Tuesday, September 22, 2026

5 Star Audio Review ~ Code Name: Harbor (Jameson Force Seattle #2) by Sawyer Bennett

 

BLURB

Where the water runs deep and the danger runs deeper, two enemies will risk everything to survive.

Josie McAdams has built her life on rules. As an intelligence specialist for Jameson Force Seattle, she’s made a career out of turning chaos into order and catching the bad guys before they strike. But when a mission on the docks goes wrong and a handsome smuggler saves her life, Josie is forced to face the one rule she’s never dared to break—trusting a criminal.

Having spent years running contraband through Puget Sound’s fog-shrouded channels, Finn Marlowe is no stranger to walking the razor’s edge between outlaw and survivor. When the beautiful woman he pulled from the water approaches him for help dismantling a human-trafficking ring, he’s hard-pressed to turn her away. When he discovers the same network he’s been working for is behind the trafficking, Finn knows he could lose everything by getting involved, but turning a blind eye could cost him even more.

She’s sworn to the law. He lives outside it. But as their uneasy alliance deepens, attraction sparks into something neither can control—and every secret they keep could be the one that gets them killed. When the tides turn and bullets start flying, Josie and Finn discover that sometimes the only safe harbor to hide… is in each other’s arms.

Buy Now:  Amazon   B&N   Sawyer Bennett

Review:

Code Name: Harbor was absolutely perfect! I loved Josie and Finn’s story from beginning to end.

Josie is new to the Jameson Force, but she is fierce, determined, and definitely not afraid to take matters into her own hands. She’s on a mission to find women who are being kidnapped and sold, and following directions isn’t exactly her strong suit. That gets her into serious trouble when she’s nearly caught taking pictures at the docks. With her fighting spirit, she almost makes her escape, but ends up in the water—and that’s where Finn comes in.

Finn has built his life around making sure he never returns to the life he knew as a child. He’s worked hard, worked smart, and sometimes done dangerous things to get where he is. When the opportunity arises to help Josie, he does—and quickly realizes there is something about her that feels like home.

Their relationship moves quickly, but I loved watching them find their way to each other while danger continued to surround them. Finn is fiercely protective of Josie and will do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even when it means making difficult choices.

I absolutely loved this story! And the audiobook was fantastic. Sean Masters and Erin Mallon did an amazing job bringing Finn and Josie to life. Their narration made an already great story even better. Definitely a 5-star listen for me!

About Sawyer Bennett:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Monday, September 21, 2026

Meet the Characters ~ Christmas Staycation by Meghan Quinn


BLURB

Nothing says Merry Christmas like fake fiancés, family pressure, and accidentally falling for your ex's brother.

Nolan never met a spotlight he didn't like. As a major league baseball player with a filthy mouth, an ego the size of the North Pole, and zero interest in behaving, he's perfectly happy breezing into Christmas in Kringletown like the charming disaster everyone expects him to be.

Taran, on the other hand, has made an art form out of keeping the peace. She's polished, careful, and so committed to making everyone else happy that she's somehow agreed to a fake wedding with her ex just to keep her family's holiday from imploding.

There's only one problem: the ex in question is Nolan's brother, and Nolan sees right through her. He knows Taran deserves better than pretending her way through life.

And he'd really like "better" to be him.

Now Taran is juggling family expectations, holiday chaos, and a man who is far too cocky, far too funny, and far too determined to bulldoze every wall she's ever built.

But with Christmas closing in, secrets snowballing, and one very fake engagement threatening to blow up in spectacular fashion, this holiday season is about to get messy. And someone's sure to end up on the naughty list.

   

TROPES

Holiday Romance
Ex’s Brother
Baseball Romance
He Falls First and Hard
Opposites Attract
Spicy Romance
Small Town Romance
Rom Com

Preorder Now:  Amazon

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Cover Reveal ~ Smash by Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland



Title: Smash
Authors: Penelope Ward & Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Forbidden Romance
Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
Photographer: Michelle Lancaster, @lanefotograf
Model: Callum Arnold
Release Date: October 25, 2026


BLURB

A new, shockingly forbidden standalone from New York Times bestselling authors Penelope Ward and Vi Keeland…

Sometimes one floor is all that separates the life you planned from the life you never saw coming…

Moving to New York with my boyfriend, Calder, was supposed to be a fresh start.

A new city. A new job. A beautiful brownstone in Brooklyn we'd call home. The beginning of our forever.

There was just one catch: Calder’s best friend lived in the apartment downstairs.

Rafe—a gifted artist who smashed glass into masterpieces. With his unruly blond hair and piercing eyes that seemed to see right through me, he was impossible to ignore.

He was also completely off-limits.

Yet somehow, every walk past his apartment or trip to the basement laundry room turned into another deep conversation neither of us ever wanted to end.

At first, it was innocent.
Then I found myself looking forward to running into him again.
Before long, I was creating opportunities to be around him.

Somehow, Rafe and I made each other feel seen in ways neither of us expected.

I tried to ignore our connection, reminding myself that Calder’s best friend was the last man on Earth I could ever fall for.

But with every stolen moment, that lie became harder to believe.

Maybe some love stories aren't about finding the right person—but what happens when you find them too late.







PRE-ORDER LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

AUDIO PREORDER TO COME


Sign up for Penelope & Vi's mailing list now and be the first one notified when it goes live!







PENELOPE WARD


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over thirty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.



VI KEELAND


Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.





Thursday, September 3, 2026

5 Star Audio Review ~ The Challenge by Penelope Ward



Title: The Challenge
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Single Dad, Second Chance, Forced Proximity
Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Found Family
Release Date: August 30, 2026

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…

Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl.

Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings.

Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay.

Evan—the guy my parents took in years ago after his mother died.
The same Evan who used to dare me into ridiculous challenges that somehow always made me stronger—a game we’d dubbed The Challenge.
The same guy who ultimately rejected me before I left for college after I’d finally garnered the courage to shoot my shot.

Now Evan was a rugged single dad with an eight-year-old daughter, a cocky attitude, and a dangerous ability to make me forget every reason I should still hate him.

Sharing a house with him should’ve been unbearable. Instead, it felt dangerously familiar, nearly making me forget that I had a life and a job to get back to in Chicago. I realized the biggest challenge wasn’t surviving living with Evan Ricci.

It was not falling in love with him all over again.

REVIEW

I absolutely loved Evan and Chloe’s second-chance-at-love story! ❤️ Their history made their relationship so much more meaningful. Evan is a single dad doing his best to make a good life for himself and his daughter, Effie, and there was always so much more to him than what was on the surface.

Chloe had always wanted more from Evan, while he believed walking away was the best thing he could do to let her “live.” Years later, Chloe returns home to take care of her mother, and the two reconnect in the strangest way possible. I truly believe it was fate bringing them back together.

I loved that Chloe knew her feelings were real and was willing to take a chance to see where things could go. Watching these two find their way back to each other was sweet, emotional, and everything I wanted from a second-chance romance.

I absolutely loved Evan and Chloe! ❤️ 5 stars!


PURCHASE LINKS

Special release price of $3.99
for a limited time only!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

A model-cover paperback will be live on release day


WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

SINGLE DAD
SMALL TOWN
FRIENDS TO LOVERS
SECOND CHANCE
FORCED PROXIMITY
FOUND FAMILY


AUTHOR BIO


Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

AUTHOR LINKS


OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

Friday, August 14, 2026

Excerpt Reveal - The Fall Affair by Vi Keeland



Title: The Fall Affair
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Opposites Attract/Found Family
Release Date: August 18, 2026


Take a sneak peek of THE FALL AFFAIR.
You know you want to...


Allegra: I think you’re pretty amazing. I’m going to bed smiling on the eve of what might turn out to be one of the worst days of my life. Thank you for coming here with me.

The reply came almost instantly.

Matteo: I think you’re pretty amazing, too. And I love your smile.

That made my already-big grin grow wider. Rather than text back, I decided to take a selfie of me beaming to show him I wasn’t kidding. I held my phone out, tilted it down for a good angle, and snapped a photo of me lying in bed. Only when I checked the picture, I realized the camera had caught a lot more than I’d intended. Yes, I was smiling, but I was also wearing a black slip nightgown, the top of which was lace and showed a lot of cleavage. I hadn’t been going for sexy, but damn, it was.

I bit my lip, debating whether I should take another. Then the wine, or maybe the adrenaline, pushed me. Screw it. Send.

My heart raced as I watched the status go from Delivered to Read. The dots on the screen started to bounce around, then stopped and started twice before an incoming text arrived.

Matteo: You’re gorgeous. And that photo just made its way into my private folder.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Allegra: And what exactly are the photos in your private folder used for?

Matteo: I think you know the answer to that.

My thighs pressed together thinking of Matteo pleasuring himself to my picture. I hadn’t intended this conversation to go this way, but now that it had…

Allegra: I think it’s only fair that I have a picture for my private folder, then.

This time a response didn’t come right away. After a minute or two, I thought maybe I’d taken things too far. But then my phone chimed, a photo lit up my screen, and my breath caught.

Oh. My. God.

Matteo was sprawled across his bed, sheet slung low on his hips. His muscular chest was bare, and his beautiful Italian skin was golden and smooth except for the sexy happy trail that led down to where it was covered. One arm was bent behind his head, showing off the cut of his biceps, and his gaze was on me, even through the photo. And God, the sinful smirk on his lips made it impossible to look away.

After a few minutes of staring, I swallowed.

Allegra: I’m speechless, and that’s saying something. LOL. Wow. Just wow. I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep after seeing that. I’m a little riled up.

His near-instant response left no doubt that he’d been waiting for my text.

Matteo: For the record, my door is open if you ever want to come see it in person…








AUTHOR BIO


Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles are currently translated in twenty-seven languages and have appeared on bestseller lists in the US, Germany, Brazil, Bulgaria, Israel, and Hungary. Three of her short stories have been turned into films, and two of her books are currently optioned for movies. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.



AUTHOR LINKS


Wednesday, August 5, 2026

5 Star Audio Review ~ Just For The Plot by Meghan Quinn


BLURB

They're just friends.

At least, that's what she thinks. Him? He has other plans.

Bennett Brinkman is San Francisco baseball's golden boy―focused, disciplined, and very bad at ignoring the one woman he shouldn't want. Falling for his sister's best friend was inevitable, even though she's always seen him as safe, familiar, and firmly off-limits.

Bower knows exactly why wanting Bennett is a terrible idea. She's fiercely loyal to her best friend and well aware that crossing this particular line could blow everything up. But when she moves into Bennett's apartment building, that "just friends" boundary begins to blur in the most tempting ways.

The banter comes fast.

The sparks come faster.

And pretending it's "no big deal" is getting ridiculous.

As feelings get messier and attraction turns undeniable, Bennett and Bower must decide if risking their family ties is worth chasing the love that's been in front of them all along.

Duet Narration Audiobook
Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton & Samantha Brentmoor
with a full cast, including; Emma Wilder, Connor Crais, J.F. Harding, Jason Clarke and Stella Hunter.

Review:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved the audiobook for Just for the Plot! The narrators did such an amazing job bringing these characters to life and making their chemistry feel so natural. I especially loved watching Bennett slowly and smoothly get Bower to see just how good they could be together. 😍

Bower was such a great character because, even though her feelings for Bennett were clearly real, she genuinely tried to make sure they didn’t cross any lines. He was her best friend’s brother, after all, and she knew there were boundaries she probably shouldn’t be crossing. Watching her struggle between what she should do and what her heart actually wanted made their relationship so much more fun to experience.

The narration really added to the whole experience, bringing out the personalities, emotions, and chemistry between the characters. Bennett and Bower were such a fun pair to listen to, and I loved every minute of their story!

Definitely a 5-star listen! 🎧❤️

Buy now: https://a.co/d/0byxtJOf

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

5 Star Audio Review ~ Grizz: An Enemies to Lovers Hockey Romance (New York Vipers Book 1)

Synopsis:

Grizz McAvoy is the most electrifying player in professional hockey…and the most volatile. He’s got a wicked shot, a hair-trigger temper, and spent his childhood surviving his father's cruelty. Off the ice, he's a PR catastrophe, racking up fines, burning through handlers, and daring the New York Vipers organization to do something about it. He’s built his entire identity around one principle: winning solves everything.

But winning can’t silence the past trauma that haunts him when the arena lights go dark.

Daisy Turner was fired from a top style magazine for asking questions powerful men didn't want to answer and exposing hypocrisy in the world of high-fashion. She's looking to salvage her career as a journalist by scraping together a second chance as Grizz's new media handler. Fearless in her own right, she carries scars from a betrayal that taught her trust is a currency she can't afford to spend freely.

From their first combustible meeting, Grizz and Daisy collide in a battle of wills neither is prepared to lose. She challenges him, and he can't look away. What begins as mutual provocation becomes far more dangerous when the walls between professional and personal start to crumble, and the wreckage of Grizz's past threatens to destroy the one person brave enough to see through his rock-solid armor.

Grizz is a scorching, emotionally charged hockey romance about two people who were never supposed to fall for each other, and the bruising, tender, inevitable collision that happens when they do.

Order Now:  https://geni.us/Grizz

Review:

The narrators for Grizz did an amazing job! Lucy Rivers and Lance Greenfield brought these characters to life. Grizz is great playing hockey and he honestly just doesn't care about his aggressive behavior and his temper.  It gets him in trouble but he knows the team needs him.  Changes have to be made to reel him in.  

Daisy is a reporter that really believes in giving the people the truth, even if if a particular truth cost her the job she loved.  Unemployment is not what she wants so becoming the PR rep for a hockey player who just can't keep it together keeps money in her pocket and she gets to use her skills to make things better.  

Grizz and Daisy's attraction to each other is sizzling.  She makes Grizz think and doesn't give into him.  She doesn't back down and honestly she likes that he doesn't either.  Their friendship grows but the passion behind the friendship is more than they expected.  They really start to trust each other more allowing Grizz to open up and share things with her.  

Grizz and Daisy's story was so good and I can't wait for more!

5 Star Audio Review ~ Code Name: Harbor (Jameson Force Seattle #2) by Sawyer Bennett

  BLURB Where the water runs deep and the danger runs deeper, two enemies will risk everything to survive. Josie McAdams has built her life ...