Single dad Garrett Haven doesn’t have time for dating. With a teenage son and a high-stakes job in law enforcement, he has enough on his plate.
Besides, he risked his heart once. He has no intention of doing it again.
Until he meets her.
Harper Tilburn brought her passion for baking to the small town of Tilikum to take over her aunt’s bakery. Anything else will have to wait, at least until her bad luck curse runs out.
Her dating hiatus is essential, and she’s sticking to it.
Until she meets him.
The sparks that fly between Garrett and Harper are instantaneous—their attraction undeniable. And suddenly, the practical, responsible sheriff’s deputy is throwing caution to the wind, boldly pursuing Harper, determined to make her his.
But when the cold case Garrett is investigating takes a chilling turn, he fears the perpetrator will strike again—and Harper will be his target.
With his career—and his life—on the line, he’ll sacrifice everything to protect the people he loves, and catch a killer before it’s too late.
Author’s note: a buttoned-up sheriff’s deputy gets thoroughly unbuttoned by a sweet as sugar baker. A hero who falls hard and fast, a heroine you’ll root for, a teenage son who will steal your heart, page turning suspense with a shocking twist, and heartwarming found family vibes with a big HEA.
What can you expect from Garrett and Harper?
A hot single dad who falls hard (and fast!)
A quirky, superstitious heroine you’re going to adore
A teenage son who will steal your heart
Heart-pounding, page-turning suspense
Touch-her-and-unalive vibes
A super swoony romance that will give you all the feels
Heartwarming found family
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Oh, Sugar Cookies, this book was so entertaining! Return to Tilikum and all of it’s small-town goodness and crazy squirrels with Temptation Trails, book 3 in the Haven Brothers series.
Harper is new in town, having arrived in Tilikum to take over her aging aunt’s bakery. She’s had a string of bad luck for the past (nearly) 7 years after breaking a mirror. I loved that through-line with Harper, and how so dang unlucky she was. At least, until she met Garrett, the handsome town sheriff. Neither one of them are looking to get into a relationship, which is what makes their relationship so great. There are some tough conversations that these two characters need to have, and those scenes are well-written.
I also really loved the friendship that Harper developed with Garrett’s son, Owen. The teen goes through a change of his own throughout the book, and really blossoms as he becomes more at ease with himself. I loved how he teased his dad about liking Harper, and how protective he becomes of her as the book goes on.
Amid the swoony romance, there’s the suspense storyline. As Garrett is investigating a cold case, it seems as if the killer is preparing to strike again, with Harper as his victim. Will Garrett be able to save the woman who is quickly becoming his everything?
Jason Clarke and Rose Diorio were fantastic with this story! Not only were they wonderful as Garrett and Harper, but they did a fabulous job with the other characters as well. I especially loved the way Jason was able to go back and forth between the villain and Garrett.
I am so hoping that Owen grows up to get a book of his own in some future spin-off, next-generation series!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Truly Madly Deeply, an all-new enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, standalone romance and the first book in the Forbidden Love Series from New York Times bestselling author L.J. Shen is now available!
Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life―food.
Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…
And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.
Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multimillion-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.
Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.
Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.
Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.
***
Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running. Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother―the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.
Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.
Keep Reading for a look inside Truly, Madly, Deeply!
Age Eighteen
If someone told me an hour ago that I would be pinned beneath Row Casablancas, partially naked and writhing against the hood of his black Mustang, I would have guessed he’d gotten himself into some kind of trouble and had resorted to drugging me and harvesting my organs to make a quick buck.
Row didn’t hate me. He didn’t love me either. I would guesstimate his feelings toward me were somewhere on the spectrum between look at this adorable little moron and shit, I forgot she existed.
I was his baby sister’s best friend. The awkward klutz who suffered from bouts of verbal diarrhea and extremely questionable fashion sense.
Fine. I didn’t suffer from the questionable fashion sense. I owned it. Sue me for celebrating my individuality.
I always figured he liked me in the same way people liked puppies—because they were cute, dumb, and adored the ground you walked on, even if you were a terrible human who peeled clementines in public places. But I digress.
Harboring a small, totally manageable crush on your best friend’s brother was a cliché. However, I was obsessed with the nineties, an era that celebrated true and tested formulas. Ergo, pining after him fit me like a tattoo choker.
In my defense, Row made it impossible for my adolescent self not to lust after him on account of him: 1) being six foot four inches of lithe, corded muscles, having floppy onyx hair, and a jawline stronger than my lifetime of New Year’s resolutions combined, and 2) having the entire bad-boy vibe down to a T—including a sports car, athletic genes, witty one-liners, a dimpled smirk, and unlaced combat boots with tight-fitting jeans stacked upon them.
To sum it up, he was a morally gray hunk who was a total red flag—my age group’s favorite color scheme. So, yes. Of course I, too, wanted to be ruined by Dylan Casablancas’s older brother. Who didn’t? Our entire high school worshipped at his altar. Fenna McGee once even made a sticker that said, I’m not saying that Row Casablancas and God are the same person—but have you ever seen them in the same room?
Point was, Row’s tongue was currently shoved so far down my throat, we were playing tonsil hockey. His ballistic missile–sized erection pressed against the buttons of my yellow plaid skirt, threatening to snap them and send them past the Milky Way. And all I could think about was how I was doing Dylan dirty.
Bile coated the back of my throat. Dylan hated it when her friends fell at her brother’s feet. She’d make gagging sounds every time someone we knew flirted with him, which made what was happening right now completely inexcusable. But I was semi-drunk, exceptionally raw, and uncharacteristically reckless. Plus…Dylan was so used to seeing Row ruining her friends like it was an Olympic sport, what was adding one more into the mix?
I was also a people pleaser, and I really wanted to please Row. So I made complimentary moaning sounds I’d learned from the Pornhub University of Fake Orgasms. This included head lolling, enthusiastic panting, and girly gasps.
Row took this as an invitation to move to second base, coiling his calloused fingers around the front of my throat and flattening me against the hood of his car. The hood still exuded heat from the engine, and I wondered if I’d sport second-degree burns tomorrow morning. My butt cheeks were squeezed together to accommodate his lean waist between my thighs, my heartbeat thrashing against my eyelids like an angry woodpecker.
We were parked on a rocky cliff overlooking the glacial-tipped Maine mountains. The ocean stretched like a tight, black sheet across the horizon. The briny scent floated into my nostrils, and goose bumps coated my arms.
It felt so good and yet so wrong, I didn’t know whether to burst into giggles, tears, or flames.
Stop this right now, Cal. Dylan is going to strangle you.
Actually, my BFF was more the type to steal my clothes and go on a killing spree. Dylan Casablancas was creative, innovative, and delightfully hilarious. I loved her so much. She deserved better than this.
Row’s hand snuck under my beige turtleneck and my yellow plaid vest, cupping my left boob as his mouth trailed along my jaw, leaving wet, hot kisses in its wake, making my spine tingle. His lips were sinful, his tousled hair as soft as silk between my greedy fingers.
Dammit, I’m only human.
We were grinding against each other, and I was in awe of how different his body was from mine. Hard to my soft. Tall to my short. Tan to my pale. He was doing everything right. The way he swirled his tongue over my sensitive spots, drawing happy whimpers from me. The way his thumb rubbed the tip of my hard nipple, making it tingly and sensitive and desperate for more, felt like some kind of dark magic.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
What a terribly un-asshole-y thing to say. Then again, Row never directed his infinite wrath at me. Probably because I was like a sister to Dylan.
There was a bonfire happening in the moorlands below the cliff where we were parked. A farewell bash for us seniors before we all scattered away to our respective colleges. Row had dropped by to pick Dylan up—he was in town for a couple weeks, visiting from his fancy culinary school in Paris—but Dylan had wanted to stick around a little longer. Meanwhile, I’d wanted to go home, eat pickled eggs, and binge-watch Riverdale.
Yet we’d ended up on the notorious Make-out Mountain, where couples went to lose their virginity, and sometimes lacy thongs, without being interrupted.
Row and I were friendly. He was always protective of me. I’d asked him to drive up to the cliff so I could take one last look at the ocean before I moved to New York. I definitely hadn’t planned on attacking his mouth with mine like a rabid raccoon when we’d both stared at the yolky sun crawling up the sky.
Yet…it had happened. It had happened, and now I was in his arms, the cold recipient of his kisses and licks and roaming hands. I froze, yet again feeling guilty about Dylan. She’d forgive me, surely. It wasn’t like he was her boyfriend.
Row ripped his mouth from my skin, staring me down through a disapproving scowl. “Are you still alive?”
“Hmm-mm.”
“Should I stop?” His fingers immediately loosened around my waist and back, and I suddenly remembered what had made me want to have sex with him in the first place.
“No!” I wrenched him closer and pressed my lips to his, doubling down on that rabid-wildlife conduct. “You…you can’t stop.” But maybe he should? My mind and my body were definitely not in sync.
“Sure I can.” His mouth moved over mine again, his voice velvet and smoke. “Consent is a real thing. Google it.” I was blushing so furiously, it was a medical miracle my head didn’t explode. His mouth grinned against mine, teeth grazing my bottom lip. “Fuck. You’re so sweet. So innocent. I want to eat you out.”
“I want to eat you out too.” Wait, what? That didn’t sound right. Having social anxiety and literally zero filters when I was nervous sucked.
“Do you, now?” I could hear the smirk in his smartass tone.
Dammit, Cal. “Not, in, like, a cannibalistic way—”
“Show me, then. Use plenty of examples. I’m a slow learner.” He growled, deepening our kiss. Our teeth brushed together, and a wave of pleasure rolled along my spine. My skin was cold, but my insides were ablaze. I pushed my palm against his groin over his black jeans. I couldn’t believe I was touching him, really touching the guy who literally made women melt into a pool of hormones just by glancing at him.
He ripped his mouth from mine, eyeballing me hard. We stared at each other, panting. I had no idea what I was doing.
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
Roe is my favorite kind of hero! Bitter, prickly, grumpy… and secretly in love with the one girl he can’t have.
Row and Cal are such broken characters. They each have past trauma that left them shattered and unable to trust easily. And it is that trauma that draws them together, because there is a very thin line between love and hate, and Row doesn’t hate Cal at all. There is such growth from both of these characters as they face their fears and find the strength to move forward.
One of my favorite things about this book was just how hopelessly in love Row is with Cal, even all these years later, and his inner monologue every time he interacts with her. He comes across as a major jerk in order to protect his heart from breaking once again, but it’s just always been her for him. And she can’t fathom a world where he could be into someone as odd and quirky as her.
The playlist that Shen included with this book — each chapter is marked by a classic 1990s song — was the soundtrack of my college days. I loved that little extra and found myself humming each song with every new chapter.
This book has quite a few trigger warnings, so check the content list provided by Shen before diving in. It’s dark and gritty, but a gripping story and I was so satisfied by the time Row and Cal got to their well-deserved HEA.
I am so excited to see what comes next in the Forbidden Love series. I really liked the connections and friendships between the group of characters, and would love to see them all find their HEA. I am especially shipping Kieran and Dylan!! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
For more information about L.J. Shen and her books, visit her website:
The One I Didn’t See Coming by Piper Rayne is now on ebook, paperback & audio!
Duet narration performed by: Jason Clarke & Ava Erickson
It’s the classic story—girl returns to her hometown only to end up moving in with her high school crush, who she hates.
Returning to Willowbrook was my only option after Chicago chewed me up and spit me out. Technically, it wasn’t Chicago’s fault. It was his fault—the man I thought I knew who turned out to be a liar.
My older sister, always the one to swoop in and fix things, secured me a job as a yoga instructor on her fiancé’s family ranch. As my self-assigned protector, she’s keeping one eye on me and one eye on Emmett Noughton, her fiancé’s brother.
He’s the charming, fun-loving, take-life-as-it-comes kind of guy, and once upon a time, his name was scribbled in my notebooks. Back then, I was invisible to him. Now, he’s looking at me like I’m the only thing in the room. But he lost his chance with me a long time ago.
It’s easy to keep him at arm’s length and nurse the grudge I’ve held onto for years. Until the house I’m staying in sells, and I have nowhere to go except his house. Now, resisting him isn’t just difficult—it’s impossible.
Book 3 in the Plain Daisy Ranch is the youngest Noughton brother, Emmett, and Gillian’s baby sister, Briar. I loved the connection between these characters, and the evolution of their romance from Briar hating him (thanks to something that happened when they were teenagers) to reluctant roommates, to friends to more.
Briar comes back to town after her life implodes. She’s hiding a major secret, and is hesitant to tell her sister about it. Things between Briar and Emmett’s relationship really take a turn once he figures out what she’s going through, and a friendship develops. Emmett, meanwhile, has been struggling with his hopes/plans for the ranch, and what is expected of him, and Briar becomes his sounding board. Eventually, it gets to the point where they can no longer deny the sexual tension building between them, and they start up a secret relationship.
It was really enjoyable to watch the progression between these two characters. I really loved the sweet connection that both Briar and Emmett have with his cousin’s little girl, Wren, and the way the two of them connected over the loss of their mothers. Narrators Jason Clarke and Ava Erickson did a beautiful job with the duet narration of Emmett and Briar, and I enjoyed listening to them bring this story to life.
I loved the tease in the epilogue about Lottie and Brooks, and am so excited that this series will continue on! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Piper Rayne
Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write “heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle” about families, whether that be blood or found. They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they’re married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they’re both chauffeurs to their kids. Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!
Life doesn’t always go as planned, but sometimes, that’s where the magic happens.
About That One Night, an all-new frenemies to lovers, forced proximity romance from bestselling author Kendall Hale is now available!
She’s a corporate lawyer; he’s a carefree bodyguard. When their worlds collide, sparks fly in ‘About That One Night’—a romantic comedy about opposites attracting in the most delightful way.
Life doesn’t always go as planned, but sometimes, that’s where the magic happens.
Enter me: Zoe Harper.
Let me tell you, life has a funny way of flipping you upside down when you least expect it.
Case in point: I’m currently packing up my life into cardboard boxes after leaving my long-term, commitment-phobic ex-boyfriend.
Just when I think things can’t get worse, I find myself at a destination wedding with a grumpy but ridiculously handsome bodyguard, Maximillian McCallister.
Max and I have always been frenemies: he’s annoyingly charming, and I’m just trying to figure out my next move without losing my mind.
But one night, fueled by tequila and maybe a little bit of spite, we end up having the most incredible one-night stand. It changes everything.
Now I’m back in Boston, trying to figure out my new life with my meddling family, my stressful career, and stupidly hot Max popping up everywhere I go.
He’s infuriatingly perfect, and did I mention he’s my brother-in-law’s best friend? Yeah, it’s complicated. Even before factoring in the positive pregnancy test that flips my world upside down.
Keep Reading for a look inside About That One Night!
“And just like that, my life became a series of cardboard boxes and half-hearted pep talks. As it turns out, my emotional baggage is the only thing that doesn’t require bubble wrap.
While packing, my fingers trace the edge of a framed photo. Suddenly, I’m transported back to Cabo. The phantom warmth of the sun kisses my skin, and I can almost feel Tom’s arm around my waist. We’re grinning at the camera, blissfully unaware that our happiness came with an expiration date.
“It feels like a lifetime ago. With a sigh that seems to come from my very bones, I wrap the frame in an old newspaper and gently place it in the box labeled “Memories” in my loopy handwriting. Then I pause, gnawing on my lower lip. Is it even worth saving?
Maybe I should just remove our picture and donate the frame. It’s a cute ornament . . . I think. Then again, I could be completely wrong. If there’s something I’ve learned in the past couple of weeks, it’s that my judgment is about as reliable as a chocolate teapot.
There’s a huge difference between what I believe and what is real.
I believed Tom and I were heading to a happily ever after.
Reality check: here I am, packing my life into boxes and preparing for a glamorous new chapter on my parents’ lumpy futon. If only I could kick out the people who are currently renting my brownstone.
“Look at the silver lining, Zoe. This is only temporary,” I remind myself, eyeing the mountain of boxes. “Nine months, and you’ll be back in your cozy and beautiful brownstone. Assuming the renters don’t turn it into a frat house.”
For more information about Kendall Hale and her books, visit her website:
About That One Night is the second book in Kendall Hale’s Happily Ever Mishaps series, and wow, is this a happily ever mishap!
Max and Zoe had insane chemistry, and I loved how well they balanced each other out despite having such opposite personalities. Max and Zoe are part of a larger friend group, so they’ve known each other for years and have a kind of frenemies relationship. I thought it was really sweet how he checked in on her after her breakup; I wasn’t expecting him to do that knowing that they kind of drove one another crazy. They give in to their crazy chemistry and have a one-night stand, and then a secret no-strings situationship… but growing feelings and a positive pregnancy test soon tie them together forever.
I thought the banter between these two was really top-notch. Max challenged Zoe in so many ways, and after living just a ho-hum life with a guy who was just “okay” to be with, I felt as if being with Max was like a burst of color for Zoe.
This book gave me all the feels.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
My brother’s best friend brought me back, but nothing was the same. I can’t remember what happened. My parents dragged me away from my island home in the name of keeping me safe, and thrust me into hell instead.
I came back to Hatterwick to rebuild my life and–hopefully–my memory.
Now a new inheritance threatens to expose those long buried secrets, and someone will stop at nothing to ensure I never remember what really happened that fateful night.
The only thing standing between me and whoever wants to hurt me is a marriage of protection with the boy who saved me–now a man grown and determined to keep me safe at all costs.
But what began as protection turns into more. Because he’s the key to unlocking what hides in the shadows of my mind, which will either save or damn us both.
Won’t Back Down is the start of a new series from Kait Nolan’s other author name, Harper Jackson. It’s a brother’s best friend, secret crush, arranged/marriage of convenience romance set in a small town on the Outer Banks of NC, with a hefty dose of suspense mixed in.
The prologue takes place 12 years ago, the night Willa drowned and her heart stopped beating. She has huge gaps in her memory about that night. Now, she’s estranged from her parents and has returned to Hatterwick to rebuild her life and hopefully reclaim her memories about the night that her brother’s best friend, Sawyer, saved her life. They’ve always had a crush on each other, and now that they are in a marriage of convenience/protection, things progress to a bona fide relationship.
After some misunderstandings, Sawyer and Willa get on the same page, and I liked the progression of their relationship. The quest to find out what really happened the night Willa ended up in the water is full of twists and turns — and I was happy that my suspicion about who was the bad guy was correct!
Having spent many summers on OBX, I kept imagining Cape Hatteras as the setting, since the town name, Hatterwick, is so similar! I’m still not sure why the group of friends consider themselves the “Wayward Sons,” but I liked the relationship between the friend group, and how supportive they are of each other in this found family. I’d be interested to read the rest of the books in this series to learn more about the disappearance/murder that night of Willa’s friend Gwen!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Harper Jackson:
Harper Jackson has rescued her co-workers from a hostage situation, battled ninjas, and stopped international espionage—in her head anyway. Now that she’s no longer busy devising ways to make staff meetings more entertaining, she’s pouring that imagination into tales of breath-stealing, small-town romantic suspense. She believes that peach cobbler with ice cream is the best dessert ever and has a black belt in taekwondo to back it up. She lives in the Deep South with her husband and three canine furbabies.
To find out about Harper’s upcoming releases sign up for her newsletter here!
To learn more about Harper Jackson & her books, visit here!
After finding out that her fiance had been cheating on her, Zara heads down South to her sister-in-law Sofia’s house, and ends up having a steamy fling with Sofia’s dirty-talking, Cowboy cousin, Gabriel. They aren’t supposed to be anything more than a two-week affair, but when Zara accidentally gets pregnant, everything changes for both of them. But when her life is in New York, and he runs a bar and the family horse business on a farm in Georgia, how will they make co-parenting work?
These two characters were on fire! I loved Zara’s sass, and Gabriel’s drawl and possessiveness and dirty mouth. There are lots of appearances from the other characters in this larger series, and the reader gets to know Sofia’s family a bit more during the time Zara spends on Grandpa Casey’s farm.
i received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Natasha Madison:
When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…
Amazon Charts bestselling author Jennifer Millikin delivers an emotional and riveting love story. Charming and heroic, there’s nothing about Gabriel Woodruff that Avery Burke doesn’t love. His warm brown eyes, his generosity, that small scar above his lip. The newspaper photo of him carrying her from a burning home only adds to the romance of it all.
A fairytale beginning and a picture-perfect marriage practically guarantees Avery and Gabriel a ride into the sunset. But every relationship has flaws, and what they ignored while they were busy being flawless eventually surfaces. The unraveling begins with the smallest tug on the tiniest string.
Their fall is spectacular, the kind that makes the paper.
When the fairytale goes up in smoke, Avery and Gabriel are forced to ask themselves hard questions.
What does for better or worse really mean? Is this their second chance at a once-in-a-lifetime love? What do we keep, when we lose it all?
*What We Keep is a full-length love story with NO CHEATING, no other woman/other man drama, and an HEA. Trigger warnings listed at the beginning of the book.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
This book was beautiful! I read it in a day because I could not put it down! I love an intense marriage-in-jeopardy book, and Jennifer Milliken delivers with What We Keep! Avery and Gabriel’s story will warm your heart, make you cry as they are torn apart, and then feel all glowy as they fall in love for a second time.
I love how the story is set up. The first half is told as flashbacks during Avery’s therapy sessions. She and Gabriel were on fire from the moment they met (quite literally! As well as figuratively). But when they crashed and burned, they fell hard! The reader goes along on the journey with Avery and Gabriel’s picture-perfect romance, the fissures that made them crack, their marriage eventually crumbling to bits, and her struggle to pick up the pieces and move on.
The second half of the book is in present time, when karma… fate… destiny… brings them back together. They have both changed so much over the past three years. There is so much hurt to move past, and they are in this suspended state for a while, living in a bubble where they don’t need to face the past. But when time runs out and they have to make some hard decisions, will Avery be able to forgive Gabriel and trust him again?
If you are looking for a second-chance romance that is raw, gritty and intense, don’t miss What We Keep! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Jennifer
Jennifer Millikin is a bestselling author of fifteen contemporary romance and women’s fiction novels. She is the two-time recipient of the Readers Favorite Gold Star Award, and readers have called her work “emotionally riveting” and “unputdownable”.
Following a viral TikTok video with over fourteen million views, Jennifer’s third novel, Our Finest Hour, has been optioned for TV/Film. She lives in the Arizona desert with her husband, children, and Liberty, her Labrador retriever.
Set sail with USA Today bestselling author R.S. Grey in this sizzling romance between old rivals who reunite on a cruise ship, only to discover that they want much more than just another competition.
Casey Hughes is a struggling travel journalist desperate for a big break when she lands the assignment of a lifetime: hop on board Aurelia for its maiden voyage through paradise. While she’ll bask in the luxury cruise ship’s fine dining and complimentary spa treatments, her real mission is to snag an exclusive interview with Phillip Woodmont.
Casey and the elusive shipping heir have history. Once, they were nothing short of brutal enemies. Though the former brace-faced teen is now a suited-up CEO with devastating good looks, he makes it clear to Casey that he has no interest in forgetting their past.
The volatile grudge between them is as explosive as ever. More than once Casey is tempted to toss Phillip overboard, but for her work, she’ll have to swallow her pride. If it’s an apology he’s after, she’ll serve it up on a silver platter. If he wants her to walk the plank, she’ll salute with an aye, aye, Captain.
Casey can’t let him provoke her. She needs this interview. So if Phillip wants to play dirty, Casey will just have to play dirtier.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars Having been on several cruise ships, I was transported there immediately while reading Caribbean Crush!
Travel journalist Casey sets out on the Auriela’s maiden voyage with the mission of interviewing the reclusive shipping heir and CEO owner of the ship. Small problem: they were bitter rivals as teenagers. Casey and Phillip’s story is everything you’d expect from rivals/enemies-to-lovers: witty banter, lots of tension, and a deep-rooted dislike of one another. All set in a tropical paradise! The push and pull between these characters is addicting as they navigate their changing feelings for each other and their messy history.
Summer may be over, but Caribbean Crush is a delightful holiday escape! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet R.S. Grey
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including seven #1 bestselling romantic comedies. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and dog.
Nash didn’t plan on living with his brother’s widow. Or that he may finally get his chance to win me back.
I ended up with the wrong brother. Now, he has passed away, leaving me a widow with a baby. But then his brother Nash walks back into our small town and my life. My disdain for the former hockey player is apparent, yet still, he moves in to care for my son and me, claiming it was his estranged brother’s dying wish. But having Nash close stirs memories of when we may have had a chance. In truth, he always lingered in my thoughts. And it takes one kiss to cause turmoil.
Because nothing appears as it seems.
The relationship that develops is inevitable; we have a past, after all. But the dilemmas we reveal may tear us apart. Even with guilt for moving on, a fire between us feels near eternal. And the trail we create in the fallout of our romance makes me realize that Nash and I? We’re something long ago that always should have been…
Nash and Summer will send you on a no-cheating rollercoaster in a forced proximity, single mom and a second-chance romance with a twist. Should Have Been is the third and final standalone book in the Lake Spark Inn series, part of the Lake Spark world.
Should Have Been wraps up the Lake Spark Inn series with Nash and Summer’s story. It’s complicated and messy, but at the end, it is a heartfelt second-chance romance.
As teenagers, Summer, and brothers Zac and Nash, were best friends. Zac was always ill, having battled cancer for most of his life. And while Summer loved Zac as a best friend, she was *in love* with Nash, and he her. But their relationship took a turn when Nash broke Summer’s heart, eventually leading her to marry Zac and give birth to their son, Bo. Now it’s years later, and Zac’s final wish was that Nash come back to Lake Spark and live with Summer and Bo for six weeks….
There are so many emotions in this story. Heartbreak, grief, resentment, guilt, and so much love. It takes a while for Summer and Nash to get to a place where they can even be in the same room without sniping at one another — he can’t get past the fact that she married his brother, and she is still so hurt by their breakup years ago. Things aren’t always as they seem, however, and once they hammer out their issues of the past, Summer and Nash fall into an easy relationship…
But it’s a secret one. How will the town react to her moving on so quickly? How will Nash’s parents respond? There is a lot to be navigated before they can get to their HEA, but in the end, it always Should Have Been Summer and Nash.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
I’ve got one job: protect the younger sister of my best friend and team captain. Then our private plane crashes in southern Alaska, and we’re the lone survivors.
The two of us are the unlikeliest of partners when we find ourselves stranded in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. My hockey playing skills are of no use here, where the bitter cold is my new opponent. And Trinity Lorenzo? She’s about as warm as a block of ice. I get it, she’s fleeing an abusive boyfriend and she and I are strangers. But I always keep my word, and I promised Dalton I’d keep his prickly sister safe. If we want to live, the two of us will have to find a way to get along and work together.
Our ordeal draws Trinity and me closer, and fighting the pull between us becomes harder than anything we face while hoping for rescue. Whether we make it out or not, I need her. More than water or shelter—more than anything. Dalton will never forgive me if I cross the line with her, but surviving means something different now. Surviving means making her mine.
I liked the first 3/4 of Lost In You, but the last 1/4 felt really rushed to get to the ending.
Following a plane crash, Lincoln and Trinity, his best friend’s little sister, spend several months together in an isolated cabin in the wilderness of Alaska, As they struggle to survive, they naturally grow closer. And there’s eventually no denying the attraction between them.
For the most part, Lost In You was entertaining and held my interest. The storyline is straight-forward, without any speedbumps or plot twists. However, after the rescue, everything seemed so rushed.
Meanwhile, Lincoln has.. a certain hangup… when it comes to relationships. This comes back into play once they decide to make a go of things in the real world and he lays out his promises for the future. But his whole Grand Gesture to win her back felt kind of icky — he made a lot of assumptions and what was supposed to be a sweet gesture was a major move that affected both of them, but he never discussed it with her ahead of time. And she was fine what that??!
Overall, Lost In You was entertaining, but it wasn’t my favorite. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
ABOUT BRENDA
ROTHERT
A former print journalist, Brenda Rothert has written more than fifty romance novels. From hot hockey romance to steamy romantic suspense, Brenda creates fresh characters in every story she tells. Her print and e-books have been translated into German, Italian and Portuguese, and her audiobooks have been translated into German.
A hot single dad who falls hard (and fast!)
Sunny Shelly Reads 