ROMANTIC PICKS #WEDNESDAYSMUSTREADS #INDIEPICKS

March 22, 2017 by jhines340

DESIGNING WOMAN – The Saint becomes fascinated with a Sinner!

Meet Brandy Abbott – as potent as the liquor that echoes her name. And when this woman gets branded a tramp…why what else can she do, but go above and beyond to make the man who did the branding pay!

Meet Griffen St.Clair – he thought he could handle her and not get burned. But he quickly found out that Brandy was a force to be reckoned with and he wasn’t giving up on the idea that he could reform her.
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The romance for every woman who’s never had the nerve!

A rousing passionate battle of the sexes takes place as each tries to outdo the other in a witty, contest of wills!

Griffen St. Clair hadn’t meant to eavesdrop on the couple, but who could help but listen as the gorgeous woman was telling her companion that their affair was over. Griffen found he applauded her new-found values until she turned her considerable attributes on him!

Brandy Abbott had decided to teach St. Clair a lesson when he assumed to know so much about her and pronounced her the queen of seducers.

What she didn’t count on was the fact he was soon to be her boss and her lover AND a man who needed to be taught a lesson about women!

What had come over her? Exactly who was she – Brandy the smoldering, uninhibited lady of the night? Or B.J. Abbott, brilliant young architect, whose dreams were filled not with erotic languor but with visions of concrete and steel. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know!

And Griffen – who was he? A mixture of keen-eyed eagle and ferocious lion? He had conjured up a male fantasy and assumed she was a tramp!

Outraged, cast in an unfamiliar role, Brandy had chosen to play it to the hilt and loved the part … unaware that it would throw her into emotional chaos and force her to choose between two of the sweetest things life offered – surrender and revenge.

A New Adult/College/Adult Sexy Romantic Comedy!
Emily never expected to find love in a dart bar, but the moment she spots tall, sexy Sebastian, she’s determined to catch his eye.
Ex-girlfriends, perpetually shirtless rich boys, frantic best-friends and a mysterious orange handbag converge to stop her.
No one said stalking was easy, but if romance was left to the boys, the human race would die out while they logged fantasy football points and punched each other in the balls.
Everyone knows that.
Emily’s not stalking Sebastian…she’s saving the world.

Lara Johnson is coping with the emotional scars of losing both parents in a tragic incident and facing the challenges of starting a new school. Getting involved in a relationship isn’t on her priority list. Certainly not this illicit desire for a man, who demands the best from her, yet leaves her breathless in his presence.

All Ike Thomas wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of an intelligent and brave girl who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right?

A love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one night changes their lives forever.

Bound to Fate is a story about surviving tragedy, forgiveness, and the overwhelming love that pulls through against the odds.

Content warning: This book contains scenes that might be triggering for some readers.

INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER
Amazon Bestselling Kindle, Fiction, Suspense

What if the unspeakable happened to you? Would you fantasize about seeking personal vengeance? How far would you go…and how much would you sacrifice to hold those responsible that believe they are accountable to none?

Welcome to the prestigious accounting firm of Winscott & Associates. Welcome to Audra Tanner’s personal hell. She had heard the rumors about her employer. The whispered secrets. But she had thrown herself into work to escape the pain of her miscarriage and demise of her marriage. Idealistic, she thought if she worked hard she would be rewarded. She thought wrong.

Savagely initiated into the brutal underbelly of the firm, Audra learns too late that the rumors are true. Now after five years of careful plotting, Audra is ready to push the wheels of justice in motion. Her goal of retribution has turned into an obsession and she will stop at nothing until everyone responsible pays. Will revenge set her free or is Audra’s quest for personal justice only beginning?

ROMANTIC PICKS #SPRINGNEWRELEASES #INDIEBEST

March 15, 2017 by jhines340

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Twenty-four year old Phoebe Hawley is on a quest to find her family a home. On the road with two siblings, twelve year-old Maydean and five year-old Willie-Boy, Phoebe is out of money, out of gas and out of patience. Now the only things she owns in abundance are Hawley backbone and Hawley pride–neither of which she can trade for food or gas. A collision with Gage Morgan puts Phoebe’s mission in even worse jeopardy–until Phoebe discovers Gage Morgan owns the perfect place for the Hawley clan. But! Gage has a bruised ego, an iron fist on his heart and is the unlikeliest man in the universe to offer a helping hand. Phoebe wields all of the pride, backbone and country smarts she owns to worm her way into his life. Nothing works. With time running against her family, she plies one last inducement–her scarce feminine wiles. And those are not a sure thing.

NEW RELEASE!

AMAZON BARNES AND NOBLE ITUNES GOOGLEPLAY

Immerse yourself in three full length romantic women’s fiction novels from some of the most beloved authors in the genre – more than 800 pages of emotionally uplifting, heartfelt family drama—where falling in love is only part of the story…

ALASKAN DAWN – By Edie Claire

Overachieving attorney Haley Olson has always done the responsible thing. So when her twin sister Micah needs a surrogate mother, Haley willingly volunteers. Like most feats the capable workaholic attempts, her pregnancy goes perfectly… until the results of prenatal testing threaten to tear Micah’s marriage apart.

Pregnant, overworked, and driven to the end of her rope by the neediness of the sister and widowed mother who depend on her, Haley seeks refuge with a week’s vacation on the Alaskan coast. As she soaks up the serenity of the unexpectedly vast and beautiful wilderness, Haley finds something else she doesn’t expect — deep feelings for the wildlife-loving boat captain who reminds her how to laugh.

With her unborn niece or nephew on the way and thousands of miles of ocean between their lives and careers, Haley and Ben settle for a friendship. But back home in California, the emptiness in her heart refuses to heal, and when her pregnancy takes a frightening turn Haley must examine what really matters — and rediscover the childhood dream she never realized she had lost.

THE COLOR OF HEAVEN – by Julianne MacLean

A deeply emotional tale about Sophie Duncan, a successful columnist whose world falls apart after her daughter’s unexpected illness and her husband’s shocking affair. When it seems nothing else could possibly go wrong, her car skids off an icy road and plunges into a frozen lake. There, in the cold dark depths of the water, a profound and extraordinary experience unlocks the surprising secrets from Sophie’s past, and teaches her what it means to truly live…and love.

PULLING HOME – Mary Campisi

It’s taken nine years and a cross-country move, but Audra Valentine Wheyton has kept her secrets safe. She’s created the perfect life: a husband who loves her, a daughter she adores, and a position as head writer for an award-winning daytime soap. When her husband dies suddenly, Audra returns to her hometown for the funeral and faces a community that has not forgotten her meager beginnings and the man who has never forgiven her for marrying his brother.

Jack Wheyton is a successful pediatric neurosurgeon who is about to become engaged when Audra walks back into his life with her daughter. He forgave his brother long ago for taking something that had been his, something he hadn’t even realized he wanted until it was gone. But forgiving Audra is another story…and forgetting her? Near impossible.

When a shattering illness strikes Audra’s daughter, she turns to Jack to save her child and risks exposing a secret that will change their lives forever.

No more Miss Nice Girl –

Noah Drake walked out of her life without a word – just divorce papers.

Marlayna O’Brian wanted answers and he was the only man who could provide them.

But there he was engaged to another woman – and she was invited to the party!

She gave him fair warning: “Seduction is the plan for today. Keep on your toes, Mr. Drake. You never know when or where I’m going to strike!

Marlayna found it so very easy to be deliciously bad! Especially when an American castle provided so many erotic nooks and crannies.

Inside is one very hot, explicit romantic comedy!
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Winner of the BigAl’s Books and Pals 2014 Reader’s Choice Award for women’s fiction.

Jemima’s schizophrenic fiancé is dead. Finn is the hot cop on the case. His love eases her pain. Befriending a homeless man allows her to heal.

ROMANTIC PICKS #TIMETOESCAPE #INDIEROMANCES

March 8, 2017 by jhines340

Heartache. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Redemption… It’s time to head back to Magdalena, New York, and spend a little time with the people we love to love and even a few we love to hate.

He’s lost his fortune… She’s nursing a broken heart…When fate steps in, will love prevail?

Pete Finnegan had it all—money, power, status, a future wife, until he lost it all in one huge financial “gamble.” Now he’s back in his hometown of Magdalena, trying to figure out what to do with his life. When Nate Desantro offers him a job fixing up a cabin one hundred miles away, he jumps at the opportunity. Peace and solitude in the woods away from busybodies and do-gooders, is exactly what he needs to contemplate his future.

But Pete doesn’t expect to find a beautiful woman staying at the cabin.

Elissa Cerdi has escaped to the Blacksworth cabin to heal her broken heart. As Gloria Blacksworth’s former caregiver, she’s agreed to honor the dead woman’s last request by mailing letters to select residents of Magdalena. When Elissa meets Pete, she doesn’t know he has ties to Magdalena, and she certainly doesn’t know the final letter she plans to mail is about his father.

Pete and Elissa are both in need of healing and maybe that’s why they agree to shut down the outside world and pretend nothing exists but what’s inside the cabin. Could that also be why they’re able to open up to one another, talk about disappointments, hurts, betrayals, and hopes?

Because it’s all pretend?

Is that why passion consumes them, burns them with a need they’ve never felt before?

Is it so powerful because it isn’t real?

Except it is.

If Justine Hale had the time, she’d get in her car and go crazy. She owns two kids, an ex mother-in-law and a bankrupt mother. Money scarce she moves all into a run-down, two-hundred-year old house. Lottie Roberts offers to help. She’s bossy. She cooks. It’s her house. So what if she’s betwixt and between? Before Lottie can say squat, Tucker Highsmith steals her thunder with his sexy grin, lazy Alabama drawl and Mr. Fix-it talent. Plagued with the demands of her family, Justine dismisses ghost and guy alike. But hidden agendas prevail and Justine is caught in the middle.

She invented him!
At least she thought she had!

Kit Forrester lived a life of lies – so what was one more? When her first vacation ever sank like the Titanic – she couldn’t tell her friends THAT! So she did what she always did – she lied.

Kit told everyone about her fabulous five day cruise. Her days of fun in the sun and moonlit nights with the man of her dreams – Rafe Morgan – tall, handsome, incredibly sexy and successful. And well – now they were engaged!

There was just one 6’2″, 230 lb. problem –
Rafe Morgan did exist and he wanted answers.

Retired Navy SEAL and Texas business tycoon, Rafe Morgan was sure he was being set up by his suddenly acquired fiancee.

He had spent 20 years in the Navy and was trained to handle anything – until he came up against one volatile New York redhead with wicked curves and the world’s hardest ass!

Then he saw her sex lair and was more than willing to be Caught in a Trap. And to set one of his own!
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Linnie Wayfair knows just how many people are counting on her. But knowing doesn’t make doing any easier.

Everyone in Sweet Lake, Ohio, wants her to muster all her business sense and return the Wayfair Inn to its former glory. Her parents hope she’ll forgive her scoundrel of a brother and reconcile the family. The eccentric Sweet Lake Sirens want her to open the inn—and her heart—to new possibilities. And her hilarious lifelong friends Jada and Cat are dropping none-too-subtle hints for her to ignite a romance with Daniel Kettering, the sexy attorney who’s been pining for her for years…

Now a shocking turn of events will open old wounds and upend the world Linnie has carefully built. She has to make changes quickly—and the results, though not entirely what she expected, might be what she’s been yearning for all along.

ROMANTIC PICKS #HAPPYVALENTINE #LOVEINDIEBOOKS

February 14, 2017 by jhines340

FREE! FREE! FREE!

Sometimes we’re lucky enough to get that second chance – in life and in love. That Second Chance Series are stand-alone stories of strong women who battle heartache and loss with a courage and determination to find new paths and true love. What ties them together? A common theme: belief in the beauty of that second chance.

The Butterfly Garden is Book Six of That Second Chance Series.

Sometimes love happens when you least expect it…

Jenny Romano has never been a white-picket-fence, happily-ever-after girl. Despite a mother who rejected her free-spirited, unique ways as irresponsible and just plain wrong, Jenny has found happiness as a photographer, flitting around the country and snapping photos of other people’s lives. Her older sister, Grace, has a husband, children, and a carpool schedule. She’s the one their mother calls “perfect.”

But when tragedy strikes her sister’s carefully constructed life, Jenny must step in and help. Soon, she’s knee-deep in small-town, suburban life, the kind she’s always avoided…

Psychologist Elliot Drake spends so much time healing other people’s pain that he prefers to keep his own relationships short and uncomplicated. He’s loved and lost once and with a young daughter to raise, he’s not willing to risk his heart again. Of course, he’s never met anyone quite like Jenny. Outrageous and unpredictable, she’s nothing like her well-controlled older sister. And the more he’s around Jenny, the more he wonders if short-term is really what he wants…

Elliot and Jenny are about to discover that real life happens whether you want it to or not. Will they let real love happen, too?

PRE-ORDER! COMING MARCH 28!

Thirty-nine-year-old struggling actress Alaina Ackerman isn’t just down on her luck today; lady luck has packed up and left town for heaven only knows where. Instead of ending up homeless on the streets of New York City in November, Alaina accepts her mother’s holiday invitation and heads home to Pittsburgh for a much-needed break. Maybe even to give up on acting altogether.

The last thing Alaina expects is to be happy returning home, especially when fate not only tosses an abandoned puppy into her lap, but also practically embeds Markus Klein into her life. That wouldn’t be so bad, if she hadn’t spent the last twenty years trying to forget the night they crossed the “just friends” line. Now, torn between a love she thought she lost, and one she never knew existed, that vicious harpy some call fate dangles Alaina’s dream opportunity — a leading role — in front of her. Her only problem… Going after her dream could jeopardize her chance at love.

As if a new puppy, love, and career aren’t complicated enough, Alaina discovers that her mother and sister are keeping a secret from her. The revelation might be just enough to get Alaina’s life heading in the right direction … or send her over the edge.

WARNING: Although there are many adult situations in this contemporary women’s fiction with a hint of humor and romance, if say … something crazy happened and a famous producer adapted this novel into a movie, it would have a PG-13 rating. There are no erotic scenes, no graphic violence, and while there are a few allowed-on-TV curse words, there aren’t a plethora of gratuitous foul words. Oh, and if you were looking for a cliffhanger, you won’t find that here either. While “Down on Her Luck” is a follow-up story to “Some Lucky Woman,” it is a stand-alone novel, and it doesn’t have a cliffhanger either. Please proceed at your own risk.

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Cleo Anderson’s people skills are hesitant and her life broken. Alone is good and she is finding her way. Drawn to a fish camp in the wilds of the Okefenokee Swamp, she parks her Play-Mor where gators yawn, bears slumber, and snakes slither. The camp pace is slow, the owner kind, and the people friendly. Cleo encounters Fletcher Freemont Maitland and his goddaughter, eleven year-old Katie. Cleo doesn’t know her life is about to unravel yet again. But she’s about to find these things out the hard way. Both Fletcher and Katie will change her life in ways she never imagined.

BARGAIN! BARGAIN! $0.99!

PROVOCATIVE, CHICK-LIT, LOVE TRIANGLE, ROMANTIC COMEDY & EXPLICIT SEX….there’s even a kitchen sink!!!

Meet Amanda Wyatt – she had an eight year plan and accomplished so much more. Attractive, talented, she was a success whether she was designing high fashion or running her own elegant shop in New Orleans. And she had a friend with benefits relationship with –

Lucas Crosse, her lawyer and the brother she never had for twelve years. He knew her intimately – well almost. Now, he’s decided he wants that, too. And he’s ready to fight for Amanda with –

Wade Lloyd. He entered Amanda’s life by accident. Now he wants to be a permanent fixture. But can he handle her success? Can he handle Amanda? Can he handle her friendship with Lucas Crosse?

As for Amanda – she has choices to make. A new, exciting love? Or a best friend whose benefits she’s begun to dream about.

ROMANTIC PICKS #COZYREADS #POWEREDBYINDIE

February 1, 2017 by jhines340

What happens when the glass slippers pinch Cinderella’s toes? When Jaine Andersen proposes a new marketing role to the local amusement park, general manager Dylan Callahan charms her into filling Cinderella’s glass slippers for the summer. Her reign transforms Jaine’s ordinary life into chaos that would bewilder a fairy godmother. Secretly dating her bad boy boss, running wedding errands for her ungrateful sisters, and defending herself from the park’s resident villain means Jaine needs lots more than a comfy pair of shoes to restore order in her kingdom. First in the Storybook Valley series, a blend of sweet romance, chick lit, and fairy tale fun.

The infamous Puzzle Killer returns to Charity, Florida, in search of a rival murderer, and when two serial killers battle, Charlotte, Declan, Seamus and a naked cat find themselves on the chopping block!

Hetta Coffey is a sassy Texan with a snazzy yacht, and she’s not afraid to use it!
She’s living aboard her forty-five foot boat in Mexico’s spectacular Sea of Cortez, taking work where she can get it and, characteristically, she isn’t all that concerned about any pesky legalities involved.
Docked at a pricey marina in La Paz, her cruising kitty is taking a hit, so when she’s offered a dream job, she jumps on it. All she has to do is act as a courier, babysitting equipment and sensitive documentation for her former employer to their new offices in France.
Not only does she get to revisit a country she once lived in and loved, she’ll meet with her significant other, Jenks Jenkins, in Paris. Oh là là! An easy job and a romantic vacation, all paid for; what could possibly go wrong?
With Hetta? Just about everything.

From the #1 International Best-selling author of Looking for La La

‘I stayed glued to my seat throughout the story and loved every minute of reading it.’ NJKinny’s World of Books

‘Will make you laugh, cry and make you believe in a better life.’ Books Are My Life

Crouch End Confidential, the agency started by housewife and mother, Cathy O’Farrell, with ex-cleaner, Pimple, is failing badly. Hardly surprising when Cathy’s too soft-hearted to charge their only clients, little old ladies seeking lost pets and a school kid searching for his stolen bike. A new case involving a teenager in possession of an unexplained Glock pistol promises to change all that. Quickly Cathy’s deep in waters over her head, forced with hilarious results to pose as a mathematics tutor, a subject of which she’s truly clueless. There’s also the tricky situation of best friend and new mother Rosa hiring her to investigate her fiancé, Alec, plus the mysterious sabotage of Cathy’s friends’ cycle shop and a gang of yobbos dealing drugs at her children’s primary school. Worst of all, an ill-fated trip to rural Norfolk has Cathy’s husband, Declan, intent on buying a post office and transplanting the family to safer climes, threatening to tear Cathy permanently from her beloved North London home. Pretty soon Cathy’s risking her friendships, her marriage and even her life untangling all these messes. But that’s what you get for meddling in murder…

ROMANTIC PICKS #CONTEMPORARYROMANCES #INDIEPICKS

January 31, 2017 by jhines340

DESIGNING WOMAN – The Saint becomes fascinated with a Sinner!

A rousing passionate battle of the sexes takes place as each tries to outdo the other in a witty, contest of wills!

Brandy Abbott had decided to teach St. Clair a lesson when he assumed to know so much about her and pronounced her the queen of seducers.

What she didn’t count on was the fact he was soon to be her boss and her lover AND a man who needed to be taught a lesson about women!

Meet the Brannigan brothers—seven sexy brothers who bring the heart and the heat! From bestselling authors Barbara Freethy, Ruth Cardello, Melody Anne, Christie Ridgway, Lynn Raye Harris, Roxanne St. Claire and JoAnn Ross comes a brand new contemporary romance family series: 7 Brides for 7 Brothers. You won’t want to miss a single one!

When Hunter Brannigan loses his father and is sent a map, he doesn’t know what to think. Is it a joke? Was the old man going senile at the end? The attorney sending the map assures him the piece of paper was definitely from his father and he must follow the clues to find himself.

Hunter has been running from anything even remotely resembling responsibility for a very long time. He’s a world renowned Photo Journalist, traveling the seven continents in pursuit of the next great shot. He’s been in the heart of the trauma during war time, natural disasters, and life-altering moments, always on the other side of the lens, never getting emotionally involved. His father’s last wish for him is to put himself within the pictures he’s famous for.

Deciding to humor his father’s last request, he stumbles upon Rebekah Kingsley III, an uptight History Professor who desperately needs to let her hair down. Though he has his doubts she can get dirty long enough to help him, something about her won’t let him walk so easily this time. Will she be enough to make him settle down, or will he leave her with nothing but a picture of what could have been.

Betrayed and jilted, Jennifer Dewitt finds solace in a new job and new city. Men and marriage are not on her radar. Adrien Merrill’s divorce leaves him bitter and jaded. In Cajun custom, pride rules. Yet Adrien aches for a woman to fill his days with laughter, his nights with passion, and his house with children. He sets his sights on Jennifer and runs right into stubborn, mouthy and independent. He soon discovers the line between pride and love is as whisper thin as a fine silk thread.

***USA Today Bestselling Author***

Loss and betrayal have caused Heather Phillips to give up on love. She’s thrown herself into running The Lonely Loon, her Bed and Breakfast located on the boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland. The “off season” in this tourist town is usually a time of rest and reflection for her; however, DB Atwell, a famous author, arrives at The Loon for the winter to finish his long-overdue novel. Daniel, too, has faced grief, and tragedy continues to haunt him. Once Heather and Daniel meet, their lives will never be the same.

Reminiscent of Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks and culminating in a happily-ever-after similar to the great Nora Roberts, Two Hearts in Winter is a story about learning to let go of the past, about realizing that, though hardship affects us, it need not define us, and about coming to understand and truly believe that beauty is sometimes covered in scars. The human heart has an amazing ability to forgive, to heal, and to hope, especially when touched by love.

Titles in the Ocean City Boardwalk Series:
Following His Heart, Book 1
Two Hearts in Winter, Book 2
Wild Hearts of Summer, Book 3
An Almost Perfect Christmas, Book 4
Grown-Up Christmas List, Book 5
The Wedding Planner’s Son, Book 6