EXCERPT REVEAL

A Standalone Contemporary Romance Novel

NY Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Penelope Ward

RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2019

 

EXCERPT:

Noah stood up and walked off the porch to put his cigar out on the cement. When he returned, he remained standing across from me. I was reminded of just how tall he was as he towered over me. A breeze blew his scent—a mix of cigar and cologne—in my direction. The same smell saturated the shirt I was wearing. I could’ve breathed it in all night. His nearness was doing things to my body I hadn’t ever felt.

Noah looked around. “You mentioned some stuff around here needs to be repaired. What specifically?”

I blew out a breath. Even thinking about it was exhausting. “So much. I’d have to make a list.”

“Why don’t you do that? Make a list. I’m pretty good with my hands. I’ll see if there’s anything I can help with while I’m here.”

He’d lost me at pretty good with my hands. My imagination was running wild. Shit. I imagined those hands doing a lot of things—mostly to me.

“I can’t let you do that.”

“You’d be stupid not to take me up on it. I came for a change of pace, but the truth is, too much quiet isn’t good. I like to keep busy.”

Biting my bottom lip, I shook my head. “I don’t know…”

“Make the list,” he insisted.

Noah was right. It would be dumb not to take him up on his offer. It wasn’t like there was anyone else knocking down our door to help.

I tilted my head. “What would be in it for you?”

His expression turned dark. “People don’t always have to have ulterior motives.”

Suddenly feeling bold, I said, “I thought maybe you would want me to go out with you in exchange.”

Did you hear that? It was a record screeching.

I admit, that was ballsy, but being around him brought out my flirtatious side. Maybe his cologne and cigar smoke were going to my head.

“You’re joking, right?”

Okay. I shouldn’t have asked.

“Actually, I—”

“I’m practically old enough to be your father.”

Really? That’s how he saw me? I knew he was older than me…but he didn’t seem that old. No way. I’d pegged him as early thirties, though I truly had no idea how old he was.

I shook my head. “No, you’re not. That’s a lie. An older brother, maybe. How old are you?”

Instead of answering, he took two steps forward. “Let me make something clear.”

“Okay…”

“I was not insinuating anything by offering to help. And I will not be asking you out, propositioning you, or going anywhere near you, for that matter. We clear on that?”

Okay, then.

I swallowed. Disappointment washed over me as I cleared my throat. “Yes.”

“Good.” He made his way toward the door, turning around one last time. “You’d better go. It was nice chatting. Get me the list tomorrow.”

He disappeared into the house, leaving me on the porch to wallow in his lingering smell and feeling like a complete and utter idiot.

 

Download the FIRST TWO Chapters Here ➜ https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7atulhxa6j

 

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**No Amazon e-book preorder. Will go live on/around release day.

Synopsis:

What do you do when a sexy, older man moves into your family’s summer rental?

Well, apparently, you make a fool of yourself—over and over. Things didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with Noah Cavallari. Our first encounter was embarrassing, to say the least.

But despite that, I found myself waking up every day with a newfound energy. Nothing exciting ever happened on the lake—not until Noah moved into the small boathouse on our property. He’d booked it for the entire summer…and I was still trying to figure out why.

When my mother became ill, I inherited the responsibility of making sure our guests were well taken care of. I should have been in college. Instead, I was living my best life…as a maid.

Dark, handsome, and mysterious, everything about Noah screamed forbidden.

I knew he was just passing through town for the summer.

I knew he was probably too old for me.

Yet, I was drawn to him.

Not to mention, he tried to save my life when he mistakenly thought I was drowning.

I wanted him and made no secret of it.

His own attempts to warn me away soon gave way to late-night moonlight chats by the lake. We were slowly easing into a friendship that was gearing up to explode into something I might not recover from.

Because he’s leaving at the end of the summer.

And I have no idea what I’ll do when August ends.

 

About the Author:

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor.

Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With over one-point-five million books sold, she is a twenty-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels.

Sign up for Penelope’s mailing list: http://eepurl.com/MnXoH

Find Penelope here:

Website: http://www.penelopewardauthor.com

Gmail: penelopewardauthor@gmail.com

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Instagram: @penelopewardauthor http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7105545.Penelope_Ward?from_search=true

Other books from Penelope Ward

 

Standalone Novels

Love Online:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2obQRa2

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2LzO4om

B&N: http://bit.ly/2wfHUQO

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2MYBexz

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2ORdVWT

Audio: https://adbl.co/2KAWnMq

Gentleman Nine

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KoRJC5

iBooks: http://bit.ly/2D7K7Qi

Nook: http://bit.ly/2EPuDCn

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2nMeoP3

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2C9ESTm

Drunk Dial

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

iBooks: http://apple.co/2tq7dRz

Nook: http://bit.ly/2xeEH2H

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ihXnMD

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2LzQ2Fg

Mack Daddy

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

iTunes: http://apple.co/2iNrIPj

B&N: http://hyperurl.co/aiypfj

Kobo: http://hyperurl.co/r3hv19

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2LhHZxB

RoomHate

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

iTunes: http://apple.co/1PgsvE7

B&N: http://bit.ly/1PLGnSL

kobo: http://bit.ly/1POvSnW

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2JMo306

Stepbrother Dearest

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FBxe1G

ITunes: http://bit.ly/YER0mT

B&N: http://bit.ly/1taMFjG

kobo: http://bit.ly/1fJaaBs

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2JJV90V

Neighbor Dearest

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JJQPz2

iTunes: http://apple.co/29mC6L8

B&N: http://bit.ly/2akQ2aq

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2axt1SY

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2LFzZTn

Jaded and Tyed (A novelette)

Amazon Print only: https://amzn.to/2JLzTYJ

Audio: https://adbl.co/2LVET1V

Sins of Sevin

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2I6i3T6

iTunes: http://apple.co/1K8mzGg

B&N: http://bit.ly/1hTKAKE

kobo: http://bit.ly/1OaGY3D

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2LImsup

Jake Undone

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

iTunes: http://apple.co/1fJayQ8

B&N: http://bit.ly/1obAwJ6

kobo: http://bit.ly/1SPKl0M

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2uU45v3

Jake Understood (Jake #2)

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

iTunes: http://apple.co/1DQQwgC

B&N: http://bit.ly/1FwJC0z

kobo: http://bit.ly/1LQ7Fvk

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2JHWUM0

My Skylar

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Fwe78V

iTunes: http://bit.ly/SLNOTR

B&N: http://bit.ly/SLO1qi

kobo: http://bit.ly/1kNrtAB

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2mzqkmn

Gemini

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

iTunes: http://apple.co/1QTaONj

B&N: http://bit.ly/1KfmLHD

kobo: http://bit.ly/1BGJ2wu

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2zYoXXP

BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD & VI KEELAND:

Hate Notes:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RrY8iw

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2qxG2R2

Audio: https://amzn.to/2zR81AE

The Rush Series (2 Book Series)

Rebel Heir

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

iBooks: https://goo.gl/iG6fmD

B&N: http://smarturl.it/ubjd6b

Kobo: https://goo.gl/iU76VK

Rebel Heart

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KuY8Me

iBooks: https://apple.co/2oleXyJ

B&N: http://smarturl.it/ew2ggj

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2H7FRCm

Cocky Bastard

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JIy7HT

iTunes: http://apple.co/1PffE2J

B&N: http://bit.ly/1EjxNpY

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1UxCSUO

Stuck-Up Suit

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

iBooks: http://apple.co/1Qbwy57

B&N: http://bit.ly/29vrQhV

Kobo: http:// bit.ly/1RJdUif

Playboy Pilot

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

iBooks: http://apple.co/1Wb06Cf

B&N: bit.ly/2caXPEK

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2cJDXO1

Mister Moneybags

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

iBooks: http://smarturl.it/3y1tuq

B&N: http://smarturl.it/kx7h8m

Kobo http://smarturl.it/qqf5ho

British Bedmate

(Previously titled Dear Bridget, I want you):

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2sGyJbZ

Apple Books: http://smarturl.it/y4x3xi

B&N: http://smarturl.it/o780mb

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dear-bridget-i-want-you

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2LANW8s

WHEN AUGUST ENDS – RELEASING FEBRUARY 25, 2019

Download the FIRST TWO Chapters Here ➜ https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7atulhxa6j

Audio ➜ https://adbl.co/2traZHS

Amazon Print ➜ https://amzn.to/2T351eE

Apple Books ➜ https://apple.co/2Tj776z

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Kobo ➜ https://bit.ly/2BAL4lC

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Goodreads ➜ http://bit.ly/2SL1z9e

Sign up to be alerted when it goes live on Amazon here: http://bit.ly/2Eg5DFw

**No Amazon e-book preorder. Will go live on/around release day.

 

 

 

 

The (Half) Truth, an all-new standalone emotional romance by Leddy Harper is NOW LIVE!

 

 

From bestselling author Leddy Harper comes a sizzling romance about an aspiring young chef who may discover that the perfect recipe for love involves all accidental ingredients…

Tatum Alexander is so close to realizing her dream of becoming a sous chef she can taste it, but working at her ex-fiancé’s restaurant with his new girlfriend was never in her career plan. To save face and prove she’s moved on, Tatum cooks up a lie that she’s in a relationship with her best friend’s superhot cousin. There’s just one problem: Jason only recently moved to town, and he has no idea they’re already “dating.”

Jason’s a recovering ladies’ man who shouldn’t be on the menu, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to Tatum’s quirky charm. Giving her lie a kernel of truth, they decide some no-strings-attached fun between the sheets can’t hurt. But as Tatum’s forced to keep making up stories to cover her original fib, she has a hard time separating what’s real and what’s fake—including her feelings for Jason.

With too many tales spun, Tatum can only watch in horror as her collection of yarns begins to unravel, leaving everyone she cares about feeling betrayed. After so many lies, will it be too late to set the record straight? And more importantly, will she be able to convince Jason there’s truth in their love?

 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

I loved what a mess Tatum is! She is just silly, goofy, and her entire life is one big calamity of errors after another. From the moment she meets Jason and fibs about how they are already dating up to almost the very end, Tatum just keeps digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole.

The connection between Tatum and Jason is pretty sizzling right from the start. And I really loved that The (Half) Truth was a story that SHOWED me how they begin to fall for one another, despite both of them wanting nothing more than a casual post-breakup relationship.

Leddy Harper writes just as great a romcom as she does a heavier romance. The (Half) Truth is a quirky, fun romance that will leave you with a smile on your face. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

 

Grab your copy NOW!

Free in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon – mybook.to/HalfTruthLH

Add it to your TBR – https://bit.ly/2Ee5kN0

 

 

About Leddy Harper

Leddy Harper had to use her imagination often as a child. She grew up the only girl in a house full of boys. At the age of fourteen, she decided to use that imagination and wrote her first book, and never stopped.

She often calls writing her therapy, using it as a way to deal with issues through the eyes of her characters.

She is now a mother of three girls, leaving her husband as the only man in a house full of females.

The decision to publish her first book was made as a way of showing her children to go after whatever it is they want to. Love what you do and do it well. Most importantly Leddy wanted to teach them what it means to overcome their fears.

Stalk Leddy Harper

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeddyHarper/?fref=ts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8573706.Leddy_Harper

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2pIk2UD

Website: http://www.leddyharper.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeddyHarper

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/author.leddy.harper/

 

 

 

 

I’m the guy you call when you need to impress your overbearing family, your boss, or your ex. Yeah, I’m a male escort, but not just any escort, I’m the escort. The one with a mile-long waiting list and a pristine reputation that’s very well-deserved.

I’m the guy who’ll make you feel beautiful, desired, and worshipped . . . all for a steep price. I’m hired to make you shine, and I always deliver.

I’ll be whatever you want me to be for one night—except my true self. This is just a job, a role I play to earn a paycheck.

But I’m not the guy who falls for a client. Not once in six years.

And then I meet Elle. Her friend has hired me to escort her to a wedding, but Elle doesn’t know we’re just pretending.

There’s a fire between us I never expected. A connection I haven’t felt in so long. One kiss, and I’m losing all control.

But what will happen when she finds out who I really am?

ADD TO GOODREADS

 

AVAILABLE NOW

✦ Amazon  ✦ Amazon UK  ✦ Apple ✦ B&N ✦ Kobo ✦ Audio

 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

Boyfriend For Hire was a cute, quick story, that I easily plowed through in about two hours. Elle’s best friend, Christine, is marrying her brother. Since Elle is just coming off of a bad breakup with the groom’s best friend, Christine hires Nic, a male escort, to pose as an old college friend and be Elle’s blind date for the wedding. Naturally, Nic and Elle have an immediate connection, he feels like he can really be himself and he’s not “working” when he’s with her — but he’s a paid male escort. What does he do?

The plot is predictable, but it was still an enjoyable story. Kendall Ryan does a great job of showing the reader how Nic is struggling with what he wants versus what he should do when it comes to Elle and how he makes a living.

I would have liked to have gotten some more details out of both characters. It bugged me that we never even find out what Elle’s brother’s name is (stupid, I know, but it irked me). And why did Nic not have any other job prospects besides working for Case? And what did his parents think he did? His parents seem like such easygoing people, and I know from having an Italian mother of my own that they are always up in your business, so how did he hide his job from them?

Nevertheless, Boyfriend For Hire is a feel-good romance with a HEA that ties it all up in a nice, neat, sexy little bow. This book kicks off a series of interconnected standalones, as Nic’s boss, Case, is the hero in KR’s next release, The Hookup Handbook.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

 

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than three dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 2.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world.

Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than 70 times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.

Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras

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Breaking a Billionaire’s Rules, a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Annika Martin is live!

This standalone romcom is set in the same world as The Billionaire’s Wake-up-call Girl and Most Eligible Billionaire.

Max Hilton is my high school nemesis turned billionaire. And tomorrow I deliver his lunch order. In a cat costume.

You know he’s going to love it. He’ll smile that smirky smile, sitting there all superior in his gleaming tower, the wealthiest and most notorious playboy in all of New York, the king of everything.

Turns out it wasn’t curiosity that killed the cat—it was mortification.

I’m almost ready to quit my lunch delivery job, but then my roommate tosses me a copy of The Max Hilton Playbook: Ten Golden Rules for Picking up the Hottest Girl in the Room.

It’s the book that catapulted him to stardom. And it’s my new bible.

I’m going to use his own techniques against him. I’ll wrap him around my little finger, bring him to his knees, and crush his steely heart. Call it payback for all the single girls who had to endure legions of losers wielding his legendary tactics.

But seeing Max every day, I’m discovering a side of him
I didn’t even know existed–he’s not the jerky guy I thought he was. He has
this smile he shows only to me, and it melts my heart. His touch sends shivers
down my spine. And those forbidden kisses are driving me wild.

Falling for him was not in my plan.

Am I breaking his rules or will his rules break me first?

Download your copy today!

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

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BreakingBillionares

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2Rkh8PT

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2RgGjTk

Nook: http://bit.ly/2S7zoAg

Add to GoodReads link: http://bit.ly/2FR4ExG

About Annika:

Annika Martin loves fun, dirty stories, hot heroes, and wild, dramatic everything. She enjoys hanging out in Minneapolis coffee shops with her writer husband, and also likes birdwatching at her bird feeder alongside her two stunningly photogenic cats, especially when she should be writing. She’s heavy into running, music, saving the planet, taking long baths, and consuming chocolate suckers. She’s worked a surprisingly large number of waitressing jobs, and has also worked in a plastics factory and the advertising trenches; her garden is total bee-friendly madness and her most un-favorite word is nosh or possibly fob. A New York Times bestselling author, she has also written as RITA award-winning author Carolyn Crane.

Connect with Annika:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnikaMartinBooks

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/Annika_Martin

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http://www.annikamartinbooks.com

 

Today we have the excerpt reveal of THE STAND-IN BOYFRIEND by Emma Doherty! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy on March 12^th!

Title: The Stand-In Boyfriend

Author: Emma Doherty

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 12^th

About The Stand-In Boyfriend:

Livy Chapman is in love with Jessie Stephenson. It’s that simple. She has been for years but he only see’s her as his best friend. His best friend who copies her homework, relies on her to bail him out of trouble and who he hooks up with other girls in front of.

 

Enough is enough and when Chase Mitchell, star of the soccer team, and all round Mr. Popular steps in and convinces her that they can do each other a favour by pretending to date, Livy is just crazy enough over Jessie to agree to it.

 

I mean, Chase is just her stand-in boyfriend. Nothing could go wrong. Right?

Exclusive Excerpt:

“What’s wrong? Everything going okay with you and Jessie?”

“I don’t know where he is.” My eyes flash around the room, but he’s not in here either. Where the hell did he go? He wouldn’t just leave would he?

“I’m sure he’s around. He must have gotten stuck talking to someone.”

I shake my head. For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this, but I don’t know why. I mean, yeah, I was gone for half an hour so of course he’s not just going to stand there on his own and wait for me, but there were a lot of people in the kitchen—he could have just joined them, and he said he’d wait for me. We had a connection, didn’t we? He wouldn’t just walk away. “Have you seen him?”

Sophie shakes her head. Her eyes narrow in concern and she takes a step closer to me. Anyone else would laugh and tell me I’m being stupid, but Sophie knows me too well for that. She knows I’m getting anxious and panicky. “Should I come look for him with you?”

I shake my head, glancing behind her at Mark and Jackson, who have been joined by more of their crowd. “No, no. You’re right, he’s probably back in the kitchen by now and I just missed him.” I force a smile then back out of the room. I turn back in the direction I came from, intent on returning to the kitchen and even trying subtly to do some of those breathing exercises the child psychologist I saw in middle school told me to do when I start to get anxious. I walk past the huge spiral staircase in Aaron’s hall.

I pause, my heartbeat hammering my chest, and I don’t know what makes me do it but I step up onto the first step, and then the next, and the next, until I’m heading upstairs with my eyes locked ahead of me. I know what goes on in the upstairs bedrooms at these parties. Every Monday morning, the Grove Valley High rumor mill is in full swing talking about who hooked up with who.

But Jessie was waiting for me!

Jessie was looking at me like I was special, like he was finally seeing me differently and something was definitely happening, but that doesn’t stop the sickening feeling in my gut. Despite the fact that my heart is pounding and I can feel my hands shaking, I know I need to rule this out.

I get to the top and look down the hall just as a girl in my trig class emerges from the first bedroom on the right with a boy I don’t recognize. She smiles sheepishly as she passes me, the cocky grin on the guy’s face making it clear what they’ve been up to. I force myself to smile, ignoring the dead weight in my stomach as I take a couple of steps farther along the hallway.

I suddenly feel stupid. What the hell am I going to do now that I’m up here? I’m certainly not going to go knocking on any doors just to check if Jessie is behind one of them. The thought alone makes me blush bright red. He’s probably downstairs in a corner talking about his latest video game obsession and I’m stalking the halls of Aaron’s mansion. I almost laugh out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. I decide to try to find a bathroom now that I’m up here, hoping it’s obvious from the outside that it’s a bathroom and not a bedroom, and continue walking, assuming the bathroom will be at the end of a hallway. I take a right at the end (seriously, that’s how big Aaron’s house is—the hallway leads onto another), and that’s when I stop dead.

That’s when I feel my heart crack in two.

That’s when I find Jessie.

With Courtney. Making out against the wall.

Somehow I manage to not say a word as I watch them kissing…as I watch his hand under her top, groping at her body…as she makes these ridiculous noises like she’s in some sort of adult film, dropping her hands to his belt buckle and starting to undo it.
I feel like I’m going to throw up.

I start to back away, tears already in my eyes, and I swear, I swear Courtney looks my way for a split second and a smirk covers her face when she sees me standing here. Then Jessie reaches for the handle of the door she’s leaning up against and they both tumble into the room, slamming the door behind them.

I am so stupid. I am so, so fucking stupid. My body starts shaking and fresh tears roll down my face. How could I think tonight was going to be it? How could I be dumb enough to think Jessie might actually like me back? I swipe away at the tears, heartbroken that he’s just dismissed me after what felt like a new beginning, but at the same time angry at myself. I should have known. I should have known better than to think I might actually get what I want, and I can’t cover up the sob that escapes from my throat.

“Uh…” I jump out of my skin at the voice behind me. “Are you okay?”

I whirl around to see Chase Mitchell standing there, looking the most awkward I’ve ever seen anyone look. I turn my back to him and swipe at my face, trying to get rid of the tears, which won’t stop falling.

“Yeah,” I reply. “I’m fine.” It’d be more believable if my voice wasn’t cracking as I speak. I wait to hear his footsteps back away, sure the sight of a crying girl is enough to make him run for the hills, but instead he steps around me while I stare at my feet.

“Livy.” I shake my head frantically. I can’t look up. I can’t face anyone right now, not when it feels like I’ve just had my heart ripped in two. “Livy,” he says again softly, and something about his voice, the way there’s no mocking lilt and the concern in his tone make me look up at him. He’s standing by the door opposite the one Courtney and Jessie are in, and he pushes it open. “Come in here. It’s Aaron’s room—no one will see you in here. It’s been locked so there’s no one inside.”

I nod, because honestly what else can I do at this point? My body won’t stop shaking and I’m having no luck stopping the tears. I just need to sit down for a couple of minutes and pull myself together before I have to face the party again.

Once inside the room, I sink down onto Aaron’s bed and look down at my hands, twisting my fingers together in a desperate attempt to stop them from shaking. I can’t believe how stupid I am. I can’t believe I let Sophie convince me this time might actually be different. I’m in here feeling like my world has ended while Jessie is across the hall having sex with his ex.

“Are you okay?” Chase asks again.
I startle slightly at his voice. I wasn’t expecting him to stick around. I wish he’d disappear; I don’t want anyone seeing me like this.

I force a smile and look up, but it wobbles as fresh tears tumble down my cheeks at the memory of Courtney looking at me. She must have been at the party all along and seen me with Jessie in the kitchen. She clearly took my absence as her opportunity, and Jessie certainly didn’t look like he had any objections.

“Honestly, I’m fine. Something happened earlier at home and I was just thinking about it,” I lie.

Chase doesn’t look away from me. “I saw Stephenson go into that bedroom with Courtney,” he tells me.

And there it is. My humiliation is complete. Chase Mitchell is witnessing my meltdown after watching my best friend hook up with his ex.

I look away, swiping my hand across my face. God knows what I look like right now. My makeup is probably running everywhere. I let out a sigh and feel my shoulders sag even farther.

“He doesn’t see you, Livy.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whisper. “I told you, I was just thinking about something that happened earlier.”

“Liv—”

“Chase, please,” I plead, another errant tear streaking down my face. “Just leave me alone, okay? I can’t deal with anyone seeing me like this.”

He doesn’t reply as I squeeze my hands and try to focus on pulling myself together, but after what feels like an eternity, I hear the door open then click shut behind him. I burst into tears all over again because not only is Jessie back with Courtney, now everyone in school will know what a pathetic loser I am.

About Emma Doherty:

Emma Doherty was born in Yorkshire, England. She attended university in Newcastle before moving to London. She loves to travel, write, spend time with friends and family and hear from her readers.

 

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How exactly has one good deed landed me in the penalty box?

Tomboy, an all-new, sexy romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author Avery Flynn, is available now!

Ice Knights defenseman Zach Blackburn has come down with the flu, and my BFF—his PR manager—begs me to put my nursing degree to use and get him back to health. Of course she would call in a favor for the most hated man in Harbor City.

But when he’s finally on the mend and I’m sneaking out of his place, everything goes sideways. Paparazzi spot me and pictures, plus accusations that I slept with him, fly faster than a hockey puck.

At first, all of Harbor City wants my blood—or to give me a girlie-girl makeover. But then…the team finally wins a game. And now this fickle town wants me with the big jerk twenty-four seven.

Argh. I never slept with him the first time! But no one will listen. Then the grumpy bastard goes and promises to break his no-fan-appearances rule to help raise money for a free health clinic—but only if I’m rink-side at every game. That’s not a deal I can turn down.

But when the team keeps winning, and I realize there’s more to him than his bad reputation, suddenly remembering to keep my real hands off my fake date gets harder and harder to do.

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About Avery

USA Today bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip.

She fell in love with romance while reading Johanna Lindsey’s Mallory books. It wasn’t long before Avery had read through all the romance offerings at her local library. Needing a romance fix, she turned to Harlequin’s four books a month home delivery service to ease the withdrawal symptoms. That worked for a short time, but it wasn’t long before the local book stores’ staffs knew her by name.

Avery was a reader before she was a writer and hopes to always be both. She loves to write about smartass alpha heroes who are as good with a quip as they are with their *ahem* other God-given talents. Her heroines are feisty, fierce and fantastic. Brainy and brave, these ladies know how to stand on their own two feet and knock the bad guys off theirs.

Connect with Avery

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Still Not Love
Nicole Snow
Publication date: February 13th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Not the heck again. I’ve had my alpha-jerkface fix.

Now he’s my sworn protector…

I’m about to go nuclear.

Yet I have to smile and pretend I won’t slap him into the next century.

James Nobel and I have history.

Raging hearts. Dueling kisses. Firestorm nights.

A man like him breaks laws with that suit and that smirk.

How could I ever forget my first?

Or pelting an Adonis with balled up love notes in class?

We were young and dumb and lied about forever.

Spoiler alert: he did the lying. Then he disappeared.

Maybe I always wanted to know why, but not like this.

James, my personal bodyguard.

James, my flipping bunkmate in a luxury cabin for newlyweds.

James, who still makes me crave one more night of bad decisions.

Even worse, we’re snowed in with my VIP father and his scary friends.

It’s a date with chaos. And Mr. Hell No Hero-Man makes me do the asking.

What if there’s more to us than scalding banter and I-hate-you glares?

What if there’s still – do I have to say it – love?

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow – a category five enemies-to-lovers swoon-storm. Watch what happens when irresistible alpha charmer has to fight to win back the woman who got away. Full length romance novel with a Happily Ever After squeal or ten.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Faye’s Point of View (our heroine)

I’m still mulling my career prospects when a new shape catches my eye. I suck in a deep, trembling breath.

There. It’s him.

The driver’s side door of the lead SUV opens, and even the way the door opens reminds me of those meticulous, careful movements, like he’s aware constantly that his own body is a blade and with the slightest wrong movement, he could destroy an innocent bystander.

It’s an instant slug to my gut. Something between hate and sad and longing.

Even dressed for the weather in black gloves and a thick jacket over his suit, he’s neat and crisp and so perfectly put together. That subtle air of menace around him always reminds me exactly why girls always love those sinister, elegant, wickedly sadistic movie villains.

It’s not just that he looks like he could kill a man with his pinky finger.

It’s that he looks like he could twist your body up into a million knots without even trying, and then smile in that slow, serpentine way he has as you explode into stars everywhere and completely fall apart. He could be Lucifer himself, fallen angel and master of hell. Or maybe just the quintessential bad boy.

Unfortunately for me, the way my lungs pull tight and the heat in the pit of my belly, tells me far too well how true that is.

James Nobel is dangerous in more ways than one.

He’s a complete and utter demon in bed, and he’ll make you develop kinks you didn’t realize were possible. My toes scrunch and I’m instinctively biting my lip.

I had no idea, until one fateful night on a training mission, that I apparently have a thing for lying naked and vulnerable under a fully-dressed man in a three-piece suit, while he strokes every inch of my body, slips his fingers inside me, works me into a fever, and then leaves me breathless and hovering on the edge.

Refusing to bring me over the edge until I admit in broken, gasping whispers that I need him, crave him, can’t live another second without his fire.

He’s got such sensitive hands, too. Hands that can play a woman’s body the same way he plays piano keys…and he used them ruthlessly.

Until I came completely undone. Always after I thought I’d gotten under his skin and broken his control.

Instead, I’d only learned he was just as good at controlling my body as he is at controlling his own.

 

Author Bio:

Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.

Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty.

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