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 😉
Pretending to be fake engaged to my enemy might not be my brightest idea.
But it is definitely necessary.
On the brink of the biggest car show of my career, I start to panic because it’s the first time I have to see my ex since our break-up.
Spoiler alert: it wasn’t clean or amicable.
Then when Elliot Thorne’s ex-fiancé shows back up in town, I devise a plan for both of us to get what we want: a buffer from our exes with a dash of revenge.
The problem is Elliot takes his role to protect me too seriously.
He brings me food while I’m working to make sure I eat. He even silences the self-doubt I feel on a day-to-day basis.
And before I know it, he has me on my knees in my garage, and on my back on the hood of my car.
The hate I’ve harbored toward him melts away as fast as my panties, and I soon realize we have more in common than I thought.
Then he tells me a secret that makes me reevaluate our entire relationship.
Now I’m left to consider if something fake could be real…
And that maybe it’s about time I admit that Elliot isn’t my enemy after all.
JJ Hanson is as incredible as a father as Beckett is. And damn if that isn’t my kryptonite. As much as I despise this attraction to him, I’d never wish those traits away. I absolutely adore his daughter, and how could I not want him to be a great dad for her?
“I’m leaving shortly,” I reply.
“We’re going to the same place. Might as well ride together,” he says.
I swear every eye in the room is on us, like they’re all waiting for me to explode.
Avery peers up at me, her eyes the same glacier blue as her father’s. “You should remind him he’s not the boss of you.” She gives me one of her signature saucy smiles. “You’re the boss of him.”
The room erupts into laughter, the tension breaking. Grinning, I pull Avery onto my lap, hugging her tight. Her mother disappeared recently, so I’ve made even more of an effort to show her love and affection since. I still don’t know why she left, but that woman has caused more than enough grief for a lifetime. It serves me well not to think of her. I will, however, always have her little girl’s back. Even if she happens to be JJ’s daughter.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to remind him repeatedly.” I dart a look at JJ, who is wearing one of his many guarded expressions, his focus on us.
“I’m driving.” His eyes instantly light up like he’s surprised by my response. “Fine by me, Coach.”
That’s the other thing I got wrong when I pictured my future. I’m not the legend in the NHL. I’m just the legend’s coach.
My best friend is settled. He met the love of his life and was granted guardianship of his younger siblings. I’ve had the goal to help him for what seems like forever, and now that things are good for him, I should feel complete, right?
But there’s always been a piece missing for me. Has been for a long time.
Something I don’t think I can ever fix.
And then suddenly, that part of my past shows back up in my life. He should hate me. I hate me. But that’s the thing about Remy . . .
He’s far too good for this world, and I’m once again terrified I’ll break him.
Because that’s what I do.
Remy
I want to forget about my past. It’s my life’s goal.
I’m not that weak little boy trapped in foster care anymore. I’m stronger now. I’m the principal at a major school in the Kansas City area. I’ve grown into the man I knew I could be.
I don’t talk about the past. I refuse to.
But then it’s shoved into my face, and I can’t look away. I can’t walk away like he did all those years ago.
Sometimes I despise this stubborn streak inside me. I should stay away. He has.
But there’s this pull there—even after all these years.
I can put on a show for everyone else, but when he’s around, I start to crack.
I met Ben Wells at an airport on one of the worst days of my life. We talked, laughed, connected, and survived a travel disaster. Then we shared one wild, passionate night together.
That was where the story was supposed to end.
Ben went back to his life as a professional rugby player, and I went back to mine as a college student. Except mine came with a positive pregnancy test and a life I never planned for. One Ben made it clear he wanted no part of.
I didn’t fall apart or chase him. I picked myself up and brushed myself off, raised my daughter, and fought my way into law school.
For five years, we did just fine without him. We were happy, even.
Then, out of nowhere, Ben crashes back into our lives, smiling like nothing ever happened, and everything I thought I knew comes undone. Because some misunderstandings don’t just break hearts. They steal years.
Now Ben is determined to make up for lost time, and not just with our daughter.
The passion we shared is still alive and well, but the stakes are much higher now. But if there’s one thing Ben is good at—besides being relentlessly cheerful and sexy in his rugby uniform—it’s persistence. He doesn’t give up.
If Ben has it his way, the end of our story will be only the beginning.
From USA Today bestselling author Scarlett Cole, writing as S. Cole, comes an electrifying small town, enemies-to-lovers, age gap romance.
KNOX
I rule Gator Flats.
Seventeen years wearing the president’s patch, and every man in this swamp answers to me. So when someone gives up a club member’s location, not to the cops, but to a man who already tried to put him and his family in the ground, I take it personal.
There’s a rat close to my table.
I’ll find them.
What I don’t need is Maren Caldwell driving past my compound like she doesn’t know exactly who I am. Like her father didn’t shoot my brother and keep his badge.
She’s too young. Too tied to things that never washed clean. And every time I look at her, I forget that wanting something and taking it are two different things.
A heart-mending romance for a small town marriage-in-repair between reunited lovers seeking a second chance at love later in life.
Dart Rivers is my ex-husband, or so I thought.
Three years ago, he drove out of our small town to chase racing dreams, leaving me and my broken heart in his rearview mirror.
Couple goals and shattered promises brought feelings of failure on both our parts.
Then one night, a special delivery is left on my back step. A stork-drop of sorts. (Think Baby Boom). At first, I believe there must be a mistake, but when the sweet bundle swaddled in pink gazes at me, I’ll do anything to keep her.
Enter Dart Rivers again.
An accident on the track leads to him sneaking into the house, crashing on my couch, and announcing he’s still mine.
Close proximity provides honest conversations, friendly couch time, and familiar attractions. With silver speckled in his hair, Dart is still the best-looking man I’ve ever seen, making my belly flutter and my heart beat again.
But can I trust that fragile organ? Can I give my ex-not-ex-husband a second chance? Can I believe Dart’s new promises?
+ + +
Rogue River series is a spin-off from the Sterling Falls series, specifically Sterling Touch, giving readers small-town romances with characters over 40.
Lena Hendrix is a USA Today and Amazon Top 5 Bestselling contemporary romance author living in the Midwest. Her love for romance started with sneaking racy Harlequin paperbacks as a teenager and now she writes her own hot-as-sin small town romance novels. Lena has a soft spot for strong alphas with marshmallow insides, heroines who clap back, and sizzling tension. Her novels pack in small town heart with a whole lotta heat.
When she’s not writing or devouring new novels, you can find her hiking, camping, fishing, and sipping a spicy margarita!
*DELUXE LIMITED EDITION PAPERBACK featuring stenciled edges, holographic foil, designed interior covers, chapter headers, and full color special character art!*
Unexpected sparks ignite a slow burn in this grumpy/sunshine workplace romance when a single mom proposes a marriage of convenience to save her boss’s brewery.
Fans of Lucy Score, Elsie Silver, Carley Fortune, and B.K. Borison will find their next obsession with this second standalone in bestselling author Lena Hendrix’s spicy, emotional, deeply romantic Kings Series set in small town Michigan.
You might think it’s reckless for a single mom to enter into a marriage of convenience with her boss. You would be correct.
To make matters worse, Abel King is a grumpy local brewer with a criminal past. He also happens to be my boss and a total stick-in-the-mud. Every time I come to work with a smile and wave, I’m lucky if I can get a grunt in response.
When I accidentally-on-purpose overhear that he’s having trouble securing a business loan due to his criminal record, I hatch a plan to help the both of us.
The arrangement is perfect—a business transaction and nothing more. Like having a roommate without the hassle of other people bugging you for dates.
I will definitely not be falling in love with him—no matter how many times he says “my wife” and tingles dance in all the right places.
Trouble is, as time goes on, things stop feeling like business and start feeling a whole lot like pleasure . . . and really, that’s just my luck . . .
Sloane has recently moved to town looking to distance herself from her ex and to give her and her kids a new start. While working at the brewery she learns that Abel, her boss, wants to take over sole control of the business however arranging the finances is proving to be difficult. She has access to funds which will help her out of her financial predicament as well however it would involve marriage.
One event in Abel’s past has him feeling as an outsider in his own town and believes that people will never be able to see past what happened. It is for this reason that he believes that he will never be able to take over the brewery and that he is meant to be alone until Sloane suggests an arrangement that will benefit them both.
You can’t help but admire Sloane and how she isn’t about to let her past define her future while Abel may seem grouchy and withdrawn but when it comes to those he cares about his love has no bounds. A little turmoil, some intrigue and a slow building romance between two people who weren’t looking for love.
G. A. Mazurke is the crazy lady behind Serena Akeroyd, crafter of smexy heroes you just wanna lick. While Serena has us expecting dark romance with lots of twists and turns … G. A. is her more mainstream/contemporary personality.
She explores her sweeter side while keeping the sexy we love, where the women fall hard but the men fall harder.
Some of G. A.’s books will cross over into Serena’s universes… so expect a cameo or two from beloved characters, while discovering new bands of brothers, with the banter, the laughs and the tears you are used to.
The only problem is, I recently noticed my other childhood best friend is a woman.
One-of-the-guys Denver is a WOMAN.
Now, I can’t see anything else.
Kissing her would only make me crave so much more and I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.
I’m grieving my mom and I can’t lose her too.
But it’s a dare from the captain of my hockey team and I’m just a rookie.
I’m in a Catch-22 here.
This is Denny, though.
She’s my fixer.
She won’t mind helping me out.
Right?
Denver
I do.
Welcome to Oakwood College, Poughkeepsie, NY, where you will catch up with peeps like Shay, Victoria, Sofia, Wynter, Callan and so many new faces!! Classes start this summer!!
🏒Review🏒 Zach is a hockey player who is trying to deal with the emotional turmoil he feels when it comes to a devastating loss. His best friend Denny has always been there for him through every up and down that he has faced but now that they are roommates he isn’t sure if friends is still enough.
Denver has always felt judged by others for the way she looks but despite that she knows her worth. When it comes to those she cares about she will do anything for them and they will do the same in return however she is cautious that exploring what she could have with Zach might be something that they may not be able to recover from if it doesn’t work out.
The feelings between Zach and Denver were always intense but seeing their friendship evolve into romantic love was heartwarming. The way they support and are there for each other only shows the depth of their feelings and makes them stronger.
Lake looms in my doorway, filling the space ominously. The afternoon sun halos his face, highlighting his strong jaw, lined with a beard that looks trimmer than usual. It’s operating at scruff-level now, and that’s unfairly hot. I try not to stare, but my mind’s going haywire, and my gaze bounces all over him. He’s wearing jeans that hug his thighs, a maroon Henley that shows off the shape of his big biceps and the outline of his strong pecs, and a glimmer in his blue eyes. He’s the portrait of the athlete post-workout, his hair slicked back, and wet.
“I just took a shower after practice. It dried a little,” he says casually, running a big hand through his wet hair, almost, almost, in slow motion. “But you can just get it a little more wet, right?”
I blink, trying to process his words. But it’s hard with the way he looks right now, all muscular and clean, and the way he sounds, too, all gravelly and flirty.
“Yes, it’s wet,” I say slowly, like I’m mesmerized. Because I am.
His lips quirk up in the hint of a grin. “It is? Wet?”
“I mean, I’m wet,” I correct, then panic shoots through me at my faux pas. “I mean, you’re wet. Your hair is wet. Your hair is plenty wet. For a haircut that is. Wet enough for a haircut.”
That grin grows wider. He cocks his head. “So everything’s wet, Remy? That’s what I’m hearing?”
I clench my thighs, even though they ache. “Yep.”
I turn around so he can’t see the heat spreading across my cheeks. Not that it matters. Pretty sure he knows it’s there, and he’s the one responsible for it.
“Come inside,” I say, but then my mind replays my words. Come inside?
Ever hear the story about the dating coach who got dumped on the hockey arena’s jumbotron?
Everyone did. But I lived it. Including the moment when the team’s broody, tattooed star Lake Axelrod swooped in on skates to rescue me from public humiliation.
Even more surprising? When the famously grumpy (and ridiculously sexy) hockey player insists on being my fake boyfriend for my sister’s high-profile wedding. It’s the perfect sweet revenge plan since my ex is the best man. Bonus – I might even salvage my professional reputation.
We need rules though.
To pull this off, everyone from his teammates to my boss has to believe we’re a real couple.
That means swoony touches and knee-weakening kisses are required.
When it ends, we walk away.
But the intensity in Lake’s eyes after every post-game kiss makes me wonder if he’s pretending. With each whispered secret, the line between fake and real bends. Until it shatters one night in a hotel room.
Soon, he isn’t just playing the protective boyfriend—he’s the only one who truly sees me.
If I’m not careful, I’m going to break the most important rule of all: don’t fall for your fake date.
This is Lake and Remy’s romance. Tropes include: grumpy/sunshine hockey romance, fake dating, workplace romance, best friend’s brother, obsessed hero
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.
“Ruby, I need you to work with me on this,” I insisted.
“I’m doing my best, but you’re not making this easy. First, you want to put up cameras everywhere, and now a fence. The whole point of people coming back here again and again is that it’s so cozy and homey. It’s going to look anything but that. What will my guests say?”
“It’s only going to be for one day.”
She swallowed hard. “I can’t forgo lunch business for you to set up whatever you need.”
I didn’t respond, letting the silence linger between us. She’d have to do it my way in the end, or the party was going to be moved elsewhere. I knew Roger would understand, and hopefully Daphne would too.
“So, what exactly is your plan?” she asked. “When do you want to set everything up for the party? Lunch is done at two thirty, and the party starts at six. That’s plenty of time.”
“No, it’s not,” I retaliated. I was tired of this conversation and ready for it to end. I’d tell Roger this just wasn’t going to work, and they’d have to change venues. “It simply isn’t. I need the whole day.”
Ruby smiled. “Grant, please, can you relax a bit? I’m sure we can find a solution that works for both of us. Maybe you can just put up your cameras in the trees?”
Her placating me was setting me even more on edge now. No more concessions. “That’s not how I operate, Ruby.”
“Can’t you make exceptions?”
“No! And especially not for my friend’s engagement party.” Is she for real?
“It’s just that I really don’t believe anything will happen.”
Oh, she’s a psychic now? I was going to lose my sh*t in a second.
“Most things happen because people don’t take precautions.”
Ruby swallowed hard, and I watched her throat move. Damn it. She was so beautiful that I kept losing my train of thought.
“It’s just that I really, really don’t want you to put anything on this lawn. It’s going to leave marks in the grass, and it costs a lot to keep it the way it looks now.”
“Right. Then I’ll talk to Roger and Daphne—” she smiled hopefully”—and ask them to move the party somewhere else.”
Her smile completely fell. I felt like utter shit for making her feel like this. But honestly, my patience was gone, and this was the only solution to keep my friends safe.
“Why?” she asked.
“The party can’t take place here under the conditions you just laid out. I can only secure it to 90 percent, and I don’t do 90 percent.” It was all or nothing with me. Roger would understand.
She opened her mouth but didn’t say anything.
“No sense wasting more time discussing this any further,” I added.
“You’re right. Then I guess I’ll see you at the party—wherever it takes place.”
I nodded once. “Exactly.”
Blurb:
Grant
I built my global security empire from nothing. Control and discipline are the only rules I live by. Some might call me ‘intense’. I prefer ‘meticulously prepared for every disaster imaginable.’
Growing up in a group home with my two brothers taught me the only lesson that mattered: never let anyone close enough to hurt you. As a CEO, I don’t improvise. I plan. I command.
When I’m hired to provide security for an engagement party, I expect an easy job.
Instead, I meet a woman who treats my rules like optional suggestions. I’m used to being obeyed. Ruby clearly doesn’t plan on doing that. Not even a little.
She tempts me like no one else ever has. Whenever we’re together, my thoughts drift in dangerous directions. Wanting her becomes an obsession. I want to give her everything. But surrendering control means breaking my own rules. And I’ve never done that before.
Ruby
I love my restaurant, my life, and finding the bright side of just about everything. Hosting my best friend’s engagement party? Easy. Fun. Right up my alley.
What I’m not prepared for is Grant Clifford—and his many, many rules.
He’s a fine specimen of a man. Unfortunately, he also comes with a massive stick lodged firmly up his gorgeous behind. Under that perfectly tailored suit is a man who desperately needs to loosen up. Preferably with me.
The closer I get, the more clearly I see the scars beneath his rigid exterior. And I want to heal them all. But how do I reach a man who refuses to let anyone in?
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy comes a sweltering summer romance you won’t be able to put down.
Twenty-two-year-old heiress Rachel Henderson has one goal this summer: hide out at her family’s lake house and recover from the most mortifying breakup Manhattan society has ever witnessed. Sun, swimming, and zero paparazzi—what could go wrong?
But her quiet summer by the lake goes up in literal flames when a spa-day candle mishap sets her mother’s designer curtains on fire. When the local fire department shows up–specifically the ridiculously hot fire captain—the house is saved, but the captain scorches her pride with a lecture about fire safety.
Determined to prove she can handle life on her own without her family’s help, Rachel finds a new roommate and a new job—too bad she’s terrible at it. Oh, and she keeps running into Captain Tall-Dark-and-Infuriating (which definitely isn’t a hardship). The more time they spend together, the more their conversations start to get real, and Rachel finds herself falling for Wyatt. She thinks he might even feel the same way.
The only problem? Wyatt is all about roots and permanence, while Rachel is the very definition of flighty. But this summer, she just might be tempted to stay …
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🔥Review🔥 When Rachel’s personal life implodes very publicly she decides to distance herself from the situation by staying at her family’s holiday home. Her situation goes from bad to worse when an accident causes a fire which has her being rescued by Wyatt, the fire chief. With her father trying to get her to take responsibility she finds herself living and working at the local ice cream parlor where she finds herself experiencing things she has never been exposed to.
Wyatt is the fire chief and a single father to his daughter who he believes is the only woman he needs in his life. That holds especially true for Rachel as he believes she is scattered with no responsibilities while he needs to be focused on his career and his daughter but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t find her attractive.
This is a story of two very different people at very different times in their lives but they are exactly who the other needs in their life. He sees beyond the fact that Rachel has been sheltered to the woman she was meant to be and the romance between them was both humorous and heartwarming.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 