From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.
Reasons why I should not be drawn to Troy Serrano.
Number one: He’s obnoxious.
Number two: He and I were enemies over a decade ago in high school.
Number three: He’s my friend’s ex-boyfriend.
I could go on and on, really.
When my boss gives me an unwanted assignment and tells me it involves spending time with the grandson of one of our residents—the grandson turns out to be Troy. He’s now as successful as he is undeniably handsome.
Lucky me. Four hours a week of having to deal with his insufferable personality and unsolicited advice.
The only consolation is getting to stare at his annoyingly gorgeous face in between our many arguments.
Eventually, though, we slowly warm to each other and our outings become something I actually look forward to.
What’s happening to me?
Apparently, I misunderstood the assignment, because it certainly didn’t include thinking about Troy when I close my eyes at night, imagining what it would be like with him—just once. All the while hating myself for fantasizing about a guy who’s all wrong for me. A guy whose car I keyed back in the day. (Long story, but he deserved it.)
That’s all this is—a fantasy.
Well, until that one night at the bar.
The night Troy and I run into each other, and all of our pent-up frustration comes barreling out.
Still, I refuse to accept that it means anything.
There’s no way the guy I’m supposed to hate is also the one I can’t live without.
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
The Assignment is a lovers to enemies romance and I devoured this so quickly.
Penelope Ward truly knows how to give her characters depth and growth.
Troy and Aspen have a history and now as grownups they get to reflect on their past. But they also show their growth and explore this new chance they’ve been given.
I enjoyed the banter between Troy and Aspen – it added another layer to their story. There’s no denying the chemistry between the two of them.
The Assignment is written in dual POVs and I that really helped in understanding each character a bit more. There were some scenes that I could have done without, but they were not enough to ruin the book for me.
Overall, another beautifully written story from Ward.
Scared to Love, an all-new angst-filled dark mafia romance set from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Siobhan Davis, is available now!
A new dark mafia friends-to-lovers romance from USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Siobhan Davis.
Serena has felt trapped her entire life, living a lie because it was demanded of her.
Years of torture at the hands of her sadistic husband have left her battered and bruised, but not defeated. She needs to stay strong for her children, and she’s determined to reset her future.
The future she has all thanks to Alessandro.
He saved her that fateful night when her husband died, and he continues to save her as she struggles to piece her life back together.
Yet the closer they get, the more it terrifies her because no man has ever made her feel like this.
It can’t work.
She’s too broken.
He’s too young.
And she’ll never trust a made man again.
Women never get under Alesso’s skin—until Serena. They share an intense connection that can’t be ignored, no matter how hard she tries to push him away.
He knows she’s scared. He is too, but she’s worth the risk. Alesso vows to be patient, until danger resurfaces and now all bets are off. Serena needs to understand how much she means to him and he will do everything to protect her.
The situation grows more tense as the DeLucas plot against Bennett Mazzone and the surviving mafia heirs. But Alesso will lay down his life before he lets Serena get hurt again.
Now his walls are lowered, the gloves are off, and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
Even if it means letting her go.
This is a full-length 105k-word novel with NO cliff-hanger and an HEA, set in the Mazzone Mafia world. This is the third and final book in this series. For readers who enjoy friends-to-lovers, second chance, reverse age-gap, dark mafia romance. May contain triggers – please read the note at the start of the book.
She slams to a halt, turning to face me. “I would never deliberately deceive you. That’s not who I am.” Fire underscores her tone, and I like hearing it.
“I didn’t mean it that way. I know who you are.”
The saddest expression washes over her features. “If that was true, you wouldn’t be standing here with me now. You wouldn’t be spending time with me each day. You would run a mile if you realized exactly who I am.”
I risk stepping a little closer. “I have known you long enough to know the kind of woman you are, Serena. I’d like to think you’ve known me long enough to know you could tell me anything, and it wouldn’t scare me away.” Reaching out slowly, I take her gloved hands in my bare ones. “I spend time with you because I enjoy it. I want to get to know you better. I want to support you as you deal with the things you need to deal with.”
“Why me? I’m too old. Too broken. I have kids. I come with so much baggage I’m completely weighted down with it. I—”
I can’t listen to her beat herself up any longer, so I place two fingers over her mouth, quietly shushing her as I prepare to negate each of her concerns. “One. You’re not too old, and I’m not too young. Age is just a number, and I refuse to allow stupid societal norms to dictate who I spend my time with or categorize the nature of that relationship. Two. Broken is subjective, and we all have our broken parts, but guess what?” I move my fingers from her lips to her cheeks, silently rejoicing when she doesn’t flinch or shy away. “Broken parts can be glued back together. Three, I adore your kids, and they are the cherry on top. And four, every single person in the world has some kind of baggage. It’s called life.”
Tears glisten in her eyes, spilling onto her cheeks. “You’re not real,” she whispers. “You can’t be.”
My heart aches for her because I see the mistrust and disbelief in her eyes. “I’m real, Rena.” Taking her hand, I slip it under my coat and over my shirt-covered chest, where my heart is currently jumping cartwheels in honor of her presence. “I’m as real as it gets.”
Another amazing mafia romance read from Siobhan. Scared To Love is a standalone mafia romance buy does feature characters from other books within this mafia world. Each and every book can be read completely separately and read in any order. Siobhan does a phenomenal job of keeping things connected between the characters but the stories themselves aren’t interwoven, if that makes sense. I won’t say anything in regards to the plot because even the smallest tidbit, gives away too much. I will say that I had been looking forward to Alesso and Serena’s story from the very beginning and wasn’t let down at all. Their story is a slow burn and I expected nothing less. There’s nothing easy about each of their lives and Siobhan delivers their individual and joint stories beautifully. Scared To Love was the perfect way for me to finish my 2021 reading list.
About Siobhan
Siobhan Davis is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Top 10 bestselling romance author. Siobhan writes emotionally intense stories with swoon-worthy romance, complex characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists and turns that will have you flipping the pages beyond bedtime! She has sold over 1.5 million books and her titles are translated into several languages.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in human resource management.
She lives in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.
Because I Can, the second book in The Necklace Trilogy filled with intense heat and edge of seat suspense from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is live now!
The second book in the Necklace Trilogy…
Allison’s journey continues as she finds herself in a dark, seductive world, and everything she thought she knew about herself, has changed.
Torn between past and present, she is still a prisoner of her own fears and inhibitions. But as the mystery of the necklace and the missing woman who owned it evolves, one man will help Allison see the light.
But where will that lead her? To him? Or someplace else?
Fall in love today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xk8LIL Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BecauseIcan Apple Books: https://apple.co/3ym4iqA Nook: https://bit.ly/3jzUkMb Kobo: https://bit.ly/2WLJGdb
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Start the trilogy with What if I Never? today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3frpVyd Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whatifinever Apple Books: https://apple.co/2TPVeLo Nook: https://bit.ly/2WSkX7h Kobo: https://bit.ly/3jpxmr0 Google Play: https://bit.ly/3amFQLd
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Excerpt
“Until we do,” he says, cupping my
“You’re always one push from being out the door. We just did that. Are we going to do it again?”
“You’re pushing now,” I say. “That’s the point. You know you’re pushing me. Is that what you want? Because we both know whatever this is, doesn’t fit into your rule book for women.”
“The rule book was gone the minute I met you, Allie. And damn straight I’m pushing you, but not away. To be safe.”
“It feels like more.”
“Because you want it to.”
“Because it is,” I insist.
“No. You’re looking for a reason to run.”
“Oh my God, stop saying that to me, Dash. Because I’m angry at you does not mean I’m going to run or stop lo—” I catch myself before I confess way too much, before I confess my love for him. What am I doing? I try to deflect from my slip up. “Stop saying that to me.”
He reaches around me and opens the door. Before I know his intent, we’re inside the tiny bathroom meant for one, and he’s locking the door.
“We can’t be in here, Dash,” I whisper urgently. “Adrianna will be looking for us.”
“And yet, we are,” he says, his fingers tangling in my hair, tilting my gaze to his as he says, “I’m just making sure you know there’s nowhere to run. I’ll follow. That’s what you’ve done to me, Allie. That’s how much you’ve taken from me.”
“Taken?” I demand. “That’s what I’m doing?”
“Yeah, baby, but it had to be that way. And I like it. Say what you were going to say. You’re not going to stop what?”
“Wanting you.”
His lips curve, his breath a warm tease on my lips. “Well just know this, Allie, I won’t stop wanting you either.”
My God, did we just tell each other we love each other in a public bathroom? “Dash,” I whisper. “Dash, what are we doing?”
“This,” he says, and his mouth closes down on mine again. And just like that, he’s kissing me with such intensity, such passion, I can only moan. I have a vague moment when I realize this is still about control. His control, not my control. The problem is I like it when he’s in control. I like his kisses. I like the way his hands feel on my body and when my skirt is at my waist, and only when my skirt is at my waist, do I jolt back to reality. I catch his wrists. “We can’t.”
“Until we do,” he says, cupping my face, kissing me again, Lord help me, his hand is between my legs, pressing under the silk of my panties.
face, kissing me again, Lord help me, his hand is between my legs, pressing under the silk of my panties.
About Lisa Renee Jones New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series. Suzanne Todd (producer of Alice in Wonderland) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy – a modern girl we all can identify with. Inside Out has been optioned to STARZ, Paramount, and now Marvista Entertainment. Marvista has also optioned the spin-off series, Careless Whispers.
In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Connect with Lisa Renee Jones Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YBWJz2 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3iNLef4 Twitter: https://bit.ly/3DpKm85 BookBub: https://bit.ly/3oKTccv Instagram: https://bit.ly/2YEOWAA Website: https://www.lisareneejones.com/
By Sin I Rise Part 2, the intense, highly anticipated finale to the By Sin I Rise Duet from USA Today bestselling author Cora Reilly is available now!
A fatal bond that was never meant to be.
Marcella gave Maddox the impossible choice, and he chose her.
Still, she wonders if Maddox is ready to commit to a relationship, or if he’s scared of losing the uninhibited freedom his biker lifestyle offered him.
All his life Maddox knew who his enemies were, but suddenly he’s at a loss whom to trust. Will he ever find a place in Marcella’s life and family, or will old companions give him a new home and purpose?
Can enemies ever truly become lovers if the odds are against them?
“What?” I asked after I’d taken a sip from my drink.
“None of my other bodyguards would ever drink on the job.”
“I’m not really your bodyguard,” I said quietly. The meeting with Giovanni made me resent this charade even more. I wanted to claim Marcella as mine in front of everyone.
“What are you then?” She stepped closer, an almost challenging gleam in her eyes. I could feel the eyes of half the people in the room settling on us, even the few that hadn’t paid us any attention before.
“Your noble servant, Snow White,” I said with a wry smile and took another nip from my drink. I had only eyes for the woman in front me now and the way she looked at me, like she considered me hers as much as I considered her mine.
She shook her head, taking another step closer. “More.”
“I’m more, or you want more?” I asked.
“Both,” she said quietly, stopping right in front of me. Now we had the attention of pretty much the entire room.
“Kiss me,” she said, taking me by surprise. Not that I hadn’t been thinking about doing it.
“You sure? Some of these old ladies look as if that’s more action than they got in years. They’ll talk shit about you.”
“I don’t care what they say. You are my man and we’ve hidden it for too long. I’m sick of bowing to their whims, of being a slave to their rules, of hiding. If my family can accept us, then they better do.”
“Snow White, if we do this, I won’t ever let you go. I’ll be yours till I die. You can have my heart, my soul, my life, and everything else you want from me.”
“I’ll take them all,” she said haughtily before her face softened and those luscious lips pulled into a smile.
I set the glass down, wrapped one arm around Marcella’s slim waist and kissed her, and not a chaste kiss either. I laid my claim on the princess of New York before all of their judgmental eyes, hoping they’d choke on their shock.
The kiss lasted only for a couple of heartbeats, a fleeting moment in time, but with consequences for the rest of our lives.
About Cora
Cora Reilly is the author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, The Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. Before she found her passion in romance books, she was a traditionally published author of young adult literature.
Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn’t spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world.
Despite her law degree, Cora prefers to talk books to laws any day.
I always believed in fairy tales, but he preferred horrors.
Damian Blackstone didn’t care about my existence. He came into my world for one reason only. He came to find answers about his past.
He moved like the villain in my favorite fairy tales. He wasn’t the one who received the happily ever afters; he was the one who destroyed them.
Which was why I couldn’t understand why the man who raised me set it up in his will for Damian and me to be married. I wasn’t certain I’d be able to live with a man like Damian. We were as opposite as any two people could be. I loved to bathe in the sunlight while he prospered in the shadows.
I didn’t think I’d develop feelings for the one who looked at me as if I were nothing more than a means to an end. Yet in his darkness, sometimes I’d see sparks of light. I’d see gentleness. I’d see his soul.
We became entangled with one another as we fell into mistakes and called them fate. I was his Cinderella, and he was my Beast.
I wasn’t certain that twisted fairy tales ended with happily ever afters.
Brittainy Cherry has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing–poorly of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in! Brittainy lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.
The Ritual, an all-new dark college romance by USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Shantel Tessier is available now!
The Chosen One I vow. You vow. We vow. Barrington University is home of the Lords, a secret society that requires their blood in payment. They are above all—the most powerful men in the world. They devote their lives to violence in exchange for power. And during their senior year, they are offered a chosen one. People think growing up with money is freeing, but I promise you, it’s not. My entire life has been planned out for me. I never got the chance to do what I wanted until Ryat Alexander Archer came along and gave me an option for a better life. He offered me what no one else ever had—freedom. I chose to be his. He made me believe that anyway, but it was just another lie. A way that the Lords manipulate you into doing what they want. After being sucked into the dark, twisted world of the Lords, I embraced my new role and allowed Ryat to parade me around like the trophy I was to him. But like all things, what started out as a game soon became a fight for survival. And the only way out was death.
Download your copy today! FREE in Kindle Unlimited Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ugbm6I Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/The-Ritual
Excerpt
INITIATION RYAT
Loyalty Freshman year at Barrington University I KNEEL IN the middle of the darkly lit room along with twenty other men. My hands are secured tightly behind my back with a pair of handcuffs. My shirt is torn, and blood drips from my busted lips. I’m panting, still trying to catch my breath while my heart beats like a drum in my chest. It’s hard to hear over the blood rushing in my ears, and I’m sweating profusely.
We were dragged out of our beds in the middle of the night to serve. Our freshman classes at Barrington University start in two weeks, but we already have to show our loyalty to the Lords.
“You will always have to prove yourself,”my father once told me. “You were each given a task,”the man calls out as he paces in front of us. His black combat boots slap against the concrete floor with each step, the sound echoing off the walls. “Kill or be killed. Now how many of you can fulfill it?”
“I can,” I state, lifting my head to stick my chin out in the warm and sticky air. Sweat covers my brow after the fight. It’s rigged. You are supposed to lose. The point is to wear you down. See just how much you have to give. How far you can go. I made sure to win mine. No matter what it took.
He smirks down at me like I’m fucking joking. “Ryat. You seem so confident in yourself.”
“I know what I’m capable of handling,”I say through gritted teeth. I don’t like being second-guessed. We were each raised for this—to be a Lord.
Wealth got us here.
Yet our determination will separate us by the time it’s over.
The man looks at the guy on my left and nods. The guy walks behind me and yanks me to stand by the back of my shirt. He undoes the cuffs, and I rip the shredded material up and over my head before dropping my hands to my sides when what I really want to do is rub my sore wrists.
Never show weakness. A Lord does not feel. He’s a machine.
The man steps up to me with a knife in hand. He holds it out handle first to me, his black eyes almost glowing with excitement. “Show us what you can do.”
Taking it from him, I walk over to the chair bolted to the floor. I yank the bloody sheet off the chair to reveal a man tied to it. His hands are cuffed behind his back, and his feet are spread wide and secured to the chair legs.
I’m not surprised I know him—he’s a Lord. Or was. The fact that he’s restrained tells me he’s not anymore. But that doesn’t change my orders.
Kill without questions.
You want to be powerful? Then you realize you are a threat to those who want your position. In order to succeed, you don’t have to be stronger, just deadlier.
The man shakes his head, his brown eyes pleading with me to spare his life. Multiple layers of duct tape are placed over his mouth—those who spill secrets will be silenced. He thrashes in his chair.
Walking behind him, I look down at his cuffed wrists. He wears a ring on his right hand; it’s a circle with three horizontal lines across the middle. It stands for power.
Not just anyone would know what it means, but I do. Because I wear the same one. Everyone in this room does. But just because you get one doesn’t mean you’ll keep it.
I reach down and grab his hand. He begins to shout behind the tape as he tries to fight me, but I remove the ring easily and walk back around to stand in front of him. “You don’t deserve this,”I say to him, placing it in my pocket. “You betrayed us, your brothers, yourself. The payment for that is death.”
When he throws his head back and screams into the tape, I press the knife to his neck, right below his jawline. His breathing fills the room, and his body strains, waiting for the first cut.
A Lord does not show mercy. Blood and tears are what we demand from those who betray us.
Connect with Shantel Join Shantel’s Sinful Side Reader Group: https://bit.ly/3d02WHc Facebook: https://bit.ly/2w8PyQQ Instagram: https://bit.ly/39ETUNa BookBub: https://bit.ly/2UWXRHT Stay up to date with Shantel by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2JClgZO
What if I Never?, an all new must read steamy first book in the Necklace Trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is now available!
In the vein of her Inside Out series, New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the dark, seductive world of the Necklace Trilogy…
Allison Wright is delivered a package meant for a different Allison—a unique, expensive necklace. Determined to right the confusion, she seeks out the proper recipient, a journey that takes her to the doorstep of Tyler Hawk, a good looking, recluse billionaire who deals with fine collectibles such as the necklace. She also learns that Allison, his employee, quit her job registering and restoring his vast assortment of collectibles. Ironically, Allison is the daughter of a rather famous archeologist who is also employed by a local museum, and her love of such things has her jumping at the opportunity. Soon she is spending her evening and weekends immersed in the job the other Allison left behind.
As Allison begins diving into the job for Tyler, secrets about the other Allison begin to surface that have her concerned for her safety. And as she starts hunting for answers, her path crosses with the enigmatic famous author who has a business endeavor with her boss. Dash Black is a man who is dark and edgy, intense and yet quiet. Funny and yet somehow reserved. He draws her in, sets her pulse racing, and her body on fire. She knows there’s a dangerous edge to him, but she can’t seem to care. She’s addicted to everything he is and she simply can’t turn away, no matter what the cost. As Allison is drawn into the life and mystery of the other Allison, a mystery demands answers and passion burns hot. Allison will travel a path that leads to shocking truths and a side of herself she never knew existed.
Start the first book in the trilogy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3frpVyd Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/whatifinever Apple Books: https://apple.co/2TPVeLo Nook: https://bit.ly/2WSkX7h Kobo: https://bit.ly/3jpxmr0 Google Play: https://bit.ly/3amFQLd
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Excerpt
Yes, please do send the press kit etc. And the below excerpt is a little longer.
His eyes soften and he catches my hand. “Come here.” I let him ease me closer, and when he pulls me onto his lap again, I say, “Am I going to end up with my hands behind my back unable to touch you again?” “Not unless you want me to tie you up and tease you.” There’s no denying the idea of Dash in control and me at his mercy, is a delicious prospect I won’t even try to deny. And so, I don’t deny anything. Instead, my arms slide around his neck, and I lean into him. “Not this time, Dash. Please.” “Well now, as long as you say please, you can have just about anything you want.” With his promise that I can have anything I want if I say please, Dash’s hands slide under the T-shirt I’m wearing and up my back. Molding me close, my breasts pressed to his hard chest. “For instance,” he says, his voice low, a rough sandpaper tease on my nerve endings. “I’ll lick you anywhere you want to be licked if you just say please.” I’m really, truly a rather shy person and no one has ever spoken to me so boldly as Dash has this night, but I’m different with Dash I’m starting to realize. More comfortable in my own skin and sexuality. I just can’t find it in me to hide from this or him. “What about where I want to kiss you?” “Where do you want to kiss me?” he asks, squeezing my backside and Lord help me I can feel the thick ridge of his erection between my thighs and through his jeans I want to be gone now. “Everywhere,” I assure him. His lips curve and he says, “Is that right?” “Oh yes, but you resist me, Dash Black.” “I assure you, Allison, I am not resisting you.” Somehow him calling me Allison in this moment is more intimate than Allie, and I don’t know why. “I want nothing more than your hands and mouth on my body,” he says. “But you’ll have to allow me to kiss you everywhere first.” He drags the T-shirt over my head and by the time it’s on the ground his hands are on my breasts, and when my hands cover his hands, his finger strokes my nipples. My fingers catch long strands of his light brown hair and I tilt his gaze to mine. Any control I’d thought to gain in that moment is lost when Dash pinches my nipples, sending darts of pleasure straight to my sex. I moan and he captures the sound with his mouth, kissing me with the kind of passion that a girl thinks she will never know because it can’t be real. Oh, but it is. It so is. My hands tunnel into his hair and when his gaze lifts to mine, I find hunger there. So much hunger, and all for me. He catches my hands and presses them behind me, bracing them on his powerful thighs, his arm wrapping my waist, securing me. Watching me now, he cups my breast and leans in, licking my nipple, sensations rippling through me, my sex clenching with impossible need, need for him.
What If I Never is the first book in Lise Renee Jones’ newest trilogy, the Necklace Trilogy. It’s a romantic suspense and Lisa starts this trilogy off very well.
This book is an extreme slow burn. The pace of this book at times was good and at other times, it was a bit too slow for me. But this book is definitely all about building the suspense and each of the character’s part in this trilogy.
I really don’t want to say too much and give any plot points away accidentally. The blurb gives you all that you need to know going into this book. Lisa does a great job of building the suspense not just between each of the characters but as well with the plot.
There are a lot of secrets, a hefty amount of suspense and lots of steam going on within this book. Lisa delivers a great first book to start this trilogy off perfectly. She leaves us hanging at the end of this one but we thankfully are left dangling over the edge too long.
About Lisa Renee Jones New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series. Suzanne Todd (producer of Alice in Wonderland) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy – a modern girl we all can identify with. Inside Out has been optioned to STARZ, Paramount, and now Marvista Entertainment. Marvista has also optioned the spin-off series, Careless Whispers.
In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Connect with Lisa Renee Jones Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YBWJz2 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3iNLef4 Twitter: https://bit.ly/3DpKm85 BookBub: https://bit.ly/3oKTccv Instagram: https://bit.ly/2YEOWAA Website: https://www.lisareneejones.com/
Canary, an all-new not-to-be-missed, enemies-to-lovers standalone mafia romance from New York Times bestselling author Tijan is available now!
We were on the front lines in that world, the mafia world. There was nothing soft or glamorous about it. Who you were before no longer mattered. Names didn’t exist.
I joined anyway. I had no other choice because they took my sister. Join. Find her. Try and make it out alive.
Then he won me in a poker game. I hated him instantly, thinking he was like my other bosses before him. He wasn’t. He was worse.
He wasn’t just cold. He was dead inside. It didn’t matter that he was gorgeous. He was the most lethal thing I’d ever met.
He was also the only person who could keep me alive, if he didn’t kill me himself.
A/N This is a 102k mafia/cartel standalone. This is the most violent book Tijan has ever written. Trigger warning: references to sexual violence
“Canaries sing to save lives. I sing and people die.”
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Excerpt
“I…” I didn’t even know. I couldn’t explain what I didn’t know. “Ask me about Jake in a different way.” “There is no other way.” “You know there is! Ask it in a different way.” I shoved up to my feet. This was the fight here. I was sick of the killing. I could not handle one more body, especially not someone I knew. My chest heaved. “Ask it in a different way.” I liked Jake. I was hurt by what he said, but he wasn’t on my list anymore. I frowned. “What happened with Cavers?” “None of your business!” he erupted, his hands flying in the air, but he was moving farther away from me. His back hit the wall, and he let me see him, how haunted he was, how stricken. He let it all out for me to see and read, though I wasn’t sure he knew it. “I don’t run my decisions through some pussy I like plowing.” Okay, now I was mad. “Take that back,” I said quietly. He swore, low and long. Then he moved, flipping a chair into the wall. It impaled there, and the wall held it. It looked like an abstract piece of art. “Take it back!” I clipped out, folding my arms over my chest. He looked away. I didn’t know what was going on here, but fuck him if he didn’t take back calling me pussy he liked to plow. I screamed, “Take it back!” “No!” He was across the room and in my face in the next second. I braced myself, but he didn’t touch me. He stopped just short of it, his breath in my cheek, his eyes taking me in, scanning my face. He was panicking. I saw it now, lurking there. Good! That filled me with satisfaction. My chest started pounding. No, that was my heart. It was thumping in my chest, getting stronger, faster—a steady and powerful beat now. I could feel it all the way to my toes—in my fingers, my neck. His eyes lingered on my lips. He couldn’t look away. Stark hunger flashed in his eyes, and he raised a hand, holding it in the air. It curved gently, as if he wanted to touch my neck, or the side of my face. But he didn’t move. He just held it there, a few inches from my skin. His eyes lifted to mine. “You bitch.” My heart still pounded, trying to reach him. “You’re a murdering asshole,” I whispered back, seething. “What?”he sneered. “You want to fuck now? Forget you put a fucking gun to your head?” “Don’t kill Jake.” He pressed into me, his eyes wild, on the edge of control. “Why?” His breath was hot on me. He bent down, his eyes glittering now. Then he found his control. He rested one hand against the wall, next to my head. The other found my hip and slid up, moving under my shirt, raising it. God. I almost moaned. Wetness flooded me, and I started to throb. I wanted him. So fucking bad. He bent and his lips grazed over mine, my cheeks, my chin. Tingles raced through me. Jesus. I wanted him deep inside of me. I shifted, pressing against him, and both of us groaned from the contact. I began moving, a slow grind, and he was quiet, grinding back. This was different from the other times. The terms had flipped. Roles were changing. Everything was being upended between us.
I pondered on what to say in my review for this book. I only started reading books by Tijan earlier this year when I was asked to read an arc of The Insiders. Needless to say, her writing blew me away and I knew I had to read whatever she releases. And she did not let me down with Canary. This book was nothing like any other mafia book I have read before.
Canary is a very cumbersome, but amazing story. Thera are so many twists and turns that you never know what is going to happen next. However, with Tijan’s writing, everything flows at a steady pace and blends so perfectly.
There is no shortage of action, angst, drama, steam and emotions. Tijan delivers everything in this unique and gripping mafia story.
Canary is told in dual POV’s but mostly from our heroines’. She goes by many names but found herself walking into this side of life on her own, to find her sister. Raize, our hero is coldblooded killer. He kills without remorse and is damn good at what he does. He finds himself having to rely on the select few on his team to thrive and survive.
And that is all I am saying about Canary. This book is riddled with so much more than you can think of. I have ready many mafia books and this was like nothing I have read before. Tijan pulls readers in from the start and never lets them go, even long after the story ends.
Canary is a must read!!
About Tijan Tijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new series from north Minnesota where she lives with an English Cocker she adores.
“Cora Reilly is a master at forbidden and dangerous love… Maddox and Marcella are a fierce force together and part two can’t come fast enough”! – Sophie Lark, bestselling author
By Sin I Rise: Part 1, an all-new action packed dark romance from USA Today bestselling author Cora Reilly is available now!
Maddox – Mad Dog – White hates everything the name Vitiello stands for, after he witnessed his father and his men getting butchered by the Capo of the Italian mob in their territory. Raised by his uncle, the president of the Tartarus MC, Maddox is destined to follow in his footsteps. Now their chapter is on the rise again, but for their ultimate triumph they need to destroy the Vitiello empire. And what better way to do it than to steal the spoilt Vitiello princess and break her piece by piece until her father begs for mercy.
Known as the spoilt princess of New York, Marcella Vitiello grew up in a golden cage. If your father is the most feared man in New York, people gift you with reverence.
Destined to marry the boyfriend approved by her father, Marcella is sick of being treated like an untouchable porcelain doll.
She resents the life forced upon her by her family until everything she took for granted is ripped from her. Where she’s now, her name doesn’t bring awe, only pain and humiliation.
If you’ve grown up in a high castle, the fall is all the deeper.
Sins of the fathers have a way of catching up…who’s going to bleed for them?
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Excerpt
Prologue Maddox
From the very first moment I spotted Snow White, she’d burned herself into my brain. Every fucking night, the image of her naked body tortured me in maddening detail. Sometimes I woke with the remnants of her taste in my mouth, half convinced I’d actually buried my tongue in her undoubtedly pretty pussy. Fuck, I hadn’t seen an inch of that legendary body yet, much less touched her. Oh, but I would, even if it took a poisoned apple. A guy like me would never be allowed near Snow White. I wasn’t a fuckin’loser, far from it. I was going to become the president of the Tartarus MC, following in my uncle’s footsteps, the current prez. Of course, that made me the lowest scum on earth if you asked Snow White and her fuckin’father, Luca Vitiello, the Capo of the Italian mob on the East Coast. I was a little boy, barely five years old, when the life I knew was ripped from me. As the son of the president of the New Jersey chapter of the Tartarus motorcycle club, I had watched many disturbing things at my young age. Club brothers getting it on with whores in the middle of the clubhouse in broad daylight, brutal fights, shootings…but nothing had left quite a mark like the night the Capo of the Famiglia brutally killed my father and his men. The murderous bastard had slaughtered an entire chapter of our club—alone. Strike that. Not alone—with a fuckin’ax and a skinning knife. The screams of my dying club family still haunted my nights, an echo of a memory I couldn’t shake unless I drank enough booze to kill an elephant. Those images were the fuel for my hunger for revenge. And revenge I would finally get, with the help of the spoiled princess of New York: Marcella Vitiello.
About Cora Cora Reilly is the author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, The Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. Before she found her passion in romance books, she was a traditionally published author of young adult literature. Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn’t spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world. Despite her law degree, Cora prefers to talk books to laws any day.
Connect with Cora Facebook: http://bit.ly/3qw1eUh Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Y4juYZ Amazon: https://amzn.to/3syxRCB Join her Facebook reader group Cora’s Flamingo Squad: http://bit.ly/3sAmt9s Stay up to date with Cora by joining her mailing list: http://bit.ly/39HESsi Website: https://corareilly.com
Eastern Lights, an all-new heartfelt and emotional standalone romance and second standalone in the Compass Series from bestselling author Brittainy Cherry is available now!
I once met a man on a cold Halloween night. He dressed as a superhero, and I dressed in red. For one night, I was his break from reality, and he was the temporary fix for my broken heart.
Two years later, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime to become a senior editor at one of the biggest magazine companies in the world. The only catch? Nail an exclusive interview with New York’s finest bachelor: Connor Roe.
To the rest of the world he was becoming one of the wealthiest men in New York City. To me, he was simply my once upon a time superhero.
My job was to get an exclusive interview with New York’s hottest bachelor. Never in my life did I expect him to want an exclusive with my heart, too.
The only problem with my growing feelings for him? I was set to marry his new business partner.
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Excerpt
Aaliyah
His playful look shifted a bit as he looked my way and nibbled on his bottom lip. “So there was a recent breakup.”
“He broke up with me about five weeks ago.”
“What an ass.”
“Yeah, but I love him. I wish I could say past tense, but here we are. My roommate Sofia said the best way to get over a man is to get under another one, but I can’t even consider that right now. The last thing I want to do is sleep with someone else.”
“Plus, sex wouldn’t fix a broken heart and—holy shit!” He clapped his hands together and hopped up from the ground to a standing position. The grin on his face was so big, but I didn’t understand what caused his sudden shift. “I got it, Red! I know what we can do to help you.”
I arched an eyebrow and stood. “I’m confused.”
“I know, I know, and you’re going to think I’m crazy—which, maybe I am—but here’s the deal: You can’t bang your way out of a heartbreak. That’s not how love works. Love isn’t a physical connection; it’s an emotional one. Plus, after breakups, people replay the good memories over the bad in their minds and start thinking they somehow failed, when, in reality, the bad probably always outweighed the good. You simply held the good tight in your grip because it was few and far between in the end. Otherwise, the good would’ve been enough to keep you together.”
I hated that he was speaking facts. Over the past weeks, all I’d done was replay all the good times Mario and I had together. My mind was stuck on a loop of moments that meant the world to me in my past relationship.
There were only a handful of good memories, yet I simply played them on repeat, making them feel bigger than they already were. Mario was a master at doing the bare minimum, and I celebrated that fact as if he was a god. It wasn’t his fault he gave me mediocre love. It was my fault for accepting it.
“So what’s your point?” I asked.
“Do you believe in destiny?”
I chuckled. “Don’t tell me you do.”
“I think everything happens for a reason, even if the reasoning isn’t clear as day right away. Maybe that’s why we met tonight, Red, because we were meant to. Maybe I had to get socked in the eye and whipped with a lasso because we were supposed to cross paths so I could help you get over your ex.”
“How?”
“The best way to get over a love is to find a stronger connection with another person. So, I present to you, your Halloween love story.” He took a bow as if he was making any sense at all.
I stood still, confused as ever. “Am I missing something?”
“Clearly, because you’re looking at me as if I’m having a mental breakdown—which, I mean, is probably accurate.” He cleared his throat and stood taller as he smoothed his hands over his chest. “I’m asking you to fall in love with me.”
I snickered. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Give me the chance to make you fall in love with me before the sun comes up in the next”—he glanced down at his phone—“five hours or so. It’s just past midnight. Give me those hours to make you fall in love with me. Then we’ll end the love story on a good note. No tragic heartbreak, no hard moments or relationship struggles. No cheating or scandals. Just two people who fell in love, then life or, in our case, morning made them say their goodbyes.”
“You really think two people can fall in love within five hours?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged and held his hand out toward me. “Want to try?”
I should’ve said no. I should’ve laughed off his crazy idea and ended the night right there on the rooftop, but I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t want to be alone. But most of all, I wanted more time with Captain, even if only a few more hours. Even if there wasn’t a real chance of me falling in love with him but just a chance of more time to feel happy.
Happy.
I felt happy.
I hadn’t even known how much I’d missed happiness until it found me that night.
So, I did what any insane girl would’ve done. I took his hand and agreed to the idea of falling in love within the next five hours.
He clasped my fingers with his and pulled me in close to him. It was the closest we’d stood since meeting, and the way he looked down into my eyes caused the butterflies to intensify. He had to be well over six-foot-two as he hovered over my five-foot-eight frame—and that was with heels. The way he looked at me made me feel important, as if he was going to give this crazy plan of his all that he had.
“Knock, knock,” he said, with the goofiest grin known to mankind.
“Who’s there?”
“Will you fall in love with?”
“Will you fall in love with who?”
“Me.”
Love didn’t only show its face during happiness. It didn’t skip by only during the sunshine. No. Sometimes—most of the time—love was a storm at war.
This book was so much more emotional than I had anticipated. If you read Southern Storms, then you met Connor. I was so excited when I heard that Eastern Lights was his book. You do need to read Southern Storms to truly enjoy this book. This book can easily be read as a standalone.
Connor is a sweet southern boy from Kentucky who moved to New York to conquer his dreams. He has this outlook on life that will grip your heart. He’s been building his empire the last two years when he has a chance run-in with Aaliyah.
Aaliyah didn’t have the best life growing up, but found family in the most random strangers. She’s always looking for the best in people and sometimes that causes her to put trust and love in people who don’t deserve it. When she and Connor run into one another, she is going through one more rough moment in her life.
I absolutely love their first meeting. Instead of exchanging actual names, they call each other Red (Aaliyah) and Captain (Connor). They spend an entire night enjoying one another’s company but agree to go separate ways the next morning and leave it to fate for them again later in life…
“Find your ugly truths,”…….”Its better to sit with the ugly truths than bathe in the beautiful lies.”
This book was everything that I needed and didn’t know it. I have so many highlights and notes in this book, it touched me so much. I laughed, I grinned like a goofball and I had tears running down my cheeks. There are so many life lessons littered throughout this book and that made this book stand out even more.
Brittainy not only writes characters that are relatable and real, but she delivers a story that will impact you in ways you don’t anticipate. You feel Brittainy’s words deep in your soul. Eastern Lights is another amazing read from Brittainy and I cannot wait to see what she brings next in this series.
“Confidence is a repeated habit. Act confident in your own skin until it becomes your outer layer.”
About Brittainy Author Brittainy C. Cherry is an Amazon #1 bestselling author. She has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelor Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. Her novels have been published in 18+ countries around the world. Brittainy lives in Brookfield, Wisconsin with her fur babies.
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From New York Times Bestselling Author, Kristen Proby, comes Spells, the next installment in her gripping Bayou Magic series…
As a powerful hedgewitch and psychic, there isn’t much I can’t work to my advantage and finesse with a spell. Love, fortune, and even the perfect cup of coffee are all possible with the snap of my fingers.
But some things are utterly beyond my control.
Like the powerful and broody warlock who’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember–and even the lifetimes I often can’t. Things almost as dangerous as Lucien Bergeron’s hold on me and the breathtaking smiles only I get to see.
Or the evil still stalking the streets of New Orleans that beckons to me to see. To feel. To die.
With everything riding on a razors-edge, and things that have been portended coming to fruition, threatening both me and those I love, I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to resist my fate. Or his charm.
If I work with Lucien, it could mean the end for both of us.
If I don’t, those I love most will pay.
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Kristen Proby has published more than forty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion and Romancing Manhattan Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats.
