Rachel Spangler

Fencing prodigy Jess Kidman has always been ahead of her peers. At the age of thirteen she made the varsity team, won a state championship, came out, and fell head over heels in love with her team captain, Lauren Standish. After being gently rebuffed by the high school senior, young Jess vowed she would return for her some day when their age difference became irrelevant and her own accomplishments made her not merely an equal, but an Olympian. Eleven years later, Jess makes good on her promise, but when she arrives back in Buffalo a few months before the big games, she's intrigued to find that the woman she's always dreamed of could also be exactly the coach she needs to win gold. Lauren, however, isn't the bubbly team captain she'd been at eighteen. After a stellar collegiate career of her own, circumstances forced her to her dreams on the shelf and return to Buffalo. She'd made peace with a quiet life spent running a rustbelt fencing club and coaching kids when Team USA's hottest young fencer waltzes back into her life. As much as Lauren finds Jess's confidence and athleticism alluring, she also sees the hot-headed superstar as a threat to the carefully controlled world rebuilt in the wake of the traumatic loss she is desperate to avoid reliving. Never one to turn her back on a friend in need, Lauren agrees to coach Jess on the condition that they focus only on the swordplay and not the sharp point of attraction threatening to sever the bonds of her professionalism. The two women set to work preparing for the biggest event of their lives, but as tension mounts in the lead-up to the Olympic games, the pressure and the passion building between them also grows, leaving both to wonder if Jess is trying to win the gold, or win the girl.

Thrust

Can a chef and a banker work together long enough to learn that distinctive ingredients make the perfect pairing?

Perfect Pairing

Will the heat building between a disgraced reporter and a rising curling star melt the already thin ice they each are on?

Fire & Ice

Can a CPA and her brash, young intern reconcile their differences, or will the answers hit too close to home?

Close to Home

When the residents of the seaside English village of Amberwick conspire with their local bartender to draw out a heartbroken and reclusive author, the two women unexpectedly find themselves fighting their fears and desires in this full English romance.

Full English

Sometimes baseball is just a metaphor for life, and sometimes it works the other way around. All Sarah Duke ever cared about was baseball, and she’s finally earned her shot as a full-time sports writer. She loves the work, she loves being one of the few women to ever gain access to a man’s world, but most of all, she loves the game. When Duke meets Molly Grettano and her two sons at the ballpark, she instantly connects with the young family, but Molly isn’t sure Duke’s ready for something more. Molly wants someone softer, more feminine, and more importantly,someone steady. She and her boys have been abandoned before, and she’s vowed to never to put them in that position again. If she were ever to trust anyone, it would have to be someone fully dedicated to her and her children. Duke has a lot of heart, but neither woman is sure there’s enough room left in it for anything other than baseball.

Heart of the Game

Mira Collins has her life together. She's built a solid career as a financial planner, a comfortable home, and an uncomplicated and regimented routine...until her wayward sister, Vannah, shows up unexpectedly and drops a bomb on her orderly world. Ever dependable Mira reluctantly accepts temporary custody of her ten-year-old nephew, Ben, then quickly learns that not all responsibilities can be handled with a color-coded calendar system, and that being a substitute parent is terrifying. There are new skills, stressors, and emotions to contend with, many of which are simultaneously simplified and complicated by Ben's beautiful young violin teacher. Shelby Tanner is fresh out of grad school and eager to start her first job as an orchestra teacher, and although she believes the power of music will enrich her students' lives, she still feels like she's waiting for her own to start. Working harder than ever to make ends meet while struggling to find her feet, she quickly learns that not everything can be handled with a well-tuned instrument or a creative mindset, and that being an adult is terrifying. She's desperate to feel confident and competent, but the world keeps tripping her up. Case in point, her growing attraction to the guardian of her most gifted young musician. Drawn together by their changing circumstances and their mutual affection for Ben, Shelby and Mira learn to lean on each other despite their differences in age, personality, and lifestyle, until Vannah's reappearance threatens to upend everyone's lives all over again. Is attraction enough to sustain opposites without the commonality of Ben between them, or will the beautiful music they've created together fade into silence?

Heartstrings

For two Olympic athletes, the razor's edge between victory and defeat is easier on the slopes than in the heart.

Edge of Glory

After a devastating ultimatum from her lover, Campbell Carson returns to her childhood home, Bear Run Ski Resort, seeking her family's unconditional solace and support.

Trails Merge

Annabelle Taylor has been in her ideal relationship with an adoring partner for thirteen years. Davis Chandler is jaded from years of bad luck with women, but she thinks she's finally started dating the girl of her dreams. The only problem is they're both in love with the same woman. Nic McCoy is living a double life that is about to come crashing down on all of them. All three women are left trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of shocking realizations that leave them second-guessing everything about themselves and each other. As they struggle toward recovery, they each face life-altering questions about trust, redemption, and the possibility of finding love in the wake of betrayal.

Does She Love You?

When a down-and-out tennis professional takes on the mother of a young phenom, can the two of them survive the match, or will "love all" prove that no one wins?

Love All

When dreams and expectations clash in a flurry of sparks, an actress and an aristocrat find themselves searching for common ground. Lady Victoria Penchant has had enough scandal for one lifetime, and she’s sworn off drama for good. But when she makes an unexpected return to her family’s castle during high tourist season, drama is exactly what she finds—in the form of a Hollywood film crew and their sharp-tongued, stunning star, Sophia LeBlanc. Sparks of every kind fly from their first encounter, and the drama doubles as Vic’s every decision draws her closer to Sophia and further from the expectations of the prestigious position she has been raised to protect. Sophia has worked and scraped and fought her way up from nothing to the brink of stardom. She’s spent her career taking direction from rich, pretty, privileged men, and she has no intention of letting some rich, pretty, privileged aristocrat stand in the way now that her wildest dreams are within reach. She vows to stay in control of every situation during filming, but the Lady of the Manor proves to be an unexpectedly stubborn and alluring challenge to the goals she’s fought so hard to achieve. As the summer heats up, Vic and Sophia learn they have far more in common than their intense sexual attraction, but will that be enough to overcome the pressures of proud histories and find their way toward a new vision of forever?

Modern English

Melissa Brayden

Karis Walsh

Do you ever wonder Whatever happened to...? Find out when you reconnect with your favorite characters from Melissa Brayden'sHeart Block, Rachel Spangler's LoveLife, and Karis Walsh's Worth the Risk. In Firework by Melissa Brayden: Lucy Danaher was born into a life of privilege, and has always enjoyed the view from the top. But after clashing with reporter and rights activist Kristin James, she wonders if there's more to the world than she once thought. In Getting Serious by Rachel Spangler: Lisa Knapp has never been the romantic lead. She's better suited to comic relief, but when another guest at her best friend's wedding doesn't go for the easy laugh, Lisa has to face the prospect of getting serious. In Risk Factor by Karis Walsh: Myra Owens runs a therapeutic riding program for returning soldiers. She won't risk getting hurt by becoming personally involved with her riders until Ainslee Harriot challenges her to take a chance on love.

Romantic Novellas

Sweet Hearts

Lesbian romance. Ashton Clarke, a local Casanova, is perfectly content until she gives in to helping out at a gay and lesbian youth center, where she meets the intriguing Professor Carrie Fletcher, someone who isnt looking for a relationship with anyone.

Learning Curve

What would you change about your past if you had the chance? What if you didn’t have a choice? Stevie Geller doesn’t do conflict. She likes her job as a successful novelist and playwright because it allows her to peacefully ensconce herself in her New York City loft, avoid human interactions, and leave personal drama for the page and stage. When her agent asks her to return to her hometown of Darlington, Illinois, to accept an award, she agrees only because he promises the process will be quick and easy. One panic attack and concussion later, Stevie is forced to confront her past in ways that seem to defy reality. As if befriending a social outcast and confronting high school bullies weren’t enough, she also finds herself falling for a closeted teacher. Along the way, Stevie must decide if some things are worth fighting for. In her rush to escape the past, will she leave behind a better future, or are some conflicts really timeless?

Timeless

What makes for the perfect Christmas? Where or how you spend it, or perhaps, who you share it with? Small-town woodworker Ava Collins and big city doctor Bex Leone both love Christmas. Some might go so far as to call them obsessed. They love Christmas music, Christmas food, Christmas carols, and Christmas movies. When the two women meet over a Thanksgiving dinner, it seems for a second they might have finally found their mistletoe match, but their initial connection goes wildly awry when they realize their versions of what constitutes an ideal Christmas differ as drastically as the places they choose to spend their holidays. Ava is to idyllic, homespun Vermont as Bex is to the flash and sparkle of New York City. What begins as a good-natured argument about who has the superior way to celebrate the season ends in a friendly bet: The country mouse and the city mouse will each split the season in an attempt to convince the other their way is the truest path to holiday happiness. Ava agrees to spend two weekends on Bex's turf in Manhattan as long as Bex will visit her in the mountains of Vermont for the other two. For one whirlwind month, each woman works to showcase her favorite traditions, memories, and magic. As snowy days give way to starlit nights, Bex and Ava find the ideals that brought them together offer more common ground than either of them expected, but as they grow closer to one another, they begin to fear that in order to act on their deepening connection each of them may have to relinquish cherished parts of themselves.

Christmas Mouse

" Life coach Elaine Raitt is educated, elegant, and dedicated to her profession. Blue-collar boi Joey Lang is too insecure to even approach her -- that is until her well-meaning but meddling best friend Lisa decides to break the ice and makes Joey a life-coaching appointment with Elaine. A session meant to bring clarity only leaves them both feeling more confused about their purpose in life and love. Will Joey be able to find the strength to chase the woman of her dreams, and even if she does, will Elaine be willing to risk the life she loves for the woman who could be the love of her life?"--P .[4] of cover.

Love Life

They say you can't go home again, but Raine St. James doesn't know why anyone would want to. Rory St. James was disowned after she came out at seventeen. She rebounded by moving to Chicago, changing her name to Raine and putting down her hometown to audiences around the country. Now, ten years later, too old to be considered a gay youth, broke, evicted, and fresh off a much needed break-up, Raine St. James is forced to accept a job teaching at Bramble University in Darlington, the town she's been publicly bashing for the last decade. Beth Devoroux was born and raised in Darlington. Despite losing her parents at a young age, she is well loved by everyone who knows her. She leads a comfortable life with good job at Bramble University, a long-term but closeted relationship, friends that she can count on, and everything she thinks she wants, so why is she so drawn to a rabble-rouser like Raine St. James? Can Raine and Beth face their pasts and come to terms with their differences in order to have any hope for a future together?

The Long Way Home

When Emery Pembroke returns home after her father's untimely death, she's shocked to learn her mother has been named CEO of the family's green energy business instead of her. Faced with a directive from the board to prove her stability and community commitment, she sets out to bolster her credentials by finding a woman of the right social standing to woo and marry. Enter Arden Gilderson, the wealthy, socially anxious daughter of one of the area's most prominent families, who has admired Emery from afar for most of her life. Overwhelmed by the sudden attention, Arden vows to overcome her nerves long enough to enjoy herself for once in her life. Against all odds, the two women find they share not only an immediate sense of attraction and quirky sense of humor, but also the ability to offer one another balance and perspective. However, their unique and unexpected bond is tested as social and family pressure come crashing in from all sides. Opposites might be enough to attract, but can Arden and Emery sustain each other as perceptions of who they've always been clash with who they must become? Seeking Approval is a heartwarming sapphic romance about the complexities of love, acceptance, community, and stepping authentically into futures of our own choosing.

Seeking Approval

Simone and Loreto don't have to like each other. They only need to work together, but the heat and the history around them and between them conspires to demand so much more. When Simone Price lands in southern Spain, she has one job upon which the future of her entire career rests: She must convince a small, Spanish publishing house to sell their business to her much larger American corporation. The job should be easy, but many others have failed. Refusing to repeat their mistakes, she hires a guide, translator, and purveyor of Andalucían culture for the week leading up to her big meeting. The plan seems simple enough until she meets Loreto Molina, and it quickly becomes apparent that Loreto knows more than her casual demeanor might suggest. The complications only escalate as the two set out on a scorching path through a region that shatters all expectations. As their time together stretches on, both women must confront not only their assumptions about each other, but also their own world views amidst a steamy landscape of temptation, power, purpose and raw attraction. Spain acts as both catalyst and conduit for unearthing desires long buried and threatening carefully planned futures. As the stakes and emotions rise like the hot, unrelenting sun, Simone and Loreto fight to hold onto the ideals they hold dear, but what if the only way for either of them to truly win is to surrender?

Rachel Spangler

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