New Release ~ Ground Sweet as Sugar ~ by ~ Catherine C. Heywood

♦ ♦ ♦

This must-have collector’s edition includes Ground Sweet as Sugar and The Virtues of Vice, the alternate-ending novella, Into the Complete Unknown, and Catherine C. Heywood’s research notes on “Building the World of Seven Stars.” 1797: After a century of clarifying oppression, Ireland seethes on the brink of rebellion. It waits on one violent tremor—the execution of a seventeen-year-old girl. All Charlotte Dillon wants is to escape. When she slips her fate, she discovers her future lies in the hands of James Blair, a sugar planter with deep ties to her enemies. Bound to James for seven years, Charlotte must find a way to conceal her true identity and crime, even as they set sail for the West Indies, even as they confront the limits of their endurance, even as they fall in love.  Meanwhile, an ocean away, a rebellion is unfolding and a mystery unraveling that threaten the tenderness growing between them. Through harrowing battles and the ache of longing, James and Charlotte must face devastating reckonings to finally know the sweetness they’ve earned.  Sweeping from Ireland’s bleeding battlefields to St. Croix’s burning sugarcane fields, Ground Sweet as Sugar: The Complete Story is the entire saga of power, punishment, and undying love. Included in this adaptation is INTO THE COMPLETE UNKNOWN – An alternate-ending novella to the Ground Sweet as Sugar story, the unforgettable coming-of-age saga of one girl’s fight for her freedom, her country, and her heart…  1801: James Blair wakes, in pain and adrift, on the Caribbean Sea with no memory of how he got there. No memory, he soon discovers, of the last eight years of his life. All he wants is to retreat to what he knows, but forces around him demand he confront a tangled life he can’t seem to bear.  Resolved to leave James for good, Charlotte Dillon flees the West Indies for a new life. But the most powerful woman in France and a mysterious man who seems to know her secrets disturb her quiet life in the vine rows of Montmartre. And little does she know that the one man who still moves her is the one man who’s still coming for her. Sweeping from a careless Caribbean to a restless France, Into the Complete Unknown is Book III in the epic Ground Sweet as Sugar saga of power, punishment, and undying love.

♦ ♦ ♦

#gsasrd-9 GSAS_TCS Available Now #3
GSAS_TCS Available Now Teaser #1

♦ ♦ ♦

#gsasrd-11 Moments later, Charlotte storms onto the dock, a vision in gray silk and cream lace with a russet bow at the bodice and tendrils of auburn hair whipping free from the bun atop her head. The switch of her hips and the loud clack, clack, clack, clack of her shoes as she treads causes the men to part, leaving them stopped and gaping in her wake. Near the Anne’s gangplank, James casually leans against a post, his voice lighthearted as he banters with her crew. “How dare you!” Charlotte stops beside him. James turns, his expression falling from wide-open contentment to narrowed outrage in a blink. “How dare me? How dare you!” “How dare me? Me? Keogh appears and claps them on their shoulders. “Children, has it been like this the whole time I’ve been away?” “No!” They answer in unison while glaring at one another. “Oh, good. You’ve been saving it up for my return.”

♦ ♦ ♦

#gsasrd-10

Read the First Chapter HERE!

♦ ♦ ♦

Catherine C. Heywood is an Amazon bestselling author of romantic historical fiction and a former political speechwriter and communications consultant. Raised in Red Wing, Minnesota, she studied international politics at the University of Edinburgh and has degrees in politics, writing, and communications from the University of St. Thomas and Boston College. She explored the law and improv before settling on storytelling. Her worst job was scraping year-old tobacco spit off a shoe factory wall. Her best is doing this. She lives in western Wisconsin with her husband and sons, and her interests include architecture and design, fashion and food.

84faf-website 481e5-facebook 868e4-twitter 1a806-instagram black icon - goodreads ed575-newsletterbookbub

♦ ♦ ♦

tns-connect-with-html-1 (1)

website gold facebook gold twitter gold instagram gold gold label_newsletter Pinterest gold youtube gold

MASTER LIST - JOIN OUR TEAM

New Release ~ Seducing the Warrior ~ by ~ Laura Shipley

Royce Davis has been living in darkness since an injury in battle left him with failing vision. When a fiery-haired vixen, Lily Moore becomes his employee, she brings with her an unexpected light and a yearning he can’t resist. But, when her past catches up to her, Lily and Royce find themselves caught up in a deadly game. Fans of steamy historical romances will want to sink their teeth into Seducing the Warrior by Laura Shipley, the first book in her To Love A Wicked Warrior Series.

Blurb

A soldier losing his vision. A lady fleeing for her life. An unlikely couple… bound together in desire, need, and love.

The man in the shadows…

Injured in battle and his sight failing, Royce Davis has been dwelling in darkness since his return to England, in more ways than one. Consumed by bitterness and pain, Royce is determined to make his way in the world alone. But when a fiery-haired vixen takes up his offer of employment, his heart is awakened by a woman whose beauty enthralls him and whose touch ignites a yearning he cannot resist.

The woman who brings the light…

On the run from a ruthless enemy, Lily Moore finds refuge in Royce Davis’s home. Refusing to be put off by her employer’s coarse manners, Lily senses the real man behind the facade…as well as a desperate passion she finds herself longing to answer.

The darkness that cannot be escaped…

Royce refuses to believe he could ever be worthy of a woman like Lily. But when the past catches up with his new assistant, he will move heaven and earth to keep her safe. Royce must prepare to do battle with a cunning adversary while fighting against his own blindness. Lily never meant for Royce to be caught up in this deadly game. But now what began as a business arrangement has become something much more. Can a bargain born of necessity lead them to a fated love? Or will a madman see them parted forever?

Add to Goodreads Here!

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt

Copyright 2021 Laura Shipley

The horizon appeared to stretch on forever, though she knew across the sea lay the continent, but in this moment, she felt as if she were the only person in the world. All of a sudden, a great weight lifted from her. It felt like the sea had taken with it the part of her which had, for these last months, known nothing but pain and sorrow and had released her from it. A sob escaped, but Lily covered her mouth, trying to suppress the noise. She shouldn’t be crying, but perhaps they were only tears of joyful gratitude. After all this time, she might finally be able to have a life free of fear.Time seemed to pass at its own pace. The sun’s changing position in the sky the only indication that the day was progressing. How long had she stood there, gazing at the blue waters below? Surely it was time to return to the manor house. Lily took a few steps when she heard a horse approaching. Her pulse quickened, and she froze in place. Who would be coming here, so far away from any place? Should she try to hurry into the safety of the woods, or wait?

No, she was tired of running and knew there was nothing to fear. The men who had been after her wouldn’t know she had fled to the other side of the country. She waited, and after a moment, a horse and rider came into view, making their way up the hill that she stood on.

The man appeared young, perhaps around her age. He wore a long black riding coat, the tails bouncing behind him in time with his horse’s gait. His hat hid is hair, but she could see it was a darker color. Overall, she was inclined to call him handsome. All of this she saw in the few seconds before he pulled up his horse before her.

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

About Laura Shipley

Laura Shipley is an indie author who writes Victorian historical romance with dark, brooding heroes and strong-willed, feisty heroines. Her love of romance began the first time she “borrowed” one of the mother’s books and was hooked. While she reads all genres, paranormal romance is a close second to historical.

When she is not writing, Laura enjoys spending time with her husband and children. She has never met a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine that she did not like. Her third addiction is Starbucks, and the never ending need for caffeine to keep the creative juices flowing. She prefers movies over tv, too much of a time commitment, but likes spending time outdoors including hiking and rafting.

Her greatest joy is transporting readers to another time and place with her books, and to have her readers fall in love with the characters just as much as she does. Laura’s email is always open to comments or questions at thelaurashipley@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow her on Facebook at TheLauraShipley for updates and other fun stuff.

Follow: Facebook | Goodreads | BookBub | Newsletter | Amazon

New Release ~ Pressure Point ~ by ~ Claire Hastings

THE PRESSURE IS ON! Pressure Point by Claire Hastings is live. Get your sexy sports romance fix today!

Universal: https://geni.us/Pressure_Point

BLURB: How high does the pressure get inside the friend zone? This goalkeeper is about to find out…

Moving to America forced Liam Daley to leave almost everything behind in Ireland – his family, his team, and his dreams about what might have been. Now on a mission to prove that he’s more than second string as a member of the Atlanta Rising Football Club, there’s only one thing distracting him: the team’s charming and quirky physical therapist, who just happens to be crushing on the hotshot rookie Dash Lazaro.

Avery Houghton is living her dream working for the Atlanta Rising. In fact, life would be perfect if she could just score a date with her dream guy. But overcoming her natural awkwardness is unlikely, and her insecurities aren’t doing her any favors either. She’s desperate for help, and who better to teach her how to attract a football star than another football star?

As Avery’s reluctant partner in crime, Liam hopes to show her that she doesn’t need to change for any man. But simply telling Avery how he really feels seems impossible. While Avery gets closer to everything she thinks she wants, Liam starts to feel the pressure. Will he be forced to pass when he’s finally ready to make a play for her heart?

#releaseblitz #releaseblast #releaseday #newrelease #bookbirthday #availablenow #nowlive #newboks #romancenovels #romancebooks #contemporaryromance #sportsromance #soccerromance #footballromance #atlantarising #pressurepoint #bookish #booklovers #booknerds #readmoreromance #spicyreads #hotreads

About Claire: Claire Hastings is a walking, talking awkward moment. She loves Diet Coke, gummi bears, the beach, and books (obvs). When not reading she can usually be found hanging with friends at a soccer match or grabbing food (although she probably still has a book in her purse). She and her husband live in Atlanta with their fur-child Denali.

Follow Claire Everywhere! Universal: https://www.clairehastingsauthor.com/links

New Release ~ Forever with the Chef ~ by ~ Allie York

Heartbroken, Shae leaves everything behind and moves to a small town. She doesn’t expect to be swept off her feet by grumpy chef, Liam. Things are quick to heat up between them, but hopefully neither get burned. Readers who love Hope Ford and Alexa Riley will love Forever with the Chef by Allie York, a friends with benefits to lovers, instalove, small town romance.

Blurb

I don’t do forever. You’re lucky if you get me for a night. Shae Mitchell lives life to the fullest. If she wants something she gets it. After another heartbreak, she leaves everything and heads for small town life. What she doesn’t expect is to be swept off her feet by the grumpiest man she’s ever met. Liam Campbell is the best and he knows it. As the top chef around, his reputation for cooking and a bad attitude precedes him. But he’s not in it to make friends. Until a sassy, stubborn ray of sunshine makes him realize there’s more to life. Are they cooking with fire, or will someone get burned?

Add to Goodreads Here!

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

Excerpt

Copyright 2021 @Allie York

“You asked me to move in,” I remind him. “And to work with you.” I quit the serving job and started training in the kitchen as soon as I could. Tonight will be my first night in my new position and I’m scared as hell I’m going to mess up. But with Liam there, I know it’ll be fine. “It’s because I can’t get enough of you.” Liam stops me at the door and pulls me in for a kiss. I sigh and lean into it. I was with my ex for years and never felt like this. Liam makes me feel safe, wanted, secure. Not that I need a man to make me feel those things, but damn is it nice. He leads me by the hand to his truck, opens the door for me and I climb in. He squeezes my ass in the process and closes my door once I’m seated. In a matter of seconds, his hand is on my leg, the truck is in gear, and we’re pulling away from the cute little house we now share. “That place isn’t forever. I’m going to build you a big one. Lots of rooms for babies and a massive kitchen.” He glances at me, one hand draped lazily over the wheel, the other on my thigh. “Who said anything about babies?” I tease, but his grip tightens. “Joking, Liam.” I say soothingly. “You were planning kids with him.” His words come out with a little too much bite for my taste. “Yes, and he already had three. I was also planning a wedding, but he already had that too,” I snap back. “Is it because…” “Liam, stop.” I cut him off. “I don’t want to talk about him.” “Are you still in love with him?” His voice is tight. “No!” Honestly, I don’t think I ever was. I don’t know why talking about a house and kids with Liam doesn’t freak me out, but it doesn’t. It feels like something we should talk about; like the next step in our process. I feel like I’ve known Liam my whole life and this is where I belong. It’s not the first time he’s mentioned he wants kids, and he seems to want them soon, but I’m not quite ready to not be on the pill. Liam doesn’t say anything else and neither do I. We pull into the lot, Liam gets out and slams the truck door. I lean over, lay on the horn and wait for him to get annoyed with me and come back. He doesn’t. And this is what happens when you pick a brooding man. Fine, I can pout too. I wait until I’m almost late to head inside and start my first official shift as his sous chef. He may be stubborn, but I am so much worse.

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!

About Allie York I’m a mom, wife, and dog groomer by day. At night I write contemporary romance. I love funny dog videos, I read naughty books, and drink too much coffee.

Follow: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Bookbub | Amazon | Newsletter | Website | Reader Group

This promotional event is brought to you by The Indie Pen PR

New Release ~ Brutal Boxer ~ by ~ Naomi Porter

Title: Brutal Boxer
Series: Knight’s Legion MC #4
Author: Naomi Porter
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: September 16, 2021
Cover Design: TRC Designs
Aspen. My Snow.

 

As teenagers, we were always each other’s forever and ever. Until we weren’t.
Today, I am the enforcer for the Knight’s Legion MC. I dole out punishments on soulless criminals with my blade Ricky.
In the MMA cage, I unleash my anger and frustrations. Fighting is my lifeline to living without the only woman I ever loved, my Snow.
My MC life is disrupted when she arrives at the club, nearly frozen to death and battered. I’m shaken to the core. Buried feelings resurface, pissing me off.
Snow needs the club to protect her from her ex.
I need her gone.
After a decade of hating each other, we’re thrust together and it’s about to get brutal. If I can protect her from her lunatic ex, maybe this could be our second chance…
CONTENT WARNING: This book contains dark elements that may be triggering to some readers. Discretion advised.

 

Naomi Porter always had a knack for storytelling, and she’s finally putting pen to paper to share with you, the reader. Whether she is trying to stay warm in the freezing winter weather or cool in the sweltering heat, she’s pounding away at the keys of her laptop to bring you the latest gritty motorcycle club romance or decadent billionaire saga, or an outlandish, heart-stopping sexy drama.
 
No matter what story she’s telling, you can bet it has sexy as sin men, sassy and confident women, and plenty of sizzling passion. Enter Naomi’s naughty world today!

HOSTED BY:

New Release ~ Greaser ~ by ~ Andi Rhodes

 

Title: Greaser
Series: Soulless Kings MC #4
Author: Andi Rhodes
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: September 16, 2021

 

BLURB

 

Greaser…

 

The Soulless Kings are my family, my life. I would die for them, bleed for them, kill for them. Patched members, prospects, blood relatives… they all have my loyalty, no questions asked. What I won’t do is tolerate lies, no matter who they come from.
Until I catch a brother in one.
Danger shows up at our doorstep and I find myself reevaluating my boundaries. I don’t have a choice. It could mean the difference between life and death for the woman who’s done the impossible: risen from the dead.

 

Trinity…

 

People don’t come back from the dead. It’s impossible, yet it’s exactly what I’m doing. For twelve years, I ceased to exist. My family, my friends, the world thought I was gone forever. I was a statistic, a faceless number among millions. But I’m back and I need to be seen, to be heard, to be remembered.
My escape isn’t planned. It happens fast but I don’t look back. Not until I’m forced to. I manage to track down the one person who will recognize me, my twin. Looking at me should be like looking in a mirror. The problem is, his new family doesn’t know I exist and they don’t take kindly to lies or strangers.
And I represent both.

 

 

 

 

 

PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited

 

EXCERPT

 

“Answer me,” he barks.

 

My shoulders tense and heat burns through every cell of my body. “Why? Will my answer change anything?” I ask, years of anger and frustration taking over.
“No.”
“At least you’re honest,” I mumble as I rest my head on my forearms.
“Which is more than I can say for you.”
I lift my head and glare toward the door. I have no idea if this asshole can see me or not, but I’m past caring. I want to get the hell out of here. I want to go home.

 

You don’t have a home, remember?

 

“So, if you’re Trainwreck’s sister, tell me something about him.”
I narrow my eyes into the darkness. He’s mentioned this Trainwreck a few times, mostly during his earlier phone call, and I have no clue who he’s talking about. How am I supposed to tell him something about a person I don’t know?
“I don’t know who Trainwreck is. I’m here for Tyler,” I answer honestly. Not that he’ll believe me.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t respond, but the lights turn on and the door swings open. I blink several times so my eyes can adjust to the sudden change. He stomps toward me with a cell phone in his hand.
He bends down and shoves the screen in my face. “This is Trainwreck.”
I look at the picture, and for the first time since I met this man at the gate, I feel a sense of hope flair.
The picture is of Tyler—Trainwreck—and there are half naked women hanging on him. The photo is dark, but I can make out his face… my face.
“That’s Tyler,” I whisper.
He turns the phone to look at the picture and his eyes dart back and forth between it and me. Finally, he sighs.
“You don’t see it, do you?” I ask.
“See what?”
“The resemblance.” I relax my posture. My muscles ache from tension and I no longer have the strength to remain tied in knots. “I can’t believe…” I shake my head and start over. “There is no way you don’t see that we’re siblings.”
“Why not?” He shrugs. “Plenty of people have similar looks and don’t have blood in common.”
“True,” I concede. Lots of people thought I looked like Ma and Pa, but we weren’t related at all. “But we have more than blood between us. We’re twins, you idiot.”
“Bullshit!” he shouts as he rises to his full height.
“Get him here and you’ll see.”
He runs his fingers through his hair and begins to pace. I watch him go back and forth several times before I stand up as well.
“If this Trainwreck is someone you know, call him,” I demand. “Call him and let me talk to him. He’ll tell you I am who I say I am.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s busy.”
“Too busy to come see his twin sister?”
He only nods and I heave a sigh.
“Then take me to him.”
He stops pacing in front of me and pushes me back against the wall. He braces his hands on either side of my head and leans in close.
“You’re pretty ballsy all of a sudden,” he snarls.
I try to avert my eyes, but he grips my chin and holds my head in place.
“If you’re his sister, how come we didn’t know about you?”
The question hurts. It sends an arrow through my heart, piercing yet another hole in the already shredded organ. My eyes burn as tears well up and I try, unsuccessfully, to blink them away.
Images assault my mind. News reports I managed to catch when Ma and Pa permitted me to watch TV flash, one after the other. Phrases like ‘Search called off for missing girl’ and ‘Family has daughter declared dead’ stick in my brain, taunting me, terrorizing me.
“Probably…” The words catch, unable to force their way out.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and lock eyes with him.
“Probably because he thinks I’m dead.”

 

 

ALSO AVAILABLE
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited

 

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited

 

COMING SOON

 

Releasing November 4
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

 

 

AUTHOR BIO

 

Andi is an MC romance author who started her journey when her career in social work was no longer her passion. Her books are sassy and suspenseful with a heavy dose of chaos and are guaranteed to deliver an HEA and all the feels. She loves writing about alpha males and the women who tame them. When she’s not writing, Andi is an avid reader of the romance genre and prefers books that teeter on the edge of decent. She also loves spending time with her husband and their pack of dogs. For access to release info, updates, and exclusive content, be sure to sign up for Andi’s newsletter at andirhodes.com, where you will also find links for Facebook and Instagram.
AUTHOR LINKS

New Release ~ Salvation ~ by ~ Avery Caswell

Title: Salvation

 

Author: Avery Caswell
Genre: Women’s/Sibling Fiction
Release Date: September 15, 2021
No one ever talks about what happened …

 

 
Summer 1971, Del Munro, a single mother of four, is struggling to make ends meet when Mother Franklin, a traveling evangelist, offers to take her daughters to the beach in Savannah.
For nine-year-old Willie June and seven-year-old Glory, restless at the end of a long, hot summer in Charlotte, it’s a dream come true. To their beleaguered mother, it’s a much-needed reprieve.
But what seemed like a blessing soon turns into a nightmare when the girls are pressed into service by the morbidly obese Mother Franklin whose needs are as outsized as her ambitions.
When the girls fail to return, Del, evasive about the details of her arrangement with Mother Franklin, panics. People begin to wonder if instead of sending her daughters on vacation, she sold them to the evangelist.
Based on a true story, Salvation is an evocative and unforgettable saga about stolen innocence that explores the tragic mistakes made by desperate people and the false prophets who exploit their vulnerabilities.

 

 

“…a riveting and deeply moving story… a stunning debut by an important talent.”
—Abigail DeWitt, author of News of Our Loved Ones
“A haunting, disturbing journey through an America of misplaced hope and overvalued faith, and of surprising redemption. With gentle humor and a profound appreciation for the marginalized lives of her characters, Avery Caswell illuminates the America that’s alongside us, and which many of us rarely acknowledge.”
—Arthur J. Magida, author of Code Name Madeleine

 

 

Avery Caswell was born just north of Chicago, Illinois. From a young age she was always scribbling, filling stenographer notebooks with observations (like Harriet, the Spy) and drawing scenes from Camelot (Franco Nero!). She grew up in various small towns across the Midwest and lived briefly in upstate New York before making the Carolinas home. An interest in the blurred edges between religion and magic, and a love of history inspire much of her writing. Caswell attended Kent State and Purdue Universities, the University of Baltimore, and Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She holds MFAs in theatre and creative writing.

 

 
HOSTED BY:

New Release ~ A Different Way ~ by ~ Kathryn Shay

Title: A Different Way
Series: Sisters of Fire #5
Author: Kathryn Shay
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 14, 2021
 

 

The Sisters of Fire, a hot new firefighter series, follows the path of six women who trained together and remained friends ten years later.
 
When Battalion Chief Lynn Lucas’ marriage turns cold and she can no longer tolerate the inactivity of a small township firehouse, she decides to change her life. But when she meets Brady Jamison, a younger man with a secret, will she lose sight of her goals once again?
 
Grab a copy of all six Sisters of Fire novellas: MORE THAN ENOUGH, AT LAST, NO EASY CHOICE, EQUAL PARTNERS, A DIFFERENT WAY and TO TRUST AGAIN.

 

 
 

 
Prologue

Brady Jamison sat on the stairs watching a little fairy princess dance around the foyer, until a knock sounded on the glass of the storm door. “Look, Daddy. Somebody’s here.”

He moved up behind her as she pushed the handle. The scent of cut pumpkins with candles floated over to them.

“Trick-or-treat.”

Emma squealed with delight as she doled out Hershey bars, tootsie rolls and Three Musketeer bars.

They repeated the process ten times, then Brady said, “We’re done, honey.”

Another child had just climbed the steps. “One more.”

“All right.” Again, he pushed the door open.

“Daddy, she’s dressed like me!” Emma’s eyes widened. “So’s her Mama. And they got braids, too.”

Brady bit his lip when he took in the two of them. “What a sight.”

The adult fairy warned, “Don’t you dare laugh.”

“At two more beautiful fairies? Why would I?”

The little one turned to the woman. “Mommy, I gotta pee.”

Her mom’s eyes widened in makeup that was pretty cool.

“We have toilets,” he said kindly. “She can use one.”

“I’ll have to come with her.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t expect otherwise.”

They entered the house and Emma practically jumped up and down. She led all three of them to the downstairs bathroom, and the girl went inside, while the mother waited in the kitchen hallway. “She’s nine. She’s growing up fast.”

“Mine is eight going on eighty.”

“I am not, Daddy.” She turned to the woman. “I’m Emma. My daddy’s Brady. Who are you?”

“My name is Lynne. My daughter’s Melody.”

“Do you live near us?”

“No, we’re new to town and were driving around to find a street with lots of trick-or-treaters out.”

“Can you stay?”

Melody opened the door in time to hear Emma’s request. “You said we were going home after this house, Mom. Can we?”

“I—”

“P-l-e-a-s-e!” This from both girls.

She glanced at Brady. He was still entranced by her made up face. She used greens and blues to accent her own big green eyes. “Fine by me. You were going to be our last, too.” He ruffled his daughter’s wings. “How about cider?”

“I want the candy I got today at Trunk or Treat, Daddy.”

Melody asked, “What’s that?”

“Trunk or Treat is a common practice at Halloween in Crystal City,” Brady explained. “Parents and friends we know put candy in the trunks of their cars and drive to a parking lot. The kids go around trick or treating in a safe way.” He addressed Emma. “All right honey. Two pieces.”

“Two for you, too, sweetie,” Lynne told her daughter.

In childhood innocence, Emma grabbed the unfamiliar girl by the hand and led her toward the living room. Melody said, “I love your braids.” He’d learned to do them and was proud of himself.

“Thanks. I like yours.”

The adults dropped down at the table that overlooked the room. Brady and his wife Jenny had renovated the whole back the house into this open layout.

Lynne asked, “What are the chances of matching outfits?”

“Three of them? Slim to none.”

She moved uneasily. “These wings are not for sitting in chairs.”

“If you’re finished, take them off.”

“I, um, can’t do it alone. I’m planning to stop back at a friend’s house to get them off. She put them on me, too.”

“I can help. If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” She stood. “You’ll need more light.”

They walked over into the kitchen proper. Under an overhead lamp, she turned around and stared at the fridge as he undid the ties. When he leaned in to release a particular clip, her scent of flowers and lemon filled his head.

Clearing his throat, he finished up. “There you go.”

“Thanks.” She took the wings. “May I ask about your fridge flyer?”

“Sure. Which one?”

She pointed.

“Ah, Flying Solo.”

“What is it?”

“A group for parents raising kids alone. The people are friendly and fun. I’m an administrator this year. We hold support groups and social activities.”

“You’re solo?” she asked. Not brazenly. Just with interest.

“My wife Jenny died three years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“You?”

“A divorce. It’ll be over soon.”

“That must be hard.”

Her eyes turned bleak. “More than I could have possibly imagined.”

He grabbed the flyer off the fridge and handed it to her. “Here you go, Fairy Princess. Maybe I’ll see you again.”

“Maybe.” She did a cute little curtsey. “Thanks.”


Chapter 1

Captain Harry Zander, rumored to be the nicest guy in the department, and Lynne’s new captain, calmly gave out orders as Engine 4 sped to the fire scene on her first day shift in the CCFD. “Follow me to Incident Command, and you’ll get your assignments there. Lucas, no offense, you’ll stick with me. It’s your first call with us.”

She almost snorted in the backseat with three other firefighters. She’d been a firefighter for eleven years in a smaller department in the village of Dannerville and rose to battalion chief, a rank higher than his.

Zander grumbled, “I can hear you almost snort. Gimme this one.”

“Yes, sir.”

White smoke billowed out of the windows on the burning house, and from where they parked, Lynne saw the fire was really rolling. An aerial truck and another engine were stationed on west side of the structure. They dismounted the rig and the putrid scent of something besides charred wood filled the air. At least it was above forty degrees today, though a bit windy.

They crossed to Battalion Chief Tom Frasier. “Hey, Harry.

Lay a line from the East. Get water on the brick. Then we’ll need ladders thrown for search and rescue. Somebody’s inside.”

Lynne’s coworkers, Dynai Blackfeather and Cameron Loder rushed to the rig, got out the two-and half-inch line and hauled it over their shoulders to the closest part of the dwelling. Billy Braxton, the driver, remained at the water controls on the rig.

In under two minutes, her group was dousing the fire.

The smoke turned even blacker. Zander frowned. “Lucas get the 4-incher and hook it up the plug.” Which was twenty feet away.

Braxton had already pulled the hose out when she got to the rig, and Lynne humped the line over to the hydrant and unscrewed the cap with a hydrant wrench. She knew to open the valve slowly and fully, as a partial release could cause series damages to the plug and the firefighter. “It’s wet.” Which meant there was already water in the barrel. She strode to Zander with the hose. He got behind her.

Lynne levered then nozzle back and the large hose bucked, pushing her into Zander with its force. He groaned. “Lightweight.”

She sprayed the bottom floor and as soon as the flames were out, she did the same on the top. The brick peeled back and they could see the plastic insulation, which must have caused the smell.

The cap shook his head. “A disaster waiting to…”

Pop, pop, pop, pop! Holy hell. From living out in the county, Lynne recognized the sound. “Somebody’s shooting at us?”

“Not necessarily.” Though there had been crazies who opened fire at firefighters. Zander radioed Incident Command. “What is it, Tom?”

“Ammunition in the basement. Let the it run its course and get back as far as you can. Hold onto the hoses in case of reignition from the bullets.”

Lynne stepped two feet further back and listened to the ammo cooking. There had to be hundreds of rounds down there.

Over the radio, they heard, “Mayday, mayday, firefighter shot in the leg.”

“Fuck.” Frasier again over the radio.

The injured man wasn’t in their line of vision. But she could see the aerial raise from the truck and, faster than she thought possible, firefighters climbed up to the top. A stream of water erupted onto the roof.

Sirens sounded close by. Lynne looked over her shoulder. Another engine screeched to a halt in the front of the house, with an ambulance right behind.

Still, they waited. The inactivity chilled her so she jumped up and down a few times.

Finally, they heard, “All clear.”

Zander jogged up to the front of the house and took the steps to the entrance. He ducked inside, but he came out immediately. “The stairs are gone.” He radioed the message.

“Vent from your side then. Another truck is on the way, but got delayed by a detour. Nobody guessed this small fire would turn so bad.” He swore. “Get the Hurst tool from the truck that’s already here. Their crew is busy assisting the engine. You and your probie make the cuts when I give you the go ahead.”

“Go get the saw, Lucas. I’ll get the ladder.” He’d already brought along a halligan and pike.

A probie met her halfway and handed her the tool. She jogged back and saw Zander had already raised a ladder. “You wanna do it?”

“Yeah.”

“Go ahead.”

She started the saw on the ground, a must for venting because if the tool didn’t work on the roof, they weren’t going to open in time. It roared to life. Switching it off, she handed the cutter to Zander and took the halligan and pike from the ground, then climbed the ladder which went up to the peak of the roof. She staged the pike on the ladder, which would be used to lever the roof later. Up here, the wind was worse and she felt its force.

Before she stepped on the roof, she tapped the shingles with the halligan in case it was spongy. It wasn’t, so she hammered the halligan ax into the roof between the lower rungs of the ladder. She stepped up and braced herself with one foot on the ax. She took the saw from Zander who’d followed her up.

He said into his radio, “On the roof, chief.”

“Vent now.”

With the wind at her back, Lynne turned on the saw, then stepped off the ladder. She made the first cut away from her, did a quick second cut on an angle then a third downward cut. Next, she made another cut toward her on the bottom.

She stepped back onto her the ladder because cut five would be the final one to the complete the square. The saw snarled its way through from the first cut down to the fourth. Quickly, Lynne grabbed the pike and hooked it on the far end of the sliced square. It louvered up on a beam and shielded her when the fire burst out in angry flames. The angled piece of roof also funneled the heat and smoke away from her.

Zander said into the radio, “Ventilation complete.”

They descended the ladder and once on the ground, Zander pushed up his facemask. Lynne the same. The cold stung her in the face. “Good work, Lucas.” His smile was big and genuine. He reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

“Thanks, sir.” She knew she’d done everything perfectly. She should. She’d taught this maneuver to recruits.

Together they gathered the tools and walked over to Incident Command.

“Fuck it,” BC Frasier said when they reached him.

Zander asked him what was wrong.

“A rookie didn’t have his air pack on and it took time to strap him in. And the damn ammo endangered us all, then hit one of my favorite lieutenants in the leg. To top it off, the aerial got stuck. Luckily on its way down. But totally avoidable.”

Zander checked his watch. “We made decent time.”

“Yeah, I know. But I hate mistakes.”

He clapped Frasier on the arm. “Try to look on the bright side, Tom. We did okay.”

“Harrumph.”

When the crew piled in into the rig, which was gratefully warm, Braxton and Blackfeather were chatter-bugs. He said, “I wonder how much ammo and guns the guy lost. I heard he was cryin’ about it on the front lawn.”

Blackfeather’s expression darkened. “I saw Davidson get shot. Scared me shitless.”

“What’d you do?”

“I’d stepped back as soon as the popcorn sounds started. But I dragged him out of the way of more bullets.”

Lynne watched the dynamics. She noticed Zander didn’t chat. Like she never had. Too many things to remember for the debriefing.

When they got back to the house, Lynne bounded off the rig and stopped to take in a breath of early November air. The call had been exhilarating. This was exact reason she’d upended her life and come to Crystal Corners.
 
 
 

More Than Enough – Available NOW
At Last – Available NOW
No Easy Choice – Available NOW
Equal Partners – Available NOW
A Different Way – Available NOW
To Trust Again – PreOrder NOW

 

 
 
A NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Kathryn Shay has been a lifelong writer and teacher. She has written dozens of self-published original romance titles, print books with the Berkley Publishing Group and Harlequin Enterprises and mainstream women’s fiction with Bold Strokes Books. She has won many awards for her work: five RT Book Reviews awards, the Bookseller’s Best Award, Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year and several “Starred Reviews.” One of her firefighter books hit #20 on the NEW YORK TIMES list. Her novels have been serialized in COSMOPOLITAN magazine and featured in USA TODAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and PEOPLE magazine. There are over ten million copies of her books in print and downloaded online. Reviewers have called her work “emotional and heart-wrenching.”
 
HOSTED BY:

New Release ~ Crossing the Line ~ by ~ Jessica Prince

Title: Crossing The Line
Author: Jessica Prince
Series: Whitecap

Contemporary Romance; Small Town Romance; Single Mom Romance

Some lines are meant to be crossed.

Trent Montgomery knew all about loyalty and responsibility. Tracking down his friend’s long-lost sister and making sure she was safe was just another job, a favor from someone he cared about. He wasn’t supposed to get attached. But when he started to fall for the woman who had been hiding from the world, things got a lot more complicated than he ever expected.

Cheyanne Knightly knew all about living in fear. The life she’d made for her and her daughter was as stable as a house of cards. One stiff breeze could send her whole world crumbling. But when a new guy blew into her small town, stirring up Whitecap’s rumor mill, she found herself drawn to him in a way she never expected.

Lies were told. Secrets were uncovered. Lines were crossed. When the truth finally came out, Trent had to find a way to protect the woman who stole his heart while he tried to earn her trust back.

 

**The Whitecap series is a brand new series of interconnected, standalone, small town romances.**

Goodreads

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon Worldwide

“Monica said the dude was ogling you like you were a three-course meal and he hadn’t eaten in a month.”

“Like I said, she exaggerated.”

Right?

Nope, I silently screamed to myself. I wasn’t going to start questioning it because it didn’t matter. Not at all.

She looked at me, her expression pinched with skepticism. “Was she also exaggerating when she said she thought you’d stroked out for a minute and lost the power of speech when he came up and introduced himself to you?”

I snorted and took a gulp of my margarita, smiling as I admitted, “No, she might have been spot-on with that one.”

Luna’s head fell back on a laugh. “At least you’re willing to own it.”

“It’s not my fault! There isn’t a woman on the planet who could help it,” I exclaimed. “I mean, the dude had dimples, for Christ’s sake. Dimples.”

Born and raised around Houston Texas, Jessica spent most of her life complaining about the heat, humidity, and all around pain in the ass weather. It was only as an adult that she quickly realized the cost of living in Houston made up for not being able to breathe when she stepped outside. That’s why God created central air, after all.

Jessica is the mother of a perfect little boy–she refuses to accept that he inherited her attitude and sarcastic nature no matter what her husband says.

In addition to being a wife and mom, she’s also a wino, a coffee addict, and an avid lover of all types of books–romances still being her all time favs. Her husband likes to claim that reading is her obsession but she just says it’s a passion…there’s a difference. Not that she’d expect a boy to understand.

Jessica has been writing since she was a little girl, but thankfully grew out of drawing her own pictures for her stories before ever publishing her first book. Because an artist she is not.

Facebook | Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads

Sign up for Jessica’s Newsletter

Hosted By LAWF profile

New Release & Review ~ A Place to Belong ~ by ~ Alexa Rivers

When Felicity Bell walks into her new rental, the last thing she expected was to find Wyatt Dawson, her hot new neighbor, half-naked in her kitchen. Despite their misunderstanding and rough start, things heat up quickly for this unlikely pair. Fall for this hard-working hottie in A Place to Belong by Alexa Rivers, an Opposites Attract Romance, the next book in the Blue Collar Romance Series

Read Now!

From Alexa Rivers comes an opposites attract romance packed with humor, emotion and a sizzling happily ever after.

Horror author Felicity Bell moves to the charming town of Oak Bend after being shunned from the last place she called home. When she walks in the door of her new rental, she doesn’t expect to find a half-naked man standing in her kitchen. There’s just one problem: Wyatt Dawson seems to think it’s his kitchen. Misunderstandings aside, her new neighbor is lumberjack hot, and his grumpiness only makes her more determined to bring a little joy to his life, even if he’d rather be left alone.

Burned by his past, Wyatt isn’t about to let the cheerful free spirit next door into his heart only for her to crush him when she flits out of town again. But with his well-meaning, matchmaking, mother on the case, these two end up spending far too much time together and things between the unlikely pair quickly heat up. It may be true what they say—opposites do attract, but only if their relationship can survive Wyatt’s interfering ex-girlfriend and Felicity’s fear of history repeating itself.

Welcome to Oak Bend, where blue-collar hotties work hard and love even harder, especially when it comes to landing their happily ever after.

Add to Goodreads!

Excerpt

Copyright 2021 Alexa Rivers

I should have known the moment I saw her that this was no coincidence. A hot crazy lady randomly appears in my house? Not fucking likely. This has Mom’s fingerprints all over it, and the keys clutched in the blonde’s hand are the nail in her coffin. I sigh. The woman is eyeing me like I’m a rabid dog about to strike. Or at least, that’s how she’s looking at me now. I caught the flash of heat in her gaze when my towel dropped a moment ago.

Groaning again, I lean against the doorframe and wonder what I did to deserve this. I’ve spent a long day completing work on a brick fence. My back aches, and all I want is to crack open a beer and watch hockey.

“So?” The blonde clasps her hands together, fidgeting. She’s pretty, if a bit skittish. Her moss-green eyes dart around the kitchen, returning to me every few seconds as though she’s wary of taking her attention off me for too long. “What’s going on?”

I nod toward the keys in her hand. “Those belong to my mother. She owns the house next door, which is the one you actually rented.”

“Oh.” Her slim shoulders slump in relief, and her curls bounce. “Thank goodness for that. It’s all a big misunderstanding.”

I laugh dryly. “It’s no such thing.”

A furrow forms between her brows. “What do you mean? Surely she just gave me the wrong set of keys.”

“If only.”

She seems baffled by my cryptic comment, and I sigh, already able to tell that she’s the type who’s curious enough to stick around until I explain everything.

“Mom intentionally sent you here,” I say, figuring I may as well get the awkwardness out of the way. I’m sure it’s not the only time she’ll be subject to Mom’s match-making machinations if she plans to live next door. She has a wholesome, sweet vibe that Mom will just eat up.

Yeah, I’m going to be dodging this woman for the foreseeable future.

“She hoped we’d run into each other, and that I’d be smitten with you. She set us up.”

“Oh.” This time, there’s a whole other level of meaning to the word. But then she cocks her head, and the furrow deepens. “I wouldn’t have thought you needed to be set up.” Her gaze rakes over me once again, and I can’t help but puff out my chest. It’s been a long time since anyone looked at me with such blatant appreciation, and I can tell she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it, or else she’d be mortified.

“I don’t,” I reply firmly, and her eyes snap up to mine. A delicate, pink flush journeys down her neck. Damn, I need to get rid of her before I actually do start to find her charming. “Here. I’ll get you my key for the place next door, and you can give me that one.” I nod at the key in her hand. She drops it on the counter.

“I’m so sorry about this.” She wrings her hands, looking awkward as fuck. “I didn’t mean to just walk into your house and make myself at home.”

“I know you didn’t,” I assure her. “I’m going to come closer now, is that okay?”

She nods, but her eyes remain on me as I enter the kitchen and head for the key hook by the fridge. I remove the one for the rental and replace it with the key she left on the counter, then offer her the one she actually needs. Our fingers brush as she takes it, and something jolts in my chest. Shaking it off, I snatch my hand away and check that the towel is still secure. The last thing I need is to give her another peep show.

“That key will open the front door of the house next door. Hold onto it for now, and I’ll get Mom to drop by with the proper key tomorrow.”

“I can do that.” She smiles, and I resist the urge to fall back a step, because it lights up her entire face, elevating her from pretty to gut-wrenchingly beautiful. “I don’t want to put you out any more than you already are.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Despite my frustration, I find my lips curving. “It’s not you I’m angry at.”

Her expression softens. “Please don’t be too mad with Nadine. She seems like such a nice person, and I’m sure she only wants to make you happy.”

Damn, she has a point. But whether her intentions are good or not, it’s going to stop me from giving Mom a piece of my mind. She needs to know it’s not all right to hand out my house key to total strangers just because she wants grandbabies.

About Alexa Rivers

Alexa Rivers is the author of steamy and heartfelt small town romances.

She lives in a small town herself, complete with nosy neighbors and quirky traditions.

She shares a house with a neurotic dog and a husband who thinks he’s hilarious.

When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, baking and decorating cakes, eating those cakes, cuddling fluffy animals, drinking excessive amounts of tea, and absorbing herself in fictional worlds.

Follow: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | BookBub | Website | Newsletter | Amazon

About The Blue Collar Romance Series

Escape to Oak Bend where blue-collar hotties work hard and love even harder.

From broody carpenters to sexy electricians, these eight standalones are packed with small town feels, heat, and heartwarming happily ever afters.

Enjoy your favorite tropes written by an amazing group of authors: Jaymee Jacobs, Alexa Rivers, Evelyn Sola, Kate Carley, Tracy Broemmer, Mila Nicks, Claire Wilder, and Moni Boyce.

Fall head over heels for swoon-worthy book boyfriends who aren’t afraid of a little hard work for that happily ever after.

This promotional event is brought to you by Indie Pen PR