Make Me Yours by Melanie Harlow

He’s my brother’s best friend.

The hot single dad next door.

And one accidental sext later, my massive crush on him is no longer a secret.

 

Make Me Yours, an all-new rom com that is all too sexy from USA Today

bestselling author Melanie Harlow is available now!

It’s my own damn fault. I’m thirty years old, for heaven’s sake. I’m a kindergarten teacher and a (reasonably) responsible

adult. I should know better than to get tipsy and draft a fake text listing all the dirty things I wish Officer Cole Mitchell would

do to me.

I wasn’t supposed to hit send.  

He wasn’t supposed to see it. 

And he definitely wasn’t supposed to text back telling me to go on . . . 

Because after that, things escalate quickly.

Cole is everything I’ve ever wanted. He’s sexy and protective. A devoted father to his little girl. A dedicated cop the whole town adores. The kind of guy you can trust to keep his hands to himself, even when you’re desperately hoping he won’t. 

I’m not the girl he thought he’d end up with, but after all this time, I might finally get the chance to say the words I’ve always dreamed of . . . make me yours.

Review

This is one of those books you continue to think about for days after you read it. What hit me most is how our fears can sometimes keep us from the things we want and the things that are good for us. That is what both characters struggle with. Cheyenne has been in love with Cole, her brother's best friend, for years. She spends time with his daughter regularly. But Cole has kept his guard up, mostly to protect himself. When he finally decides what he wants, though... wow. Definite sparks. Both of them have struggles but what I love most about these kinds of books is that despite that, they come together for a HEA and I love how they get there. Cole's daughter is adorable and smart and I love how much she and Cheyenne care for each other. I also appreciated the underlying lesson that it is not only OK, but it is good to talk to someone about how you are doing so you can get help, and that love can make you stronger. I will be reading this book again. Note: I received an ARC in exchange for a review.

If you want to read an excerpt from the book check that out below!

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Excerpt

Darlene spoke up. “My mother passed them down to me, and I want to make sure they’re

in good condition so I can leave them to Cheyenne when she gets married.” Then she crossed herself

and closed her eyes, her lips moving in a quick, silent prayer. Cheyenne ignored her mother and

addressed Mariah again. “My brother and I always had to wash and dry the wedding china on holidays

before we went to bed. It took forever.”

“I’d stay and help you, sis, but I have to get Blair home. Sorry.” Griffin gave her a grin that said he wasn’t

the least bit sorry, and Cheyenne stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Cole, why don’t you stay and give Cheyenne a hand?” My mother suggested, wrapping her scarf around her

neck. 

“That’s a great idea,” Darlene said brightly. Then she sort of bent over and rubbed one hip, her expression

agonized. “I’d help her myself but I’ve been on my feet a lot today and the doctor said that isn’t good for my joints.”

“You should just get to bed, Darlene,”my mother said, shepherding Mariah toward the front door. “Cole will be

more than happy to stay and help Cheyenne.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Cheyenne smiled at me and shook her head. “I can handle them.”

But Darlene beamed at me, reaching over and snatching my coat out of my hands. “That’s so nice of you, Cole.

I’ll just hang this in the front closet.” Before she left the room, she and my mother exchanged a look that had me

wondering if the whole helping-with-the-dishes thing had been a set-up. 

Either way, ten minutes later Cheyenne and I were pushing up our sleeves in the kitchen, the house dark and silent

except for the running faucet and the hum of the dishwasher. 

“I’ll wash, you dry?” she asked, adding dish soap to the side of the sink she’d plugged and lined with a towel. 

“Sure.”

She took a plate from the stack to her left and placed it in the warm soapy water. “Oh! I almost forgot.” Slipping her rings

and bracelets off, she set them on the windowsill above the sink. “So I don’t scratch anything,” she explained. 

“Oh.” I glanced down at my wedding ring. “It’s okay,” she said quickly. “You don’t have to take it off.”

“It’s fine,” I said, working it off my finger and placing it on the sill next to her jewelry. For some reason, I felt compelled to

explain why I still wore it all the time. “Mariah once told me she likes when I wear it, so  .  .  .”

“I think it’s nice, ”she said. “I like a guy who wears his ring. It says something about him, you know?”

I nodded, my attraction to her growing even stronger. “Still, we’d better be careful with these dishes.”

“Damn right, we’d better,” she deadpanned. “This is my fucking wedding china, Cole. If we even look at it wrong, I might

end up a spinster.” She laughed as she gently scrubbed the plate with a cloth. “My God. Is she not totally ridiculous?”

“She’s pretty bad,” I agreed, taking the plate from her and carefully drying it with the soft clean towel she’d given me.

“But mine wasn’t much better tonight. Did you have the feeling something was up between them as we were saying goodnight?”

“Yes,” she said. “And it’s probably my fault because I made the mistake of telling my mom you bought me dinner last night. In

her mind, I believe we are now betrothed.”

I laughed. “That’s all it takes, huh?”

“Apparently. Tomorrow I’ll be pregnant because we washed dishes together after dark.”

“Wow. Guess I should have worn the rubber gloves.”

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Real Fake Love by Pippa Grant

 NEW RELEASE!

Make sure you stick around for the end of the post where you'll see an excerpt from the book and a giveaway for Pippa swag!

Blurb

If people have polar opposites, Luca Rossi is mine.
His butt is in the baseball hall of fame. Mine’s comfortably seated in the hall of lame.
When he’s not snagging fly balls out in center field, he’s modeling in shampoo commercials. I once jammed my own finger while stirring cookie dough, and sometimes I forget shampoo is a thing.
He’s a total cynic when it comes to love.
I make a living writing love stories.
But after my latest broken engagement (no, I don’t want to talk about how many times that’s happened), it’s clear he’s exactly the man I need.
If anyone can teach me to be the opposite of me, it’s him.
The first thing I want him to teach me?
How to not fall in love.
And as luck would have it, he’s in desperate need of a fake girlfriend to get a meddling grandmother off his back.
We couldn’t be more perfect together, because the last thing Luca Rossi will ever be is the next man to leave me at the altar.
Or will he?
 
Real Fake Love is a line drive straight to the heart featuring a grumpy athlete, a jilted bride, a fake relationship, and the world’s laziest cat. It stands alone and comes complete with sibling rivalry, the world’s most awkward shower scene, and a sweetly satisfying happily ever after.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and I can't even tell you how much I loved Henri. I should probably just quit doubting Pippa's books when I read the blurbs but COME ON! Her name is Henrietta BACON and she's trying to not fall in love after being left at the altar AGAIN, her cat is dressed in costumes, and she's in a fake relationship with a baseball player to help teach her not to fall in love while he tries to keep his mom and grandmother out of his love life. It sounds crazy... and it is. In the best way.

This is a standalone within the Copper Valley Fireballs series, the first was Jock Blocked (link below). I can't wait for Cooper Rock's book (please write it, Pippa) and the there were multiple parts where I laughed out loud. I didn't know that I would, but I really like Henri. She's so happy despite what she's gone through. Anyone could have been bitter about love after that many fails, but she just keeps trying. Meanwhile grumpy hot baseball player has himself closed off. Luca is a bit of a jerk, but once you learn his backstory you understand why. Also, poor Henri is allergic to alcohol which seems extra painful that she can't even have a drink after another wedding fail.

This is definitely a book I will read more than once. Also, if you were a fan of Jamie Farrell (Pippa's other pen name) and the Misfit Brides books, you get a nice tip of the hat to Bliss with it's giant wedding cake monument. Not gonna lie, I was probably overly excited to see the reference but it happened... what can ya do? Also, I thought that the stuff Henri wrote about was like a Kimmie dream, so I enjoyed that was well.  Overall, a must read if you love a rom com and sports romance!

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52714963-real-fake-love
 
 
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Free in Kindle Unlimited
 

Below is an excerpt from the book. Enjoy (and then check it out)!

EXCERPT
 
Henri, in the middle of Chapter Four...
 
It's probably weird to be sitting on the doorstep of the man I cyberstalked after his whole love sucks speech after my failed wedding. But I won’t apologize for waiting for Luca here at what I think is his house, because you don’t get what you need in life if you don’t go for it.
 
Still, maybe Dogzilla and I should be waiting in my car instead? At least that way, I could turn on the radio while we wait. And the air conditioning.
 
I’m about to move to the car when a clunker chugs around the corner, one headlight out, and turns into the driveway.
 
This is definitely the wrong house.
 
I’m sitting on the porch of a stranger’s house, hoping that’s a woman driving, because if it’s a woman, at least I know I won’t be in danger.
Of falling in love with her at first sight, I mean.
 
The engine shuts off, and while I don’t often trespass at midnight, I have this feeling that jumping up with Dogzilla and making a run for it right now is exactly the wrong move. A well-timed, "Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else," will give us all a laugh, I’ll take my cat and leave, and then two complete strangers will have a weird story to tell their friends over margaritas—or an iced tea, in my case—and huh.
 
This would make an excellent meet-cute for my friend Dorothea’s next steamy romance novel. I’ll have to drop her a note too.
 
The occupant of the car is still sitting in it, and the figure illuminated by the street light looks too big to be a woman.
 
Dang it.
 
He also seems to be—
 
Is he hitting his head against the steering wheel?
 
Uh-oh.
 
If I picked the house of a nutjob, all bets are off.
 
"Be ready to run, Dogzilla," I whisper.
 
My lazy cat doesn’t move, and instead snores in my lap.
 
Easier this way anyway, since it’s not like I can count on her to follow alone when I take off running at full-steam.
 
Which doesn’t happen all that often, if we’re being honest here. I’m a writer, not a runner.
 
But—wait.
 
The way his hair is moving—
 
That is Luca Rossi.
 
I rise, cradling Dogzilla, and when Luca looks my way, I give him a finger wave and a smile.
 
The light isn’t bright enough for me to see what he’s saying, but his lips are definitely moving, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s wearing the same long-suffering expression my father usually has when I tell him I’m engaged.
 
Again.
 
It might also be remarkably similar to the expression Luca was wearing when he recognized me at Duggan Field earlier today too.
 
Not my intention to ambush him at work, I swear. I was curious about the ballpark—I’m curious about a lot of things—so when I caught wind on social media of a writer organization that was touring the park, it was easy enough to get here in time today to join the group.
 
And it was fascinating to see where the players work out, to smell the chairs the announcers sit in, what it feels like to stand in the dugout, and hear how many light bulbs have to be replaced every day.
 
There’s a pop and a creak as the car door swings open, and I suddenly desperately need to know why Luca Rossi, millionaire sports star, lives on a grocery store clerk’s salary.
 
For research.
 
I swear.
 
I like to do research.
 
It’s one of the things my ex-fiancé Kyle liked about me.
 
"Henri," Luca says.
 
My brain hears what the hell are you doing here, and why are you between me and my bed, and I’m not asking out loud because I don’t honestly want to know.
 
I either have a lot of experience understanding people because I write good characters, or I have a lot of experience with frustrating men after five failed engagements.
 
Plus my lifelong relationship with my father.
 
"Hi, Luca! Great game tonight. That catch you made in center field was like—"
 
"The one where I didn’t move, the one where I stepped three feet to my left, or the one where I had to take two steps back?"
 
Okay, yeah, he had an easy game. "How did you know where the ball was going to be? That’s like—it’s like you’re psychic."
 
"It’s called being a professional." He squeezes his eyes shut briefly, opens them, eyeballs Dogzilla in my arms, and then sighs again. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight?"
 
Wow. He’s cranky.
 
Not gonna lie.
 
I know it’s probably me.
 
But that’s no excuse for not forging ahead. I didn’t come all this way to chicken out. "You remember the last time we saw each other?"
 
"This afternoon in the clubhouse?"
 
"I liked your hat, but I meant the time…before that."
 
He closes the distance between us with three casual steps. "Nope."
 
And I go momentarily speechless as a waft of something delicious teases my nose.
 
But only momentarily. A quick recovery is a gift. Or possibly a defense mechanism. "The time we were together…in that town…with that big monument…and the event thing…"
 
No answer.
 
"The event thing that didn’t—"
 
"I’m trying to block it from my memory."
 
"Oh. Oh! Thank you. That’s very kind of you. Sorry. I didn’t realize—"
 
"That I wouldn’t want to remember your ruined wedding, that you like to redecorate people with dessert, and that your ex-fiancé is the first man that my mother’s dated in three years and I might have to start calling him Stepdad?"
 
I wince.
 
My heart also weeps because yeah, still not over seeing Jerry lock lips with a woman who could’ve been my mother, and hearing that it might actually be going somewhere is salt in the wound.
 
"So, no, Henri, I don’t remember the last time we were together. At least, I won’t, once I get inside and pour myself a large enough vodka tonic. Care for one?"
 
Once again, I’m momentarily speechless. "Um, I’m kinda allergic—"
 
I cut myself off when one of his brows rises infinitesimally, and then I gasp. Of course he knows I’m allergic. We had an entire conversation about it. "Are you trying to send me to the hospital?"
 
"No, but I am trying to get into my house. Alone. Preferably without the sad panda thoughts I’d finally managed to shake before you showed up today."
 
"Oh. That was a hint."
 
"It was."
 
"I’m bad with the subtle."
 
He swipes a hand over his mouth and looks up at the sky, and I’m certain he’s not stifling a smile.
 
Probably the exact opposite.
 
Time to forge ahead. "I’m here because I need your help."
 
"And now I pay the price for my sins," he mutters.
 
I’d ask what his sins are, but my google searches were very thorough.
Normally, he really would be the last person on earth I’d turn to for help.
 
"I don’t want money or anything like that. And I’d rather no one know I’m here, so I’m not after your fame either, though I wouldn’t mind some tips on how to get my hair as good as yours always is. I’ve tried Kangapoo before, and—wait. Sorry. Off-topic. I need you to teach me how to not fall in love."
 
 
ALSO AVAILABLE
 
#1 Jock Blocked
 
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Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR LINKS
 
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GIVEAWAY

 
There is a giveaway for a custom backpack filled with Pippaverse gear (1 winner, open internationally). Click here to enter!

Series Saturday - Getting Lucky by Meghan Quinn

 The final book in this series just came out so I feel good about recommending it now because there is nothing more I hate about a series than waiting for the next book to come out. When I read a series I like I want them all... RIGHT AWAY!

This series by Meghan Quinn is about four brothers who have an incident in New Orleans and are cursed to have terrible love lives until they mature by a tarot card reading, scary looking lady. There was wind and everything. Each book deals with a different brother and they're romance books so obviously they have their ladies.

That Second Chance is about Griffin who is still dealing with the loss of his wife when he meets Ren through an incident with a moose.

That Forever Girl is about Rogan who sees his ex girlfriend again for the first time in years. It was a really bad breakup but I loved Harper and still liked Rogan even though he was a jerk to her for the first part of the book until he gets his shit together.

That Secret Crush is about Reid who is still dealing with the loss of his restaurant and even though Eve is his best friend and former business partner's sister, he still has feelings for her. It becomes a mess when Eric finds out what is going on.

That Swoony Feeling is about Brig and his constant search for love, but he's so focused on finding "the one" that he completely overlooks Ruth. She wants to open a business next to him so they start spending more time together, but Brig is convinced that the girl he is writing in the secret summer of love pen pal program is "the one." This heroine is the only one I had an issue with, because everything she does is because of her parents, from her food to her businesses. It made it difficult to know who she actually is because it doesn't feel like her personality is actually hers, just a mix of the things her parents did and liked. But that said, I loved that adorable idiot, Brig.

The writing is hilarious and I love the text exchanges between the siblings. There were multiple times I laughed out loud while reading these books. Bonus, they're all on Kindle Unlimited, so if you have it you don't have to buy the books to read them, but I liked them so much I bought them all anyway and pre-ordered the last two!

Jock Blocked by Pippa Grant

Description

She can’t let him score...

Call it superstition, but when a guy bats as hot as Brooks Elliott, you don’t mess with what’s working. And what’s working is him keeping his pants zipped and doing all of his scoring on the field.

So when I hear he’s planning to ditch his V-card now that he’s been traded to baseball’s lovable losers—aka my home team and my reason for living every March through October—I do what any rational, dedicated, obsessed fan would do.

I make a plan to stop him.

But the thing about stopping him is that it requires spending time with him.

Lots. And lots. And lots of time.

And the more time I spend with him, the more I like him. Not as the guy who’s going to help save my favorite team and finally bring home a championship ring, but as the guy who’s helping me in my quest to bring back the team’s old mascot. Who also loves making pancake and bacon sandwiches. And who would do almost anything for his love of the game.

But after all this time of jock-blocking him…do I even have a chance?

And if I do, are we both destined to a life of celibacy in the name of winning?

I'm going to be very honest here and say I was unsure about this book when I first heard about it. I mean... come on. A virgin baseball player and a superstitious girl determined to keep him that way so he doesn't ruin his game? I was certain this was going to be a miss for me. Well... I WAS WRONG.

Here's the thing. No matter how superstitious and crazy Mackenzie seems, she means well and it comes from a place of love and wanting to belong to something. And Brooks? He's just tired of following his superstitions because he was traded from his home team to the worst team in baseball.

They kind of meet (or meat.. hehe) for the first time as Mackenzie is stealing a meatball mascot costume and she ends up cockblocking Brooks. He doesn't know who she is under that costume, but she knows his secret and he wants to know how. Very funny even though you feel for him. When they meet again later the connection they have is something they can't deny, no matter how much they might want to.

What I really appreciated about these characters was when they could see each other for who they truly were; beneath the superstitions and the slightly crazy behavior, down to what was actually important. That seems deep for a rom com but I could see it.

Some of the other characters we meet before in other books, like America's Geekheart where we meet Beck and Sarah, and Liar, Liar, Hearts on Fire where we meet Tripp and Lila.

I got an advance copy of the book for my review. This book is free on KU, or currently $2.99 for its release.

Also, I want Cooper Rock's book to happen soon. I love him so much.

#FieryForever

Let's Get Textual by Teagan Hunter

Let's Get Textual

Description

A L-O-L standalone romantic comedy readers are calling their favorite romcom of all-time!

A wrong number is supposed to be just that--a wrong number.

Delete. Done.

Do not continue to text. Do not flirt.

A wrong number shouldn't be the first person on your mind in the morning, or the last at night...and you're definitely not supposed to talk them into buying a baby goat.

Because that would be weird.

When Zach Hastings and I get into a wrong-number mix-up, we don't follow the rules. We keep texting and flirting, because he's wicked funny and perfectly nerdy and a wonderful distraction.

I'm not looking for love, and Zach definitely had the wrong number.

But maybe...

Maybe he's the right guy.

I'm taking a break from doing a paper for my class like I should be to tell you in this time of quarantine, you should probably read this book.

Delia gets a text she thinks is from her brother. Turns out... whoops! Zach gets a number wrong but they continue to talk to each other and develop a friendship over text. The text exchanges between Delia and Zach are so funny and I found myself giggling or straight up laughing out loud at multiple points. Eventually they meet and the sparks are instantaneous.

I usually prefer a two-perspective style of narration for romance novels but they were so damn cute that I didn't mind it was all from Delia's perspective. Also there is an adorable baby goat which just makes it better (I ❤ you, Marshy!). There are a lot of text exchanges in this book, which makes sense because that is their main form of communication. Totally works for them too because they are so frigging adorable.

Seriously though, if you need a cute, funny escape during this crazy time this is a good one. I also think I love ranch dressing as much as Zach does. We would be buddies.

This book is free on KU and is the first book of the Texting Series.

Liar, Liar, Hearts on Fire (Bro Code Book 3) by Pippa Grant

Description

The lies will come back to bite you every time...

Never borrow pants from your brother. Especially if he’s a size smaller than you are, because all that pressure in the junk will short-circuit your brain.

And you’ll lie to a woman in a club about your real name.

Leave her unsatisfied after making out in a bathroom.

Then find out that she’s the one thing standing in the way of your dreams. And she very much doesn’t like being lied to.

Now I have to convince Lila Valentine—the woman I can’t stop thinking about, my biggest regret, and my new boss—that I’m what’s best for the baseball team she’s inherited.

If we can’t work together to save the Fireballs, the commissioner’s forcing a sale and moving them across the country.

I’ll do anything to save my home team.

But the one thing I can’t do?

Keep my hands to myself.

Which would be fine, if she hadn’t been telling me lies this whole time too.

This book is the third in the Bro Code series and I loved it so much I read it and then automatically read it all over again. I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and I still pre-ordered the book which is OUT TODAY if that tells you anything about how much I loved it. Tripp and Lila meet-cute (if you want to call it that) in a club after she has a drink thrown in her hair and he gives her his brother's name (I can't wait for Levi's book BTW) and they officially meet for the second time in a business meeting that... let's just say it doesn't go as planned.

This book is centered around a baseball team that Lila inherits (GO FIREBALLS) and I really love baseball so this got me. And it is so hilarious that I laughed out loud at multiple points (the ducks!). What I liked most about it is that they are so flawed and yet so wonderful. Tripp is a major germaphobe because of his wife's death and he has a lot of issues revolving around it. Lila has a hard time trusting anyone because of how she grew up. They have some animosity because Tripp wanted to buy the Fireballs but Lila wants to turn the team around and they have some very different ideas on how to do that.

Beyond the humor, we get to see two people connect and even though they make some mistakes (no cheating or anything, don't worry) you truly see the beauty in these characters. I loved them and I wanted to give them both (and Tripp's adorable kids) so many hugs. We also see their strength. Tripp's strength lies in taking care of his kids and moving on from his wife's death, while Lila's strength lies in everything she has gone through since she was a kid.

I heart this book so hard. I loved it so much I put aside doing stuff for my classes and stayed up way past my bedtime so I could finish reading it in one sitting. I have a 5 year old, this rarely happens. Plus, have you looked at the cover? His eyes alone make me swoon. Also, if you read Stud in the Stacks (also where we first meet Lila) we finally find out more about Buck Tickle and those ridiculous books Knox's grandma loves. It. Is. Amazing. If you like rom coms and, like me, basically love anything by Pippa Grant, do yourself a favor and get this book.

Free on Amazon KU.