Excerpted from THE PERFECT ROM-COM, by Melissa Ferguson. Thomas Nelson, 2025. Reprinted with permission. Interstate Bowl is, in a word, busy. In a series of words, it’s full to the gunwales of polyester shorts and replete with the scent of nacho cheese dip and tobacco. James, one of the many high school employees tasked with keeping up with obsessed middle-aged league members who have decidedly made rolling heavy balls down a glossy surface a major part of their identity, is covered in a cloud of bowling shoe disinfectant beside the jukebox, which is beside the cheap food bar flanked by splitting red-cushioned stools. I plop my shoes on the floor next to Gloria and sit down. “He loves you.” Gloria casts her gaze over at Jack, who’s leaning against the bar. I shake my head. “He dates more women than are in this building.” “What women? Look around.” Gloria takes in the swaths of males around us. Fair. “And dated. Past tense being the key tense here. I think he’s waiting for you.” “For what?” I throw out, giving a disbelieving laugh. “I’m right here.” “Have you forgotten Parker so easily?” My face warms slightly, internally slapped by surprise at…

1–What is the title of your latest release? MIDNIGHT ON THE SCOTTISH SHORE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Desperate to escape the occupied Netherlands in 1941, Cilla van der Zee agrees to become a spy in Britain. But her plans to betray the Germans and work for the Allied cause are derailed when a suspicious Royal Navy officer finds her on the shores of his Scottish home. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since my family is part-Scottish, they’ve been begging me to set one of my World War II novels in Scotland. Then my mythology-loving youngest son told me the legend of the selkie. This creature looks like a seal but sheds its skin on land to reveal a beautiful woman. Men who fall for the selkie steal the sealskin to trap her on land, but if she should find that sealskin, she’ll flee back to sea. I immediately pictured a spy landing on Scottish shores in sight of a kilt-wearing Scotsman, who turns her over to Britain’s MI5. Then I found Dunnet Head Lighthouse, set on a high cliff in the far north of Scotland on the south side…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Annabelle Slator! Writes: Hey! I’m Annabelle Slator and I write contemporary romcoms set in the workplace and beyond! My debut novel THE LAUNCH DATE is about Grace Hastings, a marketing manager who hates her job at lovey-dovey dating app, Fate. So when Grace is given an opportunity for a job at a new app focus on ‘IRL’ dating, she goes for it. That is, until she discovers that she must test drive a series of ‘first dates’ with her competition for the job: notorious socialite playboy and Grace’s biggest work rival, Eric Bancroft. But Grace refuses to give up her dream job because of a man. And besides, how romantic can a handful of fake dates with your biggest rival really be? About: Frazzled English Woman currently residing Cambridgeshire, UK. I worked in marketing and social media for brands and startups for 10+ years in London, and a lot of the experiences inspired my debut novel The Launch Date! When I’m not in my…

LEFT ON RANCHO, Chapter 7 Excerpt After the prep sessions, Andrew headed out to the taco truck. As he waited in line, he shielded his face from an unpleasant, swirling, warm wind. It felt different . . . suffocating. The skunk odor was gone, the easterly wind dissipating the rancid smell. The same easterly wind that transformed into Santa Anas as it funneled over the mountains and accelerated through the passes, and dried out as it rolled down the hills and slopes, fueling fires before reaching the ocean. He remembered the scars of the Oakland and Berkeley Hills fires, which were still present when he’d arrived as a freshman at Cal in ’93. The fires and destruction touched everyone at the university. “You again,” Renée said. “The name’s Andrew.” “My tacos must have made an impression. Was it the tongue or the tripe?” She grinned. “What are you smiling at?” “Are you going to order?” “Right. Barbacoa. You pick the other two.” He stepped to the side, flustered. As he waited, he noticed Ashlee’s battered Chevy Cruze pulling into the parking lot. She seemed haggard, her hair scrunched into a tight bun and wearing sweats as if she had just…

In GET LOST WITH YOU, Jillian Keller has settled into her life as a divorced mom who is happy to be back in her hometown, surrounded by her family and the people she loves. When Levi Bright, the boy that all of her teenage diary entries were about, comes back to Smile for good, they reconnect and realize that all those long-ago feelings never went away. This is a second chance, brother’s best friend, childhood crush story that needs a soundtrack to encapsulate the multitude of feelings and emotions both Jilly and Levi have. If this book had a theme song: Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift And all my wallsStood tall painted blueBut I’ll take ’em down, take ’em downAnd open up the door for youAnd all I feelIn my stomach is butterfliesThe beautiful kind, makin’ up for lost timeTakin’ flight, makin’ me feel like Jillian and Levi have both been through a lot in the last ten years. When they reconnect, it’s first as friends even though they both feel the spark of what once existed between them. Jillian is more cautious now but it doesn’t take long for Levi to realize everything he’s ever wanted or searched…

by Misty Simon Since February is the month of looooovvvveeeee, let’s fill up your TBR with some of the best! I’m particularly fond of the whole romance in a cozy thing, if we’re being honest. I write what are called RomCozies and I adore them. Yes, I love the justice and the community and the puzzle and the game, but I love that all spiced up with a little romance, too. Plus, while I like regular romance, being able to watch the main character grow into her relationship with her special person over the course of several books keeps it fresh. I have romance in all my cozy mysteries and love it. But let’s dive into some other people’s books that might make you sigh, not only because justice is served but also because we might just have a new book boyfriend! First let’s look at Rosalie Speilman’s THE CORAL CONSPIRACY! I love a good hottie to keep you on your toes, and Nelly is in quite the quandary in this delightful mystery filled with sea, sand, murder and a little spot of ooh-la-la! This is a fun read to tide you over in these colder months. Hawaii here we…

Book Title: CATRIONA Character Name: Coll Barr How would you describe your family or your childhood? An outsider might view my childhood as idyllic, parents who had been childhood sweethearts, living on a cattle farm, a comfortable, tidy home, and a mother who cooked every meal. To my sister, Aileen, and me, it bent more toward disappointing—but only the parts our parents touched. They handed out disapproval like other parents doled out hugs and kisses. We learned from a young age to only count on ourselves for love and support . . . and Thomas MacGregor, our neighbor and best friend. What was your greatest talent? Tracking people who think it’s a good idea to break the law. Even though I’ve been all over the world for jobs, my favorite way to trace someone is through the digital imprints they leave behind. I’m a beast on a computer. Significant other? I fell in love with my best friend’s little sister when she was only nineteen. If I admitted that, the consequences would be severe. Biggest challenge in relationships? The biggest challenge is trusting myself. Where do you live? Bunchrew, Scotland. It’s a small village outside Inverness. Do you have any…

1–What is the title of your latest release? NOTHING EVER HAPPENS HERE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Against the backdrop of a small, snowy Minnesota town, the lives of three women are upended as a murder and a missing person case shock the locals. Café owner, Mack, is searching for her missing husband, Shelby, who has survived a brutal attack, finds herself fighting for her life, and Florence, a resident at the retirement home, along with her small gang of fellow retirees, get overly involved in trying to solve these mysteries until it all comes to a head in a twisty ending that intertwines all three stories. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I really love an atmospheric novel, so I thought a lot about how to introduce setting almost as another character and have it enrich the story and feel very ominous and icy and unwelcoming as a backdrop to the action. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I would love to get coffee with Florence and see what trouble she’s getting into. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? There are three protagonists, but…

Each Monday the Smashwords store lists the top ten most highly anticipated indie fiction ebooks based on the previous week’s preorder accumulations. Each title on the list is scheduled to release within the next week. To help the talented authors on this list accumulate even more preorders, click the title of the book. The hyperlink will bring you to a Books2Read page where you can order from your preferred ebook retailer. If the preorder is part of a series, click the hyperlinked series title to learn about the other books in the series. Be sure to check back Friday for a list of the Top 25 Bestselling Indie Ebooks.

Love historical fiction with a dash of mystery and friendship? You won’t want to miss my chat with Suzanne Nelson about her compelling new novel, THE LIBRARIANS OF LISBON. Set in World War II Portugal, this story follows two female spies navigating a glittering world of exiled royalty while carrying out dangerous missions. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and join us as Suzanne shares the fascinating real-life inspirations behind her characters and takes us on a journey through the glamorous yet perilous streets of wartime Lisbon. Jennifer Vido: What drew you to set your novel in Lisbon during World War II? Suzanne Nelson: Before I wrote this novel, I knew very little about Lisbon and Portugal’s role during World War II. Once I learned that Portugal was neutral during the war, and that it was a “playground” for Allied and Axis spies, pieces of the story began to fall naturally into place. Lisbon, Estoril, and Sintra also became these surreal social meccas for Europe’s exiled royalty, celebrities, artists, and writers. People like the Prince of Romania, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Peggy Guggenheim, and Marc Chagall stayed in this area, hobnobbing in some of Lisbon’s and Estoril’s most…