Books published by Bold Strokes Books

Josephine Wilder's torrid love affair is with Tangle Valley Vineyard, her family's legacy. She's grown up dreaming between the vines. She's always had secret ideas about how to make the place shine, so when it passes to her, Joey vows to make Tangle Valley everything she knows it can be. Her biggest obstacle? That overly commercial hotel going up, and the uppity manager trying to kill the vineyard's rustic charm.Becca Crawford loves to unwind with a good glass of wine. An astute business woman who has climbed the hospitality ladder, she's the perfect person to head up Elite Resorts' newest property, The Jade Hotel, and give tourists all the luxury they desire. As a bonus, The Jade is not far from the cutest vineyard with the best pinot she's ever tasted. If only the captivating owner would get on board with her plan and stop badmouthing the hotel to everyone in town.Is it possible that a nice glass of red could help Becca and Joey see each other in a new and alluring light?

How does a centuries-old vampire suffering from severe PTSD take her parrot to the vet? With Olivia's intense fear of humans, what sounds like the start of a joke is instead the start of therapy. Only when she has help can her parrot receive his.Veterinarian Mia Sun knows all about being damaged, and she and Olivia slowly build a friendship that develops into something a lot more intriguing. When a figure from Olivia's past surfaces, hell-bent on ruining any happiness she's managing to find, Olivia must fight back if she wants to forge a new life with Mia. Will she be strong enough to face her own worst fears for love?

Is it possible to love across the political divide?Shelley Whitmore is a successful attorney, working on behalf of her Evangelical parents' faith-based organization, championing conservative values of individual liberty and limited government. Everything's totally fine, except that it really isn't. Shelley manages depression and crippling anxiety because of the secret she can never reveal: she's gay.Rand Thomas is a psychotherapist, transgender rights activist, and political liberal. Widowed and struggling with her wife's toxic parents, Rand isn't going to allow herself to love again.When Shelley and Rand meet in Manhattan, neither one expects to find that the other is exactly who they need.

After Daphne accidentally "steals" a family heirloom from Nina's front lawn thinking it's junk left for trash pickup, she learns she's wanted by the police for questioning. Once the dust settles, Daphne and Nina form a friendship inspired by their mutual love for antiquing and a desire for a fresh start in their lives.As they grow closer, their attraction moves way beyond friends. But who will be brave enough to confess her feelings first? Daphne, the self-conscious procrastinator who's working hard to get her new business off the ground, or Nina, the newly-out mom whose priority is creating a stable life for her son? Before they can take a chance on becoming lovers, they'll have to decide if love is worth the risk.

The Celts knew it as Annwyn, the Otherworld--certainly not a destination IT professional Lori Cooper anticipates when distracting herself with a magazine puzzle page in the dentist's waiting room. Clues buried in the answers lead her to Tamsin, who claims to command a band of warriors for the queen of the fay. From this, Lori concludes that Tamsin is both insane and dangerous. She's also quite worryingly attractive.However, Lori's own sanity becomes a bigger concern when she finds herself held captive in a strange world with yet more puzzles to solve. She must pick her way through layers of illusion and deceit. Nothing and nobody, including Tamsin, is quite as they seem. Who can Lori trust? She will need to uncover the full truth if she is to return home, mind and body intact.

Constable Bridget "Marley" Marlowe is always doing the wrong thing for the right reason. This time she's skating the line of police procedure by protecting a young girl caught up in her father's designer street drug ring. But when Marley gets injured, she needs help from someone she can trust.Dr. Devon Wolfe is a burned out psychologist on leave from her job in a busy hospital trauma unit. When Devon meets the injured Marley, she doesn't know what to make of the bright and beautiful--and occasionally rogue--cop. Devon decides to help Marley and gets mixed up in the world of addictive street drugs, a young girl who knows something but won't speak, and the uncertainty of knowing right from wrong. All Devon knows is she and Marley are in this together.

Wynn Jamison is turning thirty. Her career has made her rich, but her love life's sorely lacking. She's okay with that until she spends her birthday dinner with the woman who could've changed it all. There's only one problem. She's married to Wynn's sister.Carly Evans is tired of her wife ignoring her needs to put her career first. Family has always been important to her, and Jordan just doesn't seem to care.A freak thunderstorm rages during the night, and Wynn finds herself catapulted back in time to the day she made the worst decision of her life--stepping aside to let her sister romance Carly. Reliving the day over and over again, Wynn must decide what is most important: success, loyalty, or love. Given a second chance at happiness, will she take the opportunity and change her destiny?

An anthology of short fiction featuring the finalist selections from the 2014 Saints + Sinners Literary Festival.TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction by Jewel GomezVoodoo John by James RussellMum’s the Word by Jeff LindemannEleusis by Robert HyersSample Day by Jerry RabushkaStinkbug by Rich BarnettIf On A Dark Night Two Strangers Should Come by William HawkinsCorset by Sally BelleroseThe Dark Symphony by Eric Andrews-KatzLove Thy Neighbor by N.S. BeranekBeanstalk by Clifford HendersonRhinestone Magic by J.R. GreenwellThe Red Coat by George E. Jordan

An anthology of short fiction featuring the finalist selections from the 2013 Saints + Sinners Literary Festival.TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction by Felice PicanoWhat Took You So Long? by Vince SgambatiIt Only Occurred to Me Later by Anne LaughlinBruno's Last Supper by Jeff LindemannThe Favor of a Reply by Joe LandrumThou Shalt Not Lie by N.S. BeranekIn a Chamber of My Heart by Sandra Gail LambertMountainview by James RussellLooking for Philip by George E. JordanBucky and the Woods Cop by Jim StewartSilver Pumps and a Loose Nut by J.R. GreenwellStained Glass by Karis WalshSky Blue by 'Nathan Burgoine

Work, power, and success are the idols attorney Madison Barnes worships, and she's never allowed anything, or anyone, to interfere with attaining them—except for her younger sister Dee. To help her sister out, Madison reluctantly agrees to spend a weekend with Dee's closest friend, a smart-ass troublemaker Karlie Henderson. To Madison's consternation, she discovers that the opinionated young college activist she remembers has turned into a wildly popular romance author and an attractive, exciting woman she can't quite keep out of her thoughts.Karlie's life is in complete upheaval. Depressed and troubled, she's not looking forward to spending a weekend trying to be polite to her best friend's arrogant older sister. Memories of their past encounters leave both women unprepared for the different kinds of sparks that arise when they spend a day together on Madison's yacht. Suspicious of Madison's motivations, Karlie has no choice but to return home and try to move on with her life—but the damage has already been done, and the consequences may be deadly.

Determined to record every summer day, young history teacher Luke Devlin starts school vacation imagining he'll describe backcountry adventures in the Rockies and sun-splashed days home in Denver. But all too soon the season veers into crisis, when his older brother faces life-threatening illness and Luke becomes entangled in a love affair that's as fast- moving and possibly as fatal as his brother's diagnosis.As Luke manages the household for his absent parents and struggles with the constant pressure of his unfinished master's deadline, his fling with a Wyoming rancher grows serious just as his brother's crisis overwhelms him. Luke's love of his native ground and his search for romance collide with the hard realities of mortality and loss during an unexpected summer.

Swimmer Quinn Hughes has given up a lot in order to be an Olympian: her social life, her love life, and everything that comes with being a normal twenty-three-year-old. Just days away from competing in the Tokyo Games, Quinn runs into her childhood best friend and high school sweetheart, Kennedy Reed. Five years earlier, they'd made a pact that they would try again if their paths ever crossed, and now she can't shake the feeling that this is a sign.But Kennedy has a whole life in New York City, and Quinn's at the opposite end of the country in San Francisco, struggling to redefine who she'll be after the Olympics. Feeling lonely and lost from everything she's given up, Quinn finds comfort in reconnecting with Kennedy, and they both discover that time and distance have only fueled their passion. As Quinn comes to terms with herself and what the future holds, she's sure of only one thing: she's not letting the only girl she's ever loved get away for the second time.

Urban artist Riley Flynn spends her days wandering the streets of Dallas, sketching the city she loves. Then dead bodies start showing up in the exact locations she was sketching, and the police arrive on her doorstep. With every reason in the world to distrust the law, she's reluctant to help the striking detective assigned to the case, especially after the cops start treating her like a suspect. As the stakes get deadlier, Riley's instinct for self-protection wars with civic duty and unexpected attraction.Detective Claire Hanlon is all about the facts, all about the law, and all about climbing the Dallas PD ladder. Her career advancement hinges on capturing the killer terrorizing the city, and the only thing in her way is the incredibly stubborn, incredibly beautiful person of interest, Riley Flynn, who is also incredibly off limits. Because she might be guilty of murder.

Riley Dawson is a psychotherapist with a lycanthropic affliction. She's a werewolf--a werecoyote, to be precise.A foundling adopted by wealthy parents, Riley led a privileged life until she fell in love with Fiona Bell, an evangelical preacher's daughter. Raging hormones, the full moon, and the pull of Fiona Bell on her teenage heartstrings triggered her first transformation. Unfortunately, her parents witnessed the change and sent her off to college with a trust fund and an agreement never to return home.Twenty years later, Riley shares a lucrative therapy practice with Dr. Margaret Spencer. Margaret, her wife, and her gay brother-in-law are the only ones who know Riley's secret. Afraid of risking exposure, Riley restricts her love life to online hookups. But when a family is referred for treatment and Fiona Bell comes back into her life, all the rules of the client-therapist relationship are tested and Riley's world is turned upside down.

Charley Owens is content with her life. She has her super-organized job, her super-clean apartment, her long-time friends, and her cats. That's all she needs after the crumbling of her twenty-five-year relationship, even if her friends keep trying to set her up with someone new. But when she meets the handsome and aloof Joanna, she's forced to reevaluate what it is she wants, and maybe what's been missing...Everything seems to be going well until Charley's ex-wife, Tricia, calls with devastating news and Charley's hope for a quiet life is overturned. While trying to take care of Tricia, Charley is determined to get Joanna to take a chance on her. But is she ready to take one herself?

When she's passed over for the role of a lifetime, Hollywood actress Gwendolyn Carter is absolutely crushed. That's when things go from bad to worse. Home to celebrate her dad's birthday, Gwen discovers her mom is sick and might not have much time left. She stays to help and to repair the emotional rift that has kept them apart for so long. That's easier said than done, though, because oh-so-perfect Lila Machowicz has all but replaced Gwen as Carol Carter's surrogate daughter.Gwen and Lila are forced to work together to support the woman they both care about, even though they're rivals for a place in Carol's life. The last thing either expects is an attraction as undeniable as it is inconvenient. When Lila helps Gwen rebuild trust with her mom, Gwen's heart begins to thaw. But every family has a closet full of skeletons, and when she discovers the family secret, will she ever be able to trust Lila again?

Olivia Savage is newly divorced and embarking on the not-so-easy task of getting into shape. One morning, after struggling to run up a mountain trail, she meets Eve Monroe who stirs her in ways she doesn't understand.Eve helps women achieve the physical fitness they yearn for, but when it comes to her love life, she buries her own yearnings and only dates casually. All that changes the day she meets the beautiful and sheltered Olivia. Eve is surprisingly smitten, and she soon finds that her desire to help is quickly overshadowed by her desire to make love.When Olivia hires Eve as her trainer, their attempts at controlling their attraction are no match for their unbridled passion. But it's the deeper, more poignant feelings neither of them can ignore that have Olivia and Eve questioning everything they've ever known about love.

Clementine Fitzroy, Duchess of Rosebrook, doesn't trust dreamers. After her grandmother, and famous social reformer, blew the family fortune on her dream of creating a new kind of community, the family land was sold off and their coffers drained. Clementine grew up watching her mother struggle and now lives in the small gate house behind her former family home.Evan Fox has a dream that could change the world and save the planet. As CEO of her family toy company, she creates fuel for the imagination. When the Rosebrook estate comes up for sale, Evan jumps at the chance to make her vision of a utopian eco community come to life.Clementine is wary of the good-looking newcomer, but Evan is determined to win over the beautiful duchess and prove that sometimes dreams really do come true.

An anthology of short fiction featuring the finalist selections from the 2020 Saints+Sinners Literary Festival, with an introduction by Don Weise.Table of Contents:Made Man by Morgan Rae HufstaderEating the Chrysanthemum by Rich BarnettLily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts by Gania BarlowBig House by Matthew CherryForgive Us Our Trespasses by David HollyBecause of the Times by EJ RobinsonWhat Covers the House is a Roof by Matthew HaynesTom of Boalt Hall by Gar McVey-RussellMiss Boots of Gramercy Park by John KaneJingle-Jangle-Pop by Miah JeffraLife and the Theater by Michael H. WardWhile Trying to Escape by Scott PromfretA Sneeze by K.W. HollandUne Tranche de Vie by Gary SmithMesopotamia by Lewis DeSimoneThe Sultan's Palace by Adriadne Blayde

Best-selling mystery writer Taylor James has struggled to complete a novel ever since divorcing her husband. When her publicist insists she take time away at a remote cabin to "finish the damn book," Taylor reluctantly agrees.Amid the crystal-clear lakes and towering pines of the north woods, Taylor encounters a mysterious woman. Small and beautiful, Levade keeps to herself, but at night she rides a white horse bareback into the lake, as if looking for something. Taylor is captivated, but Levade pushes her away. There's a secret she can't share involving a murderer who walks among them and who promised to kill anyone or anything Levade loves.But White Horse Point is haunted by another pair of lovers, long deceased, who have a personal connection to the two women, and are determined to bring them together.

This compilation of short horror stories is certain to frighten, but also seduce. From the alluring handsome stranger disguising his true identity as the Grim Reaper to the ancient Egyptian elite returning after centuries to cause mayhem, and spine-tingling tales of the full moon, vampires, werewolves, and other lurking creatures. The Eiffel Tower is only a short distance from the circus, with its sinister freaks coming out to play. Antique Venetian masks serve as optical instruments to see the seducing spirit others cannot, a mariachi is in search of his deceased lover Adrian, and a queen of hearts card promises more is at stake when the odds are just right. All are part of the pleasure of horror in this compilation that delivers like the horror classics...good ole tales of terror.

Charlie Stetko had a life to envy. A penthouse in Manhattan, a beautiful girlfriend, and a high-octane marketing career. Or so she thought. When her girlfriend sends her packing, Charlie ends up unemployed. Without a place to live or money of her own, she's forced to do the one thing she vowed she never would: go back to Shaker Falls, Vermont. Back to her parents and back to the small town life--and the people--she left behind. Back to a part-time job in the new bakery in town.Emma Grier thought Charlie was the love of her life until that uppity Manhattan entrepreneur swept Charlie off her feet. Charlie left everything in Shaker Falls behind, including Emma's shattered heart. But Emma picked herself back up and now owns a popular restaurant in town. As for her love life? She doesn't need one. Something else she doesn't need? Charlie waltzing into her restaurant to sell her the bakery's pie.

On the night of her twenty-second birthday, Aria Jasper discovers the family secret: she comes from a long line of people who communicate with ghosts. Now that she’s beginning to see and hear the newly dead, she’s expected to pledge her service to her father’s company, AfterCorps, and help rookie ghosts get their earthly affairs in order so they can make their final transfer. Angry about having to give up a music career that’s on the verge of exploding, Aria reluctantly begins her training.The only other student, Sloane, is a sexy AfterCorps devotee determined to join the most dangerous branch of the organization: the Criminally Demonic Unit. As Aria and Sloane grow closer, they begin to suspect all is not as it seems. A terrified ghost claims that Aria’s father is evil and keeping her earthbound against her will. She begs for their help to cross over, but Aria and Sloane may not be prepared for the consequences of defying an organization powerful enough to exert influence in both the land of the living and the dead.

What happens when you leave your inhibitions at the door? When you're ready for something different, something that pushes your boundaries and makes your wildest, wettest fantasies come true? What would you do if no one was watching? Or if they were? Is there something you've always wanted to do but were too afraid to ask for? A bit of role play? A top to someone's bottom? That chance meeting that leads to unexpected pleasures?Life is anything but ordinary when the lights go out and there are no rules to follow. This collection of stories by award winning authors offers fantasies as soft as silk and tough as leather. The only question is: How far will you go to make your deepest desires come true?