I survived a deployment because of her letters, so there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her now…
I was fully prepared to come home in a box. In the dust of Afghanistan, Iโd accepted that my life was worth exactly as much as the brothers standing beside me. But then the packages started arriving. My buddy’s little sister quickly became my only tether to a world that made sense. And her letters kept me from losing my mind when the world went dark.
Somehow I managed to trade the battlefield for the Knightdale Charter, and since I’ve been home I’ve used the clubโs business to drown out the echoes of war. I’ve never stopped thinking about her, but I’ve kept my distance from her world of soft edges and quiet dreams. We are opposites in every way. The only thing we have in common is her brother.
Then one phone call changes everything. She’s drowning in grief and caught in the chaos that follows every soldier home from war. The moment she whispers my name, I’m done for. Now I can’t stay away, but I can be the stoic shoulder she can cry on. Yet the moment she collapses into my arms, every instinct I have starts screaming a single truth: she’s mine. And I don’t just want to comfort her, I want to make her forget the pain.
She thinks she has to face this darkness on her own, but this woman’s love carried me through a war. I leave no man behind, so she’s not shouldering this burden alone. We’ll get through this together, no matter what it takes.
๐๏ธReview๐๏ธ
When Jo was going through a devastating time she reached out to Hawk, her brotherโs best friend, even though they were estranged. She expects that they would get through the turmoil and he would walk out of her life for a second time, so she is cautious about letting him into her heart and her life.
While Hawk was serving his country the one bright spot were the packages he would receive from Jo. When he returned he was having difficult adjusting to civilian life which meant distancing himself from her and finding a new life with the MC. Seeing her again he realizes what a mistake that was and now he needs to convince her to give him a second chance.
This is an emotional story about grief, guilt and second chances which includes a little suspense and a touching romance. Michael Norman Johnson brings out the protector in Hawk while Sarah Puckett brings out the strength of Jo.
Lucifer has come a long way since being trapped in Hell. Trading darkness for a life in the light, he’s built a family with the Guardians and their matesโa future he never thought possible. But when a familiar nemesis threatens his peace, he’s determined to end the Daemon King once and for all.
Until his plan is interrupted by an unexpected complication.
Summoned by Archangel Cassiel, he’s forced to bond with Scarlet, a celestrial with secrets of her own. Yet something about her pulls at him in ways he canโt ignoreโa connection that feels unlike anything heโs ever experienced. And despite her frosty demeanour and sharp tongue, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to let her go.
Tricking her way into working for London’s only Archangel, Scarlet will do anything to seek revenge, and finally lay her brother to rest. Even if that means spying on Lucifer, a frustratingly hedonistic and unpredictable man.
As sheโs drawn deeper into Luciferโs battle against the Daemon King, Scarlet finds herself torn between vengeance and a growing attraction that’s nothing but a distraction, one that could cost her everything.
Because leaving her past behind was dangerous enough, and now she finds herself risking not just her mission, but her very soul.
Lark Carrington came to Coral Bell Cove for a fresh start. A fading inn, a quiet life, and a chance to rebuild something steady after everything sheโs lost. She didnโt expect her first real connection to come in the middle of chaos.
Holt Wright is used to being underestimatedโlong before he ever put on a uniform. The easygoing one. The goofball. The brother no one expected much from. Until he became a firefighter. Now, when the alarm sounds, heโs the one people trust when it matters most.
The one who shows up.
The one who stays.
Even for her.
What begins as a single momentโsmoke, heat, and the steady presence of the man who pulled her back from the edgeโturns into something neither of them can ignore. Long days restoring the Carrington Inn. Late nights that feel a little too honest. A connection that builds slowlyโฆ and burns deeper than either of them expected.
Because Lark doesnโt trust easily. And Holt is still learning what it means to be the man people finally believe in.
And when the past Lark tried to outrun starts to catch up with herโฆ theyโll have to decide if this is just a sparkโor something worth risking everything for.
At First Spark is a tender, slow-burn small-town romance about healing, showing up, and discovering that sometimes the person who saves youโฆ is the one you choose to stay for.
I came to Whispers to start over. Just me, my baby, and a bakery that smells like second chances.
No more judgmental glances. No more family who treated me like a stain they couldnโt scrub out. Just flour, sugar, and the quiet hope that I can build a life worth living.
I didnโt expect to meet Griffin.
Grumpy, gorgeous, and maddeningly closed off, heโs the townโs most elusive billionaire and the man who built homes for the rich but never made one for himself.
He sees me. Not just the bump or the baggage, but the woman underneath. And when he looks at me like Iโm the only thing thatโs ever made sense, I forget how to breathe.
But trust isnโt something I can afford. My past has taught me to be wary of everyone. Even if the grumpy builder says heโs ready to fight for something real.
I’ve never been one who thought she needed a man by her side. I’m a strong independent woman who likes to give a middle finger to the patriarchy, you know?
But whenever I do find myself in a bindโa bad date, an arrest, you know, normal thingsโCole Campbell is always there.
He’s my knight in shining football pads.
And so when I need a place to stay, my brotherโs best friend is there with a key in his hand.
Living with a man Iโve known since childhood should be easy. Except seeing him walk around the apartment shirtless with only a towel around his waist has me biting my lipโฆamong other things.
We try to keep it friendly, but the pull is too strong. The chemistry is undeniable. And when our lips touch for the first time? We both know this is more than a mutual crush.
Our living situation was supposed to be temporary,
Only itโs starting to feel like forever.
Which is probably dumb, right? Falling in love with your brother’s best friend? The man who’s paid millions of dollars to protect him on the football field?
Definitely not what a strong, independent woman would do.
We know we need to come clean. But how?
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about football over the years, itโs that teammates shouldn’t fall for sisters.
And sisters shouldn’t fall for their brother’s best friend.
When sheโs fake dating the hockey star, but he was never faking itโฆ
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes the next standalone hockey romance in her brand new Hockey Ever After series, JUST PLAYING FOR KEEPS! Narrated in duet and recorded live by Erin Mallon and Jason Clarke, and with a FULL CAST featuring Savannah Thomas and Ryan West, this spicy, fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, only one bed in a room, opposites attract hockey romance releases June 3rd in all formats, and will be free to read in Kindle Unlimited.ย
Ever hear the story about the dating coach who got dumped on the hockey arenaโs jumbotron?
Everyone did. But Iย livedย it. Including the moment when Lake Axelrod, the teamโs broody, tattooed right winger, swooped in on skates to rescue me from public humiliation.
Even more surprising? When the famously grumpy (and ridiculously sexy) hockey star insists on being my fake boyfriend for my sisterโs high-profile wedding.
Itโs the perfect plan. His family stops pressuring him to settle down, and Iโll get the ultimate revenge, since my ex is the best man. Bonus โ I might even salvage my professional reputation.
We need rules though.
To pull this off, everyone from his teammates to my boss has to believe weโre a real couple.
That means swoony touches and knee-weakening kisses are required.
When it ends, we walk away.
But the intensity in Lakeโs eyes after every post-game kiss makes me wonder if heโs pretending. With each whispered secret, the line between fake and real bends. Until it shatters one night in a hotel room.
Soon, he isnโt just playing the protective boyfriendโheโs the only one who truly sees me.
If Iโm not careful, Iโm going to break the most important rule of all:ย donโt fall for your fake date.
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style thatโs sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.ย
Chloe Cunningham knows a thing or two about sacrifice. Sheโs devoted hours of her life to building a successful business.
But that devotion pales in comparison to the sacrifices made by one man.
Hawk Kennedy.
Hawk made one choice, and it destroyed his life. Though he doesnโt regret his decision, it has made rebuilding his life difficult.
Chloe thinks what Hawk did is admirable. Despite his claims that sheโs far too good for him, Chloe insists heโs wrong. She sees the sweet, loving guy beneath the rough exterior, and she wonโt stay away.
It works, and Hawk finally caves.
Unfortunately, Chloeโs refusal to stay away soon leaves Hawk in a precarious position. Heโs faced with another choice that could obliterate his chance at salvaging his future. But Hawk stands by his principles and acts. Only this time, itโs Chloe who makes the greatest sacrifice of all.
A.K. Evans is a contemporary romance author of over seventy published novels. While she enjoys writing a good romantic suspense novel, Andreaโs 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, canโt get enough of extreme sports.
Before becoming a writer, Andrea did a brief stint in the insurance and financial services industry and managed her husbandโs performance automotive business. That love of extreme sports? She used to drive race cars!
When Andrea isnโt 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.
Chloe is independent both when it comes to the bakery she owns and her opinions of others. As a way to support other businesses she shares whatever treats she makes and one of the recipients is the furniture store where Hawk works. Even though he seems gruff and withdrawn she also feels that there is a lot more to him than first appears.
After what happened in the past all Hawk wants is to not draw attention and move forward with his life. Even though he is drawn to Chloe he is determined to protect her and that includes from himself as well.
Hawk is used to being judged by others however Chloe isnโt one of them as she shows him that she can count on him to love, support and stand by him no matter the cost.
He saves her life; she saves his heart. A one-bed, mountain man, extra-steamy instalove quickie.
Lulu
I’m home again for the first time in years and loving every second of reconnecting with my family. I hike out to the woods, looking for the perfect bridal photo location for my sister, and get myself utterly lost in the middle of a big storm. When sexy mountain man Jett saves me with an adorable puppy in tow, I think my luck has turned around. But then he claims me as his, and I start to wonder if I should risk the storm to get the hell out of Dodge. My head is saying run, but every other part of my body is begging me to stay.
Jett
My little cabin up the mountain is exactly what I wantโoff the beaten path and away from people. I prefer quiet and solitude any day. When dog-sitting for my sister, Sara, lands me head-over-heels in love, I’m as shocked as the woman I fall for. Lulu Sutton is sunshine and daisies, with a curvy body begging me to take her back to my bed. They say there’s something in the water in Duhring Park, so I’ll blame my time in town, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s the only woman I can imagine spending the rest of my life with. Now, I need to convince her to be mine before the storm breaks. It gets awfully cold in the mountains at night. A one-room cabin can only work in my favor.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ญ (๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ 2) by Ava Sutton releases on May 22nd! Check out this teaser!
Back in college, I made a pact with Presley Grantโif we were both still single at thirty, weโd marry each other.
It was a joke. A fallback plan we never thought weโd need.
Now Iโm an NFL star, playing for Presleyโs fatherโs team, and sheโs the team doctorโcompletely off-limits. But when an injury puts me under her care in the offseason, old chemistry resurfaces fast โฆ and inescapably.
Then tragedy strikes.
Now Iโm the legal guardian of my sisterโs two young children, facing a custody battle I might lose. Because no matter how much I love them, the court might not see my career as stable.
And Presley … her dream of opening a football camp for underprivileged kids hinges on one seemingly impossible condition: she must be married or thirty-five years old to access her trust fund.
So, I make a proposal and cash in on our pact.
Itโs supposed to solve everythingโmy family, her future. Temporary. Controlled. Nothing more.
But living together, raising two kids, and pretending to be in loveโit starts to feel dangerously real.
And when the time comes to walk away โฆ neither of us is sure we can.
Sheโs here to expose hockeyโs biggest flaws. Heโs the complication she never planned on. Neither one is prepared for the sparks that fly every time they collide.
โจTEASER: JUST MY LUCK by @authorlenahendrix is releasing in a new Deluxe Limited Edition Paperback on May 26 at a store near you! Don’t miss the DELUXE LIMITED EDITION paperback featuring stenciled edges, holographic foil, designed interior covers, chapter headers, and full color special character art!!
Unexpected sparks ignite a slow burn in this grumpy/sunshine workplace romance when a single mom proposes a marriage of convenience to save her bossโs brewery.
Fans of Lucy Score, Elsie Silver, Carley Fortune, and B.K. Borrison will find their next obsession with this second standalone in bestselling author Lena Hendrixโs spicy, emotional, deeply romantic Kings Series set in small town Michigan.
You might think itโs reckless for a single mom to enter into a marriage of convenience with her boss.
You would be correct.
To make matters worse, Abel King is a grumpy local brewer with a criminal past. He also happens to be my boss and a total stick-in-the-mud. Every time I come to work with a smile and wave, Iโm lucky if I can get a grunt in response.
When I accidentally-on-purpose overhear that heโs having trouble securing a business loan due to his criminal record, I hatch a plan to help the both of us.
The arrangement is perfectโa business transaction and nothing more. Like having a roommate without the hassle of other people bugging you for dates.
I will definitely not be falling in love with himโno matter how many times he says โmy wifeโ and tingles dance in all the right places.
Trouble is, as time goes on, things stop feeling like business and start feeling a whole lot like pleasure . . . and really, thatโs just my luck . . .
Why you will love this book: ๐Friends to Strangers to Lovers๐Hockey Romance ๐Single Dad ๐She Plays Hockey/Women in Sports ๐Forbidden Romance ๐Next Gen Langfield, but can be read as a standalone
There are only two things Iโve ever truly wanted in my life. To be a goalie in the NHL and JJ Hanson.
In a twisted way, both dreams have come true. Rather than a spot on the roster though, Iโm now the first female goalie coach in the NHL. JJ Hansonโs coach, specifically.
Not only is he one of my playersโmaking him totally off limitsโheโs also a single dad and still technically married. Oh, and thanks to my fatherโs meddling, heโs now my roommate, along with his cousin and her three kids, my sister and her four-year-old twins, my cousin, and JJโs daughter, who I unfortunately adore.
Yup, Iโm living with six kids under the age of five, and the only man Iโve ever loved.
There was a time when JJ was my closest friend, and for one perfect moment, he was mine. Now we donโt even talk. JJ is determined to change that, though, and when opportunity strikes and suddenly both of my dreams are within reach, I have to make a decision. Can I step out onto that ice as the first female goalie in the NHL and trust JJ with my heart?
Iโve never been one to walk away from a challenge. Maybe the only way JJ and I can move forward is to go back to the start.
Paper Rings is a friends-to-lovers, single-dad, second-chance hockey romance with dual POV and a dual timeline featuring a Brownstone like Mother Faker and many of your favorite characters from the Langfield Brothersโ family. It is the first book in the New Romantics Series and a complete standalone
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ (Clifford Brothers #1) by USA Today bestselling author Layla Hagen releases on June 5th! Check out this teaser!
I built my global security empire from nothing. Control and discipline are the only rules I live by. Some might call me โintenseโ. I prefer โmeticulously prepared for every disaster imaginable.โ
Growing up in a group home with my two brothers taught me the only lesson that mattered: never let anyone close enough to hurt you. As a CEO, I donโt improvise. I plan. I command.
When Iโm hired to provide security for an engagement party, I expect an easy job.
Instead, I meet a woman who treats my rules like optional suggestions. Iโm used to being obeyed. Ruby clearly doesnโt plan on doing that. Not even a little.
She tempts me like no one else ever has. Whenever weโre together, my thoughts drift in dangerous directions. Wanting her becomes an obsession. I want to give her everything. But surrendering control means breaking my own rules. And Iโve never done that before.
Ruby
I love my restaurant, my life, and finding the bright side of just about everything. Hosting my best friendโs engagement party? Easy. Fun. Right up my alley.
What Iโm not prepared for is Grant Cliffordโand his many, many rules.
Heโs a fine specimen of a man. Unfortunately, he also comes with a massive stick lodged firmly up his gorgeous behind. Under that perfectly tailored suit is a man who desperately needs to loosen up. Preferably with me.
The closer I get, the more clearly I see the scars beneath his rigid exterior. And I want to heal them all. But how do I reach a man who refuses to let anyone in?
One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned is that the only thing I need is hockey – because hockey has never let me down, never abandoned me. What I lack in my personal life, I make up for with my professional achievements. Iโm damn proud of the career Iโve had in the NHL and have no plans of stopping or jeopardizing it by coming out.
That is until I meet Sterling.
He does the unthinkable, he gives me hope, makes me wish for moreโฆ and then dashes those hopes and wishes to dust.
In the aftermath, I become someone I donโt particularly like, but that someone doesnโt really care either.
Then, itโs hockeyโonce moreโthat saves me.
So yeah, hockey is all I have and all I need.
Sterling
I know I f***ed up.
That I had an excellent reason not to contact Jules after I promised I wouldโafter all my life was a tornado at the timeโdoesnโt mean I didnโt f*ck up.
I know it and Iโm prepared to fix this mess now that I moved to Vegas permanently.
But the man I met more than two years ago is nowhere to be found. The one who opens the door when I come knocking isnโt the sweet boy who desperately wanted someone to take care of him.
No, this man is cynical and detached. Worst of all, heโs hell-bent on never giving me anything real again.
No matter how brief our time was, I know heโs the only personโand Iโve met a lot of peopleโwhoโs ever made me want more.
So yes, Iโll fight to repair what I broke and then hopefully weโll prepare for the rest of our lives together.
Kari's Book Reviews and Revelations 