Cottonwood Cove
This adorable series will make you giddy, there is so much heart and soul in it.
1. INTO THE TIDE by Laura Pavlov
SYNOPSIS
Sheβs my best friendβs little sister. Completely off-limits. But every man has his breaking point.
Lila James is my best friendβs little sister and Iβve always looked out for her. Sheβs five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now sheβs home for the summerβand sheβs definitely not a kid anymore. Sheβs beautiful and smart and everything I didnβt know I needed. Dark eyes. Long wavy hair. And legs that are meant to be wrapped around me.
Iβm the guy who likes to have a good time. Keep things light. When her brother asks me to hire her at my restaurant, itβs a no-brainer. There isnβt anything I wouldnβt do for her. Until she asks me for one more favor. She wants me to be her first. Take her V-card. Go where no man has gone before. Her words, not mine. And damn if I donβt want to go there more than Iβve ever wanted anything.
Sheβs only here for the summer, and she says it will be our secret. Itβs temporary. Weβll go back to being just friends at the end of summer. She promises that she wonβt fall for me. She knows better. But Lila isnβt the one Iβm worried about.
2. UNDER THE STARS by Laura Pavlov
SYNOPSIS
My new assistant is all smiles and sunshineβand sheβs about to set fire to my cold, grumpy heart.
Iβve moved to this god-forsaken small town to run the family business. I need to hire a new PA and the pickings are slim. Some say my irrational expectations are the reason Iβve gone through assistants quicker than most people refill their coffee. Incompetence is my pet peeve. If that makes me irrational, so be it.
Then Georgia Reynolds walks into my office. Blonde hair. Sapphire eyes. And a smart mouth that irritates me as much as it turns me on. On top of being a rockstar at her job, she is a ray of freaking sunshine on steroids. I have no patience for it. Nor for the way she flutters around the office like a modern-day Tinkerbell. She has ridiculous taste in music. Drives an unreasonable form of transportation. And did I mention that I caught her dancing in my closet when I sent her on a simple errand?
My new assistant has somehow become my kryptonite. But I am her boss, and I am not going to be a pathetic clichΓ©. It doesnβt matter that my cold, jaded heart has started beating again. In my world, a beating heart makes you weak. And I do not tolerate weaknesses.
3. ON THE SHORE by Laura Pavlov
SYNOPSIS
Heβs the GOAT of the NFL. Sheβs a hot-headed reporter who despises him. Theyβre in the same small town for the summer. What could possibly go wrong?
Iβm more than aware of the responsibilities that come with being a quarterback in the NFL. The upsideβI get to do what I love every day, which is play football. And I make more money than I know what to do with. The downsideβeveryone wants a piece of me, and the press stalks me ruthlessly. And one reporter in particular, Brinkley Reynolds, has crossed a line. She takes things too far. So yeah, I have her escorted out of the press conference.
Imagine my surprise when the same woman walks into the coffee shop in the small town where Iβve gone to get some privacy for the summer. I accuse her of stalking me. She calls me every name in the book before proceeding to make me feel very unwelcome in Cottonwood Cove. Her hometown. The place where she tucked tail and ran after Iβd unknowingly gotten her fired.
So now Iβm enemy number one. Thatβs fine with me. Iβm not the biggest fan of her either. Sheβs equal parts stubborn and aggravating. But she happens to be the sexiest woman Iβve ever laid eyes on. So I try to make amends. Iβm not the devil after all. But she wonβt give me the time of day unless I agree to give her my story. One Iβve fought hard to protect since the day I started playing professional ball. I donβt owe Brinkley Reynolds anything. So why am I considering giving her everything?
4. BEFORE THE SUNSET by Laura Pavlov
SYNOPSIS
Heβs an actor in need of an image makeover. Sheβs determined to show her ex-fiancΓ© that sheβs moved on. A fake relationship between two best friends is the perfect solution. Or is it?
Reese Murphy has been my best friend since before we took our first steps. Sheβs the yin to my yang. The peanut butter to my jelly. Itβs all platonic, of course, as we made a pact years ago that weβd never cross the line. But then she took a job abroad and moved away for a year. To say Iβve been lost without her would be a massive understatement.
Sheβs finally coming home, and I couldnβt be happier about it. And then she presents me with a proposition... Pretend to be her boyfriend. I am an actor, after all, so it should be a piece of cake. Itβs all part of her grand plan to show her ex-fiancΓ© that sheβs moved on. My agent wants me to clean up my image, so it would be a win-win for both of us.
But then she moves into my house and prances around in those tiny pajama shorts. Thereβs also the night she catches me alone in the bathroom in a compromising position. And she isnβt in any hurry to leave. We get lost in the moment and now I canβt think of anything else. We are way past a gray area at this point. Weβve entered a smoking-hot-I-think-I-might-be-in-love-with-my-best-friend area. The problem is, she still thinks weβre fake dating. And I stopped faking it a long time ago.
5. AFTER THE STORM by Laura Pavlov
SYNOPSIS
Heβs a grumpy single dad. Sheβs the one who got away. They havenβt seen one another in years, and now theyβre stuck in a hotel room together. And thereβs only one bed.
Iβve loved her from the first moment I saw her. And Iβve loved her every day since. Whether weβre together or weβre apartβthat hasnβt changed. Which is saying a lot considering I donβt like most people. But life has thrown us a slew of curveballs and we went our separate ways. Life, family, jealousyβwe let it all get in the way. Iβm a dad now, and my little girl is my world. And after years apart, Presley is back in Cottonwood Cove.
I donβt believe in fairytales or second chances. My heart belongs to my daughter now, and there is no room for complications. Presley Duncan is a giant complication. A wise man would keep his distance. But I never claimed to be a wise man. So maybe we end up in a car together in the middle of a snowstorm. Which leads to a hotel room with only one bed.
Maybe I should reconsider my stance on fairytales and second chances. And seeing Presley with my little girl does something to me. Stirs something inside of me that I thought was long gone. But I know this is temporary. Sheβll be leaving soon, and Iβm prepared to let her go. Until sheβs gone. And I realize that Iβm not prepared at all for life after the storm.