Introducing Maeve and Ben in The Barista's Beloved

The Barista’s Beloved is the fourth book in the River Hill series, and quite possibly my favorite so far. This slow-burn, small-town, friends-to-lovers romance features a #ladyboss whiskey maker who falls for a down-on-his luck lawyer moonlighting at her favorite coffee shop.

“It’s been months since whiskey maker Maeve Brennan has been on a date and she’s coming dangerously close to adopting twenty cats—until she crosses paths with River Hill’s newest barista. But Ben’s made it clear he only wants to be friends, so Maeve will definitely stop fantasizing about his forearms. Probably. Maybe.

Former lawyer Ben Worthington never thought he’d be slinging coffee, but there’s a lot about his life that doesn’t make sense. Like his attraction to the town’s beloved distiller. But since Maeve’s made it clear she doesn’t have time for romance, Ben will stop dreaming about her naked. Soon. Eventually. 

What Maeve and Ben can’t deny is how much they enjoy each other’s company, and as weeks turn into months, it becomes difficult to suppress their feelings. Until one rainy night changes everything … and now these two must decide if it’s worth risking their friendship for something that feels a lot like love.”

— The Barista's Beloved

If you’re a fan of will-they-or-won’t-they love stories featuring heroes with more than a passing resemblance to a certain famous Chris (we’re talking about you, Captain America), and heroines who really can have it all, you’re going to adore THE BARISTA’S BELOVED.

And if you reserve your copy before May 30, you’ll save $1 off your order.

Pre-order at books2read.com/BaristaBeloved.

Cover Reveal for Ashes to Ashes

I'm so excited to share with you the new cover for Ashes to Ashes! As you may know, part of this story was previously published in the DARK DESIRES boxed set earlier this summer, but this is the whole shebang - beginning, middle, and an epic end - wrapped up in one very hot package. 

I had it all, or so I thought. Until my husband betrayed me and my entire world came crashing down. I turned to alcohol and sex to numb my pain—a different city each night, a new man in my bed. But I’m sober now, and I’m working my way back up the country music charts. 

But then the death threats started and I needed protection. When my new bodyguard walked in the room, I couldn’t believe my eyes: the one man from my long spiral down who I never forgot. The one who played my body like an instrument.

Now we’re on the run from a madman and all I want is to forget about everything. To pretend this isn’t my life. To lose myself in him. So I let him take control.

I tried telling myself it was only sex, but I've done the unthinkable: I've fallen in love with a man who can never love me back. Because Ash has demons of his own—ones he never talks about and never will. I know I should walk away before it’s too late. But I'm an addict, and I need him.

How do you give up the best thing you ever had, even when it's bad for you? How do you walk away from a man like Ash Devereaux?

I'm still waiting for a few vendors to get with the program before I can share pre-order links with you, but I can confirm this book will be available on all retailers. Yes, that means Amazon, iBooks, Nook, and Kobo readers will have a chance to read Ash and Rae's story. And trust me, you're going to want to get your hands on this one. I've never written two characters quite like this. 
 

New Cover for Trying Sophie

A couple of months ago, there was a bit of a kerfuffle when an author released a new book with a cover that looked eerily like the cover for Trying Sophie (same font, same font placement, similar green overlay). At first I ignored it because there's only so much you can do with a romance cover, but then I received a handful of emails from readers I'd never interacted with angrily (on my behalf) letting me know about the look-alike. I approached the author and after a short conversation, decided to chalk it up to coincidence (after all, what else could I do?). Still, in the back of my head, the similarities kept niggling at me. Then, a couple of weeks ago someone wanted to hire me to design her covers, but having seen the similarities between Trying Sophie and that other book, stated she was worried that I recycled my designs!! Basically, she thought I had copied my own book cover for that other author! That was when I realized I couldn't ignore the situation any longer and decided it was time to give Sophie a facelift. Since I was also in the midst of designing the cover for Ruck Me (Dublin Rugby #2) and getting ready to schedule the tour for its release, it was the perfect opportunity to do a whole series re-brand. 

One of the things I fought for a very long time when I first started doing covers was the whole shirtless dude phenomena. Unfortunately, if you know anything at all about romance covers, you know they are ubiquitous and likely aren't going anywhere any time soon. Still, at the back of my mind, I wondered ... what if? Could I get away with designing a cover for Trying Sophie that bucked the trend? I thought long and hard about it y'all. To the point where I even designed a cover using the couple that you've seen on several of my teaser images for this book.

One of the designs I considered and then nixed ...

I love this guy. He just *looks* like a rugby player (even though he doesn't match the description of Declan - at all).

The thing though about the cover with the couple? While beautiful and I love it, it just didn't speak to me for this series. Declan and Sophie are **smoking hot** and these guys look sweet. Oh, I'm sure people could imagine them getting it on every now and again, but those of you who've read Trying Sophie know that sex is a huge part of this book. And it's going to stay that way throughout the series. These aren't erotic novels by any stretch of the imagination, but it's safe to say they skirt the line of what you find in standard romance novels. (I'm still scratching my head over the reviewer who only gave it three flames on her heat index - I can't imagine what an author needs to do to score a five!) Also, the other problem with this version is that nothing about it says SPORTS ROMANCE. This could be any story, about any type of couple. I want readers to know this book has an alpha athlete at its core.

So ... it was back to the drawing board. 

I talked it over with a few authors I respect (plus some of my beta readers) and took their insight and feedback into consideration, ultimately deciding to do an amalgamation of the two covers - my original and this one. 

And thus, the new Trying Sophie was born.

Same original dude, a stadium background blend, and the new fonts and voila! I can't stop staring at it. I love it so much. And having done all the covers for the series - Ruck Me, Break Down, Locked in Love, and Winging It - they look marvelous lined up all in a row. Now, I just have to get back to writing so you can get them in your hands. (Speaking of ... the cover reveal for Ruck Me is on June 30 and the release date is July 26. If you'd like to sign up to participate in these events, my tour is being hosted by Give Me Books and the link can be found here.)

So, what do you think of the new cover? Like it ... or love it?