Nicole Pyland

This is book #1 in the Chicago Series. Eva Dash has her career on track. After earning her Ph. D in Literature, she became a professor at the same college she'd called home as a student. When she loses the only job she's ever wanted, she's forced to consider leaving the only home she's ever really known. Ember Elliot, the reformed player, has finally committed herself to looking for the right woman while struggling to find herself in other ways. She's tired of being misunderstood by her family and hiding a very important part of herself from them. Being gay isn't her secret. Wanting to be more than just a manager at her family's restaurant is. And she's ready to take steps to get what she wants. The two women meet when Ember does her best to keep Eva from being a notch in another woman's bedpost. They find each other at the time when both of them have lives and careers in flux. It starts with a scribbled warning on a napkin, continues with a tree house kiss and ends with a wall covered in chalkboard paint. List of books in the Chicago Series: Introduction - Fresh Start Book #1 - The Best Lines Book #2 - Just Tell Her Book #3 - Love Walked into The Lantern Series Finale - What Happened After

The Best Lines

All the Love Songs

This is book #1 in the Boston Series. Gretchen Carpenter didn't come from money. She didn't have a lot growing up in her small town. As the black sheep of her family, instead of staying home and taking over the family business, she moved to Boston, got into Harvard Law School, and is about to graduate when she gets an internship at a personal injury law firm. It's not what Gretchen wanted to do, but it's the reason she meets Amanda Dixon. Amanda Dixon comes from old money, and that's helpful, but it doesn't stop her from working hard for what she wants. On her way to a master's in her instrument from one of the most prestigious music schools in the country, she does not have time for a pesky lawsuit. When the two women meet, they clash instantly due to their differences and perceptions. Once they're forced to work together, they find they have more in common than they initially thought, and they might just have met the person that finally gets them to let go. Books in the series: Book #1 - Let Go Book #2 - The Right Fit

Let Go

Twenty years ago, Ripley Fox's entire family was killed in a fire. After years in the foster care system and trying to rebuild her life, she's once again confronted not only with the horror of what happened that night, but also with the truth about who was responsible. Kenna Crawford is the very definition of a hard-nosed reporter. She always gets her story, never takes no for an answer and never lets go once she's got something or someone in her sights. When she comes across the story of Ripley Fox, she's not only intrigued by it but also by Ripley herself. As the two women attempt to discover if there's something between them, they're forced to deal with the realities of what happened to Ripley and how Kenna's career doesn't make it easy for Ripley to let go of what she's tried to forget for the past twenty years.

The Fire

Summer Taft is a twenty-seven-year-old billionaire, who founded a tech startup with her brother while she was still in college. As that company's CEO, she feels stuck and underappreciated. She also has to take care of the company while her brother goes off exploring the world, leaving her holding the bag. The company recently opened an office in Chicago, where Summer has met some new friends. As Summer decides to uproot her life and make the move to Chicago, she meets Lena. Lena Tanner has had no luck in her love life after divorcing her husband of several years before, after finally admitting to herself that she was gay. Lena had been exploring and having fun in the new life she'd made for herself. But now she's ready to find the one and settle down. After a blind date gone wrong, she ends up at The Lantern where she spots her group of expanding friends and a newcomer.Lena had never been brave in her personal life. And Summer has difficulty making decisions, small and large. The two women settle into a quick friendship that turns more flirtatious, but is either ready to dive right into something new that could be lasting?

Chicago Series #3

Love Walked Into the Lantern

Release Date: May 25th, 2018Charlie Adams has two best friends. Ember Elliot and Hailey Grant, the woman she's secretly been in love with since the moment they met over a decade ago. She has watched Hailey date all the wrong women and never said anything about how she wanted to be Hailey's forever love.Hailey Grant had a first love that she was comparing every other woman to. When that woman comes back into her life, Hailey has to get to know her again after all this time. As Hailey tries to figure out if her first love is actually her forever love, she sees something is different about Charlie.When the two women embark on new relationships, they'll have to finally confront their growing attraction for each other and decide if they can be brave enough to risk the most important friendship they have for possibly something more. Charlie might just be the girl who gets the girl after years of watching Hailey be miserable with other women who didn't deserve her, and Hailey might have just had the right woman by her side this whole time.

Chicago Series #2

Just Tell Her

Cali Banks lost her job and needs money fast. When her best friend tries to sign Cali up to appear on a reality show where contestants complete ridiculous challenges for cash and prizes, Cali tells her she's crazy. When she gets a call back for an audition, she thinks there's no chance the show will be interested in her boring life. Little does she know; that's just what they're looking for. When Cali agrees to go, she's thinking about keeping her head down and trying to win as much cash as possible so that she won't lose her apartment and have to move back in with her parents. Dayton Maine is a reality show mainstay. She's already done three and has been asked back for a fourth by the Berserk producers. Dayton understands she's there to bring the drama. She has no problem doing that. She also has no problem hooking up with her fellow female contestants should the opportunity arise. She loves the challenges and the thrill of the chase. She's there for the fun and the fame. When the two meet, it isn't exactly love or lust at first sight. Dayton thinks Cali is a hermit who judges the rest of them. Cali's pretty sure Dayton's just there to reconnect with an old flame and get as much camera time as possible. While the cast members get kicked off one by one, though, the two women find common ground mixed in with a whole lot of differences. Dayton finds herself in a new position, chasing a woman for more than just one night, and Cali finds herself trying to live in the moment and trust that this woman might be the one she had been waiting for all along.

Reality Check

This is book # 3 in the San Francisco Series. Hillary Robins had watched all of her friends couple off. Everyone in her group had their person now, while she'd turned into something like the eighth wheel. After Caroline had broken her heart, Hillary had always known that she'd be the last of her friends to find someone. Caroline had done a number on her. And, in many ways, she was still recovering. Amara Simmons both loved and hated being a preacher's daughter. She loved her father dearly. He was all she had left after her mother's tragic death. But what her father and his protégé, Mark, taught in church was in direct opposition to what she felt about herself. She'd never had the courage to admit it out loud. She even dated Mark because it was what was right for her father and for their shared faith. Unfortunately for Amara, her secret - along with some family secrets - collide when she finally decides to come out of her shell. Hillary had been staring at a beautiful, auburn-haired woman every week in her local café for over a year before circumstances finally give her the courage to take a chance and strike up a conversation. Amara had always thought Hillary was beautiful. She'd always wanted to talk to her, but she couldn't. If she did, that would mean that thing she'd been hiding about herself might reveal itself. If it did, it would change everything.Recommended order of reading the books in the series:Checking the Right Box (in San Francisco Series)Keep Tahoe Blue (in Tahoe Series)Macon's Heart (in San Francisco Series)This Above All (in San Francisco Series)

San Francisco Series Book #3

This Above All

This is book #2 in the Royalty Series. Elin, the Princess of Norway, never planned to become the country's Queen - her twin brother, older by minutes, would be the next King. When her father decided to retire, and her brother abdicated to continue his career in the military service, Elin was thrust into being not only the next in line, but the new Queen. Ingrid, the Princess's Private Secretary, was happy for her sometimes nervous and often klutzy Princess ascending to the throne, but because of her lack of seniority, she was disappointed to find out she won't be Elin's secretary any longer. When the new Queen moves mountains to keep Ingrid on her staff, Ingrid begins to wonder why she'd do that. The new Queen's crush is close to being revealed, and the Secretary, who's always been professional, cannot take her eyes off of the woman she's worked with for years. While it might seem impossible, Ingrid also can't stop thinking about the possibility of more with the woman who will now be Queen of Norway.

Appointing

Ascending

The Show Must Go On

Ten years ago, Ada Cramer's brother went missing. Her brother had always been the favored child, and Ada had been the only witness to his disappearance. Her life changed the day the police officer assigned to the case made Ada a promise that she'd find Noah Cramer. Dylan Easton had many cases over the course of her career as a detective, but only one she would describe as the one she'd never let go of. It had started the day she'd made a promise to a fourteen-year-old girl that she would find her brother. Ten years after Noah's disappearance, the two women are reunited when a true crime series wants to highlight the anniversary of the missing boy. Ada is now ten years older and still bitter about the way her life had taken a turn that day, and Dylan is now a detective, on her way to running her own team. When the two women meet up after all these years, there's an unwanted spark between them that they attempt to deny. A new lead in the case, mixed with some startling discoveries, has these two women attempting to balance their new and confusing attraction to one another along with the possibility of finding Noah Cramer.

The Disappeared

This is book #1 in the San Francisco Series. Emma Colton left her life behind when she moved from Chicago to San Francisco. She has a new job at the Health Department, a tiny apartment, and has dealt with being unlucky in love for most of her adult life. She's hoping a new city and a fresh outlook will help her find the woman she's been waiting for. Keira Worthy has had a rough few years. She lost her best friend and business partner almost immediately after starting their dream event planning company. She's barely hanging on financially and takes a job for the Health Department in hopes of landing more customers if it goes well. When she meets her liaison, Emma, under not the best circumstances - sparks fly. And not the good kind of sparks. When they bump into one another at a lesbian singles night, they have to decide if they want to take the chance on something that could possibly be forever. Recommended order of reading the books in the series: Checking the Right Box (San Francisco Series Book #1) Keep Tahoe Blue (Tahoe Series Book #1) Macon's Heart (San Francisco Series Book #2)

Checking the Right Box

This is book # 2 in the San Francisco Series. Macon Greene is a reluctant, world-renowned violinist. She'd never had a problem playing for a crowd as long as she wasn't giving a solo. Her friends never seemed to notice her reluctance. In fact, her friends seemed to only really notice one thing about Macon - she always had a different woman around her. Sometimes, she'd flirt. Sometimes, they would. Rarely would it go anywhere. Unfortunately for Macon, she had a bit of a reputation. Joanna Martin had a new profession and a new group of friends. Things were looking up in her life, with the exception of love. She'd never been able to find the right guy for her. Of course, she was spending a lot of time with a group of lesbians these days through her friendship with Emma Colton. That might have something to do with it. While Emma had found her soulmate in Keira Worthy, Joanna was starting to wonder if she'd ever find the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. As Joanna and Macon's friendship becomes the most important relationship for both women, Macon wonders if she'll ever have the courage to tell Joanna how she feels or if she'll just have to find a way to get over it. Joanna hadn't ever thought of being with a woman until she started spending all her free time with the beautiful and remarkably talented Macon. Suddenly, both women have a lot to think about. Recommended order of reading the books in the series: Checking the Right Box (in San Francisco Series) Keep Tahoe Blue (in Tahoe Series) Macon's Heart (in San Francisco Series)

Macon's Heart

Alyssa Masters had been accused of a horrible crime she didn't commit and was now the most hated woman in America. She'd lost people she'd loved, her credibility, and a part of her life. To get it back on track, she returns home to live with her mother and has all but given up on any hope at a normal life.Hannah Granger had been off exploring the world and finding herself, only to return home to lose her mother and a lot of what she'd found out about herself while away.When the two women meet, they discover they can help find what they'd lost and uncover more of what they could have in their lives as they attempt to navigate a complicated situation and deal with the baggage they both bring with them.

Chicago Series #0

Fresh Start

Sports Series Book 1

Always More

Elodie Booker was a phenomenon. No one had ever taken the sport of archery by storm the way she had. Trophies and accolades piled up around her even in her first years in the sport. Then, something terrible happened. She lost the only father figure she had ever known after losing person after person in her life. It was the proverbial straw breaking the camel's back, and Elodie left the game, never looking back.Madison Fletcher was the next big thing in the sport of archery, or at least, that was what she thought. She was about to turn twenty-three, just graduated from college, and needed a new archery coach. Madison knew there was only one person she could reach out to; one person to take her all the way to the Olympic games. The only problem was that Elodie Booker was now a thirty-three-year-old lawyer who wanted nothing to do with archery and hadn't fired a single shot since she had lost her own former coach.Madison had known loss, too. Her loss was a different one, but it was still something that could unite them in their pain and understanding. If she could convince Elodie to give her a chance at being the archery star Madison knew she could be, she might also be able to convince Elodie that they were meant to be much more than coach and athlete.

Sports Series Book 2

A Shot at Gold

Do you ever read a story, fall in love with the characters and wonder what happens to them after the book ends? Epilogues are nice, but they're a snapshot in time. Maybe it's a year after the end of the book or even just six months. Maybe there's a proposal or a wedding. Maybe a character announces she's pregnant. Maybe a character just got their dream job. I write the epilogues in my books mostly for myself because I want to know where they go next. I like to check in on them to find out about those next big steps in their lives. What I'm doing here is adding to their stories. There's a danger in this, of course. What if you're already satisfied with how the story ended for the characters? What if this ruins it for you? That is a risk you'll have to decide on your own to take. I'm merely providing short glimpses into the lives of my characters beyond their epilogues. If you plan to read these, please read all the books in the series first. Because the lives of the characters in the Chicago series are so closely woven together, you won't want to read the additional content for Eva and Ember, for example, until you've read all four of the Chicago Series books.

Nicole Pyland

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