"Sometimes the friend zone is breached...
He's her office crush, and she's the colleague he can't stop thinking about. But with HR's no-fraternization policy breathing down their necks, Lizzie and Matt have to get creative if they want to explore what’s brewing between them…
Lizzie:
I’ve been stuck in a corporate rut for years, but it’s not all bad—there’s Matt. Smart, funny, drop-dead gorgeous Matt, whose eyes make me forget how much I hate filling out toxic material regulation paperwork.
It’s not like anything can happen between us. ChemTech’s relationship rules are stricter than a chemistry final, and honestly, I don’t think I could survive the embarrassment of submitting a detailed dating log to HR.
But then Matt invites me to dinner and a concert—as friends.
Fake friends, to be exact.
He claims it’s the perfect loophole, and I know I should say no. Except...he’s Matt. And who am I kidding? I want to go out with him more than I want a handful of my favorite chocolate-covered almonds.
Caught between the thrill of potential romance and the fear of corporate consequences, I find myself at a crossroads. Matt’s offer is tempting, leaving me questioning everything I know about risk and reward.
Navigating dinners and concerts and movies as 'fake friends' seems harmless enough, but with every glance and shared laugh, every conversation and tender moment, the heat between us turns into a bonfire and the façade of friendship crumbles.
And now I have to decide: Is our connection worth risking my career?"
"Sometimes a person speaks before thinking..
She's just bought the flower shop and he's taken over the hardware store for his dad. Sounds peachy, right? Sure, until they both want an assistance grant from the city...and now Emma and Aaron are rivals and neighbors.
Emma:
I’ve always believed that flowers can brighten any occasion and make anyone's day, but nothing seems to cheer up my handsome-but-grumpy neighbor, Aaron Stansfield.
Owning a flower shop next to his hardware store means our paths cross all the time, and it’s usually just a conversation about how hard it is to run a small business in a small Southern town.
Which it is. I'm barely keeping my head above water and he has a family legacy to uphold. But it would be nice to talk about something besides work, especially after our flirt-fest at Halloween last year.
People do that, right?
Apparently not us, because the city of Cider Cove is holding a community project where participating small businesses have the opportunity to win a significant grant.
And I need that money.
Aaron wants it too, and when I see him at the information meeting, I can't control myself. I sit next to him and tell him I'm going to take the prize. After all, park rebuild + flowers = winning combo.
So when he issues a dare—that we submit one application and work together to ensure the win—my stupid crush kicks in and takes him up on it.
So now we're working together on the community project, and I start seeing a different side of Aaron—the side that’s kind, thoughtful, hardworking and frustratingly...sweet.
He may be grumpy, but he’s also the one who’s always there when I need him.
As our rivalry turns into something more, I can't help wondering: Could this very disastrous dare be the start of something wildly wonderful?"
"This audiobook has been narrated by a digital voice created using AI. Tired of the dating scene, a cowboy billionaire puts up an Internet ad to find a woman to come out to a deserted island with him to see if they can make a love connection...
Mason Martin has sold his cattle ranch in Texas for just over a billion dollars and traded it for Long Bar Island, a remote island a few hours away from Getaway Bay. Frustrated with the dating scene in the more populated areas of Hawaii, he puts up an ad, asking for volunteers to come live with him on his deserted island for three months.
The goal? See if they can fall in love.
Ivy McLaughlin has seen all three of her sisters fall in love during stressful, tragic times on deserted islands. When she hears about Mason's ad, she's intrigued. Spurred on by her real-life Legally Blonde moment, where her boyfriend breaks up with her instead of proposing, she contacts Mason.
And she's the only one who does—at least Mason thinks so.
He doesn't know his servers went down, only allowing Ivy's message to get through. They set out for Long Bar Island after an altercation on the dock which leaves a bad taste in Ivy's mouth. Has she just signed up for the worst three months of her life?
As she and Mason live on the island, she begins to see the softer side of the tough cowboy billionaire. Maybe the next three months will be the most romantic of her life—and end in that proposal she so desperately wants.
But when a storm hits their slim patch of sand in the vast ocean, their shelter is rendered roofless and the yacht they sailed out on is lifeless in the water. Will Ivy and Mason make the love connection they both want? Or will the forces of nature—and a faulty server—pull them apart?"
"This audiobook has been narrated by a digital voice created using AI. Sometimes the holidays are messy...
Christmas is the season of joy, mistletoe, and, unfortunately for Ryanne, the pressure of bringing home a date. When she vents to Elliott, her best friend and co-manager at the small-town office supply store, he impulsively grabs her phone and texts her mother that they're dating.
Date. Ing.
Ryanne:
I'm utterly speechless.
Elliott Hutson, the man who knows all my secrets, the one who's never been serious with anyone, and the picture of Male Perfection that makes my pulse leap and frog, has now dived headfirst into my family drama. And as much as I pretend to be annoyed, I can't deny the flutter in my heart.
I've never had a fake boyfriend before—getting a real one is hard enough—but Elliott makes everything look so easy. And I'm absolutely positive the twinkling lights and Justin Bieber Christmas tunes are influencing the way he keeps dropping his gaze to my mouth.
Or maybe I'm not absolutely positive. Maybe The Biebs really does make true love happen.
As we navigate the slippery slope of fake dating, the lines between pretend and reality blur. Our stolen glances over family meals become lingering looks. Our playful banter near sprigs of mistletoe turns into something charged with real emotion.
Suddenly, the festive chaos around us isn't the only thing that's messy.
Our feelings are too.
And as the countdown to Christmas ticks on, I start to wonder if this holiday ruse might lead to the most unexpected gift of all — true love.
Will this façade end with the holiday season, or can we unwrap a future together we never saw coming?
Maybe at Christmastime, the most unexpected love story can unfold."
"This audiobook has been narrated by a digital voice created using AI. He can successfully throw a precision pass, but he's dead in the water in matters of the heart...
Quarterback Maine Fitzgerald has struck out with more women than he'd like to admit—and he doesn't even play baseball. Armed with a plan to get out of his comfort zone onboard a singles cruise, he joins the very first event: a mix and mingle.
Too bad he's almost completely deaf in one ear and doesn't hear the beautiful blonde tell him her name.
Orchid Stone doesn't want to be on the singles cruise. She has an eight-year-old daughter to tend to, and a job to do, and a husband to mourn. But her sisters think eight years is long enough to mourn, and she promises them she'll at least try to meet someone on the cruise.
She can't help it if the meathead quarterback isn't interested.
When a tsunami strikes their ship, she's forced overboard with Maine and a security guard, and they make their way to a deserted island. Desperate to get back to her daughter, Orchid will do anything to survive. She climbs rock walls, escapes from wild boars, and plucks chickens.
She knows she's lucky to be washed up on an old World War II outpost, complete with an overgrown garden and a herd of wild chickens, but she needs to get home. Maine does too—but he's scared of the man he'll have to be once he leaves the island.
He's sure Orchid won't want to be with him once he has to go back to the public persona of Perfect Quarterback Maine Fitzgerald. Can Orchid and Maine make things work between them when they're so different? Or will their time stranded together be all they get?"
"This audiobook has been narrated by a digital voice created using AI. A Coast Guard captain would rather spend his time on the sea...unless he's with the woman he's been crushing on for months. If Dave asks just one more time, will Brooklynn give their second chance at romance another shot?
David Reddington has spent years in the Coast Guard, and his career brings him a lot of joy. But he’s lonely even surrounded by his crew, and he feels like he’s perpetually looking out to the ocean, hoping and wishing he could be as fulfilled on land as he is at sea.
Brooklynn Parrish lost her husband three years ago to an accident on the ocean, and she can’t bring herself to accept Dave’s invitations to dinner. Or lunch. Or even coffee. How he can go out on his ship each day baffles her, and she’s not willing to lose another loved one to the relentless ocean waves.
But Dave only has eyes for her, and when they get put together to organize Hawthorne Harbor’s Spring Fling, Brooklynn can’t deny the attraction between them. As they go through the bachelor auction, tour the blooming apple orchards, and judge the dessert bake-off, their relationship deepens and strengthens. Will she be strong enough to battle the unyielding ocean? Or will she lose her heart to another man destined for a catastrophe at sea?"
"Sage Grady is a master of transformation. She's a seasoned hairstylist who's perfected the art of change, one cut and color at a time. Yet, her own life has started to feel somewhat monotonous, almost like she's stuck in someone else's style–and she needs to shake things up.
It's not a mid-life crisis.
It's a new way of thinking, of living.
With her sister and her Supper Club friends at her side, Sage decides to return to her roots: Texas. No, she's not moving back there. But she wants the vibrancy and adventure each new day can bring that she had when owned a hobby farm in the Coastal Bend.
Sage just needs to find the right patch of land on Hilton Head Island to build her new waterfront way of life.
So she needs Tyler Parker, the man she's had exactly one date with, months ago. Ty's a real estate mogul who knows the value of every inch of Hilton Head Island, where every for-sale piece of property is, and exactly how to make Sage's dreams come true.
Her real estate dreams.
He's made a fortune flipping properties and developing luxury resorts. Yet beneath his polished exterior is a man who's been burned by love, and he's built walls higher than any of his skyscrapers.
As Sage snips, styles, and sashays her way into Ty's heart, she discovers that her way of life isn't the only transformation happening.
Can Sage and Ty navigate their contrasting worlds to create a happily-ever-after? Will they find that the path to true love doesn't always follow the path most trod, but might just be discovered through...the waterfront way?"
"Bessie Clifton adores baking. With her daughter Wynona by her side, she's turned her passion for the perfect loaf of bread into a dream for a bakery. They move to Hilton Head Island and work to get their shop open with the help of Bessie's five best friends.
It's not just a relocation.
It's a reinvention.
Bessie's life has been all about kneading dough, raising her daughter, and supporting her Supper Club ladies, but she's never felt truly loved or appreciated for her gifts. As she settles into island life, she's determined to make the most of this opportunity and discover what she's been missing.
Enter Oliver Blackhurst, the grumpy owner of The Mad Mango smoothie shop. Bessie's sunshine and warmth seem to clash with his prickly exterior. But when they get paired up to participate in the Island Heritage Festival, Bessie and Oliver find that their contrasting flavors create an irresistible chemistry.
As Bessie's bakery becomes the talk of the town, Oliver's walls begin to crumble, revealing a man who's experienced his share of heartache. Bessie wonders if her reinvention could provide the tropical ticket to true love with the island's most enigmatic bachelor.
Will Bessie's journey to self-discovery lead her to the love she's always craved? Can Oliver let go of his past and embrace the warmth that Bessie brings to his life?
Savor the sweetness of new beginnings and the spice of unexpected romance in The Tropical Ticket by USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson!"
"A K9 cop, the woman he hires to build him a deck, and the magic of Christmas that could bring Trent and Lauren together this holiday season...
Police officer Trent Baker lost his wife four years ago and moved back to Hawthorne Harbor so his parents and sister could help with his toddler. He trains K9 police dogs for the force, raises his son–and needs a new deck. So he calls Lauren Michaels, a general contractor and the woman who asked him out years ago.
Lauren has made a name for herself in the beach town of Hawthorne Harbor, but finding a man to share her life with hasn't been easy. She knows Trent can't remember when she asked him out, but as they start working together on the Festival of Tree and his backyard, she's hoping to build a relationship with him.
But she doesn't like kids, and he's got a six-year-old. As she works through some of her maternal issues, she realizes Trent might not be as interested in her as she is in him. He feels disloyal to his first wife, but he desperately wants a mother for Porter. Can Trent learn to let go of the past so he and Lauren can find love and build a family?
This is a full-length sweet/clean contemporary beach romance in the vein of your favorite Hallmark romance movie by USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson."
"A freak storm has her sliding down the mountain...right into the arms of her ex.
Eden McLaughlin is fed up with rich men who scoff at her outdoor product line. She's worked for Explore Getaway Bay for a long time, and she tinkers with making outdoor survival products in her spare time—and she can't get a single investor on the island to back her. Not even her employer, as no one knows who actually owns the company.
So fine. She'll take a hike, literally.
When an isolated storm causes a downpour and then a landslide, Eden has no choice but to go with the tons of rocks and mud—right off the side of a cliff and into the arms of her ex-boyfriend.
Holden Holstein drags her under an overhang just in the nick of time. He has no supplies, which is super embarrassing as he owns the island's biggest outdoor company, Explore Getaway Bay, and he should know better. But he was just getting out of the office for a moment.
He's thrilled to discover the mud-covered woman in his temporary shelter is his ex-girlfriend, who he's never gotten over. But he's not fond of the huge wound on his leg that's sending fire through his system, nor the fact that the landslide took out the only path back to safety.
Eden has a few supplies--as well as only eyes for Holden. As they spend time out in the wilds of Hawaii trying to survive, their old flame is rekindled. But with secrets and old feelings in the way, will Holden be able to take all the broken pieces of his life and put them back together in a way that makes sense? Or will he lose his heart and the reputation of his company because of a single landslide?"
"Friends who ditch her. A pod of killer whales. A limping cruise ship. All reasons Iris finds herself stranded on a deserted island with the handsome Navy SEAL...
Iris McLaughlin was having a great time on the cruise until the Navy SEAL grabbed her and towed her into a lifeboat. Okay, so maybe 'a great time' is a bit of an overstatement. Iris hadn't enjoyed being late to orientation, being the last one on the boat, or sharing a wall with the obnoxious Navy SEAL who has a staring problem.
But hey, at least that off-the-shoulder swimming suit her sister had said would work, actually worked.
When a pod of killer whales attacks the cruise ship, the captain calls for people to abandon the ship. Justin Brunner, retired Navy SEAL, tows Iris over the side of the boat without a second thought. In the morning light, they discover they're the only ones in a lifeboat and the cruise ship is long gone. Oh, and so are the whales.
So maybe Justin had acted a little quickly. He'd been trained to do just that, so she can't really blame him. Can she?
They eventually make their way to a tiny speck of an island in the huge Pacific Ocean, relying solely on Iris's hip pack of emergency supplies and Justin's strength, intelligence, and calm demeanor in a crisis. As they navigate the obstacles of food, shelter, and water on the island, a new player arrives: Their feelings for each other.
Justin feels like he's playing catch-up because of his possibly premature actions, and Iris is sure a man like him won't be interested once they get back to civilization. Will she risk her heart for the tattooed SEAL? Or will Justin have to fight as hard for her as he did in the Navy?"
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