Title: Three Coins Author: Kimberly Sullivan Genre: Contemporary Fiction
One Eternal City. Three women. Three wishes. Three coins.
Emma, an American expat living in Rome for twenty years, can’t count on her ex-husband to help out with the kids when things get tough. Dario Rinaldi, famed plastic surgeon to the stars, is too busy gallivanting around Europe with young women to take an interest in his family.
Beautiful Tiffany, born and bred in Iowa, is desperate to get a spot as a dancer on an Italian television show. But is she willing to do whatever it takes to make her dreams of TV stardom come true?
Annarita, from an Italian-American family in Yonkers, teaches English to over-privileged Italians and regularly has her heart trampled by boyfriends all wrong for her. As her mother is always quick to point out, nothing has gone right for her since she moved to Italy. And she isn’t getting any younger, either.
Emma, Tiffany and Annarita all meet up by chance at a 1950s movie night while on a restorative holiday at a beach resort off-season. The triumphs and hardships of these three very different women become intertwined as they form an unlikely friendship and work to better their messy lives.
The doorbell rang. Gently, Tiffany placed the shoes down and made her way to the door. After peering through the peephole, she smiled and flung open the door.
“Ciao bello. Come stai oggi?”
Simone’s eyes examined her from head to toe. Grasping her by the shoulder, he spun her gently around. “Wow, much better after seeing you. Good thing I never have students like you in my classes. Too distracting.”
She tapped him on the chest. “You’re such a tease. You didn’t even see me in my heels. I’ll knock before I go out.”
There was a spark in his hazel eyes. “Where are you going, dressed to kill? Out to break more hearts?”
She sighed. “I wish. I’m going to a party. The producer of a show I’m auditioning for will be there. I have to make a good impression.”
Simone raised an eyebrow. “Dressed like that, how could you not?” He reached for her hand. “It sounds to me like you need a good, home-cooked meal to strengthen you before the attack.”
Tiffany groaned. “Not again. I had to hold my breath to squeeze into this dress. Your cooking will bust the seams.”
“There’s nothing to you, Tiffany. I may not watch those shows, but I am an Italian male. I don’t think skeletal frames are any man’s ideal. Just a little. I promise not to force-feed you.” He smiled, setting off the crinkles around his eyes.
Tiffany could never resist Simone. He was like a big puppy dog. And since they’d been neighbors, he was more like a brother to her than her own brother had ever been. “Okay, you win. Lead the way.”
She allowed herself to be nudged next door. She’d been so many times to this apartment, a mirror image of her own, but so much more grown up. Good quality furniture, overflowing floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a fully equipped kitchen that Simone actually used on a daily basis. When Simone returned from the high school biology classes he taught, he went for a jog, then got to work in the kitchen. Heavenly aromas wafted from under his door every evening when she returned, while Tiffany wondered if she had enough lettuce left over in the fridge for a salad.
“I still haven’t gotten used to cooking for one.” He pulled a hot bakery tray from the oven.
Tiffany waited until he’d turned. “How’s Ramona? Have you spoken to her?” She knew Simone didn’t want to talk about it, while still wanting desperatelyto talk about it.
He turned his back to her again, placing bread slowly onto a plate. “She likes Chicago. She prefers e-mailing to calling or Skyping, says the sound of my voice makes her nostalgic. Makes her weaken her resolve about our deal.” His shoulders slouched.
Tiffany held back rather than slipping comforting arms around him.
“I hate how she calls it ‘our’ deal, when she’s the one who wanted to go to Chicago, free from all ties. I was willing to wait for her.”
Tiffany heard a sigh, but when Simone turned around he was smiling. She suspected his acting skills were far more developed than her own.
He placed the serving plate on the table with a flourish. “Crusty, homemade French bread, with melted gorgonzola and hazelnuts.”
“You’re freaking kidding me. You even bake your own bread?”
“Ah, ah, ah.” He slapped her hand playfully. “No profanity at this dinner table, Signorina Walker.”
“Oh, please.” Tiffany held up a steaming piece of baguette, smelling the melted gorgonzola. “Your English is so damned perfect and precise. You need to shake it up a bit, make it a bit more colorful.” She grinned. “That’s where I come in.”
“So you see? I lucked out with my choice of neighbor.”
“Ha!” Tiffany swallowed a bite. “Luck’s got nothing to do with it. Where else could we afford to live on two teacher’s salaries? A penthouse on Piazza di Spagna?”
Simone’s face clouded over. “Ramona’s company pays for some luxurious condo.”
He made a face and the word, on his lips, sounded vulgar.
“It overlooks Lake Michigan and the skyline. It has a gym and a twenty-four hour doorman.” He allowed his voice to grow soft. “She’s not coming back.”
Tiffany sighed and placed her hand over Simone’s. His hazel eyes looked so vulnerable. A lock of his thick, dark hair fell over his eyes, and she longed to brush it away. “No, she isn’t, Simone.”
“Yeah, I know.”
His voice sounded heartbreakingly sad. For the second time, Tiffany fought the urge to embrace him. “You need to get over her. There must be some gorgeous colleague at work. Cook her dinner and she’ll swoon.” She stroked his arm. “I can’t think of a better boyfriend than you.”
His gaze met hers. “Ramona didn’t think so. She couldn’t sprint away fast enough.”
“Ramona doesn’t know what she’s missing.”
One side of his mouth twitched up. “Then why aren’t you jumping me when you have the chance? I’m lonely and vulnerable.”
“I would, but I’m vain and shallow. I need a man in show business, with a fancy car and a yacht. Someone who’ll have the contacts to get me on TV.” She shrugged. “A high school biology teacher—no matter how sexy and adept in the kitchen he is—just won’t cut it.”
Simone laughed. “Fair enough. You’re more honest than my girlfriend. I mean, my ex.” He poured wine into her glass. The oven timer went off. “The lasagna is ready.”
I write the women’s fiction stories I love to read, both contemporary and historic tales of women and the rich lives they lead along their journeys of self-discovery. A lifetime admirer and longtime resident of Italy, I’m often guilty of sneaking the bel paese into my stories.
Child TV star turned adult wallflower Naomi LeClaire has vowed never to return to the spotlight.
But when she’s stuck in a storm with Donovan Foster, the hot, charming, wild-life rescuing internet sensation, and she finally gives in and kisses him…and a few articles of clothing end up on the floor…suddenly her simple, quiet life is tossed upside down.
Especially after the paparazzi catches a heat-of-the-moment kiss. Now everyone assumes she’s his girlfriend and, when she realizes that’s the best way to keep Donovan out of trouble, Naomi agrees to play along. Even though it puts her center stage with her private life in very public view. Again. They’re a whirlwind of opposites-attract chemistry the fans love, but they’ll surely blow over faster than a Gulf Coast hurricane. As long as they can keep straight what’s real and what’s just a once-in-a-lifetime fantasy.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).
Title: Second Chance Santa Author: J.J. Knight Genre: Christmas Romantic Comedy
What has happened to Mack McAllister?
We were law school rivals. Absolutely insane in bed. Our two-year fling ended when we graduated. He had his ambitions. I had mine.
We were going to slay the competition. Now he’s sleighing it?
When I stalk him at Riverside Mall, he looks like Santa in every way. White beard. Rosy cheeks. Kid on his knee.
But I know better. That bowl full of jelly is hiding ripped abs.
I’ve been inside that suit.
Something’s happened to the Mack I knew ten years ago.
I don’t know how he feels about me now, but there’s only one way to find out.
Get in there and jingle those bells. ___________ Second Chance Santa is a holiday romantic comedy about the one who got away, the perils of resting Grinch face, and all the delicious ways to unwrap a candy cane.
Title: Beast Author: Cambria Hebert Series: House of Misfits #4 Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Romance
A tale as old as time…
A charismatic man cannot see beyond his own brilliant reflection, never learning that true beauty lies within. His selfish behavior draws the ire of a witch with enchantment on her wicked tongue. A fiery curse is unleashed, engulfing the self-centered man’s entire existence. When at last the flames are extinguished, he gazes upon his reflection to discover he is no longer breathtakingly handsome but condemned with scorched flesh and twisted scars. He is no longer a man at all… but a beast. While the ferocious beast rages, alienating everyone far and wide, a woman whose beauty is far more than skin-deep dwells in a world much simpler than his.
The beauty’s quiet life is disrupted when she is ambushed, threatened, and boldly steps in the path of her father’s debt. However, it’s not the thugs on her tail or the roaring beast testing her patience that threatens to be this sassy beauty’s downfall. It’s the way her heart flutters whenever he is near.
But some curses just can’t be broken, and really… How can she truly ever love a beast?*Beast is book 4 in the House of Misfits series but it could be read as a standalone. There are mentions of the previous books & plots and the characters from the first three books do make appearances in Beast.
Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.
Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).
Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.
Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.
When a job for a full-time nanny/housekeeper is posted in Langdon, NC, Poppy Delacorte is quick to apply. Jumping at the opportunity to move after a public shaming by her deceitful ex- boyfriend, she accepts the offer. When she arrives at her destination, Poppy learns there’s been some kind of mix-up at the agency and her new employer refuses to hire her because she’s not a gray-haired older woman. Something about younger women working for him and vying for the next Mrs. Jordan Perry position.
But before she can even make arrangements to figure out what to do or where to go next, Jordan seeks her out and offers her a temporary arrangement since he has no one to watch Katrina.
Poppy is secretly relieved with the reprieve, vowing to be the perfect nanny/housekeeper so that it becomes a permanent arrangement.
Jordan leaves on business—which in turn, leaves Poppy and Katrina trying to muddle through their new relationship and life. Except she doesn’t always get it right, discovering that teaching and nannying are two very different jobs.
Will Poppy need to move on and keeping searching for the place where she belongs and God’s plan for her life, or could this be where she finally puts down roots?
You will not like Jordan at the beginning of the book – he is an opinionated and rather biased man that thinks only an old lady should be a nanny to his daughter. He comes off as a little full of himself, convinced that every young marriageable woman is out to rope in for themselves.
I loved when Poppy called him on his crap! She has a spine and I think more romance heroines need to stand up for themselves without being snarky or mean. When she finally arrives at Jordan’s ranch, her love for children is quite clear, and Katrina and her bond very quickly. For much of the story, their relationship overshadowed the potential relationship between Poppy and Jordan. But as Jordan’s daughter, I think it was just as important for Katrina to fall in love with Poppy.
I feel like I never really got to know Jordan very well. He obviously loves his daughter more than anything, and he really wants what’s best for her. But that’s really got from him for most of the story. I really wanted to see more beneath the surface and in his heart.
This is book two of The Great Smoky Mountain Getaways series, but can definitely be read as a stand-alone book.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
The Kingdom of Luka is controlled by the decrees of God-King Eliezer. Break one and become a twisted monster or serve forever, loyal to the crown. From the author of Frith Chronicles and Star Marque Rising, comes a new fantasy epic.
When God-King Eliezer utters a decree, it’s the law of the land, no matter how subtle or outrageous. Those who break the decrees suffer the god-king’s curse—their bodies twist into nightmarish monsters of devastation and hunger, forever a blight upon humanity.
The magic knows when a decree is violated, the moment it happens.
There are no exceptions. No loopholes. No escape.
Artemisia, a mysterious girl on the run from God-King Eliezer’s Holy Guard, is cursed and doesn’t know why. Fortunately, she has yet to change into a fell beast, but that isn’t a comfort. She could transform at any moment, and the resulting monster would destroy everything she cares for.
Desperate and fearful, Artemisia finds herself captured by a group of monster hunters led by Rylion Nasos, a man of superhuman strength and skill. When Artemisia displays magic of her own—magic that threatens God-King Eliezer’s rule—an agreement is made to confront the crown, despite the horrors it could unleash.
Cursed be the man who disobeys the god-king’s direct command.
When I awoke, it was to the glorious crackle of fire.
I loved the brilliant glow brought about by the flames. Fire had a special meaning to me. No force compared to the heat and radiance, and while fire could be a tool, no man could conquer it. Sure, it could be snuffed, but the blaze of the sun reminded us that it would never be beaten.
I stared at the stone hearth. The small flames licked at the black logs, a gentle glow brought about by their dance. The sofa I rested on creaked with my movements as I turned to get a better look. I sat up and examined my new blanket—a woven cloth of moons and stars, perhaps a child’s aid to learning the night sky.
“You’re awake.”
I flinched and held the blanket close. I hadn’t bothered to examine the rest of the room, and I cursed myself for such folly.
“It’s all right. You’re safe here.”
Shaken and confused, I stared at the man standing by the far wall. He was tall and gaunt, but wiry. He had curly chestnut hair, but the curls were so small and tight, they clung close to his head. I would have guessed his age at eighteen, maybe nineteen, and he offered a smile. I pressed myself against the armrest of the sofa. He wasn’t the man who had carried me off the streets. He sounded different.
“My name is Wulfric,” he said, his voice boisterous.
He walked over to the sofa with excited energy in each step. My grip tightened on the blanket, my nails indenting my palms through the fabric. I offered him a glower and nothing more, my heart beating hard against my ribs.
Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, with several best-selling novels under her belt. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators.
Title: The Choices Author: Alan L Moss Genre: Thriller
Sixty-six million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid crashed into the Yucatan peninsula. Its heat and dust killed the dinosaurs and most other species on the planet.
Based on newly generated NASA measurements and a unique theory, a Ph.D. geology student concludes the Chicxulub asteroid created a fortune in hidden diamonds. When she discovers her business partner and financier is of questionable character, she escapes to Canada to plan an expedition to mine the stones.
Gary Levin arrives in the same Canadian village to mourn the loss of his wife, senselessly murdered during a white supremacist shooting. He soon finds a wounded golden retriever and a flash drive of unknown origin.
Puzzled by information on the flash drive, Levin learns the data could guide mining the fortune in diamonds from Mexico’s Yucatan cenotes (underground water channels). Although there is danger diving/mining the waters and evidence of opposition plotting their demise, the lure of the diamonds and the opulence they represent are too much to resist.
Levin and his companions crisscross the globe in a race to obtain the diamonds before the spurned financier and an approaching hurricane can disrupt their efforts.
When the plane landed, only Don knew the location of the treasure. This was to help insulate the rest of the team. Before they exited the terminal, a customs officer appeared.
He was a large man with a thin brown mustache. He approached Don.
“Okay, my compadre, what are you smuggling into the territory this time?” Don smiled.
“Sorry to disappoint, but muddy clothes and wet camping equipment from Mexican jungles are all I can offer you.”
“I expect you to hide more exotic fare than that,” the official replied.
“Well, feel free to have at it,” Don said.
The man went through the group’s luggage. Finding nothing, he turned to the scuba gear.
“Is there any way I can get into these tanks?” he asked Don.
“I guess you’d have to break them open,” Don replied. “I’ve been smuggling oxygen into the territory for many years. The problem is,as soon as you open a tank, the contents rush into the atmosphere and disappear.”
“I get the point,” the inspector replied. “Did you have a nice flight?”
“You know, nothing is better than returning to our island.”
Alan L. Moss is a unique and emerging voice in the thriller genre. His novels spin sophisticated tales of conspiracy, love, sex, and subterfuge.
In his latest work, The Samoa Seduction, two strong willed individuals are haunted by their love for one another while manipulated by a deadly conspiracy.
Alan’s writing draws upon Ph. D. research capabilities and many years in Washington, D.C. as a federal Chief Economist, Congressional Fellow, and Adjunct Instructor at the University of Virginia’s Northern Virginia Center. In 2002 he put his government career aside and moved to the Jersey Shore to pursue his writing.
He has penned six published books, four novels and two nonfiction works. After years of politics and bureaucracy, Alan has found the freedom of writing fiction an intoxicating and satisfying calling.
Distinguishing features of Alan’s novels are involvement with significant national and international issues and spectacular locations. His new novel, The Samoa Seduction (October 2015 by A-Argus Books/W & B Publishers) is an eye opening thriller that combines the action of a drug company conspiracy, industry efforts to suppress wages, and government corruption with murder and a steamy affair. Settings include Samoa’s lush scenery, the Central Canterbury Plains of New Zealand’s south island, a resort on Hawaii’s Molokai Island, the TranzAlpine Railroad, and tuna fishing vessels on the Tasman Sea.
Alan’s previous work on The Insidious Deception Saga chronicles how a pre-med student and brilliant college professor become entangled in conspiracies hatched by al Qaeda and a ruthless CEO. The two resulting novels include:Insidious Deception (Whiskey Creek Press 2013), and the sequel, Surviving the Endgame (Whiskey Creek Press 2014), in which a presidential election becomes a deadly contest between the international conspirators and those seeking their destruction. Rob Taylor, the series’ protagonist, finds the love of his life and struggles to protect her from the conspiracy’s violent tentacles.
Turning to Alan’s nonfiction work, in May 2008 Praeger Publishing released Selling-Out America’s Democracy. The book shows how special interests, through their lobbyists and the U.S. system of campaign financing, have denied a majority of the American population the policies they seek and have led the nation into a period of decline. The book includes telling interviews of Washington insiders and a four-part plan to restore the U.S. democracy. Copies are available at www.amazon.com and other web book sites.
Alan is a member of the Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and the American Political Science Association.
For more information about Alan and his writing, see www.alanlmoss.com.
Title: Bad Dream Author: Giana Darling Genre: Contemporary Romance
Bianca is trying to survive in the small Texas town. Her only goal–to keep her younger brother healthy. Everything changes when Tiernan shows up at her mother’s door in a suit and tattoos.
His dark world is all-consuming, but she doesn’t want his money. Or his secrets.
Until her mother dies.
Then she has no choice but to turn to the only person who can help.
Giana Darling is an USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Top 40 Amazon Best Selling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man’s bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her Golden Retriever puppy, Romeo.
Eve Richards has made every sacrifice to become a rising corporate executive in the big city–until this December. Her grandmother needs help running the family bakery, so Eve is finally taking her unused vacation to return to her small hometown to count cookies instead of corporate cash.
Eve isn’t the only person returning to town. Her childhood sidekick, the recipient of her very determined (but fairly disastrous) first-ever attempt at a kiss, has returned as well. Daniel Shepherd, the once-shy boy from England, is now the town’s swoon-worthy new veterinarian. Grandma’s obvious matchmaking attempts are as mortifying as the memory of the awkward kiss that ended their friendship so many years ago, but the more time Eve spends with Daniel, the harder it is to resist the temptation to take a second chance at that first kiss.
But Daniel has come back to Masterson to put down roots; Eve will be gone after the holiday rush at the bakery. Nothing good could possibly come from letting herself fall for the man who was once her best friend.
A kiss before Christmas could be the key. Will it be the sweet ending to their childhood story…or will Eve risk everything for the chance to turn her first love into a forever love?
A heartwarming wintery romance from a USA Today Bestselling Author and RITA Award winner, set in a wonderfully unique 1980s setting. Perfect for fans of sweet and sincere happily-ever-afters.
Eve had been on her feet since six in the morning, but her good mood held as she went to turn the bakery’s Open sign to Closed. “It’s almost two, Grandma. I’ll lock the door.”
“Give it another few minutes. There might be someone else.”
“Who? Are you expecting somebody?” But as soon as Eve asked, a very good-looking man in polished boots and dark jeans came in the door, a cowboy all cleaned-up to come to town.
“Hullo, Evie.” But this cowboy had a British accent and wore an Irish fisherman’s sweater over those jeans, rather than a plaid Western shirt. Daniel looked so at home, yet just slightly exotic for a small town like Masterson.
Oh, heck. He’d turn heads in a big city like Pittsburgh, too.
Eve’s flushed-cheeks thing had to stop. She couldn’t spend her three-week visit turning red whenever her old schoolfriend walked by.
“Hi, Daniel. What can I get for you?”
“Nothing at the moment. Your grandmother’s expecting me.”
Grandma had to know he was here. The jingle bells had announced his arrival, yet she’d evaporated into thin air. Poor Daniel was being forced to talk to Eve instead, like it or not.
He had a cardboard box in his hand. “I told her I’d bring these over for you. My patients pay me in eggs fairly often.”
They weren’t ordinary eggs. Most of the eggs were beige and brown. The few white ones were petite, and two cream-colored ones were absolutely huge.
“Duck eggs,” Daniel explained. “Mrs. Henderson has decided to keep an entire flock.”
“I’ll bet they’re your favorite patients.”
“I like all of my patients equally well. Mrs. Alvarez’s snowball puppies are no more and no less delightful than Andy Ryan’s snake.”
“Wow. Your nose didn’t even grow an inch with that one, Pinocchio.”
“That’s because I did not tell a lie. Snakes are quite interesting creatures.”
“There’s no way you don’t have a soft spot for the ducks. I knew you too well, back in the day. You can’t have changed that much.”
“Don’t give away my secrets.” He placed his finger on his lips to indicate silence, but he winked at her. She caught a quick glimpse of that almost-dimple.
This was nothing like catching up with everyone else from school today. It felt more like picking up where she’d left off with a good friend, but that friend had gotten ridiculously attractive. Eve couldn’t seem to keep her guard up around Daniel for long, so those winks and smiles slipped right past the cool, calm public persona she’d polished as a professional. In short, being around Daniel knocked her off kilter.
She didn’t like it. In her real life, she was in charge of her career, her district, the associates who answered to her, of everything. She hadn’t thought anyone could make her feel like a gauche schoolgirl, not when she’d never been gauche as a schoolgirl, but this casually debonair man seemed almost out of her league.
It’s just Daniel Shephard from elementary school.
She reached for a childish topic for a boy, not a man. “We never got my grandma to bake you a duck-shaped gingerbread cookie. Maybe I should make you one, for old time’s sake.”
“I’d love that.” This time, there was more than a hint of a dimple.
She needed to keep things under control. “It will make up for you being forced into that embarrassing dinner setup last night.”
“Embarrassing?” The dimple disappeared.
“Totally.”
His answering silence made her wish that Grandma would come out and say hello, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. No doubt Grandma thought a marriage proposal might result from throwing Eve in front of a bachelor under age forty and leaving her there to make small talk.
Eve gave Daniel a little salute with the box of eggs and started edging toward the kitchen door. “I’ll just go give these to my grandmother. They’re so interesting. Eggs at my grocery store in Pittsburgh are just boring and white. Did I tell you that’s where I live now? In an apartment. With a balcony. I can see where all three rivers meet. I’m on the twenty-sixth floor. It’s a great view.”
Was she babbling?
Daniel nodded. “You didn’t have a chance to tell me while you were rescuing my gingerbread giant, but you know how small towns work. I got the full update upon my arrival in September.” He slipped his now-empty hands into the back pockets of his jeans, a movement that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders so nicely, Evie paused in her creeping escape to appreciate it.
“You always did want to live in the big city.” Daniel turned serious, as he had last night when he’d said I want you to say yes. “Not a lot of people do what they say they’re going to do in life, but I’m not surprised you did, Evie.”
It’s just Eve. She’d been gently correcting people all morning when they addressed her as if she were still in elementary school, but she didn’t say it to Daniel. There was something lovely about the way he said her old name. Maybe it was the accent.
Maybe it was the memories—the sweet ones. Not the awkward, embarrassing ones, the kind her grandmother seemed to determine to create more of with her matchmaking attempts.
The swinging door was at Eve’s back. With a little push of her butt, she backed through it. “Bye, now.” She was a bigger chicken than the ones who’d laid these eggs.
Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate and U.S. Army officer, Caro Carson has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. After her military service, she worked in the healthcare industry with a Fortune 100 company, talking science with doctors who were rarely handsome bachelor Texans like the doctors in her books. Now a USA Today bestselling author and RITA™award winner, Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband (who actually is a handsome Texan) and their two children. They live in the great state of Florida, a location which has saved the coaster-loving theme park fanatics a fortune on plane tickets.
“Caro Carson writes books that touch the heart; they’re witty, wise, emotional and filled with intricately layered, fascinating characters.” –NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne
Retired Navy Seal Duncan has a stellar set up. After years of covert operations dodging bullets, he’s living the high life, teaching tourists basic outdoor survival skills at Silver Springs Ranch. The only thing he is evading these days are the countless women trying to trap him into a relationship. He enjoys women and their company immensely, but the institute of marriage and committed relationships are not for him.
And yet the newest maid, Eve, leaves him stymied. She’s heart-stoppingly gorgeous, one of the worst maids he has ever encountered, and is holding on to dark secrets—ones that engage his every need to protect and shield her from whatever darkness eats at her.
She’s a total thorn in his side, turning him inside out and tying him up in knots with unquenchable desire. Due to the severity of his fascination, he cuts a wide berth around her, figuring it’s best to stay as far away from her as possible…
Until she comes to him one night and begs him to teach her self-defense. Duncan discovers he can’t contain his need any longer, not when she is looking to him for guidance—and like his every fantasy come to life. He yearns to have her on her knees, begging for his dominance.
And when she becomes a target, he will do whatever it takes to save her.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
