Contemporary Books

Emily Wellington loves birds. Sydney Cooper loves pole dancing. The last thing they expect is to fall in love with each other. 

An exclusive exposé on the Madagascar lovebird and its mysterious migration to the small town of Ojai, California, might be the only thing keeping Emily’s magazine, The Tweet, from going under.  

Sydney doesn’t care what other people think; pole dancing gave her confidence and strength when she needed it most. Now penniless and unemployed, she needs to ace her pole dancing audition to become an instructor at LA’s hottest fitness studio. 

Emily and Sydney couldn’t be more different, but they need each other to achieve their goals. When their unlikely friendship blossoms into romance, will the secret Sydney has been keeping destroy Emily’s chance to save her magazine and their chance at true happiness?

Hayley Carpenter has always dreamed of being a famous screenwriter, but dreams don’t pay bills and LA living isn’t cheap. So when a temp position at a celebrity gossip magazine becomes available, she goes after it.

Emerson Sterling has been acting since she was little, but a rough patch as a teenager has given her a bad rap in Hollywood. Just when she thinks her dream role can turn around the public’s image of her, a conflict with her co-star and America’s Sweetheart, Rachel Blanche, puts her on the front cover of every magazine, the villain once again.

Rumors swirl that the starlets’ feud started in the bedroom, and Hayley accidentally overhears a conversation between Emerson and Rachel that could lead to the biggest scoop of her career. Will Hayley follow the story, or will her irresistible attraction to Emerson and the secrets Emerson is desperate to keep buried ruin both their careers...and their chance at love?

Fifth-generation lobster-woman Mat Pero loves her traditional Portuguese family and living in the lesbian hub of Provincetown, even if they feel like two different worlds. Or two different lives. Since she has no plans for them to collide, it’s not a problem.

Graham Connor is a romantic at heart, but she hasn’t had a date in over a year. She vows to let loose and have a little fun, and the charming and confident Mat is more than happy to help. 

But casual hookups aren’t supposed to include romantic dinners and meeting the family. Can Mat see beyond the heartbreak that led her to keep her worlds so separate, and will Graham be waiting if she does?

After kissing at the Belgian coast during a romantic sunset swim, Hélène and Sylvie find ruts in their road to eternal bliss. In this sequel to Underwater Vibes, Hélène struggles to avoid Sylvie, her sexy Greek swimming coach. Hélène’s inner turmoil and attempts to shun her deepest emotions to save her marriage make her react in bizarre ways. An intimate dinner turns sour, and Sylvie wonders why she keeps falling for women who are wrong for her. When Sylvie heads to the airport with a mysterious, gorgeous woman, and a psychic reveals unexpected news, Hélène must face up to her feelings or risk losing Sylvie forever. When disaster strikes, both women must decide how important being true to yourself, and to love, really is.

Agente editorial Emily May está a punto de perder todo el fruto de sus esfuerzos…su trabajo, su hogar, sus amigos, y la seguridad que le provee a su hermana mayor en Singapur…todo solo porque no tiene un permiso de residencia. Derian Winfield, entusiasta de carreras de autos, aventurara y temeraria, es llamada por su familia, cuando su tía, la única persona en su familia que todavía ama, se enferma. Forzada a tomar un papel en la agencia, la cual pasó años evitando, Derian necesitará mejorar de prisa su reputación negra o la agencia terminará controlada por su padre. Juntas, ella y Emily enfrentan el padre de Derian y su ejecutora, y en el proceso, Derian inventa un plan para resolver los problemas de ambas. Ahora solo necesita convencer a Emily que se case con ella, una solución perfecta para solucionar todos sus problemas, o eso es lo cree. Solo no cuenta con enamorarse.

A Spanish translation of The Color of Love

Sometimes the most imperfect match is the most perfect surprise.

Hadley Cooper believes in happily-ever-afters with her whole heart. Described by her friends as a wide-eyed, eternal optimist, she looks for the bright side in most any situation. However, when her job as the assistant manager of Silhouette, a posh boutique on Rodeo Drive, is on the line, she realizes it’s time to pull her head out of the clouds and find a way to turn business around, and that just might mean partnering with the most stubborn up-and-coming fashion designer she’s ever encountered.

Spencer Adair has a passion for fashion, but hates the fact that it rhymes. She’s serious about her designs, fiercely protective of her work, and is waiting patiently for her big break. What she didn’t plan on, however, was the unsolicited opinions of that overly-friendly blond boutique manager. Or the way her heart beats faster every time she’s around.

Jenna Thompson is a recently promoted supervisor for Child Protective Services, but she's already having a hard time following the rules. She knows that if she dares act on her desire for her new trainee, she won’t keep her job long.

Danielle Corey’s family disowned her when she came out at seventeen, so she’s passionate about helping children who have been neglected, abused, or abandoned by their families. Eager to prove herself as a new social worker, Danielle struggles with her unprofessional attraction for her new boss. 

As the case they’re working on becomes more volatile, their opinions start to clash even as coworkers become suspicious of their obvious connection. Tensions rise, and with their careers and hearts in the balance, Jenna and Danielle have to decide if they’re willing to risk everything they’ve worked for to take a chance at forever.

Lou Silver is a stage combat instructor by day, and teaches kung fu on the weekends. When Lou meets Staff Sergeant Stephanie "Steve" Adams through one of her kung fu students, Lou can’t resist her instant attraction, even though Steve’s military background stirs old resentments. As Steve battles to break down the walls around Lou’s heart, Lou must come to terms with her past to give love a fighting chance.

Courtney Abbott is a gold-medal-winning Olympian who always dreamed of playing in the NHL. But breaking into a man’s game is nearly impossible, and she’s put her all into playing in a semi-pro women’s ice hockey league.

Concert violinist Lana Caruso and her teenage son return home to care for her father. The move is only temporary, though—as soon as he recovers, Lana plans to return to Chicago and her position in the orchestra. 

Court knows Lana isn’t going to be sticking around for long, but she’s used to living life on the fly. She doesn’t think for even a second she’ll end up truly falling for Lana, but when hearts are on the line, love becomes the one game she can’t afford to lose.

Onetime lovers, unexpected rivals...

Emmett McCabe never expected to see Sydney Stevens—a woman with whom she'd shared a brief, incendiary connection before it all went up in flames—again. Luckily, ascending the cutthroat ladder of a high-pressure surgery residency to reach the top spot makes it easy to ignore what's missing in her life. Then Sydney reappears after nearly five years. Emmett is barely over her shock when she discovers Sydney is her new competition for the coveted chief's position everyone, including Emmett, expects will be hers.

Professional rivalry and long-simmering passions create a combustible combination when the two are forced to work together, especially when past attractions won't stay buried.

Also available in French translation from Homoromance Éditions: Rivales Passionnées

Attorneys Landon Holt and Carly Pachett want the exact same thing: the only open partnership spot at their prestigious criminal defense firm. When Landon and Carly are forced to collaborate on the defense of one of the firm’s A-list celebrity clients in a high-profile murder case, there’s no question the assignment is a test to see which one of them will get the promotion.

Fierce determination to stand out fuels the already heated rivalry between them, but all those late nights working on legal strategy also fan the flames of attraction. When it comes to the verdict, will they compromise their careers for love?

Police Officer Grace Booker’s life is good—but not quite everything she'd hoped. When a good deed goes wrong, she’s left with Dirty Harry, a raucous African parrot who really hates her. When Harry becomes louder and more neurotic, Grace takes him to the new local vet, Dr. Dani Wingate.

Recently laid off from her dream job as a zoo veterinarian, Dr. Dani Wingate accepts a temporary position in tiny Pine Cone until she can get back to her life in the city. The only thing she wants more than a lesbian who can do uncomplicated relationships is a one-way ticket out of town.

Dirty Harry brings them together, but their unexpected attraction keeps the sparks flying.

Personal trainer Rebecca McCall is furious when her coworker is sidelined and she’s forced to teach the “Be Your Best Bride” class. As if being a size two for your wedding photos is all exercise is good for. Could the whole thing get more vain and sexist? The class is full of preening, giggling Bridezillas, but one woman stands out. The one who confesses she’s only there because her fiancée signed her up. Who does that to someone they care about? And why can’t Rebecca take her eyes off her?

Spencer Thompson is a second-guesser. After making the worst mistake of her life, she’s happy to abdicate responsibility and let other people make her decisions for her. She’s always felt a little bit too soft, a little bit too curvy in all the wrong places. Her fiancée apparently agrees because she signed Spencer up for a class at the gym. Terrified by the online profile of the instructor, the epitome of Zero Body Fat, Spencer is relieved to find someone new, and realistic looking, leading the class. Except the instructor seems to hate her and Spencer has no idea why. 

When a perfectly innocent post workout smoothie leads to an earth shattering kiss, Rebecca wonders if she’s been wrong all along, and Spencer is challenged to make another decision that could change her life forever.

Coming out is easier when you’ve got someone by your side. At least that’s how the hyper-private Quinn Kincaid sees it. When her publicist suggests a good old-fashioned sham of a Hollywood relationship, Quinn reluctantly agrees. And that’s how the star of Jordan’s Appeal, TV’s highest rated legal drama, ends up with a fake girlfriend—the very real, very sexy, and very gay soap star, Lacey Matthews.

The two clash immediately, and often hilariously, as they figure out how to fake a budding romance. And of course, things are never as simple as they seem. A freak accident, some reluctant caregiving, and a chance to work together on Jordan’s Appeal force Quinn and Lacey closer together—for better or worse. 

In Casting Lacey, Elle Spencer gives us a funny new take on a classic storyline, complete with nosy mothers, fawning assistants, and two beautiful actresses who might learn about true love. If they don’t kill each other first.

¿Qué haces cuando tu vida tan cuidadosamente planeada da un giro equivocada el infierno?

Cuando Quinn Maguire, una cirujana de trauma, joven y atractiva, incomprensiblemente acepta la posición de médica en la sala de urgencias, su jefa nueva, Honor Blake, sospecha que Quinn está ocultando un secreto oscuro. Cuando las dos declaran una tregua inestable en un esfuerzo a trabajar juntas, ambas luchan contra una atracción mutual e inesperada. Sin embargo, Honor tiene más que una razón a resistir sus sentimientos crecientes para la novata atractiva… sin mencionar que su corazón pertenece a la mujer cuyo anillo matrimonial lleva puesto. En medio del caos y drama de una sala de urgencias ocupada, Quinn y Honor necesitan enfrentar no solo la naturaleza frágil de la vida, pero también los misterios del corazón y las fuerzas irresistibles del destino.

A Spanish translation of Fated Love.

Former U.S. Army pilot Lauren Henley and police training instructor Kim “Monty” Montgomery share a love of country, a sense of duty, and grief for a woman who left them too soon. That the woman they lost was a friend to one and a lover to the other should at least give Kim and Lauren something on which to build a friendship. But from the moment they met, they’ve been at odds.

When Lauren gets a job at the same police department as Kim, they are forced to at least fake professional respect. Eventually, respect and begrudging attraction turns to affection, then something deeper.

Lauren Daly is fed up with her dead-end job, frustrating roommates, and unhealthy love life. She escapes to The Dollhouse, New Jersey’s hottest lesbian bar, where disappearing in a crowd of gorgeous women is exactly what she needs at the end of the day. But when the owner, Berit Matthews, approaches her for a casual hookup, Lauren pushes her away, knowing better than to put her heart on the line for a playgirl.

Berit loves her bar, her life, and the casual connections she has with the women around her. She can’t help her simmering attraction for Lauren, though, and Lauren’s rejection challenges her to prove she's capable of friendship, kindness, and even matchmaking. Berit’s efforts draw them closer than either expected, but when The Dollhouse is threatened, they’re forced to fight for their sanctuary and their newfound love.