When his wife walked out on him, Al "Trunk" Mahoney's plans for the family he'd never had went up in smoke.
A top-ranked defenseman in the NFL, Trunk's success on the gridiron didn't translate to the rest of his life. Hooking up with women was easy for the sexy lineman, but Trunk's secret closed the door to marriage. Would the happiness he yearned for always be just beyond his reach? Beautiful Carla Ricci, bar owner and independent woman, had her choice of men. A love-'em and leave-'em lady, she'd made a decision that ruled out 99.9% of men for marriage. She didn't care. Then Trunk Mahoney came along. She resolved to remain true to herself.
Would Trunk reveal his secret? Could Carla's willpower hold indefinitely, or would she settle for an affair that would break her heart? AL "TRUNK" MAHONEY, DEFENSIVE LINE was a finalist in the Denver Romance Writer's of American Golden Quill Contest.
The man she couldn't forget...
Beautiful, talented lingerie designer Lina Cornaro sits on the cusp of major success. After her fiery affair with tough Formula One driver Ivo Zanardi ended in heartbreak, she's learned to keep her focus on her career. Nothing could make her return to Ivo. Nothing, except the public revelation of her darkest secret: Lina is the illegitimate daughter of Sarcaccia's King Carlo, one of the most famous men in the world.
When paparazzi trap Lina outside the most important meeting of her career, Ivo arrives to rescue her from the horde. She has no choice but to escape on his arm. But can she trust her career to the driven, charismatic man who once left her devastated? Or is he racing for a new prize-her love?
The Carolina Cold Fury hockey team is stacked with hotshots. But when a new player joins their ranks, he learns that even superstars can't go it alone when it comes to love. Lucas Fournier is only serious about one thing: hockey. The league's fun-loving charmer, Luc is always up for a good prank or a great lay, and he has no intention of settling down. But being traded to the Carolina Cold Fury-and to play alongside his big brother, Max-is no joke. With another title in sight, the last thing Luc wants is to let his new teammates down. To succeed, Luc will need to keep his head in the game and the most . . . er, demanding member of his anatomy in check. But when temptation hits, Luc hits back harder. Museum curator Stephanie Frazier has always put business before pleasure, which just about explains her nonexistent sex life. But when Stephanie meets Luc at a champagne-fueled gala, she finds herself flirting like crazy-and going home with the uninhibited athlete. For one night, she learns what passion is all about. She just never counted on the little surprise Luc leaves behind. And that's when things really start to get interesting.
One more game. That's all that stands between NHL star Asher Westmore and a major career milestone. But then his brother bashes him against the hockey boards, sidelining him for months. Over Christmas holidays, no less. If staying off the ice doesn't drive him crazy, staying with his family will. The only bright spot amidst the mistletoe and twinkle lights: His best friend, Emma, is a physical therapist. And working out with her improves his body and his spirit.
One last time. Emma Callaway was in trouble the minute she and Asher added benefits to their friendship. How is she supposed to resist a funny, caring guy who makes her toes curl? Her heart was safe while he lived in a different state. Now that he's back home recuperating, though, it's only a matter of time before she blurts out her feelings. Emma's only hope is that with a little holiday magic, she'll get the best Christmas gift of all.
"Heidi McLaughlin has done it again! Sexy, sweet and full of heart." - Melissa Brown, author of Wife Number Seven, on Third Base The third novel in New York Times bestselling author Heidi McLaughlin's Boys of Summer baseball series.
Driving his expensive, new car from L.A. to New York, got Jake Lawrence's, motor running. The third baseman hit the highway, ready for adventure.
Totally broke after her mother had gambled away all her money, Kate MacKenzie, aspiring musical theater star, sneaked out of her motel room. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with less than four dollars to her name, the plucky actress had no way to get to her Broadway audition.
Saving the beauty from a beating by the motel manager, Jake offered Kate a ride to Manhattan. Kate accepted. To preserve her dignity, she planned to keep the sexy slugger at arm's length. Easier said than done.
Mutual attraction couldn't derail the pair from their goals. Kate's dream of making it on Broadway collided with Jake's of making it to the World Series. Will their road trip lead to love? Or to a lonely existence of separation, and insecurity?
Just before real estate agent Molly is about to walk down the aisle, she catches her fiancé cheating with her sister. To help her get over her heartache, her friends drag her out of the house to go dancing. She ends her night by having a one night stand with a professional boxer. She doesn't plan on seeing him ever again until fate intervenes and an accident at a party leaves him feeling like he owes her--big time--while she hopes she never sees his face ever again. So, of course, he can't help but hire her to help him purchase a very expensive house to give her a very nice commission cheque. She'd turn him down flat if her job wasn't on the line.
The more time they spend together, the more she realizes he might be more than meets the eye. He might not be her type and he might be everything she doesn't want....but perhaps he's exactly what she needs.
Tucker is adept at spinning stories with hot romance, unexpected twists and turns, and a strong, independent female lead who is not afraid to take charge, who is not perfect-which is why she feels so real." -Toronto Star
Twenty-four-year-old truck stop waitress and single mother Catherine Wright has simple goals: to give her five-year-old daughter a happy life and to never again be the talk of the town in Balsam, Pennsylvania (population three thousand outside of tourist season).
And then one foggy night, on a lonely road back from another failed date, Catherine saves a man's life. It isn't until after the police have arrived that Catherine realizes exactly who it is she has rescued: Brett Madden, hockey icon and media darling.
Catherine has already had her fifteen minutes of fame and the last thing she wants is to have her past dragged back into the spotlight, only this time on a national stage. So she hides her identity. It works. For a time.
But when she finds the man she saved standing on her doorstep, desperate to thank her, all that changes. There's an immediate connection, and it's more electric than the bond of two people who endured a traumatic event. It's something neither of them expected. Something that Catherine isn't sure she can handle; something she is afraid to trust.
Because how long can an extraordinary man like Brett be interested in an ordinary woman like Catherine...before the spark fades?
Brendan Daniels is the sexiest man alive. The captain of the Badger's NHL team is also clever, kind, funny, and was my good friend...until we cruised out of the friend zone one weekend with a red-hot fling.
Come Monday morning, I wanted to keep riding the Big O train to happy town, but Brendan wanted someone who was 'stepmom' material.
AKA, not me, apparently.
The problem? I'm crazy in love with him and his daughter. So when he asks me to be his pretend girlfriend for a long weekend with his former in-laws, I say yes. We're still friends, after all, and friends don't let friends fake it alone...
***
Laura Collins is the last woman I should be thinking about taking in the back seat of my car, in the woods behind my in-laws' house, or in a hotel room where we're sharing one very small, very squeaky bed.
I need a steady, stable influence for my daughter, not a fling with this too wild, too young, too impulsive redhead. So what if she's beautiful and intense and passionate and has the biggest heart I've ever known?
I don't want to fall in love. I really don't. The whole 'pretend girlfriend' thing was supposed to solve my problems, buy me a little more time.
But when it comes to Laura? Maybe I'm just not cut out for faking it...
He's used to winning, but now he's playing with his heart.
Jude Braddock. Hockey god. That's how everyone sees him now. But when they were teenagers, Zoey knew him as the kid who didn't have enough nerve to make a move on their one and only disastrous date. Seems he doesn't have that problem anymore, though. According to the rumors, he's with a different woman every night. After a rough divorce, the last thing Zoey needs is more heartbreak. But Jude's cocky, playful attitude is mighty hard to resist.
Jude knows he isn't built for long-term relationships. But he's getting sick of women pounding on his door in the middle of the night looking for a rematch. When Zoey comes back into his life, it's like fate has given him a second chance. He'll do anything to make her happy again. Is this what love looks like? He has no idea. All he knows for sure is that this time, he's playing for keeps.
Good things come in extra-large, smoking hot packages. Things like pizza. The very pizzas that I deliver for my dad's restaurant, Peretti's Pizza. It's a temporary job, something to pay the bills until I graduate from school, but it does the trick. In fact, it's working quite well-until Ryan Pierce of the Minnesota Stars decides to order a pizza from me, and life as I know it turns upside down. You see, Ryan Pierce doesn't just open his front door. He opens it buck naked. And suddenly, I'm not the one boasting the biggest, hottest package in the room. However, it's what happens next that gives me butterflies whenever my phone beeps. Ryan starts to call, and then text, and then fifteen pizza deliveries and one fantastic night later, we're friends with benefits. So when he asks me to be his fake girlfriend at his brother's wedding, I'm happy to help. But the longer we pretend, the more I worry that this is one package I might not be able to handle.
