He’s the arrogant Manhattan realtor with billboards advertising his six-pack more than his expertise in negotiations. I’m the competing broker who stupidly moved across the hall from his office. From day one, I’ve been his sworn enemy. Okay, so I might have accidentally stolen one of his clients. Well, is it stealing if the client comes to me? Even our vicious banter and loathing gazes can’t hide the chemistry between us. Who can blame me? He has enough charisma to make every hot-blooded woman in the city melt with a single word.

What happens when you attend a first responder's bachelor auction with your best friends? Well, if your name is Madison Kelly like mine is, your friends end up bidding on a date for you with your high school crush. One date. That's all I'm committed to. A few hours and I can tuck him back into that tattered old shoebox in my closet. As always, the universe has other plans. I never would've predicted that in a matter of days, he'd turn from my dream guy into my business partner - and that's when things got interesting.

Lucky. The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work - at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games, and the team owner is talking about trading me. I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be. Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game.

Who’s the mystery woman who's just walked into my brewery? I’m not the only one from my Alaskan small town asking themselves that question. But I’m positive that I’m the only one in Sunrise Bay undressing the pretty blonde in my head. Everything about her, from her make-up to her high heels, says she’s a fish out of water. Whispers and speculations run rampant until the secret of who she is gets uncovered. Then the rumor mill goes into overdrive when she announces she’s staying to open a bookstore in the building next to mine.

I’ve loved him from afar. Though most times he’s only a foot away. I’m smart enough to know he’ll never be anyone’s forever. He checks all the bad boy boxes. If he wasn’t my neighbor and friend, I may have thrown myself at him. Okay, I wouldn’t. Instead, I pathetically savor morsels of moments where I have his sole attention. That was until his archenemy moved in with me. Now suddenly, Dylan’s moving in, too, and warning off the first guy in a long time who’s showing me interest.

If you’re a guy like me, and you find yourself having banged your sexy new boss - the school principal - in the back of your Jeep one drunken night, here’s a few takeaways based on my experience. Lesson One: Always get her full name. Lesson Two: Consider asking what she does for a living. Lesson Three: Find out why she’s moved to town. Get details. Details are crucial....

Turn-ons: party girls. Platinum blondes. Zero expectations. I used to think if you could combine all three into one female, you'd have the perfect woman. Then why the hell does Ava Pearson - an outdoorsy girl, a brunette, and a woman who screams stability and responsibility - seem to be the only woman on my mind lately? It's the cupcakes. It's gotta be the cupcakes she bakes that keep me coming back for more. After all, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? Did I forget to mention she's my buddy's daughter?

I swore off anyone remotely like my ex. On the top of that list? Attorneys. Everyone knows they can't be trusted. Now that I've moved back into my childhood home in Chicago, my focus is my daughter, my mom, and me. Then I see Reed Warner again. I push him away, but somehow he weasels his way into every part of my life, not willing to take "No" for an answer. In spite of my better judgment, I can't stop thinking about the way his designer suits fit his muscular frame. The problem? Not only is he a lawyer...he was the best man at my wedding.

I knocked up my best friend's sister. Let's start with how she decided to inform me and Pacey the news...together. Imagine that nightmare. I was going into what I thought was a hockey marketing meeting, and then bam! I'm going to be a dad and my best friend/teammate is attempting to imprint my face with his fist. Threats were tossed around, friendships were revoked, and then I was marched up to her apartment, suitcases in hand, and forced to live with her so I could take care of her every need. Now I'm finding it harder and harder not to fall for my best friend's little sister.

The last person on earth I want to be stranded with is Gianni Lupo. But, thanks to the blizzard of the century, I’m trapped in a roadside motel room with that cocky bastard for two straight days, and with one small bed. Some women might thank Mother Nature for delivering a polar vortex that maroons them with six feet of solid muscle, those deep blue eyes, that sexy grin - but not me. I’ve known Gianni Lupo all my life, and he’s never brought me anything but bad luck, and trouble. I should have known what the disastrous end result would be.

Hockey star Max Yearwood was everything I needed at the time - fun, sexy, up for anything, and only around for a few months, since he’d signed with a new team 3,000 miles away. Max proposed we spend the summer helping me forget my ex. It sounded like a good plan. Things couldn’t get too serious when we had an expiration date. Right? Though, you know what they say about the best-laid plans. 

I've been dreading this for a year. Okay, that's a lie. I've been dreading this reunion since we graduated high school 10 years ago. So why am I here, standing outside the door like the eternal wallflower I am? I'd say it's because my younger sister browbeat me into it, but the truth is, I'm tired of being a nobody. Of never taking a risk with myself and my life. And...well...maybe I'm also hoping to see him. The tall, insanely gorgeous man walking my way now. Oliver Fritz is regarded as one of Boston's sexiest doctors. I know him as the former god of our school.

Grace Miles misses her easy friendship with Asher, but growing up means growing apart. And really, how could he fall for her when they spent their childhood getting muddy in the creek and splitting sticks of gum?But this summer, something feels different. If Grace didn’t know better, she’d think Asher was flirting with her. Those dark eyes, hard body, and wicked smile make her insides swirl and her heart dare to hope for things she’s convinced herself she’ll never have. Falling for your best friend shouldn’t be complicated, but for Asher, loving Grace is anything but simple.

I was never supposed to see him again. Him being the man wearing the perfectly tailored suit, who oozed an intoxicating mixture of wealth, rebellion, and sex appeal. One night. No strings. No names. Still riding the high from last night, I walk in to meet my new client, and he’s wearing that same dangerous smirk. Yes, I’m consulting for Callahan Sharpe. That Callahan Sharpe. Billionaire heir who abides by no rules, bucks convention, and is determined to complete one final project to honor his late father’s legacy. Luckily, and unluckily for me, I’m tasked to help.

I moved to Chicago six months ago, determined to finally open my own bakery. My landlady was this sweet woman who treated me like her granddaughter. Then she sold the house. Now the devil himself is my landlord and neighbor, since I live in the guesthouse on his property. Declan Maxwell is moody, unreasonable, and takes himself far too seriously. Unfortunately for me, he’s also damn sexy. Then one day I come home injured from work and he surprises me by taking care of me. And kissing me. And just like that, all my best intentions go up in smoke.