From New York Times Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes THE ONLY ONE, a sexy new standalone novella in her One Love Series, brought to you by 1,001 Dark Nights! Be sure you grab your copy and heat up your holiday!

EXCERPT:

The clock mocks me.

As the minute hand ticks closer to eight in the evening, I wrack my brain to figure out if I got the time wrong. Maybe we picked two. Maybe he said ten. Maybe we’re meeting tomorrow.

My chest twists with a desperate anxiety as I toy with the band on my watch.

But as the fountains of Lincoln Center dance higher under the waning light, I’m sadly certain there was no error in communication.

The only error was one of judgment.

Mine.

Thinking he’d show.

Drawing a deep, frustrated breath, I peer at my watch once more, then raise my face, searching the crowds that wander past the circular aquatic display at Manhattan’s epicenter for the performing arts. This fountain is so romantic; that’s why we chose it as the place to meet again.

One week later.

Foolishly I hunt for the amber eyes and dark wavy hair, for the lean, tall frame, for that mischievous grin that melts me every time.

I listen for the sound of him amidst the melody of voices, wishing to hear his rise above the others, calling my name, apologizing in that sexy accent of his for being late.

My God, Gabriel’s accent was a recipe for making a young woman weak in the knees. That was what he had done to me. The man melted me when I first met him last month in Barcelona at the tail end of my summer of travels across Europe.

When I close my eyes and float back in time, I hear that delicious voice, just a hint of gravel in his tone, and a whole fleet of butterflies chase each other in my belly at the resurgence of that faraway romantic dream.

I open my eyes, trying to blink away the inconvenient intrusion of memory. I should go. It’s clear he’s not coming tonight.

But, just in case I mixed up the times, maybe I’ll give him one more minute. One more look.

One more scan of the crowd.

I let the clock tick past eight.

I still don’t see him.

I’ve been here for more than two hours sitting on the black marble edge of the fountain. Scouring the corners of Lincoln Center. Peering left, then right down Columbus. Circling, like an animal at a zoo—pathetic modern-day female waiting for male to stay true to his word.

About THE ONLY ONE:

From the New York Times bestselling author of THE SEXY ONE comes a romance about fate and second chances.

Let’s say there was this guy. And he gave you the most mind-blowing night of sex in your life. And you never saw him again.

Until ten years later.

Now, it turns out he’s the ONLY ONE in all of Manhattan whose restaurant is available for my charity’s event.

The trouble is, he doesn’t recognize me.

***

This woman I’m working with is so damn alluring. The first time I set eyes on her, I’m captivated and I can’t get her out of my mind. Even if it’s risky to tango with someone I’m working with, she’s a risk I’m willing to take.

The trouble is, she won’t give me the time of day.

But I’m determined to change that.

Kelley’s Review

It has been a while since I left a review like this for a book. This book is one that I could not put down. I read until I fell asleep at night for two nights and could not wait until I got home from work so I could see what was going to happen next. Lauren has a gift when it comes to writing second chance romances. She gives all of us hope. Hope that if we were in a situation where we ran into a sexy ex that things could be different and that things may not have ended as we thought they did. Often the worst is assumed when things don’t work out and at times it just may be that the relationship had to end due to extenuating circumstances. I loved loved loved this book. It is sinfully sexy and at the same time charming and delightful. Gabriel is kind, sweet, and savory while Penny is feisty and a force to be reckoned with. My favorite part of this story is the dance. The push and pull between Gabriel and Penny as Gabriel begins to recognize Penny as his long lost love. She does not give in easily and makes him work for it. This book made me laugh, cry, and fan myself all in one sitting. I did not want the story to end. This is one of my favorite Blakely books yet.

When a book can evoke so many emotions in such a short period of time it is worth more than money can buy.

Lauren has knocked this one out of the park and down the street into the kitchen of Rocco DiSpirito. This book is smart, sexy, and full of surprises with characters you can’t help but fall in love with. I want to find my very own Gabriel now. A sexy man with an accent who can cook for me. Who could ask for anything more. Thank you Lauren for bringing joy to my life once again and giving me the escape I desperately needed.

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Tracey’s Review

There are no two ways about it. My three-day love affair under the starry Spanish sky with the man who whispered sweet nothings in my ear while he played my body like a virtuoso pianist isn’t getting a second act.

Oh, cruel love. Or, is it? Years ago, Penelope Jones and Gabriel Mathias had a passionate and brief love affair, with plans to reconnect when they were both back in New York. When Gabriel never showed up, Penny tucked the memory of their time away in the corner of her mind marked ‘MISTAKES I’VE MADE.’ Fate, that fickle, fickle lady, has other plans for Penny and Gabriel, though, and she always wins…

THE ONLY ONE by author Lauren Blakely hits every note, satisfying even the pickiest connoisseur of love. Sweet, nostalgic, melancholy, sexy, this little read has it all, and makes for one gratifying second-chance love story.

Fans of Lauren will have met Gabriel and Penny before. Gabriel, Latin hottie and chef extraordinaire, first appears in THE SEXY ONE, and even that little taste was enough to whet appetites everywhere. Penny and her Little Friends have been in many of Lauren’s books, and it was really nice to finally get her story. As usual, Lauren has done a wonderful job of weaving stories and characters together to give us a recipe with just the right amount of heat and romance.

She’s made for me, I’m certain. Penny is it for me. She’s the beginning and the end, and what started with a spark has become a fire that will never burn out in my heart, mind, or body.

Swoony, right? Gabriel and Penny were on their way to love years earlier, and it doesn’t take them long at all to rekindle their still-burning flame. And, while there is passion, there is also a real sense of destiny, the belief by both Gabriel and Penny that things worked out exactly the way that they were supposed to, that going through pain earlier on led them to the perfectly lovely place that is the now.

As ever, I could not put this book down, eager as I was to make sure that Gabriel and Penny got the ending that I was hoping for. 5 stars for THE ONLY ONE, another of Lauren’s wonderful stories. Heat, love, and kismet, who could ask for anything more?

***ARC generously provided for an honest review.***

Praise for Lauren Blakely and THE ONLY ONE:

“An extraordinarily dreamy love story that will melt your heart!”

~Beneath The Covers Book Blog

“This is an epic second chance romance that filled my heart with love, hope and longing.”

~5-Stars! Two Book Pushers

“Lauren has knocked this one out of the park and down the street into the kitchen of Rocco DiSpirito. This book is smart, sexy, and full of surprises with characters you can’t help but fall in love with. I want to find my very own Gabriel now. A sexy man with an accent who can cook for me. Who could ask for anything more?”

~Smut Book Junkie Book Reviews

“Insanely romantic and so genuinely charming…”

~Fresh Fiction Reviewer

About Lauren Blakely:

Since self-publishing her debut romance novel CAUGHT UP IN US over three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1.5 million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that’s full of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California with her family. With thirteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than seventy times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as standalone hit romances like BIG ROCK, MISTER O, WELL HUNG, and THE SEXY ONE which were all instant New York Times Bestsellers. In January she’ll release FULL PACKAGE, a standalone romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter.

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