Weekly Releases for the week of January 30th, 2018

Combust by K. Bromberg 

Songwriter Dylan McCoy has been burned.

By her boyfriend she found in her bed . . . with someone else.

By the contract she signed that obligates her to work with him until the songs for his new album are complete.

By her agent when she asked Dylan to keep their breakup on the down-low.

When she finds herself in Sunnyville, she refuses to let her new roommate burn her too. Still . . . a rebound has never looked so good.

That’s her first thought when she sees firefighter Grady Malone.
Sexy. Charismatic. Unapologetic. He’s a man who carries his own scars—the ones on his back, the survivor’s guilt on his soul, and the fear in his heart.

When an unexpected visitor puts their roommate status to the test, will their undeniable attraction burn out, or will they both take a chance and play with fire?

Escape by Jay Crownover 

Everything inside of him is screaming that he needs to run, he needs to go, he needs to escape.
Lane Warner is used to being overshadowed and overlooked.
After all, he’s the youngest brother and the most laid back one in the family. He’s the one known for going with the flow and not making waves, even when things seem to be at their worst.
Very few things in life have had the ability to rile Lane up and get under his skin. At the top of that list is his childhood friend Brynn Fox…no…Brynn Warner. The fact that they share a last name was the one thing that has the power to light him up and spin him out of control like no other. There was no calm, cool and collected when it comes to all the reasons why Brynn had to become part of his family.
It’s slowly killing him to keep wanting what he can’t have, so Lane sees only one way to stop himself from doing something they’ll both regret…he has to leave.
Everything inside of her is calling out to find him, to follow, to bring him home.
Brynn Warner is used to being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
After all, she’s the daughter of an unrepentant gold-digger who never once blinked at being the cause of her daughter’s pain and suffering.
Very few things in her life have ever brought happiness and a sense of security. At the very top of that list is Lane Warner. She has unwaveringly loved the youngest Warner since the first minute she laid eyes on him. He was everything Brynn ever wanted and everything she knew she could never have.
Sometimes the right choice is the one that hurts the most and Brynn’s had to make a few that felt like they might be the end of her.
When Lane takes off, one thing is clear, the only choice Brynn has is to go after him.
She’s going to bring her wayward cowboy home….whatever it takes.
Escape is a standalone novel, the third book in the Getaway series, which features the hardheaded and brokenhearted Warner brothers and the women who dare to love them. These boys are very good at putting the wild in wilderness.

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory 

Agreeing to go to a wedding with a guy she gets stuck with in an elevator is something Alexa Monroe wouldn’t normally do. But there’s something about Drew Nichols that’s too hard to resist.

On the eve of his ex’s wedding festivities, Drew is minus a plus one. Until a power outage strands him with the perfect candidate for a fake girlfriend…

After Alexa and Drew have more fun than they ever thought possible, Drew has to fly back to Los Angeles and his job as a pediatric surgeon, and Alexa heads home to Berkeley, where she’s the mayor’s chief of staff. Too bad they can’t stop thinking about the other…

They’re just two high-powered professionals on a collision course toward the long distance dating disaster of the century–or closing the gap between what they think they need and what they truly want…

Final Siege by Scarlett Cole (Read my Review)

IN THE LINE OF FIRE.
Former SEAL Malachai “Mac” MacCarrick is all about the future he’s created with his Navy brothers in Eagle Securities, taking assignments in the most dangerous places, and doing things no one but ex-military would attempt. But when an urgent phone call brings his troubled past—and the woman he once loved—into the present, it’s a chance to redeem himself that he can’t refuse.

STRAIGHT TO THE HEART…
An investigative journalist researching an explosive story, Delaney Shapiro tells herself she got over Mac—and his role in her brother’s death—a long time ago. But the first moment she sees him at her bedside in an overseas hospital, she knows it’s not true. Every moment together rekindles the desire that once burned between them, and now that she’s a target for an emerging Russian arms dealer, Mac won’t let her out of his sight. To protect her, he’ll risk it all—including his life…

Runaway Groom by Lauren Layne 

Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar—and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge. . . .

Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure—her business is struggling—and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated—and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook endings.

Say You’ll Remember Me by Katie McGarry 

“Doesn’t matter who did it. Not anymore. I did the time. It’s over.”

When Drix was convicted of a crime–one he didn’t commit–he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while.

Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means.

When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life.

But sometimes love can breach all barriers.

Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves–Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence–and each other to finally get what they deserve.

Stumbling into Love by Aurora Rose Reynolds 

Mackenzie Reed has officially been stood up. Not only has she wasted two years on Mr. So Not Interested but now she doesn’t even have pizza and the Mets to keep her company. Then he walks into her life—more than six feet of rugged, hot stranger. Maybe, just for tonight, Mac can pretend to be a girl she’s not. After all, she deserves a little no-strings fun…

As far as Wesley Porter is concerned, one night with Mackenzie isn’t nearly enough. She’s a mystery he wants to solve—if he can keep her from running for the door every time they touch. There’s obviously some serious chemistry between them, so why is she fighting it?

As one sexy hookup turns into another (and another), Wesley is determined to prove they were made for each other. But Mac has been hurt before, and she refuses to fall for this sexy, ridiculously perfect guy. In fact, she has every intention of fighting it…unless he can convince her otherwise.

Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heith 

At birth, Mick Trewlove, the illegitimate son of a duke, was handed over to a commoner. Despite his lowly upbringing, Mick has become a successful businessman, but all his wealth hasn’t satisfied his need for revenge against the man who still won’t acknowledge him. What else can Mick do but destroy the duke’s legitimate son—and woo the heir’s betrothed into his own unloving arms . . .

Orphaned and sheltered, Lady Aslyn Hastings longs for a bit of adventure. With her intended often preoccupied, Aslyn finds herself drawn to a darkly handsome entrepreneur who seems to understand her so well. Surely a lady of her station should avoid Mick Trewlove. If only he weren’t so irresistible . . .

As secrets are about to be exposed, Mick must decide if his plan for vengeance is worth risking what his heart truly desires.

Moonlight Sins by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Julia Hughes has always played it safe until she learned a very painful lesson. Now Julia’s starting over with a job in the Louisiana bayou—and a scorching encounter with a stranger, only to discover he’s Lucian de Vincent . . . her new employer. The de Vincent brothers share a massive fortune and a dark reputation. Julia cares for their troubled sister, but a menacing presence in the mansion—and the ever-present temptation of Lucian—prove dangerously distracting.

Lucian’s grandmother claimed de Vincent men fall in love once—and hard. Apparently, it’s Lucian’s turn. Julia’s compassionate care of his twin makes Lucian want to lay himself bare. But some secrets are better for Julia not to know.

The recent “suicide” of Lucian’s father is the latest in a string of deaths on the estate. Someone is eliminating the de Vincents. And the best way to get to Lucian may be through Julia. . . .

Tempting Love by Kelly Elliott 

Can a woman actually make you feel like you’re losing your damn mind?

Yes.

If she is Corina Miller.

The only woman who has ever made me long for something more, and let me tell you, that has me all kinds of messed up. After months of ignoring my feelings, it’s clear to me I’ve fallen for those piercing blue eyes and sexy smile.

But is it too late?

Have I pushed her into the arms of someone else?

Hell no am I letting that happen.

I’m on a mission to win the heart of the only woman I’ve ever cared about—and the only thing standing in my way is one stubborn and pissed off Corina.

I always did like a challenge.

A Shameless Little Con by Meli Raine 

I didn’t do it.

I never betrayed my friend.

Last year, I was kidnapped along with presidential candidate’s daughter Lindsay Bosworth, forced to help her assailants, my mother implicated in one of the biggest political scandals in American history.

I’ve been cleared of any wrongdoing, but that doesn’t matter. Once you’re tried by the media, you’re guilty as sin. The truth doesn’t get the public’s attention.

But shame? Shame sells.

And everyone assumes you’re tainted.

Now I have my own personal security team, courtesy of the United States government. Not the one you learned about in civics class, though.

I’m being tracked by the deep state. The shadow government. They’ve assigned Silas Gentian to be with me twenty-four seven. He thinks he knows everything about me – all of it bad — and he does.

On paper.

Like everyone else, he assumes I’m a traitor. A backstabber. A betrayer. Someone who helped a group of violent psychopaths, puppets of powerful men in Washington who made me into a tool.

Yet I see how he looks at me. True desire can’t be faked.

Or hidden.

And that goes both ways.

He assumes I’m trying to fool him.

And he might be right.

But not for the reasons he thinks.

A Shameless Little Con is the first book in the Shameless trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Meli Raine.

Indecent Exposure by Tessa Bailey 

Is there a problem, Officer?

Jack Garrett isn’t a police officer yet, but there’s already an emergency. His new firearms instructor—the one who just dropped every jaw in the academy gym—is the same sexy Irish stranger Jack locked lips with last night. The Olympic gold medalist and expert markswoman is now officially off-limits, but Jack’s never cared much for rules . . .

Katie McCoy’s been cooped up in a shooting range for too long. A wild love affair is just what she needs to let loose, though she never imagined it would be with her smokin’ hot trainee. She cannot get involved with Jack—but a quick fling? Perfect. Falling hard for a charismatic recruit with an equal amount of sex appeal and secrets? Bloody stupid.

Jack’s charmed the pants off plenty of women (literally), yet few have ever looked beyond his perfect surface. Until Katie. He’ll do anything to keep her in his life . . . except tell her about his past. But a tiny lie of omission never hurt anyone, right?

Dirty by LP Lovell and Stevie J. Cole 

Power is rarely an addiction of the pure. And he and I are both irrevocably tainted.

He should be the enemy, but Ronan Cole is an addiction that has driven me to madness. Back and forth we go, up and down, round and round. I hate him. I love him. I want to kill him. No man will ever love me with such twisted depravity. Together we are unstoppable.

But what happens when an enemy dares to comes after us?

The hunt is always better when the queen is just as hungry as her king.
This love story has no heroes.

Well Played by J.S. Scott and Ruth Cardello 

Lauren:

Graham is my brother’s best friend. He’s always been my protector and my confidant because he accepts me the way I am—and not many do. I can’t imagine not having him in my life.

Our weekend together was supposed to be a celebration. I graduated from college, Graham got engaged and signed with a pro football team, and my brother landed his dream job. It should have been the best time of our lives.

Except that the weekend started with me walking in on Graham’s fiancée going down on my brother.

I complicated the situation by having sex with Graham after that, but I wanted to comfort him and, damn, when I saw desire in his eyes—for me—I couldn’t say no. I’ve wanted him for so long.

Now he doesn’t want to see me. He says he has a darker side he needs to protect me from.

Where do we go from here? Do I try to pretend to be his friend again or push him to open up to me and possibly lose him forever?

Graham

Sleeping with one of my best friends was not exactly a brilliant idea. It made things complicated, and I didn’t do anything that threw my life into chaos. The fiancée her brother Jack, had stolen had been part of my life plan, one more step I was taking to be somebody. Granted, I hadn’t been in love with my intended bride, but I didn’t really know how to love anybody.

I survived.

I pushed to achieve more.

I battled my way to the top of the heap in my pro football career..

I’m a total dick, and I don’t want Lauren to see the side of me that would trample over anybody to work my way up in the world.

Lauren sees me as a hero, a title I’d never gain with anybody else in my life, so I wanted to keep her sheltered from the hard realities of my life. I wanted her to continue to think I was a nice guy when I was really just the opposite.

We never should have crossed the line of going from friends to lovers.

There’s too much Lauren doesn’t know about me, and I care enough about her that I don’t want her to share my pain and the darkness that never sees daylight inside me.

I want her, but she’s a woman I can never have. She’s too smart, too sweet, and way too good for a guy like me.

Unfortunately, pushing her away becomes much more difficult than I’d planned…

The Upside to being Single by Emma Hart 

If anyone asks, I knew better than to flash my boobs for Mardi Gras beads.

I still don’t know why I did it.
Maybe it was the dare from my two best friends.
Maybe it was the guys on the balcony saying they’d throw Fireball shots with the beads.
Or maybe it was the quiet guy in the corner of that same balcony with piercing gray eyes, wavy dark hair, and a smile so tempting I wanted to climb up there and lick it off his face.
Maybe it was because I never thought I’d see them again.
Not that it matters. Not today.
Because the hotel I manage was finally bought—and the guy who walks in and introduces himself as my new boss is Mr. Tall, Dark, and Silent.

There are many upsides to being single.
Your new boss knowing what your boobs look like?
Not one of them.

(THE UPSIDE TO BEING SINGLE is a standalone, romantic comedy from the author who brought you MISS FIX-IT and BEING BROOKE.)

Stay by Emma Nichols 

Gutsy, curvy, witty, and independent, Cadence Miller had built her life on her ability to make the best of a bad situation. So, when her latest lemon of a boss dumped her in the middle of nowhere after she refused his advances, and she found herself stranded with the reserved and handsome Xander Cross, Cadence decided to make lemonade. Maybe if she played her cards right, she’d be making more than that too.

Xander Cross fled LA after a failed music career, determined to build a life on his terms, without anyone else. He still enjoyed his weekend dalliances, but he’d vowed never to let a woman in again, until he didn’t have a choice. When he found her, Cadence was a crumpled heap on the side of the road, but when she fixed her eyes on him for the first time, his resolve melted. Cadence wasn’t the kind of girl who was built for fun, she was built for keeps.

We Were One by Elizabeth Reyes 

Adoration is not profound enough a word to express the depth of my love for her. From the moment she walked into my life and set my heart and soul on fire, not a day’s gone by that she hasn’t plagued my every thought.

We were each other’s completion. She was everything I wasn’t–the sigh to my roar, the virtue to my sin, the cure to my wounds.

We Were One.

Until the unthinkable happened.

That I’ve survived such a tragedy without having completely lost it, is a mystery in itself. But as my mind starts to blur the lines between reality and my delusional heart, I begin to question everything, including my sanity.

And then the real mystery begins . . . 

Author’s note: We Were One is an alternate POV to Girl In The Mirror but both books can be read as stand alones without the need to read the other to follow along!

Look the Part by Jewel E. Ann 

Flint Hopkins finds the perfect tenant to rent the space above his Minneapolis-based law office.

All the t’s are crossed and i’s dotted on Ellen’s application. Her references are good. And she’s easy on the eyes.

Until …

Flint discovers Ellen Rodgers, Board-Certified Music Therapist, plays music. Bongos, guitars, singing—not Beethoven administered through noise-cancelling headphones.

The cut-throat attorney serves up an eviction notice to the bubbly, constantly-humming redhead who’s too sexy for her own good. But luck is on Ellen’s side when Flint’s autistic son, Harrison, takes an instant liking to her. A single dad can’t compete with guitars—and rats. Yes, she has pet rats.

This woman …

She’s annoyingly happy with a constant need to touch him—adjust his tie, button his shirt, invade his space, and mess with his mind.

Still …

She must go.

Their lust-hate relationship escalates into something beautiful and tragic. This sexy, romantic-comedy explores the things we want, the things we need, and the impossible decisions parents and children make to survive.

Marx Girl by TL Swan 

Ben
We met five years ago when I was her family’s bodyguard.
Our time together was a secret.
Her touch was different…. addictive.
I fell hard and fast and then I left.
I’ve thought about her every day since.
As I sit here at a wedding watching her with her new boyfriend……I have regrets.
Regrets for the past things I’ve done.
But I won’t regret what I’m about to do.
She’s telling me no but her body’s telling me yes.
I need her beneath me.

Break the Ice by Piper Rayne 

The Winter Games are over, but the bedroom games are just beginning…

This is about the time I normally hang up my snowboard and chill for a while. Except this year. This year, I’m dealing with what fate dealt me at the Winter Games—nope, not gold. A broken arm.

Since I’m not close to my family, I head to my best friend, Skylar’s pad to recoup. Turns out having your gorgeous, single, sexy friend wait on you hand and foot can blur the lines between friendship and romance.

Which is exactly why I’ve decided to help her find a boyfriend.

Yeah, you heard me right. I’m going to help her comb through every dating app available until she finds the perfect man. What else could remind me of my place in her life more than watching her fall for someone else?

I can deal. I’m used to pushing through pain. I’m an Olympian after all.

Taming Him by Kennedy Fox 

Alex Bishop is your typical cowboy.
Charming, sexy, and wears a panty-melting smirk.

Working on the ranch helped build his solid eight-pack and smoking body. He’s every girl’s wet fantasy and he knows it too. Alex doesn’t follow the rules of your typical playboy bachelor. After wining and dining his dates and giving them the best night of their lives, he always sends flowers and calls the next day—even if it’s to say, let’s just be friends. His mama taught him manners after all and his southern blood knows how to be a gentleman. Still, that isn’t enough to tame the wildest of the Bishop brothers.

River Lancaster has finally met the man of her dreams. Too bad after six months of romantic bliss, she finds out he’s married. With a broken heart and blind rage, she books herself a ticket to Key West, Florida. Tired of cheaters and liars, she’s set on escaping to forget he ever existed. Who needs a man when there’s an all-you-can-drink margarita bar, anyway? That’s what she tells herself until she bumps into the right guy who can make all those bad memories disappear.

Even if it’s only temporarily.

Two weeks on the beach is what they both need. No strings attached, no expectations, no broken hearts. Too bad the universe has other plans—one that’ll change the entire course of their lives in just nine short months.

*A contemporary romance with a little Southern drama. Each book features a different Bishop brother and can be read as a complete standalone. HEA guaranteed!*
Not suitable for readers under 18 due to adult language and sexual content.

Hold On Tight by J. Kenner 

A hard body.  A dangerous past. 
Meet Mr. February. 

Reality-TV star and reformed bad boy Spencer Dean doesn’t trust women. Not after his fiancée, Brooke, left him at the altar five years ago, breaking his heart and hardening his soul.

Now, Brooke is close to a deal for her own show that will launch with the remodel of a popular Austin bar. The problem? The network insists that Spencer step in as her partner.

He’s tried to forget her—but he can’t deny that he still wants her. More than that, he wants to punish her. And so he agrees, but only on terms that are provocative, demanding, and wildly sensual.

It’s the perfect set-up for extracting revenge. But he doesn’t expect to fall for Brooke all over again…

Revenge never looked so hot.

Heat by Donna Grant 

He knew her round eyes and the deep shade of brown along with the band of black that encircled her irises. He knew the slope of her breasts, the indent of her waist, and the flare of her hips. He knew the way she preferred to wear muted colors to help her blend in with a crowd. It had taken one look to put all that to memory, but he found his eyes going to her again and again, as if he couldn’t get enough.

Nikolai is a dragon shapeshifter who knows well the meaning of loss. Orphaned and raised to be a Dragon King, he never accepts defeat. Now, Nikolai prefers his solitude. . .until a beautiful, irresistible woman calls upon him for help—and Nikolai’s whole world goes up in flames.

Ever since MI5 agent Esther woke to discover her mind taken over with magic, she feels like a stranger to herself. She looks to a notorious dragon, one who has the power to help her find her memory. But as she and Nikolai come closer to discovering what really happened to her, a dangerous passion ignites between them. Can this lone Dragon King help the woman he’s grown to love to uncover the truth about her past—or will a deep and fiery danger tear them both apart in Heat, the next Dark Kings novel by New York Times bestselling author Donna Grant.

Wildcat by Max Monroe 

From the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of TAPPING THE BILLIONAIRE comes a new four book series of Romantic Comedy standalones.

Wildcat: a football formation in which the ball is snapped, not to the quarterback, but to another player lined up in the quarterback position.

Wild, Cat: a beautiful woman from the sky, who hooked me against the rails, and has me on the ropes. Sweet like honey, with a hint of sass burning behind her pretty brown eyes, she took over my heart without warning.

I’m Quinn Bailey, quarterback for the New York Mavericks.
Sports analysts predicted I’d break records and take my team all the way.

But no one predicted this.

And just like the other team, I never saw it coming.

Still Me by JoJo Moyes 

Lou Clark is back in the BRAND NEW Jojo Moyes novel Still Me, follow-up to the Number One international bestsellers Me Before You and After You.

Lou Clark knows too many things . . .

She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new boyfriend Sam in London.

She knows her employer is a good man and she knows his wife is keeping a secret from him.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to meet someone who’s going to turn her whole life upside down.

Because Josh will remind her so much of a man she used to know that it’ll hurt.

Lou won’t know what to do next, but she knows that whatever she chooses is going to change everything.

Hostage by Annika Martin and Skye Warren 

I never knew when he’d come. Only that he would. 

I’d never even kissed a boy the night I met Stone. The night I saw him kill. The night he spared my life. That was only the beginning.

He turns up in my car again and again, dangerous and full of raw power. “Drive,” he tells me, and I have no choice. He’s a criminal with burning green eyes, invading my life and my dreams.

The police say he’s dangerously obsessed with me, but I’m the one who can’t stop thinking about him. Maybe it’s wrong to let him touch me. Maybe it’s wrong to touch him back. Maybe these twisted dates need to stop. Except he feels like the only real thing in my world of designer labels and mansions.

So I drive us under threat, until it’s hard to remember I don’t want to be there.

Until it’s too late to turn back.

HOSTAGE is a dangerous standalone romance by New York Times bestselling authors Skye Warren and Annika Martin. It’s set in the same world as PRISONER, but can read separately!

Bound by Affliction by Ryan Michele (Live 1.31)

One minute, one second, one breath, it was all for a future that was suddenly unknown.

The attraction was powerful and undeniable, neither knowing where it would lead, but both willing to go along for the ride. A bond between them developed weaving itself towards something good and right.

In the flash of a moment, one decision changed the course of everything.

Ty “Green” Burm had a family, a job he loved, and a woman he was ready to call his. With the Ravage MC at his back, he knew he could take on anyone.

Except the Red Devil’s MC got to Leah first. The things they did to her …

Unspeakable hell.

Leah Johnston is now lost, broken and torn. Once vibrant, she’s drowning in fear and has lost all hope for anything in her life. And for anyone.

The pain now stands between them and even Ravage can’t fix this for Green.

These two are bound by affliction and it’s going to take time, patience and understanding for love to overcome the scars between them.

When ghosts of the past are unable to be shaken off, can these two find their way towards the good and right once again or will everything crumble around them leaving them both in the dust.

One thing is for sure. The men of the Ravage MC do not back down.

** Bound by Affliction (Ravage MC Bound Series #4) is a full-length standalone novel. If you’d like to see where it all began you should start with Ravage Me and work your way up. **

The Beau & the Belle by R.S. Grey (Live 2.1)

Beau Fortier starred in most of my cringe-worthy teenage fantasies.

I met him when I was a junior in high school, a time that revolved exclusively around bad hair, failed forays into flirting, and scientific inquiries into which brand of toilet paper worked best for stuffing bras.

That is, until Beau moved into the small guest house just beyond my bedroom window.

A 24-year-old law student at Tulane, Beau was as mysterious to me as second base (both in baseball and in the bedroom). He was older. Intimidating. Hot. Boys my age had chicken legs and chubby cheeks. Beau had calloused hands and a jaw cut from steel. Our interactions were scarce—mostly involving slight stalking on my end—and yet deep down, I desperately hoped he saw me as more of a potential lover than a lovesick loser.

Turns out, I was fooling myself. My fragile ego learned that lesson the hard way.

Now, ten years later, we’re both back in New Orleans, and guess who suddenly can’t take his eyes off little ol’ me.

My old friend, Mr. Fortier.

But things have changed. I’m older now—poised and confident. My ego wears a bulletproof vest. The butterflies that once filled my stomach have all perished.

When I was a teenager, Beau warned me to guard my heart.
Let’s hope he knows how to guard his.