Spotlight: An Italian Affair by Evie Baxter

Publication date: May 31st 2021

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Ella

Having suffered through a recent humiliating break up, I wasn’t ready to dive back into the dating game. I thought I was off men, but then along came Sandro de Luca. Gorgeous temptation in a suit. I worked on a ship. He lived in Venice. There was no way a relationship could work between us. But a summer affair might be just what was called for.

Sandro

My attraction to Ella had an incendiary chemistry that couldn’t be denied. She didn’t want a commitment. I wanted to imprint myself on her soul. I was determined to make her mine, even if life was continually throwing obstacles in my path. Some things were worth fighting for.

Excerpt

When the door swung shut on my apartment, I had her to myself completely. Privacy never felt so good. I pressed Ella back into the closed door, boxing her in with my forearms pressed to the wood on either side of her head.

“Say you are mine,” I demanded.

Ella’s little pink tongue dipped out to lick her lower lip before she tugged it between her teeth, causing me to groan in need. Her eyes were heavy with lust, skating over my face like she wanted to see everything at once. “Say it!” I demanded, needing the words from her.

“Allesandro de Luca, I am yours tonight and all the nights you want,” she said, her voice smoky with desire.

“Yes,” I hissed. My need ramping up further than I believed it could, fully clothed and pulsing with want. “I want all your nights. All of you.”

I slammed my lips down on hers, sucking, licking, tasting, and owning. She tasted of a want and need that matched my own, meeting me head on with her own longing. We stood like that, devouring each other, until time stood still. There was no other woman but this one. She filled my senses and intoxicated me.

I dragged my lips from hers, only to snap out, “Turn.”

She didn’t hesitate or question me, just spun her body one hundred and eighty degrees, hands scrabbling at the detail in the wood door as if to find purchase, to keep herself standing. I stood back for a moment, taking in her silhouette. Delighting in the navy dress she wore that complimented her curves in the most tasteful of ways. But I needed her skin, her heat, her whimpers, so I reached out and the gentle sound of the zipper’s hiss as I pulled the tab was all I could hear above the rushing of the blood through my veins.

Fabric parted, exposing lean muscled, pale flesh, and an enticing glimpse of a teal bra, lacy even in the back. Barely touching Ella, I used one finger to push the sleeve down one arm and then the other. I heard the falter in her breath. Saw the goose bumps rise in response to my actions. Ah, the pure decadence of having this beauty submit to my desires was enthralling.

She went to turn, but I demanded she, “Stay,” as I roughly clasped her nape, holding her in place, only releasing her when I knew she would stay as she was, hands now over her head, still trying to grip the door. The picture she made, dress clinging to the curve of her hips, the narrow dip of her waist above. The expanse of alabaster skin, and the amber crown of her head full of curls above it all.

I pushed the dress free of her body, instructing Ella to step free of the fabric so I could place it neatly over the back of a chair. I wasn’t having her return to the ship looking wrinkled and unkempt. The only look I wished her to return with was one of a woman well fucked.

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About the Author

Evie lives in the countryside close to Oxford where she writes stories, accompanied by her eldest daughter's very fluffy cat. When not writing she can be found ignoring housework, reading voraciously, feeding her family and hanging out with the alpacas at the farm behind her house. Before settling in the countryside, she travelled the world working on cruise ships and doing stuff like jumping out of airplanes, cycling around South Pacific Islands and taking helicopters over glaciers and volcanoes.

Connect:

https://www.facebook.com/eviebaxterauthor/

https://www.instagram.com/eviebaxter/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21446826.Evie_Baxter

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Spotlight: Flag on the Play by Kay Gordon

Carson Ward goes from star Quarterback to single dad the second his ex drops a newborn off on his doorstep, he needs help, and luckily for him, his best friend’s sister, Abby Lauder is ready to rise to the challenge. But can the two go from secret crushes to dirty diapers and late-night feedings without ruining the walls that have been built or will they realize that love is worth the risk? Readers will swoon for this Best Friend's Sibling romance featuring a sexy doorstep dad. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend with Flag on the Play by Kay Gordon, the next book in the Single Dad’s Romance series.

Read Now! 

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3v81KKr 

Carson Ward’s life might seem glamorous but he’s a simple guy. He loves football, his family, and spending time with his friends. His biggest flaw might just be the fact that he has a secret crush on his best friend’s little sister and has for years.

Abby Lauder is a free spirit and loves seeing life through the lens of her camera. As the photographer for a professional football team, she’s used to being just one of the guys. Whether she’s taking pictures of nature or pictures of football players, she never fails to catch the perfect image. So what if her camera lingers on her brother’s best friend a bit longer than others?

When Carson's ex-girlfriend drops a newborn baby off on his doorstep, he’s caught completely unaware. He never dreamed that he would go from star quarterback to a single dad in an instant. Luckily, he has help from those around him- including Abby. But, taking care of a newborn baby isn’t easy and it’ll require the quarterback and the photographer to spend even more time together. 

Amidst the diaper changes and late night feedings, hiding their feelings from each other will be harder than they think. Besides, their relationship is taboo in far too many ways for things to really go anywhere between them…right? 

Or maybe Carson and Abby will realize that sometimes love is worth the risk.

Excerpt 

Copyright 2021 Kay Gordon

Silence fell over us as we headed out of the locker room and to the tunnel. I was running through a list of things I needed to get from the grocery store when I heard the unmistakable click of a camera.

Normally that sound gave me a bit of a fight or flight reaction. After years of being in the media spotlight, I still wasn’t as used to it as some might assume. It was a necessary evil with my occupation, though, and I did my best to ignore them completely.

Inside the stadium, though, the sound gave me a different type of reaction. When I glanced over, my eyes landed on where a big professional camera was pointed right in our direction. The person behind the camera, however, was what grabbed my attention.

Abby was easily the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Her shiny, light-brown hair fell halfway down her back and looked so damn soft. She had eyes that were such a light brown color that they almost appeared gold. She didn’t usually wear makeup and didn’t need to. Her natural beauty was enough.

She was also tiny. She couldn’t have been an inch over five-four with a curvy body that matched her small stature well. She caught eyes of people wherever we were and it irritated me more than it should’ve. Despite her small appearance, Abby had a big personality. She laughed all the time and made friends with everyone she met.

You’d think after working with her for more than two years and knowing her for almost six, I’d be over my infatuation with her, but it never seemed to go away. Not really. I was good at ignoring and pretending, though.

Because I had to. Trevor made it clear to everyone when she started working as the Wildcats official team photographer that his little sister was off-limits.

It sucked.

“Hey, Abs.” I offered her a bright smile, pushing back my attraction to her. “Make sure you pick the best ones of me and the worst ones of this troll to use, okay?”

Trevor let out a bark of laughter and used one hand to shove me back as he approached his little sister. “She would never do me dirty like that, would you, short stuff?”

“You know better than to ask that question,” she replied with a snort as she lowered her camera and ducked away from her brother, who was probably about to give her a noogie of some kind. “I pick only the ugliest of your ugly face.”

“Don’t make me call Mom,” he warned, laughter in his voice. “She won’t take well to you hurting her baby boy’s feelings.”

Abby rolled her eyes. “The sad thing is that you’re right.”

It was weird to see the two of them together and to think that they were related in anyway. Other than the color of their hair, Abby and Trevor looked nothing alike and the contrast between their overall appearance was almost laughable.

Watching them together always made me miss my own little sister. Parker and I were close but while I was in Denver playing football, she was in Sacramento and working for a pro-hockey team. We were close and always had been, so it sucked that we didn’t get to see each other more. The little brat was happy, though, and that was all that mattered.

“Exactly.” Trevor flashed his sister a smug smile before jerking his chin towards her. “What are these pictures for?”

She shrugged and glanced down at the camera she was holding. “Everyone wants to see what the Wildcats are doing to prepare for the season, so I’m snapping a little bit of everything.”

“Are you ready for another season?” I asked as I adjusted the duffel bag on my shoulder.

Abby nodded and a bright smile crossed her face, making her even more beautiful.

“I enjoy the traveling, but I get more time to explore than you guys do.” She glanced behind her when we heard others coming down the tunnel. “Let me go snap some photos of these guys. See you both later?”

“See you at home,” Trevor confirmed with a nod and I just smiled at her.

“See you later, Abby.”

About Kay Gordon

Kay Gordon is a married, mother of two living near the west coast. She spends her days teaching young, impressionable minds in public school and evenings typing away furiously once her children are in bed. She loves to take her characters on a journey, making that happy ending even better!

Her favorite genre to read is Contemporary Romance but won’t hesitate to try anything with promise. One of her favorite past times is to read the book and then go see the movie while forcing her husband to listen to her point out all of the differences in real time. She’s still not over what Harry did to the Elder Wand in DH2.

When she's not teaching or writing, Kay loves to spend time with her family and friends, although she doesn’t ever say no to a good nap. She’s an avid lover of hockey and can be seen cheering for her beloved Nashville Predators- no matter how much they frustrate her.

Kay always welcomes feedback and comments (or even just a healthy argument about why Backstreet Boys are better than *Nsync) so please don't hesitate to reach out!

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Spotlight: Cold Case True Crime by Denise N. Wheatley

Cold Case True Crime by Denise N. Wheatley is available on June 29.

Book Description

True crime is her beat.

But this cold case is personal…

Samantha Vincent has turned her fascination with true crime into a popular blog. When an old friend asks her to investigate a murder the police couldn’t solve, she begins to suspect that the cops want this case to go cold. Sam is confident she’ll catch the killer when Detective Gregory Harris agrees to help her, but everything changes when she becomes a target…

Excerpt

Samantha Vincent flinched when the coffee shop door slammed shut behind her. She stared down the dark, vacant street in search of her car—she hadn’t realized she’d parked so far away.

The temperature had dropped severely since she’d arrived at the café. There was now a stinging chill in the night air. She set out toward the sidewalk, tightening her houndstooth-patterned scarf in an effort to block the wind as it whistled eerily past her ears.

Samantha had spent the day working on her popular true crime cold case blog, Someone Knows Something, and time had gotten away from her. By now, businesses were closed and most residents of small-town Gattenburg, Illinois, had retired for the evening.

A frigid breeze whipped through her golden-brown bob and blew open Samantha’s black wool peacoat, sending unsettling shivers throughout her entire body. But it wasn’t just the icy climate that had unnerved her.

She was still rattled by an email she’d received from Ava Jennings, an old high school friend whose family Samantha had grown close to after spending countless days at their home during her teenage years. In her message, Ava pleaded with Samantha to investigate her brother Jacob’s mysterious death, which police had just officially stated was cold with no leads.

Tree branches scraped against dim streetlights that barely illuminated the road. Samantha glanced down at the ground, her lone shadow a stark reminder that she was unaccompanied in the unnerving darkness. Moments like these brought on paranoid thoughts of all the unsolved cases she worked so hard to crack. Many of those victims found themselves in her exact same position seconds before their demise—isolated and vulnerable.

Samantha pushed those disturbing thoughts out of her mind and hurried along the pavement. Her feet ached in her high-heeled boots. But in spite of the pain, she clenched her jaw and fought through it, anxious to get off the desolate street and inside her car.

Just when Samantha’s convertible appeared in the hazy distance, the sound of screeching tires pierced her eardrums.

She stopped abruptly. The vehicle’s engine emitted a menacing roar.

Samantha spun around, almost losing her footing. Bright yellow headlights blinded her squinted chestnut eyes. She inhaled sharply, watching while the black sedan crept toward her.

She curled her hands into tight fists and took a step back, her lean legs quivering in the wind. Remembering the mini stun gun she’d slipped into her back pocket, Samantha pulled it out and contemplated making a run for her car. But she was too afraid to turn her back on the man she presumed was behind the wheel.

Collin Wentworth…

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About the Author

Denise N. Wheatley loves happy endings and the art of storytelling. Her novels run the romance gamut, and she strives to pen entertaining books that embody matters of the heart. She's an RWA member and holds a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois. When Denise isn't writing, she enjoys watching true crime tv and chatting with readers. Follow her on Instagram: @denise_wheatley_writer Twitter: @DeniseWheatley BookBub: @denisenwheatley Goodreads: Denise N. Wheatley

Connect with the Author

Website: https://www.denisenwheatley.com/p/i-am-lover-of-romance-happy-endings-and.html

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeniseWheatley

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/denise-n-wheatley 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3118421.Denise_N_Wheatley

Spotlight: Such a Good Girl by Willow Rose

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

FBI-profiler Eva Rae Thomas faces a devious plan in bestselling author Willow Rose’s blood-rushing thriller of murder and revenge.

A girl falls from the penthouse floor of an apartment in Washington, D.C.

Media Mogul Richard Wanton owns the apartment and is seen standing on the balcony when the girl falls.

He is accused of killing her, but the FBI is struggling to find enough solid evidence to convict him.

They have a witness, someone who was in the apartment when it happened, but she doesn’t want to talk to them.

She’ll only speak to one person, ex-FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas. The problem is, Eva Rae Thomas has no interest in talking to her.

As a matter of fact, she’d rather see this woman dead than have to face her.

But Eva Rae Thomas isn’t someone who can leave a case alone, especially not when she starts to ask questions and things aren’t adding up.

As she digs in deeper—with the entire world watching—she soon finds herself in too deep and realizes she can’t trust anyone’s motives.

But by then, it is too late, and the killer is already tracking her down.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Hardcover | Paperback

About the Author

Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 80 novels. 

Several of her books have reached the top 10 of ALL books on Amazon in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than six million books all over the world. 

She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy. 

Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won't see coming. That's why her fans call her The Queen of Plot-Twists.

Willow lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.  

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads    

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Spotlight: Come Fly With Me by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

(Invertary Too, #1)
Publication date: June 28th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

They married in their teens. They haven’t seen each other in ten years. And now they have to fake a relationship to keep their land.

At seventeen, Katya Savage eloped with her lifelong best friend, Brodie MacGregor. Everything was perfect for two glorious years—until Katya became obsessed with her great-grandmother’s legacy. To be fair, who wouldn’t get excited about having a female bomber pilot in the family tree? Brodie, that's who. Because when Katya asked him to help her find a plane exactly like the one her great-gran flew during World War Two, he had a hissy fit and gave her an ultimatum—him or the plane. Yeah, that was a dumb move…

Anyway, now Katya’s back. With her plane. And all she wants to do is set up a scenic flight business on the land gifted to them both. Unfortunately, there are a few teeny tiny problems with her plan: 1. Brodie has his own ideas for the land that don’t involve her or her plane. 2. The family who gifted the land to them wants it back. 3. The only way to keep the land is to convince their families, the town, and a bunch of lawyers that they’re back together again.

Now, if they could just stop fighting long enough to act like they’re in love…

Excerpt

It wasn’t every day you watched a World War Two Soviet fighter plane make its way up the main street of a small Highland town. To be fair, it was wingless and secured to a flatbed lorry at the time, not flying over the cobblestone road. Still, the sight was definitely out of place in among the crooked old white houses that made up the high street. Nor did it blend in with the green hills and blue loch that gave the town of Invertary its picturesque setting. In fact, the aircraft was such an oddity—in a town where oddities were commonplace—that it’d brought everyone out to watch the spectacle.

“So, she’s really come home then?”

At his younger brother Darach’s words, Brodie MacGregor grimaced. “It would appear so.”

“And she has the plane she went off to find.”

“Aye.” The self-same plane that was responsible for ending his marriage.

“I hear tell she’s a rocket in the sky. Can fly pretty much anything you put in front of her.”

Brodie cocked an eyebrow at his brother. “Where exactly did you hear that?”

“A wee bird told me.” The dickhead grinned. “Must make you feel like a complete arse, seeing as you told her she’d never make it as a pilot or find one of the planes her granny used to fly. In fact, some might say you had egg on your face from being so bloody arrogant in the first place.”

“If some were to say that within my hearing, it would be the last words they uttered.”

From the mocking smile on Darach’s face, it was clear he wasn’t intimidated by his brother’s threat. Idiot. Even though Darach had a couple of inches on Brodie, and some army training under his belt, the numpty still thought he could take him in a fight. Brodie knew better. Unlike Darach, he never pulled his punches with his brothers. It was the only way he’d managed to survive growing up as the middle child of seven boys.

“Did she give you a heads-up she was coming back?” Darach asked, lifting his chin toward the cab of the truck, where Brodie’s ex-wife sat behind the wheel.

“A letter from her lawyer.”

“So, she’s still pissed at you, then.”

“You could say that. I was charged for the postage.”

Darach burst out laughing. “I always liked that girl.”

Aye, and so had Brodie. Liking Katya was never the problem—living with her was.

When the truck sped past, he caught sight of Katya’s face as she stared straight ahead. And just like that, his jeans became uncomfortably tight while his stomach did a backward somersault. Almost ten years since they’d parted ways, and all it took was one glimpse to make him want to bed her. It came as a brutal blow to his ego to discover his Katya addiction hadn’t waned. And he’d just bet she would laugh her head off if she ever found out.

Darach elbowed Brodie to get his attention. “Does it bother you that she’s still calling herself MacGregor?”

“No.”

Sure, it’d been a slap in the face when she’d kept the name and dumped the man, but he could hardly blame her. MacGregor was preferable to Savage any day of the week. In fact, he’d often wondered if one of the reasons she’d been so eager to marry, despite them both being barely legal, was just to get rid of her family name.

But then, there were easier ways to achieve that than taking on a MacGregor.

“Do you think she heard about your plans?” Darach mused as they watched the plane disappear over the crest of the hill at the top of town.

“I’d be surprised. Her family doesn’t exactly live on this planet most of the time. Even if they heard the gossip, it probably didn’t register.”

Darach grinned widely. “Have to say, I kinda miss the family dinners we had when you two were together.”

Yeah, it was hard not to smile at those memories. Brodie caught his brother’s eye, and they both said, “Delia Savage’s dramatic monologues!” And burst into fits of laughter.

“But seriously.” Darach wiped at his eyes as he sobered. “What are you going to do if she has plans for your land?”

And just like that, all the humor in the situation was sucked right out. “I’ll do what I have to.” Both their names might be on the title, but he’d been the one tending the land for the past decade. Katya hadn’t set foot on it since she’d walked out on him.

“Eh, I hate to point this out, big brother, but you don’t exactly have a lot of options. Unless you split the land down the middle.”

Aye, that wasn’t going to work. Their plot of land was a long, narrow rectangle, with the best views lying on one of the shorter sides. Even if they halved it, neither of them would take the back section with the crappy views. And you couldn’t split it lengthwise, because they’d both end up with a strip that was too narrow to be of any decent use.

“She’ll just have to see reason.” Brodie folded his arms over his faded blue plaid shirt.

Darach nodded. “Because Katya’s well known for her ability to see reason. Like when you told her to do exactly that, right before she left you.”

“This is different.” It had to be. “We’ve both grown up since then. Surely now, we can act with civility toward each other?”

“The letter from her lawyer seemed really civil.”

Brodie glared at Darach as he wondered for the millionth time why he’d been cursed with six smart-arsed morons for brothers. “Are you trying to help here?”

“Mainly, I’m trying to ensure I get a ringside seat for whatever happens next. I know it’s going tae be helluva entertaining.” He mimed an explosion, with sound effects.

“Dickhead.”

“Entertained dickhead. One whose sister-in-law has returned to town and is about to drive my brother insane.”

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About the Author

Janet is a Scot who moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago. Among other things, she’s been an artist, a teacher, a security guard at a castle, a magazine editor, and a cleaner in a drop in center for drug addicts (NOT the best job!). She now writes full-time and is working on her 19th book. Her books have won several awards, including the Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense. When she isn’t living in her head, she raises two kids, one husband, and several random animals. She survives on chocolate and caffeine.

Connect:
https://janetelizabethhenderson.com/
https://janetelizabethhenderson.com/3543-2/
https://www.facebook.com/author.janetelizabethhenderson/
https://www.pinterest.nz/janetehenderson/
https://www.instagram.com/janetelizabeth.henderson/

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Spotlight: My Lucky #13 by Piper Rayne

Release Date: June 29

Lucky.

The one adjective used to describe my entire hockey career. I prefer to call it hard work, at least I did until my game went to complete crap. I haven’t scored in eight games and my team owner is talking about trading me.

I’ve never believed in superstitions. Never needed one. I suppose I was “lucky” in that way. But now the best way to refer to me is desperate. I’d wear the same socks for an entire year just to be the high-scoring center I used to be.

Imagine my surprise when after spending New Year’s Eve with a woman, I score a hat trick in the next game—that’s three goals in one game for you non-hockey lovers. Now, I have to track her down and bribe her to do it again before every game. Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m not talking about it.

I find her and when I get to know her better, I end up spending more time thinking about her than my game, but she’s made it clear she wants no part of me. She’s going to learn that I didn’t become a professional hockey player without having to fight for what I want.

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About the Author

Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.

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