Grumpy Hearted Cowboy (Not Looking For Love Series) by Julia Stone

A brooding cowboy, an innocent heart, and heat that builds fast and fierce. Cyrus: I agreed to let her stay for the summer, offering a spare room for a few weeks, helping around the ranch while she figures out her future. What I didn’t agree to was Millie walking back into my life as a grown woman—soft smiles, curious eyes, and a body I have no business noticing. She’s my friend’s daughter. She’s younger. She’s here to learn, not to tempt the hell out of me every time she steps into my space. Living under the same roof makes distance impossible. Every shared meal, every long day working side by side chips away at my self-control. I know better. I should stop this before it starts. But wanting her feels inevitable—and once I give in, there’s no going back. Millie: Spending the summer on Cyrus Kane’s ranch is supposed to be simple. Hands-on experience. Early mornings. All while learning what kind of veterinarian I want to be. Instead, I’m sharing a house with a gruff, intimidating cowboy who barely speaks—and somehow says everything with a single look. He’s bigger than life, rough around the edges, and completely different from anyone I’ve ever wanted before. I tell myself to focus, to keep things professional. But the longer I stay, the harder it is to ignore the tension crackling between us. The way his eyes linger. The way my heart races whenever we’re alone. We’re crossing lines we shouldn’t. With the promise of leaving in the future, one push may risk everything falling apart.

Runaway for the Mountain Man (Veterans of Willowbrook Ridge, #3) by Julia Stone

I live on the mountain for a reason. Out here, it’s quiet. Safe. No attachments, no risk of losing anything—again. Then she comes tearing through the woods in a storm, soaked to the bone, wedding dress ripped and clinging to her curves. Too young. Too innocent. Too tempting. I should send her away. But with the thunder rolling in and the roads washed out, she’s stuck in my cabin. With me. She ran from a man who didn’t deserve her. She ran straight into the arms of the one who will ruin her. I was supposed to marry a man who only cared about my last name. Instead, I bolted—straight into a thunderstorm, down a mountain trail I barely understand, and into the path of the grumpiest, roughest man I’ve ever seen. Bentley doesn’t smile. Doesn’t talk much either. But he watches me like I’m the only thing that’s ever made him feel something. He’s a reclusive veteran with a beard, an axe, and eyes that make promises without saying a word. I should be scared. But in this cabin—stranded with lightning outside and heat crackling between us— I’ve never felt safer… or more wanted.

Warmed Up by the Firefighter: A Second Chance Instalove OTT Steamy Short Romance by Julia Stone

One bad breakup. One unexpected firefighter. One second chance she never planned to take. Reese: They say I’m crazy. That’s the story my ex told after our breakup—loud enough that the whole town believed him. So maybe breaking into his house to get my things back doesn’t help my case, but I refuse to let him keep pieces of my life hostage. I don’t expect to be caught. I definitely don’t expect his new roommate—naked, broad-shouldered, and devastatingly calm about finding me trespassing in the middle of the day. Jaxon isn’t what I’m ready for. He’s heat and safety and everything I swore I was done believing in. One look at him makes me want to risk my heart all over again. But I’ve already loved once and paid for it. No matter how much my body betrays me, I can’t cave. Not again. Jaxon: I step out of the shower and find a woman breaking into my house—and just like every fire I’ve ever run into, I know I won’t walk away unchanged. Reese is sharp-tongued and wound tight, carrying scars no one ever taught her how to heal. The second our eyes meet, something in me locks into place. I don’t question it. I never do. I’m a firefighter. I run toward danger for a living. And Reese is danger in the most tempting form. She doesn’t fall into my arms the way women usually do. She fights it. Pushes back. Keeps her distance. That only makes me want her more. She’s running from something, and I’m not the kind of man who lets someone burn alone. She thinks love is a mistake she can’t afford to make again. I think she just hasn’t met a man willing to fight for her. Mature Novella Romance Short Story Short Romance Second Chance Steamy Quick Read Small Town Instalove Note from the Author: This short read will take 1-2 hours to read.

Warmed Up by her Brother's Best Friend: A Small Town Age Gap Curvy Girl Short Romance by Julia Stone

Training her body was easy. Resisting her was impossible. I’ve been in love with my brother’s best friend for two years. Which is exactly why my New Year’s resolution is to finally get over him. Lose a little weight. Gain a little confidence. Stop staring every time Cash he crashes at our place. Simple. Achievable. Easy. Thanks to my overprotective brother, Cash decides he’s the perfect person to help me “work on myself.” Morning workouts. Close proximity. Lot’s of hands-on activities. Getting over Cash was supposed to be the goal. Falling harder was never part of the plan. I’ve noticed Adelia since the day she became off-limits. She’s sweet. Curvy. Innocent in a way that makes me want to protect her from men like me. Especially from me. She’s Toby’s little sister. I don’t cross that line. Can’t. But when she asks for help learning how to catch a man’s attention, I can’t say no. Not when I know no one will ever be good enough for her. If she’s going to belong to someone, it should be a man who knows her worth. A man who wants her completely. A man like me.

Ghost: A Small Town Age Gap OTT Instalove Biker MC Steamy Short Romance (Steelwood MC Book 1) by Julia Stone

He stole her to save her. Now he can’t let her go. I found her by accident—just a glimpse during a job finished a few months back. One little discovery turned into an obsession. I told myself to forget her, but that was a lie I never stood a chance of keeping. When I learned her father planned to trade her to another club’s bastard, I couldn’t let it happen. So I took her. Now she’s here, hidden away in my world of smoke, leather, and scars. She looks at me like I’m her captor, and maybe I am. But I’m also her only chance. Every day she’s near, I lose another piece of the restraint I swore I’d keep. I can’t let her go—but I can’t let myself have her either. Because if I touch her, there’s no coming back from it. My whole life has been planned for me—every breath, every choice, every future moment dictated by my father. I never questioned it until Ghost tore me from that life and dropped me into his. He’s chaos made flesh—scarred, and dangerous—but somehow, he feels more honest than anyone I’ve ever known. He says he took me to protect me. Maybe that’s true. But the way he looks at me burns hotter than any lie. The longer I stay, the more I see the man beneath the rough edges—the protector, not the villain. Somewhere between fear and fascination, I start to fall. Ghost may have stolen my freedom... but he’s the first person who’s ever made me feel free. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed read in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series!

Warden: A Friends with Benefits to Lovers Small Town Short Romance (Steelwood MC - Willowbrook Ridge Book 6) by Julia Stone

He dodged bullets to protect her heart—until one finally forced the truth. I’ve walked away from every fight without a scratch—not because I couldn’t take the hits, but because I never wanted her to see me bleed. Leah has patched up half the Steelwood MC, but I made sure I was never on her table. Until now. Taking a bullet during the Crimson Road warehouse takeover means there’s no avoiding her hands—or the truth I’ve buried for years. We’ve always been friends. Always crossed the line when the nights got too quiet or when life became too much. Being stuck under her care strips away every excuse I’ve used to keep my feelings locked down. This time, hiding isn’t an option. I’ve learned how to stop bleeding, restart hearts, and hold myself together when the men I care about come home broken. Loving a biker teaches you one thing fast—loss is always waiting. Warden is my constant. My weakness. The one line I’ve never crossed because loving him fully means risking everything. But when he takes a bullet over claiming the Crimson Road warehouse, fear makes the choice for me. As I patch him up night after night, the lines between who we are and who we could be start to blur—and Warden is done letting me pretend he’s temporary. This time, he isn’t leaving, and he’s determined to prove it. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series! Dark themes are present!

Jinx: A MC Biker Enemies to Lovers Forced Proximity Slowburn Short Romance (Steelwood MC - Willowbrook Ridge Book 5) by Julia Stone

He was assigned to protect her. She was never supposed to want him. Steelwood and Crimson Road are on the brink of all-out bloodshed, and my club gives me one job—babysit Raven while they take care of business. She’s trouble wrapped in sharp edges. Mean-mouthed. Closed off. Untouchable. I only say yes because this is my last hoop to jump through before I earn my patch. One or two days. That’s it. Easy. Except Raven doesn’t scare easily, doesn’t soften, and sure as hell doesn’t back down when I push. The more she hates me, the more I want to see what she does when she finally snaps. I don’t need protection. I don’t need company. And I definitely don’t need Jinx—loud, cocky, and way too interested in getting under my skin. Everyone knows to leave me alone. He doesn’t listen. He watches. Prods. Smirks like he sees something no one else ever has. I tell myself I hate him. I tell myself this fire between us is just anger. But when the walls come down, and the world outside turns violent, it’s not pain we’re trading—it’s heat. Once Jinx gets his hands on me, there’s no pretending this is just a job anymore. Each story in the Steelwood MC series is part of a shared storyline that is best enjoyed in order. Each couple ends with a HFN ending that will result in their HEA by the end of the series! Dark themes are present!

Gift for the Mountain Man: A Small Town Instalove First Time Grumpy/Sunshine Recluse OTT Short Romance (Willowbrook Ridge Holdiday Special) by Julia Stone

Snowed in with an older, grumpy recluse—and suddenly Christmas Eve is anything but cold. Archer: Christmas Eve was supposed to be quiet. My cabin, the fire, and no one demanding more of me than silence. But my sister has other plans. She shows up, drops a stranger into my world, and disappears before I can tell her no. Then Iris looks at me, but she doesn’t grimace like the others. One look—that’s all it takes. Soft eyes, flushed cheeks, a shy little smile—and something in my chest snaps. I’ve lived half my life convinced I wasn’t built for wanting, not like other men. But the pull I feel toward her is impossible to ignore. She’s supposed to be a guest. Temporary. Untouchable. Except every instinct I’ve ever buried surges to the surface the moment she steps close, smelling like winter and warmth. Then the storm hits, trapping her with me. Now she’s snowed in, in my space, wearing that innocence like a dare—and keeping my hands off her feels less like discipline and more like torture. Iris: I agreed to a harmless favor for my coworker—keep her brother company for a day and make sure he isn’t lonely. She should’ve warned me her brother is a grumpy, devastatingly handsome mountain hermit who looks at me like I’m something worth starving for. I haven’t had the best luck dating. Never made it past the first night. This isn’t like that, but I want it to be. Then the snow traps us together, and suddenly I’m spending Christmas Eve in his cabin, wrapped in the warmth of a man who keeps fighting his desire—and losing ground by the minute. I should be cautious. But with the storm raging outside and Archer’s restraint wearing thin, falling for him feels inevitable.

Playing Cupid for the Mountain Man: A Curvy Girl Forced Proximity Matchmaking OTT Instalove Short Romance (Willowbrook Ridge Holdiday Special) by Julia Stone

She came to fix his love life. Falling into his arms wasn’t part of the plan. Gavin: I don’t need a matchmaker. What I need is a woman who won’t bolt the second she realizes what life on this mountain really means. I’ve tried the mail-order bride thing more times than I should admit, and it always ends the same—women who decide my world isn’t for them. I own a bar. I live alone. I’ve accepted that love probably isn’t in the cards. Then Daphne shows up. She’s too soft, too curvy, and entirely too distracting to be here on business. She looks at me like I’m not a problem to fix, and when an early snow traps her on the mountain after a failed day of searching, everything shifts. She’s here to find me a wife, but I already know who I want. This time, I’m not letting her walk away without asking her to stay. Daphne: I’m a professional matchmaker. Falling for my client is not part of the job. Gavin is supposed to be another difficult case—a gruff mountain man with a long history of women who didn’t last. I come prepared with plans, profiles, and a clear end date. Then the snow keeps me longer than expected, and Gavin starts looking at me like I already belong here. He’s older. Quiet. Built like the mountain he refuses to leave. Every moment between us crackles with heat I shouldn’t want—and can’t ignore. When Gavin finally makes his choice, it isn’t another profile he reaches for. It’s me.