Best-selling author Libby Kay’s sweet
fireman romance Flash Point is a bad boy redemption story perfect for
fans of B.K. Borison’s Lovelight series.
Javier “Javi” Ortiz never has trouble finding a date. The confident
fireman enjoys the perks of no-strings hook-ups and his bachelor lifestyle. Yet
when a certain blonde moves to Pinegrove, the idea of casual dating fizzles
out. Javi is finally ready to settle down, but will he be able to charm his way
into her life? Or will his reputation ruin his chance at real love?
Lola Peabody has given up on love. She doesn’t have time for men and
their empty promises, especially with her hands full being a single mom and
running her own photography business. Her plans do not include finding a man,
even a charismatic fireman who treats her and her daughter like queens.
But Pinegrove is a small town, and the pair can’t stay away from each
other. From photoshoots and romance book club to quiet walks in the woods, Lola
and Javi spend more and more time together.
Could this be happily ever after? Or
will their romance burn out faster than a five-alarm fire?
Libby Kay lives in the city in the heart of the Midwest with
her husband. When she’s not writing, Libby loves reading romance novels of any
kind. Stories of people falling in love nourish her soul. Contemporary or
Regency, sweet or hot, as long as there is a happily ever after—she’s in love!
When not surrounded by books, Libby can be found baking in
her kitchen, binging true crime shows, or on the road with her husband,
traveling as far as their bank account will allow.
Libby cohosts the Romance Roundup podcast with Liz Donatelli
where they recommend romance books and interview authors, influencers, and
publishers. Check it out for your weekly dose of romance!
In the French Resistance of 1944, trust is
the difference between life and death.
Post-war troubles heighten when our
hero’s life is in danger and all he holds dear is at risk.
In the Orchards of
Shadow and Light
The Shadow Series
Book 1
by Arthur McMaster
Genre: Historical
WWII Suspenseful Spy Romance
In the vast
tapestry of war, outcomes are never certain. Its demands are endless, its
sacrifices countless. Yet for one couple who will share war's burdens and
dangers-a daring American OSS agent and a French Resistance leader-its
conclusion will transform both lives forever.
From the opening
line, author Arthur McMaster, a retired foreign intelligence officer, makes
clear: "No families escape the devastation of war." What follows is
storytelling you won't be able to set aside. Amid the apple orchards and
farmlands of war-ravaged Western Europe in the final years of World War II, we
follow thirty-five-year-old OSS operative Claire Skiffington and French
Resistance leader Jacques Berlangier through perilous clandestine operations.
Eluding Vichy collaborators and Wehrmacht checkpoints, Claire's cover is that
of a simple pastry girl, but this emissary is far more than she appears.
Years after the
Nazi menace has passed, in the small Breton village of Combourg, Claire and
Jacques are in love and determined to build a life together. Their days and
nights in Paris work to make it all magical. But someone wants Jacques dead.
Why? And how will one estranged family member unlock the source of danger?
Brimming with
suspense and rich in character development, In the Orchards of Shadow and Light
features beautiful imagery and finely drawn characters. Written by former
DIA-CIA analyst and award-winning writer Arthur McMaster, In the
Orchards of Shadow and Light is the first in a trilogy based on
espionage, romance, and suspense. Combines elements of "The Rose
Code," "The Nightingale," and "All the Light We Cannot
See" to create a rich atmosphere, original characters embroiled in real
historical events, dangerous romance and compelling drama. This story
represents one man and one woman's perilous commitment to service in the face
of danger: one couple's commitment to overcoming treachery and blazing a future
together.
What readers
are saying:
“Finely crafted
with an artisan's touch, there is an unseen history beneath the lives of those
trying to survive. Precisely researched, McMaster adroitly drops the reader
behind the lines of clandestine operations. The grim destruction of Europe is
brought to life with beautiful imagery and reconnoitered characters-every bit
as interesting as those of Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle and The Key to
Rebecca. This is a fine novel no one should pass up.”
— William
Walsh, author of Lakewood (TouchPoint Press)
As you begin
this book, prepare yourself for reading a writer who knows the details of
espionage so well they feel like second nature, rather than research. Prepare
yourself for lush, lyrical prose and the historical span of an Ian McEwan
novel. This is a spy story, a love story, and a family story set largely in
France, during a war, but McMaster balances the deprivations of war with
domestic arts, the healing chores of mother women who bake stolen oranges into
cakes, somehow find tea to serve, and harvest the slenderest sprigs of tarragon
and chervil, plucked from their gardens, and stored in delicate clay pottery.
This is a white knuckle thriller written by someone with all the sensibilities
of a poet.
Near eleven, Jacques’s truck approached the barn. There, he and Claire saw
two men in black coats putting a third into their vehicle. The barn behind them
roiled in flame. From the look of it, the generator had exploded, or maybe they
had simply set off some explosives. Jacques and Claire sat far enough back to
observe what had happened but not close enough to be spotted.
“Goddamn it.”
“My God, Jacques,” she said.
“They are taking him.” Their own luck had held. Thomas’s had not. “And he had
been so clever. The boot heel. The shaving cream.”
“We have to go. Immediately!”
Both watched, though only seconds more, until the Germans drove off with their
prize, the barn behind them collapsing in flame. “Did you think he knew about
Combourg?” Jacques asked her.
She had never mentioned it.
They’d only met Thomas at the Laurent farm, in Épiniac. “As I recall, nothing
was ever said to him about Combourg.”
“He would not know of the
monsignor, Roger’s uncle,” she added. They had kept that secret. Claire rubbed
at the palm of one hand, kneading it with the knuckle of the other.
“No. And he does not know our
real names,” Jacques said. “But Roger Laurent could know.”
Jacques took her hand. “Thomas is
lost, but what harm Roger could do yet is considerable. If he gives up Roger.”
“Will he? Where will they take
him?” she asked as Jacques worked the truck around, knowing he was leaving
behind his apples and, more importantly, his cover for travel.
“Saint-Lô, I would think. Some
Nazi headquarters.”
As Jacques wrenched the truck
sharply onto the road toward home, where the deeply distressed Claire would be
able to arrange for her return to Bodney, a bottle scooted out from under her
seat.
“Look at this,” she said, pulling
it up from the floor. “It’s his Calvados.” Attempting to hold back tears.
“Keep it. We will finish it
tonight in his honor with a tip of the hat to our friend.”
Passing near enough to the
Laurent farm en route to Combourg, with relative safety still several
kilometers away, Jacques pointed to the farmhouse. It was risky, but he had to
take a look, remaining well back from potential observation. There, they were able
to make out, standing near the entry door, the one thing they had hardly dared
hope to see—a dark green motorcycle.
What Roger’s return portended was
unclear, but given what had happened to Thomas, that outcome was surely the
best they could have hoped for. Jacques slowed the truck and looked to the
darkened house, their hearts racing.
“Oh my God. He’s come back.”
Jacques touched her hand.
She thought to say something,
leaning into him. “Let’s go home, Jacques. Please!” Then added, “You did well,
getting us through it all. So brave.”
“You and me,” he said. “We did.
Together.” He touched her face tenderly.
In that moment, Jacques and
Claire leaned toward each other for a necessary hug, and then a kiss. A kiss of
relief. A kiss of what might yet be.
Poet, playwright and novelist,
Arthur retired from full-time teaching, most recently as Visiting Assoc.
Professor of English, at Converse College, in Spartanburg, SC. HIs books
include: In the Orchards of Our Mothers (historical fiction
novel); The Whole Picture Show (poetry) Musical Muse (academic); Birdies
Never Die (golf); Givings & Misgivings (poetry)
and The Spy Who Came Down with a Cold (poetry) and Need
to Know (memoir).
Arthur's first career was that of a foreign intelligence officer, with assignments
with military intelligence and briefly with the CIA. Arthur earned an MFA
degree in Poetry at University of Florida. Pushcart Prize nominations. He now
teaches in Continuing Education Dept for Furman University (fiction and
poetry).
An alpha with a storied legacy. An independent woman
rebuilding after grief. Forbidden desire—for only one is human….
After her mother’s death, photographer Erica Barrett, buys a home she and her
mother obsessed over during her childhood in the quaintly historical town of
Tolstone. Her magnetic next door neighbor intrigues and disturbs her. The
sensual pull feels otherworldly.
Wolf shifter Dominic
Beaumont never wanted to be the prime alpha of the sanctuary city,
Tolstone, but when his father dies, he’s forced to step up as pack leader and
prime alpha over all the wolf packs sheltering in his town. Erica’s arrival is
dangerous. The attraction is fierce and instant, but duty comes first.
When revelations about Erica’s past and parentage create
chaos, and she questions everything she thought she knew about herself, Dominic
is her strength. But as tension builds in the pack, and his leadership is
challenged, love becomes a risk that could cost him his authority, his
people, and everything he’s sworn to protect.
Perfect for readers craving illicit wolf-shifter romance
filled with fate, secrets, rebellion and an alpha willing to risk everything
for love.
“Why are you lying to me? Lying to yourself?” Dominic
beseeched, now his turn to interrupt. “I know you feel something between us
because I feel it too.” He rushed forward, heedless of the consequences, and
took her hand to press it to his chest. “You can’t tell me this is all
one-sided. I knew the moment you walked into this store that you were special.”
Erica rolled her eyes and slipped her hand out of his grasp.
“Those lines are so old, Dominic. If you think saying all the right things is
going to make me change my mind, you’re wrong.”
As if he had been physically slapped in the face, Dominic
staggered. “Lines? Is that what you think this is? Like I’m just playing you?”
“Aren’t you?” she sneered. “Isn’t that what guys like you
do? Say all those pretty things like ‘I read in my spare time’ and ‘It’s such a
burden to be needed’ and all that bullshit. Then, when you have the girl, you
dump her for the newest thing that comes along. You’re only interested because
I’m something new in town, right? Someone new to win over.”
His mouth hung open. “Why would you—"
Then he stopped. He was going to ask why she would believe
something so heinous, so stereotypical and cynical. Then he remembered what she
had told him last night. She never grew up with a father, and if he could take
a wild guess, he would have said that her mother planted those ideas in her
head. No man could be trusted. A woman should rely on herself and no one else.
Erica’s entire childhood would have been one jaded, dysfunctional mess, and
this was the kind of baggage she carried into adulthood.
The mating bond was there and he knew everything out of her
mouth was forced. She might have believed what she said, but her heart wasn’t
in her accusations. Below the anger, below those hateful words, Erica really
didn’t want this to end. The mating bond told him that much, otherwise, this
thing between them would have unraveled already, wouldn’t it?
Too dumbfounded, he just stared into her beautiful face, the
one that was on the verge of bursting into fresh tears. Her pride denied her
the release. He would have loved for her to come apart in his hands, just so he
could have the privilege of comforting her when she needed it most and put the
pieces back together the right way.
“What can I do to make you believe me?”
Erica looked away, and he saw her throat work. “I don’t know
if there is anything you could say.”
Just then, his pocket buzzed and chimed, and he was ready to
smash the damned cellphone.
“Go ahead,” she said as she marched away. “Go play hero for
someone else.”
Sheritta Bitikofer writes paranormal romance with a
particular fondness for wolf shifters and witches. Her stories are driven by
one guiding belief: love inspires courage. Through fierce romances, unbreakable
pack bonds, and the magic of covens and family, her characters fight for the
lives—and loves—they deserve. Sheritta lives in northwest Florida, where she
drinks far too much coffee and joyfully balances life as a wife and mother
while crafting her next heartfelt paranormal love story.
When she's not writing her next novel or taking care of her
daughter, Sheritta enjoys diving into the fascinating and complex history of
the American Civil War. With a BA in American History from American Public
University, her primary focus of study is the many human-interest stories that
embody the spirit of the mid-nineteenth century.
Tropes: Fake Dating; Forced Proximity; Billionaires/Millionaires Romance; Law Enforcement/Action Romance; Reverse Grumpy x Sunshine; Opposites Attract
Release Date: June 11, 2026
I didn’t join the force to play dress-up in designer heels and pretend to be someone’s girlfriend, but apparently life has a sense of humor. And mine comes with a six-foot-something ego, a movie-star smile, and a peculiar knack for getting under my skin.
Marco Dal Santo is everything I don’t trust: cocky, charming, reckless, and way too comfortable in a world built on smoke and mirrors. I’m supposed to use him to get close to people who hide crimes behind champagne and expensive suits. He’s supposed to be a means to an end. Convenient. Temporary. And fake.
The problem? It doesn’t really feel fake because every time he touches me, every time he pushes past my defenses and makes me feel something real, I forget that we’re supposed to be pretending.
One minute we’re trading sarcastic barbs and sharing one very inconvenient bed; the next I’m laughing at his terrible jokes and wondering how a man who looks at me with nothing but raw lust can possibly be faking it. Somewhere between the staged kisses and very real arguments, the lines get blurred, and I can’t tell what’s part of the job…and what isn’t.
Now we’re caught up in a world where one wrong move can get us killed, and I’m starting to realize the most dangerous part of this case isn’t the criminals we’re chasing.
It’s him.
Because if anyone finds out I’ve fallen for my informant, I’ll lose my badge, my mentor’s trust, and possibly my heart in the process.
So yeah…I’m in way over my head.
And the worst part?
I’m not sure I want to be rescued.
Number cruncher by day, raging romance novelist by night; Jacqueline’s creative inspiration stems from romance and all its literary and rom-com depictions. Matters of the heart are what fascinates her, because ultimately, what makes a life out of - what would ordinarily be a typical existence - is Love
.png)
.jpg)
