Taylor Danae Colbert

"Dax Thatcher?" I ask. "But isn't he sorta. . .old?" Ugh. Celebrities. I mean, I know I took a job as a reporter for the Celebrity and Pop Culture department of our magazine, but it was just supposed to be a stepping stone to the more real stuff. Despite the fact that Dax Thatcher was the subject of many of my teen fantasies-and I may or may not have an entire playlist made up of his music-he's still just another star.Until his golden eyes pierce through me that day on his Malibu deck. I find myself having dinner with him, going backstage with him, lying on the beach with him. I find myself telling him my deepest secrets, and diving deep into his less-than-perfect past. And then I remember my assignment: a four-issue feature on Dax Thatcher. . .and his supermodel fiancée. Yep, he's getting hitched. I have to focus. I'm a serious journalist, and he is mere months from walking down the aisle with someone else. But that doesn't stop me from wondering what those tattooed arms might feel like wrapped around me, or how soft the sheets on his California king bed are. Yikes. This celebrity stuff might be a little more real than I thought.

Off the Record

When I was sixteen, I was madly in love with Ryder Casey.He was kind, he was loving, he was everything. Then he killed my twin brother, the night before our eighteenth birthday. Accident or not, he crushed me in more ways than one. So I turned him away and never looked back. I haven't forgotten. And I certainly haven't forgiven. Now, I'm sort of a hot mess. I'm in between jobs, essentially homeless, and newly divorced. But as I try to put the pieces of my life back together, I know that Ryder's the one that's missing. I have to find him, and I have to forgive him. And when I do, I learn that he's not exactly living the easiest life. He needs someone. He needs me. Despite everything, I know I should be there for him. But doing that means I'll have to put our past behind us. And I'll have to try my hardest not to fall back in love with the man who broke my heart beyond repair.

The Meade Lake Series, Book One

Back to Shore

Going home for the holidays doesn't exactly hold the same meaning when a piece of your heart isn't there anymore.I'm going through the motions with my family, putting up the lights, trimming the tree. But nothing feels the same.Until Liam Crane walks back into my life-and back into my house-after all these years.He's got the same boyish smile, only, he's all man now. And much to my dismay, his big blue eyes can still see right through me, just as easily as when we were kids.When he laughs, my heart heals a little. When he tells me what he felt back then, I actually want to smile.But he has his own pain to deal with, and it's the same pain that took him away from me all those years ago.We didn't work out back then. Things were complicated. But if we can learn to lean on one another, maybe we can find the way back.

A Wellsworth Christmas Novella

The Way Back

"Throughout Bria's teen years, Knox was her rock, her person, her constant--but never her boyfriend. And for all those years, she told herself that was exactly how she wanted it to be. Yeah, right. Knox wasn't the one that got away--he was the one that never was. Now, Bria's full-on adulting, and she's crushing it. She's got a grown-up job, a lush D.C. apartment, a dreamy med-student fiancâe. What more could a girl want? But when a family crisis lands her back in her hometown of Dalesville, she finds herself face-to-face with the one thing she always wanted and never had: Knox. But she's determined to keep her feelings for Knox in the past. It doesn't matter that he's as charming as ever, and looks even better with age. It doesn't matter that she discovers huge sacrifices he made for her, way back when. Nope, it doesn't matter. Right?"--

It Goes Without Saying

"We choose family, always."As the only child of Georgia's leading tech mogul, that motto has been our way of life for as long as I can remember. I've been groomed and primed to take over his role since I was fifteen. Ever the dutiful daughter, I've done everything to stick to the plan, even if the plan was never what I actually wanted.But people lie. Stories change. Entire family histories are rewritten.When tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome Derrick Thomas shows up with a photograph that shatters my world, I find myself following him 700 miles north to Meade Lake-the one place that might help me find answers.Drowning in lies, I cling to Derrick's every word, desperate for the truth. And somewhere along the way, I end up clinging to him, too.Suddenly, I feel a change in the wind, a crack in all those concrete plans that were laid for me ever so carefully. "We choose family, always."But after I find out what they've done, I realize that family isn't always flesh and blood. Sometimes, family can be strangers. Sometimes, strangers can be family.I just have to choose which one I want to call mine.

Stones Unturned

Miss Fix-It-that's me. And when my sister and nephew are in danger, it's my natural instinct to step in and get them out of Boston. The girl with the plan, always.We land at the Rowan Inn-a charming bed-and-breakfast on the shores of the Chesapeake. A sweet little haven we're hoping will bring us the peace we so desperately need.Instead, it brings us Jesse Rowan, the gruff and grumpy son of the original owners. The same guy who is single-handedly sinking the Inn faster than an anchor in the bay. But we need a place to crash until I can figure out our next move, so I convince him to let us stay in exchange for help around the place.At first, he's rude, sarcastic, and standoffish. But after a few months of working around the Inn together, I realize he's not as callous as he'd like us to think. And I realize that maybe the Inn isn't the only project I want to take on. He needs some fixing, too.But the Inn has to be just a pitstop for us. And as long as we're on the run, Jesse Rowan can't be my final destination.

Rowan Revived

I was a firm believer that those "nights of passion" people talk about—like when they refer to one-night stands or extramarital affairs—don't really exist. Getting "caught up in the moment" doesn't really happen. It's just an excuse for a bad decision. And I don't have time to waste on decisions like that. Now, it’s my time to shine in the real world. I’m moving on, never looking back on the painful past my family and I have been trying to rebuild from. That is, until I run—full-speed, I might add—into the man responsible for wrecking our lives all those years ago. And then it happens—that bad decision. And wouldn't you know it? I can't stop myself. Wyatt Mills is a deadly force that I’m not ready for. And to be honest, I don’t think he was ready for me, either. That’s what five years of pent-up hate energy will do to you, I guess. But Wyatt is the same guy who wrongfully accused my father of a crime he didn’t commit. Taking away everything. Putting our family through turmoil. I hate his living guts. But I got caught up in the moment. And I want to do it all over again.

Fighting Words

When Luci left Dalesville to pursue a career on the west coast, Della always secretly hoped that one day, her best friend would make her way back. Luci is back, alright. But it's because Della's husband is killed, just as she's starting her second trimester. Now, Luci finds herself sitting at prenatal appointments with Della, buying diapers, and trying to help Della put her life back together. And all the while, Luci is trying to avoid her own heartbreak in the form of Dayton Briggs, her high school-turned-college sweetheart who broke her heart all those years ago. As Della is navigating her new life and preparing for motherhood, Luci has to decide if she wants to escape back to the west coast, or stay in Dalesville and risk having her heart broken all over again.

Bumps Along the Way

Aleatha Romig

A.L. Jackson

Chelle Bliss

Eden Butler

Brenda Rothert

T.K. Leigh

Amanda Shelley

Daryl Banner

Kat Mizera

Elyse Kelly

Renita McKinney

A.M. Kusi

Kenna Rey

Shannon Bruno

A BOOK A DAY PRESENTS: COLOR THEORY 2: Love, The Tie That Binds is a romance anthology with THIRTEEN never-before-seen novellas. Each one filled with love, devotion, and determination shown through characters who follow their hearts, despite the racial obstacles that arise. Presented by A Book A Day, COLOR THEORY 2 brings stories of united hearts and the way their unions complete their world, filling their lives with undying affection, deep emotion, and an unbreakable bond. This anthology will only be available for a short time. All proceeds will aid the education of Black students through the A Book A Day Scholarship Fund. Authors include: Aleatha Romig, A.L. Jackson, Amanda Shelley, A.M Kusi, Brenda Rothert, Chelle Bliss, Daryl Banner, Eden Butler, Elyse Kelly, Kat Mizera, Kenna Rey, Shannon Bruno, Taylor Danae Colbert, and T.K. Leigh. Foreword by Renita McKinney.

Love, The Tie That Binds

A Book A Day Presents: Color Theory 2

From the time I can remember, it was always the three of us. Me, Tommy, and Shane.We were young, doing things we shouldn't have been doing.They say the water here in Meade Lake freezes four feet deep. But that winter had been unseasonably warm...After we lost Tommy, Shane packed up and moved on, leaving me to figure it all out by myself. To figure out who I was without my two best friends.But now, Shane is back in Meade Lake. He's changed, but under that cold, hardened exterior, I can still see a hint of my best friend. The boy I once loved.We're reliving our glory years, laughing at the memories, sorting through the pain. And each time, he stands a little bit closer, lingers a little bit longer.But with every touch, I feel that ice-cold barrier form around my heart.He showed me once that he could walk away and never look back. I can't give him that chance again.

In Winters Past

I've been running the New York branch of my father's outfit since I was eighteen years old. Standing at five-feet-four-inches in high heels and a ponytail, people don't look at me and think immediately: mob boss. But that works in my favor. It's not exactly conducive to our line of work to be in the spotlight, or to have people know your name. So I keep a low profile and I keep my men close.The men in this outfit know my deepest secret, the one that keeps me up at night all these years later. The one that some died to keep. The one that changed me into this dark version of myself, this woman who can do unspeakable things. So when my father's right hand man brings a devilishly handsome new sharpshooter to join the crew, I don't exactly welcome him with open arms. The doors of this Brooklyn brownstone may as well have been cemented shut all those years ago, right along with what was left of my heart.But the second Leo lays eyes on me, he sees something that no one else around me has seen in eight years. He sees hope. He sees light. He sees a future. And as terrifying as it is, with him around, I start to see those things, too.But the secrets I've tried so hard to bury, the ghosts of the past are back to haunt me. And they remind me that no matter how hard I try, I can't outrun myself. Trigger Warning: This book contains some graphic scenes and very sensitive subject matter.

Taylor Danae Colbert

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