Pro hockey player Aaron Ferrar has shit luck with women. With one divorce, one psycho, and far too many one-night stands under his belt, he can’t seem to break his bad dating habits. He knows he’s not good enough for his sweet, sexy best friend, so he would never go there, but it’s getting harder and harder to resist her.
Veterinary assistant Sara Chandler has floundered since graduating from college. She left both academia and hockey behind, and now she’s a nanny for her best friend while working part-time at a local veterinary clinic until she gets into veterinarian school. She’s always been hot for her hockey-playing best friend, but she’s not in his league and she’s leaving Anchorage soon anyway.
When disaster strikes, Aaron doesn’t hesitate to jump in, but nothing is ever going to be the same for them. He doesn’t know how to help her and neither of them ever do things the easy way.
I might as well permanently add the label “Ex” to my name. I’m an Ex-Mr. Universe. Ex-Mr. Olympus. An Ex-Hollywood Stuntman. But no one from my small hometown cares anything about that. They only care that I’m the ex-boyfriend to the beloved Mayor’s daughter, Elaina Dyker.
And now, ten years later, I’m back, helping my siblings run my mother’s bakery while she takes on chemo. What should have been a routine cupcake delivery turns into utter chaos when the bachelorette party thinks I’m a stripper. And what’s worse? Elaina is the maid of honor.
But the meme about us sure went viral fast. My small hometown has become positively infested with tipsy bridesmaids looking for my erotic cupcakes.
Now Hollywood’s knocking again—and this time they want me and my ex, Mr. Beefcake and Ms. Prude, to star in a reality show.
She was his parole officer. He was her parolee. Their attraction led to a forbidden love that couldn’t be given up. Not for anything.
Brooke struggles with the stress, the fear, and the recent changes in her life. While Cole tries to figure out how to help her, protect her, and keep himself from going back to prison in the process.
When the past continues to show up unexpectedly, attempting to wreak havoc in their lives, all of their truths must be laid bare, and not only theirs.
Can they fight the battles ahead, lay their pasts to rest, and break free, together?
I started reading when the fifty shades phenomenon happened a few years ago. I have read hundreds of books since then and a story playing around in my head for quite a while. I finally got it out and published and I’m so proud of my first baby. It has many flaws, but it was my first. I’ve written four since and with each one I’ve grown. I’m more proud and in love with the characters and their stories. There will be many more to come. I love writing!
He is a Navy veteran and member of the Hell’s Phoenix MC. Smart, witty as hell, and doesn’t take shit from anyone. Tough as nails and hard to crack. But he will give you the shirt off his back in a heartbeat if it meant you would be safe and warm. That is who he is. The protector of all who crosses his path.
She is a rebellious woman trying to find her way in life. Constantly trying to make others happy while trying to live her life the way she wants it to be. She is her own person, despite what others think. She is typically misunderstood. The feisty bitch with an attitude.
What happens when an alpha male meets an alpha female?
Both walking down a destructive path, escaping their past.
Kristine Dugger is an upcoming contemporary romance novelist. She resides in Papillion, NE. Writing has always been a passion of hers. Kristine has a Master’s degree in Nutrition and Health Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a Dietitian by day, Writer by night, Always a Mom. Kristine has been known to be a straight up goofball. She has a dirty mind and loves to laugh. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two very beautiful daughters, reading, listening to music, CrossFit, and playing/watching sports.
Fun things about Kris….
I am a Nutrition Nerd
Played Competitive slow pitch softball for 8 years
Diehard Nebraska Cornhusker and Kansas City Royals Fan
Five years. One month. And three days after the bonfire from hell.
SAINT
Post college bliss was actually hell.
I wasn’t using my degree.
I was so lonely I looked for his face in crowded places.
I didn’t have anything figured out, let alone my feelings.
I was stuck between two tall, dangerous, and handsome men – times two.
One showed me how to survive trauma, proved things aren’t what they appear, and no matter how much I didn’t fall head over heels he was always there for me.
The other taught me how to live.
But I taught myself how to love.
No one was going to be able to take away my growth, my bravery, or my comfort again. Oliver or not – I was standing on my own.
SINNER
I couldn’t wait to leave Amherst, to only return a few years later as a professor at my Alma Mater.
The barn fire from hell acted like a bomb, detonating and throwing us all different directions.
Lawyer.
Pro baseball player.
Book store manager.
Artist.
Soon to be wife.
We were all struggling to find our way back to each other while juggling life, love, sex, hardship.
I’m sober, a dad, but something was missing – Layla.
She kicked started my heart when we first met in college, lighting it on fire and branding her name until she run away when things got messy. My son, Arsen, stoked the fire in her absence.
She was always mine and it was time to prove it.
Third time is a charm.
During a side trip to Las Vegas for business meetings, Billionaire, Orion Quinlan is blindsided when he finds his soulmate. Not one to let anything standing in his way, he whisks her away to his private island to convince her that he’s a safe bet. Jenna Neal is amazed by her feelings for Orion Quinlan and gives herself to him without reservation, but misunderstandings happen, and Jenna runs away. The spoiled Billionaire finds it’s not always easy to get everything you want. Jenna has news that’s going to Blindside Mr. Quinlan all over again.
Loni Ree, a very busy mom of six, loves to read because she finds that reading helps her escape the chaos of everyday life. She loves quick, red-hot reads that are on the excessive side. Writing is a passion of hers, so Loni decided to share the stories floating around in her mind. Her short, steamy stories are a little over the top because she believes reading should be an escape from real life. Her steamy romances turn Alphaholes into Pussycats and always have a happily ever after, guaranteed!
“As soon as I saw you, it was like a light shining down from the heavens. As I got to know you, I realized that light went soul deep, and I fell for you so hard.”Hulk
After an accident and my girlfriend leaving, I didn’t think I’d find anyone to share my life with. Sure, I had my brother and the club, and I never thought I wanted anything more. That was until Claire walked into my life. She had a harrowing story behind her, and it forced my protective instincts forward, and they raged at full force. I simply had to get past the walls she’d built so tightly around her.
Claire
Some say amnesia is a new start, which is true. But what happens when you wake up one day and everything’s a blank. Let me tell you, it’s not fun but more like downright scary.
That was my life now. Sure, I’d made a family and new memories with Monique and the triplets, but when Monique reunited with Derrick, he came with a whole new family. Hulk was the Sergeant at Arms for the club and the man who would steal my heart. Unbeknownst to me, the man who had hurt me previously was closing in, and he wanted to finish what he’d started.
Will Hulk be able to save Claire from a madman, or will he be too late to have his angel with him forever?
MLJ lives in NSW, Australia, with her husband, three adult children, and six cats—yes, you heard that right, six.
Growing up in a huge family of eight kids was always noisy and didn’t give her enough alone time to unwind.
Books have always given her an outlet from the craziness that is her life. Nothing is better than curling up with a good story to take her mind off her surroundings.
As a new author, she hopes you enjoy her stories and that they help you get out of your world and into hers for a few hours.
Warren Douglas, the Duke of Ravensmore is uncivilized at best and a murderer at worst. He is content to reside in his castle on the edge of the Scottish border, but knows he needs to find the right woman to help raise his young daughter. Rumors about the untimely death of his first wife have made it a difficult search, but then an opportunity lands in his path. Daphne Fullerton, the little sister to Viscount Andrews, had waited so long to finally get her chance to enjoy the London season, but it is not turning out the way she expected. Her shy, demure nature is no match for the sharper personalities of society and she longs for the peaceful country life. When she comes across the duke on his way north, a wild impulse makes her offer him a solution to both their problems.
Can a marriage made on a whim become true love? Can a warm heart help heal a cold beast?
Emma Brady is a person who loves to read, write and cook. Her dogs are her deepest love and her nephews are her shining light. Romance has always been her passion, especially historical romance novels. she is a sucker for a dark and brooding hero and Heathcliff will always be her first love.
I’ve always been three things: Loving daughter, devoted sister, and cynical romantic. Okay, maybe not always the last one, that didn’t happen until my ex-boyfriend cheated on me, and not with just anyone…my best friend.
One year later, and I’m over relationships, only interested in the occasional one-night stand. I don’t fall in love with them, and I don’t expect them to fall in love with me. I won’t be waiting around for their call or stalking their social media—until I discover that one of my little trysts indirectly holds my family’s fate in his hands. So, with a little convincing from my older and much wiser sister, I break my own rules for the sake of my family.
He’s the exact opposite of me: Serious, detached and arrogant. Did I mention that he looks like he should be on a billboard for a cologne ad in the middle of Times Square, or the sexy way he botches up my name in his German accent? Well, he does…but I refuse to relent, remaining committed to my plan. Strictly business, no emotions involved, and nobody will get hurt…until nobody turns into somebody I find myself needing more than I ever thought possible.
What do you do when a one-night stand turns into so much more than you bargained for? And how do you stop one lie that’s getting bigger each time you’re with him from caving everything in around you? I know in the end someone is going to get hurt, but I’m powerless to stop it. And for him…I think I may be willing to have my heart broken all over again.
Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen – or in today’s world a touch of the keyboard. I love creating deep characters who you will love or love to hate.
My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? My happy place is a seat by the ocean with my feet in the sand or on the busy streets of New York City. You will more than likely find one of these places as the setting for most of my books.
Death. Destruction.
Pain. A soulless void. It’s his life. It’s his reality.
Emo doesn’t feel.
Anything. His soul is dark and filled with hatred. People in the small town of
Malus watch him with fear, with reverence. Exactly the way he prefers it.
Guilt surrounds him,
caging him in an ominous past he refuses to let go. Can’t let go. His past is responsible
for the shell of the man who now exists. He doesn’t know any other way to
survive.
The woman who haunts
his dreams is his only salvation. He’s hurt her over and over again. He didn’t
have a choice.
The key he holds on
to, the one he uses to carve into his flesh, is the key to his hell. It’s his
reminder of the pain he’s suffered and inflicted.
Will there be
retribution? Can Emo be saved? Or is he destined to live in this dark hell he’s
surrounded himself in for the rest of his life?
Her voice wobbles when she whispers, “Closer, Aziah.
Please.”
“I can’t,” I whisper back.
Her lips form a frown and the wrinkle is back between her
eyes. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want to hurt you.”
Some of the tension leaves her, but her body’s still too
stiff for my liking. The fear isn’t as pronounced in her eyes, but it lingers.
“You would never hurt me.”
“Never physically,” I concede. “But being close to you will
mentally.”
She closes her eyes and lets out a slow breath before
opening them again. Her hand falls back to the bed.
“I don’t want to live like this anymore. I don’t want to
fear being touched. I don’t want to freeze when someone gets too close. You’re
one of the only ones I trust to help me.” She swallows. “Please.”
Fucking goddammit to hell. I can’t say no to her.
I close the rest of the space between us. Instead of taking
her hand, I drop to my knees beside the bed and sit back on my heels. Her gaze
follows me, and I warily watch her in return.
Time stands still as we stare at each other. I won’t make
the first move. I’m not touching her, but I’m still giving her what she wants
by being close enough for her to touch me.
After several tense moments, her hand hesitantly lifts again.
I close my eyes at the first whisper of her fingertips against my face. It’s
warm and smooth and oddly comforting. Her nails gently scrape across the
bristles on my cheek. I’m not used to such tender touches. I either don’t let
people touch me or I demand something harsh because that’s what I like.
Her fingers move up to my temple and stop. “Why do you have
blood on your temple?”
I blink open my eyes and find hers trained on the dried
blood I forgot was there. I should have washed it off before she woke up.
“It’s from my hand,” I answer quietly, afraid to break the
spell we currently seem to be under.
Her eyes flicker down to the hand on my thigh. The one I
unknowingly gauged in her presence earlier. I silently curse myself for being
so stupid.
“What was in your hand? What were you using to hurt
yourself?”
Against my better judgement, I answer honestly. “A key.”
Her confused gaze jumps to mine. “A key to what?”
I’m not ready to answer that question yet, so I shake my
head. Now that she’s here, she’ll know soon enough what the key unlocks. She,
more than anyone, has the right to know.
Thankfully, she doesn’t press me for an answer.
Her fingers move slowly over my forehead and down my other
temple, across my cheek and down to my chin. Her expression is one of awe and
amazement.
“I don’t like it when people touch me. When they get close,
I shut down. Deanna and Mick never touched me in the ten years I was with them.
In any way. They were always so nice to me, but I never let them get close,
physically or emotionally. I couldn’t stand it. I love my brother, and I know
he’d never do anything to me, but I’m even scared of him getting too close. I
haven’t willingly touched anyone in ten years. You’re the only one.” Her
fingers slide through my hair and a shiver races down my spine. “I wonder why
that is.”
Alex Grayson is the bestselling
author of heart pounding, emotionally gripping contemporary romances including
the Jaded Series, the Consumed Series, and three standalone novels. Her passion
for books was reignited by a gift from her sister-in-law. After spending
several years as a devoted reader and blogger, Alex decided to write and
independently publish her first novel in 2014 (an endeavor that took a little
longer than expected). The rest, as they say, is history.
Originally a southern girl, Alex now lives in Ohio with her husband, two
children, two cats and dog. She loves the color blue, homemade lasagna,
casually browsing real estate, and interacting with her readers. Visit her
website, www.alexgraysonbooks.com, or find her on social media!
