Love in Paradise Valley

Paradise is supposed to be a short-term stop. Until Thor shows up. Okay, not the real Thor. But replace the hammer with a dog who won't stop barking, and Adam Thomsen is definitely long-haired Thor's doppelganger. Too bad for me, he's decided I'm the villain in his story. Too bad for him, his scowl is no match for my super-powered positivity. It's a good thing, too, because we have to work together rehabbing a home in Paradise Valley-an assignment that, if I get right, will launch my career in a big way. So, I just have to play nice with my grouchy contractor. Even if he never smiles. And wishes I wasn't here. And disagrees with me about practically everything, including the whole reason I'm in Paradise in the first place. I'm convinced Adam is the last man on earth I should fall for. The obstacle keeping me from all my dreams. But then I hear him sing. And he finds me antlers. (Long story.) And suddenly, somehow, he's everything I've ever wanted even if we do still disagree. Unfortunately, there's more on the line than just my job. Friendships, family relationships, and a town full of history are all at risk. I want to believe I can have it all, but this is Paradise, and my name is EVE. Odds are, I'm headed for banishment. And this time, Adam isn't coming with me.

Which is easier, pretending to date my best friend, or pretending not to be in love with him? When the biggest career opportunity of my life-my own home reno TV show-sends me back to my hometown, I'm less than excited. Paradise, Idaho might be paradise for everyone else, but it never was for me. Except for my best friend, Zach. When he signs on to be a contractor on my show, things start to look up. And heat up. If only Zach wasn't about to propose to someone else. Even my rocking curves and great hair can't compete with that. Problem is, my fans think we're a thing and want to see us together. And my show's producers want what the fans want. My TV show is about to become my fantasy-a love story about Zach and me. But TV is the only place where the story can be true. Telling Zach how I feel means risking my business, and even worse, our friendship. I could lose everything. Including the one person I want more than anything.

I've dreamed of being an event planner for as long as I can remember. So, when I get the chance to plan both my stepsister's televised wedding and Paradise, Idaho's first Yulefest, I'm determined not to let anything get in the way. Until I encounter the one thing that threatens to sidetrack me. Sebastian has all the swagger to back up his smolder, and I know I'm in trouble the minute he saunters up to me. But underneath his bad boy image is a surprising vulnerability. But he has no idea what he's getting into with me, and the whole town seems to be conspiring against my efforts to keep a safe distance from him. When we have to work together to light up Yulefest, Sebastian is determined to prove he's more than fling-worthy. Despite destroyed gnomes, Danish pancake disasters, and a gang of hungry squirrels that threaten to make our first Yulefest together our last, the electricity between us is enough to power every twinkling Christmas light in Paradise. It will take more than attraction and forced proximity to keep us together. If we're going to find our own slice of paradise this Christmas, there's another heart Sebastian has to win, even though he's already won mine.

Bear Thomsen and I both want the same thing-his grandpa's old auto shop. My dream is to rehab it into a bookstore. Bear's is to tear it down to build a hockey rink. Paradise is the fresh start I'm looking for after taking leave from the police force in LA. I want to escape the big city with its big problems, and avoid a big, unwinnable fight with my commanding officer. But, if I turn in my detective badge I worked so hard to earn, it will be the toughest thing I've ever done. Especially because I hate walking away from a fight. I'm not about to let another man get in the way of my new dream-to own a small-town bookstore. Especially if that man is Bear Thomsen. But when Bear rescues me not once, not twice, but three times, I realize my attraction to him is more than physical. He's a gentle giant with a fierce protective streak, especially when it comes to his hockey team. I never thought I needed saving, but the more time I spend with Bear, the more I discover that bridges can be rebuilt, walls can come down, and dreams are better shared. But how can we share a dream when one of us has to lose for the other to win?