A shy art student finds herself drawn to an older guy she encounters in a cafe. Something sparks between them, but everything is not black and white, and the baggage they carry might just be too much. ***** Rowan Easton has finally found the courage to leave an abusive relationship, and as it turns out, her ex has no problems moving on to the next conquest. Deciding that she too needs to leave the past behind her, she throws herself into getting her degree and has no intentions of getting involved with anyone else in the near future. James Wilson returns from serving overseas only to find that his wife has been cheating on him. Heartbroken, he divorces the fair-haired Ada and moves away in the hopes of coping with the aftereffects of war and a broken marriage. The two meet under these unfortunate circumstances when James moves to the college town of Bozeman, Montana. Despite the recent events in his life, James finds himself fascinated by the girl who sits slumped in the cafe with coffee and a sketchbook. Will they ever overcome the walls placed by their past relationships? ••••• Warning: This story is complete and is registered in its entirety with the U.S. Copyright Office. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. This is the only place this story is posted.

American journalist Brooke Fray is still rebuilding her confidence and her life, six months after a nasty break-up. Lately, Brooke has known nothing but apathy. But things change when she has a chance encounter with lead guitarist Julian Miles of popular rock band Ascend the Stars. Hearts flutter, sparks fly, and an intense relationship develops - one that they hope to make last a lifetime. But the couple is being brutally tested by the thousands of miles that separate them, their own deeply-rooted insecurities, a manipulative ex-partner, and a jealous bandmate who is secretly coordinating Julian's complete destruction. Word Count: 200,000+

Ellen has just checked into a Majorcan hotel on her honeymoon...alone! Her life is in tatters, betrayed by her friends, family and fiancé, she has nothing to go home to. From scorn and scepticism, she starts to enjoy her time away, and in particular the attention of one unlikely man, Could this be her chance to Start Over or is she merely hiding from the dark reality of all that she's left behind?

After escaping her past, Miranda finds herself in coastal Maine, and when she meets Owen, she must help him uncover what truly happened to his now-dead ex. ***** On the run from her abusive ex, Miranda Lewis figures a small town in coastal Maine is just the place for her to lay low. There she befriends Claire, the owner of a local cafe, and her son, Owen. A woodworker and musician, he keeps to himself, especially since the town believes he played a part in the disappearance of the town's pride and joy... a skilled artist and his former girlfriend. As the two begin to grow closer, Miranda agrees to help him uncover the truth behind what really happened, especially now that strange things are occurring again, leading all roads back to Owen. [[word count: 70,000-80,000 words]] Cover designed by Simone Northey

"Not a Flower" made it to the Top 50 Finalist in Harlequin's Writing Contest #SYTYCW15! I'm so excited and honored. So please read, vote, and share with your friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, email, any way you want. Appreciate it! SYNOPSIS: What is love? A chance meeting at the hospital is the start of an unexpected friendship between a charismatic young lawyer and quiet med student Grace Madison. For her, it was a tangled and complicated introduction to love. Grace's heart was broken when Duval, oblivious to her feelings, fell for her beloved older sister Elizabeth instead. When tragedy unexpectedly falls and Elizabeth is taken from them, Grace is shattered by the loss. It's not until she receives a wedding invitation from Duval many years later, that she realizes her life has been frozen in limbo. Determined to finally find closure and truly move on, she decides to attend the wedding. Grace's plan is disrupted when she meets Adrian Roussiard; a fascinating and brilliant man with an enigmatic agenda of his own, he is the black sheep younger brother of Duval. Mercurial and complex, alternately blunt and charming, he seems to delight in nothing more than to annoy her. But haunted by dark shadows from his past, his secrets could overturn everything Grace has ever thought she knew. Drawn to each other, Adrian becomes Grace's unlikely ally as the simple quest to find closure instead becomes the catalyst to finding herself. "Not a Flower" is a woman's journey to self-discovery with a powerful love triangle along for the ride; weaving the lives of three people who despite their outward successes are broken in some essential way. It's about understanding the lies people tell themselves in order to move on, and what comes of living those lies.

A shy accountant falls for her gorgeous boss. What will she do when he starts to reciprocate her feelings? Will she choose to be with him or will she hide in safety forever?

Penny Campbell has been Dr. Samuel Evers's housekeeper for over two years and he is still a mystery to her. She realizes that she has probably done the very thing that she shouldn't have and fallen in love with the polite and standoffish heart surgeon. Sam noticed Penny the moment she was hired by his sister to work in his house, but having been burned once, romance and relationships were not in his future. After a misunderstanding between the two leads to the possibility that Penny might have to leave, will they both realize just how much they depend on each other, and how much they stand to lose?

Available for free from Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, and Nook. Or just enjoy it here on Wattpad! "I've decided what your next step should be," Amy says after the first movie is over. We've eaten half the pizza, and each plowed through half of our respective pints. I groan, both from feeling overfull and with dread from hearing her decision for my life. "I'm stuffed," I say, putting the lid back on my ice cream and getting up to put it in the freezer. "Do you want another Mike's?" "Sure. Aren't you going to ask what I've decided?" "No. I don't want to know." "Yes, you do. It's brilliant, I promise." "What happened to sympathetic Amy that I talked to on the phone earlier? Can I have her back?" She grins. "Nope. It's proactive Amy's turn. Ask me what you should do next." I take a deep breath and brace myself. "Fine. What have you decided I should do next with my life?" "You need a rebound." "What?" "A rebound. You know, to bounce back." Jenna Anderson is still stuck in her grief a year after her fiance died in a tragic accident. All she does is go to work and spend time at home, her former spark gone. Her best friend decides she needs a rebound guy to have some fun and start to live again. Brian MacMallum is the hot owner of the wine bar where Amy takes Jenna. He has a mischievous grin that he wields like a weapon to convince Jenna to give him a chance. Will his love be enough to pull Jenna out of her grief so she can learn to live and love again? *Please note that this story does contain sexual content* Check out my Pinterest inspiration board: https://www.pinterest.com/jericamacmillan/rebound-therapy/

AUTHOR'S NOTE Thank you for taking the time to read my story! If you want to learn more about me and my other books please visit my website, marychrisescobar.com (there's a link in my profile). DESCRIPTION Carolyn’s life has gone pretty much according to plan. She’s followed all the rules. Her star is rising at work, she’s just gotten engaged to an amazing man and she lives in a perfectly decorated apartment. A delayed flight throws her life and plans off schedule. What she learns, stuck overnight in the airport, has her questioning everything and puts her face to face with her own missed connection. Follow twenty-six year old Carolyn’s quarter-life coming-of-age story, the demise of her life as she knows it and the discovery of her own truth. PRAISE FOR DELAYED "I don’t know how Mary Chris Escobar did it, but she basically renewed my faith in the saying, 'Love is lovelier the second time around.'" - coffeebookmom.wordpress.com "The story renews your faith in forgiveness and the power of love." - Amazon review

Bad-boy turned bush pilot Conner Morgan was content with his life until Andie Turner reentered it. He could easily fall for her, if only her Christmas shop wasn't in his building, the one he's about to sell to developers. Andie hasn't seen Conner since he broke her heart in high school. She'd never get involved with him now, but only he can save her little shop on the shores of Lake Superior. As they work together to renovate the historic building in hopes of attracting a different buyer, Andie wonders; is the bad-boy actually good for her now? *This story was in the top ten of Harlequin's So You Think You Can Write Competition 2015, as a shorter version (50,000 words). I recently published the full length version (87,000 words) with a new cover. I hope everyone enjoys the longer version! *Contains love scenes that may be inappropriate for some audiences.