Postcards From the Sea

My name is Cassie Brand, and my life is a shambles.To start with, I'm renovating my grandmother's house in the hope of turning it into a functioning bed and breakfast soon enough to avoid debtor's prison. Oh wait, wrong time period. Same difference though, because if I fall behind, Dearborn Suttle (aka Doofus) will gladly take the estate off my hands.Why, I don't know. Don't want to know. Don't even care to find out. But I will do anything to keep that from happening.Including make a deal with the… devilishly sly, smart, and handsome, Jake Garrison.It was supposed to be simple. I help him get back into the dating game, he helps me with this month's loan payment. It's all in the name of good friendship until… it isn't.Now I'm in over my head (and head over heels), and I think I just discovered that Doofus isn't my worst enemy. I want to scream, "Make it stop!" but...I think this disaster train was of my own making.Read less Originally from Australia, Joanne Markey now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children.

The name is Burke McFarland, but folks call me Bear because I'm ugly as a warthog, big as a grizzly, and just as mean.Maybe that's just my old granny's opinion, but women either take one look at me and run for the hills, or they laugh until they cry. There never seems to be a middle ground.My first run-in with Andi Brand ended in a typical scream-and-run kind of situation that got her a busted up knee and me a run-in with an over-zealous cop.All I wanted after that was to lay low and stay out of trouble, but Andi stopped by to apologize and kept coming back. Now I'm dealing with a heap of trouble and a swarm of bees too. I didn't want either, but one look into those big brown eyes and… I couldn't tell her no.Like Gran said, I'm big as a grizzly and just as mean. When trouble comes calling, I'd run if I could. But seeing as I can't build up steam fast enough to outrun anything, I'm gonna have to do whatever it takes to keep Andi safe. Because that's what matters. Originally from Australia, Joanne Markey now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children.

They call me stoic, but I prefer to think of myself as Ashton Chandler. Who am I really? Just a man who built walls around myself for various reasons--including an attempt to prevent meddlesome relatives from trying to set me up with the pretty new neighbor next door. Yes, I know she's pretty. I'm unavailable, not blind. My death glares bounce right off the beautiful stranger on the beach and my frosty exterior doesn't chill her sunshine at all. Not only that, but those invisible walls that are supposed to keep everyone (especially her) out? They shatter like wafer-thin glass the moment I see her smile. If I'm not careful, I'll start smiling. What's the world coming to? Originally from Australia, Joanne Markey now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children.

What is a woman to do when she's past the bloom of youth, but tall, dark, and handsome comes knocking at the door?Eat fudge, of course. That's what I did.All while trying and failing to figure out just where my story went wrong. A writer has to write, even if her eccentric aunt has other ideas. Ideas like death by a thousand tiny paper cuts because I killed off her favorite bookish hero away back when, and she hasn't forgiven me yet.Making my life uncomfortable has become her primary focus. She seems to be aiming for a "random acts of humiliation" vibe. Broom-handle whacks, embarrassing tidbits shared through the open front door, and even a spot (or a lot) of matchmaking.And when our not-so-peaceful existence gets turned on end by a late-night prowler?It's enough to drive a woman to truffles... and maybe even to tall, dark, and handsome next door. Originally from Australia, Joanne Markey now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children.