Diabetes in Fiction

As a surgical intern, my life is a relentless cycle of work and more work. If I lose focus, even for one second, my career could be on the line. So when my living situation unexpectedly changes, the last thing I need is the distraction of house hunting. Which is why I don’t hesitate to say yes when my best friend and esteemed surgeon, Dr. Parker Winters, comes to my rescue with an offer I can’t refuse: A room in his luxurious penthouse, free of charge. The only condition? Keep an eye on his little sister. It sounds straightforward until I discover my new roommate is none other than the woman who’s been haunting my thoughts since I first met her. The one who never called me back and is now utterly off-limits. In the fiercely competitive field of orthopedics, I’ve learned to fight for what I want. But what if what I want most is the one thing I should avoid at all costs – my best friend’s sister?

Social life? What social life? Romance? Not a chance. Working as a lifeguard at Sea Side Cove and passing her classes takes up all of Katie’s time and energy. She just needs to survive this semester and one more, and it’ll all be worth it. But the new surfing instructor must have knocked a screw loose when he hit her with that door, because Hunter’s got her daydreaming about a future. Even the cat likes him. The Wishing Well is a charity organization that helps sick kids go on family vacations. They need volunteers for a fundraiser on a cruise ship. Katie can’t afford to give up a day of pay to work for free until she finds out Hunter is the one asking. Eight lifeguards board the Championship Casino Cruise, but when armed gunmen storm the ship, they find themselves gambling with their lives.

Klara and Alex are having trouble connecting, but at least their calendars are in sync. Klara—who’s always thought of herself as a little different, a sneaker in a world full of kitten heels and polished boots—is feeling a disconnect these days. She has type 1 diabetes, currently works in a dead-end job, and is in desperate need of a change. When her dad falls ill, Klara begrudgingly agrees to help run his small construction company while he recovers, even though it means moving back home and pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone to the extreme. Alex has been a shell of himself since his brother died in an accident. He’s unemployed, has bills piling up, and is distant from friends and family. His therapist is encouraging him to keep things manageable by setting up a calendar, checking off tasks each day, and looking for work to help get him back on his feet. When an ad pops up for a carpenter position at a small construction company, he jumps at the chance to take a step forward. Klara’s and Alex’s stories unfold through a series of miscommunications in this clever and witty novel from debut author Ally Zetterberg that’s about finding acceptance and even love in unexpected places.

Viggo Bergman, hopeless romantic, is thoroughly weary of waiting for his happily ever after. But between opening a romance bookstore, running a romance book club, coaching kids’ soccer, and adopting a household of pets—just maybe, he’s overcommitted himself?—Viggo’s chaotic life has made finding his forever love seem downright improbable. Enter Tallulah Clarke, chilly cynic with a massive case of writer’s block. Tallulah needs help with her thriller’s romantic subplot. Viggo needs another pair of hands to keep his store afloat. So they agree to swap skills and cohabitate for convenience—his romance expertise to revive her book, her organizational prowess to salvage his store. They hardly get along, and they couldn’t be more different, but who says roommate-coworkers need to be friends? As they share a home and life, Tallulah and Viggo discover a connection that challenges everything they believe about love, and reveals the plot twist they never saw happily ever after is here already, right under their roof.

They say home is where the heart is, and Rory Whatley knows better than most just how true that is. Neglected by her parents from a young age, she found "home" in Sam Capshaw, a shy but big-hearted boy who welcomed her into his family when they were seven years old. He was her entire world until a friendship-ending argument ripped it all out from under her. She's spent the last decade trying to pretend that Sam never existed, drowning her sorrow in fantasy novels by her favorite author, the reclusive J. Edward Michael. Now back in Asheville, she's determined to start anew, but those plans quickly crumble when she learns Sam has also moved home and their mutual friends make seeing him again an inevitability. When she and Sam reconnect, it's as though no time has passed at all. He's still the same sweet, people-pleasing guy he used to be-and the same guy who broke her heart when they were eighteen years old. Then a mysterious Advanced Reader Copy of J. Edward Michael's next book turns up on her doorstep, with a plot that seems to parallel her complicated relationship with Sam. As her feelings for Sam grow stronger and the book becomes more uncanny in its detail, Rory is forced to reflect on the relationships that have defined her for most of her life. Told in alternating timelines between their childhood and the present, BETWEEN THE LINES perfectly encapsulates the nostalgia of childhood friendships and first loves interwoven with the struggle of forgiving old hurts and the fear of losing the people who matter most.

If this arranged marriage falls through, we’re going to lose our ranches. Doesn’t matter that our families hate one another and have for generations – they came to terms behind our backs. To save our legacies, I’ll go through with it but the first time I face Colton Korhonen, I state, ‘I want a divorce.’ She’s the wife I didn’t want until I married her. Coming face to face with our small-town’s hatred of her and how her grandmother treats her, triggers every protective bone in my body. Screw business – if marrying her is the only way to keep her safe, I’ll do it. But as I get to know my wife, tell me why I want those rings on her finger to remain there permanently?

Elody Lorrent’s heart was fused to another at an early age. But what happens when life takes a tragic turn and she’s left behind to pick up the pieces? Burying her husband found a way to bury her soul as well. Elody now lives for her kids. Her chance at love was lost the moment her husband took his last breath. She never saw her future by someone else’s side. The only thing she didn’t account for was the grumpy parent of one of her students. Wyatt was never known for his warm personality. His world consisted of hockey and his daughter. The only issue was his daughter’s teacher took hold of his heart in an unexpected way. When Elody and Wyatt’s worlds collide, Elody fights the love that blossoms because she doesn’t trust the harsh realities that come along with living. She can’t give her heart to another after all the pain she endured. She lived on top of the world and everything collapsed. Wyatt didn’t understand that reality. If only he fell… This is book 2 of an interconnected standalone. Although it can be read independently from the other books of the series, it is highly recommended to read the books in order to optimize your reading experience.

Have a baby with my new boss? Not exactly what I had in mind when I decided I wanted to try to get pregnant. But that’s exactly the situation I find myself in with Dr. Bennett Lawson. The ridiculously gorgeous, broody billionaire I kissed years ago is asking to have a baby with me. We both have our reasons for wanting this and with our ugly pasts, it’s an undeniably convenient arrangement. No love. No relationship. Strictly business. Now I’m living with him and pretending every searing touch, whispered word, and moaned breath is all in the name of our contract and nothing more. Even as it becomes harder to keep our hands to ourselves and our feelings separate. But when that stick shines with two pink lines, we both know what we’ve grown addicted to has to stop. Except what happens when everything starts to fall apart and what we promised would never happen becomes the one thing we can no longer live without? Except what happens when everything starts to fall apart and what we promised would never happen becomes the one thing we can no longer live without?

ATLAS - Lauren Locklear. She has no idea that I would do anything for her. She doesn’t understand the mountains I would climb just to keep her safe. That’s okay though, I’ll make sure she does. She thinks she’s weak, and given the lack of love and support from those closest to her, I can understand why. That changes now, I will make her see the strong woman I see when I look at her. I’ve pined for her in secret, wanting nothing more than to show her what she could have. But with my past still haunting me, I knew it would be best to stay back. That is, until she needs access to health insurance and I see a solution to both her problem and my dilemma. All she has to do is say yes. REN - I’ve done something stupid. Something reckless. Something everyone will judge me for and I’m risking everything. My family. My career. Myself. I’m always too much to handle and the men I’ve allowed into my life have always reminded me of my shortcomings, even when it’s their fists doing the reminding. No one has ever truly cared for me, loved me. And then Atlas Hart asks me to marry him in order to save my life. This isn’t love. It’s barely a friendship, or so I thought. But as the days go by and I see what he so selflessly risks for me, I cannot help but think that maybe… this could be more.

Jo Quinn has everything under control. After her engagement suddenly ends, she is perfectly fine, thank you very much. Until her first love crashes through her walls and back into her life. Hunter Cleary is looking for a new start after coming out, and moving in with her first love might not be the best way to do it, but it definitely isn’t the worst. When her new roommate finds herself planning her ex-fiance’s wedding, Hunter steps up to the plate and volunteers to help in an unconventional way. Jo surprises herself when she agrees to the outlandish plan because, really, it can’t make things worse. The more fake they are with the world, the more real Jo and Hunter are with each other, slowly realizing that there’s so much more to the other than meets the eye. Because even though they’re not fifteen anymore, they still might be exactly who the other needs.

Ash Keller prefers to keep her heart colder than the morgue. Having sworn off love after a disastrous breakup, she’s learned to thrive in her new career as a death doula. When her millionaire client, Augustus Fox, asks her to accompany him on an all-expenses paid trip to mend family ties and fulfill last wishes, she agrees. There’s just one nail in her coffin. Nathaniel Whitford—her client’s absurdly gorgeous, grumpy doctor of a grandson—is along for the trip. A man who has hated her guts since she crashed his wedding years ago. It’ll be a miracle if she survives this vacation without being tossed into a volcano. Still, Ash refuses to let Nathaniel’s smug smirk and rippling pectorals take her focus away from her death doula-ing duties. She can survive two weeks in paradise with his offensively handsome face. But when falling coconuts and family drama threaten to derail the vacation, Ash and Nathaniel strike a deal: Bury their animosity and make the vacation perfect for Augustus. Soon, a tentative bond—and mutual attraction—forms between the unlikely pair. With every tropical misadventure and steamy late-night hookup, Ash realizes there’s more to Nathaniel than his barbed banter and uptight façade. Suddenly love seems more complicated than death. And as the trip comes to an end, Ash must decide whether she’ll keep her heart six feet under or risk it all…for better or hearse.

Lyla Santiago has spent months working on a research project that could be the key to getting a permanent job in her field. So, she can’t really drop everything to go to a desert island with her actor boyfriend Nico to film _One Perfect Couple_, a new reality TV show that Nico is sure will lead to his big break – can she? Two weeks later, Lyla finds herself boarding a boat to an isolated luxury resort in the Indian Ocean. The rules of the game are simple. Ten strangers have to survive together on the island – and the last couple standing scoops the prize. There will be sun, sea, laughs and a little competitive flirting. What could possibly go wrong? But after the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to contact the crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla realises that someone is playing this game for real – and they’ll stop at nothing to win.