Courtney Walsh

I haven’t been home for Christmas in eight years. But that’s about to change. This year, I’m traveling to my small hometown to convince my producer to make me the permanent host of Good Day Denver. The plan: Charm viewers by sharing my favorite family Christmas traditions, and in turn, get the likes, clicks and shares to land the job. Not the plan: Running into my ex-boyfriend. In my house. For Christmas. But here he is, a guest of my mother, who apparently had more trouble letting go of Max Weber than I did. Unfortunately, he is as handsome and charming and talented and annoying and frustrating and flirty as ever. Even more unfortunately, he seems to have a plan of his own—to convince me to give him a second chance. Which is not happening. There’s just one problem—my viewers love him. More than that, they love us. Me and Max. My ex. The boy who broke my heart. The boy I now have to fake flirt with to win over the hearts of my viewers. But it’s not their hearts I’m worried about. . . it’s mine.

Sometimes all it takes to start a fire is a single match. . . Owen Larrabee is not my soulmate. He wasn't when I confessed my love to him on his wedding day, and he isn't now. I should probably say that I wasn't the bride when that happened. I don't have the best timing. He’s got a temper, he's moody, and he has a history of being misunderstood and making big mistakes. I, on the other hand, make pumpkin cupcakes, spend my Friday nights curled up with a beloved romance novel and long to be kissed in the rain. Owen is my best friend’s older, off-limits brother and the only boy I ever thought I loved. Which is laughable because he only ever saw me as his kid sister’s dorky friend. But that was a long time ago. And I’m over him. Mostly. Until he comes back to Harvest Hollow like some kind of hero, showing up just in time to pull me out of my burning house and make me feel all the things I told myself I’d never feel again. But I have questions. Why is Owen back? And does he remember our secret friendship or the day I’ve spent the last eight years trying to forget? I know better than to get hung up on Owen again. Especially now, when he’s sworn off relationships and thinks romance is a farce. And I’m something of an expert—at least to the people who listen to my podcast, The Hopeful Romantic. Never mind that nobody would guess their local bookshop owner is the one doling out popular weekly relationship advice. Never mind that I’m basing all that advice on the hundreds, (thousands?) of romance novels I’ve read over the years and not on personal experience. And especially never mind that Owen is making me question everything I believe about all of it.

Lauren Richmond isn’t a fan of Christmas. Which is why she rarely makes the trip home to the Midwest for the holidays. After all, she has plenty to keep her busy—namely, her duties as a set decorator on a TV sitcom. But this December, Lauren's brother and his wife are expecting a baby, so her brother arranges a ride home for her with his good friend, Will. Unfortunately for Lauren, she’s been trying to forget college baseball coach and childhood crush Will Sinclair for more than ten years. Now, thanks to her fear of flying, she’s stuck in a car with him from California to Illinois. She’s circumspect and organized. He’s flirty and spontaneous. She’s convinced that people don’t change. He’s trying to prove to her (and himself) that he has. On this cross-country road trip, they’ll both discover that history doesn’t exactly repeat itself. . . but like any good Christmas carol, it does have a second verse.

Emily Ackerman has traveled the world, her constant compass and companion a book of letters her mother left for her when she died. With no father in the picture, her mom's advice has been her only true north. But when professional failure leads Emily back to Nantucket to renovate and sell the family cottage she inherited, she wonders if her mom left advice to cover this . . . especially when her grandmother arrives to "supervise." And especially when her heart becomes entangled with Hollis McGuire, the boy next door-turned-baseball star who's back on the island after a career-ending injury.As sparks fly between her and Hollis, Emily is drawn to island life, even as she uncovers shocking secrets about the tragic accident that led to her mother's death. With her world turned upside down, Emily must choose between allowing the voices from her past to guide her future or forging her own path forward.

A chance meeting. A hunky hockey player. A fake romance. Hardly an ordinary day in the life of Poppy Hart. My days usually consist of agonizing over my failing restaurant, worrying about my mountain of debt and nursing my broken heart. Everything changes when I bump into a man in the coffee shop and claim him as my new boyfriend. To my absolute horror, he turns out to be hockey’s most renowned bad boy, Dallas Burke. To my absolute delight, he goes along with my story. When his no-nonsense manager and meddling grandmother jump in the picture, they see a win-win solution for my failing restaurant and Dallas’s less-than-stellar reputation. A full-fledged fake romance complete with contract negotiations, pretend dates and phony PDA. But as I get to know the real Dallas Burke, who is not the man the press says he is, it becomes clear that if this isn’t real. . . someone better tell it to my heart.

She's out to prove that there's no such thing as choosing happiness. Isadora Bentley follows the rules. Isadora Bentley likes things just so. Isadora Bentley believes that happiness is something that flat-out doesn't exist in her life--and never will. As a university researcher, Isadora keeps to herself as much as possible. She avoids the students she's supposed to befriend and mentor. She stays away from her neighbors and lives her own quiet, organized life in her own quiet, organized apartment. And she will never get involved in a romantic relationship again--especially with another academic. It will be just Isadora and her research. Forever. But on her thirtieth birthday, Isadora does something completely out of character. The young woman who never does anything "on a whim" makes an impulse purchase of a magazine featuring a silly article detailing "Thirty-One Ways to Be Happy"--which includes everything from smiling at strangers to exercising for endorphins to giving in to your chocolate cravings. Isadora decides to create her own secret research project--proving the writer of the ridiculous piece wrong. As Isadora gets deeper into her research--and meets a handsome professor along the way--she's stunned to discover that maybe, just maybe, she's proving herself wrong. Perhaps there's actually something to this happiness concept, and possibly there's something to be said for loosening up and letting life take you somewhere . . . happy. Contemporary Christian romance Perfect for fans of Denise Hunter and Rachel Linden Includes discussion questions for book clubs

A humiliating break-up leads to an impulsive New Year’s Kiss with a complete stranger. What could possibly go wrong? It’s no secret that I love life. And Dr Pepper. But also, I love a challenge. . . So when the coach of the Chicago Comets gives me the opportunity to help their star player, newly traded to their team, acclimate to life in Chicago, I'm all in. I have to be. After my last job went up in flames, I have something to prove. It turns out that the player, Grayson Hawke, is the rudest, most off-putting, reclusive guy I’ve ever met. It also turns out that he is the beautiful stranger I kissed on New Year’s Eve. I can do this job. I can do this job. I can do this job. And I can. Really well. I can make Gray’s life easier, show him all the reasons to fall in love with this city, and in the process, hopefully completely forget that the amazing kiss ever happened. How hard can it be? We’re total opposites anyway. I love people . . . and all their stories. Gray loves hockey . . . and nothing else. I love to talk. Gray only stares. I’m happy-go-lucky. Gray’s all work and no play. There’s just one problem. The more time I spend with Grayson Hawke, the more I start to see that underneath his bristly, standoffish exterior, he’s nothing like the man everyone thinks he is. And suddenly, all the reasons for keeping my distance, staying professional, and not falling for someone again. . . are impossible to remember.