Title: The Rules of Dating My Best Friend’s Sister
Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
Photographer: Ashraf El Bahrawi
Model: Giorgos Mavrogiannis, @gio_mavrogiannis
Release Date: April 3, 2023
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 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 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.
When the British billionaire wants to teach the cocky athlete a brand new kind of game…
Lately, I’ve been full of questions. One hot summer night, I find all the answers when I kiss another guy for the first time. But he disappears, leaving me wondering who my mystery man was.
I can’t stop thinking about him. Even on the ball field, I’m daydreaming about his hungry hands, and the filthy things he whispered in his posh British accent.
Somehow, I still win one of the biggest games of my career, and afterward, the man surprises me with an invitation: “Meet me in a private suite.”
When I RSVP, he makes me an offer–one chance to try all the things I’ve never experienced. Then we’ll walk away.
But once will never be enough.
Soon I’m locked into an intense lessons-in-seduction game with the secretive billionaire who keeps love at a distance, all while he pushes the boundaries of my brand-new desires.
Then, I learn that all my desires come with a terrible cost, as he breaks down the walls around my heart.
A Very Filthy Game is a standalone, lessons-in-seduction, first times, forbidden MM romance between a billionaire and an athlete…
About Lauren Blakely:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible
Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s
sexy, sweet, and witty. She also writes USA Today bestselling LGBTQ romance.
With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York
Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, with
more than 60 titles on the USA Today Bestsellers list alone. She’s sold more than 5 million books. A Brown University graduate, Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
An all-new meet-cute sports romance from New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Kristen Proby, featuring Sophie Montgomery!
The Score by Kristen Proby is now live!
I have millions of followers on social media, and it has absolutely nothing to do with my last name. It’s because I’m good at what I do. I work hard, and it has paid off. I’m not a trainer who only talks the talk, either. I walk the walk—or rather, I run the run. It was actually during one of those jogs through the park that I ran into him.
Of course, at the time, I didn’t realize it was the Isaiah “Ike” Harrison, Seattle’s hot new quarterback. All I knew was that I was suddenly pinned under some solid, sexy body, unable to breathe.
But even now, I keep running into Ike in the most unexpected places. And he’s doing everything in his power to convince me that he’s not just a player—in any form of the word. It’s so much more than that. But I’ve been there, done that. I have the mended broken heart to prove it and have no intention of doing it again. Except the frustrating man is convincing, and my walls are quickly lowering—especially when I feel responsible for possibly upending his career.
Is letting him in a mistake? Or will it be the best thing I’ve ever done?
Download today on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo!
The Montgomerys are back, and I am loving it. THE SCORE, the third book in Kristen Proby’s Single in Seattle series, is full of everything that I love about this big, boisterous, talented family, and it was a true pleasure to read.
Kristen Proby continues to write these characters so beautifully, and they are clearly very much a part of her. Sophie Montgomery is completely relatable, and if all pro athletes were like Ike Harrison, we’d all be very very lucky. These two and their story are probably my favorite in the series so far, and that’s saying something. Seeing them deal with some of the hard things in life only makes them more real, and that they do it together and so supportively of each other made for a truly heartwarming read.
Catching up with the Montgomery clan at large is one of the best things about these books, and seeing all of the kids grown or almost grown is a hoot. I’m hoping that there are many more books coming our way, because these characters and their lives just never get old. Here’s to family, especially the Montgomerys. May we know them for a long time to come. ❤️
Kristen Proby has published more than forty titles, many of which have hit the USA Today, New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestsellers lists. She continues to self publish, best known for her With Me In Seattle and Boudreaux series, and is also proud to work with William Morrow, a division of HarperCollins, with the Fusion and Romancing Manhattan Series.
Kristen and her husband, John, make their home in her hometown of Whitefish, Montana with their two cats and dog.
“Why’s it feel so good with you? Why’s it feel so right?” “Maybe because we’re right where we belong, right now, in this moment.”
Oh, my heart. A.L. Jackson has gone and done it again, given us a book that is heartbreaking and beautiful, crushing and uplifting, and, as always, just perfect. PROMISE ME ALWAYS, Milo’s and Tessa’s story, is finally here, and it is totally worth the wait
A longtime fan of Amy’s books, I have read and loved all of them. The Redemption Hills series are some of her best, because her writing only gets better and more powerful with time. And while Trent and Eden, Jud and Salem, and Logan and Amber, have all found a place in my heart, it was Tessa that I was waiting for, and Amy has absolutely delivered with this book
Tessa McDaniels is the cement of the friend group, the cheerleader, the one that has watched all of her people find their happy endings. Never one to dwell on her own troubles, she’s the light in the middle of the dark, especially for Milo Hendricks. A man filled with dark secrets himself, Milo is always watching, looking to protect those that can’t protect themselves, and Tessa is that beacon of light that he finds himself gravitating towards.
PROMISE ME ALWAYS captivated me from the first page, swept up in Tessa’s and Milo’s story and unable to put it down until the end. The angst is real in this book, making me ache for this unexpected but perfect pairing, and hold on for their passion-filled and finally redemptive journey.
The Redemption Hills books are recommendations that I continually make to other romance readers. Amy has knocked it out of the proverbial park with PROMISE ME ALWAYS, making it the perfect wrap up for this amazing series. Although each of the books can be read as standalones, they are best enjoyed as a whole, so make the time to visit Redemption Hills, and enjoy. ❤️
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
NYT Bestselling Author A.L. Jackson has a sneak peek of her upcoming single dad, fake fiancée romance, Promise Me Always. Coming January 30th!
EXCERPT:
“Go, go, go!” Tessa jumped up and down, rooting on Remy who’d thrown the Frisbee and was currently rounding the bases.
I scooped Scout into my arms, and he and I raced toward the Frisbee that’d rolled out the right side of the baseball field.
Scout was bouncing all over, his laughter filling the air, my little guy kicking my sides like I was a horse. “Hurry, Dad, hurry, Remy is so really fast, and we gotta catch her before she gets all the way to home base.”
I dipped down to snag the Frisbee, holding tight to Scout as I tipped him upside down, making him holler and laugh uncontrollably while Tessa was shouting, “You’re almost there, Remy! Whoop, whoop! Team Remy-T Wreckers coming in for the win. Yeah, baby!”
Scout’s eyes went wide. “Go, Dad! We gotta catch her. Rocket speed!”
I shifted him, tucking his side to mine so he could stretch out his arms like he was flying, and I was supplying the rocket propulsion as we bounded back the opposite direction, a bunch of sounds bubbling out of my mouth as I found a lightness I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
Remy rounded third base.
Tessa jumped up and down on the pitcher’s mound, waving her hands in the air and cheering on my kid. “Go, Remy, go!”
Both their faces were red.
Joy radiated all around.
Guessed it was my joy, too.
This feeling in the air that might have been the best thing I’d ever felt.
Scout kept himself rigid, still zooming through the air. “After burners, Dad!”
I increased my speed a fraction.
Remy screamed and laughed as she ran for home, my daughter soaring free when her steps were often laden with reservation.
Her load too heavy.
I made sure that we just missed her as she stomped onto the base.
“Ahh, dang, you’re too fast.” I feigned the grumbled complaint while my little girl squealed in victory and shouted, “I did it! I did it!”
Tessa ran her way, her arms in the air. “You did it! You are a rockstar, Remington Hendricks!”
They jumped, high-fiving each other with both hands.
“Oh, man,” Scout whined. “We got a tie. How do we even know who’s the best?”
I pressed my lips to the top of his head. “Means we’re all the best, little man.”
“That’s Rocketman to you,” he told me.
A chuckle got free, and Tessa was giggling nonstop, her smile so bright, happiness this glow of warmth that surrounded her.
She poked Scout’s belly where I’d shifted him upright. “Pure awesomesauce, I tell you.”
He jumped out of my arms and into hers.
She caught him like she was completely accustomed to pint-sized shenanigans. “There’s my Rocketman! You’re off to Mars!” she sang as she swung him around.
Peals of his laughter rang in the air, and Remy moved to hold my hand, grinning in a way I hadn’t seen her do in so long that I’d almost forgotten what it looked like.
God, I wasn’t even sure how to navigate through it when I kept getting struck with an urge to capture it.
Hold it and protect it forever.
“Okay, I think that’s my favorite game.” Remy was almost shy to say it, though it was adrenaline and glee rushing all over her face.
“So fun!” Tessa agreed.
Everyone was panting with the exertion, sweat slicking our skin, and we moved back to where we had the blanket set up in the shade.
Tessa flopped down onto her back on it, Scout still held in her arms. Remy flopped right down beside her.
Tessa rolled her head in Remy’s direction so they were staring at each other where they lie on their backs. “Thank you for being on my team.”
“Best team ever.” Timidity might have filled Remy’s voice, but joy shined in her eyes.
They just sat there for a second, smiling at each other, something special moving between them.
Scout climbed off Tessa, and he crawled to the cooler and tossed open the lid. “I spy with my little eye a blue Popsicle.”
Like he hadn’t spotted it earlier when we were passing out sandwiches and fresh-cut fruit.
He reached for one.
“You’re supposed to ask first, little man,” I told him.
“Is it okay, Tessa?” He beamed at her. I was pretty sure those full lips would be enough to swindle the last dollar out of a starving man’s hand.
I blinked at him. “Excuse me? What am I, chopped liver?”
Scout shrugged. “Tessa’s got my back.”
Tessa sat up, pressing her fingertips to her mouth like she was trying to keep back her laughter.
“What are you giggling about?” I asked, voice low as I climbed down onto my knees at the edge of the oversized blanket.
“I think I found myself a couple of new besties.” Her smile softened, pure affection as she glanced between the two of them.
Remy smiled, too, and fuck, my chest tightened.
I loved to see my little girl happy.
“I’ll be your best friend because you brought me a Popsicle,” Scout supplied as he grabbed a handful of them and started to pass them out.
“One for Daddy-Doo, one for Remy-Roo, one for Tessa-Too.”
My kid, he was a poet.
“Dad, you better kiss her if you’re gonna marry her,” Scout said so nonchalant as he peeled the wrapper and stuck the blue bullet into his mouth. “Because in a minute, she’s gonna have blue lips, and that’s gross.”
I knew we were going to have to get these displays of affection right, but my nerves decided it was a fine time to short-circuit.
To go zapping and zinging in all those places she kept bringing to life.
Shaking me down and tightening my guts in a flurry of want as I looked at the woman who watched me with such a tenderness that my spirit groaned.
“You’ve got love, Dad,” Remy whispered.
Soft encouragement that cut me to the quick.
My child’s belief filling me full after I’d lost it.
Warily, I crawled forward on my knees, already towering over Tessa where she sat on the blanket.
My friend.
My friend.
Curling my hand around the back of her neck, I drew her closer.
Fire flashed.
That feeling rising that I had to keep at bay.
But those blue eyes, they were so intense and deep and filled with this trust that spread like fingers through my senses.
The girl a lure.
Her lips barely parted as we sat there with an inch of space separating us.
Hovering.
Hesitating.
Unsure.
My heart thundered too loud, and I finally drew her the rest of the way in and pressed my lips to hers.
A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.
Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, FIGHT FOR ME, CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART, FALLING STARS, and REDEMPTION HILLS novels. Watch out for her upcoming stand-alone, PROMISE ME ALWAYS, releasing January 30th!
If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.
Be sure not to miss new releases and sales from A.L. Jackson – Sign up to receive her newsletter https://geni.us/ALJacksonBookClubB or text “aljackson” to 33222 to receive short but sweet updates on all the important news.
Three Strikes And You’re Mine by R.S. Grey is coming February 23rd and we’re so excited to be sharing the gorgeous cover reveal of this new standalone romcom!
Title: Three Strikes And You’re Mine
Author: R.S. Grey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 23rd
About Three Strikes And You’re Mine:
Dear Past Me,
Future You here, coming to offer a little advice: hang on for dear life. This summer is going to be a wild one. I know what you’re thinking: Life’s going so well! I don’t have a care in the world! Wrong. That culinary career you love so much? It’s about to go up in smoke, and your boyfriend? Yeah…he’s a goner too. If only love were as simple as, say, actually adding yourself to the lease agreement so you don’t suddenly find yourself loveless, jobless, and homeless!
Did your five-year plan include moving back in with your family and sharing a bed with your Nonna? No? Well, hate to break it to you…it’s exactly as traumatizing as it sounds.
Have you had enough? Too bad. Buckle up—it gets worse. Your new boss is a professional baseball player, and he’s hot, like really hot, but you’ll pretend not to notice because he’s a single dad and it feels wrong to ogle him in front of his innocent child. Unfortunately, he thinks you’re sexy as hell too. Unrequited love is one thing; mutual off-limits pining destined to explode in the worst of ways? What could go wrong…wrong…wrong… (That’s me fading out because you have to take it from here, kid. Good luck! Don’t screw this up for me.)
Sincerely,
Your future (wiser) self
About R.S. Grey:
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughter, and can be found reading, binge-watching reality TV, or practicing yoga! Visit her at rsgrey.com
Keep This Promise by Corinne Michaels is now live!
I’m about to lose everything.
My home. My name. My future.
My husband was involved in something that could cost us our lives, and on his deathbed, he demands my daughter and I flee Britain.
I had no idea he found her biological father, Holden James, in Rose Canyon, and that’s where we’d start over.
The moment we see each other, feelings I’d long forgotten rush over me. Holden doesn’t hesitate to care for us. We find ourselves reaching for each other, even when we should hold back. His smile warms me, his arms protect me, and against my better judgment, I fall for him. All the possibilities of a future are threatened by a looming past.
I’m being hunted, and it’s just a matter of time before someone finds me guilty of crimes I didn’t commit. Whatever trouble my husband was involved in won’t evade me forever.
I am trying to keep my promise and stay for Holden, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before we have to run.
My name was Sophie Pearson, but I vanished, just like my hope to ever find love again.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Corinne Michaels is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of romance novels. Her stories are chock full of emotion, humor, and unrelenting love, and she enjoys putting her characters through intense heartbreak before finding a way to heal them through their struggles.
Corinne is a former Navy wife and happily married to the man of her dreams. She began her writing career after spending months away from her husband while he was deployed–reading and writing were her escapes from the loneliness. Corinne now lives in Virginia with her husband and is the emotional, witty, sarcastic, and fun-loving mom of two beautiful children.
I’ve got a list of people I absolutely don’t ever want to be stuck with on a boat, or a plane, or a train, and it starts and ends with the broody, grumpy, too-sexy-for-my-own good Axel Huxley.
Also known as this romance novelist’s number one nemesis.
The man is legendary for his mighty pen and his even mightier scowl. I tried to work together with the cocky thriller writer once upon a time, but the two of us are like vodka and good decisions. We don’t play well together.
Only now, our publishers are sending us on a joint trip across Europe to mingle with our most devoted readers on an old-fashioned luxury train. And thanks to a booking snafu, we have to share a sleeper car.
You guessed it–there’s only one bed.
I’m not sure I can survive the next seven days and nights with my dangerously sexy enemy and all our fiery tension.
Which explodes one night in a desperately needed hate bang.
But the bigger plot twist is this – the more time we spend together, visiting the most romantic cities in Europe by day and discovering each other at night, the more I’m forced to face our past.
To let go of the hurt.
To see the man he’s become.
And when I do, I wonder if it’s too late to write a new happy ending for us?
About Lauren Blakely:
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible
Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s
sexy, sweet, and witty. She also writes USA Today bestselling LGBTQ romance.
With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York
Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, with
more than 65 titles on the USA Today Bestsellers list alone. She’s sold more than 5 million books. A Brown University graduate, Lauren likes dogs, cake and show tunes and is the vegetarian at your dinner party.
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a friends-to-lovers story spanning more than a decade…
At first, I thought I’d hate spending the summer with Archie Remington—the conceited son of my parents’ friends.
What I knew about Archie: he was gorgeous, pre-law, and had always treated me like I didn’t 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 man—but 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 father’s expectations.
Things were cool until I had to go and ruin it, getting drunk one night, and blurting out my fantasy—involving 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, they’ll find their way back to each other?
Let’s just say Archie came back into my life in a way I would’ve never expected.
And this time, my heart would really be put to the test.
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.
Because I’m Yours by Claire Contreras is now live!
Lenora De Luca
I’ve always been a good girl. The perfect daughter. The perfect sister. And, in two weeks, I’m supposed to become the perfect wife. I don’t know or like the man my father chose to marry me off to but I have no say in the matter. That’s why when I see Rocco Marchetti, the man I’ve had a crush on my entire life, I decide he’ll be my first. When he looks at me it’s electric and I know he wants me. We keep stealing glances and hiding smiles, but I want more. I want one night with him. So what if I’m the daughter of the most feared man in organized crime? So what if he’s my overprotective brother’s best friend? It’s just one night.
Rocco Marchetti
Lenora De Luca is as forbidden as they get. She’s also kind, and thoughtful, and makes my d . . . makes it hard to think. It starts off innocent enough, just flirting, but then she kisses me and tells me she wants to spend one night with me. It’s wrong on so many levels, but I don’t even try to deny that I want her. I tell myself that it’ll be her wedding present (I know I’m sick, get over it). I’ve had plenty one nightstands that end amicably. Lenora can’t possibly be any different. As long as her brother doesn’t find out, things will be fine. I usually strategize and think through every decision, but something about her makes me walk right into the fire.
Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Claire Contreras is a New York Times Bestselling Author who traded her psychology degree to write fiction. Don’t worry, she still uses her knowledge on every single one of her characters.
She’s a breast cancer survivor (x2), who was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in Florida, and currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband, two adorable boys, and French bulldog.
Her books range from romantic suspense to contemporary romance and are currently translated in over fifteen languages. When she’s not writing, she’s usually lost in a book.
Saucy Southern Readers 