Biting banter, fake relationships, and illicit workplace rendezvous–anything goes in this romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author R.S. Grey.
While most little girls grow up idolizing Ariel or Belle, I was banging a plastic gavel and pretending to be Judge Judy. I spent my summers divorcing Barbie and Ken and splitting their Dreamhouse assets. Now, my goal to become the very best acquisitions lawyer at the top firm in Chicago is within reach.
I’m one month into my big-girl job at Elwood Hoyt, venti Starbucks in hand, ready to take on the day. The sleek elevator doors are about to close…then he steps in after me. Hudson Rhodes—the one senior partner I was told to avoid at all costs—just so happens to be the heartless villain I’m assigned to work under.
Ever since he found out who I am—the Scarlett Elwood—we’ve been enemies, the sort who constantly bicker and bark, take jabs in the boardroom, and occasionally pop up shirtless in each other’s steamy dreams. Y’know, that kind. He has to know I could run to my dad at any time and demand his firing, but his confident smirk says he knows I’d never give him the satisfaction.
The elevator chimes as we reach our floor, and I feel his broad shoulders pull even with mine. Fury mixes with fear, hatred with lust. He turns to briefly hold my gaze before confidently stepping out in front. His message is clear:
If I want to reach my goal, I’m going to have to go through him first.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Mr. Big Shot is like the equivalent of a pallet cleanser when you are jumping between different genres. I breezed through this book so quickly and hadn’t even realized it. It was that damn good.
Ms. Grey really knows how to write relatable and thoroughly enjoyable characters (both main and secondary). I love how all these characters always help sustain the story without feeling inundated with too many people.
The plot of this story is very simple and that’s one of the best parts about this book. While it’s simple, it’s very entertaining and just makes for a great, perfect read to jumpstart things for a reader.
What can I say other than, Mr. Big Shot truly showcases why I will always read anything Ms. Grey puts out. It’s a flawless story with impeccable writing.
Meet R.S. Grey
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including seven #1 bestselling romantic comedies. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and dog.
A young woman, cursed. A rebellious prince in hiding. A forbidden love that will threaten two worlds… There are two main things I’ve learned since my life turned upside down. The first is, if you speak of someone’s death before it happens, you’ll be blamed for murder. The second? If the hottest guy you’ve ever seen kisses you, and thanks you for saving his life, don’t argue.
I watched him die, over and over. So many times. The vision is always the same and there is never one damn thing I can do to save him. I don’t know why I can’t dream about normal things, like going to school naked, or spiders. I hate spiders. No, I’m lucky enough to see strangers at the moments of their deaths.
The only thing keeping me sane is knowing the visions aren’t real.
Until the accident. The blood. He dies in my arms.
At least, I thought he did. But now he’s here, telling me I saved his life. Telling me unbelievable stories about monsters and gods and destiny. Promising to protect me.
If none of this is real, why am I afraid of the creatures hunting me? And if I saved his life, why are the nightmares back, stronger than ever? What is this thing lurking inside me, eager to strike?
I don’t know, but I’m freaking out.
I’m afraid what I think is real, isn’t. And what I know is not, just might be.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
I’ve Watched You Die is the first book in what I can only call a very intriguing & engaging Norse Mythology fantasy romance.
Karina draws readers in immediately with a jaw-dropping scene but continues to keep them on edge with great world building & enticing characters.
I won’t give you any details of the book because this book is best experienced without any knowledge but what the blurb gives you.
Karina builds this story perfectly by delivering the right amount of information with riveting action scenes that all wrap together.
I’ve never read anything like this before and never wanted the book to end. I love the Norse Mythology that this story is based off of and cannot wait to see what happens in book two.
Absolute must-read, especially for those who love fantasy.
Meet Karina Banks
Karina Banks lives, works, and goes to school in Boston, MA. She is a college student, songwriter, rock climber, pianist, and can normally be found sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea – with milk and sugar, of course. Karina began writing new scenes for her book as a means to procrastinate doing her “real” homework. If you live in Boston, you might catch her riding the T, or frequenting a nearby boba location. I’ve Watched You Die is her first novel.
Growing up in a house full of brothers, it’s not a surprise that Alana Ashton is the princess of Hope Crest.
Being the only female of the small town’s founding family means that while she usually gets her way, she has to work doubly hard to earn and keep respect. Veering from her expected path to follow crazy dreams, like opening her own shop, not only isn’t in the cards, it’s also not taken seriously. So when her best friend, the ex-high school quarterback with a smile of gold and a traumatic past, proposes marriage out of the blue after years of Alana not-so-secretly pining after him, the answer isn’t an automatic no.
Marrying him, and the fortune they’ll both inherit if she specifically says I do, could be just the thing to set her vision in motion. But can she keep their decades-long relationship strictly business, or will those long unrequited feelings fool her into thinking this union will be for life?
Warren Teal is the orphan no one wanted but everyone speculated about.
After his father tragically took his mother from him, Warren’s story has been broadcast in the media for years. Cue the Ashtons, who took him under their wings the first time Alana brought him home in middle school. Years later, Hope Crest’s royal family offered him a job at their renowned restaurant, and Warren thought he’d found the quiet, under-the-radar life he’d always been searching for.
Until the day he received a letter leaving him a fortune. There was just one catch; he must marry to receive it. And not just anyone, but the gorgeous, stubborn woman he’d always loved in secret but never felt worthy of. Knowing he could return the favor and grant her wildest dreams, he popped the question.
But when his past comes for the future they’re building, she gets caught in the crossfires of the danger and darkness meant for him. Divorce, and breaking his own heart, seem like the only options to keep her safe.
Even if doing so means he may never get to confess that their fake marriage is the realest love he’s ever experienced.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Author of romance novels such as Fool Me Twice and Love at First Fight, Carrie Aarons writes books that are just as swoon-worthy as they are sarcastic. A former journalist, she prefers the love stories of her imagination, and the athleisure dress code, much better.
When she isn’t writing, Carrie is busy binging reality TV, having a love/hate relationship with cardio, and trying not to burn dinner. She lives in the suburbs of New Jersey with her husband, two children and ninety-pound rescue pup.
Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward are excited to bring you the Cocky Hero Club: original works from various authors inspired by Keeland and Ward’s New York Times bestselling Cocky Bastard series.
BLURB
My love life has been epic.
Epically disastrous.
But that’s all in the past. I put my unrequited crush on Zach, my best friend’s grumpy brother, behind me years ago. My ex-fiancé, the jerk who left me at the altar, is also in my emotional rearview. Now, I’m focusing on my career. I don’t have time for romance.
Then my ex shows up and everything changes.
Zach comes to my defense in a big way, pretending to be my boyfriend. Then he suggests we keep up our mutually beneficial fake relationship for a few more months.
And it’s not long before I realize my crush on Zach might not be as over as I’d hoped.
It might not be as unrequited as I’d thought, either.
But as much as I’d love to trust him, to give him a second chance, I’m not sure I can. I gave him my heart once and he broke it.
This time, I’m afraid trust might be a luxury I can’t afford.
Broody Nerd, part of Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s Cocky Hero world, is a light-hearted, contemporary romance standalone featuring plenty of mutual pining, a strong, curvy heroine, and a slightly nerdy, growly hero. Happily ever after guaranteed…along with a slow-burn romance.
Welcome back Autumn Grey!! Oh, how I have missed your writing and your stories.
Broody Nerd is exactly what you get in this book.
Zach is Chloe’s best friend older brother. And also the first guy to break her heart. But he’s also been there to support her through other difficult times.
Broody Nerd is a slow burn, best friend’s brother romance and I am here for it.
I thoroughly enjoyed how this story played out. It was very real and authentic and just made me love them both so much.
The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is I wanted more of them after everything happened. Plus there’s one particular part of Chloe’s job that was very important to her & once she achieved that (read to find out), it was sort of took a backseat. I felt it should’ve stayed revelant through the end.
Overall, I loved this book and I’m excited to read more from her.
Autumn enjoys writing angsty romance, featuring flawed and quirky characters and hard-won happy ever afters. When she’s not working as a nurse assistant, you’ll find her behind keyboard writing stories, or curled up on the couch with a book. Her work has been featured in USA Today’s Happy Ever After.
She lives with her two children and one fur baby, enjoys good wine and binge-watching TV shows whenever she can.
Right Guy, Wrong Word by Jewel E. Ann is now live!
Do books have souls?
Anna Black has the perfect novel choice for her book club. She also has a sexy new neighbor who jumps at the opportunity to join fellow bookworms in discussing her pick for their summer read.
It’s lust at first sight and the marriage of two literary souls.
The charismatic owner of a new T-shirt store in Des Moines’s East Village, Eric Steinmann, has a confident air and an irresistible “mating dance.” He’s almost perfect … until he says the wrong word.
Will Anna and Eric write their own story? Or will their chemistry die when fiction turns into reality?
**Right Guy, Wrong Word was originally written as a short story, The Last Person. It’s been revised with significant changes to the original content and extended into a full-length novel.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
You can never go wrong when it comes to a book by Jewel E. Ann.
I truly love when I am reading a story and I just find myself all smiles and giggly and that’s exactly what Right Guy, Wrong Word did.
It is impossible to not love Eric from the get-go. He truly had me enamored the entire book (and his mating dance – LOL). Anna, she was a bit different but in true Jewel fashion, she had me really liking her by the end.
Overall, this is another great read from Jewel and you will truly love every bit of this book.
Meet Jewel E. Ann
Jewel is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author with a quirky sense of humor. When she’s not saving the planet one tree at a time, you can find her role modeling questionable behavior to her three boys, binge-watching Netflix with her husband, and writing mind-bending romance.
What did I just read?! Why has no one told me about B.B. before?!?!
I literally inhaled this book in a day. One day. And it’s no small book either.
I don’t even know what to say except, “Holy Shit, that was a wild ride.”
Atlas and Rowdy’s story in one hell of rollercoaster. Their chemistry burns the pages yet at the same time you will be going WTF!?
Gah, I want to say so much but I have no idea how. And I don’t want to spoil anything.
Just go read this book, but be warned there are some uncomfortable scenes that will not be for everyone.
Meet B.B.
B.B. Reid is the author of several novels including the hit enemies-to-lovers, Fear Me. She grew up the only daughter and middle child in a small town in North Carolina. After graduating with a Bachelors in Finance, she started her career at an investment research firm while continuing to serve in the National Guard. She currently resides in Charlotte with her moody cat and enjoys collecting Chuck Taylors and binge-eating chocolate.
Have you ever wanted to prove someone wrong so badly that you could taste it?
It doesn’t matter if they’re right. The fact that they had the audacity to say it is what counts.
Hi. It’s me. I’m that person.
The man I’ve been casually seeing told me I’m not “wife material” and should “lower my expectations”. Didn’t he realize I lowered them the moment I met him for dinner?
Obviously not.
Am I petty? Maybe. Annoyed? Of course. Determined? Definitely.
I need someone to help me flaunt my new engagement—my fiancé couldn’t wait to pop the question because I’m that amazing—in his face.
The problem? I don’t have a boyfriend, let alone a husband-to-be.
Which brings us to you.
Are you handsome? Successful? A smooth talker extraordinaire?
Are you willing to do all the things that someone madly in love would do?
Putting your hand on the small of my back. Forehead kissing. Acting like I’m a treasure you can’t live without. I need you to be prepared to do all those things … and maybe more.
What do you get out of this? I’m willing to negotiate terms—especially if they include a job and a place to stay. It’s a long story.
One night. One event. Let’s put on one heck of a show.
From USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author comes a “hot and hilarious!” fake-dating tale between two frenemies that turn into roommates, coworkers, and, ultimately, lovers. Fans of close proximity, one-bed trope, and blue-collar, small-town heroes will fall madly in love with this story.
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling author, Adriana Locke, writes contemporary romances about the two things she knows best—big families and small towns. Her stories are about ordinary people finding extraordinary love with the perfect combination of heart, heat, and humor.
She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden.
Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty-five years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.
Blushing in the Big Leagues by R.S. Grey is now live!
I have one simple rule: don’t date professional baseball players. There are no exceptions, no workarounds.
“What if—”
No.
“Could he—”
Nuh-uh.
With a brother in the league, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the downright horrifying. Those guys might seem tantalizing when they’re in uniform down on the field, hitting grand slams in front of a crowd of adoring fans, but I know better. The huge egos? The insane travel schedules? The veritable buffet of female companions? No ma’am. Professional athletes are best handled at a distance, preferably far enough away that their chiseled jawlines blur into oblivion.
Enter Grant Navarro.
He’s the baseball player to end all baseball players. The one I should have marked with a big red X the first moment I laid eyes on him. Only the night we met (and kissed—oops), I didn’t know he was my brother’s newest teammate. Imagine my shock when I realized the sexiest man in Manhattan was officially off limits. Just my luck!
Let the record show that I had every intention of following my rule and staying away from Grant. When he smiled that irresistible smile and those dimples popped, I stood my ground. When he made it very clear he’d love to pick up where we left off the night we met, I said, Hold it right there, partner. When he messaged me all sorts of naughty things on Instagram, I logged out of that app so fast I dented my iPhone screen.
Baseball players are bad, bad, bad.
So tell me why giving in to Grant just for a night, getting one taste of what could be starts to seem not just tempting, but downright mandatory.
Yeah, about that one simple rule…haven’t you heard?
Rules are meant to be broken.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Blushing in the Big Leagues is Rachel’s newest release and she crushes this sports romance.
Tate is the brother of a baseball player and since she has grown up surrounded by baseball, she has always sworn off baseball players.
Tate meets Grant at a party and because she assumes they’ll never see one another again, enforces the whole “no name” rule. That is until she finds out that he is newest player on her brother’s MLB team.
The chemistry between Tate and Grant sets these pages on fire. I love the sexual tension that is built up in this book, but absolutely looooove when they finally give in to one another.
Rachel writes some of the best characters in her books. Tate and Grant are not only heating the pages, but you will find yourself laughing throughout this book. I love the extra layer with the secondary characters that keep this book lively and entertaining.
Another great hit from Rachel.
Meet R.S. Grey
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels, including seven #1 bestselling romantic comedies. She lives in Texas with her husband, two daughters, and dog.
Tropes: Enemies to Friends to Lovers/Second Chance
Release Date: May 3, 2023
BLURB
Eleven years ago, he hurt her.
Now he plans to prove they’re meant to be…
In high school, Maggie Edelstein set the rules of our secret relationship, but I’m calling the shots now. In my dreams.
Maggie’s still infuriating and confusing, and absolutely stunning. She’s also still pretending we barely spent time together as teens, when we met up nightly at her family’s pond.
Over a decade later, I’m back in my hometown and some things haven’t changed. My chemistry with Maggie is once again hotter than a four-alarm fire, and she’s intent on denying it. I don’t blame her. The last night we saw each other I made a horrible mistake and hurt her, then I vanished into witness protection for ten years.
But there’s something else going on with her.
I recognize a secret when I see one, and her friends say she doesn’t do commitment. If I can get her to forgive me and open up, maybe she’ll break her rules and give us a second chance. Or she’ll light my heart on fire and dance around the flames…
Kelly Siskind lives in charming northern Ontario. When she’s not out hiking or skiing, you can find her, notepad in hand, scribbling down one of the many plot bunnies bouncing around in her head. She loves singing while driving, looks awful in yellow, and is known for spilling wine at parties. Sign up for Kelly’s newsletter at www.kellysiskind.com and never miss a giveaway, a free bonus scene, or the latest news on her books. And connect with her on Twitter and Instagram (@kellysiskind) or on Facebook (@authorkellysiskind).
A grumpy vs sunshine, age-gap, romantic suspense set in the Scottish Highlands.
Beyond the Thistles by Samantha Young is now live!
It’s been a long time since Walker Ironside left behind Scotland and the memories that haunt him. Yet after years of traveling the world as a bodyguard, Walker misses his homeland enough to return. To a village in the Scottish Highlands that plays host to an exclusive members-only club, Ardnoch Estate. If not happy, Walker is content working with the elite security at the club and maintaining his bachelor lifestyle. What he doesn’t need is distraction in the form of the enticing but too-young newcomer, single mother Sloane Harrow.
Sloane never imagined she’d get pregnant at sixteen. Or that a decade later she’d escape from California with her daughter, Callie, to start over in the Scottish Highlands. Hidden and safe from Callie’s dangerous father, Sloane is satisfied with their new lives. Her daughter is happy. Sloane has a stable job, a quaint cottage, a passion for baking that might just be turning into a business, and a huge crush on brooding security guard Walker Ironside. Unfortunately, the grumpy Scot seems immune to Sloane’s charm, but she can’t help but try to seduce him with cupcakes and baked treats whenever the opportunity arises.
However, when someone arrives in Ardnoch intent on destroying Sloane’s life, Walker is the first to step forward to protect her and Callie. Even if it means giving into temptation and awakening his own demons. Because in doing so, Walker faces failing not only to shield Sloane from her past, but to safeguard her against his own.
Download today or read FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
I love reading Samantha’s books. I wish I could pinpoint exactly why but there are so many things that I love about her books. But the main thing I always come back to is her writing style. She makes me fall in love with her characters and their stories.
I only read the first book in the Adair series, so I can honestly say that you can read this one and not need to read the previous series to get the full understanding of this book.
Beyond the Thistles is a slow-burn romance between Sloane and Walker. They both have had a rough past and while Sloane has no problems acting on their attraction, Walker doesn’t want to. But when a danger comes lurking into Sloane’s life, Walker can’t walk away from protecting her and her daughter.
I absolutely love the pacing of this story and how things played out. It’s the perfect amount of romance and suspense that it all blends together seamlessly. The bedroom scenes are downright hot and Samantha delivers a perfect suspenseful plot.
This is a great start to her new series and one you definitely want to read.
Cruel Beginnings, an all-new dark academia, enemies-to-lovers romance and first book in the action-packed Cruel World Series from USA Today bestselling author Lili St Germain & Lyra Parish is available now!
I’m not a girl who expects to be saved.
I gave up on fairytales a long time ago.
So when my knight in shining Armani stalks into town and delivers me from my tragic fate, I’m grateful.
Darius Prince shouldn’t be in the seedy strip club where I’m paying off my mother’s debts, one piece of my soul at a time. And he definitely shouldn’t be the one who claims me in exchange for a suitcase full of trust fund cash and a deal inked in blood.
His dark eyes shine with a hatred so deadly, I wonder why he wants me at all.
Especially when I find out he thinks I’m somehow connected to his twin sister’s disappearance.
Darius doesn’t rescue me.
Instead, he drags me into his web of tragic secrets and forbidden desires.
He binds me so tight, I can’t find my way out of his grasp.
I rub my fingers across my chin as I size up Rafe Marin. Videos are horrifyingly easy to doctor. He could be making this whole thing up.
‘What do you want?” I ask finally. “Why are you showing me this?”
“I don’t want anything—other than your assurance we never had this discussion.”
“What discussion?” I reply quickly.
Rafe’s a smart guy, he catches my drift. “Exactly.”
“You didn’t tell me why you’re showing me this. If it’s legit, you know I’m going to have to find out who those guys are. Especially the one she arrived with. That could fuck with your family’s business dealings. So why risk it?”
Rafe nods, taking the phone and sliding it into his jacket pocket. “Because if my sister went missing and someone knew something, I’d want to be told.”
Huh. “That’s interesting.”
“What? That I care about my sister?”
“Oh please, we both know how much you care for your sister. Almost as much as your father cares for her, right?”I knew Rafe and Faye had some twisted thing going the moment I met them both, and my suspicions were only amplified when I had the misfortune of meeting their father at the beginning of our business relationship. That family is beyond weird. “But that’s not what’s interesting. What’s interesting is that you referred to my sister as missing. Most people refer to her as dead. Including the coroner, who issued her death certificate.”
“Well, there’s no body, right?” Rafe asks, completely ignoring my pointed jab at his incestuous little family. “No washed-up remains? A femur? A skull? A dismembered foot?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Not even a single fucking strand of her hair.”
“Then she’s still missing,” Rafe states. “Especially in the world you and I live in. No remains, no proof of death.”
He regards me silently for a moment. And then, finally: “Do you think she’s dead?”
“Not for a single fucking millisecond have I ever thought she was dead,” I reply confidently. “Who’s the guy with her in the video?”
“I don’t know.”
“But you know something. What are you leaving out?”
Rafe struggles to articulate the next part. “There, ah…there might be somebody who knows who he is. She hasn’t told me, but for the right price, she might tell you.”
“She won’t tell you, and she might tell me. Sounds like a great fucking lead, Marin.”
“For the right price,” Rafe clarifies. “Question is, how much is your sister worth to you?”
It takes every bit of strength and self-control I possess not to stand and rip his larynx out of his throat with my bare hands. “She’s worth every penny I have. She’s worth the entire ocean. You understand. You have a sister you love. Maybe even more than I love mine.”
Rafe snorts, but he won’t bite. He won’t address his fucked up relationship with Faye, no matter how much shit I give him about it. Oh, well.
“This mystery woman got a name?” I ask.
Rafe smirks. “You know I can’t tell you that.”He glances at my balled fists. “I can arrange a meeting. Okay? It’ll be on the mainland, most likely, somewhere public. This woman, she’s paranoid. And rightly so, by the sounds of it. She’s got people looking for her.”
“If she’s got people looking for her, toss her on your boat and bring her to me. I’ll come unarmed, by myself, and she can name her price. If she’s worried about retribution, I’ll take her to Valmont Island and give her asylum.”
Rafe immediately looks worried. “No island. She can’t go there.”
“But I can keep her safe there!” I explode. I’m frowning so hard, trying to figure out Rafe’s reluctance, when it smashes into me like a wall of bricks.
“She’s from the island,” I whisper. “Your informant. Isn’t she?”
Rafe pales. “You shut your fucking mouth,”he jabs his finger into the table. “I find out you breathed a word of this to anyone, I’ll have your goddamn head, Prince.”
I fall back in my seat, stunned. “She’s from the fucking island.” My mind is going a million miles an hour as I try to think of who this mystery woman could be, who’s from Valmont Island who just might know the guy my sister was fucking two nights before she disappeared?
“Nobody gets away,” I whisper. “Nobody.”
“You know that’s not true,” Rafe says pointedly. “What, your father?” I reply. “He didn’t get away. He was banished.”
Rafe shrugs. “Being banished isn’t common, but it happens.”
I shake my head, my skull burning with the start of a blinding headache. “The only reason Javier’s not dead in a hole somewhere is because of his seat at the Empyrean Table. I’ve never heard of another person being granted the same. Ever. Have you?”
“Sometimes the dead don’t die,” Rafe says cryptically. “Like your sister, maybe.”
Cruel Beginnings is the first book in the Cruel World series and these two authors start this series off well.
It is very intense and riddled with lots of suspense and secrecy. There are a lot of moving parts and the authors keep readers on their toes the entire time.
Cruel Beginnings has a lot of complex characters and I will honestly say that I am still undecided on most of them. I love how we as readers are given little nuggets of infromation about each character and their role in story and it’s just enough to make you wonder about their true agenda.
I absolutely love the suspense, mystery and secrecy of the entire plot. These two authors did a wonderful job of giving readers just enough bread crumbs to keep us guessing and excited as to what comes next.
I purposely kept this review vague as I do not want to give too much away because that just ruins the overall vibe of this book and the start of this series.
I enjoyed the writing style, the flow and the multiple levels to this story. I’m anxious to see what they bring us in the next installment.
