Audio Spotlight & Excerpt: The Yes Factor by Erin Spencer & Emma Sable

Narrator: Ava Erickson & Andi Arndt

Length: 6 hours 51 minutes

Publisher: One Night Stand Studios⎮2020

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release date: Jun. 30, 2020

Synopsis: Liv just wants her best friend Bex to find love.

Bex just wants to stay in bed with Outlander.

With 40 just around the corner, divorced single mom Bex is too busy being a chauffeur for her teenage daughter to bother swiping for dates.

Her best friend Liv, who is married to the supposedly perfect man, swoops in from London on a mission to get Bex out of her own bed and in to someone else’s. Liv pushes Bex into a week-long whirlwind of dates, awkward kisses and missed connections. 

What could possibly go wrong when Bex agrees to Liv’s harebrained scheme of saying Yes to every possible suitor? And why is Liv so intent on fixing Bex’s love life, or lack thereof? 

Just what do you find out when all of your no’s turn into the yes factor?

Excerpt

Listen to an excerpt from the book here.

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About the Authors: Erin Spencer & Emma Sable

Erin Spencer and Emma Sable are two Southern girls who met in L.A. at a mutual friend's engagement party. They bonded over their shared love of fried shrimp, queso and The Golden Girls. After a girls' night out in Hollywood to celebrate Emma's birthday, the two were inspired to begin writing The Yes Factor, their first novel together. 

To celebrate finishing the novel, Erin and Emma travelled to the Amalfi coast where they enjoyed a week of sunshine, pasta and Pinot Grigio. And where a few notes might have been scribbled for their next book, too!

Erin lives in L.A. and Emma now lives in London.

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About the Narrator: Andi Arndt

Multiple Audie and Earphones Award winner Andi Arndt is the narrator of hundreds of audiobooks, and a member of the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. She's known for romance titles, loved working on The Yes Factor with her dear friend, and has also narrated high profile releases in literary fiction, mystery / thriller, and bio / memoir, including Notorious RBG.

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About the Narrator: Ava Erickson

After sailing around the world and watching nearly a thousand sunsets from the bow of her boat like a true Viking, Ava Erickson settled down and started telling stories. Those stories can be anything from laugh-out-loud-funny rom-coms to ones with a more sexy twist. When she found out she was nominated for an Audie for her audiobook narration, she called all her girlfriends together and went to Provence, France, where they drank rosé and ate lots of bread and butter.

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Spotlight: Suffer Little Children by Freda Hansburg

Published by: Red Adept Publishing

Publication date: January 26th 2021

Genres: Adult, Psychological Thriller

Robin Perry’s life is finally on track with her dream job and a promising relationship with Ben Martin, even if his two spoiled children, Amber and Jaden, hate her. But things take a downhill turn when Gloria Reyes, an acquaintance of Ben’s, asks her to admit her young son to a cancer study meant for adults and Robin, heartbroken, must turn her down. But Gloria won’t take no for an answer and begins an insidious crusade to force the issue.

Amber Martin hates living with her crazy mother since her parents’ divorce, but she can hardly live with her dad, who’s too busy with “Miss Perfect” these days. When Amber runs into her mother’s friend Gloria, she’s glad to finally meet an adult who seems to be on her side. But as Amber becomes friends with Gloria’s sickly son, Alex, she begins to think Gloria is not as nice as she first thought, and Alex may be in trouble.

As Gloria’s threatening behavior escalates, Robin must protect the children while finding a way to save her career and her relationship with Ben. But Gloria always manages to stay one step ahead. When a secret comes to light, Robin discovers the stakes are even higher than she imagined.

Excerpt

“Morning.” Robin settled into the chair opposite Gloria’s as a waitress approached. “Just coffee, please.” 

Gloria set down her cup. “So?”

Getting right down to business then. Robin braced herself. So much the better.

“I’ve kept my part of our bargain,” Gloria announced.

“Bargain?” Robin’s eyebrows shot up.

“I spoke to Vanessa about the therapy. I managed to be quite convincing. You see, she posted a rant on Facebook yesterday after Amber defaced a library book.” Gloria shrugged. “I seized the opportunity.”

A bitter taste filled Robin’s mouth. Trashed library books, trashed kids on social media. She should be happy Gloria took advantage of the situation, but she wished Ben had persuaded Vanessa. 

The woman’s dark eyes fixed on her. “Now, what about your part?”

Robin bristled. She’d made no promises. The waitress appeared with her coffee. Robin didn’t intend to stay long enough to drink it. 

“I made a few inquiries yesterday,” she told Gloria. “Formally and informally. I found no new information about Pediatric MATCH. It’s still slated to launch sometime next year.” Robin took a breath. There, I said it. “I’m sorry.” 

Gloria shook her head. “Not good enough.”

Robin sat upright. “What?”

“That’s not soon enough. My son’s life is at stake.” Gloria’s eyes bored into Robin’s. “You have kids?”

“A son in college.” Robin didn’t like bringing Sean into the conversation.

“Suppose it were him?” Gloria kept her voice low, and Robin had to lean forward to hear. “What would you do to save him?”

The same question Robin had asked herself yesterday. Anything.

“Or one of Ben’s kids,” Gloria continued without waiting for Robin’s reply. “But that would be different, wouldn’t it?” Her lips twisted in a mocking smile. “Convenient, even.”

Robin sat up and pushed aside her coffee. “I have to go. I’m due at the wrap-up session.” Reminding herself that the unnerving woman had a dying child, she added, “Gloria, if I were in your shoes, I’d be as desperate as you are. Medical research doesn’t always follow the timetable we want, but MATCH will move ahead, and when it expands to include children, it will be safer, on more solid ground.” She hoped she sounded as clear as Will had last night, but either way, she would end the discussion. “I promise I’ll keep my ears open and let you know of any developments.” She pushed her chair back from the table.

“You’ll do more than that, Robin. You’re a very responsible person. I’m counting on you.” 

Robin stood, her chair rattling. “Goodbye, Gloria.”

“I’ll be eager to hear what you come up with.” Gloria’s smile widened, revealing her white teeth. “I’ll be in touch.”

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About the Author

Freda Hansburg is a psychologist and author of Tell on You, winner of the 2020 Independent Press Award for Psychological Thriller, the 2019 New York City Big Book Award for Suspense, and Thriller Finalist in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Her mystery thriller, Shrink Rapt, is now available from Micro Publishing Media and her new psychological suspense novel, Suffer Little Children, will be released by Red Adept Publishing on January 26th, 2021. She is currently working on her fourth psychological thriller, Trick or Treat.

Freda is also co-author with Mel Silberman of the self-help books, PeopleSmart: Developing Your Interpersonal Intelligence - a bestseller translated into a dozen languages - and Working PeopleSmart. She has the good fortune to live on beautiful Hilton Head Island. There, she takes refuge from her fevered imagination by sitting on her dock and watching pelicans and dolphins fishing on the intracoastal. Freda is an avid Pickleball player who has spent her entire adult life being mistaken for Carol Burnett.

Connect:

https://www.fredahansburg.com/

https://twitter.com/FredaHansburg

https://www.facebook.com/FredaHansburgAuthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/321441.Freda_Hansburg

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Spotlight: The Spinster and the Rake by Eva Devon

The marriage game is afoot in this clever blend of My Fair Lady meets Pride and Prejudice with a twist!

Edward Stanhope, the icy Duke of Thornfield, likes his life in a certain order. Give him a strong drink, a good book, and his dog for company, and he’s content. But when he goes to his library and finds a woman sitting in his chair, petting his dog, what starts as a request for her to leave quickly turns to a fiery battle of wits, leading to a steamy kiss that could ruin them both if they were caught.

So of course, damn it all, that’s when Edward’s aunt walks in, and thereafter announces Miss Georgiana Bly is the future Duchess of Thornfield.

Georgiana was content to be a spinster, spending her days reading and working to keep her family out of debt. But now her days are spent locked away with a growly duke, learning how to be the perfect duchess, and her nights spent fighting the undeniable attraction to a man who was never meant for her.

As their wedding day approaches, the attraction between them burns hot and fierce, but is it enough to melt the duke’s chilly facade?

Excerpt

Something terrible and incredible had overcome Miss Georgiana Bly.

She stood staring up at this massive man, totally unafraid, absolutely furious, and stunned because there was something about him that made it impossible for her to either give in to his order to leave, or to behave as she normally would.

He had done something to her.

Something had made her feel absolutely compelled to keep her spot in this room and not go back to face the glittering company.

Who did he think he was, ordering her about? She was tired of being told what to do.

From her mother, to her father, to her oldest sister, to her aunts, everyone seemed to think they knew exactly what was best for her. And, truthfully, she felt certain the only person who really did know what was best was herself. She was willing to listen to others, of course, and she’d often tried to take the advice to be more successful in company. But time and time again, she’d fallen short.

And though the ruggedly beautiful giant of a man was insisting she go back into the elegant masses, she had no place in that ballroom upstairs. Oh, her family had been invited, a rare opportunity for the Blys, who were genteel but only just. No doubt her eldest sister, Elizabeth, was thriving. She was an excellent conversationalist and admired wherever she went, but Georgiana?

Georgiana had a tendency to walk into potted plants or servants bearing wine, and her propensity for saying the wrong thing had become the stuff of legend in her house. She still had not lived down the episode with Lady Farthington and her unfortunate comments about the lady’s wig.

She’d learned this the hard way more than once. Despite the fact that she occasionally wished she was a swan sailing gracefully through society’s waters, she was, in fact, a practical duck of a person. And she wished her family would come to that same conclusion, so they would stop trying to make her something she could never be.

She wasn’t meant for the complicated demands of balls. She was meant for small libraries, such as the one she was standing in now, which was why she was not willing to go.

The ballroom was the worst possible place for someone like her and she was not about to let the threat of a kiss convince her to leave the safety of this nook.

When the beautiful, overbearing man had told her she needed to leave or be kissed, she had chosen to be kissed because he had to be bluffing. What sort of man did that, anyway? Stride into a room, bark orders, and then kiss one?

It didn’t seem to match anything she’d read in novels or seen in public life. So, even when he wrapped his massive arms about her, she still was not entirely convinced anything more would happen.

The cad was just trying to make her run.

Well, she wouldn’t run. She was not that sort of girl. And when she drew in the masculine scent of him, she ignored the thrilling of her body.

All would be fine. She wasn’t the slightest bit afraid. It mattered not that he towered over her and his shoulders had the sort of breadth to them that a Corinthian column possessed. He wasn’t the least bit frightening. Was he alluring? Yes. In fact, his lips were most interesting and she wondered what effect they might cause upon her own, for she had read of the pleasurable effects of kissing…

No, no, she truly didn’t desire to be kissed by him. It was all just a tactic on her part to call his jest. Such a girl as herself would never wish such a thing. But as she tilted her head back, gazed up at his remarkably sinewy person and eyes as dark as sin, she found it incredibly difficult to breathe.

Excerpted from The Spinster and the Rake, by Eva Devon. Entangled Publishing, 2021. Reprinted with permission.

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About the Author

USA Today bestseller Eva Devon was raised on literary fiction, but quite accidentally and thankfully, she was introduced to romance one Christmas by Johanna Lindsey's Mallory novella The Present and a romance addict was born. Now, she loves to write her own roguish dukes, alpha males, and the heroines who tame them.

Spotlight: Unwoven Ties by Bethany Lopez

USA Today USA Today Bestselling Author Bethany Lopez brings you a gripping emotional tale of how a family's ties are tested when the unthinkable happens.

It only took an instant. A terrible accident. A life-altering explosion.

That fateful rainy night will forever change the Talbot family. The choices they make in the aftermath will force them to reevaluate their relationships, the paths of their lives, and even themselves.

In the face of so much uncertainty, can they rediscover the family they used to be, or will their ties continue to remain unwoven?

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About the Author

Bethany Lopez is a USA Today Bestselling author of more than thirty books and has been published since 2011. She's a lover of all things romance, which she incorporates into the books she writes, no matter the genre. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with family and traveling whenever possible. Bethany can usually be found with a cup of coffee or glass of wine at hand, and will never turn down a cupcake!

Connect:

Website: http://bethanylopez.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bethany-Lopez/214630865247702

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BethanyLopez2

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bethanylopez2/

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0056NCP1S

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5021061.Bethany_Lopez

Spotlight: Secrets That We Keep by Linda Kage

Publication date: January 28th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Gracen Lowe has a new life theory:
What you don’t know can’t hurt you.

Which is exactly why he decides not to tell his twin sister, Bella, that he’s accidentally falling for the woman she hates most, the very woman who allegedly cheated with Bella’s last boyfriend and broke them apart.

Bella might be his best friend and ultimate confidante, but she’d legit cut off his favorite body part if she knew which woman he’d been craving. So even if his theory’s totally whack, staying quiet will definitely keep him safer.

Except he feels so guilty about it all.

Meanwhile, Bella’s heating up the sheets with one of Gracen’s best friends, and she can’t seem to reveal that little detail to her brother either, due to—you know—reasons.

When the truth is exposed, all bets are off. Shattered secrets will either set everyone free or wreck their relationships forever.

Excerpt

“I, uh, I don’t actually have any coffee in my apartment.”

I grinned, relieved. “That’s fine. I don’t like coffee.”

“What?” Her brow furrowed. “But I’ve been meeting you in the breakroom for coffee, like, all week long.”

“I’m not sure what you were paying attention to in that break room, Miss Nicksen,” I told her, unable to stop smirking, “But it certainly wasn’t what I’ve been putting into my cup. Because I’ve been drinking TEA all week long.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Oh my God. Have you really?”

I snickered out an amused laugh before gravely telling her, “And here, I could tell you exactly how you take your coffee. Extra dark, two sugars, and one scoop of French vanilla creamer.”

“Oh God. I’m so sorry,” she murmured, looking horrified as she set her hands over her cheeks. “I feel like I’ve been totally objectifying you because, no, I definitely did not notice you were drinking tea instead of coffee.”

“Well, you know the best way to fix that, don’t you?” I asked, taking her hand. “Show me to your room and get all those nasty, objectifying ways out of your system, so then maybe tomorrow morning, you can actually look me in the eye and find out how many packets of sugar I put in my tea.”

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About the Author

Linda writes romance fiction from YA to adult, contemporary to fantasy. Most Kage stories lean more toward the lighter, sillier side with a couple meaningful moments thrown in. Focuses more on entertainment value and emotional impact.

Published since 2010. Went through a 2-year writing correspondence class in children's literature from The Institute of Children's Literature. Then graduated with a Bachelors in Arts, English with an emphasis in creative fiction writing from Pittsburg State University.

Now she lives with hubby, two daughters, cat Holly, and nine cuckoo clocks in southeast Kansas, USA. Farm girl. Parents were dairy farmers. Was youngest of eight. Big family. Day job as a cataloging library assistant.

Harry Potter House Gryffindor, Patronus White Stallion, character match Hagrid. Supernatural Team Dean. Game of Thrones Team Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. The Walking Dead Team Daryl. Outlander Team Jamie Fraser. Teen Wolf Team Stiles. Avenger Team Thor...or Hulk (can't decide). Justice League Team Flash. Arrow Team Stephen Amell. Stranger Things obsessed. Heard Laurel, not Yanny.

Started out reading with the Baby-Sitters Club. Then moved to Sandra Brown, Linda Howard, Julie Garwood, and LaVyrle Spencer in high school. Now all over the place with her romance reading tastes.

Connect:

Twitter: @lindakage - https://twitter.com/lindakage
Facebook: Linda Kage - Romance Author - https://www.facebook.com/authorlindakage
Instagram: @lindakagebks - https://www.instagram.com/lindakagebks/
Website: http://www.lindakage.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3213942.Linda_Kage
Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/APageWithLindaKage/
Email: linda@lindakage.com

Cover Reveal: Broken Wing by Kathleen Mare

(Arthur Academy, #1)
Publication date: April 26th 2021
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Hendrix:
It’s funny the things you notice as a child.
Like the way people uneasily glance away from me whenever I catch their eye. Or the way a stranger seems to smile happily at other children, but when I say hello, their smile looks more uneasy than warm...

But as I approach the steel gates to the elite Arthur Academy, I can’t help but take a long-awaited breath towards my freedom. Finally, I have the chance to build the life I want. A future. Something that gives me more to live for than the daily beatings my childhood only ever knew. The girl I used to be doesn’t exist here. But even as the confidence grows about a life I now have control over, I can’t help but feel there could be something else waiting for me here. Something I’ve never faced before.

And it isn’t something I could prepare for.
And preparation is what got me out. It got me here.

I can’t afford to lose this opportunity, because if I lose this hand, it’s more than just a loss.
It's like not being able to breathe. Not being able to fly.

Paxton:
I grip the leather ball in my hand, feeling the weight of the year pressing down on me. If it was just football, I could deal, but with my last name – it's everything else that suffocates me. The Arthur Elite is what they call us, and we each have our roles to play. But my fathers given me the next two years to do what the hell I want without his interference, before he’ll own me and I'll become nothing but his pawn.
After that, when college is done, I dread the life I’ll have to lead. The role I’ll be forced to play.
It should be simple. Just stroll through the steel gates and be the crown they all see; but I can’t help but feel there is something lurking beneath the surface. There is something different about this year that I sense inside my dark soul.
And it isn’t something I am prepared for; even when staying ahead is the one thing that ensures my next breath.

Because when I lose a hand, it’s more than just a loss.
It's like losing a limb. A bird breaking its' wing.

And without that - I can’t fly toward freedom.
And my freedom right now, is all I have to hold onto.

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