SEASIDE WHISPERS by Melissa Foster

Will their whispers of love be enough for one of them 

to change their life forever?

Having a mad crush on her boss’s son, Matt Lacroux—an intriguing mix of proper gentleman and flirtatious bad boy—is probably not the smartest idea for single mother Mira Savage. Especially when the company, and her job, is already on shaky ground. But as a Princeton professor, Matt’s life is hours away from Mira’s home on Cape Cod, keeping him safely in the fantasy-only zone. And as a single mother to six-year-old Hagen, with a floundering company to save, fantasies are all she has time for.

With hopes of becoming dean off the table, and too many months of longing for a woman who lived too far away to pursue, Matt’s publishing contract couldn’t have come at a better time. He heads home to Cape Cod on a brief sabbatical, intent on starting his book, and finally getting his arms around sweet, seductive Mira.

A surprise encounter leads to white-hot passions and midnight confessions. The more time Matt and Mira spend together, the deeper their relationship grows, and the love and attention Matt showers on Hagen is more than she has ever dreamed of. But Matt’s sabbatical is only temporary, and Mira’s not saving his father’s company so she can leave it behind. Will their whispers of love be enough for one of them to change their life forever?

SEASIDE WHISPERS

Seaside Summers #8

Melissa Foster

Releasing Nov 30th, 2016

 

Matt Lacroux has always been on a mission. A mission to achieve Dean of Social Sciences at Princeton, to help others around him and be the best academic he could be. He's had one focus and one focus only... that is until he went home for his brother's engagement party and meet Mira and her son Hagen. Instantly smitten with the single mom and her smart as a whip son.

Now a year later, Matt finds himself back home, ready to take on a new mission. Win the love of Mira Savage. He's kept in touch with her and has found that he was missing more out of life than he thought possible. With a book deal and three month sabbatical from Princeton, he's ready to see where things could go with Mira.

I love Matt in this book. We got to see the sexy professor in a whole new light and boy... there were some fan yourself moments! His love for not only Mira but for Hagen too, was the sexiest thing of all.

This was a take hold of you and never let go true romance book that left me with a huge smile.

Chapter One

MATT LACROUX NEEDED a shower, a vacation, and to figure out what the hell he was doing with his life—in that order. And sex. Sex would be good. It had been a long time since he’d had a warm, willing woman in his bed instead of a research project to work on, papers to grade, or notes to coordinate on the book he was writing. In fact, now that he was thinking about it, he might move sex up to the top of his list—if he didn’t have someone else’s blood on his hands.

He tugged off his torn shirt, tossed it in the hamper, and turned on the shower. He’d been back on Cape Cod for less than three hours and had already broken up a fight between drunken college kids over by the Bookstore Restaurant, where he’d eaten dinner and thought he would write for a while. Maybe he should have done what so many other professors did when they took a sabbatical and gone to a nice resort somewhere, or holed up in a mountain cabin. He could have stayed at his cottage on Nantucket, but he missed his family, and his father wasn’t getting any younger. Plus, his siblings’ joint wedding was only two months away. It was taking place on their mother’s birthday, to honor her memory. It was time to reconnect.

His mind drifted to the other person he’d like to reconnect with, Mira Savage, his father’s employee and the woman who had been occupying Matt’s thoughts since he met her last summer at his younger brother Grayson’s engagement party. They’d spent the entire day together with her adorable son, Hagen. He’d seen her half a dozen times since, during brief visits home. They’d taken Hagen to the park together and a few other places, although they’d never gone on an official date. They’d exchanged occasional texts over the weeks in between, but that was as far as it had gone. It being Matt’s attraction to a woman who lived too many hours away to get involved with. Mira wasn’t the type of woman whose life he could complicate with intermittent encounters. She was a selfless woman who put her son and others first. The type of woman who blushed when he got too close. The type of woman a man took the time to get to know—almost a year, that’s pretty damn long—to show her she could trust him, a woman who should be taken care of and protected but not smothered. And she was the only woman he’d like to undress slowly, loving every inch of her incredible body until she was trembling with need and slick as a baby seal. Keeping himself in check had been like dancing on hot coals, but he’d never stopped thinking about the sexy single mother and her inquisitive son.


He stripped off his slacks and stepped into the shower, turning the faucet to cold now that he was hot and bothered over Mira. He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

One thing at a time. 


The water shifted from his head to his back, and Matt looked up at the faucet, which promptly fell, clipping his cheekbone.


“Ouch! What the—” He grabbed his cheek and pulled away from the water spraying in all directions from the broken spigot. Perfect. Just perfect. He washed the fresh blood from his fingers and quickly rinsed off. 


He stepped from the shower and dried off, eyeing the offending fixture. The damn thing had a crack around the housing and rust on the inside. He’d rented his friends’ cottage in the Seaside community for the summer. The place was in great shape, but things like showerheads were easy to miss when renovating. It was after nine o’clock, and Amy and Tony had a little girl. Matt wasn’t about to bother them about a freaking bathroom fixture. He pulled on clean clothes and called his father, who owned Lacroux Hardware Store. 


“Hey, Pop. Is the electronic code to your shop still Mom’s birthday?” His father had been talking about retiring lately. The hardware store was meant to be the family legacy, passed down to one of his five children, only none of them wanted to take it over. But right this very moment, Matt had never been so glad that his father was in the hardware business. The Cape wasn’t big on chain stores. The closest Home Depot or Target was a good forty minutes away.

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

“I need a showerhead for Tony’s place.”


“Want me to run one up to you?”

Neil Lacroux would do anything for his children—even though they were all grown up. Matt knew he’d been lonely since their mother passed away unexpectedly from an aneurysm a few years ago, which was another reason he’d chosen to come back home during his sabbatical. He made a mental note to stop by the store and visit with him.


“I’ve got it, Pop. Sorry to bother you.”


The drive to Orleans took only a few minutes. Even though Matt had grown up on the Cape, it always took him a day or two to adjust to being out of the city. Slacks and button-downs were replaced with shorts and tank tops, people moved at a more relaxed pace, and no matter how far from the beach he was, sand was ever-present. Sand in the grass, sand on the floors, sand on the seat of his car—and he hadn’t even been to the beach yet.

He punched in the code to the security keypad, and the minute he was inside the dark store, he heard it. Tap, tap, tap. He froze, every neuron on high alert, and listened. Tap, tap, tap, tap, pause, tap, tap, tap. It was coming from his father’s office. His arms instinctively flexed, preparing for a fight. He moved swiftly and silently to the office door and listened to the incessant tapping. Dad’s calculator?

He pushed the door open, and his body flooded with awareness at the sight of Mira sitting at the desk, her fingers flying over the calculator. Maybe this was his lucky night after all.
Her hand flew to her chest. “Matt…?” His name came out all breathy. “You scared me. I had no idea you were in town.”

Because I made a point of wanting to surprise you, although not exactly like this. 

“Sorry about that, sunshine. I just got in a little while ago. I came to get a showerhead.”

He walked into the small office, taking in the ledger on the desk, illuminated by his father’s ancient single-bulb lamp, and the family photos thumbtacked to the wall. He noticed a new photograph front and center, a picture of Hagen holding a fishing rod with a little sunfish dangling from the line. He knew how much Mira and Hagen meant to his father, but seeing Hagen’s photo among their family’s brought the full impact home. He shifted his gaze to Mira, and as the shock of his arrival wore off, a beautiful smile spread across her face. There it was, the brightness that had hooked him all those months ago. The sweet look of innocence and rebellious I-can-take-on-the-world confidence in her gorgeous eyes. 

She had no idea what she did to him. 

“Sunshine,” she whispered, and shook her head. 

“You can’t deny the way you light up everything around you.” He’d given her the nickname last summer because she had such a positive outlook on life.

“You should see me before I have coffee in the mornings.”

I’d like that more than you know.

“A showerhead? Let me show you where they are.” She pushed to her feet, nearly bumping into his chest in the close quarters. Her chestnut hair tumbled sexily over her shoulders as she stood before him, one hand perched over his chest, the other reaching up to touch his cheek. “What happened?”

Their attraction had been immediate and intense last summer and had only grown stronger with each subsequent visit—at least he knew it had for him. For months he’d buried any hope of exploring their connection beneath classes and research papers. Now, as she gazed into his eyes, all those heated memories came rushing back.
“I was assaulted by the old one.”

“Ouch.” She grimaced, and the spray of freckles on the bridge of her nose rose with the effort.

He hadn’t been able to get that cute mannerism out of his head when he’d gone back to Princeton, and damn, did he like seeing it again.

“You might need a stitch.” Her fingers lingered on his skin, warm and soft. 

He covered her hand with his, pressing it to his cheek. “It’s nothing, really.”

She nibbled nervously on the corner of her mouth. “I’ll just…” She pointed out of the office, and her hand slid from beneath his. Her breasts brushed against his arm as she walked away, stirring more of that same dark attraction. 

There was no shortage of women vying for Matt’s attention. From coeds to faculty, he could have his pick back in Princeton, and the choices were just as plentiful here at the Cape. But the only woman he saw when he closed his eyes at night was heading down aisle seven of his father’s hardware store.

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance, and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic, perfect beach reads, and always family oriented. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Dealing in Deception by Samantha Joyce

As an actress-for-hire, Veronica Wilde has made a living out of pretending to be other people. It’s the one thing at which she’s always excelled: taking on someone else’s personality and running with it. So after Elise Jameson, author of the bestselling Viking Moon series, decides she no longer requires Veronica’s services, she needs to find a new gig—and fast.

But when her newest client hires Veronica to help him make his small business look more successful than it actually is, the sparks that fly between them are definitely not part of the act. Suddenly, Veronica finds she’s tired of playing pretend for a living. She’s been acting for so long, she’s blindsided by the one man who sees her for who she really is. And the most terrifying part? She might actually like it.

 

AMAZON | B&N

KOBO | iBOOKS 

  

I was really surprised by this book. This was my first read by Samantha Joyce and I really enjoyed this book a lot.  

I instantly fell in love with Baxter. I love a lovable geek and Baxter fit it to a tee. An ex-accountant out to do good in the world around him. It did take me a while to warm up to Veronica, but the chemistry between these two was awesome. The bickering and the sarcastic nature of both made this a fun read.  

This was a fun quick read that was full of heart and I can't wait to read more books from Samantha Joyce. She has definitely been added to my TBR list.

“Well,” Veronica said after a moment, “you’re certainly passionate about your cause. I’ll give you that. But I’m sorry. I think you were right the first time. I don’t see this endeavor going anywhere, with or without my help.”
She jumped out of the chair and headed for the door. I lunged off the sofa and stopped her before she made it out of the room. She stood only inches away from me, her hips almost against mine. A gasp popped out of her mouth, sexy as hell and weakening my knees, but I maintained my stance at the door.


“I thought you said you could beat any challenge,” I said. “Isn’t that why you came in here with me in the first place?”


She placed her palm on my chest, almost like she was going to push me out of the way, but her hand stayed flat. I wondered if she could feel my heart pounding at her nearness.


We stood like that for a full minute, challenging each other with our eyes and bodies. Something licked my hand then wriggled between us. Ari let out a bark. I patted him on the head to let him know everything was fine and the strange woman in front of me wasn’t a threat.


Or maybe she was the biggest threat I’d ever encountered.


Veronica’s fingers left my chest, and she sank into the chair. “You’re right. I can pull this off. But we do need to discuss price. You said you had some money saved up, but something like this won’t come cheap.”


“Scott said you charged him three thousand?”


I took my seat on the couch as she studied her nails. “Scottie was an easy one. This job is a longer stint, and it will require some major acting on my part, as well as getting in touch with some of my contacts to get meetings with potential investors. Five times the work, at least. So, fifteen grand.”


“Whoa.” I exhaled and leaned back. That ate into most of what I had left. I’d need to take on a few consulting jobs from home to make ends meet, but it was doable. Guess I wouldn’t be paying off that maxed-out credit card any time soon.


“I knew you couldn’t afford this when you walked in yesterday,” she said. “Something about the hole in your sleeve.”


“I didn’t say no. I just needed to think about it. I do have it. But I get a full refund if you’re not successful, right?”


Ari resettled beside her and placed his head in her lap. She didn’t shove him off. I found myself suddenly jealous of my dog.


“And what exactly are the terms?” she asked. “What do you want?”
“

I want my blankets bought and mass-produced to help the needy.”


“That’s impossible.”


“Then walk away. It’ll be our little secret you failed before you tried.”


Her cheek twitched. Victory was mine. “Fine. We have a deal, Baxter.”


“Bax.” I corrected. “Baxter makes me feel like someone’s dog.” 

The corner of her lips tilted up, ever so slightly, and satisfaction bloomed in my chest that I might have actually made her almost laugh.
“We’re done here.” She stood and pulled her phone out of her purse. 

“I only take cash. We’ll meet downtown tomorrow. Here, input your number and I’ll text you the details. Bring the money and we’ll start right away.”


I handed her the phone after entering my details, and walked her to the door. Ari trailed behind us. “If you can actually pull this off, it will be a miracle.”


“No kidding. This is the dumbest thing I’ve agreed to.”


I held out my hand. “Well, thanks, anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow, Ronnie.”


She spun on her heel, her eyes darkening beneath her long lashes. The anger on her face knocked me back so far, I almost tripped on the dog. 

“Don’t call me Ronnie. Ever. Or this deal is off, got it?”


“Got it.” I held the door open for her. “Have a good evening, Veronica.”


She walked down the street and got into her car without another word. Goose bumps raced up my back as I watched her silver vehicle exit my street. The look on her face when I’d called her Ronnie had chilled me to the core. She hadn’t exactly been a basket of puppies when we’d met, but I’d definitely hit a nerve with my attempt at a friendly nickname.
Ari whimpered as her car disappeared from view, and I rubbed his ears. “I agree, buddy. I just made the scariest deal of my life with the most terrifying woman I’ve ever met. That book was wrong. The devil doesn’t wear Prada. I’m pretty sure she wears Chanel.”

Samantha has wanted to be an author since she picked up her first book and realized authors get to create new worlds with just a pen and paper (or laptop, if you will). She loves to write about romance because, as someone who married her high school sweetheart, she absolutely believes in true love. She also loves making people laugh and feels love and laughter go hand in hand. If she can make someone both swoon and giggle with her words, she considers that a success. When not writing or at her day job, Samantha can be found either singing and dancing on stage in local musicals, or at home watching geeky television shows with her husband.

Her debut, FLIRTING WITH FAME will be published by Pocket Star/Simon & Schuster in 2016.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

OTHER BOOKS BY SAMANTHA JOYCE

ans, and tElise Jameson is the secret author behind the bestselling, cult hit Viking Moon series. But when a stranger poses as Elise, the painfully shy, deaf nineteen-year-old starts to see how much she’s missing. Can she really hide in the shadows forever? This clever, coming-of-age debut is for anyone who has ever felt unsure in their own skin.

After a freak childhood accident leaves her deaf and physically scarred, nineteen-year-old Elise Jameson retreats into a world of vibrant characters she creates on her laptop. She is shocked when her coping mechanism turns into a career as a phenomenal bestselling novelist. Fans are obsessed with Elise’s Viking Moon series and its author—a striking girl with zero resemblance to Elise who appears on the back covers. Elise sent the randomly Googled photo to her editor following a minor panic attack. Now, horrified to learn she is expected on set of the television pilot based on her novels, Elise tracks down her anonymous stand-in. To Elise’s surprise, Veronica Wilde has been taking credit for Viking Moon for years. She eagerly agrees to keep up the charade if Elise will pose as her assistant.

It’s hard for Elise to watch a stranger take credit for her work and get all the perks she desires, including admiration from the show’s heartthrob star. Edged onto the sidelines of her own life, Elise reconsiders her choice to stay anonymous. Is she ready to come to terms with her true identity—and with the long-buried secrets that could cost her her career, her fans and the few precious friendships she’s made?

AMAZON| B&N | iBOOKS | KOBO 

 

 

One Snowy Night by Jill Shalvis

Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay 

with a fun and festive holiday novella!

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis returns to Heartbreaker Bay with a fun and festive holiday novella!

It’s Christmas Eve and Rory Andrews is desperate to get home to the family she hasn’t seen in years. Problem is, her only ride to Lake Tahoe comes in the form of the annoyingly handsome Max Stranton, and his big, goofy, lovable dog Carl.

Hours stuck in a truck with the dead sexy Max sounds like a fate worse than death (not), but Rory’s out of options. She’s had a crush on Max since high school and she knows he’s attracted to her, too. But they have history… and Max is the only one who knows why it went south.

They’ve done a good job of ignoring their chemistry so far, but a long road trip in a massive blizzard might be just what they need to face their past… and one steamy, snowy night is all it takes to bring Max and Rory together at last.

ONE SNOWY NIGHT

Heartbreaker Bay #2.5

Jill Shalvis

Releasing Nov 8th, 2016

Christmas Eve had the nerve to show up just like it did every year: way too quickly and with ridiculous fanfare.

The nerve.

Rory Andrews stood in the courtyard of the Pacific Pier Building in San Francisco, surrounded by sparkly holiday lights and enough garlands to give the place its own ozone, and told herself things could be worse.

She just wasn’t sure how.

It was the unknown, she decided. Because this year, unlike the past six, she’d be spending Christmas with her family, a thought that caused a swarm of butterflies to take flight in her belly.

Not an uncommon feeling since she’d turned twenty-three a few months back and decided it was time to become a person she could be proud of if it killed her. And given the guy leaning against one of the lamp poles clearly waiting for her, arms crossed, frown in place, it just might.

Max Stranton. At his side sat Carl, his huge, eternally hungry, adorable Doberman.

“No,” she said, not to Carl but to Carl’s owner. Who was not lovable. “No way.”
As always when their gazes locked, Max’s was a disconcerting mix of heat and . . . something else that she couldn’t quite figure out, as he was good at hiding when he wanted to be. She never quite knew how to take the heat because it seemed reluctant. He was attracted to her but didn’t want to be.

Ditto. He made her knees wobble. And also a couple of other inner reactions that shouldn’t be happening in public.

“Merry Christmas to you too, Rory,” he said, and damn. It wasn’t just his eyes. His voice was rough and sexy, and for that matter, so was the rest of him.
He worked for an investigations and security firm in the building. Basically he and the rest of his team were fixers and finders for hire. To say that Max was good at his job was an understatement. He stood there looking like sex on a stick with a duffle bag slung over a broad shoulder, his dark hair two weeks past needing a cut, and the icy wind of an incoming storm plastering his clothes to a body that could be registered as a lethal weapon.

“What are you doing here?” she asked calmly even if her heart was anything but, pounding all the way up to her throat and ears because she knew. She knew exactly why he was here. “I don’t need a ride home.”

A flash of wry humor slid in with all that sizzling heat. “Because you’d rather take two buses and a train than get into my truck with me?” he asked.

Well yes, actually.

This was the perfect mix of Holiday and Heart. Rory Andrews needs to get home this Christmas. She has a lot to prove not only to her family but to herself. Now if she can only find a way to get through the next torturous hours of being in the small confines of a truck with the one guy who has ever made her feel something - Max Stranton. 

Max has always been unattainable. The guy she wanted to be with but knew there was never a chance. So when he waltz back into her life years later, it was pure torture. But was she the only one suffering?

The tension between these two as they fight a storm to get home in time for Christmas is at time tense yet fun. I loved Rory and Max together. The only thing wrong with this story was that I just wanted more.

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras with her family and far too many assorted quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental.

Look for Jill's latest, SWEET LITTLE LIES on shelves and e-readers now, and get all her bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold.

Visit Jill's website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Snowbound at Christmas by Jennifer Ryan, Lia Riley and Maisey Yates

When a snowstorm pummels the western half of the country, 

three couples find once off-limits love just in time for Christmas.

When a snowstorm pummels the western half of the country, three couples find once off-limits love just in time for Christmas. An unforgettable holiday anthology from bestselling authors Jennifer Ryan, Maisey Yates, and Lia Riley.

Close to Perfect: A Montana Men Novella by Jennifer Ryan

At sixteen, Abigail gave Dex the gift of a lifetime, but the cost of it was more than he ever knew. Now she’s back in town with a secret that has been ten years in the making and this time it’s Dex’s turn to make the ultimate sacrifice or risk losing her forever.

Snowed in at Copper Ridge: A Copper Ridge Novella by Maisey Yates

Mia Landry has always had it bad for brooding cowboy Devlin Grayson. Too bad he’s her best friend’s older brother. But when they find themselves snowed in at Copper Ridge Lodge, Mia finally has the chance to tell the man of her dreams exactly what she wants… him.

Hot Winter’s Night: A Brightwater Novella by Lia Riley

While Brightwater is being covered in snow, Goldie Flint is stuck in her flower shop. She never expected her hero to be Kit Kane, the former love of her life. Kit knows that what he had with Goldie isn’t just in the past and with the help of a little bet, an ornery grandmother, and a lot of snow, he’s ready to show her that what he really wants for Christmas is a second chance.

SNOWBOUND AT CHRISTMAS

Holiday Anthology

Jennifer Ryan, Lia Riley & Maisey Yates

Releasing Nov 15th, 2016

 From Jennifer Ryan Close to Perfect
Ten years ago…

Dex sat on the hard bench outside the Sheriff’s office knowing he hadn’t done anything wrong, but shaking in his Converse just the same after a deputy showed up at the high school batting cage, cuffed him, and brought him down to the station. They charged him with stealing a car, drinking and driving, and in a drunken stupor, ditching the car in Crawford Pond. 

The car had been pulled out of the murky water, a case of beer in the back seat—mostly empty cans—along with his baseball cap with the MVP pin the team awarded him last season. 

How the hell did it get there?   

Laurie walked out of her father’s office and turned the butterflies in his stomach into hummingbirds.

Oh God. I’m in deep shit.

He’d thought landing Laurie as his girlfriend made him big shit. Hell, he was seventeen and she had a hot body he wanted to get his hands on, even if she never let him past second base.

Then he met someone...different. Interesting. Nice. 

Abigail Swain was barely sixteen and in the senior class. She was that smart. Really smart. 

Paired together for a science class project, he’d gotten to know her and wondered why he’d never really noticed her. Small town, small school, still, she kept under the radar. Her parents believed school was more important than friends. Instead of spending her free time playing sports or hanging out at the diner downtown with other girls, she spent every spare minute at church or studying. 

Abigail might come off weird and brainy, but really she was shy...quiet. And genuinely nice. A perfect target for Laurie, who made it known she didn’t like him spending time with Abigail, even for a class project. 

Five days into working with Abigail something inside him shifted while she explained the intricacies of photosynthesis right off the top of her head. The way her eyes lit up. She planted her chin in her palm and looked right at him. Open and filled with kindness, she did something to his insides. He moved without thinking about it, leaned across the coffee table in his living room, and tentatively pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss. He didn’t know why he had to do it until their lips touched and the wonder and softening in her eyes undid him. To his surprise, she kissed him back, and if he hadn’t been sitting on the floor already, he’d have hit his knees.

That kiss changed everything and put a lot of things into perspective. Like he’d rather be with someone he liked and enjoyed spending time with. He and Laurie had more fights than good times and it wore thin. Quick. Despite Laurie’s many protests, he ended things with her with a promise that he wouldn’t back out of taking her to the dance so she wouldn’t be humiliated and have to go alone.
From that moment on, he secretly spent more and more time with Abigail, though they kept their relationship hidden. Something about the way her overprotective father hovered nearby when they worked on their project at her house warned him that she’d get into deep trouble if her parents knew about them. Abby never said so, but he got the sense she feared her own dad.
As the mayor of their town, he had a reputation for advocating strict morals. A lot of people outside their church congregation found him judgmental. Including Dex.

He might not be valedictorian material, but he made better than good grades, was the best pitcher and hitter Crystal Creek High ever had, and he planned to take his team to the championships this spring. He had baseball and college to look forward to over the next couple of years and still Mayor Swain looked at him like he was nothing but a thing.

His dad sat beside him, ready to do battle, and nudged him with an elbow in his side. “Laurie’s here. She probably told her father the two of you were at the dance all night, and you couldn’t have stolen that car.” The hope in his father’s voice destroyed Dex.

I am so screwed. 

Laurie walked right past him, smiling that sweet smile he and the other guys she’d caught in her web knew hid her devious side. She was out for blood. Since her dad was the sheriff, he had a feeling she was going to get it. Every last drop she thought she deserved because he’d had the audacity to dump her and ruined her plan to get back together at the dance.

The sheriff waved them into his office. “Let’s go, Dex. You’ve got some explaining to do.” 

“Listen, Sheriff, Dex had nothing to do with the theft of that car, or how it ended up in the pond. Dex was at the dance with Laurie last night.” 

Dex wished he deserved his father’s devotion and unwavering confidence. He wasn’t guilty of the charges, but he wasn’t innocent either.

“Step into my office, Steve. We’ll just see what Dex has to say about what really happened last night.”

His father turned and gave him one of those dad looks, telling him without words that Dex had better have a good explanation for not telling the whole truth this morning over breakfast about how great the dance was last night.
Dex took a seat in front of the Sheriff’s desk and refused to say anything. Not until the Sheriff gave up whatever he thought he knew. Or rather, what Laurie wanted her father to believe.

Dex stared up at his father, standing with anger flashing in his eyes after the sheriff laid out the evidence against Dex. 

“Why didn’t you take Laurie home?” his father asked.

“She didn’t want to leave with me, said she’d get a friend to take her home, so I left.”

“And you can’t account for your time after leaving the dance,” the sheriff pointed out, an angry I’ve-got-you gleam in his eyes.

“I drove around in my truck for a while to cool down after the fight with Laurie.”
The sheriff snorted and rolled his eyes. “I suggest you call a lawyer and come up with a better defense than the bullshit you’re feeding your father.” The sheriff stood and waved them out of the office.

Dex walked out behind his dad in a daze. Even his father seemed at a loss for words. Dex wanted to explain what really happened, but couldn’t give them the whole truth. If Abigail’s strict parents found out he was seeing her behind their backs, she’d be in deep shit.

His father pulled out his cell and dialed.

“Who are you calling?”

“A lawyer,” he snapped, then moved a few steps away. 

The sheriff stepped out of his office ready to process Dex and lock him up.
His dad glared and bit out, “Sheriff, you don’t have any proof he was in that car. I could drive a truck through the holes in that story. It’s Dex’s word against Laurie’s.”

“His hat was found in the vehicle. He claims he’s never been in the vehicle, nor does he know or associate with Mr. Fowler. Laurie, along with her friend, saw him on their way home.” The sheriff turned on Dex. “We’ll book you for DUI, grand theft auto, and destruction of property. You’re looking at three years minimum.”

Abigail stepped through the door and stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide with shock as the sheriff’s last words sank into Dex’s head. He’d spend the next three years in jail. No scholarship. No college education. No life as he’d planned it. This charge would follow him the rest of his life. 

He’d lost everything.     

What a great way to kick off the holiday season than with three short stories to warm the heart.  There is nothing better than a second chance romance mixed with the romance of the holiday season. And even better... a snowstorm to help seal the deal. 

My favorite out of the three was Close to Perfect by Jennifer Ryan. What's great about stories like this is that it helps introduce you to new authors you may not know and now I have two new to me authors I will definitely be adding to my TBR lists.

Jennifer Ryan
 Describe yourself in five words or less.  

Smart, spunky, giggly, fun-size, chocoholic. 

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write?  

The first kiss. I love the buildup to that moment, the anticipation, and the spark that finally ignites when two people give in to the connection that draws them together.

What are you favorite types of stories to read?  
I write suspenseful contemporary romance, and I love to read suspense, but when I need a break from that, I escape into historical romance. I love a roguish Viscount or sexy Scottish Laird. 

What are some books that you enjoyed recently?
All Chained Up by Sophie Jordan
Troublemaker by Linda Howard
Breath of Scandal by Sandra Brown

What comes next?

Why, another Montana Men novel, of course.

Ford Kendrick gave up his one true love ten years ago to save the legacy his parents left behind for him and his brothers and get Jamie away from her abusive mother. He thought he sent Jamie away for her own good, but when she returns from the military broken in body, heart, and soul, he’ll do everything in his power to make his Firefly happy and shine again. When a friend from her past shows up and a secret revealed puts Jamie’s life at risk, Ford will put HIS COWBOY HEART on the line to protect Jamie.

Lia Riley
 
A la Twitter style, please describe your book in 140 characters or less. 
Wise-cracking ex marine gets stranded in blizzard with the ex-girlfriend who never forgave him for breaking her heart

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write? 

I love me a good kissing scene

What gave you the most trouble with this story?

Keeping it short, novellas are such fun to write, but a little challenging because there is always a little more you wish you could include.

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Name one thing you won’t leave home without.
 My baby

Maisey Yates
 Can you tell us a little about your book? 

Mia is visiting her friend’s family for Christmas in Copper Ridge, and she and her friend’s older brother, Devlin, are the first to arrive at the lodge. Mia has always had a crush on Devlin, but she’s never had the courage to make a move. But then a storm whips up and leaves the two of them stranded overnight…and Mia figures it might be about time to make her some Christmas magic with the man she’s always fantasized about.
How did you come up with the concept and the characters for the story? 
Well, I love a cheerful heroine and a grumpy hero, especially for a holiday story. And I also love a good girl and a bad boy (with tattoos no less). Adding that forbidden element of her being his younger sister’s BFF, and a snowstorm, just seemed logical. ;) 

Name three things on your desk right now. 

A Diet Coke can (don’t judge me) my RITA (yay!) and a little iron mouse my husband gave me for Christmas. 

What types of scenes are your most favorite to write? 

I love banter. I love writing fights, I love any back and forth between the hero and heroine. And I love it most of all when a scene of banter takes a nosedive into double entendre and suddenly what started out light gets really tense and sexy. 

What 5 things should readers know about you? 
I don’t take myself very seriously. I really do love sweet potato fries (which is why they’re mentioned in a lot of my books). I LOVE writing, I really do. I’m left handed. I can sing a mean country song. 

How long have you been writing, and what (or who) inspired you to start? 

I’ve always fiddled around with stories, but I first finished a book in 2007. I was inspired by reading the Harlequin Presents line, and then by a contest Harlequin ran. I thought: Well, I should write something and enter the contest! That won’t feel like real rejection! I didn’t place in the contest, but at that point I’d written so much of the book I knew I had to finish. I did, and I sent it in, and eventually sold that book. 

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers? 

They say writers should write every day, and I think that’s great advice to build good habits. But I would also add: finish the book. Don’t just write beginnings over and over. You need to practice seeing a project through to completion. No excuses. The biggest trap I see people falling into is being eternal starters, or eternal polishers or editors. Nope. Write the book, finish the book. Let it go. Do it all over again. 

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans? 
Thanks for all the support. Readers are so important, and I’m so, so grateful for mine!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Jennifer Ryan is the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of The Hunted Series and The McBrides Series. She writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, family, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find.
Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and three children. When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one. Her obsession with both is often revealed in the state of her home and in how late dinner is to the table. When she finally leaves those fictional worlds, you’ll find her in the garden, playing in the dirt and daydreaming about people who live only in her head, until she puts them on paper.

Website | Facebook | Twitter |GoodReads

After studying at the University of Montana-Missoula, LIA RILEY scoured the world armed only with a backpack, overconfidence and a terrible sense of direction. She counts shooting vodka with a Ukranian mechanic in Antarctica, sipping yerba mate with gauchos in Chile and swilling fourex with stationhands in Outback Australia among her accomplishments.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author MAISEY YATES lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard. She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

a Rafflecopter giveaway