Check out the cover for LIP SMACKER by Alison G. Bailey!

Lip Smacker is coming on November 21st!

Performed by Jason Clarke and Emma Wilder with a full cast including Audie winners Andi Arndt, Dion Graham, Vikas Adam and Dan Bittner and with special performances by Shane East, Teddy Hamilton and Erin Mallon. This audiobook will also include the novella THE ENGAGEMENT GIFT performed by Teddy Hamilton and Elena Wolfe!!

Moonlighter

(The Company #1)

Sarina Bowen

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Release Date October 22, 2019

Only in my family could a professional hockey player earning seven million dollars a year be considered a slacker.

I’m at the height of my athletic career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don’t even know its name.

Pass, thanks. I don’t need a summer job.

But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.

So guess who’s on a flight to Hawaii?

It’s going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we’re torturing each other. It’s all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector.

Moonlighter is a stand-alone novel. No cliffhangers, no prior experience necessary. Contains: hackers, hockey players, and a hotel room with only one bed.

Eric Bayer thinks he is about to enjoy his brief vacation before hockey season starts up again, but his family has other ideas. Next thing he knows he is on a trip to Hawaii to help with security for an old family friend. The girl who always challenged him and made him smile. But he is kind of moody,  focused on hockey and dealing with an injury, not excited to be on this trip, and not interested in relationships. 

Alex Engels is a Tech Goddess and CEO. She is smart, successful,and still bossy. She is a work-a-holic, but also dealing with some new personal issues. Due to circumstances she needs protection and to feel safe. That is why Eric is lured in by his family's security company to take this assignment.

They have not been together in years. Neither expected the chemistry and sexual tension. It's undeniable and ill-advised, but they are adults and think they can handle it. Alex is stressed and there is a lot on her plate, so it is good to have an old friend around. And some extra stress relieving is not bad either.

But there is a reason she needs protection, and they are not even quite sure who she needs it from. So Eric will have to be alert and aware and use the resources of him and his family company. But he may find it is more than the bargained for. And Alex has everything to lose and needs people on her side. But it's just supposed to be a short fling...reality is a whole other story.

This is witty, sexy, and heartwarming. These two are so much fun and have such great banter and chemistry. I really enjoyed both of their personalities. I loved their competitiveness, but also their power exchanges. I liked the merging of her corporate tech world, his family's security company, and of course Brooklyn Bruisers hockey. There is also a suspense thread running through the story with multiple possible antagonists and motivations. So these two are dealing with a lot of external drama while trying to figure out what they really want and what choices to make for the future. And even though there are some familiar faces and references, this can be read as a total stand-alone. But with that being said, I hope we see his security guru brother, Max again or maybe even the rookies, Anton and Drake. 

Eric Bayer’s hockey career leaves him with little free time, but even so, his family doesn’t consider it hard work. During a short break from the season, his brother coerced him into helping out as a bodyguard for none other than his childhood friend, Alex Engles. Eric and Alex used to play together, but haven’t interacted more than briefly in years.

Alex Engles is a genius tech CEO struggling to prove her worth as she now leads the company started by her father. With a new product in the works, there is pressure from all sides to nail the launch.

They were supposed to pretend to be together so Eric could assess the threats around her and she can feel safe, but when their initial trip to Hawaii includes a shared room with one bed and plenty of opportunities to build on the friendship they once had, the line between pretend and real begins to fade, making Eric’s job even more serious.

This was an interesting combination of sweet and tense. Alex and Eric are sweet together and have very little drama as they shift their relationship from pretend boyfriend to something with a little more substance. But the shadow of the threat over Alex keeps things moving and drives much of the intensity to the story.

Though Eric is part of the Bruisers team and Alex is friends with the team’s owner, this book stands alone completely. I enjoyed getting to know Eric’s father and brother as they pull the strings behind the scenes, as well as the other Company team members that help as Alex’s security needs increase. I am looking forward to more from the Company as this spin-off expands.

Bishop's Queen
(Endgame trilogy #2)
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I was so excited to read Evan and Isla's story after hearing about them in Bishop's Knight. I was fascinated by the man who now felt like he was a monster.

Evan and Isla thought they had everything until a tragic event shattered it all. He felt so much guilt, anger, and self-loathing that he cut his fiancee' Isla out of his life completely and isolated himself. And this left her heartbroken and also dealing alone with her own personal loss and business needs. So they are both still trying to handle the fallout and are still hurting and avoiding. 

But a couple months later, their paths are crossing again. Evan realizes he made some poor choices and misses her. But he also still has issues with his self-worth, guilt, and feeling like he does not deserve her. But he wants her in his life in some way. However, she is not sure she is ready to deal with him again. But when she seems to be targeted, he becomes her self appointed shadow and bodyguard and it seems like he is giving her no choice.

Soon they realize things are going from bad to worse. There are threats and it is difficult to pinpoint the enemy or their true motivations. The story is layered with multiple possible antagonists, and I kept changing my mind as I worked through it. So it is full of tension, suspense, and danger. But it also deals with two people still trying to heal, reconnect, face their issues, and hope for a better possible future...if they both make it through this.

I liked getting their dual points of view as well as a bonus character...those parts made me study them for more clues. I really liked Evan even when he was trying to be gruff or distant. He was protective, loving, and self-sacrificing and wanted what was best for her. And Isla was strong and smart and just trying to get through some really confusing and scary situations. Their connection was believable and their hurt and need was palpable.

I liked seeing his sister, Evie and Dylan from the first book and some of the other side characters. I was glad that we got all the answers that I had questions about and that this was a complete standalone story. I am looking forward to their missing brother, Ellis' story in the trilogy finale, Bishop's Endgame. 

Evan Bishop had it all -- fantastic job with a new deal about to close and the love of a good woman he was about to marry. The bomb that tore through his building changed everything in an instant. He pushed away his fiance, afraid she would consider him a burden, or blame him for her father’s death. His isolation is what he feels he deserves after surviving the blast.

Isla McDonald had her dreams put on hold by the blast that killed her father and injured her fiance. But when Evan wakes up, her dreams are further smashed when he refuses to see her. She is doing what she can to finish the deals her father was working on at the time of his death, but she is also looking forward to the day when she can turn the business over to people who love it more than she does. In working her father’s accounts, she finds someone is out to get her, though she isn’t sure who or for what.

Evan’s remorse when he learns that Isla is in continued danger, even without him in her life, has him working to repair the damage he created in their relationship. He also realizes he was a fool to push her away in the first place. His protective nature kicks in and he won’t take no for an answer when it becomes clear she needs security around her while they determine who and where the threat is coming from.

Frankly, I was expecting a more emotional journey to reconnect with the buildup to their break that we watched in the first book. Though it hurt to watch them fall apart, they came together fairly seamlessly and the bigger issue quickly became the stalker threat to Isla. I did enjoy watching Evan’s protective side kick in as he worked to get himself over the new scarring he had been hiding behind.

I am looking forward to Ellis’s book to see how the entire storyline is wrapped up. He has been in hiding, wanted for a murder we have been led to believe he did not commit. I can’t wait to see what he has been hiding or investigating as he stayed away from his brother and sister while so much was going on in their lives.

Bishop's Knight
(Endgame trilogy #1)
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Our 4 star reviews

The Bishop siblings' family is on the verge of collapse as all three find themselves embroiled in danger. Family bonds may keep them alive...but only love can give them something to live for. Read BISHOP'S KNIGHT, the first novel in this ALL NEW heart-pounding Endgame trilogy!

She needs his protection...

Thanks to years of government training, Evie Bishop knows how to get into places she doesn't belong—and she's very good at it. But years of doing black ops work burned her out so she returns home—to unexpected chaos. One of her brothers is in a coma and the other is in hiding, wanted for murder. Then a fellow operative from her past shows up shot and bleeding with news that an assassin is gunning for everyone involved with a past op. She's forced to turn to the one man she knows she can trust—the man whose heart she broke. 

But it will come with a price...

When Dylan Blackwood proposed a year ago, Evie turned him down flat and walked out of his life. He's stunned when he finds her on his doorstep covered in someone else's blood, needing his help. He always knew there was more to her than met the eye—that Evie was never simply the pampered society princess she wanted people to believe she was. But he never expected this. If she needs help, he'll give it. Even if he can't forget her betrayal. Even if he isn't sure he can trust her. But his protection will come with a price—her heart. Before they can have a chance at a future, they'll have to work together to take down a faceless enemy who has Evie firmly in his crosshairs.

Katie Reus
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The Royal Rogue

Karina Halle

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Release Date  October 17, 2019

Every family has a black sheep – even the royal ones.

In the royal family of Denmark, that black sheep is me. To the public I’m known as Princess Stella, but I feel anything but royal. As a single mom, divorcee, social outcast, and forever forgotten about under the magnetism and power of my older brother, King Aksel, I’m used to being an outlier. Though it doesn’t matter when my whip-smart nine-year old daughter, Anya, is my whole world anyway.

Then that world of mine gets turned upside down.

I meet Prince Orlando of Monaco, whom the media has dubbed “The Royal Rogue” for many good reasons. I can’t stand that arrogant smirk on his face, the lewd words that leave his lips – pretty much everything about him. I especially can’t stand how infuriatingly sexy he is and how he manages to get under my skin like no one else.

It’s been a long time since a man could make me feel that way, so you can’t really blame me for throwing my willpower out the window and succumbing to a brief but torrid affair with him, full of hot, dirty sex and nothing else.

Until that nothing else turns into something more, in the form of a big surprise.

I thought I got that wicked royal rogue out of my system but there’s a link between us now that neither of us can ignore.

A baby.
Princess Stella of Denmark is a divorcee' and a single mom. She usually stays out of the spotlight and only gets involved when her brother, King Aksel is away. Unfortunately, she ends up having to host the eccentric royal family of Monaco at the palace, and she soon finds herself in over her head. Not only are the royals quite animated and attention-seeking, but the oldest son, Prince Orlando is hot, sexy, and flirtatious as hell. He is nicknamed The Royal Rogue for a reason.

They go from verbally sparring to fast and dirty talk and sexy times during his visit, which leaves them with a little dividend. Stella is in a bad position as an unmarried royal. Orlando has already made promises to another that he feels obligated to keep. It's messy, complicated, angsty, and heartbreaking.

Even though I really liked Orlando, his choices frustrated me at times. He wanted to do the best for everyone, but it was impossible to make everyone happy. Promises, choices, sacrifice can be good or bad. I loved Stella. She came off as quiet and reserved at first, but she could also be pushed out of her comfort zone and was stronger than she thought. They had great banter, chemistry, humor, and an undeniable connection.

This book is witty, sexy, angsty, and swoony. It is a journey for them to find their own self worth in spite of their public images and find purpose and fulfillment. Basically either choose happiness or live in the safety of expectations and rules.

This one is full of all kinds of family dynamics. I enjoyed more with Denmark royals Aksel, Aurora, their kids, and Stella's daughter, Anya. There are also some other fun cameos. And the Monaco family was quite entertaining. I would not mind seeing books for his twin siblings, Mathilde and Francis (even though Francis seems to have his life pretty well figured out). Anyway, I loved jumping back into this royal world. 

These books are standalone spin-offs since the main characters are friends

The Swedish Prince

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Kim' s 4.5 star review
**A standalone romance inspired by the classic film, Roman Holiday.*

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Root Literary and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.