Excerpt: Bailout by MM Flynn

Genre: Celebrity Sports Romance

About Bailout:

The instant connection that sparked in Booker continues in a way that no one expected…

This is the third time my life has fallen apart.

What I had pretended to be in the past is now banging on the door of my present.

After living so many different lives, each one is a more faded version of myself. Who am I now? Who do I want to be?

Does Sam feel my body desperately reaching for his?

I don’t know who I am if I don’t mean anything to Kat.

After Kat dropped a bomb on my life, I’m filling my time with parties and fake shit. I need something else to keep me going. Something that won’t make me think about her.

I’m somehow still tied to her. Like our connection is too tightly knotted to be unwound.

I will always, always crawl back to her. Wherever she is.

Excerpt

I’ve been awake for days.

I rub my eyes frantically, but my vision remains blurry and distorted. I don’t even know what I’m looking at.

I do know that the music is too loud. Someone’s going to complain.

Keegan, Benny, and I are in Vegas for a promotional event and photo shoot for Swoosh. The commitment was only for a couple of days, but they covered our hotel suite for the whole week. We had nothing better to do, so we stuck around, hitting up any club that would pay $30,000 just for me to show up.

I can’t remember shit, but I recall flashes of dark clubs, sitting in VIP booths drinking glass after glass of bourbon or vodka or tequila, bodies writhing around to the pulsing bass. Seeing dozens of Kat knockoffs in the crowd. Kissing some of them.

Girls everywhere. They just show up wherever I go. I can’t control it. I can’t control anything about my life right now.

I press the heels of my hands into my eyes then blink repeatedly at the floor, but everything looks all wonky. It’s like getting the dizzies in the middle of a flip on my board.

I used to be able to handle this lifestyle, just rolling with the random schedule and constant changes. Now, I need structure and predictability. I crave the ease of routine. I need to get the fuck out of Vegas.

I breathe into the migraine that’s brewing. My headaches are back with a vengeance, so I’ve been spending more time alone in my dark bedroom. I also may be using the headaches as a cover for how messed up I am about Kat. I just want to wallow in my own fucking misery for a minute. Until the guys make me get cleaned up, throw a beer in my hand, and we head out again.

I thought she was perfect. I thought she was it for me. I can’t get over how wrong I was. I feel like such a fucking idiot. I can’t believe she lied to me so completely. So vindictively. What was her endgame? She never asked me for money or clout. She didn’t ask me for anything. She just wanted . . . me.

It’s true. I’m sorry. Please talk to me.

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About the Author

M M Flynn developed a passion for romance novels somewhere between her career as a textbook editor and the throes of motherhood.

She currently lives in the heart of the US with her husband, two kids and their pet doodle.

With each new book, M continues to captivate readers with her unique storytelling style and ability to create unforgettable, multidimensional characters. Her books have been praised for their ability to bring a fresh perspective to the romance genre, and have earned her a loyal following of fans.

Connect with the Author: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter | Website | Tiktok | Pinterest | Spotify

Spotlight: Mother Howl by Craig Clevenger

A compelling literary crime that follows the son of a serial murderer who changes his identity in a bid to escape his past.

The arrest of his father for a series of unspeakable crimes shattered Lyle Edison’s suburban teenage life. There was no way to pick up the pieces, so he ran. Now at last, after years of hiding under a false name to escape his father’s wicked legacy, Lyle has begun to build a future with the woman he loves.

But after an encounter with an unworldly stranger named Icarus who seems to know Lyle’s secrets – a homeless man with a questionable grip on reality who claims to be a messenger for the Divine, Lyle is set on a perilous new path.

Confronting Icarus means coming face to face with his own past, forcing Lyle to make a choice that threatens the fragile façade he has created, with his future and his new family hanging in the balance.

Buy on Amazon | Audible | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Craig Clevenger is an American author of contemporary fiction. He was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in Southern California, where he studied English at California State University, Long Beach. He has travelled extensively and lived in Dublin and London, but currently resides in California. He is the author of two previously published novels, The Contortionist's Handbook and Dermaphoria. His works have been translated into 30+ languages.

Spotlight: Rebels & Romantics Jeanmarie Anaya

Release Date: July 1

Netflix's Outerbanks meets Southern California’s skateboarding scene in a YA contemporary romance about love, hope, and carving your path.

Vista Buscato has palm trees, but that doesn’t mean it’s paradise.

Skateboards and the punks who ride them aren’t welcome. Gutsy eighteen-year-old Effie Fox dreams of packing up her skateboard and busting out of uptight Vista Buscato after high school with her breakout partner and lifelong crush, Matty. But suddenly Matty’s flooded with thoughts of Celeste, a sweet and mysterious beauty who’s everything Effie is not.

It turns out Celeste is far from perfect, with a load of secrets and an ever-changing identity. Soon, Effie pulls off a simple, well-timed trick to get rid of the girl forever. But Matty’s heart crumbles way worse than she expected. As their friends ignite a revolution fighting for space in a town where they don’t fit in, new possibilities spin Effie in a different direction, away from Matty. She’s torn to pieces wondering what it means to really care about someone or something, and if it’s braver to stay and fight or just split.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Jeanmarie Anaya writes contemporary romance novels about teens and twenty-somethings. She loves food, wine, the beach, and preferably all three of those things at the same time. She grew up in a small beach town, which means she owns more flip flops than actual shoes. After many years drafting contracts as a lawyer, she finally followed her heart and her keyboard down the path of novel-writing.

Jeanmarie’s stories are full of romance, falling in love, longing, love triangles,

heartbreak, tons of (mostly unnecessary) drama, and the beautiful ache of first

love.

She lives in New York with her husband and three daughters.

Check out more book news from Jeanmarie and subscribe to her newsletter at her

website: www.jeanmariewrites.com. You can also hang with Jeanmarie on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok:

@jeanmariewrites

Connect with Jeanmarie Anaya:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089758445264

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

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29924874.Jeanmarie_Anaya

Website: http://www.jeanmariewrites.com

Spotlight: The Royal Gauntlet by Nicole Sanchez

Genre: Romantic Fantasy 

About The Royal Gauntlet:

I need no shelter from the storm.

I AM THE STORM.

As the newly returned Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld, Daphne should be focused on fixing her kingdom, not battling the rogue Fate who's been manipulating all their lives. But Posey has the mortal and immortal realms trembling in her grasp, and chaos reigns supreme. 

Freed from her murderer’s chokehold, Daphne has finally reunited with her beloved husband, Essos, the King of the Dead. As the worlds around them fall apart, Daphne must protect the child growing inside her. The Queen and King of the Underworld have everything to fight for and everything to lose. Loyal gods and goddesses flock to their side, prepared to use all their power to fight fate itself.

It may not be enough.

Fighting Posey on multiple fronts in the mortal realm, Solarem, and the Underworld has them spread thin. As shocking secrets come to light, friends turn foe, and immortality itself comes into question, Daphne must decide just how much–or who–she’s willing to sacrifice in an endgame that no one may win.

Catching Up with the Series: 

The King’s Game 

The Queen’s Gamble 

Buy on Amazon

About the Author: 

Nicole Sanchez has been writing stories on any scrap of paper she could get her hands since before middle school. She lives in New Jersey with her high school sweetheart and love of her life along with their two quirky cats. When she isn't writing or wielding the Force, she can be found traveling the world with her husband or training for her next RunDisney Event.

Connect with the Author:  Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub

Spotlight: A Promise Broken by Kim Anderson

Historical Romance

Date Published: July 25, 2022

Publisher: Mindstir Media

Alice and her sister were taken by their mother many years ago and raised in a quaint little cottage as commoners. Their mother has now become ill and has decided it is in the girls' best interest to be returned to their father, hoping that Lord Hastings has fixed the mistake that he made. Alice finds out that her father is one of the richest Dukes in England. It was not long before Alice found out why her mother took her and her sister away from the life that they were born into. A contract was created by her father and his best friend, a contract for her to marry a man she doesn't even know. Now Alice's fate is in the hands of a father she doesn't know and a man that already thinks he owns her.

Excerpt

“Miss Alice I am very sorry about the loss of your mother,” said Father Roderick.

 “Thank you, Father Roderick.” said Alice looking down at the floor, “Shall we get to what needs to be talked about Father?” 

“Yes, yes you always have been straight to the point. You’re such a strong young woman Alice,” said Father Roderick trying to lift her self-esteem. 

 “Father please, tell me what your plans are for my Mama’s services,” asks Alice. 

Miss Mattie walks in with a tray of tea and pastries knowing that Alice is not going to be happy about what the father is about to tell her she asks, “Alice please help me pore some tea and make Father Roderick comfortable with some pastries, remember your manners.” 

“I am sorry Father Roderick how would you like your tea,” asks Alice? 

“Oh dear, your fine, milk and honey please,” said Father Roderick, “And about your Mama, of course we will have a nice service here at the cottage and then we will be sending her to Hastings castle. We will have…” 

Interrupting the Father as she stands up from her seat and puts her hands on her hips Alice asks, “What do you mean send her to Hastings castle my Mama belongs here?” 

“But we must send her to her husband’s holdings so she can be buried in the family cemetery,” said Father Roderick. 

“Are you telling me you knew of my father also,” asks Alice astounded, “Who didn’t know about all of this?” Both Miss Mattie and the father looked down at the floor with no answer, Lisa came walking in and stopped in her tracks as soon as she seen her sister standing the way she was. 

“Is there something wrong,” asks Lisa? Miss Mattie looked over at the father and then they both looked up at Alice. 

“It seems that everyone but us know about the situation between our Mama and our father,” said Alice. “And now they’re going to send our Mama right back to the man she ran away from.” “

Alice it is the right thing to do,” said Father Roderick. 

“For whom,” asks Alice? 

“But of course, for your Mama,” said Father Roderick. 

“And would this be for my Mama,” asks Alice, “Or is this for your benefit, Father?” 

“Alice, please stop,” said Lisa as she walks over to Alice. Alice looks down at the hurt in Lisa’s face and slowly calms her temper. “We don’t know enough about this situation to put blame to any one right now. Can we not just grieve for our Mama first and later figure out what to do, please?” 

“Oh, sissy I’m so sorry, you are right please, forgive me,” said Alice as she puts her arms around her sissy. Looking over at Miss Mattie and Father Alice tries to control her temper from them too but has a real hard time doing it. “Why is this so right to do and why can she not stay here with us?” 

Not wanting to say anything about what could be happening here in the very near future Father Roderick looks over at Miss Mattie wanting some help with something to say. 

“Alice there is going to be a lot of changes coming in the future, but I do not want to go into this now,” said Miss Mattie then she looks back at Father Roderick and asks, “Can we do the service here on the marrow in the evening?” 

“I am sure this is possible Miss Mattie, I am sure that some of the local ladies would love to come early in the day to help prepare, Lady Katie was much loved,” said Father Roderick as he gets out of his seat and starts going toward the door. There he stops and turns around and looked straight at Alice and said, “You know I have kept this secret for Miss Katie for a very long time, it is not my doing on what has to happen now, Lady Alice.” 

Then he turned and went out the door, Alice stood there for a moment looking at the closed door. How many people knew of this secret and why was this so important to her Mama and why did he just call me Lady Alice?

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Kim is a mother of three, with two beautiful granddaughters. She has had a couple of different careers in her life, like fixing jets, driving trucks, and being a cosmetologist. She has gone through many ups and many downs. The one thing that she enjoyed doing most in life is writing. It seems to be the one thing that she enjoys no matter what. 

Connect:

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KimAndersonBook

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kimandersonbooks/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/KimAndersonBooks/kim-anderson-books/

Spotlight: Wasted On You by Colleen Charles

Publication date: June 30th 2023

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

I’m not good for her, but I can’t resist her anymore.

Elowyn, the new girl next door, is sweet, kind and radiates joy. My past makes it impossible to feel like that, but just being near her eases something in me that I can’t explain. When I see a strange man outside of her door making her uncomfortable, I have to get involved.

Turns out, her ex is there to make trouble, and if that’s what he wants, I’m more than happy to give it to him. As I wrap my arm around her, I feel a connection that’s undeniable.

As Elowyn leans on me, I realize that the shadows of my past can’t hold me back any longer. She ignites a fire within me that I never knew existed. We’re drawn together, like magnets, unable to resist the pull.

But with her ex still lurking around making threats, she’ll never truly feel safe. I vow to protect her, to be there whenever she needs me. For Elowyn, I’ll face my darkest fears to see her light shine again.

*****

Dive into this sizzling romance where a man with a troubled past finds love and redemption through the love of the woman who’s captured his heart. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles in their way, or will their love story end before it can truly begin? Discover the passion, the danger, and the healing power of love in “Wasted On You” by USA Today Bestselling Author, Colleen Charles.

Excerpt

Weston

Immediately, my gaze clocks Elowyn, backed against the wall next to the green dumpster by some guy. It’s the same denim jacket and man-bun as last time. He’s gesturing at her and yelling obscenities.

Scaring her.

“Hey!” I bellow, crossing the distance between us as fast as I can. “You’re trespassing. Get the fuck out of here!”

Man Bun barely looks over his shoulder at me and sneers. “Oh, wow. You again? Do you work here? Or does this little cunt just get you to follow her around all the time like some kind of hired help? You her personal servant, tough guy?”

“I know you know you’re not allowed here. Pretty sure this counts as ‘on the premises.’” I try to turn the conversation away from her, simply stating the facts. The way he speaks to her makes my blood boil. That word he just called her… I can’t believe she ever dated this creep. The thought of this ignorant waste of space kissing Elowyn tightens every muscle I have into a bow string. The thought of him touching her nearly makes me lose my shit. My fingers naturally curl into a fist at the thought. “So shut the fuck up. And move along home, my guy.”

“Or what?” Turning to face me, he juts out his chin. Then he shoves at my chest, stumbling forward a little when he does it. He’s been drinking. I don’t take the bait, crossing my arms and standing as still as I can.

My eyes narrow into slits. “Do you want to fuck around and find out?”

Man Bun’s gaze darts from Elowyn to me and back again. Finally, he shakes his head, then spits at her feet before storming off toward his car. When he reaches it, he gives us two middle fingers. Neither of us moves until he slams his car door shut, peeling away from the lot with squealing tires.

I open my mouth to ask Elowyn if she’s okay, but before a single word comes out, she throws her arms around me and buries her face in my chest. She cries for a minute, and I let her as I hold her tight, feeling her small shoulders shake against me. The warmth of her body seeps into mine and my mind races. And then I’m drowning in the feel of her in my arms, the soft press of her breasts against my chest, and the silk of her hair on my chin. This is the kind of woman who changes a man. I can’t believe I let that scumbag get this close to her again. I wait until she begins to pull her face away, and I bend down to apologize to her.

Before I can get a word out, she stares at my face. My lips. There’s a ragged quality to our breath as our gazes lock and hold. Fuck, I like the things that look in her expressive eyes is telling me. Like whatever good there is left inside me, she sees it. As I’m hanging there in a fog of confusion of my own making, she closes the gap and presses her lips to mine.

The bottom drops out of my world in the blink of an eye. She smells like butterflies and rainbows.

This is the kind of woman you keep.

Her lips are soft and they taste like cherry Carmex, and all of this is wrong. Even as my dick tells me he won’t be listening to my bullshit cease-and-desist demand for one single second longer, I pull myself away as fast as I can, trying like hell to put air between us. Before I fucking fall for her even further than I already have. Before everything between us changes.

Before I lose the one sliver of happiness in my life.

But just as I open my mouth to stammer out any kind of explanation, the backdoor bangs open.

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author, Colleen Charles, invites you to come along for the ride as she brings her snarky, woo-woo, and 'a little bit extra' personality to the world of steamy romance. A go-to author for hot hockey action with dirty-talking, cinnamon roll heroes, and smart, capable, independent heroines, Colleen's writing will leave you laughing, emotional, and hungry for more.

When she's not penning tales readers devour, she indulges in the Starbie’s pinkity drinkity with chocolate cold foam, wrangles her crabby Ragdoll cats, and douses her salads with blue cheese dressing and bacon bits. I mean… she’s firmly anti-diet culture, and everything's better with bacon. With her unique mix of humor, heart and heat, Colleen Charles is the romance author you never knew you needed until now. She’s not your basic bitch. Okay… maybe just a tiny bit basic. At least during pumpkin spice season.

Colleen creates perfectly imperfect characters you'll root for until the very last page. 

Connect:

https://www.colleencharles.com/

https://www.colleencharles.com/newsletter/

https://www.facebook.com/colleencharlesusatodaybestsellingauthor

https://www.instagram.com/colleencharlesauthor/

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/authorcolleencharles

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13649083.Colleen_Charles

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