Widower Caleb Lawson has resigned himself to a life of farming and family functions. He never expects to find another love like he had with his wife, much less remarry. But once his mother brings home Sofia Nogales to help her get back on her feet, he starts to reconsider his expectations. Sofia is beautiful, witty, and so full of life that his arms ache to hold her.
Determined to make a new life for herself, former head chef Sofia Nogales hopped on the first bus to the east coast and refused to look back. However, she never dreamed a series of bad events would have her end up in Jessamine, North Carolina as the guest of Dinah Lawson. Nor did she ever dream of meeting someone like Dinah’s son Caleb—the sexy farmer, who keeps everything to himself… except the heated look in his eyes.
But when the opportunity comes knocking—to the tune of cooking at an already established and popular restaurant two states away, will Caleb be able to convince her to stay?
Bank Teller and all around good girl, Sydney McKnight, is tired of being the girl all the guys want to have as a friend. Who better to help unleash her inner vixen than her best friend and secret crush, Brody Lawson? Only, Sydney has no idea how to ask him, without their friendship going up in flames, until that is, the town of Jessamine’s annual Firemen’s Auction gives her the perfect excuse to set her plan into motion.Fire Captain Brody Lawson has been in love with his best friend, Sydney, for years, but he would never risk their friendship by confessing his feelings to her. So, when Sydney beats out the competition to buy his time at the annual Firemen’s Auction, Brody can hardly believe his luck until she asks him to teach her how to seduce a fellow fireman.
Now, it’s up to Brody to show Sydney how perfect she already is and convince her that they only man for her is him, because if Sydney is going to seduce any man, it’s going to be him. And once he has her in his bed, he’s not letting her go.
Finally, Lucas Lawson is a free man. After serving five years in prison for embezzlement, he’s come home to Jessamine to right the wrongs he committed against his friends and family. But, it won’t be easy. For starters, the brother he’s looked up to his entire life wants nothing to do with him, and no one in town trusts Lucas enough to give him a chance to make amends. Until, Bailey Yates gives him a job at her family’s diner.
Single mom, Bailey Yates, has had enough of bad boys to last her the next eighteen years. She’s always been a sucker for them, and Jessamine’s ultimate bad boy, Lucas Lawson, is no exception. So, when he returns to town, naturally she’s drawn to him. And naturally, she must avoid him at all costs—no matter how sexy he is. She’ll give him a job, and keep her distance…until Lucas saves her son from a hit and run.
Bailey gives Lucas a hope for the future he hasn’t allowed himself to feel in years while Lucas melts Bailey’s heart every time he spends time with her son. Could he be the one to put her life back together? But when Lucas is accused of stealing from a local charity, Bailey must decide to support him or realize that some men are too good to be true.
All former Navy SEAL Mason Lawson craves is solitude. Unfortunately, his new neighbor won’t allow him the peace he so desperately needs. Between the traffic and the music, Mason is constantly on edge—not exactly what the doctor ordered for someone recovering from a bullet to the leg. However, when he finally has enough and confronts his neighbor, nothing can prepare him for how hot he’d get for the teacher next door.
Piano teacher, Skylar Jernigan, loves everything about the town of Jessamine—from the quaint Main Street shops to the people who own them. Unfortunately, once she’s chewed up and spit out by her sexy neighbor, Skylar begins to question her decision to move to a new town. Until, that is, she learns he’s suffering from a war wound and refuses to have anything to do with his family.
Now, Skylar is determined to help Mason recover—mentally, physically and socially—until he turns the tables and sets out to seduce Skylar right out of her meddling ways. Only seduction turns into something more and soon, Mason can’t stop looking for excuses to be with her. But when the Navy wants Mason to reenlist for a dangerous mission, will Skylar be too irresistible for him to leave?
Prim and proper beauty queen Lemon McCoy is at her wit’s end when one night of passion leaves her pregnant by Jessamine’s favorite ladies man, Tristan Lawson. Forced to turn to her childhood tormentor in her time of need, she convinces Tristan to marry her to keep the gossip in their small town at bay.
Marine turned hometown librarian Tristan Lawson has secretly loved Lemon McCoy for years but they can’t seem to be around each other without trading insults. When Lemon finally spends the night with him, it’s a dream come true, and he hopes, the start of something more. But the very next morning they are back to their bickering ways that forces the two apart. Until Lemon confesses that she’s pregnant with his baby, giving him a second chance he never expected.
Although Tristan agrees to a marriage of convenience, he is confident he can show Lemon they are right for each other. But can Lemon trust him with her heart, or will their past be too much to overcome?
Star quarterback Austin Lawson’s dating life is fair game to the myriad gossip bloggers. Thanks to his most recent screw up with a social media savvy super model, he’s forced to return home so that his PR team can do damage control. To help speed things along, he volunteers at Jessamine Elementary School, never dreaming he’d find the perfect solution to his image problem in Harper Bell. Sweet as anything, she’s star struck by him and agrees to date-after-date, never suspecting the real reason he wants to be with her. But as things begin to heat up between them, Austin realizes that he wants Harper for more than just a quick fix.
Harper Bell is perfectly content as a second grade teacher in the small town of Jessamine—until she meets the one man who makes her question her lack of social life. She never dreamed that sexy, hometown hero Austin Lawson would ever notice a plain-Jane like herself. And with one hot kiss, she begins to fall head over heels for him…until she learns the truth. Austin’s been using her.
Now Austin has to execute the perfect play to win back the girl of his dreams. Or will Harper bench him permanently?
“How long have you lived here?” she asked.
“About six years. I had my eye on this property for a long time, so when the owner decided to sell so she could move closer to her grandchildren, I didn’t waste anytime buying it.”
“A man who knows what he wants and goes after it,” she murmured before returning to the middle of the kitchen. “You go relax while I decide what to cook.”
He let her shoo him away, but he didn’t go far. While he pretended to watch television, he kept a close eye on Sofia as she bustled around his kitchen. She looked as though she belonged there and not because he thought that’s where every woman belonged.
“Seriously, Caleb, did you go in my diary? This kitchen is perfecto!”
She was perfect.
With a playful smile, she marched to him, holding something in her hand. “Open,” she ordered softly and his mouth parted. “You will love this, I promise.”
He closed his lips around her offering, connecting with her fingertips. As the salty concoction hit his tongue, he sucked on her skin, and then pulled back a little. “Delicious.”
She cocked her head to one side. “Are you sure?”
“I always mean what I say.”
With a satisfied smile, she whirled away from him, her dress flaring out at the bottom. “Dinner will be ready at five thirty.”
As he watched her sashay into the kitchen, he realized that was falling for a woman he knew wouldn’t stay. Hell, he hadn’t even kissed her properly.
Maybe he should fix that tonight.
Marquita Valentine is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Holland Springs and Boys of the South series.
Since first taking the plunge in July of 2012 to self publish, Marquita Valentine has sold over a quarter of a million books around the world. She’s appeared on the Top 100 Bestselling Ebooks Lists on iBooks, Amazon Kindle, and Barnes&Noble. She’s been called “one of the best new voices in romance” (Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews) and her books have been accused of being “a sexy, fun, and slightly addicting contemporary read” (The Book Queen).
When she’s not writing sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she enjoys shopping, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Married to her high school sweetheart, Marquita lives in a seriously small town in the south with her husband, two kids, and a dog.
