Whether it’s the promise of love’s first kiss, the smoldering fire of unanticipated attraction, or the lighthearted tale of a lonely mermaid, our collection of original short stories will fill your heart with romance. Let your heart take a romantic journey where tales of romance come floating across the land of 10,000 lakes into your heart on a warm autumn breeze Our original short stories offer a cornucopia of tales, as varied as the brightly colored fall leaves to make you smile and even bring a tear to your eye. From the slow burn of secret unrequited passion, to unspoken love, to a second chance at love, let these stories transport your heart on a romantic journey. A Splash with Fate by Rhonda Brutt When their paths crossed, Kaitlyn and Samuel had no idea how an act of charity, along with a few homeless animals, would change their lives. Always a Wedding Planner by Jude Wiesner Until Tessa can recognize that the one man totally wrong for her could be mister right, she will remain always a wedding planner, never a bride. Camp Crooked Lake by Jill Revak After seventeen years, city-girl Molly Rhodes revisits her childhood camp and reconnects with her first crush. Cara’s Swim by Kristy Johnson On the quiet shores of Lake Sylvia, amongst the golden colors of fall, Cara Waters expected to spend her days overseeing renovations of camp Chi-Ro and working on her novel. Instead she inadvertently exposed an old mystery, and found the love of her life. Cup a’Java by Ingrid Anderson Sampo A parcel of the citizens of Foulwell, a motley group, come together at the Cup ‘a Java for caffeine, a chat and some playful razzing. Tall tales of an alleged romance figure prominently in the conversation. Fish Flirt Too by Peg Pierson To save her beloved lakeside Inn from the clutches of her greedy stepdaughter, Savanah needs a miracle. Not a merman… For the Love of Bertha by Ann Nardone An old legend leads a lost soul to find answers … and maybe love. Ghost Light by Rachael Passan The spark between a paranormal investigator and a theater owner is given a helping “hand” from three card-playing seniors in a being-renovated Minnesota movie house. Knight of the Witching Hour by Christopher Edmund Caden Lee Wester was a drifter. A lone wolf seeking solitude on a peaceful night at the lake until a young woman, in desperate need of help, plucked him from reality, tossing him head first into a fantastical adventure filled with magic, monsters, and witches Magic at Moose Lake by Diane Wiggert While Shelby Maguire escapes to her friend’s cabin to find peace, quiet and to seek the answers to her man troubles. Tanner Burke heads to the same cabin to seek the illusive whitetail. But will an unexpected week together lead them to find something else? Railroad Ties by Rose Marie Meuwissen Little did Kayla know, by following her late husband’s love of trains to the shores of Lake Superior, she would end up on the right track to fall in love again. The Inheritance by Kathleen Nordstrom All in one day, Katie lost her inheritance, was unable to carry out her dead grandmother's burial wishes and found love in a horse stable. The Leap by Angeline Fortin A passionate confession at a lakeside celebration sends a single mother reeling and wondering if she should take a leap of her own. Third Times a Charm by KT Alexander A witch, with a forbidden old flame, and the power of Samhain. Read our anthology, Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota—Autumn, and get carried away on the gentle winds of autumn in Minnesota filled with stories of romance set on Minnesota’s lakes and experience the unique voices from our Minnesota author’s imaginations.

Uff da, it's cold. Undeniably, the only phrase needed to describe a Minnesota winter. With freezing temps and frigid winds, some may wonder why we live in a state often referred to as our nation's 'ice box'. We're a hardy lot up North, and we embrace the season with open arms. We venture out from our homes, cabins and winter lodges ready to brave—and even enjoy—the snow and ice. Searching for adventure, some of the bold are lucky enough to find love along the way. Not ready to face a bitter chill on the way to your won arctic love story? No worries. With Romancing the Lakes of Minnesota ~Winter, the fanciful and frosty escapades come to you in the comfort of your toasty abode. Grab a hot drink, a warm blanket, and snuggle up in front of the fireplace with eleven heart melting and often steamy wintertime tales of romance on a blizzard of a journey across the 10,00 frozen lakes of Minnesota. A Southern Spark on Northern Ice by Peg Pierson Sparks fly when a melancholy Minnesotan discovers a sexy spirit haunting her antique bed. Can she find a way to free his soul? Or will his southern charm capture her heart for eternity? Alone with the Devil by Angeline Fortin When a snowmobile accident sends Bliss careening into the arms of a long-lost love, she must decide if she can let the pain from their past finally fade away as the heat rises in a secluded north woods cabin. Before the Trail Goes Cold by Ann Nardone When a child goes missing, Jenny will risk anything to get her back. Even if it means putting herself in danger. But Jenny finds her heart may be in danger too when she teams up with the hot local deputy in a race against time. Best Served Cold by Jude Wiesner If Sydney can overcome her belief that all professional athletes are interchangeable, she might find that Ryan shares a common background and is more than just a pretty jock. Blizzard of Love by Rose Marie Meuwissen Stuck in a ditch with her two teenage daughters on their way to Lutsen Ski Resort in the midst of a raging blizzard, Kari realizes her rescuer may be just the man to put her back on the road to love again. Frozen on Lake Superior by Kristy Johnson Through the fierce winds and below average temperatures, Ellie Stevens finds love and adventure on the frozen shore of Lake Superior. Love Under the Northern Lights by Dylann Crush When a journalist with a Texas twang takes on a flannel-clad hottie in Minnesota, north and south ignite under the magic of the Northern Lights. Love’s No Joke by Diane Wiggert A man walks into a bar… A strange little bar with joke telling locals and a beautiful bartender. A twist of fate, and a broken snowmobile, leaves Shane Olsen stranded on the shores of Kabetogama Lake. Will it be the strangest day of his life, or the best? Power to the Sixties by Ingrid Anderson Sampo Fraught with laughs, arguments, deception and love, a day in the life of condo-mates is a life changer, especially for Faith, a man-crazy widow. The Perfect Proposal by Jill Revak A gorgeous manor. Sparkling snow. One dream proposal. Will Saige get the perfect weekend she’s been planning? Or will fate take her somewhere she never expected… Like into the arms of another man? Wish Upon the North Star by KT Alexander A bear, a blizzard, and a cottage in the woods… The perfect recipe for romance.

Dying gave her the love of her life… It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime. Curator Mikah Bauer had always been fascinated with Scotland, yearning to visit the castles and dreaming of the same handsome Highlander. So when she has the chance to visit Glasgow on business, she jumps at it. But the dream turns into a nightmare when, leaving the museum, Mikah is hit by a car. She wakes in 1856, surrounded by strangers—except for one familiar face: her fantasy Highlander. Living took him away. Or did it? Mikah believes she’s dreaming, but as days and weeks pass, she must accept she’s been sent back in time, to a past life, one she has had flashes of memories of for years. In 1856 she’s a widow. Her deceased husband was a Marquess—the new Marquess, her handsome dream man, Ian Conagham. But someone wants to take the title from Ian—and whoever it is will do anything to gain sovereignty. Even murder. As Mikah and Ian are caught up in the deceit and danger of a villain’s quest for power, the line that separates past and present will be blurred. When the mist of time clears, where will Mikah be? More importantly, who will she be? — and will Ian be at her side?

Nothing but time on her hands... An awkward first date with a quantum physicist ends not with a goodnight kiss but a science experiment gone wrong that send them both hurling back in time. Stranded in the past with only a fading hope that she’ll ever make it home, Kate takes a job as a maid to pass the time and ends up with more than she bargained for. Brandon Ryder, the Earl of Harrowby, is a far cry from any man the 21st century had ever produced. He’s commanding, austere, aristocratic, true, but he’s also smart, caring, funny and … magnificent. To Kate, who’d never imagined all those qualities could exist in a single man, his appeal is undeniable. Irresistible. Nothing but time can tear them apart Brand has spent a lifetime bound by the rules of Society and one of those rules is that a gentleman doesn’t trifle with the help. However, Kate Kallastad is no ordinary employee. His lovely new maid challenges him at every turn, astounding him with her forthright manner, plain speech and by her astonishing audacity to treat him not as an Earl of the realm... but as a mere mortal man. Tragedy forces Kate to make a decision that impacts both of their lives. When the time comes for Brand to make a choice of his own, where will time and love lead him?

The halls of Glen Cairn Manor churned with so much love and wedded bliss of late the sight had become downright sickening. James MacKintosh couldn’t understand how his brothers had managed to fall love-struck one after another. Not when they all knew as well as he how such an emotion could send a man from heaven straight to the bowels of hell. But, damned if they didn’t somehow make it all look so bloody appealing. New York suffragette Primrose Eames had more than enough men trying to control her already. There was no chance she’d relent and marry again, despite her brothers’ dogged “encouragement” on the matter. More than anything, she wanted independence and the freedom to live life on her own terms. A husband would only serve to snatch that dream away from her forever. What Prim needed was a decoy and James MacKintosh was just the man for the job. Having failed in his search for the perfect woman to wed, James was happy to help Prim with a false courtship, but only because it served his purposes to avoid the matchmakers as well. However, James soon discovers that even a fictitious courtship with a woman set on never remarrying has its own challenges. For Prim, the courtship begins to feel all too real. James is too charming, too engaging and so supportive of her cause. It doesn’t take long before she realizes there is a certain freedom to be found in marriage the right sort of man. If the right sort of man were interested in marriage, that is. It’s only when betrayal and despair leave them both longing for more in their lives that they realize the importance of a love worth having, and a question worth asking.

Formerly Pride & Penitence, now a National Reader's Choice Award Finalist! "Delightful, charming and moving." ~ InD'Tale Magazine When her daughter comes across a box of letters written by Georgiana’s long-lost love and resolves to reunite the tragic lovers, Georgie can either let her daughter stumble upon her secret past… or face it—and him—herself. Georgiana Egerton had Malcolm MacKintosh shaking in his boots from the first moment he saw her. Just seventeen, but spirited and witty, she stole his heart right from the start. There was no use denying it. What he was willing to deny was the emotions that beset him when he sees her again twenty years later. His Georgie might be as bonny as the day they first met, but the heartache and betrayal that’d nearly been the death of him couldn’t be set aside simply because desire was still alive and well. Twenty years ago, Georgiana was ready to face scandal and hardship to be with Mal. With that love denied to them both, she spent decades filled with guilt over the pain she’d caused him. Now, to satisfy her daughter’s unrelenting meddling, she’s forced to confront the past… and Mal again. There’s no point in hoping to revive their old affair. After all that’s happened, her logical mind knows it’s too late for the two of them to begin again. Her heart, though… well, it’s not quite as convinced.