Spotlight: Walking in Circles by Amy Matayo

“When you’ve been hurt the worst by the one who should love you most, trusting anyone is a dangerous game.”

Emma Lee was four the first time her dad hit her, eight when he left without a word, and nine by the time she’d developed a serious case of Male Trust Issues. So, when her mom moves her from their beloved California city to a small South Carolina town, the last person she wants to get to know is her elderly male neighbor. But the man won’t stop talking to her. And it isn’t like she can avoid him. She passes his house twice a day on her walk to and from school.

Old Will knows a fractured soul when he sees one, and his young new neighbor is certainly that. Emma wears a cautious demeanor like an old sweater, and it tugs at his heartstrings. His late wife would have his hide if he didn’t welcome the girl onto their front porch and treat her like one of their own. And if his grandson Shane happened to come by and meet her…well, that wouldn’t be his fault, would it?

Shane Michaels is the school jock, prom king, all-around popular kid, and miserable. He’s already lost so much in his eighteen years, more than his classmates could ever understand. And he is lonely. So, when Emma moves into the house next to Old Will, Shane makes it his mission to meet her. He invites her on a walk. He joins her on Old Will’s front porch. He asks her to dinner and to prom and eventually spills the secret he’s been keeping for years, the secret only his parents and Old Will know about.

That is, until a tragic accident brings everything into the open and throws their newly formed bond into chaos. A bond Emma hadn’t seen coming until she’d already learned to depend on it. But isn’t that how life works?

Sometimes learning to trust people is only a matter of meeting the right ones. 

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Meet Amy Matayo

Amy Matayo is an award winning author of  The Wedding Game, Love Gone Wild, Sway, In Tune with Love, A Painted Summer, The End of the World, The Thirteenth Chance, The Whys Have It, Christmas at Gate 18, and the upcoming Lies We Tell Ourselves.

She graduated with barely passing grades from John Brown University with a degree in Journalism. But don’t feel sorry for her–she’s super proud of that degree and all the ways she hasn’t put it to good use.

She laughs often, cries easily, feels deeply, and loves hard. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and four kids and is always working on her next novel, whichever one that may be.

Connect with Amy Matayo

➜ Website:  https://amymatayo.com/

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/amymatayoauthor

➜ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amymatayo.author/

➜ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/amymatayo

➜ Amazon: https://bit.ly/3NHbPKR

Spotlight: Just One More Moment by Carly Phillips

She thinks happily ever after only happens in romance novels.
He can’t wait to prove her wrong…

Falling in love is not on Raven Walsh’s agenda. Running from her past keeps her way too busy for that. She can, however, handle a friends-with-benefits scenario with the hot billionaire who co-owns The Back Door bar. But trusting him with her heart? Not a chance…

Remington Sterling has had his eye on the smart and sexy Raven since she started waitressing at his bar. He knows she’s gun-shy where relationships are concerned. But he’s ready to do whatever it takes to convince her he’s worth the risk…

When Raven’s secrets catch up to her in a big way, she must decide if the potential cost of trusting Remy is more than she’s willing to pay—and Remy will need to figure out how far he’s willing to go for love…

Just One More Moment, book 1 in the Sterling Family series (all can be read as standalones), is a spicy contemporary romance featuring a ready-to-run heroine and the possessive, protective alpha hero who is more than ready to catch her.

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About the Author

Carly Phillips is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over eighty sexy contemporary romances featuring hot men, strong women, and emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. She is happily married to her college sweetheart and lives in Westchester County, NY. She is the mother of two adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook and Instagram pages. She loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers.For more information on upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter (below) and receive two free books! https://www.carlyphillips.com/subscribe-newsletter/

To learn more about Carly Phillips & her books, visit here!

Connect with Carly Phillips: https://www.carlyphillips.com/ 

Spotlight: Just Another Epic Love Poem by Parisa Akhbari

Best friendship blossoms into something more in this gorgeously written queer literary romance.

Over the past five years, Mitra Esfahani has known two constants: her best friend Bea Ortega and The Book—a dogeared moleskin she and Bea have been filling with the stanzas of an epic, never-ending poem since they were 13.

For introverted Mitra, The Book is one of the few places she can open herself completely and where she gets to see all sides of brilliant and ebullient Bea. There, they can share everything—Mitra’s complicated feelings about her absent mother, Bea’s heartache over her most recent breakup—nothing too messy or complicated for The Book.

Nothing except the one thing with the power to change their entire friendship: the fact that Mitra is helplessly in love with Bea.

Told in lyrical, confessional prose and snippets of poetry Just Another Epic Love Poem takes readers on a journey that is equal parts joyful, heartbreaking, and funny as Mitra and Bea navigate the changing nature of I love you.

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About the Author

Parisa Akhbari is a writer and mental health therapist from Seattle, Washington. When not writing or therapizing, she can be found trying to replicate her grandmother’s drool-worthy Persian recipes, hanging out with disability community, and marathoning sci-fi movies with her partner and dogs. Just Another Epic Love Poem is her debut novel.

Spotlight: Hypnotized by Love Sariah Wilson

Publisher: Montlake (March 1, 2024)

Pages: 299 pages

The power of suggestion does wonders for the heart in an absolutely captivating romantic comedy by Sariah Wilson, the bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love.

Hypnotist Savannah Sinclair is known for helping clients overcome their deep-rooted issues, from anxiety to addiction. But her nontraditional approach also attracts plenty of skeptics?including her high school nemesis and rival, Mason Beckett, who just so happens to be the boy who broke her heart.

Mason’s life hasn’t gone according to plan. His latest novel was a flop, and the only gig he can land is writing a scathing exposé of his hometown hypnotist, Savannah. But in order to write an authentic article, he has to be a willing participant. Hypnosis is the last thing he expected: he’s shedding his negative nature and opening himself up to new experiences…and when a fire alarm interrupts their session, Mason walks out into the real world entranced and sporting a sunny disposition and a tendency to say yes.

Hypnotized Mason is fearless, revealing things he’s never told a soul, acting completely out of character, and leading Savannah on a frantic chase to keep him safe. He likes his new self. The problem is, so does Savannah. She can’t fall in love with a man who’s in a trance, but can she keep him still long enough to get him to snap out of it?

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About the Author

Sariah Wilson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love, The Paid Bridesmaid, The Seat Filler, Roommaid, Just a Boyfriend, the Royals of Monterra series, and the #Lovestruck novels. She happens to be madly, passionately in love with her soul mate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She currently lives with her family and various pets in Utah, and harbors a lifelong devotion to ice cream. For more information, visit her website at www.sariahwilson.com.

Spotlight: The Desk From Hoboken by ML Condike

A Genealogy Mystery Series

Mystery

Date Published: March 5, 2024

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.

In a bid to heal from the grief of a personal loss, forensic genealogist, RaeJean Hunter, takes on a straightforward case —identify human remains found on a nearby college campus, believed to be the 180-year-old remains of Mary Rogers, a woman who died mysteriously in 1841 and was believed to have been buried in the nearby cemetery that had washed away. It should be simple enough, a project to get her back in the game.

Unfortunately, it quickly becomes anything but. In fact, it becomes downright dangerous.

Someone doesn't want RaeJean to investigate the puzzling death of the woman whose death inspired Edgar Allan Poe's "The Mystery of Marie Roget." As she follows clues through four states and discovers living family members who both help and hinder her search, she quickly realizes that the secrets of Mary Rogers' demise were never meant to be exposed.

What lengths will someone go to keep the truth buried in the past? As threats escalate and RaeJean and her family's lives become endangered, she's forced to follow every lead and use every skill she has to find the answers she needs before it's too late. Using DNA from two famous New England families, historical data, modern genealogical techniques, and a little guidance from a seemingly mystical antique desk, RaeJean takes on the cold case despite being given every reason to abandon it.

After all, what truths have been hidden for 180 years that would be worth bribery, kidnapping, and even murder?

RaeJean Hunter is about to find out.

Exerpt

Chapter One

Come on, girl! It’ll be fun.” It was mid March and I stood in my bathing suit on the edge of our pool in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Our corgi, Sophie, watched from ten feet away, ears !at against her head. Her look suggested she wasn’t joining me. She didn’t like water, never mind "fifty-eight-degree water. It would be shocking. 

Every year, my husband, Sam, and I vied for the title of First-In-The-Pool. Today, I was determined to swim and win regardless of the pool temperature. 

“It’s now or never!” I leaped in, submerged, and then in a split second, shot straight up out of the frigid water. “It’s cold! It’s cold! It’s cold!” 

Sophie circled the pool, barking as I splashed my way to the steps and climbed out. 

“Phew! What a wake up call, Sophie!” I toweled my hair while she licked my wet legs. 

“You win!” Sam shouted from the back door, saluting me with his steaming coffee mug. 

“I’ll be in as soon as I dry of.” 

He grinned, disappearing back inside. 

Five minutes later, I grabbed the hot mug as the last fragrant squirts of Cinnabon coffee gurgled from the Keurig. Something had changed in me overnight. It could have been the promise of spring, with the leaves budding, but I had a hunch it had something to do with the phone call from late yesterday afternoon. A potential client needed a genealogist. 

Whatever it was, I felt alive again. Smiling, I joined Sam in the breakfast nook. 

“You look happy. Finally beat me to the "first dip. How was it?” 

“Bloody cold.” I sipped my coffee in silence. The strong brew made my lips tingle. Or maybe it was simply rekindled optimism. 

I, RaeJean O’Leary Hunter, a notorious workaholic, hadn’t entered my home office since the mental fog set in six months ago. Life’s current had pulled me under. Today, I’d resurfaced, gasping for a breath of fresh air. 

Sam gazed at me over the rim of his mug. “Thinking about returning to work?” 

“Actually, I am. I received a voicemail late yesterday about a case that could be a good segue back to work. Easy, I think.” My stomach $uttered at the prospect, but I knew I had to take the plunge, not unlike diving into the frigid pool in order to feel like a winner again. I smiled to myself. 

Sam grinned. “That’s great. Maybe we should resume the office remodel.” 

“I’d like that.” We’d purchased the house as is and had been remodeling for a while. Actually, it was more of a restoration, but we’d suspended our work when I got pregnant. If I took the case, I’d need a workspace other than our library. 2 The Desk from Hoboken 

“Great. I’ll call the contractor.” He kissed me and disappeared into his office. 

After rinsing my cup, I scrambled upstairs with the intent of checking on my neglected office and preparing it for the work crew. I rushed past the door to the room where I’d wallowed for months. After two steps, I froze. A lingering compulsion sabotaged my plan. Instead, I stepped back and entered the unlit nursery. 

Scooping up the stuffed bunny that Sam had bought the day we’d learned I was pregnant, I sat in the Boston rocker, reliving the months after our loss. The tiny bunny sprawled across my lap as I agonized over the only thing I tended to worry about since that time, the secret I’d kept from Sam. 

Determined to move on, I sucked in a breath and glanced down at Sophie. “Big girls don’t cry.” 

It worked. Today, I didn’t shed a tear.

 I stood, tossing the toy onto the chair. “Let’s go.” I followed the dog as she padded out the door.

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About the Author

ML Condike has published short stories in anthologies that include Strange & Sweet, (2019), Tall Tales and Timeless Stories, (2022), Malice in Dallas, Metroplex Mysteries, Volume 1 (2022), and won first place in the fifteenth annual Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards, Mystery/Crime category (2019), and 2nd Place in the Tennessee Williams Short Story Contest, Key West Art & Historical Society (2022).

She’s an associate member of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime North Dallas (Treasurer), Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild.

As the result of her study of genealogy for her debut novel The Desk from Hoboken, she researched her own family and she discovered she had a direct bloodline to a Patriot. So, most recently she has been inducted into the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).

Connect:

Website: https://mlcondike.com

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

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-lou-condike-b16117187/

Follow the Publisher on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook - @harborlanebooks

Spotlight: How the Heart Breaks by S. Marie

He was her secret, her sin, the heart she couldn’t love.

Emery Robert’s life is everything she wanted. Married to the love of her life, with a good job, and plans for a family in the future. But when Emery’s husband dies tragically, she is the one who stops living.

Three years later, at the age of 30, she’s still struggling to move on. Friends are encouraging her to date again, while her in-laws want to keep her in the past, trapping Emery in the middle.

Deciding to move to a new town to start fresh with a new job and house, Emery’s 17-year-old niece, Addison, moves in with her for her final year of high school, where she instantly forms a crush on the popular and mysterious, Mason James.

At 19 years old, Mason has been through far more than most. A past full of tragedy and loss. Being held back a year in school, Mason is mentally years beyond his peers. Not feeling he belongs anywhere, until he meets Addison’s very sexy aunt.

Overwhelmingly drawn to her, he can’t seem to get this older woman out of his head. And no matter how much Emery denies it, he’s the first one who has sparked life in her, making her feel things she shouldn’t.

As much as she fights her forbidden desire, the sparks between them can’t be denied. When reality crashes down, it’s not just the taboo of their age difference that will rip out their hearts. It’s what fate has in store for them that will show them how the heart breaks.

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

About the Author

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR S. Marie lives in the PNW with her dog Cooper, traveling and writing stories that are full of spice, angst, and emotional damage.

Connect:

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.s.marie/

Website: https://s-marie.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/S.-Marie/author/B0CPBDFCNR