Forget Me Not: A Dark MC Romance by Candice WrightMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Thursday, August 27, 2026
The Healing Heart
The Healing Heart
Boys of Bragg Book 5
by Randa Knight
Genre: Military Romance
One tragedy changed everything.
Lizzy
One reckless night. One unforgettable taste of him.
The moment I broke my rules and gave in, I knew I was playing with fire. His
smoldering cerulean eyes and the way he whispered my name? Irresistible. He
didn’t want forever—but I needed more.
Now, he’s back, acting like the boyfriend dreams are made of. Sweet. Attentive.
Protective. Maybe even ready to love me the way I crave.
But how do I trust a man who’s made walking away into an art form?
Is a second chance worth the burn?
Josh
I left her. Not because I didn’t want her—but because I wanted her too much.
Marriage. Kids. The white picket fantasy. I told myself I couldn’t be that man…
because I’m my father’s son. And he broke my mother in ways I can never forget.
So I let Lizzy go.
But fate had other plans. Now I’m here, ready to fight for her, to protect
what’s mine—with teeth, fists, and fury if I have to.
She says she doesn’t trust me.
But I’ll prove it—one kiss, one promise, one heated night at a time.
**Releases Sep 14 – PreOrder Now!**
A quiet moan escapes me as his lips graze my neck, trailing gentle kisses before finding that spot just below my jawline. When he sucks there, slow and deliberate, my fingers tangle in his sandy-brown hair, urging him not to stop. Languidly, he moves his hand up my thigh and wraps it around my waist before sliding his hand across my skin to cup my breast. He places open-mouth kisses everywhere but the nipple, where I want him.
I huff. He gives me a growly laugh and continues to the opposite breast, then switches back and forth until I squeeze his waist with my legs. I need some kind of relief. His hand presses flat against my stomach as he trails kisses downward, lips grazing and nibbling along the way. Instead of going where I crave him—no, need him—he places small bites on my inner thigh.
“P-please.” I attempt to move his head to my core.
Instead, he
switches to the opposite thigh, where the tip of his tongue flicks the fold
between my leg and pussy. My body bows off the bed at his small, teasing pecks,
desperate for release. I feel him grin before he devours me with his mouth. It
only takes a few flicks of his tongue to send me over the edge. He keeps going,
adding his fingers, making me see stars. My body goes completely limp as he
crawls back up and those dazzling blue eyes stare up at me.
Josh.
I jerk myself from the dream. “Shit.” I shouldn’t have any dreams about my ex, let alone sex dreams, especially since I started dating my sorta boyfriend Phillip.
I grab my phone and call my person, Dee. She’s been my best friend since we were freshmen at the University of Nebraska, even if we live almost two hours apart now. I would say until she ran off with Mike, but she fought that man every step of the way to the point she broke up with him almost weekly. Ok, not weekly but close. All because my feisty and fearless friend was petrified since she caught feelings for Mike.
“You’re lucky Michael left work early and I’m already up with his evil spawn.” Dee groans, probably filling or refilling her coffee cup since it’s barely five a.m.
“I had a
dream and… it’s messed up.”
Dee yawns.
“Gonna tell me, or do I have to be like Ivy and make up elaborate stories
trying to figure out this fucked-up dream?” Dee mutters to herself, “Why is it
that this child is only two, but he knows exactly when his father leaves?
Michael wasn’t out the door ten minutes before his mini-me was up crying for
him. Seriously? Who carried him for nine months and ruined her rockin’ body,
with amazing tits? Huh?”
I shrug, even though she can’t see me. “First, you still have a great body, to the point your husband can barely keep his hands to himself. Second, at least your son cuddles up with you when Mike leaves. Ivy says she misses that phase. I have no idea. Call her about that. I’m sure Mase was like that with Grant. My dream…” I trail off, hopeful my soulmate knows that I want her to finish the sentence or at least pick the topic up.
“So, this
dream… were you fucking someone you shouldn’t? Or marrying—”
“The hell?
How do you do that?”
Knowing her, she’s smiling from ear to ear. “You’re my soulmate. I know how your mind works. Tell me, in detail, about this dream so I know how freaked out you are and how to fix this. If I even need to fix anything.”
I do as she asks and tell her everything, complete with his mischievous blue eyes lovingly staring at me when I awoke.
“You’re feeling guilty cause of Chill Phil… Well, he’s not really chill, more like douchie. Why did I start calling him that?” She finishes, talking more to herself than to me.
“It rhymes,”
I deadpan.
Dee
continues, completely ignoring my comment. “Josh, now, I’m not sure what you’re
thinking there. Do you want him back? It’s been almost three months since you
went near him. That’s no small feat since he’s with Michael almost all the
time. It pisses me off that you avoid all the parties and shit we have. It’s
pissing everyone else off as well. Get over it. You knew he had commitment
issues, and I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself to him, but that
doesn’t mean you turn your back on your friends. You barely visit anymore. It’s
bullshit.” She whisper-shouts into the phone since Cristian is probably within
earshot. I can hear his musical activity table, though I’m surprised the volume
is still on. Dee usually shuts it off almost immediately.
I’m surprised she didn’t rip me a new backside sooner. I’m sure Cat, Mike’s baby sister, who moved in with them after college, talked Dee down a few times already. Should I have pretty much ghosted my closest friend, spiraling me into a pit of depression? No. Should I have baked so many cookies, rolls, and desserts that I needed to donate them to the local soup kitchen? No. Did I contact Dee’s old boss at the community center to continue baking more in their industrial kitchen to work through my guilt? Absolutely. Well, I did until Gordy, Dee’s adopted dad, busted me.
I know Dee’s right. I’ve wallowed long enough. I’ve been missing out on so much by avoiding Josh the last few months. I swipe the tears rolling down my face. She’s right, I shouldn’t ignore my girls—Dee, Ivy, and Cat—just because I don’t want to look at his gorgeous face and be reminded that he doesn’t want me.
Dee
continues. “Your butt better be here this weekend for girl time. You know what
I can do to you. Though I’m not sure if we can pull off an official girls’
night, since Grant just returned from a training exercise and Joel comes back
from some type of special schooling Michael sent him to, we can do something
together with all the girls for a few hours, then just the two of us. I miss
you. We’ve never been apart from each other for more than a month. Fully expect
me to beat the crap outta you when you get here. Better yet, come tomorrow.”
Gut me. Guilt crawls across my chest, squeezing my heart. She knows I feel bad about not visiting more or spending time with her. I used the excuse that things had picked up at work, so I had to put in more hours, then I blamed starting a relationship with Phillip.
I sigh, knowing Phillip asked me to go with him to his friend’s birthday party—or maybe it was a work thing. I should’ve paid more attention. I should just cancel so I can spend the entire week with my bestie and her sweet little boy.
“Let me call
Phillip and see if I can get out of whatever he said. I think it’s for one of
his friends or something.”
“Wait, you
don’t remember whose party it is?”
I shake my
head. “No.”
Dee laughs
loudly, then quiets down, probably when she realizes how loud she’s being. I
bet she got Cristian to lie back down. “Yeah, Mr. Chill won’t last long, but if
it gets you here… bring him. You wouldn’t want to miss Dom’s going-away party.
He’s PCSing in two weeks to Missouri.”
“What?! Dom’s leaving? What the hell?” I screech in a slight panic.
Dom is one of the many guys in our circle of friends. Ok, he’s actually one of Mike’s many soldiers since Mike, or as the guys call him, Auggie, is a first sergeant at Fort Bragg—though it was briefly called Fort Liberty for a hot minute before it was changed back. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone actually call it that. Anyway, Dom and I bonded after he called Josh out for breaking up with me for the thousandth time. The two of us talked for hours about everything, from Josh and his stupidity to Dom’s evil ex-wife, to how he quit drinking and his new girlfriend, and circling back to Josh.
“What did you expect? Avoidance has consequences. And I’m petty enough not to tell you shit when your ass cancels on fucking girls’ night of all things,” Dee deadpans. “I get not coming to Josh’s birthday party or poker night or even the weekly bonfires. But it’s girls’ night at Ivy’s house! That’s bullshit.”
Yeah, I’m an
asshole who needs to fix this, which means I will bail on going to that party
with Phillip. Joy washes over me thinking about seeing my bestie—and ditching
that lame party. Dee’s right, Phillip won’t last much longer, but I can’t give
her that satisfaction. If I was petty like her, I would be reminding her how
many times she dumped Mike. Lucky for her, I’m not.
Instead, I’ll bake my emotions. What should I bake? I grab the basics while I figure it out. I can’t deal with Dee’s guilt trip without baking something even if I deserve everything she gives me. Maybe I’ll make her favorite cupcakes or brownies. I mean, it’s the least I can do for being a shitty friend. I need to try to fix my screwup. Definitely some chocolate cupcakes with chocolate ganache and caramel drizzle.
“I’ll be
there tomorrow.” I know she has a satisfied smile on her face when we hang up.
Don’t miss the
other Boys of Bragg!
Find them on Amazon
Randa Knight was born and raised in a small town on the
Ohio/Indiana border. Her love of reading began when her grandmother curled up
together with a new book every weekend. She studied Literature with a Creative
Writing minor at Indiana University (Go Hoosiers!) where she fell in love with
writing. The idea for the Boys of Bragg series began during a creative writing
course and has evolved over the years.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon
* Goodreads
Follow the blitz HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter The Healing Heart Giveaway Here
Red Wine Lover
Title: Red Wine Lover
A Small Town Romance Perfect
for Lovers of Growly Guys and Kissing K9s
Series: Tales from the Chocolate Lab Café #2
Author: Kristin Jeffries
Genre: Small Town Romantic Comedy
Tropes: Golden Retriever/Black Cat, Love at First Sight
Found Family, OTT Protective MMC, Meddling Fur Babies
He Falls First, Forced Proximity, Later in Life Love
Release Date: August 21, 2026
BLURB
Their dogs tricked them into one bed, but will their secrets kick them out?
Lauren escaped to Dogwood to start over, taking her Papillon dog, Baby, and her secrets with her. Running from her toxic ex and those who said she was too poor, too weak, too good-girl to make it at her age.
She’s ready to stand on her own two feet—well, her own two red, high heel, De Luxe Chucks. And she found the perfect place to launch her dream French bakery just down the street from her bestie’s café.
Unexpected distraction…or attraction? A certain tatted, black-bearded, sooty-eyed Frenchman, whose dimples don’t quite make up for his over-the-top watchful ways.
Wine seller Jean-Luc was struck by a coup de foudre—thunderbolt of love—the stormy night they met. He promised to return to his family wine estate, yet he can’t get the stunning and sassy Lauren out of his head.
Sure, Lauren parked Jean-Luc in the friendzone—she needs friends more than flings right now. But why is the recovering bad boy so hot to protect her at any cost? And why does he hide from thunderstorms just like his rescue Bernese Mountain Dog, Cabernet?
When instant BFFs, Baby and Cab, force the couple into sharing one bed, the stakes just get higher. Will they unleash their deepest desires? Or will they fall prey to their regrets and run from forever love?
Can Lauren and Jean-Luc trust each other with their hearts…and ALL their secrets?
Red Wine Lover is a swoony, spicy romcom featuring a belly-button-baring wine tasting, matchmaking fur babies, meddling found family, and all the rich, full-bodied feels.
PURCHASE LINKS
ALSO AVAILABLE
AUTHOR BIO
Kristin Jeffries writes about her favorite escapes—romcoms and dogs—from her home in Portland, Oregon. After years in health care marketing, she decided to prescribe a dose of healthy escape from daily stress for romance readers like her. Kristin draws her inspiration from her family’s past Chocolate Lab Café in a small Midwest town. Plus, she’s married to the original red hot roaster who advises her on all things coffee. And she injects her affection for a long line of smouchy pups, including an IRL Pirate, into her tales.
AUTHOR LINKS
The Challenge
Title: The Challenge
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Single Dad, Second Chance, Forced Proximity
Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Found Family
Release Date: August 30, 2026
Take a sneak peek of THE CHALLENGE...
First Edition
Copyright © 2026
By Penelope Ward
There was so much I wanted to know about his life. More than anything, I wanted to ask what he’d dreamed about when he called my name. I was also tempted to ask about Effie’s mother. He’d said they were divorced, but was she still in the picture? Why was Effie living with him full time?
But instead of unloading all my questions, I scratched my pounding head and asked, “Do you have coffee here, by any chance?”
Rather than answer, he stalked over to a cabinet above the fridge—the one place I hadn’t checked.
With my arms wrapped around my chest, I watched as he pulled out a filter and placed it in the machine before scooping some grounds. I admired how the muscles in his back moved with the motion of his arms, the way his jeans hugged his ass.
After he started the pot, the room filled with the bubbling sound of coffee brewing. Evan turned toward me, and we stared at each other in tense silence.
“How did you sleep?” he finally asked.
“Not bad, all things considered.”
“All things being me?” He arched a brow.
“I have nothing against you, Evan.”
“Oh really? Because that unhinged letter you wrote me says otherwise. It’s not like time could change all that. Especially when we haven’t been in touch since then. I never reached out. And you never called, either.”
“I was very emotional when I wrote that letter.” I gulped. “And drunk. I wasn’t supposed to send it. It was just meant to be a way to let out my feelings.”
“So, why did you send it?”
“I wish I understood…”
“You mean to tell me you don’t still feel that way, even a little?”
My gaze fell to the floor. “It’s been a decade. Like I told you, I’d been drinking, so I don’t entirely remember what I wrote.”
Evan scratched his chin. “I don’t know if I believe that.”
I looked up. “Regardless of what unkind words I expressed in a drunken, regrettable moment…I’ve moved on.”
“Doesn’t seem like you’ve moved on given the way you raced out of here yesterday to find another place, just so you didn’t have to look at me.”
“Well, you weren’t exactly welcoming.” He was right that I’d raced out of here. But his assumption that I didn’t want to look at him? No. After all these years, it was still hard not to look at him.
The coffee gurgled to signal the end of its cycle. Saved by the gurgle.
Evan opened the cabinet. To my surprise, he set down two mugs and began preparing my coffee just the way I liked it: two sugars and heavy cream. He stirred and then handed it to me.
“Thank you.”
I didn’t have to ask how he knew the way I took it. Back when he’d been living with us, Evan and I had often caught up over coffee in my family’s kitchen before the crack of dawn while everyone else was asleep. So this was far from the first time he’d prepared a cup for me. Little did he know, I’d actually had my very first cup of coffee with him. When I’d started getting up early to join him, I hadn’t tried coffee yet. But I’d pretended to need the caffeine just as much as he did, though the only morning jolt I’d wanted back then was Evan. The smell of coffee right now, the smell of him... I was drowning in nostalgia, tinged with a bittersweet knowing that so much had changed.
We stood across from each other, silently sipping our coffees as if this was some sort of duel—who could drink it the fastest without saying anything?
Eventually, Evan set his mug down. “There are fresh towels in the linen closet off the hallway. Effie has some girly bodywash in the shower, if you need it. Pomegranate scent or some crap.” He lifted his mug again and added, “You look like you could use a shower.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you. I guess I’ll take a shower before I head out to look for a place. I’ll let you know if I find one, so I can get out of your hair.”
He took a sip and saluted me with his mug. “Good luck with that.”
It was embarrassing to think I hadn’t taken a shower since I left Chicago. I grabbed a couple of towels from the closet and headed into the small bathroom.
After sliding the shower curtain open, I smiled at the sight of both masculine and “girly” bodywash side by side. As the warm water rained down on me, I squeezed pomegranate shower gel into my hand and thought about how cute and honest Effie had been last night when she’d come into my room. Closing my eyes and trying to relax, I took my sweet time lathering my body and massaging my neck. After I finished what turned out to be a twenty-minute shower, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel. But a loud crash just outside the door caused me to jump. “Is everything okay?” I called.
PRE-ORDER LINKS
Special pre-order price of $3.99
(price will go up after release)
Will be free in Kindle Unlimited
The current paperback preorder is for the alternate cover only.
A model-cover paperback will be live on release day.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
SINGLE DAD
SMALL TOWN
FRIENDS TO LOVERS
SECOND CHANCE
FORCED PROXIMITY
FOUND FAMILY
BLURB
From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…
Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl.
Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings.
Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay.
Evan—the guy my parents took in years ago after his mother died.
The same Evan who used to dare me into ridiculous challenges that somehow always made me stronger—a game we’d dubbed The Challenge.
The same guy who ultimately rejected me before I left for college after I’d finally garnered the courage to shoot my shot.
Now Evan was a rugged single dad with an eight-year-old daughter, a cocky attitude, and a dangerous ability to make me forget every reason I should still hate him.
Sharing a house with him should’ve been unbearable. Instead, it felt dangerously familiar, nearly making me forget that I had a life and a job to get back to in Chicago. I realized the biggest challenge wasn’t surviving living with Evan Ricci.
It was not falling in love with him all over again.
AUTHOR BIO
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
AUTHOR LINKS
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
A Pinch of Assault
Welcome to the Sunny Side Up Diner,
where the pancakes are fluffy, the bacon is crisp,
and murder should not be on the menu…
A Pinch of Assault
Sunny Side Up Mysteries Book 3
by Misty Simon
Genre: Small Town Cozy Mystery with a dash of Romance
Welcome to the
Sunny Side Up Diner, where the jukeboxes jive and the secrets thrive...
With things at her Sunny Side Up Diner sailing along smoothly for once, Jax
Tapman has turned her attention to her personal life. It’s time to meet the
boyfriend’s mother in person. And while Jax isn't totally certain she’s up to
the challenge, she agrees to show Eliot’s mom around a local retirement home.
It sounds innocent enough, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to sell the woman
on the idea of moving to be closer to her son. But instead of making her case,
when Jax enters the model apartment, she and her potential in-law find one dead
body and a whole lot of secrets!
Suddenly it’s up to Jax to discover who the retirement home killer is—a task
that only gets harder when someone from Eliot's past shows up and might know
far more about the crime than she’s letting on.
The Sunny Side Up Diner is jumping with gossip, Jax and her best friend Dani
are running interference, and Eliot’s mom is calling all the shots. But sorting
out chaos and minimizing damage is something Jax has grown accustomed to, if
she can only get a clue.
"This new series is off to a great start. Misty does an excellent job
showing readers all the details of the small town, the diner, and a cast of
entertaining characters."
~ Kings River Life Magazine
"Readers cannot help but fall in love with this first book!!! Simon has
you laughing out loud... I, for one, look forward to more books in the
series!!!!"
~ Cozy Mystery Book Reviews
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“We’re looking for the model
apartment,” I said. “If you could point us in the right direction?”
“Of course,” said a guy who came up
from behind to join the others. He was wearing a hoodie also emblazoned with
the company logo of a big, branchy oak tree with a smiling face. “Right behind
you.”
I turned around, and sure enough,
when I looked at the sign on the wall to my right, it had a big arrow and the
very helpful words “Model Home” in a polished silver that must have cost a
pretty penny. But for what they charged to live here, that was probably a drop
in the bucket of the money they made on a monthly basis.
“Much appreciated.”
“No problem,” he said, saluting me,
and then he caught up with the others.
“We have our direction now from the
guy who must not realize it’s warm enough to not need a sweatshirt.”
“Not everyone is as hot as you
are,” Eliot said with a chuckle.
“Ha!” I did appreciate that he
thought I was hot, of course, but I was fighting a blush that he’d said it in
front of his mom.
“Nicely done,” Dot said, patting
her son’s arm.
“Let’s carry on.” I cleared my
throat and prepared to make the idea of living here irresistible, or at least
get mother and son to laugh while trying. “Here we have state-of-the-art
facilities and comfort like no other place in the world. The programs and
activities are top of line, too. You will only be bored here if you want, or
actively make an effort to be bored, because we can schedule your every second
before Wheel of Fortune comes on, if you so desire.”
Dot snickered, and even Eliot
laughed at that.
“Please follow me to our version of
paradise.”
I inserted the key into the lock
and twisted, but I didn’t feel any resistance or hear the dead bolt click. I
turned the doorknob anyway, thinking maybe the door was just that well-oiled.
Opening the door into the really
beautiful suite of rooms, I was already half in love with the teal carpet and
the rose-colored walls. The tan furniture they’d chosen to place in the living
room was set off nicely with pastel throw pillows, light wood side tables, and
a coffee table. The sliding glass door to the left let in ample sunlight
without being blinding and bathed the whole area in a golden glow that warmed
the room. The effect was truly lovely.
It was obvious I wasn’t alone in
thinking so either, since Dot was already oohing and ahhing from the doorway.
As she stepped in, I moved out of the way in case she wanted to make a beeline
for the kitchen. The breakfast bar fronting the kitchen was big without being
massive and separated it from the living room while keeping the floor plan open
for entertaining.
I was hoping she’d love the space
as she moved around the end of the bar, but when she stepped into the kitchen,
she drew to an immediate halt and barked at us to call 9-1-1.
Don’t miss the other
Sunny Side Up Mysteries!
Find them on Amazon or
at Gemma Halliday
Publishing
Misty Simon always wanted to be a storyteller…preferably
behind a Muppet. Animal was number one, followed closely by Sherlock Hemlock…
Since that dream didn’t come true, she began writing stories to share her world
with readers, one laugh at a time.
Touching people’s hearts and funny bones are two of her
favorite things, and she hopes everyone at least snickers in the right places
when reading her books. She lives with her husband in Central Pennsylvania
where she is hard at work on her next novel or three. She loves to hear from
readers so drop her a line at misty@mistysimon.com.
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Follow
the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter the A Pinch of Assault Giveaway Here
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
If I Didn't Have You
Title: If I Didn't Have You
Series: The Last Best Place for Love Book 7
Author: Giulia Lagomarsino
Genre: Small Town Romance
Tropes: Second Chance; Later in Life; Is It Over?; Rediscovering Love; First Love
Release Date: August 24, 2026
I lost my heart a long time ago to one woman.The love of my life.
The mother of my children.
I could weather any storm with her by my side.
But I lost sight of that somewhere along the way.
Holding her in my arms as she nearly died tore me to shreds.
I vowed a long time ago that I would never let anything happen to her, and I failed.
And now she was ready to leave.
Not because I didn’t protect her, but because I lost sight of who we were.
That was all about to change.
Because if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that life just wasn’t worth living without her by my side.
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I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.
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