Title: The Wrong Boy Author: Ashley Munoz Genre: Small-Town Romance
Having a bed and breakfast with just one communal bathroom wasn’t working, and it was past time to bite the bullet and upgrade the inn.
There was just one small problem: In the small town of Deacon, Texas, there was only one contractor.
Yep, just one: Jonathan Oaks.
But it didn’t matter how skilled he was at building things when all I knew about him was how good at breaking my heart he was.
Five years could put a lot into perspective, but it wasn’t enough time to make me forget that he was the wrong boy for me then and he’d be the wrong boy for the job now.
I should have known better.
Jonathan Oaks wasn’t about to lose the chance to renovate my inn, or to rub in my face that he’d been right about us all along.
This place was breathtaking in the spring and charming in the summer, and in the winter, she had the fire roaring and thick, wool blankets out for all the guests to use while watching the rain pour from the porch. I had wanted Tilly to upgrade this place years ago, but we always fought whenever I brought it up, which made this entire situation even more frustrating because she’d finally decided to upgrade, just not with me.
“Well, thank you for your time…” I heard Tilly say gently while tugging open the screen door and holding it for the man exiting her inn. He had a white head of hair and a matching white beard to match.
“Not a problem, ma’am.”
He gave me a swift nod of acknowledgment and headed to his truck. Meanwhile Tilly’s eyes were on me as if I were a werewolf that had just snuck onto her property.
“What are you doing here?”
I stalked up the creaking steps and joined her on the porch, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my worn jeans. Just like every other time, I felt naked in front of her, as though she was seeing all my weaknesses and everything that made me vulnerable.
“Got a visit from your sister today.” A few bees hovered overhead near the flower baskets as a cool breeze made the blooms sway back and forth.
Tilly let out a soft breath as her eyes darted to the side, which gave me a free pass to check her out.
She had changed over the past five years, a lot. I mean, we lived in the same small town, so it wasn’t like I hadn’t seen her around, but we were usually goin’ in the other direction if one of us was in the same vicinity. It was an unspoken rule that we never frequented the same spots at the same time, and our friends and family had learned over time not to invite us both to the same events, so it was rare that I was actually in front of her like this.
Her hair was red gold, as if each piece of auburn hair was intertwined with sunshine. It hung down to the middle of her back in thick, glossy waves. Her petite frame was similar to her sisters’: big chest, curved hips, and an ass that made my brain empty and my dick hard as stone. She was still as perfect as she’d been five years ago, and the years I’d seen and wanted her prior to that. My mother once guessed that Tilly Banks would be the great love of my life, but because I couldn’t seem to keep the girl, she’d be the great loss of it too, which explained my perpetual grumpy attitude.
My mother was wrong, though. I was over Tilly. I had been for years; I just couldn’t help noticing God’s fine handiwork. The man deserved a medal for what he’d done with Telissa Banks.
“Oaks…”
I snapped my attention from Tilly’s chest back up to her face. “What?”
“I asked why you came.”
I shrugged. “Told you, your sister—”
“Yeah.” She waved me off, heading inside. “Honey is always marchin’ and talkin’—doesn’t explain why you suddenly jumped to it.”
I followed her through the foyer, bypassing the small service desk being managed by a much younger Banks sister, the youngest of the six.
“Hello Hennessey.” I tipped my head in her direction.
She had her cell phone shoved under her nose as her eyes tipped up. “You’re still the enemy, Oaks, at least according to my father.”
“That’s enough, Henny,” Tilly warned as she stormed past the desk and toward the small alcove under the stairs that acted as her office. There wasn’t any fire in her warning to her sister, though, so I knew I’d become the butt end of a joke in their family…which sat in my chest like a spiked barb.
Slowing my steps outside of Tilly’s office, I watched as she took a seat at her desk. There wasn’t enough room inside for two people, so I placed my hand along the doorway and leaned down.
“Competition, Ms. Banks. You’re callin’ in outside contractors when the good people of Deacon could use that work.”
She shuffled a few papers at her desk, completely unaware of the fact that with her sitting and me standing, I could see right down her dress.
“Well, I’m sorry to say, but it was a wasted effort on your end. I’ll be having Tack Construction handle the renovation.”
I let out a loud scoff, because this girl was ridiculous. “They’re going to travel all the way from Austin to handle this every single day?”
She nodded but didn’t look up from her monitor.
“What was their bid on this place?” I pushed off the frame and looked down the hall. “And what all are you doin’ anyhow?”
“Nothin’. Now if you’ll please find your way out, I’d appreciate it.”
Cold and mean as a honey badger—that was all Tilly had been to me for five years, and I was fucking tired of it. Heaving a sigh, I shook my head and decided I’d get my answers elsewhere.
“I’ll go, but plan on me bein’ back,” I warned as I turned to leave, but I didn’t miss the little comment she made as I turned my back. “Not likely, Oaks…you never come back.”
Ashley resides in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her four children and her husband. She loves coffee, reading fantasy, and writing about people who kiss and cuss.
Having just broken up with her boyfriend, London Spark is not in the mood to be hit on. Especially not when she’s out celebrating her single status with her sisters. So when a very attractive man pays for their drinks and then slips her his number, she passes it right back to him with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’. As the business administrator for their family’s event hotel, the Spark House, London has more important things to worry about, like bringing in new clientele.
As luck would have it, a multi-million-dollar company calls a few months later asking for a meeting to discuss a potential partnership, and London is eager to prove to her sisters, and herself, that she can land this deal. Just when she thinks she has nailed her presentation, the company’s CEO, Jackson Holt, walks in and inserts himself into the meeting. Not only that, but he also happens to be the same guy she turned down at the bar a few months ago.
As they begin to spend more time together, their working relationship blossoms into something more. It isn’t until their professional entanglements are finally over, that London and Jackson are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship. But between Jackson’s secretive past and London’s struggle with her sisters, London must question where she really stands – not just with Jackson, but with the Spark House, too.
Starry-Eyed Love has one of my favorite couples so far this year. London and Jackson just fit so well together in an odd and unexpected way. London is an anxious woman, and the paper starts she’s known for making to keep her hands busy sound beautiful. I loved her creativity and crafty side, and I felt for her when she never seemed to have enough time to dedicate to it.
Jackson is a bit of the opposite. He’s down to business and very focused on his company. But he also never seems to take time for himself. When they first meet, it was super cute – the ultimate meet-cute – and their second meeting was delightfully awkward for London, while Jackson is business-line and completely unaware.
When they end up working together, their attraction is put on hold. But while they may think they’re doing a good job hiding it, everyone around them can see it whenever they are together. And while they seem perfect together, it would just be far too easy for them to just get their HEA without some struggle.
When London gets dragged through a social media nightmare because of their relationship, things start to fall apart, mistrust builds, and it’s only some really open and honest discussions that can save the day. But can they both put it all on the line when it really matters? Starry-Eyed Love took that dive into communication and nailed it. I can’t recommend this book enough.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Amphitrite has always lived in the shadows of her sisters, but the shadows are where she does her best work. Living two lives was always easy enough for the Goddess; from being a pirate ship captain chasing secrets instead of gold to an upstanding government official. She has worked alongside her spies and sirens for centuries, guarding both the sea and Halcyon.
But a war has started against the Titans, and the darkness taking over the sea is now more than she can handle alone.
West Murphy has been the golden heir all his life, making selfish choices and surrounding himself with disposable people. That was until the night an act of violence forever changed his life. Now, feeling betrayed by everyone he knows, he considers himself a hollow shell of a man with no true purpose.
Until a tsunami changes the tides of his fate forever.
Sirens and Leviathans is the second book in the Reign of Goddesses series.
Everything around West spun out of focus, Hera having light jumped them somewhere else.
An abrupt halt made his stomach turn, and he attempted to steady himself and his queasy stomach. A soft set of giggles had him standing to see where they had ended up.
A large, all white room with floor to ceiling windows looking out over Halcyon. Long strings of varying color hung from the walls. Three women sat in front of them: an elderly woman, a middle-aged woman, and a young woman. His mind put it all together.
The Fates. The Moirai, if they were to settle into the form of a singular sister that alternated between ages in a small space of time.
The young woman clapped her hands at the sight of them.
The Goddesses did not return her enthusiasm.
Persephone spoke first. “The sea is not getting better, even with two Titans and its Goddess,” she said.
“And for once, make yourself useful with something that actually makes sense. I am not above retiring you from the mortal realm,” Hera seethed, stepping in front of the group to face off against the Fates.
West observed carefully from where he stood between his father and Amphitrite, who swayed against him. He moved his arm around her shoulders to hold her firmly against his side. He was drained, but he needed to stay strong for her.
He could tell his father was drained as well by the way he leaned against the wall.
In fact, they all looked worn, even Persephone and Devon, who stood on Amphitrite’s other side.
“Your power is great but will not cure the water,” the young one sang out.
He was sure he heard someone grinding their teeth.
“Okay, let’s make this simple, since that is all you are capable of,” Hera growled. “What will cure the water?”
“It’s a bandage, but the infection is strong,” the middle-aged one told her.
“The rot is here and only when it is cut from the mortal plane will the water heal!” the oldest one yelled, a bit too loud for the room.
“What. Is. The. Rot. You. Old. Hags!” Hera seethed through her teeth. The room was suddenly way hotter than it had been when they first arrived.
All three of the women looked at West.
“Me? How?” he asked as the Goddesses all looked at him as well.
“Not you as you.”
“But who you could be.”
“Determines if the rot can spread.”
“Or if it will die.”
His eyebrows rose into his hairline. Who he could be? He suddenly understood why Hera was ready to tear into them as soon as they arrived.
“What does that mean? Who will I be?” he asked, looking at the others helplessly. He was begging for some clue he wasn’t the enemy in this story.
“Your story is twisty and cannot be told. There are paths to take that can lead to the demise and ruin of those who walk our plane, or you can bring to life those believed lost.”
He clenched his fists, his own temper rising.
“Cut the crap!” he snapped. Amphitrite started at the volume, jostling slightly at his side. He heard a clap of approval, probably from Hera. “Tell me how I can fix the sea, then, if it all lands on me!”
C.D. Britt began her writing journey when her husband told her she needed to use her excessive imagination to write stories as opposed to creating a daily narrative for him. Ever since she penned her first words, life has been a lot more peaceful for him.
She currently resides in Texas where she has yet to adapt to the heat. Her husband thrives in it, so unfortunately they will not be relocating to colder climates anytime soon.
Their two young children would honestly complain either way.
When she is not in her writing cave (hiding from the sun), she enjoys ignoring the world as much as her children will allow with a good book, music, and vast amounts of coffee (until it’s time for wine).
C.D. Britt is the author of Shadows and Vines and the upcoming book, Sirens and Leviathans.
Both books are part of the Reign of Goddesses series.
