Ruby Barrett

A fiery restaurant owner falls for her enigmatic head chef in this charming, emotional romance Amy Chambers: restaurant owner, micromanager, control freak. Amy will do anything to revive her ailing restaurant, including hiring a former reality-show finalist with good connections and a lot to prove. But her hopes that Sophie’s skills and celebrity status would bring her restaurant back from the brink of failure are beginning to wane… Sophie Brunet: grump in the kitchen/sunshine in the streets, took thirty years to figure out she was queer. Sophie just wants to cook. She doesn’t want to constantly post on social media for her dead-in-the-water reality TV career, she doesn’t want to deal with Amy’s take-charge personality and she doesn’t want to think about what her attraction to her boss might mean… Then, an opportunity: a new foodie TV show might provide the exposure they need. An uneasy truce is fine for starters, but making their dreams come true means making some personal and painful sacrifices and soon, there’s more than just the restaurant at stake. Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Corinne Blunt knows what people think of her—she’s an icy, unapproachable executive. It’s the price she’s had to pay to get to the top. But there’s knowing you have a reputation in the office, and there’s hearing your new intern laugh when someone calls you “Blunt the C*nt” in the elevator on his first day. She’d hoped to finally find an ally in Wesley Chambers, but she’s not about to let him off the hook for joining the office boys’ club. Taking refuge in the professional boundaries between them, she relegates Wes to assistant work—which would do the trick, if he weren’t so eager to prove he’s a decent human being. Wes is sincerely apologetic, insisting it was a misunderstanding, and to her surprise, Corinne believes him. Being forced to work together was one thing, but long hours at the office with what turns out to be a kind, thoughtful man soon has their business relationship turning personal, and things get complicated—fast. Could this be something more serious than either of them dared to hope for? Or is their relationship just playing into the harmful power dynamics Corinne’s had to endure her entire career?

Jesse Logan doesn’t want a fresh start. He wants his old life back—before an injury made his career as a firefighter impossible, before his grandfather’s Alzheimer’s got so bad he doesn’t recognize Jesse anymore. When a friend tells him about a paid psychological study, Jesse sees it as a chance to get back to the man he was while making a little extra cash. All Lulu Banks is asking for is a fresh start. Back home after a devastating breakup, she’s struggling to find her place. She’s always been a lot—too loud, too eager, too obvious about her feelings. The friendship study seems like a great idea…until she’s paired with Jesse Logan, who recently ghosted her after a blind date that led to a steamy make-out session. Now that old familiar tension is back. Despite the program’s strict “no romance” rule, Jesse and Lulu are quick to find a work-around that allows them to explore their tenuous connection. And soon they’re on their way to total self-improvement… As long as they don’t get caught.

He’s not her perfect match, but he might be perfect for her. Jasmine Palmer is looking for love, but only if it comes with stability. Unfortunately, this also leads to f*ckbois. After another one dumps her by text message, Jasmine hires a professional matchmaking company to search for her. They say they’ve found her perfect match using their matching algorithm with a 99% success rate. But “Nick” is an immature bartender with a bad case of Peter Pan Syndrome, even if he is hot and nice. He may not be boyfriend material, but she decides to cut her losses and asks him to help her save face at an upcoming event where her now engaged ex will be. It’s a one-time arrangement that won’t hurt anyone.This isn’t the first time Nick has followed a beautiful woman with a questionable idea. So, when Jasmine, a random customer at his bar, asks him to pretend to be her boyfriend, because she made the mistake of working with her ex and his parents, he figures he’s done a lot worse for far less. A night of rubbing elbows with rich people is a nice change from cleaning drunk people puke from the bar’s bathrooms and trying (and failing) to win his father’s approval. They even have a pretty nice time…and a really nice kiss. When Jasmine offers to repay the favour whenever he needs one, he wants to cash in sooner rather than later.Prim and proper Jasmine could be the key to a harmless ruse that would get him the loan he needs to buy his bar. But just when he thinks they’re partners in crime, he realizes that this whole time Jasmine thought he was someone else with the same name.If he tells her the truth, she might think he purposefully misled her and pull out of their deal. But losing her might actually be worse than losing his livelihood.Either love or science will prevail when it comes to deciding if these two misfits can redefine what it means to be a perfect match.