A brand new forced proximity, second chance MC romance.
He left me on our wedding day with a single message: I’m sorry.
Two years later, the man who broke my heart kicks down my door, cuffs us together, and drags me into the Louisiana bayou in the middle of winter.
Haze “Cipher” Gravemont.
The hunky rat bastard.
He’s also Savage Reign’s in-house hacker, outlaw enforcer, and the only man I ever loved. Sadly, because I would love to get over how easily his callused touch affects my blood pressure.
Anyway, the reason I’m cuffed to my hot ex is because my name is at the top of a hit list that is now in possession of his enemy.
Fun times.
And the Russian crime lord moving Euphoria through New Orleans wants me silenced.
Merry Christmas to me, I guess.
Cipher swears his remote cabin is all about my safety and not about getting me naked in the middle of nowhere.
Out here, there’s no escape, no cell signal and no streaming.
It’s just him in my space looking like a wet dream come true.
But dammit! He’s the enemy of my heart who still knows how to touch me like I’m his. And we all are about to learn just how fast my body betrays me when moonlight mixes with midnight fantasies.
But when the danger hunting us closes in, I have to decide if I can trust the man who left my heart crushed with my life or if I risk the bayou and save myself.
Harlow works for the FBI and has been gathering intel on a dangerous drug when she finds herself in danger. What she didn’t expect was that the man who broke her heart a few years earlier would abduct her in order to keep her safe.
Cipher is a member of the MC who ended his relationship with Harlow believing he was making the right choice. When he finds out she is in danger there is nothing he won’t do to keep her safe and fight for a second chance even if that means he must resort to extraordinary tactics.
The chemistry and feelings between Cipher and Harlow is stronger than ever as they find themselves in a fight not only for their future but for their lives as well.
Why you will love this book: 🔥Small Town 🔥RomCom 🔥Hockey Romance 🔥Found Family 🔥Grumpy Sunshine 🔥Fake Dating 🔥Whole town hates him! 🔥Parks & Rec meets Bonkers Hockey!
Welcome to Rebel, Louisiana—where the humidity feels personal, even the otters hold grudges, and chaos is a competitive sport.
I used to play hockey in sold-out arenas. Now my wrecked knee and I are stuck in a little bayou town that’s been mad at me for a year. I need a big comeback–and ZERO drama.
So first thing, I get tackled at the airport by a sunshiny woman in yellow overalls who’s thwarting my kidnapping… by her grandpas.
That’s Nora Delaune—Parks & Rec director, caffeine-powered menace, and the only person in Rebel willing to give me a chance. She needs me to win games and help save the town’s ice arena before it gets turned into a laser-tag nightmare.
And I… kind of like being needed by her. Even when she’s producing a singing, dancing, wig-wearing ice extravaganza that is definitely not hockey.
Then my sister—the team’s new owner—drops the bomb: if Nora and I “date,” the town might stop hating me.
Fine. We’ll fake it. As long as we don’t call it love.
But between late-night practices, the sugar-addicted swamp-werewolf mascot, otter drama, and the way Nora looks at me like I’m worth rooting for…I’m in trouble.
I came to Rebel to rebuild my career. I didn’t expect to lose my heart doing it.
Nine months ago, I had one perfect, reckless night with Jasper Lawrence, the tall, tattooed firefighter who made me feel fearless. I told myself it was a mistake I’d never repeat.
Then he finds me at the Maple Festival… in labor with our surprise baby.
The best part? I had no idea I was pregnant.
Now Jasper is everywhere. The two of us stumble through new parenthood together. And he doesn’t just step up, he moves in. Almost. He pitches a tent in my backyard and sleeps outside so he’s never far away from us. He’s a shirtless, helpful menace who cooks, cleans, and cuddles our son. He makes me feel safe, seen, and wanted. And I hate how much I love it.
Every time I shove him away, he shows back up, golden retriever energy and all, with coffee and pastries in tow, ready to carry the baby, the groceries, and occasionally me.
I came to Maplewood, Vermont, to discover my independence. But it’s hard to keep my distance when the town’s been shaken by danger, the scars from my past refuse to stay buried, and the firefighter I should absolutely avoid keeps setting my world on fire.
Turns out the biggest threat to me in America’s most charming small town might be the man who won’t stop rescuing me.
Author’s Note: Sap & Secrets is a small-town romance featuring a curvy black cat, a tattooed golden retriever, and a (very cute) surprise baby. If you enjoy acts of service, small-town shenanigans, and maple syrup madness, you will not be disappointed.
Series Note: Welcome to Maplewood, Vermont. America’s Most Charming Small Town has some dark, sticky secrets. Come for the maple syrup, festivals, and cheese wars; stay for swoon.
✨ TEASER: PLAYING FOR THE PRESIDENT’S DAUGHTER by @authorkimberlyknight & @rachellynadams releasing February 2nd! Pre-Order now at your favorite book vendor as it will be exclusive to Amazon on release day!
The president’s daughter shouldn’t be sharing a bed with two men.
She definitely shouldn’t still be thinking about them after one night together.
Faye Donnelley lives with every move photographed or judged. She can handle gossip blogs and political narratives, but what she really wants is something that isn’t for public consumption. One Fourth of July with two college baseball players finally gives her a night that isn’t for cameras or anyone outside that room.
Dylan Statler and Jase Matthewson are best friends, stepbrothers, and college teammates with dreams of making it to the big leagues. Hooking up with the president’s daughter was supposed to be a one-time thing. Except they can’t stop checking Faye’s socials or replaying how it felt with her pressed between them, their hands and mouths all over her.
After Dylan and Jase are drafted by different teams hundreds of miles apart, their private group text with Faye turns into stolen weekends, hotel rooms, and late-night video calls they can’t resist. It starts to feel like they aren’t just playing for their careers, but for the president’s daughter, and for something between the guys they can’t ignore.
If their relationship gets exposed, Faye could become a political talking point while sports media outlets dissect Dylan and Jase’s personal lives instead of their stats. That fallout would be bad enough, but when a terrifying moment shakes their world, it forces them to decide if they’re willing to risk it all or walk away from a relationship that only works when all three are together.
✨TEASER: ON BORROWED TIME by @harlowjamesauthor releasing January 16th! This will be a simultaneous release in Audio with the amazing narrators Connor Crais & Vanessa Edwin in DUET!
Being a nanny for a newly single dad wasn’t the job I applied for when I decided to lick my wounds in Blossom Peak.
But showing him my bare backside wasn’t in my plans either.
When the pursuit of my dream career seemed unattainable, instead of going home and proving my parents right, I made a detour to the small mountain town I remember visiting as a kid.
I just wanted a waitressing job to make some extra money while I figured out my next steps.
But then the lumberjack of an owner begged me to help him with his three month-old daughter that he just found out existed, and I couldn’t resist his plea.
Or his massive physique—the one I saw every detail of when he appeared shirtless in front of me three times in the first week.
The problem with living together though is there’s little space, especially when my boss is so closed off that he’s like a nut I want to crack open.
And when I do, he steals the breath from my lungs—and reignites my creativity as well.
But I gave myself a deadline to figure out what’s next.
Nowhere in that plan though did I account for falling for Henley Clark.
Turns out the heart doesn’t care, even when you’re on borrowed time.
A Year in Montana: Montana Romance Collection by Ember Davis releases January 21st!
Spend a year in Montana and fall in love over and over again.
NEW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
After needing a chance of scenery, Walker is the newest town resident and officer on the police force. When he pulls Morgan over for speeding, it changes both their lives. Finding out who Morgan is should send Walker running, but he’s not walking away from the woman meant to be his.
WINTER MEMORIES
For Fletcher Burns, the only woman to ever have his heart is Eden. Distance and duty pulled them apart, but life went on. When Eden comes back home, Fletcher takes the chance given to him. He claims Eden and her son without hesitation making their love a reality instead of just memories.
SPRING FORWARD
Noel Burns is on a mission to finally settle into life at Limitless Ranch and carve out the place where he belongs. With his goal to bring an equine therapy program to the ranch, he seeks out someone to help; Delaney shows up. She’s been caring for her younger brother while getting therapy programs started across the country. Maybe she was always meant to find her home in Montana.
SUMMER REDEMPTION
Sunshine has something to prove when she returns as the newest vet in town. Huxley Burns has a lot to prove—to himself, his family, and to Sunshine. She’s not the girl she used to be; he’s realized that the guy he was did damage, even though he didn’t mean to. Will Huxley be able to show Sunshine the man he’s become and win her heart?
FALL BACK
Carson Burns always felt like the black sheep of the Burns Family; being the only girl didn’t help. She left Montana to chase her dreams and become a tattoo artist. When she goes back home, she wants to keep her arrival quiet. But then her brother’s best friend and cop, Jared, almost arrests her. He’s not letting her go, even when her past shows up in town.
London is a celebrity on the rodeo circuit and because of that attention Dillon has been hired for security. She has deep feelings for him and her attempts to get his attention don’t always have her making the right choices, but he is always there whenever he needs her.
Dillon took the assignment because of his feelings for her but he also believes that he isn’t the right man for her. He was prepared to keep their relationship strictly professional but he soon realizes that he not only wants to protect her but be with her as well.
Dillon is both protective and possessive while London is a woman who knows what she wants and that means pursuing the man she has always wanted.
Samantha Skye is a contemporary romance author from Melbourne, Australia. A country kid turned city slicker, Samantha writes characters that are as diverse as they are devilishly handsome.
Her unique brand of suspenseful spice deftly combines the risky and the risqué, setting hearts pounding for more than one reason! When she’s not plotting her next novel, Samantha can be found chatting on podcasts, or anywhere there’s sunshine.
An avid traveler, Samantha is just as comfortable in gumboots as she is in Christian Louboutins…but she’s usually having more fun in the latter.
Small towns aren’t meant for billionaire movie stars, but somehow, Sutton Silvers fits right in. I know I should ignore him, the diner regular with his easy charm and quiet intensity. He belongs to another world, one of flashing cameras, billion-dollar contracts, and fake Hollywood smiles. I belong here, in the safety of routine. In the safety of Whispers.
But Sutton sees through the walls I’ve built, through the secret past I keep hidden. He should walk away, just like I should guard my heart. But there’s something about him, the way he looks at me like I’m worth the risk, that has me wanting more.
I know better than to dream of a future with a man like him. And yet, when danger starts creeping closer, he’s the one stepping in, refusing to let me face it alone. He has a choice to leave Hollywood behind or risk it all for the chance that I’m his forever.
He should be off limits, but he’s the best kind of trouble.
Briar
My father gave me the family brewery as an early Christmas present.
Generous, right? Except every single person on staff just quit, and I only have a budget that’ll last through the end of the year.
I need a miracle.
Lucky for me, my best friend Hannah’s big brother, Liam, is a genius brewer, and she convinces him to quit his job and come work for me. She only has one condition: I can never date him.
It’s an easy agreement to make. I’ve vowed to stay away from men after an embarrassing breakup, and I’d never sleep with someone who works for me. Besides, Liam’s an amateur boxer and frankly a bit terrifying.
Only…it turns out my best friend’s brooding, insanely talented big brother is the only man who’s ever really understood me.
Liam
I promised my sister not to date any more of her friends, because the last time I tried, it ended badly. Very badly.
I took this job thinking it wouldn’t be a problem to stay away from Briar. She’s a daddy’s girl who looks like a princess and talks like a boarding school teacher. Not my type.
But the woman I wrote off knows a lot about beer, and she’s a whole lot tougher than I gave her credit for. I want to run this brewery with her…and I want her too.
To my complete shock, I’m falling hard for my boss, and if my sister finds out, there will be hell to pay.
Note: There are TWO different versions of this romcom:
1) A spicy open door version with some strong language and sex scenes
2) A closed door version with mild language and only kissing.
Quiet. Serious. Protective. All words Stone Sylver would use to describe himself. And yet, something in his classic blue eyes said he was so much more. Buried beneath the years of raising his younger siblings and being a small town sheriff was a man looking for love.
Of course, I didn’t get all that the first night we met. The night we did a one-two step in a hotel hallway and knocked heads. The same night we shared a sweet potato cupcake and a single kiss.
Why didn’t we share more? The moment became a great mystery to me and because I thought he was only a brief interlude in my wanderlust life, I wasn’t prepared to see him again in Sterling Falls.
Visiting the small town where I once lived, I learn the man who I witnessed act like a superhero was more entwined in my past than I’d remembered. And for a woman often afraid of a future, I suddenly craved one…with him. Which made no sense as I’d never stuck in one place before. No one had ever asked me to stay.
Then again, from our first encounter, I knew Stone Sylver was different.
My job is simple: make Maverick Jennings, the world’s grumpiest quarterback, look like a decent human being. If I can’t fix his reputation, I can kiss my dream of launching my own brand consulting business goodbye.
His job? Making my life a living nightmare.
He’s arrogant, impossible, and entirely too handsome for someone so determined to self-destruct. He rejects every idea, challenges every strategy, and looks at me like he can’t decide whether to strangle me or kiss me. Honestly, same.
But the closer I get to the man behind the headlines, the more I realize his scowl is hiding a world of pain.
He’s my most difficult client. I’m his last chance.
It only takes one reckless night to change everything.
Somewhere between tension and temptation, protecting his image became more than just a job. Now my career is in the red zone, and the wrong choice between loyalty and love could cost me everything.
RED ZONE is a spicy Pro Football, Enemies to Lovers, Grumpy/Sunshine Romance from Amazon Top Ten Bestselling author Lisa Suzanne. This standalone in the Bradley Legacy is a swoony, emotional roller coaster that will tug at your heartstrings.
🏈Review🏈 Being traded to quarterback the team in Las Vegas was supposed to be a fresh start for Maverick however he is still having the same problems when it comes to reputation. The team isn’t about to let it continue so they hire Everleigh to help turn things around and it was beginning to work until he finds himself with a difficult choice when it comes to his career and the feelings he has for her.
The opportunity to go to Vegas will allow Everleigh to open her own company if everything goes well. She had declined offers to work with athletes in the past due to her family’s connections to sports so when she finds out who her client would be she has reservations. Understanding why he acts the way he does brings them closer, but she finds herself torn when it comes to her feelings for him.
Maverick has a tumultuous past which ensures that he doesn’t allow anyone close and also leads to some bad choices and Everleigh is the first person that he wants to be close to however their path contains both emotion and angst. Liam Dicosimo does a masterful job bringing out the many facets of Maverick’s personality while Stefanie Kay brings out the conflict that Everleigh is feeling both personally and professionally.
Kennedy lives in Dallas with her husband, son, and 80lb Goldendoodle who still believes he’s a lap dog. A bookworm at heart, Kennedy loves to snuggle up in bed or by the campfire with an unputdownable book. She began writing two years ago with Falling for the Chance and has no plans of stopping. Her novels are witty, action-packed, and offer enough steam for a great facial. If you like strong heroines and sexy, tattooed men who can’t keep their hands off them, then this author is the one for you.
Am I broken beyond repair, or can the two men who want me, flaws and all, help me love myself enough to give us a chance at a happily ever after?
Barely escaping my abusive ex, I find refuge in a sliver of Alaskan paradise in the tiny town of Anchor Bay. A great job, a cute cabin situated inside the poly community, and new friends — things are great, except for him.
Langston Allen. Jerk extraordinaire, never lets me have a moment’s peace and, for some reason, hates me. Tatted, grumpy and with a stalking fetish, the man pushes me at every turn, but the underlying heated tension between us confuses me as much as it does him.
Good thing he comes with his best friend with benefits, West O’Donnell. Not only is he sexy, sweet, and kind, but the man has dimples that make me melt with every shy smile flashed my way.
Still putting together the pieces of my shattered self, getting involved with the two men is a terrible decision, but the pull between us becomes too much for any of us to withstand. When my past and present collide, can I withstand the impact, or will I disappear again, this time for good?
Only Theirs is the third book in the Anchor Bay series. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone (each book will have an HEA for the main throuple), however the mystery/case discussed in book one will continue through the full series and will conclude in book 5. Please note this book does include two males who are into each other and one female who doesn’t have to choose between them.
Cecily Hampton’s first date with Dominic Bellinger started out like a dream. The conversation? Flowing. The chemistry? Sizzling. But when Cecily overhears a phone call Dom steps away to take, she grabs her purse and makes a run for it. She knows a red flag when she sees one.
Unfortunately, avoiding Dom becomes impossible when they’re both summoned to Las Vegas to celebrate their mutual friends. Armed with a vow to hate Dom forever, Cecily lands in Sin City ready to unleash her dirtiest looks on him. Except, Dom’s salty attitude is making it clear Cecily isn’t the only one with hard feelings.
When shooting daggers turns into shooting tequila, Dom and Cecily wake up to find themselves with a nasty hangover and new titles: Mr. & Mrs.
A rush to undo the drunken mistake is halted when Cecily’s grandmother announces she’s dying, and her final wish is to road trip around Arizona with her family. Including her granddaughter’s new husband.
Cecily can’t decide which is worse – being stuck in a luxury motor coach with Dom, or her estranged family.
But somewhere between a stay at a haunted hotel and unwittingly attending a nudist colony, their thinly veiled insults and barbed remarks give way to the attraction from their first date. They tell themselves it’s just this once…twice…ok, three times.
Scratching an itch starts looking a lot like newlywed bliss. And their temporary marriage? It just might turn into forever.
Download today or read for FREE with #kindleunlimited
🧡Review🧡 Cecily thought things were going well with Dominic until she overhears a conversation that has her wanting nothing to do with him. That is easier said than done when they find themselves in Vegas to celebrate their upcoming nuptials but a little too much to drink results in her marrying Doninic. She just wants an annulment, and they can both go their separate ways however when her family finds out that is no longer possible.
Dom isn’t sure what went so wrong at their first meeting, but he certainly didn’t expect to find himself married to her. He is all in for an annulment as well however when he finds out about her grandmother’s request he agrees to stay married for the short term however pretending they are in love is beginning to feel very real.
Dom and Cecily’s romance is a slow burn that leads off with a misunderstanding and is filled with family, fun and all the feels.
“Here we go,” Kirby mumbles as he steps into the front seat and moves over to sit. He sits down and the man comes over and pushes down the harness over his chest. “Shit, this is getting real.” He looks over at me and I can see his foot moving up and down with nerves. I reach my hand over to put it on his leg, his hand covering mine. “I think I’m going to vomit.”
I don’t want to laugh at him; this big strong man who gave me courage to take the biggest leap of my life is scared of such a small thing. “It’s okay, I’m here.” I turn my hand over in his and he shocks me by raising our hands to his lips as he kisses my fingertips.
“If I die, at least I’ll have kissed a part of you,” he says. I don’t know if he knows he’s said it out loud, as I try to calm my own nerves that are coming on for a whole different reason.
The sound of the lock clicking into place makes it even more real. The attendant comes over to make sure we’re securely in our seat. “Shit, I should have maybe kissed you for real if I’m going to perish.” He then closes his eyes as the roller coaster starts to move. “Shit, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he repeats and I see him swallow as he squeezes my hand. “Oh my God!” he yelps as we move up toward the top. The clicking the whole time is louder than it should be. “In case we die”—he looks over at me—“I should tell you that you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my whole life, and I thought that the very first time I saw you.”
But when the sexy single dad athlete saves me from a cake contest catastrophe—and shows me how good he is with his hands—I blurt out the world’s worst business pitch: Want to invest in my bakery?
With no loan or backup plan, this is my last shot at proving I’m more than my past mistakes, and shockingly, he says yes.
We set one rule: don’t mix business with pleasure. Except Corbin Knight’s impossible to resist.
When he’s not scoring goals, he’s staying up late with me to test tempting recipes. Braiding my hair before we bake like it’s foreplay. Giving me his jersey to wear to games.
I try to keep a professional distance from the bossy, possessive and dangerously flirty hockey player, but soon we’re testing the limits of the kitchen counter.
This bakery is my chance to finally get my life right, so I fight the messy feelings. Until one night, he shows up after closing and admits he can’t stop thinking about me.
Suddenly I’m ready to break every rule—no matter the cost to our dreams.
In a flash, he dips his brush into the red paint, then darts out a strong arm, wraps it around my waist, and grips me in place. He lifts the brush and brandishes it.
Inches from my face.
My breath catches.
Everything goes silent between us. The Frank Ocean tune finishes. The air crackles. He’s holding me and staring at me, all while threatening me with red paint in a way I want to be threatened, judging from the heat climbing up my legs.
“I have no choice,” he murmurs at last, then he drags the brush along the hollow of my throat.
It’s cool and soft, the paintbrush slick and surprisingly sensuous as he runs it slowly down to my chest, bristles turning a swath of my pale skin red. He stops at the neckline of my shirt.
All thought flees my head. I’m nothing but atoms and vibrating molecules. I can’t even speak. I’m just breathing—and breathing him in.
The scent of paint, delightfully non-toxic, mixes with his aftershave. Or maybe it’s bodywash. I don’t know, but that campfire-by-the-lake scent is not only going to my head, it’s going to my thighs. I squeeze them together, lick my lips, and try to find a word, a phrase—something to tease him with.
But when his brow furrows again, like he’s at war with himself, I stay quiet. His silent debate stretches a few seconds, then he gives in with a raspy, “You have red paint on your chest.”
“Like a candy apple,” I say.
His gaze strays to the canvas of me, his eyes turning darker, glimmering like emeralds. When he raises his face, he drops the brush to the floor. It clatters against the drop cloth, a spray of red splattering on the ground. But I don’t care where, since the sound of the brush falling feels like a before and after. Mine falls from my hand and splatters too.
Slowly, teasingly, Corbin runs his calloused finger across the paint on my body. I pant ludicrously loud. It feels too good.
“Good enough to bite,” he muses as he traces a circle near my breastbone.
“I don’t think the paint would taste good,” I say.
“Probably not, but this would.”
His lips come crashing down on mine, and I grab him, my fingers roping through his messy hair, tugging him close. He kisses me hard, a little ruthlessly, all teeth and heat and need.
My brain is buzzing, my body humming, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m keenly aware there’s a pretty mural inches from us, and I just don’t want to mess it up.
“The mural,” I whisper with concern.
He backs up, away from our work, scanning it to make sure we didn’t smear it. It’s safe. He spins me around and pushes me against the brass pole.
Is that a sign? “Do you want me to strip?” I ask in between hot, wet, deep kisses.
“Don’t tempt 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 