Proximity

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.

The boy on the gurney is dying. Held at gunpoint by a subterranean terrorist, Dr. Rayne Garcia fights to save his life. One false move will put everyone in danger. She’s seriously regretting volunteering at the third-floor free clinic when she usually works in one of the Eastern Coastal City skyscrapers.

Kaelyn Dark doesn’t like the label terrorist when all she wanted was to protect her people against the military units sent by the corrupt Celestial authorities. Kaelyn has brought the child, critically injured during a Celestial raid, into an enemy clinic. Attempting to save his life is reckless and desperate, but she’s unable to foresee how intertwined her and Rayne’s fates will become.

Meeting Kaelyn fuels Rayne’s suspicions about the propaganda fed to her and other Celestials. Once she takes a stand for what is right, she can never return to her opulent way of life—but can she survive the harsh conditions? A daring plan to migrate the subterranean population to live above ground—in peace, is underway. Kaelyn’s fought her entire life for this, and she can’t allow herself to fall for Rayne. If she loses focus and something goes wrong, it could mean the end for all of them.

For some, first love is never forgotten—even when left behind. A story of queer love that never ends, new beginnings, and the town that steals two hearts from award-winning author Ana Hartnett.

Tanya Brees enjoyed an idyllic childhood in the small coastal tourist town of Coral Bay, skimboarding, racing ATVs through sandy trails, and getting into mischief with her small band of friends. Things are clear: stick with the locals and hope the high-rises don’t take over their small fishing community.

When Tanya is thirteen, Juliette Peralta walks into the restaurant at the Coral Bay Inn with her parents and catches the eye of all the teens in town, especially Tanya. Every summer Juliette spends in Coral Bay brings them closer until first love blooms. But Juliette always leaves, her parents keep acquiring property to develop in town, and Tanya can’t take it anymore. No matter how much she loves Juliette, their family values are too different, and they lose touch as adults. That is, until a hurricane forces Juliette to return to Coral Bay indefinitely.

What’s worse than still being attracted to your first crush? Realizing the storm that tore you apart has gotten a lot more complicated.

Julia Martin is a thriving physical therapist and gym owner with a steady relationship and even a dog. Her life is uncomplicated, simple, and fun, even if she sometimes feels like she’s missed out by never leaving the Midwest town she grew up in. That is until a heartbreak from her past comes crashing back into her world, and everything starts to spin into motion and out of control.

Raegan Holcolm thought all they wanted was a proud military career, and that’s what they had. But a sudden injury sends them back to their hometown with a wealth of pain, both physical and emotional, insecurities, and the reality that the career they’d chosen above all else has rejected them.

The first time they fell in love, Rae left Jules behind. For love to have a second chance, they’ll need to realize all along that home might have been a person just as much as a place.

The dahlia represents love, devotion, dignity, and beauty in Victorian floriography. Piper’s new boss, Dahlia? One out of four—Dal is beautiful and that’s where the similarities end.

When Piper Fernley, Pipes the unPlugged when writing her popular blog, is knocked down by a frightened dog on her morning run, she doesn’t expect the dog’s owner to land on top of her. Or the attraction she feels for the rude woman who isn’t her type. But that’s nothing compared to the shock of finding out the woman is her new boss. Fortunately, the gig at the job is temporary, but how is she supposed to survive six weeks with a guarded, uptight woman who doesn’t even like her?

Veterinarian Dahlia Noble prefers animals to most people—they aren’t duplicitous. After a difficult childhood and the divorce from hell, Dal’s focus is her daughter and her work. The unpretentious office temp is growing on Dal, but her past, the boss/employee rulebook, and a divorce agreement mean there is no place in her life for Piper.

Sometimes when you stop looking, your heart finds exactly what it needs.

A fake bridesmaid, a socially anxious bride, and an unexpected love—what could go wrong?

It’s the strangest job that actress Meli has ever been offered—posing as a bridesmaid for an apparently friendless woman at her upcoming Caribbean wedding. Then she meets the shy bride-to-be, Hannah, and feels an instant connection that makes her put her doubts aside. She’s not only doing this because Hannah is gorgeous, even though she really is. Too bad she’s straight.

Hannah is ten steps beyond shy. Even connecting with her fiancé is difficult, despite how badly her religious parents want her to marry. But something about Meli makes her feel safe. A close encounter with Meli at the bachelorette party leaves Hannah shivery and warm, and wondering if she’s making a mistake by getting married.

To chase her real happily-ever-after, Hannah has to not only defy expectations she’s conformed to all her life, but also risk her heart getting broken and find the words—and the courage—to be her true self.