Enemies make the worst neighbors, but the best lovers in Sara Rider’s MAKE ME FALL, the second book in her standalone Books & Brews series. Eli doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for his uptight neighbor, Nora, until he hears about her “un-datable” status and all it takes is one disastrous date with Nora for Eli to fall hard. Fans of Lauren Layne, Jenny Holiday’s ONE AND ONLY, and THE FINE ART OF FAKING IT by Lucy Score will devour this opposites attract, fun buy sexy romance.  

Title:  Make Me Fall

Author: Sara Rider

Release Date: September 24, 2018

Publisher: Self-published

Series: Books & Brews #2

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Page Count: 226

After losing her job, her home, and her friends in her divorce, Nora Pitts is determined not to make the same mistakes when she starts over in the small town of Shadow Creek, Washington. No more toiling away in the lab at the expense of her social life, and definitely no more men. Ever.  But making friends in her thirties is so much harder than she anticipated. And when it comes to her gorgeous yet obnoxious neighbor, it’s a whole lot easier to make enemies.

Eli Hardin doesn’t have a lot of sympathy for his uptight neighbor, until he overhears her so-called new friends making fun of her un-datable status. Suddenly he finds himself volunteering for a date with a woman who’s been leaving angry hate-notes in his mailbox, and in way over his head. Because all it takes is one disastrous date with Nora for Eli to fall hard.

But falling for Eli isn’t something Nora’s ready for—not when he’s her complete opposite, and especially not when he turns out to be the best friend she’s made in Shadow Creek. But as her attraction and her feelings for Eli grow hotter, resisting him might just lead to heartbreak anyway.

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MAKE ME FALL Excerpt

Copyright © 2018 Sara Rider 

Eli marked off twenty-six and three-quarter inches as precisely as he could and lifted the blade of the circular saw.

“Oh my God, I soooo wasn’t kidding,” one of the women next door said loudly. “Nora really does need to get laid.”

His shoulders tensed. This wasn’t the first time he’d overheard the women loudly shit-talking his neighbor behind her back. He had no idea why she hung out with them.

“Maybe you should set her up with someone,” another woman added.

The other two laughed. “Can you imagine Nora on a date? She’s so uptight and frigid. Who would want to date her? No lay is worth that kind of torture. Can’t you just picture her busting out her bottle of sanitizer before the poor sap tries to hold her hand?”

His jaw tensed and he felt the last of his patience snap like an icicle in his warm hands. He sliced the saw through the wood, threw his protective glasses onto the ground, and marched over to the waist-high chain link fence. “I’d do it.”

All three women turned to look at him like he was a space alien who’d just beamed down to earth. The one who’d been talking the most leaned forward in her seat. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me. I’d go out with her.”

“You can’t be serious.”

The more this woman pushed, the more he wanted to put her in her place. No, Nora was not the kind of woman he would normally ask out—mainly because she was one of the few who didn’t seem to fall for his charm. In fact, he was pretty sure she didn’t think he had any charm whatsoever, but she was attractive and smart enough to read a book every month. That alone made her more dateable than half the population in this town. “Sure as hell am.”

The woman leaned forward, smiling at him like he was freshly caught prey in her snare. “If you’re looking for a date, I could show you a much better time.”

He shrugged, keeping his fake smile on his face. “No thanks. Backstabbing and mean isn’t my type.”

He probably enjoyed the shocked look on the woman’s face a little too much, but it was seriously fucking rude to trash-talk the hostess while sitting on her porch and eating her canapés.

The screen door slid open right at that moment. Nora walked out with a plate of decadent-looking mini-chocolate cakes that made his mouth water on sight. Her eyes darted from her friends to him and back again. “Um, what’s going on?”

He rested his hands against the old chain-link fence. “What’s going on is that your so-called friends are talking trash about your love life behind your back and don’t seem to think you can get a date. So I volunteered.”

“You what?”

“Volunteered. You and me. Tomorrow night at seven. I’ll drive.”

She slammed the cake tray onto the coffee table and set her hands on her hips. She looked around, like she couldn’t decide where to focus her anger. Of course she settled on him. “Who says I’d want to go out with you?”

He raised his eyebrow, liking the way she got flustered around him a little too much. “Got better plans?”

Even at the distance between them, he could see her suck in a breath. Her mouth hardened into a flat line, but she didn’t say no.

“Tomorrow. Seven. Dinner. Oh, and consider making new friends who aren’t so damn mean. These ladies don’t deserve any of those amazing-looking cakes.” He grabbed his plank of wood and headed into the house, wondering what the hell he’d just gotten himself into.

Want Some More Books & Brews from Sara Rider? Pick up a copy of RIGHT KIND OF LOVE today!

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About Sara Rider:

Sara Rider writes contemporary romance full of heart, heat, and happily ever after. She lives in British Columbia with her husband and daughters. She spends far too much time in public libraries and never leaves the home without her e-reader stuffed in her purse.

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Get Your First Look at QUICK FALL by Michelle Dayton!

Here’s your FIRST LOOK at QUICK FALL by Michelle Dayton! Join us as we get our first peek at this spicy, yet sweet opposites attract romance. Check out the excerpt and enter to win a gift card and advanced reader copies!

Find out what happens in QUICK FALL by Michelle Dayton, when sparks fly between Justin Tracy, the eternal ladies man, and his new tenant, Maddy Trainor, a feisty single mom.  It was supposed to be uncomplicated fun and sexy times … it wasn’t supposed to be love. Fans of Christina Lauren and NO MORE MR. NICE GUY by Amy Andrews will love this spicy and sweet opposites attract romance.

Title: Quick Fall

Author: Michelle Dayton

Published: October 8, 2018

Publisher: Self-published

Series: Tracy Brothers #2

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Justin Tracy, the perennial life of the party, is used to being teased by his friends about his success with the ladies.  Not that he’ll ever get serious with one.  Why should he?  His life is absolutely perfect the way it is. But at his brother’s bachelor party, a drunken bet about his womanizing skill gets a little out of control. Before he knows it, his friends have invited his new tenant – a woman he’s never even met – to go to his brother’s wedding with him.

Single mom Maddy Trainor has just moved back to Chicago, ready to reclaim her life and conquer the city.  Maddy’s determined to get her new business off the ground and build a happy home for her son, Teddy.   She didn’t expect a gorgeous landlord, but ogling Justin Tracy is definitely a bonus to her new apartment.

Justin intends to apologize to Maddy for the out-of-the-blue wedding invitation and get gone, but his new neighbor turns out to be funny, whip-smart, and sexy as hell.  Why not take her to the wedding for real?  Just as friends, of course.  To Maddy, the wedding – one night of champagne and dancing with a self-admitted Peter Pan – sounds like amazing no-strings fun.  But the sparks that blaze between the two of them can’t be contained to one night.  And two people who think they have life figured out are about to realize they know nothing about love …

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Quick Ride Excerpt

Copyright © 2018 Michelle Dayton

Justin caught Maddy in his arms just as she turned to head back to their table. “Not so fast,” he said. “May I have this dance?”

Her cheeks were flushed from the exercise, and her eyes glowed like candles again. “Absolutely.”

He pulled her close. So close he could smell the shampoo she’d used on her hair. She moved her hands up and down his biceps before settling them lightly on his shoulders. He gripped her hips, loving how they swayed back and forth beneath his touch.

Everything felt so good that half the song passed before he spoke again. “You looked great out here,” he murmured into her hair.

She tipped her head back. “I told you I love to dance.”

He moved his hands from her hips to her lower back so that she was pressed even tighter against him. Then he whispered in her ear, “You did not tell me, however, how sexy you look while doing it.” Bizarrely, on their own, his lips traveled down and pressed a kiss to the skin beneath her earlobe.

What the hell was he doing? He was never into PDA. Occasionally, he’d put his arm around a woman or give her a teasing kiss on the cheek—the kind that came with a smacking sound effect. He didn’t even usually hold hands.

But here he was, in public, with his mouth on Maddy’s skin. And it wasn’t a dry peck either. His lips wanted to explore. His tongue was dying to taste her. Briefly, he let it.

She shivered against him, moved her own hands higher so they were locked around his neck. “Some things you just have to find out for yourself.”

The words were a throaty chuckle, said with the cadence of a confident woman. He went hard as a rock.

Pressed so tightly against him, she could hardly fail to notice. Would she pull away, deflect, pretend they weren’t rubbing against each other as much as physically possible in public?

She didn’t. In fact, she did something between a whisper and a moan, stood on her toes, and kissed his throat.

Jesus. “When this song ends, you’re going to have to shield me as we walk back to our table.” His voice was a desperate laugh. “You’ve put me in a … complicated position.”

She squirmed against him, making it worse. “Really?” she said innocently, arching an eyebrow. “This position seems fairly simple to me.” She laughed, low in her throat. “I’m guessing you know positions that are a lot more complicated.”

Meet Justin’s older brother, Garrett Tracy!

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About Michelle Dayton:

There are only three things Michelle Dayton loves more than sexy and suspenseful novels: her family, the city of Chicago, and Mr. Darcy. Michelle dreams of a year of world travel – as long as the trip would include weeks and weeks of beach time. As a bourbon lover and unabashed wine snob, Michelle thinks heaven is discussing a good book over an adult beverage

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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

What’s a superheroine to do when her super soldier ex turns up alive after more than fifteen years?

Follow the first look and enter to #win a $10 Amazon Gift Card or one of five digital copies of a Jen Doyle backlist title

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Title: Butterfly Ops

Author: Jen Doyle

Series: Butterfly Ops

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy with Romantic Elements

Release Date: Sept 24, 2018

Length: 120,000 words

What’s a superheroine to do when her super soldier ex turns up alive after more than fifteen years?

Lyndsey doesn’t have much time to walk down memory lane before she and Ian find themselves thrown together to investigate the mysterious deaths of ten young men in the Canadian wilderness. How do such seemingly normal, healthy men’s hearts just…stop?

With the hint of an evil spirit in the wind–and a whole lot of butterflies–there’s no telling what Lyndsey and Ian are dealing with, including their own extensive baggage. Though seventeen years is a lot of life to live, there’s one thing they can’t deny: their attraction is as intense as ever. But is it just a spark that will burn itself out, or is it true love bringing them back together? When the force they’re hunting turns its sights on them, the leap of faith required far exceeds either of their powers. But worrying about their future might be premature because one wrong move and they might not make it out alive.

In Book One of the Butterfly Ops trilogy, Lyndsey and Ian reconnect fifteen years after seeing each other for what each thought was the last time. That the spark is still there is undeniable—but is it enough to get past the secrets and lies that tore them apart the first time around? With old tensions rearing their heads as new challenges arise, what at first seems to be a sure path back to trust and happiness is rockier than it seems.

Note: this is Book One in a serial trilogy. Book Two will be released in Spring 2019; Book Three will be released in early Summer 2019. Books should be read in order. 

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Excerpt 2:
Of course, in all the years since the night they’d broken up, Lyndsey had realized it went a lot further than him just trying to get her to leave; he’d probably had a much better sense of what was to come after he did. Asking Lyndsey to come with him had been Ian’s last resort, what he’d fallen back on when she’d refused to back down. But remembering that about him—understanding how deeply he’d wanted to protect Lyndsey that night, it wasn’t too hard to guess what the last fight with his wife was about. “You wanted her to stay home. You didn’t want her on that flight.”

“I wanted her to be the one who didn’t die,” he snapped. Then, clearly aware of how defensive he sounded, his voice grew quiet. “It was one of those things you say in the heat of it all, just to make someone mad.” He paused before adding, “But I was too damn proud to give in. Biggest mistake I ever made in my life. Thought I couldn’t top the one I made with you. It turns out I was wrong.”

When he looked up there were tears in his eyes. His hand was right there, resting next to hers. How could she not reach out to him? She couldn’t help it any longer.  “Ian…”

She supposed it wasn’t a shock that he pulled his hand back. The only real surprise was that he didn’t walk away— and that he actually kept talking.

“It took a few months for it to fully hit. I totally lost it at Jack’s first birthday party. It was the first time they let Matt leave the hospital. Saw him in that wheelchair and whammo.” The detachment was back; there was even a touch of the self-deprecating thing Ian was so good at. “Handed Jack over to my mom and barely made it upstairs. It wasn’t pretty. Mom’s been here ever since. My dad retired two years later and came east. There you have it.” He spread his hands open wide. “No more secrets.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Lyndsey said quietly. “I’m so sorry.”

He picked up his beer bottle and tossed it across the deck, sinking it perfectly into the trashcan. There was the sound of the glass shattering. “Yeah. So… Eight and a half years. The first few were hell. It’s gotten better.”

“Thus all the women in your life,” Lyndsey said, surprising herself with the words she’d just spoken out loud.

Now why would she go and say that? There was nothing but bad there.

He raised his eyebrows in a ‘Really?’ kind of way. Part amused, part irritated, Ian answered, “I’ve got plenty of women in my life.”

“Your kids, your mom, Matt’s wife. Seems you’re missing a biggie.”

And, no, she had absolutely nothing invested in the response to that.

“You, too?” He seemed to be looking around for something else to throw. “I don’t need anyone else trying to fix me up. I’m perfectly—”

“Happy,” she finished for him. “Yeah. That’s what I tell them, too. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.” If she had to be perfectly honest.

There was a pause before he said, “So why aren’t you?” He folded his arms in front of his chest, the smile on his face saying, Dare ‘ya.  “Happy, I mean.”

She hesitated. Hadn’t quite expected him to throw it right back at her. He’d never been one for asking questions; everyone who knew him knew that.

“Thinking about changing the subject?” he said, his smile broadening. “Unh-uh. Your turn.”

Talk about busted. Darn it. She shrugged. “I’ve been in love three times. I know what it feels like. I don’t want to settle.”

“Three times, huh?” Though his arms stayed folded, he turned so he was leaning sideways against the wall, facing her. “You’ve got me beat by one.”

She got caught up for a minute, lost in his eyes, thinking about how much she wanted to kiss him.

Stop thinking about kissing him.

It wasn’t her usual practice to jump on someone the moment he entered her vicinity, even if he happened to be in the small club of men she’d had an actual relationship with—a real, honest-to-goodness relationship. Not the marking time one like she’d been in with Steve for the past several months.

But her body was busy making the point that it never had the chance to properly say good-bye. Never had that one last tender kiss, one last caress. Not even a run-of-the-mill hug.

The nearness of him now did nothing to ease the ache. Really—all she wanted was good-bye. The fact that she was at a point in her life where the whole second chance thing had better odds? She wasn’t going to entertain the thought. Couldn’t. No siree.

She made herself blink and look away. “I should probably tell you I’m sorry for asking, but…” Well…  “I’m not.”

He grinned. “You know? It actually feels good to talk about her. I don’t much, not to an adult at least.”

Lyndsey realized she was fidgeting—running her hands down her thighs towards her knees, letting her feet kick against the wall. Very deliberately, she rested her hands alongside of her, flat on the ledge. “You talk to your kids about her? You don’t avoid answering their questions?”

He shook his head. “I swore to myself the night Abby died that I’d never hold anything back from my kids. And these days I pretty much say what’s on my mind no matter how dumb it sounds. Learned that lesson the hard way.”

Good policy, she thought, especially because it opened him up to the question: “So what’s on your mind right now?” she asked quietly. Breathlessly.

He looked at her and then, cheeks reddening, quickly turned away.

“Set myself up for that one, didn’t I?” Ian said it almost under his breath, as though he were laughing at himself. Placing his hands on the ledge, he looked past the buildings to the river. “I’m thinking it was really nice to talk to you about Abby. That it’s been too long since I’ve done that.” He hesitated and then bowed his head, adding softly, “And that it seems like a total betrayal of her memory, but all I want to do right now is kiss you.” He turned back to her. “It’s all I’ve wanted to do since the moment I saw you.”

Not wanting to wait another second, Lyndsey put her hands on his face and drew him to her. After a moment’s hesitation, his hands were on her waist, on her hips, and his mouth opened. It didn’t take long for his tongue to find all the old, familiar places.

Who was she kidding? Forget good-bye. Hello. Good. Freaking. Lord.

Author Bio:
A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. CALLING IT, her four-book baseball/contemporary romance/romantic comedy series, has been winning awards since its inception, the most recent being the 2017 Best Banter Contest for Calling It and a nomination for the 2017 Harlequin Hero of the Year for Called Out. She also wrote the acclaimed HANSONS OF ST. HELENA series of novellas in the St. Helena Vineyard Kindle World. Butterfly Ops: Book One is the first installment of the BUTTERFLY OPS trilogy, an epic love story and her first in the paranormal realm.

Jen has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and, in addition to her work as a librarian, has worked as a conference and events planner as well as an administrator in both preschool and higher education environments (although some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”). She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and is represented by Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

You can visit her online at the following places: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Pinterest

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret