Showing results by author "Cynthia Gunderson" in All Categories

I boarded Dreamboat Cruises expecting sunshine, cocktails, and girl time. My roommate bailing at the last minute felt like a win. Until I opened my cabin door and found a very confused, very shirtless stranger already unpacking.

Talk about mixed doubles... Justin's ex is on the executive team for the pickleball tournament series he’s hosting. And she’s bringing her new celebrity boyfriend on the tour. He needs a doubles partner off the court—stat. Enter Sam: prickly, private, and the last person you’d expect to agree to fake date anyone. But she’s got a killer poker face, a solid paddle grip, and zero interest in real romance. Which makes her the perfect fake girlfriend. The plan? Keep it casual. Fake some chemistry. Win the tournament—and the breakup optics.

Alecia Monroe is bubbly, competitive, and has a flair for big ideas. Garrett, her charming, sporty office crush, loves three things. Spreadsheets, Pilot Precise V5 pens, and pickleball. So when the cute blond in the office next to his suggests a weekly company pickleball night, Alecia does what any rational woman would do.

Crystal knew that getting tangled up with Logan was a bad idea. Last year he broke her best friend’s heart. But with both her friends in love and Logan back to skate for the Blizzard, they were both misfits. Their relationship was never meant to be more than a secret fling. But secrets don’t stay buried forever. When one of Crystal’s art pieces is picked up by a prestigious curator, she has one shot to make a name for herself before graduation—but only if she can focus long enough to submit new work.

Fate takes a slap shot at Emma's heart when she finds a driver's license outside a grocery store belonging to none other than Tyler Bowen: the center for her brother's hockey team with looks that scream "plenty of scoring off the ice". Her overprotective brother warns her to stay away, but after a particularly patronizing comment, Emma decides to break free from the defense. Sean has always tried to control her relationships, and at 29, she's had enough.

I came to Douglas University for a fresh start—for hockey games, new friends, and a life free from tangled family drama. But then I saw him. Chase Wilson. My stepbrother. The boy I loved before I knew better. He left six years ago and I hadn't seen or heard from him. Now he’s back—as the university’s newest assistant hockey coach. Older. Sharper. Completely off-limits for obvious reasons. When the team’s grades threaten their season, the school assigns me as their academic tutor—and Chase’s only shot at saving his career.

I’ve spent four years loving Sean Thompson. But lately, I can feel him slipping through my fingers. He’s the captain of the Snowballs, a legend on the ice, and closing in on the end of his career whether he’s ready to admit it or not. I want a future—marriage, a family, a home. We always thought we’d build that in Calgary, but now my father’s health is failing, and I need to go home. Not just for a visit—for good. But every time I bring it up, he acts like we haven’t spent every Sunday dinner at his parents' house for our entire relationship.

I came back to Calgary for business, not pleasure. Settling my ex-husband’s estate was supposed to be a simple, temporary detour—deal with the mess Troy Bowen left behind, finalize the paperwork, and leave. Then I met André Leclerc.

When Karl and Nicole hosted their first New Year's party, they never imagined it would become a recurring holiday tradition with the same college friends for the next ten years. But when Karl's brother Mike dies in a head-on collision on his way to Karl’s house for the celebration, their hodgepodge group of party guests finds themselves bonded forever through an unexpected shared trauma. To honor Mike's memory, they make a pact to hold a New Year's Party each year, no matter what the circumstances.

The only thing worse than crossing the line is wanting to…Living with my boyfriend Logan should have been everything I wanted—until I realized his best friend, Rob Thompson, came with the deal. Rob and I are like oil and water, fire and gasoline, sworn enemies under one roof. When Logan got selected for World Juniors in Germany, I thought I’d get a reprieve. I could handle the quiet loneliness of his absence. What I couldn’t handle was Rob.

When Brett's hockey dreams slide onto thin ice after a nasty ACL tear last season, he's left clutching the boards. Used to relying on physical hustle to keep his past addiction demons at bay, he's desperate to get back in the game. But with physical therapy slots filling up faster than a slapshot, he's on the verge of being shut out.

College student Toby is desperate for direction. Pausing his higher education, he relocates to Portland and rents a townhouse in hopes of reconnecting to his roots. But he didn't expect his passion for soap operas to lead to the relationship he's always needed. At 87-years-old, Jo's mind and body aren't what they used to be. But even at her senior age, she's sharp enough to know her nursing aids are after her generous family trust. So when a kind and honest young man moves in next door, she quickly enlists his help in catching the sneaky bandits.

The Great One. 1’s on the Enneagram. Beyonce’s first solo album. And relationships? “One night only” seems to be my preferred status. I’m sure a therapist would have opinions, but I boil it down to this: my schedule is slammed as a pharma rep, and I get bored easily. And I might only be attracted to F-boys. So, imagine my momentary psychotic break when I come face-to-face with the one hockey player I broke my unofficial rule for. While being treated in urgent care.

Megs' life is stuck on pause. Her once-promising acting dreams left her in debt, forcing her to move back home and juggle latte orders instead of auditions. When her mom tells her their house is going up for sale, Megs is forced to enroll in a medical coding certification course at the local community college to get her own place. Just as Megs hits mute on her ambitions, the whisper of an opportunity arises: a narration competition by the renowned local romance novelist, Oscar Calloway.

Jack Harrison's NHL dreams were shattered in a clash with coaches, leaving him playing for an Elite League team in his hometown of Calgary, Alberta. But life throws him a power play: a chance to join the Calgary Flames during an illness outbreak. Suddenly, Jack's back in the spotlight, and after scoring on one of the leagues best goalies, Canada is rallying for him to stay put.

Based on first impressions, I'm the last person Ryan should hire as a nanny for the summer. With his grumpy, judgmental attitude, plus the fact that he looks annoyingly good in T-shirts, I shouldn't want the job. But since I'm fighting a custody battle and he's desperate, plus the fact that our girls are best friends, I took his offer.

Known for his stick-handling as much as for wrangling cattle on his family's ranch, Country Maddox becomes an overnight sensation with his viral hot takes on hockey highlights. But when he's invited to join Hockey Evening in Canada as a guest announcer, he's about to go stick to stick with the one adversary he can't outskate: his own failed love life.

After a string of bad relationships and a canceled graduation trip, Bobbi gives up and heads home for Christmas. Despite the magnetic pull of holiday lights and hot cocoa in the square, she’s still solidly committed to landing her dream film internship in LA and putting any distractions decidedly in the slush pile. Ben, a highly sought-after ski instructor—and Bobbi’s first kiss—is back in Sugar Creek for one reason and one reason only: to spend one last Christmas with his mom before she loses her battle with ALS.

The last thing Liv was planning to do on December 9 was move back to her hometown after finalizing a divorce. Facing the possibility of spending Christmas alone—or even worse, at her overeager parents'—she books a two-week stay at the first affordable, well-rated winter retreat she can find: Holly Bough Cottage in the Colorado Rockies. With her interior design business slowing down over the holidays, Liv can practically smell the pine trees and warm apple cider, but most importantly? She won't have to face anyone for at least 14 days.

Walter Winslow thoroughly enjoyed his orderly and predictable life. He left for work at exactly the same time each day, ate the same thing for lunch, and returned home to revel in the comfort of a home-cooked meal and his favorite programming on the telly. Though not particularly thrilling, his life was utterly comfortable. That is, until one day when Wendy--his wife of 28 years--asked for a divorce.