Contemporary Family Life

When you’re broken, abandoned, and lonely, the isolated mansion of a gorgeous billionaire is the perfect escape… When I interview for the position of nanny for a billionaire’s three-month-old daughter, I’m looking for an escape. From my past, from my memories, and from those both alive and dead who refuse to give me peace. Kingfisher House is exactly what I need—a huge, quiet retreat high atop the cliffs overlooking New Zealand’s rugged coastline, straight out of a Gothic novel. It even has its own brooding hero. Ben Prince is gorgeous, stern, and withdrawn, and he’s forbidden...

A Marine, a maid, and a match made in heaven. Tate Benson can't believe he's come to Nowhere, Utah, to fix up a house that hasn't been inhabited in years. But he has. Because he's retired from the Marines and looking to start a life as a police officer in small-town Brush Creek. Wren Fuller has her hands full most days running her family's company. When Tate calls and demands a maid for that morning, she decides to have the calls forwarded to her cell and go help him out. She didn't know he was moving in next door, and she's completely unprepared for his handsomeness, his kind heart, and ...

It was only supposed to be a one-night stand… Over the past year, my life has fallen apart. First, my father died. Then I broke up with my boyfriend. My mother and sister have been a constant thorn in my side. And now it looks as if I’m going to have to close my bar. The last thing I need is to complicate matters by falling for a man. Especially one like Jacob Prince. Okay, he’s gorgeous, we have lots in common, and he’s a great combination of hot, gentle, and kind. But he also has a baby on the way with his ex, and I don’t need that kind of hassle in my life. Anyway, he’s only ...

Never fall in love with your roommate… I am not going to fall in love with Albie King. That was the first thought that passed through my mind when I met my new landlord. For four months, I’ve managed to keep my distance. Lord knows, I don’t need another rich playboy to break my heart. One was enough for any girl. But Fate, it seems, has other ideas. First, I find out what Albie does at the weekends, and I lose one quarter of my heart. Then, I discover what happened to the dogs he loved, and the quarter becomes a half. Next, I watch him be a hero when the storm hits the Ark, and the ...

Jenny Baker desperately needs to find a safe place to hide. After years of hurt at the hands of her now ex-husband, she wants to escape the recent pain in her past and find a fresh start and a new home. He can't find her. She won't let him. He won't hurt her ever again. Brett Rogers is the strictest police officer in the greater Love Springs area. After a tragic incident a few years back, he has absolutely no patience for lawbreakers. So when a petite and pretty brunette comes barreling down the country highway outside his small town, he plans to do exactly what he's always done. One look ...

Never fall in love with your knight in shining armor… Even though he can’t step foot out of his house, Noah King’s sole purpose in life is to help people. He created the Ark as a sanctuary for animals and people alike, and it’s not surprising that when I’m at my lowest ebb, he’s the one who rides in on his white horse and rescues me. But now I’m in a terrible dilemma. Since his wife died giving birth to their baby – who also died – Noah’s been a recluse. The last thing he needs in his life is a woman who’s eight months pregnant, alone, and homeless. Of course he’s ...

Imagine meeting the richest, most gorgeous guy in London… And he's obsessed with YOU... On my thirtieth birthday, I decide it’s time to make some changes. Okay, it’s really only one change. No more men. Gone is the boyfriend who cheated on me with my best friend. Gone are all the disastrous relationships that have left me dispirited and jaded. I’m tired of giving my fragile heart to a man, only to have him trample all over it. Instead, I’m going to concentrate on my career, which I love. As a valuer of art, antiques, and jewelry, I’m passionate about people’s prized ...

He’s my brother’s best mate, and he’s totally out of bounds… It’s been a tough year. I’m an athlete, and although I won a silver medal at the Olympics, I really wanted to win a gold for my mom. I’m determined to do it next time, but right now I’m ready for a much-needed break. The last thing I want to do is go to my brother’s wedding. Kai is an All Blacks rugby player, and so’s my ex, who’ll be there with his gorgeous new girlfriend. The wedding is on Valentine’s Day. And I don’t have a date. That really sucks. Then my brother’s geeky but gorgeous best mate, ...

Never fall in love when it's supposed to be just for fun… It’s the day before my brother’s wedding in Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It’s also the last day of my studies before I qualify as a veterinarian. At last, I can put aside my ditzy image and be the sophisticated career woman I’ve always wanted to be. Except I don’t notice my watch has stopped, and I miss my flight. Luckily, Ryan misses the plane too. He suggests we take a road trip to Dunedin, and I jump at the chance to spend a cozy couple of days with him. I’ve had a crush on him for years. When I ...

Only I could get marooned on a desert island with the man who broke my heart… The last thing I want is to be forced to live with the guy I broke up with seven years ago. Okay, the desert island is paradise—if you ignore the spiders the size of my hand. And it’s true that Theo Prince is still the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen. But I’m determined he won’t break my heart again. Then the tropical storm hits. It’s sooooo hot. The cave we’re sheltering in is really small. Theo’s loin cloth isn’t leaving much to the imagination. And then he tells me a secret that changes ...

Never fall in love with your boss… I’ve worked for Leon for two years now. Which means I’ve been in love with Leon for about, oh, 730 days, give or take. He’s tall, gorgeous, hardworking, and strict. Most of the staff at Noah’s Ark are scared of him. But I can handle the Lion King, as I like to call him. I’m his PA. I book his dental appointments, pick up his dry cleaning, keep his diary, walk his dogs, and organize his accounts. I know him as well as a wife would, although unfortunately without the added benefits that role would bring. I’d tell him how I feel, but he’s made...

Never fall in love when you’re full of Christmas spirit… Stefan is the only guy I’ve ever really wanted. But on the night that I finally plucked up courage to ask him back to my room, he turned me down. Okay, he didn't just turn me down; he crushed my very soul. That was a month ago, and now, at Christmastime, I’m traveling with my family to the Arctic Circle to celebrate Noah’s wedding. Because Stefan and I are the only two singletons left, I just know we’re going to end up sitting together on the plane and in restaurants. I can’t bear to be near him. It hurts too much. And ...

Some bonds are unbreakable...Chris Andersen had spent years throwing himself into one project then another...one painting and then the next one...all in an effort to bury the profound grief he had never completely faced... Enduring is the seventeenth novella in the ongoing story of the Andersen family. Livia Andersen was a woman who held her family together with a quiet smile and an iron will. It’s been months since her death and her children and grandchildren she leaves behind continue to grapple with the shifting changes in their lives now that she’s gone. Chris Andersen is searching ...

♥The Candy Beach Series ♥ Falling in love is not easy when you're 60+ years old! If loving him is so wrong, why does it feel so right?Childless, Michael Gray longs to find the secret daughter his deceased wife gave up for adoption years ago. His search takes a detour when he meets candy maker Dara Greene. Dara is also widowed and she’s determined to make her business, Caroline’s Candy Shoppe, a success. Dara suffers from stage fright and due to a recent traumatic event, she seeks Michael’s assistance. Can he help her win the Annual Cruise Ship Candy Competition and convince her to...

316 pages print edition, 98,142 words, Contemporary southern fiction, suspense, drama, romance. Appalachian Culture Heritage From Chapter 1: A cold sweat gathered on Catalena’s skin as she gripped the steering wheel. She didn’t want to move a muscle, was afraid to draw a breath. She was scared out of her mind. Her overwhelming fear of heights had her feeling paralyzed. A sheer rock wall towered on the left side of the vehicle with a cliff of dizzying proportions dropping straight down on the right side. It reminded her of the Road of Death in North Yungas, Bolivia where hundreds of ...

This is the thirteenth novella in the ongoing story of the Andersen family. Livia Andersen was a woman who held her family together with a quiet smile and an iron will. It’s only been months since her death and the children and grandchildren that she leaves behind continue to grapple with the shifting changes in their lives now that she’s gone. Disappointments she kept to herself are slowly coming to light. Now more is revealed and her oldest son wonders just how much his mother knew and how far she was willing to go to keep their family whole. Noah Andersen would like nothing more than...

Never fall in love with a wounded hero… Since I turned thirty, all I can think about is having a baby. Someone of my own I can love. Someone who won’t break my heart. But I don’t want another relationship ever again. I thought about going to a clinic. But I like the idea of knowing the identity of the father of my child, even if we’re not an item. So I pick Marc. Or Fitz, as everyone else calls him. He’s tall, handsome, healthy – apart from his injured back – hardworking, kind, and loyal. I’d be happy if my child were to grow up like him. So I ask him if he’d agree to be a...

Treasured is the eighteenth novella in the ongoing story of the Andersen family. Livia Andersen was a woman who held her family together with a quiet smile and an iron will. It’s been months since her death and her children and grandchildren she leaves behind continue to grapple with the shifting changes in their lives now that she’s gone. For some of them it is about far more than adjusting to her absence in their lives. Trisha Andersen doesn’t do anything without careful deliberation. She can’t remember the last time she made plans involving a man that had her questioning her own ...

Would you marry the most arrogant man you’ve ever met for a million dollars? James Marrying one of the richest, most eligible bachelors in New Zealand sounds like something out of a fairy tale, right? What girl could possibly say no if I proposed? Aroha Wihongi, that’s who. Marriage has never been high on my list of priorities, but my sister’s recent death has literally left me holding the baby—my four-month-old niece. Although having kids wasn’t on my list either, I have no intention of letting her absentee lowlife of a father within a mile of her. My lawyer says my chances of ...

Seventeen-year-old Maddie is left reeling after the unexpected passing of her beloved father. No one has any idea why he betrayed them all so spectacularly, but that’s exactly what his death feels like: a betrayal. With their world shattered, Maddie’s grieving mother sends her to spend a few months with her grandparents, thinking a change of scenery will do her good. Susan and Frank, Maddie’s grandparents, are heartbroken over the loss of their son, but they welcome Maddie as an addition to their long-empty nest.