Romance – Page 39 – Readers Alley

Category: Romance

Small Town Romance – Lucky Cowboy

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Small Town Romance, Western Romance

Date Published: April 6, 2021

Publisher: Heatherly Bell Books

Lincoln Carver is not worried about the lack of women in Stone Ridge, Texas. He’s content earning the occasional buckle as a rodeo champ and working his family’s cattle ranch. In fact, life was perfect until his matchmaking granny stuck her nose in his business. Now, he’s injured the new schoolteacher, and is spending more time with her than he’d like.

Sadie Stephens has loved Lincoln since she was a girl, but they were never more than friends. And a family feud involving a runaway bride closed any options for a romance with Lincoln for good. Lincoln’s only interest in her now is one of obligation and guilt. After all, he’s the one responsible for the lassoing “incident” at the school (don’t ask.) The single men of Stone Ridge are lining up to nurse the very eligible Sadie back to health, bringing her flowers, candy, and pies.

Lincoln brings her an ice pack…and gum.

No doubt about it, the hunky cowboy needs to learn the ABCs of courtship, but is Sadie the one to teach him?

About the Author

Heatherly was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama but lost her accent by the time she was two. Her grandmother, Mima, kept both the accent and spirit of the southern woman alive for decades. After leaving Alabama, Heatherly lived with her family in Puerto Rico and Maryland before being transplanted kicking and screaming to the California Bay Area. She now loves it here, she swears. Except the traffic.

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Steamy Romance – Getting to Forever

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KinkLink Series, Book Three

Steamy Romance / Romantic Comedy

Date Published: April 6, 2021

Amanda (Mandy) Gilchrist was just baffled by her colleague. One minute he was her rock and the next he couldn’t get away from her fast enough…only to land himself in jail. Her bosses now hate him and wouldn’t help him cross the street let alone post bail so it was up to her — except someone got to him first. What the heck was going on?

By now he must realize he needs her help… And it’s going to cost him because this time she’s not going to turn a blind eye. Mandy’s going to make sure David sees her skills as a PI and as a woman too — one he’s got ‘tied up inside and out’.

Because he may not know it yet but they’re both looking for exactly the same thing.

David aka Hack Varetti is in deep shit. A little finagling with the FBI and maybe he’ll get his life back on track but there’s no guarantees. Making the wrong associations only landed him in the clink, but now he’s got a second chance — to fix his life. And to take care of her.

Because Mandy doesn’t know it yet, but she needs something only he can give her, and he can’t wait to show her how a Dom brings his Sub to fulfillment because it’s something she’ll never forget.

Even though the last thing he wanted to do was involve her in his mess, afraid she’d get hurt. He knew, if he wanted her to trust him again, he was going to have to work for it.

Everyone’s got to learn the ropes sometime…

The steamy standalone novels in Tara Eldana’s KinkLink series are best read in order:

TAKING THE LEAD | MAKING A SWITCH | GETTING TO FOREVER | REACHING FOR FOREVER

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Mandy

The wooden seat in the District Courthouse was as unyielding as Judge Mary Ritkowski. Mandy Gilchrist listened to the judge accept yet another guilty plea for drunk driving. David’s turn was next.

He wasn’t in the courtroom – yet. He was on the judge’s docket to be arraigned this morning. The judge repeated the same spiel to the fifth drunk driving case as a deputy led David and three more prisoners into the jury box.

Her breath quickened and pulse raced. David towered over the deputy and other prisoners. His orange prison garb left his muscled, tattooed arms bare. His jaw was shadowed with stubble. His dark hair fell onto his forehead.

He spotted her before he sat down. His blue eyes blazed – with either anger or relief, she couldn’t tell – before he schooled his movie-star handsome features into the hated mask she’d do anything to crack. The few, rare glimpses she’d had of the real, untamed man were the reason she was here to bail his stupid ass out of jail.

His nickname was Hack because he could hack into anything – a total computer genius. But she refused to call him that. He was more than that, even though he was trying his best to prove that he wasn’t.

About The Author

I am a very recently retired, multi-award-winning staff writer for a weekly community newspaper chain in metro Detroit. I became hooked on romance fiction when my 11th grade English teacher rejected the book report I wrote, saying the book was much too easy for me, and insisted I read and report on Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca.” I read Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind” that previous summer.

After some life-changing health issues, and covering over a dozen murder and criminal sexual conduct trials, I decided to write the kind of stories I like to read, stories with happy endings.

I love the romance genre and love letting my characters take control of their stories. I am a member of the Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America. I write under the pen name of Tara Eldana

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Romance – Aspen: A Love Story

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Romance

Date Published: eBook March 4, 2021 – print May 4, 2021

For two unlikely strangers, the snow swept mountains of Aspen remind us all that love and luck thrive on uneven ground. While newly widowed Mark stews in the shadows of success and loss, conservative Susan shoulders a weight of uncertainty from her romantic past. Can a single dinner for one change the course of fate? Can these starkly different individuals reconcile their own demons enough to see eye to eye? The scene may be right–but what of timing? In the heart of Colorado, under the watchful eye of the majestic Rocky Mountains, visionary Mark and stubborn Susan share a dance of swirling emotions that can only lead to something explosive. Suddenly, without meaning to, they set themselves down a path of self reflection–and personal reconciliation. Will Mark and Susan be able to overcome their own personal ideals and misgivings leading them to palpable passion? Even in the cold mountain town of Aspen–the flames of fervor flicker brightly.

Excerpt

(Susan)

The doorbell is ringing. Why do people want to bother me on Sunday mornings?

“Jackie, can you answer that please? I just got out of the shower,” I yell from the bathroom.

“Mom, it’s for you,” she says, from outside the bathroom door.

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know—some man. He has a delivery.”

“Just sign for it.”

“He says he has to give it to you.”

“All right, tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”

I throw on some clothes. My hair is a wet mess. I go to the door and there is a young man holding a long thin box.

“What can I do for you?” I ask.

“Are you Susan Green?”

“Yes.”

He hands me the long box. “This is for you from Marc Gray. He would like you to join him today for lunch at one pm at the French Alpine Bistro on Hopkins. I am supposed to wait for your answer.”

I open the box, and it is a single, long-stemmed, red rose. “Thank you, but tell Mr. Gray that I cannot make it.”

“Very good, then he would like you to join him tomorrow at noon at the Spring Café on Spring Street.”

“I am busy; I can’t make it,” I respond.

The delivery guy is looking a little frustrated. “Then Marc Gray would like you to meet him at noon on Tuesday at the Pyramid Bistro on Main.”

“How long is this going to go on?” I ask, with a brief smile.

“The instructions have twelve different scenarios; I am to run through all of them until you say yes.”

Amusing as it would be to make the guy go through all twelve, it would not change the fact that Marc is showing real determination to speak with me.

About the Author

A hopeless romantic since the teenage years T. K. embarked on several relationships only to find emptiness in the end. Finally, the last of those relationships bore the fruit of true love, and after many years they are still together more in love than ever before. These relationships, along with a diversified work background, have provided T. K. with vast knowledge from which to draw upon for character and story development. T. K. has a passion for good food and great wine while enjoying a really good love story. T. K. and family – which include two very spoiled cats – live in the Southwestern US.

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Paranormal Romance – Old Cravings

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Paranormal Romance

Date Published: April 1, 2021

Publisher: Literary Wanderlust

Veterinarian Piper is pragmatic enough to know her marriage wasn’t working, which is why she left Dylan a year ago and pretends it hasn’t hurt like hell every day since. Then Dylan calls out of the blue and tells her to come right away for an animal emergency. Piper arrives on the ranch that used to be her home to find her horse savagely killed. She can’t fathom what could have done it. One thing, however, is obvious. Piper still loves Dylan.

Dylan isn’t over Piper, not by a long shot. After her horse was ripped apart by something he’s pretty sure wasn’t a bear, it feels so good to hold Piper in his arms again. If only they could find a way to undo the mess that drove them apart.

An epic blizzard hits, trapping Piper and Dylan on the ranch for what just might be their one chance at reuniting. But as things get a whole lot scarier, it’s clear something evil has brought them together.

Hunted by the supernatural, they must fight for their lives, but can they also fight for their love?

Excerpt

Piper’s ex-husband peered at her wound, his breath warm on her thigh. It was strange that it was strange to have him touch her. This man knew every last inch of her body intimately, had taken it many times, owned it as only a husband could. His hands all over her had once been natural. Now it was thrilling in its strangeness—familiar and forbidden all at once.

He looked up at her with those hazel eyes, and her breath caught. For several heartbeats, they stared at one another until she cleared her throat. “I don’t like waiting here like sitting ducks.” Waiting for—no, she didn’t want to think of that now. She didn’t want to think of it ever again.

“I know. But this barn is new and well-built. Everything is locked up tight.” He bent once more to inspect the scratch. “We’re going to need more guns and way more ammo, too.”

About the Author

Joy enjoys imagining something creepy in every situation, starting with a fourth-grade theater production when she became convinced a monster lived under the stage. She might not let different foods touch on her plate, but she’s fearless when it comes to mixing love stories and horror in her scary good romances. Joy is currently a school librarian, but has worked in a pet store, a safari park, and vet hospitals and holds a Zoology degree. Animals always feature in her writing. On a good day, her two cats and two pugs make room on the couch for Joy and her family. They live outside Denver, where Joy experiences frequent shaming that she’s never gone skiing in her life. She enjoys reading, traveling, board games, and going with her English husband to explore castles in Britain, where she finds plenty of romantic, spooky inspiration.

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Women’s Fiction, Romance – Broken Road: Absolution

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Women’s Fiction, Romance

Date Published: March 31, 2021

Publisher: Bluff City Publishing

To Be Forgiven, You Must Forgive Yourself

Abandoned by her husband, Elizabeth Marie Mitchell, a single mother with a teenage daughter, had no choice but to endure. She had to survive for both herself and her daughter.

What happens when someone you trusted hurts your daughter, and you are at fault?

Charles Mitchell ignored his heart and his responsibilities as a man, a father and a husband. Now, he has lost everything that matters. He wasn’t there when they needed him, but he’ll never fail them again.

What happens when you have the chance to be the man you were born to be, the man you know you can be?

What will Elizabeth and Charles do for the love of their daughter?

About The Author

Angela Kay Austin has always loved expressing herself creatively. An infatuation with music led to years playing several instruments, some better than others. A love for acting put her in front of a camera or two for her thirty seconds of fame before giving way to a degree and career in communications. After completing a second degree in marketing, Angela found herself combining her love for all things creative and worked in promotions and events for many years.

Today, Angela lives in London where she continues to write and explore!

To learn more about Angela, visit her website: angelakayaustin.com/. Don’t forget to visit Angela’s YouTube channel: youtube.com/AngelaKayAustin!

Also, download Angela’s podcast, Live Free, today from wherever you download your podcasts!

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Regency Romance – The Crawfords Series

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A Regency Romance Collection

Historical Regency Romance, Historical Romance, Regency Romance

Release Date: March 30, 2021

Allow yourself to be swept away to a bygone era…

No Ordinary Duke

Returning to England after ten years abroad, Caleb Crawford learns he’s the new Duke of Camberly. Only he doesn’t want the title. He’d rather help three spinsters fix a leaky roof. Disguised as a laborer, he falls for Mary and she returns his affection. Until she learns that he’s more than he seems and that she’s in danger of getting hurt.

More than a Rogue

With a broken engagement behind her, Emily Howard knows she’s destined to be a spinster. Nevertheless, it might still be nice to learn about kissing. But when she’s discovered in the arms of Griffin Crawford, she flees to save not only him but her very own heart. Because in her experience, dreams don’t come true. Do they?

Her Seafaring Scoundrel

Lady Cassandra has no desire to marry. But when Captain Devlin Crawford brings scandal to her doorstep and offers salvation, she cannot say no. Not with her daughter’s future at stake. So she decides to accept Devlin’s offer, provided he agrees to never be intimate with her. For although Cassandra is drawn to Devlin, she refuses to dishonor the memory of her one true love.

If you love independent heroines and heroes willing to go to the ends of the earth for them, you’ll love this series!

About The Author

Born in Denmark, USA TODAY bestselling author Sophie Barnes spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She’s lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish, and Romanian. But, most impressive of all, she’s been married to the same man three times—in three different countries and in three different dresses.

When she’s not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading.

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Regency Adventure / Romance – Matthew Wolfe The Adventure Begins

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Regency Adventure / Romance

Date Published: March 2021

Publisher: Kone Enterprises

At the risk of being taken up by Bow Street, Matthew Wolfe returns to London, hoping to discover some clue to his heritage, which just might be royal. But, of course, nothing goes as he hoped. Not even the role he had eagerly anticipated as one of Harding’s Hellions. Yet becoming an adventurer has some unanticipated benefits, such as acquiring an elegant mistress a decade his senior. And discovering his former fishing companion, Jocelyn, has grown into a beauty old enough to make her come-out.

But even as a partner in a newly formed private investigation business, life does not run smoothly for Matthew. Vast sums of gold and gems are being lost to a clever gang of thieves operating on both sides of the Channel, yet Matthew and his partner are unable to capture the villains. A problem that is keeping him too busy to explore that ever-tantalizing trail that might lead to royal relatives. And then, just as he is on the verge of combining his search for the thieves with the long-postponed search for his heritage, yet another dramatic problem crops up.

Warning: The Matthew Wolfe series is a return to an old tradition—one long story told in installments, each with a cliff-hanger ending. So please do not expect Happily Ever After until the final book.

Other Books in the Matthew Wolfe Regency Romance Adventure Series:

The Making of Matthew Wolfe

Book One

Published: November 2020

Publisher: Kone Enterprises

Welcome to a Regency series with a twist! Although the Matthew Wolfe books feature the adventures of a supposed nobody off the mean streets of London, they are designed for Covid relief—light, warm-hearted, even whimsical. Hopefully, by the time Matthew has found his Happily Ever After, our World will have righted itself and we will be well on our way back to normal. Meanwhile, here is the first in a series of novellas told as an old-fashioned “serial,” each book with a cliff-hanger ending.

Matthew Wolfe, born and raised in the squalor of London’s inner city, should be a nobody, forever destined to obscurity, or the hangman. But wait . . . he can read and write, is a whiz at math, can speak like a gentleman, even knows more than a bit of French. And when the boy from London ends up on a hops farm in Kent, surrounded by the remnants of the Royal 10th Hussars and a passel of children, what will this fish out of water do? Retired military and their ladies, children, dogs, a regal cat, neighbors in need, and a determined twelve-year-old—all assist Matthew on his journey toward the person he is meant to be.

About The Author

Blair Bancroft is the award-winning author of more than forty novels. Although best known for books set in the Regency period (Gothic, Historical & Traditional), she also writes Mystery, Suspense, and SciFi/Fantasy, with a Medieval Young Adult and a Steampunk thrown in for good measure. Her awards include a RITA nomination and winning the Golden Heart (Romance Writers of America), “Best Regency” from Romantic Times magazine, “Best Romance” and “Best Young Adult” from the Florida Writers Association. She is also the author of Making Magic With Words, a 200,000-word book of advice on Writing and Editing.

Blair considers being able to create people, even whole worlds, from the imagination a never-ending joy. She is an “out of the mist” author. One of her favorite sayings: “I can hardly wait to sit down to my computer each morning and find out what my characters are going to do today.”

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