Showing results by author "Smartypants Romance" in All Categories

Sometimes it takes an outsider to force us to see who we are. The real struggle is accepting what we learn. For Beverly Townsen, nothing could be closer to the truth. Virtually a shut-in, Beverly has pulled back from Green Valley’s community, preferring the isolation of her farmhouse and her daily routine of viewing home improvement television shows. When the opportunity arises for her own home improvement and a personal re-assessment, she’s not so excited about the reality of real life versus DIY programs.

I don’t care what other people think as long, as they leave me alone to focus on my research on soil microbiology. Plus, I walk with a cane thanks to a childhood accident. I have scars on my face. And if that isn’t enough to scare people off, my bad attitude and general grumpiness seal the deal. Which is just the way I like it. Except, I’ve been short listed for one of the most prestigious academic fellowships around. To win it, I’ll have to give a series of speeches. On a stage. With an audience. While being filmed.

New park ranger Daphne Baum is a reformed good girl. Breaking free from her overbearing family as soon as she turned 18, she’s been on her own ever since. The life of a park ranger, moving from park to park, suits her just fine. Though still a rule follower, she’s okay with a little sin in her life. Every generation of Hill men has its black sheep. The general consensus among the family is that Odin Hill is the lucky bastard this go around. At 17, he blew out of town like an angry tornado only to return 15 years later withdrawn and secretive.

There are lots of assumptions people make about rock stars. Shallow. Player. Addict. The truth? I'm none of those. The even bigger truth: The only opinion I care about is hers, and she hates me. Her, as in Gwen Matthews, my twin brother's best friend, the unrequited love of my life. She thinks I'm a liar and a jerk, which is why I pretend to be my brother when she needs help one night. Except that Gwen is a genius. Literally. So it doesn't take her long to figure out it's me and not my brother, but maybe, just maybe, she's willing to give me a second chance.

"What could go wrong?"—four words MBA student Marcos Oliveira ignored when he accepted a prestigious internship at Reedweather Media, a subsidiary of the legendary Sandeke Telecom empire. What did go wrong? Everything.

Hate at first sight couldn’t possibly exist, right? That’s what Grace Buchanan thought, before her useless car stranded her on the side of a deserted road just inside the Green Valley city limits. When Tucker Haywood — tall and handsome and full of southern charm— shows up to help, her reaction to him is the strongest thing she’s ever felt in her life, and it makes no freaking sense.

Librarian Maxine Peters lives her life behind the scenes. By day, she's a buttoned-up cataloguing whiz in the basement of the Green Valley Public Library. By night, she's secretly dominating in an online roleplaying game as the legendary Maximus_Damage. Her in-game persona has the skills to back up the hype. But every hero has an enemy; every saga, a villain. And by her own invitation, Maximus’ arch nemesis, Wrath, has just landed in Green Valley.

I'm Levi Buchanan, and until five years ago, I thought the legend of my family's curse was a load of crazy, Southern nonsense. No curse can make you fall in love at first sight. No curse can force a true, deep, passionate, all-consuming love that will haunt you all the days of your life.

First rule when returning to your hometown after storming out of sight: Don't fall for the guy who broke your heart. Julia Browne should know better than to kiss where she bakes. She's built a bread empire in California and only plans to stay in Green Valley long enough to sell the family house.

Rian Thompson thought she joined the gym to get healthy. Little did she know she was about to add 190 pounds of swoonworthy abdominal muscles and arrogance to her life.

Molly Cooper is through with men. She means it this time. Being stood up and humiliated was the last straw. But after her all grown up and smokin’ hot childhood bestie kissed her to help her save face, she’s left wondering if it was the tequila or his lips that gave her all the feels. Garrett Monroe had no intention of falling for his childhood best friend. Unfortunately, one unplanned kiss in a bar was all it took for him to stumble. Now he’s stuck with a crush that won’t quit on the most stubborn woman he’s ever known.

Nothing about being a librarian prepared Thuy Nguyen for such a wide variety of casseroles. Or life in a small town. Or becoming a farmer. But what can she do when her catastrophe-prone best friend begs her for help? After all, Maddy has always been there for Thuy. It’s time to return the favor. It’s simple really, all she has to do is: Learn everything about farming ASAP, save her BBF’s family business from disaster, and avoid being caught staring at Maddy’s biker brother, and his muscles, and his smile, and his soulful, sexy eyes.

You know what I don’t have time for? The brooding, dark-eyed former love of my life showing up when my life is finally settling down. I don’t have time for Hunter Buchanan and that intense look in his eyes. The way he loved me so perfectly all those years ago.

Lois Washington is at the end of her rope. Struggling as a single mother in an apartment the size of a closet is not the New York City adventure she dreamed of in her starry-eyed youth. When her job goes on the chopping block, she is ready for a major life change. Joining her best friend in Tennessee to become the newest employee at the Green Valley Public Library isn't exactly where she thought life would take her, but she feels up for the challenge. Only this relocation comes with more than she bargained for.

Daisy Payton has everything. Exceptional grades. Impeccable clothes. Model family. Trevor Boone has nothing. Abandoned as a child. Raised by distant relatives. Constantly reminded he's a burden. Trevor's lived at the edges of opulence for years, having all he's ever desired dangled just out of reach. But his ambition is finally about to pay off, and nothing will distract him from his goal - finishing college top of his class and starting life, on his own terms. When Daisy and Trevor meet, can they learn to put their ambitions aside and fall, or will they lose it all?

Nash Ellis knows music. Producing, performing, writing—if it involves the creative process he’s there for it. He knows nothing about copy machines. Or financial reports. Or anything related to the stuck-up business world his best friends have been chasing since they were kids. But Nash also needs money, so when his roommate gets him a paid internship at Reedweather Media, he reluctantly agrees

I am Toby Azumah’s opposite in every way. I’m a pessimist; he’s an optimist. I’m into art; he’s into sports. Still, I’m highly entertained by our flirtationship. When he finally talks me into a date, everything goes wrong. Chaos descends on my orderly life when my mother falls and needs nearly round-the-clock care. Add in my nosy neighbor, and my peace of mind has been turned inside out. When Toby, Mr. Best-Case Scenario himself, offers to help, I’m skeptical. A relationship with him would only make things more chaotic, right?

Suzie Samuels is the only thing standing between Clifford and his life’s work. All he has to do is change everything about her. Perception creates reality and Clifford Rutledge needs the irascible stripper to prove it. Suzie Samuels is set to prove once and for all she’s more than Short Fuse Suze, stripper for the Black Demons and renowned motorcycle arsonist. If all it takes is hard work, then Suzie knows how to work it hard. But Suzie’s scandalous spirit tests Clifford's resolve. And Clifford’s buttoned-up bullying is driving Suzie bonkers.

I’ve spent the last few years watching my dreams of a writing career and true love fade away, settling for a dead-end job and denying my feelings for my best friend—until I find a list of dating advice for single women to “find a husband” in the 1950s. I decide to experiment: Try out the 1950s advice on my 21st-century dating pool and write about the results. If love is timeless, some of the dating advice still holds value. Maybe my experiment will launch my writing career. Maybe I’ll get over my best friend and meet someone new.

Nate Hanover’s future was set. The perfect girlfriend, the perfect career.... He’s the perfect man with the perfect life—until he lost it all this summer. Now he’s not sure about anything, except that no one can know the truth lurking behind his “perfect” façade. Especially not at this week’s high-stakes corporate circus known as Tele-Con.