Star Crossed, a sexy and unforgettable second chance romance by New York Times bestselling author C.D. Reiss, is available now!

Read my 5+ ⭐️review HERE.

Michael Graydon has it all – looks, fame, and a couple of Oscars.

Does he see me in the crowd of paparazzi?

Does he know I sell pictures of him to the tabloids as if money could ever erase the feel of his lips on me?

Does he think I forgot the way he broke my heart?

Or does he know that I’ve ruined everything I’ve ever loved?

*

We were seventeen when I left, and I never forgot Laine. Not for one minute.

Since that day I’ve measured all women against her and every one of them has come up short.

We’re in the same town, on the same block, in the same building, and the gulf between us is just too wide to cross.

Until I stop running from trouble long enough to throw her camera off a balcony.

She’s a career-killer. A PR disaster.

Loving her again is career suicide, and I don’t care.

This time, I’m running toward her, even if it ruins me.

** Star Crossed was previously released as Shuttergirl, and includes a brand new epilogue and previously unpublished, totally swoon-worthy and emotional new scenes.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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Excerpt

“Really.” I grabbed my camera. “Thank you for the eggs. Your apology is accepted, and your warning… I get it. Thank you. I’ll keep my eyes out.”

Fifteen steps to the door. Why were those lofts so damn big? What was I thinking?

Five steps, and I heard a shuffle behind me, the scrape of a chair. I picked up the pace, and I knew he was behind me. By the time I got to the door, his chest was against my back and his hand was over the door jamb.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Don’t what?”

“I’m going to get between you and this. I don’t like anyone knowing where you are. I don’t like you walking around at night unprotected. Especially because of me.”

I turned, putting my back to the door. “I haven’t seen you in ten years. Now this?”

“I should say it’s that I feel responsible for what’s happening. But you’re in this business as much as I am, so it’s not that. It’s you. I was up half the night thinking about you in those bleachers. The things you told me. The stuff I told you. How I felt. Back then, I was so confused, and I left you without a call or checking on you for reasons that…” He shook his head. “The reasons were pathetic. No one would have approved of you, and I lived on approval.”

He touched my hair, and those long strands became nerve endings for desire. The little hairless spot on his chin shifted, and I wanted to touch it so badly that I did so without thinking.

“Whatever it was I felt before, I’m not hiding from it this time. This time, I’m not going to worry what anyone else thinks,” he said.

“What if I’m worried?”

“I’ll make you not worried.”

His breath warmed my cheek, and I believed he could change things, even as I knew he couldn’t. He could only drag himself down. This could only go bad. But I turned my face until my lips touched his, and he stopped being a movie star. He was the boy in the bleachers, the one who worked too hard and cared too much, and I became the girl who could be anything she wanted, the one who was accepted and whose life was about to turn around.

But I’d wanted it then. I’d wanted his hand in mine to be the warning bell for change. In the penthouse loft, with his lips and tongue growing more urgent and his hands on the sides of my face, I didn’t want my life to change. I’d done everything I’d set out to do since he’d left, and there he was again, ready to destroy everything I’d built in exchange for a mouth that fit mine like a palm curled over a fist.

I turned to face the door, still trapped by his arms, and opened it a crack. He slapped it shut.

“If you’re not busy, I want to take you somewhere.”

“I’m always busy,” I said, leaning into him.

“Doing what?”

“Taking pictures of Hollywood royalty.”

“Bring your camera then.”

About CD Reiss

CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.

Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.

She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.

If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.

Connect with Christine

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Madam Temptress Release Day Blitz/Blog Tour Collateral

Release Date: April 14, 2020 

Read my 5 ⭐️ review HERE.

From New York Times bestselling author Meghan March comes the stunning conclusion to the highly-anticipated Magnolia Duet.

I didn’t choose this path. No one would.

I played the cards I was dealt.

This life made me. This city made me.

I won’t apologize for who I’ve become.

Moses wouldn’t have me any other way.

He says he wants forever, and I’m starting to believe him.

But I can’t outrun my past, and my sins are catching up with me.

If it’s time to atone, I’ll gladly pay my penance.

We might be getting our second chance, but we have to make it out alive first.

Madam Temptress is the conclusion of the Magnolia Duet and should be read after Creole Kingpin.

Where to buy:

https://meghanmarch.com/madam-temptress

Amazon:  mybook.to/madamtemptress

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About the author:

Making the jump from corporate lawyer to romance author was a leap of faith that New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Meghan March will never regret. With over thirty titles published, she has sold millions of books in nearly a dozen languages to fellow romance-lovers around the world. A nomad at heart, she can currently be found in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, living her happily ever after with her real-life alpha hero.

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Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Charleigh Rose’s Tell Me Pretty Lies released almost a week ago, and I finally sat down to read it. I had been anxiously awaiting it, hoping for my ARC before release. That wasn’t to be, so forgive the late review. 

Here’s the thing: I am a fan of bully romance. I’ve read some great authors who have written it well, and some who could have done a bit more work. Some readers struggle with it because it can be overwhelming emotionally, especially since the heroine tends to be the object of the bullying. Charleigh Rose tends to have a knack for writing this type of romance, and early readers espoused their love for Tell Me Pretty Lies. My review is a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. 

Let me begin with my struggles. 

For one, the beginning of this story is very confusing. I stopped my reading of the story and began reading other early reviews because I thought I had missed a novella or another story somewhere. When I saw that I wasn’t the only reviewer confused by a lack of details, I ignored my confusion and kept reading. This was a good tactic. As the story progresses, I fell further into the story, absolving Rose of keeping her reader in the dark. The confusion of the story lies in “why” the hero, Thayer, and his brother, Holden, turn their backs on Shayne, the heroine, and why they are insistent on “destroying” her life. Thayer hates her immediately, and the reader doesn’t understand why until much later in the story. To be honest, I’m not sure how Rose could have made it less confusing unless she developed more background to the story. Character development was lacking at first, assuming the reader was already familiar with the characters and their world. Offering this sooner in the story might have alleviated the confusion. 

Secondly, even after the revelation of Thayer’s disdain for Shayne, it felt contrived. I hate using that word as it oftentimes undermines the writer’s purpose. Yet, I struggled with accepting Thayer’s issues with Shayne. Yes. I understood them, but they seemed like a stretch at best. 

These two issues are the core of the reason for my overall grade. That being said, there is much that I loved about the story. 

For one, I couldn’t put this story down. I began it in the late afternoon and didn’t sleep until the last page (somewhere around 3 a.m.). Rose drives the story forward with the conflict between Thayer and Shayne’s strong attraction and aversion towards each other. In fact, the push and pull of their relationship is the strongest part of Tell Me Pretty Lies. 

As characters, Shayne and Thayer are typical of this genre of romance. Thayer is the rich guy with a rebellious attitude, and Shayne is the “good girl” who is finding herself as the story progresses. As Thayer’s attraction to her both compels and repels him, Shayne develops into a stronger heroine. Given her background, she already holds many positive character traits: persistent, tenacious, strong, insightful. Yet, Rose evolves her into someone who becomes more self-assured that she can stand against Thayer when “enough is enough.” Until that moment, though, be prepared to become frustrated with her, as she acts on her attraction to him time and time again, while being rejected shortly after. When she finally strengthens her backbone, Shayne becomes the heroine you want her to be. 

This story is also romantic suspense. There is a suspicious death that creates the underlying drama of the romance. This too propels the reader further into the story. The perpetrator of the situation isn’t initially obvious, but I did figure it out before it was eventually revealed. If you love this type of romance, then Rose offers a story that will engage you. 

Charleigh Rose’s Tell Me Pretty Lies offers a story of personal resilience. Shayne’s journey to embracing herself and falling in love with Thayer is worthy of a read. Nonetheless, I was underwhelmed by the romance. I had such high expectations for it, but it confused me as much as it titillated me. I’ve read Charleigh Rose previously and professed my interest in her storytelling. Tell Me Pretty Lies has a story that will grab you, but you may finish it wondering if you missed something. I will say that I plan to read Holden’s story, the next book of the series, so there is much in Rose’s world that will keep me reading. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

HARVEST OF SIGHS (Thornchapel #3) by Sierra Simone
Release Date: May 1st

Add to Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44451017-harvest-of-sighs

PRE-ORDER TODAY!
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START THE SERIES TODAY WITH
A LESSON IN THORNS (Thornchapel #1)
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FEAST OF SPARKS (Thornchapel #2)
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Blurb:
The genius and the sunshine girl. As children, we fought bitterly and often, bickering every chance we got.

But then we grew up.
Then we came back.

Delphine Dansey carries her heart on the outside of her body; she’s looking for love and chasing dreams. She’s spoiled and selfish, the kind of beautiful that’s made for money and fame. But somehow she’s ended up in my keeping: a pretty submissive I can’t seem to resist, a lover who obsesses and tempts me.

I thought I’d locked my heart away a long time ago, along with all my other weaknesses. But some doors won’t stay closed, no matter how hard I fight to keep them shut. She unravels me, just like our friends are unraveling, just like Thornchapel itself is unraveling.

All year long, we’ve been sowing lust and jealousy and pain, heedless of the consequences. But a harvest is inevitable, and so now we must reap our sorrows.

And our sighs.

*Harvest of Sighs is Book Three in the Thornchapel series.*

About the Author:
Sierra Simone is a USA Today Bestselling former librarian (who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk.) She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.

Connect w/Sierra Simone:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sierra-Simone-497450453680395/?fref=ts
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Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Warning: This is an ode to A.S. Teague, so read carefully. The feelings are strong here. 

I’m going to share a personal value with you about me related to romance blogging and a value related to my teaching of writing. One of the best moments of romance blogging isn’t reading books and reviewing them. That can be an onerous task: finding the words to convey your thoughts and feelings about a book that helps other people decide to read it AND honors the writer’s storytelling is difficult. Some people don’t care about the words they splay on the page about a writer’s baby (which is a travesty). Instead, one of my favorite moments as a blogger is finding a new to me author and falling in love with their ability to create fiction that grabs my heart and soul. I will promote, review, and work hard to push their work out to the masses, even though my own following isn’t large. But I’ll work it for them. 

In terms of teaching writing, my favorite moments don’t revolve around incredible pieces of writing. Instead, the best moments of my teaching career have centered around moments when the growth of a writer is apparent to me and to the writer. It’s a moment when you recall their first essay and read their current one, and they’ve found their voice and owned it. 

Why am I sharing these thoughts in the space of a book review? Because A.S Teague has illustrated both of these ideas with her newest book, The Hardest Play, and it feels like pride (not in any condescending way) and peace in my soul. You might be saying, “Professor A, why do you care so much?” Quite simply, writing always comes from the soul of a writer. When our favorite authors bleed words onto the page for their readers to enjoy, and they do it brilliantly as A.S. Teague has done with this book, I want to shout for them, celebrate them, and encourage them to keep doing it because I want more of it. And boy, does The Hardest Play make me want more of Teague’s storytelling. 

I found Teague with the first book of her Hardest series, The Hardest Route. Here’s the thing: I thought it was good, but in my review for that book, I noted that she had incorporated too many plot points so it muddled Griff and Brooke’s connection. It was still a good story, but it lacked “the thing” that tells my gut the book is great. Still, I knew that I wanted to read the other books in the series because there was something in THR that invested me.  Then, Teague published Aidan and Mel’s story in The Hardest Hit, and she broke my heart and mended it over and over again in that story. The issues that I thought plagued her first book were not present in THH. Instead, my admiration for her grew because her storytelling was impeccable (by my estimation) as she crafted Aidan’s anguish and Mel’s inextinguishable strength. The Hardest Hit quickly became my favorite of her series (and one of my favorite sports romances), and I didn’t think The Hardest Play would overcome it. Boy, was I wrong. 

The Hardest Play offers the story of Quinn, one of the more serious friends of Griff and Aidan and their crew. Griff and Aidan count on him to be serious and thoughtful in his assessment of their lives. In this book, Quinn has been traded to Atlanta after a disappointing season and a string of personal mishaps. Once there, he runs into Georgia, the sister of Aidan’s orthopedic surgeon, who we meet in The Hardest Hit. In that story, sparks fly between Quinn and Georgia, and the same happens again in The Hardest Play. Quinn is enamored with Georgia from their first meeting, and they quickly entangle themselves in each other’s lives. However, Quinn has a secret that threatens to derail their journey. In order to handle the ramifications of that secret, Quinn will have to trust Georgia with his truth, something he only does with his friends. Will Quinn and Georgia make it to the endzone, or will their romantic journey end in a punt at the 3rd down, missing the endzone by a few feet? 

Why is The Hardest Play my new favorite A.S. Teague book of this series? Oh, there are so many reasons.

1. Quinn. Quinn Miller is a dream hero. A DREAM HERO. I will not divulge his secrets in this review because it will ruin the story. Instead, you need to know that while Quinn is formidable in his persona, he has an intuition in his character that allows him to anticipate Georgia and her needs, both physically and emotionally. Undermining Quinn’s formidable exterior with the sensitivity of his internal values reads like cat-nip for romance readers (at least for this romance reader). The only moments where he sabotages their romantic journey exist because Quinn protects above anything else. In revealing his truth, he worries about the effect of it on Georgia. He would rather end their burgeoning relationship than hurt her. And this theme runs deeply through his characterization. Quinn has a seriousness and depth that Griff and Aidan don’t have. Griff comes closest to it, but Quinn’s empathic and compassionate nature transcends Teague’s other heroes. I fell in love with Quinn from the very beginning. He’s protective, insightful, and steady. 
2. Georgia. Because Teague constructs Quinn as self-sacrificing, she must have a heroine who is stubborn and fiery to protect her hero. Georgia is strong and tenacious, and this allows her to break through Quinn’s walls to the depths of his heart and soul. These two are fated for each other. Once Georgia learns Quinn’s truth, she becomes as protective as Quinn, and their connection becomes elevated. I am so thankful that Teague uses other aspects of the story to complicate Georgia and Quinn’s romance. Once these two commit to each other, they remain there. That creates this emotional impact that feels safe for the reader and the story’s characters. 
3. The story. There is a depth to this story that deals with a difficult real-life problem. Again, I won’t divulge because I think it would threaten the power of the story. Readers should read the book, knowing that The Hardest Play’s story, in my opinion, is the heaviest of the three books. It’s the gravity, though, that I fell in love with. The emotional gravitas of this book will slay you, but Teague does this, not through issues between Georgia and Quinn, she achieves this with the secrets of the story. That is the driving force of this book, and Teague’s topic is a worthy one. 
4. The epilogue. Oh my goodness. I’ve felt this feeling only a few times when reading romance. It’s a feeling of nostalgia, like saying good-bye to old friends and knowing you can see them again, but it will never quite be the same. Teague’s epilogue in The Hardest Play creates that feeling and leaves you with a sigh in your heart. There is a part of me that hopes this story is the last one of the Hardest series even though we have never explored Shane and Trav because it’s such an emotional powerhouse of a book that it feels right to move on. Yet, the feeling created in this epilogue makes my heart want more of the same. I’m both ready to go and hating to leave this crew of some of my favorite characters. 

Now, that I’ve waxed poetic on my love for A.S. Teague, ultimately, why should you read her newest book? Simply put, The Hardest Play is a story of allowing love to heal and support us. This truth may seem simple, but, especially in a world right now that feels so singular and isolated, a reminder that love can connect us, heal us, and uplift us feels necessary and essential. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

It’s easy to convince the world that you have it all.

The Hardest Play, an all-new emotional new-adult standalone from A.S. Teague is available now!

I’m Quinn Miller­­––record breaking running back, professional football’s favorite rags-to-riches story, all-around good guy.

What’s not so easy? Repairing your reputation after mistakes both on and off the field leave you labeled as a disgrace to the league.

With only one team willing to give me a chance, I have no time for a relationship.

But after one night with Georgia Reed, the hopeless romantic with fiery red hair and an attitude to match, I’m hooked.

With Georgia cheering me on, it doesn’t feel like the world is against me anymore.

That is, until her father steps into the locker room as my new head coach.

Finding the woman of my dreams was the easy part; it’s keeping her that will be the hardest play of all.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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About A.S. Teague

A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn’t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.

Connect with A.S. Teague

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Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Leddy Harper’s Throne Away is the first book of hers I’ve read. I was drawn to it because it has been some time since I’ve read a royalty romance. Even more, the blurb promised a different take on it. It includes a single dad trope, and it sounded like a challenge to embrace.

Thone Away has some great qualities. Harper invests us in her characters with their trials. Ryan is a single father; his wife is manipulative and, quite frankly, a con-artist. He sacrifices his comforts for his daughter, showcasing a portion of his heroic nature. However, there is something almost effeminate in Ryan’s characterization. I’m used to reading romance heroes who take charge and know themselves. Harper hasn’t crafted Ryan in that manner. He is most dominant in the bedroom, but those moments are few in this story. What happens as a reader is you feel as though you want Ryan to act more stalwart. He makes a decision about his wife that seems confusing and anemic. He simply accepts their situation instead of deciding better for himself and his daughter. Even in his dealings with Moira, he reads as confused, a bit dorky, and too accepting of a situation instead of acting heroically to protect and claim Moira. Thankfully, Harper utilizes the character of Libby (Elizabeth), Moira’s cousin, to remedy the disconnect between Ryan and Moira. That being said, Ryan finds himself eventually, and Moira and Ryan’s journey at the end of the book is the best part of the story. 

Now, Moira’s characterization is also problematic. Like Ryan, she is too accepting of her situation. She doesn’t want to be queen. She makes that clear from the start of the story, and there are plenty of people who decline to take the throne. Yet, Moira doesn’t decline out of some obligation to her parents. However, her relationship with her parents doesn’t speak to readily accepting her position. She vacillates between choosing her own future and choosing the one set before her. It takes most of the story for her to reach her decision, but it is only due to her cousin (again) that the story finds its appropriate resolution. I questioned Moira’s ready acceptance because it seemed counter to her characterization. 

What I believe Harper does well with this story is show Moira and Ryan’s eventual evolution. Both of them appear to easily accept their circumstances without pushing back for the first two-thirds of the story. When they finally realize the power of their coupling, Harper allows them to make decisions for themselves. Until that moment, however, their journey is puzzling. 

Even more, Elizabeth “Libby” is probably the best character in this story, and she needs her own book. This is someone who doesn’t wait for life to happen to her. Instead, she knows her value and the value of the people who surround her, and she asserts herself to bring about the happy endings of this story. I would have loved for Moira to have this same joie de vivre. It would have made her more heroic, I think. 

Has Leddy Harper written a spin on the royal romance in Throne Away? Yes. For one, the royal is the heroine, and the hero is your “Average Joe.” Is there a moment when it’s possible these two won’t end up together? Yes. It is only through the machinations of Moira’s cousin that Ryan and Moira can find their happy ending. And that ending is quite sweet. The most heroic character in this story isn’t Ryan and Moira, and I’m hoping Harper grants her the book she deserves because Throne Away gave us a little glimpse of her power and potential for her own happy ending. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Throne Away, a standalone single
father, royal romance by best-selling author Leddy Harper is NOW LIVE!

About Leddy Harper

Leddy Harper had to use her imagination often as a child.
She grew up the only girl in a house full of boys. At the age of fourteen, she
decided to use that imagination and wrote her first book, and never
stopped.

She often calls writing her therapy, using it as a way to
deal with issues through the eyes of her characters.

She is now a mother of three girls, leaving her husband as
the only man in a house full of females.

The decision to publish her first book was made as a way of
showing her children to go after whatever it is they want to. Love what you do
and do it well. Most importantly Leddy wanted to teach them what it means to
overcome their fears.

Theirs was a forever kind of love, until it was stolen.

Been There Done That, an all-new second-chance romantic standalone by debut author Hope Ellis, is available now!

Read my 5 ⭐️ review HERE. 

ZORA LEFFERSBEE’S once perfect life is no longer perfect. Her tenure at the University is in question, funding for her employees uncertain, and her faux-fiancé, Jackson James’s unpredictability is wearing on her last nerve. Just when Zora is convinced things can’t get more complicated, life proves her wrong.

What the heck is he doing here?

NICK ROSSI’s complicated life is still extremely complicated. He’s used to fighting for everything he has, but he’s also used to winning. Now a man of power and influence, his return to Green Valley after so many years hasn’t gone according to plan, especially with the woman he’s always wanted.

She can’t know why I left, or why I’m back.

A powerful woman intent on righting the wrongs of the world, Zora doesn’t have time or energy to deal with the man who broke her young heart.

A powerful man intent on righting the wrongs of the past, Nick can’t help wanting to protect Zora, even if his devotion is unrequited.

‘Been There Done That’ is a full-length contemporary romance, can be read as a standalone, and is book #1 in the Leffersbee series, Green Valley World, Penny Reid Book Universe.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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Excerpt

My Grandmother Leffersbee used to say, “Life isn’t perfect, but that’s what makes it so interesting.” Then she’d wink before adding, “Do you want interesting? Or do you want boring?”

Right now? I could use some boring perfection. Just a little. Just a smidge. Please.

“Zora.” A vaguely familiar-sounding voice said my name from someplace in the vicinity of my office doorway. I ignored it, hoping they’d take my silence as an invitation to go away.

You’re almost out of time.

My eyes stung, but I wasn’t going to cry. There is no crying in clinic communication research; there is only more research, more grant applications, more trying, more doing. But, damn, I really thought we had this one in the bag. Folks’ livelihoods depended on it. My tenure, my job, depended on it. Not to mention the research itself was important—so incredibly important.

“Zora,” that voice said again, firmer this time. Closer.

Given my present state of mind and eau de sweat fantastique, I can’t help barking out, “Now isn’t a good time.”

The man didn’t respond for a beat, but then once more said, “Zora,” this time with a hint of grit and impatience.

My glare cut away from the offending rejection email and I opened my mouth to volley something scathingly polite and dismissive, but then every nerve and muscle in my body seized. The clouds outside my office window parted at that very moment, emitting a biblical shaft of light that illuminated my overstuffed bookcases—and the breathtaking specimen of man standing in my office doorway on the fifth floor of the medical research building.

What the . . .?

Shock choked me. I couldn’t breathe. The cracked vinyl of the office chair’s armrests bit into the tender flesh of my palms.

I recognized him immediately even though he looked very, very different. All the awkward lankiness and unformed promise of his youth had been ruthlessly fulfilled in the intervening years. But after twelve years of empty, aching absence, of wondering and worrying, of resignation and sadness . . . he was here.

Was he real?

“I thought . . . I thought you were dead.” The whispered words left my mouth at the same time they formed in my brain.

Nick Armstrong stood silent and unmoving, a stolid sentry, looking at me. Just . . . looking.

The width of his shoulders filled the doorway, leaving scant space between his head and the door frame. I couldn’t help devouring the sight of him, half-wondering if he were a mirage. Despite being as fashion challenged as I was, I easily identified the perfect fit of a bespoke suit, noting how the high-quality fabric closely followed the muscled bulk of his shoulders and arms. The unassuming dark jacket, white dress shirt, and trousers did little to hide his tapered waist and well-developed thighs.

His hulking presence alone ensnared my attention, but his face arrested it. He was striking. Thick, ink-black hair just starting to curl over his collar matched the dark stubble shadowing his square jaw. His slightly off-center nose, likely the result of a break, ruined the pure symmetry of his features. But his eyes were a startling shade of green, the same showy, verdant hue of summer leaves under an ominously gunmetal sky.

So unsettlingly familiar. And yet . . . No, it couldn’t be him. There was no way it was Nick. Not after all these years.

This isn’t possible.

I lurched up and made a spectacle of myself as I struggled to stand. Panic weighted my feet. Disbelief severed any connection with my brain’s higher processing, leaving me stuck to my chair with my mouth hanging ajar. “Letting in flies,” as my Grandma Leffersbee would have said.

I blinked back confusion as I stared at him, captured by a whisper, an echo of a memory. “Who . . . ?”

His mouth moved, like maybe he was going to introduce himself. But instead, he repeated my name for a fourth time, “Zora . . .”

This voice was different from the Nick I had loved. Deeper. But the way he said my name, slowly, as if savoring the taste of something rich? I could never forget that.

It is him.

About Hope Ellis

Hope Ellis is a health outcomes researcher by day and writes romances featuring sexy nerds by night. She hopes to one day conquer her habit of compulsively binge-watching The Office.

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Finding yourself has never been so dangerous…

Diamond in the Rough, a new dark romance by New York Times bestselling author, Skye Warren, is coming July 7, 2020!

I’m stepping off a nine hour flight when it happens. A white van. A dark hood. Every

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About Skye:

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

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