Contemporary Books

Lisa Tobias dreams of coaching women’s basketball at a major university and possibly advancing to the pros. She’ll never get there if she stays where she is, coaching for a small-town college. She wants to move on and move up, so a relationship is the last thing on her mind.

English professor Celeste Bouchard is exactly where she wants to be teaching at Glassell University. Popular and on a first-name basis with her students, Celeste loves her job. She doesn’t love the gossip and rumors that followed her disastrous romance with a fellow professor, but she’s never getting involved with a coworker again.

When Lisa’s star player has trouble in Celeste’s class, they have to work together to find a solution. The attraction is off the charts, but Lisa and Celeste are determined to block another shot at love.

Dress for success takes on a very different meaning. CFO Riley Stephenson finds herself in a particularly difficult position when the stripper she's fallen for shows up at her office—as her new employee.

For Your Eyes Only was previously published in The Boss of Her: Romance Novellas (Bold Strokes Books, 2018).

Mickey dreams of becoming a jazz pianist but instead spends her days arranging and transcribing other people’s music. When her idol, world-renowned jazz great Helen Robins, offers her a job, Mickey goes out of her way to prove she’s capable. But there’s more to Helen than meets the eye, and Mickey soon discovers a whole new world of erotic submission. 

The agreement: As her mistress, Helen pushes Mickey to her sensual limits, delivering the pleasure only a BDSM lifestyle can provide her. As Helen's submissive, Mickey serves her in any way she requires. Drawn into a seduction she never knew she needed, Mickey discovers her true identity in the thrill of passion and the test of pain. For Mickey, being in Helen’s hands is everything, but when desire gives way to something deeper, their bond is tested to the breaking point.

Cassie Miller is broke. Her parents cut off all funding when she dropped out of medical school, and graduate school is expensive. A full-time nanny job at the Wellington estate is the answer to her problems, except working for beautiful, successful Brook Wellington wasn’t in the job description.

Brook has always had a head for business. Born into a global shipping empire, she sits at the helm running it with skill and savvy. But success comes at a cost. Her priority is her six-year-old son, but she can’t be in two places at once. Hiring a nanny isn’t the perfect solution, but it would certainly help, and Cassie came highly recommended. If only she wasn’t so damn attractive.

Can Cassie and Brook deny their growing attraction and keep things professional? Or will they sidestep propriety and give in to temptation?

Augusta “Tucker” Delacroix is perfectly content running a successful oil field supply company until her brother and business partner, Jim Bob, dies suddenly. Things go from bad to worse when the family's lawyer introduces her to Monique, a beautiful stranger who turns out to be Jim Bob’s mistress and mother of his son. Monique wants Jim Bob's son to be a Delacroix, and Tucker steps up—it’s what family does.

Willow Vernon has never approved of her sister’s affair with a wealthy married man, but when tragedy strikes, Willow assumes care of her nephew. When Tucker demands shared custody rights, Willow’s ready to go to battle. Tucker’s the same kind of irresponsible philanderer as Jim Bob, and she’s not falling for the Delacroix charm like Monique did, no matter how tempting Tucker might be.

Family ties bring Tucker and Willow together, but they could also tear them, and any chance they have at love, apart.

Quinn, a stylish artsy photographer, and Riley, a passionate redheaded veterinarian, are celebrating their one-year anniversary. Such an important milestone is bound to result in some extraordinary sexual adventures, but precisely how extraordinary is up to you.

Quinn and Riley start off their date night in a sensually stimulating dine-in-the-dark restaurant. One of the women will make a bold suggestion. Will Quinn suggest that Riley wear a remote-controlled vibrator while they sing karaoke at a piano bar? Or will Riley suggest that they check out the women-only night at a local sex club? 

From there, the intimate escapades just get more intriguing, as you, the reader, get to choose how these two show their desire for each other on their special night. Whether you prefer your sex scenes to be sweet, steamy, or intense, you can try it all, knowing that whichever path you choose, the erotic adventure is certain to be hot, loving, upbeat, and sometimes even humorous.

After a rocky start, Savannah Wells finally has everything she wants in life: family, friends, a cat, and her ice hockey team. If she could only convince her mother to stop setting her up on increasingly awkward blind dates, life would be perfect.

Professional photographer Madison Scott isn’t going to settle for less than the happily ever after she reads about in romance novels. But her new next-door neighbor is sexy as hell, so when Savannah suggests a fake relationship in hopes of getting her mother to stop interfering in her private life, Maddie’s all in.

When fake dating, fake kissing, and forced proximity start to feel a lot like falling in love, Savannah and Madison will need to face off and decide if exchanging pretend for reality is really possible.

Can falling in love melt the hearts of the iciest ice queens? 

In Ice on Wheels by Aurora Rey, all’s fair in love and roller derby. That’s Riley Fauchet’s motto, until a new job lands her at the same company—and on the same team—as her rival Brooke Landry, the frosty jammer for the Big Easy Bruisers.

In Private Equity by Elle Spencer, Cassidy Bennett spends an unexpected evening at a lesbian nightclub with her notoriously reserved and demanding boss, successful venture capitalist Julia Whitmore. After seeing a different side of Julia, Cassidy can’t seem to shake her desire to know more.

In Closed-Door Policy by Erin Zak, going back to college is never easy, but Caroline Stevens is prepared to work hard and change her life for the better. What she’s not prepared for is Dr. Atlanta Morris, her new professor whose tough demeanor is no match for Caroline’s burgeoning confidence.

What happens when a police officer’s fight for justice conflicts with an ER doctor’s commitment to patient care?

Police officer Finley Masters wants to interview an injured suspect and make an arrest so she can move on to the next case. As long as she keeps closing cases she can hide the pain of caring for her alcoholic father. Dr. Dylan Carlyle dedicates herself to healing the sick and looking after her family. She doesn’t have time for dating, especially not a reckless cop who thinks she’s God’s gift to women. When Finley Masters strolls into the emergency room making demands, Dylan protects her turf and her heart.

A tragic incident brings them together, but their feelings keep them coming back. 

London Craft has exactly the life she wants. She’s a successful artist with a hot line of edgy clothing and merchandise she sells from her boutique, Hell in a Handbasket. Along with her incredible chosen family, she’s in a loving relationship with Reggie, her girlfriend of six years.

When Reggie blindsides London with a public marriage proposal, London freezes. She’s never wanted anything traditional, let alone marriage. When Reggie leaves her, she thinks things can’t possibly get worse, until she receives the call that her estranged mother has died. Suddenly, she’s catapulted into contact with the family she hasn’t seen in nearly twenty years.

After her mother’s funeral, London discovers a letter she wrote to her future self as part of a school project when she was ten years old. Face-to-face with her childhood ideals and the drastically different life she’s built, London must find her way to the future—and love—she truly wants.

Where love is concerned, the smallest steps are often the hardest to take—especially when you’ve guarded your heart as carefully as Iris Miller has. Still bruised from a relationship that crashed and burned, and all the meaningless hookups that followed, Iris has given up on love and buttoned her feelings up tight.

But when Cameron Hansen joins Iris’s law firm and her soccer team, and even starts hanging out in her favorite bookstore, everything gets turned upside down. Beautiful, open, and forward, Cam is impossible to ignore, and Iris is surprised to find herself intrigued. Cam’s straight, happily engaged, and simply looking for a friend—or so it seems.

London’s bitterly cold winter makes winning their soccer championship almost as difficult as keeping their feelings in check, being honest with each other, and trying not to fall in love. Iris and Cam are about to discover the meaning of taking chances and following your heart, even if it means getting hurt.

Davina Trent lives for work. She spends her days at her prestigious family law firm, ending her clients’ marriages in divorce court and negotiating their hefty payoffs. Marriage is destined to fail, and family can’t be trusted. But when Trent’s cousin dies unexpectedly, Trent is the only relative left to care for his two small children. She needs a nanny fast.

All Wendy Darling ever wanted was a family. When her fiancée left her and cleared out her bank account, she didn’t think her heart would ever mend. After years abroad as a nanny, she returns to Britain to finish her degree and finally get her life back on track.

Wendy falls in love with the children, but her heart aches at the distance between Trent and the kids. Wendy’s determined to show Trent how fulfilling family life can be, and soon love begins to blossom. But will Trent have the courage to embrace her desire for Wendy and her unexpected family?

Breaking up is hard to do, but three weeks before Christmas it’s even more painful. Jessica Raymond isn't in love with her ex-girlfriend anymore; she just hates to emotionally limp through the holidays. When a cute gray kitten shows up on her doorstep, Jessica panics. She doesn’t have time for a pet. Finding sexy Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Mitchell intriguing isn’t part of the plan either, but both manage to turn her world upside down. 

Taylor Mitchell isn’t going to let a beautiful woman with a bad attitude bring her down. It’s the holidays and she’s determined to show some much-needed Christmas spirit and help a lonely cat find a good home. 

A few kitten-induced mishaps bring them closer and sharing the same space suddenly isn’t so bad. Chatting is actually pretty nice. Did this sweet kitten show up to help them find each other? Or is the holiday spirit to blame for their special connection?

Cassidy (Sid) Harris is an uncompromising art gallery curator, blindsided and thrust into the midst of a career-ending deal involving a powerful celebrity art collector. Making matters worse, when called back to her family’s ranch to help end a mysterious series of cattle thefts, she’s faced with memories she thought she’d left behind long ago.

Mia Jarvis, a herding dog trainer who has set up camp adjacent to Sid’s family ranch, is emerging after years from the desolate fog of grief. Mia and her canine companions can’t seem to stop running afoul of the decidedly prickly rancher.

Where We Are is a sensual account of two women who discover a way to walk on the same path together and—with the help of an Indigenous tale, a Canadian art movement, and the mysterious appearance of dimes—also discover the gift of staying in one spot, in time, in space, and in love.

Falling in love with the enemy has never felt so good for two women on opposite sides of a family feud.

Claire Fontenot jilted her high school boyfriend, Kurt Savoy, at the altar, igniting a storm between the two families that culminated in fiercely competing hot sauce businesses. When she reluctantly returns home to a small town in Louisiana to run her aunt’s antique clock shop, she doesn’t exactly receive the warmest of welcomes.

Ivy Savoy is Kurt’s younger sister and grew up learning never to trust a Fontenot. When Ivy spots a treasured lost clock from her childhood in the window of the antique shop, she can’t resist going inside.

Claire and Ivy, who have every reason to hate each other, can’t seem to stop feeling exactly the opposite. Falling in love is out of the question if they can’t convince their families—and each other—to let go of the past.

Building a bridge between two worlds can be tricky.

Hannah Shephard likes her life, her job, and her perfectly cozy apartment around the corner from her shop. She’s never been one to take big risks and would much rather stay in on a Friday night with a warm cup of decaf and her favorite mystery novel, so why do her friends insist she needs more? Plus, Hannah has bigger problems to focus on. She’s in trouble. Well, her bookstore is, and if she doesn’t find a way to bring in some more cash, she’ll be closing the doors of A Likely Story for good.

When world famous romance novelist Parker Bristow accepts her request to come in for a signing, Hannah might finally be able to drum up some much-needed attention and save the shop. What she didn’t anticipate was an unexpected evening and a woman she wouldn’t soon forget. A real romance is off the table. Parker is flashy, sought after, and Hannah is just, well, Hannah. But for Parker, it seems like Hannah might be a safe place to fall. The question is, what kind of falling are they doing?

Jillian Marshall is living her perfect dream. All she’s ever wanted is to be a dolphin trainer, and she’s going on eighteen years doing just that at Tampa’s Marine Research Institute. Her devotion to education and her dedication to the conservation of marine mammals consume her heart and soul. Romance isn’t exactly on her agenda. 

When Laura Carter applied to the institute’s thirty-six-week, intensive training program, she left out one important detail—the tragic accident that changed her entire life and left her terrified of drowning. A brilliant animal behaviorist, Laura must decide just how hard she’s willing to fight to fulfill her dreams and overcome her nightmares. 

Falling in love is the easy part, but when Jillian puts her career on the line to help Laura overcome her fear, will she lose everything?

Charlotte Southwick always has a plan. Boarding her honeymoon cruise alone and decidedly unmarried wasn’t her intention. Neither was running into her high school love on board. Lexi looks so confident, and so hot, and so irresistible... How could she have let this woman get away?

Lexi Bronson hasn’t had a permanent address in almost a decade and couldn’t be happier. Life is good bartending for a luxury cruise line—open seas, warm beaches, beautiful women, and no unnecessary anchors—until the woman who broke her heart shows up on her ship, and all those dreams of forever come rushing back.

When passion flares, will the storm that rages shipwreck them both?

Advance praise from Publishers Weekly: "Riley strikes an impressive balance between steamy sex scenes and sweeping romance in this tender second-chance-at-love story....Riley endearingly captures the growth of Charlotte and Lexi’s relationship from when they were in high school to when they are reunited as adults. Readers will root for this well-matched couple."