Showing results by author "Josie A." in All Categories

I’ve never seen anyone at a public pool with a memorable enough body, good or bad, that I think about it ever again. If this line sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve heard it in the background of thousands of videos on social media—a humbling reminder from poet and radio personality Josie Balka that what’s important in our lives now isn’t necessarily what’s important to us in the long run. I Hope You Remember, Josie’s first book of poetry, includes this poem and over eighty others, some previously published and others never shared before.

Laurie is sure love at first sight doesn't exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away. Certain they're fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn't find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they "reunite" at a Christmas party, when her best friend, Sarah, giddily introduces her new boyfriend: the man from the bus.

Eleanor, the charming manager of a cozy tea shop, enjoys the transportive ritual of making a cup of Masala Chai tea, reminisces about the tea's origins, and delights in the beauty of her quaint English village during the holidays. Bedtime stories are narrated by the world's most celebrated voices and written with no beginning, middle, or end so you don't stay up to hear what happens next. They're interesting enough to give your mind something to focus on, but delivered in a way that encourages sleep.

Spending her thirtieth birthday alone is not what dating columnist Cleo Wilder wanted, but she plans a solo retreat―at the insistence of her boss―in the name of re-energizing herself and adding a new perspective to her column. The remote Irish island she’s booked is a far cry from London, but at least it’s a chance to hunker down in a luxury cabin and indulge in some self-care while she figures out the next steps in her love life and her career.

Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’d been together for more than a decade and Lydia thought their love was indestructible. But she was wrong. On Lydia’s 28th birthday, Freddie died in a car accident. So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants is to hide indoors and sob until her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to try to live fully, happily, even without him. So, enlisting the help of his best friend, Jonah, and her sister, Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world, open to life - and perhaps even love - again.

Gavin Wilkes is rugby’s biggest star and my older brother’s best friend. He’s tall, dark, handsome… and a notorious player—not just in the sportsball way. For years he’s teased me—flirted with me as a joke—and I’m tired of it. So the night of my parents’ annual Christmas party, I call his bluff, never expecting him to take me up on it.

Billionaire Fynn Hadaway is the total package. He’s tall, dark, and handsome, with a voice that could melt the panties off a nun. He’s also been having a few… issues of his own. Issues I think I can solve. As long as he agrees to my stipulations. The main one being, he becomes my new husband.

Shea's my best friend's sister . . . and the only girl I've ever wanted. She's always had a boyfriend, though, so I've been able to keep my distance. Now she's single. As her friend, she asks me to help her navigate our campus dating scene. Of course, I agree. I promised her brother I'd keep her safe—and keep my hands to myself. The only problem? The more time I spend with her, the harder it is to deny how I feel. Except I'm holding my life together by a thread.

When Iris decides to move to New York to restart her life, she realizes she underestimated how big the Big Apple really is—all the nostalgic movies set in New York she’d watched with her mom while eating their special secret-recipe gelato didn’t quite do it justice. But Bobby, Iris’s best friend, isn’t about to let her hide away. He drags her to a famous autumn street fair in Little Italy, and as they walk through the food stalls, a little family-run gelateria catches her eye—could it be the same shop that’s in an old photo of her mother’s?

Lisette lives in East Berlin but brings her new-born baby to a hospital in West Berlin. Under doctor's orders, she goes home to rest, leaving the baby in the care of the hospital. But overnight the border between East and West closes, slicing the city - and the world - in two. With a city in chaos and armed guards ordered to shoot anyone who tries to cross, her situation is desperate.

I knocked up my best friend’s daughter, The one I promised to protect… It’s been over a decade since I’ve last seen Kendall, And the last place I expected her to turn up was the club. She deserves better, so I offer her a job at my lake property. While she keeps it clean and organizes my office, I try to keep it professional and in my pants. She’s grown up into a fiery vixen, all bold curves and legs for days. And it makes things very… hard. The passion swirling in her eyes tells me the feeling is mutual. But she’s my best friend’s daughter I vowed to look after, Not submit ...

Sometimes the worst wounds can’t be seen. Lucas Everett knows that firsthand. It's why he and his former Navy SEAL brothers created the Resting Warrior Ranch. Usually, soldiers show up at their door. But this time, it's Evelyn Taylor—a soldier in a very different kind of war.

Who’s the stunning blonde with legs for days? Oh h*ll… My best friend’s daughter is my new assistant. She’s sassy, sun-kissed, and way too young for me. From the moment she walks into my office, My d*ck comes to life in a heartbeat. My best friend entrusted me to give her good working experience, Not bend her over my desk. She thinks I hate her. I’m just trying not to cross a line. Stolen moments, tangled sheets, her perfect body underneath mine… Her southern drawl and smart mouth push all my buttons, Unearthing feelings I’d buried for a decade. I’m too old and jaded for ...

Born into a large, close-knit family in Nicaragua, Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez grew up surrounded by strong, kind, funny, sensitive, resilient, judgmental, messy, beautiful women. Whether blood relatives or chosen family, these tías and primas fundamentally shaped her view of the world—and so did the labels that were used to talk about them. The tía loca who is shunned for defying gender roles. The pretty prima put on a pedestal for her European features. The matriarch who is the core of her community but hides all her pain.

Cord Spellman might be everyone's Prince Charming, but I'm only his fake Cinderella. That's why Cord's offer is perfect. The hot hockey star has playoffs coming up. He doesn't have time for girls, especially his cheating ex who's determined to get back together with him. He needs to focus on his game, so he asks me to divert the attention—as his fake girlfriend.

Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn't exist. After all, life isn't a scene from the movies, is it? But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man whom she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there's a moment of pure magic...and then her bus drives away. Laurie thinks she'll never see the boy from the bus again. But at their Christmas party a year later, her best friend, Sarah, introduces her to the new love of her life. Who is, of course, the boy from the bus.

Maggie Gerber - one of the founding members of the Good Buy Girls - loves her quiet life in St. Stanley, Virginia. But all that changes when Sam Collins, her old flame, moves back to town as the new sheriff. On top of that, Claire Freemont, a librarian and the newest member of the Good Buy Girls, starts acting utterly strange. When Maggie goes to visit her the next day at the library, she finds the body of a very dead man. Turns out the man is someone from Claire's past.

Booze, boys, and backstage passes. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot. Jackson Whiss is the living embodiment of a true rock ‘n’ roll bad boy. An alpha who takes what he wants. Demanding. Savage. And spoiler alert: he wants me. But not for the reason that you think. This jerk only needs a fake relationship to leverage my good-girl image. But in exchange, he’ll erase my student loan debt. What starts as a straightforward business deal, Ends backstage with tangled limbs, urgent strokes, and a low growl, “You’re mine.” We’re fire and ice, a match made in chaos. And toying with...

There’s something 100 percent off about Maggie and her fiancé Sam’s new dream home in the historic section of St. Stanley. The lights flicker, the doors blow shut, and their cat, Marshall Dillon, hisses at empty space. And there’s something in the basement that’s definitely not a bargain...After Maggie discovers a skeleton in the root cellar, she’s convinced her house is haunted by a murdered man’s ghost. With the help of her Good Buy Girls, Maggie works to tag a killer.

Set in ninth-century England and Norway, Dream of Me tells the story of Wolf Hakonson, a fierce Norse chief who falls in love when he kidnaps the sister of his rival, Hawk, a prominent Saxon lord. Wolf marries the lovely Cymbra but their wedded bliss is short-lived. First the women of the settlement refuse to accept their Saxon mistress who turns out to have emphatic abilities, and then Wolf must face the wrath of his brother-in-law.