My junior year of college has started out about as awesome as the two years that came before it.
And by awesome, I mean an absolute shit show that I’m pretty convinced is part of some reality show I didn’t know I was a part of.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all bad.
I have amazing friends. A championship soccer team. The best family a girl could ask for.
You’d think with all that, I’d be happy with the way my college experience is going, and I guess in a way, I am. As long as you don’t count the black cloud that has followed me since freshman year in the form of one infuriatingly beautiful man who I’ve been tempted to run over with a car more times than I would ever admit.
Macallan Stewart… Gorgeous. Untouchable. Idolized. Star football player—both on and off the field.
Women love him. Men want to be him. And I… Well, I’m too busy trying not to stab pencils into his eye sockets to allow myself to feel anything but anger, which definitely beats the alternative.
It wasn’t always like this. I used to understand why people gravitated toward him. Once upon a time, I was one of those people. That is, until he used me and discarded me like I was nothing.
I started this year with a promise to myself—that I was not going to let this man have another second of my energy. Unfortunately, that plan goes straight out the window when my professor randomly selects lab partners and somehow, by the unluckiest draw in the world, I get paired with Macallan.
Working with him turns out to be even harder than I thought. With his cocky smirk and wicked mouth, he’s as frustrating as he is charming.
I hate him. I hate his stupid perfect face and his stupid perfect body and everything he stands for. But most of all, I hate how deep down, I’m starting not to hate him at all.
That’s the problem with love and hate—oftentimes only a very thin line separates them and at any given time, you could end up on the opposite side of where you think you’re standing and not even realize it…
College has been everything that Maisie expected from her play on the pitch to the friendships she has made but the one black mark was Macallan. The way he ended their relationship has made an impact and she would be happy to never see him again however that wish is not about to come true when they find themselves having to work together on a project.
Macallan is a star on campus both on and off the field and there is a lot more to why he ended their relationship than Maisie knows. Having to work together reignites the feelings between them however not everyone is happy they are together and will do whatever is necessary to keep them apart.
It was great to catch up with the other characters in this series and see Maisie and Macallam overcome the obstacles they are facing. A little suspense, some turmoil and a heartwarming romance.
Melissa Toppen is a USA Today Bestselling Author who specializes in Fantasy, New Adult and Contemporary Romance. She is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. She has a soft spot for romance and all things fantasy, and focuses her writing in that direction; writing what she loves to read. You can find more information about Melissa and her books at melissatoppen.com
🖤Mafia & Man of God 🔥Pastor with a breeding k*nk 🖤Age gap spice 🔥V-card heroine 🖤She poisons. He preaches 🔥Soulmate angst 🖤Secret society of brothers 🔥Touch her & I’ll take your hea 🖤Taboo initiations 🔥Pure marriage 🖤Forbidden MMF moments 🔥HEA with rom com vibes
I don’t want forgiveness. I want her.
Wren
SIRE is my gift from God, and the Devil’s son. He saved my innocence from being sold. And now, he must take it. I insist. I don’t care how young I am or how he resists me.
He’s a captivating pastor and a predator when he leaves the pulpit. An escaped Russian Bratva prince, he and his brothers avenge the crimes of their father. He’s the oldest and deadliest of his brothers. The darkest angel.
But Sire gave his flesh for mine, and now I’m his. When his evil father comes for him and my wicked captors come for me, I know he can protect me. He’s brutal, blood thirsty, and beautiful. He’ll be my first, my forever, my sacred sinner.
And I will be his young queen. I want the kings, his brothers, to initiate me. They will protect me, too. I crave their taboo rituals. Our bonds cannot be broken. His secret family will be mine.
Damned and divine, our forbidden love will be stronger than any evil. Evil that is coming for us.
Author’s note: SIRE is a dark, not-mafia-mafia romance set in a world of taboo traditions, biting banter, morally grey heroes in a vigilante band of brothers with some heavy themes, and very explicit scenes. This is an interconnected, standalone—the third in the Belles & Bratva Beasts series—with a guaranteed HEA.
Blue Collar Billionaire Amy Andrews Published by: Boldwood Books Publication date: Oct 24, 2025 Genres: Romance, General Fiction (Adult)
She fell for the handyman.She had no idea he could buy the whole city. ✔️Secret billionaire ✔️ Forced proximity ✔️ Opposites attract ✔️ Super steamy
Perfect for fans of Ana Huang, Rosa Lucas and TL Swan 🌹
Every book in the Billionaire Confessions collection can be read as a standalone.
As a busy ER intern, Holly Vincent doesn’t have time for extracurricular activities.
But when she’s stranded in a broken elevator for a few hours with irritatingly cocky, hotter-than-the-sun, downstairs neighbour Danny Colton, she decides to bend her rules and let the filthy-mouthed hottie talk her into having some fun.
Drummer by night, and maintenance man by day, Danny Colton is more than happy to show bookish Dr Prim what she’s been missing out on. After all, what else are they going to do until they’re rescued?
But when it’s back to reality, one wild tryst night isn’t enough for Danny and whilst they’re drawn to each other like magnets, Holly has no time for dating between study and the unrelenting exhaustion of shiftwork.
Suddenly, though, Danny’s world changes in the form of a surprise billion-dollar inheritance, and he figures it could be the key to winning Holly’s heart. Wrong. He soon finds out that money can’t buy him love. For that, he’s going to need to be much more creative!
Amy is an award-winning, USA Today best-selling, double RITA nominated, Aussie author who has written seventy plus contemporary romances in both the traditional and digital markets. Her books bring all the feels from sass, quirk and laughter to emotional grit and panty-melting heat.
At sixteen she met a guy she knew she was going to marry and several years later she did. They have two grown kids who have flown the coop for distant shores which enables their travel fetish.
She loves good books and great booze although she’ll take mediocre booze if there’s nothing else. For many, many years she was a registered nurse which means she knows things. Anatomical things. And she’s not afraid to use them!
She’s just taken a sea change and gets to create stories whilst overlooking the mighty Pacific Ocean.
Holly is already finding it a challenge to balance school and working as an intern in the ER so adding a man into the mix is a commitment she can’t make. When a problem with the elevator in her apartment building leaves her and Danny stranded she gives into the attraction between them knowing that anything between them will end when they are rescued from the elevator.
Danny is also leading a busy life between trying to establish his drumming career while working maintenance to pay the pills. The attraction he has for Holly is unexpected but after spending some time with her he isn’t about to let her walk away. When he finds out he is the heir to a life changing inheritance his belief he is about to realize what really matters.
Fun and flirty I enjoyed the interactions between Holly and Danny as he showed her that she could have the career she wants and the love and life she deserves if she will open her heart to the possibilities and let him in.
She’s trouble wrapped in sunshine. And I’ll break every rule to have her.
They call me The Fortress. Grumpy. Broody. Hard as stone. I built my reputation on keeping people out, and I’ve never let anyone get close enough to tear me down.
Until her. My ex’s little sister. Sunshine in boots with a smile that tempts me to break every rule I’ve lived by. She’s sweet where I’m rough, light where I’m shadows, and I can’t stop wanting her.
Every smile makes me weak. Every look makes me hungry. And every time we’re alone, I want to pin her against the wall and show her exactly what happens when you tempt a mountain man who doesn’t know how to let go.
The town will talk. Lines will be crossed. Hearts will break. But none of it matters when she’s in my arms, begging for more.
She was supposed to be off-limits. Now she’s mine to take, mine to ruin, and mine to keep.
Ridge has only had one serious relationship with a woman and that was with his high school sweetheart and as a result he has reputation for being closed off. When Gillian, his ex’s sister, approaches him about using the patio at his pub for a social his first instinct is to say no however she has a way of convincing him to do things he never though he would.
Gillian had feelings for Ridge when she was younger however he only had eyes for her sister. As they start spending time together preparing for the event even though he should be off limits feelings develop but will he realize how special what they share is before it is too late?
I really enjoyed how Gillian was filling to fight for the man and the relationship she wanted and not willing to accept anything less.
A spicy Pro Football, Best Friend’s Brother, Marriage of Convenience Romance from Amazon Top Ten Bestselling author Lisa Suzanne.
I was supposed to get married on national television. Instead, I was humiliated at the altar and ran straight into bad boy pro football star Dex Bradley. Literally.
He’s my best friend’s grumpy older brother, and he needs a nanny for his surprise baby. I need to salvage my dignity. One fake marriage later, we’ve got a deal.
It’s supposed to be strictly business. He’s off-limits. But when he growls my name and looks at me like he wants to wreck what’s left of my innocence, I don’t want to be the good girl anymore.
He thinks I’m helping him. Between late-night feedings and very inappropriate thoughts, I think I’m the one in trouble.
We agreed to play fake to benefit us both, but now I’m in his bed, in too deep, and one step away from losing everything.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
🏈Review🏈 When Ainsley agreed to participate in a reality dating show she knew that the relationship would be public however she wasn’t ready for the public embarrassment when the man she chose didn’t choose her. Needing to get away it is Dex, her best friend’s brother, who helps her escape, and he offers her an arrangement that will help them both.
Dex is a professional football player who has always kept his relationships casual. Finding out about Jack, the six-month-old son he knew nothing about, has rocked his world. He is feeling out of his depth and isn’t sure how to be a father sow when Ainsley needs to escape the media frenzy and he needs help with his son it seems like the perfect solution.
There are so many obstacles that Ainsley and Dex face between the age gap, the fact that she is his sister’s best friend and the life changes they are both dealing with. I really enjoyed the evolution of Dex’s character as he became the father and man that he was destined to be.
I train horses, not broken men. That’s what I tell myself the day Bryce Raintree walks into my arena—cocky, bruised, and dragging his ego behind him like it’s been trampled in the dust. He’s a bull rider who’s lost his edge. His team sends him to me to get it back.
He doesn’t like being told what to do, especially not by a woman like me. But under all that attitude, there’s a storm brewing. And I can’t seem to walk away.
I’ve spent my life in the saddle, doing what needs to be done after losing our mom and stepping up on the ranch. I don’t fix cowboys. But maybe… I don’t have to. Maybe he’s not the only one who needs saving.
A flirty, fake-engagement, single-mom, hockey romance by Amazon Top 50 and USA Today Bestselling Author S.J. Sylvis
I swore off men the second I trusted the wrong guy and ended up pregnant by a wealthy playboy. I was ready to prove I didn’t need him–or anyone else.
At least, until Malaki Young, Chicago’s hottest pro hockey star, slid into the backseat of my car and proved me wrong.
He’s relentless on and off the ice. Especially when it comes to pursing me. Not to mention his charming smirk and annoyingly smooth one-liners have me testing the ice and thawing every boundary I swore I’d never cross again.
But my ex is out for revenge… and Malaki makes an offer I never saw coming: a fake engagement.
One oversized diamond. One perfectly fabricated love story. One mission: convince the world–and my revenge driven ex–that this single mom just landed one of Chicago’s most sought-after bachelors.
Malaki swears it’s just pretend. But the deeper we get, the harder it is to tell where the lies end and we begin. And I can’t help wondering how long before the ice beneath us gives way.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
🏒Review🏒 When Reese receives a request for a ride she believes it will just be another trip until she meets Malaki her passenger. She doesn’t have the time or energy to consider anything with anyone as she already has enough complications when it comes to the father of h er daughter Charleigh but before she realizes how it happened they are now pretending to be engaged.
Malaki is a professional hockey player who is enchanted by Reese from their first meeting. He wants much more than a drive, and he isn’t about to let her walk out of his life so when she blurts out they are engaged he is more than happy to use this time to show her that the only place she and her daughter belong are with him.
Great chemistry and a little turmoil combine with humor and heat. Reese has always believed the only one she can count on is her sister, but Malaki proves her wrong as he shows that he is man that both she and her daughter need, and he will do whatever is necessary to ensure their happiness and protection.
Chance “Drift” Lawton would die before betraying a Redline Kings brother. Until Alanna Bishop came to Crossbend. She was Jax’s little sister—the one woman he was never supposed to want.
But when her call for help turned desperate, keeping his distance wasn’t an option. Now Alanna is under Drift’s protection—and under his skin.
A stalker from school thinks she’s his to claim. Drift is about to prove otherwise.
It has been years since Drift last saw Alanna, his club member Jax’s sister, and he was drawn to her but refused to act on it out of loyalty. That changes when Jax is out of town and Drift finds himself helping Alanna move. That is only the beginning as when she finds herself in danger there is nothing he won’t do to protect her.
Alanna has had feelings for Jax for a while but realizes that he isn’t about to let anything happen between them. Instead, she has focused on finishing school however she has also drawn the attention of the wrong person. A little forced proximity with Drift where he is tasked to keep her safe will change everything.
Drift’s good intentions were no match for the love between him and Alanna that includes a little turmoil, some suspense, the camaraderie between the club members and heat.
𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝑲𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔: 𝑨 𝑭𝒂𝒌𝒆-𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 3) by USA Today bestselling author Layla Hagen releases on December 5th! Check out this gorgeous cover!
I don’t give a damn what people say about me. I’m successful and confident—one of San Diego’s youngest CEOs. But when my womanizer rep costs me a major business deal, I’ve got a problem.
One of my brothers suggests a fake girlfriend. Ridiculous.
Then I spot the perfect opportunity.
At a bar, I overhear a stunning blonde getting utterly humiliated by her ex—who casually informs her he dumped her to marry someone else. What an idiot.
She looks like she needs rescuing. So I sit at their table and kiss her like I’ve done it a million times. After the jerk bails, I make her a deal: be my fake date for one business dinner.
Phoebe agrees.
It should’ve been simple, but the dinner turns into a weekend at a beach house. One bedroom. Too much wine. One unforgettable night.
The next morning, she tries to pretend it didn’t happen.
Phoebe is nothing like the women I usually date. She’s hardworking, has a sharp sense of humor, and she’s the most selfless person I’ve met. That’s why I want more.
I just have to prove that there’s more to me than she thinks. I’m close to my family. I spoil my nephew. I’m ready to change.
Phoebe is still hurting and wants to play it safe. But I won’t give up. Because this fake relationship is starting to feel very real.
Laura Pavlov has revealed the covers for In a Heartbeat!
Releasing: December 16, 2025
Cover Designer: Hang Le
Photographer: Madison Maltby
Wren Waterstone isn’t just one of the most decorated equestrians in the world―she was also my best friend for as long as I can remember. Until she wasn’t.
Now she’s back in Rosewood River, and thanks to a temp agency, Wren has been placed at my ranch. I have no intention of allowing my ex-best-friend to work for me, but when I see the desperation in her eyes, I can’t turn her away, even though I know I should.
Old habits die hard.
Seeing her every day is more challenging than I expected. She’s guarded. Wounded. And she looks at me like I’m the enemy. I need to know why. The more time we spend together, the more the lines between past and present blur―and we find our way back to one another. The only problem is, she’s got big dreams to chase.
And I only want to chase her.
I’ve loved this girl my entire life, and our time apart didn’t change that. I let Wren Waterstone get away once. Am I really going to make that mistake again?
As a professional matchmaker, my biggest job this holiday season should be simple: find a date for the sexy single dad hockey star—aka my brother’s best friend—for his team’s fancy Christmas Eve gala.
Sure Rowan’s hot as a crackling fire and spicier than a gingerbread man, but he hasn’t just sworn off romance. The Christmas hater has made a bet that I can’t find him a holidate.
What’s a matchmaker to do?
Win, of course. Even if it means fake dating the grinch myself to get him ready for the real thing. Only…these fake dates at Christmas tree farms and hot cocoa competitions in the snowy small town of Evergreen Falls start to feel a little too real as I get to know the man behind the scowl. Somewhere between kisses under the mistletoe and a snowed-in night in his cabin curled up by the fire (where the stockings aren’t the only thing hung), I realize I’m in over my elf-loving head. And when Rowan opens up to me at last about his painful past, I’m determined to give my brother’s best friend the holiday he deserves. But what if the only gift I want him to unwrap this season is… me?
Tropes: Holiday romance, brother’s best friend, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, small town, Christmas competition, matchmaker romance, workplace romance
I yank him harder against me, not thinking, just feeling as my hands dip under the waistband. “Look at you. You’re so terrible at resisting you’re pushing that big dick against me.”
My jaw drops. What did I just say?
Rowan stares like he can’t believe his luck. “And you like it, snow angel.” He pumps his hips, pressing his hard length against me.
“Maybe a little,” I say, but my feathery voice makes a liar of me. I like it a lot.
He moves a little lower. He’s bending his knees slightly, seeking just the right angle. “F*&k it,” he says, grabbing my ass, and hoisting me up against the wall. “Wrap those legs around me.”
ABOUT LAUREN BLAKELY:
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.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 