Month: December 2022

Bystander: Seven Stories from the New Espionage Collection
J.R. Pomerantz
(The New Espionage Collection, #1)
Publication date: November 14th 2022
Genres: Adult, Literary Fiction, Thriller
Can you survive the new espionage?

There are no sidelines.

There are no boundaries.

In the new world order, there’s no such thing as an innocent bystander.

Seven shocking stories from the New Espionage Collection by award-winning author JR Pomerantz.

The Terrifying Importance of Mental ealth Jesse’s suffering from synthetic broccoli’s surprise side effects. When he gets hospitalized with both its victim and perpetrator, who will pay the ultimate price?

T-Rex The Deputy Administrator of the State Department has a bone to pick with the Secretary of State, and they both might be fossils.

Golden Boy 144: Marigold Baby Jalia helps Harper give birth in the depths of their corporate greenhouse. Will the labor interrupt their labor long enough to get both of them fired?

The Farm When their visit to their older brother’s pot farm turns deadly, Michael and Baxter fight for their lives in the Northern California woods.

Golden Boy 288: Marigold, Baby Only Jalia knows whose image is manifesting in the mysterious marigolds of Fulfillment Center 6. Can she and Harper keep it a secret from the rest of the greenhouse?

Maury Always Makes It After Maury’s son-in-law goes missing at sea, he and Rico take the investigation into their own hands. Can two elderly alcoholics get to the bottom of a deep-sea fishing mystery?

The Sucking Clarity of Mental ealth The battle at Hampton Behavioral Health Facility continues. With synthetic broccoli on the menu, justice can’t be served.

Bystander is your first peek at the subversive, satirical, smart-mouthed New Espionage Collection.

Brace yourself to enter the terrifying near-future of synthetic food, mind control experiments, and one man’s battle for justice against a bad broccoli.

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EXCERPT:

Several of us were gathered in the television room, waiting for the third and final cigarette break — the last activity of the day. We were all watching NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, a preferred television program of the infirm, it seemed. I was reflecting on how bad the astigmatism in my right eye had gotten since my admittance to the Hampton Behavioral Health Facility, and I was thinking about what I would say to Lester Holt in a live television interview as I watched NBC Nightly News with my left eye closed.

Lester Holt: Are you the spokesperson for your generation?

Me: Yes.

Then I reach out.

And I throttle that poor, trustworthy news anchor.

I’ll make a great famous person.

This particular Nightly News segment was a follow-up to a story they had done earlier in the year about the instances of encephalitis in frozen broccoli, the subsequent cover-up by the agricultural conglomerates, and, ultimately, the manufacture of synthetic broccoli. This Nightly News segment included an interview with The Executive Agricultural Secretary of the United States.

The interview illuminated several things, important to me personally:

1. Synthetic broccoli may cause insanity or induce coma.
2. Synthetic broccoli may cause genital abscesses.
3. The Co-Executive Agricultural Secretary, assistant to the Executive Agricultural Secretary, was sitting right next to me, mumbling and wringing his pasty hands. They were showing a picture of him on television. I looked at the television. I looked at him. I looked back at the television.

Slowly, I put one, two, and three together, but I only arrived at a sum total of five. I blamed the medication for this.

Meanwhile, The Man Who Ate the Letter H, my roommate at the Hampton Behavioral Health Facility, had leapt upon The Co-Executive Agricultural Secretary, I mean, like right up onto his knees, screaming and shaking him by the sweater vest. I marveled at his balance and tried to ignore the one-sided fighting.

The Co-Executive Agricultural Secretary was still just babbling and shaking his head. Even now, I was adding things up and I still didn’t know what was happening.

Later on that night, The Man Who Ate The Letter H told me everything.

• The Terrifying Importance of Mental ealth

in Bystander: Seven Stories from the New Espionage Collection

Author Bio:

JR Pomerantz was raised in New Jersey, moved sixteen times, from Albuquerque to Kabul, and now resides in Silver Spring, Maryland. Hobbies include using all the forms of transportation in the world, flamenco guitar, and knitting. She hopes to one day own and operate a coffee farm, or at least live on one. Or near one. Just down the road, maybe. She won’t pop in every day to say hello.

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Guiding the Grouch
Shanna Hatfield
(Summer Creek, #5)
Publication date: December 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

He’s a billionaire set on escaping the holidays and his demanding family.
She’s a single mom with a sunny smile who keeps her heart safely hidden.
When she makes him her personal Christmas project, what could possibly go wrong?

Gabe Gatlin would do anything to evade the obligatory family holiday hobnobbing that is nothing more than one horrible business event after another, all wrapped up with a gaudy Christmas ribbon. Then the opportunity arises to explore a property in the small town of Summer Creek, Oregon, and gives him the idea to run away for the holidays. This year, he’s skipping Christmas. All he has to do is hide out until January in the quirky little town where the residents have dubbed him Grinchy Gabe. But when a delightful woman starts making his sleigh bells jingle, he might find it impossible to avoid losing his three-sizes-too-small heart.

Single mom and waitress, Dani Latham, has two priorities: give her son the stable life she never had, and spread joy to her friends and neighbors in Summer Creek. When a stranger with a grinchy attitude sits at her table, she makes it her personal mission to make him smile. As she guides him into a flurry of Christmas festivities, she starts to wonder if this grounch’s heart will ever return to normal size. And even worse. . . if it does, who is going to save hers from breaking when he leaves?

Will a little Christmas magic and wonder bring these two lonesome people together?

Discover the joys of the season mixed with humor, holiday fun, and moments that tug at your heartstrings in this sweet contemporary Christmas romance.

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EXCERPT:

As he listened to three more calls from Monique, they got progressively more annoying. The call from just an hour earlier ended with her making threats to “have Daddy fire you” if he didn’t come home and fulfill his holiday obligations.

“Maybe I don’t want to be there,” Gabe said, unaware of his dark glower or that he spoke aloud as he scrolled through a dozen of Monique’s infuriating text messages. “Maybe I’ll skip every holiday from now until the end of time. Maybe I actually despise Christmas and all the hoopla of the stupid, stupid season!”

“Well, aren’t you a grouchy one,” a teasing voice spoke from beside him, “I believe you could use a dose of Christmas cheer before you whip out the phone book and begin alphabetically listing all the people you hate. Or is it loathe?”

Gabe had no idea about her reference to the phone book, and he didn’t care. Irritated at being interrupted, he glanced up and stared at the server.

The stunning woman smiling at him could have been an angel as the overhead lights created a halo around her golden hair. Hers was a rare beauty. The kind that didn’t need makeup to enhance it, although she wore a light coat of mascara and lip gloss. She was of medium height and willowy, with high cheekbones, a generous mouth, and hazel eyes that twinkled with mirth. If she lived in New York City, he had no doubt she’d be in high demand as a fashion model. What was a woman with her looks and seductive voice doing in such a backwater place taking food and drink orders?

He envisioned her in a ruby-red velvet evening gown, strolling on his arm to a symphony performance. The picture in his mind was so real, so clear, he felt the oddest sense of knowing this woman deep in his soul.

Dumbfounded by his thoughts, Gabe felt like someone had sucked the air right out of his lungs.

The woman slid the menu closer to him “Chef Owen is one of the best in the Pacific Northwest. You can choose anything and know it’s going to be wonderful. Take a look at the menu. I’ll be right back.”

The angel strode across the room, walked behind the bar, and disappeared through a doorway before he could engage enough brain cells to utter a single word to her.

Gabe picked up the menu, but it might as well have been written in hieroglyphics based on his sudden inability to read. It was like his brain had just decided to take a vacation and left him in the lurch.

Author Bio:

USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.

Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”

When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.

To learn more about Shanna or the books she writes, visit her website http://shannahatfield.com or find out more about her here: linktr.ee/ShannaHatfield

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One Bossy Date
Nicole Snow
Publication date: December 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

An accidental date brings together two instant enemies in this hilarious and steamy grumpy boss romance from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Nicole Snow.

Never sweat the small stuff, they say.
How about when you wake up with a giant stranger showering in your hotel room?
There’s nothing tiny about Brock Winthrope.
He even roars like a lion when he sees me. I scream back. And after narrowly avoiding a murder scene, we’ve got trouble.

He says he’ll fix our reservation blunder since he’s the manager (he’s not).
He thinks I’ll smack his resort with the rotten egg review from hell (I might).
I’ve never seen a man so grumpy groveling his heart out to wow me (it’s working).
Oh, but it gets better.

Brock whisks me away on an amazing “date” and things get heated.
I’m still dreaming about obnoxiously hot kisses under the stars months later when fate strikes.
I wasn’t supposed to see him again.
Not at this dumpster fire marketing job I desperately need.
Not when I crash into him—literally.
Definitely not when I find out he’s the crankyface billionaire CEO signing my checks.

Cue the freaking out.
The stormy glares.
The tension thicker than quicksand.
The hopeless promises to “just do my job” without choking on Mr. Grumpmuffin’s attitude.
What’s worse than one messy date with your radioactive boss?
One more.

Expect enemies-to-lovers fireworks! Delightful banter, slow-burn sweetness, plus one office beast who finally learns how to smile for the lady who ignites his world.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

I push my face to that crack of light, trembling.

There’s definitely a low hissing sound like water. The shower, I think, thousands of little rainfall droplets splashing against a hard surface.

Could it really be a maintenance guy who skipped on giving notice?

Could it be that easy?

But at three o’clock in the flipping morning without any notice?

It could be a burst pipe or a malfunction, though.

My toes scrunch. I place my hand on the door, ready to throw it open and accept my fate.

I wind up cracking it another couple inches.

The shower roars louder.

At first, I can’t see through the glassy part of the stall.

But when the silhouette moves in the steaming fog—

Holy shit.

Okay. Deep breath.

So, the staff wouldn’t be showering in my bathroom. We can rule out innocent mistakes.

A minute ago, I was determined to be Miss Danger incarnate, but all the adrenaline that moved me this close to certain death evaporates.

The lamp in my clammy hand feels like it weighs a ton.

I really, really don’t want to do this.

But what’s the other option?

Just up and wait for Mr. Shower Psycho to come slaughter me in bed? Or run for the front door screaming and pray he doesn’t catch up while I wait for the private elevator to this floor?

Yeah, no.

I’m out of time and options. It’s go time.

So I throw the door open, clasping the lamp like a bat.

I played softball years ago. I’ve got this.

If only anything on Earth could prepare me for what I find.

…are hot serial killers a thing?

Because this guy is a certified GQ model.

A six-foot-plus wall of muscle surrounded by steam. He must like his showers scorching hot.

It takes a few seconds to peer through the haze, and I can’t make out much more until he moves.

Believe me, I see enough.

His whole body is toned and tight and chiseled by a mad sculptor dead set on crafting the perfect man.

His large hands lather foam over biceps bigger than my head.

I have to unglue my eyes as he stands beneath the spraying water with his eyes closed, smiling like he enjoys his own touch a little too much.

With a body like that, I’m sure the narcissism comes naturally.

My gaze slides down his broad chest, diamond-cut abs, and sculpted pelvic bone to—

Oh, no.

Heat throbs under my cheeks. I hate that I bite my lip, but I’ve never seen a man who’s part stallion before.

Moby Dick has nothing on this well-endowed freak.

For a second, my brain rabbits, wondering what it would feel like to wrap my hands around something that enormous—if I could even close them.

Let alone do anything else.

Every part of this man is made to punish.

All rough strength and hard edges and a literal battering ram jutting out between his legs, half-hard from the steam, I guess.

But back to that whole serial killer thing…is he a convict?

Did Hawaii have a supermax jailbreak recently I didn’t hear about?

My body squirms at the thought, still hideously stuck on Goliath and his stupid scary, stupid hot good looks that are making me—what else?—stupid.

There’s no other word for it when my arm turns to mush and the crystal lamp slips out of my sweaty hands.

It shatters against the floor a second later like someone throwing a box of ornaments.

“Oh, crap,” I whisper, totally paralyzed.

Everything happens in slow motion.

Goliath’s eyes pop open and his head whips around. He glares at me like a tiger rudely awakened from a nap.

Uh-oh.

With my one and only weapon in pieces on the floor, there’s no hoping he doesn’t see me now.

Raw instinct takes over.

I scream before I even realize I’m doing it.

I scream so loud my throat hurts, but my voice has no off switch.

I scream for dear life for ten solid seconds until my own ears ring and I’m winded.

Then I stumble backward, doubled over and breathless.

Maybe screaming bloody murder was good.

Maybe, by some miracle, someone will hear me up here and send help.

Except the presidential suite is the only room on this floor, and you have to use a card in the elevator to get up here.

So unless there’s an employee diligently working graveyard shift one floor down…

I’m so screwed.

Amazingly, Goliath isn’t out of the shower yet.

That means I still have time.

I need to run like hell for the elevator while I have a head start.

Sucking in a deep breath, I straighten up, willing my legs to move.

I’m about to turn and run but the shower door swings open so fast it’s dizzying.

My lethal Adonis steps out, snapping a towel from the shower rack. He whips it around his waist faster than I can blink.

My gaze follows his movement.

Again, I hate that he’s so hot.

I hate that I’m losing time as I spin around for the door, practically leaping for it.

“Stay or it’s going to be much worse!” he bellows, his voice rolling thunder.

Author Bio:

Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.

Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.

Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.

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The Lies Beneath
Bri Blackwood
Publication date: February 28th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Dark Romance, Romance
Privilege has its secrets…

Westwick University is known for its prestige and pedigree for hundreds of years.

Many people would die to come here…

And some have come here and died.

There are lies buried within these walls that the world doesn’t know about.

But I do.

It’s what happens when your family has gone to the same college for generations.

Stories and secrets are passed down, making me yearn to know more.

I’m determined to discover if each and every one is true, but I’m distracted.

Because my new professor has taken a particular interest in me.

Or so I think.

I shouldn’t be tempted because anything with him is forbidden.

But the way that he only has eyes for me has set me on edge.

I can’t tell if there is something there or if I’m making it all up in my head.

Why would a billionaire, who is known for his solitary life after the death of his wife, want to teach here?

There’s so much I don’t know.

But I know that lies do nothing but lead to more lies.

And when I uncover the truth, the world will implode.

The Lies Beneath is the first book in a dark forbidden college romance duet that has enemies-to-lovers themes. This book may not be suitable for all readers due to dubious situations that might be triggering. It ends in a cliffhanger.

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Author Bio:

Bri loves a good romance, especially ones that involve a hot anti-hero. That is why she likes to turn the dial up a notch with her own writing. Her Broken Cross series is her debut dark romance series.

She spends most of her time hanging out with her family, plotting her next novel, or reading books by other romance authors.

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Pasko Na, My Love: A Holiday Romance Anthology
Publication date: December 6th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
Family, heart, and a Merry Christmas Happily Ever After.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all ‘round Hacienda Luz bustled in celebration of Natividad Luz Moore’s 100^th birthday.

A Filipino American woman of courage, strength, and heart, Lola Naty has touched the lives of many. Celebrities and politicians make merry, fine dresses and barong Tagalogs shimmer, and food and drink flow freely. And it’s all to honor family, tradition, and the very essence of that thing called love.

While Filipino ballads fill the chilly Northern California air, hearts throb and passions ignite as seven remarkable couples find love in all the right—or wrong—places.

**

From acclaimed and bestselling Filipino American authors—Elle Cruz, Maan Gabriel, Maida Malby, Mia Hopkins, Sarah Smith, and Tif Marcelo—comes Pasko Na, My Love, a holiday romance collection that is sure to warm your heart and uplift your Christmas spirit.

• Volcanic Love by Elle Cruz
• My Only Love by Maan Gabriel
• So It’s You by Maida Malby
• Illicit by Mia Hopkins
• Last Minute by Sarah Smith
• The Deal by Tif Marcelo

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Volcanic Love by Elle Cruz

Sophie is a thirty-year-old with a wildly successful sex podcast. She has secretly been in love with Travis, her older brother’s best friend, for years. A mistake from the past tears them apart. Sparks fly when they when they see each other five years later during her grandmother’s one-hundredth birthday celebration. Sophie will have to put aside her insecurities to win back Travis’s heart so she can finally have the happily ever after she’s always dreamed of.

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My Only Love by Maan Gabriel

He’s on his way to the White House. She’s fighting for women’s rights on the streets of DC.

Ten years ago, Drew and Angelica broke off their engagement while in law school. They both attribute their failed relationship to young love and ambition. But when Drew begs Angelica to attend his grandmother’s 100th birthday and pretend for one week that they are back together, sparks fly between them. Is it pretend when the feelings from the past never truly went away?

The thing is, Angelica doesn’t want to be Senator Hizon’s number one. Selfish as it may seem, she wants to be his only one – his only love.

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So It’s You by Maida Malby

Vida and her maternal grandmother, Naty Moore, share a special bond—the same birthday on Christmas Eve, fifty years apart. This year, Lola Naty will celebrate her 100th birthday, and Vida plans to do everything to make sure her grand party goes off without a hitch. Even if that includes hiding the identity of the man she’s dating.

Rafa Balmaseda fell for Vida long before he became her grandmother’s physician. Ten years younger than her, he chafes at being kept a secret. When he pushes for a deeper commitment, will Vida continue to deny his role in her life? Or will she finally admit that they belong together?

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Illicit by Mia Hopkins

Event planner Eden Rosales and Catholic priest Nick Salgado reunite at Hacienda Luz and settle a score fourteen years in the making.

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Last Minute by Sarah Smith

Twenty-eight-year-old Ruby is in charge of catering the 100th birthday party of her grandmother. As the baby of her family, Ruby has grown up in the shadow of her older, more successful cousins, so she’s determined for her catered dinner to go off without a hitch. But when her head chef calls out with food poisoning the day of the party and sends chef Mason Waller as her replacement, Ruby is pissed. She’s loathed Mason ever since he screwed her over in culinary school five years ago. There’s still plenty of fire between these two … in more ways than one.

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The Deal by Tif Marcelo

Prodigal cousin Oliver Moore returns to Hacienda Luz to attend Lola Naty’s hundredth year birthday party only to find out that he’s not on the guest list from divorcée event planner Norah Sha. In catching him as he tries to break in, she feels sorry for him and makes a deal to sneak him in, both discovering Christmas can still bring forgiveness and new love.

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The Billionaire’s Arrangement
Amélie S. Duncan
(The Kept Trilogy, #1)
Publication date: December 11th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Paul Crane is rich, brilliant, and powerful. And I belong to him, body and soul…

I came to New York City to study design and build a life for myself. I was young, naive, and the last thing I was looking for was love.
I needed money for my family and the medical bills that threatened us into poverty. I didn’t have time to worry about my loneliness,
to fill that cold empty spot in my heart…

At first, it seemed like Paul was the answer to all my problems. But after he rescued me from a desperate situation,
I soon discovered Paul had demons of his own.

Paul wasn’t looking for a lover… He wanted a companion, a kept woman. And I was captivated by his charm, lavish gifts, and trips to Paris.
And his touch awakened my desires, passions I had never dreamed of.

But the closer we get, the more I begin to wonder. What happens when our arrangement comes to an end…

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EXCERPT:

I dropped the napkin, and Paul reached down to retrieve it, covering my hand with his on my lap. The sensation of his touch was electric, sending a current up my arm that broke into goosebumps. He smiled at me but smoothly ordered a replacement, which was promptly given to him. I could only stare, gobsmacked by his confidence and command of those around him.

I quietly pointed out a few selections on the menu. Since the most I ever drank was a glass of warm rum over Christmas, I turned down wine. When the time came to order, Paul selected everything I said I liked and asked them to box the extras for carryout.

“Mr. Crane, what are you doing?” I whispered.

“A small gift for joining me for lunch,” he whispered back in an amused tone and then winked at me.

Butterflies exploded in my stomach, and I covered the goofy grin I knew I had on my face. Of course, I had no idea how I’d fit the extra food in my room and the dorm hall fridge. I mentally noted to donate what I couldn’t eat to the other students on my floor.

No one at the table batted an eye at us. To me, we seemed odd together, me in a knit dress I made and tights and him in a polished, pressed business suit.

I had no idea to what I owed my fortune, but I chalked it up as one of the oddities of life in New York City and figured I’d never see most of Paul’s employees again. So, I gave myself permission to eat heartily and clear my plate. Hell, I would have licked my plate of grilled steak and chocolate cake clean, but he glanced my way a few times, assessing me. Our legs brushed, and a tingling sensation went through my body. I clenched my thighs and tried my best not to give anything away. But Paul was perceptive. I believe he knew the effect he had on me.

Author Bio:

Amelie S. Duncan writes steamy, sexy stories. Her inspiration comes from many sources including her life experiences and travels. She lives on the West Coast of the United States with her husband.

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