From the national bestselling author of Before We Were Strangers, Swear on this Life, and Wish You Were Here comes a powerful story of two people who spend years denying their scientifically proven chemistry.

Penny spends her afternoons sitting outside a sandwich shop, surrounded by ghosts. Fourteen years ago, this shop was her childhood dance studio—and she was a dancer on the rise. Now she’s a suburban housewife, dreading the moment her son departs for MIT, leaving her with an impeccably decorated McMansion and a failing marriage. She had her chance at wild, stars-in-her-eyes happiness, but that was a lifetime ago. After The Kiss. Before The Decision.

The Kiss was soulful. Magical. Earth-shattering. And it was all for a free gift card. Asked to participate in a psych study that posed the question, “Can you have sexual chemistry without knowing what the other person looks like?” Penny agreed to be blindfolded, make polite conversation with a total stranger, and kiss him. She never expected The Kiss to change her life forever and introduce her to Gavin: tattooed, gorgeous, and spontaneous enough to ask her out seconds after the blindfolds came off.

For a year, they danced between friendship and romance—until Penny made The Decision that forced them to settle for friendship. Now, fourteen years later, both of their lives are about to radically change—and it’s his turn to decide what will become of their once-in-a-lifetime connection.

In this era of social media, we all pretend.

We pretend to be prettier, happier, more confident versions of ourselves, but not Ellen Grant. She takes it to a whole other level and pretends to be someone else entirely. Adopting the persona of a woman far more interesting is the only way she can break free of the socially awkward, romantically inept girl she really is.

And it’s all going swimmingly until she catches the eye of a man at her local coffee shop. Julian Fairchild has been noticing her for a while and he’s fascinated. Little does he know, the woman he thinks he’s obsessed with is a fake.

It’s not long before the jig is up, and Julian discovers Ellen’s true identity. However, he has a proposition. If she really wants to pretend, he can introduce her to a world where she can be anyone she wants. Ellen is intrigued by the prospect, and, blind to the nature of Julian’s profession as a male escort, closes her eyes and lets him lead the way.

Can Ellen keep her feelings in check while discovering a new world of thrills and excitement? And will Julian let it show that he isn’t entertaining Ellen purely out of the goodness of his heart?

*Fauxmance is a standalone contemporary romance featuring characters first seen in L.H. Cosway’s Showmance.*

Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.

For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.

But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME
By: Kylie Scott 
Releasing August 7th, 2018
 
Returning home for her father’s wedding was never going to be easy for Adele. If being sent away at eighteen hadn’t been bad enough, the mess she left behind when she made a pass at her dad’s business partner sure was.

Fifteen years older than her, Pete had been her crush for as long as she could remember. But she’d misread the situation—confusing friendliness for undying love. Awkward. Add her father to the misunderstanding, and Pete was left with a broken nose and a business on the edge of ruin. The man had to be just as glad as everyone else when she left town.

Seven years later, things are different. Adele is no longer a kid, but a fully grown adult more than capable of getting through the wedding and being polite. But all it takes is seeing him again to bring back those old feelings.

Sometimes first loves are the truest. 

Title: The Hawks
Author: SD Hendrickson
Genre: Romantic Suspense/Family Drama/New Adult
Release Date: July 26th, 2018
 
“Sultry summer of suspense that leads to the fall of a powerful family”
 
He warned me. Said hawks were dangerous birds. Their majestic beauty could blind your eyes as they picked the flesh from your bones. But even hawks have enemies. And they eventually came for the Hawthorn family. Held us hostage. Demanded retribution.
 
But I wasn’t a Hawthorn. No, I was just the help. Caught in the turmoil of a tragic family. I worked hard for Delsey Hawthorn. Tried to earn the respect of the reigning tyrant. Assistant. Event planner. Gardner. Chauffeur. I added it all to my resume.
 
And then I met Javier Hawthorn. Delsey ordered me to stay away from her grandson. But like a moth to a burning flame, I gravitated toward him. He was so different than my world. Irresistible. Charming. He brought a calmness to the chaos.
 
But that was before the intruders came into the house. Tied us up. Hurt us. We struggled to get away. We fought to survive. But who were the men behind the masks? Did we know them? Because someone who got this close to the family at night must be even closer during the day.

Why does forbidden fruit always taste the sweetest?

A filthy biker with a reputation for using his fists first and asking questions later, Victor “Viking” Kennedy wasn’t under the illusion that his marriage to Bonnie Dubois had the makings of a grand love affair. She was a prima ballerina—a snobby bitch who knew she was sex-on-legs. She was also ripe for a walk on the wild side with him.

Their understanding was mutual. A year-long fling that kept them both satisfied until she headed overseas to pursue her dancing career. It was good while it lasted. The perfect arrangement that took a wrong turn and ended with a surprise pregnancy followed by a shotgun wedding. 

Nowadays, they’re just two parents doing their best to raise their son right. And, it was working until his VP’s teenage daughter sashayed her way into his life and turned everything on its head.

She’s off-limits.
 
An indiscretion punishable by death.

So why can’t Viking find a way to halt their growing connection?

Title: The Price of Brimstone
Author: Allie Gail
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 18th, 2018

There's a monster in my basement.
 
That isn't a metaphor, in case you were wondering. And it isn't the tagline to some midnight horror flick. Fact is, Locryn Price is nothing if not a monster. One part human, the other part demon, the guy's got a slab of ice where his heart should be.
 
Ironic, considering the rest of him is hot enough to start a fire underwater.
 
Not exactly what I was expecting to find when I came home from college to surprise my brother. I mean, I always knew Russell was a little warped, but now we have a pissed-off, wisecracking demon in shackles and chains as proof.
 
The October winds are stirring, bringing more than just storms. Two of our friends are missing. Loc knows something, but he isn't talking. And to complicate matters further, my former crush Max has joined forces with my brother. They think they'll get answers using spells and pentacles and brute torture.
 
But the devil prefers to bargain.
 
My innocence in exchange for the hostages. Those are his terms.
 
Now I'm in his world. A world of demons, deception and the sweetest of seductions.
 
And losing my way in the darkness never felt so good.

Title: Stud
Series: Dragon Runners #2
Author: ML Nystrom
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Genre: MC Romance
Release Date: June 23rd, 2018
 
Bold and brash, Eva MacAteer has spent her life working in her blue-collar family’s construction business. In doing so, she’s had to fight for her own place away from her overbearing father, as well as for her own identity as a woman. Struggling between her loyalty to her brothers and her desire to strike out to be her own person, Eva knows one thing for certain: getting involved with a womanizer, no matter how hot he may be, is not the path for her.  
 
Stud is not one to be tied down to any woman. Fiercely loyal to the club and his single ways, the last thing he expects is to become fascinated by the fiery Eva. He sees his own life reflected in hers and is not quite sure how to handle the connection.
 
Can two mismatched people find enough common ground to overcome their fears and allow love to grow?

Title: One Week
Author: Roya Carmen
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance (standalone)
Release Date: June 21st, 2018 
 
A troubled marriage. A one week hall pass.
 
Gabriella Moore has it all; a beautiful husband, two adorable children, and a dream home. Yet, when, by chance, she befriends Eli online, she falls fast. And hard. She knows she must let him go, and saying goodbye is one of the hardest things she’s ever done, but she resolves to move on and forget about her beautiful stranger.
 
But then… she makes an unexpected discovery, and it shakes her perfect world to its core. Rules don’t apply anymore. An arrangement is made, and her husband gives her just one weekwith Eli. The rules are clear: One week. Sex only. No contact thereafter. Seems simple enough, but it’s never simple when it comes to love.

Title: Safe Haven
Series: Captain’s Duet #1
Author: Red Phoenix
Genre: Standalone Duet - Military Romance
Release Date: June 12th, 2018
 
Love has no limits…
 
I’m known as Captain. I’ve accepted my title as a war hero but I still carry the guilt - until I meet her. She is like no other submissive I’ve met. In her eyes, I see the man I once was.
 
There’s only one problem.
I can never be what her young heart needs. 
 
****
 
If I hadn’t met Brie Bennett with her offer of submissive training, I’m unsure where I would be today.
 
At the Training Center, I meet Captain, a distinguished Dom who is the man of my dreams—my safe haven.
 
But I have a problem. 
Captain won’t collar me.
 
*Safe Haven is the first book of a standalone duet. It is a military romance with BDSM elements. This is a spin-off from the series, Brie’s Submission.*