THE ROYAL BODYGUARD - COVER REVEAL (The Sequel)

I am one lucky, lucky author.

I have a book releasing.

It’s the second in a series.

And it has TWO covers already.

Earlier in the summer, when I released the new UK/ World English covers, I was overcome by all the positive responses. But the number 1 question I got was, “Well, that’s great for all your British fans, but what about the Americans and Canadians who also want to order THE ROYAL BODYGUARD???”

I can now announce that all the information you want can be found here: The Royals of Drieden Series

Y’all.

I can’t.

And when you read this book, you’ll understand how perfect this cover is. And I loved how both my publishers got it soooo right. You can maybe guess what some of the main themes are…

THE ROYAL BODYGUARD has:

• a princess in hiding

• a grumpy bodyguard

• explosions

• thousand-year old secrets

• luxurious European residences

• a king in a car park

• pesky paparazzi

• banter

• a grandmother with a sword

• kissing

Basically, it’s…

I’m In.

I heard you say that. ^^^^

For the full info on the book, please click to this page: The Royal Series.

If you’re American or Canadian, you can reserve your copy of The Royal Bodyguard here or at your preferred retailers:

• Amazon US

• Amazon CA

• Barnes & Noble

• Kobo

• Apple Books

If you’re British, Irish, Australian, etc., you can reserve your copy of The Royal Bodyguard here or at your preferred retailers:

• Waterstones

• Amazon UK

• Blackwells

• WH Smith

• Apple Books

• Kobo

And I’ll be dropping more hints, clues and sneak peeks on my Facebook, my Instagram (make sure you’re checking my Instagram Stories!! I have some fun stuff planned over the next few weeks) and my newsletter. Sign up and follow now to get all the scoop (like who I dedicated the book to and why they made me rewrite the whole darn thing.)

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

The Best Football Romance Novels to Read this Fall

The Best Football Romance Novels

It’s that time of year – the constant roar of the crowd is now my background meditation (cough) every weekend. Pretty much as soon as the first round of Monday Night Football opened up, I got the irrepressible urge to re-read a football romance.

Which one?

It Had to Be You by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

I’ve read this one so many times, at least once a year.

And as I pressed the button on my Kindle, I thought I’d recommend some more of my favorite football romances to the rest of the world!

(Before I get started, here’s the usual caveat. Y’all. There are SO MANY football romance novels. Hundreds, if not thousands. I know there are a few that I’ve left out, so please feel free to recommend your favorites to me!)

Here we go.

As I mentioned, you probably need to read the Chicago Stars series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I’ve read most of them (I think?) but my top 2 are the stories of Molly and Phoebe Sommerville; It Had to Be You (Book #1) and This Heart of Mine (Book #5) .  This is a series where you can definitely jump around but I think it’s really nice to read #1 and then #5 back to back, since the heroines are sisters.

I have a special fondness for Nobody’s Baby but Mine (Book #3), too, mostly because of the side characters and the second half of the book.

Of the three of these, It Had to Be You is definitely VERY football focused, the other two much less so.

(Second Caveat: These books are over twenty years old, on average. Let me tell you how old the first book is – Donald Trump is mentioned  - FONDLY! - and it’s pre-Apprentice. I still enjoy them but I’ve noticed that some of the attitudes and references have not aged well. In addition, there are some sex scenes that are old-school-esque borderline-consensual/ non-consensual. FYI.)

Another romance that is football adjacent is Changing the Play by Julia Blake. The heroine is a sports agent and the hero is a reporter but football obviously plays a big role in the book.

Next recommendation! Sidelined by Suzanne Baltzar! I recommended this here and I’ve also had the hankering to re-read this during football season. Seriously, people. This is such a good book. Go grab it. (Hear me talk to Suzanne on Women With Books here.) This one is about a female high school football coach and her offensive coordinator. If you are psyched up about #equalpay then this is the book that will have you sighing and fist bumping your pals.

Also full of football players and the women who show them the score? Alexa Martin’s Playbook series! Start with Intercepted (Book #1) and you’ll fall in love with Marlee’s voice and wit. (And bonus points! Alexa is a former professional football wife herself! Hear my chat with her on Women With Books here!)

And speaking of WAGS, Naima Simone’s WAGS series should be required reading for anyone who loves a seriously swoony football hero. Start with Scoring With The Wrong Twin and enjoy the sexy, witty, sweet ride.

And uh…  While I was making up this list I kept remembering one more book… and I realized, it was mine!

Yeah, my debut novel has some football-related shenanigans in it: Know When to Hold Him. So, you know. Read it!

Or, pick up my NEXT book, which is definitely NOT football related but it’s just as good.

The Royal Bodyguard!

More info coming VERY soon on that! I can’t wait to share it with you!!!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Women With Books - 2019 Summer Reading Challenge: What I Read!

Women With Books - a curated collection of conversations about your favorite books, media, and other fabulous things.

Well??? Did you complete the Summer Reading Challenge? I did!

For last year’s challenge and the books I read, click here and here.

As I said before, the 2018 Summer Reading Challenge was one of my most popular episodes of last year – this one and the round up episode. And I’ve loved hearing what everyone was reading this summer!

What I did for this challenge was give you broad themes and you find the book that best fits that for you. After all, at Women With Books, we only want you to read what you love.

I know everyone wants to know, though, what I read for the challenge this year. Some of my picks can fit into more than one category, so I may just slot them into different places… if I need to.

Pretty Dress Cover

Read: The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (More about it here on Best Books to Read Now)

Debut Author

Read: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Beach Cover

Read: The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey (More about it here on Best Books to Read Now)

Diverse/ Inclusive Read

Read: Alisha Rai’s The Right Swipe (More about it here on Best Books to Read Now)

TBR List

Read: Temptations of a Wallflower by Eva Leigh (HOLY CRAP THIS WAS GOOD WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG????)

Comfort Read

Read: Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins (She had not been a Women With Books guest when I read this book but she is now! Find her episode here.) And Nina Bocci’s On the Corner of Love and Hate.

New Genre

Read: Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (also an #ownvoices author and a debut author! This was so good y’all… read more about it here!)

Former WWB Guest (Find them on WomenWithBooks.com)

Read: Sidelined by Suzanne Baltzar (hear her episode here) AND The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey (hear her episode here)

For a list of the authors/ books discussed, subscribe to the Women With Books newsletter (With extra Q&A from the guests!) Buy me a coffee! Support the Podcast at www.Ko-fi.com/womenwithbookspodcast Friend me on Goodreads! Check out the HBIC Nation Podcast!

Sign up for the Women With Books Newsletter here for all the updated information on Season 5 and a comprehensive list of the best book club reading recommendations!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Best Books to Read Now - August 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

This is kind of a mixed up month because I’m also posting my summer reading challenge books on the blog. Therefore, this might overlap and it might not with that list. Traditionally, I only put 4 or 5 books on my Best Books To Read Now post, even if I read more books that month because I’m trying to give visibility to the new releases or the ones I really want to share/ talk about. This month, just look at both lists if you’re looking for recommendations!

Sidelined by Suzanne Baltsar
Amazon || Apple Books

YOU GUYS. This book. This book is one those books that I wish I could pick up and re-read for the first time. It is sort of connected to Suzanne’s debut novel, Trouble Brewing, but it’s also a standalone. It’s about a woman football coach AND her assistant coach. It’s such a great romance and so perfect for the summer of #equalpay and Women’s World Cup excellence and Suzanne handles the battle of the sexes deftly. HIGHLY recommend.

Always accept your applause like Megan Rapinoe.

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri
Amazon || Apple Books

THIS BOOK! I saw this recommended by Aarya of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books on Twitter and I one-clicked it. For a long time, I’ve been interested in reading more fantasy romance, but it feels like such a challenge to find ones that aren’t too out-there for a non-fantasy reader (like me) and have a female-centered gaze (which is what I prefer) AND have a guaranteed HEA (also my preference.) But Aarya guaranteed that this would be a good pick for someone with my requirements and I’m so glad I listened! This book is both a great fantasy novel, with all that entails (magic, world-building, villains) but it also has a slow-burn romance (with the HEA) and it’s loosely based on the Mughal Empire which I really enjoyed, too.

Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins
Amazon || Apple Books

OKAY, THIS ONE TOO!
I listed this as a “comfort read” on the Women With Books Summer Reading Challenge and it is comforting, like a great multi-generational story can be. It deals with love, loss, choices, growing up, growing old, independence and how we take care of other people. I told Kristan in our Women With Books episode that this might be the best book she’s ever written. And that’s saying a lot.

Sapphire Flames by Ilona Andrews
Amazon || Apple Books

SIGH
Yes.

You know what I’m going to say, right?

THIS.
ONE.

It’s a well known fact that I stan Ilona Andrews. I. Love. Every. Word. They. Write.

But…. I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure about them leaving Nevada and Connor behind and taking the Hidden Legacy series in a new direction.

That just goes to show that I’m dumb. They’re brilliant and so is this book. I can’t wait for their next one!

Me when I get a new Ilona Andrews book.

And yes, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Best Books to Read Now - July 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

I love months like this ^^ where there’s a beautiful variety of covers and genres on the shelf.

The Right Swipe - Alisha Rai
Amazon || Apple Books

For Alisha Rai fans who might be nervous about a different direction indicated by that (adorable) cover, don’t worry. This book still has all the Alisha Rai elements you know and love. The Right Swipe has the right amount of angst, sex, social issues (like consent and CTE), diversity, a strong, wry heroine and a professional football player. What’s not to love?

Learn all the ins and outs of proper swipe technique in The Right Swipe.

Brazen and the Beast - Sarah MacLean
Amazon || Apple Books

The day a new Sarah MacLean book comes out is pretty much a national holiday in Romancelandia. I talked to Sarah about the new direction she took in this series, called Bareknuckle Bastards, in an episode of my podcast Women With Books (click here to listen.) She went a little darker than the usual Mayfair ballroom. The heroes aren’t your usual dukes, the heroines have, ah, alternative interests. But all that makes such a richer, more vibrant story that I really enjoyed.

Southern Side of Paradise - Kristy Woodson Harvey
Amazon || Apple Books

Another former Women With Books guest, you can also listen to my conversation with Kristy about this fantastic series here. This is the third (and final?) book to that series and I loved going back to Peachtree Bluff, Georgia. If you want a satisfying family saga beach read, go back and start this series from the beginning!

Taylor Swift needs a book like this to read by the pool.

The Golden Hour - Beatriz Williams
Amazon || Apple Books

All my recommendations are good for book clubs, obviously, but I think this one in particular would really get some good discussions going. I know I haven’t really stopped thinking about it and I’m begging my ‘real life’ friends to read it so they can talk to me about it. (Or you - hit me up if you’ve read it and want to discuss it.) It’s gorgeously written (of course, it’s a Beatriz Williams book) and it’s dual timeline - one is early 1900’s Germany and one is World War II era Bahamas (with the Duke and Duchess of Windsor!) It takes a while for all the scandalous pieces to fall in place but when it does, it’s a fascinating and absorbing tale.

And yes, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!