Had Me At Howdy Blitz

Had Me At Howdy
Mary Karlik
(A Hillside * Spring Creek Novel)
Publication date: November 22nd 2025
Genres: Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Platinum credit card? Deactivated. New car? Sold. Best life ever? Canceled.

Thanks to my dad losing his job, we’ve ditched Chicago for Fumbuck, Texas—population: redneck. Now I’m living on a rundown farm, scrubbing dishes, and driving a rusty pickup. Worst of all? I’m stuck working alongside a cowboy.

But this Cinderella isn’t giving up. I’ll claw my way back to the luxe life I left behind—and no one, not even infuriatingly chill, stupidly handsome Austin McCoy is going to stop me. Even if he does make feeding the chickens weirdly… enjoyable.

She thinks she’s just passing through. I’m hoping she stays.
I kind of feel for the Quinn sisters. City girls don’t belong in Spring Creek—but Kelsey? There’s more to her than designer labels and eye rolls. When she forgets to be angry, I see it—like the way her eyes light up when she feeds the chickens.

Now all I have to do is convince her the guy she really wants is me, not some rich dude taking her to a ball in Chicago.

Content Warning: This work contains a subplot involving death, grief, and an off-page instance of date rape. While these events are not depicted directly, they are referenced and may be distressing to some readers.

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—

EXCERPT:

The universe had completely crapped on Kelsey Quinn’s life.

She dabbed at her eyes, blew her nose, and wadded up the tissue before dropping it to the pile on the seat next to her. Pressing her forehead against the car window, she watched the scenery fly by at seventy miles per hour. They passed Bob’s Stay and Go combination gas station—fast food restaurant—hotel, followed by some weird concrete starship-shaped pizza parlor. Next, three-foot fluorescent letters screamed about redemption across a junkyard fence surrounding rusted pieces of mangled metal. The few words of scripture painted there weren’t going change her fate. Her dad was in the driver’s seat and they were heading straight for the armpit of Texas.

With a sigh she slumped against the seat and tried not to think about the boyfriend who’d been ripped from her life, or the best friend she’d been forced to leave behind. But it wasn’t just her forced exile from Drew and Zoe. She’d lost her identity. At St. Monica’s, she knew who she was and where she fit in. It was her senior year, the year she’d looked forward to for as long as she was in school. They had taken it away with less thought than the car they’d sold one afternoon while she and Zoe were shopping. None of it was her fault. She was a victim of her dad’s incompetence on one hand and her sister’s immorality on the other.

Her dad exited onto a two-lane highway where they were greeted by a faded, Welcome to Hillside Texas, Population 5000, sign. They slowed to a crawl as they entered the town. At a four-way stop her mom screeched, “Oh my God Tom, look at the cute little diner. We’re all starving, let’s stop before we go to the house.”

“Sounds good to me. Jack’s not expecting us for another couple of hours anyway.” Dad angled the Infinity between two pickup trucks and turned off the engine.

The diner was nestled in the center of a row of dilapidated two story buildings. Early Bird Café was painted in bright blue letters across the glass. Kelsey pulled her compact mirror from her purse and studied her reflection. She’d been crying for two days, no amount of makeup magic would fix her swollen red eyes. It didn’t matter. She didn’t care about this place or these people. She sure as heck didn’t care what they thought about her. She shoved the mirror back into her purse.

Her younger sister, Ryan, looked all wide-eyed and curious. And worse, she actually looked excited to investigate this hick little town. Why not? It was her fault they were in this mess in the first place. Her parents would have been justified to ship Ryan off to some kind of school for troubled kids. But no—Quinns don’t give up on their own. Everybody had to suffer because Ryan couldn’t say no to drugs or boys.

Mackenzie, Kelsey’s youngest sister, flipped her compact gymnast’s body from the third seat to the back seat nailing Ryan in the shoulder with her foot.

“Watch it!” Ryan drew her fist back, but before she could get the hit off Mackenzie flashed a cherub smile and released a powder sugar apology. Yeah. That wasn’t an accident. Kelsey almost smiled when she saw foot impact with shoulder. Mackenzie had been fairly silent about the ruin Ryan’s exploits had done to her life. Apparently, she had her limits too.

Author Bio:

Join Mary's newsletter: https://maryjwilson.com/contact/

Mary Karlik (also writing as Mary J. Wilson) combines her Texas roots with her Scottish heritage to write happily-ever-afters from Texas to Scotland.

Mary has five indie-published contemporary young adult romance novels and two fantasy novels.

Mary earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and is currently studying Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Skye, Scotland. She is also a certified, professional ski instructor and a Registered Nurse.

Mary is an active member of Contemporary Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Married to a Scott, Mary lives in both and Scotland and Texas.

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Had Me At Howdy Blitz

—

Excerpt Reveal - BEFORE THE STORM by Barry S Richman

 

⭐️⭐️EXCERPT REVEAL!⭐️⭐️

BEFORE THE STORM by Barry S. Richman is coming soon! Barry is sharing an excerpt for his

upcoming military romance–check it out and be sure to pre-order your copy today!

Pre-Order Today: https://geni.us/BeforetheStormBR

~

He is a cavalry officer the kingdom relies upon—and does not question.

Men like him are not born. They are made.

Before reputation.

Before legend.

Before the name Richard Fitzwilliam becomes synonymous with precision and fortitude.

Before the Storm is the untold history of the second son of Matlock—the spare.

Fitzwilliam is marked early by a constitution that does not register pain as it should. What

others feel, he notes only in passing. What begins as peculiarity becomes utility.

Sent across a Europe tightening toward war, Fitzwilliam moves through Paris, Berlin, and

Vienna under constant appraisal--by diplomats, by soldiers, by men who recognise the hand of

the state at work and intend to refine it further. Each encounter reveals fragments of where he

is being led—and what has been prepared for him there.

This is not the story of a hero’s rise.

It records the trials an extraordinary man endures to learn where his limits lie—and whether

they bind him at all.

Cold, controlled, and unflinching, Before the Storm is a psychological historical novel about

loyalty, state power, and the deliberate manufacture of force—told entirely from Fitzwilliam’s

singular perspective, where silence instructs, and restraint is never mercy.

From Paris to Berlin to Vienna, Fitzwilliam is tested not by what he feels—but by what he does

not.

If a man does not feel pain, does he fear anything?

Twitter Ready Post:  

⭐️⭐️EXCERPT REVEAL!⭐️⭐️

BEFORE THE STORM by Barry S. Richman is coming soon! Barry is sharing an excerpt for his

upcoming military romance–check it out and be sure to pre-order your copy today!

Pre-Order Today: https://geni.us/BeforetheStormBR

The Guilt of Others Blitz

Mystery

Date Published: February 25, 2026

Publisher: Seacoast Press

The Guilt of Others opens with the sound of a gunshot in an overcrowded office. But who was shot—and who pulled the trigger—remains a mystery. Told through the intertwined perspectives of multiple characters, each harboring secrets and scars from past and present, the story slowly unravels the emotional and psychological web of trauma, secrets, and buried motives binding them together. With nine suspects, three possible weapons, and a detective whose instincts are starting to betray her, the search for the truth unearths secrets no one was prepared to face.

 

About the Author

 

 Sara Burrell grew up in Mableton, Georgia. She is a graduate of Young Harris College and The University of Georgia. Sara is in her twentieth year of teaching, and is currently a teacher at an elementary school in Georgia where she is the gifted program coordinator for third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Her husband of 18 years, 2 children, 2 hound dogs, and 2 cats provide plenty of adventure and excitement to her already-busy days. Through all that, she also writes books. The Guilt of Others is her second novel. Her first, Newsworthy, released in 2023, was praised for its suspenseful plot and surprising twists.

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'Favorite Bookish Scent'

 

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop!

Join in at https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/2026/03/bbh-favorite-bookish-scent.html

 What t’s your favorite bookish scent, and why does it appeal to you? 

Its got to be a New book  pages smell ! I think it brings joy and hope to me. In attenuation  of a new story .

EXCERPT REVEAL - Crooked by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

 

Title: Crooked

Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 29, 2026

Take a sneak peek at CROOKED.

You know you want to...

Copyright © 2025 by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland

“Sorry for making up that story,” he said. “But I didn’t know what else to tell him. Wasn’t like I could admit the real reason I’m here looking out for you.”

I crossed my arms. “Maybe you should’ve, and he could’ve carted you away, so I don’t have to deal with any of this.”

“Now, now. Is that how you talk to your loving boyfriend?” He winked.

“Please don’t repeat that.” Especially in that annoyingly seductive voice.

“Well, you don’t think at some point we’re gonna have to pretend to be something to each other? People are going to wonder who the hell I am. How else are you going to explain me, if I’m not your boyfriend?”

“I’m hoping not to have to explain you at all because I’m counting on this arrangement ending soon.”

“Well, if you’d let me sleep inside like you should’ve, I wouldn’t have attracted the neighbor’s attention.”

“I will admit that making you sleep outside was a mistake, in hindsight.” I rubbed my pounding temples. “Do you want some coffee? I need to get a cup before my head explodes.”

He smiled wide. “I would love some.”

God, those dimples.

Had they been there yesterday?

Of course they had.

Again, I needed coffee.

After I filled two mugs, I handed him one. “As you just saw, my neighbor is very nosy. You need to keep a low profile. That means no hanging around outside my house unless absolutely necessary. She’ll try to talk to you.”

“I’ll be fine if she does. I’m a pretty good liar.”

“How commendable.”

He shrugged. “I don’t make a habit of it. But in this business, you have to be able to stretch the truth with a straight face.”

Putting my coffee down, I crossed my arms. “We have to set some ground rules.”

Wes grinned from behind his mug. “Okay…”

He’d better be taking this seriously. I took another long sip of coffee. “One, you have to sleep on the couch. I only have one bedroom. So…”

“All right. I was expecting that. No big deal. I’ve slept on worse things.”

“Not even gonna ask.” I sighed. “Also, no walking around without your clothes on.”

Wes raised a brow and laughed. “Why would I do that?”

“I don’t know. You seem like the type who might be comfortable enough in your skin to want to flaunt it or something. Just letting you know I won’t appreciate that.”

“No naked ass. Got it.” He nodded. “What else?”

“No eating anything in my refrigerator that belongs to me. I just went to Erewhon to stock up. Practically spent a week’s salary.” I opened the fridge and began moving my items to the right, leaving spots on the left of the top two shelves empty. “You can keep your stuff on this side.”

“How generous of you…” He grinned.

I tilted my head. “Are you mocking me?”

“No.” He pursed his lips, probably to keep from laughing.

I sighed. Maybe I did need to calm down. This situation was making me more high-strung than usual.

After a moment, he asked, “Are you done?”

“I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”

“Look…” he said. “I don’t wanna be here any more than you want me here. So let’s just try to make the best of it.”

“We don’t need to make the best of it. We need to stay out of each other’s way and not make each other insane.” I downed the last of my cup of joe.

Wes’s expression dampened. Had I hurt his feelings? This situation stressed me out and made me less than pleasant. My father’s antics brought out the worst in me. I felt like I needed a time out.

On that note, I took my own advice and ventured back to my room to have my second cup of coffee in peace.

When I walked back out into the living room about fifteen minutes later, my jaw dropped. It was like I’d walked onto the set of Love Island. Wes was sitting on the couch with his feet up on the ottoman—shirtless, with every beautiful contour of his bronzed chest on full display.

What. The. Heck. I gulped. “What are you doing?”

He stood, looking confused. “What do you mean? I’m just sitting here.”

“You’ve only been here a matter of minutes, and you’ve already broken a rule.” I scoffed. “The most important one, I might add.”

He drew in his brows. “What rule?”

I glared. “Naked?”

He looked down at his chest. “I’m not naked.”

“You took your shirt off.”

“That’s shirtless. Not naked. You say naked, and I think…junk hanging out. This is not naked.”

I shook my head. “You need to wear a shirt in this house.”

He stalked toward me. “It’s hot as Hades in here. Does your air conditioner even work?”

“I don’t like it too cold. I freeze easily.”

“I guess that’s what happens to people who are already cold enough.”

As he stood there with his hands on his hips, I did feel oddly warm, actually. And it had nothing to do with the air-conditioner setting.

He smirked. A chill ran down my spine.

F*ck. Those dimples.

I’m going to kill my father for hiring this guy.

★★★ 

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VI KEELAND

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films by Passionflix, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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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 millions of 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.

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Coming Soon - THE FIRST RULE OF FAKING IT by A Rivers

 

����COMING SOON!!����

The First Rule of Faking It is coming from A Rivers on April 17th! Check out the tropes she’s

sharing and pre-order your copy today: https://geni.us/FirstRule

~

What’s worse than being stuck in paradise with your ex and the woman he cheated on you

with?

When your hot hockey player best friend–who’s always made your heart beat a little faster–insists on

pretending to be your new boyfriend.

Alec means well, but no one–not my ex, not my friends, and certainly not my family–is going to

believe he’s suddenly madly in love with me. The only person at risk of believing the act… is me.

But maybe I’ll get through this despite his tempting touches, lingering smiles, and the fact there’s

only one bed in our hotel room… as long as I remember the most important rule of all: Don’t fall for

your fake boyfriend.

If you loved the emotional heat of books by Becka Mack and Avery Keelan, then buy THE FIRST

RULE OF FAKING IT to start reading your next addictive hockey romance today!

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����COMING SOON!!����

The First Rule of Faking It is coming from A Rivers on April 17th! Check out the tropes she’s

sharing and pre-order your copy today: https://geni.us/FirstRule

Out Now - THE SUNDERED DAY by JE Pittman

 

����OUT NOW!!����

THE SUNDERED DAY by JE Pittman is out now!! Check out the dark cozy fantasy and grab the

second book in The St. Germain Letters today: https://geni.us/SunderedDay

~

Tacti Fatis

Touched by Fate, the renegade Rakozy becomes embroiled in matters of State as his once-cousin

Rudolf tasks him with the impossible – finding the declining emperor a rumored salvation.

Guided by Chance, he takes up cosmic challenge, reworking the stars themselves into a new music

of the spheres.

Lured by Hope, Rakozy steps from his seclusion and into the pages of history, taking up the blessing

of Time itself.

Behold the righteous glory of the Comte de Saint Germain as he would have you believe, in The

Sundered Day – a tale from the world of Felix Chance.

#JEPittman #pnr #paranormal #urbanfantasy #cozyfantasy #bookshelf #booklove #tbr #toberead

#reading

Maiden Tomb by Cynthia Sally Haggard blitz with Xpresso Book Tours.

Maiden Tomb
Cynthia Sally Haggard
(Twelve Cursed Maidens, #1)
Publication date: February 5th 2025
Genres: Adult, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Historical, Retelling, Romance

Follow twelve princesses down a dark tunnel into a grove of jeweled trees to a too-placid lake, where a prince will row you across to a gleaming castle to dance the night away. This historical fantasy—a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses folktale—drifts backwards in time from the Early Middle Ages of Sicily to the Bronze Age of the Trojan War. It is perfect for fans of Circe and Spinning Silver.

Sixteen-year-old Justice wants to release her sisters from the jaws of Father’s imprisonment. But what can she do? The easiest way would be to find suitors for them.

However, that is not so easy, for Justice’s elder sisters are strange. What with All-Gifted’s madness, Protectress’s hair writhing with snakes, Death-Bringer’s grief (not to mention her strange name), Shining’s scandalous doings, Maiden’s tart tongue, Shadow’s crippling shyness, no sensible man would want her sisters as wives. Which leaves Justice, the seventh daughter, the one who possesses a quiet authority.

Maiden Tomb, Book One of the Twelve Cursed Maidens series, is a clean enemies-to-lovers romance.

The original fairytale—about twelve young ladies dancing all night—sounds so jolly doesn’t it? But I don’t think Twelve Dancing Princesses is about dancing at all.

I think it is about death.

Why do I think that? Well there appear to be some elements to the tale that go back, way back, hundreds, no, thousands of years, back into the Ancient World.

First of all, being rowed across a body of water sounds like a thread of Greek Mythology found its way into this tale. It is very reminiscent of Charon the boatman rowing the souls of the newly dead across the River Styx.

Then there are those jeweled trees. Where do they come from? Several scholars believe that element of the story comes from the Tale of Gilgamesh, which may have been originally composed around 1800 BCE. It tells the story of Gilgamesh, a King of Uruk a city-state in Sumeria, who is grieving for the death of his best friend. According to scholars, Gilgamesh ruled the Kingdom of Uruk in around 2700 BCE.

Then there are the princesses themselves. Have you ever wondered why their are twelve princesses? Again, the answer points towards the ancient kingdom of Sumeria, which existed in what is now present day Iraq, beginning in around 6,000 BCE. The Sumerians were renowned astronomers who used a base-12 numerical system, unlike the base-10 or decimal system we use today.

And so, there you have it. When you dig below the surface, a charming story from Europe has roots in the Middle East and seems to be thousands of years old!

And so, when I came to write Maiden Tomb, a piece of women’s fiction that explores the all-too-often captivity of women, I put back all those elements. We have the Gilgamesh epic, and elements of Greek Mythology, complete with snakes, ancient gods, and powerful goddesses. And far from being a jolly novel about young people dancing, as the title suggests, I made it a book about death.

I hope you find this coming-of-age novella as enjoyable to read as I found it fascinating to write.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

In the past week or so since we’ve arrived, life has taken on a predictable rhythm. I spend the mornings entertaining the ladies of the castle, with the lyre, my singing, playing knucklebones, and listening to their gossip. Truth to tell, nothing they say is particularly interesting as high-born ladies spend their time inside. When they are not diverting themselves with such pastimes as I provide, they are spinning, weaving, running the household, and caring for their children. They talk incessantly about their children. They know little of the outside world.

I escape after the midday meal, taking advantage of the ladies’ habit of resting as the sun’s chariot crests at the highest point of the day. While they sleep, I head out into the scorching countryside looking for Father.

We sit together in the shade, while Father does some task, usually repairing something, while I tell him everything I’ve learned the evening before. It is not that hard. Because I am small, and people are now familiar with my face, no one pays me any mind as I take my seat at the bench that runs along the side of the huge table where all the working folk of the castle eat their meals.

Father has told me never to be inquisitive, but I am dying to know more about the twelve mysterious ladies locked up in the castle tower, the ones people whisper about behind their hands when they think no-one is noticing.

As the light of the sun drains from the sky, as the king’s men sink lower onto wooden benches eating dish after dish, quail, pheasant, peacock, duck, eggs, bread, olive oil, wine, and olives, the noise of seven hundred men sharing jokes, laughing, and swilling wine reverberates around the hall.

Finally, I can take it no more.”Is it true what they say about the King’s daughters?”

The grizzled stranger on the bench next to me wipes the grease off his mouth with the back of a hand and spits out an olive pit.

“Where’ve you popped up from? You shouldn’t be here. You’re only a young lad.”

I am used to these remarks. After I left home I took a ship that was blown off course, taking me west to the land of the Italoi. I had to beg for money in the streets and in the taverns and it was not long before I heard news of Father, who was sailing to the west of this land.

And so I made my way across steep mountains before coming down to a lush plain. Playing my lyre to entertain strangers I followed their directions to the sea, to a wide bay within sight of a simmering, high, conical-shaped mountain.

And there, in a tavern, I met Father.

Now we are traveling home together. But Father is not here on the bench beside me, as he should be, but outside at a nearby farm pretending to be a stable hand.

This is one of Father’s clever strategies. He is a master at extracting information. He calls his strategy “divide and conquer” and it means that I have to use my lyre to find a berth for the night in some local chieftain’s house. This is not usually difficult, especially if there are ladies around because for some reason they always want to pet me.

Meanwhile, Father finds work on the outside as a shepherd, farmhand, or stable boy. By concealing his origins and pretending to be dumb, drunk, or both, Father is able to overhear a great many things. We have a plan to meet every day at noon, I escaping the blandishments of the ladies to visit the local farm for milk, cheese, eggs where I could happen upon the new stable boy, farmhand, or shepherd.

The only fly in the ointment is my age. I am only twelve years old and to my great annoyance, I look it. So Father made me memorize some phrases to offer when this issue arises.

“Father is here with me, but is suffering with an ache to his belly.”

One sentence is usually enough for most people. Father has instructed me never to offer explanations that are not asked for as it only makes people more curious.

But the fellow is staring at me, waiting for more.

I turn my eyes down. “Father told me to eat supper and then berth with him in the stable yard.”

“He’s the new stable hand, is he?”

I nod.

“Much good he’ll be with a bellyache.”

I look up. “Do you have a remedy for that good sir?”

Father always stresses the importance of asking for advice when a conversation turns sour, as it flatters the vanity.

The fellow hawks and spits, rising from his seat. “You’ll have to go to the kitchens for that, son.” He ambles off.

Author Bio:

Cynthia Sally Haggard was born and reared in Surrey, England. About 40 years ago, she surfaced in the United States, inhabiting the Mid-Atlantic region as she wound her way through four careers: violinist, cognitive scientist, medical writer, and novelist.

Her first novel, Thwarted Queen, a saga set in 1400s England with a Game of Thrones vibe, won the 2021 Gold Medal IPPY Award for Audiobook. Her second novel, Farewell My Life, a dark historical about a hidden murderer, won the 2021 Independent Press Award for Women’s Fiction and was the 2019 Distinguished Favorite for the New York City Big Book Award.

Cynthia graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, Cambridge MA, in June 2015.

When she’s not annoying everyone by insisting her fictional characters are more real than they are, Cynthia likes to go for long walks, knit something glamorous, cook in her wonderful kitchen, and play the piano.

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Maiden Tomb Blitz

—

Release Blitz Post for Burning Vengeance by Tricia T. LaRochelle

 

Natalie Dugan thought starting a cleaning business would bring freedom, not danger. Between caring for her sick mother and juggling new clients, she has no time for romance—until she meets Aaron Marino, a scarred ex-firefighter who makes her question everything. When a series of suspicious fires spreads through their Virginia town, suspicion falls on every man around her, leaving Natalie to unravel a deadly mystery before vengeance consumes them all. Readers who enjoy high-stakes and forced proximity romances will devour Burning Vengeance by Tricia T. LaRochelle, a small-town, fireman romantic suspense.

Blurb

When Natalie Dugan trades spreadsheets for scrub brushes, she hopes her new cleaning business will give her independence—and the chance to care for her ailing mother. Love isn’t on her agenda, but everything changes when she meets Aaron Marino, a reclusive ex-firefighter scarred by the blaze that nearly claimed his life.

As a string of suspicious fires threatens their quaint Virginia town, every man in Natalie’s orbit becomes a suspect: her hard-working new boyfriend, her mother’s unfairly maligned partner, her unsettling neighbor, and even Aaron himself. But the closer Natalie gets to Aaron, the harder it is to ignore the spark that refuses to extinguish.

When the truth behind the fires finally ignites, Natalie will have to confront betrayal, vengeance, and danger that hits far too close to home. Survival—and love—depend on whether she can brave the flames of the past … before they consume her.

Add to Goodreads Here! 

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Excerpt 

Copyright 2026, Tricia T. LaRochelle

“Okay, time to go to work.”

A headline flashed on the screen of my phone as I was exiting my vehicle.

Authorities investigating a series of fires in the local area, one linked to a commercial public warehouse in eastern Charlottesville. Two men in the hospital due to smoke inhalation. No fatalities. Authorities suspect arson.

“A series. Arson?” I mumbled to myself. I thought about Dr. Clark’s brother-in-law. “What kind of idiot would start a fire on purpose? You have to be absolutely nuts to do something like that.” 

My jaw clenched thinking about all the casualties, not to mention the men and women who had risked their lives to stop the insanity. It never ceased to amaze me how destructive certain people could be. 

I thought about that fire that broke out at my mother’s old neighbor’s gift shop last week. Bea and Nigel were nearing retirement and had just put the place up for sale. They lost all their inventory in that blaze. At least the fire hadn’t injured anyone. Bea had told my mom that she swore she had seen a dark, hooded figure in the woods nearby on the night of the fire. Was the person watching the place? Bea and Nigel were careful people. They didn’t smoke or take unnecessary risks. A late-night call had informed them that their place was now a pile of rubble . . . charred rubble. Baffled didn’t begin to describe it. I hoped they had insurance. 

I strolled up the walkway covered in light-and-dark gray pavers toward a porch supported by square pillars and anchored by natural stone accents. The shining sun gleamed against the beveled sidelights as I rang the doorbell and waited. It wasn’t long before footfalls approached, the door swinging open to reveal a tall man donning strawberry-blond hair with a slight curl to it. A trimmed beard of the same shade revealed a few wisps of white that implied Aaron was probably older than I was, but not by much, his face relatively free of wrinkles. 

My pulse ramped. Every cell in my body went berserk. 

The thin red-and-black flannel shirt Aaron wore did little to hide the robust shoulders of this guy or his pectorals. And I had thought Justin was in shape. His faded jeans hung casually from his hips and toned waistline. White socks covered his feet. His amber eyes emphasized warm honey with a slight slant in a Ryan Gosling sort of way, his lips full, and his overall facial structure rather scrumptious. If this guy wanted to abduct me, I’d have a difficult time putting up a fight. Not really, but man. How many men and women had he rescued in a fire who were swooning over him still?

Zing. I felt it. As though an electrical shock had zapped me. 

Suddenly, I wished I had put on makeup. Damn. My hair was back up in a neat ponytail, but my outfit was about as unflattering as it got: bright-orange sneakers and scrubs in pale yellow with a doggy print splattered all over them. 

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About Tricia T. LaRochelle

Since she was a little girl, award-winning author Tricia T. LaRochelle has been obsessed with tragic love stories. No beach reads for her. Bring on the grit with a double side of turmoil. She likes to feel the character’s anguish as they fight to overcome obstacles to be together. Growing up in central Vermont, she has seen her share of tragedy but remains a hopeful romantic. She now lives in central Virginia, where she continues to foster the possibilities of how love can conquer all.

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WWW Wednesday

 

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next? Escape into a hilarious grumpy/sunshine forbidden small town rom com from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely! I don’t need a bodyguard—I run a small-town lavender farm, for bee’s sake. But when my identical twin sister lands the movie role of a lifetime that’s being shot in my hometown I get one anyway. And guess which broody, tattooed protector the studio sends to keep the paparazzi off my porch? Last month’s almost one-night stand. The guy with the wicked mouth and heated eyes who slipped out before the fun even started. But turns out the sexy jerk is excellent at rescuing me from sneaky photographers at the market. Then the coffee shop. I’m trying hard to stay mad after the third time my new bodyguard saves me. To top it all off, he’s staying in the cottage at my farm. With me. And there’s only one bed. Maybe if we finally give in and finish what we started, it’ll relieve the tension? But one night quickly turns into another. Then into late-night secrets and soft confessions we shouldn’t say out loud. Especially since he’s leaving and I’m staying, and there’s no way we can be more than a summer romance that ends far too soon. Tropes: Small town, rom com, grumpy/sunshine, bodyguard, forced proximity, forbidden romance, only one bed Recently Finished/ review posted/ Will read next... A series of explosions. A city on edge. And two people with more to lose than they’ll ever admit… What  are you waiting For to Release  :June 22

COVER REVEAL - Forbidden Vow by Lilith Vincent

Title: Forbidden Vow

A Forbidden Mafia Romance

Series: Ruthless Arrangements #2

Author: Lilith Vincent

Genre: Dark Romance

Tropes: Forbidden, Mafia

Adopted Brother/Sister

Cover Design: The Book Brander

Photographer: Ren Saliba

Release Date: May 6, 2026

BLURB

Lucy is the only woman I love. The only heart I cherish. But she can never be mine.

Life is danger, and life is pain. I learned that lesson at twelve years of age when my father and sister perished in flames. Lucy and I were the only survivors, she an abandoned little girl with pain in her eyes, tears on her cheeks, and steel in her heart.

I couldn’t lose her, so I lied about who we were, without knowing the terrible price we’d pay. Lucy and I became Barones, children of one of the wealthiest and most sinister families in Malus. I love Lucy more than anyone in the world, but I led her unwittingly into danger.

Our new family treads a dark and violent path, strewn with bullets and blood. Our true identity is a deadly secret. To protect my beautiful Lucy, I must walk the same path as our parents. To save her from a violent fate, I must arrange her marriage to someone else.

But seeing Lucy with another man’s ring on her finger unlocks feral instincts inside me. My desire for her is going to tear our lives apart, because I’m about to do something dangerous, reckless, and utterly forbidden.

I’m going to make Lucy mine.

Author’s Note: Forbidden Vow is a forbidden MF romance with dark themes, a jealous, overprotective and obsessed hero, and a sweet and clever virgin heroine. This is the second book in the Ruthless Arrangements series and can be read as a standalone. The story is dirty and delicious, so please read at your discretion.

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AUTHOR BIO

Lilith Vincent is a steamy romance author who believes in living on the wild side! Whether it’s reverse harem or M/F romance, mafia men and bad boys with tattoos are her weakness, and the heroines who bring them to their knees.

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OUT NOW: Property of Sevrin (Kings of Anarchy MC

 

OUT NOW: Property of Sevrin (Kings of Anarchy MC: Lexmore Beach, Maryland)

Dive into a NEW suspenseful supernatural standalone biker romance from USA Today bestselling author Esther E. Schmidt.

Get it here:
books2read.com/Sevrin

Author: Esther E. Schmidt
Cover Design: Gchelle Design
Release Day: March 24, 2026
Genre: Supernatural biker romance

A rare ancient legend binds these fated mates as direct descendants from the Roman Gods. Will they survive a blood feud or taint the sea red for all of eternity?

Sevrin – I’m a descendant of Neptune, and the president of the Kings of Anarchy Long Beach, Maryland chapter. Pursuing a vendetta against the brother of my destined fated mate has consumed me for decades. When I eventually come face-to-face with my fated mate for the first time, it unknowingly triggers a legend's inescapable journey causing catastrophic consequences for everyone involved.

Fosca – I’m a descendant of Salacia, and a medical examiner. Working with law enforcement while knowing my destined fated mate is an outlaw biker creates issues deeper than standing on opposite ends. Especially when he harbors a hatred deep enough to want me as dead as my rogue brother.

The Maryland chapters are more than a brotherhood when it comes to putting the club first, and handling those who cause problems. Each story features a new couple, and can be read as a complete standalone with action, suspense, no cheating, and a happily ever after.