Why you need this on your TBR: 💛 Small town 🔥 Friends to lovers ✨ Second chance 🏡 Returning home 🐢 Slow burn 👨👩👧 Found family 💭 Mutual pining 🐶 Golden retriever hero
Welcome to delightfully nosy Whynot, North Carolina — where sweet tea is hot and secrets never stay buried. When big-city Penny Pritchard comes home to help at Central Café, the last person she expects to complicate things is easygoing bartender Sam-Pete Rochelle… who just happens to be a wildly successful (and very secret) fantasy romance author. 👀 Now the town is talking, the chemistry is undeniable, and Penny has a choice to make — the career she built… or the man who might be her real happily ever after.
💛 Review When Penny left her hometown she created a successful career for herself in politics which was nothing like the life she left. When her aunt needs her help she doesn’t’ hesitate to return to Whynot and manage the restaurant that means so much to her and the town.
Sam was born and raised in Whynot and never had any interest in leaving. He is no longer the boy who had feelings for Penny when they were growing up as not only is he a bartender in town, but he has a secret life as a romantasy author. Spending time together brings them closer and will have them both reconsidering their life choices.
This story finds the perfect balance between fun and feelings. They are both supportive of each other while Penny contemplates the life she wants and Sam faces judgment when everything is revealed. Both Penny and Sam are endearing characters and their romance was endearing while the great group of eclectic characters added another dimension to the story.
I grew up on Wildhaven Storm Ranch, raised on hard work, determination, and tradition. Now I’m fresh out of college and chasing a dream that feels just out of reach—working at the historic Belicourt Resort Hotel while trying to convince my oldest sister, Matty, to let me turn part of our family land into a guest ranch and spa.
The Belicourt has a long-standing reputation for being haunted—full of whispered legends, unexplained sightings, and guests who swear they’re not alone in its halls. I think it’s charming. Mysterious. Marketable. My new boss, Porter Garrison, doesn’t agree. He’s all rules, rigid schedules, and closed doors, and he’d much rather I stick to spreadsheets than old legends and small-town folklore.
But I see potential in the past—in the stories people tell. And behind his cool, controlled exterior and expensive suit, I see the man beneath—the cowboy full of fire and buried passion he’s trying desperately to hide.
Maybe the hotel isn’t the only thing haunted. Maybe some dreams are worth fighting family for. And maybe, after the storm, we both need something to believe in—especially each other.
Crown of Ash and Oath follows King Pawelinus of Reopheral and Queen Yvaine of Echuqurian after war strips them of every easy option.
Gaivaria isn’t a single enemy you can bargain with or kill; it’s an empire—structured, patient, and built to absorb smaller kingdoms through armies, bureaucracy, and influence that reaches as far as ink and coin can travel.
With the Gaivarian Army pushing in from the borders and working quietly inside their courts, King Pawelinus and Queen Yvaine are forced into an alliance that can’t be made public without them becoming a target.
They trade intelligence, coordinate disruptions, and make decisions that have to look routine to everyone watching. Every move has to hold up under scrutiny, because the empire won’t need a battlefield victory if it can turn their systems against them.
Their pact begins as strategy, but it doesn’t stay there. Under pressure, trust stops being theoretical, and proximity turns into something neither of them can dismiss.
King Pawelinus learns that Queen Yvaine’s control isn’t coldness—it’s survival.
Queen Yvaine learns that the King’s discipline isn’t pride—it’s an oath he means to keep.
As crowns replace titles and losses turn to ash, their partnership becomes the one thing those in control of Gaivaria can’t easily predict: two rulers choosing each other as deliberately as they choose resistance.
Kay Lyons always wanted to be a writer, ever since the age of seven or eight when she copied the pictures out of a Charlie Brown book and rewrote the story because she didn’t like the plot. Through the years her stories have changed but one characteristic stayed true— they were all romances. Each and every one of her manuscripts included a love story.
Published in 2005 with Harlequin Enterprises, Kay’s first release was a national bestseller. Kay has also been a HOLT Medallion, Book Buyers Best and RITA Award nominee. Look for her most recent novels from Kindred Spirits Publishing at online retailers or ask for them wherever books are sold.
Sometimes all it takes is one spark, one touch, one brave leap—to turn a slow burn summer into forever…
Bronwyn
All I needed was a fresh start.
A quiet, peaceful place to open my dream bookstore. Space to just…breathe.
Carolina Cove was perfect for that.
Falling (literally) into the fire chief’s arms? Not part of my plan. Because the truth is, I don’t know if I’m even capable of love anymore.
Or if I deserve it…
Gabriel
Love, for me, has always meant heartbreak and loss. So, duty became my refuge, the firehouse my home.
Until her.
Bronwyn shined a light into all the dark corners of my life, making me want things I swore I’d never have again.
Hope.
Forever.
Her.
But I built the walls around my heart for a reason. Letting her break them down is a risk I’m just not sure I can afford to take…
Slow-Burn Summer, book 1 in the Hearts on Fire series, is a sweet, emotional, friends to lovers, small town contemporary romance/women’s fiction beach read featuring a silver fox fireman hero and a heroine who is much stronger than she realizes. Grab your copy today and get ready to fall for Bronwyn and Gabriel.
Bronwyn has come to Carolina Cove as a way to rebuild her life after the passing of her husband. She is making friends, has her bookstore but she definitely isn’t looking for love now and maybe not even in the future.
Wolfe is the Fire Chief who experiences when it comes to love have left him believing that he is meant to be single. When he meets Bronwyn he is drawn to her and a friendship develops but when friends no longer seem to be enough will they be willing to open their hearts to more?
I did enjoy the slow burn of this story as both Brownyn and Wolfe have some turmoil in their pasts that they must overcome so that they can give each other what they need. The secondary characters add some humor to the story and are always there to support this heartwarming couple as they find their way to each other.
Alone.That’s the way FBI Agent, Santino Alvarez, prefers to live his life.
To serve, and protect. The oath Santino took the day he was sworn in and one that he fully intends to keep. Playing pretend and blending in.
Nothing is as it seems.
Especially when he collides with Silva Hunt and sparks begin to fly. Romance was never supposed to be in the cards. But Silva awakens something in Santino that he hasn’t felt before.
As things heat up between the two of them, so does the chase between Santino and The Reaper.
Jaine Diamond has revealed the cover for Thirst For Me!
Releasing: June 15, 2026
Cover Designer: The Brewster Project
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster
Model: Chad Hurst
Two rivals. One small-town summer. And a heat wave no one saw coming.
Mason Grant is driving me crazy. The grumpy, gorgeous bar owner thinks my waterfront shop belongs to his family. I think he needs to mind his own business.
It all started the moment I arrived in Orchard Cove. I came here for a chance to save my smoothie business. A chance to heal. What I didn’t come here for was to start a war with the town hottie.
Except…Mason is impossible to ignore. And every heated argument just leaves me wanting more. The more time I spend battling him, the harder it is to deny our chemistry. And I know he feels it too. Suddenly, a summer fling seems like a very tempting—but bad—idea.
The problem? I’m still healing. And Mason is grieving. Neither of us is ready to let someone in through the cracks in our hearts. Besides, I never planned to stay in this town forever.
But despite my war with Mason, Orchard Cove is starting to feel like home. And maybe—just maybe—Mason Grant is so much more than my enemy.
Photographer: Anna Krueger, Anna Shields Photography
Flynn Morley has spent his life getting by with as little as possible. No girlfriend. No real home. No money to speak of. Raised in the system, he learned early not to trust people who seemed to have everything. So when he takes a job as a “muse” for a wealthy Minneapolis couple, it feels like crossing a line he never thought he would.
Then he meets June.
June is a bike tour guide with a quick smile, a calm confidence, and a way of making Flynn feel seen without being judged. Their connection is immediate and playful, built on shared humor, quiet moments, and a mutual longing for a simple life.
As Flynn adjusts to his bizarre new job, he starts encountering something he never planned for: kindness without strings attached. It challenges everything he believes about money, power, and who gets to be comfortable in the world. And falling for June only complicates things, especially when it turns out she’s carrying secrets of her own.
When June’s past surfaces, Flynn has to decide what scares him more: becoming someone he’s always sworn he’d never be or letting her see his darkest secrets. If he can’t let go of his fears, he might lose the one person who finally feels like home.
Taj Blackman knows a thing or two about responsibility. As the new CEO of Blackman Boards, he intends to carry on the legacy his father built with dignity.
It’s that mindset that leaves him unable to neglect the duty he feels in other aspects of his life. Like with a specific someone.
Olivia Thomas.
Taj never expected to see the supermodel in his small hometown, especially not in her wedding gown.
But when Olivia appears, desperate for his help, Taj can’t turn her away.
Using everything he’s learned from the man who entrusted a multi-million-dollar company to him, Taj is honored to take on a new responsibility that’s worth far more than money could ever buy.
A.K. Evans is a contemporary romance author of over seventy published novels. While she enjoys writing a good romantic suspense novel, Andrea’s favorite books to write have been her extreme sports romances. That might have something to do with the fact that she, along with her husband and two sons, can’t get enough of extreme sports.
Before becoming a writer, Andrea did a brief stint in the insurance and financial services industry and managed her husband’s performance automotive business. That love of extreme sports? She used to drive race cars!
When Andrea isn’t writing, she can be found homeschooling her two sons, doing yoga, snowboarding, reading, or traveling with her family. She and her husband are currently taking road trips throughout the country to visit all 50 states with their boys.
Taj is the perfect package as he is close to his family, a success businessman and so considerate when it comes to those he cares about. His first meeting with Olivia was unforgettable and while he knew that she was his destiny he was willing to be patient until she realized it as well.
Olivia is a successful model who is trying to escape the life she doesn’t want both when it comes to her aborted wedding and her career. She isn’t certain what she wants but she knows what she doesn’t want and Taj’s only priority is her happiness.
Taj is supportive and understand as Olivia becomes the woman she is meant to be not the one others want her to be while she brings light and laughter that he didn’t know was missing in his life.
Have you ever wondered about the monster under your bed?
LIBRA
Sleep is a curse that refuses to release me from its tight grasp. Every night, I am held hostage by sleep paralysis, unable to escape the demon that haunts my dreams. I thought it was just a figment of my imagination, a shadowy figure under my bed. But as I confront it, I realize it is much more than that. It’s real—he is real.
AXELLE
Trapped in a never-ending cycle, I am bound by chains to an endless stream of human souls. Each one a mere pawn in my eternal game of torment until their time runs out, and I am shackled to the next. But she was different. For years, I have been fixated on her, deriving twisted entertainment from her mundane existence, until one night, my dark desires took over and I crossed a line. Now, she is about to discover who, or rather what, I really am.
💚Review💚 Archer is a single father to Melody, his five-year-old daughter, who is his world and he would do anything to protect her. He knows that he needs a nanny, but he also knows that it needs to be the right fit for his daughter. He isn’t certain that Winnie is the right choice however his friends don’t agree and now he finds himself trying to deny his attraction to the woman who has captured his daughter’s heart.
After her divorce Winnie finds herself in Rosewood River looking for a fresh start. Working as Melody’s nanny is a win-win as not only does she feel an intense connection to her but it also allows her to work on her career as a romance author however developing feelings for Archer wasn’t part of the plan.
This story brings all the feels not only when it comes to the relationship that Archer and Winnie develop but the relationship they both share with Melody who is adorable beyond words. The romance between them is enchanting, the banter is humorous and despite the reservations they both had there was no denying that they are meant to be.
𝑯𝒆𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑺𝒍𝒖𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓: 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒅, 𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒍-𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 (𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 2) by USA Today bestselling author Ginger Scott releases on March 19th. We are thrilled this share teaser with you!
Brooks Callahan is a star on the diamond. But when it comes to parenting an infant, he’s in over his head. Good thing I know a thing or two about being a nanny.
When my marriage blew up, my life was on the verge of spiraling. As a single mom of toddler twins with zero job prospects, I wasn’t sure how I was going to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table without living with my dysfunctional parents. But when my sister’s boyfriend gives my number to one of his teammates, talking up my nannying skills, I’m suddenly thrown a life raft. All I need to do is keep things professional.
So what if my new employer looks great with his shirt off. And has blue eyes that literally reflect an ocean of possibilities. And stares at me with enough heat to melt a glacier.
Brooks Callahan might be the best Sweetwater Mavericks player I’ve ever seen step up to the plate. But for him, baseball isn’t just a passion—it’s his path to survival. Our late-night talks give me a glimpse into every struggle he’s overcome to get here, and just as he thought his dream was crashing to an end, I show up and buy him an extra inning.
When lines start to blur and quiet moments turn into temptations too hot to ignore, the careful balance of our situation starts to feel shaky. My heart was broken not long ago. And Brooks has kept his on ice for years.
Could this sweet baby girl with eyes bluer than her daddy’s be an angel of second chances? And is this love we’re feeling real, or just the figment of our sleep-deprived imaginations?
Hot-headed. Stubborn. Absolutely no impulse control.
That’s who I am, according to my brothers and business partners. We run one of the top companies in the country, and we’re growing fast. When I start interviewing for a key position, my brothers firmly advise me against hiring Kinley.
Of course, I hire her anyway, and not just because she’s insanely gorgeous.
She’s hard-working, ambitious, and a perfect match. Unfortunately, she comes with baggage. Her ex framed her in an infamous corporate scandal. She was cleared in the court, yet the media was unforgiving.
But Kinley isn’t the woman the headlines painted.
She’s not conniving. She’s smart.
She’s not cold. She’s careful.
And she’s not distant. She just won’t allow anyone to get too close.
But that’s all I want.
Despite my intention to stay away from her, I can’t stop fantasizing about kissing her senseless and worshipping her body. Then, when we fly to Napa together to scout a new business, all my good intentions go up in smoke. Spending hours on end with her during the day is too much of a temptation. Sharing the same cabin at night is torture.
I’m tired of pretending I don’t want her in my bed, and my life. More than that, I want to protect her from everyone who hurt her. I’ll fight like hell not only to make her mine, but to earn her trust. Because once I have Kinley, I intend to keep her forever.
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Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 