Love & Leave: A Sweet Romantic Comedy (MoonLIT Matches #01) by Kristeen Groth

What happens when a runaway celebrity bride lands in the arms of the man she left behind—without either of them knowing they’re being set up? Exactly what you’d expect. Ava Sinclair was supposed to be marrying Hollywood’s golden boy. Instead, she escapes her made-for-TV wedding and ends up in the wilderness... with Joe Mahoney, her ex—the first love she ghosted without a word. Now she’s torn between two lives: one of flashbulbs and fame, the other of pine trees and the man who knew her before the world did. Joe’s charming, flirty, and emotionally unavailable on purpose. It’s a system that works—until Ava crashes back into his life via the back of his pickup truck. Add one matchmaking book club of meddling grandmas, and a suspiciously on-theme book of the month (One True Loves), and things start looking less like fate... and more like a trap. Some love stories don’t end. They just wait—for the ending they were always meant to have. Love & Leave is a closed-door romantic comedy featuring a runaway celebrity bride, a firefighter first love, and a second chance neither of them planned on. When a matchmaking book club inspired by beloved romance novels gets involved, expect laugh-out-loud humor, small-town hijinks, and swoony five-alarm kisses you won’t want to put out.

Her Recluse Mountain Man: A Small Town Forced Proximity Age Gap OTT Instalove Short Romance (Mountain Men of Willowbrook Ridge #2) by Julia Stone

She rented a cabin. She got a recluse with rules. Tatum: I didn’t come to the mountains for adventure; I came for an escape. The rental cabin is supposed to be mine for the week—paid in full, nonrefundable, more money than I should’ve spent. I need the quiet that comes with nature and all the fresh air I don’t know what to do with. Instead, I find him. Abel. Broad shoulders. Heavy stare. A man who looks like he was carved straight out of the mountain and would rather bite off his tongue than make small talk. He says the cabin is his. Always has been. He makes it very clear he doesn’t like strangers stepping on his property. But the rain won’t stop. The roads are washing out, and I have nowhere else to go. He tells me I can stay until the storm passes, but accommodates me like I’m more of his guest than a burden. At this rate, I won't ever want to leave. Abel: I like my quiet, peaceful solitude. No one bothers me but the birds and squirrels. Then she shows up. Tatum. Soaked to the bone with tear-brimming eyes. Falling for some online scam, it’s trouble I don’t want to be mixed in. I should send her back down the mountain. Should tell her to figure it out. The storm is vicious, and the roads are slick. Doesn’t help that she looks at me like she’s one step closer to hovering over the edge. Against my better judgment, I let her stay. I keep my distance. I keep my rules. I remind myself she’s too young, too soft, too temporary. Being alone with a beauty I’ve got no right stealing glances at? It tests a man’s control. The longer she’s here, the more I realize something dangerous— I want her to stay.

Her Grumpy Mountain Man: A Small Town Grumpy/Sunshine Forced Proximity Age Gap Instalove Short Romance (Mountain Men of Willowbrook Ridge #1) by Julia Stone

Stranded, injured, and stuck in a broody older man’s cabin? Worst decision of my career… best decision of my life. Emery: I scaled a mountain in search of the ultimate wildlife shot to elevate my portfolio, but all I gained were torn clothes and an injury that left me questioning my career choice. Then he finds me. Callan. Older, silent, and carved straight out of the wilderness itself. He comes across my sorry state, drops to his knees, and looks at me like I’m something that shouldn’t be out here alone. He doesn’t offer to take me to town, but to his remote cabin, where he tends to my wounds with rough, careful hands… and watches me like I’m an inigma. He’s grumpy. Broody. Intense. And above all? Demanding. Every time he tells me to “hold still,” I want to disobey. Being stuck in his cabin should make me nervous. Instead, it makes me curious. Callan: I noticed the blood trail before anything else. Then I see her, scraped up and all alone in need of a savior. For whatever reason, she gets me. The smile she sends my way, like I’m everything she’d been hoping for, hits harder than any fall. She’s too young. Too bright. Too good for what I’ve done in my past The second I touch her, something in me locks in. I’ve spent years wanting nothing but nature and solitude. Now I want her. She thinks I’m helping because she’s hurt. She doesn’t understand. I’ve already decided. She’s going to be mine.

Mountain Man's Lucky Charm: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #4) by Lilah Hart

A matchmaker heroine. A protective mountain man. A rescue-dog meet-cute that changes everything. I was always the matchmaker heroine— the supportive friend, the emotional observer, the woman cheering from the sidelines while everyone else risked their heart. It was safer to believe in secondhand romance. I’d seen what real love could do. I’d watched vulnerability get punished. I’d learned early that emotional self-protection mattered more than happily ever after. So I stayed guarded. Careful. Alone. Until a seven-pound rescue dog charged toward traffic… and a protective mountain man in a Navy shirt caught him before disaster struck. Micah wasn’t part of the plan. He was steady strength. Unshakable certainty. The kind of man who looked at me like I was the missing piece to a life he’d already chosen. The kind of man who made falling feel inevitable—and terrifying. He asked me to dinner. I said yes. He took me to the mountaintop overlook, all open sky and quiet promises. I let myself believe. When he told me he’d known from the first moment—known I was the one— I realized the most dangerous thing wasn’t loving him. It was wanting to be loved back. I’d spent my life creating perfect love stories for everyone else. It took one stubborn little dog and one man who refused to let me run to show me I deserved one of my own. Sometimes the matchmaker romance becomes the love story. Tropes: 🏔️ Protective Mountain Man 🔥 Steamy Instalove Romance 🐶 Rescue Dog Meet-Cute 💪 Capable, Independent Heroine 🛠️ Blue-Collar Hero ⚡ Fast-Burn Attraction 💕 Instant Emotional Connection 🌄 Small-Town Mountain Romance Mountain Man’s Lucky Charm is a steamy instalove mountain romance featuring a capable heroine, a protective blue-collar mountain man, a high-stakes animal rescue, and a fast-burn, single-day love story where instant attraction turns into undeniable forever.

Reclusive Mountain Man (Iron Peak Mountain Man Series) by Lilah Hart

A grumpy mountain man romance where silence shatters, walls crumble, and love refuses to be ignored. I came to Iron Peak for one thing: silence. Three roommates. Paper-thin walls. Constant noise. Between law school pressure and a life that never slowed down, I was unraveling—and I needed a place where the world would finally leave me alone. House-sitting in a remote mountain town felt like the answer. No distractions. No interruptions. Just textbooks, solitude, and miles of untamed wilderness. I didn’t count on him. Kai Slater was everything I wasn’t looking for. Grumpy. Reclusive. All sharp edges and silence. His cabin backed up to mine, and from the moment he caught me doing yoga on the deck, he looked at me like I was a complication he didn’t ask for—and didn’t want. Except his eyes followed every stretch. His jaw tightened every time I moved. And he kept showing up to fix things I never asked him to fix. He wanted me. He just didn’t want to want me. Kai carried secrets carved deep into his silence. A past that convinced him he didn’t deserve softness… or happiness… or love. He thought pushing me away would protect us both. He was wrong. I didn’t come to Iron Peak searching for a brooding mountain man with a heart of gold buried under all that gruff solitude. But now that I’ve found him? I’m not leaving without a fight. Welcome to Iron Peak, where rugged hearts meet small-town charm in a world of wild beauty and instant passion. Tucked deep in the Colorado mountains, each story follows a gruff, loyal man who finds the woman he never knew he was looking for—and will do anything to keep her. These are fast, steamy, happily-ever-after tales packed with devotion, wilderness, and a whole lot of heat. Fall for your next favorite mountain man as 12 authors bring you new instalove stories full of warmth, wild hearts, and the kind of love that strikes like lightning.

Vacation with the Shifty Shark (Monsters & Margaritas Series) by Annee Jones

🦈 Antonella "Nella" DeLuca — I left Jersey to get away from men like him. The gold chains. The cologne. The smile that's all charm and zero conscience. I know exactly what Nico Torretti is the second he walks into my Miami bar — the same kind of smooth-talking, dangerous mistake my mother warned me about in between making the same mistake herself. He says he's here about my debt. I say he can park his designer swim trunks on a barstool and watch me earn it back — five days, Spring Break weekend, then he gets his money and gets out of my life. He agrees. Then he doesn't leave. He's behind my bar every night. Tasting my margaritas like he's grading them. Scaring off every guy who gets too close. Looking at me like I'm something he wants to sink his teeth into. I should be afraid of him. But Nico doesn't scare me. And that's the part that should terrify us both. 🔥 A sun-soaked Miami fling with teeth — steamy, sharp, and served with salt and lime. 🦈 Shark shifter • Enemies-to-lovers • Forced proximity • Morally gray MMC • Guaranteed HEA Quick, hot, and bingeable in one sitting. 🍹

Mountain Man’s Lucky Star: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #3) by Lilah Hart

A mountain rescue. A proving ground. A one-day love that changes everything. I came to Wildwood Valley for one reason: professional credibility. As the youngest veterinary technician at my clinic, I was tired of being underestimated, overlooked, and assigned the cases no one else wanted. The “hopeless” animals. The long shots. The emotional burnout. So when a large-scale mountain rescue operation needed volunteers, I raised my hand first—ready to prove my skill, my grit, and my worth. I didn’t come looking for romance. Especially not with a brooding mountain man who worked construction, carried quiet strength in every movement, and looked at me like he saw everything I was trying to hide. Then I met Declan. He noticed me during a breakthrough with the most traumatized dog at the rescue—right when my guard was down and my heart was wide open. One look was all it took to rattle the confidence I’d worked so hard to build. Declan was the kind of man who fixed things. Strong hands. Steady presence. Protective instincts. I was the kind of woman who’d built her life on independence, determined never to need saving. We should have stayed far apart. But Declan didn’t treat me like a fragile project or a problem to solve. He treated me like an equal. Like a woman capable of choosing her own future—and worth standing beside while she did it. And when he touched me, every carefully built wall came down. One day. One stubborn rescue dog. One protective mountain man who refused to walk away. One choice that proved I was stronger—and braver—than I ever believed. Tropes: 🏔️ Protective Mountain Man 🐶 Animal Rescue Romance ⚡ Instalove 💪 Capable Heroine 🛠️ Blue-Collar Hero ❤️‍🔥 Fast-Burn Chemistry 🏡 Small-Town Mountain Romance 🐾 Traumatized Dog Healing 🖤 Grumpy × Independent Mountain Man’s Lucky Love is a steamy instalove mountain romance featuring a capable heroine, a protective blue-collar hero, a high-stakes animal rescue, and a fast-burn connection that changes everything in a single day.

Claiming the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Mail Order Bride Series) by Lilah Hart

She ran from everything she knew—and fell for a protective mountain man who refused to let her go. I spent twenty-three years being invisible. My parents controlled everything—my clothes, my choices, my future. What I wanted didn’t matter. What I felt didn’t count. I learned how to be quiet. How to shrink. How to accept a life that was decided for me before I ever had the chance to dream. Then I found Kross. A stranger on a screen. A mountain man in a place I’d never seen. A man who offered me something no one else ever had: a choice. So I packed one bag, boarded a bus, and rode fourteen hours toward a life that finally belonged to me—even if I was terrified to claim it. I expected awkward silences. Doubt. Regret. I didn’t expect the way he looked at me, like I was already everything he’d been waiting for. I didn’t expect his rough hands to be so gentle, or his quiet strength to make me feel safe for the first time in my life. Kross was nothing like the man my parents would have chosen. He was better. But leaving my old life behind didn’t silence the fear. The voices telling me I wasn’t enough followed me up the mountain. And letting someone truly see me—want me—meant risking everything I’d spent years protecting. Some chances are worth taking. Some people are worth the fall. Tropes: 🏔️ Protective mountain man 🩷 Sheltered heroine 🚌 Runaway from control 🔥 Steamy instalove 🤍 First love / first intimacy 🛡️ Gentle but strong hero 🏡 Small town mountain romance 🌱 Emotional awakening 🧳 Fresh start romance 💫 Found family vibes Claiming the Mountain Man is an OTT age gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It’s designed to be read in only an hour. It's part of the Mountain Man Mail Order Bride series, featuring standalone books from 16 of your favorite steamy instalove romance authors!

Seduced by the Mountain Man (Mountain Man Summer Series) by Annee Jones

He was my brother’s best friend—the one man I was never supposed to touch. One night changed everything… and now he’s standing shirtless in front of me. Again. DELANEY: I had one rule: never hook up with my brother’s best friend. But Jace Redmond made it very hard to follow rules—especially the night of that destination wedding when tequila and temptation got the best of us. We agreed it was a one-time thing. No regrets. No repeats. So imagine my horror when I show up for a relaxing girls’ week at Hope Peak Lake Resort… and he’s the first person I see. Shirtless. Smirking. And apparently in charge of our entire outdoor adventure itinerary. Now he’s leading my group on hikes, paddling trips, and trust falls—and every time he touches me, I remember exactly what I’m trying to forget. This was supposed to be a getaway. But how do I escape the one man who already got under my skin? JACE: Sleeping with Delaney Shaw was the best mistake I’ve ever made. She’s my best friend’s little sister—gorgeous, mouthy, completely off-limits—and I knew it the second we fell into bed that night, we were crossing a line we couldn’t uncross. So I let her walk away. But when I found out she was headed to Hope Peak Lake for a girls' trip, I made sure I was the one running the resort's adventure program that week. Now she’s back in my world for five steamy summer days—and I’m done pretending I don’t want more. The question is... will she let me break the rules again? This book is perfect for fans of steamy lakefront escapes, forbidden hookups with the brother’s best friend, and sizzling summer romance with just the right amount of sass, sweat, and second chances. It is part of Annee Jones' interconnected series, LOVING A MOUNTAIN MAN, and featured in the multi-author MOUNTAIN MAN SUMMER collection.

Mountain Man Summer (Summer in the Pines Series) by Annee Jones

She came to hide. He made her want to be found. DIDI: I fled to Hope Peak Lake with three goals: stay hidden, stay quiet, and stay away from men. After my obsessed listener turned stalker, the last thing I needed was another complication. Then I met my next-door neighbor—six feet four inches of grumpy mountain man who thought I couldn't tell a fishing rod from a selfie stick. Detective Noah Sterling was everything I didn't want: protective, persistent, and way too perceptive for my secrets. But when he caught me skinny dipping off our shared dock one moonlit night, keeping my distance became impossible. By the time the Fourth of July fireworks lit up the lake, I realized the most dangerous thing in Hope Peak wasn't my stalker—it was the way Noah made me want to stop running. NOAH: The pretty city girl next door was trouble from the moment she nearly sank her rental boat. Didi claimed she wanted privacy, but everything about her screamed secrets. As Hope Peak's detective, I should have kept my professional distance. Instead, I found myself teaching her to fish, sharing midnight swims, and forgetting every rule I'd ever made about getting involved with summer tourists. When I discovered why she was really hiding at the lake, protecting her became more than my job—it became my mission. But as the July Fourth crowds descended on our small town, I realized the truth: I wasn't just guarding her from danger. I was falling for the one woman who might not stay once the fireworks faded. A steamy small-town romance about finding love when you least expect it—and the mountain man who makes running away the last thing on your mind.

The Mountain Man's Untamed Bride (Mountain Man Sanctuary Series) by Annee Jones

What happens when a rebellious city girl crashes into a mountain man's perfectly isolated world? Everything. SCARLETT: I had exactly two choices: marry the boring, controlling fiancé my conservative parents picked out, or run. So I did what any self-respecting rebellious daughter would do—I signed up for Mountain Mates and bolted. What I didn't expect was landing with a reclusive mountain man who looks like he'd rather wrestle a bear than deal with me. My plan was simple: lose my virginity, become unmarriageable, and finally live on my own terms. But Bodhi is nothing like I imagined. He's stubborn, infuriating, and somehow sees right through my carefully constructed act. BODHI: I never wanted a bride. Hell, I barely want human contact. When my well-meaning buddy signs me up for Mountain Mates, I'm ready to shut it down—until Scarlett arrives. She's not the demure, homemaking woman in the profile. She's a hurricane in designer heels, turning my quiet mountain life upside down. I should send her back, but something about her wild spirit and desperate determination keeps me from pushing her away. And when a dangerous stalker starts circling, protecting her becomes my only mission. A high-stakes, laugh-out-loud steamy short romance where a rebellious city girl meets an off-grid mountain man, and unexpected passion ignites in the wilderness.

Treated to a Mountain Man (Fall for a Mountain Man Series) by Annee Jones

Her candy isn’t the only thing he wants to taste this Halloween... CINN: Opening my candy shop in Woodbridge Falls was supposed to be my sweet new start. Winning the Halloween candy competition could finally put me on the map—if I can get my hands on the one ingredient that makes my grandmother’s recipe shine. Trouble is, the only man who makes the syrup I need is a grumpy mountain recluse with shoulders as broad as his scowl. My solution? Show up on his doorstep and dare him to say no. SAWYER: The last thing I need is a candy maker barging into my sugar grove. But Cinnamon Moretti isn’t just any candy maker—she’s stubborn, curvy, and far too tempting to ignore. When she agrees to work the harvest herself, I can’t look away. She’s sticky fingers, sharp wit, and heat I never saw coming. I thought I was protecting my family’s legacy. Now I’m just trying not to lose my heart. CONTENT INFORMATION: A wickedly fun Halloween romance! This short, steamy read serves up a grumpy mountain man, a candy-maker heroine, small-town harvest vibes, and open-door heat hot enough to melt more than chocolate. Treat yourself—one-click this sweet and spicy fall fling today!

Ghosted Cowboy (Dirty Cowboys Series) by Annee Jones

👻 He ghosted her once. This Halloween, he’s back—and hotter than ever. RAINEY: Midnight Springs is my home, my sanctuary, and the stage where I’ve built a life after heartbreak. I manage my grandmother’s antique shop, I act in our theater, and I don’t look back. Not since Ransom Hollis vanished without a word ten years ago. But now he’s back—cast as the “ghost cowboy” in our Halloween festival—and suddenly I’m face-to-face with the man who once shattered me. Every stolen glance stirs old wounds…and dangerous new desires. And when sabotage threatens both the production and my safety, I can’t decide if I should push him away—or lean into the only arms that ever truly felt like home. RANSOM: I thought I’d left Midnight Springs behind for good, along with the woman I couldn’t bear to face after my sudden departure. But my father’s heart attack brought me back, and now my mother has volunteered me for a role in the town’s Halloween theater. I never expected Rainey Bell to still have such a hold on me. She deserves answers—and protection when mysterious “accidents” start happening around her. I know I hurt her once. I know she may never forgive me. But I also know I can’t let her go again. This time, I’m staying…and I’m ready to fight for both the town we love and the woman I never stopped loving. Content Information: A steamy second-chance cowboy romance wrapped in small-town Halloween charm. 🔥 Open-door heat 🔥 Forced proximity in a haunted hotel 🔥 A touch of mystery and sabotage 🔥 A heroine who won’t be ghosted twice Ghosted Cowboy delivers passion, suspense, and a love story too hot to stay buried. Perfect for fans of seasonal small-town romance with a sexy edge.

Stuff My Turkey (Love & Leftovers Series) by Annee Jones

🍂🦃🍂 𝑨 𝒗𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏, 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒘𝒃𝒐𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒇𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑... 𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘: I'm a vegetarian public defender who accidentally committed grand theft turkey. Now I'm fake dating my ex's older brother—the one who caught me red-handed trying to stuff his prize breeding tom into my Prius at 2 AM. Heath McGraw is six-foot-three of surly cowboy who's making me pretend to be his girlfriend to save both our asses. Problem is, I can't cook, can't ride a horse, and definitely can't stop thinking about how his hands feel on my waist when we're "pretending" for his clients. Oh, and I'm planning to win over Texas ranchers with my gourmet tofurkey at Thanksgiving dinner while pretending I'm not falling for their hometown hero. What could go wrong? 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇: I've wanted Honey March for three years. Now the woman who drives me crazy is in my house, in my bed, in my head. Every "fake" kiss for our audience makes me want to pin her against the barn wall and show her exactly how real this is. She thinks this is just a business deal. Seven days of pretending. But when she's in my arms, laughing at my jokes, looking at me like I'm not just her ex's older brother? I'm done pretending. This Thanksgiving, I'm claiming what's mine. And I'm not talking about the turkeys. 📖 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑰𝑵𝑭𝑶𝑹𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑁 💋 Spicy fake dating with a guaranteed HEA! 🏡 Perfect for readers who love small-town romance with autumn vibes, swoony cowboys, laugh-out-loud disasters, and heroines who can't cook but can argue their way out of anything. 🍽️ Contains creative uses for gravy, creative hiding spots for turkeys, and creative interpretations of "fake" relationships. 🍂 The only thing hotter than the ovens this Thanksgiving is what’s happening in the barn.

Mountain Man's Naughty Elf (Grumpy Christmas Mountain Man Series) by Annee Jones

"When you're on the naughty list, sometimes you need a mountain man with a very big...cabin." PEPPER: Working as the head elf at North Pole Village was supposed to be festive fun—until I caught my ex embezzling from the charity toy drive. Now I'm on the run in a snowstorm, with evidence stuffed in my pointy hat and nowhere to hide except the cabin of the broodiest mountain man I've ever seen. Pax Forrester is six-foot-four of silent intensity who clearly wants me gone, but the blizzard and my vengeful ex have other plans. I need to lay low until I can expose Nolan's scheme, but hiding out is getting complicated. Especially when Pax looks at me like he wants to unwrap more than just Christmas presents. Did I mention I'm still wearing my elf costume? Jingle bells have never been this dangerous. PAX: Three years of perfect solitude ruined by one woman in candy-cane striped tights. Pepper Prescott burst through my door in the middle of a blizzard, bringing trouble, tinsel, and the first real temptation I've felt since leaving civilization behind. When her corrupt ex-fiancé shows up with armed "security," my protective instincts kick in—instincts I thought I'd buried after Afghanistan. Now we're snowed in together, plotting to take down the town's crooked mayor, and I can't stop thinking about how her curves would feel against my hands. She says it's just until the storm breaks. I say some storms are worth getting caught in. This Christmas, I'm putting someone on my nice list for the first time—and I plan to be very, very naughty. CONTENT INFORMATION This steamy holiday novella delivers a guaranteed HEA with a side of Christmas mischief! Perfect for readers who love forced proximity romance with grumpy/sunshine dynamics, protective heroes with a soft spot for holiday-loving heroines, and enough heat to melt the North Pole. Contains dangerous mistletoe situations, an overabundance of cheer, and proof that sometimes the best gifts come in elf-shaped packages.

Salt, SEAL, and Sin (Tidehaven SEAL Romance Series) by Annee Jones

🌊⚓🌊 A shipwreck worth millions. A cartel with guns. And a rivalry that's about to get dangerously wet. MARLEY: I've spent two years tracking a Confederate blockade runner carrying $4 million in gold—and I'm one dive away from the discovery of my career. Then Beau Rutledge shows up with a government contract to shut me down. He's six-foot-two of brooding ex-SEAL who thinks I'm reckless. I think he's an uptight control freak with a savior complex. But when a cartel crew shows up with automatic weapons and zero patience, Beau offers me a deal: work together, find the wreck legally, and stay alive. Problem is, every dive brings us closer—and not just to the gold. He steadies my tank. I trust his hands. And when we surface, gasping and salt-slicked, the tension between us is more dangerous than anything waiting in the deep. BEAU: Marley Heyward is brilliant, stubborn, and completely out of her depth—literally. She's diving protected waters without permits, pissing off federal agencies, and about to get herself killed over a shipwreck that might not exist. I'm supposed to stop her. Instead, I'm her backup diver, her tactical support, and the bastard who can't stop thinking about her in that wetsuit. When the cartel escalates—sabotaged equipment, boat attacks, a body in the marsh—keeping her alive becomes my only mission. She fights me at every turn. Challenges every order. And when I finally get her alone, she looks at me like I'm the thing worth finding. This wreck is going to kill us both. And I'm starting not to care. 📖 CONTENT INFORMATION 🔥 Spicy ex-SEAL romance with a guaranteed HEA ⚓ Perfect for readers who love rivals-to-lovers, treasure hunts gone wrong, forced partnerships, danger-fueled tension, and heroines who'd rather dive than be rescued 🌊 Contains creative uses for dive equipment, creative justifications for close quarters, and creative ways to burn off adrenaline after near-death experiences 🌊 The most dangerous thing in these waters isn't the cartel—it's what happens when salt, steel, and sin collide. ************************************************************** Hurricanes, heists, and heart-stopping kisses. Tidehaven’s ex-SEALs hold the line by day and fall hard by night. Salt & Steel Security brings the heat. This March, romance authors come together to give you grit, heart, and tons of heat! The Tidehaven SEALs are falling hard and fast for the women who bring them to their knees.

Planted by the Mountain Man (Spring in the Mountains Series) by Annee Jones

FLORA: 🐝 I had a plan. A good plan. Insemination, positive test, baby on the way — all on my terms. Nowhere in that plan did it say “drive to Montana to stalk your sperm donor.” But his profile kept rattling around in my head. I just wanted to see him. Quietly. Like a normal, well-adjusted person. Instead I tripped over a hive box and landed at the feet of the grumpiest, hottest beekeeper in the mountain west. Then I panicked and told him I was a landscape designer. At least that part is true. Now I’m planting pollinator gardens I invented on the spot while he drizzles wild honey over everything he cooks and looks at me like I’m trouble he wants to taste. 🍯 The longer I stay — swallowing his honey, feeling his hands, watching spring crack this mountain wide open — the harder it gets to remember I came here to observe. Not to stay. And definitely not to fall. He’s starting to suspect I’m not here for the flowers. I’m starting to realize he might be right. 🌸 🔥 Grumpy-sunshine • Breeding kink • Forced proximity • Who-falls-first • Guaranteed HEA Quick, hot, and bingeable in one sitting. 🐝

Kansas: An OTT Instalove MC Biker Dark Small Town Short Romance (Steelwood MC - Willowbrook Ridge #07) by Julia Stone

Her stalker wants her back. The biker who finds her refuses to let her go. Engrid: I had one job—write an article on Crossroads Ink’s grand opening. A few questions, a quick feature, done. Instead, I’ve caught the attention of the Steelwood MC… and now bikers are watching my every move. I should be terrified. But I’m used to looking over my shoulder. My ex still lurks in the shadows, convinced I belong to him. The last thing I need is more dangerous men in my life. Then Kansas shows up. A biker with a mission—to scare me off. Too bad I don’t run anymore. When he sees the real threat stalking me, his warning turns into an offer: protection. No strings. Free of charge. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t need him. But with nowhere else to turn, I’m forced to rely on the Steelwood MC… even if it means trading one obsessed ex-partner for another who might be far more dangerous to my heart. Kansas: My orders were simple—break into her place, shake her up, and make her drop the article. Then I meet Engrid Parks. Sweet. Innocent. Scarred. Beneath it all—fierce. Walking away is no longer an option. The moment she tells me about the man hunting her—the monster who thinks she still belongs to him—I make a new plan. I’ll protect her. I’ll keep her safe. I’ll show her what it means to be claimed by someone who would burn the world down for her. She thinks I’m just helping. But I’m not letting her go. And if anyone tries to take what’s mine… they’ll learn exactly why the Steelwood MC should be feared. 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!

Hard Hearted Cowboy (Not Looking for Love) by Annee Jones

💔🤠💔 A hard-partying cowboy, a woman with secrets, and one Valentine's wedding neither of them will forget... I'm two years sober, working two jobs, and keeping my head down in Bitter Root after the life I left behind in Houston. When a drunk, gorgeous cowboy offers me five grand to be his fake date to his twin brother's over-the-top Valentine's wedding, I should say no. Hunter Massey is trouble in a Stetson—cocky, reckless, and everything I swore off when I got clean. The plan is smile pretty for a weekend, collect my cash, and never see him again. But Hunter keeps surprising me with glimpses of the man beneath the bad-boy reputation. And he's starting to ask questions I can't answer—sensing the secret I'm desperate to keep hidden. Falling for Hunter would be the biggest risk I've ever taken. Especially when he finds out the truth. I'm the family screw-up. The party boy. The twin who can't measure up to my perfect brother Hudson. So when my family pressures me to bring a date to Hudson's Valentine's wedding extravaganza, I do what any drunk, rebellious cowboy would do—I offer my Uber driver five thousand dollars to fake it for a weekend. Dixie is gorgeous and clearly thinks I'm an idiot. Perfect. No feelings, no expectations, just a business arrangement. Except Dixie's hiding something. I can see it in the way she deflects, the shadows in her eyes, the careful way she guards every word. And instead of running like I always do, I want to know her secrets. I want to prove I'm more than the mess everyone thinks I am. For her. Even if it means becoming the man I've been too scared to be. 📖 CONTENT INFORMATION 💋 Spicy fake dating with a guaranteed HEA! 🤠 Perfect for readers who love redemption arcs, swoony cowboys with hidden depths, and bad boys who find their purpose 🎂 Contains creative uses for wedding cake, creative ways to avoid your judgmental family, and creative interpretations of 'fake' relationships 💕 Secrets and second chances, Valentine's wedding chaos, meddling small-town bakery owners, and a cowboy learning that being a good man is sexier than being a wild one 💔 The only thing sweeter than wedding cake is falling in love when you've sworn it off forever.

Operation: Temptation (Cupid City Security Romance) by Annee Jones

💕📸💕 She hunts scandals for a living. He's the one secret she can't expose. I'm Cupid City's most notorious paparazzo, and I've just pissed off the wrong person. My apartment's trashed, someone tried to run me off Lock & Key Bridge, and there's a bullet hole in my window. Problem is, I have no idea which story triggered it—the corrupt politician, the CEO's mistress, or the mob-connected developer I exposed last month. My editor's solution? Hire me a babysitter. Dominic Knight is six-foot-three of former Marine who thinks I'm reckless, irresponsible, and in desperate need of a keeper. He's not wrong. But Valentine's week is my busiest season, and I'm not hiding while someone else gets the shots. If he wants to protect me, he'll have to keep up. The only problem? I can't stop thinking about what his handcuffs would feel like when they're not for suspects. Charlotte Collins is a nightmare assignment. She climbs balconies, hides in linen closets, and has more fake IDs than a CIA operative. She's fearless, brilliant, and completely out of control. My job is keep her alive for seven days without letting her get us both killed. But she won't listen. Won't stay put. Won't stop putting herself in danger. And every time I catch her—pressed against me in the dark, breathless and defiant, looking at me like she's daring me to do something about it—I want to pin her against the nearest wall and make her understand exactly who's in charge. She thinks this is a game. She has no idea how badly I want to show her what happens when she pushes me too far. 📖 CONTENT INFORMATION 🔥 SCORCHING forbidden bodyguard romance with guaranteed HEA! 💋 High heat with explicit D/s dynamics, handcuffs, blindfolds, and a hero who knows exactly how to make her surrender 🎭 Perfect for readers who love paparazzi heroines who take no prisoners, dominant ex-military heroes, forced proximity that ignites, and Valentine's week danger 📸 Features adrenaline-fueled desire, closet quickies, kink negotiation, power exchange, and a commitment-phobe about to discover some risks are worth taking ⚠️ Contains creative uses for tactical gear, public temptation, and a Marine who proves protection can be very, very personal 💕 The only thing more dangerous than her job is falling for the man hired to save her. **************************************************************************** In Cupid City, Valentine’s means glittering galas and dangerous secrets. Heartline Security keeps the city breathing between fireworks and threats. That is, until each protector meets the one person worth breaking protocol for. Fall in love this February where these standalones serve high heat, high stakes, and heart-melting HEAs. Guards up. Hearts open. Valentine gives love the last word.

Mistletoe for My Minotaur (Fairhaven Falls, #5) by Honey Phillips

Her minotaur is ready for a holiday treat! The day before Ginger’s family left Fairhaven Falls in disgrace, she made the mistake of kissing her older brother’s best friend. It was the best - and most embarrassing - moment of her life, but she never thought she’d see the big minotaur again. Now she desperately needs his help, but she has secrets she can’t put on those brawny shoulders. Mayor Howard “Houston” Ironmane is used to solving problems - for everyone else. But when the deliciously sweet - and completely off-limits - woman he’s never forgotten comes to him with an outrageous proposition, he knows it’s finally time for his own chance at happiness. All he has to do is uncover her secrets, convince her that their fake relationship could be perfectly real, and save the town’s Christmas festival! It’s going to take more than kisses under the mistletoe and a little holiday magic to unravel this naughty knot! Welcome to Fairhaven Falls - where the holiday lights twinkle, love sparkles, and monsters know exactly how to unwrap your… heart! Each book in the Fairhaven Falls series can be read as a standalone romance. This sweet and steamy holiday tale is intended for mature readers.

Mountain Man's Lucky Heart: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #02) by Lilah Hart

A reclusive mountain man. A woman who believes in fate. One life-changing night. I didn’t believe in luck. Life in the foster system teaches you self-reliance, not miracles. I built everything I have with my own hands— a remote mountain cabin, a solitary woodworking business, a quiet life in the mountains that didn’t need anyone else. For twelve years, that was enough. Then a woman blocked my driveway. Josie Brennan was pure sunshine— a bright, talkative heroine with a hopeful heart, a woman who believed in fate, signs, and second chances, and the most beautiful distraction I’d ever seen. She’d driven a dangerous mountain road looking for her missing friend. I told myself I was just helping— a search through the woods, a shared dinner, one night in my spare room when she didn’t want to stay with strangers. That was all it was supposed to be. But Josie believed in meant-to-be love, and the way she looked at me cracked open every wall I’d ever built. One night. One connection. One woman who saw something in me worth staying for. She called me her lucky charm. Turns out, she was mine. Tropes: ⛰️ Mountain Man Romance 😠Grumpy Hero / Bright-Spirited Heroine 🤝 Forced Proximity 🔥 One-Night Connection 💘 Instalove Romance 🛖 Remote Cabin Setting 🧔‍♂️ Protective Alpha Hero ✨ Fate & Destiny Romance 🌲 Small-Town Mountain Life 💛 Emotionally Guarded Hero 🐾 Search for a Missing Friend 🥂 Strangers-to-Lovers Mountain Man’s Lucky Heart is a mountain man instalove romance featuring a reclusive, protective hero, a bright-spirited heroine, forced proximity in a remote cabin, and a fate-driven connection that turns one night into forever.

Dirty Duet: A Rock Star Romance by Alana Khan

When a classically trained flutist and a tattooed rocker collide, the result is pure combustion. Ana I need complete solitude in this remote rental to finish the symphony I’ve been working on. Who am I kidding? I haven’t written a note. The harder I try, the more the music eludes me… until the most irritating man on Earth barges into my cottage at midnight and insists he’s supposed to be sleeping in my bed. I want to wipe that cocky smirk off his face, but the more I get to know him, the less immune I am to his rough-edged charm, his gorgeous mismatched eyes, or the simmering, soulful energy that hides beneath the façade of a man so untamed he calls his fans “the rats.” Nyxx From the moment we meet, Ana’s rigid posture and tight-lipped disapproval shout Stay away. Ignoring the ice queen should be easy for a man with a reputation for being wild—even by rock-star standards. Except when she plays, I see the vibrant, untamed woman burning beneath her polished surface. The more she opens up, the more I want to explore what happens when her passionate desires finally break free. This enemies-to-lovers, one-bed, rock-star romance hits every perfect note—wit, heat, and a duet that lingers in your soul long after the last note fades. If you love forced proximity, slow-burn tension that erupts into undeniable passion, and opposites who make soul-stirring music together, you’ll fall for Dirty Duet. Previously published in the Bite Out of Love collection—now with expanded scenes, bonus content, and a brand-new epilogue.

Hidden Away with the Mountain Man (Valor In The Mountains Series) by Lilah Hart

When nowhere feels safe, a gruff mountain man offers shelter, silence, and more. I defended myself. The internet destroyed me for it. One viral video. Fifteen seconds. No context, no explanation—just me, standing up to a man who wouldn’t keep his hands off me, while millions of strangers decided who I was. So I ran. I didn’t plan an escape. I didn’t even notice the snowstorm until it swallowed the road whole. I was just trying to reach my brother’s cabin in the mountains—somewhere I could disappear until the world forgot my face. That’s when I hit the bear. Not a real bear. A chainsaw-carved mailbox holder. One careless moment in a blizzard that left it splintered in the snow. I could’ve driven off. No one would’ve known. But that’s not who I am. So I knocked on a stranger’s door at midnight, shaking in my work uniform, ready to confess. The man who answered was big, gruff, and clearly irritated—until he looked at me like he could see straight through every defense I had left. T.J. didn’t know about the video. Didn’t care about my body. Didn’t reduce me to fifteen seconds of someone else’s narrative. He saw the bruise on my arm and wanted to burn the world down for me. He listened to my story and believed me without hesitation. One night. One storm. One man who saw the real me when the rest of the world refused to. Sometimes love doesn’t come from being understood by everyone— but from being believed by one stranger in the woods with a mailbox he never liked anyway. They’ve served their time in the armed forces. They’ve faced battles most people could never imagine. They carry the scars—emotional and physical—to prove it. Now these gruff, off-the-grid mountain men want nothing more than peace and solitude. What they don’t expect? For her to walk into their lives. She’s half his age. She’s completely off-limits—maybe she’s the landlord’s daughter, his daughter's best friend, his best friend’s little girl, the sheriff’s daughter, his younger nanny, or the girl next door he watched grow up. She’s the temptation he swore he’d never touch. And yet, in the quiet of the mountains, the lines start to blur… and resisting her might be the hardest mission of his life. Each book in the Valor In The Mountains series is a standalone romance with high heat, real heart, and the kind of spice that will warm you all year long.

Mountain Man's Lucky Love: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Rescue #1) by Lilah Hart

A reluctant hero broke his own rules for the woman who changed everything. I wasn’t looking for love. I was looking for answers. Someone had turned my property into a three-ring circus without authorization—and I intended to shut it down. Then I saw her. Peyton was covered in dog hair, dirt smudged on her cheek, fire in her eyes. She was running a full-scale rescue operation on my land, breaking half the terms of my lease agreement—and when I confronted her, she didn’t flinch. Didn’t apologize. Didn’t back down. She told me to help. I’d spent nineteen years building my wealth. Investing early. Protecting what was mine. Keeping everyone at arm’s length. Control was everything. Feelings were a liability I couldn’t afford. Until her. She didn’t care about my money or my reputation. She saw past the power and straight to the man underneath—and somehow rewired everything I thought I knew about myself. I showed up the next morning with supplies I had no business buying, for dogs I had no reason to care about, just to be near a woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. She was twelve years younger. A student with her whole life ahead of her. I was thirty-five and had forgotten what it felt like to want something money couldn’t buy. She made me remember. One weekend. One rescue operation. One volunteer coordinator who turned my world upside down. I came to protect my property. I left with something far more valuable. Tropes: 🐾 Rescue Animals Romance 🔥 Age-Gap Attraction 🛡️ Protective Alpha Hero 😤 Grumpy-to-Gone Hero 💼 Wealthy Investor Hero 🚪Forced Proximity Weekend 💥Instalove Chemistry 🥰 He Falls First Romance 💖 Fast-Burn Emotional Connection 🐕‍🦺 Small-Scale Rescue Operation Setting Mountain Man's Lucky Love is a steamy, standalone instalove romance featuring a protective hero, a passionate heroine, and a rescue operation that saves more than just the animals.

Ice Hearted Mountain Man (Not Looking for Love Series) by Lilah Hart

A grumpy mountain man romance sparked by a Valentine’s Day meet-cute he never saw coming. I wasn’t looking for love. I’d watched it destroy my parents—two people who started out crazy about each other and ended up tearing each other apart piece by piece. By the time they were done, there was nothing left but wreckage and regret. I wasn’t making the same mistake. I moved to Wildwood Valley for the solitude. The silence. A life where no one got close enough to hurt me. I had my work, my cabin, my peace. That was enough. Then she walked into my construction trailer on Valentine’s Day and ruined everything. Gemma Ellis was warm where I was cold. Hopeful where I was bitter. She had plans for her life. Dreams for her future. And a smile that hit me like a punch to the chest. She was exactly the kind of woman I should’ve stayed far, far away from. But I couldn’t. Something about her got under my skin—the way she laughed at her own jokes, the way she called me out when I tried to push her away, the way she looked at me like I was worth saving. Even when I warned her not to bother. She made me want things I’d sworn I’d never want. Made me believe in things I’d convinced myself didn’t exist. One day. One tiny construction trailer. One woman brave enough to crack open a heart I’d frozen shut years ago. I told myself love was a trap. Gemma made me wonder if I’d been wrong about everything. Tropes: 🏔️ Grumpy Mountain Man ☀️ Sunshine Heroine 💘 Valentine’s Day Meet-Cute 🏡 Forced Proximity 💥 Opposites Attract Romance 🔥 High-Heat Instalove 🛠️ Blue-Collar Hero ❄️ Emotionally Guarded Hero 💞 One Day, Life-Changing Connection 🧸 Soft-Hearted Protector Ice Hearted Mountain Man is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Not Looking for Love series.

The Motorcycle Mechanic: A Beauty and the Beast Small Town Romance (Maplewharf Falls Book 6) by Lane Winters

Prim and proper librarian Penelope Hartwell's life is perfectly organized—until her car breaks down and she's rescued by the town's most intimidating resident. Tattooed motorcycle mechanic Dax Ryder is everything she's supposed to avoid: rough, dangerous-looking, and completely irresistible. When her car needs a week of repairs, Dax offers to give her rides on his motorcycle. Penny's terrified, but she accepts. And somewhere between holding onto him for dear life and discovering he's a secret reader with a heart of gold, she falls completely. But small towns talk. And when the library board threatens her job over their relationship, Penny has to choose: the safe life she's always known, or the man who makes her feel truly alive for the first time. Dax never expected the sweet librarian to fight for him. But when she walks into that board meeting holding his hand, he realizes she's the bravest person he's ever met. A beauty-and-the-beast romance about breaking stereotypes, defying expectations, and proving that the best love stories are the ones everyone says won't work.

Mountain Man's Winter Sunshine (Wildwood Valley Firehouse, #6) by Lilah Hart

A grumpy firefighter. A fake romance that burns real. I came to Wildwood Valley to disappear. To escape a controlling mother, an ex who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and a life that felt suffocating before I was even living it. Slipping behind the bar at a mountain town roadhouse was supposed to be temporary—just long enough to breathe again. Then he walked through the door. Not the man I was running from. The one who watched me from the corner booth every night. Silent. Intense. A grumpy firefighter with dark eyes and a permanent scowl that made my pulse trip every time they lingered on me. I told myself I didn’t notice him. I lied. When my past catches up with me at the Roadhouse, panic takes over. I need protection—fast. And the most dangerous-looking man in the room is Briggs. Six feet of muscle, bad attitude, and barely contained heat. So I climb into his lap and beg him to play along. One whispered please changes everything. He calls me his without hesitation. Puts himself between me and the world like it’s instinct. And suddenly, the man who’s been watching me for weeks isn’t pretending anymore. But I’ve spent too long being someone’s project. Someone’s sensible choice. Trust doesn’t come easy. Briggs has one night to prove that he doesn’t want to save me. He wants to keep me. Tropes: 🔥 Grumpy Firefighter Hero 🎭 Fake Relationship Turns Real 🛡️ Protective “Touch Her and Die” Energy 🍻 Small-Town Bar & Roadhouse Romance 💥 Instalove with High Emotional Stakes 👀 Brooding Hero Who’s Been Watching Her 💋 Fast-Burn Chemistry & Open-Door Heat 🏔️ Mountain Town Escape Romance 🖤 Woman on the Run Finds Safety ❤️‍🔥 Alpha Protector Who Claims Her Publicly Mountain Man's Winter Sunshine is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Songbird (Wildwood Valley Firehouse, #5) by Lilah Hart

A blizzard shuts roads. A firefighter opens her heart. I’d spent my whole life playing it safe. Stay in Wildwood Valley. Work my steady job. Keep my dreams locked away where they couldn’t hurt me. People said my voice could stop traffic—but I’d never been brave enough to let anyone really hear it. Then the blizzard hit. The roadhouse filled with stranded travelers and restless energy, and that’s when I saw him. Knox. A firefighter with broad shoulders, dark scruff, and the weight of the world etched into his posture. Quiet. Watchful. The kind of man who didn’t ask for attention—but commanded it anyway. I didn’t plan to sing that day. But the crowd needed calming. Elsa needed help. And somehow, I ended up on stage with a microphone in my shaking hand. When I opened my eyes, Knox was watching me. Not glancing. Not distracted. Watching—like something inside him had shifted. He put his phone down. He walked toward me. And everything I believed about playing it safe went up in flames. Knox didn’t try to save me or fix me. He just stood there, steady and sure, while I finally took the leap I’d been avoiding my whole life. Some risks are worth taking. And this one? He was mine. Tropes & Vibes: ❄️ Snowed-In by a Blizzard 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🎤 Hidden Talent Heroine 💘 Instant Connection / Instalove 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🧥 Quiet, Protective Alpha 💥 One-Moment Life Change ❤️‍🔥 He Falls First ✨ Finding Your Voice 🏡 Wildwood Valley Romance Mountain Man's Winter Songbird is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse 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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Righteous Desires by Florence Wolfe

Under the lights, they are gods. Behind the curtain, they are ghosts. Silas Reed made the impossible choice: break Cal Kincaid’s heart to save his career. But the grief followed him to the ring. One botched move later, Silas was exiled with a shattered shoulder, leaving Cal alone to become the ruthless King of the industry. Seven years later, the exile is over. Silas returns to a world that moved on without him. But the man waiting for him isn’t the boy he left behind. Cal is now the untouchable Heavyweight Champion of the World, and he hasn’t forgiven a damn thing. Scripted rivals. Real life strangers. Inescapable lovers. The hatred turns to heat. The rivalry turns to obsession. While the cameras roll, they tear each other apart. But when the locker room clears, the dynamic shifts. Their collision is violent, desperate, and anything but scripted. Silas wants his legacy back. But the only way to the top is through the man he destroyed. Ring the bell, the main event is underway.

Mountain Man’s Winter Treasure: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #4) by Lilah Hart

He watched her for weeks in silence. Now they're snowed in together. I was freezing to death in someone else's house when he showed up. The power was out. The snow had buried the doors. I'd already accepted that this house sitting gig might be the last decision I ever made. Then headlights cut through the storm, and a man climbed out of a truck like he'd driven straight out of my darkest, most desperate fantasy. Broad shoulders. Dark beard. Eyes that looked right through me. He didn't say much. He got the fire going, checked the pipes, made terrible instant coffee. And when I asked his name, he gave me one word. Wolfe. He told me he was staying. Protocol, he said. He couldn't leave me alone with no heat and no way out. But the way he looked at me had nothing to do with protocol. I didn't know he'd been watching me for weeks. I didn't know he'd memorized my schedule at the roadhouse, that he'd stared at his menu every time I came to take his order because he couldn't trust himself to look at me. I didn't know that when my name came through on that emergency call, his heart stopped. But I was about to find out. 🔥 Forced Proximity ❄️ Snowed In Romance 🐻 Grumpy Hero / Sunshine Heroine 👀 Secret Pining 🌸 Virgin Heroine 💘 Instalove 😍 He Falls First Mountain Man's Winter Treasure is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Sweetheart: A Steamy Instalove Romance ((Wildwood Valley Firehouse #3) by Lilah Hart

Snowed in with a rugged firefighter. Falling wasn’t optional. I don’t do distractions. I have a plan. A timeline. A future that doesn’t include this tiny mountain town—or the firefighters who pack into the roadhouse every night, loud and charming and impossible to ignore. Especially him. Hux is six-foot-three of trouble wrapped in flannel. A smile built to break hearts. A laugh that fills the room. I’ve watched him flirt his way through every shift, and I’ve kept my distance for a reason. Then the snowstorm hits. He stumbles through the door half-frozen, collapses on my counter, and wakes up to find me standing over him with a bowl of soup I don’t remember deciding to make. Now we’re trapped. The roads are impassable. The power’s flickering. And somehow, Hux has ended up in my kitchen—following my rules, watching me like I’m something worth seeing. He’s not what I expected. Under the jokes and easy charm is something steady. Something real. Something that makes me forget why I was so determined to leave in the first place. The storm won’t last forever. Neither will the forced proximity. Neither will the heat that builds every time he looks at me like he’s already chosen. He says he’s serious about me. And that terrifies me more than the storm ever could. ❄️ Snowed-In Romance 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🍲 Caretaker Moment 🧣 Forced Proximity 💕 Instalove Sparks 🛡️ Protective Hero Energy 🌨️ Winter Storm Isolation 💫 Opposites Attract 🏡 Found Family Vibes Mountain Man's Winter Sweetheart is an OTT age-gap firefighter romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Rescued by the Cursed Phoenix (Rescued From Ruin) by Vala Stone

Have I just stumbled from one monster, straight into the clutches of another? Ava I have a habit of doing what people tell me I shouldn’t. Like eating that extra cookie, or you know, dating the bad boy. When I try to get out of this latest pickle, running is my only option. A dark gloomy mansion in the middle of the woods, surrounded by an ominous fence. Yeah, that’s not where you expect to find salvation. But the man that swoops down on me, pulling me from the snapping jaws of danger… He sets my blood on fire and makes my heart melt with his care and his cute pet cat. Lucius I just want to be left alone. The world is a dangerous place and I want nothing to do with it. But when pretty Ava stumbles onto my doorstep, I can’t help myself. Parts of me ignite that I thought had long ago turned to ashes. To keep her safe, to keep us both safe, I must let her go. I should send her away. To break my curse, to rescue her from ruin, I might have to break all my rules. I might have to ignite all the flames and make the ultimate sacrifice. Rescued by the Cursed Phoenix is a short, steamy novella that is part of the Rescued From Ruin shared author series. It features one sexy, cursed Phoenix, a plucky damsel in distress, and a very wise matchmaking cat.

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.

Code Red (Side Hustle) by Lilah Hart

She lost a cat. He found his forever. I've been a good girl my whole life. Followed the rules. Obeyed my father. Kept my head down and my heart locked up tight. One day in Wildwood Valley changed everything. It started with a cat. A diabetic escape artist named Snowball who bolted from my clinic on my very first day flying solo. Desperate and panicking, I ran to the fire station next door for help. I didn't expect to find a man in nothing but black boxer briefs, singing into a spatula like he owned the world. Devon Carlisle was grumpy, gorgeous, and completely off-limits. A rugged construction foreman with callused hands and a volunteer firefighter's heart. He had no business looking at me the way he did—like I was trouble he wanted to get into. I had no business letting him. But somewhere between chasing that cat through the woods and sharing drinks at the new honky-tonk in town, I stopped being the pastor's dutiful daughter. I stopped playing it safe. I started playing with fire. Code Red is a short and steamy instalove romance set in the small mountain town of Wildwood Valley, North Carolina. This 1-hour read is part of the Side Hustle series. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Side Hustle series! About the Series: From broke beginnings to business dreams, the real hustle begins after hours. Whether it’s garage startups or late-night gigs, these blue-collar heroes and heroines are chasing goals bigger than the next bill. When love throws them a curveball, they learn that building a future means risking their hearts. Side Hustle is a multi-author series of short, steamy instalove stories with guaranteed happily-ever-afters. Each one delivers open-door heat, real-world grit, and chemistry that burns hotter after midnight.

Mountain Man's Winter Darling: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #02) by Lilah Hart

Snowed in. Guarded heart. One firefighter who stays. I’d spent years building walls. As the manager of Wildwood Ridge Roadhouse, I was the woman with the clipboard and the answers—the one who handled every crisis, solved every problem, and never let anyone see me crack. I’d watched charming men try to get past my defenses before, and I’d shut every single one of them down. Then the blizzard hit. Conner was everything I’d trained myself to avoid—a firefighter with a sharp tongue, an easy smile, and a reputation for never taking anything seriously. The jokester. The flirt. The last man I should have trusted with my secrets. But the storm stranded us together. And somewhere between the snow piling against the windows and the hours slipping quietly by, he stopped joking. He looked at me like he saw past the role I played for everyone else. He didn’t see the manager. He didn’t see the woman in control. He saw me. I’d never let anyone that close before. Never wanted to. But Conner made me want things I’d convinced myself weren’t real—the kind of connection that happened in one impossible night and changed everything. He said he wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to believe him. But I’d been the responsible one my whole life—and responsible women didn’t fall for strangers during snowstorms. They didn’t risk everything on a single night. …Did they? Tropes: ❄️ Snowed-In Romance 🔥 Firefighter Hero 🏔️ Small-Town Mountain Setting 🧊 Forced Proximity 😏 Jokester Hero Who Falls Hard 🛡️ Guarded Heroine ❤️ One-Night-to-Forever Love 💋 Steamy Instalove Chemistry 🥰 He Falls First 🏡 Standalone Romance with HEA Mountain Man's Winter Darling is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity ex-military, lumberjack romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Mountain Man's Winter Beauty: A Steamy Instalove Romance (Wildwood Valley Firehouse #1) by Lilah Hart

Trapped by winter. Claimed by a mountain firefighter. I noticed Mason the moment he walked into the roadhouse. Hard not to. He was built like the mountains surrounding Wildwood Valley—broad shoulders, powerful arms, hands that looked like they could either break you in half or hold you like you mattered. One of the new firefighters in town. The kind of man every woman noticed. Except he didn’t notice me. Or so I thought. For weeks, Mason came in with his crew. He talked to everyone—the bartender, the cook, the manager. Everyone except me. When I refilled his sweet tea, he couldn’t meet my eyes. When I asked for his order, he answered in single words, like speaking to me was harder than running into a burning building. I told myself it didn’t matter. I was just the server. The small-town girl nobody really saw. Then the snowstorm hit. The roads closed. My car couldn’t make it up the mountain. And suddenly I was stranded in a ditch—in the cab of Mason’s truck—with nowhere to go and no way out. That’s when everything changed. That’s when the quiet firefighter finally told me the truth. He hadn’t been avoiding me because he wasn’t interested. He’d been avoiding me because he was terrified of how much he wanted me. We had one hour before his crew reached us. One hour to decide if this was real—or just the storm talking. One hour that could change everything. Sometimes the best things happen when you’re trapped in the cold… with the one man who can keep you warm. Tropes: 🔥 Firefighter Romance 🏔️ Mountain Man Alpha Hero ❄️ Snowstorm Forced Proximity 🛻 Stranded Together 💪 Protective Age-Gap Hero 😳 Shy Alpha, Hidden Desire 🌸 Virgin Heroine / First Time ⚡ Fast-Burn Instalove ❤️ Small-Town Romance 🌡️ High-Heat OTT Novella Mountain Man's Winter Beauty is an OTT age-gap romance featuring an alpha hero and V-card heroine. It's a forced proximity firefighter romance with lots of steam that's designed to be read in only 1 hour. If you like short, steamy instalove novellas, you’ll love the entire Wildwood Valley Firehouse series!

Love Mediation by D.C. Emerson

Love. Four seemingly innocuous letters that have caused James a lot of grief. Growing up, he thought he had his mom and dad’s love, and his first boyfriend had said lots of pretty words—“love" included. But when push came to shove, the only one whose love stuck around was his mom. And yes, he knows how pathetic that sounds, especially given that his mom is now busier than ever, happily planning Valentine’s Day for her two partners. Things are changing, though. James also has a beloved partner. A man he’s ready to introduce to his mom, and maybe even say those terrifying three words to… He just has to make it perfect. Leon, on the other hand, is far from perfect, and has no plans to try and be anything other than what he is: the office bad boy who is finally facing his ADHD head on…while also reckoning with the fact that he's head over heels for his ridiculous, adorable boyfriend. With the help of new friends and his loveable cat Yarmen, he’s sure everything will work out just fine. Love Mediation is the third novella in the Conflict Mediation series. The series is MM romance novella with trans rep and follows James and Leon as they explore their relationship, form new, long-lasting friendships, and dote on everyone’s favorite cat, Yarmen.

Conflict Resolution by D.C. Emerson

James: James really thought he and Leon left all their struggles behind at the haunted house. His mom is healthy and happy, dating not one but two wonderful people, and James’ own relationship is off to a great start. Unfortunately, as the year draws to a close, James comes face-to-face with a new obstacle: intimacy. While James is by no means a stranger to physical intimacy, it’s been a long time since he had to introduce someone to his parts and preferences. Taking this next step in their relationship comes with lots of conversations…and James wouldn’t call himself an expert conversationalist. Leon: Well, it’s been quite a year. Going from enemies to friends to soon-to-be lovers with James has been a journey, but Leon wouldn’t trade a second of it. What he could do without is the dual diagnosis of anxiety, which he discovered in the middle of a haunted house, and ADHD, which James’ office subordinates noticed before any of Leon’s therapists did. He really thought he’d gotten all his self-discovery out of the way as a teen, but it seems there’s always room to grow. At least this time he won’t be doing it alone. Conflict Resolution is a steamy MM romance novella with trans rep about self-discovery, growth, New Year’s resolutions, and, of course, lots of snuggles with a very needy cat. This is the second novella in a series of novellas following the same couple through various stages of their journey toward a happy-ever-after. This book focuses primarily on the exploring intimacy stage, so if that’s not your vibe, skip to the next novella, Love Mediation, for more James and Leon. The Conflict Mediation novella series should be read in order and is a spinoff from the Not So Normative series, but can be read separately from the other Not So Normative books. The reading order is: Conflict Mediation, Haunted Mediation, Conflict Resolutions, Love Mediation, and a finale.

Haunted Mediation by D.C. Emerson

It’s been six months since workplace rivals James and Leon were sent to conflict mediation, only to end up in couple's counseling. Since then, they’ve become friends, and James would even go so far as to call them best friends. Which is great. Truly. James is so grateful for their lunch dates and weekend hangouts...even if his feelings for Leon moved way past platonic months ago. What matters is his mom is doing better now. She’s been in remission for almost a full year and is becoming increasingly independent—right in time for her all-time favorite holiday: Halloween. All James has wanted for years is for her to be healthy enough to enjoy the small things in life, like having her new “friends” over for scary movies and pumpkin flavored treats. So why does he feel so lost and aimless now? He knows he should talk to Leon about it. Halloween night doesn’t seem like the right time, though, especially not when they get tricked into visiting a house of horrors. If James can get through it, maybe then they can talk, even if doing so feels scarier than anything they’ll face in the haunted house. Haunted Mediation is an MM novella with trans rep, featuring a troublesome neighbor, a needy cat, and a Haunted House. The Conflict Mediation novella series should be read in order and is a spinoff from the Not So Normative series, but can be read separately from the other Not So Normative books. The reading order is: Conflict Mediation, Haunted Mediation, Conflict Resolutions, Love Mediation, and a finale.

Conflict Mediation by D.C. Emerson

James was doing just fine at work, minding his own business and avoiding his long-time nemesis, Leon, at all costs. Unfortunately, upper management has other plans for them, and that’s how James finds himself spending a miserable evening at conflict mediation with Leon. Leon has worked hard to get where he is today, and he doesn’t need his annoying coworker James ruining that for him. He’s ready to grit his teeth through conflict mediation if that means he gets to keep his job and go about his life. Unfortunately, there must have been a mix-up in the office because James and Leon find themselves in a couples counseling session instead. Will they be able to get through the session with their jobs, and their grudges for each other, intact? Community Reviews

Signals + Sentiments: A Heartstrings & Coffee Beans Novel by Noah Bodie

When Max Alexander’s best friend moves overseas, the last thing he expects is to open his apartment door to Lucas Campbell—the boy who made his teenage years a living hell. Now, adults and unexpected roommates, Max and Lucas, are trapped in close quarters by a signed lease and a history neither of them has healed from. Max is an art student who survives on rigid routines, sensory control, and silence. Lucas is a writer carrying family obligations, guilt, and a past he’s never been able to explain. As the days pass, old wounds resurface alongside unexpected tenderness, and both are forced to face who they were and who they've become. Healing isn’t loud, forgiveness isn’t clean, and love ... doesn’t always arrive the way you expect it to.

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.

A Portrait For Tomorrow by Raynarde

After a failed stint in college, Gerald Waller is a reclusive lion unhappy with his static life. Buried are his desires of being an artist like his late mother, along with the prospect of finding love. When chance connects him with Michael, an optimistic fox with a penchant for the guitar, Gerald begins to see life with a fresh perspective and optimism. With renewed inspiration, Gerald resurrects an ambitious painting project and falls in love with Michael. However, life's fast and unexpected curveballs overturn Gerald's life and shakes his faith. Balancing between caring for his lover's health, his strained relationship with his alcoholic father, and progress on his painting, Gerald wonders how he can march forward with all he's learned and remain hopeful. Intimate and philosophical, A Portrait For Tomorrow is a hopeful story celebrating the wonders of life and the precious people we encounter.