Cover Reveal: The Ro Bro by J.A. Huss and Johnathan McClain

Publication date: June 20th 2023
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Essie Smith-Scott, the author known as SS, has been the number one spicy romance writer in the world for the past ten years. Movie deals, merchandise, dozens of books on the New York Times bestseller’s list, and the founder of the biggest romance convention to ever hit the planet. 

Scoring an invitation to the Sin With Us Romance Convention in Las Vegas is the ‘big break’ every romance author hopes for and Cynthia Lear’s name just made it to the top of the wait list. She’s in. And she’s gonna make the most of it. This is her chance to shine and propel her career into the stratosphere.

But then she meets Essie’s twin brother, Steve. Not only is Steve Smith handsome, and charming, and loves her work—he’s also… lying. To the whole world. Literally everyone.

Because his twin sister, Essie, isn’t the one who’s been writing all those super-spicy Master Choke books all these years—it’s Steve. 

***********

Written by New York Times bestselling author JA Huss and actor, author, narrator, Johnathan McClain—The Ro-Bro is a rompy feel-good adventure through the secret life of romance authors and the conventions they attend. Prepare to laugh so hard you pee your pants. This is a story that will make you smile every time you think about it. 

(P.S. - If you’ve never been to the biggest romance convention in the world, well now you don’t even have to go. Because they all happen just like this.) ;)

About the Author

JA Huss is a New York Times Bestselling author and has been on the USA Today Bestseller's list 21 times. She writes characters with heart, plots with twists, and perfect endings.

Her books have sold millions of copies all over the world. Her book, Eighteen, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award and an Audie Award in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Her audiobook, Mr. Perfect, was nominated for a Voice Arts Award in 2017. Her audiobook, Taking Turns, was nominated for an Audie Award in 2018. Her book, Total Exposure, was nominated for a RITA Award in 2019.

She lives on a farm in central Colorado with her family, horses, donkeys, dogs, goats, and chickens.

FIND HER HERE

www.facebook/authorjahuss

@jahuss - www.jahuss.com

Johnathan McClain is an award-winning actor, screenwriter, producer, romance novelist, and audiobook narrator. As an actor, he has an extensive television, film, and theatre resumé spanning over twenty-five years. As a screenwriter, his feature film debut, THE OUTFIT, co-written with Academy Award winning screenwriter Graham Moore, and starring Academy Award winner Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, and Johnny Flynn, premiered at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival and was released theatrically by Focus Features the same year.

He has narrated almost two-hundred audiobooks and is the recipient of multiple Audiofile Earphones Awards, SOVAS nominations, and an Audie for his narration of Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff’s #1 NY Times bestselling sci-fi novel, Illuminae, which won the Audie Award for audiobook of the year for multi-voiced narration in 2016. 

Along with JA Huss, Johnathan is the co-author of ten novels, two of which have been optioned for screenplays, and the story of their writing partnership was developed as a TV series with MGM Television.

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Laura.

Find him at www.johnathanmcclain.com

Spotlight: Every Other Weekend by Margaret Klaw

Forty-ish hipster dad Jake is happily settled down in the politically progressive, urban, and notably self-satisfied community of Greenwood, working at his not-so-interesting job, playing guitar with his band, and enjoying domestic life with his beautiful and accomplished wife Lisa, their two charming daughters, and the beloved family dog.

When Lisa rocks Jake's world by telling him she wants a divorce, their story unfolds from multiple points of view including those of other family members, Jake's self-absorbed divorce lawyer, the cranky family court judge who presides over his custody case, his polyamorous millennial girlfriend, and the eighteen-year-old babysitter who also happens to be his lawyer's daughter. Throughout Greenwood, in the coffee shop, the yoga studio, and the basketball court, lives intersect. Choruses of friends and neighbors gossip, dissect, and weigh in. A surprise witness upends Jake's custody trial. Things are not always as they seem, and there is no one truth about a marriage.

Buy on Amazon | Audible

About the Author

MARGARET KLAW is a writer, lawyer and founding partner of BKW Family Law, an all-women law firm in Philadelphia. Named a Preeminent Woman Lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, she has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and designated a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” in the area of family law. Starting with day-in-the-life vignettes about practicing family law published in HuffPost, she has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time and Salon, and is the author of “Keeping it Civil: The Case of the Pre-nup and the Porsche & Other True Accounts from the Files of a Family Lawyer” (Algonquin Books, 2013). “Every Other Weekend” is her first work of fiction. Find out more about Margaret at her website.

Spotlight: Handfast by Tricia T. LaRochelle

Three years after their freshman year from hell, Sara not only graduates from college, but her relationship with Scott is stronger than ever. Just when she thinks the craziness from her past is over, a mysterious stranger shows up, knocking her world off its axis. Will this man prove to be another devastating blow to her already complicated life? Readers who love Tattered Stars by Catherine Cowles will enjoy Revive by Tricia T. LaRochelle, a new adult romantic suspense.

Summary

Three years after her freshman year from hell, Sara graduates college a stronger and more well-balanced woman. Her relationship with Scott is strong, their future together bright. If only her parents could be there to join in the celebration.

Just when she thinks the craziness of the past is finally over—and for good—a mysterious stranger shows up at her graduation, turning Sara’s world upside down. This man may just be the answer to her prayers or another devastating blow to her already traumatic life.

Excerpt

Copyright 2022 Tricia T. LaRochelle

I’d never seen Scott so nervous. I’d seen him upset, angry, worried, and shocked—heck, I’d even seen him depressed—but never nervous. Not fun nervous, anyway.

He sucked in a breath and began. “Before I met you, I had no idea what being in love was like. I thought I knew, but I didn’t have a clue. Being with you has taught me so much these past few years. Not only are you the most gorgeous creature I have ever laid eyes on …” He smirked, his eyes dancing with erotic thoughts, something I saw whenever he was “in the mood,” which was pretty much all the time. “And sexy as hell, but you are braver than anyone I’ve ever known.” A shadow fell over his face. “On top of that, and even after all you have been through, you still have the biggest heart. Being with you makes me want to be a better person.” He shook his head and exhaled. “I find myself imagining things that I never thought I’d ever want.”

“Like what?” The words tumbled out of my mouth like a five-year-old with no self-control. The corners of his luscious lips twitched upward. “Well, for starters … a house … with kids … a dog. The thought of you mothering my children someday makes me believe that dreams can come true.” He looked down for a moment and shook his head again before pinning my gaze with his vibrant blue eyes. “I realize you’re too good for me. And I also know that I don’t deserve you, but fuck if that’s going to stop me from asking you the most important question of my life.” He inched closer, his irises locking me in place, his voice low and imploring. “After we graduate next spring, Sara Browne, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

My eyes welling with tears, I leaned forward and fell into his big, burly arms, his musky scent welcoming and his lips tapping tiny kisses against my head and cheek. “Of course, I will. I can’t imagine anyone else as my husband or the father of my children. So, yes, yes, yes,” I said, giddy and slightly dizzy from the emotions swirling through my head, my heart, and every cell of my body. 

Buy on Amazon

About Tricia T. LaRochelle

Since she was a little girl, Tricia T. LaRochelle has been obsessed with tragic love stories. No beach reads for her. Bring on the grit with a double side of turmoil. She likes to feel the character’s anguish as they fight to overcome obstacles to be together. Growing up in central Vermont, she has seen her share of tragedy but remains a hopeful romantic. She now lives in Central Virginia where she continues to foster the possibilities of how love can conquer all.

Flickering Heart is the first book in the Sara Browne Series. Stay tuned for updates and announcements on Instagram, and Twitter, or sign up for her email list at TriciaLaRochelle.com.

Follow: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter

Spotlight: Pity Date by Whitney Dineen

(Pity Series, #1)
Publication date: May 18th 2023
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Faith
I should’ve known it wouldn’t work out.

In all my twenty-nine years, life has never been smooth sailing when a man was involved. Astor Hill was everything I’ve ever wanted in a partner—handsome, successful, and interested in me. Until he started cheating. The cherry on the sundae is finding out the truth less than two weeks before we’re supposed to stand up for our best friends at their wedding.

When a staggeringly good-looking and kind stranger comes to town and offers to take me to the wedding, I jump at his proposal. Who cares if he’s gay? Astor doesn’t need to know that.

Teddy
She thinks I’m gay?!

I’m taking a vacation from Hollywood and going back to Elk Lake. My grandfather hasn’t been doing well after Gram died and he needs my support. Luckily, I’m between blockbuster movies so I can make the time.

My first stop is Rosemary’s Bakery for one of the gingersnaps I remember so fondly from my childhood. The only problem is that the girl at the counter has eaten them all. After spilling my tea on me, she bursts into tears and tells me her troubles. I should be annoyed but I’m oddly charmed.

I know what it’s like to be dumped by a cheater, so I do the only thing I can think of: I offer to take her to the wedding to make her ex jealous. Unfortunately, with the help of the tabloids, things quickly spiral out of control…

Excerpt

Faith 

I’ve had an invisible target painted on me that only members of the opposite sex can see. And boy are they determined to shoot me through the heart.  

It started with Bobby McEntire in the first grade.  My best friend, Anna, used to help me chase him around the playground as a way of declaring my undying devotion. He missed the point entirely and tripped me so that I fell face first into a mud puddle. That single act of war ended any love I’d once felt for him.

In the fourth grade, Kenny Franks caught my eye. He wasn’t the typical boy girls pined for, which made me think he could possibly share my feelings. He had moderately bucked teeth, a nose that turned up just enough to appear porcine, and he wore glasses. Surely, I was enough to catch the heart of one such as him.  

Alas, when I asked him to be my boyfriend on Sadie Hawkins Day that same year, he laughed in my face. Laughed. At me. The disdain I felt lasted through our senior year in high school. When he approached me at a friend’s graduation party and asked why I hated him so much, I reverted to childish ways and threw my drink on him before walking away. How dare he forget his transgression?

Then there was that tourist I kissed—my first!—at a beach party the summer before my freshman year. I never got his name, nor did I see him any summers after that. I can’t really say what I felt for him was love, but a definite hormonal reaction took place. Also, I may have pretended that he was my long-distance boyfriend at Katie Ramsey’s big back to school sleepover the week before we entered the hallowed halls of Elk Creek High School. Go, Crappies!—as in the fish, not the poop emoji. 

In high school, I was all about Adam Sanchez. Adam was so far out of my league, I knew nothing could ever come of us, but that didn’t stop my fantasies. I spent the whole four years imagining scenarios where he would claim me for his own. My favorite was the one where he strode into the lunchroom like a rock star taking center stage. He stopped right in front of me before loudly declaring my perfection to one and all. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to homecoming/prom/the spring formal—basically, whichever dance was on the horizon. None of that ever happened.

Obviously. 

Junior year in college, I thought I’d found my life partner in Trevor Blake. Trevor was your typical tall, dark, and handsome specimen. He was sporty and studious. But more important than both of those things, he had a sense of humor that kept me laughing. The only problem was that after a year of dating, Trevor still hadn’t put any serious moves on me. When confronted with why, he claimed it was because he wanted us to save ourselves until we were married. 

He saw us getting married, so, yay! But also, we did not live in Victorian times, so it was kind of hard to trust that was the real reason. In retrospect, I’m hugely grateful I didn’t believe him. A happenstance that was firmly cemented when I caught him making out with his roommate at a kegger their fraternity was throwing. As far as gaydar goes, I didn’t have any.

I dated a few different guys in my twenties, but none of them sent my heart into atrial fibrillation. I simply enjoyed going out with them while I was waiting for “the one.” 

Enter Astor Hill. I knew he was it for me the night we met. One look at his sandy-haired Leonardo de Caprio (from Titanic) savoir faire, and my heart rate took off like a particularly vigorous Fourth of July fireworks display. Boom, boom, boom! Everything about him shouted he was destined to be Mr. Faith Reynolds. Although, I’m sure I would have taken his last name instead. I mean, Faith Hill worked so well for, you know … Faith Hill, that I was sure to have equal success. Even though I was no singer …  

But then Astor showed his true colors and once again I was left behind. That’s when I should have probably converted to Catholicism and committed my life to God, a la the convent life. 

I might have actually done that too, had it not been for the pity date …

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.

Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to. 

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

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/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon

As a therapy exercise, a woman writes a list of people she wants to forgive, and thinks nothing of it when she loses it in an Uber…until one by one the people on the list become victims of freak accidents. Set in Portland, Maine, Hannah Mary McKinnon’s breakout suspense novel THE REVENGE LIST will appeal to fans of Lisa Unger, Joshilyn Jackson, and Tarryn Fisher.

Following an epic run-in with a client who threatened to pull out of a contract at her father’s company if she doesn’t suffer some consequences, Frankie Morgan agrees to go to anger management. With the business struggling with cash-flow and her brother needing help with the medical bills for his sick daughter, she can’t risk harming the business further. But that doesn’t mean she’ll be happy about attending.

During the first session, the group is asked to spend some quiet time exploring their pasts and sitting with the emotions that generates, before making a start on a Forgiveness List—a list of people with whom they’re angry and might work on forgiving. She begrudgingly goes along with it and doesn’t worry too much when she forgets the list in an Uber on her way home. It shouldn’t matter—it was just a therapy exercise—except a few days later the first person on that list is injured in a freak accident. When the second person gets hurt, she hopes it’s coincidence. After the third is targeted, she knows it’s a pattern. And she’s in trouble. Because the next name on that list is…hers.

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

***

The sharp sound of a high-pitched scream filled the air. A noise so unrecognizable, at first I didn’t register it had come from deep within me, traveling up my throat in stealth mode before bursting from my mouth.

The remnants of the yell reverberated around the car, forcing their way into my ears and penetrating my skull, urging me to do something. Survival instincts kicked in, and I fumbled with the seatbelt, my other hand grasping for the door handle. The need for the relative safety that solid, stationary ground would bring was so intense it made my stomach heave. A loud click of the central locking system meant my captor had outsmarted me again, obliterating my immediate plan to throw myself from the moving vehicle.

When I looked out the windshield, I knew there was no time to find an alternate escape. The end of the road—the edge of the cliff—announced by signs and broken red-and-white-striped wooden barricades, had been far enough away seconds ago but now gleamed in the car’s headlights, a looming warning yards ahead. I couldn’t comprehend what was about to happen, couldn’t do anything as the vehicle kept going, splintering planks and racing out the other side with nothing but air below. I let out another scream, far louder than my first, the absolute terror exploding from my lungs.

For the briefest of moments, we were suspended, as if this was a magic trick or an elaborate roller coaster. Perhaps, if I were really lucky, this was all a dream. Except I already knew there were no smoke and mirrors, no swirling track leading us through loop-the-loops and to safety. It wasn’t a nightmare I’d wake from with bedsheets wrapped around my sweaty body. This was happening. It was all terrifyingly real.

As the car continued its trajectory, it tipped forward. The only thing to stop our momentum was whatever we were rushing toward, obscured by the cloudy night skies. Pushing my heels into the floor, I tried to flatten my shoulders against the seat. My hands scrambled for the ceiling to brace myself, but I flopped like a rag doll, my loosened seatbelt tearing into my shoulder.

They say your life flashes before you when you’re close to death. That didn’t happen to me. Instead, it was all my regrets. Choices I’d made. Not made. Things I’d said and done. Not said. Not done. It was far too late to make amends. There would be no opportunity to beg anyone for forgiveness. No possibility of offering some.

As the finality of the situation hit me full on, I turned my head. The features of the driver next to me were illuminated in a blueish glint from the dashboard lights. His face had set in a stony grimace; his jaw clenched so tight he had to have shattered teeth. But what frightened me the most were his eyes, filled with what could only be described as maniacal delight.

He’d said we were both going to die. As the car hurtled to the bottom of the cliff, I closed my eyes and accepted he was right.

***

Excerpted from The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon, Copyright © 2023 by Hannah McKinnon. Published by MIRA Books.

Buy on Amazon | Audible | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing. She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons, and is delighted by her twenty-second commute. Connect with her on Facebook, on Twitter @HannahMMcKinnon, and on Instagram @HannahMaryMcKinnon. For more, visit her website, www.hannahmarymckinnon.com.

Connect:

Website: www.HannahMaryMcKinnon.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon/ (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HannahMMcKinnon (@hannahmmckinnon)

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/15144570.Hannah_Mary_McKinnon

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/hannah-mary-mckinnon

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/hannahmarymckinnon 

Spotlight: The Summer Wedding Hoax by Jami Rogers

THE SUMMER WEDDING HOAX by Jami Rogers is out now! Check out the gorgeous new fake dating romcom and be sure to grab your copy today!

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romcom

About The Summer Wedding Hoax:

There’s nothing fake about this relationship, but that's news to both of them.

Everything is falling into place for Will Evergreen. In a few short months, he’ll be moving out of his Wyoming hometown to launch his own business and finally step out of his brothers’ shadows. Will's more than a cute, former whiz kid and will prove it by growing the family enterprise. Then Ava Robertson, the woman he failed to forget, comes crashing back to town. Suddenly, packing up is the last thing on his agenda.

Moving home isn't the future Ava planned for herself, but when the job market forces her to do just that, she turns to the childhood buddy she left behind. Will isn't the same boy she remembers. He's all man now, so when her mother's idea of moving forward means matchmaking, Ava begs Will to play the role of doting boyfriend.

Will agrees, but he’s keeping a secret. They’ll spend the summer attending weddings and family events as a couple, but he won't let the one get away again—even if it costs him his future.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Jami Rogers writes romance novels because she loves love and wants to share her passion with the world. She published her first novel in 2015 and continues to write romance as both a Tule Publishing and Indie author.

She lives in Wyoming with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. Her husband does 90% of the cooking in their house. Not because she’s busy—she’s just simply a bad cook.

Connect with the Author: Website | Instagram | Facebook  | TikTok | Newsletter | Email