Heartbreakingly
beautiful and completely engrossing, A young woman's life takes a disturbing
and utterly fascinating turn as the past she's put behind comes back to haunt
her. USED is packed full of twists,
turns, and a gripping romance sure to leave readers emotionally spent and
asking for more.
USED, a brand new standalone romantic suspense from debut
author Kate Dunbar is OUT NOW! Grab your
copy today!
“USED was amazing.
Like seriously amazing.
I can't remember the last time I hated to put a book down so I could go to
sleep and then immediately pick it up to finish it the next morning. And yet,
here we are and that's what I did.” ~ Samantha Chase, New York
Times Bestselling Author
“Rarely
have I read a book so vividly described, so
rich with emotion, that I felt like I lived it. USED
is the kind of book that engages your heart and takes you on a journey that
leaves you hopeful and empowered by the end.” ~ Erika Kelly, Award Winning Author
of the Rock Star Romance Series
Photography
by K Keeton Designs
Cover Design by Uplifting Author Services
Model: Cameo Hopper
About USED
At the
age of seventeen, after a decade of lies, hurt, and severe abuse by her brother
Lucas, Sabra Valentine is able to breathe.
Lucas is behind bars thanks in large part to
Sabra's quick thinking and self-preservation-even if that's one more secret she
has to keep.
Now, seven years later, life is moving forward,
and Sabra is starting to heal, live, and love again with her friends and Trevor
Collins by her side. He's tall, dark, and sexy, and he doesn't fall for Sabra's
games. The future is finally looking bright-until one phone call shatters
everything.
Used is a romantic suspense with domestic
thriller elements. Please be aware that there are topics that may be triggers
for some readers, and this work is meant for mature readers.
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“Heartbreakingly
beautiful. This book isn’t about angst and pain. It’s about a fighter-a
survivor-that we all attain to be. The story tears you apart in the best
ways and builds you back up in the most beautiful.” ~ Nichole
Chase, New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
“Used is a raw,
heart-wrenching story of surviving trauma, but it's also so much more. It's a romantic,
emotionally gratifying tale of unflinching, all-in love. I couldn't
turn the pages fast enough.” ~ Brenda Rothert, Author
“So, that’s rule
one. What do you think?”
I shake my head
and snap out of my reverie. “What?” I inch my way toward him and place my hand
on his thigh. “I’m sorry. I got distracted. Tell me again.” Trevor’s jaw
tightens. His eyes shift toward my hand.
“You got
distracted? I’m telling you the rules to our relationship, and you got
distracted? How is that even possible?”
“I started
thinking about last night and your lips on me. And that made me start thinking
about your lips on me again. And that made me think about your hands on me. And
that made me think about everything else on me.” Trevor stares at me
with his mouth hanging open.
“I swear, you
never cease to surprise me, Sabra.” He grabs my hand and pulls me toward his
chest. After a few moments, he uses his finger to gently lift my chin and brush
his lips over mine. “Screw the rules. We’ll just wing it.” I smell his minty
breath as he moves down my jaw with those magical lips and across my
collarbone. Trevor’s fingers grasp the edge of my shirt. All I can think about
is that same breath and those same lips scorching my skin again.
I’m losing myself
in his touch. His kisses. The sweet words he’s whispering into my ear. I’m lost
in him. And then my phone rings, blasting through the room. Shaking us out of
the moment. Trevor pulls back to look over his shoulder at the intruder.
You have got to
be kidding me. How is it possible the entire world seems to be calling me this
early?
I glance at the
phone sitting on the coffee table beside us and realize I don’t recognize the
number. “I’m sorry. I have to answer this.” Trevor grabs my hand and settles it
on his lap. I can feel how much he doesn’t want me to answer it.
“Are you sure it
can’t wait, Say?” He smiles his crooked grin and cocks his head to the side.
“Can’t they leave a voicemail, and you call them back?”
“It could be my
agent. I had that audition yesterday. I just need a second.”
“Fine. I’ll go
get a donut hole.” He grins and stands. “And then I’m coming back for yours.”
“Ew, gross.” I
snatch my phone and slide my finger across the screen, rolling my eyes at him
as he walks into the kitchen laughing. “Hello?”
“Hello, Sabra.
How are you, sis?”
*****
No. No.
Nooooo…NO. This can’t be happening. I yank the phone away from my ear and stare
at it. Absolutely not. The air feels thin. My lungs feel like they’re about to
burst.
“Sabra? What is
it?” Trevor stares at me with this look on his face, like he thinks I’m crazy.
Did I say that
out loud?
I hit the end
button and get up, pacing from one side of my extremely small living room to
the other. This is a nightmare. No. It has to be a wrong number. He’s in
prison. There’s a chant happening in my head.
He’s in prison.
He’s in prison. He’s in prison.
“Sabra.” I flinch
as Trevor touches my arm and instinctively move away.
“Don’t touch me.”
The hurt in his eyes is obvious. So deep. I might as well have slapped him. And
I don’t care. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” I growl it at him.
He’s in prison.
He’s in prison. He’s in prison.
“Sabra, what the
hell is going on? What happened?” Trevor paces a step away and turns to look at
me. “Who was that?”
“No one. A wrong
number. No one at all.”
But I know it
wasn’t. He’ll call back. Come back for more. He always comes back for more.
Dammit. How is he coming back for more?
He’s in prison.
He’s in prison.
I feel Trevor’s heat
before I realize he’s next to me. “I don’t believe that. It was someone.” He
grabs me by the upper arms and shifts me back against the wall. “You’re shaking
and white as a sheet. What’s going on? Who the hell was that?”
I’m shaking?
He’s in prison.
He’s in prison.
Wait. My mom
called…
And I realize why
she was calling so early. Dammit. Everything clicks into place. Tremors course
through my body. I can’t control them. The chant changes in my head.
He’s out. He’s
out. Oh my god, he’s out. I. Can’t. Breathe.
About Kate Dunbar
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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.
Librarian Maxine Peters lives her life behind the scenes. By day, she’s a buttoned-up cataloguing whiz in the basement of the Green Valley Public Library. By night, she’s secretly dominating in an online role playing game as the legendary Maximus_Damage. Her in-game persona has the skills to back up the hype. But every hero has an enemy; every saga, a villain. And by her own invitation, Maximus’ arch nemesis, Wrath, has just landed in Green Valley.
Jonathan Owen is not at all who Maxine expects when she meets Wrath face to face. Eager to leave the past in the game, Jonathan takes this golden opportunity to win Maxine’s heart. There’s just one wrench in that plan: he may have, on a few occasions, acted like a bit of a jerk online. And to his puzzlement, she has taken their fun rivalry to the level of epic dislike.
When Jonathan and Maxine are unexpectedly alone for a weekend, secrets are revealed that make love hard and hatred even harder. Jonathan quickly learns fighting his own demons will take more than one elite gamer. And Maxine, who is busy rebooting her life in Green Valley, might not be up to the task.
When real life starts to override the game, can Maxine and Jonathan find a way to make it work? Or will it be game over for this player versus player adventure?
Dewey Belong Together’ is a full-length contemporary romance and can be read as a standalone. Book #7 in the Green Valley Library series, Green Valley Chronicles, Penny Reid Book Universe.
After the group sang and twanged through a ton of damn fine bluegrass, the crowd began to thin a bit, and the banjo player declared the quartet was retiring for the evening. Max grabbed my arm and gracelessly hauled me through the audience toward the banjo player.
Our arms still linked, and with a megawatt smile on her face, she shouted, "Cletus! That was incredible tonight."
“It was, man. You’ve got a great sound,” I offered.
Cletus looked from Max, to our joined arms, again at me, and then back at Max. I didn’t want to engage in stereotypical jealous guy behavior, but I did want to sniff out who this Cletus was to her. What had he done to earn her smiles and respect?
“Thank you,” he replied, then looked pointedly behind us. “Maxine, you seem to have misplaced the rest of your guests from your game. I suspect you noticed this, which is why you’re hanging onto this one so tightly.”
“Oh!” Max said in surprise and dropped my arm like it was a hot potato. I instantly disliked Cletus. “All the others couldn’t make it. Just him. Cletus, meet Wrath—er, Jonathan Owen from Florida. Jonathan, this is my friend Cletus Winston.”
Not one to let my manners fail me when needed, I stuck out my hand and Cletus gave it a firm shake. “Jonathan Owen, would you happen to be the same gentleman who enjoys harrying Maxine at every available turn?”
I spun to face Maxine. “You told people that about me? What else did you say, that I like to hunt people for sport?” I felt my face redden in embarrassment as I recalled the time I had also besmirched her good name to the other guild officers. I wasn’t sure what to do with the information that she was talking unfavorably about me to her friends. I felt like every time we made some progress and I got to show her more of who I really was, something popped up to remind me of her animosity.
“Wrath, calm down. Of course not. I was telling Cletus about the game, that’s all.”
“Oh, I see. That’s all,” I said sarcastically.
“It would seem to me,” Cletus said, inserting himself into our fight, "that you two need to have a tête-à -tête, but allow me to suggest not tonight. We're fixing to take things back to my brother's place up on Bandit Lake. Scarlet and Billy will be there singing, and I'll have my banjo and a dulcimer. If you can sit in your own stew for the rest of the evening, you can imbibe and listen to more fine music."
And with that, he packed up his banjo and gave Max a little salute as he left the room.
"So, feel like hitting up a party?" Max asked, almost cautiously.
I thought about it. I was mad as hell that not only did Max hate me, she had told her offline friends I was some kind of dastardly character. That being said, I didn't want to piss her off by saying no when she probably wanted to go. Plan Seduction would suggest that I be pliable to her wishes, even if I thought she was a jerk at the moment. I hoped that this wasn't some big rager we were headed to because being the only sober person at a party is about as much fun as watching paint dry, only the wall sometimes vomits and tries to get into your pants.
"Fine," I answered. "Party it is, princess." I couldn't help poking the bear, just a little. Her eyes flashed fire, and I smiled, gesturing with my arm that she should lead the way.
Ann Whynot has been writing stories since she was five, and always dreamed of one day being a published author. She is a voracious reader and book collector, and used book stores are her kryptonite. She also is passionate about video games, crafting, baking, laughing, and travel.
She lives with her family, dog, and two cats on the Canadian east coast, and is inspired by both the forest and sea.
BY RACHEL BLAUFELD
Release Date: May 24, 2021
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Blurb
When Murphy Landon, the New York socialite, runs
off to Vermont with her bruised reputation and stylish wardrobe in the trunk of
a used car, it’s the first time in her life she’s dared to turn her back on her
high-society parents.
Used to grabbing a gourmet coffee whenever the urge
strikes, Murphy finds herself on the other side of the counter, fumbling
strangers’ orders...until a sinfully handsome thirty-three year old version of
Ben Rooney from high school walks in.
The pair met years ago at a prestigious boarding
school and became friends, but only behind closed doors. She’d been a spoiled
brat, and he was a football player on scholarship. Ben tried to hide his crush
on her, and Murphy set firm boundaries. After a prom night gone wrong, they’d
gone their separate ways.
Now their circumstances are reversed. Ben is a
successful surgeon. He’s come a long way from his parents’ humble maple syrup
business. And Murphy is pouring his coffee? Is this a joke?
His first thought is that she should drive her
gorgeous self right back to New York, where she can’t possibly break his heart.
His second one is deep concern. His third thought is he wants a do-over of prom
night. A very adult one…
With plenty of secrets between them, copious pure
maple syrup, Ben and Murphy are in for a wild and sticky ride.
Purchase here
Amazon | Apple | Kobo | Nook
STUDFINDER
BY L.B. DUNBAR
Release Date: August 2, 2021
Cover Design: Elle
Maxwell Designs
Blurb
Over forty, with zero filter, Rita Kaplan loves her
coffee, her hiking boots, and her law practice. Life hasn’t always been
carefree, though, and Rita’s past holds the scars of poor decisions after deep
loss. She survived, though, and no smirky silver fox is going to get in the way
of her happiness. Even if he knows how to use his drill, screwdriver, and every
other tool in his box to tempt her . . .
Former arson investigator Jake Drummond could add
ex-con to his resume if he had one. Instead, he’s serving the final year of his
sentence on probation. This involves mandatory AA meetings, hosted by a feisty
local attorney, and working on a renovation project, supervised by the same
annoyingly attractive whirlwind, who also believes she owns the exclusive
rights to a comfy couch in his new favorite coffee shop. Soon she’s everywhere,
including the few places she shouldn’t be--like in his bed and in his
heart.
Can opposites lower their walls and construct
something everlasting . . . or will their connected past lead to demolition for
two hearts in need of a rebuild
Pre-Order Links: COMING SOON!
DOUBLETALK
BY TERALYN MITCHELL
Release Date: September 13, 2021
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Blurb
Basketball has always been his one love, until now
. . .
Zeke Armstrong never imagined he’d be back in
Vermont, but here he is, living in Colebury and trying to rehab an injury that
could mean an early retirement from pro basketball. Running into his former
classmate, Mallory Barrett, shouldn’t be a distraction. It shouldn’t mean anything,
so why is he accidentally on purpose showing up at the coffee shop where the
beautiful writer spends her time?
Mallory Barrett has met a guy. Well, she hasn’t met
him yet, except for on the dating app she almost refused to download. “Coby”
sparks her interest and gets her jokes--and gives the romance-novel heroes she
loves so much a full-court run for their money. When their first date doesn’t
work out, she decides to give him another shot . . . just as a man she despises
reenters her life. While her interest in the mystery man on the app grows, she
clashes constantly with Zeke in real life. She can’t forgive him for
humiliating her in high school, yet she can’t deny she’s drawn to him
now.
She’s somehow gone from confirmed bachelorette to
the tie-breaker between two men. Meanwhile, Zeke has a secret--one that
will cost him the game if Mallory finds out . . .
Pre-Order Links: COMING SOON!
