Their secret fake relationship began with a little white lie…
Nora
My ginger beer brewery is, quite literally, my life. Unfortunately, I’m about to lose it. My male business partner’s new fiancée is insanely jealous, and it’s only a matter of time before she forces him to quit.
So I ask him what it’ll take for her to back down.
A boyfriend.
I make one up, telling her it’s too early to introduce him, which works up until she walks in on a heated private conversation between me and Cormac, my soon-to-be stepbrother.
She comes to a wild conclusion: the reason I’ve been keeping my boyfriend secret is because it’s him.
I should definitely set her straight. Cormac is the last person I’d ever date, and not just because our parents are about to get married. I’ve known him since high school, and he’s awkward, introverted, and has the people skills of a houseplant.
But I’m desperate enough to tell the worst lie ever.
Cormac
Nora begs me to be her secret fake boyfriend–an act that only has to work on two people.
Any sane man would refuse, but I’ve promised my father to make peace with her. So I present her with an offer: dog sit my corgi for a weekend, and I’ll be the fake boyfriend of your dreams.
She accepts quickly, because she’s never met my dog.
There’s only one problem: I had a huge crush on Nora in high school, and the more time we spend together, the more I realize it never went away.
**A standalone romcom in the Babes of Brewing series**
Note: There are TWO different versions of this romcom:
A spicy open door version with some strong language and sex scenes
A closed door version with mild language and only kissing.
Why you will love this book: 🔥Forbidden Romance 🔥Older Brother’s Enemy
🔥Broken Hero
🔥Sunshine Heroine
🔥Chocolate Play
🔥Chance Meeting
🔥Second Chance Ranch
🔥He calls her “Trouble”
🔥She calls him “Ragnar”
Birdie Whiskey is ready for love, but the man who knocks her off her feet is the last man her family would ever accept. Come along for the emotional ride as the Whiskeys’ belief in second chances is put to the test, and Birdie faces her toughest decision yet—stay loyal to her family or fight for the man she loves.
From New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster comes The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Redemption Ranch, a small-town, big-family series of standalone romance novels featuring fiercely loyal, insanely sexy bikers who give horses—and people—a second chance. Buckle up for a wild ride in Hope Valley, Colorado, as these big-hearted badasses and their sassy sisters wrangle in their forever loves. No cliffhangers, no cheating, and always a happily ever after.
As the daughter of the head of the Thorpe Syndicate, my life was decided for me from the beginning. I was expected to look a certain way. Act a certain way. To put the syndicate above my own desires. To marry the son of the head of another crime family in a deal brokered by my father.
The night my arranged betrothal was announced was when everything changed.
My brother’s best friend chased me into the woods and stole my first kiss.
Now, my engagement is drawing closer. I’m doing my best to survive one day at a time, keeping my head down while I attend classes at Cranham University, a former Victorian prison and home of the Cranham Kings hockey team.
But he’s there, a constant reminder of what happened in the woods. His hateful gaze tracks me in the hallways and the lecture halls. I loathe him. Yet when he’s flying across the ice with his teammates, I can’t help but notice him.
And the way he makes me feel? That’s a secret I’ll take to the grave.
Tensions are rising. Something is brewing, and my family risks being caught up in it all. I don’t know who I can trust, and as for Jay?
He’s a complication I can’t afford, because the consequences would be devastating for us all.
What kind of witch are you when you can’t even use your magic? Not a good one that’s for sure.
Alise Davis has always felt the energy of her magic churning just below the surface. The only thing she’s been able to do so far is draw pictures that for some reason, make people feel exactly how she was feeling at the time she drew it–a manifestation of her emotions. But all of a sudden she’s been able to see the animals of the many shifters who live in Springlake Pines. She’d not been able to do that before. And it seems as if her magic is pulling her toward something, or someone. Inquiries to her father uncover her mother’s grimoire and the fact her mother has a twin sister. Family may be just who she needs to get the answers to her magic problem.
The monster has a mate and she is the only one who can make him powerful enough to defeat the one person who has answers for the both of them. His Maker.
From the bestselling author of Infidelity and Sin comes an addictive football romance series filled with power plays, forbidden passion, and jaw-dropping twists.
He was her past, now he might cost her the future.
I was born into a football dynasty built on power, money, and secrets. Now those secrets are unraveling. The truth about my family threatens everything, from the franchise to the locker room. Allies I trusted have their own agendas. And in the NFL’s ruthless good ol’ boys club, there’s no mercy for a woman who dares to challenge the league’s power structure. This isn’t just football. It’s an empire. It’s a legacy. It’s war. With the franchise and my future on the line, there’s only one man I might be able to trust. Fin—Griffin Graham. Elite NFL quarterback. The new face of the team. My past. My weakness. My second chance. Our chemistry still burns hotter than game day lights. But in a professional football world ruled by contracts, media scrutiny, and billion-dollar reputations, falling for the star quarterback again could destroy everything we’re fighting to protect. With more than our season on the line, I’m forced to choose a side. Will it be the right choice? Have you been Aleatha’d? Rushed is book two of The Coopers, a second chance sports romance wrapped in betrayal, dynasty drama, and high-stakes romantic suspense set in the seductive, cutthroat world of professional football. RUSHED ends on a cliffhanger—an unforgettable Aleatha blindside.
The Coopers is a four-book football romance saga following one explosive couple, beginning with INTERCEPTED, which must be read prior to RUSHED. Perfect for fans of the ruthless tension of Succession and the dark, aching obsession of Wuthering Heights.
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Together with her high-school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years, they’ve raised three children. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns or her new lighter side, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!
BLURB: Neutral Zone is a friends-to-lovers romance featuring an unconventional hockey hero and his live-life-to-the-fullest best friend who have to get honest with each other when life gets real.
I’ve fallen in love with my best friend. I know, I know. That’s a terrible idea, but it’s going to be fine because we have a plan. A best friends with benefits plan.
We’ll keep spending our days and nights together. We’ll keep cheering each other on and making each other laugh. We’ll keep staying up all night in my room, watching true crime documentaries the way besties do.
But now it’s going to get steamy. Very steamy.
In order to keep our friendship intact, boundaries have been set, and as long as we don’t cross the line, everything will be fine. Seriously. Trust me. It’s a great plan, and it’s all going to work out, and there’s zero chance that everything will go up in flames.
Although I do have a history of accidentally lighting things on fire…but really, that was just a couch. And a house. This is different. I swear.
Neutral Zone is the fourth and final book in Season Two of the Bainbridge U Hockey series, and it can be enjoyed as a standalone. If you’re a sucker for a hot mess hero with a heart of gold and a feisty heroine who isn’t afraid to fight for the man she loves, then get ready for Mickey and Viv!
I came to Huckleberry Springs to regroup—not to flash a cowboy while rescuing some strays from a ditch.
Haven Hennessy is everything I don’t want anyway: A man who puts himself first. A man who’d rather have fun than face commitment. A man who can charm a girl right out of a good decision. So he can kiss my red lace panties goodbye the moment I figure out how to ditch this town.
Yet he takes in the puppy and three kittens I rescue from the side of the road. He’s loyal to his brothers and his company. And he makes it his mission to give me new experiences, like fly-fishing, horseback rides, and getting naked in a tack room.
My stay in this small Montana town is only supposed to be temporary until I can launch a new career. Am I as wrong about that as I am about Haven? Because he makes me feel something no one else ever has: wanted.
But the more I get to know Haven, the more I realize I was right all along. Haven doesn’t let people in. Not fully. Not when he’s spent his whole life being left behind. So when my dream opportunity finally manifests, I have to leave before I break all my rules and my own heart in the process. I don’t dare fall for his whiskey charm.
Cormac Kelly was my first best friend…and he broke my heart before I even knew it was his to break.
Every summer of my childhood belonged to Sugar Brush, Wyoming and the boy with pale blue eyes who knew all my secrets. We spent those long, golden days running wild across his family’s ranch, covered in dirt and convinced nothing would ever change.
But things do change. And somewhere along the way, my first best friend became a stranger.
Then the night before my wedding, I accidentally overheard what Cormac really thought of me, pushing me into making the worst decision of my life.
Three years later, I’m divorced and back in Sugar Brush for the summer, working as an outdoor adventure guide and hoping this will be the fresh start I need.
But Cormac still lives on the ranch. And he’s impossible to avoid.
He’s there when I need help. When I need a steady hand. And the gentle way he looks at me now doesn’t match the cruel words I heard him say that night.
The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to remember why we ever walked away from each other.
When one unexpected kiss sparks a passion neither of us saw coming, I start to question everything I thought I knew.
Did I misunderstand the night that changed everything?
Did we let the best thing in our lives slip away?
And more importantly…how can I let myself fall for Cormac when we both know this summer is all the time we have?
Lee Orrico is stuck. The family he depended on to care for his daughter since he lost his wife is moving on and moving out. Having his best friend Stella become his live-in nanny while he works as the team chiropractor for the Brooklyn Bats seems like the right idea. Until the combination of close quarters and cozy nights ignites an attraction that Lee never saw coming.
After years on the road in a job she never liked and a messy breakup, Stella Parker is ready to come back to Brooklyn to make it a real home for herself, not just a pit stop. Moving in with Lee to help care for his adorable daughter is the perfect temporary solution…except it means moving in with the man she’s always been secretly in love with.
Her once-forbidden love for her best friend was always just a one-sided fantasy, but the lingering touches, long looks, and almost kisses make her start to wonder if this love isn’t so unrequited anymore.
The passion between Lee and Stella is undeniable. But Lee isn’t sure he can love again – he barely survived the loss of it the first time.
Still, the heart he didn’t think would beat for anyone else… wants Stella.
And Stella has always wanted Lee. The question is, does Lee really love her back?
Or is she just a pinch hitter for the real love of his life?
For the last five years I’ve been running from both my sisters vengeful anger, and from my husband’s intense obsession.
When Gaven finally captures me, I have no other choice but to use him the same way he always planned to use me. The closer I am, the more information I have, the safer we both are. So, I’ll take his punishment for leaving. I’ll take his pain and his pleasure.
My wedding night might have ended in pain and betrayal, but I won’t let my life end the same.
He’s a killer and I’m a target. In the end, someone has to die, but who is it going to be this time?
Light, bright, bubbly Dolly Parker is my reason for breathing, but she deserves more than a reclusive mountain man grump. For over a year, I’ve resigned myself to one monthly haircut being the closest I’ll ever get to the woman I love. Half an hour spent in her chair is the highlight of my trips down the mountain. But then she enters the Annual Foxy Falls Fundraiser Auction, and the thought of her with any other man makes me lose control. In an act of territorial, lust-filled obsession, I buy all three dates with her, claiming her publicly for the first time. I expect Dolly to be confused, disappointed, and sure as hell pissed. What I don’t expect is for her to demand I take her home and make her mine.
What to expect from a Lara London romance: Quick Reads. Big Heat. Forever Love. Steamy, short, insta-love romances with quirky heroines, obsessive heroes who fall hard, no cheating, and guaranteed HEA — delivered with heat, heart, and humor.
✨NARRATOR REVEAL: TROUBLEMAKER by @kayleyloring is coming to audio May 1 and will be performed in multicast duet narration by JF Harding and Erin Mallon with Emma Wilder, Jason Clarke, & Teddy Hamilton!
TO: Alex Vega FROM: Emilia Stiles SUBJECT: Hello Dear Mr. Vega, I felt it necessary to follow up on today’s meeting, since we weren’t able to speak candidly in front of your son. I was shocked to discover that you are Ryder’s dad. Given that your ex-wife will be out of the country for a while and you are currently his primary caregiver, I’m sure you understand why we need to establish boundaries and etiquette. I think it would be best if we just pretend that we met in person for the first time today. Your son is a very bright (flirtatious and talkative) student and since his education is a top priority for both of us, I hope I can count on you to respectfully refrain from grinning at me, using that sexy tone of voice, and undressing me with your annoyingly beautiful brown eyes if we should happen to interact with each other again in the future. Thanks so much, Miss Stiles
TO: Emilia Stiles FROM: Alex Vega SUBJECT: Re: Well, hello again… Dear Miss Stiles, Great to hear from you. My son’s education is indeed a top priority. As such, I respectfully agree to refrain from doing all of the aforementioned things. However, I can’t promise to stop thinking about that kiss at the bar this summer. I’ve been thinking about it for the past month. It’s interesting how humorless and uptight you are about my son’s totally awesome personality, given that I have personally witnessed just how flirtatious and talkative you yourself can be when mildly intoxicated. You’re so welcome, Alex P.S. I volunteered to be a chaperone for your next field trip. See you then.
✨EXCERPT: TEST OF TIME by @harlowjamesauthor releasing April 10th! This will be a simultaneous release in Audio with the amazing narrators Aiden Snow and Ava Erickson in DUET!
I close the distance between us and crush my lips to hers. When my tongue darts out to find hers, she shoves me away, but her eyes are wild and her cheeks are flushed. “What the hell, Rhonan?”
The only sound resting between us is our heavy breathing, our chests rising and falling with each labored inhale. Our eyes bounce between one another, the silence deafening even though that seems impossible.
But before I can say anything else, Vienna launches herself at me, jumping into my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist, smashing her lips back to mine.
My adrenaline kicks in, closing her front door behind me and then spinning around, pinning her up against it while our tongues clash and my cock presses against my zipper. I thrust my erection right between her legs, spurring a moan from deep in her throat, but Vienna doesn’t miss a beat. She writhes against me, creating the friction I know she needs.
“God, you’re infuriating,” she mumbles against my lips.
“I’m aware. You’re not a saint either, you know.”
Vienna deepens our kiss, yanking on the strands of my hair between her fingers. “God, Rhonan. Yes.”
Our mouths continue to move over one another, and even though I know I should stop this—whatever the hell this is—my body won’t let me.
One hard fall in the rodeo ring. One maddeningly gorgeous cowboy. One chance at love she swore she’d never take.
Billie Wallace has spent her whole life trying to prove she’s more than the Wallace Ranch’s “wild” only daughter. All she wants is a shot at barrel racing—and a purpose beyond crunching numbers in her daddy’s office. But when her very first run ends in disaster, Billie lands flat on her back with Ryder Rivers—her childhood crush, her brother’s best friend, and the town’s notorious heartbreaker—hovering over her.
In all the years she’s known him, Ryder has never entertained Billie’s shameless flirting. But after her fall, he’s suddenly everywhere—showing up to help her when she’s hurt, staring at her across the honky-tonk when she’s trying to move on with a bronc rider, and encouraging her to explore her dream career.
Before either can really register what’s happening, their partnership sparks into much more than just dust and arguments. Late nights turn into stolen kisses. Stolen kisses turn into something that feels dangerously like forever. Ryder swears he’s not the staying kind, but the way he looks at Billie like she’s the only woman in the world makes everyone start to wonder if he’s ready to stop running…
RYDER is an interconnected standalone book in the Lucky River Ranch Series.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
🤠Review🤠 Ryder has never been able to make peace with the passing of his parents however he would do anything for those he cares about. He can’t deny that he has feelings for Billie but he has refused to act on them because she is his best friend’s sister however that is about to change when he comes to her rescue.
Billie is torn between doing what her family expects of her and following her dreams. When she decides to take a chance on the future she wants it doesn’t turn out the way she wanted however it does have the upside of bringing her closer to Ryder, the man she has always wanted and finally sees her as a woman and not his best friend’s sister.
The interactions between them are entertaining, the pace of the relationship was perfect, and the combination of romance and emotion was everything you could ask for. I really enjoyed how Billie helped Ryder heal and he was supportive of whatever choices would make her happy.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 