How much would you endure for your best friend? Would you plan an elaborate event that you don't believe in? Put up with a woman you never wanted to see again? Fake enthusiasm for an unrealistic pipe dream? Skye MacKinnon is forced to answer these questions when she's asked to be her best friend's maid of honor. As a cynic, she rejects the notion of marital bliss, but for a friend, she'll give it her best effort. That becomes more difficult the moment she learns that her old college nemesis, Ainsley Baird, will be playing an important role in the wedding. Brilliant, beautiful Ainsley has many talents, chief among them is irritating Skye. Knowing how easily Ainsley pushes her buttons, Skye just hopes to get through the wedding without needing someone to post her bail.   

Life in a small town can be tricky. Laid-back Glory Eiben learned long ago that keeping personal information and opinions to herself goes a long way toward staying hassle free in her chosen home town. Much adored by the residents, she's maintained the life she's always wanted with good friends, close family, and a successful career. For someone with a rare congenital heart defect, this life is more than she could have hoped for. Leaving behind big city excitement, a demanding position, and a failed relationship, Lena Coleridge thinks this small ski town may be exactly what she needs to come back from her wit's end. She didn't think that job politics or social landmines would exist in such a small town. Keeping to herself won't be an option with these nosy locals. It doesn't help that she lives next door to one of the more popular residents who seems too easy going and nice to be true. Friendship is inevitable, but as she gets to know Glory, friendship isn't the only thing on her mind. After her last relationship, Lena doesn't want anything to do with another complication, and dating her neighbor could definitely get complicated.

As a designer for the wealthy, Vivian Yeats doesn’t have a lot of time for a relationship. Not the kind of relationships she’s had in the past, anyway. She’s always settled for compatibility or common interests or misplaced enthusiasm when it comes to partners. Despite being her favorite subject in books and on screen, romance constantly eludes her. For Natalie Harper, romance has never been on her radar. She prefers working hard at her construction job and doing good work to guide her through her days. When she meets Vivian, she’s knocked off that focused path. They become successful colleagues and good friends. Could romance become the thing they do best together?

Austy Nunziata has spent two years pining for her married best friend and about the same amount of time berating herself for it. In fact, she’s so adept at trying to stamp out her feelings that she could probably write a How-To guide on the subject. One, move 3,000 miles away from your best friend. Two, get a time-consuming job so you don’t have time to think about your best friend. Three, hang out with new friends who aren’t anywhere as enchanting as your best friend. Four, get involved with a striking woman who is smart, sexy, caring and, most importantly, available, unlike your best friend. Five, hope the new love interest doesn’t find out about your pathetic best friend obsession before you have time to replace it with actual life-altering love.    Even following her own step-by-step process, Austy may not be able to redirect all of her misguided feelings. Becoming involved with Elise Bridie helps her realize how pointless her pining has been. But when Elise suspects that she harbors feelings for someone else, will their new found love survive the unrequited infatuation of Austy’s fantasies? 

Product DescriptionAs a turnaround specialist, Joslyn Simonini spends her days analyzing corporate profit margins and trying to keep her likeness from being turned into a voodoo doll by company employees. If she does her job well, they often lose theirs. So, it comes as a surprise when she finds herself being kissed one day at work. She's even more shocked to find out that the mysterious kissing bandit is a woman. Not in the habit of kissing women, Joslyn tries to brush off the unintentional mistake. But before long, she's forced to examine the rush of emotions that accompanied the kiss, especially when she meets Raven Malvolio. At first, she needs Raven to complete her analysis, but she doesn't expect to need the friendship that Raven offers. When those friendly feelings escalate to something more, Joslyn's confusion and underdeveloped emotional range might ruin her chance at a relationship that could surpass even her dreams. Uncommon Emotions takes a look at how someone can think she's happy with her life only to be surprised by the passion she's yet to feel. (Special Edition includes epilogue never before in print.) From the Inside FlapRaven pulled her car into the Paul Industries parking lot. Mine was the only vehicle left, so she didn't need to ask where I was parked. "Ahh, modern," she teased of my Lexus."Boring but functional and an automatic.""Is your ankle still bothering you?" She couldn't hide the worry from her tone."No, but automatics are much easier with all the traffic around here." We got out to load my share of the desserts into the back seat of my car. The process took a couple of trips, and we only bumped into each other once. When I surfaced from my last drop off of takeout boxes, Raven stood a foot away. The look in her eyes halted my sidestep.She held my coat but made no move to give it to me. Her gaze didn't shutter the emotions this time. She took a step closer before glancing at my mouth. When her eyes returned to mine, I knew without doubt that she wanted to kiss me. This was so different from the men who'd dropped me off after a date in the past. They would look at me with determination; they were going to kiss me. Nothing in their gazes could be mistaken for this kind of wanting. No, the men let me know what they were going to do. This, this look was of a desire to kiss, a craving to kiss, a near Victorian yearning to kiss me. I felt my breath desert me as suddenly as when I'd fallen off her horse.Unlike with the men on similar occasions, my heart thumped erratically and something of a ruckus roared through my ears. I felt hot and cold and trapped and free all at the same time. Never once had I experienced this strong of a reaction to anyone. Desire had always been an elusive emotion for me. If I were being totally honest, I'd have to admit that I'd never felt it. Until now.I wanted this. I wanted her to kiss me like I've never wanted anything in my life. Not because I wanted another woman to kiss me for comparison. No, I wanted this woman to kiss me. This incredibly smart, sexy woman. I should do something. Give her a signal to tell her that she could turn her desire into action. If I looked down at her lips, maybe that would be enough of an invitation. Instead, I stared at those eyes, feeling her breath barely touch my face from her spot inches away. Why couldn't I move my eyes from hers? Give her the simple go ahead, or better yet, tip my head forward and capture those sensuous lips to taste what I knew could become addictive? Perhaps it was my stupid sensibility stopping me; or maybe my concern for her that if we kissed and I felt nothing, as per usual, I'd hurt her desperately. God, I hate being sensible almost as much as I hate being emotionally bereft.Before I could break the spell and reach for my jacket, Raven stepped back as suddenly as if she'd been yanked by some unseen force. She shook her head and offered my coat, not meeting my eyes. When I took the garment, she waved and hurried around to the driver's side of her car."Goodnight, Raven," I called out weakly as the door was closing. Her tires didn't exactly squeal as they left the parking lot, but the escape was no less dramatic.

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The problem with starting over in another state after losing your partner is that your new friends don't understand why you can't just get over it. They never saw how you were together, how much you loved her, how she was your life. They only see a number: three, as in, the number of years since she died. That's all the evidence they need to begin pressuring you to get back out there again. It doesn't matter that you've told them to back off. No, they feel it is their duty to butt into your life and ambush you with blind dates. This wasn't a predicament Briony Gatewood anticipated when she relocated for tenure at a prestigious university. Yet after a year with her new friends, they've ceased being merely concerned and moved on to obnoxious. As if being fixed up wasn't bad enough, the dean at her college just volunteered her to teach a potentially career damaging class. Along for the experimental course is the socially challenged M Desiderius, a fellow professor who won't ever win a faculty popularity contest. But as they start working together, Briony begins to understand M's aloofness and is intrigued by the shy, brilliant, passionate woman. Enough so that she's starting to believe her friends when they say it's time to move on. And M, as complicated as her past has been and reticent as she seems now, may be the perfect person to help Briony finally heal and love again.