Marika Ray

I'm a hot-headed pro hockey player with a reputation for two things: reckless fights on the ice and a taste for older women off of it. But this time I might just be in over my head with an older single mom.With the team's new head coach on my case, I can't afford any more screw-ups. He thinks I need to grow up, and I'm out to prove I can get my act together once and for all. In fact, I just hired a realtor to help me buy a house. How's that for grown up?Except the realtor turns out to be the quiet, captivating single mom of a boy I mentor on a youth hockey league. I should keep things strictly business, but she knocks me off my skates with those pencil skirts and mom voice.Molly insists she's too old for me, and I say opposites attract. As I fight for my spot on the ice and battle some personal demons, she's juggling an unpredictable pre-teen, an ex who belongs in the penalty box, and a case of insomnia that has me calling new plays between the sheets.If I push too hard, I know she'll run. But there's no way I'm throwing in the towel-not when I've realized her heart is the only thing worth fighting for.Sleepless Nights and Hockey Fights is a reverse age gap, single mom pro hockey romance with all the spice and a game-winning HEA. It's the fourth book in the Hot Flash Hookups series and can be read as a standalone.Tropes: Reverse age gapOpposites attractPro hockeySingle momHe falls first

He's a dashing millionaire who thinks everything in life is one big joke, probably because he bathes in piles of money each morning. He's also my new neighbor, and after a humiliating experience in the cemetery that is my backyard, he becomes my shadow, showing up everywhere just to annoy me.I'm not a fan of happy people. They bother me with their constant grins and rainbows coming out of their ears, and Vander Booth is the king of smiles. Despite my efforts to scare him away with both my profession as an undertaker and my general need for frowning through most of my workday, he sticks around like a bad case of poison ivy.He is gorgeous though. I'll give him that. And when I see the way he coordinates outfits with his grandma just to make her happy, I'll admit my biological clock starts ticking. Add in his fear of real human connections and suddenly I find myself cheering for the guy instead of plotting his death.Though opposites can attract-and boy is my black lipstick attracted to his glow-in-the-dark smile-they don't stay together long-term. And they certainly can't co-exist when they're fighting constantly in a knock-down, drag-out competition for the same piece of land for their business venture. Or can they? Cue ominous organ music...

He's a giant of a man who grunts for words and barks out orders, yet circumstances require I be his fake girlfriend and spend the weekend with him in an isolated cabin. And of course there's only one bed. Just my luck...But I need this commission check that only Boston can guarantee me. So I hike up the mountain 'til I can't feel my legs, eat questionable canned beans for sustenance, and vow to simply ignore him for two days. What I didn't count on was a freak blizzard to lock us in the cabin for a bit longer. I also didn't expect to discover that beneath all those muscles and long hair and smoldery looks, Boston has a soft heart and a sad past that makes me itch to fix it. And of course we have to snuggle to preserve body heat. My luck is turning...We find more-ahem-creative ways to pass the time, and holy snowstorm is Boston creative We both know this charade ends when we get off the mountain, so we use our time together wisely.Turns out there's one final twist: he's my best friend's estranged brother. Yep, my luck has officially run out...

He's a giant of a man who grunts for words and barks out orders, yet circumstances require I be his fake girlfriend and spend the weekend with him in an isolated cabin. And of course there's only one bed. Just my luck...But I need this commission check that only Boston can guarantee me. So I hike up the mountain 'til I can't feel my legs, eat questionable canned beans for sustenance, and vow to simply ignore him for two days. What I didn't count on was a freak blizzard to lock us in the cabin for a bit longer. I also didn't expect to discover that beneath all those muscles and long hair and smoldery looks, Boston has a soft heart and a sad past that makes me itch to fix it. And of course we have to snuggle to preserve body heat. My luck is turning...We find more-ahem-creative ways to pass the time, and holy snowstorm is Boston creative We both know this charade ends when we get off the mountain, so we use our time together wisely.Turns out there's one final twist: he's my best friend's estranged brother. Yep, my luck has officially run out...

He's a hot, shirtless hockey player... and he's my fake date for my ex-husband's wedding. Talk about a hot flash to beat all hot flashes.The wedding bells are ringing and my ex-husband is the groom When my grown kids hook me up with a fake date to my ex-hubby's tropical island nuptials, I expect sun, sand, and plenty of fruity cocktails - not steamy nights with a shirtless pro hockey player Roman might be all swagger on the ice, but this growly, egotistical male model of perfection has a soft side too. While I battle dresses made for twenty-somethings, awkward run-ins with my ex, and unwelcome hot flashes, Roman is there to distract me with flirty compliments, stay up late with me when I can't sleep, and make me feel vibrant and ageless.As good as it feels, none of this is real, and Roman is way out of my league. Who's going to believe this gorgeous, famous, muscle-bound athlete would ever date a scatterbrained, hot-flashing, insomniac nerd with twenty stubborn extra pounds around the middle?But as the big day approaches, we grow closer. Wedding activities lead to beach walks at sunset, and his oh-so-talented fingers twist my hormones up in a whole new way. Gazing into Roman's eyes, I start to wonder if he could be my shot at a real happily ever after.That's the thing about vacations, though; at some point, you need to return to reality.

My country music career is going downhill fast, and my very public breakup isn't helping. All I want is to hide away at a cozy ski lodge this Christmas, avoid anything festive, and figure out what to do with my life. Is that so much to ask?Aksel Lund is a modern-day Viking who should be gracing magazine covers with his smoldery frown, not running the Havenkirk Ski Lodge like a tyrant. Unbeknownst to me, this map-dot town in Idaho doesn't have a spa or know how to be chill about Christmas. Aksel's eight-year-old daughter drags me to every single Snowmass celebration because I don't have the heart to tell her no. Her grinch of a father though? He has no heart. When he's not criticizing my music, or saving me from hurtling down the slopes, or arguing with me over my excessive luggage-it's only five suitcases, calm down-he's dodging my questions about why he's a single dad and who keeps calling about his debts.I may be a celebrity- which basically makes me a scrooge in his eyes-but I know a thing or two about hard times. And it looks like Havenkirk will be sold to some rich developer the minute the tinsel comes down. If only Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Brooding would let me help save the lodge.And if only Aksel didn't make my heart twist painfully in my chest and leave me panting whenever he turns that glower on me. If only I truly loved the season and could pull a Christmas miracle out of my guitar. Turns out a miracle is what I need to get Aksel out of my heart, too.

I think I just slept with Mr. Perfect. Too bad he turned out to be my brother's best friend.The tattooed stranger rode a motorcycle while helping me collect stray cats. My boots gave me blisters and he carried me on his back. I needed help and he didn't ask questions before assisting me. Could there be a more perfect man? It just made sense to lick him and claim him as mine right then and there.I probably should have asked him more questions before we slept together.Like, what's your last name? Where've you been living before moving here to my hometown? Is my older brother your best friend?You know. Those kinds of questions.But sadly, I didn't. And now I'm staring at two pink lines and Mr. Perfect is nowhere to be found, leaving me brokenhearted and on my own. Even though I love my son with every fiber of my being, he's also a daily reminder that I've made the worst mistake of my life. It's only years later when Mr. Perfect shows up in town again that I begin to see that I was never in love with him back then. But I might be now.

I think I just slept with Mr. Perfect. Too bad he turned out to be my brother's best friend.The tattooed stranger rode a motorcycle while helping me collect stray cats. My boots gave me blisters and he carried me on his back. I needed help and he didn't ask questions before assisting me. Could there be a more perfect man? It just made sense to lick him and claim him as mine right then and there.I probably should have asked him more questions before we slept together.Like, what's your last name? Where've you been living before moving here to my hometown? Is my older brother your best friend?You know. Those kinds of questions.But sadly, I didn't. And now I'm staring at two pink lines and Mr. Perfect is nowhere to be found, leaving me brokenhearted and on my own. Even though I love my son with every fiber of my being, he's also a daily reminder that I've made the worst mistake of my life. It's only years later when Mr. Perfect shows up in town again that I begin to see that I was never in love with him back then. But I might be now.

He's a tattooed, blue-eyed jerk who has no business being a single dad. He's also my next-door neighbor, and after negotiations, my grumpy employer for the summer.I don't put up with cocky males normally and I certainly won't put up with that man making noise at all hours of the day and night while he builds his glamp-ground. I offer advice, but the stubborn fool just turns his tractor on to drown me out. He returns the favor by pushing my buttons and making me so angry I can't see straight. And I really want to be able to see his gorgeous body in those well-worn jeans and backward hat.Amidst the verbal warfare, I discover he's hiding scars from a recent accident. I also find out his light eyes heat up to a smoldering icy gray when I give as good as I get. Makes me want to see just how far I can push him and what he'll do when he boils over.Gannon's been dealt a rough hand in life, and when I find a way under that gruff-and stupidly handsome-exterior, I find that maybe he's not Grumpy the Bear as I nicknamed him, but instead just a teddy bear.Grumpy the Bear is a steamy romantic comedy between the world's grumpiest single dad and his new next door neighbor, complete with a five-year-old princess, a glamp-ground in the making, a gaggle of friends who hold no prisoners, and all the sizzling banter to keep you up all night. This romance ends with a spicy hot and perfectly sweet happily ever after (and zero breakups...according to the hero.)

He's a tattooed, blue-eyed jerk who has no business being a single dad. He's also my next-door neighbor, and after negotiations, my grumpy employer for the summer.I don't put up with cocky males normally and I certainly won't put up with that man making noise at all hours of the day and night while he builds his glamp-ground. I offer advice, but the stubborn fool just turns his tractor on to drown me out. He returns the favor by pushing my buttons and making me so angry I can't see straight. And I really want to be able to see his gorgeous body in those well-worn jeans and backward hat.Amidst the verbal warfare, I discover he's hiding scars from a recent accident. I also find out his light eyes heat up to a smoldering icy gray when I give as good as I get. Makes me want to see just how far I can push him and what he'll do when he boils over.Gannon's been dealt a rough hand in life, and when I find a way under that gruff-and stupidly handsome-exterior, I find that maybe he's not Grumpy the Bear as I nicknamed him, but instead just a teddy bear.

When the spare heir finally bails, he finds his royal flush in the most unlikely place.Cavanaugh Michael Barclay, the oh-so-charming spare prince of Mardelvia, has ditched his royal duties to start anew in a quirky little North Carolina coastal town called Sailfish Banks. Everyone knows him as Cav, the oddly accented guy who's now the proud owner of a rat-infested fixer-upper. He may be out of his princely element, but he's all in for a fresh start without the royal pressure.Maxine Waddell is a force to be reckoned with - a sledgehammer-wielding single mom who's the total opposite of any woman Cav has ever known. She's fiercely independent, unapologetically herself, and has him completely captivated. With every swing of her hammer, she knocks down walls he didn't even know he had. She's the kind of woman his royal family would never approve of, but that only makes him fall harder.As their undeniable chemistry heats up, so do the hidden secrets that always seem to find their way to the surface. Will the people of Sailfish Banks embrace a prince in their midst, or will they hold fast to their small-town traditions? And is Cav truly ready to trade his crown for a chance at love and a new life in the land of sweet tea and Southern charm?

This single parent dating experiment is about to go viral...JamesonWhen my eight-year-old son starts asking question about love, I decide to use a magazine article on how to woo a woman to prove, once and for all, that romantic love doesn't exist. Companionship, habit, mild fondness, sure, but not that thing called love. I have my hypothesis ready and I'm dead set on experimenting on my new neighbor, the single mom who does the weirdest things.But my experiment goes awry in unexplainable ways...Lily-MarieWhen dating apps fail me spectacularly, I decide to go old school and use a 1950s magazine I dug up at a yard sale to help find Mr. Right.Fifty Ways to Find a Husband.Sounds legit.Problem is, my new neighbor, Mr. Science Professor, keeps blocking my attempts. And keeps losing his shirt. How does a book nerd have so many muscles anyway? Thing is, my kids like his son and we start spending a lot of time together, which is distracting me from my ultimate goal: to find a husband to sweep me off my feet and be a good father to my kids.Things get comical quick when my best friend records everything in her daily newspaper column. I can't help but wonder if single moms like me can actually catch a husband. Or will this Mom-Com go viral as an epic train wreck?

Sometimes you have to fake it till you make it, in life and in matters of the heart.WalkerI practically have Widower stamped on my forehead as a speaker traveling the world talking about my experience losing my wife to cancer as newlyweds. Which has always suited me just fine. Until a woman all wrong for me jumpstarts my heart with her comical bad luck at the airport. If I help her out, even for just this weekend, will I also have to throw away my lucrative career as the permanently grieving husband?JemmaThis final yearly trip with my old friends from high school has gone from bad to worse with a broken suitcase handle and my clothes strewn all over the baggage belt. Tall, dark, and handsome has witnessed all my humiliation with that condescending smirk, yet somehow I crave more time with this total stranger. When he offers to get my so-called friends off my back, who am I to say no?But somehow between fake kisses and real conversation, the lines blur on what's pretend and what's true love. But what happens in Colorado, has to stay in Colorado. Doesn't it?The Faking It series books are all stand alone sweet romances about fake relationships turning out to be more real than ever suspected. When true love is on the line, you can't fake your feelings...

Who knew a cooking show could get so messy? Elle FierroAll I have to do is appear as a judge on this cooking show in Hollywood and my restaurant will open to rave reviews. Pretty much my lifelong dream. What I absolutely shouldn't do is sleep with one of the contestants and ruin everything I've worked so hard for. But he gives good hugs, makes me laugh, fills out a simple T-shirt like nobody's business, and is sweeter than the maple syrup he dripped all over my naked body last night... Austin CoxI may have been drunk when I applied to be on that reality cooking show, which is why it's hard to believe I'm here. What's even harder to believe is that Elle, with her painted red lips and fiery disposition, is in my bed and making me forget I need to win this damn show to get my little sister out of the foster care system. When Elle throws me under the bus to realize her dream, will our love burn out or will we find the missing ingredient to happiness? The Missing Ingredient is the first book in the romantic comedy series, Reality of Love.

When a case of mistaken identity leads to a naked make-out session with my hot new employee, I decide to do the sensible thing and stay far, far away to save both our jobs. Trouble is, all the whiskey and women in the world can't burn that memory out of my brain. She's everything I'm not: a happy, non-swearing, ray of sunshine. She's positively annoying, but I can't deny the burning attraction that sparks every time we're near each other. When a statewide tsunami warning puts my crew of lifeguards in a life or death emergency, Sunny and I have to set our feelings aside to work closely together. Crazy enough, the tsunami and tenuous job situation are the least of my worries when she starts digging around in my dark past.

Chaos - a state of complete disorder and confusion; unpredictable; a gaping voidI spend my days a buttoned up schoolteacher coordinating the CareDare program for my high school English students and my nights with my book boyfriends, not daring to think I could procure one in real life. It's precise, it's controlled....and boring as hell.The tide shifts and I find myself with a hippie lifeguard who provokes me as much as he turns me on, a Senior class in upheaval, a crazy Beach Squad that wants to befriend me, a wild twin sister back in my business, and a public challenge to expose my long-held secret for the greater good.Do I deduce this chaos is all serendipitous, meant to thrust me into my true place in the world? Ultimately, I have to decide if I can kick off my shoes, dig my toes in the sand, and trust in love again.

A sweet, but focused woman. A stalker out to bring the woman down. A man willing to swoop in and save the damsel. And a ride or die best friend. All the right ingredients for a comical romance with heart.After college, I vowed to focus all my energy on fulfilling my promise to my mom: to open up the hot chocolate store we'd always dreamed of running together. No distractions. My plans are set.But things heat up faster than I can handle when a bronzed lifeguard pursues me in the most delicious of ways. Mix in a stalker determined to throw me off my game, and a comical, ass-kicking Squad of friends...well, then you have a situation that requires time I don't have.I may appear to be a damsel in distress, but I can save my own damn self, thank you very much. And I might just keep that hottie lifeguard as the whipped cream on top of my sweet dreams.