R.S. Grey’s next standalone romcom, Date Me Like You Mean It, is coming out November 5th! Check it out and be sure to grab yours November 5th!
Title: Date Me Like You Mean It
Author: R.S. Grey
Genre: Rom-Com
Release Date: November 5th
About Dare Me Like You Mean It:
I’m good at hiding my feelings.
Having to pretend I’m not in love with my best friend?
Pfft. That’s child’s play.
Here’s how I do it: I avert my eyes when he walks out of his room, shirtless in all his toned glory. I squash the butterflies that fill my stomach every time he slowly unfurls a dimpled smile. And, most importantly, I keep an arsenal of “personal massagers” in my bedside drawer. Wink.
Not to brag, but Aiden Smith isn’t hard to resist if you’ve been doing it for as long as I have. In fact, we might have continued as best friends forever if not for the fact that I needed him to play the part of my fake boyfriend.
Date me like you mean it, I told him. Nudge nudge. C’mon, just go along with a little lie, help a girl out, and then we can all return to life as we know it.
Except he veered from the plan.
He crossed the line.
Flirting with me when no one else was around? Pinning me down and kissing me like that? Okay, how exactly is taking off my bra part of the ruse, Aiden?!
I’d ask him about it if I could, but well…things got ugly and we’re not best friends anymore.
In fact, we’re the exact opposite.
Now, I have to play nice even though I want to crush his heart in the palm of my hand.
Pretending not to love Aiden was the easy part.
Pretending not to hate him?
Well…I might need a little more practice.
About R.S. Grey:
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughter, and can be found reading, binge-watching reality TV, or practicing yoga! Visit her at rsgrey.com
When your enemy becomes your boss, tensions are bound to boil over…
Who’s the Boss, an all-new, sexy enemies-to-lovers workplace romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy is available now!
Arrogant, charming and sexy as hell, Master chef Sean Kincaid is legendary both in the kitchen and in the bedroom. So of course it only took five minutes for him to get me overheated. My temper that is.
Because Sean Kincaid is my new boss. Who has strolled into my kitchen demanding I follow his rules. I don’t like taking orders from anyone but certainly not from a grumpy man who knows how to push all of my buttons.
And when a Best Chef competition pits the two of us against each other, it’s either going to be a sizzler–or a recipe for disaster.
USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy sold her first book in 2002 and has since written over seventy-five novels and novellas in the romance and mystery genres. Erin has a special weakness for high-heeled boots, martinis, and Frank Sinatra. She lives with her renovation-addicted husband (he built her a bar, so it’s all good!) and their blended family of kids and rescue dogs.
When you love a particular rom-com writer, you enter his/her books wanting an escape. You expect laughs, lots of witty banter, swoony moments, some decidedly awkward moments, and a hit of angst necessary for the most benevolent of happy endings. Entering Amy Daws’s newest book, Take A Number, you receive all of those PLUS the added bonus of more of her Boulder crew, immortalized in books such as Wait for Me, Next in Line, and One Moment Please. There is a thread that runs through each of these books: Dean. The male best friend to Kate, the hero of Daws’s first book of this series of standalones, and Lynsey, the heroine of the third book. Dean is a character: an IPA-pushing, stoic yet snarky, a genius of investment, and honorary shoulder to cry on. A commitment-phobe, Dean prefers easy, unattachable hook-ups. He’s the requisite f-boy, the one whom his friends hope will find his own happily-ever-after. Going into Take A Number, it’s hard to determine if Dean will find his match, the one person who will turn his head and open his heart.
Enter Norah. The queen of the croinut. An independent bakery owner who has dreams for a franchise, a strong sense of herself, and a woman not interested in relationships, Norah also has a domineering mother who is more interested in her daughter marrying and bearing her grandchildren than her driven, industrious plans for entrepreneurship. With family celebrations in the future and a wedding to attend for Dean, these two enter a “fake” relationship to keep their friends and family members at bay from setting them up. What do you get when you mix an independent, enterprising heroine with a commitment-phobe, “come what may”- spirited, metrosexual hero? Rom-com dynamite.
Yes. Daws’s Take A Number has all the inner workings for a replete rom-com. From Dean and Norah’s witty banter to Norah’s persistent lip sweat to Dean’s insistent adoration of IPAs, his bean bag chairs, and his tater tot casserole, these two are a dream team for rom-com readers. I am a personal fan of the fake relationship trope. Add to that a chemistry between the hero and heroine that borders on enemies to lovers (that isn’t entirely the case with Dean and Norah because their banter is some of the exciting parts of this book), and you have a veritable goldmine of rom-com gold.
With that comes, zany, demonstrative friends who want you (Dean) to find the love of your life because they found there’s, an over-the-top combined bachelor/bachelorette weekend, a mother who doesn’t know when to stop being Meddy McMeddlesome, and more lip sweat than you know what to do with. Each turn of the page presented the magic of Norah and Dean’s journey.
However, for me, the piece de resistance is Dean. To be completely honest, at first sight, Dean is not exactly the most swarthy of rom-com heroes. He loves to characterize Norah’s childhood friend, Nate, as a Douchey McDouchepants, but the reality is Dean is one himself. He is an f-boy, and his initial dealings with Norah are blatant claims for sexual harassment. Yet, through all of that, you know there is more to Dean. And it’s his duality of persona that is the depth of Daws’s story. Dean is like the croinuts of Norah’s bakery. That symbol of that bakery item feels very intentional in light of Dean’s characterization. One part of a croinut is flaky while the other is molten depths of a donut. And Dean is the same. The carefully constructed facade of Dean obviously is hiding something. To find that treasure out, you MUST read this book because it will absolutely endear him to you even when you want to punch him in the face. That made him the most interesting aspect of Take A Number. Since I had read the earlier books in the series of standalones, I knew that Dean’s book would be a favorite because Dean encapsulates my favorite type of hero.
However, to know that truth, you need to grab Take A Number. You don’t need to read the first three books to understand this one, although it’s fun to see the characters of the other books in Dean and Norah’s. But right now, reading this book will provide a respite from your mostly stay-at-home lives and remind you that rom-com is the best medicine of what ails you.
A Bridge Between Us, an all-new suspenseful, small-town romance from USA Today bestselling author K.K. Allen is coming November 19th, and we have the gorgeous cover!
I had always known he wasn’t mine to keep, but that didn’t change the way I loved him—quietly, gently, and from afar.
As the seasons changed, the corn stalks grew strong, and the grapevines flourished with hope. But none of it mattered, not when the soil at our feet bound us in a century-old rivalry. We’d never even had a chance.
They said life flashed before your eyes on the way to death, but on that night, after my final scream burst from my throat and my world started to fade to black, I only thought of him. Of his sweet chocolate eyes, his desperately cautious stare, and his silence that carried more weight than gold.
I should have died that night. Instead, I crossed the moonlit bridge and never returned. I let rivalry win. If only that had been enough to keep us all safe. If only we didn’t have a bridge between us.
Cover designed by: Naijla Qamber Designs Photography by: Regina Wamba
Meet K.K. Allen K.K. Allen is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author and interdisciplinary arts and sciences graduate from the University of Washington who writes heartfelt contemporary romance stories that are as real as they are inspiring. K.K. is a Hawaiian girl who was raised in Seattle, and currently resides in central Florida. She works full time as a digital producer for a leading online educational institution and is the mother to a ridiculously handsome little dude who owns her heart.
K.K.’s publishing journey began in June 2014 with the YA Contemporary Fantasy trilogy, The Summer Solstice. In 2016, K.K. published her first Contemporary Romance, Up in the Treehouse, which went on to win the Romantic Times 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best New Adult Book of the Year. With K.K.’s love for inspirational and coming-of-age stories involving heartfelt narratives and honest emotions, you can be assured to always be surprised by what K.K. releases next.
As we both bring our drinks to our mouths, I notice that Cristian isn’t looking at me, so I follow his gaze. It doesn’t take me long to see what or rather who he is staring at. There, at the end of the row of banquettes, is the most exquisite woman I have ever seen.
Long brown hair that flows down past the swell of her breasts. It’s her eyes, though, that keep me from looking away. From where I’m sitting, I can’t see the color, but when she sees me, they are mesmerizing. She only glances my way for a second before turning around and giving me the cold shoulder.
Few women have done that. Not at a place like this.
Most women throw themselves at me. She, however, stands with her back to me. Her behind is not the worst view I’ve seen. Her short dress that looking from the front seemed modest is anything but.
No. Here, from this angle, nothing is left to the imagination. Two thin straps lower to an open back that dips to the dimples of her ass.
Possessed, I stand from my seat, needing to know who this girl is—and why she so casually dismissed me.
I’m a man on a mission as I stalk over to her. My team is quick to follow, so I’m intimidating as hell as I make my approach.
I should tell them to stand down, but I want to see her squirm. There’s no way that a little thing like her won’t.
When I finally make my appearance, I’m towering behind her. She hasn’t seen me, but she must feel my presence because I watch her back muscles tighten.
Slowly, and with purpose, she turns around to face me.
She has to crane her neck up, but when her gaze reaches mine, her pupils dilate.
I hadn’t come here tonight hoping to fuck, but after watching the way her mouth parts and a slight puff of oxygen escapes her pouty yet full lips, I want to fuck her. I want to feel those lips wrapped around my cock.
“I’m not interested,” she spits out before I can even speak. Her response has me throwing back my head, laughing—something I rarely do these days.
“You don’t even know what I was going to ask.”
“You were going to ask me if I wanted a drink. And seeing as I already have one …” She lifts the glass that I hadn’t previously seen in the air. It’s new, the bubbles still bouncing on the glass from the pour. “I don’t need another.”
“And what if you’re wrong?”
“So, you were coming to ask me if I wanted to… what?” Her eyebrow lifts. “Talk with you?”
“Again, wrong.” Not entirely wrong, but wrong enough.
“Well, color me intrigued. You came all the way here—”
“You noticed me.” I smirk, and she must realize her mistake, and my smile broadens. “Here’s what I think. I think you wanted me to come over here. I think you like the game of cat and mouse.”
“I think you know nothing.”
“Pity,” I say, before turning and walking away.
“That’s it?” she asks from behind me.
“Yep.” I turn my head over my shoulder. “But …” I pause for emphasis. “If you have a different answer for me, I’ll be back tomorrow. Same time. Same place.” And with that, I walk away, right out of the VIP area and then right out of the club.
Once we step outside, I stop. Turning to the right, I look at Cristian.
“Yes, Boss?”
“Her name. Her social security number. Find me everything there is to know about that woman by tomorrow.”
He doesn’t ask me why I need the info. I plan to fuck that girl, but I don’t touch anyone without doing my due diligence.
Meet Ava
Ava Harrison is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author.
When she’s not journaling her life, you can find her window shopping, cooking dinner for her family, or curled up on her couch reading a book.
“‘[…] For two people to find their perfect match and fall in love is a miracle. For that to happen between three is a rare thing.’”
Jolie Vines’s Stubborn Spark, the final book in her Wild Scots series, is her treatise. It’s a promise of change. I’ve been a fan of Vines since the second book of her storied Marry the Scots series, Love Most Say Least. Since that release, I’ve read every book as one of her ARC readers (of which I read for an honest review). Each book has developed the author in Vines, and her stories have moved from sweet, fated love stories with heroes who adore their heroines at any cost to wilder, more heated romances in her Wild Scots series. To watch her evolve feels important. There are too many authors in the romance community who “play it safe.” They find what works, and they generate it over and over again. Their readers, ones like myself, continue to read them because there is trust in that relationship, a comfort in the obvious. However, they rarely progress beyond their average offering.
Jolie Vines, with Stubborn Spark, has taken a step forward. This book is still decidedly Vines with two heroes who absolutely adore their heroine, Casey, and each other. That is standard to Vines, and I don’t see that ever changing. It’s what her devoted readers love about her romances. What this book offers, though, is innovation. It’s a stand that she’s willing to move beyond her usual M/F romances and embrace more. There is wisdom in this action in that she opens her readership to variety. Menage is popular. It feels forbidden as you read it, but it’s also deliciously $exy and captivating, earning the trope devoted readers. That Vines embraces it for baby Blayne’s story shows her courage as a writer to challenge herself. Stubborn Spark is Vines taking chances, and based on particular moments in this story, she isn’t done. It’s refreshing to read an author who is willing to embrace variety. It keeps her storytelling fresh for her readers and continually surprises them at her offerings.
As a menage story, Stubborn Spark works. For this reader, there is always quite a bit of suspension of disbelief for me with menage stories. I could never personally engage in polyamory, but there is a population that embraces this. In terms of other menage stories, Stubborn Spark is commensurate with it. At its core, it’s steamy, steamy, steamy. Brodie, one of the heroes, begins as the clear alpha, and Vines has crafted her heroes to complement each other, offering the totality of heroic characters in both. Her heroine, Casey, is a perfect match for Brodie and Blayne that their throuple makes sense for the story. I think what I love most about this story, though, is the extension of Clan McRae. I was excited about this book because I was curious as to the reaction of Blayne’s father, Callum McRae, and Vines endears me to him even more. There is a bit of nostalgia inherent to this story as it’s the last of the stories for Callum’s children, and Vines decidedly saves the most profound for last with Stubborn Spark.
Look, I have read all of Jolie Vines’s stories and been excited by each of them. However, this newest book along with the potential stories to come makes me proud to be one of her ARC readers. She is making choices that showcase her ability to draft stories of any sub-genre with any trope in romancelandia. And she does it well. Her consistency lies in writing stories that readers love to read time and time again. If you’re looking for a menage story set in the highlands of Scotland and the upper Hebrides, then run and one-click Stubborn Spark.
“This man was a rock, a mountain of steady strength. Never in my life, not even when my parents had been alive, had I felt this grounded.”
Willa Nash’s first book, The Bribe, is a fantastic addition to the Kindle Unlimited Universe. A stellar romance infused with flaming hot chemistry, sweetness, and suspense, Nash’s Duke and Lucy draw you into their story with a perfunctory ease
At the turn of each page, I didn’t want the story to end. Willa Nash reads like a combination of Devney Perry’s Runaway Road and Jamison Valley series, specifically The Coppersmith Farmhouse. Set in a small town named Calamity, you can’t help but want to take a trek to this fictional place where its charm and people burrow into your heart. I found myself smiling and sighing as the story progressed.
Even in the midst of fierce chemistry, there is an ease to Duke and Lucy’s coupling. They don’t struggle to be together. Rather, the larger story threatens the cohesion of their relationship. Yet, woven into the romantic suspense is a treasure chest of emotional gravity. Gem after gem of moments between Duke and Lucy, you feel awed by the love story that Nash has created. I found myself smiling over and over again during this story. It feels like being wrapped in a fluffy comforter on a cold day. Nash crafts these moments of complete tenderness that it overwhelms you in the best of ways.
Willa Nash’s The Bribe brings the best of small-town romance with a suspense twist, and you will glory in the journey of Duke and Lucy. When I finished the bonus scene, I had tears in my eyes because Nash plucked my heartstrings just as her heroine, Lucy, plucks the strings of her guitar to make the most beautiful of music.
Duke Evans didn’t expect to interrupt a beautiful woman in a staring contest with a bison on his favorite hiking trail. He also didn’t expect to see her again after rescuing her from the surly beast. As the sheriff in Calamity, Montana, he’s had his fair share of surprises but none as pleasant as pulling over a shiny black car and finding his mysterious hiking companion behind the wheel. Only, she lied to Duke. She gave him a name as fake as her hair color. According to her driver’s license, her real name is Lucy Ross, the famous country music singer whose sudden disappearance has been a hot topic in the media over the past two weeks. He’s not sure why Lucy lied about her identity or why she’s in Calamity. And she’s not talking. Instead, she offers him a bribe to keep her secret. But Duke doesn’t want her money. He wants to know why this woman is on the run. And as long as the star shines on his badge, he’s going to find out.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Willa Nash is USA Today Bestselling Author Devney Perry’s alter ego, writing contemporary romance stories for Kindle Unlimited. Lover of Swedish Fish, hater of laundry, she lives in Washington State with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Montana and has a passion for writing books in the state she calls home.
One snow party, two hot kisses. Three people who are more than happy to share.
Blayne
Done with university, I’m home in the Highlands, and life is anything but chill. My best friend is here and so’s a gorgeous American lass, working at my family’s snowboarding centre.
On a wild night, both Brodie and I get to lock lips with Casey. Heat scalds us. Chemistry explodes.
The best thing? All of us want to share.
Brodie
Blayne’s home, but not for long. If he wants this, I’ll do anything to make it happen. My life is falling apart, and I shouldn’t be risking my idiotic heart. Or our friendship.
I’m a carpenter and good with my hands. I can give them what they’re craving. Before both of them go and leave me behind.
Casey
A holiday romance is exactly what I need to take my mind off the disaster I fled in the States.
With the date looming for me to return, two hot Scots are ready to help me forget, and they aren’t going to make me choose.
So bring it, Highlander. You and your friend. I’m ready.
—
Stubborn Spark is the fifth and final book in the Wild Scots series and is suitable for a mature audience only. Features scenes of an extremely sexy nature with one lucky lass and two ultra-hot Scots.
When Norah needs a date for her parent’s anniversary party and Dean needs a date for his best friend’s wedding, the two agree to something that can help them both out of a bind: Fake Dating.
The only problem? Highly flammable chemistry. Download Now
Title: TAKE A NUMBER Author: Amy Daws Genre: Romantic Comedy Release Date: October 15, 2020 Cover Designer: Amy Daws Cover Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Cover Model: Philippe Belanger
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Fake dating the cute owner of a bakery Dean is an investor in sounds kind of messy…but messy can be fun.
Norah Donahue wants bakeries not babies, but her matchmaking mother won’t stop trying to play Cupid.
Dean Moser is a cocky stock market savant whose friends are all settling down, leaving Boulder’s infamous ladies’ man all alone.
When Norah needs a fake date for her parents’ anniversary party, her new silent investor is the perfect guy for the job. It seems like a foolproof plan…
That is until Norah decides to break her biggest rule and lock lips with Dean in the middle of the party to spite her meddling mother.
Turns out that Dean and Norah’s chemistry is sizzling hot, and mixing business with pleasure could turn out to be a recipe for disaster.
“OH MY GOSH, AMY! Take A Number has honestly been your BEST, FUNNIEST, and SEXIEST romantic comedy to date, and I absolutely LOVED Dean and Norah’s story! And I truly mean that wholeheartedly! I laughed, smiled, and swooned my romance-loving heart out from start to finish, and absolutely loved every moment of Dean and Norah’s funny, sexy, and swoon-worthy fake-dating story. I know readers are going to lose their minds when they get their hands on this MUST READ romcom.” -Julia Griffis
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“This is a disaster,” I groan and turn to prop my elbows on the bar. “Can I get another champagne, please?”
Dean sidles up next to me as the bartender fills my glass. “What’s up, sugar? I think your dad likes me.”
I pin him with a warning look. “If you add tits to the end of that sugar, your balls must have a death wish.”
“Why so cheery?” Dean asks, hunching over the bar to sip his brown liquor out of a rocks glass. “Did your mother give you a puppy again? That Elaine.”
“My mother invited Nathaniel here tonight,” I state flatly.
“The perfect teeth guy?”
“Yes.”
“So, what’s the big deal?”
I pin him with an accusing look. “She gave him the impression I was here for him. Like I was some lonely sack who couldn’t get a date even if I wanted to. Jesus, this is embarrassing.”
“Relax.” Dean turns to face the party and rests his elbows behind him like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “We’ll just have to break some of your rules.”
“What do you mean?” I grab a nut from the bowl on the bar and chew on it nervously.
“Well, if you want this guy to steer clear, then a little PDA might be in order.”
“What kind of PDA?” If he says kissing, I’ll spontaneously combust.
Dean seems to read my mind and rolls his eyes. “Relax, sugar cake, I mean a little…affection. Maybe we dance. Maybe I put my arms around your waist or play with your hair a little. Or maybe we get practically pornographic, and I waffle your fingers.” He laughs casually. “Something to show your mother this Nate guy doesn’t have a chance.”
I nod thoughtfully as I process what Dean’s just said. He mentioned touching me so casually like it’s no big deal. I suppose it isn’t since he seems to flirt with anything that walks. But I’ve been out of the game for a while now, and I can count on one hand the number of people I’ve been affectionate with, and even those were years ago. Is this really something I can pull off?
“Norah, drink the rest of that champagne. It’s going to be fine.”
I close my eyes, letting his words sink in while feeling anything but fine. “Okay, just promise you won’t try to kiss me. I’m barely holding it together as it is, and if I have to worry about you breaking the ultimate rule, I won’t survive this night.” I tip the rest of the champagne into my mouth.
“Relax, I won’t tongue thrust you in front of all your parents’ friends. I’m a mountain manwhore, but I draw the line at lip raping.”
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Check out Amy’s Facebook page for an awesome giveaway!
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Amy Daws is an Amazon Top 13 bestselling author of sexy, contemporary romance novels. She enjoys writing love stories that take place in America, as well as across the pond in England. When Amy is not writing in a tire shop waiting room, she’s watching Gilmore Girls, or singing karaoke in the living room with her daughter while Daddy smiles awkwardly from a distance. For more of Amy’s work, visit: http://www.amydawsauthor.com
Check out Amy’s Facebook page for an awesome giveaway!
Professor Romance 