Release Blitz: Slap Shot Surprise: Melanie Harlow
SLAP SHOT SURPRISE
(Cherry Tree Harbor #5)
Melanie Harlow
Publication Date: October 1, 2024
What to expect:
🏒 Professional hockey player
🍼 Accidental pregnancy
🏒 Opposites attract
🍼 Chance encounter
🏒 Long distance love
🍼 He loves taking care of her
In my defense, I thought the plane was going to crash.
Otherwise, I never would have blurted out those embarrassing things to a perfect stranger.
Did I mention he turned out to be a scorching hot superstar of professional hockey?
But wait, there’s more.
When the plane lands safely, I rush off, praying I’ll never have to face him again. My luck holds out for less than twenty-four hours, when I realize he’s a groomsman at the wedding I’m attending.
We end up having a drink and a good laugh about my panicked confessions, and when he invites me up to his room for some no-strings-attached fun, I say yes. After all, a headboard rattling one-night stand with a guy who knows how to put the puck in deep isn’t something a bookworm like me ever thought she’d experience.
Neither are those two little pink lines.
Now what’s crashing are all the plans Joe Lupo and I had for our lives–separately.
After all, we’re totally wrong for each other. He’s commitment-phobic and completely focused on his career. And I want to plant roots in my small town–with someone who chooses me.
Love? It’s out of the question.
Until Joe Lupo lines up his shot and aims straight for my heart.
It was only supposed to be a one-night stand to light her lamp. And he shoots, he scores...BIG! The small crowd of these two is shocked by the repercussions, but they decide that they’re going to face it head-on.
Mabel is no-nonsense, responsible, independent and she has the support of her family behind her. Joe is charming and handsome. He is supposed to be just focusing on hockey and he has sworn off relationships and never planned on a family. But this surprising news shocks and awes him. But he’s also been brought up in a good family with good values and knows he needs to take his part of responsibility. It was a shot that they thought was going to shatter their lives and it did send them going in a different direction.
They just have to figure out exactly what that is going to look like. He is a busy pro hockey player in Chicago. She is a small-town Cherry Harbor girl and museum curator who enjoys her deep family roots. But the more they try to organize life, the more things keep surprising them. I loved seeing them feel their way through these new situations and start to have to deal with messy feelings.
Joe Lupo totally won my heart. He is such a thoughtful, caring, protective, and generous hero even when he is a bit oblivious and confused about his own thoughts, feelings, priorities, and future. But now he’s got to decide whether he is brave enough and truly wants to take a shot at love as well. And Mabel is just such a smart, strong, and sweet woman just trying to do the best for everyone. They are so cute together and have such chemistry. I just loved them and found myself cheering them on in some of the most emotional and sweetest moments.
Mabel is no-nonsense, responsible, independent and she has the support of her family behind her. Joe is charming and handsome. He is supposed to be just focusing on hockey and he has sworn off relationships and never planned on a family. But this surprising news shocks and awes him. But he’s also been brought up in a good family with good values and knows he needs to take his part of responsibility. It was a shot that they thought was going to shatter their lives and it did send them going in a different direction.
They just have to figure out exactly what that is going to look like. He is a busy pro hockey player in Chicago. She is a small-town Cherry Harbor girl and museum curator who enjoys her deep family roots. But the more they try to organize life, the more things keep surprising them. I loved seeing them feel their way through these new situations and start to have to deal with messy feelings.
Joe Lupo totally won my heart. He is such a thoughtful, caring, protective, and generous hero even when he is a bit oblivious and confused about his own thoughts, feelings, priorities, and future. But now he’s got to decide whether he is brave enough and truly wants to take a shot at love as well. And Mabel is just such a smart, strong, and sweet woman just trying to do the best for everyone. They are so cute together and have such chemistry. I just loved them and found myself cheering them on in some of the most emotional and sweetest moments.
This is a one-night stand gone awry, surprise pregnancy, small town, opposites-attract, hockey and history nerd romance with all the feels. I enjoyed the cameos from both of their families and friends from the Melanie Harlow universe. I enjoyed every page of this book and their engaging, heartfelt, inspiring story.
Yes, I’m a single dad who needs a nanny for the summer.
But hire the stranded runaway bride who shows up on my doorstep in a wedding gown with no references, no skills, and no experience?
No one is that desperate.
Except within twenty-four hours, down-on-her-luck Veronica Sutton manages to charm my kids, my family, and half the population of Cherry Tree Harbor into believing she’s perfect for the job.
And for me.
It’s not that I can’t see the appeal–those baby blue eyes? The endless legs? That mouth made for trouble? But I’ve got enough on my plate, raising two kids on my own and keeping the family business alive. I don’t have the time or the inclination to fall for an outspoken city girl.
So I should have kept my hands to myself.
Holding her in my arms was a big mistake. Even worse? Spending the night together. She ignites a possessive fire in me that I’m finding hard to snuff out.
But the most unforgivable? Growing attached to the sound of her laugh, the scent of her skin, and the way her body wraps around mine in the dark.
At the end of the summer, she’ll be gone.
And if I’m not careful, she might run away with my heart.
HIDEAWAY HEART
(Cherry Tree Harbor #2)
(Cherry Tree Harbor #2)
All I wanted was a break—two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.
But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded bodyguard.
And guess what? There’s only one bed.
Well, he can couch it.
Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.
But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.
Instead, I end up kissing him.
I don’t even know how it happened—one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.
But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.
Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.
Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.
Marry him to save my family’s struggling ski resort? That’s a different story…
Getting hitched is the only way I can inherit Snowberry Lodge, and I’ll do anything to spare my childhood home from the wrecking ball–even wear Devlin Buckley’s ring on my finger.
Not that I’ll enjoy it.
Sure, he’s charming and handsome, and that no-last-names one night stand we shared ended with a fantastically big bang (I saw stars I hadn’t seen in six months, if you catch my drift).
But I’ll never trust him–he was working for the company trying to bulldoze my life.
Right up until the day he knocked on my door with an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Marry him, and he’ll help me restore my family’s crumbling resort to its former glory–and get revenge on his ex-boss in the process. Once our goals are achieved, we’ll go our separate ways.
It’s temporary. Strictly business. Purely for show.
Until I realize how much I like it when he says "my wife."
Once we’re sharing a last name–and a bed–our make-believe match starts to feel a little too real.
MAKE-BELIEVE MATCH
(Cherry Tree Harbor #3)
(Cherry Tree Harbor #3)
Fall in love with my enemy? No way.
And if I’m not careful, I could lose everything… my home, my dreams, and my heart.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗯 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀.
𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗯 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀.
So when Dashiel Buckley returns to Cherry Tree Harbor for a wedding, I’m determined not to let my massive crush on my best friend’s older brother hijack my good sense.
(It happened once before. Do not recommend.)
But when my hand is injured, it’s Dash who steps in at the diner. The moment he realizes I can’t afford to fix my car, he takes care of it. And when he hears about the way my toxic ex treated me, he refuses to let it go.
Now it’s not just his blue eyes and sexy smile that have me swooning, it’s the way he wants to help me. Encourage me. Protect me.
I can’t resist.
Our text messages heat up. Our phone calls melt all my defenses. “Just friends” turns into “just once,” and “just once” becomes a distant memory. Night after night, he warms my bed, my body, and my heart.
But it can’t last.
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀–𝗗𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮, 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹.
𝗜𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝘀.
USA Today and #1 Amazon bestselling author Melanie Harlow writes sweet, sexy, feel-good romance. She likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. If she's not writing or reading, she's probably at Orangetheory or watching Schitt's Creek again. She lifts her glass to readers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.
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