Vanessa North

Recently divorced Tina Durham is trying to be self-sufficient, but her personal-training career is floundering, her closest friends are swept up in new relationships, and her washing machine has just flooded her kitchen. It's enough to make a girl cry.Instead, she calls a plumbing service, and Joanne "Joe Mama" Delario comes to the rescue. Joe is sweet, funny, and good at fixing things. She also sees something special in Tina and invites her to try out for the roller derby team she coaches.Derby offers Tina an outlet for her frustrations, a chance to excel, and the female friendships she's never had before. And as Tina starts to thrive at derby, the tension between her and Joe cranks up. Despite their player/coach relationship, they give in to their mutual attraction. Sex in secret is hot, but Tina can't help but want more.With work still on the rocks and her relationship in the closet, Tina is forced to reevaluate her life. Can she be content with a secret lover? Or with being dependent on someone else again? It's time for Tina to tackle her fears, both on and off the track.

Lake Lovelace, #3

Roller Girl

The reality of Alden... Arrogant. Aloof. Argumentative. Antagonistic. Angry. Alden Kaufman is many things, and none of them are nice. Trauma has left him deeply scarred and incapable of easy friendships. He doesn't know how to let anyone past his walls, and he doesn't think it's worth the trouble. The reality of Kit... Everybody's best friend, nobody's boyfriend. In spite of a lifestyle that doesn't invite attachments, Kit Taylor gets along with everyone he meets-except Alden. He can't entice his prickly co-worker out of his shell, and has given up on trying. The Reality of Us... Two men at odds with themselves and each other embark on what should be a simple team-building exercise, but nothing goes as planned. Unexpected intimacy and a freak accident leave Kit and Alden dependent on each other long after they leave the mountain behind. Now they have a choice-to continue as they've been, or trust a shaky new reality together.﻿

The Reality of Us

Knowing he's loved can make any man fly. Fifteen years ago, Ben Warren was a wakeboarding champion, king of big air, ballsy tricks, and boned grabs. Until a career-ending injury left him broken in ways he still has no hope of fixing. Now he takes his thrills where he can get them, and tries not to let life hurt too much. Then Davis Fox arrives in Ben's sporting goods store with a plan to get in touch with his estranged brother by competing in the annual wakeboarding double-up contest. The catch? He's never ridden before. It's crazy, but Ben's a sucker for the guy's sob story-and for his dimples too-so he agrees to coach Davis. Davis is everything Ben isn't: successful, confident, and in love with life. And he wants Ben to love life-and him-too. But before Ben can embrace a future with Davis, he needs to remember how to hope.

Double Up

Eddie Russell is many things: A wealthy pillar of the community. An outrageous flirt. A doting best friend. A masochist with a kink for brawling with his bedmates. But he is definitely not a man who invites intimacy. His friends are close but few, his lovers rarer still. When Eddie runs his Mercedes off the road on a hot July afternoon, Wish Carver comes to his aid--and leaves his number in Eddie's phone. Wish, a road crew worker half Eddie's age and sexy as sin, seems fascinated by Eddie's different sides. Mutual attraction and compatible kinks ignite the sheets, but it's their connection outside the bedroom that Eddie begins to crave. When the two come down on opposite sides of a local issue, Eddie finds his growing feelings for Wish at odds with his business interests and his devotion to his best friend, local wakeboarding legend Ben Warren. Torn between old loyalties and his new love, Eddie is reluctant to make a choice. But he knows he can't make Wish wait too long to make up his mind.

Rough Road

By day, Natalie Marshall is the Thorns Ladies

Off Limits

He’s tough. But she’s tougher. Tanner Ellis left American Heavy Metal in her rearview mirror. She didn’t see the beauty behind the grease stains and the polished chrome until it was too late. Now she’s back, determined to save her father’s legacy—and bring the South’s premier classic-car shop into the new century. Nothing is going to stop her—especially not the sexy tech who refuses to follow her lead. American Heavy Metal is the only home Duke Wilson’s ever known, and no high-heeled, sharp-tongued princess is going to take it away. He tolerates Tanner’s advice, and it’s fun to push her buttons, but she doesn’t belong in the shop—never has, never will. The sooner she realizes that, the sooner he can find his new normal. When Tanner falters, revealing the pain beneath her bravado, Duke comforts her the only way he knows how. And when violence from his past threatens their future, she’ll be there for him, offering him the one thing he’s always wanted—a shot at a real family. He just has to convince himself to take it. This book is approximately 49,000 words One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

Hard Chrome

Out of Sync

Pilot Adam Walker has had one great love in his life: Harris Kingston. But twelve years ago, when he accepted a scholarship and joined the Navy, he chose duty to his country over love. Their on-again off-again relationship was never more than private joy, a frustrating fact of military life. Harris never wanted to be anyone's dirty little secret. When Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed two years ago, Adam broke his heart one last time. He's picked up the pieces and moved on, building a great career and dating guys who aren't afraid to be seen in public with him. But when Adam strolls into his salon asking for a haircut, his newfound happiness goes to hell in a handbasket. Adam's been at war with himself for over a decade. Now on the verge of leaving the military, he's desperate to court Harris the right way and be forgiven. With two weeks' leave and a Navy man's conviction, he's ready to start over…if he can convince Harris he's ready to come out and commit. 26,000 words

High and Tight

Love is coming into season. Connor Graham is a city boy-a celebrated fashion photographer in New York. When his uncle's death drags him back to the family blueberry farm, all he wants to do is sell it as quickly as he can. Until he meets his uncle's tenant farmer. Jed Jones, shy and stammering, devout and dedicated, has always yearned for land of his own and a man to share it with. Kept in the closet by his church, family, and disastrous first love, he longs to be accepted for who he is. But now, with his farm and his future in Connor's careless hands, he stands to lose even the little he has. Neither man expects the connection between them. Jed sees Connor-appreciates his art and passion like no one else in this godforsaken town ever has. Connor hears Jed-looks past his stutter to listen to the man inside. The time they share is idyllic, but with the farm sale pending, even their sanctuary is a source of tension. As work, family, and their town's old-fashioned attitudes pull them apart, they must find a way to reconcile commitments to their careers and to each other.

Blueberry Boys

Summer Stock

Flying Gold

Jeffrey Kuyper was a once-in-a-generation talent and I was his muse. Jeffrey's death shocked the art world and upended my life. His last portrait is an intimate reminder of our final weeks together. Now it's up for auction and I want it more than anything. When a cold-mannered man in a dark suit outbids me, I'll agree to anything to buy it from him--even a weekend in his bed.

The Dark Collector

Ten years ago, best friends and soccer buddies Nick Hana and Kevin Dorsey were inseparable-until Kevin put the moves on virginal Nick on the eve of their college graduation. Not wanting to be just another notch in Kevin's bedpost, Nick turned him down and "lost" his new phone number.A chance reunion brings the two together again, and the attraction and caring are as strong as ever. Cocky, gorgeous Kevin makes it clear he still wants Nick, but Nick needs more than he thinks Kevin can give. A slow dance and a snow storm give them a chance to clear up the misunderstandings of their past, but can one night of passion bridge ten years of silence?

The Lonely Drop

The Dirty Bits from Carina Press give you what you want, when you want it. Designed to be read in an hour or two, these sex-filled micro-romances are guaranteed to pack a punch and deliver a happily-ever-after. An after-hours workplace encounter turns into an exploration of two men’s very compatible kinks Behind closed doors, in the office and out, Steven and Jake explore their tastes for rough sex, chastity cages, and dominance and submission. That Jake is Steven’s IRL boss only makes it better. There’s only one rule between them: no matter how hot their power play gets, it only happens if Steven feels safe. Personally and professionally. But when what starts as two guys blowing off steam turns into real feelings above the waist, it’s not that simple. Going public—having a relationship—would mean putting both their jobs on the line. This book is approximately 14,000 words For those times when size does matter. The Dirty Bits from Carina Press: Quick and dirty, just the way we like it. One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!

A Gay Workplace Romance

Reporting In

Tabloid scandals have driven TV star Ryan Hertzog to North Carolina's Outer Banks, where he's hiding out doing summer stock at his cousin's seaside theater. When a hookup with local handyman Trey Donovan results in Ryan being photographed butt naked, he vows to keep his pants on and his hands off Trey. How was he supposed to know Trey would turn out to be the summer stock set builder?Trey isn't looking for a relationship; he's still recovering from the emotional fallout of an abusive marriage. But Ryan's laughter draws him in again and again, and he's not about to say no to fooling around.As the summer heats up, the paparazzi catch Ryan in increasingly compromising situations. Ryan might be too much drama for a summer fling—and Trey might be just an intermission from Ryan's Hollywood life. But if they take their cues from Shakespeare, all's well that ends well.

Vanessa North

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