Ann DeFee Author
Romance, Fiction, Magical Realism
Port Serenity Series
Police Chief Lavinia "Lolly" LaTullipe has her hands full protecting the people of Port Serenity while being a single mom. Life gets even more hectic when she's hit by a double whammy– dead drug dealers floating up on her beach and Christian Delacroix, an undercover cop sent to investigate the murders. She doesn't need Mr. Tall, Dark and Dangerous on her mind–or messing with her lust-meter–while she's dealing with the mayhem.
Lolly makes quite a first impression by zapping Christian with a taser. Talk about shocking! Her dream is to meet a quiet, respectable man, not someone who wears a gun and deals with the dregs of society. Christian, on the other hand, is drawn to Lolly's white picket fence life—kids, a shaggy dog and a close-knit family.
Set in a small beach town with an eccentric cast of characters, A Texas State of Mind is a fast-paced, fun story of love and family relationships. And BTW, who is that villain?
"A Texas State of Mind is sexy, it's sassy, it's full of action and outrageous characters. The perfect summer read!"
Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author
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What does Dr. Olivia Alvarado— full-time vet and part-time coroner for Port Serenity, Texas—do when she discovers that the man she loves is married? She doesn’t often give her heart away, and this time she did it in spades. Talk about being annoyed—big time! How dare the scoundrel sweep her off her feet when he already has a wife.
Sheriff C.J. Baker has discovered the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. When he was a narcotics cop, he married Selena to get her away from the clutches of her brother, head honcho of a drug cartel. His relationship with Selena has always platonic, and now that he’s divorced he wants to make amends with Olivia, his fiery-tempered brunette beauty.
As fate would have it, Olivia and C.J. are working together on a suspicious death case. And to complicate matters, Selena’s brother is trying to drag her back to South America.
Sparks are flying between C.J. and Olivia, and life in Port Serenity is never dull, especially when mayhem and romance are involved.
“Ann DeFee makes me laugh. Her sexy, sassy books are surefire winners.”
New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber
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Marci Hamilton’s life as a kindergarten teacher heats up when her wacky sister talks her into entering a Texas-wide barbecue sauce cook-off. If they win, she can afford the yellow VW convertible she’s been eyeing. As much as she hates to admit it, it does sound like fun. What Marci doesn't anticipate is meeting J.W. “Johnny Walker” Watson on a deserted ranch road when the sisters breaks down. Marci isn't a country music fan so she doesn't realize that the tall, lanky cowboy is a CMA superstar.
J.W. Watson is going through a rough patch with his ex-wife. Love isn't on his mind, that is until he lays eyes on Marci Hamilton. Now he’s determined to get to know this lady without the brouhaha of fame. So he decides to take an active—but somewhat covert—part in the barbecue sauce cook-off he’s sponsoring.
Will Marci and Johnny be able to cook-up a Texas-sized romance, and will she be driving that VW convertible?
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Landry Valliere—New Orleans defense attorney—never thought that an innocent bet with his law partner would turn his life upside down. All he has to do is survive in Port Serenity, Texas for a month without credit cards or cash. Much to his dismay he discovers that getting a job with his limited practical skills will be a challenge. It takes a couple of nights in a flea-bag hotel, and a dollop of desperation, for Landry to apply for the job of shampoo girl at Sunny McAllister’s salon and dog grooming spa, Double Date.
Sunny’s new employee is definitely eye candy, but there’s something off kilter about him. Her first thought is that he’s running from the law. He’s too smart, too charming, too everything to be doing a menial job in her salon. And speaking of charming, add sexy to that description, and she’s hooked.
The truth about Landry comes out when Sunny’s good friend is accused of murder and needs a hot-shot lawyer.
Will Sunny kick him to the curb for his duplicity? And can a big city attorney and a small town girl have a chance at love? Of course, a romance always has a happy ending.
Double Date is the fourth book in the Port Serenity Series.
Evil is lurking in Port Serenity, Texas. This idyllic town is known as a beach playground for sun worshippers and bird watchers—not murder and mayhem in the real estate development community.
Zack Maynard is a California homicide cop on administrative leave who arrives to investigate the vandalism occurring on a project owned by his family business. His first meeting with Liza Henderson— the project manager in charge of the Blackwater Lake development—is more like a Monty Python comedy skit than a business meeting. She’s a widow with an extended family of eccentric characters and definitely not a typical Texas Rose. In spite of the wacky situation, she’s the first woman in years to jump-start his libido.
Can love blossom in this small town with its underground of nefarious characters? And will the good guys win? Absolutely!
Romance
Lieutenant Colonel Chad Cassavetes has just been promoted…to the rank of single dad. With his two daughters, and their horses, in tow, the veteran fighter pilot is on his way to a new flying career at a flight training base on the dusty plains of Oklahoma. When his truck breaks down on a desolated road, Chad doesn’t expect to be rescued by an angel in a pickup truck.
With her riot of red curls and her feet solidly planted on the Okie soil, Kelbie Montgomery isn’t your ordinary savior. She’s a single mom and an Air Force widow. She also owns the barn where the Cassavetes kids will be taking riding lessons and boarding their horses. That’s all well and good until the two teenage daughters decide they hate each other and get into a hair-pulling scrap. Deep sigh—the joys of single parenthood.
Chad Cassavetes is quite the temptation, but can Kelbie risk falling for another military guy? And can they really make it as a blended family? It’s a risky business until the two girls join forces and then it’s off into that wild blue yonder.
The summer of 1973 is magical for Jazzy and Charlie. It’s a time to prepare for college while celebrating the end of high school. Jazzy has secretly loved Charlie for years, and now her dreams have come true—it’s young love at its most innocent.
Everything changes when Charlie accidentally discovers that his high school girlfriend is pregnant and her parents have sent her away. The rumor mill in that small South Texas town is alive and well, and Charlie is being treated like a pariah. The only bright spot in his life is Jazzy. They love each other and she’s willing to defy society, but then her dad steps in…
It’s the summer of 1993 and a high school reunion looms on the horizon. Jazzy has a successful career in California and she's engaged to her business partner, but she’s never forgotten that magical summer. When she bumps into Charlie in the airport she realizes that she’s never stopped loving him.
Can these star-crossed lovers finally get it right? Not quite yet.
The summer of 2003 finds Jazzy testing the theory that you can go home again—her marriage is over and her teenager doesn’t want to live in
Texas.
Can Jazzy and Charlie finally realize their destiny? Of course, this time it’ll be forever.
Carina/Harlequin
There's no place like Texas, and there's no one like a Texan!
Twinkie Sue Carmichael and her mother own the Clown Motel in Mirage, Texas, known for its mysterious desert lights. She's also the mayor and like everyone else in these parts, Twinkie's worried about the goings-on at nearby Fort Huacha, an abandoned military facility which has been taken over by a group of men calling themselves the Brothers.
When Cole Thornton comes to Mirage–with his own questions about the Brothers–Twinkie's hormones go on high alert. So does her internal alarm. Is this great-looking guy really what he seems? Cole and Twinkie fall in love—and certainly lust—surrounded by an eccentric cast of characters, from her cohort of girlfriends to her sheriff ex-husband. And then there’s Cole's high-powered family, his former partner, his missing sister, a group of young pregnant women and a houseful of retired hookers.
As the Brothers, and assorted other bad guys soon learn, you don't mess with Texans!
Etta Morrison's heart was shattered when her police officer husband died during a traffic stop. No way, no how would she get involved with any man involved in a dangerous profession, and that included Texas Ranger Rafe Thornton. She'd fallen for him once before and he'd left town without even a goodbye–strike three for that dude.
Rafe's challenge is to get back in Etta’s good graces, but Rangers are tough and Rafe is tenacious.
In Etta's new life she's the manager of the exclusive Sparkle Plenty costume jewelry store. A big dog in the world of synthetic diamonds, Sparkle Plenty has been tasked to manufacture the crowns for the San Antonio Fiesta coronation. Everything's going great until people start dropping dead and a couple of jerks shoot up her store. And BTW where are those missing crowns? Hmm.
When Rafe hears that Etta has been targeted, he jumps at the opportunity to be her bodyguard. Their relationship is quickly mired in a conspiracy of diamond smuggling and murder. In addition to keeping Etta safe, Rafe has to convince her to forgive him. But will Etta listen to her heart or will she keep her vow?
Yup, all it takes for a hot time in Texas is a sexy Ranger and a classy, sassy heroine!
After more than twenty years of marriage, Clay Walker still looks like the sexy surfer dude Maizie married. Lately their relationship has been getting a little stale. It's time to shake things up and get the juices goin'. Maizie's solution? Some harmless flirting with the the studly tennis pro, guaranteed to make Clay pea-green with envy.
The plan backfires and when Clay moves out, Maizie and her gal pals mount an all-out campaign to get him back.
Between her aiding and abetting mother, a potentially dangerous admirer and an unforgettable karaoke serenade, this Texas belle needs a miracle. The one constant is her enduring passion for Clay. Can Maizie find what she'd looking for without losing the only man she's ever loved?