Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Audiobook Release: Untamed (Beneath the Reign #1) by Luna Mason, narrators Elle Sonali and Sebastian York



Untamed by Luna Mason is now live on audio!

Narrated by: Sebastian York & Elle Sonali  



Are you ready for cowboys to enter the mafia underworld?


They can come after my ranch, my freedom, even my life. But, no one gets away with touching my wife…

Hunter Sterling.

People call me by different names depending on which version of me they know.
The owner of Sterling ranch.
The heir to a mafia empire.
The murderer the town wants caged.
I have ninety days to prove I didn’t kill the mother of my son or I lose everything.
I should be focused on survival.
Instead, I fall for the same girl my best friend does.
Lola Jackson. The city girl. My firefly.
I’m the one she runs to when he hurts her and I’m the one who punishes him for it.
And I make her my wife so that the Sterling name will keep her protected long after I’m gone.
But it was always more than just names on a piece of paper. It’s the one thing that makes me fight harder to stay alive.
When the truth is revealed, it doesn’t just shatter me, it forces me to choose between my empire… or my wife.
But they’ve all forgotten who they’re dealing with.
And now they’re going to learn what happens when a cowboy stops playing nice and a mafia boss goes to war.


Tropes Include:
- Single Dad
- City girl x Cowboy
- Romantic Suspense
- Rope Play
- Marriage for Protection
- A cute pet goat called Gary
- Found Family
- Possessive MMC

Untamed can be read as a standalone, but is the first book in an interconnected series, which will follow each of the Sterling Brothers.


Listen today!

Audible: https://bit.ly/4niDOAD

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4u8V0e8

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/48HuAI4

 


Narrator Reveal: Fire and Ice (Boston Bobcats #2) by Carly Robyn, narrators Summer Morton and Keval Shah



Carly Robyn has revealed the narrators for Fire and Ice!

Narrated by: Summer Morton & Keval Shah

Releasing July 28, 2026 



A spicy Fake Dating, Grumpy x Sunshine, hockey romance from bestselling author, Carly Robyn


One fake relationship, a delicious dash of chemistry, and a recipe that's bound to get messy.

Kennedy Caplan bakes the best cakes in town, but taking her business to the next level requires more than butter and grit. She’s determined to turn her dreams into something bigger, even if the odds—and her bank account—are stacked against her.

Cameron Davies, NHL goalie and resident grump, has perfected the art of shutting people out. He’s content with his small circle, until life throws him off balance: a toxic ex back in town, teammates who won’t stop hovering, and a spotlight that refuses to dim.

His solution is as practical as it is risky: a fake relationship with Kennedy—his sister’s friend and the one person he can’t seem to ignore. The arrangement gives her business the financial investment it desperately needs, and provides Cameron a buffer from his ex and overprotective teammates.

But what begins as a strategic arrangement soon blurs into late-night calls and sparks neither of them can deny. And the more they lean into the lie, they’re forced to face the question they’ve both been avoiding: what if this isn’t fake anymore?

Fire and Ice is a spicy hockey romance with heart, heat, humor, and a guaranteed HEA. This is the second book in the Boston Bobcats series and can be read as a standalone, although reading in order is recommended for the best experience!

Pre-order today!

Audible: https://bit.ly/49hQe5K

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3PsfPSU

Apple: https://bit.ly/4d9WLjY

B&N: https://bit.ly/4uC3fj0

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3ORUDpf 

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4da4U8m 




Cover Reveal: Never After Us (Heartbreak Mixtapes #4) by Claudia Burgoa



Never After Us (Heartbreak Mixtapes #4) by Claudia Burgoa


Releasing June 10th





Model cover

Designed by: @byhangle

Photographer:

@wanderbookclub


Object cover

@pretty_little_design_co




Release Boost: My Whiskey Redemption (The Whiskeys: Dark Knights at Redemption Ranch #6) by Melissa Foster

My Whiskey Redemption 

by Melissa Foster 

Available now!

Available on All Platforms & direct on her store!




Birdie Whiskey has spent years watching love find everyone else. She has a successful chocolate business, an incredible family, and a full life. All that’s missing is someone to share it with. When she gets swept up in a single, unforgettable night with a mysterious stranger, she believes it’s finally her turn. But the man who knocks her off her feet is the last man her family would ever accept.

Four years ago Crew Hendricks shattered the Whiskey family and went to prison. Now he’s standing on Redemption Ranch, desperate to make amends for what he’s done and trying to forget the one woman he can never have.

Come along for the emotional ride as the Whiskeys’ belief in second chances is put to the test, and Birdie faces her toughest decision yet—stay loyal to her family or fight for the man she loves.


 

Teaser: Pushing Styxx (Satan's Keepers MC #10) by E.C. Land



He's letting her call the shots... until he's got her in his bed. 
MC romance fans, this one's for you...

Pushing Styxx by E.C. Land is available to preorder today!

Family is everything, even if it's one you never saw coming.

Styxx

Six months ago, my life was chrome, asphalt, and club business. Now, it’s colic, three a.m. feedings, and trying to figure out how a man with blood on his hands is supposed to raise a daughter. Getting my own place away from the clubhouse was supposed to give us a fresh start, but now I’m drowning. And my brothers' ol' ladies are protective as hell, but they can’t be here every time the baby cries.

Lucky for me, one of the girls next door won't stop offering to babysit. And when I finally take her up on it, it's her older sister who has my attention. I realize I know who she is. Seen her before. Only never in the light of day. She's dancing at night to pay their bills, and seeing her now, I can tell she's on the run from something. I should keep my distance, but I can't help myself. So when their past catches up to them, I'm not about to let them face it alone. I'm used to fighting for my club, and I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to fight for all three of the girls who have become mine.



About E.C. Land

E.C. Land grew up in the country and has it deep in her bones. As she grew up, if she wasn’t out on the ball field or playing in the woods, she had her nose stuck in a book. Now she writes romantic suspense stories, specializing in MC (motorcycle club) romance. She plans to broaden her writing horizons in the near future and move into other forms of romantic suspense. When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her husband, three kids, and fur babies. 




Monday, May 11, 2026

Narrator Reveal: A Very Good Bad Idea by Emma Chase, narrators Brooke Bloomingdale and Sean Masters



Emma Chase has revealed the narrators for A Very Good Bad Idea!

Narrated by: Sean Masters & Brooke Bloomingdale

Releasing July 9, 2026



New York Times bestselling author Emma Chase is back with this red-hot romantic comedy about two rival real estate developers who inherit the same lucrative property. There’s just one catch: they have to live in it…together.

Block 42 Lot 17 is the most coveted oceanfront property in Shore Haven, and both Damon Burke and Jade Buchanan are certain it’s already theirs.

The elderly owner, Clarabelle Spicket, promised it to Damon. She also promised it to Jade. Awkward…

Now thanks to a provision in the will, the town’s coldest real estate shark and its fiercest power player are forced to spend the next four months living there together or else they forfeit the property.

Even worse, the dilapidated beachfront mansion seems determined to shove them into the same room—and the same bed. As wills clash, tempers flare and walls crumble . . . so do their defenses.

It’s a bad idea to get too close to your enemy. To care about them, need them, desperately want them.

But when rivalry turns into something far more than either of them ever expected, Damon and Jade discover that love can be a very good bad idea.


Pre-order today!

Audible: https://bit.ly/4d0ujCs

Amazon: https://bit.ly/4nBMy53

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4n65QPq 


Influencer Sign-up: https://bit.ly/4ugbSzl 



Ebook Review: Truth or Dragon (The Dragon Guard #55) by Julia Mills

 

Blurb

Return to the world of the Dragon Guard, where loyalty is eternal, magic is deadly, and Fate always collects its due.

Carrick has exactly three priorities:
Rescue the brother he thought was dead.
Destroy the ancient Elven Sorceress holding him captive.
Protect the Golden Fire Clan at all costs.

Then Fate just added a fourth.
Virginia “Ginnie” Heatherton.

The last Heatherton Necromancer standing, Ginnie spends her days helping the grieving connect with the other side—not battling Hellmouths or Demon Lords. But when her psyche is snatched, and she sees a vision that her niece is in danger, she knows the end isn’t coming quietly.

Then the Dragon arrives.
Power calls to power.
Fire answers magic.
Mate.

Their timing couldn’t be worse. The factions of evil are coming together, and Carrick’s brother is still imprisoned. Saving their family— and the world— will require more than ancient fire and necromancy.
It will take trust.
Sacrifice.
And a mating bond strong enough to shake Heaven and Hell.
Fate set everything into motion, and She refuses to be denied.

One Dragon. One Necromancer. One bond that will change everything.

*Perfect for fans of Fated Mates, powerful heroines, possessive Alpha Dragons, found family, and high-stakes paranormal romance.

Amazon: Amazon.com: Truth or Dragon (The Dragon Guard Book 55) eBook : Mills, Julia, Edits, Em: Kindle Store

B&N: Truth or Dragon by Julia Mills | eBook | Barnes & Noble®

Kobo: Truth or Dragon eBook by Julia MIlls - EPUB | Rakuten Kobo United States

Google: Truth or Dragon by Julia Mills - Books on Google Play

Bookbub: Truth or Dragon (The Dragon Guard Book 55) by Julia Mills - BookBub

Goodreads: Truth or Dragon (The Dragon Guard Book 55) by Julia Mills | Goodreads





My Review - 4 1/2 of 5 stars - 

4 1/2 stars. I found this story intriguing. I loved the worldbuilding and that there was a fated mate for everyone. Acceptance of that connection was accepted. Plenty of tricks, danger, secrets, and even witty dialogue throughout. Ginnie knew what she needed to do and was quite sassy internally and externally. She was strong, intelligent, and loyal to friends and family. Carrick carried a lot of guilt for what had been happening around him but felt stronger with Ginnie and family by his side. A fun read with plenty to keep me reading.

This is my unsolicited review.




Audiobook Review: Kade's Dark Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans #1) by Kym Grosso, narrator Ryan West

 

Blurb

After a series of ritualistic murders plagues Philadelphia, seasoned detective Sydney Willows is forced to partner with a powerful and dangerously alluring vampire. Kade Issacson is secretive, dominant, and utterly inhuman, yet with every step closer to the truth, the harder it becomes to deny the chemistry between them.

Kade has spent centuries hunting monsters who prey on the innocent. Protecting Sydney should be simple. Falling for her is not. As desire intensifies and the threat grows closer, Kade is forced to confront a truth he never expected. The woman he is sworn to protect may be the one who dismantles his carefully controlled world.

In New Orleans, where dark magic lurks in the shadows, Sydney and Kade are drawn into a deadly game of power, seduction, and fate. When Sydney becomes the next target, Kade must choose between the laws of his immortal world and the woman who has claimed his heart.

Kade’s Dark Embrace is the first novel in the Immortals of New Orleans series, a dark paranormal romance of vampires, shifters, witches, and dangerously irresistible alphas.

Amazon: Kade's Dark Embrace: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Immortals of New Orleans Book 1) - Kindle edition by Grosso, Kym, Roberts, Julie. Paranormal Romance Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Audible: Kade's Dark Embrace Audiobook by Kym Grosso

B&N: Kade's Dark Embrace by Kym Grosso, Ryan West | 2940169253450 | Audiobook (Digital) | Barnes & Noble®

Kobo: Kade's Dark Embrace Audiobook by Kym Grosso - Listen Free | Rakuten Kobo United States

Google: Kade's Dark Embrace by Kym Grosso - Audiobooks on Google Play

Bookbub: Kade’s Dark Embrace by Kym Grosso - BookBub

Goodreads: Kade's Dark Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans, #1) by Kym Grosso | Goodreads





My Review - 5 of 5 stars - 

I did not want to stop listening to this story. Sydney was an intelligent woman, good in her job. Suddenly Kade joined her investigation because of the nature of the murders. The connection between them was hot, and Kade's natural dominance pushed her limits at times. With a little self-doubt, Sydney was not sure of his true feelings. I loved them as a couple, enjoyed the secondary characters, and need to look into the rest of the series.

The narration by Ryan West added to the story. His intensity and rumbling voice had me listening to every work.

This is my unsolicited review.



Teaser: Rip (Kiss of Death MC #14) by Marteeka Karland with an excerpt



Rip

(Kiss of Death MC)

by Marteeka Karland 

Motorcycle Club Romance, Suspense, Age Gap

Date Published: May 15, 2026




She found her strength. I’ll makes sure no one takes it again.

 

Jade -- I ran from a man who broke me, only to land in the arms of a biker who could destroy what little I have left. Rip is an alpha protector with a dangerous edge I can’t seem to resist. He sees too much, wants too much, and makes me crave things I swore I’d never risk again. He gives me the courage to believe in myself. When my past refuses to let me go, I know I can surrender or stand and fight. If my ex thinks he can take everything from me again, he’s about to learn exactly how wrong he is.

Rip -- The first time I see Jade, she’s barely holding herself together, a trauma survivor trying to outrun a nightmare who won’t stay buried. She’s still fragile enough I know better than to push my way into her life, even when every instinct tells me to pull her close and never let her go. I don’t expect her to see me as anything more than a safe place. Whether I claim her or not, my MC brothers will lay down their lives for her. And when the smoke clears and the blood is washed away, Jade will know she was always meant to be mine. Forever.

 


EXCERPT

 

Jade

The soft, warm lighting in the small dining room did little to reassure me. I stared at my hands resting on the scarred wooden table, watching them tremble against my will. Three weeks at Haven, and my body still hadn’t gotten the message that I was safe now. Safe. What a strange word to apply to homelessness, to sitting in a communal room, surrounded by women who couldn’t meet my eyes because we all recognized the shame in each other’s faces.

I pulled down my sleeve to cover the faint, yellowing bruise on my wrist. My ribs still throbbed with a dull persistent ache that no amount of ibuprofen could completely relieve. The pain was almost comforting -- a reminder that I hadn’t imagined it all, that I wasn’t crazy. My fingers brushed against my cheekbone, the swelling finally gone but the discoloration still visible beneath the concealer I’d carefully applied that morning.

A little boy, maybe five or six, darted past me chasing after his sister, both of them laughing. Their mother called after them in a hushed voice. All the women here spoke quietly most of the time, as if normal volume might shatter whatever fragile peace we’d found. Or too afraid our respite would end in violence once again. I watched them without trying to seem like I was watching. Their mother had dark circles under her eyes, but she smiled when she caught them, tickled them until they squealed.

I looked away. There was an intimacy to their bond that felt invasive to witness, like I was trespassing on something precious. I didn’t belong here, among these women who’d fled with children, with purpose. What did I have? A business degree I’d never used, a dried-up marketing career, and a suitcase only half full of clothes I’d grabbed while Eric was at work. No kids. No friends left. Just bruises and tremors and the growing realization that I had nowhere else to go.

“Jade? Do you have a moment?”

I looked up to see Ada approaching, a clipboard tucked under her arm and a sympathetic smile on her face. Since I’d come here, I’d learned that every woman from that club Mia’s new man belonged to volunteered at this place. The men guarded Haven but never made the residents feel smothered. In fact, I only saw them occasionally. Everyone here cared. Probably too much sometimes. I saw the few people who came through here. Everyone had a sob story and most of them were horrific. By comparison, I had it pretty easy.

“Of course,” I said, straightening my posture automatically.

Ada slid into the chair opposite me and placed the clipboard on the table between us. “Your thirty-day evaluation period ends this weekend,” she said, her voice soft. “I have your extension paperwork here. I hate that we have to do shit like this, but it gets us money for supplies.” She smiled.

My heart stuttered. I hadn’t realized how terrified I was of her saying anything else until the relief flooded through me. “Yes,” I said too quickly, then bit my lip. “I mean, if that’s OK. I’m still working on… figuring things out.” I had to force myself not to wring my hands. I didn’t used to be like this. I didn’t want to be like this now.

Ada pushed the clipboard toward me. “That’s what we’re here for. I just need your signature.”

I picked up the pen, my fingers trembling. I gripped it tighter, trying to control the shake as I signed my name. Ada watched without commenting on my obvious anxiety. She was good at that -- giving people dignity even when they were falling apart.

“Thank you,” she said, taking back the clipboard. “The extension is for another sixty days. After that, we’ll reassess.”

I tried to smile but couldn’t quite commit. I knew how pathetic I looked by not getting back in the game of life, but the thought of trying to explain the abrupt departure from my previous job, of interviewing with visible bruises, of having to be around strange men who might remind me of Eric, could send me into a panic attack.

“Jade, honey? You OK?”

I glanced up at Ada when she spoke. Short answer? No. I wasn’t OK. Better answer? “Fine,” I said. “Just tired.”

Her eyes softened with understanding that made me want to crawl under the table. “There’s a resume workshop on Thursday. No pressure, but it might help to interact with others. And group therapy tomorrow at four is open to everyone.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “There’s no rush, you know. I’m checking boxes because it’s required. You take as much time as you need. We call this place Haven for a reason.”

When she left, I let my shoulders slump, exhausted by the brief interaction. Across the room, a woman about my age was showing her daughter how to braid string into a friendship bracelet. Another was helping her son with what looked like math homework. I’d wanted that once. A family. To be all domesticated and stuff.

Eric had told me he had the same dream. Turned out, his dream had been more about building himself up by keeping someone under his foot. It had been me since before college. Then he wanted Mia but wanted his fucking mind games with me too.

I picked at a dangling hangnail until it bled, sucking the small wound. I’d come to Haven because the nice lady who’d brought me said this place would keep Eric away from me. No questions asked. I stayed in Haven because I was officially homeless and had nowhere else to go. The sad truth was, I hated the thought of leaving this place because I’d never stayed anywhere I felt safer than I did at Haven.

What came next? The question circled in my head like a vulture. I couldn’t stay here forever, but I couldn’t imagine a life outside these walls either. Not when Eric was still out there.

I wrapped my arms around myself, pressing against the bruises on my ribs until the physical pain drowned out everything else.

The crash shattered the afternoon quiet like a gunshot. I didn’t see what happened. First, the ball bouncing across the linoleum, then a little boy chasing after it. One or both of them hit the table where a ceramic vase sat just a little too close to the edge. I only registered the sound as it exploded against the floor, blue and white shards spraying outward like shrapnel. My body reacted before my mind could catch up. Flinch. Gasp. Arms over face. Heart instantly hammering against my ribs as if trying to punch its way out of my chest.

The rational part of my brain knew it was just a broken vase. Just a child’s accident. But my body was already in full survival mode, dumping adrenaline into my bloodstream. My ears rang. My vision tunneled. My muscles coiled tight, ready to do anything I could to avoid what usually came after a crash.

I sucked in a sharp breath that hurt my throat. Held it. Forgot how to release it. The common room had gone still. Through the gaps between my fingers, I saw women frozen in various postures of interrupted activity. Some exchanged knowing glances and looks of sympathy, a language survivors recognized as a trigger response. Others deliberately turned away, giving me privacy in my panic, or maybe protecting themselves from the mirror I’d become.

“I’m so sorry,” the little boy’s mother murmured, already on her knees, gathering ceramic pieces into her cupped palm. “Tyler, go put your ball away, please.” Her voice was tight but controlled. Tyler looked terrified, his lower lip trembling as he clutched the rubber ball to his chest and scurried away.

“It’s fine,” someone said. “Just an accident. Our fault for having something not kid-proof in here.”

“I’ve got a dustpan,” another woman offered, heading toward the supply closet.

I forced my arms down, away from my face. Attempted a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, but I couldn’t just sit there like a broken doll while everyone else handled the situation. I slid from my chair and knelt beside the boy’s mother.

“Let me help,” I said, reaching for a larger piece of ceramic.

She glanced up at me, her expression a careful blank. “Thanks.”

My fingers trembled so badly I couldn’t pick up the shard. I tried again. Failed again. The third time I managed to grasp it, but my hand shook so hard that I dropped it almost immediately. It clattered against the floor, breaking into smaller pieces.

“Sorry,” I whispered, mortified.

“We’re all a hot mess,” she said with a watery smile. “How about we do the best we can and understand we’re all ghosts.”

The woman with the dustpan and a hand vacuum arrived, sweeping carefully to get the larger pieces before using the vacuum. I tried again to help but my breath came in shallow gasps that weren’t bringing in enough oxygen. Black spots danced at the edges of my vision. I was going to pass out and make an even bigger scene.

I stumbled to my feet and backed away, scanning for somewhere to retreat. The bathrooms were too far. The dormitory area was up a flight of stairs. My legs couldn’t even manage to make it to the elevator much less make it up a flight of stairs. Luckily, I found an empty corner by the bookshelves, partially screened by a large potted plant. I made my way there on wobbly legs, pressing my back against the wall and sliding down until I sat on the floor, knees pulled tight to my chest.

I used to be good at talking myself down from the ledge. Back when the panic attacks were just garden variety anxiety and not the souvenirs of systematic abuse. I tried now, struggling to find the rhythm of controlled breathing that had once been second nature.

I pressed my forehead against my knees, trying to make myself smaller. A tear leaked from the corner of my eye, sliding hot down my cheek. Then another. I wiped them away furiously with the heel of my hand. I was not going to cry in this fucking corner like a child because someone broke a vase. I was not going to be this broken thing Eric created.

But the tears kept coming, silent but unstoppable. They weren’t really about the vase or even about the flashback. They were tears of pure frustration at my body’s betrayal and my mind’s inability to distinguish past from present. And for how pathetic I’d been for so long. Now I had nothing.

* * *

I’d come to an agreement with Hannah. I help out with housekeeping, cooking, and anything else needed in Haven, and I could stay longer. At least, that was the agreement I proposed. She’d smiled and told me that of course I could stay. That there were no conditions and I could stay as long as I wanted. As safe as I felt here, I knew it would be a long while before I “wanted” to leave. And also, I didn’t really believe they’d let me stay here much longer. It was past time I left. I just couldn’t make myself go.

Now, I pushed the supply caddy, which seemed to weigh a ton, its wheels squeaking as I pushed it down the hallway. Hannah had asked me to deliver fresh towels and toiletries to the linen closet where everyone got what they needed. A simple task, but it got me away from the sympathetic glances after my meltdown in the common room. The building designated for Haven had been a former warehouse. But someone had converted the place into a very comfortable, very soothing atmosphere inside.

I passed the small office and approached the security station that controlled access to the entire building. The security here was insane and every security guard working here took their job very seriously. No one got inside Haven who didn’t belong. The door was ajar, and I slowed as I heard Hannah’s voice from inside, clearer and more authoritative than her usual soft-spoken manner.

“-- have to adjust the rotations since Noose’s funeral. We can’t leave any gaps in coverage, especially at night. The restraining orders don’t mean shit if --”

I hesitated outside the door, not wanting to interrupt but also curious about the changes happening around us. Noose had been killed just before I came here. He’d died in the same fire that had nearly claimed the lives of Mia and Oktober, as well as Pain and Inferno. The Kiss of Death MC had been providing security for Haven since its founding, a fact that had initially terrified me until I realized they were the only thing standing between the women here and the men who might come looking for them. More than once, I’d been ashamed of the way Eric had called these men criminals. I’d learned that, while most of them had killed, they’d all had good reasons for what they’d done and had taken their punishment.

I knocked lightly on the doorframe, the caddy parked beside me. “Sorry to interrupt. I have supplies for --”

The words died in my throat as I stepped into the doorway and saw who Hannah was talking to. A large man filled the small security office with his presence across from Hannah. The Kiss of Death leather cut stretched across shoulders that could have belonged to a linebacker. His dark hair was buzzed short on the sides but longer on top, and a shadow of stubble darkened his jaw. But it was his hands that held my attention. They were large and weathered with scars across the knuckles. I didn’t know this man, but he obviously belonged to the club.

I froze, instinctively. I didn’t like strange men. Most of the women here had issues with strange men. I gaped at the guy, feeling like prey caught in a predator’s trap.

“Jade, perfect timing,” Hannah said, seemingly oblivious to my reaction. “This is Rip. He’s taking over Noose’s security detail.” She turned to the man. “Rip, this is Jade. She’s been with us about three weeks now and has been helping with a few chores. She’s been a lifesaver in so many ways.” Hannah gave me a smile before reaching out to take my hand and tug me farther inside the office. “If you can’t find something, find Jade. She’ll either know where it is or if we have whatever it is you need.”

I managed a tight nod, my throat too dry for words. This man was here to protect us, not harm us. I knew he wouldn’t be here if he were a bad person, but my body didn’t get the memo.

“Rip’s going to be handling the night shift security,” Hannah explained, filling the quiet.

I nodded again, stealing a glance at the man from beneath my lashes. I found it difficult to read the guy. His gaze was direct and penetrating, taking in everything around him. When they met mine, I felt a jolt of emotion. Not fear, exactly, but I knew he could see straight through to the very core of me and saw the wreckage hidden underneath the surface. His eyes were intense but kind.

The longer he looked at me, the more his gaze narrowed. He looked almost startled. He turned his head slightly toward me and rubbed the center of his chest absently as though it ached.

I dropped my gaze immediately, studying the scuffed toes of my shoes. My chest tightened with the familiar anxiety that men triggered in me. This man saw things I didn’t want him to see. I knew it like I knew my own name.

“Good to meet you,” I managed to say. I backed toward the door, eager to escape the intensity of his gaze. “I should let you get back to it.”

Rip nodded once. He still hadn’t spoken, but somehow his silence wasn’t threatening. It felt considerate. As if he understood that his voice might be too much for me right now.

I slipped out of the doorway and leaned against the wall in the corridor, breathing deeply to slow my racing heart. Through the partially open door, I could hear Hannah resuming their conversation as if they hadn’t been interrupted.

I pushed away from the wall and headed back toward the common area, my mind replaying those few moments of eye contact. There had been something oddly comforting about the weight of his gaze. Rip hadn’t given me the predatory assessment I’d grown accustomed to from Eric but simply waited. Watchful in the way a guardian surveys their charge.

Strangely, for the first time since arriving at Haven, I felt truly seen. Not as a victim or someone who’d betrayed her best friend, but as a person worth protecting.

 

 About the Author

Marteeka Karland is an international bestselling author who leads a double life as an erotic romance author by evening and a semi-domesticated housewife by day. Known for her down and dirty MC romances, Marteeka takes pleasure in spinning tales of tenacious, protective heroes and spirited, vulnerable heroines. She staunchly advocates that every character deserves a blissful ending, even, sometimes, the villains in her narratives. Her writings are speckled with intense, raw elements resulting in page-turning delight entwined with seductive escapades leading up to gratifying conclusions that elicit a sigh from her readers.

Away from the pen, Marteeka finds joy in baking and supporting her husband with their gardening activities. The late summer season is set aside for preserving the delightful harvest that springs from their combined efforts (which is mostly his efforts, but you can count it). To stay updated with Marteeka's latest adventures and forthcoming books, make sure to visit her website. Don't forget to register for her newsletter which will pepper you with a potpourri of Teeka's beloved recipes, book suggestions, autograph events, and a plethora of interesting tidbits.

 

Author on Instagram & TikTok: @marteekakarland

Author on Facebook

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

Save 15% off any order at ChangelingPress.com with code RABT15




RABT Book Tours & PR

Sale!!! Traded (Cliffside Bay #1) by Tess Thompson, 99 cents for a limited time



Traded by Tess Thompson is 99c for a limited time!

https://geni.us/TradedTT
Read With Kindle Unlimited

✔️ Grieving Hero
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Hidden Identity
✔️ Small Town Found Family
 
She wore a wire on her own father and walked away with a new name. He just won the Super Bowl — and every camera in the country is pointed at his front door. One photograph is all it will take to get her killed.
 
Traded is the first book in the Cliffside Bay series — an emotional, slow-burn, behind-closed-doors romantic suspense featuring a witness-protection heroine with a target on her back, a grieving Super Bowl champion hero who has forgotten what to want, a forced-proximity caregiver setup, a found-family small town that refuses to let outsiders stay outside, and a love story that will require both of them to risk everything they have left to protect.
 

Because in Cliffside Bay, the people you are most afraid to love are the ones you were always meant to find. 



Audiobook Release: Untamed (Beneath the Reign #1) by Luna Mason, narrators Elle Sonali and Sebastian York

Untamed by Luna Mason is now live on audio! Narrated by: Sebastian York & Elle Sonali    Are you ready for cowboys to enter the mafia u...