Like, glass shards on top of sandpaper rough. She managed to get out of an abusive relationship only to have her ex kidnap their 4-year-old son just days before the custody hearing. Lily has become so difficult to be around that her best friend, Alexa, has finally given up hope and abandoned her in Shorty’s Pub.Gerrit Rousseau is an oasis of calm in a stormy world, downplaying his smoldering good looks as he tends bar and keeps his head down. His emotions are not easily stirred, but the brazen, tattooed Lily is lighting a fire. There’s something about her, something beyond her looks, that gets his blood pumping to all the right places.Sexual fireworks are inevitable with these two, especially during Mardi Gras—but things in New Orleans are never as simple as they seem. When a man turns up dead and Lily admits to Gerrit that she was directly involved, all hell breaks loose in the Crescent City. Gerrit is compelled to get to the bottom of the twin mysteries of the death and the missing child, but first he must figure out where the mysterious Dani Weeks and her son Riley fit in.

    Hungry, abandoned, wandering, and alone. An adolescent street rat fighting for crumbs. Then a chance encounter changed my entire world. A man in an expensive suit asked me how much my life was worth. I didn't have an answer, because I didn't know. He asked if I thought it was worth killing for.Impulsively, I said yes... He found me, then fostered me, and in the interim turned me into a killing machine. A modern day La Femme Nikita. Now, I only have one mission. To avenge the death of the man who saved me. There's an invisible war on the streets. Us against them. Family against family. Power against power. They call me Ghostface Killer because they never see me coming.I understand the weight of that danger. The hazard. The jeopardy. Because now here I stand, three months pregnant with the barrel of a gun pressed to my head cause I never saw him coming...

    The ones who have the ability to start wars with one signal. They make no apologies for the power they hold.What do they all have in common? None of them wait. They take what they want and make no apologies for doing so. In Bourbon & Bullets, a collection of dark romance and romantic suspense authors take you on a wild ride while their heroes, or anti-heroes, find their happily-ever-after.***Bourbon & Bullets is a mafia romance themed anthology organized by Knox Publishing. Please be aware this is intended for mature audiences only, and the contents within may be triggering to some readers.

    But that was about to change. Getting dumped at the start of my much overdue vacation was not how I planned to spend my time off. Neither was running into someone from my past. It was the last thing I expected.... but just what I needed.My brother’s best friend was headed home when our paths collided at the airport during a massive storm. Twenty years of chemistry crackles around us like lightning, and we give in to what’s been a long time coming. From stranded old friends to insatiable lovers, spending a week together at his lake house, I'm reminded what it’s like to live in the moment. When I realize I didn’t really know him at all, I can’t help but think... I might have been his to hold, but could I be his to keep? Bryce I guess there are worse things than being forced into taking a vacation. I can think of a few. But being fresh out of a bad relationship, and in the middle of a huge merger, is not the ideal time to be jetting off for two weeks. One week in, I decide to cut my trip short, only to end up stranded at the airport. Just my luck. Everything changes when I run into my best friend’s little sister. Twenty years later, she’s all grown up and very much available. One thing leads to another, and we find ourselves back at my place riding out the storm and reconnecting in ways I never imagined. Feelings that had been delayed are finally able to take flight. The girl who held my attention all those years ago is now the woman holding my heart. I’m falling fast, but when we end up face to face in the boardroom, will our vacation romance go from pleasure to business?

    with cruel protection.Love is off limits with Abigail Crowne, but no one said anything about hate.Heartless Hero is the first book in the Crowne Point universe. You do not need to read any of the others to enjoy it, though it is recommended. It will enhance your reading experience as you will catch easter eggs and the timelines overlap.

    This fear. But I'm experiencing phobias I never had before. Feelings I've never had before.I want to be normal again. I want to be whole. Gideon told me it's a process that takes time and pain to complete.Now I'm all mixed up inside. I don't know up from down in the dark. I don't know right from wrong when I'm hurting. And I can't tell good from evil when love keeps getting in the way.Submission is my only choice, but it feels so wrong to give up.To surrender and succumb to his dark needs.Gideon may be my captor, but in a way, he's still my teacher.Because every day he holds me captive and forces me to do those dark things, I learn how strong I really am.

    I’m the best MMA fighter in the world that you’ve never heard of, but if I have my way, I’ll be a household name soon enough. My life’s been nothing but hard training, crazy partying, and fast women, and that’s just how I liked it. No man had ever gotten the better of me inside the cage, and no woman had ever been able to slow down my lifestyle outside of it. And then it all came crashing down. When I tasted defeat for the first time in the biggest fight of my life, I was a broken man—my pride destroyed and my dreams of greatness deferred. That’s when Mila walked into my gym. When my trainer told me I had to giver her self defense lessons because she was a ‘special case’, I had no idea what he meant. All I knew was that she had a body to die for, and a face that made me forget my own name. I’d been with my share of women, but she was easily the sexiest I’d ever laid eyes on.There was only one problem—we hated each other with a passion!I thought she was whiny with a bad attitude.. She thought I was full of myself. But then something happened that changed everything between us. She gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams once again—to be a champion, to make it into the UFC, to be the savage gentleman that I was born to be.

    Good thing I’m marketable, even to the wrong guy. My best friend’s twin from high school is in need of someone with my talents to pull off the big opening at his ski resort in Vail.The handsome playboy with more one-night stands than the local motel happens to be my childhood sweetheart. In his mind, I’m the one that got away. Right, buddy. If I recall it right, it was him that ran like his ass was on fire while I nursed a broken heart.He’s looking for a Christmas miracle to make his billion-dollar investment shine like the top of a tree, and he’s staring right at me. A job is a job though, and I’m determined to show up and show off on this one.But if he’s looking for love of any sort where I’m concerned, he’s off his rocker. No amount of mistletoe and eggnog is going to sway my resolve to keep this office arrangement as nothing more than friends. Unfortunately for me, this wicked hot, filthy rich lost love of mine has other plans. He’s gonna try and change my mind.

    Beast finds more than just guns being stored for sale in that garage. He knows it would cause trouble if he brought back anything extra, but he just couldn’t resist those baby blue eyes.Beast: I found her. Helpless and alone. How was I supposed to leave her behind? Yeah, sure, I got crap for bringing her back to the clubhouse but screw anyone who thought it was a mistake for me to save the girl of my dream. If you saw her, you’d save her too! Honestly, she was a bombshell. A freaking goddess chained up and left to the dogs – walking away just wasn’t an option – because as long as fear lived in those baby blue eyes, the world just wasn’t right. It would take time. It would take a lot of patience. But by God, I would be there to help her heal. Maya: I thought I was done for. Without a doubt, these bastards were going to kill me. I’d never see my friends or family again. Oh, the things they did… I just wanted to die. But then came my knight in shining armor. He broke me free and gave me a home when I was all alone. He was my anchor in rough seas. He became my everything.My Beast. This Curvy Girl Motorcycle Romance is the second book in the Wicked Kings New York series. One-Click NOW to come along for this fast, twisted action-packed ride, that will leave you breathless.

    I never forgot his green eyes or the way he encouraged me to try new things. When he walks into my Grandad's restaurant, can we pick up where we left off, or should the memory of that night be all we share?AIDANIt's been two years since I've seen her. She always stayed close to my heart even though we only had one night together. But when I come to America for a music tour, I can't stop myself from taking the time to see her. I hope she remembers me because I never forgot my Galway girl.It's St. Patrick's Day, and it's time to celebrate! Join our curvy heroines as they meet sexy Irishmen, and with a little luck from the Irish, find true love.KISS HIM, HE'S IRISH! is a series of short, sweet, and steamy standalone instalove romances. No cliffhangers. No cheating. HEA guaranteed.HIS GALWAY GIRL by Lana DashMY DONEGAL DARLING by Carly KeeneMY GLASTHULE GUY by Tarin LexMY LIMERICK LAD by Mazzy KingMY KILLARNEY KING by Ava Pearl

    #1. Always be attainable. #2. Never fall in love. And I’ve been living by these rules for a very long time. I love my life. I’m one-third of the Trifecta, only the naughtiest male revue show Sin City has ever seen. My days consist of working out, saving money, and entertaining women both on and off the stage. Until the moment, Clara walks into Big Willie’s and wants nothing to do with me. She avoids me at every turn. And it drives me crazy. But, when she needs a date for her step-sister’s wedding, there’s only one person she can turn to. Me. And I’m more than happy to be the piece of meat on her arm. Date for the wedding, and nothing else. Only one problem, I find myself wanting more. This is all new to me, and I find myself breaking both my rules. But this is Vegas, baby, and sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

    He'd rather focus on writing new music for his band than worry about women–especially his cheating ex, who suddenly seems very interested in getting back together now that the band is on the cusp of success.The last thing Dexter expects is to fall headfirst for the gorgeous music video assistant he literally bumps into on set. She's everything he's always wanted: smart, funny, ambitious, and beautiful.Judy can't deny her immediate, fiery connection with the punk band's lead singer. But after a terrible breakup of her own, she's done with playing games and anything that feels like it might break her heart. She wants no drama...and it seems like drama might be following Dexter around.Can Dexter convince Judy she's the only one he wants to make beautiful music with?

    A woman with nothing to lose. Caesar Accardo is gasoline. Mostly harmless while stable, but Aria holds the match to set the dishonored Cosa Nostra prince on fire in more ways than one. And if he burns down everything in his path because of it—so be it. The problem is … she just wasn’t prepared for all of him. Aria De Rose is a hurricane. Amazing from afar, but destructive up close. Caesar keeps getting pulled into the Camorra queen’s plans in her effort to gain power, but he’s a better player than she knows. The thing is … women like her are the reason why rules are meant to be broken. Philadelphia isn’t ready for game these two are playing—the sacrifices they make might not be worth it in the end, and someone will always lose in a war. They’re broken, so very vicious, and they are not the good guys. But for every villain in the world, there’s a monster at his back who made him that way. And monsters like those hide in plain sight. Note: This is a standalone romance with content that some might find triggering. Be warned, and read with caution.

    A mansion that offered a glimpse back to the days when the mob had ruled New York. I took my seat at the bar and flirted with the man behind it—the one who made me weak in the knees yet kept his personal life a veiled secret. It started off like any other, except, that night, Jesse Grant and I shared a moment. And then all hell broke loose. As gunfire rained down, I fell to the floor in fear, only to be shielded by a man who was risking his own life to save mine.Jesse led me away from danger that night. While traipsing through the underground tunnels of the city, I learned my family wasn’t who I’d thought they were and no one could be trusted … including Jesse.He devoured my body and stole my heart. Then, he left in the shadows of the night, leaving me to wonder if he was really who he had said he was.Discovering dark secrets, intense attraction, and a plot where everyone’s life was on the line … my once-boring life morphed into that of a crime drama.And there was only one man I was willing to give my trust to. I just prayed that he was worth the risk.