Spotlight: Loving Luca by Mila Crawford

Synopsis 

Luca Masterson is the man every guy wants to be and every girl wants to be with, but he doesn’t want anyone other than Stephanie, the girl who stole his heart from the moment they were eight years old.

Stephanie is the bookworm who is best friends with a bona fide rockstar. Then one day that guy turns her world upside down by telling her he loves her.

Love isn’t easy, but having a relationship with a celebrity includes a whole new set of challenges. Yet nothing in the world is better than loving Luca.

Warning: If first and only love is your jam, then step right up. This is a friends-to-lovers story that won’t steer you wrong. Guaranteed HEA.

Excerpt

Chapter 1 

Stephanie

The room was quiet, barren except for the wooden shelves and the smell of paper and leather that bound the pages. I really loved the library, not only because I loved the books that it housed, but also for the solitude it provided me. I looked under the table and noticed next to my pink Chucks with scuffed toes a pair of shiny, black, Italian leather boots, immaculate in every way. Even our footwear showed how opposite we were. I never knew why he bothered to accompany me to the library. He didn’t really read. He would just work on song lyrics or melodies that would play on repeat in his mind and wait patiently until I was ready to leave. I spent hours in the library just looking at him, desperately trying to make sure he didn’t notice my lingering and overindulgent stares. He’d always been a gorgeous boy, dark wisps of hair falling into his green eyes, eyes made even brighter against the contrast of his olive complexion. I loved how the right side of his mouth would twitch right before he’d laugh hysterically. But the quirk I loved most was how he’d tap his long fingers on the table as he worked on his music, his eyes furrowed in concentration. He was so handsome, and I didn’t mean just a good-looking boy who girls crushed on. No. He had the kind of good looks that would make movie stars weep in envy. The worst part was, he didn’t even know how attractive he was—which just made him that more desirable.

I had no idea why he liked hanging out with me, but from the tender age of eight, Luca and I had been best friends, completely inseparable. One look at each other, and we were off laughing and playing from that day forward. When I turned thirteen, I started to develop feelings for him, feelings that made me touch myself and kiss my pillow, pretending it was him kissing me back passionately. All of it pathetic childhood crush stuff, really. Luca grew more and more beautiful every day, and yet he never left my side.

It was in college when he really began to shine. All of a sudden, our world of two disintegrated people began to notice what a standout Luca was. He was always in the spotlight, and I felt like the understudy, waiting in the shadow of the lead actor. It wasn’t just best friends Luca and Steph anymore, but Luca and the plain Jane who tagged along for the ride. I wasn’t sure whether it was out of loyalty or comfort that he still hung out with me. Everyone needed an occasional reality check. I guessed I was his.

He never hung out with the cool kids. He chose to come to the library and sit there quietly while I read or did homework. I didn’t know why he was still there beside me, but I was grateful for his company. I pictured myself as a worn-out old sweater that Luca insisted on keeping, even though he had the designer brands and luxurious cashmere overflowing his wardrobe. I was plain Steph, and he was a bona fide celebrity. But no matter how popular he got, he never left me behind.

“Party tonight at Alpha Sigma Pi. You in?” Luca’s melodic voice gently brought me back to the present.

“Nah, I think I’m going to stay home and read or something,” I said.

I really didn’t want to accompany him to another party where he felt like he had to babysit me. I wanted him to enjoy his newfound glory. No one wanted me there anyway. Generally when we went to parties, I felt how they looked at me, wondering why we were together. If it was because he took pity on me and I was nothing more than Luca’s charity case. It felt like I was holding him back; I should stay his past, not become a weight he felt obligated to carry with him everywhere.

“Steph, I’m not going if you’re not. You know I need my muse. You’re my good luck charm.” He looked at me with his emerald eyes and cocky grin. Luca was lighthearted, and his confidence was apparent in all that he said and did.

“You should go.”

“We should go. It’s Friday night. We’re freshman. Just live a little. Have some fun! Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do in college?”

Easy for him to say. He was the life of the party. Socializing for Luca was fun and easy. For me it was painful and a constant reminder that I didn’t measure up.

“You just had to go there, didn’t you?”

“Aw Steph, please. I really want you there tonight. I need you.”

Need. He said it so casually, but he didn’t know the beginning of it. Need was what I felt whenever I thought of him. It was my desire to always be in his life, no matter what, even if it meant in the most minute way.

He pulled me toward him and kissed the top of my head. A kiss I knew to him was meant to comfort a good friend, but once his lips touched my hair, I felt a jolt of electricity run through my body until my heart fluttered. He squeezed my shoulder and let go. Just like that, the warmth of his touch was gone and I felt nothing but cold.

“So how about I drive you home now and then pick you up at like…seven?” His persistence was both admirable and infuriating. And like always, I caved. There wasn’t much I could refuse him. Luca almost always got his way.

“Fine,” I said finally.

On the way to Luca’s car, a perky blonde sorority girl, Madeline Michaels, sauntered over. Whenever she got close, the girl was all over him. She pushed her chest out and tossed her long blonde hair. My ordinariness was exaggerated just by standing beside her. Her knee-high boots, her short skirts, and her ridiculously tight body. Next to her, I looked like I’d just crawled out of a dumpster. I was dirty-blonde hair tied up in a messy bun secured with a pencil, ripped jeans, and a faded Ramones T-shirt that had seen a few summers. Truth be told, I didn’t have the genes. Even if I were wearing Madeline’s clothing, I would still look like me.

Madeline inserted herself into our personal space, shoving me out with her curvaceous hip that was barely covered by a tiny skirt stretched to capacity. She was so close she might as well have been an esthetician examining his pores—an esthetician who did her job with her breasts rubbing up against him.

“Luca, are you going to the party? I was hoping we could talk,” she all but whispered as she ran her index finger up and down his arm.

I guessed I should have already gotten over the attention from other girls, but it still hurt, because deep down, I’d spent my whole life secretly in love with this boy.

I climbed into the car and looked the other way out the window, trying to pretend they were invisible and that my heart wasn’t breaking.

“Madeline, you know Steph, right?”

I turned at his voice, and my heart leapt in my chest when he looked at me. Luca was sidelining Maddy Michaels with an unnecessary introduction.

“Madeline, this is my girl Steph,” he said while keeping his eyes on me. “She’s been my plus one my whole damn life.”

I didn’t want to read into his words. He always called me his girl.His whole damn life sounded more like an obligation than something he was down with. But he held eye contact as he announced it, and he’d said it with pride. Maybe I was reading into things, but it was enough to make me feel like Luca genuinely appreciated having me around.

“Oh, I had no idea,” Madeline stammered. She glared at me through the windshield, her disgust palpable.

Good, ’cause I don’t like you either.

She plastered on a fake smile that was more forced than oil mixing with water. Her eyes narrowed, but the fake smile didn’t go anywhere. I smiled back, hoping that my eyes didn’t give away my satisfaction. I really didn’t want her to take notice of me and make my life miserable. I was sure she had a million and one ways to ruin me, but I pretended not to care. The semester was almost over, and I never had to see her again if that’s what suited me.

Without another word to Madeline, Luca got in the car and smiled at me.

“Should we hit the road?”

I couldn’t help but turn and stare at Madeline as we pulled out of the parking lot, how she stood in the same spot getting smaller and smaller as we made our getaway.

Maybe Madeline couldn't steal Luca away from me, but he was a rising star, and it was just a matter of time before he’d inevitably drift away.

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About the Author

Mila Crawford is a book lover and has been around them one way or another her whole life. She is a fan of happily ever afters, sassy heroines, over the top alphas, and most of all safe reads.

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Cover Reveal: When Rivals Fall by J.L. Beck & C. Hallman

OLIVER

Rivals since before birth, there has never been a time when my family hasn’t hated the Lockwoods and their daughter Harlow. 

Two years ago she set us up, tainted our family image, ruined my brother’s life. She made it personal. It was no longer just a rivalry between our parents. 

Now she’s here, at Bayshore University, without her family’s protection. There’s nothing to stop us from getting our revenge on her, no one to tell us enough is enough. 

And so my brothers and I have devised a plan. We’ll break her, have her falling at her knees for us in no time, and then we’ll send her back to her family with a warning… 

Cross the Bishops again and you’ll pay. 

*** 

HARLOW

I’ve despised the smug, stupidly gorgeous Bishop brothers since I was a small child. Our families rivalry was one that started years before us and one that I wanted to end. 

I was tired of being my parent's puppet, tired of the games, of the hate. All I wanted was to enjoy college and move on with my life. 

But your past can never stay hidden, right? 

When the Bishop brothers turn up at my school I have no place to run. I know then they’ll make certain I pay for every single bad-mouthed remark I or my parents ever made about them. 

At Bayshore, I’m at their mercy and they won’t stop until my heart is a bleeding mess. 

AUTHOR NOTE: This is a reverse harem college bully romance that contains subject matter not suitable for all readers.

Goodreads:  https://bit.ly/2SUFCBH

Excerpt

Enemies. Rivals. I escaped North Woods to get away from them. 

But it seems the Bishop brothers only followed me. 

They want revenge. I want to forget them. 

Neither of us get what we wanted.

If anything, we get so much more.

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About the Authors

J.L. Beck & C. Hallman are an author duo who love reading, writing, and coffee. After meeting by happenstance they decided to write a book together, which later turned into many, many more. When they aren't writing or plotting their next book, they're playing mom and wife. They both share a love for dark romance, and enjoy a happily ever after as much as the next reader. 

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C. HALLMAN SOCIAL MEDIA:

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Audio Spotlight: Dreamscape Adventures, Inc. by C.A. Gray and narrated by Matthew E. Berry

Release date: July 17, 2019

Synopsis: Workaholic insurance attorney Luke Darringer has it all: money, looks, ambition. Sure, he hasn't taken a vacation in over a decade, and his personal life is almost nonexistent - but that's a small price to pay in order to maintain strict control, and minimize his vulnerabilities.

But then Luke's firm, with the help of his cheeky administrative assistant Charlotte, strong-arms him into becoming the first-ever client of the new Dreamscape Adventures, Inc. The new company promises fantastical vacations to wealthy clients, as well as controlled therapeutic experiences to individuals suffering from various forms of mental illness, such as autism and PTSD. They're a potentially huge client for Luke's firm, but they need liability insurance before they can get off the ground. Luke expects he'll have a quick little canyoneering adventure like he did back in his college days, and then get right back to the grindstone.

But Luke's adventure doesn't quite go the way he planned. Eli, the entrepreneur in charge, assures Luke that the glitches are nothing to worry about, and they'll have things under control again in no time. Instead, Luke soon finds himself in a wilderness of questionable reality, where he is responsible not only for his own safety, but also Charlotte's, Eli's, and that of a nonverbal autistic boy whose vulnerability strikes a bit too close to home. Forced to confront his past and his deepest fears, Luke must decide whether to rewrite history and become the man he's always wanted to be - or whether instead he is doomed to repeat it.

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About the Author & Narrator

About the Author: C.A. Gray

By day, C.A. Gray is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD) with a primary care practice in Tucson, AZ, and she writes medical books under her real name (Dr. Lauren Deville). She lives with her husband, with whom she maintains a facetiously contentious movie review blog, and travels as often as they can get away. When not writing or seeing patients, she does yoga, drinks red wine while eating dark chocolate, and consumes audiobooks like there’s no tomorrow!

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About the Narrator: Matthew E. Berry

Matthew has been very active in his career as a radiologic technologist, but something was nagging at him. His urging to be involved with the written word. The medical journals he wrote did not fill the desire for the kind of words he wanted to be a part of. He had always considered himself a writer. But one that often had difficulties completing the story. So, how else could he be involved? Matthew began listening to audiobooks and decided in 2017 that he was going to give it a try.

He now has 9 audiobook projects on sale at Amazon, Audible, and iTunes with two projects in the works.

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Dreamscape Adventures, Inc. Giveaway: $25 Amazon Gift Card

Spotlight: Love at First Like by Hannah Orenstein

From the author of Playing with Matches, the rollicking tale of a young jewelry shop owner who accidentally leads her Instagram followers to believe that she’s engaged—and then decides to keep up the ruse.

Eliza Roth and her sister Sophie co-own a jewelry shop in Brooklyn. One night, after learning of an ex’s engagement, Eliza accidentally posts a photo of herself wearing a diamond ring on that finger to her Instagram account beloved by 100,000 followers. Sales skyrocket, press rolls in, and Eliza learns that her personal life is good for business. So she has a choice: continue the ruse or clear up the misunderstanding. With mounting financial pressure, Eliza sets off to find a fake fiancé.

Fellow entrepreneur Blake seems like the perfect match on paper. And in real life he shows promise, too. He would be perfect, if only Eliza didn’t feel also drawn to someone else. But Blake doesn’t know Eliza is “engaged”; Sophie asks Eliza for an impossible sum of money; and Eliza’s lies start to spiral out of control. She can either stay engaged online or fall in love in real life.

Written with singular charm and style, Love at First Like is for anyone growing up and settling down in the digital age.

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About the Author

Hannah Orenstein is the author of Playing with Matches and Love at First Like, as well as the senior dating editor at Elite Daily. Previously, she was a writer and editor at Seventeen.com. She lives in Brooklyn.

Spotlight: Lincoln's Spies: Their Secret War to Save a Nation by Douglas Waller

A major addition to the history of the Civil War, Lincoln’s Spies is a riveting account of the secret battles waged by Union agents to save a nation. Filled with espionage, sabotage, and intrigue, it is also a striking portrait of a shrewd president who valued what his operatives uncovered.

Veteran journalist Douglas Waller, who has written ground-breaking intelligence histories, turns his sights on the shadow war of four secret agents for the North—three men and one woman. From the tense days before Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration in 1861 to the surrender at Appomattox four years later, Waller delivers a fast-paced narrative of the heroes—and scoundrels—who informed Lincoln’s generals on the enemy positions for crucial battles and busted up clandestine Rebel networks.

Famed detective Allan Pinkerton mounted a successful covert operation to slip Lincoln through Baltimore before his inauguration to foil an assassination attempt. But he failed as General George McClellan’s spymaster, delivering faulty intelligence reports that overestimated Confederate strength.

George Sharpe, an erudite New York lawyer, succeeded Pinkerton as spymaster for the Union’s Army of the Potomac. Recruiting skilled operatives, some of whom dressed in Rebel uniforms, Sharpe ran highly successful intelligence operations that outpaced anything the enemy could field.

Elizabeth Van Lew, a Virginia heiress who hated slavery and disapproved of secession, was one of Sharpe’s most successful agents. She ran a Union spy ring in Richmond out of her mansion, with dozens of agents feeding her military and political secrets she funneled to General Ulysses S. Grant as his army closed in on the Confederate capital. Van Lew became one of the unsung heroes of the war.

Lafayette Baker was a handsome Union officer with a controversial past, whose agents clashed with Pinkerton’s operatives. The unscrupulous Baker assembled a retinue of disreputable spies, thieves, and prostitutes to root out traitors in Washington, D.C. But he failed at his most important mission: uncovering the threat to Lincoln from John Wilkes Booth and his gang.

Behind these secret operatives was a president, one of our greatest, who was an avid consumer of intelligence and a ruthless aficionado of clandestine warfare, willing to take chances to win the war. Lincoln’s Spies, as Waller vividly depicts in his excellent new book, set the template for the dark arts the CIA would practice in the future.

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About the Author

Douglas Waller is a former correspondent for Newsweek and Time, where he covered the CIA, Pentagon, State Department, White House, and Congress. He is the author of the bestsellers Wild Bill Donovan, Big Red, and The Commandos, as well as critically acclaimed works such as Disciples, the story of four CIA directors who fought for Donovan in World War II, and A Question of Loyalty, a biography of General Billy Mitchell. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Spotlight: One Night in Provence by Barbara Wallace

an an unexpected affair…

…lead to a lifetime of happiness?

In this Destination Brides story, while on vacation in Provence, homebody Jenna Brown embarks on a no-strings affair with a handsome stranger. But there’s more to wealthy playboy Philippe D’Usay than meets the eye. Scarred by loss, Philippe’s committed to being alone. But after their Provençal adventure ends, and Jenna discovers she’s pregnant, they must decide if their short-term connection could become a life together forever!

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About the Author

Barbara Wallace can’t remember when she wasn’t dreaming up love stories in her head, so writing romances for Harlequin is a dream come true. Happily married to her own Prince Charming, she lives in New England with a house full of empty-nest animals. Readers can catch up with Barbara through her newsletter. Sign up at www.barbarawallace.com