Wednesday, July 22, 2026

What I'm Reading: Hot, Hotter, Hottest ( Serena Bell)


So. Here's yet another "last in a series" book. And, in this case, it's the last in the second series set in Rush Creek. So...there's a whole cast of characters showing up all over the place.

Kate Davies wrote about this book recently. In her post, she said that this is her favorite book in the series. Maybe, if I'd read it before hearing that, my contrarian self would have liked it more. I didn't dislike it, I just have other favorites. Check out the Wilder and Hott books and see what you think. 


Hott, Hotter, Hottest

Serena Bell

https://books.serenabell.com/

Real bodyguard. Fake boyfriend. Unexpected benefits. Trouble guaranteed.

Tucker: 
Autumn Sato is a happiness influencer. And I’m…well, let’s just say my brand is more big, gray storm cloud. If life were going according to plan, the closest I’d get to her would be scrolling past her posts as fast as my thumbs could fly.

But my sister needs help, so I agree to bodyguard Autumn at her sister’s wedding. One thing leads to another, and suddenly I’m pretending to be her new boyfriend in front of all her friends and family.

It’s a hot mess, made worse because I swore I’d never do this again. Never get close to someone I was guarding. Never fall for someone whose safety was in my hands. Never let distraction get in the way of my job.

Unfortunately, this entire week is nothing but distractions: trapped in a car with my smoking hot client, only one bed in our hotel room, only one tent on the wedding camping trip… all before the bachelorette prom. Meanwhile, someone seems to have it out for Autumn… or my family… or both.

As things heat up between us, I’m left with one question: Can I keep my heart—and the people I care about—safe?

A spicy, small-town, bodyguard, fake relationship, grumpy-sunshine romantic comedy with a hint of danger and a lot of heart.

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Another "Christmas in July" FREE READ!






https://dl.bookfunnel.com/r62kdd0dsy



Christmas Angel

An Angels in the Afterlife Christmas Story


Like Scrooge, only sexier.

Being fully transparent is good for a relationship, right? Well, maybe not when it’s literal.

Christmas Angel is a second-chance, holiday romance with a celestial twist. Probationary angel Jake Hennessy's been sent back to earth to mend fences with his ex. Or has he? Certainly Tony doesn’t seem to think that's the case. 

Tony DiCecco might have ninety-nine problems—and then some—between dealing with his meddlesome family AND running the family business (a Christmas tree farm in rural Texas) but he's pretty sure that playing catch-up with his ex-husband isn’t supposed to be one of them.

And what would even be the point? It’s hard to imagine what kind of future the two of them could have when one of them is alive and the other...isn't.


https://books.bookfunnel.com/PGForte-Christmas-in-July

Monday, July 20, 2026

Mug Shot: Not the Pigs!






What were you thinking, Slovacek's? How could you make a logo using two of the sweetest piggies I've ever seen and then imagine that you could use it to sell sausages to me?

It's a really nice mug overall. It's big, has a nice "hammered" surface and a bit of a matte texture. I do love the pigs. But it actually kind of reminds me of this "It's a Southern Thing" skit:

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

What I'm Reading: The Rebound (Kelly Jamieson)


I LOVED this series and now it's ending. And what an ending! I've been WAITING extremely impatiently for this book. It's heart-wrenching and beautiful. And it's set in New Jersey! And I know I'll love Kelly's new series, but I would also happily read another dozen New Jersey Storm books. 

The Rebound

Kelly Jamieson

Her hockey star ex. A snowy cabin escape. A fake dating scheme to fool their families.

Carson

A family tragedy caused Ayla and I to stop skating in the same direction. I'm burying my head in hockey practice and finding my way back to myself. Now she wants me to pretend we never fell apart for one snowy weekend in the mountains. I tell myself it’s just a favor. But sharing a cabin with the woman I once called home? That’s dangerous ice.

Ayla

Carson and I loved each other, but grief rewrote the rules, and neither of us knew how to play anymore. However, our relationship status isn’t public knowledge and I need him to help keep the illusion intact. Just temporarily for my Nonna’s birthday. Pretending brings back the easy banter, the familiar heat, the moments that once made us a team. The problem? None of it feels fake. But can we get past this one weekend and confront what we have been too scared to talk about and maybe find our way back to each other?

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

This Week's "Christmas in July" FREE READ!






https://books2read.com/Christmasing-With-You




Christmasing With You 
An LA Love Lessons/Ugly Christmas Sweater Story

The sweater was just the beginning…

Mike's been a very good boy this year and Santa Claire has the perfect present picked out for him—one that's both naughty and nice!

One more disaster could be the end…

Mike and Claire were hoping their first Christmas together would be unforgettable. But when their sexy, adult-film-themed weekend abruptly veers into low-budget, chiller-diller territory, they’re left to worry that this Christmas will turn out to be memorable in all the worst ways.

An isolated cabin, a winter storm, a hungry cougar—what could possibly go wrong? In a word: everything.

This Ugly Christmas Sweater short story features the characters Mike and Claire from Let Me Count the Ways (LA Love Lessons, book 3).

https://books.bookfunnel.com/PGForte-Christmas-in-July

Monday, July 13, 2026

Mug Shot: Lemons





Here's another cute mug. I inherited a beautiful lemon-themed cup and saucer from my mother. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where it is at the moment. It got misplaced during our last move. But I guess I'm making lemonade by substituting this mug for it? 

I dunno. The cup I no longer have access to is porcelain and elegant. This mug is big and sturdy, and less likely to break. That sounds less like lemonade and more like griping, to me. 











Wednesday, July 8, 2026

What I'm Reaing: The Hollow Sea (Jordan L. Hawk)


So I think this is the last book in this series. Which is odd considering that EVERY book I've read lately has been the last book in a series that I've really enjoyed and kind of hate saying goodbye to. 

But, that being said. It's a good read and for those of you who like to wait until a series is complete before reading it, have at it. Both this week, and the next couple of weeks!



The Hollow Sea

Jordan L. Hawk

https://www.jordanlhawk.com/

The dead will not be silenced.

When Oscar, Nigel, and the rest of the OtP ghost hunters travel to Devil’s Den Island, their job seems simple: lay the ghost of a dead medium to rest at last.

But more than one ghost haunts Devil’s Den, and soon the team realize there’s more to the island’s dark past than they’ve been led to believe. As the fallout from century-old secrets closes in around them, one thing is clear: the dead have a story to tell.

And ignoring it could prove fatal.