San Francisco attorney Cecily Chang is ready to tackle the New Year head on, so she creates a list of resolutions guaranteed to reboot her life—right after her dutiful visit home to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for the Lunar New Year. Cecily prepares to face her critical, meddling mother, nosy relatives, and the chaos and drama family togetherness brings. At least the food will be delicious. This holiday, Cecily vows to remain calm—as long as she doesn’t see him.
Jeffrey Lee deeply regrets how he ended things with Cecily ten years ago, but he felt it was best for her at the time. When he runs into her again during the New Year, he sees it as a sign. Now a successful screenwriter, Jeffrey is determined to win back Cecily’s heart.
But Cecily doesn’t believe in signs or second chances and embraces her new resolutions. This time, Jeffrey won’t give up—and he’s convinced he can write them a new Hollywood happy ending.
“Come quick! It’s cold.” Judith ushered her up the steps, every inch the nagging mother hen Cecily had known her whole life. Quick as lightning, she grabbed Cecily’s luggage, and schlepped it with effort.
“Ma, stop it. Put my suitcase down before you hurt yourself,” Cecily scolded.
“I don’t like your tone.” Her mother scowled. It was too early to break Resolution 3, Cecily reminded herself. She hadn’t even walked into the house yet. Surely, she could last more than five minutes before being provoked by her family? That would be an inauspicious start to the New Year festivities.
With a heavy, world-weary sigh, she waited for her mother to open the door and entered the foyer. Immediately she was assaulted by a whirlwind of noise and activity. She saw her sister Gillian and brother-in-law Peter, her brother Owen and his girlfriend Sonia embroiled in a vicious game of Monopoly. Her cousin Molly was manning the stove, and a bevy of aunts and uncles, cousins, and nieces and nephews were running around. It was pandemonium and the familiarity and sheer nostalgia of it all hit her like a punch and almost made her weepy.
Cecily took off her shoes, set her luggage by the foot of the stairs, laid her jacket on top of it, and made her way to the kitchen. She could smell daikon, star anise, and chilies. That could only mean one thing.
“Sit down, sit down. I made beef noodle soup for you with a soy braised egg and pressed tofu on the side, your favorite with some bean sprouts. Fan chay chao dan with rice if you want that too. And went to the bakery and got you a bo-lo,” Judith said, referring to the classic pineapple bun. Cecily took a deep sniff and started salivating. Her stomach rumbled.
“Molly, get your cousin a bowl of soup. Ai-ya,” Judith tsked. “You’re too skinny. Before you were too fat and I told you to lose weight but now you’re too skinny. Not look good.” And right on cue, the nagging, backward compliments, and criticism. Yep, it was good to be home. It was good to know some things never changed—it wouldn’t feel like home otherwise.
Just then, her father walked into the room. Paul Chang was dressed in khakis and a sweater vest and looked like the absent-minded professor he was. He blinked in surprise when he saw her.
“Cecily! What are you doing here?” A big smile crossed his face, and he embraced her with a hearty hug. Cecily clung for a beat longer than necessary, savoring the moment.
“Dad. Didn’t Mom tell you I was coming home for New Year?”
“Your mother doesn’t tell me anything.” For which he received a glare and painful swat on the arm from his wife.
“Hey, sis!” Owen shouted. “Come over here and join my team. We’re destroying Gill and Peter.” He was twenty-eight, her youngest sibling, and lived up to the reputation of the annoyingly obnoxious baby brother.
“Only because you’re cheating,” Gillian huffed.
“You always were a sore loser.”
“Enough!” Judith exclaimed. “Leave your sister alone,” she scolded Owen. “She just flew across the country. She needs to eat. What’s wrong with you?” She then turned to Cecily. “Eat! I didn’t spend all day making this for you for nothing.”
Lisa has been an avid romance reader and fan since she read her first Nora Roberts novel at the age of 13 after wandering the aisles of her local bookstore. Lisa loves that romance has the power to inspire, and believes that HEAs are for everyone.
Lisa writes light contemporary romantic comedies with a liberal dash of snark and banter. She enjoys delving into the complexity of Asian and immigrant family experiences, and celebrates female friendships in her trademark dry, witty style. As an Asian-American author writing own voices Asian American stories, Lisa hopes that her books will show the diversity of the Asian-American experience, and the importance of every reader being able to see themselves represented on the page.
Having grown up in Pennsylvania and helping out at her parents’ restaurant, Lisa has never bothered to learn to cook. She has two liberal arts undergraduate degrees and a J.D, and in her former life she was an intern, then Legislative Assistant for a PA State Representative. She also worked as a paralegal at a boutique law firm. Lisa is a politics junkie (don’t get her started on the wonder that is The West Wing!), indulges in naps whenever possible, and believes Netflixing in her pajamas and ordering take out qualifies as the perfect weekend.
He’s slow to trust. She can’t seem to keep a secret. Can they overcome their differences to find their happily ever after?
Joshua Ludington is slow to trust. After being betrayed by the woman he loved, he vowed to take a hiatus from dating. But when Lucie Cooper drives onto his family ranch, he finds the beautiful chef hard to resist.
Lucie Cooper is at Cupid Ridge Inn to do a job. They need an interim chef for their dude ranch guests, and she’s determined to fill that position. When she runs into handsome cowboy Joshua Ludington, at first she’s excited to show off her cooking skills. Soon, though, it becomes apparent that what she’s feeling for him goes beyond gratitude for the job.
Although Lucie knows Joshua has been burned, she’s determined to show this handsome cowboy that he can count on her. But Lucie is notoriously bad at keeping secrets, and working for the Ludingtons means keeping things quiet. She means well, but she might just destroy her new relationship before it gets off the ground.
The Cupid Ridge Dude Ranch series is a sweet, clean contemporary western romance series filled with swoon-worthy cowboys in a small-town setting.
“I don’t feel like I even have a home right now. I’m just…waiting.”
“But you do have a home.” He turned to look at her. “You always have a home at the inn, with us.”
Did that sound cheesy? It definitely came across as cheesy. He was better at sitting home alone by himself than trying to win over a woman.
But she was looking at him, and something in her eyes told him maybe he hadn’t totally blown it. “Thank you,” she said.
“For what?”
They were speaking in quiet tones, as though someone might overhear them, but that wasn’t the reason for the hushed voices. No, on his end, it was because he was battling the urge to move toward her. Judging by the way her expression had softened and her gaze subtly lowered to his mouth, then moved to his eyes again, she didn’t want him to battle it.
“For…being you.” She smiled.
And then, she moved closer, stealing what little breath he had left. He met her halfway, lifting his hand to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek as he pressed his lips to hers.
He was kissing Lucie Cooper. It was hard to believe. The teenage version of him was cheering that the grown-up version was kissing the Lucie Cooper.
But somewhere mid-kiss, things shifted. He was no longer the teenage boy who looked at the teenage cheerleader as some beautiful, popular girl. This was Joshua Ludington, sharing a very big moment with a woman he had a real connection with. A woman he was starting to fall for.
All he could hope, as the kiss deepened, was that she wouldn’t break his heart. He wasn’t sure he could handle it if she did.
USA Today Bestselling author Macie St. James has written most of her life. After earning a degree in mass communications, she worked in public relations and technology for the government. She spent a full decade as a content writer before realizing her dream of being a full-time novelist. She lives in Nashville with her husband and dog, a spaniel mix.
Visit Macie’s webpage at MacieStJames.com. Sign up for her newsletter and receive a free e-book of The Coolheaded Cowboy, the prequel to the Cupid Ridge Dude Ranch series.
A successful musician in an indie rock band, Evan Spencer takes the summer off and returns home to Cinnamon Bay, hoping the R&R will inspire him to write some new songs. He never expected to run into Juliet Clarkson on his first day back in The Bay. The Juliet he remembers was a paint-and-clay-covered kid with braces and frizzy hair. Now she’s a successful potter, and the most compelling woman he’s ever seen.
Juliet Clarkson has been in love with Evan … well, forever. She pined for years over the soulful-voiced best friend of her older brother. Swooned when she heard his guitar. Dreamed of him noticing her one day. And when that day happens, Juliet doesn’t know if she’s still dreaming, or if all her dreams are finally coming true.
But when tragedy strikes close to both their families, Evan is forced to give up his carefree summer in Cinnamon Bay and be the stand-up guy that an orphaned baby needs. Good thing Juliet is there to help. Sparks fly instantly, and soon their romance is real, all-consuming—and people are talking wedding bells.
But when the opportunity of a lifetime comes knocking, offering him and his band the fame they’d always dreamed of, he has to make a decision. Which is the dream come true—the life onstage he and his band know best? Or the unexpected new life he’s building in Cinnamon Bay with Juliet?
After the shock wore off and the electricity in her limbs started to settle, along with her rapidly beating heart, she lifted her head to find the rock star of her dreams standing there behind the counter with a very cocky grin on his face.
She rolled her eyes, but her heart rate only picked up again. “You’re on my playlist.”
“I feel like the innuendo is just right there, but I can’t figure out how to spin it.” He stepped closer, his eyes taking in every inch of her. Every clay-covered inch of her.
“I’m too tired to think of one.” She already knew that her hair was coming out of the pencil she held it up with. She’d been tucking and blowing the strands off her face since they weren’t quite long enough to stay tucked behind her ears.
She hadn’t bothered with makeup besides a little mascara, and that was probably falling under her eyes by now since she’d been wearing it for nearly fourteen hours.
“I’ve never seen you in action,” he said softly. “Never seen the artist at work.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, stand back because the clay tends to fly.”
“Was there a scene about this in a movie?” he asked, not taking a step back but rather several steps forward.
She eased her foot on the pedal, and the wheel slowed down and eventually stopped.
“There is.” She jerked her head toward the bathroom. “Ghost with Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg.” Her brows pinched. “How do you not—” But she stopped herself when his expression turned coy. “You knew. You were just teasing me.”
His smile made her insides get all tingly. “I might be Oblivious Evan, but I’m not an idiot.”
Her cheeks grew warm, but that didn’t keep her from grinning at him. He was right behind her now. She had to tilt her head up to look at him. His gentle, sexy brown eyes bored right into her, turning her into a puddle.
“My mom came over to watch Hope for a bit,” he said, grabbing a stool and setting it right behind her, sitting down and leaning against her back. The heat of him and the way his legs bracketed hers was enough to make every one of her synapses fire at the same time.
This was literally her ultimate fantasy.
Not only had she watched Ghost more times than any preteen ever should, but she had fantasized about Evan Swayzeing her also probably more than she ever should have. Probably more than was healthy.
Normally, she felt really close to her mom when she was working on the wheel, but she was really hoping her mom had decided to go for a walk along the beach or The Boardwalk right about now.
He was wearing a fitted black T-shirt with a slight V-neck that had made her jaw drop and her mouth pool with saliva when he put it on this morning.
His fingers started at her elbows and slowly moved along her arms until his big hands covered her clay-caked ones. “Show me how to do it,” he said, his breath warm against her ear.
She smiled and pushed her foot down on the pedal just enough for the wheel to start spinning slowly.
Just like she’d imagined it, just like in the movie, his fingers slid through hers, both of them now covered in clay just like hers.
She’d centered the piece. Now it was time to start shaping it.
“What are you making?” he asked, kissing her neck.
“I didn’t have a plan,” she said. “Sometimes I just sit down at the wheel and let the muse find me.”
“Mmmm,” he hummed. “I’m the same way with the guitar.”
“You were working on something when I left …” She guided their hands up a little, then together they stuck two fingers each, his on top of hers, into the center of the clay and began to press out.
The eroticism, the symbolism of what they were doing with their fingers and how it all looked and felt was not lost on her in the least.
Pottery could be extremely erotic. Everything was done with the hands; everything was wet and smooth and involved pressing down with your fingers. She’d certainly found herself aroused on more than one occasion watching a pottery video, even when the view was of just the person’s hands.
A Canadian West Coast baby born and raised, Whitley is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have two beautiful daughters and a fluffy dog. She spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn’t end up in the air conditioner. But when nap time comes, and it’s not quite wine o’clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes.
A lover of all things decadent; wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of everyday life into her stories. With single dads, firefighters, Navy SEALs, mommy wars, body issues, threesomes, bondage and role-playing, Whitley’s books have all the funny and fabulously filthy words you could hope for.
