Spotlight: Excerpt of A Winning Season by Rochelle Alers

Author: Rochelle Alers
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: August 2020

Sliding home…for a lifetime.
The girl next door…or a grand slam love?

Baseball ace Sutton Reed’s returned home triumphant after years in the majors. When he moves next door to a troubled young man, he’s determined to help—for the boy’s sake and for the boy’s gorgeous older sister, Zoey Allen. After sacrificing everything to keep her family together, Zoey has no time for romance…even with a hometown hero. But will this unlikely combo be the home run love story they all deserve?

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Enjoy this excerpt:

Excerpt, A WINNING SEASON by Rochelle Alers

***

Sutton gave Zoey her mug, noticing her hand had trembled slightly when their fingers touched. “Are you all right?”

“I’m good,” she said.

He wanted to believe Zoey was all right but the rigidness in her body said otherwise. He stood and moved to a nearby chair. “I’m sorry if I invaded your personal space.”

She lowered her eyes, staring into the contents of her mug. “It’s okay.”

Sutton drank his coffee, staring at Zoey over the rim. He was perceptive enough to know she had been completely at ease with him the day before, but this morning her body language said otherwise, and he wondered what he’d said or done to make her uneasy.

Suddenly it occurred to Sutton that he may have made a faux pas when he had referred to Zoey as pretty lady, especially when he did not know whether she was involved with someone. “I’m sorry, Zoey.”

She halted putting the mug to her mouth. “For what?”

“For making you uncomfortable because I called you pretty lady. Hell, I don’t even know if you’re involved with someone.”

Zoey swallowed a mouthful of coffee. The corners of her eyes crinkled when she smiled. “I really have to give it to you, Sutton Reed.”

A slight frown marred his natural good looks. “What are you talking about?”

“You did not make me uncomfortable, and if you wanted to know if I’m involved with someone, then all you had to do was ask.”

A hint of a smile replaced his frown. “Are you?” The seconds ticked as she met his eyes. “No. And I can’t afford to because of a promise I made to Kyle and Harper when they were little boys. I told them it would be just the three of us until they were old enough to take care of themselves.”

Sutton set his mug on a side table. “I can under-stand you making that promise when they were boys, but I doubt if Harper would hold it against you if you decided to start dating.”

“Right now, Harper has no say in how I live my life.”

“Is he giving you a problem?”

Zoey went completely still. “Why would you ask me that?”

“I was sitting out on the porch when he came home last night. Someone had dropped him off and I noticed he was a little unsteady on his feet.”

If Sutton saw Harper coming home obviously under the influence, then Zoey wondered how many of her other neighbors had also witnessed it. Zoey did not want or need people gossiping about the Allen boy drinking or possibly drugging. She had managed to raise Kyle to adulthood without an incident, but life was testing her because Harper had decided he wasn’t going to make it that easy for her.

“I don’t know you and you don’t know me, Sut-ton, and there’s no way I’m going to dump on you about my problems.”

Sutton angled his head, giving her a long stare. “You’ve lived in the Falls all your life and you should know that folks here always look out for one another. Those who have more than they need always share with those who don’t have enough. And it’s not al-ways about money.”

Zoey knew he was right. The people in the town had been more than generous when tragedy struck her family. Even now some folks still asked if she needed anything. She nodded. “You’re right. I give thanks every day that I live here and not somewhere else, because without the help of Preston McAvoy, the chamber of commerce and the worshippers at the church, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you.”

The local law firm had handled her legal prob-lems; local contractors had volunteered their services to make certain the house was free of violations; a company selling and installing gas heaters set up an installment plan for her to pay off the cost of the unit over three years.

“So once Harper graduates you plan to stay here?” Sutton asked.

Zoey smiled. “Where would I go?”

He shrugged broad shoulders under his tee. “I don’t know. Maybe you’d prefer someplace that has a little more excitement.”

She took another sip of the delicious brew. Sutton had made the coffee exactly how she liked it. “The Falls has enough excitement for the four thousand-plus folks who live here. Someone had submitted a proposal to the town council to open a club and it was unanimously voted down. What we don’t need is a club with people getting drunk and acting like fools. The town council in Mineral Springs has closed two clubs in the past four years because of fights and rowdiness.”

“The Springs has almost twice our population, so there’s bound to be a few more incidents than we have here.”

“Speaking of excitement, why did you decide to move back here after spending half your life in Hot-lanta?” Zoey had asked the question that had plagued her since hearing word that Sutton Reed was moving back to Wickham Falls.

Sutton closed his eyes for several seconds. “I never really got used to living in a big city. The crowds and noise didn’t upset me whenever I was at the stadium, but once the game was over all I wanted was some-place quiet where I could decompress.”

“Whenever you were interviewed you seemed so confident, so in control of yourself.”

“That was all an act, Zoey. I’d learned early on to switch it on for the cameras and microphones. There was one Sutton for the sports reporters and another Sutton when he was home behind closed doors.”

***

About the author:

 Hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today's most popular African-American authors of women's fiction, Ms. Alers is a regular on bestsellers list, and has been a recipient of numerous awards, including the Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing and a Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award. Visit her Web site www.rochellealers.com

Author links: 

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Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Her Second Chance Cowboy by Makenna Lee

Author: Makenna Lee
Publisher: Entangled Amara
Pages: 260
Genre: Contemporary Romance

BOOK BLURB:

Wealthy cowboy, James MacLachlan, is content running his massive family ranch and starting an equine therapy program for special needs children. After his mother died in childbirth, and witnessing his father’s destruction at the loss of true love, James sticks to casual affairs. Marriage and children are risks he won’t take.

Reese Turner visits Cypress Creek, Texas, to complete a photo assignment for National Geographic and buy back her grandparents’ cottage. After disastrous romances, she’s sworn off men to focus on her career. Marriage and the babies she longs for can wait. When she runs into an old flame, she decides she can live out a fantasy, then leave town to pursue her dreams. But love doesn’t play by the rules...

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Amazon → https://amzn.to/3ewdGh7

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My thoughts:

Her Second Chance Cowboy is a second chance romance featuring Reese and James.  I do love this trope.  It’s always fun to see characters who had attraction as teens come together again as adults.  It’s nice to see the ways in which they have changed and grown.  For the most part. I enjoyed this story.  I did find myself rooting for the couple.  My only complaint was the pacing. I felt like it meandered a bit too much in places. There was also a lot of miscommunication between the couple.    I did enjoy the “treasure hunt”.   I also loved ending.  I don’t know if this will be a series, but I would love to see what is up with Astrid and Finn.

Book Excerpt:

She opened the driver’s side door, then turned to tell him good night. “Thanks for dinner.” Was that her voice sounding all breathy and wanton?

“You’re welcome. If you come out first thing in the morning, we can get an early start and go for a ride. And work on my great-great-grandfather’s mystery.”

“I like that idea.” Get in, Reese. Drive away. Instead, she brushed a leaf from his shoulder.

His full lips lowered to the corner of her mouth. The caress was gentle. Brief.

The simple, innocent kiss hit a switch inside her. One that hadn’t been tripped since their last kiss, over eleven years ago. One that other men had not managed to tap into. Her entire body warmed, sparking a shiver and a desire to stay, but she needed tonight to gather herself.

This was her chance to stay in the cottage and convince him she could take care of it. Not the start of a summer romance.

But could she manage a temporary romantic reunion?

About the Author

Makenna Lee is an award-winning romance author living in the Texas Hill Country with her real-life hero and their two children. Her oldest son has Down syndrome and taught her to appreciate the little things, and he inspired one of her novels. As a child, she played in the woods, looked for fairies under toadstools, and daydreamed. Her writing journey began when she mentioned all her story ideas, and her husband asked why she wasn’t writing them down. The next day she bought a laptop, started her first book, and knew she’d found her passion. Makenna is often drinking coffee while writing, reading, or plotting a new story. Her wish is to write books that touch your heart, making you feel, think, and dream. She enjoys renaissance festivals, nature photography, studying herbal medicine, and usually listens to Celtic music while writing. She writes for Entangled Publishing and Harlequin and believes everyone deserves a happy ending.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: www.makennalee.com

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/MakennaLeeBooks

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MakennaLeeAuthor

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makennaleewriter/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/65227832-makenna-lee

Blog Tour: Review of Can't Help Falling in Love by Samantha Chase

Author: Samantha Chase

Publication Date: August 2020

Hunter Jones will do whatever it takes to make the best life possible for his son. Unfortunately, part of that requires relying on his now ex-wife—a woman who admits motherhood isn’t for her—to pull her weight for the sake of their boy. Yet when one of her erratic moments results in a missed daycare pick up, Hunter’s the one who gets accused of being a bad parent. He has nothing to prove to the opinionated stranger with the sassy smirk who openly berated him. Still, he finds himself irresistibly compelled to prove himself to her...

After growing up in the foster system, Violet Drake has zero patience for poor parenting. However, she’s the first to admit she was too harsh on Hunter when he arrived late to pick up his son... and that’s only partially because he’s insanely hot. It should have been an easy no when he asked her out. She’s constantly traveling for work, plus getting mixed up with a single dad is a monumentally bad idea. But the idea of spending time with him is too tempting to resist.

Their timing is wrong. They want completely different things. So why do they feel drawn to each other with each glance?

Goodreads: https://geni.us/FallingInLove-GR

Amazon: https://geni.us/FallingInLove-Amazon

Apple: https://geni.us/FallingInLove-Apple

Nook: https://geni.us/FallingInLove-BN

Kobo: https://geni.us/FallingInLove-Kobo

Google Play: https://geni.us/FallingInLove-Google

Can't Help Falling in Love is the fifth book in the Magnolia Sound series.  This is Hunter and Violet's story.  What I love about this series is that the characters come across as very real.  Their feelings and emotions are genuine.  Violet and Hunter both have feelings of inadequacy and not being "good enough" for  someone to want fight for them or to stay.  They were so much alike in their baggage that I think it made it harder for them to see the issues.  Thankfully, they had family and friends that called them out on their BS.  I loved this couple together.  There wasn't a ton of angst, which I was grateful for.  I also appreciated that three year old Eli actually acted like a three year old.  He was too cute and that epilogue was perfection.   I highly recommend this one.  Kyle's story is next and I can't wait.

About the Author

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

Website: https://www.chasing-romance.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamanthaChase3

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaChaseFanClub/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthachaseromance/

Newsletter: https://www.chasing-romance.com/newsletter

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-chase

Blog Tour: Review of Searching for Love by Melissa Foster

NEW RELEASE........

Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster's writing and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the fiercely loyal and sassily sexy characters in the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection. Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone or may be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance.

In SEARCHING FOR LOVE... 
Zev Braden and Carly Dylan have known each other their whole lives. Their close-knit families were sure they were destined to marry—until a devastating tragedy struck, breaking the two lovers apart. Over the next decade Zev, a nomadic treasure hunter, rarely returned to his hometown, and Carly became a chocolatier and built a whole new life across the country. When a chance encounter brings them back into each other’s lives, can they find the true love that once existed, or will shattered dreams and broken hearts prevail?

Find out in Searching for Love, a deliciously sexy, funny, and emotional second-chance romance.
**
Love in Bloom novels feature alpha male heroes and smart, empowered women. They're flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women's fiction.

Available to buy from ...

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

My thoughts:

I probably say this every time, but I just can't get enough of Melissa Foster's romances.  I absolutely loved Zev and Carly's story.  It was emotionally gut-wrenching, bittersweet and so adorable at the same time.  Imagine being in love since second grade with your best friend, experiencing so many firsts with them, losing them and finally getting them back?  This is the perfect romance to tell you how it should look.  I loved these two together.  I think that the time apart allowed both of them to grow up and work through their grief.  Their relationship ended up being that much stronger in the end.  I won't spoil anything, especially how they found each other again. Go read it. Not only will you find a great love story, you'll be treated to wonderful side characters. I loved the little surprise with Marie in the end. That was too cute.   I'm off to look up more of the back list for this series so I can catch up.  I HOPE we get Cutter's story, Birdie's story and Quinn's story at some point.

More Bradens & Montgomerys: Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls 

EMBRACING HER HEART

Leaving New York City and returning to her hometown to teach a screenplay writing class seems like just the break Grace Montgomery needs. Until her sisters wake her at four thirty in the morning to watch the hottest guys in town train wild horses and she realizes that escaping her sisters’ drama-filled lives was a lot easier from hundreds of miles away. To make matters worse, she spots the one man she never wanted to see again—ruggedly handsome Reed Cross. 

Reed was one of Michigan’s leading historical preservation experts, but on the heels of catching his girlfriend in bed with his business partner, his uncle suffers a heart attack. Reed cuts all ties and returns home to Oak Falls to run his uncle’s business. A chance encounter with Grace, his first love, brings back memories he’s spent years trying to escape. 

Grace is bound and determined not to fall under Reed’s spell again—and Reed wants more than another taste of the woman he’s never forgotten. When a midnight party brings them together, passion ignites and old wounds are opened. Grace sets down the ground rules for the next three weeks. No touching, no kissing, and if she has it her way, no breathing, because every breath he takes steals her ability to think. But Reed has other ideas… 

Available to buy from ...

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ANYTHING FOR LOVE

After Charlotte Sterling loses her last family member, she moves to Sterling House, her family's Colorado mountain inn, to live a solitary life. As an erotic romance writer, her days and nights are filled with passion and intrigue-even if only fictional. She loves her busy, quiet lifestyle, and she learned early on that real men can't live up to the fictional heroes she creates-until ruggedly handsome Beau Braden arrives to do some work at the inn and, for the first time in forever, she's intrigued by a real man.

Beau lost his first love years ago, and he's never let go of his guilt over her death. As he nears the anniversary of his loss, he is on the cusp of becoming the star of a home-renovation reality show. Escaping the painful memories of his past to work at the defunct old inn is just the promise of solitude he needs to clear his head before diving in to the all-too-public career. But he didn't count on being attracted to the whimsical, adorably sexy innkeeper.

Neither Charlotte nor Beau is looking for an attachment or a fling. But the more they learn about each other, the closer they become. Romantic evenings lead to intimate conversations, and neither can deny their deep connection or the passion it sparks. They've never fully healed on their own, but together maybe anything is possible. 

Available to buy from ...

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

TRAILS OF LOVE

When Graham Braden travels to Oak Falls, Virginia to attend the wedding of his buddy Reed Cross to Grace Montgomery, he sticks around to help with renovations to Reed's new theater. The last thing he expects is to be asked to assess and possibly invest in Grace's sister Morgyn's business endeavor. Graham is a careful, keen businessman, and Morgyn is impulsive, disorganized, and more interested in the energy flow in her eclectic retail shop than in the accuracy of her records. While Graham isn't ready to open his pockets to the sassy, sexy business owner, he may be ready to open his heart.

Available to buy from ...
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

WILD, CRAZY HEARTS

Brindle Montgomery and Trace Jericho have been close friends forever and on-again off-again lovers for years. As rebellious as they are stubborn, they're both perfectly happy with their no-strings-attached hookups. But when Brindle returns from a trip to Paris with a baby bump, it sends Trace's wild, crazy heart into a frenzy--and Brindle is left wondering if she's made the biggest mistake of her life.

Available to buy from ...
Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    Kobo    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

MAKING YOU MINE

Knox Bentley never liked the pomp and circumstance that came with being wealthy. He’d distanced himself from his pretentious family and their fortune as a young adult and found his own path to success. But even with the world at his fingertips, he realizes something is missing, and after a long stay overseas, he finally knows exactly what it is. His no-strings-attached hookups with Aubrey Stewart, an exquisite and stubbornly independent blonde, are no longer enough for him. They connect on every level, but Aubrey is a fierce businesswoman with a new movie channel on the horizon and no time for much else. She is the deal he can’t close, the precious jewel even his billions can’t buy. Now that he’s back in the States, he’s determined to show her that what they have goes beyond the bedroom and finally make her his.

Love in Bloom novels feature alpha male heroes and sexy, empowered women. They're flawed, funny, passionate, and relatable to readers who enjoy contemporary romance and women's fiction. For avid readers of the Love in Bloom series, you may have met sexy and hilarious Knox Bentley, Graham Braden's business partner, in Trails of Love, and Aubrey Stewart, one of the badass billionaire founders of the Ladies Who Write (LWW), in Anything for Love.

Available to buy from ...

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

HOT FOR LOVE - Releasing February 17th 2021

Trixie Jericho is on a mission to start her own miniature horse business. She’s sick of being told her idea is cute and wants nothing more than to be taken seriously. When rancher and sought-after freestyle horse trainer Nick Braden offers an opportunity she can’t refuse, Trixie jumps on it. The problem is, she also wants to jump on him, but the bullheaded, big-muscled, motorcycle-riding cowboy doesn't mix business with pleasure. Little does he know, Trixie has never backed down from a challenge, especially one she wants more than her next breath. Saddle up, big boy, because this boot-stompin’, risk-taking, Daisy Duke-wearing cowgirl isn’t afraid to play dirty.

Available to pre-order from ...

Amazon.com   Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble    KOBO    Apple   GPlay   Paperback

About the author

Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary 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 and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance and new adult romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex relatable issues.

Melissa also writes sweet romance under the pen name Addison Cole.

Melissa enjoys chatting with readers and book clubs. Send her an email invitation to your next event!

Never miss a brand new release, special promotions or inside gossip again by simply signing up to receive your newsletter from Melissa.

Find Melissa on the following sites....

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Instgram   Pinterest   Goodreads   Bookbub   Amazon Author Page

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I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

Click to get your FREE Love in Bloom Series Reading Order 

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Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway of Legacy of Secrets by Helen Starbuck

Book Title: Legacy of Secrets by Helen Starbuck
Category:  Adult Fiction, 243 pages
Genre:  Romantic Suspense
Publisher:  Routt Street Press
Release date:  March 2020
Content Rating: R for two explicit sex scenes, bad language, mild violence.

Other families pass down their stories, Kate Earnshaw’s family’s secrets disappear from one generation to the next. Kate Earnshaw's father's suicide has left many unanswered questions. In handling his estate she wonders if she ever really knew him. He never explained why he let his childhood home in Eastern Colorado fall into ruin or why he'd kept the property a secret. And he never told Kate about his close friendship with Evan Hastings, the handsome and somewhat puzzling man who lives on the property near the abandoned house. Evan seems to have as many secrets as her father and knows more about him than Kate did. But there’s something about Evan that calls her back to her father’s home. Something that threatens to unearth more than the past. Legacy of Secrets explores family secrets, a daughter's grief and her search for answers, and a chance for love.

Buy the Book:
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In Legacy of Secrets, Kate's father has committed suicide.  When she travels to see the house he left to her, she uncovers shocking secrets about her father.  Once there, she also meets Evan, an artist and close friend of her father's. 

For the most part, I enjoyed the story  There is a mystery along with the romance that I really enjoyed.  I didn't initially figure anything out and I liked the twists in the book.  As for the romance, I wasn't initially sold on it.  That was due to Kate's character.  I had a hard time connecting with her.  I felt like she was horrible to Evan and I wouldn't have blamed him if he walked away for good.  When there is a relationship like that, I have a hard time believing the chemistry.  She did make up for it in the end, but it took a bit too long to get there.  She was a a bit too overly dramatic for my taste.

Having said all of that, I do recommend this one for the mystery element.  It's a good one and worth checking out.  I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed my listening time.

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Meet the Author:

Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novel Legacy of Secrets, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series. She loves mysteries, suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman says, “…stories where women save themselves.”

Connect with the author:  Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads

Tour Schedule:

Aug 10 – Corinne Rodrigues | Booksnita – book spotlight
Aug 10 - From the TBR Pile – audiobook review / giveaway
Aug 11 – Book Corner News and Reviews – book review / giveaway
Aug 11 - I'm Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 12 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 13 – Olio by Marilyn – book spotlight / author interview
Aug 13 – Olio by Marilyn – book review / giveaway
Aug 14 – Stephanie Jane – book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 17 – Read and Review – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Aug 18 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Aug 19 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
Aug 20 – Books and Zebras – book review
Aug 20 - Books for Books – book spotlight
Aug 21 - T's Stuff – book review /guest post / giveaway
Aug 21 – Celticlady's Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
Aug 24 – Mystery Suspense Reviews – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway
Aug 24 - Sefina Hawke's Books – book spotlight
Aug 24 - Rajiv's Reviews - book review
Aug 25 – Amy’s Booket List – audiobook review / giveaway
Aug 26 – Pen Possessed – book review / giveaway
Aug 26 - Rebecca Graf on Medium - audiobook review
Aug 27 – Library of Clean Reads – book review / giveaway
Aug 28 – Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway
Aug 28 - The World As I See It – book review
Aug 28 - My Fictional Oasis – book review

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Cover Reveal: Just Roommates by Allie York

 The second book in the third season of the beloved 425 Madison Ave is finally here! Check out the lovely cover for JUST ROOMMATES by Allie York, a must-read roommate romance!
  

Sara

I’m known around 425 Madison, and to my friends, as Crazy Sara. While they never use the nickname to my face, I know my reputation precedes me. That’s just fine with me, after all I’ve got everything I ever wanted. I have an apartment in the swankiest building in NYC, a different date every night, and the future is mine for the taking.

Okay so maybe only one thing is missing - the perfect roommate to keep me company.

Unfortunately, the roommate who wants me is not what I had in mind. And my best friend gave me one rule: Don’t sleep with her brother.

Zack

With an art degree in hand it only makes sense for me to move to NYC. Both of my sisters live here and my new niece. New York has an endless supply of muses for my art and models to entertain.

Things were just fine in my new life, until my sister gets tired of me crashing in her guest room and decides I’ll be the perfect roommate for her friend Crazy Sara. I’m on board with a change of scenery as long as the scenery is my sister’s gorgeous friend. But turns our Crazy Sara isn’t really as crazy as they all claim and she’s not really interested in me - or at least that’s what she claims.

That’s fine, two can play this game.

After all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall in love!

Pre-Order Just Roommates toady!

Add to Goodreads!

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Want to jump into 425 Madison Ave now?

Don’t miss Just Swipe Right and Just A Little More, both by Allie York, featured in the first two seasons!

Read Just Swipe Right, Murphy and Eliza’s story

Read Just A Little More, Derek and Pipper’s story

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About Allie York

Allie is a mom and dog groomer by day. At night she is posted at her laptop writing or reading in a cozy corner. She has a soft spot for gooey romance, over-creamed coffee, and anything cute and furry.

Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

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About the 425 Madison Series

Welcome to 425 Madison Ave the perfect place to fall in love. Rounding out the summer with some hot city nights and coasting into fall with more cool characters at this famous high-rise, 425 Madison is returning for a third season!

With some familiar faces and some brand new residents - you'll be sure to find an author you love and a trope to ignite your taste buds after all 425 Madison IS the perfect place to fall in love!

We’ve got an amazing line of up must-read romance authors including, Lauren Helms, Allie York

J Marie, Kay Gordon, Marcie Shumway, Aubree Valentine, S.L. Sterling, and Fiona Tulle

Prepare for pages packed with new romances, characters, and tropes all from the same well-loved high-rise apartment building in NYC.

Season One and Two feature stories from some of your favorite romance authors: Leigh Lennon, MK Moore, Allie York, Aubree Valentine, Kay Gordon, Lauren Helms, Sylvia Kane, Katy Ames, KC Enders, Marci Shumway, and C. Lesbirel. All these authors came together, each with a standalone romance for you to enjoy. Covering all of your favorite tropes each tale offers you something new, something different.

Make sure to follow the 425 Madison Avenue Facebook page for more on release dates, cover reveals, and author spotlights. For exclusive excerpts, giveaways, and news subscribe to our 425 Madison newsletter!

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Catch up on the first two seasons, available exclusively in Kindle Unlimited!

Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Secret Crush Seduction by Jayci Lee

Author: Jayci Lee

Tropes/genre: Contemporary romance, friends to lovers, billionaire, dynasty, office romance, reunion

Imprint: Harlequin Desire

On-sale date: September 1, 2020

Price: $5.25

Format: mmp/ebook

ISBN: 9781335209214

She’s done waiting for what she really wants. Aspiring fashion designer Adelaide Song wants to prove she’s more than just a pampered heiress. All she needs is a little courage—and the help of deliciously sexy Michael Reynolds, her childhood crush and her brother’s best friend. But when her secret crush turns into an illicit liaison, Adelaide realizes mixing business with pleasure spells trouble for all her plans.

My thoughts: 
Secret Crush Seduction is the second book in the Heirs of Hansol  series.  This one is Michael and Adelaide's story.   I have to say, Jayci Lee is definitely a great slow burn romance writer. Like the first book, this is a really slow burn.  The chemistry between the couple is off the charts.  What made it even better was that they had grown up together and had a deep friendship first. 

I loved the side story about Adelaide's charity show.  Her autism awareness fundraiser was such a great idea. A fashion show with sensory friendly clothing for those on the spectrum that can be worn to the fanciest of galas and business attire that isn't fancy black sweatpants.  It makes me wonder if something like that exists in the real world.  If it doesn't then someone should get right on that.  I highly recommend this one.  I think it's my favorite out of the first two books.  I hope Colin's story is next.

Enjoy this excerpt:

What the hell kind of boy band medley is this?

A handful of young women—much younger than Adelaide Song’s twenty-six years—were spinning around in a circle on the dance floor at Pendulum, screaming along to some bubblegum pop song. It was early in the evening, and they were sloppy drunk.

Adelaide was most definitely not in the mood to play Ring Around the Rosie at her cousin Colin’s nightclub. After the face-off she’d just had with her grandmother, she needed to lose herself in good music and dance off her frustration.

What was the Tuesday DJ doing up there on a Friday night anyway? She hunted down Tucker, the top DJ and manager-in-training, to remedy the situation.

“Hi, Tucker.”

“Hey, Adelaide. You haven’t been in for a while. How are you doing?”

“I’ve had better days.” She smiled wryly. “Why is Ethan up there? I can really do without the over-the-top pop tonight. It’s a Saturday night. Let’s get some real jam going.” Adelaide looked over her shoulder and out into the club. “By the way, where’s Colin?”

“He had a meeting and asked me to hold down the fort.” The heavily pierced and tattooed DJ stared at his shoes and fidgeted under her scrutiny. “Ethan begged me to let him play for an hour, and I felt bad for the guy. He’s a good kid.”

“A good kid who is playing Tuesday night pop on a Saturday night.”

“I got you. I’ll take over,” he said with a shy smile. “Thank you. You’re the best.”

And it was true. He was an immensely talented DJ, and he should be proud of his mad skills. Within minutes, the sensuous, liberating strains of Tucker’s magic filled the air and calmed the tremors of frustration quaking under Adelaide’s skin.

For the last two years since she’d finished her MBA, Adelaide had been begging her grandmother to let her take her place at Hansol Corporation—the family’s multibillion- dollar apparel empire—but her answer was always, “Maybe next year.” It broke Adelaide’s heart because those words really meant that Grandmother still hadn’t forgiven her for her wild years in college.

It had been a time of switching from boyfriend to boyfriend, partying too hard to care about classes and distancing herself from the family. It wasn’t until her last year in college that she’d rediscovered her thirst for knowledge. She had cleaned up her act and learned to balance her responsibilities and recreations. That was nearly six years ago. But to her family, she was still an irresponsible wild child incapable of contributing any-thing of worth to Hansol. She felt a twinge of shame at her desperate plea to her grandmother. I’m not that kid anymore.

Refusing to let herself drown in sadness, Adelaide strode to the dance floor with sharp clicks of her stilettos and headed for a corner stage raised three feet from the floor. She gripped the railing when she reached the top and exhaled through pursed lips. Then she closed her eyes and let the music flow through her. The rhythm always grew in the pit of her gut and spread to her hips, legs, then the rest of her body. When it filled her to the brim, she danced.

Everything disappeared as it always did. Her loneliness. Her insecurities. Her grandmother with her dis-missive words and disappointed eyes. They all shrank and blurred as she moved her body, carried away by the music and its beat.

Her song came on. The bass in the music shook the dance floor and pounded in her blood. Primal and raw. She closed her eyes and lifted her arms above her head, tracing the outlines of the song with her body. She no longer existed. There was the song and she was its instrument. Adelaide wasn’t there anymore. She just danced. Danced until she was erased.

She heard a rough growl from beside her. The sound merged with the music in its feral possessiveness. It wasn’t until a pair of strong hands grasped her upper arms that she realized a person had emitted the sound. A very tall, blazingly furious man person.

“Goddammit, Addy. What are you doing here?”

“Good to see you, too,” she said with cool detachment.

Inside, she shivered with awareness and need that refused to be stilled. Michael Reynolds. Her older brother’s best friend, and her first love. Unrequited, of course. He treated her like she was his kid sister for the most part. In the meantime, she was burning up from his innocuous touch.

“Let me take you home,” he said. “Your grandmother’s worried about you.”

Damn it. She wasn’t finished flushing out the anger and melancholy from her system. Her insecurities were rampaging in her mind, and she couldn’t handle any more heartache tonight. So she closed her eyes again and danced to make Michael disappear, as well.

Since he still held her arms, she placed her hands on his broad chest and assumed the junior high slow dance position. But rather than shift awkwardly from foot to foot, she swerved her body in languid waves in time with the music. Michael stood frozen for a few beats, then expelled a sound between a cough and curse.

“I’m taking you home. Now.” He abruptly picked her up off the floor with an arm under her thighs and the other cradling her back, frowning down at her with the same look everyone bestowed on her. Disappointment.

Enough.

“Stop with the Kevin Costner impersonation, and put me down,” she said, pushing against his shoulder.

“No way.” A hint of humor sparked in his eyes. “I remember how fast you can run. I’m not in the mood to chase you.”

Adelaide spied movement from the corner of her eyes. The club bouncers were heading toward them with fists clenched. They knew she was Colin’s cousin and were a protective lot, and Michael was carrying her out of the club, looking angry as hell.

“Oh, for God’s sake. I’m not a ten-year-old, Michael.” She struggled in earnest. If the idiot didn’t put her down, he would get beaten to a pulp by the bouncers before she could de-escalate the situation. “You need to put me down. I’ll walk out with you.”

“Adelaide? You all right?” Too late. Four of the loyal bouncers had surrounded them. “I suggest you get your hands off of her, buddy.”

“I suggest you go back to your posts, gentlemen.” Michael’s arms tightened around her, and a dark, recklessness entered his eyes. Why was he acting like this? “I’m escorting Ms. Song home.”

About the author:

JAYCI LEE: Jayci Lee writes poignant, funny, and sexy romance. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. She is semi-retired from her 15-year career as a defense litigator, and writes full-time now. She loves food, wine, and travelling, just like her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal. She hopes her books will do the same for you.