And, thanks to one reckless night, my soon-to-be baby daddy.
Patton Pierce has a knack for showing up when I least expect him—my street, my salon, my martial arts studio. Even my dreams.
Sure, I’ve pined for him over the past seven years, but if he thinks his low-slung gray sweatpants, backward cap, and infuriating grin will make me forget our past, then he’s in for a rude awakening.
But then my sister’s bachelorette party happens, and I have one too many drinks. One ridiculous dare later, and I find myself “kissing the boy I used to love”.
One kiss leads to one incredible night.
And one night leads to two very pink lines.
Patton says he wants me back, that nothing would make him happier than to have this baby with me. But I’ve heard those words before.
He chose Hollywood over me before, and he’ll choose it over me again.
Still, with him taking care of my every craving—both in and out of the bedroom—it’s getting harder not to fall for him.
The question is: will he be there to catch me this time?
Pine For Me is the first book I’ve read by Swati M.H., and I really enjoyed Patton and Nisha’s second-chance romance. I especially love a second-chance romance for a divorced couple, and these two characters went through the wringer.
Patton and Nisha were high school sweethearts who married young. But as his celebrity star power rose, they started to grow apart. And when Nisha was left to deal with a traumatic event all on her own, she had enough and left. Now, it’s been seven years, and Patton is determined to take the small opening he has and prove to Nisha that he is a changed man.
I thought that the author handled the infertility issues very well. Having been through a miscarriage myself, Nisha’s recovery with that resonated with me. Even though she left him, Patton ended up suffering just as much as she did. I really loved how that part of the story was dealt with; he had no one else in his corner, and he lost more than she did, in a way, when their marriage ended.
This book was really beautiful, and I was so happy to see Nisha and Patton get the happily ever after they fought so hard for! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
I prefer to call myself a storyteller rather than an author. I’m a mom to two beautiful little girls and a wife to an incredibly supportive husband. My days start with caffeine and sometimes end with a glass (or three) of wine.
I’m a Texas raised Indian American currently living in the Bay Area. With a degree in Computer Science and an MBA, I’ve had a successful career building software products but writing is both my hobby and my passion.
For me, writing and reading are an escape from real life. I love meeting and creating characters who I’d love to take out for a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. My goal as a storyteller is to distract my readers from their daily grind with stories about everyday couples finding and fighting for incredible love with the help of a little luck.
She’s looking for Mr. Fun Right Now, but he’s looking for Mrs. Forever.
After leaving her job as a dancer on cruise ships, Joanna Fernsby was sure that the fast-paced world of luxury real estate was her dream career. Wrong. Television definitely over-hyped things. It’s demanding, dog-eat-dog and not at all what she signed up for.
So when her best friend Mieka asks Joanna to fill in for her at her dance studio while she goes on her honeymoon, Joanna agrees. This will also give her a chance to get to know the mysterious Decker McKnight better after a steamy, but also confusing, moment on the haystacks with him at the wedding.
Decker is tired of his nomad life. He hasn’t unpacked his apartment in the six years he’s paid rent there. He also can’t take his eyes off the bubbly Joanna as she rips up the dance floor at the wedding, and is quick to offer his help on the ranch while the newlyweds are on their honeymoon. Especially when he finds out Joanna is sticking around.
However, Decker wants to take it slow with Joanna and see where things go, which causes the dancing Brit all kinds of frustration since she just wants a good shag.
Will Joanna get what she wants? Or will it take Decker offering her the promise of a real future where she can dance again, for her to see that he’s more than just a good shag—he’s a fantastic forever?
Listen on YouTube, get it from the author’s shop, or download from your favorite retailer!
Found Forever is a quick, bingeable story, narrated by Sean Masters and Andi Eloise. I think the entire audiobook is just over two hours, so I was easily able to listen to it in a day while I did work around the house. I thought that Masters and Eloise did a great job of bringing the sizzling chemistry between these characters to life.
Decker and Joanna had first met at the wedding of mutual friends, where they shared a sexy moment. Now that the newlyweds are on their honeymoon, Joanna is looking after her friend’s dance studio and Decker offers to help out on the ranch, hoping to get to know Joanna better. While she’s looking for a quick hookup, he’s at a point in his life where he’s tired of being a nomad and wants to settle down, get to know a woman, and make a connection. He’s looking for Forever and she’s looking for Right Now…. is it a recipe for disaster, or will Decker give Joanna everything she didn’t know she wanted?
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes a brand new holiday rom-com with all the humor and heat her fans adore.
Nothing says I love you like trespassing, public humiliation, and a town-wide Christmas spectacle to win your crush back.
Atlas “Max” Maxheimer did not sign up for this. One minute, he’s anxiously trying to keep his family’s Christmas tree farm from imploding. The next? He’s passed out in the snow after getting clocked by a suspiciously strong bottle of soda.
Enter Betty: new in town, full of holiday cheer, and helping her uncle open a rival tree farm next door. Max is convinced she’s out to destroy everything Evergreen Farm stands for. Betty thinks Max might be one sleigh short of a winter parade.
Cue the holiday chaos.
Between blizzards, blown reputations, wildly misguided romantic plots, and one stolen ornament with a seriously tragic backstory, this small-town war turns into something far messier―and much more delicious―than either of them expected.
We go back to the Christmas-loving town of Kringle in Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal. After being Cole’s sidekick in the first book, Atlas “Max” Maxheimer now gets his own chance at love in this Home Alone-inspired, rivals-to-lovers romance that was sweet, spicy, and HILARIOUS.
After having to close her retail store, Betty is down on her luck when her uncle Dwight gives her the opportunity to help him create a new business on a parcel of farmland that he’s owned for years. But the business Dwight wants to open will put the Maxheimers’ tree farm out of business. Nobody in his family believes Max when he gets wind of this, so he sets out to save his family’s farm — and ends up falling hard for Betty along the way.
These characters were so in sync. It’s a wild, messy, chaotic journey, but I loved going along for the ride as Max and Betty fell in love, especially with his Grand Gesture to win her back that involved most of Kringle. There’s a great subplot with the hate that Dwight has for Atlas — and it involves a Christmas tree ornament with a tragic backstory. As much as I laughed throughout this book, the history behind Dwight’s ornament made me shed a tear.
As amazing as this book was, it was even better listening to the audio as I went back and forth between the two versions. Teddy Hamilton and Samantha Brentmoor were phenomenal as Atlas and Betty, with Vanessa Edwin and JF Harding back again as Storee and Cole, additional characters voiced by Robert Hatchet, and Shane East returning as the hilarious narrator. (And yes, we finally find out who the narrator is! Can he get his own book?)
I wish I could have a conversation with Meghan Quinn about where she comes up with some of her scenarios. I really think Atlas and Betty’s use of popcorn tops Cole and Storee’s candy cane escapade. IYKYK. Definitely put this book on your holiday reading list!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
After a decade in a suffocating marriage, I finally walked away.
Want to make me the villain? Fine. Here’s the truth: when you hate yourself, you’ll hate everyone who crosses your path.
I can’t love Chase enough for the both of us—and I’m done trying.
Now it’s a new city, new job, new start.
What I didn’t plan for? My new manslut coworker.
Leo is everywhere. My office. The copy room. Even the women’s bathroom (no, I don’t care if yours is closed—get out).
He’s everything I swore to avoid. Working together only makes the tension worse. He hides his pain behind hookups and humor; I’m still picking up the pieces of my past.
We weren’t looking for each other, but the more time we spend together, the more the walls start to crack.
I don’t need a man to fix me. But do I want this one to love me? Maybe.
BJ Hill is a new-to-me author, and I am so glad I got the chance to read Victoria Falls. The blurb drew me in, and the story itself was phenomenal. It was so much more than I was expecting from a workplace romance with a playboy hero.
After leaving her abusive husband, Tori starts her life over again, moving in with a friend and taking a job as an assistant to several math professors at a college. She and Leo, one of the professors, get off on the wrong foot, mostly because while Tori is trying to deal with the trauma of leaving an abusive ex, Leo turned into a manwhore after being dumped by his wife, and holds it against Tori that she left her husband.
It’s a super slow burn between these two (and lots of math puns, which were genius) as they keep bumping into each other everywhere they go. The way they exchange barbs was foreplay all on its own; the witty banter between these characters was top-notch. But the core of this story is a messy journey of finding yourself again, and that wasn’t just true for Tori, but for Leo as well. While Tori’s hurt and pain were more apparent, Leo hid his underneath sarcasm. And once you got past his prickly personality, he was such a gem. The building of Leo and Tori’s relationship is told against the breakdown of her marriage with Chase, and in each other, Leo and Tori found exactly what they needed and what neither of them ever expected, and it helped them both heal and find a way to forge a path forward.
I will definitely put this one on my re-read list! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet B.J. Hill:
B.J. Hill wants to live in a world where it doesn’t matter if you’re a square peg or a round hole; where ’round’ is a perfectly-acceptable goal for getting ‘in shape’; and where unfiltered and messy life is not only welcomed, but celebrated.
Her books—edgy and heartfelt narratives—explore the depths of human connection, the bittersweet taste of life, the redemptive power of love, and the belief that true strength is often found in vulnerability. They are important to her because they offer a space where passion meets purpose, where characters break and mend, and where readers can find solace in the shared experience of resilience and hope.
Adding to her repertoire, B.J. is also the innovative founder and CEO of JibblyBitz, a company that embraces the vibrancy and authenticity of storytelling. Through JibblyBitz, she aims to extend that connection, crafting a community where stories uplift, challenge, and transform.
She is the sunshine to her grumpy-ish college sweetheart, mom to the three coolest offspring in the world, and devoted subject to her feline royal majesties, Belle and Lucy. When she’s not writing stories about her imaginary friends, you can find her reading, using her outside voice at inopportune moments, or being generally awkward (I mean, awesome. Totally awesome).
I should have known I’d break the promise I made when I found her stranded in a blizzard…
Feisty as hell and the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.
With the cutest kid and her grandmother in tow, she’s completely off limits.
I don’t get involved with women like that.
I learned long ago I don’t have the ability to love.
My life is sordid and danger is always hiding in the shadows.
Only I can’t turn my back on them when I realize she’s in trouble, and I insist on them staying in a cabin at the motel I own.
As penance for my sins, I promised my life to protecting others.
Except she becomes so much more.
A need I don’t recognize. A desperation that burns beneath my flesh.
One kiss, and I’m falling for her.
One touch, and I’m at her feet.
But when my dark past comes back to haunt me, I’m in a race against time to save the only woman I’ve ever loved. Only it may be the demons that have been chasing her that destroy what we built…
Beyond the Blue Horizon is another great book in A.L. Jackson’s Moonlit Ridge series. From the moment Theo saves Piper, her son and grandmother during a snowstorm to the epilogue, I was hooked on this couple and wanted to know what kind of secrets they were both carrying.
As with the rest of this series, Amy weaves a thread of suspense throughout the romance. She is a master at writing the heroine-in-danger trope, and once it all played out, I thought it was brilliant how linked together Piper and Theo were, without either of them ever knowing that their pasts were entwined.
I listened to the audio of this book, and as always, Teddy Hamilton was perfection. This was actually the second book in a row I’d listened to with Teddy narrating, and I could listen to him all day long. He always manages to bring such depth and vulnerability to his characters, and I loved his performance as Theo. Meanwhile, Kit Swan nailed Piper. The scared side, the reluctance, the determination, the vulnerability… she was spot-on in her performance.
I was so happy once Piper finally felt settled and safe with Theo’s found family, and adored how excited Finn was to get some “cousins” to play with finally. Well done!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
How does a romance author with practically zero experience find inspiration to write raunchy bedroom scenes?
I listen to my best friend describe his hookups…in explicit detail. Except, now I picture myself in every scenario. It’s Olly’s fault…with his cocky smirk and dirty mouth, it was only a matter of time before my crush turned to obsession, and every scene I wrote became a fantasy I could never act out.
Because we are just friends.
So when I need to write a story about turning the good boy bad, it makes sense to stop relying on Olly’s experiences and get some of my own. Seducing our timid college professor will work. Except I seduce on paper, not in real life…I have no clue where to start, but my dirty best friend does.
Olly
I’d do anything for my Lovely Lacey, but teaching her to seduce her way into another man’s bed drives me crazy. Crazy enough to want what I shouldn’t. Crazy enough…to join in.
This is a short and steamy friends-to-lovers story. It contains MF, MFM, MM scenes.
This is a short and steamy novella in Her Sweet Seduction Series. Each novella is stand-alone with new characters and spicy scenarios to enjoy anytime—but especially fun as a bedtime treat.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Welp, this audio is the very definition of hot and spicy. Teddy Hamilton tops the list of my favorite male narrators, and he was ON FIRE as Ollie in this audio duet. Paired with Savannah Peachwood as Lacey, these two were blazing hot.
Lacey is a college student who secretly writes romance books. However, she’s a bit inexperienced, so she lives vicariously through the escapades of her he-hoe best friend, Ollie, to write her racy scenes. But lately, Lacey has been in a bit of a slump thanks to writer’s block, and she’s hoping that she can get some real-world experience to draw from. After getting some spicy lessons from Ollie, Lacey decides to seduce one of their professors to get inspiration for her next novel — and it propels these two characters, who have secretly been pining for one another, to finally be up front about their feelings.
This was my first exposure to Adele Knight; I’m not sure if all of her books are as spicy as this one is, but man, oh man, was this spicy. I wasn’t a fan of one scene after Lacey and Ollie spent the night together, because he was clearly taking advantage of her. But other than that, this is totally one of those stories that will leave you hot and bothered. Especially listening to Teddy as Ollie.
This audio is just a little over 3 hours (the novella is 12 chapters), so it was a bingeable listen for me while I was doing work around the house. Definitely need the earbuds for this one, because it is spicy. I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily left a review.
I came back to Hicks Creek to bury the past… I didn’t expect to find a future.
What was supposed to be a quick trip home turns into something much more when my brother ropes me into staying to help with the family business. I’m restless, counting the days until I can leave this small town behind again. Then I meet Maya Greene.
Strong, passionate, and impossible to ignore, Maya is everything I didn’t know I needed. Working alongside her stirs something in me I haven’t felt in years. But just as I start to let my guard down, long-buried secrets surface, threatening to undo everything.
I came back to close a chapter of my life, but now I’m facing a run from the past or fight for a future I never saw coming.
This book was a great story about coming home again, healing, grief, facing the past, and surrounding yourself with found family. I loved the awkward meet-cute between Garrett and Maya as he was on his way back to Hicks Creek for his mother’s funeral. It totally set up this enemies-to-lovers romance as they soon found out they have multiple common connections.
Once Garrett and Maya got past the initial friction, this story quickly became an instalove/he falls first romance. (His wanting to be with Maya kind of came out of left field, IMO; I would have liked to have seen more build up as I’m a fan of show me, not tell me.) It also had some really dark themes of domestic abuse, addiction, and more, as both characters had traumatic pasts that they needed to deal with so they could build a future together.
I really liked how these two characters connected, the circle of friends they surrounded themselves with, and the journey Maya and Garrett went on over the course of the story.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
THE COMPLICATION WITH THE BEST MAN by Piper Rayne is available now in Kindle Unlimited and audio
One wild night turns into two pink lines.
Sleeping with the best man at my cousin’s wedding felt right at the time—he was a hot, available firefighter, and I was the tipsy maid of honor. It’s a rite of passage.
No regrets… until two pink lines flipped my world upside down.
Now I’m wildly unprepared and trying to hide my pregnancy in my small Alaskan town where privacy is a myth and gossip spreads faster than frostbite.
But wait, it gets worse.
Baby Daddy just came back to town—with a fiancée in tow.
And guess who she wants to plan their wedding?
Me.
Keeping the secret was hard enough.
Keeping my distance from the father of my baby? Impossible.
Just when I think I have it all figured out, he reveals his own secret that changes everything.
Authors Note: There is no cheating in this book. Gasp! We would never.
Another great Lake Starlight book from Piper Rayne! We are back in town with Harper, the daughter of OG Bailey couple Austin and Holly — the jeep hookup that started it all. Harper had her own random hookup when she slept with Finn, the best man at her cousin Palmer’s wedding. A few weeks later, Harper realizes that she’s pregnant (thanks to antibiotics!) — and the situation is further complicated when Finn returns to Lake Starlight with his fiancee, who has booked Harper as the wedding planner!
At first, Harper stays mum about her pregnancy, especially after Finn asked her to keep their one-night quiet. Unbeknownst to Harper, Finn’s engagement is a marriage of convenience. So when he accidentally finds out that she’s pregnant, he ends his engagement and moves across the country to be closer to his child. Now temporary roommates, Finn and Harper grow closer as they spend time together making plans for their baby… and it’s not long before they agree to give the connection between them a real shot.
There’s not much drama in this story in terms of Finn’s ex (no cheating!), but there is plenty of the Bailey family drama that I love from this crazy clan! I especially loved the way the men all interrogated Finn, led by Austin, and the Buzz Wheel reports. But I especially loved how dedicated Finn was to Harper, and gave her space to prove to herself that while she may have been the family mess-up and irresponsible at times, she was going to be a great mom.
Scott Rose and Willa Jaymes were great with their duet narration in telling this story!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
WHEN HEARTS REMEMBER by Victoria Lum is AVAILABLE NOW
Blurb:
She doesn’t remember her first love. But her brother’s best friend never forgot her.
Two love stories unfold—one in the past, full of stolen moments and reckless devotion, and one in the present, where fate has given them a second chance.
Alexis Vaughn first fell in love with a forbidden stranger through the pages of a secret journal. Their romance burned fast and bright—until a car crash stole her memories and nearly her life. Eight years later, she wakes up from a coma to a world she doesn’t recognize. When her brother’s best friend offers her an internship, she accepts. But something about the brooding, enigmatic billionaire unsettles her.
Ethan Anderson made a promise—to love Alexis even when she forgot him. For years, he’s kept it, watching over her, honoring the dreams she never got to chase. But now that she’s awake, she looks at him with no memories of their past. Pretending that doesn’t shatter him may be the hardest thing he’s ever done.
But as the truth behind her accident unravels and danger closes in, will love be enough to save them this time?
Note: All of Victoria’s books are standalones and can be read out of order.
When Hearts Remember was phenomenal! Victoria Lum is not an author I am familiar with, but I absolutely loved Ethan and Lexy’s second-chance, amnesia romance!
The story unfolds between chapters set in the past and the present. In the present, Lexy has just woken up from a years-long coma and has no recollection of Ethan, her brother’s best friend and secret boyfriend. Meanwhile, Ethan has been stunted over the past eight years since her accident, unable to move forward with his life. When Lexy awakens, he thinks he will finally get everything his heart has longed for the past eight years… except she has no clue who he is, that they were in love and planning a future together.
The present-day dilemma is set against chapters from the past as Ethan and Alexis/Lexy fall in love. Their romance sweetly starts out exchanging pen pal letters around a New York City library (loved that!) until they eventually move to text messages…. and ultimately discover their mutual connection to her brother, Liam.
I loved going along for this ride. It was messy and chaotic and heartbreaking, and I ate it up. Ethan was so devoted to her, no matter what kept getting tossed at him. And quite a lot was tossed at him! Aside from the wonderful second-chance romance, there is a secondary suspense storyline in this book… I was so happy that Ethan and Alexis were able to rise above the forces trying to keep them apart and that they found their way back to one another in the end!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Victoria Lum:
Victoria Lum writes angsty, emotional romances that dive deep into the complexities of love and the human heart. She’s the author of The Orchid and LA Hearts series, which follow characters through love’s twists and turns, secrets, and second chances. A true romantic at heart, Victoria loves crafting stories that resonate with readers who crave a mix of passion, tension, and genuine connection.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up with a caramel latte and a good book or spending time with her family in sunny California.
Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends is a contemporary sports romance, where our hero unexpectedly finds his best friend’s little sister on his doorstep needing a place to hide out from her ex and the world. The only problem, she’s not so little anymore . . .
When fate delivers a roommate . . . don’t block it.
Tyler Quinn
There is a beautiful woman unexpectedly living in my house. A woman I sort of know because she’s my best friend’s little sister. Although, she’s definitely not so little anymore.
My entire professional career, I’ve been the starting tight end for the Tampa Tarpons. Life as a football player keeps me in the spotlight, when my preference is the dark. Through unfortunate past experiences, I guard my privacy and don’t do roommates, ever. But when my best friend calls and says he needs a favor, I don’t say no. Although I wish I had. Now she’s here, with her gorgeous turquoise eyes, big trusting smile, and taking up my spot on my couch. I’ve established the rules for how this is going to go, but as time passes and she opens up, I find it’s becoming harder and harder not to break them.
Lily Kent
If I know one thing for certain, I’m never dating another football player again.
After walking away from a very long and expired relationship, I needed a place to stay to plan out my life. My new life. I can work anywhere, so when my brother suggests crashing with his best friend Tyler, I say,”Yes.” Who doesn’t love palm trees, sunshine, and an attractive roommate? Tyler is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome, but the best part is he’s also kind. He makes me feel grounded when everything else feels upside down. He makes me feel things I wasn’t expecting. I know I said no more athletes, but in those moments when his hand grazes my back or when he makes me laugh, I wonder about my plans. Maybe I should change them, maybe we should, after all, fate did lead me to his door.
Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends is another great book in Kathryn Andrews’ Tampa Tarpons series. It’s an interconnected standalone, and takes place at the same time as book 1, Wildflowers and Wide Receivers.
After breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, Lily needs a fresh start. Her brother sets her up to live with his best friend, Tyler, whom Lily had a crush on back when they were in college. Tyler doesn’t like having people in his personal space, after being burned by an ex who betrayed his trust, so the new roommate situation definitely puts him out of his comfort zone.
I really enjoyed seeing these two reconnect and become more than just roommates. While he helped her regain her confidence, she helped him learn how to open up to people again. This story was such a heartfelt romance, with the group chat amongst the players being the perfect dose of comic relief!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Kathryn Andrews:
Kathryn Andrews is a #1 Inspirational Romance Bestselling Author who loves stories that end with a happily ever after. She started writing at age seven and never stopped. Kathryn is known for Chasing Clouds, the Starving for Southern series, and her much loved Hale Brothers series. Her stories are sweet, southern, and fall into the genres of chi-lit, contemporary romance, sports romance, and southern fiction.
Kathryn graduated from the University of South Florida with degrees in Biology and Chemistry, and currently lives in Tampa, Florida. She spends her days as a sales director for a medical device company and her nights lost in her love of fictional characters.
When Kathryn is not crafting beautiful worlds that incorporate some of her most favorite real life places, she can be found hanging out with her husband and two young sons, while drinking iced coffee and enjoying the sun.
Sunny Shelly Reads 