Maria Louden

With college behind him and the NBA in sight, draft shoo-in Breck Harland should be riding cloud nine with visions of grandeur and glory. Should be. He’s striven for this his entire life. But as of late, one all-consuming obstacle has planted itself firmly in the path of his dreams.

The day Clint sees his son, Joey, off to basic training, the young man he’s devoted his life to extracts one promise from him: spend the summer doing something selfish for a change. The request seems harmless enough until Joey puts his best friend, Raven, in charge of seeing it through.

Even though Chase--one of my favorite authors--insists he wants to be left alone, I refuse to let him wallow in whatever’s drowning him. A local bookstore owner and author myself, I’m intrigued by the man who’s a master of the written word. Unfortunately, his social skills could use a lot of work. Even so, I’m determined to pull the irritable and frustrating man out of the dark pit he’s fallen into and back to the surface no matter how hard he fights it. I only hope dragging Chase down that fiery path just might reignite his spark and that I don't get burned in the process.

It was your smile. Your laugh. The color of your eyes. The way you looked at me when no one else was looking. The way you held me. The way you kissed me. It was everything about you I loved. The flattening of that smile. The silence of your laughter. The loss of your lips. The way you left. The way you destroyed it all. The way you destroyed me. Destroyed us. It was everything about you I hated. Everything about you. I wanted. Needed. Hoped for. And that day, you not only broke my heart. You f--king crushed it.

Secrets. Every one of his brothers in the Blood Fury MC has them. Including Rook. Especially Rook. What he’s done in his past. What he’s involved in currently. What he still needs to do. Even worse, what he’s tempted to do. With someone no one expects. Least of all him. But resisting her is impossible, no matter how much he tries. Problem is, his club’s on the verge of war, so she’s either with the Fury or against them. If she’s against them, she’s against them all. Including Rook. Especially Rook.

This summer I'm leaving my hometown for a fresh start. It's a necessary choice in my pursuit of a full and sober life. Besides, escaping to the Outer Banks isn't a hardship. This seaside town holds everything I need and more. That is, until I run into Chase Matthews. He's an arrogant, cocky, self-absorbed jerk who has already come between me and my best friend once. The smart thing to do is keep him at a distance, even if he seems lost and alone. Instead, I'm compelled to help him. Chase is broken and beautiful in ways I fully understand.

My teammates don’t call me a gambler for nothing. As a hotshot forward for the Las Vegas Wolves hockey team, I, Landen Zehner, am known for taking chances - both on and off the ice. Lucky for me, I almost always come out the winner. That’s why I know I’m going to win over the team’s new event coordinator, Cricket Nance. She’s everything I’ve ever wanted. So I’m going in, hard and fast, by making her a bet to give me a real chance. That means seeing no other people. I tell her to trust me, and we’ll both come out winners. You can bet on it, baby.

Sean found love once, with his college roommate, Trevor, and Trevor’s best friend, Charlotte. The missing piece, Sean made it possible for Trevor and Charlotte to find love too. But then Sean left and took the love with him. Now an FBI agent, Sean is back in town, 10 years later, to investigate a murder. A case that pits him against his ex-lovers - Charlotte, a local detective, and Trevor, a literature professor sucked into the Shakespearean mystery. Everyone guards their hearts, but before long, desire sparks anew the feelings that burned hot a decade ago. That still burn true.

Twenty years ago, I loved a woman. Twenty years ago, I also loved a man. And 20 years ago, rather than choose, I abandoned them both. Now, I’m living a lonely life, luckless in love and unwilling to confront the truth of what I left behind. When my brother passes, I become responsible for my four-year-old niece. Uprooting her isn't an option which means heading back to the sticks of New Hampshire, to the small town I fled. Because of Charlotte. Because of Liam. My two best friends, the ones I’d been reluctant to pursue but couldn’t deny.

For over a year now, Winter has been on a dating hiatus. Not only could she not find love, but a decent orgasm also seemed to be out of the question. Her past relationships always turned into a nightmare when all she wants is a fairy tale. That's okay, though. She's finally done with the notion that there is a “happily ever after” out there with her name on it.