Every year I say I’m not going to start planning for the holidays until after Thanksgiving, but who am I kidding? I start watching Hallmark holiday movies the second they come out, usually before Halloween. With all the shortages in supplies as well as delivery services from the pandemic, this year more than ever it’s time to start planning early. Start what, you ask? Everything, I say! Start making a list and checking it twice. Start reflecting on the past year. Have you been naughty or nice? In NAUGHTY OR NICE, Samantha Darling is through being nice. Nice has gotten her nothing but heartache, so she decides to give naughty a try. Getting back at her ex is worth ending up on the naughty list. You’ll have to read the story to see what crazy situation her new motto has landed her in and how she handles it. I have no “real” exes to get back at because I’ve been with my hubby since I was eighteen; but if I did, I could see myself doing what Samantha does. Sometimes I feel like I’ve always been way too nice in life. Don’t get me wrong, I love being nice. Helping…

Chapter 4 Picking someone up at the airport in New York City was the biggest of favors, and Michelle hoped the big jerk appreciated it. But not even the nighttime traffic leading into LaGuardia Airport or BTS blasting positive-energy K-pop from her car’s speakers could distract from her jitters about seeing Gabe again.  What would he be like? Would it be weird to be around him again, or just like old times? She wasn’t sure which she preferred. It might hurt more if they slipped right back into their old dynamic, but she also harbored the hope that they could pick up where they’d left off. Although, the last time she’d seen him, they’d had their tongues in each other’s mouth. Were they going to pretend that hadn’t happened? What was the etiquette for reuniting with a former best friend you’d almost banged? The music was interrupted as her Fiat’s Bluetooth called out, “Call from Ava.” Gripping the wheel tight, Michelle debated whether or not to answer. Her stomach was a bundle of twisted-up knots, her teeth clenched tight. Ava would know something was going on, and Michelle didn’t want to explain what she was doing, especially since she wasn’t…

I’m Melody Carlson and I’ve been writing Christmas novellas for a couple decades now. This year’s story, A Christmas in the Alps, transports us to France for the holidays.  Here we go! A is for Alps – where our picturesque French village is located * C is for clockmaker – the career that our hero (Kyle) is pursuing H is for hotel – run by a friendly French family R is for relatives – our heroine seeks to discover some of her own I is for investigate – our heroine strives to resolve old family mysteries S is for Simone – our reluctant heroine and her namesake great-grandmama T is for treasure – a mysterious letter promising Simone a family treasure M is for merry – will Simone’s Christmas be? A is for Arve – the pretty little fictional town in the French Alps S is for secrets – what really happened to estrange Simone’s great-grandmama from her family? * I is for intrigue – the more we learn, the more the plot thickens N is for Noel – Kyle’s charming competition in the romance game * T is for truth – can Simone ever get to the bottom of…

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 Jaymee Jacobs! Writes: Hockey romance! I have a few standalones, but most of my books are in the Dallas Comets series. My stories are about millennials and dating in the age of technology. About: I’m just a hockey fan for looking for her own happily ever after. By day, I work in the corporate world, and by night, I scribble down whatever the voices in my head tell me to. I’ve got two feline roommates who help to make life interesting. Our favorite pastimes include reading, writing, and binge true-crime documentaries. What I’m Looking For In My Ideal Reader Match: My ideal readers are okay with: an HFN (happy for now) imperfect characters who are trying their hardest to live their best lives not your typical romance Must love: strong and capable heroines sensitive and sexy heroes a little splash of sports thrown in What To Expect If Compatible: the unexpected! — COMMENT TO WIN: A signed paperback copy of Chasing Down the Dream (open internationally). — CHASING…

Hi fellow lovers of zee kissing books! Super thrilled to have my first ever boys kissing boys book (aka MM romance) out there in the world and I’m here to tell you a little bit more about it. Not your thing? Maybe I can get you to take a chance…? P is for pucker up, baby! Donovan’s never even kissed another guy before and Beck is about to blow his mind! L is for liaison. The secret type that Donovan and Beck embark on because he’s in the closet and has zero plans for coming out while he’s still playing pro-football. Sad face. A is for all-consuming. Once Donovan gets a taste of Beck’s sweet, sweet loving he doesn’t want to stop. Oopsies! Y is for yearning. OMG! So. Much. Yearning. I is for intimacy. So. Much. Intimacy. And I don’t just mean the sexy times but the closeness and snuggles and the chatting and the cooking together. Happy sigh. N is for normal. Some men love men, some women love women. Some people fall for the person and gender doesn’t matter. Some people aren’t particularly fussed about any of it. How boring would it be if we were all…

Danielle: Welcome to Fresh Fiction, Penny! Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your debut novel, FOR THE LOVE OF APRIL FRENCH.   Here’s the bio I’ve been using everywhere! “Penny Aimes was assigned Hoosier at Birth but made her way to Austin, Texas, where she lives with a beautiful accountant and a very loud bird. Her debut novel FOR THE LOVE OF APRIL FRENCH is the story of a trans woman who has always seen herself as a stopover for others on their way to a happily ever after and the cis man who knows his home will never be complete without her. Both kinky and unrepentantly fluffy, it is a story about letting go of fear and believing that you can love and be loved in return. It’s also about embracing your community and letting your community vice you a little versa now and then.” “Kinky and unrepentantly fluffy” comes from a very kind review from Talia Hibbert, which is also quoted on the front of the book. A funny thing about that quote is that we had to keep revising the attribution as Talia got more awards and honors. I think we finally settled…

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 Debra Holt! Writes: I read my first romance over 30 years ago — Janet Dailey’s “Fiesta San Antonio” — and became hooked on the genre. Writing romances, both contemporary and inspirational, is both my passion and dream come true, and I hope my books will bring smiles…and sighs… to all who believe in happily-ever-after. My romance novels are set in small towns in my home state of Texas and the ranches that surround them. My favorite trope to write is second chances. It always brings out the romantic sparks in my mind. But in my latest novel, THE BRONC RIDER TAKES A FALL, I decided to write the trope opposites attract. Can the “Rodeo Romeo” and the small town girl at heart find room in their hearts for each other? THE BRONC RIDER TAKES A FALL is book three in the Tremaynes of Texas series, following CAPTURING THE TEXAS RANCHER’S HEART and THE RANCHER RISKS IT ALL. Book four, THE SHERRIF AND…

“How about we get a couple of pictures of you two together?” A photographer waved them closer. With each new pose, her awareness of Travis King grew to an alarming level. Little details. The mole on the side of his neck. The scent of spearmint on his breath. One especially long curl that hung onto his forehead. Like a blond Superman. He had a slight bump in his nose. His hand was warm against her back. The gravel timbre of his voice. The more he smiled, the more she wanted to grab him and… Push him far, far away. She didn’t exactly push him, but she made sure to put space between them just as soon as the pictures wrapped up. With a smile and a wave, she was out of the press room… She wasn’t exactly sure where she was going—only that she needed to get Travis out of her head. She glanced at the sign on the wall, turned, and headed for the dressing rooms. If Bree was there, she’d change and attempt a quick exit. “Loretta.” Travis called out. No. At this point, there was nothing left to say. Don’t look back. “Hold up.” He was getting…

Danielle: Welcome back to Fresh Fiction, Chantal! We are so excited to have you here. Congrats on the release of your new book CUSTOM LOVE. What is it about?   Chantal:  Thank you for having me! Custom Love is Trade and Nadia’s story, and is a romantic suspense full of surprises, love and second chances. CUSTOM LOVE is the latest book in your Fast and Fury series, a spinoff of your Knights of Fury series. What do you love about writing in this world you’ve created?  I love that the books have MC elements, but also give me more room to play. I love the characters and the friendships between them. Nadia and Trade are characters we’ve seen throughout the series and are finally getting their own story told. What are some of the challenges of bringing together two characters readers already feel like they know? Did Nadia and Trade surprise you in any way while writing their love story?   They did surprise me. I think the two of them surprised each other, too, and were meant to be together. Trade is a single dad and has experienced tragedy in his life. How do you think these aspects of…

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 Hanna Earnest! Writes: Romance with big feelings and big moments, like ALL THE BEST NIGHTS, which pits privacy against paparazzi as two musicians try to keep their contemporary marriage of convenience from the tabloids. Rock-star-with-writer’s-block Bran Kelly and pop-star-on-the-rise Nelle are tired of the cost of fame, so they elope to have a secret: something off the record, something just for them. But when real passions threaten the fake feud they devise to protect their pact, they have to decide if keeping their secret is worth staying apart. About: A South-Sider first and a Chicagoan second, my interests include: overhyping my ability to ice skate (and other seasonal activities), the table with the outlet at the coffee shop, and prescription sunglasses. I love to cook and not clean, spam the group chat with inspirational Real Housewife gifs and/or Walt Whitman quotes, and—while my dog is asleep and my daughter is occupied—write books I want to read. What I’m looking for in…