Showing results by narrator "Lu Banks" in All Categories

It isn't that hard to be a good maid of honor. Always support your bride-to-be, cohost a gorgeous bridal shower, and never ever sleep with the father of your bride.

When I sign with the Tennessee Thunderbolts, I have two goals: prove my injury hasn't benched my career and get back to New York. But then, I meet Mila, the enigmatic therapist tasked with rehabbing my shoulder. With her long ponytail, professional demeanor, and girl-next-door look, Mila is nothing like my usual type. She's better—a good girl with sad eyes and a tragic past our small town loves to dissect.

Daxton Ford tried to warn me. He never made promises. He swore a girl like me would only get hurt by a guy like him. Did I listen? He portrays dangerous, dark, and brooding. Or so he thinks. Daxton is trouble; anyone can see that. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and keeps his circle of friends small.

But I'm the girl who believes in the good. I'm the girl that even when every fiber in my body is telling me to not go there. I head straight for it, even if I know I'll fall.

Wherever I am, I'm the biggest guy in the room. People don't just gawk when they see me. They keep their distance, which is fine by me. Why do you think I bought a fixer-upper in the country? I don't mind the manual labor, just like I don't mind the solitude. I've got my own business and projects, and no room for anything—or anyone—else. That is, until an angel shows up on my doorstep, clutching a month-old advert touting a room for rent in my house.

It's not every day you get asked to be a bridesmaid for the wedding of your ex and your ex-best friend. Call me lucky? My grandmother thinks I'm crazy for agreeing, but I can't let those so-and-sos know they've pummeled my self-worth . . . even if it's true. Then my grandmother goes off the deep end and tells everyone that I have a boyfriend. A pediatric surgeon boyfriend. Worse, she's shown them his photograph. The guy in question? He's a hot piece of bad news. He may have befriended my grandmother, but he's far from being in my good graces. 

I did a dumb thing. See, Teenage Me accidentally summoned Azazel and locked him into a marriage contract with Present-Day Me. I never thought he'd actually go through with it, though. Until he does. But because he doesn't want this supernatural marriage of inconvenience any more than I do, he dumps me at his estate and tries to ignore me. Joke's on him, because I hate being ignored.

I'm a man who knows what he wants and what I want is Birdie. It hurt like hell to watch her leave our small town to set off and chase her college dreams. I let her go once, I'm not letting it happen again. Now she's home for good, and I'll stop at nothing to keep her with me, always. Even if that means tying her to me in every way possible.

Some guys take the easy way out. Not me. I work hard and I work out even harder. My sister would like to see me settled down with a family, but running a successful gym while building a fitness empire takes time, sweat, and discipline—three things I can't afford to spare even for a chance at happy ever after. Then the new yoga instructor struts into my gym looking like the ultimate cheat day.

Attorney Maureen Gould has a dark secret and a hunger for justice. When a powerful movie producer attacks, and then fires, his young female assistant, Maureen sets out to make things right. Enter defense counsel and Maureen's estranged father, Frank Gould, a man more evil than his client. Inside and outside of the courtroom, Frank pulls every dirty trick known and makes up a few of his own.

Trey Johnson's longing for his best friend's younger sister, Sienna, has always been a source of heartache. He let her go to chase her dreams and spent every waking moment regretting his decision. Now that Sienna is back, Trey is ready to make his move. Determined to win Sienna's heart and keep her by his side forever, Trey is prepared to risk it all. He's going to prove that his love is more than just words—it's a promise he intends to keep.

She hates me . . . I'm going to make her fall in love with me anyway. As captain of the SoCal Vipers, the last couple of seasons haven't been going well. My stats are slipping, and I'm at risk of being traded. So, I'm not in the mood for a case of mistaken identity with the woman playing bouncer...

I stopped believing in the good a long time ago. My childhood was stripped from me one dark night and I was forever changed. Everywhere I looked I saw evil. Everyone I met, I looked at them as the enemy. It took a long time for me to open up and when I did I found my family. The only people I could count on. I never imagined I'd have a family. Because having a family gave me something to lose and I never wanted to feel that pain again. I never wanted to feel weak.

Publicly fighting with a man for an oversold airline seat—embarrassing! Realizing he was the quarterback for the Atlanta Arrows—awkward. Knowing he was your friend's older brother and teenage crush but didn't recognize you—humiliating. When I stormed out of the airport after throwing a temper tantrum, I never expected to cross paths with him again. All I wanted to do was put the night behind me and enjoy a martini. The last thing I expected was for him to waltz into the bar and offer me a night I couldn't refuse.

There's only one woman I truly care about: my daughter. Until Maisy Stratford flounces into the front office of the Tennessee Thunderbolts with a heartfelt smile and a tray of baked goods. As the Bolts' newest hire, Maisy is optimistic, enthusiastic, and a goddess at manifestation. Everything I'm not. Known as Brawler, I'm a gruff, quiet, rough-around-the-edges, NHL defenseman. I haven't dated in decades. I've never been married and my daughter's a twenty-one-year-old mischief maker. I don't know how to talk about feelings or place my trust in the hands of a woman. 

She stepped up to my side in a dark club and ordered a whiskey. My go-to drink. I didn't know her name, I knew nothing about her, but every part of me came alive. For more than a year my life had been turned upside down. I'd hit a wall at every turn, but suddenly the weight had lifted. And the...

In 1988, Sloan Hadfield's brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge's body was never recovered, and Sloan's mother slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive. Now, twenty years later, Sloan's life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she's forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility. Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago.

After living in Hell for a year, I might have to amend the saying "Hell is other people" to "Hell is other people's family." Specifically, my dear demon husband's family, AKA my infernal in-laws. Even more specifically, Lucifer, my grandfather-in-law. In a revelation surprising exactly no one...

Devastation and devotion are two sides to the same coin, and Brian Miller flips the coin to my heart without even trying. He thinks he's not good enough—that I deserve better than a damaged single father. But his demons can't be any worse than the one stalking my every move in our small town—the one no one can bring to justice. Despite the age difference between us, I'm not a little girl, and I know the truth. Brian will never forgive himself for not being there when I needed him most. But he's the only man who can rescue me now.

College student Tara Staudenmaier will do anything for her family. When medical debt looms, she doesn’t hesitate to do whatever it takes. Even if it means putting herself - and her inexperience in love - up on the auction block. She only asks that nobody discovers her biggest secret. The reason she’s gone gray at 20 and now has something to offer a would-be suitor looking for a month-long affair.

After dropping out of NYU, moving across the country, and spending the last two years as co-owner of a successful activewear brand, Mackenzie Jean has decided it's time to go back to school. Does she want to finish her degree? Absolutely. But enrolling at Michigan State University is about so much more. Somewhere along the way, she lost herself in the fog of her anxiety, and it's time she rediscovers who she is.