Ten years ago Carson Knight was my one great love, but he abandoned me without a trace.
Now he’s a billionaire single-dad in need of a temporary wife.
And he’s at my house on one knee with a proposal…
Marry him, so he’s more likely to win full custody of his daughter, keeping her safe from her unstable mother. In return, he’ll take care of the medical expenses for a surgery my father needs to survive.
Reluctantly, I agree to tie the knot, on one condition. Once those custody papers are signed, we go our separate ways. Because he’s even more gorgeous, charming, and sweeter than he was back then, and I don’t trust myself not to fall for my fake husband.
Especially when I hear him say “my wife.”
Or feel his hands on my skin. Taste his kiss or see the way he looks at me with those blue eyes and know that our carefully crafted rules will shatter.
Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
Elmwood isn’t good for my love life. Hey, I’m a positive person and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about small-town living, but I haven’t had a date in years. That’s fine—my son is and always has been my number one focus.
Except now he’s grown and gone. And it’s lonely.
Okay, yes, the new hockey coach is hot and single, but he’s off-limits. Smitty’s trouble with a capital T, and his baggage might outweigh mine. Besides, we said nothing would happen after “that” night. It was a one-time, never to be repeated deal.
At least…that’s what I thought.
Smitty
Am I sad about retiring from pro hockey? Honestly, no. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t in pain. I need a rest and I could use a distraction from unwelcome memories at home. Stat.
So…Elmwood.
Look, we all know I won’t last a whole season of coaching high school kids, but stepping in till they find a better candidate is a good temporary plan. And Bryson’s here.
There’s something about the hot dad with the sunny smile and bad dad jokes that makes me feel alive again. I’m not in the market for forever—been there, done that. Look, I’ve taken risks for my sport, but I’m not giving my heart away again. I know thin ice when I see it.
Smitty gamely followed me to the next vignette at Pinecrest’s premiere home and furniture boutique. “It’s a coffee table, Bry. It serves two functions—a footrest and a place to leave dishes…and the remote control. Anything is fine.”
“Yeah, right,” I huffed. “Somehow I doubt the guy who couldn’t live with yellow walls and had lots of opinions about the sectional he special ordered doesn’t care about the coffee table that will go in the same room.”
Smitty darted his gaze around the store and leaned in close. “Places like this intimidate the fuck out of me. It smells like a perfume factory and everyone is smiling…but their eyes are dead. Like they’re zombies. Is this a Pinecrest thing or a bougie thing? I don’t do well with hot cotchure.”
I burst into laughter. “Haute couture?”
“Sure, whatever.”
I brushed my hand against his in a show of solidarity, then linked our pinkies for a brief moment and pointed at a handsome dark-wood coffee table with a wide base. “What about that one?”
Smitty shrugged. “Looks nice.”
“I think so too.” I clandestinely checked the tag. “Yikes. It’s pricey. Let’s keep looking.”
“Do they have a coffee table with cupholders?”
“Absolutely not, and why would anyone want a cupholder in a coffee table?”
Smitty widened his eyes comically. “Are you kidding me? Why would anyone not want a safe place to plop a cup? You never have to worry about spilling a drink or knocking it over, and you wouldn’t have to fumble for it when you’re watching a game, ’cause your cup is right where you left it.”
“Okay, that’s a whole lot of nonsense. And thankfully, a moot point.” I glanced at our surroundings as if to be sure that was true and noticed the salesperson watching us from the register. I couldn’t remember her name off the top of my head, but I was pretty sure I’d sold her and her partner a house two years ago. I lowered my voice and added, “They don’t have such a thing, but even if they did, I’d stop you from buying it.”
“How? I’m bigger than you. And I’m fast. I could whip out my credit card in a flash and shove this fucker into my truck before you could say ‘No, bad table!’ ”
*****
Review:
I, like pretty much everyone else apparently, loved Smitty. He’s like a big, likable puppy who just throws his whole self into things. He’s struggling a bit with his past and where he’s going next so he’s taking a bit of time in Elmwood to figure things out. It definitely doesn’t hurt that Bryson is nearby.
We’ve met Bryson before and most of us were curious about his story. He’s such a great dad and an upstanding member of the community but there has to be more there, right? Of course because he’s just a bit too … perfect 🙂 There are issues in his past, things that have left him a little scared to stray too far from the straight and narrow. It leads to some complications with Smitty in town. Putting him on some people’s **** list because of how he treats Smitty at first. But it definitely doesn’t take him long to get past that 🙂
Thin Ice, like the rest of The Elmwood Stories, is a low angst, slow burn, feel good love story. There’s moments of humor (between Bryson’s dad jokes and Smitty’s ingenuity in getting Bryson’s attention), steam (oh, the steam), and all the emotions (as both come to terms with their pasts and what a relationship together might look like). I loved seeing everyone again and wallowing in all the warm & fuzzies & snark & fun. Looking forward to whatever Hayes has for us next.
*****
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!
Are you ready to head back to Wilder Valley? Maeve’s story is next in this small town, single mom, best friends to lovers romance! Wild Crush can be read as a standalone, or start with Ryan and Val’s story in Wild Hearts.
I’ve loved Maeve Wilder my whole life.
She’s never seen me as more than a friend but that’s my fault. By the time I was brave enough to confess my feelings, I was too late.
She met the man she would marry and it wasn’t me. I missed my chance.
Now we’re in our thirties, still the best of friends, and I’ve made peace with the fact my unrequited love will never amount to more than a wild crush. Mostly.
But when her husband walks out—leaving her to raise their three children alone, I’m the one who is there to pick up the pieces.
Each night I fall asleep on her sofa, longing for her to see me as more than a friend. When she does, it changes everything.
My heart belongs to hers, it always has. But when reality comes crashing down, will the life we’ve built over the last few months be enough for her to choose a forever with me?
Kacey Shea is a USA Today bestselling author of steamy contemporary romance. She enjoys writing strong and smart heroines, heroes with hearts of gold, and stories that deliver a satisfying, well-earned happily ever after.
When she’s not writing you will find her spending time with her children, drinking iced tea by the gallon, or planning her next escape from the Arizona heat.
Kacey has a free book for all newsletter subscribers along with bonus epilogues for her most beloved novels.
Kacey enjoys interacting with her fans so please feel free to stalk her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
As a female coach, I’ve always lived by a simple mantra: throw hard, swing for the fences, and never, ever look back—especially when it comes to past flames.
So when my ex-boyfriend somehow manages to land the job as my new assistant coach, my life is flipped upside down. The game I thought I’d mastered is now being played with a whole new set of rules.
My ex is baseball’s all-star Nathan Pierce. He’s tall, dark, and undeniably handsome. He’s also all too eager to spend extra hours working together while flashing that familiar devilish smirk of his that still sends my heart racing.
Between playful teasing and lingering stares I discover that Nathan isn’t just here to work. He’s here to rewrite history. Our history.
And when fate throws another curveball that involves me needing a place to stay, Nathan offers me his spare bedroom which sends me spiraling into emotions I believed had long since faded.
Now I’m faced with the ultimate decision: keep it professional and continue fleeing from our past, or confront it head-on by playing the game he thinks we were meant to finish together.
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Amazon #1 Bestselling author, Brittainy Cherry, has been in love with words since the day she took her first breath. She graduated from Carroll University with a Bachelors Degree in Theatre Arts and a minor in Creative Writing. She loves to take part in writing screenplays, acting, and dancing—poorly of course. Coffee, chai tea, and wine are three things that she thinks every person should partake in! Brittainy lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When she’s not running a million errands and crafting stories, she’s probably playing with her adorable pets.
When Foster McInnis’ ex-wife flakes and he finds himself with full custody of his daughter, the nanny he hires brings a new complication—an attraction he can’t ignore, no matter how hard he tries.
I love being on the ice and am grateful for my hockey career, but the off season is my favorite time of the year because it brings me my one true love—my daughter, Bowie Jane. Between my job and my ex-wife living across the country, the time I get to spend face-to-face with my kiddo is limited, though we make up for it with summers full of fun adventures. We’re thick as thieves and take full advantage of our time together, but the distance away from her is killing me.
My fortunes change when my ex walks away and I find myself with full custody. But with the hockey season looming, I know I’m going to need help taking care of Bowie Jane. Enter Mary Elizabeth Archer—otherwise known as Mazzy. Highly recommended to me through the Titans’ network, Mazzy crashes into our life like a hurricane. She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met and to say I’m intrigued is an understatement. But no matter how attractive she is, no matter how I crave to know everything about her, I can’t go there. It’s inappropriate. Just wrong, wrong, wrong, even though she might be the most right thing I’ve ever known.
Being the indescribable force she is, there is soon no corner of our lives that Mazzy hasn’t impacted in a positive way. And my desire for more with her becomes far stronger than my misguided idea that I could ever resist this woman. Our attraction burns hot and keeping our eyes, hands and mouths off one another gets harder by the minute. It doesn’t take long for me to know that I’m all in with Mazzy. She’s my end game and, lucky for me, winning is my specialty.
Grab your copy of Foster directly from Sawyer by shopping the Sawyer Bennett Bookstore!
New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.
A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.
If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).
She’s the quiet, small town girl who gets along with everyone. Except him.
He’s the new guy in town who’s determined to turn her world upside down.
All Chloe Donovan ever wanted was to teach kindergarten and live a simple life in Sweetbriar Ridge. Until she decides she wants more in her life. Like maybe a good man to share her quiet life. But when she meets Tanner Westyn, Sweetbriar Ridge’s biggest ego-maniac and newest kindergarten teacher, she can’t help but feel unsettled with all the new changes happening around her town. Especially the unexpected feelings Tanner sparks in her.
A former champion Alpine skier, Tanner loves to compete–in all aspects of his life. But with his skiing career behind him, he’s ready to tackle the next phase of his life–teaching. When he lands in Sweetbriar Ridge, a town with a brand-new ski resort, he looks forward to quiet days on the slopes. The one thing he didn’t anticipate is how much his competitive nature would rub his new neighbors and colleagues–especially Chloe–the wrong way. What started as a schoolroom challenge with Chloe quickly snowballed into something else outside the school walls.
Everything about Tanner annoyed, frustrated, and intrigued Chloe. But when their heated banter evolves into looks of longing and a connection that can’t be denied, she starts to question if they could even have a future together. But if Tanner doesn’t want to lose Chloe, he will have to accept that coming in second place means more when the person you love takes the win.
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, and Kobo!
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than eighty titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017 and THE WEDDING SEASON which was a Hallmark wedding movie in 2023! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire when she should be writing, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 32 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
Ever have someone get you so well it’s like looking in a mirror?
Cruz
Starting over is not what I had planned.
Those stories about magically becoming best friends with the person assigned to live with you… Yeah, that won’t be me. I already have a best friend. Even if I wanted a new one, Liam wouldn’t be it. He’s permanently grouchy, carrying a negative energy I don’t need since I’m finally in a good place. But I’ve never been good at ignoring when people need help, so I paste on a smile and play nice.
Predictably, Liam isn’t much of a talker, but after an unexpected accident he needs my help in other ways. Ways that offer me answers about myself. Ways that raise new questions about the football dreams I’ve been chasing since I was a kid. Ways that make me relive the past I want to ignore.
To say I’m confused is an understatement, but there’s one thing I know for certain…Liam is either the key to one door or the bolt that could prevent another from ever opening. And I have to choose which I want him to be.
Liam
Starting over is exactly what I need.
I can’t get any more invisible than I’ve been for the past few years, and I figure rooming with another person means at least one human on the planet can’t ignore me. Unfortunately, that human is Adonis personified, and not gay, so it’s looking like my invisibility streak might continue.
Then I suffer a minor accident, and Cruz’s hero complex comes out in full force.
I should be grateful to have someone to open my door and carry my books, but when you pair his selfless personality with that body… My mind starts to blur the roommate line, which makes his blur the line of not being gay.
My heart is already battered, and I doubt it can take rejection from the one person who broke down all the walls I’d built around it. That doesn’t mean I won’t try to give it to him anyway.
**Beautifully Fractured is a high-heat MM romance with medium angst that features a grumpy/sunshine relationship, forced proximity, hurt/comfort situations and a bi-awakening. This is book one in a series of interconnected standalones. Though the main characters are athletes, this is not a sports romance. Rather, it’s a romance that happens to feature people who play sports.
“So, now that we’re friends.” Cruz’s voice halts my internal rambling, and I try not to choke on my own breath as he steps back into our room wearing only a towel that does very little to hide the delicious little ‘V’ I suspected he’d have at the base of his torso. “Got any thoughts about what to do with this room?”
I swallow back the saliva pooling in my mouth as he pulls on a pair of boxers–before letting the towel drop to the floor thank God. “What do you mean?”
His head swivels around, taking in the space. “It’s kind of depressing, don’t you think?”
“It’s a dorm.”
“We might need to work on your vocabulary, Sunshine.” He tugs on a pair of sweats that do nothing to hide how round his ass is. “This place isn’t just a plain dorm room, it resembles a prison cell. Where’s the personalization?”
I force myself to look at his face. “Just because we’ve called a truce doesn’t mean you get to give me a nickname.”
“An ironic nickname.” He smiles proudly, like we’re already on our way to being best buddies, and I can’t decide if that makes me want to roll my eyes or smile back.
He’s just so…eager.
Rolling my eyes wins out, though I take my own tour of the bare white walls, plain tile floor, and worn wood furniture. “What did you have in mind?”
*****
Review:
Lenard’s first book in her newest series is a spicy slow burn. I liked that she brought readers an ace character – the diversity in characters is one of my favorite things in MM romances. Traditional MF romances tend to be … well, traditional and I love that she took the opportunity to explore.
I do struggle a little tho with New Adult age romances, especially first year college students. I’m an old lady 🙂 and recognize how much growing is done, especially through the 20s. But I also realize that there are couples that get together young and last, which can be appealing too. And Cruz & Liam have dealt with a lot so I feel like it helped them bond and matured them a bit more than your average 18/19 year old.
Speaking of them going through a lot, I hurt for these two but through luck of the residence lottery they were matched up with someone who could truly get them. And I love how their pasts made them different, with Cruz being positive & happy-go-lucky but Liam being grumpy & sullen, but it also helped them be the support the other needed.
There’re these delightful moments of humor mixed in with the steam & emotion as Cruz explores his sexuality and both of them start to become more than just friends, sharing some of their hurts. There’s also a delightful mix of side characters so Lenard has given her readers plenty of material for future stories. Looking forward to what comes next (I’m just torn on who I want it to be more).
*****
Author Info:
Hi! I’m Michele-or at least that’s the name I write under-because my parents and my kids are not allowed to read my books. Ever. Though sports romance is my guilty pleasure, I like to dabble in all MM tropes. My books are set in my home state of Colorado, because to me the mountains are the only thing that can compete with a good book. My favorite food is Mexican, my favorite shoes are flip-flops, and my drink of choice is whiskey, the same as virtually every character I’ve ever written.
The first time I met Miles Aldrich, he stole my cupcakes.
The second time, I handed him a bill for what he owed me. He’s a billionaire after all. He can afford it.
The third time we met… well, that was the biggest surprise of all. I walked into his office looking for help with a business plan. But I somehow walked out… with afake boyfriend.
Miles claims the plan is simple: he’ll lend me his powerful family’s reputation by posing as my boyfriend. I’ll gain important contacts, and he’ll have someone by his side so he doesn’t have to make excuses for why he’s not dating anyone.
For one whole summer, Miles Aldrich is not so truly mine. The real man behind the smooth lines and flirty smiles is nothing like I assumed.
He’s sunshine in a tall, gorgeous package.
He kisses me like his life depends on it.
Logically, I know this relationship of ours isn’t real.
But the problem is… the feelings he’s bringing out in me are true as can be.
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Julia Wolf writes sexy rockers, broken bad boys, snarky heroines, and bad ass women. She’s a firm believer in happily ever afters, no matter how rocky the road is to get there.
Julia lives in Maryland with her husband and three crazy, beautiful children. When she’s not writing romance, she’s reading it. Some of her favorite things are, in no particular order: goats, books, coffee, and Target.
It’s the classic story—boy goes off into the world to fulfill his dreams and leaves the girl behind.
Not every boy returns home, and I wish Ben Noughton wouldn’t have come back to our small ranching town at all after he retired from playing professional football.
I figure it’s a quick layover for him. He always wanted out of this town and off his family’s ranch. I just have to bide my time until he turns his back on all of us again.
Then he takes on the coaching position for the high school football team and starts milling around too much, bulldozing the protective walls I’ve built around myself. But he goes too far when he takes my son under his wing to help him be the best player he can be. Leaving me to protect not only my own heart but my son’s too.
Because I promised myself a long time ago that I’d never be the girl in the rearview mirror again.
Audio with Duet Narration by CJ Bloom & Robert Hatchet
*****
Review:
Piper Rayne’s newest brings us to a close-knit Nebraska ranching community. And like all good small town romances, it has big personalities, fast moving gossip, & couples just waiting on their HEA.
What better way to start off than a second-chance romance between an ex-NFL football player and his high school sweetheart. I loved Ben & Gillian together – both still having feelings for each other after all the years apart. A connection that time didn’t break, but maybe bruised a bit.
I gotta say, though, life seems to come pretty easy to Ben. He was able to choose when & how he came home while Gillian had to stay behind, to weather the gossip and be reminded of their relationship at every turn. So I was with her as she first tried to avoid him and then to keep him at arms length. I can even understand why she gave in when she did but she really could have made him work for it 🙂 Granted we are only given some of the details on exactly what happened between them, and they were young, but it would have been nice to see a bit more effort on his part.
As the start of a new series, The One I Left Behind is a delight, bringing us the big Noughton family that I can’t wait to see more of. They can be a little rough, and not the best at communicating, but they are full of heart and there are plenty of them to bring us a lot of new stories.
*****
Author Info:
Piper Rayne is a USA Today Bestselling Author duo who write “heartwarming humor with a side of sizzle” about families, whether that be blood or found. They both have e-readers full of one-clickable books, they’re married to husbands who drive them to drink, and they’re both chauffeurs to their kids. Most of all, they love hot heroes and quirky heroines who make them laugh, and they hope you do, too!
A sizzling, small town, enemies to lovers, sports standalone romance from bestselling author, Stacey Lynn.
Ava Decker has hated me for just as many years as I’ve spent loving her.
I made a mistake pretending our night together never happened. For pretending I forgot. But we were young and I was getting ready to leave for college with big plans for the future.
I had no plans to return to our small town in Colorado anytime soon and Ava never wanted to leave. That alone was enough to keep me away from her while we both grew up.
And yet, I never forgot about her and what she means to me.
Now eight years later, imagine my surprise, when I come home and find Sleeping Beauty asleep on my couch, thinking I wouldn’t be back home from my off-season vacation for a few weeks.
As a professional football player, I know all about grabbing an opportunity and running with it. This is my chance to finally convince the girl of my dreams to stay and to tell her the truth about that fateful night years ago.
But getting Ava Decker to not only forgive me but to give me another chance comes with a whole new set of plays I’m not used to.
I’ve got all the time in the world to convince her. I’m committed to showing to her that she is my endgame. I let her go once before and I’ll stop at nothing to prove to her that my love for her is real and an unstoppable force.
*Readers should be mindful that Unstoppable Love contains multiple descriptive scenes of attempted assault that may be sensitive and triggering to some.
Stacey Lynn likes her coffee with a dash of sugar, her heroes with a side of bossy, and her wine a deep shade of red.
The author of over thirty romance novels, many of which have been best-selling titles on Amazon, AppleBooks, and Barnes & Noble, she loves being able to turn her vivid imagination into a career that brings entertainment and joy to her readers. Focused on sports romance and emotional, small-town romance, she also loves stretching herself in different genres.
Born in Texas and raised in the Midwest, she now makes her home in North Carolina and loves all things Southern. Together with her ultimate tall, dark, and handsome hero, she has four children. Her life is a chaotic mess that fights with her Type-A, list-making, neurotically organized preferences and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Romantic Reads and Such 