CHANCE MILLER, divorce lawyer extraordinaire, knows the whole happily ever after dream is an urban myth. He deals with miserable and wedded warring couples every day and swears staying single keeps him sane and happy. His friends and family consider him the last single man standing and fear he’ll never find someone and settle down. But Chance relishes his carefree status and unencumbered lifestyle and has no plans to change anything.
If only his relatives would stop trying to set him up with their version of the perfect woman.
Here are a few things you need to know about this hunky barrister :
~ a secret about his parents has formed his thoughts on relationships
~ he feels obligated to his extended family
~ he is addicted to coffee
~ he has a sweet tooth – and for more than just sugary baked goods!
~ he doesn’t see himself as good husband-material
~ he adores his younger sister and would do anything for her
~ he secretly hates his job
~ he’s excellent at his job, which makes hating it a conundrum
~ he likes kids
Want to learn more about this sexy Last Man Standing? CHANCE releases on 9.12.2022 but yu can preorder your copy here, now: CHANCE (LMS)
And check out all the other LAST MAN STANDING books in the series – all books are STAND-ALONE romances.
I missed last years FILNE 2020 because of Covid issues.
Not this year!! My bags are packed and I can’t wait to get to Boxboro!
FILNE 2021 is a romance reader and author event like none other. 2 days of interactive, reader-centric workshops and panels, a Halloween costume contest, adult trick or treating, and it all culminates in an author book signing featuring over 50 romance authors.
You don’t have to attend the entire conference if you can’t. There are 1 day tickets available for Saturday only. Click on the above link to discover all about the conference.
One of my favorite authors ( and people!) has a new book out I’d like to share today. Kathryn Hills is part of the LAST CHANCE BEACH group and the newest addition, her SAND, SALT, and SPIRITS hit the charts recently. Here’s a little about the book.
Can a weekend visit to Last Chance Beach undo decades of brokenhearted memories? Conjuring up some island magic might just be their trick. Or treat!
Kyle Worthington hasn’t returned to Last Chance Beach in years. He’s worked hard to prove himself to his overbearing father and the rest of the world. Now it’s October, and the vacation island paradise is celebrating the season with an island-wide Fall Festival. Family obligation demands he participate. Everyone will be there, including the ghost that haunts his grandparents’ B&B.
The running joke that Kyle never sticks with anything—not a career or a woman—will continue to plague him. Unless he brings a knockout of a date to the weekend-long event. Cassandra Corwin fits the bill perfectly. Kyle’s had his eye on his brilliant, beautiful coworker since day one. But Cassie is an enigma, a loner. There’s no room in her life for anyone except Odin, her goofball of a Great Dane.
Will this woman of mystery agree to Kyle’s scheme to impress his family? Can two near strangers from opposite worlds survive family gatherings and back-to-back Halloween events while pretending to be a couple? Kyle’s father seems hell-bent on derailing everything before they even shout “Boo!”
Or will the island’s magic prove too powerful for them to resist?
“I just want a chance,” he urged, meeting her intense stare.
“You move around a lot. From place to place, woman to woman. Heck, you even trade in cars faster than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m just me. Same old Cassie. I don’t want to live life on the edge like you do. I did that growing up, and it doesn’t work for me anymore. Granted, I wouldn’t mind moving back to New England. I even asked to be put on a list for transfer if any opportunities opened in the Boston area.”
A lead weight dropped into his gut. “Wait, you want to leave?”
“Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. Last week, I was sure. This week…today…I… Maybe things have changed,” she revealed. “Honestly, I’m torn, because I know you’re a dedicated company man. You’ll go wherever they send you and be fine with it. I’m looking for a place to call home. So…despite our wicked chemistry, I think it’s best we remain just friends.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Cass,” he promised. “Same job, same location. Right here with you. And you’re hardly the ‘same old Cassie.’ Seriously, woman, I’ve never been so surprised by someone. Can we just give it a try? See where this thing takes us?”
She stared out to sea for a long time before saying, “Maybe?”
“I can work with maybe.” He gave her a dazzling smile. “I have the rest of today and all of tonight to convince you. Let’s see if we can conjure up some of Gran’s island magic.” He twined his fingers with hers and tugged her to her feet. Walking backwards, he drew her out onto the hot sand. “Gran believes Last Chance Beach has a certain love magic. She told you…it brings people together.
“Love magic? Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe your lobster roll was bad, or you’re getting sunstroke? Did you drink enough water today?” Cassie tugged off her sandals to walk barefoot in the water when they reached the shoreline.
“I’m fine. Better than fine, actually.” Kyle followed her lead, leaving his sneakers and socks in a hastily made pile.
“And you’re saying you believe in this ‘island love magic?’” she asked in a sexy little voice, speaking over her shoulder as she strolled away from him.
“Hell, yeah. I believe it now. Certainly after you said, ‘maybe.’”
Cassie began walking faster. Soon, she was running and laughing.
Kyle gave chase. “Just so you know, I played quarterback in high school.”
“Of course you did, hot shot.” She squealed and giggled when he swept her off her feet and up onto his shoulder. “No, no, no,” she cried when he headed for the water as if to throw her in. “This dress will turn completely transparent if it gets wet.”
“You do not understand even the basic rules when dealing with men, do you, Cassie Corwin?” Kyle stopped just short of the water. He let her body slide down his slowly until her toes touched the wet sand. Waves lapped at their legs. Hers were bare, so she didn’t care. He wore pants, yet he cared even less.
“You’re right,” she murmured when he continued to hold her. “I don’t understand men. You’re an enigma to me, Kyle Worthington.”
He gently cupped her face in his hands, holding her to him, as he nuzzled her silky hair. “I don’t want to be a mystery. I want only you.”
She released a long, shaky sigh a split second before his lips brushed hers.
The rich history and many mysteries of New England are the perfect backdrop for many of KATHRYN’s books. Winding roads lined by old stone walls, forgotten cemeteries, grand homes with shadowy pasts…all sparks for her imagination. Whether it’s a quaint seaside town or the vibrant city of Boston, it’s easy for this “hauntingly romantic” author to envision the past mingling with the present. No surprise, some of Kathryn’s favorite stories include ghosts! Sprinkle in some magic, and you’re off on a great adventure.
When not writing, this best-selling author is reading, researching, gardening, or cooking up something special in her chaotic kitchen. She shares her colonial home in the north woods with those she loves most – her wonderful husband, daughter, and three crazy dogs.
I’ve been sitting on the edge of my chair for the past few weeks just waiting for this day to arrive so I could finally – FINALLY – show you the amazeballs cover graphic designer Kristian Norris made for A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: AIDEN. Ready??
Ta-daaaaaaaa
I know you all haven’t read the book yet, but when I tell you this cover is a perfect depiction of the book, believe it!!! And did you notice the Easter Egg the heroine is holding??? Hee hee. It’s a copy of book 1 in the series, A PRIDE OF BROTHERS: RICK. So cool. So ridiculously cool.
I’m doing a professional cover reveal tour with N.N. Lights Bookheaven for this cover, too. Plus, I’m doing a $10.00 Amazon gc giveaway
Open to US residents only.
Runs June 1 – June 10, 2021.
Winner will be drawn on June 11, 2021.
Here’s one of the fabulous graphics she made me: When you read the book, you’ll know why this Chocolate lab is so important – she’s actually one of the main characters!
Here’s the blurb:
Lexi Buckley wants answers about her younger sister’s death. The police have labeled it a suicide, but Lexi doesn’t believe it. Stymied in her investigation, she doesn’t know where to turn next. After a chance encounter with a private investigator, she thinks her prayers have been answered.
Aiden Keane has never been an answer to a prayer before, but he agrees to help Lexi. A quirky combo of brains and beauty, the pixie blonde makes him feel things no professional ever should for a client.
When their investigation puts Lexi’s life in jeopardy, her safety becomes his number one priority. The hard part is not falling for her.
Here’s a little snippet between Lexi and Aiden…
After the best sleep he’d had in weeks, Aiden woke refreshed, recharged, and starving. A quick protein shake and he was out the door, his dog on his heels.
Brontë was in rare form as he ran her in the park on the beautiful June morning. He knew Dylan ran between five and seven miles every day, and it seemed he’d gotten Brontë up to his level. The dog, who typically started to slow down at about mile three of Aiden’s runs, was still going strong at the five-mile marker.
“I should leave you with Dylan more often,” he told the dog when he stopped and found a bench to sit and rest for a bit. “He pushes you a lot more than I do.”
The dog gave him one of her serene smiles, stretched out on the ground next to the bench and yawned before dropping her head over her paws.
When he pulled his beeping phone from his running shorts, an unfamiliar number crossed the screen.
“This is Aiden.”
“Oh, hi…I wasn’t sure if I’d get you or an answering machine. This is Alexis. Um, Lexi. We met. Yesterday. On the plane?”
Aiden smiled at how nervous—and cute—she sounded. How could she possibly think he’d forgotten her?
He stretched his legs out and dropped his free hand to scratch Brontë behind her ear. “You get home okay after we landed?”
“Um, yes. No problems.”
“Well, what can I do for you on this beautiful day, Lexi?”
“Oh, is it? I haven’t been out yet. I, um, had a lot to do when I got home.”
He chuckled to himself, thinking he wouldn’t be surprised if she hit him up with some statistic about how much of a vacation a person who just got home from a vacation needed.
A deep breath came through the phone, and the idea she was trying to gear herself up to ask for help drifted through him. Should he take pity on her and offer his services again, or wait for her to ask?
He had nowhere to be, nothing to do, so he slouched down even more on the bench and waited her out.
“Well,” she said after clearing her throat, “I’m calling because, after everything we talked about yesterday, and because you’re a, you know, private investigator, I, well, I want to ask for your help. Hire you. I want to hire you to help me find out what happened to my sister.”
His grin grew.
“I don’t know how much you charge,” she continued. “But I need help—your kind of help and expertise. I can’t do more than I’ve already done, and I’m at a standstill. So, like I said, I’d like to hire you to look into it. I don’t have much available cash now, but I can give you a retainer to start.”
“Don’t worry about the money. I’ve got a few days free, so how about I take a look at what you’ve got first, no charge.”
“Oh, I can’t not pay you. It seems…wrong, somehow.”
“Like I said, let’s not worry about it right now. Wait to see if I even have anything to offer. You may have already exhausted every avenue.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
He could hear the gears in her mind turning. “When would you like to start?”
“The Reverend John Trusler is credited with saying, ‘There’s no time like the present,’ so how about now?”
The tiny breath he heard her pull in charmed him into another smile. In truth, he’d been hoping she’d say now.
“I’m sorry. That was rude. You’re probably busy after just returning home. Got a thousand things to do. We can make it another time at your convenience.”
“Give me an hour and text me your address,” he said, pushing to a stand. Brontë lifted her head, and when Aiden gave her the signal to rise, she did and positioned herself by his side.
“Really? Oh, thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I’ll text you my address right now. And I’ll see you shortly. Thanks, again.”
“Lexi? One thing before we hang up.”
“Yes?”
Aiden rubbed his dog’s head, rewarded with a lolling tongue and a doggie-grin.
“How do you feel about dogs?”
I don’t have any purchase links or a release date yet, but when I do you can be sure I’ll be posting them EVERYWHERE!! hee hee.
My fellow Romance Gems sistah, Jan Scarbrough is giving her readers a real gift for a limited time. Her DAWSONS OF MONTANA series edition BRODY is free from May 19-22. Here’s a little about the book and series….
Brody: Dawsons of Montana
Blurb
When champion bull rider Brody Caldera learns his stepfather has suffered a serious accident, he heads home to the ranch he’d left behind years before. Maybe the clean Montana air of the Six Buckles Ranch, near Yellowstone Park, will help him forget his cheating ex-girlfriend. But returning will also force him to confront another woman, the one he deserted when she needed him most.
Ten years ago, Brody had chosen bucking bulls over booties and bottles, leaving ranch worker Stef Chambers to raise their daughter alone. She’s done her best to cowboy up for the sake of her daughter and build a good life for them. She can’t let Brody’s return change that. Damn the man for breaking her heart once. It won’t happen again. But Stef’s hero-worshipping ten-year-old is enamored by the famous cowboy, and Stef’s best intentions are side-tracked from day one.
Is Brody ready to be the man Stef needs, or is he just taking her for a ride? Brody has troubles of his own, dealing with his injured stepfather and a stepbrother enraged that the family cattle ranch is now a dude ranch. Is he ready to settle down and trade bull riding for a bride?
Excerpt:
Two o’clock a.m.
May 2017
Chicago, Illinois
He was home.
Brody Caldera’s heart quickened as he turned the key to the door of his high-rise apartment on North Sheridan Road. When his girlfriend Lori Ann helped him pick it out soon after they met two years ago, she’d loved the apartment’s million-dollar view of Lake Michigan. The location was trendy and close to downtown and her job at an up-and-coming ad agency. The apartment was to-die-for, and she said she’d be very happy living there alone between Brody’s business trips.
Yeah, Lori Ann was spoiled, all right. He gave her anything and everything she wanted. But why not? He could afford it. What else did he have to spend his money on but the woman he loved? Since the day he met her at a promotional event for his professional bull riders’ organization, he’d been head-over-heels in love with her. And she with him. They were a perfect match for each other. He was athletic, craved excitement, and took chances. She was sweet and calm, a great grounding rock for him. There was just something right about them together. And one day they’d get married and make beautiful blond babies together. Maybe sooner than she thought.
Even after all this time, he adored her. Still bought her clothes and jewelry. Still had hot sex with her. That’s why he’d caught an early plane home. He wanted to surprise her this morning and kiss her awake. And give her the ring he carried in his pocket.
His adrenalin surged just like it did when he was about to climb down on the back of a seventeen-hundred-pound bull. Brody slowly turned the doorknob, so he wouldn’t make noise and wake Lori Ann. She wasn’t expecting him.
Whether it is the Bluegrass of Kentucky, the mountains of Montana, or Medieval England, Jan Scarbrough brings you home with romances from the heart.
Jan is the author of two popular Bluegrass series, writing heartwarming contemporary romances about home and family, single moms and children, and if the plot allows, about another passion–horses. Living in the horse country of Kentucky makes it easy for Jan to add small town, Southern charm to her books and the excitement of a Bluegrass horse race or a competitive horse show.
The Ghost Mountain Ranch series contains a trilogy of three contemporary western books with a good blend of mystery and happily-ever-after romance.
Jan leaves her contemporary voice behind with two paranormal gothic romances, Timeless and Tangled Memories, a Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart finalist. Her historical romance, My Lord Raven, is a medieval story of honor and betrayal.
A member of Novelist, Inc., Jan self-publishes her books with her husband’s help. She has published 25 romances.
Operation Code Name: Desert Love by Constance Bretes
Her best hope for survival is the one man she never wants to see again.
Clarissa Maasen is a humanitarian relief worker who’s stationed in Afghanistan. When she and two of her coworkers are kidnapped by insurgents and held hostage, she can only hope that her father, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will send his best men to rescue them—more specifically, Len Roberts of the Delta Force.
The last time Len saw Clarissa, it did not end on good terms. But he will risk his life to rescue this woman who is never far from his thoughts.
Can he rescue her in time? And will they be able to control the passion erupting between them?
Constance started writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense fifteen years ago. She was born and raised in Michigan. After working for the State of Michigan for 38 years, she retired. She and her husband moved to Montana and lived in the mountainside of a small town. There, locked in her office overlooking the mountains, was where this story, Operation Code Name: Desert Love, was written. After living in Montana for three years, they moved to Alabama with her cat, Sunny, who owns both her and her husband. Her hobbies include basket weaving, reading mafia romance books, diamond painting, and fiddling at the piano.
Spring has arrived and N. N. Light’s got spring fever.
It could be all the flowers in bloom or it could be the birds singing in the trees. Hurry and hop like a bunny over to N. N. Light’s Book Heaven and enter to win some amazing prizes including a few new releases, autographed print books by bestselling and award-winning authors, audiobook codes plus e-books galore and a couple of Amazon gift card. In fact, I’m one of the authors participating and you could win BAKED WITH LOVE . The list is long and personally, I’d love to win myself but alas, I can’t. So, I’ll just live vicariously through the lucky winners. If there’s a particular book or prize you’d like to win, be sure to say which prize you want when you enter via Rafflecopter. Enter below and good luck!
First, there were books. Then ebooks, and even audiobooks. Now, we have books that are games!
I’m excited to announce that my titles DEARLY BELOVED andTODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS are part of a new venture The Wild Rose Press, Inc. has announced today. In a licensing a distributorship withRomance Fate, a company that turns romance novels into interactive games, select TWRP titles are being transformed for this gaming platform, DEARLY BELOVED and TODAY, TOMORROW, ALWAYS among them.
These games are interactive and the player becomes the heroine in the story. The game is best played on a phone or tablet and is not meant for computers but you can see their site and read more about what they do here: ROMANCE FATEIt will be about six months before my title is there but I will let everyone know when it is livelivelive!!!.
The demographic for these games is women between the ages of 18 to 40. There a lot of readers who enjoy being more immersed in the stories they love.
Hey all ! Want to have a little fun before the festivities, cooking, and unwrapping presents starts? The Facebook group I LOVE ROMANCE BOOKS! is having a party tomorrow, starting at 9 am EST. There’s a great lineup of romance authors – MOI included! hee hee. Fun, games, a few giveaways ( I’m sure!) and lots of entertainment are promised to make this a funfunfun and festive day.
I’m participating in a monthlong reading event from N.N. Light called BEACH READS BOOKISH EVENT. There are scores of fab authors represented in the event, and you can enter a contest to win an ebook bundle of all the books featured, including 2 of mine! WOKE (featured 7.19.2020) and Vanilla with a Twist (feature today)
Here’s where to enter to win an e-book bundle of all 51 books featured in the Beach Reads Bookish Event: RAFFLECOPTER
Peggy Jaeger, Author 