Showing results by publisher "-emdashery books-" in Literature & Fiction

Reserved tattoo artist Riley Foster has just moved apartments and can't take her eyes off the single mom who lives next door. Riley is trying very hard not to succumb to the cliche of falling for the straight girl as she gets to know Kim Jackson, an outgoing baker with an adorable nine-year-old son. A friendship forms and Riley even finds herself roped into playing Kim's fake girlfriend to get her meddling family off her back. What could go wrong . . . except for Kim suddenly questioning whether she's not as straight as she thought!

I have a soul-destroying corporate job, I iron my underpants, and I was unceremoniously dumped for an influencer hippie a few years ago. Every day feels the same, and I don't know how much longer I can cope before I do something unhinged like rip off my shirt in the middle of my co-worker's office birthday party and smear lemon cake all over my chest. Then, a case of mistaken identity suddenly lands me in the middle of a covert professional wrestling league, which is apparently being run in the basement of my office building. Weird. Even weirder are the wrestlers.

Dr. Miranda Hayes never anticipated finding herself in a relationship with a woman, but her undeniable attraction to Lane Remington was too powerful to resist. As she surrenders to this unexpected connection, Miranda is forced to confront new facets of her identity. Is this newfound attraction to women just a passing curiosity, or is it the start of something more profound? And as she peels back the layers of Lane's carefully constructed facade, what truths will she uncover, and how will they shape her choices?

Army Capt. Jordan Armstrong surrendered a piece of her soul to the burning sands of Afghanistan. Now back home, only two things keep her going: her demanding job as a Search and Rescue pilot and sailing her 45-foot yacht around the coast of McKinley Point, Western Australia-alone. Plenty of women have tried to reach behind her walls, but Jordan remains aloof. When American expat Sara Matthews shows up in her life and takes an instant dislike to her, it sets her heart on fire. For the first time in what feels like forever, Jordan truly wants to be seen and understood.

Faking a relationship with an injured hockey player had never been on Eliot's to-do list. When he's sent by his editor at Cocky to interview the newly-out hockey legend Danny Harper, though, he gets a little more than he bargained for. Eliot has been stuck writing a men's fashion and grooming column that no one reads since he started at Cocky - a men's lifestyle magazine - a year ago. Desperate to prove himself, he takes the assignment to interview Harper, even though he couldn't necessarily hold a hockey stick the right way up in an emergency.

When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success, and pride.

Does a bear shift in the woods? Well, partially. That was what got grizzly-shifter Ted Farnsworth into trouble. He wasn’t trying to break the Secrecy Pact. He just wants people to see the real him. So he signs up with the mate-matching service Supernatural Selection - which guarantees marriage to a perfect partner. Not only will Ted never be lonely again, but once his new beaver-shifter husband arrives, they’ll build Ted’s dream wilderness retreat together. Win-win.

At fifty-seven, Julia Ames has found herself with an improbably lovely life. Despite her inclination towards self-sabotage, she has a husband she loves, two happy children and a quiet, contented existence in the suburbs. But, out of the blue, things begin to change. Her always well-behaved son, Ben, is acting strangely, and will soon make a shocking announcement. Her beloved but belligerent teenage daughter is about to depart for college, leaving Julia unexpectedly terrified of an empty nest.

A disturbing tale of a young man's uncanny ability to remain both young and beautiful while descending into a life of heartless debauchery, The Picture of Dorian Gray was considered proof of both Wilde's genius and his perversion. Oscar Wilde's scandalous best seller of 1891 was one of the most damning pieces of evidence used against him in the trial that brought about his downfall.

Silent film actor Casimir Moreau had imagined that life as a vampire would be freewheeling and glamorous. Instead, he’s plunged into a restrictive society whose rules he runs afoul of at every turn. To “rehabilitate” him, the vampire council orders him mated to an incubus with impeccable breeding. As an inactive beaver shifter, construction engineer Rusty Johnson has fought - and overcome - bias and disrespect his entire life. Rusty can’t face returning to his clan, and Cas needs somebody on his arm to keep the council happy, so they agree to pretend to be married.

Neil Josten is out of time. He knew when he came to PSU he wouldn't survive the year, but with his death right around the corner he's got more reasons than ever to live. Befriending the Foxes was inadvisable. Kissing one is unthinkable. Neil should know better than to get involved with anyone this close to the end, but Andrew's never been the easiest person to walk away from. If they both say it doesn't mean anything, maybe Neil won't regret losing it, but the one person Neil can't lie to is himself.

The truth is, I'm an admin assistant who applied for a job that sounded kind of interesting and ended up working for the Community of Species Government. I'm the only human in the office, and basically I ride herd on a team of rambunctious shifters and demons. I also spend a lot of time avoiding Gideon Bailey, the demon I had a one-night stand with right before I took this job. He hates me, and I really want to avoid being murdered. But I've been offered a promotion that will mean working with him, so we're both going to have to get over it

My role as Moric—ruler of a small and prosperous fiefdom in a quiet corner of the world—has always been painfully dull and stifling. Until a beautiful, otherworldly creature with pink skin and a mane of golden hair falls through a strange void that has appeared in my guestroom. I am instantly captivated by him. I have never seen anything like him. I have no idea where he came from, and what else is through that unsettling void—another world filled with soft-skinned, defenseless creatures like him? No tails, no horns, no claws, no sharp teeth. Tiny clothing, rounded ears, bright blue eyes.

Jodi Burkitt is alone again. Her ex took everything with her—the friends, the fun, and the daughter that Jodi had loved like her own. She's got plenty to distract her from the empty days and nights, especially her latest home renovation project. When Jodi discovers a hidden jewelry box in the walls of the home she's renovating, she turns to her ex's friend, librarian Michele Galveston, to help piece together the mystery inside the box.

When I discovered that my online gaming friend was Leo Evans, a student from my university, I had no idea how much my life would change. On paper, we’re complete opposites. He’s a shy computing student and I’m an outgoing footballer. Yet there’s an undeniable connection between us. Despite our differences, he’s become my closest friend, and I'm on a mission to make him see himself the way I see him. So I’ve been daring him to do things to get him out of his comfort zone, to prove to himself that he’s capable of so much more than he thinks he is.

Ashleigh Pence had been the all-American high school girl: cheerleader, prom queen...and in love with another girl. Gina Granbury hasn't thought about Calloway High in 20 years, but the arrival of the invitation to the class reunion brings back memories of Ashleigh and the betrayal that drove them apart. With no real choice, Ashleigh has to go the event, hoping that it's not the one reunion that Gina decides to attend after all these years. Gina's curiosity is suddenly strong. Her long-broken heart has never mended, but that's no reason to go back in time...is it?

Reese nearly had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York, a job she didn't hate. She'd scraped together a life previous generations of trans women could only dream of; the only thing missing was a child. Then everything fell apart, and three years on, Reese is still in self-destruct mode, avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.

As interior designer Jay Burns watches her long-term relationship slowly unravel, she runs into - literally - landscape designer Drew Montgomery. As their paths cross, both professionally and personally, a friendship develops, one they each try to maintain despite the obvious attraction between them. But still, Jay is not willing to throw away an eight-year relationship, even when it becomes painfully obvious the end is near.

Princess Victoria has perfected the royal playbook: calculated smile, convenient boyfriend, impeccable press. But behind the tiara ticks a heart that's tired of playing by the rules. Enter Ashleigh Woods: England's football captain, media darling, and living proof that authenticity scores every time. When Victoria pins an MBE on Ash's lapel, the instant chemistry jolts both their worlds. Stolen glances become secret meetings. Private texts become tabloid gold. And suddenly, Victoria's tearing up her royal rulebook for a woman who makes her feel like more than her title.

Maggie is 30, pregnant and broke. Faced with moving back to the town she fought to escape, she’s wondering if having a baby with boyfriend Ed will be the last spontaneous act of her life. Ed, meanwhile, is trying to run from his past with Maggie’s best friend Phil and harbouring secret dreams of his own. Phil hates his office job and is living for the weekend, while falling for his housemate, Keith. But there’s a problem: Keith has a boyfriend and there might not be room for three people in the relationship.