Main Street Merchants Series by Linda Seed

Kate Bennet owns a small bookstore in Cambria, California—the kind of shop that smells like mildew, furniture wax, and old pages, the kind where you’ll find a cat napping atop the used biographies. Two years out from a divorce that left her emotionally fragile, Kate is starting to think that maybe she’s ready for love again—or at least for a fling with a hot man... moreKate Bennet owns a small bookstore in Cambria, California—the kind of shop that smells like mildew, furniture wax, and old pages, the kind where you’ll find a cat napping atop the used biographies. Two years out from a divorce that left her emotionally fragile, Kate is starting to think that maybe she’s ready for love again—or at least for a fling with a hot man. Jackson Graham is a local chef who’s controlling when it comes to food, careless when it comes to women, and temperamental when it comes to just about everything. When Kate’s friends mobilize to set things up between Kate and Jackson, she expects some casual pleasure followed by a hasty goodbye, but Jackson’s long-term crush on Kate means that he’s in this one to win. The problem is, neither he nor Kate knows whether he can change the self-defeating habits that usually send women scurrying for the door as soon as the afterglow fades. Throw in a beautiful backdrop of rocky beaches and rugged coastline, a manipulative father, a Mary Kay–pushing stepmother, a yapping Pomeranian, and a nervous ring-tailed lemur, and you’ve got Moonstone Beach, the first contemporary romance in a series of four about Kate and her friends, Gen, Lacy, and Rose. less

Genevieve Porter was forced to flee the art world of Manhattan after she blew the whistle on the shady practices of a powerful dealer. Now she owns a small gallery in the breathtaking beach town of Cambria, California. For Gen, this is a place to regroup; she’s poised to restore her reputation in the art world and return to New York in triumph. When she meets Ryan Delaney, a cattle rancher who’s more than he appears to be, she’s ready for a sexy roll in the hay—literally... moreGenevieve Porter was forced to flee the art world of Manhattan after she blew the whistle on the shady practices of a powerful dealer. Now she owns a small gallery in the breathtaking beach town of Cambria, California. For Gen, this is a place to regroup; she’s poised to restore her reputation in the art world and return to New York in triumph. When she meets Ryan Delaney, a cattle rancher who’s more than he appears to be, she’s ready for a sexy roll in the hay—literally. But when her feelings for him become more than casual, she realizes that his roots on the Central Coast go back generations, and it’s going to be a challenge to lure him away from his family’s land. If these two are going to make a life together, one of them is going to have to give up old ideas, old goals—old feelings about what success means, and what makes a place a true home. Set amid the crashing waves and rugged cliffs just south of Big Sur, Like That Endless Cambria Sky is Book 2 in Linda Seed’s Main Street Merchants series. less

Rose Watkins has never been afraid of anything. She wasn’t afraid to leave home and cross the country on her own at eighteen, she’s not afraid to stand up for herself against judgmental bullies, and she’s not afraid to chase her dreams, no matter how elusive they may seem. After a phony date with doctoral candidate Will Bachman—concocted to help him save his ego in front of an ex-girlfriend—Rose realizes that the possibility of true love is perhaps the scariest thing of all... moreRose Watkins has never been afraid of anything. She wasn’t afraid to leave home and cross the country on her own at eighteen, she’s not afraid to stand up for herself against judgmental bullies, and she’s not afraid to chase her dreams, no matter how elusive they may seem. After a phony date with doctoral candidate Will Bachman—concocted to help him save his ego in front of an ex-girlfriend—Rose realizes that the possibility of true love is perhaps the scariest thing of all. Set amid the rocky bluffs and crashing surf of Cambria, California, Nearly Wild is the third book in Linda Seed’s Main Street Merchants series. less

She’s engaged to a man with a promising future. But even as she makes plans to say “I do,” another man is hoping that she won’t…. It wasn't easy for Lacy Jordan to watch her best friends get paired off one by one, while she was still single and toiling away at a low-paying job. Maybe that's how she ended up engaged to her mother's chiropractor—a man who looks good on paper, but whose stiff manner and controlling ways leave Lacy cold... moreShe’s engaged to a man with a promising future. But even as she makes plans to say “I do,” another man is hoping that she won’t…. It wasn't easy for Lacy Jordan to watch her best friends get paired off one by one, while she was still single and toiling away at a low-paying job. Maybe that's how she ended up engaged to her mother's chiropractor—a man who looks good on paper, but whose stiff manner and controlling ways leave Lacy cold. When steamy-hot glass artist Daniel Reed rescues Lacy from a dicey situation, she finds herself feeling things for him that she's never felt for another man. But Daniel's reluctance to accept her love—and everything that comes with it—means he's the one who needs an adjustment, before both of their hearts are shattered. FIRE AND GLASS is the fourth book in Linda Seed’s Main Street Merchants series. Read the books readers have called "absolutely fantastic," "wonderful," and "funny and emotional." less