May Archer

The job at Sunday Orchard was supposed to be temporary. A chance to gain some work experience. To have some fun. To get away from my overprotective brothers. To maybe, possibly encounter some lumberjacks in their natural habitat before moving on to the dream career that awaited me in the city. I had not expected to be welcomed into a family of gorgeous and weirdly efficient lumberjack-types myself. Or to find a purpose in the tiny Vermont town whose claim to fame seemed to be apple-based products and copious amounts of charm. And I most definitely hadn’t expected to fall for Knox Sunday, my grumpy, burly, fifteen-years-older, reluctant roommate, with his infuriating lectures, his hot-as-fire body, his superior attitude, his snarky humor, and his stealth cuddles. Now I find myself making excuses to delay my big dreams… just for a little while. But Knox has unfulfilled dreams of his own. A career he walked away from. A big city life in Boston he left behind when he returned to his hometown to help his family. He claims he’s not looking for anything permanent, and I’ve never been one to put down roots. My big life is waiting for me somewhere other than Little Pippin Hollow. So why does it feel like I’ve finally found the home of my heart? And how can I get Knox Sunday to… pick me?

I came to Whispering Key for a job. That was all. To show the world Mason Bloom could be more than a small-town doctor living a medium-sized life. Private doctor on a swanky island with a posh resort? Check. But from the moment I set foot on this island, nothing went according to plan. I didn’t expect to find the resort falling apart. I didn’t expect the people here to be so charming and crazy and welcoming and real. I didn’t expect legends about shipwrecks and buried treasure. And I definitely didn’t expect Fenn Reardon, the island’s incredibly attractive, incredibly infuriating, incredibly male resident tour guide, to become the one person I can’t live without. Thirty-five’s a bit late for me to realize I'm not straight, though, right? And I have big dreams that won’t fit on Whispering Key, anyway—dreams that do not include tying myself to a tiny island stuck in the past or to a man who refuses to think about the future. My head’s telling me I have to leave Whispering Key… My heart’s telling me there might be treasure on this island after all.

One night in Vegas I gave him my heart… one day later, he broke it.   Look, I’ve never claimed to be a nice guy. I don’t do pretty words, I don’t give polite smiles, and I refuse to be sucked into the sappy bucket of sentimentality that is Christmas in small-town O’Leary. Smiling neighbors, overly decorated trees, a town parade, a Santa contest? Ho ho no. I do shifts as a firefighter, and I go home alone. I fell into the trap once — that stupid night in Vegas — of believing there was more out there for me. I took a chance on a guy with magical green eyes and a gorgeous smile. The next day, Liam McKnight was gone. He took my heart with him… and left his wedding ring behind. Except now my once-upon-a-time husband has reappeared with a kid in tow, and there are carols, lights, and cookies everywhere I turn. And worst of all? The spark between us burns brighter than ever, because whatever happened in Vegas definitely didn’t stay there. Liam came to town looking for an ending, but what’s building between us feels an awful lot like a beginning. Too bad it’s going to take more than a dozen interfering O’Learians to convince me to take a second chance on heartache, on love… on us. Note: While The Night is very much Liam and Gideon's story, characters from past books do make an appearance, and you'll enjoy the book exponentially more if this isn't your first trip to O'Leary.

“I was in free fall the moment we met, and I just keep falling.” Small town police officer Silas Sloane knows every resident of O’Leary, New York. He’s earned the love and respect of its citizens, though living under the small-town microscope grates on him. But though he’s good at his job, there’s one thing he’s not good at: commitments… Until Everett. Widower Everett Maior, O’Leary’s newest citizen, came to the small town kicking and screaming. He never wanted to become primary caretaker for his grandfather and has no interest in living the provincial life. Snarky and superstitious, he’s proficient at keeping people at a distance... Until he lays eyes on Silas. Strange disappearances are plaguing O’Leary, though, even as Silas and Everett find their growing attraction undeniable. Can they find their way to a future together, even as ghosts from the past threaten to tear them apart?

Once upon a time, I moved to Vermont… and wound up accidentally sort of married. Webb Sunday is the straight single dad next door. He’s lumberjack-gorgeous, Strong and steady as the trees in his family orchard, A grumpy fairytale prince... And entirely off-limits. Or so I thought. Until the drunken night the two of us walked into a bar… And landed ourselves in the middle of small-town history. Who knew hand-fasting was still a thing? The town of Little Pippin Hollow did. And once this bunch of meddling Vermonters gets wind of our accidental betrothal, they are determined to see us seal the deal. But while the chemistry between us is hot enough to melt the winter cold, Webb isn’t interested in a relationship… And I’m not sure how long I can keep pretending I don’t want our hand-fasting to be real. Because while the man might not be the happily ever after I came to Vermont for… He’s looking more and more like the one who’s been hand-picked for me.

Listening Length: 9 hours and 55 minutes. Daniel: I suck at relationships and don't trust anyone, but there are reasons for that. For one thing, every person I've ever cared about has let me down. The only recent exception: O'Leary's town veterinarian...my new best friend. I came to O'Leary for a fresh start. To pare things down to essentials. To forget about the failures in my past. The last thing I need is complications, and most definitely not a boyfriend. Julian: I've lived in O'Leary my entire life and learned to fly under the radar a long time ago. I do what's expected, say what's expected, and keep to myself as much as possible. It's a hell of a lot simpler spending my time working with animals than trying to interact with actual people. The one unlikely exception: the gorgeous guy who moved to a cabin just outside of town and somehow became my best friend. But friendships are complicated, and one morning I find myself accidentally telling the whole town the biggest lie of my life. Which is how Daniel Michaelson, my very straight, very hot best friend becomes my fake boyfriend, even though he's most definitely not my lover.

MicahConstantine Ross is a cocky, provoking little...yeah.And I swear, I'd think that even if his family's business wasn't my biggest competition.It's time someone taught the man a lesson or two about life.At least that's what I tell myself when I offer him a job.Call it my good deed for the year... maybe the century.But now he's in my shop.In my space.In my every damn thought.In. My. Bed. And how the hell am I supposed to resist him?ConstantineI'll be the first to admit I've royally screwed up, but what can I say?I was a stupid teen who lost his dad and spiraled out of control.Almost a decade later, I'm still trying to make amends.The last thing I need is my family's arch-nemesis wading into my life like he's got all the answers.Except... I really need money, and the arrogant jerk offered me a job.I can deal with Micah's attitude.My attraction to him? That's different.He's my boss, not my boyfriend.And he's way too old for me.But God, he's gorgeous.Dominant.Compelling.I don't want to want him...But I can't turn away.

I once lived a fairly quiet existence as a math professor. Then Teagan Donahue crashed into my life like a shooting star. Now every day's a holiday, and my very best friend is also the guy I can't stop fantasizing about. The guy I'm madly in love with. The guy I'm ready to turn down my dream job for. But the statistical probability of a man like Teagan wanting his shy, nerdy roommate as more than a friend is incredibly low, and if I have to choose between having everything else I've ever wanted and having Teagan in my life... well, I know which one I'll pick, every time. Then one night on a crowded dance floor, I'm suddenly faced with a probability I've never let myself calculate: what if I don't have to choose at all? NOTE: This is a 25k word novella that was first available as part of a promotional giveaway. No new content has been added.

Camden Seaver had it easy - a loving family, plenty of money, and the freedom to follow his dreams while his older brother, Sebastian, took charge of the family business. But when a tragic plane crash killed his parents, all the responsibilities he never wanted landed firmly on his shoulders. Now saddled with his crazy, grief-stricken brother and his dad’s multimillion dollar company, Cam doesn’t trust in dreams anymore. He’s forgotten what “easy” feels like. FBI Agent Kendrick “Cort” Cortland learned the hard way that he couldn’t depend on anyone but himself. Before joining the FBI, the one constant in his life was his foster brother, Damon - and then Damon disappeared. Now, Cort is determined to find his brother and to bring down the man responsible for ruining Damon’s life, Sebastian Seaver. He’s got nothing left to lose. When Cort’s investigation leads him to Seaver Tech...and Camden Seaver...what started as a quest for revenge and a one-night deception quickly turns into far more than either man bargained for. But how can either man trust in something that seems so easy? As long-held secrets are revealed, the attraction between Cam and Cort becomes combustible - an undeniable love that will either make or destroy them. Will Cam and Cort let their conflicting loyalties drive them apart? Or will they decide that sometimes love is the easy way?

My childhood friend. My biggest rival. The only man I’ve ever wanted. If there were a prize for the most contented man in Copper County, I’d win it every time. I’ve got my business. My son. My family. My friends… and no romantic prospects, sure, but only because I don’t need any. My life’s great as it is. Seriously. Could not be better. I’m practically bleeding serenity over here. At least until Jasper Wrigley shows up in Copper County after twenty years–as my son’s temporary hockey coach, no less, though the man could barely lace up his skates back in the day–and throws my carefully ordered life into chaos. Once upon a time, magnetic, confident Jasper was my best friend and greatest rival, and his summer visits to town were the best part of my year. Our competitions were fierce. Our dares were thrilling. We talked about everything under the sun, and he made me believe in the possibility of a bright, hazy future somewhere just out of reach. But then he left, and I grew up. Now the last thing I need is Jasper back in my space, provoking me, challenging me, and making me question… freaking everything. Like whether my life’s as perfect as I claim. Like whether I’m as straight as I think. Like whether there might be something better than “contentment” out there for me if I’m brave enough to look for it. And whether the man who was always my greatest rival… might just be the love of my life.

It was supposed to be a straightforward protection job. Remove the target from Vermont, get him to the safehouse, keep him there until his mafia uncle testifies, get back in my employer’s good graces. Boom, done. Easy. But it turns out things get complicated real fast when your target is an adorkable, accident-prone cutie with a shockingly low sense of self-preservation, zero clue that he’s related to the Fromadgio crime boss, and 100% too much inclination to chat happily with strangers. When Chris compromises our safehouse (and accidentally starts a “lowkey, unavoidable” bar fight), our only option is to go undercover… pretending to be campground hosts in Copper County, New York. Make that married campground hosts. (Long story.) Now I’m hiding out with a guy who’s obsessed with action-adventure shows and hand-knit sweaters, and whose most fearsome talent is arranging charcuterie boards, all of which is far less helpful in a gunfight than you might think. And worst of all… the sweet little virgin I rescued is growing on me. Somehow I find myself listening to his happy chatter when I should be watching the woods, trying to figure out how his mind works when I should be getting us out of this predicament, and appreciating the way he looks in my shirts when I should be focused on getting my career back on track. But when the Fromadgios’ enemies finally find us, protecting Chris is no longer just a job. I’ll do anything to protect what’s mine… and there’s nothing pretend about it.

Brian Carr believes in fairy tales—princes, castles, once upon a times, happily ever afters. He's been that way since we were kids, and no matter how many times it all goes wrong, Brian's never given up hope of finding his one true love. It's beautiful. Adorable. Charming. It's also annoying as hell, because I've spent decades standing on the sidelines while guy after guy crushed my best friend's heart, leaving me to pick up his pieces. The truth is, for as long as Brian has dreamed of fairy tales... I have dreamed of Brian. But if he's waiting for some dude on a white horse to wander into O'Leary, there's no way he's gonna notice the guy who's been by his side all along.

Never ask your brother’s best friend to… pick your cherry. When I asked Jack Wyatt to help me lose my pesky v-card, I didn’t expect him to keel over in shocked disapproval and nearly tumble us down a mountain. You might think a guy who's been reading romance novels his whole life would've figured out a smoother way to broach the subject, but in my defense, I’ve been pining for Jack for seven long years, just waiting for him to notice me. Jack sees me as sweet, shy Hawk Sunday: his Pride and Prejudice-obsessed hiking buddy; his dependable employee; the honorary little brother he’s determined to protect, not…deflower. But to me, Jack is everything a romantic hero should be: tall, gorgeous, kind, and brilliant. Or at least I thought he was brilliant… until he started getting so many things so boneheadedly wrong. Like refusing to do the deflowering himself, but also, erm... blocking any other potential plant-lovers from getting all up in my garden. And like continuing to see me as someone who needs protecting, rather than a man who needs possessing… A man who's determined to get his cherry well and truly picked this summer, whether Jack Wyatt likes it or not.

I’m about to sing you the saddest song in the universe, and it’s called “The Man of My Dreams Married My Sister.” It’s kinda my theme song. And trust me when I tell you, it’s heavy on the violins. Because the man in question? He’s not just any guy, he’s Rafe freakin’ Goodman. My former best friend. The boy who made my summers on Whispering Key magical. The guy who inspired every love song that led to the chart-topping music career I have today. The man I always sort of figured would wait for me, while I pursued my dreams and finally found a way to tell the world I was gay… But instead of waiting, he married Aimee. Rafe and Aimee’s marriage has been over for a while now, but it doesn’t really matter. He doesn’t love me even though I feel like I’ll love him until the day I die. Trying to be “just friends” would tear me apart. We’re a broken chord. A blue note. Hopelessly out of tune. Or so I thought. But when circumstances throw us back together on a crazy cross-country road trip, suddenly all kinds of secrets come to light that make it seem like maybe our show’s not over yet. If I want a life with the man of my dreams, though, I’ll have to be honest--with Rafe and the rest of the world, too--and find the courage to write us a new song. One that’s exactly like us: perfectly imperfect… and a little off key.

I was supposed to be partying with a bunch of celebrities in paradise this week, okay? But then I made one teeny, tiny error in judgement before leaving New York, and suddenly the paparazzi expected me to give a command performance as “the other man” in their straight celebrity “outing” of the week. Um, no, precious. So much no. Instead, I did what any self-respecting, secret-keeping man would do in that situation: I cancelled my trip and fled New York to hide out in the last place anyone would look for me--a weird little Florida island where nothing exciting ever happened. Or at least it didn’t… until I arrived. Now I find myself shacked up with my fake boyfriend Beale Goodman, Whispering Key’s most adorable, most enormous, most virginal cinnamon roll—a guy who rescues feral cats, believes in soulmates, and talks about happiness like it’s free for the taking. A guy who nearly convinces me, with every smile and kiss, that it is. Stranger still? I find myself falling for the people on the island. Fitting in, instead of sticking out. Making, you know… friends. And for the first time ever, I think I’ve found something I want to run to, rather than from... As long as I can keep my secrets from catching up with me.

Jamie Parker Hoffstraeder is gorgeous, cocky, and totally irrational. He also broke my heart when he left town eleven years, four months, and twenty-eight days ago. Not that I’m counting. I don’t mind admitting it: I was young. I got burned. I learned my lesson. But the guy swaggers back into O’Leary like he owns the damn place and suddenly I’m expected to welcome him to my town — to my life — like nothing’s changed? Yeah, that I mind. It’s only a matter of time until he’s gone again. And there’s no way I’ll give him a chance to take another piece of me when he goes. Parker Jameson Burke is the most arrogant, infuriating human on the planet. He’s also taller, broader, and impossibly hotter than he was before I left town. But, whatever. It’s fine. I can handle it. Coming back to O’Leary was supposed to be like coming home. I hadn’t realized that there’s no statute of limitations on how long your first love and former best friend is allowed to hate your guts, or how much bad luck can befall a person in a short time. But, I can handle that, too… or at least pretend to. When Jamie and I are thrown together in a blizzard, though, everything changes in the space of one single, scorching night. Suddenly, I’m dreaming of a future I can’t have, and he’s stuck in a past he can’t let go. It feels like we’re playing with fire... And this time I’m the one who’s gonna burn.

"The right way is the one where we end up together...And to do that, we need to survive this." A brilliant, obsessive mind is the heart of Sebastian Seaver’s genius. It might also be the thing that costs him everything he’s created and everyone he’s ever loved. Consumed with the need to destroy Alexei Stornovich, the Russian mob boss who murdered his fiancée and parents, nothing can turn Bas from his plans of revenge until he’s eradicated every last one of them. By any means necessary, and at any cost. Drew McMann learned early that the key to success is control. Control carried him through law school and helped him keep Seaver Tech together through tragedy. It helped him survive the brutal murder of his sister Amy, his parents’ divorce, and the revelation that the seeds of their destruction had been planted by someone he had considered family. It’s how he’s hidden his love from his best friend Bas for more than half their lives. And now it’s how he’s going save Bas from himself and finally get his family of friends free from Alexei’s clutches. Drew has a plan for everything… Until the kiss. When Drew loses control one reckless, drunken evening and his true feelings for Bas are revealed, he tries desperately to contain the damage and keep their friendship on track, even as decades of lies and half-truths seek to tear them apart. With Alexei targeting them and their friends, Drew and Bas are forced to rely on each other more than ever. But as danger closes in on them, can they sacrifice their needs for logic and control, and recognize that the only right way to move forward is the one in which they’re together?

Sometimes the shortest distance between ruin and restoration, between lies and truth, is the long way. Damon Fitzpatrick’s life is in ruins. Vilified as the pilot responsible for the plane crash that killed Levi and Charlotte Seaver, Damon lost everything – his reputation, his livelihood, his family, and his future. And Damon knows exactly who to blame - none other than powerful Senator Emmett Shaw, the criminal mastermind behind the crash. No matter how long it takes, Damon is determined to get justice, and to get his life back. Cain Shaw is the poster child for success. As the young, rich, handsome son of a picture-perfect family and the face of his father’s conservative political campaign, he has a bright future ahead of him. But the senator has been hiding secrets that threaten to crack that flawless facade - secrets he’s killed to protect. Cain is determined to make sure no one else gets hurt, even if it means keeping his own long-held secret. When Damon’s quest for justice goes awry, Cain becomes the older man's unlikely savior, and the two are thrown together in a hunt for evidence that will free them both. But as the road gets longer, the stakes get higher, and the danger that stalks them draws closer, they must find the strength to trust one another... because the one complication they can’t outrun is each other.