Lila James is my best friend’s little sister, and I’ve always looked out for her. She's five years younger than me, and when she left for college, she was just a kid. But now she’s home for the summer—and she’s definitely not a kid anymore.

This series by USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Vale features super-protective, super-hot alpha males who will stop at nothing to protect their women.

Meet the Manning brothers in this steamy small-town cowboy series from USA Today bestselling author Vanessa Vale!

I’m a full time single dad. A former NFL player turned coach, tasked with turning around a college team full of kids who either don’t take it seriously or are determined to get injured. I will absolutely not be falling for my new neighbor.

The headline says it all, and my bosses are over the moon when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in my lap. Of course, they aren’t aware that I’ve already met Vince Cool at an all-star gala—and that we were at each other’s throats the entire time.

People say the devil has many faces, but I know only one. Julian Lopez—my childhood rival and family frenemy. I vow to steer clear of him while recovering from my broken engagement, but then the billionaire makes an irresistible offer. Renovate a historic house together and triple our profits. Our temporary truce becomes compromised as we face years’ worth of denied attraction and mixed emotions. Giving into our desire is inevitable...but falling in love? That isn’t part of the plan.

Working as Ruslan Oryolov’s personal assistant is the job from hell. After a long day spent tending to the billionaire’s every whim, I need some stress relief. So when I get home that night, that’s exactly what I do. Problem is, my thoughts are still stuck on the bosshole, who’s ruining my life. That’s fine—because of all Ruslan’s many sins, being gorgeous might be the most dangerous.

I had a foolproof plan. Finish college playing the best sport on earth. Hockey. Get drafted by an NHL team. Make my senator father at least a little proud of me. I was on track to do just that…until Violet Reece and I collided. Literally.

They say there are three things you should do at least once in your life: Dance like nobody’s watching. Travel the world. And fall hopelessly in love. I aimed to do all three. I went to Italy to find myself. But he found me.

I’m the face of professional bull riding—the golden boy. Or at least I was, until it all blew up in my face. Now my agent says I have to clean up my image, so I’m stuck with his ball-busting daughter for the rest of the season as my “full-time supervision.”

Zanders: Chicago hockey isn't complete without me—everyone's favorite player to hate. I know my role, and I play it well. In fact, I thoroughly enjoy spending the majority of my game time in the penalty box before leaving the arena with a new girl on my arm each night. What I don't like is the new flight attendant on our team's private plane. She works for me, not the other way around. But I'll be sure to remind her of that, and I can guarantee, by the end of the season, she'll be begging to quit her job.

Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer. But hiring the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience? No one is that desperate.

What happens is that you get “make out with strangers and pee in a parking lot” drunk. Tie the knot with a guy you just met. Then *allegedly* participate in depraved group activities with him and his friends in the honeymoon suite of a five-star hotel. But that’s not even the worst part.

When I discover my boyfriend is cheating on me, I move out right away taking what I love most – my dog. As I fly out the door, I make sure to swipe the thing my ex loves best–the VIP tickets he won to a hockey game, complete with the chance to spend an evening with the city’s two biggest NHL stars. I can’t wait to snap selfies with my ex’s idols and rub it in his face.

My body, broken beyond repair. The boy I’d thought was my forever. The life I’d always dreamt of. Now, Holt’s back. And he’s no longer a boy, but a man with shadows in his eyes and demons haunting him. He says he’s here to make things right. To get back a little bit of all we’ve lost. And he doesn’t show any signs of leaving the small town that has been my refuge. As stolen moments turn to days, Holt’s around every corner.

My name’s Beau, and for the most part, I’ve led quite the charmed life. I left college to play pro ball and collected a few Super Bowl rings along the way. Now that I’ve retired at the ripe old age of thirty-six, I’m in my second career as CEO of a five-star resort in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Sounds great, right? Well, I just did something real stupid, y’all. Bel—that’s Annabel to the rest of you—my best friend since college, is struggling as a single mom. So of course I invited her to come stay at my family’s resort for some much needed R&R.

Going from uncle to father overnight meant me moving back to my hometown after two decades away. Now, I'm trying to pick up the pieces and do right by a little girl who just wants her mom. When my twentieth high school reunion rolls around, I come face-to-face with Emily, the ex whose heart I broke before she could break mine. Old feelings come rushing back, but I don't have time to grieve, let alone start a relationship.

The sound of the gavel crashing down has my life flashing before my eyes. Learning to play ball. Falling in love, marrying an incredible woman, and starting a family. Becoming a starting pitcher for the Indianapolis Lightning. Everything I ever wanted . . . Until I struck out. The same success that gave me the life I dreamed of, took it all away. I'd do anything for a second chance, even throw the perfect pitch.

A collection of five addicting standalone small town romances by USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Charity Ferrell.

Parent. Work. Football. That’s my life summed up in three words. Sure, I used to be a pro NFL baller, but now I’m perfectly content with a quiet life in my small hometown of Peachtree Grove, Georgia. That is until Bree, a beautiful blonde dating expert, gets tackled at my Pee Wee football practice, knocking me off my game.

Alexa Knight has one more battle before she retires as an undefeated mixed martial arts champion. When ESPN wants to film her preparation for the final match, she reluctantly agrees. All she cares about is remaining the best. Kara Roberts is a documentary filmmaker who needs a few more dollars to finish the most important project of her life. Desperate, she agrees to work on the crew filming the final weeks before Alexa Knight’s last fight. All she cares about is making her movie. When their two worlds collide, sparks fly.

Davis was five years older than me . . . antisocial and temperamental. And there was the little fact that he didn't know I existed. Still, I gave him my heart, and he crushed it. So I picked up the pieces and ran away to New York City. I had a plan that would keep my heart intact for years. But one phone call changed everything. Returning home meant facing the past . . . and the man who ruined me. I had hoped that the mountain had swallowed him whole.

My job is to protect the innocent, but Blake van Hamilton has never been innocent. With killer curves, silky brown hair, and silvery-blue eyes, she’s been an inconvenient object of my lust since we were teens. Now I’ve been hired to guard her against a band of criminals who want her money, and maybe even her life. Still, I'm the last person she wants helping her. Blake van Hamilton hates me, but it won’t stop me from doing my job.

Nineteen-year-old never-been-kissed keyboardist Paisley Kim has gotten good at hiding things, including the panic attacks she experiences before she steps on stage with her high-profile band, The Painted Daisies. To her bandmates, she’s still the baby, the one who needs protecting. But to troubled bad boy Jonas Riccoli, she’s the hope for a future he never thought possible, and he’s much more than a boy she befriends at the studio. But their long-awaited reunion and the ensuing sparks are destroyed when Paisley’s sister is found murdered.

My friend Maya says I attract three types of men: drifters, dreamers, and dependents. I don’t need another flake. I'm actually not looking for a man at all, especially after my boyfriend of nearly two years broke up with me on a whim to take off for Tibet with a complete stranger named Rainbow Chakra.

After ending the world’s worst relationship, Marin Grey had sworn off men. So it was rather inconvenient that she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes and thoughts off the Ice King himself, Pierce Walton—also known as her ex-boyfriend’s older, much hotter brother. He was cold, callous, and rude. He was also the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on. When circumstances dictate they put their swords away so Marin can help Pierce take care of his son, that ice-cold hate suddenly takes a turn into something much hotter.

I'm seeking a billionaire. I will also settle for a millionaire. Sorry, I'm not interested in any salesmen looking to sell me a time-share or a part of their animal balloon company (been there, done that). If interested, please respond before Monday morning so I don't have to go to work.

Expect the unexpected. That's what they say, but it's easier said than done. How do you expect a change so huge it rocks you to your core? How do you prepare yourself for an event that will alter your life forever? One breath. One second. One minute. One hour. One day at a time, you learn to live with your unexpected reality.

Despite being born an Omega, I refused to spend my life in a facility, waiting for a suitable Alpha to claim me as his. Instead, with the help of my family, I broke the law, hiding among the Betas, trying to live a normal life. I enjoyed five years of freedom...then they caught me. Now I’ve been chosen by Arius, the second most powerful Alpha in Sandor. The moment my scent reached him, overcome by the rut, he had to take me. As his mate, I can have anything my heart desires—anything he has the power to give. The only thing I don’t have is a choice.

My name is Betsy Sullivan, and I'm a hot mess. My parents have cut me off. No jobs interest me. I have no idea what I want for my future. Then there's my love life. Or lack thereof. So I do what every twenty-something does when she's lost-pack up my life and move to a small town in Tennessee.