Southern Roots Sweet RomCom

She's just his secretary…until he needs someone on his arm to convince his mother that he can take over the family business.Callie:Dawson Houser makes sure everyone who comes into the office knows I'm "just his secretary." Heck, I've even said it to suppliers and CEOs when they smile knowingly at the two of us during business meetings. He scowls and grumps around the office afterward, as if the two of us dating is the most ridiculous thing on the planet.Dawson can handle them.I can handle them-and him too, once they leave. And he's no picnic, let me tell you.Who can't we handle? His mother.When Lila Houser comes to town with her faux furs and fashion sunglasses, she only has one question for her spoiled rotten son: When are you going to get married, Dawson, darling?I expect him to laugh and tell her he's never getting married. I mean, I've heard those exact words come out of his mouth. Instead, he pulls me to his side and says, "Maybe sooner than you think, Mother."Oh, that Lila Houser can make a woman feel two inches tall with a simple up-down look. I think I'm a pretty good catch...no matter what my last three boyfriends say.When Lila says, "I thought Callie was just your secretary," I suddenly want to prove her dead wrong... Elana Johnson is a young adult author. Her work includes the young adult dystopian romance series Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available digitally, as well as a young adult dystoipan short story in the Possession world, Resist. She is also the author of ELEVATED and SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE, both standalone young adult contemporary romance novels-in-verse. Her novella, ELEMENTAL RUSH began a new futuristic fantasy series. ELEMENTAL HUNGER, a full-length novel, is the second part of the story. The series concludes with ELEMENTAL RELEASE, the final novella. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog (www.elanajohnson.com) or Twitter (@ElanaJ). She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog and WriteOnCon, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers, a blog written by young adult science fiction and fantasy authors.

She's just his boss, especially since Tara just barely hired Alec. But when things heat up in the kitchen, Tara will have to decide where Alec is needed more-on her arm or behind the stove.Tara: Alec Ward makes sure everyone knows I'm the boss. He thinks it's some sort of homage to me or something. I find it as sarcastic and annoying as he is drop-dead gorgeous.I'd have fired him on his first day for his Grumpy-Cat attitude, but he's the best thing to happen to Saucebilities since I opened the doors a decade ago. He acts like dating is beneath him, and I'm happy to feed that opinion for him by telling him all about my dating disasters while we whip up delicacies for the rich and famous around Charleston.I know just how to handle men like Alec.Until an article comes out that could devastate me. The headline?No one trusts a skinny chef, but can the plump cooks in this town find love?I'm the headliner in the article, thanks to an ex who's looking for revenge."Plump?" I rage to Alec, a knife in my hand. "I'll show him plump."I expect him to laugh, pluck the knife away before I hurt myself, and tell me to get over it. Instead, he says, "You should show him that women of all sizes can find love."So he's deeper than I thought. Big deal. Doesn't mean I'm going to fall for his knife skills or the muscles it takes to lift all those pounds of potatoes. I do take his advice and leave a comment on my ex's article.When my ex walks into my kitchen, uninvited I might add, and demands to know who I'm dating, Alec steps right to my side with, "Is this the guy, baby?"Oh, he's the guy, and I suddenly want to show him-and myself-that I'm a good catch, curves and all...Get ready to laugh out loud in this hilarious, sweet workplace romantic comedy! The romance is clean, the jokes witty, and the office-kitchen grump swoon-worthy. Read today! Elana Johnson is a young adult author. Her work includes the young adult dystopian romance series Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available digitally, as well as a young adult dystoipan short story in the Possession world, Resist. She is also the author of ELEVATED and SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE, both standalone young adult contemporary romance novels-in-verse. Her novella, ELEMENTAL RUSH began a new futuristic fantasy series. ELEMENTAL HUNGER, a full-length novel, is the second part of the story. The series concludes with ELEMENTAL RELEASE, the final novella. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog (www.elanajohnson.com) or Twitter (@ElanaJ). She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog and WriteOnCon, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers, a blog written by young adult science fiction and fantasy authors.

She's just his assistant, which is exactly how this Southern belle wants it. No spotlight. Not anymore. But as she struggles to learn her new role in his office-especially because Lance is the surliest boss imaginable-Jessie might just have to open her heart to show him everyone has a past they're running from.Jessie: Lance Byers is by far the meanest man in Carolina. Both of them. All of the South. Heck, the whole country. He makes demands I don't know how to fulfill, like, "Bring me those closing docs," or "Set up that open house."I'm trying to learn as fast as I can, but the real estate market in Charleston is like a jet plane flying at three hundred miles per hour. It moves, and it moves fast.Lance is smart, handsome if I can admit that out loud, and entrenched in this realtor lingo I don't understand. He even brings in someone to train me, but I'm pretty sure I'm failing him on a daily basis.Failure? That, I understand.I'm determined to figure this out, though. I have to, because my only other option is to run back to Momma and Daddy in that big house I hate.I won't. I can't do it. Which means I have to figure out how to deal with Lance's attitude, learn what an escrow payment is, and hide my secrets all while smiling and entertaining clients.When a ball somewhere gets dropped and I'm about to take the blame, I decide to try one more thing...bare my soul to the meanest man on the planet. Surprisingly, I learn that Lance is human after all, and hurting just as much as I am.I suddenly want to take him under my broken wing and show him that there could be a second chance for both of us...if he doesn't fire me first.Get ready to laugh out loud in this hilarious, sweet workplace romantic comedy! The romance is clean, the jokes smart and witty, and the office grump swoon-worthy. Read today! Elana Johnson is a young adult author. Her work includes the young adult dystopian romance series Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available digitally, as well as a young adult dystoipan short story in the Possession world, Resist. She is also the author of ELEVATED and SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE, both standalone young adult contemporary romance novels-in-verse. Her novella, ELEMENTAL RUSH began a new futuristic fantasy series. ELEMENTAL HUNGER, a full-length novel, is the second part of the story. The series concludes with ELEMENTAL RELEASE, the final novella. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog (www.elanajohnson.com) or Twitter (@ElanaJ). She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog and WriteOnCon, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers, a blog written by young adult science fiction and fantasy authors.

She's just his barista...until she buys into Legacy Brew as a co-owner. Then she's Coy's business partner and the source of his five-year-long crush. But after they share a kiss one night, Macie's seriously considering mixing business and pleasure.Macie: Coy Cochran and I have never gotten along all that well. His daddy hired me a decade ago at their family coffee shop, and I've grown to love the place. Now that Coy's dad is gone, he's more than determined than ever to carry on the family owned and operated café.I'm the brains and beauty at the shop, but Coy won't listen to me-until I have money in the game too. Now that we're business partners, we get along slightly better.Slightly.He's still surly and full of bark, and while I like animals, I tend to stay away from the human ones that demand to see me in their office over a little spilled sugar.I can handle working with Coy. It's the "not working" that's been plaguing me. See, we had this...well, I call it The Kissing Incident-a single kiss, months ago, in a moment of extreme distress.Too bad I told him it was a mistake and couldn't happen again.Double-too-bad that it was the best kiss of my life and triple-too-bad that I can't stop thinking about it. Him. I can't stop thinking about him.And now my best friend's wedding is coming up, and I don't have a date. So I post on my social media, asking if anyone in Charleston would be willing to spend a few hours with me, drinking, dining, and dancing the night away. No strings attached. No boyfriend status required.When Coy texts me, saying he'll be my date, I'm torn. I definitely want to go out with him, but the wedding isn't for seven more weeks. And I want that boyfriend status with him, so I tell him we should give a relationship a test drive.The problem is, if the test drive turns out to be a complete wreck, I'm back in the same situation as before my social media post: dateless and comparing every future kiss I'll ever have to the man who still thinks I'm just his barista.Oh, and bonus: I'll have to continue working with him day in and day out too.Get ready to laugh out loud in this hilarious, sweet workplace romantic comedy! The romance is clean, the jokes witty, and the coffee-shop-grump swoon-worthy. Read today! Elana Johnson is a young adult author. Her work includes the young adult dystopian romance series Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available digitally, as well as a young adult dystoipan short story in the Possession world, Resist. She is also the author of ELEVATED and SOMETHING ABOUT LOVE, both standalone young adult contemporary romance novels-in-verse. Her novella, ELEMENTAL RUSH began a new futuristic fantasy series. ELEMENTAL HUNGER, a full-length novel, is the second part of the story. The series concludes with ELEMENTAL RELEASE, the final novella. School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog (www.elanajohnson.com) or Twitter (@ElanaJ). She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog and WriteOnCon, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers, a blog written by young adult science fiction and fantasy authors.