When life is one obstacle after another, it’s time for Deputy Lance Malloy to change direction.
Spending one night in the sanctuary of Kellie Bryant’s arms, Lance believes she is the woman he is destined to spend the rest of his life with.
In her, he sees someone who understands his law enforcement career and is strong enough to accept all that comes with it.
But the universe has other ideas and throws the good and bad when least expected, turning Lance’s world upside down.
Kellie Bryant always believed in the happily-ever-after.
All that changed the day Lance Malloy left town, taking her hopes and dreams with him.
Falling in love with a man she barely knew wasn’t planned but ruled by her heart, she gambled her future, and that of her niece, Rory.
With her world spun on its axis, Kellie can’t afford to hold on to a man who isn’t able to love her back.
**Forever Blue is the second book in The Weight of the Badge series and is meant to be read in order.
About Kaylee Rose
Kaylee Rose is a mother, sports lover, and contemporary romance author looking to stretch her creative muscles and explore other genres as well.
Born and raised in the small beach town, just outside San Francisco, California, Kaylee is the mother of four sons, and her furry baby, the border collie lab mix, Bella. Inspired by her husband’s career in law enforcement, and her passion for the written word, Kaylee began to pen her novels as an escape from the rigors of everyday life. She admits teaching herself the craft of writing has been a tough, but wonderful journey, and is just the creative outlet that she needs. Writing time is her time, and she protects the hard-won moments fiercely.
Model student, loyal girlfriend and perfect daughter.
Except she wasn’t any of these things.
Tired of living by other people’s rules,
Bianca fell in love with taking risks, rebelling, and bad boy Damian Banner.
Just as Bianca is ready to break free of the life everyone else wants her to live,
her plans are halted by a gruesome murder.
Covered in blood with the murder weapon in hand and no memory of what happened,
Bianca’s forced to give up the boy she loves in exchange for her freedom.
Now he’s back. And Bianca’s world is turned upside down.
Can she convince him to forgive her and give their love a second chance?
Or will she be forced to spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she’s not?
Broken Pieces is a compelling story of love, sacrifice and murder.
About Danielle Sibarium
Author of YA & NA romance. Danielle grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Throughout her childhood, she transported herself into a fantasy world full of magic and wonder. Books were the gateway between her play world and reality. On any given summer afternoon she became Snow White sweeping and cooking for the dwarfs, or Cinderella waiting for the prince.
In 2004 Danielle won Honorable Mention in the Southern Heat contest. In 2007 she collaborated with Charlotte Doreen Small to write songs for her CD More. Danielle wrote the lyrics for Take My Hand, and Goodbye, while Charlotte contributed the melody.
Danielle graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with honors, and currently resides in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
In October 2011 Danielle’s debut novel For Always was released. She has since released The Heart Waves Trilogy, Heart Waves, Breaking Waves, and Waves of Love, as well as To My Hero: A Blog of Our Journey Together, Into You, and Regret Me Not.
Danielle on writing- “I write because if I didn’t my soul would shrivel up and die! And I love to fall in love!”
Inmate of the Month
Souls Chapel Revenants MC Book 7
Lani Lynn Vale
Release Date: September 21, 2021
About the Book
A porn video changed his life.
One second, he has an ex with an ax to grind, and the next, he’s internet famous—and definitely not in a good way. In an, it’ll ruin your career, kind of way.
Only, Laric didn’t know that he was internet famous.
Not until a black-haired beauty walks into his life, and stumbles over every word that she says because all she can picture is him doing the unthinkable for the world to see.
Sadly, that’s not the only thing wrong in his life. His world is messed up, and he likes it that way.
There’s no room for a woman that wants to fix him.
Because fixing requires intimacy, and intimacy isn’t something that Laric does. Not after the life that he’s lived, and the things he’s done to survive. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that he’s a felon, and he has no regrets about how he got that title.
The last thing he needs in his life is a woman that has her head in the clouds and thinks this world is made of butterflies and confetti.
However, Catori isn’t who she seems.
The day she meets tall, dark, and handsome, he saves her life. And then never leaves—though not for his lack of trying.
Not that she’s complaining about the way they’re thrown together, time after time. She’s more than willing to have a man like Laric around. Mostly because she’s already seen the good in him that he refuses to admit that’s there.
He may be a biker that does questionable things, but in her heart, she knows that he does those bad things for good reasons. And she’s not about to throw away the chance at happiness just because he thinks he knows what’s best for her.
Plot twist: she knows what’s best for her. And that’s him.
God help her.
About Lani Lynn Vale
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
Newly (almost) divorced from my lazy High School sweetheart, I flee to Nashville, Tennessee to forge my own path in life. With the help of my girls, Guinevere and December, I’m happy, I’m thriving but there’s one little problem. Okay more of a big problem. Thoren Black, aka Thor. Yes, he’s blonde haired, blue eyed gorgeousness. Yes, he has muscles so big they can crack a walnut and yes his…ego matches.
My problem? That lazy High School sweetheart won’t sign our divorce papers so the new thor-n in my side thinks he can solve it. He puts a big ring on my finger, claiming me for the whole town and forcing my ex’s hand. Does he stop at that? No. He moves into my house, takes over my kitchen and demands a space in my bed, and I let him because that was the agreement. He’s pushing all my buttons, breaking past all my excuses of why this would never be able to work out for real. I never experienced this…happiness, not Until Thor….
Feisty. Blonde. Sexy.
I knew the second she threw an eight ball at my head I was going to have her. Husband, shmusband. I don’t think with my head when I suggest the fake fiance act, at least not that head, but Jolie Palmer has got me all tangled up and I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t like it. Now to convince her that ring on her finger should stay.
Until Thor is part of Aurora Rose Reynolds’s Happily Ever Alpha World. If you loved Until December, then you will want to read Until Thor.
Nicole Rodrigues is a contemporary/ New Adult Romance Author. She is a mama to three kiddos, married to her real life book boyfriend and resides outside Nashville, TN.
She enjoys reading, hanging out with her family and attempting Pinterest projects.
Aurora Rose Reynolds and her husband, Sedaka Reynolds, created Boom Factory Publishing to use their experiences to expand and promote upcoming and existing indie authors.
With over five years in the industry, and millions of books sold worldwide, we know what it takes to become a successful author and we will use this knowledge to take our authors to the next level.
“As a successful hybrid author in this ever evolving industry, I know that you’re only as successful as the team that is promoting you!” – Aurora Rose Reynolds
Dakota Willink’s Endurance is a sexy, contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven World.
Synopsis
Sloan
As the son of a Formula One racer, the need for speed was in my blood. But in the blink of an eye, my life in the fast lane came to a screeching halt.
With my racing career gone, I had no choice but to endure a new way of life.
And that’s when I met her—Kalliope Benton Riley.
She wasn’t my usual type at all. She was a total hippie, packaged to perfection with flowy dresses and rainbow-colored hair wraps. She had outlandish ideas about the stars, the moon, and predetermined destiny.
Ridiculous.
Yet, I couldn’t turn away from her mesmerizing green eyes. She was more than a pit stop. She was my addiction—my checkered flag. Before long, I had to prepare for an entirely new kind of race—the race for Kallie’s heart.
Kallie
Six years ago, a psychic gypsy gave me a warning. She said I was cursed when it came to romance and destined for a life of disappointment and heartache.
She was right.
So when the opportunity to move across the country presented itself, I was more than ready for a change—but that change was not supposed to include someone like Sloan Atwood.
He was arrogant and cocky. Avoiding him should have been easy, but every time I looked at him, the attraction grew stronger.
I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe—just maybe—Sloan could be the one to break the curse.
Then I saw a California sunset. The gypsy had warned me about those too.
As the sun dropped lower in the sky, my heart knew I couldn’t box this lap. There would be no winners in this race. Total shutdown was the only way to prevent permanent damage.
All Sloan has ever wanted is to race professionally and now that is in jeopardy. He is facing a crossroads in his life and the last thing he needs is to be distracted by a PR specialist who may appear to be wrong for him on so many levels, but she intrigues him like no other.
Kallie believes that her path when it comes to romance has been pre-determined and going outside the lines will only result in heartbreak and devastation. The only thing that she and Sloan have in common are their feelings for one another, will it be enough?
Sloan and Kallie take us on an emotional journey as they must not only battle the past but the present as well if they are to have a future together.
Author Bio
Dakota Willink is an Amazon Top 100 Bestselling Author. She loves writing about damaged heroes who fall in love with sassy and independent females. Her books are character-driven, emotional, and sexy, yet written with a flare that keeps them real. With six published titles available in multiple languages, a magazine publication, and the Leave Me Breathless World under her belt, Dakota’s imagination is constantly spinning new ideas.
The Stone Series is Dakota’s first published book series. It has been recognized for various awards, including the Readers’ Favorite 2017 Gold Medal in Romance. The Cadence duet was a finalist in the HEAR Now Festival Independent Audiobook Awards. In addition, Dakota has written under the alternate pen name, Marie Christy. Under this name, she has written and published a children’s book for charity titled, And I Smile. Also writing as Marie Christy, she was a contributor to the Blunder Woman Productions project, Nevertheless We Persisted: Me Too, a 2019 Audie Award Finalist and Earphones Awards Winner. This project inspired Dakota to write The Sound of Silence, a dark romantic suspense novel.
Dakota often says she survived her first publishing with coffee and wine. She’s an unabashed Star Wars fanatic and still dreams of one day getting her letter from Hogwarts. She enjoys spending time with her super-supportive husband, her two witty teenagers, her spoiled rotten dogs, and her chubby cat. During the summer months, she can often be found soaking up the sun on the Great Lakes with her family.
Francisco never backs away from a challenge. Isabella never bows down to anyone. This scorching hot battle of wills may leave both of them broken.
Finale, an all new captivating and sexy North Security novella from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren and 1,001 Dark Nights, is available now!
Francisco Castille, the exiled Duke of Linares, knows his duty. Even in modern times, the line must continue. So he’ll marry and produce an heir.
Yes, a wife will fit into his well-ordered life.
Instead he ends up with the brilliant pianist Isabella. Strong. Spirited. And highly disobedient. She rebels against every custom and every rule, threatening his careful balance.
Francisco never backs away from a challenge.
Isabella never bows down to anyone.
This scorching hot battle of wills may leave both of them broken.
**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you’ll enjoy each one as much as we do.**
We reach the entrance to the cathedral. The powerful organ reverberates through the floor. Every single person—man, woman, and child—stands and turns to face me. It would be so easy to flush. To let my heart pound out of my chest and the blood rush to my face.
Instead I lift my chin. I face them down with a calm expression. A Bradley at heart.
Only, I won’t be a Bradley for much longer. Fifteen minutes, give or take.
My father steps forward. I grip the sleeve of his tuxedo so tight he must feel it. He must feel my terror, but he doesn’t seem to notice. He keeps walking, and so I do the only thing I can—I follow his lead. I float down the long carpet covered in rose petals.
At the end of the aisle, my groom waits for me.
Francisco Castille, the exiled Duke of Linares.
I suppose I should leave the “exiled” part off. It’s probably a touchy subject in his family. I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met anyone on the right side of the church. They move in European high society, while my family has been strictly New York City upper crust. This will be a merger of more than two people. It will combine businesses and connections. And, above all, this wedding will save my family’s entire world. Our livelihood. Our reputation. And the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of employees. So if my groom is as controlling as my brother warned, then that’s the price I’ll pay.
That is the price I’ve promised to pay.
Francisco wears a tuxedo, naturally.
Some men stand stiffly in them. He looks as if he was born in that tux. As comfortable as I might be in my favorite sweater and worn jeans. It’s the royalty in him, I suppose.
Black hair. Thick brows. A stern expression.
So far away. The cathedral has to be huge to fit the guest list. Walking closer is like coming into focus, seeing the brackets around his lips, the small slash in his eyebrow. A scar, perhaps. How did he hurt himself? I have no idea. We’re basically strangers.
We reach the end of the aisle.
My father moves my hand into Francisco’s grip.
Then we’re left alone, two of us standing in a sea of people. About to be married.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he murmurs.
Through the delicate satin of my glove, I feel his strength. His heat. It’s a comfort, even though I barely know him. I match his dry tone. “I heard someone’s getting hitched.”
His lips quirk. “A wedding, you say. Nothing too fancy.”
About Skye Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance such as the Endgame trilogy. Her books have been featured in Jezebel, Buzzfeed, USA Today Happily Ever After, Glamour, and Elle Magazine. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.
For Isabella loyalty to her family and the employees of their hotel conglomerate comes first which is how she finds herself marrying Fransisco. She wasn’t sure what she expected of her marriage but it certainly that he would push her boundaries in the most decadent way possible
Francisco wanted Isabella long before the opportunity of an arrangement between their businesses. He knows exactly what he needs and desires from her and now he needs to convince her.
The chemistry between them is explosive as Isabella and Francisco take us on a dark and dirty journey as they fight for a relationship that will satisfy them both.
LJ Evans has revealed the cover for Charming and the Cherry Blossom!
Releasing July 16, 2021
Love turns every story into a fairy tale.
Today was a fairy tale…
I inherited a fortune from a dad I never knew,
And a thoroughly charming guy asked me out.
Unfortunately, my fairy tale could disappear in ninety days…
Because there’s an impossible task to complete,
And a greedy cousin plotting against me.
Plus, I’m not your typical fairy tale princess.
I have a secret that might send my charming running,
And threatens my future if the press finds out.
If today was a fairy tale…
Why does my happily ever after look so far out of reach?
From award-winning author, LJ Evans, comes a contemporary romance filled with all the magic, hope, and love of a fairy tale plus the small-town, old-soul vibe her fans adore. Inspired by Taylor Swift’s “Today Was a Fairytale,” this slow-burn romance is pure escapism.
Award winning author, LJ Evans, lives in the California Central Valley with her husband, daughter, and the terrors called cats. She’s been writing, almost as a compulsion, since she was a little girl and will often pull the car over to write when a song lyric strikes her. A former first-grade teacher, she now spends her free time reading and writing, as well as binge-watching original shows like The Crown, A Discovery of Witches, Veronica Mars, and Stranger Things.
If you ask her the one thing she won’t do, it’s pretty much anything that involves dirt–sports, gardening, or otherwise. But she loves to write about all of those things, and her first published heroine was pretty much involved with dirt on a daily basis, which is exactly why LJ loves fiction novels–the characters can be everything you’re not and still make their way into your heart.
Her debut novel, MY LIFE AS A COUNTRY ALBUM, was the Independent Author Network’s 2017 YA Book of the Year.
BLURB: The things I’ve lost could shatter any man. Send him on a downward spiral. I would’ve punched my own ticket if it weren’t for the Satan’s Knights. Instead, I became the VP of the Knightdale Charter. A man can’t drown in his misery when he’s got responsibilities. So I look for things to dull the pain. Sex. Drugs. Whatever. When you’ve been to hell and back, the only time worth having is a good one. My little Birdie knows this self-destructive path, too. That’s why I can’t stay away from her. The highs are higher when you don’t fly alone. But I’m not the only ghost in her life, and her past isn’t letting her go. I thought my club was the only thing left for me to love. It turns out I was wrong.
Ghost “I want an open bar and a DJ at my funeral. Oh, and those mini hotdogs are a must.”
I turn my head at the sound of the female voice and stare blankly at the girl sitting two stools down from me. Her long blonde hair cascades in waves around her face shielding most of her profile from my view.
There is no one on either side of her and the bartender is clear across the other side of the room, leaving me to believe she’s either talking to herself or to me, and if it’s the latter—well, she’s got the wrong guy.
I’m not much for people and I don’t do small talk.
Maybe if I was in the market for a quick fuck, I’d reconsider. I’d move to the stool between us, buy her a drink or two—however many it takes. Then, I’d take her into the bathroom or maybe Sally’s office—cash in on the perks of being a silent partner in this fucking place—and fuck her until we both can’t see straight.
But I’ve got enough gash hanging off my dick that I don’t need to go through the pains of listening to this bitch go on about her funeral.
I shake my head and bring my attention back to my drink.
Hard pass, Goldilocks.
Hard fucking pass.
When you’ve watched a tiny white box the length of your forearm be lowered into the dirt, you hope to never attend another fucking funeral or wake as long as you live. And you sure as fuck don’t make conversation about it either.
I knock back the shot, welcoming the burn as the whiskey slides down my throat. I didn’t venture out here to get my dick wet. I came here for one purpose and that’s to get inebriated. I needed a reprieve from the clubhouse, a place to drown my sorrows without any of my brothers standing over my shoulder wondering if tonight is the night, I’ll wrap my bike around a pole.
The night is young and I’m just getting started.
I turn my head hoping to find my favorite bartender, Emmy, making her way back to the bar but she’s still busy serving the rowdy douchebags sitting at one of the high-top tables across the room. Muttering a curse, I start to turn back to my empty glass, but my eyes seem to have a mind of their own and take a detour, landing on the blonde once again.
She tucks some of those golden locks behind her ear and I watch her cheeks hollow as she awkwardly purses her full lips around the straw and sucks back some of her drink. I should look away—pay her no mind—but instead my gaze narrows and trails over her pretty features.
From this angle I can’t make out the color of her eyes, but she’s got long lashes and high cheekbones that appear naturally flushed and stand out against her smooth pale skin. A pert little nose, a delicately carved jaw and a plush mouth.
Dainty.
Feminine.
Sexy as fuck in a subtle kind of way.
A real fucking looker.
“And while I’m at it, I don’t want people to wear black either,” the chatty blonde adds. I wait for her to give me her eyes, but she doesn’t. Lowering her glass, she murmurs, “Life is meant to be lived in color.”
I consider that last sentence.
People only say that when life hasn’t kicked them in the ass. But life is pretty black and white. We start dying the day we’re born, and in that short life we shoulder more grief than joy. If I was a religious man, I’d tell you the color comes at the end. When our weary bodies are laid to rest and we’re reunited with the ones we’ve loved and lost.
But I ain’t that guy either.
Cutting my gaze back to my empty glass, I swirl the ice around.
“You’ll be dead, color won’t matter.”
“Maybe that’s what some people believe but when you’ve lived nearly your whole life in pitch black darkness, you want the celebration of that life to be vibrant as fuck.”
I hate that fucking term.
A priest said those same exact words at my daughter’s funeral and as soon as he did, I wanted to bury him alive.
It isn’t a celebration when a child dies, it’s a goddamn tragedy.
I don’t share that with Goldilocks, though, and a moment later her hand slides from the bar, dropping into the pocket of her oversized denim jacket. She pulls out a hand bell and I curiously raise an eyebrow.
Pretty, morbid, and peculiar.
She lifts the bell over her head, shaking it wildly. The ringing goes right through me like nails on a chalkboard and I cringe.
“What the hell are you doing?” I grind out.
Ignoring me, she continues to shake the bell, shouting over her shoulder for Emmy to refill her glass. Before I can slide off my chair and grab the offensive bell from her fucking hand, Emmy appears and quickly reaches over the distressed bar, snatching the godforsaken thing from her.
Thank fuck.
“Jesus, Birdie. You promised me you wouldn’t cause a scene,” Emmy hisses.
My gaze cuts back to the blonde.
Birdie.
Somehow the name suits her.
“Yes, and you promised you’d get me drunk, seems to me as though we’re both no good at keeping our word.”
She pushes her glass forward and that blank stare fills her face yet again.
“I’m waiting,” she presses.
Releasing an exasperated sigh, Emmy turns to me and mouths a silent apology. I want to ask her how she knows Birdie, if she’s a regular or just a fucking pain in the ass passing through, but she turns and grabs Birdie’s glass. She fills it with something from the tap and tops it with a one of those tacky paper umbrellas, then slides it back to Birdie, lifting her hand and wrapping it around the glass.
“There you go,” Emmy says.
That’s when it clicks for me.
The blank stare.
The comment about living life in the darkness.
The fucking bell.
I stare at her, more intently this time, working her from head to toe, searching for a clue that might confirm my suspicion, but people don’t walk around with a fucking stamp on their forehead revealing they’re blind, do they?
“I’m sorry Ghost my cousin seems to have lost her manners—”
Birdie cuts her off.
“Can’t lose something you never had, Em,” she says pointedly, tracing the rim of the glass and plucks the little umbrella from it. She flashes a smile and turns her head slightly, giving me a full view of her perfect face and the palest pair of blue eyes, I’ve ever seen.
A man can forget his pain staring into those eyes.
Believe he’s more than the demons that haunt him.
Fuck him harder than he’s ever been fucked before.
Lucky for me, the trance is broken when Birdie flicks the paper umbrella at me. I slowly divert my gaze, following the trail of the umbrella as it bounces off my denim clad thigh and falls to the floor. Lifting my chin, I stare at her wordlessly.
The girl is quite the character.
“Disability pays shit therefore I can’t afford a vacation so I’m going to sit here with my new friend, plan my funeral, and drink until I forget where I am. You game?”
I think she’s talking to me.
“Birdie,” Emmy hisses.
Ignoring her, she lifts the glass.
“Bottoms up, buddy,” she croons before pursing her lips around the straw. She takes a long pull, but the alcohol doesn’t quite make it down her throat because she spits it directly in my face.
She may be blind, but the girl clearly has zero fucks and one hell of an aim.
That’s gotta be some sort of talent.
“Birdie!” Emmy chastises, quickly reaching for a rag. “I’m so sorry Ghost.”
I don’t have time to reply because Goldilocks goes on a tangent.
“Don’t Birdie me,” she hollers. “What the fuck is that a Shirley Temple?”
Licking my lips, I take the rag from Em but keep my eyes pinned to Birdie.
“Tastes like fruit punch to me,” I deadpan, swiping the rag over my beard.
I’m way too fucking straight for all of this.
“Fucking fruit punch, Em. Really?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to sober you up,” Emmy argues. “Give your liver a rest.”
“My liver didn’t ask for a rest, it asked for your best vodka,” she spats.
For the first time in a damn long time, I feel the urge to laugh because fuck—she’s funny. But I don’t give in to it and Emmy rolls her eyes, plucking my empty glass from the bar. My features harden and comb my fingers roughly through my hair as she fills the glass to the rim and pushes it toward me. A frown ticks the corners of her mouth as her eyes lock with mine.
“I’m sorry, Ghost. I should’ve put her at the other end of the bar,” Emmy murmurs.
Emmy’s a good girl from what I know. She shows up for work, never gives Sally any problems and turns her cheek when my brothers roll in, ready to turn shit up. But referring to her cousin as a mundane object while she’s sitting right in front of her—well, that ain’t cool.
I steal another glance at Birdie.
“I’m blind, Emmy, not deaf. You don’t have to apologize for me, and you certainly don’t have to put me anywhere.” She turns and stares in my direction, not quite meeting my gaze. “What kind of name is Ghost anyway? Your mother didn’t like you very much, did she?”
She didn’t but that bitch ain’t responsible for my name. That honor goes to the Satan’s Knights.
You see, a ghost can be a lot of things.
Unseen. Uncaught. Untraceable.
A phantom criminal.
Everything I am and all I ever will be.
But a ghost can be a memory too.
It can be a secret.
Or in my case a menace of a man with a broken past, haunted by the grief of losing his infant daughter. I used to close my eyes and see the faces of all my victims, the enemies I eliminated for the sake of my patch. Most of them were vile pieces of shit that got what they deserved; some were just in my way. But now when I close my eyes, I see my baby Abigail floating face down in the bathtub, her lips blue and her skin cold and gray. That sweet scent of a baby after she’s been bathed and swaddled was gone leaving the stale stench of death in its wake.
Like I said, a ghost can be a lot of things.
I shake the image of Abigail from my head and turn my attention back to Emmy. The girl has been working here long before my club bought a piece of Sally’s and she’s been keeping my glass full since Abigail died. She never asks questions, never gets on my case, but I see the way she looks at me. I recognize the pity every time it surges in her eyes.
Taking the glass, I swirl the whiskey around.
“Why don’t you just save us both the headache and pour the girl a drink and while you’re at it, leave the bottle of Jack with me.”
Emmy’s wary gaze travels from me to Birdie and back to me as I down the whiskey.
Yeah, I wouldn’t trust me either.
“You heard the man,” Birdie chirps.
Lowering my empty glass back on top of the bar, my gaze slides to Birdie. She shucks the oversized jacket from her shoulders, revealing a pair of pink polka dot pajamas and…for fucks sake…are those ducks? Yeah, they sure as fuck are. The girl is wearing a pair of rubber rainboots with ducks printed all over them. She rolls up her sleeves and slaps both hands against the edge of the bar.
“Shots! Shots! Shots!”
I swipe a hand over my beard and drag my eyes back to Emmy who stares at me like I’ve lost my goddamn mind.
I shrug. Maybe I have.
The words that come out of my mouth next would surely confirm the notion.
About Janine Janine Infante Bosco lives in New York City, she has always loved reading and writing. When she was thirteen, she began to write her own stories and her passion for writing took off as the years went on. At eighteen, she even wrote a full screenplay with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Janine writes emotionally charged novels with an emphasis on family bonds, strong willed female characters, and alpha male men who will do anything for the women they love. She loves to interact with fans and fellow avid romance readers like herself.
She is proud of her success as an author and the friendships she’s made in the book community but her greatest accomplishment to date would be her two sons Joseph and Paul.
For Savannah Fraiser, her one-night stand with billionaire Michael Asara changed her life forever. But becoming a family will be harder than expected when fighting for those you love are threatened by power and greed. Readers will devour this billionaire blackmail romance featuring one sexy reluctant dad. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend with Savannah’s Salvation by Louise Lennox, the first book in the Single Dad’s Romance series.
For one night, I had the one man that millions of women worldwide fantasize about.
My time with the French billionaire Michael Asara shouldn’t matter, but it does. Because one night left me with so much more than a good time.
Except, he has no idea that he left me with more than a smile on my face, because I fled without a good-bye. And planned to never look back.
Until I’m forced to tell Michael about the product of our one-night stand while on assignment a year later in Paris.
Already a devoted dad to a little girl who was abandoned by her gold-digging mother, Michael isn’t looking to get burned twice.
Unless that fire is between the sheets, where our chemistry is off the charts. Reconnecting and proving to him that I’m not like everyone else quickly has Michael staking his claim on me and our son.
For a moment, we’re almost like a real family.
But when a blackmailer comes along and threatens to take what belongs to him, he vows to do anything to protect us…even if that means letting us go
My daughter is my entire world, but my father views her birth as a blemish on my record. He loves Gabrielle and treats her like spun silk. But whenever I talk of taking over the family business, he mentions the circumstances of her birth and accuses me of poor judgement. And because I still wet my wick more often than my father likes, he thinks I haven’t changed.
I need to prove to him I am more than a pretty face for the cameras and women to love. I can run the business. Closing this deal in America will show him that.
However, coming to SAX Lounge before I head home and being loudly called an asshole by one of the most beautifully ballsy women I’ve ever seen will not.
She is breathtaking… whoever she is.
She’s taller than most women, but still at least a full foot shorter than me. Her legs went on forever in that dress and her skin is the color of browned butter. It looked smooth and touchable. She wore little make-up and when she spoke to me, her full lips begged me for a kiss.
I almost obliged them. But I can’t take chances like that. I’m in America, but that kiss could end up all over the French tabloids before I landed back home. Plus, I don’t know her angle. She could be just as predatory and traitorous as Gabrielle’s mother, Eve.
I need to feel her out; to get her close and away from the crowd… on the dance floor.
I didn’t notice her at first, which is probably a good thing. If I had, I would have charmed her until I talked her right out of what I imagine being very sexy panties. Instead, I was accosted by one of the many groupies I tried to shake off when I entered the bar. I can’t believe women over here even know who I am, but I should have known better.
Gold diggers do their research.
But the feisty woman at the bar doesn’t strike me as a groupie. Everything about her screamed refinement and respect.
She looked moved like she commands any room she enters.
Her eyes were an intense chocolate brown with specks of gold that demanded my attention.
Her ebony hair swung confidently down her back as she walked away. And that ass… C’est manifique!
Meeting her made my decision to get my own drinks for the night a worthy one.
When our drinks got mixed up, I wanted to play with her. I knew she was there first; I should have given her the drinks, but I wanted a reason to talk to her. Plus, I didn’t like her answer when I asked a favor.
I really needed to go. Leaving my cousin Kwame alone too long in a place like this is not a good idea. He’s a magnet for mischief and trouble. Her defiance made my dick throb, but it also made me want to discipline her. I can’t be told what to do and when she begs me to fuck her, because she will, she will learn she can’t boss me around.
Which is what I’m sure she does to everyone else in her life.
So instead of getting on my plane, I am planning how to get her into my bed.
Another night in D.C. won’t be bad at all if I have her shapely legs wrapped around my waist. Gabrielle is at Disneyland Paris with her maternal grandmother for the week, so I can spend an extra day here to have some fun with the mystery woman.
When she called me a fucking asshole, I wanted to take her pretty mouth and cleanse it of those filthy words. But I held myself, which is a feat. I usually take what I want. No one speaks to me with such disrespectful words. But if I have my way, she will apologize through multiple orgasms.
When I reach the booth Kwame secured for us, I slide his drink to him, but he barely registers my presence. He’s wrangled three women, and they are all practically naked and chomping at his rich bit. I do not have time for this. One woman licks her lips and gives me a look that says I can do anything I want to her… for the right price. But that’s not what I’m looking for.
Tonight, I want the woman who I’m pretty sure won’t do whatever I want without being perfectly persuaded. I want the woman who had the gall to call me an asshole.
“You all look cozy.” I shoot Kwame a look, and he squirms. My plan was to keep a low profile, and this is the exact opposite. “If I knew we were having company, I would have ordered more drinks.”
The women smile, and Kwame laughs nervously.
“No worries, cousin, this is VIP. Bottle service will start soon. Why don’t you sit down and join us? The ladies were just telling me about their favorite places to visit in D.C.”
“Yes.” The lip-licker purrs while patting a space beside her. “Why don’t you come and take a seat next to me.”
I conjure up the best smile I can. “No, I don’t think so. I’m actually looking for a friend.” Her face drops, and I can see the flash of annoyance in her eyes. She’s used to men just falling face-first into her fake cleavage. But I am not most men.
“Kwame, I will check on you later.”
He doesn’t protest, but I know he’s annoyed. I doubt he will keep those ladies interested without the major cash cow in the booth. But that’s his problem. And so is drinking.
Kwame drinks and gambles way too much. He boasts about power and money that he does not have. And he’s always dragging me into foolishness. I’m practically his babysitter, but tonight I have other plans. I have a woman to find.
I stop by the bar to grab another drink. Hennessey neat. I scan the lounge, and it doesn’t take me long to find her. She is sitting in a booth on the opposite side of the bar, holding court with two women.
She looks even more beautiful, relaxed and with her girls. The two women with her are also beautiful but can’t hold a candle next to her. She reminds me of a young Diahann Carroll. Her deep golden skin shimmers under the lights, making her beauty stand front and center. They are celebrating something. I hear her table scream congratulations as they toast their glasses.
Now is as good a time as any to introduce myself.
Review
After a devastating loss Savannah has dedicated herself to her career as a CIA agent to the exclusion of everything else. She never expected the effects that spending one night with a sexy stranger would have on her life, but she doesn’t regret the choices she made. She never planned to see Michael again however fate had other ideas.
Michael is a wealthy celebrity who is used to the adoration of woman so even he is surprised by the regret he feels when she disappears, and he has no way of tracking her down. He is happy when fate brings her and her secret into his life however there are a few obstacles to overcome if they are to have a future together.
Two independent people find the family they didn’t think they wanted in each other.
About Louise Lennox
Contemporary romance Author Louise Lennox is a hopeful romantic writing steamy romances full of heart and healing.
A Spelman College and Georgetown University graduate, Louise provides women with diverse and meaningful representation in romance novel pages. Not seeing enough women like herself headlining positive love stories, she launched #HappyBlackRomance; a community of readers and writers committed to the creation and sharing of positive romance stories featuring Black heroines.
Louise Lennox plots highlight the joys of Black relationships across the diaspora; pushing readers from all cultural backgrounds to admire them for their strength and downright sexiness. In her novels sparks always fly; the sex amazes; and the characters always leave the world better than they found it through their love.
When she’s not writing, Louise is enjoying her work as a school leader, wife, and mother of the two cutest dragons to ever walk the earth!
To learn more about #HappyBlackRomance and to score a free book or two, check out her website www.lovelouiselennox.com .
Seven single dads, all from different walks of life and doing the best they can to raise their children – are ready to make you fall in love.
From the celebrity dad just trying to protect the ones he loves from the spotlight…to the silver fox who’s out to prove it’s never too late to have a family of your own – this single dads collection guarantees to bring you a whole lot of love and of course, a happily ever after.
Look no further, your next book boyfriend is here!
★ A sexy, small town sports romance from USA Today bestselling author Lex Martin! ★
What’s worse than having Rider Kingston, the star quarterback, give you the big brushoff because he doesn’t want to get serious? You’d probably think living across the street from him where you get a first-hand view of his hookups, right?
That’s what I thought. Until someone drops off a baby with a note pinned to her blanket that says one of those jocks—either Rider or one of his roommates—is the father. The problem? Baby mama doesn’t mention which of these numbskulls is the sperm donor.
I wouldn’t care about their paternity problems—not the slightest bit—except my brother lives there too. Which means that adorable squawking bundle might be my niece, and there’s no way I’m leaving her unattended with those bumbling football players.
They need my help, even if they don’t know it yet. Once we solve this dilemma and figure out who’s the daddy, I’m out.
I’ll just ignore Rider and those soul-searing looks he gives me every time I reach for the baby. He broke my heart three years ago. He doesn’t get a second chance.
As I walk Sienna to her car, she squeals. “Holy crap, is that Rider Kingston?”
Without my permission, my gaze slides across the street to the oversized man-child, who has the gall to be moving furniture shirtless while flexing his stupid abs. Judging by the other sweaty minions pouring out of the two story, Rider’s getting new roommates too.
My eye twitches again, and my focus snaps back to Sienna. “I thought you said you weren’t a fan of football.”
“Oh, I’m not. I can’t sit through an entire game. But I am a fan of football players.” Her gaze turns ravenous as she scans my neighbor’s front lawn. Or, likely, the glistening eight-pack Rider’s put on display. “All that testosterone. Those bulging muscles. That deep, masculine grunting. Oh yeah. Get me one of those!”
She cackles, and Rider hears it.
Of course he does.
Shockingly, he deigns to speak to me.
“Hey, Gabby,” he shouts. “How was your summer?”
I’m not sure when he decided to stop ignoring me, but that’s better than pretending we’re friends, which we’ll never be.
I close my eyes because I don’t need any reminders of his masculine beauty. And I definitely don’t need to see that sexy smirk, the one more powerful than his cannon that took the team to the playoffs last year.
No, I’m not interested in the star quarterback. Not anymore.
Turning on my heel, I wave my middle finger and march back to my house.
Laughter is all I hear as I slam the front door shut behind me.
AUTHOR BIO
Lex Martin is the USA Today bestselling author of the Texas Nights series (Reckless/Shameless) and the Dearest series. She writes contemporary romances, the sexy kind with lotsa angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. A former high school English teacher and freelance journalist, she’s lived all over the country but currently resides in her hometown of San Antonio with her husband and twin daughters.
Sloan
Review
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