Saucy Southern Readers

Cover Reveal + Pre-Order: The Aristocrat by Penelope Ward

Posted on 07/20/2021 by cafemamanc7

Title: The Aristocrat

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Photo: Alejandro Brito

Model: Kacey Carrig

Release Date: August 30, 2021

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

The one that got away. Every girl has one, right?

Mine was a charming, British aristocrat who turned my world upside down one summer.

From the moment I first spotted Leo in the distance through my binoculars, I’d been captivated. I certainly never expected to find a man showering outside of the property across the bay in his birthday suit.

Then I noticed his housemate staring back at me with binoculars of his own—watching me watching Leo.

That made for an interesting conversation starter when I inevitably ran into them.

Turned out, the handsome Brits were only renting that house for the summer in my seaside town.

Leo and I formed an instant connection, even though we were technically opposites by all appearances. I taught him how to dig for clams, and he taught me that not all wealthy and powerful guys are pretentious.

Despite knowing he was totally wrong for me, I couldn’t seem to stay away.

It was a wild and crazy few months. And before I knew it, we’d fallen in love.

We both had one wish: more time together.

But Leo had obligations back home. He lived a life I’d never fit into. And I was going to law school. So, we decided to end it and never look back.

A part of me always felt like I’d let my soulmate walk away.

I believed our story was over.

Until five years later when he sent me a letter that shook me to my core.

I’d thought my world was turned upside down that first summer?

Well, I knew nothing yet.

PRE-ORDER LINKS

APPLE BOOKS / PAPERBACK

AUTHOR BIO

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.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

APPLE BOOKS / B&N / KOBO

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

Excerpt Reveal + Pre-Order: The Crush by Penelope Ward

Posted on 02/18/2021 by cafemamanc7

Title: The Crush

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Release Date: February 22, 2021

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone, second-chance story of forbidden love…

It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.

He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.

Fast forward a decade.

We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died.

It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic.

Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever.

But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.

I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven.

And he was torn.

The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.

Still, I assumed he would never…go there.

Nathan would kill us.

The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.

Eventually our slow burn exploded.

But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection.

We just couldn’t get caught, right?

That sounded simple.

Until it wasn’t.

This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.

PRE-ORDER LINKS

APPLE BOOKS / B&N / KOBO

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIO

PAPERBACK

EXCERPT

“I’m gonna grab a beer,” he said. “You want something?”

“I’ll take a beer, too.”

He chuckled. “Is it bad that I had to think for a second whether you’re legal to drink? It feels wrong giving you alcohol, for some reason.”

“You’ve dropped me off at the damn bar! How could you think that?”

“I know. It’s fucked-up.” He laughed as he walked backwards into the house. “Be right back.”

A minute later, Jace returned with two chilled bottles of Miller Lite. He popped one open and handed it to me.

“Thanks.” I took a long sip that felt great going down.

We polished off the rest of the food, and by the time I finished the beer, I felt pretty tipsy. Between the soft breeze blowing Jace’s scent my way and the buzz, I was on cloud nine.

Jace took it upon himself to clear our wrappers and napkins, stuffing everything into the paper bag. As he went back into the kitchen, he asked, “Want another beer?”

“I’d love one.”

When he returned, he set the bottle in front of me and sat back down. He put his feet up on an empty chair and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

He sighed. “This is exactly what I needed…to chill at home.”

That made me happy. “Give your head a break tonight. You can always worry about work tomorrow.”

“Yeah. I think I’m gonna take your advice on that.”

While his eyes were closed, I was able to enjoy staring at his profile—his strong, angular jaw and slightly cleft chin, his perfect nose and kissable lips, the way the sun brought out a reddish tone in his otherwise black hair. Jace was even more beautiful with the sun shining on him.

I eventually closed my eyes as well, enjoying the breeze that offset a little of the heat. My eyes opened suddenly when I heard his chair skid against the cement.

“Fuck it.” He got up. “I’ll be right back.”

My heart raced a little. What is he doing?

A few minutes later, Jace returned in his swim trunks. They were blue with tiny anchors, a nautical pattern. Not that I was looking closely at his lower half or anything. I’d just started to make my way up to his chest when he dove into the pool, his gorgeous, hard body disappearing under the sky blue water.

He emerged and shook his head to clear the water from his hair. “You comin’ in or what?”

I got goose bumps. I hadn’t planned to, but I couldn’t resist the invitation.

“Sure.” I got up from my seat and unwrapped the towel.

Jace watched as I entered the pool. But what was he thinking?

I dove in and swam toward him, feeling more comfortable in my bathing suit now that I was submerged in the water.

He flashed a mischievous grin. “Wanna race?”

I splashed him. “Why? You think you can beat me just cuz your legs are longer?”

He cocked a brow. “There’s only one way to find out, right?”

Over the next several minutes, Jace and I swam in tandem from one end of the pool to the other. Sometimes he’d beat me to the other side, and a few times, I beat him.

Eventually, we got into a water fight. The next thing I knew, he was chasing me, then lifting me up and tossing me in the water. He did that several times. It was the most fun I’d had in a long time. I hadn’t a care in the world.

Then he lifted me up again, and I was certain he was going to toss me into the water, just like all of the other times. Instead, though, he just held me. Our eyes locked as my legs wrapped around his waist. He was going to have to drop me, because I sure as hell wasn’t climbing off him willingly. As he continued to hold me, the world seemed to stop. I could see the reflection of the palm trees in his gorgeous eyes, made luminescent by the sun. Those eyes then dropped to my lips. I could see his chest rising and falling. He swallowed hard. Holy shit. Something was happening. My heart was going a mile a minute.

And then…

“What are you doing?”

Jace dropped me like a hot potato at the sound of Nathan’s voice. My body hit the water with a loud splash.

What the hell is he doing here? My voice was shaky as I wiped the water from my eyes. “Wha…why are you home? I thought you were driving to meet that girl.”

“She canceled on me, so I came back after the job interview.” Nathan’s eyes traveled between Jace and me. He seemed suspicious.

“Oh.” I exhaled, moving a strand of hair out of my mouth. “How…how did the interview go?”

“It was okay. Too hard to tell if they’re gonna call me back, though.” He looked straight at Jace. “You guys seemed to be having fun. Didn’t realize I was missing out on a…pool party.”

Jace was silent.

I felt the need to chime in. “Jace decided to take his debut dip in the pool. We were just playing around.”

Nathan looked between us again. “I see.”

Jace finally spoke. “Well, it’s hot as all hell today. So…”

“You guys down if I make some dinner?” Nathan finally asked.

“We actually already ate,” I told him. “Jace went to Checkers.”

Nathan turned to his friend. “Since when do you eat dinner this early?”

Jace cleared his throat. “I was starving.”

“We didn’t think you were going to be home,” I said. “Otherwise, we would’ve waited.”

“I guess I’ll give you that.”

Jace got out of the water and dried himself off. He then laid out on one of the loungers, displaying his gorgeous, tanned body in all of its glistening glory. His feet dangled off the end of the chair.

Nathan snapped his fingers in front of my face. “I asked if I got anything in the mail. Earth to Farrah.”

Jesus. I hadn’t even heard him the first time.

AUTHOR BIO

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.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

Cover Reveal + Pre-Order: The Crush by Penelope Ward

Posted on 12/28/2020 by cafemamanc7

Title: The Crush

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Photo: Harol Baez

Model: Jeremy Santucci

Release Date: February 22, 2021

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone, second-chance story of forbidden love…

It’s natural to want the one you can’t have. And for as long as I could remember, I’d secretly wanted my brother’s best friend, Jace.

He was six years older and always treated me like the sister he never had.

Fast forward a decade.

We were all in our twenties now. Jace had moved in with my brother, Nathan, and me to help us make ends meet after our parents died.

It was just the three of us—an odd family dynamic.

Living under our roof, Jace was as bossy and protective as ever.

But he certainly didn’t look at me like a sister anymore. That was what made things so complicated.

I was pretty much hot and bothered twenty-four-seven.

And he was torn.

The signs were subtle, at first. Like on movie night, I’d casually rest my leg against his, and he wouldn’t exactly shift away.

Still, I assumed he would never…go there.

Nathan would kill us.

The knowledge of that wasn’t enough to stop the inevitable, though.

Eventually our slow burn exploded.

But more than the physical attraction, we’d developed a strong connection.

We just couldn’t get caught, right?

That sounded simple.

Until it wasn’t.

This is a story of forbidden love, broken trust, and an unexpected second chance.

PRE-ORDER LINKS

APPLE BOOKS / PAPERBACK

AUTHOR BIO

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.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER

OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

New Release + Release Blitz: The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward

Posted on 08/31/2020 by cafemamanc7

Title: The Anti-Boyfriend

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 31, 2020

Blurb

From New York Times bestselling author
Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

At first,
my neighbor Deacon frustrated me.

Sure, he
was great-looking and friendly.

But our
walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me
awake while he “entertained” them.

As a single
mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it.

So, finally
it was my turn.

When my
daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my
door.

Miraculously,
at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she
eventually fell asleep in his arms.

Deacon was
rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr.
Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.

After that
night, we became friends.

He’d go for
coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.

But over
time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer.

Until one
night we crossed the line.

Our
friendship turned into a complicated mess.

I’d gone
and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids.

I knew
Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into
any plan he’d ever imagined for himself.

He was
wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.”

Then why
did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

AUDIBLE / PAPERBACK

Author Bio

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.

Author Links

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER

Other Books by Penelope Ward

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

Excerpt Reveal + Pre-Order: The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward

Posted on 08/26/2020 by cafemamanc7

Title: The Anti-Boyfriend

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 31, 2020

Blurb

From New York Times bestselling author
Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

At first,
my neighbor Deacon frustrated me.

Sure, he
was great-looking and friendly.

But our
walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me
awake while he “entertained” them.

As a single
mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it.

So, finally
it was my turn.

When my
daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my
door.

Miraculously,
at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she
eventually fell asleep in his arms.

Deacon was
rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr.
Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.

After that
night, we became friends.

He’d go for
coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.

But over
time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer.

Until one
night we crossed the line.

Our
friendship turned into a complicated mess.

I’d gone
and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids.

I knew
Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into
any plan he’d ever imagined for himself.

He was
wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.”

Then why
did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

Pre-Order Links

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

AUDIBLE / PAPERBACK

Excerpt

By Penelope Ward

Today, just as I got back to my door, Deacon was exiting his apartment.

“Oh, hey, Carys-Like-Paris. How goes it?” He flashed a wide smile.

When people ask me my name, for some stupid reason, I sometimes answer,
“Carys, like Paris,” particularly when I’m nervous. That was the case the first
time I met Deacon.

A whiff of his amazing smell put my body on alert. He looked handsome as
always. Today he wore a camel-colored suede coat with a shearling collar. His
blue eyes, which stood out against his tanned skin, glimmered under the
fluorescent lights overhead, which also brought out the copper tint to his
otherwise medium-brown hair. He was at least six-foot-two—a beanstalk to my
five-foot-four self.

This was my opportunity to bring up last night. But now that he was right
here, towering over me, his musky smell saturating the air, I seemed to have
lost the words. Still, I was determined to speak up now or never.

My heartbeat accelerated. Here
goes. Still out of breath from my sprint up the stairs, I said, “Well,
honestly, in answer to your question… I’d love to say I’m doing great, but I
had a hard time getting to sleep last night. So, I’ve been better.”

He frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Actually, it’s sort of your fault.”

Deacon’s forehead crinkled. “My fault?”

“Yeah. I don’t know if you realize this, but your bed is right up against
mine, on the opposite side of the wall. Your…interactions…last night woke me up, and I had a hard time getting
back to sleep.”

Boom.

There.

Said it.

Deacon closed his eyes momentarily. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t know you
were right behind me.”

“Yeah. It’s basically like I’m…right there.”

“Well, that was rude of me. I should’ve invited you to join.”

What? It felt
like all my blood rushed to my head.

He held out his palms. “I’m kidding. Bad sense of humor comes out when I
feel awkward, I guess.”

Slipping a piece of my hair behind my ear, I brushed off his comment. “I
know you’re kidding.”

“Totally kidding.” He smiled. “But I’ll try to be more considerate now
that I know you can hear everything. You should’ve said something.”

I tilted my head. “How exactly would that have worked? Barging in on two
naked people? That’s why I’m saying something now.”

“Solid point. But I take it last night wasn’t the first time you
overheard things?”

I looked down at my feet. “No, it wasn’t.”

“You could’ve banged on the wall or something.”

“I’m not one to rudely interrupt someone’s…personal happenings. I just
wanted you to be aware of the situation. We don’t need to discuss it further.”

“Maybe we should come up with a code.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, If I’m disturbing your peace, you play a song and crank it up to
send me a message.” He snapped his fingers. “Something ironic like ‘The Sounds
of Silence’ by Simon and Garfunkel.”

“Can’t exactly crank up a song when a baby is sleeping.”

His smile faded. “See? That goes to show you how clueless I am. Clueless
and so sorry, Carys. Truly. I’ll try not to let it happen again.”

“It better not, fuckboy!” a voice shouted from behind one of the
apartment doors.

Deacon and I turned around in unison. I noticed Mrs. Winsbanger’s door
move across the hall. The old lady must have been listening in. She lived
alone, and I often spotted her peeking out her door, spying on people.

Deacon grimaced. “Mrs. Winsbanger loves me.”

“Apparently I’m not the only one who overheard things last night,” I
said.

His face turned red. His embarrassment was a bit surprising. I’d expected
him to be more cocky.

“I’ll move my bed to the other side of the room. That should help.”

“Well, that would be nice, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It’s not.”

Happy to have the conversation over with, I let out a long breath. “Okay,
well, I’ll let you get going.”

He didn’t budge and seemed to be examining my face. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You seem frazzled.”

Well, yeah. I didn’t
get good sleep, I’m trying to get things done in possibly the only hour of the
day I have free, and we just had the most awkward conversation EVER.

“This is just me—my life. I have what could be barely more than an hour
to eat my lunch and have some quiet time before my daughter wakes up from her
nap.”

“Ah.” He scratched his chin. “How old is she now?”

“Six months.”

Deacon knew I was a single mom. He’d run into me one day and helped me
bring groceries in while I tried to juggle Sunny and her stroller.

I was just about to head back inside my apartment when his voice stopped
me.

“Do you need anything?”

I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant. “Like what?”

“Something from the store? A…coffee, maybe? I’m just headed out to run a
quick errand, but I can stop somewhere on the way back.”

“It’s the least you can do, monkey balls!” Mrs. Winsbanger chimed in from
across the hall.

She was apparently still listening.

“Did she just fucking call me monkey
balls?” he whispered.

At that moment, I lost it. Laughter got a hold of me, and it took almost
a minute before I could even speak. Deacon laughed, too, but I think he was
more cracking up at my reaction.

“No idea why she just called you monkey balls. But I haven’t laughed this
hard in weeks.”

After I finally calmed down, Deacon repeated his earlier question.

“Anyway, as I was saying, can I get you a coffee or something?”

His offer gave me pause. It was rare that anyone asked if I needed
anything. I had a couple of good friends in the city, but they worked and had
busy social lives. It wasn’t like they were around in the middle of the day to
run to the store for me. And given that it was fall in New York, it was getting
chilly out. I had to have a damn good reason to take Sunny out in the cold.

Honestly, I was dying for a latte from Starbucks. Running to the coffee
shop was definitely something people without babies took for granted. It wasn’t
worth having to bundle Sunny up.

“I would love a vanilla latte from Starbucks, if you pass one on your way
back,” I finally said.

“Done.” He smiled. “That’s it?”

“Just one pump of vanilla would be great.”

“One pump. Got it. Anything else?”

“Isn’t that enough? It’s hardly a necessity. I shouldn’t be taking
advantage.”

“Take advantage of me. What else do you need? Seriously. It’s the least I
can do after disturbing your peace last night.”

Take advantage of me. Yup. Mind straight in the gutter.
“You’re not my gopher.”

“Carys….” His baritone voice turned serious, and he repeated in a slow
and exaggerated manner, “What. Do. You. Need? I could run to the store.”

There was something else I
desperately needed.

“Diapers?” I said hesitantly.

“Okay.” He laughed. “You’re gonna have to help me out with those. I’ve
never purchased them in my life.”

Before I could tell him what size, he handed me his phone. I was all too
aware of the brief touch of his hand.

“Enter your digits. I’ll text you from the store to make sure I get the
right kind.”

I did as he said before handing him back the phone, once again enjoying
the contact from that brief exchange. Cheap thrills were as good as it got
these days.

He put it in his pocket. “Anything else?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“Alright. Well, if you change your mind, you can let me know when I
text.”

“Thank you. I really appreciate
it.”

“Talk to ya in a bit,” he said before heading down the hall.

I stood by my door and watched him walk away. The view from the back was
just as good as the front. And moreover, it seemed Deacon was just as lovely on
the inside as he was on the outside.

“One pump my ass,” I heard Mrs. Winsbanger say before she slammed her
door.

Author Bio

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.

Author Links

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM
TWITTER

Other Books by Penelope Ward

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
GOOGLE PLAY / AUDIOBOOK

Cover Reveal + Pre-Order: The Anti-Boyfriend by Penelope Ward

Posted on 07/20/2020 by cafemamanc7

Title: The Anti-Boyfriend

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs
Photo: Nadia von Scotti

Release Date: August 31, 2020

Blurb

From New York Times bestselling author
Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

At first,
my neighbor Deacon frustrated me.

Sure, he
was great-looking and friendly.

But our
walls were thin, and on occasion, he’d bring women to his place and keep me
awake while he “entertained” them.

As a single
mother to an infant, I didn’t appreciate it.

So, finally
it was my turn.

When my
daughter wouldn’t stop wailing one night, Mr. Manwhore came knocking on my
door.

Miraculously,
at the sound of his voice, Sunny stopped crying. And when he held her…she
eventually fell asleep in his arms.

Deacon was
rough on the exterior, but apparently on the inside? Mr.
Single-and-Ready-to-Mingle was a baby whisperer.

After that
night, we became friends.

He’d go for
coffee runs. Come over to chat. Normal friend stuff.

But over
time, our conversations ran deeper. We got closer.

Until one
night we crossed the line.

Our
friendship turned into a complicated mess.

I’d gone
and fallen for a guy who’d sworn off commitment and kids.

I knew
Deacon was starting to care for me too, even though Sunny and I didn’t fit into
any plan he’d ever imagined for himself.

He was
wrong for me—so wrong that I’d dubbed him the “anti-boyfriend.”

Then why
did I wish more than anything that I could be the one woman to change him?

Pre-order Links

APPLE BOOKS / PAPERBACK