FAKING THE SHOT by Kendall Hale is AVAILABLE NOW

Blurb:

After my divorce, I swore off dating.

No commitments, no complications—just a clean, quiet life.

So when I’m assigned to fix Kaden Crawford—the grumpy hockey star with a reputation as the league’s biggest PR disaster—I’m determined to keep things strictly professional.

But Kaden has a knack for creating chaos.

The solution?

Staging a fake relationship to save his reputation.

My answer should’ve been a hard “no.” But somehow, I’m tangled up in his mess—sharing staged kisses, dodging cameras, and trying to ignore the sparks we can’t control.

The plan was simple: clean up his image and move on.

But the more we fake it, the messier it all becomes.

The line between real and pretend is blurring, and I’m risking everything for a man I swore I’d never fall for.

Faking The Shot is the first book in the Crawford Family Playbook series, featuring a determined divorcee publicist rebuilding her life—one play at a time—while facing off against a grumpy hockey player who’s more trouble than he’s worth… or so she thinks.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/FakingDShot

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars

This book went from the cutest meet-cute at a coffee shop trivia night to an enemies-to-lovers book! Bad boy hockey player Kaden is on his last chance and needs a reputation rehab. Divorcee Valentina is on his PR team, but never expects to be the fake girlfriend planted by the team to change the public’s opinion of Kaden. And neither of them ever expected to fall hard and fast for the other.

These two characters had great banter. Val kept Kaden on his toes and wasn’t afraid to lob back the insults when he was being grumpy and broody. I really liked how Kaden let down his walls around her and showed Val a side of him that he usually reserves only for his family. And in turn, Kaden broke through the barrier she’d erected around herself after her divorce. Although they are pretending to date for the public, lines get blurred and behind closed doors, Kaden and Val find themselves not really pretending after all. But can Kaden convince Val to take a chance on something real with him?

Faking The Shot kicks off a new series about the Crawford family siblings, but it is a spinoff of Kendall Hale’s Happily Ever After Mishaps series — Val is the sister of Noelle from The Night Before Grumpmas and works with Noelle’s husband Jacob. I loved getting to catch up with those two characters, and getting to meet Kaden’s siblings! I can’t wait to see what comes next in this series!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Kendall Hale:

Kendall Hale is a daydreamer and a bookworm with a dangerous addiction to chocolate and wine.

At night, she’s a fiery wordsmith with a penchant for creating romantic mayhem with a lot of heat. She believes in the power of laughter, love in its messiest form, and the magic of happily ever afters.

When she’s not crafting swoony, steamy stories, Kendall can be found at home with her family, including her adorable furry companions. She loves experimenting with new recipes, watching movies, and losing herself in her favorite books while music plays in the background.

Connect with Kendall Hale:

🎧New Audiobook Alert! 📚

📝 FAKE THE GAME by Julia Jarrett

🎤Narrated by Heather Firth & Dane Anderson

Download this fake dating sports romance now:

▶️

I’m the bad boy of baseball. And she’s the good girl who’s meant to repair my image. Falling in love with my pretend girlfriend is not part of the plan…

My life is a mess. My career is in serious jeopardy because of one stupid decision that had disastrous results. I’m stuck on the injured list, for who knows how long, and losing endorsements because of my reckless behaviour.

It’s only a matter of time before my team decides I’m too much trouble to keep around

The last thing I should be doing is swooping in to rescue a perfect stranger from some jerk at a bar – because of course a photo gets taken of her in my arms.

Now the last shot I have at holding onto everything that matters, is a curvy redhead who has no idea who I am and isn’t all that impressed by the mess I’ve thrown her into.

For some reason Sadie agrees to help me, and now I’m forced to spend time with a woman who might be the only person to see the real me. A lot of time. Even more so when she moves into my apartment.

With every fake date we go on, her warmth and smiles start to chip away at the ice around my heart. But what can I offer a woman like her? I’m nothing but a reckless asshole and a cocky baseball player with a past I’d rather no one knew about. I don’t let people get close to me, I don’t do relationships.

But when our arrangement comes to an end, I can’t bring myself to walk away.

How can I convince my fake girlfriend to give me a real chance when the secrets from my past won’t stay hidden?

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Julia Jarrett is a new-to-me author; Fake The Game is the second book I’ve listened to of hers, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first in this series, Break The Rules.

Maverick and Sadie start out as a fake relationship for a publicity stunt to clean up his image, but there is so much more to this bad boy of baseball than what the public thinks of him! Little by little, we get to see the real Maverick underneath the facade, and the guy runs deep. I loved the vulnerability he showed with Sadie. The guy is carrying around some major trauma as a result of his childhood — and while his past ultimately impacts their relationship moving forward, it doesn’t take him long to realize how good of a thing he has with Sadie and put in the work to make sure he can right the wrong he made.

Sadie gets something out of their fake relationship as well: getting her ex off her back. She grows so much during her time with Maverick, and it was wonderful to see her stand up to her slimy ex. (And I think when Maverick went all alpha on him, it was one of my favorite scenes!)

Narrators Heather Firth and Dane Anderson are not ones that I am very familiar with, but I completely got swept away listening to them. Dane’s deep, growly voice was mesmerizing; I loved listening to him capture Maverick’s angst, insecurities, and trust issues. Likewise, Heather did a great job in voicing Sadie’s genuine care for Maverick as she got to know the man underneath the bad boy,

I am really enjoying this series! I can’t wait for the next one. I received an advanced listening copy and voluntarily left a review.

Here and Now by Corinne Michaels is now live! 

I’ve crafted my new life in Ember Falls with two simple rules: maintain superficial relationships and always be ready to run.

But when my son’s incredibly hot hockey coach Miles Anderson walks in, things get very, very complicated.

With his charming smile and our accidental dates, he’s the exact opposite of any man I’ve ever dated. That should make saying yes to being with him simple, but nothing in my life is easy.

In fact, it’s a mess.

Miles makes me smile and treats my son like his own. When we’re together, I forget about my troubles and dream of a life that I will never be able to have with him.

It’s only a matter of time until the past comes knocking and I’ll have to leave, breaking us both in the process.

  Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

https://geni.us/HereandNow

Available in ebook, audio, and in print!

Duet Narration by Jason Clarke & Angelina Rocca

Indie paperback available until April 1, 2025

Goodreads: https://geni.us/HAN_GR

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Perfection! I was sucked into Miles and Penny’s story from the first page, and stayed up well past midnight reading it because i had to finish it. I love a bachelor who finds the one he can’t stop thinking about, and once Miles set his sights on Penny, there was no turning back!

This story was just so sweet. “Coincidental” dates, passing notes back and forth like teenagers, Miles hating coffee but buying it just so he could see Penny… it all warmed my heart. But knowing that Penny was hiding her true identity just compounded all my feelings about this pair! Who is she hiding from? What happened in her past? Will she ever really let herself get involved and invested with Miles?

I equally loved the relationship Miles built with Kai, and how much he took the little boy’s feelings into consideration every step of the way, from their official first date to asking for Kai’s blessing by the end of the book.’

Longtime readers of Corinne Michaels will appreciate Here & Now’s connection to her Salvation series — Penny’s brother, Quinn, is from the Indefinite/Infinite duet and he works for Jackson Cole at Cole Securities, so there are some nice cameos from those characters. I also loved the Easter egg that Penny had lived in Rose Canyon!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Corinne

Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.

Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.

Connect with Corinne

Website: http://corinnemichaels.com

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2N1H2Gb

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1NVZmhv

Facebook: https://bit.ly/1iwLh6y

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/corinnemichaelsbooks/

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CMBOOKS TO 77948

The Kiss Lottery by Ilsa Madden-Mills is now live!

From bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a steamy story about first love and second chances where a city girl returns home for a Valentine’s Day tradition…and the boy who broke her heart.

Roses are red, violets are blue–someone in Rose has feelings for you…

Yeah, bad ones. Everly Davis didn’t leave her tight-knit hometown on the best terms. It’s been ten years, but you don’t forget heartbreak like that. Then again, the anonymous invite to the annual Kiss Lottery in Rose, Tennessee, gives Everly content for her podcast. And she has a bone to pick with that old heartbreak anyway.

Beckett Whitfield has never left Rose–and he’s never forgotten Everly. He even named the villain in his latest bestseller after her. Turns out she’s not happy about that. Nothing about their reunion is particularly happy, and after the way they left things, what did he expect?

When the Kiss Lottery pairs them together, Everly and Beckett will have to confront old feelings that never went away and the secrets they never shared. But finally telling each other everything might be exactly what they’ve needed all along.

 Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/49BGhiI      

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4gt5tdc 

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

The Kiss Lottery is such a cute Valentine’s Day novella! It’s just 22 chapters — easy enough to read in a day — but packs a lot into those chapters! It’s an adorably funny, second-chance, small-town, friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance between childhood friends who never got over one another.

It’s been 10 years since podcaster Everly returned to her small hometown of Rose, but then she gets an anonymous invitation to the town’s Kiss Lottery Valentine’s Day event. She’s reluctant to return home because of Bennett, once her best friend and secret crush. Yet while a messy history with Bennett and her hometown await her once she gets there, Everly soon learns that home isn’t just a place, but a person. Because the feelings that she and Bennett have for each other run deep, and 10 years apart has done nothing to make those feelings go away.

This novella was so fun. I loved the quirky characters of Rose, especially Bennett’s Aunt Margo. Everly’s friends are such a fun bunch, and I would love to see this world expand so we can see more of them!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Ilsa Madden-Mills

#1 Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills pens angsty new adult and contemporary romances.

A former high school English teacher and librarian, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.

She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.

Connect with Ilsa

Website | www.ilsamaddenmills.com   

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Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/authorilsamaddenmills     

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Text Updates |  text romance(877) 207-0713 to receive updates

THIS WILD HEART by Karla Sorensen

Release Date: February 7

Blurb:

Who forgets marrying a football player? Me, apparently. Turns out countless shots and a bad breakup lead to questionable decision making. But waking up in Vegas with a ring on my finger beside a hot, naked man is hard to ignore. I married Parker Wilder. Thanks to our quickie nuptials, I’ll get my inheritance, and he’ll get his family and their well-intentioned meddling off his back.

Forgetting the wedding was the easy part. Being married to him is a whole different story. Parker is too … everything. Chiseled by the gods good-looking. A heartbreaking kind of broody. The kind of man you know will wreck you for all others. Good thing this is all pretend. And oh, how we pretend. We pretend ourselves right into me ripping the clothes off his body.

It’s all fun and fake marriage until the day he gets a knock on the door with the surprise of a lifetime. Until the bomb goes off and we’re left to pick up the pieces. Until the pretending stops and we’re left with only one question: was any of it real?

Buy Link:

bit.ly/ThisWildHeart

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Welp, I was not expecting to cry the way I did with This Wild Heart! Karla Sorensen really went all out wrapping up the Wilder Family saga with Parker’s book. Pairing him with Anya (Aiden and Isabel’s daughter from Forbidden/The Ward series) was another awesome connector between the Wilders and the Washington Wolves world, and as a longtime KS reader, I loved the cameos.

I’ve been reading the Wilders from the beginning, so I’ve seen this family go through Tim’s illness and death. It affected them all in different ways, but I had no idea that Parker was carrying around the level of guilt that he was! He is so emotionally stunted, and his closed his heart off to any kind of feeling. Watching him fall in love with Anya and realize that he doesn’t have to live in a self-imposed prison of grief was wonderful. I loved how these two characters connected over the loss of their parents (Anya’s dad was a widow when we met him in Forbidden).

Although Anya and Parker’s relationship starts out as a marriage of convenience, it is so full of passion and is a delicious slow burn as these two realize just how perfect they are for one another. The addition of Leo to this story was unexpected but added another wonderful layer to Anya and Parker’s relationship as they navigated the situation thrust upon them.

While I’m sad to say goodbye to the Wilders and all of the chaos that goes along with the family, I think that KS gave us an awesome farewell.

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Karla Sorensen:

Karla Sorensen is an Amazon top 10 bestselling author who refuses to read or write anything without a happily ever after. When she’s not devouring Dramione fan fiction or avoiding the laundry, you can find her binding books, and watching football (British & American) or HGTV. With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University, she made her living in senior healthcare prior to writing full-time. Karla lives in Michigan with her husband, two boys and a big, shaggy rescue dog named Bear.

Connect with Karla Sorensen:

https://www.instagram.com/karla_sorensen/

EMBERS IN OUR PAST by Stefanie Castro is AVAILABLE NOW

Blurb:

What should you do when the life you’ve always wanted seems hopelessly out of reach?

Clay Nichols thought he was living his happily ever after with Abby, his wife that he pictured forever with. Loving her was effortless. No matter what obstacles they faced, they navigated them as a team. Having a baby was taking a long time, but they were exploring all their options together. Until the day Abby suddenly left it all behind.

Eighteen months ago, Abby walked away from her husband and her life in Boston. Unable to give Clay the family they dreamed of, she sacrificed her own happiness, allowing him a chance at the future he always wanted. A fresh start in California was exactly what she needed…or was it?

When Abby shows up one night at Clay’s local bar on the arm of a fellow firefighter, things get heated. Clay is ready to stop at nothing to put his life and his marriage back together. Can he win her back, or will everything fall apart once again?

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/aMMqhh1

Available in KU

Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars

Embers in Our Past was a beautiful, haunting story of love, perseverance, loss, grief, and finding your way back to happiness. After the glimpses of Clay we saw in Embers in The Outfield, I could not wait to dive into his and Abby’s book and see how they reconnect.

Both of these characters go on such a complete arc throughout this book. Stefanie Castro did a phenomenal job of exploring the intricate ins and outs of what a marriage goes through when dealing with infertility, and the grief that comes with the loss of that dream. And then on top of that, she wonderfully wove a reunion story for Abby and Clay through their surprise, miracle pregnancy.

This book was tough to read at points because I felt so deeply for these two. But I loved going along for the ride as Abby and Clay reconnected and found their way back to one another even after their divorce. I also loved getting to know Tucker and can’t wait for the next book in this series!

I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

Meet Stefanie Castro:

Prior to becoming an author, Stefanie had written for years on blogging platforms. She is a registered nurse with years of experience working with families starting their journey into the parenting world. She started writing as a way to connect with families. After releasing her first memoir in May 2023, she felt a pull towards writing romance. Her love of the genre is something she is highly invested in as a reviewer and cheerleader for authors all around. Stefanie debuts her romance this fall with If Only You Knew. She is shining a light on romance characters that are in their forties, something she feels is not easy to find in the genre. Stefanie resides in Southern California, with her husband, two kids, and their Cavalier King Charles dog.

Connect with Stefanie Castro:

https://linktr.ee/authorstefcastro