too good to be true. But Cynthia will have to trust him if they’re both going to survive this case. And she’ll have to decide if the connection they’ve forged is real enough to last.

Happy Publication Day – 14 December 2023

Snowflakes And Surprises In Tuppenny Bridge By Sharon Booth

In Tuppenny Bridge, fresh snowfall carpets every cottage roof, turning the village into a shimmering wonderland of white. Snatches of carols swirl in the frosty air and, beside a roaring fire in The White Hart Inn, rosy-cheeked families gather over mugs of hot chocolate. But despite the holiday cheer all around her, Clementine Grant can barely manage a smile…

Clemmie has always been a romantic at heart, even going so far as to write her own regency romance novels… not that she’d EVER let anyone read them. This year, she’s dreaming of a white Christmas, but any chance of a merry holiday is dashed when she spots her ex-boyfriend, Ross Lavender, across the village green at a carol concert.

Even worse, Clemmie is mortified when, in the village Christmas raffle, she picks the winning ticket. The prize? A portrait painted by Ross himself, who is a talented local artist. Burning with shame, Clemmie tries unsuccessfully to give it back. She’d rather forget the portrait and the man behind it – no way does she want to spend hours alone together this holiday season.

But then an unexpected snowstorm traps Clemmie and Ross in close quarters, and old emotions and secrets emerge from beneath the ice. With Clemmie’s sweet Aunt Dolly clearly keeping something from her, and a potential new suitor – the charming Reuben Walker – stirring the pot, Clemmie’s future is at a terrifying crossroads. Will the spirit of Christmas, with its promise of new beginnings, help bridge the distance between two people who thought it was over for good? Or will the weight of the secret Clemmie’s been carrying ever since they split up prove too heavy for her to bear?