Carries Book Reviews

My Chance
Samantha Skye
(Men of New York, #4)
Publication date: February 21st 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

My job has always been my ticket to the top.

Now my only chance at success is tall, dark, and menacing…

At no point in my law career did I think I’d have a mobster in my office, offering me a job.

Hard pass.

But Nico Molenti is as persistent as he is…persuasive. And thanks to my dad’s white-collar antics, my client list is looking as bare as my bank account will be in a few weeks.

Accepting Nico’s offer isn’t just about quick cash though. If I say yes to this, I kiss my New York law firm goodbye.

Perhaps that’s why he’s so intent on keeping my lips very busy.

But breaking my law-abiding habits to help a gangster exact vengeance on his enemies is easier said than done.

Although with every fiery touch, I can’t help but feel I’m going over to the dark side in more ways than one…

My Chance is the fourth and final book in the Men Of New York series. Featuring a curvy heroine and the sinful hero who falls for her, this is a suspenseful enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract, mafia romance with plenty of spice.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Author Bio:

Samantha Skye is a contemporary romance author from Melbourne, Australia. A country kid turned city slicker, Samantha writes characters that are as diverse as they are devilishly handsome.

Her unique brand of suspenseful spice deftly combines the risky and the risqué, setting hearts pounding for more than one reason! When she’s not plotting her next novel, Samantha can be found chatting on podcasts, or anywhere there’s sunshine.

An avid traveler, Samantha is just as comfortable in gumboots as she is in Christian Louboutins…but she’s usually having more fun in the latter.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

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Annihilation Archetypes
M.M. Gargiulo
(Annihilation Archetypes, #1)
Publication date: January 13th 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy

Born to siren humans to their watery graves, Nefertiti feels trapped in her life of violence. She leaves her home to venture on shore and falls in love with humans. Her duty brings her back to the sea, and fate tightens its hold on her from an unexpected source.

 

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Chapter 4

The next day Evgenís was eager to talk about my training. I was evasive, trying not to make eye contact with her. I thought the details of my night were too embarrassing to share with my proud sister, and I had no wish to relive them. I did not know if other huntresses took so long to learn how to walk, but Diana made it seem like they did not.

“Okay, you do not want to talk about it,” she sighed after a few minutes of this ensued. “Tell me this, did you learn something?”

I looked up into her beautiful blue eyes and found myself both comforted and sad. I wished I was better at walking, but Evgenís would still love me even if I was a terrible huntress.

“Yes, I absolutely learned lots of things yesterday.” I smiled at her, forcing myself to look excited and happy.

“Interesting,” she murmured under her breath. “I am glad,” she said at full volume.

“Okay, well do you have anything you would like to do today?” she asked me, her voice bright and cheerful.

“I think I am to meet with someone today.” Guilt washed over me again. Evgenís had given up living with me to come and live here, in isolation.

“Oh, no matter, I am sure I can find something to do while you are busy. Perhaps we can pick a night soon and go to our favorite wreck?” Her hopeful tone had me agreeing before I thought it over.

“I’d love to!” The wreck was a smallish fishing boat that had sunk off the coast of a tropical island. Many species of fish lived inside it, and coral grew off the outside of it. I was particularly in love with the spot because of the bright white sand. It seemed to be made of thousands and thousands of tiny corals, smashed and rounded by the tide and the wind. It was one of our favorite places to go. Evgenís always found it difficult to find fish while we were there. I had many happy memories of the two of us laughing and relaxing in the sand.

Evgenís smiled at my enthusiasm and kissed me on the cheek, excited at our prospective time together.

We ate some kelp together that apparently someone had dropped off in excessive amount while we slept. Things almost felt back to normal, despite our vastly different surroundings. I felt as though removing my tail somehow made me less of a mermaid than Evgenís.

When we were done eating, I bid Evgenís farewell and started to swim through the caverns and tunnels toward the surface to an area similar to the one where I met Diana. If my new teacher was anything like Diana, she would show up near the surface. I watched the moon move in the sky for hours, feeling my anxiety rise. Maybe I was supposed to go somewhere specific, but Diana forgot to mention it.

I was just starting to swim back and forth when I heard a voice.

“Nefertiti! How are you?” Santiago was swimming by, with two others.

“I am well, thank you.” My eyes drifted to the two others with him. One was a beautiful fair blonde female, the other a dark-complexioned male.

“Oh, this is Kane,” he said, gesturing toward the male merman. “And this is Danica.”

“Pleasure to meet the both of you.” I nodded my head in their direction. Kane bent at the waist in my direction.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Huntress.” His deep dark eyes met mine.

“Lovely to meet you as well,” Danica said.

“We were going to visit a reef down in the tropics,” Santiago said. “Would you care to join us?”

“Thank you, but I am supposed to be meeting someone,” I said. I took note of Kane’s and Santiago’s eyes that seemed to linger, and Danica’s, which seemed full of contempt.

“Next time, perhaps.” Kane’s eyes were still locked on me.

“I would love to.” I smiled at Kane, and could feel Santiago stir slightly next to him.

“Farewell then, Nefertiti.” Santiago nodded his head, and the three of them turned and began to swim away. I watched them go with a pang of loneliness and wondered if there would ever be a time where I did not feel so isolated from my own kind. My thoughts turned to Evgenís, who probably had an even harder time with it than I did. Guilt flashed through me at the idea of Evgenís leaving everyone she knew to raise me on her own.

I watched the stars turn in the sky and thought about their stark and naked beauty. Not unlike our people, but less dangerous. I imagined the answers to all of my questions were up there, winking at me in some code I could not understand. I wished I could speak their language of light. I wondered if the Gods were there, Evgenís had told me they lived up in the clouds.

When the sky began to lighten, I gave up my quest. Perhaps my next mentor had forgotten about the time. Maybe Diana gave her the wrong name. I started to swim toward the castle, taking one last look back at the sky. Suddenly a massive hammerhead shark emerged from the haze in the distance. I paused on my journey back home to watch the magnificent creature swim. His gait was the most elegant thing I had ever seen. The way he swam back and forth was reminiscent of how the sea seemed to part for the king himself. I loved the movement of his tail fin.

The shark seemed to notice me as soon as I noticed him. He adjusted his path slightly so he was headed straight toward me. I reached my hand forward, not in the slightest bit frightened of him. He was the hunter equivalent to myself. Even his skin was made of the tiniest teeth. I would probably grow to be more dangerous than he was. At the last second he turned his giant head, swimming by me to allow my outreached arm to pet the length of him as he swam by.

I felt my heart stir at the scars that decorated his side. He was a beautiful creature, full of an ancient sadness. I wondered how anyone could ever hurt such a creature. My hand ran the length of him, ten times my own size, and I felt the rough, textured body under my delicate soft hand.

He circled me once, clearly as eager as I was to remain closely connected, even if it was for a short while. When he came by me a second time, I grabbed onto his dorsal fin and let the

length of me rest on top of his body. He seemed pleased by the attention and slowed his pace, allowing me to feel the gentle sway of the giant beast as he moved his tail back and forth. My own body swayed with his movements, and I felt as though we were one. I traced the deep gashes of scars on his back with my fingers, wondering what had caused them. I rode atop him for longer than I should have, the sun starting to really shine on the top of the sea.

He circled back after quite some time of me lying on top of him and swam with dignity back to where he had first found me. I turned my head to kiss the top of his back, my hair swirling around my face.

“Goodbye friend, I hope to see you again soon.” I watched him turn and be swallowed up by the dark sea. Maybe I would never get to play with the other merpeople, but at least I would have shark friends. I turned tail, and made my way back to the cave, exhausted from lack of sleep the previous night. Just before I approached the entrance to the first tunnel, I was startled by a stunning woman waiting by the entrance to the hall.

She had waist length red and silver hair (I gathered she was a huntress), a green tail fin, and a fair complexion. Her giant blue eyes were staring, unblinkingly, at me. I assumed she was older due to the streaks of silver in her bright red hair, but it was difficult to tell, there were no lines on her face.

“Nefertiti.” It was not a question, and I tried to figure out if I had met this woman before.

“Yes, that is I.” I smiled at her, hoping she was less crass than Diana. “I apologize, have we met?”

“We have not, although I have heard tell of you.”

“Well it is truly a pleasure to be acquainted with you.” I nodded my head in her direction.

“Yes, it is, but there is no need to be so formal with me.” She tossed back her hair, and it shimmered out behind her with such finesse I felt a ping of envy. I wondered if I would grow up to be so beautiful. “I am Arianna.”

“Arianna.” Her name sounded like a story I had long forgotten.

“Come, let us go for a swim.” She smiled at me, and I noticed her teeth were not sharpened, but similar to Evgenís’s. Maybe she wasn’t a huntress after all. She reached out her tiny soft hand, and I put mine into hers.

“I am here to teach you the ways of those on land,” Arianna stated. “Much has changed since I walked up there, but I have the best understanding of humankind. I am one of those who brought the best of the land back to the sea.”

“May I ask how that is?” I wondered.

“You may ask, but I will not share that part of my story with you just yet. I am not the normal kind of huntress, nor am I the normal kind of mermaid.” She smiled at me again, and I noticed tiny smile wrinkles near her eyes, which along with the silver in her hair made me think again that she was older than she appeared.

“I apologize,” I smiled back at her and was hopeful I had not offended her.

“No need to apologize for curiosity,” She winked her light blue eye at me. “I am going to teach you everything from what they call a street, to anatomy, back to music, and onward to proper dining etiquette. Is there a topic you would care to start with?”

“I actually have a few questions, if you do not mind.” I was curious about so many things.

“Of course, that is natural.” We had stopped our swim and were perched at the edge of a reef I had seen growing nearby. Some fish were swimming delicately by, but there was not another merperson in sight. The sea seemed to be lightening in color, the sun beginning to warm the ocean.

“First, will these lessons always occur during the day? I was not aware that many of our kind enjoyed the sunlight.” I tried not to make my voice sound ungrateful, but I was extremely tired and having a hard time concentrating. The brightness really bothered my large eyes.

“Yes, our lessons will happen while the sun is up. We are going to adjust your sleeping cycle so you are able to sleep less. Sleeping is one of the luxuries young huntresses are typically low on. There is much to learn and not enough time to do so. The next full moon is about twenty-nine suns away, and you need to be better versed in mankind before you dance back on shore.”

I felt my heart sink a tiny bit at the thought of sleeping less. “Interesting,” I said because I was unsure how else to answer. “I did not realize huntresses were not well rested. How exactly are we chosen to be huntresses? I know King Titus looks for a sign, but other than that, I do not know.”

Arianna looked at me with wide eyes. “First of all, my dear, you are young and it is best to learn as much as you can for the next few years. About the huntresses, I thought you would have known this by now. Did Evgenís not tell you?”

I shook my head, hair billowing around me. Her stern look made me feel defensive for a moment and I sputtered out, “I never asked her; honestly I just tried to avoid the topic with her as much as I could.”

Her frown seemed to lessen as she looked carefully at my face before responding, “I was not criticizing. I understand why you might not have wanted to bring up the subject to her and vice versa.” She took a deep breath and her gentle blue eyes seemed to fall out of focus.

“Long ago, huntresses began when mankind were much weaker than they are now. Back then they worshiped gods and deities and built them massive structures to pay homage. There was one amongst us, Chleo was her name, who fell in love with one of the Kings of Land. She would shed her scales and walk on shore every full moon, a trick she discovered after watching crabs shed their shells that time of the moon. She had grown to love him from afar, watching him through the rivers. When she finally climbed on shore, she seduced him. He was a powerful man, almost treated as a god himself, hence part of his appeal.

“He did not know what she was, but thought her to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her infrequent visits were full of passion and sex. When she left him in the morning he would grow angry. He wanted her to stay with him permanently, but alas, she could not. One morning Chleo was followed by her lover, and he saw her slip into the sea. She grew back her fins and scales, brighter and more beautiful than any of his gems, her dark purple coloring glittered in the sunlight.

“He became obsessed in her absence. He wondered what kind of creature she was. He thought she might be some sort of goddess. He wanted to keep her as his lover, but he also wanted to sell her to other royalty, knowing her scales would be worth much. He thought about what a trophy such a lover would be. When the next full moon arose, Chleo climbed onto the shore and walked into the palace where her king lived. He was mad with lust, and they had wild sex all night. When the sun began to rise, Chleo tried to slip away while he slept, but his doors had been barred. Trapped, she began to suffocate.

“Chleo’s scales started to grow back, and her legs fused together, but the nearest water source was a small pond the king bathed in. She climbed into it, desperate to wet her body. When the king awoke he was pleased that she was still there, and even more pleased that he had captured her. He climbed into the water and had sex with her. She obliged, more because she was afraid what he might do to her should she refuse, and less because she wanted to.

“He used her this way for many days. Chleo, trapped, had no choice. After a few days the king decided to sell her body to another royal who was passing through his kingdom. This was common at the time. She was used for their bodily urges every day during her imprisonment. She felt the moon grow fuller in the sky, and her heart grew full of hatred. She decided when

she could walk again she would escape and bring doom to those who had wronged her. She spent every waking second plotting her revenge. When the full moon turned in the sky, her legs came back, and Chleo was alone in the king’s room. He was out on a diplomatic mission, but she knew he would be back soon enough. She seduced the man left to guard her and slit his throat while he was inside her.

“She ran back to the safety of her river and swam back out to sea. Her mental injuries took hold of her heart over the next month, and when she was able to walk on land again she went ashore and killed men. She never reached her king, who was too heavily guarded, but she spent the rest of her time killing those who guarded and protected him. Eventually she was able to kill his future wife when she bathed in the river. Chleo was able to pull the woman to her doom. Chleo’s sister, Cora, joined her in her efforts, furious at her sister’s plight. The two of them were our first formal huntresses, and from them, others joined, some with anger in their hearts, others who felt they had been wronged by those on land.

“Now, that does not entirely answer your question, but I thought it important for you to know,” Arianna said with a deep breath, her voice taking on a somber tone.

“It does answer a part of my question though,” I insisted. “So how did we continue to be what we are today?”

“Less time ago, King Titus was born. A merman with unusual powers granted by the sea. Some say he is Poseidon’s first born son. His influence united our people, and we all agreed to let him rule us. Shortly after being crowned he declared war on mankind. He was angered by their destruction of our world. I think the mistreatment of our race weighed heavily on his mind. He cast a spell, using his strange powers, that bound huntresses to him. When a new one was born, he would feel it, and another impression of a shark would be left on his very flesh.” Her monologue trailed off and I was left with more questions than I started with.

“How does he know?” I whispered, as if he could hear me.

“He can read the hearts of others.”

“How can he read the heart of a person just born? I thought their heart would be pure and empty, having not experienced the world yet.”

“That is a question better posed to him than me. I do not understand the powers he possesses, but I have seen them enough to know they are not to be disregarded.” Arianna looked deep into my eyes, seeing the turmoil that raged inside.

“Is he really Poseidon’s son?” I asked, my mouth slightly open.

“Only Poseidon knows that,” Arianna said, eyes twinkling at my interest.

“Have you ever seen him before?” I wondered out loud.

“I have,” Arianna said calmly.

“You have?” I asked, incredulously. “When? Where? How?”

“One thing at a time,” she laughed. “Has your sister not taught you much about the gods?”

“I know that Poseidon is our most active God,” I said. “I know that others exist and they live in the clouds.”

“Yes and no, child,” Arianna began. “Poseidon might seem more relevant than the rest, but that is because we live in his domain. Zeus rules the sky, the king of them all. Aphrodite brought forth love and beauty, she is the goddess of both. Apollo brings us prophecy, music, and knowledge. Ares is the God of War.”

I listened to Arianna, imagining the clouds filled with giant beautiful merpeople who were also gods. I wondered if they had tails or feet.

“Artemis visits the seas sometimes, as he rules all animals. Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. Hermes is the messenger of the gods. Dionysus brings pleasures to life. Hephaestus brings fire to the land. Hades rules the dead.”

“Do they have tails or feet?” I mused.

“They have what pleases them most,” Arianna said. “They are very able to shed their scales or feet as they desire.”

“And they live in the clouds?” I asked, eagerly.

“That is what a lot of our kind believes,” Arianna said slowly. “I think they wander around the planet, going where they want. Maybe they do retire to the sky, but I have never seen where their home would be.”

“And you have really seen Poseidon?” I was amazed.

“Yes, he used to frequent here more often than he does now. It has been at least half a century since he has been to this grotto.”

“What does he look like?” I asked.

“Exactly how you would expect him to look,” Arianna smiled.

“Big, strong, and handsome,” I said.

“Yes, those words could all be applied to him.”

I was silent for a few minutes, my head filled with ideas of what the gods looked like.

“I would very much like to meet Poseidon,” I said.

“Not any of the others?” Arianna asked, the corner of her mouth turning up into a smile.

“I would be happy to meet any of them,” I said honestly. “I would especially like to meet the god of my home though.”

“Do you have more questions?” Arianna asked.

“Many, many more. I am unsure where to start with them all,” I said, overwhelmed with everything I had just heard.

“I understand. I have trained many huntresses, and they all start off in a similar way. Lost and slightly confused. You will find your place in the world, in both worlds. And you will see that you will become what you were always meant for. Everyone will be proud of the huntress you grow into.” Arianna smiled kindly at me.

“Thank you.” I was at a loss for words. My throat felt tight and I wished I could clear it without drawing attention to it.

“Thank you for all that you will do for us. It is a hard task you have been given, and one not many can handle. Your bravery will always set you apart from the others.”

I did not feel brave, but I acknowledged her compliment with a nod of my head. It felt like everyone expected me to be this fierce warrior, but I had grown up with Evgenís, playing with fish and giggling at the world. For a brief moment I wished she had not taken me away from everyone, perhaps I would not be as soft. Maybe I would grow to be fierce, but I felt small and feeble listening to stories of the gods.

“What could Chleo have seen in that human king?” I mused, not really expecting an answer.

“I would imagine there were quite a few things that drew her to him.” Arianna surprised me with her thoughtful answer. “He was literally treated like a god of sorts. They believed their kings to be deities, and they often proclaimed themselves reincarnations of the gods they worshiped. At that time, the masses of people did everything their king asked for. He would have seemed very powerful. Incredibly resourceful. I am sure he was sexually desirable as well. Sometimes, there is a chemistry that goes beyond reason. Chleo was drawn to him; it is a shame he did not see the value of continuing the way she wanted.”

“Now, we are going to start with the very basics of human anatomy . . .”

I spent the next five hours learning about human bodies. I was most interested in their lower halves, seeing how they differed from my own. Their tops seemed to be relatively similar to ours, but they lacked gills and a way of absorbing oxygen from the water. Their hearts were smaller than ours and beat faster. They did not seem to be as lean as we were. Arianna told me the majority of humankind were larger than they should be. Our muscles were typically easily visible, we did not have hair on our bodies either, which was different.

“I noticed the split in my legs was different,” I ventured when we started to talk about the lower half of humans.

“Yes, so humans have an external clitoris which gives pleasure, as well as the internal pleasure giver. When you transform you take on these aspects as well. Also, it will be perfectly normal if you see hair begin to appear just above your vagina. Humans sometimes remove this, but it is not necessary. Diana will show you how to better navigate your sex organs.” She glanced at me. “I am too old to give you a proper, enthusiastic, and energetic introduction. Eventually, you are expected to be able to seduce human men.” Arianna did not seem abashed to discuss such intimacies.

“When?” My voice cracked.

“Oh, Nefertiti,” Arianna smiled at me kindly, “you have many years of learning to do before that happens. Do not worry about this; it is not something to lose sleep over.”

I wondered if she was joking, seeing as she told me I was to begin sleeping less.

“That seems to be enough for today.” Arianna leaned down and kissed me gently on my lips. “You are tired and have enough to think about.”

“Thank you for your instruction.” I bowed my head and turned around, mentally and physically exhausted. My tail was still aching from having the scales ripped off and regrown. I never stayed up this far into the day and was feeling somewhat delusional.

I half swam and half let the current pull me toward the entrance to the large hall where I first saw Arianna. I found my way to my small sanctuary, and to my relief, saw Evgenís asleep. I lay next to her, and let the events of the day wash over me.

 

 

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Stranded with Billionaire Grumpy Pants
Stacy-Deanne
Publication date: January 11th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Chanel’s about to jump off a bridge. A single mother of a teen daughter in a wheelchair, she loves her job but hates her annoying, yet fine-as-wine, billionaire boss.

Wesley Babcock is the biggest jerk on the planet: rude, disrespectful, arrogant, and he thinks the world revolves around his needs. Chanel’s sick of it!

Needing to get away and having an employee discount for a vacation to Wesley’s wilderness resort, Chanel and her daughter take off for a trip during Memorial Weekend. Chanel’s looking forward to having some fun until she sees who else has shown up.

Yep, Mr. Grumpy Money Bags Himself.

And if that’s not bad enough, Chanel signs up for a nature hike only to get lost with… yeah, you guessed it.

Chanel and Wesley cross each other’s paths constantly during the weekend, but can they stop bickering long enough to realize they’re incredibly attracted to each other?

Tropes: billionaire, age gap, office romance, romantic comedy, single-mother romance

 

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Mr. Babcock should be ashamed! Absolutely ashamed!” Chanel carried on at the check-in counter while the poor employees behind the desk shivered as if she were holding them at gunpoint. “I know he’s an ass, but didn’t know he was this terrible. How could this place not have a ramp? How?”

“We have ramps, Ma’am,” the pudgy redhead spoke as if she were afraid Chanel would strike her down. “One is in the back and the other by the spa.”

“Really?” Chanel scoffed, balling her fists so she wouldn’t throw anything. “So my daughter has to enter through the back like she’s a second-class citizen? Ramps should be visible in the front! Duh. That’s the idea of being accessible!” She slapped the porcelain counter. “This is unacceptable, and I’m reporting this place to the state for violations of the law. I will not let you get away with treating disabled people like an afterthought—”

“What’s going on here?” a male voice boomed throughout the waiting area.

Recognizing her boss ’icy tone, Chanel held her breath as she turned to face

him.

The debonair Wesley Babcock strutted toward the counter and everyone rushed out of his path. He always wore suits of dark-blues or blacks, so it surprised Chanel to see him without a blazer but still wearing his button-down white shirt and those diamond cufflinks with his initials engraved in them.

In this heat.

Chanel could do nothing but chuckle. It wasn’t bad enough she had to see this man everyday now he was here the one time she took a vacation.

“Ah, Miss Adeyami.” Wesley flashed a sarcastic smile that belonged on magazine covers. “What a surprise to see you here, causing a scene as always. Could you try to act like a lady, please?”

She scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“You’re my employee.” He flexed his triangular jaws. “Which means you represent me and my company at all times and I will not have you embarrassing my brand in my establishment.”

“Well, if you don’t wanna be embarrassed in your own establishment, then you should’ve had a ramp in the front of your place!” She pointed to the glass doors. “Or are people in wheelchairs not allowed here?”

He grimaced, his dashing greenish-brown eyes set in a carnal stare that reminded her of a shady salesman. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Mr. Babcock, sir.” The feminine male employee dashed from behind the

counter. “It’s really nothing to bother yourself with.”

“The hell it’s not. It’s his place.” Chanel held her waist. “How come there isn’t a

ramp at the front entrance? That’s illegal.”

“Perhaps you should brush up on California laws, Miss Adeyami, or else learn

how to comprehend them better.” Wesley straightened himself, shoulders squared. “The law is that we have ramps that fit the code and we do. We do not have to have them at all entrances or exits.”

“But that makes no sense. My daughter has to wheel herself all the way to the back of the place to get inside? Like she’s the help sneaking in or something?”

He relaxed his face, his dimples firm in his cheeks despite not smiling. “Your daughter’s in a wheelchair?”

“Yes and boss or no boss, I won’t let you get away with this.”

He shrugged. “What are you gonna do about it?”

I’m gonna report you to the authorities!”

 

Author Bio:

USA TODAY FEATURED AUTHOR

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) is an award-winning author of romantic suspense, contemporary romance, thrillers, and women’s fiction books featuring BWWM pairings. Her books have been bestsellers in stores worldwide including Amazon, Apple, and Barnes and Noble. Her work has been praised and reviewed in USA Today numerously. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is a 2011 and 2012 African-American Literary Award Nominee. She also is a winner of the Swirl Award (an award dedicated to authors of multicultural/interracial works).

Stacy is known for bringing versatile stories to her readers. With her, you never know what you’re gonna get, which separates Stacy’s work from the pack.

Stacy’s books are full of passion, thrills, intriguing characters and so much emotion you can’t get enough! If you want something different and unpredictable then definitely check out her work.

With Stacy every book is an adventure.

Want to receive book updates? Sign up for Stacy’s mailing list:

http://eepurl.com/dFGzTL

Website: https://www.stacy-deanne.com/

Stacy is a proud member of ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors.

 

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It’s another week of staying within my goal and not going too terribly crazy with new additions. This week I have eight new titles to share with you guys which should only bend that branch of the towering TBR just a teeny tiny bit more!

As always clicking the covers will take you to the book on Amazon!**

New additions from Netgalley Jan 8th – Jan 15th

A random connection sends two strangers on a daylong adventure where they make a promise one keeps and the other breaks, with life-changing effects, in this breathtaking new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After.

Fern Brookbanks has wasted far too much of her adult life thinking about Will Baxter. She spent just twenty-four hours in her early twenties with the aggravatingly attractive, idealistic artist, a chance encounter that spiraled into a daylong adventure in the city. The timing was wrong, but their connection was undeniable: they shared every secret, every dream, and made a pact to meet one year later. Fern showed up. Will didn’t.

At thirty-two, Fern’s life doesn’t look at all how she once imagined it would. Instead of living in the city, Fern’s back home, running her mother’s lakeside resort—something she vowed never to do. The place is in disarray, her ex-boyfriend’s the manager, and Fern doesn’t know where to begin.

She needs a plan—a lifeline. To her surprise, it comes in the form of Will, who arrives nine years too late, with a suitcase in tow and an offer to help on his lips. Will may be the only person who understands what Fern’s going through. But how could she possibly trust this expensive-suit wearing mirage who seems nothing like the young man she met all those years ago. Will is hiding something, and Fern’s not sure she wants to know what it is. 

But ten years ago, Will Baxter rescued Fern. Can she do the same for him?

A summer in Greece for three best friends ends in the unthinkable when only two return home in this new novel from Ella Berman. . . .

Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline’s death. But that didn’t stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures.

While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn’t risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . .

Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make.

Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what if she doesn’t like what she finds?

A young Native girl’s hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe’s reservation lead her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step—an ancient tribal myth come-to-life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole.
 
With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past.  

When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation—both ancient and new—are strong, and sometimes, it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.

Love makes life a little wilder in this romantic comedy by debut author Katie Shepard.
 
After a panic attack puts him in the hospital, charity executive Teagan Van Zijl is dragged by his sister to a wilderness therapy retreat in Montana. Lost in the woods while absconding from midafternoon meditation, Teagan is nearly eaten by a bear before his rescue by a furious angel in muddy hiking boots: the program’s handywoman, Darcy Albano, who was mostly worried for the bear. 
 
Darcy thought she was going to work as a trail guide when she was hired onto the camp staff but ended up cleaning and hauling instead—merely the latest screwing-over she’s endured since her ex stole her car and her parents ruined her credit score. Teagan becomes the silver lining she didn’t expect, a man clearly going through something yet willing to commit to Darcy’s unique brand of wilderness education as the cure for what ails him.
 
After weeks in the mountains with Darcy, Teagan doesn’t want to return to New York without her. He hires Darcy as his sober companion—a position he doesn’t actually need filled and for which Darcy is completely unqualified—hoping she can help him figure out a way to move forward. But once they get to the city, all Teagan can think of is how to confess the truth without losing her. Together, they begin to imagine what their lives might look like if they could depend on each other for help—even in outrunning a bear.

An impulsive decision to join an Alaskan cruise getaway brings the chance for an onboard romance in this new enemies-to-lovers romance from the author of A Holly Jolly Diwali.

Jasmine Randhawa likes everyone to think she has it all—great job, perfect Seattle apartment, and a handsome boyfriend. But she’s not as confident or successful as she seems, and her relationship is at a breaking point.  

When Jasmine finds herself single and tagging along on her parents’ vacation, she’s not sure her life can get any farther off course. It’s a nightmare for someone who’s been so fiercely independent to find herself on a cruise full of family friends who’ve judged her since childhood. Things only get worse once the ship leaves the harbor and she realizes that this is a seniors’ cruise, and the only other person under fifty on the entire boat is her childhood acquaintance, cocky and successful Jake Dhillon.

Jasmine and Jake clash right away, with Jasmine smarting over how their South Asian community puts him on a pedestal as the perfect Indian son, whereas her reputation as a troublemaker precedes her. Except they can’t avoid each other forever during the ten-day cruise, and they soon recognize a surprising number of similarities, especially in how many secrets they’re keeping hidden from their families. Their restlessness seems to disappear whenever they’re together, but is this relationship strong enough to last on land?

Enemies-to-lovers has never been more enchanting in this witchy romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of Go Hex Yourself.

Penny Roundtree wants nothing more than to be a familiar to a witch. She’s been a member of the Society of Familiars ever since she was old enough to join the Fam. There’s just a small problem—no one’s hiring. Witches and warlocks are so long-lived that there are far more familiars available than witches to train them. So when an unorthodox arrangement to apprentice under the table to a forbidden warlock presents itself, she takes it.
 
Willem Sauer is banned from having a familiar due to past transgressions, thereby limiting his magic-casting abilities. Unfortunately for the surly, Prussian warlock, he has no choice but to work with enthusiastic Penny as a familiar. They immediately clash like dried roan horsehair and honeycomb gathered by moonlight (it’s a terrible spell combination, ask anyone).
 
Casting spells has delightful perks Penny never could have dreamed of, but also greater dangers. Someone is targeting Penny. Willem and Penny must work together to catch their enemy, and if their ploy requires a little kissing on the side, who is to question the rules of magic?

A dark YA fantasy debut perfect for fans of House of Hollow and Small Favors. In the wake of her father’s death, a teen girl discovers a side of her family she didn’t know existed, and is pulled into a dark—and ancient—bargain she is next in line to fulfill.

Kit’s father always told her he had no family, but his sudden death revealed the truth. Now Kit has a grandmother she never knew she had—Agatha Starling—and an invitation to visit her father’s hometown, Rosemont. 

And Rosemont is picture perfect: the famed eternal roses bloom all year, downtown is straight out of the 1950s . . . there’s even a cute guy to show Kit around.

The longer Kit’s there, though, the stranger it all feels. The Starling family is revered, but there’s something off about how the Starling women seem to be at the center of the all the town’s important history. And as welcoming as the locals are, Kit can’t shake the feeling that they’re hiding something from her.

Agatha is so happy to finally meet her only granddaughter, and the town is truly charming, but Kit can’t help wondering, if everything is so great in Rosemont, why did her father leave? And why does it seem like he never wanted her to find it?

For fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious villainess of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods’ hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece for fans of Jennifer Saint and Natalie Haynes, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and of an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.

**This post contains Amazon affiliate links which will allow me as an associate to earn a small commission on any purchase made through the link of the products I share. This commission in no way changes the pricing of any items for the buyer.**

Foxed
Jay Hogan
Publication date: January 12th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

FOXED: To be thrown into a state of uncertainty—flustered, bamboozled, bewildered, puzzled, vexed.

AKA, me. Jed Marshall. 55-year-old successful classic car mechanic; divorced, mostly closeted, and whose wholly inexperienced bisexuality has suddenly awakened after one smouldering look and said, ‘Damn, who’s the hottie? ’Or words to that effect.

Cue, Nash Collingwood. 53-year-old scarily smart high school principal; out, gay, confident, and sexy as hell. He’s also my daughter’s boss. So, not complicated at all, right? Nash could ignite a bonfire with a single sultry look, comes fully accessorised with a charm offensive Churchill would be proud of, an easy-going flattery that thrills my heart far too effortlessly, and an impressive track record with men many decades my junior.

In short, Nash is everything I’m not, and everything I’ve avoided for roughly my entire life. He’s the hot rod to my sensible family car, that is if you like your family cars with a few dents, creaky suspension, unexpected backfires, and a dodgy stick.

The last thing I need is a relationship—especially with a man. I buried that pipe dream a long time ago and a little loneliness is a small price to pay. The festive season and long summer vacation are on our doorstep. I’m finally getting things right with my family who mean everything to me, and I don’t want to mess that up.

But Nash doesn’t care about my awkward inexperience, or clumsy excuses, or any of my insecurities. Nash only sees me. He wants me. For the first time in years, I feel alive and sexy and a whole lot more than just a good father and grandfather.

I should walk away, but the closer Nash and I become, the more he fills my grey world with colour, and the promise of a second chance at love I never thought possible.

 

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Hello?” The tentative greeting was followed by a series of knocks on the open hangar door of the workshop.

I leaned forward in my seat but couldn’t quite see who it was.

“Hello? Anyone there?”

Shit. It couldn’t be. But the voice was familiar, too damn familiar, and a warmth curled low in my belly as my heart ticked up.

“Sit.” Rollo waved me down. “I’ll see to whoever it is.” He wiggled out of his chair and headed out into the workshop while I edged toward the door for a look, grateful for a little more time to get my shit together.

But when I saw Nash standing there in tight blue jeans and a black button-down, looking slightly nervous and way too fucking lickable, the warmth in my belly turned into an embarrassing flip. Rollo laughed at something Nash said, and the next thing I knew he was headed back to the office with Nash on his heels, the man’s curious gaze sweeping right and left. The closer they got to where I was standing, the more my stomach clenched.

What the hell was he doing here?

“You okay, Boss?” Jemma suddenly appeared next to me, and I realised my hands were fisted and sweating. “Do you know him?”

“Yes.” I rubbed my palms down the front of my coveralls and gave a half shrug. “A little.”

Jemma shot me a curious look but said nothing.

Rollo walked into the office and waved a hand my direction. “Here’s the man himself. Would you like a coffee, Nash?”

Nash stopped just inside the door with his back to the others and cast an apologetic half-smile my direction. “I don’t want to take up your time if you’re too busy. It’s your call, Jed.”

We both knew he wasn’t talking about the workshop, and with my overall sleeves tied around my waist and only a thin black practically not-there singlet standing between me and the man’s heated gaze, warmth flooded my cheeks. When he was done checking me out, his eyes returned to mine and his mouth curved up in an appreciative smile as he pointed to my cap bearing the slogan Ford Mustangs: Better than Sex. “Nice hat.”

And—oh my fucking god, I was getting hard.

“Boss?” Rollo was still waiting on my answer, which had been far too long coming. “Should I make Nash a coffee or not?”

“What? Oh, um . . .” I flustered. “No, I’ll do it. Maybe you guys could finish smoko outside?”

Rollo and Jemma exchanged a puzzled look, then grabbed their unfinished drinks and promptly left with Jemma casting a final what-the-fuck look over her shoulder. I answered with a shrug and swiftly closed the door, watching through the glass as they exploded into hushed conversation and headed for the outside table and chairs to finish their coffees. When I was sure they were out of earshot, I turned to Nash, who had his palms up, and immediately apologised.

“Jed, I’m so sorry if I’ve fucked up. The last thing I wanted was to make things awkward for you, I . . .” He trailed off, chuckling, and shaking his head. “Well, shit, that’s a damn lie. It was hardly going to be anything but awkward, was it? Crazy principal chases after his reluctant crush? Borderline stalking, at best. I think I just motored straight past undignified and crashed into abject humiliation. I have no excuse other than—” He hesitated, his gaze fixed on mine as he nibbled his bottom lip, before finally continuing. “I wanted to see you again. It’s as simple as that. And if that’s not okay, I’ll leave right now.” His words ran together, and he shook his head like he was angry with himself, his cheeks blazing, his gaze darting sideways to the window.

But I was stuck on reluctant crush. My heart stuttered in my chest as I tried to wrap my head around all of what he’d just said.

I still hadn’t answered when he finally groaned, “Can you just put me out of my misery? And I’ll be gone.”

And with those few simple words, all my noble good intentions to rise above the carnal temptation that Nash Collingwood embodied with fucking bells on flew out the window under jet-fuelled propulsion. Martyrdom clearly wasn’t what it used to be.

And also, he looked way too fucking cute standing there looking a whole lot less confident than usual. This was a Nash I could relate to.

I gave a slow blink and breathed out a sigh. “It’s . . . fine. I’m not sure what good you think it will do, but take a seat.” I headed for the espresso machine, feeling like a tongue-tied teenager. “How do you have your coffee?”

 

Author Bio:

Heart, humour and keeping it real.

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.

She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She’s travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel

 

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