Tease by Melanie Harlow (Read my Review)
I didn’t mean to say I was engaged to a hot billionaire–it just slipped out.
In my defense, I’d had a really bad haircut, a really strong drink, and I was trying to save face in front of the Mean Girl at my high school reunion.
Lucky for me, I happen to know a hot billionaire. Hutton French and I have been friends forever, and even though big social gatherings are not his thing, I called him from the coat closet and begged him for a favor–show up and play my fake fiancé for the night.
Except that word of our engagement spreads like wildfire. Our families are ecstatic. We’re front page news. My little food blog is launched into the stratosphere.
Of course, I offer to set the record straight right away, but Hutton wants to give it a little time–the phony engagement will keep his matrimony-mad mother and every matchmaking granny in town off his back.
He even suggests I move in with him to make the ruse more real.
And we don’t stop there.
We practice kissing. Undressing each other. Saying things–and doing things–we’d never dare if we weren’t pretending. Because it’s all for show, right? We’re just role-playing. Hutton doesn’t want a real relationship, and I don’t want to get hurt. But the more time we spend faking it, the more I start to wonder.
Could Hutton French and I actually be right for each other, or is it all just one big tease?
The Boss Project by Vi Keeland
The first time I met Merrick Crawford was during my job interview.
Well, technically, I’d met him twenty minutes earlier when he’d barged into a fitting room a few doors down from my appointment.
I yelled. He yelled. After an argument while standing in my bra, I proceeded to smash the door into the gorgeous jerk, trying to yank it shut.
As you might imagine, I was freaked out when I discovered that the rude guy was my potential new boss.
Yet he didn’t seem to recognize me. Or so I thought… Until we wound up bickering again during my interview and he told me to go sniff my armpit.
Okay, so maybe I hadn’t exactly been changing when he walked in on me. In my defense, I’d been stuck on a hot train for two hours and wanted to make sure I didn’t smell.
I obviously didn’t expect to get the job. But somehow an invitation to a second interview arrived in my inbox.
Before I left, I asked to see Merrick. I needed to know why I was even in consideration after our disastrous start.
Turned out, Merrick only wanted to hire me because I was the least competent candidate. It seemed his board was making him fill the position, against his wishes.
I didn’t really want to work in a place where my boss expected me to fail. But I figured maybe I’d enjoy proving him wrong. It was a little thing I dubbed the boss project.
What I wasn’t prepared for was that there would be other things I’d enjoy doing to Merrick Crawford.
Getting involved with the boss wasn’t the smartest choice.
But you know what they say about choices: Some we regret, some we are proud of. I just had no idea where this one was going to land.
A Curse of Blood & Stone by K.A. Tucker
From jewelry thief to interloper to queen-in-waiting, Romeria flees Cirilea a traitor to all. But the yawning distance between her and Zander troubles her more than any king’s bounty on her head. While Zander may have escaped by her side, he seeks to regain his throne, and no immortal will ever welcome her as Islor’s queen. She fears it won’t be long before Zander abandons her as everyone else she’s ever loved has.
Zander sacrificed his crown to save Romeria’s life, yet he dreads what her existence means for the future of his realm. As Ybaris’s plan to destroy Islor unfurls, a more insidious threat, orchestrated by rival fates, lurks beneath the surface. He can offer his allies no honest explanation for why he protects the Ybarisan princess and takes counsel from Queen Neilina’s caster, leading those closest to doubt his wisdom—and his allegiance.
As their company aims for the Venhorn Mountains, steered by prophecy, Romeria is desperate to wield her newfound abilities to undo Princess Romeria’s treachery before the kingdom tears itself apart. But with the mortal rebellion swelling, bolstered by the gift of Ybaris’s poison, it may already be too late.
Along Came You by Claudia Burgoa
What happens when you break the cardinal rule?
I’m good at following rules.
Like, don’t sleep with your hot employees. That’s a good rule.
At least I was until that night. I blame the champagne and the tuxedo he wore.
There are several reasons why I shouldn’t be attracted to Elliot McPhee.
- He’s emotionally unavailable.
- He’s in his mid-forties—too old for me.
- He’s my employee.
- He’s jaded after a disastrous divorce.
- He’s leaving soon.
But he has gray eyes, and a deep velvety voice…did I mention he looks like Joshua Jackson?
I can’t resist.
It’s just a one-night stand before he leaves.
Except, things get complicated.
We’re talking two bright pink lines complicated.
Did I mention he has no desire to commit?
So, we agree not to try.
Except, we can’t keep our hands off each other.
Then I find out he’s not who I thought.
He’s so wrong for me. So why do I still want to create a family with him?
Be With Me by Samantha Young
It was the friends-with-benefits proposition he never saw coming…
While Arran Adair might have followed the call of wanderlust in his younger years, it isn’t the reason he stayed away from Ardnoch. Home now, desperate to put the sins of his past behind him, and rebuild his life in the Scottish Highlands, Arran could never have predicted Eredine Willows. The Ardnoch Estate Pilates instructor is a complicated mystery and one Arran can’t help but want to solve.
Eredine has spent the last eight years hiding in Scotland and building walls between her and the people she cares about. Arran is the first Adair who doesn’t treat her as if she’s fragile and demands a genuine friendship. Yet, the attraction sizzling between them is undeniable. So when she realizes she trusts him, Eredine surprises them both by offering Arran one night of no-strings passion.
Arran knows one night will inevitably lead to a desire for more and he’s willing to stay by Eredine’s side for as long as it takes to convince her there’s something real between them. However, just when Arran thinks they might build a future together, Eredine’s past returns to stalk her. And Arran won’t just have to battle her demons to keep them together. He’ll need to battle his own.
Love Lessons by Sarina Bowen
After I’m arrested for throwing a raucous party, my hockey team says I have an image problem. And I need to fix it, stat.
Charity work? Check. Haircut? Sure. But I draw the line at hiring my neighbor to style me. In the first place “style” shouldn’t be a verb. And I’m tired of people who’d judge me on appearances.
Vera and I don’t see eye to eye on anything. She wants me to try on clothes, while I just want to remove hers. She’s distractingly pretty, with soulful eyes and a sinful mouth that likes to argue with me.
But when management threatens my summer vacation, I grudgingly agree to Vera’s unusual proposal: she’ll give me an image makeover. But in return, she wants lessons in the art of seduction.
It sounds a little nutty, but I know a good opening when I hear it. Besides, it’s not like I’ll ever fall for her…
Beyond my Darkness by R.C. Boldt
Twelve years ago, I fled, vowing to never again use my power. But everything changes when I break that vow and bring two bodies back to life in the morgue.
It sends me spinning directly into his orbit.
Arrogant. Menacing. Enigmatic. That’s Bronson Cortez, the notoriously violent gang leader who remains elusive to authorities.
He breaks the law at every turn and answers to no one. But when he offers me an alluring glimpse of what lies beneath that iron-clad exterior, I realize there’s more to him than meets the eye.
The man who fiercely guards his heart somehow manages to claim mine.
But he doesn’t know the truth about me.
I wonder if he could be the first to accept me for who I am—what I am.
I wonder if he’ll be the first to see beyond my darkness.
Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard
Lord Lysander Blackstone, the stern Duke of Montcroix, has only one interest: increasing his considerable fortune. After a series of betrayals, he keeps his emotions buried deep. Money, after all, can’t break a man’s heart—or make promises it can’t keep. But when his reputation for being heartless jeopardizes a new business deal, he finds himself seeking a most unusual—and alluring—solution . . .
Once an up-and-coming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery is now hopelessly out of work. After refusing to become a wealthy patron’s mistress, Nève was promptly shown the door to the streets. When she accidentally saves the life of a handsome duke, she doubts the encounter will go any better than her last brush with nobility. But instead of propositioning her, Montcroix makes Nève an offer she would be a fool to refuse: act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to start over.
Only neither is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them. They both stand to win . . . but only if they’re willing to risk their hearts.
Returning Home by Kelly Elliott
The Seaside Chronicle
July 12, 2022
Buzz Bait
Seasiders,
News on the docks is Adelaide Bradley is back in Seaside, and rumor has it she’s here to stay! (No ring was spotted on her finger, I might add!) After eight long years of living in the big city and working for Massachusetts General, she has decided to return to the shores. One can only imagine how thrilled Barbara and Keegan are to have their oldest daughter back.
But it makes you wonder if Adelaide will continue to peruse her nursing career or is she here to help at her family’s restaurant, The Seaside Grill.
A little seagull has planted in my ear that Gannon Wilson is taking the news rather well, considering Adelaide broke his heart all those years ago. I did notice Gannon has been working more than usual, piloting that precious cargo through our ship channel. Maybe he is picking up extra hours to purchase a piece of jewelry, considering he was seen in Reef Jewelers only days ago.
We’re rooting for the two of them to reunite at least as friends. Everyone knows the former homecoming king and queen had a bright future ahead of them until…well…that’s another story for another issue, Seasiders!
Fair winds and following seas!
The Scandal by Kristen Proby
Who knew that weddings in Vegas were the real deal? I certainly didn’t when I agreed to marry my co-worker while on a bender in Sin City. Now, I need a quick annulment, which means I need an attorney, STAT.
Honestly, with a name like Grayson Sterling, Esquire, I expected an old man in a three-piece suit. But the guy behind the desk is anything but stuffy and old. Tall and sexy with tattoos and striking blue eyes, I simply can’t take my eyes off him, and I have no intention of declining his offer of a date…and more. So much more!
The conversation between us is good, and the man should win awards for his bedroom escapades. I find myself trusting him in ways I never thought I would—until he breaks that trust.
Gray insists he can fix it.
He claims he loves me.
But I don’t know if we can survive this.
The Ones who Love You by Pippa Grant
If the Upper East Side had an evil twin, it would be Tickled Pink, Wisconsin. This run-down, backwoods town isn’t worthy of the footprint of my Louboutins, never mind all of me.
But when my grandmother has a near-death experience and realizes we Lightlys can’t buy our way into heaven, she relocates the family to Tickled Pink to work on improving our souls. And that’s how I trade my heiress existence for gigantic bugs, dishwater coffee, and a cranky single dad named Teague Miller.
Teague spends his days fishing, raising his spunky teenager, and after an unfortunate incident involving cheese curds, living rent-free in my head. The one thing he and I can agree on is that I don’t belong here. He’s willing to help me escape—until the unexpected happens.
I kind of like him. I might even more than like him.
But am I ready to give up the life I adored for a man I love to hate?
Heart of the Wolf by Cherise Sinclair
All she wanted was a family.
It wasn’t to be. Ripped apart at the loss of her unborn babies and the uncaring lovers who’d rejected her, Heather locks away her heart. Her dreams never come true.
She has nothing left to lose.
She will warn the God that the appointed guardian of Rainier territory is destroying the clan. If she dies during the ritual, so be it.
Far away, three brothers are content with their lives.
A Canadian Mountie, André is a take-charge protector of innocents.
A computer hacker, Niall was called by the god to fight for his people.
A chef, Madoc is so heart-wounded, he’ll cross the street to avoid a female.
Their circle is closed. No mate need apply.
When Niall goes missing, André and Madoc find their injured brother in a mountain town. And there, in one devastating moment, the Mountie loses his life as he knew it—and so do his loyal brothers. Andre’s life of avoiding entanglements disappears as he begins to care for his new clan…and a smart, generous female with the biggest heart in all the land. Maybe he can get his brothers for fall for her.
But his plan is crushed when danger threatens all he holds dear.
Note to readers: Page-turning paranormal romance. Vulnerable, problem-solving heroine in danger. Three big, overprotective, shifter heroes. Two orphaned pickpockets in need of love. Heat level: scorching. HEA guaranteed.
Wet by Cambria Hebert
Making decisions I regret is basically a hobby.
So I guess it really wasn’t that surprising when I went out on a date with an Elite.
And then he tried to assault me.
I might be small, but I’m strong. I fought him off… then went straight to the dean.
He didn’t believe me. No one does.
And now my date from hell is in revenge mode, and I somehow end up in the campus pool.
Did I mention I can’t swim?
Lucky for me, a knight in shining armor saves me from drowning.
Except he’s not wearing shining armor. He’s naked.
And he’s also Elite.
Seriously, what is up with these Elite swimmers?
Of course, I have no intention of ever seeing his very good-looking, naked highness again.
Elite obviously can’t be trusted.
Until he wraps me in his hoodie and promises to believe me.
Now I’m drowning again—but this time in his enigmatic cobalt eyes and addictive touch.
My only oxygen is him. I think I maybe could fall in love.
But will he keep his promise when I tell him the truth about his teammate?
Or will trusting Ryan with my heart and my life be just another decision to regret?
*Please note this book contains assault, mentions of rape and themes that may be triggering for some readers.
Tropes included in this book: possessive male, praise kink, size difference, instalove, woman in danger, sports romance, college romance, romantic suspense, swimmer romance
Bright Like Wildfire by Juliette Cross
Bennett has no idea why Betty Mouton hates him.
Other than the time he accidentally hit her boobs with a glitter bomb in their community theater performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” he’s been nothing but helpful and accommodating. But that notorious “incident” happened years ago. Time for the gorgeous redhead to get over it and admit to the real chemistry between them, not just the on-stage kind.
Betty is in trouble.
She may have gotten her dream role in a production by her favorite playwright, but there’s a big problem. Her romantic lead is that cocky, annoyingly hot know-it-all Bennett Broussard. And when the fake touching and fake kissing start to feel way too real, Betty realizes one thing. She better act her heart out or finally admit that Bennett has stolen hers.
