J. L. Ludwig

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th Century.

Once I saw Marnie Long, a sassy, sultry, charismatic older woman in a bar, I couldn’t peel my eyes off her. I wanted her. At least, for one night. I’m way too busy with my career these days for anything more. As it turned out, after recently getting burned, Marnie was on the same page as me—all she wanted was one night of fun. I was happy to be of service. What I didn’t expect during our night together, however, was how deeply we connected. Also, how much I was dying to see her again the next morning.

Savvy PR guru Kinsey Taylor has always defined herself by her career, not her gender. That is, until she moved from San Francisco to Chicago to be with her fiancé, who thought she wasn't taking her "job" of supporting him in his high-powered career seriously enough and promptly dumped her for a more supportive and "feminine" nurse. Now, as the new assistant press secretary to Chicago's dynamic mayor, she's determined to keep her eye on the prize - and she certainly doesn't have time for men.

A former model, a grumpy lawyer, and a single dad walk into an audition for a children's musical.... They’re all Miles Brodie. It’s only cute if you aren’t the director who’s being bribed to cast his daughter.

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker.

Gorgeous, talented, and brilliant, NFL quarterback Ronan Smith has the world in his hands. But after losing his career and his fiancée in a car accident, he falls into a pit of grief and bad choices. When a mysterious girl shows up to his party, he feels drawn to her and makes her his…for one night. Former beauty queen Nova Morgan is on a mission. Scantily clad as a princess from a galaxy far, far away, she sneaks into a high-profile party to capture the attention of her favorite quarterback. But her hopes crash after an awful one-night stand.

One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose of­fice she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.

Sebastian Stremmel doesn’t need another headache. He has enough of his own without Sara Shapiro, the noisy new reconstructive surgeon, stomping all around his surgical wing with her chippy, chirpy cheerfulness. But Sebastian doesn’t usually get what he wants. No one gets under his skin like Sara - so much so a heated “debate” and an exam room left in shambles later, they land themselves in eight weeks of hospital-mandated conflict resolution counseling. Now they’re forced to fight fair…which quickly leads them to playing dirty when no one’s looking.

You might think the problem would be waking up in Vegas, hungover, next to a beautiful woman who’s wearing your boxer briefs, and finding out you married her. But you’d be wrong. I, Nolan Cassidy, international charmer, and maker of mischief have fallen head over heels for Cora Delaney. I want to be married to the lass. So, you might think the problem would be that she wants an annulment. But, again, you’d be wrong. None of that is the problem. I’m a problem. My boxing days may be behind me, but the fight never left me. And nothing is going to stand in my way.

Best buds Milo Manganiello and Alice Hooper have been the one constant in each other's lives for over 15 years. The charismatic and compassionate physics professor was there when Alice got married, and he was there 10 years later when she got divorced. Likewise, the candid and kind computer science professor has always been there for Milo. She babysits his apartment and plethora of houseplants when he's traveling, and they share breakfast together every day he's in town.