Showing results by narrator "Alastair Haynesbridge" in All Categories

Hollywood screenwriter Sawyer Walsh knows a good love story when he sees it. But when it comes to real life romance, he’s a mess. That’s how he finds himself standing at the altar…as his ex-girlfriend ties the knot with his very famous best friend. The pressure, the resentment, the media coverage—it’s all too much—and before he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s making a run for it, leaving a shocked congregation and flashing cameras in his wake.

Dark raven hair and piercing green eyes, sweet and naive Eleanor Romero would make a beautiful bride. Ten million dollars and a forced signature later and she was mine. Like a thief I came in the dead of night and stole her away from her protected castle and placed her in a gilded cage made of gold. The deal had been made. She would become my wife. She would bear my children. She would bend to my will. But most importantly, she would help me destroy the man she loved most, the man who took everything from me: her father.

Fate works in mysterious ways—and this Valentine’s Day, it’s feeling particularly mischievous. From accidental Zoom crashes to graveyard resurrections, six beloved romance authors bring you a collection of increasingly steamy second chances.

I’ve spent the better part of the last few years successfully avoiding my brother’s best friend, Weston Aldrich. As CEO of Andes Inc, the infuriatingly handsome and incessantly grumpy Weston also happens to be my new boss. It shouldn’t have been hard to continue avoiding him. After all, he’s on the executive floor, and I’m one of many copywriters. Weston has his own ideas about how things should go between us. He’s in my emails, leaving notes on my desk, and as if that’s not enough, he arranges for me to accompany him on a business trip.

In 2007, Arden Bancroft was away from home and ready to experience everything college has to offer. With a core group of new friends, a packed course load, and the confidence to match, she immediately throws herself into the college scene. While she might be intelligent and self-assured, she still has a lot to learn when it comes to relationships and it becomes clear as soon as she meets him.

The deal was sealed the moment she stepped onto that stage. It was like seeing a ghost: sunshine-blonde hair, pale skin, azure eyes that held a thousand secrets. I didn’t know what caused her to end up on that auction block, and I didn’t care. All I knew was that I had to have her - no matter the cost. A million dollars later, she became mine. Mine to break. Mine to use. Mine to keep.

Louisiana gravedigger Noah Evans’s Valentine’s night shift takes an unexpected turn when his high school crush starts screaming from her freshly dug grave. Whoever tried to bury Emma six feet under is in for a nasty surprise—they should have checked for a pulse because she’s got unfinished business, starting with the hot gravedigger who just saved her life. As they unearth a deadly family conspiracy, Noah and Emma discover that old flames burn even hotter the second time around—especially when someone’s trying to kill them.

A devastating injury ended Theo Haven’s pro-football career, but he’s made a good life for himself in his hometown. The high school teacher and football coach might be single, but that’s by choice. And his work bestie, Penelope? She’s one of the best parts of his job, but they’re just friends. No, really. Not the sort of friends who are secretly pining for each other or destined to hook up. Just… friends.

When Faith Baker takes a job at Cain Ripley's restaurant in small-town Oregon, sparks fly—and so does the cash drawer. Accused of stealing, Faith is arrested, humiliated, and betrayed by the man she trusted most. Cain says he'll drop the charges if she returns the money. Only one problem: she doesn't have it, because she didn't take it. As Faith's name is dragged through the mud and her future crumbles, Cain clings to his version of the truth—until a deeper betrayal is uncovered.

They were the perfect couple until he broke her trust. Violet became my whole world when I met her on my 25th birthday. She became my wife on my 26th. It wasn't until my 35th that I managed to screw it all up. Then I had the fight of my life to get back everything I took for granted. Ridge Westover was the love of my life. It didn't matter that he broke my heart. My trust. Our world. It didn't matter that he was tricked. Our love was worth a second chance, but my heart was afraid of what would happen if I couldn't get over it.

Basil Masters has it all—a booming aviation software company, great friends, and a sweet, supportive girlfriend, Summer. He's ready to propose, convinced life is chef's kiss perfect. Summer, however, is not convinced. For two years, she's smiled through Basil's friends (especially his female best friend), tearing her down, brushed off their condescending jokes, and tried—really tried—to make him see the problem.

My arrogant fake fiancé? I can't stand him. Cocky and charismatic Emmett Rhodes isn't a relationship kind of guy, but now that he's running for mayor of our small town, his bachelor past is hurting the campaign. Thankfully, I'm the last woman who would ever fall for him. We're total opposites-he's a golden retriever and I'm a black cat, but he'll co-sign on my restaurant loan if I play his devoted fiancée. Between romantic dates, a prom night re-do, and visits to a secret beach, things heat up, and the line between real and ruse is lit on fire.

She wasn't just an assistant—she was his greatest asset. Ansel Tyler has the perfect assistant—smart, dedicated, and secretly in love with him. But when jealous colleagues whisper in his ear, he makes a cruel mistake, deciding to let Neha Rao go once he secures his promotion. Neha never expected forever, but she didn't expect disrespect, either. When she overhears Ansel saying he intends to fire her once he gets his shiny new Vice President title, she refuses to wait for the inevitable and resigns.

When a music audition at the world-renowned LaGuardia Arts High School brings together two thirteen-year-olds, unassuming Aurelia Ramirez Preston and confident Chadwick David, the serendipitous encounter becomes an unbreakable friendship. A friendship develops into an unyielding love—a love spanning decades and continents. With New York City as their playground, best friends Chad and Aurelia navigate the turbulence of adolescence. They blossom, and so does their love. An awkward first date turns into a night of intoxicating kisses and together, they lose their innocence.

My boss Elliot Levy is intolerable, and I tell him so every day...in the little notes I write and then hide in the back of my desk. I can't exactly say to his face that I'm convinced he's a cyborg, considering I'm about to become a single mother, and I really need to keep my job as his assistant. Elliot never looks at me, so he doesn't even notice I'm pregnant until I'm seven months along. The first thing he asks is if I'm planning to come back to work once I have the baby.

After my ex-boyfriend makes me the target of a cruel online hate campaign, I know I have to get away. The last thing I expect on my trip to Sweden is a moose standing in the middle of the road—or the mysterious, bearded ranger who pulls me from my wrecked car. Now, a storm's brewing, and I'm being carried into a secluded mountain cabin by a Nordic God rippling with muscle. Inside, I'm greeted by three ridiculously hot Swedish mountain men.

Ben Cobalt is number six. Not sixth place. In fact, he’d be considered at least third draft pick for the NHL if he didn’t quit hockey during college. And he’s not sixth-in-line for any throne. Though, most consider his larger-than-life, billionaire family American royalty. He is the sixth-born Cobalt. Out of a normal family of seven, he might get lost in the shuffle. But being the black sheep of the Cobalt Empire comes with its own intense spotlight. After he hits a major low at college in Philly, his four older brothers convince him to move in with them in New York City.

It should have been a simple arrangement. Luca needs a wife to clean up his image as the new CEO of Rossi Motors, and I need my mother to stop trying to fix me up on terrible dates. In two years, we'll part amicably with no attachments or hard feelings.\ Anything that happens between us will be outside the confines of our arrangement. By anything, I mean falling into Luca's bed. Which I also do frequently and with abandon. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems. It isn't long before I fall for my motorcycle-riding, dirty-talking, sexy-as-sin husband.

Exiting professional figure skating after a decade of touring, Meredith Bennett settles in Chicago to start a coaching career… and to start a life, one with a future. At her new rink, she's required to give trial lessons before taking on students. But after her first lesson with a little girl named Lucy, she gets off the ice to talk to the parents, just to get a sucker punch from the past. Because the man that Lucy just ran up to… the man that she just called "dad"… is the only guy she ever loved. And now, he's clenching his jaw and handing her a crisp $100 bill.

Never fall in love. That was my motto, and I was sticking to it. Having my heart broken once was enough, and I never wanted to do it again. He was supposed to be a one-night stand, the only thing I do. One rule shouldn't be so hard to follow, but then I went back for seconds, then thirds. After that, I lost count of the number of times I lost myself in his arms. When I wasn't paying attention, my guard slipped.