Contemporary Romance

A man who’s lost himself in work. A woman learning how to heal. A love that asks them both to trust again.

Will fear and past pain wash away their chance at lasting happiness—or will Zane and Kylie find the courage to trust in love one final time?

A man torn between the life he knows and the one he wants. A woman longing for roots. A love that demands a choice.

Architect Sullivan Shepherd arrives in Driftwood Bay to oversee construction of Tidewater, an upscale coastal resort designed by his firm. A successful career and a fast-paced New York life have always defined him—but something about the rhythms of this Texas coastal town, and the woman who draws him in, begins to challenge everything he thought he wanted.

After a decade touring with a theatrical company, Piper Roberts is ready to come home. She’s loved the freedom of life on the road, but watching her closest childhood friends return to Driftwood Bay and find lasting love awakens a longing she can no longer ignore. Piper wants roots, stability, and a future she can finally claim as her own.

Introduced through mutual friends, Sullivan and Piper fall into a whirlwind romance fueled by undeniable chemistry and shared dreams. Despite their different worlds, they discover how much they have in common—and how deeply they fit together. But as Sullivan’s time in Driftwood Bay draws to a close, reality intrudes.

Piper knows better than to fall for a man whose life exists somewhere else. And Sullivan must face a question he’s been avoiding: is success measured by the life he’s built—or by the one he could choose?

Will Sullivan leave behind the white-collar world to stay in Driftwood Bay and build something lasting, or will he walk away from the love that could change everything?

Two wounded souls. One coastal town. A chance to heal together.

Keaton Maxwell has survived more than his share of hardship. After a childhood spent in foster care, he found solace in art—using paint and canvas to express emotions he never learned to share. When a painful betrayal shatters his sense of stability, Keaton leaves the mountains of Wyoming behind and heads to Driftwood Bay, opening Gulf Coastal Gallery in search of peace and a fresh start.

Layne Larson’s life unravels all at once. Her company is sold, her longtime relationship ends, and then she loses her parents—leaving her grieving, jobless, and suddenly the owner of the Bay Breeze Inn. Returning to her hometown was never part of the plan, but restoring the neglected bed-and-breakfast offers Layne a way to rebuild and reclaim control of her future.

When their paths cross in Driftwood Bay, the connection between Keaton and Layne is immediate—and unexpected. Drawn together by shared loss and quiet understanding, they find comfort in one another as they work side by side to bring the Bay Breeze back to life. Keaton’s steady patience and empathy soothe Layne’s fractured heart, while her strength and resilience give him hope he hasn’t felt in years.

But healing isn’t linear, and the shadows of the past don’t fade easily.

Will fear and lingering grief pull them apart—or will Keaton and Layne find the courage to embrace the love that’s growing between them and the future waiting just beyond the shore?

A broken heart. A second chance. A coastal town where love might be worth the risk.

Carson Andrews is still learning how to breathe again. Two years after his wife’s murder, the single father pours everything he has into raising his spirited four-year-old daughter, Lily. When a new job brings Carson to Driftwood Bay as the town’s head basketball coach—and soon after, its athletic director—he hopes the quiet rhythm of this Texas coastal town will give them both the fresh start they need.

Mila Perry is done with dating. A dedicated high school volleyball coach and the superintendent’s daughter, she’s content focusing on her career and her community. Love feels messy, complicated, and far too easy to lose. She never expects to be drawn to the reserved newcomer—or to the little girl who quickly captures her heart.

As Carson settles into Driftwood Bay, his connection with Mila deepens from friendship into something fragile and profound. Mila brings warmth and laughter back into Carson’s life, forming a bond with Lily that feels both healing and terrifying. But their growing feelings come with real consequences. As athletic director, Carson is responsible for Mila’s evaluations, forcing them to navigate professional boundaries just as their hearts become involved.

When an influential community member questions their relationship, pressure mounts. Fearing the fallout could threaten their careers—and Lily’s sense of security—Mila suggests they step back before everything they’ve built is torn apart.

But some second chances are worth fighting for.

Can Carson and Mila overcome grief, expectations, and fear to create a family of their own—or will the past keep them from the future they both long for?

Bar and grille owner Cody Parker is the no-nonsense leader of a weekly gathering of the leather community—a powerful, respected man guaranteed to make all the bottom boys beg. He sees red at even the mere mention of Kennedy Marks.
Having escaped a terrifying childhood, Kennedy Marks is now a beloved Blueridge Junction police officer. Until recently, Kennedy has never questioned his role in intimate relationships. He knows Cody hates him, and the feeling is very much mutual.
Neither man can explain why they despise each other. But when an unexpected kernel of desire takes root in Kennedy’s mind, that ever-present animosity begins to waver. Can the two allow themselves to explore the reasons behind their hatred and cross that thin line between love and hate?

For small-town tattoo artist Levi Wells, his few forays into love have only brought him trouble. When trouble with a capital T came sashaying into town two years ago in the form of flamboyant young dancer Jay Owens, Levi becomes more determined than ever to stay away from anything remotely resembling a relationship. Especially one with someone so young and different than him.
Two years. That’s how long Jay has been trying to wear Levi down. But Levi only sees Jay as a thorn in his side and balks at their differences every chance he gets. Luckily for them both, Jay isn’t going to let a little thing like Levi’s reluctance stand in the way of getting what he wants.
Levi is as stubborn as Jay is tenacious and they find themselves at an impasse. When Jay inadvertently gets himself into an unnerving situation, Levi’s protective nature surges forth even as he berates his heart for getting involved. Will Levi stay focused on their differences and keep fighting his true feelings? Or will Jay finally burrow through Levi’s self-imposed walls? One thing is for sure, you can’t fight love.

Micah is a small-town mechanic with a big-time dream. He’s found his soulmate in high school social studies teacher Coleman Pierce, but while Micah’s out and proud of it, Coleman’s closet door is closed, locked, and welded shut. Stolen nights are all they’ll ever have, unless Micah can find some way to convince Cole that coming out won’t be the end of his dreams. Cole moved to Blueridge Junction to escape his past. He planned to make himself a new life, far from home and the betrayal he’d suffered there. He wasn’t going to make the same mistakes again, but he didn’t count on meeting Micah, or the intensity of the feelings the man arouses in him. But Micah is out and Cole… isn’t. And while Micah definitely revs his engines, Cole isn’t going to risk his job or his newly minted future on a relationship that might not work out. When outside forces bear upon the couple, Cole is faced with a decision. Will he keep his secret and risk losing everything, including the man he loves? Or will he stand with Micah and fight for their future?

Preston Andrews' life has always been, what he would consider, by the book. He's never liked to stray from the norm. Everything had its place, including his love life. Or, well, lack of one. But when he receives the diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's, he decides that it's time to rip up the rule book and live the life he probably should have been for a long time.

Hallie Monroe has been a coworker and good friend of Preston's for years. She's always made sure to find him at lunch and chat with him about anything and everything, although the conversations were usually quite one-sided. Hallie gets the epiphany that it's time to get Preston out of his shell and help him open up more to the people in his life.

Hallie and Preston go on a journey together to see if they can bring their friendship outside of the lunchroom and into the real world.

Romance of The Year- Bookstagram Awards 2025

In a world of predators, she was always the deadliest.

Some love you. Some destroy you. Some do both.

Monsters don’t hide under the bed. Sometimes, they lie in your arms.

Some monsters are born. Others are made.
Caroline Landers has always known the darkness lived inside her. Not hidden. Not controlled. Simply waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.
That moment came the night she crossed paths with Samuel Corby—a man who stalked her from the shadows, only to awaken a hunger in her that even she couldn’t tame.
Samuel is everything the world warns you about: obsessive, lethal, untouchable. But the most dangerous thing about him isn't what he does—it's how deeply he loves her. How completely he sees her for what she truly is... and still demands she belongs to him.
When a sadistic new enemy rises from the wreckage of her past, threatening everything Caroline has fought to protect, she doesn’t break. She doesn’t run. She does what monsters do best.
She hunts.
As secrets unravel, betrayals ignite, and another shadow steps forward—one who has loved her from the dark all along—Caroline must face the brutal truth:
She was never the prey.
She was always the predator.
And sometimes... you don't have to choose between your monsters at all.
You can have them both—and let the world burn.