Romance

From the author of the Madison Kate series comes the dark and delicious interconnected Hades series, another biting "why choose" romance in Shadow Grove.

"I wouldn't fall. Because the second I did, someone would be there to slit my throat and toss me to the sharks.

After all, it's what I would do."

Five years ago, I masterminded the infamous massacre of the Tri-state Timberwolves.

The streets outside the Wolves HQ ran red with the blood of the old guard, and not one of the members loyal to my father was spared mercy. Not a single one.

I let the media twist and distort the story. My new recruits eagerly proved themselves by spreading false news, then covering our tracks. To the general public, the Tri-State Timberwolves were extinct.

But that couldn't have been further from the truth. We changed, we grew, we evolved, and we came out stronger than ever. Now, I live, eat, sleep and breathe Timberwolves. I'll do anything to keep my empire safe and thriving. To keep the people depending on me safe.

So, what do I do when it's my own weakness that places us all in danger? When I let desire cloud my judgment and my people pay the price?

Simple. Kill the distractions.

I'm called Hades for a reason, after all.

A rollicking, unforgettable romance about two strangers finding love despite their best efforts as they embark on a sweeping matchmaking tour through Việt Nam, perfect for readers of Carley Fortune and Abby Jimenez.

What's a few weeks to a lifetime of promise?

Evie Lang's life is in shambles. On the heels of losing her beloved aunt, she's unceremoniously fired from her poetry professorship by her secret boyfriend. Lacking income and inspiration, she's stuck in Ohio with no idea how to move forward--until hope arrives in a surprising letter.

Auntie Hảo left Evie the deed to her San Francisco row house, a place full of Evie's happiest memories. The catch? To inherit, she must go on a pre-arranged matchmaking tour in Việt Nam. The last thing Evie wants is to spend time with a group of strangers looking for love. But she can't resist the chance to finally visit her family's native home.

A world away, Adam Quyền has a chip on his shoulder. He's working around the clock as CMO for his sister's elite matchmaking business, a job complicated by her insistence that he knows nothing about love. He's desperate to prove himself, so when she challenges him to join the inaugural tour, he reluctantly agrees.

Adam thinks Evie is chaotic and unpredictable. Evie thinks Adam is grumpy and uptight. But from the bustling streets of Hồ Chí Minh City to the soaring waterfalls in Đà Lạt, they keep getting thrown together, their animosity charged with attraction...and they discover that true love may be out there, if they are willing to take a leap.

Two stubborn hearts, one whirlwind adventure, Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour is a story of how loving (and living) bravely can lead you to the most unexpected places--and the most imperfectly perfect loves.

Naked, knowing little more than her name, Amber Fallbrook does not recognize the stone tower she's awoken in, or the vast, glittering ocean outside the window. Turning, she finds a very a different view: the beautiful, nearly naked man in the narrow bed is a stranger. So is the man who barges into the room unannounced, clearly expecting to find Amber alone.

Who are they? Who is she? Why can't she remember?

Shocked to discover that she's in her dormitory room at the Alchemary--the realm's prestigious university dedicated to the study of alchemy--Amber has no recollection of having been one of the school's top students for the past two years. The two men--brothers--are her childhood friends, even if "friends" is not the exact energy in the room.

One brother claims to want to protect her, and the other to help her recover her memory, but Amber soon realizes that nothing is at it seems at the Alchemary. Not the intentions of her classmates and faculty, not the stunning, labyrinthian campus, not the two brothers she's increasingly attracted to--maybe not even herself.

Despite her memory loss, Amber rejoins her classes and prepares for the deadly Alchemary Trials alongside the other Mastery-level students. But as invigorating as the flowing language and symbology of alchemy is, she can't help but notice that for an institution shining light on the quest for human perfection there are a lot of dark shadows in its winding corridors.

"Infused with beauty, humor, and pain, The Alchemy of Noise is a modern American love story that asks if love can bridge the distance between two Americas."
--Laura Nicole Diamond, author of Shelter Us and Deliver Me

In a world so full of lonely people and broken hearts, Chris Hawkins, a black sound engineer from Chicago's south side, and Sidonie Frame--white, suburban-raised, the head manager of one of the city's most elite venues--meet by work-related happenstance and fall quickly in love, convinced that by that act alone they can inspire peace, joy, and happiness in the world around them. The world, however, has other ideas.

Their meeting is serendipitous. Chris, who owns and runs his company, largely spends his time surrounded by members of his own community; Sidonie, conversely, is rarely outside the environs of work and its predominantly white staff and clientele. But when the club's sound manager goes AWOL on the night of a big event and Chris is hired to come in as a last-minute replacement, their destinies collide.

Immediately drawn to each other, they fall quickly into an unexpected and thrilling relationship, inspiring myriad reactions amongst family and friends on both sides of the racial divide. But even as their love story evolves, day-to-day tensions, police disruptions, and the microaggressions Chris constantly encounters as a black man in the gritty environs of Chicago become a cultural flashpoint, challenging Sidonie's privileged worldview and Chris's ability to translate the unfolding events. After a random and gut-wrenching series of police encounters shakes their resilience, it's the shattering circumstance of a violent arrest--one in which Chris is identified as a serial vandal and potential rapist--that sends their world into free fall.

He claims his innocence; she believes him. But the forces pushing against them are many and oppressive. With a looming trial, the dissipating loyalties of key allies, and unforeseen twists triggering doubt and suspicion, Sidonie and Chris are driven to question what they really know of each other and just whom to trust, leading to a powerful and emotional conclusion.

Lorraine Devon Wilke's third novel, The Alchemy of Noise, ventures beyond the humor and pathos of family drama explored so cleverly in her first two novels to dig deep into the politics of contemporary culture. At its heart a love story, it explores the complexity of race in a suspenseful drama driven by issues of privilege, prejudice, police profiling and legal entanglements, and the disparities in how those provocative themes impact the various and diverse characters involved.

Two best friends ignite a long-buried attraction in this cozy winter romance. He's loved her forever, and she's the last to know.

Sophie Lindell is at a personal and professional crossroads: interviewing for PhD programs that will either keep her in Boston with her tight-knit group of friends or send her to California on her own. Already preparing for big changes, Sophie has her world is turned on its head when a break up with her long-time boyfriend leaves her without a place to live. Fortunately, her best friend Andy Walsh has a spare bedroom-and a secret soft heart under his icy exterior.

The two make an unlikely pair: Sophie is ebullient, disorganized, and optimistic, with big dreams for her future. Andy is a creature of habit, with everything in his life rigidly under control-everything except the way Sophie makes him feel.

As roommates, their near-decade of carefully drawn boundaries finally starts to crumble. But with big changes ahead in Sophie's career, is now really the time to be thinking about romance, and with her best friend of all people? And for Andy, is confessing how he's always felt worth the risk of potentially losing the person who matters most?

Instant USA Today bestseller.

He's a villain looking for a hero rebrand. She's the marketing genius who can make it happen in this fantastical romantic comedy by the author of the Beasts of Gatamora series.

Over two decades ago, forty-eight young, gifted superheroes fell to Earth and were eventually marketed as opposing brands: heroes and villains. Now, one exceptionally gruff bad guy is looking to hop teams. Hello, PR director Vanessa Theriot.

His real name is Roland Casteel a.k.a. the Pyro. First, swap that with the less incinerating the Wyvern. Next, put him in spandex to highlight that near-godlike body. Finally, give that hero in training a heroine--if Vanessa will play the part in a pretend romance guaranteed to make the city swoon. She's game. As shy as Vanessa is, it's her job to be Roland's very own Lois Lane. Who knew that fake dating would change their worlds?

But falling head over heels for real makes for a dangerous shift in the narrative. A monstrous supervillain is bringing out Roland's bad side again. This time, it's to save a woman who, against all the odds, is becoming the human love of his superhero life.

Following Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade returns with another utterly charming romantic comedy about a devil-may-care actor--who actually cares more than anyone knows--and the no-nonsense woman hired to keep him in line.

"An absolutely witty, swoon worthy behind the scenes romp! Delightful from beginning to end!"--Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin'

Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV's biggest show, Gods of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he's dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn't be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness...not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she'll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants--her. But he's determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.