No one needs that many hookups!
Not even soon to be major league pitcher, Theo Von Bremen.
So, I help him by routinely thinning out his contact list—because I’m the best roommate ever. And he’s optimal baby daddy material.
For me—not Amanda 1, 2, or 3.
But since the man can’t take a hint; I’ll continue to spray his sheets with my perfume and accidentally leave my panties in his laundry.
That has to be enough to break a man eventually. Right?
*This novella is a prequel to Commander in Briefs featuring Aniston and Theo.
EXCERPT:
I wake with a start.
Giggling is coming from the living room.
I’m not a psycho.
I’m not.
I’m jealous.
I know it’s irrational. Trust me, I’ve been in this situation time and time again.
It never gets any easier.
Never.
Climbing out of the bed, I tell my rational self to fucking chill. Just because Theo spent the afternoon with me, holding me in his arms and dragging those long fingers down my spine does not mean he can’t get a quickie in our living room.
I mean, I’ve seen it before.
Many, many times.
So why I am shucking off my pants, leaving myself in his T-shirt and underwear, as I head out into the open area?
Because I’m a closet asshole.
“Don’t mind me.” I wave off, covering one side of my face in a show of giving them privacy. “I just need to use the bathroom.”
It could be true.
“Oh God, I forgot you had a roommate,” the girl of the night adds.
I drop my hand so I can glare at her when I catch Theo’s gaze in the lamp light. His cheek twitches as he peels himself off the bottled blonde. He scratches the side of said cheek with his middle finger, and I almost smile.
Almost.
But Barbie interrupts me. “I bet you’ll be so happy to get your own place.”
My eyes scan for something to throw at her, but I see Theo shake his head.
Whatever. I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life.
I forge down the hall and act like she isn’t shirtless and stroking my man’s leg like she’s about to pounce.
No siree.
I march my petty ass straight into our shared bathroom and grab a pair of panties—not the crime scene ones—and a bottle of perfume, and head into Von Bremen’s room where I proceed to spritz the ever-loving fuck out of his navy sheets.
And when I think I have them completely saturated, I shove my undies under his pillow for good measure.
Two can play this game, Barbie.
He will be relieved to have his own place, my toned ass.
A self-proclaimed reader enthusiast, Kristy started her writing journey back in 2009, reading and writing when her daughter was napping. Establishing her place in Corporate America (because something had to pay the bills), writing became her dirty, late-night secret.
After eight long years, she released her debut novel, Commander in Briefs. It was a long road, but she can honestly say, the road less traveled had the most beautiful sights.
The only thing Kristy Marie loves as much as reading and writing is sports! Especially those that require muscles and a nice ass. Her favorite is, and always will be, baseball. She’s such a fan, that she even married her small town’s high school’s centerfielder where they still live with their three badass kids.
He’s all she’s ever wanted. She’s everything he never thought he deserved.
Fixing Us is another wonderful story in Miranda Elaine’s Fixing series of interconnected standalones. At last, we get Leigh’s story, the perky hairdresser bestie of Temperence and Montana.
Leigh has always been in love with Gabriel, but his suitcases of baggage have prevented him from fully committing to her. Over the years, they’d break up and make up, with each split taking away a little more of Leigh’s soul every time. But when they have one last sex session before she vows to say goodbye for good, the universe has other plans for them, because Leigh finds herself pregnant by her kinda ex who never wanted kids.
There’s a nice flow to this story, and Leigh and Gabe really take the time to get to know who they are alone and together as people in their 30s, rather than the teenagers they were when they first got together. Poor Gabe has such tragedy in his childhood, but he’s made himself a nbetter person despite his upbringing…. now it’s just time to convine Leigh not to give up on them even though he’d broken her heart so many times before.
Gabe struggles with a lot in this story. It’s not an eay fix for him to be the man she wants to, or can co-parent with. There’s a lot of healing and growth that Gabe goes through in this story, and I really felt tht it made him a better man. And even when it broke her heart, Leigh was in his corner time and time again. The payoff was well worth the wait, as poor, broken Gabe got the family he always wanted and didn’t think he deserved.
I reveived an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Excerpt:
Finally, after what feels like a millennium, the door opens and Dr. Mallard enters, smiling. He’s an older man who is always overly happy. I like him, even if I find his cheerfulness somewhat off-putting at this exact second.
“Mrs. Simms, how exciting to have you here today. This must be your husband.” He walks over to Gabe, who stands, hand extended.
“Sorry, no,” I chime in. “Definitely not my husband.”
“My fault,” he apologizes. “Your boyfriend. This is a new age. Lots of people in lifelong relationships nowadays without marriage.”
Awkward.
“Nope,” I say, popping my P with a bit more attitude than intended. “We aren’t together.” I look over at Gabe, who’s holding his laughter in and I silently yell Help me!
“Just got her knocked up,” Gabe finally speaks. “Classic fairy tale story of ex-sex turning into a baby. Turns out those silly condoms serve a purpose and really shouldn’t be skipped. Who knew?”
“Seriously!” I yell while shooting him daggers with my eyes. All he does to respond is shrug his shoulders and give me an evil grin.
“Okay, Miss Simms, if you can lie back and put your feet up we can check on this little miracle,” Dr. Mallard finally says as the nurse pulls the stirrups out and helps me assume the position.
Even if you don’t want your ex-boyfriend back you still always want them to think of you as the sexy one who got away, not the girl nude and exposed with her legs in the air while a doctor probes her. Great, fucking great.
“Sure.” I lie back and my head jerks to Gabe. “But you stay north of the equator.”
“Not a problem, Leigh.” He smiles at me. “But it ain’t nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Well, it’s definitely something you’re never seeing again,” I snap back at him, causing the nurse to let a small chuckle escape.
I try to act cool by the fact that the doctor seems to think sticking a huge wand up me is perfectly normal.
Thump thump. Thump thump.
Our bickering immediately stops. The room is dark and the monitor next to me is lit up.
“Is that—” Gabe starts.
“That’s your baby’s heartbeat,” the doctor interrupts. “And if you look over here, you see that small little bean shape in the middle there.” He points to the picture on the ultrasound machine. “That’s your baby. It’s currently approximately the size of a raspberry.”
“Wow,” Gabe and I both somehow say at the same time.
We finish the appointment with a plethora of information. Gabe is quiet and the silliness that existed in the examination room is gone. We check out and walk side by side. Neither of us bringing up everything we need to discuss.
Does him showing up mean he wants to be involved? Does he assume we will get back together? Can we even do this together? Do I want to?
All the questions are running rampant in my head and instead of saying a single one of them I simply say, “I’ll let you know when I have another appointment.”
“Thanks.” He holds the door to the building open, letting me walk outside, him close on my heels. “I want to be here for you and our child as best as I can.”
I nod, but my mind is still back in that office with that beautiful baby. My baby.
“We ought to talk, Leigh.”
“You’re right. But today I got to hear my—our, baby’s heartbeat for the first time. Let’s not ruin it, okay?” We’re standing in the middle of the parking lot, neither of us moving to our respective vehicles.
“Okay, but soon.”
About Miranda
Miranda is a loving wife and barely surviving mother of three occasionally good kids. Her hobbies include lying to herself about the calories in donuts and banana pudding, as well as running out of excuses when procrastinating. She’s been an avid reader since she was a young girl. Whether she’s by the pool, curled up in bed, or hiding in the closet, as long as she has a book in her hands she’s happy.
I’ve been many things in my life: daughter,
friend, student, lover, wife…and now, widow. Getting past those labels and
finding who I could be without them was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
Then I became friends with Brendon Connolly.
Every time I look at him, I see a past, I see
a present, and I’m afraid if I look too hard, I’ll see a future.
~~~
I’ve known Harmony Wynham since before she got
married. Before she lost everything. I didn’t know that one day she wouldn’t be
just my friend but the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.
Only I don’t think that can happen.
Not when every time she looks at me, she sees
what she lost, and I can only see what I can’t overcome.
I love her, even though I shouldn’t. Somehow,
we need to find a balance.
Because if we don’t, walking away will be the
hardest thing I’ve ever done—even if it’s the only thing I should do.
Shouldn’t Have You is a romance that really tugs on your heartstrings. Not only is Harmony trying to move on after her husband’s tragic death, but Brendon has a lot of ghosts from his past that haunt him, and never feels like he is good enough.
Brendon was best friends with Moyer, and knew Harmony long before she met her husband. But after Moyer’s death, she and Brendon found themselves turning to one another more and more. And while it was apparent to all of their friends that they’d already fallen for one another, it takes Harmony and Brendon a while to see what is right in front of them.
This is not a happy-go-lucky friends to lovers story, but it has all the feels despite being a rollercoaster of a ride. I have not read the first book in this Fractured Connections series, but I am definitely interested in doing so now! I love the relationships between this group of friends.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Carrie Ann
Ryan is the New York Times and USA
Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance.
Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Redwood Pack, Fractured Connections, and
Elements of Five series, which have sold over 3.0 million books worldwide. She
started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry
and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over seventy-five novels and
novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional
and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her
clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.
Words I never thought I would hear my sister say: “Mason, meet my sister, Willow. Willow, this is my fiancé, Mason Cartwright.”
I size him up. Thick, brown hair tousled from his hand. Bright brown eyes sparkle in my direction. Scruffy salt and pepper jawline that begs to be kissed.
Oh, Holy Hell’s balls.
It’s a damn good thing I don’t believe in love at first sight. ‘Cause if I did, I’d be booty over bean in love with Mason Cartwright.
They meet under the absolute oddest of circumstances, but Mason and Willow are an absolute delight!
Mason is doing a favor for AshLynn, the random pageant princess girl he’s just met — giving her a ride to her sister’s house — and somehow got roped into pretending to be AshLynn’s fiance. Not that Mason found anything attractive or redeeming about the vapid debutante, but the moment he meets Willow, he forgets AshLynn even exists. Except that he kinda can’t, because she’s blackmailing him into being her fiance.
Willow is equally attracted to Mason, despite the fact that she believes he’s marrying her half sister. The awkwardness that ensues as he’s forced to play fiance to AshLynn is both hilarious and screech-worthy at the same time. Willow’s family is certifiable. It’s a wonder that Mason doesn’t run screaming in the other direction when he gets a chance!
So we know that the HEA will be for Mason and Willow. But I really liked that they didn’t immediately fall into a relationship once his engagement to her sister went kaput. Months pass by before fate brings them together again, leading to a wonderful slow burn between the two. This story was witty and funny, full of cringe-worthy and laugh out loud moments, complete with a gay “bestie with testies” and a nice arc between Willow and her estranged father.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Excerpt
Morning comes early. P-Tink drags me out of bed as the sun is coming up so we can go on our morning walk/run. I run, she walks. But only because my running pace is still too slow for her. There are trails near the house that we go to, which she loves. I’d let her run free, but I don’t yet trust her with squirrels or other such wildlife that we may encounter along the way.
We reach the path and she immediately begins howling.
“P-Tink, quiet!” I tug on her leash to get her attention. The last thing I need is her waking all the neighbors at o’dark thirty. She stops howling and pauses to sniff at a tree. I use the time to adjust my earbuds and change the music I’m listening to. The leash goes lax. P-Tink takes off running, howling as she goes.
Dammit Janet!
I take off after her, going as fast as I can without killing myself.
I round a corner in the trail and run smack-dab into a wall of sweaty flesh.
“Ooof!” I bounce back. Strong arms prevent me from falling on my butt. P-Tink bounces around me yelping. My hands rest on the chest in front of me. The bare chest of minimal hair and maximum muscle. I look up the chest, to the neck, and finally the face.
“Mason?”
“You okay?” he asks, his hands still on my arms. My bare arms. My hands are on his bare chest, his hands are on my bare arms. All I can think about is how good it would feel if everything were bare. All of him with all of me, bare skin against bare skin, my body warms from the middle and up.
“Willow?” he asks again, using one hand to push the loosened hair from my face, his eyes search mine.
I nod, not looking away.
“What are you doing here?” I ask finally.
“I was running until P-Tink came in for a blind tackle,” he laughs.
That shakes me out of my brief fantasy.
“Oh no, are you okay?” I ask, looking him up and then down.
Big mistake.
His torso is long, and his shorts are not. He has something close to a six-pack with a light trail of hair leading down into his shorts. Those v-things that only guys in movies have mirror one another on either side of his hips. I can see the outline of his penis in his shorts. And his legs are beautiful. Lean with perfectly shaped calves, big muscular thighs, light smatterings of hair.
My god, is nothing on this man flawed?
Why does AshLynn get the good ones?
Ha – not nearly enough body hair to interest Zach. I smirk to myself.
“Fell on my ass, I’m fine,” he says.
“Oh, let me see?” I spin him around and am brushing dirt and leaves from his bare back and covered bottom before I realize what I’m doing. I gasp, step back, cover my mouth with my hand and close my eyes.
I hear him turn, but I keep my eyes closed. Which he mistakes for something else.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asks.
“Uh huh, yep, just groped my sister’s fiancé, but hey, no biggie right.”
“Half-sister,” he says.
I open my eyes, he’s smiling. So I do too. “Half-sister,” I repeat.
“It will be our little secret,” he says.
I nod.
“You want some company on your walk?” Mason asks.
“Oh, uh, I should probably get back,” I say.
“Weren’t you just starting your walk?”
“Yeah, but we’ve got brunch, and I don’t want to be late . . .”
He looks at his watch. “Not for another three and half hours. Come on, I’ll walk with you, but you have to let me hold the leash.” He winks.
I blush.
We walk in silence for a while. It’s a comfortable silence. Just enjoying the sound of the breeze in the leaves and the birds in the trees. P-Tink is back and forth across the path sniffing and pawing different things, her tail wagging constantly. Every so often, his arm brushes against mine. I like the way it feels.
You are playing with fire, Willow.
I can hear both Zach and my inner critic chastising me. So, I silence them both and continue on with my walk. We reach the end of the trail, and take a seat for a minute on the benches.
“You already reached this part once today, huh?” I ask him.
“Yeah, but it’s okay, I need the extra exercise.”
“I don’t see why,” I scoff, gesturing to his body.
“My muscles were all cramped this morning and needed loosening. This is perfect for that.”
“Wear yourself out last night, huh?” I pretend to joke and elbow him. Regretting immediately that I’ve said anything.
“No, I slept in a chair.”
I look at him, brow furrowed. “Why did you sleep in a chair.”
He looks guilty. “Uh,” he starts but doesn’t finish his thought.
“Did you guys get in a fight?” I ask hoping that’s not the case.
Actually, that’s a lie, I totally hope that’s the case.
“Yeah,” he says. “We got into a fight.”
“Sorry,” I say not meaning a word of it. “Is everything better now that it’s morning?”
“She wasn’t awake when I left, so I’m not sure.”
I stand and prepare to head back. “Shall we?”
He nods and stands as well. Then, much to my disappointment, puts his shirt back on. We take our time walking back to the trail beginning, talking about little things like books and movies, ice cream and favorite foods. By the time we part ways, I feel in some ways like I know Mason Cartwright almost as well as I know myself.
Zach is at my house when I get back. He’s made a pot of coffee and is sitting on the back deck sipping a cup. P-Tink runs to say hello to him.
“How’s my beautiful baby?” he coos to her. She yelps in return and rolls on her back so he can rub her belly.
“Did you guys go for a walk,” he asks before looking at me. “Yep.” I take a seat next to me with my own cup of coffee.
He looks over at me. “Ohmigod. What did you do?”
“What do you mean? We went for a walk.”
“No, something else happened.”
I avoid his gaze. “Nothing else happened.”
How is he psychic like this?
He looks at me. I look at him.
“Fine, we ran into Mason.”
“Mason?”
“That’s AshLynn’s fiancé.”
“Oh, the one whose bone you covet.”
I roll my eyes. “He didn’t have his shirt on when it happened.”
“Oooh, and . . .”
“Not your type. But beautiful. And when I say we ran into him, well I mean literally.”
“Did he get his sweat on you?” Zach wiggles his eyebrows.
I blush. “Yes.”
“And then what?”
“And then we walked back through the trail and I came home.”
“Liar!”
“We talked.”
“About?”
“I don’t know. Books, movies, ice cream, food.”
“He’s trying to get to know everything you like.”
“You say that like there’s a reason.”
“Trust me, there is.”
“He’s engaged to AshLynn.”
Zach waves his hand in the air, dismissing my statement. “They’ve been engaged for a hot minute. It will never last.”
I can’t live without nail polish, the darker the better.
I drink a glass of wine every day, but if I could get away with it, I’d drink a bottle. My favorite things to eat are chips with salsa. But red vines and popcorn are a close runner-up.
I currently reside with six dogs, one cat, and a husband. Five of my dogs are Siberian Huskies, so my clothes always have fur on them. Always.
Given the opportunity, I would read books all day long. So far my record for a single day is five full-length books.
Hoodies are my favorite item of clothing, bras are my least.
When I’m writing well, I’m barely reading. And vice-versa..
I started an underground literary magazine in graduate school, which I credit for really launching my narcissistic tendencies via writing.
If I couldn’t be a writer, I would be a rockstar. Someone from Journey, preferably the Steve Perry years, when they were awesome.
I’ve kissed
a lot of frogs, just to be covered in warts. I’ve been lied to,
cheated on, and used more times than I can count. I don’t have it in
me to keep going. I need a break from it all. I need time
for the wounds to heal, and the scars to fade.
Wouldn’t
you know it’s my luck, to meet a gorgeous man, after declaring my self-imposed
break? He’s charming, sexy, and determined to change my mind.
I wasn’t
looking for her, but when I overheard her conversation, I had to add my two
cents. Within minutes of talking to her, I knew she was unlike anyone I’d
ever met. Bruised from past relationships, she’s built a fort around
her heart. Doesn’t she know the prince always rescues the princess?
I think
about her all the time. The more I’m around her, the more I want to
be. I’ve made my choice. It’s her. Now, all I have
to do is prove to her that I’m the difference.
What a super cute, slow burn romance! Addy has been burned over and over again, and has sworn off men. So of course, that is when she meets the perfect guy, Lucas.
Luke is determined to prove to Addy that he is different than all of the guys in her last. She keeps him at arms’ length, and even uses her insecurities stemming from the past against him more than once. But Lucas is so sure that Addy is with it, he holds out with a crap ton of patience. The guy is a saint!
It’s a slow burn, but eventually Addy and Lucas get there. Every step of the way, he proves that he is the difference, even when Addy’s insecurities get the best of her and nearly destroy their relationship.
There’s a cute side story with Addy and Lucas’ best friends, Harper and Justin. I’d love to see their story get a book as well! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Kaylee Ryan is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling
author. When she’s not spinning tales of happily ever after, she’s
reading or spending time with family. Born and raised an Ohio girl,
Kaylee resides in Cincinnati with her husband and their son.
A Five-Minute Life, an all-new standalone new adult romance by International bestselling author Emma Scott.
Thea Hughes has five minutes to live.
A car accident stole her parents and left her with the second-worst documented case of amnesia in the world. She now has only minutes of experiences, of consciousness, of life…before her memory is wiped clean. The once effervescent artist with a promising future is reduced to scribbling with pens and paper, living an empty, quiet life, three hundred seconds at a time.
Jim Whelan is on autopilot.
A foster kid shuffled around the system since birth, he’s lived his entire life without knowing love…and it’s taken its toll—until he learned to fight back, carry his armor, and keep his head down.
Working as an orderly in the Blue Ridge Sanitarium, deep in Virginia countryside, Jim looked up…and found Thea.
When Thea has the chance to break free of her five-minute prison with a risky, experimental surgery, it could lead them both to an epic love they never thought possible… or one that could require the ultimate sacrifice.
A stand-alone, new adult romance.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Remember us… when I can’t.
Five Minute Life is one of those books that had me sobbing in bed in the wee hours of the morning… and I’d do it all over again. Thea and Jim’s story is so hauntingly beautiful. It’s a simple tale of pure, innocent attraction and two souls connecting on an otherworldly level. But the fact that Thea is the second-worst documented case of amnesia just makes the entire story absolutely heartbreaking.
Jimmy doesn’t know what it’s like to be loved, but there is something so fierce about what he feels for Thea. And even in the five minute snippets of life that she gets to live in between her resets, Thea knows there is something special about Jim as well. The fact that he, an orderly, is the only one to recognize the message and pain she’s trying to get across through her artwork was amazing to me.
Jim saves Thea in the most literal sense, but their love saves the lonely man in a figurative one. Jim never stops fighting for Thea, to do right by her. Even in the darkest moments of her illness. And her joy, love and acceptance gives Jim more hope than he ever experienced in his lonely life.
Emma Scott wrote a brilliant, heartbreaking, heartfelt, EPIC love story in Five Minute Life. It’s a story that will stay with you far after you’ve finished. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Download your copy today or Read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
“Marc Antony,” I said and nodded at her drawing. “Part of your Egyptian studies?”
Thea leaned her cheek on her folded hands like she was warming herself before a fire. “Marc Antony is part of the romance. A love story with Cleopatra. He went to war for her. Died for her. When they told her he was dead, she put her hand in a basket with an asp. Can you imagine? Loving someone so much that the thought of life without them is too unbearable?”
“No,” I said. “I can’t.”
Her gaze dropped to my hand on the table and her fingers reached to trace the scars on my knuckles.
These tell a story, don’t they?” She traced one of the fine lines. “You put your hand in with the snakes, too.”
I nodded slowly, savoring the feel of her warm skin on mine. “So the bullies would leave me alone.”
“And did they?”
“Eventually.”
“I’m glad.” She put her hand in mine completely, her fingers wrapping around and holding tight. “I’m being too… something. Personal. Delia would throw a fit, but I feel like…”
“Like what, Thea?”
“Like I have to hold on to this moment, you know? Or you… I don’t even know you and yet I don’t want to stop talking to you.” Her hand squeezed mine. “I don’t care if you have a stutter, but please keep talking to me, Jimmy. Okay?”
My mouth went dry at the nameless desperation in her eyes.
Jesus, does she know she’s trapped? She can’t. Impossible…
“I won’t,” I said. “I’ll talk to you every day. I promise.”
Thea breathed a small sigh of relief and released my hand. “Thank you, Jimmy. That makes me feel better.”
With a final smile—a parting smile, I realized—she took up her pen and then froze.
She’s resetting.
Confusion passed over her features. She looked up at me, flinching a little to see a big man in close proximity. I instantly leaned back to give her space.
“How long has it been?” she asked.
“Two years,” I said, my voice hardly more than a whisper. “But the doctors are working on your case.”
“Yes, they are.” She smiled hesitantly and found my nametag. “I’m Thea Hughes.”
Seven. Seven times now.
“Jim Whelan,” I said.
She offered her hand. Again. I took it robotically, enduring her one-pump shake. Again. Her fingers didn’t linger in mine but released immediately, the way you do with a stranger. Again.
“Nice to meet you, Jim Whelan.”
Fuck. I can’t do this.
I rose to my feet. “I have to get to work.”
Her face fell. “Oh. Bummer. Will I see you again?”
I could promise her I would, but she wouldn’t remember. There was no promise. I could tell her the sky was falling or my name was Abraham Lincoln and she wouldn’t know the damn difference. It’d vanish, like every other word we’d ever spoken to each other. I vanished every time her reset hit and was recreated over again in Thea’s eyes. I could be whatever I wanted; whomever I wanted. And yet she was the one woman I might’ve had a chance to be myself with.
The terrible irony of it was like copper in my mouth.
“Sure, Miss Hughes,” I said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
About Emma: Emma Scott is a bestselling author of emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy her novels.
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Everyone has a best friend. Mine just happens to be Dr. Christian Gallagher— the gorgeous, green-eyed heart surgeon who wants to have a baby with me.Yes, you read that correctly.
When my mother approached me on my thirty-third birthday with a brochure for egg freezing, it was a glaring reminder that my biological clock is ticking toward its expiration date. I’ve always dreamed of being a mom and had a plan — one that was destroyed when I caught my professional hockey player husband in bed with another woman.
Despite my broken heart I still believe in love. I want the happily ever after, but I also want a child desperately and won’t settle in order to make it happen.
That’s why when I decided to take my mother’s advice, Christian came up with his own plan: Let’s have a baby together.
It’s a bad idea. A really, really bad idea. And yet…I can’t stop thinking about how great it could be.
There’s just one condition. Before we have sex (oh, yes, we’re doing this the old fashioned way!) Christian is adamant we go on three dates.
Sounds easy, but it’s not.I thought sex would be the hard part, but the dates are only making me fall for the man I’ve known almost my entire life.
Whoever said sex doesn’t change things never went to bed with their best friend.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
A Really Bad Idea is a really perfect best friends romance! I loved everything about Meadow and Christian as they move from best friends to more.
I often find it tricky to enjoy a best friends/relationship pact trope without it feeling forced. But the deal these two make to have a baby together, and how their friendship progresses to a full-blown romance after that, felt natural. Maybe it’s because the characters are so genuinely likable and relatable, which is a testament to Jeannine Colette’s writing style.
Christian’s a doctor, Meadow is a nurse. But before they have this baby (the old fashioned way!), he insists on taking her out on three dates. What a gentleman! It’s not long before they both realize that they’ve caught some serious feelings for the other.
This was just a perfect romcom, from start to finish! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review
Jeannine Colette is the author of the Abandon Collection – a series of stand-alone novels featuring dynamic heroines who have to abandon their reality in order to discover themselves . . . and love along the way. Each book features a new couple, exciting new city and a rose of a different color.A graduate of Wagner College and the New York Film Academy, Jeannine went on to become a Segment Producer for television shows on CBS and NBC. She left the television industry to focus on her children and pursue a full-time writing career. She lives in New York with her husband, the three tiny people she adores more than life itself, and a rescue pup named Wrigley.
Jeannine and her family are active supporters of The March of Dimes and Strivright The Auditory-Oral School of New York.
Shaelyn was determined to set Garrett free after their lives were torn apart.
Garrett was just as determined to keep their marriage intact.
One tragedy shattered Shaelyn’s heart.
Another will break through her walls and remind her that each day is a gift.
On the way down, they spiraled apart.
On the way back, they’ll find that broken hearts still hold hope.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I have been waiting not-so-patiently for the conclusion of Shae and Garrett’s story. And it was a beautiful reunion. This is a heartbreaking story of a married couple facing one of the hardest things a husband and wife can face. But rather than deal with it together. Shaelynn breaks down and shuts Garrett out.
Not willing to give up on his wife or their life, Garrett fights with everything he has. When Shae eventually has a breakthrough, he’s there supporting her every step of the way… Even when they are on opposite sides of the country. But as Shaw is going through treatment, the unthinkable happens — and being torn apart forever is a very likely possibility — it makes her realize what she wants… Garrett back in her life for good.
I’ve been through what Shae has, and it was a realistic portrayal of what the husband and wife go through. I so appreciated how it wasn’t glossed over, but dealt with. And we saw how it affected both of them.
This was a wonderful conclusion to this duet. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
USA Today Bestselling Author Ella Fox has learned a bunch of stuff along the way but the most important of all those things is that anything is possible when you try. In 2012 she took a big leap of faith and published her first book, Broken Hart. Since then she’s written fifteen more full-length books and several novellas– and every one is a reminder that you can live your dream as long as you work for it.
Ella’s favorite things are music, movies, traveling, The Foo Fighters and, of course, reading. This isn’t a surprise considering the fact that her mom is USA Today Bestselling Author Suzanne Halliday.
Blurb: Despite the prestige of his last name, Sawyer Taggart clawed his way to the top. As the illegitimate son the Taggarts can no longer ignore, he wants what’s rightfully his–control of the security firm that’s worth billions. But first, he has to take out the competition. London Montgomery refuses to use her last name to get ahead. As the only girl in the trio of billionaire Montgomery siblings, she’s a prime target for fortune hunters. To keep herself safe and please her family, she stays on the straight and narrow… until she meets Sawyer Taggart. No matter how many roadblocks she throws in his way, the darkly seductive businessman continues to ruthlessly pursue her.
Now London has to decide if she’ll risk it all to be with Sawyer, or choose a man her family approves of… In the meantime, you can read: Seducing the Billionaire’s Wife Seducing the Billionaire’s Brother
EXCERPT: London smiled, fully charmed by him. Honestly, she shouldn’t be because the last thing she needed in her life was another man who thought he knew what was best for her. Which was exactly why she should cut and run.
“I think I’ll go home now. Maybe we can have another fun discussion about opposites attracting another time.”
“You’re attracted to me.” It wasn’t a question.
She blushed, but she refused to let her embarrassment keep her quiet. “You’re good looking, fun to talk to, and you rescued me tonight without demanding anything in return. That’s the ultimate trifecta of qualities a man should have.”
“Any man?”
“Any man who is interested in getting to know me,” she clarified.
His blue on blue eyes flashed. “I’m more than interested in getting to know you.”
About the Author: Marquita Valentine is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary romance.
When she’s not writing sexy heroes who adore their sassy heroines, she enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Married to her high school sweetheart, Marquita lives in a seriously small town in the south.
A coming-of-age romance inspired by Great Expectations
By Ginger Scott
My life was irrevocably changed the moment I stepped foot inside Elena Alderman’s grand front doors. A lifeless tomb on the edge of Chicago’s South Side, the Alderman home sat in one of the city’s oldest and wealthiest neighborhoods, and Elena Alderman was the queen.
She was also mad.
Not the kind of madness that’s readily apparent. No, her psychopathy was far more surgical—more…insidious. She was surrounded by beautiful things—most notably her grand piano and her adopted son, Henry.
I fell in love with both.
My gift blossomed when my fingers touched her black and white keys. But my life began when I became haunted by the boy. Henry Alderman was a handsome blend of arrogance and seduction, and as we grew up together, I found it more and more impossible to separate him from my thoughts. I envied his life. I imagined how my name—Lily—would look with his. I became his closest friend…and more. I gave him my kiss, locked away his secrets, and loved him even when it was hard to.But we were just a game. Elena Alderman made the rules. And when she decided to change them, she broke everything.
Almost.
—
Excerpt from BRED By Ginger Scott
A coming-of-age love story inspired by Great Expectations
(Copyright Ginger Scott, 2019)“You know this stuff…” he starts, but I interrupt with an emphatic shake of my head. When his fingers splay out over my back I freeze. I follow the path my book takes back to the place it started in front of me as Henry slides it in place, flipping open to the chapter I’m trying to memorize. Knelt down next to me, he leans closer, resting his right arm next to my left one—we are touching.
I swallow. I’m going to fail. I cannot memorize something like the varied historical degrees of differences between a Protestant hell and a Lutheran one while the master of all hotness is sharing a desktop with me. My arm hairs are literally electric, standing up and reaching to plant themselves in his skin. I’ve gone completely primal—my body convinced that I am the gatherer in need of this hunter.
“Look,” he says, leaning in even closer and reaching to flip the pages. I barely register the movement of his thumb under a bold section of words. When his eyes catch mine still stuck on his face, I jump in my seat a little.
“Sorry,” I say, clearing my throat. “I’m just overwhelmed. Maybe a little slow, too, from being in here so long.”
It’s partly true, but I’m also just crushing. Crushing—that’s what Nicki calls it. She rolls her eyes every time she catches me doing it too, then labels it with that word. I crush in the dining area. I crush between classes when Henry pokes my arm with his index finger as we pass in the halls. I crush when I watch him sprint across the lawn every day at three in the afternoon, late for rowing. It’s literally become how I know it’s three o’clock! My body just instinctually glides toward my window at exactly 2:59. Pathetic!
At this point, we should just say that I’m crushed rather than crushing. Crushed and utterly destroyed of all pride.
I am gatherer.
“What you need to do is make up a rhyme. Something that will help you keep all of the key words in your brain so when it comes time to write them down in order, you’ll have them there.”
I draw in my lips and let the acid climb up my throat.
“I don’t even understand that. Ugg, I’m hopeless,” I say, letting my head fall flat against the book. I bounce my forehead there lightly while I eke out a desperate laugh at my own expense.
“You aren’t hopeless.” I feel the warm breath from his chuckle and smell the mint of his gum, and it’s intoxicating enough without his touch, so when the warm hand slides the hair from my cheek I go full hypnosis. His fingers trace my jaw, and my head lifts from the light pressure of his hold. For a moment, I believe in myself just because of the look in his eyes when our stares meet. He’s dead serious—and God, the way he’s looking at me, hair all tousled, smile soft and true, cheeks lifted as if they’re glad to see me.
Like a drunk, I lean closer, my lips parting and ready—my mind imagining everything I’m about to feel—Henry’s mouth on mine, the graze of teeth against my lips, us standing as his arms sweep around my back before his hands rush up my spine into my own messy hair.
None of that happens.
I get an inch away from his mouth, my eyelids fluttering with nerves and uncertainty whether they should close or remain open, and Henry turns a few inches to his left, stiffening and backing away just enough to keep me from making this worse—as if I can make this worse somehow. The rush of heat that coats me isn’t from passion—it’s from humiliation. My eyes remain open just long enough to see the movement in his neck as he clears his throat. His soft smile is replaced with a hard line, drawn under the pity that slants his eyes.
I think I understand hell a little better now. It helps that I’m in it.
“I’m just tired. I…” Why I try to speak, I don’t know.
“It’s fine.” His voice is laced with discomfort. In one blink I erased everything that was easy between us. All because of my damn fantasies.
Fine. That word—so short, so four-lettered. Such a lie. I ruined everything.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 3.5 Stars
I was really excited to read Bred. I loved the idea that it is inspired by Great Expectations. But while I liked the story, I didn’t love the story. It was a really slow start for Lily and Henry, and it took me a while to really get into them as a couple. This isn’t so much a love story as it is a coming-of-age story for Lily.
I just couldn’t get past Elena’s machinations. She was cruel for no reason, and I hated the way she played both Lily ad Henry. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
About the Author:
Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, The Hail Mary, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, A Boy Like You, A Girl Like Me, Memphis and Cry Baby.
A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.
When she’s not writing, the odds are high that she’s somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork ’em, Devils).
Sunny Shelly Reads 