Industrial City, Ava Starling’s hometown, is struggling to survive with businesses and industries closing and jobs at a minimum. She’s desperately trying to help assist the needy through the thrift store she owns and operates, but homelessness is on the rise. Ava doubts the recent assignment of the young and handsome Brandon Sparks as senior pastor of the defunct Union Street Church can breathe hope into empty hearts. 

When Ava and Brandon meet, sparks fly but misunderstandings and trust issues ensue. Only Ava’s mother knows the true reason behind her daughter’s resistance to the new pastor, but it’s only a matter of time before Brandon discovers why Ava holds animosity toward him. Will she learn to accept his offers of help or continue to resist his hand of friendship? Working together to meet the needs of the community might forever change both their lives more than either can ever anticipate.

Maine lobsterman Shawn MacKay is enraptured by a redheaded mystery woman who sings opera on a deserted stretch of beach by the cliffs of Avondale. Every time he gets close enough to say hello, she runs away. His narrative of the beautiful songbird earns lighthearted banter from patrons of the Malarkey, a local tavern and gathering place for those in his trade. Shawn hopes that one day he will finally meet the young woman who has piqued his curiosity.

Colleen O’Malley’s lifelong desire has always been to sing opera. When two pre-teen boys tell her about a cave with great acoustics hidden at the base of the cliffs along the beach strand, she enters alone, oblivious to the dangers of rising tides that could trap and kill her.

When Shawn decides to walk home by way of the beach strand one evening, he has no idea that his decision will change his life. Forever. 

~*New cover, new publisher, new series name.*~

Even an elite soldier can admit he’s lost.

Gruff and tough, Edward Giordano’s success as an elite Special Forces soldier doesn’t carry over to his personal life. Emotionally scarred from a painful childhood, he’s built a wall around his heart that he lets very few penetrate.

Audra Lorenzo, a first-year school teacher, is on a road trip with her niece during the holidays. A storm that was supposed to pass, instead crosses her path. Lost, with her GPS cutting in and out, her car skids off a road, down an embankment, and into an icy river. Everything goes black.

Regaining consciousness in a remote cabin, Audra finds she and her niece were saved by Edward, a soldier who’d put his life in danger to rescue them. Harsh and unfriendly at first, the lieutenant’s demeanor frightens her. As days go by, small kindnesses shine through chinks in his armor and her heart is drawn to his. But does he feel the same? Can this scarred and guarded man find it in him to share the same love for her?

♥ Fresh New Cover ♥

Lexi Mallard saw what happened in the woods. But if she tells…

Ten years is a long time to keep a secret. Eat, sleep, work. Stay busy. A social life seems impossible until Corbin Taylor, Lexi’s policeman next-door-neighbor, reaches out in friendship that quickly becomes much more serious.

Lexi’s budding relationship with a cop doesn’t go unnoticed by her evil brother.

She quickly learns that putting the past behind is not always an option. Sometimes it will chase, overtake, and try to kill you.

Justice for Hattie Mayfair ~ Romance. Suspense.

~*New cover, new publisher, new series name.*~

All he ever wanted was to be a soldier.

Special Forces sergeant Jason Dexter goes home to New York to attend a friend’s wedding meets Aria Greco, the beautiful and talented daughter of his commanding officer. He falls hard for her but never expects that she might be the key to restoring his faith and mending the broken relationship with his father.

Aria’s attraction to Jason quickly develops into deep love. But problems arise when a former music professor offers to help prepare her for an audition with a newly forming orchestra in New York City. Rehearsals cut deeply into the time she and Jason struggle to carve out to be together. Friction escalates, and Jason becomes increasingly unhappy about the time she spends with the professor who he suspects has more than an innocuous musical interest in her.

As tensions mount, will Jason and Aria be able to overcome the obstacles of a long-distance relationship, jealousies on both sides, and family conflict? 

For the wounded warrior, the battle never ends.

Former Special Forces soldier Hank Fleming survived an explosion that took the lives of four men during a tour in Afghanistan. Nightmares resurrect the dreadful sights, smells, and sounds of the dying men. Despite profound injuries and post-traumatic stress, Hank hopes he can one day be free of inner turmoil...and maybe find a girl who will want to share a life with him.

When Cindy Giordano breaks up with an unfaithful fiancé, she vows to never get involved with another man. She sets out on a quest to find Edward, a biological brother she’s never met, and her journey brings her face-to-face with Edward’s rugged, outdoorsy foster brother, Hank Fleming. Hank captures her attention, but she’s determined not to fall for him.

Hank is instantly smitten with Edward’s tall and beautiful, albeit slightly clumsy sister, but does he have what it takes to win her heart and help her past the pain of betrayal? Moreover, can he resolve the haunting issues in his own life and find lasting peace?

Three previously published novellas and a new short story…

Christmas at Dumpster Corral

Thanksgiving at Canine Corral

Fourth of July at Barbecue Corral

Holiday at Heartache Corral (Short Story)

Descriptions below...

Christmas at Dumpster Corral

When Noel Dupree’s mother passes away from a sudden illness, she inherits the family home and their much-loved florist business. While still in mourning, her unscrupulous father resurfaces after many years’ absence and finds a way to undermine her mother’s will. Without regard for Noel’s welfare, he claims everything is rightly his, and the family lawyer can’t produce documents to prove otherwise.

By invitation from her best friend, Noel makes a hard choice to leave her childhood hometown in upstate New York and journey to the friend’s house in Pensacola, Florida. Together they will try to devise a plan for Noel’s future. Fate steps in when a blinding rainstorm causes her to miss a turn, leading her to an unlikely place, and an uncertain destiny.

Brought low by circumstances and struggling to make ends meet, she takes shelter in the least desirable location and accepts a graveyard-shift job. The last thing Noel is looking for is romance, but a chance meeting with a handsome, young lawyer named Liam Grant makes her reconsider. Could she accept his dinner invitations and make it through the Christmas holiday without revealing her destitute condition?

Thanksgiving at Canine Corral

Tanzy Meadows works hard to keep the Canine Corral, her no-kill shelter for dogs, financially afloat. She provides the animals’ needs, often neglecting her own, and strives to find forever homes for them. But her problems mount when the city council threatens to put her out of business, and a close friend develops a life-threatening condition.

Tanzy is smitten by Jake Strickland, a handsome but mysterious new arrival in town. Graphic designer and computer guru by trade, Jake revamps her shelter’s web page, helps bring in much-needed funds, and provides innovative ways to find her dogs loving homes.

But will Jake be the one person she can share her hopes, dreams, and future with? Or is he hiding something? Underneath his charming demeanor lurks a mystery Tanzy can’t understand. Will this side of him turn out to be a blessing, or will his reticence tear them apart?              

Fourth of July at Barbecue Corral

Rachel Valentino is anxious to get back to business when her bistro is finally repaired after being damaged by a tornado. But everything is turned upside down when her self-centered older sister unexpectedly sends Amy, her pre-teen daughter, to live with Rachel without permission or foreknowledge.

Fate brings handsome and kindhearted Seth Garrison, an old high school crush, back into Rachel’s life. But with a bistro to run and the responsibility of surrogate motherhood suddenly resting on her shoulders, the chance for romance seems slim.

When disaster strikes, Rachel must find a way to face seemingly insurmountable challenges. To start over in business, master instant parenthood…and accept unconditional love.

Holiday at Heartache Corral (A short story)

Start your day with a cup of coffee and a romantic short story. This quick read offers a full story and a happily ever after ending.

~A faith-based novella~

“I love you, Bobbie. Please don’t go.” Caleb’s voice echoed from the past and brought with it the almost-tangible sensation of summer breezes floating across the lake.

She could clearly visualize them sitting in the tree, bare feet dangling, Caleb’s shoulder brushing hers. How often had she coiled her ankles around one of his so she wouldn’t tip backwards and fall? His friendship and strength were anchors she could always count on.

The lump that formed in her throat ran tandem to the instant throbbing in the area around her heart. Would Caleb even want to speak to her after all this time, or would her non-verbal rejection of his declaration of love be a wedge between them forever?

Angry because her father, Louisiana Senator Jacob Windsor, has announced his engagement to Hollywood starlet Kara Bordeaux, Julia Windsor decides she’d rather leave home than be subjected to heightened security and a deluge of paparazzi. She travels to Singapore, severs all communication with those she’s left behind, and chooses to live a life of anonymity.

When Julia meets handsome Gabriel Davenport, she keeps her true purpose for being in Singapore a secret. The friendship that develops quickly evolves into something much deeper. 

Julia marvels that she’s traveled halfway around the world to find love with an American man. But will that love endure when she discovers that Gabriel is a former Special Forces sergeant hired by her father to protect her?