In High School, Daphne Elliot was voted “most likely to become a romance novelist.” After spending the last decade as a corporate lawyer, she has finally embraced her destiny. Her small town steamy novels are filled with flirty banter, sexy hijinks, and lots and lots of heart.
Daphne is a coffee-drinking, hot-sauce loving introvert who spends all her free time in her garden. She lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, two kids, two dogs, twelve backyard chickens and a hive of Italian honeybees.
“You giving up already?” she taunts, rolling her hips over me again. Abs tightening, I will my hips not to thrust up into her. “Careful, dream girl. You keep looking at me like that, and I can’t be held responsible for what happens next.”
Kristen Granata is a teacher by day, and a bestselling author by night. Known for writing emotional contemporary and new adult romance, she loves creating realistic characters who struggle through the darkest parts of life and come out stronger on the other side. Kristen is a self-proclaimed “bitter cynic trapped in a hopeless romantic’s body.” Her inspirational stories make you laugh, make you think, make you ugly cry – and they will always live happily ever after.
Kristen openly shares her mental health struggles with depression and anxiety with her readers. Her message is a beacon of hope to anyone who is suffering: You are not alone. She delicately weaves this theme into her writing, and her stories demonstrate the ability of love to heal after tragedy.
Kristen was born & raised in New York. She now resides in New Jersey with her wife & two step-daughters. When she’s not teaching or writing, Kristen is reading, tripping over something, indulging in her messy love affair with popcorn, and forever singing along to The Greatest Showman soundtrack.
Chance Kellerman was the broken boy whose father convinced him he was worthless, and needed to hide his shameful desires.
We became friends first, then brothers when we played hockey for the same team.
But it was Presley King who brought us even closer. With her we became more. She set us on fire, and we had everything we’d ever wanted.
Then she left us.
Four years later, Chance and I are playing on rival teams when Presley appears on the Jumbotron. Our lives look a lot different than they did in college, and the odds seem stacked against us, but I’m positive we’ve been thrown back together for a reason.
Convincing them of the same won’t be easy, especially when Presley’s job finds out about our unconventional relationship. I’m prepared to fight for us, until one moment on the ice changes everything.
I thought fate brought us together, but maybe we’re only destined to lose it all.
🏒Review🏒 Presley fell in love with Stephen and Chase but when she receives devastating news she leaves as she believes it is best for everyone involved. A few years later their paths will cross again when she attends a hockey game that they are playing in.
When Presley left it caused a rift between Stephen and Chance that they have never been able to recover from. Seeing her again brings back all the feelings and the one thing they know is that they aren’t about to lose her a second time.
One of the best parts of the story is the way they fit together. Their personalities couldn’t be more different but that only made them more perfect for each other as they balanced each other to perfection. They give each other acceptance, peace and the happiness they all deserve.
Trick Shot is a fake dating college hockey romance with a black cat heroine and the Golden Retriever she hates to love.
Claire
I’m a journalist. I report the truth as I see it. If there’s a story, you can be sure I’m going to dig until I get every last detail. As a staffer for The Howler, Bainbridge University’s newspaper, my job is to find a lead and pursue it until I can piece it all together and publish the facts. Sometimes there’s fallout from my kind of journalism, but I’m tough and can handle it. I don’t need a hero stepping in to take the heat off me, especially if that “hero” is a man I can’t stand.
Pete Santos has been my sworn enemy since the start of freshman year. I don’t need his help. I don’t need his charm. And I definitely don’t need any more of his panty-melting orgasms.
What I need is to be left the hell alone so I can do my job. What I get is a fake boyfriend whose love feels very, very real.
Pete
Claire Fowler hates me, and I have no idea why. But I’m a smart guy, so steering clear of the woman who despises me should be a no-brainer.
It isn’t. I fall hard for Claire, and her rejection stings. So does her betrayal.
When she becomes public enemy number one across campus, I’m the last person who should be worried about her. She made it clear that what happens on vacation stays on vacation and that she’s not interested in anything else I have to offer.
But when trouble comes looking for Claire, I can’t just stand by and watch. I’m going to do what it takes to keep her from being harassed, even if that means posing as her fake boyfriend to keep the vultures at bay. But don’t worry, I won’t let myself fall the rest of the way in love with her. Nope, not me. I’m too smart for that.
Trick Shot is the fourth book in the Bainbridge U hockey series, but it can be enjoyed as a standalone. If you love a sweet cinnamon roll of a hero wrapped in the burly body of a bruiser, Pete Santos is just what you’ve been waiting for. He’s met his match in Claire, a tough-as-nails heroine with a vulnerable side she hides from everyone. Until Pete. Trick Shot will make you laugh out loud and then hit you right in the feels. Get ready for a lovable hero, the smart-mouthed heroine who hates his guts, and all the steam they generate as they fall in love.
Marni Mann has revealed an audio sneak peek for The Arrogant One!
Narrated by: Aiden Snow & Vanessa Edwin
Releasing: April 24, 2025
A sizzling one-night-stand, billionaire romance from USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann …
I’m the arrogant one. She’s the woman who could tame me. What I don’t expect is to fall in love.
The minute I hear her laugh, I smile. The second my fingers touch hers, I never want to let them go. When my eyes take her in, I know …
Sadie Spencer is meant to be mine.
She’s everything I never knew I wanted. Her curves put me in a trance. Her body has me in a choke hold. She’s an addiction, and I can’t keep my hands to myself.
It’s the sexiest one-night stand I’ve ever had.
At daybreak, the bed is cold, and Sadie is gone. And for the first time in my life, the scorching chemistry and carnal memories leave me wanting more.
When I see her again, I’m shocked. Consumed. Enthralled. Obsessed.
But she has secrets in her eyes. They match the ones in mine.
That’s the wedge between us.
Together, we’ve weaved this web of lies, and when the truth comes out … it might break us.
Audie® Award–winning and USA Today best-selling author Marni Mann knew she was going to be a writer since middle school. While other girls her age were daydreaming about teenage pop stars, Marni was fantasizing about penning her first novel. She crafts unique stories that weave together her love of flawed beauty, mystery, intense passion, and the depths of human emotion. A New Englander at heart, she now resides with her husband in Sarasota, Florida. When she’s not nose deep in writing, crafting her next tale, she’s fulfilling her wanderlust heart, sipping wine, boating in the Gulf, or devouring fabulous books. Want to get in touch?
Meeting Bolan Adler, professional baseball catcher and single dad, is a complicated story.
One involving a one-time kiss when I was young and silly. And a two-time tryst as some kind of midlife breakdown moment.
Anyway, in the game of baseball, three strikes mean: you’re out.
I thought my third one might happen when Bolan Adler is the newest client of the sports management agency I work for.
The same business that just promoted me to agent status when I haven’t asked for the position.
Also, the ridiculous company that wrote up a reputation repair report for the newest member of the Chicago Anchors which includes:
Bolan Adler needs a wife.
He’s decided I’m it. Only this isn’t a game of tag.
Hearts are on the line when I meet Bolan’s sweet sixteen-month-old, and my role goes from babysitting the bad boy of baseball to bonus-mom for his precious daughter.
Complicated, like I said.
Add in when my fake husband starts tossing out real emotions about love, marriage, and a baby, and I’m just hoping to stay out of the strike zone. Because the obvious opponent on the field is love.
A.J. Ranney lives in Maryland with her ever-growing zoo, including two kids, two cats, an attention loving dog, a bunny, a cricket eating lizard and her lovable well-meaning husband. She likes to leave the chaos of her real world behind and lose herself in a steamy romance novel. Her passion for reading romance prompted her writing journey, leading her to create relatable happily ever afters that come from her own dreams and experiences.
She loves coffee, sushi, wine, and her family. Not necessarily in that order. Her inner peace comes from the water, always relating to her zodiac sign the Pisces. It’s no wonder the small town she created in her stories is situated on a lake.
💛Single Dad x Nanny 🩵He’s a Tattoo Artist 💛She’s a Grad Student
From USA Today Bestselling Author Kat Savage, comes a brand-new spinoff series: Family of Misfits! If you fell in love with the found family in the Men of Bird’s Eye series, travel south to Nashville, where the second studio location is up and running under the ownership of a familiar face with a new crew of artists!
Ridge Jessup is many things—an award-winning tattoo artist with celebrity clientele, the manager of the Bird’s Eye Tattoo Studio Nashville location… oh, and a thirty-five-year-old single father to a rowdy little girl.
With work getting busier, convention season coming up, and his daughter booted from her third daycare this month, he’s in desperate need of summer help. Forget about having a personal life or dating—he’s just trying to survive.
Darcy Anderson is a handful of credits short of her degree and broke. The college fund her grandmother left her didn’t withstand the test of time or inflation.
When she sees an ad for a summer nannying job, it seems perfect—one kid, weekdays only, and compensation well above average. It almost seems too good to be true.
The moment Ridge lays eyes on Darcy, he really doesn’t want to give her the job. She’s hot, smart, and funny—a dangerous combination that feels disastrous—especially with the ten-year age gap between them. But of all the candidates interviewed, his daughter only likes her. It’s a real dilemma.
Despite his best efforts to keep their relationship professional, things get hot and heavy as complications continue to mount. Darcy finds herself torn—her practical brain still preparing for the perfectly planned future she envisioned for herself while her fairytale-loving heart is looking to override everything for a single dad and his little girl she doesn’t want to walk away from.
From USA Today bestselling author JD Hollyfield comes a sizzling, rule-breaking romance that will leave you breathless.
When Georgia receives the opportunity of a lifetime—an internship alongside her boyfriend for the summer—she never expects to be swept into an illicit affair with the one person she should avoid: his father.
In a whirlwind of family secrets, undeniable chemistry, and steamy passion, Georgia finds herself caught between a love that defies logic and the dangerous consequences of betrayal in this age-gap, forbidden romance that pushes every boundary.
Is their connection enough to withstand the explosion when the truth comes out, or will they burn in the embers?
This novel may contain triggers. Don’t say you weren’t warned…
Genre/Tropes: Forced Marriage Arrangement / Mafia Bodyguard + Gamer Girl / ‘Frenemies’ to Lovers / Touch Her and Die / Endless Banter / Coaching and Praise / Mega Spice / Stand Alone
MARRIED WITH MAYHEM by Cora Brent is NOW LIVE!!
Make sure to grab this all-new ‘frenemies-to-lovers, forced arranged marriage romance TODAY!
If I don’t get married on the spot, then I’ll be shipped out of New York and forced to marry a stranger.
At least Monte Castelli isn’t a stranger. Instead, he’s an unpredictable package of mafia enforcer muscle with a sinful reputation and my longtime ‘frenemy’. Despite being at each other’s throats, we ended up on the run together when the New York scene turned threatening and Monte decided he was going to protect me whether I approved or not.
But the real trouble started when my terrifying uncle caught up to us.
My fearsome mob boss uncle doesn’t want to hear that there’s a perfectly good explanation why I was found in a cheap motel room with my shirtless bodyguard. There’s only one solution he’ll accept and there are terrifying consequences if we refuse.
Now, on my uncle’s orders, Monte and I find ourselves facing each other and repeating wedding vows. What’s more, we are both stuck in this marriage arrangement until we find a way out.
Even with our constant bickering, the ‘one bed’ situation meant it didn’t take long before we wound up between the sheets. Once we started, we couldn’t stop. We violated every single boundary over and over.
And I should have realized I was playing with fire.
All the rumors say that Monte Castelli isn’t the kind of man who can be tamed.
I thought I knew better.
And now we’re both going to pay a very high price for our sins…
💍Review💍
Even though she knows what is expected of her a woman who is part of a mafia family Sabina can’t help but rebel when she has the opportunity. This is why when she is stranded in NY she has no other options but to call Monte who is not only her brother in-law but was also her bodyguard in the past.
When Monte comes to her rescue he believes it will be a matter of getting her to her sister and they would be done but their adventure is about to take a turn that includes a marriage that never expected but might just be the best decision they ever made.
Sabina is feisty, fiery and challenges Monte at every turn especially when he allows his protective and possessive side to emerge as they prove they are a perfect match in every way.
About the Author:
Cora Brent was born in a cold climate and escaped as soon as it was legally possible. Now, she lives in the desert with her husband, two kids and a prickly pear cactus she has affectionately named ‘Spot’. Cora’s closet is filled with boxes of unfinished stories that date back her 1980’s childhood and all her life she has dreamed of being an author. Amazingly, she is now a New York Times and USA Today bestselling writer of contemporary romance and begs not to be awakened from this dream.
The night settles around us, thick and quiet, the distant hum of cicadas filling the air.
Anson floats beside me for a long moment, then exhales, running a wet hand through his hair.
“Finally,” he mutters. “Thought they’d never leave.”
I smirk. “It’s their party.”
His gaze flicks to mine, something dark and amused lingering there. “I know, but they were hogging you. I want you to myself.”
Heat curls in my stomach, surprising and immediate.
I swallow, pushing off the pool wall, letting myself drift closer. “And what exactly do you have in mind?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he reaches out, his fingers brushing over my wrist beneath the water, slow and deliberate.
I realize I should say something teasing or lighthearted to ease the tension, especially since we’re not alone. I can still hear everyone talking and laughing behind the French doors.
But the way he’s looking at me makes my throat go dry.
“I like this,” he says after a beat, his voice quieter now. “Being here with you.”
Something in my chest pulls tight.
I don’t know how to respond to that. Not when he’s looking at me like that. Not when my heart is doing something stupid and fluttery in my ribs.
So, instead of speaking, I do the only thing that makes sense.
I reach for him.
Anson doesn’t hesitate. The second my fingers graze his shoulder, he’s moving, closing the space between us in one smooth, effortless motion.
And then his mouth is on mine.
It’s not hurried. Not rushed or desperate.
It’s intentional.
Slow and deep and real.
His hands find my waist, pulling me against him, the water lapping around us. I curl my fingers into his damp hair, anchoring myself as he deepens the kiss, his lips warm and insistent.
And I don’t want to fight it.
I just want to feel.
When we finally pull back, my breath is uneven, my heart pounding in a way that has nothing to do with the heat.
Anson watches me, his thumb gently brushing over my hip beneath the water. He clasps my waist with both hands and lifts me out of the water, setting me down on the edge of the pool. I let out a gasp at the unexpected movement.
“I meant what I said,” he murmurs as he steps between my legs. “I missed you this week.”
I nod, exhaling slowly. “I missed you too.”
I inhale sharply, and a shiver runs through me when his head dips and he kisses the spot between the base of my neck and my collarbone. His lips linger briefly before they slowly trail up my throat.
“Anson,” I moan, my hands running through his silky hair as he nuzzles against me, the prickly stubble on his jaw causing goose bumps to rise on my skin.
His hands gently rub circles on the outside of my thighs while he stands, and my hands fall to his shoulders as I hold on to him. We’re nose to nose, and it feels like my heart is pounding so hard that it might burst out of my chest.
His lips come to mine, and I open for him. Drinking him in.
“Tabby,” he groans.
I open my eyes as one of his hands comes up to caress my breast through the wet fabric of my bikini top.
His mouth moves to my ear. “I think we need to leave now.”
Warmth pools between my legs at the desperate sound of need in his voice. I nod, and he steps closer.
“You sure?” he asks, the proof of his excitement pressing into me.
Oh, yes, I’m sure. I can’t speak, so I just nod again.
He suddenly dives backward into the water, and I bring my confused gaze to his when he resurfaces.
“Go inside. Say your goodbyes. I need a minute,” he says hoarsely, and understanding washes over me.
“Okay,” I agree as I stand up. I bend over to shake the water from my hair.
“That’s not helping, Trouble,” he grits out.
I meet his gaze and grin before pulling my dress over my bikini and hurrying inside.
Blurb:
I never meant to run away—I just needed to breathe. To escape the life my parents had meticulously planned for me: the law degree, the perfect fiancé, the country club future. So when I met a boy on fall break who promised adventure, I jumped in an RV with him and never looked back.
But it didn’t last. I found myself stranded at a campground with nothing but my grandmother’s ring. Pawning it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but staying in Sandcastle Cove? That was easy. The island felt more like home than Boston ever did.
And then there’s Anson. He’s flirty, a little reckless, and entirely too charming—but he sees me, the real me, in a way no one else ever has.
For the first time, I’m building a life I truly love. However, just when I start to feel settled, my past comes to drag me back. Now I have to decide—do I go back to the girl they raised me to be or fight for the woman I’m becoming?
Tropes: Hockey Romance; Teammates Younger Sister; Surprise Pregnancy; Cinnamon Roll Hero; One Night Stand Revenge
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Cover Design: Thunderstruck Cover Design
Knox stood across from me, anger in his eyes, his right hand in a fist ready to hit me. In that moment, as I stared at him trying to figure out what to say before he hit me, I wished I’d never walked into that little dive bar.
Actually, that wasn’t true because that was the night that changed my life forever.
That was the night I saved Knox’s little sister, Peyton, from making what I was certain was a huge mistake I’d figure she’d regret for the rest of her life.
We all had a code among the players on the team. We all looked after one another, and that included family members. So, when I saw some guy hitting on Peyton, I stepped in. I pretended to be her boyfriend to get rid of the guy who’d been hitting on her and when she turned those big hazel eyes on me things didn’t stop there. I bought her drinks, let her vent out her frustrations about the fight she’d just had with her brother and then one thing led to another, and she ended up wrapped up in my sheets.
A few months later, the memory of her and that night remains fresh in my mind and soon she is all I can think about. Thankfully, I get to see her again at the season’s end barbeque. Armed with good intentions, that is when I find out everything is about to change in not only my life but hers, including my friendship with her brother.
The guys on the team had always told me love would hit me when I least expected it, either that or I’d get a girl in trouble. I just never believed they would both happen at the same time.
🏒Review🏒
When it comes to romance Peyton hasn’t always made the best choices when it comes to the men in her life and her current relationship is no different. When Clay steps in when she needs someone the most the sparks fly however the relationship they both have with her brother isn’t going to make it easy.
Clay not only plays on the same hockey team as Peyton’s brother, but they are friends as well. He is a protector so when he sees Peyton in a difficult situation he doesn’t hesitate to step in but they are both about to find out that their night together was not an ending but a beginning.
Peyton has begun to lose hope that love will ever be part of her future but as her and Clay’s lives become entwined she realizes that despite appearances to the contrary Clay is a man that any woman would be lucky to have.
S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada and is married to her best friend and soul mate and their two dogs.
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamt of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel “It Was Always You” was born.
When S.L. Sterling isn’t writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors on her e-reader. Her favorite authors include Kendall Ryan, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Lauren Blakely, Alessandra Torre and Willow Winters.
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading.
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Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 