Demons by Abbi Glines
Thatcher
There wasn’t a moment in my life that I didn’t feel detached. My earliest memory is that of my mother looking at me as if I was something to fear. I’d never had a relationship with her. The ones I did have were forged from loyalty. Love was a concept that was used to explain a broad range of emotions that one felt. I had very few of those, so I didn’t require labels. When a situation presented itself that required a reaction, I thought it out—made my decision. Even if those closest to me believed my actions weren’t something I could control. I let them think it because their misconception gave me power. I was the master of my impulse.
Except once- when wide, terrified gray eyes locked on mine. She’d been in trouble, and my questionable sanity snapped.
That day, I realized my twisted soul wasn’t the only thing buried deep inside me. Perhaps it was what my mother had seen in my eyes as a child that kept her from caring for me like she did my brother. The evil that seemed to dwell but not stir had been provoked. The sweet little minister’s daughter had no idea the demons she’d awaken.
Capri
Just when I get a chance of a lifetime to ride for Shepherd Ranch and make a mark in the horse racing world, everything else in my life seems to take a downward spiral. I’m terrible with flirting, and I can’t seem to keep a guy interested long enough for any real relationship. I spend most nights alone, and my imagination is starting to get the best of me. I’ve almost convinced myself there is something in the shadows watching me. I shouldn’t have stopped praying. Now, my list of sins has gotten out of hand in God’s tally book. I doubted he had enough saving grace to wipe all I’d done clean.
King of Nothing by Aurora Rose Reynolds
The first time I saw Roman Dante King, he stuck out like an odd puzzle piece that got mixed up in the wrong box. It wasn’t his blue eyes in the dim light of the bar, the tattoos that covered his arms and hands, or even his arrogant personality. It was something else—something I couldn’t see—that told me he didn’t belong in our small beach town on the Oregon coast.
Elora Mazie Barlow reminded me of a hummingbird zipping from one flower to another, never stopping, never allowing anyone more than a glimpse before she was gone. Never letting anyone in… until me. Then she gave me her smiles that were more valuable than anything I ever owned and wrapped me in her peace without asking for anything in return.
Her tragic story sounded achingly familiar to my own.
Our connection is knotted up in loss. The journey we’re on together will eventually come to an end. But will we be able to untangle the mess of strings that have tied us together?
Will we even want to?
The Fiance Dilemma by Elena Armas
Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include her no-longer-absentee father. Nonetheless, when the influential man decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece and Josie learns that her romantic history isn’t great PR for the family, she jumps at the chance to offer a solution.
Matthew Flanagan is in the mud. Literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but after taking a wrong turn on his way to Green Oak, North Carolina, his car is stuck. So, he grabs a duffel bag with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life (and vehicle) back on track. But instead, he stumbles upon his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.
What starts as a big misunderstanding quickly turns into a fake engagement, with Matthew playing the role of the doting fiancé as he and Josie are swept into a PR whirlwind. The ring on Josie’s finger makes her stomach turn, but she knows this is only temporary. They have rules in place, and one of them is that no matter what, there will be no exchange of “I dos.” But that’s easier said than done, as lines soon start to blur, and the rest of the small town comes to believe the fifth fiancé is truly The One.
Nine Tailed by Jayci Lee
Sunny Cho aspires to be the dullest, least interesting person in any given room, which can be challenging for a nine-tailed fox spirit. So she drifts from city to city—staying clear of any and all attachment—and keeps her fox buried deep inside her. It is better this way. She would rather live as half of herself than risk losing control of her terrible powers.
Ethan Lee, a friend she left behind eight years ago, is a brilliant and distractingly hot PI. When he tracks her down and asks her to help him find his brother’s murderer, Sunny knows her uneventful life is about to be turned upside down.
Traversing the mortal realm and the world of gods, Sunny and Ethan discover their quest is much more dire than mere vengeance, and their friendship might be…more. An ancient evil is stirring, and Sunny is faced with an impossible choice: save the worlds from annihilation or claim the love fated by the heavens.
Five Brothers by Penelope Douglas
On the other side of town, in the dark glades, under the rain…
Macon is the oldest. Thirty-one. Ex-Marine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile.
Army is twenty-eight. A single dad with the most beautiful green eyes. He has no idea who he is, if not a Jaeger brother.
Iron will be in prison soon. You’d never think it to meet him. He’s a nice guy, actually. But he can’t stop reacting to everything.
Dallas is the one I hate. Twenty-one, cruel, and selfish. He takes and then throws away whatever’s left.
And Trace is mine. Or he was for about two seconds. No one can tame him for long.
Not that I ever wanted to. It was fun, but now I need to go home. Back to my side of the tracks. Away from the swamps and these men. To my parents’ big house. On my clean street. Where I’m never dirty or messy or hot. And I will. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. I just want to crash on the couch tonight.
Their house is dark and quiet, everyone else is asleep. Except for one. He sees me crying and comes at me from behind. I let him wrap his arms around my body and hold me tightly. His breath is on my neck, his fingers are in my hair, and he doesn’t stop there.
I don’t think it was Trace.
Dearly Departed by Amelia Wilde
Jacob Chambers expected to be dead.
Not literally, but dead to the world.
Now he’s marooned on a tropical island with his brand-new wife with no way to get home.
Catherine Bettencourt has no choice.
She’s stuck on an island with her brand-new husband, who is broken beyond repair.
They’re both being hunted for revenge.
There’s nobody to save them.
They’ll have to save themselves, or die trying.
Never Have I Ever by S.L. Scott
Flat on my back is not how I imagined meeting my new boss and hot-as-sin rock star. But here I am . . .
If I didn’t already have amnesia, I’d be wishing for it now.
In my defense, Laird Faris was only wearing a shameless smirk and a towel wrapped around his chiseled abs when we met.
Brooding.
Devastatingly handsome.
Utterly intolerable.
Naturally, I’m instantly attracted to him.
It’s not only his broad shoulders and gorgeous face that wreck my equilibrium, but also a distinct tattoo on his chest that matches one on my hip.
Our chemistry is off the charts.
Searing kisses make his grumpiness bearable.
Every touch we share is full of fire and flashes of memories, making me wonder if our connection isn’t destiny after all.
But do the secrets he hides behind his icy blue eyes have something to do with the weekend I can’t remember and the past he can’t forget?
The Secret Hook-Up by Pippa Grant
Not so much, though, when that strong, competent man is your ex. Your secret ex.
And the reason you need a gown is because you’re part of a charity auction.
The charity auction where he gets into a bidding war to win you.
And now, because you’re one of few female coaches in professional baseball, and he’s the captain of the local professional hockey team, and he paid a ridiculous sum of money for you…
The entire city is shipping you. You can’t leave your apartment without getting a knowing wink from strangers. Your bosses want to use the publicity to have you jointly launch a new community outreach program.
That’s bad enough. It truly is.
But even worse?
Duncan Lavoie, the green-eyed, curly-haired, dimple-cheeked, hot-as-lava hockey player wants a second chance. And he’ll play dirty to get it.
Our Little Secret by Q.B. Tyler
Three months ago, I had the best night of my life at my friend’s wedding.
The man was confident, smooth, gorgeous as sin.
We had a connection that I had never felt with anyone.
Or so I thought, because the next morning, he was gone before I woke up with a note that led me to believe he was not interested in a repeat.
Feeling rejected and confused, I managed to put him out of my head.
Until now, on my first day of my new job.
Because the man responsible for the best night of my life?
…Is my married boss.
And he hasn’t stopped thinking about me either.*This book is the third in the Secrets series and can be read as a stand-alone.
Broken by Serena Akeroyd
Forgive me, Father, for I am undeserving when blood soaks these hands that hold Your gift to me.
I am broken and find solace in the darkness.
She is pure and basks in the light.
Did You send her to be my shelter?
I made a vow of celibacy.
She remained untouched.
Did You create her for me?
I am a sin eater, a purger of evil.
She is an angel, a guardian of good.
Did You know she would be my savior?
Thank You, Father, for she is the one sin I will willfully commit.
Beneath these Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan
Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies.
Shape-shifter Felicity needs a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, she’s been using her unique ability to evade a fatal prophecy.
When rumors of evil king Mordeus’s resurrection spread through the shadow court, Jasalyn decides to end him once and for all. Felicity agrees to take the form of the princess, allowing Jas to covertly hunt Mordeus—and starting Felicity on the path that could finally take her home.
While Jasalyn teams up with the charming and handsome Kendrick, Felicity sets out to get closer to the Wild Fae king, Misha. Kendrick helps Jasalyn feel something other than anger for the first time in three years, and Misha makes Felicity wish for a world where she’s free to be her true self. Soon, the girls’ missions are at risk right alongside their hearts.
The future of the human and fae realms hangs in the balance as fates intertwine. Between perilous tasks, grim secrets, and forbidden romances, Jasalyn and Felicity find that perhaps their stars are the most cursed of all.
Party Favors by Sariah Wilson
For as long as she can remember, Everly Aprile has been obsessed with the Monterran royals, especially Queen Kat: elegant, self-possessed, and living a fairy-tale romance. As for Everly, her career as an event planner has stalled—and so has her love life. Then a wealthy new client wants a sweet-sixteen party that’s fit for an American princess. Practicing her “What Would Kat Do” mantra, Everly offers to bring it to life by immersing herself in everything Monterra.
Call it intervento divino when she meets dizzyingly handsome and charismatic Max Colby, who’s relocated stateside from the Monterran kingdom of her dreams. If Everly promises to be his New York City guide, he’ll teach her the customs and culture of Monterra so her party gets a boost of authenticity. Deal. As their friendship grows, Everly starts falling—but for what? Another unattainable obsession? Max is such a dreamboat that surely he sees her as just a friend.
Her royal to-do list is in order. She’s revamping her life and learning to believe in herself. Maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance for fate to bring Everly her happily ever after after all.
Covington Acres by Riley Hart
Colby Covington has no clue if there’s anything in the world for him beyond Briar County. His family assumes he’ll do as they do: work Covington Acres, get married, have kids. Colby doesn’t want children, and seeing as he’s never felt even an inkling of romantic love for another person, he sure as hell isn’t interested in marriage.
In his mid-forties, Vincent O’Brien is starting over in the small town of Harmony. After being cheated on, again, he’s sworn off ever falling in love. As fate would have it, Vince needs a place to stay, and Colby has a spare room.
With an immediate connection that shakes up Colby’s sheltered world, neither man expects their friendship to blossom so fast…or for a semi-public hookup to make Colby realize he’s bi. Friends with benefits is perfect. It’s easy, it’s fun, they trust each other, and neither Vince nor Colby wants anything serious.
But the more their lives intertwine, the more Colby starts to feel something he’d thought himself incapable of. Something like love, with Vince…the man who will never feel—or want—the same.
Covington Acres is a small-town, bisexual/demiromantic awakening, friends-with-benefits romance with mature characters, home-brewed beer, and secret kisses.