“I have an idea.” He was much too close, the already cramped kitchen seeming much more so with him near enough behind me to feel the warmth rolling off him. He smelled like a hazy memory—some basic soap or shampoo that I associated with my younger years. “What?” My voice came out husky, my thoughts already turning inappropriately sexy. “Let’s fix the pool table.” “Oh. That.” Fool. Of course he didn’t share my problem of a wandering brain. But doing something, anything sounded better than more chances for my mind to get me in trouble. “Let’s do that.” “I found a toolbox earlier. It has a level in it, so we should be able to fix the table by tightening the legs and adding a shim if necessary.” “You’re a man of many talents.” I followed him back to the game room, stopping to collect the toolbox from the hall closet. “I try.” Calder shrugged as he started examining the pool table this way and that. “With my dad at sea so much, Mom made sure that we all had basic fix-it skills.” “Smart mom. I need to remember to show the girls things like screwdrivers and drills.” I wandered…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Annabeth! Congrats on your new release, SAILOR PROOF. Can you give us the quick elevator pitch for this book?  Annabeth:  This is my new military romance LGBTQ+ series. Readers who loved my Out of Uniform series will love this best friend’s little brother romance which has a heaping helping of fake dating, close proximity, only one bed, and big feels in a low-angst package! This is the start of a new series for you! What do you like about starting new series? What are some of the challenges?   I love getting to explore a new universe, discover interesting side characters and places, and I actually love the research aspect. Here, I got to research Navy subs, Seattle, and the Olympic Peninsula. It was hard because of COVID-19 because I couldn’t actually go places and had to rely a lot on memories as well as tons of pictures, videos, documentaries, blogs and more.  To make his ex jealous, Naval Chief Derrick Fox wants to return home with what appears to be a new boyfriend. But his plan goes awry when he and the fake BF, Arthur, start to have very real feelings. Fake dating…

1–What is the title of your latest release? UP IN SMOKE, Hotshots #4 2–What is it about? UP IN SMOKE is a stand-alone romance between a freewheeling smoke jumper and an aspiring country singer who are forced to work together for the best interest of a tiny baby. It’s a MM romance—think Three Men and a Baby meets Backdraft with lots of fun, feels, sexy times, and heart, and a big fluffy happy ending. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love central Oregon. I love all of my state, but central Oregon is very special to me. I love the mountains, the lakes, the iconic scenery, the quirky small towns, the neat little businesses and places to eat, and more. I loved setting the book in an area that I love so much. 4–How did Brandt surprise you?  I expected Brandt to really resist parenthood, but he surprised me by being way more ready to accept responsibility than I would have thought. And he fell in love with the baby—and Shane—far faster than I expected too! 5–Why will readers love Shane?  Who doesn’t love a good-looking man in jeans who can sing like a dream?…

Hey Fresh Fiction readers! I’m so happy to be here participating in the title challenge for my new release, FEEL THE FIRE. This is book 3 in my Hotshots series about smoke jumpers and wildfire fighters, but it also stands alone well. We met Tucker briefly in book 2, HIGH HEAT, and you’ll see small easter eggs from the couples of books 1 and 2 in FEEL THE FIRE. In FEEL THE FIRE, I wanted to look at some of the people behind the scenes in Wildfire Fighting—the people calling the shots, arranging logistics, and deciding how best to approach a fire season. This year Oregon has been in the news with a very active and heartbreaking fire season that claimed over a million acres. While FEEL THE FIRE includes a number of the realities of fighting wildfires, it centers around the reunion romance of two childhood sweethearts meeting again as adults and coworkers. There’s lots of family and feels and sexy tension! F is for First Kisses E is for Eating, shared meals and long talks E is for Each moment counts L is for Longing * T is for Trust, both past and present H is for Home,…

Hi! I am so thrilled to be here on one of my favorite blogs with an exclusive excerpt of HIGH HEAT, my new release. This is book two in my Hotshots series about smoke jumper wildfire fighters in Central Oregon, but each book is designed to stand alone as well.  HIGH HEAT centers around an injured smoke jumper, Garrick, trying to recover from serious injuries and his sexy new neighbor, Rain who barrels his way into Garrick’s life, complete with a lost dog who needs them both.  In the exclusive scene that I’ve brought Fresh Fiction today, Garrick has agreed to help Rain get in shape to meet the wildfire fighter fitness standards. They’re out for exercise in the park and just starting to dance around a mutual attraction. . . Read on to see the sparks starting to fly! *** Needing to change the subject, Garrick pointed at the paved trail that wove through the park. “If we follow this, we’ll hit various obstacles, including pull-up bars. I plan to make you do most of them.” “At your command.” Rain’s dark eyes sparkled, almost like he knew precisely the effect his flirty tone would have on Garrick. “Sit-ups.” Stopping…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  Conventionally Yours! 2–What is it about?  This is my gamer road trip rivals to lovers story about two tabletop gaming frenemies forced to take a cross-country road trip together to a huge convention. Along the way, they discover the true depth of their feelings for each other. Also, they confront everything from car trouble to hotel rooms with only one bed! 3–What word best describes Alden?  Perplexing.  He’s driven, determined, complicated, smart, stubborn, and also deeply loyal, moral, and good in a crisis. And he’s good at driving Conrad up a tree! 4–What makes Conrad irresistible?  He’s handsome in a boy-next-door way, but he’s also funny, helpful, kind, principled, spontaneous, and resourceful. And he’s everything Alden has never realized he needs. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when they need help?  I love the secondary characters in this book. They have a pretty strong cast of characters, from friends like Jasper and Payton to the Professor whose car they are driving and who functions as sort of a surrogate grandpa for the group. Alden’s moms are also important to the story, as are people they meet along the journey. 6–What…

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 as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Annabeth Albert! Writes: I write hot men in dangerous situations! More specifically, I write contemporary LGBTQ romance, mainly m/m pairings with bi/pan/ace/demi rep and more.  I love books with heat, heart, and feels amid exciting backdrops. In my latest, BURN ZONE, I’m launching my HOTSHOTS series about smoke jumpers and wildfire fighters in Central Oregon. This series features burning hot chemistry, some of my favorite tropes with fresh twists, and a dedicated community of first responders who band together to keep the place they love safe. Fans of my OUT OF UNIFORM series will like the “band of brothers” feel here! And book one, BURN ZONE, is an older brother’s best friend romance with a forbidden twist as an upbeat newbie smoke jumper takes on the older, grumpy veteran he’s crushed on for years. About: Like long reads and deep feels that linger after the last page? Like your authors with bulging backlists and well-honed plots? Want sexy excitement without sacrificing…

Hi! I’m so delighted to be here today with an exclusive excerpt from ARCTIC HEAT, my newest release in the Frozen Hearts series set in Alaska. As with the other two books in the series, this one stands alone well–there’s only the briefest of mentions of the prior books’ couples and no spoilers. This is my opposites-attract, odd couple roommates, snowbound romance as a seasoned ranger finds himself paired with a newbie volunteer for the winter season where they’ll be snowed in together at a remote Alaska state park. One thing I loved about writing this one was showing the progression of them from unwilling partners to reluctant roommates to something more. For this excerpt, I wanted to show you a look at the moment when the ranger, Quill, realizes that the winter partnership with Owen, for whom he already had a bit of an awkward encounter with the night before, is inevitable. **** Quill had no hope of this thing working well for anyone, but he’d already done what he could. No sense in upsetting Hattie, who was simply trying to do her job. He saved his ire, heading to the coffee table where Owen was still fussing with…