Today we have the release week blitz for Melissa Foster’s SEARCHING FOR LOVE! Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!
Title: Searching for Love
Author: Melissa Foster
Genre: Contemporary Romance
About Searching For Love
Discover the magic of New York Times bestseller Melissa Foster's writing and see why millions of readers have fallen in love with the fiercely loyal and sassily sexy characters in the Love in Bloom big-family romance collection.
Love in Bloom novels are written to stand alone or may be enjoyed as part of the larger series, so dive right into this fun, sexy romance.
In SEARCHING FOR LOVE...
Zev Braden and Carly Dylan have known each other their whole lives. Their close-knit families were sure they were destined to marry—until a devastating tragedy struck, breaking the two lovers apart. Over the next decade Zev, a nomadic treasure hunter, rarely returned to his hometown, and Carly became a chocolatier and built a whole new life across the country. When a chance encounter brings them back into each other’s lives, can they find the true love that once existed, or will shattered dreams and broken hearts prevail? Find out in Searching for Love, a deliciously sexy, funny, and emotional second-chance romance.
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Exclusive Excerpt
ZEV BRADEN DIDN’T know which was worse, seeing the woman who had captured his heart in second grade with another man or knowing his family had betrayed him by leaving him in the dark about her attending his oldest brother’s wedding. Beau had gone all out to give his new bride, Charlotte, a fairy-tale wedding at Sterling House, the Colorado Mountain inn she’d inherited. He’d built a wedding tent that brought the enchanted forest indoors, with miles of white silk draped over an artfully built frame of tangled branches and decorated with tiny white lights and strings of faux pearls. A crystal chandelier hung from an ornate iron tree in the center of the tent, and flowers spilled out of lush centerpieces. It was an intimate setting for their large family and close-knit friends. But at that moment Zev didn’t feel quite as close to his beloved family as he normally did. He and his five siblings enjoyed giving each other a hard time, but they had always had each other’s backs.
Until now.
He took another swig of tequila, chewing on that thought.
He should be celebrating the discovery of a lifetime this weekend. He had spent the last several years, and tens of thousands of dollars, searching for the wreckage of pirate Garrick “One-Leg” Clegg’s ship, the Pride, which sank off the coast of Silver Island in 1716. Two days ago Zev had discovered three concretions—hard masses that develop when metals start to disintegrate and combine with salts present in ocean water, forming a conglomerate that cements rock, sand, clay, and any nearby artifacts—at the site where he believed the ship had gone down. An X-ray of the masses had shown what appeared to be iron and silver artifacts and coins. Zev had given the largest concretion, which weighed nearly one hundred pounds, and the supporting X-rays and documentations to his attorney to begin the legal process of having the vessel arrested, which would hopefully grant him exclusive salvage rights to the sunken ship and all artifacts he hoped to find. But instead of celebrating his history-making discovery, he was downing tequila to dull the ache of seeing Carly Dylan again.
The Pride was supposed to be their discovery. They’d become obsessed with the sunken ship when they’d seen a documentary about it in third grade, and their interest had only grown over the years. They’d even made plans to spend the summer after their freshman year in college searching for the wreckage. When they were kids, Carly had been his fellow adventurer, troublemaking cohort, and best friend, and as they’d matured, she’d also become his lover and, he’d thought, his future.
But that was before…
Zev spotted Beau and their brothers Nick and Graham heading his way. Traitors. He stared them down as they approached. He and his brothers were all tall, broad shouldered, and athletic, but Zev and Beau had something else in common—the torturous past that had changed both of their lives.
Goddamn Beau. If they weren’t at his wedding reception, Zev would be tempted to knock the big-ass grins off each of their faces.
“I know you’re celebrating your discovery, but if you keep sucking down that tequila, it’ll be the only thing leaving you flat on your back tonight,” Graham said with a smirk. He was the youngest of Zev’s siblings. Graham and their brother Jax could be Beau’s doppelgängers, with short brown hair, meticulously manicured scruff, and serious eyes, while Zev and his older brother Nick wore their hair longer, and Zev let his scruff go long stretches without a thought, much less a trim.
Zev offered the bottle of tequila to Graham, chewing over the fact that he’d had to learn about Carly’s living there, her close friendship with Beau and Charlotte, and the fact that she’d catered desserts for the wedding secondhand when he’d overheard a conversation during the reception.
“No thanks, man. The only thing I want knocking me on my back is my beautiful Sunshine.” Graham glanced across the lawn, where their twin siblings Jax and Jillian were chatting with Graham’s wife, Morgyn, aka Sunshine.
Zev’s attention was quickly drawn past Morgyn and the others to the woman who had haunted his thoughts and starred in his every fantasy for as long as he could remember. When he’d first seen Carly before the ceremony, stunning in a sexy peach dress that showed off her long legs and slim waist, their eyes had connected with the heat of summer lightning, and Carls had slipped from his lips like a secret just as Zevy had fallen from hers. Hearing her sweet, breathless voice after nearly a decade had left him momentarily numb. She’d been carrying a tray of chocolate desserts, following Cutter Long, a real-life fucking cowboy who Zev knew was one of Charlotte’s closest friends. Cutter had barely left Carly’s side since the ceremony, and now Carly was holding his arm, laughing at something he’d said. Zev had once been the guy by her side. They’d even attended the same college. But that was a long time ago.
He couldn’t look away from her. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. Her hair was a lighter blond now, but even after all this time he could still feel the silky strands trailing through his fingers. He could still see her big blue eyes sparking with heat and playfulness as they rolled around in the grass or treaded water in the ocean.
He gritted his teeth, struggling to push away the happier memories he’d held on to like lifelines since the day he’d broken up with her and left their hometown of Pleasant Hill, Maryland, two days after her best friend, and Beau’s then-girlfriend, Tory Raznick, had been killed in a car accident. Tory had been visiting a girlfriend and she’d flown home early without telling anyone. She’d wanted to surprise Beau, but Zev had taken him out to a party. When she’d texted from the airport, they’d been drinking, and Beau hadn’t heard the phone. She’d called several other people looking for a ride home, but in the end, she’d taken a cab. It was a stormy night, and the driver lost control of the car less than three miles from the airport. Zev knew it wasn’t his fault Tory had been killed, but guilt from taking Beau out that night, and the realization that someone they loved could be torn from their lives at any second, had tipped an iceberg that had crushed him.
Nick nudged Zev’s arm, jerking him from his thoughts, and said, “Dude, Carly’s looking hotter than ever. If I’d known she was into cowboys—”
“Shut the fuck up.” Zev took another swig of tequila.
Nick chuckled and tipped his hat. He was a horse trainer with a body built for a fight and an attitude that always seemed to be begging for one.
Zev had seen Nick knock a man out with a single punch, but that wouldn’t stop Zev from going after him if he continued pushing his buttons. He might be leaner than his massive brother, but his nomadic treasure-hunting lifestyle had also made him quicker. Fearless and fast was a dangerous combination when frustrations burned through Zev’s veins, as they were now. But he didn’t give Nick a chance to get any deeper under his skin. Instead, he set an angry stare on Beau and said, “Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?” He eyed his other brothers. “You all knew she lived here, and nobody clued me in. What the hell is up with that?”
Beau rolled his shoulders back and said, “The last time I brought up Carly, you said you’d slaughter me if I ever mentioned her name again.”
“You did, bro,” Graham agreed. “Remember? We were at Mom and Dad’s last Fourth of July, when Beau and Char got engaged.”
How could he ever forget the day he’d never seen coming?
After Tory died, the pain and guilt had been so overwhelming that Zev and Beau had both needed to get the hell away from Pleasant Hill. Beau hadn’t been able to even be in the same room with his childhood best friend, Tory’s older brother, Duncan, without wanting to tear something apart. Although Zev had rarely returned home, he’d kept up with his family and had known about the ever-growing rift between Beau and Duncan. Which was why when Duncan had walked into their parents’ house the night Beau had gotten engaged, Zev had been ready to take him down—until he’d learned that Beau had found a way to move past Tory’s death and had made amends with Duncan.
That was the day that had made Zev wonder if he could find a way to move past all that had happened, too. But the only person he wanted to move forward with was Carly, and before the wedding, he’d seen her only once since they’d broken up, and she’d made it clear she was over him.
“I know what I said.” Zev leveled Beau with a serious stare and said, “But come on, man. You couldn’t have warned me? You and Char are close to her. You knew she’d be here with Cutter. What the hell?”
“Hey, I have no idea what’s up with her and Cutter.” Beau glanced at Charlotte, heading their way with Morgyn and her toughest sister, Sable, just one of the many Montgomery siblings who had made it to the wedding, and said, “But please tell me you’re not going to back out of watching the animals for us while we’re on our honeymoon.” He had surprised Charlotte with a weeklong honeymoon to the small village in France where her maternal grandparents had lived.
Zev had agreed to stay at the inn and watch their chickens and thief of a dog, Bandit, prior to his epic discovery because none of his siblings had been able to commit. Last night he’d arranged for the remaining, smaller concretions he’d found to be sent to his cousin Noah’s marine biology laboratory on the outskirts of town, where he could work on extracting the treasures while he was watching the inn. He’d spent every minute since wondering which sibling he could wrangle into taking his place. But now that he knew Carly lived there, he didn’t know what the hell he wanted.
“The horses are at Hal’s ranch, so you won’t have to muck the stalls,” Beau said, as if it were a selling point. “I know you’ve got a lot going on right now, but nobody else can do it.”
“Yeah, dude, I definitely can’t stick around to take care of their animals,” Nick said. “I’m heading to Virginia to buy a couple of horses at the end of the week.”
“Morgyn and I are leaving tomorrow for two weeks in Seattle, and everyone else is taking off first thing tomorrow, too,” Graham added. “Jilly and Jax have a big-city fashion show and will be gone for two weeks, and Mom and Dad have a meeting about the winery expansion.” Their mother’s family owned a chain of wineries called Hilltop Vineyards, and their father, an engineer, was helping with the designs. “Sorry, Zev, but it’s all on you.”
Charlotte came to Beau’s side, looking gorgeous in her fairy-tale-style wedding gown, which Jillian and Jax, both fashion designers, had made for her. Beau put his arm around her and leaned in for a kiss. Seeing his brother happy and so in love again brought warm memories of how it felt to be with the person he loved. Zev stole another glance at the only woman who had ever made him feel damn near anything. He may not know what he wanted, but one thing was certain: Leaving was no longer his highest priority.
“Don’t worry,” Zev said. “I’d never leave you hanging.”
“Bet you say that to all the girls, Foreplay,” Sable said with a raise of her brows, earning chuckles from his brothers.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Zev countered. Morgyn had come up with the nickname Foreplay, which she claimed meant he was the guy women sought for a good time but never for anything long term. As far as Zev was concerned, that was pretty damn accurate.
“You’ve been staring at Cutter and Carly for so long, I’m starting to wonder which one you’re into,” Morgyn teased.
“You know I don’t swing that way, Sunshine. But if I did, it wouldn’t be with that cowboy.” Zev took another swig of tequila, his gaze shifting to Carly again. Jillian and Jax had joined her and Cutter, and it looked like they were all having a great damn time.
“Funny, I was thinking a cowboy was exactly what I needed.” Sable flipped her thick mane over her shoulder and turned her attention to Nick. “What do you say, burly boy? Can all those muscles move on the dance floor, or are they only good for toiling away on your ranch?”
“Baby, there’s nothing this body can’t do.” Nick put a hand on Sable’s lower back, leading her toward the makeshift dance floor.
“I want to dance!” Morgyn exclaimed. She grabbed Graham’s hand, and they followed Nick and Sable.
Charlotte took Beau’s hand and said, “They’re playing our song, hubby. We should dance, too.” She stepped closer to Zev and lowered her voice to say, “Carly doesn’t bite, you know.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame, cutes,” Zev said with a grin. “I always loved the way she used that sexy mouth of hers.”
Charlotte gave a happy little squeal and said, “I bet she’d bite if you asked her to!”
“Come on, beautiful. I’m sure Zev doesn’t need any help in that department.” Beau led her away, leaving Zev alone with his dirty thoughts of Carly and her talented mouth.
No one knew Zev had run into Carly in Mexico when she was on spring break the year after Tory’s death. He’d just finished a diving expedition, and he was having a drink in a bar when he’d heard her infectious laugh. He’d thought he’d imagined it, but then he’d seen her across the room, stunningly beautiful and enticingly familiar. The second their eyes had connected, an inferno had blazed between them, and the all-consuming emotions he’d been trying to forget had nearly swallowed him whole. Their connection had always been so strong they’d never needed many words to convey their thoughts, and that night had been no different. They hadn’t talked about losing Tory, or his leaving Pleasant Hill. In fact, they hadn’t talked much at all, except for Zev to say he was in no position to make any promises, to which Carly had said, I don’t want promises. I only want tonight. They’d spent one incredible night in each other’s arms. Zev had known then that he’d made a mistake leaving the way he had, and he’d thought—hoped—they might be able to find their way back into each other’s lives. But when he’d woken up the next morning, Carly was gone without a trace, leaving him confused, hurt, angry, and fiercely determined never to feel that way again.
As he looked at her now, flashing her radiant smile at that fucking cowboy, he accepted the truth he’d spent years trying to deny. Carly Dylan hadn’t just captured his heart when they were kids. She’d claimed his entire being—mind, body, and soul—and she’d own them until long after the day he took his last breath.
Until now.
He took another swig of tequila, chewing on that thought.
He should be celebrating the discovery of a lifetime this weekend. He had spent the last several years, and tens of thousands of dollars, searching for the wreckage of pirate Garrick “One-Leg” Clegg’s ship, the Pride, which sank off the coast of Silver Island in 1716. Two days ago Zev had discovered three concretions—hard masses that develop when metals start to disintegrate and combine with salts present in ocean water, forming a conglomerate that cements rock, sand, clay, and any nearby artifacts—at the site where he believed the ship had gone down. An X-ray of the masses had shown what appeared to be iron and silver artifacts and coins. Zev had given the largest concretion, which weighed nearly one hundred pounds, and the supporting X-rays and documentations to his attorney to begin the legal process of having the vessel arrested, which would hopefully grant him exclusive salvage rights to the sunken ship and all artifacts he hoped to find. But instead of celebrating his history-making discovery, he was downing tequila to dull the ache of seeing Carly Dylan again.
The Pride was supposed to be their discovery. They’d become obsessed with the sunken ship when they’d seen a documentary about it in third grade, and their interest had only grown over the years. They’d even made plans to spend the summer after their freshman year in college searching for the wreckage. When they were kids, Carly had been his fellow adventurer, troublemaking cohort, and best friend, and as they’d matured, she’d also become his lover and, he’d thought, his future.
But that was before…
Zev spotted Beau and their brothers Nick and Graham heading his way. Traitors. He stared them down as they approached. He and his brothers were all tall, broad shouldered, and athletic, but Zev and Beau had something else in common—the torturous past that had changed both of their lives.
Goddamn Beau. If they weren’t at his wedding reception, Zev would be tempted to knock the big-ass grins off each of their faces.
“I know you’re celebrating your discovery, but if you keep sucking down that tequila, it’ll be the only thing leaving you flat on your back tonight,” Graham said with a smirk. He was the youngest of Zev’s siblings. Graham and their brother Jax could be Beau’s doppelgängers, with short brown hair, meticulously manicured scruff, and serious eyes, while Zev and his older brother Nick wore their hair longer, and Zev let his scruff go long stretches without a thought, much less a trim.
Zev offered the bottle of tequila to Graham, chewing over the fact that he’d had to learn about Carly’s living there, her close friendship with Beau and Charlotte, and the fact that she’d catered desserts for the wedding secondhand when he’d overheard a conversation during the reception.
“No thanks, man. The only thing I want knocking me on my back is my beautiful Sunshine.” Graham glanced across the lawn, where their twin siblings Jax and Jillian were chatting with Graham’s wife, Morgyn, aka Sunshine.
Zev’s attention was quickly drawn past Morgyn and the others to the woman who had haunted his thoughts and starred in his every fantasy for as long as he could remember. When he’d first seen Carly before the ceremony, stunning in a sexy peach dress that showed off her long legs and slim waist, their eyes had connected with the heat of summer lightning, and Carls had slipped from his lips like a secret just as Zevy had fallen from hers. Hearing her sweet, breathless voice after nearly a decade had left him momentarily numb. She’d been carrying a tray of chocolate desserts, following Cutter Long, a real-life fucking cowboy who Zev knew was one of Charlotte’s closest friends. Cutter had barely left Carly’s side since the ceremony, and now Carly was holding his arm, laughing at something he’d said. Zev had once been the guy by her side. They’d even attended the same college. But that was a long time ago.
He couldn’t look away from her. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. Her hair was a lighter blond now, but even after all this time he could still feel the silky strands trailing through his fingers. He could still see her big blue eyes sparking with heat and playfulness as they rolled around in the grass or treaded water in the ocean.
He gritted his teeth, struggling to push away the happier memories he’d held on to like lifelines since the day he’d broken up with her and left their hometown of Pleasant Hill, Maryland, two days after her best friend, and Beau’s then-girlfriend, Tory Raznick, had been killed in a car accident. Tory had been visiting a girlfriend and she’d flown home early without telling anyone. She’d wanted to surprise Beau, but Zev had taken him out to a party. When she’d texted from the airport, they’d been drinking, and Beau hadn’t heard the phone. She’d called several other people looking for a ride home, but in the end, she’d taken a cab. It was a stormy night, and the driver lost control of the car less than three miles from the airport. Zev knew it wasn’t his fault Tory had been killed, but guilt from taking Beau out that night, and the realization that someone they loved could be torn from their lives at any second, had tipped an iceberg that had crushed him.
Nick nudged Zev’s arm, jerking him from his thoughts, and said, “Dude, Carly’s looking hotter than ever. If I’d known she was into cowboys—”
“Shut the fuck up.” Zev took another swig of tequila.
Nick chuckled and tipped his hat. He was a horse trainer with a body built for a fight and an attitude that always seemed to be begging for one.
Zev had seen Nick knock a man out with a single punch, but that wouldn’t stop Zev from going after him if he continued pushing his buttons. He might be leaner than his massive brother, but his nomadic treasure-hunting lifestyle had also made him quicker. Fearless and fast was a dangerous combination when frustrations burned through Zev’s veins, as they were now. But he didn’t give Nick a chance to get any deeper under his skin. Instead, he set an angry stare on Beau and said, “Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?” He eyed his other brothers. “You all knew she lived here, and nobody clued me in. What the hell is up with that?”
Beau rolled his shoulders back and said, “The last time I brought up Carly, you said you’d slaughter me if I ever mentioned her name again.”
“You did, bro,” Graham agreed. “Remember? We were at Mom and Dad’s last Fourth of July, when Beau and Char got engaged.”
How could he ever forget the day he’d never seen coming?
After Tory died, the pain and guilt had been so overwhelming that Zev and Beau had both needed to get the hell away from Pleasant Hill. Beau hadn’t been able to even be in the same room with his childhood best friend, Tory’s older brother, Duncan, without wanting to tear something apart. Although Zev had rarely returned home, he’d kept up with his family and had known about the ever-growing rift between Beau and Duncan. Which was why when Duncan had walked into their parents’ house the night Beau had gotten engaged, Zev had been ready to take him down—until he’d learned that Beau had found a way to move past Tory’s death and had made amends with Duncan.
That was the day that had made Zev wonder if he could find a way to move past all that had happened, too. But the only person he wanted to move forward with was Carly, and before the wedding, he’d seen her only once since they’d broken up, and she’d made it clear she was over him.
“I know what I said.” Zev leveled Beau with a serious stare and said, “But come on, man. You couldn’t have warned me? You and Char are close to her. You knew she’d be here with Cutter. What the hell?”
“Hey, I have no idea what’s up with her and Cutter.” Beau glanced at Charlotte, heading their way with Morgyn and her toughest sister, Sable, just one of the many Montgomery siblings who had made it to the wedding, and said, “But please tell me you’re not going to back out of watching the animals for us while we’re on our honeymoon.” He had surprised Charlotte with a weeklong honeymoon to the small village in France where her maternal grandparents had lived.
Zev had agreed to stay at the inn and watch their chickens and thief of a dog, Bandit, prior to his epic discovery because none of his siblings had been able to commit. Last night he’d arranged for the remaining, smaller concretions he’d found to be sent to his cousin Noah’s marine biology laboratory on the outskirts of town, where he could work on extracting the treasures while he was watching the inn. He’d spent every minute since wondering which sibling he could wrangle into taking his place. But now that he knew Carly lived there, he didn’t know what the hell he wanted.
“The horses are at Hal’s ranch, so you won’t have to muck the stalls,” Beau said, as if it were a selling point. “I know you’ve got a lot going on right now, but nobody else can do it.”
“Yeah, dude, I definitely can’t stick around to take care of their animals,” Nick said. “I’m heading to Virginia to buy a couple of horses at the end of the week.”
“Morgyn and I are leaving tomorrow for two weeks in Seattle, and everyone else is taking off first thing tomorrow, too,” Graham added. “Jilly and Jax have a big-city fashion show and will be gone for two weeks, and Mom and Dad have a meeting about the winery expansion.” Their mother’s family owned a chain of wineries called Hilltop Vineyards, and their father, an engineer, was helping with the designs. “Sorry, Zev, but it’s all on you.”
Charlotte came to Beau’s side, looking gorgeous in her fairy-tale-style wedding gown, which Jillian and Jax, both fashion designers, had made for her. Beau put his arm around her and leaned in for a kiss. Seeing his brother happy and so in love again brought warm memories of how it felt to be with the person he loved. Zev stole another glance at the only woman who had ever made him feel damn near anything. He may not know what he wanted, but one thing was certain: Leaving was no longer his highest priority.
“Don’t worry,” Zev said. “I’d never leave you hanging.”
“Bet you say that to all the girls, Foreplay,” Sable said with a raise of her brows, earning chuckles from his brothers.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Zev countered. Morgyn had come up with the nickname Foreplay, which she claimed meant he was the guy women sought for a good time but never for anything long term. As far as Zev was concerned, that was pretty damn accurate.
“You’ve been staring at Cutter and Carly for so long, I’m starting to wonder which one you’re into,” Morgyn teased.
“You know I don’t swing that way, Sunshine. But if I did, it wouldn’t be with that cowboy.” Zev took another swig of tequila, his gaze shifting to Carly again. Jillian and Jax had joined her and Cutter, and it looked like they were all having a great damn time.
“Funny, I was thinking a cowboy was exactly what I needed.” Sable flipped her thick mane over her shoulder and turned her attention to Nick. “What do you say, burly boy? Can all those muscles move on the dance floor, or are they only good for toiling away on your ranch?”
“Baby, there’s nothing this body can’t do.” Nick put a hand on Sable’s lower back, leading her toward the makeshift dance floor.
“I want to dance!” Morgyn exclaimed. She grabbed Graham’s hand, and they followed Nick and Sable.
Charlotte took Beau’s hand and said, “They’re playing our song, hubby. We should dance, too.” She stepped closer to Zev and lowered her voice to say, “Carly doesn’t bite, you know.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame, cutes,” Zev said with a grin. “I always loved the way she used that sexy mouth of hers.”
Charlotte gave a happy little squeal and said, “I bet she’d bite if you asked her to!”
“Come on, beautiful. I’m sure Zev doesn’t need any help in that department.” Beau led her away, leaving Zev alone with his dirty thoughts of Carly and her talented mouth.
No one knew Zev had run into Carly in Mexico when she was on spring break the year after Tory’s death. He’d just finished a diving expedition, and he was having a drink in a bar when he’d heard her infectious laugh. He’d thought he’d imagined it, but then he’d seen her across the room, stunningly beautiful and enticingly familiar. The second their eyes had connected, an inferno had blazed between them, and the all-consuming emotions he’d been trying to forget had nearly swallowed him whole. Their connection had always been so strong they’d never needed many words to convey their thoughts, and that night had been no different. They hadn’t talked about losing Tory, or his leaving Pleasant Hill. In fact, they hadn’t talked much at all, except for Zev to say he was in no position to make any promises, to which Carly had said, I don’t want promises. I only want tonight. They’d spent one incredible night in each other’s arms. Zev had known then that he’d made a mistake leaving the way he had, and he’d thought—hoped—they might be able to find their way back into each other’s lives. But when he’d woken up the next morning, Carly was gone without a trace, leaving him confused, hurt, angry, and fiercely determined never to feel that way again.
As he looked at her now, flashing her radiant smile at that fucking cowboy, he accepted the truth he’d spent years trying to deny. Carly Dylan hadn’t just captured his heart when they were kids. She’d claimed his entire being—mind, body, and soul—and she’d own them until long after the day he took his last breath.
About the Author
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa's fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summer, Harborside Nights, and the Wild Boys After Dark. Melissa's emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented.
Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.
Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.
Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.
Melissa also writes sweet and clean romance under the pen name Addison Cole.
Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.
Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.
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Kandi
Kandi Steiner is a bestselling author and whiskey connoisseur living in Tampa, FL. Best known for writing "emotional rollercoaster" stories, she loves bringing flawed characters to life and writing about real, raw romance -- in all its forms. No two Kandi Steiner books are the same, and if you're a lover of angsty, emotional, and inspirational reads, she's your gal.
An alumna of the
University of Central Florida, Kandi graduated with a double major in Creative
Writing and Advertising/PR with a minor in Women's Studies. She started writing
back in the 4th grade after reading the first Harry Potter installment. In 6th
grade, she wrote and edited her own newspaper and distributed to her
classmates. Eventually, the principal caught on and the newspaper was quickly
halted, though Kandi tried fighting for her "freedom of press." She
took particular interest in writing romance after college, as she has always
been a die hard hopeless romantic, and likes to highlight all the challenges of
love as well as the triumphs.
When Kandi isn't
writing, you can find her reading books of all kinds, talking with her
extremely vocal cat, and spending time with her friends and family. She enjoys
live music, traveling, anything heavy in carbs, beach days, movie marathons,
craft beer and sweet wine -- not necessarily in that order.
Connect
with Kandi
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Title: One Crazy Bite
Author: Cassandra Faye
Release Date: August 17, 2020
Blurb
"If you’re going to get stalked, at least
make him hot and immortal."
It’s always
nice to feel wanted, but Grace wasn't exactly looking for a boyfriend. Plus,
getting stalked by a super hot vampire who’s invisible to everyone else just
makes you look — and feel — crazy.
Not that
her mental health is a high priority for the immortal.
Nic says
they're destined to be together. She's pretty sure he's a magical figment of
her imagination... but he’s not taking no for an answer. He wants her body, her
blood, and to make her his forever.
But does he
have the magic wand to make her scream 'yes?'
NOTE:
Excerpt
Slightly
fueled by caffeine, and her own subtly buzzing panic about her mental health,
she decided to google ‘psychotic break.’
A Forbes article popped up and she read, ‘In
terms of what it means, a ‘psychotic break with reality’ means losing contact
with reality, such as hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, or feeling something
that has no external correlate (i.e., hallucinations).’
“Shit,” she
muttered, continuing to read, feeling worse and worse as the symptoms
uncomfortably lined up with her day.
Is this what it’s like to be crazy?
She didn’t feel crazy. She felt perfectly normal
outside of the… hallucination. It was just one hallucination though! No pink
elephants or strange voices in her head. Just one hallucination… that had
happened twice… in less than four hours.
Fuck.
Groaning,
she took another sip of the coffee and then immediately choked on it as her own
personal hallucination sat down in the seat across from her. Coughing, she
shoved her chair back, covering her mouth as another wracking cough almost
doubled her over while he just tilted his head at her.
“Are you
all right?” he asked, and she held up her hand, waving away the barista who had
started to step out from the counter. It took a minute or so, but, finally, she
was able to take a breath that didn’t pull hazelnut-flavored caffeine into her
lungs.
Glaring at
the hallucination, she hissed, “Are you visible?”
He smiled.
“No.”
Grumbling,
she wanted to yell so many things at him — it — whatever, but she scrambled for her phone first and pretended to
answer it, holding it to her ear. “Hey,” she said to her imaginary friend on
the line.
“Hello,”
her hallucination responded, looking extremely amused. Dick.
“Why are
you here?” she asked softly, trying not to look like she was glaring at empty
space in front of her.
“Because you did not go home.” He leaned back in
the chair, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee. “I waited for you.”
“You could
have continued waiting.” Forever, she
added in her head, and he chuckled.
“Patience
has never been a virtue of mine, and I think I’ve waited long enough for you.”
“What does
that even mean?” she asked, her voice
turning slightly high-pitched as she tried to control the feeling of panic
rising inside her.
“Just
another of the things I’d love to explain to you if you’d meet me at your
home.”
“I’m not—
you— this is insane! Why am I even arguing with a hallucination?” Leaning
forward, she blocked him out by bracing her forehead on her hand. “Maybe I should
go to a hospital.”
“That’s
unnecessary. You’re perfectly healthy and the tired feeling will pass. Have you
eaten yet today?” he asked, sounding almost concerned.
As if he — it — actually was. Or maybe that was her own mind reminding her
she’d skipped breakfast… and lunch.
Shit.
“Perhaps
you should get something to eat.” As the suggestion left his lips, her stomach
growled. The fucking traitor. He just laughed. “I think you’ll feel
better, be less grumpy, if you grab one of those pastries.”
“Don’t tell
me what to do,” she snapped, and he gave her a look that said this-is-what-I-mean. She returned his
snarky look with her own you-don’t-even-exist
glare.
“I feel
like we got off on the wrong foot. Let me feed you tonight, and then I can eat
too, and we can both go to bed much happier.”
Dammit, why
was his voice so sexy? Like a growly, buzzy, humming, low-thing that found its
way between her thighs and made her want… other things.
Things that
she didn’t actually want. Not. At.
All.
No, it was
probably just another symptom of the psychosis. This gorgeous man-hallucination
hybrid was most likely just a result of her dry spell since she’d broken things
off with Eric… which had been… hell,
had it really been nine months? Okay, yeah, that was a while. It had to be the
reason she was dreaming up Hottie McCreeper. The same reason she’d had a crazy
dream about a porno statue from both her best fantasies and her worst
nightmares. There was probably someone in her phone she could call to remedy
this without an exorcism or a padded room.
“I’m
leaving,” she said out loud, standing up from her chair to remind the pulsing
feeling between her thighs that she was serious.
“Well,” her
hallucination replied in that delicious voice as he stood. “Why don’t you go
home, and I will come see you later this evening. I think a good dinner, and a
talk, will make things much clearer for the both of us.”
Why was his
smile so charming? It was irritating, but she had to give bonus points to her
damaged brain for giving her a psychotic break with flair. It would be much
worse to be hallucinating something scary.
“Grace?”
hallucination-hottie prompted her, and she sighed, realizing she still had the
cell phone plastered to the side of her head.
“Fine,
sure, dinner. Whatever. Just go away,” she shooed him, and he laughed. Stupid, sexy laugh.
“One thing
before I go.” He crooked his finger and walked past her. “Come with me.”
Author Bio
Cassandra Faye lives in Texas where she's done nothing but fantasize
about other worlds her entire life. Constantly daydreaming about ancient
powers, faerie realms, old gods, and how seriously dangerous unicorns would be
if they existed, Cassandra writes the stories she's always craved. Taking
paranormal and fantasy worlds, mixing them in with modern day, and adding a
dash of darkness.
So, if you enjoy those fairy tales that were a
little more grimm, or if you ever wondered just how bad the villains
could be as you held on for that happily-ever-after, then you might be just the
person she's writing for.
Cassandra also writes dark contemporary romance
as Jennifer Bene. You can find her online throughout social media with username
@jbeneauthor and on her website:
Author Links
Title: Out of the Wild
Author: Jessica Walker
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 29, 2020
Release Date: July 29, 2020
Blurb
The rules say we
can't touch each other, but rules were made to be broken.
It's been seven years since our plane crash landed. What
started as 47 passengers has quickly dwindled to 32, and now that Christa is
pregnant we risk losing her too.
If she had followed the rules none of this would have
happened. Men and women are not to be alone together, prohibited to touch and
sex is the ultimate taboo. I followed the rules, why couldn't she?
I am determined to save her, even if it means leaving camp
in pursuit of civilization. Even if it means travelling with Cade, the only man
I've ever been tempted by.
The climate I can endure, the terrain, survivable, but the
rules? They are one forbidden touch from being broken forever.
Purchase Links
It has been years since the crash, and still I wake every morning with
the jarring sense of falling. Christa places her palm on my back for
reassurance and I roll over to face her. It’s not yet morning and I can barely
make out her features in the moonlight. Her face is fuller and so is her
abdomen, but we haven’t said anything to the council yet.
“Go back to sleep Lena,” she whispers, and I flip back to my side, used
to following her directions.
I am mad at her and worried for her, but mostly I am determined to save
her. It’s the not knowing how that keeps me awake.
There is a rustling in the shelter across the way, and I suspect that
Cade is unable to sleep tonight too. I think about crawling out from the
familiarity and warmth of the space I share with Christa and clicking my tongue
against the roof of my mouth three times. It’s the code we use when the four of
us want to sneak out of camp. Only Christa is too tired now and Tanner never
leaves her unless Cade or I are there to protect her.
Maybe Cade can hear me thinking because I watch as his silhouette moves
from the shelter and down toward the water. Christa groans as I pull away from
her and follow him. When I reach the water’s edge I have to skip over three
smaller rocks to reach the large curved boulder that rises above the rest. I
sit close to Cade so the two of us can whisper. We can’t risk waking any of the
others. There are strict rules about men and women being alone together.
Rules that seemed silly—until Christa got sick.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he says, keeping his eyes on the smooth flat
surface of the water in front of us.
I don’t care that he wants me to leave. I can’t bear the thought of lying
still until the sun rises. So instead, I say what we both know.
“She’s getting noticeably bigger.”
I don’t have to look at Cade to know that his brows are pinched together,
and his mouth has formed a tense, firm line. He gets quiet when he can’t quite
work something out. Usually I wait him out, but this time I can’t because I
know that like me, he doesn’t know where to start.
I trace my hands along the rough edges of the boulder. Below, the water
has rubbed it smooth, but on top where we sit, it has the texture of gesso,
layered heavily with a palette knife.
The uninvited memory of things from before is unsettling. I wrap my arms
around my knees, so as not to feel it.
“They never should have—”
“But they did,” I say, cutting him off.
Cade inches away from me on the rock, as if being too close to me is
dangerous. I don’t take it personally, even though just a few weeks ago his
hand brushed mine in this very spot and neither of us pulled away.
Author Bio
Jessica is a librarian by day, writer by night. She loves
steamy adventure stories and a good romcom when it’s time to lighten things up.
Author Links
♦ ♦ ♦
Seventh Circle
Violence
Also Known As Ezra Cross
He’s one of a pair.
Identical twin to Damon.
And an enforcer for the Inferno if one is ever needed.
I knew better than to get involved with him.
With his aggression.
With the constant fights.
With the games the twins were known to play with every woman stupid enough to fall for them.
We made a mistake when we met again as adults.
I fell in love.
He fell in love.
His brother fell in love, too.
What used to be a good time is now a tragedy.
Our story is messy.
It’s cruel.
It’s forbidden.
Despite all that, Ezra refuses to let go.
♦ ♦ ♦
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Lily White is a bestselling author who likes to dabble on the dark side of romance. She is most known for her Masters Series, Target This, Wishing Well, and The Five.
When she isn’t writing as Lily White you can find other books by her under M.S. Willis where she has penned the Control Series, the Estate Series, and Because of Ellison (contemporary romance).
Lily enjoys stretching her writing muscles by continuing to challenge herself with each book she publishes.
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