Football is my life. I’m not interested in marriage or babies or poopy diapers. Yet here I am, standing in front of a judge saying “I do,” with a six-month-old on my hip and an aspiring storm-chaser on my arm.
From the time I was a little boy, sleeping with my head on a football, I’ve had one goal: carrying on the Bradford-family legacy.
Our famous father trained all my older brothers and me to be star athletes just like him, but seven years later, I’m the only one still focused on the game.
Until Raven Gale storms into my life.
She’s smart, sassy, curves for days, and lightning in the sack. When I met her at my little sister’s wedding we bonded immediately over our dedication to our dreams, our determination to let nothing stop us, and our insatiable, all-night, barrier-busting chemistry.
A baby girl is a surprise neither of us expected, but Raven has a plan. We’ll have a quickie marriage to secure her trust fund, be together three months tops, then shake hands and walk away.
The only problem is with every late night I spend chatting with my wife or consummating our marriage (which we agreed was a bad idea) or rocking my baby girl to sleep or yes, even changing poopy diapers, the stronger our bond grows.
It never rains in California, there’s no football (for me) in south Alabama, but when you collide with a cyclone, everything changes, including what you thought were your plans.
(THE WAY WE COLLIDE is a small-town, surprise baby, sports romance with a marriage of convenience, close proximity, an over-protective alpha daddy, a feisty plus-sized FMC, and a few twisters. No cheating. No cliffhanger. No third-act breakup.)
Tia Louise is the USA Today best-selling, award-winning author of super-hot and sexy contemporary romance.
From former military alpha-rolls, to arrogant bosses needing to be taken down a notch (or two!), to cocky playboys with hearts of gold, she’ll steal your heart, make you laugh, and melt your kindle.
If you like spicy romances that will make you laugh and cry, pull up a chair and enjoy!
“I’m here to see my fiancé. I believe you know Parker, Dad…”
That sentence seems innocent enough in the right setting.
But the woman’s father? Yeah, he happens to be my boss.
The first time I met Cashlynn O’Neil, she thought she was going to die before the plane we were on ever left the ground.
So I did what any gentleman would do—I comforted her, kept her distracted, and then later that night, she ended up back in my hotel room to thank me.
But then a year later she waltzed in the Carrington Cove Animal Hospital and told her father we were engaged.
And that would have been harmless, except the last time I was engaged it left me scarred beyond repair, vowing never to entertain the idea of love again.
I can’t fall for my boss’s daughter.
I can’t keep lying to myself about how I feel either.
But is it possible that someday you learn that it’s not the wrong person that will make you question what you want in life, but it’s the right one?
Harlow James is a pen name I use to protect my identity as a high school teacher. Keeping those two roles in my life separate is necessary, but also fun! It’s like a live two lives, and anonymity gives me the opportunity to be bold and take risks in my stories.
I stumbled upon romance novels in 2018 when I picked up Driven by Kristy Bromberg, and I was obsessed. I had just lost my grandmother too, so reading offered me an escape from reality and a chance to grieve on my own terms.
About a year later, I got an idea for my own book and started writing. I researched self-publishing and jumped in with both feet. I had no idea what I was doing!
But now I’ve built a business and hobby that I LOVE! I have an outlet that’s just for me. When I write, I’m not a mom, a wife, or a teacher…I’m a woman who gets to tell stories that no one else can.
My books are the perfect blend of heartwarming moments, full-bellied laughs, and PLENTY of steam to melt your Kindles 😉 And there are always elements of me sprinkled in to every character and story that I write.
When I’m not writing you can find me reading or spending time in my kitchen. I love to cook and feed my family and friends. Otherwise, you can find me watching comedy specials with my husband, camping with our kids, or taking naps. I live for naps 😉
A sexy, small town, grumpy sunshine, single dad, sports romance from USA Today Bestselling Author Willow Aster
Wicked Love
The Single Dad Playbook Series
by Willow Aster
Blurb:
I fell in love with his little girl first.
From the moment nine-year-old Becca Fox and I hugged, it was like we’d known each other forever. Precocious, sweet, and kind, I just knew this little girl was exceptional. Her dad, though? Not so much.
Bowie Fox checks every box in the looks department—rugged, intense, and the kind of man who makes you forget how to breathe—but his personality? About as warm as a snowstorm.
That is, until we’re seated together at his best friend’s wedding, and then…we dance.
For hours.
Beneath that gruff and hard exterior, I catch glimpses of a man who wants to let loose and enjoy life.
After the wedding, when a hotel mixup leaves me without a room and stranded in Landmark Mountain, Bowie invites me to stay in his room. In his bed.
It’s innocent at first. Until it’s not. A sizzling one-night stand for the books. Then I wake up alone and when I see him at breakfast, he is as distant as ever.
Bowie lets me know his life revolves around Becca, his teammates, and football. He makes it perfectly clear that there is no room for anyone else—especially the bubbly coach of his daughter.
As much as our paths keep crossing, I know the broody linebacker isn’t ever planning on falling for me, but when I find out I am pregnant—I wonder, Can he fall for us?
Wicked Love is book four in The Single Dad Playbook series. Each book can be read as a standalone.
Bowie really has moments of being a not so nice person but his love for his daughter and for his friends is definitely a redeeming quality. And I really think it helps getting both character’s POV. It helped us see where Bowie was coming from, because otherwise his hot/cold routine could have been a bit much.
I loved Poppy. She’s so upbeat, giving, and sweet. Her love for others, especially the kids she works with, just about pours out of her. I kinda wish that Bowie had given her a chance earlier but it’s kinda understandable with his history. I do wish that he’d had a bit more of a chance to explore that, get some resolution with his father and his ex.
Bowie’s daughter, Becca, is such a bright spot as well. With her enthusiasm and endless love, it’s not a surprise that she connects so well with Poppy. Once Bowie gets out of his own way, they form such a wonderful little family.
And as with the previous books the guys, and now their wives, are there to support them every step of the way. It’s definitely one of my favorite things about this series. We’ve got one more “single dad” to go and I’m all in to find out what is in store for our Penn.
*****
Author Info:
Willow Aster is a USA Today Bestselling author and lover of anything book-related. She lives in St. Paul, MN with her husband, kids, rescue dog, and grandcat.
1. Stop enough pucks to get the Seattle Serpents to the playoffs.
2. Don’t fall for my fake fiancée.
When Lilah Maddison’s mother keeps trying to set her up on dates she’s not interested in, she blurts out that she’s already seeing someone. The problem? She’s single.
So, I step in to help and agree to pretend to be her boyfriend for an event. But when things go awry, we’re no longer just dating—we’re engaged. Now, I have to find a way to keep her family off her back and our team in a playoff spot, all without falling in love with Lilah, which seems more impossible with each passing day.
She’s funny, driven, drop-dead gorgeous, and not afraid to make the first move. I know we’re playing a dangerous game, yet I can’t stop myself from having feelings I definitely shouldn’t be having, especially not for my fake fiancée.
It’s my job to block, make saves, and keep the puck out of my own net, but this might be one match I can’t win…and I might not want to.
EMPTY NET is a standalone hockey romance novel. There’s a cinnamon roll goalie (who is a very good boy) that is fake engaged to a headstrong heroine, found family vibes, slightly unhinged group chats with teammates, plenty of steam, and a happy ending.
TEAGAN HUNTER writes steamy romantic comedies with lots of sarcasm and a side of heart. She loves pizza, hockey, and romance novels, though not in that order. When not writing, you can find her watching entirely too many hours of Supernatural, One Tree Hill, or New Girl. She’s mildly obsessed with Halloween and prefers cooler weather. She married her high school sweetheart, and they currently live in the PNW.
The bad boy of professional fencing meets Hollywood’s favorite good girl in this sexy sports romance set against the backdrop of a high-stakes blockbuster.
On Guard
The Hastings Series
by Kels & Denise Stone
Blurb:
DANTE HASTINGS
You might have heard of me.
I was the defending Olympic champion—until I used my fist instead of my sabre during a match. Needless to say, I was suspended. Which means no competing for a year…and cleaning up my image.
So, instead of continuing to dominate the fencing world, I’m working on a film that’s poised to be next year’s blockbuster action flick.
The upside? Working with Reese Sinclair, my celebrity crush whose poster was on my wall growing up. Spending time with her will help wash the tabloids of my suspension and convince the league that I’m reformed.
But America’s sweetheart is nothing like I imagined. She’s stubborn, ambitious, and struggling to prove herself in a role that no one thinks she can handle. Still, her determination runs red-hot, and I can’t help but admire her.
When our late-night training sessions turn into something more, I start to realize that I’m outmaneuvered by feelings I never saw coming.
REESE SINCLAIR
The girl next door. The best friend. The love-struck heroine.
I’ve played them all.
But with thirty creeping closer, I need to prove to myself that I can be more than Hollywood’s darling. And this movie is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, the project I can use to break out of my typecasting.
The problem? I’m not cut out for action-packed stunt work.
Enter: Dante Hastings. He’s hedonistic, insufferable, infuriatingly gorgeous—and my last shot at making this career move work.
I should stay away. His reputation alone could sink mine. But the more time we spend together, the more I see past all his tabloid exploits and rule-breaking. He knows what it means to fight for something.
But a leading lady doesn’t simper over her co-workers, right?
Yet as much as I try to resist, part of me wants to let Dante put the sin in Sinclair.
On Guard is the second book in The Hastings series, a collection of interconnected standalone sports romances about the Hastings siblings, scions of sports royalty.
Kels & Denise are authors, best friends, and the definition of the found family trope. The pair bonded over their love for romance and turned all their late-night chats into writing together. Their love for storytelling morphed into writing strong heroines and their rugged, swoon-worthy love interests with lots of dirty talk. While Kels travels the world with her high-school sweetheart husband, Denise is making her way through every restaurant with her boyfriend.
You are cordially invited to the wedding of Emma Moskowitz and…someone…
When couples therapist Emma Moskowitz is unceremoniously dumped by her fiancé six months before their wedding, her world comes crashing down: her thriving private practice, her status as a popular online creator, even her book deal all hinge on the fact that Emma is an expert when it comes to romantic relationships. Not to mention her heart is ripped in half.
It isn’t fair. She worked so hard to be ready for marriage. If only Emma could find a different groom by her planned wedding day, nothing would have to change….
So commences Operation: Save My Date.
As Emma publicly shares her untraditional journey to the altar online, things get complicated quickly. She finds herself caught between Will, a charismatic podcast producer who is not interested in being a replacement groom; and Matt, a sweet, recent divorcee eagerly looking to settle down.
As the wedding day approaches, Emma must decide what future she truly wants for herself. After all, her family, her book editor, and a large portion of the internet are watching…
Emma Moskowitz lay face down in her parents’ office as they talked above her inert body. The carpet irritated her sensitive cheek, but getting a rash was the least of her worries at the moment. She was used to rashes. What she wasn’t used to—at least not yet—was the staggering pain of betrayal.
“He didn’t explain why he was doing this?” her father, Alan, asked for what had to have been the fifth time in as many minutes.
Instead of verbally responding, Emma let out a long groan to signal that she wasn’t yet in the mood to psychoanalyze why her carefully planned life was falling apart. She was still very much in the maybe I could just lie here for a few years and then die stage of grieving. That stage wasn’t talked about nearly enough. It was important.
“What did she say?” Alan looked to Emma’s mother, Debbie, for an interpretation of what could best be described as an animalistic, guttural moan.
“I don’t think she wants to talk about it just yet,” Debbie offered, despite knowing this explanation likely wasn’t going to appease her type-A husband.
“Can I have some water?” Emma interjected, finally moving into a seated position from a full-body sprawl. She wasn’t entirely confident that she was capable of drinking anything yet, but she thought she owed it to her family to try. She knew her mom hated seeing her in pain and her dad hated not having a clear solution to offer. Now that he was retired, Alan wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Emma didn’t want her recent upheaval to become his newest pet project (along with pickleball, online poker and brewing his own root beer). Despite her mother’s endless complaints of being smothered by her loving husband, Alan was the busiest retired person Emma knew. And as a couples therapist, she knew quite a few. Having a recently retired spouse was the new seven-year-itch—except this version of an itch appeared to be an overwhelming desire to be left alone. Emma wished with all her might that she was someone who wanted to be left alone instead of being herself: a person who as a child found a way to play “wedding” at every single playdate.
“Do you want bottled or from the tap with ice?” Debbie asked as though the right form of H2O could fix a broken heart.
“Doesn’t matter.” Emma sighed for effect. “Nothing matters anymore.”
Through a brief exchange of eye contact, Alan and Debbie mutually agreed it wasn’t safe to leave their youngest daughter by herself. So Alan went to retrieve the requested water, while Debbie did her best to sit on the floor, ignoring her numerous knee issues and bad back. Her hand hovered over Emma’s leg; she was unsure if physical touch would cause comfort or alarm.
“I am so sorry this is happening to you,” Debbie whispered.
Emma thought about all the other times in her life that her mother had said this. There was the time Emma fell off a chair when she was six and broke her collarbone. The time in her early twenties when her “best friends” planned a weekend trip without informing or inviting her. And there were the far too many times Emma had been unceremoniously dumped by a variety of men.
Although her present situation technically fell into the latter category, Emma felt that having her fiancé walk out on her for no apparent reason warranted its own classification of suffering.
This time was different than when her college boyfriend left her to date a high-schooler. Or when her adult boyfriend left her for a college student. This felt like the sort of pain you couldn’t get over with a laugh and a puff of medical-grade marijuana. This felt like the sort of pain that changed you forever.
Alan returned with both a cold glass of ice and a plastic water bottle. When Emma didn’t move to take either one, he set them on the side table and declared, “I think I should call him.”
“Call who?” Debbie asked with the cautious optimism of someone who hoped her husband wasn’t a total moron.
“Ryan! Maybe I can talk some sense into him. Or at least get some answers.”
Fear overtook Emma’s nervous system at the mere thought of that conversation occurring. She reached out and grasped her father’s ankle to let him know she meant business. “Please do not contact him. He won’t tell you anything useful,” Emma pleaded. “All he told me is something is missing and there is no point in working on it because it can’t be fixed. I just need to move on.”
Debbie and Alan looked at Emma with a mixture of compassion and concern. Emma couldn’t blame them—not after showing up the previous evening crying and shouting “It’s over! He left me!” before abruptly passing out on the couch to avoid her feelings. Emma felt a pang of guilt that she’d left her parents with such confounding uncertainty for almost ten hours. She knew more than most that not knowing was a special form of torture. It was time to fill them in.
“It only lasted twenty minutes.” Emma moaned as the painful memory hit her again. They had been eating dinner in front of the TV when she noticed something was off. As soon as she asked about it—expecting to hear that Ryan’s stomach hurt or his boss was annoying him again—the floodgates opened. Apparently, he’d been having doubts for months but didn’t know how to tell her. Emma tried her best to fight for them, but a switch had been flipped in Ryan’s brain and it was like trying to reason with a concrete wall. Every suggestion she flung out to try to work on their relationship was met with steely resistance. It was obvious that once the words were finally out of Ryan’s mouth, he had no intention of taking them back. He had been set free while Emma was left crushed and disoriented. Their engagement was unceremoniously over in less time than it took to watch a network sitcom.
“What were the doubts? Do you know?” Alan asked in a rather accusatory tone. Despite being retired, he would forever be a lawyer combing through details in search of a win. He didn’t seem to understand that social contracts could be broken far more easily and with fewer repercussions than legal ones.
Emma shook her head. “Unless something is missing is a clarifying answer for you. Because it’s not for me!” She could feel that she was losing control of her emotions. Within a minute or two, any attempt at coherent speech would be usurped by streaming tears and a horrifying amount of snot. She tried to get a handle on herself as her brain went into overdrive, poking and pinching the most vulnerable parts of her psyche, her insecurities finding every possible way to punish her for someone else’s decision.
The entire breakup had felt surreal from start to finish. Emma hadn’t even fully realized she was experiencing a breakup until about halfway through. She’d known things had been off between them for a few months, but it seemed to be more of a Ryan issue than a Ryan-and-Emma issue. He was unhappy with his job. He was struggling with anxiety. He had less interest in his hobbies than normal. To Emma, a licensed marriage and family therapist, it was pretty obvious he was in the midst of a depressive episode. She tried her best to be supportive while her partner was going through a tough time—and she used every ounce of self-esteem that came from her newly earned secure attachment style to not take it personally. Turns out, she should have taken it personally. Because, according to Ryan, the issues in his life were not related to anxiety or depression after all. He was miserable because he was in the wrong relationship. She was the source of the problem, not him. And once he realized that, he had to end things right away. Or, you know, once Emma dragged it out of him on a random Monday night.
As Emma recounted this to her parents, somehow managing to make it through without dissolving into incoherent sobs, she felt slightly vindicated by the looks of confusion on their faces. This was objectively confusing, right? To ask your live-in partner to marry you and then walk out six months later completely certain that there was nothing to be done to salvage the relationship? Emma was a couples therapist, for Christ’s sake! She made a living salvaging relationships and Ryan wasn’t even willing to try? It was both a personal and a professional slap in the face.
Emma had a bunch of clients in far worse situations than hers who’d been tirelessly working on fixing things for years. One notable client had slept with his wife’s second cousin for three years and they were still together. Yet Ryan—who only a few months ago had cried with happiness as he put an engagement ring on Emma’s finger—insisted there was no point in even attempting to repair whatever he thought was broken. He had too many “concerns,” so it was best to just move on. What those concerns were exactly remained a mystery that would likely haunt Emma until she died in what she anxiously feared would be an untimely and possibly gruesome fashion.
While on the topic of unfortunate demises, Emma briefly considered murdering Ryan before news of her abandonment became public. That way she would be perceived as a grieving fiancée instead of a rejected loser, which felt much more palatable. While murder would never be her first choice when dealing with a crisis, her reputation was on the line. It is one thing to get blindsided by your partner when you’re a civilian. It’s quite another when you have a master’s in clinical psychology and make a living giving relationship advice. It was the professional equivalent of a cardiologist not realizing she was having a heart attack: mortifying. For the first time, Emma regretted her inability to hide in obscurity due to her hard-earned success.
Allison Raskin is a New York Times bestselling author. She is the cohost of the popular podcast Just Between Us and cocreator of a YouTube channel by the same name. Allison has written and developed multiple TV shows and created the original scripted podcast Gossip. A vocal mental health advocate, Allison has a master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She also runs the mental health–focused Instagram account @emotionalsupportlady.
Length: 70,000 words Prior Reading: not required Genre: contemporary, sports Tropes: Light-angst, hockey, enemies-to-lovers Trigger/Content Warnings: n/a
Blurb:
Jake
Favorite things and peeps: hockey, family, friends. Least favorite person in the entire history of the universe: Mason Trinsky.
I have my reasons, but since you’re curious, Trinsky is a showboat and a loudmouth. Sure, he’s a great athlete. Good for him. I accept that we have mutual friends, and I grudgingly accept that he’ll be a coach at Elmwood Junior Camp this summer—however, I plan to keep my distance.
Of course, some wise guy pairs us up for a camping expedition, and everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
Guess who I’m stuck with?
Trinsky
Favorite things and peeps: hockey, surfing, and my kid brother Least favorite person in the entire history of the universe: Jake Milligan
Look, I might be in the minority, but if you ask me, Jake is a nitpicking diva who wants everything his way. I hope my NHL team crushes his, and this summer, I want my campers to out-prank his. Childish? Nah, it’s all in good fun.
Until it starts to feel…complicated. I shouldn’t care if he’s happy, should I? I don’t want to be Jake’s friend. I don’t want to have feelings for him at all.
The only thing that matters is hockey. It’s all about the puck. Not love.
Or is it?
Puck Love is an MM bisexual, small-town romance featuring hockey’s hottest rivals, a hiking trip gone wrong, and a shot at forever…
And of course, we had Jake. No description needed, but in case you’re curious, his navy swim trunks matched his ball cap, his backpack, and his Crocs. Yeah…Crocs.
I didn’t actually hate Crocs, but I’d diss ’em ’cause I had the maturity of an eggplant, or so Jake inferred. Besides there was really no way I could be expected to be nice for forty-eight hours straight…was there?
Nah.
“Lookin’ Croc-tastic, Milligan,” I whispered.
Jake frowned and shushed me, which made me want to step on his toes. “I don’t know if this is possible, but we need to come up with a plan to stay out of each other’s way.”
“Easy. I’ll take two, you take two. I call Howard and the kid with braces.”
“Why don’t you want David?”
“Too serious and eager for me. Perfect for you,” I replied, leaning close.
He smelled good, like peppermint and evergreen and—
Geez, was he wearing cologne? Better question…why had I noticed? Maybe I was allergic to peppermint and associated it with terrible things like…uh…the holidays.
Okay, totally false. I loved the holidays, and peppermint was awesome. It was just weird that Jake would smell good and look…
Ugh, it pained me to admit it, but Jake was kind of sort of handsome…today. His summer tan made his blue eyes pop and wove golden strands into his dark-blond hair. I’d only noticed because I was in dire need of vitamin D. And this entire mental sidebar probably meant I was in desperate need of a vacation too.
“Fine. I’ll take David and Milo. Let’s win this.”
I furrowed my brow. “Win what?”
Jake spared me a glance, his lips quirked in vague amusement. “The whole weekend. I know it’s lighthearted fun, but it’s also basic swim and running relays too. Can you swim?”
“Of course I can fucking swim,” I scoffed.
“Cool. If you’re faster on the ground than you are on ice, we should do all right.”
“Are you insinuating that I’m a slow skater? That is fucking priceless.” I snorted.
Jake just smiled and clapped along to whatever Vinnie was yapping about. “If you say so. By the way, you might want to curb your F bombs. This is a G-rated family weekend. Show some class, Trinsky.”
“Fuck yourself, Milligan.”
“Nice one, asshat. You—”
Ray or Jay bumped my elbow as he sidled close, camera in hand. “Oh, don’t stop on my account. This is perfect.”
I gritted my teeth and probably would have said something rude, but I was interrupted by a cheer from the crowd.
“Are you ready to party?” Vinnie hooted, fists pumping the air. “Let’s do this!”
*****
Author Info:
Lane Hayes lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesn’t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, who’s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write.
She’s been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yes…romance is much more satisfying!
Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolate…in any order. Add a book and she’s set!
I couldn’t tell you when I fell in love with Owen Harper. I just always was. And still am. He was my first everything—first love, first kiss and the only man that has left an indelible mark on my soul. I never thought that I’d call him anything but mine. But that was the thing about first loves. They weren’t made to last. Owen was destined for greatness, and I couldn’t be the one to stand in his way. So I broke both our hearts, and walked away. But after a heated reunion, I knew I’d made a mistake all those years ago and would do anything to start over — even move to a brand new city all by myself to win back my forever love. Owen Harper
Ellie Bradford is the only woman I’ve ever loved—and the one who shattered my heart. The day she left me, I didn’t just lose the love of my life–I lost my best friend, too.
Five years later, I’m home at the end of hockey season and I see her again. One thing leads to another and our “one last night” together doesn’t go as planned. My feelings for her never left, but I realize closure just isn’t in the cards for us. One night would never be enough for us, but she wasn’t mine anymore. Then she showed up in Seattle, in the stands at my hockey game. Despite my intentions to move on, I offer her my spare bedroom when her new apartment floods. Even though I knew I should have been attempting to move on, it was hard not to feel like we were finally getting our second chance. I just hoped that this time, she would stay. For me and for us.
A sexy, second chance, roommates to lovers, sports romance from bestselling author Jennifer Chipman.
Jennifer Chipman lives in Orlando with her dog, Walter and cat, Max. She loves writing romance heroes who fall first and hard for their women. In her free time, you can find her with her nose in a book or going to the Disney Parks. She loves the color pink and thinks sequins and sparkles are always a good idea.
Kat Singleton is an Amazon top 5 bestselling author best known for writing Black Ties and White Lies. She loves writing elite banter and angst mixed with a heavy dose of spice. Kat strives to write an authentically raw love story for her characters and feels that no book is complete without some emotional turmoil before a happily ever after.
She lives in Kansas with her husband, her two kids, and her two doodles. In her spare time, you can find her surviving off iced coffee and sneaking in a few pages of her current read.
Brax Gallo doesn’t believe in love at first sight. Heck, he doesn’t stay in relationships long enough to develop real feelings for any woman. But one look at the sad girl alone at his bar, checking her phone, and gnawing her lip with worry and he’s absolutely smitten. He knows in that moment; it’s possible to fall hard and fast.
Iris has always been unlucky with love. After being stood up at the altar two years ago, she has no interest in dating. But her friends leave her no choice when they create a dating profile for her and set up a date. She hopes for the best, thinking she’s due for a break. She waits for him. And waits. But when he doesn’t show, she’s reminded that men break her heart every time.
What starts out as a flirty banter leads to something neither of them wanted, but everything they needed.
WANT is a Men of Inked Sinners book which features grumpy sunshine, found family, family saga, afraid to commit, alpha hero, playboy, jilted bride steamy romantic suspense novel.
Want is very similar to the other Men of Inked book I’ve read – Cinder, Men of Inked Heatwave. Like with Cinder, I loved the characters, individually and as a couple. And their friends & family are fun and entertaining – teasing, supporting, and loving each other with abandon.
The romance isn’t quite as insta as with Cinder but it is low angst between them. Brax and Iris meet at his bar when she’s stood up on a blind date, end up spending some time together due to a snowstorm, and thanks to her hilarious & pushy friends meet again when they drag her back to the bar with the hopes that he’ll ask her out. Which of course he does and it’s pretty smooth from there on for them as a couple.
There’s a bit of a gray area when her ex comes back in the picture. My personal preference is usually not for those that flirt with that edge but it’s a minor point of the story. It may play more into future stories, I’m not sure, but it may just be a personal quirk of mine. (And based on the popularity of dark romances I think I may be in a minority 🙂 )
I’m not sure why I don’t read more of Bliss’s books. This is my third so far and I’ve really enjoyed all of them. The characters, main and secondary, are great, as is the relationships between them. I’ll be adding her to my list to keep an eye out for.
*****
Author Info:
Chelle Bliss is the USA Today bestselling author of the Men of Inked and ALFA P.I. series. She hails from the Midwest, but currently lives near the beach even though she hates sand. She’s a full-time writer, time-waster extraordinaire, social media addict, coffee fiend, and ex high school history teacher. She loves spending time with her two cats, alpha boyfriend, and chatting with readers. To learn more about Chelle, please visit chellebliss.com.
Romantic Reads and Such 