Read an excerpt from The Start of Something Good by Jennifer Probst

An enriching story of family ties, broken hearts, and second chances from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst.

When Ethan Bishop returns to the Hudson Valley, his body and spirit are a little worse for wear. As a former Special Forces paratrooper, he saw his fair share of conflict, and he came home with wounds, inside and out. At his sisters’ B & B and farm, he can keep all his pain at a safe distance. But quiet time isn’t easy when a fiery woman explodes into his life…

It’s business—not pleasure—that brings Manhattan PR agent Mia Thrush reluctantly to the farm. Tightly wound and quick tempered, Mia clashes immediately with the brooding Ethan. Everything about him is irritating—from his lean muscles and piercing blue eyes to his scent of sweat and musk.

But as the summer unfolds and temperatures rise, Ethan and Mia discover how much they have in common: their guarded histories, an uncontrollable desire, and a passion for the future that could heal two broken hearts. But will their pasts threaten their fragile chance at a brand-new future?

Excerpt

“What are you doing here?”

She steeled her shoulders, emphasizing the thrust of her pert breasts, and her tiny waist. Then had the gall to give him the stink eye. “I’m here for an apology.”

A bark of laughter escaped his lips. Damn, she had spunk. “Let me get this straight. You come into my barn without permission, let a horse out of its stall, watch her disappear, and you want an apology from me?”

“Yes.”

“Princess, I have plenty of things to say to you but none of them includes an apology.”

“I brought you lunch as a peace offering. I was trying to meet you halfway since we’re neighbors. I was trying to be nice!”

“I never got to eat my lunch because it took me hours to find Clarabelle. I had to scour those damn woods and waste my entire afternoon because you dropped a carrot. Thank God she wasn’t hurt and I was able to get her back safely.”

This was the second time she began nibbling her lip—a definite tell when she felt guilty about something. “I tried to explain and apologize but you got all boorish and started yelling to get out of your barn.”

“I never yell. I told you very quietly to leave the barn.”

“In a threatening tone.”

He shook his head. “I bet you’re an excellent PR person.”

She looked surprised at the change of subject. “Thank you, I feel like I am. I do work hard.”

“You’re very good at twisting everything around like a pretzel. Bending the truth to suit your needs. No wonder Lake hired you.”

Those Bambi eyes simmered with temper. “You think you’re hot shit with your beard and your sexy body and your fake cowboy drawl but you’re just mean! You pretend to be this broody loner type because you had an accident and your leg got hurt. Big frikkin’ deal. That doesn’t give you a right to be cranky to everyone you meet.”

His mouth practically dropped open.  “What do you know about my leg?” he asked in a warning voice.

She wasn’t intimidated at all. In fact, she had the nerve to toss her mane of honey hair and come closer. “Car accident, right? I spoke to someone in town. Seems the consensus is you got hurt, left your previous job, and came home. You proceeded to lock yourself in some sad little bungalow and refuse to come out. How am I doing so far?”

His head spun. Red mist shrouded his vision. Oh, she needed to learn some manners, and he was just the type to teach her. “You know nothing about what happened to me,” he said softly. “Your entire career revolves around manipulating the truth. Let me ask you this, princess. Have you ever gotten real before? Do you even know what it is?”

She bared her teeth and gave a throaty growl. The sound was almost sexual, and registered below his waist. Thank fuck he was too pissed off to care. “I can get real, any time, any place, horse man. I’m not afraid to answer any question with the truth, and your cheap shots about my career are just that. Cheap. You know nothing about the people I try to protect or what I stand for.”

“Any question?”

They were close now. The scent of her perfume surrounded him—some type of exotic orange spice. Her lashes were thick and dark. Her lips were pursed with a furious focus, painted the color of pale apple cider. She had a dab of white sunscreen on her nose she’d forgotten to rub in and some type of shimmery gold shadow under her arched brows. She was infuriating and silly and for one horrifying, brief moment, Ethan wanted to kiss her.

“Yes, any question,” she snarled back.

Too bad the woman would break under one good, passionate kiss, or he’d be tempted to play a mean game of chicken to see who would retreat first.

Too bad she was already sleeping with Lake.

Instead, he leaned in and gave a slow, mocking smile. “You really think I’m sexy, huh?”

She jerked back, eyes wide with horror. “You are pure evil,” she whispered.

Ethan chuckled. “Your secret is safe with me, princess. Anytime you wanna get real, give me a ring.”

A shriek emitted from her lips. She stomped around him in those towering heels. “I will never, ever bring you lunch again!”

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About the Author

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.

She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.

She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.

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Spotlight: The Girl Who Stepped into the Past by Sophie Barnes

She was looking for inspiration…

When historical romance author Jane Edwards goes to England on a research trip, she doesn’t expect to travel two hundred years into the past. She also doesn’t expect to be accused of murdering the Earl of Camden’s sister. Presented with few choices, Jane decides the best course of action is to help Camden find the real killer. But the more time she spends in his company, the more she falls for the dashing earl, and the more she hopes for a life with him by her side.

And found love in the most impossible place.

James Sullivan, Earl of Camden, is convinced Jane had something to do with his sister’s murder. Until he learns she lacked the ability to accomplish the feat. Still, her explanation about stopping by his home in the middle of a rainstorm to seek employment, doesn’t add up. And yet, when he offers her the position she supposedly seeks, he discovers the smart resourceful woman she is. Which makes him wonder if marrying his new maid, might be worth the risk of scandal.

Excerpt

Hastening down the steps to the gravel path below, Jane ignored the gathering clouds now obscuring the sun and the increasing chill in the air. Instead, she all but ran toward the man-made ruin, not halting until she was able to reach out and touch one of the fallen columns. She snapped another picture and admired the work. It would have provided the Summervale residents and their guests with a very romantic destination for their afternoon walks. Perhaps the earl had taken a young lady here to declare his feelings for her? Jane knew he’d never married, and yet she could not help but wonder.

Her chest tightened in a puzzling way she could not explain. Recognizing the feeling, the surge of envy that clawed its way through her, she cast the thought aside. What on earth was wrong with her? What reasonable woman would feel any jealousy for a potentially fictitious girl who’d lived in a different century than herself?

Shaking her head, Jane started back toward the manor. Her breakup with Geoffrey had obviously affected her more than she’d thought. Because here she was, visiting an English manor and falling for a man from a bygone age – a man she didn’t even know anything about.

A drop of water fell on her hand, then another as she turned to snap some more photos of the folly, and another still as she put her phone back in her purse. Before she knew it, the clouds were spitting with increased fury until they suddenly split apart, drenching her in seconds.

Where on earth was the sunny sky from an hour ago? It seemed unfathomable for a climate to change this drastically in such short time, but apparently it had, so rather than ponder the impossibility of it, Jane started to run. Her flats hit the gravel, crunching it beneath her feet as she darted straight for the terrace. It was going to be a long walk back to the village if this rain persisted, but perhaps the manor had a cafeteria where she could stop for a hot cup of tea until it passed.

She was almost at the steps, water streaking over her head, when a crack of lightning tore through the air, the silver-blue glow spearing the ground before her. Gasping, Jane came to a halt. Then a bellowing rumble descended upon her. It was followed by a thunderous roar that propelled her forward once more and with such great haste that the tip of her shoe caught the edge of the step and she tripped. Another flare of lightning lit the sky and flickered across the terrace as Jane went down, dropping her purse in order to break her fall with her hands. And then the world exploded with light, and Jane bent her head to brace herself against the thrashing wind.

The stone slabs were cold and wet beneath her palms, and her knee ached in response to the hard landing it had endured. With droplets of water sliding rapidly over her face, Jane waited until the storm had eased a little, then rose and bent to pick up her purse. But it was gone. She blinked, searching the steps but finding nothing. Perhaps it had fallen into one of the flowerbeds? She started to go and look when lightning zigzagged its way through the air before her, and she hastily turned away with a new thought in mind. She would seek shelter first and look for her purse later. Because if there was one thing she didn’t plan on doing, it was getting struck by lighting and dying on the steps of Summervale House.

So she started back up the steps with the skirt of her dress tangling around her legs, impeding her progress. Darkness descended once more, resembling night rather than day and obstructing Jane’s vision. Still, she continued forward, so eager to get inside that she almost tripped once again, this time over the body blocking her path.

With a jolt, her heart slammed against her chest. A chill pricked her skin. Dear God. Was that..? She swallowed hard, rain streaking over her hair and shoulders as she stared down at the twisted limbs. The glow of occasional lightning eerily highlighted details: an expensive gown draped over a female form, long hair spread out on the shimmering granite slabs, a face Jane had seen only a short while earlier.

No.

It can’t be.

And yet, she recognized Lady Tatiana’s appearance immediately, the blood pooling close to her neck as real as the wetness numbing Jane’s bones. Shouts sounded from inside the manor. They were followed by the thud of footsteps approaching at a rapid run. The French doors flew open and several people appeared. Jane stared, her attention now fixed on the man who marched toward her. His face conveyed his fury, the rage he would no doubt unleash upon her at any second. It bore no semblance at all to the charming expression conveyed in his portrait.

Although her mind struggled to accept the reality of it, Jane knew who he was in an instant. Not an actor, but the actual Earl of Camden himself, in all his aristocratic glory.

“I will have you hanged for this,” he snarled while glaring down at her upturned face.

Jane flinched. “What?” She’d been so dazed by the strangeness of the situation in which she found herself, her mind attempting to comprehend it – to logically explain it – she’d forgotten about Tatiana and how her own presence would likely be construed.

“Who are you?” Camden demanded while two other people remained a few steps behind him. His hands gripped Jane’s arms, shaking her slightly as if to force her to speak. And yet, in spite of his obvious hatred toward her in that precise moment, she could not help but appreciate his strength. Which was probably the most useless thing for her to be thinking about at the moment.

“I’m…” Jane stared at him through the falling rain. This wasn’t possible. It simply wasn’t. And yet the evidence was in Tatiana’s lifeless body, the blood, and the very real earl who addressed her. “What date is it?”

Camden’s brow knit with obvious frustration. “Are you mad?” She shook her head and his grip on her tightened. Turning, he addressed one of the men behind him. “Take her to my study, Hendricks. Keep an eye on her until I arrive.”

Without further ado, Jane was handed over and led away. If she had indeed been transported back to 1818, she dared not think of what might be in store for her. Tatiana’s murder had never been solved, the villain never found, yet Jane was now the prime suspect, and she had no idea how she was going to change that without convincing everyone here that she belonged in Bedlam.

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About Sophie Barnes

Born in Denmark, Sophie has spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world.

She has studied design in Paris and New York and has a bachelor’s degree from Parson’s School of design, but most impressive of all – she’s been married to the same man three times, in three different countries and in three different dresses.

While living in Africa, Sophie turned to her lifelong passion – writing.

When she’s not busy, dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family. She currently lives on the East Coast.

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Read an excerpt from Dirty Exes by Rachel Van Dyken

Blaire has never quite gotten over Jessie Beckett, the ex–NFL star whose kisses were hot enough to ignite the entire Eastern Seaboard. When he chose work over her, Blaire was left brokenhearted. Why else would she have married a skeezy two-timer, just to divorce him less than a year later?

Now Blaire is getting even by becoming one half of Dirty Exes, a PI firm fully committed to humiliating cheating jerks. If only the new jerk she’s been hired to uncover wasn’t Jessie Beckett himself.

Exposing Jessie isn’t going to be easy, especially when she still daydreams about his sexy smile. Further complicating matters is Colin, Jessie’s best friend. He’s gorgeous, a little bit cunning, and willing to help Blaire get the inside scoop on Jessie—for a price.

Now caught between two men—one totally right and the other totally wrong—Blaire will need to decide just how much she’s willing to risk…and whom she’s willing to risk it for.

Excerpt

This was not how I pictured my life going. 

Not even a little bit. 

A rat scurried by. 

I held my breath and closed my eyes. 

The smell of sewer burned my nostrils and made me cringe when I thought about how much money I’d spent on my LuLuLemon yoga pants. Yeah, these stains weren’t coming out any time soon. 

I was the adult version of Dora the Explorer crawling through the sewers of downtown LA like I was searching for fabled alligators. 

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a princess, so like I said, not how I pictured my life. 

I tried to stop myself from gagging as something that looked like dirty toilet paper floated past. I grunted and kept stumbling through the dark tunnel. 

I hadn’t been close to my parents. 

Their deaths left this giant gaping hole in my heart where I knew something was supposed to fit, but nothing ever did. My brother poured himself into sports—and I poured myself into this idyllic little fantasy that I would be the mom I never had. 

It seemed like a good idea. Marry well. Be the mom I’d been denied. The mom I’d always wanted. One who’d make casseroles on Mondays, pot roast on Sundays, have a white picket fence—that was the dream. Or maybe the dream was just to be loved. 

The sound of cars above me had me panicking, one earthquake and I’d go splat beneath a semi hauling fish. 

Because that was the type of luck I had. 

I checked the text message again and used the flashlight on my phone to peer up at the ladder leading to the street. 

Isla: Downtown. Eleven p.m. Shaggy’s Steakhouse. Alleyway 

“Bingo,” I whispered and quickly plugged in my fiber-optic camera. God bless iPhones and all the little gadgets that come with them. As quietly as possible, I climbed the ladder and shoved the camera up through the gritty metal hole. 

“Come to mama,” I whispered as my adrenaline spiked. 

Isla said she’d lure him out of the restaurant with the promise of a quickie, and the cheating idiot—the one who really needed to learn how to shop in his own garage, if you get my meaning—was clearly all over it. What was it with men who thought that money made up for their overactive sweat glands and jowls the size of my ass? 

“God, you’re a beautiful woman,” lying, cheating bastard crooned in a gravelly voice that reminded me of those antismoking commercials. My face twisted with disgust while I recorded. The angle was perfect, and the street lights may as well have been spotlights on his eager face. 

“Awww.” My best friend and business partner shrugged a shoulder and forced a laugh. She tugged down the front of her dress, and the cheater took one look at her breasts and made a choking noise. Apparently he had an overactive salivary gland too. “You’re such a nice guy. How are you not married?”

“Just haven’t found the right woman, I suppose.” He toyed with the black material near her shoulder, flicking it with his swollen and heavily ringed pointer finger. I kept myself from throwing up. 

“Is that so?” She leaned in. “How is that even possible?” 

“No idea.” He leaned in. 

Oh, honey, I appreciate the dedication but he probably tastes like an ashtray. Don’t do it, don’t do it. I briefly contemplated closing my eyes so I wouldn’t have to witness any forthcoming kiss. Only a best friend would notice the slight grimace Isla made before backing up and sliding a manila envelope out of her bag and shoving it into his chest. 

“What’s this?” He chuckled at the envelope while she made a gagging noise and wiped her mouth. The guy hadn’t even kissed her, yet her body was in distress, poor thing. 

“You got it?” She looked down at the sewer cover. 

I moved the fiber-optic cable up and down in an affirmative motion. 

She smirked at him. “You’ve just been served. You’re also on camera, so say hi to your wife and the rest of the Dirty Exes, our live Facebook group. And while you’re at it, you may as well say goodbye to half of everything you own according to the prenup you signed three years ago. But you know what? Half doesn’t seem nearly enough to put up with you.” 

I cackled. 

His phone buzzed.

“Better answer that, I’m pretty sure that’s your soon-to-be-ex-wife just making sure you’re aware that she saw the live video.” She smiled triumphantly. “Oh, and nice doing business with you.” 

With great effort, I removed the sewer lid then heaved myself up the rest of the way. The cover felt like it weighed twenty-five pounds, and I nearly smashed my fingers in the name of catching another cheater. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. 

“You smell.” Isla scrunched up her nose when she waltzed over to me. “But you’re dedicated, I like it.” 

“It was the only way to get close enough,” I grumbled and made an effort to dust off my damp clothes even though I knew it was in vain. When she’d texted she’d be meeting the target, I’d been headed back to my apartment, so I was ill prepared for sewer sightseeing even though I knew it was a possibility, considering the location. Can one ever be completely prepared to do something like that? The answer is no. Just. No. 

“You bitches!” The Cheater ran toward both of us—lips curled in disgust, his eyes beady, angry little lasers, hand raised—like he was seconds away from attacking us with his cell phone. 

Instinctively, I reared back and let my fist fly. Knuckles connected with flesh, and he whimpered and went down like the loser he was. 

“Blaire!” Isla groaned. “You can’t just punch our clients’ husbands.” 

“I slipped,” I lied. “Besides, it was self-defense! He’s twice my size and he made a threat!” 

Isla just shook her head at me.

“He charged us! With his phone! That’s not normal behavior, plus it looked like he intended to use it as a weapon.” 

I may have anger issues. 

“Who are you people?” Cheater was on the ground, covering his face with his hands. Oh hell, was he crying? 

I stepped over his sad, pathetic body and grinned. “The Exes.” 

Isla looped her arm through mine and then dropped our black-and-white calling card on the ground. It was our final punch to the gut. Not only did it serve to warn our targets that we were watching … always watching, future clients who randomly found our cards called us based on curiosity alone. We grew our social media presence by being selective and only taking high-profile clients. Business was booming. 

“Have a good night.” I waved and shoved my phone back in my pocket. 

Isla sucked in a breath. “So, pizza?” 

“Fries,” I countered. 

“Pizza.” She narrowed her eyes like she was thinking. 

“Wine,” we said in unison. 

“Oh, looky here.” She pulled a bottle out of her giant Mary Poppins purse and waved it in front of my face like it was totally legal to drink while walking down the street. 

“You have glasses in there too?” I laughed, poking my head in her giant bag. 

She was already pulling them out. 

Of course.

Always prepared, Isla was. 

“And a screw top.” I pointed. “Best date of my life.” 

“Isn’t it though?” 

A couple passed us by. As I watched them kiss, I ignored the pang in my heart. 

Just like I ignored the longing that came with it. 

Stupid heart.

“You’re happy, right?” Isla asked. She was my other half. If the other half oozed sexuality and confidence. Most days I was lucky I even put on mascara and remembered to wash my hair. I was so focused on retribution, on not focusing on the past, that I was barely staying sane. I wanted to be that woman, the one who told the world where to stick it—I just didn’t know how to do it without acknowledging all the parts of myself that were still broken, still hurting. Because that meant I had to actually admit it happened, it was real, and I was alone. 

An impasse, that’s where I was at. 

“Of course!” I said loudly, realizing she was waiting for my response, and like an idiot I was peering into my wine cup like it was a Magic 8 Ball that would give me all life’s secrets if I just stared hard enough. Her eyebrow arched, and I could tell she wasn’t convinced. I took a deep breath, forced a soft smile, and said it again. “I’m really, really happy.” 

I just had to repeat it. 

And then add in two reallys. 

She gave me a confident nod and wrapped her arm around me. “Good.” 

And that was it. 

Except it wasn’t. 

Because a part of me was still thinking about that couple, about the look in her eyes when he kissed her, and about the way it felt to be kissed. 

A really good kiss. 

One that stunned you into silence. One that stole your breath and made you swear that if you died in that minute, it would be okay. A kiss that made you believe that maybe, just maybe, the world wasn’t all bad. 

That maybe love existed. 

It was that kind of kiss. 

And I realized in that moment, with a jarring sense of insecurity, that I’d only ever been kissed like that once in my entire life. 

And it wasn’t my ex-husband who had done it.

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About the Author

Rachel Van Dyken is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 New York Times bestselling author known for regency romances, contemporary romances, and her love of coffee and Swedish fish. Rachel’s also recently inked a deal for her Wingmen Inc. series—The Matchmaker’s Playbook and The Matchmaker’s Replacement—to be made into movies.

A fan of The Bachelor and the Seattle Seahawks (not necessarily in that order), Rachel lives in Idaho with her husband, a super cute toddler son who keeps her on her toes, and two boxers. Make sure you check out her site, www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com, and follow her on Twitter (@RachVD).

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Cover Reveal: Nothing But Trouble by Ashley Bostock

Nothing But Trouble
Ashley Bostock
Publication date: August 28th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Billionaire CEO Michael Vilander needed just one date. Creating a fake profile on his own matchmaking website may not have been his brightest move. But then Sophia Baldwin’s arresting face pops up on his CHAT NOW feature. Not only is she gorgeous, but after spending half the night exchanging messages with her, he finds her to be naive, innocent and way too sexy.

Twenty-four-year-old Sophia Baldwin is barely able to make ends meet. Caring for her sick grandmother prevents her from having a normal life—aspirations of attending college full-time to become a nurse are on the back burner—but then she meets the charming and dazzling Clint on an online dating site. When he asks her to the Denver Arts Foundation’s Annual Valentine’s Day Gala, she’s confident things are looking up.

Once Sophia learns that her hot date is none other than website mogul Michael Vilander, she’s definitely not mentioning her night job. What’s a lie by omission anyway? After all, it’s only one date…Until Michael’s ex flaunts her fancy engagement ring in Michael’s face and something compels Sophia to announce her and Michael’s engagement. AKA, fake engagement. They agree on one month to pretend they’re in love before all bets are off.

Pretending to be in love with a sweet and sexy billionaire, but not actually falling in love, ahem, how hard could it be?

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Author Bio:

Ashley Bostock is a Colorado Native and currently lives in Nebraska, with daydreams of moving back home. All her books feature sexy-as-hell heroes and strong heroines. She loves reading any chance she gets - Jill Shalvis, M. O'Keefe, Rachel Gibson, Karen Robards and Jennifer Probst are some of her favorites! Ashley loves traveling - in a wanderlust's eyes, she's hardly touched the world but to those that rarely travel, she's been everywhere. Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Turks & Caicos, Russia, China, Tahiti, Vietnam and Scotland, just to name a few.

Ashley is addicted to Instagram - if you want to follow her there: www.instagram.com/ashleybostock

If you want to stay in the know about new releases and receive EXCLUSIVE content, sign up for Ashley's newsletter at this address: https://www.subscribepage.com/ashleybostock

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Spotlight: A Shameless Little Bet by Meli Raine

A Shameless Little Bet
Meli Raine
(Shameless #3)
Publication date: June 5th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

How do I prove a negative?

I need to prove Jane is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Mirrors, smoke, and lies can conjure a truth that isn’t real. Money, bribes, and power can twist reality. What we call proof is all an elaborate magic act.

So is love.

How do you prove you’re in love? How can you know with unrelenting certainty that the person you can’t live without really loves you?

It’s all about what you believe. Who you believe. And I believe Jane. I love her. But it might be too late.

Or, worse-it might all be an illusion. If proof is just a magician’s sleight of hand, then we’re caught in a sick trick.

A deadly one.

One that doesn’t end with applause.

But with a bang.

Read the stunning conclusion to the Shameless series as Jane and Silas fight against forces that conspire to keep them apart — maybe forever.

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EXCERPT:

JANE

Lindsay’s already there at the Lilac Inn when Duff escorts me in. The place is tastefully decorated in a retro style, with floral prints and fresh flowers everywhere, an emphasis on lilacs, of course.

A silent hug greets me, her tight embrace saying more than any words. Duff stays back, tasteful like the decor but ever-present. He’s a theme we can’t shake.

“I am so sorry, Jane. I knew Drew was paranoid, but this takes the cake.” She leads me to a small semi-circular table with tea service already set up. Little cakes and sandwiches dot a three-tiered serving tray, and it turns out coffee is in what I thought was a teapot.

My stomach doesn’t just growl. It roars.

“Hungry?”

“You would think I’d have no appetite, but I guess I do,” I confess as we sit down. She pours me a cup of java while I shove a tiny, really yummy triangular sandwich in my mouth and sigh. Something with hummus and roasted red peppers does my mouth – and heart – good.

“You’re human. Unlike some people,” she says pointedly.

“They tested me, Lindsay. Your husband pretended to shoot Silas in the heart in front of me, to see if I would kill Drew instead of drop the gun and take care of Silas.”

The teaspoon in her hand falls, banging on one of the sandwich tiers, clang clang clang.

“Drew what?”

Author Bio:

Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them.

Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.

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Spotlight: It's All About the Duke by Amelia Grey

Nearing thirty, the Duke of Rathburne is finally ready to make amends for the wager that caused him and his best friends such scandal, but taking on a ward who needs a husband is a feat he’s not sure he can manage. The last he saw of Miss Marlena Fast, she was a spirited little ruffian, not the sort of bride most bachelors on the marriage mart sought. But one glance at the lovely lady she has become is enough to convince him otherwise…

Orphaned young and shuffled from family to family, Marlena counts on her fierce independence and quick wits to keep herself content. Being the responsibility of a notoriously wicked duke who upended so many lives is an unexpected challenge when she realizes he arouses her decidedly feminine desire. Marlena must be careful. She has her own scandalous secret to protect. If he finds out, will it shatter her chances of a happily-ever-after with the notorious rake?

Excerpt

Oh, he was a rake of the highest order.

    Of course she wanted to kiss him.

    But shouldn’t he just catch her up against his chest and kiss her madly, force a kiss on her whether or not she wanted him to?  He was a rake.  Shouldn’t he act like one?

    Apparently not.  

    He knew she wanted him to kiss her.  Was dying for him to kiss her.  Why couldn’t he just do it?  Without her making the first move.  Wasn’t that what rakes were supposed to do?  

     Marlena sat silent.

     And so did the duke. 

    It wasn’t fair.  He had been the one promising her a kiss almost from the first day he showed up at her door with his short, captivating glances, long compelling gazes, and provocative words that kept her wanting more and more from him.  What was he thinking to now make it her decision whether or not they kissed?  And how could she once again be contemplating it at all?  She should be feeling nothing but shame over her feelings for him but instead, she was determined to see to it they kissed.  

    He was a rake, a rascal, and a scoundrel!

    And why after all his years of being such a man would he decide at this very moment to be a gentleman and not kiss her?

    Maybe this was his plan all along because he was a master of seduction?  For surely he knew that denying her his kiss made her want it all the more.  Her outrage over his past couldn’t control the continuing attraction she had for him.  He stirred emotions inside her that were too complicated for her to understand.  

    Marlena kept her hands still. “Why are you making this my decision?”

    “You are an innocent.”

    “Why does that matter?  You have kissed innocent young ladies before, haven’t you?”

    His gaze searched hers.  “Not for a long time.”

    “Because?”

    “You don’t mind asking personal questions, do you, Marlena?”

    “It’s the usual way one gets answers.”        

    A grin broke across his masculine features and she realized she liked it when he looked at her like that.  He quirked his head a little as a breeze scattered his dark locks across his forehead, reminding her of a brazen pirate yet again. 

    “All right,” he said.  “I’ll tell you.  I made a vow not to pursue innocent young ladies.  And I will keep that vow.”

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Amelia Grey read her first romance book when she was thirteen. She's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since.

Amelia has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.

With more than thirty books published, she is a two-time winner of the prestigious Booksellers Best Award. She's also won the Aspen Gold, and the Golden Quill Awards. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the Maggie Award. Amelia's books have been published in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan.

Several of her books have been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs.

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