Trust by Kathy Lockheart is now live!
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He’s a convicted killer.
I’m his nurse.
And he saw my bruises.
Now he keeps getting hurt on purpose,
just to see that I’m safe.
As a prison nurse, I keep my heart locked away tighter than the men I treat.
No gray areas.
No second chances.
Especially not after escaping my abusive ex.
Then Knox Blackwood, the most dangerous man in the prison, winds up in my infirmary.
Whatever he did to get locked up remains the prison’s darkest secret.
He should terrify me.
Instead, he sees what no one else does.
The scars.
The flinch when a door slams.
The fear I can’t bury.
“Who hurt you?” he growls.
When I don’t answer, Knox starts showing up in my infirmary.
New wounds.
Suspicious injuries.
Getting hurt on purpose,
just for five minutes with me.
I tell myself I can’t fall for an inmate.
I won’t.
Especially not one who’s now harboring a violent vendetta against my ex.
But every stolen touch feels like salvation.
And every whispered promise paves the road to our future.
Knox is one parole hearing from freedom.
If we stay careful, maybe he’ll get out.
Reunite with his daughter.
And we’ll have a life beyond these walls.
All I have to do
is keep Knox from killing the man who hurt me.
That’s the plan.
Until my violent ex steps into the prison
as Knox’s new guard…
From an International & Amazon top 25 bestselling author, TRUST is a forbidden romance featuring an obsessive, morally gray prisoner willing to risk his only shot at freedom to protect her.
Forbidden nurse/inmate romance
Obsessive, possessive morally gray hero
“Touch Her and Die” energy
“Who Hurt You?” protector vibes
Forced proximity in a prison setting
Alpha male with everything to lose
Standalone. Unputdownable HEA.
Trigger Warnings: Please visit the author’s website for the full list.
My Review
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This is the first book by this author I have picked up. From the moment I read the blurb I was hooked. Then I saw that cover and I was obsessed. The downside was this is part of a series, but I did triple check it was able to be read as a standalone. And thankfully I had no issue reading this as a standalone. I can see how I’ve missed out on the relationships between all the friends and I am absolutely adding the earlier books to my TBR.
Now from the blurb and probably from my own mind, I was expecting this to be dark. And I really didn’t find it to be a dark novel personally. I felt all the feels and I might admit to shedding a few tears while reading this. But damn neither Know nor Harper had it easy. Yet both of them dealt with it like champs, in their own way.
I instantly loved Knox, not just because I could clearly picture him as the cover model. But there’s something about a well written good guy who would literally kill to protect the people he loves. And Knox was so well written and an amazing human and even better boyfriend. Harper was pretty damn great herself and I loved them together.
I would have liked a little more closure at the end. A bit more of them, off enjoying their happily ever after. A lot more of certain people being violently and painfully injured in prison. But the ending I got was great, I’m just a vengeful bitch and I like my bad guys to be hit by a bus and maybe backed over a time or two. Never mind I’m off to check out the earlier books in the series and make my TBR cry. Toodles
MAPLE & MOONLIGHT
Daphne Elliot
Release Date: April 27
Blurb:
As a single mom rebuilding my life from scratch, I don’t need help. And I definitely don’t need the attention of a six-foot-three maple farmer with a beard and a hero complex who looks at me like I’m a problem he didn’t sign up for.
My landlord is broad-shouldered, permanently unimpressed, and entirely too comfortable telling me when I’m wrong. I think he’s grumpy, rigid, and overprotective. He thinks I’m chaos in Crocs.
Falling for Josh Lawrence was never part of the plan.
But then he starts showing up.
For my son when he’s overwhelmed.
For my daughters when they need someone steady.
And for me when my hands won’t stop shaking.
I didn’t come to Vermont looking for a protector. I don’t need rescuing. But somewhere between harvest festivals, pumpkin canoe races, and quiet mornings in the sugar shack, the man I swore was just an annoyance becomes my safe place.
And when my dangerous past resurfaces and threatens the new life I’ve built, the grumpy maple farmer next door becomes my fiercest protector, ready to stand by my side while I fight for my family.
Because it turns out maple farmers are a lot like their trees: quiet, stubborn, and surprisingly sweet when the pressure builds.
Buy Link:
Available in KU
Meet Daphne Elliot:
In High School, Daphne Elliot was voted “most likely to become a romance novelist.” After spending the last decade as a corporate lawyer, she has finally embraced her destiny. Her small town steamy novels are filled with flirty banter, sexy hijinks, and lots and lots of heart.
Daphne is a coffee-drinking, hot-sauce loving introvert who spends all her free time in her garden. She lives on a small farm in New England with her husband, two kids, two dogs, twelve backyard chickens and a hive of Italian honeybees.
Keep in touch with Daphne by subscribing to her newsletter here: http://daphneelliot.com/join-newsletter
Connect with Daphne Elliot:
https://linktr.ee/daphneelliot
CALEB
Cora Rose
Release Date: April 24
Blurb:
I don’t let anyone in… I can’t afford to. But he’s the first person who makes me want to try.
My new roommate, Caleb, breezes into my life like unexpected sunshine lighting up the darkness. My secrets and sharp edges are built to keep people out.
But when he wraps his warm body around mine—needy and trusting—something in me cracks open and unfurls.
And the deeper Caleb sinks into my chest, the more I know I should push him away before he sees too much.
Before it’s too late. Because in the end, I know the truth will break us both.
Buy Link:
https://books2read.com/u/4En91A
Available in KU
Meet Cora Rose:
Cora Rose loves any kind of romance and consumes way too many books each year. She currently lives in the U.S. and spends her days daydreaming about the characters inside her head.
You can email her at CoraRoseRomance@gmail.com or visit her website at coraroseromance.com
Connect with Cora Rose:
https://www.instagram.com/coraroseauthor/
Risk the Play
(Nashville Rampage Book 6)
Kaylee Ryan
Releases on Amazon May 19th 2026
Model Cover Designer: Lori Jackson Designs
Photographer: Furious Fotog
Discreet Cover Designer: Books N Moods
Model Cover Designer: Lori Jackson Designs
Alternate Cover Designer: Books N Moods
Blurb:
NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Kaylee Ryan brings you a new standalone series surrounding the Nashville Rampage football team. Risk the Play is a single mom, coach, best friend's dad, forbidden, secret-relationship, age-gap romance.
Will
Football was always simple—follow the playbook, make the sacrifice, win the game.
I lived by that rule for decades, and it cost me everything. My marriage. My daughter.
By ten, she believed I loved the game more than her. Now she’s back in my life—with a family of her own—I fight every day to show her I’ve changed.
Then I fumble it all by falling for her best friend.
Amanda is strong, stubborn, and raising her daughter alone after her husband’s betrayal.
One kiss becomes something neither of us can ignore.
She wants to keep it secret. I don’t.
Because this time, I’m willing to risk the play. I won’t lose my second chance at love.
Amanda
I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I just never planned on doing it alone.
But when my ex got his assistant pregnant, I stopped, waiting for the life I thought I’d have—and choose motherhood for myself.
Now I’m a single mom doing my best to build a quiet, steady life with no drama and no risks.
Until my best friend’s father becomes the one risk I can’t resist.
Coach Warner is disciplined, respected… and completely off limits.
Watching him fight for his daughter only makes falling for him more dangerous.
We tell ourselves it’s just once.
But one reckless kiss turns into a night we can’t take back—and a secret we definitely can’t afford to keep.
Because if we’re discovered, I could lose my best friend…
And he could lose his daughter all over again.
Falling for me was never part of his playbook.
Tropes
Football
Coach
Single Mom
Best Friend’s Dad
Age Gap
Forbidden Love
Secret Relationship
Available May 16 & 17 only on these retailers
Apple: https://bit.ly/3PvtecE
Kobo: https://bit.ly/4lQDuIl
May 19, 2026 Amazon & Kindle Unlimited - 12 AM EST
Amazon US: https://bit.ly/40ZVVRw
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/4vcAJ8K
Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/4bBAHiW
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3O2p1g5
Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4rSEqNP
BookBub: https://bit.ly/4tf2KL4
