BUTTERFLY by Jo Brenner is AVAILABLE NOW

Blurb:

A college romance about a morally grey, obsessed, possessive hockey player who will stop at nothing to get the girl…

Mason Calloway.
Beautiful. Cruel. Inescapable.
When we met at our parents’ wedding, it was hate at first sight. From then on, the hockey star set out to make my life miserable, and I made sure I gave as good as I got.
I thought I’d be free of him when I went to college.
I was wrong.
He’s the big, bad man on campus now, and I’m trapped in his crosshairs…and his bed. He’ll do anything to make me his—no matter how vile or depraved.
He’s made it clear he’ll never let me go…
…And I’m no longer sure I want him to.

An older version of this story was published on Kindle Vella under the name Vice and Vixen. It has been heavily revised. It contains several dark themes that some readers may be sensitive to. For more information, please visit the author’s website, jobrenner.com.

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 3 Stars

Mason and Leslie meet for the first time the night that his dad marries her mom. He is instantly attracted to her, but believing that her mom is a golddigger, he makes it his mission to taunt, tease, and humiliate Leslie during the summer they live together before going off to college. But one night, Mason realizes, ‘Hey, I’m actually in love with her’ and then sets out to do whatever he can to make Leslie his.

And that involves a lot. LOL

Butterfly is a quick and very spicy read. Forbidden, maybe, but it’s not like Leslie and Mason were raised together. They didn’t even know one another before the wedding. But Mason is borderline stalker as he sets out to claim Leslie. He does some dubious things, but you kind of have to let that go! Meanwhile, Leslie is a spitfire and gives it back just as well. At first, she hates herself for wanting her stepbrother, but she gets over that rather quickly LOL

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Jo Brenner:

A lover of dogs, mountain adventures, and HGTV, Jo Brenner writes romances that are little bit twisted, a lotta bit sexy—and always have an HEA.

Connect with Jo Brenner:

https://authorjobrenner.carrd.com

Downpour by Maggie Gates is now live!

Ray
Rule #1 of almost dying: Make sure someone knows your passwords. It’s hard to cancel your phone plan if you’re dead.

Rule #2 of almost dying: Make sure your house is clean before you walk up the steps to the pearly gates. It makes selling off your life easier.

Back-up plans are for people who plan on losing.
All it took was eight seconds for me to win the biggest competition of my life, and one second to lose everything except that championship buckle.
I had left my family’s cattle ranch at eighteen with no intention of ever coming back for good.
Now I was back, stuck in a wheelchair with a beautiful disaster attempting to burn my house down.


Brooke
Rule #1 of trying to not get fired: Don’t piss off the grumpy bull rider.

Rule #2 of trying to not get fired:  When you do get fired, keep your chin up. The grumpy bull rider was hot.

It was just a little fire. Tiny, even. But that didn’t change the fact that Ray Griffith didn’t want me anywhere near him.
But we came to an agreement: I ignore him, and he doesn’t fire me.
Easy, right? Not so much when we can’t keep our hands off each other.

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aDEp8m       

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3xs9oGf 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Downpour is the first book I’ve read by Maggie C. Gates, and I just loved Ray and Brooke’s story!

Ray was a champion bull rider whose world shattered in a matter of 8 seconds when he was tossed off a bull and paralyzed. Needless to say, he has not been handling the change in his life very well, and has isolated himself from his family and the world over the past 18 months. He’s fired home health aides one after another, determined to live a life of solitude. And that’s when plucky heroine Brooke enters the picture, just one more mistake away from being fired from her job.

Of course, Ray wants nothing to do with Brooke. But with sheer determination to make it to her next paycheck, she just plows through in taking care of grumpy Ray. The girl is a hot mess, but she is kind and sweet and a beacon of sunshine – and her sunny demeanor eventually wears down our grumpy hero. I loved how she simply understood him. She was patient with him, and somehow never made him feel like he was “less than” just because he was in a wheelchair.

I loved the metamorphosis that Ray went through thanks to their friendship and how he eventually trusted her to hold his heart. That’s not to say it was easy for these two: Any kind of personal relationship was forbidden due to the nature of their aide-client contract, so they kept things a secret… which led to miscommunication between them and some hurt feelings. Brooke never tried to “fix” him as their relationship deepened, and being with her made him want a life for himself that he never envisioned having after his accident.

I also thought the family dynamics between the Griffin brothers (and their wives and Ray and his nieces) played into this story nicely as a secondary plot. Add in the spice between Ray and Brooke, and Downpour was a perfect read!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Maggie Gates

Author Maggie Gates writes raw, relatable, romance novels packed full of heat and humor. Maggie calls North Carolina home. In her spare time she enjoys daydreaming about her characters, jamming to country music, and eating all the barbecue and tacos she can find! Her Kindle is always within reach due to a love of small town romances that borders on obsession.

For future book updates, content warnings, teasers, and more➜ www.maggiegates.com

Connect with Maggie

Website | www.maggiegates.com   

Goodreads | www.goodreads.com/author/show/21193725.Maggie_C_Gates   

Amazon | www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08WPWKLR7    

Facebook | www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggieGates     

Facebook Group |  www.facebook.com/groups/authormaggiegates     

Instagram |  www.instagram.com/authormaggiegates  

TikTok | www.tiktok.com/@authormaggiegates    

Bookbub |  www.bookbub.com/profile/maggie-gates     

Pinterest |  www.pinterest.com/maggiecgates     

Threads |  www.threads.net/@authormaggiegates     

Newsletter |  https://maggiegates.myflodesk.com/newsletter  

🩷 FRAGILE SANCTUARY IS LIVE 🩷

Get ready to fall for Anson and Rhodes in this brother’s best friend, age gap, small town romance, from USA Today Bestselling Author, Catherine Cowles!

The scowl should’ve been my first clue to stay far away from Anson Hunt. The sexy smirk and the fact that he’s my brother’s best friend? Reasons two and three. Not to mention, he’s

the new contractor working on my house.

He’s everything I’m not: grumpy, rude, and more than a little attached to his solitude. It doesn’t matter how many times I try to kill him with kindness; the man simply won’t crack.

Until he sees me shatter.

Because when my world comes crashing down around me, Anson is the one catching me as I fall. And as so-called accidents start plaguing every part of my life, it’s Anson who steps in to keep me safe.

As he does, I can’t help but feel a flicker of heat. And it only takes a single moment for that spark to ignite into flames, engulfing us both.

But Anson’s a man with secrets, and they have a price. When they’re revealed, neither of us will make it out unscathed…

Get Your Copy ➝ https://geni.us/FragileSanctuaryAmzn

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Fragile Sanctuary starts off a great new series from Catherine Cowles! We first met Anson, a former FBI profiler, in Lawson’s book in the Lost & Found series, Ashes Of You. I just knew there was something dark and traumatic in Anson’s past, but getting to the heart of his backstory was just heartbreaking. And Rhodes — she had been through so much and was so strong and brave.

Anson and Rhodes were so perfectly matched. They were each so scarred, and they were a balm to the other’s soul. He is grumpy and closed off, and despite his best attempts to keep Rhodes at arm’s length, there was something about his best friend’s foster sister that called to him. As with Catherine Cowles’ other books, there is an element of suspense in Fragile Sanctuary. The twists and turns in the story had me second-guessing my instincts as to who the villain was, and I’m amazed each time how she crafts such wonderful stories!

There is a great cast of secondary characters in Fragile Sanctuary, and I can’t wait to read the books to come with Rho’s foster siblings.

I read this book and listened to the audio in tandem, and Andi Arndt and Zachary Webber did a fantastic job of bringing this story to life.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

About Catherine Cowles

Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.

Connect with Catherine

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IEQXSw

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Lc4mU0

Twitter: https://twitter.com/catherinecowles

Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2RFY7Jv

Instagram: http://bit.ly/31TE3rJ

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2xdUZLn 

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2J3dWWF

Website: https://www.catherinecowles.com/

Stay up to date with Catherine by joining her mail list: 

http://bit.ly/2JZE0DH

The One I Left Behind by Piper Rayne is now live! 

It’s the classic story—boy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind.

Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn’t have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football.

I figure it’s a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family’s ranch. I just have to bide my time until he turns his back on all of us again.

Then he takes on the coaching position for the high school football team and starts milling around too much, bulldozing the protective walls I’ve built around myself. But he goes too far when he takes my son under his wing to help him be the best player he can be. Leaving me to protect not only my own heart but my son’s too.

Because I promised myself a long time ago that I’d never be the girl in the rearview mirror again.

  Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!

https://books2read.com/toilb

Audio with Duet Narration by CJ Bloom & Robert Hatchet

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/44SPHm5

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

The amazing duo Piper Rayne starts a new series at the Plain Daisy Ranch with The One I Left Behind.

After retiring from playing professional football for the San Francisco Kingsmen, Ben returns home to his small town in Nebraska where his family runs the Plain Daisy Ranch. Ben receives a hero’s homecoming from just about everyone in town — except for his ex-girlfriend, Gillian, and her son, 14-year-old Clayton. It’s been about 15 years since Ben broke Gillian’s heart and while he’s been out in the world living his best life as a pro athlete, she’s been behind in their small town, raising her son as a single mom. Being back home makes Ben realize just what he left behind, but is Gillian willing to trust him again?

This story was an easy, enjoyable read. It’s full of small-town goodness, but there is a lot of history between Ben and Gillian that is dealt with. There are also hurt feelings between Ben and his brothers, and Clayton is not very forgiving of his mom’s ex-boyfriend; I was happy to see those relationships get fleshed out as well! Narrators CJ Bloom and Robert Hatchett (a new-to-me narrator!) were quite entertaining as Gillian and Ben, and did a great job in bringing all of the intricacies of the relationship to life.

It’s totally worthing checking out the *free* prequel, One Last Summer, which is Ben and Gillian’s last day together before he heads off to Clemson for college… and they ultimately break up a few months later! I loved having that supplemental backstory going into The One I Left Behind! This book is also connected to the Green family and the Kingsmen series, since Ben was previously a supporting character in My Scorned Best Friend (Xavier Green) as well as the various Kingsmen books.

Now… counting the days until Jude and Sadie’s story….

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

MEANT FOR HER

Natasha Madison

Release Date: May 10

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

From Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon Bestselling Author Natasha Madison comes new enemies to lovers, forbidden, single mom, hockey romance.

Christopher
I came from the biggest hockey family in the NHL.
Records were set by my grandfather, my father, and now my brother.
I was taught to love the game, but more than that, I learned early the men you play with are your family.
You get on the ice every night and protect them, celebrate the wins, and pick each other up when you fall.
So when we lost Benji, I stepped in to help his wife and kids, but this pull I feel when it comes to them is something more than I can even understand.

Dakota
My life was perfect, until it wasn’t.
Gone was the husband I thought I knew and in his place was a stranger.
I saw him change before my eyes.
Then he was gone, leaving me and our girls alone.
I wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything that took him away from me.
But no matter how many times I’ve told his best friend I don’t need help.
He’s here doing things for us, and the worst part is, I want him to.

Grab Your Copy!

https://books2read.com/MeantForHer

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Meant For Her has to be one of the most emotional books I’ve read by Natasha Madison to date! It is set in the Cooper/Stone hockey world but is a standalone… Christopher and Koda’s story was beautiful!

Koda tragically loses her husband, Benji, who is a drug addict, leaving her a young widow with two small girls. Christopher is Benji’s best friend and teammate, and while he tries to step in and help Koda out, she shuts him out at the beginning of the book. She’s hurt and angry that Christopher (and the rest of the team) didn’t do anything to stop Benji as he fell deeper into his addiction. Of course, that isn’t what actually happened — Koda and Benji’s marital issues ran much deeper, but it took her a while to come to terms with that and accept that Benji was solely responsible for his actions.

Despite being shut out, Christopher is there every day, sending a single text as his show of support. Eventually, Koda begins to let him in as a friend and help her out with her daughters. It’s a slow burn as Koda and Christopher rebuild their friendship and eventually fall in love. Is it too soon after Benji’s death for Koda to move on? Is Christopher wrong for falling for his dead best friend’s wife? Those questions and more are brought up as Christopher and Koda navigate their feelings for one another, and Koda navigates her new normal as a widow.

I really loved how Natasha Madison handled not only Koda’s grief but Christopher’s as well. These two characters had tons of chemistry, and the spice of this story was balanced out with its sweetness. Not just the sweetness between Christopher and Koda — showing her respect and lifting her up in ways that Benji never did — but also between Christopher and the girls, Luna and Rain.

Despite its tragic start, Meant For Her is a wonderful story of finding love after loss!

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…

Keep up with Natasha Madison and subscribe to her newsletter https://www.natashamadisonauthor.com/

To learn more about Natasha Madison & her books, visit here!

Connect with Natasha Madison:

https://www.natashamadisonauthor.com/contact-me

Hosted By:

PROMISE ME THIS

Karla Sorensen

Release Date: May 9

FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

Imagine this: an author with a raging case of writer’s block finds an unexpected source of inspiration in her grumpy, gorgeous new roommate. Sounds amazing, right? Except that new roommate is my childhood best friend. And Ian Wilder has been off-limits since I was five.

It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen him, but when I return to my hometown after years away, Ian’s exactly the man I remembered. The same guy who gave me his coat on a playground when we were kids and promised he’d take care of me forever. I need a quiet place to work with this deadline looming. I need a place where my daughter can unwind. Enter Ian with an offer I can’t refuse: his spare bedroom.

It’s an easy yes. Except now the problem is I can’t stop thinking about him, and these thoughts? They’re wandering out of the friend zone. I keep imagining very creative ways to rip off his clothes. And Ian starts giving me looks of his own, the kind that make my heart race.

Grab Your Copy!

https://amzn.to/3PtoAcj

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Promise Me This is the slowest of slow-burn romances — and I simultaneously enjoyed every second of the push and pull between Harlow and Ian and just wanted them to get together already!

I seriously think this was one of Karla Sorensen’s best books. Ian is the grumpiest of all grumpy heroes, yet the only person he seems to have a soft side for is his best friend, Harlow. It’s been a good decade since these two have been in each others’ lives because their journeys took them down different paths. He’s lived in London for a few years and is now back home in Sisters, and she’s recently moved back as well, with her young daughter, to be closer to her family. Harlow’s hit a bit of a writer’s block with her next suspense book, and the constant judgement from her parents isn’t helping her to get her creative juices flowing. So when Ian suggests Harlow and Sage move into the large farmhouse where he lives alone, she takes him up on the offer.

But will being roommates ruin their friendship?

I loved these two! There is so much depth to their friendship, and I loved how Ian was a hard nut to crack, but he finally really let himself feel the emotions he was trying to bury and it was delicious. There is also a really nice friendship that develops between Sage and Ian, as he steps up to be another support system for her. But… I think my favorite part about this book was no third-act breakup — because it takes them that long to finally admit their feelings. And it was worth the wait!

CJ Bloom and JF Harding were brilliant in narrating Harlow and Ian’s story. Each of them captured the nuances of these characters’ personalities, and I especially loved how Harding played Ian’s scenes as he grappled with being in love with Harlow but not wanting to lose her if she didn’t feel the same way.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Karla Sorensen:

 Karla Sorensen is an Amazon top 20 bestselling author who refuses to read or write anything without a happily ever after. When she’s not devouring historical romance or avoiding the laundry, you can find her watching football (British AND American), HGTV or listening to Enneagram podcasts so she can psychoanalyze everyone in her life, in no particular order of importance. With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University, she made her living in senior healthcare prior to writing full-time. Karla lives in Michigan with her husband, two boys and a big, shaggy rescue dog named Bear.

Keep up with Karla Sorensen and subscribe to her newsletter: http://www.karlasorensen.com/newsletter

To learn more about Karla Sorensen & her books, visit here!

Connect with Karla Sorensen:

http://www.karlasorensen.com/message

Hosted By:

Shattered Vows by P. Rayne is now live! 

Once upon a time, I thought I’d found my happy ever after. Until she ruined it all.

I’d been on the hunt for four long years, and I finally found her.

I planned the perfect revenge. Kidnapping Rapsody on the day she was set to marry another man and forcing her to face my wrath while trapped in the confines of my family’s gothic manor.

Despite my desire to punish her, there is still an undeniable pull between us. But as the walls of the manor close in around us, we both have to confront the truth. Can we trust each other, or will my dark past consume us both?

SHATTERED VOWS is a dark contemporary romance that weaves together the themes of desire and redemption and is a Rapunzel reimagining with the following tropes: age gap, anti-hero, gothic romance, secret society, forced proximity, opposites attract, enemies to lovers, morality chain, billionaire, and second chance.

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://books2read.com/svpr

Duet Narration by: Tor Thom & Muffy Newtown

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4bDsJnl

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Shattered Vows is the second book in P. Rayne’s Midnight Manor series of fairytale-inspired gothic romances. Kol and Rhapsody’s second-chance romance is inspired by Rapunzel. This book is definitely not your typical second-chance romance fare — it dark, a bit twisted, and very intense, and I was hooked.

Kol is the quintessential tortured hero. He’s dark, mysterious, and broody, the complete opposite to light, ethereal Rhapsody. He blames Rhapsody for a series of things that have gone wrong in his life, and kidnaps her on her wedding day to someone else in an act of revenge. As I said, not the typical start to a second-chance romance, but there was something so electric about these two together!

There is so much history between these two, and I loved how the story built upon that. Even though he felt so betrayed by her, Kol never stopped loving Rhapsody. And she never stopped loving him. She has lived her life in a gilded cage thanks to her overbearing mother. There are a lot of secrets and lies because of her mom that Rhapsody has to navigate, leading to an element of suspense in the story. Shattered Vows is also incredibly spicy, and I think I was just as surprised as Kol that Rhapsody was so willing to explore and play along with his kinky side.

I am really enjoying this gothic romance series and getting to know these brothers!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet P. Rayne

The darker side of USA Today Bestselling Author, Piper Rayne. 

Connect with P. Rayne 

Website: https://piperrayne.com/p-rayne

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Gzm5B3

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/P.-Rayne/author/B0BR8M62DL

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/P-Rayne-Dark-Romance-Author-101312172854095

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorprayne

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@praynedarkromance

I Wish I Knew Then by Jessica Peterson is live on audio!

My grandmother has a saying: what’s done in the dark always comes to light, especially in small towns with big secrets. And I was hiding the biggest secret of them all.

Every summer I spent growing up at my grandparents’ coastal estate was the same. Same cousins. Same chaos. Same long golf cart rides along the beach.

But everything changed the summer I turned eighteen, when my grandparents’ new housekeeper moved in with her son, Riley. With his big personality and head-turning looks, he was the local heartthrob.

We fell in love instantly. Riley was my first everything. First love. First time.

And my first heartbreak when he dumped me at the end of the summer.

Ten years later, I’m back on the island for my best friend’s wedding as her maid of honor. Who’s the first person I literally stumble into?

Riley Dixon. Even worse? He’s the groom’s best man, and a self-made billionaire to boot.

Being forced to spend an entire week together for wedding festivities quickly leads to more: hot hate sex, late nights of sneaking out, and unexpected revelations. The boy I knew a decade ago is gone, and the hate becomes…something else entirely. And I begin to wonder if Riley is hiding some secrets of his own.

I WISH I KNEW THEN is a small town, standalone romance. It is the first book in the Harbour Village Series.

Listen today!

Audible: https://adbl.co/4d1x4l5

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3JMOqoP

Narrated by: Charlotte North and Austin Stone

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

It has been YEARS since I’ve read anything by Jessica Peterson, and I don’t know why! I enjoyed I Wish I Knew Then so much. This second chance, small-town romance was full of heart and Riley is so swoony in his quest to win back Lu’s love!

Riley and Lu had a secret relationship the summer they were 18. She was the princess from the wealthy family, and he was the son of her family’s housekeeper. But opposites attract, and it was love at first sight for these young lovers. They planned to continue their relationship after she left for college, but instead, Riley dumped her, claiming he had been with someone else, breaking her heart. Ten years later, they are reunited when Louise returns to the island for her best friend’s wedding and discovers that Riley is the best man to her maid of honor. Old feelings are reignited as they spend time together surrounding the wedding.

Riley has really made something of himself in the past decade, becoming quite the entrepreneur — all in his mission to be the kind of man that Lu deserves. Because guess what? He never cheated on her and never stopped loving her… So what really happened?

I thought this was a great story. It was well-paced, I liked the characters, and I thought the spice and sweetness balanced out each other nicely. Narrators Charlotte North and Austin Stone did a great job telling this story. They were vibrant in their portrayals of Louise and Riley, right down to the Southern accents!

Not only did I fall in love with Riley and Louise, but I fell in love with Harbour Village and Bald Head Island and the supporting cast of players. It reminded me of the Outer Banks of NC, where I have vacationed for many years! I am going to need to check out the rest of the Harbour Village series because I am hooked!

I received a complimentary copy and voluntarily left a review.