Julia Connors

My marriage wasn’t perfect, but my husband’s unexpected death yanks away my sense of security and leaves me floundering. Enter Jameson Flynn, former NHL star and my late husband’s sports agent, who’s back in my life as the executor of the will. Things between us are as contentious as when we worked together five years ago, except now we’re working together to navigate all of the secrets and deceptions my husband left behind. I remember Jameson as arrogant, condescending, and heartless. And yet, he repeatedly shows up for me and my daughters – helping me pick up the broken pieces and put my life back together. Now I’m seeing a side of him he only reveals to people he truly cares about. He’s protective in a way I didn’t know I’d like, caring in a way I didn’t know he was capable of, and still sexy as hell. The problem is, he broke my heart a long time ago. But the closer I get to Jameson, the more I see that the only thing easier than hating him might actually be loving him.

Aleksandr Ivanov was my person. We helped each other through the worst of our childhoods. I thought we were meant for each other; then he ghosted me. That’s when I learned that the only person I can count on is me. Fourteen years later, the NHL superstar reappears in my life with an outrageous pretend to be his wife and help him adopt his orphaned niece, Stella. The twist? Apparently we’ve been married since I was sixteen. I can’t commit to the relationship he’s asking for, but when I accidentally screw up his childcare arrangement before he leaves for the Stanley Cup playoffs, I end up as Stella's nanny for a couple weeks. I shouldn’t put my life on hold to help him. I shouldn’t fall hard for his precocious niece. And I definitely shouldn’t let him into my bed, or more importantly, into my heart. Because if I do those things, I might start wanting things I can’t have. There is no happy ending for I’ve got a company to run, and a contract to start filming a television show in Los Angeles. He can’t leave New York, and staying with Aleksandr would mean giving up everything I’ve worked so hard for. Most importantly, I can’t put my very fragile heart right back into the hands of the one person who already destroyed it. Author’s If you don’t like childhood loves, second chances, strong female main characters, hot hockey players, surprise marriages, precocious little girls who worm their way into cold, unfeeling hearts, ice cream for dinner, and television shows about inspirational women, then look the other way. But if you love all that and a happy ending, one-click now to get One Last Shot!

I’ve always been a wild card – the first to start a fight on the ice, and the life of the party off it – but appearances can be deceiving. Being traded to the Boston Rebels could not have come at a better time. With serious family obligations to fulfill and a contract renewal with a new hockey team on the line, I have no time for anything else. I return to Boston knowing I need to buckle down and focus on what really matters. But the first night I’m back in town, I come face to face with Audrey, my college calculus tutor. We had a brief fling right before I was drafted into the NHL. Now, her five year old son is standing by her side, and I don’t need a tutor to do that kind of math. Audrey insists she doesn’t want me involved in Graham’s life unless I can commit to being a dad. With everything else going on, this is the worst possible timing. But every minute I spend with Graham and Audrey feels exactly right, and I’m left questioning everything I thought I wanted. Because now my goals are shifting, and getting what I really want might come at the expense of the game I’ve given my entire life to.

After fifteen years of tending goal for the Boston Rebels, I’m known for two things: the highest save percentage in the league, and never spending more than one night with the same woman. I’m definitely not the guy you should trust with your best friend’s little sister. Especially not when that sister, Jules, is eight years younger and my new roommate. When I witness her on the verge of a panic attack while being intimidated by another man, I don’t think twice about calling her my fiancée and kissing her. Which brings me to the third thing I’m known for: reckless and impulsive decision-making. After a video of that steamy kiss goes viral, the whole world is convinced we’re engaged. If we don’t play along, I risk losing my place as the starting goalie for the Rebels, and Jules’s reputation and career could tank. Our engagement may be fake, but the memories of the way she tastes, and the feel of her body wrapped around mine, are all too real. And the more time we spend together, the less it feels like pretending. None of the secrets from my past seem to matter as much when I’m with her. It turns out, Jules may have some secrets of her own – and uncovering them just might be what heals me…or what finally breaks me.

The Trade Up is a short novella (15K words) that's part of the Boston Rebels hockey series. - hockey player + nerdy girl - one night stand turns to more - he falls first - instalove Nothing rattles me. My entire hockey career, I've been known as the guy who doesn't fight. I've never had trouble keeping myself in check because not only do I have Zen-like control over my mind and emotions, but when it comes to fighting, I'd always have an unfair advantage. I'm trained to be deadly with my hands, and I know better than to use my skills against unsuspecting victims. But when my team, the Boston Rebels, have an away game in Seattle, I come face-to-face with my dream girl, Ashleigh. She's an even bigger StarTrek fan than I am, is about to start a PhD program in Astrophysics, and she's got a body to back up that sassy mouth and smart mind. The nighttime tour of Seattle that she agrees to give me quickly turns into the hottest night of my life. I'm supposed to be leaving the next night, but I don't want to say goodbye. So the next morning, I give her a jersey and tickets to our game, hoping she'll come so I can see her one more time before I have to get on the plane and head back to Boston. Little do I know that her ex plays for Seattle, and when he starts harassing her, I want nothing more than to knock some sense into him. But Ashleigh hates fighting, and the only thing I want more than to put him in his place is a chance at more than just one night with her.

Some people might call it a grudge, but in reality, hating Alessandra Jones is more like an obsession. AJ is the league’s first female general manager, and my boss. As the team captain, I have to play nice with her—in public, at least. But in private, the gloves come off. And then one time, our clothes do too. We vow it won’t happen again. Not only can we not stand each other, but we’re in tense negotiations over my contract right now, and AJ is up for the league’s GM of the Year award. Getting involved wouldn’t just be a PR nightmare—it would be unethical. It doesn’t help that we have a history, or that she and my daughter adore each other. When AJ is injured protecting my baby, there’s no choice but to move her into my place. Taking care of someone I hate shouldn’t feel so right. Getting to know her better shouldn’t break down my defenses. She’s hurt me once before, and I’d be a fool to trust her again. But the more time we spend together, the more I realize that maybe I’m not obsessed with hating her . . . maybe I’m just obsessed with her.

I lost everything because of him. He says he would give anything to get me back. Once upon a time I had it all: an Olympic gold medal, a career as a professional ski racer, and a happily ever after so close I could almost touch it. Then my perfect life imploded in one tragic weekend. Five years later I’ve rebuilt my life with the best girlfriends, the perfect new boyfriend, and a new career. Now my ex—the one who wrecked everything five years earlier—is back as the newest member of the National Ski Team and I’m forced to be his physical therapist. My days are filled with him. He’s constantly shirtless and sweaty and sexy as sin, and trying to make me fall in love with him again. But I built these walls around my heart for a reason—and his presence is threatening to undo everything I've created without him. With the stakes this high and the sexual tension this hot, this could all go so very wrong. Or, maybe we’re on the edge of getting everything we ever wanted. Author’s Note: If you don’t like globe-trotting to ski destinations around the world, powerful female friendships, athletes with ridiculous bodies, a strong heroine determined never to have her heart broken again, and an even stronger hero willing to do whatever it takes to earn back the love of his life, this book isn’t for you. But if you like all that in a steamy romance, with no cheating and a happily ever after, one-click to download this book immediately.

I’m a type-A planner. Arriving at my best friend’s wedding newly single—not planned. Off-the-charts chemistry with her much younger brother—also unplanned. Agreeing to be his roommate for a few weeks—wait, was there a plan? Jilted by my cheating ex-fiancé and left homeless in the process, it’s a no-brainer to take my best friend Jackson up on her offer to stay in her condo in Park City. The only catch? Jackson’s already agreed to let her younger brother Beau stay there for a few weeks. Living with Beau short-term shouldn’t be an issue, except when we meet again for the first time in a decade, our chemistry is off the charts. But Beau is everything I’m not looking for in a guy: he’s unpredictable and self-centred, a known womanizer, and incapable of committing to anything besides travelling the globe snowboarding. Plus, no guy is worth losing my best friend over. As barely tolerating each other turns to barely restrained attraction, our relationship is pushed far past the boundaries we’ve both erected. Can we keep it casual as our relationship heats up, or are we risking every plan we’ve ever made? Author’s Note: If you don’t like adorably possessed shelter puppies, sexy roommates in gray sweatpants, family curses, unexpected trips to Las Vegas, and steamy off-limits secret flings, this book isn’t for you. But if you like all that and a happy ending, one click to download this book.