Susan Mallery

"When fate brings three strangers to a charming space for lease on the California coast, the Boardwalk Bookshop is born. Part bookstore, part gift shop, part bakery, it's a dream come true for Bree, Mikki and Ashley. But while their business is thriving, their personal lives are ... not. Bree, wounded by brilliant but cold parents and her late husband's ultimate betrayal, has sworn to protect her heart at all costs. Even from Ashley's brother, a writer...

"Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she's raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike how she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom, and when the grandfather who was left to raise them abandoned her and her sister, Sloane, when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow, nose down, work hard, follow the rules. Sloane went the other way. Now Sloane is back, as beautiful...

Mria's Synopsis: The California sunshine's not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week... Finola, a popular LA morning-show host, is famously upbeat until she's blindsided on live TV by the news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she's just fine, she's crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to...

"Divorce left Harper Szymanski with a name no one can spell, a house she can't afford and a teenage daughter who's pulling away. With her fledgling virtual-assistant business, she's scrambling to maintain her overbearing mother's ridiculous standards and still pay the bills, thanks to clients like Lucas, the annoying playboy cop who claims he hangs around for Harper's fresh-baked cookies. Spending half her life in school hasn't prepared Dr. Stacey...

"After Andi Gordon is jilted at the altar, she makes the most impetuous decision of her life--buying one of the famed Three Sisters Queen Anne houses on Blackberry Island. Now the proud-ish owner of the ugly duckling of the trio, she plans to open her own pediatric office on the first floor, just as soon as her hunky contractor completes the work. Andi's new future may be coming together, but the truth is she's just as badly in need of a major renovation...

"Best friends Unity and Ellen are in serious ruts. High school teacher Ellen, whose son's dream of going out of state for college is arousing financial anxiety, hasn't dated since she became pregnant on the night of her junior prom. Unity, a successful handyman, is grieving after her soldier husband was killed three years ago. Each woman goads the other to venture out of her restrictive comfort zone, daring the other to take on a list of challenges,...

While Gabby Schaefer reels in the face of crushing news that has thwarted her plans to return to work, Hayley Batchelor pursues high-risk fertility treatments and Nicole Lord fears falling in love after emerging from a divorce from a man who barely touched her heart.

"Nicole Lord wants to be a good wife, but there's a difference between being supportive and supporting her husband. He quit his job to write a screenplay she's never seen, leaving Nicole to run the house, work full-time, and care for their young son. Can she say enough is enough without losing the man she loves? Sacrificing a personal life for her career is how Shannon Rigg became V.P. at her firm, but she wonders whether she made the right choice....

Cousins by chance, sisters by choice ... After her cat toy empire goes up in flames, Sophie Lane returns to Blackberry Island, determined to rebuild. Until small-town life reveals a big problem: she can't grow unless she learns to let go. If Sophie relaxes her grip even a little, she might lose everything. Or she might finally be free to reach for the happiness and love that have eluded her for so long. Kristine has become defined by her relationship...

"Silver Tesdal has a head for business and a mouth made for kissing, and banker Drew Lovato has his eye on both. But ever since he was dumb enough to let her go, she's kept him at a distance. When the bank turns her down for a loan, Drew sees a double opportunity--he can finance her brilliant, unique idea to rock Happily Inc's wedding industry and win back her trust. Despite her reputation, Silver's not as tough as she seems. Losing Drew nearly destroyed...