*TOP PICK AND BEST NOVELLA OF THE OCRW 2024 BOOK BUYER’S BEST CONTEST*
To Lady Mirade, it seems a simple task: abduct the sorcerer son of her clan’s greatest enemy and persuade him to teach her the magic she needs to defend her family and her keep. She never expects her greatest battle to be against the forbidden desire that burns between them.
The Lord Sorcerer Lorien’s task is to escape and return to his own clan so they can resume their feud. But even as he remains Mirade’s prisoner, he finds himself enchanted by her determination and passion to protect her people.
As they grow ever closer, finding a way to resolve the feud so they can be together may prove to be the most impossible task of all.
For more information on Alexa Santi and her books:
They think my greatest gift is my ability on the ice. But they’re wrong.
I’ve been hailed as the guy who has it all when it comes to hockey. Powerful people have invested their time and money, determined to turn my potential into their reality.
The most influential of those people? Graham Jenkins—former NHL player and the General Manager of the Dallas Destroyers. The second he set eyes on me in the little leagues, he piled all his resources into my success. And when the Destroyers were awarded the first-round draft pick, he didn’t hesitate to snap me up.
He thought I was the golden boy, the star that would make his team as successful as his playing career. Only I wasn’t. Instead of unleashing my potential in front of the goal, he discovered my real talent—secrets.
And I have many that I will never share. One for every scar disguised beneath the tattoos painting my body, along with the childhood memories either buried deep inside my broken mind or drowned out by empty bottles lining my kitchen counter.
There’s only one secret I wish I didn’t have to keep. She’s also the addiction I know I’ll never kick. A detox my heart could never survive since it only beats for her. And even years after we were torn apart, my fixation hasn’t changed. Although neither have our circumstances—I’m still the broken boy, suffocated with trauma. And she’s still Mia Jenkins, the good girl, and daughter of the man who offered me everything except his blessing to date her.
But one thing about addiction? It never seeks permission.
TW include: Abusive parents, domestic violence, substance abuse, off page child loss (not involving the main characters) mental health rep namely PTSD, off page discussion of self harm.
In a world ruled by betrayal, love may be the deadliest trap of all.
In the dangerous and often deadly world of the mafia, staying loyal to the family is rule number one. Antonio learns this first hand, abandoning the luxury of emotions when his cousin, Valentino, son of the current boss, marries the girl he loves.
Trapped in an arranged, loveless marriage to Valentino, Alessia hides her fears behind obedience. She yearns for a life free from the dark underworld that surrounds her.
When Valentino is murdered, Alessia runs away, believing she can finally live the life she’s dreamed of. When ominous notes start mysteriously appearing, she realizes danger is now closer than ever.
Antonio is sent to find and return her, but when their worlds collide, so do the feelings they once had for each other. He’s determined to protect her at any cost, but will he be able to before it’s too late?
Step into a dark mafia retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado—where love, betrayal, and danger intertwine.
Harlow James is a pen name I use to protect my identity as a high school teacher. Keeping those two roles in my life separate is necessary, but also fun! It’s like a live two lives, and anonymity gives me the opportunity to be bold and take risks in my stories.
I stumbled upon romance novels in 2018 when I picked up Driven by Kristy Bromberg, and I was obsessed. I had just lost my grandmother too, so reading offered me an escape from reality and a chance to grieve on my own terms.
About a year later, I got an idea for my own book and started writing. I researched self-publishing and jumped in with both feet. I had no idea what I was doing!
But now I’ve built a business and hobby that I LOVE! I have an outlet that’s just for me. When I write, I’m not a mom, a wife, or a teacher…I’m a woman who gets to tell stories that no one else can.
My books are the perfect blend of heartwarming moments, full-bellied laughs, and PLENTY of steam to melt your Kindles 😉 And there are always elements of me sprinkled in to every character and story that I write.
When I’m not writing you can find me reading or spending time in my kitchen. I love to cook and feed my family and friends. Otherwise, you can find me watching comedy specials with my husband, camping with our kids, or taking naps. I live for naps 😉
💕Review💕 When Scottie realized that she was pregnant she pushed the dreams she had for her future aside and married the father of her baby so that they could give her son Chase the family she believed he needed. She soon realized that he wasn’t the man or father they needed so years later she returns to her hometown for a fresh start.
An injury ended Gray’s professional baseball career, so he has returned to his hometown to be close to his family. He and Scottie were best friends when they were growing up so when he sees her in a pub they reconnect and spend the night together, but she leaves without a word. The surprises keep coming when not only does he find out she has moved back home but that she is expecting his baby as well.
The aftermath of her marriage has left Scottie with trust issues both when it comes to me and her own judgement. Grady allows her to set the pace as he shows her that he is the man that she, her son and the baby they are expecting can count on to be there for her. Sebastian York was a perfect choice for Grady as he allowed us to feel what he was feeling while Samantha Brentmoor allowed us to feel the insecurities that Scottie was feeling which only made us love these characters more.
There’s a storm coming… and he’s not taking no for an answer.
Life has dealt Kasi one blow after another. Following her mother’s untimely death, her family implodes, leaving her alone to run the farm. Fatigue and stress have become her new best friends, every day passing in a blur of work, work, and more work. When Levi Storm, her lifelong crush, keeps her from face-planting due to exhaustion, she’s mortified…and more than a little bit turned on.
A person could set a clock by Levi’s daily routine, right down to his afternoon trip to the Mills’ farm market to buy one of Kasi’s delicious pies. He’s known Kasi her entire life, so when the beautiful young woman faints in front of him, coming to in his arms, Levi is stunned by the sudden realization that she’s meant to be his, and he’s prepared to move heaven and earth to claim her.
Kasi should at least try to shake the sexy new six foot five shadow she’s acquired, but Levi’s much-needed help around the farm, his comfort as she struggles with grief, and his breath-stealing kisses are reigniting the hope and happiness she’s lost.
Until reality crashes in again, forcing her to choose between the dominant, possessive, amazing man who makes her heart race and her family’s beloved farm.
For years, I’ve toed the fine line
between wanting women to fill the
empty spaces of my life and not
letting them get close enough to
know I struggle with my time
overseas. Thankfully, one woman I
don’t have to worry about finding
that tricky balance with is our new
office admin.
Even if she hadn’t dropped me with a
knee between my legs, making me
choke on a donut all before I met
her, I wouldn’t want anything to do
with Chloe Whitlock. Not only would
she rather remain unaware of the
world’s harshness by keeping her
nose in a book, but she’s also too
bubbly. And all that joy she
breathes into the world is an
obvious front, which means she’s
hiding something. In our line of
work, that makes her a threat.
What’s clear? Chloe needs to go.
But even as my suspicions grow, I
reluctantly start falling for the
bubbly threat I’ve been tasked with
protecting. Unfortunately, I’m not
the only one who wants her.
Molly grew up in California but now
lives with her husband and daughter
in the oh-so-amazing state of Texas.
When she’s not diving into the world
of her characters, some of her
hobbies include hiking,
snowboarding, traveling, and long
walks on the beach . . . which
roughly translates to being a
homebody and dishing out movie
quotes with her hubby. She has a
weakness for nerdy movies and loves
curling up in a fluffy blanket
during a thunderstorm . . . or under
one in a bathtub if there are
tornados. That way she can pretend
they aren’t really happening.
I’ve had a thing for Ivy Scott since I first laid eyes on her a year ago. She’s smart, sexy, and everything I’ve ever wanted.
Too bad she was engaged to one of my best friends.
But that idiot leaves her at the altar.
So, as one of the groomsmen, I have to be there for her, right?
Even if that includes a cross country road trip with the other two groomsmen—her best friend, Liam, and my best friend, Harrison–-to the beach house she’s inherited in South Carolina.
Sure, her car is tiny, she’s massively hungover, and Liam and Harrison hate each other (despite hooking up almost a year ago) but this will be fine.
But then I find out Liam’s in love with Ivy too.
And we’re caught in a rainstorm after a night in a Texas honky tonk, and the only option is to stop at a motel with just one room left—and only two beds for the four of us. Suddenly we’re all a lot closer.
When we finally get to the small coastal town of Honeysuckle Harbor two beds become only one and, well, you do the math.
Ivy and Liam think our fun, laughter-filled days and our hot-as-sin nights are just to get me and Harrison out of their systems before they head back to their lives in California. But Harrison and I are in love for the first time and we’re determined to make this foursome last forever.
Three Grumpy Groomsmen is a jilted bride why choose rom com with grumpy-sunshine combos galore, where the guys fall first, millionaires really enjoy a run down motel’s “room service”, and the girl gets her man… times three. No cheating, no other woman or other man drama, and a definite HEA.
Blurb: Loyal, hardworking, and trustworthy, I’m used to putting everyone’s needs before my own. I’m the ultimate good guy. But when Sophia Jones walks into my life, everything changes. Beautiful, guarded, and completely off-limits, she’s all I can see. Even though she’s being set up with one of my best friends, I want her for myself.
I try to fight my feelings but soon realize it’s futile. Thrown together at our friends’ 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 unthinkable—I ask her to marry me. Maybe it’s the drinks. Maybe it’s the city. Or maybe it’s because she feels the same connection I do, but she says yes.
Sophia’s hiding something—I can see it in her eyes—but it doesn’t matter. She’s mine now. And I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her this isn’t just a mistake. This is the beginning of forever.
I’ve been in love with Addison Whitman since high school. I knew right away that she was my end game and I thought she felt the same. I never thought there’d come a time when she’d leave me behind, but that’s exactly what she did. And as much as I’ve tried to move on and be happy without her… the truth is that I can’t do either of those things. I want one woman, and one woman only, but I don’t think she’s ever coming back.
Leaving Patrick was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to chase my dreams in New York City. Not to mention the chance to reconnect and spend time with my little sister. I never expected to stay away from Sugar Mountain for so long, but it’s been almost 4 years now and I haven’t been home once.
How long is too long to stay gone?
And can love find its way back together after that much time apart?
Find more books by J. Sterling: jsterlingbooks.com
🏒𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐀𝐋 🏒
𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 (Boston Rebels Book 3) by Julia Connors is releasing on January 31, 2025!!! Check out this teaser!
I trail the bridge of my nose along her cheek until my lips reach her ear, relishing the way her breath catches. Dropping my voice even lower, I say, “Tell me to leave, AJ.”
Her responding whimper has my entire body wanting to press into hers. But I’m not going to kiss her up against a wall without an open invitation to do so.
Not even when her hands rest on my chest before sliding up to my shoulders. Not even when she toys with the hair at the back of my neck. Not even when she parts her lips and sighs as she meets my gaze.
“Or tell me to stay.”
One way or another, I need this woman to put me out of my fucking misery.
“Stay.” The word is so quiet it’s practically inaudible.
“Say it again, Sunshine. Nice and loud, so we’re both clear that you want me here.”
“Don’t be a d!ck,” she says, her fingers tightening in my hair and holding me in place when I try to step away.
“I’m not being a d!ck,” I assure her, as I wrap my hand around the back of her neck while my thumb strokes the space where her jaw meets her ear. “I want to make sure that there’s no miscommunication at all. Because once is an accident, but if I stay here with you again tonight, it’s not an accident, and it’s not a mistake. It’s a choice.”
Her sigh is stuttered and halting, like the magnetic pull we’re both experiencing makes it hard for her to even exhale. “We shouldn’t . . .”
“I know we shouldn’t.” Dipping my head back toward her, I graze my lips over her forehead.
“But are we?”
What to expect:
🏒 Enemies to lovers
🏒 Single dad
🏒 Reverse age gap
🏒 Forced proximity
🏒 Workplace romance
🏒 She’s his boss
Blurb:
Some people might call it a grudge, but in reality, hating Alessandra Jones is more like an obsession.
AJ is the league’s first female general manager, and my boss. As the team captain, I have to play nice with her—in public, at least.
But in private, the gloves come off. And then one time, our clothes do too.
We vow it won’t happen again.
Not only can we not stand each other, but we’re in tense negotiations over my contract right now, and AJ is up for the league’s GM of the Year award. Getting involved wouldn’t just be a PR nightmare—it would be unethical.
It doesn’t help that we have a history, or that she and my daughter adore each other. When AJ is injured protecting my baby, there’s no choice but to move her into my place.
Taking care of someone I hate shouldn’t feel so right. Getting to know her better shouldn’t break down my defenses. She’s hurt me once before, and I’d be a fool to trust her again.
But the more time we spend together, the more I realize that maybe I’m not obsessed with hating her . . . maybe I’m just obsessed with her.
From Wall Street Journal bestsellers L.J. Shen and Parker S. Huntington comes a twisted second-chance romance between a prince haunted by a dark secret and his reluctant Sleeping Beauty.
Oliver
I don’t usually trap women with amnesia into marriage.
But I guess there’s a first time for everything.
When the woman of my dreams falls into my lap, I can’t help but wonder what else she can do in that position.
She’s here. In my house. At my mercy.
And she thinks we’ve been lovers the entire decade we spent apart.
Briar and I have always been unfinished business.
Now it’s time to seal the deal.
Briar
I’m marrying a beautiful monster.
A crooked fraud. America’s wealthiest bachelor.
He claims we’re in love, yet all I taste in our kisses is hate and lust.
I don’t remember why or how.
But I do remember he’s the enemy.
Now, I’m stuck inside a nightmare.
And Oliver will do anything to keep me in the dark.
Authors’ Note: My Dark Prince is a standalone enemies-to-lovers Sleeping Beauty retelling, in which a damaged billionaire with a dark past and his childhood sweetheart fall in love—literally. It is set in the decadent Dark Prince Road universe.
Parker S. Huntington is a stay-at-home dog mom from SoCal, where she discovered her allergy to rain.
In spite of her shoddy attendance record and strong aversion to homework, she earned a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside and an A.L.M. in Literature from Harvard.
When she’s not writing or exchanging food pics with her friends, she’s binge-watching an unhealthy amount of Netflix while curled up with her dogs.
Parker hates talking about herself and is (also) allergic to social media, but you can catch up with her in her newsletter or through the occasional TikTok video.
L.J. Shen is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Washington Post, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of contemporary and NA romance. Her books have been translated in over twenty different countries. She hopes to visit all of them.
She lives in a picturesque beach town with her family, pets and inner demons, and enjoys reading, traveling, cooking and spending time with her grumpy cat.
Rushing Into Love by Kara Kendrick is now live in audio!
Narrated by: Wesley Mercer and Cassie Brown
Parent. Work. Football. That’s my life summed up in three words.
Sure, I used to be a pro NFL baller, but now I’m perfectly content with a quiet life in my small hometown of Peachtree Grove, Georgia.
That is until Bree, a beautiful blonde dating expert, gets tackled at my Pee Wee football practice, knocking me off my game. I swore I’d never get involved again after my messy divorce left me reeling, but one date with Bree and I’m dropping all my hesitations—along with my jersey.
Now she has me rethinking my plays.
But will the tabloids, my ex, and Bree’s complicated past keep us in the friendzone?
🏈Review🏈 A career ending injury and the end of his marriage had Ryder returning to Peachtree Grove where he is now coaching the pee wee football team. From the moment that he meets Bree, the aunt of one of his players, he is drawn to her however they both agree to keep their relationship quite due to their exes and the media attention it would attract.
Bree enjoys her career as a relationship expert however she fears it will be jeopardized if people learn that she was betrayed by her ex. Needing to distance herself from the situation she decides to stay with her sister in Peachtree Grove while she determines her next steps but getting into a public relationship with Ryder wasn’t part of that plan.
Other than a little drama from an ex this is a low angst story between two people who are willing to acknowledge their feelings for each other from the beginning. Both narrators, Wesley Mercer and Cassie Brown, allowed us to get a deeper insight of the characters they portrayed.
Ilsa Madden-Mills has revealed the cover for The Kiss Lottery!
Releasing February 11, 2025
From bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills comes a steamy story about first love and second chances where a city girl returns home for a Valentine’s Day tradition…and the boy who broke her heart. Roses are red, violets are blue–someone in Rose has feelings for you… Yeah, bad ones. Everly Davis didn’t leave her tight-knit hometown on the best terms. It’s been ten years, but you don’t forget heartbreak like that. Then again, the anonymous invite to the annual Kiss Lottery in Rose, Tennessee, gives Everly content for her podcast. And she has a bone to pick with that old heartbreak anyway. Beckett Whitfield has never left Rose–and he’s never forgotten Everly. He even named the villain in his latest bestseller after her. Turns out she’s not happy about that. Nothing about their reunion is particularly happy, and after the way they left things, what did he expect? When the Kiss Lottery pairs them together, Everly and Beckett will have to confront old feelings that never went away and the secrets they never shared. But finally telling each other everything might be exactly what they’ve needed all along.
#1 Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today best-selling author Ilsa Madden-Mills pens angsty new adult and contemporary romances.
A former high school English teacher and librarian, she adores all things Pride and Prejudice, and of course, Mr. Darcy is her ultimate hero.
She’s addicted to frothy coffee beverages, cheesy magnets, and any book featuring unicorns and sword-wielding females. Feel free to stalk her online.
When I land a new gig as the team photographer, we vow to keep it professional. We mostly succeed…except for that time after a game when he couldn’t keep his talented hands off me. And, okay, maybe that other time before a road trip. But I swear, it won’t happen again.
Too much is at stake—I can’t risk my heart or my father’s team.
But when I’m asked to dog-sit Miles’s pack of rescue pups for a few weeks, I discover there’s more to him than I ever imagined—a man who’s genuine, thoughtful, and irresistibly real.
He looks at me like he can’t believe his luck. Touches me like he never wants to let go. And listens to my hopes and fears.
My heart’s getting dangerously attached. But if I follow it… am I putting everyone’s dreams on the line?
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 cute but spicy. Lauren likes dogs, cake, and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
