Cider Cove Sweet Southern RomComs Series by Elana Johnson

Sometimes the thumbs slip… She’s finally joined the dating app everyone in Cider Cove is raving about…when she accidentally sends a message about wanting to meet up for a first date to her enemy.I’ve been engaged twice now without becoming a bride, and let’s just say those failures have made me more career-focused than ever.But I just hit the big 3-0 last year, and I’m feeling…lonely, despite the five best friends I share an enormous house with... moreSometimes the thumbs slip… She’s finally joined the dating app everyone in Cider Cove is raving about…when she accidentally sends a message about wanting to meet up for a first date to her enemy.I’ve been engaged twice now without becoming a bride, and let’s just say those failures have made me more career-focused than ever.But I just hit the big 3-0 last year, and I’m feeling…lonely, despite the five best friends I share an enormous house with. I’ve drawn the short stick this time, and I’m dealing with the general contractor about fixing our perpetually leaking roof.Joy.Not.Liam Graff is a complete beast—and our next-door neighbor—which only makes the way we sometimes gather at the upper floor windows to watch him mow his lawn shirtless a little embarrassing.For him. Not us.In order to cheer myself up, I join the dating app everyone in town can’t stop talking about, and I’ve been chatting back and forth with Mr. Hottie from one town over.Great. No, really, it’s great. I’m great. He’s great.Except I’ve also been texting with Liam about this blasted roof, and my invite for dinner in a slinky black dress goes to him instead of Mr. Hottie…Before I can correct and explain myself, he responds with, What time should I pick you up?That very terrible text may haunt me for the rest of my life…or change it completely. less

Sometimes a wager only makes things more fun...She’s got seniority over the obnoxious grump next door, and she's determined to beat him out for the top job in their charming hometown. But a bold bet spins their rivalry into a flirty attraction that could change everything.Claudia:I was born to be the Cider Cove City Planner. But Beckett Fletcher—the hothead who works next door to me—wants the job too. We can hardly stand each other on a good day, much less compete for the same promotion... moreSometimes a wager only makes things more fun...She’s got seniority over the obnoxious grump next door, and she's determined to beat him out for the top job in their charming hometown. But a bold bet spins their rivalry into a flirty attraction that could change everything.Claudia:I was born to be the Cider Cove City Planner. But Beckett Fletcher—the hothead who works next door to me—wants the job too. We can hardly stand each other on a good day, much less compete for the same promotion.So I make him a bet: Whoever proves they best know the citizens' needs and submits the top proposal for the Christmas Festival gets to apply first.I've got seniority and a solid plan. What can go wrong?Well, this bet also means talking to Beckett daily. I can't believe I've done myself dirty like this.Not only that, but the more we're together, the more I see he's not just a competitive grump. Suddenly I'm noticing things like his cute dogs, and how he cares for his sick aunt.Do we have more in common than I thought? And why does my pulse do cartwheels when he walks in the room?But I refuse to be distracted by my insane attraction to the man trying to steal my dream job. I set out to win the bet—and the job—but keep losing focus thanks to Beckett's handsome face and extraordinary kisses.Can our rivalry and this very bad bet spark something very right?Sometimes the worst wagers have the sweetest outcomes. less

Sometimes the holidays are messy... Christmas is the season of joy, mistletoe, and, unfortunately for Ryanne, the pressure of bringing home a date. When she vents to Elliott, her best friend and co-manager at the small-town office supply store, he impulsively grabs her phone and texts her mother that they're dating.Date. Ing.I'm utterly speechless... moreSometimes the holidays are messy... Christmas is the season of joy, mistletoe, and, unfortunately for Ryanne, the pressure of bringing home a date. When she vents to Elliott, her best friend and co-manager at the small-town office supply store, he impulsively grabs her phone and texts her mother that they're dating.Date. Ing.I'm utterly speechless.Elliott Hutson, the man who knows all my secrets, the one who's never been serious with anyone, and the picture of Male Perfection that makes my pulse leap and frog, has now dived headfirst into my family drama. And as much as I pretend to be annoyed, I can't deny the flutter in my heart.I've never had a fake boyfriend before—getting a real one is hard enough—but Elliott makes everything look so easy. And I'm absolutely positive the twinkling lights and Justin Bieber Christmas tunes are influencing the way he keeps dropping his gaze to my mouth.Or maybe I'm not absolutely positive. Maybe The Biebs really does make true love happen.As we navigate the slippery slope of fake dating, the lines between pretend and reality blur. Our stolen glances over family meals become lingering looks. Our playful banter near sprigs of mistletoe turns into something charged with real emotion.Suddenly, the festive chaos around us isn't the only thing that's messy.Our feelings are too.And as the countdown to Christmas ticks on, I start to wonder if this holiday ruse might lead to the most unexpected gift of all — true love.Will this façade end with the holiday season, or can we unwrap a future together we never saw coming? Maybe at Christmastime, the most unexpected love story can unfold. less

Sometimes a person speaks before thinking... She's just bought the flower shop and he's taken over the hardware store for his dad. Sounds peachy, right? Sure, until they both want an assistance grant from the city...and now Emma and Aaron are rivals and neighbors.I’ve always believed that flowers can brighten any occasion and make anyone's day, but nothing seems to cheer up my handsome-but-grumpy neighbor, Aaron Stansfield... moreSometimes a person speaks before thinking... She's just bought the flower shop and he's taken over the hardware store for his dad. Sounds peachy, right? Sure, until they both want an assistance grant from the city...and now Emma and Aaron are rivals and neighbors.I’ve always believed that flowers can brighten any occasion and make anyone's day, but nothing seems to cheer up my handsome-but-grumpy neighbor, Aaron Stansfield.Owning a flower shop next to his hardware store means our paths cross all the time, and it’s usually just a conversation about how hard it is to run a small business in a small Southern town.Which it is. I'm barely keeping my head above water and he has a family legacy to uphold. But it would be nice to talk about something besides work, especially after our flirt-fest at Halloween last year.People do that, right?Apparently not us, because the city of Cider Cove is holding a community project where participating small businesses have the opportunity to win a significant grant.And I need that money.Aaron wants it too, and when I see him at the information meeting, I can't control myself. I sit next to him and tell him I'm going to take the prize. After all, park rebuild + flowers = winning combo.So when he issues a dare—that we submit one application and work together to ensure the win—my stupid crush kicks in and takes him up on it.So now we're working together on the community project, and I start seeing a different side of Aaron—the side that’s kind, thoughtful, hardworking and frustratingly...sweet.He may be grumpy, but he’s also the one who’s always there when I need him.As our rivalry turns into something more, I can't help Could this very disastrous dare be the start of something wildly wonderful? less

Sometimes the friend zone is breached...He's her office crush, and she's the colleague he can't stop thinking about. But with HR's no-fraternization policy breathing down their necks, Lizzie and Matt have to get creative if they want to explore what’s brewing between them…Lizzie:I’ve been stuck in a corporate rut for years, but it’s not all bad—there’s Matt. Smart, funny, drop-dead gorgeous Matt, whose eyes make me forget how much I hate filling out toxic material regulation paperwork... moreSometimes the friend zone is breached...He's her office crush, and she's the colleague he can't stop thinking about. But with HR's no-fraternization policy breathing down their necks, Lizzie and Matt have to get creative if they want to explore what’s brewing between them…Lizzie:I’ve been stuck in a corporate rut for years, but it’s not all bad—there’s Matt. Smart, funny, drop-dead gorgeous Matt, whose eyes make me forget how much I hate filling out toxic material regulation paperwork.It’s not like anything can happen between us. ChemTech’s relationship rules are stricter than a chemistry final, and honestly, I don’t think I could survive the embarrassment of submitting a detailed dating log to HR.But then Matt invites me to dinner and a concert—as friends.Fake friends, to be exact.He claims it’s the perfect loophole, and I know I should say no. Except...he’s Matt. And who am I kidding? I want to go out with him more than I want a handful of my favorite chocolate-covered almonds.Caught between the thrill of potential romance and the fear of corporate consequences, I find myself at a crossroads. Matt’s offer is tempting, leaving me questioning everything I know about risk and reward.Navigating dinners and concerts and movies as "fake friends" seems harmless enough, but with every glance and shared laugh, every conversation and tender moment, the heat between us turns into a bonfire and the façade of friendship crumbles.And now I have to decide: Is our connection worth risking my career? less