Bitter Truth

For two wounded hearts, love is a risk in an emotional novel about family, past regrets, and future hopes by Jillian Liota and #1 New York Times bestselling author Meredith Wild.

After nine years in LA, aspiring singer Murphy Hawthorne leaves behind her broken dreams to return to her family’s vineyard. But as she helps open the property’s new restaurant, she faces a family still bitter about the fact she ever left, and old wounds quickly resurface. The only refreshing note is the handsome head chef, Wesley Hart.

Hired to draw more tourists to the Hawthorne vineyard, Wes is a culinary master with a reputation he wishes he could forget. Struggling with regrets and complex family dynamics of his own, he’s trying to start over, too. The biggest mistake he could make right now is to act on his attraction to his boss’s younger sister. If only he could get her out of his head…

Despite all the reasons to keep their distance, Murphy and Wes can’t deny the connection that keeps drawing them together. In each other, they find refuge and a sense of belonging neither could have imagined. But to forge a new future together, they must answer one important question: Can they face the past—and forgive it?

The First

"An engaging tale of first times and forever love."
~Library Journal


It’s been years since June Bell shared a stolen moment with her girlhood crush, Kase McCasker. It’s been just as long since Kase’s father nixed the sale of the McCasker farm to expand the grounds of the Bell’s grand hotel. Now that Kase is back home for good, June might be the only person who can persuade him to reconsider the abandoned plan. But how can she face him again after he left her without a word?

Four years ago, unexpected news shook the foundation of Kase McCasker’s world. Escaping Falls Edge for college was the perfect excuse to chase his demons and bury his pain. Now, with a degree in hand and a void he can’t fill, he’s back in the little mountain town he thought he’d never call home again. Searching for purpose, he’s determined to put down roots and take over the struggling farm that’s been in his family for generations.

Time and distance haven’t taken the edge off his preoccupation with June, the spitfire daughter of his father’s rival. He hasn’t forgotten their time together and all the things they did and didn’t do. One look at her has him reconsidering the future and making a dangerous deal to win her over. Is a chance at her heart worth risking everything else?

The Protector

Charlotte Daley is the daughter of the newly elected POTUS. An only child, she’s both spoiled rotten and entirely neglected by her powerful family. She’s been forced to eat with the right forks, smile at all the right times, and be the picture of perfection for months. Now that her father is in office and too busy to know she exists, she’s determined to exercise her new freedom before she heads back to college in New York.

Zane Parker has one job—to protect the President’s daughter, all day, every day. But she’s been on a partying spree since the inauguration, heading down a dangerous path that threatens to ruin her reputation and cause a major scandal for her father. Zane will lose his job if he can’t get her under control. Except he wants to sleep with her as badly as he wants to set her straight. She needs discipline. And he might be just the one to give it to her.

When unexpected circumstances tie Charlotte to D.C. for the foreseeable future, Zane makes her an offer that’s anything but honorable. He’ll give the first daughter all the thrills she’s seeking in exchange for one thing… Her obedience. Fascinated by Zane’s dark promises, Charlotte agrees. Submission has never felt so good. But as Zane brings her deeper into his forbidden desires, enemies surface and danger lurks…


The Valedictorian

Like most girls at Ridgeville High, Clare Winston has spent years fantasizing about sexy star quarterback Eric Hayward. He’s gorgeous, talented, and untouchable. While Clare studies her way to the top of the senior class, Eric and his best friend Travis Whyte have stayed busy throwing game-winning passes and taking the cheer squad to bed.

Shy and mostly solitary after a tragic loss, Clare has never been on the radar of any social scene. Then a steamy chance encounter changes everything. Suddenly one naughty misadventure isn’t enough—for either of them. Eric is determined to open Clare’s eyes to every kind of pleasure, even if it means exploring an unconventional arrangement and ultimately taking a chance on something deeper.

But with change comes new challenges. Temptation lurks at every turn, and Clare has to decide if Eric is the one who deserves not just her body but her heart.
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