Evergreen Grove Series Series by Elisabeth Staab

He’s living a lie. Dante Ramos: Champion. Ladies’ man. Party animal. Women want him, and men either want to be him or put his lights out for sleeping with their girlfriends. It’s all an act. Inside, he’s so full of self-loathing he’s on a fast-track to self-destruction. She’s living in the shadows. Meeting Michelle at a support group for assault survivors shows Dante a new world of possibilities... moreHe’s living a lie. Dante Ramos: Champion. Ladies’ man. Party animal. Women want him, and men either want to be him or put his lights out for sleeping with their girlfriends. It’s all an act. Inside, he’s so full of self-loathing he’s on a fast-track to self-destruction. She’s living in the shadows. Meeting Michelle at a support group for assault survivors shows Dante a new world of possibilities. Finally, someone in his life might understand him, and she creates in him a fierce need to protect. Trouble is, Dante lives his life in the spotlight, and the only thing Michelle wants is a place to hide. less

He thinks I want him because of the rumors around town. Because I think he’s easy. I want AJ, because he’s AJ. No liars. No suits. Absolutely no straight guys… AJ Fabin’s list of rules keeps him safe. Since getting kicked out of his parents’ home and attacked by a former escorting client, his rules and his life in the tiny town of Evergreen Grove provide a quiet haven. He may be lonely, and he may stick out like a sore thumb, but the folks like him well enough... moreHe thinks I want him because of the rumors around town. Because I think he’s easy. I want AJ, because he’s AJ. No liars. No suits. Absolutely no straight guys… AJ Fabin’s list of rules keeps him safe. Since getting kicked out of his parents’ home and attacked by a former escorting client, his rules and his life in the tiny town of Evergreen Grove provide a quiet haven. He may be lonely, and he may stick out like a sore thumb, but the folks like him well enough. When he’s not dodging his old pimp, things are peaceful. Hayden Price is having a quarter-life crisis. Engaged to a woman he can’t connect to and working a job he secretly hates, he comes to Evergreen Grove to help his mother through a health scare. Returning to his childhood home makes Hayden reevaluate a lot of things, including himself. When he meets AJ and finds he can’t stand the mouthy jerk—almost as much as he can’t stop thinking about him—he has a lot more to change than his career. To be together, they’ll both have to break all of their rules. less

ETHAN’S HIT A ROUGH SPOT So I caught my dad in bed with my ex-girlfriend. My best friend cancelled our plans to celebrate my birthday. Decided to drink away the betrayal. Made out with a cardboard cutout of a celebrity in front of my new roommates. Got in a bar fight. Hooked up with that pretty bartender whose sad smile I’ve secretly been painting pictures of since forever, but she shoved me out the door with hardly a word... moreETHAN’S HIT A ROUGH SPOT So I caught my dad in bed with my ex-girlfriend. My best friend cancelled our plans to celebrate my birthday. Decided to drink away the betrayal. Made out with a cardboard cutout of a celebrity in front of my new roommates. Got in a bar fight. Hooked up with that pretty bartender whose sad smile I’ve secretly been painting pictures of since forever, but she shoved me out the door with hardly a word. Did I mention the tattoo I don’t exactly remember getting? And that’s only Saturday. Now I need to pick up the pieces of my messed-up life. LEEANNE’S HAD A TOUGH LIFE What do you do when you’ve lived in the same small town your whole life and you feel as if you’ll always be stuck in the same rut, like a piece of busted wagon wheel? Well, maybe you start by hooking up with the first decent guy who walks into your bar. Maybe once you do, it’s hard to get him out of your head even though you try. And maybe, just maybe, you find out he makes you laugh even more than he makes you want to shout his name. If you’re me, you don’t even know what to do with a guy like him. A little piece of happiness…that feels downright dangerous. less

Dante Ramos will win at love if it's the last thing he does... Since I retired from boxing, I’m fighting to keep my life off the damn ropes. Lately, one thing after another’s falling apart. First there’s the road-trip on Valentine’s weekend that coulda gotten me and my girl both killed. Then came the unspoken secrets that keep putting so much distance between us. My love for Michelle is everything that keeps me human. I can feel her slipping away. I’ve got one last shot... moreDante Ramos will win at love if it's the last thing he does... Since I retired from boxing, I’m fighting to keep my life off the damn ropes. Lately, one thing after another’s falling apart. First there’s the road-trip on Valentine’s weekend that coulda gotten me and my girl both killed. Then came the unspoken secrets that keep putting so much distance between us. My love for Michelle is everything that keeps me human. I can feel her slipping away. I’ve got one last shot. A desperate proposal. And it’s all about to go wrong. less