I love that time of day called the “golden hour,” right after sunrise, or before sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon. When the soft, honey-toned light creates a glow. I feel like there are some moments in life like this, so good that you just want to sit and bask in the glow and squeeze every last drop from it.

Well right before every book launch, I feel like I’m in this Golden Hour. Everything is glowing, and there is this underlying excitement. Will this book be “the one?” The one to find all the readers searching for their next heartwarming, steamy romance read?

You probably have something in your life that gives you this feeling. It could even be the moment you start a new book and you realize you’re going to love it.

This week I’m sharing my tenth book with you and I’m going to try to bask in this Golden Hour as much as I can.

Maybe this is my ‘The One’. Maybe people will take one look at this gorgeous cover, and hear southern, cowboy, in a small beach town, and devour the entire series? Maybe everything will be Golden.

I hope you’ll read The Cowboy’s Catch and fall for Miranda and Renn, just as hard as I did when I wrote this book. I love writing about these women that face hardships but have the grit to not only persevere but succeed, and of course find a dreamy hero along the way. Please enjoy chapter one below.

~XO Stella

Excerpt

THE COWBOY’S CATCH-

Chapter One: Miranda

Try me

No matter how hard she tried to resist the sting of tears, big fat drops rolled down Miranda Sutton’s cheeks as she walked down Main Street. The same fifty-foot walk she did every Wednesday afternoon after spending the morning doing all her ranch chores. A reward trip into the heart of the small beach town of Sandy Point, to the library where she’d swap out all the books she’d taken out the week before. She knew this walk like the back of her hand, and since she hadn’t finished the final romance book she’d borrowed, she was reading the last chapter as she walked.

But if she hadn’t had her face buried in the book she would have looked up in time to notice the tall, dark-haired stranger before she ran right into him.

“Whoa, are you okay? Walking while reading isn’t recommended.” The man had a deep voice with a thick country accent.

His chin had brushed the top of her head when she ran into him and now his two warm hands gently gripped her upper arms to steady her. His scent was crisp and manly. She could feel the warmth of his body with him standing so close, and she nearly dropped her book as she looked up into his big eyes framed by long flirty lashes, because one was brown and the other was half brown and half icy blue. It was impossible not to gawk at his interesting eyes and chiseled jawline. He looked how she imagined the villain turned hero from her current historical romance book was described.

“I’m sorry.” She swiped at her wet cheek and realized how strange she probably seemed.

“Must be a really good book to cause such an emotional reaction.” He took a step back, but his hand reached out to turn the cover over.

“The Rogue and the Heiress. Hmmm I bet she tames him, and they live happily ever after?” he said, with a faint smile pulling at the right side of his handsome face.

“So, you’ve read it then?” she couldn’t help teasing him.

“Maybe I should.”

She didn’t know what else to say, so she painted on her sassiest smile. “You’ll want to start with book one in the series.” Then she walked away toward the library door that was just being unlocked by the librarian, who was looking suspiciously from Miranda to the stranger.

“Thanks for the recommendation,” the stranger called out and tipped his ball cap up before heading back down the street in the opposite direction.

“Who was that?” the librarian said.

“I don’t know—probably just some tourist passing through.”

“Huh, hope he sticks around for a bit because he looks like an interesting character to me.”

“Mrs. Hope, you’re a married woman.”

“But I’m always on the lookout for a good story. Speaking of which, how did you like that final book in the series?”

“You’ve outdone yourself. I was just blubbering on the sidewalk finishing the last few pages when I ran into that man. I was captivated.”

Mrs. Hope was not only the local librarian, but she was also secretly writing romance novels under a pen name. Said she didn’t want her three teenage boys to get weirded out or picked on over the steamy, romantic books she wrote. After Miranda started checking out several books a week, she made friends with the middle-aged woman and they kept each other’s secrets.

“How are things out on the ranch?” Mrs. Hope asked.

“Still alright, but I’ve got all my eggs and then some piled in the same basket. Counting on these breeder horse shows where I’ll basically be pimping out my two studs to mate and promising thoroughbred ponies.”

“Good. No time for doubt. Stay the course and you’ll make it happen. You’ve got the grit, Miranda. And what about that other issue?”

“You mean my second failed engagement, and being treated like Hester from The Scarlet Letter at last week’s Beach Club event?”

The librarian nodded as she walked behind the large desk where she had a stack of new books for Miranda already picked out.

“Well, they were all going to figure out I was a fraud at some point. I can’t afford to pay the dues there anymore anyway. And I refuse to marry some old man twice my age just to save the ranch my father double-mortgaged into debt.”

“Good. I was worried for a minute there.”

“I really thought Mr. Dubois wanted to help, but it became very clear he wanted much more than that.” She shook off the creepy feeling she’d had when her father’s friend gave her an ultimatum—either she would become his real wife and give him another son, or he was going to end their engagement.

So, she ended it on her terms but not without some drama. For so many years she’d been a part of that upper-class beach-club scene. She’d been engaged to Mr. Dubois’ son, John, for a year before she found him cheating on her. Then she panicked when her dad died suddenly, and she discovered how much debt they were in. Mr. Dubois had said he’d help her get out of debt if she agreed to be his business partner, then he’d proposed a marriage of convenience, but in the end, she couldn’t go through with it. So now she needed to figure out how to turn a profit in the next two months with her horses or she was going to have to make some aggressive decisions about selling the ranch.

“I better get back out there—I don’t like leaving Sara too long.”

“You’re a good girl, Miranda Sutton, so good I’ve decided to name my next fearless heroine after you. You’re going to love this one. Her estate is at risk—there will be pirates, and an unexpected benefactor.”

“I hope she gets ravished by a handsome scoundrel who is actually madly in love with her,” Miranda said as she repacked her library tote with all the new books her friend had selected for her.

“Obviously, and I think I’ll give him broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline.”

“Very original.” They both laughed. “I’ll see you next week,” Miranda said, and waved before leaving.

Back outside she looked around for any handsome strangers, but the sidewalk was empty on her route back to her beat-up truck. Her fancy car had been the first thing she’d sold when she realized she couldn’t keep up with all the expenses on the ranch and couldn’t afford to live a lie. But she had people counting on her so she couldn’t fail. She’d have to figure it out one way or the other.

P.S. Join me in Tule’s Book Club on Facebook today at 7pm EST to celebrate the launch of The Cowboy’s Catch.

~XO Stella

About the Author

Author of your next binge-worthy romance series, Stella has been plotting sexy, tear-jerker stories since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born a Georgia peach, Stella loves all things country but calls the beach home even though she’s currently living outside D.C. with her family. Most days she can be found drinking too much coffee, collecting lipstick she forgets to wear, and baking.

Stella’s first series featuring first responders debuts in 2023. You can find her on Instagram @stellaholtbooks and www.stellaholt.com

How a ghost screaming down a chimney became a Gothic mystery series and why I needed two very good friends, a hand-drawn map, and a lot of video calls to build it.

Most of my books start with a character. Or a situation. Or, occasionally, a single line of dialogue that lodges itself in my brain and refuses to leave until I write around it. This one started with a dream.

I dreamed I was standing in the ballroom of an old mansion, looking around, when something came screaming down the chimney. I woke up, thought, “Okay, that was vivid.” I remembered everything about the room. From the color of the walls to the carvings on the mantle and even the wallpaper, and then I forgot about it.

A few years later, I visited Port Arthur in Tasmania. If you’ve been there, you’ll understand immediately what I mean when I say the place gets right into your head. If you haven’t, I’ll try to explain. Port Arthur is a former convict settlement on the Tasman Peninsula and is one of the most historically layered places I’ve ever visited. The buildings are extraordinary. Some preserved, others ruined, all of them full of strange, leftover energy. But it’s the stories that really hit home.

I spent hours wandering through the grounds, reading about the men and women who’d passed through there. The First Nations people whose land it had been. The convicts transported from Britain for offences we’d barely register today. The families who built lives there under extraordinary circumstances. The men and women who were eventually granted their pardons and went on to live ordinary and sometimes complicated lives elsewhere.

What struck me most was the resilience of these people. The evidence of choosing kindness, community and connection in conditions that gave them very little reason to. The abandoned buildings weren’t just ruins to me. They were still full of people. Every ruin had a story attached to it, and those stories were absolutely begging to be told.

I started thinking about an abandoned fictional town on the Tasmanian coast. A place with its own version of history. The boom and the bust, the cruelty and the kindness, the lingering energies of everyone who’d passed through and left something of themselves behind. And a ghost who came screaming down a chimney.

Here’s the thing about building an entire fictional town: there is a great deal of material needed. Far more than one author can reasonably populate alone. The more I dug into Tasmania’s history — the Female Factory system, the convict era, the mining booms, the WWII home front, the stories of women the official record had done its best to forget — the more I realized that Bitterport needed more than one voice to do it justice. Fortunately, I knew exactly who to call.

Suzanne Gilchrist, KL Paterson (Kerrie) and I met through the Romance Writers of Australia back in 2012, all of us newbie writers finding our feet at roughly the same time. We’ve been friends ever since, and we’ve already written one Australian series together, so we know how each other’s creative minds work.

I told them about Bitterport. What followed was months of video calls, email chains, and shared ideas that grew beyond our expectations. Building a fictional town from scratch turns out to require a surprising amount of infrastructure.

Suzanne, with her gift for the visual, took on the task of drawing the map of Bitterport, and Kerrie added the layering. Having that map meant that when any of us wrote a scene, we knew exactly which direction a character was facing, how far the walk from the Seacrest Bath House to Millmerran House actually was, and what you’d see from the upper windows of the Bitterport Savings Bank.

We discussed seasons, weather, architecture, which year certain buildings would have been constructed and what condition they’d be in now. We brainstormed the tunnels beneath the town (because of course there are tunnels!) and which buildings they connected to, who had used them and why. We gave Bitterport its whaling history, convict era, mining boom, WWII catastrophe, and the aftermath that left it with a handful of stubborn residents and a lot of unanswered questions.

We also gave this abandoned town its people, and three characters became the connective tissue of the whole series.

Victoria Carruthers is the anonymous benefactor behind every property transfer in Bitterport. She is Arthur Carruthers’s granddaughter, spending her final years methodically repairing the damage his crimes caused. She communicates exclusively through letters to her lawyer, and she has a dry wit that is completely irresistible.

Arthur Carruthers is the villain of the piece. Deceased long before the series begins, but casting a very long shadow. His wartime crimes, his exploitation of Bitterport during its most vulnerable years, and the web of harm he left behind are the foundation that every book in the series is built on.

And George Denakis, the Hobart solicitor who executes Victoria’s instructions and has his own reasons for caring what happens in Bitterport. George appears in all three books, always measured, always professional, always carrying more than he shows.

We developed a shared series bible that covers everything from the town map to the central characters to the timeline of what happens when across the series and revised it a lot! We discussed character names, ages, quirks and opinions. We gave them a history with each other that predated all three of our books. Some of them became considerably more important to the series than we’d originally planned, because that’s what good characters do. And Bitterport turned out to be full of them.

Murder at Millmerran House by Raven Corbin (Juanita Kees) When London hotelier Aiden Bellingan inherits a Victorian mansion with a ghost who has been waiting eighty years for justice, he discovers the renovation is the least of his problems.

The Body in the Bath House by Suzanne Gilchrist Bitterport’s long-abandoned Seacrest Bath House has a new owner and a very old buried secret.

Betrayal at Bitterport Bank by KL Paterson The old savings bank seemed like the perfect venue for a new theatre until the renovation uncovers something that changes everything (coming soon!)

Murder at Millmerran House is available today!

About the Author

I don’t watch Bridgerton. I haven’t read Twilight or Fifty Shades of Gray. I haven’t even read
Pride and Prejudice, arguably the most influential romance of all time. I’ve read thousands of other romance novels. Why not those? I can’t say. I don’t avoid everything trendy. I like Emily Henry and Katherine Center, two hugely popular authors. Lisa Kleypas, beloved by all, is also beloved by me. I’m having a moment with rom-coms, currently the most popular of roms. But I’ve yet to pop the cork on a Romantasy novel. I’ve never read a stalker romance. I’ve read Nicholas Sparks but not Colleen Hoover. As a reader, I’m happy to be in my own little world. I read widely and choose whatever suits my mood.

As an author, my decisions are less whimsical. I think about trends when I choose a new project. I’ve jumped on trends ranging from motorcycle clubs and New Adult to sports heroes and Navy SEALs. I’m as proud of these books as any others. Writing to market doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your voice or values.

I wrote my latest series with a wider audience in mind. Contemporary Romance is hot right now. I chose a Texas setting for a homey, heartland vibe. Someone suggested cowboys as a selling point and I figured…why not? I like to write about regular folks, rugged outdoorsmen and resilient women. Hard-knocks, salt of the earth types. These are “my people” too. I’m a book nerd and a small-town girl.

The heroine of Last Man Standing is Vanessa Nava. She’s a single mom and the sheriff’s
daughter. She’s returned to her hometown of Lost Lake, Texas, for a little peace and quiet post-divorce. The only person standing in her way is Paul Murphy, the grumpy cowboy inhabiting her double-booked summer cabin.

Although I’ve jumped on the cowboy bandwagon, I’ve made it my own. Last Man Standing has all the Jill Sorenson trademarks! There’s a rugged, protective hero and a stubborn, independent heroine. The story has a hint of danger and plenty of steam. It has humor and heartbreak, sparks and conflict, angst and issues. It’s not light or fluffy, but it is written from the heart.

Tell me what you think about current romance trends. What’s good right now? Do you prefer light or dark stories? Small town or big city? Cowboys or billionaires? Kisses-only or buck-wild? Give me all the details!

Blurb

Vanessa Nava returns to her Texas hometown as a newly divorced single mom, determined to give her imaginative four-year-old daughter a magical summer. But the serene lakeside cabin she rented? Double-booked. The current occupant is the hottest, grumpiest handyman she’s ever met—claiming it’s under construction and strictly off-limits.

Paul McPherson, a Houston native recovering from a gunshot wound, has retreated to Lost
Lake to hide and heal in peace. He won’t share his safe haven with anyone—especially not the sheriff’s daughter and her bubbly little girl. Vanessa is stunning, stubborn, and way too tempting for a man with secrets.

Vanessa paid upfront and refuses to leave. She sets up camp on his doorstep, transforming
mishap into lake days filled with laughter, lemonade stands, and hot summer nights—sending Paul’s buried protective instincts into overdrive.

Texas heat ignites a scorching affair neither saw coming. But when danger closes in and Paul’s cover is blown, Vanessa must decide: walk away from the summer fling… or fight for a love that could last forever?

About the Author

Jill Sorenson is a diehard romance fan and the dynamic author of more than twenty romance novels. She’s been featured twice in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and her books have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Most recently, she’s written for Harlequin as Susan Cliff. Now she’s making her comeback as Jill with a fresh start in Western contemporary romance!

Born and raised in the Flint Hills of Kansas, Jill transported to a small town in California. She still lives in the Golden State with her family, where she dreams about happy endings in cowboy country.

A study was conducted in 1947 by behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel of a captive wolf pack. In this study, he observed wolves forming a hierarchy of command, with the most powerful (the alpha) dominating the lesser wolves. Out of the lesser wolves, a second-in-command, the beta, appeared to act as an enforcer of the pack. At the very bottom is the omega, the perceived weakest member of the pack, and the one that becomes more like a punching bag or initiate play during stressful moments. As subsequent studies concluded, however, this initial study was inherently flawed. The wolves of the study were not related and forced into cohabitation. This environment and these circumstances produced the hierarchy that Schenkel documented, but this is not the natural state of wild wolf packs.

In reality, wolf packs are family units. The mating pair (mother and father) is the alpha pair and is in a position of authority over the rest of the pack (their offspring). In larger packs, such as the ones in Yellowstone National Park, there are some exceptions, including the incorporation of extended family members or lone wolves that broke away from other packs. But, at the basic level, a wolf pack is a family unit.[1]

The instinctive replication of a pseudo-family structure in a captive wolf pack, however, can still help us understand what it means to be “alpha.” To be an alpha means to be willing to step up, take command, and maintain order amongst a group. In a nuclear family unit, this role falls to the parents, but outside of a familial structure, that could be anyone who fits that description. Additionally, the alpha is not always the biggest and strongest. In a wolf study conducted by Jim and Jamie Dutcher in the Idaho wilderness, out of the first litter of pups that would become the leading wolf pack, Kamots and Lakota did not match the typically understood roles of alpha and omega. Lakota was the largest wolf of the pack, but became the pack’s omega. Kamots possessed greater charisma and courage and thus became the pack’s alpha.[2] What can be garnered from this example is that the biggest, baddest dude in the room isn’t automatically the true alpha male, as social labels would suggest. As my husband likes to explain, it’s the one who has a quiet but firm presence. He’s the one who, if a crisis should suddenly occur, he’s the one people would look to for guidance, protection, and leadership. An alpha isn’t demonstrative in his role. It comes naturally.

What does that mean for us paranormal romance lovers who feel drawn to the alpha wolf
shifters that pursue the leading lady of our books? In its essence, applying the hierarchy of
alpha/beta/omega to werewolves or wolf shifters that are supposed to have existed and formed packs long before the 1947 study could be problematic for some who take scientific accuracy seriously.[3] Others who don’t know the fallacies in the study probably won’t care or prefer to enjoy the fantasy of shifters letting their inner beasts create their own kind of order in a human world.

Regardless, if you peel back the labels, what readers enjoy out of the alpha male trope is the way the character behaves and interacts with those around him, especially his romantic interest. As I’ve said, there’s a primal, instinctive attraction toward a powerful, take-charge potential mate. That mate would be able to protect them, defend them, do anything to claim them as their own. What woman doesn’t want to be able to count on their partner to be in their corner and take care of them? There are lines that shouldn’t be crossed, and usually will be crossed in the dark romance genre (stalking, borderline abuse, etc.), but that’s a topic for another day. Also in the context of feminism, an alpha male may not always be the ideal mate because of the potential for an imbalanced relationship dynamic. A counter to this argument is that a true alpha male isn’t looking for a woman to subdue or control. He’s looking for his alpha female to be his equal, not someone to fuel his ego. At the heart of it, we like our leading alpha men to be bold and secure. They know what they want, they go after it, and they fiercely cherish it once it’s theirs. We want alphas in the best sense of the word, both between the pages and in our lives.

References:
[1] https://davemech.org/wolf-news-and-information/schenkels-classic-wolf-behavior-study-available-in-english/
[2] https://www.livingwithwolves.org/sawtooth-pack/meet-the-pack/
[3] https://mackenziekincaid.com/writing/writing-werewolves-alpha-beta-omega/

About the Author

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.

GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?

We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book copy of one of our June 2026 releases!

Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.

Good luck and happy reading!

The Cowboy’s Unexpected Family

By Nicole Flockton

ingle mom Rebecca Dorchester swore she’d never chase another bad decision—until she packs up her daughter and her sentimental father for a risky reunion with the biological mother and half-sisters she never knew in Marietta, Montana. She definitely doesn’t need the complication of a rugged, heart-stopping cowboy who catches her little girl mid-tumble on day one. But one smoldering look from Harrison Drake, and Rebecca’s carefully guarded heart starts to thaw.

Harrison Drake’s ranch is his entire legacy—land, cattle, and the family name he’s always expected to pass down. Lately, though, the empty spaces in his life have been louder than the Montana wind. When he meets Rebecca and her daughter, he knows exactly what he’s been missing: a woman to love, a family to build.

With old wounds, family drama, and hard-won trust on the line, can Rebecca risk her heart again—and can Harrison prove that this time, love isn’t just another complication?

The Lady’s Forbidden Marquess

By Kristin Vayden

Rakes make the best husbands, or so she’s heard.

This season, Lady Peregrine intends to test that theory by choosing a rake to reform. The flirting is heady but reading between the lines is not so simple. She longs for passion and an interesting husband but discovers she’s not as worldly as she’d imagined.

Her brother fears his intelligent but stubborn sister is courting ruin. Rakes aren’t to be baited. He enlists the help of his oldest friend, Lord Hawthorne—a notorious rake–to both protect and teach her a lesson.

Lord Hawthorne avoids most polite society events. He’s not looking for a wife, but he cannot refuse his oldest friend. He intends to charm the impetuous beauty and turn the tables, hopefully changing her mind. But he underestimates the power of her sharp wit, innocence and discerning nature. She sees through his rake’s facade to his true self.The seducer is seduced, endangering his heart and hard-built reputation.

As jealous eyes watch and scheme and society judges, both Lady Peregrine and Lord Hawthorne dance on the edge of scandal if they court or if they don’t.

The Cowboy’s Pretend Bride

By Megan Crane

It was supposed to be a favor. It was never supposed to feel real.

When the Colorado ranch Finn Patrick expected to inherit is sold, he follows his sister to Cowboy Point to meet the half-siblings they never knew existed. Time to figure out what comes next.

Kitty Bennett isn’t part of the plan. Sharp-tongued, wary-eyed, and fiercely protective of her family’s beloved Mountain Mama pizza shop, Kitty has no time for distractions. Especially volcanically hot ones.

But when her otherwise wonderful landlord makes it clear Kitty needs a husband if she wants to buy the restaurant at last, Finn is the obvious choice—because nothing about his stay in Montana is permanent. They can fake the whole thing. She’s confident she and Finn are on the same page, and the plan will go smoothly.

The only problem?

Finn has wanted Kitty in every possible way. He’s wanted her since he first laid eyes on her. And he knows exactly what he tastes when he kisses her—forever. Now he needs to convince her that there’s nothing fake about them, after all.

Marked by the Alpha 

By Sheritta Bitikofer

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.

Colton

By LaQuette

An undercover Texas Ranger, An IT specialist under pressure. An impossible choice. 

Former soldier and by-the-book Texas Ranger Colton Adams is ready to come clean. After months undercover at Restoration Ranch, he’s finally earned a shot at redemption—and the chance to tell sexy, guarded IT specialist Seneca Daniels the truth about who he really is. But before he can beg forgiveness for the lies he told to protect her, danger bursts back into their world. His mission isn’t over—and now the target is Seneca.

Ex-con Seneca Daniels came to Restoration Ranch to rebuild her life, not fall for a man with secrets. Betrayed before, she swore never to risk her heart—or her freedom—again. But when her past returns in the form of the man who once tormented her, she’s trapped between two threats: the one who broke her and the one who lied to save her.

As risks escalate and passions flare, Colton puts it all on the line to keep her safe. But Seneca’s no one’s damsel—especially when she just might be the deadliest threat of all.

Last Man Standing

By Jill Sorenson

Vanessa Nava returns to her Texas hometown as a newly divorced single mom, determined to give her imaginative four-year-old daughter a magical summer. But the serene lakeside cabin she rented? Double-booked. The current occupant is the hottest, grumpiest handyman she’s ever met—claiming it’s under construction and strictly off-limits.

Paul McPherson, a Houston native recovering from a gunshot wound, has retreated to Lost Lake to hide and heal in peace. He won’t share his safe haven with anyone—especially not the sheriff’s daughter and her bubbly little girl. Vanessa is stunning, stubborn, and way too tempting for a man with secrets.

Vanessa paid upfront and refuses to leave. She sets up camp on his doorstep, transforming mishap into lake days filled with laughter, lemonade stands, and hot summer nights—sending Paul’s buried protective instincts into overdrive.

Texas heat ignites a scorching affair neither saw coming. But when danger closes in and Paul’s cover is blown, Vanessa must decide: walk away from the summer fling… or fight for a love that could last forever?

Time’s Up, Cowboy

By Paula Altenburg

She’s a wild-child heiress intent on eluding an arranged marriage. He’s the stoic cowboy tasked with protecting her.

Malika George, a resourceful, happy-go-lucky and freedom loving daughter of privilege is trapped by her billionaire brother in Burning Scrub, a former ghost town, now exclusive Wild West Montana theme park. Malika has plans for her life that don’t include a groom she doesn’t know or like. She’s tried to run away once, but now her brother has her locked down off-the-grid in Montana so she can’t make it twice.

Full-time rancher and part-time Burning Scrub cowboy Jayce Hanson has his own marital problems. The woman he loves is marrying another man, crushing his happily- ever-after dreams. When he’s tasked with entertaining a VIP’s baby sister during her Wild West theme park adventure, he doesn’t object. He loves children and it’s not as if he’ll be having his own anytime soon.

Except the client’s baby sister is a headstrong, impulsive and beautiful woman wilder than the West, and she’s hellbent on escape. Then her fiancé shows up, and Jayce has his hands full—mostly while trying to keep his hands off.

The Cowboy’s Catch

By Stella Holt

A quarterback with a secret. A cowgirl with a past. Undeniable sparks. One small town watching their every move…

Renn Ripley has spent his career as a second string quarterback in Atlanta staying out of the spotlight until a shot at the playoffs throws him into the media’s crosshairs. One wrong headline could expose the secret he’s kept since childhood. To control the fallout, Renn heads to Sandy Point. He didn’t anticipate hooking up with  a sexy cowgirl whose kiss feels like a promise and reminds him of his ranch roots.

Miranda Sutton doesn’t get second chances in a town that remembers every mistake. Between running her family’s struggling horse ranch, watching out for her teenage brother and caring for her ill step-mother, she’s learned one hard truth: no man will rescue her. But Miranda has grit and a plan. She’s determined to forget her delicious one night indiscretion with the gorgeous cowboy stranger with the smoldering eyes even though he tempts her to abandon her no more men plan.

Falling for each other could cost them everything…or finally give them both something worth fighting for.

Her Cowboy Dilemma

By CJ Carmichael

GIVEAWAY: Because who doesn’t love FREE books?

We will pick ONE winner to receive a digital book copy of one of our June 2026 releases!

Comment down below saying which book you’re looking most forward to reading! Giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY. The winner will be randomly selected and announced at the end of the month.

Good luck and happy reading!

Deadly Tides

By Raemi A. Ray

His buried past is the key to finding a killer, but it may destroy them first…

Kyra Gibson, former London lawyer turned columnist, is having a tough summer. Her partner, forensic profiler Tarek Collins, barely survived his last case. He’s home and healing but is a ghost of the man he was.

When the mutilated body of a local hero is discovered in a Martha’s Vineyard lighthouse, the island turns to Tarek and Kyra for help. With Tarek pulling back, Kyra attempts to assist in the investigation without him, working instead with a local police officer, but nothing goes right. Evidence is lost. Witnesses disappear. An arsonist sets a fire. Without Tar, Kyra’s in over her head but too stubborn to quit.

Everywhere she turns, she’s ensnared by corruption, lies, and secrets—even Tarek is hiding something. Then Kyra is attacked and taken, forcing Tarek to confront his dark past and worst fear.

In this gripping fifth installment of the Martha’s Vineyard Murders series, Tarek’s demons could make Kyra pay the ultimate price.

Murder at Millmerran House

By Raven Corbin

A crumbling mansion. A ghost seeking justice. A mystery that someone will kill to keep buried.

In the abandoned gothic town of Bitterport, Tasmania, Millmerran House has been waiting. When London hotelier Aiden Bellingan inherits the neglected Victorian estate, he discovers the renovation comes with a resident ghost — Elvira Brown silenced in 1945, and furious about it.

Interior designer Marielle McGregor knows she shouldn’t take the job. The mansion already claimed her father, who vanished while uncovering its wartime secrets. But Elvira is surprisingly helpful for a dead woman, and Aiden is surprisingly hard to resist.

As hidden passages reveal decades of betrayal, conspiracy, and stolen justice, Marielle and Aiden race to uncover the truth before the killer still protecting those secrets claims their next victims.

In Millmerran House, the past isn’t dead. It’s just waiting to be restored.

The Body in the Bath House

By Suzanne Gilchrist

A fresh start. A gruesome discovery. And a killer with a dangerous obsession.

Mercy Galanis needs a new beginning. Inheriting a crumbling historic bathhouse in the remote Tasmanian ghost town of Bitterport seems like the universe delivering. Until she gets there.

The weather is brutal. The town is barely breathing. The bathhouse is in ruins. And Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something — or someone — is watching her every move.

Then her dog unearths a mummified body, and Bitterport’s silence takes on a darker meaning.

Determined to uncover the dead man’s identity — and her own unsettling connection to him — Mercy reluctantly teams up with Zac Alexander, the infuriatingly capable single-dad plumber with renovation plans of his own and zero interest in complications. Mercy, apparently, is nothing but.

As they dig deeper into Bitterport’s buried past, someone determined to protect their secret at all cost decides they have come too close.

In Forbidden to the Texas Soldier a portion of the conflict between Dash Lange and Lainey Gallagher arises from the bro code. As I delved into the topic, I discovered many men and women held contradictory views. Kind of a Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus thing, if you’re old enough to remember that book.

Maybe the fact that a lot of men subscribed to the bro code failed to surprise me is because growing up with only one female cousin a distance away, I often played baseball or football, went canoeing or fishing with my dad, brother, uncles and male cousins. Probably for reason, too, discovering a lot of women believe the concept is ridiculous threw me. However, as I read blogs and posts both sides made sense to me.

But what if I didn’t get the male point of view, and I was attracted to my brother’s friend? (A completely what if scenario since my brother is three years younger.) That got my mind churning, and I turned to Dash and Lainey. I soon realized Lainey could drive my already tortured widower-survived-terrorist-bombing hero Dash crazy with that juxtaposition.

When Lainey’s deployed brother asks Dash to check on his family, they somewhat jokingly discuss the bro code with Dash insisting he’s not interested in dating anyone. Then his friend says, “So, if you meet her, no offense, pal, but don’t get any ideas. LJ needs a man who’s not fighting demons and can take care of her.”

Being a man who takes a promise seriously, though he’s attracted to Lainey, when they meet Dash informs her there can be nothing but friendship between them. He even explains his reasoning. Her brother could feel betrayed, especially by him since he agreed Lainey was off limits. Dash continues, claiming it’s tough to balance both relationships without someone feeling slighted and the guy being forced to take sides between siblings. Lastly, he says when dating a friend’s sister, he can’t confide any dating woes in his friend. Lainey tells him she thinks it’s a crock and asserts who she dates isn’t her brother’s decision. Then she vows to get Dash to throw the bro code out the window. She purposely pushes his buttons, stretching Dash’s self his self-control as tight as a woman who’s had too many facelifts. But bless his Texas cowboy heart and honor, Dash tries his best to keep his vow and his hold onto his virtue.

What’re your thoughts on the bro code? Have you ever had to deal with it because you had a crush on a brother’s friend? I’d love to hear your views and stories.

Dash and Lainey took me on an interesting ride while writing Forbidden to the Texas Soldier. I hope you enjoy their adventure, too.

About the Author

An avid daydreamer, Julie Benson doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t creating stories. After graduating from the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in Sociology, she worked as case manager for a social services agency before having her children. Three boys, and many years later, she started actively pursuing a writing career to challenge her mind and save her sanity. Now she writes full time in Dallas, where she lives with her husband, their three sons, two lovable black dogs, a mischievous brown one and a turtle. Julie says, while her house is never quiet or predictable, it is full of heroes.

Why dragons?

Not in the big, mythical sense. Not the kind of answer you’d find in a history book or a deep dive into folklore.

I mean… why did I choose the personification of fire-breathing strength, loyalty, and bravery? When I first started writing the Dragonborn Chronicles, I didn’t plan to build a world around dragons. I didn’t map it out or weigh the pros and cons of one kind of magic over another. I was feeling the harsh sting of one more rejection when, on a flight to I don’t remember where (somewhere in the mid-country), I decided to write something so far outside my comfort zone that no one would know it came straight from my floundering heart. I ended up in a bar in Orleans, called The Pirate’s Cove, following Logan Pen, the dragonborn leader of the Pen strike team, who had orders to hunt down and capture an Umbra shadow thief and bring him back to answer questions about a weapon of unimaginable power. Imagine his surprise (and mine) when the shadow walker turned out to be a girl.

By the time I reached my destination, the Pen dragons were simply … there. And over
time, I think I’ve begun to understand why. Dragons are power. And not the easy kind.
Not the kind you can hold in your hand and control without consequence. Dragon power
demands something in return. Loyalty. A life born from truth. A family bond that is
unshakable and hard to break. It can protect—or destroy—depending on the strength of
those who wields it.

In an apocalyptic world where everything has fallen apart, where survival is no longer
guaranteed … that kind of power matters.

But dragons aren’t just power. They’re also choice. For all their strength, for all their fire, the stories that are passed down to us aren’t about dragons burning the world down. They’re about the moment a dragon doesn’t. The moment power turns…and chooses something else. Connection. Devotion. Love.

And maybe that’s the story I’ve been trying to tell since I described my first dragon. A message that even after everything is broken … even after the world turns upside down…

What we—dragons and humans—choose still matters.

So why dragons? Maybe because there isn’t another creature that holds all of that at once—the danger, the strength, the possibility.

Or maybe … they were the only ones who could carry this story.

About the Author

My next release—The Bull Rider’s Baby Surprise already had some elements baked in. Setting: Marietta, Montana. Family: The Telfords of Montana (previously established), Hook: Cowboy as I was adding two new books to create a series with two previously written ‘orphaned’ books (Cowboy Come Home and Rogue Cowboy’s Secret Bride that were both part of different multi-author Copper Mountain Rodeo series).

So there were rules.

I’m always fired up to write western stories, especially cowboys. It just gets my swagger
on in a way I never manifest in my real life. With Cash Hunter (born Benz Telford
Stevens) I knew and he knew he had family in Marietta, but he’d never met them and
didn’t intend to. So of course, kicking off the book that was where he was going.

But why?

And that’s when I pictured the opening scene of the book. Cash has won again. He’s on
top heading into the finals, and it was the last ‘show’ (how he thinks of it) before a
month-long break. He’s sauntering out into the arena in his flamboyant chaps with
fringe, flashy shirt, open, no vest or helmet, just the iconic Restoril—black of course—to
take his place in the winner’s circle. He’s going through the motions, being charming,
mentally counting his winnings and thinking about the break he’s taking alone in the
mountains. The American Extreme Bull Rider tour staff flanks him as do the sponsors,
local dignitaries and of course, the media.

He’s hot. In command. And internally smug even as he faux humbles his way through
the interview and thank you speech. And that’s when everything in his life skids
sideways. A distraught, furious woman comes tearing across the arena cursing him out
before shoving a baby in his arms and disappearing into the crowd.

What does he do next?

I love creating awkward situations for my heroes who think they are all that. I love to
watch them squirm and fumble and attempt to seize back their life narrative, and it’ sweeter to watch their good guy persona reassert the vibe in the midst of chaos. And it’s
even better when I can provide a twist to one of my favorite tropes.

I hope you get a chance to read The Bull Rider’s Baby Surprise, book three in the Telford’s of Montana series. I have included a short excerpt below! If you want to learn more, you can sign up for my newsletter.

The Zoom was hella awkward. Cash felt like he was crawling out of his skin. He needed to get up and pace, make his case, defend himself, but he’d been shushed by Jessie. AEBR marketing exec Suzette glared at him and slashed a line near her mouth as if he were a kid who should zip it. Cash had seen other bull riders shut down, bossed around, but never had he been treated like he was a disease to be avoided—at least not since he’d lit out on his own at nearly seventeen with his GED and a burning desire to be independent and never have to take crap from anyone again.

He’d fought hard for his freedom and reputation and financial security, and no woman with a too-crazy-to-believe story and a likely money grift was going to snatch what he’d earned the hard way.

It was unbelievable that everyone seemed intent on believing the stranger not him. “A woman abandons her baby, in front of thousands, and I’m the bad guy?” He shook his head. “She ditched a baby with a stranger, and no one here thinks we should be calling the cops?” he shot back, when Suzette made the shushing noise again.

He tried to stand—much easier to make his case with his physical presence—but the AEBR intern Maddy Ramone, perched on the arm of his chair, blocking him in, the long line of her slim back straight and arrogant.

Dismissed.

He was shushed again, like a curious child while the grown-ups spoke, and it reminded him of the time he’d been ten, living with an aunt or a cousin or a family friend of his mother, and there’d been a family gathering to decide what was “best for the boy,” only it had seemed like everyone had only been interested in what was best for them.

Then his future had been bandied about, and he’d been lied to and surrendered to the state where a family who could take care of him would adopt him and give a home and a horse and a chance to be a cowboy.

Liars.

It still stung. No one wanted an angry, frustrated, dyslexic, rejected boy a couple of years shy of puberty.

For a moment the memory made him see red. His chest felt like a bull had kicked him through his Kevlar vest, and his fists clenched ready to fight for his life again. But no. He’d risen above all that. He’d taught himself to read the fine print of contracts, to charm sponsors, to use language not fists to get what he wanted.

He dragged in a ragged breath and another, forcing his body to relax so he didn’t squeeze the baby.

A baby.

Not mine.

He couldn’t even bring himself to look at it, though he’d been holding it for the last ten minutes.

“I’m right here,” he snapped, infuriated by the conversation that concerned his life, not theirs, and they all huddled around a computer with the boss, backs turned to him.

He was the star. The bull rider on the AEBR program cover. The highest earner the past three years—one of the top riders in the world. His merch was the top seller every flippin’ year. His meet-and-greets habitually sold out. He was one of the featured bull riders in a documentary. He’d had a small but recurring role on a western streaming hit last year.

Cash stood up, jostling Madelyn, but instead of her rolling off the arm of the chair and standing, she fell back into his lap.

“Erahhhugh.” She popped to her feet, elbowing his gut in the process. “Knock it offffff,” she said under her breath. Her onyx eyes shot sparks at him that he swore singed his skin. “Have some self-preservation.” She pushed him back into the chair. “Your future’s being decided.”

“Not without me, it’s not.” Despite his frustration, he kept his voice low, though not as calm as hers. He’d noticed that about her early on—no matter what was happening behind the scenes, she was never flustered.

He stood back up, automatically shifting the baby that had stopped crying but was mouthing his shirt, probably sliming it, but that was what dry cleaners were for. At least it was quiet and didn’t seem to have any teeth yet. How old was it? He still couldn’t wrap his head around the surreal moment in the arena. On Zoom, CEO Bruce shouted. Made demands. Everyone seemed in full appeasement mode.

“This has got to be some sort of a sick joke.” Cash rounded on Maddy who’d also risen. He liked how she stood up to him. Didn’t seem intimidated even though he rarely liked what she said.

“More like cosmic Karma.”

“Huh?”

“Why is it so hard for you to take responsibility for once?”

“Huh?” He felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head and dent the walls of the small office. “This is somebody else’s baby.”

“You don’t know that,” she snapped. “Christ on a cracker with Cheez Whiz. You boink your
way across the USA annually. I’m surprised you haven’t had a dozen babies shoved in your arms at photo shoots. I actually had a plan for it,” she said as casually as if she was asking for everyone’s takeout order—something she often had to do.

He staggered back a step, shocked by her bottom-of-the-barrel opinion of him. He knew she didn’t like him, but he thought she’d respected his abilities.

The room descended into silence as if someone pulled a plug.

“Who’s that?” the CEO barked from the screen, and as one, all four AEBR tour execs turned
to look at Madelyn.

Cash heard Maddy gulp a swallow and a tinge of satisfaction wiggled through him. He was
not the only one in the hot seat now.

About the Author

Sinclair Sawhney has been the senior developmental editor for romance for Tule Publishing for over thirteen years. Writing as Sinclair Jayne, she’s published over thirty-five contemporary romances with Tule Publishing. An avid romance reader since sixth grade, she’s savoring her dream writing career. Married with two adult children, she and her husband own Roshni Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where she hosts weekend wine tastings while attempting to write one more sentence or squeeze in another scene between pours of Pinot Noir.

Those are the questions at the center of The Pawn.

Television reporter Pete Lemaster is just trying to survive another day in the newsroom when his old college friend Cole calls with shocking news. Cole’s uncle, Scott “Uncle Scotty” Wilkins, has been arrested overseas. Scotty is charismatic, adventurous, flirtatious, and the kind of man who seems to collect stories everywhere he goes. He is also suddenly at the center of an international media firestorm.

As Pete begins covering the story, the case explodes online. Public fascination with Uncle Scotty grows by the hour. Women around the world become captivated by the handsome businessman caught in a nightmare abroad. Cable news jumps on the story. Social media turns it into obsession. Everyone has an opinion.

And Pete quickly realizes this is not just another news story. The deeper he digs, the stranger everything becomes.

Together with Rebecca Dawes, a sharp public information officer with the sheriff’s department and Pete’s romantic interest, Pete follows the investigation all the way to Singapore. There, they begin peeling back layers of deception involving ex-lovers, angry husbands, suspicious business dealings, and even an OnlyFans model who may know more than she admits.

Every suspect seems believable. Every answer creates new questions.

At its core, The Pawn is about manipulation, perception, and the dangerous gap between public narrative and reality. In a world where viral attention can turn someone into a hero or villain overnight, Pete Lemaster finds himself chasing something increasingly difficult to uncover: the truth.

Fans of intelligent thrillers, fast-paced investigations, newsroom intrigue, and layered mysteries will find plenty to enjoy. Whether you are already familiar with Pete Lemaster from The Bystander or meeting him for the first time, The Pawn drops you directly into a story that refuses to sit still.

Because in this game, somebody is always making moves behind the scenes.

The real question is who.

About the Author

John David is an award-winning mystery novelist whose work combines sharp storytelling with an eye for human complexity. His debut novel, The Bystander, received widespread critical acclaim and earned the 2025 Page Turner Award for Best Mystery. Before turning to fiction, John built a successful career as a public relations and crisis communications consultant, advising executives and organizations on high-stakes issues. When not working or writing, he enjoys fishing, talking about politics, and following the Florida Gators. He and his beautiful wife, Pamela, live in Pinecrest, Florida. Follow me on Bluesky.