Judy Portelles

A sexy, small town, grumpy sunshine, single dad, sports romance from USA Today Bestselling Author Willow Aster. I fell in love with his little girl first. From the moment nine-year-old Becca Fox and I hugged, it was like we’d known each other forever. Precocious, sweet, and kind, I just knew this little girl was exceptional. Her dad, though? Not so much. Bowie Fox checks every box in the looks department—rugged, intense, and the kind of man who makes you forget how to breathe—but his personality? About as warm as a snowstorm.

Riggins has been in love with Stella for as long as he can remember. As kids, they’d sneak out and spend long nights under the stars writing songs together, sharing their deepest confessions, and dreaming about getting out of their small town. When his band gets a record deal and a headlining tour, he convinces her to come see the world with him, and she agrees. It doesn’t take long before Riggins gets too far into the rockstar lifestyle, and everything begins to fall apart, including his relationship.

In Fiasco, Kentucky, there is one rule: never fall for a Foxx brother. Any woman who did, ended up dead—or so the rumor goes. Townies call it a curse. But I’ve lived it, and I won’t survive it again. I’m not a cop anymore, but I’ve seen enough danger to know that Laney Young, the beautiful stranger who just showed up in my small town, is running from it. She’s lying about where she came from and what she’s doing here. I don’t want her near my family or the quiet life I’ve made for myself. But my brothers have other plans.

Lulu Sonnet is the bane of my existence. She’s caused me more physical pain than any man should ever endure. From an accidental throat punch to a near death by shovel—Don’t even get me started on that vicious pool ball accident where she almost robbed me of my family jewels. She’s a hot little heathen, and what’s worse? She’s staying in my brother’s rental house while I’m temporarily living in the guest house. And now she needs a favor. A fake boyfriend.

I’m Caleb “C-Bomb” Baumgarten, the bad boy drummer of Red Card Riot. After tragedy strikes, I get the bright idea to hire my daughter’s remaining lifeline, her “Auntie Aubbey,” as my live-in nanny in her small town. I’m determined not to give in to my white-hot attraction to Aubrey, since I need her to certify my sobriety and testify on my behalf at an upcoming custody hearing. But you know what they say about best laid plans, right? Yeah. My bad.

I should have known I’d break the oath I made when I offered to let my best friend’s little sister move in with me… She’s the sweetest woman on the face of the planet. And to my great misfortune, the sexiest one, too. She’s been living under her brother’s roof her entire life, and she’s ready to spread her wings. And I’m the masochist who offers she stay at my place until she can find an apartment. When I hear her having a nightmare, the only thing I can do is go to her. Hold her so she knows she’s safe from her demons.

Elite ballerina Allie Rousseau is no stranger to pressure. With her mother’s eyes always watching, perfection was expected, no matter the cost. But when an injury jeopardizes all she’s sacrificed for, Allie returns to her summer home to heal and recover. But the memories she’s tried to forget rush in and threaten to take her under. As a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Hudson Ellis knows that hesitation can mean the difference between life and death. He’s always prided himself on being in the right place at the right time, especially when it came to Allie Rousseau…until the night he left for basic.

A year ago, Jules stumbled upon the man of her dreams in a bar on New Year's Eve. After a lifetime of watching romantic comedies, she was sure she had found her soulmate. That is, until she learned he has an entire family and blocked him. A year later, she’s having the worst day she possibly could, leaving her stuck on the sidewalk outside her place in a ballet costume, watching firefighters condemn her house because of a water main break when a little girl grabs her hand and tells her she’s her Christmas wish.

Lyla Eden has spent the last few years watching her siblings fall in love. Meanwhile, she’s married to her job. It’s on her hundredth consecutive workday that her sister stages an intervention, kicking Lyla out of her own coffee shop. With nothing else to do, Lyla sets out on her favorite hiking trail. It’s there that she spots a man washing blood from his hands in a stream. One moment she’s staring at the jagged scar on his face. The next, his hand is around her throat. But by some miracle, he lets her go.

Eloise Eden’s pride and joy is her family’s hotel in Quincy, Montana. Her lifelong dream is to own The Eloise Inn. All she has to do is prove to her parents that she’s the epitome of responsible. That her days of being duped and making reckless decisions are history. She’s so close she can taste it.