๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐จ + ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ = ๐๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฌ by USA Today bestselling author Louise Bay releases on February 7, 2025! Take a peek inside.
PRE-ORDER/ ADD IT TO YOUR AMAZON WISHLIST!
Goodreads: https://geni.us/herogr
Influencer sign up: https://forms.gle/C4xRFbjY4CCX2ee86
What to expect:
๐He falls first
๐Secret marriage
๐Unlikely pairing
๐Alpha MMC in the bedroom
๐He has a big ๐
๐Vegas Wedding
๐Billionaire Romance
EXCERPT:
A New York brunch can be just brunchโa get-together with friends to carb off a hangover or go through the Sunday papers. But today isnโt just brunch. I can tell by the way Leoโone of my five best friendsโis nervously fingering his collar. And by the way his new fiancรฉe, Jules, is shifting her weight from hip to hip.
In fairness, the stakes are high today. WeโLeoโs friends-slash-brothers in all but bloodโwill be meeting Julesโ best friend for the first time. Itโs going to be fine. Iโm sure of it. But the happy couple wants it to be more than fine.
โWhat do you think, Worth?โ Jules asks. โIs it too obvious to put Fisher next to Sophia?โ
I glance between Jules and Efa, the only two women in the room. โObvious how?โ I ask, picking my words carefully. Iโm not sure exactly what should be obvious.
โThat weโre setting them up,โ Efa says, thwacking me on the arm as she leans forward on the table.
โI think itโs fine with Worth on the other side of her,โ Jules says, answering her own question. โLike, sheโs not going to think weโre setting her up with Worth and Fisher.โ
I push my hands through my hair, trying to think what to make of that statement, when thereโs a rush of noise by the door.
I glance around to seeโฆ the top of a womanโs head. She has long blonde hair that reaches the floor as she bends over to pull off a heel and toss it on the ground.
โI have to take these shoes off. Theyโre not made for walking. I was trying to be ladylike and refined, but you can take the girl out of Cincinnatiโโ
She straightens and we lock eyes. Sheโs beautiful. Her blonde hair is lighter at the front, like sheโs spent the entire summer outside. And I canโt tear my gaze from her mouthโdusky-pink lips that form an almost-perfect circle as she stares back at me. I trace a line around the edge of her lips in my mind. A smattering of freckles kiss the bridge of her nose, and her hair is long and loose. I have to fight a full-body shudder at the thought of how it would feel against my skin.
Jesus, I want to stalk right over to her, back her up against the wall, and kiss her into Wednesday of next week. Iโm not sure Iโve ever felt such a visceral, primal urge to be close to a woman in my life.
In fact, visceral, primal urges arenโt the norm for me at all. Thatโs exactly what makes me good in a crisis. Iโm a cool head. A logical thinker. I donโt make rash decisions.
I donโt get the sudden urge to possess a woman. Not until today.
Iโm vaguely aware of chatter behind me as the woman and I stare at each other like weโre sharing the exact same thoughts. All of a sudden, Efa pulls the beauty into a hug, effectively breaking our eye contact and bringing me back to the moment.
โWorth!โ Jules practically bellows. โMeet my best friend in the entire world, Sophia.โ She turns to Sophia. โIโm sitting you next to Worth, because honestly, heโs the best man in the world after Leoโโ
โHey,โ Efa calls from across the room. โWhat about Bennett?โ
โYou didnโt let me finish my sentence. Whoever said the British are polite never met you!โ
Efa and Jules dissolve into laughter, and Sophiaโs eyes grow wide. She glances over at me, confused. I want to go to her, assure her that Efa and Jules are joking and thereโs nothing to be concerned about, but before I put one foot in front of the other, she starts toward me.
โHi,โ she says, her smile blinding like Iโm looking at the sun or something. She seems to be surrounded by lightness, like sheโs glowing. I hear Bryan Ferry in the background, singing about being a slave to loveโor am I imagining it? I need to snap the fuck out of whatever this is or Iโm going to start seeing bluebirds lifting her napkin into her lap and squirrels pulling out her chair.
โHey,โ I say. Normally Iโd hug anyone introduced to me by Efa or Jules, but I canโt risk touching Sophia. Instead, I hold out my hand, like Iโm in a f*cking boardroom.
Iโm an idiot.
A f*cking idiot.
Surprisingly, her smile widens, like offering to shake her hand is even better than scoring the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl. We stare at each other for a beat, oblivious to whatโs going on around us. Iโm vaguely aware of more people at the door and the clinking of glasses, but I have no desire to move out of the bubble I find myself inโweโve found ourselves in.
Sophia slides her hand into mine and a small gasp escapes her lips. A growl reverberates in my chest. Her hand feels so soft, so tiny, soโฆ mine, itโs difficult to describe.
Jules breaks the moment by shouting, โTurn this music off, Leo. Put on something fun.โ Then she takes Sophiaโs free hand and pulls her away from me. Sophia glances back over her shoulder, and I canโt do anything but stare at her: the way her hair falls down her back, wavy and loose, like water running over stones; the way her jeans hug her ass in exactly the way I want to; the way I can feel her hand in mine, even now when sheโs across the room.
โBryan Ferry is fucking cool,โ Leo replies.
Heโs right. Bryan Ferry is f*cking cool. Although I never thought so until just now.
Everyone arrives except Byron, whoโs rarely in New York. Heโs messaged the group to say heโs in Acapulco. Iโm probably the only one who knows that actually means heโs in Montana. Long story.
Jules guides us to our seats. We all have place cards. Now, I like the fact that our group of six is expanding to include the women who have fallen for my best friends. Things are bound to shift and change, and Iโm okay with that too. I also really like Efa and Jules. But place cards? Next weโll be wearing tuxedos for brunch.
I scan the place settings and find my name next to Sophiaโs. Okay, so maybe place cards arenโt such a bad thing. Fisher sits down on her other sideโwhich is when Jules and Efaโs excited chatter about setting up
Sophia with Fisher comes back to me.
Sophia is meant for Fisher. Not me.
A dull kernel of disappointment lodges in my gut, and I try to shake it off as everyone takes their seats around the table. How can I be disappointed? Fisher is a great guy. I love him like a brother. Heโs the life and soul of the party, creative but with a business brain. In personality, heโs almost my exact opposite. Jules is Sophiaโs best friend. If Jules thinks Fisher is a good fit for her, she must be right.
This is fine. This is how itโs meant to be. Fisher and Sophia. Perfect.
Blurb:
Loyal, hardworking, and trustworthy, Iโm used to putting everyoneโs needs before my own. Iโm the ultimate good guy. But when Sophia Jones walks into my life, everything changes. Beautiful, guarded, and completely off-limits, sheโs all I can see. Even though sheโs being set up with one of my best friends, I want her for myself.
I try to fight my feelings but soon realize itโs futile. Thrown together at our friendsโ wedding in Vegas, the more I spend time with her, the greedier I am for longer.
Vegas has a way of turning rules upside down, and one night changes everything. Between stolen glances and secret moments, I do the unthinkableโI ask her to marry me. Maybe itโs the drinks. Maybe itโs the city. Or maybe itโs because she feels the same connection I do, but she says yes.
Sophiaโs hiding somethingโI can see it in her eyesโbut it doesnโt matter. Sheโs mine now. And Iโll do whatever it takes to convince her this isnโt just a mistake. This is the beginning of forever.
Find more books by Louise Bay here: https://louisebay.com/
๐ ๐ผ๐โ๐ผโโ๐ โ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ธ๐ ๐
๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐๐ (Sandcastle Cove Book 4) by Amber Kelly releases next week. Check out this sneak peek.
PRE-ORDER/ ADD IT TO YOUR AMAZON WISHLIST! https://geni.us/TamingWaves
What to expect:
๐Small town
๐Coastal romance
๐Second chance
๐Lovers to enemies to lovers
๐Standalone in a series
Excerpt:
โCome on. Weโll get you one of my tees.โ
โIโm fine,โ I say quickly. Not wanting to sleep while wrapped in one of his shirts.
He turns to face me, his large frame seeming to fill the entire hallway, and I step back until I feel the press of the wall against my backside.
โYouโre fine?โ he asks, so close that the warmth of his breath tickles my neck.
I swallow hard. โYeah.โ
He reaches out and runs his knuckles over the front of my still-damp sweatshirt.
โDonโt think I can handle the thought of you โฆ wet in my bed,โ he murmurs as he steps in closer.
The deep, seductive tone of his voice and the heat of him render me speechless for a few beats.
โWhat?โ
โYou heard me, Tiger.โ
The sound of his old nickname for me pulls me from my momentary brain fog, and I bring my hands up between us and give him a firm shove.
He doesnโt budge.
โStep back,โ I demand. โAnd save your dirty mouth for someone who would appreciate it.โ
โI seem to remember my dirty mouth being one of your favorite things,โ he whispers into my ear before he leans back.
The man is walking, talking sex on a stick. Why does he have to be so damn attractive? A gentleman would have gone away for a few years and returned with a beer belly and a receding hairline, but not Parker Alston. No, this asshole came home taller, broader, and with fucking rock-hard abs.
I glance up at him and narrow my eyes at the triumphant grin gracing his stupidly handsome face.
โYeah, well, I had nothing to compare it to back then. Turns out, that mouth isnโt as talented as I once thought,โ I say.
His grin widens. โOh, trust me, it was talented then, and itโs only gotten better with practice.โ
Blurb:
They say time heals all wounds, but some cut too deepโor so I thought.
Iโve built a life I love and am proud of in Sandcastle Cove, running the bar, keeping things simple, and enjoying my single life. I donโt need anyone, especially not Parkerโthe boy who shattered my heart and left me to pick up the pieces after we lost everything.
Then he walks back into town. But heโs no longer that scared, reckless seventeen-year-old; now heโs a manโsteady, confident, and determined to make amends. He says heโs here to stay and ready to fight for us.
But what does he expect? That Iโll just hand him my heart again? Forgiving him feels impossible. Trusting him? Even harder. Yet every time our eyes meet, it reminds me of what we once had, and my walls crack a little more, making me wonder if itโs worth risking my heart again.
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221972496-taming-waves
๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐๐ฉ: https://forms.gle/DuuRK9YHkxY6wyjy5
Find more books by Amber Kelly here:
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 