For some of us, thrifting is a way of life. Walking into a thrift store is a new adventure each and every time, because inventory is always changing. You never know what you’re going to find hidden among the racks and shelves, and there are so many different reasons for hunting through a store that I thought I’d list a few. Savings. Depending on the store and how they price things, you can find incredible savings on clothing and home goods. Name brands are mixed in with unknown labels. In some households, shopping at the thrift store is necessary because of their budget, and trust me, been there, done that. Why spend $20 on one shirt at the mall, when you could get four like-new shirts for the same money at a thrift store? Or $80 on a service-for-eight dish set at Macy’s, when there’s a gorgeous pattern sitting on that shelf for $25? Costuming. Back when the Lord of the Rings trilogy first released, some friends and I wanted to cosplay a few of the characters. So where do you go to find cheap materials to manipulate into Middle Earth costumes? The thrift store. The costumes never did get…

About OUT RIDER With her return to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, New York Times bestselling author Lindsay McKenna shows how love can find a way out of the darkness… A fresh start—that’s all Devorah McGuire wants. As a former Marine and current Ranger with the US Forest Service, she’s grown accustomed to keeping others safe. But when the unthinkable happens, she can only hope that a transfer to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, will allow her to put the past behind her for good. Dev’s mentor at Grand Tetons National Park is fellow canine handler and horseman Sloan Rankin. He shows Dev the spectacular trails, never knowing the terror that stalks her every move. Despite her lingering fear, Dev feels an attraction for Sloan as wild as their surroundings. With Sloan, Dev can envision a new life—a real home. Unless a vengeful man fresh out of prison succeeds in finishing what he started… Buy OUT RIDER: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | iTunes/iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR

The first time I ever traveled to America, I thought, “They speak English, I speak English, this will be easy, right?” Not so, as I discovered the first time I ordered an entrée expecting a small starter and found myself staring down an ENORMOUS plate of food! As my debut romantic comedy, CLOSE TO YOU, is set in my native New Zealand, I thought I’d take the opportunity to enlighten you on some “Kiwi” phrases that have my American friends confused, bemused, or just downright amused! “Bit of a dag”: A person who is quite funny or a bit of a prankster e.g. “My Uncle Phil is a bit of a dag.” “Box of budgies”: happy, very cheerful e.g. “I saw Gran today. She was a box of budgies.” “Bludge/bludger”: Someone who is constantly sponging off others and never picks up their share of the tab, buys their round, does their part etc. e.g. “Don’t expect Sophie to pay you back. She’s a total bludger.” “Chocka”: Something that is full to overflowing e.g. “Mate, I can’t fit anymore drinks in the fridge, she’s chocka.” “Hard yakka”: hard work, usually associated with some kind of manual labour e.g. “Finally built that…

In the book I’m finishing now, BAND OF BACHELORS: ALEX, my heroine is a very different kind of lady. She’s a tall, strikingly beautiful and in-your-face-kind of gal, who plays beach volleyball and can spike a ball within the 5’ line so hard it will break a person’s nose if they don’t dig it properly. She likes to lead when she dances slow, and she’s used to having guys dump her after a few dates, which is fine with her, because she’s easily bored. Her name is Sydney. She’s the perfect match-up for my adrenaline-junkie Navy SEAL, Alex Kowicki, who skydives to ease his nerves and prides himself on his self-control. He’s had a string of blind dates, arranged by his bachelor friends, all with disastrous results. Trained to protect women and children and the innocent, he isn’t quite sure how to react when Sydney sets her sights on him. Sydney always gets what she wants. Alex will get way more than he bargained for, until it’s too late for either of them. Love finds a way, but what a journey! BAND OF BACHELORS: ALEX goes on sale June 14th. Pre-order it now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks…

1 The King of Fuck Even by Southampton standards, the party at the nine-­thousand-­square-­foot mansion on Meadow Lane reeked of extravagance. Grammy Award–­winning artists performed on an outdoor stage that had been set up on the lush lawn that flowed from the main house to the tennis courts. Celebrities hobnobbed with models who flirted with Wall Street tycoons who discussed stock prices with tech gurus and old-­money academics, all while sampling fine scotch and the season’s chicest gin. Colored lights illuminated the grotto-style pool, upon which nude models floated lazily on air mattresses, their bodies used by artisan sushi chefs as presentation platters for epicurean delights. Each female guest received a Hermès Birkin bag and each male received a limited edition Hublot watch, and the exclamations of delight—­from both the men and the women—­rivaled the boom of the fireworks that exploded over Shinnecock Bay at precisely ten P.M., perfectly timed to distract the guests from the bustle of the staff switching out the dinner buffet for the spread of desserts, coffee, and liqueurs. No expense had been spared, no desire or craving or indulgence overlooked. Nothing had been left to chance, and every person in attendance agreed that the party…

Blake spotted her the moment she returned. Hell, every man in the room had either craned his neck or swiveled his head. As she walked up the aisle, she looked familiar but he couldn’t place her. Now, away from the other women, he figured it out. Black Opal was a beauty. Dressed in lavender or her usual black, it didn’t matter. He’d often wondered if her off-stage persona was anything like the on-stage one. Over the top in everything: her hair, too black to be natural and too long to be real, would fall to her ass. He’d seen her dance, seen her use that mane as a cloak, teasing the audience with silky sweeps over creamy white skin, revealing only hints of what lay beneath. The old cliché fit. The woman put the tease in striptease. He’d been in the club a couple of times under the guise of private investigator. When clients wanted to be entertained in Vegas, it usually involved a show, a stage and beautiful women, clothes optional. He had nothing against women seductively taking their clothes off, but he preferred them to do it in the privacy of his bedroom, for him alone. He’d spent…

As a confirmed book addict, who marks the calendar when my favorite authors come out with new books, I was taken aback by just how many long-awaited books had April release dates. After being sufficiently wowed, I decided to undertake a month-long book odyssey. Crucial TV-viewing was interrupted, proper tribute to the family cat was put on hold, and other highly important daily activity came to a screeching halt while I wallowed in romantic literary delicacies. It was hard, but somebody had to do it. My all-time favorite romance writers, Cynthia Eden and Jennifer Ashley, are both very versatile authors who tackle stories in a wide array of genres and sub-genres. Both authors are also very prolific without sacrificing quality for the sake of quantity. Both BITTER BLOOD by Cynthia Eden and WHITE TIGER by Jennifer Ashley feature shape shifter heroes but the settings and journey that both sets of characters take differ. I love Cynthia Eden’s shadowy New Orleans noir with a paranormal twist. Eden’s “Blood and Moonlight” trilogy has an exciting mix of dangers around every corner, characters that experience a constantly changing reality, and paranormal villains in all their fangy glory. However, in spite of that turmoil,…

  Curious about the characters in HER HIGHLAND MASTER? Now’s your chance to meet Zoey. What is your name? Do you have a nickname? My name is Zoey Mills. Sometimes my sister calls me Zoe or Z, but it’s rare. Who is your best friend? What kinds of things do you do when you’re together? Lucy Martin and I have been BFFs since grade school. She’s really like a sister to me. We experienced our first boyfriends together, puberty, high school, and college. She was the first person I called the day my parents died. One of our favorite things to do is a girl’s night out. We don’t worry about finding guys or anything, just go have a blast at a winery or pub. If you have a family, how do you get along with them? If you don’t, are there people in your life that you consider family? How do you get along with them? My baby sister is my only blood relative. We’re the best of friends. I’m not sure if it’s because of the fact that our parents died and we had to forge our way, or if it would have always been that way with…

A USEFUL WOMAN, A Rosalind Thorne Mystery by Darcie Wilde, the title caught my attention immediately—I had to swallow the affront that stuck in my throat. The audacity to say a woman is ‘useful.” The cover image of a historical era ballroom, however, explains the slight toward the female sex—the nineteenth century did not belong to us. And the author’s name, Darcie Wilde, immediately brought a smile to my face as I thought of a famous Mr. Darcy created by Jane Austen. Could there be a connection? Yes, ma’am. Darcie Wilde, or Sarah Zettel to those of us in the cozy world, has created a brilliant new series that embraces not only a historical mystery, but the style and romance of a Jane Austen novel. I absolutely loved this book and cannot imagine a better title. I also had to interview the very useful woman who wrote this impressive new mystery. 🙂 Kym: Hi Sarah! Welcome to the Cozy Corner! Sarah: Thanks so much for inviting me! I’m really excited to be here. Kym: I love your new pseudonym, Darcie Wilde. Can you tell our readers how it came to be? Sarah: It started out as a pseudonym for some…

Oh, the bad boy. Who doesn’t love a guy in black leather, with a wicked curve to his smile, and a gleam in his eye that says, “Come on, baby, let’s get into trouble.”? I never knew I was the bad boy type…until I started writing them. Now I can’t get enough. What’s beautiful about bad boys is there is a wide range. From down and dirty to hard and gritty to the kind of bad boy I love to write the most: the sweet heat. You know the type. The kind of guy who is a good family man at heart, but won’t hesitate to toss his woman over his knee. The man who is loyal to his friends, but still takes physical risks that put him in danger. From billionaires, to ex-military landscapers, to rock stars, I’ve written many, many bad boys. And I’m not stopping any time soon. Here are my top five reasons women like you (and me!) love bad boys. I’ve also included a few of my bad boys as recommendations. Which one is for you? Bad Boys know who they are. They may be jerks, but they know they are and aren’t afraid to…