I didn’t join the force to play dress-up in designer heels and
pretend to be someone’s girlfriend, but apparently life has a twisted
sense of humor. And mine comes with a six-foot-something ego, a movie-star
smile, and a peculiar knack for getting under my skin.
Marco Dal Santo is everything I don’t trust: cocky, charming, reckless,
and way too comfortable in a world built on smoke and mirrors. I’m
supposed to use him to get close to people who hide crimes behind champagne
and expensive suits. He’s supposed to be a means to an end. Convenient.
Temporary. And fake.
But there’s one small problem. It doesn’t really feel fake because
every time he touches me, every time he pushes past my defenses and makes me
feel something real, I forget that we’re supposed to be pretending.
Somewhere between the staged kisses and very real arguments, the lines get
blurred, and I can’t tell what’s part of the job…and what
isn’t.
We’re caught up in a world where one wrong move can get us killed, yet
I’m starting to realize the most dangerous part of this case isn’t
the criminals we’re chasing.
It’s him.
Because if anyone finds out I’m developing genuine feeling for my fake
boyfriend, I’ll lose my badge, my mentor’s trust, and possibly my
heart in the process.
So yeah…I’m in way over my head.
And the worst part?
I’m not sure I want to be rescued.
Trigger warning: Gun violence, trauma victim and grief.
About the Author
Number cruncher by day, raging romance novelist by night;
Jacqueline’s creative inspiration stems from romance and all its
literary and rom-com depictions. Matters of the heart are what fascinates her,
because ultimately, what makes a life out of - what would ordinarily be a
typical existence - is Love
Two fake-dating mathematicians create all kinds of chemistry in this
forced proximity STEMinist romance for fans of Ali Hazelwood and Abby Jimenez.
Mathematician Daisy Zhang-Wainwright’s fiancé Ethan
unceremoniously dumps her 29 days before she’s due to move cross-country
to be with him and start a new university job. But Daisy’s always been
stubborn, and she’s not about to turn down a postdoc at MIT over a
failed relationship, so here she is, in a last-minute apartment with minimal
furniture, no friends, and a dumpster fire of a bank account.
To make matters worse, her new downstairs neighbor is Professor Lars
Berg-Anderson, Ethan’s academic rival, infamously cold and notoriously
antisocial. Daisy has barely settled in when she discovers that not only is
Ethan in a new relationship, it’s with Daisy’s new potential
colleague… who is pregnant. Daisy doesn’t need her math PhD to
work out that the two relationships overlapped.
So when the happy couple arrives at Daisy’s house-warming party, what
can she do but impulsively suggest Lars kiss her? Lars might be MIT’s
ice man, but he’s also objectively hot. But, the more time they spend
together, the harder it is for either of them to maintain appropriate
boundaries. Daisy’s not ready for anything serious and Lars believes
relationships have an “unfavorable benefit to effort ratio”, so
these two are definitely way too smart to get emotionally entangled in a
for-show, completely fake, rebound. Right?
About the Author
I'm a blessed (but often exhausted) mother of four. I learned English by
reading regency-era romances by the bagful, and when I ran out of escapist
fiction that was exactly the type I wanted (usually lower stakes, usually
lighter on the angst though sometimes I lean in), I started to write my own. I
also publish children's books under Marie Chow.
Student Autumn Haze’s motto is: no men until she completes her
bachelor of nursing degree. Years before, Autumn learned the hard way men are
just a distraction she can’t afford until she’s established her
career and what she wants. While moonlighting as a Plus One companion pays the
bills, she struggles to follow her rules after meeting her newest contract.
Pediatric Hospitalist Jensen Edwards is still recovering from a bad breakup
that left him the talk of the hospital. Now he’s receiving a best
doctor’s award, but after he hires Autumn as his plus one, Jensen is on
edge. If word gets out that he hired a companion, rumors are bound to
circulate, making work unbearable—again. Their chemistry as a fake
couple is undeniable, but can a chance at a real relationship override their
fear of commitment?
About the Author
Amanda and Lisa-Marie are an award-winning, co-writing team of best friends
who share imaginary worlds, including Men In Books Aren't Better (September
29, 2024), Just What the Doctor Hired (July 9, 2025), and a short story,
Shivers, published in Moments Between (February 28, 2022). Lisa-Marie Potter
(BIPOC) is a mom of four who grew up in Nottingham, England, and now resides
in Alaska with her husband and golden retriever. Amanda Nelson grew up in
Maryland and moved to Arizona, where she attended ASU and currently lives with
her husband and four kids. Both women are hopeless romantics, but Lisa-Marie
also enjoys suspense novels, while Amanda's second go-to genre is romancy. The
duo review books on their socials, hike the Olympic National Park, and fight
over the same fictional crushes.
Every male in the family has scaled the marriage mountain only to take
catastrophic tumbles.
They’ve dubbed it The Chandler Curse.
Angel Harris has been sitting on the sidelines since her husband’s
death three years ago. Her long-held dream of having a family of her own is
slipping away because grief left her frozen in time.
Winston Chandler will do anything for his friend and business
partner’s widow. By helping her move forward, perhaps the
survivor’s guilt he suffers because of his friend’s death will
ease. He believes a makeover will show both Angel and others an external
transformation has taken place.
Trouble is, he’s too good at the job. Win is drawn to Angel 2.0. They
cross the friend line, but Winn isn’t the man to complete the perfect
life she envisions. Chandlers and romance are a volatile mix that end in one
way. Disaster.
What will it take for Winn to challenge his family’s legacy of
failure and conquer The Chandler Curse?
Celebrating family, friendships, and the power of love. Stories with heart,
heat, and humor.
*Playing to Win is the first book in A Chandler Billionaire Romance series.
All the books have interconnected characters, no cliffhangers, happily ever
afters, and can be read as standalones.
Lynn Mapp is a daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother, teacher,
writer...obviously a multi-faceted diamond, princess cut.
Lynn was a navy brat, born in San Diego, California. While she was born in
California, her Idaho roots are deep. Her mother and grandfather were Idaho
natives.
She has always looked for happily ever afters, the light after the
darkness. Families and humor are central in her life and her stories.
When
Will seeks to rekindle a flame with his ex-girlfriend, his best
friend Monique reluctantly suggests a plan involving secret admirer
notes to divert his ex’s attention. In a surprising turn, Monique
finds herself infatuated with her new boss, prompting Will to
reciprocate with anonymous tokens of affection. However, as the
deceptive game unfolds, both Monique and Will come to realize that
the heartfelt sentiments expressed in the secret admirer notes were
their own true feelings. So, what happens if the plan works? What
happens if it doesn’t?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
From
my pocket I retrieve a paper napkin with writing on it.
Will-
I’ve
been watching you. I think you’re very handsome. I’d love to get
to know you.
Love,
Your
Secret Admirer
The
note has me laughing. It’s written in Monique’s handwriting, and
I can’t even imagine why she—
I
look back down at the napkin and grin. So this is Monique’s wise
idea to get Brandy to notice me? I now have a secret admirer? Am I
supposed to leave these little notes around the house?
I
can hear Brandy moving around her room. I look at the note again, and
consider it.
Instead
of taking my coffee mug with me, I set it on the note. She’ll
notice that I forgot my coffee, and maybe she’ll see the writing on
the napkin. Well, I have nothing to lose with Monique’s little
game. Grabbing my messenger bag, I hike it up onto my shoulder and
head out to work. As is the norm, my phone rings as I’m leaving my
office and heading to lunch.
“So
now you’re my secret admirer?” I ask as I answer the phone,
knowing Monique is on the other end.
Her
laugh filters through and brings me a bit of warmth as I step outside
in the cold.
“Why,
Will, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says on
another laugh.
Guest Post
The Art of Creating Memorable
Characters by Bernadette Marie
One of the great challenges in writing
a book that readers will love is creating memorable characters. I
tend to write about women who are trying to find themselves and men
who are cinnamon rolls. These are people I understand the most. Maybe
it’s because my husband is a cinnamon roll. (I’m sure he’d love
to hear me call him that--not.) And maybe because I’m someone who
is always trying to better myself.
Knowing your characters intimately is
important. If you’re a new author, consider spending time with your
characters. What do I mean by that? Take time to write each of your
main characters their back story. Who are they? What do they believe?
What kind of education do they have? Who are their parents, etc.
Perhaps that sounds silly, but if you don’t know those kinds of
details, it’s hard to write the character. Most often, those
details don’t make it into the book, but those same details will
make them act in a certain way.
One of the things I love most about
creating characters is that they are not at all like me. I love
exploring backgrounds and morals that aren’t mine. It has opened my
eyes to an entirely different world. I truly feel as if I understand
people more than I ever have. I still may not agree with them, and I
wouldn’t live my life the way they do, but my eyes are wide open.
When you write as many books as I have,
you have to create characters that differ from the characters you’ve
written. They may be older. They may be younger. This forces you, as
a writer, to learn about generations in which you might not be
familiar with.
Writing characters is a great lesson in
humanity. And a lesson I don’t mind studying for.
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Bestselling
Author Bernadette Marie writes contemporary romances and believes in
Happily Ever After. The married mother of five believes in love at
first sight, quick love, and second chances. An avid martial artist,
Bernadette Marie is a certified instructor and holds a third degree
black belt in Tang Soo Do. She loves Tai Chi, traveling to Disney
parks, and having lunch with friends. When not writing, or running
her own publishing house, Bernadette is probably immersed in a Rom
Com, from which she will often quote one-liners.
What do a nerd, a jock, and a slacker have in common? Each other.
Blurb
When Auggie’s controlling father threatens to cut short his studies, it’s time to put his life in order. Add one cute nerd and one dedicated swimmer, and he has a new lesson to learn—how to love.
Emory is all kinds of confused. He really, really likes Auggie but is also in love with his best friend, Casey. Then Auggie comes up with a plan to see if Emory and Casey share any chemistry, and nothing will ever be the same again.
Casey lives for swimming and snuggling his best friend, Emory. Except Emory is in love with him, Auggie’s confusing him, and suddenly he has to confront his feelings and his sexuality.
Three men and one conundrum. How can they all get the guy?
Lessons in Chemistry is a slow-burn MMM college/university romance between an inexperienced nerd, an asexual jock, and the slacker who’s been around. There’s a fake date, first times, three guys finding their way in love and life, and a whole lot of snuggling.
Cover Reveal Teaser
Copyright Colette Davison 2023
“Aren’t you going to stay and finish your drink? Drinks,” he corrects. “I got you a fresh one.”
I sink into my chair. It would be rude not to stay, even though I want to run far away from him so I can scrub my brain out.
“We can chat about your problem,” Auggie says.
“My problem?”
“Yes. Your unrequited love for Casey. Have you told him you’re in love with him yet?”
“No, and I’m not going to.”
“Why not?”
Because I couldn’t take the inevitable rejection. “I don’t want to make things weird between us. Anyway, he told me he’s not interested in dating.”
“Oh, so you guys do talk about this kind of stuff after all.”
“He mentioned it last night when we were talking about—” I slap my hands over my mouth.
Auggie waggles his eyebrows. “Has someone else caught your fancy? Me, for instance?”
“You are so full of yourself,” I mutter.
“You could be full of me too.”
I choke, cough, and splutter all at the same time. Auggie stands and pats my back, which doesn’t make anything better. I sip my iced coffee until I’ve recovered.
“I’m sorry.” Auggie doesn’t sound the least bit sincere.
About the Author
Colette’s personal love story began at university, where she met her future husband. An evening of flirting, in the shadow of Lancaster Castle, eventually led to a fairytale wedding. She’s enjoying her own ‘happy ever after’ in the north of England with her husband, two beautiful children and her writing.
