"Courtney: Maybe blurting out my imaginary relationship status to my nagging mother wasn't the best idea. Declaring that I'm dating my boss's brother-in-law, well, that was just wishful thinking.
To my embarrassment, they both overheard me. But Merrick not only offers to be my plus one, he agrees to fake date me for the next couple of months leading up to my sister's wedding.
The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to deny that every look, every touch, is making him more a part of my life than I'm prepared for.
The pain of thinking about walking away from him when it's time doesn't feel pretend. It feels real.
Merrick: Courtney's sister is tying the knot, and her mom is relentless about her finding a date. In a moment of panic, she claims she's dating me.
To save her from the awkward situation, I suggest we fake a relationship. I figure we can hang out, show up to the wedding, and go our separate ways. But as we start spending more time together, the lines between real and pretend blur.
What was supposed to be a simple agreement starts to feel genuine. I'm unsure when it happened, but this relationship is suddenly the real deal, and I don't want it to end."
"Stella
Getting pregnant in college wasn't part of the plan, but I'll never regret giving birth to the best part of me. A fresh start in a small town seems like a good idea, until a handsome stranger shows me a little kindness and has me feeling things, I thought I'd never feel again . . . things I have no business feeling about a man I just met.
Every time I turn around, Maverick is there. I'm doing my best to hold it all together, but the truth is, when I see him with my daughter, I know I've already fallen too far.
Maverick
From the moment Stella rolled into town, she's had my attention. Since that moment, I've been determined to befriend the sexy single mom who's down on her luck. Stella has fallen on hard times, but something tells me she'll never take a handout. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try to help, so of course I put in a good word to get her a job. She's smart enough to know I had a hand in it, but that's what friends are for, right?
With each day that passes, Stella becomes more than just a friend. She's my best friend—who I apparently can't keep my hands off. She's worried we're complicating things, but screw that. Blurred lines or not, I ask her to stay anyway."
"Ryder: Two years of silence and no goodbye—she slipped away and through my fingers, leaving me with nothing but questions . . . and a heavy heart from missing her.
I know what we had was real, that our love was once in a lifetime.
Now she's back from her Parisian fashion internship, and I'm ready for answers, desperate to understand why she couldn't just stay.
Jordyn: When I walked away, it was to protect him. Yet, all he knows, all he cares about, is that I left. Coming home is a bittersweet journey, each step heavier than the last.
While I'm no longer half a world away, the obstacles in front of us make it feel like we've never been farther apart.
I want to give him the answers he so desperately craves, and this time, I'll get to say goodbye. However, what I didn't plan on was Ryder's fight. He's not going to let me go so easily this time."
"Legend
A marriage of convenience is one thing… but falling for your fake wife is all kinds of complicated.
Being married for a year is the only way to claim my inheritance. I couldn't care less about the money. It's not like I even knew my grandparents.
I wasn't even considering it until Monroe volunteered. Sweet, sweet, Monroe. I've never let myself consider her as an option for me.
She's been tucked safely away in a box labeled forbidden. That is until she takes my last name.
Monroe
It's not like I planned to marry one of my friends… or fall for him.
One minute I offer to be his fake wife and the next, we're going through the motions—saying, 'I do,' and playing house.
Legend is the kind of guy fantasies are made of—tall, dark, and tattooed. Now, I'm sharing his bed and his last name for the next year.
Everything looks good on paper, and while this may have started out as playing pretend, the way I feel for him is the realest thing I've ever known.
As the weeks pass by, it doesn't take long before either of us begins to question if we're just friends or if this is this love after all.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you the continuation of the standalone series surrounding five best friends who co-own a tattoo studio. Is This Love? is an age gap, marriage of convenience, friends to lovers, small-town romance."
"McKenna
I've always had a thing for my best friend's older brother. In fact, I've been planning our wedding since elementary school. Then I grew up, moved away, and studying, and law school became my only focus.
Now that I'm back, the sexy cowboy is everywhere I turn. I shouldn't mind so much as Rip Callahan is all levels of fine. My problem? His presence . . . his attention is sending me in a spin. And our reconnection? It's fast and intense and everything I've ever dreamed of. So why am I getting in my own way?
Rip
I didn't know the first kiss I ever had would still play on my mind over ten years later. But with beauty and brains, McKenna Dawson is under my skin and very much off-limits.
Crushing on my sister's best friend isn't the worst part. That connection? I can't ignore it. Should I fight it? Probably. Do I want to? Absolutely not.
A challenge among friends is all it takes for me to know she's what I've been missing. That and one incredible trip with those same friends means there's no going back. Not for me. It was only supposed to be a weekend, but maybe we were meant to be forever after all."
"Most of the guys in my town had me marked as off limits. My dating history was slim to none, until Dylan. He didn't let labels deter him from sweeping me off my feet.
The day Avery Stanton took a chance on me is that day my life changed. Nothing else mattered but her. All I ever wanted was for her to be happy. I just wanted to love her, no matter how much distance was between us.
Dylan Knight wrecked me. He made me fall in love with him and then took it all away. Now I'm back, and I can't deal. How do I pretend that he no longer owns my heart when all my heart does is scream his name?
Avery's back and I know I have a fight on my hands. I remember every minute, every touch, every kiss, and every breath of our time together. Now I need to remind her."
"The day he walks into my bookstore with his adorable twin daughters, I know my life is going to change forever. The chemistry is tangible, the tragedy his truth, and my schoolgirl crush, even after all of these years, is still alive.
Laken
Until Grayson walked into my bookstore, I thought happily ever afters were just fairy-tale endings. Looking every bit the handsome hero, his intensity creates sparks I've never dared to dream about. The single dad of adorable twin girls doubles as a firefighter by day. But there's more. Grayson is also my old high school crush.
My feelings for Grayson haven't changed, but everything else has.
Grayson
Having lost my wife three years ago, my world revolves around raising my daughters. Then one day, I look up and see past my grief, and there stands Laken. This beautiful, kind-hearted woman has been under my nose my entire life, and now, just when I need her most, she's here—loving my daughters like her own. But guilt can't be reasoned with, especially when finding love again.
I've learned the hard way that second chances don't happen often. So, when I'm lucky enough to get mine, I'm going to embrace it with everything I have."
"Hudson: I didn't plan on kissing my best friend's twin sister . . . or falling for her. But it happened all the same. It's always been Riley, but after I finally get the chance to taste her lips, she ghosts me. Not exactly the response I was hoping for. Getting out of town for a while, and giving her space, seemed like the best thing for us both. Until the night before my year overseas, and she ended up in my bed. I thought leaving her was the hardest thing I've ever experienced, but returning home to find her with a newborn and knowing she's moved on is a sucker punch to the gut. She can push me away all she wants, but the sexy single mom better get used to me being around, because I'm home to stay.
Riley: I've had a thing for Hudson Fleming for as long as I can remember. But I couldn't get past his friendship with my sister. When I hear that he's planning on leaving town, I know it's now or never. Spending the night with him changes my life—in more ways than one. Now he's halfway around the world, and I'm pregnant. Having this baby alone doesn't scare me half as much as my feelings for Hudson. When he returns to town, I'm torn between loving and hating him. How can I not since he gave me the greatest gift, then walked away from us both? And now he wants to be a family . . . like he didn't break my heart into a million pieces."
"Every road, even the broken ones, will eventually lead us to our destination. We hope to find our place in the world, sometimes getting lost and straddled with the fear of never being found. Ultimately, it's that broken road that leads us to the meaning of life, love, and happiness.
You watched as Allison and Liam fell head over heels. You watched as they sealed their love with the bond of marriage. Now it's time to watch them take the next step in their relationship as they start a family. Watch as they navigate being first-time parents.
After years of denying their feelings, Hailey and Aiden are preparing for their happily ever after.
When Hailey says 'Yes' to become Mrs. Aiden Emerson, she immediately begins planning their wedding. As the couple settles in as Mr. and Mrs., they dream of what the future holds.
Unfortunately, life puts them on a different path causing chaos and pain, leading them down a shaded trail of reality.
Follow both couples as their love and strength are tested. Can they overcome life's obstacles and reach their destination?"
"What happens when your wandering heart is captured by your friend with benefits?
Scarlett: Archer Kincaid is supposed to be all the fun and none of the strings, but the longer I stay in Willow River, the more I feel roots pulling me to settle down.
I plan to complete a one-year photography contract with Captured Moments, then move on to travel the world. Chasing my dreams, taking photos, and living life on my terms—shot by shot.
But I've been on my own since losing my adopted parents, and home isn't about a place as much as it is a feeling. And Archer's starting to feel like home but loving him means trading one dream for another.
Archer: Scarlett Hatfield is the kind of girl who can't be tamed. Her adventurous spirit is contagious, but a blue-collar man like me doesn't chase dreams. I build them from the ground up. And my home is in Willow River.
I can see myself building a life with the gorgeous redhead who's turning my world upside down, but that means clipping her wings. And I could never do that, not when she's meant for more than my small-town life.
Even if it means destroying my heart, when the time comes, I'll have to say goodbye and let her stay wild."
"Allison doesn't know what it's like to live life like an average teenager. After losing her parents at a young age, Allison moved in with her grandmother. When she meets Aiden, the boy next door, they become fast friends. Aiden and his family become more to her than just next-door neighbors. They become her family.
Liam is living the dream. His senior year at college, and he's the big man on campus, the quarterback for the football team. Rumored to be drafted to the big leagues he's focused and determined. Eat, sleep, and breath football. Then he meets his little sister's roommate, and suddenly football is no longer his only focus.
Liam has never been a relationship guy, and Allison, she wants the happily ever after. Can Liam overcome his fear of relationships and the tangle of friendships to give Allison her fairy tale?"
"Hailey knows what it's like to want something, well someone you can never have. She's had a crush on her brother's best friend since the day she met him. Over time that crush has intensified and has become so much more. She knows it goes against the bro code, but that doesn't stop her from wishing that Aiden would see her as more than his best friend's little sister.
Aiden is lusting after his best friend's little sister. With the blink of an eye, she's all grown up, and suddenly everything he never knew he wanted. No amount of football or distraction can keep him from thinking about her. Over the last year, she's become an essential part of his life. He wants her, even though he knows he shouldn't.
As they spend more time together, Hailey and Aiden battle their heart's desire. Both fighting against what they want, but think they can't have.
Can they win the fight and open their hearts for more?"
