Elana Johnson

She's just his assistant, which is exactly how this Southern belle wants it. No spotlight. Not anymore. But as she struggles to learn her new role in his office-especially because Lance is the surliest boss imaginable-Jessie might just have to open her heart to show him everyone has a past they're running from. Jessie: Lance Byers is by far the meanest man in Carolina. Both of them. All of the South. Heck, the whole country. He makes demands I don't know how to fulfill, like, "Bring me those closing docs," or "Set up that open house." I'm trying to learn as fast as I can, but the real estate market in Charleston is like a jet plane flying at three hundred miles per hour. It moves, and it moves fast. Lance is smart, handsome if I can admit that out loud, and entrenched in this realtor lingo I don't understand. He even brings in someone to train me, but I'm pretty sure I'm failing him on a daily basis. Failure? That, I understand. I'm determined to figure this out, though. I have to, because my only other option is to run back to Momma and Daddy in that big house I hate. I won't. I can't do it. Which means I have to figure out how to deal with Lance's attitude, learn what an escrow payment is, and hide my secrets all while smiling and entertaining clients. When a ball somewhere gets dropped and I'm about to take the blame, I decide to try one more thing...bare my soul to the meanest man on the planet. Surprisingly, I learn that Lance is human after all, and hurting just as much as I am. I suddenly want to take him under my broken wing and show him that there could be a second chance for both of us...if he doesn't fire me first. Get ready to laugh out loud in this hilarious, sweet workplace romantic comedy The romance is clean, the jokes smart and witty, and the office grump swoon-worthy. Read today

She's just his secretary...until he needs someone on his arm to convince his mother that he can take over the family business.*** "The humor in JUST HIS SECRETARY doesn't go for the easy laugh - it is witty and tongue-in-cheek because the characters are smart." BookBub ReviewerOh, and the romance is clean, the jokes witty, and the office grump swoon-worthy. Read today ***Callie: Dawson Houser makes sure everyone who comes into the office knows I'm "just his secretary." Heck, I've even said it to suppliers and CEOs when they smile knowingly at the two of us during business meetings. He scowls and grumps around the office afterward, as if the two of us dating is the most ridiculous thing on the planet. Dawson can handle them. I can handle them-and him too, once they leave. And he's no picnic, let me tell you. Who can't we handle? His mother. When Lila Houser comes to town with her faux furs and fashion sunglasses, she only has one question for her spoiled rotten son: When are you going to get married, Dawson, darling? I expect him to laugh and tell her he's never getting married. I mean, I've heard those exact words come out of his mouth. Instead, he pulls me to his side and says, "Maybe sooner than you think, Mother." Oh, that Lila Houser can make a woman feel two inches tall with a simple up-down look. I think I'm a pretty good catch...no matter what my last three boyfriends say. When Lila says, "I thought Callie was just your secretary," I suddenly want to prove her dead wrong...

She's just his boss, especially since Tara just barely hired Alec. But when things heat up in the kitchen, Tara will have to decide where Alec is needed more-on her arm or behind the stove. Tara: Alec Ward makes sure everyone knows I'm the boss. He thinks it's some sort of homage to me or something. I find it as sarcastic and annoying as he is drop-dead gorgeous. I'd have fired him on his first day for his Grumpy-Cat attitude, but he's the best thing to happen to Saucebilities since I opened the doors a decade ago. He acts like dating is beneath him, and I'm happy to feed that opinion for him by telling him all about my dating disasters while we whip up delicacies for the rich and famous around Charleston. I know just how to handle men like Alec. Until an article comes out that could devastate me. The headline? No one trusts a skinny chef, but can the plump cooks in this town find love? I'm the headliner in the article, thanks to an ex who's looking for revenge." Plump?" I rage to Alec, a knife in my hand. "I'll show him plump." I expect him to laugh, pluck the knife away before I hurt myself, and tell me to get over it. Instead, he says, "You should show him that women of all sizes can find love." So he's deeper than I thought. Big deal. Doesn't mean I'm going to fall for his knife skills or the muscles it takes to lift all those pounds of potatoes. I do take his advice and leave a comment on my ex's article. When my ex walks into my kitchen, uninvited I might add, and demands to know who I'm dating, Alec steps right to my side with, "Is this the guy, baby?" Oh, he's the guy, and I suddenly want to show him-and myself-that I'm a good catch, curves and all... Get ready to laugh out loud in this hilarious, sweet workplace romantic comedy The romance is clean, the jokes witty, and the office-kitchen grump swoon-worthy. Read today

Bessie Clifton adores baking. With her daughter Wynona by her side, she's turned her passion for the perfect loaf of bread into a dream for a bakery. They move to Hilton Head Island and work to get their shop open with the help of Bessie's five best friends. It's not just a relocation. It's a reinvention. Bessie's life has been all about kneading dough, raising her daughter, and supporting her Supper Club ladies, but she's never felt truly loved or appreciated for her gifts. As she settles into island life, she's determined to make the most of this opportunity and discover what she's been missing. Enter Oliver Blackhurst, the grumpy owner of The Mad Mango smoothie shop. Bessie's sunshine and warmth seem to clash with his prickly exterior. But when they get paired up to participate in the Island Heritage Festival, Bessie and Oliver find that their contrasting flavors create an irresistible chemistry. As Bessie's bakery becomes the talk of the town, Oliver's walls begin to crumble, revealing a man who's experienced his share of heartache. Bessie wonders if her reinvention could provide the tropical ticket to true love with the island's most enigmatic bachelor. Will Bessie's journey to self-discovery lead her to the love she's always craved? Can Oliver let go of his past and embrace the warmth that Bessie brings to his life? Savor the sweetness of new beginnings and the spice of unexpected romance in The Tropical Ticket by USA Today bestselling author Elana Johnson

Tired of the dating scene, a cowboy billionaire puts up an Internet ad to find a woman to come out to a deserted island with him to see if they can make a love connection... Mason Martin has sold his cattle ranch in Texas for just over a billion dollars and traded it for Long Bar Island, a remote island a few hours away from Getaway Bay. Frustrated with the dating scene in the more populated areas of Hawaii, he puts up an ad, asking for volunteers to come live with him on his deserted island for three months. The goal? See if they can fall in love. Ivy McLaughlin has seen all three of her sisters fall in love during stressful, tragic times on deserted islands. When she hears about Mason's ad, she's intrigued. Spurred on by her real-life Legally Blonde moment, where her boyfriend breaks up with her instead of proposing, she contacts Mason. And she's the only one who does-at least Mason thinks so. He doesn't know his servers went down, only allowing Ivy's message to get through. They set out for Long Bar Island after an altercation on the dock which leaves a bad taste in Ivy's mouth. Has she just signed up for the worst three months of her life? As she and Mason live on the island, she begins to see the softer side of the tough cowboy billionaire. Maybe the next three months will be the most romantic of her life-and end in that proposal she so desperately wants. But when a storm hits their slim patch of sand in the vast ocean, their shelter is rendered roofless and the yacht they sailed out on is lifeless in the water. Will Ivy and Mason make the love connection they both want? Or will the forces of nature-and a faulty server-pull them apart?

He can successfully throw a precision pass, but he's dead in the water in matters of the heart... Quarterback Maine Fitzgerald has struck out with more women than he'd like to admit-and he doesn't even play baseball. Armed with a plan to get out of his comfort zone onboard a singles cruise, he joins the very first event: a mix and mingle. Too bad he's almost completely deaf in one ear and doesn't hear the beautiful blonde tell him her name. Orchid Stone doesn't want to be on the singles cruise. She has an eight-year-old daughter to tend to, and a job to do, and a husband to mourn. But her sisters think eight years is long enough to mourn, and she promises them she'll at least try to meet someone on the cruise. She can't help it if the meathead quarterback isn't interested. When a tsunami strikes their ship, she's forced overboard with Maine and a security guard, and they make their way to a deserted island. Desperate to get back to her daughter, Orchid will do anything to survive. She climbs rock walls, escapes from wild boars, and plucks chickens. She knows she's lucky to be washed up on an old World War II outpost, complete with an overgrown garden and a herd of wild chickens, but she needs to get home. Maine does too-but he's scared of the man he'll have to be once he leaves the island. He's sure Orchid won't want to be with him once he has to go back to the public persona of Perfect Quarterback Maine Fitzgerald. Can Orchid and Maine make things work between them when they're so different? Or will their time stranded together be all they get?

A freak storm has her sliding down the mountain...right into the arms of her ex. Eden McLaughlin is fed up with rich men who scoff at her outdoor product line. She's worked for Explore Getaway Bay for a long time, and she tinkers with making outdoor survival products in her spare time-and she can't get a single investor on the island to back her. Not even her employer, as no one knows who actually owns the company. So fine. She'll take a hike, literally. When an isolated storm causes a downpour and then a landslide, Eden has no choice but to go with the tons of rocks and mud-right off the side of a cliff and into the arms of her ex-boyfriend. Holden Holstein drags her under an overhang just in the nick of time. He has no supplies, which is super embarrassing as he owns the island's biggest outdoor company, Explore Getaway Bay, and he should know better. But he was just getting out of the office for a moment. He's thrilled to discover the mud-covered woman in his temporary shelter is his ex-girlfriend, who he's never gotten over. But he's not fond of the huge wound on his leg that's sending fire through his system, nor the fact that the landslide took out the only path back to safety. Eden has a few supplies--as well as only eyes for Holden. As they spend time out in the wilds of Hawaii trying to survive, their old flame is rekindled. But with secrets and old feelings in the way, will Holden be able to take all the broken pieces of his life and put them back together in a way that makes sense? Or will he lose his heart and the reputation of his company because of a single landslide?

Friends who ditch her. A pod of killer whales. A limping cruise ship. All reasons Iris finds herself stranded on a deserted island with the handsome Navy SEAL... Iris McLaughlin was having a great time on the cruise until the Navy SEAL grabbed her and towed her into a lifeboat. Okay, so maybe "a great time" is a bit of an overstatement. Iris hadn't enjoyed being late to orientation, being the last one on the boat, or sharing a wall with the obnoxious Navy SEAL who has a staring problem. But hey, at least that off-the-shoulder swimming suit her sister had said would work, actually worked. When a pod of killer whales attacks the cruise ship, the captain calls for people to abandon the ship. Justin Brunner, retired Navy SEAL, tows Iris over the side of the boat without a second thought. In the morning light, they discover they're the only ones in a lifeboat and the cruise ship is long gone. Oh, and so are the whales. So maybe Justin had acted a little quickly. He'd been trained to do just that, so she can't really blame him. Can she? They eventually make their way to a tiny speck of an island in the huge Pacific Ocean, relying solely on Iris's hip pack of emergency supplies and Justin's strength, intelligence, and calm demeanor in a crisis. As they navigate the obstacles of food, shelter, and water on the island, a new player arrives: Their feelings for each other. Justin feels like he's playing catch-up because of his possibly premature actions, and Iris is sure a man like him won't be interested once they get back to civilization. Will she risk her heart for the tattooed SEAL? Or will Justin have to fight as hard for her as he did in the Navy?

Joy Bartlett needs a blueprint before she takes a single step in any direction. She loves seeing what she's getting into before committing, and moving 1200 miles from Texas to South Carolina just because half of her Supper Club has doesn't mean she's going to start packing boxes. She is terribly lonely in Sweet Water Falls without Bea, Cass, and Lauren, and as another member of their monthly dinner party gets ready to leave Texas in the rear-view mirror, Joy starts creating her own blueprint. After all, she doesn't want a Blueprint for Survival. She wants a beach blueprint. One that lays out how her life will look and feel, right down to the tiny nooks and crannies if she decides to uproot herself and leave her family and her heritage and join her friends on Hilton Head Island. There is a strong influence in her life, pulling her toward the beach and island life: a sexy, strong landscaper named Scott Anderson. He's asked her out several times, but Joy has turned him down every time. When she hears that he's going to take someone else to dinner, the thought flies against everything in Joy's baby beach blueprint - because Scott's a big player in that. So she texts him and makes it clear that she doesn't want him to go out with anyone...except her. Thus, a long-distance relationship between Joy and Scott begins, and Joy's blueprint starts to get messy. Very messy. Can she figure out how to arrange all of the pieces in her life in a way that makes sense? Or will she find herself cut off from everyone who's ever been important to her?

They've been out before, and now they work in the same kitchen at The Heartwood Inn. Gwen isn't interested in getting anything filleted but fish, because Teagan's broken her heart before... Can Teagan and Gwen manage their professional relationship without letting feelings get in the way? Gwen Heartwood has a love-hate relationship with nearly everything in her life. She likes managing the dining services at the family owned and operated Heartwood Inn...unless she's dealing with angry customers, crushing deadlines, and not enough kitchen staff. She definitely likes Teagan Hatch still...but the man broke up with her on her doorstep on the night she thought they'd share their first kiss. No explanation. No apology. They've been working together in the kitchens at The Heartwood Inn for the last six months, but things are...strained to say the least. Teagan has a lot on his plate, but he finally comes to terms with the secrets he's been harboring, and he realizes he has to share them with other people if he wants to keep those people in his life. He's lost Gwen once, and he wants her back. So he bravely tells her the reason he broke up with her last time, and they start dating again. As Gwen learns more and more about Teagan, she finds herself slipping toward falling all the way in love with him. When he resists confessing everything at once, she regains her footing. She loves him...she loves him not. Will Teagan lay everything on the line for a shot at having Gwen in his life for good? Or will a relationship between them be too tumultuous to survive?

Bradley Keith is a Carter's Cove native, despite his professional football career. He's not interested in dating a journalist on his hometown island, and to get her to back off, he tells her he's engaged. The only problem? He's not. Doesn't even have a girlfriend. When the journalist shows up at The Heartwood Inn, where Brad is installing a new VIP swimming pool, demanding to know who his fianc e is, he names the first woman he literally sees walk by-Celeste Heartwood. Celeste runs the social events at the family inn, and she's tired of planning parties to which she has no date. So when Brad knocks on her office door in a panic, she goes along with his crazy idea. She doesn't particularly like him, because she submitted a construction proposal to his firm that went unanswered. And she's stuffy and uptight-at least according to Brad. Their plan? Stay together for six weeks and then quietly end things. No harm, no foul. She has a date, and he gets the reporter off his back. Falling in love wasn't in the plan. Will Celeste put her reputation-and her heart-on the line for the football star? Or will she end up nursing a wounded heart when the truth comes out?

Sheryl Heartwood loves everything to do with plants, flowers, and trees. She tends to the grounds around The Heartwood Inn, and she's content with the beach-side life she's always known. But she's not very happy about the ex-boyfriend who keeps showing up on her front step, following her around the expansive grounds at the inn, and scaring her. So she hires Gage Sanders to be her "boyfriend" to keep the other man away. The lines become blurred on the very first day, when she kisses him, which is so unlike Sheryl. As she and Gage spend more time together, she learns about the rough-around-the-edges man while showing him how to truly appreciate the beaches in the cove. Gage took the job, because he needed the money. A retired military man, he's been doing security work on the ferry, so pal-ing around with a beautiful woman shouldn't be too hard. Until his heart is on the line. When their agreement ends, can Sheryl and Gage keep their relationship going?

Olympia Heartwood is running the family empire, and she works long days and lives at The Heartwood Inn, making her entire life about her job. Which is just fine with her, because the last man she was involved with was married. When the truth came out, her heart shattered, and she's never been the same. And men? She can't trust them. Doesn't need them. Chet Christopher took the heat for something that wasn't his fault, lost his prestigious job at the country's largest luxury hotel chain, and has been living in his car for a few weeks. When he shows up off the coast of South Carolina, looking for somewhere to stay, everything is booked. But he's got plenty of old Southern money, so he rents the second penthouse at The Heartwood Inn-on the same floor as Olympia. He's instantly attracted to her-and her luxury inn, resort, and spa. But it becomes immediately apparent that he can't tell Olympia who he is or what he used to do for a living. She's so distrusting, and he doesn't want to go back to sleeping in the back seat. He can't help but offer advice for her inn, and as they work around bumps and misunderstandings, they start to accidentally fall in love... Will Olympia open her heart to the possibility of love? Or will Chet's secrets ruin everything?

She's tired of making cheese and ice cream on her family's dairy farm, but when the cowboy hired to replace her turns out to be an ex-boyfriend, Clarissa suddenly isn't so sure about leaving town... Will Spencer risk it all to convince Clarissa to stay and give him a second chance? Spencer Rust has been at Hope Eternal Ranch for years. He loves Texas, the ranch, his boss, and his roommates. But he's ready to take the next step in his life now that he's healed from some past trauma. To do that, he feels like he needs to leave Hope Eternal, so he starts talking to his friends at other ranches. Turns out there's a job at Cooper & Co Dairy Farm, and Spencer applies. After all, the girl he let get away from him is moving to San Antonio soon - if the rumors going through the small town mill are to be believed. Clarissa Cooper is going to San Antonio, thank you very much. She's ready to take her culinary skills and put her degree to more use than making cheese spreads and ice cream on her family's dairy farm. But when Spencer shows up on the farm, everything shifts. Will Clarissa give him a second chance? Or will she stick to her plans and leave him at Cooper & Co for a second time?

He needs a place where he can thrive without his past haunting him. She's been waiting for the cowboy to return so she can confess her feelings. Can Luke and Hannah make their second chance into a forever love? Lucas Holt thought he'd be happy in Las Vegas with his family. He's glad to be with people who love him, but it turns out that he's too close to the life he had before he was convicted and sent to prison. He's watched his four best friends overcome their pasts, and he knows the best way to accomplish that is to stay far away from the activities that led to incarceration. He returns to Texas and Hope Eternal Ranch, where everyone is thrilled to see him-especially Hannah Otto. She's had a minor crush on the man for months, and before he left town, there were rumors that he was going to ask her out. He never did, though, and Hannah's been left to wonder if she should find someone else to date or wait for Luke. She wishes he would just come out and say how he feels. As they reconnect, Luke doesn't know how to talk about what landed him in prison. He doesn't know how to tell Hannah what she wants to hear. He wishes he were better at communicating, better at knowing what he should to with his life, and a better man for Hannah. When his past follows him to Hope Eternal Ranch, Luke wishes he knew what to do. But he doesn't. His life didn't come with a how-to guide, and he turns to Hannah for help, hoping, praying, and wishing with everything inside him that he's not putting her in danger in the process. Can Hannah and Luke build a relationship on more than wishes? Or will he end up leaving town to save her-and breaking both of their hearts? Cowboys looking for a second chance at life, love, and happiness.

He needs to start a new story for his life. She's dealing with a lot of family issues. Can Slate and Jill find solace in each other at Hope Eternal Ranch? Slate Sanders has been out of prison for a couple of months now. He keeps his head down and his mouth shut around the ranch, and not just because he's only a temporary cowboy. He's not sure what to participate in, because he's still trying to figure out who he is post-prison. When he encounters Jill Kyle on the beach one morning, he can't help but go see what she's raging about. He's worried for her safety, and it's not until he gets closer that he realizes she works on the same ranch as him. Jill has just learned about her mother's devastating illness, and she's ready to take all of her frustrations out on the beach, the ocean, and the Lord. As Jill and Slate connect over things lost, things gained, and an uncertain future, they both heal in unexpected ways. Jill didn't think she'd ever find someone to settle down with, and Slate has never had a serious relationship in his life. But together, they seem to make sense in a world where nothing does. With Christmas on the horizon, can Slate and Jill find themselves, create a new story for their future, and let go of the past before their heartache pushes them apart? Cowboys looking for a second chance at life, love, and happiness.

He's a cowboy mechanic with two kids and an ex-wife on the run. She connects better to horses than humans. Can Dallas and Jess find their way to each other at Hope Eternal Ranch? Dallas Dreyer was once a decorated surgeon. After getting involved in insurance fraud and then spending thirty months in a low-security facility, he gets released only to learn his wife of fifteen years has left their two children at her sister's and fled the state. He's determined to figure out how to be a single dad and do right by his kids, and he goes to Hope Eternal Ranch to attend the wedding of one of his best friends. He meets Jessica Morales, the stable master at the ranch, and he's instantly attracted to her. She has a big heart, a wide smile, and she's great with his kids. Jess likes him too, but she's wary of the rugged cowboy mechanic who doesn't seem to know when it's okay to take calls from his ex-wife and how to juggle all of his new responsibilities. Her horses, though, she gets, and since she's never had a relationship that's lasted longer than two months, she's not sure she wants to take a chance with her heart. When Dallas finds himself dealing with thugs who want him to pay off his ex-wife's debt, he has to make difficult decisions to keep himself, his children, and Jess safe. That means dealing with his ex-wife and paying whatever price necessary to get dangerous men away from Hope Eternal Ranch. Can Jess be patient with Dallas while he deals with so much? Or will the family she's started to build with him and his children disintegrate right before her eyes? Cowboys looking for a second chance at life, love, and happiness.

Cowboys looking for a second chance at life, love, and happiness. Ted Burrows is ready to start his life over again, even if he has to go to a work-parole ranch to get out from behind the walls that have caged him for the past thirty months. He's got a contact at Hope Eternal Ranch, and the day he gets word that he'll be released into the Residential Reentry Program and serve out the rest of his sentence under the open sky of the ranch is the best day of his life so far. But when he meets Emma Clemson, he's completely thrown off his game. He knows her...from somewhere. She doesn't seem to recognize him, though, and as they work together on the organization of the programs and tourism of the ranch, their newfound flame flickers and brightens. Emma has managed to isolate herself on the ranch and keep her ex out of her life, and she's finally achieved some level of peace and happiness. Ted's name does tickle a memory, but she pushes against it as she wants to leave the past where it belongs-in the past. When Emma's ex-boyfriend comes back into her life and reminds her of who Ted is, her carefully constructed existence unravels. She and Ted have met before, and not under pleasant circumstances. She's not that woman anymore, and she doesn't want Ted to even think of her as the woman she'd once been. She knows he's not the same man he was a decade ago either. When he sees Emma's unrest, Ted's overprotective side kicks in-a side that has gotten him in trouble before... Can Ted and Emma face their pasts so they can truly be ready to step into the future together? Or will everything between them fall apart once the truth comes out?