Diabetes in Fiction

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?

Ash Keller prefers to keep her heart colder than the morgue. Having sworn off love after a disastrous breakup, she’s learned to thrive in her new career as a death doula. When her millionaire client, Augustus Fox, asks her to accompany him on an all-expenses paid trip to mend family ties and fulfill last wishes, she agrees. There’s just one nail in her coffin. Nathaniel Whitford—her client’s absurdly gorgeous, grumpy doctor of a grandson—is along for the trip. A man who has hated her guts since she crashed his wedding years ago. It’ll be a miracle if she survives this vacation without being tossed into a volcano. Still, Ash refuses to let Nathaniel’s smug smirk and rippling pectorals take her focus away from her death doula-ing duties. She can survive two weeks in paradise with his offensively handsome face. But when falling coconuts and family drama threaten to derail the vacation, Ash and Nathaniel strike a deal: Bury their animosity and make the vacation perfect for Augustus. Soon, a tentative bond—and mutual attraction—forms between the unlikely pair. With every tropical misadventure and steamy late-night hookup, Ash realizes there’s more to Nathaniel than his barbed banter and uptight façade. Suddenly love seems more complicated than death. And as the trip comes to an end, Ash must decide whether she’ll keep her heart six feet under or risk it all…for better or hearse.

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.

Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field. So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film _One Perfect Couple_, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she? Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean. The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island – and the last couple standing scoops the prize. There will be sun, sea, laughs and a little competitive flirting. What could possibly go wrong? But after the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they’ll stop at nothing to win.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan… Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his ‘promising’ career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash… As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?

Being an assistant is not the easiest job in the world, and that’s especially true when your boss is Henry Cai, a Navy SEAL-turned CIA agent-turned assassin. You’d expect him to be harsh and cruel given his traumatic past and violent profession, but to Bethany “Beth” Reed, he’s a best friend, a partner…and the man she’s desperately in love with. She’s committed to hiding how she feels for him forever, but when one of his assignments goes horribly wrong and they are forced to hide out on a secluded island—things start to heat up, and not just because of the tropical climate. But with the looming threat of those hunting them and the dark truths of Henry’s past revealing themselves, their budding romance falls into jeopardy in more ways than one. It turns out the real enemy was never the people seeking vengeance upon them, it’s the fears and doubts festering inside a wounded heart that have now started to rot. If Henry and Beth don’t figure out a way to let go of the past and fight for their future, then history is bound to repeat itself, only this time they’ll lose everything. Assistant to the Assassin is the first book in the Criminal Hearts series, a collection of standalone dark romantic comedies. Inspired by Grosse Pointe Blank, Killers, and the Red franchise; you’ll laugh, you’ll swoon, and you’ll think twice before accepting a job as a hot guy’s assistant.

Payton McCrory is just your average junior at a Southern California college who happens to be secretly in love with her best guy friend . . . until she overhears her crush telling someone that she is “not his type” because he likes “sweet” girls. This incident spurs Payton onto an exploration of what it means to be sweet, with the help of her boy-crazy best friend and some unexpected influences along the way.  During Payton’s journey, she is confronted with the realities of betrayal, substance abuse, chronic illness, and sexual trauma—each of these elements that lead to her encounter with a surprisingly personal Divine Presence. This is not your everyday cheesy faith-based romance story. The plot twists of this tale mirror the uncertainties of real life, and readers will identify with Payton’s questions: Is there a God? Why do terrible things happen? Am I loved?  While readers may not be given answers as to the fate of each character, they will be given hope, along with the all-important and life-changing answers to these difficult questions.