Contemporary Family Life Women Fiction

Mary Kildare knows how to read people. It's both why she makes a great therapist and why she refuses to trust the average bachelor. Staying fiercely independent has been her primary relationship strategy - until wealthy playboy pilot (and commitmentphobe) Glen Fairchild reappears in her life. After a yearlong teasing tug-of-war, Mary and Glen test the waters of attraction, only to find that their physical chemistry runs deeper than flirtation.

Ross Gardiner has had his fill of difficult relationships. Returning to Last Chance after a rough divorce, the town's handsome new fire chief just wants safety and stability - a tall order given his dangerous job and the way he has the attention of all the single women in town. All except Sabina Grey, the girl who stole his heart when they were teenagers.

Cory Marcel built a successful military career over eight grueling years. But after her commanding officer brutally assaulted her, she lost everything. Shattered, Cory reluctantly agrees to work at a furniture store in the picturesque town of Perfect…but she wonders if she can ever escape the demons haunting her. Ted Lovejoy may have cofounded Langford & Lovejoy Heritage Furniture, but these days, everyone makes decisions without him. He’s ready to walk away from his beloved business…until he sees Cory.

Daphné loves to spend time with her late husband's family in its sprawling mansion in the South of France. It was there that she spent the happiest years of her life married to Ivan before he died tragically in a domestic accident. Eight years on, she still spends time there with Max, her father-in-law, a famous sculptor who's been a recluse since his son's death; Nelly, the matriarch; and Ivan's siblings.

Joanie Bigbee, cupcake baker extraordinaire, likes to keep her options open - and she's good at it. She's started and sold some 30 businesses in her postage stamp-sized Tennessee town, and at the moment she can be found in a short skirt and go-go boots, selling cupcakes out of the back of a converted Volkswagen van. What she moves on to next is anybody's guess. She knows better than to be tied down. In any way. She's watched every woman in her family fall head-over-heels, only to find herself wondering how to pick up the pieces when love is lost.

Slater knew tragedy from a young age, but with the support of his foster family, he turned his life around. Now, back from a stint in the Navy, he's packed up his motorcycle and returned to Red Hook to help to run the family restaurant - a job that comes with a tantalizing upside. Her name is Rocki. Flirty, sweet, and outgoing, Rocki brings in crowds as the lead singer of the house band. And although she's unable to resist the charms of this intense bad boy, she refuses to open her heart to him.

She's a sexy white-collar executive with blue-collar roots, a bio that closely resembles that of her anonymous author. Morgan's professional life is taking off just as her personal life is bottoming out. Stung by a messy divorce from her Fortune 500 ex, Morgan is twice shy, but increasingly needy - and wanting. This doesn't mean Morgan lacks men in her life. In fact, there's too much testosterone in her orbit. Problem is, Morgan has a difficult time choosing, and there are both pleasures and pitfalls attached to each of Morgan's would-be men.

For Rosemary Reynolds, life in tiny Morning Glory, Mississippi, is just like the fabric store she runs: it seems she's always waiting around for someone else to make the first stitch. Then a dear childhood friend passes away, leaving behind a gift that sends Rosemary on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Despite her mother's protests, Rosemary heads to New York City for a stay in her cousin's trendy SoHo loft. On her first day in town, a wrong turn leads her to Little Italy...and into the arms of handsome, outgoing Sal Genovese.

Artist Dana Underhill has always been a free spirit, traveling the world, filling her canvases with the mysterious colors of the seas she and her sister have sailed since childhood. Then on a calm, moonlit night an inexplicable “accident” occurs and Dana is called home to Hubbard’s Point to become a mother to her two young nieces, a challenge unlike any she’s ever known. As Dana and the girls struggle to begin a new life - and to find the truth about what happened to Dana’s sister and brother-in-law - help comes in the person of an old childhood friend.

When sheltered artist Julia Castillo flees her hometown, she has just one goal: to prove to her overbearing family once and for all that she can make it on her own. After she moves to Sanctuary, West Virginia, her horse paintings take the art world by storm. Yet Julia finds her courage tested as never before - by her love for a handsome country lawyer, by her bond with a dangerous black stallion, and by the secret she is so desperate to keep…

Behind Eli McCain’s Texas drawl lies an extreme sports lover, a former Hollywood stuntman…and a broken heart. Left at the altar a year ago, he’s not happy when Thrillseekers Anonymous, the extreme sports club he cofounded, gets into the celebrity wedding business. Especially since Marnie Banks, the wedding coordinator with the stunning smile and sexy curves, never stops talking. Marnie, meanwhile, hopes planning an A-list celebrity wedding will be her ticket to success. If only her glamorous clients weren’t constantly throwing outrageous demands at her. And if only Eli wasn’t so guarded - and so jaw-droppingly handsome.

When Jackson St. James decided that six weeks in Vermont's Green Mountains would help him get his life together, he didn't anticipate replacing his craving for whiskey with a craving for his alluring new landlord, Gabby. Now, instead of prioritizing his sobriety and the resolution of the lawsuit threatening his business, he's making excuses to spend time with the spunky young landscaper whose candor is more than a little addictive.

Romance author Dakota Laurens believes that happily-ever-afters exist only between the covers of her sexy novels. But to her surprise, she finds a real-life hero when she meets a handsome emergency room doctor. The outspoken author feels an instant and intense attraction to Dr. Walt Eddy, and the feeling is mutual. When the globetrotting doctor pulls a disappearing act on Dakota, she's prepared to write him off... until fate brings a blindsiding twist to her story.

Raven-haired, blue-eyed Jack Price hates being the only single member of Thrillseekers Anonymous, and he wishes his friends would stop trying to play matchmaker. He already has someone on his mind: Audrey LaRue, the gorgeous pop star he's guarding from a vicious stalker. As Audrey's tour marches on, the pressure - and the danger - build. But Jack rarely leaves her side, watching her and giving her the sexiest smiles she's ever seen. Can they keep this relationship professional... or will they succumb to overwhelming desire?

Bethany Darling doesn't kiss men at first sight...until she falls into the arms of a handsome cowboy bartender. A mysterious stranger, Mike helps scare off Bethany's obnoxious ex-boyfriend. Mike's touch feels like coming home. But Bethany's so not interested. Between stalled-out dreams of becoming a painter, troubles reconnecting with her sprawling foster family, and the happy chaos of her sister's upcoming wedding, Bethany's already in over her head.

Just when you thought Morgan's chase might be heading to a happy ending...explosive and shocking plot twists throughout this three-book trilogy will send listeners reeling. More to the point, the fall-out will keep Morgan running on her elusive quest for balance and peace in her personal and professional lives. Having watched as precious things were nearly taken away, Morgan Chase rises to fight like never before.

Championship bull rider Nick Wilde is the face of Montana Pro Rodeo, with all the acclaim and fans he can handle. But is that enough? Contemplating his next career move, he's come home to his family's cherry orchard - and to his childhood crush, helicopter pilot Harper Stone. But Harper's not quite the sexy, badass girl he once lusted after. Recently widowed, she's broken in two. Wanting to help her move on, Nick finds himself aching for the kind of stability he never had as a child.

Charlotte Gibbs wants nothing more than to put the past behind her, once and for all. But now that she's back at Firefly Lake to sell her mother's cottage, the overwhelming flood of memories reminds her of what she's been missing. Sun-drenched days. Late-night kisses that still shake her to the core. The gentle breeze off the lake, the scent of pine in the air, and the promise of Sean's touch on her skin.... True, she got her dream job traveling the world. But at what cost?

Gabe Wilde has never been more ready for a change. Thirty-three and in the midst of a divorce, he's packed up his second-grade daughter and come home to Birch Bay, Montana. New house, new career, new life. Only, with changes come stress. His daughter is struggling with the transition to their new norm - and Gabe is out of ideas as to how to help.

Happily married Brooke discovers her loving husband has led a separate life with…another wife. Newlywed Samantha learns of her husband's cheating heart when she finds the goods on his computer. High-powered career woman Katherine works with heartbreaker Phillip, the man who hurt her early on in her career. Brooke, Samantha, and Katherine don't know one another, but their stories are about to intertwine in ways no one could have imagined. And all three are about to discover the power of friendship to conquer adversity.