Böcker av Vanessa Gray Bartal

Somehow Lacy Steele has bought a building. And not just any building, but the historic Stakely Building, the pinnacle of her small downtown. In an effort to save the aging structure, she must now confront not only the displeasure of the mayor and the developers who wanted to tear it down, but her own uncertainty over how to deal with such a vast project. And then there's Tosh's brother to contend with, a charming newcomer whose arrival throws a wrench into everything. With his encouragement, Lacy inserts herself into a cold case investigation, much to Officer Jason Cantor's displeasure. When Lacy begins to stumble too close to a long-buried truth, more than one person will be willing to do anything to keep it hidden.

Josie Davis was only eighteen when her safe world was turned upside down by a random threat. Ten years later she's decided to set aside the fear, once and for all. With the help of Tristan, her new security guard and private investigator, she will finally learn if the terror that has plagued her for ten years had merit or was all in her head.Tristan only wanted a new beginning. He didn't want to feel, only to survive. But when a quirky kindergarten teacher entered his world with a crazy story (and an even crazier assortment of cardigans), he couldn't stay unattached. Delving into Josie's zany life and warmhearted good cheer made him want to live again, but his own survival wouldn't matter if he couldn't keep his client alive.Can Tristan unravel the mystery surrounding Josie before a killer finally makes his move? And how many themed cardigans can one woman own?

Jones was the only one of his former SEAL teammates who didn't become a spy after leaving the military. Instead he headed to a lush tropical island to become the head of security at an exclusive resort. Did he regret leaving the high-action world of military intelligence for a soft life working security at a plush hotel? No, because he had a concrete goal in mind: make the money, retire early, start a family, and be present. It seemed so easy, except the part where he had to find a woman and fall in love. Somehow reality never aligned with his dreams, because the women he wanted didn't want him, pushing him immediately into the Friendzone instead; he was just so NICE. Enter Carol.Jones had never met someone he disliked so much, especially on first sight. Carol was the worst guest he'd ever encountered at the resort, possibly the worst human on planet Earth. She was the epitome of privileged, spoiled, and hyper-critical. And she was something more: a spy, sent to his island to break up an undercover smuggling operation. Except...what if she wasn't?Was it possible that Jones had somehow committed the worst case of mistaken identity in history? Was it possible he had dragged an innocent civilian into a murderous underworld of international crime? Worse, was it possible he had misjudged her in other ways? What if the woman who annoyed him like no one else was also the person he could love the most? The first step in figuring out forever was always to keep the woman alive...

The Porters and the Baxters have been feuding for decades. Political rivals and next door neighbors, the matriarchs of each family have fought over the same revolving Congressional seat for as long as either family can remember. They are enemies, indisputably, but two of them hold a secret no one else knows. Eleven years ago, when Julian Baxter was nineteen and Bronwyn Porter was sixteen, they shared a kiss. Now Bronwyn's life is falling apart, and Julian seems to be the only one who can save it. As their unlikely friendship hovers on the edge of romance, they must find a way to navigate their differing beliefs, as well as the expectations of their families, and the political anger of an entire nation.

He loved her the moment he saw her through a window. Heart imploded, gone forever. The only problem? She married his best friend.Jordan was an amazing Navy wife. And then her husband transitioned from the navy to the world of high-stakes espionage and children came along. No one told her he'd travel more as a spy. No one warned her how hard it would be to single parent, how much pressure it would put on their marriage. Now alone, exhausted, and overwhelmed, she begins to hear noises at night. Or does she? Is someone stalking her, or does it only seem that way? With her husband, Shimmer, gone, only his best friend, Ribs, is available, waiting to be the protective pal he's always been. Because surely he could never see her as more, not after thirteen years of friendship...

For a throwaway kid, the alternatives were the army or jail. When being a soldier came easier than expected, she found a new life and a new identity, one where she was supremely good at handling problems. And then, after fifteen years, it was time to start again. Enter Paradise, Montana.She was supposed to be off the grid, finding solitude in a place that would leave her alone and let her heal. But the tiny town had other ideas, not least of which was that she should restart the old orchard she'd purchased. When a new problem arrived in the form of a man running for his life, she would have to find a new way to fix it, this time with the help of the crazy little town.When Spies and Paradise collide, what could go wrong?Absolutely everything.

Maggie Eldridge's life as a college reference librarian was simple, predictable, and boring. That was how she liked it, at least until a mysterious stranger showed up with an unbelievable offer. Soon Maggie found herself giving up everything familiar to move cross-country for the chance at an adventure she didn't know she'd been missing.Cameron Ridge thrived on discipline. From his early days as a SEAL to his years working undercover, discipline made him an elite warrior. When he was given the task of heading a new team, he knew he needed someone with Maggie's skill set. What he didn't count on was how much he would come to need the soft and warm little librarian who force fed him cake and made him laugh.They formed a friendship from the moment they met, far deeper than either of them could comprehend. Why did they feel so comfortable with each other? How was it possible to have such a perfect friendship with no hints of romance? And why did everyone insist on viewing them as a couple when they were clearly just friends?When a ghost from Maggie's past reappears and threatens everything, Maggie and Ridge will have to go to unexpected lengths to save the world. In the process, they might discover that sometimes the best things in life are hiding in plain sight.

Piedmont Bonvoy has always been the best at everything. A genius who graduated high school at twelve, he's now a superstar of the legal world, about to make partner before his twenty eighth birthday. But when his girlfriend was kidnapped and eloped with her rescuer, a man his opposite in every way, Piedmont began to question himself for the first time. Why hadn't he been enough?Paley Marshall loves two things: being a wife and decorating cakes. When both are cruelly ripped away, she takes a job as a housekeeper for the famous Piedmont Bonvoy, baking special treats to try and heal both their hearts. Piedmont has never met anyone like his new maid--funny, quirky, and sweet, she begins to fill all the cracks in his life. When her safety is threatened, it's a bad deja vu. Piedmont is determined to keep her safe, no matter what. Even if it means becoming the hero he's always wanted to be.

Hurricane Poppy, a whirlwind of poor decision making and impulsive behavior. Headstrong and full of sass, she always does things her own way. When one regrettable indiscretion leads to a life-altering change, Poppy's dream of being a pastry chef in New York will be threatened in the most unexpected way. Texas Ranger Sullivan Langford has been searching for magic his entire life. When he sees a pretty girl sitting alone in a gazebo, he thinks maybe he's found it. But a momentary lapse in judgement isn't the same as a lifetime of responsibility, and soon Sully will realize that forever is a long time. Especially while a killer waits and watches, hoping for revenge.

THE COLONEL. That's how the spies under his command think of him, in all-caps. Unbreakable, unbending, cast iron. He's timeless, always was and always will be. It's impossible to believe he's a husband and a father. But there's one woman who made him both those things, one woman who understands him, who knows all his secrets, who was there when it all began...John Caruthers has always had a mission. From early days he seemed almost supernaturally trained to be a soldier: still, silent, merciless, driven. When he learns a lone female is in the jungle of Honduras during the perilous Sandinista/Contra situation, his objective is clear: eject the woman and send her packing. She's only one woman, how hard could it be? But the woman isn't a stranger, she's someone who shares his murky past. And Juniper Dunbar has always been everything but simple.The next installment in the popular Spies Like Us Cozy Military Romance series goes back to the very beginning!

Bailey Dunbar has been dispatched to South Texas. Her father found her a pity job to get her out of his hair, and who could blame him? She was driving him crazy. She was driving everyone crazy, herself included. Being a marine was all she'd ever known, all she'd ever loved. Who was she if she wasn't one anymore?Calhoun Ridge was once a golden boy, a man of promise. Now he was a broken down old cowboy, all because of a mistake he made ten years ago, a mistake that set the trajectory of his life, threatening to ruin everything, including the cattle ranch that had been in his family for four generations. They were two broken people--broken dreams and broken lives, both strong and resilient in the face of too much pain. They shouldn't have worked, shouldn't have wanted or needed each other. But they did, becoming fast friends at a time when friendship was dangerous for both of them. As Bailey begins to help Cal untangle the danger that surrounds him, they'll have to tread carefully because the only thing scarier than losing their lives is losing their hearts.

Esther has always been singular, set apart, different. She's a finder of words, a keeper of lost things. When an opportunity arises to work for one of the world's most elite espionage teams, she'd be a fool not to take a leap, even if it puts her life in danger.Once a marine, now a spy, Leo is lost, broken, burned out. When he's assigned to guard a civilian no one else wants, he knows his career has hit rock bottom. Esther is like no one he's ever met, but it's those differences that begin to unlock something in Leo. When someone tries to take Esther out on Leo's watch, forcing Leo and Esther to depend on each other for everything, it soon becomes unclear who is lost and and who is in more need of being found.

Blue Bishop is the best there is. So good, in fact, that he's become legend in the world of hackers. In the world of high stakes government espionage, he's a very round peg in a very square hole. Blue has seen it all, done it all, hacked it all. But he has never encountered anything like Jane Dunbar, a woman with absolutely no virtual footprint or online presence. Dr. Jane Dunbar lives in the world of facts and antiquities. Ancient Egypt is her comfort zone. People, on the other hand, leave her baffled and flustered. After being recruited to help authenticate a series of smuggled forgeries, Jane's life goes from bad to worse. Her first impression on the group was horrible, and no matter how hard she tries to redeem herself, she can't. When quiet, conservative Jane is paired with the group's wisecracking, blue-haired hacker extraordinaire, neither is happy with the arrangement. But as it becomes clearer that someone is out for blood, Blue and Jane will have to lay aside their prejudices and work together for the greater good. When Jane becomes a target, it will be up to Blue to keep her safe. In the meantime, he begins to realize there is more to Jane than meets the eye. Is his suspicion of her unfounded, or is she playing both sides? And why, if she's a terrorist mastermind, can he still not stay away?

Ethan Allen is the job, so much that not even his friends know his real name. A Navy SEAL turned secret agent, he specializes in getting in and out of countries unseen. As far as the US government is concerned, he doesn't even exist; he's a ghost. For Ethan, the job bleeds into his personal life. He never gets attached, never gets involved. Enter Amelia Eldridge. At twenty two, innocent and inexperienced, Amelia should be easy to resist. But from the moment they meet, she challenges Ethan at every turn, worming her way into his heart. When Amelia gets caught up in international intrigue, Ethan is the only one who can get her back out. But can he do it without losing the one thing he fears losing the most--his heart?

Dexter Nieman was not the type of person to marry a stranger on a whim. Steady, predictable, and maybe even boring, he liked his settled life, loved being in his rut. And he certainly didn't intend to marry his neighbor, an eccentric recluse who worked odd hours and inexplicably owned a cauldron. But his job involved putting out fires for four insane brothers. And when one of those fires spiraled out of control, involving Dexter and his quirky neighbor, a pretend marriage seemed the only solution.Lainey Andrews quit her job to follow her dream of making candy, straight into total ruin. She was about to fail spectacularly, but nothing new there: she failed at everything. In desperation she accepted an odd proposal from her straight-laced neighbor--pretend to be married and he would solve her financial woes. The rational part of Lainey's brain knew she shouldn't do it, but when had she ever listened to that?Both of them went into the arrangement with their eyes open. After all, it was only business. It wasn't like two people so opposite in every way could fall in love.Certainly they wouldn't wind up being exactly what the other didn't realize they'd been missing, and they absolutely wouldn't find the love and friendship with each other they'd tried and failed to find with everyone else. Because things like that didn't happen, not to Lainey and Dexter, not to anyone. Something so unexpected, so wrong in every way couldn't fill their missing pieces, couldn't make them fit when nothing else did. Right?Funny, warm, lighthearted, wholesome and uplifting, The WINO Next Door is this summer's perfect beach read!