Romance – Page 52 – Readers Alley

Category: Romance

Contemporary Romance – That One Summer

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Part of the Summer’s End Box Set – 14 Author Box Set

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: August 4, 2020

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THAT ONE SUMMER

He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who couldn’t commit.

***

Twenty years ago, Lia Langston left Last Chance Beach, leaving behind friends, a really good job offer, and the young man she’d fallen in love with that summer. The breakup hurt them both—but she was expected back home in Chicago where a job was waiting. From there, she meandered through life—marriage, a child, divorce, career—yet, there was one constant. She never missed the annual week at Last Chance Beach with her college girlfriends.

Same week, same beach house, same beach town. The routine was safe and predictable. By the time beach week rolled around every year, she was more than ready.

Except for this year.

When Zach Allen—the young man she left behind—steps back into her life, she must face the twenty-year-old consequences of her leaving. Will Last Chance Beach allow her a second chance at love?

LAST CHANCE BEACH is the island paradise where Dreams go to live again, and Wishes may come true. It’s Summer’s End on the island, and the cottages, condos, hotels, and bungalows are filled to capacity.

There’s plenty of time left to find summer fun and summer love, new romances and second chances, hot alpha males and heartwarming heroes, love at first sight and romantic delight, enemies to lovers and opposites attract.

Throw a log on the beach bonfire tonight and celebrate LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End, a special romance collection of 14 all-new short stories from bestselling and award-winning authors. These summer stories—created especially for this collection—will thrill the hopeful romantic in you. Some are sweet: some are sizzling! Some are humorous; some are serious. All the stories will make you sigh!

LAST CHANCE BEACH: Summer’s End will make you want to book a vacation to the island of legend and love, the place where soul mates find each other and love at first sight happens all the time!

Joan Reeves, NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

When they met, it was hate at first sight. Now they’re stuck in the same overbooked beach cottage and horrified to discover they have the hots for each other!

Liz Flaherty, USA Today Bestselling Author

Their lives are planned out…until they’re not! Are they in love or just stuck in a habit?

Nancy Fraser, Top 100 Bestselling Author

At a high school reunion; old flames meet again. Can they re-ignite what they once had and take a last chance on love?

Caroline Clemmons, Top 100 Bestselling Author

She faces a hard decision; he encourages her to choose with her heart. Will the solution drive them apart or into one another’s arms?

Maddie James, Top 100 Bestselling Author

It’s the typical annual week on the beach with the girls—until her summer fling from twenty years back shows up. He’s the one who got away. She’s the one who couldn’t commit.

Jan Scarbrough, National Bestselling Author

The kids are grown; her husband has an important career, and she wonders if she still loves him, and if he loves her. Can she turn back the clock to save her marriage?

Kathleen Lawless, National Bestselling Author

Of all the beaches on the coast, who shows up on her beach? Him! A former competitive surfer runs into her former love, and revisits all the reasons things didn’t work out for them before.

Bonnie Edwards, National Bestselling Author

She wants divorce—he doesn’t. What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas!

Marcia King-Gamble, National Bestselling Author

She’s hiding from the paparazzi after a scandal. He’s the guy next door, an amateur photographer. Will he accept tabloid money for pictures of her? Or will he choose love over jumpstarting his career?

Kathryn Hills, Award Winning Author

Kat must convince her Gran to move to the mainland, but Gran—and hunky neighbor Ben—want Kat to takeover the B&B and antique shop. What will it take for Kat to stay? Some of Gran’s special island magic?

Connie Vines, Award Winning Author

She returns to Last Chance Beach to begin a new life. He’s a single dad on vacation with his pre-teen daughter. He’s worried his daughter may become too attached to her, but maybe he’s the one whose heart is at risk.

Laura Hunsaker, Award Winning Author

Can dreams of the future erase her nightmares of the past? She’s looking for a fresh start, but he’s rented the same beach cottage. One bed, two people? Whatever will they do?

Nora LeDuc

He’s handsome and in town for only 2 weeks. She wants someone interested in a fling. He wants someone interested in a ring.

Hannah Rowan

She won the big lottery, but doesn’t want anyone to know. He’s a fixer-upper specialist, but things aren’t always what they seem.

About the Author

Maddie James writes to silence the people in her head—if only they wouldn’t all talk at once!

Whether writing traditional contemporary romance or building paranormal worlds, Maddie pens stories that frequently cross a variety of romantic sub-genres.

Affaire de Coeur says, “James shows a special talent for traditional romance,” and RT Book Reviews claims, “James deftly combines romance and suspense, so hop on for an exhilarating ride.” The author of over fifty titles of fiction—from short stories to novels—Maddie is an award-winning and Top 100 National Bestselling Author. Learn more at http://www.maddiejames.net.

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Contemporary Romance – This is So Happening

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So Far, So Good, Book 2

Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 4, 2020

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

A torturously tempting love story.

Jessica ‘Jessie’ Allen is sugary sweet and perpetually perky. Running on an endless supply of enthusiasm, she’s in constant motion. The people pleaser is running herself ragged to make other people happy—anything to avoid having to figure out what would make her happy.

Devin Bennett is her complete opposite, the immovable object to Jessie’s unstoppable force. The tall, tattooed and brooding mechanic hates change and the perky blonde co-ed shoving it down his throat. Jessie is drawn to him like a valley girl to an outlet mall, but Devin dodges her advances better than a UFC fighter. The longer she’s around, the harder it is to keep his hands off her perfect body and his lips away from her sassy mouth.

For the first time in her life, Jessie knows what she wants. Devin Bennett. And she’s not above torturing him with temptation to make it happen.

Book two in the So Far, So Good series

Other Books in the So Far, So Good Romantic Comedy Series:

So, That Got Weird

So Far, So Good, Book 1

Release Date: December 2019

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

A painfully awkward love story.

Incomprehensibly awkward Elizabeth Wilde is desperate for love. Connection. Intimacy. After a lifetime of romantic failures, the twenty-one-year-old gamer realizes she needs help. Professional help. She needs…

A sex tutor.

The devastatingly hot jock Austin Jacobs is just the man for the job. As the reigning campus sex god, he has the playboy act down pat. But underneath those six-pack abs beats a broken heart. He doesn’t trust people and he sure as hell doesn’t believe in love.

The odd couple strike a deal. Four weeks of ‘tutoring’ for five thousand dollars.

When Austin coaxes Elizabeth out from behind her computer screen, the attraction they feel is undeniable. They’re both a little broken, but somehow their jagged edges fit. And when their world comes tumbling down on top of them, they each have to decide if this weird thing called love is worth fighting for.

About the Author

Amelia Kingston is many things, the most interesting of which are probably California girl, writer, traveler, and dog mom. She survives on chocolate, coffee, wine, and sarcasm. Not necessarily in that order.

She’s been blessed with a patient husband who’s embraced her nomad ways and traveled with her to over 30 countries across 5 continents (I’m coming for you next, Antarctica!). She’s also been cursed with an impatient (although admittedly adorable) terrier who pouts when her dinner is 5 minutes late.

She writes about strong, stubborn, flawed women and the men who can’t help but love them. Her irreverent books aim to be silly and fun with the occasional storm cloud to remind us to appreciate the sunny days. As a hopeless romantic, her favorite stories are the ones that remind us all that while love is rarely perfect, it’s always worth chasing.

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Supernatural Romantic Suspense – First Second Coming

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Book One In The New God Series

Supernatural Suspense, Romantic Suspense

Date Published: August 1

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

In 2027 the deity known as NTG – short for New Testament God – retires after more than two thousand years of minding the store for his employer, Milky Way Galaxy, Inc. The new god, a planetary turnaround specialist, must decide whether Earth’s dominant species should or should not be included in his plan to bring the planet back into full compliance with Milky Way Galaxy, Inc.’s planetary operation standards.

Earth’s new God introduces himself to humanity by unexpectedly appearing on the Ram Forrester Hour talk show. Ram, an atheist, and co-host Brendali Santamaria, a devout Catholic, are stunned. God’s interview, beamed worldwide, shocks and infuriates viewers. They learn that a sixty-day conference will take place in Los Angeles to determine whether humans are capable of helping him implement his planetary turnaround plan. All mankind must do to earn a coveted spot in this God’s good graces is eliminate religious violence forever, without his heavenly help. Failure means extinction.

God designates Ram and Bren as the conference’s only authorized media reporters. This assignment, fraught with peril, ignites their romance. Not only must the harried couple attend the conference meetings by day and do their show at night, they must also outwit a fanatical religious group bent on killing them. When rising conflicts within the conference intensify, it’s up to Ram and Bren to do whatever it takes to protect their budding romance and mankind’s very survival.

Excerpt

Thirteen hours late, my cross-galaxy voyage to the All-Souls Transit Center ends in a puff of soft lunar dirt on Mare Tranquillitatis. I expect to meet the legendary God of planet Earth in his office but as I deplane he’s shuffling down the concourse toward his departure gate. He’s easy to spot – inside this small, sparse four gate terminal we are the only life forms in sight.

With his stooped posture and unkempt shoulder length gray hair, God reminds me of the mythical Atlas. His tremors underscore the physical and emotional toll he has had to bear. Did his mental state also degrade? He spent two millennia managing a planet populated by quarrelsome headstrong terrestrials. Over that much time any deity posted to such a world would succumb to the effects of prolonged stress.

I quicken my pace, catch up to him and extend a hand. “Good day, Lord.”

“This is how you address your superiors?” The decibel level of his gruff voice implies impaired hearing. “Where are your manners? A bow is in order.”

Though I have not yet fully adapted to the musculature of this adult male body I inhabit, my flawless execution of a deep obeisance brings a quick smile to my face.

God gives me a brusque signal to rise. “You’re my replacement, are you?”

“Correct, Lord. I am humbled and honored to take your place.” I bow again, less fully.

“Call me NTG if you wish. I prefer answering to that nickname.”

So the rumor is true. That he calls himself the New Testament God instead of his given name means he has indeed gone native. This explains a lot.

We sink into a ‘maximum comfort’ couch – or so the attached tag boasts – stuffed full of condensed nimbostratus cloud threads imported from Earth. An ugly green tarp spread over the cushions prevents our clothes from getting soaked by residual moisture.

God adjusts his overcoat and leans toward me. “I trust you had an enjoyable flight?”

“I would like to say yes, but what a hellacious trip.” That’s an understatement. “We flew through several cosmic storms, circumvented an unmapped black hole and limped here on back-up power after the anti-matter fuel engine failed. I will never fly by chartered spaceship again.”

“Now that you’ve arrived, what makes you think you can take on a tough job like this?”

“This is my fourth assignment, though the first for Milky Way Galaxy, Inc.” I place my carry-on bag on the tan moonrock table and open a side pocket. “I have a résumé, if you want to peruse it. In each previous posting, the planets I shepherded returned to optimal status. Whilst this assignment is more complex, I assure you my record shall remain unsullied.”

“Humph.” He spits into the thin puddle created by the leaky couch and waves off my résumé. “I thought those spineless MWGI decision-makers would send a rank amateur. After only three postings, you expect to fix this mess? You’re still wet around the ears, sonny. Have you even hung your precious university degrees on a wall yet?” He points at the nearby picture window. “On Earth they say you learn more through failure than success.”

“Elder, I did not travel here to fail. MWGI reached out because of my extensive training as a planetary turnaround specialist. They are confident I am the best available deity for this job.”

“And you agree with that assessment, do you?” He fidgets, as though trying to stand and walk away, but can’t get off the couch.

“I would not otherwise have taken the job, Lord. Once I did, I undertook considerable research. The travel delays afforded me extra preparation time. I have learned everything a new deity should know about Earth and its inhabitants. I am ready to take the reins.”

“Your extensive reading helped you form opinions regarding the humans, did it?”

I disregard the sarcasm implicit in the question. If I ever reach his wizened old age, young deities will receive better treatment from me than this. His attitude is understandable, though. Forced retirement is a difficult pill for anyone to swallow, supreme beings included.

“Lord, these sentient beings do have many laudable qualities. However, whilst I prefer not to focus on the negative, on the whole humans strike me as a rather unpredictable species.”

NTG spits again and rummages through the pockets of his black overcoat, pants and vest. “Where’s the damn thing? Did I forget it? Ah, here. Since you’re not dead, you’ll need this to get into heaven.”

He hands me a Holyday Inn card key with “NTG” stenciled on the back side. I stare at the card whilst mulling over my research, which characterized heaven as an imaginary afterlife sanctuary. With a shrug, I deposit the card in the pocket of my blue denim shirt.

“Many humans call it heaven, but I consider it home.” God’s melancholic smile comes and goes in seconds. “Souls get over the false advertising once they adjust to their newly deceased status. Follow the overhead signs to the tram that’ll take you to the complex. My office is by the main gate so I can greet arrivals on St. Peter’s days off. Ask for Angie, my chief of staff. She’s a real angel in every sense of the word.”

About the Author

Jeff Pollak grew up in Riverdale – not the one in the Archie comics and movies, the one in the Bronx. After graduating college in Buffalo’s often frozen tundra, he moved to Los Angeles to thaw out and learn to play golf without losing the ball in snow drifts. While there, a law school accepted him into their night program. Now retired from life as a civil trial litigator, Jeff lives in the Crescenta Valley where the closest Jeff comes to winter is his sporadic attendance at hockey games.

FIRST SECOND COMING, Jeff’s debut novel, was inspired by 9/11. Like everyone else, Jeff was transfixed by the unfolding tragedy. Unlike everyone else, Jeff had clients in the World Trade Center, his law firm had given annual seminars at Windows of the World, at the top of the building, and he’d become familiar with some of the staff. While watching the WTC collapse, the thought “earth needs a new God who’s a planetary turnaround specialist,” came to mind. Over the ensuing decade, this odd idea germinated in the deeper recessions of Jeff’s overactive brain until this story hatched in 2015. Jeff’s been writing it ever since.

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Contemporary Romance – Falling for the Tycoon

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Anywhere and Always Book 1

Contemporary Romance

Published: December 2019

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

One wild and passionate Caribbean night leaves Annelise with amazing
memories…but what happens when her vacation fling reappears as a VIP
client?

Deserted by her fiancé only three months before their wedding, a
devastated Annelise decides to go on their Caribbean honeymoon alone in the
hope of thawing the deep freeze of her emotions. Tripping and landing on top
of the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen, a sexy French-Canadian
stranger, is as surprising as it is mortifying.

Rémy Gaspard is staying at his family’s remote tropical resort
to get some work done after a difficult visit with his sister, but instead,
he finds himself drawn to the sad young woman he sees from across the beach.
When she quite literally falls into his lap, he can’t believe his good
fortune.

Their passionate vacation romance is cut short by a troubling accident and
they part ways, but neither can stop thinking about the other. When they
meet up again in Montreal, seemingly by accident six months later, their
attraction is just as strong…or stronger. As they face the challenges
of misunderstandings, suspicions and a shadowy menace that won’t leave
Rémy’s family alone, one thing becomes clear. Their love
remains strong, anywhere and always.

Book 2 in the Anywhere and Always Series: Snowbound with the Billionaire is
Coming Soon!!!

Excerpt

She scrambled up as quickly as possible, but not before she pressed up
against the length of a tall, muscular man. He was warm and smelled of the
ocean and the wind—and also a bit spicy, like some of the more exotic
seasonings used in the local dishes. As she brushed herself off and stood as
swiftly as she could, she just had time to realize that he
smelled…incredibly good. For someone I apparently fell on like a ton
of bricks. Smooth. Real smooth, Annelise.

“I’m so sorry!” she apologized, feeling a hot blush rise
from her hairline to her ears and even onto her chest. She knew her cheeks
must be flaming.

The stranger, dressed only in faded board shorts that might have been red
once but were now a washed-out salmon, was covered in sand. It dusted his
tan, muscular chest and sprinkled his dark-brown hair. He might have looked
silly if he hadn’t been… Well, the only words that sprang to
her mind were ‘unbelievably gorgeous’. No, that wasn’t
true. She also thought ‘scrumptious’ and ‘hot as
hell’. Mentally recalling herself, she realized he hadn’t
responded to her apology.

“Do you speak English? Español?” Annelise hoped he spoke
at least a tiny bit of English, because her Spanish was abysmal. “Oh
my gosh, did I hurt you?” she continued, worried.

The man sat up with a little shake, and his mouth quirked into a wry smile,
making his dark eyes crinkle at the corners. “No apology needed. I
must have fallen asleep. I’m fine. No harm done.
Although”—he gestured at the empty beach—“it was an
unlucky coincidence that you should choose this one spot to walk
onto.” His accent sounded French, and his tone was compelling as he
spoke, inviting her to share his amusement, not only at their situation but
also possibly at life in general.

Annelise felt an unfamiliar smile tug at the corners of her lips.
“I’m so glad you’re not hurt. And ‘unlucky’
should be my middle name,” she answered, the words out before she
could recall them. It was totally unlike her to talk about her personal life
with a complete stranger. Alone. On a deserted beach. Totally alone. She
took an unconscious step backward.

The stranger didn’t look as though he’d been lying in wait to
trip unsuspecting tourists, though. He looked as if he belonged—and as
if he was mildly interested in what she was saying. If he’d looked too
interested, she might have shut down, but instead, she found herself
answering the questioning quirk of his dark eyebrow.

“I’ve…had a bit of a setback recently in my personal
life,” she said. It was the understatement of the century.

“Sounds like it was a bad one. Do you want to talk about it?”
he offered, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, just two
strangers watching a Caribbean sunset and talking about their personal
lives. It suddenly occurred to her that he was the first person besides the
unobtrusive security guards that she’d seen on the private beach this
entire trip. She’d actually begun to think she must be the only guest
at the cabanas. Her thoughts turned suddenly suspicious.

“What are you doing on this beach? It’s supposed to be private
and definitely a no-trespassing sort of place.” Her mind turned to the
prominent guns she’d seen the security guards carrying, and she
wasn’t sure if she was trying to intimidate or warn the
stranger.

The white of his smile on his tan face was stunning in the sunset.
“Thank you for the warning, chérie, but I am a guest
here…in the owner’s cabana.” He gestured with one long,
muscular arm and Annelise noticed a path she hadn’t seen before,
leading to what looked like a giant house. It was much larger than her own
spacious cabin.

“Oh, right. The owner’s French, isn’t he?” Annelise
answered, trying to recall the details she knew of the resort. She’d
learned about it from her colleague, and the owner was a big-time client of
the financial services firm where she worked.

“French-Canadian,” the stranger corrected, raising his eyebrow
again, “but I’ll let it slide just this once.”

“Sorry…I know there’s a big difference,” she
hastened to apologize. Great, she’d now offended a close friend of a
client who could get her fired.

The stranger shook his head. “I was teasing. I’m not so easily
offended,” he said, bending up his knees and wrapping his arms loosely
around them before motioning toward the soft-looking hollow next to him.
“Care to join me? You can’t beat the view.”

About the Author

Aurora Russell is originally from the frozen tundra of the upper-Midwest
(ok, not frozen all the time!) but now loves living in New England with her
real-life hero/husband, two wonderfully silly sons, and one of the most
extraordinary cats she has ever had the pleasure to meet. But she still goes
back to the Midwest to visit, just never in January. She doesn’t remember a
time that she didn’t love to read, and has been writing stories since she
learned how to hold a pencil. She has always liked the romantic scenes best
in every book, story, and movie, so one day she decided to try her hand at
writing her own romantic fiction, which changed her life in all the best
ways.

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Time-Travel Romance – Dreamland

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Time-Travel Romance

Date Published: 7/2/2020

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Dicen Burke had it all. As lead singer in the world famous rock band,
Dark Army, the world lay at his feet. But the path to super stardom
warred with a painful past and during a performance the demons haunting him
finally descended. Unable to stop the self-destructive path of alcohol
and drugs, when he fell, he fell hard.

He wakes up in a world he doesn’t know. The Twenty-first
century rocker is now in the 1920’s, lost and bewildered.
He’s taken in by Juliet Fox, a beautiful woman trying to be a positive
influence in her brother’s wild lifestyle among the Hollywood Motion
Picture elite.

Dicen does his best to adapt, and with Juliet by his side, he discovers a
world that offers him a clean slate. But when he’s pulled back
to the present, separated by time from the one person that gives him a
reason to live, will he find a way to push past his demons as well as find
Juliet again?

Excerpt

“Hey you,” a soft voice commanded. “Open your eyes
please”

He tried
to obey, struggling to push past the lingering darkness that clung to him
like a second skin. God, he felt horrible.

“That’s it,” she soothed. “Open your
eyes. Look at me.”

Finally,
he managed to raise his eyelids. An angel leaned over him, staring
into his eyes. She smiled at him so he smiled back. He had
always thought it would be demons that would come collect him when he died
so it amazed him that heaven was calling.

“Ah, a set of beautiful baby blues,” she murmured, stroking his
cheek. “Hello, handsome.”

He
opened his mouth to say something but the words wouldn’t come.
His tongue felt swollen, dry. He forced himself to swallow to try to
get some saliva flowing.

“W-what happened?”

She
cocked her head. “Bad hooch I’m thinking. Gotta be
careful of certain juice joints. Come,” she said, holding out
her hand. “Let’s get you sitting upright.”

He
hadn’t realized he’d been lying down but as she helped him up,
he realized the halo around her head had been nothing more but the
flickering of a street light accentuating the midnight hue of her
hair. When he was vertical once more, he finally saw all of the
woman’s features. Short bobbed hair held back by a headband made
of crystal beads while dark eyes watched him from under thin, perfectly
arched eyebrows. Her lips were a cupid’s bow, painted a deep
red. Her skin a flawless pale shade that contrasted sharply with her
heavily made up eyes.

“Like what you see?” she asked.

He
blinked. “I always like my fans. Where am I?”

One of
those thin eyebrows arched. “That hooch must’ve really
made you balled up. You’re off Hollywood Boulevard, of course,
belly up in an alley.”

He
looked around, completely baffled. How the hell did he get here?
Where was the stage? The screaming fans? Kieron, Van and
Tony?

“Do you have a name, handsome?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m Dicen Burke.”

He
waited. He waited for the name to sink in, for her eyes to widen, for
her to begin batting her eyes in an attempt to flirt her way into his
bed.

“Juliet,” she said. “Juliet Fox. I was looking
for my brother, Thayer, and figured I’d find him upchucking out here
and instead I find a keen big six. Say, you’re no drugstore
cowboy are you?”

“Excuse me?” Her lack of a response to his name, along
with slang he didn’t understand, threw him.

“You know, a guy that hangs around street corners looking to pick up
ladies. Just so we’re clear on the matter, I ain’t that
kind of girl,” she informed him, the smile on her face lessening the
harshness of her tone. “Have you seen another man out here, by
chance, throwing up?”

She
confused him. He shook his head and then wished he hadn’t when
it throbbed. “God, I need an aspirin.”

About the Author

I began reading my mom’s Harlequin Presents in the fifth grade, and
from the first story I knew I wanted to write romance novels. I like writing
about the very ordinary girl thrust into extraordinary circumstances, so my
heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate
highrollers. I try to write characters who aren’t cookie cutters and
push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to
resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I love writing
characters who are real, complex and full of flaws, heroes and heroines who
find redemption through love. You can find me on the web at:

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Romantic Suspense – Zone of Action

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Romantic Suspense

Date Published: 7/27/2020

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Former terror cell expert Audrey Jenkins has seen enough death and
destruction to last a lifetime. When she uncovers her ex, Brett, a
higher-ranking officer in her unit, selling military secrets, she turns him
in and returns to the simpler life she has embraced since leaving the army.
CID Special Agent Cam Harris is a career military man with a strong sense of
duty. When a military prisoner who once saved his life in Afghanistan
escapes while in his custody, he requests the assignment to track him down.
Cam’s manhunt leads him to Audrey’s door. His prisoner—her
ex—will resurface here, he’s sure of it. The feisty woman wants
nothing to do with hunting down her ex, but when a terror cell she’s
all-too-familiar with launches a deadly attack on army intelligence soldiers
and officers, she knows it’s Brett. Helping Cam is the right thing to
do. But the attraction burning between them may be the mistake that gets her
and Cam killed…

Excerpt

Her tears had stopped. She should release him. But a new storm threatened. She hadn’t been with a man since Brett, hadn’t trusted her choices in companions. Brett’s defection, and subsequent courtroom nastiness, had cautioned her into remaining celibate. He’d been so far from what she’d imagined, she’d decided to swear off men. That had been easy, until Cameron appeared on her horizon.

His hot body in a uniform plus overall good looks had snared her attention at the court martial, as well as Elena’s. They’d salivated over him at the time, and then moved on. They’d returned to work, and she’d begun to pick up the pieces after Brett. She didn’t need a man to be fulfilled. Or so she thought. By the way she was reacting to Cam now, she realized her attraction from back then had only lain dormant. His kindness, gentleness, and quiet strength had awakened her desires. God, she felt protected in his embrace. Protected and aroused.

The arousal part scared her. Here she was, finding another soldier wildly attractive. If she was smart, she’d push him away, thank him for his kindness, and call it a night. He wouldn’t insist. He’d already proven he was a gentleman. He was nothing like Brett.

Since she’d met him a few days ago, he’d been only professional and understanding, quietly strong and reliable through the home invasion, the fire, and now their flight into the wilderness. He’d never come on to her, had simply offered opinions while listening to her explanations. She had no idea whether he looked at her that way or not. He’d make a great poker player, with no hint of what he was thinking visible to another person. Perhaps that was why she was getting more turned on as the seconds ticked by. She’d love to see him lose control.

Brett never had. He’d always been in full control in the bedroom, as well as in the war room. His orgasms had been quiet, disciplined releases, and she’d stifled her screams to match his restraint. She had no idea whether Cam would be the same. Maybe she was destined to only be attracted to cold fish.

She pressed closer to him and felt his arousal between them. So, not a cold fish. She raised her head and opened her eyes. His dark brown ones stared back at her, a glint of confused desire in their depths.

“What the hell are you doing, Audrey?” His voice was hoarse, questioning. He stepped back, arms dropping to his sides. And ran a hand over his face. She took a step forward. Their chests touched. His gaze never left hers. “What are you doing?”

Her heart skipped a beat. It had been a long, long time since she’d acted on a sexual attraction. Part of her wanted to turn tail and run to her room. It wasn’t too late. She could still keep face. A larger part of her wanted to remove Brett’s final hold on her. She didn’t want her last lover to be a traitor. She met his look head on.

About the Author

Cathy Skendrovich has always loved a good story, and spent her formative
years scribbling what is now called Fan Fiction. The current heartthrob of
the time featured heavily in all her stories. Unfortunately, once she went
to college, her writing took the form of term papers, written on typewriters
instead of computer keyboards.

Upon graduation, Cathy took a job as an English teacher in a middle school.
Along the way, she married her husband of thirty-six years, and had two
sons. Now an empty nester, she and her husband have embarked on their own
adventure, moving to Idaho to live overlooking a pond.

Romantic suspense has always been her favorite genre to read and write,
though she has dabbled in historical romance. Creating an unpredictable
storyline is her goal, and she hopes she has done so in her current and
previous books. Prisoner of Love is her first published novel, followed
closely by The Pirate’s Bride, The Pirate Bride’s Holiday Masquerade,
and Undercover with the Nanny. Zone of Action is her fifth book, and her
first military suspense. For research, she asks her son in Army Intelligence
for up to the minute information. Lately, he’s stopped taking her
calls.

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Historical Regency Romance – Falling for Mr. Townsbridge

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The Townsbridges, Book 3

Historical Regency Romance

Date Published: July 21, 2020

He knows he ought to forget her…

When William Townsbridge returns from Portugal and meets Eloise Lamont, the
new cook his mother has hired, he’s instantly smitten. The only
problem of course is that she’s a servant – completely off
limits for a gentleman with an ounce of honor. But as they become better
acquainted, William starts to realize he must make Eloise his. The only
question is how.

Eloise loves her new position. But William Townsbridge’s arrival
threatens everything, from her principles to her very heart. Falling for her
employer’s son would be monumentally stupid. All it can lead to is
ruin, not only for the present, but for her entire future. So then the
simplest solution would be to walk away. But can she?

Other Books in The Townsbridges Historical Romance Series:

When Love Leads To Scandal

The Townsbridges, Book 1

Release Date: February 2019

Two people fated to be together…

Recently engaged to the Earl of Langdon, Lady Bethany is content with the
knowledge that she’s made a wonderful match for herself. Until a chance
encounter with a handsome stranger makes her wish she was still unattached –
a sentiment that grows even stronger when circumstance causes her to spend
more time in this gentleman’s company.

And the duty that threatens to come between them…

Charles Townsbridge is not prepared to learn that the mystery woman he met
in the park, the very same woman he cannot get out of his head, is in fact
his best friend’s fiancée. Determined to do the right thing, he tasks
himself with quashing the attraction, only to discover that the heart cannot
be so easily controlled.

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Lady Abigail’s Perfect Match

The Townsbridges, Book 2

Release Date: October 2019

A kiss can cure any ailment…

Lady Abigail has been infatuated with Mr. James Townsbridge for three
years. But when she is finally introduced to him, she finds him arrogant and
rude. Unfortunately, this doesn’t stop her heart from racing or her
stomach from flip-flopping while in his presence. In fact, being near him
makes her feel somewhat ill. Which complicates matters when they are
suddenly forced to marry.

James doesn’t like the aloof young lady to whom he has recently been
introduced. And since he has a blistering headache, he doesn’t have
the patience for someone who clearly doesn’t want to be in his
company. But when she lands in his lap and he accidentally rips her gown,
his duty is clear. Now James must try to get along with his awful
fiancée, or risk living unhappily ever after. But is that
possible?

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Excerpt

A spark of awareness flared to life in his eyes, prompting her to drop her
gaze quickly. She finished preparing his plate and handed it to him. His
thumb brushed hers and her heart leapt. This was wrong, this response she
was having toward him. Nothing about it made sense when only moments ago
she’d been ready to hit him.

Avoiding further eye contact, she busied herself with putting the tin away.
“I have an early morning so I must be off now.”

“Won’t you keep me company while I eat?”

Eloise swallowed. “Non.” She closed the cupboard and forced her
feet to move toward the door. Reaching it, she paused to say, “It was
interesting to meet you, Mr. Townsbridge. I hope you enjoy your
snack.”

She turned away.

“I trust your husband is also in my parents’
employ?”

“No. I’m not…” Too late, she realized what
she’d revealed. Cooks were always referred to as Mrs., no matter their
marital status, and keeping Mr. Townsbridge in the dark about hers would
have served as a useful line of defense. If she’d been wise enough to
leave him wondering, that was, or even better if she’d lied.

“Duly noted.”

The comment chased her out of the kitchen and into the servants’
stairwell, all the way up to her room on the top floor of the house. She
didn’t pause for breath until she was safely inside with the door
shut. Good heavens. The way he’d said that, with seductive promise,
was enough to set her ablaze.

She patted her cheeks and expelled a deep breath.

No.

She absolutely could not allow herself to be alone with that man ever
again. Not only because of the threat he posed to her job but because of
what she feared he might want. And judging by how quickly he’d
replaced her indignation with amusement, she worried he had the skill to
acquire whatever he might desire.

Which meant she would have to avoid him at all cost.

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 with various degrees of
fluency. 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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