Sweet Romance: A collection of five novellas

This ebook is a compilation of five novellas, beginning in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and the White House, heading north to a bed and breakfast in Vermont, then to Central Texas in wildfire season, over to Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore, then ending at Christmas time in Manahattan.


State Secrets
Tara Whitley, an assistant White House chef, doesn’t expect to become an amateur investigator. Then old flame and FBI operative Jack Courtland steps back into her life and recruits her to help uncover a plot to sabotage the next State Dinner. But she doesn’t expect Jack to uncover feelings for him she thought had long since died. Can she trust him with her heart, or will the past be too much to overcome?

Spring Comes to the Barncastle
After a career disaster, Sadie Barncastle finds herself in rural Vermont, starting over and opening up a shop at the family inn. She meets up with an old friend from childhood, Peter Appleman, a widower next door with a precocious daughter. But Sadie's not sure if life in the Green Mountains is for her and feels the call of Boston drawing her. Peter, however, is drawn to Sadie but isn't quite sure if he's ready to move on yet. As Easter approaches, a time of forgiveness, restoration, and joy, the two realize that it's also a time for new beginnings, but does that include with each other?

Wildfire Wedding
Krista and Luke are prepared to wed at beautiful Settler Lake in central Texas. As the day approaches, the couple’s rocky past looms large. Krista battles with fear while Luke wrestles with old guilt. After a wildfire gets out of control and threatens the town, Luke helps fight the blaze along with the other volunteer fire fighters in the area. How will they make it to the church on time?

Time and Tide
Karyn Lewis only plans on helping out for the summer season at Pine Breezes Campground just outside Chincoteague, Virginia. After losing her staff writer job at a Manhattan fashion magazine, she's out of money to stay in the bid city. She plans to avoid her past in Chincoteague as much as possible, but ends up facing the tragedy that drove her from the coast years ago. Brodie Reed’s life is deeply ingrained in the island as a volunteer fireman and local contractor. Everything he does is to make a good life for his young daughter, Trista. Raising her without a mother has been hard, even with the help of his family. When Karyn returns to town, their paths cross again. This time, their hearts are involved. How will they make the decision to love without fear, and let time heal the wounds of the past?

Comfort and Joy
When Gwynn Michaud's spruce tree is chosen to be the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, she's delighted. Her late husband's family had planted the tree when he was but a boy. Gwynn's delight turns to surprise when her adult children give her a special Christmas gift -- a trip from New Hampshire to the Big Apple for the tree lighting. She's the guest of her daughter's former college roommate, a Manhattan attorney, and the woman's curmudgeonly father. Theophilus Stellakis keeps his routines like clockwork and isn't into big and loud Christmas celebrations, with all the trimmings. Yet Gwynn's presence in his life, even for a short time, disrupts his world in a most pleasant way. Gwynn's passion for art is rekindled in the city. However, Christmas romance isn't always enough to last the rest of the year, let alone a lifetime. Or, is it?