Dream With Your Eyes Open ~ #ReadaRomance ROMANTIC PICKS #RecommendedReads

July 10, 2020 by jhines340

“FROM THIS MOMENT ON is one of the most beautiful contemporary romances I’ve read!” ~ 5 Stars

For thirty-six years, Marcus Sullivan has been the responsible older brother, stepping in to take care of his seven siblings after their father died when they were children. But when the perfectly ordered future he’s planned for himself turns out to be nothing but a lie, Marcus needs one reckless night to shake free from it all.

Nicola Harding is known throughout the world by only one name – Nico – for her catchy, sensual pop songs. Only, what no one knows about the singer is that her sex-kitten image is totally false. After a terrible betrayal by a man who loved fame far more than he ever loved her, she vows not to let anyone else get close enough to find out who she really is…or hurt her again. Especially not the gorgeous stranger she meets at a nightclub, even though the hunger, and the sinful promises, in his dark eyes make her want to spill all her secrets.

One night is all Nicola and Marcus agree to share with each other. But nothing goes as they plan when instead of simply tangling limbs, they find a deeper connection than either of them could have anticipated. And even though they both try to fight it, growing emotions – and sizzling attraction – keep drawing them closer together. Close enough for them to wonder if stealing one more secret moment together can ever be enough?

Feel the thrills and chills of this heart-pounding romantic suspense fromNew York Timesbestselling author Heather Graham.

A love rekindled…or a deadly reunion? Even after a decade, Sarah Hampton is haunted by the night that nearly ended in a bloody massacre and destroyed her high school romance with handsome Tyler Grant. Now the horror has returned. It’s a reckoning from the events of that terrifying night—and a love they never let go. Only this time Tyler must protect Sarah from the killer hiding in the darkness…or lose her forever.

First published in 2018 as OUT OF THE DARKNESS. This edition published in 2020.

Seaside Summers features a group of fun, sexy, and emotional friends who gather each summer at their Cape Cod cottages. They’re funny, flawed, and will have you begging to enter their circle of friends.

3-Book Boxed Set

IN SEASIDE DREAMS
Bella Abbascia has returned to Seaside Cottages in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, as she does every summer. Only this year, Bella has more on her mind than sunbathing and skinny-dipping with her girlfriends. She’s quit her job, put her house on the market, and sworn off relationships while she builds a new life in her favorite place on earth. That is, until good-time Bella’s prank takes a bad turn and a sinfully sexy police officer appears on the scene.

Single father and police officer Caden Grant left Boston with his fourteen-year-old son, Evan, after his partner was killed in the line of duty. He hopes to find a safer life in the small resort town of Wellfleet, and when he meets Bella during a night patrol shift, he realizes he’s found the one thing he’d never allowed himself to hope for–or even realized he was missing.

After fourteen years of focusing solely on his son, Caden cannot resist the intense attraction he feels toward beautiful Bella, and Bella’s powerless to fight the heat of their budding romance. But starting over proves more difficult than either of them imagined, and when Evan gets mixed up with the wrong kids, Caden’s loyalty is put to the test. Will he give up everything to protect his son–even Bella?

***
IN SEASIDE HEARTS
Jenna Ward is vivacious, spontaneous, and confident–except when she’s around the man who stole her heart years earlier, strikingly handsome, quiet, and reliable Pete Lacroux. After years of trying to get his attention and overwhelmed from dealing with her mother’s new cougar lifestyle, Jenna’s giving up on Peter–and is ready to explore other men.

As the eldest of five siblings, with an alcoholic father to care for, boat craftsman Pete Lacroux always does the right thing and has no time for a real relationship. He’s looking forward to seeing his friend Jenna, a welcome distraction who’s so damn sexy and so painfully shy that she equally entertains and confuses him.

When Jenna picks up a hard-bodied construction worker, jealousy ignites Pete’s true feelings, and he’s powerless to ignore the desires for Jenna he never realized he had. But Pete’s not the quiet guy he appears to be, and his life is anything but conducive to a relationship. Can Jenna handle the real Pete Lacroux–the sexiest, most passionate alpha male she’s ever seen–or will she crack under pressure? And can Pete reclaim the life he once had without tearing apart his family?

***
IN SEASIDE SUNSETS
Jessica Ayers has lived a sheltered life with little more than cello lessons and practices taking up her day. Now a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she escapes the prim and proper symphony to vacation in the Seaside community in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and determine if she is living life to the fullest or missing it altogether.

For the first time since developing the second largest search engine in the world, billionaire Jamie Reed is taking the summer off. He plans to work from the Cape and spend time with his elderly grandmother–and falling in love is not in his plans.

From the moment Jamie and Jessica meet, the attraction is white-hot. Once-overly-focused Jamie can think of little else than sensual, smart, and alluring Jessica, and Jessica discovers a side of herself she never knew existed. But when Jamie’s business encounters trouble and his attorney and best friend intervenes, he proves that the blond beauty is too distracting for Jamie. To make matters worse, it appears that Jessica might not be who she says she is, turning Jamie’s life—and his heart—upside down. In a world where personal information is always one click away, Jamie must decide if he should trust his heart or watch the woman he loves walk away.

Struggling pro football wide receiver Derek Ramsey was once Rachel McCormick’s best friend and lover, and now they’re forced together again.

Gifted with an uncanny ability for evaluating football talent and a dogged determination to succeed in a man’s world, Rachel finally gets her chance in the pros as a staff member of the Seattle Steelheads. Her first assignment is to help Derek get his game back. While working with him on the field, she succumbs to the chemistry between them and spends a forbidden night in his arms.

The next day Derek has the best performance of his not-so illustrious career. Soon Derek and Rachel are racking up nights in bed, and the team is racking up wins. They’re risking it all, but they can’t resist each other. Not only is Rachel his coach, but Derek knows the truth behind a secret that destroyed her father years before.

Rachel and Derek are torn between love and duty, and the clock is winding down. It’s fourth and goal, one second left in the game. The next play Derek makes must be for Rachel’s heart.

Previously published as Fourth and Goal in 2011. This version has been extensively updated, re-titled, and edited.

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July 9, 2020 by jhines340

Romantic Comedy at its finest!

Susan’s only thinking of a promotion when her friend convinces her to take a shortcut transfer. But she should have read the fine print. North Carolina, her personal purgatory, is the one place she’s been trying to avoid since high school. When she learns her new office is located in Havelock, she quickly discovers her brusque Northern attitude is not welcome down South.

Susan’s never had any trouble making enemies, and Pete Walsh, the town’s version of The Bachelor, is no exception. When they lock horns on her first day of work, Susan discovers this ridiculously sexy miscreant is a worthy adversary. And while his pranks and fake Southern gentleman routine make her homicidal, Susan is shocked by Pete’s uncanny ability to see the insecure girl hiding behind her carefully constructed facade. And she’s not the only one wearing a mask…

After Susan’s world blows up, Pete helps her pick up the pieces. Enemies become friends, but is there more? When Susan’s personal needs collide with her career wants, she is forced to make the toughest decision of her life.

“My first day as a sleuth was more Stephanie Plum than Miss Marple.”

Meet Jessica Huntington, an amateur sleuth with a shopping jones and a black AMEX card, who soon learns that money can’t buy happiness or save her neck. With her well-planned life in shambles, Jessica’s hiding out near Palm Springs when her best friend’s husband is murdered. Jessica tries to help, but she and her friends are soon stalked by scoundrels in pantyhose, stilettos, Bruno Maglis, and Armani suits. Roger Stone had something that got him killed. What was it and what will they do to get it back?

Stuck on a beautiful Hawaiian island on Valentine’s Day, Kate Kupid is sure of one thing; being single on a tropical island made for lovers is a giant waste of time. Until she has an encounter on the beach that will change her life.

Eleven months later, back in the cold of Snowberry, Minnesota, the last person Kate expects to walk into her law firm is Mr. Hawaii Playboy himself. Dressed to the nines in an expensive Italian suit, Gideon Armstrong Jr. has come to reclaim what is rightfully his, Kate.

Gideon didn’t realize a dangerous adversary wasn’t afraid to use Kate as a prize in his game of cat and mouse, and now she must trust Gideon to keep her safe. Back in the Islands of Love, Gideon wants a second chance to prove he can fix Kate’s broken heart, but Kate wonders if her mashed up heart can handle the kind of love he has to offer. When bullets start flying on Kupid’s Cove, Gideon grabs his chance to make Kate his, once and for all.

Mafia. Murder. And a deadly vendetta.

Raised in a crime family.
She wants out. When the mob kills her cop boyfriend and ruins her chances for a new life, mafia princess Marisa Peruzzo vows to bring them down–at the risk of destroying her family and the only life she’s known.

A dedicated crime fighter.
For FBI Agent Dave Armstrong justice means choosing between right and wrong, black and white, and nothing in between. There is no place in his city for criminals, and he is determined to put mob boss Carlo Peruzzo out of business. But Carlo is powerful, dangerous, and cunning, and so far has eluded Dave’s efforts to arrest him. Until Carlo’s daughter surprises Dave with an offer of help.

But things aren’t always black and white.
Marisa is a woman who operates outside the neat little box Dave has always lived in, and while he understands her need for justice, he doesn’t approve of her methods. Yet in the course of his quest, Dave falls in love with Marisa, and his feelings make him question whether the world around him might actually be colored in shades of gray.

CHANCE TO WIN AN AMAZON FIRE!

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July 6, 2020 by jhines340

He had his eye on her for years. But she was married. Now she’s not. He’s all in.

Rachel Cameron prefers to lick her wounds and protect her children from gossip and shame in isolation on a small homestead in the Ozark Mountains. But life-long bachelor and ex-Marine Sheriff Garrett Stark has other ideas.

Drawn to Rachel, Garrett wields all the power and charm he can muster to insist she return to town for her safety and that of her children. Exasperation and anger rule on both sides. Rachel balks, but does not anticipate the raft of dizzying emotions stirred by the Garrett’s relentless attention.

The moment Garrett takes her into his arms, Rachel knows she must make a choice: honor the truth and face her fears or live forever as an outsider.

He knows things about her that no one could know; he makes her feel things she never knew she could feel…and he’s come back to warn her that a killer is watching her.

Although Katie grew up in Possum Holler, Georgia, she feels isolated and disconnected from the town’s residents—aside from her loving but oppressive husband. And while her job as his vet assistant is fulfilling, her growing discontent becomes uneasiness when local girls start disappearing.

Then, the boy who helped her through a horrible time in her childhood, and who was sent away because of that help, has come back to town. Spooky Silas, as he was known then, helps open her eyes to the emotional manipulation of the man she married, encouraging the return of her feisty self.

But that’s not the reason Silas has returned. He knows something about the missing girls. And he knows Katie is next. He has always loved Katie but stayed away to keep her safe from the shadowy abilities he possesses. Those abilities may help, or they might ultimately plunge her into more danger as he grows closer to the killer … whose face is terrifyingly familiar.

If you enjoy intricate mysteries that span several generations like Netflix’s series Dark, then check out The Library today!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐“The plot is intricate, while also being easy to follow…The paranormal aspect is well done. While not the central focus, the ghosts offer just enough to give Mark — and readers — something to think about.” — TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE

In 1934, the body of a beautiful, but poor young woman was found alongside a riverbank near The Depot. Beaten to a pulp, only recognizable by a tattoo on her ankle, and yet, days after the discovery, the story all but disappears.

Eighty years later, locals claim The Depot is haunted. But in all the years homicide detective Mark Waters has visited the historic 1800s train station turned restaurant, he’s never seen proof. Until now.

As he sifts through evidence of a supposed suicide by train, he learns a murder that took place eighty years ago may directly affect his case.

Six months after the strange occurrences at The Depot, there’s another murder. This time, The Library holds secrets of several murders, and the dead won’t rest until the murderer checks out too.

Note: The Library (Where Life Checks Out) is a 50k-word follow-up novel to The Depot (When Life and Death Cross Tracks), which is included in this special edition so readers who haven’t read The Depot won’t miss anything.

Cathryn Blankenship has no desire for a Season in London! Why on earth would her father want her to leave her home in Charles Town? Upon Cathryn’s steadfast refusal, Governor Blankenship is forced to assign a young lieutenant to watch over Cathryn on the journey and ensure his daughter’s appearance in London. Cathryn finds Lieutenant Jake Pennington the most aggravating, maddening man she has ever met-a man Cathryn soon admits she is in no hurry to see leave.

But fate has other plans for her in a world she is ill prepared to enter. She descends into a place where love and betrayal go hand and hand, where greed and treachery are second nature, but moreover the threat her father believes he has sent her is awaiting her arrival. When fate tears her apart from her Lieutenant, Cathryn finds herself desolate and alone. Soon, Cathryn makes a fateful decision that will send her back to a home far different than the one she left.

A war rages. Soon, she discovers her life is in danger and the only one that can save her is the one who left her heartbroken.

Three Winners! More than $125 in Prizes!

Grand Prize FIRE HD

#KDP #BEACHREADS ROMANTIC PICKS #FREE READS with KDP

June 16, 2020 by jhines340

Mitch Taylor and Rebecca Sorenson share a secret.

Rebecca’s job as secretary of Cascade Elementary, the same school she attended as a child, is rewarding. She has a great group of friends, many of whom are married now. And if sometimes she wished it were her up there in that sparkling white dress…
Except, wait—she did get to wear bridal white. Granted, it was a slinky party dress and the justice of the peace was Elvis in a gold lame jacket, but still, the deed was done.
She’d tied the knot.
Mitch Taylor doesn’t do regrets. It would be a waste of energy bemoaning the mistakes he’d made in his life. The end of his promising football career taught him nothing in life was a guarantee.
Like love.
What were the chances two people from the same po-dunk town in Washington would end up together in a nightclub in Las Vegas? A few too many drinks later, a hasty ceremony performed by the king of rock ‘n’ roll, and they’d been hitched. The night that followed lived on in his dreams, but when he’d woken the next morning she was gone.
Can these two mismatched lovers find a way past their mistakes, or will they keep their lonely hearts forever guarded?

The legend, they say, is whispered within the winds along the magnificent Preda Mountains. Words and deeds never to be forgotten of the Arachnidan Terror.

Children sing to the glory of the Sordarins. Young lads praise their heroes of the past with dreams of following in their footsteps. Old men bask in the deeds of another time, a time when the Sordarins crushed the impending threat and once more Scarladin was safe.

The mighty Sordarins, rulers of the sky! The people look high up in the clouds and see their warriors soaring under the sun and know they are safe and secure in their world never to have to worry about the threat of the Arachnidans and the dreaded Asmeodai! The ones whose quest seek only to destroy all the Sordarins have ever known.

Over the years, the Sordarins have slept well, secure in their knowledge the Great One watches over them, knowing that the legends hold a mighty warrior will emerge if threatened again, a warrior born with a destiny to defend their world.

Now, though, subtle changes have emerged. Little by little, fears begin to resurface that their world, their very existence is once again threatened. They look to the skies anxiously awaiting their warrior; questioning perchance if the Great One has forgotten them.

I know this how? I am the one born to defend their world. I, Kela Calledwdele, was born a Euchoun…I am their warrior.

Rylee couldn’t believe her rotten luck…

Being chosen as one of the agents to play bodyguard to a spoiled billionaire while sailing on a Caribbean cruise depresses her… a lot. The dude – so important to the government that they’re willing to provide the best to protect him – won’t even know they’re in place. The big question – why her? She prefers work that matters, the dirty jobs, on the streets, in the trenches, and her boss knows it. Keeping Mr. Fancy Pants out of the clutches of a worshipping stalker, mercenaries and a man out to seek revenge for an old injustice just annoys her.

Not excited about his pending cruise, before boarding the ship, Jake Andrews sees an enticing woman on the pier and decides it might not be so bad after all. Becoming landlord to two stowaways – one being a tiny kitten – isn’t at all in his plans for this vacation either. His goal is to finish his phone app for the Pentagon, have a good long rest to heal from recent stress and take a break from being threatened, stalked and attacked.

But if he can spend some of the voyage romancing this chick, that might add enough spice to his days… and nights for the trip to prove eventful.

Surprise!

Eventful doesn’t even come close…

When Bethany is saddled with an unwanted, unrefined, and decidedly common guardian, she must polish him up before he’s fit for good society. As for Willoughby Winter, all that stands between him and his inheritance is to marry Bethany off. Can he succeed in his efforts before his past becomes known or will she manage to distract him from his goal—by hook or by crook?

Obscure Reality~ #ReadaBook #RomanceNovels ROMANTIC PICKS #Bargain and #Free eBooks

June 12, 2020 by jhines340

Cathryn Blankenship has no desire for a season in London! Why on earth would her father want her to leave her home in Charles Town? Upon Cathryn’s steadfast refusal, Governor Blankenship is forced to assign a young lieutenant to watch over Cathryn on the journey and ensure his daughter’s appearance in London. Cathryn finds Lieutenant Jake Pennington the most aggravating, maddening man she has ever met…a man Cathryn soon admits she is in no hurry to see leave.

But fate has other plans for her in a world she is ill prepared to enter. She descends into a place where love and betrayal go hand and hand, where greed and treachery are second nature, but moreover the threat her father believes he has sent her is awaiting her arrival. When fate tears her apart from her Lieutenant, Cathryn finds herself desolate and alone. Soon, Cathryn makes fateful decisions that will send her back to her home.

A home far different than the one she left. A war rages. Soon, she discovers her life is in danger and the only one that can save her is the one who left her heartbroken.

Revised and Edited June 2020

THE WEDDING PLANNER’S SON ~ BARGAIN $0.99

Tawny McNealy is a driven, high-achiever who fully expects to someday take over and run the family accounting firm. But when an attempt is made to use her as a pawn, Tawny flees to the only place she’s ever felt truly free and happy—the beach.

Jack Barclay spends his summer days creating romantic seaside weddings for lovers. His laid-back attitude has served him well over the years. He feels stressing out about work only causes a person to miss the best parts of life.

Jack and Tawny are as different as sea and sky, but the fascination they find in each other’s company can’t be denied. Can they withstand the crazy twists that fate tosses their way?

MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY ~ BARGAIN

A charming, warmhearted novel from the author of the New York Times bestseller A Man Called Ove.

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy—as in standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-strangers crazy. She is also Elsa’s best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother’s stories, in the Land-of-Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas, where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa’s grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa’s greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother’s instructions lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and old crones but also to the truth about fairy tales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry is told with the same comic accuracy and beating heart as Fredrik Backman’s bestselling debut novel, A Man Called Ove. It is a story about life and death and one of the most important human rights: the right to be different.

She’s HOT! He’s BOTHERED! Together they Sizzle!

“You need an attitude adjustment!” Samantha Logan told Adam Rourke.

She didn’t care that he was rich, she didn’t care that he was handsome, and she didn’t care that her boss was his surrogate father.

She tried to ignore the fact that his deep voice hit her behind the knees and made her feel oddly off balance. And she was sure those heart palpitations were the result of drinking two five-hour energy drinks in less than thirty minutes and definitely not from a pair of broad shoulders, green eyes and a sexy stubble.

He was way too cynical, thought he knew it all, and had her reaching for three Excedrin™ and a couple of Tums™ in less than five minutes!

Samantha Logan, he decided, was the proverbial sexy librarian fantasy – with dancer’s legs and a curvy ass. Her blonde hair was piled precariously on top of her head, held in place by a bright yellow pencil. A few flaxen wisps had escaped, teasing against a softly rounded face. Square blue-tinted eyeglasses highlighted even bluer eyes. She was smart, sassy, way too funny – and she had no idea she was all that.

When she pulled the pencil from her topknot, he watched her hair untangle and drift down to her shoulders, in a sexy-just-out-of-bed, mess-me-up-more tumble. Adam hadn’t realized he was even holding his breath, until he coughed in relief.

Right now, she was mad! Her barefoot angrily tapping against the carpet. And way too sexy, he tried to blink that observation away. There was nothing left to do but apologize. But she had looked him straight in the eye and insulted him!

Even after two tours of duty in Fallujah, Adam wasn’t sure he could handle a woman who: wrangled a team of SEALS for the Wounded Warrior Project, was banned from singing, humming or playing golf, had an oven timer that played Beethoven’s Fifth, loved all things chocolate way too much, preferred puppy kisses over his, and owned a moose named Morti.

There was only one thing for this Marine to do – man up, take her down and demand a zerbert – whatever the hell that was!

Voted by Turning Pages – winner erotic romance category for 2012!

Dreaming With Open Eyes ~ #ReadaRomance ROMANTIC PICKS #Bargain and #Free eBooks

June 11, 2020 by jhines340

Marcia Hadley, Santa Barbara, California socialite has been married for seven years to the heir of a family fortune. He sees to it that she has the finest home, cars and clothes. Yet that isn’t enough to keep Marcia from running.

Dani Reynolds, Atlantic City nightclub cocktail waitress works on her feet seven hours a night, five days a week for less than minimum wage in a crowded, smoky nightclub. She lives in an aging, run-down apartment, rides the city bus, and she’s happier than she’s ever been.

Marcia and Dani have more in common than anyone could imagine. They are the same woman.

Only Taylor Villanova, the club’s sexy bouncer can help her reconcile her two distinct personas, face her greatest fear and discover a love greater than she’d ever imagined.

Zoey Mathers had everything going for her until one night she lost her biggest client, her job, and her reputation. Leaving her life up to fate, Zoey closed her eyes and pointed. She would serve out her career exile in the small mountain town of Moonshine Hollow where moonshine flowed as freely as a mountain stream.

Giving up the law to become a baker in Moonshine Hollow turned out to be the best thing Zoey had ever done. She was happy and enjoying life in her new small town. But Zoey should have learned the first time . . . one night can change your whole life.

After unknowingly crashing a battle between witches, Zoey accidentally becomes a witch herself. That’s all before Zoey stumbles over a murder victim and the town’s sheriff becomes involved. Now she’s trying to find a murderer, stop two old witches from playing matchmaker, and learning she’s way more than a mere accidental witch.

And that’s all before fate turns up one more sexy hunk of a twist . . .

Derrick’s desire to save one human girl will ignite a war…

For four thousand years, creatus have concealed themselves from the humans who hunted them almost to extinction. Unwittingly, one creatus will endanger them all…

As with most of his family, Derrick Ashton knows his future and what position he’s destined to fill within his unique society. Everything changes, however, when he breaks one of his family’s strictest laws and falls in love — with a human.

In his quest to protect the woman he can never have, a twist of fate propels him into a new role that will cause dissension among his family and endanger the anonymity that they’ve spent thousands of years protecting.

Now, he will risk everything to save the girl from humans and his own kind. The one thing he can’t save her from, however…is herself.

The Creatus series is not your normal paranormal story…it’s a realistic supernatural romantic suspense based on the myths you’ve heard your entire life. Prepare to believe…

A woman with a burning need to break free from her past . . .

Rose Landro is on the run. Seeking refuge at the Rimrock Ranch, she is finally ready to claim the land her granddaddy left her and make a fresh start. But her return is rife with controversy when cattle begin disappearing—and a handsome menace named Tanner McCade starts watching Rose a little too closely. Could the new cowhand be connected to the men she’s hiding from? Or is there another reason the rugged stranger is shadowing her every move?

A man ready to fight boldly for his future . . .

There’s a secret in Rose Landro’s eyes, a mystery that Special Ranger Tanner McCade is determined to uncover. Even if the beauty isn’t behind the cattle rustling he’s investigating, she’s way too skittish, and all too exquisite for Tanner to just let slide past his piercing gaze. Then he discovers a vulnerability in Rose that has him aching to protect her—and longing to possess her. . . .

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