Modern-day Prince Adrian of Monaforte has a most old-fashioned problem: his demanding mother wants him wed to her best friend’s daughter, the hard-partying Serena. When his refusal falls on deaf ears, Adrian decides it’s time for him to slip away from his gilded cage and figure out his life, all on his own. As luck would have it, event photographer Emma Davison, weary of a revolving door of lost-cause men and tired of her outsider-looking-in career, is in need of her own escape clause, just in time to help a wayward prince in need. And she soon discovers that sometimes a girl’s gotta sweep a prince off his feet. 

For any girl that’s ever held out hope that some day her prince would come…or better yet, hoped that some day she’d come to him. 

What people are saying about Jenny Gardiner's books: 

"As Sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Bite Me really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite." 
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream 

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a chocolate cupcake…you just want more." 
--Meg Cabot, NY Times bestselling author of Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble and more, on Sleeping with Ward Cleaver 

"With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she's held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way." 
--Beth Hoffman, NY Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Slim to None 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again--this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." 
--Sarah Pekkanen, NY Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, on Slim to None

Keywords: romantic comedy, humor, contemporary romance, modern fairy tale, new adult, Royalty, nobility, prince, aristocrat, , heir, peerage, monarch, Europe, wealthy, Playboy, rich, millionaire, international, vacation, romance, love, chick lit, chicklit, series, wedding, marriage

Alessandro Romeo is burned out after finally extricating himself from a nearly year-long relationship with a hot-tempered Italian model who set fire to his Lamborghini when she suspected him of cheating. He’s sworn off the fairer sex and instead spends his waking hours overseeing the expansion of his family’s hugely successful winery in the magnificent hills of Chianti, where he is happy to never see a model again, let alone date one.

American supermodel Taylor McFarland might be blond, but she sure isn’t dumb. And she’s smart enough to know to avoid the shallow men who seem to migrate toward her type, the ones who presume that models are the wild women of the fashion industry who happily discard men like used tissues.

Only Taylor’s not that type at all; instead, she’s intent on using the influence her position affords her to help those less fortunate than she.

But when her good deeds means clashing with the quintessential heartless Italian player who she’d heard left model Gia Sandretti at the altar, well, she will happily give him a piece of her mind, and certainly not a piece of her heart. 

SOMETHING IN THE HEIR

Sometimes a girl’s gotta sweep a prince off his feet…

He’s a prince with a problem, she’s a commoner with a getaway plan.

Modern-day Prince Adrian of Monaforte has a most old-fashioned problem: his demanding mother wants him wed to her best friend’s daughter, the hard-partying Serena. When his refusal falls on deaf ears, Adrian decides it’s time for him to slip away from his gilded cage and figure out his life, all on his own. As luck would have it, event photographer Emma Davison, weary of a revolving door of lost-cause men and tired of her outsider-looking-in career, is in need of her own escape clause, just in time to help a wayward prince in need. And she soon discovers that sometimes a girl’s gotta sweep a prince off his feet.

For any girl that’s ever held out hope that some day her prince would come…or better yet, hoped that some day she’d come to him.

HEIR TODAY GONE TOMORROW

It's all fun and royal games until somebody's heart gets hurt

In his line of work, royal heir Darcy Squires-Thornton has always been content playing second fiddle to close friend Prince Adrian, and happy, too, with whatever brief romantic encounters come his way. Especially one with carefree Caroline McKenzie, whose best friend is engaged to the prince, whose motto has always been "love the one you're with". But when the one she's no longer with is the one with whom she's fallen in love, what's a girl an ocean away to do?

BAD TO THE THRONE

Sometimes you can let your heir down a little too much…

When wild-child Prince Alexander goes on a naked bender in a Vegas swimming pool, cocktail waitress Andi McDonough decides to preserve a shot of those family jewels on her phone. But when she’s fired for capturing the royal treasures, she heads off to find herself. After backpacking the world-over on a dime and a prayer, she finds herself in Rome, where a chance encounter with the wayward prince only reinforces to her that Prince Zander is indeed bad to the throne. And more than likely to her fragile heart as well.

Hit the beach with one of your favorites from Big O Romeo…after the palatial elegance of the Royal Romeo series, it’s time to relax in the warm, summertime vibes of the North Carolina shores, where sun, fun, and romance take center stage, with the first three books of the series bundled for the first time...

Falling for Mr. Wrong

If lusting after him is wrong, she doesn’t want to be right…

Harper Landry sometimes feels like she’s turned into a professional dater. Which might not be such a bad job if it didn’t involve having to spend so much time with a succession of truly undesirable men who were obviously still single for good reason. So she’s elated when she ends up on a blind date with the charming and handsome Danny Greevy, a man who seems too good to be true. But Harper’s starting to think that too good to be true might be downright perfect for her. Particularly when the man who launched her man-drought shows up unexpectedly to throw a wrench in her life yet again.
Noah Gunderson is back in town after traveling the world for the past several years. Forced to return home after promising his mother on her deathbed to save the beloved inn that she’d nearly run into the ground, he’s planning to get far away from Verity Beach just as soon as he’s got the inn back in the black. And he’s determined not to let the distraction of Harper Landry, the one that got away, keep him here a moment longer.

Falling for Mr. Maybe

If it swells, ride it…

Georgie Childress moved to Verity Beach to lick her wounds after her controlling fiancé pulled a runner mere weeks before the wedding. Jobless and desperate to flee his turf, she sought solace in the quietude of the ocean, happily escaping into her own thoughts while surrounded by diving dolphins and cacophonous seagulls. Only when she accidentally runs over some random—and super sexy—surfer dude’s surfboard does she start to wonder if she needs to bring her head out of the clouds and start paying attention to life again.

Spencer Willoughby long ago fled his rigid upbringing, shunning the familial expectations of an Ivy League education and Wall Street career in favor of the sun, sand and surf along North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Give him a surfboard and he’s a happy man. That is until some nutty lady with a penchant for fender-benders backs into his beloved hand-crafted wooden surfboard, snapping it in half. It’s enough to make a man crazy—crazier still because the kooky blond is making his blood run hot.
Just when he finally gets the woman out of his head, Spencer is unwittingly paired off with her at a wedding as a favor to a friend, forcing him to make nice with his board-murdering nemesis who he might just want to ride off into the sunset.

Falling for Mr. No Way in Hell 

Taking the plunge…

Lacy Caldwell’s mermaid gig at a cheesy roadside beach bar provided much-needed income while she pursues her graduate degree. That is until the beloved owner dies and her greedy nephew announces he’s cashing out by closing the bar and selling the property to a developer who’s going to replace the kitschy charm of the Mermaid’s Purse with ocean-view condos.

Cameron Sanders can’t believe his good luck. Struggling financially, he’s thrilled to find out some random, ancient aunt he hardly knew died and left him an inheritance that’ll help take the money monkey off his back. He’s ready to go to the mat in battle when some annoying mermaid from the bar tries to throw a wrench in his plans. But things get complicated when he realizes that she’s a woman he’s started to have feelings for.

Red Hot Romeo 

Love the wine you’re with…

Alessandro Romeo is burned out after finally extricating himself from a nearly year-long relationship with a hot-tempered Italian model who set fire to his Lamborghini when she suspected him of cheating. He’s sworn off the fairer sex and instead spends his waking hours overseeing the expansion of his family’s hugely successful winery in the magnificent hills of Chianti, where he is happy to never see a model again, let alone date one.

American supermodel Taylor McFarland might be blond, but she sure isn’t dumb. And she’s smart enough to know to avoid the shallow men who seem to migrate toward her type, the ones who presume that models are the wild women of the fashion industry who happily discard men like used tissues. 

Only Taylor’s not that type at all; instead, she’s intent on using the influence her position affords her to help those less fortunate than she. 
But when her good deeds means clashing with the quintessential heartless Italian player who she’d heard left model Gia Sandretti at the altar, well, she will happily give him a piece of her mind, and certainly not a piece of her heart.

Black Sheep Romeo

On cloud wine…

Sometimes trouble seems to find Matteo Romeo whether he seeks it out or not. Long regarded as the black sheep of the famed Romeo winemaking family, he’s hardly surprised when he finds himself in yet another predicament, this time harboring an unauthorized farmhand who he’s discovered hiding in a tool shed just as the grape harvest gets underway.

Freespirited Lizzie Moretti has long prized her independence. Lizzie’s been wandering around the world, working odd jobs to earn just enough money to keep on the go. Forced to flee an aggressive host in the middle of a rainy night while working on a farm in Tuscany, she seeks the shelter of a tool shed until she can figure out a plan. Alas, it happens to be on the estate of the wealthy Romeo family on the eve of the coveted grape harvest, when strangers like Lizzie are most unwelcome.
She’s never put down roots. And he can’t seem to escape the roots that sometimes feel like they’re strangling him. They both walked away from family, but can they find salvation in the very family they’ve tried to run from?

Red Carpet Romeo

Look who’s grown up now…

Valentina Romeo loved a romantic wedding, and couldn’t wait to serve as an attendant in her favorite cousin Prince Luca of Monaforte’s upcoming nuptials. She and Luca had reveled in childhood summers at the family estate on the Ligurian Sea. Many of her fondest memories were made there, along with one of her most humiliating, when Luca’s college roommate Parker shunned her brave declaration of love.

Investment banker Parker Hornsby hadn’t been back to Monaforte since he was in college. Back then he’d spent a glorious summer enjoying idyllic days at his best friend Luca’s family beach home. The fun was marred only by Luca’s obtrusive younger cousin Valentina, who could barely mask her crush on Parker, forcing him to flatly cut her off before she got her hopes up. The last thing Parker wanted was to be accused of going after his friend’s jailbait cousin, even if she was about the sweetest fourteen-year old girl he’d ever met. 

But when Parker shows up in Monaforte, paired in Luca’s wedding with Valentina, all bets are off on whether he can restrain himself from the beautiful—and fully grown-up—heiress to the world-famous Romeo wine label, or whether he remains the nemesis she thinks he is.

Enjoy 17 excerpts of outstanding fiction by authors Christa Allan (All They Want for Christmas), Judith Arnold (Changes), Marilyn Brant (The Road to You), Sylvie Fox (The Good Enough Husband), Jenny Gardiner (Something in the Heir), Maria Geraci (That Thing You Do), Tonya Kappes (Checkered Crime), Leslie Langtry (Merit Badge Murder), Leslie Lehr (Wife Goes On), Maggie Marr (One Night for Love), Ellen Meister (Dorothy Parker Drank Here), Ellyn Oaksmith (50 Acts of Kindness), Jess Riley (Mandatory Release), Saralee Rosenberg (Dear Neighbor, Drop Dead), Sara Rosett (Elusive), Wendy Tokunaga (His Wife and Daughters), and L.J. Wilson (Ruby Ink). 

Also included in this book as a *special bonus* are 34 of the GBC's most popular blog posts on the subject of writing craft and the writing life, which you won't want to miss. So pick up this sampler, sit back, and get drawn into a wonderful world of unputdownable essays & stories!

Abbie’s life has been built around her career, and therefore around celebrating food. Forced to drop the pounds if she wants her primo gig back, Abbie must peel back the layers of her past and confront the fears that have led to her current life. 

PRAISE FOR SLIM TO NONE: 

“With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she’s held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way.” 

– Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again - this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." – Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me 

"Satisfying as a Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's... Jenny Gardiner's heroine gives us a sarcastic but provocative look at our love-hate relationship with food. You'll eat this up in one sitting.” 

– Ad Hudler, bestselling author of Househusband and Man of the House

Keywords: women’s fiction, romantic comedy, humor, contemporary romance, modern fairy tale, new adult, second chances, romance, love, chick lit, chicklit, wedding, marriage, self-discovery, family issues

In his line of work, royal heir Darcy Squires-Thornton has always been content playing second fiddle to close friend Prince Adrian, and happy, too, with whatever brief romantic encounters come his way. Especially one with carefree Caroline McKenzie, whose best friend is engaged to the prince. Fun-loving Caroline McKenzie's motto has always been "love the one you're with". But when the one she's no longer with is the one with whom she's fallen in love, what's a girl an ocean away to do? 

What people are saying about Jenny Gardiner's books: 

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a chocolate cupcake…you just want more." 
--Meg Cabot, NY Times bestselling author of Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble and more, on Sleeping with Ward Cleaver 

"As Sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Bite Me really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite." 
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream 

"With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she's held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way." 
--Beth Hoffman, NY Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Slim to None 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again--this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." 
--Sarah Pekkanen, NY Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, on Slim to None

When wild-child Prince Alexander goes on a naked bender in a Vegas swimming pool, cocktail waitress Andi McDonough decides to preserve a shot of those family jewels on her phone. But when she’s fired for capturing the royal treasures, she heads off to find herself. After backpacking the world-over on a dime and a prayer, she finds herself in Rome, where a chance encounter with the wayward prince only reinforces to her that Prince Zander is indeed bad to the throne. And more than likely to her fragile heart as well.

What people are saying about Jenny Gardiner's books: 

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a chocolate cupcake…you just want more." 
--Meg Cabot, NY Times bestselling author of Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble and more, on Sleeping with Ward Cleaver 

"As Sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Bite Me really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite." 
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream 

"With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she's held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way." 
--Beth Hoffman, NY Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Slim to None 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again--this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." 
--Sarah Pekkanen, NY Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, on Slim to None

Keywords: romantic comedy, humor, contemporary romance, modern fairy tale, new adult, Royalty, nobility, prince, aristocrat, , heir, peerage, monarch, Europe, wealthy, Playboy, rich, millionaire, international, vacation, romance, love, chick lit, chicklit, series, wedding, marriage

When the teenaged Duchess Pippa Grimaldi walked in on her best friend's brother Prince Christopher in a particularly private moment, she about died of embarrassment. 

As did Topher, especially when his brother Zander and the rest of his royal siblings then promptly dubbed him the Wanker and never let him live down his public “exposure.” 
It seemed the only way he could escape his overwrought reputation was by fleeing Monaforte altogether, which he did for years. 

But when he finally returns to the European principality for the wedding of his brother Prince Adrian, Topher finds himself relishing a most unexpected one-night stand with none other than free-spirited Pippa. 
And while Topher would like nothing more than to nurture the secret crush he’d had on her for years, she decides the only way to spare him further shaming at the hands of his brothers is to get far, far away from him. Even if being with him stirs feelings she’s never felt with another man.

What people are saying about Jenny Gardiner's books: 

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a chocolate cupcake…you just want more." 
--Meg Cabot, NY Times bestselling author of Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble and more, on Sleeping with Ward Cleaver 

"As Sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Bite Me really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite." 
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream 

"With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she's held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way." 
--Beth Hoffman, NY Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Slim to None 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again--this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." 
--Sarah Pekkanen, NY Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, on Slim to None

Keywords: romantic comedy, humor, contemporary romance, modern fairy tale, new adult, Royalty, nobility, prince, aristocrat, , heir, peerage, monarch, Europe, wealthy, Playboy, rich, millionaire, international, vacation, romance, love, chick lit, chicklit, series, wedding, marriage

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a chocolate cupcake…you just want more." 
--Meg Cabot, NY Times bestselling author of Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble and more, on Sleeping with Ward Cleaver 

"As Sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Bite Me really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite." 
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream 

"With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she's held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way." 
--Beth Hoffman, NY Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Slim to None 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again--this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." 
--Sarah Pekkanen, NY Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, on Slim to None

Keywords: romantic comedy, humor, contemporary romance, modern fairy tale, new adult, Royalty, nobility, prince, aristocrat, heir, peerage, monarch, Europe, wealthy, Playboy, rich, millionaire, international, vacation, romance, love, chick lit, chicklit, series, wedding, marriage

Sawyer Patterson has never been one to care much about first impressions, except when it comes to royalty, because snagging a palace endorsement could make or break his fledgling catering business in Monaforte—the European principality where he’s settled following culinary school and an apprenticeship at a renowned French patisserie. Despite his anti-royalist upbringing, when he’s hired for a birthday party for Princess Isabella, he doubles down to ensure the birthday cake he makes for her will leave a lasting impression… 

To support her good friend Clementine’s new event planning business, Isabella Annelisa Violetta Stefania, Princess Royal of Monaforte, hires her friend to help plan an epic birthday bash for herself. The occasion is the talk of the town, and she has faith Clementine will hire only the best to pull it off. It’s bad enough when Bella's nemesis from boarding school shows up as the hired caterer, but when his cake ends up making her the laughingstock of the party, the gloves are off and she’s determined he’ll never get business in her town again.. 

What people are saying about Jenny Gardiner's books: 

"A fun, sassy read! A cross between Erma Bombeck and Candace Bushnell, reading Jenny Gardiner is like sinking your teeth into a chocolate cupcake…you just want more." 
--Meg Cabot, NY Times bestselling author of Princess Diaries, Queen of Babble and more, on Sleeping with Ward Cleaver 

"As Sweet as a song and sharp as a beak, Bite Me really soars as a memoir about family--children and husbands, feathers and fur--and our capacity to keep loving though life may occasionally bite." 
--Wade Rouse, bestselling author of At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream 

"With a strong yet delightfully vulnerable voice, food critic Abbie Jennings embarks on a soulful journey where her love for banana cream pie and disdain for ill-fitting Spanx clash in hilarious and heartbreaking ways. As her body balloons and her personal life crumbles, Abbie must face the pain and secret fears she's held inside for far too long. I cheered for her the entire way." 
--Beth Hoffman, NY Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Slim to None 

"Jenny Gardiner has done it again--this fun, fast-paced book is a great summer read." 
--Sarah Pekkanen, NY Times bestselling author of The Opposite of Me, on Slim to None

Keywords: romantic comedy, humor, contemporary romance, modern fairy tale, new adult, Royalty, nobility, prince, aristocrat, heir, peerage, monarch, Europe, wealthy, Playboy, rich, millionaire, international, vacation, romance, love, chick lit, chicklit, series, wedding, marriage

Harper Landry sometimes feels like she’s turned into a professional dater. Which might not be such a bad job if it didn’t involve having to spend so much time with a succession of truly undesirable men who were obviously still single for good reason. So she’s elated when she ends up on a blind date with the charming and handsome Danny Greevy, a man who seems too good to be true. But Harper’s starting to think that too good to be true might be downright perfect for her. Particularly when the man who launched her man-drought shows up unexpectedly to throw a wrench in her life yet again.

Noah Gunderson is back in town after traveling the world for the past several years. Forced to return home after promising his mother on her deathbed to save the beloved inn that she’d nearly run into the ground, he’s planning to get far away from Verity Beach just as soon as he’s got the inn back in the black. And he’s determined not to let the distraction of Harper Landry, the one that got away, keep him here a moment longer.

Prince Luca of Monaforte is a player. Or so the tabloids claim. Rarely is he seen without a gorgeous, tall, blonde celebrity on his arm, and never has he had to so much as lift a finger to woo any female within a fifty-mile radius of him. Until he meets Larkin Mallory, a journalist he encounters who is covering fashion week.

Petite, blonde-haired Larkin Mallory would rather stick a toothpick in her eyeball than have to sit through an interview with the arrogant young prince from Monaforte, who clearly thinks he’s all that. But when her boss gives her the choice: interview him or be fired, she makes sure Luca is in for the most uncomfortable interview he’s ever had to suffer through. Too bad for Larkin that being as formidable as a medieval fortress only makes Luca want to win her to his side even more.

Lola Quigley can’t believe her good luck when she wins a spot on the Food Channel’s popular Shop till you Drop. The show features amateur foodies competing to produce a prize-winning meal from staples commonly found in food banks, where people often unload their most unwanted pantry items. Having lived on a near poverty-level budget for a few dark years when her life imploded unexpectedly, Lola had grown to love the challenge of creating delicious meals with the cheapest ingredients she could find on the sale shelf of the grocery store, or—in a twist of irony—donated from her local food bank. She just has to win this: the prize money would help her launch the soup kitchen food truck she’s dreamed of starting. It’ll be her way of paying it forward after she managed to dig out of a financial hole she’d doubted she ever could escape.

Levi Patton is pissed. He’s stuck doing penance as a guest chef on an annoying cable reality TV show where overly enthusiastic wannabes try to outdo him with random undesirable ingredients. Will he ever get over the meteoric crash of his career after a food critic found the unmistakable tail of a rat floating atop his bouillabaisse at Levi’s revered Washington, DC, restaurant? Convinced, but unable to prove, that a jealous sous chef sabotaged him, his name is now mud in the food world; he’s drowning in the veritable toilet of the culinary industry: competing on Shop till you Drop. And he’s totally screwed when he ends up pitted against the overly cheerful brunette with the tattoo of Popeye on her bicep, the very woman he’d left at the altar nearly a decade ago.

Gabriella Puccini, Contessa of Castiglione Girasole, is tired of having to sacrifice everything for the men in her life. So when she finally realizes that her fiancé would rather be married to his career than to her, she decides to go back to where it all began to figure out why she keeps settling for the wrong men, only to encounter her childhood crush, who couldn’t be more wrong for her…

Edouardo Squires-Thornton has been decidedly down on his luck. Unceremoniously sidestepped for the family inheritance upon his beloved father’s death, Edouardo has spent months adrift, feeling lost and confused, barely mustering the energy to do much but watch bad reality TV in his boxers. But when he’s tricked into an unexpected meeting with childhood sweetheart Gabriella, will Edouardo decide it’s time to pull on his big boy pants and figure out his life?

Sometimes trouble seems to find Matteo Romeo whether he seeks it out or not. Long regarded as the black sheep of the famed Romeo winemaking family, he’s hardly surprised when he finds himself in yet another predicament, this time harboring an unauthorized farmhand who he’s discovered hiding in a tool shed just as the grape harvest gets underway.

Freespirited Lizzie Moretti has long prized her independence. Lizzie’s been wandering around the world, working odd jobs to earn just enough money to keep on the go. Forced to flee an aggressive host in the middle of a rainy night while working on a farm in Tuscany, she seeks the shelter of a tool shed until she can figure out a plan. Alas, it happens to be on the estate of the wealthy Romeo family on the eve of the coveted grape harvest, when strangers like Lizzie are most unwelcome.

She’s never put down roots. And he can’t seem to escape the roots that sometimes feel like they’re strangling him. They both walked away from family, but can they find salvation in the very family they’ve tried to run from?

Izzy Strong has grown weary of the loser guys of L.A., having ditched the latest, a guy who couldn’t seem to look up from his ESPN app to conduct a meaningful conversation. He’d followed on the heels of a lifeguard obsessed with sharks, a waiter who bragged far too often about serving the Kardashians, and a foot fetishist who demanded she wear sandals while vacationing at a ski resort in the dead of winter. So when she hears about a charming man from the remote Montana town where her best friend Zoey lives who’s holding a contest to give away the very expensive ring from his failed engagement, she hightails it to Bristol, Montana to see if he’s as bighearted as her friend claims he is. Too bad she finds out immediately that he’s a thoughtless jerk who hasn’t the common decency to even curb his dog.

Sully Forester is ready to let go of the last remaining ties to his long-term relationship with a fiancé who ditched him weeks before their wedding: the engagement ring. When he decides to hold a contest to flat-out give the pricy bauble to the person who persuades him he’s most deserving of it, he has no idea of the craziness he’ll be unleashing in his adopted town of Bristol, Montana. Beginning with being wrongfully accosted by a cranky shrew of a woman who flips out on him for his dog’s transgressions, even when his dog isn’t the culprit. Thank goodness he’ll never see her again. 

Valentina Romeo loved a romantic wedding, and couldn’t wait to serve as an attendant in her favorite cousin Prince Luca of Monaforte’s upcoming nuptials.  She and Luca had reveled in childhood summers at the family estate on the Ligurian Sea. Many of her fondest memories were made there, along with one of her most humiliating, when Luca’s college roommate Parker shunned her brave declaration of love.

Investment banker Parker Hornsby hadn’t been back to Monaforte since he was in college. Back then he’d spent a glorious summer enjoying idyllic days at his best friend Luca’s family beach home. The fun was marred only by Luca’s obtrusive younger cousin Valentina, who could barely mask her crush on Parker, forcing him to flatly cut her off before she got her hopes up. The last thing Parker wanted was to be accused of going after his friend’s jailbait cousin, even if she was about the sweetest fourteen-year old girl he’d ever met. 

But when Parker shows up in Monaforte, paired in Luca’s wedding with Valentina, all bets are off on whether he can restrain himself from the beautiful—and fully grown-up—heiress to the world-famous Romeo wine label, or whether her remains the nemesis she thinks he is.