Promoting and reviewing romance novels one book at a time
Author: professorromance
I teach students to write for college. I love to read writers who write romance. Why not review and promote the writing of people who love to write romance? Win-win for me
Rebecca Jenshak is a self-proclaimed margarita addict, college basketball fanatic, and Hallmark channel devotee. A Midwest native transplanted to the desert, she likes being outdoors (drinking on patios) and singing (in the shower) when she isn’t writing books about hot guys and the girls who love them.
R.S. Greyโs next standalone romcom, Date Me Like You Mean It, is coming out November 5th! Check it out and be sure to grab yours November 5th!
Title: Date Me Like You Mean It
Author: R.S. Grey
Genre: Rom-Com
Release Date: November 5th
About Dare Me Like You Mean It:
Iโm good at hiding my feelings.
Having to pretend Iโm not in love with my best friend?
Pfft. Thatโs childโs play.
Hereโs how I do it: I avert my eyes when he walks out of his room, shirtless in all his toned glory. I squash the butterflies that fill my stomach every time he slowly unfurls a dimpled smile. And, most importantly, I keep an arsenal of โpersonal massagersโ in my bedside drawer. Wink.
Not to brag, but Aiden Smith isnโt hard to resist if youโve been doing it for as long as I have. In fact, we might have continued as best friends forever if not for the fact that I needed him to play the part of my fake boyfriend.
Date me like you mean it, I told him. Nudge nudge. Cโmon, just go along with a little lie, help a girl out, and then we can all return to life as we know it.
Except he veered from the plan.
He crossed the line.
Flirting with me when no one else was around? Pinning me down and kissing me like that? Okay, how exactly is taking off my bra part of the ruse, Aiden?!
Iโd ask him about it if I could, but wellโฆthings got ugly and weโre not best friends anymore.
In fact, weโre the exact opposite.
Now, I have to play nice even though I want to crush his heart in the palm of my hand.
Pretending not to love Aiden was the easy part.
Pretending not to hate him?
WellโฆI might need a little more practice.
About R.S. Grey:
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughter, and can be found reading, binge-watching reality TV, or practicing yoga! Visit her at rsgrey.com
When your enemy becomes your boss, tensions are bound to boil overโฆ
Whoโs the Boss, an all-new, sexy enemies-to-lovers workplace romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy is available now!
Arrogant, charming and sexy as hell, Master chef Sean Kincaid is legendary both in the kitchen and in the bedroom. So of course it only took five minutes for him to get me overheated. My temper that is.
Because Sean Kincaid is my new boss. Who has strolled into my kitchen demanding I follow his rules. I donโt like taking orders from anyone but certainly not from a grumpy man who knows how to push all of my buttons.
And when a Best Chef competition pits the two of us against each other, itโs either going to be a sizzler–or a recipe for disaster.
USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over seventy-five novels and novellas in the romance and mystery genres. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, martinis, and Frank Sinatra. She lives with her renovation-addicted husband (he built her a bar, so itโs all good!) and their blended family of kids and rescue dogs.
When you love a particular rom-com writer, you enter his/her books wanting an escape. You expect laughs, lots of witty banter, swoony moments, some decidedly awkward moments, and a hit of angst necessary for the most benevolent of happy endings. Entering Amy Dawsโs newest book, Take A Number, you receive all of those PLUS the added bonus of more of her Boulder crew, immortalized in books such as Wait for Me, Next in Line, and One Moment Please. There is a thread that runs through each of these books: Dean. The male best friend to Kate, the hero of Dawsโs first book of this series of standalones, and Lynsey, the heroine of the third book. Dean is a character: an IPA-pushing, stoic yet snarky, a genius of investment, and honorary shoulder to cry on. A commitment-phobe, Dean prefers easy, unattachable hook-ups. Heโs the requisite f-boy, the one whom his friends hope will find his own happily-ever-after. Going into Take A Number, itโs hard to determine if Dean will find his match, the one person who will turn his head and open his heart.
Enter Norah. The queen of the croinut. An independent bakery owner who has dreams for a franchise, a strong sense of herself, and a woman not interested in relationships, Norah also has a domineering mother who is more interested in her daughter marrying and bearing her grandchildren than her driven, industrious plans for entrepreneurship. With family celebrations in the future and a wedding to attend for Dean, these two enter a โfakeโ relationship to keep their friends and family members at bay from setting them up. What do you get when you mix an independent, enterprising heroine with a commitment-phobe, โcome what mayโ- spirited, metrosexual hero? Rom-com dynamite.
Yes. Dawsโs Take A Number has all the inner workings for a replete rom-com. From Dean and Norahโs witty banter to Norahโs persistent lip sweat to Deanโs insistent adoration of IPAs, his bean bag chairs, and his tater tot casserole, these two are a dream team for rom-com readers. I am a personal fan of the fake relationship trope. Add to that a chemistry between the hero and heroine that borders on enemies to lovers (that isnโt entirely the case with Dean and Norah because their banter is some of the exciting parts of this book), and you have a veritable goldmine of rom-com gold.
With that comes, zany, demonstrative friends who want you (Dean) to find the love of your life because they found thereโs, an over-the-top combined bachelor/bachelorette weekend, a mother who doesnโt know when to stop being Meddy McMeddlesome, and more lip sweat than you know what to do with. Each turn of the page presented the magic of Norah and Deanโs journey.
However, for me, the piece de resistance is Dean. To be completely honest, at first sight, Dean is not exactly the most swarthy of rom-com heroes. He loves to characterize Norahโs childhood friend, Nate, as a Douchey McDouchepants, but the reality is Dean is one himself. He is an f-boy, and his initial dealings with Norah are blatant claims for sexual harassment. Yet, through all of that, you know there is more to Dean. And itโs his duality of persona that is the depth of Dawsโs story. Dean is like the croinuts of Norahโs bakery. That symbol of that bakery item feels very intentional in light of Deanโs characterization. One part of a croinut is flaky while the other is molten depths of a donut. And Dean is the same. The carefully constructed facade of Dean obviously is hiding something. To find that treasure out, you MUST read this book because it will absolutely endear him to you even when you want to punch him in the face. That made him the most interesting aspect of Take A Number. Since I had read the earlier books in the series of standalones, I knew that Deanโs book would be a favorite because Dean encapsulates my favorite type of hero.
However, to know that truth, you need to grab Take A Number. You donโt need to read the first three books to understand this one, although itโs fun to see the characters of the other books in Dean and Norahโs. But right now, reading this book will provide a respite from your mostly stay-at-home lives and remind you that rom-com is the best medicine of what ails you.
A Bridge Between Us, an all-new suspenseful, small-town romance from USA Today bestselling author K.K. Allen is coming November 19th, and we have the gorgeous cover!
I had always known he wasnโt mine to keep, but that didnโt change the way I loved himโquietly, gently, and from afar.
As the seasons changed, the corn stalks grew strong, and the grapevines flourished with hope. But none of it mattered, not when the soil at our feet bound us in a century-old rivalry. Weโd never even had a chance.
They said life flashed before your eyes on the way to death, but on that night, after my final scream burst from my throat and my world started to fade to black, I only thought of him. Of his sweet chocolate eyes, his desperately cautious stare, and his silence that carried more weight than gold.
I should have died that night. Instead, I crossed the moonlit bridge and never returned. I let rivalry win. If only that had been enough to keep us all safe. If only we didnโt have a bridge between us.
Cover designed by: Naijla Qamber Designs Photography by: Regina Wamba
Meet K.K. Allen K.K. Allen is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author and interdisciplinary arts and sciences graduate from the University of Washington who writes heartfelt contemporary romance stories that are as real as they are inspiring. K.K. is a Hawaiian girl who was raised in Seattle, and currently resides in central Florida. She works full time as a digital producer for a leading online educational institution and is the mother to a ridiculously handsome little dude who owns her heart.
K.K.’s publishing journey began in June 2014 with the YA Contemporary Fantasy trilogy, The Summer Solstice. In 2016, K.K. published her first Contemporary Romance, Up in the Treehouse, which went on to win the Romantic Times 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best New Adult Book of the Year. With K.K.’s love for inspirational and coming-of-age stories involving heartfelt narratives and honest emotions, you can be assured to always be surprised by what K.K. releases next.
As we both bring our drinks to our mouths, I notice that Cristian isnโt looking at me, so I follow his gaze. It doesnโt take me long to see what or rather who he is staring at. There, at the end of the row of banquettes, is the most exquisite woman I have ever seen.
Long brown hair that flows down past the swell of her breasts. Itโs her eyes, though, that keep me from looking away. From where Iโm sitting, I canโt see the color, but when she sees me, they are mesmerizing. She only glances my way for a second before turning around and giving me the cold shoulder.
Few women have done that. Not at a place like this.
Most women throw themselves at me. She, however, stands with her back to me. Her behind is not the worst view Iโve seen. Her short dress that looking from the front seemed modest is anything but.
No. Here, from this angle, nothing is left to the imagination. Two thin straps lower to an open back that dips to the dimples of her ass.
Possessed, I stand from my seat, needing to know who this girl isโand why she so casually dismissed me.
Iโm a man on a mission as I stalk over to her. My team is quick to follow, so Iโm intimidating as hell as I make my approach.
I should tell them to stand down, but I want to see her squirm. Thereโs no way that a little thing like her wonโt.
When I finally make my appearance, Iโm towering behind her. She hasnโt seen me, but she must feel my presence because I watch her back muscles tighten.
Slowly, and with purpose, she turns around to face me.
She has to crane her neck up, but when her gaze reaches mine, her pupils dilate.
I hadnโt come here tonight hoping to fuck, but after watching the way her mouth parts and a slight puff of oxygen escapes her pouty yet full lips, I want to fuck her. I want to feel those lips wrapped around my cock.
โIโm not interested,โ she spits out before I can even speak. Her response has me throwing back my head, laughingโsomething I rarely do these days.
โYou donโt even know what I was going to ask.โ
โYou were going to ask me if I wanted a drink. And seeing as I already have one โฆโ She lifts the glass that I hadnโt previously seen in the air. Itโs new, the bubbles still bouncing on the glass from the pour. โI donโt need another.โ
โAnd what if youโre wrong?โ
โSo, you were coming to ask me if I wanted toโฆ what?โ Her eyebrow lifts. โTalk with you?โ
โAgain, wrong.โ Not entirely wrong, but wrong enough.
โWell, color me intrigued. You came all the way hereโโ
โYou noticed me.โ I smirk, and she must realize her mistake, and my smile broadens. โHereโs what I think. I think you wanted me to come over here. I think you like the game of cat and mouse.โ
โI think you know nothing.โ
โPity,โ I say, before turning and walking away.
โThatโs it?โ she asks from behind me.
โYep.โ I turn my head over my shoulder. โBut โฆโ I pause for emphasis. โIf you have a different answer for me, Iโll be back tomorrow. Same time. Same place.โ And with that, I walk away, right out of the VIP area and then right out of the club.
Once we step outside, I stop. Turning to the right, I look at Cristian.
โYes, Boss?โ
โHer name. Her social security number. Find me everything there is to know about that woman by tomorrow.โ
He doesnโt ask me why I need the info. I plan to fuck that girl, but I donโt touch anyone without doing my due diligence.
Meet Ava
Ava Harrison is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author.
When she’s not journaling her life, you can find her window shopping, cooking dinner for her family, or curled up on her couch reading a book.
โโ[…] For two people to find their perfect match and fall in love is a miracle. For that to happen between three is a rare thing.โโ
Jolie Vinesโs Stubborn Spark, the final book in her Wild Scots series, is her treatise. Itโs a promise of change. Iโve been a fan of Vines since the second book of her storied Marry the Scots series, Love Most Say Least. Since that release, Iโve read every book as one of her ARC readers (of which I read for an honest review). Each book has developed the author in Vines, and her stories have moved from sweet, fated love stories with heroes who adore their heroines at any cost to wilder, more heated romances in her Wild Scots series. To watch her evolve feels important. There are too many authors in the romance community who โplay it safe.โ They find what works, and they generate it over and over again. Their readers, ones like myself, continue to read them because there is trust in that relationship, a comfort in the obvious. However, they rarely progress beyond their average offering.
Jolie Vines, with Stubborn Spark, has taken a step forward. This book is still decidedly Vines with two heroes who absolutely adore their heroine, Casey, and each other. That is standard to Vines, and I donโt see that ever changing. Itโs what her devoted readers love about her romances. What this book offers, though, is innovation. Itโs a stand that sheโs willing to move beyond her usual M/F romances and embrace more. There is wisdom in this action in that she opens her readership to variety. Menage is popular. It feels forbidden as you read it, but itโs also deliciously $exy and captivating, earning the trope devoted readers. That Vines embraces it for baby Blayneโs story shows her courage as a writer to challenge herself. Stubborn Spark is Vines taking chances, and based on particular moments in this story, she isnโt done. Itโs refreshing to read an author who is willing to embrace variety. It keeps her storytelling fresh for her readers and continually surprises them at her offerings.
As a menage story, Stubborn Spark works. For this reader, there is always quite a bit of suspension of disbelief for me with menage stories. I could never personally engage in polyamory, but there is a population that embraces this. In terms of other menage stories, Stubborn Spark is commensurate with it. At its core, itโs steamy, steamy, steamy. Brodie, one of the heroes, begins as the clear alpha, and Vines has crafted her heroes to complement each other, offering the totality of heroic characters in both. Her heroine, Casey, is a perfect match for Brodie and Blayne that their throuple makes sense for the story. I think what I love most about this story, though, is the extension of Clan McRae. I was excited about this book because I was curious as to the reaction of Blayneโs father, Callum McRae, and Vines endears me to him even more. There is a bit of nostalgia inherent to this story as itโs the last of the stories for Callumโs children, and Vines decidedly saves the most profound for last with Stubborn Spark.
Look, I have read all of Jolie Vinesโs stories and been excited by each of them. However, this newest book along with the potential stories to come makes me proud to be one of her ARC readers. She is making choices that showcase her ability to draft stories of any sub-genre with any trope in romancelandia. And she does it well. Her consistency lies in writing stories that readers love to read time and time again. If youโre looking for a menage story set in the highlands of Scotland and the upper Hebrides, then run and one-click Stubborn Spark.
โThis man was a rock, a mountain of steady strength. Never in my life, not even when my parents had been alive, had I felt this grounded.โ
Willa Nash’s first book, The Bribe, is a fantastic addition to the Kindle Unlimited Universe. A stellar romance infused with flaming hot chemistry, sweetness, and suspense, Nash’s Duke and Lucy draw you into their story with a perfunctory ease
At the turn of each page, I didn’t want the story to end. Willa Nash reads like a combination of Devney Perry’s Runaway Road and Jamison Valley series, specifically The Coppersmith Farmhouse. Set in a small town named Calamity, you can’t help but want to take a trek to this fictional place where its charm and people burrow into your heart. I found myself smiling and sighing as the story progressed.
Even in the midst of fierce chemistry, there is an ease to Duke and Lucy’s coupling. They don’t struggle to be together. Rather, the larger story threatens the cohesion of their relationship. Yet, woven into the romantic suspense is a treasure chest of emotional gravity. Gem after gem of moments between Duke and Lucy, you feel awed by the love story that Nash has created. I found myself smiling over and over again during this story. It feels like being wrapped in a fluffy comforter on a cold day. Nash crafts these moments of complete tenderness that it overwhelms you in the best of ways.
Willa Nash’s The Bribe brings the best of small-town romance with a suspense twist, and you will glory in the journey of Duke and Lucy. When I finished the bonus scene, I had tears in my eyes because Nash plucked my heartstrings just as her heroine, Lucy, plucks the strings of her guitar to make the most beautiful of music.
Duke Evans didn’t expect to interrupt a beautiful woman in a staring contest with a bison on his favorite hiking trail. He also didn’t expect to see her again after rescuing her from the surly beast. As the sheriff in Calamity, Montana, he’s had his fair share of surprises but none as pleasant as pulling over a shiny black car and finding his mysterious hiking companion behind the wheel. Only, she lied to Duke. She gave him a name as fake as her hair color. According to her driver’s license, her real name is Lucy Ross, the famous country music singer whose sudden disappearance has been a hot topic in the media over the past two weeks. He’s not sure why Lucy lied about her identity or why she’s in Calamity. And she’s not talking. Instead, she offers him a bribe to keep her secret. But Duke doesn’t want her money. He wants to know why this woman is on the run. And as long as the star shines on his badge, he’s going to find out.
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Willa Nash is USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry’s alter ego, writing contemporary romance stories for Kindle Unlimited. Lover of Swedish Fish, hater of laundry, she lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Montana and has a passion for writing books in the state she calls home.
One snow party, two hot kisses. Three people who are more than happy to share.
Blayne
Done with university, Iโm home in the Highlands, and life is anything but chill. My best friend is here and soโs a gorgeous American lass, working at my familyโs snowboarding centre.
On a wild night, both Brodie and I get to lock lips with Casey. Heat scalds us. Chemistry explodes.
The best thing? All of us want to share.
Brodie
Blayneโs home, but not for long. If he wants this, Iโll do anything to make it happen. My life is falling apart, and I shouldnโt be risking my idiotic heart. Or our friendship.
Iโm a carpenter and good with my hands. I can give them what theyโre craving. Before both of them go and leave me behind.
Casey
A holiday romance is exactly what I need to take my mind off the disaster I fled in the States.
With the date looming for me to return, two hot Scots are ready to help me forget, and they arenโt going to make me choose.
So bring it, Highlander. You and your friend. Iโm ready.
—
Stubborn Spark is the fifth and final book in the Wild Scots series and is suitable for a mature audience only. Features scenes of an extremely sexy nature withย one lucky lass and two ultra-hot Scots.ย
Professor Romance 