Professor Romance

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

I’ve written this before about other books, and yet it characterizes K. Webster’s The Glass Slipper to a T. This book is a wild erotic roller-coaster ride to a happy ending. The obstacles that Winston Constantine and his Cinderelliott, Ash, must overcome are astonishing. From abusive step-brothers to overzealous enemy mafia business rivals to society at large, Winston and Ash must fight to find their happy ending. And, without giving you too much of the story, Winston and Ash definitely find their happy ending. I’m fairly certain that the epilogue is one of my favorite chapters in the Cinderella trilogy. 

Now, what is there to love about this book?

1. It’s steamy. Like 5 star steamy. 
2. Winston is insatiable in so many ways, and he’s guarded and egotistical, meaning that he undergoes a HUGE journey in this book. 
3. Ash is my hero. She is the ONLY one in Winston’s life who cares for him beyond measure AND she stands up to him which he needs. 
4. There is so much action in this book that you don’t get to breathe until the epilogue. 
5. Did I mention that it is steamy AF? Like really. 
6. Every one gets their comeuppance. Karma is a B!
7. The Constantines really do have hearts, and I think Perry Constantine is my favorite character because he’s kind of a combination of Winston and Ash. 
8. This book will tug at your heartstrings in ways that I don’t think the first two books of the trilogy do. This means you’ll probably find yourself more emotionally invested in The Glass Slipper over the first two. 
9. K. Webster writes stories that seem so unreal, yet real at the same time. There is pure entertainment value in The Glass Slipper, but there is also something more in this story about humanity and the need for balance in one’s life. Winston doesn’t have to only want world domination. Webster takes the span of three books to show us that work-life balance is actually better. And ultimately love can save even the staidest, buttoned-up, egotistical person. 

The Glass Slipper is the perfect ending to K. Webster’s Cinderella trilogy. Everything you want to happen happens, and Winston and Ash find their happy ending. Now…sorry…I need to go find Perry’s book. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

THE GLASS SLIPPER (Cinderella #3) by K. Webster

Release Date: April 20th

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Start the Series today with Stroke of Midnight!

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Blurb:

Betraying the most powerful man in New York wasn’t something I ever envisioned when I first started playing games with Winston Constantine. But he’s engaged in far more dangerous games than ours, and his enemies are out for blood.

Winston has my heart, the Morellis have incriminating photos, and I’m left with nothing except three stepbrothers who want to hurt me and a future in doubt. I knew Winston wouldn’t be my prince charming, but that didn’t stop me from falling for him.

After all, the slippers fit, and I let myself believe I’d be dancing with Winston forever.

Until too much truth comes to light.

Until I realize instead of ruling the board, I was just a pawn.

In the end, I have only one question. When his game with me is over, will I be able to pretend as if the glass slipper wasn’t a perfect fit?

 

About K. Webster:

K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.

 

Connect w/K. Webster:

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Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Well…she did it. With the completion of Falling Into Love with You and her Hate-Love Duet, Lauren Rowe takes two characters who aren’t initially easy to like and makes them fated soulmates whose love is BIG. If you read Falling Out of Hate with You, then you know…Rowe’s hero and heroine, Savage and Laila, have had a bit of a fraught journey thus far. In fact, with my review of that book, I received a comment from a fellow reader who indicated they DNF at 32%. This reader thought the characters were, my words here, ridiculous. In other words, that reader had a difficult time caring about the characters because, at first glance, Savage and Laila are seemingly immature. Now, I can understand the reader’s disdain for the characters, but having read that book, 32% gives you nothing about the reality of the characters in this duet. In fact, Rowe is smart in her elaboration of their story that you know, in retrospect after finishing Falling Into Love with You, you are receiving the fake personas of Laila and Savage in much of that book. When you read Falling Out of Hate with You, there is a lot of discussion about the constructed “rock and roll” archetype. And I think Rowe, in all of her writing genius, offers up that “role” for both Laila and Savage in that book. As you work through that book, as I stated in my review for that book, there are deeper psychologies to Laila and Savage, and I intuited that those would be revealed in Falling Into Love with You. AND…I was correct. 

What does this do to the duet as a whole? Well, the second book proffers up more of the rockstar life while unraveling those carefully crafted rockstar personas, gifting Rowe’s readers with the “real” Laila and Savage. All of the misconceptions and misunderstandings are brilliantly and carefully undermined. Even more, Rowe sets about building more of her extended rockstar universe while dropping clues for readers to speculate about future stories in this world. And…she shows her flex at developing a well-developed romance between soulmates that melts your heart WHILE imagining this world fully. Since this duet is my FIRST Lauren Rowe set of books, let me just say right here and now: I am INCREDIBLY impressed with her insistence on developing the entire Savage and Laila world. It is astounding that she recognizes we live in a diverse multi-media world, and books can be more than simply words on the page. They can be images and songs and links to websites integrated directly into her stories. I mean…c’mon. Her stories have the actual songs of her artist characters. I can count on one hand the number of romance authors who integrate “more” into their books. Each time I encounter it, it impresses me because it’s another layer of creativity and craftsmanship that makes the reading experience enhanced. I have read many a romance where the author writes “a song” within the story, and I always want to hear the melody. That’s the part missing with these songs. Lauren Rowe is now only the second author who gifts us both the melody and lyrics in fully recorded songs. It’s astounding and “next level” for a story. 

Beyond that, if you struggled to like Laila and Savage in the first book, it is this book, Falling Into Love with You, where they will steal your heart. There is still so much chemistry and eroticism between the two of them in this book, but now, we are treated to their never-ending love. Don’t be like that reader who quit 30% of the way through the first book of Lauren Rowe’s Hate-Love duet. If you don’t make it to the final page, you will miss out on the unraveling of emotional walls and the vulnerability of two people falling deeply, madly, passionately in love with each other forever. 

In love and romance,

Professor A

Overall Grade: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Open Bombshells, the newest book in the Brooklyn Bruisers series, and you find immediately that it is quintessential Sarina Bowen. Like her other Bruiser stories, you find a very masculine hockey player in the form of Anton Bayer, cousin to Eric Bayer from Bowen’s Moonlighter, book 1 of her The Company series. Where “Baby Bayer” deviates, though, is in his characterization. Let me explain. One of the qualities of a Sarina Bowen romance, what makes her quintessential Sarina Bowen along with the books in her World of True North series written by other authors, is this insistence on bringing “more” to the genre of romance. Some authors do this, and honestly, it feels preachy. We read romance to escape, to find relationships that end in happily-ever-afters. When an author uses the genre and becomes emphatic on using storyline to speak to social injustices, if it isn’t done well, it undermines the essence of the genre. Sarina Bowen’s brand of romance doesn’t do that. She doesn’t undermine the story of her hero with the story of her heroine, for example, in Bombshells. You’re probably wondering what I mean by that. 

In Bombshells, we are not only treated to Anton Bayer; Bowen introduces us to her women’s hockey team, the Bombshells. Her heroine, Sylvie, a woman recruited from Canada to become the backup goalie for Rebecca’s newly created women’s hockey team. Since there is a shift away from the Bruisers (albeit they still feature heavily into this story with its inclusion of Bayer) to the Bombshells, Bowen finds space for a discussion about issues in parity between men and women’s sports. Interestingly, this message takes up a small portion of her story, while also challenging her reader with considering the issues between men’s and women’s sport. Again, she doesn’t “hit her readers over the head” with this message; it is carefully woven through the story, never overwhelming it. Instead, it sits within your consciousness as Bayer and Sylvie fall in love. Additionally, Bowen crafts Bayer with everything we love about her masculine hockey players, but she also creates him with a kindness and compassion that doesn’t detract from his maleness. Instead, he easily complements Sylvia. There are other players, such as Drake, who, with this message about the disparity between men’s and women’s sports, might undermine the message or even make it seem preachy. Instead, Bayer and Sylvie’s coupling allows that theme the space it needs to challenge the thinking of Bowen’s readers. 

This theme is further elaborated on through the construction of Sylvie’s character. We find out from the beginning that Sylvie’s teenhood sweetheart, Bryce Campeau, plays for the Bruisers (he’s actually a friend to Bayer). Hoping to call on a promise that Bryce made for their future, Sylvie surprises Bryce and realizes quickly that he has no intention of committing to his promise. Instead, he insinuates himself into Sylvie’s life as an overbearing protector, providing another layer to the debate about women’s agency. Again, this is done with a finesse that is a Sarina Bowen feature that doesn’t overwhelm the reader but provides a challenge instead. 

Finally, sitting with a Sarina Bowen book such as Bombshells brings with it an ease in its articulation. Once this book began, I couldn’t and did not want to put it down. From the bittersweet storyline of Sylvie’s mother to the ease of friendship and then more between Bayer and Sylvie to the camaraderie of the Bombshells and their male counterparts, the Brooklyn Bruisers, you find a combination of nostalgia (the former Bruisers’ characters) and the promise of more stories from the Bombshells (I am personally ready for a story between Drake and Charli). Sarina Bowen’s Bombshells is everything you love from the world of the Brooklyn Bruisers with so many cameos of past characters that it’s impossible to count. And honestly, you just don’t care to. Instead, this is a book where you can sit back and get lost in a story about two people with insta-chemistry, a foundation of friendship, and the promise of the best of forevers in hockeyland.

In love and romance,

Professor A

FALLING INTO LOVE WITH YOU (Hate-Love Duet #2) by Lauren Rowe

Release Date: April 19th

The Hate-Love Duet is NOW COMPLETE!!!

Falling into Love with You, book 2 in the new enemies to lovers romance duet from Lauren Rowe is AVAILABLE NOW in ebook – FREE with Kindle Unlimited, Audiobook – narrated by Andi Arndt and Jacob Morgan, and Paperback!!!

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Blurb:

I’m obsessed with Laila Fitzgerald. There, I finally admitted it. I’ve tried not to want her. I tried to step aside when my best friend said he wanted her. But it’s proved impossible. She’s too gorgeous and talented, too charismatic and badass, for me not to want her for myself.

Unfortunately, though, karma’s a bitch. In trying to do the right thing by my best friend, I’ve done the wrong thing by myself. I’ve pushed her away every chance I’ve had. Dug way too deep a hole to crawl out of . . . And now, Laila downright hates my guts. And rightly so.

But since we’re stuck together, yet again—and, this time, even more closely—I’ve decided nothing will stop me from getting what I want. This time, I’m going to figure out a way to coax Laila into falling out of hate with me . . .

About the Author:

Lauren Rowe is the USA Today and international #1 best-selling author of the Reed

Rivers Trilogy, Smitten, The Morgan Brothers, The Club Trilogy, select Misadventures,

and more.

Lauren’s books are full of feels, humor, heat, and heart. Besides writing novels, Lauren

sings in a party/wedding band in her hometown of San Diego, is an audio book narrator,

and award-winning songwriter, which is why she’s able to bring original music to some

of her rockstar-themed books. She is thrilled to connect with readers all over the world.

Connect w/ Lauren:

Website: https://www.laurenrowebooks.com

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/760337070730959

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Erin Satie is joining us for the release blitz of her historical romance, Book of Love! Check it out and be sure to get your copy today!

Title: Book of Love

Author: Erin Satie

Genre: Historical Romance

About Book of Love:

She’s trying to make ends meet. He’s out for a bit of fun.

 

Cordelia Kelly is busy, focused, worried about the future of her fledgling bookbinding business. When a handsome man stops her on the street to pester her with questions, she gives him the consideration he deserves: none.

That handsome man happens to be the Duke of Stroud, and he finds Cordelia’s hostility hilarious. He gives chase, if only for the pleasure of provoking her again.

 

He thinks life is a game. She doesn’t play around.

 

Within days of meeting Cordelia, Stroud sets a marching band on a matchmaking mama, defaces a local monument, and ropes Cordelia into a round of his favorite game.

In that same time, Cordelia stitches together the complete works of Mary Wollstonecraft, enthusiastically devotes herself to a petition demanding expanded legal rights for married women, and beats Stroud at his own game.

 

She defies all expectations. So does he.

 

Most people dismiss Stroud as a fool–himself included. When Cordelia sees past his lighthearted facade, he’s terrified and also… in love?

Stroud barges into Cordelia’s life, offering her all the material and sensual temptations she’s learned to do without. She usually has willpower to spare, but turning him down takes all of it, and then some. He’s oddly irresistible.

Or maybe they’re perfect for one another.

 

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Exclusive Excerpt:

The dog stood about eight inches tall and half as wide, exquisitely detailed, with shiny black eyes and a little pink tongue lolling out from its open mouth, painted toenails peeking out from a fringe of fur.

Cordelia picked it up and, finding the statuette fairly light, turned it upside down. A scroll of paper poked out from the hole in the base.

Ruby swore under her breath.

“Have we fallen into one of your novels?” Cordelia asked, not entirely in jest. She plucked the paper from the dog’s belly and returned the sculpture to its spot—slowly, giving herself time to gather her courage—before carefully unrolling the note.

Rules of the Game

1. You have one week to deliver Homer the Roamer to a new owner.
2. You may employ any and all means at your disposal.
3. Do not get caught!!!
4. If you are caught, you must try again.
5. Each attempt must be unique. Once a delivery attempt has failed, you must devise a new scheme.
6. Once you are successful, you may enter his new address into the Official Register at Stroud House.

A picture of two hounds rampant stamped in red wax marked the end of the letter, in lieu of a signature.”

About Erin Satie:

Erin Satie is the author of the dark and elegant No Better Angels series, historical romances set in the early Victorian period. She’s currently hard at work on her upcoming series, Sweetness & Light, which should be just as elegant but not quite so dark.

 

Erin is a California native who’s lived on the coasts and in the heartland, in tiny city apartments and on a working farm. She studied art history in both college and graduate school—research is always her favorite part of starting a new book.

 

Her favorite part of finishing a book, whether reading or writing, is the happily ever after.

 

Connect with Erin:

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Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

Do you ever read a story and it feels packed from the first to last page with story? When you enter Meghan Quinn’s Earn Your Extra Credit, you have no idea what journey her characters, Stella and Brock “Romeo” Romero, will take. I was excited about this romance because Stella and Romeo circle each other in Arlo and Greer’s See Me After Class. It was clear in that story that one of these two was pining for the other without making any progress towards a relationship. Not to mention, that book wasn’t the space for their story. However, their chemistry was clear, as well as Stella’s misconception of Romeo. 

Now, the other reason that Earn Your Extra Credit feels like a delicious extra credit assignment is Quinn’s Brock Romero. We’ve met him in her Brentwood Boys tales. While he didn’t get up to too much manwhoring and revelry, he fit in nicely with those guys, the ones who we have fallen for in their own books. For Romeo to finally get his story, one that is complicated in many ways, means that we get small peeks of Gentry, Carson, and of course, Gunner. This speaks of nostalgia over some of Quinn’s best stories, and the grand gesture that Stella throws down to win Romeo back will make you tear up. Seriously. 

In this book, the gang is all here, and they are all protective covering for Stella and Romeo’s story. Gunner and Lindsay, Keiko and Kelvin, Arlo and Greer, and Cora all play an important part in imparting wisdom and a smack upside the head when necessary. Gunner and Keiko also offer some of the humor of this story to balance out the overwhelming stress of Stella and Romeo’s coupling. Because I have to be honest, Stella is a tough nut in this story. For all of her whimsy in See Me After Class, she is stubbornly frustrating in her own story. Romeo and Stella are a four-alarm fire physically, but Stella’s inability to see Romeo’s true feelings coupled with Romeo’s frustrating unwillingness to lay out his feelings for her will make you want to throw your Kindle at the wall. For much of the story, this is a good thing. It means you’re attuned to Stella and Romeo’s plight, but there are moments when I wanted to yell at Stella “enough is enough.” 

There is so much to explore in Earn Your Extra Credit. From feelings of unresolved dreams to believing the worst about yourself to needing to reconcile with a family member, Meghan Quinn has proffered up another story that creates a multiplicity of emotions in her readers in equal measure. As I mentioned earlier in my review, this book feels heavy with story, and it is worth every penny. 

In love and romance, 

Professor A

Overall Grade: 4.5 ⭐️

Want to play the game Two Truths and a Lie to discuss Lauren Rowe’s Falling Out of Hate with You? Let’s begin. This book has inspired me to read more rockstar romances because I’ve been missing out. This story should probably be titled “Misunderstandings and Misconceptions” because the hero, Savage, and the heroine, Laila, make assumptions about each other that complicate their journey. And….this book is not STEAMY in the slightest. Okay, so which is the lie? 

I’m fairly certain you can find it easily. Falling Out of Hate with You is indeed steamy, BUT it’s done so carefully and most of it crafted in the minds of her two characters that, quite honestly, this book reads like a slow-burn romance. When they do get physical, it is off the charts hot. The fact that we’re told multiple times that Savage has an “oral fixation” should be an indication of what that hero can do to his heroine…and he does it. 

Here’s what I love the most about this book, though. See, I appreciate duets, but they oftentimes DRIVE ME CRAZY. Why? Because I’m impatient, and I want my guaranteed happy ending in one book. Additionally, there are authors in romancelandia who create a duet when they should have written one book, but it seems like they draw it out to sell more books. With Lauren Rowe’s Falling Out of Hate with You that does not at all feel like the case. In fact, this book is a steady stream of foreplay between her Savage and Laila. This book is necessary to build to where I think she’s going in the second and final book, Falling Into Love with You. Savage and Laila require the space of this book to set up their growing tension of hate to love in order for it to find resolution in the second book. Even more, these two have messed up thoughts about relationships, and by the end of this first book, they are only beginning to figure it out, which means they will need to work through their character psychologies before they can even consider finding a relationship together. I think, once they do, it’s going to be an explosion of romance. But…by the end of Falling Out of Hate with You, they aren’t quite there. There is the promise of a happily-ever-after, and Lauren Rowe doesn’t really leave you hanging on a huge cliffhanger. Therefore, the ending of this book feels satisfying, and there isn’t a huge urgency for the next book at that moment. Thankfully, Rowe isn’t making us wait too long, given that the second book of the duet is releasing shortly. 

All the ways that Lauren Rowe has constructed Falling Out of Hate with You and this duet seem intentional and smart. This is honestly my first Rowe read, and I’m impressed with her universe building, her extras for her book universe, and her ability to see beyond one book to many. The fact that she’s done one of my favorite things in her book, namely creating a song and providing it for her readers, makes me love this story even more. 

I’m not lying. If you want to explore rockstar romance OR you’ve read Rowe’s rockstars before, then you’ll want to read this book. Be forewarned, though. Savage and Laila won’t be your favorite people because they haven’t yet learned to be vulnerable. You see the fringes of it in Falling Out of Hate with You, but you know there is the promise of a big love in book 2. Be patient, and stage dive into this book…

In love and romance, 

Professor A

EARN YOUR EXTRA CREDIT by Meghan Quinn

Release Date: April 15th

Genre: Romantic Comedy

 

EARN YOUR EXTRA CREDIT IS NOW AVAILABLE IN BOTH EBOOK AND AUDIO!

Universal Link: mybook.to/EarnYourExtraCredit

Audio Universal Link: mybook.to/EYEC-AUDIO

 

 

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Universal Link: mybook.to/EarnYourExtraCredit

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Blurb:

“She went home with someone else that night?”

Hearing the disbelief from my best friend’s mouth makes the events of my failed date sting that much more.

I would like to make it known, I have a lot more swagger than what it seems. I don’t normally ask a girl out, have her fail to recognize it’s a date, and then give me a high five–as if I’m her wingman–and take off with someone else.

No. Normally I’m the one taking the girl home but with Stella, it’s been one failed attempt after another and frankly, I’m done trying.

But thanks to my best friend getting married in Hawaii right before the school year starts, I’m stuck on a tropical island, watching Stella parade around in what she claims is a bathing suit.

Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it, just the tip of the iceberg. Because what I think is going to be a relaxing vacation, avoiding the one girl I can’t seem to make it work with, has turned into a spectacle of being recruited as Stella’s doting fake fiancé so she can save face with an old “friend” from high school.

Now I’m navigating through purgatory while trying not to get turned on by the way she holds my hand or kisses my jaw. It’s all fake, that’s what I keep telling myself, even though it feels entirely too real.

Excerpt:

“Do you want to sit next to Stella on the airplane?” Arlo asks.

“What? Fuck, no,” I say while turning up the game so I can hear the announcers over my tedious, wedding-planning best friend.

Arlo snatches the remote from my hand and turns off the TV. The room is silent for a moment before uproarious objections fill the air.

“Gentry is up next,” Gunner, my other best friend and former teammate, complains from next to me. “He’s three for three so far.”

“We need to talk,” Arlo says in that stern, alpha-like voice that won over his fiancée. Little does he know it doesn’t work on me.

I reach for the remote but he swats my hand with a resounding thud, causing me to yank my hand back. “What the actual fuck, man?”

When I decided to have the guys over to my loft, I assumed we’d tear up some wings, drain some brews, and watch the Bobbies game. Never in my wildest fucking dreams would I have pictured Arlo Turner, the grumpy curmudgeon of the Forest Heights English department, to roll in like a beaming bride, holding a wedding planning folder to his chest, and consume the night with questions about what he should wear and if coconut cake is too “Hawaiian-y” for his Maui destination wedding.

But here we are.

“Cut the crap, Romeo.”

“Cut what crap?” I reach over to the coffee table and pick up my almost empty glass of beer.

“I’m not about to have the Bickersons attend my wedding, so what the hell is going on with Stella?”

“Nothing is going on,” I answer, then take a small sip of my beer, making the liquid last so I don’t have to get up for a refill.

Gunner leans in and asks, “If we get to the bottom of the problem, can we turn the TV back on?”

“Yes,” Arlo answers.

“Then it was the baseball game he took her to.”

“Dude,” I say in protest while sitting up on the couch. “What the fuck happened to don’t say anything?”

Gunner unapologetically shrugs. “I really want to watch the Bobbies kill the Rebels in interleague play.”

“What baseball game?” Arlo asks. “Do you mean the game you took her and Cora to?”

“Yup.” Gunner pops a chip in his mouth from the bowl on the coffee table. “Except Cora wasn’t supposed to go. It was supposed to be a daaate,” Gunner drags out.

“You asked Stella out?” Arlo asks, shocked.

“Way to sell me out for a game, you dick.”

Not showing an ounce of remorse, Gunner stands from the couch and takes my glass from me.

“I’ll top you off. You’ll need it.”

Seething, I pass my hand over my head and say, “Yeah, I asked her out. She invited Cora. End of story.”

“That’s not the end of the story,” Gunner says from the kitchen, the open concept of my loft allowing his voice to carry to us easily.

When you think a friend is trustworthy and then they go and shock your fucking nuts right off by divulging everything you told them in secret . . . without even a blink of an eye. Gunner is dead to me.

You’re probably wondering why I didn’t say anything to Arlo about what happened, given he’s one of my best friends, right? It’s simple. Gunner got me drunk and I relished in the comfort of far too many cold beers and a listening ear. If it wasn’t for that, I’d have kept my mouth shut, because the entire incident was fucking humiliating.

Between you and me, I’ve liked Stella Garcia, the Spanish teacher at Forest Heights, for a while now. Far too long actually. I can’t quite pinpoint when it happened, but all I know is over the three years I’ve known her, I’ve been pining after the girl for the majority of the time.

Fucking bold, quick-witted with a sharp tongue, loves sports, shy when it counts. Flat-out gorgeous with her long, wavy brown hair and fascinating green eyes that have a ring of brown around the pupil. She’s had my attention for a while and last year, I decided to finally make a move.

Enough was enough. We shared too many dinners together as friends. She’s pressed her lips to my beer glass without a second thought way too many times. The moment presented itself, I grew a pair, and asked her out to a baseball game knowing she loves watching the sport as much as I do.

But fuck did it backfire.

“What’s the end of the story?” Arlo asks, growing agitated. His patience runs thin, which is surprising, given his profession of educating the youth.

He’s not going to drop it.

Arlo’s relentless when he wants to know something.

Dragging my hand down my face, I say, “It was supposed to be a date.” Gunner sits next to me and hands me my refilled glass, which I gladly take. “She invited Cora. Which was fine. We had a good time, I still sat next to Stella, and we shared jokes even if there was a third wheel. But it was what happened afterwards that—”

“That gutted him,” Gunner finishes for me. When I snap a look at him, he smirks. “That’s what you told me. Just thought I’d help tell the story.”

“I wasn’t gutted.”

Maybe I was a little.

Hell . . . I was humiliated.

Gutted isn’t a strong enough word for what happened.

“What the fuck happened after? Christ. Why are you taking so damn long to get to the point?” Arlo practically growls.

“Go easy on our guy.” Gunner grips my shoulder. “He was embarrassed, man.”

“It’s fine, I’m over it now,” I say in a passive-aggressive tone.

“You’re clearly not if you and Stella can’t even be in the same room together. I don’t want anything ruining this trip for Greer, and your constant arguing with Stella is driving everyone fucking crazy.”

“Great, then I just won’t talk to her. Simple.”

“Just tell him,” Gunner says, nudging me.

Christ.

Staring down at my beer, I quietly say, “She went home with someone else that night.”

The room falls silent.

They don’t have to react for me to know what they must be thinking. They know I’ve liked Stella for a while. They know I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask her out.

And this . . . hell, this was an epic fail on my end.

It wouldn’t be as bad if I weren’t already carrying a chip on my shoulder about the way I was forced to twist my life around.

Five years ago, everything changed.

Five years ago, I was stripped of the one thing that brought me life.

A ruptured Achilles tendon ended everything for me.

I never got the chance to appreciate my last game.

I never had the opportunity to sit on the field and say goodbye.

Instead, playing professional baseball was stripped from me and I was forced to fall back on my teaching degree I earned while playing in college.

To say I’m bitter, resentful, and fucking angry . . . yeah, that’s an understatement.

I live with regret daily and harbor more animosity than anyone should.

So, when I took Stella to the game, on a date, hoping to tell her how I feel, and she went home with someone else, it fucking stung.

Do you know what stung more, though?

The fact that she looked right past me and instead went for a rookie on the Bobbies.

Why go out with a washed-up baseball player turned phys ed teacher with a slight limp in his walk, when you can go out with an unmarred professional baseball player?

Yeah. There’s resentment for a reason. She chose the star. That’s who she wants.

That’s who I’ll never be.

And that’s why I plan on staying as far away from Stella Garcia on this trip as I can.

And when we get back to Chicago and the school year starts, everything will go on as planned.

Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

Too easy, right?

 

About the Author:

USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.

Connect with Meghan:

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7360513.Meghan_Quinn

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMegQuinn

Website: http://authormeghanquinn.com

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Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LitE4x

 

 

FALLING OUT OF HATE WITH YOU (Hate-Love Duet #1) by Lauren Rowe

Release Date: April 15th

Falling Out of Hate with You, book 1 in the new enemies to lovers romance duet from Lauren Rowe is AVAILABLE NOW in ebook – FREE with Kindle Unlimited, Audiobook – narrated by Andi Arndt and Jacob Morgan, and Paperback!!!

 

Book 2, Falling into Love with You is releasing in just FOUR days on April 19th, pre-order now!

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56572214-falling-out-of-hate-with-you

AVAILABLE NOW!!

FREE in Kindle Unlimited!!

https://geni.us/KmbxI

 

PRE-ORDER Falling Into Love with You #2!

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Blurb:

I’ve tried to like Adrian Savage, the mercurial frontman for Fugitive Summer, while serving as his band’s opening act on tour. We’re stuck together for three months, after all. And I’m well aware I’m lucky to be here.

 

But it’s proved impossible. He’s far too rude and dismissive a guy to get along with. And way too good at getting under my skin. In fact, at this point, I think it’s fair to say I downright hate his guts.

 

Global thirst trap that he is, though, I’m finding it extremely difficult not to want to jump Savage’s bones, despite how much he infuriates me. I hate myself for it. But my body is going rogue on me. It doesn’t matter, though. I’m determined to resist him.

 

In fact, what I’ve decided is that, as long as I’m here and stuck with him, I’m not only going to give Savage the sound tongue lashing nobody else around here has the balls to deliver, I’m going to bring that bad boy to his knees.

About the Author:

Lauren Rowe is the USA Today and international #1 best-selling author of the Reed

Rivers Trilogy, Smitten, The Morgan Brothers, The Club Trilogy, select Misadventures,

 

and more.

 

Lauren’s books are full of feels, humor, heat, and heart. Besides writing novels, Lauren

sings in a party/wedding band in her hometown of San Diego, is an audio book narrator,

and award-winning songwriter, which is why she’s able to bring original music to some

of her rockstar-themed books. She is thrilled to connect with readers all over the world.

 

Connect w/ Lauren:

Website: https://www.laurenrowebooks.com

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/760337070730959

Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenrowebooks

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9699494.Lauren_Rowe

Amazon: https://amzn.to/37v8PcH

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