Have you ever wanted to reach into a book, find the author in it, and hug said author? Have you ever been so emotionally drawn to the pain evoked from the author’s story? Evie Interrupted by Alison G. Bailey is that such a book for me. After several months of reading stories that interested me, but didn’t invest me emotionally, Bailey’s Evie Interrupted is a provocative rendering of love. If you’re looking for a traditional romance in her book, you will find it, but it isn’t the most important love on the page. Instead, Bailey’s book is a love story between a mother and a daughter. It’s about hero-making and the pain of living in that hero-worship when the hero (or heroine) seems no longer worthy of it. It’s about the switching of roles between a child and a parent in the face of a devastating illness. And it’s about living the same life over and over again, becoming static, and feeling like you have to live in that space when you just want to fly.
After the first couple of chapters of Bailey’s book, I didn’t know if I would survive it. You should know that I did, and it stretched me as a person. Using the past and present to tell her story, Alison G. Bailey captured a piece of my heart with Evie Interrupted, and I don’t want it back. I also really want to meet her someday and give her the biggest hug when it’s allowed because this book requires it.
I was drawn to Evie Interrupted by its cover and its blurb. But I fell in love with it through its ability to show the pain of life. There is indeed a beautiful traditional romance in this book, complete with a hero who is everything you love in heroes: handsome, $exy, compassionate, and wholly in love with the heroine. There is also a heroine (well, actually, two) who falls deeply in love with the hero almost at first sight. But she is much more complicated, and you will struggle to love her at times. Yet, it’s her love for the other heroine in this book that will captivate you, that will make your heart bleed, and that will steal a piece of your soul. Come to this book, girded with a box of tissues, but know that you will leave Alison G. Bailey’s Evie Interrupted changed in all the best of ways.
How do you move beyond your hurts? How do you find a way to live life again after trauma? Garrett Leigh’s Heartscape seeks to answer these questions with the one answer that makes sense: to love and be loved. Heartscape tells the story of Vino & Veritas’s resident manager, Tanner. We find out in an earlier V&V book that Tanner needs a job as a way to save him from himself. In that book, nothing is divulged about his past, but he takes to managing the wine bar side of V&V even though his wine proficiency is low. Add in a hero such as Jax, who like Tanner, is fleeing from his past decisions. When these two meet, it is instant combustibility, even though they deny it to the other for some time. As each reveals their secrets, they find that their burgeoning love might be the only thing that saves them from their pasts and launches them into forever.
I appreciated the overall message of Leigh’s story. It’s clear that Tanner and Jax are stuck, even though they are moving forward. However, they aren’t settled or at peace until they meet each other. I love how they feel more complete together than apart, especially as Tanner works through his past trauma.
My struggles with Heartscape came through its style. The way in which Leigh puts words together made the story feel dense and, sometimes, informal. The progression of the story felt heavy in the way that Leigh placed the words on the page. I liked Jax, and I was drawn to Tanner, but there was something missing at an emotional level for me.
Overall, as a new Vino & Veritas offering, Garrett Leigh’s Heartscape grapples with trauma and the veracity of love to overcome it. If you’ve been reading the World of True North stories, then you’ll want to grab Tanner’s for sure.
Tattered Stars, an all new emotional small town standalone romance from author Catherine Cowles is coming February 1, 2022, and we have the gorgeous cover!
Be brave. Just for sixty seconds. Twenty breaths.
One night changed them both forever.
Their lives shattered, beyond repair, with jagged edges and pieces askew.
Now, Everly has a chance to make things right. To bring healing to the place where everything fell apart. But it means facing the family her father almost destroyed, and the boy with the dark eyes—now grown—who still haunts her dreams.
Just one breath away from having your life ripped out from under you.
The last thing Hayes wants is another reminder of all the ways he failed sixteen years ago. When Everly drives back into Wolf Gap, his only mission is to get her to leave. For his family’s sake, and for his own, those demons need to stay buried for good.
But everything about this woman is a surprise, from her spine of steel to the sanctuary she hopes to create with the land her mother left behind. And Hayes is powerless to stay away.
As a careful friendship sparks into something more, someone watches. And they’ll do anything to tear it all apart…
About Catherine Cowles Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
Wild Rebel IS quintessential Laurelin Paige except where it’s not. Now, I’m wholly invested in Paige’s Dirty Universe as Donovan Kincaid, the man who began this parade of duets of trilogies, is in my top three favorite alpha-heroes in romancelandia. Which says something about my interest in men…but I digress. Since reading Donovan and Sabrina’s duet, I’ve salivated for the stories in the Dirty Universe. When Paige finally announced Cade’s trilogy after what felt like forever, I have been impatient in my waiting. Now, Cade Warren’s characterization is interesting in that, going into Wild Rebel, the first book of the Dirty Wild trilogy (a THREE BOOK series), we know very little about him. That’s not to say that the other men of Reach are open books (well, except maybe for Weston), but in any of the other books, there has been so little said about Cade. What this did for me was create a rabid interest in him. And Wild Rebel has begun to satiate that hunger.
There are several reasons that Wild Rebel captivates you. First, there is no dual POV. This is ALL Cade Warren’s voice. That means we aren’t treated to Jolie’s perspective which makes Cade an unreliable narrator. These two have secrets. And you should know…the biggest secret is revealed on the very last page of this book, leaving you on a big ole cliffhanger. Again, this is quintessential Paige.
Secondly, since Donovan is my favorite, and he is the master manipulator with an ease that would be troubling in the real world but only makes him more appealing and $exy, you expect the same ease in machinations with Cade. However, Cade comes across as insecure and without guile. We know he has a jaded past, and we find out through this story that he has been pining for Jolie, the heroine, for decades. But, of the Reach guys…(well, except for Weston), he seems less self-assured which feels so different from Paige’s other Reach stories. I will admit that there were times when Cade frustrated me. He struggles to find solid ground in Wild Rebel. One minute, he seems self-possessed, and in the next minute, he loses his sense. It’s interesting to read this type of hero in this world that feels so carefully constructed for the stalwart natures of its men, but Paige unravels Cade.
Thirdly, this book, for me, has moments of heat, but it really is a slow burn in its progression. I imagine books 2 and 3 will be pure fire, given that Jolie and Cade are $exual beings. However, Wild Rebel is about fighting the burn, and this is important for the first book of this trilogy. Had Cade so easily accepted Jolie and jumped quickly into bed with her, I think Paige would have lost the forward progression of her trilogy. Instead, she eeks out moments of heat and cools them with past hurt. I am excited for the next two books of this series to see the incendiary natures of Jolie and Cade become passion and fire.
Wild Rebel is but a beginning. It is set up, but there is still so much to come. As I mentioned earlier in the review, Laurelin Paige leaves you on a HUGE cliffhanger that I didn’t see coming until the last chapter. Her capacity to slowly reveal her story shows the genius of her storytelling, and this reader cannot wait for more of Cade and Jolie.
We shared one hot night together back in college before our paths took us in different directions.
But now, the most brilliant and beautiful woman I’ve ever met is back in my life. And the chemistry I remember? It’s more combustible than ever.
Except…our fling is forbidden and must exist only in secret. Her rules, not mine.
I can’t be her forever. I’m not that guy, and even she knows it.
But I can’t stay away from her either. I’m determined to claim not just her body but her heart, even if that’s the one thing she’s vowed not to give me.
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than three dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 3 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world.
Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than 100 times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.
I’ve lost everything once. I won’t do it again. Not even for him.
Crash, an all new intense and sexy romance from USA Today bestselling author Grahame Claire is available now!
Teague Hollingsworth crashed into my perfectly predictable life like a rocket, turning everything upside down and setting it ablaze. It was the world’s worst first impression and one I’m not likely to forget . . . Until he shows up just when I need him. It turns out he’s not at all the man I thought he was. He’s kind to my dogs. He’s protective of me. And he doesn’t seem to mind the chaos. Slowly, he’s winning my trust . . . and maybe my heart. But there’s more to this man than I could’ve imagined. Shadows and secrets that threaten what I love the most. I’ve lost everything once. I won’t do it again. Not even for him.
About Grahame Claire Grahame Claire is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. A writer. A blogger. United by our love of stories and all things romance. There was definitely some insta-love. Hello? Books involved. A little courting. A lot of writing. The result…Grahame Claire. Soulmates. Unashamed of our multiple book boyfriends. Especially the ones that rooted in our heads and wouldn’t leave us alone. Don’t worry. We’ll share. Pleased to meet you. Want to find out what we’re up to?
Blurb: We were supposed to run away after high school graduation.
When she didn’t show up at our meeting place, I gathered my courage and went after her.
It was a mistake.
I left bloodied and bruised.
My heart didn’t fair half as well.
I had no choice but to walk away.
Years passed. A decade. More.
I traveled the world, settled halfway around the world, made myself a name and enough money that I didn’t have to look back.
But I never got over her.
And when my memories got the best of me, I went looking. Put all my effort behind the search.
Even the best of the best private eyes couldn’t find the woman I’d deeply loved.
Then, out of the blue, she calls.
And, what she asks for, the favor that she wants?
I never thought I’d be willing to take a life.
But the truth is, and always has been: I’d do anything for her.
Book one of three in the final trilogy in the Dirty Universe.
About the Author: With millions of books sold worldwide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however.
When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Killing Eve or Letterkenny, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.
A straight guy gives gay hookup tips to a virgin. What could go wrong?
When I first met Whit, I couldn’t get away from him fast enough. He’s a hockey player, and I hate everything to do with the sport that broke my heart.
But I can’t help feeling sorry for the guy. He’s newly out and desperate to meet someone, but his eagerness seems to scare potential hook-ups away.
Agreeing to be his wingman should’ve been simple. Watching him flirt with other guys made things complicated.
Whit challenges me in every aspect of my life, from my hatred of hockey to the new questions I’m asking myself. Like why a straight man suddenly can’t stop thinking about kissing another guy.
I think the answer lies somewhere on Whit’s lips…
Excerpt:
A steady stream of drink orders keeps me busy for a solid half hour, but that doesn’t stop me from noticing Whit moving around the room to flirt with guys. Ultimately, from what I can see, he strikes out and wanders back to me during a lull.
He sits at a stool and bangs his head on the countertop.
A laugh bubbles out of me. “I don’t know how hygienic that is.”
Whit’s lips turn down. “You work here.”
“Exactly.”
“Eww.” Whit wipes his forehead. “Is being gay always this hard?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
“I have to admit, this isn’t exactly what I was expecting.”
I lean my hip against the bar. “What were you expecting?”
“I dunno? For guys to see how hot I am and ask to blow me in the bathroom or something?”
A full-blown laugh falls from my lips this time. I have to admit, the dude is funny even if he’s not trying to be.
“So glad my misery is entertaining to you.”
“Sorry.”
“Where are all the easy men who want all the gay sex and no strings or names?”
I purse my lips. “Maybe it’s like that in big cities? The scene is low-key here. I mean, all bars by nature have that hookup culture, but if you’re looking for boys in booty shorts and orgies, you’re definitely in the wrong place. When Harrison opened V and V, he wanted to create a safe and queer-friendly environment that everyone could enjoy.”
“Is everything about gay people in mainstream media wrong?”
“Probably.”
He pushes his empty closer to me. “Can I get another cider?”
“Sure.” I switch them out.
The night isn’t super busy, but the work is steady. I leave him again to serve others but keep stealing glances at him. It’s confusing. Objectively speaking, he’s a good-looking guy. His intriguing eye color is a draw in itself, along with his dimples when he smiles. His suit doesn’t make him look like your typical college hockey player. It’s a mystery why he’s striking out.
Jake reappears at Whit’s side, and Whit’s face lights up. Then Whit’s mouth moves a hundred miles a minute, and Jake’s eyes gloss over.
I can’t hear what Whit’s saying, but I think I’ve found the reason why he’s not having any luck.
Jake turns his head toward me and mouths, “Help.”
Super-bartender to the rescue. Not all heroes wear capes. I give Jake a new drink. “Whit here’s too young for you.”
Jake gives me a grateful look and moves away quickly.
“Oh, age isn’t a big deal to me,” Whit calls after him.
If possible, Jake moves faster.
Whit slumps.
“You don’t want to date that guy anyway. He’s in here all the time trying to score.”
“Aww, that sounds perfect for what I need.”
I cock my head.
“I can’t be a virgin when I graduate in the spring. That’s sad. I mean, ideally, I won’t be a virgin by my next birthday which is in seven weeks, but I’m willing to be flexible.”
Oh dear.
“This has been your opening line to guys tonight, I’m guessing?”
“Well … I told myself not to talk, but then, I don’t know, isn’t that something you should disclose? It feels like something you should tell someone. Because, they have to be, like, gentle and shit, and it’s not like gay sex is something you jump into, right?”
“Again, I wouldn’t know. But has anyone ever told you that you talk a little too much and maybe say things you don’t need to put out there right away?”
“Really?”
“Well, we’ve only met twice, and oversharing and boundary crossing seems to be a common theme.”
Whit groans. “I’m fucking this up.”
“You really aren’t. You’re just coming on a little strong. You’re hot—I mean, I’m guessing. Everyone keeps staring at you and checking you out. It’s your mouth that’s holding you back.”
“So I just have to fill my mouth with something other than words.”
His words make my straight cock twitch a little. Ah, blowjobs. Oh, how I’ve missed thee. I point at him. “That. Right there. Lead with that.”
Whit glares at me, and I have to say his tough face is kind of laughable.
“Or every time you feel yourself rambling, take a drink,” I suggest.
Whit’s head falls to the bar again. “I’ll die of alcohol poisoning.”
It’s not my fault a laugh escapes. Seriously, I can’t tell if this guy is entertaining or plain sad.
He lifts his head. “You should be my wingman.”
I should do what now? “As tempting as that is, I kinda have a job to do already.”
“Yeah, but that’s why you’ll be good at it. You know people, and you’ve seen things.”
“I’m straight, remember? I know nothing about gay hookups. I’d tell you to go on dates and make them feel special before trying to get them into bed.”
“Is it against gay law to go on dates and make each other feel special?”
I throw up my hands. “I don’t know. Which is exactly why I shouldn’t be your wingman.”
“Worth a shot.” Whit finishes off his cider. He stands, and I think he’s going to go back to mingling, but he takes his coat off his chair and puts it on. “Thanks for the drinks.”
From award-winning author Garrett Leigh comes a gorgeous new romance in the True North world! Think: great food, burly men and good times. Beards are optional but encouraged.
I’m not the obvious choice to run Burlington’s coolest wine bar—quiet, brooding, clueless about tannin content, and always one wrong turn away from another downward spiral.
But no one seems to mind that I’m a wreck. Besides me. I just focus on getting through each shift until the night a beautiful stranger appears, looking as lost and damaged as I feel.
When a mutual friend calls in a favor, the sexy newcomer winds up crashing on my couch. I don’t know if it’s his melodic Cornish accent, or his ocean blue eyes, or the rock-hard body with the mysterious scars, but I get the feeling whatever happened to him runs far deeper than those wounds.
Having Jax in my home makes my chest warm. Makes me shiver. Makes me want more. But I’ve got a pile of baggage and I don’t want to be a burden on anyone let alone a man who seems to have enough demons of his own.
Our chemistry is off the charts. His arms feel like home. The last thing I want is to screw this up. Is it wrong to hope we can heal each other? Or will one of us die trying?
HEARTSCAPE is a heartfelt MM friends-to-lovers romance in the True North world, with a brooding bartender, a rugged outdoorsman, sweet angst and lots of Shipley cider. Triggers: contains mentions of depression, suicidal ideation and PTSD recovery.
Excerpt:
Jax kisses me. In my wildest dreams I’m expecting it, but it still catches me off guard. His lips are soft, but demanding, and there’s nothing I don’t want to give him.
So I kiss him back.
I slide my hands under his layers of winter clothing and pull him close, and we kiss and kiss and kiss as if it isn’t the first time we’ve done it.
His lips feel like home.
His soft touch dances along my jaw.
I want to kiss him forever, but we run out of air.
Startled, I draw back and instantly find myself lost in Jax’s blazing stare. His gaze usually calms me—it really is like the deepest, bluest ocean. But right now, his eyes are stormy and hot. I want to dive back in headfirst, and for once what I want makes sense.
And it’s right here. I don’t need words. I stand, cup a hand around the back of his neck, and kiss him again. Jax makes another low sound, and the fact that he’s spent the night in my bed to babysit me stops mattering. Shadows fade. Heat draws us ever closer, and it’s easy to pretend we spent all night doing this. I can’t contemplate that it has to end.
But it does end.
Jax pulls back with a rueful smile, cheeks flushed, breathing hard. “I have to go. I promised Jerry I wouldn’t be late again.”
The mention of Jerry jars something in my brain enough to form a sentence that has nothing to do with how fast my heart is beating. “How did last night go?”
“Okay, I think.” Jax steps away. “Dude talked so much I stopped listening, but the apartment was all right. I can move in whenever I want.”
I should be happy for him. I am happy for him. He didn’t deserve to lose all his things in the hostel fire, and it sucks he had to take help from a stranger when he needed so badly to depend on himself. But I’m still dazed from his kiss. I say the first thing that comes into my head. Raw. No filter. “I’m gonna miss you.”
He gives me a soft grin. “I’ll miss you too.”
Then he leaves, and the reality that it might be the last time we do this hits me like a train. Jerry’s buddy’s apartment is probably outside of the city, closer to where Jax needs to be for his work. It isn’t a million miles away—nothing in Vermont ever is—but it’s not waking up to find Jax in my bed. It’s not drinking his weird tea together or eating dinner on the couch with him. It’s not opening my eyes every morning to feel the comforting hum of his presence.
It’s not being there to let him know, every day, that he fucking matters.
So tell him now.
I lurch from my bed and snag a T-shirt from the clean laundry pile I haven’t even thought about putting away. My shoes are by the front door. I stamp into them and fish my keys from the dish. Then I make a run for it down the stairs and out into the morning gloom.
The sidewalk is icy from the plummeting temperatures that are starting to move in from the mountains. But I’m a Vermonter; I know how to handle that shit. I dash to the parking lot where Jax is waiting for Jerry, his broad back to me as he contemplates the ground.
Marriage and Murder, an-all new quirky and witty cozy mystery and the second book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!
The Devil is in the details . . . Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.
On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after? And most importantly, who done it?
‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’
“Here.” Cletus suddenly appeared, looking devilishly handsome in the dim light and seemingly all put back together—like we’d been in here holding hands instead of. . . ANYWAY.
He held out my underwear. His eyes were bright even in shadow, and I could see they were half-lidded as they lazily trailed over me. He looked at me like he was hungry, and I was dinner. Despite all the encore orgasms I’d just had, the effect hit me right between my legs.
I wondered what he was thinking, watching as he licked his bottom lip and drew it into his mouth. Was he just as insatiable for me? And if so, was he okay with that?
Tearing my eyes away, I pulled on the lace and fixed my skirt, telling my body to settle down. We were getting married for hootenanny’s sake!
Cletus cocked his head to the side while I smoothed my hands down the red fabric, working to get a hold of all this raging want always coursing through my veins whenever he was near. Maybe it was because he was my first, and I guess, my only. Was that why I felt so crazed for him all the time?
“Miraculous,” he said.
I surmised he meant the dress. “Right? The wrinkles are hidden, if there are any. It’s ’cause they ruched the outer fabric at the seams, see?” I turned to the side to show him the seam, and he stepped forward as though he were going to investigate.
Instead, his hands cupped my face and tilted my chin back. He stared at me with a vibrant intensity I felt all the way to my fingertips. “No, Jenn. Not the dress. You.” Cletus gave me a soft kiss, ending it by gently nipping my bottom lip. “You are my miracle.”
I sighed. And I smiled. And I felt like I was walking on a cloud instead of in four-inch heels, which was also probably something of a miracle. “You say the sweetest things.”
“I think you mean, I say the truest things.”
I laughed, and he kissed my forehead. He held me there, in the dark with his lips pressed to my forehead. “I love you so completely, with every cell in my body. I wonder sometimes if I’d cease to exist—just evaporate or disappear—if anything ever happened to you.”
“No.” I anchored my hands to his wrists and squeezed. “Don’t think like that. We’ve got our whole lives in front of us. There’s nothing anyone can—”
Three bangs in quick succession pierced the quiet moment, and not a second later Cletus had me on the ground beneath him, covering my back with his body.
“Gunshots,” he whispered in my ear. “From the parking lot. Don’t move.”
Meet Penny Reid Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Selling Author of the Winston Brothers, Knitting in the City, Rugby, and Hypothesis series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books. She’s also a full time mom to three diminutive adults, wife, daughter, knitter, crocheter, sewer, general crafter, and thought ninja.
Professor Romance 