Out on the ice, the season’s going great, but in the locker room the pranks are getting out of hand. It was time for me to remind everyone not to mess with me— so I came up with a prank the team, and my best friend, would never forget. Renee Weber is my best friend’s sister. And like me, she’s also ready to teach her brother a lesson. Together, we work out the ultimate April Fool’s prank— telling everyone that Renee is having my baby. Our plan works perfectly, except for the part where I fall for Little Weber. What’s the worst that could happen? Either lose my best friend or Renee. Quite frankly, I don’t know which one is worse. It’s not in my DNA to lose so I’ll have to come up with something big. I’ll pull out a win one way or another.
Hockey Hunk is your best friend’s sister romance filled with sexy hockey players where a fake pregnancy prank goes horribly awry— or did it go perfectly? Grab the fourth novella in the Loving the Puckers series for hockey-filled dreams tonight.
I was lounging on my sofa and reading a book when I heard my phone go off. It was weird to see Matt Shoresy’s name pop up on my phone. He was my brother’s best friend. We’d chatted a few times since my last trip to visit Colton. Anytime he called, I would think the worst, like my brother was at the hospital, even though most of the time he was just checking in with me.
My interest piqued when he asked for a favor. “What’s the favor?”
“So, your brother and Lager have been relentless with the pranks lately and I want payback.”
I laughed. Colton had always been a bit of a prankster in the locker room at school. Since Lager joined the team, Colton had increased his pranks because he had a partner in crime. “How big are you talking about?”
“Fake pregnancy big.”
I was so glad that I wasn’t drinking anything at that moment, although I still choked on my saliva. Once I could form a cohesive thought, I asked, “Seriously? A fake pregnancy?”
“Yup.” He was so calm about the idea. This was going to have consequences. They were best friends, and there was no way Colton would be cool with the idea of me sleeping with Shoresy. If he hadn’t been my brother’s friend, I might have tried to make a move on him since he was totally my type.
“Okay, what’s the plan? Besides, why do you want to do something this big? What has Colton done to deserve this?” I was all questions at this point, but I had to stop asking them so he could answer.
“Mainly things are adding up. He and Lager thought it was hysterical to hide my pants and nail my favorite sneakers to my stall earlier today. So, I want to make sure those two won’t ever mess with me again, and this was my first idea. Please tell me you’ll do it.”
I could see that adding up after a while. The idea was huge, but what did he want from me? “It’s not exactly easy to fake a pregnancy.”
“Sure it is. We all got super drunk when you came over for All-Star break. Webs passed out before we did. Easy to claim we did something after we put him to bed. All I need you to do is come into town proclaiming that you’re pregnant. Then we play it from there.”
Peter Nguyen has achieved everything he ever wanted. So why isn’t he happier? He goes to his high school reunion to show up all the people who didn’t give the time of day to the skinny, nerdy boy he’d been. But then he runs into his old friend Britt.
She can barely pay her bills.
Brittanica Jones watched her future evaporate when she had to leave college after a brutal attack left her mother incapacitated. She hasn’t done anything she set out to do, and the only reason she even goes to her high school reunion is to reconnect with her old friend Peter . . . even though he ghosted her back when she needed him most.
They’ve got nothing in common…except each other.
When Peter sees Britt again, he realizes how much he misses her. Her acerbic quick wit and “take no shit” attitude are a welcome change from people who fawn all over him. When he realizes that he’s got the means to help her out, he offers her a temporary job.
However, grown-up Britt inspires sexy thoughts, not friendship thoughts. Their relationship deepens into a romance. Britt’s downtrodden heart blossoms with the opportunity to work with Peter and explore their changed relationship. But this interlude has an end date, and when disaster strikes, she’s got no choice but to leave.
Can these old high school friends overcome the hurts from the past and find love with each other?
“Your assistant buys your groceries?” Britt countered.
“Yes,” he said defensively.
“You’re too good to hit the local Safeway?” She shook her head. “Man, we live in different worlds.”
That didn’t sound like a compliment.
“It frees up my time.” He felt compelled to defend the practice.
Britt tugged open his fridge, making herself at home. “Whatever.”
He loved that about her. No hesitation. The birds rippled in response as her muscles moved. He desperately wanted to lick his way along the path of those swallows.
Then he noticed her stillness.
“You have Dom Perignon in here.”
“Ah, I guess.” Pete couldn’t decipher the note in her voice. “Is that a problem?”
“It’s insanely expensive.”
“Okay?”
“I could feed my mother and myself for a week on what that bottle costs,” she said wistfully.
“Well, then, let’s open it.”
“You’re supposed to drink it to celebrate something momentous.”
He didn’t give a rat’s ass about momentous. Besides, she was looking at the bottle longingly. “You like champagne?”
“I love it, but I don’t have it very often.” She laughed but it was a sad sound. “That’s a lie. I never have it.”
Then he was going to change that. He pulled the green bottle out of the fridge.
She gripped his arm, the touch burning through his shirt. “You can’t open that,” she cried.
“Yes, I can.” He popped the cork before she could object.
“Oh my God. Don’t let it spill.” She grabbed the bottle and caught the bubbles cascading out the top with her tongue. “Mmm.” She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, making sure none of it was wasted.
The look of bliss on her face propelled him forward, unable to stop the impulses clanging through him.
He kissed her.
The moment her mouth met his, angels began to sing. She tasted of the tartness of white grapes and fermentation. He wanted to delve further into her mouth and taste her. He cupped her jaw in his hand, his fingers tunneling into the loose collection of curls at her nape, and he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.
Britt’s eyes drifted closed.
He rubbed his nose along hers and plundered her mouth, holding her in place as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. The champagne bottle thumped against his back, and a little of the cool liquid spilled between his shoulder blades.
He slid his arm around her waist and tugged her closer, her breasts snug against his chest. The full skirt of her dress pouffed around him as he tested and tasted, trying to figure out what she liked.
What made her moan. What made her soften against him. She’d gone all-in on the kiss.
He didn’t want to pressure her. But the kiss was off-the-charts hot. His brain had definitely moved from wanting the kiss to wanting more.
He pulled away to give her a moment.
And maybe him too. To assess the attraction. After all, this was Britt. His old friend. And yet…not.
“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly.
“I wanted to capture that treasure.”
“Very pirate-like of you,” she teased.
He took the bottle from her hand.
“Open your mouth,” he commanded. “Tilt your head.”
She blinked at his authoritarian tone, but she complied.
He poured a shot of champagne into her mouth.
She swallowed and moaned. “So good.”
The look of bliss on her face made him want to be the one who caused that reaction rather than the champagne.
Then she said, “But it’s meant to be sipped.”
“Life is meant to be swallowed whole and gorged upon.”
“Good point.” She took the bottle from him, took another swig, and then placed it on his quartz countertop. Then she hoisted herself onto the counter and spread her legs. The move put her breasts level with his mouth. Her fancy ballgown flared out as she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to her.
“What are you doing?”
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again. “Gorging.”
His smooth fingertips traced the line of her dress over her breasts, dipping his finger into her cleavage. His fingertips sizzled at the sensual contact.
Britt arched her back.
Pete pulled away from her mouth and trailed a line of kisses over her chin and down her neck until he buried his face in the plump valley of her breasts. She clutched his head to her.
“You taste amazing.”
“It’s the Dom.”
He licked a path over her skin. She shivered at the light caress. His arms reached around to unzip her dress. “It’s you.”
USA Today Bestselling Author Lisa Hughey has been writing romance since the fourth grade, which was also about the time she began her love affair with spies. Harriet and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys later gave way to James Bond and Lara Croft and Jason Bourne.
Exploring the complex nature of a profession that requires subterfuge and lies fascinates her. She loves combining her two passions into fiction. As evidenced by her Black Cipher Files series.
Archangel Rafe was her first foray into the paranormal but after spending time in the Angelic Realm, it won’t be her last. At their heart, the Seven novels are about the dynamics of family relationships. But the really hot Archangels don’t hurt.
And recently she’s been immersed in the Stone Family novellas, four stories about a blended family of brothers and sister who have a lot more in common than they realize. But of course she couldn’t just write about family and romance. There are complex plots, bad guys, and suspense too.
Lisa loves to hear from readers and has various places you can connect with her, although, shh, Twitter is her favorite.
Title: We Have Till Monday Author: Cara Dee Genre: Contemporary LGBTQ+ Romance
When it seemed like everyone around Anthony Fender was reaching a goal or falling in love, he blamed an early midlife crisis for throwing him far outside of his comfort zone. Nashville was a long way from New York and his everyday life that’d lost all color lately.
Hopefully, this vacation would reenergize him, and maybe a cooking class with celebrity chef August King could end Anthony’s reign as the only Italian in Brooklyn who couldn’t boil water. But when he met August and his much younger husband Camden, every plan and all rational thought flew out the window. Their dynamic grabbed hold of Anthony and reeled him in before he even heard the magic word.
Taking a swig of my beer, I returned to my notifications to see if there was anything else. A couple new followers, one of whom was a student. I didn’t recognize the other follower, not the username or the profile photo. I clicked on the profile and felt my eyebrows crawl up toward my hairline.
Definitely a random NSFW user. I didn’t follow those. My account was essentially the official account for the Initiative, and God forbid a student checked out who I followed.
I scrolled down a little, because why not, and shifted in my seat. Someone was into kink. Gay kink, to boot. I had two friends who were into this too. By day, Greg and Moshe worked in accounting and education, and they raised two children together. When they had babysitters, Greg was a Daddy Dom who called Moshe his little boy.
All the photos on this account were black-and-white, not to mention heavily shadowed. Both sexy and beautiful. One hinted at a man kneeling in front of another, and he had his cheek resting against the dominant man’s thigh. Without revealing any details or features, the picture had peacefulness written all over it.
Must be a nice feeling.
Oh, hands. I clicked on a photo displaying two hands, one gripping the wrist of the other, and I squinted at a small tattoo. Hadn’t I seen that before? I assumed it was the submissive guy who had his wrist in someone’s hold, and he had a small snake that slithered up along the side of his thumb. I was sure I’d seen it before.
I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler. In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.
There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.
Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life, and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions, history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.
I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My characters will never be perfect.
Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.
I’m a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting, twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.
The Lion’s Den club was better than I ever imagined and my worst nightmares, all combined.
I thought I was going to explore my darkest fantasies. Gain a better understanding of myself and discover what I’d been missing in life.
Instead, I made a deal with the devil.
I had hoped I wouldn’t see anyone I knew at the club. Coming face-to-face with Filip De Luca was a worst-case scenario.
Filip was effortless power seething beneath a playboy exterior. A host of sharp edges disguised behind a cavalier grin. Inescapably alluring and devastatingly dangerous.
He promised he wouldn’t tell my father about seeing me at the club. I had his blessing to dip my toes into the dark waters of deviancy.
The catch? Filip would guide me on this journey. He would control every aspect of my exploration. Set every boundary and command my obedience to his rules.
I thought I could live with his terms. Gain the experience I wanted from a partner I could trust.
What a naïve fool I’d been to think our bargain could ever be so simple.
He nodded and motioned to the elevator. When his hand grazed my lower back, I stiffened. His touch was too seductive to be allowed. Not when I had more pressing matters to delve into. I would not allow lust to break down my resolve. Nothing would come between me and what I had to say.
I charged past the main room, not taking notice of the activities within. I had one purpose, one directive, and I wasn’t interested in distractions. When the door to his room closed behind us, a swell of words and emotions wedged a knot in my throat. I wasn’t the crying type. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shed a tear, yet my nose began to sting with the telltale signs.
I took a deep, steadying breath before meeting Filip’s wary gaze. “How dare you blacklist me from another club.” My words were unsteady but still laced with venom. “You had no right.”
His eyes narrowed to angry slits. “You went to another club without even trying to talk through this with me first?”
“I don’t owe you anything. If I want to join another club, that’s my choice. My life.” I jabbed a finger at my chest, my voice growing stronger.
“I was trying to keep you safe, Camilla.”
“You were trying to control me!” I shouted back.
Filip charged, pinning me against the wall. His shallow breaths came unevenly through parted lips. The jagged flint in his eyes sparked as his gaze bore relentlessly deep into my soul. “I’ve always been perfectly honest with you about my need for control. I never pretended to be a saint, and I certainly didn’t give you the impression I was some kind of fucking Boy Scout. I do whatever is needed to protect what I value. My family. My home. You. Not to mention the fact that we made an agreement, and under the terms of our agreement, every inch of this body is mine. I’m not letting another man anywhere near you.”
“You don’t own me,” I hissed back, shoving my hands hard against his chest.
Filip clamped his hands around my wrists and subdued my assault with ease. “No, I don’t own you, but I do have a responsibility to protect you. You won’t always like my methods, but at least I know I’ve done my job.”
“It was a simple arrangement! It wasn’t like we signed in blood or something, which was evident since you’ve changed the terms. And besides, it sounds like this is more about you than me. It’s your duty that’s important to you, your ability to control those around you, and not my actual safety that’s so critical.”
His nostrils flared, and I got the sense I’d struck a nerve.
He took in three even breaths before delivering a devastating defense. “My mother was killed when I was only five,” he deadpanned in a hollow voice. “I spent the next half a decade being tossed from one relative to the next with zero stability in my life or control over what happened to me. I don’t just have a need for control; I can’t survive without it. When I feel the things that mean the most to me slipping from my control, I become crazed, and I can’t think straight. You, more than anything else, cause me to lose my fucking mind.”
Award-winning author of contemporary and fantasy romance. With Jill’s books, you can count on confident heroines, plenty of steamy tension, and deliciously assertive leading men. There are no guarantees in life, but with her books, you know everything will work out in the end. However, a perfect ending would not be nearly as satisfying without a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Jill loves to add plenty of adversity in her stories, creating unforgettably dynamic characters and sneaky plot twists you will never see coming.
A seductive Welsh earl on the brink of ruin. A wealthy cit in search of a hero.
Miss Evelina Franklin reads too many romance novels. She’s certain a handsome duke—or dashing highwayman—is in her future. In the meantime, Evie entertains herself with the admirers vying for her fortune.
The Earl of Brecken needs cash. His late father left their Welsh estate in ruin, and his mother will not let him rest until it is restored to its former glory. Notorious for his seductive charm, he searches the ballrooms for a wealthy heiress. His choices are dismal until he meets Miss Franklin. Guileless and gorgeous with an enormous dowry, she seems the answer to his prayers. Until his conscience makes an unexpected appearance.
They made their way down the center aisle, seats flanking them in rows of four. As Lord Brecken stopped at the third row, Lady Franklin reached out, clasped Fenella’s wrist, and pulled her toward the chairs. Then she stepped out of the aisle and sat next to her eldest daughter, leaving the earl next to Evelina. Evie closed her eyes at her mother’s audacity and wondered whether to pinch her or hug her. The voice in her head screamed in embarrassment; her heart leapt with joy.
She kept her gaze lowered, the white beaded reticule in her lap suddenly of great interest. Her eyes slipped sideways when his hand moved to rest on his lap, his thumb laying on his… fall. She sucked in a breath as he crossed one ankle over a knee, brushing her dress. Stop staring, you hoyden. It was too late. She couldn’t have dragged her eyes away if someone had shouted, “Fire!” The hem of his trousers hitched up, and he reached down to pull it back over his boot. Evie watched his fingers grip the material, a square gold ring with a B studded in tiny diamonds adorning the right fourth finger. The stones seemed to wink at her with his quick movement, and she imagined the pads of his fingers lightly tracing her cheek.
Breathe! she reminded herself for the second time that hour. Gracious, it was stifling in this room. Were there no windows to open? She licked her lips, her mouth as dry as a stone in the Sahara.
“So, are you enjoying your first season, Miss Evelina?”
His voice made her jump, guilt singing her cheeks as she forced her gaze away from his lap and up to his face. She wasn’t sure which was a sweeter torture. What would his beard feel like? Would it tickle? His lips would be soft, just like in her dreams. A sigh escaped.
“Is that a yes?” The amusement in his voice snapped her back to reality.
“Heavens, where did my mind wander?” she said, snapping her fan open. Perhaps Papa should invest in ladies’ fans. Evie might need several replacements this season.
He bent low, his eyes flashing with challenge, and whispered, “I don’t know, but I’d like to come along.”
Bestselling and award-winning author Aubrey Wynne is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. She resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule, and barn cats. Obsessions include wine, history, travel, trail riding, and all things Christmas. Her Chicago Christmas series hasreceived the Golden Quill, Aspen Gold, Heart of Excellence, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and twice nominated as a Rone finalist by InD’tale Magazine. Aubrey’s first love is medieval romance but after dipping her toe in the Regency period in 2018 with the Wicked Earls’ Club, she was smitten. This inspired her spin-off series Once Upon a Widow and the Scottish Regency series A MacNaughton Castle Romance with Dragonblade Novels.
Title: Relentless Author: Jade West Genre: Contemporary Romance
I’m an heiress with a broken past. It should have been the end for me, but now my mortal enemy has become my savior. He hides me away from the world as if he can save me.
Lucian Morelli is a billionaire who doesn’t know how to feel anything. Except when he’s with me.
Love between a Morelli and a Constantine will never survive. The war between both families turns into an inferno, consuming the entire city of Bishop’s Landing. The world is soaked in blood. No one is left standing, not even the couple who vowed their final breaths.
I would sacrifice everything for the man I love, and I just may have to.
RELENTLESS is the explosive finale of Jade West’s Starcrossed Lovers trilogy set in the world of Midnight Dynasty.
“So what do we do?” I asked him. “We have to do something, right? There has to be something we can do, because I can’t go back there. I can’t, Lucian.”
“Every second is one step closer to our doom,” he told me. “We have to move. Quickly.”
I was nodding, frantic. “Yes, we move! We move anywhere! I don’t care where we go, just as long as I’m with you. Please, Lucian, let’s run. Let’s run now!”
His cell sounded out again. A message. He picked it up and I watched his face as he read it. I saw his mouth drop. “That’s my good friend, Hunter Sparro. He’s asking me what the hell is going on. Says everyone is talking about Lucian Morelli and Elaine Constantine and how I’ve been hunting you down.”
My head was spinning, trying to work out some miracle solution. I’d been a fool to think a single note would condemn the Power Brothers for wiping me out without anyone questioning a thing. Only I hadn’t cared about Lucian Morelli then. Not enough to attempt something less questionable.
Lucian’s fingers were still hitting his cell screen.
“I’ll make some calls,” he said. “Get an exit plan together.”
“An exit plan?”
“Fake IDs. We need to get out of here, overseas as soon as possible.”
“Okay. Right,” I said. “I guess you have loads of them, right? Fake IDs and stuff. I know people do. People like you, I mean.”
He sneered, but there was affection in it. “People like me. I love how you’ve been raised to believe that I really am some monster from the underworld and your family is on the other end of the spectrum. Believe me, sweetheart, your family will have as many fake IDs as mine will. They’re as fucked up in the evil shit as we are.”
I tipped my head. “Yeah, okay, well, I don’t have any fake IDs. I’ve never seen one in my life.”
He smirked. “I love your innocence.”
I rolled my eyes. “Not many people would say a party girl with a debt so huge it would cost her her life had a huge amount of innocence about her.”
“Still,” he said. “You’re innocent. I love you for it.”
Hearing those words from him made my soul sing. I love you. Lucian Morelli really loved me. A Morelli really did love a Constantine.
And a Constantine loved him right back.
“You know this is like some fucked-up version of Romeo and Juliet, right?” I said. “It’s like a modern-day Shakespeare, just a whole load less… picturesque.”
I adored his smile, even though it was a sad one. “Just a shame Romeo and Juliet both die at the end of it, isn’t it? Let’s do our best to make sure we don’t follow in their fucking footsteps.”
He finished his coffee and wandered away with his cell in his hand, fingers busy. I finished mine and headed through to the living room, daring to put the TV on to check out the latest news.
It was all still the same, pleas for information from my family and people saying random shit about where they’d seen me. It seemed the mainstream media wasn’t anywhere closer to the truth. I doubted they ever would be.
I could hear Lucian speaking, his voice low and his tone his usual icy pitch. I didn’t focus on what he was saying. There was a strange calmness in me somehow, even with the looming carnage. It was trust. I trusted Lucian to take care. Of me. Of us.
He was gone a while before he came through to the living room.
“The UK,” he said to me. “We’ll go to the UK. We’ll be running, but we stand more chance of surviving with the Atlantic as a buffer, at least.”
I hadn’t been to the UK since I was a little girl. We’d gone there as a family, smiling for the cameras as we checked out London with a few of the aristocrats we were such good family friends with. I’d been in awe of the place. I’d loved it. The London Eye and Buckingham Palace and the quaint countryside surrounding the city.
“Can we get there?” I asked him. “Will we manage to make the journey?”
“Only one way to find out.” One thing was for sure, I’d risk my life trying.
Jade has increasingly little to say about herself as time goes on, other than the fact she is an author, but she’s plenty happy with this. Living in imaginary realities and having a legitimate excuse for it is really all she’s ever wanted. Jade is as dirty as you’d expect from her novels, and talking smut makes her smile. She lives in the Herefordshire countryside with a couple of hounds and a guy who’s able to cope with her inherent weirdness. She has a red living room, decorated with far more zebra print than most people could bear, and fights a constant battle with her addiction to Coca-Cola.
“This. Book. The characters. You will fall in love with them, and you will devour this book so quickly, you’ll end up wanting to read it all over again. I loved it!” – New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy
When I signed up for the nanny agency, I didn’t expect a remote mansion on a windswept isle. Or a brooding billionaire who resents his new role. His brother’s death means he’s now in charge of a moody seven year old girl. She’s lashing out at the world, but I can handle her. I have to. I need the money to finish my college degree. As long as I can avoid the boss who alternately mocks me and coaxes me to reveal my darkest secrets. “An incredible five star read! Skye Warren delivers an unconventional, yet utterly explosive romance in Private Property.” – USA Today bestselling author Jenika Snow
PRIVATE PROPERTY is a full-length contemporary novel from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about secrets and redemption. It’s the first book in the emotional Rochester trilogy.
“Your eyes,” he mutters, sounding almost angry about it.
“What about them?”
“They’re alight. I could drown in them.”
“Like the man in the song?”
He leans on the wall, hand by my head. His other hand traces my arm, the curve of a forearm, the dimple of my elbow. The goose bumps rising on my shoulder. I lift my chin as if to shrink away from his touch. No, as if to give him access. And he takes it. The backs of his knuckles run over my chest. It’s a strange place, those few inches. Not overtly sexual, but neither are they someplace a man like him should ever touch.
It awakens me. I feel like what he said I was—alight. His thumb moves to the hollow at the base of my throat, and I suck in a breath. “You shouldn’t be—you shouldn’t—”
“I shouldn’t touch you,” he murmurs.
“You’re my boss.”
“And you’re the nanny.”
His thumb continues its rhythm. “Why don’t you stop?”
“I told you, sweetheart. Life is unethical.”
He’s looking at my lips in the dark hallway, and I lick them. His body turns tense against mine. I can feel the way his muscles harden. There’s maybe an inch between us, but we’re connected by invisible strings. I can feel every line of tension, every point of wanting.
His head descends, a dark shadow.
“Tell me to stop,” he mutters against my lips.
It’s already a kiss, those words. I close my eyes. A tear leaks down the side of my cheek. It’s not sadness. It’s more than that. It’s desire. It’s feeling anything at all after being numb for so long. I’m more afraid of this than a free fall down the cliff. “Don’t stop.”
“Fuck,” he says, wrapping his hand around my throat. Choking me, but without the pressure. It doesn’t hurt, but it makes me feel strange, as if I’m being possessed. “You’re too innocent for the things I want to do to you.”
“What do you want to do to me?”
“Everything.”
There’s fear. Of course there is. He can make me feel things.
I don’t know if I can ever close Pandora’s box again after this. What does everything even include? He’s too much for me in every way, but I still want a taste. I want to open the lid and peek inside.
Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
Meira Amon is the most reserved of the phoenixes, finding computers easier to deal with than people and their messy emotions. But she wants revenge against the Rotting King Pytheios for the murder of her parents just as much as her sisters. Offering herself as a queen for their ally, dragon shifter King Gorgon of the Black Clan, only makes sense.
Just one problem…
Samael Veles worked his lowborn ass off to become the fiercest warrior of the Black Clan. He has pledged his life to protect his king at all costs. Yet somehow, in the middle of war, he took one look at a woman in a reflection and gave up his heart. When that woman turns out to be the phoenix promised to mate his king and help bring peace to their kind, he has no choice but to accept it.
Until her fire unexpectedly destroys the king after they’ve wed. Now Samael must choose between his loyalty to his clan and protecting the queen who might be his mate from his people’s wrath, one of which will unlock a destiny no one could have ever imagined…
Her breath caught in her throat when he covered her hand with his own and squeezed. “It will get easier for you,” he said. “The memories. For a long time, you won’t want to think of your mother at all. Then one day when you do, it won’t hurt so much. Eventually, you’ll be able to think of her and smile.”
This from a man who never smiled. At least not that he let her see.
The unexpected offer of comfort unfurled inside her, wrapped around her. Gods above, she wanted to kiss him. Lean forward and steal that unexpected understanding from his lips. Lips Meira could only describe as sensual, saving his face from harshness.
And more. All different sorts of kisses. A soft brush of her lips as a thank-you. A kiss that lingered, taking its time to weave a spell around them. Something hot and openmouthed that let her taste him and generated enough heat to scorch every part of her. She was already on fire.
Except she shouldn’t be wanting this. Any of it.
More guilt. She’d suffocate under the heaps if she wasn’t careful.
Meira slid her hand out from beneath his, the cold air of the room rushing against her palm making her shiver after the heat of his touch and her thoughts.
“So, do you have any friends?” Curiosity prompted her to ask. Gods, why couldn’t she shut up around him? This conversation was already a thousand words more than she usually shared with people.
Samael heaved a sigh with an edge to it and turned his head to face her again. “Do you always have this many questions?”
She offered him a prim look, lips pursed. “My lawyers say I don’t have to answer that.”
Samael gazed at her blankly, then turned his face back up. “Was that you trying to be funny?”
“Did it work?” She bit her lip, waiting for his answer. Most people didn’t get her sense of humor.
“That depends.”
“On what?” she prompted when he didn’t continue.
“Your intent. Were you genuinely trying to make me laugh? Or were you trying to change the subject?”
“I guess I’m nervous.” Now why had she gone and admitted that?
Rather than turn his head again, Samael shifted to his side to face her, his smoke and sand scent swirling around her, soothing her when she should’ve been bracing for whatever he was about to ask. His hand lay on the mattress beside hers. Not touching. What would he do if she hooked her little finger around his, as though he was her anchor?
Maybe he’d been right to want to avoid sharing the bed. This was too close, too intimate. Too damn confusing.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked.
She should lie and say yes. Any person with an ounce of common sense would be wary of him. His danger evident in the simple way he moved—a prowling, rolling gait—screamed perilous predator.
Meira slowly shook her head. “No.”
Nervous of giving her unfortunate thoughts away? Yes. Of the lash of his volatile emotions? The answer would have been yes before they’d come here. Now…
“You should be,” he said, voice going rougher, harsher.
Multi-award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, alpha heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of sexy shifters! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, Dr. Seuss quoter, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.
Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read This Sweet Contemporary Romance:
Love & Joy by Elsie Davis is a sweet contemporary romance starring an old-fashioned ice cream shop – yummy!
Zoe and Blake’s romance isn’t really an enemies-to-lovers trope, but it is definitely and highly competitive start to a relationship.
The theme of past nostalgia and memories versus progress, efficiency, and the future was an interesting one – and both had great arguments for their point of view.
A thirtieth birthday is a landmark, but Zoe is crushed when everyone – including her nine-year-old son – seems to forget it. Of course, she has no idea about the surprise party, or the even more surprising birthday kiss from her best friend’s brother and secret high school crush, Blake Peterson.
Zoe doesn’t have time to dwell on it, though. She’s worked hard to rebuild her life after a divorce, and she fully expects the promotion dangled in front of her. Her boss has other ideas, however: A contest to renovate Peterson’s Ice Creamery, and may the best man–or woman–win. What’s worse, her competition is none other than Blake himself, Old Man Peterson’s grandson.
Blake’s ready to join the family business, but his grandfather says he has to prove himself first. Now, he has to work side-by-side with the beautiful Zoe, and the two butt heads right away. It’s a battle between Zoe’s nostalgic style and Blake’s beliefs that high-tech modernization is crucial to the bottom line of a company.
They’re both stubbornly sure that they’re right, but the more time they spend together, the more difficult it is to deny there’s something growing between them that has nothing to do with business. Can these two put their differences aside long enough to discover what’s really important?
In Love & Joy by Elsie Davis, Zoe and Blake don’t seem to be a very likely couple. Pitted against each other to redesign an ice cream shop, their ideas couldn’t be more different. There is lot of push and pull between them, and even though the chemistry is strong, they both have serious, and legitimate, reservations.
Zoe has a son who is still hurting from when his father left, and she won’t get involved with a man known for his love-em and leave-em attitude. While Blake loves his fast city life and isn’t interested in settling down with a country girl. But there are a few people in town who know better.
I felt like a lot of the story centered around Zoe’s son and Blake’s dog. And while they were incredibly important in the push and pull of the story, at times they took over and pushed our couple into the background. I didn’t mind too much because they were adorable.
There’s the big misunderstanding moment that I’m not a huge fan of. I wish people (real and in books) would just ask each other what’s going on instead of making huge assumptions all the time. Overall, this was a cute read, and I’d definitely come back to Hallbrook for another romance.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
Can she trust the man who holds the fate of her family’s ranch–and her heart–in his hands?
Astrid Anderssen never planned to manage her family’s ranch. When her father breaks his leg, however, she has no other choice. She has pinched every penny and stretched every dollar, but it’s still not enough. If the new bank owner is anything like the old one, he’ll send them packing when the next loan payment comes due.
Grant Watson left Rattlesnake Ridge under a cloud of shame. Inheriting his late uncle’s bank brings him back to town, but ledgers full of gouging loans do nothing to help his reputation. Even the lovely blonde newcomer he crosses paths with on his first day in the bank seems to share the town’s opinion of him.
When all hope seems lost, Grant offers Astrid a job in the bank. Is it an answer to her family’s prayers? Or will a growing attraction for her new boss add up to a disastrous end?
If you enjoy romances with tortured heroes and damsels in distress, then you’ll love Returning from Rhode Island.
When Grant Wilson returns to Rattlesnake Ridge after an urgent and unexpected request from his uncle, he’s shocked to find that his uncle has died and left him quite an estate – including several local properties and the town’s only bank. He’s also shocked to find out that his uncle did not run a very ethical business. But what is Grant going to do about it? He turns to trusted counsel to figure things out, and along the way meets Astrid.
Astrid was one heck of a good character. She was a strong young woman that had already decided the path of her life was to be a rough one. Taking care of her father and sisters, trying to keep the ranch afloat, and then along comes Grant Wilson. She thinks of him as a hero that does the right thing and helps, but I really felt like she was the hero of the story here. She accomplished things I couldn’t have imagined, and has nerves of steel when her family is on the line.
The book has a lot of women’s rights woven into the pages. At times a little heavy-handed, although I don’t doubt that it was hard for a woman to do certain things in those times, it seemed to be overly emphasized at times. The town was a gem. I loved all the residents, and they seemed mostly to be honest hard-working people that you grow to love.
The villains were a bit obvious. I think they were supposed to be, but it made the big confrontation a little less dramatic. Although the way it was resolved was quite exciting.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
