Crash and Burn - A round the Track Romance Novel

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EXCERPT

​“Seriously? Divina, when are you going to get your shit together?” Grace asked her older sister with a huff. “Hold on, I’m trying to figure out how you plan to keep your fiancé and your husband from killing one another. I can’t even get one guy to ask me out and you have two who... Oh, I can’t even fathom this.” The phone beeped, but Grace ignored the other call.
“I don’t remember marrying him, but now there’s a truck here moving his stuff in.
What am I going to do?” Divina’s whispered panic made Grace smile.
“Do? You married him. He’s your husband. I’d open the door and say, ‘Welcome home, honey.’”
“I can’t.” Divina’s voice rose in her typical whine. “I don’t even know the man.” “Not my problem.” Grace wasn’t trying to be mean. She’d reached her
limit of her older sister’s crazy antics, ones she’d covered for over the past however many years, but this one was a prizewinner.
After a weekend in Vegas, she didn’t have a suitcase of cash. Divina had a new husband. Grace rolled her eyes even though her sister couldn’t see it through the phone.
“I know you’re moving into Mom and Dad’s house in two days. Can’t you move here instead? I need someone to run interference until I can get a quickie divorce.”
“Div, I can’t move in with you and new your husband. That’s weird. No thanks.” “It wouldn’t be just the two of us. Hank would be here, too. Before you say anything, it’s a big house and you’ll still have some privacy. I’ll make him sleep on the couch.”
Grace waited until her sister finished her argument. “Are you still there?”
“Yes.”
“Please, Gracie. For me. I’ll get a quickie divorce from Stone.”
“Your new last name is Stone?” Grace started filing her nails. She felt the pressure of family obligations and once again being called on to save her sister from herself. Her reality started closing in around her. Her chest tightened and a headache throbbed at her temples. “I need to know your new name, so I know who to send the wedding gift to.”
“Not funny. My last name is Adams. Temporarily.” She clipped the last word. Grace dropped the nail file. “You married Stone Adams, the racecar driver?” “You know him?”
“He’s a top ten driver on the Eastern states local circuit. He’s on TV every weekend. He always has a boatload of women draped all over him.” She barked a laugh. “I can’t believe he married you.”
“Hey! Be nice. I can be incredibly charming. I’m not sure either of us was thinking straight when we went to the hotel chapel. I can get a quickie divorce, right? I’m supposed to marry Hank in less than two months. He still wants to go through with our original plans and so do I, but Stone is warming up to the whole idea of a wife and family. You’ve got to come here,” she pleaded.
Grace didn’t have time for this. She had her own life to live. “I’ll call you back. Maybe I’ll stop by tonight around dinnertime to see the mess you’ve made.” Grace chuckled as she hung up the phone.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. Even though Divina was her older sister, Grace had spent most of her youth fixing Divina’s messes. Grace had been helping her out of situations since they were in grade school where poor, fragile Divina never learned to take responsibility for her own actions.
Grace slammed another pile of books into a cardboard box. She knew she’d go over there, and she hated herself for it. She wanted to be strong and independent, but she didn’t want her parents to worry about Divina. They didn’t need the added stress. Imagining Divina, Hank and Stone Adams together in one house almost made the hour and a half ferry ride to Long Island worth it. She’d be the peacemaker, keeping everyone happy like she always did. She’d give Stone a day or two before he ran screaming from the house. He’d file for the divorce.
Classes had ended yesterday for her master’s degree in social work. She didn’t plan on attending the graduation ceremony because another graduation for Grace was… how had Divina put it? Oh, yeah, like a six-hour root canal.
Like all good rebound children who returned to the nest after college, her plan was to move back in with her parents to help them. They were getting older and she wanted to take the burden of the housework off them. They’d told her bedroom was waiting for her, the trophies from the local and state spelling bees were still on the dresser and her National Honor Society awards littered the walls. She was and had always been a nerd. Divina was the fun daughter. She was the one who lined up two dates for a Friday night and expected to go on both of them, not realizing there might be consequences for her actions. Grace stayed home and read ahead in her psychology book.
Divina’s latest predicament would drag Grace into the drama once again. She’d have to listen to Hank whine about how unfair this was. Divina would throw hissy fits and Stone Adams… Well, she didn’t know how he’d act. She’d never met him, but she had followed his career and dreamed about him - or maybe fantasized about him was a better way to put that. Now, they were related.

 Gallery of books by Michelle Libby. Which ones have you read?

Breaking the story

​       Everyone wants something from the editor of the Serenity Harbor Gazette Erin Ridge. Lucky for her this time it’s the hot firefighters in town. However, they are incredibly busy with a large number of fires in the island. Despite that she finds time to meet with hunky firefighter Seth Greenway for all of the details of the fires and the firefighters. 
       Seth knows he’s being set up with the darling of Serenity Harbor when he’s asked to be the subject of a story on the fire department. He can’t help but want to get to know Erin as long as they can keep things professional. Hurting her would mean being blackballed from the department, but saving her life becomes a daily habit and he finds himself being drawn to her magnetic personality.
        When Erin accuses someone Seth knows of setting all of the fires in town, trouble brews between the couple. She is determined to break the story without Seth’s support, causing a rift between them. Erin wants to do what’s right and Seth has to determine what is more important, the firefighter brotherhood or love.

TWo if by sea


Firefighter Tristan Devon leaves the destination of his first vacation in years up to chance after marrying off the sister he’s taken care of for years. He finds himself trapped on Bear Island as caretaker for a 100-year-old lighthouse with a neurotic, secretive woman 

Erin Kimball, an award winning toy designer, is not impressed with a macho firefighter coming to spy on her. The toy she created started catching on fire and burning children, and she was determined to discover why and clear her reputation. She didn’t need some hot man getting into her business.
 
When Erin’s ex-fiancé shows up on the island, tensions flare between the three residents.
The end of the month can’t come fast enough for any of them.
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 *This book was previously titled "Playing with Fire." 

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Married to the Marine in paperback

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Ella Rowe is happy with her life, despite being unmarried and a virgin in her mid-twenties. However, her friends want something more for her and when she pitches a reality show idea to her friend, she gets suckered into getting married to a stranger.

Jake Griffin is a suave Marine who finds himself on a reality show because he lost a bet to his buddies and his man card is in jeopardy. He hooks up with the uptight Ella, but he sees the heat behind her eyes and it intrigues him. 

The TV station sets up challenges for all of the contestants to test their compatibility while being filmed the whole time. For Jake and Ella, there are sparks and conflicts at every turn, yet they continue to do well in the challenges. 
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In the end, the cameras, challenges and each other could prove to be too much for them to stay together.

​When the Vow Breaks - ON SALE

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The death of Rodrigo Ramirez has caused an issue for Port City Police Officer Colin Rourke, who is now being sued for the wrongful death. However there is no body, no proof and no way to get out of the civil suit with his marriage intact. 

Marriages are supposed to be a safe place where you'll do anything for a spouse. Regan desires safety and happiness, but the lawsuit is sending her and her husband down a path that they can't recover from.

Being the wife of a police officer is not easy. The challenges that creep up  define a relationship. This is Regan and Colin's story. ​

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