Spotlight: Make Me by Evelyn Sola

Falling in love is the last thing single mom Laci Hogan is looking for. Too bad her new neighbor didn’t get the memo. Cooper Stevens isn’t a stranger to hard work and when he wants something, he won’t stop until he gets it. Fall for this hard-working hottie in Make Me by Evelyn Sola, a Widow Romance, the next book in the Blue Collar Romance Series.

Laci Hogan isn’t looking for love when she moves back to Oak Bend. Coming home is all about Laci gaining her independence she once lost. Besides, getting over a rocky past and losing her husband is more than enough for her to juggle while raising her two-year-old daughter but old acquaintance - Cooper Stevens can be persistent when it comes to getting what he wants.

No stranger to hard work, he’s willing to do all it takes to prove to his new neighbor Laci that she doesn’t have to do life alone and that with the right person, a relationship makes life better - oh so much better.

Will Cooper make her see that this could be all the happiness she never knew she was looking for?

Excerpt 

Copyright 2021 Evelyn Sola

Just as I approach the corner, I’m hit on the shoulder by another body. I’m pushed to the wall, and the mountain of books in my hands crashes to the floor. The red folder holding my English term paper lands on top of the heap.

“Watch where you’re going!” the person who bumped says.

She doesn’t have the decency to stop, but by the sound of her giggles, I know who it is. And there’s no way the school’s most popular senior would give me the time of day. I sigh and drop to the floor to pick up my things. My heart starts to beat erratically because if there’s one thing I know—wherever Candace is, he’s never too far behind.

I’m proven right. A pair of black boots enters my line of vision. Cooper Stevens. Those are his boots. He was wearing them the very first time I saw him, and I remember wanting to be swallowed up by the ground. The only thing that saved me from total embarrassment was the fact that I know someone like him would never notice someone like me.

I hold my breath while he approaches and quickly turn to my books. Please leave. Please leave. Please leave. I busy myself arranging my books. I won’t stand up until he walks past me. Only he doesn’t. He drops down to my level and grabs my red folder. Instead of handing it to me, he opens it and starts to look through the pages.

I finally find the courage to look at him, and our eyes lock. For the first time ever, I notice the hazel flecks around his brown eyes. I look away and drop my head, and because this is the day from hell, my glasses slide off my face and land on the floor.

We reach for them at the same time, and his large hand ends up covering mine. I let out a small sound, and I say a silent prayer that he didn’t hear it. I note the contrast of our skin tones, his white hand covering my brown one before I pull mine away. He lifts my glasses and brings them to my face. I’m as still as a statue while I look down at the linoleum floor. He moves closer and slides the glasses back onto my face. I take a deep breath and bask in the smell of his leather jacket mixed with his fruity shampoo.

When he gets the glasses on my face, he moves his hands behind my ears to make sure they are secure.

“You okay?” he asks. He lifts my chin and forces me to look at him.

Like a deer in headlights, all I can do is stare.

“Be careful next time, Laces,” he whispers.

I lick my dry lips. “Um, my name is—” The words get locked in my throat. I grab my books and finally stand up. He stands right along with me. When we’re both upright, he takes a step closer.

“Your name is what?” he asks. He hands me my folder, and when I take it from him, his fingers touch mine.

“Um, my name is—” I clear my throat and try again. The entire time he stares at me with an expression I can’t interpret. “My name isn’t, um—” I never get a chance to finish my sentence.

“Cooper!” Candace yells in the hallway. She runs over to us and grabs the sleeve of his leather jacket. “Come on! What are you still doing here with her?” She points at me without bothering to look in my direction. “Let’s go. You did your good deed of the day. Maybe you should tell her to run a flat iron through that hair.” The entire time he was being dragged away, his head was turned in my direction, until they turned the corner and he disappeared.

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About Evelyn Sola 

A Boston native, wife, mother, and wine enthusiast. If she’s not writing, thinking about writing, you will find Evelyn with a book in her hands. While a new publisher, she’s been writing for years, and she will continue to write for many years to come.  

Evelyn is obsessed with assertive and confident men who will stop at nothing to get their woman. Her stories are filled with love, passion and humor. 

She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and two daughters.

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Spotlight: Our Kind of Love by Kait Nolan

Release Date: June 4

One of Nashville’s fastest rising stars, Kyle Keenan has it all—fame, fans, and a chance at fortune. But the dream he’s busted his tail for means nothing without the woman who holds his heart. With her sassy smile and pull-no-punches attitude, Abbey is his greatest love—and his greatest regret. When he’s confronted in a live TV interview about alleged involvement with a country music starlet, Kyle blurts out he’s already engaged…to Abbey.

Abbey Whittaker has come a long way from the starry-eyed six-year-old who made a marriage pact with her best friend. With a thriving business, a loving family, and a tight-knit group of friends, she’s put away childish things. She long ago banished Kyle from her life, so the last thing she expects is him walking through her door or the blistering kiss that follows.

Kyle is desperate to convince Abbey that a fake engagement is the best way to get the media off her back—and his. And it just might give him a chance to fix what he destroyed. Even as these two frenemies remember all the reasons they wanted to be lovers, another blast from Kyle’s past returns, threatening to expose the secret he’s spent his entire career hiding. 

When truths come to light, will love conquer all or will Kyle lose everything?

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Kait Nolan is a RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author who calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin', and can wield a 'Bless your heart' like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world's most perfect food. When she's not writing, reading, working the evil day job, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and the four-), you can find her obsessively watching The Great British Bake Off.

Connect with Kait Nolan

Website: https://kaitnolan.com/

Newsletter: https://kaitnolan.com/newsletter/

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

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kaitnolanbooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3464081.Kait_Nolan

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kait-nolan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaitnolan

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/kaitnolan/

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/359xLas

Spotlight: Dad by Steven Manchester

Three generations of dads, playing traditional roles in each other's lives, arrive simultaneously at significant crossroads. The decisions they make and the actions they take will directly – and eternally – affect each other.

After a life of hard work and raising children, Robert is enjoying his well-deserved retirement when he discovers that he has an illness he might not be able to beat. At 19, Jonah is sprinting across the threshold of adulthood when he learns, stunningly, that he's going to become a father. And Oliver – Robert's son and Jonah's dad – has entered middle age and is paying its demanding price. While reconciling the time and effort it has taken him to reach an unfulfilling career and an even less satisfying marriage, he realizes that it's imperative that he keep it all together for the two men who mean everything to him.

When different perspectives lead to misunderstandings that remain unspoken – sometimes for years – it takes great strength and even more love to travel beyond the resentment.

Dad: A Novel chronicles the sacred legacy of fatherhood.

It's become a bit of a signature for Steven to include a poem at the very end of his novels. Here's what I've selected for this one.

The Greatest Teachers
by Steven Manchester

My children have taught me…
that trust is sealed before the first step
and real understanding does not require words;
that a baby’s breath and angels’ wings make the same sound,
and bonds forged on sleepless nights are eternal.

My children have taught me…
that the greatest wonders are found within the smallest moments;
and the grip of a tiny hand slips away much too fast;
that the word “proud” can inspire unimaginable feats,
while the word “disappointed” can scar the soul.

My children have taught me…
that doing something means so much less than being there,
as one day at the park is more valuable than ten visits to the toy store;
that laughter is contagious and can destroy all worries,
and Santa Claus is alive and well—all that’s needed is faith.

My children have taught me…
that the most powerful prayers are made up of the simplest words,
humbled, grateful and spoken from the heart;
and that for most ailments, the best medicine is a kiss
or a hug for someone who wouldn’t dream of asking.

My children have taught me…
that friends can be made with no more than a smile
and real blessings are found amongst family and friends;
that the future promises magic and wonder,
and that dreams must be chased until each one comes true.It's become a bit of a signature for Steven to include a poem at the very end of his novels. Here's what I've selected for this one.

The Greatest Teachers
by Steven Manchester

My children have taught me…
that trust is sealed before the first step
and real understanding does not require words;
that a baby’s breath and angels’ wings make the same sound,
and bonds forged on sleepless nights are eternal.

My children have taught me…
that the greatest wonders are found within the smallest moments;
and the grip of a tiny hand slips away much too fast;
that the word “proud” can inspire unimaginable feats,
while the word “disappointed” can scar the soul.

My children have taught me…
that doing something means so much less than being there,
as one day at the park is more valuable than ten visits to the toy store;
that laughter is contagious and can destroy all worries,
and Santa Claus is alive and well—all that’s needed is faith.

My children have taught me…
that the most powerful prayers are made up of the simplest words,
humbled, grateful and spoken from the heart;
and that for most ailments, the best medicine is a kiss
or a hug for someone who wouldn’t dream of asking.

My children have taught me…
that friends can be made with no more than a smile
and real blessings are found amongst family and friends;
that the future promises magic and wonder,
and that dreams must be chased until each one comes true.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Hardcover | Bookshop.org

About the Author

New England's Storyteller Steven Manchester is the author of the soul-awakening novel, The Menu, as well as the 80s nostalgia-fest, Bread Bags & Bullies. His other works include #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers, Ashes, The Changing Season and Three Shoeboxes; the multi-award winning novel, Goodnight Brian; and the beloved holiday podcast drama, The Thursday Night Club. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright, as well as the winner of the 2017 & 2021 Los Angeles Book Festival, 2018 New York Book Festival and 2020 New England Book Festival. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing. Visit: www.StevenManchester.com

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

Spotlight: The Father of Her Sons by Christine Rimmer

She thought she knew everything she needed to know about him in New York Times bestselling author Christine Rimmer's first book in the brand-new Wild Rose Sisters series!

How do you make up for four years of lost time?

No last names. No promises to meet again. No way for Payton Dahl to find the man who’s the father of her twin boys. Until fate reunites them four years later. Easton Wright now wants to be part of his sons’ lives—with the woman he fell hard for during those seven days and nights of bliss. Payton doesn’t want her sons to grow up fatherless like she did, but can she risk trusting Easton when she’s been burned in the past?

Excerpt

It all started with a little innocent flirting.

And okay, yes. Payton Dahl had given up flirting. Flirting too easily led to fooling around. Fooling around often became romance and right now in her life, she had no time at all for romantic entanglements—not even brief ones, which were pretty much the only kind she’d ever known. She spent her nights tending bar and her days either helping at the family farm or huddled over her laptop.

For more than nine months, from January well into October, Payton had stuck with her plan to avoid men altogether. Yes, she’d been tempted more than once by a sexy smile or a smoldering pair of bedroom eyes. She’d kept her eyes on the prize, though. She’d said no to temptation. Payton had stories inside her head. She intended to get them written down. That required discipline and for months, she’d exercised strict self-control.

But then, on a Wednesday night in mid-October, a whole new level of temptation came calling, one that had irresistible written all over him.

That particular Wednesday night, the Larch Tree Lounge at the Heartwood Inn was deader than a frozen doorknob. In one of the booths, a very tired looking middle-aged couple argued in whispers without much enthusiasm. Cletus Carnigan, a nightly fixture in the lounge, sat slumped at one end of the bar gazing mournfully into his Logsdon Lager.

As usual, it promised to be a very long night—until a tall, broad-shouldered stranger with tousled dark blond hair and cheekbones sharp as knives in his stunning, angular face took the stool at the opposite end of the bar from Cletus.

No flirting, Payton sternly reminded herself. Pasting on her most professional smile, she marched down the bar to greet the smoking-hot newcomer. “Welcome to the Larch Tree Lounge. What can I get you?”

He ordered Redbreast Irish Whiskey, an admirable choice—both good quality and excellent value for the money. “And something to eat,” he added. “What’s good?”

“Right off the bat with the loaded question,” she muttered under her breath.

He narrowed his gorgeous blue eyes at her. “Is there a problem?”

“Sort of.” Unfortunately, not much was good at the Larch Tree Lounge. And while Payton despised lying to her customers, telling a guest that the food sucked wouldn’t do, either. She settled for evasion. “What are you in the mood for?”

He studied her face at length. She stared right back at him for way too long while hummingbirds flitted around in her belly and an electric current went snapping and popping beneath the surface of her skin. Finally, he folded his lean hands on the bar, canted toward her and spoke confidentially. “It’s all bad. Is that what you’re telling me?”

So much for evasion. What now? She didn’t want to lie about the food, but she didn’t want to get fired, either. Her best option at this point? Maybe a recommendation. The burgers were passable. “How about a burger?”

He was hiding a grin. She could see it kind of pulling at one corner of that fine mouth of his. “An honest woman.”

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Mass Market Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

​A New York Times bestselling author, Christine Rimmer has written over ninety contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. Christine has won the Romantic Times BOOKreviews Reviewers Choice Award and has been nominated six times for the RITA Award. She lives in Oregon with her family. Visit Christine at http://www.christinerimmer.com.

Connect with the Author 

Website: https://www.christinerimmer.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinerimmerauthor?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RimmerChristine

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

Spotlight: Kicking Ass in a Corset by Andrea Kayne

Publisher: University of Iowa Presss (September 15, 2021)

Paperback: 208pages

What can organizational leaders in business, education, government, and most any enterprise learn from an unemployed, unmarried woman who lived in patriarchal, misogynistic rural England more than 200 years ago? As it turns out, a great deal. In identifying the core virtues of Austen’s heroines—confidence, pragmatism, diligence, integrity, playfulness, and humility—Andrea Kayne uncovers the six principles of internally referenced leadership that, taken together, instruct women how to tap into a deep well-spring of personal agency and an internal locus of control no matter what is going on around them. Utilizing practical exercises, real-life case studies, and literary and leadership scholarship, Kicking Ass in a Corset maps out effective leadership that teaches readers how to tune out the external noise and listen to themselves so that they can truly live and lead from the inside out.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Andrea has spent her personal and professional life engaging with one basic question: How can we, as women, realize our own internal power both personally and professionally, no matter the constraints in the external world?

As Director of the Leadership Program at DePaul University College of Education, where she has spent the last twenty years. Andrea has taught, written, spoken, and consulted, all around the country and world, in the areas of empowered leadership, feminist leadership, emotionally intelligent leadership, constructive culture and conflict resolution, data-informed professional learning communities, and the area she has developed called Internally Referenced Leadership™. Andrea earned a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, a master’s degree in Education from Harvard University, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

She lives in Oak Park, Illinois with her husband and their beautiful blended family and, of course, her Pride and Prejudoodle, Addy.

Find out more about Andrea on her website, Instagram, and Twitter.

Spotlight: You’re So Vain by Whitney Dineen

Publication date: September 12th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Synopsis:

Family drama is something Lutéce Choate struggles to avoid. With a mother who’s an award-winning country western song writer, an aunt who’s a Country Music Hall of Famer, and a brother who’s a rock star, it hasn’t exactly been a low-key kind of life, and she’s ready for a break.

Then Lu’s younger sister, Claire, goes off and gets engaged to a prince from Malquar, bringing the dreaded spotlight back to shine on their family once again. Lu wants to go to the engagement party about as much as she wants to yodel the Star Spangled Banner at the Grand Ole Opry with her crazy relatives. Alas, not going, doesn’t appear to be an option.

Alistair George Henry Bere Hale is not the heir, but the spare. Without the weight of the Crown in his future, he’s managed to live the carefree life of a man about town. That is until his younger brother gets engaged before him and their mother starts pressuring him to settle down.

Alistair represents everything that Lutéce has come to despise–he’s a rich, playboy, partier, who’s always in the spotlight… But Alistair doesn’t feel the same about Lu. In fact, he’s quite drawn to his brother’s future sister-in-law, prickles and all.

When Lu and Alistair’s mothers witness the sparks between their children, they start to make plans of their own. Will Lu relax her prejudices long enough to get to know Alistair?

Find out in the fabulously funny fourth book in the Seven Bride’s for Seven Mothers Series.

Excerpt

Slipping my phone into my purse, I give myself one last look in the entryway mirror. Ben’s profile says he’s five-ten, which I know means five-eight. As I’m five-ten, I’m wearing flats so as not to make him uncomfortable. 

While driving over Laurel Canyon Boulevard to meet my date at Chow’s—the latest West Side hotspot—I think about how online dating is really performed in code. Men lie about their height, their weight, and their net worth. Women lie about their age, their desire to start a family (men don’t want to hear the word “baby” come up until they’ve been married for five years), and how many boyfriends they’ve had. 

Men want a young woman with minimal baggage and no obvious desire to procreate. Women want a guy who isn’t always looking for a better option. I almost turn my car around in the next driveway.  

Instead, I flip on the sound system to distract myself from thoughts of bailing on tonight. My favorite Spotify playlist blasts vintage Enya through the speakers, causing my throat to fill with so much emotion I feel like I’ve just swallowed a bowling ball. 

I love Enya and her ethereal melodies about memories from past lives where she was a princess and love spanned multiple incarnations. Thank God for playlists. I’ve already burned through five Shepherd Moons CDs.

By the time I pull up to the valet at Chow’s, I’m full-on bawling—damn these hormone shots! Oh, Enya, I long for the love you sing of! I can’t have always been the social pariah I am in this lifetime. Someone had to have loved me somewhere down the line.

“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to step out of the car.” Am I being arrested?

I look up and am jolted back to the present by a surfer-looking dude in a valet uniform. With a sigh worthy of a Disney Princess, I put my car in park and get out. Then I take my ticket and make my way to the front door. 

Weaving through what can only be described as a throng of fashionable people—the extremes Angelinos will go to be seen at the latest, hippest, coolest place is legendary—I finally make my way inside and up to the hostesses stand. “Hi there, I’m meeting Benedict Solomon.”

The Baywatch babe wannabe looks up from her reservation book and excitedly declares, “Are you Bennie’s mom?” I’m either totally delusional about how old I look, or this girl is a cow. 

“His grandmother, actually,” I tell her with a smirk. Then I raise my left eyebrow with my most intense I’m-gonna-shiv-you-in-a-dark-alley-if-you-don’t-take-me-to-my-date-right-now look. She takes the hint and leads the way.

Bennie is waiting at a table by the window. From a distance, he looks a lot younger than his JDate profile pic. A lot younger. Like twelve. 

The hostess says, “Bennie, your grandmother is here. Remember, order whatever you want, and Jocko will comp the bill.”

Staring at my date, I announce, “I think there’s been a mistake.”

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Whitney Dineen is a rock star in her own head. While delusional about her singing abilities, there’s been a plethora of validation that she’s a fairly decent author (AMAZING!!!). After winning many writing awards and selling nearly a kabillion books (math may not be her forte, either), she’s decided to let the voices in her head say whatever they want (sorry, Mom). She also won a fourth-place ribbon in a fifth-grade swim meet in backstroke. So, there’s that.

Whitney loves to play with her kids (a.k.a. dazzle them with her amazing flossing abilities), bake stuff, eat stuff, and write books for people who "get" her. She thinks french fries are the perfect food and Mrs. Roper is her spirit animal.

Connect:

https://whitneydineen.com/

https://twitter.com/whitneydineen

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8145525.Whitney_Dineen

https://www.instagram.com/whitneydineenauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/Whitney-Dineen-Author-11687019412/

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