Spotlight: Trusting Love by Julie Navickas

/

Genre: Contemporary Romance

What does a s’more, a tent, and a campfire have in common? For Ryan Prescott, it’s a typical weekend camping trip. But for Tess Browning… it’s a recipe for the truth.

Tess Browning earned the nickname Little Vixen for a reason. And she has no incentive to play by the rules anymore. Because why bother? All it ever did was trap her in a loveless marriage. Tossing faithfulness out the window, the only thing she is committed to now is her new code: keeping it fun, flirty, and deliciously sultry.

That is, until Ryan Prescott walks in and charms his way into her heart with a leather tool belt strapped around his waist. He’s sexy, smart, and as emotionally damaged as they come. And Ryan seemingly wants nothing more than to have Tess pick up the pieces of his broken heart.

But there’s one thing he doesn’t know about her.

When the details of Ryan’s past heartache come to light, Tess digs her hot pink heels into the ground and will stop at nothing to hide her past indiscretions from the man who stole her heart. Because if there’s one thing Ryan won’t tolerate—it’s dishonesty.

Will Tess manage to keep the truth hidden? Or, will the secrets of a lifetime shatter her one true chance at love?

Best-selling and award-winning author Julie Navickas brings back fan favorite, Tess Browning for her own shot at love. Readers of the Trading Heartbeats trilogy will recognize the flawed heroine but may not recognize the woman she’s become. After all, no one is above redemption. Fans of Lynn Painter’s Mr. Wrong Number and Katie Cotugno’s Birds of California will find a swoon-worthy and engaging romance in TRUSTING LOVE.

Excerpt

Beside him, she released a heavy breath and lifted her gaze. The deep hues of blue sparkled, each eye coated in a thin layer of tears.

“Wait, is something wrong?” Ryan frowned and propped his body up on an elbow.

She shook her head and smiled. Dragging a hand down the side of his face, she paused on his cheek. “This happened really fast, didn't it?”

You’re not wrong.

Ryan gripped her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. “It did,” he muttered.

“One minute we’re picking out a paint color and the next we’re sleeping together beneath the stars.”

Their relationship flashed before his eyes, each smile on her lips gripping his heart as affection and desire built within his soul.

“It may have been fast, but that doesn’t make it any less real for me.”

A single tear slid down her cheek and dripped onto his arm. It rolled, falling to the blankets and dissolving into the material.

“It’s real for me, too.” She sniffled. “Maybe too real.”

A twinge gripped his gut. “What’s that mean?”

“Like, when is the other shoe going to drop?” She snorted. “When does the dream end, or the bubble burst?”

Just as cynical as me. You’ve been hurt just as bad, haven’t you?

Ryan sat up and reached for her sandals in the corner of the tent.

“What’re you doing?”

He pressed the first shoe into his chest. “I promise, I won’t drop it.” Holding the second sandal out to her, he placed it in her hands and guided it to her chest. “If you won’t.”

Her smile melted his heart. Eyeing a blonde curl falling in her face, he tucked it behind her ear as a shiver zipped along his spine—inspiration striking once more. “How about another adventure this morning, Ms. Browning?”

“Clothes on or off?”

With a wink, he pressed a kiss on her forehead. “That’ll be your choice.”

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Julie Navickas is an award-winning, nationally recognized contemporary romance novelist, known for her keen ability to tell heart-wrenching, second-chance love stories through relatable characters with humility, humor, and heroism. She is also an award-winning university instructor and serves as the executive director of The Writing Champions Project. Julie earned master’s degrees in both organizational communication and English studies with an emphasis in book history, as well as a bachelor’s degree in public relations, graduating cum laude from Illinois State University. 

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

Spotlight: Getting to Yes by Tim Hunniecutt

/

Step into the sun-soaked embrace of 1978 Florida where nineteen-year-old Chris, a hopeless romantic, is determined to find something real.

Told from the perspective of a young man trying to make sense of his growing familiarity with women, their wants, their needs, as well as his own, Getting to Yes is a heartwarming and unexpected look at one of life’s most significant experiences: falling in love.

As Chris continues to learn about intimacy, we continue to learn about Chris through colorful, and often humorous vignettes of women that have come and gone.

And then he locks eyes with Chloe. And Chris knows this is what he’s been missing.

But is love ever simple? Rarely.

Step into a poignant, sweet, and nostalgic ode to the beauty of finding your way in this heartwarming adventure where love blooms and emotions unfold.

Getting to Yes captures the essence of innocence, the bittersweet taste of heartbreak, and the enduring power of hope when it comes to matters of the heart.

Excerpt

The red bandana framed her round face, and I focused on it. She had shoulder-length brown hair and brown eyes—“Cow brown,” she would describe them to me later. She had high, plump cheeks like a child that, combined with her radiant, flawless skin, gave her a look of innocence. She looked fifteen, not nineteen or twenty. I recognized a barely perceptible warm haze coming from her dewy skin, like a warm glow off the fluorescent lights on the room’s ceiling. How could such a thing even be possible? I wanted to doubt what my eyes detected.  

Astonished by what I saw, I could not tear my gaze away. She looked up at me, and it provoked my only possible response: I started smiling, and I could not stop.  

I stood transfixed with only my smile speaking. It announced that she had dazzled me. She smiled in return and seemed to share the same inability to stop. We stood silently, smiling at each other. Our attraction became so evident that all the other girls and customers noticed, and the smiles spread.

....

The whole drive home I spent wondering about her. Did I see her glow? What did that mean other than I’m crazy? I had been enamored by beautiful girls before, but never had a girl attracted me with such force. As I thought about her, I kept smiling. Nothing came easy for me in love. My past experiences taught me that it only fails and hurts you. Despite that history, Chloe dazzled me so much that I resolved to ask her out as soon as an opportunity arose.  

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Tim Hunniecutt's earliest memories include a love of words which he expressed by writing poems and stories for family and friends.

Tim attended Florida State University, where he studied Psychology and English. Home for the summer after his first year, he met a girl and fell in love. The love she gave him inspired this story.

Tim lives with the same girl, now his wife, in Lithia, Florida. He loves traveling, playing escape games, spending time with his grandchildren, and ballroom dancing with her.

Visit Tim at his website and on Facebook.

Spotlight: Lavender Moon by Natalie Parker

/

Publication date: December 4th 2023

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Kaleb

I was always the bad boy.

The kid from the broken home and the wrong side of the tracks.

But in her eyes, I hung the moon.

The girl from my summers who I thought I’d never see again.

Finding her now right before I’m due to deploy is like a gift, one I’m not going to waste.

She was always meant to be mine and I’m going to make it official.

My silly girl is now my spirited wife, giving me someone to come home to.

Little do I know I won’t be coming home – at least not as the same man.

Luna

I never thought of myself as a good girl… but he does.

The boy I used to see every summer has grown into a brave soldier that I now get to call my husband.

Getting married so quickly was supposed to be a way to protect us both and keep us together for good.

But we both take on demons while he’s away, and when he comes home, it’s his that try to tear us apart.

Someone has to fight for us while he’s weary and wounded.

And now it’s my turn to go into battle.

From the author of the Turn it Up Series, comes an all new standalone about young love, and two people’s harrowing journey to save it -as well as each other.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Natalie Parker resides in the Seattle area with her husband and two rugrats, but is originally a Michigan girl. 

She always enjoyed writing and noticed she had a knack for it while earning her Psychology degree and has always been an avid reader, but never thought of becoming an author until one day there seemed to be a story to tell.

In her spare time, she enjoys reading, reading, reading to her kids, drinking coffee, reading, occasional yardwork, reading, listening to music, reading and writing. 

Stay tuned for more to come for your favorite characters of the Turn it Up series!

Connect:

https://www.nataliecparker.com/

https://www.instagram.com/natalie.parker.author/

https://twitter.com/nataliecparker

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19791444.Natalie_Parker

Spotlight: Y'allywood Billionaire by Terra Weiss

/

An accidental naked entanglement lands actress, Riley Glenn, in a fake off-screen romance with her obnoxious co-star, Maddox Winter. Their pretend engagement starts to feel like the only real thing in their cinematic lives… until their secret is revealed and threatens their relationship–on and off screen. Readers who love Claire Kingsley and Tessa Bailey will fall head-over-heels for Y’allywood Billionaire by Terra Weiss, a steamy, billionaire, celebrity, grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating romantic comedy.

Buy Now or Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited! 

Co-stars. Fake lovers. Real enemies.

I’ve landed my dream debut role on the TV crime series, Urban Dawn, but my co-star and on-screen beau, Maddox Winter, barely knows I exist. He’s too busy with his gold-digging arm candy—usually D-listers trying to make it in Y’allywood, Atlanta’s hot cinematic scene.

So what if he’s sexy as hell? I’m thrilled to see my name, Riley Glenn, at the top of the credits…even if the media has launched a smear campaign against me.

When an accidental naked entanglement lands Maddox and me on the cover of Love Buzz, the news spreads like norovirus on a cruise ship. With ratings skyrocketing, our director casts us into a faux relationship, and my wackadoodle godmother steps in to help out.

Sprinkling my gram's ashes in Scotland, I experience a new Maddox who brews my coffee and carries me through a field of cow pies. Oddly, our pretend relationship feels like the only real thing in our lives.

But when our secret drops, it could be the end of our act, on and off screen.

Y'allywood Billionaire is a witty, heartfelt stand-alone romcom mystery with adult language and steamy, open-door chemistry that will have you rooting for a happily-ever-after.

Excerpt

Copyright 2024 Terra Weiss

“Riley, 911 emergency.” It’s Skye, my best friend’s mother and my self-appointed godmother. Her voice booms through the car speakerphone when she says, “I’m texting you directions. You gotta come—I need you.”

“Wait…” I trail off, realizing the line’s dead. Is she really in trouble? That’s the thing about Skye—no one ever knows for sure. After calling her back countless times to no avail, I follow her directions to a remote beach. Why Skye’s here is anyone’s guess.

I park in a gravel lot next to Skye’s Winnebago and sprint toward the nearly desolate beach. At the gated entry, two women pushing eighty stand wearing oversized straw beach hats…and nothing else.

Oh. It’s one of those beaches. Good for them.

One steps in front of me and says, “Hello, miss, and welcome to St. Sebastian’s Nudist Haven. We encourage all our guests to express themselves as nature intended.”

I halt mid-stride. “I’m sorry?” I should’ve known there’d be a catch. There always is with Skye.

Curiosity tugs my eyes southward as I speak to the gentlewomen. “I’m only here to help a friend. She’s in trouble.” I go to dart through the gate, but they both move in for the block.

Folding her arms, the woman wearing a few dozen coats of hot pink lipstick speaks. “People who come here are comfortable in their own skin. You’ll upset our equilibrium if you go in with your body covered in shame.”

I groan. “Really?”

“Really.”

Good god. Now what? Skye’s not answering her phone, and she needs me. Or maybe she needs me? I’m arguing with myself when I see a beautiful form of a man in the parking lot. He has sun-kissed skin, the perfect black wavy hair, and a bod for days. He’s tall, chiseled—and currently stripping down to his birthday suit.

Then he throws his clothes in his car before pressing his key fob and locking it with a beep. As he approaches us with a swagger—or more of a lazy grace, really—my eyes roam downward before popping wide. The thing hanging between his legs is so enormous, it’s hard to process something that appears to defy physics. How does it not pull him downward?

Hmm. Maybe a naked beach isn’t so bad, after all.

As he gets closer, I realize that made-for-TV chest looks familiar—one I’ve seen a half a dozen times in wardrobe changes.

Oh, shit!

“Riley?” he says, shocked.

“Maddox?” I choke out. Instinctively, I cover my eyes, but peek through my fingers.

That elephant trunk belongs to my asshole co-star? And he just struts around, buck naked, like he owns the place?

I guess that one shouldn’t surprise me.

So many thoughts hit my brain like Nerf pellets. All those D-lister flings. I mean, no wonder. Do they talk about it? They have to, right? That thing is not normal! For some absurd reason, I’m shamelessly curious. No, no, no! I order my eyes to stop staring at his goods, but they won’t move. Now I understand why men ogle cleavage—sometimes the eyes refuse the brain’s instructions.

About Terra Weiss 

Terra Weiss is a romcom author with a knack for witty banter and gift for capturing authentic family dynamics. Readers love how her stories steer away from typical romcom cookie-cutter formulas and show how real-life people find real-life love.

When Terra's not spilling the tea on what happens in the big and small towns that live in her heart, you'll find her with her spunky daughter, mad scientist husband, wacky and wonderful mother, and the two six-pound dogs that run her house. She enjoys jogging at a snail's pace, reading from her iPhone, and piling bright orange mountains of squeezy cheese on her crackers.

Follow: Website | Facebook | Reader Group | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Bookbub | Amazon | Newsletter | Tik Tok

Spotlight: The Penance of Valentine Cash by Rebecca Rook

/

Publication date: January 16th 2024

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Neil Gaiman’s American Gods meets Jennifer Mason-Black’s Devil and the Bluebird in this modern adaptation of the Greek legend The Twelve Labors of Hercules for young adult fantasy readers.

Valentine Cash is dead.

When she dies in an accidental collision she caused on the cusp of musical fame, Valentine is offered a deal: Complete a series of difficult tasks to get her life back. Fail, and she dies a final, everlasting death. Guided by Route 66 the Mother Road of America on her quest, she tackles one herculean task after another, giving up a piece of herself with each trial.

Valentine begins to understand that the fame she once sought won’t bring her happiness or belonging – and if she fulfills the penance, she must decide what’s more important: Her old life or restoring the lives of the strangers who died alongside her.

The young and the ancient, the tangible and the mythical, collide as Valentine learns the true meaning of redemption, connection, and the enduring power of the human spirit.

Excerpt

Valentine looked Bill over. She remembered the stories in the old ballads, the ones of dancing with the devil only to never come home. Bill didn’t seem like a devil, but he clearly wasn’t an angel, either. She certainly didn’t trust him. What did she know of cowboys, particularly a legend like Pecos Bill? What did he want? What could she give without too high a price? A memory, a faint song remnant tickled the back of her skull, then poured out of her mouth.

“Your lariat,” Valentine said. “The snake. Or the one you used to rope the moon. You still use it?”

Bill leaned back, his eyes watchful. “Funny that you ask. It’s worn down some. I’m hardly able to use it much these days.”

“I could take a look,” Valentine offered. “See if I can fix it.”

“You?” Bill scoffed. “What do you know about lariats? Despite your get-up, you’re not a cowhand or a rancher.”

Valentine leaned forward. Somehow, she knew she was on the right track. The same intuition that guided her in writing a great song nudged her further down this line of questioning. “It won’t cost you anything to let me look at it. If I fail to fix your lariat, we’ll leave you alone and find the Bloody Bones ourselves. But if I succeed, you will tell us where and when to find the killer. Or the Bloody Bones.” Valentine tried to be specific. She remembered the folk tales and legends she grew up on all had stories about bargains built on imprecise language or wordplay that ended badly for the mortals.

She couldn’t afford for this to end badly. She had to find the Bloody Bones.

It was the only way to get her life back.

Bill narrowed his eyes at Valentine for a long moment. Finally, he nodded.

“I accept your terms.”

Bill led them upstairs to a humble studio above the bar. Valentine was startled by the appearance of the simple abode; she had stayed in many, many places like this. She had assumed a legend would reside in a worthier home, someplace like the elegant casino where she had met Dale Wright, High John, and Paul Bunyan. Valentine didn’t say anything, though. She didn’t want to hurt Pecos Bill’s feelings. She already felt that she was on treacherous ground with him.

Bill left them standing in the doorway and walked over to the closet. He pulled down a saddlebag made of tanned, worn leather and reached in to pull out a lariat. Walking over to Valentine, he placed it in her hands.

“Here she is.” Valentine heard a faint note of pride, and worry. “The lariat I used to harness tornados, to pull Sue down from the moon after the Widow-Maker had tossed her.” Bill gave an affectionate smile.

“How is Sue these days, Bill?” Valentine heard Six ask from behind her.

The smile vanished. “Gone.”

Bill didn’t elaborate.

Valentine turned the lariat over in her hands. The rope was frayed from use, with threads slipped loose from the main coil. The material felt heavier, denser than the rope she had handled on her parents’ hobby farm. Silver and copper strands wove through the fabric, with a few faint gold threads, the only other hint of something supernatural about this workaday tool. Valentine bent closer to examine the silver and copper, and her own long, gold hair fell forward, resting against her hand where it held the rope.

She had an idea. “Six, do you have a knife?”

“A knife?” Six shifted his weight on his feet. One hand ruffled through his hair.

“Yes.”

“Uh, no.”

Bill reached into the saddlebag. “Will this do?”

Valentine looked up to see that Bill held a sheathed, single-sided blade the length of her forearm. “Yes.”

Setting the rope aside on a nearby chair, Valentine took the knife from Bill and pulled the blade from the sheath. She swept off her hat, the silver accents twinkling in the faint light of the studio. Valentine gathered her long hair into roughly two chunks, on either side of her face. Using the knife, she sawed off one handful of the golden length, then the other.

She heard Six gasp in surprise. A deep rumble came from Church.

In less than a minute, she had an armful of golden hair.

Valentine handed the blade back to Bill, who took it without comment but with a keen gaze. She picked up the lariat and sorted through the coils until she found one end. She examined the braided coil, holding it at arm’s length and then up close. After a moment, she knew what she needed to do.

Valentine placed the lariat on the worn Formica table, on top of a clutter of magazines and old newspapers and dirty dishes. She then reached for her own shorn locks and began to braid thin strips of her hair, one after the other. Silence hung over the room as the legends watched her, and Valentine began to sing, under her breath, an old song about a maid seeking her heart’s desire, a bluegrass tune she had first played when learning the mandolin. She sang in a low voice and continued to braid the shorn gold until there remained no more strands.

Valentine picked up the lariat, and starting from one end, she wove the braided gold into the twisted rope. As she wrapped and tucked and twisted the golden strands into the fabric, the silver and copper strands flared and brightened, as if coming back to life. The gold threads glowed in response. Valentine worked her way down the length of the rope. She was relieved that she had just enough hair to repair the lariat. All the while, she sang the old tune. When she ran out of verses, she simply started the song anew.

Finally, the lariat was done.

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Rebecca Rook designs tabletop games, manages a little free library dedicated to sequential art and comics, and lives in the Pacific Northwest with two wonderful dogs. She writes young adult fiction in the fantasy, thriller, and horror genres.

A 2021-2022 Hugo House Fellow in
Seattle, WA, she also attended the 2021 Tin House YA Fiction Workshop in
Portland, OR. Rebecca was selected as one of the 100 invited writers to participate in the Write Team Mentorship Program’s curated Pitch-a-Thon event before being chosen as a Mentee for the 2021 Program. Prior to this, she completed the wonderful Yearlong Workshop for Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction at Hugo House.

Connect:

https://www.byrebeccarook.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@byrebeccarook

https://www.instagram.com/byrebeccarook

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45848659.Rebecca_Rook

Spotlight: Fade Into Night by Becky Flade

/

Philly Heat Series Book 5

Genre: Romantic Suspense

A man dedicated to unmasking monsters.

The woman who gives faces to the lost.

Neither can see the evil hiding in plain sight.

FBI Special Agent Noah Danes' investigation into The Beltway Romeo brings him to Philadelphia and leads to a chance encounter with an old friend. Forensic facial reconstructionist Sadie Potter hasn't seen Noah since the sentencing of her mother's murderer four years earlier. Seeing one another in a new light, they both dare to hope for more.

But before they can explore their newfound feelings, Sadie's attacked by The Beltway Romeo.

Fueled with rage and fear, Noah swears to protect her at all costs. But his fellow profilers turn their focus on Noah, threatening to reveal his deepest secrets to the world. Scarred, depressed, and afraid of losing herself along with her art, Sadie lashes out at the people she loves most...until Romeo makes it clear he hasn't forgotten the victim who got away.

Excerpt

Dulcet tones from bow and string created grace as music soared to the vaulted ceiling and images of horror panned across the wall. Blood and rose petals littered the champagne-colored carpet. Candles reduced to hardened puddles on occasional tables, their frozen drips streaked toward the floor. Every detail designed to draw the viewer’s gaze to the dead woman spread eagle in the center of the room, her hands and feet staked with metal tent posts. Her eyelids removed and her torso carved, she’d been butchered and displayed in the most gruesome definition of the word. One image transitioned into another, a macabre carousel.

Close-ups of the damage to the body gave way to distance shots of the room, taken from separate angles. As detailed and distressing as it was, it couldn’t recreate the smell of death. Feces, urine, blood, and the sickly, sweet scent of roses mixed with the sandalwood from the scented candles and permeated the room. The faint odor of the initial officer's vomit wafted in from beyond the open door. He could show them, but they’d never know. The last photo, the room after the body was removed, filled the screen as the music faded to silence.

“Lights on.” Special Supervisory Agent Noah Danes catalogued the expressions of the thirty bureau cadets in the lecture hall. He punched back to the first photo. The full image of the room with the corpse showcased dead center. “This is how Reston police found the body of Caitlyn Jones. They were responding to a noise complaint. The music we just heard, Adagio in G Minor, composed by Tomaso Albinoni, played on the stereo system at full volume. We asked them to secure the residence, and advised them to touch nothing, not even the stereo, until we arrived to document the scene. You’re seeing it as I did. What do you see?”

“The second victim of the Beltway Romeo,” a voice sounded from the back.

Noah nodded. “That’s the name the press has given him, not law enforcement. The body of the first victim, Stephanie Jackson, was found in her Frederick, Maryland home. Because they have, annually, more than four times the violent crime of Reston, they were prepared to handle the scene there. Reston PD knew they were out of their depth and were familiar enough with the details of the Jackson murder to request immediate help to process the scene. Since then, the Behavioral Analysis Unit here at Quantico has acted as a judicial clearinghouse in this investigation. Who can explain what I mean, and extra points if you can tell me how we navigated the multi-jurisdictional morass?” Hands shot up. “Sciarrillo.”

“One way to elude law enforcement is to change jurisdictions.” Sciarrillo was a former military officer. What was euphemistically referred to as a door kicker but he was smart and had excellent instincts. The BAU would bore him, but he’d prove a formidable field agent. “Even in our digital age, communications between local law enforcement in different counties, and differing states, leave a lot to be desired. The Behavioral Analysis Unit both collects and disseminates information to various law enforcement agencies. It’s kind of brilliant. As soon as Romeo crossed state lines, the FBI claimed jurisdiction over all his crimes.”

“Good. Hicks?”

The young woman lowered her hand. She, like so many younger recruits, held a law degree. Extraordinarily intelligent, overachiever, destined for a career in government, politics, or maybe a judicial seat. She’d rise through the ranks in white collar crime. “Doesn’t Romeo present as too intelligent to make the mistake of earning the FBI’s attention?”

“Yes. However, let’s remember. By spreading his kills out, he makes them harder to link. It was a calculated risk.” Though true, he didn’t believe it himself. There was something more to this pattern. Speaking of. “There are eight victims to date. Each woman was single, successful, and upwardly mobile. They held powerful jobs in the capital and lived in communities accessible by the Beltway or the northeast corridor. As fresh evidence is discovered, we refine our conclusions and ViCAP is updated. For those of you who may not know, although by now you should, ViCAP stands for the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. It enables local law enforcement agencies to collect, enter, and analyze their own violent crime information. It facilitates the identification of similar cases on a regional, state, and national basis. As in all things, it’s only as good as the information added to it.” He nodded and clicked on another photo. “What else do you see?”

“He tortures them. Removes their eyelids and forces them to watch what he’s doing to them until they die.”

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

When I was little, I thought everyone had stories in their head. When I found out only special people had stories to tell, I wanted to be one of the magical ones who shared their stories with the world. I wrote my first book in kindergarten with the help of my teacher, Mrs. Daniels. My mom – my biggest fan and most ardent supporter – has that little crayon-drawn book tucked into the pages of her family bible. It took almost thirty years to get from there to published but here I am, making my own dreams come true, one happily ever after at a time. 

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