PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Pre-Order: You Send Me by Jeannie Moon

Have you Pre-ordered YOU SEND ME yet?

In YOU SEND ME, Jordan and Nick must let go or their separate pasts in order to seize their future together in this charming fake engagement romance.  Fans of Susan Wiggs and RaeAnne Thayne have fallen in love with the Compass Cove series from International Bestselling Author, Jeannie Moon.

Pre-order YOU SEND ME and add it to your TBR pile on Goodreads! Then keep reading to get a sneak peek and to enter the giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card or books from Jeannie Moon! 

Title: You Send Me

Author: Jeannie Moon

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Release Date: May 29, 2018

Publisher: Tule Publishing Group

Series: Compass Cove

Format: Digital/Print

AISN: B07CGJGDPZ

Jordan Velsor didn’t want to need anyone. After dumping her cheating fiancé, caring for her sick dad, and nearly being crushed along with her car during a violent storm, she’s pretty much at her breaking point. If anyone needs some luck, it’s Jordan, but the last thing she wants is gorgeous Nick Rinaldi, her landlord’s grandson, hovering over her while she nurses a bad cold. The wounded Navy doctor seems too good to be true… which means he probably is.

Nick Rinaldi left the Navy broken and adrift, wondering if he would ever practice medicine again. When his grandparents’ tenant is almost killed by a falling tree during a storm, he discovers Jordan is not only in shock, but suffering from pneumonia. Not one to miss an opportunity to play white knight, Nick arrives at her cottage to take care of her during the storm… But the lovely teacher has a fierce independent streak, and as he learns more about her, he wants to do more than merely help.

Can Jordan and Nick let go of their separate pasts and seize their future together?

Available at:  

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2HzVSES

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2vpQ6ki

iBooks: https://apple.co/2IVOqof

Other books in the Compass Cove series

THE CAME YOU

Available at:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

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You Send Me Excerpt

Copyright © 2018 Jeannie Moon

         The deep rattling cough woke her from a restless sleep. This cold was kicking her ass, but even though all she wanted to do was burrow under the covers, she was out of tissues, and the dog needed to go outside.

         Glancing out her window, the weather had worsened. She almost would have been content putting out a pad for Gertie to go inside, but her tissues and cough medicine were in the back seat of her car. She had to go out regardless.

         “Come on, Gertie, time to pee.”

         With a whimper and a moan from her spot at the other end of the couch, her little rescue buried her face in the corner. Gertie was no dummy.

         “Look, if I have to go out, so do you. Your bladder is the size of a thimble, and it’s going to get even worse later.”

         The dog sighed—sighed her annoyance at Jordan. A dog with an attitude. Didn’t it figure? Gertie practically rolled off the plush cushion and settled on her back on the blue patterned rug. Her short little legs were straight up in the air, feigning death.

         Jordan felt pretty dead herself, but they still had to go outside.

The wind howled, and all the windows in the cottage shook like it was going to lift up and fly away. Gust after gust provided a not-so-subtle reminder that the nor’easter currently blowing across Long Island was going to make all their lives miserable. This storm was brutal. It had been wreaking havoc for the last twelve hours and based on the latest weather report it had slowed down to a crawl, meaning it was going to stick around for a while.

         Grabbing the dog’s leash, Jordan gently nudged the little furry blob on the floor. Nothing. She didn’t budge. “Gertie! Come on!”

         Ninety-nine percent of the time, she loved the little mutt. This moment definitely fell into the one percent.

         After she broke her engagement, Jordan had the sudden urge to have a pet. A lot of people told her it would pass, but she knew that wasn’t the case. Jordan needed unconditional love in her home, so she kept her eyes open for the right opportunity. She couldn’t handle a puppy or a kitten, so when she wandered around a rescue fair one Sunday this past September, she found herself completely enamored with Gertie. A stubby-legged little mutt, Gertie was a tube of golden fur with a pointy snout and big, soulful brown eyes. She was about five years old, and her owner had just died, leaving the little dog all alone.

         Jordan felt a kinship with the pooch, and took her home that day.

         Lina Rinaldi, who usually frowned on her cottage tenants having pets, took to the dog right away, and Gertie loved the older woman right back.

         As Jordan stared at the lump still upside down on the floor, she was about ready to offer Mrs. Rinaldi full custody. Then a deep, rasping cough shook Jordan to the core. It racked her body violently, and pain shot around her chest. God, she felt awful.

         “Come on,” she said firmly to the pooch. “We’ll skip the leash this time. Out and in. Let’s get this over with.”

         Gertie rolled over and trotted to the front door, giving Jordan the side eye as she waited. Donning her parka and a pair of lined wellies that she pulled over her pajama pants, Jordan grabbed the remote and unlocked her car. When she opened the front door, she was hit by a blast of wind, rain, and sleet that stung her cheeks and chilled her to the bone. “Lord, it’s miserable.” Looking down at Gertie, she nodded. “Okay, let’s make this quick.”

         The two of them bolted outside, with Gertie heading for her favorite patch of grass and Jordan heading for her car. She stopped when she coughed so hard she could barely breathe. It hurt. She’d never had a chest cold that hurt so much. Finally, yanking open the door, she heard her pooch barking from the small covered porch. Jordan grabbed the bag that was filled with some basic food provisions, juice, tea, tissues, and a selection of over-the-counter cold remedies. She slammed the car door shut, and on her way back inside she noticed the whitecaps on Jennings Bay. The wind was forcing massive amounts of water into the coves and harbors around town, and she hoped the it didn’t breach the seawall surrounding the property. Jordan’s cottage was closer to Cove Road, but the Rinaldis’ big house was at risk.

         Without any further delay, Jordan made it back to the porch, feeling chilled and soaked to the bone despite all the foul weather gear she’d put on. Gertie was barking frantically, having positioned herself under the old wooden swing, and Jordan was starting to lose her patience.

         “Gertie, what the hell is the problem?”

         That’s when she heard the groan and crack. Jordan looked up just as a large section of an old oak tree, about fifty feet from the house, gave way. Throwing her body against the wall to avoid any debris, Jordan watched as the massive tree split in half and came crashing down, crushing her car in the process.

         If she had waited ten more seconds to head outside, Jordan would have been killed.

         Frozen in place for—she didn’t know how long—Jordan startled when a large, strong arm wrapped around her.

         She looked away from the wreckage in the front yard and into the gorgeous face of Nick Rinaldi.
“Damn. Are you alright?”

         Was she? She wasn’t sure. Jordan tried to answer, but she had trouble catching her breath. Sucking in air, he kept her steady when they walked into the house.

         Waiting for the dog before he closed the door, Nick sat her on the bench in the entryway. Glancing in the canvas tote from the market, his brow furrowed.

         “You’re sick? What’s wrong?”

         With a low rattling cough that had him pressing the back of his hand to her forehead, she muttered, “Chest cold.”

         Shaking his head, he helped her off with her boots and jacket. “Let’s get you settled in bed, and I’ll go get my bag. You’ve got a lot more than a chest cold.”

         “My car…”
“We can’t do anything about your car until the storm passes, so put it out of your head. It’s the last thing you need to worry about.”

         “Are you kidding? Not worry about it?” How was she supposed to get to work or see her dad? How was she supposed to do anything if she didn’t have a car? The pain in her chest wasn’t just from her cough at that moment, but at the wave of dread—helplessness—that rushed through her.

         “One thing at a time.” Nick, a former Navy doctor, was single minded. And as much as Jordan didn’t want to admit it, he was right. In this weather, there was nothing she could do.

         “Come on,” he said. “Lead the way.”

         “I’ll be fine,” she said, stopping in her tracks. Those few words taxed her already strained system. She coughed painfully into her arm while Nick guided her into her room. The coughing spell was so violent, ripping at her tender lungs, she couldn’t even object as he tucked her into bed.

         Sick as she was, Jordan wasn’t blind. Nick Rinaldi had been on her radar since he landed back in Compass Cove the previous fall. The guy was gorgeous, smart, and a gentleman to the core. But he’d settled back in with his grandparents almost six months ago, and other than a token hello, or a polite smile, he rarely spoke to her.

         Still, with his lean frame, dark hair, and kind eyes, he checked a lot of boxes.

She thought she heard him mutter something about being stubborn, but her lack of breath didn’t allow a response. If anyone was stubborn, he was. The man of mystery was a well-known do-gooder, and obviously she was his next project. There was only one problem with that. She didn’t want his help. Needing people was a slippery slope, and Jordan had no intention of heading down that way again.

About Jeannie Moon:

Jeannie Moon, author of fifteen novels, has always been a romantic. When she’s not spinning tales of her own, Jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books and call it work. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie has three kids, three lovable dogs and a mischievous cat and lives in her hometown on Long Island, NY. If she’s more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week, she gets twitchy.

Connect with Jeannie at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

One More Round by Lauren Helms

Simon has doubts, and Gia has secrets—will they be able to let go of the past that hurt them both or will history repeat itself? Find out in ONE MORE ROUND by Lauren Helms, book two in her Gamer Boy series. Fans of RS Grey and Penny Reid will enjoy this playful and flirty second-chance, standalone romance.

Title: One More Round

Author: Lauren Helms

Release Date: May 24, 2018

Publisher: Self-published

Series: Gamer Boy #2

Genres: New Adult Romance

Word Count: 65K

Format: Paperback, digital

 

Can the gamer keep the girl?

Gia is living the dream with an amazing career and wonderful friends. Her life is on the right track, until a tall, broody blast-from-the-past breezes back into her life, sending her into a tailspin. She never forgot about Simon—her first love—or the way she cut him from her life all those years ago. Now, she doesn’t know what to do.

Simon never forgot the girl next door, or how she broke his heart when she left without even a goodbye. Thankfully, life as a professional gamer keeps his mind off his broken heart. That is, until he suddenly finds himself back in her path. Now he’s pushing her boundaries and testing her limits.

Simon and Gia have to find a way to coexist. They started as friends, and maybe it’s time to go back to the beginning. Only, this time around, being ‘just friends’ doesn’t seem to be enough. Simon has doubts, and Gia has secrets. Will they be able to let go of the past that hurt them both or will history repeat itself?

** This book can be read and understood as a standalone, but does contain minor spoilers for Level Me Up, book one in the series. **

Pre-Order Now: Amazon

ONE MORE ROUND Excerpt

Copyright © 2018 Lauren Helms

 

“I think it’s Morgan’s turn. Let’s get started without her. Go ahead and list Pee-Wee Herman and Bart Simpson as two of the guys she’s gonna marry.” Ruby says excitedly.

“And why are we playing this again? Are we going to make those paper fortune tellers next?” Morgan asks as she plops down beside me on the couch.

“Oh, I love those,” I add.

“We are playing this because watching movies and playing video games are all we ever do these days. I thought some margaritas and MASH would be fun.” Ruby defends.

“Fair enough. But might I point out, that you are the only one really playing video games in your downtime? It doesn’t count for Bern since that’s what she does for a living. So…,” Morgan trails off as she goes back to reading her texts.

She’s right though. Video games have been thrown into our lives ever since Dex came along. He is a professional video gamer, so our little group – Morgan, Ruby, and I – has kind of been taken into Dex’s group. Well, more like his team. He’s on a team with several other players, Bernie being one of them so, video games are now a very prevalent fixture in our lives.

I don’t mind. I used to love playing video games when I was younger. But, I stopped playing them the day my family uprooted our lives and moved to a new state. I pretty much left my life, and those in it, back in Wisconsin. A shiver shoots down my spine at the thought of that mess.

Along with Dex, my best friend from my old life, Simon, came crashing back into my new life. I hadn’t thought about Simon in years. Mostly because I taught myself years ago not to. It hurt too much. But now, he’s here. He’s always around. Things are awkward. I mean, like he-hates-me awkward. I can feel it. I can see it in his face. I’d say I could see it in his eyes, but he’d have to make eye contact with me first.

Redirecting my thoughts, I realize that I’m being watched intently by Ruby. She’s on to me. These days, I feel like she is always watching me, waiting for the perfect moment to ask me about Simon. I have this gut feeling that she, and probably Link, have been plotting and planning on how they are going to figure out what the hell is going on with Simon and me.

I’ve done a swell job of keeping the real history of Simon and Gia at bay. I’ve told them the basics. He was my friend, we had to move abruptly for family reasons, and we lost touch. The girls questioned how that would have caused the iciness Simon saves for just me, and I let on that we may have been more than just friends and I had let the communication between us drop.

It’s the truth. More or less.

Fortunately, they’ve been so consumed with why after months of coldness between us, they haven’t asked why we had to move. I consider that another bullet dodged. For the moment. Simon is the only one who knows why. He knows everything, and I’ve just got to hope that he will keep it to himself because if he doesn’t people are gonna find out I’m really not the cool, easy-going, caring Gia everyone thinks I am.

 

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card + (3) runner ups a digital copy of LEVEL ME UP, Gamer Boy #1!

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About Lauren Helms:

Lauren Helms has forever been an avid reader from the beginning. After starting a book review website, that catapulted her fully into the book world, she knew that something was missing. Lauren decided to take the plunge and write her first novel. While working for a video game strategy guide publisher, she decided to mix what she knew best–video games and romance. She decided to take the plunge and joined NaNoWrimo and a month later, she had her first draft.

Follow Lauren:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Instagram

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

Star Seer by April Marcom

 

Sleigh lives in a city at the very tops of the age-old valor trees, where babies born defective are taken and delivered to the other defects living on the Surface. When Sleigh’s sister is born one of these 3re-breathing, earthquake-inducing monsters, she follows the transporters to the Surface in secret, desperate to learn what will become of her. There, she discovers a new world of incredible people she’s instantly drawn to, one man in particular. Everything she’s been taught is a lie. She also 3nds out the Avarice will have her killed if her disappearance is detected, so she’s forced to return to her city after only a brief escape, feeling more like their captive than someone living under their safeguard.

Four years later, the stars foretell her sister’s capture and enslavement by centaurs, along with the murder of her beloved, Gabriel. No matter the cost, she’s determined to return to the Surface and do whatever it takes, even offering herself in their place, to prevent both such disasters. If only she’d known what sort of trouble this reckless act would really get her into: putting her at the heart of a prophecy to end human slavery to centaurs, being forced to seek out and wear the lost wings of Hendraya, which makes her the leader in a massive Surface war against a most deadly race of centaurs thought to have gone extinct over a century ago.

 

 

 

 

 

   During the day, April Marcom works as a substitute teacher for grades K-12. But in the evening, the alluring world of romance takes over as she pours it out on paper. Her favorite thing to do, though, is to spend time with her sports-car-loving husband and three incredibly energetic children. She also loves chocolate, her five very rowdy dogs, and livin’ the simple life out in the country. April grew up a southern bell in Mississippi, but is now a proud Oklahoman.

 

 

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“Chief is probably going to insist on me having someone on my back when we do go to battle, especially since I’m our greatest warrior…” He crossed his arms over his chest, forcing all his muscles to bulge out impressively. “You’re a scrawny, inexperienced luminary. You’ll be nearly useless in battle. But you put yourself in danger to save my life, and saved the life of Tiberion. I trust you. That’s not something your greatest fighter could offer me. I know I said before that you would not always ride on my back, but maybe you would ride with me into battle?”

Wow. I was both insulted and honored. Having the choice offered to me alone was such a privilege. There probably wasn’t a better place to be in the approaching war than on the back of the Elyxeos’ greatest warrior. Of course that might also make me a target. “Would you always be in the front line of things?” I asked.

He nodded slowly. “I would.”

“So the Trios may want you dead most of all?”

He cocked his head back, blowing out a large gust of his breath. “Probably.”

My head and my heart clashed in disagreement. It seemed stupid to ride with Amphion, but I knew I’d never get another offer like this one. No matter what, if anyone stood a chance at surviving this war, it was certainly him. And he’d earned my trust just as I had his by protecting me so well to this point. “I would be honored to ride with you, Amphion.”

 

 

To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page 
 

 

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

The Lady Loves A Scandal by Christina McKnight

Can Gideon Lyndon win back the heart of Lady Sybil Anson after a year of silence?

Out May 22nd – Regency Romance, The Lady Loves a Scandal by Christina McKnight.

Follow the tour and enter to #win a $10 Amazon Gift Card!
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Title: The Lady Loves a Scandal
Author: Christina McKnight
Genre: Historical Romance, Regency
Release Date: May 22, 2018

Lady Sybil Anson thought she had it all. Even a match of the heart, despite so many London elite marrying for convenience. But the night before their betrothal was to become official, the love of her life vanished–with a hastily scrawled note and little more. She feared the worst as her heart ached for Gideon, and the scandal sheets simply made matters worse with their preposterous musings on the hows and whys of Viscount Galway’s disappearance. Now, more than a year later, he’s unexpectedly back, and Sybil will have her answers.

Many, many years ago, Gideon Lyndon made a grave mistake. One he’s spent most of his adult life trying to rectify. And despite the progress made, the sacrifices were extensive and damaging. On the verge of repairing one misdeed, he finds himself faced with his greatest challenge yet: winning back the woman he has loved since the moment he met her. But after a year of silence, convincing his headstrong paramour to take him back will not be easy. Especially since he can’t even explain why he left–not if he wants to keep her safe.

Originally published in IT STARTED WITH A WHISPER Anthology 

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay

Author Bio:
USA TODAY Bestselling Author Christina McKnight writes emotional and intricate Regency Romance with rebellious women and maverick heroes.

Her books combine romance and mystery, exploring themes of redemption and forgiveness. When not writing she enjoys coffee, wine, traveling the world, and watching television.

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

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

First Look: Legends: Catori by Maggie Adams

It’s hard to keep secrets in a small town….

Out June 1st – The first in a new Paranormal Romance series from Maggie Adams – Legends: Catori

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Title: Legends: Catori

Author: Maggie Adams

Series: Legends

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: June 1, 2018

 


It’s hard to keep secrets in a small town…

It’s even harder to keep a secret that could expose not only your family, but an entire species. That’s what Frankie Cavanaugh must do. As the daughter of the leader of the Wisdom Counsel, it’s up to her to step into her father’s shoes until another leader is chosen.

It’s also up to her to continue her lineage within the species.

She wants to do neither. She considers the shifter gene a curse rather than a gift, robbing her of a normal life. Unfortunately, the Counsel doesn’t see it that way and is determined to wed her to their next leader – by force, if necessary.

Tanner Coalson is fresh out of college and ready to tackle whatever life has in store for him. First item on his to-do list is marrying the woman he has loved for years. He knows Frankie will baulk at the notion because she’s fifteen years older and was his childhood sitter. He’s no longer a young boy, but a man who is determined to win her heart, and he is prepared to do just that.

But convincing her they are destined to be together gets much harder when she is kidnapped by an old enemy. In order to survive, Frankie may have to reveal her secret, and Tanner may have to accept what seems impossible, or reject the love of his life.

 

Find out more at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

 

Prologue Excerpt:

Talon Cavanaugh stood on the grassy knoll above the cemetery, watching the procession as it wound through the cracked tombstones to the final resting place of the Wisdom Council’s leader, Leonard Cavanaugh. He smiled in satisfaction as the urn was laid into the dirt pit next to where his human wife would someday reside. Soon, he thought, soon all would be in place and he could claim his birthright.

“Son, I know how much you loved your uncle. Are you sure you don’t want to go down and join in the ceremony?” his father asked.

Well, the man he had called ‘father’ for most of his life, inquired. It was only on his mother, Sylvia’s, death bed, that Talon had learned the truth. He was the son of Leonard Cavanaugh, the owl leader of the Wisdom Council, who had died never knowing he had fathered a son. Sylvia had wanted to ensure the bloodline stayed pure when it became apparent that the old fool was planning to wed that woman, Paige, an inferior human. Sylvia had slipped a potion into his wine as the family celebrated her engagement to the leader’s brother, Lester, Talon’s assumed father.  Leonard Cavanaugh had mated with Sylvia that night, the potion making him hallucinate that he was with his beloved Paige.  Sylvia’s plan worked, and she gave birth to Talon, who was a pureblood shifter, keeping the bloodline intact.

Glancing over his shoulder, Talon shook his head in the negative at Lester. He had no need to go down there. He was the true heir to the leadership position of the Council. He knew the death procedure –  one year of grieving for the widow and the family. He looked to Frankie Cavanaugh. She was a beautiful woman, despite her human blood. Her red hair glowed like flames in the sunlight. She was appropriately dressed in black, her cultural brooch, made of gold and the feathers of her father, pinned to her breast. She was crying quietly into a handkerchief, hugging her mother, in solace. It was almost a pity she would have to die, but there could only be one true leader.

And that position would be filled by him.

 

About Maggie Adams:
Maggie Adams is an Amazon Best Selling contemporary romance author. Her first book in the Tempered Steel Series, Whistlin’ Dixie, debuted in Amazon’s Top 100 for Women’s Fiction, humor, on November, 2014. Since then, she has consistently made the Amazon best seller 5-star list with Leather and Lace, Something’s Gotta Give, and Love, Marriage & Mayhem. She is also the recipient of the Dayreader Review’s Best New Series Award for 2015. Her series has launched the tiny town of Grafton, Illinois, into International recognition with sales in Mexico, Ireland, Scotland, Australia and the UK.

Back home, she resides in the Midwest, with her high school sweetheart, Ned, and their children, Katie (Kyle) and Ross (Valerie) and first granddaughter, Lorelei, otherwise known as “The Boss”

You can connect with her online at: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | BookBub

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2018 Margaret Margaret

First Look: Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend by Kerri Carpenter

To get over being dumped, Lola McBride crashes a high school reunion looking for a rebound fling. Instead, she finds Luke Erickson who convinces her to pretend to be his girlfriend at his family reunion. Who said reunions had to be zero fun in this sweet romantic comedy releasing June 2018 from Kerri Carpenter and Entangled Publishing!

 

Rafflecopter for Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend First Look Giveaway:

 

Kerri is offering one lucky Grand Prize winner a $25 Amazon Gift Card and 3 Runner-Ups will receive a Wrong Man Series eBook Bundle featuring Kissing Mr. Wrong and Tempting Mr. Wrong! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

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About Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend:

 

Title: Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend

Author: Kerri Carpenter

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: June 11, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Publishing – Lovestruck

Format: Digital eBook / Print

Digital ISBN: B07CL2K66R

Print ISBN: 9781640635593

 

 

It wasn’t shy librarian Lola McBride’s idea to crash someone else’s high school reunion. Her best friend made her do it, insisting that having a little fun with a super-hot rebound would make her forget about her recent breakup. That’s when she meets the hottest guy she’s ever seen.

 

Architect Luke Erickson had no idea attending his ten-year reunion would turn out to be so fun. He catches the sexy brunette in a lie, and he counters with a proposal—He’ll keep her secret if she helps get his family off his back by pretending to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family reunion.

 

From one reunion to another, Lola and Luke are suddenly spending a lot of time together. Good thing they’re only pretending, or this super-secret relationship could get really complicated.

 

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

 

Pre-Order:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  iTunes

 

 

Excerpt:

Copyright© 2018 Her Super-Secret Rebound Boyfriend

Kerri Carpenter

 

“If you’re not Kelli Martindale, who exactly are you? And why lie?”

Then the whole story came tumbling out.

“The thing is, my boyfriend broke up with me last week, and I’ve been kinda bummed about it. So my roommate had this crazy, stupid idea. She thought I should have some fun by coming here and crashing the reunion.”

Luke blinked. “You didn’t graduate with me?”

“No, not technically.”

“Are you even a librarian?”

“Yes, that’s one hundred percent true. Oh God, are you going to tell?”

“Depends. I have one more question for you.” He’d made his voice as serious as he could. “What’s your real name?”

Her shoulders dropped in relief. “Lola. Lola McBride.”

“Anything else I should know?”

“I’m twenty-six. I don’t usually do things like this.” She took a deep breath. “I’m clean, neat, and I can bake a pretty good chocolate cake. I say I’m going to a body pump class at the gym sometimes, but really, I go to Target and buy a bunch of useless stuff from the dollar bins.”

“I love to read. My favorite book is Wuthering Heights, although I read every genre of fiction. Especially romance novels.” She blushed. “I mean, not the super dirty ones.” A wrinkle formed on her forehead. “Okay, I read the super dirty ones too. I love them. Don’t judge me. But I also donate to the local animal shelter. And I’m afraid of colonial people. I’m totally boring, really.”

Luke didn’t have the answers to the universe but he did know that boring was something that Lola McBride wasn’t.

“You must think I’m insane.”

Quite the opposite. He hadn’t met many women like her, and he was curious as hell. He was about to say so when his phone started vibrating again. He saw another text message.

This one was from his sister, Gwen. Mom said you are bringing a date to our reunion. True? False?

False. I’m not bringing anyone.

Oh well. I have this friend I’d love to fix you up with….

“Sorry. It’s my crazy family.”

It was official—his family was driving him mad. Why couldn’t they just back off? It was bad enough that he was going to have to go to his family reunion next weekend, but to have this kind of pressure about a date…

That’s when an idea started to form. He eyed Lola. She was clutching her basket of Jane Austen books against her chest, looking nervous. Did she really think he cared that she’d lied and crashed his high school reunion? He actually thought it was pretty funny.

“I’m really sorry I lied to you,” she said. She glanced down at the basket. “I know I’m taking this basket away from someone who actually went to school here and…”

“Here’s the deal, Lola,” he said, interrupting her. “I won’t reveal your identity tonight. You can keep your Jane Austen basket and no one will be the wiser.”

She blew out a sigh of relief. “Really? Ohmigod, you’re amazing.”

“But you have to do me a favor in return.”

“Anything.”

He flipped his phone over in his hands. “Come to my family reunion next weekend and be my pretend girlfriend.”

 

About Kerri Carpenter:

 

Award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter writes contemporary romances that are sweet, sexy, and sparkly. When she’s not writing, Kerri enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) rescued poodle mix, Harry. Visit Kerri at her website, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or subscribe to her newsletter.

 

Connect with Kerri:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Instagram  |  Youtube  |  Amazon  |  BookBub

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