Valentine's Inc. Cruises

Series · 10 books · 2019

By Brittany Cournoyer, Ashe Winters, Nora Phoenix, and more

Books in series

Ship Work

2019

Falling in love with your boss is never a good idea. Now if someone could just explain that to my heart. Dane: When I first started working for Holt Atwood, I respected him. That respect turned to like, and eventually into love. But Holt is married to his job, and I am not about playing second fiddle to mergers and acquisitions. So it’s time to move on. I can do this one last thing for him though. I can go on this singles cruise with him and help him see that work isn’t all there is to life. If I can do that, I will feel better about leaving him with such short notice. Holt: Work has been my focus for so long I’ve forgotten what it’s like to just let go and have fun. At first, when my parents insisted I go on this cruise because I was on the fast track to burn out, I thought I could take my assistant along and make it a work trip. But Dane has other ideas, and the longer I am around him outside of work, the more I realize maybe everyone is right. Maybe I have been so focused on work I’ve missed what’s really important. I just hope it’s not too late to convince Dane I want him for more than work. I want him forever.

Shipping Orders

2019

A happy ever after is not in the cards for me. But a short fling aboard a ship crossing the Atlantic might just be exactly what I need. When my friends suggest I take a much-needed vacation on their Valentine’s Inc. hosted cruise, I leap at the chance. I don’t have a lot of expectations for this matchmaking singles cruise—I’m certainly not looking for a future Mr. Chase Kelton. What I’m not prepared for is walking into my assigned suite to find a man passed out on the first day. I recognized the shy barista immediately. He’s been serving me my morning fix for a year and driving me crazy with the hard shell he keeps locked around him. I want to break it. I know there’s an entirely different man beneath it that I’m itching to reveal. Reign is the proverbial fish out of water, and when I learn the real reason he’s on this cruise, I see an opportunity I can’t resist. He needs a companion to show him the ropes—I can do that and so much more. An introverted barista with a crush, a wealthy executive afraid to fall in love, and a twist on fake boyfriends. Shipping Orders is a full length, standalone novel in the Valentine’s Inc. multi-author series.

Ship Happens

2019

Photographer Upton Sanders is a proverbial third wheel. Still single after his best friend met the love of his life on the Valentine’s Inc. dating app, Upton assumes he’ll be alone forever. Everything changes when his friends surprise him with a week-long singles cruise. Travel agent Walsh Dunne has never left the state of North Carolina. With the ink on his hospitality degree still wet, he embarks on the S.S. Neptune to learn about the cruise industry and the ship’s exotic ports of call. It isn’t until a chance encounter with Upton that Walsh learns this is no ordinary cruise. Excited to attend the Ship Happens dating events, Upton has zero luck meeting the man of his dreams. The one man he is forever running into, Walsh, keeps rescuing him from sticky situations. Finished with the vain men he’s met so far, Upton and Walsh team up to explore the islands. Sparks fly between the men, making them think a relationship in the real world is possible. Back on shore, both men are excited about the future, until an emergency calls Walsh back home. Can the star-crossed lovers find a way back to each other? Or will their love go down with the ship?

Battle Ship

2019

Dawson Hoshaw lives by one motto—work hard, play harder. As the owner of Blue Lotus, a tattoo and piercing shop, he’s got the first part covered. The second part, he accomplishes through meaningless hookups and no-strings-attached encounters. It’s safer this way, with no risk of getting his heart broken again. But when his best friend, Peyton, enters him in a contest—and wins—Dawson finds himself the recipient of an all-expenses paid singles cruise around Australia, courtesy of Valentine’s Inc. As long as he can remember, Stephen Kincaid has known it’s his duty to take over his family’s chain of men’s clothing stores. The closer his father grows to retirement, the more responsibility Steven assumes. Running multiple businesses and living up to expectations doesn’t leave him with much time for dating, and he can’t remember the last time he took a vacation. So when he wins a contest he didn’t even enter, he can’t pass up the opportunity to see Australia before returning to his humdrum life. When a mix-up forces Dawson and Steven to share a cabin, their dream vacation turns into a nightmare. It wouldn’t be so bad if they could escape each other during the day, but it’s hard not to run into one another. And the more time they spend together, the more they find they don’t want to stay away. After a night of passion, Stephen and Dawson can’t help giving in to the growing feelings between them. But how can they make this vacation fling work once they go back to the real world? Battle Ship is a Valentine’s Inc. novella, but you will see familiar faces with this Forever in Middlebury Crossover. It can be read as a standalone and is intended for adults 18 and over.

Luck of the Ship

2019

You won! I have two tickets for the Valentine’s Inc. Singles Cruise in August. All expenses paid for you and a friend.” Elio~ When I get a call about winning a cruise, at first I think it’s a scam, but when they start sending me the info—and the tickets—I realize it’s the real deal. My best friend was supposed to go with me, but when he dropped out at the last minute, I don’t want to go alone. Somehow he convinces me to call Lamar, the guy I went on one date with a few months ago and haven’t been able to get out of my head. Lamar agrees to go, and now I’m panicking because the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen is going with me… Me, the nerdy, dorky guy that’s so nervous I can hardly speak when I’m around him. Lamar~ I’ve been working for Valentine’s Inc. for a while now, so I’ve been on a ton of dates. So many men, I usually forget them after a few days, and none that I want to date for real. But then there’s Elio. It’s been months, and the sweet, shy guy never called me, but I still find myself thinking about him. And then he contacts me, asking me to go on a cruise, and I jump at the opportunity. For one thing, I’ve never been able to travel, so I want the experience; for another, it’s Elio. I’ve been drawn to him since we met, and now I’ll have a whole week where he won’t be able to run from me again. Maybe with a little luck, Elio and Lamar will find the one thing they didn’t know they needed: love. Luck of the Ship is a standalone contemporary romance following Elio and Lamar (Dakota’s best friend from Color My Kiss). It is intended for adults 18+.

Captain Silver Fox

2019

That moment when your spectacular one night stand turns out to be your sexy, older new boss. FML. Brantley Phipps doesn’t want a boyfriend. In his line of work, relationships are impossible. All he wants is one night of fun before he starts his ten-week rotation as assistant hotel director on a cruise ship. He scores the jackpot with a hot older guy who hits all his yes, please buttons and who wants the same thing as him. Their chemistry is explosive, hot damn. Talk about a night to remember. That should last him a while… Until he discovers that his one-night stand is none other than the legendary Captain Silver Fox aka his new boss. Oops. Still, it shouldn’t be an issue because Brantley doesn’t do coworkers and Fox is known for being strict as hell about not dating employees. That should make things easy, if not for that pesky attraction that keeps flaring up whenever they're in the same room. Or on the same ship. What the hell do they have to do to get rid of that? It's gonna be a long three months... Captain Silver Fox is a stand alone MM romance with an age gap, yummy steamy scenes, a Caribbean setting on a cruise ship, and a one-night stand that turns into an embarrassing case of falling for the boss. This book was previously published as Shipping the Captain, but the content is unchanged.

Abandoning Ship

2019

When the seas of love grow choppy, sometimes the best course is to abandon ship! Two years ago, Ryan Abernathy was too tongue-tied, too introverted, and entirely too nervous to flirt with his hot but presumably straight new roommate. So when Ryan’s sister swooped in and scooped the hottie up for herself, he accepted his fate and kept his crush a secret. Sawyer Muller never meant to find himself in a fake relationship with his sexy roommate's sister. And how was he supposed to know that Ryan would become his bestie and star in way too many of his dreams? Things get complicated when Julia Abernathy strikes a deal with Sawyer to upgrade from fake boyfriend to groom, though they only need to stay married long enough for her to get her trust fund. They plan a fun cruise ship wedding with her entire family in tow. Sawyer figures it sounds like an adventure, and when they quietly divorce later, he’ll finally be free of all the fakery. With Julia and Ryan’s homophobic, snooty family present, the pressure is turned up… especially when Sawyer finds himself jilted at the altar and drowning in a sea of blame. His only life preserver is the Abernathy sibling he can’t admit to wanting… Ryan. This is an mm romantic comedy set in the Valentines Inc. world. Watch out for an awkward first kiss, a record-making group wedding, and sexy competitive shuffleboard. Before you board this ship, make sure you pack a fan because things are about to heat up on board this vessel!

Shipping Our Loves

2019

Davis ~ Life hasn’t been the same since Conrad and I lost our boyfriend Eric in a tragic accident. We’ve started looking for a third again, but the men we’ve met are wanting a one-time experience. It’s all just fun to them, but this is our lifestyle, and we want another man to love. Conrad ~ I’m missing our man more than words can say, but that isn’t the only problem. I’d never told my family I was in a triad, so when they came to the funeral and treated Davis like a close friend, without knowing the depth of his sorrow, it gutted me. He deserves better than that. As hopeful as I am we’ll meet someone on this cruise, I’m not sure I’m ready to live honestly. Shane ~ When my friends convince me to splurge and treat myself for a college graduation present, I wasn’t sure a singles cruise was the way to go. What are the chances that the only two men I’m interested in now that I’m here are looking for a third, or that one of them is my best friend’s older brother? But maybe a few days of living the fantasy won’t hurt anyone. Fun in the sun is easy, but what happens when three men go back to real life? Lucky for Conrad and Shane, Davis has his eye on the prize and he’s not backing down. Shipping Our Loves is a 55,000 word standalone novel intended for 18+

Ship Off

2019

Ben - Free spirit. Nomad. Drifter. Those are the labels my family always threw at me. I’ve been on my own and on the road—nothing but me and my motorcycle—for a long time now and that’s the way I like it. When an old friend badgers me into going on a singles cruise, I moan and groan through the whole thing until I find myself in the middle of perfect blue water, getting to know the most beautiful—and uptight man—I’ve ever met. Silas - My twin sister, Simone, is pure evil. Why else would she force a mandatory vacation from our co-owned bakery on me? While I don’t agree that I’m too high-strung, I will admit that my anxiety does sometimes get the best of me. But a singles cruise? I don’t want or have time for a relationship despite what she might think. I give in and go on the cruise, not expecting anything except plenty of sunshine and all the cocktails my drink package will allow, when the perfect stranger settles into the seat next to me and takes my breath away. The only problem? We couldn’t be more opposite if we tried. Ship Off is a stand-alone novella of approximately 30,000 words. It features an exciting time at sea, a terrible Hawaiian shirt collection, and two completely opposite men who couldn’t be more perfect for each other. HEA guaranteed.

#10

Up Ship Creek

2019

What happens when you find out the one person who always rubs you the wrong way can rub you the right way even better? Taylor loathes boats and the water, but he accepts an invitation for a short cruise with his latest fling because the dick is good and he has the vacation time. How bad could it be? When he’s stood up and stranded without a cabin by the dick, he can’t believe who comes to his rescue. How in the hell is he supposed to survive four days in the same room with his secret wet dream armed with only a suitcase full of lingerie? He’ll need every last bit of self-control to survive without climbing and claiming Mount Bart all for himself. Bart’s brother won a cruise and convinced Bart to go. At the very last minute, his brother backs out and he winds up with a huge king suite all to himself. After the ship sails, he sees his favorite sexy designer desperately trying to find a place to stay on the sold-out cruise. Thrilled to come to the rescue, he offers to share his cabin since there’s plenty of room, and only one bed. It’s just the chance he’s been looking for to get Taylor to slow down and see what’s in front of him. Even if Taylor pretends to be immune to his charms, Bart’s a man with a plan and four days to make it happen. Between Taylor’s suitcase of sexy fun, Bart’s surprising playful side, and an unexpected tropical storm, these men will realize that being up the creek without a paddle is sometimes exactly where you’re meant to be. Author Note: This book is a short and sweet 30,000 word stand-alone with a brand new epilogue which follows two characters who were first introduced in the Just the Way You Are series of books. It is not necessary to have read those books to enjoy this one, however, if you’re curious about their world and Fairpoint, there’s more to explore! Also, please note, some liberties were taken with cruise ship protocols and procedures for this story.

Authors

Would you like the long or the short version of my bio? The short? You got it. I write steamy gay romance books and I love it. I also love reading books. Books are everything. How was that? A little more detail? Gotcha. I started writing my first stories when I was a teen…on a freaking typewriter. I still have these, and they’re adorably romantic. And bad, haha. Fear of failing kept me from following my dream to become a romance author, so you can imagine how proud and ecstatic I am that I finally overcame my fears and self doubt and did it. I adore my genre because I love writing and reading about flawed, strong men who are just a tad broken..but find their happy ever after anyway. My favorite books to read are pretty much all MM/gay romances as long as it has a happy end. Kink is a plus… Aside from that, I also read a lot of nonfiction and not just books on writing. Popular psychology is a favorite topic of mine and so are self help and sociology. Hobbies? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Just kidding. I love traveling, spending time near the ocean, and hiking. But I love books more. Come hang out with me in my Facebook Group Nora’s Nook where I share previews, sneak peeks, freebies, fun stuff, and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/noras... Wanna get first dibs on freebies, updates, sales, and more? Sign up for my newsletter (no spamming your inbox full…promise!) here: http://www.noraphoenix.com/newsletter/ You can also stalk me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NoraFromBHR On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nora.phoenix/ On Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nora-...

Sammi Cee was raised in a family of readers. Summer vacations consisted of a good book while sitting lakeside from as far back as she could remember. After growing up and having her own children, her appreciation of how the written word could transport you on an adventure, bring you to tears, or give you hope, took on a whole new meaning. These days Sammi is watching her children develop into fine young ladies while doing the things she enjoys most: drinking coffee, eating chocolate, and writing her own stories.

Michelle Frost

Author · 34 books

Romance writer. Dog mom. Hoarder of coffee cups. She/her.

Michele Notaro

Author · 61 books

Michele is married to an awesome guy that puts up with her and all the burnt dinners she makes—hey, sometimes characters are a bit distracting, and who doesn’t plot when they’re supposed to be cooking? They live together in Baltimore, Maryland with two little monsters, a three-legged princess, a four-legged goofball, and a cutie with giant ears (aka their two kids, their two cats, and their dog). She hopes to rescue another cat soon, and if her hubby wouldn’t kill her, she’d get more than one… and maybe a few more dogs as well. She loves creating worlds filled with lots of love, chosen family, and of course, magic, but she also likes making the characters fight for that happy ending. She hopes to one day write all the stories in her head—even if there are too many to count! If you would like updates on my new books or to be notified when a new book is released, please join my mailing list: http://eepurl.com/cseIXT You can find me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Feel free to contact me. I’d love to hear from you.

Susan Hawke

Author · 28 books

Susan Hawke is more widely known for her mpreg writings as Susi Hawke; this new name is a departure from that. Whether written by Susan or Susi, the books are filled with that all-important love, laughter, and family; the only difference is that this name has no male pregnancy.

Abigail Kade

Author · 14 books

Abigail Kade lives on the Gulf Coast of Alabama with her husband, two children, two cats and one dog. She absolutely believes in true love because she married her high school sweetheart. She saw him at a party, picked him up and they were married five years later. They're still married, and he supports her writing about all things men and love, even if he doesn't understand half of the terms she uses, bless his heart. She was a full time mom and home CEO until she finally decided recently to become what she always wanted to be when she grew up...a writer. She believes everyone deserves their happily ever after, but sometimes it's a difficult path to get there. Now she spends her spare time dreaming and writing about these wonderful characters she has in her head, and telling anyone who will listen that instalove is a very real thing.