Showing results by publisher "Carrie ANn Ryan" in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

A wedding dress is meant to be worn only once. When a stranger finds herself in need of a miracle at the last minute, I do the unthinkable: I offer mine to her. The same one I wore down the aisle for my late husband. Now I’m invited to the wedding and finding myself wondering why I shut myself away from the world for so long. I’m only meant to be at the Wilder Retreat for a single day except I go home with not only a job offer, but the promise of something more.

It took two days for me to know Kendall was the one for me. And it took two years for me to realize I had to leave in order to protect her. When I walked away, I told myself it was for the best. But now we work together, and every time we’re in the same room, we end up fighting. If we didn’t, we’d end up naked. Or worse–spilling heartbreaking secrets. If she knew the truth, she’d either walk away for good or convince me to take a second chance. The first thing would break me, and the second would break her. I can’t let either of those things happen.

The first time I got married, I watched the man I love walk away from me. The second time around, I’m the one signing the dotted line first—this one a man who I realized I never loved. Once burned, twice broken, I’m done looking for love. Only my first ex-husband seems to be everywhere I turn—at my work, with my friends, and eventually…in my bed. I didn’t mean for it to happen. Twice. But I know if I don’t protect my heart, there will be nothing left of me if he walks away again without telling me why he did so in the first place.

I was ready to say "I do", then my fiancé left me at the altar. Broken and embarrassed, Trace and Elliot helped me run away—ditching my wedding dress in the process. When I come back to the Wilder Retreat to show the world I’m no longer hurting, I know I must ignore my traitorous needs when it comes to these two men. Because my body wants them both. And my soul craves them just as much. I know I can’t choose, and part of me asks why I should.

The Montgomery Ink Legacy series continues with a forbidden romance between two best friends and the woman they both crave. Ford, Noah, and Greer aren’t ready for what happens next. I fell for my best friend long before I knew what that meant. Only I know he’ll never love me back. He’s stuck in his head and his past demons and can’t see what is right in front of him. But when Greer loses her home and needs a place to stay, both Noah and I know the only place she belongs is with us—in every way. possible.

The rules were simple. Protect the woman I love. And try to stop loving her along the way. Kane Montgomery Carr and Phoebe Dixon’s romance went from a fiery temptation to a fizzled out heartbreak. Only Kane has no idea why. All he knows is that he has to keep her safe when a stalker sets Phoebe in their sights. Yet as the two of them are forced once again into each other’s lives, the truth behind their breakup surfaces and they are forced to face the facts: the feelings and heat they buried aren’t quite as gone as they’d like.

I made plans. I followed the path. I fell in love. Then the world took her away from me. I swore to never love again, and I’ve done all I could to keep that vow.

With one scowl, I fell just that much harder for Callum Ashford—NFL star turned small town brewer. He’s not only older, but he’s my brother’s best friend. Two very important reasons I should stay away. Only two years ago, after the worst night of my life, he kissed me and I can’t keep him off my mind. When the only house available to rent in town happens to be the one across the street from him, the close proximity does its work. We can’t keep our hands off each other. Yet as the heat rises, so do feelings.

The moment I saw Bethany Cole, I knew she was not only out of my league, but in a whole different world. Only I didn’t realize I’d met her before. An explosion stole part of my past, including the first time I’d seen her pretty face.

Daisy Montgomery Knight is about to meet her match when it comes to Hugh Hendrix. One look across the aisle at a wedding and I fell in lust. He’s on the bride’s side. I’m on the groom’s. But by the end of the night, we’re against a wall, over a table…and in bed. I’m prepared never to see him again except in my memories. Only the next week things become awkward: I’m his new boss. And it turns out he’s just as demanding outside of the sheets as beneath them.

The last words I said to my best friend were “I trust you”. Then the world went dark, and I nearly lost everything. While my best friend’s little sister lost even more. I promised him that I’d take care of her—but if he knew my current thoughts when it came to Harper, he’d have never trusted me. She’s too young for me. Too bright to my shadows. And too tempting. Now I’m stuck in our small town, and I can’t escape her. I’d rather hide in my cabin, restoring what was once lost. Only Harper won’t let me. I’ve already held onto more secrets than my family knows.

The moment I found out my ex-wife was cheating with my former best friend I knew I’d hit rock bottom, and it was time for a change. With the freshly signed divorce papers in hand, I want nothing to do with my old life as I start my new one with my brothers and our new distillery and bar on the Wilder Retreat. Only when I see my former best friend’s ex, Ava, in need of a job, I can’t say no. Not when she has their eight-year-old daughter in tow and nowhere to go.

Jake Gallagher knew from the moment he saw Maya that she was the one for him - it had the same breath-taking intensity as when he'd first set eyes on Border. Only life never turns out the way one plans, and now he's falling for someone else, or at least he thinks he is. Maya Montgomery never should have looked past the friendship she already had. Now that she has, she can't stop thinking about Jake and what he means to her.

One dance at a stranger’s wedding. That’s all it took for me to fall for Alexis. And then? Disaster. Another man - her boyfriend - gets down on one knee, and proposes to her. I never thought I’d see her again. Years later, my brothers and I need to get our new Wilder Resort off the ground, and Alexis is the only one savvy enough to help. But she's changed since we met. She’s gun shy. And still, there’s a spark between us that will not die. We both fight it, until we don’t. Until, history repeats itself. The same guy who took her away from me is back to do more damage.

There's nothing worse for a writer than missing a deadline. For Griffin Montgomery, his failure to do what he loves comes at a blow. He didn't understand how it was affecting his life until his well-meaning family intercedes. His sisters have hired him a new personal assistant and he's outraged - that is, until he sees who it is.

Alex Montgomery lost his first love and then proceeded to leave himself in the bottle. Only he and his ex-wife truly know why he fell so hard and so fast down a path he never thought he'd take. Now he's clean, out of rehab, and learning how to be a Montgomery once again - a task that isn't quite as easy as some of his family assumes.

Fox Collins likes his life just the way it is. His siblings are falling in love all around him, but he'd much rather focus on his next story than on a serious relationship. However, when his latest one-night stand returns to Whiskey - this time for good - he'll need to learn to trust his instincts to figure out if he can live without her in his life.

Never fall for your best friend. That’s the rule. The code. Claire Harlow always follows rules—except this one. However, when an attack leaves both of their worlds shaken, she decides to walk away from what could have been and hide within her own shadows. Kingston Montgomery is the man who saves the day. At least that’s what he’s always told himself—until one day he was too late. Now he’s trying to find his purpose while also ignoring the heat between him and Claire.

Nate Brady and Myra West have been keeping a secret, though not just from their group - also from each other. Getting married when they were barely adults wasn’t in the cards when they made their plans for their future. Divorcing one another amid pain and heartbreak wasn’t either. Years have passed, wounds have scabbed over and scarred, but their anger remains. If the two can open themselves to the impossible, they might be able to take that second chance. Only they’ll also have to fight their fears, the lies between them, and the desire they thought long gone.

What happens when you fall for your best friend, but they fall in love with someone else? Nothing is what it seems in this unrequited-love new-adult romance. Miles knew Nessa never had eyes for him. Only when someone new tries to hurt her, he knows he can’t stand back any longer. It’s time she finds out the man he is behind the glasses and beneath the shell he wrapped himself in.