It’s the second week of September and pumpkin spice lattes are already being served. Here’s to great coffee and great books!
❤ Indicates the books that I have read and recommend.
Complicated Love by Kristin Mayer (Sep. 9)
(Blurb)
Kaysen and I are happy with our no-strings-attached relationship even though he‘s my boss.
Or so I thought.
Now he wants more.
I’m not capable of giving more of myself, but I’m afraid to lose him.
He’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of but wouldn’t allow myself to have.
I don’t deserve him.
Kaysen doesn’t agree.
If I’m honest, we’re perfect for each other in every way.
And that complicates everything.
Need You Now by Molly O’Keefe (Sep. 9)
(Burb)
Marco
I have loved Rosa since I met her in high school English, even though the odds have always been stacked against us. She is the child of criminals, resigned to a bleak future. I’m the heir to a successful construction company and am not afraid to go after what I want.
And I want Rosa. Always and forever.
Rosa
I broke the law to make sure Marco got custody of our daughter, and I paid the price. But now that I’m out of jail, I’m terrified my ugly past might bleed into our daughter’s future.
The only way to ensure that doesn’t happen is staying far away from both of them.
But Marco isn’t letting me run from him. Not again.
Our Song by Lauren Runow (Sep. 10)
(Blurb)
After a devastating accident crushed my dreams, I ended up back in my hometown teaching kindergarten. I was trying to make the best of it. That is, until the world I had to leave behind, showed up in my classroom in the form of a five-year-old little girl. Her father living the exact life I almost had.
Adam Jacobson is known as the bad boy of rock. While he and his band tour the world, they leave a trail of mayhem. What no one knows is behind the music is a caring, straightedge man with a secret — a daughter who the world is about to discover.
When they move to my small town, their secret is blown. He needs my help to keep her out of the media, and with each exchange we grow closer. Only problem is I need to stay away from the memories he ignites, and the temptations he brings my way.
Secrets I’ve kept and thoughts of that fatal night come crashing back into my life. I have to wonder if it was more than fate that brought his little girl into my classroom.
❤ You Can Have Manhattan by P. Dangelico (Sep. 10)
You Can Have Manhattan is enemies-to-lovers perfection! It’s a fast-paced, humorous, sexy and sigh-worthy romance with a dynamic pairing of rivals, who are perfectly matched in intellect, determination and passion. Sydney and Scott are manipulated into a marriage of convenience by her boss, who is also his father, and they are absolutely explosive together from the moment they meet and attraction burns hot between them. They are both fiercely independent, competitive and want control, and Scott is willing to do about anything to get Sydney to run, including some ungentlemanly but hilarious shenanigans. They challenge each other at every turn through sizzling, rapid-fire verbal exchanges until passion downright consumes them. They fight and kiss, fight and kiss, and fight and kiss again, and I loved every minute of this thoroughly entertaining, emotionally-charged and deliciously wicked romance. Best of 2019.
❤ If It’s Only Love by Lexi Ryan (Sep. 10)
Lexi Ryan’s The Boys of Jackson Harbor series is a must-read, and the sixth, standalone book, If It’s Only Love, is a picture-perfect final installment. Shay is the only daughter among the six, tight-knit Jackson siblings, and she’s always crushed on her brother’s best friend, Easton. They’ve been great friends throughout the years, even after he moved away to play professional football, but they were also lovers for a time. Easton ended up breaking her heart, and their relationship has been strained for years, but, now, he’s retired, a single dad and has moved back home. He wants to prove to Shay that he’s the man she’s always wanted and needed, but he has an uphill battle to win her heart. You’ll feel everything as this charming and sexy dad carefully and methodically pursues the woman he’s always loved.
❤ Code Name: Sentinel by Sawyer Bennett (Sep. 10)
I am loving Sawyer Bennett’s Jameson Force Security series, which features a group of former military special forces who form a company to do the dangerous jobs that no one else wants to do. Code Name: Sentinel is the second, standalone installment, and it is a sexy, suspenseful and action-packed romance. Barrett is the President’s niece and a brilliant scientist on the brink of an energy breakthrough that could change the world. When there’s a threat against her, the President calls in a favor and asks Cruce and Jameson Force Security to protect her, but Cruce never expects to be attracted to Barrett and tempted to cross professional lines. As they fall fast and hard for one another, Cruce fights to keep Barrett safe, and you’ll feel your heart in your throat during every twist, turn and thrilling step of their journey to happily ever after.
Fighting Absolution by Kate McCarthy (Sep. 10)
(Blurb)
At fifteen, Jamie Murphy finds herself broken and alone, convinced she doesn’t need anyone.
Until she does.
Bear is the boy behind the fence, the one who was there for her when no one else was.
Until he’s not.
Left with nothing, Jamie joins the army hoping it will give her purpose. The last thing she expects is the best friend from her past to reappear in the dusty plains of a war-torn country. No longer the boy she once knew, Bear is now a man: big, bearded, and SAS—one of the army’s elite.
Soon Jamie finds herself not only fighting against her enemies, but her feelings for a man who left her once before. Can she risk losing him all over again?
Truly Yours: Mason & Sophie (Roommate duet #4) by Kennedy Fox (Sep. 10). Not a standalone.
(Blurb)
I knew within moments of meeting Mason Holt that he would change my life forever.
I just didn’t realize how much.
As my world spirals out of control, he continues to stay by my side, protecting and taking care of me. Being just friends is all he’s been able to offer, that is until both of our lives are threatened. Now that our relationship is blossoming into something more, I can’t be what he needs even if I wished I could.
Bad timing strikes again.
When I think we can finally be together, someone threatens to tear us apart. I’m not the same girl Mason met three years ago, but I’m determined to fight for what I’ve always wanted—him.
Make Me by Lani Lynn Vale (Sep. 10)
(Blurb)
Royal St. James got her name when she was born. Not because her mother loved her royally, but because Royal was a giant pain in the ass. She’s spent her entire life fighting to live, and the last thing she needs is to deal with some pretty-boy police officer who wouldn’t know a hardship if it came up and bit him in the…you know.
Justice Rector wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was raised to work hard and always fight for what he believed in. His father was a cop, and ever since he could remember, he wanted to be one, too.
It was a complete coincidence that he ends up going undercover and meeting Royal St. James. It was just one day, a single moment in time. All routine.
Just do the buy, make the bust, and get out.
But Royal St. James, aptly named, screws everything up. Royally.
All of a sudden, he has a decision to make: blow his cover and save the girl, or save himself.
Of course, he does the most stupid thing possible.
By saving the girl who most assuredly did not want to be saved.
Wrapped in Ink by Carrie Ann Ryan (Sep. 10)
(Blurb)
The Montgomery Ink saga continues with a new series set in Boulder, where a family secret might just change everything.
One mistake at a friend’s wedding rocks Liam Montgomery’s entire world, and everything he thought was true turns out to be a lie. But when an accident lands him in the ER, Liam meets someone that might just be the distraction he needs.
Arden Brady has spent her life in and out of hospitals. But according to the world, she doesn’t look sick. She’s lost jobs and friends because they don’t see beneath the surface, but she’s learned to rely on her family and herself to keep going. And then she meets Liam.
With two sets of overprotective siblings and a puppy that can’t help but get into everything, Liam and Arden might just fall harder than either one ever expected.
❤ Heartbreaker by Grahame Claire (Sep. 12)
Heartbreaker is a smart and sexy romance with a sassy, independent heroine and a swoon-worthy hero. Mulaney and Easton are longtime co-workers, friends and possibly more, but Mulaney continually resists the relentless pull between them. Easton has been patient with the prickly, brilliant businesswoman, but he’s decided that he’s ready to do anything to break down the walls that she’s erected around her heart. When their company is suddenly sold, their lives are thrown into chaos and his resolve is tested, but Easton is the ultimate book-boyfriend and doesn’t lose sight of the ultimate goal. Grahame Claire blends witty banter, sexual chemistry, endearing family dynamics and high-powered business intrigue to concoct a compelling and entertaining romance.
Into Thin Air by Kristina Beck (Sep. 12)
(Blurb)
Fed up with the endless demands of her job, Ellie seeks solitude from the chaos. As if by magic, she finds herself all alone in an exotic hotel. That is, until she meets the gorgeous guest next door. As time melts away, Ellie falls hard for Sam. Then he vanishes into thin air, taking his love with him. When he suddenly reappears, he isn’t the Sam she once knew, but her aching heart tells her otherwise.
Sam finds himself at a crossroads in his soccer career when a permanent injury forces him to make a difficult decision. He thinks seclusion in a luxury hotel is what he needs, until he sees the fiery redhead, Ellie. She has no idea who he is and becomes the woman of his dreams.
Like any vacation, it must come to an end… just not in such a tragic way. Sam thinks he’s responsible for Ellie’s death, and when he discovers she’s alive, she doesn’t greet him with open arms. The relentless fight for her dignity and career threatens to end their passionate reunion.
They said their love was infinite, but anything can change when reality comes crashing down.
Hard Place by Emily Goodwin (Sep. 12)
(Blurb)
Cold. Callous. Cocky.
A total playboy with abs for days, a panty-melting smirk, and a face the gods themselves would be jealous of.
And he’s my new boss.
None of that matters, because as a single mom, men like Alexander Harding are the last thing I need. What I do need is this job, so I’m going to keep my head down, work hard, and avoid that asshole as much as humanly possible.
But then he gives me an offer I can’t refuse, even though everything inside of me is warning me to run away and never look back. It’s just one weekend. One weekend to convince a bunch of stuffy investors that Alexander has changed from the player who spent more time in the bedroom than the boardroom into a family man they’d be happy to go into business with.
But the more time I spend with him, the more I realize that there might be a beating heart buried under his designer shirts and spectacular pecs after all…which is bad news for me.
Because the only thing worse than hating your boss is falling in love with him.
Another by Fiona Cole (Sep. 12)
(Blurb)
The first time I saw him, he entranced me and offered to help me forget my broken engagement.
The second time was on a blind date with no last names and undeniable passion.
The third time, I was eight months pregnant with his baby he knew nothing about.
This time he’s not letting me walk away so easily.
The Billionaire Book Club by Max Monroe (Sep. 12)
(Blurb)
The Billionaire Book Club Questionnaire
#1: Who is your least favorite character in the book?
Me—Caplin Hawkins. I am an absolute idiot.
#2: Who is your favorite character?
Gorgeous, addictive, insanely challenging Ruby.
She’s smart, driven, self-confident, and so beautiful, she makes my chest ache.
#3 What is your biggest takeaway from the story?
Ruby Rockford and I are meant to be.
I just have to prove it to her.
For the entirety of my adult life, I’ve been content.
Content in my single lifestyle, content in my stressful-but-extremely-successful job as the main corporate counsel for almost every Fortune 500 company in North America, and content in my playful, spontaneous ways.
I had no idea it was possible for someone to change my mind.
The endless women and work are no longer enough, and just as Ruby Rockford told me—it’s about time I grow up.
It’s going to take a strategic attack from more than a couple brilliant minds to win her affection, but luckily, I know exactly where to find the right guys for the job…
The Billionaire Book Club.
It’s safe to say that I, Caplin Hawkins, the man most women would call The Ultimate Player, have finally met my match, and man oh man, has my end game changed.
I’m coming for you, Ruby.
And soon, you’ll be coming for me, too.
