After being unceremoniously dumped freshman year because of her family’s “new money” status, Ruby Cotton has taken care not to put her heart on the line. No matter how enticing Emilie and Quinn make it look, relationships are scary and hard—while a string of flings is easy and fun. That’s what Ruby wants. Easy and fun. The only problem is, when it comes to satisfaction in the sack, most of the boys at Whitman are nothing but pretty window dressing and false advertising. Ruby takes it upon herself to make campus life more fulfilling, creating a referral database that allows female students to rate their sexual experiences, thereby informing girls of what they’re getting into before agreeing to a date. When her acting partner, Liam Greene, finally shows some interest, Ruby figures she won’t need to utilize the helpful gossip. He’s handsome, fun, and most importantly, not a guy she’d ever fall for hard enough to let him break her heart. Not only that, but dating Liam gives Ruby the perfect excuse to say no to Cole Stuart. As a star swimmer and heir to honest-to-God Scottish royalty, Cole sits at the top of Whitman’s A-list—but he’s also the lowest rated referral on Ruby’s website. The ratings make rejecting his repeated requests for a date a no-brainer, but her real reason for avoiding Cole runs deeper than a string of unsatisfied exes. He’s gorgeous, he oozes sweetness and charm, and the electricity between them could power half of Whitman, but Ruby knows it will only last until his family or friends convince him she’s not good enough. Before she knows it she’s falling anyway, waiting for the other shoe to drop but clinging to a tentative hope that Cole might be as different as he seems. When the secret behind his low ratings comes to light, that hope is torn apart, and Ruby wonders if she was right to give him her heart…and whether she has the strength to let him keep it.
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...but lust refused to settle in for a long winter's nap. She might be all nestled, snug in her bed, by why, oh why, do visions of the wrong guy dance in her head? Jessica, (not Jessie), figures that nothing could be better than a trip to the Emerald Isle for Christmas break. So she takes a flying leap and follows her boyfriend home for the holidays, not only sure that he will finally agree they're destined for each other, but also that Ireland will provide the perfect backdrop to the beginning of their happily-ever-after. But it turns out his family--and his gorgeous ex-girlfriend--don't feel the same way, and even the family goat seems to be conspiring against her well-laid plans. The only person making the trip worthwhile is the very last one she should be thinking about, but Grady, the local farmhand, has a way of showing up when Jessica needs him most...and least. USA Today bestselling author Lyla Payne wraps up the perfect holiday novella, ties it with a ribbon of romance, and tops it with a light dusting of snow. Perfect to curl up with under the tree. Just add hot cocoa!
When a knee injury ends twenty-year-old Quinn Rowland’s pro tennis career, he’s not only dumped by his hot Russian girlfriend but ordered to attend college by his disinterested billionaire father. A rich kid who’s not used to being disappointed by life, Quinn and his sociopathic half-brother Sebastian create a frat house game intended to treat girls how they see them—as simple game pieces to be manipulated for their pleasure. College sophomore Emilie Swanson knows Quinn’s reputation—after all, he did send one of her sorority sisters into therapy earlier in the semester—but the game and his charm bring them closer together and soon she starts to believe there’s more to Quinn than people think. But what if the more is something darker than a game of toying with emotions and breaking hearts? Quinn and Emilie might be falling for each other, but there are secrets he’s not ready to tell—and lifestyle changes he’s reluctant to make. She willingly stepped on the court, but if Emilie finds out she started out as nothing as a pawn in Quinn and Sebastian’s twisted game, she might never forgive him. To his surprise, Quinn finds that he might finally care about someone more than he cares about himself…even if that means letting Emilie walk away for good.
Graciela Harper thought that getting rid of Anne Bonny’s ghost would be the first step toward putting all of the problems of her past behind her. Maybe things would work out with Beauregard Drayton, Heron Creek’s charming mayor. Maybe she and her cousin Amelia, and their childhood friends Melanie and Will, could find a way back to the comfortable friendship that defined their lives. But when the ghost of Glinda Davis, the town’s longtime, quirky hairdresser, puts a stop to Gracie and Beau’s relationship consummation, Graciela knows her life has changed for good. The insistent ghost drags Graciela into a world she’s only seen on reality television shows—one filled with moonshiners and backwoods politics that are solved by burying bodies, not friendly conversations. Graciela needs to figure out exactly what Glinda’s spirit requires so she’ll get the heck out of dodge, but the further she digs into the woman’s past, the more dangers seep into the present. As Graciela gets closer to the answers she seeks, she starts to wonder if she’s going to solve a murder in the process—or die trying.
Toby Wright has always prided himself on being one of the most normal guys at Whitman University. He loves his parents, has a great job lined up after graduation, and with the exception of attempting to cross the unbalanced Sebastian Blair sophomore year, has kept his nose pretty clean. But the rich never have empty closets, and memories long stashed away come spilling free when notorious party girl Kennedy Gilbert almost dies in his dorm room. Nobody really knows how Kennedy manages to stay in good standing at Whitman–she never goes to class, doesn’t pretend to care about her future, and as far as people can tell, is never sober. This isn’t her first meeting with a stomach pump, but it is the first time she’s woken up to Toby’s concerned brown eyes. Despite the fact that she prefers life without friends, he gets under her skin with his insistence on playing her guardian angel. No one knows better than Toby that people can only be saved if they want to be, but the realization that she has no one else draws him back into the shadows of Kennedy’s life–and eventually into her bed. But she long ago came to terms with a truth that Toby refuses to accept: she doesn’t want to be rescued, she only wants to forget. Unwilling to give up on her, Toby’s dragged under by this broken girl and her dark, twisted Whitman University he never guessed existed. If he struggles to the surface, he’ll abandon someone he loves for the second time in his life. If he doesn’t, it won’t be long until they both drown.
This in-between (short) novella follows The Playboy Prince. It will detail a royal wedding and preview what is to come with the Piacere family in the follow up, The Dutiful Prince (January 2017).
With Mayor Beau accused of abuse of power and facing federal indictment, a relentless curse after her unborn nephew, and a moody, uncommunicative spirit in her room, reluctant ghost-helper Graciela Harper figures she’s got enough on her plate. The universe, as usual, figures otherwise. On a girls trip to Charleston that’s meant to give Beau some space and cheer up her cousin, Amelia, a second ghost follows Gracie back to Heron Creek. As she digs into the mystery behind the Whistling Doctor of Dueler’s Alley, things at home go from bad to worse. Leo’s not talking to her, Amelia’s depression is putting her health at risk, and Beau…well, maybe he’s not as innocent as Gracie always believed. All that takes a back seat when Gracie’s run off the road on her way back from a research trip, forcing her to face the possibility that her ghost’s secrets might not be about harmless lost love after all. In fact, he’s been the only person aware of certain documents for over two hundred years, and if Gracie helps unearth them she might find herself trapped underground…permanently.
Sam Bradford has it all—he’s the #2 tennis player in the world, plenty of girls want to date him, and he’ll never want for money. At least, that’s what he thought until his accountant stole everything and disappeared. Interpol has no idea where to start, and neither does the American F.B.I., so Sam figures he’ll just have to take care of his body and play a few extra years to make it back. When Blair Paddington, the accountant’s daughter and a friend of a friend at Whitman, shows up and claims she can help Sam get his money back he’s torn between wanting justice and the very real possibility that Blair is just as big a con man as her father. When she promises not only money, but justice, Sam agrees—but only if he can go along on the search. The two of them set off on an adventure neither rich kid is prepared for—cheap hostels, the same clothes three days in a row, and nothing but a backpack of possessions—so they can fly under the radar as college lovers on a winter break. In spite of Blair’s shady family, her daring and resourceful personality strike Sam’s interest and he finds himself falling for the one girl he shouldn’t. When they finally find her father, the truths that come to light not only make Sam question his affection for Blair, but could cost him more than money—if they can’t work together one last time, neither of them may be going home. Ever.
An unfortunate and embarrassing incident that precipitated Audra Stuart’s breakup last winter sent her scurrying for cover, unwilling to show her face again at Whitman University. When her roommate Blair Paddington tracks her down and learns what happened, she convinces Audra that letting her jackass ex win is not the answer…but that maybe going to Sebastian Blair for help just might be. Sebastian has established a reputation of being the guy without scruples—the one who can get you what you want, no questions asked. For a price. His price for Audra Stuart? Pretend to be his girlfriend so he can legitimize himself and maybe snag a job from one of his “friends” before graduation. To get her friends (and his) to buy the ruse the two of them have to get in deep—so deep that they forget they’re supposed to be pretending. Sebastian Blair is about to fall hard, but he can’t help but worry. Because the girl he loves is bound to learn he was behind the incident that sent her tumbling his direction in the first place.
A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status. When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old. Her brand new "I don't give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion. If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.
For the living, the dead, and the people stuck somewhere in between, Heron Creek has become a battleground. Graciela Harper might be new seeing ghosts, fighting curses, and just living with her old friends again, but there’s no doubt she’s on the front lines—and overwhelmed. Leo and Mel have been arrested. Amelia teeters on the edge of a deep depression that could cost her her child. Beau, her boyfriend who might not quite be her boyfriend anymore, is breaking her heart. None of that will matter if Gracie can’t figure out how to break the hundreds year old curse on the male line of her family. She knows she needs to focus on that, but with the future of one of South Carolina’s oldest and most prestigious families hanging in the balance, she’s tempted to try to save them, too. What Gracie’s about to learn is that she can’t do this alone, and every single person who has entered her life since her return to Heron Creek will need to pitch in for her to succeed. Well, that and the fact that she might not be able to save everyone…not even herself.
THIS IS A SHORT, COMPANION NOVELLA, NOT A FULL LENGTH NOVEL. With point-of-views from Beau Drayton, Brick Drayton, Lindsay and Leo Boone, Amelia Cooper, Melanie and William Gayle - plus a surprise - this novella tells the story of what takes place (away from Graciela) the night NOT QUITE CLEAR ends.
If ghostly counselor and librarian extraordinaire Graciela Harper thought life in Heron Creek would slow down long enough for her to figure out how she feels about one Leo Boone’s declaration of love, well, she’s dead wrong. With the threat from her father’s family far from resolved and a frightening ghost from Charleston’s long gone - but not dead - past determined to terrorize her, Gracie’s personal life gets set on the back burner. Gracie knows that something - or someone - is luring her out into the mountains, to a cabin where she and her mother almost lost their lives decades ago.There, she’ll find answers that will force her to rethink everything she thought she knew.. Secrets that could cost her and the ones she loves everything…including their lives. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px}
**This is an "in-between" novella and not a full length novel** Graciela is hoping that, despite the reappearance of her father—who’s supposed to be dead—her life in Heron Creek might be about the calm down. Her boyfriend’s mother has other ideas, ones that include getting to know her son’s new squeeze. The proposition makes Beau nervous for more than one reason, a couple of which would be news to Gracie. Amelia’s therapy appears to be going well, so that’s working in Gracie’s favor, but with trouble brewing in Will and Mel’s marriage, the moonshiners getting more involved in Heron Creek affairs instead of less, and Leo’s sister Lindsay returning from her stint in the state pen, settled isn’t the best word to describe life in the small town. Gracie is starting to think that maybe seeing ghosts is the least complicated thing about her…and she’s probably right. Includes POVs from Beau, Will, Leo, Amelia, and Clete.
Life in Heron Creek is looking up for Graciela Harper, despite the fact that every ghost within a fifty mile radius seems intent on sticking to her like glue - and not the weak Elmer's kind, either. But with a sexy boyfriend, her old friends back in her life, and a great job prospect at one of the oldest plantations in the country it's hard to complain...even if her new boss is said boyfriend's mother. Things don't stay uncomplicated for long as not one ghost, but two show up at Drayton Hall. One wants closure, which Gracie thinks she can handle, but the other seems to know more than she should about the centuries old voodoo curse on Gracie's own family. As she digs deeper into the past of not only the plantation grounds, but Beau's family tree, surprising secrets claw their way to the surface. With Mrs. Drayton breathing down her neck, a shift in her abilities, Amelia's custody case taking a turn for the worse, and the sudden appearance of her decidedly not dead father, Gracie has her hands full. She might be able to tackle all of those things with the help of a friend or two—some breathing, some not—but there’s one crossroads Gracie doesn’t see coming. It’s the choice between family and romance, and she’s not the only one being forced to make it.
If ghostly counselor and librarian extraordinaire Graciela Harper thought life in Heron Creek would slow down long enough for her to figure out how she feels about one Leo Boone’s declaration of love, well, she’s dead wrong. With the threat from her father’s family far from resolved and a frightening ghost from Charleston’s long gone - but not dead - past determined to terrorize her, Gracie’s personal life gets set on the back burner. Gracie knows that something - or someone - is luring her out into the mountains, to a cabin where she and her mother almost lost their lives decades ago.There, she’ll find answers that will force her to rethink everything she thought she knew.. Secrets that could cost her and the ones she loves everything…including their lives. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px}
With Mayor Beau accused of abuse of power and facing federal indictment, a relentless curse after her unborn nephew, and a moody, uncommunicative spirit in her room, reluctant ghost-helper Graciela Harper figures she’s got enough on her plate. The universe, as usual, figures otherwise. On a girls trip to Charleston that’s meant to give Beau some space and cheer up her cousin, Amelia, a second ghost follows Gracie back to Heron Creek. As she digs into the mystery behind the Whistling Doctor of Dueler’s Alley, things at home go from bad to worse. Leo’s not talking to her, Amelia’s depression is putting her health at risk, and Beau…well, maybe he’s not as innocent as Gracie always believed. All that takes a back seat when Gracie’s run off the road on her way back from a research trip, forcing her to face the possibility that her ghost’s secrets might not be about harmless lost love after all. In fact, he’s been the only person aware of certain documents for over two hundred years, and if Gracie helps unearth them she might find herself trapped underground…permanently.
For the living, the dead, and the people stuck somewhere in between, Heron Creek has become a battleground. Graciela Harper might be new seeing ghosts, fighting curses, and just living with her old friends again, but there’s no doubt she’s on the front lines—and overwhelmed. Leo and Mel have been arrested. Amelia teeters on the edge of a deep depression that could cost her her child. Beau, her boyfriend who might not quite be her boyfriend anymore, is breaking her heart. None of that will matter if Gracie can’t figure out how to break the hundreds year old curse on the male line of her family. She knows she needs to focus on that, but with the future of one of South Carolina’s oldest and most prestigious families hanging in the balance, she’s tempted to try to save them, too. What Gracie’s about to learn is that she can’t do this alone, and every single person who has entered her life since her return to Heron Creek will need to pitch in for her to succeed. Well, that and the fact that she might not be able to save everyone…not even herself.
Toby Wright has always prided himself on being one of the most normal guys at Whitman University. He loves his parents, has a great job lined up after graduation, and with the exception of attempting to cross the unbalanced Sebastian Blair sophomore year, has kept his nose pretty clean. But the rich never have empty closets, and memories long stashed away come spilling free when notorious party girl Kennedy Gilbert almost dies in his dorm room. Nobody really knows how Kennedy manages to stay in good standing at Whitman–she never goes to class, doesn’t pretend to care about her future, and as far as people can tell, is never sober. This isn’t her first meeting with a stomach pump, but it is the first time she’s woken up to Toby’s concerned brown eyes. Despite the fact that she prefers life without friends, he gets under her skin with his insistence on playing her guardian angel. No one knows better than Toby that people can only be saved if they want to be, but the realization that she has no one else draws him back into the shadows of Kennedy’s life–and eventually into her bed. But she long ago came to terms with a truth that Toby refuses to accept: she doesn’t want to be rescued, she only wants to forget. Unwilling to give up on her, Toby’s dragged under by this broken girl and her dark, twisted Whitman University he never guessed existed. If he struggles to the surface, he’ll abandon someone he loves for the second time in his life. If he doesn’t, it won’t be long until they both drown.
THIS IS A SHORT, COMPANION NOVELLA, NOT A FULL LENGTH NOVEL. With point-of-views from Beau Drayton, Brick Drayton, Lindsay and Leo Boone, Amelia Cooper, Melanie and William Gayle - plus a surprise - this novella tells the story of what takes place (away from Graciela) the night NOT QUITE CLEAR ends.
This in-between (short) novella follows The Playboy Prince. It will detail a royal wedding and preview what is to come with the Piacere family in the follow up, The Dutiful Prince (January 2017).
A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status. When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old. Her brand new "I don't give a crap" attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion. If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.
After being unceremoniously dumped freshman year because of her family’s “new money” status, Ruby Cotton has taken care not to put her heart on the line. No matter how enticing Emilie and Quinn make it look, relationships are scary and hard—while a string of flings is easy and fun. That’s what Ruby wants. Easy and fun. The only problem is, when it comes to satisfaction in the sack, most of the boys at Whitman are nothing but pretty window dressing and false advertising. Ruby takes it upon herself to make campus life more fulfilling, creating a referral database that allows female students to rate their sexual experiences, thereby informing girls of what they’re getting into before agreeing to a date. When her acting partner, Liam Greene, finally shows some interest, Ruby figures she won’t need to utilize the helpful gossip. He’s handsome, fun, and most importantly, not a guy she’d ever fall for hard enough to let him break her heart. Not only that, but dating Liam gives Ruby the perfect excuse to say no to Cole Stuart. As a star swimmer and heir to honest-to-God Scottish royalty, Cole sits at the top of Whitman’s A-list—but he’s also the lowest rated referral on Ruby’s website. The ratings make rejecting his repeated requests for a date a no-brainer, but her real reason for avoiding Cole runs deeper than a string of unsatisfied exes. He’s gorgeous, he oozes sweetness and charm, and the electricity between them could power half of Whitman, but Ruby knows it will only last until his family or friends convince him she’s not good enough. Before she knows it she’s falling anyway, waiting for the other shoe to drop but clinging to a tentative hope that Cole might be as different as he seems. When the secret behind his low ratings comes to light, that hope is torn apart, and Ruby wonders if she was right to give him her heart…and whether she has the strength to let him keep it.
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