Half of me was fantasising about the idea of Joe just throwing me, caveman style, on that pool table and having his wicked way with me, while the other half was already realising how hard it could be to get over him if that did happen. Maybe the moments of anticipation are better than the follow-through. Maybe I need to protect myself and see this as just a flirtation and nothing more. And, yes, maybe I need to stop overthinking every bloody thing . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When Sienna Norton decides to surprise her boyfriend, she's the one who ends up surprised - and heartbroken - when she discovers him with another woman. Her best friend Kate convinces her they should go on holiday abroad to help her move on . . . But once they reach the beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia, Sienna somehow ends up abandoned once again. Things start to look up, though, when she meets Joe, and they make an agreement to spend the rest of their holiday together. Joe is gorgeous, smart, and funny, and there's absolutely no denying there's chemistry between them - but Sienna hasn't expected to feel . . . *things* so soon, and Joe . . . well, there's definitely something he just isn't telling her. Will there be a chance for them to be *more* than just holiday buddies?

AMBY AWARDS TOP PICK 2024❤️ I can only see half of his face, reflected in the mirror at the front of the bus, and part of that is obscured by the peak of the black company-branded cap he's wearing. But I can see enough to glean that there's a strong jaw covered in scruff. A wide mouth that looks like it would be prone to smiling. He's wearing glasses with trendy light tortoiseshell frames, and I can't quite discern the colour of his eyes from my position . . . but some weird intuition is telling me that they'll be hazel, and I wonder when my brain is going to catch up. Because I *know* him, don't I? I'm almost certain of it. And he seems to know me, too. Or at least he thinks he does. The way he's glancing over at me lets me in on that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mirren Shepherd has *many* pet peeves. Top of the list, though? Staycations . . . And surprises. So when her girls' trip abroad is cancelled at the last minute and she finds herself roped into a minibus tour of Northern Scotland instead, she isn't remotely happy. And when she finds out who their guide is . . . It's yet another reason for her to dislike surprises. Because Owen Sullivan wasn't so much the one who got away . . . He was the one who just didn't return. And, after she finally got over him, she never expected to see him again. Mirren would prefer to leave the past in the past, but Owen is determined to try to right his wrongs. Can she trust him? Can she trust *herself*? Maybe, just maybe, this surprise - and staycation - won't be as bad as Mirren thinks . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~

AMBY AWARDS TOP PICK 2023 ❤️ "You think I can't act like I'm into you?" He asks in a whisper. He reaches out, and strokes a finger down my cheek, and I feel myself shiver at the touch. "You think I can't convince everyone that I have feelings for you?" His eyes are darker than ever, and any sign of a smile has now vanished. The only word I can think right now to describe him is "smouldering". I have searched many great romance novels (and even more sub-standard ones), and I am yet to find a better synonym for that particular word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abigail Watson has always played by the rules. She also constantly strives to be the best at everything she does. So when her boyfriend Declan decides to turn their temporary break into a permanent break-up, she starts to seriously doubt her girlfriend skills. Her new flatmate Ric tells Abby she's not the problem, but how can she believe *him* when he's one of the most annoying guys she's ever encountered? However, when she needs a fake boyfriend to save face in front of Declan, Ric might just be the only man she can turn to . . . Practice Makes Perfect offers you some forced proximity, enemies to lovers, a dash of fake dating, pub quizzes, flatmate frustrations . . . And - of course - an annoying ex, because doesn't everyone have at least one of those??? ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cover by @LNRoberts1 ❤️

Sybil 'Billie' Harewicke's life leaves much to be desired, starting with her ridiculously old-fashioned name. She's a rational, dull person - who had the misfortune of being born into a family of local witches. Her main interest in life is the Library Science - and they had just closed the library in her home county of Fleckney. She works in the only bookshop in the county - while everyone expects her to join the family business of fortune telling and potion brewing. Even the one ability that she allegedly inherited from the generations of self-proclaimed psychics, is the least useful out of the Seven Harewicke Gifts! It's holiday time in Fleckney, which means extra work for Billie, both with her family and at the bookshop. When she's offered to escape both and to work in the Bjornsson Art Fund for two weeks before Christmas, she couldn't be happier. She's always dreamt of getting her hands on the magnificent library of the Bjornsson Hall. Except, it turns out that the job has got nothing to do with bibliothecography - and is a nightmare! And a rowdy, unsophisticated crowd of filmmakers arrive at Fleckney to scout locations and research the scene. The only consolation is that none other than Archie Billingsley is among them. He's everything a celebrity should be: handsome, eloquent, prone to spontaneously quoting Shakespeare, and calling his fans 'darling.' He's just starred in a highly successful Austen adaptation, and there are rumours of an upcoming Chekhov stage play. Among other guests of the Hall are Billingsley's agent, an eccentric director, a dozen of crew members, and Eric Dair, an actor best known for playing every thug, mafioso, and terrorist in pretty much every latest blockbuster, at home and across the pond. Billie is hardly enthused at the prospect of interacting with the motley crew - but at least it'll allow her to avoid the local obsession with holiday romance and finding their true love on Christmas! Bah, humbug!

Fiona is a Beastfolk druid fleeing her abusive master in hopes to reach the border with the Northern lands, where she could find a mage to free her of her slave seal, which gives her owner full control over her life and death. In the woods she's attacked by bandits - and saved by a bear. She's quite sure that her magic wouldn't have been powerful enough to establish such a strong bond with a wild animal - and doesn't the bear seem a tad too intelligent? In a far, far away land of Nottoofar... ~ a former berserker knight meets a spacy druid... {Book 1: Leaf & Paw} ~COMPLETE! ~ a necromancer rogue is determined to resist her feelings for her former paramour, despite his delicious Half-Orc physique... {Book 2: Dagger & Fist} ~COMPLETE! ~ a teacher of defence magic can't believe what has become of her former Buggbear pupil - and how hard it seems to convince herself to refuse his advances... {Book 3: Ring & Shield} ~COMING SOON! ~ a duke is stuck in a cave with a dragonkeeper who is harbouring a secret... {Series Prequel: Venom & Sword} ~COMING SOON! ~ a merperson needs the assistance of a kicka*** sea captain who isn't going to fall for the tailed man under any circumstances... {Book 4: Cutlass & Song} ~Final story in the series! COMING SOON! ...and the rest of my recurring characters show up in this fantasy tale - but this time they wield magic, throw daggers, have tails and horns; and Rhys has got green skin. You really don't have to read my other stories to understand what's going on here. But if you're familiar with their modern version, I hope these frolicsome AUs elicit a chuckle and an 'awww,' or two.

After solving a double murder - twice - Imogen Fox, the personal assistant of the John Oakby, the Mayor of a tiny own of Fleckney Woulds, has sworn to never again give into the temptation of amateur sleuthing. She'd rather work on her artistic career and enjoy her happy little life with her adopted children and the man she loves. Except, the man's father asks her for a favour: to help to clear the name of his former paramour, accused of stabbing her ex. Meanwhile, their small town is plagued by a series of daring burglaries. ~ Fox & Oakby Murder Mysteries ~ Book III ~ Cosy Mystery, Romance & Humour ~ {Sequel to OFFICIAL TOWN BUSINESS (Fox & Oakby Book I) & PAINT THE TOWN RED (Fox & Oakby Book II) available on this page}

There's something odd about Evie's latest case. Ashley Pham has been hacked by an anonymous blackmailer who's threatening to leak her nudes if she doesn't pay up. She goes to Evie Harper, café owner and part time private investigator, in hopes of catching the creep before he can make good on his promise. As Evie digs deeper into the case, she discovers the blackmailer is not only more prolific than expected, but also closer than imagined. When he's discovered dead the police set their sights on Ashley. After all, she was the last person he threatened. But Evie has a hard time believing the timid woman could stand up for herself let alone pull a trigger. Not when there's three other suspects who had the motive and opportunity to pop the pervy extortionist themselves. All Evie knows is whoever it was won't stop at one murder to keep their dirty little secret. And what's done in darkness, will come to light by the time she's done with them.

Anastasia Ten is the owner of a cookery school and the author of several popular recipe books. She's paraplegic and has just had a knee surgery. To support and cheer her up, her publisher, John Holyoake convinces her to spend Christmas with his extended family in a sleepy village in the cosy and picturesque county of Fleckney. Anastasia doesn't know what she's getting herself into, allowing the Holyoakes and their significant others to lure her into the mad, magical, and life-altering holiday season in Fleckney. Will Roy Amaratunga, one of the Holyoake cousins, and the star of the latest television hit, a Regency romance series titled 'Oakerton,' prove to be the most unexpected Christmas surprise for Anastasia? The story takes place in the same fictional universe as my other webserials, and will hopefully bring back happy memories to those who've read them - and entertain those who haven't, possibly even making them fall in love with the Holyoakes as well.

Fiona King has lived a sheltered life. Her father and her husband have been making all possible choices for her, always telling her she was too odd and too clueless for the real life. When she's offered a contract to illustrate children's books, will she venture into the world that scares her for the sake of her art, the only thing that feels right and true to her? Frederic 'Axeman' Holyoake has returned from Iraq and doesn't seem to be able to find himself a place in the civilian world. When his brother's wife offers him to stay in her old cottage for a few weeks, he doesn't expect to find himself in the company of a young woman, a talented illustrator of children's books, whom his brother, the owner of a large publishing house, has recently discovered creating her magical paintings of fairies and sprites while working in a village pub with her husband. Will a man with a difficult past find love and purpose sharing a cottage with a woman with a bright but uncertain future?

Evelyn's day couldn't get any worse, until a local news anchor drops dead in her café. If that weren't bad enough the police suspect her former drug dealing cousin as the culprit, and Evie's not someone who just sits by while her family's in trouble. Putting on her sleuth hat she's in a race to find the true killer; not an easy task considering the deceased was a total ass to just about everyone he knew. Was it his neglected wife, sick of the constant verbal abuse? His pretty assistant, tired of being sexually harassed on a daily basis? Or was it his brother, jealous of the success he could never find himself? Hell, maybe it's that strange new guy that's only a quarter-step from being a bum. If Evie thought today was a hot mess, she's in for ride of her life. Evie Harper Mysteries: Book 1