KCBR Blog

WHEN AUGUST ENDS by Penelope Ward

A Standalone Contemporary Romance Novel

Release date: February 25, 2019

Cover Information:

Cover Designer: Letitia Hasser, RBA Designs

Cover Model: Joseph Cannata

Cover Photography: Adam Zivo

New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Penelope Ward 

EXCERPT: 

Noah stood up and walked off the porch to put his cigar out on the cement. When he returned, he remained standing across from me. I was reminded of just how tall he was as he towered over me. A breeze blew his scent—a mix of cigar and cologne—in my direction. The same smell saturated the shirt I was wearing. I could’ve breathed it in all night. His nearness was doing things to my body I hadn’t ever felt.

Noah looked around. “You mentioned some stuff around here needs to be repaired. What specifically?”

I blew out a breath. Even thinking about it was exhausting. “So much. I’d have to make a list.”

“Why don’t you do that? Make a list. I’m pretty good with my hands. I’ll see if there’s anything I can help with while I’m here.”

He’d lost me at pretty good with my hands. My imagination was running wild. Shit. I imagined those hands doing a lot of things—mostly to me. 

“I can’t let you do that.”

“You’d be stupid not to take me up on it. I came for a change of pace, but the truth is, too much quiet isn’t good. I like to keep busy.”

Biting my bottom lip, I shook my head. “I don’t know…”

“Make the list,” he insisted.

Noah was right. It would be dumb not to take him up on his offer. It wasn’t like there was anyone else knocking down our door to help. 

I tilted my head. “What would be in it for you?”

His expression turned dark. “People don’t always have to have ulterior motives.”

Suddenly feeling bold, I said, “I thought maybe you would want me to go out with you in exchange.” 

Did you hear that? It was a record screeching.

I admit, that was ballsy, but being around him brought out my flirtatious side. Maybe his cologne and cigar smoke were going to my head. 

“You’re joking, right?”

Okay. I shouldn’t have asked.

“Actually, I—”

“I’m practically old enough to be your father.”

Really? That’s how he saw me? I knew he was older than me…but he didn’t seem that old. No way. I’d pegged him as early thirties, though I truly had no idea how old he was.

I shook my head. “No, you’re not. That’s a lie. An older brother, maybe. How old are you?”

Instead of answering, he took two steps forward. “Let me make something clear.”

“Okay…”

“I was not insinuating anything by offering to help. And I will not be asking you out, propositioning you, or going anywhere near you, for that matter. We clear on that?”

Okay, then.

I swallowed. Disappointment washed over me as I cleared my throat. “Yes.”

“Good.” He made his way toward the door, turning around one last time. “You’d better go. It was nice chatting. Get me the list tomorrow.”

He disappeared into the house, leaving me on the porch to wallow in his lingering smell and feeling like a complete and utter idiot.

LINKS TO When August Ends:

Download the FIRST TWO Chapters Here  https://dl.bookfunnel.com/7atulhxa6j

Audio https://amzn.to/2Ip7V9B

Amazon Print  https://amzn.to/2EjFUw1 

Apple Books  https://apple.co/2GWRgcK

Nook  https://bit.ly/2IiEqX7 

Kobo  http://bit.ly/2NyKGYP

Google Play  http://bit.ly/2BCw3Qc  

Goodreads  http://bit.ly/2SL1z9e 

Sign up to be alerted when it goes live on Amazon here: http://bit.ly/2Eg5DFw 

**No Amazon e-book preorder. Will go live on/around release day.

Synopsis:

What do you do when a sexy, older man moves into your family’s summer rental?

Well, apparently, you make a fool of yourself—over and over. Things didn’t exactly get off on the right foot with Noah Cavallari. Our first encounter was embarrassing, to say the least.

But despite that, I found myself waking up every day with a newfound energy. Nothing exciting ever happened on the lake—not until Noah moved into the small boathouse on our property. He’d booked it for the entire summer…and I was still trying to figure out why.

When my mother became ill, I inherited the responsibility of making sure our guests were well taken care of. I should have been in college. Instead, I was living my best life…as a maid.

Dark, handsome, and mysterious, everything about Noah screamed forbidden. 

I knew he was just passing through town for the summer.

I knew he was probably too old for me.

Yet, I was drawn to him.

Not to mention, he tried to save my life when he mistakenly thought I was drowning.

I wanted him and made no secret of it.

His own attempts to warn me away soon gave way to late-night moonlight chats by the lake. We were slowly easing into a friendship that was gearing up to explode into something I might not recover from. 

Because he’s leaving at the end of the summer.

And I have no idea what I’ll do when August ends.

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 one-point-five million books sold, she is a twenty-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS: 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor  

Facebook Private Fan Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps/  

Instagram

@penelopewardauthor 

http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor/ 

Twitter

https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor

Check out my spoiler-free review of The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen.  This standalone mafia romance will go on my Best of 2019 book list!  

THE KISS THIEF BY L.J. SHEN

Release Date: January 9th

AVAILABLE NOW!

FREE IN KU!

Kindle: https://amzn.to/2GXSXGX

Audio: https://amzn.to/2RzC8WF

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2CYnhgl

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41450662-tk

Blurb
They say your first kiss should be earned.

Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky.

They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred.

Mine were broken before we left church.

They say your heart only beats for one man.

Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end.

I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit.

Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage. 

They say that all great love stories have a happy ending.

I, Francesca Rossi, found myself erasing and rewriting mine until the very last chapter.

One kiss.

Two men.

Three lives.

Entwined together.

And somewhere between these two men, I had to find my forever.

Excerpt

“Are you sure you’re on my card?” I turned to the man with a polite yet distant smile. I was still disoriented from the exchange with Angelo when the stranger pulled me against his hard body and pressed a possessive hand lower than socially acceptable on my back, a second from groping my butt.

“Answer me,” I hissed.

“My bid on your card was the highest,” he replied dryly.

“The bids are undisclosed. You don’t know how much other people have paid,” I kept my lips pursed to keep myself from yelling.

“I know it’s nowhere near the realm of what this dance is worth.”

Un-freaking-believable.

We began to waltz around the room as other couples were not only spinning and mingling but also stealing envious glances at us. Naked, raw ogles that told me that whomever the blonde he’d come to the masquerade with was, she wasn’t his wife. And that I might have been all the rage in The Outfit, but the rude man was in high demand, too.

I was stiff and cold in his arms, but he didn’t seem to notice—or mind. He knew how to waltz better than most men, but he was technical, and lacked warmth and Angelo’s playfulness.

“Nemesis.” He took me by surprise, his rapacious gaze stripping me bare. “Distributing glee and dealing misery. Seems at odds with the submissive girl who entertained Bishop and his horsey wife at the table.”

I choked on my own saliva. Did he just call the governor’s wife horsey? And me submissive? I looked away, ignoring the addictive scent of his cologne, and the way his marble body felt against mine.

“Nemesis is my spirit animal. She was the one to lure Narcissus to a pool where he saw his own reflection and died of vanity. Pride is a terrible illness.” I flashed him a taunting smirk.

“Some of us could use catching it.” He bared his straight white teeth.

“Arrogance is a disease. Compassion is the cure. Most gods didn’t like Nemesis, but that’s because she had a backbone.”

“Do you?” He arched a dark eyebrow.

“Do I…?” I blinked, the courteous grin on my face crumpling. He was even ruder when we were alone.

“Have a backbone,” he provided. He stared at me so boldly and intimately, it felt like he breathed fire into my soul. I wanted to step out of his touch and jump into a pool full of ice.

“Of course, I do,” I responded, my spine stiffening. “What’s with the manners? Were you raised by wild coyotes?”

“Give me an example,” he said, ignoring my quip. I was beginning to draw away from him, but he jerked me back into his arms. The glitzy ballroom distorted into a backdrop, and even though I was starting to notice that the man behind the demi-mask was unusually beautiful, the ugliness of his behavior was the only thing that stood out.

I am a warrior and a lady…and a sane person who can deal with this horrid man.

“I really like Angelo Bandini.” I dropped my voice, slicing my gaze from his eyes and toward the table where Angelo’s family had been seated. My father was sitting a few seats away, staring at us coldly, surrounded by Made Men who chatted away.

“And see, in my family, we have a tradition dating back ten generations. Prior to her wedding, a Rossi bride is to open a wooden chest—carved and made by a witch who lived in my ancestors’ Italian village—and read three notes written to her by the last Rossi girl to marry. It’s kind of a good luck charm mixed with a talisman and a bit of fortunetelling. I stole the chest tonight and opened one of the notes, all so I could rush fate. It said that tonight I was going to be kissed by the love of my life, and well…” I drew my lower lip into my mouth and sucked it, peering under my eyelashes at Angelo’s empty seat. The man stared at me stoically, as though I was a foreign film he couldn’t understand. “I’m going to kiss him tonight.”

“That’s your backbone?”

“When I have an ambition, I go for it.”

A conceited frown crinkled his mask, as if to say I was a complete and utter moron. I looked him straight in the eye. My father taught me that the best way to deal with men like him was to confront, not run. Because, this man? He’d chase.

REVIEW OF THE KISS THIEF

The Kiss Thief by L.J. Shen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just when I thought I had already read my favorite book by L.J. Shen, she goes and writes The Kiss Thief. This book was total binge-worthy unputdownable Kindle Crack. Are you ready to experience some blunt force trauma to your heart? Buckle up for a wickedly sexy mob romance that’s going to rock your world. All the stars. The Kiss Thief will release on 1/9.



This review appears on https://www.kindlecrack.net, http://www.facebook.com/kindlecrack, Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub and other social media outlets. A review copy of this book was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Join my reader group for daily giveaways & fun: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Kindl...

About the Author

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets peoples’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with L.J. Shen

Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/l-j-shen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13531492.L_J_Shen

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KSFkad

A Place Without You, an all-new emotional New Adult romance from Jewel E. Ann, is available now!  Check out my spoiler-free review and look for an Instagram ONLY giveaway for a signed paperback copy!   This book is FREE in Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program.

The Law of Henna and Bodhi:

When love breaks, fall inward, fall together, and fall hard. Then let time pick up the pieces.

Everything feels temporary when you’ve experienced tragedy—until Henna Lane meets Bodhi at a music festival.

Young and spontaneous, they have a lust for seizing the moment, falling hard and fast.

When Bodhi is forced to leave without a goodbye, Henna thinks she’ll never get over him. But then she meets Mr. Malone, her sexy, new guidance counselor.

They are reckless.

They are forbidden.

When their secret is discovered, Henna has to choose between finishing school—banned from seeing Mr. Malone—or dropping out to follow her nomad dreams.

Henna chooses her dreams.

Over time, she learns that life is not a destination or a journey, some things are more than temporary, and the forbidden can never be ignored. But if she returns for him, will he still be hers?

A Place Without You is an emotional story of young love, shattered dreams, and impossible decisions.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RpXLJ8

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/APlaceWithoutYou

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2AHhTNT

REVIEW OF A PLACE WITHOUT YOU

A Place Without You by Jewel E. Ann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Did you ever experience a book high? It’s that feeling you get when a book is so phenomenal that it cements your love for reading? Books like A Place Without You are the reason I read. Jewel E. Ann is a master storyteller. I didn’t want this book to end. I’ll admit that I was petrified on how everything was going to play out. Bodhi & Henna’s journey was about self-discovery, mad crazy love, pain, and sacrifice. I’m not going to tell you anything else about this forbidden romance. You need to go in blind and experience it. I know I’m high on the feels after reading A Place Without You. When does this book release? January 2, 2019. Well, this is as good a time as any to start my best of 2019 book list. All the stars.

About Jewel: 

Jewel is a free-spirited romance junkie with a quirky sense of humor.

With 10 years of flossing lectures under her belt, she took early retirement from her dental hygiene career to stay home with her three awesome boys and manage the family business. 

After her best friend of nearly 30 years suggested a few books from the Contemporary Romance genre, Jewel was hooked. Devouring two and three books a week but still craving more, she decided to practice sustainable reading, AKA writing. 

When she’s not donning her cape and saving the planet one tree at a time, she enjoys yoga with friends, good food with family, rock climbing with her kids, watching How I Met Your Mother reruns, and of course…heart-wrenching, tear-jerking, panty-scorching novels.

Connect with Jewel: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjeweleann/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JewelE_Ann

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjeweleann/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jewel-e-ann

Stay up to date with Jewel by joining her mailing list: 

http://www.jeweleann.com/free-booksubscribe/

http://www.jeweleann.com

"Sublimely creepy with a true Hoover pulse. I've been waiting on a thriller like this for years." Tarryn Fisher, New York Times bestselling author

Verity, an all-new romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, is available now! 

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity likely didn't intend for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night their family was forever altered. 

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UWmbZH

Paperback: https://amzn.to/2BxZNwD

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/Verity

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2zksQUq

Review of Verity

Verity by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

THIS BOOK! Colleen Hoover like you’ve never seen her before. Verity is utterly addictive. I can't seem to put this book down. I just came up for air to write this plus I needed to have my own psych-break from this mindfCk. Verity is Kindle Crack.

Warning: Verity is not going to melt your heart. It’s going to fry your soul. It’s equally brilliant and disturbing.

Excerpt: 

“What are you wearing?” Corey is staring down at my shirt, perplexed, just now noticing it despite having spent the last fifteen minutes with me.  

I look down at my oversized shirt. For a moment, I forgot how ridiculous I look. “I spilled coffee on my other shirt this morning and had to change.”

“Whose shirt is that?”

I shrug. “Probably yours. It was in my closet.”

“You left your house in that? There wasn’t something else you could have worn?”

“It doesn’t look high fashion?” I’m being sarcastic, but he doesn’t catch it.

He makes a face. “No. Is it supposed to?”

Such an ass. But he’s good in bed, like most assholes. 

I’m actually relieved when the conference room door opens and a woman walks in. She’s followed, almost comically, by an older man walking so closely behind her, he bumps into the back of her when she stops. 

“Goddammit, Barron,” I hear her mumble. 

I almost smile at the idea of Goddammit Barron actually being his name. 

Jeremy enters last. He gives me a small nod that goes unnoticed by everyone else. 

The woman is dressed more appropriately than I am on my best day, with short black hair and lipstick so red, it’s a little jarring at nine thirty in the morning. She seems to be the one in charge as she reaches for Corey’s hand, and then mine, while Goddammit Barron looks on. “Amanda Thomas,” she says. “I’m an editor with Pantem Press. This is Barron Stephens, our lawyer, and Jeremy Crawford, our client.” 

Jeremy and I shake hands, and he does a good job of pretending we didn’t share an extremely bizarre morning. He quietly takes the seat across from me. I try not to look at him, but it’s the only place my eyes seem to want to travel. I have no idea why I’m more curious about him than I am about this meeting. 

Amanda pulls folders out of her briefcase and slides them in front of Corey and me. 

“Thank you for meeting with us,” she says. “We don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll cut right to the chase. One of our authors is unable to fulfill a contract due to medical reasons, and we’re in search of a writer with experience in the same genre who may be interested in completing the three remaining books in her series.”

I glance at Jeremy, but his stoic expression doesn’t hint at his role in this meeting. 

“Who is the author?” Corey asks.

“We’re happy to go over the details and terms with you, but we do ask that you sign the non-disclosure agreement. We would like to keep our author’s current situation out of the media.”

“Of course,” Corey says. 

I acquiesce, but I say nothing as we both look over the forms and then sign them. Corey slides them back to Amanda.

“Her name is Verity Crawford,” she says. “I’m sure you’re familiar with her work.”

Corey stiffens as soon as they mention Verity’s name. Of course we’re familiar with her work. Everyone is. I hazard a glance in Jeremy’s direction. Is Verity his wife? They share a last name. He said downstairs that his wife is a writer. But why would he be in a meeting about her? A meeting she isn’t even here for?

“We’re familiar with the name,” Corey says, holding his cards close.

“Verity has a very successful series we would hate to see go unfinished,” Amanda continues. “Our goal is to bring in a writer who is willing to step in, finish the series, complete the book tours, press releases, and whatever else is normally required of Verity. We plan to put out a press release introducing the new co-writer while also preserving as much of Verity’s privacy as possible.”

About Colleen Hoover 

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times and International bestselling author of thirteen novels and multiple novellas. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a non-profit book subscription service and bookstore in Sulphur Springs, Texas. 

Connect with Colleen 

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2FZ7GAI

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2L1LuoI

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/colleen-hoover

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colleenhoover/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/colleenhoover

SnapChat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/colleenhoover

Join her reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/colleenhooverscohorts/

https://www.colleenhoover.com

Heartbreak Warfare is phenomenal.  I'm still processing my emotions from this book.  Check out my spoiler-free review. This book is going on my Best Romance Books of 2018 list. One-click this one.  

Title: Heartbreak Warfare

Authors: Heather M. Orgeron & Kate Stewart
Genre: Contemporary Military Romance

Release Date: November 2, 2018

BLURB

Briggs,

Remember when I said we couldn’t speak after parting ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn't know was that I was breaking mine too.

I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . .

Before the war.
Before the ambush.
Before you.

But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours.

The truth is I’m lost without you.

I thought the nightmare was over when they pulled us from that hole in the ground, but nothing could have prepared me for the war I’d face at home.
I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but, please, I have to see you one last time. . .

All my love,
Scottie 

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32249934-heartbreak-warfare 

PURCHASE LINKS 

Free in Kindle Unlimited!

US Kindle: https://amzn.to/2OrDYDA

US Paperback: https://amzn.to/2SXwjQG
UK: https://amzn.to/2DiJRBQ
CA: https://amzn.to/2SGndb5
AU: https://amzn.to/2F0ghCW 

SPOILER-FREE Review of Heartbreak Warfare

Heartbreak Warfare by Heather M. Orgeron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

All the stars.
Did you ever stop reading a book because you were afraid of the ending? You’ve already felt so much, and you don’t know if your heart can take anymore. This was me. I had to stop or peek at the end. I stopped every so often to come up for air. Heartbreak Warfare is one of the most angsty books I have ever read. I finished it days ago, and I still have a monumental book hangover. I think it’s been prolonged because I’ve been messaging with friends who have read it and we have formed our own support systems to discuss it. Does this sound crazy to have this reaction to a book? Maybe so but my heart has been through a war. You have to read it to comprehend all of the emotions that I experienced. I totally understand Frank Smedley’s quote “All’s fair in love and war.” Briggs & Scottie’s relationship personifies this quote. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines this quote as “used to describe a situation in which people do not follow the usual rules of behavior and do things that are normally considered unfair.” I'm not going to spoil this book for you. Go in blind like me and experience it.

This story was so gripping and raw. I literally wanted to drop kick my Kindle at times and then hug these characters a few paragraphs later. Heartbreak Warfare is going on my All-Time Best Kindle Crack List and Best of 2018 book lists. I’m just blown away.

EXCERPT

“I need you to break my heart,” she declares, wringing her hands nervously. “Give me a reason to hate you, because wanting you this way is…it’s ruining me. It’s ruining my life.”

She is dead serious.

Lifting her chin, as if ready to take a blow, her turbulent eyes implore mine. “Tell me about them. Tell me about all of the women you’ve been with since Germany.”

“No.” I shake my head. “Hell no.”

“Oh, please, Briggs. How long did you wait? A few days?” She laughs sarcastically. “I bet you didn’t even make it a day.”

She’s coming out guns blazing, and I can see it’s physically killing her to do it.

“Are we playing the guessing game? Do I get to ask how many times you’ve fucked your husband?”

“Sure,” she says with a shrug. “We’ll trade. You go first.”

She’s bluffing, and I’m calling her on it.

“Don’t do this, Scottie. You don’t really want to hear about that.”

“Humor me, Briggs.” Her eyes plead with mine. “I need to hear this.”

“Fine. You want the truth?”

She nods.

“Complete honesty?”

Again, she bobs her head.

She stands stock-still as I pace the small room, feeling the blood begin to boil beneath my overheated skin.

Fuck it.

I stalk back toward her, stopping inches away. “You really want to know that there have been so many that I’ve lost count? How they’re all blondes with blue eyes? But the blue, it’s never right, and their smiles—all wrong.” 

She swats at the fresh tears that trail down her cheeks as her lips begin to tremble. Reaching out, she places a hand on my chest, and I know that she must feel the way my heart is pounding against my rib cage, reaching for her. Always reaching for her.

I jerk myself away and brand that touch to memory.

In about forty-five seconds, my heart is going to implode. I start ticking them down.

“You want me to tell you all about how I have to drink myself stupid, till their faces blur enough that I can pretend…” I pause running a hand down my face. “So that I can pretend they’re you? You want to know how fucking miserable I am? How when I slide between their legs, I close my eyes, and it’s your face I see? How I’m always careful not to kiss them because their lips are all wrong. How every time I finish I want to fucking kill myself, because I can’t stand the pain of wanting the one woman I can never have.”

Thirty seconds.

 “Is that enough?” Her eyes snap to mine. “Hate me yet?”

Face crumbling, she gasps out a sob, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

“Come on, Scottie. Let’s not kid ourselves. I’m still the same prick you hated when we met. Nothing’s changed. I think we’ve romanticized this situation long enough, don’t you?”

Taking another step away from her, I tilt my head. “You’re a housewife,” I say snidely. “Someone else’s wife and I’m a career soldier. This isn’t exactly ideal.”

She flinches visibly, and my heart bottoms out.

Fifteen.

I cut my hand through the air. “At the end of the day, this was nothing but a big mistake. And we never would have happened if—”

“Stop,” she cries out painfully, “stop, I’m good,” she whispers before rocketing toward the door just as I reach for her, my fingers curling in the space she just left. Handle in hand, she looks back at me with the sweep of her eyes until they meet mine. That’s how we started, and it’s only fitting it’s how we should end. For the moment, we’re right back there in the place we created, where we are perfect. Where our souls line up without any visible smudge on the seams. In a place where there is still so much love, so much that I can’t stop the tear that slides out before batting it away with the back of my hand.

An identical tear runs down her cheek. “Thank you.” 

Three. Two. One.

AUTHOR BIOS & LINKS 

Heather M. Orgeron

Heather M. Orgeron is a Cajun girl with a big heart and a passion for romance. She married her high school sweetheart two months after graduation and her life has been a fairytale ever since. She’s the queen of her castle, reigning over five sons and one bossy little princess who has made it her mission in life to steal her Momma’s throne. When she’s not writing, you will find her hidden beneath mounds of laundry and piles of dirty dishes or locked in her tower (aka the bathroom) soaking in the tub with a good book. She’s always been an avid reader and has recently discovered a love for cultivating romantic stories of her own.

Website: http://www.heathermorgeron.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHeatherMOrgeron 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1738663433047683 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hmorgeronauthor 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_m_orgeron_author 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/HMOrgeronAuthor 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/HeatherMOrgeron 

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cAaZv9 

Kate Stewart

A Texas native, Kate Stewart lives in North Carolina with her husband, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie. She pens messy, sexy, angst-filled contemporary romance, as well as romantic comedy and erotic suspense because it's what she loves as a reader.

Kate is a lover of all things '80s and '90s, especially John Hughes films and rap. She dabbles a little in photography, can knit a simple stitch scarf for necessity, and on occasion, does very well at whiskey.

Facebook: https://facebook.com/authorkatestewart 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorklstewart 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/authorkatestewart

A standalone romance novel published by Montlake Romance

New York Times Bestselling Authors Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Release date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Photo/Cover Details: 

Photo Credit:  Tijana Vukovic

Model: Dusan Susnjar

SYNOPSIS

It all started with a mysterious blue note sewn into a wedding dress. 

Something blue. 

I’d gone to sell my own unworn bridal gown at a vintage clothing store. That’s when I found another bride’s “something old.” 

Stitched into the lining of a fabulously feathered design was the loveliest message I’d ever read: Thank you for making all of my dreams come true. 

The name embossed on the blue stationery: Reed Eastwood, obviously the most romantic man who ever lived. I also discovered he’s the most gorgeous. If only my true-love fantasies had stopped there. Because I’ve since found out something else about Mr. Starry-Eyed. 

He’s arrogant, cynical, and demanding. I should know. Thanks to a twist of fate, he’s my new boss. But that’s not going to stop me from discovering the story behind his last love letter. A love letter that did not result in a happily ever after. 

But that story is nothing compared to the one unfolding between us. It’s getting hotter, sweeter, and more surprising than anything I could have imagined. 

Something new. 

But I have no idea how this one is going to end . . .

PURCHASE LINKS

Hate Notes Review
Hate Notes by Vi Keeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dear Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland:

Only the two of you could create craft a heartfelt, whirlwind romance that rivals any cherished fairytale.

If readers believe in love, second chances, and ever dreamed of creating and conquering a bucket list of life experiences, they are going to love this unputdownable book. Charlotte is a bit of a dreamer. She's also strong, sensitive, quirky and relatable on so many levels. Reed. Wow, he’s beautiful, cocky and a bit prickly. Charlotte is determined to peel back the acidic like layers that surround his heart and get to know the man behind that letter.

“The dress was my spirit animal, and I felt like the note could have been written for me by my imaginary perfect fiancé. I didn’t want to guess the story behind this one. I wanted to live it, create my own story for this dress.”

The end of this book had me laughing and crying at the same time. Reed and Charlotte complete each other. Just like Vi and Penelope compliment each other’s writing so beautifully. Another perfect romance book to add to my best of 2018 list. Vi and Penelope make it impossible to not fall in love with their characters and their co-authored books.

Love,
Cheri @ Kindle Crack

 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Vi Keeland 

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in two dozen languages. 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.

Sign up for Penelope & Vi’s mailing list now and be the first one notified when it goes live!  ➜  https://www.subscribepage.com/Vi&Penelope

Do you like texts better than email? Receive text notices of Vi’s new releases by texting the word BOOKS to 77948  You will ONLY receive a text when a new book goes live - no other messages at all!  

Find Vi here: 

Facebook Fan Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup/ 

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Vi-Keeland/435952616513958

Website: http://www.vikeeland.com

Twitter: @vikeeland - https://twitter.com/ViKeeland

Instagram: @Vi_Keeland - http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland/

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland

Penelope Ward

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author.

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 1.5 million books sold, she is a twenty-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. 

Sign up for Penelope & Vi’s mailing list now and be the first one notified when it goes live!  ➜  https://www.subscribepage.com/Vi&Penelope

Find Penelope here: 

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/penelope.ward 

https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor 

Facebook Fan Group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps/ 

Website

http://www.penelopewardauthor.com

Twitter

https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor

Instagram

@penelopewardauthor

http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7105545.Penelope_Ward