Shakespeare, hot Brits, and aspiring author advice – enjoy Danielle Dresser’s chat with award-winning romance author Melonie Johnson! Welcome to Fresh Fiction! Please introduce us to your Sometimes in Love series, and tell us more about book two, Smitten by the Brit, out next week! Hi! The Sometimes in Love series centers on a group of five best friends, and their friendship plays a strong role in all of the stories, but each book also focuses on one of the girls going after her goals, chasing her dreams, and finding her HEA. Of course, sometimes, the road to a happily ever after isn’t so smooth, so get ready for some bumps along the way. Smitten by the Brit is the second book in the series, and features Bonnie and Theo, the best friends of the hero and heroine in book 1, Getting Hot with the Scot. And speaking of bumps, this book opens with a pretty big one.  Bonnie Blythe is smart, hardworking, and fiercely loyal to the people she cares about – even though in the case of her fiance, he doesn’t deserve it. What did you love about creating Bonnie? What surprised you about her as she developed…

He was a Dragon King. No one should have been able to get to him through magic. No one. But they did. With tragic results. If he’d kept a hold of his sword, he could have checked on the dragons several times. And called them home. V looked up and found himself standing in front of the medical clinic. Sophie, who was mated to another King, Darius, ran it. Many of the Kings hadn’t been sure how Sophie could continue to work as a doctor and keep the secrets of Dreagan, but so far, she’d done admirably. She wouldn’t be able to do that forever, though. As a mate, she was given the gift of immortality. Sophie had a few more years before others started to notice that she didn’t age. Then, she would have to close the practice for a few generations before she could open it up once more. V’s gaze swung to the parking lot as he heard the squeal of tires and a white Mini with black racing stripes pulled to a stop. He sidestepped to conceal himself behind a tree and watched as Claire got out of her car. V couldn’t understand how she drove…

AUTHOR-READER MATCH Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors as a reader you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Melonie Johnson! Writes: Fun, flirty, contemporary romances with delicious heroes, strong female friendships, plenty of banter, and a dash of wish fulfillment. A debut author, her Sometimes in Love series launches April 30 with GETTING HOT WITH THE SCOT, followed quickly by SMITTEN BY THE BRIT on May 28, and ONCE UPON A BAD BOY on June 25. About: This lifelong romance reader decided to take her favorite tropes from historical romances and play with them in the modern day. She’s learned the road to a happy ending is rarely smooth and enjoys discovering the twists and turns along the way. What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match: Believes modern girls need kilts and dukes and rogues too Likes to see the heroine hanging out with friends, going after her career goals, and doing more than spending time with the hero Appreciates the spicy side of the salsa scale (wink wink) Enjoys seeing lots of affectionate nods…

When she put her hand on the horse’s leg, he snorted at the same instant his body tensed. “It’s okay, boy. I won’t hurt you,” she said. Audrey was careful not to get near the affected area as she inspected it with her eyes. Once the gelding calmed, she managed to get her hand several inches closer before he twitched his head. “I’m going to fix you,” she promised. “You have to trust me.” Another few tense minutes passed before she moved with agonizing slowness until her palm was over the knee. She didn’t feel any fluid, so it could just be joint pain. But since this was one of the ill horses, she wasn’t sure of anything. Audrey rubbed her hand softly over the leg again and again. The horse closed his eyes, letting her know that he trusted her. She sat cross-legged and continued to stroke him with one hand while adding notes to the chart on her iPad with the other. Though she didn’t want to leave the bay, Audrey knew she needed to get to the other two horses. She climbed to her feet and ran her hand down the gelding’s head to the soft, velvety…

Prologue Once upon a time—in May 1785, to be exact—Angus MacTaggert, Earl Aldriss, traveled from the middle of the Scottish Highlands to London in search of a wealthy bride to save his well-loved but crumbling estate. Aldriss Park had been in the MacTaggert family since the time of Henry VIII, when Domhnall MacTaggert, despite being Catholic and married, declared publicly that Henry should be able to wed as many lasses as he wanted until one of them got him a son. Aldriss Park was the newly minted earl’s reward for his support and understanding. For the next two hundred years Aldriss thrived, until the weight of poor harvests, the ever-intruding, rule-making Sassenach, and the MacTaggerts’ own fondness for drinking, gambling, and wild investments (including an early bicycle design wherein the driver sat between two wheels; sadly, it had no braking mechanism and after a series of accidents nearly began a war within the MacTaggerts’ clan Ross) began to sink it into disrepair. When Angus inherited the title in 1783, he realized the old castle needed far more than a fresh coat of paint to keep it from both physical collapse and bankruptcy. And so he determined to go down among…

Welcome back to the Fresh Fiction Valentine’s Day Recipe Roundup! Every day this week, some of our favorite authors will be on the blog chatting about their new books, their main characters, and a recipe for a meal or treat those characters would enjoy this festive week. Today we’re featuring contemporary romance authors from St. Martin’s Press! Enjoy, and come back tomorrow for more fun! Missed our previous roundup post? Check it out here! Mystery Authors LAURA TRENTHAM, THE MILITARY WIFE   Harper Lee Wilcox (yes, named after the Harper Lee) is the widow of a decorated Navy SEAL and living with her mom and young son in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, NC. Bennett Caldwell is a former Navy SEAL that served with Harper’s husband, but now runs a survival school in Virginia Beach. Bennett got to know and love Harper through the emails and letters she sent her husband while they were deployed together. When he meets her face-to-face years later, he discovers the real woman is even stronger and more fascinating than the one he imagined. Standing between them is the memory of Noah, Harper’s dead husband and Bennett’s best friend. A common mission brings them together…

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 Olivia Drake. Writes:  I write Regency England historical romance in the style of Lisa Kleypas, Mary Jo Putney, Kelly Bowen, Sophie Jordan, and Sarah MacLean.  THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW, a January release from St. Martin’s Press, is the first in a new series, “Unlikely Duchesses,” about deserving young ladies who are obliged by circumstance to seek employment in the house of a duke.  It stars Max Bryce, the Duke of Rothwell, a rake who vowed never to marry after being rejected by his first love, Abby Linton, the girl next door. Unbeknownst to him, Abby thinks he rejected her since he never replied to her letters.  When they meet again fifteen years later, Abby is governess to his sister, and his attraction to the spirited spinster poses a danger to his roguish lifestyle.  Abby, on the other hand, scorns a man of his wicked reputation – and so the sparks fly! Booklist calls THE DUKE I ONCE KNEW “a…

Rain pounded the roof of the carriage, lending a cozy, intimate feel to the interior. The earl’s long legs were sprawled in front of him, and Fiona endeavored not to gawk at the wet buckskin trousers clinging to his thighs. She was not, however, entirely successful. To be fair, a certain amount of study was necessary if she were to draw him at some point—and she intended to. Her artist’s eye noted the proportions of his hips and thighs, the pronounced contours of his leg muscles, and the slight hollows on the insides of his knees. But as a woman, she noticed him, too—on a whole different level. The heat from his body. The scents of leather and soap. The light stubble on his chin. Swallowing, she considered moving to the seat oppo­ site him, but they had already soaked the velvet squabs of one bench and she saw no reason to sully the other. Instead, she resolved to make use of this time to ad­vance her cause. Mustering as much dignity as she could, given her soggy gown and dripping hair, she squared her shoulders and faced the earl. “Now then,” she began. “I believe we were discussing the—”…