All my life, every decision has been made for me. What to say. How to dress. And now, who I’m to marry. When you’re second in line to the throne, it’s just how things are. I’ve always gone along with it.
Until now.
I may not have a say in who I marry, but I refuse to let someone dictate who I give my v-card to.
So I offer it to the only man I trust not to go to the paparazzi.
Creed Lawson.
Body of an Adonis.
Strength of a warrior.
And my brother’s best friend.
It was only supposed to be one night. After all, we could never be together. To the outside world, I’m supposed to be in love with someone else. And Creed’s about to be sworn in as a member of the Royal Guard.
That doesn’t stop us from fantasizing about what could be. About ignoring our duty and following our hearts.
But when the consequences of our secret tryst become much more dangerous than either of us originally bargained for, can I find the courage to fight for what I want? Or will I always remain a pawn in the palace’s deadly game?
T.K. Leigh is the USA Today Bestselling author of romance ranging from fun and flirty to sexy and suspenseful. Originally from New England, she now resides outside of Raleigh with her husband, beautiful daughter, special needs rescue dog, and three cats. When she’s not writing, she can be found training for her next marathon (of which she has run over twenty fulls and far too many halfs to recall) or chasing her daughter around the house.
Tropes: fake relationship; work romance; LA romance; contemporary romance; billionaire brothers; band of brothers
Bear with me as I ramble about CD Reiss’s newest Crowne family story, Fake Crowne. There’s so much I want to say, but it’s not organized or probably even insightful; however, I need to say it anyway.
Reiss is attempting (I actually believe she did it — but I really want to hear from people) to capture a voice in romancelandia that is burgeoning: the voice of the later Millenials or the older Gen Zers. I’ve been thinking about this generation in romancelandia. They live in a different world than the former generations, and they connect in spaces that are visual and muted. They’ve been raised with trauma infused into their systems and parents who have recognized that and created safe spaces to fall. All of that has conspired to build people with mental health struggles. How does this generation fall in love? It’s both the same and different from the past. And CD Reiss builds the space and unspoken words into the relationship between Colton Crowne and Skye.
As I was reading this book, I was imagining my son’s voice as Skye’s voice. They have very similar mental health struggles, and Reiss elaborated on them in a real way. Both Colton and Skye are overwhelmed by and push against parental expectations. Colton rebels against it, while Skye contends with them within a set of stifling boundaries she sets for herself. Through this struggle, Colton and Skye forge a fake relationship, upend their own set boundaries of that relationship, and fall in love on their own terms. This is CD Reiss imagining correctly, I think, a love forged in the 21st century by people who simply don’t know the depth of their future. They’ve either denied themselves, rebelled against tradition and expectation, or made concessions to avoid failure.
In fact, that seems to be the battle cry of Fake Crowne: “There’s something comforting about failure. Like I don’t have to be responsible for my work or my choices because…whoops, I failed, color me shocked. Oh well, no big deal. And it’s easy, right? I don’t have to improve. I don’t have to face the next stage. I don’t have to learn. […] I’m weak, but sometimes weak is a choice.” Through Colton and Skye’s journeys, Reiss suggests that we can treat life in one of three ways: play it safe; fail incredibly and stay down; or fail on some level and get up and try again. Each of these has consequences, and Reiss illustrates it beautifully through Colton and Skye’s falling in love.
Are Reiss’s style and storytelling flair all over this book? Yep. In fact, as I read this book, I felt like it straddled her Crowne Brothers series and her Hollywood A-List/Star-Crossed/Lead Me Back stories. It’s very LA…and freaking Gene Testarossa is back wreaking havoc. Given I’m a So. California girl, I love Reiss’s characterization of LA for her readers. But her knack for wordsmithing and her infusion of spice and steam are encompassed in this book.
Please…read Fake Crowne and tell me she’s capturing some of Gen Z in it. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not of that generation. I simply need more stories in it so we keep Gen Z readers gobbling books, and they need to find themselves in the books that are served. And I believe CD Reiss has done it with her newest book.
In love and romance,
Professor A
Sorry for the rambly quality of the review. I just had so many words to say about this book.
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Kandi Steiner has revealed the gorgeous cover for Hail Mary!
Releasing: February 15, 2023
Cover Design: Kandi Steiner
Photographer: Ren Saliba
Model: Anonymous
Leo F*cking Hernandez.
North Boston University’s star running back, notorious bachelor, and number one on my people I would murder if I could get away with it list.
And now?
He’s my new roommate.
I used to think I loved him.
But that was before I hated him.
He doesn’t remember who I am, or how he made my life miserable for years. And before I unknowingly moved across the street from him, I couldn’t have cared less. I was living my life despite him and what happened that summer, chasing my dream of becoming a tattoo artist.
“The Pit,” as the university so gracefully nicknamed the house he lives in with three other football players, has served as nothing more than a pain in my ass and a constant reminder of the boy who broke my heart. Watching him parade his one-night-stands in and out of it never helped, either.
But with rent this cheap and so close to the tattoo shop, I’ve learned to ignore him — no matter how he’s tried to get under my skin.
At least, until this summer. Because when a water and mold disaster leaves me with no choice but to vacate my house, I have nowhere to go. And Leo Hernandez offers me a deal I can’t refuse.
Live at The Pit with him and the guys, free of charge, until my landlord fixes this mess.
Ignoring him was easy when I lived across the street, but in the same house, with him shirtless half the time and watching me with his cocky grin and searing gaze? It’s impossible.
Still, I have to try. I have to push him away, even when he makes it infuriatingly difficult to do so.
Kandi Steiner is an Amazon Top 5 bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing “emotional rollercoaster” stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance — in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you’re a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she’s your gal.
An alumna of the University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women’s Studies. She started writing back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her “freedom of press.”
She took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn’t writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, planning her next adventure, or pole dancing (yes, you read that right). She enjoys live music, traveling, playing with her fur babies and soaking up the sweetness of life.
Kandi Steiner may be coming to a city near you! Check out her “events” tab to see all the signings she’s attending in the near future: www.kandisteiner.com/events
USA Today bestseller, Catherine Cowles, has a sneak peek of her upcoming second-chance, small-town romance, Whispers of You, coming January 31st!
HOLT
Wren opened the door to reveal a massive Husky with the most piercing blue eyes standing guard in front of her. The dog’s gaze went from Lawson to me and back again.
Wren’s head jerked in my direction. “What are you doing here?”
Lawson winced. “Sorry. He overheard the call. There was no stopping him.”
My eyes traced the trails that tears had left on Wren’s cheeks. Some ended on her chin, while others streaked down her neck. Marks that I had put there.
“I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Wren stared at me for the count of three. “I’m fine. Really.”
Lawson cleared his throat. “Can you show me where you found the shoe print?”
She nodded, motioning around the house. “I was in the hall with Shadow. I had just hung up with Grae and heard what I thought was a twig snap. Shadow growled, which she doesn’t usually do unless she’s warning me that she heard something.”
“Did you hear anything other than the twig snapping? Voices? Footsteps?” Lawson asked.
Wren shook her head. “Nothing…”
Her voice trailed off in a way that had me picking up my pace. “What is it?”
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.
She didn’t think it could ever happen again. Love that is. And it definitely shouldn’t be happening with him.
Anna Kulis has lost her husband. Their love was a perfect kind of love; a once in a lifetime experience. She never intended to fall for anyone again. Never expected to have this attraction stirring inside her. And she never thought her emotions would run wild for the one man she shouldn’t be attracted to – her late husband’s best friend.
Mason Becker has a secret. As a renowned ladies’ man, he’s been in love with his best friend’s wife for twenty-five years. After his friend’s untimely death, and a period of grief, Mason finds himself in a compromising position with the one woman he didn’t think he’d ever have. And that night leads to complications – namely, a desire for more.
Letting go can be one of the hardest tasks for the heart. Opening up to a second chance at love can be even harder.
L.B. Dunbar loves sexy silver foxes, second chances, and small towns. If you enjoy older characters in your romance reads, including a hero with a little silver in his scruff and a heroine rediscovering her worth, then welcome to romance for those over 40. L.B. Dunbar’s signature works include women and men in their prime taking another turn at love and happily ever. Along with her #sexysilverfox collection, she’s made Amazon Top 10 in Later in Life Romance with her Lakeside Cottage and Road Trips & Romance series. She is also a USA Today Bestseller. L.B. lives in Chicago with her own sexy silver fox.
To get all the scoop about the self-proclaimed queen of silver fox romance, join her on Facebook at Loving L.B. or receive her monthly newsletter, Love Notes.
With her signature charm and sense of humor, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Helena Hunting creates a novel about love, family, and second chances in Make a Wish…
Ever have a defining life moment you wish you could do over? Harley Spark has one. The time she almost kissed the widowed father of the toddler she nannied for. It was so bad they moved across the state and she never saw them again.
Fast forward seven years and she’s totally over it. At least she thinks she is. Until Gavin Rhodes and his adorable now nine-year-old daughter, Peyton, reappear at a princess-themed birthday party hosted by Spark House, Harley’s family’s event hotel. Despite trying to avoid the awkwardness of the situation, she can’t help but notice how unbearably sexy he looks in a tutu. Add to that a spontaneous hives breakout, and it’s clear she’s not even remotely over the mortification of her egregious error all those years ago.
Except Gavin seems oblivious to her inner turmoil. So much so that he suggests they get together for lunch. For Peyton’s sake, of course. It’s the perfect opportunity to heal old wounds. Or it could just reopen them. This is one of those times Harley wishes she could see the future…
K.K. Allen is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author who writes heartfelt and inspirational contemporary romance stories. K.K. graduated from the University of Washington with an Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences degree and currently resides in central Florida with her ridiculously handsome little dude who owns her heart.
K.K. published her first contemporary romance, Up in the Treehouse, in 2016 which went on to win the Romantic Times 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best New Adult Book of the Year.
With K.K.’s love for inspirational and coming of age stories involving heartfelt narratives and honest emotions, you can be assured to always be surprised by what K.K. releases next.
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Tropes: insta-attraction; rock star hero (MMC); sunshine heroine (FMC); opposites attract; found family
“All people were just walking wounds trying to find home and happiness.”
Heidi Hutchinson’s Lost Track is another revelation in the SmartyPants Romance world. It’s one of those reads whose brilliance creeps up on you as the story progresses. You should know something about me to understand why I love this book. I discovered a few years ago that my husband is on the spectrum. For decades, I’ve lived with someone who processes the world in ways different than me. It has been both a revelation, but also heart-breaking as I am working on accepting some aspects about him that don’t make my life easy. When people such as Penny Reid, Stacy Travis (authors whom I’ve read who have written characters like this), and now Heidi Hutchinson craft characters so indelibly different that you can’t help but fall in love with them, it elevates your reading experience. Hutchinson gifts us with Sunshine Capone aka Dave, which challenges us to reformulate our expectations about MMCs. It asks us to consider that people are different, that the typical idea of a romantic hero is reductive, and accepting and falling in love with a character such as Dave, one who can be messy, but lovely, who can have fraught boundaries that complicate his relationship with his FMC, who isn’t easy to pin a label on (in doing so, you can’t fully capture the power of his representation in the book), broadens our world. Reading a character such as Dave challenged me. Each time I encounter someone who is neuro-divergent, honestly, it gives me hope that I can one day reach acceptance about my husband’s own neurodivergence.
Even more, Hutchinson’s heroine, Sabine, is special. From her and Sunshine’s meet-cute to the found family of her life, she espouses the qualities that all of us strive to have around people who are different from ourselves. She is wholly accepting of Dave in all of his differences. She recognizes them as superpowers, not foibles. She redefines neurotypical in how she falls for him.
Add to all of this the beauty of Hutchinson’s prose. There are beautifully crafted sentences that belie the simplicity of her story. Even more, I love the moments when Hutchinson uses the lyrics of songs to evoke the strongest emotions of a character like Dave.
I became lost in Heidi Hutchinson’s Lost Track. Honestly, I didn’t want it to end. It’s an apt reminder to “see” people and love them just as they are. In doing so, “someone who chooses love is the best kind of person. Every time.” There is something incredibly special about Sabine and Dave, Hutchinson’s Sunshine Capone.
Professor Romance 