Muscular, tattooed, and bearded, Ace Carney is intimidating as hell and my opposite in every way.
Ā
With his piercing gray eyes and gruff demeanor, he reminds me of the wolf shifters from my favorite romance novels.
Ā
Unfortunately, this is real life, not fiction. Thereās no way one of the NFLās top linebackers would fall for a klutzy future aerospace engineerāIām not that lucky.
Ā
With graduation only months away, my focus should be on maintaining my grades. Yet, the moments Ace and I spend together prove that below his grumpy exterior lies the heart of a gentle giant.
Ā
Weāre at different points in our lives. Heās approaching the end of his career and mineās about to begin.
Ā
I shouldnāt let myself fall in love with the linebacker. But falling never felt so good.
Ā
šReviewš
At first glance Ace and Mariko couldnāt be more different between the 13 year age difference and the fact that they are at different places in their lives as she is ready to begin her career as an aerospace engineer while he has a time limit on his career as a professional football player.
Their connection to each other goes far beyond the physical as they relate to each other in all aspects of their lives as they take us on a romantic, humorous and emotional ride which will have you invested in their story and their relationship with each other that you wonāt be able to put down.
Jacob Chance grew up in New England and still lives there today. Heās a martial artist, a football fan, a practical joker, and junk food lover.
A USA Today bestselling author of sports romance and romantic suspense, Jacob plans on writing many more stories.
Join us for the cover reveal of Abandon Ship, the next book in the Love at Sea Series. Keep reading for more details about this sexy, jilted bride romance.
Title: Abandon Ship
Author: Karigan Hale
Release Date: 11/14/2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Jilted Bride Romance, Best Friendās Sibling, Romantic Comedy
Scoring my dream job with the industryās leading travel magazine was a lucky break. Unfortunately, Iām just about out of luck. This all-expenses-paid cruise my employer sent me on is my last chance to save my reputation. I have to stay focused despite all the beautiful, single women on this Love at Sea cruise. Yep. Focused. Focused on my job. NOT on my best friendās little sister, all grown up and smoking hot, looking like she needs someone to help her get over her freshly broken heart. On second thought, maybe a little distraction couldnāt hurt. Maybe an offer of a no-strings-attached rebound will help get her out of my system. Then I can concentrate on saving my career before we both Abandon Ship. Abandon Ship is a jilted bride romance, part of the Love at Sea multi-author series. Get ready to set sail through the Caribbean on Festival Cruisesā most alluring voyage with eight of your favorite authors – happily ever after guaranteed! Experience everything the Love at Sea series has to offer. From speed dating to masquerades, guests are sure to enjoy the hot days and steamy nights. Explore hidden waterfalls, swim with dolphins, and watch as eight couples find their forever on the open ocean.
Karigan Hale is a writer, reader, wife, mother, teacher, and photographer. She married her high school sweetheart and has been a hopeful romantic ever since.
Sheās highly susceptible to sudden summer thunderstorms and happily ever afters. Highly allergic to poison ivy and early mornings. And highly addicted to fountain sodas and true crime.
When sheās not reading or writing swoon-worthy romances, sheās usually stalkiā¦er, chasing her two daughters around with her camera, grading papers, or cleaning up after the animals on her mini-farm (at least emus, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats are cute, right?).
Get ready to set sail through the Caribbean on Festival Cruisesā most alluring voyage with eight of your favorite authors – happily ever after guaranteed!
Experience everything the Love at Sea series has to offer. From speed dating to masquerades, guests are sure to enjoy the hot days and steamy nights. Explore hidden waterfalls, swim with dolphins, and watch as eight couples find their forever on the open ocean.
Each story features a brand new couple and a fun trope from our amazing line up of authors including: Kate Stacy, HM Thomas, Mari Sol, S.A. Clayton, T.L. Anderson, Karigan Hale, Susan Renee, and A.M. Williams.
This promotional event is brought to you by TheIndie Pen PR
Bayou with Benefits, an all-new nanny meets single dad small town romance featuring a hot firefighter from New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas is out now!
They are friends. Without benefits. Unfortunately. Michael LeClaire is small-town Louisiana. A firefighter. A single dad. And Amelia Landry is New York City. A social media influencer. A model. Sure, sheās his sonās favorite person on the planet. And yeah, their families spend so much time together itās hard to remember who shares DNA and who just shares secrets, inside jokes, and a sincere lack of boundaries. And okay, heās seen her nerdy side. Her sweet side. Her funny, self-deprecating side. Fine, yes, resisting this woman has taken a saintās share of willpower. But he has to. He just cannot do long-distance. And he canāt have a casual fling with someone heās knownāand will knowāforever. Thankfully, he only has to hide his feelings a few times a year when she visits. And then, he slips. One time. One spontaneous I-knew-it-would-be-everything kiss and heās a goner. Now every time they see each other itās harder and harder to ignore the heat. And when she shows up on his doorstep after a car accident changes her entire life, thereās no way he can resist the chance to see if this can lastā¦or if theyāll finally flame out.
Keep reading for a look inside Bayou with Benefits!
āIf you donāt want our sisters to think theyāre right about everything, you have to quit looking at me like that.ā
Michael LeClaire had three choices here.
He could pretend he had no idea what Amelia Landry was talking about, turn, smile nonchalantly, and try to have a normal, casual conversation with her.
That was going to be nearly impossible, of course. This was Ami. There was no being casual around her. He hadnāt been able to pull nonchalant off since heād first seen her walk down the dock in a lime green bikini the summer sheād turned twenty. But then, eleven months ago, everything had changed and nowā¦yeah, casual was completely off the table.
Heād known sheād be here. Of course. It was her sisterās wedding. She was a bridesmaid. Heād been preparing to see her. Still, it had been three months and the last timeā¦leaving her at that airport had been so much harder than heād expected. He didnāt think thereād be anything casual about the things heād end up saying to her tonight if they talked alone.
His second option was setting something on fire so that he would have to don his fire gear and do something with his evening other than watch Ami in her off-the-shoulder peach-colored bridesmaid dress, laughing and dancing and looking fucking stunning while he struggled to remember why they were only friends. As he did every single time she stood too close to him.
The reasons were good. He knew that. The primary one being that she lived in fucking New York City and he lived in Autre, Louisiana and that would just never work out. He had a kid. He was the fire chief here. His entire family was here. He couldnāt move to New Yorkānor did he want toāand he couldnāt travel there on a regular basis.
Ami was a model. Sheād just landed a huge contract. The contract sheād been hoping and working for. Sheād moved from Shreveport to New York only three months ago. She wasnāt coming back to Louisiana and also couldnāt be traveling back here on a regular basis.
Fuck New York City.
Yeah, setting something on fire kind of seemed like a great idea.
And then there was his third option: turning, throwing her over his shoulder, taking her straight back to his house, and not letting her out of his bed for a week, whether they could be together long-term or not.
Which would only make all of thisāthe wanting her, the thinking about her, the missing herāso much worse.
He wasnāt going to be able to do any of those three things.
He was screwed.
So, he sucked in a deep lungful of oxygen and turned, deciding to go with his fourth optionājust praying to not fuck everything up. āAm I that obvious?ā
Ami smiled up at him. āI just really think itās unfair that theyāre assuming things that I didnāt actually get to experience.ā
He shook his head. āDonāt.ā
āDonāt what? Talk about how Charlie and Naomi are assuming their matchmaking worked and we spent the entire weekend you were in New York in bed together?ā
āAmi,ā he said, his voice low with warning.
āHey, youāre the one looking at me like youāve seen me naked and want to again,ā she said. āDonāt blame me.ā
He tossed back the rest of his drink, wished it was alcohol and not just soda, reminded himself that staying completely sober while Ami was in town for the first time since New York was a really, really good idea, and said, āThatās not how Iām looking at you.ā
She put a hand on her hip. āThen how would you describe the way youāve been watching me from across the room but totally ignoring me whenever weāre close enough to talk?ā
āLike Iāve been jerking off practically every night for the past three months because I didnāt get you naked, and like since you got back to town Iāve been constantly about ten seconds away from picking you up, taking you home, and tying you to my bed for the next week or two.ā
Okay, so even without alcohol he was going to be dangerously inappropriate. And honest. Just as heād feared.
Her eyes went wide.
Then she grinned. āYes. Youāre right. Thatās a much better, more specific, description.ā
About Erin Nicholas
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as sheās been reading them. To date, sheās written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as ātoe-curling,ā āenchanting,ā āsteamy,ā and āfun.ā She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.
Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be āshockedā by the sex scenes in her books).
šReviewš Michael is a firefighter, a single father and a man that any woman would be happy to call her own. He has been denying is attraction to Ami for a while as despite the special relationship she shares with his son the differences in their lifestyles and plans for the future are too much to overcome until one accident changes everything.
Ami is a beautiful woman, both inside and out, who has built a successful career as a model. She has been attracted to Michael for a while and doesnāt understand why he is distancing himself from her. All it will take is one accident to change her perspective and realize that the happiness she is looking for doesnāt lay in New York but in Autre with Michael and his son.
Ami is facing so many changes both personally and professionally and Michael is so supportive. Although they have some challenges to overcome with the help of their friends and family there is never any doubt that they will find the happiness they both deserve.
Temptation could destroy everything heād spent his career buildingā¦
Professional hockey player Jean-Michel Vander is living the dreamā¦. And the Las Vegas strip is a long way from the small town in Quebec where he grew up. He works hard but he plays harder, especially in the off-season. The sexy redhead he spots doing a striptease in a Paris nightclub is all kinds of fun.
Until he finds out who her father isā¦ and she becomes all kinds of trouble.
College graduate Daisy DeSantos is living her best life spending the summer traveling abroad with her friends in Europe. Before heading back home to Las Vegas to start her new life, she wants to live a little. When she dances with a handsome stranger in a nightclub, she gets more than she bargained for: a viral video and a fake boyfriend.
The pretend relationship might have started out as a cover story, but their feelings are anything but fake.
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author Kat Mizera is a South Florida native. Born in Miami Beach with a healthy dose of wanderlust, she’s called Los Angeles, Long Island, upstate New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Atlanta home. She’s never been able to pick which locale is her favorite, but if pressed, she’d probably choose the west coast.
A typical PTA mom with a wonderful and supportive husband (Kevin) and two amazing boys (Nick and Max), Kat can usually be found scrapbooking or indulging in her second love (after writing) – traveling. Greece is one of her favorite places in the world. She loves that Athens is a big city with a small-town feel. The food, beaches and culture keep her going back as often as possible.
Kat’s been a working freelance writer for nearly 30 years. She sold her first article–a review of a rock concert–for $10 in 1985. Since then she’s been an entertainment journalist, waitress, bartender, legal assistant, food critic, magazine editor, substitute teacher, and sports writer. She also spent some time working at A & M Records in Los Angeles.
As you can guess from her Las Vegas Sidewinders series, Kat loves hockey and occasionally writes articles about her favorite team, the Florida Panthers. The rest of the time, she writes novels: sexy, romantic fiction that she hopes makes you as happy as it makes her. There’s something enticing about hockey players and romance…
Wheeler by Colleen Charles releases on October 25th! https://geni.us/WheelerCC FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Throughout my time as an elite hockey player, Iāve had a few hookups.
But there’s only one I canāt get out of my mind.
Stella left me high and dry in Costa Rica with a bruised ego and a broken heart after a single perfect day.
I wish Iād ignored all the rules with her. I wish Iād made her mine in every way that mattered.
Instead, I pushed her out of my mind, buckled down and became the team captain of the Vegas Venom, leading them to their first Stanley Cup.
But all of the accomplishments in the world canāt stop her memory from haunting me.
And when she breezes back to Vegas for a photo shoot where Iām her modelāherā¦uhhā¦nude modelāand doesnāt seem to remember me, my heart drops.
So I give her the best deep freeze I can muster while I build bigger walls around my heart.
Then she starts chipping away at my hard exterior. In order to let her in, Iāll have to trust her.
And Iām not sure I could survive it if she left me again…
About the Author: Colleen Charles is the USA Today Bestselling author of Perfectly Imperfect Romance for perfectly imperfect readers.
Take a chance and join her… you won’t be sorry you did.
Colleen loves to hear from her readers, and she answers all communications personally. You can find her at:
From USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Xavier Neal comes the next book in the action-packed, laugh-out-loud, paranormal romance series you don’t want to miss…
You hate Mondays?
Try finding out that the mother you thought was dead is actually alive, being attacked by elves – who are definitely not Santa’s friendly little helpers – and discovering that you’re not nearly as human as you believed you were.
Yeah.
All before five o’clock.
Oh, and just in case all that wasn’t enough to have me reaching for a bottle of wine rather than a glass, it turns out I’m also mated to an ancient dragon.
An ancient dragon who just so happens to be my boss.
Argh.
Any chance this is just one giant cos-play convention I don’t remember registering for?
No?
Well, it’d be irresponsible for me to not at least ask if that were a possibility.
āļøReviewāļø
When it comes to his family Ptur has been the one who does the rescuing however now the tables are turned when he is rescued by Camille, one of his employees. It was surprising enough to find out that his attacker shares a past with Camille but even more surprising to find out that she is his mate.
Camille doesnāt know what to expect when she tries to stop an altercation, but she certainly never expected to see the two culprits were her boss and her estranged mother. Still reeling from that news she finds out that there is so much she doesnāt know about herself including her mate.
Humor, heat and heart as Ptur and Camille find themselves adjusting to their situation and each other as well as fighting those who are against them. I really enjoyed Ptur and Camilleās story and it was great catching up with all the other characters we know and love.
About the Author:
Xavier Neal is a best-selling romance author who enjoys hopping from sub genre to sub genre like a game of Hopscotch she can’t resist.
In between writing, she loves to read (everything from romance to self improvement books), watch movies (old and new), eat too much Tex-Mex (her Chuy’s t-shirt collection is out of control), and watch AHL hockey games LIVE (preferably against the glass whenever possible).
She currently resides happily in Texas with her bearded husband “Lumberjackā and their two fur babies.
Fractured Sky, a moving and passionate, forced proximity, grumpy hero contemporary romance from USA Today bestselling author Catherine Cowles is coming on October 25th, and we have your first look!
Ramsey
My skin prickled, an awareness and phantom energy washing over me as I stroked the geldingās back. My gaze pulled to the ridge. But Shiloh wasnāt there. It was the flash of her long braid in the breeze that cued me into her new location.
My breath caught in my throat at seeing those light blue eyes close-up. They could steal every last semblance of sanity from a manās brain. I froze, standing stock-still.
Shiloh didnāt say a word, just watched from her seat on the ground right outside the pen. Her gaze locked on my hand on the horseās back. He twitched in place, and I let a few silent curses fly.
I wasnāt easily distracted. I prided myself on my focus and ability to tune out the rest of the world when I worked with the horses. My jaw clenched as I zeroed in on the task at hand. But I was aware of my dog making his way over to herāthe traitor.
Sliding my palm across the geldingās back, I gave him a good scratch. He pushed against my hand, wanting more of the contact. That hunger for connection was a good sign. I backed away, reaching for the blanket on the fence rail. The horse shied away from me a few steps.
I stood where I was, rubbing my hand against the fabric. I wanted him to see that he had nothing to fear. I waited for the shiftāthe one I could feel from across the pen. The one that meant an easing in his energy. As soon as I felt it, I stepped forward.
The geldingās gaze locked on the colorful, woven blanket. It was one of my favorites. Made by a local woman, it reminded me of a sunsetāthe colors of a brightly painted sky. Slowly, I lifted the blanket and let the horse sniff it. It was freshly laundered, so it didnāt have the scent of any other animals.
He inhaled and then huffed out a breath.
āSee, nothing to worry about.ā I lifted the blanket to his neck and rubbed gently.
The horse braced himself at first, muscles locked and seemingly ready to bolt. But as no pain came, he eased a bit. The geldingās acceptance of the something new happened in slow shifts. I lost track of time in the dance. There was only him and me.
Finally, he stood in a relaxed posture, the blanket on his back as I scratched behind his ears. āNot so bad, right?ā
The geldingās ears twitched.
āAll right, enough for today.ā I pulled the blanket from his back and moved to the fence. My steps hitched a bit as I caught sight of Shiloh again. She didnāt move from her seat as I slid between the rails and placed the blanket back on the top.
I waited for her to bolt, but she didnāt show any signs of leaving. My pulse beat a rapid rhythm in my neck. Dangerous. Too damn risky. To be this close to herā¦ To see how the gold woven through her light brown hair caught the light. To capture the spark in those blue eyes.
āWhatās his name?ā
Everything in me locked. It was the first time Iād heard Shilohās voice. It had just a hint of rasp to it. Some huskiness. An edge that I swore I could feel skating across my skin.
āNo name yet.ā
Her gaze turned to me, her eyes glinting in the afternoon light. āDonāt you think he deserves a name?ā
āHe deserves the right name. That takes time.ā
I saw something in Shilohās expression, a hint of surprise and something that looked a lot like longing. āHe does deserve that.ā Her hand sifted into Kaiās fur, and he leaned against her.
Shiloh rested her head atop his, cuddling him to her chest. Iād never seen anything like it. Kai sought me out for affection, but not like this. He was a goner for the woman, and I couldnāt blame him.
āYou want to meet him?ā The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Shilohās gaze flew to mine. āReally?ā
āSure. It wouldnāt be a bad idea to get him used to other people.ā It was the part of the process my operation lacked since only Lor and I were ever here.
Shiloh nuzzled Kai and got to her feet. āIāve worked with plenty of horses, but never one thatās been hurt the way he has.ā
āCalm and steady. Donāt let his actions make you react.ā I ducked between the penās rails and stepped inside.
She followed, moving slowly and evenly. She kept her gaze on the horse but didnāt stare. The gelding pawed at the earth as if marking his territory. Shiloh stilled.
āBreathe through it. Heāll feel your tension if itās in you.ā
She let out a long breath, and I watched hints of unease bleed from her muscles. The horse stopped pawing. His gaze didnāt leave us, though. It was two against one, and he wasnāt a fan of those odds.
Damaged. Broken. Destroyed. Iāve heard it all. A single moment of trusting the wrong person shattered my life into pieces, and my family has never looked at me the same. Itās impossible to convince them that Iām anything more than the broken girl they rescued all those years ago.
Until I meet him.
Ramseyās surly demeanor and menacing scowl scare most of the world away. But not me. Not when Iāve seen his gentle hands soothe an abused colt or comfort a terrified mare.
And when I finally get up the courage to strike out on my own, Ramseyās there. Roommates felt like such a safe proposition until Ramseyās lingering touches and wicked smile light a fire in me I donāt think will ever be extinguished. And he feels it, tooā¦
But just as my new life begins to take root, an evil from my past emerges from the shadows, casting a darkness on my newfound freedom. And this time, they wonāt settle for pieces of me. They want everythingā¦
Writer of words. Drinker of Diet Cokes. Lover of all things cute and furry, especially her dog. Catherine has had her nose in a book since the time she could read and finally decided to write down some of her own stories. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring her home state of Oregon, listening to true crime podcasts, or searching for her next book boyfriend.
Covered by Elise Faber releases on October 25th! https://geni.us/Covered Available on All Platforms
Sheās his best friendās sister. Heās going to keep her anyway.
Getting caught in bed with his friendās sister wasnāt the welcome Ben had planned when joining the roster of the San Francisco Gold. Neither was the black eye he sported for several weeks afterward. Jordyn was a newly divorced, single mom of two boys, and not looking for love, but Ben wasnāt easily scared off. Not when her brother threatened dismemberment. Nor when Jordyn told him she was swearing off men and relationships forever. Because she was his foreverā¦ And heād fight tooth and nail to keep her.
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her teamāthe Sharks!āare playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise changes her hair color more often than some people change their socks, loves sparkly things, and is the mom to two exuberant boys.
She lives in Northern California. Connect with her in her Facebook group, the Fabinators or email her at elisefaberauthor@gmail.com. Connect with Elise!
Folk Around and Find out, a small town, second chance contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is now available!
Hank Weller doesnāt help people. He leaves that do-gooder nonsense to his best friend, Beau Winston. Hank does what he wants, when he wants, with whomever he wantsāand Hank does not want to hire Charlotte Mitchell to be an exotic dancer at his club, The Pink Pony. Sure, he canāt help noticing the dips and curves of her, how shrewd, smart, and funny she is, the fire in her hazel eyes. He’s always noticed. Sheād probably draw a crowd and entice the regulars. But after Charlotte’s messy, public divorce made Hankās club out to be the culpritāand made her the single mother of four kidsāhe doesnāt need or want any additional bad press courtesy of Charlotte Mitchell. Or the distraction. Unfortunately for him, the townās prettiest charity case doesnāt seem to understand the meaning of the words nope, no, and never.
Charlotte Mitchell doesnāt much like Hank Weller. Once upon a time, she used to. Years ago, she liked him a whole heckofalot despite other folks in town labeling him as āeccentricā and ānonconformist,ā which were polite southern alternatives to “filthy rich” and “self-centered douchebag.” Her opinion of him changed dramatically after he volunteered to be her date to junior prom and then promptly stood her up. They haven’t so much as acknowledged each other in over a decade. But a sudden family emergency means Charlotte needs access to Hankās club ASAP. Unfortunately for her, the narcissistic fancy-pants doesnāt seem to understand the meaning of the words help, generosity, and compassion.
But heās about to find himself schooled. Charlotte is going to teach Hank a lesson once and for all about basic human decency, whether he likes it or not.
Penny Reid is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of the Winston Brothers and Knitting in the City series. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she writes kissing books. Penny is an obsessive knitter and manages the #OwnVoices-focused mentorship incubator / publishing imprint, Smartypants Romance. She lives in Seattle Washington with her husband, three kids, and dog named Hazel.
šReviewš Charlie has a big heart which makes her a great teacher and is close to her family. She has always wanted love, marriage and a family of her own but she has never found that perfect someone to share her life with. She and her brotherās best friend Ledger have a history, but he left town without a backward glance as their plans for the future were very different.
Ledger has always had deep feelings for Charlie, but his past has him convinced that love and marriage isnāt in his future. Now that he is back in town, he is looking forward to reuniting with Charlie, but can she convince him that their fling can turn into forever?
Ledger only wants what is best for Charlie and he doesnāt believe that is him however Charlie shows him there is some much more to life than the way he has been living it. The interactions between them are filled with humor and heat and their story still has all the feels that we expect from the author
Meet Laura
Laura Pavlov writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance that will make you both laugh and cry. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, mom to two awesome almost-grown kids, and dog-whisperer to one temperamental yorkie and one wild bernedoodle. Laura resides in Las Vegas where she is living her own happily ever after. Be sure to sign up for updates on new releases. Laura loves to hear from readers!
Muscular, tattooed, and bearded, Ace Carney is intimidating as hell and my opposite in every way.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 