Knox is a badass, bar-owning barber who prefers to live his life the way he takes his coffee: Alone. Well, except for his basset hound, Waylon. He doesn’t tolerate drama (Knox, not Waylon. Waylon loves drama.). Especially not when it comes in the form of a stranded runaway bride.
Naomi answered her estranged–some would say evil–twin’s call for help, arriving in rural and rough-around-the-edges Knockemout, Virginia, ready to be the good sister as usual.
Too bad her evil twin hasn’t changed at all. After helping herself to Naomi’s car and cash, Tina leaves her with something unexpected. The 11-year-old niece Naomi didn’t know she had. Dun dun dunnnn!
There are reasons why Knox doesn’t do family drama or high-maintenance women who actually believe in all the bullshit trappings of romance. But since her life imploded right in front of him, the least he can do is help Naomi out of her jam. Even if the uptight good girl is a gigantic pain in his ass. As soon as she stops getting herself into new trouble, he can stop dragging her into his bed and go back to his peaceful, solitary life.
At least, that’s the plan until the trouble turns to real danger.
Lucy Score is a Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author. Small town contemporary rom-coms are her lady jam and she enjoys delivering the feels with a huge side of happily ever after.
Her books have been translated into several languages, making readers around the world snort laugh, swoon, and sob. Lucy lives in Pennsylvania with the devastatingly handsome Mr. Lucy and their horrible cat.
In her spare time she enjoys sleeping, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and reading all the romance novels in the universe.
Title: Love on the Run Author: Suzanne Rylee Ridolfi Genre: Romantic Comedy
Lily Hart is the semi-famous host of Love Lily, a podcast dedicated to love and relationships. Her bubbly enthusiasm for all things romance has caught the eye of a few swanky sponsors who offer her the chance to host a Valentine’s Day mega event. Unfortunately, Lily’s own happily-ever-after has hit a rocky patch. She’s not sure if Henry, her longtime boyfriend, is even the one. When they decide to discuss things over dinner, Lily’s left questioning everything she knows about love. She panics and calls for a getaway car.
Blaze Steel thinks the notion of love is a mythical fable made up to ruin his life. Instead of relationships he pours his energy into the opening of his new bar the Steel Taproom. Until it’s up and running, however, Blaze is forced to continue his duties as an Uber driver. When a frantic Lily jumps into the backseat of his car, Blaze doesn’t know what hit him. All he knows is he hopes he never has to lay eyes on this woman again.
Fate has different plans for them, as their paths continue to cross. When Lily realizes she can’t show up to her own event dateless, Blaze reluctantly agrees. No feelings, just a plus one. How hard could it be? After all, they’re the last couple in the world who would ever fall in love.
*For fans of sweet romance, Debbie Macomber books, and all things Hallmark. There is no steam, sweet short read.
Pulling my head up from my computer long enough to take a long slurp of hot cocoa, my eyes dart open. I jump to my feet and rush over to the pink and red floral book my best friend Addie printed me for a Christmas gift. A beautiful collection of all my blogs neatly bound together for eternity. My clammy fingers push open the cover. My heart drops like a lead balloon as I read each entry, so beautiful, touching and filled with hope.
I rush to my pup and gather her sweet face in my hands, “Lola, I have misled my loyal fan base. What do I even know about love? Research, yes research, that’s what I must do.”
I run to my desk and slide the Reese’s wrappers off the pile of notes smeared with a greasy spot of peanut butter. I fumble until my greedy fingers find a pen. I punch the word “love” into the search bar of my laptop. Tearing out the peanut butter-stained page, I feverishly begin jotting down the facts which represent the core beats of love. The first definition reads:
When two people realize there’s no one else in this world they want to be with.
My heart thuds wildly against my chest. There are millions of people in this world. You can’t possibly have met all of them. That is preposterous. How can you possibly know you don’t want someone in Antarctica, Michigan, Ireland, if you never met them?
My fingers tap to the next version of love in the search que. An intense feeling of deep affection.
NO, that can’t be right either. I have intense affection for the Amazon Prime driver that shows up to my door three times a week.
I hit the back button and search for the next entry. To feel more than liking toward someone.What does that even mean? Subjective I say. How much more? Geez, I could be in love with fifteen people. I consult the experts. I feverishly type in Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. “Wait, kinship means blood relative. Whew, there’s a part two.” Attraction based on sexual desire.
“Oh gosh, I’m in love with Ryan Gosling. Who are the actual people that write the dictionary? What gives them the authority to define a behavior?” My neck feels hot. “Lola, the short answer is love is a feeling you attach to someone when you’re tired of looking for the mythical version of the word.” My hands slap over my mouth which has just betrayed me eeking out a long-buried notion I’ve successfully silenced for years.
Rylee is a hopeless romantic. She loves a cozy fireplace, a furry blanket and a romantic book. She strives to bring lovable characters to life.This has resulted in the creation of some of the most awkwardly charming heroines that are guaranteed to steal your heart. She’s a believer in happily ever after and is mildly addicted to fabulous shoes. She loves writing about her favorite things- Christmas, fashion, family, and the ability to go for your dream, no matter how grand. When not writing you can find her spending time with her husband and three children at their home in New Jersey.
The whiskey swirls aroundin the cup as I sit at my desk. It’s well past three in the morning but my mind is wide awake. The knowledge of the call I have to make sits heavy on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I wanted to leave her out of this, not only for me but for Silas. If he knew what I’m about to do, he’d kill me himself— his relationship with my father be damned. He was right when he told me there is no part of her that belongs in this world.
She’s too innocent. Too perfect. Too good to be tainted by all of this.
And yet I have no choice but to drag her into it—kicking and screaming, I’m sure. There used to be a time when I would imagine another life for myself. One where I wasn’t the leader of one of the most powerful organizations in the world. One where a family was in the cards for me. One where she wasn’t the most forbidden thing in my life.
I used to close my eyes and live in that false reality for as long as I could. But it was exactly that.
A daydream. An imagination. An impossible outcome for how my life will go. And after I do this, I’m only sealing that fate. But as much as it pains me to admit, Nico was right. This is our only option at this point. I will not lose everything my father worked so hard to achieve.
I grab my phone and down the rest of the glass as I dial the number. It rings three times before a voice comes through the other side. Sleep laces Beni’s tone as I pull him out of a peaceful slumber.
“Boss?” he asks. Closing my eyes, I utter the words and kick into action a plan I’d hoped would always be theoretical. “Execute Plan S. Let me know when it’s done.”
Kelsey Clayton is a USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance novels. She lives in a small town in Delaware with her husband, two kids, and dog.
She is an avid reader of fall hard romance. She believes that books are the best escape you can find, and that if you feel a range of emotions while reading her stories – she succeeded. She loves writing and is only getting started on this life long journey.
Kelsey likes to keep things in her life simple. Her ideal night is one with sweatpants, a fluffy blanket, cheese fries, and wine. She holds her friends and family close to her heart and would do just about anything to make them happy.
