As I’m reissuing all my titles, and writing more, I’ve realized that several of my stories interconnect in ways I hadn’t really thought about before. The interconnections don’t make them a series per se, but they are connected simply by their (fictional) geographical location.
Texas Tangle, which was my first story for Carina Press, takes place in the fictional small town and surroundings of Barnett Springs. It features Nikki, who raises/rescues horses; Dillon, who owns his own landscaping firm; and Brett, who is a police office with the Barnett Springs police, along with multiple other members of the Barnett family and the community. (It’ll be re-released early 2023 both as an ebook and as a paperback.)
Feeding the Flames also takes place in Barnett Springs. It follows Tabatha, who runs Twisted Tabby’s Diner; and Zac, who is a firefighter with the Barnett Springs Fire Department. As I was updating this book the other day for the big sale I participated in this week, I discovered that Brett appears in it, as well as his friend and fellow police officer, Tiny.
Okay, you’re asking, how can I “discover” something in a story that I wrote? Yes, well, I wrote it back in 2014-2015ish and I have so many characters to keep track of, especially when I’m working on a different book (I was working on two more at the time) that I forget my own stories and sometimes the minor characters get forgotten completely. It’s just my weird writers’ brain.
Tangled Past also takes place in Barnett Springs, but that’s in 1873, and so you won’t see any cross-over characters there, though the characters from Tangled Past are referred to in Texas Tangle, since they are the contemporary characters’ ancestors, and they live on the same ranch Dillon’s family has inherited and occupies.
Another part of why I realized this connection is because I have another brand new story coming out in January 2023 ( 🤫 ) that also takes place in Barnett Springs. I can’t really talk about it yet but it features Quinn, who is Zac’s best friend in Feeding the Flames, and you will get a couple glimpses of both Zac and Tabby in it as well.
I also often refer to Barnett Springs in my Grady Legacy novels as a nearby town/county/whatever. So there may be some cross-over there too, but not in the same way as in the Barnett Springs stories, plus the Grady Legacy has created its own separate world.
Anyway starting today, you will see some changes. First off in the menus here on the website. I’ve created a new grouping called The Barnett Springs Romances, and it will list all the stories that take place in the Barnett Springs realm. They may (or may not) have characters from other stories flitting in and out occasionally, none of them need to be read in any sort of order, though I would suggest you start with Texas Tangle as that is the first book I wrote in that world.
My plan is to add a caption or a graphic of “a Barnett Springs Romance” to the covers too, to make them all consistent, but that takes money so they’ll be a little slower to be changed out. In the meantime, if you see me or anyone referring to my “Barnett Springs Romances” or some may even call them a series, that’s what they (and I) mean.
If you’ve signed up for my newsletter, or follow me on social media you’ll probably already know, I’m participating in Zoe York’s Romance Bookworms free ebook giveaway today. There are over 850+ books that authors are giving away free. There are no strings attached. No newsletters you must join first. Pick a title, choose a vendor, download it from the vendor for free! Choose another book and download it for free too. And another, and another. Fill your Kindle with books by your favourite authors. Or with a new-to-you author–or genre–you’ve always wanted to try.
There is every romance genre you can hope for here. Steamy or erotic, like my Feeding the Flames, closed door romances, sci/fis and paranormals, contemporaries, historicals, rom coms, the list is huge. (You can find the list here or you can click on the graphic below to be taken to the main page.)
The only catch is that the sale is for ONE DAY ONLY.
Don’t miss your chance to pick up your copy of Feeding the Flames if you haven’t already downloaded it. It’s a steamy fun romance complete with a recipes at the back for Twisted Tabby’s 5 Alarm chili.
(By the way, Feeding the Flames is now also available in paperback, but the paperback copy is NOT free. You can find links to it here. )
Sometimes the person who loves you most is standing right in front of you…
Volunteer firefighter Zac Buchanan has been carrying a torch for Tabatha Morgan since…well, forever. A promise he made years ago backfired, sending Tabatha into the arms of another man, and him into a decade of heartache. Now Tabatha’s back in town, newly divorced, and the sparks between them are setting them both aflame.
Tabatha would have bet her secret five-alarm chili recipe that her school girl crush on Zac had died out long ago. Except those slumbering embers reignited the moment Zac walked into her diner. Now each time she sees him—hears him, thinks about him—she can’t imagine her life without him again.
But if their new-found love and sizzlin’ hot action in the bedroom—and living room, kitchen and bathroom—is to survive, Tabatha must also accept the smoke, flames and danger of Zac’s job. Or their happy-ever-after will forever be extinguished.
This story is set in the imaginary town of Barnett Springs, Texas, where Texas Tangle and Tangled Past both take place. So you may see some familiar names or locations pop up (here or in future books…hint hint)
Feeding the Flames is knock your bobby socks off sexy and worthy of a happy ending (and when you read it you’ll understand both those references)! ~ Slick Reads, Simply Love Book Reviews
“Wait a minute. Do you really think you can just show up and drop that type of bombshell and then walk away and leave me hanging? Not a chance, bud.” She tugged on his collar and stepped backward, leading him to the back of the diner. After pausing to flip off the remaining lights, she resumed their trek toward the rear exit. Well, she’d intended to. They’d made it as far as her office when Zac banded her wrists with one hand, dragged them above her head and pressed her against the wall with his body. With her trapped, he captured her mouth.
Even her most erotic fantasy hadn’t prepared her for his kiss.
Her eyes drifted closed so she could concentrate on the pure sensation. From the hardness of his chest pressing against her, holding her in place, and his breath on her skin, to the soft prickle of his stubble on her cheek. That he was showing a side of himself she’d never seen before was just as erotic. She’d seen him playful before, but there was an intensity to him, as if carefully stoked embers had ignited.
His long fingers slipped to the back of her neck. A quick tug and her apron sagged to her waist. Cool air from overhead brushed bare skin as he unbuttoned her shirt. The heat of his touch as he pushed the fabric aside caused her nipples to harden into tight buds.
He released his grip on her wrists and shoved her bra beneath her breasts, the fabric rasping over her sensitive nipples. She lost herself in how his eyes were now nearly black with desire.
His groan rumbled through her chest. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to see these?”
As long she’d wanted him to touch them? Why had she settled for Bill when she should have admitted to Zac she was attracted to him back in high school? All those wasted years.
Her knees trembled when he cupped her breasts, his long fingers toying with the hard buds. Between the kissing and his attention to her breasts, her body heated and softened.
Free of restraint, she brought her hands down, gave into the need to thread her fingers through the silky strands of his hair. It was just how she’d expected it to feel. And this wasn’t a fantasy, wasn’t a dream. She leaned in to resume the kiss, only to have him pull away.
“Behave.” Once again he banded her wrists with one hand and hauled them above her head.
The command in his tone had her immediately obeying. Strange, considering she usually balked whenever someone tried to take over. “But I want to touch you.”
“Kitten, you touch me right now and I’ll go off like a bottle rocket.”
Unashamed is out today! If you like steamy romance, this book is for you. MFM pairings? This is your story. Like to read exotic settings? (Hey, to some folk Toronto is exotic!)
Having just survived a total gut and redo of our kitchen last year, I wish we’d had a pair of handy hunks like Noah and Max to help out. 😉
Buy it now If you want the individual store links, go to Unashamed’s book page. Books2Read gives you all the sites and will direct you to the right geographical region.
Here’s a peak at the first chapter for you….
Now available!
Contractor Max Moretti knows that once he turns over the keys on his latest project, he and his business partner Noah McNaughton will have to say goodbye to sexy house flipper, Hayley O’Connell. Something neither he nor Noah are ready for. When Max overhears Hayley discussing a ménage fantasy, the two men plan to fulfill her fantasy.
Being sandwiched between the two sexy construction workers introduces Hayley to pleasure she’d never known before, but making love to both men quickly becomes an addiction. An addiction that both intrigues and overwhelms her.
One passion-filled night turns into two, and Max and Noah find themselves faced with a bigger challenge—convincing Hayley that forever is better with three.
Chapter 1
The flare of light on the driveway drew Max’s attention away from quartz countertop and undermount sink he was lowering onto the base cabinets. A thunk followed by his best friend and business partner’s cursed “for fuck’s sake, Moretti, you could have broken the damned slab,” could probably be heard out in the yard. The flash had been caused by Hayley O’Connell—the owner of the house he and Noah were renovating—opening the back door of her Honda. He completely forgot about the countertop when Hayley leaned inside, giving Max a perfect view of her camo work pants tightening over a beautifully formed ass.
Man, she was brains and beauty wrapped in one perfect package. Where he’d gone straight into the trades after high school, Hayley had graduated from U of T with a degree in business economics. While working for one of the big banks down on Bay Street, she’d discovered she had a knack for choosing the right house to renovate and flip. Three years ago she’d ditched her high heels and pencil skirts for steel toed boots and a tool belt. Okay, so she didn’t really wear a tool belt—that was entirely Max’s fantasy—but for all the jobs he’d worked on with her over the past two years, she’d been on-site and totally hands-on for all the renovations, not afraid to pick up a hammer along with the rest of the crew.
Every single house she’d renovated sold for a comfortable profit. Then again, between her eye for renovations and the Toronto housing market, Max would bet his half of M&M Construction any house she touched would sell at a profit.
“Stop mackin’ on my woman and hand me the damned number two Robertson, will ya?”
“Hey, I saw her first.” Max handed Noah the green-handled screwdriver but found himself drawn back to watching the woman of both their dreams. “If she’s anyone’s woman, she’s mine.”
As much as both he and Noah had fantasized about her in the two years they’d known her, she had been dating someone else the entire time, which put her in the “hands-off” column as far as they were concerned. Then, four months ago, her investment banker boyfriend had been caught with his tongue down the throat of some chick at a Blue Jays’ game—featured on the stadium’s huge-ass video screen. The moment Hayley’s Facebook status changed from In a relationship to Single, Max’s hopes of dating her doubled.
She’d straightened, tucking a white hard-hat beneath one arm, and a bag of what were probably paint swatches and fabric samples in the other. Her shoulder-length blonde hair shone almost white under the late August sun, and her skin gleamed as sweat beaded on it now she was out of the car’s A/C. The multiple layers of tank tops she wore clung to her curves. They would cling more once she came inside—the AC hadn’t been hooked up and the house was at least ten degrees warmer than it was outside even with all the windows open.
“Why do women wear three layers of shirts like that?” he wondered aloud. “Especially when it’s fuckin’ hot out? How come one shirt isn’t enough?”
“How am I supposed to know?” Noah cursed. “You gave me the wrong fuckin’ driver, dickhead. Give me the red one. You know, the one I was using before your brains migrated down to your nutsac?”
Max exchanged screwdrivers with him and resumed his gawking.
A Here comes the Bride ringtone from Hayley’s phone floated in through the open window. Max leaned on the counter, watching her answer it. She was a continual ball of energy even when she was just talking on the phone. There was always something moving—a hand brushing through her hair, her fingers drumming on the railing. Shifting from foot to foot. Her speech was rapid fire, clipped, especially when she was pissed off. As she was now.
Noah humphed. “Hey, doofus, we’re supposed to finish off this kitchen this week. It’s going to take both of us to do that. So get your thumb outta your ass, will ya?” Noah continued with a bunch of other “still got the…to do” blah blah blahing that Max tuned out.
Max wasn’t normally a slacker, but when Hayley was near, it was like all his hormonal inner teenager genes made an appearance. He’d stumble over words, his palms got sweaty, and he was getting damned tired of having to position himself behind wallboard or counters to hide the boner that immediately stood at attention around her.
She was single. So was he. He should ask her out. What was he waiting for? Because she’d just gotten out of a relationship and he didn’t want to be the rebound date, that’s why.
That Dipwad might have made her skittish about getting into another relationship was a frickin’ chunk of rebar under his unmanicured fingernails. “Why do you think she stayed with Dipwad for so long?”
“If you love someone, you put up with a lot of shit.” Noah slid from beneath the cabinet and joined him by the window. “If I ever see that bastard again, he’s gonna need a nose job that requires a damned good plastic surgeon.”
If Max ever saw Dipwad again, he’d need not only a plastic surgeon but an orthopedist because he’d come away with a lot more bones broken than his nose. Years of playing hockey as his team’s enforcer had taught Max exactly how to inflict pain, not that he’d used that skill off the ice, but with Dipwad it was tempting.
Hayley stepped onto the porch which left her right in front of the kitchen window. Instead of continuing into the house, she dumped her packages on a pile of boxes and turned her back on the house, staring down the narrow road at the row of Victorian houses similar to hers. “Of course I’m going to be at the party on Friday night, Sophie.”
Party? Friday night? Max wondered if she had a date. He quickly ran through a variety of ways he could ask her out for Friday without being obvious. “Do you think she’d go out with me?”
“You won’t know unless you ask. Which I intend to do as soon as she gets off the phone.” Noah tugged at his belt, as if adjusting it to hide a woody.
Shit. He had competition. Of the worst sort. “I don’t stand a chance against you, do I?”
“Sure you do.” Noah frowned. “But why does this have to be a competition?”
“Because it’s Hayley O’Connell we’re talking about.” All he needed to add was the “duh.” Sweet, gentle, lovable Hayley. The type of girl you could feel confident bringing home to introduce to your mother, not share with your best friend.
“What makes you think she won’t choose you over me, doofus?” Noah cuffed the back of Max’s head. “I was razzing you back there. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.”
And Max had seen how Hayley eyed Noah. “Come on, I’m a first-generation Guido complete with big Catholic family who loves to interfere in every part of my life, not to mention my parents aren’t competing in the richer-than-Trump marathon like yours. Oh, and then there’s the whole man candy lottery you won. I mean, look at you” he waved toward Noah’s head, “you have this whole sun-kissed blond hair, blue-eyed thing going on that the chicks all dig. And that stupid single dimple they all go gaga over.”
“Geez, Moretti, women love dark-haired guys like you too. That’s where the ‘tall dark and dangerous’ saying comes from—they think you’re exotic.”
Hello, how the hell did Noah think he qualified under the ‘tall’ part – dark and dangerous, sure, but tall? Give him a frickin’ break.
Okay, yes, Max knew he wasn’t bad looking. Years of working construction had built up his arm muscles and abs, but he was also aware that he was just under six feet in a world where women had wanted that “extra inch.” And his family was definitely a dollar—make that a couple million—short when they compared bank accounts with Noah’s father. Not that Noah had access to the family money anymore, but most women figured they’d be able to weasel their way back into Noah’s father’s pockets and then empty them.
“In case you forgot, doofus, you’ve dated twice as much as I have in the past year, so don’t give me all this bullshit about women choosing me over you.”
Part of the reason why he’d had to date twice as much was because most of the women he’d gone out with were looking at their long term strategy, which didn’t include a guy with only a high school diploma and a job that relied upon a volatile real estate market. He’d figured out long ago that after meeting Noah and learning of his university diploma and family connections, most women shifted their focus and dumped his sorry ass, or used it to try to wheedle their way out of his bed and into Noah’s.
Max stared out the window, craving the woman on the other side, her phone pressed to her ear, her forehead wrinkled at whatever Sophie was saying to her. How he longed to smooth those worries away, to cook dinner for her, and take her to bed, to prove to her she was the only woman who mattered in his world.
Noah shifted his belt again, making Max grimace in the knowledge his best friend was probably picturing a similar scenario.
Feeling magnanimous, he offered, “Look, she’s gotta have a date for the party and one for the wedding reception next weekend, right? So how about I ask her to the party, and you take her to the wedding.”
“You’re just trying to get out of going to a wedding because you know women always cry at those things and you can’t handle women crying.”
“I grew up in a house with five women, shit-for-brains.” Max rolled his eyes. “I know exactly how to handle tears. Unlike someone I know.”
“I try not to make women cry in the first place.”
“Moretti women don’t need a reason to cry. They cry when they’re sad, they cry when they’re happy — Lucy,” his youngest sister, “can cry at a freaking telephone commercial. I don’t like weddings because every damned single woman starts eyeing you as they mentally plan their own wedding and realize they need a groom. I swear the wedding planners pump estrogen into the churches during the damned ceremony to drum up new business.”
Noah rubbed his fingers together in a world’s-smallest-violin gesture. “So ask Hayley out already, you big baby.”
“You sure you won’t get jealous if she says yes?”
Noah bawked like a chicken a couple of times.
Max flipped him off. Confident his plans were all set, Max picked up a rag and ran it over the counter to ensure they hadn’t left any grease on it, humming to himself.
Two minutes later, Hayley’s “Of course I’ve got a date” shattered Max’s plans.
Shit. He’d waited too long.
* * *
Hayley ended the call and frowned at the phone, though her frown was more for herself. Why did you lie to her? Which of course required the follow up, why haven’t you already asked someone to go with you? You’ve had four months to line someone up.
Because you’re out of touch with the dating scene, O’Connell. Time to get your act in gear.
Her phone rang again, the vibrations rousing her from her self-recrimination. Callie, Sophia’s other best friend and maid of honor, who started the call with “So listen, I was thinking about the party tomorrow night.”
Oh great. And so it began. Next Callie would say, “I’ve got the perfect guy in mind for you.”
If she showed up alone, all her friends would be convinced she was heartbroken, or needed help to get back into the dating world by vying to be the one to find her the perfect man. When she already had the perfect man in her life. She glanced over her shoulder and confirmed that Max and Noah were in the kitchen. Make that the perfect men. When she’d been searching for contractors to help her renovate her first house flip, M&M Construction—Max Moretti and Noah McNaughton—had been repeatedly recommended. Not only did they do great work, they proved themselves time and time again to be courteous and reliable. And they were a treat for the eyes—especially when the weather was hot and they stripped off their shirts.
“If you haven’t got a date already, I’ve got someone who would be perfect for you.”
Yup, there it was.
“I told you, I’ve got someone in mind.” Two someones actually. “Don’t worry about trying to hook me up with anyone.”
Max’s smile had first caught her attention. Well, it had been one of the first things. His butt had been the first thing she’d noticed, considering he’d been facing away from her originally. When he’d turned around, and his cheek-splitting grin had delved right into her heart and spread roots. Then she’d met Noah and been zapped with a lightning bolt. And not just because the knob and tube wiring in the ancient 1930s townhouse arced when she had turned on a switch.
She’d been surprised she hadn’t spontaneously combusted being in the same room as the two of them. It hadn’t been her plan to be so hands-on during the renovations until she’d come to work on reno day and seen them in action. Max had that whole swarthy swagger about him, a pure testosterone package, while Noah tried to play it cool. She’d found herself entranced by the smack talk between them, amused by how they thought in sync, worked in sync. And then there were all those gorgeous muscles rippling as they ripped down plaster and wrestled appliances out of their way. Years of physical labor had made them worthy of a sculptor’s chisel.
“But—”
“No, I want you to promise me—no blind dates, no sitting me beside a guy you think would be perfect for me, okay?”
“But Soph wants you to be as happy as she is. You know how she gets now she’s a bride.” Her tone turned wistful.
Not really. The ball-and-chain disguised by a white dress had never been her childhood dream like it had been Sophia’s or Callie’s. “I appreciate that you both worry about me, but I’m fine with the way things are.”
“We just hate to think of you being all alone…Oh, did I tell you what Aiden’s mother did this time? She asked Sophie what color balloons they wanted at the party. Balloons! Mrs. Demetrios just about had a shit fit and she was going on about how tacky it was. I swear she almost…”
Letting Callie ramble, Hayley studied the street, not seeing the ancient row houses she normally loved, not imagining the updates she’d do to number ninety eight if old Mrs. Morgan finally decided to sell. Instead she imagined herself in Max’s arms, kissing him, and wouldn’t you know it, Noah floated into her fantasy, his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck, his erection hard against her behind.
“Look, I have to go. But don’t worry about me, okay? I have a date for Friday.” Or I will if I play my cards right.
She ended the call before Callie could wheedle the details out of her. Which would have been difficult considering she hadn’t figured out whether to ask Max or Noah. Ah hell, why not just put the question out there and see who responded first? She shoved her phone back in her purse, picked up the swatches she’d dumped on the porch and headed inside.
Even though she’d chosen everything from the ceiling to floor, she couldn’t stop her breath from catching seeing the finished product. Everything was perfect. And the kitchen? Totally worked. The black quartz countertop and black undercount sink accentuated the white cupboards. And she loved how the under-cabinet lights picked up the colors in the glass tiled backsplash.
She dumped her bags by the closet and walked to the kitchen, unable to stop herself from running a hand over the cool stone on the island. The kitchen was the last room to be finished. Which meant other than a few touch ups here and there, the renos were done and Max and Noah would have no reason to come back. Sure she had another house about to close, and an offer in on another, but it would be at least a month before she’d have a legitimate reason to see them again.
Max folded his arms and parked one hip against the counter he’d just installed. “You’re frowning. You don’t like it?”
“No, it’s perfect. It’s just how I envisioned it. This place is going to end up with a bidding war.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
How did she word this so it wasn’t an obvious “I want to jump your bones” plea. Not that any guy she knew would object to that invitation, but this was Max and Noah. She wanted whatever could happen between either one of them to be more than a one and done. “I know it’s short notice but are either of you free tomorrow night?”
“Why? What’s doin’?” Noah mirrored Max’s pose.
“I have to go to a friend’s Jack and Jill party and I hate the thought of showing up alone. So I was wondering if either of you’d like to come with me. Be my date.”
“Is Darrell going to be there?” Max practically growled, which sent tingles deep into her chest and down to parts that hadn’t tingled in too long.
“Yes.”
“So are you asking because you want to make that jerk jealous?” Max folded his arms across his chest, his full lips drawn into a scowl. “Or to give him a virtual middle finger?”
“Neither. I just want to stop all those inevitable blind dates my friends will try to set me up with if they think I’m alone.”
Of course when she showed up with any guy, she’d face the other inevitable question single girls faced. The “so when are you getting married, dear” questions, which she’d definitely be asked if she showed up with either Max or Noah. And if she said they weren’t serious, be they single or married, they’d totally view either man as fresh meat for some other unattached friend. “If you’re not available, it’s okay. I have a couple other guys I can ask.”
Now there was a lie. Hayley hadn’t been part of the dating scene for a while, and though she’d met a ton of guys through her renos, and had dozens of business cards as proof, most of them were married, or definitely weren’t her type.
She held her breath as Max and Noah shared a look. She’d teased them before about having some sort of telepathic communication between them, but the way they were staring at each other, she could swear that they were having a conversation without saying a word.
After a long pause, and another long look between him and Noah, Max nodded slowly. “All right, I’ll go with you to the party.”
“It’s sort of dressy. I mean, not tuxedo dressy, but not blue jeans either. Is that okay with you?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a suit I can wear. I’ll even shave.” That beautiful big grin delivered a promise she couldn’t wait to cash in.
What a pity. She loved that two day scruff he was currently sporting. “Thank you. It’s down in the Distillery District.” She loved wandering around the historical block with its reclaimed whisky distilleries that were now filled with boutiques and creative studios, not to mention its bars. “I can meet you there if you want.”
Max shook his head. “Nope. I’ll pick you up and we can go together.”
“Good. Thanks”
“Then I’ll be your date for the wedding.”
Hayley started at Noah’s statement, then saw the heat in his eyes.
“Don’t worry. I clean up nice.” Amusement crawled over his face, bringing out the single dimple in his right cheek that she had often wanted to kiss. “I own a couple suits too. Even own my own tuxedo.”
“Great. Then I’m all set.”
It was tough work, but Hayley was pleased that she managed to keep her satisfaction from her face. It took some effort, but she managed to walk out of the room as if things hadn’t gone even better than she’d hoped. Once she was in the hall, out of sight of the two guys, she danced a little jig. Hot damn, she had not one date but two. With two very hot guys.
Life was looking pretty damned good.
Buy it now If you want the individual store links, go to Unashamed’s book page. Books2Read gives you all the sites and will direct you to the right geographical region.
For those of you who read on Google Books, all the Hauberk books are now available via Google Books/Play. And in the future, all my upcoming releases will also be available through Google Books. So you’ll have even more choices of vendors.
If you prefer the direct links (listed in recommended reading order)
I have yet to add the complete series bundle to Google, but it will be coming if you prefer to buy the series as a bundle.
Don’t forget you can also buy paperback copies of the Hauberk books. First Night has been combined into Private Property‘s paperback, and Perfect Proposal is included in Deliberate Deceptions.
Heads up! For a limited time, Barnes & Noble has a sale on where you can get 25% off pre-orders. Since I currently have three books available on preorder, now’s your chance to save some money while buying my paperbacks. Use the code PREORDER25
Contractor Max Moretti knows that once he turns over the keys on his latest project, he and his business partner Noah McNaughton will have to say goodbye to sexy house flipper, Hayley O’Connell. Something neither he nor Noah are ready for. When Max overhears Hayley discussing a ménage fantasy, the two men plan to fulfill her fantasy.
Being sandwiched between the two sexy construction workers introduces Hayley to pleasure she’d never known before, but making love to both men quickly becomes an addiction. An addiction that both intrigues and overwhelms her.
One passion-filled night turns into two, and Max and Noah find themselves faced with a bigger challenge—convincing Hayley that forever is better with three.
Pre-order it now!
It will be available both in a digital version, but it is also coming out in paperback. (It hasn’t shown up on any of the stores’ websites yet, but it should be appearing soon.)
I really love this story because, like All I Need For Christmas, it’s set in Canada. Which means I can use my own Canadian voice, and use my own weird Canadianisms and refer to our Canadian landmarks and the ubiquitous Timmy’s! (Okay, technically Timmy’s is no longer Canadian since it got bought out by Burger King and then they got bought out by a Brazilian firm, but it used to be ours.)
Mainly I love it, and I hope you will too, because there are two very hot men who are intent on satisfying the women between them. Yum.
If you read the Hunks, Hammers and Happily Ever Afters anthology I participated in back in 2015, you may remember it but I’ve made some changes. I made them because when the anthology finished and I was free to publish it on my own, something about it just didn’t sit right with me and I didn’t want to release something I wasn’t happy with and expect my readers to be happy with it. Basically I wasn’t convinced that written the way it was with the MMF menage, Hayley would have a Happy-Ever-After. And she deserves one. So I let it sit and percolate for…far too long.
Once I got my rights back for the other books, I decided it was time to resurrect Unashamed too. I’ve edited and changed it to an MFM menage and now I’m certain Hayley will have her HEA with Max and Noah. Yay!
Amazon.com has put the paperback versions of PERSONAL PROTECTION on sale for an incredible 71% off, so instead of paying $14.99 you can grab your paperback of Sam and Rosie’s story for just $4.40US. The paperback version of DELIBERATE DECEPTIONS on also on sale for $4.10 US, which is a 59% savings. The paperback version of Deliberate Deceptions not only includes Chad and Lauren’s story but also includes PERFECT PROPOSAL, the short story I wrote of how Sam’s attempts to proposal to Rosie go all awry.
I have no idea when the sale will end, so grab your copies while you can. And I’m really sorry to my international readers, but it appears this sale is only available through the US site at this point in time.
If you’re a fan of audiobooks, and haven’t already bought your copy of the Red Hot Holiday anthology that includes my Christmas story, I Need You for Christmas, you should know that it will only be available until December 3, 2022.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to put it out in audio myself, so if you haven’t yet purchased it, now is the time to download this sizzling romantic anthology from Amazon or Audible.
I know it may seem like nothing is happening on the front end, but I’m doing a lot of work behind the scenes to get my Carina books ready for re-release. I’m going through them and editing them for any missed words or typos (they went through multiple editors, proofreaders, beta readers, etc. but sometimes words get missed or lost in formatting) I’m also updating technology — like in one book they’re using an iPod to listen to their music, so that’s getting changed. In a couple places I changed names of insignificant characters to prevent having multiple characters with the same names even if they’re in different series.
I’m also putting several cover artists to work creating new cover art that matches my vision for my stories. Some of my Carina covers were beautiful and I loved them, and I hope to recreate them. Others I wasn’t so thrilled with (but with any publisher, most times you don’t get a say in their designs) so I’m excited about finally being able to give them the cover they deserve.
I am still working out a schedule for when each book is going to be released in the coming months, and in what order. I’m also going to be experimenting with the Kindle Unlimited program, so some novellas will be only available through Amazon for the first three months, while others will be released wide. Don’t forget if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter in the past couple of months, you’ll need to sign up again as my mailing list provider deleted my original list. And please, help spread the word to your friends so I can get the word out and others can find my stories too.
I’m still editing Wrangling the Past, Gabe’s story and the final book (I think) in the Grady Legacy series, and hope to release that next spring, so it follows Slow Ride Home and No Accounting for Cowboys releases, which will also be next spring. And I’m writing brand new contemporary stories that I’m really excited about, though I can’t talk about them. Yet. But there will be new Leah Braemel content coming soon.
The big news for today is not only is I Need You for Christmas getting a prettier cover, but it’s also getting a new title: All I Need For Christmas.
As I’m doing a ton of background work to get my Carina books ready for re-release, I’m wondering if anyone would be interested in reading a blog again? Or is everyone over on TikTok these days?
For my own part, in addition to sending newsletters only for sales/new releases, I would like to go back to posting chit chat and background about the writing and publishing process here. Facebook is not reaching anybody unless it makes them money. Twitter can be far too dark and political that I need to stay off it most days. And to be honest, I do not see myself ever making a video for TikTok.
So…how do you keep in touch with your favourite authors and their news about sales and upcoming releases? Or just general chit chat? Would you be interested in reading posts here? (You can click to have them emailed to you if you want to follow that way.) Or would you prefer newsletters sent to you only if there’s a sale or new release? If you’re seeing this, let me know what you think.
