Spotlight: A Vengeful King Rises by Sophie Barnes

House of Croft, Book One

Mystery, Romance

Date Published: July 30th, 2024

The only thing more lethal than his need for revenge, is the woman who's tasked with bringing him down.

Adrian Croft dreams of quitting the shady business he stands to inherit, of settling down, and of raising a family free from a life of crime. But when tragedy strikes, this fanciful dream is destroyed. All he wants now is revenge. His anger, however, threatens to cloud his judgment, making it harder for him to recognize danger when it approaches in the form of a beautiful woman.

Trained for covert operations as part of a secret government program, Samantha Carmichael's mission is to give British law enforcement a reason to prosecute the most powerful man in the country. But when common sense and duty begin to blur, can she remain steadfast in her goal, or will her loyalties shift as she gradually loses her heart to the one man she cannot afford to love?

-One series, one couple, and the brutal challenges they must face-

If you like What Angels Fear, Silent in the Grave, and Murder on Black Swan Lake, you’ll devour Sophie Barnes’ thrilling new series.

Excerpt

C H A P T E R O N E

September, 1817

Alice Irvine hastened along the pleasure garden’s illuminated cross-walk. Fireworks popped over‐ head in vibrant displays of shimmering light while Mozart’s “Moonlight Sonata” drifted between the trees. The air was cool. Soon, the leaves would change color as summer gave way to autumn.

Alice quickened her pace. She could not be gone long before her parents noticed her absence. For now, they were preoccupied with the ballet. But like most of Vauxhall’s distractions, it offered only brief entertain‐ ment. She had to return to them before the show ended and they realized she no longer stood in the crowd of onlookers.

Up ahead, a small group of revelers rounded a corner. All were flamboyantly dressed in accordance with the masquerade theme. Their joyous mood was evident in their hoots and whistles as they drew nearer.

“Oh no,” one of the men in their midst exclaimed, his attention fixing on Alice. “A lonely shepherdess.”

Disguised as Harlequin, he pranced toward her and grasped her hand before she gauged his intention. Star‐ tled, she nearly tripped over her feet when he pulled her into a waltz.

She did her best to keep up, spinning and twirling across the path. His gaze caught hers and he laughed, enchanting her with his playfulness.

His companions cheered and clapped and one of them, a woman wearing a lavish Marie Antoinette costume, called, “Bring her along. The more the merrier.”

Alice’s dance partner slowed his movements until they came to a halt. He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

“Well?” he asked, his voice slightly muffled behind his mask. “Will you favor us with your company or must we part ways?”

“Thank you for the dance,” Alice said, “but I’m afraid it must be the latter.”

His eyes pierced hers from behind his black mask. A grin caught the edge of his mouth, concealing the brief disappointment she’d glimpsed a mere second before. “A pity.”

He released her with a flourish, executed a deep bow, and spun away, his movements fluid as he darted after his friends.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief and resumed her own progress. Hopefully the mask she wore had made her just as unrecognizable to him as he’d been to her. A soft smile curved her lips as she hastened onward. The anonymity of her encounter added a hint of exhilara‐ tion to the pleasure she felt in response to the stranger’s attention.

It also made her more eager to reach her destination where heated kisses and ardent caresses awaited.

Her heart pounded faster. She knew the danger that lurked ahead - the undeniable risk of scandal - but she couldn’t resist the thrill of meeting the man who promised her passion unlike any other.

Ever since he’d first kissed her in an alcove at the Foxhill ball, she’d welcomed every chance to be alone with him, if only for a few moments. No one had ever affected her so. He made her come alive in ways she’d never before experienced.

Inexplicably, the impropriety and the daring, the prospect of being caught, only fueled her desire for more. As did the rogue himself. The wicked words he’d whispered in her ear when last they’d met still sizzled in her veins.

Reaching a thick copse of trees, she sent a swift glance over her shoulder, then stepped off the path. Darkness closed in around her as she moved forward through the brush, but she wasn’t afraid. Instead, she welcomed the increased privacy offered by the secluded location.

Despite the heavy scent of dirt and leaves, she smelled the musky perfume of the man she’d come to meet. She could almost feel the heat of his body encom‐ passing hers, the powerful strength of his presence urging her onward.

A twig snapped and a strong arm encircled her waist, pulling her backward, flush against a masculine chest. Alice’s breath caught and her pulse leapt with increased excitement. This was one of the things she loved best about their assignations – his ability to surprise her.

“You’re finally here,” he murmured, the low vibra‐ tion of his voice sending hot little shivers straight down her spine as he drew her more firmly against his hard frame.

“Yes,” she whispered in anticipation of what would come next. If he wished to claim her in earnest this time, she’d happily let him do so.

His head dipped and his mask grazed her neck as he breathed her in. Alice moaned. Who would have thought such a tiny abrasion could feel so incredibly good? And yet it was nothing compared to the rousing sensations igniting within her when he slid his hands over her body, the intimate exploration making the passion between them burn brighter than any flame.

Heaven have mercy, she wanted more. She wanted him - needed him - more than anything else in the world. So she leaned back against his sturdy frame, and surrendered to pleasure.

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About the Author

USA TODAY bestselling author Sophie Barnes writes historical romance novels in which the characters break away from social expectations in their quest for happiness and love. Having written for Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins, her books have been published internationally in eight languages. With a fondness for travel, Sophie has lived in six countries, on three continents, and speaks English, Danish, French, Spanish, and Romanian with varying degrees of fluency. Ever the romantic, she married the same man three times—in three different countries and in three different dresses.

When she’s not busy dreaming up her next swoon worthy romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, practicing yoga, baking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading.

Connect:

Website: http://www.sophiebarnes.com

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

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5400052.Sophie_Barnes

BookBuzz: https://bookbuzz.net/mystery-romance-a-vengeful-king-rises-by-sophie-barnes/ 

Spotlight: Wherever, Whenever by C. J. Burright

Paranormal Romance

Date Published: 07-30-2024

Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing

Sometimes the only way to forget the ghosts of the past is to face the curse of love head on.

Artist Vi Keller made a holy vow to never return to her quirky hometown of Devils Hollow. But when the sister she left behind pleads for help during the busy Halloween season, Vi can’t say no. Even if it means a month of watching her ex-BFF Max loving someone new…and braving the darkness awaiting her return.

Max has fantasized about Vi every day since she disappeared. Some of those dreams revolve around revenge, but when Vi shows up at his historic bed and breakfast, his thoughts take a steamier turn. She may still own his heart, but he rebuilt life without her and doesn’t need a blonde bombshell with tempting artwork skin to wreck him again.

When Vi and Max are forced to partner up during the seasonal festivities, it’s just like old times, resurrecting a desire that never died. But happily-ever-afters in Devils Hollow are paid in blood and bones. Missing pets, tourist attractions turning sinister, and shadows stalking the lake point to Vi’s worst fear—the spirit that failed to destroy her once has neither forgiven nor forgotten. If Max and Vi can’t untangle the tragic past of a local urban legend, they’ll lose more than a second chance at love.

Are you into romance with a healthy dose of banter, slow burn, best-friends-to-lovers, and second chances with a supernatural twist? Scroll up and grab your copy of Wherever, Whenever today!

Excerpt

“I remember everything.” He lowered his voice to a soft rumble and eased nearer to her ear, taking wicked pleasure in her shiver. “How the electricity would make the hair on your neck stand up straight. How you’d jump every time the thunder rolled, even though you expected it. How you’d use it as an excuse to grab my very muscled, incredibly sexy biceps.”

She snorted and took another sip of her whiskey. “You wish.”

“Oh, sweeting.” He gently hooked a stray tendril of hair behind her ear, the barest touch on her skin, and she went still. “You have no idea all the things I’ve wished for these last five years.”

Vi anchored her focus on the amber whiskey gleaming in her glass. Her slender throat worked, and she turned her head slightly his way, as if reluctantly pulled by invisible strings. Slowly, her eyelashes lifted, and her gaze found his, dark and deep in the gloom. Her lips parted, as if she couldn’t decide whether to respond with words or a kiss.

Words weren’t what he wanted right now, no matter how stupid the choice or any later regret. He’d dreamed of tasting those lips again, to determine if they were as soft and sweet as he remembered, to exorcise the memory from his soul. Max refused to move, his pulse drumming faster as she lifted her chin. Her mouth hovered less than an inch from his, and her breath brushed his chin, warm and velvet.

Do it, Vi. Kiss me. Show me you haven’t forgotten what we had.

Holding her gaze, he slid a hand from her shoulder to her spine and tugged her even closer.

Vi had to either straddle his leg or expose their hiding place. She planted a palm on his chest for balance. Her thighs pressed on each side of his, a warm, welcome trap. Shivers tripped up his back as her breath fanned his shoulder. He inhaled her faint, floral scent. Raw desire flooded his entire body, yearning a corrosive need barely contained.

Despite the chilled glass against his back, the air had become very warm, the whiskey hot in his blood. Vi’s pulse caused the thin strap of her camisole to vibrate ever so slightly, but she didn’t struggle to escape or withdraw. When her lips parted, the promise of an invitation, it was all he could do not to surrender all dignity and attack like a starved beast.

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About the Author

Once upon a time, a girl with flat hobbit feet dreamed of adventures in the woods with an elven hero, fighting off orcs and saving magical rings. All grown up now, C.J. Burright resides in Oregon (at least she got the trees). While she faces her duties at the law office day job, she avoids writing legal thrillers and instead turns toward romance—contemporary (sometimes with a supernatural flair), paranormal or fantasy. With a 5th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, it’s no surprise she prefers feisty heroines who aren’t afraid to jump into the fight. Her slivers of spare time are spent working out, gardening, playing the latest Assassin’s Creed, and rooting on the Seattle Mariners, always with music. She shares a house with her husband (not elven, alas, but a fine alternative) and a devoted cat herd while missing her daughter from afar. C. J. is represented by Brittany Booker of The Booker Albert Literary Agency.

Connect:

Website: https://cjburright.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063763958065

Twitter: @CJBurright

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Spotlight: The Boss + The Maid = Chemistry by Louise Bay

Release Date: August 8 

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

A brand new enemies to lovers age gap steamy standalone romance.

A grumpy, reclusive New York billionaire meets his match in the maid who makes his

bed (in more ways than one).

When an older guy with a dirty grin and an expensive suit flirts with me from the next barstool, I don’t realize I’m about to have a one-night stand with the man I desperately want to work for.

After a night that leaves my world (and body) shaken, I start my summer job housekeeping in a five-star hotel even though I’m determined to kickstart my career in tech. As I dust and polish the Park Suite, in walks Mr. Dirty Grin—now with an icy glare.

Why is the man from last night who was so charming (and good with his tongue) so furious this morning? As I piece together the puzzle, I discover the guest in the Park Suite is none other than Ben Fort, the reclusive tech mogul I want to work for.

Ben has kept his identity hidden for years and he wants to know how I figured him out overnight.

As he questions me, I don’t waste time telling him he’s a (super-hot) grump who needs to lighten up—and give me a job.

I don’t want to sleep my way to the top, and he doesn’t trust me. But neither of us can resist the sizzling sparks that fly every time I fluff his pillows.

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Meet Louise Bay

International, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author, Louise Bay writes contemporary romance novels that make you laugh - the kind she likes to read.

Ruined by the bonk-busters of the eighties, Louise was inspired by Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins, but wants to be Emily Henry when she grows up.

Louise loves the rain, RHOBH, London, days when she doesn't have to wear make-up, hanging out with her kid, elephants and champagne (not necessarily in that order).

She loves to hear from readers so get in touch!

Keep up with Louise Bay and subscribe to her newsletter: https://louisebay.com/newsletter/

To learn more about Louise Bay& her books, visit here!

Connect with Louise Bay: https://louisebay.com/contact/

Cover Reveal: The Art of Falling in Love with Your Grumpy Neighbor by Anne Kemp

Publication date: September 24th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

All’s fair in love and war…ESPECIALLY with your grumpy, smoking hot, former football-superstar neighbor.

Bex: Expecting solitude from my new home shouldn’t be the exception. But when you move next door to the grumpiest human on earth, what’s a girl to do? Austin Porter may be a former football star, but this man does not have an attitude of gratitude.

When the strip of land that divides our properties becomes a literal bone of contention, we finally find something we can both agree on: war. Only, I don’t want to fight. I want to show this man that sometimes, the greatest comebacks happen once you’re off the field.

Austin: Was I defined by the game I played? Probably. Judging by the darkness I seem to be most comfortable sinking into, the memory of days now gone by is a weight that threatens to drown my soul. Then she moves in next door.

I never expected a woman like Bex to appear and get me so fired up, but I can see a beacon of light for the first time in a long time. She’s everything I’m not––warm, caring, full of life. And I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with her.

The Art of Falling in Love with Your Grumpy Neighbor is a closed door, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine rom com with no third act break up. Like all of my books, there are super swoony (steamy adjacent!) kissing moments, tension, and plenty of chemistry in this small town romance!

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

Anne Kemp is a bestselling author of romantic comedies. She loves reading (and she does it ridiculously fast, too!), gluten-free baking (because everyone needs a hobby that makes them crazy), and finding time to binge-watch her favorite shows. She grew up in Maryland but made Los Angeles her home until she encountered her own real-life meet-cute at a friend's wedding where she ended up married to one of the groomsmen. For real.

Anne now lives on the Kapiti Coast in New Zealand, and even though she was married at Mt. Doom, no…she doesn’t have a Hobbit. However, she and her husband do have a terrier named George Clooney and when she’s not writing, she’s usually with them taking a long walk on the river by their home.

Connect:

https://www.annekemp.com/

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

https://www.instagram.com/annekempauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/missannekemp/

https://x.com/MissAnneKemp

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805725.Anne_Kemp

Spotlight: The Boyfriend Bet by Chris Cannon

Genre: Snarky Sweet YA RomCom

Kissing? Check. Detention? Check. A bet that might lead to love or epic humiliation? Double Check.

Zoe Cain knows Grant Evertide is way out of her league. So naturally, she kisses him. Out of spite. Not only is Grant her brother's number-one nemesis, but he has zero interest in being tied down to one girl. She's shocked—and secretly thrilled— when they start spending more time together. Non-exclusively, of course, but that doesn't mean Zoe can't change his mind, one PDA and after-school detention at a time.

Zoe's brother claims Grant is trying to make her his "Ringer," an oh-so-charming tradition where a popular guy dates a non-popular girl until he hooks up with her, then dumps her. Zoe threatens to neuter Grant with hedge clippers if he's lying but Grant swears he isn't trying to trick her. Still, that doesn't mean Grant is the commitment type—even if winning a bet is on the line.

This book contains multiple PDAs, after-school detentions, and gambling on the side. Warning: betting on a boyfriend is bad for your health.

Buy on Amazon

Boomerang Boyfriend

The Dating Debate

99% Faking It

About the Author

Chris Cannon is a speech therapist by day and the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series, the Boyfriend Chronicles, the Dating Dilemma series, and The Crossroads Chronicles by night. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts. 

She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sipping coffee while writing fire-breathing urban fantasies,sweet snarky romantic comedies, or paranormal cozy mysteries. You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.

Connect:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vXeeaJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8285334.Chris_Cannon

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccannonauthor

Web: http://www.chriscannonauthor.com/

Fan Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1444443819173580/

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/chris-cannon

Spotlight: Memories of the Lost by Barbara O'Neal

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (July 30, 2024)

Hardcover: 285 pages

An unsuspecting artist uncovers her late mother’s secrets and unravels her own hidden past in a beguiling novel by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Months after her mother passes away, artist Tillie Morrisey sees a painting in a gallery that leaves her inexplicably lightheaded and unsteady. When a handsome stranger comes to her aid, their connection is so immediate it seems fated, though Liam is only visiting for a few days.

Working on her own art has always been a refuge, but after discovering a document among her mother’s belongings that suggests Tillie’s life has been a lie, she begins to suffer from a series of fugue states, with memories surfacing that she isn’t even sure are her own. As her confusion and grief mount, and prompted by a lead on the painting that started it all, Tillie heads to a seaside village in England. There, she hopes to discover the source of her uncanny inspirations, sort out her feelings about Liam, and unravel truths that her mother kept hidden for decades.

The fluidity of memory, empowering strength of character, beauty of nature, and love of family braid together in this artful tapestry of a novel.

Excerpt

Liam folded his hands on the table, beautiful hands, long fingers with well-tended nails, only marred by the cluster of gemstone bracelets running up his wrist. Again, she wished he weren’t such a surfer-hippie dude. “Working on your energies?” she asked, pointing.

“Ah, yeah, why not? My sister gave them to me when I started traveling. Reckoned it couldn’t hurt.” He took a breath, fingered the beads. “It’s a challenging trip.”

“Are you a model?”

“What?” He laughed. “No!”

“Actor? Dancer? Professional surfer?”

“I’m pleased you see me as a man of substance.”

It was Tillie’s turn to laugh. “Sorry. You’re just so . . .”

He raised his eyebrows, waiting.

She was going to say pretty, but that wasn’t it. Light skated along the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones, and she thought of Tam Lin, the knight stolen away by fairies. Following some instinct she’d learned to trust, she asked, “Would you maybe have time to let me sketch you?”

“You’re an artist, too?”

She nodded. “I have so much work, I wasn’t even going to come tonight.”

“I’m glad you did.”

She let the words skate around in her veins, awakening sleepy blood. “Me, too.”

“I have time tomorrow.” He paused. “Or tonight, if you’d rather.”

An iridescent possibility rose between them. “I would,” she said. “Rather. Tonight.”

The rest of their meal had no weight. Liam ate his sandwich, and they dashed into the rain and miraculously caught a passing cab. Tillie gave the address and fell back in the humid car. His knee and hers touched. Neither of them moved. She smelled nutmeg on him, or maybe it was just his skin.

“I hope your coat is warm,” she said. “It’s going to be cold.” She almost said in the morning, but was that what she meant? Why else would she be inviting him back to her apartment to ostensibly sketch him at 10:00 p.m. on a rainy night?

He took her hand and turned it over. “Shall I read your palm?”

His skin was warm, warmer than it should have been. Light from the street flashed over his hair, showed the faint shimmer of beard on his jaw, the growth of a day. She thought, I will remember this.

“Sure.”

He spread her fingers open, stroked the center of her hand. Tillie was acutely aware of each brush of his fingers. “Long lifeline,” he commented, then: “Hmm. A break early. Did you suffer an illness as a child?”

Was he really reading her palm? “I did have a fall when I was three or four.”

“You don’t know which one?”

Answering that honestly would mean getting into things about her mother that she wasn’t interested in expressing to a stranger. To deflect, she tugged the streak of white in the hair over her temple. “That’s when I got this.”

“Head injury?”

She nodded. “I was out for several days, they say. I had to learn to speak all over again.”

His attention sharpened, a contrast to his mild comment. “Interesting.” He bent his head. “And this”—he slid his finger from the pad beneath her middle finger to the heart of her palm—“might be the breakup with the man who misses you.”

The man who misses you. The words gave her a strange ache. “He does.”

“Do you miss him, too?”

She raised her eyes. Shook her head.

Liam bent in and kissed her. He held her hand, and his other arm moved behind her shoulders, giving her a sense of protection. The touch of their mouths created a sense of light, and a fragrance of forest enveloped them. Tillie leaned in as if enchanted, pulled by something she couldn’t name—

A bird cawed in her head. The porch from the painting emerged clearly on the screen of her imagination. Trees stood sentry around it, and the bird hopped down to the railing. A giant cat raced up the steps, and the bird flew away—

The lurking headache abruptly bloomed, throbbed across the bridge of her nose, and she felt suddenly sick to her stomach. Pulling away, she breathed in, then out. “Sorry,” she whispered, trying to calm the nausea. “It’s just—”

His hand fell between her shoulder blades.

Embarrassment mingled with the sudden, hard arrival of a full-blown migraine. She was trying not to barf in the cab when they pulled up in front of her building. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t think I can—”

“Let me help you inside. That’s all.”

They ran toward the foyer in the deluge. Her feet and shins were splashed with water, her hair soaked before they reached the stoop. She paused for a moment in the foyer, thinking wildly that she should check the mail, but the blindness had spread over one eye, and she didn’t even know if she could climb the four flights to her apartment. Sinking down on the stairs, she rested her head on her forearms.

“Do you have some medication to take?” he asked. “Can I get you something?”

She raised her head. His crown was surrounded with shimmering lights, like a halo. “It’s four flights.”

“C’mon. Lean on me.”

Honestly, she was so grateful for his presence, she didn’t think about anything else. Taking it slow, she held on to the railing. A whisper of regret moved through her—she wouldn’t see him again after all of this.

In a way, that made it easier. She didn’t ordinarily take men to her apartment. It was too personal, too revealing, but without his help, she’d be sitting at the bottom of the stairs with her head on her knees.

Her loft, which sounded fancy but wasn’t in the slightest, occupied most of the top floor. It was barely finished and cold as the tundra. The only reason she’d landed there was because she’d inherited it from a friend who had moved to Los Angeles. It was two thousand square feet of open space and windows. To counter the cold, she’d scattered space heaters around and grouped the living areas together. The rest was open for easels and supplies and stacks of canvases. Organized chaos. Liam looked at the painting closest to them, a nude female nursing a baby wolf, her hair wild and full of vines. He said nothing, but it made Tillie feel vulnerable. Too much of her was visible in this room. Far too much for a stranger to see.

When he said gently, “Let’s get you settled,” she nodded and took a step toward her bedroom—

And fainted dead away, like some Victorian heroine.

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About the Author

Barbara O’Neal is the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen novels of women’s fiction, including the #1 Amazon Charts bestseller When We Believed in Mermaids, This Place of Wonder, and The Starfish Sisters. Her award-winning books have been published in more than two dozen countries. She lives on the coast of Oregon with her husband, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent. To learn more about Barbara and her works, visit www.barbaraoneal.com.