Category: Uncategorized

FIREFLY BY KRYSTYNA ALLYN

Release Date: August 2, 2021

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Series Page → https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/speakeasy-taproom/

Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

About the Book:

It’s my last night in New York. And the woman of my dreams is three feet away, expertly twirling a bottle of vodka behind the bar and making the perfect pour. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as Melody, with her enigmatic eyes and a gorgeous smile. All I have to do is introduce myself. And then… 

I choke. And my chance for something–anything–with her is gone. 

Months later, I think I’m dreaming when I see her doing bartender tricks here in Vermont. Now all I can think about is having those long, beautiful, fingers performing their magic on my body. 

But I’m pretty sure she’s hiding something. It’s painfully obvious she’s keeping me at arm’s length just when I need to hold her close. She brings out my protective instincts, but I’ve got problems of my own. If I’m not careful, I’ll destroy everything I’m trying to build.

Losing her again might break me this time, because now I can’t imagine life without the light of my Firefly.

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

If you have been loving the stories in the Speakeasy Taproom series, then you will ADORE Mae Wood’s Wildflower. This newest book to this series, a part of the World of True North universe courtesy of Sarina Bowen’s Heart Eyes Press, is a second chance romance based on an unrequited crush. One of the shining elements of Wildflower is its focus on women breaking through the glass ceiling of the beer industry. And any story intent on magnifying the equity issues within a business industry while wrapping it in a romance package is a worthy read. 

The story follows Juliana and Riggs. As a teenager, Juliana had an unrequited crush on Riggs, her older brother’s adversary and friend. Even a few years later, at her best friend’s wedding, Juliana continues to pine for Riggs to no avail. Fast forward twenty-plus years and Riggs and Juliana find themselves back in their hometown. Riggs has escaped Boston with his teenage son in the wake of a family scandal, while Juliana and her three partners have set up shop opening a brewery and tasting room, one of the first fully-owned female breweries. From the moment they meet again, Riggs and Juliana are attracted to each other. However, past issues cause them to forgo acting upon it. Until they do. One night, stranded in another town, they decide to act on their attraction for one night. However, after that night, they can’t deny themselves. The issue is Juliana’s very busy life and Rigg’s insistence on leaving their hometown and returning to Boston. Is it possible for these two to have more?

There are some important focuses of Mae Wood’s Wildflower that make this story important:

*Through the course of Riggs’s journey, Wood aptly highlights the idea of happiness. More specifically, through his story arc, Wood interrogates the definition of happiness and the need to find it while being yourself. Riggs makes a choice in his youth to “put on” an identity to show wealth and prosperity, as a way to escape his simple life. On his return home, he recognizes that those two things mean nothing if reached by being nothing other than yourself. As the book progresses and he falls deeper into love with Juliana, he realizes what matters most: family, peace, and easy living. 

*With Juliana’s story (and her partners), Wood focuses on female achievement and the way that women’s roles are reduced in traditionally male-dominated industries. From the start to the finish, you learn so much about the beer world and beer bros as Juliana and her partners strive to find their own place in it. Once again, there is this focus on striving. However, through Juliana’s characterization, we find the balance between reaching goals and wanting more AND finding happiness in a life lived simply with deep relationships between friends and family members. 

These two characterizations show Mae Wood’s impressive storytelling. From its beginning, I was hooked unable to step away from Juliana and Rigg’s story. I will say that the ending felt underwhelming given the depth of development you find through most of the story. However, I’m hoping to get my hands on the epilogue to earn more of their happy ending. 

As a first-time reader of Mae Wood, I want more. I loved her fluid style and her capacity to infuse her story with a gravity that makes her romance more. If you have jumped into the Speakeasy Taproom stories, then I KNOW you will love Wildflower. Thus far, I think it’s one of my favorites. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

WILDFLOWER BY MAE WOOD

Release Date: August 2, 2021

Buy your copy HERE 👇🏻

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Series Page → https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/speakeasy-taproom/

Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

About the Book:

When the prize is love, sometimes you get stung. But if you’re lucky, you just might hit the sweet spot…  

Juliana Burton needs a medal at Speakeasy’s beer festival to push her brand-new, woman-owned brewery into the spotlight. She thinks she knows just how to do it, too–with a beer made exclusively from Vermont ingredients. Hops, check. Barley, check. But what she really needs is the best honey in the state. Too bad the only thing standing in her way is six feet tall, smokin’ sexy, and her secret high school crush.

After a very public disaster in Boston, Riggs Lyon is home with his teenage son in tow.  Riggs is taking over the family beekeeping business with an eye to offload it and start life over somewhere where “Lyin’ Lyon” isn’t a joke. Selling honey to Juliana doesn’t make business sense. She can’t afford the high prices Lyon honey fetches in specialty shops and farmer’s markets. But somehow, he’s having trouble saying no to anything she asks him for, whether it’s in the hive or in the bedroom.

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

L.B. Dunbar has set herself apart from her fellow indie romance authors. Recognizing that romance doesn’t end at 25, Dunbar has been emphatic in writing romance centered on the over 40 crowd. It isn’t that she can’t write romances about the typical 18 – 35 romantic heroes and heroines; it’s simply that she acknowledges that men and women still fall in love in middle age. Even more, there is oftentimes something deeper abiding in that love as they have traversed life longer. 

Enter Dunbar’s newest story, Studfinder. This story suggests that good people make bad decisions and deserve second chances, making this newest book a story of second chances. A romance ensconced in the Busy Bean series from Sarina Bowen’s World of True North universe, what is most exciting about Studfinder is its focus on a titular, yet ancillary character thus far to the True North world, Rita. If you’ve been reading Sarina Bowen’s stories or any of the other stories of the Busy Bean variety, then you know that Rita is a recovering alcoholic, lawyer (she’s a partner with May Shipley of Shipley Ciders) who has a serious claim on the velvety peach couch at the Busy Bean. Possessive of her space, she is irked one day when she finds it inhabited by a silver fox of a man, Dunbar’s hero, Jake Drummond. From the moment these two meet, sparks fly…and not necessarily the garden-variety romance ones. These two quickly spar because (1) Jake has erected high emotional walls after spending 7 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, and (2) Rita is incredibly protective of her space. As their story progresses, it becomes clear that those initial sparks are actually more of the garden-variety romance ones, and they fall for each other. However, past actions haunt their present, and it threatens to tear them apart. Given that this is romance, there is a happy ending for them, but they must traverse the past in order to find their future together. 

There is much to love about Studfinder. For one, there is always something intensely entreating about a hate-to-love connection between the hero and heroine. This is the case for Jake and Rita. Their sparring is foreplay for their attraction. Secondly, this story has an unsolved case in it that Dunbar is careful in doling out its clues. Much of Studfinder is Jake and Rita falling for each other and trying to reconcile their pasts for the future, but the thing that pulls you through their story is your curiosity over Jake’s case. Thirdly, Rita is a favorite character. In this book, we learn more about her past and its effect on her present. She is layered in this story, and you can’t help but adore her. Fourthly, the redemption of Jake is the emotional gravitas, I think,  of Dunbar’s tory. Letting go of his past is the necessary catapult to his future with Rita, and Dunbar is careful in allowing him to work through this. If I have a criticism of this book, it would be the continued interruption of the forward motion of his relationship with Rita. He makes some later choices that, in my opinion, are inconsistent with his character midway through the story. I won’t reveal the details of the story; however, I think Dunbar adds some tension into their relationship that doesn’t align with the forward motion of his journey. 

After all of that, though, what you find is a beautifully drawn romance about two people who have missed out on the “living” part of life. As they find each other, a light is turned on, and for the first time in many years, they begin to live more abundant lives. L.B. Dunbar’s Studfinder adds another great story to the Busy Bean series, but she also reminds us that we can’t let our pasts continue to define our present or future. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

STUDFINDER BY L.B. DUNBAR

Release Date: August 2, 2021

Buy it HERE 👇🏻
Amazon: https://geni.us/StudfinderAmazon
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All the links in one spot: https://shor.by/busy-bean
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Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs

Blurb:

Who does that sexy silver fox think he is, sitting in her spot in the Busy Bean Cafe?

Over forty, with zero filter, Rita Kaplan loves her coffee, her hiking boots, and her law practice. Life hasn’t always been carefree, though, and Rita’s past holds the scars of poor decisions after deep loss. She survived, though, and no smirky silver fox is going to get in the way of her happiness. Even if he knows how to use his drill, screwdriver, and every other tool in his box to tempt her . . .

Former arson investigator Jake Drummond could add ex-con to his resume if he had one. Instead, he’s serving the final year of his sentence on probation. This involves mandatory AA meetings, hosted by a feisty local attorney, and working on a renovation project, supervised by the same annoyingly attractive whirlwind, who also believes she owns the exclusive rights to a comfy couch in his new favorite coffee shop. Soon she’s everywhere, including the few places she shouldn’t be–like in his bed and in his heart. 

Can opposites lower their walls and construct something everlasting . . . or will their connected past lead to demolition for two hearts in need of a rebuild?

EXCERPT:

“You,” I hiss, glaring at the most annoying man I’ve ever met, and I’ve met plenty of annoying men. Of course, not all of them were hunky, smirky, sexy silver foxes, but that was neither here nor there. I am standing here, and he is sitting there. “You are in my spot.”

This is the third time this week he’s encroached on my couch in the Busy Bean Café, and three strikes mean you’re out, handsome.

Taking a moment, the offender blinks before narrowing his bluest-of-blue-eyes and glares back at me. For a second, I wonder if I have something on my face. Maybe chocolate in the corner crease of my lips or lettuce in my teeth from lunch.

What the frick is he staring at?

Then he blinks again and slowly leans forward. His arm-porn-worthy forearms rest on his wide-spread thighs as he glances up at me. Since I think he’s about to stand from the place where he’s perched, I speak.

“Thank you.” My mother taught me manners, even if I sometimes lack the use of them. Especially on this occasion, where a hunky, smirky, sexy silver fox who is the most annoying man I’ve ever met is sitting in my spot on the plush peach couch in my favorite coffee shop.

He stops moving at my gratitude and turns his head slowly left to right. Then he swivels at the waist right to left, exaggerating his motions as if he’s searching for something over his shoulders. Did he forget something? Did he drop his phone? His hand moves to his side and smooths over the velvety cushion, stroking it like the soft texture is a pleasure fabric or a preferred pet. My mouth waters for some reason because his movements might match that of him caressing a woman, taking his time to sculpt along her thighs. Maybe glide over her backside. Stroke the inside of her legs and . . .

“Just what are you doing?” He’s taking too long to move it.

“I’m looking for a sign that says this seat is taken.” Turning that edgy face upward, beaming those blue headlights at me, he crooks the corner of his mouth in the smirkiest of smirks. “But as I don’t see one, nor do I see your name on this couch, I think I’ll stay.”

He falls back against the couch as if he’s dropping onto a mattress, tossing himself down into the fluffiest of pillows to catch his hard body in a cushion of heaven. His arms stretch wide to encompass the length of the couch back. He even sighs. A long, lush, deep groan of pleasure emits from him while his eyes close for a second. Then he inhales. When his lids flip open, he spears me in place. That does not stop my mouth.

“Look, handsome, this is my spot. Everyone knows it’s my spot. Think Norm in Cheers, where everybody knows his name. This is where I sit.” I shouldn’t have called him handsome. He probably already knows he is. In fact, I’m certain he knows he’s good-looking. I don’t know how he even faces himself in the mirror every morning. He’s that good-looking.

“I’m curious if everyone is always glad you came . . .” His eyes narrow at me, and I ignore the emphasis he’s put on a certain term. I will not fall for these kinds of wordplay games, nor will I falter under the curl of his sassy mouth. Even the crinkle of his nose as he annunciated that word was hot.

“Of course, they’re always glad I’m here, occupying my spot.” My voice hardens as my fists clench at my sides. I’ve had a day, and I just want to sit in my happy place and sip some coffee. Is the Busy Bean the most convenient spot for me to haunt? No, it is not, but I’ve been to worse places—been there, done that—and I will not be going back. I live halfway between Colebury and Montpelier, where my law office is located, and coming here is out of my way most days. But today is one of those days when I need my spot and a good cup of dark roast, and I do not need this hunky, smirky, sexy silver fox glaring back at me or his fine backside taking up residency on my couch.

Get a grip, Rita.

Technically, I don’t own the couch or the right to claim this space as mine. The Busy Bean Café is owned and operated by Audrey Shipley and Zara Rossi, both excellent businesswomen. They’ve taken this quaint location on the old gin mill property and made it into something special. With brick-red walls and chalkboard painted beams overhead, the creaking wooden floors and eclectic mixture of furniture begs a person to come in and linger, which is what I do—often. Not to mention, the coffee is divine. The dark roast is a special blend introduced to the place a while back and the addition of delicious cupcakes on the menu from Oh, For Heaven’s Cakes makes this place more than just a coffeehouse. It’s heaven in Vermont.

It’s my heaven, and the devil himself is sitting here.

Jake Drummond is his name, actually, but that’s semantics to me. He’s quickly becoming a huge thorn in my side.

Jessica Peterson has revealed the cover for Southern Playboy!

Releasing: September 2, 2021

Cover Designer: Najla Qamber of Najla Qamber Designs

Photographer: Rafa Catala

Model: Hugo Soriano

Hiring the woman who wrecked me to nanny the kid I just found out I have is a dumb idea. Getting naked with her in the back of my truck is even dumber.

But old habits die hard.

Amelia Fox was my high school sweetheart, the girl who broke my heart and nearly ended my football career a decade ago. It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other, much less make a comeback.

But I did come back. And I’m not about to let go of everything I fought for just because my world is imploding again.

When I find out I’m the father of a two-year-old boy, I’m ready to start my final season in the pros. It’s my last chance to nab the championship I promised my dad I’d win before he died.

Enter Amelia: teacher, toddler whisperer, and–oh yeah–my ex-girlfriend. We haven’t spoken in ten years, but I’m desperate, and she’s looking for a job.

I need to focus, which means I need help with this kid. Which means I need her.

The arrangement works until one night of bad decisions and great sex threatens to ruin everything.

Can we make it work this time around?

Or is she just another bad habit I need to break before she breaks me?

SOUTHERN PLAYBOY is a full-length, standalone novel. 

Be sure to add it to your TBR! Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3Blf9mx

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Meet Jessica

Jessica Peterson writes smokin’ hot romance set in her favorite cities around the world. She grew up on a steady diet of Mr. Darcy, Edward Cullen, and Jamie Frasier, and it wasn’t long before she started writing swoon-worthy heroes of her own. She loves strong coffee, stronger heroines, and heroes with hot accents.


She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband Ben and her smelly Goldendoodle, Martha Bean. She’s hard at work on writing her next favorite sex scene. Stay tuned for exciting news on her next release!

Connect with Jessica

Website: https://www.jessicapeterson.com/

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Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

“Even in the barely-there light, he was a bolt of colour. Vibrant. Stealing all my thoughts. Just as, in the shower, he’d stolen some piece of I didn’t know I’d had until it was in his possession.”

And with that single line, Jolie Vines shows us the gravity of her story in Stolen. The next in her Wild Mountain Scots series, and another story of her McRae family, Vines grabs us once again and leads us deftly into a world that you hate to leave. Following Maddock, the twin brother of Max, and the son of Scarlet and Ally McRae, we reenter the world of mountain rescuers who we’ve encountered in her Obsessed and Hunted. At the end of the latter, Vines left us hanging as to whose story would be revealed in Stolen. In this book, Maddock’s heroine is Rory, the half-sister of Elise in Hunted. And it’s a slow-burn yet steamy tease of a story. Here’s the thing. Rory has no interest in relationships given that her mother and step-father didn’t provide her with the best example of one. Given that she’s now responsible for herself and her mother’s care, she’s overwhelmed with life,  and the last thing she needs is a man in it. Until one enters it. On holiday in Scotland, visiting her sister and her newfound friend Max, she ends up accidentally kissing Maddock, and their connection is born. Besides their insta-attraction, their geographical differences are another hindrance to beginning a relationship. For much of this story, Rory fights her growing feelings for Maddock, and Maddock hides his growing feelings so as not to scare her away. Is it possible for these two to find a happy ending?

Everything you adore about Jolie Vines’s romances is in Stolen. The reticent heroine who pushes away the hero along with the hero who falls deeply for his heroine are standards of her romances, and this makes for a read that’s easy to gobble in one sitting. I will say that I think Vines’s last half of her stories are oftentimes the best parts. In Stolen, as Maddock and Rory fight their feelings for each other, you find yourself a bit frustrated with their choices, especially with Rory. It takes a serious situation to finally wake them up, but until that point, Vines puts her readers through their paces, waiting out Maddock and Rory to “figure it all out.”

What do I love most about Vines’s stories such as Stolen? The fact that the landscape and geography are as much of a character as the actual McRae characters. I found myself searching Google Maps for the places described in Stolen. This connects you as a reader to a world beyond your own front door. I love that the common thread of family continues to be woven through her books. While we are used to, I think, more faces from the McRae family than you’ll find in Stolen, they are still there in celebrations and as support for the hero and heroine. Obviously, Cameron, Elise, and Max play bigger parts in Maddock and Rory’s story. But we’re introduced to new characters and reminded of some of our favorites such as Uncle Gordain, ever the puppetmaster behind the scenes. And ultimately, there is a deep abiding love between Maddock and Rory that is commonplace in Vines’s books. Interestingly enough, in terms of the steam level of Stolen, in my opinion, Maddock’s story is tied with his cousin’s book, Hard Nox. Maddock is a big package of pleasure, and he doesn’t hide it. 

Each story that comes from Jolie Vines is a treasure, and her latest book, Stolen, is another one for the treasure chest. Maddock and Rory’s story asks you to be fearless even when the future is unknown, and it seems to me that that’s a lesson we should live by. Why not consider it while you’re wiling your weekend away in Stolen.

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Prescott Lane’s The Right Side of Wrong is an ode to overcoming your past. Through the journey of her hero and heroine, she takes us carefully on a journey toward love healing the injuries of the past. It’s heartbreaking, yet lovely in its capacity to wipe away the hurts of her characters, and it’s an apt reminder that love truly overcomes. 

The story follows Paige and Slade, two people living their lives in different ways. Paige is a down-on-her-luck single mom who has to make difficult decisions to care for her son. This includes becoming an escort. On her first night, she encounters Slade, the son of the man with whom she is coupled. Slade forces her away from him, but there is something about her that keeps him intrigued. Unlike Paige, Slade is a wealthy, successful man; however, his life is narrow in its scope as a protection from the trauma of his past. When he offers Paige a job as a live-in housekeeper, he is drawn to her even if he doesn’t want to be. Given Paige’s past, she is insistent that she will never love. The push and pull of their relationship draws you further into Lane’s story, and before you know it, these two stop fighting their attraction and fall in deep. However, they each hold secrets. Will their secrets derail their future?

So what is right about The Right Side of Wrong?

*Overall, the characters’ stories are interesting. Paige’s is the most compelling and heart-rending, and I think Lane does a good job of investing you in it. You find yourself rooting for her characters, even though there are moments that build and end with little fanfare. Specifically, Slade’s secret feels a bit manufactured for emotions, but it doesn’t hit as much as Paige’s. Even more, Paige’s secret is obvious; it doesn’t have the punch that you might be expecting for this story. 

*I love that Paige’s son is all sweetness and light. There isn’t drama where he’s concerned which means the drama is fully encapsulated in Paige and Slade’s journey. 

*I found it interesting that Lane, instead of offering the story of Paige’s past in her own words, creates a specific space for it in the chronology of the story, and she crafts it from a third-person POV. Therefore, it’s outside the narrative and feels more reliable coming from that perspective. She also gave us quite a bit of Paige’s past, not just one necessary scene. It allows you to understand Paige’s psychology more. 

*As Paige begins to lower her emotional, edified walls, there are moments that tug at your heart. They aren’t moments just with Slade, but also with other characters in the story, and they humanize her beyond her past. 

*I LOVE that Slade adores her. He makes one misstep early on, but after that, Slade is all in with Paige, which means the journey becomes about helping themselves become more vulnerable with each other. This is the highlight of The Right Side of Wrong. 

My biggest criticisms lie in the characterization of Slade and his secret and the pacing of the story. I’ve already mentioned the issue with Slade earlier in my review. Thus, the pacing of the revelation of Paige’s secret is problematic. I think Lane waits too long for its reveal, and it loses its punch. I would have revealed it sooner and had her work towards building back trust with Slade, but Lane makes Slade accommodating of it that the emotional impact fizzles quickly. Since Lane has invested her reader emotionally in her characters, undermining this emotional moment leaves you feeling underwhelmed at the end of The Right Side of Wrong. 

There is an important message, however, in Prescott Lane’s newest book. There is trauma in it and her heroine, honestly, deserves her happy ending. If you love an emotionally driven journey about love overcoming the odds, then you will like The Right Side of Wrong. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

You can’t PRY me out of Rivers Wilde. I’ve moved in and I’m STAYING. –Amelia Wilde, USA Today bestselling author

The Daredevil, an all-new must-read Rivers Wilde Novella from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Dylan Allen and 1,001 Dark Nights is available now!

Read my 4.5 ⭐️ review HERE.

From Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Dylan Allen comes a new story in her Rivers Wilde series…

“I dare you to let me watch…”

It was the wickedest of propositions, made by the most devilish of men.

It doesn’t matter that Tyson Wilde has got a killer smile, wears a suit like it’s his job,
and oozes spine-tingling sex appeal. I should say no.
Because beneath the surface of that cool, disinterested exterior,
lies passion hot enough to burn. I danced too close to it once and have the scars to prove it.

So, on any other night, in any other city, and if he’d been even a fraction less mouthwatering,
I would have been able to resist.

But it’s my birthday, we’re in Paris, and it’s him.
I can’t say no.
I don’t want to say no.

And this time, no matter how right we feel together, I won’t let myself forget that when this weekend is over, we will be, too.
We’re only pretending to be lovers to land a deal.
Success will mean a promotion—one I want more than anything.
At least, that’s what I thought.

Falling in love was a danger neither Tyson or I saw coming.
And it will cost one of us everything.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

Grab your copy today exclusively on Amazon!
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Excerpt

I know she’s been going through a tough divorce, but I’ve never seen her anything other than energetic, snarky, or hyper focused at work. I don’t know what to do with an emotional crying Dina. So I do what I’d want if I was feeling bad enough to cry in front of someone. I wrap an arm around her and run a soothing hand over her back. She presses her face into my shoulder, and her hair tickles my cheek and my neck. It smells like fruit, and I want to bury my face in it. 

She pulls away and saves me from embarrassing myself. “I’m sorry I cried all over you. I’m fine,” she says in a weepy, small voice. 

I push her hair back from her face and smile. “It’s okay to cry. Even the strongest people need a soft place to land every once in a while.” 

“It’s the alcohol, I had too much,” she protests.

“I didn’t have enough,” I confess with a wry smile.

She pats my chest as if to console me. “Well, I’m glad because if you did, who would carry me upstairs to bed?”

“This house doesn’t have stairs,” I remind her with a laugh. 

“Then it’s your lucky day. This ass is as heavy as it looks.” She smiles and drops her head back onto my shoulder and closes her eyes. 

“Are you asleep?” I ask after a full minute of listening to her deep breathing.

“No, I’m smelling you.” 

My burst of surprised laughter jostles us both. “Smelling me?” 

“Mmm-hmm, I knew you’d smell this good.” 

“You’ve thought about the way I smell?” I ask, even though I shouldn’t. 

“Oh, yeah, but it’s much better than my imagination.” She presses the cold tip of her nose into my neck and sniffs loudly. “I’m mad I waited so long to do this,” she says. 

“How long have you been waiting?” 

She lifts her head from my shirt. Her eyes are still wet but aren’t sad as she looks up into my face with a light in her eyes that I’ve never seen before. “Since the first time I saw you.” 

“You’re drunk. You don’t mean it.” I laugh, but it’s thin and false. The air around us seems to thicken, and my eyes are riveted to that luscious, sweet, hot mouth of hers. 

“You know I do. And I know you want me, too. I’ve seen the way you watch me.”

About Dylan Allen
Dylan Allen is a Texas girl with a serious case of wanderlust.
A self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, she loves creating stories where her characters chase their own happy endings.
When she isn’t writing or reading, eating or cooking, she and her family are planning their next adventure.

Connect with Dylan
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2kAg2VP
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Love Next Door, an all-new sweet and endearing romance from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting is now live!

Read my 4.5 ⭐️ review HERE.

When Dillion Stitch left her hometown, she had no intention of going back. But when her brother gets into trouble, Dillion reluctantly agrees to return home to take her place at the family business.

Being back in Pearl Lake after all these years feels familiar, but also brings a few surprises. She’s quick to notice that someone new has shown up at the cottage next door. Dillion gets more than an eyeful when she goes to check out the newcomer and meets Donovan “Van” Firestone—her beloved neighbor’s grandson—in all his unclothed glory.

Having gotten off to a rocky start, it’s not long before they begin bickering with each other all over town. All that back and forth inevitably sparks an undeniable attraction. But Dillion’s family has issues, Van’s family resents him, and neither Dillion nor Van feels truly at ease in the small town. For these Pearl Lake exiles, home isn’t just where the heart is—it’s where things get complicated.

Grab your copy today!
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Excerpt

I turn on the flashlight and trudge through the brush and past the campfire, which incidentally has been left unattended. It’s down to a smolder, but Van has left out hot dog sticks and a bag of buns.

I keep going, toward Bee’s front porch and the blinding spotlight. Standing in front of the cottage is Van. Shirtless. Sweaty and shirtless. The bright light shines directly on him, accenting the dips and ridges, the smooth planes of muscle.

Van is ripped. Probably because he spends a lot of time at the gym, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. He lifts his ball cap from his head and runs a hand through his deliciously sweaty dark hair before he flips his cap around and replaces it, backward this time.

I roll my eyes at myself. What the hell is wrong with me? Deliciously sweaty. “Hey!” I bark.

He startles and the hammer in his hand goes flying, but he was on the back swing, so it heads in my direction. I sidestep it, and it manages to miss me by about six inches. He spins around, eyes wide as they land on me. “What the fuck?”

“Do you realize what time it is?”

“Do you realize that you scared the living shit out of me and I could’ve hurt you, or myself?” He motions to the hammer lying on the ground next to me.

“Wouldn’t that have been a pity,” I snap.

“What the hell is your damn problem?”

“You.” I point a finger at him. “You are the problem. It’s after ten. There’s a bylaw in place around here that stipulates all construction takes place between the hours of seven a.m. and nine p.m. from June to August, and you’re violating that. And for what? It’s not like whatever you’re doing is going to matter when your damn plan is to parcel out the property!” I’m yelling now, and heaving. And my nipples are peaking under the white tank I wore to bed. I hug myself to hide them.

“This is the second time you’ve said that. What the hell are you talking about?”

“What do you mean, what am I talking about?” I flail for a second and then cross my arms again. “You called me about it. Bee wasn’t gone a couple of weeks, and you were already asking about acreage and subdividing. It doesn’t take a genius to know what your plans are!”

“I don’t even know what you mean by subdividing, and I never called you.”

“Yes, you did!” He’s just so infuriating.

“No. I didn’t. Believe me, I’d remember dealing with someone as hostile as you.”

“I am not hostile.”

“Really?” Van props a fist on his hip. His narrow hip.

I follow the movement, which leads my eyes to his waist, that enticing V of muscle dragging my gaze down farther. Of course, because my brain is a jerk, the image of him naked pops back into my brain.

As if he’s reading my mind, his brow arches. “You’re picturing me naked right now. Aren’t you?”

“What? No!” My eyes snap back up to his.

“Yeah. You are.” His lip curls, somewhere between a smirk and sneer, his tone needling. “You were staring at my crotch, probably thinking about the last time you visually molested my junk. Is that why you stopped by? To check me out again? This whole fake phone call thing is an excuse for you to come back over here and get a look at the goods again.” He runs a hand down his chest.

“You’re an egotistical asshole. I realize that this might be some kind of fun holiday for you, and that you’re probably sleeping until noon every day, but some of us have to be up at the crack of dawn. Bylaw hours are seven a.m. to nine p.m. Next time you break them, expect to get a visit from the sheriff.” I spin around and stomp over to the extension cord, find the place where it’s joined to the lamp, and break the connection, submerging us in darkness. “Next time I won’t be so nice about it.”

“Hate to break it to you, but you weren’t very nice about it this time,” he calls after me.

It drives me crazy how easy it is for him to push my buttons.

A few seconds later I hear an oof and a clatter, which means he’s tripped over something in the dark. I smile to myself. Hopefully this time he’ll get the message.

About Helena Hunting

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

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