Mary E Thompson

it's a curvy road to happily ever after

Coming Soon

Getting what we want

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Over the last few weeks, everyone has been talking about the end of the year and the end of the decade. There have been countless workshops and posts and ideas and thoughts about making the next decade the best one yet. It’s kind of terrifying.

Ten years ago, I was pregnant with my second child. I was unhappy at my job. I was disconnected from friends and family because I didn’t live close to them. There were a lot of things I didn’t love. But in some ways, life was easier then.

I’ve realized the only way we will ever make our dreams come true is to work hard for it. Obvious, yes. I know. But I’ve decided my new mantra is no one is going to make my dreams come true for me. Because no one else cares about my dreams. They care about their own. And they should. We should all care about our own dreams. About making our own dreams come true.

Can you imagine how beautiful the world would be if we could make our dreams come true? People would be doing things they love, living lives they loved, and spending time the way they loved.

I turn 40 in 2020, and I’ve decided I’m going to work on doing some things I’ve always wanted to do. Some are bigger than others, but mostly, it’s little things, like paying for someone behind me in the drive-thru or leaving a 100% tip or building something by myself. Some are bigger, like being able to run for five minutes straight or doing something that scares me or registering for cooking classes with my hubby.

Every item on my 40 by 40 list will help me get something I want. Because no one else is going to make my dreams come true for me.

What are you going to do in 2020?

What if your book boyfriend actually existed?

I liked safe. Safe was easy. Safe was safe. Ian was not safe. Nothing about him was safe. Not the way he looked at me or the way he touched me or the way he made me feel. But through all of it, he somehow found a way to make me feel safe. Like loving him wasn’t going to destroy me.

But it did.

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We’re all Failures

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There are a lot of F words I really like. Family. Forever. Forgiveness. And if you’ve read my books, you know there’s another one I really like.

But failure is one I can’t stand. Just saying the word makes me cringe. I want to run away. Being a failure is something we can all relate to, and something we all want to run from. Because we’ve all been there. We all know how it feels.

In general, it sucks.

I have a quote on my desk. Zoe York said it during a podcast I listened to a few months ago. It gave me a chance to see failure in a different way…

Failure is the first step toward making something work for me.

Zoe York

Well, damn. As soon as she said those words, I knew I had to write it down. I had to save it.

When we face failure, we have two choices. We can let it define us and cripple us so we never try again. Or we can fight. We can do as Zoe said and keep walking.

I hate to admit that for years, I chose option one. Failure knocked me down. It told me I wasn’t good enough. I was fired from a job and thought I wasn’t worthy of more. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t happy, I failed. And if I couldn’t do that, a job I was trained for and had been in for more than a decade, then how could I expect to do something else? How could I think I could make a difference anywhere else?

It’s a hard slog to believe failure is just the beginning. I’ve been trying to tell myself failure is the first step. That I have to keep going. Day-by-day, I get up, I push forward. There are days I want to let failure win, but it won’t. I won’t let it.

You shouldn’t either. Push. Fight. Work. And see your dreams come true. Then tell failure to go to hell, where it belongs.

Her eyes were watery and blood-shot, but she was still beautiful. She held his gaze. Desire pulsed between them. It wouldn’t take much for him to lean forward and claim her lips. To take what he wanted from her. 

Her gaze darted to his lips, and she licked hers. Her breasts hitched with her breath. Every inch of him tightened, preparing to kiss her again. Ashleigh. His Ashleigh. His first love. 

She leaned in, and his hand slid up her back. Her hair tickled his knuckles. She slicked her tongue over her lips and drew closer. Her breath whispered over his cheeks. His cock hardened under her thigh. 

“Ash,” he whispered, his pulse pounding in his ears. 

Nope, not his pulse. His door.

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New Girl in Town

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It’s never easy being the new person. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, you stick out like a sore thumb. It also means everyone is curious about you, and if you don’t want to get too close, that’s definitely not good.

Sara is running, constantly. She doesn’t like staying put for longer than a few months, so she packs up and moves to a new place, finding seasonal work wherever she ends up. Bereton is just the latest stop on a long road of stops. She has no interest in settling down, not even if the town is perfect, her job is fun, and she meets not one, but two cute guys in her first few days.

Sara’s the kind of person who likes to curl up with a book, because books don’t judge her. She’s happy with the way things are. At least, she tells herself she is. Sara’s searching for something, but she doesn’t know what it is. What she does know is she’ll never find it.

All’s Fair In Love And Wine is available June 25. Preorder today!

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Alls Fair In Love And Wine

Excerpt from All’s Fair In Love And Wine

Sara stopped short when she walked into the tasting room. Leo was talking to Peter. Both of them, together. The look in Leo’s eyes said he knew everything. 

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. 

“Hi,” she said cheerfully, hoping both men bought it. 

“Hey!” Peter said with his trademark grin. His eyes lit up like they always did, and he hopped off his stool and went to her. “I didn’t know you were going to come here. I already ate. But this is good. You can meet Leo. He’s awesome. You two will get along great.” 

Peter turned and grinned at his buddy, the friend he’d been telling her about for weeks. If he only knew just how well she knew Leo, he wouldn’t be introducing them. 

“Uh, I already know Leo.” 

“You do?” Peter asked. His eyebrows drew together, confusion plain on his handsome face. 

Sara nodded. “Yeah, I—” 

“She came in here a few weeks ago for a tasting. It’s nice to see you again. Have you gone through all the wine you bought?” Leo said smoothly, holding her gaze. 

Sara’s heart sank. He didn’t want his best friend to know about them. About her. She was his dirty little secret. 

“This guy is a spectacular salesman. How much wine did he talk you into buying?” Peter asked. His grin was back. He shook his head at his friend, laughing like he was in on the joke. 

But the joke was Sara. She never saw people for who they were, just took them at face value. And ended up hurt for it.

She has the right amount of sass

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I love a woman who’s going to fight back. One who won’t just sit back and let life happen to her. We all need a friend like that. Someone who will inspire us, drive us, encourage us.

Meet Pilar

She’s the kind of woman I want to be when I grow up. She’s smart and funny and compassionate. She’s a fighter and a lover and she doesn’t give up. She definitely has her moments, moments of self-doubt and paralyzing fear. But you know, shit’s going down in her world and she’s entitled to those emotions!

I frequently connect more to my heroines than I do my heroes. Not because they aren’t fabulous, but because I feel like she’s a new friend. As an adult, it’s tough to make new friends, but Pilar is my newest. She’s someone I’d sit down with in real life and enjoy a glass of wine with. Or a tequila, because she’s fun like that, too.

Get to know Pilar on April 30!

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From First

***The following excerpt is definitely Not Suitable for Work!***

“What the fuck?” Slade again. 

Jack finally opened an eye and saw Slade standing over them, phone in his hand. “Dude! Are you taking a picture?” Jack dragged the blanket up to cover Pilar. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, but nothing covered them above the waist. 

“I…No. Fuck, Jack. What did you do?” 

She kissed his chest. “I think that’s pretty obvious.” 

Jack snorted and kissed the top of her head. 

“Jesus. Are you two drunk? Or high?” 

“Tired,” Pilar said, pulling the blanket tight around her shoulders. “Didn’t get much sleep.” 

Jack grinned and palmed her ass. His hand was under the blanket so Slade couldn’t see. He knew there was a reason he was supposed to stay away from her, probably a hundred, but sometime during the night he stopped caring. All that mattered was Pilar and being what she needed. 

She moaned softly and wriggled closer to him. Her hand slid between them and wrapped around his cock. 

He saw stars.

He’s like a lava cake

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Jack Farrell is the kind of man you don’t have to work hard to like. He’s funny and sweet and oh, so very hot.

He’s like a lava cake.

I have to admit, I’ve been testing out mug cake recipes lately. A whole recipe just invites me to eat the whole thing, which is great and all, but then I feel sick. So a mug cake is perfect. And then I found lava mug cakes.

O. M. Yum.

But I digress, because this is about Jack, not the amazing lava mug cakes I found on Pinterest (you’re welcome).

Jack’s always been the smart ass of the group. We don’t know much about him because he’s the kind of guy who makes a joke and stirs the pot then walks away. He doesn’t get in deep, and he refuses to fall in love. Won’t even consider it.

Those are always the best ones to watch fall. Like a tree in the forest, he’s going down hard. (Oh, so many dirty jokes Jack is dying to say right now.)

Jack has his wounds. He has a few scars from his past. But he’s a good guy. He will always make you smile, and he’ll have you turned inside out so fast you won’t know what hit you.

Don’t worry, it’s just Jack. The lava cake man who burns hot, is sweet enough for a tooth ache, and will have you begging for more the minute you’re done.

Watch out, ladies. Jack’s coming April 30!

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From First

Jack grabbed her arm and yanked her back to him. Surprise tilted her off balance and she fell against him, her hand pressed against his bare chest. “We’re not done, Pilar.” 

“We’re not?” she asked. The gold flecks shined again. 

Jack shook his head and slowly lowered his head. She stared up at him as he came closer. The second their lips touched, her eyes fluttered closed. He thrust his tongue between her lips for a kiss that tortured both of them.

She’ll never be Forgotten

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He’s doubted himself since he was taken. She’s doubted herself since her ex dumped her for someone thinner. Neither has the confidence to open up, but both find a way.

Excerpt from Forgotten

Kelsea closed her eyes for a second, then took a step toward him. Her gaze met his, and the realization of what she meant finally sunk in. 

His pulse kicked up and his heart pounded. His cock rose as his gaze dipped down to appreciate the curves he was finally allowed to look at. 

When she was close enough that he had to meet her gaze, she stared up at him with vulnerability and desire painted all over her face. She thought he was going to turn her down. The knowledge nearly knocked him on his ass. How could any man say no to her? She was beautiful, sexy, and every fantasy he’d ever had come to life. Any man who resisted her was a saint. Or a fool. 

Jaymes was a lot of things, but he wasn’t either of those.

Available November 13

Preorder today!

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