Showing results by narrator "Lu Banks" in All Categories

It's not every day you get asked to be a bridesmaid for the wedding of your ex and your ex-best friend. Call me lucky? My grandmother thinks I'm crazy for agreeing, but I can't let those so-and-sos know they've pummeled my self-worth . . . even if it's true. Then my grandmother goes off the deep end and tells everyone that I have a boyfriend. A pediatric surgeon boyfriend. Worse, she's shown them his photograph. The guy in question? He's a hot piece of bad news. He may have befriended my grandmother, but he's far from being in my good graces.

Publicly fighting with a man for an oversold airline seat—embarrassing! Realizing he was the quarterback for the Atlanta Arrows—awkward. Knowing he was your friend's older brother and teenage crush but didn't recognize you—humiliating. When I stormed out of the airport after throwing a temper tantrum, I never expected to cross paths with him again. All I wanted to do was put the night behind me and enjoy a martini. The last thing I expected was for him to waltz into the bar and offer me a night I couldn't refuse.

After a tough year, Lucy, Freddy, and Herb Peach are ready for vacation. Lucy wants to read all of the books on the summer reading list. Freddy wants to work on his art projects. Herb wants to swim every day. Then their dad makes a big announcement: One of the inventions their mom came up with before she passed away has sold, and now they're millionaires!

I never claimed to be a saint. But it wasn't until I found myself in cuffs that I learned the damage I was capable of. The only sunshine on those gray prison days came in the form of letters from a hopeful teenager with a quick wit. But the letters weren't addressed to me. They were meant for my bastard cellmate, who'd sooner toss them on the floor with the rest of his trash. So, I picked them up, read them, and wrote back, signing each letter, Love, Dad.

Some guys take the easy way out. Not me. I work hard and I work out even harder. My sister would like to see me settled down with a family, but running a successful gym while building a fitness empire takes time, sweat, and discipline—three things I can't afford to spare even for a chance at happy ever after. Then the new yoga instructor struts into my gym looking like the ultimate cheat day.

Daxton Ford tried to warn me. He never made promises. He swore a girl like me would only get hurt by a guy like him. Did I listen? He portrays dangerous, dark, and brooding. Or so he thinks. Daxton is trouble; anyone can see that. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and keeps his circle of friends small.

But I'm the girl who believes in the good. I'm the girl that even when every fiber in my body is telling me to not go there. I head straight for it, even if I know I'll fall.

Wherever I am, I'm the biggest guy in the room. People don't just gawk when they see me. They keep their distance, which is fine by me. Why do you think I bought a fixer-upper in the country? I don't mind the manual labor, just like I don't mind the solitude. I've got my own business and projects, and no room for anything—or anyone—else. That is, until an angel shows up on my doorstep, clutching a month-old advert touting a room for rent in my house.

College student Tara Staudenmaier will do anything for her family. When medical debt looms, she doesn’t hesitate to do whatever it takes. Even if it means putting herself - and her inexperience in love - up on the auction block. She only asks that nobody discovers her biggest secret. The reason she’s gone gray at 20 and now has something to offer a would-be suitor looking for a month-long affair.

Silver Spoon Falls was supposed to be an easy mark. Instead, I'm up to my ears in cartels and complications. I waltzed into enemy territory to investigate...and waltzed back out with a new mission in life. Protecting Snow Buchanan from her stepmother and her cartel of henchmen. Her seven furry friends doubt me. Her stepmother wants to kill her. And all I want is to lay siege to her heart. This curvy little princess will be mine.

I've been Queen Bee at our theme park for ten glorious, uncomplicated years. I'm far better at creating fictional magic than real life miracles. So when Landon Arden, my best friend's twin brother and my old high school bully, starts to work at Honeywood, I'm wishing for some gift from above to fix this mess.

Tory Baker presents Book 4 in the Rowdy Johnson Brothers series.

Conventional wisdom about running is passed down like folklore (and sometimes contradicts itself). In Running Smart, Mariska van Sprundel, a science journalist and recreational runner who has had her fair share of injuries, sets out to explore the science behind such claims.

There's only one woman I truly care about: my daughter. Until Maisy Stratford flounces into the front office of the Tennessee Thunderbolts with a heartfelt smile and a tray of baked goods. As the Bolts' newest hire, Maisy is optimistic, enthusiastic, and a goddess at manifestation. Everything I'm not. Known as Brawler, I'm a gruff, quiet, rough-around-the-edges, NHL defenseman. I haven't dated in decades. I've never been married and my daughter's a twenty-one-year-old mischief maker. I don't know how to talk about feelings or place my trust in the hands of a woman.

I'm a man who knows what he wants and what I want is Birdie. It hurt like hell to watch her leave our small town to set off and chase her college dreams. I let her go once, I'm not letting it happen again. Now she's home for good, and I'll stop at nothing to keep her with me, always. Even if that means tying her to me in every way possible.

Much to their surprise, the Peaches had a great summer running their food truck business selling their pies across the Mid-West, but they're happy to be back home in Duluth, Minnesota, where they can settle back into a routine just in time for the new school year. That is until Great Aunt Lucinda wants to gift them her historic mansion. But there are conditions: they're to turn it into a cozy bed-and-breakfast, something the Peach kids' mom always dreamed of before she passed away. And they only have until Thanksgiving to do the renovations and prove they can make the business work.

Lucky for me, I'm immune to the Silver Spoon Falls matchmaking water. I've been watching all my business associates fall victim to its effects, swearing it will never happen to me. Little do I know, Karma already has me in her sights. A relaxing Saturday at my private retreat nearly turns deadly when a bear knocks me overboard. An actual black bear. When a curvy little siren saves me from certain death, the beauty steals my heart in the process. To my horror, my little savior disappears before I'm able to discover her identity.

Cashing in on his family's recent good-luck streak, ten-year-old Freddy Peach has been entering his family in a bunch of sweepstakes, but he doesn't really expect to win. And then he does—a free family trip to the Ice Hotel in Sweden! Since the Peaches are now the proud owners of their own bed-and-breakfast, they decide they can't pass up on the opportunity. It's research. They'll learn more about what it takes to operate a successful hotel from one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world.

I learned one lesson early in life: Trust no one. This isn't the first time I've woken up with a stranger looming over my bed. But unlike last time, this dangerous man swears he means me no harm. For some reason, I believe him. But I never expected to fall for him. He's more deadly than the men who kidnapped me, yet I've never felt safer. But is it all an illusion, or is this dark prince truly my white knight?

The mob boss meets his match in Silver Spoon Falls. At first glance, the curvy little doll turns my entire world upside down and inside out. The only thought on my mind is making Dr. Annabelle Girardi mine. Forever. The emergency room doctor drops into my world and turns things upside down. I might have my work cut out for me but I'll do whatever it takes to win her heart. Because walking away from Belle isn't an option. There isn't any price I won't pay to spend the rest of my life with my soulmate.

I didn't realize I was hooking up with my student, but once I saw his hockey-player body, I couldn't help myself. If anyone finds out, I'll be out of a job. Unlike most college boys, he's mature in all the right ways and completely knows how to turn on a woman.