From the international bestselling author of The Simple Wild and Ten Tiny Breaths comes a new second-chance, hate-to-love romance.
The Player Next Door by, USA Today bestselling author, K.A. Tucker, is now live!
Scarlet Reed has returned to Polson Falls, convinced that twelve years away is long enough to shed her humiliating childhood identity as the town harlot’s daughter. With a teaching job secured and an adorable fixer-upper to call home, things in her life are finally looking up.
That is, until she finds out that Shane Beckett lives next door.
Shane Beckett, the handsome and charismatic high school star quarterback who smashed her heart. The lying, cheating player who was supposed to be long gone, living the pro football dream and fooling women into thinking he’s Prince Charming. Shane Beckett, who is as attractive as ever and flashing his dimples at her as if he has done no wrong.
Scarlet makes it abundantly clear that old wounds have not been forgotten. Neighbors they may be, but friends they most certainly are not. She won’t allow herself to fall for the single father and firefighter again, no matter how many apologies he offers, how many times he rushes to her aid, or how hard he makes her heart pound.
But as she spends more time with him, she begins to fear that maybe she’s wrong. Maybe Shane has changed.
And maybe this time she’s the one playing herself—out of a chance at true happiness.
K.A. Tucker writes captivating stories with an edge.
She is the USA Today bestselling author of 17 books, including the Causal Enchantment, Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series, He Will Be My Ruin, Until It Fades, Keep Her Safe, and The Simple Wild. Her books have been featured in national publications including USA Today, Globe & Mail, Suspense Magazine, First for Women, and Publisher’s Weekly. She has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance 2013 for TEN TINY BREATHS and Best Romance 2018 for THE SIMPLE WILD. Her novels have been translated into 16 languages.
K.A. Tucker currently resides in a quaint town outside of Toronto with her family.
“You kept things to yourself too.” He ground his teeth, and I could see the muscle of his jaw working.
Which unfortunately also drew my attention to his lips. And I could remember his taste, spicy on my tongue. The way he kissed, first with a sip that made you want to quench your thirst in one gulp. The slow, drugging kisses designed to make a woman moan without much effort.
Jesus, I needed to stop. I would not think about him kissing me, or him lifting up my skirt, bending me over the desk and spanking me. Nope, I was not going to think about that. “From now on, no more lies. I can’t take it. I need to know what you know.”
He narrowed his gaze at me then. “Got any more copies of this that you’re hiding from me?”
“Oh, nice. Real mature. That’s the only one. I’ve just given you my insurance policy; you have to give me yours.”
“No more lies.”
“Fine. And while we’re at it, can we get security for Telly and Carmen? Todd has heard me talk about them on the phone before. I don’t want them to be targets.”
The muscle in his jaw ticked. “Fine.”
I shifted on my feet. Do or die time. “Also, I’m not sure of the living arrangements. I don’t think I can go back to the loft.”
“You’ll be staying with me at Covington House.”
The way he said that, like a command, not a suggestion. That beautiful house with the pillars and the kitchen right out of Architecture Magazine. I hadn’t seen much of the space, but I would love to explore it. My brain slapped my pussy. Snap out of it, bitch. You’re not playing house. I cleared my throat. “I’ll accept because I have no choice. But so you know, if I had a choice, I’d be anywhere else but there.”
He approached slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. His smooth gait was catlike as he approached. The moment I could feel his heat I tried to back away. I knew I was weak. I’d lean in and sniff given half a chance. Stay strong. Stay strong.
“If it makes you feel better to say that, fine. But let me be clear. You and I, we’re not done. The conversation about us is still to be continued.”
I swallowed hard. Because that sounded so much like a warning. One my body didn’t want to heed. I said nothing as I turned to head to my office. I wasn’t going to let him see in my gaze that I wanted to stay.
Tracey’s Review
Nana Malone’s BIG BEN was one of my favorite books lately, and THE BENEFACTOR, Book 2 in the See No Evil trilogy, picks right back up with all of the action, all of the passion, and all of the suspense that made Book 1 such a great read. There is not a dull moment with Olivia, Ben, and the rest of the gang working to bring down the Elite and right the wrongs of the past. Page-turning, nail-biting, edge of the seat twists and turns make this the perfect follow-up to the first book, and, just like before, left me impatiently ready for more.
If romantic suspense with plenty of sizzle and snark are what you’re after, this is the series for you. I fell for Nana and her characters from the very first pages of the first book, and there’s been no looking back. As soon as FOR HER BENEFIT is in my hot little hands, all will be right with the world, and all of my questions will be answered. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and snap these books up ASAP.
And, P.S., Nana, if you’re reading this, how about books for Ben’s mates? This happy reader would be all in for it! ❤️
About Nana:
USA Today bestseller Nana Malone’s love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she “borrowed” from her cousin.
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion, and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
Today we are celebrating the release of the newest romantic suspense title from New York Times Bestselling Author Toni Anderson by participating in the blog tour! COLD WICKED LIES is a Cold Justice Crossfire novel and it is available now. Add the book to Goodreads and follow Toni for exclusive updates.
A young woman is found murdered on a remote mountainside, and top FBI Negotiator Charlotte Blood must go head-to-head with her stubborn, sexy, Hostage Rescue Team counterpart to unravel the mystery. When blame falls on a secretive survivalist group, the stakes turn deadly…and Charlotte discovers that she’s the one tangled in COLD WICKED LIES.
The newest riveting thriller by New York Times bestselling author Toni Anderson.
She wagged the pen at him and moved closer. “You know, it’s exhausting trying to keep up with your moods.”
“Mymoods?”
“Hot one minute. Cold the next.”
“Then don’t bother trying.” His voice was low and terse. He sounded mean. Good. He removed his sunglasses and gave her his flattest stare.
Charlotte blinked and then rolled her eyes. “For some reason I keep giving you the benefit of the doubt, that you’re not actually an ass. That you actually do like and respect me like you said back at the base.”
Novak opened his mouth to respond but she never gave him a chance to speak.
“But you’re grumpy every time I talk to some guy—” She cut herself off and stared at him with eyes that kept growing bigger.
He folded his arms over his chest. “What?”
She held his stare and he wished he had the strength to sever the connection.
“You’re jealous,” she said.
“Ha.” He walked around her waving a hand in defeat as he strode back to the Suburban. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Ridiculous?”
“Nonsensical. I’m not jealous. You’re delusional.”
He got in the cab and she opened the passenger door. “Not delusional. Spot on. Oh my god. I’ve seen more than a few signs. Like when I talk to or about Truman, you scowl.”
“That’s my resting bitch face.” He grabbed the coffee she’d purchased and left in the cup holder and took a slug.
“We’ve already established you’re attracted to me.”
The coffee spurted out.Oh god.She was talking about his hard-on that morning. He almost choked and grabbed a tissue to clean up the mess.
“You’re an attractive woman. I’m not blind.” He wasn’t gonna blush because of an autonomic biological reaction. Fuck.
She strapped herself in and reached for her own cup as he went to pick up his sandwich. Their hands brushed. Both froze.
She didn’t move her hand away and he couldn’t remove his. The connection felt both ephemeral and fragile and like something he wasn’t equipped to deal with, was not trained for. He wanted to turn his fingers over and interlink them with hers. All the anger and embarrassment drained out of him. But the frustration built. Frustration that he wasn’t the sort of guy a woman like Charlotte Blood would want.
————————-
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
Toni Anderson writes award-winning, bestselling, FBI Romantic Thrillers. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, RITA® finalist, science nerd, professional tourist, dog lover, gardener, mom. Anderson’s books have won the Readers’ Choice Award, Aspen Gold, National Excellence in Romance Fiction, Book Buyers’ Best.
Originally from a small town in Shropshire, England, Toni studied Marine Biology at University of Liverpool (B.Sc.) and University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.) with the intention she’d never be far from the ocean. Well, that plan backfired and she ended up in the Canadian prairies with her biology professor husband, two kids, a rescue dog, and a laid-back leopard gecko.
Toni started writing while pregnant with her first child and never stopped. Her greatest achievements are mastering the Tokyo subway, climbing Ben Lomond, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and surviving fifteen Winnipeg winters (fingers crossed). She loves to travel for research purposes and was lucky enough to visit the Strategic Information and Operations Center inside FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016. She also got to shove another (police) car off the road during pursuit training at the Writer’s Police Academy. Basically she has way too much fun!
Blurb:
BREAKING NEWS: The Bad Boy of Baseball, Maddox Paige, is totally and utterly whipped.
Okay, that might not be the headlines in the newspaper this morning, but it’s the reality of my current situation.
It all started a month ago when I received a call from my best friend, Kinsley. She got a new job in Chicago and needed a place to stay. I’ve known the girl since I was five, what harm would it be to have her stay at my place for a while?
Ha! Total disaster.
Now instead of going out every night with my teammates, I’m couch surfing and sketching endless photos of my best friend . . . but that’s the least of my concerns.
The disaster, you ask? I’m rapidly falling head over cleats in love with my best friend, my roommate, and my number one fan.
And she has no idea . . .
Prologue: **MADDOX**
Have you ever said something you regret?
Something you haven’t forgotten about an hour later?
Something that sits with you, stews deep in your belly, and then seeps into your bones, burying itself so far into your marrow that all you can think about is the one thing you said . . . and how you wished you could take it back the minute it slipped past your lips?
That’s where I am.
Full of regret.
People always say, “Don’t regret anything. It’s what makes you who you are.” That was said in a whiney, nasally voice. Did you hear it?
Well, those people, the ones trying to spew rainbows and sunshine up your ass about blatant mistakes . . . yeah, they’re only saying that because they fuck up on a daily basis.
Think about it, what REAL person is okay with all their regrets? No one. There is always that one thing you did, that one time, that you will always, always, always think . . . “What if I’d done that differently?”
It keeps you up at night.
You wonder, what transformed, what took over my brain, to utter such words. To alter your life completely and send it down an entirely different course.
Yeah, my life has been fucking altered all right.
Everything was fine.
I was pitching one hell of a fucking season for the Rebels, my ride or die team. I was getting along with my teammates, even the infamous Cory Potter, who made a splash after last season. I’ll hand it to the man, he really is the boss. I was getting laid whenever I wanted, which is always a plus for a guy who has massive amounts of adrenaline pumping through him daily, especially on a pitching day. And there were no strings attached.
None.
Yeah, I might have a rotation of women I call, but any single player in the major leagues does. You need the outlet. Even the prestigious Cory Potter had some booty call numbers before he found Natalie.
I was living a great life, and then it all changed. And it changed fucking fast.
Before I knew it, I was staring into my fridge at dairy products not made from a cow, but rather from oat. What the fuck is that? Oat milk? Explain to me where an oat has a goddamn nipple.
My toothbrush is made from bamboo, which gives off a very woody, splintery taste, and I’ve been using toothpaste tablets instead of paste from a tube . . . because apparently, tubes suck up life in the landfill.
The eco-friendly toilet paper in my apartment disintegrates in my hand and is worthless, making bathroom breaks a fucking nightmare.
And there’s a goddamn three-legged dog in a suit and tie sitting on my couch that goes by the name Herman, or Hermy for short.
I don’t have any privacy, I don’t even remember what meat tastes like anymore, and “Hermy” has a goddamn staring problem. And the three-legged motherfucker, yeah, he’s stealthy. I find him waiting for me outside the shower . . . staring.
When I wake up . . . staring.
When I’m trying to make a goddamn tempeh sandwich . . . staring.
Every time I tell him to “get a life” or to “fuck off” or for the love of Christ “get a new hobby”, he doesn’t even bat an eyelash.
He just stares!
I can’t fucking take it anymore.
I’m losing my goddamn mind and I don’t know . . . maybe it’s because I haven’t had sex in what feels like forever, or because my burgers are now made of imposter “meat”, or maybe because I’m forced to do things I don’t want to do. Either way, something needs to give, because I’m pretty sure from all the vegan shit I’ve been eating, my armpits are just about ready to spring their own mung beans.
Christ.
One phone call.
That’s all it took.
One fucking phone call from a person I cannot say no to, a person who will forever and always be . . . my insanely beautiful and free-spirited best friend.
About the Author:
USA Today Bestselling Author, wife, adoptive mother, and peanut butter lover. Author of romantic comedies and contemporary romance, Meghan Quinn brings readers the perfect combination of heart, humor, and heat in every book.
USA Today bestseller Nana Malone’s love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she “borrowed” from her cousin.
It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She’s been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion, and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.
Booth Pena definitely didn’t make the smartest of decisions when he was a teenager.
At eighteen, he knocked a girl up and signed up for the military all in the same day—signing his life away in more ways than one. Fast forward six weeks and he’s in bootcamp learning that he’s going to be a father while also learning that not only is he going to be deployed, but it’s going to stay that way for a year.
There weren’t a lot of things that the baby’s mother and he saw eye to eye on after that. He honestly wasn’t sure why he even slept with her in the first place.
Okay, that last part is a lie. He knows exactly why he slept with her. Because the real woman he’s in love with, her twin sister, Dillan, won’t give him the time of day.
Five years later, and he still wants her.
Now he’s home for good, being the best father and police officer that he can be, and still he’s not good enough.
***
Dillan Davidsdottir hated Booth Pena. Immensely.
She hated him because he slept with her sister, then left. Granted, she knew that he hadn’t meant to leave like he did, unknowingly and unconsciously leaving his son behind, but that didn’t change the fact that he had.
Five years later, and she still dislikes him just as much now as she did when he chose the wrong sister to take to his bed.
Maybe if he’d chosen her, her heart wouldn’t be broken, and his wouldn’t be untouchable.
But when a SWAT officer sees his life flash before his eyes, and decides that enough is enough, what’s a girl to do?
Okay, so, the stories in the SWAT Generation 2.0 series by author Lani Lynn Vale are what I would call offbeat. That’s to say that the characters are quirky, that more goes on in the little town of Kilgore, TX, than I can manage to keep up with, and that there is no shortage of shenanigans afoot. Readers of the previous books in the series knew going in to JOKE’S ON YOU the premise of the story. The groundwork had been well-laid by the author, and this book answered all of the questions that we had about the crazy mixed-up relationship between the Pena brothers and the Davidsdottir sisters.
There’s never been a question that Booth Pena hooked up with the wrong Davidsdottir sister. He’d had it bad for Dillan for forever, which made him choosing Dillan’s twin sister, Delanie, as a baby mama a great big “What?!” But this is where JOKE’S ON YOU gets down to business…we knew the what, just not the why of the situation, and Lani Lynn gives us all of the deets in this story, and in a way that made perfect Kilgore, TX, sense to me.
I always enjoy these books precisely because they are a little bit, well, wacky, and jam-packed with action, a little bit of mystery, and characters that you can’t help but love. JOKE’S ON YOU gave me exactly what I was looking for in the resolution of Booth’s and Dillan’s story, and is a great lead-in to Bourne’s and Delanie’s.
I would like to make a note and say that it is a given that a book is not going to appeal to everyone. There will be some that are absolutely amazing, and others that do not do it for me. That being said, though, I would not even think about giving a book a bad review based on a blurb, because there is no way that a few short sentences can properly give the entire picture. If you’ve loved this series, and just aren’t sure about this book, I believe that you should give it a chance. Booth and Dillan may just surprise you, and in the very best way. ❤️
Meet Lani Lynn Vale
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, to cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple meaning over twenty) chickens.
She hails from the Great State of Texas.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Blurb: A delicious new After Dark novella featuring a strong, protective bodyguard and the beautiful, brilliant hotel heiress he protects…
I shouldn’t want my bodyguard the way I do. His job is to protect me. It’s not to fulfill all my filthy wishes.
And so I resist him, fighting the enticing pull of the strong, powerful man who watches over me.
Until the night we combust in my penthouse suite.
It won’t happen again, we say the next day.
Besides, my mission is singular — pull off the event of a lifetime — a one-night only concert with one of the world’s biggest rock stars.
A man my bodyguard happens to know.
And a good bodyguard knows all sorts of things about his client. Turns out he knows my secret desires, and he wants to make them come true. Including a VIP engagement so I can experience both men at the same time…
I want to say yes, but what if I fall even more in love with the man whose mission is to keep me safe?
ONE NIGHT ONLY is a red-hot, sexy love story with a toe-curling, sheet-grabbing MFM sequence.
About the Author: 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 sweet, sexy and witty. She also writes red-hot, ultra-steamy romance for her Lauren Blakely After Dark line. She’d love to give you a free book today!
Today we are celebrating the release of the newest romantic suspense title from New York Times Bestselling Author Toni Anderson! COLD WICKED LIES is a Cold Justice Crossfire novel and it is available now. Add the book to Goodreads and follow Toni for exclusive updates.
A young woman is found murdered on a remote mountainside, and top FBI Negotiator Charlotte Blood must go head-to-head with her stubborn, sexy, Hostage Rescue Team counterpart to unravel the mystery. When blame falls on a secretive survivalist group, the stakes turn deadly…and Charlotte discovers that she’s the one tangled in COLD WICKED LIES.
The newest riveting thriller by New York Times bestselling author Toni Anderson.
Toni Anderson writes award-winning, bestselling, FBI Romantic Thrillers. She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, RITA® finalist, science nerd, professional tourist, dog lover, gardener, mom. Anderson’s books have won the Readers’ Choice Award, Aspen Gold, National Excellence in Romance Fiction, Book Buyers’ Best.
Originally from a small town in Shropshire, England, Toni studied Marine Biology at University of Liverpool (B.Sc.) and University of St. Andrews (Ph.D.) with the intention she’d never be far from the ocean. Well, that plan backfired and she ended up in the Canadian prairies with her biology professor husband, two kids, a rescue dog, and a laid-back leopard gecko.
Toni started writing while pregnant with her first child and never stopped. Her greatest achievements are mastering the Tokyo subway, climbing Ben Lomond, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and surviving fifteen Winnipeg winters (fingers crossed). She loves to travel for research purposes and was lucky enough to visit the Strategic Information and Operations Center inside FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. in 2016. She also got to shove another (police) car off the road during pursuit training at the Writer’s Police Academy. Basically she has way too much fun!
For a Good Time Call by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward
Ever see For a good time call scribbled on the bathroom wall of a bar? Sure you have. Ever wonder what would happen if you had a few too many drinks and actually called the number? Well now you don’t have to wonder anymore, because I’ll tell you… It blows up in your face when you suddenly realize who Mr. Good Time is.
Eternal Sunshine by L.J. Shen
Adam Mackay is my brother’s best friend, turned Hollywood heartthrob, who is now my brand new, infuriating boss.
Sounds complicated? You have no idea…
Stay Right Here with Me by Willow Winters
I can’t tell you how many mistakes I’ve made sitting in this very spot in this small town bar. Watching the iron doors swing closed as the broad-shouldered man who just walked in sits across from me, I already know he’s on that list of, “I shouldn’t have done that…”
Damsel Dude in Distress by Helena Hunting
I thought I was helping a damsel in distress. Turns out my damsel was actually a hot dude with some bad luck. It started with a broken down car and ended with a gross motel, an indoor campout and a set of Kama Sutra sheets.
The Beach R.S. Grey
I’m not supposed to be on vacation with my best friend’s older brother. I’ve wanted him for so long, and now we’re unexpectedly alone in a tropical paradise. Naturally, I packed a lot of bikinis, but I should have brought armor if I want to have any hope of surviving my week away with Noah Martin…or should I say, Dr. Martin.
Lucky Shotby Sarina Bowen
Rookie sports agent Bess Beringer gets a real education on the night of her first glitzy New York business dinner. But the things she learns have nothing to do with roster rules or contract negotiation. Luckily, rookie hockey player Mark “Tank” Tankiewicz is a pro-level teacher…
COVER CREDIT:
Cover designer: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys…
…
The Girl in the Love Song, book one in the Lost Boys, an interconnected coming-of-age series of standalones, from USA Today bestselling author Emma Scott,is live!
Miller Stratton is a survivor. After a harrowing childhood of poverty, he will do anything it takes to find security for himself and his mom. He’s putting all his hopes and dreams in the fragile frame of his guitar and the beauty he creates with its strings and his soulful voice.
Until Violet.
No one expects to meet the love of their life at age thirteen. But the spunky rich girl steals Miller’s heart and refuses to give it back.
Violet McNamara’s life hasn’t been as simple as it looks. Her picture-perfect family is not so perfect after all. Her best friend Miller is her one constant and she is determined not to ruin their friendship with romantic complications.
But the heart wants what it wants. As Miller’s star begins to rise to stratospheric heights, what will it take for Violet to realize that she’s the girl in all of his love songs?
The Girl in the Love Song features two original songs written by Emma herself.
Download today or read for free in Kindle Unlimited!
Emma Scott is an internationally bestselling author whose books have been featured in Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today’s Happy Ever After. She writes emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and heroes with a heart of gold, you will enjoy her novels.
Saucy Southern Readers 