"Here's the thing though . . ." He trails off thoughtfully and then he looks straight at me. His eyes are steely and that makes me realise the fundamental difference between the young Ryan and this Ryan. He's hardened now. The sweet boy I once knew is probably still in there somewhere but life eventually got to him and he had to toughen up. "I need someone I can rely on. I don't want to take a person on who just decides it's too much hassle a few days or weeks in and just . . . Ghosts me." He finishes. There's a definite challenge there. He's not just talking about the job. He's getting a dig in there about the way I disappeared out of his life. As well as implying I'm generally unreliable . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iona Stewart is pretty sure she's having a premature midlife crisis. Recently made redundant, permanently unlucky in love, and back living with her parents, she's desperate for a change of scenery. So when an opportunity comes up to work in a hotel in the Highlands, it seems like fate has stepped in. The problem? Her new boss is Ryan Thorne. Her former friend. Her first crush. And the boy who broke her heart nearly 17 years ago. She had no intention of ever seeing him again after that night. And it seems he isn't that keen on having *her* around either. Be prepared for nineties flashbacks, many awkward encounters, and *hopefully* a happy ever after . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ❤️Second Place in the Chick-Lit category in The Pink Cloud Awards❤️ ❤️Second Place in the Chick-Lit category in The Hibiscus Awards❤️ ❤️Winner of Best Opening in Chick Lit in the Berry Pancake awards❤️ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Complete companion novella entitled "No Reservations: Ryan's Version" is now available*

A genius analyst has to leave her desk behind and team up with the sour Agency hothead to track down her missing partner. ----- Quinn O'Reilly doesn't belong in the field. She's better off as the brilliant intelligence analyst behind some of the Agency's biggest arrests, and more than comfortable surrounded by her screens. Special Agent Cameron Kent, Agent Quinn's primary partner, is the pro carrying out the plans formulated with Quinn's brainpower. She's the closest thing to family Quinn's ever had. She's also missing, having dropped off the map in the middle of an undercover operation. There is no one better suited to find Cam than Quinn. There is no one better suited than Gavin Locke, agency hothead, to protect her in the meantime. With clues left all around the world, this unlikely pair will have to pick up the pace to find Cam in time - and avoid killing each other in the process. It's time for Special Agent O'Reilly to step forward - and into the field. ----- standalone, 150k words completed

A jilted, curvy accountant joins a gym on a journey of self-love. The last thing she plans for is to fall for her grumpy trainer. ***** Who needs men, anyway? Certainly not Joanna Lozano. The youngest of five and the only girl, she has learned at a young age the importance of survival in a man's world. It's what drives her to be a successful accountant in the corporate world of Chicago. When her boyfriend of six years unceremoniously dumps her--though her pride is wounded--she accepts the rejection as an opportunity to rediscover herself, starting with a reluctant agreement to join an eight-week fitness boot camp. Sage Kingston is a straightforward gym owner who appreciates and lives by the monotony of his life. His only goals are to provide and care for his young son after his divorce left him jaded. He doesn't have the time or patience to play games that come with dating or relationships. Who needs that headache, anyway? Yet, with a new season of boot camp at his gym underway, he's instantly attracted to the curvy and feisty participant, Joanna. However, his work is cut out for him since she's not easily charmed or swayed by his bulging biceps or six-pack abs. But even Joanna can't deny the mounting tension after each draining and sweaty training session. As they grow to know each other, so does their affection and both must deal with overcoming their hurt pasts and decide if unexpected love is worth the risk. ©2022 LJ Rae

How exactly did I end up the best friend of the guy I hated my entire life? Listen, this is going to be a long story. Let me take you to the beginning. The year was 1992... ENEMIES-TO-FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS Victor Manning has been infuriating Becka since she sat behind him in 7th grade English. He's cocky, self-centered, and obnoxious. When High School ends, the college dynamic slowly turns Victor into the one person Becka cannot live without. "The best slow burn I've ever read." YA/NA, for cursing. Set in the 1990s.

Piper Clark married her best friend. And no, not in the way brides always say at their wedding. She married Lucas Vega because he needed a green card. Days before graduation, Piper's college best friend, Lucas, discovered he was being deported. Everything he had worked for, everything he dreamed of, would come crumbling to the ground unless someone intervened. So Piper did. Six years later, they are living separate lives, having hardly spoken to one another since that fateful courthouse wedding all those years ago. But then a call from ICE has her on a plane, heading back to California and her husband, a man who traded his glasses for an Armani suit and his lithe form for a six pack. Now, they've got to put on the show of their lives and pretend the past six years have been nothing but marital bliss. But something new is brewing between these best friends and Piper is starting to wonder if she's acting at all.

AVAILABLE ON AMAZON SOON. Since the humiliation in high school, Cobie Evans has avoided the popular guys like the plague. She keeps everything low to embrace her quiet life and focus on her sick mother and struggling sister. Unfortunately, her peaceful life ends when she sends the wrong email to her hot boss, Luke Williams, and shamefully reveals her secret crush on him. Once she learns that Luke is not the only person who reads the email, her worst nightmare turns into reality, and Cobie is thrown back into her greatest fear. To make it worse, Luke is not making it easy for her. Falling deeper for him is inevitable, despite her determination to deny her feelings.

Welcome to Wickedly Sweet, where each bite is sinfully delicious. Noa Baudet has always longed to open her own specialist cupcake shop. So, when an opportunity arises at her favourite bakery in her hometown, Noa ditches her tailored suits for a flour dusted apron. The only problem? Wickedly Sweet is owned by her arch-rival's grandmother. Daan Booker doesn't have time for pink-haired dreamers. Even if that annoying little laugh of hers has ingrained itself in his brain and kept him wondering about the woman that vanished from his life all those years ago. He shouldn't care about the only woman who resisted his charms and challenged him. He has a boss to impress and a bakery to liquidate. With a promotion on the line, Daan finds himself telling a lie to his old-school boss. A lie that puts Noa Baudet not only in his life, but on his arm like the sweet-tart candy she is. A fake relationship between sworn rivals goes about as well as one could hope, and mixing business with pleasure leaves Daan and Noa in more than a sticky mess. It risks turning Noa's sweet dream sour as everything she wants gets tied up in Daan as he not only binds her hands with this agreement, but maybe even her heart. *** Warning: rated MATURE for sexual content and strong language. + TW mention of pregnancy loss and death. ***

***THIS STORY WILL BE PUBLISHED IN MAY 2025 ON AMAZON AND FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!*** [FREE BONUS CHAPTERS INCLUDED!] Eric Bolton, the CIO playboy of Bolt Investments, get more than he bargained for when he helps his nerdy assistant, Violet Harper's, nonexistent dating life with the help of his three special rules. Violet Harper is a very much single 24 year old hard working woman, who abides by the rules. She gets the personal assistant position for none other than the CIO of Bolt Investment Inc, Eric Bolton. Eric Bolton is a charming womanizer, who only dates women beyond description, is forced to take an assistant he is not attracted to, to his dissatisfaction. Enter Violet into his life. Eric's love life is colorful to say the least but lives by distinct rules when it comes to relationships, unlike his assistant, Violet. An agreement is made between the two that changes both lives. Violet has excellent organizational skills. Will she be able to organize Eric's chaotic love life or create more chaos to it?