Blitz: In the Frame (The London Arts Club #2) by Hayden Stone with an excerpt and a giveaway

In the Frame: A Fake Dating Queer MM Romance

Series: The London Arts Club, #2

by Hayden Stone

Release date: August 29th 2026

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240916386-in-the-frame

Blurb:

An artist. A developer. And an art gallery which they both want—for very different reasons.

When recent uni grad Matty Gowen-Smith, a talented painter and not so talented bartender, spills a tray of drinks on a hot-shot investor, Florian de Ligt, he’s left with no choice to make amends. Especially after Matty ruins Florian’s suit on a big night out for Florian’s birthday.

Trying to make things right, broke artist Matty offers Florian his only suit in a desperate effort to not get fired from his job. Conveniently, Matty is flat sitting around the corner, where his one prized suit awaits his friend’s wedding next weekend. Not so conveniently, they are soon trapped together in an elevator at Matty’s flat, and things rapidly go from bad to worse until landing on an uneasy truce.

Which is where a pact is born to come right from this mess. Florian needs a date for an upcoming art gala, a world he knows little about. Matty desperately needs a respectable date for his friend’s Brighton wedding to prove he’s a success in his new London life.

Two fake dates and an unexpected kiss later, fake feelings begin to feel a bit too much like real feelings. Which wouldn’t be a problem if Florian wasn’t so determined to dismantle Matty’s art community by redeveloping a popular local art gallery into luxury condos. An art gallery which may give Matty the solo exhibition he’s dreamt of to launch his art career. And now Matty must choose between his community or what might be a real chance at love…

In the Frame, the second book in the London Arts Club series, features forced proximity, boy next door, and fake dating in a fun new adult romcom.

Purchase:

Amazon: https://link.amazon/B0ep1rumj

EXCERPT 

Florian’s close enough for me to touch, still holding a luxurious bag slung over his shoulder. Looking… nervous? “I realize you’re angry and…” He trails off, looking at me. “And you obviously have every reason to be.”

He’s holding his breath and I’m holding mine. An impossibly long moment stretches on. And on. Neither one of us dares breathe or move. Until finally, finally he yields to me. My heart leaps then.

Just as he’s starting to turn away, I catch his arm. And Florian gasps slightly, his body jerking in response to my touch, his gaze locked on mine—and I couldn’t look away for all the art or money in the world right then. 

And he fully turns back to me.  

“Florian,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, reeling.

And I do an outrageous thing, a reckless thing, since this is a fully outrageous morning, and keeping in the spirit, I catch his face between my hands. Florian shivers under my touch. His dark stubble’s rough against my fingers, the texture pleasing. 

Then, right then, I kiss him. 

It’s a soft, gentle kiss at first, turning into something bolder, more daring as he responds to me, kissing back tentatively to start. As we respond to each other with growing certainty, we progress to tasting each other more intently and deeply, lingering to savor the unexpected, sweet taste of him while blood crashes in my ears. Florian smells so good, his deep cologne making me wild. At that moment, I could float away, untethered with a momentary, newfound joy.

 

We continue more hungrily, lost and found again, until finally we at last come back to our senses, looking at each other in awe beneath the bright sunlight as if actually seeing each other for the very first time. In the hotel lobby, of all places. Still with the view of the sea behind him, and the promise of summer ahead.

His face is still between my hands. So warm. Incredibly warm. 

And Florian looks stunned, a bit flustered, but his expression is soft and oh God, what’s happening?

“I promised you a kiss.” My voice is caught deep in my throat as if oxygen has left me forever, because the world spins, and I don’t want to let go, and hell who knows and who cares who’s watching. “If you remember.”

“You… you did say that.” Florian’s voice is barely audible. “But I didn’t think you meant it.”

GIVEAWAY

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT) ends October 5

• $25 Amazon gift card & 2x ebook copies of In the Frame

https://gleam.io/FE4rl/in-the-frame-blitz

AUTHOR BIO:

More animal than mineral, Hayden Stone (he/him) is a writer of fun queer fiction, especially with kissing. Hayden is the author of the When Snow Falls, Being Royal, and The London Arts Club romcom series. He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, and has previously lived in Vancouver, Canada and London, UK. You can find out his latest news on Instagram or his website: haydenstonebooks.com

Author links:

https://www.haydenstonebooks.com/

https://www.instagram.com/haydenstoneauthor/

https://x.com/writerhayden

https://www.tiktok.com/@hayden.stone.author 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21632218.Hayden_Stone 

Books I Plan to Read September 27 - October 3 and last week's results

 

Shikamoo (Hello in Swahili)

I hope everyone is doing fine. This weekend, we are being hit by a Nor'easter on and off. Some areas have major or minor flooding, but so far my home is fine, just downpours occasional and once in a while some thunder. The rain is expected to be on and off until Tuesday. Perfect reason to stay in and read, then do more packing. I am getting there, folks.

My reading went well this week. I even managed to sneak in an extra ebook. This is how it went.

Ebooks:

(finished) Prey for Me by Allie Oleander - 4 1/2 stars

How to Ruin a Rake by Kate Pearce - 4 1/2 stars

Devil's Snare by Nikki Landis - 5 stars

(extra read) The Marquess's Forbidden Bride by Julia Justiss - 5 stars

Audiobooks:

(finished) Can't Run with the Big Dogs by Tracy Carter - 5 stars

Goode Tidings by Jennifer Millikin - 4 1/2 stars

Planned Reading for September 27 to October 3

Ebooks: 

Audiobooks: 

Seems light once again, but we will see. I want to explain my rating system. You may notice that I give 1/2 stars. When I do, I select the next star down. For example, on the site where I am reviewing, I select 4 if I feel that it was a 4 1/2 rating. Half stars mean that it was a good story with a little more (or less if I feel that there is too much description or narrative that takes me out of the story), but not quite "I couldn't put it down" which gets the 5 stars. In the heading box and at the beginning of the review, I will put 4 1/2 stars so that readers will know. Do you write reviews? How do you rate those stories?

If you have a question about my rating system or my reading preferences, just let me know.

Kwaheri (Goodbye in Swahili)

Ebook Review: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride (Soldiers to Heirs #3) by Julia Justiss

 

Blurb: 

A forbidden love 1830s romance.

Secret courtship…

With the enemy!

Lieutenant Charles Marsden returns from war and inherits the title of Marquess from a father he never knew! Unsettled by his new status, he’s more grateful than ever for the guidance of well-connected debutante Miss Emma Wellingford, even if their families are enemies…

Craving independence over marriage, Emma agreed to a pact with Charles—fend off each other’s unwanted suitors. But Emma struggles as the arrangement brings them closer than is proper, for Charles is now the kind of titled gentleman she swore never to marry. Forced to hide their courtship from their feuding families, their bond feels even more forbidden…

From Harlequin Historical: Your romantic escape to the past.

Soldiers to Heirs

Book 1: The Unexpected Duke
Book 2: The New Earl's Convenient Wife
Book 3: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride

Amazon: Amazon.com: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride (Soldiers to Heirs Book 3) eBook : Justiss, Julia: Kindle Store

B&N: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride | Barnes & Noble®

Kobo: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride eBook by Julia Justiss - EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United States

Google: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride by Julia Justiss - Books on Google Play

Bookbub: The Marquess’s Forbidden Bride by Julia Justiss - BookBub

Goodreads: The Marquess's Forbidden Bride by Julia Justiss | Goodreads

My Review - 5 of 5 stars - 

I enjoyed the friendship of Emma and Charles. She stuck to duty for her sisters even though she did not want to. Flowers were her true passion. Because of an overly ardent suitor, she made a bargain with Charles. He was not looking for a wife as he was getting used to life outside the military. Surprises changed his circumstances, changing the bargain. I loved Charles and how much he preferred honesty and was willing to listen to Emma about everything. He was very much a gentleman before things changed. I thoroughly enjoyed their riding outings, their conversations when they found moments, and watching their feelings blossom. A wonderful story.

I received an ARC, and this is my unsolicited review.

Audiobook Review: Goode Tidings (Serendipity and Shenanigans Series) by Jennifer Millikin, narrators Hannah Chiclana and Aaron Donahue

 

Blurb: 

From Amazon Charts bestselling author Jennifer Millikin comes a new cozy, laugh-out-loud romance.

Callum Goode, the grumpy creator of the beloved website Goode Tidings, never planned on unlawfully occupying the abandoned lakeside cabin where he spent summers as a child. But after a painful and humiliating betrayal, he trades the city for a secluded life in the mountains. There he finds peace, solitude, and a hot tub—which is where Callum happens to be when Eden Madigan and her teenage son wander onto his property claiming the cabin is theirs for the next year.

Seeking space from the newcomers, Callum moves into the small backyard office. Eden might be beautiful and funny, but she's also the no-filter ex-wife of Callum's former stepbrother, making her totally off-limits.

Callum appears to be all scowls and ruggedly handsome, but Eden knows there's more to him. She's determined to peel back his layers, but what she's really doing is getting under his skin in a way neither of them expected.

Eden maintains that bringing Callum coffee every afternoon is just a simple kindness. Callum claims he was only offering a friendly ear when Eden was upset. But the way Callum has been showing up in town wearing an uncharacteristic smile on his face says otherwise.

With tentative touches lingering, and lengthy glances heating up, Callum's grasp on his control begins to slip.

And when the tension finally snaps? There's no going back.

Amazon: Amazon.com: Goode Tidings: A single mom, small town romantic comedy (Serendipity & Shenanigans) eBook : Millikin, Jennifer: Kindle Store

Audible: Goode Tidings Audiobook by Jennifer Millikin

B&N: Goode Tidings | Barnes & Noble®

Bookbub: Goode Tidings: A single mom, small town romantic comedy (Serendipity & Shenanigans) by Jennifer Millikin - BookBub

Goodreads: Goode Tidings by Jennifer Millikin | Goodreads

My Review - 4 1/2 of 5 stars - 

4 1/2 stars for me. I did find this story to be full of love, wit, and complications. Eden was trying to straighten out her life after work issues. I loved her relationship with her son, which felt like true teen-mom interactions. Eden was smart yet felt like she had low self-esteem at times. Enter her first glimpse of Callum, a very entertaining scene. He was a bit of a grouch, loner, with his own family issues. I loved how he stepped up with Oliver and Eden. He was protective and pushed her when she needed it. How things worked out in the end brought tears to my eyes. Enjoyable read.
Hannah Chiclana and Aaron Donahue brought the humor, love, and tension to the story with their narration. They helped me enjoy this story.

I received an audiobook through Valentine PR, and this is my unsolicited review.

Teaser: Ripped and Rugged (#TNTNC27 Anthologies, paperback)

The time has come to preorder RIPPED & RUGGED, the #TNTNC27 anthologies packed with overlapping storylines, shared small-town drama, and pulse-pounding crossovers. The Tempted & Tantalizing authors are back to prove that whether he rides or works the land, a real hero gives everything to the woman who holds his heart.

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If you love outlaw brotherhoods, rugged outdoorsmen, and the women who bring them to their knees, this rowdy romance collection is for you...

Tempted & Tantalizing is back with a brand-new, multi-author, two-volume romance anthology where the wilderness is unforgiving, the club business is ruthless, and the heroes run wild and are not to be tested.

Fire up your engines and dive into RIPPED, where iron-willed bikers live and love by their own merciless laws. Possessive, lethal, and fiercely loyal to their own, these outlaws will stop at nothing to defend what's theirs, no matter the cost. 

Then scale the wild heights in RUGGED, and try not to fall for the hard-working men who brave the harshest terrain to carve out a living on their own terms. Armed with endless grit and stoic devotion, these relentless protectors know exactly how to shelter the women they love from any storm.

Featuring overlapping storylines, shared small towns, and crossover characters, this pulse-pounding double anthology proves that whether a man works the land or builds an empire, he will give everything he has for the one who holds his heart. 

Includes pairs of connected romances from: 

Janine Infante Bosco & E.C. Land

E.R. Whyte & Gwyn McNamee

Maria Vickers & Amy Marie

D. Vessa & M. Merin

Stephanie Dillon & Penny Anglene

Cassie Colton & April Moran

Miranda Lynn & Elle Shane

Elise Gedicke & KC Savage

BR Curry & CA Miconi

CJ Pinard & Angela Rush

LEARN MORE ABOUT TEMPTED & TANTALIZING AUTHOR EVENTS HERE 👇
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Preorder: Rebel Moon (Christmas Cowboy at Crescent Moon Ranch #2) by Tess Thompson

Rebel Moon 

by Tess Thompson 

Releases on September 29th!

https://geni.us/RebelMoon

Read With Kindle Unlimited

She made him a star. He'll never forgive her for it.

Knox Hartley cares about one thing: the music. As lead guitarist for Jack Wilder — the best in the business, and everybody knows it — the songs were always supposed to be enough on their own. Then Madeleine Price got hold of them. For ten years she’s been the band’s publicist: brilliant, untouchable, and the reason they’re everywhere — packaging the music, selling it, turning something honest into product with her fingerprints on every platinum record.

To Knox, she took the one thing that was pure and handed it to the machine. He resents all of it. He resents her most of all.
What Knox doesn’t know is what it cost her to become the woman he can’t stand.

Madeleine built herself from nothing — reinvented a poor girl from nowhere into the sharpest publicist in country music, one flawless version of herself at a time, long before she ever met Jack and the band. The polish is armor. The control is survival. And the one thing she can’t afford is for anyone to see the girl underneath — least of all the man who’s spent a decade looking at her like she’s the enemy.

Now they’re both stuck at the most public wedding of the year: a monthlong Christmas celebration at Crescent Moon Ranch, where the bride keeps seating them together and there’s nowhere to hide from the one person who gets under her skin like no one else.

But a Montana December has a way of wearing down the oldest defenses. Beneath ten years of sharp words and slammed doors, Knox starts to catch glimpses of who Madeleine really is — and a secret she’s guarded since long before the band. She isn’t the woman he decided she was. She never was. And the more he sees, the more he wants the one person he swore he’d never forgive.

Enemies. Opposites. The worst possible person to want.

And the last person either of them planned to fall for.

A closed-door enemies-to-lovers romance. Forced proximity, a heroine with a secret, and ten years of simmering resentment that was never really hate.

 

Release: A Very Grumpy Green Beret (Wolf Valley: Grumps #18) by Shaw Hart

 

A Very Grumpy Green Beret 

by Shaw Hart 

Available now!

https://geni.us/VeryGrumpyGB

Read On All Platforms

I only needed a place to hide. I didn’t expect the town’s grumpiest Green Beret to decide I was his.

Perry
I came to Wolf Valley to disappear.
So, the last thing I wanted was attention, especially not from the towering, scarred, permanently scowling man who lives in the cabin at the edge of town.
Luca Kane.
He barely speaks, barely smiles, and somehow always knows when something’s wrong.
When my tire blows on a deserted road, he’s there.
When a stranger asks too many questions, he’s suddenly at my side.
When my past comes creeping too close, he steps in without hesitation.
He fixes things I never asked him to, protects me like it’s instinct, and looks at me like he already knows all my secrets.
And that terrifies me, because I didn’t come here to fall in love, and I definitely didn’t come here to belong to a man like him.

Luca
I left the military to be alone.
No more noise, chaos, or attachments.
Then Perry walks into town with haunted eyes that she tries to hide behind a smile.
The second I look at her, something inside me locks into place.
She says she’s fine, but I know that’s a lie.
She jumps at shadows, sleeps with the lights on, and flinches like she expects the world to hurt her again.
Not on my watch.
Whatever she’s running from will have to come through me.
And that won’t end well for them because I didn’t survive war just to lose the woman who owns my heart.
And she is mine.
Whether she’s ready to admit it or not.

Release: Devil's Snare (Grave Prowlers MC: Deathrock, CA #1) by Nikki Landis

Devil’s Snare

Series: Grave Prowlers MC: Deathrock, CA

by Nikki Landis

Release: September 19, 2026

Goodreads: https://t.ly/q9zW2

Bookbub: https://t.ly/S5xJT

Genre/Tropes:

• MC Romance

• Obsessed, Possessive, unhinged outlaw

• Found family

• Paranormal twist

• Dark romance

• Hurt/comfort

• Morally gray

• Forced proximity

• Revenge

• Meet-cute in a cemetery

• Touch her & die 

Blurb: 

Danger. Unsolved homicides. Deadly secrets.

Never walk in a cemetery alone at night, especially in a little town called Deathrock...

Cinerator never expected to find an ol’ lady or a woman who could bring him to his knees. When he meets Gwen in a graveyard at midnight, he knows she’s the one. But Gwen is grieving a murdered sister and isn’t looking for another guy who’ll break her heart.

Except there’s no denying the chemistry between them. A pull that neither can explain. It’s rooted in something ancient, just like Cinerator and his club. Secrets long buried are exposed, risking the one woman he can’t live without.

When danger collides with his need to keep Gwen safe, is he willing to do anything to protect her, even if it could kill him?

Devil's Snare is the first book in the GPMC: Deathrock, CA chapter, with a paranormal romantic twist and an obsessed, possessive, unhinged outlaw who lives by two codes: no one fucks with his club, and nobody touches what belongs to him. This is a dark romance.

Buy Links (Kindle Unlimited):

Amazon Universal: https://mybook.to/DevilsSnare_GPMC

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2Q275ZD

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0G2Q275ZD

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0G2Q275ZD

Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0G2Q275ZD

In the Series (PreOrder)

Hell’s Hollow - releasing February 26, 2027

Amazon Universal: https://mybook.to/HellsHollow_GPMC

Author Bio: 

Nikki Landis is a romance enthusiast, tea addict, and book hoarder. She's the USA Today Bestselling Author of over fifty novels, including her widely popular Tonopah, NV RBMC series. She writes wickedly fierce, spicy romances featuring dirty talkin' bikers, deadly, possessive reapers, wild bad boys, and the feisty, independent women they love. She's a mom to six sons, two of them Marines. Books are her favorite escape. Nikki also writes steamy alien and monster romance under the pen name Synna Star.

Social Media Links:

Website: https://nikkilandiswriter.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nikkilandisauthor/

Reader's Group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/nikkiscrossroads

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Nikki-Landis/e/B01HKGW4ZU/

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/nikkilandis

Twitter: https://twitter.com/landisnikkiauth/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nikkilandisauthor/

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/nikkilandisauth/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nikki-landis

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nikkilandisauthor

 

My Review - 5 of 5 stars - 

An interesting start to a new series. I loved the paranormal aspect, different that expected. There was emotional pain, danger, secrets, and plenty of steam. Cin's patience and control of himself was intense, and he didn't just jump into bed. Gwen accepted everything with little question. She was adventurous, caring, and very trusting with others. I look forward to more in this series to see how all the other MC brothers react to finding "the one". Loved it.

Narrator Reveal: Carved in the Shadows (Crimson Crows #2) by A.L. Jackson, narrators Andi Arndt and Austin Stone

A.L. Jackson has revealed the narrators for Carved in the Shadows!

Duet Narration by: Austin Stone & Andi Arndt

Releasing October 20, 2026

It was a terrible idea to agree to move in with my best friend’s little sister

She is everything I’ve ever wanted and the one thing I can’t have.

As our motorcycle club’s Vice President, I’m charged with her protection.
Touching her would be a penalty subject to death.

When she demands the chance to spread her wings, it’s my duty to go with her.
I knew staying at her new apartment would be excruciating.
Listening to her in her room and imagining her under the fall of the shower.
But when she asks me to crawl into bed with her so she won’t feel so alone, there’s nothing I can do.

One brush of her hand and I’m crumbling.
One crook of those fingers and I’m trapped.
One reckless night and there’s no going back.

Only with the lives we lead, our enemies are never far away, and as she begins to receive threats, I’m in a race to end the threat before it’s too late.
Soon, our secrets unravel, and I’m faced with the consequence of loving her.
But I promised her everything, and I’m willing to offer the greatest sacrifice.

Pre-order Today!

https://geni.us/CITSAudioOP 

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4cKlA6S 

Sale!!! Light of Day (Sea Smoke Island #1) by Jennifer Bernard, 99 cents limited time only

Light Of Day by Jennifer Bernard is ON SALE for only 99c!

 

Get your copy here 👇
https://geni.us/LightofDay

Romantic Suspense

Single Dad Hero

Small-Town / Island Romance

Forced Proximity

Family Secrets & Conspiracy

 

Some secrets are buried deep. On Sea Smoke Island, digging them up could cost you everything...including your heart.

Heather McPhee swore she'd keep her distance from Sea Smoke Island—she escaped the reputation of the “messy McPhees” and intended to keep it that way. But when her best friend and podcast co-host vanishes after uncovering a bombshell story on the remote Maine island, Heather has no choice but to go back.

Luke Carmichael also thought he left the drama of his powerful family behind. Banished from their elite resort and raising his daughter on his own, the island constable prefers a quiet life. Until Heather storms back into town, stirring up old ghosts.

As they investigate Gabby's disappearance, Heather and Luke uncover a generations-old conspiracy tied to the elite Carmichael resort, one someone will kill to protect. And as sparks fly between the messy McPhee and the renegade Carmichael, they'll have to decide what's worth risking—the truth, their lives… or their hearts.

Because on Sea Smoke Island, some secrets refuse to stay buried. And the truth always comes to light.