A toxic relationship crumbled my self-esteem, so when my uncle needs someone to temporarily run his butcher shop, I swap the hectic city for small-town life.
I have no idea what butchering entails, and Wilder James, the sexy—albeit grumpy—rancher, reminds me of it every time I see him.
His snap judgment of me because I’m a city girl is infuriating, but I’m forced to work with him. It isn’t until he begins to drop his guard that I learn the reasons for the walls around his heart.
My ex’s words cut deep, sitting like invisible wounds on my skin, but Wilder is crumbling every insecurity, showing me what it feels like to be wanted.
My time in Mason Creek is temporary, and soon I’ll have to say the hardest goodbye.
Fractured is a steamy and emotionally charged contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven Worlds project.
Rookie driver Marshall Kerr had the world at his feet until one accident fractured his dreams and his body. Forced into rehab in the middle of nowhere, he’s in a downward spiral of self-destruction.
Until he meets E.
Eloise Masters is living a lie. Terrified and on the run, she guards her identity as closely as her heart. Both of which Marshall is determined to conquer.
When the past catches up with Eloise, the pieces of her soul healed by Marshall begin to fracture once more. Only this time, she’s not alone. She has Marshall by her side to give her the strength she needs to face her demons head-on.
Are they strong enough to survive this collision, or will they fracture on final impact?
Meet the author:
DL Gallie is from Queensland, Australia, but she’s lived in many different places all over the world. She currently resides in Gladstone with her husband and two kids. She and her husband have been together since she was sixteen, and although they drive each other crazy at times, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.
Shortly after her son was born, DL began reading again. With encouragement from her husband, she picked up the pen and started writing, and now the voices in her head won’t shut up.
DL enjoys listening to music, drinking white wine in the summer, red wine in the winter, and beer all year round. She’s also never been known to turn down a cocktail, especially a margarita.
We are so excited to share the cover reveal for A Place to Belong, by Alexa Rivers, the next book in the Blue Collar Romance Series. Keep reading for more details about this sexy, opposites attract romance.
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.
Pre-Order on Amazon Add to Goodreads Here!
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 travelling, baking and decorating cakes, eating those cakes, cuddling fluffy animals, drinking excessive amounts of tea, and absorbing herself in fictional worlds.
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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.
“I’m going to worship her like a born-again believer.”
Cross, an all-new dark standalone romance from USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Shantel Tessier, is coming August 11th and we have the stunning cover!
CROSS
Have you ever stood next to a fire and felt the heat of it on your skin? Stared into the flames and thought how amazing it would be to be that free? It changes directions with the wind, destroying everything in its wake.
That’s what she felt like.
Alexa was a wildfire that torched everything she touched, and I couldn’t wait to be consumed by her.
She was off-limits. Even though I promised to stay away, I couldn’t resist. She was the spark I had been missing in my life. The fire I craved.
I knew from an early age I was destined to burn in hell, but she was born to walk through fire.
ALEXA
I was single-minded, focused, and independent. Just how my mother raised me. I didn’t have time for anything other than myself and work.
Funny how everything can change in an instant when you least expect it.
A King entered my life. What was supposed to be one night ended up being too many to count.
He was afraid that I’d see his darkness, but I couldn’t get enough of him.
After all, a fire burns the brightest in the dark of night. And it only takes one match to cause total devastation.
Cross is the third standalone in The Dark Kings Series. You are introduced to the Kings in Code of Silence: A Dark Mafia Romance.
Trapped between societal boundaries, siblings Tom and Theia Edwards thought they knew all about the family business they just inherited from their father. When the true nature of his dealings are revealed, they are thrust into the savage and unforgiving world of drug smuggling for a Mexican cartel.
Forced to continue the work their father once did or suffer the consequences of having their darkest secret exposed, they embark on a journey that will reel them into a nest of vipers full of deceit and betrayal at every turn. But underestimating the forbidden and unbreakable bond between Tom and Theia can prove to be just as deadly to anyone standing in their way.
Beckett loves writing short, erotic stories as much as she enjoys reading them. Happily ever afters and hot, possessive, alpha men bring tears of joy to her eyes so please excuse the alpha males roaming her trashy pages, they can’t help it.
Born somewhere in the United States, Beckett now resides somewhere in the United States where she writes raunchy stories. Hey, a girl’s gotta have some secrets.
At thirty-five, Firefighter Julia “JJ” Jensen runs circles around most firefighters. When her talent leads to a fast-tracked promotion, she loses her boyfriend and gains colleagues who resent her. Enter Dr. Nick Barrows, a surprise lover who makes her forget her name. Will he support JJ through the complications of her career or hold her back from professional success?
Chapter 1
On the first day of her captaincy, JJ Jensen rode shotgun in her new rig, Engine 2. The call had come in at one p.m. and the five firefighters sped to a site for one of the worst kinds of fire—in a hospital. They pulled into the Memorial’s circular driveway where she caught sight of Incident Command, which would run the operation. Jumping out in full gear, with her air pack ready to go, she crossed to the jeep where she wasn’t surprised to see Fire Chief Joe Redman in charge, the structure blueprints in front of him. An acrid smell of burning debris assaulted her nostrils the closer she got.
“Engine 2 on scene, Chief.”
“You’re first-in, Jensen. Go in and find the seat of the fire. There’s fire reels in each section for you to use.”
“Yes, sir.” JJ glanced down at the layout of the building, which she’d already seen before. “I came here for a fire drill before my new job started.”
“Good for you.” More softly, he added, “You can do this, JJ.”
Jogging back to the rig, she faced her squad, who’d gotten off the truck. “Full turnout gear. Grab tools. There fire reels and extinguishers are inside.” Fire reels were hoses connected to water inside a building. “We’re gonna look for the point of origin.”
Lt. Abe Quinn, second in charge, buttoned up his turnout coat and put on his Nomex hood. Then his air mask and helmet. “Should I go in or take the rear?”
“You go first. I’ll follow you inside.”
They hurried in through the ground floor, which housed the ER. Smoke hadn’t reached here yet, which was a good sign that the blaze was contained. Retrofitting years back had compartmentalized the hospital into closable sections for keeping fire contained. Firefighters would have to check each floor regardless, and soon reinforcements would arrive to help with that. Pulling off her air mask, she sniffed. She followed the smell up the steps and came to floor two. The sign read SICU—Surgical Intensive Care Unit. The smoke thickened as they strode down the corridor until they reached Surgery.
The unit was semi-dark with smoke, but they had some visibility. “We’re in the surgical unit, chief. Smoke indicates fire might be here.” To the others, she said, “Let’s go down to the end. Looks like the point of origin. I’ll check each room on the way to be sure they’ve evacuated.”
As her team covered the distance at a fast pace, she did a cursory check of each OR they passed. OR 1—empty. God forbid they had an active surgery going on. OR 2—the same, but the third operating room was occupied.
Shit, JJ thought.
Straight ahead, they could see fire. “It’s in here,” Quinn called in his radio. “The Surgical Sterilization Center.”
JJ joined them. “Morey, pry the door open. Cortez, hook up to the hose reel about three feet down from you, low, on the wall. If the unit itself is on fire, Lt. Quinn will put it out with the Class C extinguishers inside and the rest of you use the reel to contain fire that’s spread.” These life saving devices had also been installed when the place was brought up to speed on the new standards.
Morey lifted the halligan, set the pick end on the door handles and Cortez hit the end hard with a large hammer. The door opened. The others made quick work of the fire wheel and soon had the hose ready.
Inside the room, the smell was metallic. She watched as Quinn grabbed the extinguisher and sprayed the cleaning device, which doused the fire. The others opened the hose nozzle on the walls. She radioed the chief. “Fire’s out. Point of origin is the sterilization section.”
“Makes sense. Teams searching the rest of the hospital report no sign of fire. Do you want more people to search for victims and do the salvage and overhaul?”
“Maybe one squad.” Quinn, on the call, too, spoke for all of them. “We could use more hands to make sure there’s no fire hiding in the walls.”
Cortez had already begun the process.
“You got it.”
“Copy that.” JJ added, “There’s an operating room in use.”
Redman swore. “You go, Jensen, and assess the situation.”
“I’m heading to the active OR.” She looked at her lieutenant. “You got this, Quinn.”
JJ jogged down to room 3. The windows were obscured by smoke in the corridor, so she opened the door, ducked inside and quickly closed it. A thin mist of smoke had already permeated the space. Four people stood around a table, gowned and gloved, wearing goggles and face shields. A patient lay hooked up to machines.
“I’m Captain Jensen of the CCFD. I’m breaking sterilization because you already have smoke in here. We gotta clear this room of its occupants right away.” She gestured to the manifold wall lever to turn off the gasses.
“Stay where you are!” a doctor with his hands in a guy’s chest, shouted. “I have to get him off the bypass machine before we can leave.”
“Bypass?” You gotta be kidding me.
“We’re almost done with a heart repair. If you stop us now, he’ll die.”
“How long do you need?”
“Minutes until you can cut the power.”
Their face gear kept enough visibility for them to work quickly.
Soon, he said, “All right, Macon, punch in a higher dose of anesthesia then we’ll cut the gases. Nurse Baker, get the portable oxygen tank in the emergency compartment.”
As they worked, they started to cough.
The woman brought over a kit zipped into a medium-size bag, took it out and attached the tank to the bed. They switched masks on the patient because the second was hooked up to a battery.
“Now, Captain,” the surgeon called out.
JJ pulled the lever next to her. The bright lights shut off and a smaller light over them went on.
The surgeon said, “Everybody but one person, go. I’ll need help getting the bed out.”
The anesthetist stood. “I-I can stay, Dr. Barrows.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m an EMT,” JJ told him, “I’ll stay.”
“I—”
“My call, doc.” To the others she ordered, “Leave on your goggles and shields. The smoke’s penetrable in the corridor, still. Can you find your way to the unaffected section of the hospital?”
“Yes. We practiced this.” This from the nurse.
Into the radio, JJ barked, “I’m sending out the anesthetist and two nurses.”
They left the room.
“All right, Captain. Stay where you are until the man’s closed up.”
She saw that he still had his hand in the man’s open chest! He poked the heart with his finger. Nothing. “Come on, Barry.”
JJ held her breath.
He poked again.
“It pinked up. We’re a success!”
“Wow.”
“I’ll have to put a temporary bandage on before we can move him.” He worked quickly as he spoke, cleaning the skin around the area, drying it, and applying a huge strip of medical tape she’d seen once on someone who had hip surgery.
Over the radio she heard, “Status, Jensen.”
She explained what happened. “We’re—”
An explosion rocked the room.
“Chief?” She waited.
Then she heard from Quinn, “Sterilization unit reignited. We put it out again, Cap. Truck 3’s helping us look for fire in the walls.”
Already she could see blacker smoke enter the hall.
“Everybody okay?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Nothing’s easy, is it, Captain?” Dr. Barrows coughed but continued to work.
“I guess.”
Finally, he stepped back. “I taped up the wound and covered the bandaged patient.” He got out blankets. Minutes had passed.
“Jensen!!!” she heard over the radio. “Just finished, Chief. Leaving now. Doc, go to the head of the bed. I’ll pull from the open door, since I’m right by it and then I can push. Once we get in the hall, I’ll share my air with you.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He moved to the head of the bed.
He was pretty calm for a critical situation. He was a surgeon, so she guessed he had to be.
She opened the door and more smoke filtered into the room, cutting visibility in half.
“Try not to bump him,” the doc called out.
“I won’t. We have to stay in lock step.” They maneuvered the patient into the hall. Thicker smoke, now, even blacker.
A coughing fit seized Barrow. “Take some of my air.”
“You’re too far away. Let’s go.” They headed down the corridor as quickly as possible. JJ couldn’t force him to take her air.
They got halfway out of the wing, when he started hacking—and he crumpled to the ground. She was going to kill a heart surgeon on her first outing!
Stopping, she moved around the bed, slipped her arms under his and dragged him to her end. She lugged him up and laid him over the legs of the patient, face down. Then she pushed hard. Harder. Fast. Faster.
When they reached the wing that had been compartmented off, the door opened and she pushed them inside.
“Bring him to this room,” a nurse called out.
JJ rolled them to a curtained off area. Three people surrounded the patient. She drew Barrows up and off the flat part of the bed. He fell into her arms. Someone shoved a gurney over and they slid him onto it.
“The doc needs oxygen. He wouldn’t take mine.”
Quickly, they hooked up oxygen on him while the others stayed with the patient.
After pulling off her helmet, facemask and Nomex hood, she heard over the radio, “JJ, talk to me.”
“We’re safe. In the west wing.”
“Thank God. Condition of the patient and doctor?”
“Patient’s fine,” one nurse called out, so the chief could hear.
“The doctor?”
“Getting oxygen now.”
Coughing, Barrows roused. “H-how’s…” More coughing. Then, “How’s Barry?”
“He’s on our oxygen, doctor.” Another nurse. “He’s in good shape.”
Bracing himself on his arms, he inched halfway up. “I applied only a temporary bandage. I have to stitch him up.”
“No, Nick,” A white-coated man who’d entered the room had come up to the bed. “I’m here to do it. Relax and breathe.”
He deferred, laid back and took a hit of his own air. Then looked up at her. “Oh, hell, you’re young.” He gave her a smile. “And pretty.”
Oh hell was right!
More Than Enough – Available NOW
At Last – Available NOW
No Easy Choice – Available NOW
Equal Partners – Available NOW
A Different Way – PreOrder 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.”
Naples seemed like a lifetime ago, but in reality, it had only been a month, a month since Emily Rosen fell in love. After heartbreak and loneliness, she had finally lowered her barriers and allowed a man back into her life. Every day she spent with Gene made her more sure that he was the man for her, the man she wanted to spend her life with.
Gene Bain relished the feelings Emily roused inside of him. They hadn’t known each other long, but Gene was already sure that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. When their ships reunited in Haifa, Israel, Gene was ready with a plan: a plan involving a ring.
But despite the love growing between them, Emily and Gene were already married… to the Navy. With new mission assignments in hand, Emily and Gene would find themselves separated again, forced back into danger. Would their love survive, or would they be lost at sea?
This is the second book in J.E. Adams’ Always and Forever series. The story can be read on its own but works best when read after the first book in the series, In the Stars. Across the Sea is a full-length military romance featuring steamy scenes, committed love, and no cheating. Happily ever after is the mission.
JE Adams was born and raised in a small town in northern Illinois, but you’ll now find him in the beautiful mountains of northeast Georgia. The scenery that surrounds him invokes his soul in ways that allow him to freely appreciate and explore all that nature provides. Creative thoughts seem easy to come by with the idyllic backdrop of America’s finest rural countryside as inspiration.
Being a Navy veteran who likes to explore the intricacies of military romantic relationships through honest and compelling characters, Jim is pleased to present his first book in the Always and Forever series. This story will captivate the reader and open their eyes to how our uniformed men and women traverse through the complications of love and patriotic duty.
When not reading or writing, you’ll find JE enjoying classic movies, exploring the numerous jeep/hiking trails in the area, and officiating swim meets. He never fails to find something to fill his days and entertain his spirit.
Clusterf*@k by Elise Faber releases on August 16th!
https://geni.us/ClusterEF
Available on all platforms
clusterf*@k
noun
1.A mismanaged and chaotic situation
2.A complexly muddled mess
3.A disordered and hectic condition
4.Misty Hansen’s life
Lonely. Alone. By herself.
The top three ways Misty had to describe herself—and it was no coincidence they all meant the same thing. She was single, almost pathetically so. It had been so long since she’d been with a man, she wasn’t sure she could even remember what it was like.
Hell, dust might float out if she took off her pants in the presence of the opposite sex.
She was also well aware that she was lucky to have a place to live, a great brother, and awesome friends. She should just be content.
But then she crashed into Chance—literally crashed—into the gorgeous man’s SUV, totaling it, and managing to cause damage to her brother’s house, all in one fell swoop.
It was a total clusterf*@k.
Because then the man ended up totaling her heart.
About the Author:
USA Today bestselling author, Elise Faber, loves chocolate, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and hockey (the order depending on the day and how well her team—the Sharks!—are playing). She and her husband also play as much hockey as they can squeeze into their schedules, so much so that their typical date night is spent on the ice. Elise changes her hair color more often than some people change their socks, loves sparkly things, and is the mom to two exuberant boys.
She lives in Northern California. Connect with her in her Facebook group, the Fabinators or email her at elisefaberauthor@gmail.com.
Connect with Elise!
Website: https://www.elisefaber.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elisefaberauthor/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fabinators
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/elisefaber
Twitter: https://twitter.com/faberelise
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bdnmEj
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2Ilspyd
SUMMER WITH YOU by Taylor Jade is releasing August 13th!Genre: Contemporary Romance
Trope: Enemies to lovers this one is a continuation of their love story a few years later.
Summer – one of the most fun and hottest times of the year.
All Celine wanted was a peaceful summer vacation out on the lake with her husband and kids.
But, of course, that was too much to ask when they lived in the sunshine state.
It was like a repeat of twelve years ago; a hurricane is threatening to tear through Florida once again.
And it’s not just her and Ace anymore – they have their entire family to worry about, including her brother and his family.
They survived their first hurricane together, but will they be able to survive another one all while keeping their families safe?
Follow Celine and Ace on this thrilling adventure as they return in the third installment of the Loving You Series.
Tears welled in my eyes at the adoration in my husband’s eyes. Sometimes, I knew this man was too good to be true.
“I love you, Ace, with my entire heart.” We reached for each other, our hands meeting halfway across the table and connecting, fitting together perfectly just like they always had. Ace Danvers would always be my soul mate, and I would always be his.
He didn’t let go of my hand as he paid the bill and then walked us out to our cars. We stood at my big, white SUV. He leaned into me, pushing my body against the hot car, his hands planted on the window, caging me in, but I never minded being this man’s prisoner.
“You know better than to put handprints on my window,” I whispered against his lips, closing my eyes just in time for his lips to crash against mine.
Time had made him more demanding. He didn’t ask for permission anymore. He just claimed, but I didn’t mind. This man owned me.
Biting my bottom lip, he soothed the sting with a brush of his tongue before parting my lips, tangling his tongue with mine, assaulting my senses. I moaned against his lips, my hands gripping the front of his shirt.
It didn’t matter that we were in broad daylight, nor did I mind the sweat dripping down the side of my face or my sundress sticking to my body like a second skin. None of it bothered me. All that mattered was the passion between me and my man.
If the world crashed and burned around us, I knew I would be okay because I had him—my rock, my hero, my Ace.
We’d been through hell, and now, it was time for our happily ever after.
I pulled away from his demanding lips to gasp for breath. I leaned my head against his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall, his heart beating as rapidly as mine. Years later, we still had the same effects on each other that we did when we first met.
“I just want a calm summer with you and our kids. I don’t care what we do as long as I spend the summer with you,” I told him. His arms banded around me, crushing me against him as he sought my lips out again.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Taylor Jade is 21 years old and already pursuing her dreams. Beginning at age 12, Taylor wrote numerous stories for personal pleasure and school, always excelling when it came to English essays. Writing is one of her many hobbies along with water skiing and jet skiing, but writing is her favorite without a doubt. She can be herself and escape into another world where there are no rules, as she makes up her own.
Taylor began her writing career on a website called Wattpad, shown to her by one of her friends at school. She went from reading numerous stories to posting her own. After finishing her second book, she decided it was time to publish after all the positive reviews she received.
At 14 she published her first novel, and four years later at 18 she published her second.
One word that comes to mind when someone talks about me. I like to think of it as protection, watching out for the ones I love. But now I’m spending more time in the penalty box than on the ice and the team owner isn’t happy.
Finding myself across the room from the hot therapist I kissed on New Year’s Eve only makes me push my problems down further. I want couch time with her but not the kind she’s used to.
I decide to lie to her just to finish off my therapy so I can do what I really want—date her—even if she says she doesn’t date hockey players. Just when my therapy sessions are up and I’ve made some headway with Paisley, it’s my parents who throw another wrench in my plans.
If I abide by my parent’s wishes to marry the one they’ve chosen, I’ll lose Paisley forever. But if I go against my parents, I’m failing my deceased best friend all over again.
TBR Book Blog 