Bøger af Marilyn Brant

In Marilyn Brant's smart, wildly inventive fiction debut, one modern woman in search of herself receives advice from the ultimate expert in matters of the heart: Jane Austen. It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost takes up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there. Over the next two decades, Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the frustrations of adolescence and into adulthood, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go-sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham. Still, everyone has something to learn about love-perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending... ACCORDING TO JANE A Novel About Pride, Prejudice & the Pursuit of the Perfect Guy **Note: This book has adult language and content and is recommended for mature audiences.** WINNER of the Romance Writers of America's prestigious Golden Heart Award, the Single Titles Reviewers' Choice Award, the Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Award, and the Booksellers' Best Award Named one of the 100 Best Romance Novels of All Time by Buzzle.com . "Brant infuses her sweetly romantic and delightfully clever tale with just the right dash of Austen-esque wit." Chicago Tribune "Fresh, original, and lots of fun." Barnes & Noble Review "A charming book." Family Circle "A warm, witty and charmingly original story." Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author "An engaging read for all who have been through the long, dark, dating wars, and still believe there's sunshine, and a Mr. Darcy, at the end of the tunnel." Cathy Lamb, author of What I Remember Most "This is a must-read for Austen lovers as well as for all who believe in the possibility of a happily-ever-after ending." Holly Chamberlin, author of Tuscan Holiday "What an unexpected, uplifting, and urbane debut novel! To paraphrase Jane Austen's character Lady Catherine, Marilyn Brant has given us a treasure. Granted that there are hundreds of Jane Austen inspired novels written over the years, this totally unique and original concept of Austen's ghost inhabiting and advising a modern young woman is brilliant. The play of early nineteenth-century social mores against twentieth-century culture is so droll that I laughed-out-loud several times in total recognition. Like Austen, Brant excels at characterization offering a heroine in Ellie Barnett that I could totally identify with, and a hero in Sam that is so endearingly flawed that any woman worthy of her worn out VHS copy of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries will be happy to swoon over. Subtly powerful and amusingly acerbic, you will be gently reproved into agreeing in the power of love to transform us all." Laurel Ann Nattress, Austenprose, editor of Jane Austen Made Me Do It

YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME is Book 3 in Marilyn Brant's Mirabelle Harbor series, but this story and all of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels. "Nothing but love, 24/7" is the slogan of Mirabelle Harbor's only radio station, 102.5 "LOVE" FM. On the verge of turning thirty-five, local DJ Blake Michaelsen is well-known for several reasons: his very sexy on-air voice, his omnipresent family, his eligible bachelor status, and his reputation as one of the most impulsive men in Chicago's northern suburbs. High-school French teacher and lifelong romantic Vicky Bernier is not at all wild about people who exhibit reckless conduct. (Blake.) Or men who have gigantic egos. (Blake.) Or grownups who still act like teenagers. (Blake, again.) She deals with enough adolescent behavior during the school day. Unfortunately, she's the staff advisor to the Homecoming Committee, and they've chosen him as their DJ for the big fall dance. What happens when a man whose job it is to play love songs for a living is forced to admit his deepest secret-that he doesn't believe in true love-only to discover that the one woman who might capture his heart is the same woman who distrusts him the most? No matter what you call it, with love there's an exception to every rule. YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME, a Mirabelle Harbor story.

NONFICTION - Essays on Motherhood * New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Marilyn Brant offers something unique and personal to the fans of her fiction and new readers alike - a collection of 21 essays and 5 poems on the subject of motherhood, filled with the humor and the astute observations that are a trademark of her novels. * Wanderlust in Suburbia and Other Reflections on Motherhood is a "tribute to our mothers and our grandmothers. To our women friends. And to all of us as well." * Excerpt: LEANING TOWARD OPTIMISM by Marilyn Brant (copyright 2015, all rights reserved) Once, in our newly married, pre-parental days, my husband and I were vacationing in Northern France. We liked to consider ourselves deep, serious people throughout much of the year, having spent-as teachers-many months juggling pressing student concerns with demanding academic requirements. But this was summer. It was a time for rest, relaxation, and a wild jump into fun foreign culture. We took this initiative to heart. A reward to ourselves for a school year successfully concluded. Thus, while we were diligent in visiting virtually every historical site in Normandy-from the infamous WWII beaches to the Bayeux Tapestry-our days were interspersed with crepe or cider taste testing, long walks around castle ruins, and window-shopping at patisseries. We were happy. Back at our quaint, postcard-perfect inn after one such joyful day, I was flipping through a Parisian women's magazine I'd come across in the lobby. Bypassing fashion articles and other perceived drivel, I settled down with a story on the performing arts. Now, my French, while never extraordinarily fluent, was adequate enough for me to be insulted by a line I read about midway through the piece. It was about Americans. The young female writer was making the point that American audiences didn't appreciate certain theater productions because "happy endings are so important to them." Upon translating this, I stopped mid-column and reread that line several times before finally calling out to my husband, "Hey, listen to this!" We bristled at the snub-certainly intentional, we felt. We believed, much like Meg Ryan's character in When Harry Met Sally, that we could be as dark and brooding as anyone out there. Of course we were generally optimistic. We wanted the good guys to win, the ugly duckling to turn into a beautiful swan, and the poor servant girl to finally get to be the belle of the ball, but was that a reason to assume we couldn't handle the alternative? Finally, recovering our good humor with the help of some hard cider and a chocolate pastry, we dismissed the remark...

Funny, touching, and steamy by turns, this multi-book collection contains three original contemporary romances by New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Marilyn Brant! ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAE - Shy dessert cookbook writer Elizabeth Daniels must run an ice cream parlor for the summer with Rob Gabinarri, the chatty ex-football player turned restaurant owner she once had a crush on. These two people could hardly be less alike and, yet, their mutual attraction is undeniable. How long can these opposites fight the unexpected chemistry between them? DOUBLE DIPPING - Dedicated second-grade teacher Caitlin Walsh finds herself trying to convince Garrett Ellis, the school district's elusive new financial director, to reinstate a beloved fall festival. However, there's a mystery afoot in their small Midwestern town. Will the two of them be able to work together to solve it, or will lingering secrets from the past pull them apart first? HOLIDAY MAN - When sophisticated and successful CEO Bram Hartwick shows up at Shannon Quinn's quaint holiday-themed inn, Holiday Quinn, their connection is immediate, intense, and electric. This leads to a year filled with hot and sexy encounters between the pair during times of celebration. But can true love blossom from just a series of holiday flings? THE SWEET TEMPTATIONS COLLECTION was a USA Today Bestseller!! "Marilyn Brant is a master at the fast paced modern romance." -Reviewer Jen Red, On Any Given Sundae

THE ROAD AND BEYOND is the expanded book-club edition of THE ROAD TO YOU by New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Marilyn Brant. This novel contains not only the completed original story set in the late 1970s, but it also includes the brand-new present-day tale of Aurora, now a mature and married woman with two adult sons, who must confront her worst parental nightmare. One Disappearance Had Been Enough To Last Her A Lifetime... Aurora Gray is no stranger to tragedy. In the summer of 1976, when she was just sixteen, her world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. For two years, there's no word from either of them. No trace of their whereabouts. But then, shortly after her high-school graduation, she unexpectedly finds her brother's journal and sees that it's been written in again. Recently. By him. There are secret messages coded within the journal's pages and Aurora, who is unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is determined to follow where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels might help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy's older brother and a guy she's always been drawn to...even against her better judgment. The two of them set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, heading westward along America's historic Route 66 in search of their siblings and the answers to questions they haven't dared to ask aloud. The mystery they uncover will forever change the course of their lives. ...But Now It Was Happening Again Decades later, in the summer of 2014, fifty-four-year-old Aurora receives a terrifying phone call-her adult son Charlie is missing-and this news inevitably brings the memories of her adolescent years rushing back. Haunting recollections she'd hoped to keep buried. Were the choices she'd made in her youth responsible for her son's disappearance now? And how on earth can she find him-quickly-so that she might be able to prevent the trauma of the past from repeating itself? EXCERPT: Pasadena, California Friday, August 15, 2014 No one else was home, of course, when I got the call that my twenty-eight-year-old son was missing. "The Benson Plastics people are already here for the eleven o'clock presentation, but Charlie isn't," Gloria, the company's secretary, informed me, her piercing voice tinged with an edge of hysteria. I'd only spoken with the woman on the phone twice before, but I got the distinct impression that her circuits were forever at risk of being overloaded. "He's not answering his cell?" I asked, surprised more than anything, actually, because both of my boys had their iPhones all but super-glued to their palms. "Aurora, I've tried to reach him for an hour and a half," Gloria insisted, the shrillness in her tone rising like high notes in a chorus and dancing for dear life on the other end of the line. "There's no answer at home. His cell goes straight to voicemail. And I even called his girlfriend because she's his first contact. She has no idea where Charlie is either. You're his second contact, so I hope you'll know where we can reach him." For a long, uncomfortable moment I was distracted by something ridiculous. The fact that I was only my son's second contact. Well, he was practically living with Cassandra, so I supposed it made sense that she was his first. But still... Then the deeper meaning of the secretary's comments seeped in. No one knew where Charlie was. I tried to be calm, reasonable, rational and not like some TV sitcom mother who'd overreact to everything. But, naturally, given my family's history, that was impossible. I fought back the panic and asked, "Was he at work yesterday?" Gloria said he was there when she'd left the office at 4:20. My mind began reeling with that ever-present parental worry, which spun a dangerous path from my head to my gut. The questions started, and it was like 1976 all over

A coming-of-age romantic mystery -- that takes place, in part, along historic Route 66 -- written by USA TODAY bestselling author Marilyn Brant! Sometimes the only road to the truth...is one you've never taken. "Until I found Gideon's journal in the tool shed -- locked in the cedar box where I'd once hidden my old diary -- I'd been led to believe my brother was dead. But the contents of his journal changed all that." THE ROAD TO DISCOVERY Two years ago, Aurora Gray's world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. Now, during the summer of her 18th birthday, she unexpectedly finds her brother's journal and sees that it's been written in again. Recently. By him. THE ROAD TO DANGER There are secret messages coded within the journal's pages. Aurora, who's unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is hell bent on following where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels can help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy's older brother and a guy she's always been drawn to -- even against her better judgment. THE ROAD TO YOU Reluctantly, Donovan agrees to go with her and, together, they set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, hoping to find their lost brothers and the answers to questions they've never dared to ask aloud. "In that expectant space between silence and melody, our trip began..." **AN EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER ONE** I could count on one hand the things I knew were true about Donovan McCafferty: He was twenty-three -- just over five years older than I was. He'd escaped into the Army at age eighteen and, except for a few quick but memorable visits, hadn't returned to Minnesota until this past winter. He had an excellent mechanical mind. And he made me very nervous. Underneath my skin, every nerve fiber was fast twitching. Just thinking about Donovan always did that to me but, this time, it was also about the trip. I couldn't have been more eager to get on the road to Crescent Cove, and I really didn't want to make a stop at Donovan's workplace. But, awkward though it would be, he knew a few things I didn't and might signal to me (whether he realized it or not) some very useful directions. It was 7:05 p.m. by the time I got to the shop, and I parked a fair distance from the entrance. They closed at seven, but the work light in the back was on and two out of the three garage doors were still open. I knew he was in there. Not because I'd caught even one glimpse of Mr. Tall, Dark and Intense yet, but because the only other car in the lot was a crimson Firebird Trans Am with the giant bird decal in black and gold across the hood. His, of course. I pushed open my car door, grabbed my tote bag with my brother Gideon's journal tucked safely inside and inhaled several lungfuls of the cloying summer air. So early in June and already every breath was wrapped in sticky-sweet bugginess. I didn't make it more than five steps before he came out. A solid, broad-shouldered, six-foot-two mass of frequently impenetrable emotions. Not impenetrable enough this time, though. Even at a distance of half a parking lot, I detected two powerful sensations that crashed, one after the other, into my awareness: One, he was hugely curious about why I was here. And, two, he very much wished I hadn't been. He walked up to me and cleared his throat. "Car trouble, Aurora?" He glanced at my hand-me-down, smoke-blue, five-year-old Buick Century, which had done nothing but purr contentedly during my drives around town. Donovan was the type to have noticed this, so I could tell he knew it wasn't the car. I shook my head. "I need to show you something," I told him. "Privately."

Mirabelle Harbor meets Sapphire Falls... Journalist Trevor Cayne is working on the biggest feature story of his career, and he's on a road trip from his home in the lakeside Chicago suburb of Mirabelle Harbor to Colorado Springs to get the final details. But a quick stop to see his grandmother in Sapphire Falls threatens to derail his carefully constructed plans. Between Gram and her friends, the weather whims of Mother Nature, and the most stunning redhead he's ever laid eyes on in his life, he may not make it further than the western edge of Nebraska. Aspiring singer-songwriter Tina Marie Moran has vowed to leave Sapphire Falls for Nashville after this week's big fireworks-she's not even waiting for the Annual Town Festival to come to an end. She's put her music dreams on hold for long enough and has no intention of postponing her plans yet again, least of all for another potentially untrustworthy man. But between her loving but meddlesome relatives and friends, a broken heart that's in desperate need of mending, and a handsome stranger who can play her body like a virtuoso lead guitarist, she may find herself engulfed in a new passion that's as strong as her love of music. When it comes to their creative lives, both Trevor and Tina Marie know all about GOING FOR IT-but are they willing to put that same drive into what just might be the love of a lifetime?

Read the latest contemporary romance by national bestselling author Marilyn Brant: A single mother and an ER doctor meet on an Internet dating site-each for reasons that have little to do with finding their perfect match-in this modern, Austen-inspired story. It's a tribute to the power of both "pride" & "prejudice" in bringing two people romantically together, despite their mutual insistence that they should stay apart... Would an Elizabeth Bennet by any other name be as appealing to a Darcy? Beth Ann Bennet isn't looking for love. She's an aspiring social worker using an online alias to study sex-role stereotypes. Dr. William Darcy isn't looking for love either. He's just trying to fund his new clinic by winning a major bet. Both think Lady Catherine's Love Match Website will help them get what they want-fast, easy and without endangering their hearts. Both are in for a big surprise. Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match...where true love is just a fib and a click away. "Brant couldn't have done a better job at pulling me into the story and keeping me hooked until the end... I liked this book so much that I delayed watching the Season 3 premiere of Downton Abbey!! (This is a huge deal.)" Kimberly Denny-Ryder, Austenprose Heart-warming, tender, and sweet - Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match is a lovely tribute to Jane Austen and her masterpiece." Austenesque Reviews Praise for Marilyn's debut novel, According to Jane: "A charming book." Family Circle "Fresh, original, and lots of fun." Barnes & Noble Review "Brant infuses her sweetly romantic and delightfully clever tale with just the right dash of Austen-esque wit." Chicago Tribune

The course of true love doesn't always run smooth... Everyone thought Beth Ann Bennet and Dr. Will Darcy had an unexpected romance in PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT MATCH (White Soup Press, January 2013). Now, Beth's best friend, Jane Henderson, and Will's first cousin, Bingley McNamara, begin their own unlikely love story in PRIDE, PREJUDICE AND THE PERFECT BET, which starts at the Bennet/Darcy wedding when the two of them find themselves in the roles of maid of honor and best man for the newlyweds. Jane is an interning school psychologist and a woman who wears an angelic mask in public, but she's not as sweet tempered as she'd like everyone to believe. Turns out, she may have just crossed paths with the one person who'll unnerve her enough to get her to reveal her true self. As for Bingley, he's a wealthy, flirtatious, compulsively social guru of finance, who likes to wager on stocks and, let's face it, on just about anything that strikes his fancy. But this dedicated ladies' man may have finally met the woman who'll challenge his bachelor ways! Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet...where life's biggest gamble is the game of love. An Excerpt from Chapter One: Finally, the procession out of the church began and Jane, as maid of honor, had to walk back down the aisle with Bingley, the supposed "best" man. "Delightful ceremony," he pronounced loudly, insuring that everyone nearby would hear, as he formally offered her his arm. But he looked at her as if he'd much rather promenade with a python. "I agree," she said, smiling tightly and playing the part. He cast an absolutely ecstatic grin at the friends and family in attendance as the two of them took their first steps toward the church's vestibule. "Only the receiving line and the final pictures," he hissed, his lips near her ear as if sharing a secret. "And then I can start getting drunk. I plan to be pretty damn buzzed before our special dance." She leaned closer to him and hissed right back, "So funny! I was thinking exactly the same thing." "Yeah? I remember the last time you got your hands on some champagne, Jane. Who are you gonna be making out with tonight?" She gripped his arm perhaps a little more forcefully than necessary. "Not you." He winced but didn't stop walking or faux grinning at the congregation. "Oh, I wasn't offering, sweetheart. I've already been burned once. I don't do second chances." She gulped. To her ear, he sounded hurt, which both surprised her and pissed her off. He was acting like some innocent in the whole thing. Like he hadn't been trying to take advantage of her-one way or another. That he hadn't made a bet that involved her. Ha. She'd tear him apart limb by limb, this very second, in fact, if it wouldn't ruin her dress before the reception. Beth and Will, the happy newlyweds, had stopped just up ahead of them and were getting ready to greet their guests in the receiving line. Before Jane pulled away from Bingley to dutifully take her place next to the bride, she gave the quote-unquote "best man" her parting shot. "I don't do second chances either," she informed him. "And, for the record, you might as well pay up Dustin and buy your own beer because there's no way you'll win your gamble with him. At least not with my help." Jane had the satisfaction of seeing him freeze in his spot, a look of shock and confusion on his handsome face, as she turned her back to him. Now that she'd told him off at last, he'd have to stay away from her, except when their attendant duties made interaction absolutely necessary. Seriously, how much more trouble could the guy cause in less than twenty-four hours, right? Right.

In this light romantic comedy, when Elizabeth's uncle Siegfried and Rob's uncle Pauly rush off to Europe for a month in summer, they temporarily relinquish the reins of their ice cream shop to their respective niece and nephew -- two people who may have grown up practically next door to each other but who have next to nothing in common... Elizabeth "Please Don't Call Me Lizzy" Daniels is a small-town Wisconsin girl at heart. Shy and inexperienced at love, the frizzy-haired dessert cookbook writer still resides in her quaint hometown, stutters painfully when nervous and is only comfortable with her tiny circle of cooking pals. She must come out of hiding to help her uncle, but she's convinced her childhood crush, Rob, barely knows she exists. Roberto "You'd Better Call Me Rob, or Else" Gabinarri is the town's golden boy. A former football star who left home after high school, he made a splash in the big city and never looked back. He returns home to help out, but he's counting the minutes until he can escape to the relative anonymity of his commitment-free Chicago life and the restaurant he owns there. Despite his chattiness and charm, Rob was always intimidated by quiet, brainy girls like "Frizzy Lizzy," and he isn't pleased to be back where people still see him as that popular but dumb jock -- an image he worked for almost a decade to shed. And then there's his dear Italian mother, who's bent on lining up potential hometown brides for him... Rob has an idea that just might help them both, but it involves a bit of family deception. With time running out to finish her cookbook, Elizabeth reluctantly agrees. Neither of them are used to playing games of pretense, but can love, hot summer nights and, maybe, some chocolate sauce, caramel and whipped cream...turn their farce into reality?

ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR is Book 5 in Marilyn Brant's Mirabelle Harbor series, but this book and all of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as stand-alone stories. After her first marriage ended in a divorce that left her heart in tiny shreds, Sharlene Michaelsen Boyd vowed to keep her distance from men, at least emotionally. An occasional one-night stand wasn't out of the question, though, and with her closest friends hooking up with new loves, she finds herself in the mood for a little male company... Being the only sister with four brothers, not to mention the glue holding the Michaelsen family together after the death of their parents, Shar is used to being strong and in control. She's a junior high English teacher who's persuasive, personable, and who knows just about everyone in the center of Mirabelle Harbor society, including her brother Blake's super-sexy buddy, Declan Night. As a former pro hockey player turned sportswriter and businessman, Dec has had his share of relationships, mostly meaningless, short-term flings. He always thought Blake's little sister was a hottie, but he knew she was off limits-until one Friday night when the stars aligned and the opportunity to hook up presented itself. Shar's intentions couldn't have been clearer: This was for One Night Only. But, for the first time in his life, Dec wonders if, maybe, there isn't something to be said for sticking with just one woman. Especially if that woman knows how to fulfill his every sensual fantasy. Could one sizzling night turn into a love that has a shot at lasting forever? ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR, a Mirabelle Harbor story.

FRIDAY MORNINGS AT NINE is a standalone women's fiction story about: Three close friends Two competing love interests (each!) & One of life's biggest "What-if?" questions... Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids and work. But one day, spurred by recent emails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they've never discussed before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation? Soon each woman is second-guessing the choices she's made-and the ones she can unmake-as she becomes aware of new opportunities around every corner, from attentive colleagues and sexy neighbors to flirtatious past lovers. And as fantasies blur with real life, these three good friends begin to realize how little they may know about each other, their marriages and themselves... And how much there is to gain-and lose-when you step outside the rules.

COMING HOME: A Mirabelle Harbor Duet is Book 6 in Marilyn Brant's Mirabelle Harbor series, and it features two novellas-ROCKET MAN and SOMEONE LIKE YOU-but these books and all of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as standalone stories. There's double the trouble in this romantic story pairing when ex-lovers, Abby Solinski and Chandler Michaelsen, both return to their hometown of Mirabelle Harbor, only to find that the happily ever after they thought they'd given up may, in fact, still be a possibility...just not with the person they'd expected! ROCKET MAN Abby had a crush on "Rocket Rick" Zimmerman way back in high school, but he was her brother's best friend and graduated a couple of years ahead of her, leaving town for an international life of top-secret, science-nerd intrigue. She didn't understand a fraction of what he did professionally, and he wasn't allowed to tell her anyway. Abby, meanwhile, meandered around the country with her then-boyfriend, Chandler, eventually winding up alone and working at a couple of part-time jobs in Florida. She'd resigned herself to being single forever and living on the sunny Gulf Coast, a thousand miles away from her Midwestern origins. But when her parents need her help back in Mirabelle Harbor, she flies home for a week and runs into Rick again, who's back in the Chicago area for a big physics convention. Immediately, she's caught up in a surprising game of "Booster Ignition and Liftoff," where the object seems to be an answer to this scientific question: Just how fast can things heat up between them without somebody getting burned? SOMEONE LIKE YOU As for Chandler, he had no intention whatsoever of coming back to Mirabelle Harbor. When he and Abby broke up, he headed north on his motorcycle from Sarasota to Atlanta, and a life on the road was how he wanted to roll. But then his twin brother, Chance, goes and gets himself engaged, and the groom insists that Chandler needs to be the best man. Fine. He'll drive back for a few days, for the sake of his twin, but no one had better expect him to stay in town. Of course, that's before he knows his dream woman-beautiful bookstore owner, Jaleina Longoria-is going to be at the wedding. Jaleina is not only eight and a half years his senior, she's also the ex-fiancée of his eldest brother, who'd broken up with her to marry someone else years earlier. That never stopped Chandler from considering Jaleina to be his Ultimate Fantasy. Getting her to stop thinking of him as the restless teen boy he'd once been, however, is going to prove quite a challenge. Especially since the restlessness is still there, even though he's now a very passionate-and very determined-full-grown man. Sometimes what you think you're returning to isn't what you'd really left behind. COMING HOME, a pair of Mirabelle Harbor stories. **NOTE: The Mirabelle Harbor series is complete!! All of the romances take place over roughly a two-year time frame, and each book listed below can be read as a standalone story. Year One: Take a Chance on Me (Chance & Nia) - April/May The One That I Want (Julia & Dane) - June/July/August Stranger on the Shore (Marianna & Gil) - June/July/August You Give Love a Bad Name (Blake & Vicky) - September/October Year Two: Going for It/Kindle World Bonus Story (Trevor & Tina Marie) - June One Night Love Affair (Sharlene & Declan) - July Rocket Man/Coming Home (Abby & Rick) - October Someone Like You/Coming Home (Chandler & Jaleina) - December **Visit the Mirabelle Harbor series page on Marilyn's website for details on each book and links to excerpts & extras!

STRANGER ON THE SHORE is Book 4 in Marilyn Brant's Mirabelle Harbor series, but this story and all of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels. On the verge of turning forty and having just lost her job, Marianna Gregory flees Mirabelle Harbor for the summer with little more than a suitcase, her beat-up car, and the blessings of her good friend Olivia Michaelsen. Her ex-husband is living a new life in California. Her college-aged daughter is spending her vacation with her boyfriend in Michigan. And the house Marianna once called her own finally sold, so she has nowhere to live in Illinois now anyway. However, her wealthy sister Ellen owns an empty bungalow on the beach in Sarasota, Florida, so Marianna turns to the sea for a chance to go shelling, regroup, and figure out what to do with this new chapter in her life. She doesn't bargain on having to face down several family crises while she's away, nor does she count on meeting a handsome beachcomber who bears a striking resemblance to Elvis. Just as surprising is the craft project she gets roped into volunteering for and the new group of friends who might just change the way she views the world and her future. The most unexpected gifts can be found where the land meets the sea. STRANGER ON THE SHORE, a Mirabelle Harbor story.

"When successful building contractor Austin Knightley returns to his hometown of Crystal Corner, Minnesota after a decade away, he vows to avoid pampered and popular types like his old high school crush Emma Westwood-- the town's biggest queen bee and self-appointed matchermaker-- only to get swept into a community Christmas project she's now organizing."--Page 4 of cover

THE ONE THAT I WANT is Book 2 in Marilyn Brant's Mirabelle Harbor series, but this story and all of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as stand-alone novels. The summer after her beloved husband died in a car accident, Julia Meriwether Crane is still picking up the pieces of her life in Mirabelle Harbor and trying to help her ten-year-old daughter adjust to this difficult new reality. After her best friend Sharlene-one of the well-connected Michaelsen siblings-talks her into finally going out on the town again, Julia finds herself stunned to be the object of interest of several different men: The boy who'd broken her heart back in high school. The college ex she'd left behind. And most surprising of all, the movie actor she'd always fantasized about but had never met in person...until now. Can one woman have more than one "great love" in the same lifetime? And, if so, how can she be sure which man that'll be? Sometimes the person you think will be best for you isn't the one you really want. THE ONE THAT I WANT, a Mirabelle Harbor story.

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME is a novella & it's Book 1 in Marilyn Brant's Mirabelle Harbor series. This book and ALL of the contemporary romances in this series can be enjoyed as stand-alone stories. Welcome to Mirabelle Harbor! In this scenic suburb on Chicago's North Shore, overlooking the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan, the Michaelsen family has made their home for generations. Although their parents and grandparents are now gone, siblings Derek, Blake, Sharlene, and the twins-Chandler and Chance-all have fond memories of growing up in town, and most still live there. Chance Michaelsen, the youngest member of the family (by two minutes) and the quietest (by far), is a dedicated twenty-eight-year-old personal trainer at the local gym. While he might not say much, Chance has made it clear that he's not a fan of toxic people, unhealthy habits, or sharing too many of his emotions. With anybody. Enter Antonia "Nia" Pappayiannis-the prettiest member of the loudest and most overly demonstrative family in town. They're also the owners of The Gala, a Greek restaurant and bakery known for its decadent pastries and located just a few steps from Chance's gym. He considers their entire family business to be the enemy of good health, but he can't quite shake his attraction to Nia, who doesn't seem nearly as impressed with him or his sculpted physique as most of the women around Mirabelle Harbor. Unfortunately, between her doctor's orders and the interfering ways of Chance's crazy-making ex-girlfriend, who just happens to be one of Nia's long-time friends, Chance gets assigned to be Nia's fitness coach for the month. Pure torture. And if his ex weren't already causing enough problems, he also has to deal with Nia's current boyfriend-some hotshot Chicago CEO who talks big but, in Chance's opinion, is as fake as a Styrofoam barbell. The road to romance is going to be a rocky one, and though Nia has her doubts about moving forward, Chance has a well-developed competitive streak and might just be willing to give it a shot...if he can convince her to do the same. In matters of the heart, would you risk it all? TAKE A CHANCE ON ME, a Mirabelle Harbor story. Books in the Series: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME (July 2015) THE ONE THAT I WANT (July 2015) YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME (Coming Soon) STRANGER ON THE SHORE (Coming Soon) Story Excerpt: "Nia?" I extended my hand to her because I was a professional and that was what we did when we met a new client. It didn't have anything to do with my desire to touch her. Much. She looked at me oddly. Hesitant. Like she was afraid I'd try to out muscle her or something. So I added a slight smile. If anything, she looked even more worried then, but she finally took my hand and shook it. God, her skin was so soft. "Chance." She stated my name rather than asked. How insane was it that I was proud of this? That she knew who I was already? Then I looked down and realized I was wearing my trainer nametag. Oh. "Yes," I said. "Nice to meet you." This was such a freakin' understatement it was almost a lie. I was usually only attracted to very athletic women, but Nia Pappayiannis had a different style and body type than the typical crowd of single twenty-something ladies I ran into at the gym. She was all softness and curves, dressed in her very conservative white t-shirt and blue yoga pants. Other women wouldn't look hot in such a plain outfit. Nia rocked the look. "Likewise," she said. "Have you belonged to a gym before?" I asked. She shook her head. "It's not really my scene." I was suddenly very interested to know what *was* her scene...