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Tie Me Down, an all-new swoon-worthy friends to lovers, small town romance from USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow, is now live!

Read my 5⭐️ review HERE.

Just friends.
That’s all Beckett Weaver and I have ever been.
Sure, he’s a hot cowboy who left Wall Street behind to take over his family’s ranch. Yes, I’ve had a secret crush on him since we were seventeen. And who wouldn’t appreciate those strong hands, that massive chest, and the way he fills out a pair of Levis?
He makes a girl sweat just looking at him . . . and I look. A lot.
But I’m a single mom trying to move on with my life, and he’s running that ranch single-handedly while taking care of his elderly father. We don’t even live in the same state. I only returned to my hometown of Bellamy Creek to sell my late mother’s house, and he just invited me and my son to stay with him because he’s got a big heart.
That’s not the only big thing he’s got–which I discover the night I finally sneak across the hall to his bedroom and shed my inhibitions right alongside my pajamas. And once we give into each other, we can’t stop.
The hayloft. The bed of his truck. The dock by the pond.
Nothing has ever felt so right, but his past has taught him not to believe in happily ever after, and every perfect night I spend in his arms brings us closer to goodbye.
Like any cowboy, he’s good with a rope and knows exactly how to tie me up.
But what if I want him to tie me down?

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Excerpt

When Beckett reached the landing, he headed for his bedroom. 

“Night.” 

I opened my mouth to say goodnight—I swear I did. 

But that’s not what came out. 

“I need to tell you something,” I blurted. 

He turned and faced me.

 “I want to answer your question.” My heart raced, and my fingers locked over my stomach. 

“What question?”

“You asked me—last night—why I always chose jerks.”

“You said you didn’t know.”

“I lied. I do know.”

He was silent a moment. “So tell me.”

I took a step toward him. “I chose jerks because they didn’t ask anything of me. They didn’t expect anything of me. They didn’t even want much from me—just skin.”

Beckett took a deep breath, his chest expanding. 

“That’s why I couldn’t be with you,” I whispered. 

“Because you think I would have expected perfection?”

“Because you would have deserved it.”

He exhaled and shook his head. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m sorry. This is stupid.” I squeezed my eyes shut a moment. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this right now. It’s not like I can go back and do things differently. I guess I just wish I would have been brave enough to tell you the truth back then.”

“What’s the truth?”

“That I wish I could have been yours. I know you would have been good to me.”

He said nothing for ten full seconds, during which my heart banged painfully against my ribs and I regretted everything. 

“Listen, forget I said anything,” I said quickly. “I don’t know what Blair puts in that apple pie, but—”

“I have something to tell you too.”

I swallowed. “You do?”

“Yeah. Several things, actually.” He moved closer to me, so close I could feel his breath on my lips. “First, I’m glad you finally answered my question. It’s been bothering me for fifteen years. Second, you’re right. I would have been good to you. And third, no—we can’t go back and do things differently. The past is past.”

“Yes. Well, goodnight.” Tears of mortification burning my eyes, I spun away from him, but he grabbed my arm. 

“But there’s one more thing.”

“What?” I whispered. 

“I sleep with my bedroom door open. But I want you to think hard before you take advantage of that. Because I’m not eighteen anymore, and I’m no longer in the mood to be a gentleman.”

Then he let go of my arm and disappeared across the hall. 

With my legs trembling, I slipped into my room, shut the door and leaned back against it, fanning my face. 

Holy. Shit. 

He’d left it up to me. 

But his invitation was clear. I hadn’t imagined it. 

And before I thought about it too hard and blew my chance to be with him, I raced into the bathroom, pulled my braids out, and brushed my teeth. Back in my bedroom, I whipped off my clothes and pulled on the pineapple-print tank and matching shorts I’d brought to sleep in. Not exactly my sexiest lingerie, but in my defense, seduction hadn’t been on my to-do list when I’d packed my bags. 

Then I took a deep breath, opened my door, and snuck across the hall.

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About Melanie Harlow
USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.

Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.

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THE PERFECT CATCH by Meghan Quinn

Release Date: June 10th

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Blurb:

“Kiss me. Just this once . . . please Walker.”

Those whispered words were my undoing . . .

As the most hated player in baseball, I had two options: either clean up my image or pack my bags. Being traded wasn’t an option which only meant one thing, I had to become compliant.

That’s how I found myself sharing a small bistro table with Kate Chapman, the Chicago Bobbies newest PR Manager. Devastatingly beautiful, vastly intelligent, and incredibly cunning, she knows exactly how to handle my grumpy demeanor.

It was supposed to be simple. Book some PR events, show up, smile for the camera, and be done. But one massive mistake on my end sends me into the trenches with Kate, forcing me to open up to her.

Innocent glances turn into cordial encounters.

Secret touches turn into tempting invitations.

And dangerous nights alone turn into consuming desperation.

I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want her. And I know she wants me, but there’s a no fraternizing with the players rule. Neither of us can afford to lose our jobs, but we also can’t seem to keep our hands off each other either.

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

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THE NEXT MRS. RUSSO by Jana Aston

Release Date: June 22nd

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Blurb:

I was not looking for a date.

Another questionable relationship was the last thing I needed.

Because trust me, they were all questionable.

But through a series of unfortunate events involving my cat and

his poor decision-making skills, I agreed to a set-up.

Except… the set-up is with the governor.

I am not political girlfriend material.

For one, I’m a little bit crazy.

For two, I have secrets.

But I also have a big crush on the governor.

About the Author:

Jana Aston likes cats, big coffee cups and books about billionaires who deflower virgins. She wrote her debut novel while fielding customer service calls about electrical bills, and she’s ever grateful for the fictional gynecologist in Wrong that readers embraced so much she was able to make working in her pajamas a reality. Jana’s novels have appeared on the NYT, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, some multiple times. She likes multiples.

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𝑨 𝒃𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒏𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒚.

The Bold and the Bullheaded, an all-new laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from USA Today bestselling author Willow Aster and Laura Pavlov is coming June 24th!

𝐸𝑚𝑚𝑎…

I don’t do feelings.
Especially not with an arrogant, broody Taylor brother.
But one moment of weakness on an elevator wrecks me.
𝐼 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒.
𝐼 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑟.
Yet I find myself wanting to be trapped in a small space with Spence Taylor again.
And don’t even get me started on his day job.
The man can do just about anything with those hands.
Those big hands, and er—big feet.
I digress.

𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒…

Emma Kingsley is the most infuriating woman I’ve ever known.
Stubborn, arrogant, and sexy as sin.
She drives me crazy.
And she’s determined to hate me.
The funny thing is—I can’t get enough.
But the woman has more walls up than the royal palace.
Lucky for her, I make a living tearing down walls.
And I just found my favorite project.
Time to renovate, Queenie.

**𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟐 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆.𝐃. 𝐓𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐄𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐝!**

Pre-order your copy today!
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About Willow
Willow Aster is the author of USA Today bestseller, True Love Story, In the Fields, Maybe Maby, Fade to Red, Lilith (formerly known as Whore), 5,331 Miles, Miles Ahead, The Kingdoms of Sin series, and co-author of The End of Men series with Tarryn Fisher. Willow loves nothing more than writing the day away—anywhere will do. Her husband and two children graciously put up with her endless daydreaming; otherwise, the writing would never get done. She’s also an avid reader, and has been known to walk, cook, and clean with her nose in a book. She’s lived in Texas, Tennessee, Indiana, and California, but Minnesota has captured her now and doesn’t seem to be letting go. Although shy, this lifelong writer and artist is convinced that the best part of this career for her is meeting and connecting with readers, authors, and all of those in this community of lovers of words.

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Website: http://www.willowaster.com

About Laura
Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost grown kids, and dog-whisperer to a couple of crazy Yorkies. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after.

Connect with Laura
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Website: https://www.laurapavlov.com

Grumpy Cowboy, an all new steam and laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Max Monroe is available now!

Read my 5 ⭐️ review HERE.

ATTENTION: If you have been a victim of false advertising, you may be entitled to compensation. If you were ever hired to take care of a fourteen-year-old boy’s knee injury on a luxury ranch in the Middle of Nowhere, Utah, but that fourteen-year-old boy ended up being a tall, rough-and-tumble, muscular, one-hundred-percent all-man cowboy by the name of Rhett Jameson, you may have been put at risk for falling in love. Please seek counsel immediately.

Dear Counselor,

It was supposed to be simple favor for my very important boss, Frank Kaminsky of the Salt Lake Slammers professional basketball team—go to his good friend Tex Jameson’s luxury ranch and provide personal medical care for his recently injured teenage son.

I thought it’d be a working vacation of sorts—a chance for my city-girl self to experience something I would never otherwise do—but everything is upside down, and absolutely nothing is as I thought it would be.

For one, this patient is not a teenage boy.
He’s a real-life, blue-eyed, tough-as-nails, thirtysomething cowboy who is so darn strong he looks like he could lift a car just for the heck of it.

He’s also stubborn, rude, and we don’t get along…at all.

Add in the heart-melting vision of him as a single father to the cutest little girl on the planet, and I’ve found myself in a whole different dimension of trouble.

Lust. Feelings. A whole lot of enemies-to-lovers-style complication.

Please help me. My name is Dr. Leah Levee, I am a victim of false advertising, and if I’m not careful, this Grumpy Cowboy might just be the death of me.

Grab yours today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!
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Excerpt

Leah

   Gently, I rap my knuckles against the wood, and moments later, an adorable little blond-haired girl comes running down the hall and right toward me.

   She pushes the screen door open with one of her cowgirl boots and steps out until she can keep it open with just her hip. With pigtails and dimples and big blue eyes, she just might be the cutest kid I’ve ever see in my life.

   Is this Rhett Jameson’s little sister?

   “Who are you?” she asks, ignoring any sort of greeting and getting straight to the point.

   I grin. “My name is Leah. What’s your name?”

   “Joey,” she answers, her small hands moving with her words. “Well, Josephine, but everyone calls me Joey.”

   “That’s a very pretty name.”

   “And you’re a very pretty lady,” she says, and her eyes move up and down my body, taking in my hair and my face and my dress and my shoes. “Maybe the prettiest lady I’ve ever seen. Are you in movies?”

   “No, I’m not in movies,” I answer on a soft laugh. “But you know what’s funny?”

   “What?”

   “You’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

   She giggles, and then her eyes get big. “Wait…oh my goodness! Are you here to teach me how to braid my hair?” Her button nose crinkles up in the most adorable way. “My granny told me she’d teach me how to do it, but I think she can’t remember, and is that why you’re here? Because you know how to do it?” she asks, and her short legs bounce up and down ever so slightly.

   “Uh…” I pause, completely entranced by this sweet little human, but also utterly confused. “Actually, sweetie, I’m not here to teach you how to braid your hair. I’m here—”

   “Aw, shucks.” She swishes one fist from her right hip to her left hip, and her tiny mouth points down at the corners.

   Immediately, I feel like the worst human being alive, and it takes everything inside me not to step inside the house and ask her to get me a hairbrush.

   But I rein in the emotion and offer up something I hope will soften her disappointment.

   “How about this? Since I’m going to be here for the summer, I’ll make sure someday very soon, I teach you how to braid your hair.”

   “Yeah?” Her big blue eyes light up like the sun. “Ya promise?”

   “I promise.”

   Truthfully, I’m just assuming this young girl lives here on this ranch, but I have no idea.

   I don’t know if she’s Tex’s daughter or someone else’s daughter. I don’t really know much of anything. Haven’t known much of anything since I told Frank Kaminsky I’d take this job.

   But so far, feeling out of the loop appears to be par for the course.

   The girl steps out of the house on her tiny cowgirl boots and wraps her arms around my waist. “I’m so excited, Leah!”

   I’m shocked at first by her instant affection, but it doesn’t take long before I’m putty in her teeny hands.

   “Me too, Joey.” A tickled laugh emerges from my lungs, and I pat her head tenderly.

   Eventually, she steps back and puts one hand to her hip. “So, if you’s supposed to be here all summer but it’s not just for my hair, why are you here?”

   “I was just about to ask the same thing, Joey.” A deep, raspy voice fills my ears, and that’s when I realize someone else has joined our conversation at the door.

   My eyes move up, up, up past Joey and land on a pair of perfectly worn-in jeans, over a shirtless and firm set of abs and an even firmer chest, and they don’t stop until they meet aqua-blue eyes that are pointed directly at me.

   Holy shit.

   This rugged, fine-as-hell specimen standing right behind Joey isn’t just any man; he’s the manliest man I’ve ever laid eyes on. His body is stretched tight with the kinds of firm muscles that do not come from protein shakes and a gym membership to LA Fitness. No. These are real muscles, made from hard, sweaty work on a big-ass ranch like this.

   If you typed the words “hot cowboy” into Google, I’m pretty sure this guy would be the number one search result.

   And he looks so damn strong, so physically capable of anything, I honestly think he could lift a car just for the fun of it.

   With brownish-red hair that looks almost gold in the sunlight, a sharp jaw that’s peppered with some scruff, and full lips that are set in a firm line, I can’t help but wonder who is this guy?

   Rhett Jameson’s…older brother? His uncle?

   Some kind of familial male figure?

   He clears his throat, and that’s when I realize just how long I’ve been standing here staring at this slightly irritated, but also handsome-looking, cowboy like a moron.

Uh…hello? Earth to Leah? Now would be a really great time to remember how to speak…

About Max Monroe
A duo of romance authors team up under the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you sexy, laugh-out-loud reads.

Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of more than ten contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.

Connect with Max Monroe
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Website: https://www.authormaxmonroe.com/

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

Oh, how I’d been waiting for more of Anderson and Nora’s story after T.K. Leigh’s first book of the duet, Royal Games. The way that Anderson and Nora fell for each other in that back, battling against their feelings to hold the other back from the pain of their life, grabbed my heart and made me almost rabid for more of their story. In Tangled Games, Anderson and Nora are engaged and off to Belmont for Anderson to fulfill his royal obligation. From the outset of the story, it’s clear that Anderson is worried over Nora’s willingness to sacrifice her life and anonymity for him. Add to that his medical condition, and there is tension in this story almost from the start. In some ways, Tangled Games reminds me of The Princess Diaries with Nora undergoing training for her new life, and in other ways, it reminds me of the Julia Stiles’s movie, The Prince and Me. All of the qualities of those movies are found in this book except that in one of those texts, there is no prince and in the other, the Prince is a secondary character to the heroine. In Tangled Games, Nora and Anderson are both important as they navigate their own issues. 

Obviously, Nora must learn to negotiate this new world, and honestly, she does it with aplomb. I love that Leigh didn’t make Nora less than herself to fit into Anderson’s world. When challenged, she stands in her power, and she works to maintain her dignity in the face of the difficulties of this world. She continues to nurture, she continues to maintain a semblance of independence, and she remains beautiful to the core. Nora is my favorite character in Tangled Games because she is the definition of unconditional love which is a contrast to her characterization in Royal Games. It’s clear that the love of Anderson has deepened something in her. 

Anderson continues to be his usual stalwart self except his challenge lies in confronting the rules of his kingdom along with the difficulties of his illness. As he juggles these problems, he still madly loves Nora, which provides the ease of Tangled Games. Without that decided adoration, this book would a difficult pill to swallow in its angst. 

However, at its foundation, what makes this book its most beautiful is the love of the female friends. Even as you venture into the bonus epilogue for Tangled Games, Leigh has stayed true the gravity of the friend relationship between Nora, Chloe. Izzy, and Evie. That layer adds more protection for the reader to endure the tangle of Anderson and Nora’s story. 

If I had one criticism, it would be, that in the midst of their troubles, Anderson’s response to his child, doesn’t align with his character. As we find in so many romances, the hero and heroine split up for a time as a rallying cry to find a solution or a better ending for the couple. In this book, his response to her carrying his child in their separation feels contradictory to his morality in a way. It’s really quite minor and does nothing to undermine the beauty and decadence of their story. 

In the end, Tangled Games is the royal romance you should be reading today. Right now. I think Harry and Meghan would approve.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This review is a difficult one for me to write because the story, Friendzoned by Rachel Blaufeld, is a story in the Busy Bean arm of the World of True North series. Thus far, whether it’s Moo U or Vino & Veritas or Busy Bean, I’ve enjoyed the stories of the authors who have deigned to write romances in this world. I can’t imagine it’s easy creating characters and their stories in a world made popular by a superstar author such as Sarina Bowen. It’s why I sign up for each ARC because I love the geographical area, the anchor characters such as the Shipleys, Audrey, Zara, Roderick, etc., and the tropes and sub-genres of these books are so enticing. All of these conspire to have me reading several books a week in this world. 

But it’s difficult when you feel underwhelmed by a story. I’ll be honest. There has only been one or two that have left me this way, but Blaufeld’s Friendzoned tops that list. 

Here’s the thing. There is so much well-meaning behind this story, and in our world today, her story feels important. As is the case with most of the books of this series, there is an underlying message that lends gravity to these stories that feel sweet to their very foundation. With Blaufeld’s hero, Ben, and her heroine, Murphy, we encounter discussions about socioeconomic strata and parity and the issues with coming from two very opposite sides of it. In Friendzoned, Ben was a scholarshipped football player at a private elite boarding school, and Murphy was the progeny of a couple of one-percenters. Throughout high school, in private, they relied on each other, but in public, people would be hardpressed to call them friends. This left one with feelings of resentment and the other with feelings of guilt. Several years later, Murphy has fled New York City at her parents’ prodding after a scandal, and she’s trying to make it on her own without the resources of her family. While difficult, given that she doesn’t have the skillset for the Busy Bean, each day she undertakes to get better. She is also trying to figure out who she is and what she wants from life so that she can be a better version of herself. One day, Ben comes to the Busy Bean, a far cry from his former self. A doctor who has gained affluence, he is the polar opposite of his boarding school self; however, Ben still struggles with his past and Murphy’s treatment of him. Yet, there has always been an attraction between Ben and Murphy even when they were younger and her parents wouldn’t approve. As Ben and Murphy struggle with their attraction and their present set of circumstances, they must battle for a future. Will they find one, or are they destined for the “friend zone” in perpetuity?

The strengths of Blaufeld’s story are Murphy’s journey towards living an authentic life and their eventual coupling. I’m a huge fan of makeover stories where a character redefines themself into a better version. All of that is here as Murphy comes to find what she loves about herself and life. Additionally, about two-thirds of the way through their story, you actually start to really enjoy Murphy and Ben’s relationship. There is a complication between them towards the end that is frustrating; I don’t think Blaufeld writes it well so its believability is undermined, but overall, Ben and Murphy’s struggles guide them to a beautiful happy ending that makes the entire story.

The issues I have with this book are its consistency and believability. From start to finish, there are issues with consistency in the characterization of Ben and Murphy. I found myself saying “this doesn’t make sense” quite a bit as I slogged through their journey. I’m not sure that I really liked them until their epilogue. One minute, Ben is reminded of how much he likes her, and the next, he can’t. His character progresses in that way for a large portion of the story. And Murphy mimics that as well. One minute, they seem like they are moving forward, and then Blaufeld interrupts their progression for story angles that aren’t necessary. I found my head spinning keeping track of their feelings. I simply wanted to like them more, trust in their attraction to each other, and believe that they could move forward. For much of the story, I didn’t feel that way which disappointed me because I want to like all of these stories. 

Why should you read this book? You will encounter the Busy Bean crew, Zara figures pretty heavily into Ben and Murphy’s burgeoning relationship. You are also offered more of Hunnie and Gigi from Claire Hastings’s Cakewalk. Honestly, I left this book praying that Hunnie will have a story. If that is enough for you to find your way to the Busy Bean world, then you should grab Friendzoned.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Is it a mistake? Yes.
Do I regret it? Maybe.

Falling for You, an all-new friends-to-lovers romance that delivers all-the-feels from Stacy Travis is available now!

Read my review HERE.

When brilliant, logical Owen Miller walks into my bakery and witnesses the worst break-up in the history of public, mortifying break-ups, I can only think of one thing to do… so I kiss him.

Is it a mistake? Yes.
Do I regret it? Maybe.

Friends aren’t supposed to kiss—or have red-hot moments next to the bread oven. And respected bakers with designs on a San Francisco bread empire aren’t supposed to manhandle their customers.

It’s a rebound, pure and simple. We both admit it. I don’t have time for anything more, especially when I’m on the cusp of achieving my dream—expanding my business into hand-picked, perfect locations.

But Owen is a savvy hotel owner who knows a thing or two about business. So when location scouting leads to wine tasting, long leisurely drives, and a hands-on meeting in a wine cave, I decide mixing business and pleasure with the smoking-hot charmer might be the best of both worlds.

Until an anonymous competitor seems determined to sink everything I’ve put my heart and soul into. Maybe it’s time to end our friends with benefits arrangement before I lose everything.

But what if losing Owen is losing everything? What if I’m falling for my rebound guy?

Fall in Love Today!
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Excerpt

“So . . . I’m going to hope the third ask is the charm here. Can I buy you some dinner? Or even a snack? There’s a CVS down the block. How about a Twix bar? Lays chips?”
It was like he was speaking a foreign language. After getting used to Tom’s big fancy dinner invitations to private tastings at Michelin-starred restaurants, I’d forgotten what it felt like when someone suggested grabbing food because it was dinnertime and I might be hungry.
“Yes,” I said, nodding at him, still a bit dazed. “Yes, okay. Except for Lays. I don’t like them. I need a thicker chip, like kettle baked or Ruffles.”
He nodded slowly. “Noted.”
“And I like sour gummy worms, not that you asked.”
I knew I sounded like a loon, but it felt important that he knew I wasn’t going to be satisfied with any old snack.
There were standards.
Plus, he’d thrown me off and I was having trouble recovering.
The one thing I knew for sure was I wanted to get out of the bakery and have dinner with him. It didn’t matter if he wanted to go to KFC or make me a peanut butter sandwich on the hood of his car. I was hungry.
We were standing in the middle of the bakery floor with the only light coming from the Edison bulbs hanging from two industrial chandeliers overhead. The night beyond him outside the door to the shop was dusky and I could hear the occasional voices of people walking past on the sidewalk.
Watching me with his placid blue eyes, he waited for me to work out the questions that were still coursing through my brain. He seemed unhurried and I wasn’t used to people like that in my life. My sisters were all crazy and my best hires tended to sprint around like caffeinated bunnies.
I had so many questions, namely why he, of all people, had chosen to show up here.
“I’m just…” I didn’t know what.
He waited patiently to find out.
My bakers had watched my meltdown after seeing the pictures of Tom and none of them had asked me to dinner. They’d taken off as soon as their shifts were over, mostly without saying goodbye as though they didn’t want to disturb the crazy person who might bite their heads off or cry. For the record, I was planning to do neither.
I’d called my middle sister, Becca, and the next-youngest sister, Cherry, and vented at them for twenty minutes apiece, but they hadn’t shown up to make sure I remained well-fed.
So what’s with this guy?
Maybe it was gratitude mixed with curiosity or maybe it was that I’d just noticed his lips looked particularly pink and plush, but I reached for his face and ran my fingertips over his cheek and over to his lips, which were just as soft as they looked.
His eyes clouded a little when I touched him and he stood frozen, as if waiting to see what else the crazy baker lady planned to do.
What I planned to do was kiss him.

About Stacy Travis

It’s a rough world out there, and we all sometimes need a good, romantic beach read, even if we can’t make it to the beach. I’ve spent many lazy days walking the streets of Paris and other gorgeous European cities, and if I’m doing it right, I’m bringing you a dash of romance and a vacay fantasy.
I can’t sit still, so when I’m not hiking, biking or running, I’m playing a very average game of tennis. Background music for writing undoubtedly features some U2, Lizzo, Billy Joel, Pink, Taylor Swift, and Led Zeppelin. Not necessarily in that order. And if I could only eat one food group, it would be cheese. Or wine. Or bread. Are those food groups? Whatever.

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FRIENDZONED BY RACHEL BLAUFELD

Release Date: May 24, 2021

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Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Blurb:

When Murphy Landon, the New York socialite, runs off to Vermont with her bruised reputation and stylish wardrobe in the trunk of a used car, it’s the first time in her life she’s dared to turn her back on her high-society parents. 

Used to grabbing a gourmet coffee whenever the urge strikes, Murphy finds herself on the other side of the counter, fumbling strangers’ orders…until a sinfully handsome thirty-three-year-old version of Ben Rooney from high school walks in.

The pair met years ago at a prestigious boarding school and became friends, but only behind closed doors. She’d been a spoiled brat, and he was a football player on scholarship. Ben tried to hide his crush on her, and Murphy set firm boundaries. After a prom night gone wrong, they’d gone their separate ways.

Now their circumstances are reversed. Ben is a successful surgeon. He’s come a long way from his parents’ humble maple syrup business. And Murphy is pouring his coffee? Is this a joke?

His first thought is that she should drive her gorgeous self right back to New York, where she can’t possibly break his heart. His second one is deep concern. His third thought is he wants a do-over of prom night. A very adult one… 

With plenty of secrets between them, copious pure maple syrup, Ben and Murphy are in for a wild and sticky ride.

EXCERPT:

My head felt congested like when spring allergies first come on. A dull ache throbbed in my forehead and ears, the kind of ache that lingered. I wondered why Ben was here in Colebury—at least a half hour from Montpelier—while his blue eyes urgently bore into me, trying to tell me something telepathically. Maybe he simply wanted me to leave him alone.

“Um, my Americano?”

My cheeks burst into flames. “Right. I’m on it.”

Forcing myself to look down at the counter, I made the drink. At least this wasn’t an order I could mess up. My thoughts, typically a jumbled mess of espresso drink recipes, was now swirling with memories of Ben then compared to the reality of Ben now . . . this new version of him.

When I handed him the reusable mug, he tightened the cap and said, “Thanks. You didn’t try to poison me, did you?”

Swallowing my pride, I shook my head. “Of course not. I would never. Plus, Zara wouldn’t be too happy with that. She’s a good one,” I said, the last part a whisper. She’d given me a chance, after all.

“At one time, you did try.” He raised a brow, alluding to the badly spiked punch at Burnett’s after-prom party.

I’d felt compelled to go to that stupid party, determined to show my ex what a good time I was having with Ben. Except, poor Ben got sick and spent the evening puking, and I was at a loss about what to do with him. I’d never been very good at putting anyone else first. After all, I’d never had to.

Ben took a long sip of his coffee, mesmerizing me with the bob of his Adam’s apple. He cleared his throat, drawing my attention away from his corded neck. “Not bad.”

Take that, Little Miss Perfect.

“Wow. Murphy Landon. In the Busy Bean. On the opposite side of the counter than I bet you’re used to being, huh? Tell you the truth, I’d never thought I’d see the day. You doing this,” he waved his hand at the counter, “right here in Vermont.”

He stared at me with equal parts fascination and contempt, probably because I let him get rip-roaring drunk and make a fool of himself way back when.

“It’s an honest job,” I said, “and I happen to need it. Anyway, I thought you were in a hurry, but now you have time to make fun of me?”

I frowned at him, feeling the need to defend myself when I didn’t owe Ben a single thing. After all, I’d come to believe that he hadn’t always been honest with me. Not to mention, Ben was just as guilty about lumping me into stereotypes as I had done with him. Right?

“Oh, I’m sure you need this gig. Like you needed good grades in high school, as if you weren’t going to get into the Ivy League from Pressman. Aw, sorry.”

He ran his free hand through his hair. It happened to be his left, and I made the mistake of noting he wasn’t wearing a wedding band.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” he said. “This is such a shock, seeing you here, and I’m not handling it well. You look good, Murph. Nice to see you. Honestly. I mean it,” he said, holding a hand up as if he were swearing to it.

Friends becoming lovers should be the easiest thing in the world. Right?

Heavy Petting, an all-new sexy and sweet romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas is available now!

He’s her best friend.
A reformed bad boy turned hot teacher.
And after one spur-of-the-moment Vegas wedding… her husband.

Jordan Benoit and Fletcher Landry have been best friends since they were six. He’s always been The Guy. When she needed picked up, cheered up, or lifted up–like literally, to see the stage at a concert–Fletcher was the guy.

So when her boyfriend dumps her–on national TV–Fletcher immediately gets on a plane and comes to her rescue.

And when she ends up in a Vegas wedding chapel and needs someone to say, “I do”…yep, Fletcher’s the guy. Of course.

But being The Guy 24/7 is a lot. He just wants everyone to give him a freaking minute to get this marriage thing right. Including his sexy, sweet new wife who he’s wanted for three years. Who is exasperatingly, temptingly all-in from minute one.

Jordan knows what she wants. A life in her hometown. A job with alpacas. And Fletcher. Not necessarily in that order.

They’ve said the vows. They’d told the world. They’ve told their grandmas. Forget taking things slow. Forget just heavy petting. Forget any chance of backing out when things get tough. They’re going to have to go all the way, in every way.

After all, friends becoming lovers should be the easiest thing in the world. Right?

Experience all the feels today!
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About Erin Nicholas

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).

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