Spotlight: Trophy Wife by Kiru Taye

(Yadili, #6)
Publication date: September 30th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He needs her to elevate his status.
But she will be his downfall.

Finally, Ifeoma is ready to fully embrace the freedom of singlehood. Her ex-husband has moved on and remarried, and her son has flown the nest. With the intention of self-discovery, she embarks on a worldwide adventure, determined to fulfil three items on her wish-list: to experience pure joy, to find laughter in every corner, and to revel in her own sensuality.

Then she meets Nero, a mysterious Black Italian whose charm captivates her instantly. And for twenty-four hours he fulfils every item on her wish-list. But he wants more, more than she’s willing to give. So, she ends it and goes home.

Months later, Nero turns up in Nigeria, more detached and ruthless than the man she remembers, intent on destroying her family business and legacy. And only one thing will quench his bloody feud—Ifeoma as his trophy wife.

Still Ifeoma is a titled woman who isn’t easy to control, if she can keep Nero out of her bed—the one place his passion burns hotter than a forge at dawn, consuming her restraint.

Trophy Wife is book 6 in the Yadili series. In this enemies-to-lovers romance, the air crackles with tension and the chemistry between the characters is scorching hot, creating a story that will leave you breathless. Themes include unrequited love, touch her and die, forced proximity, and the intoxicating darkness of a mafia romance. A full-length novel. No cliffhanger.

Excerpt

Nero sat immobilised as he watched Ifeoma approach him. Today she was in a V-neck knee-length multi-print wraparound dress with ties around the side. She’d worn it with a grey blazer which now hung over the chair she’d been sitting on.

Walking away from a woman had never been difficult for him. And it shouldn’t be with Ifeoma. Yet a heavy weight had crushed his chest when he’d told her he was no longer interested in marrying her.

She leaned her hips against the table beside him and caught his wrist in her soft hand.

His flesh burned at the contact, sparks shooting down his arm. It annoyed him.

This unwavering attraction he held for her had to be because it had been months since he fucked any woman. Months since he fucked her. She was the last woman he’d touched intimately. 

She’d run away after their night together, blocked him from contacting her. Yet here he was burning from her simple touch.

“Don’t.” The one word was filled with the emotions she roused. A growl rumbled from his chest as he pulled his hand away from her.

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About the Author

Kiru is the award winning author of His Treasure. She writes sensual and passionate multicultural romance stories set mostly in Africa. When she's not writing you can find her either immersed in a good book or catching up with friends and family. She currently lives in the South of England with her husband and three children.

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Spotlight: The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee

Never Forget.

Memory is Copeland-Stark’s business. Yet after months of reconsolidation treatments at their sleek new flagship facility, Hope Nakano still has no idea what happened to her lost year, or the life she was just beginning to build with her one great love. Each procedure surfaces fragmented clues which erode Hope’s trust in her own memories, especially the ones of Luke. As inconsistencies mount, her search for answers reveals a much larger secret Copeland-Stark is determined to protect.

But everyone has secrets, including Hope.

Excerpt

1 | don’t look back

HOPE

The Wilder Sanctuary

Rancho Mirage, California

“And how are the nightmares?”

“Fine.” Hope shifted, pushing stringy hair from her face with her palms. “I haven’t had any this week.”

“None at all?” 

Hope shook her head slowly, face impassive. 

“That’s important progress.” Dr. Stark looked impressed with his own abilities, as if he’d performed a special magic trick to protect Hope from herself. Perhaps in a way he had. 

Dr. Stark jotted notes on his tablet with a pointy gray stylus. “Are you sleeping any better?”  

“A little. An hour or two at a time.” It was a lie. She hadn’t slept at all. 

Hope focused on the San Jacinto Mountains outside the picture window, framed by the endless blue of the summer sky. Desert sky. It was hard to think about darkness right now, with so much light around her. “Does that mean I’m getting better?”

“As we’ve discussed, it’s important you get concentrated stretches of sleep.” Dr. Stark flipped his tablet to expose the keyboard, typing with a renewed purpose. “It will help you make progress in the Labyrinth.”

The word Labyrinth filled Hope with a viscous dread. She knew she’d visited it dozens of times since arriving at Wilder, though never remembered what had happened there. “I told you I’m never going back.”

“You did,” Dr. Stark said. “But as I said, it’s important to try and push through. It helps you confront what you’re avoiding.”

“I’m not avoiding anything,” Hope said. Another lie.  

“I’m increasing your temazepam to thirty milligrams,” Dr. Stark said. “And tomorrow evening I’d like you to spend some time in ViCTR using the Erleben device. Say, forty-five minutes?” 

Hope glanced at the ceiling. She wanted a cigarette in the worst way. 

“Great,” he said. “Check in with the pharmacy after our session.”

Stark was doing the casual Friday thing that day, though Hope remained uncertain if it was, in fact, Friday. He resembled a prep school student, with his shiny polo shirt and immaculately pressed chinos. The polo looked brand new, still creased in the sleeves and too white, almost blinding. Hope couldn’t picture Dr. Stark performing the tasks of mere mortals: changing the toilet paper, taking out the garbage, shopping for polo shirts. Maybe his wife did all that. Maybe she bought five polo shirts in different colors from Neiman Marcus, hanging them in an orderly row, next to his dry-cleaned Italian suits in clear plastic bags. 

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Dr. Stark asked, still typing, fingers thin and bare. 

“Are you married?” 

“Divorced,” he said. “More thoughts about last year, perhaps?”

“Nothing else,” Hope said. She glanced outside again. “Have there been any messages for me?”

“I’m sorry.” Stark shook his head. “But I promise to let you know if there ever are.” 

An artificial chime reverberated through the room’s speakers, and Dr. Stark smiled. “We’ll pick up again next week.”

Hope wiped her hands on her pants and rose, heading for the shiny glass door. 

“Hope,” Dr. Stark said.

She paused, hand on the doorknob.

“Be well.”

“Be well, Dr. Stark.” 

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About the Author

Audrey Lee started writing fiction at the young age of eleven, when she and her best friend co-authored a masterpiece about gallivanting around London with the members of Depeche Mode, Wham!, and Duran Duran. Unfortunately, these spiral notebooks have yet to find a publisher evolved enough to understand the genius buried within. As a result, The Mechanics of Memory is her first work of published fiction.

Before she started writing fiction, Audrey received her master’s degree in education from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) and spent over two decades in public education. When she isn’t writing books she consults with school districts about creating environments for students that are more equitable, culturally responsive, and socially just.

Audrey lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, son, and Maltipoo, Luna. When not working, Audrey is compulsively organizing something, bullet journaling, cheering for her son at a dance competition, max betting on a slot machine, or watching the Golden State Warriors with a dirty martini in hand.

Connect:

Website: https://audreyleeauthor.com

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Spotlight: The Fabled Earth by Kimberly Brock

Steeped in centuries of Southern mythology from the Georgia coast and culminating in the historic burning of Dungeness mansion, The Fabled Earth is a story of three women connected in different ways to the ghosts and secrets of the past that they must confront or reconcile with in order to forge their own paths. The gentle magic of Alice Hoffman meets the rich details of Kate Morton, all wrapped in southern folklore and charm.

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About the Author

Kimberly Brock is the award-winning author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare and The River Witch. She is the founder of Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has served as a guest lecturer for many regional and national writing workshops including at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Visit her online at kimberlybrockbooks.com

Instagram: @kimberlydbrock

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Twitter: @kimberlydbrock

Spotlight: The Life and Death of Rose Doucette by Harry Hunsicker

Dallas PI Dylan Fisher thought he was done with his ex-wife—but now he’s solving her murder

Dallas private investigator Dylan Fisher hasn’t seen his ex-wife, Rose, in three years—which is why he’s surprised when she asks him to meet her at a hotel. Rose Doucette is a homicide detective, and she wants Dylan’s help with a murder investigation that she’s been asked to step back from but can’t seem to let go.

They review the details of the case and part ways—but as Rose is leaving the parking lot, Dylan sees a suspicious car begin to follow her. Feeling uneasy, he tails the car and tries to warn Rose, but he’s too late—the driver of the car shoots her, killing her instantly, before speeding away.

The police are determined to pin the murder on Dylan, so he’s left with no choice but to find the killer himself. Teaming up with Rose’s widower, a defense attorney named Tito, the pair dive into Rose’s past to figure out who could’ve wanted to kill the woman they both loved—and what they were trying to hide.

Excerpt

We hadn’t seen each other in three years. 

A long time, but not long enough to forgive. 

She’d reached out to me with the request to meet and suggested the location, a bar in a hotel where rooms started at seven hundred a night. Not a place either of us would have ever considered staying. 

An odd choice, but my ex-wife was an odd woman. Or maybe I was the odd one, and I just didn’t realize it. Introspection was never my strong suit. 

The bar smelled of vanilla-scented candles and leather. It was dimly lit, decorated with oil paintings of fox-hunting aristocrats and Rubenesque women lounging about naked. An English gentleman’s club transported to the plains of North Texas. 

A waiter led me to her table in the corner. 

She smiled as I approached. “Hello, Dylan.” 

“Rose.” 

Silence ensued, which I’d say was awkward but maybe, like the oddness, I was wrong about that too. I remained standing, trying not to stare too long into those eyes of hers. They were the color of mahogany and had always been a weakness of mine. 

After a moment, she pointed to an empty chair. “Would you like to join me? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“A little over a thousand days, but who’s counting,” I said, sitting down and sliding the chair so that my back was to the wall. 

Old habits for both of us. Rose was in a similar position against the wall perpendicular to mine. 

The waiter took our order. Club soda for me, a martini for her. 

When he left, I said, “Since when do you drink martinis?” 

Back when we were together, she’d preferred merlot, and then only a glass or two a week. Her stepfather had been an alcoholic prone to violence, and that tended to stay with a person. 

“I’d like to hire you,” she said, ignoring my question. Her eyes fixed on mine as if she was trying to gauge my reaction. 

“So much for the small talk, huh?” 

I had left the police department and gone private around the time we split. My workload was typical for a cop turned PI— missing persons, asset retrieval, insurance cases. 

Rose, however, had stayed on the force, and I couldn’t imagine her ever leaving. 

“And what’s with meeting here?” I asked. “You working vice these days?” 

Despite being a luxury hotel, the lodging of choice for presidents and pop stars, the bar had a reputation as a good place to hook up with a high-end call girl. When I’d been on the force—a patrol officer in those days—a county commissioner had died from a heart attack while in the missionary position with one in a room upstairs.

Last I heard, Rose was still a homicide detective with the Dallas police department, and a very good one at that. She taught classes at Quantico, consulted with other departments on cases they couldn’t solve, and had a clearance rate in the nineties. Vice would be a big step down, and Sergeant Rose Doucette never went backwards for anything or anyone. 

“Still on the murder beat.” She paused. “So how have you been? You look good.” 

“I’m upright. Beats the alternative.” I debated what to say next. 

“You look . . . good too.” 

That last part sounded stiff, and I hoped she didn’t notice. 

The truth was she looked anything but good. Her skin, normally olive, was sallow; dark circles cupped her eyes. She’d always skewed petite, five-four or so, one ten-ish. Now the navy blazer she wore draped her shoulders like an oversized blanket, her cheeks hollow and sunken. 

She was forty-two, a year younger than me, but she seemed used up, like there wasn’t much gas left in the tank. 

“I look like roadkill,” she said with a chuckle. “But thanks for saying otherwise.” 

The waiter brought our drinks. While he fussed with cocktail napkins and a bowl of salted nuts, I watched Rose scan the room, eyes darting from one corner to the next, clearly uneasy. It was a little before lunch. Other than a pair of men at the bar wearing Dockers and golf shirts—business traveler chic—we were the only customers present. 

The waiter departed. 

“To old friends.” She raised her glass, took a drink. 

I tilted my club soda in her direction. “Interesting choice of words. Old friends.” 

“Does that mean there’s no chance you’d ever think of me as a friend?” she asked. “You still hate me?”

I didn’t reply because I wasn’t sure. The line between hate and something else was as thin as a strand of hair. 

The two guys at the bar left. The room felt lonely and cold. 

“Thanks for meeting with me,” she said. “Guess I’m the last person on earth you want to see. For what it’s worth, you’re still the most standup guy I know.” 

I wondered if I’d made a mistake coming here. “Tell me why you need a PI.” 

Occasionally, an old colleague from the force would reach out for assistance with a matter that required someone with the skills of a police officer, but who wasn’t burdened by the regulations associated with a badge. 

I was usually happy to oblige, especially if it meant helping someone who was getting a raw deal from the system. I liked to think of myself as a GPS for justice, a way to get that particular concept back on the right road when it got lost. 

“I’m in a bind, Dylan. I need help.” She took another drink. “From someone I trust.” 

I looked at her more closely. 

In addition to the fatigue, there was something else wrong that I couldn’t identify, an air about her that clouded the table like cigarette smoke. The way she held her arms, the angle of her head. The tendons along her jaw line tight against her skin. 

With a start, I recognized what it was, an emotion I’d never seen from her before.

Fear. 

Rose Doucette, a twenty-year veteran of the Dallas police department, was afraid.

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About the Author

Harry Hunsicker is the best-selling author of The Life and Death of Rose Doucette, along with numerous crime novels and short stories. His novels include Shadow Boys, The Devil’s Country, The Contractors, and the Shamus Award-nominated Still River, among others. Hunsicker is a fourth-generation native of Dallas, Texas, where he currently resides with his wife, Alison.

Spotlight: Her Forbidden Flesh by Airicka Phoenix

Genre: Dark Forbidden Romance
Cover Designer: Airicka’s Mystical Creations

Publication Date: Sept. 30th, 2024

ADDIE
There’s something wrong with me. The things I want, the things I crave aren’t normal. I know I’m crossing lines, pushing boundaries I shouldn’t, but the man in the skull mask swears he’ll give me everything my body needs with only one condition.
He gets to keep me.
So, I give him a list and an all-access pass to me. All of me. Whenever. Wherever. I’m his.
It’s all fine until the mask is removed and the face beneath is the one person I have no business touching, never mind giving my body and heart to. But it’s far too late now.

RHYS
Addie is mine. She fights it, tries to run, but I am always one step behind her, tucked in the shadows, outside her window, watching her. She’s my light, my only anchor to sanity. Without her, I am nothing.
So, I give her the thing she wants most. I give her the fear and pleasure she whispers to me in the darkness. I give her everything she puts on her list even though I know if she ever saw beneath my mask, it would be game over.
Society and our parents may never understand, but she is mine. Her body, heart, soul is mine, and she can run, but nothing will ever stop me from catching her. Taking her. Tasting her sweet, Forbidden Flesh.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥🖤♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
TW List available at AirickaPhoenix.com

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About the Author

Airicka Phoenix is a multi-genre author of novels starring strong female leads and sexy alpha heroes. She started her journey after never finding the type of books she wanted to read. Her love of tortured souls and forbidden romance carried her into writing her own hard-earned happiness. Currently, she lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her babies and can be found hard at work on her next project.

For more about Airicka, visit her at AirickaPhoenix.com

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Spotlight: Then You Came Along by Samantha Lind

Release Date: September 26 

AVAILABLE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED!

Cameron Burgress was ready for a new start.

New city, new job, and maybe one day, a new love. She just didn’t realize how quickly that could all happen until she walked into a tattoo shop, finally ready to get the ink she’d wanted since her fiancé died, nearly four years ago.

Ethan O’Neill had everything. Until one day, he didn’t.

After an off-ice injury stripped him of his hockey career, he started over in life, pursuing his other passion—tattoos. He’d never been the kind of guy to want to settle down, but that all changed one day, when a knock-out beauty strolled into his shop and into his life.

An instant attraction and a little bit of ink is the perfect mix for two people ready for change.

*Previously published as Until You*

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Meet Samantha Lind:

Samantha Lind is a USA TODAY Bestselling contemporary romance author. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can often be found with her family, traveling, reading, watching her boys on the ice, or watching her favorite professional hockey team (Go Knights Go!), and listening to country music.  She can be contacted by email or found on Facebook. 

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To learn more about Samantha Lind & her books, visit here!

Connect with Samantha Lind: samantha@samanthalind.com