River's Sigh B & B Series

If you had a second chance with your first true love, would you take it?   Ditched by her high school sweetheart, Callum Archer, on the night they're supposed to elope, Jo Kendall casts out on her own, broken-hearted.   Over the years, Jo reels in a life she loves, centered on the outdoors, fishing (favoring a lucky wedding band lure), and her fine dining restaurant—a life that crashes away when her husband and business partner cheats her, leaving her bankrupt and alone.   Then her uncle dies, bequeathing Jo and her sister, Samantha, his rural property. Jo returns to Greenridge, determined to build a new business and permanent home—without the help of a man. Unfortunately Samantha wants her inheritance in cold, hard cash and hires a lawyer to get it for her, a lawyer who turns out to be none other than Jo's long-lost love, Callum.   Jo's fledgling plans—and her heart—are in danger once more.   If Jo can fight her insecurities, she might end up with a wedding band that doesn't come with a sharp hook. But can she risk everything she's worked for, yet again?

Opposites attract, but can their love last?   Knocked around by life—and then knocked up by a man she won't speak of—Sam Kendall gives her baby for adoption.      Envisioning herself a lone cowboy, she avoids any relationships that might risk her heart or cause pain. There's wonderful fun to be had if you don't fall prey to the ludicrous notion of true love!   Lately, however, Sam is niggled by doubts. She's not as content as she was. Plus her daughter Aisha has tracked her down—seventeen-years-old and pregnant. Despite misgivings, Sam checks into River's Sigh Bed-and-Breakfast to meet her.     Then widower Charles Bailey, Aisha's adoptive father, shows up, and Sam can't control her outrage. What was her sacrifice for? She could've raised the kid to follow her stupid footsteps all on her own. And topping it off? Charlie's a neurotic, stodgy jerk—even if he is ridiculously hot.    The longer Sam stays at River's Sigh, exploring the wild outdoors—and her own inner desires—the more her terror grows. Maybe Charlie isn't so terrible after all. Maybe his approach to life is actually refreshing. Maybe all this family stuff is something she could get hooked on.   Yet they're opposites in every way, and worse: he's her biological child's adoptive dad. A romance between them would be too weird, wouldn't it? Every part of Sam screams play it safe, run.     But what if, in spurning Charlie and Aisha, she's turning her back on everything she never knew she wanted?

Is "true love" a fairy tale? Brian Archer, lawyer and infamous playboy, returns to Greenridge after a long holiday to find his life in ashes. Literally. His condo has burned to the ground, and with it, his delusion that he's a footloose, fancy-free guy who doesn't secretly crave a home and a place to belong.     Staying with his lovebird brother and sister-in-law at River's Sigh B & B proves unbearable, only rubbing in his deep loneliness. As does getting to know one of the other guests, a damsel determined to get herself out of distress, without any help from him. What is it about sweet, troubled Katelyn that makes Brian want to go all knight-in-shining-armor? And why is he suddenly longing for things he doesn't even believe in, like true love, marriage . . . ?   Single mom and wannabe entrepreneur Katelyn Kellerman needs to escape from Greenridge. Her safety, and that of her children, relies on it. Plus, she knows the hazards of trusting someone all too well. So why, after meeting Brian Archer, does she wish she could just stay put and build a home? With him.   No matter how they fight their feelings, Brian and Katelyn fall for each other hook, line and sinker—but life isn't a fairy tale. Brian can't live in limbo forever, Katelyn's ex is increasingly threatening, and she needs to secure a future for her and her kids. Can they beat the odds, salvage the ashes of their pasts, and risk everything for love, or are they just fishing for trouble?

Can shattered love ever be restored?   There's an extreme heat wave at River's Sigh B & B, but things have never been colder between Noelle Archer and her husband Cade.   Dragged there for a reunion with Cade's screwed up family, Noelle is confused, resentful—and considering divorce.   Noelle never would've predicted she'd be trapped in a loveless marriage, but Cade's more distant and aloof than ever, plus she's sure he had an affair. What other choice does she have? Husbands who cheat don't become faithful, and wives who put up with it become bitter and lonely. She won't have that for herself, and she won't model that for her children.   Cade has always clung tightly to Noelle, his beloved daughters, and their life together. He's not good at expressing himself, but he's been confident, even cocky, that if he's strong enough, works hard enough, provides well enough, Noelle will know how he feels. But now one moment of stupidity that wasn't what it appeared has wrecked everything. He wants her to believe in him the way his parents and brothers never have, with no explanations necessary—but maybe that's unfair.   He'll swallow his pride. He'll find the words. He'll do anything to fix their relationship, but what if it's too late?

Can love heal old wounds? Mia Grant, a one-time pop star, still bears emotional scars caused by a stalker who terrorized her for years—a person she inadvertently welcomed into her inner circle. She has come a long way in learning to manage the crippling fear and anxiety his savage attack left her with, and she books into River's Sigh B & B to begin the grueling task of what she hopes will be the final step in her recovery. Determined to reclaim her old independence and sense of adventure and possibility, she vows to never let anyone get close enough to fool or injure her again.   The disfiguring scars on Gray Robertson's body are nothing compared to those marring his damaged heart and psyche. A loner by nature, the brutal murder of his young wife and son made him a hermit. He lives off-grid in the wilderness of northern Canada with only his dog for company, finding isolation far easier to survive than loving people and having them torn away.    When his closest neighbor, Jo at River's Sigh B & B, ropes him into giving self-defense lessons to some washed up musician, Gray figures it's a safe way to make a bit of cash to see him through winter.    As Mia and Gray get to know each other, neither are prepared for the tumultuous, conflicting emotions that leave them reeling. In him, a convoluted mix of desire, protectiveness, and misplaced fury. In her, a complex stew of appreciation, longing, and apprehension.    Then a foolish decision puts Mia's life in peril and forces questions she and Gray are both scared to answer. Can love heal old wounds, or are they too damaged to risk further hurt?  

Their love was an unexpected gift. Can it last? ​​​​​​​ Christmas, wonderful as it is, can also be a time when losses, failures, and secret hurts hit extra close to home. It certainly is for Bryn Hale and Sean Carson, two strangers traveling a lonely stretch of highway in a brutal snowstorm.   Divorced by her husband because of her inability to have children, and devalued by her family who sympathize with her ex, Bryn believes all the negative things she's been told about herself. She decided long ago that love and marriage are permanently off the table.   Special event organizer Sean Carson is mourning the loss of a dream. Officially separated for six months, he finally knows beyond doubt that the woman he was with for ten years doesn't love him and maybe never has. All he wants is to love fully, totally and forever—and to have someone love him the same way. But does that kind of relationship even exist?    When a car accident forces their introduction and lands Bryn and Sean together at magical River's Sigh B & B, Sean finds himself smitten. Bryn feels the attraction too, but her desire for self-protection runs deep. Plus, Sean has tipped his hand. He wants kids. It only makes sense for them to go their separate ways, but matters of the heart don't always follow logic. Bryn musters her courage and lets herself fall for Sean.   Then Sean gets terrible-wonderful news from his ex: he's going to be a dad. What will he do? Be the loyal, stand-by-your-woman man he's always thought he was and go back to her—or keep his promise to Bryn?    

Can love overcome fear? It's been two years since Sophie was dumped at the altar, and she's scarred, but wiser. She has a career she loves, good friends, and a caring family. It should be more than enough, and she wants to vanquish the part of her that still craves something more. This year, unable to bear one more "festive" get together where everyone gives her sad eyes and asks how she's doing, she heads to River's Sigh B & B, a picturesque spot she discovered online. It will be a New Year's celebration for one, a place to unwind and kick off her new resolution: to embrace single life as a permanent choice.   Jesse Ales has found the perfect way to avoid the world this holiday season. He'll be the caretaker at River's Sigh B & B and enjoy a break from well-meaning friends who think he should be over his ex-wife. The whole place will be deserted, except for some eccentric old woman holidaying alone in the wilderness. Even after making her breakfast every day, he'll have plenty of time to plan his new life: committed bachelorhood.   When chance throws Sophie and Jesse together in a pub, a night of alcohol, food, and laughter-infused lunacy almost leads to a one-night stand. They're both shaken, but doubly resolved to remain single.   And then they meet again at River's Sigh and realize they're about to spend a week alone together—twenty miles from their nearest neighbor. They'll each have to face their worst fears: their own unacknowledged yearnings for a love that lasts.   Can love tempt them to commitment a second time around? Maybe. If they're brave enough . .

Is finding "home" simply finding love?   Aisha Bailey has been deeply afraid of change ever since she was a pregnant teenager mourning the loss of her mother. This newly recognized truth clashes with how she's always seen herself: fiercely independent, spontaneous and willing to take risks, an entrepreneur bent on doing something important and creating a financially secure, permanent home for her and her daughter.   If she's none of those things, who is she? If she's happy living and working at River's Sigh B & B for the long haul, does that make her weak? But if she only pushes herself to change in order to avoid seeming weak, isn't that worse? Her whole future is up in the air and it's driving her crazy.   Then she meets Jase, the big, gentle, crazy-sexy new groundkeeper. Suddenly, her regular routines and homebody life are even more satisfying and pleasurable than usual, and she catches herself dreaming of a life partner and more children. It's . . . terrifying. Talk about things with the power to hurt you—and to derail your plan to make plans! Plus, she has enough people to worry about, thank you very much.     Drifter Jase Scott is homeless and always has been. It was a constant source of pain as a kid and doesn't hurt less with age. Thankfully, he has construction skills and knows how to work hard. He's not broke and he can take care of himself and his responsibilities.     When he and his foster brother Colton hire on for a couple months' labor at River's Sigh B & B, Colton is bored, but Jase finds himself in the kind of home, amidst the type of family, he's always longed for. And best of all, there's Aisha, a woman like no-one he's ever known. He's not deluded. Guys like him don't end up at places like River's Sigh B & B permanently, no matter how hard they work. And someone like Aisha could never truly belong with the likes of him—something she'll be the first to say if she ever finds out the secret he's keeping.      Choosing to love is choosing to embrace change and risk pain. That's always the catch, isn't it?