Spotlight: Cowboy Kind of Hooked by Becca Turner

Only An Okie Will Do, Book 8

Contemporary Western

Date Published: 01-16-2024

The moment Chance Nash bumps into a sassy blonde at the local bar, he knows she's The One. She might play hard to get, but he gradually wears her down and even learns her name on their first date.

Isla Michaels has come to Oklahoma under false pretenses. Sort of. Although she grew up with privilege, her family life lacked warmth. She recently learned she has a half-brother she never knew about. In order to meet him, she pretends to be interested in one of his horses. Maybe if it goes well, she'll tell him who she is. What she doesn't expect is to be charmed by Chance. He's cute, he's caring, and he immediately breaks through the walls she's erected to keep her heart safe.

But pressure to return home is mounting and Isla's still not sure she wants to spill the truth about her family history. Her deepening feelings for Chance complicate everything she planned for her future. And even though he promises to follow her anywhere, she knows it's wrong to take him away from his family legacy. Isla's decisions will either lead her away from the cowboy she's hooked on or back home to the austere life she built before Chance.

Excerpt

Isla smiled. “My brother’s going to worry if I don’t come home.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to kidnap you. I’m inviting you to an event. That’s all.” She sighed and leaned back onto her palms. “Maybe I should let you kidnap me. I could live the life of luxury as a rodeo clown’s wife.”

“Hey! I’m not a clown.”

“You look pretty funny to me.”

She laughed as she met his gaze. In her denim and plaid, she looked at home in the back of his truck. Like she belonged there with him. Bonus that she loved horses. And he loved her wicked sense of humor. She kept him on his toes.

He ducked his head. “I know you’ve gotta go home. I just wish you didn’t.” The river rippled past them slowly pulling at the banks. A few crickets chirped among the grass and weeds. He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening. “A little bit of me wishes I didn’t have to either.” She rubbed at a smudge of dirt on his tailgate. “Maybe I’ll call Rhett and tell him you did kidnap me, but I’m cool with it.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I ain’t even kissed you yet.” Her icy blue gaze met his. “What’s stopping you?”

Isla inched closer to him until their thighs touched.

Chance twisted toward her. “You sure about this? Because once you kiss me, if you leave, you’re gonna regret every minute you spend away from me.”

“Oh my God, you’re cocky.” For a second, her teeth sank into her lower lip. Then she leaned into him.

He gripped her waist as their mouths met. Isla pressed against his chest as her hands slid up to cup his face.

She kissed like a lazy summer day—hot and slow, promising more. Adventure and excitement. She took her time, exploring his mouth, stroking her thumbs over his cheekbones. The tips of her fingers brushed into the hair right above his neck. Lightning zagged through his veins. Every bit as addicting as the thrill of dodging the blow of a bull.

Chance sucked in a breath when her hand fell on his belt buckle. “Isla…” She looked up at him, blue eyes sparkling. “Yes?”

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Her head tilted and she traced the embossed letters on the buckle. “I’m not in the habit of doing things I don’t want to do.”

He swallowed as her fingers dropped below the warm metal. “Damn, girl. You’re making it hard to be a gentleman.”

“Maybe I’m trying to make sure you want to follow me back to Arizona.” Her tongue slid over her lower lip. “Because in spite of common sense, I really like you.”

“That’s kind of obvious. I don’t want you thinking I set it up this way. I didn’t bring you out here to seduce you.” He stroked a hand over her hair. “I wanted to talk. Get to know you. You’re funny and smart. Smart enough to know you don’t have to hook up with me if you don’t want to.”

The smile edged toward a frown. “Are you trying to turn me off?”

That was the last thing he wanted to do. “No, ma’am.”

“Are you shy or something?”

In front of this beautiful woman who was way out of his league? Hell, yes. “Um…” She continued to watch him through thick lashes, but she drew her hands back. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. I’m not usually the type who throws herself at a man right after meeting him.”

“But there’s something between us that clicks.” He pulled her hands into his. “You feel it?”

She nodded. “As much as I tried to pretend I didn’t.”

“I think you’re beautiful.” He leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck. “I want you real bad.”

More than he’d wanted a woman in a while. As Isla tipped her head back and closed her eyes, he breathed in the citrusy scent of her hair. “Sunshine.”

One of her eyes opened. “What?”

“You remind me of sunshine.”

“Oh. Thanks, I guess?” The familiar smile returned. “You remind me of a wild horse. A little mysterious, all untamed.”

He shook his head. “Nope. That’s you. Ain’t no way anyone could tame you. And if they tried, it would be a tragedy.”

She laughed before she kissed him again.

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About the Author

"The West isn't won until a cowboy claims your heart."

Becca Turner was raised in Missouri except for a couple of formative years in SW Oklahoma that left her with an Okie accent. One day she was reading cowboy romance novels and wondered why they're all set in Texas. Then she set out to do something about it.

She lives in Missouri with her husband and two dogs.

Connect:

Website: http://beccaturnerbooks.weebly.com

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18341351.Becca_Turner

Instagram: http://instagram.com/beccaturnerbooks

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/becca-turner

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@beccaturnerbooks

Spotlight: Never Blow a Kiss by Lindsay Lovise

In this delightfully witty Victorian romance, a governess spy running away from her past falls for an ex-soldier turned railroad magnate—perfect for fans of Manda Collins and Bridgerton!

The utterly charming Emily Leverton has a dark past and is determined to leave it behind in her respectable new role as a governess. But when she is recruited by a secret network of governesses who spy on the ton, it may just be a way to redeem the dark secrets of her past.

Straddling the worlds of the ton and the working class, as an ex-solider turned railroad magnate, Zach hunts killers for the Metropolitan Police by day and dutifully attends balls at night. In neither world has he met a woman with the brazenness to mock him. So when a saucy governess blows him a kiss he is determined to catch her, never expecting that when he does he will find an intelligent, quirky woman hiding more than her true name. As Zach peels back the layers of Emily’s lies, he falls for the street-wise woman who handles a dagger like a pro and kisses like a mistress. But when his affair with Emily intertwines with his hunt for a killer, he discovers Emily is hiding an explosive secret—one that could destroy them both.

Excerpt

May 1838

Emily Leverton was a hopeless governess. She played the pianoforte with the grace of an elephant, her arithmetic was appalling, and the last time she’d read The Ladies’ Guide to Etiquette and Manners her eyes had nearly crossed with boredom. The only thing at which she excelled was something no gently bred woman should know.

Alas, Emily was no gently bred woman.

Emily handed her youngest pupil a sheet of stationary. Although it was true that Emily’s ability to teach accomplishments such as needlework and dancing was nearly nonexistent, she was an expert in deceit.

“The first rule of spying,” she instructed, “is to act as if you are entirely uninterested in the conversation around you. Jot that down, Morris. You will never best your twin sisters if you do not take this seriously.”

The seven-year-old neatly wrote the first rule at the top of the stationary. Late-afternoon sunlight slanted through the schoolroom window and caught in his hair as if it were a halo and he an angel. Morris truly was the dearest child, which made him an easy target for his conniving older sisters. Fortunately, Emily’s true talents were . . . unconventional.

When he finished he lifted earnest brown eyes. “What is rule number two, Miss Leverton?”

Emily crouched beside him and touched his shoulder. “Rule number two is that you must never base your worth on what others think of you. None of us are perfect. Some of us are not even what we seem.”

The dinner gong rang, and Morris smiled shyly before tucking the paper in his trouser pocket. “Thank you, Miss Leverton.”

“We will finish tomorrow!” she called at his departing back.

Emily spent a few minutes tidying the schoolroom before she set off for the Mottersheads’ library. As the governess of the house she was neither servant nor nobility, which made dinner arrangements awkward. She had solved the problem early in her assignment by retreating to the library until the Mottersheads had finished their repast, and then taking her supper alone in the breakfast room.

Emily stilled in the hallway and cocked her head, her baser instincts buzzing. Had she heard a sound? Everyone should be dressing for dinner, including the latest addition to the household—the children’s uncle, Viscount Charlsburn. The tyrant had arrived the week before and his sour demeanor had the entire estate on edge. Unhappy with everything from the state of the silverware to the architecture of the stables, he lorded over the house as if he owned it himself, his hooked nose sniffing out Cook’s imperfections and his crafty eyes appraising the value of each object. No anomaly escaped his scrutiny, and that included Emily.

Satisfied she was alone, Emily continued toward the library. She rounded the corner and shrieked with dismay when she nearly collided with the viscount, who had to have been walking silently on purpose.

“What is the hurry, Miss Leverton?” he asked, his fingers clawing into her upper arms even though she was in no danger of falling. His oily voice reminded her of her former husband’s.

“No hurry.” Emily’s tone was light as she stepped back, forcing him to release her. “Is there something I can help you with, my lord?”

Shrewd gray eyes fell on her mouth. “Indeed. Remind me from where you hail, Miss Leverton?”

“Monmouth.”

“Yes, that is what I thought. I have a dear friend in Monmouth. I wrote to him within a few days of my arrival. To his knowledge, no Leverton family resides in the township. Odd, would you not say?”

Emily had suspected Charlsburn knew she was not what she seemed, and this confirmed it. She was experienced enough to know when a con had gone south.

It was time to move on.

He closed the distance between them and reached for a dark curl that had fallen from her pins. Emily dodged his hand, but he advanced again. “Stay still, my pet. Do you know how I have dreamt of this moment?”

Emily’s stomach clenched.

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About the Author

Lindsay writes historical and contemporary romances with quirky heroines and happily ever afters. When she’s not writing, Lindsay is reading (probably romance), drinking coffee, and avoiding laundry. Although she lives in New York, she was born and raised in Maine, which is probably why she likes snow so much.

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.”

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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

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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.  

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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.

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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

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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.

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