I had a lot of plans for my freshman year of college.
Falling for my roommate’s older brother was definitely not one of them.
Not like I had a choice in the matter.
The second he walked in with that crooked smile and dark green eyes, I was a goner.
But River Parker doesn’t exactly make it easy on me.
One minute he’s acting like he’s just as interested in me as I am in him, the next he’s detached and indifferent.
And to make matters worse, the only person who could give me insight into the man who has completely consumed my every waking thought for months, is the one person he doesn’t want me to tell… His sister—who happens to be one of my closest friends.
I’m stuck in this constant push and pull—unsure of where he truly stands—which only serves to complicate things further. Given that he lives in completely different state and that we’ve only ever actually been in the same room together once in the entire time we’ve been talking, I’d say things are already complicated enough.
But then his sister invites me to visit over summer break and even though I know it’s a bad idea the instant she suggests it, I also know there isn’t a chance in hell I could turn down the opportunity to see River again.
I thought I knew what I was getting myself into when I showed up at his parents’ house without telling him, but nothing could have prepared me for his reaction when he walks in and sees me sitting at the table with his family—or for anything that happens after.
When you stand too close to the fire, you’re bound to get burned. The only question that remains is, will it have been worth it? I guess sometimes, you simply have to endure the pain to find out.
Charlotte has always had deep feelings for River, the brother of her best friend, so when he shows interest in her as well she agrees to keep the growing relationship between them from her best friend. That becomes a lot more difficult when he cuts off all contact and her friend would be the one she would normally confide in.
River wants the best for Charlotte and doesn’t believe that is him. He has tried to cut off all contact with her but when they find themselves in the same place for the summer he is conflicted over doing what he believes is right and the feelings he has for her.
The relationship between River and Charlotte is both heartwarming and tumultuous as they are not only dealing with the emotions of the relationship between the two of them but how others will react as well.
Melissa Toppen is a USA Today Bestselling Author who specializes in Fantasy, New Adult and Contemporary Romance. She is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. She has a soft spot for romance and all things fantasy, and focuses her writing in that direction; writing what she loves to read. You can find more information about Melissa and her books at melissatoppen.com
My fresh start is finally around the corner—but so is the man standing in the middle of the f*cking road.
He could’ve died when I hit him, and his two friends are downright furious. But instead of pressing charges, they offer me a deal: work for them for six months, and they’ll let it go.
Their secluded mountain estate is vast and beautiful. Full of stolen artifacts and dark secrets.
Atticus, Elijah, and Seven might be equally alluring, but they’re also damaged and dangerous—driven by a thirst for revenge they say I can help satisfy.
Only now that they have me, they don’t seem to want to let me go. And it’s not one-sided.
Before long, their vengeance becomes my own, and I begin to understand that even if helping them claims my life, it’s too late to turn back now.
I can’t guard a heart they’ve already stolen.
White Rose Painted Red is a dark romance full of kindle-melting chemistry and possessive, damaged men who will do whatever it takes to get the revenge they crave and keep the girl they never meant to fall for.
Julia grew up in warm and sunny California, but her first decision as an adult was to trade her flip-flops for snow boots and move to Boston. She’s been enjoying everything New England has to offer ever since, and now that she’s acclimated to the snowy winters and finally found all the best places to get good sushi and tacos, she has zero regrets. You can usually find her on her treadmill at her desk, getting lost in fictional worlds involving hot athletes and the sassy women they fall hard for. When she stops writing she’s most likely to be found outdoors, preferably with a pair of skis or snowshoes strapped to her feet in winter, or at the lake or ocean in the summer.
I’m Elijah Rhodes top-tier Guardian Security agent. We protect the world’s power players: heads of state, royalty, A-listers. The elite. I didn’t grow up with much, and nothing came easy. My time in Special Ops hardened me, gave me purpose, and left me with a black heart. I took the missions no one else would. Still do. My rules are simple: No long-term assignments. No repeats. No attachments. Keep it professional. Keep it distant. It’s how I’ve survived. Until her. Dr. Danielle Sinclair is brilliant, beautiful, off-limits. I protected her, then did what I always do. I walked away. Now, a year later, tragedy strikes. Dani’s life is in danger, and every instinct in me demands I break my own rules to keep her safe. Some lines shouldn’t be crossed. Some rules were made to be broken. I’ll protect Dani with my life, but I can’t give her a heart I don’t have. Have you been Aleatha’d? DEFENDING LOVE is a steamy, high-stakes, standalone romantic suspense with bodyguard vibes, second chances, and all the feels—set in the same world as the Sinclair Duet.
From the author of the bestselling Broken Trilogy and Dark Water Series comes Extraction—the first book in Stonewall, a dangerous suspense series in the World of Mayhem, where brotherhood runs deep, and the fight for what matters most only gets harder when the heart is on the line.
Agent Paul is a soldier of many faces—
a ghost, an undercover operative, a team leader.
But those are just titles.
When a letter lands in his hands, everything changes. The past he buried resurfaces with a single revelation—his son.
Returning to the cartel world he barely escaped is a mission he can’t face alone. His brothers rally behind him, shifting their current operation to follow a trail that leads into the darkest corners of Mexico. What they encounter is far more than intel.
A pawn.
An heir.
A child.
Nicole Winter is a war correspondent with a reputation for chasing the truth. Smart. Relentless. And already three steps ahead. When their paths collide, she’s holding the one document Paul needs—and carrying secrets of her own.
As trust is tested and loyalties blur, the mission spirals. When Paul vanishes mid-operation, Nicole is left with one impossible task—to get the boy out alive.
One letter is all it would take for Paul to face the past he never expected to encounter again. When he realizes that a previous mission resulted in a child he doesn’t hesitate to return to Mexico to rescue the child he didn’t know he had
Nicole is an investigative report who has the same agenda as Paul however she finds herself caught between two dangerous rivals. She and Paul find themselves working as a team as they try to battle the feelings between them as well as the escalating danger around them as every step closer only increases the threats to them and the child.
Action, adventure, suspense and surprises all collide into an entertaining story that leaves you wanting more. Not only do we get to catch up with characters we know but the evil forces keep you on edge and the characters of Nicole and Paul are compelling.
AUTHOR BIO
Author J.L. Drake was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada, later moving to Southern California where she lives with her husband and two children.
When she’s not writing she loves to spend time with her family, traveling or just enjoying a night at home. One thing you might notice in her books is her love for the four seasons. Growing up on the east coast of Canada the change in the seasons is in her blood and is often mentioned in her writing.
An avid reader of James Patterson, J.L. Drake has often found herself inspired by his many stories of mystery and intrigue.
She hopes you will enjoy her stories as much as she has enjoyed writing them.
Sin Bin is a college hockey romance with a party boy hero, a heroine with a rebellious streak, and the sparks that fly when they’re anywhere near each other
Ollie
I didn’t plan for any of this to happen. Granted, if you polled the general population of Bainbridge University and asked which of the hockey players was most likely to get married in Vegas, my name would probably be first on the list. But the name of my lovely bride? That would be a shocker.
I’ve wanted Fallon Zabek since the moment I laid eyes on her a few years ago, but as my teammate’s sister, she was off limits. I’m known for doing things I shouldn’t, but I stayed on my best behavior and kept Fallon at arm’s length.
That wasn’t hard to do since I’m not her favorite person. All it takes is one night, two drunk confessions, and a pair of wedding bands to change everything.
Fallon
Freedom. It’s finally mine, and I’m determined to make the most of it.The overbearing father who ruled my life for far too long has no say in my choices anymore. I’m making my own plans, my own rules, and my own mistakes.
I never thought one of those mistakes would be getting tipsy and waking up married to Ollie Jablonksi.
All I want is to be on my own and to be calling the shots in my life, so agreeing to stay married is an awful idea. But the more time I spend with Ollie, the more I realize that when you’re with the right person, love isn’t suffocating, it’s liberating.
***
Sin Bin is the first book in Season Two of the Bainbridge U Hockey series, and it can be enjoyed as a standalone. If you love playboys who push the limits, heroines who give as good as they get, and spicy scenes that will melt your kindle, then buckle up for Ollie and Fallon’s love story!
✨TEASER: 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!
I never imagined I’d agree to an arranged marriage for over 5 million dollars.
Not to mention that the man I’d be marrying is someone I’d already met once before.
Gage Kingston waltzes into the meeting with the lawyer unaffected—cocky, tattooed, and acting like he didn’t know who I was.
But after we agree we’d be stupid to walk away from that kind of money, we embark on a six month timeline to riches despite the animosity between us.
Now I’m living with the man his aunt thought would be perfect for me while wondering if the woman was going insane before she died to think this was a good idea.
Then the first letter came.
Turns out Diane had a plan to get us to fall for each other while trying to make our marriage work.
Arguments turn to meaningful conversations.
Innocent brushes turn to lust-filled challenges.
And before I know it, we’re crossing every line we drew in the sand.
Did Diane somehow know that we were meant for each other before we figure it out for ourselves?
Or was jumping into a marriage with a man I barely knew one of the worst mistakes of my life?
Giana Darling has revealed the covers for The Sun & Her Burn!
Releasing: July 23, 2025
From Wall Street Journal best-selling author Giana Darling comes a MMF romance about a movie star caught in a decade old scandal, a marriage of convenience, and forbidden love under Hollywood’s unforgiving spotlight.
Ten years after my scandalous affair with the world’s most famous actor, Adam Meyers, and his gorgeous ex-wife, Savannah, I’ve achieved almost everything
I’ve ever dreamed of.
Fame, wealth, and critical acclaim as both an actor and screen writer.
So, why does it all feel so hollow?
When a tabloid threatens to expose Adam’s most painful secret, I can’t ignore the urge to rush to his rescue—even after a decade of heartbreak.
Only, he needs a woman to help him and Savannah is remarried.
Instead, I turn to an unlikely friend, Linnea Kai, who is as desperate for salvation as Adam is.
It’s my turn to propose a deal that will change all of our lives.
A marriage of convenience only inconvenienced by the fact I’m falling in love with them both.
Giana Darling is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Top 40 Bestselling Canadian romance writer who specializes in the taboo and angsty side of love and romance. She currently lives in beautiful British Columbia where she spends time riding on the back of her man’s bike, baking pies, and reading snuggled up with her cat, Persephone, and Golden Retriever, Romeo.
She’s his obsession… and for her, he’s willing to risk it all.
The niece to one of the richest men in London, Harper’s entire life has been controlled since her very first breath. Constantly under scrutiny from her ruthless family and their controversial church, she’s had to fight for what little privacy she has. On the outside she was privileged and obedient, but in reality all she’s ever dreamed about was breaking free from her gilded cage.
Until one night she allows her desire to take control, and taste life without expectation. One sin, and now the escape she’s carefully planned for the past ten years has begun crumbling around her.
Tasked with infiltrating one of the cruellest families in the city, Sythe didn’t think he’d run into any complications. Then there was her, the niece to his target, and the woman who’s left him wanting more after one of the most intimate experiences of his life. Harper embodies everything he resents, yet his fixation becomes an unwelcome distraction. Until he realises they have a common goal, then that addiction burns into something more.
Amidst bloodthirsty Daemons, a fanatical faith set on eradicating all Breed, and a man lusting after power without a care for consequences, Sythe must navigate dark secrets and twisted lies to fulfil his mission and exact revenge.
Will he complete his objective and take down the family? Or will he forsake it all for her?
With all my best mates settled down, I’m the last single man standing. Of course, the one woman to spark my interest is the only one in Scotland who seems immune to my charm. Dr. Saoirse MacGregor is brilliant, beautiful, and decided she hated me at first sight.
When her friend goes missing on a research expedition, Saoirse turns to us at Out of Bound Scotland for help. With my military training, I’m the best tracker we’ve got, so she agrees to an uneasy alliance—as long as I take her along for the search.
But the Highlands hold dangerous secrets, and what starts as a search and rescue quickly becomes something far more treacherous. Forced to rely on each other to survive, the walls between us begin to crumble. Turns out the posh vet I’ve been clashing with for months has depths I never imagined.
I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her. But the real surprise of this enemies-to-lovers journey? She might be the one saving me.
Beneath Highland Stars is a forced proximity, enemies to lovers, woman in trouble, small town Scottish contemporary romance, featuring a retired military dog who’s gonna steal your heart.
“You have two options, Genesis. Marry into the Russian bratva or sign my contract.”
Julian Bellini. Italian mobster. Ruthless casino owner. My best friend’s brother.
When he finds out my parents secretly arranged for me to marry into the Russian bratva in exchange for their debt, he offers me an out. He’ll pay the debt if I sign his contract. But that contract comes at a cost.
One that might ruin me.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Kelly Finley is a fiction author of spicy romances featuring bada** women and grown-a** men. She lives in the Carolinas with her husband and family. A rebel with many causes, she fancies black leather, dirty jokes, and smart mouths.
Thrilled by a flipped script and ticked off by women portrayed as weak, her books feature FMCs and MCs we champion and love—ones with shameless heat, brave hearts, and whip-smart minds.
She’s most likely at her keyboard right now, putting the next heroine on the page for you.
A dark, steamy, mafia romance, sizzling with heat when the stalked … stalks back.
AXEL is my hot d*ckhead boss who stalks me. I know. He’s arrogant. Powerful. Evil. But those eyes.
So, I stalked him back, and that’s when I discovered… He’s the escaped heir to a criminal empire. A dark prince. The head of a secret society of vigilante mafia kings.
I spied on their taboo ex-Bratva rituals. I know their dark secret, how they initiate their queens.
And he busted me.
Now, Axel says he owns me. He makes me stay with him … or else.
Or fall in love with my sinful stalker? Or become the mafia queen to the son of the most dangerous man in the world?
Author’s note: AXEL is a standalone, dark, not-mafia-mafia romance set in a world of taboo traditions, biting banter, morally grey heroes in a band of brothers with some heavy themes, and very explicit scenes. This is an 18+, interconnected romance with a guaranteed HEA.
🖤Review🖤 Axel is a man trying to separate his life in two one of which is his ties to the Bratva and the other his career as a strong-willed lawyer. He knows that the best thing he could do when it comes to Ruby, his legal assistant, is keep his distance but he also has this burning need to know everything about who she is and what she is doing especially when his two worlds begin to collide.
Ruby knows that there is a lot more to her boss than he shows. He may be demanding and infuriating but he is also intriguing, and she doesn’t hesitate to challenge him at every opportunity. She tends to act first and think second which could place her in danger, but she is about to realize that there is now place she would rather be.
The heat between them is a raging inferno, the interactions are entertaining and the characters and the reactions they draw from each other are captivating as they take us on a journey that you won’t be able to put down.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 