She met the man she thought she was going to marry in middle school, gave him some of the best years of her life, for him to leave her pregnant and alone hours before she’s due to have his baby.
To make matters worse, he brings his side chick to the birth, and she’s left with a decision—fight for what she wants, or cut her losses.
What she should’ve done was cut her losses. What she does instead is take him back and experiences what it’s like to live in hell.
When she’s at the lowest of the low, she calls her dad, an ex-con, who sends the one person he knows that can fix it all.
Copper Clayborne.
***
Copper Clayborne has no time for nonsense—that nonsense being a woman and a baby.
But that woman’s dad saved his life in prison and kept saving it until he was strong enough to save himself.
He owes everything to Baker’s dad, so of course he says yes when he asks to let Baker move in with him.
That doesn’t mean that he has to have anything to do with her.
He’s got a business to fix—then bring down in the most fantastic, public way possible.
He’s also got years of celibacy to make up for.
He doesn’t have time to fall for the woman and her kid.
He certainly doesn’t have the mental headspace to deal with her drama.
He gives it his all, but Baker wiggles into his cracked and bleeding heart, and makes herself right at home. Whether he wants her there or not.
Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown. in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.
Baker knows that her relationship with the man she is having a child with is less than ideal however she wants to make it work for the sake of her infant son Holt. She soon realizes that she needs to end this toxic relationship, so she reaches out to her dad who sends Copper to help her.
Baker’s dad was there for him when he was in prison so when he asks for help Copper isn’t going to say no. He now finds himself living with Baker and her son Holt, but he soon realizes that it isn’t an imposition but everything he didn’t know he wanted, and he will do whatever is necessary to protect mother and son.
Although the reasons are very different both Copper and Baker have difficult pasts that will have you feelings for both these characters. The heat between them is undeniable and the suspense part of the story adds a little intrigue as Cooper and Baker get the happiness they both deserve.
India Baker reports the dirt directly from the dugout.
As a newly appointed sportscaster for the Tennessee Terrors, she’s down in the trenches reporting live with up-to-the-minute reactions and in-your-face interviews about the team.
And the member who hates it the most is the number one man—me—the head coach.
I’ve known India a good portion of my life. Difficult to escape your best friend’s little sister or a woman who once dared you to kiss her. Now, she’s the one that got away and a pain in my baseball pants’ backside.
Life as a former professional baseball player turned coach has its foul balls and strike outs, and the one thing I am not willing to lose again is my heart.
Except . . .
She still gets under my skin.
She looks so good in those red-framed glasses and form-fitting dresses highlighting all her curves.
And even after all these years, she makes my heart race like I’m running for home plate.
It’s not often a player can outsmart a potential double play on the field, but the truth is, falling for her was never a game to me, and I’m hoping to score a second chance.
Welcome to Music City Park, where the lights shine bright, the stakes are high, and the players of the Tennessee Terrors don’t just risk it all on the baseball field — they gamble with their hearts too.
From second-chance romance to forbidden love, grumpy meets sunshine to enemies to lovers, single moms and single dads, fake dating and opposites attract, these baseball stars are about to learn the game doesn’t end when the ninth inning does.
One night, one kiss, and a spark hot enough to melt the ice.
Preston’s all in on his hockey career as a Stingray, and Chelsea’s just about to start a new adventure in Paris—until an unforgettable night at an Ugly Christmas Sweater party changes everything. A few drinks, some dirty jokes, and a kiss under the mistletoe leads to a night of toe-curling, name-forgetting, no-strings-attached fun.
They part ways in the morning, no regrets—just a sizzling memory they both assume will fade.
A year later, Chelsea’s in Baltimore, launching her dream bakery—and navigating life with a baby she never saw coming. The father? Mystery man from that one unforgettable night. What she really didn’t expect? Him walking through her door, very real, very sexy… and very much still capable of making her forget how to breathe.
Preston hasn’t been able to get her out of his head. Now that he knows the truth, he’s not going anywhere. The question is—can they turn one accidental night into a real shot at forever?
When I’m not making my son waffles for breakfast or teaching him how to swim, I am running a billion-dollar business. My life is scheduled to the minute, and that’s the way it has to be. So, when my nanny unexpectedly quits, I need to find a replacement ASAP.
Riley is not what I expected. She’s so damn attractive—and funny — not nanny material at all. But seeing her with Jeremy makes me realize she’s exactly who he needs. I just have to burn into my brain that she’s totally off limits.
It’s been my son and me for years, ever since his mother left us. And from that point on, I’ve sworn to myself that I wouldn’t bring another woman into Jeremy’s life. Why confuse the poor kid with someone else that will probably leave? Nope. No dating at all! That’s worked well until now.
But the more time I spend with Riley, the more I realize she’s exactly what I need too.
Life is supposed to give you lemons to make lemonade, but what happens when those lemons are rotten?
For Jessikah Gorman, this is the hand she has been dealt. Working from home should keep her safe from the monsters that hunt her, until she gets recognized..
Fifty-year-old Paul “Lynx” Galant, President of the Northern Ontario Chapter of the Royal Bastards Motorcycle Club, has loyal club members and many ladies at the ready, but he’s tired of it all.
Hoping to do some upgrades to his small, rural cottage means he needs to refinance, but how was he to know an angel looking younger than her years could reignite his spark while she helps him find him a lender?
Despite insisting she only does business over the phone, the brave man struts into her home filled with confidence. Fabulously curvy and full of sass, Jessikah’s history has her fearful of her growing emotions toward Paul.
Will closing on Lynx’s home be the beginning of the relationship she never dreamed possible, or will that door slam shut permanently when her past comes knocking?
The vampires are back. The griffins are circling. And Brigid’s B&B is one crisis away from combustion.
The Secret Haven Inn is finally running smoother—if you don’t count the escalating tension with the vampires. Brigid and her friends thought they’d ended the threat, but the vamps have Kilchis’s police force in their pocket… and maybe more.
Meanwhile, Brigid’s sworn to help Brightfeather hide her chicks from their royal griffin grandparents. If that secret slips, she’s not just facing a vampire uprising—she’ll have an all-out griffin war on her hands.
Whoever said running a B&B was easy should be shot. Honestly, it’s the magical politics, not the guests, that’ll drive Brigid to drink.
With Mr. Mittens at her side and new gargoyle allies in her corner, Brigid’s doing her best to hold it all together. But one smooth day? That might be asking too much.
Splintered Secret, book five in the Splintered Magic series, delivers vampire power plays, griffin grudges, and innkeeper mayhem.
✨EXCERPT: SOMEHOW YOU KNEW by @harlowjamesauthor releasing July 10th! This will be a simultaneous release in Audio with the amazing narrators Erin Mallon and Brandon Francis!
“You don’t need to know everything about my life, Spitfire.”
“Right back at you, asshole.”
A slow smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Is that my new nickname?”
“It’s not new. I’ve been calling you that in my head since the moment I met you…the second time.”
He clenches his fists at his sides, and his eyes drop to my lips, darkening. Then his voice drops to something lethal. “God, I’d love nothing more than to turn your ass red right now.”
A wave of heat rushes through me at those words, pooling low in my stomach, setting every nerve on fire—because I want that. I want him to spank me, to show me how much I get under his skin—I wanthim to admit that he wants me too.
God, this is so messed up.
But hell, I want to see how far I can push him.
So I spin around, bend over the arm of the couch, and push my ass out.
“Fine,” I say, my voice breathy. “Do it. Do whatever you want with me.”
Silence.
The kind that coils tight, charged, humming with restraint about to snap.
I can hear Gage’s breathing—sharp, uneven.
But then he takes a step toward me. Then another.
Finally, I feel his heat right behind me. His hand grazes over my ass—slow, testing, fingers pressing lightly into the curve.
A soft moan of anticipation slips past my lips.
“Fucking hell, Hazel.”
“Touch me, Gage.”
I turn my head slightly, peeking at him over my shoulder, waiting for the sting, the sharp bite of his palm.
But it never comes.
Instead, he backs away from me, brushing a hand through his hair like he’s trying to physically rip himself out of this moment.
“Go to bed, Hazel,” he rasps, turning for the hall.
I whirl around, my pulse hammering. “You’re a coward, Gage Kingston!”
He huffs as he walks away. “Yeah, I am. If you only knew just how much…”
Penn Navarro is the best player in the league—unstoppable on the ice, untouchable off it. But the moment the game ends, so do the celebrations. Because no amount of goals, no number of wins, can silence the demons that haunt him.
Hockey is my life. It’s what I was born to do. That’s not ego talking, just fact—I’ve spent years honing my skills, earning my place among the elite. But talent doesn’t erase my mistakes, and no amount of success will make me forget the damage I’ve done. It’s why I keep my distance from my teammates, because if you never let anyone in, you’ll never get hurt. Or those are the lies that I tell myself.
Mila Brennan represents the darkest parts of my history. She’s a ghost I’ve tried to bury, the reminder of everything I’ve lost. When she shows up in Pittsburgh looking for me, I know nothing good will come of it, because our sins don’t stay forgotten. They fester, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and Mila’s arrival means my time is up.
The past isn’t just knocking at my door—it’s kicking it down, crumbling all the walls I’ve built around myself in the process. And when the danger comes for us both, I’m forced to do the one thing I swore I never would. Let her in.
HUMANS! Imagine a galaxy of water-dominant planets with sentient sea life, sexy merpeople, and amorous tentacle monsters. Ocean and seas, lakes and ponds, marshes and swamps—all filled with humanoid alien fish, bio engineered amphibians, reptile overlords, and more. Ready to fall in love? Come explore the many underwater kingdoms of THE HYDROVERSE.
UNDER THE OCEAN’S THRALL is a collection of unique love stories written especially for DARK ROMANCE READERS who want their science fiction sexy and their sea monsters otherworldly. Experience erotic adventures set on strange, faraway worlds sprinkled throughout the HYDROVERSE.
If I had a dime for every time someone said that to me, I wouldn’t have run away.
Because regardless of what they tell you, time doesn’t heal the pain.
Because what I was doing wasn’t living, it was a constant reminder of the life I’d lost.
Because I couldn’t bear the sadness I saw hiding behind Tatum’s eyes every time he looked at me.
I knew he loved me . . . But for how long?
One day he would’ve woken up and seen the same ugliness that I see every time I look in the mirror.
And that was something I couldn’t let happen.
With some help from an unlikely source, I fled to the one place I believed no one would ever find me . . . Virginia. Donald Matthew and Wright Security helped conceal my past so the boy who holds my heart would never find me.
Until he did.
All I wanted was for the nightmares of that day to stop and to be left alone. I’m not the same girl I used to be, which is why I need to protect my heart from the devastation Tatum’s rejection could inflict.
But he refuses to leave me alone.
Should I take the risk and trust him?
Maybe they’re right.
Maybe time can erase the past and heal the pain.
Or, maybe Tatum will destroy what’s left of my heart forever.
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Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 