Team member Leigh calls this Cold War romance about enemy American and Soviet agents one of her all-time favorites! Soviet agent Gennady couldn’t be happier about being sent to America, except for the part where his abusive boss ordered him to honeytrap his American partner, FBI agent Daniel. He doesn’t want to seduce Daniel in order to blackmail him…but he wouldn’t mind kissing him. Daniel, on the other hand, is doing all he can to resist falling for Gennady. He doesn’t want to repeat the same mistakes from his past. Set in 1959, 1975, and 1992, we follow them through the ups and downs of the US-USSR conflict, as well as the changing understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, as both men are bisexual. The odds may be stacked against Gennady and Daniel and that makes their HEA even more satisfying. (This is open door.)

Ashlin and Olivia were best friends in junior high but then Ashlin moved away unexpectedly right after they’d had a falling out. Several years later, Olivia is on a weeklong trip to Florence with her Renaissance 101 class when who should she see but Ashlin. It's a shock to both young women but soon enough they’re meeting up whenever Olivia isn’t with her class. They have to work through what happened in the past—oh the drama of junior high emotions!—as well as figure out their potential future. The romance is a slow, slow burn that is almost secondary to the nature of their friendship, which fits given their past connection, what tore them apart, and the way forced proximity can separate you from reality for a while. It ends on a very hopeful note with an HFN. (Chaste.)