Publication Day – Page 46

Happy Publication Day – 24 October 2023

Three Cowboys And A Puppy By Kate Pearce

With a thriving cattle ranch and good friends all around, there’s not much Luke Nilsen would change about his life. But when his buddy Noah’s sister comes to visit, Luke begins to wonder if it’s time to change himself—and become the kind of man a sophisticated city woman like her would want. Maybe his female bestie, Bernie Cooper, who runs the local coffee shop, can use her womanly expertise and give him a man makeover . . .

Bernie thinks Luke is just fine the way he is—more than fine, even—aside from being blind to the fact that Bernie is perfect for him. But what’s a BFF to do? Perhaps it’s time for her to finally get over Luke and move on. Yet as Luke helps organize their small town’s Adopt a Shelter Dog auction event, one sweet little puppy seems to be on a mission to help Luke realize that the right woman has been right by his side all along . . .

Renewed By Nikki Kiley

Jenni Russo: Single mom, home-staging extraordinaire, and for one whirlwind night, “Samantha.” Marcos Chance wasn’t just another handsome face in the crowd, he had the swagger that had me forgetting my own name, literally. So, I might’ve fibbed a bit, and called myself “Samantha” for the night. No harm, right?

Wrong.

Because Mr. Smoldering Eyes isn’t just visiting. He’s the owner of the construction company I’ve been vying to work with. Plus, he remembers everything about our night, except my real name. And the chemistry? Let’s just say my walls aren’t the only thing getting a fresh coat of passion.

But in a town where everyone knows everyone’s business, our tangled passions and those little white lies are catching up to us. As the lines between professional and personal blur, I’m faced with a heart-wrenching dilemma: come clean and risk my dream job and possibly his trust, or keep quiet and risk losing a shot at love.

What Happens On Vacation By Jo Watson

Journalist Margaret loves her job, writing important stories about the impact of government decisions on day-to-day lives for a respected newspaper in Johannesburg. There’s only one problem: her co-worker, Jagger Villain. Is that even his real name? she often wonders. Jagger spends his days writing fluff pieces on everything from the worst-rated barber in Johannesburg to speed dating to male sex toys. To make matters worse, they share a cubicle and a desk, and every day he finds new ways to drive her to distraction. She needs a vacation!

Thankfully the upcoming company quiz night has the perfect first prize: a deluxe trip to a resort in Zanzibar. It will be the perfect escape for Margaret and her mother after a difficult year dealing with the death of her father and divorce. Margaret’s never met a quiz night she can’t win, but then she’s never competed against Jagger. That’s when the unthinkable happens. They tie. They both win. They both get to go to Zanzibar.

It’s bad enough that Margaret has to be on the same island as Jagger, but at least she has her widowed mother with her to help her avoid her co-worker and whoever he brings. However, Jagger’s plus one isn’t what she expected. It’s not some girl of the moment, it’s his father, which shakes up her opinion of him . . . at least a bit. And that’s when the entire situation goes from farce to horror show: their parents fall in love and decide to get married.

Suddenly Margaret and Jagger go from co-workers who dislike each other (but also ‘accidentally’ had sex one night,) to step siblings who dislike each other (but also ‘accidentally’ had sex one night!). But maybe they don’t dislike each other as much as they initially thought they did?

Winter Wishes At Roseford Reloved By Fay Keenan

When the ceiling of preloved clothing shop Roseford Reloved falls in at the height of Christmas season, owner Polly Parrott is in despair. She can see her fortunes draining away as quickly as the water is pouring through her roof. What makes it worse is that standing right underneath the deluge is Will Sutherland, sporting hero and new owner of Parson’s Grange, the new modern mansion in Roseford.

Polly and Will’s first meeting is about as far from a success as it can be, but over a festive season of Christmas markets, a Yuletide Ball and inconvenient snowfalls, can they forge a friendship or even more, despite their unpromising beginning? Or will the complications in both of their lives end their romance before it even begins?

His Assistant’s New York Awakening By Emmy Grayson

He’s utterly off-limits…
and the only man she’s ever wanted!

Temporary assistant Evolet Grey has precisely the skills and experience to help Damon Bradford win the biggest contract in his company’s history. But she’s also maddeningly attractive and testing the iron grip the Manhattan CEO always has on his self-control…

Putting her needs first has never come easily to innocent Evolet. But she can barely think straight in her new boss’s presence! She’d be putting everything on the line by revealing the powerful attraction Damon has awoken, but would walking away from it be the biggest risk of all?

Love Interest #9 By Mia Summers

I promised myself I wouldn’t fall for someone rich and famous. Not after what happened last time. But when leading man Lucas Stone comes to town, I might have trouble keeping my promises…

After getting my heart broken and being kicked out of my apartment, I return to my hometown.

I settle for a job – and a place to sleep – at the local bed and breakfast. The job? Playing tour guide for tourists with more money than sense. It’s irritating, but it’s only temporary.

Thank God.

Until Hollywood hotshot Lucas Stone arrives. He’s scouting locations for his next flick, and after one look at me, he demands that I be his personal tour guide.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if he wasn’t such an entitled jerk.

And there’s no way I’ll be getting involved with someone like him. Not again.

But when we get trapped in a way-too-small tent during a thunderstorm, we have no choice but to cuddle together, and Lucas reveals a secret that might just change my mind.

About absolutely everything.

Happy Publication Day – 23 October 2023

The Sweetheart Crush By Miranda Liasson

Photographer Viv Montgomery’s dreams were bigger than her small hometown of Blossom Glen. Following them meant leaving everything and everyone behind—including her sweet and funny best friend, Logan Matthews. Now, twelve years later, the town’s “sweetheart” is back, broke, and…well, working in the town’s famous Christmas store until she figures out her next move.

Enter her former best friend who she hasn’t seen or talked to in years. Only the cute, funny guy she remembers is gone—replaced by a famous, bestselling author who seems aloof, jaded, and is much, much hotter than any book nerd she’s ever seen. Seeing him in the news is one thing, but up close and person? Whewf, it’s warm in here.

Now he’s offered her a job she desperately needs (blissfully free of Santas), and suddenly it’s like no time has passed at all. Their friendship is just like it was…with one very unexpected difference. Because somewhere between the blossom festival and snuggling in front of a crackling fire, their friendship is definitely turning into some more. Only, Logan’s been hiding the secret of his enormous success…and the sweetheart of Blossom Glen is about to read all about it.

The Cinderella Reversal By Anna Banks

Annabella Mason of the St Louis Masons is expected to marry the perfect guy—aka a straight up business deal to save her dad’s company, that is. Before signing away her freedom, she books a flight to Anywhere But Here and ends up at a bar called The Drowned Rat, chatting up a handsome stranger and calling for shots of tequila–this delightful drink she’s never had before. And delightful drinks you’ve never had before may or may not get you accidentally married to handsome strangers at bars.

Ian Jackson has no interest in playing the marriage game again. After his first wife ran off with the town butcher—the town butcher!—he lost all faith in true love and other maniacal myths. So when he suddenly wakes up married to a gorgeous stranger, he knows exactly what to do–call his judge friend and get the thing annulled. Only, His Honor is not so amused by the circumstances and requires that the two live together for 30 days before he’ll annul the marriage.

Can Annabella’s high society heels survive Ian’s small town grouchiness for 30 days—without actually falling for each other?

Happy Publication Day – 20 October 2023

Snow Days With You By Leonie Mack

When Luna Rowntree gets an unexpected and life-changing legacy from a man she’s never met, she’s determined to find out why – even if it is Christmas Day and her family are expecting her.

So, with only her mother’s ashes for company – it’s a long story, but Luna knows her mother would have wanted to come on the adventure too – Luna sets off in her trusty Astra to the skiing resort in Chamonix, where her mysterious benefactor had lived.

But her little car isn’t designed for driving through snow-covered mountains, and when she runs out of fuel heart-breakingly close to Chamonix, Luna is relieved to be saved by her very own knight-in-shining armour. Well, knight in mountain rescue uniform anyway.

Yannick is charmed if baffled by Luna’s mission, and before he knows it, he has agreed to help. But Yannick has his own secrets calling him from the mountains, and his own reasons to run away. As he helps Luna understand her past he realises he has to face his as well if he’s ever going to risk opening his heart to love.

Happy Publication Day – 19 October 2023

Mr Right Next Door By Rachel Dove

On her deathbed, Rory Gallant’s mother begs him to be a good man, and to not behave like his caddish father, Doug.

Now all grown up, Rory is a good man, but loves seems to elude him. Maybe he does need to be a bit more of a cad after all?

Deciding to follow the cad dating rules, and with a bit of help from lothario Doug, Rory decides to become the complete opposite of the man he really is….

Rory’s best friend and neighbour Sarah doesn’t understand why Rory thinks he needs to change to find love – he’s perfect just the way he is. She’s determined to show him that he doesn’t need to change in order to find love.

That maybe it’s standing right under his nose…maybe even right next door?

Starting Over At Halesmere House By Suzanne Snow

Can two broken hearts mend each other?

Taking over the Flower Shed studio at Halesmere, Alice is looking to mend her heart through horticulture after the end of her ten-year marriage. She isn’t looking for romance, especially not with brash young tree surgeon, Zac.

Zac has his own past he’s trying to move on from, and he’s only staying at Halesmere until the new year. But when their circumstances change in a way that shocks them both, they have to decide if they can share a future that already binds them.

Will the magic of Halesmere work once more to bring love to two lost souls?

Happy Publication Day – 16 October 2023

Friends With Benefits By Laura Carter

A high-flying investor

New Yorker Jake Harrington loves a lot of things about living in London: his lucrative hedge fund job, the way British women melt at the sound of an American accent, being thousands of miles away from the girl who betrayed him. And, oh yes, his just-sex arrangement with his gorgeous roommate, Jess.

His sexy British flatmate

Jess’s deal with Jake suits her fine. No commitments, no risk of being hurt again, just fun and friendship. And friends do each other favors, like agreeing to go on a trip to New York where Jake will have to face his past.

And a vacation that will change everything…

What friends shouldn’t do? Suddenly find themselves feeling something much more complicated than simple lust. When “no strings” is no longer enough, will Jake be willing to take the ultimate gamble?

Above ‘N’ Beyond By Tee O’Fallon

Getting locked up had been easy. But for K-9 Sergeant Jamie Pataglio, going undercover at a maximum-security prison—and infiltrating the Mancusco crime family—was the hard part. Now, six months later, Jamie’s been accepted as one of the mob’s own, and he’s walking out of the gates as a free man…and stepping into the criminal underworld. There’s only one small, gorgeous problem: Bella Bianco.

The Italian bistro used to be Bella’s pride and joy. Now it’s become a nightmare, where her violent family uses her restaurant as its criminal home base. Guilty by association. She needs to find a way out, and fast. The last thing Bella needs is an attraction to their newest “associate”—even if every moment alone with him leaves her breathless. It’s almost enough to make her reconsider her “no mobsters” policy…

They can’t trust each other. But if either of them ever wants to break free of their circumstances, they don’t have a choice. They’ll have to take down her family. And if anyone finds out they’re working together…they’re both dead.

Happy Publication Day – 14 October 2023

The Bramble Patch Craft Shop By Sarah Hope

Escape into a world of fresh starts, new friends and the opportunity for love…

When Molly Wilson and her two children are forced to leave their old lives behind, will a small rundown shop in the middle of Payton-On-The-Water, a quiet village in the English countryside, offer the fresh start they need?

Desperate to immerse herself and her family into village life, Molly begins to host regular Knit and Natter meetups, but she fears she is taking on too much and the reality that she is totally alone is ever present.

Between difficult dealings with the local law enforcement, Officer Duffey, and trying to settle her two homesick children into a new way of life, Molly has enough on her hands. So when a late night incident with a flat tyre brings Officer Duffey on the scene, she doesn’t know if he will help or hinder her rescue. Is there more to Officer Duffey than his spikey exterior?

Happy Publication Day – 13 October 2023

Take Me Home By Beth Moran

Sophie Potter’s job is helping people deal with the worst, because Sophie Potter knows what the worst feels like.

An expert at keeping moving, with her trusty motorhome and faithful dog Muffin, Sophie has built her life around keeping her loves and loyalties to a minimum.

Fabulous fifty-something Hattie Langford has kept her heart and past safely stored away too. But for reasons she’s only willing to share with a stranger, Hattie needs to tell the story her family has been hiding at Riverbend, their home in Sherwood Forest. There is a history of heartbreak and hurt that Hattie is now ready to face.

As Sophie helps Hattie uncover the secrets of generations of women who have lived at Riverbend, along with the stories of the men they have loved and lost, they start to see echoes in their own pasts. And as Riverbend shares its biggest secret of all, can Hattie and Sophie finally embrace the lives they’ve put on hold for so long, and risk giving their hearts to men who just might break the Riverbend curse?

All Wrapped Up By Kimberly Kincaid

Ingredients:

One former firefighter who’s hiding out, managing a small-town bar so he can forget his haunted past. One headstrong reporter—a.k.a. the woman who got away—assigned to break the story when he runs into a burning building to save a little boy. Seven years since they’ve seen each other after their scorching summer fling

Stir in old hurts, brand-new chemistry that burns hotter than ever, and his sister’s Christmas wedding, where his past becomes the story of the century.

More Than A Match By Brooklyn Bell

Love is the ultimate game. And this matchmaker plays for keeps.

Elite matchmaker Cher Thatcher always gets her man. But true love is the risk she never thought she’d take for herself … Until now.

New York Fashion Week isn’t just the ultimate glamorous getaway for Cher and her best friend, billionaire and international heart-throb Owen Hawking. It’s the perfect opportunity for them to finally make the leap from friends to lovers. But the glittering lights and epic after-parties have a few unexpected twists in store.

For one thing, Channing Stanbury, the dangerously handsome playboy from Cher’s past, has just unexpectedly waltzed back into her life. And Owen’s old flame—who happens to be a supermodel—is stealing the spotlight at the hottest runway show of the year.

Sparks are flying, champagne is flowing, and the fashion scene is sizzling. Will Cher finally find her own happily ever after among all the sparks? Or will her chance at a real relationship with both Owen and Channing slip through her fingers?

Happy Publication Day – 12 October 2023

Christmas At The Chateau By Annabel French

Life has gone a little bit downhill for Naomi Winters…

Ever since her ex-husband Ollie filed for a divorce last Christmas, Naomi is a self-confessed scrooge. She hates her job, has exactly zero hobbies, and on top of that she’s all alone this holiday season.

Spurred on by her best-friend Mia – who has invited her to spend Christmas at her snow-kissed Chateau in the Swiss Alps – she decides it’s time for change.

But, when she arrives, she’s shocked to see Mia’s big brother Gabriel. It’s been fifteen years since they last saw eachother, forcing her to face memories she’d rather forget.

As Naomi grapples with getting her life back on track, she throws herself into various festive activities, and she can’t seem to escape Gabriel this time…

Will he manage to thaw her icy heart, or is she on a downward slope to disappointment?

Starry Skies Over Primrose Hall By Jill Steeples

Homes don’t come much more idyllic than Primrose Hall. Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Primrose Woods, Pia Temple still has to pinch herself that she gets to wake up there every day.

Waking up next to Jackson Moody is pretty great too. Ever since the couple rekindled their teenage romance, they’ve become an unstoppable team running Primrose Hall’s packed calendar of events, surrounded by the friends and family who make up the crew at the hall.

But not everything is perfect at Primrose Hall. Pia is beset with doubts about the future, especially when a new arrival shakes everything Jackson thought he knew about his past. And as the events come thick and fast – a literary festival, craft fayres, bonfire night and the much-anticipated Christmas Carols evening – everything Pia is juggling threatens to tumble down around her.

Will the year at Primrose Hall be a time of endings or new beginnings…

Absolutely Not In Love By Jenny Proctor

My requirements for a man are simple. Must love books. Must NOT love hockey.

Which is why I will never be interested in my neighbor, the aloof and mysterious Felix Jamison, no matter how many books I see him hauling into his apartment. Unless he loses his pro hockey skates, I’m out.

But then he shows up at my symphony concert.

And I catch the sweet strains of Beethoven floating across the hall.

Have I mentioned how incredible he looks in his game day suit?

Still, my history with hockey is complicated. My older brother played, and let’s just say he stole enough limelight to land a plane at midnight. I was forced to be a part of that world for so long, now that I have a choice, it’s the last thing I want.

But something tells me Felix is about to change my mind…

Happy Publication Day- 11 October 2023

Don’t Stop Believing By Freya Kennedy

It’s time to return to Ivy Lane, where hopes and dreams can become happy-ever-afters…

Erin Donohue would describe herself as happy. Well, maybe not exactly happy… but not unhappy either.

For the most part she loves her job as Head Chef at The Ivy Inn, working alongside bestfriend, Jo and making a home with boyfriend Aaron. Things are going just fine. Or so she thinks…

After a tough shift, Erin returns home to be greeted by silence. There is no trace of Aaron or his belongings. In that split second her whole life and world are turned upside down. It seems Aaron has exited the building and her life.

After a small pity party, Erin pulls herself together and starts to re-evaluate her life. Her friends seem to be chasing their dreams while she’s been left single and wondering what on earth her next move will be. But then fate throws her a sign.

Can she find the courage to build the life she always dreamed of but believed was out of her reach?
And can her bravery inspire other residents of Ivy Lane to take a chance on finding their own happy ending?

Happy Publication Day – 10 October 2023

Christmas In Fortune’s Cove By Victoria James

Annie Hamilton is a single mother of two and veterinarian whose family is on the verge of falling apart. Her husband has passed away, her teenage son is finding trouble at every turn, and she’s desperately struggling to keep it all together. When she decides to leave the city for Fortune’s Cove in a last-ditch search for peace and togetherness, she’s welcomed by her late husband’s best friend, Matt—a friend who swore he’d always be there for them.

Surrounded by majestic ocean, the island’s famous red sand dunes, and a glowing holiday spirit, Annie and her family are embraced by a warm community more than willing to welcome them. As she joins Matt’s veterinary practice and her son begins to stabilize, Annie feels hopeful for the future, beginning to realize that true family is all about love and not just about blood. Annie could never have imagined that a thousand hundred miles from the city could feel the closest to home that she’s ever been. But this cozy enclave harbors a trove of secrets that could undo the life of a vulnerable young woman.

When the past threatens the family Annie is rebuilding, she finds the courage to fiercely protect all of them—and discovers just how far she’ll go to save her family and herself.

Paradise For Christmas By Carolyn Brown

Southern sass and spirit make every Christmas bright!

The oldest of seven sisters, Ursula Simmons has followed in her mother’s footsteps as a novelist. With a bad case of writer’s block, she brings her notebooks and computer home to the old brothel called Paradise where they all grew up, in the hope that being home for the holidays will inspire her—and since it’s Christmas, all her sisters will be there too.

The sisters take the holidays very seriously, and as soon as they’ve celebrated Thanksgiving, it’s on to decorating for Christmas. As all pitch in to make the spirits bright, younger sister Endora is dismayed to find some of the handsome men who’ve come to help doing more flirting than anything else. She’s determined to show her sisters that no relationship is worth the heartbreak. But it might be Ursula who reminds the family that Christmas is a magical time, and finding new love is always a gift.

A Cowboy Country Christmas By Jennie Marts

There’s no better time than Christmas to open your heart

Holt Callahan used to the love the holidays, but getting dumped on Christmas Eve with a ring tucked in your pocket would turn anyone into a Grinch. Now he hates Christmas and all the holly jolly shenanigans that go with it. When he moves back to his cousin’s ranch in Creedence, Colorado, the last thing he expects is to come face to face with the one who got away and all of her holiday cheer.

Lainey McBride is all about Christmas, and despite running her family’s ranch festivities while her grandfather is in rehab, she hasn’t lost her holiday spirit. Not even when the horse that was supposed to offer snowy sleigh rides can’t be found. She couldn’t be happier to see a cowboy riding up with her missing horse, or more shocked to see that cowboy is Holt Callahan. But the holidays have their own way of healing, and a Christmas in Creedence just might be the merry magic that brings these two broken hearts back together again.

The Holiday Mix- Up By Ginny Baird

Lonely-hearted waitress Katie Smith has nowhere to go for Christmas, and a huge crush on her gorgeous diner patron Juan Martinez. So when Juan asks Katie to pose as his girlfriend for holiday festivities at his family’s winery, Katie leaps at the chance…that is, until an accident lands Juan in a coma right after giving his folks the “news.” Katie knows she should tell the Martinezes the truth, but when they immediately embrace her, Katie is reluctant to let her fantasy of a family holiday go. And then there’s Juan’s brother, Mateo, whose smile tugs at her heartstrings just right—and who tells her perfect Juan might not be everything he seems.

Second son Mateo Martinez loves his brother, but Juan’s plan to “rebrand and expand” Los Cielos Cellars has cost their family too much and put its entire tradition in jeopardy. Katie seems to understand, but she’s still committed to Juan…even when Mateo starts to wish her gentle heart and beautiful smile were committed to him instead. With the winery at stake, secrets on all sides, and Juan due to wake up any day, can Katie and Mateo follow their hearts to a Christmas miracle, or will this mix-up ruin their chances?

The Head That Wears The Crown By Mariah Stewart

Annaliese—Annie—Gilberti is a divorced South Philadelphia mother of two with a nine-to-five job when a shocking discovery turns another average day upside down: her late grandmother was the exiled ruler of a small European country, and Annie is next in line to wear the crown and restore the monarchy. The would-be grand duchess of the Grand Duchy of Saint Gilbert has vacation time coming, enough to take a quick trip to check it out.

It’s easy to fall in love with Saint Gilbert’s villagers; its mysteries (why does everyone look decades younger than they claim to be?); her family’s ancestral home, Castle Blanc (so many hidden rooms and passages!); and maybe—just a little—with the dashing Maximilien Belleme, the captain of the castle guard. Never one to walk away from a challenge, Annie steps up, determined to be worthy of the crown that’s been offered. As she, her sisters, and her children work to bring Saint Gilbert into the modern age, Annie discovers a legacy of courageous women and that no threat is too great to deny the grand duchess’s right to the throne.