nancy

I wasn’t planning to propose to Raif Jones, the bad boy from the wrong side of town. The one with the tattooed muscles, naughty blue eyes, and dimpled, James-Dean grin. You see, it all started with a series of bad decisions. First was flirting with a dangerous criminal to rescue a little girl I didn’t even know. Second was throwing a massive, masked gala in my small-town hideout (complete with drag queens) and not expecting to draw attention… Then Raif rode in on a motorcycle and melted my undies (and my heart), saying he wouldn’t let anybody hurt me.

As a romance novelist, I'm facing my worst nightmare - writer's block. No matter what I write, I hit delete, knowing it's not worth publishing. The future of my career rests on the success of this new book. So, here I am, looking at Tumblr, desperate for inspiration, when I hear a thumping. Annoyed by the music blaring through the walls, I barge into the hall and bang on my neighbor's door. My very hot, very naughty neighbor, Jake Morreau.

The only place small-town outcast Alex Lawson fits in is the online fan forum she built for The Arcane Files, a long-running werewolf detective show. Her dedication to archiving fictional supernatural lore made her Internet-famous, even if she harbors a secret disdain for the show’s star, Devin Ashwood. (Never meet your heroes—sometimes they turn out to be The Worst.)

Ancelet Bay, Louisiana, on the surface is a peaceful and quiet little town. It seemed to be the perfect place for workaholic Rusty Martinez to detox and deal with destructive habits that had affected her health. The respite, however, comes with some unexpected side effects, one of which is a plastic flamingo-wielding neighbor who suspects Rusty is a terrorist.

San Francisco contractor Mel Turner is leading a volunteer home renovation project, and while she expects lots of questions from her inexperienced crew, she can't help asking a few of her own - especially about the haunted house next door . . . the place local kids call the Murder House. But when volunteers discover a body while cleaning out a shed, questions pile up faster than discarded lumber.

A naturalist who spent months at a time living on her own among wild creatures in remote jungles, Sy Montgomery had always felt more comfortable with animals than with people. So she gladly opened her heart to a sick piglet who had been crowded away from nourishing meals by his stronger siblings. Yet Sy had no inkling that this piglet, later named Christopher Hogwood, would not only survive but flourish.

Step one in starting my new life: Don’t fall for my shrink. Scratch that. Step one is settling my daughter in our new small town life. So what if it’s the set of a reality TV show? I agreed to let cameras follow me around, but stay the hell away from my kid. And screw the storyline about a grumpy single dad finding love. I’m here for the fresh start. It’s bad enough I’ve got these sessions with sexy psychologist Mari. Mari and her foul-mouthed parrot and her love of quirky trivia.

I’ve brokered billion-dollar deals as the man in charge. I can handle a challenge. But Vanessa’s not just any challenge. The whip-smart finance magician has me tripping over my tongue—and other parts—when we team up to launch my family’s reality TV show. Between a sexy waterslide romp, adopting a dog, and a hike that lands her bra in a tree, we’re dangerously close to mixing business and pleasure.

Joss Lennon was shy. Sweeter than any baked good. Outta my league. Her life was cupcakes, hand turkeys, and working too many hours to pay the mortgage her ex-fiance dumped on her. Mine was strip club drama, breaking hands, and working too many hours to fix the dumpster fire my cousin left me. I had no business sniffing around Joss. No business wondering about her pent-up wild. It would be selfish to drag her into my wicked. That wasn't gonna stop me.

Piper Skye is rock 'n' roll. She's party all night, sleep all day. She's get wild and be free. Or she would be if she had the time. And the energy. And not being so awkward would probably help, too. As the owner of a thriving dessert business, Piper spends her days at school and her nights elbow deep in batter and frosting. She's confident her hard work and sacrifice will pay off as long as she stays focused and sticks to the plan. Jake Hyde is a workaholic with a jaded outlook on life.