Length: 41,000 words Series: Better
Than, book 9 (but book 4 for this couple) Genre:
contemporary Tropes: New dads, established couple, opposites
attract Designer: Reese Dante
The journey to parenthood has been bumpy one, but we’re so ready for this. Our careers are going well,
we have a cool house in a great neighborhood, a supportive family, amazing friends, a new puppy, and…it’s
time.
Becoming dads isn’t something we take lightly. We’ve planned for this moment for years. Hey, I’m a lawyer
and I know how to prepare. I’ve done the research, consulted experts, and explored our options.
But now that there’s a baby on the way, a nursery to decorate, and a crib to buy…I’m panicking. The fear
that something might go wrong is always on my mind. We’ve been crushed and disappointed, and while this
should be different, I want to do whatever I can to protect my husband and our happiness.
This is the biggest moment of our lives, and it has to be perfect.
It has to be better than good.
Better Than Baby features Matt and Aaron from my international bestselling book, Better Than Good.
The lawyer, the diva, and the happy ever after of a lifetime…and a baby. For readers who know the real love
story happens after the first “I love you.”
about the author:
"Lane Hayes lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesn’t mind
cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, who’s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration
for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write. She’s been telling stories about sexy, funny,
sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her
previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yes…romance is much more satisfying! Lane
loves tea, travel, and chocolate…in any order. Add a book and she’s set!
NARRATOR: Kirt Graves Series:
Smithton Bears, book 2 Prior Reading: Recommended but not
essential Genre: contemporary, sports Tropes: Small-town,
College, Hockey, Geek/Jock, Light-angst, Opposites Attract Trigger/Content Warnings:
n/a
The hockey star, the influencer, and the deal of a
lifetime.
Ty I’m going to the pros, baby! Deal made, contract
signed. Now all I have to do is finish out my final season at Smithton and stay out of trouble. I like to have a
good time, but don’t worry, I’ll behave.
What I won’t do is talk to that double-crossing influencer who’s been
badgering me for an interview. No thanks.
I know Walker’s type—sweet as pie on the outside, a shark on the inside.
Get this…he wants to make a deal that sounds a lot like a bribe.
Not interested. No way.
But I am curious.
Walker I’ve never worked so hard for an interview in
my life. Ugh!
Look, I get that Ty doesn’t like me. As in…he won’t return my calls and avoids
me like the plague on campus.
Too bad. I’m not giving up.
I don’t want to beg, but I’m willing to barter. Every man has his price—and
something to prove.
Even Ty.
Something to Proveis a low-angst, geek-jock MM bisexual
college hockey romance featuring a hockey star and the adorkable influencer who’s determined to win him
over…
Lane Hayes lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing
husband, who thankfully doesn’t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, who’s pure
mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write. She’s
been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now
and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yes…romance is
much more satisfying! Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolate…in any order. Add a book and she’s set!
Length: 60,000 words Series: Love the Game book 4 (shared world, standalone) Prior Reading: n/a Genre: contemporary, sports Tropes: Banter, bruises, and unexpected tenderness. Featuring: grumpy/sunshine vibes, emotional intimacy, found family, a meddling little brother, and the hottest “oops, I sent you a sex tape by accident” moment in romance. Trigger/Content Warnings: n/a Designer: Story Style Cover Designs
As the thirtysomething captain of the Exeter Seagulls, he’s built a career on strength, silence, and shielding his emotions as ruthlessly as he does his teammates. But when an injury rocks his team—and a series of frustrating media storms threaten to unravel his legacy—Cam finds himself one mistake away from losing everything he’s worked for. The last thing he needs is a distraction.
Enter Brent Parks: sunshine in tattooed skin, newly settled in Exeter, and a little too perceptive for Cam’s comfort.
Brent came to England chasing purpose. What he didn’t expect was a brooding rugby player with eyes like winter and walls like stone. But the chemistry? Immediate. Irresistible. And very, very mutual. Brent isn’t afraid to get under Camden’s skin—and he’s definitely not afraid to stay there.
When a one-time tattoo consult turns into stolen kisses, slow mornings, and a summer of something that feels a lot like more, both men are forced to face the truth: Falling for each other wasn’t in the game plan. And neither is what happens when the spotlight turns on their relationship.
With mounting pressure, cross-continental tours, and past insecurities clawing their way to the surface, Camden has to decide if love is a risk he’s finally ready to take. And Brent? He’s ready to prove that he’s not just a distraction—he’s the reason to stay.
A swoony, slow-burn MM sports romance full of banter, bruises, and unexpected tenderness. Featuring: grumpy/sunshine vibes, emotional intimacy, found family, a meddling little brother, and the hottest “oops, I sent you a sex tape by accident” moment in romance.
Full Tilt is book five in a brand-new sports romance shared world. Featuring books from Willow Thomas, Becca Steele, Jodi Oliver, EM Denning, Becca Jackson, EM Lindsey, and Cora Rose.
Becca Seymour is a British/Aussie author and the #1 gay romance best seller of the True-Blue series. Known for "steamy and endearing" and "emotionally profound love stories" (InD'tale Magazine) her books have been nominated for multiple RONE Awards.
Becca has a sweet tooth for marshmallow-hearted monsters, swoon-worthy supernatural studs, and everyday guys and basketball players with hearts of gold. If you like your MM romance sweet, spicy, and occasionally action-packed, slip into stalker mode and fall hard for her True-Blue and Minnesota Eagles men—and maybe a shifter or monster two.
Desperately wanted
found-family sometimes comes with wagging tails and a whole lot of
fur.
Blurb
Arthur
When I was squeezing seven rescue dogs and a horde of cats in my small
house, all I wanted was to not turn away a pet in need. Opening the Safe Haven
Pet Rescue was a dream come true. But when I get hurt, standing between a man
with a gun and a stray dog, I realize I still can't do it all.
My injured leg, a concussion, having to lean on my friends,
and realizing how helpless I feel, throws me back to my childhood when nothing
I did ever seemed to be enough. But there's one silver lining. Brooklyn West.
He's the kind of guy who holds a stranger’s hand in a crisis. He's great with
my dogs, even cranky little Chili, and really seems to want to help the
shelter. I like watching him be a protective big brother when his sister turns
up on his doorstep, even though I think there's pain underneath his sunny
smiles. But as we move toward friendship, I keep looking for the strings, for
the catch, and wondering how I'll pay him back, because nothing in my life can
be that sweet, or that simple.
Brooklyn
I went through a
slice of medical hell, and came out the other side with enough money to move to
the opposite side of the country and start the doggie daycare business of my
dreams. The cherry on top of that good luck is meeting Arthur Bjornsson. Big,
wild-bearded, soft-voiced Arthur is the kind of guy my family would've
ridiculed. He's warm-hearted and willing to throw himself into harm's way right
in front of my eyes to save one pathetic stray dog.
He's
the kind of guy who gives me back some faith in humanity. But when my underage
sister Cheyenne shows up on my doorstep, on the run from the family I thought
I'd escaped, my old life and new collide. I want to help Arthur, get to know
him, and, as he heals, I want more than just friendship. But Cheyenne brings
legal risks, a teen on the other side of my bedroom wall, and the threat of
retribution from our family. The simple relationship I thought Arthur and I
were building is suddenly messy as hell. I don't know how we'll get through
this to reach the furever home I so desperately want.
A Furever
Home is a fur-baby-filled,
hurt-comfort, small town romance between two men whose only chance at a family
is to build one themselves.
Excerpt
I sat behind the counter at Safe Haven animal
rescue, listening to my shelter manager calling me from across the ocean. “Did
you see the video?” The happiness in Shane’s voice made me smile. “Was that
cool or what?”
“Hang on.” I swiped my phone over to where I had a
waiting text from Shane’s boyfriend, Theo. Sure enough, there was a video
attached. When I hit play, I saw Shane with his little white cat Mimsy doing
their routine of Mimsy-tricks with the iconic architecture of Paris behind
them. In this short clip, Mimsy jumped from the ground up to Shane’s shoulder,
then balanced on his head and raised one paw in a salute.
I said, “Did you just busk in front of Notre
Dame?”
Shane had lived off his wits and Mimsy’s skills for
a long time, but Theo was rich enough he no longer needed to.
“Not busking,” Shane told me. “I didn’t put the hat
out. Wouldn’t risk breaking the law here. But Mimsy was riding on my shoulder
and these two kids asked if she was a real cat, speaking English with the
cutest French accents, and I couldn’t resist letting her show off a
bit.”
Of course he couldn’t. Shane would deny it till he
was blue in the face, but he was a sucker for kids, and for that little cat.
Letting her shine while making kids laugh was his favorite thing. Aside from
being with Theo, of course. The newfound brightness of Shane’s voice
warmed me, even as I pushed aside an unworthy pang of jealousy. Shane had lived
a much harder life than I had—forced to leave his family as a teenager, going
homeless, sometimes going hungry, so independent it’d taken Theo months to
persuade him love didn’t have to come with strings.
My own family might’ve lost interest in me long
ago, but I’d never gone without a meal. Now Shane and Theo had a relationship
so solid even Shane was willing to trust it. I should be happy for my friend
and stop thinking about how I was ten years older and far more alone. “Sounds
like fun.”
About the
Authors
Kaje: I get asked about
my name a lot. It's not something exotic, though. “Kaje” is pronounced just
like “cage” – it’s an old nickname, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I’ve been
writing far longer than I care to admit (*whispers – forty years*), although
mostly for my own entertainment. I write M/M romance, often with added mystery,
fantasy, historical, SciFi, paranormal… I also have Young Adult short stories
(some released under the pen name Kira Harp.)
It was my husband who finally
convinced me that after all the years of writing just for fun, I really should
submit something, somewhere. My first professionally published book, Life
Lessons, came out in May 2011. I now have a good-sized backlist in ebooks and
print, both free and professionally published, including Amazon bestseller The
Rebuilding Year and Rainbow Award Best Mystery-Thriller Tracefinder: Contact.
Gabbi: USA Today
Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur
baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for
the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay,
sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy
endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their
true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi
Powell.
Kiss him, sleep with him, but don’t
ever fall in love with him.
The first time Wes Archer steps into
Jack of Clubs, an exclusive London pleasure club, he’s completely confident he
can heed the tried-and-true advice about becoming an escort. Wes gives himself
away for free with casual hookups all the time. Why not make some cash doing
what he already loves? And cash is something he desperately needs. His
brother’s gambling addiction has taken their family’s home, saddled Wes with
insurmountable debts, and compromised his chances for finishing his
degree.
Accepting an offer to spend a few
hours of fun with a rich bloke will be a simple business transaction,
right?
Wrong.
Wes’s first client is Cormac Reilly.
The handsome billionaire is grumpy, funny, and commanding in a way that unlocks
desires Wes never knew he had. Cormac is icily determined to keep their
arrangement strictly business, but that doesn’t stop Wes from finding him
fascinating.
As their one-night contract becomes
something much more, Wes can’t deny he’s falling for his client. He knows he’s
flouting all the rules, but breaking down Cormac’s barriers is an irresistible
challenge, and his reward might be the best prize of all — love.
From bestselling author Lily Morton
comes a passionate love story set in London and Paris about two astonishingly
different men and one very pretty mess.
Please see the disclaimer
at the beginning of the book for content some readers may find
triggering.
His voice is so soft when he speaks
that I almost don’t hear him. “Can I tell you something?”
I
force my eyes open. He’s watching me, his face set and eyes busy with
calculation.
“You
can tell me anything,” I say with honesty.
“Promise
me you won’t tell anyone else,” he says, and something about both the
fierceness and vulnerability in his voice touches me.
“I
promise,” I say, meaning it. “You can trust me.”
He
relaxes at what he sees in my face. “Aren’t you wondering how I can afford to
live here?”
I
raise an eyebrow. “Not really. Wondering about you has been a bit low on my
list compared to homelessness and a credit score that’s now lower than a
fucking aardvark’s.” I sit up. “But now you mention it, I am a bit curious. Do
your parents own it?”
“Hardly.”
His lips twist into a naughty smirk. “I’m a whore.”
The
silence is absolute in the room for a few seconds. I’d feel less shocked if
he’d brained me with a brick. I shift on the sofa. “Sorry? What did you just
say?”
Maybe
I misheard him.
He
shrugs. “I’m a whore.”
Nope.
No mishearing.
I
hesitate. “Should you be saying that?” I finally say tentatively. “It’s a bit
of a derogatory word.”
He
stares at me. “Are you actually sitting there telling a whore that he can’t
call himself that?”
I
shrug. “Well, yeah. It’s not very nice. What about sex worker?”
“What
has niceness got to do with me taking dick for money?” I snort, and he adopts a
thoughtful look. “I don’t like sex worker. It makes me sound like I have a
clocking-in card.” His eyes twinkle. “Maybe I have a cocking-in
card.”
about the author:
Lily lives in sunny England with her
husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper
conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle. She has spent
her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down
and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually
loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny
men! She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations –
chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without
being shouted by one of her family.
The hockey star, the influencer, and the deal of a lifetime.
Ty I’m going to the pros, baby! Deal made, contract signed. Now all I have to do is finish out my final season at Smithton and stay out of trouble. I like to have a good time, but don’t worry, I’ll behave.
What I won’t do is talk to that double-crossing influencer who’s been badgering me for an interview. No thanks.
I know Walker’s type—sweet as pie on the outside, a shark on the inside.
Get this…he wants to make a deal that sounds a lot like a bribe.
Not interested. No way.
But I am curious.
Walker I’ve never worked so hard for an interview in my life. Ugh!
Look, I get that Ty doesn’t like me. As in…he won’t return my calls and avoids me like the plague on campus.
Too bad. I’m not giving up.
I don’t want to beg, but I’m willing to barter. Every man has his price—and something to prove.
Even Ty.
Something to Proveis a low-angst, geek-jock MM bisexual college hockey romance featuring a hockey star and the adorkable influencer who’s determined to win him over…
Sue me. I’d liked the peppy redhead’s vibe and though I’d deny it with my last breath, I’d thought Walker was cute with his wayward curls, tawny-brown eyes, and tight compact body.
But that was before he’d sold out my best friend.
I knew Langley and some of our other teammates thought I was being unreasonable and that Walker had atoned for his mistake, but he was done-zo in my book.
I gave a curt nod and spun away.
Langley followed, flinging a quick, “Later, dude” over his shoulder.
“Hang on! Ty, may I have a word, please?” Walker called.
I wasn’t going to reply. I didn’t owe him an explanation, and I was pretty damn sure he knew the score anyway.
But Langley grabbed my elbow and leaned into my space. “Be nice, Ty. New school year, blank slate, and all that.”
“Bullshit,” I coughed under my breath.
“C’mon, Jett forgave him. You can afford to be magnimonious too.”
“Magnanimous,” I corrected.
Langley rolled his eyes. “Whatever the fuck. The point is…you’re going to the AH-fuckin’-L. No reason to be bitter, right? At least hear him out.”
With that, Langley strode away, leaving me to deal with the annoyingly cheery Walker Woodrow.
I was a good six inches taller and outweighed him by at least thirty pounds of muscle. My height, brawny size, and less-than-sunny demeanor should have been intimidating, but Walker was apparently immune.
“Congratulations are in order,” he gushed. “AHL…wow! And to Jacksonville, no less.”
“You’re a hockey fan?” I heard myself ask out of the blue.
“Honestly, I think everyone at Smithton is—or they will be, knowing they’ll be able to root for one of our own in the pros.”
That wasn’t really an answer, but his smile was more brilliant than the last. It made him incandescent, as if he had some kind of inner glow.
I had to admit, Walker had a good TV face. He wasn’t classically handsome, but that spark in him transmitted nicely on-screen. It made him interesting, and it made it seem as if he were interested in you. An excellent quality for a talk show host. Or a con artist.
“Thanks,” I replied tersely. “I have to get going.”
“I’ll walk with you.” He fell into step beside me, uninvited. “I know you’re probably busy getting ready for classes. I just finalized my schedule and bought a few online textbooks. OMG, highway robbery. Am I right? I can’t believe how much collegiate e-books cost.”
His melodic laughter rang between the buildings like birdsong.
Do not cave. He might look pretty, but the man is rotten to the core.
I stopped in my tracks. “Is there something you wanted?”
“Actually…yes.” Walker bit into his bottom lip and gave a sheepish look. “I’d love to interview you for What’s New, Smithton? Our audience will go nuts for a chance to hear all about the draft, how it’s changed your life so far, what you imagine life will be like in Florida next year, and…what it’s like being an out bisexual athlete on the rise. The interview itself is generally thirty minutes long. Super low-key. We could meet at the rink or at my—”
“No.”
He recoiled as if I’d punched him in the gut. “I…uh, I can work around your schedule, of course, and—”
“No,” I repeated.
“Um…is there a problem?” Walker asked carefully.
“No problem with me. I just don’t want anything to do with you. And I’m not going to change my mind.” I stepped away from him, relishing his pointedly shocked expression. “Tell your followers that’s what’s new in Smithton.”
Okay, not my best line, but it did the trick. Walker blinked like an owl, stunned into silence. Good.
I quelled the strong desire to flip him off, settling for the nasty sneer I usually reserved for riling opponents on the ice. Curled lips, ugly stare with dead eyes…not pretty at all. He flinched, which kinda made me feel bad. But fuck that. My anger was totally justified, and it pissed me off that he dared to pull the innocent act.
Did he really think I’d forget what he’d done? Not fucking likely.
Maybe he didn’t owe me an apology, but I certainly didn’t owe him my time.
I hoped he’d gotten the message loud and clear ’cause this—right here, right now—was the last interaction I’d ever have with Walker fucking Woodrow.
about the author:
Lane Hayes lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesn’t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, who’s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write. She’s been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yes…romance is much more satisfying! Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolate…in any order. Add a book and she’s set!
