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Showing posts from December, 2023

THE FEARLESS ONE by Lori Foster - Spotlight

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  He had it all planned out in bestselling Lori Foster's new novel THE FEARLESS ONE (HarlequinTrade) until she showed up. Jedidiah Stephens came to the Colorado Rockies for one reason: to uncover the truth behind the fire that killed her family. She's been chasing down clues, and everything has led her to an isolated campground. Her plan is to get a job there so she can investigate who comes and goes.  Getting involved with her boss, Memphis Osborn, the ruggedly handsome groundskeeper, is definitely not part of the plan. When Jedidiah arrives on the scene, Memphis just knows she's up to something. He can see the desperation in her eyes and warily agrees to hire her.  As they work side by side, Diah triggers his deepest protective instincts--and the chemistry between them ignites. But the more Diah digs into her family's past, the more secrets she unravels...and the more afraid she becomes.  She lost everything once before. She'll never forgive herself if she loses M

THE WEEKEND RETREAT by Tara Laskowski - Spotlight

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  Three couples. Three days. A family getaway to die for. Every year, the illustrious Van Ness siblings—heirs to a copper fortune—gather at their luxury winery estate for a joint birthday celebration. It's a tradition they've followed nearly all their lives, and now they are back with their significant others for a much-needed weekend of rest and relaxation, away from the public spotlight. With lavish comforts, gorgeous scenery, and indulgent drinking, the trip should be the perfect escape. But it soon becomes clear that even a remote idyllic getaway can’t keep out the problems simmering in each of their lives. As old tensions are reignited, the three couples are pushed to the edge. Will their secrets destroy them, or will they destroy each other first? And who’s been watching them from beyond the vineyard gates? When a torrential rainstorm hits, plunging them into darkness, the answers prove all too deadly. TARA LASKOWSKI is the author of  One Night Gone , which won the Agatha

THE VACATION by John Marrs - Spotlight - Excerpt

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  How far would you run to escape your past? For eight strangers in a Los Angeles backpacking hostel, even the other side of the world isn’t far enough. The craving for a new identity and the chance to start again is something they have in common. But the search for a fresh start isn't as easy as they'd imagined. And they soon discover that it doesn't matter where you are or who you are - if you can't lay the past to rest, coincidence, fate and deception have a way of catching up with you when you least expect it. HERE'S AN EXCERPT of THE VACATION Prologue  Venice Beach, Los Angeles      “That’s her,” the driver yelled to the three men waiting in the rear of the transit van.      He pointed a gloved finger in the direction of a slender woman walking along the sidewalk up ahead.      “You sure?” a gruff voice asked. “It’s pretty dark out there.”     The driver was very sure. He’d watched carefully as his target walked with purpose in her high heels. He recalled her a

ALL-NIGHT PHARMACY by Ruth Madievsky - Spotlight

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  In Ruth Madievsky's novel, ALL NIGHT PHARMACY (Catapult), a  young woman finds herself pulled into a world of illicit trade as she experiences a mystical encounter at her job as an ER secretary, after th e disappearance of her sister, following a wild reckless night, with her sister. Suddenly entwined with Sasha, a supposedly psychic refugee, the narrator faces a bewildering dance of friendship, desire, and spiritual guidance.  This intoxicating tale follows her as she takes on the challenges of sobriety, sexual self-discovery, and the haunting choice between pursuing or letting go of her missing sister. Ruth Madievsky is the author of the bestselling poetry collection, "Emergency Brake" (Tavern Books, 2016). Her work has appeared in Tin House, The Iowa Review, Gulf Coast, Prairie Schooner, Rattle, ZYZZYVA, and elsewhere. Originally from Moldova, Ruth Madievsky lives in Los Angeles, where she is a chapbook reader for Gold Line Press and a pharmacist. You can find her at

HOUSEBROKE by Jaci Burton - Spotlight

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  A millionaire and a woman who thinks he's a house flipper are stuck living in a house together with a menagerie of rescue dogs as roommates, in this heartfelt romantic comedy from  New York Times  bestselling author Jaci Burton. After her ex took all their money and bailed, Hazel Bristow is left broke and homeless. A kind friend whose home is on the market lets Hazel and her foster dogs stay there until it sells. It’s the perfect setup, until her friend forgets to tell Hazel she’s sold the house. Linc Kennedy is shocked to find Hazel and her pups squatting in the house he just bought, but after some negotiating—she offers to cook amazing meals for him in return for a paycheck—he agrees to let her remain while he’s renovating the place. Linc tells Hazel he’s an investor who renovates homes for fun—he just leaves out the part about being wealthy. Hazel’s intrigued by Linc. He’s funny, sweet, ridiculously hot, and loves dogs almost as much as she does. But her track record with men?

THE LAST OF WHAT I AM by Abigail Cutter - Spotlight

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  The America Civil war was a four-year war (1861-65) between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. The war began primarily as a result of the North and South's different views on slavery. The bloodiest was three days of fighting at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania when 51,000 men were either killed, wounded or missing in action. Eventually the South surrendered and President Abraham Lincoln delivered the infamous Gettysburg Address. THE LAST OF WHAT I AM (UnionSquaer&Co.) by Abigail Cutter is a haunting and beautifully written novel about a Confederate soldier whose own personal war follows him into the afterlife—  until one fateful day when his encounters with a modern-day couple change everything. A ghost in his deserted childhood home in Virginia, Tom Smiley can’t forget the bloody war and its meaningless losses, nor can he shed his revulsion for his role in the Confederate defense of slavery. But when a y

FAKE MATE by Lana Ferrguson - Spotlight

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  Mackenzie Carter hasn’t had a successful date in months. Only a year out of residency, Mackenzie’s grandmother is obsessed with finding her the perfect mate—and it’s driving her insane.  Out of options, it feels like a small thing to tell her grandmother that she’s met someone.  That is, until she blurts out the name of the first man she sees and the last man she would ever date: Noah Taylor, the big bad wolf of Denver General. Noah Taylor, interventional cardiologist, and all-around grump has spent his entire life hiding what he is. With outdated stigmas surrounding unmated alphas that have people wondering if they still howl at the moon, Noah has been careful to keep his designation under wraps. It’s worked for years, until an anonymous tip has everything coming to light. Noah is left with two options: come clean to the board and risk his career—or find himself a mate. The chatty, overly friendly ER doctor asking him to be her fake boyfriend on the  same  day he’s called to meet th

FUEL THE FIRE by Krista & Becca Ritchie - Spotlight

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  Protect your family. At all costs. It’d take the impossible to hurt Connor Cobalt, even for a moment. Protect your family. At all costs. At twenty-six, his narcissistic tendencies have made room for the people he loves. Protect your family. At all costs. And he loves Rose. But when his love is threatened, when his greatest dreams with her are compromised — what is the cost then? Protect your family. At all costs. Love will guide his choices. For the first time in his life. ***Authors' Note*** It's possible to only read the Calloway Sisters spin-off series without reading the Addicted series, but you MUST read Hothouse Flower (Calloway Sisters #2) before reading Fuel the Fire (Calloway Sisters #3). It's highly recommended to read the books in the recommended reading order, which is in tangent with the Addicted series.  If you choose not to read Addicted After All before Fuel the Fire, there will be a time jump. Fuel the Fire picks up in the Addicted Timeline where Addicted

PUNK 57 by Penelope Douglas - Spotlight

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  "We were perfect together. Until we met." Misha I can't help but smile at the lyrics in her letter. She misses me. In fifth grade, my teacher set us up with pen pals from a different school. Thinking I was a girl, with a name like Misha, the other teacher paired me up with her student, Ryen. My teacher, believing Ryen was a boy like me, agreed. It didn't take long for us to figure out the mistake. And in no time at all, we were arguing about everything. The best take-out pizza. Android vs. iPhone. Whether or not Eminem is the greatest rapper ever... And that was the start. For the next seven years, it was us. Her letters are always on black paper with silver writing. Sometimes there's one a week or three in a day, but I need them. She's the only one who keeps me on track, talks me down, and accepts everything I am. We only had three rules. No social media, no phone numbers, no pictures. We had a good thing going. Why ruin it? Until I run across a photo of a

THE FICTION WRITER by Jillian Cantor - Spotlight - Excerpt

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  The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel—a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s  Rebecca —was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her and she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA. At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice named  People ’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems. The more Olivia digs into his grandmother’s past, the more questions she has—and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own. With as many twists and turns as the California coast,  The Fiction Writer  is a page-turner that explores the boundari