Travis Tucker is the ultra-hot lead singer of a country-rock band whose four albums have all hit number one. Life as a superstar is good. The only problem is, he gets swarmed wherever he goes. So he decides to buy himself a secret country getaway to work on his next record and clear his head.
Ruby Hayes is on a mission. Nothing can stop her from fulfilling her dream of making it as a singer and songwriter. She’ll spend the summer writing songs on the grand piano in the abandoned farmhouse next door. Then she’s on her way to Nashville.
When Travis finds Ruby, singing like an angel at his piano, she ignites a wild obsession and an all-consuming lust that will make this summer the hottest on record.
But will Ruby’s ambition, a jealous best friend and the demands of Travis’s high-profile life come between them? Or is this a match made in country music heaven?
Nashville Days is a super-sexy standalone romance starring a hot alpha rock star and the sweet, sassy songbird who steals his heart.
Vaughn Tucker is the hot playboy drummer of the Tucker Brothers band, whose four albums have all hit number one. Vaughn is drop-dead gorgeous … and completely out of control.
Gigi Hayes’s life is a million miles from packed stadiums and high-profile tour schedules. She’s a small-town girl who spends all her time working in the library and studying to become a qualified social worker. For … reasons.
When Vaughn meets Gigi, for the first time in his life, he’s the one who’s star-struck. But Gigi is saving herself for true love. And even though she’s drawn, against her will, to the beautiful, trouble-written-all-over-him superstar, she’s not deluded enough to believe he’s capable of such a thing.
Vaughn has already fallen hard. And Gigi’s refusals only make him crazier. She’s an angel and he may as well be the devil himself. But when heaven meets hell, all bets are off …
Nashville Nights is a sexy standalone rockstar romance starring an out-of-control alpha musician and the one woman who’s everything he never knew he needed.
I read Nashville Nights (book 2) first, and then went back to read Nashville Days, and I am so glad that I read Travis and Ruby’s story. Their relationship is mentioned a few times in Nashville Nights, so I’m happy that I finally got to get their backstory.
This book is a sweet, slow burn between a hot country star, and the sassy girl-next-door who captures his heart immediately. Ruby has no idea what she’s in for when she gets involved with Travis. She’s led such a sheltered life, having been away at boarding school for several years. Travis leads a lifestyle that she just can’t fathom, and suddenly she’s thrown into the spotlight when he buys the property next door to her family’s farm.
I really liked this story — but I felt that Travis and Ruby were lacking that *oomph* as individual characters and as a couple. I would have liked to have seen a bit more depth to their relationship, and since this was an instalove story, I felt like their love was kinda rushed. Still, I enjoyed this book, I just didn’t like it as much as I liked Nashville Nights.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: Nashville Nights
Nashville Nights takes the quintessential bad boy rocker, addicted to sex, drugs and alcohol, and makes the stereotypical good girl next door be the one who brings him to his knees, the woman he wants to be a better man for.
I confess that I skimmed a lot of the beginning of Vaughn and Gigi’s story at first, because it seemed like another instalove bad boy/good girl tale. But once Vaughn’s addiction really became an integral part of the story, I was hooked. He isn’t just partying because he likes to party. The guy is carrying around so much psychological baggage, and immense guilt. While he drinks to forget his demons, Gigi wants to be a social worker to put her own ghosts to rest. She couldn’t save her dad, but she knows there is someone out there she IS meant to save. She never expected it to be the tattooed rockstar who moved in next door.
While I found Vaughn and Gigi’s relationship to be a tad codependent, they did balance each other out and bring out the best in one another. She quiets his demons and grounds him, much in the way that helping him work through his addiction gives her purpose. However, I did feel let down that his intervention happened off the page after all of his spiraling and the talk of how bad his behavior had been in the past, and didn’t like how his treatment was handled.
This is book 2 in an interconnected series, and I did not read the first but had no problem following along. I plan to go back and reread Nashville Days because I am intrigued by Travis and Ruby’s story!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Julie Capulet writes contemporary romance starring sexy, obsessed alphas and the sweet & sassy women who bring them to their knees. Her stories are inspired by true love and she’s married to her own real life hero. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, walking on the beach, drinking wine and watching rom-coms ♥
Let Me Love You, the highly-anticipated and jaw-dropping conclusion to the All of Me Duet from USA Today bestselling author Siobhan Davis, available now!
My heart and soul forever belong to two men. It’s an irrefutable truth that won’t ever change. Reeve is the air I breathe. Dillon is the fire that consumes me. How am I expected to live without a part of my heart?
“I won’t pretend to know the exact inner workings of your mind, nor am I asking you to tell me, but you’re my brother, and I know you well enough to know part of what is going through that thick skull of yours.” She grabs a towel from behind her, gently mopping the wetness on my face. “You love her. I know you do. Like I know it terrifies you to trust your heart to someone. I understand she hurt you, but she’s hurting too. I should’ve knocked your heads together weeks ago and forced you to have a conversation about the future. You’ve both been skating around it instead of just talking.”
“We did talk. I told her how I felt. I asked her to stay, and she said no.”
“You sprung it on her at the last minute, Dil! You didn’t even give her time to consider it before you stormed off all butthurt.”
“She rejected me, Ash.” I rub at the tightness spreading across my chest. “She was never going to choose me over him. She’s been in love with him most of her life. A few months with me isn’t going to change that fact.”
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I went into this book HATING Dillon after the end of Let Me Be The One. Which was Siobhan Davis’ intent, I’m sure. In Let Me Love You, she took everything I thought I knew and felt about Dillon and Reece, shook it up, and spat it out at me, leaving me so confused and not sure which guy I was rooting for!
This story was magnificent. Despite all the secrets and lies that surround Reeve and Dillon and this love triangle with Viv, it is an inspirational story full of hope, love, loss, healing and redemption.
One thing after another is thrown Vivien’s way, and she handles it all with such grace. I loved how this story ended up, and will never forget the tale of Vivien and her two loves, twins Dillon the Irish rock god, and Reeve, a Hollywood prince.
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.
From USA TODAY Bestselling Author Claudia Burgoa comes a single-dad sports romance where the only thing more heartfelt than the small town is the love story.
I never wanted to go back to Baker’s Creek.
But when it rains, it pours. I lost my job, lost the guy, and lost the house. The perfect trifecta of ruin.
Ten years after I said I can make it on my own, I have no choice but to ask for help. But it’s my mother who needs me now…
So it’s back to where I don’t belong.
There’s no opportunity in my hometown. The only job that I can get is nannying. For a player from the Vancouver Orcas. “Mean” Mills Aldridge is going to be my new boss… and I’m supposed to pretend he isn’t sex on skates.
Between avoiding the town mean girls, helping my parents, and trying not to behave like a puck bunny, my job with that sweet boy is fast becoming just like the rest of my life–one big complication.
My only escape is my late-night chats with Mills.
The confessions we share make me feel like I belong. The stolen kisses make it hard to remember why I ever left.
Until the opportunity I’ve been waiting for arrives, and it’s time for me to say goodbye.
But can I leave that little boy and his father behind?
The Baker’s Creek Billionaire Brothers series is a romantic comedy saga that’s swoonful and sexy, with the right mix of ugly-cry moments and sweet seductions.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Barnes & Noble!
I’m not familiar with Claudia Burgoa’s Baker’s Creek series, so I went into As We Are just based on the blurb — not knowing anything about this large family. And I really liked Mills and Hadley’s story. There was a lot of family drama in the previous books — and not having read anything previous in this series, I felt a little lost as I read As We Are. There are so many interconnected plot points with the brothers and the patriarch of this family, I really wish that there’d been some kind of statement that the books are “best read in order” or something like that.
Still, I liked Mills and Hadley’s story, and how their relationship grew from friends to more over many late-night talks. That really gave a nice foundation to their relationship. Also, I liked that Mills was a little nerdy and not your typical athlete. I don’t know why, but I found that rather endearing. Auden had everyone wrapped around his little finger, and the kid knew it! But not in a bratty way; he was a sweet innocent voice and I loved his thoughts and interjections. Overall, As We Are is a pretty low-angst romance full of sweet and swoony moments, a chaotic family, and a happily ever after that will leave you with a smile.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author.
She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children.
She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right.
When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge-watch shows with her equally geeky husband.
Chasing Romeo, an all-new heartwarming opposites-attract standalone romantic comedy from author Sarah Ready is available now!
A laugh out loud, soul mate chasing rom-com romp, Sarah Ready’s Chasing Romeo is a perfect feel-good novel about finding love where you least expect it.
Chloe Daniels is a starry-eyed romantic who believes in true love, soul mates and happily ever afters. So when a psychic predicts the identity of her soul mate Chloe will do anything to find him.
But there’s a tiny problem.
Chloe’s soul mate is 1 of 7 men, spread across the U.S. and she has only one week to reach him.
Out of desperation she hires Nick O’Shea, a cynical private investigator who thinks soul mates, love and happily ever afters are a load of crap.
Chloe and Nick have nothing in common. She wants her soul mate. He wants to get paid.
But on their crazy, true love chasing road trip across the U.S. Nick starts to wonder if maybe he was wrong about love, and Chloe starts to wonder if she was wrong about the identity of her Romeo.
Soon, Chloe will have to choose between her soul mate and the man she hired to find him.
Opposites attract in the first book of a heartwarming new series by romance author Sarah Ready.
Chasing Romeo is the first book I’ve read by Sarah Ready, a relatively new author, and it was a decent start to a series set in Romeo, a town where everyone loves love. This was a well-told story between hopeless romantic/sunshine heroine Chloe and cynical grumpy hero Nick.
Chloe hires PI Nick to help her find her soulmate. He could be anywhere in the country. As they embark on a road trip to track down the mystery man, Chloe and Nick do nothing but bicker and argue. But opposites attract for a reason, and sparks begin to fly between these two characters while they are driving across the country.
While I liked the premise of the story, I found some of the scenes to be a bit trite. Everything with Nick and Chloe’s trip was one disaster after another, and I wished there was something else causing conflict between the characters. Of course, by the end of the book, Nick and Chloe realize that they are meant to be together, but I found the ending to be a bit forced. I didn’t feel that there was a genuine fondness that grew organically between the two.
There are some funny moments between Nick and Chloe, and it was an easy book to read. I just wanted more. I think that the bones of this story were really great and I’m interested to see what Sarah Ready brings to this series next as her skills as a writer grow. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Excerpt
“I’m just asking,” I say, “are you sure you want to bet your future on a myth?” Because, to be honest, something inside me wishes she’d get up and say, screw you, fate, I’m taking my future in my own hands. “Would I bet my future?” she asks. I nod and lean forward to hear her answer. Slowly, she says, “I’d bet everything.” Her words ring in my ears. She’s serious. She’ll do anything to get with this random guy she hasn’t seen in nearly twenty years. It’s like a cosmic joke, except I’m not laughing. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything less. “It’s a myth,” I say. “It’s not real.” “It is,” she says. She points her finger at me and jabs me in the chest. “And I’m going to prove it to you.” Her hand rests over my heart. We both look down at her touching me. She yanks it back and wipes her hand on her napkin. No man likes to see a woman wipe herself off after touching him. I scowl and then take her unspoken challenge. “More likely, by the end of this week, I’ll prove that soul mates don’t exist.” “Good luck, you have hundreds of Aunt Erma’s successes against you.” No worries, I stand by my belief that the whole town of Romeo is suffering from romantic delusions. Hey, the tourism dollars depend on it. Also, I’d like to push a little bit of reality into this situation and throw out the idea that this guy might not be decent. “He could be a rapist,” I say. That gets her attention. Her head snaps up and she glares at me. “Or a Lothario,” she says. Take that, her eyes say. She bares her teeth at me in a semblance of a grin and I smile back. Game on. The minstrel who had wandered close again hightails it to the other side of the restaurant. “He could be a drug dealer,” I say. “Or a pharmacist,” she says. “He could be an alcoholic.” “A vintner.” “He’s unemployed,” I say. “Independently wealthy.” “He looks like a frog.” “He’s a prince,” she says. “He’s boring.” “Strong and silent.” I glare at her and she glares back, a smile curving on her lips. “Bad in bed,” I say. “A sex god.” She bites at her lower lip and I have the urge to take it in my mouth and show her a decade of pent-up wanting. I yank my thoughts from her lips and drop my ace in the hole. “He could be an ax murderer,” I say. Take that and chew on it. She laughs, throaty and low, and her eyes light up. The candlelight sparks off her glowing skin. “Or,” she says, “he’s a lumberjack. Mmmm. Sexy ax. I’ll hold the handle. Rawr.” She claws her hand and scratches at the air. I shake my head. “You got it.” I hold up my goblet of mead for a toast. “To Matt Smith. Chloe’s lumberjack soul mate.”
About Sarah Ready Author Sarah Ready writes contemporary romance and romantic comedy. Her books have been described as “euphoric”, “heartwarming” and “laugh out loud”. Her debut novel The Fall in Love Checklist was hailed as “the unicorn read of 2020”. She loves to write fast-paced, emotionally compelling romances about quirky, smart women and the men who love them.
Before writing romance full-time Sarah had lots of fun teaching at an Ivy League. Then she realized she could have even more fun writing romance. Her favorite things after writing are adventuring and travel. You’ll frequently find her using her degree at a dino dig site, crawling into a cave, snorkeling, or on horseback riding through the jungle – all fodder for her next book. She’s lived in Scotland, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and NYC. She currently lives in the Caribbean with her water-obsessed pup and her awesome family. You can visit her online at http://www.sarahready.com
She’s every man’s girl next door. I’m the playboy your mother warns you about.
I’m the party-boy extraordinaire and perpetual playboy of the Seattle Sockeyes. I thought this was the dream life, but after multiple poor choices, it’s all gone too far and I’m about to lose everything. My reputation has been shot to hell, I’m on thin ice with the team, and I’m financially broke AF. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I’m about to agree to the last thing an irresponsible dude like me should ever do.
Darcy is the sweetheart of reality TV and every guy’s girl-next-door fantasy, but her luster is fading, her show is on the chopping block, and she’s now living in my condo. Did I forget to mention she’s also my fake girlfriend and soon-to-be fake fiancé? And not a fake girlfriend with benefits, but the hands-off, leave-me-alone except when the cameras are rolling girlfriend.
I crave attention and notoriety. She craves stability and love. We both have our secrets…and chemistry. We have a lot of chemistry. Together we’re explosive, but explosions have a way of hurting those closest to the blast. And this celebrity match made in heaven is about to detonate.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Gage and Darcy had me hooked from the start. She’s a reality TV darling, but her fix-it show is on the brink of being cancelled. Gage is in need of a reputation rehab, so in an attempt to save both of their careers, Gage and Darcy enter into a fake relationship to bring on the on-camera drama. But there is a lot of heat behind their constant bickering.
While Darcy and Gage both reluctantly agreed to the faux romance and engagement, neither of them expected to be around each other very much when the cameras weren’t rolling. And sharing a condo certainly wasn’t what they were expecting. But it’s not long before the sizzling chemistry between them erupts and they give in to the sparks flying between them. But will they be able to make their faux romance a real one?
I really liked the progression of Gage and Darcy’s relationship. There is so much more to Gage than being hockey’s bad boy. He allows Darcy to see his vulnerable side where his greedy family is concerned, and that was really endearing. They balance each other out nicely, and are well-rounded characters on their own and as a couple.
Faceoff is part of Jami Davenport’s Scoring series and is a standalone. There are appearances from other characters in the series, but I didn’t find that they took the attention away from Gage and Darcy.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami’s new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times. Jami ranked Number Seven on Kobo’s Top Ten Most Completed Authors, an honor bestowed on the year’s “most engaging” authors based on an average page completion rate by their readers. Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare. Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She’s a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it’s the most beautiful place on earth.
When I walk into the diner, all I’m looking for is a decent meal. As a civil engineer for the largest project on campus, I just want to eat in peace. I’m happy to find this hidden gem since students are scarce. Don’t get me wrong, co-eds on campus are beautiful, but I was over that scene when I graduated three years ago. I need to finish this job and move onto the next one by the end of the year.
Then Vanessa walks up with a simple smile and takes my breath away. The next thing I know, I’m making every excuse imaginable to dine with this intriguing woman. She’s not only smart and sexy; she’s completely focused on reaching the goals she has set for herself.
The more I get to know her, the more I know she’s the one. I just have to find a way to make her deviate from her perfectly laid plans and take a chance on me.
Damien was one in a million! From the moment he met Vanessa in the diner where she worked the morning shift, he knew there was something special about her. He kept at it, even when she was completely clueless that he was interested in her. All of Vanessa’s worries that he wouldn’t want to get involved with a single mom were unnecessary because Damien pretty much fell in love with sweet, precocious Julia before he fell in love with Vanessa!
The epilogue made me cry. I love how full Vanessa and Vince’s lives became, after it just being the two of them with little Julia for so many years. They found a large extended family (and friends that were their chosen family), and it made my heart sing.
I am also very intrigued by Damien’s family and was happy to see that his sister Dani already has a book of her own and his brothers will be getting books too. I will definitely be checking those out!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Amanda Shelley
Amanda Shelley loves falling into a book to experience new worlds. As an avid reader and writer, sharing worlds of her own creations is a passion that inspired her to become an author.
She writes contemporary romance with characters who are strong and sexy with a touch of sass.
When not writing, Amanda enjoys time with her family, playing chauffeur, chef and being an enthusiastic fan for her children. Keeping up with them keeps her alert and grounded in reality. She enjoys long car rides, chai lattes, and popping her SUV into four-wheel drive for adventures anywhere.
Amanda loves hearing from readers. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter and follow her on social media. Join her reader group: Amanda’s Army of Readers to stay up to date on her latest information!
Tie Me Down, an all-new swoon-worthy friends to lovers, small town romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow, is now live!
Just friends. That’s all Beckett Weaver and I have ever been. Sure, he’s a hot cowboy who left Wall Street behind to take over his family’s ranch. Yes, I’ve had a secret crush on him since we were seventeen. And who wouldn’t appreciate those strong hands, that massive chest, and the way he fills out a pair of Levis? He makes a girl sweat just looking at him . . . and I look. A lot. But I’m a single mom trying to move on with my life, and he’s running that ranch single-handedly while taking care of his elderly father. We don’t even live in the same state. I only returned to my hometown of Bellamy Creek to sell my late mother’s house, and he just invited me and my son to stay with him because he’s got a big heart. That’s not the only big thing he’s got–which I discover the night I finally sneak across the hall to his bedroom and shed my inhibitions right alongside my pajamas. And once we give into each other, we can’t stop. The hayloft. The bed of his truck. The dock by the pond. Nothing has ever felt so right, but his past has taught him not to believe in happily ever after, and every perfect night I spend in his arms brings us closer to goodbye. Like any cowboy, he’s good with a rope and knows exactly how to tie me up. But what if I want him to tie me down?
I am so sad to see the Bellamy Creek series come to an end! I have loved hanging out with these four friends so much and watching them all fall in love. Tie Me Down concludes the series, with Beckett finally telling his childhood best friend, Maddie, that he’s been in love with her forever.
Of course, it’s not *that* simple, and their relationship starts off just as a fun fling while she’s in town for two weeks and staying at Beckett’s ranch while working to fix up her mom’s dilapidated house across the street. But every night when she leaves Beckett’s room, she takes a bit more of his heart with her and leaves pieces of hers behind. Their love has an expiration date, which seems fine with Beckett and all of his abandonment issues when it comes to love and relationships.
But Beckett has always regretted letting Maddie walk away when they were teenagers and shared one magical kiss. Even though they’ve crossed from friends to something more, Beckett can’t see how he can offer Maddie and her son Elliott a future when he’s running his dad’s ranch and caring for his elderly father. But when he realizes what he has right in front of him, will he make a grand gesture before he loses Maddie a second time, and this time for good?
I loved the friendship and history that these two shared. I LOVED Elliott, and how the kid breaks all stereotypes about little boys. But he has such a sweet soul and generous heart. And Beckett takes to Elliott immediately, which I loved. We get more from the band of brothers with Beckett, Enzo, Cole and Griffin, and finally see Cheyenne marry Cole in this story…. and that sets the stage for Beckett’s grand gesture. Wow! Swoony!
Like I said, I am sad to see this series come to an end. But MH’s bonus epilogue for this group of friends was EVERYTHING and the conclusion of this series left me totally satisfied!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Excerpt
When Beckett reached the landing, he headed for his bedroom.
“Night.”
I opened my mouth to say goodnight—I swear I did.
But that’s not what came out.
“I need to tell you something,” I blurted.
He turned and faced me.
“I want to answer your question.” My heart raced, and my fingers locked over my stomach.
“What question?”
“You asked me—last night—why I always chose jerks.”
“You said you didn’t know.”
“I lied. I do know.”
He was silent a moment. “So tell me.”
I took a step toward him. “I chose jerks because they didn’t ask anything of me. They didn’t expect anything of me. They didn’t even want much from me—just skin.”
Beckett took a deep breath, his chest expanding.
“That’s why I couldn’t be with you,” I whispered.
“Because you think I would have expected perfection?”
“Because you would have deserved it.”
He exhaled and shook his head. “You’re wrong.”
“I’m sorry. This is stupid.” I squeezed my eyes shut a moment. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this right now. It’s not like I can go back and do things differently. I guess I just wish I would have been brave enough to tell you the truth back then.”
“What’s the truth?”
“That I wish I could have been yours. I know you would have been good to me.”
He said nothing for ten full seconds, during which my heart banged painfully against my ribs and I regretted everything.
“Listen, forget I said anything,” I said quickly. “I don’t know what Blair puts in that apple pie, but—”
“I have something to tell you too.”
I swallowed. “You do?”
“Yeah. Several things, actually.” He moved closer to me, so close I could feel his breath on my lips. “First, I’m glad you finally answered my question. It’s been bothering me for fifteen years. Second, you’re right. I would have been good to you. And third, no—we can’t go back and do things differently. The past is past.”
“Yes. Well, goodnight.” Tears of mortification burning my eyes, I spun away from him, but he grabbed my arm.
“But there’s one more thing.”
“What?” I whispered.
“I sleep with my bedroom door open. But I want you to think hard before you take advantage of that. Because I’m not eighteen anymore, and I’m no longer in the mood to be a gentleman.”
Then he let go of my arm and disappeared across the hall.
With my legs trembling, I slipped into my room, shut the door and leaned back against it, fanning my face.
Holy. Shit.
He’d left it up to me.
But his invitation was clear. I hadn’t imagined it.
And before I thought about it too hard and blew my chance to be with him, I raced into the bathroom, pulled my braids out, and brushed my teeth. Back in my bedroom, I whipped off my clothes and pulled on the pineapple-print tank and matching shorts I’d brought to sleep in. Not exactly my sexiest lingerie, but in my defense, seduction hadn’t been on my to-do list when I’d packed my bags.
Then I took a deep breath, opened my door, and snuck across the hall.
About Melanie Harlow USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
You never forget your first love, even when they become just a memory.
There was before. When we were together, when we were happy. When we had nothing but dreams. When not a single bad thing could ever happen because we were young and in love.
And there was after. When the unthinkable occurs, how do you count time, knowing how precious it is? When dreams turn to nightmares, how do you wake up every day and choose to go on? When you have a chance to save another, how can you not?
Even if it changes everything. Even if it destroys you.
A harrowing, heartbreaking dark contemporary romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann, the third installment in the Moments in Boston series of standalones that explores the darkest nights and brightest dawns of the heart. A book that will leave you aching … and looking over your shoulder.
This gut-wrenching, heartbreaking epic story is phenomenal! Marni Mann knocked it out of the park with When Darkness Ends. Pearl and Ashe’s story is gritty, raw, and hard to read, and they take several loops on the rollercoaster of angst. I was sobbing and screaming as I read this story — it is not light fare by any means. I’ve read one other book in this Moments in Boston series and found When Darkness Ends to be much darker in tone than When We Met. But by the time I got around to that ending, my heart was so happy for Ashe and Pearl and all that they’d gone through in both the “Before” part of the story as well as the “After.”
This is a phenomenal story of love, loss, and so much more, and I was left with a major book hangover. When Darkness Ends is a book I am keeping on my re-read shelf!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts unique stories that weave together her love of darkness, mystery, passion, and human emotions. A New Englander at heart, she now lives in Sarasota, Florida, with her husband and their yellow Lab. When she’s not nose deep in her laptop, working on her next novel, she’s scouring for chocolate, sipping wine, traveling, or devouring fabulous books.
Falling for You, an all-new friends-to-lovers romance that delivers all-the-feels from Stacy Travis is available now!
When brilliant, logical Owen Miller walks into my bakery and witnesses the worst break-up in the history of public, mortifying break-ups, I can only think of one thing to do… so I kiss him.
Is it a mistake? Yes. Do I regret it? Maybe.
Friends aren’t supposed to kiss—or have red-hot moments next to the bread oven. And respected bakers with designs on a San Francisco bread empire aren’t supposed to manhandle their customers.
It’s a rebound, pure and simple. We both admit it. I don’t have time for anything more, especially when I’m on the cusp of achieving my dream—expanding my business into hand-picked, perfect locations.
But Owen is a savvy hotel owner who knows a thing or two about business. So when location scouting leads to wine tasting, long leisurely drives, and a hands-on meeting in a wine cave, I decide mixing business and pleasure with the smoking-hot charmer might be the best of both worlds.
Until an anonymous competitor seems determined to sink everything I’ve put my heart and soul into. Maybe it’s time to end our friends with benefits arrangement before I lose everything.
But what if losing Owen is losing everything? What if I’m falling for my rebound guy?
“So . . . I’m going to hope the third ask is the charm here. Can I buy you some dinner? Or even a snack? There’s a CVS down the block. How about a Twix bar? Lays chips?” It was like he was speaking a foreign language. After getting used to Tom’s big fancy dinner invitations to private tastings at Michelin-starred restaurants, I’d forgotten what it felt like when someone suggested grabbing food because it was dinnertime and I might be hungry. “Yes,” I said, nodding at him, still a bit dazed. “Yes, okay. Except for Lays. I don’t like them. I need a thicker chip, like kettle baked or Ruffles.” He nodded slowly. “Noted.” “And I like sour gummy worms, not that you asked.” I knew I sounded like a loon, but it felt important that he knew I wasn’t going to be satisfied with any old snack. There were standards. Plus, he’d thrown me off and I was having trouble recovering. The one thing I knew for sure was I wanted to get out of the bakery and have dinner with him. It didn’t matter if he wanted to go to KFC or make me a peanut butter sandwich on the hood of his car. I was hungry. We were standing in the middle of the bakery floor with the only light coming from the Edison bulbs hanging from two industrial chandeliers overhead. The night beyond him outside the door to the shop was dusky and I could hear the occasional voices of people walking past on the sidewalk. Watching me with his placid blue eyes, he waited for me to work out the questions that were still coursing through my brain. He seemed unhurried and I wasn’t used to people like that in my life. My sisters were all crazy and my best hires tended to sprint around like caffeinated bunnies. I had so many questions, namely why he, of all people, had chosen to show up here. “I’m just…” I didn’t know what. He waited patiently to find out. My bakers had watched my meltdown after seeing the pictures of Tom and none of them had asked me to dinner. They’d taken off as soon as their shifts were over, mostly without saying goodbye as though they didn’t want to disturb the crazy person who might bite their heads off or cry. For the record, I was planning to do neither. I’d called my middle sister, Becca, and the next-youngest sister, Cherry, and vented at them for twenty minutes apiece, but they hadn’t shown up to make sure I remained well-fed. So what’s with this guy? Maybe it was gratitude mixed with curiosity or maybe it was that I’d just noticed his lips looked particularly pink and plush, but I reached for his face and ran my fingertips over his cheek and over to his lips, which were just as soft as they looked. His eyes clouded a little when I touched him and he stood frozen, as if waiting to see what else the crazy baker lady planned to do. What I planned to do was kiss him.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I adored this rebound romance. Owen and Isla’s friendship evolves so naturally, and they just click. Even before she was single, they clicked. Who cares if it’s been less than 24 hours since she broke up with her jerky boyfriend! When it’s right, it’s right, and Isla and Owen are so right together.
Falling For You is a sweet, slow-burn romance that hits all the right friends-to-lovers notes and gave me all the feels. Owen isn’t exactly looking for a relationship in general, but he’s there the day that his favorite baker’s love life implodes and can’t help but want to give Isla a comforting shoulder to cry on. And after the humiliation she endured from a guy she was planning to dump anyway, Isla is a bit gun-shy about getting involved with someone else. But love finds these two characters when they are least expecting it!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Stacy Travis
It’s a rough world out there, and we all sometimes need a good, romantic beach read, even if we can’t make it to the beach. I’ve spent many lazy days walking the streets of Paris and other gorgeous European cities, and if I’m doing it right, I’m bringing you a dash of romance and a vacay fantasy. I can’t sit still, so when I’m not hiking, biking or running, I’m playing a very average game of tennis. Background music for writing undoubtedly features some U2, Lizzo, Billy Joel, Pink, Taylor Swift, and Led Zeppelin. Not necessarily in that order. And if I could only eat one food group, it would be cheese. Or wine. Or bread. Are those food groups? Whatever.
I’ve never fit in, but I have no desire to stand out either. I was perfectly fine hanging in the shadows, but my choice to remain anonymous is taken from me.
I’m thrust into the spotlight. His spotlight.
Asher Beck is a golden god at Savage River High. Football star, whip-smart, and popular, we don’t belong in the same hemisphere, let alone circle. But underneath that perfection is a darkness he only reveals to me.
I have no idea what I did to capture Asher’s attention, but he is relentless in his pursuit. The problem is, I can’t tell if he’s trying to break me or own me…and I don’t know which I want more.
Broken boy meets broken girl.
Author’s Note: Through the Ashes is a high school bully romance with mature themes and dubious situations some readers may find offensive. If heroes who are golden on the outside but dark as night on the inside aren’t your thing, this book isn’t for you!
Through The Ashes is a dark, twisted bully romance. Asher is such a complex character, and while it seems like there is zero in common between him and Bex at first, they are more alike than either one of them realizes.
Asher hates that he’s so drawn to Bex, and it’s a while before we find out why he hates her. And it was a brilliant twist, because the reason he despises Bex and her family is the only thing that Bex seems to be hanging on to in her family. The push and pull between the characters is so full of angst. Both of their lives are in shambles, and every time that Bex and Asher seem to make progress in not hating one another, they take two steps back as that progress goes up in flames.
By the end of the story, these two broken souls find a sense of solace in the other that they never would have imagined they would that first explosive night they hooked up at a high school party. Through The Ashes is the second book in a series about interconnected characters. I did not read book #1 and did not feel like I was missing pieces of the backstory. It reads as a standalone.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia Wolf is a lover of all things romance. From steamy, to sweet, to funny, to so dirty you’ll be blushing for days, she loves it all.
Formerly a hair stylist, she spent years collecting stories her clients couldn’t wait to spill. And now that she’s writing full time, she’s putting those stories to use, although all identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent!
Julia lives in Maryland with her three crazy, beautiful kids and her patient husband who she’s slowly converting to a romance reader, one book at a time.
Sunny Shelly Reads 
