Title: Luca
Series: The Bianchi Brothers #1
Author: LM Fox
Genre: Mafia/Crime Family Romance
Tropes: Single Mother/Found Family
Overprotective Cinnamon Roll Hero
Release Date: April 11, 2024
BLURB
LUCA
Created from darkness and light, I face each day determined not to repeat history.
My DNA is equal parts Satan and Saint.
I will not allow another woman to suffer at the hands of my family.
So why am I irrevocably drawn to her?
This strong, determined angel deserves so much more than sheâs been given. The very last person she should open her heart toâ¦
Is me.
But I canât fight the feeling,
that no matter how risky this is,
sheâs mine.
JILLIAN
My life is a fusion of sun and storm.
But Iâve learned you have to take the good with the bad.
But that doesnât mean I have to keep inviting it in.
Weâve been through enough. The very last person I need in my lifeâ¦
Is him.
But despite the secrets, the heart wants what it wants.
And it wants Luca.
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EXCERPT
âOh, Luca,â I exhale. Itâs magnificent. Itâs the most exquisite mirror Iâve ever seen. It honestly looks like one Iâd imagine Cinderella peering into. That heâd create something so intricately beautiful for me. My eyes well with tears and itâs not long before theyâre spilling onto my cheeks. Turning, I bury my face in his chest. âThank you.â âYou like it?â âI love it, Luca. Itâs gorgeous.â As I look up at his handsome smiling face, he swipes my tears away before kissing my forehead. âHere, let me hang it for you. I thought it would look nice over there.â He points toward a blank space in the foyer Iâd not noticed before. Itâs like it was always waiting for this piece to take up residency there. âOh, yes. Itâs perfect.â Leaning on the opposite wall, I gaze at him as he gets to work hanging his masterpiece. Itâs a bit overwhelming to observe. Not only his craftsmanship on display, but the way his rugged body moves as he goes about hanging the mirror. Iâve never had the opportunity to do this before. Languidly watch the man I love do handyman things. Dillon saved those activities for his job. The times at home were more relaxed. Mom had Roger complete whatever tasks she needed at home or hired someone. However, thereâs something infinitely personal about watching a man perform household tasks for you. When itâs in service to someone they care about. And regardless of what he says, I can feel it. His actions betray him. He does care for me. I know it. And thereâs no doubt Iâve fallen for Luca. As he finishes, he steps back, turns, and moves to stand behind me so we can both peer into the mirror together. His arms are wrapped tightly around me, his chin on my shoulder. âItâs beautiful, Luca.â âNot nearly as beautiful as the woman in it.â He kisses my neck. I giggle. âIt looks like something a princess would have.â He drops his lips to my ear, âYou are my Principessa.â My lower belly flutters at his words. That undeniable electrical charge between us is back. But Iâm tired of playing this game. âLuca, we need to talk.â Spinning to face him, I decide to use the new found adrenalin to get some answers. âI canât do the playdates with benefits thing. Iâm⦠well, Iâm starting to have feelings for you. And Iâm certain my kids do as well. If you arenât interested in a relationship with me, and them, we shouldnât do this anymore.â I expect him to get defensive. Take a step back. However, he shocks me when he cups my face and leans in for a possessive kiss. His big, soft lips engulf mine before his tongue dips in to play. Iâm so caught up in the taste and feel of his mouth on mine, I donât notice when he moves to grab my ass in his hands and pull me into him. The feel of his hardening length against my belly is making me wet. This is either the most delicious way possible to signal the beginning of a relationship. Or is he deflecting? Luca pulls back, resting his forehead on mine before gently rocking it from side to side. âYou deserve better than the likes of me. All of you do. But I canât help myself. Iâve never wanted anything like I want this with you. With all of you.â I lean in to kiss him, so incredibly happy. He lifts me by my bottom and caries me toward the kitchen island. Sitting me down, he starts to unbutton my top but I place my hand over his. âLuca, I wasnât sure what to expect when you wanted to see me this morning. My mother has the kids, but they wonât be out long.â His face falls into my chest and he groans. Suddenly, he spins and runs to the front door to flip the deadbolt before rushing back to me. Scooping me up, I wrap my legs around him as he rushes to the couch. âWhat are you doing?â âShhh. Donât have much time.â I giggle. âFor what?â âI havenât eaten yet.â
AUTHOR BIO
Born and raised in Virginia, LM Fox currently lives in a suburb of Richmond with her husband, three kids, and a chocolate lab.
Her pastimes are traveling to new and favorite places, trying new foods, a swoony book with either a good cup of tea or coffee, margaritas on special occasions, and watching her kids participate in a variety of sports.
She has spent the majority of her adult life working in emergency medicine and her books are written in this setting. Her main characters are typically in the medical field, EMS, fire, and/or law enforcement. She enjoys writing angsty, contemporary romance starring headstrong, independent heroines you canât help but love and the hot alpha men who fall hard for them.
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Title: The Surrogate
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Age Gap/Widower/Found Family
Forbidden/Enemies to Friends to Lovers
Release Date: February 26, 2024
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE novel…
ABBY:
I’m falling for the father of the baby I’m carrying.
The problem is: it’s not my baby.
And the broody widower is not looking for a long-term partner.
As a surrogate, the deal was that I’d only be in England long enough to give birth.
At first, the man seemed as pretentious as his name: Sigmund Benedictus.
He and I butted heads.
Sig challenged my intentions, accused me of just wanting to do this for the money.
Gradually, he learned to trust me.
He even became protective.
Over time, our heated animosity turned into fiery chemistry.
I was falling in love with him.
But my time here had a limit.
I needed to protect my heart from the devastatingly gorgeous older man who’d end up breaking it.
SIG:
When my in-laws told me they wanted to use my dead wife’s eggs to conceive a grandchild, I wasn’t immediately on board.
They swore that on her deathbed Britney told them it was what she wanted—but only if I fathered the baby. Her parents insisted they would be the ones to raise it.
Against my better judgment, I agreed.
I vowed to keep my heart out of it, though.
I’d continue to pretend it wasn’t happening and live the empty, single life I’d become accustomed to the past five years since Britney died.
And despite the fact that a certain younger American named Abby Knickerbocker had awakened things inside me that I thought were long dead…
I most certainly wouldn’t fall in love with the surrogate.
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Both the Kindle version and man-cover paperback will go live on/around release day.
The current paperback preorder is for the special-edition cover only.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
AGE GAP
WIDOWER
BRITISH HERO
FOUND FAMILY
SLOW BURN
FORBIDDEN
ENEMIES-TO-FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS
EXCERPT
Copyright © 2023
By Penelope Ward
My phone rang, and I looked down to find it was Lourdes, a woman I’d hung out with over a year ago. She’d been texting me lately to get together, and I’d been ignoring her messages. I silenced the ringer.
“Who was that?” Abby asked.
“Someone named—none of your business.”
“A woman? Is that why you’re in such a rush to get back to London?”
“Trust me, I haven’t met anyone worth rushing anywhere for.”
“Well, excuse me, Mr. Picky.”
I rolled over a bit to face her, resting my chin on my hand. “You think it’s odd to be selective?”
“I don’t think you’re being selective. I think you’re closed off to everyone. There’s a difference.”
“You seem to have me pegged, but what about you? Why are you single?”
“I had a bad experience, as I think I’ve mentioned, and haven’t felt like having my heart toyed with again.”
“How long ago was that? The guy who broke up with you…”
“Nearly three years now.”
“But you’ve dated since that breakup.”
“Yeah. There’ve been a few brief…”
“Hookups?” I arched a brow.
“I guess I can admit that now that you’re not actively assessing my character.”
“Why would I judge you for that? Sex is natural—necessary for survival, if you ask me.”
“You just don’t want to have anything to do with the women after.”
Unable to deny it, I shrugged. “There haven’t been that many women since Britney. At least nothing compared to when I was younger. Most of the time, I meet someone and decide not to go through with anything. But of the encounters I have had, yeah, it’s never mattered whether I saw them again.”
“What was different about Britney? I mean, when you met her? How did you know she was the one?”
My chest constricted. “I’d love to be able to give you a less cliché answer—because I hate clichés—but I just knew. After about an hour together, I never wanted to be apart from her.”
“Fair enough. They say that’s what happens sometimes. You just know.”
“You’ve never experienced that?”
“Nope.” Abby shook her head. “Still waiting for it to happen to me.” She smiled. “Anyway, for the record, I don’t just hook up with people randomly, like some people.” She elbowed me. “I have to know them first.”
“Knowing you, Abby, I can’t imagine you not asking someone a million questions before you sleep with them.”
“Well, yeah. I need to know who I’m dealing with. I’m not going to waste my time with anyone who’s not a good person—even if I’m wildly attracted to them.”
“Sometimes less is more,” I mumbled.
“This from the man who interrogated me the first time he met me.”
“Well, I need to know a bit more about someone who’s going to be carrying my child than I would someone I’m merely going to...”
“F*ck?” She finished my sentence.
The word on her tongue gave me an unwanted thrill. I wouldn’t have minded hearing her say it a few more times, which probably meant I needed my head checked.
“You wanna go?” she asked.
Somehow I’d forgotten my urgency to leave. I’d become pretty comfortable in this spot on the hay. It wasn’t about the hay at all, though, was it?
“Well, now you’ve made me lazy. You’re a bad influence, Knickerbocker.”
She leaned her head on her hand. “Why don’t you just sleep at the inn tonight? Lavinia loves your company.”
“She’ll be conked out by the time we get back there, but I suppose you have a point. At this hour, I might as well just drive into London with you in the morning.”
“You keep work clothes at The Bainbridge, right?”
“Yes. I have everything I need in my room.” I looked out through the barn door. It was now completely nightfall. “Now that it’s dark, you need to be careful driving back.”
“You’ll be behind me anyway, in case I run into trouble, right?”
“Well, you won’t find me driving in front of you ever again,” I teased.
“Good one.” She laughed as she stood and brushed off her dress. “Can you turn around for a minute?”
I narrowed my eyes but did as she asked. “Okay…why am I doing this?”
A few seconds passed. “All good now.”
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“You promise not to make fun of me?”
“No. But tell me anyway.”
“I had a piece of hay stuck in my underwear.” She flashed a goofy smile.
And then…I laughed for what felt like the first time in years.
AUTHOR BIO
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 forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
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OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD
Title: What Happens at the Lake
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Trope: Grumpy-Sunshine
Release Date: January 15, 2024
Take a sneak peek at WHAT HAPPENS AT THE LAKE.
You know you want to...
She smelled like damn summer.
And it pissed me off.
Plus, I was tired from a shitty night’s sleep. I’d tossed and turned thinking about Little Miss Home Improvement wearing nothing but a pair of denim short overalls and work boots—no shirt, no socks, definitely no bra or underwear.
Josie hopped down from the last two steps on the ladder. “Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Are you always this grumpy in the morning?”
“I’m not grumpy.”
“No? So this is what? Your idea of a sparkling personality? I asked if your coffee was okay, and you grunted at me.”
“That wasn’t a grunt. That was a yes.”
Josie made a short, deep noise that sounded like a pig.
I arched a brow. “Is that supposed to be me?”
She made the sound again, this time adding some monkeylike arm movements and jumping around. “Gronk.”
“Cute.”
She jumped again. “Gronk. Gronk.”
I tried not to react, but she was just too damn adorable.
Josie pointed at my face. “There it is again. The elusive Mr. Grumpy Pants smile. It’s kind of…dare I say…nice.” She made an exaggerated gasping sound and covered her mouth. “Oh no. I hope it’s not too painful.”
“Alright, wiseass. I get the point. How about you take your oinking ass out front and grab one of the small two by fours I left on the porch? I’ll show you how to make an easy support to hold up the drywall while it gets screwed into the ceiling.”
Josie strutted to the door. The woman was wearing a white tank top and long, pale pink, flowy skirt to do construction. It looked like she was going on a picnic date, rather than hanging sheetrock—though the tank top hugged her in all the right places, and there was something about her collarbone that I couldn’t drag my eyes away from. She bent to pick up the wood out front, and the top of her tank gaped open, giving me a clear view down her shirt. I forced my head in the other direction, though my eyes managed to slant and continue looking.
“Jesus Christ,” I grumbled to myself. “I need to get the fu¢k out of here.”
★★★
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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, Israel, 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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Title: The Rules of Dating My One-Night Stand
Authors: Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 12, 2023
Excited about Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland’s
upcoming release, The Rules of Dating
My One-Night Stand?
Check out this SNEAK PEEK!
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Were you jealous that I was out with another woman?”
Devyn looked away. “No.”
My lip twitched. “No, huh?”
“I wasn’t jealous.”
It was difficult to keep a straight face, because she was so clearly full of sh$t. But…if she wasn’t jealous, a few details wouldn’t bother her, right?
I sipped my wine and watched Devyn’s face. “Tarryn asked if I wanted to take her back to my place.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That’s nice.”
“We’ve had sex before. So I don’t think she wanted to sit on the couch and watch TV.”
Devyn’s face flushed red.
I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to see her get pissed—admit she was damn jealous.
“Yeah, that Tarryn’s a real wild woman in bed. Last time she visited, we broke a lamp. Knocked it right off the end table from the bed bouncing around so much.”
I watched the muscle flex in her cheek, the same cheek that was turning a lovely shade of crimson. Yet she still wouldn’t look at me.
“Devyn?”
Her lips pursed as she stared straight ahead.
“Devyn?” I said louder.
“What?”
“Look at me.”
Her head whipped to face me, and she stared with daggers in her eyes.
I smiled. “It wouldn’t bother you if I…fu¢ked Tarryn?”
That did it.
She broke.
But she didn’t yell at me like I expected.
Not at all.
Instead, she smashed her lips against mine.
It caught me so off guard that I took a few seconds to catch up. By the time I did, Devyn was hoisting herself over, climbing me like a freaking tree.
Fu¢k yeah.
This.
This was the chemistry we’d had from the very start.
I grabbed her a$s with one hand, lifting her higher, and guided her legs around my waist, so lost in the moment that nothing existed in the world except this kiss.
Which was probably why I didn’t hear the door open…
BLURB
Rule number one for having a one-night stand: Don’t fall for the girl.
After a lengthy dating slump, I finally met someone who sparked my interest.
Well, first the sparks flew when we argued. Later in the evening those sparks ignited into something more.
I was drawn to Devyn, in a way I hadn’t felt in a really long time.
Needless to say, I was disappointed when she abruptly left after our amazing night together.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her. But she hadn’t even given me her number.
In a city with eight-million people, I figured I’d never see Devyn again.
So imagine my surprise when I knocked on the door of an apartment in the building I lived in, and none other than my one-night stand stood on the other side.
If I thought Devyn didn’t want anything to do with me before, that was nothing compared to how she felt after finding out I was the landlord and she was about to be evicted…
And that was just the first surprise that would rock my world when it came to the mystery woman in apartment 410.
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.
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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Find more books
at http://www.vikeeland.com and
Title: I Could Never
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Forbidden Romance/Enemies to Lovers
Release Date: August 21, 2023
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new forbidden, enemies-to-lovers storyâ¦
It all started with an unexpected phone call.
Two years after my fiancé passed away in an accident, his father died suddenly, leaving Bradâs adult, special-needs brother with no one to care for him.
The next thing I knew, I was on a cross-country drive to New Hampshire where Iâd be moving in to look after Scottie until I could get him into a group home.
The last thing I ever expected?
I wouldnât be taking care of him alone.
Josh Mathers, my fianceâs best friendâwho also happened to be my sworn enemyâinsisted he was the better person for the job. He told me to go back to California, and I told him where he could stick that demand.
Our disdain for each other wasnât anything new. It dated back to a text Iâd accidentally read years ago.
We hated each other. But we both loved Scottie, so neither of us budged.
Now we were living together in a tiny houseâwith one available bedroom. Thank goodness it was only temporary.
Over time, I realized the broody jerk I thought I knew was different than Iâd imagined.
I found myself slowly growing attached to someone I once considered the enemyâ¦and growing attracted to him.
Sure, both of us were guilt-ridden over Brad. We were also two grown people with pent-up frustration toward one anotherâstuck in a cabin in the woods.
But this was Josh.
I could never.
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EXCERPT
Copyright © 2023 by Penelope Ward
Josh sat at the table, casually having coffee as I walked into the house after my drive home from the salon. The smell of cigarettes emanated from him. He hadnât smelled like that since the first day he arrived.
âWhereâs Scottie?â I asked.
âIn his room,â he answered without making eye contact.
I stated the obvious. âYou smell like smoke.â
âMust be the firewood.â He brought his mug to his mouth.
âBullsh*t. The pellet stove doesnât emit any fumes.â
âYeah. I caved and had one. Big deal.â He pointed toward the door. âI did it outside, though, while keeping an eye on Scottie through the window.â
âYouâd been doing so well. What happened?â
He still wasnât looking at me, and instead stared straight ahead. âJust human, I guess.â
Then something in front of him on the table caught my attention: pieces of ripped pages piled atopâ¦my journal.
A rush of adrenaline shot through me. âWhy do you have that?â
âItâs apparently your diary.â
âIâm quite aware of that.â My heart began to pound. âYou were snooping in my room?â
He shot daggers at me. âThink, Carly. Of the two guys in this house, who is the one more likely to have been ransacking your room?â
âYou were supposed to be watching him while I was at the salon,â I yelled.
âGod forbid I take a piss in peace. Is it not bad enough that Iâm showering with him now? Getting my balls tugged?â
I wanted to laugh, but this moment was far from funny.
âScottie ripped those pages out?â
âThe notebook is bright orange, like his iPad cover. Probably caught his attention. The drawer next to your bed was open, so he must have gone in there. I assume thatâs where you kept it. Admittedly, Iâd been letting him hang out in your room, but you sometimes do, too. I went to check on him, make sure he wasnât doing anything bad, and found those pages strewn about.â A vein popped in his neck.
Josh was angry. Why? I shouldâve been the angry one.
âDid you read it?â
âI only happened to see what was on the pages he ripped. I didnât read anything else once I figured out what the hell it was.â
This is bad. Starting to sweat, I asked, âBut how much did you see?â
He stood up from his seat and slowly approached me. With each step he took toward me, I took one back. When we could go no farther, he placed his arms on either side of me, leaning his hands against the wall. And I forgot how to breathe.
Fear. Arousal. Embarrassment. You name it, I was feeling it right now. Every emotion hit me at once.
His breath grazed my face. âHow much did I actually see?â He paused. âEnough to know you think Iâm an evil pig.â
Ugh. No. Now his anger made sense.
When he backed away, I walked over to the ripped pages on the table and sifted through them.
âItâs the last one, for reference,â he noted.
I read what Iâd written the other night.
AUTHOR BIO
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 twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
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OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD
Title: Something Unexpected
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 3, 2023
Take a sneak peek at SOMETHING UNEXPECTED.
You know you want to...
Beck threw his head back in laughter. I’d just insulted the guy, and he was amused. “I guess I made a pretty sh*tty first impression.”
I deadpanned. “You told me I should look someplace more respectable for my dates.”
“I thought you deserved better.”
“I think you’re full of sh*t. You’re only being nice now because you know I was looking for a night of no strings attached, and you think you have a shot at being my replacement.”
“Am I out of the running?”
I took a moment to check him out again. Damn, he’s pretty. “You’re only hanging on by a thread because you’re gorgeous.”
A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. “I like your honesty.”
“I like your jawline.”
His eyes gleamed. “You’ll like my big di¢k even better.”
I bit my bottom lip. The conversation had just taken a turn toward most of my Tinder messages—definitely a place I was more comfortable than talking about why I wanted to forget my life for a while. “How do I know you’re not a serial killer?”
“How did you know the Tinder loser wasn’t?”
Good point. I sipped my wine. “How old are you?”
“Old enough that I know what to do with you, and young enough that I don’t have to take a pill to do it.”
I smirked. “Is that so? You know what to do with me?”
He smiled self-assuredly. “I do, yes.”
The air crackled between us. For some reason, I knew this guy could deliver on his promise. Maybe it was his quiet confidence, or maybe it was that a man who looked the way he did got lots of practice. The latter would’ve been a turnoff if I was looking for more than one night, but it didn’t much matter if it served my purposes for a one-time deal.
I looked into his too-blue eyes. “Tell me then.”
“Tell you what?”
“What you would do with me.”
The wicked grin that slid across his face almost made me want to take back what I’d asked. Almost.
Beck lifted his glass and gulped his drink before leaning over to my ear. “I’d start by…
★★★
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RELEASING JULY 3rd!
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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-six 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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Title: Silenced
Series: The Forgotten Boys #1
Author: Serena Akeroyd
Genre: Dark Mafia Romance
Trope: Hades & Persephone Modern Retelling
Release Date: June 1, 2023
BLURB
A Hades and Persephone modern-day retelling.
I sit on a throne of sins.
Silent in the shadows, untouchable like the King of the Underworld himself.
Few even know the sound of my voice, but those who fear me call me Monster. My men just call me Pakhan.
To her, I am Nikolai.
Her savior. Her captor. Her lover.
With hair as bright as the sun, a face that could sink a thousand ships, and more curves than I can handle, Cassiopeia. Is. Everything.
But she’s in danger.
And safety comes with a price tag.
She can fight that, can even fight me, but I’m her Hades and I won’t let my Persephone go…
This is book one of The Forgotten Boys, a Russian Mafia series set in the Five Points' Mob Universe
PRE-ORDER LINKS
EXCERPT
WHERE IT BEGINS…
“Do you think she’s dead?”
It’s a good question.
Through the dusty glass panes of a window that saw better days a decade ago, I can barely make out the still form lying on the shady motel room’s vomit-yellow, flower-splotched carpet.
Cassiopeia Rundel could be dead.
From this distance and with the terrible visibility, I can’t answer for certain.
Dmitri Turgenev, my second-in-command, nudges me at my lack of response. “Well?”
I grunt.
He scrubs his floppy blond hair out of his eyes, muttering, “The men are in the car. You can talk.”
My brow furrows as I shoot him an impatient look and sign, “You need a haircut.”
He squints at me. “I might if you told me to.”
“When do I ever talk?” I dismiss.
He mumbles something beneath his breath then switches to Russian: “You’d think I’d get used to you being a mute after eighteen years of knowing you, wouldn’t you?”
With a pointed stare, I nod.
“Why is it you can talk to Misha? I mean five words are five words. Why do I get zero?”
This time, his petulance has me rolling my eyes even as I wipe at the glass to try to clean it. I need to know if the woman is dead or not because there’s no sense in wasting my time on rescuing a corpse.
(Silenced is still in its editing phase and changes may
occur between this version and the final version)
AUTHOR BIO
USA Today and International Best Selling Author Serena Akeroyd aka G. A. Mazurke is most known for her mafia and MC series set in the Five Points Mob Universe.
Avid reader of all things romance, she first started her career as a why choose author in both contemporary and paranormal. She eventually made her way to MF romance where she found her groove with the O’Donnelly brothers, the Satan Sinners and most recently the Valentini Family.
In her back list you can find some MM, MF, MFM and Why Choose romances. HEA guaranteed!
When not writing Serena is either reading, traveling or coloring.
AUTHOR LINKS
Title: The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister
Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 2, 2023
Excited about Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward’s
upcoming release, The Rules of Dating
My Best Friend's Sister?
Check out this SNEAK PEEK!
“What the hell?” He stood on the other side of the door. “Where’s the doorknob?”
I leaned down and spoke through the hole where the knob used to be. “It’s in here with me. The lock jammed, and the knob came off in my hands when I tried to pull it open.”
“Alright. Give me a minute. I need to run next door to get a screwdriver.”
“I have one now! I picked it up after the beeping incident, so I wouldn’t need to bug you again. It’s in the top drawer in the kitchen!”
“Okay, great. Hang on.”
Two minutes later, the door popped open. It wasn’t until I saw Holden’s face that I remembered I was only wearing a tank top and underwear, sans bra.
He gulped and took a long look before turning his head. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t dressed.”
I wasn’t the only one scantily clad. Holden had on only a pair of boxer briefs, his beautiful tanned skin and carved six pack on full display for my eager eyes, yet again. I couldn’t stop myself from staring. Silence ticked by until Holden turned his head back, probably to see why I’d grown quiet. “You oka—”
My eyes rose to meet his, but not before he’d caught me ogling him.
I shook my head and laughed nervously. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. I just hadn’t expected you to be in your underwear either, I guess. It caught me off guard.”
Holden ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I’m sorry if I checked you out, too.”
I should’ve just left the bathroom and covered up with a robe, but something about being near this man made me say and do things that were completely out of character. “Would you mind if I…looked a little more?”
Holden’s brows shot up to his hairline. “You want to check me out?”
My face heated. I shook my head and looked down. “Oh my gosh. I’m so embarrassed. I think the lack of sleep and stress from being locked in here made me a little bonkers. It’s just that maybe we both have some pent-up curiosity about what we look like as adults. I mean, I’ve only stolen glimpses of you without a shirt on since we were teenagers in my backyard pool. And you certainly haven’t seen me in a skimpy bottom and no bra since then. I guess I was thinking if we took a good, long look, once and for all, we might get it out of our systems.”
Holden stared at me. I could see the wheels in his head spinning. Eventually, his eyes dropped to my chest. “You have no bra on…”
I shook my head. “No bra.”
He swallowed. “Let’s do it.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Fuck yeah. I’m going to hell anyway. Might as well enjoy the ride down. But you have to stay in the bathroom, and I’ll stay on this side of the doorway.”
“Okay.” I bit my bottom lip. “You look first.”
“Why don’t we look at the same time?”
I nodded. “Good idea. How long should we do it for?”
Holden shrugged. “A minute?”
“Do you have your phone?”
“No. I thought someone broke in and you were being attacked. My phone was the last thing on my mind.”
“Mine should be on the coffee table. Do you want to grab it so we can use the timer?”
Holden walked away and came back ten seconds later. “What’s your code?”
“Zero, seven, one, three.”
He started to type and then froze before looking up at the ceiling. “That’s the day you’re getting married, isn’t it?”
I nodded.
Holden cursed as he went back to typing. “I’m so fucking going to hell.”
He called up the clock app and then turned the phone to show me. The countdown was set for one minute. His finger hovered over the green button. “You ready?”
I nodded.
Holden pressed the button, and we began to openly ogle each other.
Copyright © 2022 by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling authors Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward comes a new standalone romance.
Rule number one for dating your best friend’s sister: Don’t.
Just don’t do it.
Especially when your best friend is dead and the last thing he made you promise him was that you’d keep an eye on his little sister, but not too good of an eye.
As a musician whose longest committed relationship was six weeks, I, Holden Catalano, was the last guy on Earth who should’ve been messing around with Laney Ellison.
The super smart girl whom I affectionately dubbed Lala since childhood was always off limits.
Though that didn’t stop me from thinking about her over the years, especially those times when the two of us would sneak out onto the roof and talk for hours after my buddy fell asleep. It was innocent, but I’d always held a torch for her.
After Ryan passed away, I vowed to always protect Lala. That included protecting her—from me.
Now all grown up and a scientist, Lala needed a place to stay when she accepted a temporary research position in New York. I thought I did the right thing by offering her an apartment in the building I co-owned with my three friends.
Except having her close by reignited all of those old feelings.
And things started to get complicated.
Especially since she was engaged.
And especially since, lately, I’d noticed something more in her eyes. Desire.
Lala didn’t exactly look at me like the platonic brother figure I was trying so desperately to be, even though I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything.
Yet, I was being good—on my very best behavior.
But you know what they say…all good things must come to an end, right?
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.
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.
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Title: Toe the Line
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Trope: Friends-to-Lovers
Release Date: February 27, 2023
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a friends-to-lovers story spanning more than a decadeâ¦
At first, I thought Iâd hate spending the summer with Archie Remingtonâthe conceited son of my parentsâ friends.
What I knew about Archie: he was gorgeous, pre-law, and had always treated me like I didnât exist when we were younger.
When our families bought a house together on an island in Maine, he and I were forced to share a bathroom.
The boy I remembered was now a full-grown manâbut with the same attitude.
After a rough start, Archie and I unexpectedly started getting along one day and eventually became friends. We shared secrets and bonded during our morning jogs. I discovered that Archie had a wild spirit and that he struggled to conform to his fatherâs expectations.
Things were cool until I had to go and ruin it, getting drunk one night, and blurting out my fantasyâinvolving him.
I took it back, but it was too late. Archie had heard me loud and clear. After that, we never quite knew how to toe the line.
When that summer came to an abrupt and shocking end, I headed back to college, unsure if anything would ever be the same again.
Across the miles over the years, he and I stayed in touch as friends, but fate and timing always kept us from becoming more.
You know the saying: If two people are meant to be, theyâll find their way back to each other?
Letâs just say Archie came back into my life in a way I wouldâve never expected.
And this time, my heart would really be put to the test.
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Will go live on/around release day
EXCERPT
Copyright © 2022 Penelope Ward
Mixing alcohol with nostalgia, it turns out, is not always the wisest choice.
When Archie and I returned to the house that night, we didnât know what to do with ourselves. Neither of us was tired enough to sleep. But the alcohol from the beers at the beach and the wine heâd opened once we got back home was going to my head fast. I could no longer be trusted with my words.
Archie took out the chocolate cake heâd made earlier and placed it on the counter. We both began eating itâwith our bare hands. It was a mess, and I likely had chocolate all over my face. So this is how it ends, huh? I suppose it could be worse.
âI had so much fun tonight,â he said with his mouth full. âYou?â
âIt was awesome. Reminded me of the old days.â I licked chocolate off the corner of my mouth.
Archieâs eyes fell to my lips. âSeven years ago sometimes feels like yesterday, and other times like forever ago, doesnât it?â
When I felt my eyes starting to well up, I knew that was my cue. I never wanted to leave Archieâs side, but I needed this weekend to be over before I lost it in front of him. âAnyway, weâd better go to bed,â I told him. âWe both have early flights in the morning.â
I hopped down from my stool and rushed over to the sink to wash my hands. I hadnât intended to make eye contact with him again because I didnât want him to notice my eyes. Then again, he was a little drunk, too, so not sure how perceptive he would be.
Then I felt his presence nearby.
âI have so many regrets,â he said from behind me.
I turned to face him and swallowed. âRegrets about what?â
He had chocolate cake on his face, but somehow heâd never looked hotter.
âEverything,â he whispered. âWith you.â He paused. âWhat we did and what we didnât do. The way that summer ended. Everything.â
âWhy are you bringing this up now?â
âBecause Iâm fucking drunk, I guess. I donât know.â He pulled on his hair. âYou look so goddamn beautiful right now.â His eyes were hazy as he murmured, âIt hurts to look at you.â
My tears felt ready to fall. I couldnât let that happen. âKeep that shit to yourself,â I muttered.
âWe never talk about it, Noelle. We talk about everything else except the massive elephant in the roomâthe things we did that summer, what almost happened beforeââ
âStop.â I sniffled. âYouâre only bringing it up because youâre drunk. This is not a healthy way to discuss anything.â
âMaybe.â Archie leaned against the center island and placed his head in his hands. He went silent for a long time. âYou were with Shane for likeâ¦forever. I thought you were gonna marry that guy. And I thought you were happy. I never thought youâd break up with him.â He looked down at the floor. âI kept waiting andâ¦â
Waiting? He was waiting for things to end between Shane and me?
âIâm sorryâ¦â He shook his head. âYouâre right. I need to stop.â
Nothing good could come of two people with a ton of unspoken baggage trying to work things out while drunk. I couldâve poured out all of my feelings. I could have chosen to complicate his already-complicated lifeâturned it into a goddamn soap opera. But I loved him too much. I loved him. So I wouldnât do that.
âGoodnight, Archie. Get some sleep.â
I left him standing in the kitchen next to a chocolate cake that looked like it had been ravaged by wild animals.
Then I went to my room and cried myself to sleep.
AUTHOR BIO
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 twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
AUTHOR LINKS
Title: The Game
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 16, 2023
Take a sneak peek of THE GAME.
You know you want to...
I tilted my head. “Can I ask you something?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“Why are you here?”
“You mean at the Bruins?”
I shook my head. “No, here with me at this moment. You must have plenty of other things you could be doing right now that are more fun than listening to my drivel.”
“Maybe I like drivel.”
I snort-laughed. “No one likes drivel.”
He smiled, and his eyes dropped to my lips for a fraction of a second. “Maybe I like you.”
I shifted in my seat to face him. “Why?”
Christian shrugged again. “I don’t know. I think you’re interesting.”
My eyes narrowed. “What about me is interesting?”
“You’re a billionaire who lives in a rent-controlled apartment over a fruit stand and tried to give the team you inherited to your grandfather. What’s not interesting about you? Given your situation, most people I know would live in a penthouse by now and take car services, not walk twenty minutes to the stadium every day after getting off the train.”
I raised an eyebrow, and a grin spread across Christian’s face.
“Plus, you’re hot.”
That last part made me smile. “And technically, I’m your boss.”
His grin widened. “That makes you even hotter.”
I chuckled. “Tell me about yourself, Christian. I feel like you know so much about me, but I don’t know anything about you, other than your stats, of course.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“You think I’m hot too, don’t you?”
I laughed. “Just answer the question, Knox. Something tells me your ego gets stroked enough.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He shook his head. “No girlfriend.”
I tapped my lip with my pointer. “What do you do in the offseason?”
“Recover. Let my body heal. Sleep. Fish. I have a cabin on a lake up in Maine. Spend time with friends. Travel. Keep up with my training.”
“That sounds so…normal.”
“The season is anything but normal when you play in the NFL. It’s tough on the body and mind. You’re on the road all the time, the media follows your ass around, women hand you underwear with their numbers written on them and sneak into your hotel room. So normal is good.”
My face wrinkled. “Women give you their underwear?”
Christian smiled. “Any other questions?”
“Am I demented if I’m curious to know whether the underwear are clean or not?”
He laughed. “Maybe. But I like the way you think.”
★★★
Excited? We are too!
RELEASING JANUARY 16th!
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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-six 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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