Love Without Rules (Contemporary Romance) (11 page)

A Dream for Two

Elise Roberts dreams of being a pop star but has been stuck in her hometown since she graduated from high school. Her life seems achingly dull and mapped out when she’s suddenly laid off from the offices where she works as a secretary. With her faithful guitar Elise moves to New York where she takes up waitressing but sings at open mic nights. One night she meets the charismatic Dylan, who is the lead singer for his up-and-coming band. Dylan oozes charm but also arrogance and Elise initially dislikes him. As they vie for attention each night on the same open mic circuit, they come into conflict with one another, but beneath this conflict they harbor more intense feelings for one another. Just as Elise and Dylan have fallen head-over-heels in love, their dreams come true and each of them strikes a deal with a famous record label. Now they are being torn apart by their careers and begin to question whether their success is worth anything if they are not together. Can Dylan and Elise’s new love survive the strain of their burgeoning careers and is either of them willing to sacrifice their dream for the sake of their relationship?

Love For Dessert

When Anastasia Emmott learns of her best friend’s engagement, she hopes that her own boyfriend of three years will propose. But instead of giving her a ring, he breaks her heart by leaving her for another woman two weeks before their anniversary. If that wasn’t bad enough, Anastasia receives news that she may be demoted to a terrible position in her accounting firm. She decides that finally, she needs change in her life. She quits her job and, much to the chagrin of her mother, starts up her very own bakery. After several disastrous dates, Anastasia begins to realize that the dating game is much harder than it used to be. But when Anastasia’s best friend, Ariana, pushes her to enter a baking contest, she meets Darren King, a handsome baker who has just started at the competing bakery across the street. Anastasia is swept away by his dashing good looks, charming personality and masterful baking skills. What Anastasia doesn’t know is that Darren is an undercover agent, planted in the bakery to gather evidence against a drug kingpin that has been operating out of his bakery. When Anastasia becomes involved by accident and her name is put on the hit list of the city’s biggest drug gang, there is no one but Darren to save her.