Spotlight: Accidentally Perfect by Marissa Clarke

/

Genre: Contemporary Romance

About Accidentally Perfect: 

Workaholic Lillian Mahoney has given everything to her job. The hugely popular lifestyle show she helped create monopolizes her time, energy, creativity, and anything remotely resembling a life. But all it takes is the show’s womanizing, egomaniac star throwing a massive hissy on live TV to utterly implode Lillian’s career in a New York minute.

Now Lillian’s hiding out in the gorgeous and completely unknown seaside village of Blink, Maine. Out of gas. A stolen wallet. A broken heel. And worse, she’s somehow managed to completely piss off the town’s resident hunk, Caleb Wright. She’ll show that hot, grumpy single father exactly what she’s made of.

But Blink isn’t quite what Lillian expects—and neither is Caleb...or his feisty teen daughter she can't help but love. And while her entire life and career are in shreds, Lillian might just discover what happens when she gives her bad first impression a second chance…

Excerpt

Lillian hadn’t woken up with a man in her bed in…ever. In fact, she’d never woken up with a man in her bed. Sleeping over was way too intimate, and she’d never allowed it. Until last night. 

Tossing her car keys on the counter, she opened the cupboard and pulled out the coffee beans. Her behavior was completely out of character. She put the beans in the grinder. Everything she’d done had been out of character since she’d gotten here. She flipped the switch, and the grinder rumbled. That kiss they’d shared a few minutes ago when she’d dropped him off at his houseboat was way out of character. 

Maybe out of character was really her true character and she didn’t know it until now.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” she muttered, pouring the ground coffee into the basket. She liked who she was here. Not the freaked-out bits like when she’d bolted from Amanda’s deck last night, but she liked who she was the rest of the time. More relaxed. More… She thought about last night with Caleb and cleared her throat. Yeah, more that. She liked who she was with him. 

She started the coffeemaker and shuffled to the bathroom to get ready to go to Roger’s. The woman in the mirror was a total stranger with wild hair and red cheeks caused by abrasion from his whiskers. And her bathrobe was inside out. Perfect. She’d driven him home like that. She almost laughed. Perfectly put together Lillian Mahoney was a complete inside-out mess, and she didn’t care. 

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

About the Author

Marissa Clarke is a multi-award-winning, RITA nominated author of romance for adults and teens. She lives on the Texas Gulf Coast with her ever-patient husband, two cantankerous Cairn Terriers, and an abundance of bossy chickens.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Spotlight: Greetings from Asbury Park by Daniel H. Turtel

/

In a small, seaside city on the Jersey Shore, three half-siblings confront the death of a distant and bullying patriarch. They now have the chance to imagine new relationships and new futures, ones that would have been near-unthinkable while their father was alive.

At the heart of the novel are Casey and Gabrielle who are pushed toward a brief but torrential affair composed of equal parts love for one another and resentment for their father. Caught in their crossfire are the conservative religious communities that border Asbury Park, the longtime locals who have been pushed to the fringe by the shore's revitalization, and the legendary town upon which the whole world seems to converge. Slowly, however, they come to understand that everything depends--their future, their happiness--on whether they can face themselves.

Wise, perceptive, and provocative, Greetings from Asbury Park is a remarkable literary debut in the tradition of great American novels such as Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio. It is a deep interrogation of place that depicts flawed characters as they breakthrough to adulthood, truth, and to a moral relationship with the world.

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

About the Author

Daniel Turtel grew up on the Jersey Shore. He graduated from Duke University in 2013 with a degree in mathematics and has been living in New York City since. In 2020 Greetings from Asbury Park was awarded the Faulkner Society’s Best Novel Award. In 2018, he won the Faulkner Society’s annual competition in both the novella and novel-in-progress categories, for Among the Porcelain and Greetings from Asbury Park, respectively. His novels have also been short-listed in the Del Sol Press First Novel Competition and the James Jones Literary Society’s First Novel Fellowship, and his short fiction has been published in The Baltimore Review.

Spotlight: Butterfly Sisters by Jenny Hale

/

Publication date: February 22nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

“When emerging from its cocoon, a butterfly needs the struggle to push the fluid from its body into its wings. So essentially, without the struggle, it never flies.”

From the USA Today bestselling author of The Beach House comes a story about family bonds, second chances, and finding out who we really are. Butterfly Sisters is the perfect escape for fans of Susan Wiggs, RaeAnne Thayne, and Susan Mallery.

About to land her biggest deal yet, Leigh Henderson is on her game. She’s prepared for this, and nothing can get in her way. Except Rebecca Mayer, who’d sashayed in a few weeks ago with a former client list that would fill the entire hallway to Leigh’s office if she laid it out end to end. When her boss unexpectedly offers the deal to Rebecca and tells Leigh he’s letting her go, Leigh finds herself without a job.

But that’s the least of her worries. 

Her mother has some news that will change everything. She’s asked Leigh and her sister Meredith to meet her at the family cabin on Old Hickory Lake. Not only has Leigh been unable to pin her sister down in years, but going back to the cabin would mean dealing with the loss of her beloved grandmother and also chance running into her old flame Colton Harris, the one love she’s never been able to completely let go of.

Will confronting her grief, speaking to her estranged sister, and being forced to face the love she’d left behind help Leigh to learn who she really is? 

A heartwarming story that will have you laughing, crying, and rushing to those you hold dear. If you loved the Christmas movies based on Jenny’s books and are looking for more feel-good, small-town romance, look no further!

Excerpt

Her phone pressed to her ear, Leigh strained to hear through the buzz of morning commuters who bustled into New York City’s Financial District every weekday and gathered at the café on the corner of Wall Street and Pearl, while they waited impatiently for their morning coffee. Her younger sister’s voice came through the end of her phone—happy, bouncy. “It’s Meredith! You’ve reached my voicemail, so I’m obviously off doing something incredible. Leave a message.” 

She wedged the phone against her shoulder while she paid the cashier for her double-shot caramel latte on her way to work. Leigh had resorted to calling after both she and her mother had tried to text Meredith several times with no response, and apparently that wasn’t working either. 

“Mom wants us to go to the lake house,” she said after the beep, feeling strangled when she uttered the words, knowing the resentful look that would show in her sister’s eyes when she heard the message. Meredith hadn’t given the family or the cabin any thought since she’d left home, something Leigh had never understood. “It’s... important. Text me or call me back.” She ended the call, guessing she’d have to leave a few messages with something more dramatic for Meredith to actually respond. 

Her family had never been that close group of four who went to the movies together or laughed with each other over games of charades or family dinners. It was something Leigh had always longed for, but never seemed to be able to catch hold of. 

Her sister hadn’t been home for any length of time in the last eight years, other than their father’s funeral, which had happened three years after Nan died, when she’d actually stayed a night, before claiming she needed to go. The last time Leigh and Meredith had been in the same place for more than twenty-four hours had been in high school, for Leigh’s graduation. When, a few weeks later, everyone had gathered in the driveway to see her off to college, Meredith hadn’t appeared with their mother, father, Nan, and their neighbors to wave and cheer as Leigh left home for four years at Northwestern University, her old Ford Escort filled to the brim with all her belongings. Leigh had seethed over it for the first hour of the trip, wondering what she’d ever done to make her sister hate her so much. 

Leigh had always been frustrated with Meredith; her behavior put a strain on them. It had seemed as if Meredith would do anything to set herself apart from everyone in their family. And while her sister had appeared as though she’d had no direction her whole life, she had a kind of contempt for them all, as if they were criminals for having their lives together. All her sister had to do was apply herself, but she never did. She took odd jobs and lazily gathered the bare minimum to live on, spending nights on her friends’ sofas and living out of her car at times. 

But even though her sister was a disaster, Leigh was always a little envious at the way she never had to stay in one place or have anything special to be happy—she’d gotten that from Nan. Meredith could pack a tent and a loaf of bread and leave for a week, coming back looking vibrant and rested. Leigh wished she could have just a little of her free spirit.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Jenny Hale is a USA Today, Amazon, and international bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her books have sold worldwide, have been translated into multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies.

She was included in Oprah Magazine’s “19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away” and Southern Living’s “30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now.” Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family. Jenny is at work on her next novel, delighted to be bringing even more heartwarming stories to her readers.

When she isn’t writing, or heading up her romantic fiction imprint Harpeth Road, she can be found running around her hometown of Nashville with her husband, two boys, and their labradoodle, taking pictures—her favorite pastime.

Connect:

https://www.itsjennyhale.com/

https://www.facebook.com/jennyhaleauthor/

https://www.instagram.com/jhaleauthor/

https://twitter.com/jhaleauthor

https://www.pinterest.ca/jhaleauthor/_saved/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7201437.Jenny_Hale

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/jenny-hale

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xY4E_pNRwzu_S3IHrvwiQ

Spotlight: Kiss or Dare by Charlie Lane

/

The Debutante Dares Series, Book 3

Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Steamy Romance

Date Published: February 24, 2022

Publisher: WOLF Publishing

This enemies-to-lovers Regency romance by Charlie Lane, shows what happens when sparks fly between a flirty second son of a duke and an inventor’s daughter.

She’s risen like a Cinderella.

He’s more charming than any prince.

They shouldn’t be together, but fate can’t resist.

A new year and a new Season means a new Lillian Clarke. She’s transformed herself from wallflower to incomparable. But she’s no Cinderella. She’s washed her hands of love and of Lord Devon, her own charming prince who barely knew she existed. She’d rather be the fairy godmother, helping invisible debutantes gain the attention they deserve on the marriage mart. But even though she’s booted Lord Devon from her heart, he’s not done with her. His sudden appearance at her home and inexplicable teasing threaten to distract her from her debutante dreams.

Lord Devon, the second son of duke, has put self-pity and scandal behind him and found a new purpose. He’ll invent a machine that improves coffee, buy a coffeehouse, and be a self-made man. He’s determined to be more than the heir’s spare, privileged but kept in case of emergency. Unfortunately, he needs the assistance of Miss Clarke’s brilliant father. And he hates Lillian Clarke for speaking the truth about him. The delectable woman thinks she’s better than him. He’ll teach her she’s not. If he can ignore the way her courage makes him smile.

When sparks in the workshop fly, Lillian and Devon invent a passion that’s more than they bargained for and complicate their paths to happily ever after.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Hardcover | Paperback

About the Author

Charlie Lane traded in academic databases and scholarly journals for writing steamy Regency romcoms like the ones she’s always loved to read. Her favorite authors are Jane Austen (who else?), Toni Morrison, William Blake, Julia Quinn, and Maya Rodale.

Charlie writes unique stories with unconventional characters who push against the rigid restrictions of their society. Officially, Charlie has a Ph.D. in literature with a focus on the nineteenth-century novel and children’s literature and answers to Professor. Unofficially, she’s a high-flying circus-obsessed acrobat, with an emphasis on two-tail silks and answers to Muscles Magee. She lives with her own Colonel Brandon, two little dudes, and a furry fella in East Tennessee.

Connect:

Website: http://www.charlielaneauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.Facebook.com/CharlieLaneRomance

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/charlielaneromance

BookBub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/charlie-lane

Publisher’s Contact Information

Website: http://www.wolf-publishing.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WOLFPublishing.WhereStorytellingLives

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wolf.publishing/

Spotlight: Frayed Obsession by Sherri White

/

(The Frayed Trilogy, #1)
Publication date: February 24th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

I was only three the first time I lost someone I loved.
And I was thirteen when my world shattered beyond repair.
Thrown into a nightmare—desperately trying to pick up the broken pieces of the girl I was before.

Escaping the demons of my past, I’m ready to disappear for good. But before I go, I want one 

more glimpse of the man who unknowingly gave me the strength to live. 

Except the pain I see hidden behind his cold eyes pulls me in so far I can’t leave. 

I can’t stop watching—waiting for the obsession that binds me to him to be severed. 

Until I get caught.

Sebastian Reed doesn’t know who I am.

But when he finds out I hold the answer to the question that’s been slowly destroying him, he 

will do anything to get at the truth.

Even making a deal.

Except I didn’t expect him to keep me in his penthouse until he gets what he’s owed.

Sebastian has the power to cut me deeper than any of the scars marring my body. 

But the more time we spend together, the deeper desire burns between us, and the harder it is to remember why I have to leave.

What should have been my downfall might be the only thing that can save me.

Excerpt

His hair is damp, darkened with sweat from his run, and despite that, all I want to do is run my fingers through it.

Still unaware of my presence, he grabs the bottom of his shirt and lifts it, revealing the dips and lines of his hard stomach, and I gulp. He then uses the material to wipe the bottom of his face, catching any rivulets of sweat before they fall.

 My focus gravitates to the deep V-like grooves disappearing beneath his black sweats and what I would find if I followed them. I’m so invested in what I see, I don’t notice Shadow heading my way until he’s right in front of me, drawing Sebastian’s line of sight.

I snap my gaze away from his bared skin as he drops the edge of his shirt, letting it fall back into place. But from the dark look he gives me, I know I’ve been caught.

My face feels like it’s on fire, and it only gets hotter when he stalks towards me. His chest brushes against mine as he stops in front of me, the movement causing the lace of my bra to graze my nipples, hardening them between us.

“If you’re going to look at me like that, Grace,” he says, grasping my chin and tilting it up towards him. “You need to be prepared for what it’s going to make me do.” 

My breath stutters. He smells like sweat and something I can only describe as uniquely Sebastian.

Intoxicating.

“What would it make you do?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

He leans down, his lips brushing mine so lightly I can’t be sure they actually made contact before he brings them to my ear.

“Something I shouldn’t want to do, but it’s getting really fucking hard to stop myself. Especially when you stand there, caressing my body with your eyes to the point I can practically feel your touch on me, your mouth, tracing every part of me,” he says, each word sending shivers through my body as his lips move against my ear in a gentle torture.

Our chests move together with each breath, the friction of the lace continuing to make my nipples tingle. Then he grabs my hip with his free hand, his fingers flexing. “Is this what you want?” he asks, using my hip to pull me closer so our bodies are completely flush with each other.

I gasp as his hard length presses into my stomach.

“Because if it’s not, then you need to stop.” He nips at my earlobe, and I shudder.

I wasn’t aware I was doing anything. I had no idea I was affecting him like this, but if this is his reaction, I’m not sure I want to stop.

Sebastian drags his mouth back to mine, his lips hovering just out of reach. 

“Be ready in ten,” he says, letting go of my chin and releasing my hip before stepping past me and heading for the hallway. 

Before I can even gather my thoughts or ask what we’re doing, he’s disappeared from sight.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Spotlight: Lake Taimana by Stephanie Ruth

/

(Otago Waters, #3)
Publication date: February 21st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Love a slow-burn, second chance romance, with tight-knit families and smouldering secrets?

Don’t we all!

Winner of both the Daphne Clair DeJong First Kiss and RWNZ Great Beginnings competition, LAKE TAIMANA (Lake Diamond) is a contemporary love story set in the stunning Lakes District in southern New Zealand.

The third novel by emerging Kiwi romance writer, Stephanie Ruth, LAKE TAIMANA can be read as a standalone, or in conjunction with two other linked love stories in the OTAGO WATERS series.

*****

What does it take to shift deep-seated betrayal?

Adele Fergus switched back to her maiden name with plans to never look back—never think about her naïve, short-lived marriage to James Montague. But that was before he turned up on her Wanaka doorstep with her missing diamonds, a crazy back-story, and persistent requests for visitation with his ex-stepdaughter.

Adele’s hell-bent on keeping James at arms-length, but it’s not easy with old attractions still running hot. What’s more, she’s beginning to suspect she may have left him on false information.

Divorce was never in James’ game-plan, so when his ex-wife’s jewellery comes to light, he’s drawn back to her—welcome or not—and he isn’t leaving until he has all the answers.

The more the exes re-learn to trust each other, the more they come to realise someone was intent on dragging them apart from the very beginning. Someone close.

Is it worth risking everything to start again? 

*****

Authors note: Though this story ends with an HEA, it also includes references to a historical miscarriage, depression, and suicide. Please read at your own discretion. 

Excerpt

Adele walloped James a few times between the shoulder blades, concerned. He was hunched forward in the armchair, still coughing as if his life depended on it.

“Steady on,” James choked the words out amidst bouts of hacking. “I might need my spine later in the week.”

“You’re alright now?” She stopped hitting and rubbed the spot with her palm instead, up and down. Turning back to the sofa, she refocused on what she’d been thinking before she’d been rudely interrupted. “I’m imagining red through to yellow. Sunshine colours, you know? Or maybe cooler tones—green and leafy. Yes! Tropical. Fiji-style would look great in here.”

“Adele?”

“Mmm?”

“Stop.”

“Stop what?” She turned to James in surprise, and realised she still had her hand on him, stroking the contours of his shoulders and back. Gently up, then massaging down in that valley between his blades that alluded to the power of his back; the strength and breadth of it. “Oh!” She withdrew immediately, red-faced and flustered. “Shit! Sorry.”

It’d felt so natural, so normal. For a moment she’d totally forgotten…

James leaned back against the cushions and slid his hands behind his head, lacing his fingers there as he closed his eyes. “Let’s get something straight.”

“Um, okay.”

“You don’t want me to touch you, right?”

Was that right? Why was she no longer sure if that was right? 

She should be positive. Right?

“Right. Yes.” Adele bit down on her lower lip, staring at the tanned skin of James’ exposed neck, and marvelling at how the new beard petered out to give way to corded muscle. “I mean, I guess so.”

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Award winning New Zealand contemporary romance novelist and short story writer, Stephanie Ruth lives in the South Island, Te Waipounamu, with her husband, three children, and an ever expanding array of animals. If it doesn't have a happy ending in some form or other, Stephanie's not writing it.

Author links:
http://www.stephanie-ruth.com/
https://www.facebook.com/stephanieruth.nz/
https://www.instagram.com/ruth_writes_nz/
https://twitter.com/ruth_writes_nz
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21787284.Stephanie_Ruth