James Beard Award Cookbooks Novels & Stories

*****Book series one Dragons *********** In the bustling streets of New York City, Ella Hart embarks on a fresh start, leaving behind the sunny shores of California. Determined to find a that matches her ambition and drive, she lands a coveted position at Brenton Cooperative, a prestigious company with a stellar reputation. Little does Ella know that her first day at work will unravel an unexpected twist of fate. As she steps into the office, she comes face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend, Darcus Miller, now the enigmatic CEO of Brenton Cooperative. Caught off guard by this unexpected reunion, Ella finds herself torn between lingering emotions and the commitment she made to her fiancé, James Davis. The lines between personal and professional become blurred as Ella grapples with the rekindled feelings for Darcus, while striving to maintain her engagement. As she delves deeper into her new role, Ella discovers hidden secrets and a world of magic surrounding her enigmatic ex-boyfriend. Will Ella succumb to the magnetic pull of Darcus, jeopardizing her future with James? Can she unravel the mysteries behind Darcus' life and the newfound world of magic that entwines them?

“I don’t f*ck virgins, red.” *** When feisty Eleanor, accidentally stumbles on an arrogant infuriating billionaire Liam James, he's instantly captivated by her. However, on first meeting, he treats her like a piece of dirt. Flaunting his money on her face. Falling for him would be the death of her. But how long can she resist?

What happens when the man who has everything loses his moral compass? Ethan, the son-in-law of billionaire James Parker, is about to find out. As he navigates the treacherous world of wealth and power, Ethan must confront the darkness within himself and the family he's married into. Will he emerge from the shadows with a newfound sense of purpose, or will his quest for revenge destroy him?

How on earth did I let myself fall completely for him? “How do I tell the world that my first orgasm came from my father’s son—my brother, and he doesn’t know yet?” Annabel Green, who had caught her first ever lover, James, in bed with Stephanie, her best friend, went on a mission of revenge. After she found out that the man who she bumped into at the club that night she caught her ex cheating, is actually Stephanie’s fiancé—Daniel stroke. She planned on using him as a tool just to make James regret cheating on her and drive Stephanie insane. But she had no idea that Daniel was her father’s son. By the time she had gotten her revenge, only then did they realize how late it was, because they had both fallen hopelessly in love. Now the question is who will let each other go? Will Daniel and Annabel agree to part ways just to see their parents happy. Or will their parents actually get a divorce in order to see their children live a happy life?

James Wesley has hated me for a decade after his childhood sweetheart passed away. He requests to be transferred to the frontier the day after we get married. I write him countless letters in those ten years to win back his favor, but his response is always the same. "If you truly regret it, why don't you hurry up and die?" However, after I am abducted, James storms the bandit's hideout by himself and saves me. He suffers multiple bullet wounds, but before he succumbs to his injuries, he uses the last of his strength to slap my hands away. "The thing I regret the most… in this life… is marrying you. If we get a second chance at life… please… don't bother me anymore." His mother, Felicia Axford, sounds regretful during the funeral. "It's all my fault, James. I shouldn't have forced you to marry her…" His father, Jeremiah Wesley, stares at me, his eyes burning with contempt. "You forced Emily to take her own life, and now you also caused my son's death. You're nothing but trouble, so you should just die!" Even Xavier Bowen, our troop commander, who was responsible for facilitating our marriage in the first place, shakes his head and sighs. "I shouldn't have played matchmaker. I let you down, Mr. Wesley." Everyone feels sympathetic toward James, including me. On the night I am discharged from the troop, I swallow some pesticide and die in the middle of an abandoned field. When I open my eyes again, I realize I have returned to the day before my marriage. This time, I am determined to fulfill everyone's wishes.

Star crossed lovers are not always star crossed because of the fault in their stars. Mostly, it is the fault in the society. Ashton James Schwimmer is every girl's dream: Handsome, rich and excellently brilliant. He is the only heir to Schwimmer group of companies. Girls are ready to throw themselves at his footsteps but he has his eyes only on Katherine, the new girl at school.Katherine Pearl Earnshaw is a hopeful young school girl, who is orphaned at the age of three. Her extraordinary brilliance lands her in Richmond High school with a scholarship. That's where she meets Ashton James Schwimmer. He changes the way she looks at life and makes her believe in love. Heartbreak comes when Callie, Ashton's best friend starts to plot ways against the couple. Their love is put to test and when everything falls apart, they end up divorcing each other.After enduring betrayal of false friendship, Ashton is grief-stricken until he meets Katherine again after three years, rekindling the spark and passion that they both thought was lost. Will he be able to gain her trust and a second chance to prove his love for her?

Luna Scaloni's life takes an unexpected turn when she becomes involved with a mysterious but notorious millionaire, James Bexell, CEO and single father. As Luna tries to resist him, she can't help but get caught up in the whirlwind of trouble he brings. His past and present will intertwine in a romance full of conflicts from the past that will lead them to unearth the darkest and hidden side of him.

Sofia Richards, the only daughter of the old billionaire James Richards is celebrating her 20th birthday out in town as her last billionaire wish. James got into dirty deals and has seen his fortune drawn under wrong investments. Wrong advice? Fake bills? Evil plot? All Sofia knows is that she is forced to marry Alex Holmes, the most desired Billionaire in town, in order to save her dad from jail or death. What happens when she realises that the one night stand she had on her birthday night is no other than her future husband's twin brother? When the love, attraction and secrets between them grow further into a secret relationship? What happens when this brother gets married and her ruthless husband discovers the relationship they had been entertaining?! How will Sofia cope with all this drama knowing that a baby is on the way and she doesn't know who the father might be? What about her father’s life? The contract? Things have turned out unpredictability and now what will Sofia do when her father tells her about true identity?

The most popular girl in school, Mona Culver, could only apply for the city's worst community college because of her poor school results. My childhood friend, James Holden, got our entire class to fill out application forms for community college too. It was his attempt to negotiate with Northrind University's admissions department to make an exception for Mona to study there. The top thirty students in the city shared pictures of their amended application forms to community college. Back in my past lifetime, I tried my best to talk them out of it. The application submission deadline was the next day, and no amendments would be allowed after that. If they wasted their time threatening Northrind by applying to community college, and the deadline passed, nothing could be done to change the results, even if they were the city's top thirty students. Their dreams of attending an Ivy League school would be quashed after ten years of hard work, and no one knew what their future would hold after that. James got angry and berated me, "You're just afraid Mona will be better than you once we start classes at Northrind. Stop pretending like you're doing this for us!" The rest of my classmates were also upset with me, and they turned their fury on me. "Our high school results mean nothing. With our abilities, we would still be able to attend Northrind next year if we repeat the year. You should just mind your own business!" We had been classmates for three years, and I could not let them compromise their futures. I informed our principal and their parents of their plans, and their application forms were amended. I managed to stop them from threatening Northrind's admissions department. All of them were accepted by Northrind in the end, and they became elites in their respective industries with bright futures ahead. Mona ended up getting pregnant with a thug's child while in community college, and she suffered from both physical and mental issues. She fell into deep depression and even attempted suicide several times. James broke down when he learned the truth, and he blamed it all on me. He worked with our classmates to fabricate evidence that I committed plagiarism, and they poisoned my drink. Even my parents were burned to death by a patient from a mental hospital. When I was reborn into this lifetime, I saw James change our group chat's name into 'Fight for True Love! Let's Go to Northrind Together!' I left the group without hesitation and blocked everyone's numbers.

Jessiah is a make-up artist aspiring to break into the modeling and beauty industry. She moves to LA when she lands a job at one of the biggest production companies in Hollywood. On her first week on the job, she meets Jenson Ross, a big-deal actor with a murky past and a dark secret only a privileged few know about. × Genres: Romance, Werewolf, Crime EXCERPT [BOOK I of CALI ALPHAS ] _ _ _ "Dollface," he murmured with a little smirk. He snickered and caressed the back of her head, pulling her closer to his chest. "You're like an antidepressant, in human form." Her breath caught.  Her heart sped up when his hug tightened. His warm face pressed onto her neck, his strong hands lightly squeezing her hips. Moments like this only worsened her attraction to him.  The flirty jokes, the easy conversations, the small smiles, his furtive glances, and his unusually sweet gestures lately... She was in deep trouble. Was he kissing her neck?  Shit. He was no longer thinking straight.  About this. About her. About the consequences. He drew her closer when she tried to pull away. As if he didn't want her out of his sight. While his beard scraped her skin, his thighs touched hers. Her throat ached as he stared into her eyes. "Dammit," he sighed, his thumb tracing the curve of her neck, his touch both gentle and eager.  "Why are you so f-cking beautiful?"  "Joss, I need to g—" "Why now?" he murmured, stroking her cheek. He wasn't acting drunk or playing with her.  Not like this. He wouldn't. Not with her real feelings barely held together by some unspoken truths. Otherwise he wouldn't dare let it get this far.  But why wouldn't he let go? "Just stay. Please. Stay here with me." _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _