Lila James is my best friend’s little sister, and I’ve always looked out for her. She's five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore.

I don't remember a time I didn't love Crenshaw Bennett. I tried to deny it, but my feelings grew deeper. I thought he could never love me the way I love him. I was wrong - outrageously, deliriously, and beautifully wrong. One innocent kiss changes my life forever. Suddenly, Shaw is mine. Loyal, devoted, and the most loving man on this Earth. Together, we create an explosion of fiery passion, devotion, and chemistry I never knew was possible. All of my dreams are within reach, but I should have known it was too good to be true.

One look, one smile, and I didn't stand a chance. The instant my eyes landed on Presley Chambers, I was a goner. She was a force of nature that turned my world upside down. Sweet, sassy, and sexy as hell, she brought me to my knees. But she isn't just any woman, she's a gift, she's a goddess, she's my disease...and I'll fight like hell to erase her fears. Sometimes fate has other plans. Now our future is in her hands.

I should have known I was in trouble when I backed my old, beat-up truck into the shiny Range Rover. The driver looked like a gorgeous fallen angel–one who’d been booted right out of paradise for being a giant prick. Good thing I’ll never have to see him again.

I fell in love with my brother's best friend the first time I laid eyes on him. He walked through the door, flashing me a crooked smile with his blue eyes shining bright. I knew in that instant he was the man of my dreams. As the years went on, my feelings grew stronger, waiting for the day he'd see me as more.

Vince Jennings has had two loves in his life. Music and Bristol Matthews. His guitar skills catapult him to stardom with the most popular rock band on earth. But it takes walking away from Bristol—his first love—to make this happen. Despite the groupies, the success, the fun, life under the bright glare of fame and fortune isn’t enough. Deep, dark pain threatens to derail all he’s worked for, until fate brings her back into his life.

I was a small-town girl with big city dreams and more ambition than money to my name. He had everything—money, privilege, and the world at his feet. Opposites in every way, but that didn’t matter. We were lightning in a bottle, and everything felt possible when we were together. Life was perfect.

I used to believe Jacob Evans could be mine. That was before he delivered unforgivable news rather than sweeping me off my feet. Not that I can fault his choice. He got the sweetest little girl out of the deal.

Once I saw Marnie Long, a sassy, sultry, charismatic older woman in a bar, I couldn’t peel my eyes off her. I wanted her. At least, for one night. I’m way too busy with my career these days for anything more. As it turned out, after recently getting burned, Marnie was on the same page as me—all she wanted was one night of fun. I was happy to be of service. What I didn’t expect during our night together, however, was how deeply we connected. Also, how much I was dying to see her again the next morning.

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why. Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven. She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it. She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it or why. For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.

My heart opens to Cooper Haywood the moment we meet. How can it resist? He's charming, devastatingly handsome, and sweeps me off my feet before I realize the impact he's making. And then it's too late. We fall too fast to worry about the consequences. We love so hard that we ache when we're apart. Even though I have a past that still haunts me and he has a future that could put us at risk, none of that matters when we're together. Until it does. And then everything changes.

Eden Murphy came into my club looking to make some extra cash. A girl like her didn't belong in a place like this. She'd get ripped to shreds. Most likely by me. There's nothing but sweetness dripping from her sexy little body, and I'm the monster who's salivating to get a taste.

When Blair Beaufort literally crashes into Bellamy Creek wearing a ball gown and a tiara, I should have towed her car, said goodnight, and sent her packing. I’m a mechanic, not a hotel manager. I've got enough on my plate trying to keep my shop from going under, my overbearing mother off my back, and my baseball team in contention for the league championship. I don’t have time for a former debutante with zero street smarts and a cash flow problem, even if she is crazy beautiful. But I know better than to think it can last. She wants a fairy tale, and I’m no prince.

What the hell do I know about raising a baby? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. Yet here I am, the sole guardian of my niece. I'd be lost if it weren't for Katherine, the beautiful girl who seems to have all the answers. Katherine, who's slowly finding her way into my cynical heart. I keep reminding myself that I can't fall for someone when we don't have a future. But telling myself this lie and believing it are two different things.

Aiden Stone is a six-foot-two former Marine with a permanent scowl, dark hair, and dreamy blue eyes. He’s the oldest of the Stone brothers, and his “by the book” family has battled mine for control of our small town for generations. The last thing I should do is sleep with him. Or nearly run him down with my truck. Especially since he's sort-of my new boss.

Something inside me snapped as her text screamed from the screen of my phone. My heart started pounding as I was instantly sucked into a vortex of emotions, pulled unwillingly into a past I desperately wanted to forget. Teagan Tessler was the love of my life; at least, I thought so. My professional soccer career was part of the future we had planned together, but an offer sent me to London a year ahead of schedule. Just months after I left, she married my best friend Jensen without explanation, leaving me completely and utterly destroyed by the two people I loved the most.

Who needs a man? They're nothing but a distraction. A disappointment. They sweep you off your feet, promise you forever. Then, as soon as another beautiful woman shows them interest, they leave you crying alone on the sidewalk with your dreams of a life together crushed. And the sexy playboy who keeps showing up everywhere I go is the definition of distraction and inevitable disappointment. I can live without that heartbreak. I have everything I need to make me happy - a job, school, friends, and family that I love. Yep. Mind made up. It's just a shame my heart didn't get the memo.

I always believed in fairy tales. So much so that I made a career out of them. As a wedding planner, I made it my goal to perfect everyone else's happily-ever-after. I even believed in finding mine once, too, until one man left me alone and pregnant - crushing my dreams and leaving me jaded.

Without her, I was better off. I knew it the second she walked away and realized how much happier I was. Knew it the day I interrupted her wedding reception to show her what she was missing and locked eyes with someone I hadn't seen in years. Those eyes. Her smile. Everything about her turned something around inside me that had been quiet for years.

My friends used to tell me, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Clearly, they lied because a few months later, I found out my one-night stand was pregnant. I couldn't handle a baby. I was Griffin Rockwell, the best wide receiver the league had ever seen. But what choice did I have? My baby girl was coming whether I was ready for her or not. Brooke turned out to be an amazing woman and mother. For seven years, we were the MVP's of co-parenting - and even better friends. That all changed when tragedy struck our makeshift family....

She was my first love. She was my everything. We were college sweethearts, the All-American couple. Until the big time came calling. Misunderstandings and miscommunications lead to broken hearts and broken trust. But fate throws me a second chance when our paths cross again. Now Poppy has to decide if she's ready to take another try at forever with me, or if the past is better left behind us. I know this is my final down. My last opportunity to make it right, but Poppy's going to need a little more convincing. Throwing out a Hail Mary, I'll give it all I've got.

Our relationship was such a cliche. Friends to lovers. High school sweethearts. Then...driven by insecurities, I broke Grady Ryan's heart. I was weak, afraid to love, and even more afraid to be loved. There are secrets I've kept buried, but I can't forget what we once shared. I've been given a second chance, and this time I'm prepared to fight for him.

There's a fine line between love and hate, so fine that you don't know you've lost balance until it's too late. Kennedy is not sure exactly when she lost her balance. All she knows is that he was to blame. Dane Winters. The boy who'd spent most of his life hating her for reasons she never understood.

My sister Juliet has always gotten everything she wants. It's fine though. I never wanted the spotlight. And now that she's America's most popular starlet? She can have it. But when Gran - the feisty woman who raised us - has a huge party to celebrate her 90th birthday, Juliet brings the Hollywood madness straight to Maryland. In the form of my ultimate movie-star crush, Ryan McDonnell. I can barely form a sentence around the guy. And I definitely can't get over the fact that he's Juliet's new boyfriend. Because I almost believe him when he tells me we have a chance together.

And my new intern is perfect for the job, though pretending to have a relationship with her might be a little taboo. Good thing I'm in charge. Being a self-made billionaire, I haven't spent much time looking for love. None actually. Lucky for me, it's fallen right into my lap. This pretty American girl has zero sense of direction, but a good heart and a sexy smile. I've always been smitten by a woman that needs rescuing, or so it seems. Something tells me that she might be more than I bargained for.

All I need to do is keep my head above water. Push a little harder. Keep that smile plastered on my face for my son as we try to wade through the new life that's threatening to drown us both. But on the first day I can't seem to hold it all together, I meet him. And for some reason, he comes to my aid. Before I know it, Cole steps in and becomes an important part of my life. Our lives. Fills a void left vacant by a man who never wanted to fill it in the first place. Too bad he can never be more than a friend.

Gabby Mastreoni has been in love with Christoff Scutari since she was four years old. Their fathers are in the same business, and nearly 20 years later, their families remain close. With four older brothers, Gabby leads a protected and sheltered life - until she and Christoff cross a line, and she discovers that love can hurt people. Brie Masters left everything and everyone behind to begin again. Starting over in California, she's found her new home.

The first time she meets Casey Waltham, she's buying condoms...for her grandmother. And of course drops them accidentally at his feet. Face plant. The second time she sees him, she's this close to landing her dream job and is celebrating at a club. Two chance encounters in the same day—that's got to be a sign, right?

Firefighter and first responder Preston Ward thought he had grown immune to the job's emotional burns. But when he goes out on a particularly tragic call, he realizes that some scenes are too devastating to forget. And yet, if it weren't for that terrible night, he never would have met the woman who makes him want to risk his heart. More than once, Harmony Banks has watched her perfectly ordered world torn apart by fate. Now she's finding out that what she lost wasn't as perfect as she thought - and it's tearing her apart.

On the same day I lose my job, my house, and all hope for the future, I also lose my journal. And the worst part.... He found it. He read it. And...he commented. At the end of his message is an email address and a plea: Contact me. Please. I know better than to trust strangers with candy, but, after a tequila-fueled night, I create a new email address and do just that...and the man I discover is overflowing with kindness and humor and depth. Meanwhile, I meet Lucas Hutton - a Marine with scars covering his body, heart, and soul.