*Sassy southern artist *Hot tattoo artist *Long, hot summer nights *The Big Easy *Beignets
ABOUT:
Dixie Covington is a redheaded spitfire with a sultry southern drawl. She loves her family, her small piece of the world and her art. But what Dixie desires more than anything is the freedom to fall in love with a man of her own choosing. So when her parents announce her engagement to a man she’s not even dating, Dixie and her closest friends pack their bags and head to The Big Easy for summer of fun and who knows what else.
Taz Nicorescu is another born and bred in New Orleans artist. With his exotic good looks and skills with a tattoo gun, he has no trouble finding female companionship when he wants it. Taz loves his life just the way it is, living with his best friend and running his well known Ink by Taz tattoo shop. He couldn’t have known a simple neighborly request would change everything he thought he knew about love and attraction.
What starts out as summer romance just might be true love!
Genre/tropes: childhood friends to enemies to lovers, small town meets big city, romantic suspense, hints of second chance
Release Date: August 18, 2023
Cover Design: Cover Me Darling (Marisa Wesley)
Photographer: Wander Aguair
Cover Model: Andrew Biernat
You’ve always been mine to love and to hate…
Small towns have a way of making you face your past.
And there’s two sides to every story.
Hawk and Brittney met as kids in a time when they both needed someone.
Their worlds were already in a state of unrest when an unexpected betrayal stripped them bare.
Words of hate were uttered and promises broken, leaving them bitter enemies.
One is left fighting for the truth, while the other is left with nothing but a dream.
But time and distance can’t separate them forever and fate seemingly intervenes.
Lines blur as they realize things may not have been what they seemed, and old feelings are resurrected.
But amid salvaging their connection comes another fight.
Hawk’s murky past catches up to him and Brittney is thrust in the middle, leaving him no choice but to fight once more to save the girl he realizes he’s always loved.
Even if it means destroying her dreams and wrecking her heart.
Fighting for her is the only thing that matters, and this is one battle he won’t lose.
I lock myself in my apartment still trembling inside. After a moment spent taking a breath, I toss my keys on the kitchen table and put my purse beside them and then find my favorite wine. I start to reach for a glass and decide I don’t need it; the bottle will do.
I plop down on my couch and turn on the television in search of something to take my mind off his hate filled green eyes and the way they mocked me. I rest my head on the back of the couch as I swipe away another tear.
He makes me so angry. And the only reason he’s getting to me this much is because I didn’t bury my feelings deep enough. A mistake I’ll be working on tomorrow. But for now, I’ll let the wine drown him out.
I take my first sip as I hear a knock on my door. Probably Briella. Dang Zander and his big mouth. He didn’t want me to be alone because I was so upset. I’m sure he called her.
I unlock the door and almost scream. Not Briella. “What are you doing here, Hawk? And how do you know where I live?”
He sends me a small smile, but it lacks warmth. “Can I come in? We really do need to talk.”
I step aside so he can enter my apartment. Once inside, I walk back to my living room and take my seat back on the couch. He follows me, casually glancing around before sitting on the other end.
I mute the TV. “Let’s hear it. What other insults and stones are you planning to throw at me?”
He stares directly into my eyes. I can’t stand how he makes my heart race even as I want to hate him.
“I know you don’t trust me. And I haven’t forgotten the fact you hate me. You’re not my favorite person either,” he begins.
I roll my eyes. “Is there a point to this?”
His jaw tightens. “Yes. My point is, you’re going to end up in trouble if you get involved with the Leones in any way. They’ve got it out for me and you’re going to get caught in the crossfire.”
“Why? What did you do? Break a promise to them too?” I ask sharply.
He stands and rakes a hand through his dark hair. “The details aren’t what matter. What matters is they’re trying to hurt me, and they’ll use you to do it.”
I stand and lift my chin to meet his gaze. “Then you’re in the clear. There’s no reason coming for me would hurt you. There’s no love lost between the two of us, remember?”
He surprises me by reaching out and tracing my jaw with his finger. His face seems to soften as he relaxes his knit brows, but his eyes blaze. “I remember everything about you, dolcezza. And that means you’re mine to love or to hate. They know too much about my past, and it includes what you used to mean to me.”
I don’t back down. He started this. He thinks I broke my promise to him. I didn’t. And he’s about to learn the truth the hard way. This will probably make him hate me more, but I can’t find it in me to care how it affects him, or even me right now. He took everything else from me, why shouldn’t he take the only other thing I have left to give?
“Come on then. I’ll fulfill one of my promises to you,” I say confidently.
His eyes widen a fraction, almost as if he already knows what I’ll say next. “What are you talking about?”
“I promised you I’d always be yours, and you just said I’m yours to love or hate, yet you’ve never had me.” I pull my shirt over my head and drop it on the floor. “Take me, Hawk. Go ahead and take what’s yours.”
A.B. Medley lives in Tennessee with the love of her life and two sons. Her husband stole her heart when she was sixteen and their relationship is one of those meant to be love stories you find in magazines and novels.
She is a dental hygienist who loves to read and has always dabbled in writing. When she’s not making people’s smiles shine, she enjoys belting out songs with her boys, dancing, raspberries, baseball, and anything vintage. Like any proper Tennessean, Sundrop is her drink of choice.
She loves her family and friends fiercely and believes in always chasing your dreams.
Deception in the Truth is her debut novel—but as she nurtures her love for writing romance stories, her list of released books continues to grow.
Layla James has always been in the business of love and never mixes business with pleasure, but when Cole Reed walks back into her life, she’s left questioning everything. Can this blast from the past convenience Layla to set her rules aside and take a chance on love? Fans of secret fling romances will love TWIST OF DATE by Lauren Helms, a steamy matchmaker romance.
Blurb
Once upon a time, there was a charming restaurant owner and an unsuspecting matchmaker who refused to mix business with pleasure…
Layla I’ve always been in the business of love. Happily Ever After, Inc. has thrived under my leadership and the hard set of rules that I set for myself. But when a never quite forgotten blast from my past walks into my life, I’m suddenly questioning everything and everyone around me.
Cole Reed is everything I want in a man – handsome, successful, and charming.
There’s just one small hiccup…Cole is Happily Ever After’s latest client, and he’s got his sights on me.
Cole I’m used to getting what I want and I’ve never left a date unhappy. So when my grandmother insists I need to work with a matchmaker…her lifelong best friend at that…I’m skeptical. Especially when my path crosses with the girl that always seemed to get away.
She’s sexy, smart, and determined – everything I’ve always admired about her. And this time, I refuse to let her get away.
There’s just one small problem…Layla James is my so-called matchmaker’s granddaughter – and the owner of the matchmaking company that’s just taken me on.
It feels like a weird twist of date that’s put the two of us back in each other’s life, but Layla doesn’t quite see it that way.
Can I convince her to break a few rules and take a chance on our own happily ever after?
She sparkles. He growls. Baring their true feelings could be the start of a wild love story—or the end of it—in a sexy romantic comedy by a USA Today bestselling author.
One spilled glass of wine and bridesmaid Ensley James is ejected from a country club wedding in the rain. Ensley looks on the bright side. That would be her longtime crush Drew Daniels. The moody, broody, skin-pricklingly sexy groomsman is tossed out with her. Waiting out a hot spring storm in a cozy shed for two, it’s time for Drew’s confession: he’s strictly a one-nighter. Ensley’s dare? Give her three date nights and see where it goes.
A veterinarian like Drew is great when it comes to puppy love, but he has his reasons for his rules about women: no true feelings, just flings. So why agree to Ensley’s three-date challenge? Easy. Miss Ray of Freaking Sunshine is absolutely irresistible. Night after night, Ensley and Drew can’t ignore the heat, the growing intimacy—and the unexpected complications. Drew’s walls may be crumbling, but Ensley’s still at risk of being another tryst.
Especially with Ensley’s final confession. This one could be their rockiest challenge yet.
Jackson was there on the worst night of Harper’s life, and every day since. He’s everything she wants and needs, but is it worth blowing up their carefully balanced lives? Fans of Pippa Grant, Max Monroe, and Penny Reid will devour Sooner or Gator by Mae Harden, a steamy, small town, friends-to-lovers, roommates-to-lovers, forced proximity, beach romance.
JACKSON “What do you need?” That night was supposed to change everything… and it did. Just not in the way I had hoped. I was there on the worst night of Harper’s life. The night her world came crashing down, bringing with it the crushing responsibility of raising her own sister when she was still practically a kid herself. For seven years, I’ve been exactly what she asked for. I’ve been biding my time, but nothing stays the same—even on an island where it’s perpetually Christmas—and time is officially up.
HARPER “A friend.” The love of my life sleeps ten feet away from me, just on the other side of that wall. He doesn’t know how I feel about him, of course. That would just be crazy. Jackson has always been my rock, which is exactly why he can never know how desperately I want him. Sure, every grin he throws in my direction sets off a storm surge down below and makes my heart race like sandpipers on the beach, but that’s not an excuse to blow up our carefully balanced lives… right?
I’m on the verge of asking Haley why she bought more wine glasses when we have a perfectly good set in the cabinet, but as she hands me one, I realize they’re only mostly stemless. “You know most people use bottle toppers to save their wine, right?” I laugh, eyeing the stubby stem with its rubber gasket before pushing it into the opening of what is now, quite clearly, a bottle not meant for sharing. Experimentally, I tip it sideways and watch an inch of deep burgundy liquid pool in the bottom of the glass. “Bottle toppers, much like bookmarks, are for quitters,” Haley says with a mischievous grin. “Besides, aren’t you always harping on about how important it is to finish what you start?” She looks extremely proud of herself as she tips back a hearty glug of cheap Cabernet. “But, more importantly, you’re both wrong. Trailer Park Shark is the one with Tara Reid, but it was the douche-canoe developer who flooded the trailer park, and I’m ninety-nine percent sure she’s the S.B.T.S.” “Back up.” Tizzy raises a hand like she’s about to ask the teacher for a bathroom pass. “You know I can’t with your movie shorthand.” “Sole Big Tittied Survivor,” Haley sighs heavily. “Okay, but that’s not exactly a common abbreviation,” Tizzy replies, copying Hayley’s sigh as dramatically as she can possibly manage. Some people have incredible memories for languages or history, but no one can match Haley when it comes to movies that came out decades before she was even born. The windows and doors are open to let in the spring air, and over the cacophony of tree frogs croaking and crickets chirping away outside, I hear car tires crunch on the gravel drive. Craning my neck as far as I dare, I spot a familiar, black jeep. It’s more rust than paint thanks to the salty Florida air, but as its tires come to a halt in their well-worn spots, I can’t help grinning. In the fading light of the orange sky, the profile of my other best friend, Jackson Beauregard, is clearly visible as he climbs out and grabs his things. Tizzy quirks an eyebrow at me as I straighten Haley goes on. “…and the poor-man’s Tommy Lee Jones, a.k.a. Robert Davi did not appear in Trailer Park Shark. He was, however, in the 2011 classic Swamp Shark where he starred opposite a busty blonde played by the O.G. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I swear to God, if one of you so much as whispers the name Sarah Michelle Gellar…” My little sister waits for one of us to match her encyclopedic knowledge, but we all know it’s not going to happen. “Kristy Swanson! Come on! Okay, extra credit points: Robert Davi was one of three villains in which beloved 80s adventure movie?” Tizzy and I stare blankly at each other while simultaneously tipping our bottles toward the sky. “The Goonies,” a deep voice supplies from just outside. “Come on, kid. Give us a hard one next time.” Grinning, I tip my head backward over the couch just in time to see Jackson coming through the screen door. “‘Bout time,” I sass. “We were about to start without you.” “No, you weren’t.” Jackson laughs, shaking his head as he drops his keys in the bowl where they always go. He hangs his backpack on its hook and drops onto the couch next to me, making me bounce as all six-and-a-half feet of him bottoms out the springs. “Well… we had considered it.” “What are we watching this week?” Jackson asks, changing the subject with about as much subtlety as a Horatio roller skating down Main Street in his favorite candy cane hot pants. “Swamp Shark,” Haley votes. “Literal flying sharks too much for you tonight?” Jackson chuckles. “Maybe once I’ve polished this off…” Haley replies, raising her wine and its extra classy attachment in a toast. “But Kristy Swanson with a shotgun?” She lets out an exaggerated whistle. “I’m always in the mood for that.” I snort. I can’t help it. “Yeah, who doesn’t love a busty blonde armed to the teeth?” Jackson twists the top off a beer and shrugs dispassionately as he stares down at it. “I could take ‘em or leave ‘em, honestly.” Tizzy leans over, her expression conspiratorial and eyes sparkling with mischief. Oh, fuck. Here we go, I groan inwardly. “And which part of that is uninspiring to you, Jackson? The ‘blonde’ bit or the ‘armed to the teeth’ bit? Because we know you don’t have issues with the ‘busty’ bit.” “Fucking bluetooth speakers,” Jackson mutters, suddenly finding the label of his beer bottle utterly fascinating, but Haley is all ears. “Wait… what happened? What’d I miss?” “Nothing,” I say quickly, feeling my own face burn with embarrassment, even though I was just an innocent bystander in all this. “Jackson forgot to disconnect the living room speakers from his phone last night… didn’t he?” Tizzy tilts her head, locking her eyes on six-and-a-half feet worth of blushing man. Jackson clears his throat and gets to his feet. “Anyone want a glass of water?” Without waiting for an answer, he disappears, no doubt to let Tizzy get this out of her system. “Tizz…” I start.I know what she’s getting at and it’s nothing new. “Come on, Harper. Brunette roommate gets lonely and crawls into bed? You still seriously think that had nothing to do with you?” “Of course, I do.” Admittedly, it would be easier if he was into something less… can porn be wholesome? Tizzy would like everyone to believe Jackson and I are star crossed lovers, destined to fall for each other in some kind of epic love story that spans decades and generations and all of time and space. I think Tizzy needs a new vibrator and a subscription to Passionflix, but I’m only a wimple away from making my vow of celibacy official, so what do I know?
Mae Harden has a thing for spicy books, hilarious meet-cutes, mouthy women, and the kind of men who will pull your hair in bed, but run a bath for you after… if you’ve been a good girl, of course. Smut-com, rom-cum, or whatever you want to call them, Mae likes her books funny, filthy, and full of feels.
Mae lives in Virginia with her smokin’ hot husband, two kids who delight in giving out hugs and gray hairs, and a collection of fur babies that probably qualifies her as a zoo keeper. IF she had free time, she’d use it to bake, water the remaining houseplants, and do crafty shit, all while listening to true-crime podcasts.
A successful writer accidentally sends her new (and super-dreamy) editor the wrong manuscript. Instead of the full-length paranormal novel she promised Longstrand Publishing, she sends the fan fiction she’s written about her crush…on him—including every detail of the hot, steamy “physical activity” she’s fantasized about happening between them.
And Chase Dawson may be the hottest man alive and a super-talented editor to boot, but he’s completely oblivious that he’s the star of the manuscript he just convinced his boss to green-light.
Brooke Baker has been through a lot in her thirty-one years of life.
A divorce.
A career change.
A move to New York City from “small-town” Ohio.
Not to mention, she has a bit of a medical condition that involves occasional fainting spells, mild embarrassment, and the companionship of her adorable service dog and canine sidekick, Benji.
But none of it has prepared her for this.
None of it prepared her for Chase Dawson.
Strong jaw, blue eyes, cut muscles, and a perfect swoop of superhero-worthy black hair, Chase’s features are those of a book boyfriend and then some. Obviously, Brooke would know—she literally filled an entire manuscript with it.
A manuscript no one was ever supposed to see.
Will she survive two months of revising and editing the sizzling romance she imagined with Chase in extremely close quarters with him? Or will the constant white lies and overwhelming attraction make her spontaneously combust?
WHAT IS ACCIDENTAL ATTACHMENT ALL ABOUT?
• Hilarious standalone Romantic Comedy
• A successful writer accidentally sends the wrong manuscript (fanfiction she wrote about him) to her hot and dreamy editor.
• Forced Proximity via a road trip
• Slow-burn with intense, smoking hot chemistry
Many moons ago, a dynamic duo of romance authors teamed up under the pseudonym Max Monroe, and, well, the rest is history…
Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of more than thirty contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.
Title: Falling First Hell Series: Hellman Brother Series Author: Marika Ray Release: March 30, 2023 Genre: Small Town Romantic Comedy Tropes: Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine; Cinnamon Roll Hero; Small Town Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78295320-falling-first-hell Cover Design: Jennifer Olson Cover Model: Kevin J, BathDaddy.com
Blurb:
I’m unemployed and down to my last dollar—thank you stranger who bought my coffee when my card was declined this morning. If that wasn’t bad enough, I just T-boned the truck belonging to the guy I was meeting on a first date.
Ethan Hellman, small town sweetheart with a secret, and an instant—unbelievable—love for me despite me denting his truck. It’s not that I don’t believe in love per se. It’s just that I’ve done the calculations—it won’t happen to me. And especially not now when I’m bouncing off rock bottom with the bruises to prove it.
But Ethan doesn’t seem to care about all that. He offers me a job, a place to live…and a rock on my finger. I just have to turn my back on my career, pretend to be giddy in love, and be the face of his new company. His constant sunshine makes me grumpy. It’s also kind of addicting. So I agree to his terms and find myself living a life I don’t even recognize.
Things are going surprisingly well when someone from my past reappears offering a similar lifeline. I’ll have to make some tough decisions that just don’t compute in my logical brain.
Ethan may have fallen first, but I’m afraid I’ve fallen harder.
The only way to save our small town is by working with the enemy … but hearts might get broken in the process.
Colton
I don’t do emotional attachments. Those who love me get hurt. I keep people at arm’s length and never let women in my bed long enough for the sheets to get warm. But when the granddaughter of my family’s mortal enemy comes to me for help, something in me shifts. Lily Summers is a sassy, snarky, filter-free blonde with a brain—and mouth—that never quits. Besides the sexual tension between us that keeps me awake at night, we only have one thing in common: neither of us wants the big city developer coming into Winter Harbor and destroying the integrity of the town with high rises and casinos. We’re an unlikely team, but Lily has passion and Winter Harbor likes her, so I bite my tongue at her non-stop chatter and do what’s right for the town. I never planned on falling for someone—let alone the enemy—but when we give into our attraction, I’m suddenly doing things I never thought I would … and it’s all for her. Together, it seems like we can take on the world—or at the very least, Dunlop Holdings. But when a shocking development rocks Winter Harbor, its accompanied by an unsavory truth about Lily. Now the question is: who is going to get hurt the worst? Whether it’s me, Lily, or Winter Harbor itself, only one can survive the fallout.
*** This is the third book of the Winter Harbor series which features a quirky small town, secrets galore, and three estranged brothers who find the key to healing comes from the women who steal their hearts.
He’s cynical and annoyed with the world. She’s bright, bubbly and determined to win him over both in life. Readers who love Carrie Elks and Avery Maxwell will devour Falling for the Grouch by Carolina Jax, a steamy, small town, grump/sunshine, beach romance.
When my son had to leave our small hometown of Christmas, Texas, I couldn’t wait to leave with him, only to fall into a new fresh hell.
Christmas 2.0 a/k/a Candy Cane Key.
Everyone is in love down here. They love their town. They love their school.
Let me tell you, True Love doesn’t exist. Romantic love is made up.
There’s no one who can tell me differently.
No matter how gorgeous she is.
And I’m the grouch who said so.
Summer
I love where I live. I love the sun, the people, my job. I love to help and do whatever anyone needs of me.
But letting them past my surface is hard when they’re only using our town as another way out.
For having a bright talented kid, and being extremely good looking, this guy is all types of grouch.
He’s cynical, annoyed with the world, and has become my new target.
Can I make him love Candy Cane Key, and also let my guard down and him in?
The MAN OF THE MONTH CLUB is a steamy small-town collection featuring a new hottie (or two!) every month. In 2023, escape to Candy Cane Key, Florida, and celebrate ALL the holidays with your favorite group of romance authors and their delicious Paradise men. Can’t wait to see you there!
Aubree is bringing the heat and the drama with this short and sweet second chance romance about a hot cop and the town’s favorite kindergarten teacher. Sparks will fly as these two reconnect and rediscover not only their love for one another but who they are now as individuals. Readers who love Corinne Michaels and Melanie Harlow will devour Loves Me Knot by Aubree Valentine, a steamy, small town, second chance, beach romance.
I thought I was going to be her forever. That was until she up and left Candy Cane Key and took my broken heart right along with her.
Now she’s back and damn if those feelings aren’t still there for the girl who’s all grown up and still drives me crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I want her back and they say you’ve got to shoot your shot, but, I don’t know that I can handle another blow.
Guess I’m about to find out if she loves me, or knot.
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