The Next Step PR – TBR Book Blog

New Release ~ Merciless Wager ~ by ~ Anise Storm

♦ ♦ ♦

𝗔𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄

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.

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.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Prisoners ~ by ~ K.M. Shehata

♦ ♦ ♦

A Russian mafia romance laced with vengeance, loyalty, and a love that refuses to die.

Carter thought she escaped the Bratva.

She was dead wrong.

When her past with Vladimir Ivanov resurfaces, Carter is dragged back into a world ruled by power, secrets, and control—where walking away with a pulse is no longer an option.

Vladimir reigns as the Pakhan of the Ivanov Bratva, an empire built on blood, loyalty, and fear. He’s survived betrayal, war, and prison—but one woman still has the power to unravel him. As enemies close in and the Bratva turns against her, Vladimir has only one choice.

Protect Carter at all costs.

Even if it makes her his prisoner.

With a bounty on her head, Carter becomes both Vladimir’s greatest weakness and his most dangerous weapon. Bound together by obsession, survival, and a past neither can outrun, their connection deepens—blurring the line between protection and possession, love and captivity.

As a mafia war ignites in Russia, a rival Bratva boss wants Vladimir’s crown—and the woman he loves.

And he’s willing to burn everything to claim both.

♦ ♦ ♦

♦ ♦ ♦

♦ ♦ ♦

K.M. Shehata’s stories explore power, obsession, and relationships shaped by control, desire, and consequence. Known for blending emotional intensity with morally complex characters, she crafts narratives that pull readers in and refuse to let go.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Redemption Road ~ by ~ Katie Ashley

♦ ♦ ♦

Born into a powerful political family, I’ve spent my life being sheltered by wealth and privilege. In an effort to fly free of my gilded cage, I embrace a relationship with a man my family would never accept–a biker bad boy from a notorious MC club. But my brief taste of freedom results in a betrayal that lands me trafficked into a hell on earth I never could have imagined.

Born and bred into the Hells Raiders MC, I’ve spent my life devoted to the club. With the President patch now stitched on my cut, I would give my life for my brothers. But when I become the unexpected savior of a rival club’s captive, I put everyone at risk with my personal mission to shelter Annabel from the madman who hunts her and the nightmares that torment her.

Despite being from two different worlds, we bond through our shared trauma. But as Anabel begins to heal, the glaring differences between our worlds become more evident. Can she ever accept the life I lead, or will I be forced to choose between the only life I’ve ever known and the woman I was never supposed to love?

♦ ♦ ♦

Katie Ashley is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon Top Three Best-Selling author of both Indie and Traditionally published books. She’s written rockers, bikers, billionaires, manwhores with hearts of gold, New Adult, and Young Adult. She lives outside of Atlanta, Georgia with her daughter, Olivia, her rescue mutts, Belle and Nova, and her cats, Mama Kitty, Joe, and Jake. She has a slight obsession with The Golden Girls, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.

She holds a BA in English, a BS in Secondary English Education, and a Masters in Adolescent English Education and spent fourteen years teaching both middle and high school English, as well as a few adjunct college English classes.

Although she is a life-long Georgia peach, she loves traveling the country and world meeting readers.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Dangerous Innocence ~ by ~ Cora Reilly

♦ ♦ ♦

Aislinn Killeen is a good girl. When her sister goes missing during a trip to New York, Aislinn leaves her hometown Dublin behind to search for her. She finds shelter with her uncle, a priest in the biggest Irish-catholic parish in the city and also the confessor for the Irish mob. Her investigations soon lead her to the criminal underworld, and one of its major players: Lorcan Devaney.

Lorcan Devaney’s reign is brutal, his temper feared and his patience non-existent.

Aislinn is sure he’s the man who knows what happened to her sister. She realizes too late that attracting the attention of a man like Lorcan is a horrible idea. When secrets from her family’s past are revealed, she’s forced to marry the man who might be responsible for her sister’s disappearance.

Will she find her sister and escape the unwanted marriage, or will she be the second Killeen to disappear?

♦ ♦ ♦

Cora Reilly is the author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, The Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. Before she found her passion in romance books, she was a traditionally published author of young adult literature.

Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn’t spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Burning Blood ~ by ~ Pepper Winters

♦ ♦ ♦

Lucien has three goals.
Escape Cinderkeep.
Ignore his feelings for Rook.
And drown in a sea of his enemies’ blood.

Rook only has one goal.
Stay alive.

But if she gives him what he wants…one of them will die.

And if one dies…the other follows.

𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸. 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.
𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩-𝘩𝘦𝘳-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭.

♦ ♦ ♦

On a career level, Pepper currently has close to 40 books released in nine languages. She’s hit best-seller lists (USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) almost 40 times. She dabbles in multiple genres, ranging from Dark Romance to Coming of Age.

On a personal level, Pepper lives on a farm with two minis, four horses, countless birds and wildlife, and a precious little ball of fluff called Mo. Her little house-rabbit sits at her feet while writing all the words, and always seems to know when she’s writing a naughty scene. He’s her muse and the main reason why a rabbit is on her author logo.

Now back to the writing stuff…

After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She’s an #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She’s also honored to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller.

After releasing two books with Grand Central, Hachette (Ruin & Rule and Sin & Suffer) Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Barrett ~ by ~ Kate Randall

♦ ♦ ♦

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀. 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Camryn
We were oil and water the first time we met, and nothing has changed. He’s my sister’s ex, and the

father of her child he claims he didn’t know about.

Now he thinks he has every right to take my niece from me, and the only way I can be a part of her

life is to live with the one person who gets under my skin simply by breathing.

He’s crass, arrogant, and completely off-limits.

But someone needs to tell that to the butterflies that explode in me every time he turns his

devastating smile in my direction. The heat building between us is more than fiery disdain, and that’s something neither of us are prepared for, but we can’t seem to escape.

Now I’m wondering if the cocky boy I knew has turned into a brave man who stays and protects what’s his.

Barrett
I left my hometown in the rearview and never looked back, until a girl shows up at my clubhouse and

claims she’s my daughter.

When her aunt practically barrels through the gates searching for her niece, I’m left with

only one option—play nice with Camryn Fuller or risk alienating my daughter.

Easier said than done.

I’m stuck living with a woman who’s constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for me to mess up.

When I do, it isn’t with my kid. It’s with her feisty aunt and a moment when I should have walked away

instead of kissing the hell out of her.

And I can’t bring myself to regret it.

Now, a ghost from my past has set his sights on taking my daughter, throwing our fresh start into

utter chaos.

He thinks I’m the same scared kid he got rid of all those years ago, but I’ll show him that I’ve

turned into the man he should be afraid of this time around.

♦ ♦ ♦

Kate is a lover of all things books. It doesn’t matter what genre, as long as there’s a HEA, she’s in. She started reading romance in high school and would hide novels in textbooks to read during class. Becoming an author was always a dream she had and finally decided to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and write what she loves. She grew up in the beautiful upper peninsula of Michigan then became a West Coast girl where she lives with her amazing husband and hilarious son. She would love to hear from readers so check out all her socials and sign up for her newsletter so she can keep you up to date on her books and whatever other ramblings come to mind.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Obsession ~ by ~ K.M. Shehata

♦ ♦ ♦

A forbidden Russian mafia romance between a powerful Pakhan and the woman who refuses to surrender.

Carter wants one thing above all else: freedom. But with an overprotective father controlling every part of her life, freedom feels impossible until she meets his mysterious new boss.

Vladimir Ivanov is commanding, generous, and impossibly alluring. A powerful Russian billionaire with striking blue eyes and tattoos that whisper danger steps into Carter’s world and takes control. At first, he feels like a savior. When her family faces financial ruin, Vladimir offers protection—and Carter is drawn to him in all the wrong ways.

Behind her father’s back, Carter slips into Vladimir’s world of privilege and peril. What begins as fascination turns into obsession. And once Vladimir sets his sights on her, walking away is no longer an option.

Vladimir reigns as the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva, a man forged in a Siberian prison, every tattoo on his skin earned in blood. He watches Carter. Protects her. Controls her. When a man from her past threatens her, Vladimir intervenes—and Carter learns that being under his protection means surrendering far more than she ever intended.

She thought her Russian hero saved her life until she learns the truth—he owns her.

𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘴: 𝘖𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 is a slow-burn Russian mafia dark romance where desire feels like captivity, loyalty is currency, and the twist at the end will leave you breathless.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Hushed Harmony ~ by ~ Kaylene Winter

♦ ♦ ♦

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

I spend my life chasing sound. Grit, feedback, the moment a crowd holds its breath.

Fireball is the only thing I’ve built without it turning on me. Everything else stays locked tight.

Then Linus O’Donnell comes back.

My first real love.

The one man who knows exactly how I break.

The one I never stopped wanting.

Avonna doesn’t need an entrance.

She coaxes me past my defenses into truth.

Raw. Unfiltered. Impossible to ignore.

What starts as music turns carnal fast.

Late nights. Sweat-soaked rehearsals. Heat carrying into every chord.

Desire doesn’t divide. It multiplies.

I want them both.

Bodies. Loyalty. A future. The way we fit once the world goes quiet.

The problem?

It never does.

I lie. I stall. I pretend control is possible.

Some harmonies refuse to stay hushed.

𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙮 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚-𝙝𝙤𝙩, 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙮𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜.

♦ ♦ ♦

Kaylene Winter is a best-selling author of steamy, contemporary romance.

Each character-driven novel is filled with snappy dialogue, pop-culture references and enough steam to make you fan yourself. Kaylene weaves authenticity, emotion and angst into a turbulent rollercoaster ride of love, passion and soul-searing romance always ending with a delicious HEA.

Kaylene lives in Seattle with her amazing Irish husband and her Pomsky, Phalen. She loves creating art of all kinds.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Shattered to Pieces ~ by ~ Shevaun DeLucia

♦ ♦ ♦

Running scared is what Skylar Kramer had been doing her whole entire life and now she’s running to protect her son from Antonio Castro – the man who fooled her into a sense of security and safety only to become her tormentor and now his prey.

Skylar trusted in the wrong man which almost cost her life, and now after making a vow to herself to never trust another soul, she refuses to make that mistake again. Love and friendships are not in the cards for her any longer – then he comes along, slowly ripping down her walls changing everything.

Neal Caruso is career oriented, a natural protector, and a cop. It’s his job to witness the wicked and after answering a call one night years ago, he hasn’t been able to get her off his mind. Skylar has haunted his dreams for years but out of pure luck they cross paths again and this time Neal refuses to let her walk out of his life. He plans to do whatever it takes to protect them, no matter what the cost.

♦ ♦ ♦

Shevaun DeLucia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and two boys while also enjoying spending time with her two grown children who have already left the nest. As a stay-at-home mom while her children were young, she fell in love with reading. She indulged in the small moments that took her away from the reality of her loud, overly rambunctious household, bringing her into a world of fantasy. When reading wasn’t enough to satisfy her, she turned to writing, determined to create the perfect ending of her own.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Release ~ Darkest Destiny ~ by ~ Pepper Winters

♦ ♦ ♦

For twenty years, Lucien Ashfall has been caged by the very men who profit from his blood.

He’s dangerous, uncontrollable, and deadly.

He’s also the only one carrying his bloodline and they need another.

Every six months, thirty girls are sent into his prison and tasked with one goal: Make him create an heir by any means necessary.

But everyone who goes in, never comes out.

Until Rook Snowdon is thrown into Cinderkeep by mistake.

She isn’t a seductress.

And she certainly isn’t there to save anyone.

In fact, she only has three goals in life:

One, hide her true identity for as long as possible.

Two, nap and self-medicate with wine.

Three (and most problematic) ignore the fact that stress is slowly killing her.

Lucien only has one goal: escape and burn everything to the ground.

Unfortunately, everyone has their secrets and these two have many.

They just don’t know it yet.

Because she might be the key to getting him free.

But if he gets out, it’s not the world that will burn.

It’s him.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀—𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆.

♦ ♦ ♦

Click HERE to Join the Darkest Destiny Recover Room

♦ ♦ ♦

Now back to the writing stuff…

After releasing two books with Grand Central, Hachette (Ruin & Rule and Sin & Suffer) Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work.