Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I should encourage you to read Louise Bay’s newest romance, Mr. Smithfield because its central message is one that seems relevant and necessary for our world today: that life is best lived when we accept that the good times in life are made better through our trials. 

You should read it because her hero, Gabriel’s message about wanting to correct the wrongs of his upbringing through a carefully constructed life that doesn’t quite match reality is a profound idea. 

You should also read it because her heroine, Autumn’s journey entails expecting the worst from life and being surprised when she finds the blessings of it. 

I should also say that Bay’s intricate weaving of the rain with the sunshine metaphor throughout her story manifests her overall message beautifully, reminding you that she is an expert storyteller who keenly attaches her story to your feelings. 

I should also recommend you read Mr. Smithfield because Bay writes some steamy romance in general, but add in an older, broody hero and a younger, insightful heroine together, and you’ll find some explosive chemistry as Gabriel and Autumn fight their attraction before falling prey to its hold. 

I should be telling you that you should read this book because the coven of male friends (coined by Beck’s wife, Stella) provides the backbone of Mr. Smithfield and its predecessors. As they jibe and joke with each other, they also provide each other with the seminal wisdom that allows them to fall deeply in love with their heroines. I adore Tristan, Joshua, Andrew, Beck, Gabriel, and Dex together. Through three books, I’ve loved the community of these men as they encourage and support each other through their work and romantic challenges. Bay also allows their group to be the levity of her stories.

But, honestly, beyond the romantic journey of Gabriel and Autumn, which is quite lovely, what I loved the most, what attached itself distinctly to me as I read Mr. Smithfield, is my craving for travel. It’s such a small portion of Autumn’s story, but this book makes me want to travel again. Having traveled to Europe for the first time two summers ago, on reading this book, I found myself back in London, back in Paris, back in Rome, and I missed it deeply. Feeling those feelings along with the developed attachment to Gabriel and Autumn’s story made this book of the three my favorite. That nostalgia coupled with the spirit of Bay’s hero and heroine reminds you why you can’t help but read her stories. 

Every time I think she can’t outdo herself, Louise Bay does it every time. Mr. Smithfield is another example of why you should have read her booklist, joined her Facebook group, and downloaded Mr. Smithfield today. Gabriel and Autumn’s journey is a special one because it’s a reminder that the trials of today will only make the sun shine brighter tomorrow. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the cuteness that are these teasers for Staci Hart’s upcoming release, Friends With Benedicts?! I cannot WAIT to read this one! Pre-order your copy today.

Amazon | AppleBooks | Kobo | B&N

Timing is everything.

Presley Hale and Sebastian Vargas are no strangers to goodbye. Their high school summers were spent wrapped up in each other until she would inevitably go home to California. One season after college, Sebastian finally escaped the little Texas town to travel the world, and they said goodbye for what they thought might be the last time.

Sebastian went one way. Presley went the other.

For the first time in five years, they’re both in town, but the timing is no better than ever. So the only thing to do is what they do best. Keep it casual.

Friends with benefits.

They’ve done it before—doing it again will be easy.

But their hearts don’t get the memo.

When the lines of their arrangement blur, Presley and Sebastian are faced with decisions they’ve avoided for years. And that’s not even their biggest problem.

A small town in danger of failing.

A secret that could tear them apart.

And two hearts that can’t hide anymore.

They’ve shared so many summers, but none compare to what they’ll face.

Timing is everything.

And their time is almost up.

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life — a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, sleeping, gaming, or designing graphics.

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Sarina Bowen’s next Brooklyn Bruisers story is LIVE. Bombshells is available now.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣’𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚! 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘽𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙡𝙮𝙣 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝘽𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢…

This is my last chance to ditch my playboy reputation and finally fulfill my potential. So I’ve made three rules for our biggest season yet: no boozing, no women, and no scandals.

Especially that last thing.

So who do I befriend on the very first day back at the rink? An amazing female hockey player. I want Sylvie in a way that’s more than just friendly. I crave her. But I have a championship to win, and so does she.

Then she gets her heart broken by my teammate, and I make the foolish mistake of comforting her in the best way I know how. Our night together sets off a string of sins.

Nobody can know about our affair, especially my overprotective teammate. I can’t let anyone see into my greedy little heart. Not even her.

The things I want from her, and the things we’ve already done? If anyone knew, there’d be bombshells.

Download your copy here.

Amazon: https://geni.us/Amazon-bombshells
Apple: https://geni.us/Apple-bombshells
Kobo: https://geni.us/Kobo-bombshells
Nook: https://geni.us/Nook-bombshells
Google: https://geni.us/Google-Bombshells
Audio: https://geni.us/Audible-Bombshells

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56891197-bombshells

About Sarina Bowen:

Sarina Bowen is the award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary novels. She has hit the USA Today bestseller’s list sixteen times and counting. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire.

Sarina’s books are published in a dozen languages on four continents.

MR. SMITHFIELD by Louise Bay

Release Date: April 13th

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57297088-mr-smithfield

AVAILABLE NOW!!

Amazon US – https://geni.us/B4kKHeA

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XW6B4BY

Amazon CA – https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08XW6B4BY

Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.ca/dp/B08XW6B4BY

Apple – https://geni.us/m6WQ9jM

Google Play – http://bit.ly/MrSmithfieldGooglePlay

Kobo – http://bit.ly/MrSmithfieldKobo

Nook – https://bit.ly/397NRU2

Paperback: https://amzn.to/3sJjsTu

Blurb:

Wanted: American nanny for an adorable four-year old. Must be able to handle a moody, brooding, sexy British boss.

I’m a single father, a lawyer and some say the most serious man in London. I’m completely focused on raising my four-year-old daughter.

Since my wife walked out three years ago, the only woman who has ever caught my eye is the strictly off-limits sister-in-law of my best friend, Autumn Lumen.

But temptation is easy to resist because Autumn is only visiting London from Oregon.

Until she moves to London. The nanny quits. And she’s the only woman for the job.

Mr. Smithfield is a stand-alone romance.

About the Author:

USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes sexy, contemporary romance novels – the kind she likes to read.

Ruined by bonk-busters and sexy mini-series of the eighties Louise loves all things sexy and romantic. There’s not enough of it in real life so she disappears into the fictional worlds in books and films.

Louise loves the rain, the West Wing, London, days when she doesn’t have to wear make-up, being on her own, being with friends, elephants and champagne.

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Connect w/Louise:

Website: https://louisebay.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlouisebay

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/louisesbay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louiseSbay

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VSsbDb

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8056592.Louise_Bay

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/louise-bay

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Ryan brings you Every Time I Fall, a sexy standalone romance about a woman learning to love herself and the guy who’s loved her all along.

He’s my brother’s best friend.

The hot guy with the heart of gold I’ve never let myself want.

Guys like Dean don’t go for girls like me.

Curvy. Thick. A big girl. Whatever label you put on it, I know who I am and what it means. And that’s fine. I’m content to be Dean’s buddy and nothing more.

Or so I thought. When Dean finds out about my bedroom issues and decides to help me fix them, everything changes.
He swears there’s no such thing as “bad in bed” and pleasure is all about chemistry. I’m not convinced, but he intends to prove it. With his mouth. With his body. With his dirty texts and whispered promises.

I know from the first kiss that I’m going to fall hard. That this can’t last, and the end might break me. But, for these days with Dean, all the hurt might be worth it.

  Download today!

Amazon: http://mybook.to/EveryTimeIFall

Apple Books: http://bit.ly/ETIFApple 

Nook: http://bit.ly/ETIFNook 

Kobo: http://bit.ly/ETIFKobo

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3lXlLQs

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/ETIFGoodreads

Meet Lexi

Lexi Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of emotional romance that sizzles and the 2018 winner of the Romance Writers of America® RITA®  award for Best Long Contemporary Romance. She considers herself the luckiest girl around to make a living through storytelling. She loves spending time with her kids, weightlifting, ice cream, swoony heroes, and vodka martinis.

Lexi lives in Indiana with her husband, two children, and a spoiled dog.

Connect with Lexi

Website | http://www.lexiryan.com/

Goodreads | http://bit.ly/LexiRyanGR

Amazon | http://amzn.to/2bIYjGa

Facebook | http://bit.ly/LexiRyanFB

Facebook Group | https://bit.ly/3jm8Jtz

Instagram | http://bit.ly/LexiRyanIG

Twitter | http://bit.ly/LexiRyanTW

Bookbub | http://bit.ly/LexiRyanBB

Book+Main | https://bit.ly/3jEhwbh

Newsletter |https://bit.ly/31wJhvq

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

Can people change? Are we a sum total of our past experiences or can we be new creations? Amy Daws’s newest book, Replay, explores that idea through the journey of her characters, Santino and Tilly. If you read Daws’s Blindsided, then you know going into Replay that Santino and Tilly have a past, one that Tilly’s brother, Mac, has limited knowledge of. Therefore, before entering Replay, there is an understanding that we don’t know all of the details of their past. 

What we find are two characters, who five years prior, were living different lifestyles. Santino was avoiding relationships and Tilly was a “good time girl.” Until she wasn’t. It is there where the details are vague for the first third of the story. It is now five years later, and Tilly has left her family home and returned to London to help her pregnant sister-in-law’s pet line come to life. One night, she attends a gala with her brother, and she encounters Santino. From their meeting, it’s clear that their attraction is the same as it was years prior. As the story progresses, Santino and Tilly must learn to forgive themselves for past choices, decide if they can accept the new versions of themselves, and determine if they have a future. 

At its core, Replay is about control, the want for both Santino and Tilly to control their lives in ways that actually cause them to live restrictive rather than abundant lives. As Daws carefully takes us through their journey, you need to almost sing “Let It Go” as you watch them fight to accept love and forgo controlling feelings to a detriment. This is also what causes the tension of this story. Tilly, trying to control her actions because in the past they lead to devastating consequences, doesn’t allow her to become vulnerable with Santino. Likewise, Santino has to trust Tilly with his past so as to draw them closer together. As these two tango their way through their romantic journey, you experience incredible, $exy highs and emotional lows, and Daws’s story feels delectable in its design. 

Add to this the return of the Harris family and a bit of a bomb at Replay’s end. For anyone who has read Daws’s Harris Brothers Series, I think you’ll laugh out loud at their additions to this story. While Santino and Tilly work through the chaos of their burgeoning relationship, the Harris Family adds an outer ring of chaos that acts as a humorous buffer to Santino and Tilly’s fraught moments. 

Add to THAT…some serious steam. And let me just say. I’ve decided that any time an author wants to include a hero or heroine (but, for me, more specifically a hero) who can croon Italian to his heroine, just directly add that selection to my Kindle Library, please. Santino exudes that masculine, alpha, Italiano hero vibe throughout the story, and it counters nicely with Tilly’s insecurities. Honestly, when we find out Santino’s secret, it almost seems uncharacteristic of him to feel shame over it given Daws’s decided masculine drawing of him. However, it also lends itself to creating more sensitivity in his characterization. 

To be clear, I inhaled Amy Daws’s Replay. I had been waiting expectantly for this story because I love second chance romances, and Santino and Tilly needed a happy ending. Thankfully, Amy Daws created a story that leaves you their perfect happy ending. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

NOW LIVE!!!

Are you ready to return to Corinne Michaels’ Salvation series world?!?

THE SALVATION SOCIETY is a collection of books written by various authors, filled with Navy SEALs, strong heroines, CIA operatives, and so much more!!! Check out who is featured in the seventh set!!

ALL 5 BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AND FREE IN KU!

This set will feature:

Trap by Jennifer Rebecca

Exposed by Chiquita Dennie

Irreverent by Skye Callahan

Redemption by Laura Lee

Endurance by Alexandra Silva

Want to keep up with new books coming?

Sign up for the Live Alert ➜ geni.us/JoinSSociety

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Trap by Jennifer Rebecca

Featuring Jackson

Genre/Trope: Romantic Suspense

NOW AVAILABLE! FREE IN KU!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3s9KDWF

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3wBEiqy

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3t5nM03

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3wFSvml

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53460630-trap

Salvation Society Author Page: https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/jennifer-rebecca/

BLURB

My life is all about calculated risks, when to push the throttle and when to ease back so when I meet Kyle Garret one night in a bar near Miramar, I let him win me over with his charming wit and enigmatic smile even though my gut tells me that I’m headed for a crash…

Exposed by Chiquita Dennie

Featuring multiple heroes

Genre/Trope: Romantic Suspense/Enemies to lovers/bodyguard romance/Mature Adult Warning

NOW AVAILABLE! FREE IN KU!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3myD4Yq

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3uE8vU4

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3t7j15V

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3d5sa9O

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50491646-exposed

Salvation Society Author Page: https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/chiquita-dennie/

BLURB

Lauren is laser-focused on her budding career. After a devastating breakup, she’s ready to take the cosmetics industry by storm as the new social media influencer for Raven Cosmetic’s. Exactly the brand she needs to elevate her career. What she doesn’t expect is what fame and notoriety will do to her life, and more importantly, the danger that comes with it.

Irreverent by Skye Callahan

Featuring Ben and Gretchen

Genre/Trope: Romantic Suspense

NOW AVAILABLE! FREE IN KU!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3d36g6J

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3dTbmBI

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/323LNbI

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3dOqQqH

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53492340-irreverent

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/skye-callahan/

BLURB

I came on vacation to reclaim my independence, not to end up with another man, but the universe had other plans when it put an ex-Navy SEAL in the condo next door.

The moment Riker walks up, I sense something familiar about him.

I try to keep my distance, knowing that anything that comes of it will be temporary.

But it seems the harder I try, the more everything goes wrong, and I find myself relying on him more and more.

At the end of the week, we’ll be separated by hundreds of miles. Will our brief encounter flourish into something that can bring us together again?

Or will it fade into memory?

Redemption by Laura Lee

Featuring Ben and Gretchen

Genre/Trope: Second Chance Romance/Mature Audience

NOW AVAILABLE! FREE IN KU!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3t4aUag

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/322bVDS

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3dOsd95

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/3d6gjIc

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53492329-redemption

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/laura-lee/

BLURB

USA Today Bestselling author, Laura Lee, brings you a standalone story about love, loss, and second chances, set in Corinne Michaels’ Salvation Society world.

I fell in love with Beckett Armstrong before either one of us knew what that meant. He was my first kiss. My first love.

My entire world.

We promised each other forever, and we meant it wholeheartedly. But unfortunately, when tragedy struck, love wasn’t nearly enough to save us.

Little did we know… it would only get worse from there.

Twelve years later, Beckett and I wear our scars like finely crafted armor. We’ve been in survival mode for so long, we’ve forgotten how to live. After everything we’ve endured, can we move beyond the pain to forge a future together?

Or are we destined to repeat the mistakes of our past?

*REDEMPTION contains graphic scenes that some readers may find triggering.

Endurance by Alexandra Silva

Featuring Mark and Charlie

Genre/Trope: Romantic Suspense

NOW AVAILABLE! FREE IN KU!

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/39XkLqZ

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/31Y4qhg

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3mxv8XD

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/39Y903y

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53465249-endurance

Salvation Society Author Page:

https://www.thesalvationsociety.com/books/author/alexandra-silva/

BLURB

The moment I saw her,

I knew she was everything.

Everything I searched for in all the wrong places.

Everything I wanted from all the wrong people.

She’s everything I need at the worst time.

But nothing I deserve.

Avery is unlike any woman I’ve ever known—sweet, smart, strong and haunted.

I know I should keep my distance, but life put her in my path for a reason that I can’t ignore.

It doesn’t matter how dangerous it gets.

How many blows threaten to shatter the ground we stand on.

I’ll endure whatever it takes—sacrifice everything, including my last breath—to protect her and her little girl from the past she’s fighting to escape.

Even if it means facing my own…

Because in the end, all that matters is that they’re mine.

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

So I think my favorite part of Winter Renshaw’s romances is her ability to draw heroes who, at first glance, are so internal and cut off from the norm of society that you both love and hate them in equal measure. Take The Match, her most recent story. In The Match, at the outset of the story, Fabian, a world-class professional tennis player, is decidedly egotistical. His life obviously revolves around him, and he isn’t considerate in his treatment of his coach, his assistant, and anyone in his sphere. Enter Rossi, the heroine of The Match. Rossi is independent, intelligent, and driven, and she takes her role as a mother seriously. On meeting her, you, the reader, know that she will bring Fabian to his knees, helping him find a side of himself that he has never really considered. Over and over again, Winter Renshaw crafts these heroes and heroines, and it never gets old. 

She’s smart in framing it through different contexts. For example, in The Match, Fabian is Rossi’s unwitting sperm donor. Wanting a child, Rossi decides to be artificially inseminated, and it’s Fabian’s sample that allows her to get pregnant. When an accidental letter is mailed to her six months after her daughter’s birth, she is confronted with including him in her daughter’s life. The context of this story allows Fabian to meet Rossi and decide if he wants more in his life. And that leads us beautifully to Renshaw’s message: that an abundant life isn’t one lived with everything money can buy; it’s found in relationships. Rossi challenges Fabian to live a BETTER life than he lived before.

Now, that isn’t necessarily a new romance message. It’s actually one that we read over and over again because romance is ultimately about relationships, but Renshaw’s story feels fresh. Even though she relies on her typical unapproachable hero who is challenged by a heroine who is insightful and independent, she keeps the genre and its tropes fresh. Fabian and Rossi have chemistry from their meeting, and the challenges that Renshaw crafts in the wake of their journey invest you emotionally into her characters. Together, Fabian and Rossi’s chemistry is steamy, and their story pulls you in until the last page. 

If you love the idea of a sperm donor falling in love with its recipient, then you will ADORE Winter Renshaw’s The Match. Rossi and Fabian are THE MATCH you’ll want to read today. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

In a word, Ava Ryan’s newest book, the second book of her Manhattan Billionaires series, His Forbidden Love, is long-suffering. Now, it would be simple to qualify this book with that word, but it would not do it justice. While her hero, Michael, and her heroine, Ally, are the epitome of slow-burn, their journey is one that I wish couples in real-life considered. The story begins with Michael, having returned to New York, going to a party where he hopes to run into Ally, a former intern under his instruction to who he had felt an attraction. Unfortunately, at the time, Michael was married, albeit it was an unhappy marriage. Four years later, he’s divorced and ready to investigate his attraction to and feelings for Ally, only to be met with her boyfriend, Bruce. It is here where he can choose to leave her alone and let her live her life, but there is something about her that he cannot let go of. Instead, he offers to hire her into his new practice for her fellowship. Faced with Michael, Ally begins to question her relationship with Bruce. She is once again drawn to Michael, and she, along with Michael, fights their feelings for each other. Until they simply cannot. 

I think the reason I love Ryan’s His Forbidden Love is she makes Michael and Ally wait for each other. Michael does not cheat, and he does not readily leave his wife even though he knows there is something possibly more with Ally. Instead, he is fairly cruel to Ally denying any feeling, wanting to put all of his effort into his marriage. Similarly, even though Ally is drawn to Michael when she sees him again in New York, she too does not readily leave her boyfriend. Instead, Ryan crafts her to work through her relationship until she can no longer deny her feelings. It is then when Ally must make a decision. She never acts upon her feelings until she is free. It’s this aspect of the story that holds integrity that we don’t find much anymore in our own society. Michael and Ally are a slow-burn, waiting for the moment when they are ready for each other. 

And, oftentimes, as is the case with a slow-burn romance, you find yourself frustrated with the “almost” of a relationship. His Forbidden Love doesn’t build that level of frustration. Ava Ryan has created a pace that feels reasonable for Michael and Ally. 

Unlike some of her other heroes, Michael is seemingly closed off while also open. He has a level of integrity that makes you appreciate him as a character. The character you commiserate over is Ally. While Michael can be open, he is known as the Sphinx, in that he can close off his feelings. Ally becomes the recipient of his unkindness and your heart breaks for her quite a bit in this story. 

This is fine, though, because the latter part of Ava Ryan’s story wastes no time in bringing Michael and Ally their happy ending. His Forbidden Love is currently my favorite story of Ava Ryan’s Manhattan Billionaire series. What’s not to love about some unrequited love and an eventual swoony ending. 

In love and romance,

Professor A