The Wedding Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman is now live!
My life has always been pretty predictable. Run into burning buildings, save those in distress, be a hero. Shoot the shit with my fireman buddies, come home, and do it all again tomorrow. Little did I know that a random SOS call from a woman stuck in a plaster cast with nothing underneath (I swear I only caught a flash of skin) would throw me for a complete loop.
Until I see the flighty artist again. At my mom’s engagement party. To her dad.
Suddenly the unpredictable woman I couldn’t stop thinking about is my soon-to-be-stepsister. Yeah, the same one I mortified when I accidentally saw her a tiny bit naked. This should make family gatherings way more interesting.
Except when your mom’s as loaded as mine is, you can never fully let your guard down when a guy comes sniffing around. So I can’t help but be suspicious, even though his daughter’s the perfect blend of beautiful and wild. As we spend more time together, prepping for our parents’ wedding, we both agree that maybe there’s nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun in the meantime. But if she knew I was investigating her dad on the side, she would never forgive me…
An awkward meet-cute between hunky firefighter Parker and free-spirited artist Tamsen leads to a charming romance in The Wedding Dilemma — unbeknownst to either of them, her dad is engaged to his mom. There was an instant spark between Parker and Tamsen, and that only grows as they spend more time together.
I hesitate to say that this is a “forbidden” romance because both Tamsen and Parker are grown adults living lives of their own — it’s not like they are teenagers. But there is an undercurrent of “forbidden” in the sense that Parker is investigating Tamsen’s dad and keeping that a secret. His mom is rather wealthy and hasn’t always made the best choices in her love life. So while Parker is trying to protect his mom, his investigation has the potential to blow up his and Tamsen’s relationship when she discovers what he’s been doing behind her back.
This story is charming and sweet, with a few laugh-out-loud moments and adorable characters. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Mariah
Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious daughters and loving husband who provides ample inspiration for her heart-stopping heroes.
Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books, follow her on social media or sign up for her newsletter.
The Stars Duet Boxed Set, including the complete The Stars Series including the bonus story Christmas Beneath the Stars from Amie Knight, is available now!
Beneath His Stars I met Adam Nova under the twinkling lights of a nighttime sky. He was hiding, but that gorgeous boy didn’t belong in the dark. Nevertheless it was where he lived; a different world than mine. I was Livingston Montgomery, Southern debutante. With the world at my fingertips, I was well on my way to being another spoiled socialite. But I didn’t want money. I didn’t want social status. I wanted him; tattoos, sarcastic smirk, bad boy reputation and all. It didn’t matter that he was from the wrong side of the tracks. It didn’t matter that my family forbade me from seeing him. I just wanted to be Beneath His Stars.
In Her Space I was reunited with Livingston Montgomery in the broad sunshine of a Carolina morning, right where she belonged; in the light. It’d been too long since I’d seen her face. She had changed, but so had I. I was Adam Nova, reformed bad boy. Now, successful business man. I had it all, except for the one person I’d always wanted, and now I was back to claim her. She was living in the shadows, just a shell of the former girl I knew. But it didn’t matter that she tried to hide from me in the dark. I’d follow her into the deepest depths of hell. I just wanted to be In Her Space.
It was her turn to look disgusted this time. “Do you even speak?”
I nodded again and she shook her head in disbelief before reaching over the space between us and snatching the cigarette out of my mouth so fast I didn’t see it coming. I stood there dumbfounded. People didn’t snatch shit away from me. People were scared of me. Not this brave girl. I should have known.
“Smoking is disgusting.” She said it quietly like it didn’t matter, but I could tell it did to her. She bent over and put the butt out on the driveway before standing up again and shoving it in her pocket.
I smirked. “You gonna keep that?”
Her eyes ignited with anger. “No, I’m going to throw it in the trash because I’m not a litterbug.”
Shaking my head, I muttered under my breath, “Fucking litterbug.” She was being cute. The girl with the too long legs and too big mouth that I couldn’t get out of my mind was fucking cute, too. I was screwed.
I wanted to full-on smile at her cuteness, but I held my happiness close to my chest. God knew it always came with a price. And I was done paying.
“You kiss your momma with that smoke mouth?” she asked snarkily, clearly pissed off about my smirk.
I lowered my head and took a step back, running a hand through my dark hair. I wanted to tell this girl things. Things I had no business telling her, like that I didn’t kiss my momma with anything anymore. Instead, I asked the question that had been plaguing me since she’d seemed surprised it was me who had left the notes.
“Who did you think it was?”
Her face screwed up in confusion. “What?”
I stood straighter and licked my lips before answering. “Who did you think left the notes?”
I was feeling strangely vulnerable in that moment waiting for her answer and I didn’t like it one bit. Why did it matter to me who wrote her or didn’t? Or who else thought she was the most intriguing thing ever? For fuck’s sake, she was just another rich bitch from the island. Why did anything about what she was about to say matter to me at all?
She bit her lip again and I still wanted to reach over and pull it from her teeth. It was sexy that lip bite, innocent even, and for some reason that made it all the more attractive.
“I don’t know.” Her brow furrowed in thought and she looked away, almost like she didn’t want to tell me the answer to my question. But then her eyes landed on mine again. “I thought it was the other guy—”
“Boone?” I interrupted loudly.
A disgusted look crossed her face. “God, no. Not him. The blond. The other guy.”
I let out a long breath accompanied by a sarcastic chuckle. “Grady?” That guy didn’t even graduate high school and she thought he knew anything about astronomy. I would have laughed if the whole thing hadn’t annoyed me so much.
Her eyes brightened. “Is that his name?”
I pulled out my pack of cigarettes again. “You like him or something?”
“What? No!”
I walked out into the street and lit my smoke far away from her.
She started to follow me. “Where are you going?”
“Home.”
“But I don’t even know your name!” she yelled and stomped a foot.
I almost smiled again.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I read this duet when it first came out in 2018. I couldn’t wait to get the box set and read Adam and Liv’s bonus epilogue! Amie Knight has put together a masterpiece in this broken souls, immense longing, perfectly paired, opposites-attract YA romance! I was captivated by Adam and Liv’s story from the first page to the last.
This story is a marvelous example of how looks can be deceiving. Adam is hiding a sweet and tender soul under his tattoo armor, and Liv’s life looks picture-perfect but is anything but. Yet together, these characters are an amazing couple, with a love story for the ages.
Beneath His Stars ends with a shocking, abrupt scene, and In Her Space is the stunning conclusion to Adam and Liv’s story — set 10 years later. Liv and Adam were torn apart, and the time has changed both of them… and not necessarily for the better.
After serving time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Adam is now a successful businessman back with a revenge plan… as well as one to get Liv back. Even though they are still desperately in love with one another, the secrets of his past and truths he’s not willing to completely share threaten to tear them apart.
The Stars duet is an epic story of the boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the girl who stole his heart. Life has been cruel to them both, and they need to learn how to trust in one another again in order to get to the HEA that they both dreamed about under the stars.
I was pleasantly surprised at how Sebastian, Braden and Mel come back into the story all these years later, and the relationships that Liv develops with them. And… The Line was the first book of Amie’s that I’d read, so I was thrilled when Liv went to visit Everly and Cole at the peach farm! What a treat!
The Complete Duet offers a bonus novella — Christmas Beneath The Stars. It’s a Christmas Eve story, a few chapters long, and a lovely look at Adam and Liv’s life as a married couple. They have some struggles, like all married couples do, but they both set out this Christmas Eve to make it magical for the other. And it is a marvelous, bonus happily ever after for this endearing couple, who had gone through so much to make their life together under the stars.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About the Amie Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma’s books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, she won’t ever be seen leaving the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn’t reading and writing, you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to ’90s R&B, country, and showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina, and can’t imagine living anywhere other than the South.
“An emotional and thought-provoking romance fueled by a page-turning suspense.” – Jewel E. Ann, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
All the Beautiful Things, the highly anticipated conclusion to the unforgettable Love & Lies Duet by Stacey Lynn is available now!
She’d been betrayed too many times to hand over her trust. I’d lost too many people to love too easily.
Together, we were a mess. A constant struggle for peace. Yet it was in each other we found everything we were looking for. Until tragedy struck and I feared the worst. Pushing her away would have been the best. Kept us safe and unshaken.
But it was too late. My little fighter had determined what she wanted, and she was willing to go down swinging to finally earn her happily ever after.
It was her determination that kept us together, even through the worst of it. If we finally made it to the other side, all the ugly things we’d survived could lead to something beautiful.
She worked in a shithole diner and probably lived in a shithole place when she was the daughter of a state judge, probably grew up in private schools with a Mercedes gifted to her on her sixteenth birthday and more money than my own parents had. This shouldn’t be her life. She’s better than this. Better than her circumstance and I believe her. She just needs someone to help. The memory of Melissa’s pleading eyes made me squeeze my own eyes shut. “Fucking bleeding heart.” Since she could walk, she had a calling to save everything from kittens and frogs and turtles in the road to classmates and children where she worked. One last request. Promise me. I’d wanted to throttle her slim, pale throat. I gripped the door handle and scowled at the silver-plated handle, before I threw it open. “Happy now?” I asked, and somehow, I knew she was. Lilly was still in the back when I entered. Where Dad said she always stood, there was an old laptop with notebooks spread open. I took the seat at the far end and waited, snagging a menu from the counter on my way. The food was cheap, basic diner food, perfect for the clientele a place like this brought in. Greasy, thick burgers, patty melts, and Reubens. Sandwiches and burgers and two salad options. It was late enough none of it appealed to me. Probably why my dad came for the pies. Fortunately for me, he’d said they were the best he’d ever tasted, and I’d inherited his sweet tooth. The creak of old, squeaky door hinges rang out and I lifted my head. Lilly came out carrying a tray stacked with food, focused on the four-top. I didn’t move for fear of distracting her. Not a great first impression to make if she ended up covered in grease and condiments. The guys at the table did more shoulder-slapping, whooping and hollering like they were watching the Super Bowl and not their food being delivered. I kept my eyes on them, waiting for one to give me a reason to put an end to all of them. The dark-haired guy would be first. He sat at the outer edge of the booth and as Lilly leaned forward to deliver a tray to the guy next to him, his hand hovered inches from her backside. The blond across the table egged him on with a nod but she stood back, put space between them, and barked, “Even think of touching me and none of you are leaving with your dicks still attached to your body.” “Oohh. I’ll show you mine happily,” one said, hands dropping to his lap. She glared at him, resting bitch face I was certain she learned in prison firmly in place. It didn’t look right on her. Too hard. Too forced. What would she have been like as a smiling, happy teenager before life was stolen from her? Damn it. I felt it then. That pull my dad had when he first saw her. She’d lost too much.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I am so glad that there wasn’t a long wait for the conclusion to this duet! The first book ended in one helluva cliffhanger, and the conclusion to Lilly and Hudson’s story was epic!
This picks up in the same scene where the first story ends — Lilly has found out just how deep Hudson’s family’s secrets run when it comes to their interest in her. Are lies of omission okay when you are trying to do a good deed? That is the crux of Lilly’s decision in whether or not to forgive Hudson. His family holds all she’s ever wanted; all she needs to do is accept it.
But just as she does, another shock hits them, and this time Hudson is the one who balks. Will Lilly let him push her away, or will she fight for everything she’s ever wanted?
This story was brilliantly written, hits all the emotional notes I expected it to, and kept me captivated from start to finish!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Stacey Lynn:
Stacey Lynn likes her coffee with a dash of sugar, her heroes with a side of bossy, and her wine a deep shade of red.
The author of over thirty romance novels, many of which have been best-selling titles on Amazon, AppleBooks, and Barnes & Noble, she loves being able to turn her vivid imagination into a career that brings entertainment and joy to her readers. Focused on sports romance and emotional, small-town romance, she also loves stretching herself in different genres.
Born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, she now makes her home in North Carolina and loves all things Southern. Together with her ultimate tall, dark, and handsome hero, she has four children. Her life is a chaotic mess that fights with her Type-A, list-making, neurotically organized preferences and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Title: Bombshell
Series: Whiskey Dolls
Author: Jessica Prince
Contemporary Romance; Small Town Romance; Single Dad Romance
He’d hated me first, so I figured it was only fair I hate the stupid, sexy jerk back.
After ending the world’s worst relationship, Marin Grey had sworn off men. So it was rather inconvenient that she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes and thoughts off the Ice King himself, Pierce Walton—also known as her ex-boyfriend’s older, much hotter brother.
He was cold, callous, and rude. He was also the most gorgeous man she’d ever laid eyes on, which made the fact that he’d hated her from first sight all the more unfair.
When circumstances dictate they put their swords away so Marin can help Pierce take care of his son, that ice-cold hate suddenly takes a turn into something much hotter. And if they aren’t careful, they could both be burned alive.
**Whiskey Dolls is a brand-new series of interconnected, standalone, small town romances.**
Ah! Bombshell was a GREAT series starter! The Whiskey Dolls series is a spinoff of Jessica Prince’s Hope Valley series, and will focus on the dancers who work at the hip burlesque club. While this series takes place in the same small town and Marin was a side character in the HV book Playing For Keeps, Bombshell is a complete standalone. (Although, Marin’s breakup with her abusive ex, Frank, plays out in Playing For Keeps, and since that book is also amazing, you should go read it!)
So, on to Marin and Pierce! He is a moody, broody, single dad… except that he’s not really that moody and doesn’t hate her the way Marin thinks he is. Pierce only hates what Marin makes him feel — because no woman has made him feel anything since his wife died. And the fact that she was dating his no-good brother when they first met sealed the deal for Pierce that Marin was a woman he needed to stay away from. But when they keep running into one another around town, and Pierce finds himself needing a babysitter, Marin offers to fill in and watch adorable Eli. And she soon finds out that Pierce isn’t the Ice King that she thought he was.
I loved how this friendship and eventual romance played out between Marin and Pierce. Falling in love just kinda sneaks up on both of them after they agreed to a casual relationship with no expectations. My heart broke for Pierce and all he went through with his wife’s illness and death. It was so hard for him to accept that he was head over heels for Marin, until it was almost too late. And when he finally learns the truth about what went down with Marin and Frank, he really goes the distance to play knight and let Marin know that he belongs to her as much as she belongs to him.
Bombshell was a perfectly perfect small-town romance! I love how Jessica Prince keeps this small town so tightly-knit, with mentions of the other Hope Valley residents, and appearances in Bombshell by Mrs. W and Charlotte from Playing For Keeps. While I was sad to see the Hope Valley series start to wind down, because I loved those characters so much, I’m super excited to see what JP has in store for the other Whiskey Dolls! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Born and raised around Houston Texas, Jessica spent most of her life complaining about the heat, humidity, and all around pain in the ass weather. It was only as an adult that she quickly realized the cost of living in Houston made up for not being able to breathe when she stepped outside. That’s why God created central air, after all.
Jessica is the mother of a perfect little boy–she refuses to accept that he inherited her attitude and sarcastic nature no matter what her husband says.
In addition to being a wife and mom, she’s also a wino, a coffee addict, and an avid lover of all types of books–romances still being her all time favs. Her husband likes to claim that reading is her obsession but she just says it’s a passion…there’s a difference. Not that she’d expect a boy to understand.
Jessica has been writing since she was a little girl, but thankfully grew out of drawing her own pictures for her stories before ever publishing her first book. Because an artist she is not.
It’s not the first time I’ve been called a stalker.
I can’t blame Andrew Christiansen for thinking that since we keep crossing paths, especially when I pop up in the most unexpected of places—his office.
We’re opposites in every way. Not the kind that attract.
I’ve been called a ray of sunshine. He’s been called a grumpy workaholic that needs an attitude adjustment. By me.
Somehow, we become friends, the teasing, flirting, and kissing kind. But this thing blooming between us threatens to turn this relationship from friends-to-lovers into a full-blown office romance.
That’s the least of my worries because one or two, little, okay big, secrets I’ve been keeping may turn him from the one I want into the one I can’t have.
I hear a familiar bark and turn back. The woman from the park rushes toward the nearest shop as if I didn’t just bust her for following me. “What are you doing?” I ask. “Are you stalking me?” I might be jumping ahead of myself, but better to settle it now. A lot of weird stuff was happening at the park. Is she to blame?
Despite Rascal’s joy to see me, obstinance stiffens her shoulders, and she scoffs. “You wish.” Her hand flies out. “It just so happens that I’m walking in the same direction. So what?”
“Defensive,” I reply, analyzing her body language. Crossed arms. Straight line across her lips. Half-mast eyelids as she glares at me.
“I’m not defensive. I’m offended. You just called me a stalker.”
“My bad.”
“You’re bad, all right.” She angles her chin up, and adds, “You can go about your day now.”
I’m tempted to chuckle, but I’m thinking it’s wise to restrain myself. “I will. Good day.”
“Good day, sir,” she says to my back as I walk away.
I stop again, but this time, I don’t look back. Forcing myself to walk forward, I continue through the upscale neighborhood to the next block. I busy my attention on the architecture until I hear Rascal bark again.
I knew I shouldn’t have talked to a stranger. She may be hot, but she could also be deranged, using her dog as a ploy to trick her next victim to her lair. What am I even talking about?
When I turn back this time, she sidles quickly up to a coffee shop window, pretending to know the people sitting on the other side.
By how they turn their backs to her, they don’t reciprocate. “Nice try,” I tease.
Glancing at me, she huffs. “I’m walking in the same direction. It’s no big deal, for God’s sake.” She punctuates the words with an epic eye roll as if I’m putting her out. Huffing, she grabs Rascal, clutching him to her side.
“His feet have—”
“Shit.”
“Exactly.”
Anger fills her chest, and she shakes her head, exhaling it loudly with a foot stomp. “Ugh! I’ll go this way.”
As. If. I’m the nuisance.
Me?
Why am I even sticking around to have this conversation? Why am I bothering? Going in different directions—that’s us. She crosses the street, and I turn the corner, both of us heading back to our own lives and hopefully never seeing each other again.
I continue toward the building up ahead alone. I’m good. I’m fine. Alone is how I thrive. I’ll be here a year or two. That’s nothing. I have plenty of work to keep me busy.
Work.
I’m here for work. That’s it. I have a plan in place, and nothing and no one will keep me from achieving my goals.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
I love a grumpy-workaholic-meets-a-sunshiney-heroine love story, and The One I Want did not disappoint!! We met Andrew previously in Never Got Over You — he is Nick’s brother and business partner. And while Nick and Natalie (and the lovely, lovely mom Cookie!) appear in The One I Want, it is not necessary to have read that book in order to enjoy Andrew and Juni’s story.
Juni is a joy! She is so bright and cheerful — yet she is covering up a dark pain of abandonment issues. She and Andrew have the cutest stinking meet-cute — and I mean that literally because the dog she’s walking poos on Andrew! There is a nice friendship that builds between Andrew and Juni as they keep running into one another. The word “stalker” comes up more than once, as Juni is afraid to let him know that they are actually neighbors in the same apartment building. That lie of omission leads to the first fight between our fine couple, but there is a great kiss-and-make-up that comes out of it.
The build of Andrew and Juni’s relationship is well-paced. I really enjoyed the two sides we get of Andrew: Andrew the CEO and Drew the Ice Cream Guy. So cute! While I didn’t think that Drew and Juni packed the same gut-punch epic romance that Nick and Natalie had, I really enjoyed The One I Want.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet S.L. Scott
New York Times and USA Bestselling Author, S. L. Scott, was always interested in the arts. She grew up painting, writing poetry and short stories, and wiling her days away lost in a good book and the movies.
With a degree in Journalism, she continued her love of the written word by reading American authors like Salinger and Fitzgerald.
She was intrigued by their flawed characters living in picture perfect worlds, but could still debate that the worlds those characters lived in were actually the flawed ones.
This dynamic of leaving the reader invested in the words, inspired Scott to start writing with emotion while interjecting an underlying passion into her own stories.
Living in the capital of Texas with her family, Scott loves traveling and avocados, beaches, and cooking with her kids. She’s obsessed with epic romances and loves a good plot twist. She dreams of seeing one of her own books made into a movie one day as well as returning to Europe. Her favorite color is blue, but she likens it more toward the sky than the emotion. Her home is filled with the welcoming symbol of the pineapple and finds surfing a challenge though she likes to think she’s a pro.
Sam Maxwell was supposed to be an accomplished referee.
When Sam’s grandfather passes away, she is forced to return home. Sam has no idea how much her life is about to get turned upside down. When she meets Drew Morgan, the large attractive Zamboni driver at the rink, snark flies. Neither of them knows they share a past, a past that is about to show up and confront them both.
This close proximity, high heat and humour story contains a bunny slipper wearing heroine, a meddling pet donkey and an accidental dose of marijuana leading to laughs.
She’s a hockey ref with a lot to prove as a female in the business. He saw his pro dream smash to pieces after an injury. They butt heads immediately upon meeting, but once Sam and Drew realize that they need to work together in order to receive the inheritance her grandfather left each of them, they need to find a way to move past their first impressions. First impressions that weren’t so great.
This book had a lot to offer, and it’s a nice slow burn as these characters realize just how wrong they were about the other and eventually fall in love. The characters are relatable, and I love Sam as a strong heroine, fiercely independent. And Drew has a chip on his shoulder when they first meet, but calms her down and centers her. Off Side is the first book I’ve read by this author, and while I liked it, I didn’t love it. I’m not sure why, but I just didn’t connect with Sam and Drew the way I hoped I would, and for that reason, this book lacked oomph for me.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
If you want to stay in touch and read my next releases, I’d love for you to join me on this journey.
From the USA Today bestselling author of Inseparable and When Forever Changes comes another emotional, angsty, new adult romance that will rip your heart apart before mending it again.
Say I’m the One, the first in the all-new All of Me Duet from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis is available now!
I’m head over heels in love with my best friend. Although, I can’t pinpoint exactly when Reeve Lancaster became my entire world. Was it when we were little kids, practically brought up together, after Reeve’s mom died during childbirth and his dad subsequently fell apart? Or when I doodled his name in my school journal at age ten? Maybe it was when we became boyfriend and girlfriend at fourteen or when we shed our virginity at sixteen, pledging our forever? I was there as his star ascended—like I’d always known it would—and there wasn’t a prouder person on the planet. As the only child of Hollywood’s golden couple, I’ve lived my life in the spotlight enough to know it wasn’t what I wanted for my future. But I sacrificed my own desires, because Reeve’s happiness meant everything to me. Until he crushed my heart into itty-bitty pieces, forcing me to fly halfway around the world just to escape the gut-wrenching pain. The opportunity to study at Trinity College Dublin came at the perfect moment, and I jumped at the chance without hesitation. If I’d known fate was meddling in my life, perhaps I would have chosen differently, but my future was cemented the instant I laid eyes on him. Dillon O’Donoghue was Reeve’s polar opposite in every way, and perhaps, that’s why I felt drawn to him. He was the dark to my light. The thorn in my side, irritating me with his cold disdain, wild recklessness, and a burning rage hidden deep inside him that spoke to a silent part within me. Yet Dillon showed me what it was like to truly live, opening my eyes to endless possibilities. What happened next was inevitable, and I only have myself to blame. He warned me, and I knew my reprieve was temporary, because there is only so far I can run. Especially when fate hasn’t finished messing with me yet.
Say I’m The One is a marathon of a book. But stick it out, because it is a doozy! It is part one of a duet, and ends in a cliffhanger, and WOW! I did not see that twist coming!
This story is super angsty, and an emotional roller coaster. So much of Vivien and Reeve’s lives are tied together because of their upbringing. Their parents are best friends, her parents are kind of surrogate parents to him, they were best friends before they started dating in high school. But their close bond starts to fall apart as soon as Reeve’s star begins to rise.
Devastated by the turn of events with Reeve, a brokenhearted Viv transfers to a small college in Dublin, hoping that a semester abroad will give her some space to refresh and start over. Falling for rising rock star Dillon was never part of the plan. He’s the complete opposite of Reeve, yet Viv falls for Dillon just as hard.
How is it possible for her to love two completely different men so deeply and intensely? What happens next is explosive, and this book ends on a shocking cliffhanger that has me salivating to see what the rest of the story holds!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Siobhan
USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis writes emotionally intense young adult and new adult romantic fiction with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime!
Siobhan’s family will tell you she’s a little bit obsessive when it comes to reading and writing, and they aren’t wrong. She can rarely be found without her trusty Kindle, a paperback book, or her laptop somewhere close at hand.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.
From The Embers, an all-new not-to-be-missed, standalone catastrophic romance from USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez is available now!
In the aftermath of tragedy, it’s strange the things you remember. The deafening boom as the house exploded. The paralyzing fear as I searched for my wife. The blinding smoke burning my eyes as I carried her out.
But carved into my soul for the rest of my days would be the earth-shattering realization that the woman in my arms wasn’t my wife.
Bree and I were the only survivors—not that either of us were truly living after that night. As a single dad with nowhere else to go, I moved into her guest house. And somehow, through the guilt and grief, we forged an unlikely team.
It took years, but I watched the gradual return of her smile—slow and life-altering. The two of us could sit outside for hours, talking about nothing, and it filled the massive hole in my chest with new life.
I may have carried her out of that fire, but the truth was, Bree saved me.
As we healed, the secrets and lies of the past smoldered in the ashes, threatening to ignite again.
Our love was born from the embers, and together we would go up in flames.
Wow!! From The Embers is an amazing story of literally rebuilding your lives from the ashes. And for Eason and Bree, their lives were a dumpster fire and it was amazing how they were able to come out of the other side of that disaster.
At the start of this book, Bree doesn’t like Eason much. She thinks he’s an okay enough guy, but isn’t happy with the way he isn’t supporting his wife, Bree’s best friend Jessica. But when a devastating house fire claims the lives of Jessica and Bree’s husband (and season’s best friend) Rob, the two survivors find themselves leaning on each other in ways that they never imagined they would, because nobody else can understand their share pain.
Aly Martinez wrote this story beautifully. The grief, anger, sadness and hysteria that both Eason and Bree experienced jumped off the page. Their reluctant co-parenting partnership gives way to a strong friendship and eventually a romance — and I felt every emotion thanks to the brilliant writing. I felt them fall for one another, felt their pain as secrets came to light, and cheered their successes.
This story is a wonderful slow burn, two people forced together due to tragic circumstances only to find their soulmate among the rubble.
And every time I thought that Eason and Bree were about to get their HEA, something else happened that sent them on another spiral. I really wasn’t expecting that final twist in their story, but it did serve to tie things up with a bow so our H/h can get the HEA they so deserved.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Excerpt
Using my arm to block my face, I carried her lifeless body to the door. The knob seared my palm as I yanked it open, but the pain didn’t even register through the adrenaline. The sound of my feet pounding down the driveway echoed in my ears as the fire crackled behind me. Our closest neighbor was over half a mile away, but there was no way they hadn’t heard the explosion. The fire department would be there soon. Once I got Jessica safe, I’d go back for Bree. They’d find Rob. Everyone would be okay. “Eason,” she croaked in my arms. My feet were still moving as I sprinted away, but time stopped as her voice permeated my senses. It wasn’t possible. She was covered in soot, and my eyes were caked with ash and what I would later learn to be blood, but I could still make out the large flowers on her yellow— “Uh, no. It’s my dress that your wife borrowed and I had to do an entire Tom Cruise Mission Impossible thing to get it back last week.” Oh, God. I kept running until the wind changed direction, clearing the smoke. With my heart in my throat, I prayed that my still ringing ears had deceived me. I set her down and used the inside of my shirt to clear my face. “Eason,” she croaked. But once again, she wasn’t my wife. “Oh, God,” I breathed, watching as she rose on unsteady legs. Tears carved twin riverbeds through the ash on her cheeks. “What happened?” Bree asked, her green eyes focused on the blazing inferno behind me. Acrid guilt devoured me. “I…” I saved the wrong woman. I left the mother of my child in a burning building. My final broken promise to the woman I’d vowed forever to was, “I’ll be right back.” Bile crawled up my throat. “I don’t know.” I glanced back at the house, the heat of the roaring fire scorching me even from yards away. Overwhelming grief hit me as I realized there was no way I could get back through those flames. Oh, God. Jessica. In the middle of tragedy, it’s strange the things that become engrained into your memories. Years later, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how long it took the firetrucks to get there. I couldn’t tell you what time it was or what I had been wearing. But I would never be able to forget the absolute devastation on Bree’s face when she realized we were the only two standing outside the burning house. “Where’s Rob?” she rasped, her voice sounding like it had traveled over a mile of gravel before exiting her throat. “And Jessica. Where are they?” She took an urgent stride toward me. “I tried…” I doubled over into a fit of coughing. It was probably for the best. There was no way I could have finished that thought.
About Aly Martinez
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her husband and four young children. Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, mystery leggings, and olives. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person. She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
Foes & Cons is LIVE! Carrie Aarons’ newest book is a high school bully romance mixed with friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. When the heroine discovers the hero’s secret pros and cons list about whether to date her, their friendship blows up!
Growing up, our families were inseparable. We spent summers vacationing at the beach. In the school yard, it was us against the world. Then puberty hit, and we skated the thin line of staying buddies, or becoming more. Until I accidentally found the pros and cons list he made about whether or not to date me. And there were definitely more bullet points on the no side.
Acting out of rage and hurt, I embarrassed him in the most public way possible. Now, we’re enemies.We’ve spent the last two years tearing each other to pieces. Everyone knows that Blair and Sawyer hate the ground the other walks on, and unfortunately, I got the unpopular end of the stick while he became Mr. Prom King.
Until senior year starts, and I’m tired of running scared. For the first time ever, I stand up to the golden boy with the whip-smart tongue. As the challenges and dares pick up speed, hearts start to fall and feelings get entangled. Despite my initial discovery, I wonder if being caught by each other wouldn’t be so bad.Except Sawyer has no idea what I found all those years ago.
And if the truth comes out about why I pitted us against each other, not only will he add one more con to his list … but he can add my broken heart as well.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I binged Foes & Cons in a day, because I could not put it down. Sawyer and Blair’s story hooked me from the prologue, and I had to know how things would turn out after that disastrous game of Seven Minutes In Heaven.
Sawyer and Blair were once best friends, but after she humiliated him that night, they have been sworn enemies. And Sawyer had no clue why the person he knew better than anyone would have done that to him. Blair has kept the knowledge of what she knew he wrote about her to herself for years. But when they have to work on a project together, her resolve starts to crumble. And Sawyer is hella confused about his growing feelings for the best friend who betrayed him.
By the time I got to Blair’s confession of having seen Sawyer’s pros & cons list, I cried for these two. He loves her, she loves him, always have and always will. But have they done too much damage to repair their fractured friendship?
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
“Locke is back and at her best with another heartwarming Mason brother to fall in love with.” — K. Bromberg New York Times bestselling author
Reckless, an all-new swoon-worthy standalone romance in the Mason Family series from USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke is available now!
“How did you get in here?”
That’s not what you want to hear when you’re staring into the sea-green eyes of the hottest man you’ve ever seen. Yet I suppose it’s a fair question, considering I’m an uninvited stranger standing in Boone Mason’s kitchen.
If you think that’s bad—just wait. It gets worse.
This charming and wealthy playboy, who can’t pay his bills on time or find his way to the grocery store (but we all have flaws, right?), is sweet. Confident. Playful. He’s almost perfect. And, to make matters worse …
He’s smitten with me.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re rolling your eyes. You’re assuming this is some opposites attract situation—or that maybe we can be friends who turn into something more.
How can this be a bad thing?
Well, it’s simple. I’m not the kind of girl you fall in love with. Just to be sure, the universe reminds me of that in an unforgettable, in-your-face kind of way.
I might have broken into Boone’s house, but I won’t let him break my heart. I won’t break his either. There’s too much on the line to be that reckless.
Okay, Jaxi and Boone’s meet-cute is one of a kind: she accidentally breaks into his house rather than going next door, where she’s supposed to be house-sitting for her cousin. I loved it! This is an adorable instalove story where a reckless decision leads to the happily ever after neither of them expected.
Jaxi is such a sweet heroine. Nothing in her life seems to pan out for her, and she’s constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. Especially so when she suddenly is given custody of her late sister’s young daughter, and she and Boone become an instant family when he insists Jaxi and Rosie love with him. She doesn’t want to overstep and has a hard time accepting his help. Meanwhile, Boone, the baby of the family who has always been the partier, the lackadaisical one, finds himself inspired to do better, be better, for Jaxi and Rosie. All of a sudden, the goofball sees his forever in front of him — but then a miscommunication tears it all apart.
Yes, the conflict could have been avoided if they actually spoke what was on their minds, but Adriana Locke beautifully wrote the scene to play upon each of their insecurities and weak spots. It was a tough scene to read through, but it had an impact.
And that Boone Swoon when he makes his grand gesture to win her back? I cried. I’m loving the Mason family series and can’t wait to see the rest of the brothers fall in love!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Adriana Locke
USA Today, Washington Post, and Amazon Charts Bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys created by other authors, Adriana has created her own.
She resides in the Midwest with her husband, four sons, and two dogs. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket.
