Coffee Shop Series by Katie Cross

Bethany: This coffee shop is going to kill me.Sure, it's my dad's dream. If he hadn't died eight months ago, I wouldn't be here, a college drop out, trying not to drown in debt.Nor would I be staring into the muddy eyes of a viking-sized man that's telling me everything I'm doing wrong—as if he knows so much about business in a small mountain town.Except he does.And when the biggest, most unexpected surprise of all falls in my lap, I'll have no choice but to ask for his help... moreBethany: This coffee shop is going to kill me.Sure, it's my dad's dream. If he hadn't died eight months ago, I wouldn't be here, a college drop out, trying not to drown in debt.Nor would I be staring into the muddy eyes of a viking-sized man that's telling me everything I'm doing wrong—as if he knows so much about business in a small mountain town.Except he does.And when the biggest, most unexpected surprise of all falls in my lap, I'll have no choice but to ask for his help.Time for some power lipstick.Maverick: This girl is drowning.She might have eyes like glacier pools and hair so black it's glossy, but that doesn't mean she knows how to run a coffee shop. She's drowning in more than debt, interest, and credit card payments.She'll never make it.But I kind of want her to.Because underneath that bright lipstick and those sun dresses is a woman that I have an uncomfortable feeling is about to rock. my. world.This is a clean, standalone (first in series) contemporary romance with sizzle and spice—but no sex scenes. Guaranteed bantering and happily ever after. less

When love and logic collide.Lizbeth: There’s one thing I’m absolutely convinced of: romance is real, and true love is a force for good in the world. I have 957 paperback romance novels in my attic bedroom that prove it. When my world crashes down around me and JJ Bailey shows up, he lays down the ultimate challenge: prove romance is real. The fact that JJ thinks romance is a farce only makes me more determined to prove him wrong. Romance is real and love saves the day.Hold my spreadsheets... moreWhen love and logic collide.Lizbeth: There’s one thing I’m absolutely convinced of: romance is real, and true love is a force for good in the world. I have 957 paperback romance novels in my attic bedroom that prove it. When my world crashes down around me and JJ Bailey shows up, he lays down the ultimate challenge: prove romance is real. The fact that JJ thinks romance is a farce only makes me more determined to prove him wrong. Romance is real and love saves the day.Hold my spreadsheets. JJ:Life has gotten kind of stagnant. Then Lizbeth literally crashes into my world with her ideas of storybook romance and love. Her silky red hair drives me to distraction.What the hell is a meet-cute anyway?Romance does not save the world. I’ve been there. Failed at that. My parents divorce has convinced me that not even love can survive real life. Perpetual bachelorhood looks pretty safe to me. Except Lizbeth is determined to help me see the light of love. I’m not about to let her win our little challenge, because I know the truth.Forget her books. I’ll show her that romance is a construct, and love hurts.LOVESICK is the second novel in the Coffee Shop series. This is a clean, standalone (second in series) contemporary romance with sizzle and spice—but no sex scenes. Guaranteed bantering and happily ever after. less

Stella Marie:I didn’t ask for my life to be uprooted, but won’t sit by while my creepy ex-boss destroys everything—himself included.Except . . . there’s only one person that can help me disappear for a while, and I’m pretty sure he groans every time he sees me calling.Being Mark Bailey’s accountant isn’t easy.When Mark helps me escape into his mountain world for a while, the very last thing I expect is to fall hard... moreStella Marie:I didn’t ask for my life to be uprooted, but won’t sit by while my creepy ex-boss destroys everything—himself included.Except . . . there’s only one person that can help me disappear for a while, and I’m pretty sure he groans every time he sees me calling.Being Mark Bailey’s accountant isn’t easy.When Mark helps me escape into his mountain world for a while, the very last thing I expect is to fall hard. Now ghosts from my past are following and I’m not sure there’s a happy-ever-after waiting at the end of this nightmare.Mark:My accountant is the most frustrating woman on the planet.She infuriates me every time we speak, but I will never, ever fire her because she is the only thing standing between me and utter bankruptcyNow I’m not so sure I know her after all. The woman that arrives on my doorstep in the middle of the night is surprisingly bright, beautiful, and frightened.Being the good guy in the past hasn’t gotten me anywhere, but this time, I have a good feeling about Stella Marie. Which is why I’m happy to step up when that psycho ex-boss of hers tracks her to my doorstep.No one is getting near Stella Marie while I’m here.RUNAWAY is the third book in the Coffee Shop Series. It can be read as a standalone, but maximum enjoyment comes from starting at the beginning. This is a sweet-but-spicy romance with no sex-scenes and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. less

Dagny:Once upon a time, I thought my stutter was the worst thing that ever happened to me. But now I know better.Being held at gunpoint outranks a speech impediment any day.Thankfully, my longtime crush Jayson Hernandez tackled that problem to the ground with those broad shoulders—the ones that make my stutter oh-so-much-worse.As if he hasn’t held my heart in his strong, capable hands ever since I adored him from the shadows in high school... moreDagny:Once upon a time, I thought my stutter was the worst thing that ever happened to me. But now I know better.Being held at gunpoint outranks a speech impediment any day.Thankfully, my longtime crush Jayson Hernandez tackled that problem to the ground with those broad shoulders—the ones that make my stutter oh-so-much-worse.As if he hasn’t held my heart in his strong, capable hands ever since I adored him from the shadows in high school. Or every day he comes into the coffee shop with a new date. Or each time he shoots me a friendly smile that makes my toes curl.Then he proposes something so insane it’s my heart that starts to stutter. And I can’t turn him down, even though I want to.Because there’s a part of me that still believes I’m Cinderella too.And oh, how I want him to realize he’s Prince Charming after all.Jayson:My friends are the best guys anyone could ask for. They’ve always had my back.Except . . . they’re pretty hard to impress.The last thing I want to do is let them down, especially when the first of our group of four is getting married. I can’t show up to that wedding by myself, but I don’t have anyone to take with me that could gain their approval.Enter Dagny Taylor.She’s quiet, reads people like a book, and isn’t afraid to say it like it is—when I can get her to talk, that is. I’ve done some pretty wild things in my life, but now I’m about to do the craziest thing yet.Because there’s a princess hiding beneath that thick armor, and I can’t wait to find her.That is . . . if she’ll let me.This is a clean, contemporary romance with sizzle and spice—but no sex scenes. Guaranteed bantering and happily ever after. less

CatelynThere are three rules I implemented five years ago that govern my safety around men. 1. Never alone. 2. Never stranded. 3. Never unaware.In those five years, I've never broken those rules. Not once. Because I will not be a fool again.Then I do break those rules—willingly—to help the older brother of my best friend, Vikram. Vikram is trouble. Has always been trouble.Charming, a little arrogant, and flighty as a bird when it comes to women... moreCatelynThere are three rules I implemented five years ago that govern my safety around men. 1. Never alone. 2. Never stranded. 3. Never unaware.In those five years, I've never broken those rules. Not once. Because I will not be a fool again.Then I do break those rules—willingly—to help the older brother of my best friend, Vikram. Vikram is trouble. Has always been trouble.Charming, a little arrogant, and flighty as a bird when it comes to women. I spent half my childhood adoring him, half crying over him.Yet he's always had my heart.Six years after last seeing him is no exception.VikramMy parents say I'm a mess. I agree.Four surgeries and a lost job create ugly arithmetic. What kind of woman would ever want to stay by my side when I can barely cope with the day-to-day of recovery?None of them.Which is why I've never tried.When recovery from my fifth surgery goes wrong, there's only one person at my side. Catelyn Carson. The last woman I ever expected to see there.Maybe the one that I've always wanted there.She has secrets to hide, and when those secrets come back to life and threaten her safety, I'm forced to reckon with my own ghosts.For her, I finally find someone worth fighting for.Protect Me is a clean, contemporary romance (but not religious) with a little sizzle and spice and a guaranteed happily-ever-after. It’s the eighth book in the Coffee Shop Series. This book can be read as a standalone, but maximum enjoyment comes from reading the series from the beginning. less

When it comes to men, I'd rather not.In fact, I prefer paints.Cleaning the Frolicking Moose at night, renting the loft out by day, and sinking into my oils and charcoal drawings are really all I want out of life right now. Simplicity and space. Then Hawk walks in on a snowy night. And suddenly everything is different. Being a Mercedy isn't a blessing. It's a bloody curse. To the tune of several billion dollars. Don't get me wrong—I love my job... moreWhen it comes to men, I'd rather not.In fact, I prefer paints.Cleaning the Frolicking Moose at night, renting the loft out by day, and sinking into my oils and charcoal drawings are really all I want out of life right now. Simplicity and space. Then Hawk walks in on a snowy night. And suddenly everything is different. Being a Mercedy isn't a blessing. It's a bloody curse. To the tune of several billion dollars. Don't get me wrong—I love my job. Sometimes, though, it might be nice to do something . . . different . Enter Cora, for whom the word boring doesn't exist. Not only does she rock my world, but a disaster of world-wide proportions is about to as well. I'm not ready, and neither is my company, nor the world. When it comes right down to it, all that matters is Cora. This is a clean, contemporary romance with sizzle and spice—but no sex scenes. Guaranteed bantering and happily ever after. less