Meeting Bolan Adler, professional baseball catcher and single dad, is a complicated story.
One involving a one-time kiss when I was young and silly. And a two-time tryst as some kind of midlife breakdown moment.
Anyway, in the game of baseball, three strikes mean: you’re out.
I thought my third one might happen when Bolan Adler is the newest client of the sports management agency I work for.
The same business that just promoted me to agent status when I haven’t asked for the position.
Also, the ridiculous company that wrote up a reputation repair report for the newest member of the Chicago Anchors which includes:
Bolan Adler needs a wife.
He’s decided I’m it. Only this isn’t a game of tag.
Hearts are on the line when I meet Bolan’s sweet sixteen-month-old, and my role goes from babysitting the bad boy of baseball to bonus-mom for his precious daughter.
Complicated, like I said.
Add in when my fake husband starts tossing out real emotions about love, marriage, and a baby, and I’m just hoping to stay out of the strike zone. Because the obvious opponent on the field is love.
Will it win or lose at the end of the season?
Meet L.B. Dunbar:
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 after. She’s a USA TODAY Bestseller as well as #1 Bestseller on Amazon in Later in Life Romance with her Lakeside Cottage and Road Trips & Romance series. 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.
Only bad nannies know what it’s like…to kiss the boss.
👨👧 👔👨👧👔 👨👧 LAST ON THE LIST by Amy Daws is getting a new look! Since Amy Daws signed with Canary Street Press, the whole WAIT WITH ME SERIES are being re-covered and re-released over the next couple of years to be on the shelves of bookstores everywhere!
Check out the brand-new deluxe edition of Max & Cozy with custom illustration, sprayed edges plus a print exclusive bonus epilogue.
Only a bad nanny knows what it’s like to kiss the boss.
CEO millionaire, Max Fletcher is a single dad in desperate need of a nanny.
Cozy Barlow is in the middle of her self-appointed “gap year” and doing everything she can to detach from her past.
But when her sister begs her to interview for the nanny position of a high maintenance client, she doesn’t have a good enough reason to say no.
And when Max locks eyes on the twenty-something in a tie-dye sweatsuit who pitches the idea of daydreaming all summer—he prepares to give this bad nanny the boot.
One problem: Max’s little girl thinks this plus-sized in body and spirit nanny might be her new bestie, so she hires her on the spot.
Now Max is stuck with this bizarre woman who hates everything he represents—corporate greed, money, status, power.
But one stormy night when the power goes out, he discovers Cozy doesn’t hate him. In fact, he’s the leading role in her fantasies.
Fantasies, he would very much like to make a reality.
From New York Times, USA Today and Amazon Charts bestselling author Meghan Quinn. This steamy, laugh out loud, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating standalone romance is now available in all formats! Check out the excerpt below and one-click your copy today!
About BRIDESMAID BY CHANCE: When a chance at being a bridesmaid turns into a chance at being a bride, how can she possibly refuse? Hudson Hopper is in some trouble. After doing his business partner, Jude, a favor by hiring Jude’s younger sister, Sloane, Hudson very quickly finds out that she is a massive distraction―especially since she’s now his assistant. But when they are confronted with a situation where Sloane is told to fill in as a bridesmaid for one of Hudson’s business partners, she comes up with a trade. She’ll be a part of the regency wedding―corset and all―if Hudson marries her in return. Sloane knows the value of the trade: he needs her, and she needs his wedding ring to get her into a high-society club that will further her career. It’s an instant no from Hudson at first, but when she convinces him that no one will find out, including her brother, and that he will benefit from the marriage, too…well, Hudson might just find himself saying “I do.” down―and her heart along with it.
“Didn’t I fire you yesterday?” “I believe that you did.” She nods as if it’s no big deal. “Okay, so…care to tell me why you’re here, in my office, handing me a green drink with no sugar?” “I chose not to take part in the firing.” “What the hell does that mean?” I ask. And then to my surprise, she plops herself on top of my desk, crosses one leg over the other, and leans back on her hand, the pose incredibly too sexy, especially since the position makes the lapels of her suit jacket pop open, revealing that she’s not wearing a shirt under that blazer. Just a bra. Christ. “It means I chose not to be fired.” “That’s not a thing,” I say. “Oh, it is. You see, I’ve been taught to seize what I want, to take charge, and that’s exactly what I’m doing. Therefore, I’ve decided that I’m not fired.” “You can decide that all you want, but that’s not how things work. I’m the boss, you work for me; therefore, when I say you’re fired, you’re fired. There will be no point in coming into the office because I will not be paying you.” “Says who?” she asks.
I point to my chest. “Says me.” “And would you say that you’re the one that makes all the decisions?” “Uh, yeah. That’s what the term boss entails. The decision-maker.” “And your choice is to fire me?” What kind of fucking circus is this? Is this some sort of social media trend? Refusal to be fired? Am I actually old and I don’t realize it? “Yes, my choice is to fire you; that’s why I did it yesterday: I fired you.” “You did, but a part of me thinks that you might regret that decision.” I stick my hands in my pockets and ask, “What makes you think that?” “Because I have a proposal for you.” She hops off my desk and gestures toward my seating area. “Please, join me.” Skeptical but also intrigued by the fuckery, I follow her and take a seat on the couch as she does, only about a foot of space separating, close enough to catch the lavender scent that clings to her. “What’s going on, Sloane? I have things to do.” “I know; this won’t take too much of your time.” She places her hands on her lap and looks me in the eyes. “I was thinking about yesterday and everything that happened. And I know the right thing to do would be to come in here and tell you I didn’t mean any of the things that I said, but that would be a lie. I meant every single word.” Every single word? Because I remember specifically one thing in particular that she tried to deny saying, but I’m not going to bring that up, not when she’s sitting this close and smells this damn good. “Okay,” I say. “And an apology is not why I’m here. I’m here on business.” “Sloane, I don’t think I can give you your job back.” “Not looking to be your assistant,” she says, and then, to my surprise, she gets down on one knee in front of me, takes my hand in hers, and continues. “I’m looking to be your wife.” My WHAT? “Hudson Mitchell Hopper, will you marry me?” She smiles up at me. Blinks. Fucking winks… She’s kidding right? I look for something, anything, to tell me this is a joke. I glance around the room. Are there hidden cameras in here? Am I on a daytime talk show where someone is going to come out, have a gotcha moment, and say to the audience that I’ve been lusting after my too-young-for-me assistant? I wait a few seconds, and when I realize none of that is happening, I clear my throat. “Excuse me?”
“Look at you, in shock. How cute.” She pats my hand. “Hudson, it’s a simple question. Will you marry me?” “Uh…” I shake my hand out of hers and slide back on the couch, putting space between us. “Not to sound like an obtuse ass, but why the fuck would I marry you, Sloane?” She rolls her eyes. “And here I thought you were a smart businessman.” She gets off the ground and sits back on the couch. She straightens her clothes while I try to comprehend what the hell is happening this morning. This is why I need more coffee in the morning. Forget the green drink, I need a twenty-ounce cup of pure, unfiltered coffee, straight from the goddamn bean. “I’ll lay it out for you: you need a wife, and I’m the one for the job.” “I fail to see how I need a wife.” “Are you really that dense?” she asks. “Uh, are you really this delusional?” I counter. Another roll of the eyes. “Jesus, Hudson. You need to impress Archie’s father-in-law, right? What’s one way to do that? Slip into the Mayfair Club. And what is one of the requirements to get into the club? You must be married.” She holds out her hand and points to her empty ring finger. “All you’ve got to do is put a ring on it.” Wow. Okay. She’s lost it. I think the conversation I need to have with Jude is going to veer in a different direction that I’d thought. More like I think your sister might need some help . “You know, not really in the market for a wife at the moment, but thanks for the offer. Now, I think it’s time that you leave.” She shrugs. “Suit yourself.” She stands and starts heading toward the door. “By the way, your father called this morning. I took a message for you because I thought I might be helpful despite being fired. He said to tell you that he still plans on suing you, but he’s currently working on another investment, so he might be held up at the moment.” And then she heads out of my office, leaving my skin prickling with irritation. What the fuck just happened?
Jason Clarke and Vanessa Edwin narrate this steamy, marriage-of-convenience romcom in duet. BRIDESMAID BY CHANCE is now available on Audible!
ABOUT MEGHAN QUINN: New York Times 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.
The Woman Left Behind, an all-new, beautifully-crafted, compelling second-chance, thriller romance and the fourth book in the Misted Pines Series from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley is live now!
There are two dead bodies in Idaho, and the gun used to kill them has been traced back to a sixteen-year-old robbery in Misted Pines.
Sheriff Harry Moran has a broken heart and a stack of case files on his desk that the corrupt sheriff who came before him might have bungled.
Or he may have framed innocent people.
The first case Harry dives into, the woman left behind lives just a block away from his office.
When Lillian Rainier opens the door to the sheriff, Harry, who’s been a dead man walking since his wife died, comes back to life.
As for Lillian, she’s had a crush on Harry for forever, Harry showing at her door, and how he is when he does only makes her fall deeper.
As Harry and his team dive into these suspicious cases, Harry and Lillian have to figure out what to do with all they feel for each other, how hard it hits them, and how deep it goes.
But as a voice from the past becomes a witness in the present, and Harry and his crew dig deeper, they sense something sinister happened years ago.
As they weave together the threads of a cold case, they realize how messy it is.
Worse, the man behind the mess is desperately cleaning it up …
Oh, Mark. How will we wait for you? Sierra Simone’s Bitter Burn is coming September 30th. Check out these GORGEOUS covers, and preorder your copy of it TODAY!
After my husband died eight years ago, I made vengeance my only purpose, my religion, my destiny. But to get to my enemy, I had to make myself like him. He had a kingdom of secrets? Then I would make an empire. He had blood on his hands? Then I would bathe in it.
But Tristan and Isolde changed everything. I hadn’t counted on wanting them, needing them; I hadn’t counted on how it felt to watch the two of them fall in love. I’d thought I had everything under control—I’d thought I was safe from my own long-dead heart. I’d never imagined that the wronged husband, the jealous king from my childhood fairy tales, would be played by none other than me.
It no longer matters what I used to believe. My enemy is ready to finish the game, and for the first time in eight years, I have pieces on the board I can’t afford to lose. I’ll burn the entire world to keep Tristan and Isolde safe, I’ll scorch the earth—but as any good assassin will tell you, fire will only get a man so far, because there’s always something left in the ashes. And for the three of us, it’s the cold, bitter bones of the truth: their story begins and ends with me.
I knew better than to take my best friend’s little sister’s virginity at that Halloween party. But in my defense, I didn’t know how to say no. Or maybe I simply didn’t want to.
She was my Cinderella and I was her masked villain.
Then I ruined everything. Twice.
Years later we’re undeniably enemies, our hate for each other legendary.
Except I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her. Or that night.
Only now she works for me in the hospital where she’s a medical student and I’m an attending physician. Not to mention, without realizing it, I bought the apartment next to hers.
We try to keep things professional but when she learns the truth behind the secrets I’ve been keeping, angry sparks explode into a raging inferno of scorching touches and burning passion.
I know I have to keep my distance. She’s all wrong for me. Too young. Too bratty. Too dangerous to the life I’ve worked tirelessly to rebuild. The one being with her would destroy.
The problem is, I’ve never wanted anyone more. And I don’t know how to stay away for long.
Especially when I discover I’m not the only one keeping secrets.
Tropes: childhood friends to lovers; opposites attract; fake relationship/engagement; forced proximity; pro hockey romance; miscommunication trope; athlete & pop star; slow burn
Two elements elevate romance novels to greatness: a hero who can tenderly braid the heroine’s hair and characters whose painful pasts prevent them from finding happiness until their love interest truly sees them. Kandi Steiner masterfully incorporates both in Save Your Breath, the fourth installment in her Kings of the Ice series, creating an emotional journey that devastated me in the best possible way.
I anticipated that Aleks Suter and Mia Love’s story would pack the most potent emotional punch in this series. While I remain a devoted “Daddy P” fan, Aleks now rivals him as my favorite Steiner book boyfriend. Unlike Daddy P’s brooding grumpiness, Aleks embodies the team’s “bad boy” persona—yet his anger-fueled actions mask the deep wounds of a man abandoned to foster care. Steiner’s character development for Aleks stands as the novel’s greatest achievement. His journey toward self-acceptance through Mia’s unconditional love brought me to tears, and Steiner makes readers work for this payoff through an exquisitely crafted slow-burn romance.
Mia serves as Aleks’s perfect counterbalance. Beyond the “good girl/bad boy” dynamic, Steiner portrays her as someone who complements and challenges Aleks. Through Mia, we witness the struggle to maintain cultural relevance while staying true to artistic integrity. Aleks becomes her biggest supporter, encouraging her to create authentic music even as they navigate their arranged engagement. This mutual admiration adds profound vulnerability to their supposedly fake relationship—they’re each other’s greatest champions, fostering a love that captivates readers.
The Tampa Bay Ospreys’ found family dynamic enhances the emotional resonance. Aleks’s gradual connections with teammates parallel his growing closeness with Mia, creating a powerful emotional compound effect when he finally accepts that he deserves love. While these interactions often inject humor into tense moments, they underscore Aleks’s deep-seated need for acceptance. His relationships with Mia’s parents and his elderly neighbor further highlight his character growth, adding emotional complexity to the story.
My one criticism lies in the miscommunication between the protagonists. While Steiner establishes their ability to see each other fully, their failure to recognize each other’s feelings sometimes lacks credibility. The narrative doesn’t sufficiently explore why these otherwise perceptive characters remain blind to their mutual attraction.
Nevertheless, this flaw doesn’t diminish the overall emotional impact of Save Your Breath. Readers should prepare for a slow burn that demands patience—Steiner doesn’t rush Aleks and Mia’s journey. The beautiful, tear-inducing conclusion justifies the wait. The Kings of the Ice series continues to deliver exceptional hockey romance, and I eagerly anticipate the next two installments.
Kandi Steiner’s next story in the exciting world of professional hockey, Save Your Breath, is available now. You absolutely do not want to miss the fireworks between Mia Love and Aleks Suter.
THIS JUST IN: HOCKEY BAD BOY AND POP STAR EXTRAORDINAIRE ENGAGED!
That was the headline we’d wanted. If only I’d known the cost to get it.
Aleksander Suter has been my best friend since high school—and the only man who’s ever been able to truly get under my skin. With his reputation for trouble and a smirk that could melt ice, he’s also the NHL’s favorite bad boy.
When my publicist’s plan to fix my image collides with his need to clean up his own, we find ourselves in a fake engagement that feels too real from the start.
Now, I’m releasing my new album, putting on a show for the paparazzi I usually try to dodge, and falling too fast for a man who never falls for anyone. Every stolen glance, every heated touch blurs the lines between us until I’m wondering where the lies end and the truth begins.
And when a hurricane traps us together in his high-rise condo, all my carefully built walls collapse, and resisting the pull between us becomes a losing game.
Suddenly, the stakes are higher than just headlines, and the risks feel more personal than ever.
But as our past resurfaces and old feelings reignite, I realize the biggest risk isn’t losing my career—it’s losing my heart to the one person I thought would never be mine.
Tropes: second chance; forbidden romance; close proximity; sports romance; workplace romance; age gap; hockey romance; found family
Helena Hunting’s latest Toronto Terrors installment, If You Love Me, delivers a refreshing take on hockey romance that will delight fans of the series. Roman emerges as a surprising and complex male lead. Readers who met him as the protective father in If You Need Me will be delighted by his transformation into an unexpectedly dominant romantic partner. Hunting skillfully reveals new dimensions to his character while maintaining the protective nature established in previous books.
What distinguishes this romance is Roman’s nurturing personality. Despite workplace complications creating the primary tension, his devotion to Lexi and her sisters forms the emotional core of the narrative. Rather than following the conventional third-act breakup formula, Hunting focuses on the challenges of navigating professional boundaries.
Lexi stands out as a particularly well-crafted character. As a female coach in men’s hockey, she brings distinctly feminine qualities of empathy and connection to her coaching style. Hunting avoids the common pitfall of masculinizing female characters in male-dominated settings, instead showing how traditionally feminine attributes can be strengths in professional environments. This approach demonstrates how female perspectives can enrich traditionally masculine spaces.
The familial relationships, particularly Lexi’s commitment to her sisters, add meaningful depth to the story. These bonds, along with the hockey team’s found-family dynamic, create a rich emotional landscape that extends beyond the central romance.
The novel’s departure from the typical romance structure creates both strengths and weaknesses. While the absence of a third-act breakup feels refreshing, it does affect the narrative tension in the latter portion of the book. Even potential professional conflicts lose their edge against Roman’s steadfast support. The story transitions from compelling drama to sweet affirmation, which may satisfy readers seeking comfort but slightly diminishes the narrative momentum established early on.
If You Love Me showcases Hunting’s talent for creating multifaceted characters and sweet yet spicy romances. The novel skillfully balances workplace drama, family dynamics, and romantic development, even if the pacing slows toward the conclusion. With tantalizing hints of future pairings, this new story reinforces why Helena Hunting remains a master of romantic comedy, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the next Toronto Terrors story.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meghan Quinn comes the next standalone romance in the Bridesmaid for Hire series, BRIDESMAID BY CHANCE! This steamy, marriage of convenience, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, workplace romantic comedy is full of the witty banter, sizzling hot scenes, and laugh out loud moments you’ve come to love from Meghan Quinn! Narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin and Jason Clarke, BRIDESMAID UNDERCOVER releases April 15th in all formats!
Hudson Hopper is in some trouble. After doing his business partner, Jude, a favor by hiring his younger sister, Sloane, Hudson very quickly finds out that she is a massive distraction―especially since she’s now his assistant.
But when they are confronted with a situation where Sloane is told to fill in as a bridesmaid for one of Hudson’s business partners, she comes up with an equal trade. She’ll be a part of the regency wedding–corset and all–if Hudson marries her. Sloane knows the value of the trade; he needs her, and she needs his wedding ring to get her into a high-society club that will further her career.
It’s an instant no from Hudson at first, but when she convinces him that no one will find out, including her brother, and he will benefit from the marriage too . . . well, Hudson finds himself saying “I do.”
New York Times and 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.
UNDENIABLY ENEMIES is LIVE 
Grumpy, obsessed doctor
Brother’s Best Friend
He’s her boss
Age gap (10 years)
Neighbors to Lovers
Secret relationship & texts
SUPER STEAMY w/ k!nk and play
Professor Romance 