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Marilyn Brant is an American New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance, mystery and literary fiction novels.

He holds an M.A. in Educational Psychology from Loyola University Chicago, and did both fiction and art at Northwestern University, on top of studying the works of Austen at Oxford University.

One of the founding board members of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Marilyn has also been a longstanding member of the Romance Writers of America, and the International Thriller Writers. She is also a Life Member of the Jane Austen Society of North America.

A former teacher, library staff member, freelance magazine writer, Marilyn was named the 2013 Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English.

She has been to 46 states and more than 30 countries, and currently lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her beloved family.

More about Marilyn Brant

Genres: Contemporary , Literary Fiction, Mystery, Romance

United States

Website: https://marilynbrant.com

Non Series

  • According to Jane (2009)
  • Friday Mornings at Nine (2010)
  • A Summer In Europe (2011)
  • The Road to You (2013)
  • The Road and Beyond (2014)
  • The Knight Before Christmas (2019)

Abbott Springs

  1. All About Us (2014)

Collections

  1. All I Ever Wanted (2014)
  2. Pride and Prejudice: The Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote (2014)

Mirabelle Harbor

  1. Take a Chance on Me (2015)
  2. The One That I Want (2015)
  3. You Give Love a Bad Name (2016)
  4. Stranger on the Shore (2016)
  5. One Night Love Affair (2017)
  6. Coming Home: A Mirabelle Harbor Duet featuring Rocket Man and Someone Like You (2017)
  7. Going For It: A Mirabelle Harbor Bonus Novella (2018)

Non-fiction

  1. Wanderlust in Suburbia (2015)

Omnibus Books

  1. Second Chances (2017)

Perfect

  1. Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match (2013)
  2. Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet (2014)

Sweet

  1. On Any Given Sundae (2011)
  2. Double Dipping (2011)
  3. Holiday Man (2012)
Abbott Springs
Omnibus Books

Detailed book overview

Non Series

According to Jane

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett's teacher is assigning Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet "tsk" of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who's teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author's ghost takes up residence in Ellie's mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Over the next two decades, Jane's wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the frustrations of adolescence and into adulthood, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go—sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane's counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.

Still, everyone has something to learn about love—perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie's head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending...

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2009
ISBN: 978-0996117890
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
Friday Mornings at Nine

Each Friday morning at the Indigo Moon Café, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara meet to swap stories about marriage, kids, and work. But one day, spurred by recent e-mails from her college ex, Jennifer poses questions they've never faced before. What if they all married the wrong man? What if they're living the wrong life? And what would happen if, just once, they gave in to temptation. . .

Soon each woman is second-guessing the choices she's made--and the ones she can unmake--as she becomes aware of new opportunities around every corner, from attentive colleagues and sexy neighbors to flirtatious past lovers. And as fantasies blur with real life, Jennifer, Bridget and Tamara begin to realize how little they know about each other, their marriages, and themselves, and how much there is to gain--and lose--when you step outside the rules...

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2010
ISBN: 978-0758234629
Publisher: Kensington
A Summer In Europe

On her thirtieth birthday, Gwendolyn Reese receives an unexpected present from her widowed Aunt Bea: a grand tour of Europe in the company of Bea's eccentric Sudoku and Mah-jongg Club. To Gwen, the prospect of spending a month abroad with this unconventional elderly crew isn't entirely appealing. But when the gift she’s been long expecting—an engagement ring from her boyfriend—doesn't materialize, she decides to go.

At first, Gwen approaches the trip as if it's the math homework she assigns her students, diligently checking monuments off her must-see list. But surrounded by the bougainvillea and breathtaking scenery of southern Italy, something changes.

Gwen begins to live in the moment—skipping down stone staircases in Capri, running her fingers over a glacier in view of the Matterhorn, racing through the Louvre, and taste-testing pastries at a Marseilles café.

Reveling in every new experience, especially her attraction to a charismatic British physics professor, Gwen discovers that the ancient wonders around her are nothing compared to the renaissance unfolding within...

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-0758261519
Publisher: Kensington
The Road to You

THE ROAD TO DISCOVERY

Two years ago, Aurora Gray's world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. Now, during the summer of her 18th birthday, she unexpectedly finds her brother's journal and sees that it's been written in again. Recently. By him.

THE ROAD TO DANGER

There are secret messages coded within the journal's pages. Aurora, who's unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is hell bent on following where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels can help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy's older brother and a guy she's always been drawn to -- even against her better judgment.

THE ROAD TO YOU

Reluctantly, Donovan agrees to go with her and, together, they set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, hoping to find their lost brothers and the answers to questions they've never dared to ask aloud.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-0989316040
Publisher: Marilyn Brant
The Road and Beyond

“One Disappearance Had Been Enough To Last Her A Lifetime…”

Aurora Gray is no stranger to tragedy. In the summer of 1976, when she was just sixteen, her world turned upside down when her big brother Gideon and his best friend Jeremy disappeared. For two years, there’s no word from either of them. No trace of their whereabouts. But then, shortly after her high-school graduation, she unexpectedly finds her brother’s journal and sees that it’s been written in again. Recently. By him.

There are secret messages coded within the journal’s pages and Aurora, who is unusually perceptive and a natural puzzle solver, is determined to follow where they lead, no matter what the cost. She confides in the only person she feels might help her interpret the clues: Donovan McCafferty, Jeremy’s older brother and a guy she’s always been drawn to…even against her better judgment.

The two of them set out on a road trip of discovery and danger, heading westward along America’s historic Route 66 in search of their siblings and the answers to questions they haven’t dared to ask aloud. The mystery they uncover will forever change the course of their lives.

…But Now It Was Happening Again

Decades later, in the summer of 2014, fifty-four-year-old Aurora receives a terrifying phone call—her adult son Charlie is missing—and this news inevitably brings the memories of her adolescent years rushing back. Haunting recollections she’d hoped to keep buried.

Were the choices she’d made in her youth responsible for her son’s disappearance now? And how on earth can she find him—quickly—so that she might be able to prevent the trauma of the past from repeating itself?

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-0989316071
Publisher: Marilyn Brant
The Knight Before Christmas

When successful building contractor Austin Knightley returns to his hometown of Crystal Corners, Minnesota after a decade away, he vows to avoid pampered and popular types like his old high-school crush Emma Westwood—the town's biggest queen bee and self-appointed matchmaker—only to get swept into a community Christmas project she's now organizing.

With nods to Jane Austen's classic novel EMMA, this modern heroine may be a little "clueless" in the Midwest, but she's got gifts to share and plenty to learn from the boy next door, who's all grown up and handsomer than ever. Even when a snowstorm threatens to derail her plans, she's determined to figure out how to set things right and save THE KNIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2019
ISBN: 978-0998396491
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing

Abbott Springs

All About Us

"Winterfest is heating up in Abbott Springs..."

As the town’s yearly festival kicks off, cold days turn into steamy nights, new flames will be ignited, and old romances will be rekindled.

All Sami Abbott ever wanted was permission to be herself. At home, she aims to be the perfect daughter but never measures up. At college, she’s the bold girl who had a one-night stand with sexy musician, Alex Hamilton. When he arrives unexpectedly in Abbott Springs, her worlds collide and she must reconcile the girl she tries to be with the person she really is.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2014
Ebook: B00P5DVE84
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing

Collections

All I Ever Wanted

All About Us by Marilyn Brant--All Sami Abbott ever wanted was permission to be herself. At home, she aims to be the perfect daughter but never measures up. At college, she's the bold girl who had a one-night stand with sexy musician, Alex Hamilton. When he arrives unexpectedly in Abbott Springs, her worlds collide and she must reconcile the girl she tries to be with the person she really is.

All I Need by Caisey Quinn--All pink-haired rocker chick Everly Abbott thought she wanted was acceptance in her straight-laced hometown. But her best friend and bandmate Justin Cohen is about to show her that what she thinks she wants isn't necessarily what she needs.

All for Love by Rhonda Helms--All Maya Monterey ever wanted was to belong. Happiest with the Abbott family, Maya's been secretly in love with sexy pastry chef Oliver Abbott for years. With a flirty new look, she'll pull out all the stops to get him to notice her. And if her plan fails, she'll walk away from the only home she's ever known-and Oliver-for good.

All or Nothing by Lexi Ryan--After years of placing the wrong bets, all Aubree Baxter wanted was someone to take a chance on her. Golden boy Kennedy Hale plays it safe in life and love, but to keep Bree in Abbott Springs, he'll have to go all in.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-1494946067
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pride and Prejudice: The Scenes Jane Austen Never Wrote

What did Mr. Darcy think when he first saw Elizabeth Bennet? How did Miss Bingley talk her brother out of proposing to Jane Bennet? And how did Lady Catherine de Bourgh find out Mr. Darcy was on the verge of proposing to Elizabeth? 25 authors of Austen-inspired fiction decided to answer these questions and more. Here are the scenes Jane Austen never wrote: ones that happened off stage, such as Mr. Collins proposing to Charlotte Lucas, and actual Pride and Prejudice scenes from the point of view of different characters.

Contributing authors include Abigail Reynolds (Mr. Darcy's Noble Connections), Sharon Lathan (Miss Darcy Falls in Love), Regina Jeffers (The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy), Mary Simonsen (Becoming Elizabeth Darcy), Susan Mason-Milks (Please, Mr. Darcy), Jack Caldwell (The Three Colonels), C. Allyn Pierson (Mr. Darcy's Little Sister), Shannon Winslow (The Darcys of Pemberley), Colette Saucier (Pulse and Prejudice), Jane Odiwe (Project Darcy), Monica Fairview (Steampunk Darcy), Maria Grace (Twelfth Night at Longbourn), Diana Birchall (Mrs. Darcy's Dilemma), Marilyn Brant (Pride, Prejudice, and the Perfect Match), Karen Doornebos (Undressing Mr. Darcy), Nina Benneton (Compulsively Mr. Darcy), Susan Adriani (The Truth About Mr. Darcy), J. Marie Croft (Mr. Darcy Takes a Plunge), Vera Nazarian (Mansfield Park and Mummies), Cailin Rubino-Bradway (Lady Vernon and her Daughter), Kara Louise (Pirates and Prejudice), and Heather Lynn Rigaud (Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star).

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-0615946689
Publisher: White Soup Press

Mirabelle Harbor

Take a Chance on Me

Welcome to Mirabelle Harbor! In this scenic suburb on Chicago’s North Shore, overlooking the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan, the Michaelsen family has made their home for generations. Although their parents and grandparents are now gone, siblings Derek, Blake, Sharlene, and the twins—Chandler and Chance—all have fond memories of growing up in town, and most still live there.

Chance Michaelsen, the youngest member of the family (by two minutes) and the quietest (by far), is a dedicated twenty-eight-year-old personal trainer at the local gym. While he might not say much, Chance has made it clear that he’s not a fan of toxic people, unhealthy habits, or sharing too many of his emotions. With anybody.

Enter Antonia “Nia” Pappayiannis—the prettiest member of the loudest and most overly demonstrative family in town. They’re also the owners of The Gala, a Greek restaurant and bakery known for its decadent pastries and located just a few steps from Chance’s gym. He considers their entire family business to be the enemy of good health, but he can’t quite shake his attraction to Nia, who doesn’t seem nearly as impressed with him or his sculpted physique as most of the women around Mirabelle Harbor.

Unfortunately, between her doctor’s orders and the interfering ways of Chance’s crazy-making ex-girlfriend, who just happens to be one of Nia’s long-time friends, Chance gets assigned to be Nia’s fitness coach for the month. Pure torture. And if his ex weren’t already causing enough problems, he also has to deal with Nia’s current boyfriend—some hotshot Chicago CEO who talks big but, in Chance’s opinion, is as fake as a Styrofoam barbell.

The road to romance is going to be a rocky one, and though Nia has her doubts about moving forward, Chance has a well-developed competitive streak and might just be willing to give it a shot...if he can convince her to do the same.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0996117838
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
The One That I Want

The summer after her beloved husband died in a car accident, Julia Meriwether Crane is still picking up the pieces of her life in Mirabelle Harbor and trying to help her ten-year-old daughter adjust to this difficult new reality.

After her best friend Sharlene—one of the well-connected Michaelsen siblings—talks her into finally going out on the town again, Julia finds herself stunned to be the object of interest of several different men: The boy who’d broken her heart back in high school.

The college ex she’d left behind. And most surprising of all, the movie actor she’d always fantasized about but had never met in person...until now.

Can one woman have more than one “great love” in the same lifetime? And, if so, how can she be sure which man that’ll be?

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0996117814
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
You Give Love a Bad Name

On the verge of turning thirty-five, local DJ Blake Michaelsen is well-known for several reasons: his very sexy on-air voice, his omnipresent family, his eligible bachelor status, and his reputation as one of the most impulsive men in Chicago’s northern suburbs.

High-school French teacher and lifelong romantic Vicky Bernier is not at all wild about people who exhibit reckless conduct. (Blake.) Or men who have gigantic egos. (Blake.) Or grownups who still act like teenagers. (Blake, again.) She deals with enough adolescent behavior during the school day. Unfortunately, she’s the staff advisor to the Homecoming Committee, and they’ve chosen him as their DJ for the big fall dance.

What happens when a man whose job it is to play love songs for a living is forced to admit his deepest secret—that he doesn’t believe in true love—only to discover that the one woman who might capture his heart is the same woman who distrusts him the most?

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-0996117852
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
Stranger on the Shore

On the verge of turning forty and having just lost her job, Marianna Gregory flees Mirabelle Harbor for the summer with little more than a suitcase, her beat-up car, and the blessings of her good friend Olivia Michaelsen. Her ex-husband is living a new life in California. Her college-aged daughter is spending her vacation with her boyfriend in Michigan. And the house Marianna once called her own finally sold, so she has nowhere to live in Illinois now anyway.

However, her wealthy sister Ellen owns an empty bungalow on the beach in Sarasota, Florida, so Marianna turns to the sea for a chance to go shelling, regroup, and figure out what to do with this new chapter in her life.

She doesn’t bargain on having to face down several family crises while she’s away, nor does she count on meeting a handsome beachcomber who bears a striking resemblance to Elvis.

Just as surprising is the craft project she gets roped into volunteering for and the new group of friends who might just change the way she views the world and her future.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2016
ISBN: 978-0996117876
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
One Night Love Affair

After her first marriage ended in a divorce that left her heart in tiny shreds, Sharlene Michaelsen Boyd vowed to keep her distance from men, at least emotionally. An occasional one-night stand wasn’t out of the question, though, and with her closest friends hooking up with new loves, she finds herself in the mood for a little male company... Being the only sister with four brothers, not to mention the glue holding the Michaelsen family together after the death of their parents, Shar is used to being strong and in control. She’s a junior high English teacher who's persuasive, personable, and who knows just about everyone in the center of Mirabelle Harbor society, including her brother Blake’s super-sexy buddy, Declan Night.

As a former pro hockey player turned sportswriter and businessman, Dec has had his share of relationships, mostly meaningless, short-term flings. He always thought Blake’s little sister was a hottie, but he knew she was off limits—until one Friday night when the stars aligned and the opportunity to hook up presented itself. Shar’s intentions couldn’t have been clearer: This was for One Night Only. But, for the first time in his life, Dec wonders if, maybe, there isn’t something to be said for sticking with just one woman. Especially if that woman knows how to fulfill his every sensual fantasy.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-0998396408
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
Coming Home: A Mirabelle Harbor Duet featuring Rocket Man and Someone Like You

ROCKET MAN

Abby had a crush on “Rocket Rick” Zimmerman way back in high school, but he was her brother’s best friend and graduated a couple of years ahead of her, leaving town for an international life of top-secret, science-nerd intrigue. She didn’t understand a fraction of what he did professionally, and he wasn’t allowed to tell her anyway. Abby, meanwhile, meandered around the country with her then-boyfriend, Chandler, eventually winding up alone and working at a couple of part-time jobs in Florida. She’d resigned herself to being single forever and living on the sunny Gulf Coast, a thousand miles away from her Midwestern origins.

But when her parents need her help back in Mirabelle Harbor, she flies home for a week and runs into Rick again, who’s back in the Chicago area for a big physics convention. Just how fast can things heat up between them without somebody getting burned?

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

As for Chandler, he had no intention whatsoever of coming back to Mirabelle Harbor. When he and Abby broke up, he headed north on his motorcycle from Sarasota to Atlanta, and a life on the road was how he wanted to roll. But then his twin brother, Chance, goes and gets himself engaged, and the groom insists that Chandler needs to be the best man. Fine. He’ll drive back for a few days, for the sake of his twin, but no one had better expect him to stay in town. Of course, that’s before he knows his dream woman—beautiful bookstore owner, Jaleina Longoria—is going to be at the wedding.

Jaleina is not only eight and a half years his senior, she’s also the ex-fiancée of his eldest brother, who’d broken up with her to marry someone else years earlier. That never stopped Chandler from considering Jaleina to be his Ultimate Fantasy. Getting her to stop thinking of him as the restless teen boy he’d once been, however, is going to prove quite a challenge. Especially since the restlessness is still there, even though he’s now a very passionate—and very determined—full-grown man.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-0998396439
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
Going For It: A Mirabelle Harbor Bonus Novella

Journalist Trevor Cayne is working on the biggest feature story of his career, and he’s on a road trip from his home in the lakeside Chicago suburb of Mirabelle Harbor to Colorado Springs to get the final details.

But a quick stop to see his grandmother in Sapphire Falls threatens to derail his carefully constructed plans. Between Gram and her friends, the weather whims of Mother Nature, and the most stunning redhead he’s ever laid eyes on in his life, he may not make it further than the western edge of Nebraska.

Aspiring singer-songwriter Tina Marie Moran has vowed to leave Sapphire Falls for Nashville after this week’s big fireworks—she’s not even waiting for the Annual Town Festival to come to an end. She’s put her music dreams on hold for long enough and has no intention of postponing her plans yet again, least of all for another potentially untrustworthy man.

But between her loving but meddlesome relatives and friends, a broken heart that’s in desperate need of mending, and a handsome stranger who can play her body like a virtuoso lead guitarist, she may find herself engulfed in a new passion that’s as strong as her love of music.

When it comes to their creative lives, both Trevor and Tina Marie know all about GOING FOR IT—but are they willing to put that same drive into what just might be the love of a lifetime?

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2018
ISBN: 978-1721895748
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Non-fiction

Wanderlust in Suburbia

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Marilyn Brant offers something unique and personal to the fans of her fiction and new readers alike — a collection of 21 essays and 5 poems on the subject of motherhood, filled with the warmth, humor, and astute observations that are a trademark of her novels.

Wanderlust in Suburbia and Other Reflections on Motherhood is a “tribute to our mothers and our grandmothers. To our women friends. And to all of us as well.”

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2015
ISBN: 978-0989316095
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing

Omnibus Books

Second Chances

“Do you believe in second chances?”

Romance Writers of America® brings together seventeen of today's hottest authors in an anthology of never-before-published tales that reveal true love always deserves a happy ending.

Follow New York Times best-selling authors J. Kenner and Christina Lauren back to reader-favorite worlds.

New York Times bestseller Alyssa Day sprinkles djinn magic in her humorous paranormal romance, while Rachel Hauck brings the enchantment of the holidays in her New Year’s Eve contemporary love story.

And Liliana Hart delivers thrills and adventure in her hero and heroine's search for the impossible.

With characters who find love through tough situations, in elegant 1800s ballrooms, with an old friend who shows up when least expected, at a tender age when cliques and homework get in the way of relationships, or after a random encounter in an unlikely setting, Second Chances delivers romance to strike every reader’s fancy.

Plus tales from: Marilyn Brant, Kerri Carpenter, CiCi Coughlin, Cassandra Dean, Tina Ferraro, Renee Luke, Ariella Moon, Brandi Willis Schreiber, Lizzie Shane, Sharon Sobel, Damon Suede, and Tara Wyatt.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2017
ISBN: 978-0986228223
Publisher: Romance Writers of America

Perfect

Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match

"Would an Elizabeth Bennet by any other name be as appealing to a Darcy?"

A single mother and an ER doctor meet on an Internet dating site--each for reasons that have little to do with finding their perfect match--in this modern, Austen-inspired story. It's a tribute to the power of both "pride" & "prejudice" in bringing two people romantically together, despite their mutual insistence that they should stay apart.

Beth Ann Bennet isn't looking for love. She's an aspiring social worker using an online alias to study sex-role stereotypes. Dr. William Darcy isn't looking for love either. He's just trying to fund his new clinic by winning a major bet. Both think Lady Catherine's Love Match Website will help them get what they want--fast, easy and without endangering their hearts. Both are in for a big surprise.

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2013
ISBN: 978-1482574463
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet

"The course of true love doesn't always run smooth -- not even for millionaire bachelors..."

Everyone thought Beth Ann Bennet and Dr. Will Darcy had an unexpected romance in Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match (Perfect #1). Now, Beth's best friend, Jane Henderson, and Will's first cousin, Bingley McNamara, begin their own unlikely love story in Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Bet (Perfect #2), which starts at the Darcy/Bennet wedding when they find themselves in the roles of maid of honor and best man for the newlyweds.

Jane is an interning school psychologist and a woman who wears an angelic mask in public, but she's not as sweet tempered as she'd like everyone to believe. Turns out, she may have just crossed paths with the one person who'll unnerve her enough to get her to reveal her true self.

As for Bingley, he's a wealthy, flirtatious and compulsively social guru of finance, who likes to wager on stocks and, let's face it, on just about anything that strikes his fancy. But this dedicated ladies' man may have finally met the woman who'll challenge his bachelor ways!

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2014
ISBN: 978-1500473907
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Sweet

On Any Given Sundae

When Elizabeth's uncle Siegfried and Rob's uncle Pauly rush off to Europe for a month, they temporarily relinquish the reins of their ice cream shop to their respective niece and nephew -- two people who may have grown up practically next door to each other but who have next to nothing in common.

Elizabeth "Please Don't Call Me Lizzy" Daniels is a small-town Wisconsin girl at heart. Shy and inexperienced at love, the frizzy-haired dessert cookbook writer still resides in her quaint hometown of Wilmington Bay, stutters painfully when nervous and is only comfortable with her laptop and her tiny circle of cooking pals. She must come out of hiding over the summer to help her uncle, but she's convinced her childhood crush, Rob, barely knows she exists.

Roberto "You'd Better Call Me Rob, or Else" Gabinarri is the town's golden boy and former football star who left home after high school, made a splash in the big city and never looked back. He has to return to Wilmington Bay to uphold a promise to his uncle, but he's counting the minutes until he can escape to the relative anonymity of his fast-paced, commitment-free city life and the sports-themed restaurant he owns in Chicago. Despite his chattiness and charm, Rob was always intimidated by quiet, brainy girls like "Frizzy Lizzy," and he isn't pleased to be back in the place where people like her still see him as that popular but dumb jock--an image he worked for almost a decade to shed.

The unlikely pair tries to make the best of being stuck together, but Elizabeth has a pressing publication deadline, and Rob has an Italian mother bent on lining up potential hometown brides for him. Rob comes up with an idea--something that might help them both -- but it involves just a bit of family deception. With time running out to finish her cookbook and her friends already stretched to the max trying to assist them, Elizabeth reluctantly agrees.

Could their farce turn into reality?

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2011
ISBN: 978-1484973127
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Double Dipping

Who needs a man when you have a pint of fresh Wisconsin ice cream and full access to Cary Grant on The Movie Channel?

That’s what second-grade teacher and MGM-devotee Caitlin Walsh believes. After being left at the altar by her ambitious rat of an ex-fiancé, Cait has rededicated her life to her students and to the citizens of small-town Ridgewood Grove.

But when the school’s new financial director, Garrett Ellis, cancels the much-beloved Harvest Hoopla festival, Cait rallies the staff to fight the decision, which puts her in direct conflict with the most formidable man she’s ever encountered.

As a reluctant heir to the Ellis Fruit and Nut Gift Basket Empire and the second son of one of the country’s most affluent families, Garrett has a penchant for mixing sweet edibles with acts of love. He also has an undercover agenda: to find the person responsible for stealing the district money and to right the situation, while keeping his family background to himself. But in the process, he faces the one woman who challenges his longtime resistance to commitment.

Both Cait and Garrett end up secretly snooping into each other's past: Garrett looking for the thief, Cait uncovering Garrett’s private family history and his prior girlfriends -- one of whom turns out to be someone very unexpected...

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2011
Ebook: B005J4ZIQ8
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing
Holiday Man

One winter evening, wealthy Minneapolis businessman, Bram Hartwick, blows into town along with the fast-falling snow. The sparks Bram and Shannon create succeed in heating up the chilly Midwestern night, not to mention plenty of holiday weekends in the year that follows...

But is their relationship only for special occasions, or might it be the elusive everyday love that neither of them thought could be found?

Author: Marilyn Brant
First Release: 2012
Ebook: B00A5ZVKO0
Publisher: Twelfth Night Publishing