Graduating from college is bittersweet. I’ve accomplished my dreams, obtained my teaching degree, and am ready to find my dream job. However, I never realized how difficult or stressful it would be to find a position.
That’s why I jump at the chance to visit Chad, one of my best friends, on base in California.
It was meant to be two weeks of catching up and putting all thoughts of job hunting out of my mind. Little did I know those two weeks would change my life and alter the course we were both on.
Chad
The day she agrees to join me in California is one of the happiest days of my life. Having her with me gives me the taste of home I’ve been craving, but deep down, it’s more than that. She’s important to me, more than just my friend, and my closest friend’s twin sister.
Spending my nights with her has done nothing but reinforce this feeling I get when I’m with her. I know we said we’d keep things light, but she’s making it so damn hard not to want more.
Then I get stationed overseas. Everything changes in the blink of an eye, and I’m not just talking about our jobs or the fact we’re suddenly thousands of miles apart. Call it fate or destiny or just pure luck, but it’s beneath the desert sun that finally our future becomes clear.
I loved, loved, loved Chad and Faith’s story so much! It was full of heart and lots of emotions, and beautifully captured the loneliness from the perspective of both characters during Chad’s deployment.
Faith’s twin brother, Ford, is Chad’s best friend, and they first met when the guys were on leave. But because Chad was reenlisting, he didn’t want to pursue anything with Faith. About a year later, Faith is looking for a job as a teacher and takes Chad up on his invitation to go hang out with him in California. While she’s there, Faith gets an unexpected job offer, and Chad suggests she marry him so she can stay in on-base housing in Cali and accept the job.
Even though they are just friends at that point, Chad went above and beyond to create the picture-perfect wedding for Faith. The romance between these two characters really grows during Chad’s deployment, as they write letters to each other, opening their hearts, sharing their secrets, and falling in love.
Beneath The Desert Sun was such a *real* story. It gave me all the feels, and I thought it was so well-written by co-authors Kaylee Ryan and Lacey Black. Now, I need to go back and read the first book in this series!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, she’s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.
USA Today Bestselling Author Lacey Black is a Midwestern girl with a passion for reading, writing, and shopping. She carries her e-reader with her everywhere she goes so she never misses an opportunity to read a few pages. Always looking for a happily ever after, Lacey is passionate about contemporary romance novels and enjoys it further when you mix in a little suspense. She resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband, two children, and three rowdy chickens.
Always Been Write: A Best Friends to Lovers Romance by Jami Rogers is now live!
Writing a spicy romance novel with your best guy friend isn’t a problem. Picturing him as you write the steamy scenes … now that could get complicated.
Tobias Banks is a bestselling romance author and my best friend. He’s smart, brilliant, and kind-hearted. He has never shown an interest in settling down, and he’s the one constant in my life I know I can depend on for anything.
So it shouldn’t surprise me that as soon as my personal life shatters, he’s there, picking up the pieces and reminding me who I am.
In a matter of days, we are back to our lively banter. I’m living in his spare room, and now, he’s helping me achieve my lifelong dream of writing a romance novel.
Life feels good again, free … except I’m not looking at him as the friend whom I used to pull all-night study sessions with during college. Nope, I’m looking at him as the man who walks into the kitchen each morning shirtless, smirks when I say something he likes to hear, wears shirts that hug his arms a lot tighter than I remember, and looks at me as if I’m his next meal.
Falling for my best friend isn’t smart. I can’t lose him, but if I’ve learned anything since we set out on this journey together, it’s that love doesn’t make the rules; we do.
I loved, loved, loved Tobias and Natalie! Always Been Write checked off all my boxes when it comes to friends-to-lovers/best friends romance. And as a bonus, he falls first and he falls hard!
After being best friends for a decade. Tobias and Natalie cross that line to “more” after she goes through a breakup. Of course, they both have reservations about what that will do to their friendship… This was such a swoony, slow-burn romance. I felt that Jami Rogers set up the close friendship between the characters really well, so they were established before they crossed to the line to lovers. This story was all kinds of seggsy too, because Tobias is a male romance writer and a dirty talker.
This story also had a great grandparent in Grandma Betty — I loved how special her relationship with Tobias was. And the larger friend group — they are all so supportive of one another!
Great job, Jami!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Jami Rogers
My name is Jami Rogers and I write fun, fast, flirty romance with heat. I love love and want to share my passion for happily ever afters with the world. My favorite tropes to write are enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, roommates, and my best friend’s brother/sister. Writing a romantic comedy that makes you laugh out loud is what I aim for. Happy reading!
Our little white lie tied us up in ways we never expected.
Knot Really Engaged, an all-new brother’s best friend, fake engagement, friends to lovers romance from bestselling author Kendall Hale is now available!
I promised my family I would bring my boyfriend home.
Everything was going my way.
Until his wife showed up at the airport instead of him.
Thankfully, my brother’s best friend is taking the same flight.
Liam Cohen saw me at my worst, but during our trip, we make a pact:
To shield each other against the relentless matchmaking efforts of our mothers.
We were single and happy with it.
Or so we thought.
Liam, however, decided our agreement wasn’t quite enough.
Suddenly, we found ourselves engaged.
“It’s for my grandmother,” he claimed.
“You’ll benefit from it too,” he dared to say.
“Just for the weekend,” he reassured.
“Everything will be just fine,” he promised.
Except, it wasn’t.
My mother is now on the brink of choosing my wedding dress and color palette if I don’t beat her to it.
His relatives are suggesting we make it official that very weekend.
And my brother, Liam’s best friend, is now in on the scheme. Joy.
But it will all be worth it when we’re able to go our separate ways, single and free.
That’s what all the shared jokes, close touches, and fleeting glances have been about.
Knot Really Engaged was the first book I’ve read by Kendall Hale, and I loved this brother’s best friend/fake fiance romance! I thought that Liam and Audrey’s slow burn, fake relationship story was so well done!
When Audrey runs into her brother’s best friend, Liam, at the airport, it is literally one of her lowest moments: She’s just found out her boyfriend was a cheater. And she’s supposed to bring that boyfriend back home to Boston for her parents’ anniversary party. Then when Liam gets some bad news of his own — his grandmother is dying and she wants to see him get married — he suggests a fake engagement between them as a win/win. Well, we all know how that goes…
I love when a playboy falls hard and fast, and Liam did! He grappled with his feelings for Audrey, and I loved watching him come to the realization that he couldn’t live without her. Also, I really felt for Audrey, and how she constantly felt pressure from her mother to be the perfect daughter. I thought that these two characters complemented each other well, and I loved seeing them fall in love, despite their best efforts.
This book is the second in the series, but it read as a true standalone — I had zero issues keeping up with the history mentioned that happened in the last book. And I am really intrigued to get to know Max better and read his book!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
For more information about Kendall Hale and her books, visit her website:
Yet another great story from Natasha Madison! Meant For Love is an accidental marriage romance that is full of swoon and even a few tears, but had the loveliest HEA!
I loved Nash from the second I met him. I thought he was a great counterpart for Zoey — much better suited for her than the ex she was dating just 10 days before she agreed to work with Nash’s company, accompanied him to a conference in Vegas, and ended up getting married by Elvis!
Of course, Zoey has regrets the morning after, but Nash convinces her to give him 90 days to fall in love with him…. Nash proceeds to court the heck out of his wife over the next few weeks and… Well, with a guy as attentive as Nash, it doesn’t take 90 days at all! But what will happen as the end of their trial marriage draws near?
As usual, there are lots of cameos by the other characters in NM’s hockey world. I always enjoy catching up with previous couples, and it cements just how close this large extended family is!
On to Zara’s book!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Natasha Madison:
When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…
First there was light, love, and laughter. But then, the darkness struck, and there was no escape. I was trapped, lost in a world of loneliness and despair.
And my best friend walked away, sealing my pain and suffering.
I was only fifteen years old.
But now, I’m ready for a new start, a fresh beginning, and college is the answer to finally finding that light again.
Of all the campuses in the world, my best friend, my closest confidant, the boy who could’ve saved me all those years ago is on mine.
ALEX
My graduation night was the worst night of my life and quite possibly the best. My best friend closed herself off and shut me out of her life. When we were just kids, young, fun, and carefree.
On the night of my graduation, she was there.
And I owe her everything.
For her strength.
Her courage.
And her persistence.
But now, seeing her on campus, I know there’s a reason our paths crossed again. We were never meant to be apart.
Can I convince her to open up, and share her heart once again?
I have mixed feelings about this story. The premise was good, and the story held a lot of promise, but I felt like the execution fell short.
Alex and Chelsea were close friends when they were younger, and while he remained best friends with her twin brother, Travis, the two of them drifted apart. Both characters have trauma in their pasts. Chelsea has kept her SA to herself all these years, but she was witness to Alex’s — and that made him shut down around her. But then they run into each other a few months later at college, and Alex takes the opportunity to apologize to Chelsea and prove to her that she can depend on him.
However, while I liked the characters, their reconnection, and the healing journey that they go on together, I felt disconnected. The writing was choppy, the dialogue was clunky at times, parts of the story seemed to jump around, and the ending was rushed.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
AUTHOR BIO
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author S. Moose writes emotional stories with a HEA. She’s a lover of anything and everything romantic, from music to quotes.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Contact Stephanie with SBR media for rights information: Stephanie@SBRmedia.com
To keep up with the latest from S. Moose be sure to visit her social media sites.
They tormented me and made my life a living nightmare when all I had ever wanted was to be left alone.
And five years ago, after a lifetime of being bullied and harassed, of enduring more pain and trauma than any man could handle, that’s exactly what I set out to do.
I left the only home I’d ever known to lock myself behind the cemetery gates and care for the only people who have ever given me the peace I craved—the dead.
But just as I’d started to feel comfortable, an unexpected stranger broke into my house and fell into my web of reclusive safety, and somehow, opened my eyes to love and the possibility that I just might have the strength to weather the storm after all …
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Oh my goodness… Charlie Corbin. Poor, sweet, tormented, loner Charlie Corbin, aka Spider.
The Spider & The Storm absolutely gutted me. Like, big, ugly tears, reading in bed at midnight. Charlie has endured so much devastation in his life, when he only wanted to be around his family. Then one day, he crosses paths with the raincloud (aka Stormy) who is destined to change his life forever. Stormy has been through her own trauma, and together these two broken souls find a way to heal one another despite the pain they are both drowning in. They are the missing puzzle pieces in the other’s life, complementing each other so well.
This book is quite hefty, but Charlie and Stormy’s story moves along at a great pace. This story is a masterpiece. Kelsey Kingsley crafted a wonderfully inspirational story of grief, heartbreak, loss, and redemption. Not only is it a love story between Stormy and Spider, but it is also a love story between Charlie and his older brother, Luke. The relationship between the brothers is just as important to Charlie’s growth (and eventually finding peace in his life) as is his romance with Stormy.
I absolutely loved how Kelsey Kingsley tied in her other moody, broody heroes Blake (Warrior Blue) and Soldier (Saving Rain) with Charlie’s story — Stormy is Ray/Rain’s sister, and works for Blake at Salem Skin. You don’t have to have read those books to enjoy Spider and Stormy’s story, but you should go read them anyway because they are just as fantastic.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
He’s commitment phobic. She believes in happy endings. The twist of fate that binds them is a surprise they never saw coming in a bittersweet romance about instant family—and not-so-instant love.
A decade-old animosity is the only thing Liam Davies and Zoe Valentine have in common. Until their mutual best friends pass away and they’re appointed co-guardians of the trusting couple’s precocious toddler, Mira.
Liam is committed only to professional football. Relationship-wise, he’s even better at defense. Still wrestling with a tough childhood, he’s not cut out to be a father. Why his late best buddy believed in him, Liam has no idea.
An optimistic romantic, Zoe has always dreamed of a fairy-tale life. But even though Liam’s biceps make her dizzy and she can’t stop thinking about his lips on hers, he’s not exactly Prince Charming. With or without that brooding Brit, she is determined to make good on her friends’ last wish.
Forced into a predicament they never expected, Zoe and Liam are discovering things about each other that could scorch through boundaries, warm hearts, and change minds. And best of all, with their shared love for a pint-size surprise like Mira, they might just turn a house into a home.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Oh my goodness, Liam is my new favorite Karla Sorensen hero! That growly, grumpy commitaphobe turned out to be such a softie with a huge heart, and I just wanted to hug him!
With The Best of All, KS delivers a masterpiece. While Liam and Zoe’s story has a HEA, there is A LOT that these two have to go through before they get there. This captivating story is a super slow burn — like seriously, it all builds up to the last 15% of the book. But once Liam and Zoe get there, it is on! That said, the journey that these two characters go on in is quite the emotional rollercoaster.
Both Liam and Zoe are grieving the tragic death of their best friends, which leads to them needing to raise little Mira together. But on top of that, we get some very heavy stuff from both characters as Zoe attempts to piece herself back together after a divorce and Liam is running from his troubled childhood. It takes a lot for Liam to face his fears and take a chance on the hope of a relationship with Zoe. Without even realizing it, he’s become a fierce protector of both Zoe and Mira, despite his insistence that he wants nothing to do with having a family. I absolutely loved that Liam didn’t know what to do with all those big feelings. Watching him transform from the growly guy in the beginning to the guy he is by the epilogue was heartwarming.
“It was always her.”
Gah, I was so happy that Liam found the love and life he deserved with Zoe and Mira!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
He met me on my worst day. He’s the cop that saved my daughter and me.
My daughter somehow managed to pull this magnetic man into our lives. I vowed to stay away from men after the disaster that was my marriage, but every little thing he does wears me down. He’s there for us when things go wrong and then starts promising to always be there. Not just for me, but my daughter, too.
Caleb:
For years, I’ve said I would never be in a relationship. I have too much baggage. Then Bailey and her daughter entered my life and everything changed. They flip my world on its axis, and my protective instincts kick in. It doesn’t take long before I decide that I’m going to make them both mine.
Will Bailey and I be able to get over our hang-ups about relationships? Will her ex push us apart or only cause our relationship to grow?
Domestic Abuse (not between the MCs)
Discussions of PTSD & on page nightmares
On page gun violence
On page death (through a flashback)
Mentions of feelings of inadequacies
Mentions of parental neglect (not by the MCs)
Mentions of car accident & drunk driving
Discussions of sexual assault (not experienced by either MC)
This story was so emotional. This is the first book I’ve read by Alex Taylor, and I enjoyed Caleb and Bailey’s story so much.
From the onset, Caleb quite literally saves Bailey when he is the cop on duty responding to a 911 call at her home, where there is a domestic violence situation happening between her and her ex-husband. After that, Bailey’s sweet little girl, Charlie, wants to bake Officer Sutton cookies as a thank you, and a lovely friendship is born between the two main characters. I also loved how patient and kind and loving Caleb was with Charlie, who did not get that kind of affection from her own father.
The “saving” in Saving You goes both ways, however, as Bailey ends up saving Caleb from the ghosts of his past. He’s a military vet, and has been suffering from PTSD nightmares for years. Through their relationship, these two characters save each other, and Caleb really goes above and beyond to prove to Bailey how much he *wants* to be the guy she can rely on when things get crazy with her ex-husband.
Saving You is the second book in a series; I did not read the first story, but I had zero issues following along and didn’t feel that there were holes in my understanding of the relationships between the group of friends.
This was a lovely story, with some great spice, and I want to check out the rest of the series now!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Alex Taylor
Living in the Vancouver area of British Columbia with her husband, Alex enjoys spending her free time reading, watching Hockey (go Canucks), watching Disney movies and crime TV shows, and spending time outdoors. She started writing in 2023 when her first story just wouldn’t leave her mind. From there, the ideas of a series formed and she’s never looked back.
She enjoys talking to other authors and romance lovers. Her TBR is never-ending, but that doesn’t stop her from adding at least one new book every day. Alex looks forward to experiencing more in the indie author community and can’t wait to share her books with the world.
Lennon Harding, heir to his father’s billionaire law firm, could have had anyone. But he chose me. Well. . . not quite.
On my nineteenth birthday, he whispered sweet nothings into my ear. Six years later, while his family tried to screw over mine, he’d looked at me as if we’d never met. Now, at his father’s funeral, Lennon learns inheriting the Harding legacy won’t come without a price.
So, when he proposes the idea of me becoming his wife, I’m quick to turn him down. I’m no stranger to being used, and Lennon’s proposal is no different, but when tragic news hits my family, I’m suddenly sprinting to meet him at the altar.
Because I desperately need him now, almost as much as he needs me.
But the more we settle into our roles of husband and wife, the harder I find it to ignore the feelings of our past reigniting. The way his lips feel against mine. The way his hands easily wander without thought. And before long, I’m starting to wonder if his whispers of sweet nothings have always meant as much to him as they have to me. But with a heart as dark as his, that isn’t possible . . . is it?
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Tortured, broody billionaire hero who is secretly harboring feelings for a one-night stand from six years ago who he now is being forced into a marriage of convenience? Yes, please!
I adored Laurel and Lennon. Despite the drama in her family, Laurel was feisty and fun. And Lennon — my heart just broke for him! He had such a hardened exterior but was yet so vulnerable in so many ways. I thought these two had great chemistry, and I really loved that they quickly went from being together only due to a marriage contract to really living as husband and wife.
I also loved the snippets we got of Jude and Victoria and their little baby girl. I’m looking forward to seeing more from the Harding brothers in Micah’s story!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Brittany Taylor
Brittany is a New Adult, Contemporary romance author best known for writing steamy, heart-clenching love stories, pulling out all the feels. She resides in Maine with her two sons and husband. She loves reading and writing spicy romances and is a Starbucks addict.
𝑷𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕: 𝑨 𝑯𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒚 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝑷𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 3) by USA Today bestselling author Ivy Fox is LIVE! Don’t miss this all new angsty hockey romance!
I care deeply for all my patients, but falling in love with one was never a risk.
My heart had closed up shop years ago.
As the Boston Guardians’ in-house therapist, I was perfectly content helping athletes deal with their pain and trauma, happy to see others thrive and overcome life’s obstacles.
I was content…until I wasn’t.
Everything changed when a devastating accident shattered the life of the club’s star goalie—Caleb Donovan.
I was tasked with saving him from his self-sabotaging ways and told to become his beacon of hope and savior in the darkness.
How could I have ever predicted that as I delved deeper into the tangled mess of his fractured emotions, I’d find that his broken spirit mirrored mine?
That his heart would call out my name in the dark, pulling me in?
On the hard, paved road to healing, Caleb changed courses on me, preferring my ruin over his salvation.
And now…my career, my reputation, and my very sanity are all in jeopardy.
In a world where love can be the ultimate downfall, do I have the courage to risk it all for a glimpse of happiness, or will I succumb to the shadows of guilt and fear that threaten to consume us both?
This is the third standalone novel in the interconnected Puckered Hearts series.
Oh wow, Penalty To The Heart was intense! Caleb and Roxanne’s story was an emotional rollercoaster!
The story opens the night that Caleb and his brother Jack — both players for the Guardians — get into a horrible car accident. As the older brother, Jack has his stuff together; he’s married with a family, steady and responsible. Caleb, meanwhile, is 23 and has yet to grow out of the party boy phase, and his brother often bails him out of trouble. That is how the story opens, with a car accident that changes their lives forever. (I missed #2 in this series, so I missed the lead-up to the car accident, and I wish I had that background.)
A few months later, Caleb is a hot mess as he’s dealing with survivor’s grief. He blames himself for the accident, and as a result of his downward spiral, he’s become a liability for the team. So GM Trent sends him to see the team’s in-house therapist, Roxanne. (The same lovely woman who helped Nate break thought his barriers in #1.)
Most of this book is about Caleb’s struggle in therapy, but there’s a definite spark between him and Roxanne from the very start. Their romance is a super slow burn, and it borders on unprofessional and forbidden since Roxie is technically still his doctor when they begin a personal relationship. That didn’t bother me, however, since I felt that these characters were so well matched and understood each other on such a deep level.
Caleb goes through such a huge change in this book! Ivy Fox really did a great job in showing his progression and growth. He’s not afraid to be vulnerable, then fight for what he wants when it comes to Roxie. And her backstory is equally as sad, since she is living with a ghost. Caleb is so patient with her, proving that he will take the bits of her heart that she’s willing to share with him.
Things work out for the best all around by the end of this story, and I was so happy with the way things turned out!
I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT IVY FOX
Ivy Fox is a USA Today bestselling author of angst-filled, contemporary romances, some of them with an unconventional #whychoose twist.
So don’t be surprised if you pick up a book of hers and find out that her heroine ends up with more than one guy.
Wink wink.
Just like her, Ivy lives a pretty chill life, surrounded by her two most important men—her husband and son. The only thing that keeps her up at night are the fictional characters in her head that can’t seem to shut up until she writes their story.
But she’s gotten used to them running the show and is all too happy to oblige.
Books and romance are her passion.
A strong believer in happy endings and that love will always prevail in the end, both in life and in fiction.
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AVAILABLE NOW
Broken, tattooed, gravedigging hero
Strong AF, body piercing leading lady
Strangers to lovers
Spooky vibes
Found family
Sunny Shelly Reads 