Spotlight: Betting on Love by Jennifer Hoopes

Publication Date: April 13, 2020
Genres: Entangled: Bliss, Sweet Romance, Contemporary, Romance

Whitney Carroll is back home in Gatlinburg, Tennessee after divorcing her low-down, cheating husband. First thing on the to-do list: Get a job. Second thing: Just say no to men. Third thing: Don’t fall for the boss. One out of three’s not too bad, right?

For Sam Ellis, his to-do list is always work, work, work, trying to keep his family’s legacy alive. Now, out of concern, his siblings bet he can’t keep a girl happy for thirty days, and if he loses he’s out as CEO. No problem, he can fake a relationship. And he knows just who to ask…his new man-vegan assistant.

Yet Whitney’s sexy boss—secret singer and Skee-Ball champion—is definitely NOT boring, and their connection is undeniable. But when a disaster strikes at work, Sam will have to decide if he’s willing to trade in his job for his heart.

Excerpt

Someone who spoke to him.

Someone like Whitney.

Could he?

He dropped the list on the desk. No he couldn’t. It was wrong. Only…

If he asked her, was it wrong? After all, they would be spending plenty of time together on this project anyway. Pretending to be in a relationship couldn’t be that bad if she was in on it. It was just a bet.

“Excuse me?”

Sam’s face flushed with heat. Had he said something? “What?”

“You said bet.”

He closed his eyes and groaned.

“Is this a bet? This job offer?”

“What? No. Of course not. I didn’t even know you were coming; how could it be a bet?”

She crossed her arms, not convinced. If he didn’t want her to walk now, and he most certainly didn’t, then he needed to come clean.

“I’m sorry. This”—he motioned between them—“is not a bet. This is me hiring you because you are the best person for the job.”

“Why do I feel there’s a rather large but coming?”

“But there is a bet.”

“About me?”

“No. I mean. Lord, I am screwing this three sides to Sunday. My siblings have made a bet with me. A bet I really want to win. A bet I need to win and well…”

She stared, her eyes the size of saucers. He really did not want to say the words that were about to come out of his mouth, but if he didn’t, she would leave. He could practically see her sensible flats headed in that direction.

“What’s the bet, Sam?”

He closed his eyes, unable to look at her when he confessed. “To keep a relationship going for thirty days. A good, solid, spend-time-with-a-person relationship.”

The silence spoke volumes. He peeked to find her mouth open and her gaze darting about the room.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Really she could be asking numerous questions with that one word.

“Why did they come up with the bet?”

“Ahh…my siblings think I’m overworked and underplayed.”

“Are you?”

“Yes.”

“And how do I figure in?”

“You don’t.”

“Oh?”

“I mean you are not part of it, but I was thinking you might want to be—all fake of course—and then I realized that was stupid. None of that thought process was meant to leave my mind.”

“And yet here we are.”

“Yeah. Here we are.”

“A bet to have a relationship for thirty days that you want to win, so you’re looking for someone to fake it with you.”

“Ummm, yeah…that sounds really bad, but the alternative is not good.”

“It clearly must not be, since you’re making an utter fool of yourself.”

“Yes. Yes, I am and for that I am sorry. Let’s forget I ever mentioned it. Now how about the contract? Have any questions?”

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About the Author

Contemporary romance author, Jennifer Hoopes, lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her husband, and two daughters. Stories have been in her head for as long as she recognized every person had one and figuring out how two people meet and fall in love makes for a rewarding dream job. When not writing she wears the many mom hats of PTO, dance, and music, all while driving a mean, mom-taxi. She loves caramel and roller coasters, plays a solo version of Carpool Karaoke, and cannot live without coffee and Jane Austen adaptations.

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Spotlight: Life Forgotten by Layne Deemer

When you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you’re bound to fall apart. Who will be there to help pick up the pieces?Nellie Campbell is a fixer. She’s selfless in her need to solve the problems of the people she loves. When her mom is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, she puts her own life on hold and dives head first into caretaker mode. Her days are spent consumed with the troubles of others—her mom, her wayward sister, the neighborhood stray cat, the single mom next door. She tackles every issue as though it were her own, ignoring herself in the process.Until she meets Jude Hargrove. After one brief encounter, he manages to awaken something inside of her that she had long left for dead. Herself.But is it too late for Nellie? Can Jude help her see her own worth or will she be destined to see herself as a problem that just isn’t meant to be solved?

Pre-Order Links:

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2XUWlcD

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/34HqFZs

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3b9ERNf

Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2XHtUyK

Meet Layne Deemer:

Layne Deemer aims to push boundaries with her writing. Her stories deconstruct the ordinary until it becomes something else entirely. 

She has a degree in Communications with a minor in English and has worked in the fields of public relations, marketing, and advertising, but writing has always been her true passion. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading. Her wish list of books will take her a lifetime to get through. 

She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, Adam, their two kids, Stella and Jasper, and their bulldog, Archie. In addition to Life Forgotten, she is also the author of Frayed, a psychological thriller.

Connect with Layne Deemer:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorlaynedeemer

Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorlayne

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorlaynedeemer

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/layne-deemer

Spotlight: Crimes and Survivors by Sarah Smith

It’s 1912. America. The land of Jim Crow, of lynchings and segregation. And a young society woman has just discovered that the grandfather she barely knows may be black.

She has a family. She has a child. If she’s black, her friends will deny they know her. Her marriage will be illegal. Her little boy will never be a full citizen of America.

She can’t be black. She’s experienced prejudice before. Never again. It will not happen to her or to anyone she loves.

She follows her grandfather onto the newest, safest, biggest ship in the world, to learn the truth. The right truth, the one that will save her family.

But after the iceberg, she finds the truth is far more complicated than black and white. More inspiring, more loving. Far more dangerous… And what she’ll need to find is not a convenient truth but a new America.

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About the Author

Sarah Smith started telling stories as a child in Japan. Her sitter would tell her ghost stories at night, and the next morning she’d act them out on the school bus for an audience of terrified five-year-olds. Back in America, she lived in an unrestored Victorian house, where every morning she would help her grandmother haul coal and break sticks into kindling to light the household stove. She’s loved storytelling and history ever since.

She studied English at Harvard, where she spent Saturdays in the library reading mysteries, and film in London and Paris, where she sat next to Peter Cushing at a film show and got to pet Francis Bacon’s cat. While teaching English, she got interested in personal computers (she and two friends bought 3 of the first 5 PCs sold in Boston). She realized that software could help her plot bigger stories, and she’s never looked back.

Her bestselling series of Edwardian mysteries, starring Alexander von Reisden and Perdita Halley, has been published in 14 languages. Two of the books have been named New York Times Notable Books. The Vanished Child, the first book in the series, is being made into a musical in Canada. The fourth book in the Reisden-Perdita series, about the Titanic, will be published April 15, 2020. Crimes and Survivors. You can preorder it now from your favorite bookstore.

Sarah’s young adult ghost thriller, The Other Side of Dark, won both the Agatha (for best YA mystery of the year) and the Massachusetts Book Award for best YA book of the year. Her Chasing Shakespeares, a novel about the Shakespeare authorship, has been called “the best novel about the Bard since Nothing like the Sun” (Samuel R. Delany) and has been turned into a play.

Sarah lives in Boston with her family and not enough cats.

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Crimes and Survivors

Spotlight: Throwback by Zeia Jameson

Genre: Contemporary Romance

First comes love, then comes marriage.Then comes...disaster.In Livy's mind, prince charmings, happily ever afters and true love only exist in her world of books.Jeremy believes otherwise, and he's determined to prove he can be all of that for Livy.All it takes is a little hope to embark on forever... until the unexpected turns their solid foundation into suffocating quicksand. And just like that, everything begins to crumble.Spiraling out of control, Jeremy and Livy grow further apart with every day that passes.But a glimpse of what once was reminds them that the fate of their future lies solely in their hands.When life-altering love becomes earth-shattering heartache, only the past can mend it.If it isn't too late.  

Excerpt

LIVY

Instead of doing an about-face and bolting, Jeremy picks me up and sets me on the counter. He locks his gaze with mine briefly, then kisses me with the same magnitude as before. I throw my arms over his shoulders, my fingers instantly in his hair. I wrap my legs around him and pull him as close as I possibly can. He smells so good. My hands decide to explore and slide down to his biceps, which are quite exquisite. I reach down and grab his ass. Holy Jesus, it’s such a nice ass. Jeremy groans and lifts me off the counter and begins walking toward the living room. He breaks our kiss momentarily and tilts his head. “This floor?”

I nod. No time for words. Back to kissing, please. He gets the message and kisses me again. His lips move away from mine and to my jawline and neck as he lowers me to the floor. My whole body is tingling, and my heart may just literally explode. What a mess that would be. The first guy who actually makes me feel this way and I might just die before we even do anything serious.

He puts his hand under my shirt and brushes it over my stomach.

“I’ve wanted to touch you since the first time I saw you, but I was scared you’d kick my ass.” 

I laugh. 

He kisses my neck again and moves to my collarbone. He slides his hand up, still under my shirt, and runs his fingers over my bra. The sensation I have from the kissing and from his hands working simultaneously is overwhelming. I let out a tiny groan of my own.

“God, Livy. You are so fucking sexy.”

He said my name.

My body is going to burst into flames.

I never want this to end.

Buy on: Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Nobles | Kobo | Goodreads

About Zeia Jameson: 

Zeia Jameson's passion for writing compels her to get into the zone and type until her fingers go numb. When not submerged within her own stories, she enjoys curling up in her large reading chair, snuggling underneath a blanket, and feeding her addictions of coffee and reading. She is fond of humor and laughter and believes these are elements that keep the world sane and spinning. Zeia lives in Georgia with her husband and daughter, where they spend most of their time exploring recipes, bingeing on Netflix, and traveling as much as possible.

Connect with Zeia: Reader Group, the Fierce Romantics | Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Book+Main | BookBub | Amazon | Goodreads 

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Spotlight: Love, Life, & Lucille: Lessons Learned from a Centenarian by Judy Gaman

Judy Gaman was so busy making a name for herself that she barely took the time to meet a stranger, enjoy life, or simply stop to breathe. Immersed in her job as the director of business development for a high-profile medical practice—a job that required her to write health and wellness books and host a nationally syndicated radio show—she spent every day going full speed ahead with no looking back. That is, until the day she met Lucille Fleming.

While writing a book on longevity, Judy interviewed Lucille, an elegant and spirited woman who had just recently turned 100. Lucille had the fashion and style of old Hollywood, but it was all hidden behind the doors of her assisted living center. What began as a quick meeting became a lasting friendship that transformed into an inseparable bond. Lucille brought incredible wisdom and great stories to the table, while Judy provided an avenue for excitement and new opportunities. Together, the two began living life to the fullest, and meeting the most interesting people along the way (including Suzanne Somers). But then Lucille’s life came to an end through unexpected and unfortunate circumstances—and the very first lesson she ever taught Judy proved to be the most important one of all.

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About the Author

Judy Gaman is an award winning author, public speaker, and CEO of Executive Medicine of Texas. She’s spent nearly a decade offering advice on longevity and vitality as a voice of The Staying Young Radio Show, which was nationally syndicated on 58 stations.

When not working on the podcast Stay Young America!, she serves as a healthy living expert for Fox News and other media outlets. Judy is a five-time author and has appeared on Fox News Radio, Good Morning Texas and San Diego Living, among numerous other outlets.

Judy also tours as a public speaker, and has been entertaining audiences of all sizes for years. She crafts her presentations around engaging and easy-to-understand concepts including longevity, vitality, and healthy living. Her presentations touch on topics like curing workaholism and burnout, while still being a strong leader.

Connect:

Website: judygaman.com

FB: @judygaman

Twitter: @judy_gaman

Linked in: Judy Gaman

Spotlight: Midnight Abduction by Nichole Severn

Perfect for fans of Criminal Minds and Blacklist...

Uncover the lives and loves of the FBI elite as they take on the toughest assignments. This is a new four-book miniseries featuring an ensemble cast of characters spread across 4 books, featuring 4 urgent cases, with one stellar team of crime solving experts. 

The Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI. Because of the growing concerns and need for ever increasing response time to criminal events, the FBI created a specialized tech and tactical team combing specialists from several active divisions that include: weapons, crime scene investigation, protection, negotiation and IT. 

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

Ana Sofia Ramirez—She’s out for redemption. Recruited by the Tactical Crime Division’s director from the Bureau’s missing-persons’ division after her last case ended with a dead victim, she’s more determined than ever to recover Benning Reeves’s son.

Benning Reeves—Single father and small-town building inspector who’s come across evidence of a murder hidden on one of his construction sites; the cost of discovery has led to the kidnapping of his six-year-old twins.

Olivia and Owen Reeves—Benning’s six-year-old twins.

Evan Duran—Tactical Crime Division’s hostage negotiator, who’s fully invested in recovering Benning Reeves’s son due to his own dark past of losing his sister as a child.

JC Cantrell—Tactical Crime Division’s tactical-operations specialist, who’s good at planting bugs, leading surveillance ops or coming up with a ruse to distract someone.

Excerpt

“Well, maybe I can give her a tour of TCD head-quarters in Knoxville one day. You know, give her a chance to see what federal agents really do on the job.” Ana stilled, the weight of her attention pressurizing the air in his chest, but he didn’t miss the assumption there would be a one day for them. That she wouldn’t disappear from their lives after Owen came home, and his blood pressure spiked. She cleared her throat as though she’d caught herself making promises she might not be able to keep. Just as she had with Samantha Perry’s family. “You must be proud. She’s going to make a hell of an agent one day.”

“That’s her plan, and probably why she opened up to you the way she did. I can tell she admires you, what you do.” Benning straightened, echoes of their earlier conversation replaying in his head on a nonstop loop. He tossed the paper towel he’d used to clean his foot in the trash beside the island. “So do I, to be honest. The work you and your team do saves lives. I know I already said thank you, but I meant it.”

“Like I said, you don’t have to thank me.” She dropped that mesmerizing gaze to the counter, sweeping the spread of flour into the sink set into the island with one hand, and swiped beneath her nose with the other. Touching her face had always been a nervous habit. “All part of the job.”

“Is that what this is for you, Ana? Just another job? Because this case is definitely a lot more personal to me.” Benning maneuvered around the counter, his bare chest nearly pressed against the exposed skin of her arm. He set his hand over hers on the granite, her quick gasp searing through him. Her warmth penetrated past skin and muscle, deep into his bones. “After what you told me about the Samantha Perry case, I realize now how hard it must’ve been for you to come back here, and you’re standing there as if none of it affects you. But is that how you really feel?”

He wanted—no, needed—to know. Was this going to play out exactly as it had between them the last time? Had he made a mistake requesting her to work this case?

Her mouth parted. “I…”

Skimming his fingers along the back of her hand, he trailed a path up her arm to her jaw, and all of his thoughts burned away. There was only the two of them. The softness of her flawless skin and hardness in her invisible guard. After everything that’d happened, after everything they’d already been through in the short span of time she’d walked back into his life, he’d struggled to keep the uncertainty, the rage, the fear, at bay so he could stay strong for Olivia. To prove that he could protect her from any threat, be the father she and her brother deserved. But Ana…stripped him of all of that. With her, Benning felt raw, exposed, bare. She was real. She was here. Not a memory—a fantasy—anymore, and it took every-thing inside him to pull himself away from her. “You had some cookie dough on your chin.”

She’d left because she believed her emotions clouded her judgment on the Samantha Perry case, and he wasn’t about to complicate anything else be- tween them. Not when it was his son’s life at risk this time. Ana turned her gaze up to his, a small tremor crossing her shoulders, and an invisible anchor set-tled inside his chest in the dark, watery landscape of this case. No matter what happened, Ana would bring his son home alive. He had to believe that. He had to believe in her. Otherwise, he’d have nothing left. “Thanks.”

A soft trill broke the silence spreading between them, but she didn’t move.

“I think your phone is ringing.” He cleared his throat, trying to drown the surge of awareness burning through him, and stepped away. It was for the best. Because anything that happened between them would only take away from their focus on finding his son, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take.

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About the Author

Nichole Severn writes romantic suspense with strong heroines, heroes who dare challenge them, and a hell of a lot of guns. When she’s not writing, she’s injuring herself running and practicing yoga.