Showing results by author "Ashley" in All Categories

Leonidas, champion gladiator of Rome, is set free from the games by a mysterious benefactor who grants him freedom, a place to live, and a servant - Cassia, a scribe - to look after him. But the benefactor is only so generous - Leonidas must pay his own way and Cassia’s, which means hiring himself out. The sharp-witted Cassia quickly lands him a post as a bodyguard, escorting a retired senator to Ostia.

When Ava Locke was five years old, she began a journey to join the Benefactors—the leaders of the magical continent of Magus. Twelve years later, she unwittingly started down the road to betray them.

When single mom Tessa's apartment burns down, she's left with nothing but ashes and nowhere to go. Hunky firefighter Damon Jackson has been battling depression since his wife's passing, but he still has an enormous heart and offers Tessa and her daughter a place to stay. Neither of them is looking for a relationship, but the proximity has them quickly falling for one another, flaws and all.

James Denis gives Captain Lacey a task to deliver a mysterious package to a man with an office near the Custom House on the bank of the Thames. Lacey, who has been drawn into danger delivering items for Denis before, opens the package to find a single chess piece - a white queen. The piece tells Lacey nothing, but he soon realizes it plays deeply into Denis’s ongoing battle for control of London’s underworld.

Demi doesn’t expect her summer in Cornwall to hold anything out of the ordinary. As a waitress, working all hours to make ends meet, washing dishes and serving ice creams seems to be as exciting as the holiday season is about to get. That’s until she meets Cal Penwith. An outsider like herself, Cal is persuaded to let Demi help him renovate his holiday resort, Kilhallon Park. Set above an idyllic Cornish cove, the once popular destination for tourists has now gone to rack and ruin.

At a festive Christmas party, Amanda, a successful but single lawyer in her forties, finds herself drawn to Chris, a younger man with a boyish grin and infectious charm. Swept up in the moment, they share a magical night of passion. Convinced it was just a fleeting escape, Amanda tries to move on. But Chris isn’t ready to let go. Determined to prove their spark is real, he pursues Amanda with sincerity and heart. With each thoughtful gesture, he shows her that love doesn’t come with an age limit.

The memory of Josiah DeMille has haunted me for close to a decade. The way he looked. The way he smelled. The way his lips felt pressed against mine, even when they shouldn't have been. The one person I've never been able to get over. The one singular part of my past I've never been able to move on from. In every lyric sung into the microphone, in every chord strummed on the guitar, in the bottom of every single whiskey bottle, he's there. His memory has me in a chokehold. His absence a gaping hole in my chest. I gave up years ago, wondering if I'd ever stop thinking about him.

In the wake of a destructive tornado, one girl develops feelings for another in this stunning, tender novel about emerging identity, perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish. When a tornado rips through town, twelve-year-old Ivy Aberdeen's house is destroyed and her family of five is...

They say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else. But what if the someone else you're getting under is the exact person you've been trying to get over? It's no secret that River has been pining over his straight best friend, Adam. With Adam's heart shredded to pieces when he's dumped on his wedding day, will River be the best man to put him back together?

An anonymous one-night stand was just what I needed before moving to Vermont, to open my very own coffee shop, Special Blend. Happy new year to me! I've lost the only family I had. So when the locals welcome me with open arms and empty cups, I know Maplewood is truly home. But it’s my neighbor, Nate—the tall, rugged lumberjack-type next door—who really gets my heart racing. Have we met somewhere before?

Dylan “Delta” Hunt thought he left his past behind when he returned from war. Haunted by all he’s seen, he’s built walls around his heart, convinced that peace and love are beyond his reach. Emma has never stopped loving Dylan, even after the man she knew came back a broken stranger. She’s spent years trying to reach him but has failed every time. Now, an unexpected revelation about her estranged family pulls her into a dangerous mystery, and Dylan might be the only one who can help.

I was pulled into the Locke life when my roommate got involved with one of the dangerous brothers. I should have left, should have minded my own business, but the attraction I feel for Ace is stronger than I can ignore. I can feel the way he watches me. The ownership I feel from him, the possessiveness and obsession, lets me know he wants me too. But common sense tells me I don’t want this in my life, don’t want to let a Locke brother mark me as his. But that reality isn’t what my heart wants, isn’t what my body craves.

Ellie, Sloan, Courtney, and Shy have been friends since they were teenage girls, and they have seen each other through many seasons of womanhood. They are now entering their 40s, and they have experienced everything together. They have gossiped over their first kiss. They have jumped bi$%@$ and been jumped on. They’ve survived college. They’ve been each other’s bridesmaids. They’ve consoled each other through divorces.

The rush of the high. The mind tingling feeling of that first line. This secret of mine has spiraled out of control, but I can’t stop. The drugs fill a void, helping me feel something and nothing all at once. But him… He makes me feel everything.

When you love someone, it’s easy to see yourself spending the rest of your life with that person. But what about that person’s parents? What if your in-laws just aren’t your type? And what if you aren’t theirs? The in-law dilemma is real. Whether your in-law relationship is cold or crowded, Dave and Ashley Willis want you to know there is hope.

Tall and blond with thighs that could crush a walnut, it’s no wonder I give in minutes after letting Zeke into my place. To help him out, of course. Did I mention he’s naked? I'm intrigued by the royal guard but that's not the reason I keep letting him in over and over again. Zeke’s a breath of fresh air I didn’t know I needed, and for the first time in my life, I can be myself. Unfortunately, Zeke isn’t the only one knocking at my door. When my secret location is broadcast by the world’s media, do I hide again? Or do I stay and fight for a life with him?

On a lively St. Patrick’s Day at a bustling Irish bar, Elizabeth, a vibrant woman in her late forties, immerses herself in the festive atmosphere. As she sways to the music and joins in the laughter, she locks eyes with Rian, a strikingly young, handsome Irish bartender. His undeniable charm draws her in and leads to a reckless moment of passion. But just as quickly as it ignites, Rian slips away, leaving Elizabeth feeling abandoned amidst the revelry. Determined to brush off the fleeting encounter as a byproduct of too much fun and beer, Elizabeth tries to move on.

Sappho Jones stopped counting birthdays when she reached 30, but even with her hazy grip on mathematics she realises that she's on the slippery slope to the big four-oh! With the thought suddenly lodged in her mind that she's a mere cat's whisker away from becoming a single eccentric female living in a country cottage in Wales, she has the urge to do something dramatic before it's too late. The trouble is, as an adventurous woman of a certain age, Sappho's pretty much been there, done that, got the T-shirt. In fact the only thing she hasn't tried is motherhood.

From the first time I played army as a kid, the military has been my life. As an Airborne Major, I'd led my men through two tours in Afghanistan. But when my father was elected president, I became an even greater target for the enemy - a prize for someone to take out. To ensure not only the safety of myself, but of my men, I got stripped of my cammies, shoved into an Armani suit, and placed into a management position at my father's company. After years of trekking through the desert with an assault rifle, I was way out of my area of expertise....

Things I like: bitter coffee, competency…oh and the guy that breezes into my coffee shop like a shot of espresso—bold, invigorating, and impossible to ignore. Running Bittersweet has been nothing short of a rollercoaster—and not the fun kind. Between kitchen fires and unreliable helpers, I've been on a first-name basis with disaster. Enter Constantine. With his teenage brother in tow, Constantine whips up pastries with an expertise that leaves me both impressed and intrigued.