Contemporary Books

Things get complicated when Rory’s roommate Maya falls madly in love with Hollywood superstar London Green and Rory is dragged into the path of Ellis the uptight ice queen in this enemies-to-lovers lesbian romance.  

Hollywood talent agent Ellis Turner is at the top of her game. Her star client has landed the role of a lifetime, and all Ellis must do is get her to the set without scandal. Enter Rory Hatten, the nosy roommate of London’s latest questionable romantic entanglement, and an absolute nobody in the industry. Their disastrous first encounter seems destined to destroy everything that Ellis has worked so hard to achieve.

Rory doesn’t want to come between Ellis and London. Actually, she’d rather stay out of Hollywood altogether. But she begins to suspect Maya’s motives aren’t as pure as they seem, and she has no choice but to work with Ellis to save London’s reputation and the Ellis Turner Agency.

Will badly behaving celebrities, erotic sex tapes, and steamy scandals prevent Rory and Ellis from leaning in to love?

Rayne Thomas is an introvert and likes it that way. But after being spectacularly dumped and losing out on professional opportunities because she doesn’t put herself out there, she definitely needs to make a change. Enter her new personal trainer, Maggie Flanders. Kind? Yes. Fun? Yes. Sexy? Oh God, yes. But not even the most erotic dream of her life gives Rayne the confidence to risk this tentative new friendship.

Maggie Flanders has thrown herself into her work since her partner died eight years ago. There’s lots of opportunity to meet women and an occasional night of pleasure to satisfy her needs without letting anyone close. She lets everyone think she’s a player. It’s less lonely than the truth. But Maggie is never, ever falling in love again.  

As Rayne and Maggie work together in and outside the gym to build Rayne’s confidence, they struggle even harder at denying their attraction. Letting go of the past to embrace a better future takes herculean effort, but with love on the line, will Rayne be brave enough to tell Maggie how she really feels?

After their book club reads a romance about an American tourist falling in love with an English princess, Harper and her best friend, Alice, book an impulsive trip to London hoping they too will find the women of their dreams. When Chelsea, an old flame of Harper’s, offers a place to stay and to show them around, Harper welcomes the chance to reconnect. Chelsea had always been the one that got away.

But a chance meeting leads to an unlikely suitor, who lavishes upon Harper every romantic gesture she’s ever dreamed of. It’s irresistible, and exactly why she came to London. Or is it?

As her head is spinning, Harper’s heart reminds her that, this time, maybe happily ever after isn’t just something that happens between the pages—it can happen to her.

The residents of Ruth Miller’s small rural village took it upon themselves to guide her after her parents died. But she’s an adult now and determined to find her own path, starting with learning more about the parents she lost too soon. Maybe if she understands who they were and how they shaped her, she’ll be able to share her life with someone special without the cold fingers of anxiety locking her into the comfort of familiar surroundings.

Olivia Bell’s chaotic childhood has left her lonely. Her independence has served her well in everything except relationships, and she’s desperately searching for connection. She never had a happy home and left the minute she was old enough. The only person she can rely on is her little sister Grace, but Grace needs her help caring for their father—the last thing Olivia wants to do. 

When Ruth and Olivia meet, they become the one bright spot in each other’s days. But Ruth wishes more than anything for the family she lost, and Olivia would do almost anything to escape hers.  Could home ever be more than a four-letter word?

Junior associate Elizabeth Taylor has just landed her dream job at New York City’s largest and most elite law firm. Situated on the top floor of a Manhattan skyrise, it’s everything this Southern girl could want. She’s determined to prove herself, but when Lizzy meets managing partner Darcy Hammond during orientation, her focus begins to shift to her undeniable attraction. Soon, Lizzy is actively flirting, and much to her surprise, Darcy reciprocates. No matter—nothing ever came from a little harmless banter...right?

Darcy Hammond is strictly business. She doesn’t have time for distractions, no matter how good they may look in a pencil skirt. As the youngest and only female managing partner, she has both hands full. But when Elizabeth catches her eye, Darcy goes against her better judgment and puts her on as co-counsel for a huge upcoming trial.

As the line between business and pleasure blurs, the jury is out on whether getting up close and personal will lead to the love of a lifetime, or career disaster.

Nancy and Sam have no intention of playing nice. Each aims to win the bid for the abandoned Narragansett Island Lighthouse, and compromise isn’t in the cards. It’s preservation versus profit, but the lighthouse’s dissatisfied governing board insists on better from both women.

Ironically, a battered old book at the lighthouse just might provide the key to success. Inspiring parallels are discovered in the dog-eared pages: the struggles, dreams—and love—between two Danish women braving WWII’s desperate days, guided by a valiant lighthouse they know well. 

The heroic tale could navigate Nancy and Sam to success, if they stop floundering long enough to see love coming to their rescue.

Alice Johns and Bridget Moore were young nuns when a forbidden spark lit between them. After being discovered, they were released from their convent and lost touch. But they never forgot their intense connection.

Twenty-five years later, they meet again, and the old spark is just as strong. Outside the convent, they couldn’t be more different from one another. Alice lives a quiet life, is active in her church, and doesn’t talk about her past as a nun. Aside from the longing she has for her first and only love, her chosen family in Oceana is everything she needs to be happy. Bridge, an outgoing sales executive whose life has expanded in the years since they were together, has come to know that life is more than her job. She has also sworn off religion. When they reunite, their passion runs deep. But when they think about the future, they worry about how different they’ve become.

For their love to survive, they must find a way to reconcile the most important passions in their lives—devotion to the church and each other.

Jessica Monroe is not going to her sister’s bachelorette party. She hates weddings, she hates her sister’s friends, and she hates everything having to do with her sister’s maid of honor, Tanner Caldwell.

Jessica knows Tanner from high school and has vowed never to speak to that preppy know-it-all again. When Jessica’s mother holds her inheritance hostage unless Jessica agrees to be a bridesmaid and attend all her sister’s pre-wedding events over the next six months, she must fly to Ashville for what’s sure to be the longest weekend of her life. It’s one thing to be blackmailed into obligatory heteronormativity, but it’s quite another to be continually thrown into situations with Tanner, who seems to enjoy getting under her skin.

As the wedding gets closer, Jessica’s hatred for Tanner is a bit more complicated than she thought. Maybe it’s not just hatred that’s getting under Jessica’s skin, but something more?

Asha has worked hard to get where she is: a great job, a beautiful apartment and the city life she always wanted. But everything is turned upside down when her dad falls ill and she has to return to the hometown she once vowed to escape from. The only thing that could make this bad situation even worse? Seeing Jody, the mean girl who made Asha’s high school years unbearable.

Jody has tried hard to move on from who she used to be. When she runs into Asha again, painful memories are stirred up, but Jody is determined to prove to Asha that she’s changed for the better. Especially since Asha seems to have life all figured out while Jody has so many insecurities and baggage.

Asha and Jody deny the growing attraction between them, but when tragedy forces Asha to a turning point, both their lives will change forever.

Teague Maxwell, a brilliant, reclusive inventor, knows two things about herself—she prefers the company of animals, and she will die in the next year following her fortieth birthday. Resigned to the inevitable, she hires Baye Cobb from a local pet rescue to find new homes for her menagerie of pets.    

When Baye decided to turn her late grandmother’s farm into an animal rescue operation, she had no idea so many animals would land on her doorstep. In dire need of more funding, more space and much better business management, Baye has no choice but to accept the lucrative offer from Teague—her very eccentric, but largest, donor. She agrees to help rehome Teague’s pets despite her disgust for someone who would adopt so many animals, only to rehome all of them. 

Neither woman expects Teague’s desperation and Baye’s disapproval to explode into undeniable attraction. The more time they spend together, the more they realize it’s not just animals Baye is adept at saving—she could be the one to rescue Teague from her catastrophic fate.

What do you get when you combine a sweet cinnamon twist and robust Italian wine? Bestselling author Melissa Brayden’s You Had Me at Merlot, the perfect blend of sugar and spice.

Bordeauxnuts is New York City magic, and it all belongs to Jamie Tolliver. A charming coffee and doughnut spot by day, Bordeauxnuts transforms with a sprinkle of powdered sugar into a cozy sophisticated wine bar each evening. Jamie’s enjoying a blueberry latte with her quirky band of regulars when a stunning and enigmatic stranger saunters in, flips her laptop open, and Jamie’s world upside down. Each time Jamie speaks to Leighton Morrow, her crush multiplies. She’s drawn to Leighton's captivating presence, her kindness, and the faint lip print she leaves on her cup that winds a tingle up Jamie’s spine.

But sexy spine tingles can be deceiving.

Leighton Morrow didn’t set out to ruin anyone’s life, but she has a job to do. As a development coordinator for Carrington’s Department Store, Leighton’s part of the team that plans to take over the city block for the new location, including demolishing her new favorite café, Bordeauxnuts. A shame, but that’s life. She’ll miss the apple fritters and the cute owner. But work is a No Feelings Zone and she definitely cannot give in to the ones she has percolating for Jamie. Leighton and Jamie have all the ingredients to turn their attraction into love, but it’s a recipe for disaster.

Leighton Vaughn’s prestigious fine art atelier—and her life—appear to be settling down after a messy divorce. She prioritizes her daughter, art, and, teaching—that is until gifted Casey Norford joins the close-knit New York academy.

Casey didn’t receive the artistic education she expected from her degree, but a spot at Atelier Vaughn will remedy that. Even more than the opportunity to study with the famed Leighton Vaughn, Casey wants to give her son a stable childhood that won’t resemble her own. She’s not sure of the true extent of her artistic talent, but she’s keenly aware of her attraction to her instructor, and that attraction appears mutual.

Their sticky teacher-student relationship puts the future of the atelier in jeopardy, and Leighton’s obsessive ex tracks her down. Will they sacrifice everything to be together?

Content advisory: This book contains instances of domestic violence. 

Facing yet another failed relationship and a full-blown identity crisis after losing her job in a corporate merger, unemployed executive Amber Shaw realizes she hasn’t been happy in a long time. Who is she if not a CEO, and if everything she’s worked for hasn’t made her happy, what will? Inspired after learning about the Appalachian Trail, Amber sets off in hopes of figuring it all out. 

Leslie Brown lives life on her own terms with nothing to tie her down. She’s an experienced hiker and has one final trail left on her bucket list, the Appalachian Trail. Only problem, all her friends have settled down and started lives that don’t allow for seven months away from responsibilities. She’s out there alone.

Amber and Leslie assume they are polar opposites based on their first impressions of each other, but the more their paths cross, the more this hike of a lifetime begins to look like a love of a lifetime.

Sawyer Noel’s car troubles leave her coasting into the dreamy town of Ladybug Junction, Alabama, on her way to the Fetch Veterinarian Conference. She tries to make the most of it, but cell phone signal is limited, and the library is the only reliable place for Wi-Fi. The attractive, carefree librarian with her wild, curly hair and infectious smile helps the time go by quickly, and suddenly Sawyer isn’t in such a rush.

Macey Burr loves helping people. She happily throws herself into her work solving problems and enriching the lives around her. When a sexy stranger rolls through town, Macey goes out of her way to make the doctor feel at home. It’s easy to see past Sawyer’s hard exterior and impossible to ignore her full lips, sparkling blue eyes, and brilliant mind.

When life seems to be too good to be true and love is within reach, Sawyer and Macey discover the truth about Ladybug Junction, and the cold light of reality tests the hearts of these dreamers.

It’s been almost two years since Sarah Osborn’s wife, Julie, died. She never expects that the email she sends to Julie’s old account, hoping for closure, would end up in someone else’s inbox.

Lindsey Cooper is deeply touched when she receives an email meant for someone else. She writes back, explaining the mistake and tries to ignore the immediate connection she feels to the sender. A handful of emails later, their growing online connection leads to a real-life meeting.

Even though Sarah wants to be ready for her growing feelings for Lindsay, her guilt over moving on after Julie’s death stands in her way. A simple mistake brought them together, but if Sarah is to embrace a future with Lindsey she never dreamed possible, she must find a way to let go of her lost love.

Allison, a Vancouver gallery owner, boards a small plane bound for Dawson City to meet a promising young First Peoples artist. Tour guide Mike is returning home to enjoy a well-deserved rest after tourist season. She’s skeptical of the sophisticated city slicker who sits next to her on the flight. The woman looks like she hasn’t camped a day in her life.

Neither the pilot nor the weather forecasters foresee the monstrous storm that forces their plane to crash-land somewhere in the Yukon wilderness, far from any town or road. As the only survivors, Allison and Mike must help each other and overcome their prejudices to survive and get home safely.

 Facing hunger, cold, and a terrifying encounter with a bear, mutual respect begins to blossom, and with it, desire neither expects.

Seventeen-year-old Jen’s best (let’s face it, only) friend Deanna is five years older and big on parties. Jen has been trying to live in Deanna’s world, but she’s coming to realize guys, drinking, and drugs aren’t really her thing. Just as she’s figuring out how to tell Deanna the truth, tragedy hits, leaving Jen struggling to figure out who she is and what’s important to her.

Consumed by grief and guilt, Jen finds support in unexpected places. Stephanie’s sociable, smart, and upbeat—all the things Jen is not. Yet she seems to want to be Jen’s friend. Stephanie is also a lesbian, and when she takes Jen along to an LGBTQIA+ club, Jen starts to see not only her past with Deanna in a new light, but more importantly, her feelings about Stephanie.

Emma Wilson has it all figured out. She’s the starting point guard for the Alder Lions. She’s got a post-grad job lined up. Every queer woman on campus wants her. And she’s definitely over her old flame. The one she never even got to date.

She’s coasting. 

Until the new basketball coach arrives on campus and clearly dislikes her. So does Lake Palmer, the arrogant new player the coach brought with her. Sure, Lake’s gorgeous, and Emma wants to kiss those annoyingly enticing lips, but she plans to steal Emma’s spot. And that just can’t happen. It won’t happen. Their epic arguments are the stuff of courtside legend, but the more Lake pushes her to play better, the harder it is for Emma to resist her attraction.

Oh, and maybe Emma’s major makes her want to rip her own hair out as much as being Lake’s teammate does. With her future anything but a slam dunk, coasting is beginning to feel a whole lot like crashing.