Slap Shot Surprise by Melanie Harlow (Read my Review)
In my defense, I thought the plane was going to crash.
Otherwise, I never would have blurted out those embarrassing things to a perfect stranger.
Did I mention he turned out to be a scorching hot superstar of professional hockey?
But wait, there’s more.
When the plane lands safely, I rush off, praying I’ll never have to face him again. My luck holds out for less than twenty-four hours, when I realize he’s a groomsman at the wedding I’m attending.
We end up having a drink and a good laugh about my panicked confessions, and when he invites me up to his room for some no-strings-attached fun, I say yes. After all, a headboard rattling one-night stand with a guy who knows how to put the puck in deep isn’t something a bookworm like me ever thought she’d experience.
Neither are those two little pink lines.
Now what’s crashing are all the plans Joe Lupo and I had for our lives–separately.
After all, we’re totally wrong for each other. He’s commitment-phobic and completely focused on his career. And I want to plant roots in my small town–with someone who chooses me.
Love? It’s out of the question.
Until Joe Lupo lines up his shot and aims straight for my heart.
Heartbreak Hill by Heidi McLaughlin
Grayson Caballero sees the glass half-empty. Born with a life-threatening heart defect, he’s been living on borrowed time. The uncertainty of tomorrow makes him push people away, helping Grayson to avoid any real commitment.
Then he meets Reid Sullivan and falls madly in love. The two work together at the Wold Collective, Grayson as a project manager and Reid in HR. They even live in the same apartment complex. But Grayson continues to keep his distance, despite their obvious attraction. And Reid’s not interested in waiting around.
When Grayson collapses at a basketball game, Reid learns he’s been keeping secrets from her. Now his life hangs in the balance…and a stranger from Boston holds the key to his survival.
Nadia Karlsson makes a life-changing decision after her husband, Rafe, is involved in a tragic accident near Harvard Square. Her choice will unwittingly alter the course of Grayson’s future—and tie his fate unexpectedly to her own.
A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
Her beauty hides a deadly purpose.
Xishi’s beauty is seen as a blessing to the villagers of Yue—convinced that the best fate for a girl is to marry well and support her family. When Xishi draws the attention of the famous young military advisor, Fanli, he presents her with a rare opportunity: to use her beauty as a weapon. One that could topple the rival neighboring kingdom of Wu, improve the lives of her people, and avenge her sister’s murder. All she has to do is infiltrate the enemy palace as a spy, seduce their immoral king, and weaken them from within.
Trained by Fanli in everything from classical instruments to concealing emotion, Xishi hones her beauty into the perfect blade. But she knows Fanli can see through every deception she masters, the attraction between them burning away any falsehoods.
Once inside the enemy palace, Xishi finds herself under the hungry gaze of the king’s advisors while the king himself shows her great affection. Despite his gentleness, a brutality lurks and Xishi knows she can never let her guard down. But the higher Xishi climbs in the Wu court, the farther she and Fanli have to fall—and if she is unmasked as a traitor, she will bring both kingdoms down.
One Sweet Lie by Whitney G.
*Billionaire seeking Live-In Nanny*
Must have at least a decade of childcare experience.
Must be available to me at all times…
No exceptions
I wasn’t searching for a new job, and I didn’t have any nanny experience.
I was just dropping off a cupcake order…but one sweet lie never hurt anyone.
Besides, being a pastry chef is way harder than watching young children, right?
WRONG.
Before I could come clean, the grumpiest billionaire in Manhattan made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and I was stupid enough to take it.
I just forgot to leave my heart out of the equation…
Loving the CEO by Layla Hagen
Leo Whitley’s story is a steamy friends-to-lovers romance. It can be read as a standalone.When I find out on my wedding day that my fiancé is cheating on me, my whole world comes crashing down.
The only bright spot?
My best friend Leo is by my side every step of the way, offering his unconditional support — including a temporary getaway, which I so badly need right now.
Once in Boston, he invites me to stay with him until I get back on my feet. Temporarily, of course.
And I don’t even think twice before agreeing.
But I quickly question if this was the right thing to do.
Did I forget to mention Leo is the hottest man on the planet?
And now his hotness is front and center, as there’s plenty of opportunities to spy on those sexy muscles when he works out in his home gym…or when he gets out of the shower.
Then the oddest thing happens… Leo offers to be my dating coach to ‘help me get back into the game’.
On our first night out, I break out in goosebumps at the lightest touch or seductive smile. And when we get back to his place, well, we take the coaching a little too far and I have the hottest night of my life.
The question is, am I willing to risk my friendship with him for something more? Especially when I’m not even sure I’m ready for anything at all…
For Better or Hearse by Ava Hunter
Ash Keller prefers to keep her heart colder than the morgue. Having sworn off love after a disastrous breakup, she’s learned to thrive in her new career as a death doula. When her millionaire client, Augustus Fox, asks her to accompany him on an all-expenses paid trip to mend family ties and fulfill last wishes, she agrees.
There’s just one nail in her coffin.
Nathaniel Whitford—her client’s absurdly gorgeous, grumpy doctor of a grandson—is along for the trip. A man who has hated her guts since she crashed his wedding years ago. It’ll be a miracle if she survives this vacation without being tossed into a volcano.
Still, Ash refuses to let Nathaniel’s smug smirk and rippling pectorals take her focus away from her death doula-ing duties. She can survive two weeks in paradise with his offensively handsome face. But when falling coconuts and family drama threaten to derail the vacation, Ash and Nathaniel strike a deal: Bury their animosity and make the vacation perfect for Augustus.
Soon, a tentative bond—and mutual attraction—forms between the unlikely pair. With every tropical misadventure and steamy late-night hookup, Ash realizes there’s more to Nathaniel than his barbed banter and uptight façade. Suddenly love seems more complicated than death. And as the trip comes to an end, Ash must decide whether she’ll keep her heart six feet under or risk it all…for better or hearse.
The Romance Line by Lauren Blakely
The first rule of handling PR for a hockey team? Never hook up with a player.
That shouldn’t be a problem since the last man on earth I want to give an image makeover to is our goalie. He’s infuriatingly hot, famously grumpy and lives to spar with me after every game.
But shining up his rough edges is my path to landing the promotion I desperately need, so I grit my teeth and do my job. No matter how hard he makes it (especially with that sexy smirk and cool blue eyes.) As we travel from pose-with-a-pet photo opps to cuddle-a-kitten fundraisers, we bicker like it’s foreplay.
Turns out it is.
Because as I get to know the man behind the broody iceman exterior, it’s me that melts – right into his arms as he devastates me with a kiss that turns into the hottest, most forbidden night of my life.
Only once turns into every night as Max shows me how much he wants to take care of me. His possessive touch makes me feel adored for the first time in my life.
But the man is entirely off limits and I can’t risk my job for more of those soul-deep kisses.
Because the only thing worse than hooking up with a player is falling head over heels for him.
Promise Me Not by Meagan Brandy
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had one dream.
Go to college with my best friends, earn a starting position on a division one team, and hear my name announced to the world come draft day.
The path was clear, and things were falling in place perfectly.
Until she showed up.
I never meant to fall for my friend’s little sister and by the time I realized I had, it was too late.
I am a man in love with a girl … who is in love with someone else.
But I can’t compete with a ghost, and her heart was buried along side the boy she gave it to. The father of her unborn son.
Instead of fighting for something she’s unable to give, I do my best to be her friend. But then her little man comes along and changes everything.
She says I should walk away, focus on my love for football, but I can’t because what she doesn’t understand is I have a new dream now.
One that begins and ends with them.
___
Promise Me Not is the second interconnected standalone in the universe of Say You Swear.
On the Wild Side by Kristen Proby
Brady Wild has focused on one thing this entire adult life: riding bulls. A three-time world champion, Brady’s body has taken a beating over the years and he knows he’s nearing the end of his impressive career. He’s had no time for relationships with his dangerous career but the minute he sees sexy single mom, Abbi Kastella, he knows it’s game over for his resolve to be single.
Abbi is a mom, first and foremost, and she’ll do whatever needs to be done to keep her daughter safe from the danger that’s chased them for half a dozen years. She’s finally been able to set down roots in Bitterroot Valley for herself and Daisy. She adores this community that has welcomed them with open arms, her new business is thriving, and she has a circle of friends that she loves and trusts. And don’t even get her started on the hazel-eyed, muscled up cowboy that makes her whole body tremble with need. Life is good in this little Montana town and Brady is showing her and her little girl what real love is supposed to be.
Despite Brady’s best intentions he can’t resist his blue-eyed siren, or the sweet little girl that has him wrapped around her little finger. But when Abbi’s past catches up with them, Brady quickly realizes that the secrets that Abbi’s been keeping from him are far worse than any damage his career could do to them. Will they lose everything before it even really begins? Or will love prevail so they can get started on their forever On the Wild Side?
Notorious by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank
Notorious Park Avenue Prince is the sixth standalone novel in the Park Avenue Princes world.
James “East” Easton
“The Pompous One”
I’m so over college. It was supposed to be the time of our lives, a time of debauchery, but one by one, Cupid aimed his arrow and hit every one of my moron friends.
Relationships.
Could there be anything more soul-sucking and lame? To be tied to one person, and have to think about their…feelings.
Fine. Whatever. I’ll look for my fun elsewhere.
Like that teacher’s assistant who keeps giving me a hard time. I wouldn’t mind shutting him up—with my mouth.
I wonder if I could provoke him into it…
Zac Fletcher
“The Teacher’s Assistant”
There’s only one person in all of Astor University who makes me rethink my decision to be Professor Kingston’s TA—James Easton, the self-proclaimed leader of the Park Avenue Princes.
Pretentious doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s arrogant. Obnoxious. A complete and utter snob.
But when one fiery exchange between us leads to the hottest sex of my life, I find myself coming up with creative ways to shut him up. East isn’t someone I’d ever consider being with in the real world, but lucky for me, he doesn’t want anything more than a hookup.
Even better, no one knows. Until the day my boss finds us coming out of the same empty room…together.
East misses nothing. Not the way I blush around “King.” Or the way my body reacts. When he finds out my secret, East makes it his mission to get the three of us together. After all, there’s nothing he likes more than a challenge.
And seducing the enigmatic, impenetrable Professor Kingston? That’s going to be the biggest challenge of all.
Notorious Park Avenue Prince is the sixth and final standalone novel in the Park Avenue Princes world.
Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter
For a few beautiful months, Wes had his dream girl: strong-willed girl-next-door Liz. But right as the two were about to set off to UCLA to start their freshman year together, tragedy struck. Wes was left dealing with the fallout, which ultimately meant losing Liz in the process.
Flash forward months and months later and Wes and Liz find themselves in college, together. In a healthier place now, Wes knows he broke Liz’s heart when he ended things, but he is determined to make her fall back in love with him.
Wes knows Liz better than anyone, and he has a foolproof plan to win her back with the rom-com worthy big gestures she loves. Only…Liz will have none of it. Wes has to scheme like a rom-com hero to figure out how to see her. Even worse, Liz has a new friend…a guy friend.
Still, Wes won’t give up, adapting his clever plans and going hard to get Liz’s attention and win back her affection. But after his best efforts get him nowhere, Wes is left wondering if their relationship is really over for good.
The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning
Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.
Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.
Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd…
What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.
Power’s Fall by Mari Carr & Lila Dubois
Married, but forbidden to touch.
Dahlia McKean is living life to the fullest, while she still can. When she’s asked to use her expertise and connections to take on a dangerous mission and investigate a decades-old crime, she agrees. And this new adventure comes with not one, but two, very sexy perks: her partners are the hottest men she’s ever seen. There’s no harm in having some fun while they work…until everything changes and she ends up married.
To both of them.
Vadisk Kushnir didn’t plan on getting married, but he long ago gave up the right to make that choice. Still, he didn’t expect to be sent to investigate a blackmailer in the company of his brand new spouses. His attraction to Dahlia and Montana is instant, but until they complete their mission, they have to stick to their cover story. Which means Vadisk can’t touch his husband and wife…but he can watch.
Montana Kingston wants justice for his family, and if he has to get married to do it, he will. Getting to touch and pleasure his hot wife while their husband looks on is unlocking some fun new desires. Thrown into danger, he’ll do his best to protect both his new spouses, but their mission is more than just dangerous, it’s deadly.
Smolder by Abbi Glines
I had one job. Charm the girl, win her trust, and use her to get the information I needed. The problem with that was that she ended up being more than a pretty face. The more time I spent with her, the less I cared about what I was supposed to be doing. She had awakened something in me that had a dangerous edge, and only she had the power to sate it.
When the truth comes out, and the threat that she will be taken from me rears its head, I do what I have to in order to keep my sanity.
I take her and run.
The Dark Becomes Her by Judy I. Lin
Ruby Chen has always played the part of the dutiful eldest daughter: excelling in school; excelling in piano lessons; excelling at keeping her younger sister, Tina, focused on extracurriculars meant to impress college admissions officers.
But when a ghost from the spirit world attacks Ruby in the middle of Vancouver’s Chinatown neighborhood, her life is plunged into a darkness that no amount of duty can free her from. Overnight, Ruby’s sister seems to change. There are strange noises coming from her bedroom at all hours; and the once sweet, funny Tina has been replaced by something dark and unnatural.
As Ruby races to save her sister from demonic possession, she is thrown into an ancient battle over the gateway to the underworld. On one side, a sinister traveling temple known for making dark wishes come true has returned to Chinatown after many years—intent on breaking down the gateway and unleashing the wickedness within. On the other side, the guardians determined to stop this encroaching evil
And in order to survive, Ruby must not only face the horror taking over her community, but must also confront the horror within herself.
Chinese and Taiwanese mythology get the Junji Ito treatment in this bone-chilling, propulsive story that takes the horrors of the Asian diaspora experience to a whole new level.
