Brooke St James

Lines had been drawn and sides had been taken decades ago. The Castro and King families did not interact with the Elliot family. Those bridges had been burned, and none of the Bank Street crew talked about it. They never even ate at the same restaurant or shopped at the same store.Each family had a stake in Galveston, but they lived without supporting each other or interacting in any way. A romantic match between members of these feuding families would be impossible. It wouldn't just be frowned upon, it was absolutely forbidden. Which is why two of them could never fall in love. It's a good thing love doesn't play by the rules.Anne Rose Kennedy learned about her biological family when she was 20 years old. She had grown up in a loving environment and was happy with her life. But she was also curious about her roots.She began traveling to Galveston Island to work at her grandparent's restaurant and get to know them better. Those trips and experiences were priceless to Anne Rose, and to top it off she was falling in love with Will Castro.Anne Rose had no idea that there was a long-standing conflict between the Elliots and Castros/Kings. She had no idea that a romance between her and Will would be forbidden. But ultimately they could not deny their love for one another and would use that love as the catalyst to heal the rift between the families, proving that love conquers all.

Izzy Abbott had a crush on Evan King when they were teenagers but hasn't seen him in years. Out of nowhere, they have a chance encounter on the beach in Galveston. She is excited to see him, but the circumstances are less than ideal since Evan had been through a lot recently. Izzy considered getting in touch with him after that, but in the end she decides not to.A twist of fate, an act of God, brings them together again over a year later. Izzy is convinced it is destiny this time. Thankfully, so is Evan.Evan had recently lost his older brother and was grieving and exhausted when Izzy found him. He had no idea it was Izzy who helped him, but the events of that evening stuck with him. When they meet in passing nearly a year later Evan realizes Izzy had been there for him the evening of his brother's death.From that point on, they are inseparable. An ember of love suddenly bursts into flames, and the rest is history.Brooke St. James delivers a story of redemption with romantic sparks that could light up a room in the fifth instalment of the Bank Street Stories series.

Tess Cohen was a 23-year-old aspiring artist with dreams of painting beach scenes. She longed to leave the small town of Starks, Louisiana, and head for California to make a go of it as an artist. Instead, she compromised with her parents and decided to spend the summer of 1968 on Galveston Island with her younger sister, Abigail. It was just meant to be an extended summer vacation. Abigail would return to college in the fall and Tess would finally settle down for good in Starks. But then a chance encounter with 'Easy' Billy Castro changed everything. Billy had a troubled past and was orphaned at the age of 16. No stranger to conflict, he'd been using his natural talent for fighting to scrape together a living collecting debts for a local gambling organization. When boxing legend, Marvin Jones, finds out Billy has roughed up one of his fighters, he presents him with an opportunity to turn his life around. Thankfully, Tess also sees his potential and the love that grows between them that summer will only serve as a catalyst for his drive to become a world champion boxer. Brooke St. James unfolds this timeless story at a leisurely Texas pace, and Galveston Island serves as the perfect beach background in a love story that pulls out all the stops.

I honestly thought I was set for life-at least where love was concerned. I was dating the man of my dreams and assumed we would live happily ever after. But then he left me with a broken heart. I was embarrassed and hurt, and picking up the pieces seemed impossible.I hadn't sworn off men completely, but getting into another relationship was something I just didn't care about. For the time being, I was living for myself and for the weekend, and I thought nothing would change that.Then I met Caleb, the son of a preacher. He was not what I expected, but everything I needed.

Zeke Tanner was my childhood crush, but over a decade had passed since I'd last seen him. For many years I had done my best to avoid him and the entire Tanner family. The circumstances that caused me to keep my distance were entirely my fault, but the sheer mention of the Tanner family still filled me with waves of dread. Thankfully, Lexington was a large city and I never had to encounter them.That would all change though. One minute I was happily working as a pastry chef and the next I was dealing with an order for the Tanner family. All those feelings of regret came rushing back as I wrote "Happy Birthday Zeke" on the cake. I thought I could simply hide in the back of the bakery and escape an encounter with them. Fortunately for me, things didn't play out like I expected.

I was all set to embark on the most epic adventure of my life. I was ready for anything. My life had been filled with predictability since the day I was born, but that was about to change. I had devised a plan. Over the course of the next five years, I would live in five different cities. I would get to see, taste, and experience things I had previously only read about. I had been preparing for this moment for nearly a decade, and now it was time.Then something happened. A sweet, innocent little old lady said a few words that changed everything. She was aware of my travel plans and she urged me to make a detour. She was convinced there was something and someone waiting for me elsewhere. I thought that was nice and all... but I already a plan, and it did not include a twin named Jasper in Astoria.

I wasn't the only woman in the world who had been cheated on. I certainly wasn't the only woman who had sworn off men because of it. I was, however, one of the few who was willing to stick to my guns about it. Men would sometimes see that as a challenge, but before too long they would realize I wasn't interested.I planned on staying single forever, and nothing, absolutely nothing could possibly change my mind. Even a chance meeting with someone as wonderful and gorgeous as Max Blair didn't faze me. I wasn't attracted to his looks, fame, skill, or ambition. I was perfectly fine getting to know Max as a person without adding all the complications of dating. Sure, I was a little starstruck at times, but I had that under control. And then again, maybe I was a little attracted to him, too. But who wouldn't be? The problem was that he seemed to like me.Even still, I would stay single forever.Forgetting about Max Blair would be a piece of cake.

I had always dreamed of falling in love. I was ready and eager to find my happily ever after, but there was just one problem. The man I so desperately wanted to fall for was not available. He was taken-spoken for. He wasn't married, but he had been with someone for a long time. It didn't help matters that she happened to be my friend.Some would say that's how it works, that I really only wanted him because I couldn't have him. That couldn't be farther from the truth. I had fallen for this man years ago, and he had won my heart for so many different reasons. The fact that he was off-the-market had nothing to do with my feelings for him.Did I mention that he was one of the Blair brothers? This made him even more unobtainable. Everyone in Astoria knew and loved the Blair brothers. There were four of them, and they were handsome, kind, driven, and successful. Any of them would have been a great catch. Too bad my heart already belonged to the one I couldn't have.This is the story of how we finally fell in love.

I knew the Blair brothers. It was impossible to grow up in Astoria and not be familiar with them.There were four boys in the Blair family, and all of them had that certain something. They were smart, athletic, funny, and gorgeous. If I was forced to pick my favorite, it would have to be Henry. He was the wild one of the bunch-a rock star. Literally. He left Astoria years ago to chase and realize his dreams in Seattle. I still saw his younger brothers quite a bit, but it had been years since I'd seen Henry.That all changed one night when the Blair family came into the restaurant where I worked and sat at my table. Henry just so happened to be with them. I always imagined that he might be the man of my dreams, but after that night, I knew it.

Ethan Ambrose was the heir to a company that had made his family a fortune. He had been groomed since he was a child to take over once his father retired. But his sights were set on a career as a film maker. No matter how much his parents protested, Ethan just didn't want to give up on his personal goals. He longed for a day when his family would be happy for him instead of constantly pushing him to run the business.To top it off, he couldn't ever seem to connect with the right woman. They all seemed to be more concerned with his fortune than anything else. He felt he was destined to be a bachelor. That was fine because he didn't have much hope for relationships, anyway.Then he boarded a flight bound for Los Angeles. Sitting next to him was the most unique and sincere woman he'd ever met. Molly Caldwell was simply different. The problem was, he would only be in California for two days, and he now had to find a way to spend every waking moment with her.

Josh Cassidy found himself on a plane headed back to Boston. He had grown up nearby and had a lot of friends there, but his trip wasn't for pleasure. It was purely for business, and it was just about the weirdest business trip in the history of all business trips. He had one thing on his mind, and that was getting the money he needed to invest in the newest location of Patterson Place Hotels. The fact that the source of his funds might be a little odd (or perhaps even dangerous) didn't matter to him at all.As strange as Josh's itinerary might have been, one thing that was not on it was running into his childhood friend, Mattie Pruitt. When he first spotted her, he realized she was no longer the freckle faced girl he had grown up with. She had turned into a woman since they had last seen one another-a beautiful woman. But Josh should have been focused on the task at hand. He should have had only one thing on his mind. That was easier said than done once Mattie entered the picture.