One hard fall in the rodeo ring. One maddeningly gorgeous cowboy. One chance at love she swore she’d never take.
Billie Wallace has spent her whole life trying to prove she’s more than the Wallace Ranch’s “wild” only daughter. All she wants is a shot at barrel racing—and a purpose beyond crunching numbers in her daddy’s office. But when her very first run ends in disaster, Billie lands flat on her back with Ryder Rivers—her childhood crush, her brother’s best friend, and the town’s notorious heartbreaker—hovering over her.
In all the years she’s known him, Ryder has never entertained Billie’s shameless flirting. But after her fall, he’s suddenly everywhere—showing up to help her when she’s hurt, staring at her across the honky-tonk when she’s trying to move on with a bronc rider, and encouraging her to explore her dream career.
Before either can really register what’s happening, their partnership sparks into much more than just dust and arguments. Late nights turn into stolen kisses. Stolen kisses turn into something that feels dangerously like forever. Ryder swears he’s not the staying kind, but the way he looks at Billie like she’s the only woman in the world makes everyone start to wonder if he’s ready to stop running…
RYDER is an interconnected standalone book in the Lucky River Ranch Series.
Kace Elliott is the hockey player with a genius IQ and a secret side hustle in applied physics. He’s falling for his research partner, but she doesn’t know who he is outside of the lab. Now, the closer they get, the harder it becomes for him to keep his two worlds from colliding.
On the ice, I’m Kace Elliott—starting goalie for the Pittsburgh Titans, fighting to prove myself in the playoffs. Off it, I’m William—a scientific researcher, quietly holding on to the academic world I’ll return to when hockey is over. Both versions are real, they just aren’t meant to overlap.
Until Dr. Laurel Kent.
Laurel is brilliant, principled, and deeply rooted in a world where transparency matters. She knows me online as William, her intellectual equal, the man who shares her passion for data, late-night collaboration, and easy, unexpected chemistry. William is very much her type whereas athletes are not.
I need her to like the bigger part of me—the hockey player. When she meets me in person, as Kace, I make the choice to let her see the type of man she’s sworn off from ever dating. She gets the Titans goalie and all the craziness that comes with the playoffs. But here’s where it gets complicated: I make the dangerous decision not to tell her Kace and William are the same person.
By some stroke of luck, Laurel agrees to give Kace a shot, and our time together is more than I ever hoped for. The closer together we grow, the less she talks about William, and I convince myself I’ll tell her the truth when the timing is better, once I’m able to prove I’m more than the label she’s written off. But timing has a way of unraveling even the best intentions.
As the pressure of the playoffs intensifies, the boundary I’ve relied on becomes impossible to maintain. When Laurel discovers how closely intertwined my worlds really are, I’m faced with the cost of asking someone to love only part of me.
And winning on the ice means nothing if I lose the woman who made me want to stop dividing my life in two.
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).
It was painful to even think about the man who’d broken my heart when I was seventeen—the man I’d thought I’d spend my life with until he tossed me aside as if I meant nothing.
But when I wake up in the hospital eighteen years later, hurting and confused, Nico’s there to protect me.
He says I was attacked on my way to see him. He wants to know why, after years of silence, I showed up again. But I can’t answer his questions because I can’t remember. Not why I was back in Manhattan. Not why I supposedly wanted to see him. And I have no idea who tried to kill me.
The last thing I expected to see on my way home from work was my ex-girlfriend being loaded into an ambulance, unconscious and injured.
Just as instinct demanded I go to her, logic said to leave the past buried. After all, we were nothing to each other anymore. Dredging up old hurts and betrayals would accomplish nothing.
But it was Sofia. My Sofia. Who was attacked on the street on her way to see me.
So I go to see her in the hospital, unsure of what to expect. And when I get there, I arrive just in time to stop another attack.
As I hold a vulnerable Sofia in my arms, I know there’s no way I can leave her. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.
I always enjoy Cobie’s stories. She does a good job of mixing the suspense & action elements with the more emotional ones. Here we get a couple with a very believable second chance at love, as long as they can keep Sophie alive 🙂
The danger that she’s in gives Nico & Sophie the necessary reason to spend time together. And Cobie does a good job of giving us bits and pieces of Sophie & Nico’s history, as well as how it affects their interactions today, resolving it in a satisfying way that gives them an opportunity to develop a new relationship. That danger is also resolved in a satisfying way (although there is a little gray area toward the end that I’m not sure how I feel about, tho I’m betting it’ll play out in the series), with a mystery that kept me going and in my feels.
It’s the first story in a new series and really only focuses on Nico & Sophie, with a little bit of an intro to his friends and F&F Securities. Based on it & the ending, we can probably expect similar stories to what we’ve seen from other series set in this world. And I’m here for it because every book I’ve read so far has kept me coming back for more.
*****
Author Info:
Gia Cobie is an award winning author living in upstate New York with her husband and small zoo of animals. She loves writing about protective heroes and the strong women they fall in love with.
In her spare time (when she has any!), Gia enjoys reading and spending time in the Adirondacks, and also has a weakness for reality romance shows, wine, and buying way too many books!
When my best friend offers to come as my date to my sister’s wedding to get back at my sister for breaking his heart, I agree thinking it will be hilarious. What I didn’t consider was that I’ve been in love with him half my life, and all the consequences of us fake dating.
My family demands I bring my new boyfriend to her shower first, and things only go downhill from there. My sister is marrying the goalie from our rival team who immediately is up in arms about us dating.
Fair, but I don’t have time to dwell on it as things quickly get weird with my best friend. Wolfe is straight, it shouldn’t be weird right? It’s fake after all. But I’m so wrong. He kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before, and then we both realize we have to keep this up for months until the wedding.
Between the unexpected sexual tension, hockey, and the secrets we are keeping. I don’t know how we’re going to get through the season.
Wolfe takes his confidence & golden retriever energy into basically every part of his life and his bi-awakening isn’t any different. I love how he takes it all in stride and is so sure & so proud of his sexuality. It takes Angel a little more time to really believe in it but Wolfe isn’t above putting in the work.
And I felt for Angel, loving his best friend and having to see him with first his sister & then years of one night stands. I adore a good best friends to lovers romance but these kinds can just break your heart. It’s totally understandable for it to take Wolfe a while to stop doubting the truth of their new dynamic. Years of deep friendship and a closeness like their’s would be hard to risk.
This is my first book by Gray and I really enjoyed it. The friendship between Wolfe and Angel, developed over years of closeness and some trauma, morphs so well into something more. And Gray doesn’t scrimp on the emotions or the steam as they find their new footing & what their futures might bring.
(Can be read as a stand alone but there were a few things from previous books that were a little confusing. Not related to the main plot tho and just a vagueness that I would probably understand if this wasn’t my first book in the series.)
*****
Author Info:
Gray is a cynical Chicago native, who drinks coffee all day, barely sleeps, and is a little too fashion obsessed. He writes realistic and damaged characters because everyone deserves a happily ever after.
Getting pregnant after a one-night stand with my brother’s best friend was never part of the plan.
We’re talking about Foster Davis here.
Chicago Colts closing pitcher. The broody king of one-word answers. And the man everyone knows keeps one foot out the door.
Surprisingly, when two pink lines turn my world upside down, Foster doesn’t run. He steps in, he shows up, and he insists we do this together.
Pretending we’re fine is easy. Pretending this is just about the baby? Not so much.
Because Foster is gentle when no one’s watching. Because he looks at me like I’m something worth protecting. Because the walls he’s built start to crack—and I’m the one he’s letting inside.
Our arrangement was supposed to be simple. Boundaries were set. Co-parents and no catching feelings.
Okay, maybe a few sex lessons were added in too. Bad idea, I know.
Because the more time I spend with Foster Davis, the harder it is to remember why I ever thought he was the risky choice.
Foster is probably one of my favorite Piper Rayne characters. I love his swagger and his issues and am really intrigued by the dynamic with his parents & brother. (Definitely looking forward to finding out more in Decker’s book.) And Callie’s sass – girl wasn’t taking anything lying down in The Hotshot 🙂 No wonder that the two of them together create sparks!
A lot of the times in accidental pregnancy or forced proximity tropes the reasoning is a little forced but I found that it works well here. I liked the two of them living together and taking the opportunity to get to know each other better. The secret of the baby and the way things play out was good too.
The sex lessons tho … I understand why they go there and how it might have worked in relation to just the two of them but I’m pretty sure a guy like Foster has a few tricks up his sleeve. Yes, part of the point was that he wasn’t exactly the guy that everyone thought he was. And that men sometimes think they are more amazing in bed than they really are but he had regular partners, not just bunnies or one night stands …
The relationship between the two of them, as well as the found family aspect of the teammates, sells it for me. Piper Rayne always delivers on her characters and both of them just got me in my feels. I was rooting for them every step of the way to figure out how to communicate their needs and concerns so they could figure out a way to support & truly love one another.
Come hell or high water, Nate’s gonna be Ramsey’s perfect (fake) boyfriend . . .
The night Nate Bishop met Ramsey Andresen, he didn’t know who he was.
Didn’t know he was a hockey player. Didn’t know he’d be sticking around in Toronto. Most definitely didn’t know they’d hook up and Ramsey would walk right out of his life. Leaving him aching for more and hating that he can’t forget him.
They meet again at a Thunder team party and Nate’s not only shocked by Ramsey’s presence, but the way he acts like he belongs. He’s gorgeous and perfect and unobtainable, his existence rubbing Nate’s face into everything he can’t have.
He knows his teammates aren’t happy they don’t get along. But the last thing Nate expects is for Ramsey to suggest a plan to get them off their backs.
Not a fake friendship, but a fake situationship.
As they spend more time together—at first a necessity because of the charade, and then because they can’t stay away from each other—Nate starts to learn more about Ramsey’s secrets.
And each shadowy corner that Nate shines light into makes him like Ramsey even more. Until like slides easily into love, and fake becomes something real. Something precious. When they shatter the illusion, can they face the reality that they want each other, completely and forever, after playing pretend for so long?
Tropes: fake relationship, enemies to lovers, football player x hockey player, bad boy settles down
Available on: Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, paperback (model & discreet), and audio narrated by Darcy Stark (est May)
Right away, we find out what happened before the season started and why there is so much tension between Nate & Ramsey. And I loved getting their POV, giving us glimpses into their own issues and the way they connect with each other & develop an understanding of what makes the other tick.
I love the two of them together. The way they truly get one another, supporting & appreciating each other. Being solidly there. With patience, they build trust & a safe place to be themselves. Especially Ramsey who has someone that sees him and appreciates his brilliance and his emotional intelligence, loving the complicated man he hides under his suave exterior.
I came into this one with all kinds of faith in Beth Bolden’s skills because enemies-to-lovers and MCs that are averse to emotional involvement usually aren’t my favs. Typically they have more than their fair share of angst but I’ve never been let down by Bolden so I gladly dove into this one. And OH MY GOSH, so good!
When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…
My home. My job. My reputation. My so-called friends.
Scared, hurting, the life I’d worked so hard for in shambles, there seemed no better option than to leave.
After years of city life, the idea of escaping to the small town of Williston seemed appealing. So I picked up and moved there to take a job at the local diner. It might not have been what I’d trained for, but I came to enjoy it.
Something else I enjoyed? Talking to Webb—my favorite customer, the most handsome man I’d ever met, and a man I might have considered dating if things were different.
Ever since I met Noelle at the diner, it’s become my favorite place to visit.
And if she gave any sign of being interested, I’d ask her out in a second.
As we grow closer, I can tell she’s keeping a secret. I’m worried, but I don’t know her well enough to push. Not until I find her hurt and and humiliated and crying in the diner bathroom, that is. Not until I find out the truth of why she left her old life behind.
Noelle needs someone who believes in her. Someone who’ll do anything to protect her. And with the help of my Blade and Arrow teammates, I intend to do just that.
Protected from Evilis a steamy he-falls-first story featuring a former Night Stalker, a scared but strong heroine, a team of Army veterans, found family, forced proximity, thrilling twists, and a guaranteed HEA. Can be read as a standalone.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite of Cobie’s stories, which was disappointing because I love Webb & Noelle. Things were a little awkward in places. While I love the idea of Webb being a little uncertain, a little less confident going into his first serious relationship, I would have preferred for him to get more comfortable in his wooing a little quicker. Is it realistic? Yes. Is it what I would expect from this kind of story? Not so much. You imagine these guys to be a bit more take charge and assured.
And like the last one, if you find your bad guy at about the 2/3 mark there’s going to be another at the end 🙂 So it wasn’t a surprise that something else was coming, which was a bit of a bummer. But I was engaged in the mystery itself. I was pulled in, especially in the last third, and I felt like Cobie did a fantastic job of keeping things suspenseful and the danger level high for me.
But even if they sometimes seem a bit formulaic, I really look forward to Cobie’s stories. I like her characters, and there’s plenty of opportunity to get to know them as they spend time together while they work to figure out whatever suspense element is involved. And so far, all of those parts have worked for me. The bad guys make sense and she does a good job of giving a feeling of risk. I’ll definitely continue to add all of her books to my TBR as soon as I find them.
*****
Author Info:
Gia Cobie is an award winning author living in upstate New York with her husband and small zoo of animals. She loves writing about protective heroes and the strong women they fall in love with.
In her spare time (when she has any!), Gia enjoys reading and spending time in the Adirondacks, and also has a weakness for reality romance shows, wine, and buying way too many books!
Rafe Ortiz should be focused on the music—on the gigs, the grind, and the industry eyes finally turning his way. Instead, every lyric he writes leads back to one Oliver Marshall, the golden-boy basketball captain with a body built for highlight reels and a secret smile meant only for him.
Behind the court and the stage lights, they burn.
In the shadows, they fall.
And no one can know.
Ollie has a reputation to protect and parents who expect perfection. Rafe has a band depending on him and a career poised to explode. Rules say they should walk away. Desire says they won’t survive it if they do.
When March Madness collides with a life-changing showcase opportunity, their stolen nights and breathless encounters become a crossroads—love or legacy, truth or secrecy, each choice carrying consequences that could break them.
Or bind them tighter than ever.
BREAKING STRINGS is an addictive, emotional, steamy MM romance about two men fighting for dreams, for each other, and for the life they’re terrified to admit they want.
Becca Seymour is a British/Aussie author and the #1 gay romance best seller of the True-Blue series. Known for “steamy and endearing” and “emotionally profound love stories” (InD’tale Magazine) her books have been nominated for multiple RONE Awards.
Becca has a sweet tooth for marshmallow-hearted monsters, swoon-worthy supernatural studs, and everyday guys and basketball players with hearts of gold. If you like your MM romance sweet, spicy, and occasionally action-packed, slip into stalker mode and fall hard for her True-Blue and Minnesota Eagles men—and maybe a shifter or monster two.
From New York Times bestselling author, Kelly Elliott, comes a new small town, family saga series.
EMELINE Seven years. That’s how long it’s been since I last came face-to-face with Levi Tucker. He’s my older brother’s best friend, and the man I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. Now he’s back in River Falls, along with his young son, Rhett, and suddenly they’re woven into both my personal and professional life.
The last thing I expected was the wild, undeniable pull between Levi and me to turn something strictly professional into something deeply personal. But Levi’s past is closing in, and this time, I refuse to walk away. I’m ready to fight for the life and the love I want, because both Levi and Rhett Tucker are worth the battle.
LEVI Tragedy brings my son, Rhett, and me back to River Falls, Colorado. After losing my daughter in a devastating car accident and watching my marriage fall apart, returning home feels like my last chance to start over.
When I’m roped into volunteering at the Wilde Family’s summer camp for underprivileged kids, the last person I expect to fall for is my best friend’s younger sister. For the first time, I can see a future filled with love and happiness for my son and me. Yet when my soon-to-be ex-wife reappears in River Falls, everything I’ve begun to build is suddenly at risk.
Will the past destroy our second chance, or will true love finally get its happily ever after?
Wilde Ride is book 2 in the Love is a Cowboy series.
Poor Emeline, loving her brother’s best friend but she’s too young, he’s with someone else, they get married and move away … It’s so heartbreaking. And extremely relatable. Years later he’s back, grieving the loss of his daughter and the end of his marriage, and they are spending time together, growing closer again. Of course Emeline finds herself falling in love all over again, with Levi and his son.
Levi is a fabulous father, back home to make a good life for what’s left of his family. Being in River Falls, and with his parents and the Wilde’s again, brings the two closer and has them happy again. Especially one Wilde in particular, one who just fits them. Making him think differently about the future.
Kelly Elliott delivers a delicious mix of emotion, pining, want, and steam. I felt Emeline’s turmoil over her teenage crush on Levi, and how that crush didn’t go away. This is my first of her books and it was a fabulous introduction. Which means I didn’t read the first book in the series but I don’t think it’s needed, although it’ll definitely go on my TBR after this 🙂
(Please make sure you read the blurb. The death of Levi’s daughter and his divorce play a pretty important part of the book and it may be a little too heavy for some.)