All proceeds from the volume will be donated to
the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), the largest
anti-sexual violence organization in the United States.
Synopsis
What happens when love gets caught in the rain?
In this romance anthology, RITA-Award winning author Molly
O’Keefe shows us the power of a city thunderstorm from the top of a skyscraper,
while Amy Jo Cousins soaks us in a rain in Spain. New York Times bestselling
author Ruthie Knox’s heroine is devastated by a winter storm, while a summer
thunderstorm grants Alexandra Haughton’s hero and heroine a second chance at
love. Rain sparks self-awareness in the robot in Charlotte Stein’s story and
allows Mary Ann Rivers’s heroine to fall in love with her hero and her own art.
Rain causes romance between the college students in Audra North’s and Shari
Slade’s stories, while romance causes rain in Cecilia Tan’s myth-inspired tale
of a sacrifice to a demi-god. Nine romance novelettes, edited by Sarah Frantz.
Buy Links
Behind the Book
Summer Rain, like so many projects, started out as nothing
more than a simple feeling: a desire to make a positive difference in the
world. So often, making a difference begins with giving something. It might be
money, time, or both, or something else altogether…but most importantly, it is
about giving, and giving vibrantly—with a focused mind, a full heart, and an
understanding spirit.
Giving vibrantly leads to vibrant change. Powerful, positive
change. Through the incredible generosity of eight other talented authors and
one talented editor, that starting point—that desire to make a positive
difference—turned into an act of vibrant giving. Summer Rain is a collection of
powerful stories about love, written with the hope of making a positive change.
Each year, nearly a quarter of a million sexual assaults are
committed in the US, nearly half of them against victims under the age of
eighteen. RAINN assists so many of these survivors, not only by operating
telephone and online hotlines for victims of sexual abuse, but also by working
in partnership with rape crisis centers in the United States of America,
providing programs to prevent sexual abuse, and helping to bring abusers to
justice.
About
the Works
Redemption
by Ruthie Knox
Jessie Bellin’s cheese shop is failing, her house is falling apart,
and the mortgage is ninety days overdue. With nothing left to offer, she’ll
take what she can get from the handyman who wants nothing but her body. But
when Mike Kaminsky suddenly asks for more, Jessie has to figure out exactly
what she wants—and if it’s possible for a woman who’s lost everything to learn
how to hope again.
The
Heart of It by Molly O’Keefe
Gabe seems outwardly successful and
content, but inwardly, he struggles to banish the lingering demons of his
childhood. Elena is a survivor herself and knows that the smart move is to walk
away from Gabe. But his pain and his hope are too compelling to resist.
Are these two wounded people brave
enough to find love together?
Sacrifice by Cecilia Tan
When a tenth century trader from the
Orient sells his daughter to a Macedonian, he doesn’t ask why the man needs a
virgin, little knowing she is intended to fulfill an ancient pact with a
demigod who can end the crushing drought. But this demigod has sworn off his
father’s rapacious ways. With the influence of the ancient pantheon waning,
only love can heal them all.
Real
Feelings by Charlotte Stein
Moira longs for a connection—any
kind of connection with anyone—and is beginning to despair she will ever find
it. In desperation, she purchases an android, hoping against hope that she can
find some solace in a simulation of the real thing. But what she doesn’t expect
is Michael—a machine that seems to be more than the sum of his parts.
Rainy
Season by Mary Ann Rivers
Lisa Shirek is everyone’s favorite
barista. She does more than get her customers’ orders right: she gets her customers. She can see the most
painful moments of their lives like stormy weather around their bodies, and she
does what she can to soothe that pain with the right smile, the right words,
the perfect combination of coffee and foam. Except, then, there’s Mark—he’s a
sunbeam, a mystery made of light. He breaks through the storm around her so she
can see herself, for herself.
The
Rain in Spain by Amy Jo Cousins
Travel writer Magda and scientist
Javi are cranky with the heat—and each other—on the streets of Sevilla. They’ve
been married for a year, after a whirlwind courtship, and Magda is questioning
whether or not she made a mistake. She’s not sure if her need to explore the
world can ever mesh with Javi’s more regimented life.
As they stroll the cobblestone
streets of one of Spain’s most romantic cities, Magda tries to show her husband
just what it is she loves so much about her job that keeps her far from home
for so long. By the time the sun rises, they’ll know if there is a way forward
for them together . . . or not.
Fitting
In by Audra North
Stas Petrovich is sure that being
elected president of his college class will grant him the social acceptance he
craves. But when rain ruins his campaign event, he’s left in the company of the
Weird Girl, the one person guaranteed to jeopardize his chances. But he
discovers that Leila dos Santos is fun and genuine and sexy as hell, and he’s
forced to reconsider what’s most important to him.
Private
Study by Shari Slade
Tess Bell’s sex vlog flashes on
another student’s tablet screen in the middle of an economics lecture. Worst of
all, the guy she’s been secretly eyeing all semester sees it, too, and asks her
out for coffee at the local diner. Is he like their awful classmate, convinced
he's owed something because Tess dares to be curious about sex, or does he
really want to know her? Only one thing is certain: nothing is private
anymore.
Storm
Warning by Alexandra Haughton
When Amy Collier left behind her
dreams—and her pride—in L.A., she hoped for a few quiet months to regroup. She
never dreamed her hometown’s welcoming committee would take the form of Tom
Wilson. Well, he could just keep his I-told-you-so grin and his sexy-cowboy
charm; she doesn’t want any part of it.
Except seeing him again stirs up a
storm of emotion, and she must try to reconcile bitter memories of their past
with her uncertain future—a future that might be a whole lot brighter with Tom
in it.
About
the Authors
About Ruthie Knox
New York Times
bestselling author Ruthie Knox
writes contemporary romance that’s sexy, witty, and angsty—sometimes all three
at once. A four-time RITA finalist, she’s penned the only existing
cross-country bicycling love story (Ride
with Me) and made readers swoon with a banker heroine named Neville (About Last Night). As Robin York, she
also writes angsty, intelligent New Adult romance. Ruthie moonlights as a
mother, Tweets incessantly, and bakes a mean focaccia. She’d love to hear from
you, so visit her website at www.ruthieknox.com and drop her a line.
Website: ruthieknox.com
Facebook: facebook.com/RuthieKnox
Twitter: twitter.com/RuthieKnox
About Molly O’Keefe
Molly O'Keefe is a RITA Award
winning author who writes sexy and compelling contemporary romance for
Harlequin and Bantam Dell. She lives in Toronto with her husband, two kids and
the largest heap of dirty laundry in North America.
Sign up for Molly’s
newsletter to find out about new releases and receive The Author Is…interview
series at www.molly-okeefe.com
Website: molly-okeefe.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MollyOKBooks
Twitter: twitter.com/MollyOKWrites
About Cecilia Tan
Cecilia Tan is the award-winning
author of Slow Surrender (RT
Reviewers Choice for Erotic Romance), The
Prince’s Boy, Daron’s Guitar
Chronicles, and many other works of passionate fiction. She is also the
founder and editorial director of Circlet Press, publishers of erotic fantasy
and science fiction. She is easy to find on the internet.
Website: ceciliatan.com
Facebook: facebook.com/cecilia.tan
Twitter: twitter.com/ceciliatan
About Charlotte Stein
Charlotte Stein has written over
thirty short stories, novellas, and novels, including entries in The Mammoth Book of Hot Romance and Best New Erotica 10. Her latest
work, Run To You, was recently a
DABWAHA finalist. When not writing deeply emotional and intensely sexy books,
she can be found eating jelly turtles, watching terrible sitcoms, and
occasionally lusting after hunks. For more on Charlotte, visit: charlottestein.net.
Website: charlottestein.net
Twitter: twitter.com/Charlotte_Stein
About Mary Ann Rivers
Mary Ann Rivers has written stories
as long as she can remember. She lives in Wisconsin with her imaginative son,
who won’t remember ever not hearing or writing stories. She writes love books
for humans.
Website: maryannrivers.com
Facebook: facebook.com/maryannriversromanceauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/MaryAnn_Rivers
About Amy Jo Cousins
Amy Jo Cousins lives in Chicago,
where she writes contemporary romance, tweets more than she ought, and
sometimes runs way too far. She loves her son and the Cubs, who taught her that
being awesome doesn't necessarily have anything to do with winning.
Website: amyjocousins.com
Facebook: facebook.com/amyjo.cousins.9
Twitter: twitter.com/_AJCousins
About Audra North
Audra North fell in love with
romance at age thirteen and spent the next twenty years reading as many romance
novels as she could. Even now, after
having read over one thousand of them, she still can’t resist the lure of a
happily ever after, and her collection continues to grow. She lives near Boston with her husband, three
young children, and a lot of books.
Website: audranorth.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/AudraNorthAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/AudraNorth
About Shari Slade
Shari Slade is a snarky optimist. A
would-be academic with big dreams and very little means. When she isn’t toiling
away in the non-profit sector, she’s writing gritty stories about identity and
people who make terrible choices in the name of love (or lust). Somehow, it all
works out in the end. If she had a patronus, it would be a platypus.
Sign up for her newsletter to stay up-to-date
on all the latest releases, happenings, and events.
Website: sharislade.com
Facebook: facebook.com/authorsharislade
Tumblr: sharislade.tumblr.com
Twitter: twitter.com/ShariSlade
About Alexandra Haughton
Alexandra Haughton lives and writes
in a cozy urban cottage. Contrary to popular belief, it is not wall-to-wall
pink and glitter. Yet. She makes a mean chicken fried steak and has a
weakness for Italian Cream Cake (no nuts). When Alexandra isn’t writing
contemporary romance, you can find her out and about in Dallas. Just look for
the woman in a cardigan. Even if it is 103.
Find out more about Alexandra and
her writing by visiting her website.
Website: alexandrahaughton.com
Twitter: twitter.com/WriterAHaughton
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