There are three words most men can’t resist—I dare you.
So as you can see, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I had no choice when my buddies said “I bet you can’t get that brunette beauty to kiss you before the night ends.”
I proved them wrong, and oh how good it felt to be right when I swept the quick-tongued woman into my arms and kissed the breath out of her at the party.
But, I made a slight miscalculation.
Turns out she’s my brand new enemy.
And soon I’m locked in a fierce battle of wits with my sexy-as-sin nemesis. I’m determined to show the whole city that my company is offering the best new path to romance, and she’s dead-set on knocking me down. Publicly.
It’s the hottest game of one-upmanship I’ve ever played, punctuated by fiery kisses, dirty letters, and, after a heated argument, hate s-e-x.
You know what they say. Keep your enemies closer.
I keep her so damn close to my favorite body part.
Everything is fun and games…until I gamble something I can’t afford to lose.
He is back!!! Sebastian York narrates this hot tamale!
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Return to the Big Rock world with Lauren Blakely’s male POV romcom Come Again. Easton runs a successful elite matchmaking service dedicated to capitalizing on real-life chemistry between people when they meet up at his swanky parties — even though he is one of Manhattan’s biggest playboys. Bellamy is a romance podcaster who believes in online dating apps. They first cross paths at a masquerade party where they are dressed as Jay Gatsby and not-Daisy Buchanan, when Easton’s friends dare him to make a move on her. Their chemistry is undeniable and they share a searing kiss neither one of them can forget, but things don’t quite work out the way Easton wanted them to when his mystery woman takes off and leaves them hanging.
Bellamy, meanwhile, knows exactly who Easton is. When they cross paths again, he does not want to let her slip through his fingers again — and they set off on a friends-with-benefits relationship that is full of steam! (He’s been burned by a past relationship and is quite happy with the casual.) Bellamy and Easton have very different viewpoints on how to find romance, however, and their casual fling gets complicated when feelings get involved. I loved Bellamy as a heroine, and her confession to Easton — and his subsequent reaction — was heartbreaking. After she’s gone, Easton realizes what he had and let go and sets out on one hell of a grovel tour.
There is a lot of great snark and banter between Bellamy and Easton, and then on the flip side are these super sweet emails and messages as they fall in love. These characters are so well-written, and the hot scenes are as captivating as the vulnerable ones.
I enjoyed the cameos from some of the other Big Rock couples, and Grandma Coco was one of my favorite characters in this book! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About Lauren Blakely:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible
Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s
sexy, sweet, and witty. She also writes USA Today bestselling LGBTQ romance.
With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York
Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, with
more than 55 titles on the USA Today Bestsellers list alone. She’s sold more than 4.5 million books. A Brown University graduate, Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
I have never read anything by this author before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect… Better Than You was a wonderful story of love, betrayal, family drama, illness, death, parental expectations, and so much more!
Riggs and Bailey had insane chemistry from the start. This fling-turned-enemies-turned-lovers story has so much heat, but so much heart, too. The family issues that they are both struggling with added a huge layer of depth to this college romance. Brit Benson beautifully wrote their relationship with witty banter, and lots of betrayl then groveling. I get why Riggs was so torn about his feelings for Bailey due to the situation he’d put himself in. And Bailey had been through so much, and despite the crappy situation with her parents, tried so hard to rectify a wrongdoing to another family member. She was so strong, yet allowed herself to be vulnerable with Riggs. I was so glad that he ultimately did the right thing and worked to get her back.
This book is the second in a series, and I feel like some aspects of Bailey’s relationships with her friends would have been better understood had I read Book #1 first. But that didn’t affect the way I fell for Bailey and Riggs and was rooting for them to get their HEA!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Brit Benson
Brit Benson writes romance novels that are sassy, sexy, and sweet.
When she’s not dreaming up her next swoony book boyfriend and fierce book bestie, she’s reading.
When she’s not reading, she’s probably marathoning a Netflix series or wandering aimlessly up and down the aisles in Homegoods.
Brit currently resides somewhere near the Blue Ridge Parkway with her husband, daughters, and dogs.
Title: Knockout Series: Whiskey Dolls Author: Jessica Prince
Contemporary Romance; Small Town Romance
It wasn’t fair that the man I hated with a passion was so freaking gorgeous.
Things in Layla Fox’s life were going great. She had a fantastic job, amazing friends, and a killer apartment. There was just one tiny glitch in all that perfect. Her upstairs neighbor was the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome . . . and she hated the man with every cell in her body.
Jude Kingsley was the most arrogant jerk she’d ever met, making the fact that she was attracted to him more than a little inconvenient.
When the two of them are forced together by Jude’s meddling grandmother, the bitter rivalry between the two feuding neighbors suddenly turns into something very different. And a raw, intense chemistry like theirs is bound to explode if they aren’t careful.
**Whiskey Dolls is a series of interconnected, standalone, small town romances.**
The doors of the elevator slid open and the good mood I’d been in all day evaporated like a single drop of water falling onto desert sand.
“Of freaking course,” I grumbled sullenly as Jude Kingsley stepped into the elevator.
He returned my glare before stopping beside me and turned to face the front. “And I’d been having such a good day up to this point,” he muttered bitterly.
I let out a snort and fluttered my eyelashes. “What, did you pop a little kid’s balloon? Maybe cut in front of a pregnant lady in line at the coffee shop?” I snapped my fingers. “Oh, I know! You kicked a poor, innocent puppy on the sidewalk. That’s what had you so chipper, isn’t it?”
He gave me a smirk, and damn it, why did it have to look so good on him? The son of a bitch.
“I woke up happy,” he stated, and it would have been a lie if I claimed I didn’t find that admission somewhat intriguing.
Turning to face me, he took a step toward me, closing some of the distance between us. The move was unexpected, and my heartrate spiked at his closeness. The small elevator car suddenly felt even tinier, like the walls were closing in. The air was filled with his scent. Something like cedar and sun mixed with a spicy musk that reminded me of the outdoors. My chest stuttered on a choppy inhale when I tilted my head back to look up at him. In all the months we’d been enemies, this had to be the first time we’d been so close to each other.
With hardly any space between us, I was able to see that those midnight blue eyes of his also held flecks of golden honey. He blinked slowly as he stared down at me, those long, sooty lashes lying across his sharp cheekbones before he opened them again.
“I had the best dream last night.” He stopped, waiting for me to ask what he dreamed about, like he knew that statement and his proximity had left me way off-kilter, my curiosity piqued.
Stupid intuitive jerk.
Unable to help myself, I arched a questioning brow. “Oh?”
His voice dropped lower, taking on an almost velvety soft quality. “Yeah. You were in it, princess.”
My skin felt tingly, my mouth was Sahara dry. I didn’t feel like myself all of a sudden. It was almost as if he’d cast a spell, and I was just along for the ride, unable—or maybe unwilling at that point—to take control back. It was those eyes, man. Those freaking dark, alluring, sexy bedroom eyes. There wasn’t a woman in the world who’d be able to resist their power up close. Not even me.
I tried to swallow past the cotton taking up residence in my throat and croaked, “What—what was your dream about?”
He started speaking in a tone that could only be described as intoxicating. “Well, you see, it was a beautiful, sunny day, and we were standing on the sidewalk outside the building. You were in these jeans that made your ass look incredible.” His tongue peeked out and swiped across his plump bottom lip. “I couldn’t stop staring. Then . . . ”
I was straight up enraptured at that moment.
Oh my God. What is happening right now? “Then what?”
“Then . . . you stepped off the curb and got hit by a bus.” It was like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head. Whatever voodoo he was working broke right then, and I remembered instantly that I wanted this man to die by a thousand papercuts—preferable by my hand.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I fell hard for Jude and Layla in Knockout! This enemies to lovers romance is one of the best I’ve read, and Jessica Prince adds her special brand of small-town, slow burn goodness to this story.
I loved the slow burn of Jude and Layla’s relationship, and how wrong he realized his assumption was of her once he really got to know her. It takes some meddling from his awesome Grandmother Sybil, but once these two stop fighting the sizzling chemistry that is behind their wicked bickering, it is explosive.
There is a whole lot of family drama on Jude’s side, which is what leads to the conflict between them. When Jude is ready to walk away rather than let his toxic DNA hurt Layla, will she be able to help him see that they really are stronger together?
Knockout is an amazing addition to the Whiskey Dolls series, and I binged it in a single sitting!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet the Whiskey Dolls a series of interconnected, standalone, small town romances
Born and raised around Houston Texas, Jessica spent most of her life complaining about the heat, humidity, and all around pain in the ass weather. It was only as an adult that she quickly realized the cost of living in Houston made up for not being able to breathe when she stepped outside. That’s why God created central air, after all.
Jessica is the mother of a perfect little boy–she refuses to accept that he inherited her attitude and sarcastic nature no matter what her husband says.
In addition to being a wife and mom, she’s also a wino, a coffee addict, and an avid lover of all types of books–romances still being her all time favs. Her husband likes to claim that reading is her obsession but she just says it’s a passion…there’s a difference. Not that she’d expect a boy to understand.
Jessica has been writing since she was a little girl, but thankfully grew out of drawing her own pictures for her stories before ever publishing her first book. Because an artist she is not.
“All I wished for was to experience that spark you read about, just once. What I wasn’t expecting was the Fourth of July, Christmas and heaven on earth all rolled into one.”
~Stella
Bass player Kade Tucker is known as the Magic Man, and not just for his riffs. After breaking off a disastrous relationship, he swears off women. Only problem is, five minutes later, he might have just met the love of his life.
Stella Bell has always done what’s expected of her. Until a secret letter and an unexpected proposal on the same day prove to be her breaking point. For once in her life, she’s going to do something for herself. As fate would have it, that means taking a spur of the moment trip to Nashville.
A hopeless romantic, Stella has been hiding her true self for far too long. And when a gorgeous, mysterious stranger rescues her from a torrential downpour, she decides to go with it. The hot, dreamy Kade Tucker proceeds to enlighten Stella in every possible way, until she begins to realize that some dreams really can come true.
But will Kade’s twisted ex and Stella’s family secrets – and a very accidental pregnancy –get in the way of their HEA? Or is this a star-crossed match made in Music City heaven?
Nashville Dreams is a super-sexy standalone romance starring a hot alpha musician and a sweet & sassy dreamer who’s the one he always knew was out there somewhere. Now that he’s found her, he has no intention of letting any one of her dreams go unanswered.
Nashville Dreams is book 3 in the Music City Lovers series, each of which tells the story of a Tucker sibling. This time, Kade is up, and I just knew from the first chapter when he breaks up with his horrid girlfriend that Kade was going to fall hard and fast when he met our heroine! It legit happens like a hot minute later when Kade crosses paths with college student Stella.
I loved that both Kade and Stella were kind of hopeless romantics, searching for the great love of their life. The one that gives them all the feels and makes them want to live every day with that other person. At first, it doesn’t seem like a world-known country rock star and a college student would have much in common. But these two have that instant connection, and they know what they’ve found in one another is worth fighting for. That becomes really important when Kade’s crazy ex makes a return and threatens to tear apart everything he and Stella are trying to build together.
From the first page to the last, Stella and Kade’s story was magical, and a wonderful addition to the Nashville Nights series! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Julie Capulet
Julie Capulet writes fun, sexy romance starring obsessed alphas and the sweet and 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♥
The quintessential question asked to every couple. And the answer is usually some bubbly, lovey dovey tale of being struck in the bum by Cupid’s arrow.
My meet cute (well not so meet cute) is slightly different. I was trolling a wealthy neighborhood in Beverly Hills, searching for someone to take me as their bride, you know, to make my arch nemesis jealous who consequently just fired me.
He was stomping around the block like some sort of gorgeous ogre, mumbling about a business deal gone wrong and attempting to finagle his way out of it.
And that’s when we bumped into each other.
There were no sparks.
Not even a hint of blossoming love.
But next thing I knew, I was scarfing down free chips and guac, listening to this man lay out all of his problems which led to his big ask . . . he wanted me to be his Vivian Ward, you know, from Pretty Woman–minus the frisky behavior.
We’re talking about living in a mansion, intimate double dates, and pretending we were head over heels in love . . . and engaged. Can you imagine?
The absolute audacity.
But people do crazy things when they’re desperate. And I reeked of desperation. So, I struck up a deal.
My one big mistake, though . . . big . . . HUGE? I accidentally fell for the incomparable Huxley Cane.
I had to cover up so many snorts while reading this book because I was in a public place! Lottie and Huxley are HILARIOUS and A Not-So Meet Cute is everything that I needed to escape into after a hellish week.
Pretty Woman is one of my favorite movies, and Meghan Quinn brilliantly takes that movie and turns it into a wonderful, addictive contemporary romcom between a desperate heroine and an uptight billionaire. The escapades that Huxley and Lottie have as they put up the front of a fake engagement had me in tears. Where did MQ get this stuff from, like the impregnating scene?!?
The connection these two shared is fantastic, and it is a lovely slow burn as they fall head over heels for each other.
I was sad to see Huxley and Lottie’s story come to an end, but I can’t wait to see what comes next for his brothers!!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
Only One Regret is another great addition to Natasha Madison’s Only One series. This time, we have Cooper Grant — a third-generation character within the author’s hockey series. (His grandfather is the original Cooper and his father is Matt.)
The story opens as Cooper is about to get divorced. He’s a doting dad to his adorable little girls, but feels like a failure because his marriage didn’t work out. Cooper has always had his best friend Erika by his side, and he relies on her support even more in the wake of his divorce. After a night of drinking tequila at his divorce party, Erika and Cooper cross the line and have an explosive night in bed. But when the sun rises, will they regret their actions? And when Cooper’s wife claims she wants her family back, will Erika bow out?
I really liked the chemistry between them. Because their relationship is rooted in years of friendship, everything between them is effortless and easy. And once they get going, things are really hot and heavy. Wow, Cooper is a dirty talker!
My only complaint about this book is the number of side characters involved from Cooper’s family. I have read some of NM’s books over the years but forgot the connections between many of them. The author provides a Stone family tree, which I kept flipping back to since characters weren’t ID’d as Cooper’s aunt or cousin or sister. But aside from that, Only One Regret checked off all the right boxes.
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…
Wish Upon a Star, an all-new emotional read that gives all the feels from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jasinda Wilder is available now!
Grandma always said dying is the easy part; it’s the living that’s hard. I’ve been fighting to live since I was seven years old, and now the doctors say I’m gonna lose that battle soon. I’ve crossed off just about everything on my bucket list—I’ve seen the Eiffel Tower and the Coliseum and I’ve been swimming in the Caribbean; I’ve lived like I’m dying, because I am.
There’s just one thing left on my list: I want
to be a bride. I want to wear white and have my dad walk me down the aisle. I want a first dance and cake and a night to feel like a princess…and I want it with Westley Britton.
The perfect guy. Musician, actor, and every girl’s dream man. My dream man. Only, he doesn’t even know I exist.
It’s the start of a strange, improbable fairy tale. When you’re talking about terminal leukemia, happily ever after seems impossible, but when your celebrity crush and the man of your dreams shows up out of the blue and proposes to you, it makes you feel like anything is possible. Even that hardest thing: living.
Wish Upon A Star is an emotional instalove celebrity/ordinary girl story, compounded by the fact that Jo is literally dying of leukemia. Suspend belief for a moment and jump into a world where a dying girl with literally nothing to lose posts a marriage proposal on TikTok to her celebrity crush and he then knocks on her door to accept. There is an immediate connection, marred by her bad days outnumbering her good ones, but Wes and Jo’s sweet, intense romance had me flipping page after page, hoping that these two would have more than just the here and now.
I really felt for Jo, and her desire to have just a few weeks of an ordinary life. She and Wes both knew that their relationship was insane, but it felt so right to them and that’s all that mattered at the end of the day. Wish Upon A Star is every bit a fairytale come true — but will Jo and Wes get a miracle or are they living on borrowed time?
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Jasinda Wilder NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, WALL STREET JOURNAL and international bestselling author Jasinda Wilder is a Michigan native with a penchant for titillating tales about sexy men and strong women. Her bestselling titles include ALPHA, STRIPPED, WOUNDED, and the #1 Amazon and international bestseller FALLING INTO YOU. You can find her on her farm in Northern Michigan with her husband, author Jack Wilder, her six children and menagerie of animals.
Jingle Bell Hell, an all-new awkward meets sexy rom com from New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank and USA Today bestselling author A.R. Casella is available now!
She’s a sexually repressed control freak. He’s a muscular ex-con with heavier baggage than Santa’s toy bag. They’re everything each other never wanted.
Mary I’m usually the first person on my block to decorate for Christmas. This year? Humbug.
My six-year-old son, Aidan, just had a meltdown after learning some hard truths from a drunk Santa impersonator, and I can no longer deny we both need help. Change is hard for Aidan, and right now he’s dealing with several big ones, including A) his father abandoning us, B) our move to Asheville, and C) the Santa snafu.
And me? I’m a control freak, and my life is more out-of-control than a sled on ice.
That’s why I agree to let Aidan join Butterfly Buddies, a group that matches kids with adult mentors.
It’s also why I agree to a mentor of my own—terrifying, pink-haired Nicole, who wants to help me live life on the wild side. Her advice is strangely compelling, especially after I meet Aidan’s new “buddy,” a gorgeous tattooed hunk of a man who makes me wish there weren’t cobwebs in my…well, you know.
********* Jace
Mary O’Shea is sexy as hell, but she doesn’t know it.
She also doesn’t know I’m an ex-con, and if she finds out that I served three years in prison, extenuating circumstances won’t matter to her.
The last thing I should do is get attached to her kid…or her, but I didn’t get in this position by making good decisions.
Jingle Bell Hell is so much fun. I loved everything about Jace and Mary. This book beautifully blended lots of fun with lots of heart.
Mary is struggling to adapt to being back in her hometown and raising her autistic son, Aidan, after her husband walked out on them. She meets Jace when he’s paired with Aidan through a program that pairs special-needs children with volunteer mentors. Jace is a few years out of prison, having made a dumb mistake when he was a kid, and volunteering with Aidan helped ease the ache he feels over losing his connection to his sister and nephew as a result.
Sparks fly immediately between Jace and Mary, even though their relationship gets off to a rocky start. They both have a ton of baggage to unpack, but they soon find that a safe place in each other. Mary is uptight and sexually repressed, having been married to a jerk of a guy, and I loved seeing how she bloomed into a confident woman when she’s with Jace. Meanwhile, Mary helps Jace discover a lot about his past and helps him build a future he never imagined he’d be able to have.
As much as I loved Jace and Mary’s connection, I also adored Jace and Aidan’s friendship. Jace is incredible with Aidan, and I adored the bond those two developed.
This book was quite unexpected, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. This is the second book in this duo’s Bad Luck Club series, but it is a standalone.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Excerpt
Jace reaches toward my face, and my heart feels like it’s about to beat out of my chest as his fingers near the soft flesh of my cheek. When he tucks an escaped lock of hair behind my ear, I almost melt into a puddle.
“You’re a good mom,” he says. “And you were probably right. It might not be a good idea for Aidan to get too attached to me, and me to him, given that you and I are attracted to each other.”
Shock roils through me. It’s as if I’ve opened my eyes and found myself on a different planet, where the ground is as solid as a bounce house and left is right and right is left.
No, it’s not possible.
I gawk at him, taking in his sparkling eyes, the golden ends of his hair, and that short beard that shouldn’t look good, but oh God, it looks really good…
“Did you just say…?” I start.
It’s then that Aidan bursts through the door, holding something in his hand. He thrusts it out in front of him, scrunching his nose. “Did you get me this, Mom? It came in the box with my game. It was in a container, but I took it out.”
Shock renders me mute and still, like a pillar of salt. Especially since I can feel the intense scrutiny of Jace’s eyes. There’s no way Aidan knows what he’s holding, but Jace must know.
No, no, no, no, no, this can’t be happening.
The vibrator wasn’t supposed to come until tomorrow. Why would they pack it with a children’s board game?
A twisted sense of humor? A lack of reasonable bathroom breaks in the warehouse?
Aidan waves the bright pink vibrator around.
“There’s a little rabbit on it. Is it some kind of toy for Christmas? The package says it’s a magic wand that’s supposed to make people moan, but they spelled magic with a k, and it didn’t come with a spell book or anything.” He pulls a face. “I guess I can just use it with the Harry Potter spells. It does vibrate like it’s doing magic, and it can whirl in circles too.”
A short laugh sputters out of Jace.
My face is so red, it might as well be a fire truck. Magik wand. At least the name offers a reasonable explanation. For a six-year-old. God help me, I can’t bear to look at Jace.
I make a grab for the vibrator, but Aidan evades me.
“Why’d you get it in pink, Mom? You know green’s my favorite color.”
Jace clears his throat, but nope, I still can’t look at him. He’s not laughing anymore, but I know he probably wants to. Who wouldn’t? If he did feel some sort of passing attraction to me before this, he certainly doesn’t now.
“Aidan,” Jace says slowly, his voice husky. “There are toys for adults too. That’s probably something your mom got as a treat for herself, although I’m sure she’ll get you a Harry Potter wand for Christmas if you want one. Let her have it.”
Aidan does, which is what I wanted, but then I have a vibrator in my hand.I think for a moment and then stuff it into my bag. The tip instantly pops out, unmistakable.
What is happening to me?
“It must be some kind of mistake,” I say, finally forcing myself to meet Jace’s gaze. “I didn’t order this. I wouldn’t…”
I thought I’d see laughter there, because he’s only human, but all traces of it are gone, and now he’s looking at me like I’m the last slice of birthday cake at an office birthday party. No, like I’m the first.
About Denise Grover Swank
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in her own mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
A.R. CASELLA is a freelance developmental editor by day, writer by night. She lives in Asheville, NC with her husband, daughter, two dogs, and a variable number of fish. Her pastimes include chasing around her toddler, baking delicious treats, and occasional bouts of crocheting. Any Luck at All, co-written with New York Times bestselling author Denise Grover Swank, is her first book.
Willette Archer has a secret—though some would argue how well kept it actually is. As right-hand woman and best friend to the owner of Bird’s Eye Tattoo Studio, her job has become her whole life. So, she occupies her days with shop decisions to avoid her disappointing dating life.
Of course, that might also have something to do with her two-decade old infatuation with her aforementioned best friend’s older brother.
Derek Tanner is at a loss—with basically everything. His apartment lease is up, most of his belongings are somewhere in storage, and the good doctor has been pulling extra shifts at the hospital due to lack of staff. So, yeah. His life is chaos. Thanks to these wonderful circumstances, dating is nowhere on his radar.
When his little brother suggests he stay in Willette’s spare room for the time being, he’s both grateful and hesitant. Sure, he grew up with Will too, but they’ve never been as close—let alone in close quarters.
It doesn’t take very long for Doctor Derek to start seeing Will in a new light. This makes him think perhaps he should be examined. Will, on the other hand, is this close to feigning injury just so he’ll touch her already.
When boundaries are crossed and relationships are finally taken to the next level, will Willette get exactly what she’s been hoping for since childhood, or will her fantasy be forever ruined?
Will is the second book in Kat Savage’s Men of Bird’s Eye series. Although technically, Will (aka Willette) is a woman, and she’s one of the guys in theory, but she’s our feisty, independent heroine in this story… who has been in love with Hawk’s big brother for nearly 20 years.
Derek’s lease is up, his hours at the hospital are insane, and he needs someplace to crash while he house hunts. So Hawk offers up Will’s spare bedroom, and we have a forced proximity/roommates romance with a bit of secret crush mixed in. Derek has always been a serial dater, never committing because he doesn’t believe in love. Will has always dated losers, because she knows nobody will measure up to Derek. But as they spend more time together as roommates, Derek starts to look at Willette differently and asks her out. There is hesitation from both of them about not wanting to ruin their decades-old friendship… and that is exactly what happens when Derek finds out that Willette has been in love with him since she was a kid. He freaks out, moves out, and leaves Will heartbroken.
I really liked Will and Derek’s story, but I wanted *more* from them. Why is Derek so against love? He’s seen it go bad with his parents, but that was a one-liner and I wanted more about how that affected him. I wanted more of Derek’s inner thoughts when it came to his feelings for Will and his willingness to “hope” for more. The scene was beautiful but I wanted to know how he got there. I also wish that there had been some reference to Will’s family — it would have given her more depth as a heroine. The one reference to her Generalized Anxiety Disorder was kind of a throw-away, and I think there was so much that could have been explored there with how that affects her.
But overall, Will was a great read, and I’m really enjoying this series. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Avery and Hanson! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Kat Savage
Kat Savage resides in Louisville, Kentucky with her three beautiful children, her hunky spouse, and two spoiled dogs. She secretly has hope of getting chickens one day.
By day, she’s an office manager, pushing paperwork and daydreaming. When she’s not at her nine-to-five, she’s writing. Or thinking about writing. Or preparing books and book stuff. Or quite possibly, designing stuff for other people’s books.
She was driven to writing out of a need to distraction and self-preservation after the death of her sister in 2013. Since then, it’s snowballed into a full blown passion she can’t escape. Even on the toughest days, she wouldn’t want to.
She writes poetry packed with real, raw, and sometimes ugly truths. She won’t lie. Her goal is to make you ache, in that perfect delicious way we often secretly crave.
Shortly after putting her poetry and prose out into the world, she turned to novel writing. Savage is a natural storyteller, getting better with each book. She tries to give the characters in her novels depth, whether they’re serious or comical, she builds them in layers with the hope that you see a little of yourself in some of them.
Stevie Foster thought her happy ever after would come easily after saying “I do” to her high school sweetheart at nineteen.
But twelve years later, she finds herself divorced, settling into a new home, in a new town, with a new job as an elementary teacher trying to pick up the pieces as she goes.
On top of struggling to cope with the future she always wanted versus the one she’s been dealt, she soon realizes that her new neighbor is a strict, stone-faced man she’s all too familiar with.
Lieutenant Colonel Fletcher Miller.
The man once in charge of her ex-husband’s unit.
And as if the reminder across the street of what she lost wasn’t painful enough, she also becomes his young son’s teacher.
A single dad. A divorcee. A second chance at love neither knew they’d get.
Make You Miss Me is a wonderfully raw, emotional story of one woman’s journey to start over again after a divorce that completely devastated her. Stevie’s growth was phenomenal. Her desire to stand on her own two feet and be a fierce and strong independent woman came through beautifully, as did her hesitation to get involved with her neighbor, Fletcher.
There were so many layers that hesitation, too. Fletcher was the father of one of Stevie’s students, her ex-husband’s former commanding officer, and just a man who terrified Stevie because he made her feel things she hadn’t ever felt before, even with her ex, Hunter. And Fletcher was a unicorn! He was so gentle and kind, and the things he says to Stevie in his courting of her were absolutely swoony!
This book was a heartwarming story of growth, self-forgiveness, and finding love again! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet B. Celeste
B. Celeste was born and raised in Upstate New York where she still resides with her four-legged feline sidekick Oliver “Ollie” Queen.
Her love for writing began with poetry, which she learned to write after watching her father write poetry for her mother, before she found interest in short stories, novellas, and novels.
After getting two degrees in English and Creative Writing, B has written over 12+ full length novels, been invited to many signings around the world, and hopes to begin traveling to see readers worldwide.
Sunny Shelly Reads 