An all-new sexy, swoony falling-for-the-neighbor standalone romance, THE DREAM GUY NEXT DOOR is coming March 7th!
Grab the book FREE on PREORDER and through RELEASE DAY!!
Just my luck - my new next door neighbor is a unicorn.
Yep, the British hottie is clearly a mythical man because - get this - he's a sexy, witty, charming, big-hearted single dad.
Who, wait for it, wants to find Mrs. Right and get hitched.
He’s a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of man, and it’s a darn shame I’m not on the market. If I were, his accent alone would melt me. Add in the fact that he's a veterinarian, and my animal-loving heart would be flip flopping.
But my heart's on the mend. I'm a single parent like him, and raising my teenage daughter is my top priority. Plus, falling for a guy who shares your property line is a line you shouldn’t cross.
Still, I'm an outgoing gal, so I do the neighborly thing and offer to be his dating insider.
Surely, I can help this small town’s most eligible bachelor ever navigate his way through all the fantastic single ladies eager to make his acquaintance.
What could possibly go wrong in helping the dream guy next door find his one true love?
So I set him up on one date, two dates, three dates -- and I’m about to find out exactly how dangerous my offer is.
Marriage and Murder, an-all new quirky and witty cozy mystery and second book in the Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Penny Reid is available now!
Cletus Byron Winston wishes to marry Jennifer Anne Donner-Sylvester (aka The Banana Cake Queen) posthaste! He’s spent the last year wanting nothing more than for the celebrations to be brief, libations flowing, and BYOB (bring your own blueberries). His future mother-in-law has other plans, plans his intended has been willing to indulge, much to Cletus’s chagrin. Therefore, so must he. To a point. But truth be told, he wouldn’t mind if the meddlesome matriarch disappeared, at least until the nuptials are over.
On the night of Cletus and Jenn’s long-awaited engagement party, just when the surly schemer is of a mind to take matters into his own hands, a shocking event upends everyone’s best laid plans and sends the small hamlet of Green Valley into complete disarray. The final months leading up to Cletus and Jenn’s matrimonial bliss are plagued with chaos and uncertainty. Will Cletus and Jenn finally make it to the altar? Or will murder and mayhem derail their happily-ever-after?
And most importantly, who done it?
‘Marriage and Murder’ is the second book in the cozy mystery series Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries. It is best read after Winston Brothers #3, ‘Beard Science’ (which can be read as a standalone) and Solving for Pie: Cletus and Jenn Mysteries #1, ‘Engagement and Espionage.’
Vali Erickson is the classic middle child—misunderstood, underestimated, and overlooked. He’s fine with it. Really. The overlooked part is actually serving him well during this phase of life.
He’s in Green Valley in an effort to fly under the radar and regroup after a life-altering blow to his heart and ego. The last thing he’s looking for is a woman to warm his bed until one throws him to the mat and rocks his world.
Margaret O’Neal is an only child who has led a sheltered life. She’s used to being a wallflower. Her ability to blend into the background is what allows her to maintain her anonymity as a gossip columnist for the Green Valley Ledger.
Since the Ericksons moved to town, she's never felt more inspired, especially with the newest addition. Vali Erickson is the definition of eye candy—devastatingly handsome with muscles for days—giving her plenty to report about.
The more Maggie observes, the more she finds herself wanting things she’s only read about in romance novels.
Admiring Vali from afar is good enough for her until their paths cross and she finds herself trying to stay afloat in uncharted territory—no labels, no promises, and WAY out of her comfort zone.
Will this arrangement be what finally breaks her out of her shell, or will her heart be a casualty of the Viking Invasion?
'Eye Candy' is a full-length contemporary romance, and can be read as a standalone. Book #3 in the Fighting For Love series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.
Standing outside the Green Valley Community Center, I’m getting a little antsy waiting for Maggie. I really hate not picking her up at her house for a date, but she insists it’s better this way. I’ve told her I didn’t care if she lived on the outskirts of town or Timbuktu, I still wanted to pick her up but she just laughed and redirected our conversation.
I have a feeling she doesn’t want to formally introduce me to her parents as the man she’s dating, especially after my one and only visit to their feed store. I guess I understand. I didn’t really make the best first impression but that’s on me. How can I redeem myself if she refuses to introduce me to them?
Maybe I need a do-over visit to the store.
Before I can formulate a solid plan, my attention is pulled to the parking lot where I see Maggie walking toward me, looking sexy as fuck. I lean back against a column and enjoy watching her come to me. She’s so striking with how she carries herself and I don’t think she even knows it. Her height and voluptuous curves paired with her long, dark hair and wide smile command the attention of everyone around her.
And she’s mine.
For now, anyway.
When she’s close enough for me to touch, I slide my arm around her waist and pull her to me. Capturing her mouth with mine, I claim it, not able to hold back any longer. Even though we made out in the parking lot of Genie’s on Friday, it’s been too long since I’ve been able to see her… touch her… taste her.
I want her so fucking much. I want to learn her body and watch her fall apart over and over. I want her to explore my body and have her way with me, any way she wants. I want so much but realize now is not the time or place for my dick to be running the show, so I slowly and reluctantly pull away.
Maggie’s lips are swollen and her eyes are dazed as she looks at me and whispers, “Wow”.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful.” I kiss her forehead, allowing my lips to linger so I can have one last taste before we walk inside.
“Same to you.” She bites down on her bottom lip, fighting back a smile as she shakes her head. I’d give anything to know what she’s thinking and to replace her teeth with my own. Those luscious lips have made an appearance in every dream I’ve had for the past week.
And as much as I want to make her come again, it’s not going to happen in the parking lot of the community center. My instincts tell me Maggie’s a virgin. Even though I don’t have a lot of experience in that arena, I know one thing for sure, I want every orgasm I give Maggie to be better than the one before.
I want all her firsts to be worth the wait because she definitely is.
“So, tell me about the jam sessions. I hear they’re pretty famous,” I say as I grab her hand and lead her to the building’s entrance, needing to distract myself so I’m not sporting a semi as we walk into the community center.
“They’ve been happening for a few years now and they’re pretty fun. Typically, they’re held on Friday nights and people from all over come to enjoy good music and even better food. You like bar-b-que, right?”
I look at her like she’s lost her mind. “Woman, I am from Texas. Of course, I like bar-b-que.”
She laughs and squeezes my arm as we step inside, where we’re instantly greeted by a friendly welcoming committee. After we get the rundown on where to find the festivities, we make our way to where the food is and Maggie continues our conversation.
“I know you’re from Texas, which is why I asked. Texas bar-b-que is very different from Tennessee bar-b-que. Some even say your version isn’t bar-b-que at all.”
I jerk away from her in shock. “Them's fightin’ words, Miss O’Neal,” I say, laying my Texas twang on thick. “Now, take me to this high-and-mighty food so I can judge for myself.”
Thirty minutes later, I’m slumped in my chair, fighting the urge to unbuckle my belt and jeans.
“So, what’s the verdict?”
Maggie’s expression is smug and I want to kiss it right off her face but I’m too full to move right now. So instead, I give her a shrug, trying to play it off. “It’s alright, I guess. If you like that kind of thing.”
Her laughter fills the room and I’m mesmerized. It’s quickly becoming my favorite sound, second only to the sounds of her orgasm. Shit, I cannot be thinking like that right now, when I’m too stuffed to try and hide a boner.
“One of these days, I’ll fix you some Texas bar-b-que,” I vow.
She scrunches up her nose, and while the look on her face is absolutely adorable, it’s not quite what I was hoping for. “You’ve had my cooking before. Do you doubt my skills?”
“It’s not that,” she starts. “It’s just that Texas bar-b-que is mainly smoked meat, not cooked over an open flame, and you put your sauce on the side!” Her hand covers her heart to illustrate the horror of her words.
“Listen, good meat is good meat, I don’t care where it’s from. But, it’s only fair that you try my meat since I just tried yours.”
The words are out of my mouth before I realize how they sound, and when I look at Maggie’s face to get her reaction, I’m pleased to see the same dazed look from earlier. She’s also blushing something fierce, which tells me she’s just as dirty minded as I am. Well, maybe not quite as much, but close.
“Hey,” I say to get her attention.
With flushed cheeks, she meets my eyes. “Yeah?”
“You gonna take me to one of the music rooms so I can finally dance with you?”
Her shoulders relax and she gives me one of her mega-watt smiles. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Absolutely. Besides, I need to burn off some of this food.”
Maggie giggles and grabs my hand, pulling me out of my chair and leading me to the first music room we find. There are five or six musicians playing some good ol’ honky-tonk music, which is exactly what I need right now.
I twirl Maggie around before pulling her flush against my body. “Let’s dance.”
And, dance, we do. We two-step, we waltz, and we even jitterbug a couple of times before we’re worn out and need to take a break.
We leave the room and enter another with a band playing bluegrass music. I’m a little surprised to see both of my brothers, along with their significant others, on the dance floor. Bluegrass is not a genre of music we listened to much back home but it’s a slow song and I completely understand the draw of slow dancing with a woman. So much so, I grab Maggie’s hand and lead her onto the floor close to my siblings, so we can join in the fun, as well.
What a sight this must be, watching three big-ass dudes from Texas slow dancing to bluegrass music in a refurbished classroom.
“Oh, good, Cletus is playing. He’s so good on the banjo,” Maggie tells me.
“Who’s that?”
“You know Jenn from the bakery, right? Well, that’s her husband.” She uses her head to point in the direction of a man with wild hair, playing a banjo as if it’s the easiest thing to do. Not gonna lie, I’m kind of envious of his long beard. I’ve never been able to grow my beard out like that.
It doesn’t take long for me to get lost in the feel of Maggie in my arms again. She fits perfectly, her soft parts molding to my hard ones, and if it feels this good while we still have our clothes on, I can’t fucking wait to be this close to her while naked.
Maggie’s head is on my shoulder as we sway to the music, so she doesn’t see when Tempest waves at me. I look up at Tempest and watch as she mouths, “Have you asked about New Orleans.” Drawing my eyebrows together, I give a small shake of my head in reply. She’s obviously not happy with my answer because her eyes are now narrowed and her hands are on her hips.
Not wanting to get into it right now, I roll my eyes and sway our bodies so that my back is now facing Tempest. I’m sure I’ll pay for this tomorrow but I don’t care.
It’s not that I don’t want Maggie to go to New Orleans with us, with me, because I do. But I can’t help but wonder if it’s too soon for us. Of course, I wouldn’t have any expectations regarding the physical side of our relationship but it’d be our first weekend getaway as a couple, and to me, that’s a big deal. Road trips can either make or break a couple and the fact we’d also be with my family, as in my entire family… well, it kind of scares the shit out of me. I don’t want to pressure her or freak her out but, on the flip side, making that trip without her would fucking suck.
I will ask her, but not tonight.
Tonight, I just want to hold her in my arms for as long as she’ll let me.
Jiffy Kate is the joint pen name for Jiff Simpson and Jenny Kate Altman. They’re co-writing besties who share a brain. They also share a love of cute boys, stiff drinks, and fun times.
Together, they’ve written over twenty stories. Their first published book, Finding Focus, was released in November 2015. Since then, they’ve continued to write what they know–southern settings full of swoony heroes and strong heroines.
Release Date: March 1, 2021
Blurb
Pregnant at forty-two? Back the cow up...
Harland Bull Eaton has lost many things—his first wife, his beloved mother, those three women he proposed to . . . Oh, and there was that time he almost lost the family dairy farm due to a scandal. He’s losing faith in just about everything, especially love.
But one night, his friends give him a dare. No commitments. No heartbreak. Just buy that gorgeous redhead a drink. The big-city bombshell he’s set his eyes on swirls him into a tailspin that lands them in bed for a one-night stand he’s pretty sure he’ll never forget. But this time, he swears, he won’t let his heart ride herd on his common sense.
Recently separated and newly unemployed, Scarlett Russell is at a crossroads. With no other plan than visiting a friend in Vermont, the last thing she expects is a hunky, silver fox offering to buy her a drink. Even less expected is when she raises that offer to “take me to bed, cowboy.” She just wants one night to forget everything gone wrong.
Turns out once won’t be nearly enough. Won’t ever be enough, feeling the way she does. But secrets and an unexpected surprise are a lot to handle . . . unless these two can break a trail to an unexpected happily ever after.
My Review
Purchase here
Amazon | Apple | Kobo | Nook
What
the . . .
Thank God, I did not take that order. I don’t even know what that
is. There’s a pause and I’m wondering what’s happening when Bull says, “You
have a little something . . .”
I
just want to die a slow death as I imagine him swiping at the corner of her lip
or wiping off her nose and that sweet, tender touch will be all the spark she
needs to want to pounce on this man behind me. Bull has these deep blue eyes
and that silver speckled scruff, plus his hair that looks artfully streaked
with gray. He’s just all around sexy and he doesn’t even know it about himself.
Then, his touch. The soft strokes down my body and the delicate dips of his
fingers, I just can’t—
“Have
either of you seen Scarlett?” Audrey asks.
Frick.
“Scarlett?”
Bull chokes behind me.
“Yeah,
Scarlett. She’s our newest barista and I swear she was out here.”
“I
didn’t see anyone,” Vermont Barbie states. “But then again, I’ve only been
looking at Bull.”
Okay, that’s enough.
“Found
it,” I say, popping up from behind the couch and holding my fingers pinched
together like I’ve just found gold in
them there wood floorboards.
“Scarlett?”
Audrey blinks at me with those expressive eyes of hers . She’s a petite blond
with a lot of power behind her personality. I slowly stand but find myself
dizzy as I do and grip the back of the couch for support.
“Whoa.”
I blurt, unable to stop myself as the room spins and my legs tremble. My skin
runs cold, but I break out in a full body sweat.
“Scarlett,
are you okay?” Audrey asks, rushing to the edge of the couch while Bull quickly
stands to face me.
“I .
. . yeah, I just think I stood up too fast.” However, that isn’t the full
explanation because that rush to my head has now settled back down to my belly.
“You
sure you’re okay? You look a little gray,” Audrey asks.
“I .
. . excuse me.” Rushing around the couch, I fight the pull to look at Bull, as
I disappear behind the counter, bypassing our waiting customers with one finger
in the air, and then press out the door to the grassy area behind the building
for some much needed fresh air. Once outside, I promptly bend forward and
heave.
“Oh
my God, are you okay?” Audrey says behind me and I close my eyes, embarrassed
by my position in front of my boss. Audrey’s younger than me, but a good,
business woman and kind-hearted. She took me on without any prior experience in
the coffee industry.
“Yeah.
Just something I ate, I think.” I honestly don’t know. It’s been a few weeks
like this, nausea, fatigue, and then if I do get sick, which doesn’t always
happen, I feel a million times better once I vomit. “I just have a little
stomach bug, but I don’t have a fever. I’m so sorry about this.” I point to the
grass which holds no evidence of how my stomach felt. “And that.” I nod toward
the café.
Audrey’s
brows crease as she examines my face. “What else is wrong? As far as how you
are feeling?”
I
consider it a second and then answer. “My boobs hurt. My back kills. And I had
a tuna fish sandwich for breakfast the other day. I think there was something
wrong with the mayonnaise.” Then I reconsider what I’ve said. That sandwich the
other morning had been the best damn tuna fish in the world and the last thing
I’d ever eat when it comes to a breakfast item.
Audrey’s
lips slowly curl and her eyes spark like she knows something. “Scarlett, could
you be pregnant?”
“What?
No. Heaven’s no. Absolutely not. I .
. .” I stare back at her, horrified at the notion. I’m forty-two. I’m recently
divorced. I cannot be pregnant at this stage of my life.
“No.
I am definitely not pregnant.”
I
read the blurb for this book and couldn’t have been more excited to get my
hands on it. A whoops baby from a one night stand between a mature couple is
like gold to my reading wishlist. And then you add in the fact it’s one of the
Busy Bean series so we get the input of Audrey, Zara and Roddy. I’m loving the
fact that each of these books has been a new employee who has used it as a
stepping stone to the next chapter in their lives. Because that is the type of
position it is but also because I just love them having this step happening in
the World of True North.
Scarlett
and Bull were a little bit of a different story. Firstly the fact they are both
in their 40s was awesome. They had had life experience and both been burned by
different things in their lives which brought them to this crossroad collision
a little jaded and with a fair bit of baggage. Scarlett was a lot more
realistic and actually very self aware when it came to her issues. Whereas Bull
just kind of annoyed me with his.
Maybe
I am not the right person here because I honestly thought his previous dating
history wasn’t that big a deal so I wasn’t sure why it kept being brought up.
It sounds like a fairly normal dating history for someone who isn’t 18 and
isn’t married. So when he used it as an excuse to close himself off and not
trust Scarlett I wanted to slap him and tell him to suck it up.
Luckily
Scarlett was more patient and mature than I am and she accepted his weaknesses
and wanted to help prop him up. And to his defence he did show his feelings, he
just wouldn’t admit to them. The care he took looking after Scarlett and his
immediate all in attitude towards the baby even with all the other things going
on around them did endear him to me.
The
ending and epilogue was awesome and I can’t wait to dive into more of this
world as every book in this series has exceeded expectation and added to my new
authors to stalk list.
Release Date: March 1, 2021
Blurb
I just wanted to get my hands on his beans
Four years ago, I had a
ridiculous crush on my sister's boyfriend. But when they moved away together, I
put Beck out of my mind and my heart. But now he's back, and roasting the best
coffee in Vermont. I need to convince him to supply the Busy Bean. And I need
more of those kisses we accidentally shared outside the coffee shop. He still
makes my heart race faster than a triple shot of espresso.
She should be off limits, but instead she's pushing mine
Her sister burned my life to the
ground, so Haley Elliot is the last woman I should bring into my bed. Although
our business relationship is giving way to something more than a fine grind. Neither of us can help
ourselves. And what’s worse, I think I’m falling for her.
But it’s a small town, and ours is a big secret. And when her
sister blows back into town, suddenly the coffee isn’t the only thing
brewing...
My Review
Purchase here
Amazon | Apple | Kobo | Nook
Every time I saw him propped in the
kitchen doorway sharing a laugh with Zara, I felt it. When I realised Roddy had started using Beck
as a taste tester for recipes he was developing, even though they barely knew
each other, I got a big, hard dose of it. And the day I left the cafe to find
Beck and his dog playing with Audrey and her two kids down by the river bank, I
was awash with it.
If I had to parse this feeling into
its component parts, it would be made up of nine-tenths envy and one-tenth
wistfulness. With a sprinkle of sexual jealousy thrown in, just for kicks and
giggles.
Because I wanted Beck to laugh with me
the way he laughed with Zara. I wanted us to have the kind of relationship
where I could run ideas past him, the kind of friendship where I could come
upon him and his dog down by the river and feel free to hang out with them.
I was fully aware that this stupid,
stubborn longing I was experiencing was at complete odds with my decision to respect his obvious
desire to have as little to do with me as possible, but no matter how many
times I told myself I didn't care, the lump of concrete in the pit of my
stomach said otherwise.
The problem was that Beck was just one
of those people that other people wanted to be around. He'd always been that
way, hence the fact that my sister had wanted him, and the fact that I'd
developed my ridiculous, hopeless-cause crush on him in the first place.
He
had a natural ease and charm that made people smile, even if they were having a
shitty day. He gave good banter, and he
knew how to tease people in a gentle, utterly harmless way that made them feel
like they were special because he'd noticed them. And he was curious about people, asking lots
of questions and genuinely listening to their answers.
It probably didn't hurt that he was
extensively easy on on the eyes, either.
All of this worked together to make
him a warm, real presence that people wanted to get closer to, like campers
gathering around a fire at night.
I witnessed the power of his charisma
over and over, in the way Audrey stood a half-foot closer to him than she did
to other people, even though she was madly in love with her husband Griff, and
in the way Roderick launched into an amusing anecdote whenever Beck arrived
with his delivery, as though he'd been waiting to share the story with him. Even snarky, cynical Zara wasn't immune,
spending extra minutes chatting to him on the phone when she called through our
bi-weekly order, her laughter ringing through the cafe.
Everybody loved Beck, and Beck loved
everybody - with the notable exception of me.
This
whole true north world announcement has been so exciting. First I thought I
would just read the moo u series, but then I had to know what was happening at
the busy bean. Then I had to find out more about the vino and veritas books and
now I just need more.
A
lot of these authors have been new to me authors which I love. Because their
writing style has been perfect for this project and every book has been
awesome. And Sarah Mayberry has just been added to my author stalking list.
Beck
and Haley were really deep, and real characters with flaws and faults that made
them really relatable. And the amount of emotion and the depth of the
underlining story took me completely by surprise. I really was expecting
something light and surface level.
But
everything about both characters came was completely understandable. And I
loved that they were mature and reasonable. They were dealing with a variety of
issues and they did it openly and with great communication. And after a recent
binge of new adult romance it was a really great change of pace.
Now
I am jumping into the next book in the series and loving seeing Audrey and Zara
and Roddy.
