Tropes: Fake Dating; Forced Proximity; Billionaires/Millionaires Romance; Law Enforcement/Action Romance; Reverse Grumpy x Sunshine; Opposites Attract
Release Date: June 11, 2026
I didn’t join the force to play dress-up in designer heels and pretend to be someone’s girlfriend, but apparently life has a sense of humor. And mine comes with a six-foot-something ego, a movie-star smile, and a peculiar knack for getting under my skin.
Marco Dal Santo is everything I don’t trust: cocky, charming, reckless, and way too comfortable in a world built on smoke and mirrors. I’m supposed to use him to get close to people who hide crimes behind champagne and expensive suits. He’s supposed to be a means to an end. Convenient. Temporary. And fake.
The problem? It doesn’t really feel fake because every time he touches me, every time he pushes past my defenses and makes me feel something real, I forget that we’re supposed to be pretending.
One minute we’re trading sarcastic barbs and sharing one very inconvenient bed; the next I’m laughing at his terrible jokes and wondering how a man who looks at me with nothing but raw lust can possibly be faking it. Somewhere between the staged kisses and very real arguments, the lines get blurred, and I can’t tell what’s part of the job…and what isn’t.
Now we’re caught up in a world where one wrong move can get us killed, and I’m starting to realize the most dangerous part of this case isn’t the criminals we’re chasing.
It’s him.
Because if anyone finds out I’ve fallen for my informant, I’ll lose my badge, my mentor’s trust, and possibly my heart in the process.
So yeah…I’m in way over my head.
And the worst part?
I’m not sure I want to be rescued.
Number cruncher by day, raging romance novelist by night; Jacqueline’s creative inspiration stems from romance and all its literary and rom-com depictions. Matters of the heart are what fascinates her, because ultimately, what makes a life out of – what would ordinarily be a typical existence – is Love
I was living my best life with a career, friends, family, and love. Or so I’d thought.
After the ultimate act of betrayal, I find myself in the captivity of a dangerous mobster.
Zarren is unlike any other man I’ve ever known and this newfound world terrifies me.
And that world is one that hits even closer to home when I learn of my true lineage.
I’m not just a Sicilian Mafia Princess, but also betrothed to a Bratva Prince I’ve never met.
Everything I’ve ever known or loved is gone and I’m at the mercy of a captor who intrigues me.
And the attraction between us is hard to ignore, especially after he nearly gives his life for mine.
When we finally give in to the passion between us, it isn’t long before I fall for his raw brutality.
Only time’s running out for us because I’ve already been promised to another equally dangerous man.
𝗭𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻
The bastard son of a sexual predator, I have always had the deck stacked against me.
It’s the reason I had to fight harder to earn my rightful place in the Brannington Empire.
Finally, I’ve forged a path for myself earning the respect of those that came before me.
And I’m tasked with furthering the organization’s power and influence by initiating a trade..
The mission is simple. Retrieve the Cosa Nostra princess and hold her for the Bratva Prince.
Only, she manages to re-ignite a long forgotten fire inside of me and I can’t resist the burn.
Aurora cannot either so when passion erupts between us, the entire mission begins to change.
I no longer want to give her up, wanting instead to keep her beside me… underneath me…
But duty comes before love and I’m forced to make a final wager for the heart I want to claim.
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Anise Storm is a USA Today Bestselling author of Contemporary and Dark Romance. A Southern transplant, Anise is married with children. She has a love of football, shoes, and tall, dark heroes. When not spending time with family or traveling, she can be found either curled up with a good book or writing.
Tropes: Friends with Benefits Agreement; Childhood Enemies; Curvy Heroine; Grumpy x Sunshine
Release Date: June 1, 2026
Crawling back home with my tail between my legs was not the way I saw my life going.
I had it all.
A fantastic job. A fiancée who adored me, and a life any man would dream of.
That’s about the time it all fell apart.
But Montana has a way of healing all wounds, from the beautiful sunrises to the fresh mountain air.
Sure, my father still hated me for leaving. My mother still defended him at every turn.
And the gossip…
It was enough to drive me insane.
And then I sat next to her at The Beaver and Boot.
Gorgeous, curvy, full of life, and so easy to talk to.
She was perfect.
Until I realized she was the same girl I tormented as a kid.
Yep, I was that boy who didn’t know how to tell a girl he liked her, so he picked on her. And boy, did she let me know how much she hated me.
Every Tuesday and Thursday night.
But the one thing she couldn’t ignore was the undeniable chemistry when my body was pressed against hers.It was only supposed to be a friends with benefits situation, but she wormed her way into my head, and made it impossible to ignore my own Foolish Pride.
“Fine. I’ll admit that he has pleasant features.”
They both burst out laughing at that.
“Okay, more than pleasant. Have you seen him?”
Delaney shook her head, waiting on tenterhooks for something more descriptive than “pleasant”.
“He’s…taller.”
“Taller,” she repeated. “That’s all you’ve got for me?”
I stuttered over my thoughts in frustration. I didn’t want to think about him or hot he was. It would only ruin my plan to stay as far away from him as possible. But she wasn’t having it.
“Not that much. But it’s one of those things that you can see through his shirt.”
Delaney sighed dreamily. “I love it when you can see their shirts stretched across their biceps.”
“Not to brag, but I have one of those,” Josie grinned.
Delaney smacked her arm. “Hey, some of us can only dream for now.” Then she turned back to me. “Go on.”
“Um…well, he still has warm, chocolate eyes. And his hair is shorter than it used to be.”
“Can you still run your fingers through it?”
As soon as I thought about it, shivers raced down my spine. That was not good. “Yes.”
“Oh my God,” Josie whispered. “Did you hear that hitch in her voice?”
“I definitely did. Tell us more.”
“There was no hitch.”
“There was definitely a hitch. Which means it’s really good. Now spill!”
I’m a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, “No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book.” I didn’t think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn’t already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven’t been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.
He never expected to be the one she’d have to fight hardest to resist.
Andi Morgan clawed her way out of a past designed to destroy her — foster care, silence, survival — and built something no one could take away: a youth center, a career, a life that finally belongs to her. She’s done being someone else’s liability.
Then the past comes back swinging.
When buried secrets resurface, and a powerful enemy launches a coordinated campaign to dismantle her reputation, her organization, and everything she’s fought for, Andi finds herself in the crosshairs of someone with unlimited resources and no conscience. The attacks are precise. The damage is real. And the person behind it knows exactly which relationships to weaponize.
Luke Woods has been fighting his whole life — in the ring and out of it. He knows how to read an opponent, absorb punishment, and wait for the opening. What he doesn’t know how to do is walk away from a woman who refuses to go down.
Protecting Andi should be simple.
Wanting her is anything but.
As the threat escalates and the stakes turn deadly, Luke and Andi discover that the most dangerous fights aren’t the ones you see coming — they’re the ones you’re already in before you know the bell has rung.
Always protect yourself.
Unless she’s the one you can’t afford to lose.
A steamy romantic suspense novel featuring a protective alpha boxer, a fearless heroine with a buried past, corrupt power, and a slow-burn romance that ignites under fire.
Book 1 of the No Safe Corner Series.
This is a reimagined and expanded version of Crazy Maybe, now part of the No Safe Corner trilogy. With deeper character development, higher stakes, and a stronger focus on suspense, this edition delivers a completely new reading experience.
A.D. Justice is the award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of several series and stand-alone romance novels in various romance genres, including romantic suspense, contemporary, and paranormal.
When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her alpha male husband in the Northwest Georgia mountains. They’re living out their own HEA, frequently on horseback with a dog in tow.
She is also an avid reader of romance novels, a master of procrastination, a chocolate sommelier, a twister of words, and speaks fluent sarcasm. An avid animal lover, she has two horses, three cats, and two very spoiled dogs.
She loves chatting with her readers. You’re welcome to stalk her across all social media!
Jess Harper finally has the fresh start she was looking for until she needs a fake date to survive her ex’s wedding weekend. Caleb Ward is the reliable, closed-off man who agrees to help, expecting nothing more than a favor. But when their pretend relationship starts to feel real, they’ll have to decide if they’re brave enough to risk everything for something neither of them believed they deserved. Readers who enjoy steamy fake dating romances will devour Fake It Until It’s Real by Tina Gallagher & Cissy Mecca, a small-town, forced proximity romance.
Blurb
She’s afraid she’s too much. He’s convinced he’ll never be enough.
Maplemoor is Jess Harper’s fresh start. A quiet place to rebuild after a future that never happened. Now she has a book club that feels like family, a coffee shop that knows her order, and a life that finally feels steady again.
What she doesn’t have is a date to her best friend’s wedding—the one where her ex and his brand-new fiancée will also be there.
Enter Caleb Ward. Dependable. Steady. The kind of man who shows up before you even have to ask—for everyone except himself. He’s got a life in Maplemoor that works for him, but when it comes to love, he keeps his walls firmly in place—and exactly where he wants them.
Agreeing to be Jess’s date to the wedding is just a favor. Nothing more.
Until it isn’t.
One weekend together. One very convincing performance.
Turns out the line between pretending and real is thinner than either of them thought. The hard part is knowing which side they’re on.
Operations Manager Carli Porter runs The Lochwell as if it were her own and is fiercely protective of the community she’s built within its walls. But when the building’s owner sends in his best friend to evaluate its future, Caril finds herself fighting to keep everything she loves from slipping away. Left with no other option, she’s forced to team up with Alexander Grassi, the very man who could decide the building’s fate. Readers who enjoy steamy, he-falls-first romances will devour Fight It Until We Can’t by Cissy Mecca & Tina Gallagher, a small-town, rivals-to-lovers romance.
Blurb
He’s a property analyst hired to find the cracks.
She’s the operations manager who will make sure he doesn’t.
Carli Porter runs The Lochwell like it’s hers. The coffee shop is her living room. Its book club members are her family. The residents are her friends. The pub is her Friday night. The only problem? The building belongs to someone else, and that someone just sent his best friend to decide its fate.
Alexander Grassi is smart and annoyingly hard to hate. He also has the kind of forearms that make it very difficult to stay mad at him. (She’s tried. It hasn’t worked.) He’s supposed to write a report, hand it over to his friend and leave. He wasn’t supposed to start showing up to trivia night. Or turning her coffee cup so the handle faces her. Or looking at her like she’s the best thing in a building full of things worth saving.
She says his report could ruin her life.
He says she’s not wrong.
She says that’s makes him the last person she should want around.
He says he’s staying anyway.
Because some legacies (and people) are worth fighting for.
Tina Gallagher grew up and continues to live in Northeast Pennsylvania. As a tween, she and her best friend would create happily ever afters for their favorite soap opera couples. Eventually, the soap operas lost their appeal, but the writing never did. Before living her dream as a full-time author, she worked a spectrum of jobs ranging from baking and cake decorating to marketing and project management. In between creating memorable characters, traveling, and taking pole dance lessons, Tina enjoys spending time with her two grown children and Golden Irish named Thea.
A “recovering” 8th-grade teacher and curriculum consultant with a PhD in Language & Literacy, Cecelia loves writing high-heat, emotionally charged romance. The Brands (The Mecca Romance Multiverse): Cissy Mecca: Contemporary Romance, Cecelia Mecca: Medieval and Scottish Historical Romance. C.L. Mecca: Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. Mecca Romance Signature Style: Heroines: Bold, strong women who fall hard but never lose their identity. Heroes: High-heat, protective, and intense. Vibe: Visceral, sensory-rich escapes… from family-owned vineyards to the war-torn Anglo-Scottish borders. Other Info: Representation: Katie Reed (Katie Reed Literary) Personal: Married, two teens, Disney enthusiast, traveler, and wine lovers Authority: PhD background makes her an excellent guest for craft-focused podcasts or literacy-based panels.
Some men are born drifters. Others are just waiting to find their way home.
Loss is tough.
Some learn to live with the grief and move on.
I couldn’t.
There were too many memories.
It hurt too damn much, so I packed up and left.
I spent years trying to outrun my ghosts
And then, a threat drew me back in.
It wasn’t my fight.
Hell, it wasn’t even my chapter.
I was only in Little Rock to deliver a warning.
I never intended to stay.
And I certainly never intended to meet her.
She was beautiful and soft in all the ways that can undo a man.
And she unraveled me without even trying.
I had no business getting tied up with her, but I couldn’t stay away.
She reminded me what it was like to have something worth living for.
Now, I had to make a choice.
Stay lost or find my way home.
Drifter is an emotional, slow-burn romance about grief, healing, the real meaning of family, and learning that loving again doesn’t have to mean letting go. HEA and no cheating.
Wall Street Journal and USA Today Best Seller, L. Wilder, writes about hot, alpha men and the women who love them. She currently has six series available for readers: The Devil Chaser’s MC, Satan’s Fury MC, Satan’s Fury MC-Memphis, the Redemption Series, the Happy Endings Collection, and the Ruthless Sinners MC. If you’re looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you smiling like a school girl at the end, L. Wilder is the author for you.
NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Risk the Play is a single mom, coach, best friend’s dad, forbidden, secret-relationship, age-gap romance.
Will
Football was always simple—follow the playbook, make the sacrifice, win the game.
I lived by that rule for decades, and it cost me everything. My marriage. My daughter.
By ten, she believed I loved the game more than her. Now she’s back in my life—with a family of her own—I fight every day to show her I’ve changed.
Then I fumble it all by falling for her best friend.
Amanda is strong, stubborn, and raising her daughter alone after her husband’s betrayal.
One kiss becomes something neither of us can ignore.
She wants to keep it secret. I don’t.
Because this time, I’m willing to risk the play. I won’t lose my second chance at love.
Amanda
I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I just never planned on doing it alone.
But when my ex got his assistant pregnant, I stopped, waiting for the life I thought I’d have—and choose motherhood for myself.
Now I’m a single mom doing my best to build a quiet, steady life with no drama and no risks.
Until my best friend’s father becomes the one risk I can’t resist.
Coach Warner is disciplined, respected… and completely off limits.
Watching him fight for his daughter only makes falling for him more dangerous.
We tell ourselves it’s just once.
But one reckless kiss turns into a night we can’t take back—and a secret we definitely can’t afford to keep.
Because if we’re discovered, I could lose my best friend…
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan has been crowned the Queen of Swoon by her readers. With nearly fifty romance books under her belt, she’s known for penning happily ever afters with heart. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand or hanging out with her family where she resides in her home state of Ohio.
Kathy Lyons’ new small paranormal romance, BOUND BY THE GUARDIAN, is available now! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Title: BOUND BY THE GUARDIAN
Author: Kathy Lyons
Genre: Paranormal Romance
About BOUND BY THE GUARDIAN:
Her nephew vanished. His bear will hunt.
When Becca Weitz’s teenage ward disappears, she turns to the one man who terrifies her—Carl Carman, the brooding camp director with more secrets than answers.
Carl knows what happened. Theo shifted into a grizzly for the first time, triggering a deadly hunt. Mad scientists want the boy for their experiments, and as alpha of the Michigan bear clan, Carl will destroy anyone who threatens his people.
Protecting Theo means bringing Becca into his dangerous world. But the single mom baker is stronger than Carl expected—and the connection blazing between them could be their greatest weapon or their fatal weakness.
She’s human. He’s alpha. Their enemies want them both dead.
Kathy Lyons lives in the wild, adventurous mind of USA TODAY bestselling author Jade Lee. A lover of all things fantastical, Kathy spent much of her childhood in Narnia, Middle Earth, Amber, and Earthsea, just to name a few. “There is nothing I adore more than to turn around on an ordinary day and experience something magical. It happens all the time in real life and in my books.” Her love of comedy came later as she began to see the ridiculousness in life.
Winner of several industry awards including the Prism—Best of the Best, Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice, and Fresh Fiction’s Steamiest Read, Kathy and her other pennames have published over 80 romance novels and sold over a million copies.
Her hobbies include racquetball, rollerblading, and tv/movie watching with her husband. She’s a big fan of the Big Bang Theory (even though it’s over) and her favorite movie is The Avengers because she loves everything created by Joss Whedon. And she’d love to share all things geek with you in person at any of her many appearances. She’s usually found at the loudest table in the coffee shop or next to the dessert bar.
She was supposed to find her fated mate under the full moon.
Instead, she is ordered to bond with a stranger.
The full moon after Rhia’s twentieth birthday was meant to be the happiest night of her life. Among wolf shifters, it is the first full moon after turning twenty when a wolf might finally recognize the mate chosen by the Moon Goddess.
Rhia has always hoped that mate would be Caleb, the boy she has loved for years.
But when an entire neighboring pack is brutally wiped out, everything changes.
Fearing they could be next, the Red Moon Pack forms a desperate alliance with the powerful Silver Lake Pack. And alliances between alpha families require one thing above all else: a mating bond.
As the only unmated alpha daughter of Red Moon, Rhia’s future is decided for her. Instead of discovering her fated mate under the coming full moon, she is ordered to form a bond with Jalen, the future alpha of Silver Lake.
Leaving her home, her family, and the life she thought she would have.
Jalen never wanted a forced bond any more than Rhia did. But protecting their packs comes before everything. What neither of them expected was the instant pull between them, a connection that feels far too real to be political.
But if the Moon Goddess had a plan for their bond all along, it may be because the Dark Pack is not finished yet—and their own may be the next target.
“Race you to the rocks?” Rhia points to the little collection of rocks well off the shoreline. “They are further away than you think,” I try to warn her from experience, but she has already taken off. As I soon realize, she is not only an excellent fighter but also a very good swimmer. I love it. I am a decent swimmer myself, but it is not exactly my strongest form of movement. At least that is what I am telling myself as I try hard to keep up with Rhia. I am right behind her, but there is no hiding my labored breathing when we reach the rocks. Unlike me, Rhia is not even a little winded, and I admire her strength. “You’re an amazing athlete. I can’t wait to see what you can do without the necklace,” I grin at her. “Are you coming in?” As I turn back around, Rhia is already swimming away from the shore. ‘Oooh, well she’s hot!’ Hunter’s voice comes through the mind link. ‘Leave now, or I will end you! This is your future luna!’ His wolf actually gives me a wink before he turns around.
When Ann D. Lang isn’t writing, she can be found with her family and her cats — who treat everyone in the house as their personal servants and are entirely unbothered by deadlines. A lifelong lover of paranormal romance in all its forms, from vampire courts and fae kingdoms to witch covens and wolf pack politics, she has spent years falling in love with other people’s worlds — and one day simply decided to open the doors to a world of her own.
Alexa Rivers’ new small town romantic suspense, NO ONE BUT YOU, is available now! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Title: NO ONE BUT YOU
Author: Alexa Rivers
Genre: Small Town Romantic Suspense
About NO ONE BUT YOU:
My best friend’s brother will never love me back, but when I stumble into danger, he seems determined to protect me, whatever the risk.
The last thing I expect when I go hiking in the forest near Destiny Falls is to end up bloody, battered, and left for dead.
When the subject of my endless pining–handsome Dr. Max Braddock–insists on caring for me, I wonder if my luck is changing, but it isn’t long before the people behind my attack realize I’m still alive.
I can’t afford to be distracted by Max’s soft smiles and gentle touch. Not when someone is hunting me. If we don’t find out who they are and what they want, our blossoming relationship–and our lives–might end all too soon.
If you loved the charm of Virgin River and the intrigue of Ginny & Georgia, then you might enjoy NO ONE BUT YOU.
Scroll up to buy your copy of this small town romantic suspense now!
Alexa Rivers writes about genuine characters living messy, imperfect lives and earning hard-won happily ever afters. Most of her books are set in small towns, and she lives in one of these herself. 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, eating too much chocolate, cuddling fluffy animals, drinking excessive amounts of tea, and absorbing herself in fictional worlds.
Under the penname A. Rivers, Alexa also writes steamy romance books with take-charge heroes and strong heroines who aren’t afraid to fight the odds for love.
If you’d like to keep up to date with her books and news, subscribe to both her newsletters today
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I didn’t join the force to play dress-up in designer heels and pretend to be someone’s girlfriend, but apparently life has a sense of humor. And mine comes with a six-foot-something ego, a movie-star smile, and a peculiar knack for getting under my skin.
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