I love food. I love everything about it. My dream has always been to land a job with the Food Network channel, and I’ve spent years as a food critic, blogger, and chef, tasting my way across the South to develop recipes that are a twist on the classics and uniquely my own. When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes calling, I’m shocked to discover I’ve been paired with him, the worst blind date ever - bless his heart, and I’m determined not to let anyone get in my way. 

Big hats. Small hats. Elaborate hats. Simple hats. I love them all. Every. Single. One. And because of this, I've always known I would one day own a Derby hat store. At 25, I've back in my hometown of Louisville, and my dream has finally come true. With the season officially underway, my brand-new shop is gorgeous, the inventory is stocked, and I'm ready to go. My only problem is William Stokes Whitlock III.

Music is my motivation. I’ve always believed that, because of it, I would be somebody. Somebody to someone, and something to myself. At age four, I picked up my grandfather’s acoustic guitar and, up until three weeks ago, I’ve never put it down. From a single chord to a full arrangement, music fed my soul. I craved it with every fiber of my being, but now, I just don’t know. That driving force that’s always pushed me has somehow stalled, along with the thrill, the passion, and the familiarity...it’s all gone. I’m beginning to worry that my love for music just isn’t enough.

Someone is stalking Audrey Young. And she has no idea why. Complicating matters is her landlord and new neighbor, Josiah Haven. She doesn’t usually go for the big, surly lumberjack type. But there’s something about that broody man. He intimidates her a little, but she kind of likes it. She could totally handle the mess that is her life, except the strange feeling of being watched is just the beginning. Next thing Audrey knows, she’s a target, and she doesn’t know who’s behind it or why. For Josiah Haven, none of that makes her his problem.

He's destined for the White House and engaged to be married next month. Except he just married me instead. While drunk in Vegas. Bradford Black. He's powerful. Rich as sin. And he's now my husband. His fiancée hates me. His political advisors want me gone. The world can't get enough of me and the scandal we've caused. I want to run. I want to hide. I want to pretend none of this is happening. But, oh God. My husband doesn't care about the scandal because all he cares about is me. He's possessive, grumpy, and determined for us to stay married.

I’ve got a list of people I absolutely don’t ever want to be stuck with on a boat, or a plane, or a train, and it starts and ends with the broody, grumpy, too-sexy-for-my-own good Axel Huxley. Also known as this romance novelist’s number one nemesis. The man is legendary for his mighty pen and his even mightier scowl. I tried to work together with the cocky thriller writer once upon a time, but the two of us are like vodka and good decisions. We don’t play well together.

He was my first, and I thought he’d be my last. Now, he’s asking for a second chance. Micah Hutton is charming, sweet, and confident. And his page in the shirtless fireman calendar for charity? Trust me, November has never been hotter. But like Grandma says: "It’s never the angels who look like sin".

I didn’t know bridesmaid was code for babysitter for the bride’s brother, but if that’s what my best friend needs of me for her dream wedding to go off without a hitch, that’s what I’ll do. Even if Theo Monroe has been a pain in my rear since third grade. Even if he should be responsible enough to not wreak havoc at his sister’s destination wedding.

Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer. But hiring the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience? No one is that desperate.

My fresh start turned into a dumpster fire. Awesome new job. Small town heaven. Friendly faces galore. Then I strolled into my new home and found the unspeakable. Just when I'm sure it can't get worse, I'm “rescued” by a man who makes me see red for miles. Enter Lucas Graves. A bossy grump with a badge who's sworn to keep me safe. He rocks the scary-hot vibe, he reads too much, and he never misses a chance to give me crap for being a nerdy little cactus who mouths back. Not the type of man I'd go for in my right mind. Definitely not the type I should keep trading bruising kisses with.

I can explain the want ads for saucy male companionship I'm posting. I can even explain pretending to date the city's most notorious playboy. They say revenge is a dish best-served cold, but mine is going to be spicy, sizzling, and hilariously humiliating. My ex, Vaughn, cheated, stole from me, and worse. I refused to be the lovable, heartbroken heroine who hides under a pile of tissues and ice cream pints. Oh no, not me.

Will this growly protector break her book-loving heart...or become her second chance at love? Savanna Vasquez lost her Navy SEAL husband years ago to terrorists, and she doesn’t think she’s capable of falling in love again. Then came Griffin. The inexplicable connection between them has them both wondering if maybe they were brought together for another reason. And as Griffin does everything in his power to save Savanna, he discovers there’s a chance she just might save him, too.

Crew Madden needs to find a place to recover. For his twin girls. For himself. From the woman who left them without a backward glance. Recovering from a traumatic event, a summer in the small town of Redemption Falls was the perfect solution for him. For his family. The only drawback? The rental cottage at the end of the drive.

He’s the billionaire Beast of Calico Cove, and I’m his sacrificial lamb…I mean, his new employee. Malcolm Bettencourt is a recluse with a nasty scar across his face and a bad attitude. He has a bone to pick with my family over a loan my dad can't pay back, so to save our lobster business, I agree to be his live-in housekeeper and cook. We have nothing in common, and there’s no reason to think he would want anything to do with someone like me. Except I can’t stop thinking about him, and he can’t stop looking at me.

Aurelia Whitlock is an ex-stepsister I forgot long ago. Until she shows up as a design intern at my fashion company. And that's the easy part. The part where she heats my blood, drawing me away from my grumpy, miserable side is another. She has no business being here. The more I learn about how she got this job, the more perilous things become for me and my company. I can't trust her. I can't fire her. And I can't claim her full lips with mine.