JUST FOR THE PLOT, an all-new reverse age gap, forced proximity, forbidden baseball romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, Meghan Quinn, is out now!

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They’re just friends.
At least, that’s what she thinks. Him? He has other plans…

They’re just friends.
At least, that’s what she thinks. Him? He has other plans.

Bennett Brinkman is San Francisco baseball’s golden boy-focused, disciplined, and very bad at ignoring the one woman he shouldn’t want. Falling for his sister’s best friend was inevitable, even though she’s known him since he was all gangly elbows, bad haircuts, and teenage awkwardness…and still insists on seeing him that way.

Bower knows exactly why wanting Bennett is a terrible idea. She’s fiercely loyal to her best friend and well aware that crossing this particular line could blow everything up. But when she moves into Bennett’s apartment building, that “just friends” boundary begins to blur in the most tempting ways.

The banter comes fast.
The sparks come faster.
And pretending it’s “no big deal” is getting ridiculous.

As feelings get messier and attraction turns undeniable, Bennett and Bower must decide if risking their family ties is worth chasing the love that’s been in front of them all along.

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“I loved everything about this feel-good, steamy and forbidden sports romcom!” ~Danielle, Red Cheeks Reads

Check out Danielle’s 5 SMOOCHES review!

EXCERPT:

“What are you reading?”

“What?” I snap my book shut and slide it by my side.

“Nothing. What are you reading?” Nolan stares from the seat in front of me on the plane, not buying my lie one bit. With his arms on the top of his chair, he leans his weight on it. “There’s a fabric cover on your book, one of those old lady ones that my grandma used to use to be discreet when reading her Fabio books.”

“What are Fabio books?” I ask.

“Romance books with bare-chested men on the front. And given that you’re covering up your book and hiding it from me, you must be reading such a book. So, let me ask you again…what are you reading?”

Sighing, because I know he won’t let this go, I pull my book out. “It’s a baseball romance book that Bower gave me to read, and she gave me this fabric cover so that no one on the team made fun of me for reading it.”

“Why would we make fun of you?” he asks, hurtling himself over the seat and landing, not so gracefully, in the seat next to me, knocking his foot against the plane window at the same time. Once settled, he says, “This is gold. I’ve learned some good moves from reading romance.”

Uhh…what?

“You read romance?”

“Listen, my man.” He points to his ear. “I listen to the books. Nothing gets me pumped up more than a male narrator telling the girl he’s spanking to come on demand.”

My brow creases. “That’s what you listen to before a game?”

I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, a spicy new forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, small-town, forbidden workplace romantic comedy from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Blakely, is out now!

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He’s all business.
She’s pure sunshine.
Their chemistry refuses to stay professional…

My secret workplace romance starts innocently enough at a birthday party.

But when a rowdy partier knocks me into a lake and a sexy stranger comes to my rescue – my night becomes one to remember.

A night so steamy I almost forget why I’ve sworn off men after a failed workplace romance.

Trouble is, the brand new doggy daycare in Darling Springs that I’ve contracted with is owned by none other than my sexy stranger. Thanks, fate.

Sawyer turns out to be a total grump in a tailored suit, no matter how sunshine-y I am. Even when he squeezes that hard body past me as I bring donuts to work. Or when he pretends he’s not roaming his dark eyes over me as I teach Fido to sit, stay and come.

But I’m focusing on my shiny new future—my dog-training business is suddenly the hottest thing in town, thanks to a new actress client. And when I’m roped into a charity dance number, I smell an opportunity, especially when I learn my hot landlord has an alter ego and a fandom.

Turns out Mr. Serious Boss is up for dance lessons.

Then the entire Dirty Dancing experience.

Giving into our chemistry once won’t hurt. Two might be pushing it. By the seventh, it’s undeniable–I’ve got a crush on him too.

ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

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Narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin & Connor Crais!

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“…one heck of an entertaining and engaging read…” ~Danielle, Red Cheeks Reads

Check out Danielle’s 5 SMOOCHES review!

EXCERPT:

SAWYER

“Just like I remembered.”

Her shoulders shudder, and she sounds buzzed as she asks, “Yeah? What did you remember?”

“How good you taste. Your cinnamon scent. The way you melt when I kiss your neck,” I murmur against her soft skin, kissing the column of her throat now.

“It’s my lotion. It’s from Kind. All my lotions are. And bodywashes. I love them,” she says, breathless, babbling as she mentions the brand too, like I needed to know that. It’s sexy, though, the fact that she’s not thinking clearly enough to edit her thoughts. She’s just rambling as I kiss her. And it feels like a peek behind the curtain into her feminine world.

“Drives me crazy,” I say as I travel back up her neck, finding her mouth once more and sealing my lips over hers.

She claws at my shirt as I kiss her. I thread my hands through her hair. The song ends. The car’s quiet for a beat, the only sounds the rustling of clothes, the slide of our mouths, the staccato breaths.

When the next Sam Cooke tune begins, I stop pretending I’m willing to let this night end in the car. I break the kiss, run my thumb across her top lip, then nod toward her home. “What’s it going to be?”

She nibbles on the corner of her bee-stung lips. That just-been-kissed look is real good on her. “What are you offering?”

“You want me to surprise you again, Chloe?” A tremble seems to rush through her. I can hardly wait another second. “Let me come inside, sweetheart.”

About Lauren Blakely:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.

Connect with Lauren:

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KNIGHTS LIKE THESE, an all-new childhood best-friends-to-lovers, single dad, hockey romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, Kendall Ryan, is out now!

He was my first kiss. My first everything. And then he married someone else…

He was my first kiss. My first everything. And then he married someone else.

I’ve been in love with Archer Lockwood since I was fourteen years old. I’ve never told him. I stood at his wedding, held his newborn twins in the hospital, and cried in my car afterward. I smiled through every moment that should have been mine—because that’s what best friends do.

Now Archer is divorced, overwhelmed, and raising two three-year-olds alone during an NHL season. When he calls for help, I pack a suitcase and fly to New York.

The plan was simple: help with the kids, keep my distance, and don’t fall in love.

The plan lasted about seventy-two hours.

Because his twins have me wrapped around their fingers. His house feels like home. And he keeps looking at me like he’s finally seeing something he missed.

I’ve waited years for Archer to look at me like that.

I just wasn’t ready for what happens when he finally does.

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“A slow burn, single-dad-in-distress, friends-to-lovers hockey romance…” ~Danielle, Red Cheeks Reads

Check out Danielle’s 4.5 SMOOCHES review!

About Kendall Ryan:

A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than three dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold millions of books and they have been translated into several languages in countries around the world.

Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than 100 times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine.

She lives in Texas with her husband and two sons.

Connect with Kendall:

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Visit Kendall’s website for all of her latest book news and fun extras!

I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, a spicy new forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, forbidden workplace romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Blakely, is coming July 28th!

Scroll down for an excerpt!

Giving into our chemistry once won’t hurt. Two might be pushing it. By the seventh, it’s undeniable–I’ve got a crush on him too…

My secret workplace romance starts innocently enough at a birthday party.

But when a rowdy partier knocks me into a lake and a sexy stranger comes to my rescue – my night becomes one to remember.

A night so steamy I almost forget why I’ve sworn off men after a failed workplace romance.

Trouble is, the brand new doggy daycare in Darling Springs that I’ve contracted with is owned by none other than my sexy stranger. Thanks, fate.

Sawyer turns out to be a total grump in a tailored suit, no matter how sunshine-y I am. Even when he squeezes that hard body past me as I bring donuts to work. Or when he pretends he’s not roaming his dark eyes over me as I teach Fido to sit, stay and come.

But I’m focusing on my shiny new future—my dog-training business is suddenly the hottest thing in town, thanks to a new actress client. And when I’m roped into a charity dance number, I smell an opportunity, especially when I learn my hot landlord has an alter ego and a fandom.

Turns out Mr. Serious Boss is up for dance lessons.

Then the entire Dirty Dancing experience.

Giving into our chemistry once won’t hurt. Two might be pushing it. By the seventh, it’s undeniable–I’ve got a crush on him too.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

Kindle  |  Audible  |  Deluxe Edition Paperback

Narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin & Connor Crais!

Add to Goodreads  |  Add to BookBub

EXCERPT:

Who thought it was a good idea to make lakes so cold? Or so wet? Or so slimy?

I right myself under the water, treading even though it’s not too deep. But this is no easy feat with sneakers on. But I manage, then pop my head above the surface, batting at the hair sticking to my face as I blink lake water out of my eyes.

When two strong arms wrap around my waist.

Is that…?

I look up. Sawyer’s kneeling on the dock, arms stretched into the water—and he’s lifting me out of it.

He’s hauling me up like I weigh nothing, tugging me back onto the wood slats. My soaked body smacks into his…very firm chest. Yep. I was right about the arms. Right about the chest. He’s all kinds of strong.

“I’ve got you,” he says, steady and calm, pulling me the rest of the way…right into his lap.

I’m still a little dazed—getting tackled by a rowdy partier will do that to you. But still, I manage to say, “I’m surprised you didn’t jump in after me.”

“You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who wants a man making himself the center of attention.”

Damn. He’s right. “It would have been ridiculous too, right?”

He arches a brow in a way that says he’ll go toe-to-toe with me. “Want a do-over and I’ll jump in this time?”

“Maybe I do,” I tease.

“Also, the water’s maybe three feet deep,” he says and, okay, he has a point. “Didn’t seem like you needed rescuing.”

“Spoken like a man who’s never watched Mr. Darcy emerge from the lake in Pride and Prejudice.”

His smile quirks, sexy and wry. “My white shirt is wet,” he says, plucking at the fabric. “But if you want the full Darcy moment, say the word.”

I’m more interested in his shirt now though. I glance down, and hello, six-pack. “Yes, it is.”

Then I glance at myself.

Oh. Oh no.

My white dress is soaked. And officially see-through. Of course this has happened tonight. Of course it has happened to me.

Evidently, the universe won’t let me have nice things.

About Lauren Blakely:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.

Connect with Lauren:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  TikTok  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  Goodreads

Sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date with Lauren!

THE CHALLENGE, a new single dad, forced proximity, second chance romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, Penelope Ward, is coming August 30! Check out this cover!

Title:  THE CHALLENGE
Author:  PENELOPE WARD 
Genre:  STANDALONE CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Cover Design:  LETITIA HASSER, RBA DESIGNS
Photographer:  ROBERT DAHEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Model:  BEAU CARRILLO
Release Date:  AUGUST 30, 2026

Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl.

Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings.

Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay.

\Evan—the guy my parents took in years ago after his mother died.
The same Evan who used to dare me into ridiculous challenges that somehow always made me stronger—a game we’d dubbed The Challenge.

The same guy who ultimately rejected me before I left for college after I’d finally garnered the courage to shoot my shot.

Now Evan was a rugged single dad with an eight-year-old daughter, a cocky attitude, and a dangerous ability to make me forget every reason I should still hate him.

Sharing a house with him should’ve been unbearable. Instead, it felt dangerously familiar, nearly making me forget that I had a life and a job to get back to in Chicago. I realized the biggest challenge wasn’t surviving living with Evan Ricci.

It was not falling in love with him all over again.

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About Penelope Ward:

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over thirty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

Find Penelope here:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Reader Group  | Twitter  |  Instagram  |  TikTok  |  Goodreads  |  BookBub  |  Amazon

Stay up-to-date with Penelope by signing up for her mailing list!

NOT A GENTLEMAN, a new grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convenience suspenseful romance from USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Lani Lynn Vale, is out now!

She decides to run…right into the arms of a man who was supposed to be dead.

Gentry found Sage on the worst day of her life.

He saves her from a fate worse than hell, and in return, she ruins his life.

Not on purpose, though.

No, the men who think to rule her life don’t like that she has a champion on her side and realize the best way to get back at her is to go through him.

They find a really great way to do it, too.

They frame him for a crime he didn’t intentionally commit and sentence him to spend thirteen years in prison. As an added bonus, they take his child—the one thing that matters most to him— just to remind him that they hold all the power.

But Sage will never let them have any power over her.

That’s why, the day before he’s sentenced to prison, Sage offers the only protection she can think to give him. Her hand in marriage.

For seven years, Sage fights to get her husband-in-name-only free.

Just when she thinks she’s close, she gets the news. Her husband has died in a prison riot, leaving her free to marry another.

That’s when she decides to run.

And where does her running take her? Right into the arms of a man who was supposed to be dead.

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY!

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About Lani Lynn Vale:

Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown, in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.

Connect with Lani:

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I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, a spicy new forced proximity, grumpy/sunshine, forbidden workplace romance from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lauren Blakely, is coming July 28th!

Scroll down for an excerpt!

Giving into our chemistry once won’t hurt. Two might be pushing it. By the seventh, it’s undeniable–I’ve got a crush on him too…

My secret workplace romance starts innocently enough at a birthday party.

But when a rowdy partier knocks me into a lake and a sexy stranger comes to my rescue – my night becomes one to remember.

A night so steamy I almost forget why I’ve sworn off men after a failed workplace romance.

Trouble is, the brand new doggy daycare in Darling Springs that I’ve contracted with is owned by none other than my sexy stranger. Thanks, fate.

Sawyer turns out to be a total grump in a tailored suit, no matter how sunshine-y I am. Even when he squeezes that hard body past me as I bring donuts to work. Or when he pretends he’s not roaming his dark eyes over me as I teach Fido to sit, stay and come.

But I’m focusing on my shiny new future—my dog-training business is suddenly the hottest thing in town, thanks to a new actress client. And when I’m roped into a charity dance number, I smell an opportunity, especially when I learn my hot landlord has an alter ego and a fandom.

Turns out Mr. Serious Boss is up for dance lessons.

Then the entire Dirty Dancing experience.

Giving into our chemistry once won’t hurt. Two might be pushing it. By the seventh, it’s undeniable–I’ve got a crush on him too.

PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW!

Kindle  |  Audible  |  Deluxe Edition Paperback

Narrated in duet by Vanessa Edwin & Connor Crais!

Add to Goodreads  |  Add to BookBub

EXCERPT:

Ready for whatever the night brings, I cross the lobby and turn the corner into the bar. My heart stupidly skips a beat when I find Sawyer exactly where he promised he’d be. At the end of the bar, with a glass of iced tea in front of him. Music plays overhead. Sounds like Journey. Maybe “Don’t Stop Believin’”?

And is Sawyer…singing along to it?

Well, air singing, since he’s sort of mouthing the words, drumming out a beat on the counter with his hands.

I smother a smile so I don’t look too giddy when I walk his way. But really, this is a great sign. Would a beheader sing along to Journey? I don’t think so. I march over, eye the stool next to him, and say, “Is this seat taken?”

Sawyer rises, a knowing look in his eyes as he sweeps them up and down me in a shameless tour of my body. But he doesn’t answer my question with words. He answers with actions when he cups my cheek, strokes his thumb down my jawline, then comes in close, dipping his face toward mine. Giving me time to say no.

I don’t. I lift my chin in invitation.

He drops his mouth to mine, and for a few dizzying seconds, the kiss is as slow and sweet as a summer afternoon. It’s hazy and warm as he brushes his lips across mine in a teasing whisper of a kiss.

It’s deliciously unexpected. I’m not used to men knowing their mind, making a plan, and sticking to it. But I think I could get used to it in the kissing department, since this kiss goes straight to my head. And, well, my bikini. I’m aching between my thighs already. I grab the collar of his shirt, twisting my fingers around the material so I can hold on tight.

He kisses me for a few more delirious seconds, that trim beard whisking across my face in a light scratch. When he breaks the kiss, I figure that’s when we’ll sit down, but there’s no reprieve. After his mouth quirks up in a too pleased grin, he rasps out, “Come here, Chloe.”

“I’m here,” I whisper.

“Closer,” he says, hauling me against him before he takes another kiss. This one knocks the breath right out of me. It’s hard, demanding, full of teeth and tongue and desire. He kisses me like he wants to f*&k me. His tongue explores my mouth. One hand grips my face. The other ropes around my waist.

There’s no hesitation from him.

No games.

No dicking around.

I have a feeling that Sawyer is unapologetic. A man who wants what he wants and tonight that’s…me.

About Lauren Blakely:

A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sexy, feel-good and witty. Her books have been featured in US Weekly and People. Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and she is the vegetarian at your dinner party.

Connect with Lauren:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  TikTok  |  Twitter  |  Amazon  |  BookBub  |  Goodreads

Sign up for her newsletter to stay up to date with Lauren!