Diabetes in Fiction

After getting ditched at the altar, every “I do” makes me want to scream. Which is a problem, considering I’m an associate editor at Bride magazine. Just when I thought my job couldn’t get any worse, I got roped into being a last-minute bridesmaid… and paired with Wilder Hayes. Gorgeous, smug, and maddening. Cue the bickering, the sparks, and one very unexpected coat closet moment. Not my finest hour… or was it? Because that kiss? Easily the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced. At least I’ll never have to see him again. Until Monday rolls around, and—surprise!—he’s my boss’s son and my new work shadow for the season. It’s a match made in heaven…or hell. Only time will tell.

If this arranged marriage falls through, we’re going to lose our ranches. Doesn’t matter that our families hate one another and have for generations – they came to terms behind our backs. To save our legacies, I’ll go through with it but the first time I face Colton Korhonen, I state, ‘I want a divorce.’ She’s the wife I didn’t want until I married her. Coming face to face with our small-town’s hatred of her and how her grandmother treats her, triggers every protective bone in my body. Screw business – if marrying her is the only way to keep her safe, I’ll do it. But as I get to know my wife, tell me why I want those rings on her finger to remain there permanently?

Elody Lorrent’s heart was fused to another at an early age. But what happens when life takes a tragic turn and she’s left behind to pick up the pieces? Burying her husband found a way to bury her soul as well. Elody now lives for her kids. Her chance at love was lost the moment her husband took his last breath. She never saw her future by someone else’s side. The only thing she didn’t account for was the grumpy parent of one of her students. Wyatt was never known for his warm personality. His world consisted of hockey and his daughter. The only issue was his daughter’s teacher took hold of his heart in an unexpected way. When Elody and Wyatt’s worlds collide, Elody fights the love that blossoms because she doesn’t trust the harsh realities that come along with living. She can’t give her heart to another after all the pain she endured. She lived on top of the world and everything collapsed. Wyatt didn’t understand that reality. If only he fell… This is book 2 of an interconnected standalone. Although it can be read independently from the other books of the series, it is highly recommended to read the books in order to optimize your reading experience.

Have a baby with my new boss? Not exactly what I had in mind when I decided I wanted to try to get pregnant. But that’s exactly the situation I find myself in with Dr. Bennett Lawson. The ridiculously gorgeous, broody billionaire I kissed years ago is asking to have a baby with me. We both have our reasons for wanting this and with our ugly pasts, it’s an undeniably convenient arrangement. No love. No relationship. Strictly business. Now I’m living with him and pretending every searing touch, whispered word, and moaned breath is all in the name of our contract and nothing more. Even as it becomes harder to keep our hands to ourselves and our feelings separate. But when that stick shines with two pink lines, we both know what we’ve grown addicted to has to stop. Except what happens when everything starts to fall apart and what we promised would never happen becomes the one thing we can no longer live without? Except what happens when everything starts to fall apart and what we promised would never happen becomes the one thing we can no longer live without?

Scotland “Scottie” James swore she’d never end up back in her small hometown. But with acting gigs drying up and the city spitting her out, Red Mountain is the only place to go—and the last place she wanted to be. Taking a job at her parents’ real estate firm is meant to be a detour on her way back to the stage. But when she’s asked to help her best friend’s older brother find a lake house, she accidentally lands her biggest acting role yet: Gavin Ledger’s wife. For Gavin Ledger, winemaker and devoted single dad, life revolves around his daughter. The perfect lake house could help her feel closer to the mother she’ll never know—but there’s one problem: the seller will only sell to a married couple. His solution? The one woman guaranteed to test his patience. Scottie is dramatic, glamorous, and nothing like the steady, quiet life he’s built, yet being her husband—on paper—feels dangerously easy. The longer they play house, the more it stops feeling like an act. And when the final curtain falls, Scottie will have to decide if chasing her old dream is worth losing the best thing she never saw coming. Like bottle shock, love can take you by surprise—but the best things in life are often the ones you never planned.

QUINN I’ve spent the last four years since moving out of my parents’ house at nineteen trying to prove that I can be independent. Yet every month that passes, where I’m barely scraping by, leaves me feeling more and more like a failure. With the encouragement of my best friend, I decide to become a camgirl as a way to make ends meet. When a bad date leads to a chance encounter with a handsome stranger, I find myself captivated. But my life is a mess, and I don’t need any distractions. If his cold exterior is any indication, I don’t think he’s even a little interested. But then the stranger turns out to be my top subscriber, the only man I’ve entertained for private sessions, and I don’t want to let him go. ZACK It’s been five years since I lost my best friend, left my fiancée, and walked away from everything I’ve ever known. I’ve worked hard to secure walls around my heart and build a new life for myself. I don’t form lasting connections. I don’t allow anyone to get too close. But my carefully crafted mask begins to crack after meeting _her._ With a smile that could rival the rising sun, will she be the one to chase away the shadows threatening to consume my soul? Finding Haven is the second book of an interconnected standalone series. It is a full-length strangers-to-lovers, grumpy sunshine romance featuring a plus-size main female character. This book contains dark content that may be triggering for some readers. The romance aspect of this book is not dark. This book contains explicit language and sexual content.

Fletcher Adams is not just the man that stole my heart at fifteen and never gave it back. He’s also my brother’s best friend, and now one of the most famous players in the NFL. But now he’s back in Blossom Peak for our mutual friend’s wedding, and guess who are the maid of honor and best man? That would be us. I’ve spent the past twelve years ignoring what happened between us that fateful night, and avoiding him as much as possible when he did pop into town to visit. But now he’s everywhere. In my salon getting a massage to support my business. Participating in yoga to support my family’s winery. And even hacking into my phone to monitor my glucose—which makes me furious and also a little bit weak in the knees. Then he finds out that my ex-fiancé never satisfied me in the bedroom, so he instantly volunteers for the job. Turns out time couldn’t snuff the flames that still burned between us. But Fletcher has demons from his past he hasn’t faced, the kind that you can try to bury but always manage to get washed up in a storm. And this storm just might destroy us both. There’s one thing we can’t deny however, even though we try—feelings still matter, even after all this time.

ATLAS - Lauren Locklear. She has no idea that I would do anything for her. She doesn’t understand the mountains I would climb just to keep her safe. That’s okay though, I’ll make sure she does. She thinks she’s weak, and given the lack of love and support from those closest to her, I can understand why. That changes now, I will make her see the strong woman I see when I look at her. I’ve pined for her in secret, wanting nothing more than to show her what she could have. But with my past still haunting me, I knew it would be best to stay back. That is, until she needs access to health insurance and I see a solution to both her problem and my dilemma. All she has to do is say yes. REN - I’ve done something stupid. Something reckless. Something everyone will judge me for and I’m risking everything. My family. My career. Myself. I’m always too much to handle and the men I’ve allowed into my life have always reminded me of my shortcomings, even when it’s their fists doing the reminding. No one has ever truly cared for me, loved me. And then Atlas Hart asks me to marry him in order to save my life. This isn’t love. It’s barely a friendship, or so I thought. But as the days go by and I see what he so selflessly risks for me, I cannot help but think that maybe… this could be more.

Jo Quinn has everything under control. After her engagement suddenly ends, she is perfectly fine, thank you very much. Until her first love crashes through her walls and back into her life. Hunter Cleary is looking for a new start after coming out, and moving in with her first love might not be the best way to do it, but it definitely isn’t the worst. When her new roommate finds herself planning her ex-fiance’s wedding, Hunter steps up to the plate and volunteers to help in an unconventional way. Jo surprises herself when she agrees to the outlandish plan because, really, it can’t make things worse. The more fake they are with the world, the more real Jo and Hunter are with each other, slowly realizing that there’s so much more to the other than meets the eye. Because even though they’re not fifteen anymore, they still might be exactly who the other needs.

Calliope Harrison has enough on her plate, trying to get through college under the scrutiny of her overbearing father. She doesn’t need his TA, Sebastian Wrighting, analyzing her every move as well. Sebastian is the most arrogant man she’s ever met. He and the stick up his you-know-what are perfect for each other. Sebastian may be lacking in certain social areas, but he is an excellent judge of character. All the evidence he’s gathered has determined that Calliope is a spoiled brat and deserves the tight rein his mentor, Professor Harrison, keeps on her. As their paths continue to cross, every encounter gives them tantalizing glimpses into what the other person is truly like. The more they learn, the more they want to know. When Sebastian takes the first step toward bridging the gap, Callie chooses to meet him halfway. Maybe they can prove that two wrongs really can make a right.

Inès Dubois has it all planned out, her studies, her career, and a life free from distractions. But one distraction has been impossible to Kingsley Ashford, her friend and unrequited crush. For years, Kingsley has kept her in the friend zone, leaving Inès frustrated. When the handsome Nathan Salvatore asks her out, Inès believes it is time to move on from Kingsley. But is she ready to let him go? Kingsley Ashford’s life has always been about control, duty, and hiding his true feelings for Inès. But when Inès agrees to go on a date with another man, it stirs up possessive feelings he has been trying to ignore. Scared he will lose her, Kingsley makes a confession to Inè he wants her. They are thrust into uncharted territory, risking their friendship as they navigate their newly revealed feelings. Their relationship is soon tested when secrets come to light, and Inès struggles with unwanted attention from Nathan. Can their love survive, or will they lose each other forever?

Once a promising competitive swimmer, twenty-one-year-old Mason Burke never imagined his life would look like this. After a family crisis pulled him back to his hometown, he’s now a college dropout working as a lifeguard on the shores of Lake Michigan, scraping by on bills while raising his teenage sister. Then Hunter Davis shows up. A botany graduate student, Hunter’s in town for the summer to research lakeshore plants. But it feels like his real mission is to get under Mason’s skin, and it’s working. Mason tells himself he doesn’t have time for distractions—especially ones with pretty eyes, a sharp tongue, and a smile he can’t seem to stop noticing. As the summer heats up, so does the tension between them. It’s clear the beach isn’t big enough for the two of them… and neither is Mason’s carefully guarded heart. SINGING SANDS is a steamy summer romance about a grumpy lifeguard and a witty botany researcher who discover that some tides are worth surrendering to.