Annika Steele

Author Bio

Annika began writing in third grade: an illustrated fanfic of the Atari game "Defender." After filling notebooks, utterly unaware that she was a writer at heart, she abandoned her stories somewhere around her third year of college, probably when the typewriter/word processor died and was replaced by the roommate's new 386. A ridiculous number of years later, she stumbled across a fanfic site, put fingers to keyboard, and hasn't stopped writing since.

Short Stories

Melting Hearts by Annika Steele

Chilly winters + a sexy new neighbor = one hot romance!

When April Garza bought a fixer-upper, she thought she knew what she was getting into. She didn’t. Especially once winter hit. Sure, she knew that Pittsburgh’s frigid winter weather would be a far cry from the sunny skies of her Texas hometown, but her next door neighbor literally whistles a jaunty tune while shoveling. Seriously, who does that? It’s maddening. Frustrating. And it certainly doesn’t help that the whistler is also an attractive single male.

When Jan Steiner moved into his grandparents’ house to give them a helping hand, he had no inkling that their new neighbor was going to knock his socks off. She’s smart, funny, and kind. So when Jan sees her struggling during her first Pennsylvania winter, he does what any good Midwesterner would do—offers to help. But the real question is: will April accept Jan's help?

Will April find a way to fall in love with her new home… and also Jan? Or will her pride leave her shivering in the cold?

Ritual snowman sacrifice is always appreciated -- RomancingtheBookworm

Some parts of this one played visually in my head as movie scenes. Then drama! Conveniently inconvenient, but not the kind where you wonder where the chemistry between the characters is supposed to be. They’re both pretty self-sufficient, and good at graciously helping each other when necessary. Quite cozy, I liked it. -- Mel

Specter by Annika Steele

Mariángel Gutierrez is ready to act on the crush she has on her co-worker, Brady Reyes. When she works up the courage to ask the sexy Texan out on a date, she gets one heck of a surprise.

Brady’s got a crush of his own and is more than willing to go on a date, but he’s already got a boyfriend, Ravi Patel. Introducing Mariángel to Ravi is just a little bit complicated: Ravi’s a ghost with a body that's not quite dead.

Ravi's been encouraging Brady to ask Mariángel out for weeks. He knows his boyfriend is lonely and misses being able to touch. Mariángel is genuine, gorgeous, and definitely not a ghost. If Ravi were corporeal, he'd love to see if she'd be up for becoming a trio with him and Brady, possibly permanently. Besides, his dog likes her, and if that isn't a sign, Ravi doesn't know what is.

But magic and fate have other plans. Can Mariángel and Brady come together to find the solution to Ravi's problem? Can the three have their happily ever after together?

I want to follow these characters into the next section of their lives and see what the relationship looks like now, in and out of bedroom. -- Kindle Customer

Bliss by Annika Steele

Chloe Harper is determined to make the best of her annual beach vacation to Mustang Island with her twin teenage daughters. Being a single mom wasn’t easy and didn’t leave much time for dating, even if she could find someone who checked all her boxes.

The twins had plans. They wanted to set Chloe up with the sexy neighbor, Simon Stoika, staying at the condo next door. They just happened to meet his daughter and the three girls decided their parents would be perfect together.
They might be right.

Simon liked Chloe right off, and the spark of desire between flared bright from the moment they touched. Maybe, just maybe, there might just be room for a steamy summer romance.

Annika is exceptional at creating real, multidimensional characters, and she's in fine form here. This story is fun, and relatable, and really, really hot! -- Booklady

I really enjoyed this short story. It’s great having older heroes and heroines and it’s something that’s offered missing in romance. -- Michelle Louise

Unexpected by Annika Steele

Maya Cartinelli's job as a claims adjuster takes her from Oklahoma City to Austin and everywhere in between. She loves her job helping people put their lives back together, and loves driving the winding country roads.

It's Valentine's Day, and she's headed for home to make a last attempt at salvaging a relationship that was past time to call it quits. When she stays too late helping a client, she gets dumped by phone, somewhere on a little road outside of Georgetown.

Maya's pride is hurt, but her heart's not really broken, and it's the wild Texas storm that blows her off the road and into a ditch that makes her mad. Wet and frustrated, she makes her way to the nearest farmhouse in the driving rain.

Maya gets a welcome surprise when hunky Miguel Rios opens the door.

Is this Valentine's Day about endings or does she have a chance at a new beginning?

Annika Steele's gift for stories that are hot and heart-warming at the same time shines. -- Booklady

When I first read the story back when was part of an anthology I loved it then and now that it’s out as an on its own I love it now. -- Michelle Louise

Anthologies

Weird & Wonderful by Various Authors

Helmed by USAT Bestselling Author Caitlyn Lynch, 18 authors explore several lesser-known holidays. Featuring sweet country romance and sex in the big city, there's something for all romance readers. Polar bear plunges. Sexy neighbors. Even a cute shifter or two. This anthology has it all!

Come celebrate the year with us!

Melting Hearts by Annika Steele

April moved to Pittsburgh. She misses her sunny Texas skies. Snow on her birthday? The worst. If burning a snowman on the spring equinox will guarantee the snow will go away, yep, she's all in. So what if her neighbor happily scoops heaps of snow out of his driveway--and whistles while he's shoveling!

Some parts of this one played visually in my head as movie scenes. Quite cozy, I liked it. -- Mel

Matchmaking grandparents and homeowner woes make up the core of this cute story. -- Michelle Louise

A pleasant read with likeable characters. Good storylines, loved that she was from Texas. -- Texas