Spotlight: Wallflower by Cookie O'Gorman

YA Romance 

Release Date: March 25, 2021

Wallflower (wohl-flou-erh): Identifier for someone who is shy and/or awkward. For reference, see Viola Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Viola Kent likes being invisible. Well, not literally, but she's content being a loner, reading her books, and hanging out with the animals at the shelter. She just wants to keep her head down and get through her senior year at Durham High.

Driving Dare Frost to school every day wasn't part of the plan.

And when Viola finds out her dad recruited Dare, his number one player, to be her friend?

Her inner Slytherin demands revenge.

The solution: Get Dare to be her fake boyfriend.

Convincing the star athlete to pretend is easier than she'd thought it would be. The hard part is protecting her heart. With every word, touch, and kiss, Viola's feelings become more real.

The problem: Viola knows she's falling for Dare—but he doesn't believe in love.

This book features two sets of soulmates, one happy pooch named Hermione, so many sizzling kisses and answers the question:

Can a dork and a jock fake their way to true love?

Excerpt

This had to be a dream, I thought.  Either that or a hallucination.

Standing in our driveway, leaning back against my little Honda, hands in his pockets like he was Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles or something, was a guy who knew he looked good even in sweats and a hoodie.

Dare Frost.

His six-foot-three frame dwarfed my car.  Dare was the last person I expected to see waiting outside my house on my last first day of high school.  I was so surprised it took me a second to find my voice.

But Dare just cocked his head.

"Morning flower," he said.  "Better hurry or we'll be late."

I shook myself out of it.  "Are you lost?"

"Nope, I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."

"What are you even doing here?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"  He held his hands out, a small smile playing on his lips.  "I'm here to bum a ride to school.  Speaking of, could you pop the locks?"  Dare rubbed his hands together.  "It's a little chilly out here."

I laughed, couldn't help it.  "Are you crazy?  Dare, I'm not taking you to school."

"Yes, you are."

"No.  I'm not."

Dare shrugged.  "Coach said you would."

My jaw dropped.  "He did what?  When?  Why?"

"That's a lot of questions," he said.  "But yeah, your dad and I talked the other day after practice.  He said you'd give me a ride because we live so close to each other.  Said it would be no problem.  I run by your house every morning anyway.  Plus, my car's in the shop for repairs."

"Didn't you just get that car?" I asked.

The question made Dare smile for some reason.  "You keeping tabs on me, Vi?"

I choked.  "What? No!"

"Hey, no worries," he said.  "I'm not mad about it.  A lot of girls do it.  Just wasn't aware you were one of them."

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About the Author

Cookie O'Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad  and WALLFLOWER are out now!  She is also the author of NA sports romance, The Best Mistake.

Connect:

Author Website: http://cookieogorman.com/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cookie-OGorman/e/B01DCDMJ5U

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14924267.Cookie_O_Gorman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cookieogorman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookieogorman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CookieOwrites

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/cookie-o-gorman

Spotlight: To Have and to Hate by R.S. Grey

Marry a man I barely know to save my family from ruin.

It might’ve been simple, if my betrothed were anybody else.

On our wedding day, my husband-to-be arrived at the courthouse like a black cloud rolling over Manhattan. Walt didn’t crack smiles or pepper in pleasantries as we exchanged hollow vows in front of the judge. 

His disdain for me was so palpable I assumed we’d walk out of that ceremony and resume our regularly scheduled programming. But then fate was like, Hold my beer. I got this.

In desperate need of help and with nowhere else to turn, I had no choice but to ignore a crucial rule in our contract: I shall only contact Mr. Jennings II in case of emergency. But hey, what’s a little fine print between husband and wife?

Turns out, Walt’s a stickler for legalese—I think it might be his love language. Oh, and his attitude at the courthouse wasn’t a put-on. My so-called husband is a jerk. He takes what he wants without giving any consideration to other people—specifically ME, his blushing, contractually-obligated bride!

I knew life with Walt would be no honeymoon, but a marriage of any sort should still come with a few standard guarantees:

To have and to hold.

For richer or poorer.

In sickness and in health.

But after experiencing Walt’s version of wedded bliss, I say let’s forget about all that lovey-dovey crap and just take me straight to death do us part.

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About R.S. Grey

R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughter, and can be found reading, binge-watching reality TV, or practicing yoga! Visit her at rsgrey.com

Website |  Facebook | R.S. Grey’s Little Reds Facebook Group | Newsletter | Instagram

Spotlight: Eat Your Heart Out by Shirley Goldberg

Starting Over Series, Book 2

Romantic Women's Fiction / Romcom / ChickLit

Date Published: March 17, 2021

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

When a tyrant in stilettos replaces her beloved boss, and her ex snags her coveted job, teacher Dana Narvana discovers there are worse things than getting dumped on Facebook. Time for the BFF advice squad. Alex—hunky colleague, quipster, and cooking pal extraordinaire is Dana’s staunchest ally. So what’s with the smooching after hours? And why won’t this grown man make up his mind?

Actor turned teacher Alex Bethany craves a family of his own. Newly hotified, he’s now got the confidence to try online dating. Meanwhile he’s sending Dana mixed messages in the kissing department. After a surprising event rocks his world, Alex panics, certain he’s blown his chances with his special person.

Funny and bittersweet, Dana and Alex’s story will have you rooting for them all the way to dessert.

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About the Author

Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website http://midagedating.com offers a humorous look at living single and dating in mid life. Eat Your Heart Out is the second book in the series Starting Over. Middle Ageish, the first, is available now and Shirley’s friends like to guess which stories in the book are true. Her characters believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and Shirley agrees.

Connect:

Website/blog: http://midagedating.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/midagedating

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mylifeasadate

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirleygoldbergauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3916624.Shirley_Goldberg

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/3531427862?list=following

Spotlight: She Feels Like Home by Lisa Hughey

Publication date: March 1st 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He’s a billionaire.

Peter Nguyen has achieved everything he ever wanted. So why isn’t he happier? He goes to his high school reunion to show up all the people who didn’t give the time of day to the skinny, nerdy boy he’d been. But then he runs into his old friend Britt.

She can barely pay her bills.

Brittanica Jones watched her future evaporate when she had to leave college after a brutal attack left her mother incapacitated. She hasn’t done anything she set out to do, and the only reason she even goes to her high school reunion is to reconnect with her old friend Peter . . . even though he ghosted her back when she needed him most.

They’ve got nothing in common…except each other.

When Peter sees Britt again, he realizes how much he misses her. Her acerbic quick wit and “take no shit” attitude are a welcome change from people who fawn all over him. When he realizes that he’s got the means to help her out, he offers her a temporary job.

However, grown-up Britt inspires sexy thoughts, not friendship thoughts. Their relationship deepens into a romance. Britt’s downtrodden heart blossoms with the opportunity to work with Peter and explore their changed relationship. But this interlude has an end date, and when disaster strikes, she’s got no choice but to leave.

Can these old high school friends overcome the hurts from the past and find love with each other?

Excerpt

“Your assistant buys your groceries?” Britt countered.

“Yes,” he said defensively.

“You’re too good to hit the local Safeway?” She shook her head. “Man, we live in different worlds.”

That didn’t sound like a compliment.

“It frees up my time.” He felt compelled to defend the practice.

Britt tugged open his fridge, making herself at home. “Whatever.”

He loved that about her. No hesitation. The birds rippled in response as her muscles moved. He desperately wanted to lick his way along the path of those swallows.

Then he noticed her stillness.

“You have Dom Perignon in here.”

“Ah, I guess.” Pete couldn’t decipher the note in her voice. “Is that a problem?”

“It’s insanely expensive.”

“Okay?”

“I could feed my mother and myself for a week on what that bottle costs,” she said wistfully.

“Well, then, let’s open it.”

“You’re supposed to drink it to celebrate something momentous.”

He didn’t give a rat’s ass about momentous. Besides, she was looking at the bottle longingly. “You like champagne?”

“I love it, but I don’t have it very often.” She laughed but it was a sad sound. “That’s a lie. I never have it.”

Then he was going to change that. He pulled the green bottle out of the fridge.

She gripped his arm, the touch burning through his shirt. “You can’t open that,” she cried.

“Yes, I can.” He popped the cork before she could object.

“Oh my God. Don’t let it spill.” She grabbed the bottle and caught the bubbles cascading out the top with her tongue. “Mmm.” She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, making sure none of it was wasted.

The look of bliss on her face propelled him forward, unable to stop the impulses clanging through him.

He kissed her.

The moment her mouth met his, angels began to sing. She tasted of the tartness of white grapes and fermentation. He wanted to delve further into her mouth and taste her. He cupped her jaw in his hand, his fingers tunneling into the loose collection of curls at her nape, and he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.

Britt’s eyes drifted closed.

He rubbed his nose along hers and plundered her mouth, holding her in place as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. The champagne bottle thumped against his back, and a little of the cool liquid spilled between his shoulder blades.

He slid his arm around her waist and tugged her closer, her breasts snug against his chest. The full skirt of her dress pouffed around him as he tested and tasted, trying to figure out what she liked.

What made her moan. What made her soften against him. She’d gone all-in on the kiss.

He didn’t want to pressure her. But the kiss was off-the-charts hot. His brain had definitely moved from wanting the kiss to wanting more.

He pulled away to give her a moment.

And maybe him too. To assess the attraction. After all, this was Britt. His old friend. And yet…not.

“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly.

“I wanted to capture that treasure.”

“Very pirate-like of you,” she teased.

He took the bottle from her hand.

“Open your mouth,” he commanded. “Tilt your head.”

She blinked at his authoritarian tone, but she complied.

He poured a shot of champagne into her mouth.

She swallowed and moaned. “So good.” 

The look of bliss on her face made him want to be the one who caused that reaction rather than the champagne.

Then she said, “But it’s meant to be sipped.”

“Life is meant to be swallowed whole and gorged upon.”

“Good point.” She took the bottle from him, took another swig, and then placed it on his quartz countertop. Then she hoisted herself onto the counter and spread her legs. The move put her breasts level with his mouth. Her fancy ballgown flared out as she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to her.

“What are you doing?”

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again. “Gorging.”

His smooth fingertips traced the line of her dress over her breasts, dipping his finger into her cleavage. His fingertips sizzled at the sensual contact.

Britt arched her back.

Pete pulled away from her mouth and trailed a line of kisses over her chin and down her neck until he buried his face in the plump valley of her breasts. She clutched his head to her.

“You taste amazing.”

“It’s the Dom.”

He licked a path over her skin. She shivered at the light caress. His arms reached around to unzip her dress. “It’s you.”

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Lisa Hughey has been writing romance since the fourth grade, which was also about the time she began her love affair with spies. Harriet and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys later gave way to James Bond and Lara Croft and Jason Bourne.

Exploring the complex nature of a profession that requires subterfuge and lies fascinates her. She loves combining her two passions into fiction. As evidenced by her Black Cipher Files series.

Archangel Rafe was her first foray into the paranormal but after spending time in the Angelic Realm, it won't be her last. At their heart, the Seven novels are about the dynamics of family relationships. But the really hot Archangels don't hurt.

And recently she's been immersed in the Stone Family novellas, four stories about a blended family of brothers and sister who have a lot more in common than they realize. But of course she couldn't just write about family and romance. There are complex plots, bad guys, and suspense too.

Lisa loves to hear from readers and has various places you can connect with her, although, shh, Twitter is her favorite.

Connect:

http://www.lisahughey.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lisa.hughey/

https://www.facebook.com/LisaHugheyRomanceAuthor/

https://twitter.com/LisaHughey

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5015421.Lisa_Hughey

Spotlight: Expose by Willow Fox

Series: Eagle Tactical Book One

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense, Small Town

There was a bounty on my head. I fled with only one thought in mind: survival.  

I bought a cabin, sight unseen, in the wilderness. It came with quite a few surprises including a handsome stranger next door, Jaxson Monroe.

He also happens to be my own personal hero, saving my life. It’s complicated and I don’t want to disappoint him, but he wants to know why I’ve moved here. If I tell him the truth, he will never want to see me again. I’m not the sweet innocent girl he thinks I am. 

Could I trust a former special forces soldier, or would he betray me? I owed him my life, but did I owe him my heart? 

EXPOSE is Book One of Eagle Tactical series. EXPOSE ends with a HFN and a guaranteed series HEA.

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About the Author

Willow has loved writing since she was in high school (many ages ago). Her small town romances are reflective of living in a small town in rural America.

Whether she’s writing romance or sitting outside by the bonfire reading a good book, Willow loves the magic of the written word.

She dreams of being swept off her feet and hopes to do that to her readers! 

Connect:

Website: https://authorwillowfox.com

IG: https://instagram.com/authorwillowfox

FB: https://facebook.com/authorwillowfox

Newsletter: https://authorwillowfox.com/subscribe/

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Spotlight: Room for Us by L.M. Halloran

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Ethan Hart thinks I’m his maid. Too bad I need his money more than my pride. 

The intense, arrogant author has booked my entire Inn to write his next fictional masterpiece. 

I have no choice but to put up with his demands.

Breakfast is a daily endurance test. 

Making his bed and doing his wash? A different kind of torture. 

And that’s not even the worst part.

With his haunted eyes, frozen heart, and heated touch, 

Ethan makes me burn in ways I swore I never would again.

There’s no place in my life for him, nor in his for me. 

But six weeks together might create...

Just enough room for us.

Exclusive Excerpt

That’s odd. I study the screen of my newly replaced cell phone. The number I called only rang three times before disconnecting. No voicemail. What kind of inn doesn’t have a voicemail?

Not to be deterred, I call back. This time there’s two rings, then nothing. I press Send again. 

One ring—nothing.

Now I’m annoyed. I call again. And again. Six times total before the line abruptly opens and a woman snaps, “What do you want?”

I’m so stunned I can’t speak. 

“Hello?” she repeats, voice dripping acid. “Chris, if that’s you, I told you I never want to talk to you again! I’ve moved on. I don’t need you, your stupid alimony, or your half-assed justifications. Grow up!”

I almost hang up. I want nothing to do with anything that just came out of this woman’s mouth. And yet… there’s something in her voice, something I can’t quite put my finger on. Lurking beneath the rage, hidden by slicing consonants and cool vowels. Then I realize what it is.

Pain.

And like a weight has been lifted from my chest, I can suddenly speak. 

“Is this the right number for Rose House Inn in Sun River?”

In the following silence, I imagine her horror and mortification. I must be a bit of a sadist, because it makes me smile.

“I’m so sorry.” A gutted whisper. “Please don’t hang up. I-I thought you were someone else.”

“Obviously.” 

I pause, weighing the wisdom of what I’m about to do. Every other goddamn hotel, motel, and rental in the area is booked because of some upcoming film festival. When I stumbled on the website for Rose House late last night, the online booking was wide-open. A red flag all on its own, but desperation trumped logic. Unfortunately, there was no option to book the entire house online. Hence this absurd phone call.

If this is the standard of customer service offered at the Rose House, at least I now have some idea why it isn’t bursting with bookings. And what I can expect to endure.

“Sir? Are you still there? Again, I’m so sorry. Can we start over? My name is Zoey Kemper and I’m the new owner of Rose House. I’d love to discuss your needs.” 

“I’m here. Give me a second to decide whether or not to hang up.”

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About L.M. Halloran

When not writing or reading, the author enjoys walking barefoot, subjecting her husband to questionable recipes, and chasing her spirited daughter. She’s a rabid fan of coffee, moon-gazing, and small dogs that resemble Ewoks. Home is Portland, Oregon.

Connect with L.M. Halloran Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon