Beauty and the Beast meets Hades and Persephone in this shifter fantasy romance standalone!
A god wants me dead.
My ancestors stole half his soul then imprisoned him in Tartarus, thinking he’d be forgotten. That he could never return.
They were wrong.
The day he rips open a portal between our worlds, my life is over. As the current guardian of his cursed soul, my head is on the chopping block, but there’s a snag in his plan. This dark god believes he’s my fated mate.
We’re not, but he refuses to take no for an answer.
When he kidnaps my cousin, I’m forced to make a deal. To rescue her, I have to spend six months in Tartarus. Pretending to be his mate. His queen.
Saving both our lives means fake dating the king of monsters. The real danger comes when my modern-day Hades makes it clear that he wants not just my life, but my love.
That was never part of the bargain, but with every stolen kiss and forbidden touch—I just might be handing him my heart.
Should Have Been Me, an all-new fake dating, small town romance from bestselling author Jessica Prince is now available!
She’s a sunny, sassy photographer.
Jolie Prescott has always been in love with love. She spent most of her life walking around with hearts in her eyes and immediately jumped at the chance to start a wedding planning company with her two best friends. So when her own fiancé called off their wedding and immediately started dating someone else, it was a major blow she never saw coming. The gossip about it finally starts to die down in her small town. Then her ex announced he’s engaged again. And his new fiancée just happens to be Jolie’s worst enemy. Which makes it really inconvenient that she can’t seem to stop thinking inappropriate thoughts about that woman’s moody half-brother.
He is the ultimate grump.
Vaughn Cavanagh never thought he’d set foot back in Pembrooke, Wyoming after moving away when he was thirteen, but when his father gets sick, he uproots his life to try to repair their frayed relationship. The only thing standing in his way is his spoiled brat half-sister, her determination to throw the ultimate wedding, and her beef with a certain wedding photographer he can’t get out of his head.
When one impulsive act leads to Vaughn announcing he and Jolie are dating, the two have no choice but to fake their relationship to save face. But when feelings enter the picture and lines start to blur, Vaughn has to decide if he’s willing to give up his quiet, solitary life and stay in Pembrooke for a woman he never intended to fall for, or if he’s going to risk losing everything because he’s too afraid to take that leap.
Keep reading for a look inside Should Have Been Me!
“Get it off!” His voice was muffled beneath Smoosh’s considerable fur. It might have been short, but it was thick as hell, and it looked like she was trying to suffocate the poor guy. “Getitoff, getitoff!”
I was trying, really, but the man’s flailing was making it difficult. “Smoosh, bad!” I scolded, reaching up and grabbing her around the middle. I gave her a tug, earning another one of those death screams as she dug her claws into his suit even deeper. Given my job, I’d seen my fair share of tuxes and suits, and I knew how to spot expensive fabric and high quality from a mile away, and the one this guy was wearing—that Smoosh was currently destroying—probably cost double my monthly mortgage payment.
That sound must have freaked the man out as much as it did me, because his flailing became more frantic. “What the hell is that?” I couldn’t see his face, thanks to my cat, but I could hear the panic in his voice. “Is this thing about to kill me? It’s trying to kill me, isn’t it?”
I tugged again, but the dude was so tall, it was difficult to get a good hold on her. “Just be still. And maybe crouch down for me. That’s it. A little lower,” I guided when he bent his knees so we were face to face—or face to cat fluff.
I wrapped an arm around her middle and really pulled. “Ah, fucking fuck! It’s clawing the shit out of me! Get it off, goddamn it!”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry! Just hold on. I’ve got her.” Holding Smoosh by the middle with one arm, I used my hand to pry her claws out of the man’s wide shoulders. “Almost got her . . . there!” I let out a breath of relief once I managed to extract Smoosh’s claws from the expensive material and curled her up to my chest.
Just then, Tarryn came running up, the cat carrier swinging wildly from the handle she was gripping. “I got this!” she exclaimed proudly, hoisting the plastic bin that had caused all the problems to begin with. “Holy crap! That was insane! Your cat’s totally nuts, babe.”
From the sounds she was making, I knew Smoosh was gearing up for another meltdown, and I didn’t want to risk her getting free again. “Hurry up. Open the door!”
She flung it open, and I shoved the feline in, despite her wailing, slamming the door closed and latching it on a relieved breath. “Thank God that’s over,” I started as I turned back to the man, able to see his face for the first time. “I’m so so—” The apology died on my tongue, because holy chiseled perfection, Batman! This dude didn’t just have a body of sin packed into an expensive suit. He was freaking gorgeous.
His features were sharp and masculine, from his high, cut cheekbones to the straight ridge of his nose to a jaw that looked like it had been carved from marble. But his eyes hit me dead center in the chest and stole all the air right out of my lungs. I’d never seen eyes like his before. They weren’t blue or brown, but an insane combination of both, somehow. The color around the pupil was a gorgeous blue that reminded me of the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean ocean, but the iris was rimmed with a band of burnt umber. His eyes reminded me of oxidized copper, trailing from dark to light, and were so unique, that even the rage in them just then didn’t detract from their beauty.
I shook myself out of my stupor and cleared my throat before trying again. “I’m really sorry about my cat messing up your suit, but thank you so much for stopping. I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to her.”
Unfortunately, when he opened his mouth and spoke, all that awe-inspiring beauty was clubbed to death like a caveman going to town on a woolly mammoth.
“I’ll tell you what would happen. The world would be a better place for it. That feral creature needs to be put down,” he declared, lips curled back from his teeth as he brushed fruitlessly at the front of his clothes—like brushing the cat hair off would undo the damage her claws or, what looked like an entire cup of coffee, had already done. “Do you have any clue how much this suit cost?”
“Uh . . .” I’d forgotten all about Tarryn standing there until that moment. She cleared her throat uncomfortably and reached to take the carrier from my hand. “I’ll just go put this little hellion in your car.”
I offered her a grateful smile over my shoulder before turning back to the six-foot-three wall of muscle and pissed-off energy standing in the middle of the road with me.
I curled my lips between my teeth to keep my snippy retort at bay. “I don’t suppose offering to pay for dry cleaning would make the situation any better?”
His nostrils flared on an exhale, reminding me a lot of an angry bull. An angry bull that just so happened to have the prettiest eyes I’d ever seen. “You really think dry cleaning is going to be able to fix this?” He waved his hands down his front.
“In my defense—or, well, my cat’s defense—we didn’t do the coffee.”
I could have sworn I heard a low growl from deep in his chest. “I spilled the coffee all over myself when I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting that menace to society over there!”
I slammed my hands on my hips indignantly. “Hey! Don’t call her that. It was an honest accident. She was just scared about going to the vet and tried to make a break for it.”
💚Review💚
Rather than letting her last relationship change her view on love and relationships it has only made Jolie more determined to make a better choice the next time around. Until she is ready for that to happen her attention is focused on all the good things in her life including her business until Vaughn comes into her life and she sees beneath his cantankerous demeanor.
Due to events in the past Vaughn has distanced himself from everyone but his father’s health has given him a new perspective, so he finds himself back in Pembrooke. Even though he and Jolie may not have gotten off to the best start he doesn’t hesitate to stand up for her when it comes to her ex by pretending to be her boyfriend and that is when the fun really begin!
Jolie and Vaughn are so much fun together even if their personalities and their feelings on love are very different. The interactions between them are heartwarming and there is a great cast of secondary characters which only make this story even better.
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA Today bestselling author Aly Martinez now lives in South Carolina with her four young children.
Never one to take herself too seriously, she enjoys cheap wine, charcuterie boards, and her mildly neurotic golden retriever. It should be known, however, that she hates pizza and ice cream, almost as much as writing her bio in the third person.
She passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a super-sized tumbler of wine by her side.
From theUSA TODAYbestselling author ofFrom the Emberscomes a new jaw-dropping standalone romance.
Pain trapped me in this house. Can love set me free?
Death had been chasing me my entire life. I survived the horrors of war, but it was the aftermath that truly destroyed me.
People called me a recluse, but the only time I didn’t feel like I was suffocating was inside that house.
For my daughter, I kept some semblance of normalcy by implementing a rigid routine. Once a week, I forced myself to walk to the diner at the end of the block—a ritual I despised but relied on as my last anchor to the real world.
Until the day a “Closed” sign on the door shattered my fragile existence. Worse, the new owner was the most haunting ghost from my past.
It had been years since I’d laid eyes on Gwendolyn Pierce. She hated me—and rightly so. But when a film crew arrived in town to dig into my past, she became my only ally.
With my secrets threatened, I leaned on Gwen, forging a connection neither of us could deny. But with a past as dark as ours, I feared it would eclipse any hope for a future.
I always said that when Death finally came for me, I would be ready, eager, and alone. Always alone.
But for Gwen, maybe I could face the world again as long as it meant I could be alone—with her.
Pregnant and married at the young age of eighteen, I settled into my life not knowing there could ever be more.
Until Mason, with his sexy smirk and magnetic baby blue eyes.
With a single look and a few words, he made me feel sexy and alive.
But as quickly as he came into my life, he was gone, leaving me wanting more.
A few days later, my mom died, and her final words of advice —life’s too short to settle—are what I vowed to live my life by. Not even a year after her death, I was divorced and ready to find the one.
Only I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to find someone who could make me feel the way Mason did.
Five years later, and I’m still single, looking for my forever.
Mason
I’m the guy who fights and f*cks.
The guy who goes fishing but never keeps what he catches.
The responsibility that comes with commitment isn’t for me.
Until Mila comes back into my life, making me want things I’ve never imagined wanting.
Now, the man I’ve always been is quickly losing the fight against the man I want to be.
I’m supposed to want the woman who wants the right now.
Yet, I’m falling for the woman who wants the forever.
🔥Childhood Friends/First Love 🔥Enemies to Lovers (but he’s actually been in love the whole time) 🔥Forced Proximity 🔥Roommates 🔥Second Chance 🔥“Fuck it” 🔥Toys as teammates 🔥It’s always been you 🔥Secret tattoo for her 🔥No Third Act Breakup 🔥✨Fancy✨ peen 🔥He Falls First and Hardest 🔥“Eyes on me” 🔥Smut reading MMC 🔥Curvy FMC 🔥Hurt/Comfort 🔥Found Family 🔥Dirty talking MMC 🔥She thinks he hates her but he knows her coffee order 🔥He takes care of her when she’s sick 🔥Broken MMC
Coming home and finding out my ex is my new roommate is a nightmare…especially when I’ve been pretending to hate her for years.
Harper Davidson has been ingrained on my heart since we were kids, and now she’s tattooed on my skin. But she’ll never know about either. Not when she’s better off thinking we’re enemies.
Having her in my space every day and sharing a wall with her every night is a challenge I never saw coming. A challenge I’m not sure I’m up to.
Especially when our daytime games turn into nighttime dares, pushing each other to the breaking point until our neighbors know exactly who’s making her scream.
As lines blur and feelings deepen, we begin teetering on the edge of something more. And it’s becoming harder to pretend that this is nothing—that she is nothing.
Because this second chance is starting to feel like a last chance.
It’s always been her for me, but I’m broken beyond repair and don’t know how to be the man she needs. These demons in my closet are never silent, and I’ll do anything to keep them from dragging her down with me.
There he is, standing in front of the display case. But I know which case the necklace was kept in—I assigned it to memory, the same way he clearly did.
Not on my watch.
Without pausing to think, I run toward him and leap onto his strong, muscular back, wrapping my forearms around his neck. I hike my legs around his waist for leverage, trying not to notice what it feels like to have the hard heat of his body pressed against me, my face up against his soft, slightly curly hair. His ear.
The adrenaline filling my body becomes slightly syrupy a second before I get a better look at the display case in front of him: empty.
So he already took the necklace. He works faster than I could have imagined, but I tell myself that’s okay. I caught him in the act. The necklace will be on his person somewhere, and everyone will know he was the one who took it. In fact…
My bare foot is pressed near his pants pocket—and I can feel that there’s something hard inside.
For a half a second, I wonder if he’s just happy to see me, but it feels cold through the fabric, not hot. The necklace.
It’s time for me to shout for help, to bring this whole engagement party into the room running, but for some reason I don’t. I’m not…ready. Maybe it’s because he’s not trying to shake me off or hurt me.
He attempts to say something, but my arms are too tightly wrapped around his throat for the words to be audible. He reaches up and wrenches one of them away—his grip firm but not punishing.
“Surprised to have been caught in the act?” I ask into his ear. It’s an int!mate thing to do, and we’re in an int!mate position, as closely pressed together as we were the other day, when I was cradled in his lap. My body pulses. It aches. It wants him without bothering to ask if that’s a sensible ask.
My body is a h0rny idiot, but at least my mind is functional.
“You’re too late,” he says, his voice resigned. Almost…broken. “The necklace is already gone.”
**From The Love Bandits, a bad boy, enem!es-to-lovers romcom coming July 18!**
“I didn’t think you had room on your list.” She teases me, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“You’re at the top, and if anyone else was ever on it, I don’t remember.”
“How did I end up on this list exactly?” I can hear the hesitation in her voice, the confusion at us even having this discussion. But I’ve waited for this opening with her for so long, I can’t let it go without trying.
“A sundress.”
“A sundress?” There’s a small, stuttered laugh that falls from her lips.
“Remember a couple of summers ago when we were all supposed to go fishing? But then Lizzy wanted to sleep in, and you and Rob had that fight?”
“Yeah. I remember. I had no business being on a boat, let alone fishing.”
“But you came anyway. With a sundress and no sunscreen. I had to put some on your shoulders, and your skin was so damn soft, Trix. You were so sweet, and I could see where your eyes were still red from him making you cry. It killed me.”
“I was embarrassed. Your parents heard us fighting, and I just wanted to be anywhere that wasn’t the house.” Her brow furrows at the memory.
“I know. Which is why I took you out on the boat even though it took all my self-control not to say anything. Especially with the way you looked. How quiet you were. So I just promised myself I’d make you laugh and forget things for a few hours. Teach you something to get your mind off it. Try to get my mind off you in the process.”
“You did. I had a lot of fun that day. It felt like I could forget for a bit, and I honestly didn’t want to go back to shore.”
“Me either. I wanted to kiss you that day. So fucking bad it hurt.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she whispers, and I still my hands in response.
I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, and I’m nervous I fucked up by confessing it to her. I don’t know what I’m doing with her, even when I think I do. I start to pull away, but she stops me, her palm over the top of my knuckles, and a soft sound from her has me holding still. “I wouldn’t have appreciated it then the way I would now. If you’d kissed me at the fair…” She trails off, and the pounding in my ears is nearly deafening.
“I’ll kiss you anytime you want. Anywhere you want.”
She must like my confession because she tilts her head and looks up at me, the ghost of a smile crosses her face before her eyes drop to my mouth. It’s all the encouragement I need from her before I lean over to kiss her. I’m careful, so careful, gently brushing my lips over hers and giving her the chance to push me away if she wants. It’s almost too good to be true. Like for once in my life, birthday wishes are real because I’m finally getting something I’ve wanted for ages.
Except she doesn’t push back, she returns it—kissing me like she wants me. With a kind of greediness that makes me think I’m not the only one who’s imagined this before now. She tastes sweet like the cake batter she’s fixing, and I brush my tongue over her lower lip for another taste before hers darts out and tangles with mine. I thread my fingers through her hair, and her hands wander down my chest.
For a moment, I have everything I’ve ever wanted. But then her hand presses down gently, and she takes a step back. Her lashes fluttering, and her gaze falling to the floor.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispers, and the words crash through my daze. Battering my thoughts as she retreats, and putting the ocean of what-ifs back in between us.
“Why not?” My brain honestly can’t come up with a single good reason, but if she has them, I’ll listen.
Her brow furrows, and she looks at me for a moment and then away.
“You’re my landlord now, for starters.”
“That’s temporary.”
“You’re his brother.”
“You said you wouldn’t hold that against me.”
She levels me with a look. “I don’t, but… this can’t go anywhere. Not really. I mean, not that it could anyway. You don’t do serious, and right now, neither do I.”
“So it doesn’t have to be serious. It just has to be fun. And you already know I’m fun.” I’m bargaining with her. Bargaining with myself, really, because I’ll take whatever she gives me.
She smiles, one that’s sincere and travels all the way to her eyes as she looks me over. “You are a lot of fun.”
“So I don’t see the problem.”
Her eyes dart back to some distant spot behind me, and she fidgets with the spoon in her hand like she’s still trying to reason herself out of this.
“I’m on your list. You’re on mine. We’re both adults. You’ve already kissed me. Slept in my bed. Might as well take full advantage of the hospitality around here.” I give her a laundry list of reasons we should jump into the deep end. Ones I’ve told myself a million times.
BLURB:
I only have room for two things in my life: football and my daughter.
At least until my brother’s ex-girlfriend shows up at my team’s stadium needing a white knight.
When I find out she’s also got a secret summer checklist that I’m uniquely qualified for?
I’ve forgotten all the reasons she should be off limits, and I’m signing up to be more than just her part-time bodyguard.
But when the threats she’s receiving escalate and the danger is at our doorstep, we have to decide if more than one summer is worth fighting for—whatever the cost.
If all three of these players’ books were on a shelf, I’d find Nour’s dark exterior the most alluring, and it would be the one I’d pull from down and read first. On the surface, he seems so laid-back. I’ve witnessed his quiet restraint and find it extremely sexy. A few weeks ago, at O’Donnell’s, there was a fight when others jumped in; he stood back, but not too far. His dark brown eyes were homed entirely in on the situation as if he was assessing it and would step in if needed. There have been games where Bennett’s pitches have been called poorly on the field, and from sixty feet and six inches, you can tell Nour remains calm and soothes Bennett’s anger or anxiety.
His body is so sexy; he’s built like a Greek statue; okay, well, the body type, but the dick size. Those statues always seem to have below-average-size cocks. I know Nour is packing; I’ve seen the outline of his dick in sweats sans the cup.
I’m not all that experienced because, hello, two brothers made me any decent guy’s little sister, but I’ve done my research, and his dick isn’t resting on his balls: it’s hanging long, thick, and proud. It passed Go and collected two hundred dollars, if you know what I’m saying. You can even see the outline of his head, and although giving a BJ isn’t something I’d like to do for fun, my mouth has watered more than once when I’ve been able to sneak a peek. I imagine he has the kind of dick you’d want to high-five for being awesome but fear you’d hurt it. Catchers have the best asses anyway; due to the fact they squat for half the game. His ass? Perfection. Not that I’d be into eating ass, but I’d love to bite his to see if it’s as hard as it looks. And then there are those nipples, and I am generally not turned on by a man’s nipples, but through a thin tee, Nour’s look to be perfectly placed and proportionate on his pecs, and yes, my teeth ache with the desire to bite them, too.
Lulu Moore has revealed the gorgeous cover for The Baller!
Releasing: July 16, 2024
Cover Design: Emily Witting
My name is Lux Weston and I’m a matter of national security, apparently.
All I did was meet a beautiful girl in a bookstore, then rescue her. One… twice… and maybe a third time—from a creeper.
The problem? The creeper turned out to be Secret Service, and the girl… well, she’s Radley Andrews—the President’s only daughter.
It has disaster written all over it. I should stay away.
She’s a student, I’m a major league baseball player.
She’s trying to hide from the spotlight, I’m standing underneath it.
Not to mention I’ve never had a relationship, and Radley has her own demons to battle.
When she starts looking at me the way I’m looking at her, staying away becomes impossible. Soon we’re sneaking secret dates and I’m making her breakfast.
While Radley might be the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, she’s become something better.
Lulu started writing by accident, and somehow found herself stuck in a fictional world of ice hockey, baseball and billionaires. A world she has no plans to leave. She’s the creator of The New York Players Series, The Tuesday Club Series, and The New York Lions – the worst team in the M.L.B.
More recently she’s ventured across the Atlantic to where her latest novel is set – the beautiful cities of Oxford and Cambridge, and the annual rowing showdown on the River Thames.
She’s a big fan of strong heroines, because those fierce alphas need someone to keep them in check. You’ll find hear navigating her way through Romance Land one HEA at a time, and trying to figure out the latest social media platform she needs to post to.
A Hollywood love story, second chance romance from Wall Street Journal & USA Bestselling Author M. Robinson
Bailey McGraw Pierce is Hollywood’s sweetheart, and I’m their bad boy.
She’s everything I’m not.
Proper.
Composed.
Polite.
Little Miss Goody Two-shoes can do no wrong in the limelight. That’s who she is to the world and her family. But I know the girl behind closed doors, the one I experienced all my firsts with, on and off screen.
Now, seven years later, my career depends on America’s sweetheart agreeing to be my love interest for the next romantic blockbuster titled, “Say You love Me.”
Aires may be a successful actor, but it is actions in his personal life that is causing him difficulty. He has a reputation, which he has earned and needs to overcome, and that includes being cast in an upcoming movie but for that to happen he needs to pretend to be in a relationship with his co-star Bailey. He knows this will help his career but that is secondary when it comes to Bailey.
Bailey’s reputation couldn’t be more different than Aires as she has always been professional both when she is on camera and off. She and Aires share a past but even though they are now very different people the connection between them is just as strong and that is when the angst really begins.
Aires and Bailey take us on an emotional rollercoaster that is filled with secrets, surprises and hot chemistry as they have a lot to overcome if this is going to be their second chance or if it will end in heartbreak.
Meet M. Robinson:
M. Robinson is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty novels in Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense. Crowned the “Queen of Angst” by her loyal readers, you’ll feel the cut of her pen slicing through your heart as your soul bleeds upon the words of her stories with each turn of the page.
Most notably known for the Good Ol’ Boys, M’s newest venture has graced her with the #1 Bestseller on Apple Books with Second Chance Contract. The Second Chance Men are powerful, intelligent and will sweep you off your feet and leave you weak in the knees–every woman’s wildest dreams.
M. lives the boat life along the Gulf Coast of Florida with her two puppies and real life book boyfriend, the inspiration for all her filthy talking alphas, Bossman.
When she isn’t in the cave writing her next epic love story, you can usually spot her mad-dashing through Target or in the drive-thru of Starbucks, refueling. Yes, she’s a self-proclaimed shopaholic, but only if she’s spending Bossman’s money.
You can follow M, Ted, Marley, and Bossman on Facebook, Instagram, and her absolute favorite social platform-TikTok.
Subscribe to her newsletter now to receive exclusive access to upcoming releases, sales, and freebies.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 