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Dewey Belong Together, an all-new enemies to lovers small-town romance from Ann Whynot, is available now in Kindle Unlimited! 

My review: ✍🏻 Professor Romance’s 4 1/2 ⭐️ Review: Ann Whynot’s Dewey Belong Together ✍🏻

Librarian Maxine Peters lives her life behind the scenes. By day, she’s a buttoned-up cataloguing whiz in the basement of the Green Valley Public Library. By night, she’s secretly dominating in an online role playing game as the legendary Maximus_Damage. Her in-game persona has the skills to back up the hype. But every hero has an enemy; every saga, a villain. And by her own invitation, Maximus’ arch nemesis, Wrath, has just landed in Green Valley.

Jonathan Owen is not at all who Maxine expects when she meets Wrath face to face. Eager to leave the past in the game, Jonathan takes this golden opportunity to win Maxine’s heart. There’s just one wrench in that plan: he may have, on a few occasions, acted like a bit of a jerk online. And to his puzzlement, she has taken their fun rivalry to the level of epic dislike.

When Jonathan and Maxine are unexpectedly alone for a weekend, secrets are revealed that make love hard and hatred even harder. Jonathan quickly learns fighting his own demons will take more than one elite gamer. And Maxine, who is busy rebooting her life in Green Valley, might not be up to the task.

When real life starts to override the game, can Maxine and Jonathan find a way to make it work? Or will it be game over for this player versus player adventure?

Dewey Belong Together’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #7 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Excerpt

After the group sang and twanged through a ton of damn fine bluegrass, the crowd began to thin a bit, and the banjo player declared the quartet was retiring for the evening. Max grabbed my arm and gracelessly hauled me through the audience toward the banjo player.

Our arms still linked, and with a megawatt smile on her face, she shouted, “Cletus! That was incredible tonight.”

“It was, man. You’ve got a great sound,” I offered.

Cletus looked from Max, to our joined arms, again at me, and then back at Max. I didn’t want to engage in stereotypical jealous guy behavior, but I did want to sniff out who this Cletus was to her. What had he done to earn her smiles and respect?

“Thank you,” he replied, then looked pointedly behind us. “Maxine, you seem to have misplaced the rest of your guests from your game. I suspect you noticed this, which is why you’re hanging onto this one so tightly.”

“Oh!” Max said in surprise and dropped my arm like it was a hot potato. I instantly disliked Cletus. “All the others couldn’t make it. Just him. Cletus, meet Wrath—er, Jonathan Owen from Florida. Jonathan, this is my friend Cletus Winston.”

         Not one to let my manners fail me when needed, I stuck out my hand and Cletus gave it a firm shake. “Jonathan Owen, would you happen to be the same gentleman who enjoys harrying Maxine at every available turn?”

         I spun to face Maxine. “You told people that about me? What else did you say, that I like to hunt people for sport?” I felt my face redden in embarrassment as I recalled the time I had also besmirched her good name to the other guild officers. I wasn’t sure what to do with the information that she was talking unfavorably about me to her friends. I felt like every time we made some progress and I got to show her more of who I really was, something popped up to remind me of her animosity.

“Wrath, calm down. Of course not. I was telling Cletus about the game, that’s all.”

“Oh, I see. That’s all,” I said sarcastically.

“It would seem to me,” Cletus said, inserting himself into our fight, “that you two need to have a tête-à-tête, but allow me to suggest not tonight. We’re fixing to take things back to my brother’s place up on Bandit Lake. Scarlet and Billy will be there singing, and I’ll have my banjo and a dulcimer. If you can sit in your own stew for the rest of the evening, you can imbibe and listen to more fine music.”

And with that, he packed up his banjo and gave Max a little salute as he left the room.

“So, feel like hitting up a party?” Max asked, almost cautiously.

I thought about it. I was mad as hell that not only did Max hate me, she had told her offline friends I was some kind of dastardly character. That being said, I didn’t want to piss her off by saying no when she probably wanted to go. Plan Seduction would suggest that I be pliable to her wishes, even if I thought she was a jerk at the moment. I hoped that this wasn’t some big rager we were headed to because being the only sober person at a party is about as much fun as watching paint dry, only the wall sometimes vomits and tries to get into your pants.

“Fine,” I answered. “Party it is, princess.” I couldn’t help poking the bear, just a little. Her eyes flashed fire, and I smiled, gesturing with my arm that she should lead the way.

About Ann Whynot

Ann Whynot has been writing stories since she was five, and always dreamed of one day being a published author. She is a voracious reader and book collector, and used book stores are her kryptonite. She also is passionate about video games, crafting, baking, laughing, and travel.

She lives with her family, dog, and two cats on the Canadian east coast, and is inspired by both the forest and sea.

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Eye Candy, an all-new opposites attract small-town romance from Jiffy Kate, is available now in Kindle Unlimited! 

My review: ✍🏻 Professor Romance’s 4 1/2 ⭐️ Review: Jiffy Kate’s Eye Candy ✍🏻

Vali Erickson is the classic middle child—misunderstood, underestimated, and overlooked. He’s fine with it. Really. The overlooked part is actually serving him well during this phase of life.

He’s in Green Valley in an effort to fly under the radar and regroup after a life-altering blow to his heart and ego. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to warm his bed until one throws him to the mat and rocks his world.

Margaret O’Neal is an only child who has led a sheltered life. She’s used to being a wallflower. Her ability to blend into the background is what allows her to maintain her anonymity as a gossip columnist for the Green Valley Ledger.

Since the Ericksons moved to town, she’s never felt more inspired, especially with the newest addition. Vali Erickson is the definition of eye candy—devastatingly handsome with muscles for days—giving her plenty to report about.

The more Maggie observes, the more she finds herself wanting things she’s only read about in romance novels.

Admiring Vali from afar is good enough for her until their paths cross and she finds herself trying to stay afloat in uncharted territory—no labels, no promises, and WAY out of her comfort zone.

Will this arrangement be what finally breaks her out of her shell, or will her heart be a casualty of the Viking Invasion?

‘Eye Candy’ is a full-length contemporary romance, and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Fighting For Love series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.

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Excerpt

Standing outside the Green Valley Community Center, I’m getting a little antsy waiting for Maggie. I really hate not picking her up at her house for a date, but she insists it’s better this way. I’ve told her I didn’t care if she lived on the outskirts of town or Timbuktu, I still wanted to pick her up but she just laughed and redirected our conversation.

I have a feeling she doesn’t want to formally introduce me to her parents as the man she’s dating, especially after my one and only visit to their feed store. I guess I understand. I didn’t really make the best first impression but that’s on me. How can I redeem myself if she refuses to introduce me to them?

Maybe I need a do-over visit to the store.

Before I can formulate a solid plan, my attention is pulled to the parking lot where I see Maggie walking toward me, looking sexy as fuck. I lean back against a column and enjoy watching her come to me. She’s so striking with how she carries herself and I don’t think she even knows it. Her height and voluptuous curves paired with her long, dark hair and wide smile command the attention of everyone around her.

And she’s mine.

For now, anyway.

When she’s close enough for me to touch, I slide my arm around her waist and pull her to me. Capturing her mouth with mine, I claim it, not able to hold back any longer. Even though we made out in the parking lot of Genie’s on Friday, it’s been too long since I’ve been able to see her… touch her… taste her.

I want her so fucking much. I want to learn her body and watch her fall apart over and over. I want her to explore my body and have her way with me, any way she wants. I want so much but realize now is not the time or place for my dick to be running the show, so I slowly and reluctantly pull away.

Maggie’s lips are swollen and her eyes are dazed as she looks at me and whispers, “Wow”.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful.” I kiss her forehead, allowing my lips to linger so I can have one last taste before we walk inside.

“Same to you.” She bites down on her bottom lip, fighting back a smile as she shakes her head. I’d give anything to know what she’s thinking and to replace her teeth with my own. Those luscious lips have made an appearance in every dream I’ve had for the past week.

And as much as I want to make her come again, it’s not going to happen in the parking lot of the community center. My instincts tell me Maggie’s a virgin. Even though I don’t have a lot of experience in that arena, I know one thing for sure, I want every orgasm I give Maggie to be better than the one before.

I want all her firsts to be worth the wait because she definitely is.

“So, tell me about the jam sessions. I hear they’re pretty famous,” I say as I grab her hand and lead her to the building’s entrance, needing to distract myself so I’m not sporting a semi as we walk into the community center.

“They’ve been happening for a few years now and they’re pretty fun. Typically, they’re held on Friday nights and people from all over come to enjoy good music and even better food. You like bar-b-que, right?”

I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “Woman, I am from Texas. Of course, I like bar-b-que.”

She laughs and squeezes my arm as we step inside, where we’re instantly greeted by a friendly welcoming committee. After we get the rundown on where to find the festivities, we make our way to where the food is and Maggie continues our conversation.

“I know you’re from Texas, which is why I asked. Texas bar-b-que is very different from Tennessee bar-b-que. Some even say your version isn’t bar-b-que at all.”

I jerk away from her in shock. “Them’s fightin’ words, Miss O’Neal,” I say, laying my Texas twang on thick. “Now, take me to this high-and-mighty food so I can judge for myself.”

Thirty minutes later, I’m slumped in my chair, fighting the urge to unbuckle my belt and jeans.

“So, what’s the verdict?”

Maggie’s expression is smug and I want to kiss it right off her face but I’m too full to move right now. So instead, I give her a shrug, trying to play it off. “It’s alright, I guess. If you like that kind of thing.”

Her laughter fills the room and I’m mesmerized. It’s quickly becoming my favorite sound, second only to the sounds of her orgasm. Shit, I cannot be thinking like that right now, when I’m too stuffed to try and hide a boner.

“One of these days, I’ll fix you some Texas bar-b-que,” I vow.

She scrunches up her nose, and while the look on her face is absolutely adorable, it’s not quite what I was hoping for. “You’ve had my cooking before. Do you doubt my skills?”

“It’s not that,” she starts. “It’s just that Texas bar-b-que is mainly smoked meat, not cooked over an open flame, and you put your sauce on the side!” Her hand covers her heart to illustrate the horror of her words.

“Listen, good meat is good meat, I don’t care where it’s from. But, it’s only fair that you try my meat since I just tried yours.”

The words are out of my mouth before I realize how they sound, and when I look at Maggie’s face to get her reaction, I’m pleased to see the same dazed look from earlier. She’s also blushing something fierce, which tells me she’s just as dirty minded as I am. Well, maybe not quite as much, but close.

“Hey,” I say to get her attention.

With flushed cheeks, she meets my eyes. “Yeah?”

“You gonna take me to one of the music rooms so I can finally dance with you?”

Her shoulders relax and she gives me one of her mega-watt smiles. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”

“Absolutely. Besides, I need to burn off some of this food.”

Maggie giggles and grabs my hand, pulling me out of my chair and leading me to the first music room we find. There are five or six musicians playing some good ol’ honky-tonk music, which is exactly what I need right now.

I twirl Maggie around before pulling her flush against my body. “Let’s dance.”

And, dance, we do. We two-step, we waltz, and we even jitterbug a couple of times before we’re worn out and need to take a break.

We leave the room and enter another with a band playing bluegrass music. I’m a little surprised to see both of my brothers, along with their significant others, on the dance floor. Bluegrass is not a genre of music we listened to much back home but it’s a slow song and I completely understand the draw of slow dancing with a woman. So much so, I grab Maggie’s hand and lead her onto the floor close to my siblings, so we can join in the fun, as well.

What a sight this must be, watching three big-ass dudes from Texas slow dancing to bluegrass music in a refurbished classroom.

“Oh, good, Cletus is playing. He’s so good on the banjo,” Maggie tells me.

“Who’s that?”

“You know Jenn from the bakery, right? Well, that’s her husband.” She uses her head to point in the direction of a man with wild hair, playing a banjo as if it’s the easiest thing to do. Not gonna lie, I’m kind of envious of his long beard. I’ve never been able to grow my beard out like that.

It doesn’t take long for me to get lost in the feel of Maggie in my arms again. She fits perfectly, her soft parts molding to my hard ones, and if it feels this good while we still have our clothes on, I can’t fucking wait to be this close to her while naked.

Maggie’s head is on my shoulder as we sway to the music, so she doesn’t see when Tempest waves at me. I look up at Tempest and watch as she mouths, “Have you asked about New Orleans.” Drawing my eyebrows together, I give a small shake of my head in reply. She’s obviously not happy with my answer because her eyes are now narrowed and her hands are on her hips.

Not wanting to get into it right now, I roll my eyes and sway our bodies so that my back is now facing Tempest. I’m sure I’ll pay for this tomorrow but I don’t care.

It’s not that I don’t want Maggie to go to New Orleans with us, with me, because I do. But I can’t help but wonder if it’s too soon for us. Of course, I wouldn’t have any expectations regarding the physical side of our relationship but it’d be our first weekend getaway as a couple, and to me, that’s a big deal. Road trips can either make or break a couple and the fact we’d also be with my family, as in my entire family… well, it kind of scares the shit out of me. I don’t want to pressure her or freak her out but, on the flip side, making that trip without her would fucking suck.

I will ask her, but not tonight.

Tonight, I just want to hold her in my arms for as long as she’ll let me.

About Jiffy Kate

Jiffy Kate is the joint pen name for Jiff Simpson and Jenny Kate Altman. They’re co-writing besties who share a brain. They also share a love of cute boys, stiff drinks, and fun times.

Together, they’ve written over twenty stories. Their first published book, Finding Focus, was released in November 2015. Since then, they’ve continued to write what they know–southern settings full of swoony heroes and strong heroines.

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Four Weddings And A Swamp Boat Tour, an all-new swoon-worthy Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild series standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas is available now!

Read my review HERE.

She’s been proposed to five times.

Five.

She even said yes to one of them.

And then broke his heart when she called it off. Not to mention her mother’s heart. And her grandmother’s. And his mother’s. And…you get the picture.

Paige Asher has now officially sworn off all dating. Diamonds give her hives.
All she wants is to be a yoga-doing, cat-collecting, vegetarian in peace. Away from her marriage-crazy family and all their expectations.

So when her weekend fling turns into a real friend and offers her a place to escape, she finds herself on his doorstep in Louisiana. And right in the middle of not just one family wedding, but three. Of course.

Charming, sexy bayou boy Mitch Landry gets stuff done. Whatever anyone needs. From alligator-sitting to getting a buddy drunk to showing a woman a good time to fixing a swamp boat, he’s the man. No problem. No drama.

But he wants a hell of a lot more from Paige than a temporary friends-with-benefits arrangement. He wants to take care of her. And her five cats. He also really wants other men to stop asking her to marry them.

But if a roommate and a few orgasms are all she wants, that’s what he’ll deliver.

He can just be her friend and not commit the greatest sin of all…asking her for forever.

Probably.

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Excerpt

“Goodnight, Paige,” he finally said.
“Goodnight, Mitch.”
They still just stood looking at each other.
“You need to go to your room,” he said, his voice a little tight.
“I will. You too.”
“Yeah, but—” He sighed. “You’re right by my door.”
She looked at the closed bedroom door again. And smiled. “I guess I am.”
She didn’t want to torture the guy. He was trying to be noble. Or something. But she wouldn’t deny that she liked that resisting her would be difficult.
“You need to move away from my bedroom door, Paige.” His voice was a little gruffer.
“You’re in my way of getting to my bedroom too,” she pointed out.
“But are you tempted to throw me over your shoulder and say to hell with all of your good intentions? Already? Within twenty minutes of deciding you even have good intentions?”
She laughed even as warmth filled her. Not just heat. Not lusty heat anyway. But a feel-good warmth that she didn’t quite understand. But she liked it. “Kind of.”
He swallowed hard. Then said, “Go to bed, Paige.”
She moved to the right, away from his door. As he came forward, she playfully pressed her back against the far wall.
He smiled, in spite of himself, and went to his bedroom door. He twisted the knob but paused and looked over at her.
She inched her way toward her bedroom, still against the wall. When she got to her door she reached for the knob and shot him a smile. “Goodnight, Mitch.”
“’Night.”
“And I’m just right here if you have any night time needs. Bad dreams.” She paused. “Good dreams.”
“Stop it.”
“Stop what? Just being a good friend.” She grinned.
“My dreams might include white dresses and tuxes,” he warned.
Again, no sense of oh shit. Instead she tipped her head. “You’re pretty good at bringing all of that up without asking the four-word question.”
He didn’t comment on that. “See you in the morning.”
“Okay.” She gave him another smile, then slipped into her room, feeling his eyes still on her until the door shut.
She slumped against it, pressing her hand to her stomach.
Dammit. She really liked him.
It was really too bad they weren’t going to kiss anymore.

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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Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

“This woman is my future. This woman is my home. This woman is my family.”

One of the reasons I’m drawn to L.B. Dunbar’s brand of romance is its insistence on focusing on a specific group within romance, namely the over 40 (or even late 30s) hero and heroine. In her newest book in the Sarina Bowen Busy Bean world, Dunbar reminds you why her stories are essential in romancelandia: they speak to love at any age. If you’ve read enough romances, you know that the average age for a hero and heroine is mid-to-late twenties with outliers in the young adult and early thirties categories. To date, I haven’t read another author who consistently crafts stories in an age-group to which I belong. In her insistence on this focus, Dunbar writes beautiful stories that show the challenges of this age-group while also titillating her reader much as any romance author might do. In Cowboy, her newest book, Dunbar points time and time again to the fissure between one’s sense of age and one’s actual age. Through her heroine, Scarlett, a forty-three-year-old woman, Dunbar reminds us that, while the experts tell us that forty is a beginning of sorts, a time when a woman finally comes into herself, society often denigrates this age, making women, specifically, feel like their lives are almost over. Dunbar weaves this idea through her story in such a way that it never undermines the romantic journey of her hero, Bull, and Scarlett. Instead, it sits in the back of your mind challenging you to consider your thinking on aging. 

In Cowboy, Bull and Scarlett meet at The Gin Mill, one of the locales brought to life in Sarina Bowen’s Truth North series. Scarlett has just left her husband and Bull has decided to forgo dating after much disappointment. When their eyes meet across the bar, however, these two are drawn to each other, and an initial introduction leads to a one-night stand. Thinking that they’ve gone their separate ways, the two run into each other again at the Busy Bean a couple of weeks later, Sarina Bowen’s local coffee shop and bakery, where they realize quickly two things: that they are still drawn to each other AND that Scarlett is pregnant. As the story progresses, Bull and Scarlett must determine their future amidst pitfalls. Will they find a happy ending?

There are several guarantees in a Dunbar romance: a happy ending, some steam, a sweet story that feels fully developed and paced evenly, and usually a hero who is forthright and honest, caring for his heroine, but jaded by his past. All of these qualities find purchase in her Cowboy. She takes you on an emotional journey that challenges your thinking about aging and love and labels. She entrusts your heart to her hero, Bull. Bull is a stalwart, kind, compassionate, protective hero. He has moments of weakness when he makes some decisions that separate him emotionally from Scarlett. However, Dunbar is so wise in developing the tension of their relationship that she never lets it go too far. Instead, she rectifies their challenges and usually salves the wound with a sweet scene or two. What happens is you trust Dunbar with your heart as you read a story such as Cowboy. Any good romance requires dissension/tension in its story, but Dunbar never takes it too far. She, instead, invests you emotionally in her characters, so much so that you can’t help but smile at the resolution of their story. 

I love that Dunbar wrote a sweet, compelling story in Sarina Bowen’s Truth North universe. Bull and Scarlett definitely capture your heart through their journey, reminding us that love can be found at any age. That everything doesn’t need to always be a young, shiny package. And that a Dunbar romance is a perfect read on “every day that ends in day and all the nights as well.”

In love and romance, 

Professor A

COWBOY BY L.B. DUNBAR

Release Date: March 1, 2021

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Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Blurb:

Pregnant at forty-two? Back the cow up…

Harland Bull Eaton has lost many things—his first wife, his beloved mother, those three women he proposed to . . . Oh, and there was that time he almost lost the family dairy farm due to a scandal. He’s losing faith in just about everything, especially love. 

But one night, his friends give him a dare. No commitments. No heartbreak. Just buy that gorgeous redhead a drink. The big-city bombshell he’s set his eyes on swirls him into a tailspin that lands them in bed for a one-night stand he’s pretty sure he’ll never forget. But this time, he swears, he won’t let his heart ride herd on his common sense. 

Recently separated and newly unemployed, Scarlett Russell is at a crossroads. With no other plan than visiting a friend in Vermont, the last thing she expects is a hunky, silver fox offering to buy her a drink. Even less expected is when she raises that offer to “take me to bed, cowboy.” She just wants one night to forget everything gone wrong.

Turns out once won’t be nearly enough. Won’t ever be enough, feeling the way she does. But secrets and an unexpected surprise are a lot to handle . . . unless these two can break a trail to an unexpected happily ever after.

Excerpt

“A coffee, black, no sugar, no cream, and a caramel macchiato with exactly five drizzles of caramel, fifteen pumps of vanilla syrup, whipped cream, and an extra shot.”

What the . . .

Thank God, I did not take that order. I don’t even know what that is. There’s a pause and I’m wondering what’s happening when Bull says, “You have a little something . . .”

I just want to die a slow death as I imagine him swiping at the corner of her lip or wiping off her nose and that sweet, tender touch will be all the spark she needs to want to pounce on this man behind me. Bull has these deep blue eyes and that silver speckled scruff, plus his hair that looks artfully streaked with gray. He’s just all around sexy and he doesn’t even know it about himself. Then, his touch. The soft strokes down my body and the delicate dips of his fingers, I just can’t—

“Have either of you seen Scarlett?” Audrey asks.

Frick.

“Scarlett?” Bull chokes behind me.

“Yeah, Scarlett. She’s our newest barista and I swear she was out here.”

“I didn’t see anyone,” Vermont Barbie states. “But then again, I’ve only been looking at Bull.”

Okay, that’s enough.

“Found it,” I say, popping up from behind the couch and holding my fingers pinched together like I’ve just found gold in them there wood floorboards.

“Scarlett?” Audrey blinks at me with those expressive eyes of hers . She’s a petite blond with a lot of power behind her personality. I slowly stand but find myself dizzy as I do and grip the back of the couch for support.

“Whoa.” I blurt, unable to stop myself as the room spins and my legs tremble. My skin runs cold, but I break out in a full body sweat.

“Scarlett, are you okay?” Audrey asks, rushing to the edge of the couch while Bull quickly stands to face me.

“I . . . yeah, I just think I stood up too fast.” However, that isn’t the full explanation because that rush to my head has now settled back down to my belly.

“You sure you’re okay? You look a little gray,” Audrey asks.

“I . . . excuse me.” Rushing around the couch, I fight the pull to look at Bull, as I disappear behind the counter, bypassing our waiting customers with one finger in the air, and then press out the door to the grassy area behind the building for some much needed fresh air. Once outside, I promptly bend forward and heave.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” Audrey says behind me and I close my eyes, embarrassed by my position in front of my boss. Audrey’s younger than me, but a good, business woman and kind-hearted. She took me on without any prior experience in the coffee industry.

“Yeah. Just something I ate, I think.” I honestly don’t know. It’s been a few weeks like this, nausea, fatigue, and then if I do get sick, which doesn’t always happen, I feel a million times better once I vomit. “I just have a little stomach bug, but I don’t have a fever. I’m so sorry about this.” I point to the grass which holds no evidence of how my stomach felt. “And that.” I nod toward the café.

Audrey’s brows crease as she examines my face. “What else is wrong? As far as how you are feeling?”

I consider it a second and then answer. “My boobs hurt. My back kills. And I had a tuna fish sandwich for breakfast the other day. I think there was something wrong with the mayonnaise.” Then I reconsider what I’ve said. That sandwich the other morning had been the best damn tuna fish in the world and the last thing I’d ever eat when it comes to a breakfast item.

Audrey’s lips slowly curl and her eyes spark like she knows something. “Scarlett, could you be pregnant?”

“What? No. Heaven’s no. Absolutely not. I . . .” I stare back at her, horrified at the notion. I’m forty-two. I’m recently divorced. I cannot be pregnant at this stage of my life.

“No. I am definitely not pregnant.”

SWEETHEART BY SARAH MAYBERRY

Release Date: March 1, 2021

Purchase here:
Amazon: https://geni.us/Sweetheart-Amazon
Apple: https://geni.us/Sweetheart-Apple
Kobo: https://geni.us/Sweetheart-kobo
Nook: https://geni.us/Sweetheart-Nook

Add to Goodreads here: https://bit.ly/2JhMAAe

Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Blurb:

I just wanted to get my hands on his beans

Four years ago, I had a ridiculous crush on my sister’s boyfriend. But when they moved away together, I put Beck out of my mind and my heart. But now he’s back, and roasting the best coffee in Vermont. I need to convince him to supply the Busy Bean. And I need more of those kisses we accidentally shared outside the coffee shop. He still makes my heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso. 

She should be off limits, but instead she’s pushing mine

Her sister burned my life to the ground, so Haley Elliot is the last woman I should bring into my bed. Although our business relationship is giving way to something more than a fine grind. Neither of us can help ourselves. And what’s worse, I think I’m falling for her.

But it’s a small town, and ours is a big secret. And when her sister blows back into town, suddenly the coffee isn’t the only thing brewing…

Excerpt

You know that thing where the rational part of your brain decides on a sensible course of action and commits to it, but then the murky, primal, unsupportive part of your brain refuses to get on board? The Germans probably have a name for it, something hard to pronounce with lots of umlauts. All I had was a feeling, and it hit me on a regular basis over the next couple of weeks whenever Beck set foot in the Busy Bean. 

Every time I saw him propped in the kitchen doorway sharing a laugh with Zara, I felt it.   When I realised Roddy had started using Beck as a taste tester for recipes he was developing, even though they barely knew each other, I got a big, hard dose of it. And the day I left the cafe to find Beck and his dog playing with Audrey and her two kids down by the river bank, I was awash with it. 

If I had to parse this feeling into its component parts, it would be made up of nine-tenths envy and one-tenth wistfulness. With a sprinkle of sexual jealousy thrown in, just for kicks and giggles. 

Because I wanted Beck to laugh with me the way he laughed with Zara. I wanted us to have the kind of relationship where I could run ideas past him, the kind of friendship where I could come upon him and his dog down by the river and feel free to hang out with them.  

I was fully aware that this stupid, stubborn longing I was experiencing was at complete  odds with my decision to respect his obvious desire to have as little to do with me as possible, but no matter how many times I told myself I didn’t care, the lump of concrete in the pit of my stomach said otherwise. 

The problem was that Beck was just one of those people that other people wanted to be around. He’d always been that way, hence the fact that my sister had wanted him, and the fact that I’d developed my ridiculous, hopeless-cause crush on him in the first place. 

  He had a natural ease and charm that made people smile, even if they were having a shitty day.  He gave good banter, and he knew how to tease people in a gentle, utterly harmless way that made them feel like they were special because he’d noticed them.  And he was curious about people, asking lots of questions and genuinely listening to their answers. 

It probably didn’t hurt that he was extensively easy on on the eyes, either.

All of this worked together to make him a warm, real presence that people wanted to get closer to, like campers gathering around a fire at night. 

I witnessed the power of his charisma over and over, in the way Audrey stood a half-foot closer to him than she did to other people, even though she was madly in love with her husband Griff, and in the way Roderick launched into an amusing anecdote whenever Beck arrived with his delivery, as though he’d been waiting to share the story with him.  Even snarky, cynical Zara wasn’t immune, spending extra minutes chatting to him on the phone when she called through our bi-weekly order, her laughter ringing through the cafe. 

Everybody loved Beck, and Beck loved everybody – with the notable exception of me.

Teddi Burathon is the perfect shield.
And I’ll use her as a pretty distraction so no one sees me coming.

Swimming in Sparkles, an all-new angsty, modern day Robin Hood, New Adult romance from Debra Anastasia is coming March 28th, and we have the gorgeous cover!

My name is Ruffian. To remember my mom, I want to change the world.

I’m going to do things wrong to make things right.
That’s okay, because I’m going to jail.
I know it.
I’ve planned for it. I was always going to end up there.

For now, I need a cover story.
A cover family.
A way to hide from the suspicion that always finds me.

Teddi Burathon is the perfect shield.
Popular, friendly, sassy. Good.
She’s everything I’m not.
And I’ll use her as a pretty distraction so no one sees me coming.

My heart is dead and I’m a bomb waiting to detonate.
Most people want to build a future.

Me?

I’m going to rob a bank.

Add SWIMMING IN SPARKLES to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/37P0liP

Cover Design: Covers by TJ Designs

Meet Debra

Debra creates pretend people in her head and paints them on the giant, beautiful canvas of your imagination. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and writes new adult angst and romantic comedies. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two amazing children.

Connect with Debra
Facebook: https://bit.ly/39Pypep
Reader Group: https://bit.ly/31ea3Hd
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/NewsletterDebra2020
Twitter: https://bit.ly/2XiD8QK
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Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vVuo45
Bookbub: https://bit.ly/3fmQIZx
Website: https://bit.ly/2BQLBDg

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rebecca Yarros’s The Things We Leave Unfinished is a sweeping tale, a story written within a story. One of the stories is a modern-day romance, a bit enemies to lovers or hate to love between a woman who is allowing her grandmother’s story to be completed and published posthumously. Wrapped in this delicious, emotional story is a story from the past, namely Georgia’s grandmother’s story. As I was reading this book, I got tinges of Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook with the move from the present to past. There is so much beauty in this story as one woman must come to terms with her own feelings of abandonment and letting go of her grandmother’s story, while the other must deal with a story that doesn’t have the ultimate happy ending, but there is still beauty in the story. 

Yarros has written such compelling characters in the form of Georgia and Noah. The way in which they challenge each other, pushing the other to be a better version of themselves while helping Georgia to heal from past hurts. Couple that with the compelling story of Jameson and Scarlett, and this story cannot be put down. 

If you’re like me, and you love stories from bygone eras and a little hate to love mixed in, then you should run and grab Rebecca Yarros’s The Things We Leave Unfinished. It will definitely steal your heart. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

“We don’t know how to love with reservations.”

After reading the first chapter of Return to Us at the end of Corinne Michaels’s Stay for Me, I had been waiting impatiently for this second chance romance between Jessica, the flight attendant from Jacob Arrowood’s story, and her lost love, Grayson. Return to Us is the type of story that you love from Michaels because she writes these emotionally driven stories about fated couples. And Jessica and Grayson’s is no different. So what are the reasons you should grab Return to Us quick?

1. The Corinne Michaels’s world is represented in Return to Us. Besides Jessica the flight attendant, there are mentions of characters from Michaels’s other books, and I know how excited I became as I realized their place in her world. 
2. The chemistry between Grayson and Jessica is sinful. While this book isn’t bedroom scene heavy, it’s clear that Grayson and Jessica must end up together. There is steam in this book but that is only tangential to the overall story. 
3. The second chance part makes for a compelling, if not frustrating, part of this book. Grayson and Jessica were high school sweethearts, intending on a future together, but life pulled them apart (well, namely, Jessica). Michaels is careful in her curation of their journey, and for me, it feels right in how it develops. That frustration that Michaels builds means she’s doing it right, allowing these two to work through their past so that they can have a future. 
4. Grayson is the single dad hero that you didn’t know you needed. His main character flaw is his need for control. However, his compassion and love for his daughter and his need and love for Jessica make you fall in love with his character. He is protective, emotionally strong, and he fights for the people he loves. 
5. Jessica’s evolution is the greatest one, and I love how Michaels works through her TBI in this story. She doesn’t instantly fix Jessica. Instead, she painstakingly shows her reader the difficulties of life after trauma. Additionally, Jessica must learn that dreams can change, and it’s through her journey that we come to that truth for this story: that what we dreamed when we were younger can always change and become a new dream. 

Return to Us is a sweeping emotional story about two people intended for each other. While life interrupts them for a while, Corinne Michaels shows us that love can heal and bind two people lost to each other. If you love small-town, single dad, second chance romance, then you should be reading Return to Us, the first book of Michaels’s newest series, Willow Creek Valley.

In love and romance, 

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Emma Renshaw has done it again with the release of her newest Burn Series book, Inferno. To be honest, of the first three books, I think Inferno is my favorite, which is a compliment, given that the first two books are such fantastic stories. 

In Inferno, Foster finally gets his moment The story begins with Adeline “Addie” and Foster on the night of the high school bonfire that leads to tragedy. What we find out quickly is that Addie’s own world is also changed that night through her own personal tragedy. The story skips forward a decade to the lives that Foster and Addie currently lead. When their paths cross one fateful day, they find themselves drawn to each other. As Addie’s life becomes endangered, Foster lives to protect her. Will they find out who is trying to harm her before anything happens to her?

I think what I loved most about Inferno over the other two stories is Renshaw’s protection of Addison. As a warning, the tragedy of Addie’s past is a difficult one, and it causes her to hide through life. In the first two books of this series, Renshaw causes quite a bit of drama for her couples. Yet, given the trauma of Addie’s story, she withholds the drama within her couple. What this allows for is a focus on the suspense storyline instead. I loved that I didn’t become anxious for Foster and Addie’s coupling; instead, Renshaw creates tension in other aspects of the story. 

Additionally, Foster is the type of hero you can’t help but love. He is protective, insightful, and compassionate. Since Addie has hidden through life, he forces her into “living.” He shows her how living an abundant life is a tribute to her lost loved ones, and it’s a reminder to Renshaw’s readers that a life lived is far better than one that is safe. 

Lastly, Addison’s story will tug at your heart. From the first chapter, Renshaw captured me because she made Addie’s story both heartwrenching and beautiful in tragic ways. I couldn’t help but need to read her story because Renshaw makes us want so much for her. 

Honestly, I could return time and time again to Hawk Valley. Emma Renshaw’s characters feel like friends. Once again, she has written a compelling, romantic suspense of a story that will cause you to fall in love with Foster and Addie. But there is also a promise of more. If you love stories that show the beauty of a life born of ashes, then you will definitely want Inferno. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A