Jackie Lau

It's been five years since Charlotte Tam had to endure a public proposal at a baseball game-literally the stuff of her nightmares-and realized her ex never really knew her. She hasn't dated since, afraid that no man will understand her cranky, introverted, coffee-obsessed self, but she wants to try again. Her friend suggests she ask a guy to ease her into the dating game and give her some lessons. That night at the cider bar, Charlotte runs into Mike Guo, her childhood best friend who lived in the house next door twenty years ago. Surely easygoing Mike, who is now surprisingly handsome, must do well in the world of love. He's the perfect candidate for this.But as they go on practice dates around Toronto and even have kissing lessons, Charlotte starts to fall for Mike, and that was never part of the plan. He's too different from her, just like her ex-how could it work? And she suspects Mike has secrets of his own...Can their childhood friendship really become love?

When small-town engineer Amy Sharpe inherits a house in Toronto, she decides it's the perfect opportunity to start over and go back to school. Away from the family that takes her for granted, away from the ex who expected so much and gave little in return.The new Amy enjoys wandering around the city and frequenting bubble tea shops, German beer halls, dim sum restaurants, and coffee bars serving Japanese pastries. She has a roommate with the same name as her favorite fictional character, and a group of friends who meet at a cider bar every couple of weeks.The new Amy is also in lust with her brooding, tattooed next-door neighbor, Victor Choi, who is far from friendly but looks really hot cutting the grass without a shirt. Too bad the grass doesn't grow faster.As she starts telling him about her daily adventures-and as a little kissing in the garden becomes a regular activity-Amy begins to feel more than lust. But she fears she's falling into her old patterns in relationships and refuses to let herself be underappreciated again.Is Victor really more than a hot fling? And what's he hiding behind that grumpy exterior?

I've got a pretty great life, if I do say so myself. I made a fortune when I sold my tech start-up, and I've spent the years since partying, drinking, and inviting a parade of women into my bed.I should be happy, but I feel an annoying lack of fulfillment, and there's no way I'm going back to the work I did before.At a friend's party, I meet Marissa. We have hot sex against the door and agree to spend the weekend together. Just one weekend. I never expect to see her again.Except now she's pregnant with my baby...and I think this is the solution to all my problems. This is what will bring meaning to my life. I'm going to be a devoted father and husband.Marissa-whose last name I still don't know-wants me to be involved, though she rejects my marriage proposal. But before the baby arrives, I'm going to prove to her that I can be something other than a playboy.And the rare times I set my mind to something, I don't fail...

I'm a pretty simple guy. When I'm not writing a science fiction novel, I'm watching a good movie or reading a book. Alone. I like my reclusive life. That is, until my only friend asks for a favor--pretend to be his baby sister's boyfriend on a couples' getaway. Her ex is going to be there and she needs me as a buffer.I should have said no, but Naomi is bubbly, energetic, and beautiful. She also means everything to her brother. But now, our fake romance is starting to feel all too real, and I find myself stuck between the promise I made to my friend and risking my heart to the one woman who might actually get me...

As CEO of Fong Investments, I'm a busy man. In fact, my family claims I'm an obsessive workaholic, and when they force me to take two weeks off, I have no idea what to do with myself.While brooding over an espresso, I meet Courtney Kwan, a biomedical researcher who savors the little things in life. And, suddenly, an idea strikes me--I will pay this woman to teach me how to enjoy my vacation from work.Soon, I find myself doing crazy things like baking cookies, reading for pleasure, buying a phallic cactus, and falling in love. But Courtney is dealing with some serious issues of her own, and I fear that when I return to work, I won't be able to give her what she needs, and I'll lose her forever...

Natalie Chin-Williams might be a cranky professor of climatology who thinks the world is doomed, but she believes in lasting love...just not for herself. She has a long history of failed relationships, plus the men she dates inevitably want children and she doesn't. Now thirty-six and single, Natalie expects endless comments about her love life when she attends her baby sister's wedding. Worse, weddings are always drama-filled disasters in her family. She needs emotional support to get through the weekend, so she enlists the help of her friend Connor Douglas, the dependable family doctor. The wedding reception goes south when a drunk aunt announces a family secret that sends Natalie reeling and shakes her faith in love. Luckily, she has her long-time friend to lean on--a man she somehow ends up kissing. But there's no way this could turn into anything lasting, is there? That's impossible for her, especially now...

Now that her cousin has tied the knot, Iris Chin--structural engineer, party girl, and queen of kitchen disasters--is the last single grandchild. Her mother and grandmother are desperate to play matchmaker, though Iris doesn't understand why. They had miserable marriages, and she doesn't want to be like them. She enjoys her independence, thank you very much. One-night stands are more her style. Unfortunately, she soon discovers that she's working on a project with her latest one-night stand, Alex Kwong, a construction supervisor. She's determined to stay professional on the construction site, but things get off to a bad start when Alex lets slip to a co-worker that they slept together. To make matters worse, Iris is now living with her grandmother, who keeps stealthily setting her up on dates and sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, and her mother is just as bad. But more than anything, it's her unwanted feelings for Alex that are derailing her plans to have an exciting single life...

I hate ice cream. Ever since my fianc e left me at the altar and skewered me in her bestseller "Embrace Your Inner Ice Cream Sandwich: Finding the Positive You in a World of Negativity," I haven't been able to stomach the stuff.Unfortunately, my five-year-old niece is a budding foodie and her favorite place in the world is Ginger Scoops, a cutesy Asian ice cream shop. Since I've been looking after my niece a lot lately, I've spent too much time there, sipping black coffee, refusing to eat ice cream, and trying not to look at the owner, Chloe Jenkins. Chloe is obnoxiously cheerful, and I can't stand her. Naturally, I end up kissing her.But I've sworn off women after the fiasco with my ex-fianc e, and I'm convinced I'm no good at relationships. Still, with Chloe I'm tempted to do the impossible: give love and ice cream another chance...

If there's one thing that might get my dad, a retired math teacher, to visit Toronto and have a real conversation with me for the first time in seventeen years, it's a big nerdy Pi Day party. And hopefully this party--and seeing the tech company I built from nothing--will finally be enough to impress him and make him forgive me for everything I did when I was a teenager. But it's got to be a really great party. That's where Sarah Winters comes in. She owns Happy As Pie, a sweet and savory pie shop, and wants to get into catering. She makes an amazing lamb-rosemary pie, cherry pie, lemon-lime tart...you get the idea. She'll provide the food and help me plan the party, nothing more. No matter how much time we spend together, I'm not going to fall in love with her. At least, that's what I tell myself...