ExPro hockey player, Jake Champagne, and artisan pie maker, Evie Pemberton, were best friends from childhood until Jake ghosted on the friendship when he fell for Evie’s beauty queen cousin. Now, as Jake recovers from a messy divorce, they have reconnected and are struggling to find their footing in this new relationship. Can they get their old friendship back, or do they want something more? In this except, they have been shopping and a salesperson mistook them for a married couple. *** “I can’t believe she thought we were married.” Jake laughed. “I could have told her you were in my wedding, all right. You just weren’t the bride.” And in a split second, the laughter died on Evie’s face. “Jake, I wasn’t.” She hadn’t been in that Cecil B. Demille production of a wedding? At least fourteen women had marched down that aisle wearing dresses the color of Bazooka bubble gum; surely Evie had been one of them. “You weren’t? I could have sworn…” How could he have missed that? Evie smiled a sad little smile. “To be fair there was a lot of pink tulle and ruffles going on with those dresses. It was hard to see who…

He’d called her sweetheart. Oh, she knew he’d done it to annoy her parents, to make them believe that her marriage to Ash was a true marriage in every way, but still…when he said it, she’d felt a deep, corresponding thump in the region of her heart, as if it had been an­swering him. Ash had been nothing but kind since their wedding, and before it, for that matter. At first, after her late husband’s abuse, she couldn’t bear to be touched, but now, nearly a year later, she was trying to get over that. She still flinched sometimes when someone touched her, especially when she wasn’t expecting it, but she would recover. She refused to allow that brute to con­trol her life even after he’d left it. Ash always stepped back from any situation, sepa­rated himself from it. He was a man of intellect, not of passion. He either asked for her permission before he touched her or drew back if she responded with a flinch. She felt safe with him. She did not want passion. The oars dipped in the water, the distant sound of life on either side of the wide expanse muted, occa­sionally echoing off the…

Thanks so much for inviting me to give readers a bit of info about ROLE MODEL! This is the fifth book in my Game Changers m/m hockey romance series. NHL star Troy Barrett has recently been traded to the struggling Ottawa Centaurs after calling out his Toronto teammate and best friend, Dallas Kent, during practice after learning some horrible things about him. On top of being disgusted by his now ex-best friend, Troy has also been recently dumped by his secret boyfriend of two years. Now he finds himself heartbroken, angry, and alone in Ottawa. Harris Drover, the social media manager for the Ottawa Centaurs, is friendly, cheerful, and openly gay. He is wary at first of Troy because he comes with a reputation for being a jerk, but he finds himself fascinated by the sullen, and undeniably gorgeous, hockey star. Harris is determined to make Troy smile, and Troy is determined to become a better man. R is for Rozanov, Ilya. He’s a major supporting character. O is for Ottawa, the city the book is set in. L is for laughing way too loud, which Harris does all the time. E is for eggnog season, Harris’s favorite time of…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TO CATCH A THIEF (Counterfeit Capers #3) 2–What is it about? Third book in the series sees things heat up for the team as the FBI is investigating the forgeries being discovered. Mia, the mastermind behind targeting rich men, gets involved with the FBI agent trying to piece together what’s going on among Chicago’s elite. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  Chicago is my hometown, so I love bringing pieces of it to my work. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  Since this is the third book, Mia has been percolating in my head for a long time. In the first two books, she is seen by everyone as an ice queen. But she surprised me by being far more vulnerable than I expected. She’s also fiercely loyal to a group of criminals that she never wanted to like. 5–Why will readers love your hero?  Logan Ford is down-to-earth and charming. He cares about his diverse family and wants to help Mia to keep her safe. 6–What was one of your biggest challenges while writing this book (spoiler-free, of course!)?  One of my biggest hurdles was making Mia…

We are a lucky bunch today! We have a sweet summery recipe from Alicia Hunter Pace, inspired by her new book SWEET AS PIE. Make sure you check out how to enter for a chance to win a copy below!  Did you know we’re here all week with some of our favorite authors, their new books (and giveaways!), and delicious recipes to take to your next BBQ? Check out who’s been with us so far, and read their posts for some summer fun:  Day 1 with Minerva Spencer Day 2 with Sera Taíno Day 3 with Jennifer L. Wright *** In my Sound Town series, there were two young hockey players—Jake and Robbie—who were nothing but trouble for their older, wiser teammates. They earned the collective moniker Wild Ass Twins—and earned it well. It became apparent they had some stories to tell. SWEET AS PIE is Jake’s story. It will release August 24, 2021.  You can look out for Robbie’s in SMOOTH AS SILK in February of next year. Pro hockey player, Jake Champagne is looking forward to a new team, a new town, and a clean slate in Laurel Springs, Alabama. After a messy divorce, he got busy keeping company with…

1–What is the title of your latest release? IN HARMONY 2–What is it about? It’s about musician, Nyah Monroe who is living a dual life as a classical double bassist and an underground dance music DJ. She’s trying to manage two careers on her own but needs help. Enter super-agent Tommy “Boombox” Mills who not only wants to help Nyah but secure the career legacy he’s envisioned for himself. He needs her and wants to make her famous. The problem is, she makes the rules and flying under the radar is her sweet spot. On a deeper level the book explores some intense themes like evaluating one’s legacy, inheritance, staying true to oneself, and loving someone through imperfection and challenges. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I love that it takes place in some of the most simplistically enjoyable parts of New York; like Central Park on a summer day or even an apartment for one. Small underground clubs are the connective tissue of the city’s heartbeat and I wanted to highlight that scene because as the years pass, there are less of them around. 4–How did your heroine surprise you?  I love how she pushes…

1–What is the title of your latest release? THE CALYX CHARM 2–What is it about? It’s the third book in the Sacred Dark series, so it’s also about resurrection, second chances, and found families. This one in particular features star-crossed lovers, Violetta and Tibario, who come from feuding households. Tibario died during this feud, only to return to life as a blessed cat-soul. Violetta, a seer, has foretold the destruction of the world as they know it due to the escalation of their families’ battle. So when Tibario returns to her with an apocalypse hanging over them, they have a chance to start again and create a new future together.  3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  I absolutely loved writing a setting in which trans people are part of the cultural background. I also love the fantasy drama of grandiose witches and primeval spirits, set around resurrection, dark sorcery, and thunderous prophecies. It’s meant a lot to me to tie all these together with flairs of swashbuckling romanticism. 4–How did Violetta surprise you?  It felt like Violetta was one surprise after another. She was a complicated character to write because her story is so personal, so…

Nikki snagged another glass of champagne and sipped as she walked through the living room of Max Ingram’s house. Tailored suits, designer gowns, and plenty of flashy jewels caught her eye as she walked the perimeter, distracting her from her mission. Focus. She turned her attention to taking in the extraordinary security measures. Fuck. Mia wasn’t kidding about this. A burly guy stood at the foot of the stairs with a dog sitting at his feet. The dog looked like a military sentry on duty. Her heart thumped in response. No worries. The stupid dog won’t attack a random guest. In her ear, Jared’s voice said quietly, “You’re on duty. That’s your third glass of champagne.” She turned and saw him standing near the patio. Then she pointedly scratched an itch with her middle finger, making sure he took note. Although the champagne was quality, she still preferred to blend in as the help. Unfortunately, Ingram had his own waitstaff, so she couldn’t jump in for a shift and disappear. Even worse, between the alarm system and the dog, she didn’t see an easy way to breach the house undetected. And the painting Mia wanted was too big to take…

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 Jadesola James! Writes: I’m a writer of contemporary romance who combines old-fashioned sensibility with thoroughly modern sexiness. I try to pour a lot of love into my books, and hope they leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside! About: I’m a mix of Southern-girl manners and East Coast street-smarts (Born in Alabama, raised in New York City!) and I adore emojis and writing long sentences. 😉 My loves: little luxuries, simple pleasures. Roaring fires, stained-glass windows, bossa nova, homemade scones, long walks on crisp fall days, perfume samples, snuggling babies/fur babies, piles of fresh snow, a big soft bed, and hot, sweet tea on a rainy day. (I was born in Cancer season and boy, does it show.) What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Loves a low-angst story with plenty of heart, and a little bit of heat Must love travel, both domestically and abroad Should like a look at different cultures, cities, occupations, ways of living life…

1–What is the title of your latest release? Thank you so much for letting me drop by today! My newest release is RARE VIGILANCE, and it’s the first of the new WHITETHORN AGENCY trilogy. 2–What is it about? This book is kind of THE BODYGUARD meets vampire mafia. It follows Atlas Kinkaid, an ex-Marine turned security agent, who takes on an odd job protecting Cristian Slava, the son of a rich businessman. Atlas eventually learns Cristian and his family are vampires and gets dragged into their world and all its complexities. Oh, and he totally falls for Cristian even if he shouldn’t. 3–What do you love about the setting of your book?  The book is set in upstate New York, and I loved bringing in rural Gothic elements. The history of the region and the transformation of different areas due to boom-and-bust economies is fascinating and opened up a whole world of possibilities, especially for wealthy, nearly-immortal beings looking to set down roots. 4–How did Atlas surprise you?  Atlas was a surprisingly personal character to write. I drew heavily on my own experiences with migraines and headaches when I wrote about him dealing with the same thing. It’s kind of…