Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-30s, he's long since given up hope that he'll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He's fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends. When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can't be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.

After catching his beta boyfriend in bed with another alpha, Quinn McCreary needs a quiet space away, before he does something he’ll regret - like let the man remain in his life. He heads up to the little-used family lake house, hoping it’s enough distance between him and a cheating ex. Too bad his younger omega brother has handed a key to that lake house to a friend who needs to cycle off his heat-blocking drugs.

Danny Kingman is used to fending for himself. Working nonstop as an ER nurse to pay for his mother’s care, he’s been putting his own life on hold for as long as he can remember. But when an unbelievably hot, strangely intense man saves him from a mugging, Danny has a feeling everything is about to change. Especially when that man suddenly pops out a pair of fangs.

Pixies are supposed to be petite, beautifully lithe creatures with gossamer wings. Sporting luscious, ombre pink hair and fluttering pink wings, Phil meets two out of three of those criteria. At over six feet tall, no one would dare call Phil petite. As a home-and-hearth pixie, Phil yearns to find a home and family he can bond to. When no one's willing to hire a pixie of his stature, Phil is forced to find work elsewhere. Turns out, pixies make terrible bouncers.

Omega Gray Tomlinson is positive he’ll remain unmated for the rest of his life. By his mid-thirties, he remains unclaimed and without prospects and lives confined to the Omega Quadrant, where he’s sure he’ll end up dying alone. When his older brother Silver and Silver’s alpha die in a tragic accident, Gray’s nephews come to live in his little sequestered world. Without an alpha, he knows he has little means to help support the boys. The only choice he can stomach is to offer his services as a surrogate.

Charles Preston Carmichael is the most infuriating man I've ever met. I want to sock the golden boy of college hockey right in the mouth. He enjoys telling me everything I'm messing up—publicly. And since he's my roommate for the next year, I can't avoid him. Yet there's something about him that makes me watch him. Something dark. A secret I want to uncover. When he returns from a weekend away, broken and haunted, I can't keep my distance anymore. He needs someone, and I'll be damned if it's not me.

"Oops! You dropped your coat!" With these words, waiter Daniel Collins turns selkie Gregory Samson’s life upside down. Because that coat is not some fancy heirloom fur. No, it is Gregory’s selkie pelt, which magically connects him with his seal animal inside. When Gregory hears Daniel’s voice, he knows the human is his mate. Too bad Daniel has more than a few misgivings about trusting his heart to a selkie.

Miles Castillo has spent his entire life running from the crime his parents committed. He’s an alpha without a pack, and a son whose very name is poisoned. When two werewolf hunters catch him, he has to choose between a man who wants his head mounted on a wall and Cade Bartlett, the mage prince who doesn’t realize who Miles is.

Collin didn't think vampires were real - until he met Talon. Talon's fangs are razor sharp, and his touch feels like destiny. He makes Collin's knees go weak and his brain go soft. When Talon bites him, Collin forgets everything - even that Talon's coven wants him dead. Him and his adopted siblings. It's something about those birth marks they share, something about a prophecy.

My job was supposed to be easy: Meet the dominant Alien race of Mukhana, negotiate an alliance, and leave. Being literally carried away into the night changes everything. Kidnapping a human is asking for trouble. Every alien in the galaxy should know that by now, but the nassa are more barbaric than expected. Despite some small similarities with humans, their culture is hard to comprehend. They're kind yet controlling, warm yet stern. Even though he literally kidnapped me and will fight to keep me, Saar seems to respect me and maybe even care for me.

There's an honesty in the turning of the earth, in the turning of the seasons, and I've always preferred its quiet, steadfast company over that of other people. Left alone with an inherited cottage and my beloved pup Rotho to look after, my days are largely given to tending the garden, save for periodic errands in town.

I hired Ben under false pretenses. He may think I don’t know who he truly is, but I do. Even so, I'm tempted to trust him. His family may be full of con artists, but Ben is too innocent for his own good. Trustworthy or not, I'm going to keep him in my sights.

A sexy alien living incognito on Earth meets a sci-fi loving nerd who wants to rock his universe. What could possibly go wrong? Besides the unexpected tentacles and the accidental Mating Courtship Ritual, that is....

It’s really hard to pretend like life is normal when you’re staring a monster in the eyes, though he’s both tempting and irritating in his human form. I put my days as a hunter behind me, unable to cope with the death and pain anymore, to become an upstanding citizen and for what? To assist Lake, a man who claims he’s not a monster but keeps talking about me like I’m edible and–even worse–wants to woo me?

When it comes to hockey, I'm all about the game. I've worked for years to be one of the best in the league, and l've done it without splashing my orientation all over the tabloids. My hockey image is one I've carefully cultivated, and after one night with Ezra Palaszczuk, I risk it all. He's cocky, obnoxious, and has an ego bigger than Massachusetts. And okay, maybe he's the sexiest man I've ever known. We'll never get along. Not when we sleep together. Not even when my possessive streak awakens. That doesn't stop us from falling into bed together over and over again.

I’m the guy you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. And that’s just my human side - my wolf is so untamed and dangerous even supernaturals fear me. I’m known for my ability to hunt and kill. It doesn’t matter to me that my next assignment is a small-town schoolteacher. I don’t ask questions. Then I see Serene for the first time. The wolf in me knows immediately she’s my mate, and I’m not going to let anyone else touch her. Except with a contract out on her life, if I don’t kill her, someone else will.

Determined to overcome a difficult past, Erica Hathaway learns early on how to make it on her own. Days after her college graduation, she finds herself face to face with a panel of investors who will make or break her fledgling startup. The only thing she didn't prepare for was going weak in the knees over an arrogant and gorgeous investor who's seemingly determined to derail her presentation.

Rancher Adam Sloan is more than meets the eye. As the heir to his Pack, the sexy werewolf's biggest challenge is keeping his kin's true nature under wraps. But a group of jaguar shifters threatens to reveal the pack, blasting into town killing humans in plain sight. And when he smells one at the local diner, his standing orders are to take her out. Lana Turpin doesn't realize she's a moving target. Raised in the foster system, she only knows that she blacks out during the new moon and wakes up without remembering a thing.

Mia Saunders needs money. A lot of money. She has one year to pay off the loan shark who has threatened her father's life and is coming after his unpaid gambling debts. One million dollars to be exact. Her mission is simple - serve as a high-priced escort for her aunt's Los Angeles-based company and pay monthly against the debt. Spend a month with a rich man whom she doesn't have to sleep with if she doesn't want to? Easy money. Unlucky in love with a spirit that never gives up, this curvy motorcycle-riding vixen plans to get in, make her money, and get out.

Yoga instructor Genevieve Harper is a blond bombshell loaded down with responsibility and sacrifice. She makes the most out of raising her two siblings in the wake of their parents' tragic accident. At twenty-four, she doesn't have time to devote to a man...especially not the devastatingly handsome Trent Fox, who's known for being a "player" on and off the baseball field.

She was supposed to be mine forever. But the night our fathers were killed, Sydney decided this life wasn't for her. So she ran. She left me, and our club behind. I never expected to see her on my doorstep six years later. With our child. She looks different, but she's still as beautiful as ever. Those hips, her sultry smile, I can't get over her. But she didn't leave the life, and she's got a DEA agent on her tail.

Bold Strokes Books romance authors give listeners a glimpse into the lives of favorite couples celebrating special moments "after the honeymoon ends." These short stories from Ali Vali, Clifford Henderson, Lee Lynch, Lisa Girolami, Megan O'Brien, Nell Stark and Trinity Tam, Radclyffe, Winter Pennington, and a dozen others provide touching moments in love stories that need no introduction and also offer a special treat to those who have read the original courtships.

I'm a rescuer. It's in my DNA. Stray dogs. Stray women... But this one doesn't need rescuing. She needs something real, but I never keep the ones I rescue. I could let her go...but I can't watch her walk away. I'm an ex-Navy SEAL, and I never give up on a mission.

In this modern-retelling of "Beauty and the Beast", Savannah Carmichael, betrayed by an unreliable source, returns to her hometown of Danvers, Virginia, with her once-promising journalism career in ruins. Given the opportunity to get back in the game by writing a patriotic human interest piece, Savannah turns her attention to the town hermit, Asher Lee, a wounded veteran who returned to Danvers eight years ago, and hasn't been seen since.

Linguist Elios Campbell is thrilled to be granted flight time in a Colonial Guard fighter jet, until he catches sight of his pilot. Spending time with Sender Kinnison holds even more appeal than the flight itself.

After catching his beta boyfriend in bed with another alpha, Quinn McCreary needs a quiet space away, before he does something he’ll regret - like let the man remain in his life. He heads up to the little-used family lake house, hoping it’s enough distance between him and a cheating ex. Too bad his younger omega brother has handed a key to that lake house to a friend who needs to cycle off his heat-blocking drugs.

Some omegas go to clubs to pick up alphas. Isaac Evans cruises his poetry readings. It’s not the most professional choice, but what’s a horny omega to do? He doesn’t mean to have sex with Rhett Donovan of the Donovan Poetry Fellowship - the prestigious grant he dreamed of receiving before he slept with the alpha who awards it. And when Rhett gives him a unique career opportunity, Isaac doesn’t mean to fall in love. If anyone found out about his relationship with Rhett, it could mean a career-ending scandal for them both.

Omega Gray Tomlinson is positive he’ll remain unmated for the rest of his life. By his mid-thirties, he remains unclaimed and without prospects and lives confined to the Omega Quadrant, where he’s sure he’ll end up dying alone. When his older brother Silver and Silver’s alpha die in a tragic accident, Gray’s nephews come to live in his little sequestered world. Without an alpha, he knows he has little means to help support the boys. The only choice he can stomach is to offer his services as a surrogate.

I’ve never wanted a relationship—especially not with a human. With my father demanding my return to Hell and a demon leaving dead bodies in my bookshop, now is not the time to lose my heart. One look in Oscar’s broken eyes, and I know I’m in trouble. Oscar’s been hurt before, and everything in me screams to keep him safe. How can I do that when I know being with me will only put him in more danger? More importantly, am I strong enough to walk away from him?

A part-time professor and photojournalist, Hayden immerses himself in work, finding it easier to face the world from behind his camera lens. When his one-night fling walks into his classroom four days later, his carefully constructed walls begin to crumble. Carefree frat boy Tyler Statler loves a good time. He's eager to take advantage of everything college life offers before embarking on his dream job as a music journalist. But when the bright-eyed stranger from a few nights before turns out to be his new professor, his world changes.

Maximoff Hale is a force of nature. A ship unwilling to be steered. Headstrong, resilient, and wholly responsible - the 22-year-old alpha billionaire can handle his unconventional life. Born into one of the most famous families in the country, his celebrity status began at birth. He is certified American royalty. When he's assigned a new 24/7 bodyguard, he comes face-to-face with the worst case scenario: being attached to the tattooed, MMA-trained, Yale graduate who's known for "going rogue" in the security team - and who fills 1/3 of Maximoff's sexual fantasies.

As alpha, Rick's dedication to his pack has never wavered - until Kai. The pull he feels toward the younger man is more than a simple distraction, but Rick won't let himself lose focus. Not while a hidden enemy is drawing near. Moving in with the grumpy alpha who saved him is a big change for Kai, and it isn't long before he begins to ache for something he can't have. As a half-human shifter responsible for his three younger siblings, he knows he can never be Rick's mate.

My soul mate is my natural enemy. Or close enough. He's a vampire and I'm a wolf. Our kinds are at war. A centuries-old blood war. I can't stay away from him. I hate him, but I want him. Our love is a standoff. For every inch I take, he pushes a mile.

At the age of 20, I never thought I'd have to make the choice between true love or my soul. Then again, I never thought I'd be faced with any of the terrible, wonderful, impossible things that exist in Lyle Carraway's world. The vampire is a weakness I never even knew I had, and when he whispers promises of immortality and sensual luxury, it's more temptation than I can handle. Good Catholic boys from small towns aren't supposed to make deals with the devil, but I never counted on him being this hard to resist. Or being the key to the family I've always wanted.

Fleeing from his dangerous dragon family, half-human omega Raka finds himself unable to control his desires for Delos, the winsome ice dragon alpha he hired to escort him across the frozen sea. But falling in love was never part of the escape plan. To protect them both, Raka vanishes from the flaming wreckage of their ship, leaving Delos behind with a broken heart—not knowing he's carrying the alpha's child. After seven years, Delos’s icy heart shows no sign of thawing. On an away mission for his dragon flight brothers, he unexpectedly finds the omega he can’t forget. His resentment ...

Stumbling in the dark down a twisting mountain road, Silas is on the run when a stranger comes crashing into his life. This alpha is dangerous, but Silas is out of options. Forced to accept help, Silas finds himself holed up in a lonely mountain cabin. Cornered and desperate, Silas must quickly decide: Can I trust this alpha? Can I let him know my secret?

Caden hasn’t believed in fated mates since he was a cub. He figures it’s more of a fairytale that shifter parents tell their kids than the reality of what passes for mates in some of the packs he’s seen. But then he comes face-to-face with a human man who smells like orange blossoms and radiates authority and safety.

Former foster kid Beckett (Beck) Smith is 31 and has never had any reason to think that he's anything other than human. But meeting Oliver (Ollie) Grayson in a club stirs something primal inside him, creating a desire that can't be ignored. Learning that Ollie is an omega wolf shifter isn't a deterrent, not when he can't keep his hands off the young, vibrant, sexy man. And it's all going great until his body changes at the most unexpected and awkward moment. (It's really not funny, fate!)

Tonight I meet my mate. I don’t know anything about him, including his name. According to fox shifter tradition, my parents chose him for me. For the next month we’ll be living together in a remote cabin. That’s how fox shifters form a bond. We burrow with our intended for a full month of winter. My mothers say my new mate is kind, and he won’t mind that I don’t look like other omegas. But I’m nervous. What if he’s disappointed? Or even worse, what if he’s someone I could never bring myself to love?

Being a hitman is the loneliest of jobs. We don't have many friends. Some don't even have family. Lovers? Try explaining to your boyfriend why there's blood on your shirt. Christmas is the worst time to be alone. This year, love is in the cards for me, all thanks to a letter I found in the street. It reads, "Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is revenge…"