New Release

Loving Yourself

January 7, 2020 by Mary

January is always the time of year when the pressure is on to lose weight. Gyms are more crowded than any other month, people sign up for every weight loss program available, and we feel just a little more guilty for eating that extra piece of candy.

But January is just another month.

Maybe it’s because we just got through the holidays, or maybe it’s because so many people set goals that start in January, or maybe it’s because we want to do better, but it all boils down to wanting to change. There’s something we don’t love about ourselves, something that we have decided needs to change, so we make a new commitment to doing something different.

What if instead of changing our bodies we decided to change our minds and love ourselves a little more?

I’ve struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I lost a ton of weight a few years ago, but I gained it all back. I felt better, and I liked the way clothes looked, and I still want to lose the weight again, but more than that, I want to love myself.

The people I love aren’t perfect. I could pick apart little things about everyone I know and love. But I love them, so I don’t. I wish I did that about myself, and that’s one of my goals for 2020. To be kinder to myself, to love myself more, to celebrate the things my body has done for me instead of regretting the things it hasn’t.

Are you with me?

Falling for my sister’s best friend was not my best idea. But she was the kind of woman I couldn’t help but love. Everything about her made me crave more of her. And from the moment I held her in my arms, I knew I’d do whatever it took to make her mine. Even lying to her.

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Is it really fair?

June 25, 2019 by Mary

It’s release day for All’s Fair In Love And Wine! Like all my couples, Sara and Leo gave me a little trouble, and were frustrating at times, but in the end, their story is a pretty great one.

Leo is the kind of guy you want to cheer for. The guy who is not only sweet and sexy, but funny and kind and just plain good. He goes out of his way for his family and says yes to everything, which bites him in the ass a few times.

Leo wants what his siblings and cousins have. He wants someone to come home to. Someone to share his struggles with. Someone to love. Too bad he’s falling for the one woman in Bereton who promises she’s not sticking around long.

Maybe he can change her mind…

All’s Fair In Love And Wine available now!

Excerpt from All’s Fair In Love And Wine

Her eyebrows drew together, and she tilted her head. “You don’t know my name?”

He shook his head.

“I gave you my credit card.”

He chuckled. “No, you didn’t. You paid at the gift shop.”

She tilted her head again, then her brown eyes brightened and she laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. We’re strangers. And it would have been pretty weird if you started the conversation telling me you owned the place.”

Leo nodded. “You either would have thought I was hitting on you or lying. Or both.”

“Since you were hitting on me, I would have assumed lying.”

Leo laughed and shook his head. “True. So, now that my secret is out, are you going to tell me yours?”

Panic flashed across her face, eyes wide with fear. She tried to recover, but it wasn’t before he realized she had a few secrets.

“Your name,” Leo said, hoping to calm her.

She visibly relaxed, her shoulders falling and her breath coming out in a relieved sigh. “Oh, sorry. Sara. Sara Donovan.”

“Wow, I get a last name, too? That’s impressive.”

She laughed again. “Yeah, well, I know where you work and I met your sister, so I guess we’re even.”

He shook his head. “Hardly. Are you hungry?”

Her eyebrows drew together.

“I have dinner, and it’s too much for me to eat. We can sit outside and share. I figure that’s more likely to get a yes out of you than inviting you back to my place.”

Her wide eyes and lustful look told him he might have gotten a hell of a lot more than a yes out of her if he’d gone for door number two.

“Sounds good,” Sara said.

A little extra romance?

May 14, 2019 by Mary

When 50 Shades of Grey came out, my husband encouraged me to buy it. He heard ‘good things’ about it, and said I should pick it up.

It didn’t quite have the effect he hoped for, but it made me think about reading. There are those books that keep you up all night because you’re worried that your significant other is really plotting your murder and if you go to sleep, you won’t wake up again. Yep, read one of those this week. Then there are those about struggles people have gone through (real or fiction, still serious struggles). Those make you think and appreciate everything you have.

And then there are romances.

When their eyes meet and her pulse races.

When they kiss for the first time and her lips tingle.

When a kiss leads to a lot more and…

Mission accomplished.

Hubby didn’t get what he bargained for when I read 50 Shades, but romance is very, very good for your sex life. It just has to be the right romance. Maybe you need something sweet. A story about childhood best friends falling in love. Or something a little funny with a friends or enemies to lovers story. Or something with an element of danger that makes you snuggle up close to him.

If you like the last one, Pilar and Jack could be the right couple for you. Her brother is kidnapped by her ex, and Jack’s there to protect her. Even though both of them know getting involved is a bad idea, neither can resist the thread that pulls them together. She’s his job, but one he’s more than willing to…do.

Tell us below if you like a little danger with your romance!

Click to buy First

From First

“Jesus. You two need to break it up. This is a job, Jack. Not your personal fuck time. And that’s my damn couch, dude.” Howler whimpered. “I’m taking the dog out. When I get back in, please…don’t be naked on my couch.”

Jack nodded and waited until the door slid closed behind Slade, then groaned. “You’re going to kill me.”

Pilar giggled. “I’m sore, but I want you again.”

Jack pulled back and looked at her. “Shower?”

She grinned. “It’s economical. Saves time and water.”

“Yeah, we’re saving the earth.”

“Exactly,” she said.

First…date?

May 8, 2019 by Mary

A first date is a lot of pressure. You’re getting to know someone with the hope that you can find love. Even if you don’t go into it thinking long term, any date has the potential to turn into your last first date.

When I started dating my husband, I was fresh out of college and we were both broke. We went to dinner and a movie. Not very original, but we had a chance to get to know each other a little better over dinner, then the pressure was off during the movie. And we bonded over the fact that we ended up at the worst movie in history.

Last week we celebrated our 15th anniversary. He’s the first man I ever truly loved, and someone I can’t imagine not having in my life. And it was pretty fitting that First came out the same week as we were celebrating. Obviously, it’s been a long time since I went on a first date, though!

Jack and Pilar never got their first date. They met at a parade (which would have been a pretty fun first date), and went from first meet to moving in together in a few hours. Talk about moving fast!

Getting to know someone, especially if you didn’t know each other well before your first date, is a tall order. A first date should be fun. Something where you can get to know the other person. Some of my favorite dates have been ones where we get a little competitive – mini golf or go-kart racing or arcades. It’s a chance to show each other how you handle pressure, and how you handle losing (I’m not very good at either!). It also gives you the chance to play and tease and have some fun.

I had Jack and Pilar meet at a parade because it made sense for them. It showed that they’re both fun, lighthearted people who could laugh and be silly and have fun. Obviously, things didn’t exactly go as planned, but it was a great start for them. Who wouldn’t want to meet someone at a parade where you throw sausages and hit each other with pussy willows? Sounds fun, right?

What did you do on your best (or worst) first date?

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From First

Pilar took a deep breath and set her hand between his legs, connecting with the soft cushion. Before she could think about it, she pushed back and swung her top leg over his, balancing on one knee and the other foot.

She looked up at him to make sure she didn’t wake him up and gasped, nearly falling back to the couch.

“Nice moves,” he said. His voice was all rough and raspy like men’s voices were first thing in the morning.

It was more than a little sexy, and coupled with the erection now very visible since she’d dragged the blanket off him, she was in serious trouble. “I was trying not to wake you.”

“I’m already up,” he said, his gaze not leaving hers.

Some things are better left forgotten

November 27, 2018 by Mary

We all have things we’d like forgotten. Memories that aren’t that good. Regrets. Stupid things we’ve said or done. Sometimes we get lucky and they’re forgotten by everyone around us, even if they feel like they’ll never go away for us.

Jaymes still remembers the moments he was taken with clarity. But lucky for him, being forgotten isn’t all bad.

Excerpt from Forgotten

Kelsea stuck a bite of pasta in her mouth and laughed. She and Jaymes spent the day together, in and out of bed. It had been a long time since she let herself be that free with a man, but it felt natural with Jaymes. He made her feel beautiful, so walking around naked wasn’t an issue for her.

“I wish I’d known you when you were younger,” she told Jaymes.

He shook his head. “Oh, no. That wouldn’t have been good. I never would have gotten my degrees if I had a woman like you around when I was younger. I spent most of my sex life alone. That worked well for me.”

“Yeah, right. A guy like you can’t possibly go unnoticed. The glasses give you a sexy, nerdy vibe. And these muscles. You’re seriously hot, Jaymes.”

He went silent on her for a minute. When he met her gaze, there was something unreadable in his. “I started working out after I was taken. And the glasses are new, too. I was kept in a basement. It was so dark and I stared at a computer screen for so long that it strained my eyes and I need glasses now.”

Well, shit. “I’ll just chew on my foot in silence for now.”

He shook his head and gave her a tight grin. “You didn’t know.”

She shrugged. “No, but I should have. You said something before, and I just forgot. Is that bad? That I forgot you were taken.”

He shook his head. “It’s not. It’s good. It means you see more of me than the victim I am.”

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Boy vs. Girl is here!

September 18, 2018 by Mary

I’m so happy for this day to arrive! After being away from Winterville for months, I was thrilled to bring most of the Big & Beautiful gang back together in a new Opposites Attract story.

But outside Noah and Tara’s wedding, we have Micah and Ginny getting to know each other. It starts as an innocent hook-up. No strings, no depth, just sex. But sex becomes more and neither of them knows how to handle it.

I love it when that happens!

Excerpt from Boy vs. Girl

“I’m not sure about him,” Kapena whispered, leaning against the bar next to me. “There’s a hot woman hitting on him, and instead of ditching us, he’s lying and telling her he’s with someone else. What’s up with that?”

“Why are you asking me?” I blurted.

Kapena laughed slightly and cocked his head at me. “What’s up?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re snappy today. You PMS’ing?”

“Seriously, Kapena? I’m in a shitty mood so I must be on my period? That’s low, even for you. You know me better than that.”

He stalled and tossed his long hair over his shoulder. “Yeah, I do. And I’ve always talked to you like I am now. You’re one of the guys. That’s what I invited you over here. You’re acting like a woman right now. Like a jealous woman.”

“Guess what? I am a woman. I have boobs and a vagina and messy shit called emotions. And Micah shouldn’t have to take home some slutty bitch just because she’s hot. He should be able to choose who he sleeps with, not be told.”

Kapena leaned back and looked closely at me. His head swiveled to take in Micah, who was staring at me. Then Kapena looked back at me. “No shit? Something’s going on with you two?”

I glanced at Micah and shook my head. “No. You know how I am. He’s got commitment written all over him, and I’m not sticking around long enough to make one. We slept together a couple times, but it’s just sex.”

“Then why are you acting like a jealous girlfriend?”

Read Boy vs. Girl now!