She’s the complication this wild cowboy can’t resist.
Blaze
There are always complications on a ranch, but they’re never a wild blonde passed out in the horse barn… Until now.
Finding Morgan Lott face down in the hay is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She’s chaotic, loud, and guaranteed to shave years off my life. She’s also the sweetest temptation I’ve ever seen.
But she’s running from something. And it’s catching up fast.
I don’t lose what’s mine. And I’ve never played fair a day in my life.
Not when the stakes are my future.
Not when it’s my heart on the line.
She isn’t going anywhere. Ever again.
Morgan
Waking up in a barn with a nosy horse wasn’t my plan. Neither was being accused of a felony.
The barn is a way better choice than prison.
Until Blaze Hendrix throws me over his broad shoulder and says I belong to him. This rough cowboy is big, beautiful, and a little too bossy. He also has my heart going wild every time he touches me.
I don’t want to like him. I don’t want to stay. And I don’t want to fall.
I do anyway.
Because he makes me feel safe… even when I know my mess could blow everything up.
Morgan hasn’t had an easy life, and it isn’t about to get any easier when she fears she will be charged with a crime she didn’t commit. She has been trying to hide for the last two days but that comes to an end when Blaze finds her sleeping with his horse.
From the moment that Blaze meets Morgan he knows that she is meant to be his. He is determined to protect her and keep her safe while they uncover the truth about her predicament and he shows her that she has finally found the place and people to call home.
Morgan is a whirlwind and is exactly who Blaze needs in his life. Once he meets her he can’t imagine a future without her while giving her the life and happiness she was always meant to have.
“It feels…like you’re keeping something from me, Doc,” he says.
“What are you talking about?” I brush him off with a smile, biting my bottom lip to stop myself from saying something stupid.
He levels his eyes with mine. “You’ve been acting funny all day. I’ve known you for eleven years, and trust me, I know you have something on your mind. You get this wrinkle on your forehead when you’re thinking about something.”
I place a hand on my forehead to smooth out whatever wrinkle he thinks he sees.
He chuckles and then lifts his thumb to my lower lip and pulls it away from my teeth.
“You also bite your lower lip when you’re really worked up about something.”
His thumb traces my mouth a second too long, and I let out a little whimper.
F*ck.
He rests his hands on his thighs and gives a wry smile. “Talk to me, Doc. What’s on your mind?”
I shift from one foot to the other, resting my tablet on my hip. “I …” I blow out a breath, “can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
I roll my eyes and sigh. “Saint …” Do I tell this man, who I have known all of my adult life, that I secretly want him to give me an orgasm like I need air to breathe? I shouldn’t.
It would be crude and crazy. Then again, this is Saint, and we tell each other everything.
“I’ve been thinking about our pact we made in college.”
He lifts a brow and smirks. “Our pact? You want to get married?”
“No!” I answer a little too quickly and too easily.
He leans back, hands up, amused. “Easy there, Pres. It’s fine. If you don’t want to marry me, then why is it on your mind in a way that you’re acting like being near me or touching me is going to set you off? That you say I’m distracting you … Oh. Ohhh.”
His mouth quirks up on one side as if the realization of it all just hit him. He steps closer, and I step back as his large frame empowers the space between us.
“Saint. Forget it. It’s not what you think. It’s just a little dry spell.” I say, backing up.
He keeps coming toward me until my back is up against the padded wall.
“Saint. Stay on the turf. You should be—” I say, trying to sound stronger than I feel. In my mind, I replay every time over the years we’ve almost crossed the line, but retreated.
And I’m not sure I want to anymore.
He reaches out, his hands slamming on the wall on either side of my head with a thud.
He doesn’t touch me, but he doesn’t have to. The sheer size of him overwhelms me. Yes, I’m a doctor who treats the most intimidating athletes in the league, but right now I feel like I want him to consume me regardless of the consequences.
“We vowed to always be honest, so I’m going to ask you once, and I want you to be honest with me.”
“Ok,” I say and swallow … hard.
“You want to give in to this insane sexual tension we have?” he practically growls, his face inches from mine. I can feel his hot breath on my skin, smelling the mint he was crunching on when I walked in. “Do you want to f*ck me, Presley?”
“Yes,” I whisper, my heart hammering against my ribs. My mind, racing.
“Thank f*ck because I’ve waited years for you to give in.”
“You have?” I shake my head. “This is insane. It’s just been a while since I’ve gotten laid.
That’s all it is.” I hold up a hand. “We can’t–”
“Why not? We’re adults.”
My head spins with the heady mix of lust I have for this man. I can feel the length of him through his thin gym shorts pressing against my core, his hands skimming my hips.
Should I do this? No. Can I? Hell yes. I’m a grown woman. A doctor. And a very horny female with a hot as hell football player trying to separate my thighs.
“Saint, if we do this,” I whisper, breathily. “No one can know. My father would lose his mind. He’s already dealing with Alie and Liam’s big reveal. I don’t think we need any more drama in the organization right now. And we can’t risk him trading you, for f*ck’s sake.”
A deep, dangerous laugh spills out. “Let him,” he says, and for the first time, I see the arrogance of the man he is on the field directed at me. “I’ve got enough money to retire today. And I’m pretty sure any team in the league would take me, trade or no trade. But he would never even consider it. Because he knows I’m the only one who can keep his defense together. And he also knows that you’re the only one who can keep me together. He’s not stupid or blind. He knows we’ve been,” he motions between us, “this since college. We’ve never hidden our friendship. And we’re always professional at work. None of that has to change.”
I don’t bother arguing, because he’s right.
No mention of the fast-approaching deadline of our pact. No mention of Oreos, Garth Brooks, or any of the other terms. But he doesn’t have to. Because the way he looks at me, like he wants to devour me, like the last eleven years have been nothing but a long, agonizing buildup for this moment.
When he finally leans in and kisses me, it’s nothing like the kiss we shared in college. It’s deep, slow and possessive. It tastes like years of longing and frustration, and the reality that everything between us could change.
BLURB:
Back in college, I made a pact with Presley Grant—if we were both still single at thirty, we’d marry each other.
It was a joke. A fallback plan we never thought we’d need.
Now I’m an NFL star, playing for Presley’s father’s team, and she’s the team doctor—completely off-limits. But when an injury puts me under her care in the offseason, old chemistry resurfaces fast … and inescapably.
Then tragedy strikes.
Now I’m the legal guardian of my sister’s two young children, facing a custody battle I might lose. Because no matter how much I love them, the court might not see my career as stable.
And Presley … her dream of opening a football camp for underprivileged kids hinges on one seemingly impossible condition: she must be married or thirty-five years old to access her trust fund.
So, I make a proposal and cash in on our pact.
It’s supposed to solve everything—my family, her future. Temporary. Controlled. Nothing more.
But living together, raising two kids, and pretending to be in love—it starts to feel dangerously real.
And when the time comes to walk away … neither of us is sure we can.
Read The Trade, book one of the Gridiron Legacy series today with Kindle Unlimited: https://geni.us/TheTrade
When she’s fake dating the hockey star, but he was never faking it…
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey rom com in her brand new Hockey Ever After series, JUST PLAYING FOR KEEPS! This spicy, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, only one bed in a room, opposites attract hockey romance releases June 3rd in all formats, and will be free to read in Kindle Unlimited. Check out the excerpt below, and one-click your copy today!
“I don’t want to be your plus-one, sweetheart. I want your ex, and everyone else, to think I’m your real date.”
She’s quiet for a long beat. Eyes flickering. Brow furrowing. “You do?”
That might sound f*&k-all pushy, so I amend it. “Fake date.”
She tilts her head, a small, curious smile forming. “You’re saying you want to fake date me for all the wedding events?”
This makes perfect sense to me. A plus-one can be anyone—a friend, a rando, some guy who lives across the country and happens to be in town. But a date? That signals something important.
“What I’m saying is a plus-one is a cop-out. But being your new guy? That says your ex is a dumbass for losing you, and you’re moving the hell on like the f*&king goddess you are.”
Maybe I’ve said too much with goddess, but the way her smile spreads is divine.
“Looks like you just got yourself a fake date then, mister.”
I inch closer, tuck my thumb under her chin, like I did the night I walked her to her door. Her breath catches. I slide my thumb gently along her jaw. “See you soon.”
About JUST PLAYING FOR KEEPS (Coming 6/3/2026):
Ever hear the story about the dating coach who got dumped on the hockey arena’s jumbotron?
Everyone did. But I lived it. Including the moment when Lake Axelrod, the team’s broody, tattooed right winger, swooped in on skates to rescue me from public humiliation.
Even more surprising? When the famously grumpy (and ridiculously sexy) hockey star insists on being my fake boyfriend for my sister’s high-profile wedding.
It’s the perfect plan. His family stops pressuring him to settle down, and I’ll get the ultimate revenge, since my ex is the best man. Bonus – I might even salvage my professional reputation.
We need rules though.
To pull this off, everyone from his teammates to my boss has to believe we’re a real couple.
That means swoony touches and knee-weakening kisses are required.
When it ends, we walk away.
But the intensity in Lake’s eyes after every post-game kiss makes me wonder if he’s pretending. With each whispered secret, the line between fake and real bends. Until it shatters one night in a hotel room.
Soon, he isn’t just playing the protective boyfriend—he’s the only one who truly sees me.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to break the most important rule of all: don’t fall for your fake date.
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
Marni Mann has revealed the cover for The Forbidden One!
Releasing: October 22, 2026
Cover Designer: Hang Le
Photographer: Daniel Jaems
USA Today bestselling author Marni Mann brings an angsty, tortured heroine, billionaire romance to the sizzling conclusion of the Weston Group Series …
Get ready for Eden Weston’s story. Full blurb to come.
Holly Lorena Cain, formerly known as Georgina Lorena Cain, was well acquainted with rock bottom. She’s coasted along its rocky shores for years. It all started when her mother left her when she was barely old enough to understand. For years, her and her dad struggled to make ends meet. A dying cattle farm can’t run itself, and with her dad having cancer, it got harder and harder to hang on to land that’s been in her family for generations.
Just as she thinks that she’s finally made it, her father passes away and leaves every single thing he owns to their neighbor. The man that’d been worming his way into her father’s good graces while she’d been away pursuing higher education.
But she can’t be mad.
Being mad would mean that she has a soul left, but she sold that a long time ago to pay for college.
Once she comes to terms with her father and the land being gone, she moves back to Bear Pass and with one thing on her mind—avoid Denver at all costs. He can never know just how much it hurt that he stole her life away from her.
Only, he makes it impossibly hard to stay away.
He’s there around every corner. He offers her a place to stay. Makes sure she has a place to work. Fixes her car. Saves her from a kidnapper. Oh, and gives her everything her heart desires.
She stays away as best as she can, but she doesn’t stand a chance against Denver’s determination and charm. He’s there when no one else is, peeling her off the floor and propping her back up again each time she falls.
The gruff motorcycle club president with his scary glares and harsh work ethic has decided to make her his, and he won’t stand for her refusal.
He’s been protecting her for her entire life, and she doesn’t even know it.
He won’t stop now, even if she’s bound and determined to stay away.
Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown. in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.
Denver is trying to balance being the president of the MC, looking after his ranch and being a single father to his daughters. He needs help feeding the animals however when he placed the ad the last person he expected to see was Holly. She has nothing but animosity for him due to what she believes transpired with her family ranch.
When Holly went to school to become a vet it was with the intention of returning and helping her father with the ranch. Now not only is she dealing with his passing but the ranch she loved was left to Denver and he has had her evicted. She is now struggling, emotionally and financially, so answering the ad will allow her to get back on her feet even if it means working for the man she wants nothing to do with.
Despite all the animosity between them the feelings they have for each other are undeniable. He is determined to protect her, even from herself, and she shows him that he deserves to find love again as they take us on journey that includes romance, a little suspense and all the feels.
Back in college, I made a pact with Presley Grant—if we were both still single at thirty, we’d marry each other.
It was a joke. A fallback plan we never thought we’d need.
Now I’m an NFL star, playing for Presley’s father’s team, and she’s the team doctor—completely off-limits. But when an injury puts me under her care in the offseason, old chemistry resurfaces fast … and inescapably.
Then tragedy strikes.
Now I’m the legal guardian of my sister’s two young children, facing a custody battle I might lose. Because no matter how much I love them, the court might not see my career as stable.
And Presley … her dream of opening a football camp for underprivileged kids hinges on one seemingly impossible condition: she must be married or thirty-five years old to access her trust fund.
So, I make a proposal and cash in on our pact.
It’s supposed to solve everything—my family, her future. Temporary. Controlled. Nothing more.
But living together, raising two kids, and pretending to be in love—it starts to feel dangerously real.
And when the time comes to walk away … neither of us is sure we can.
I built my global security empire from nothing. Control and discipline are the only rules I live by. Some might call me ‘intense’. I prefer ‘meticulously prepared for every disaster imaginable.’
Growing up in a group home with my two brothers taught me the only lesson that mattered: never let anyone close enough to hurt you. As a CEO, I don’t improvise. I plan. I command.
When I’m hired to provide security for an engagement party, I expect an easy job.
Instead, I meet a woman who treats my rules like optional suggestions. I’m used to being obeyed. Ruby clearly doesn’t plan on doing that. Not even a little.
She tempts me like no one else ever has. Whenever we’re together, my thoughts drift in dangerous directions. Wanting her becomes an obsession. I want to give her everything. But surrendering control means breaking my own rules. And I’ve never done that before.
Ruby
I love my restaurant, my life, and finding the bright side of just about everything. Hosting my best friend’s engagement party? Easy. Fun. Right up my alley.
What I’m not prepared for is Grant Clifford—and his many, many rules.
He’s a fine specimen of a man. Unfortunately, he also comes with a massive stick lodged firmly up his gorgeous behind. Under that perfectly tailored suit is a man who desperately needs to loosen up. Preferably with me.
The closer I get, the more clearly I see the scars beneath his rigid exterior. And I want to heal them all. But how do I reach a man who refuses to let anyone in?
✨TEASER: JUST MY LUCK by @authorlenahendrix is releasing in a new Deluxe Limited Edition Paperback on May 26 at a store near you! Don’t miss the DELUXE LIMITED EDITION paperback featuring stenciled edges, holographic foil, designed interior covers, chapter headers, and full color special character art!!
Unexpected sparks ignite a slow burn in this grumpy/sunshine workplace romance when a single mom proposes a marriage of convenience to save her boss’s brewery.
Fans of Lucy Score, Elsie Silver, Carley Fortune, and B.K. Borrison will find their next obsession with this second standalone in bestselling author Lena Hendrix’s spicy, emotional, deeply romantic Kings Series set in small town Michigan.
You might think it’s reckless for a single mom to enter into a marriage of convenience with her boss.
You would be correct.
To make matters worse, Abel King is a grumpy local brewer with a criminal past. He also happens to be my boss and a total stick-in-the-mud. Every time I come to work with a smile and wave, I’m lucky if I can get a grunt in response.
When I accidentally-on-purpose overhear that he’s having trouble securing a business loan due to his criminal record, I hatch a plan to help the both of us.
The arrangement is perfect—a business transaction and nothing more. Like having a roommate without the hassle of other people bugging you for dates.
I will definitely not be falling in love with him—no matter how many times he says “my wife” and tingles dance in all the right places.
Trouble is, as time goes on, things stop feeling like business and start feeling a whole lot like pleasure . . . and really, that’s just my luck . . .
Why you will love this book: 💙Friends to Strangers to Lovers🏒Hockey Romance 💙Single Dad 🏒She Plays Hockey/Women in Sports 💙Forbidden Romance 🏒Next Gen Langfield, but can be read as a standalone
There are only two things I’ve ever truly wanted in my life. To be a goalie in the NHL and JJ Hanson.
In a twisted way, both dreams have come true. Rather than a spot on the roster though, I’m now the first female goalie coach in the NHL. JJ Hanson’s coach, specifically.
Not only is he one of my players—making him totally off limits—he’s also a single dad and still technically married. Oh, and thanks to my father’s meddling, he’s now my roommate, along with his cousin and her three kids, my sister and her four-year-old twins, my cousin, and JJ’s daughter, who I unfortunately adore.
Yup, I’m living with six kids under the age of five, and the only man I’ve ever loved.
There was a time when JJ was my closest friend, and for one perfect moment, he was mine. Now we don’t even talk. JJ is determined to change that, though, and when opportunity strikes and suddenly both of my dreams are within reach, I have to make a decision. Can I step out onto that ice as the first female goalie in the NHL and trust JJ with my heart?
I’ve never been one to walk away from a challenge. Maybe the only way JJ and I can move forward is to go back to the start.
Paper Rings is a friends-to-lovers, single-dad, second-chance hockey romance with dual POV and a dual timeline featuring a Brownstone like Mother Faker and many of your favorite characters from the Langfield Brothers’ family. It is the first book in the New Romantics Series and a complete standalone
No stranger to pain, Torin “The Tornado” Correy had been hit by the best and never once tapped out. Yet, a little wisp of a thing accomplished that impossible feat with nothing but a strappy pink shoe. Like a Cinderella from a ball for the criminally insane, she fled the instant Big Ben struck midnight—leaving her weapon behind.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “It was love at first sight?” Yeah, that doesn’t really apply here since for Diem and Tor, it was lust at first fight.
Willa Knox didn’t come to Sagebrush County for a man.
She came for a fresh start—and the piece of land left to her, whether she wanted it or not.
Too bad Beau Gamble already has plans for it.
He’s spent years rebuilding his family’s ranch, one acre at a time. Willa’s land is the last piece, and he has no intention of letting an outsider keep it. He makes her an offer.
She refuses.
Now they’re stuck in each other’s space, fighting over boundaries neither of them is willing to give up.
Willa isn’t leaving.
And Beau isn’t backing down.
But the more time they spend clashing, the harder it gets to ignore what’s building between them. Because this isn’t just about land anymore.
It’s about control.
And Beau Gamble has never wanted anything he couldn’t have—until her.
In Sagebrush County, a cowboy doesn’t just fall in love.
The land that Willa inherited from her uncle will not only allow her to honor her uncle but to follow her dream of opening an animal retreat. She isn’t about to swayed from her goal by Beau’s offer to purchase the land and she is determined to show him that she is here to stay.
When Beau’s family lost the land to Willa’s uncle he was determined to get it back. He thought that Willa would be happy to sell the land and go back to the life she was living so he isn’t happy when she turns him down. However, after spending time with her he changes his focus to convince her to stay.
Beau has met his match in Willa as she challenges him at every turn and never backs down. The chemistry between them is intense and they are exactly who the other needs in their life.
Harper was raised by a single mother, and her father was never part of her life. When her mother passed away she found a family within the Grizzlies Hockey Club which brings Leo into her life. She thought the night they spent together was a beginning until he made it clear that one night would be all they would have until they find out they are about to become parents.
The way that Harper made Leo feel had him feeling that the best thing he could do for her was to walk away. The example he saw of love growing up has convinced him that he isn’t capable however finding out he is about to be a father changes everything and now he needs to convince her that man who walked away wants to stay.
Both Harper and Leo had challenges during their childhood continues to affect them as he is cautious about love and she is determined to be independent but not even that is enough to deny the feelings between them as they let each other into their lives and their hearts.
Meet Elise Faber:
USA Today bestselling author Elise Faber writes romances with swoony, possessive heroes who fall hard and fast—and have just the right amount of heat. When she’s not writing about hockey or cheering on the Sharks, she’s playing it—her favorite date nights happen on the ice with her husband. Off the rink, you’ll usually find her soaking in the bathtub with a book or bingeing reality TV. Elise lives in Northern California with her husband and two teenage boys, and firmly believes happily-ever-afters are non-negotiable. Connect with her on Instagram, TikTok, or at elise@elisefaber.com.
To find out about Elise Faber’s upcoming releases and giveaways, sign up for her newsletter here
What if Little Red Riding Hood ran away with the Big Bad Wolf?
I give you Rosamund Briar and Valerian Canagan: the Frost Princess and the Wolf.
“You like what you don’t understand, until it snaps you up, chews you bloody, and spits you out. Then the monsters don’t seem so pretty anymore, do they?”
What if Little Red Riding Hood ran away with the Big Bad Wolf?
Kidnapped as a child by the werewolves, Rosamund still bears the scars. She hides from reality, dreaming of a fiancé she’s yet to meet and a happily ever after.
But one fine evening, her stepfather welcomes a werewolf into the great hall and announces the beast will accompany her on her journey to meet her husband… as her bodyguard.
Now Rosamund is forced into close proximity with one of the creatures who once tormented her. A dark fae werewolf. The stuff of nightmares.
Valerian is every bit a nightmare. Even muzzled and collared, he’s dangerous. A snarling beast, barely contained.
So why does he allow her to hold his leash? Why does he take his bodyguard role so seriously? And why, why can’t she look away from his golden eyes?
The wait is finally over—Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Hope Mazzola returns to the ice with a brand-new hockey romance series: Shots on Goal—MN Frosthawks.
Alois Müller is professional hockey’s favorite villain.
The Minnesota Frosthawks’ veteran enforcer is known for brutal hits, wicked honesty, and a glare that’s started more headlines than the league will ever admit.
So when a viral scandal threatens the team’s reputation, management gives him one last chance to clean up his image… or hang up his jersey forever.
Enter Beatriz “Bea” Ribeiro.
Brilliant. Unflappable. And the youngest PR strategist the organization has ever hired.
Her first assignment?
Rehabilitate the league’s most notorious troublemaker before he destroys the Frosthawks’ season.
Simple.
Except Alois Müller refuses to be handled.
Managing him means babysitting a six-foot-four walking PR disaster with ice-blue eyes, a temper the league loves to hate… and a talent for getting under Bea’s skin like no one else.
Unfortunately for both of them, the solution to his scandal is worse than the problem.
A fake relationship.
Suddenly Bea is stuck beside the one man who seems determined to drive her insane.
Press conferences.
Charity galas.
Team flights.
And one very convincing series of staged dates.
The rules are simple:
Don’t fight in public.
Don’t break the script.
And absolutely do not start believing the chemistry.
But the more time they spend pretending to be in love, the harder it becomes to ignore the sparks neither of them wants to admit are real.
Because beneath Alois’s reputation is a fiercely loyal teammate, a devastating flirt, and a man who looks at Bea like she’s the only person in the room.
Meanwhile Bea is trying to keep her career on track, keep the team’s image intact, and stop her extremely judgmental Selkirk Rex cat from declaring war on the six-foot-four hockey enforcer suddenly invading their lives.
Now the entire league is watching.
Their chemistry is trending.
And the biggest lie they’ve ever told might be turning into the one thing neither of them can walk away from.
Public Enemy #91 was supposed to be a media strategy.
Instead, it might be the most dangerous play of their lives.
🏒Review🏒
Alois is a man who acts or speaks first and doesn’t consider the consequences until afterwards. It is for this reason that his hockey career is in jeopardy if he doesn’t improve his image. He is not happy that Bea has been tasked with helping him and that only increases when not only do they need to pretend to be in a relationship but end up living together as well.
Bea is ready to begin her career in PR and working for the Frosthawks is the perfect opportunity until she meets Alois and realizes what a challenge it is going to be and that was before she found out they needed to pretend to be in a relationship. She believes she knows the man he is but she may be the one in for a surprise.
This is a story about two people who are trying to protect their careers and love isn’t part of that plan. The banter is entertaining, the romance is touching and the characters draw you in.
About the Author:
Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Hope Mazzola is a Florida native now happily rooted in North Carolina with her loving husband and two lazy basset hounds. After several years away from publishing, she has returned to the romance world with a renewed passion for storytelling and a bold, reimagined vision for her Shots on Goal universe. She writes every flavor of contemporary romance— from steamy rom-coms to gritty biker tales to emotional, heart-thumping sports love stories.
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