Logan Lawson won me in a bet.
The second I saw him sitting at the illegal card table, I knew I was in trouble.
Years ago, he sealed my fate and condemned me to a life I didn’t want to lead.
Yet he’s filled with untamed fury and thirsting for vengeance against the husband I hate.

Aster Costa is everything I never should have wanted.
The second she showed with her pompous, prick of a husband, I should have gotten up and walked.
But there’s no looking away from the woman who wrecked me.
Worse, I can’t stop myself from plotting to get her back.

I want nothing more than to be free of my husband.
I’m afraid Logan Lawson is the only one who can make that happen.
He might hate me for our past, but now it’s me on my knees begging for help.

Finding each other in the middle of it wasn’t supposed to be part of the bargain.
But once Logan touches me, I’m gone.
A torch is rekindled. A fire is lit.

Aster Costa has always been mine.
And this time, no matter the cost, I won’t give her back…

Things I hadn’t expected to happen on my birthday . . .
1. To go from brunette to orange when I was aiming for blonde.
2. To run into my ex and his new girlfriend, who happened to be sweeter than my favorite candy bar.
3. To literally collide with a wall of muscle belonging to Lucas Donovan, the extremely sexy cornerback on the Virginia Thunder. 

Did I say collide? No, I didn’t just collide, I lingered. How could I not? The man smelled like a dream, felt like heaven, and looked like a Greek god. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought my best friend wished him for me when she helped me blow out my candles. She was all about me finding Mr. Right, except I’d never been lucky in love . . . nor was I looking. 

And despite all of his wonderful attributes, Lucas wasn’t my type. So when he asked for my number, I declined. Why? Because I knew he had cleat chasers and numerous athletic supporters at his beck and call. Totally not my scene. Instead, I decided to chalk our encounter up to a perfect ending to a perfectly messed-up day.

Thinking I’d never see him again, I was shocked when he popped into my store to ask me out on a date. To say I was thrown a bit off - kilter would be an understatement. Maybe that was why I eventually accepted. Or it could be because I knew my best friend would disown me if I kept turning him down. Not to mention, the man had enough charm to fill my boutique and then some. 

Finally happy, I figured my luck had changed. Maybe Lucas Donovan was my Mr. Right. But then my past slammed into my present. And all I wondered was what that meant for our future.

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel.

The day I showed up to Dax Moody’s sprawling home, I had no idea what was coming.
As a traveling massage therapist, I was used to entering the houses of strangers.
But this assignment was different from any before it.
From the outside, I’d correctly assumed the owner was rich. What I didn’t realize was that he would be younger than I’d imagined, single, stunningly gorgeous, and mysterious.
Despite the fact that Dax had booked a massage, it never actually happened, since our first appointment was unexpectedly cut short by a comedy of errors.
Certain I’d never see him again after that day, I’d done nothing but think about the captivating man.
To my surprise, he called a second time. That appointment, we talked a lot, developing a stronger connection. But once again, there was no actual massage.
The man I now affectionately called “Moody” kept calling me to come back.
It took three times before I finally gave him the massage he’d ordered. Let’s just say it was challenging to keep things professional. I was extremely attracted to Dax, and by that time, I was falling hard.
Eventually, I’d find out why he’d been so aloof, the reason why he and I could never be together.
Our story was supposed to end there, but it didn’t.
Instead, I was left perpetually longing for a forbidden man.

The only thing I was looking forward to more than marrying my enemy…

Was seeing her pregnant with my baby. 

But I guess that’s why I’m the bad boy of my family—but she’s always played the good girl. 

If they only knew the things she begged me to do all those years ago, when I was sneaking in through her bedroom window. 

Before I left.
Before I broke her heart.
Before she hated me.

She doesn’t have to love me.
Hell, she doesn’t even have to like me. She just has to marry me to merge our feuding families… 

Best part of our contract is we have to produce a bloodline heir. 

My reasons for agreeing to an arranged marriage have nothing to do with claiming our inheritance… 

And everything to do with claiming the woman I love.

There’s darkness in us all.

For some, it’s persistent and obsessive. For others, it’s a brokenness one can only get from abuse and trauma.
 
I’m broken, my pieces shattered beyond repair. I’m also in love with two very different men. Hero, the president of a notoriously violent motorcycle club. And Rebel, the lead singer of the most popular rock band in the country. Two best friends who couldn’t be more opposite.
 
They slowly give me my strength back. Both giving me something I crave, pain and praise. Both loving me so immensely that I can’t help but love myself again.
           
My new life becomes filled with danger and brutal darkness. My abusive husband will never let me go, and a rival motorcycle club is breathing down our necks. But with my two men beside me, we can take on anything.
 
One thing I know for sure is that we’re all… positively villainous.

**Contains dark themes!! Please read the full list of content warnings before proceeding. The list is in the front of the book and on my website.

CONTEST: WIN A DATE TO MY HONEYMOON

I realize that a social media post isn’t the usual way to secure a date to your honeymoon—for obvious reasons—but here we are.
My wedding was canceled. What’s not canceled is the nonrefundable, ten-thousand-dollar all-inclusive vacation at a luxury resort, and I’m not about to let it go to waste.
I’m packed and ready to hit the beach. ButI can’t deny that it might be more interesting to honeymoon with someone.
Since my track record of picking dates isn’t exactly golden, I’ve done something that I hope I don’t regret. In a moment of weakness—mixed with panic and fueled by margaritas—I agreed to let my friends choose someone to go with me.
It’ll be a blind date / postnuptial vacation—without the nuptials. A few fun days in paradise with no expectations. No obligations.
Before you say, “pick me for a free vacay!” a few things to consider …
The perfect candidate will be single. He won’t talk too much on the plane. And he’ll be able to leave town quickly.
He will also be okay with sharing a bed. It’s a honeymoon suite, after all.
If you want to be considered, email Rebecca and Sara your application at the address below. (Get creative. There’s a free vacation on the line.)
Wheels up next week!
Godspeed, honeymooners.

I met Nazareth Armstrong when I was eighteen years old. From the beginning, my brother warned me to stay away from him. Told Naz to stay away from me.

Our hearts didn’t listen.

I shared one magical night under the stars with my brother's rival, thinking it was the start of a once-in-a-lifetime something.

But one awful moment ended it all.

Years later when we meet again, we’ve both pursued our dreams, lived a little, found success…but never found love. What began as a tiny flame when we were young now threatens to consume us. I’m more drawn to Naz than ever, but his complicated history with my brother makes whatever this could be…nearly impossible.

But Naz accepts impossible as a dare.

Through his clever maneuvering and dogged determination, I find myself on a yacht with him and his friends cruising through the Mediterranean. It’s a whirlwind set ablaze. Away from reality, surrendering to the tender heat of his touch, I forget that everything could burn.


*This is the love story of Takira, who first appears in Reel, book 1 of the Hollywood Renaissance series. Characters from the HOOPS series also make appearances, but you do not have to read any of those books to enjoy this one.

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

I was the trick that they could never play.
She was the greatest game of all…

There is elegance that comes from being carved from the ashes of all the darkness that surrounds you in the world. You start as dust, and you end as dust. At least that’s what I always thought. Crowned Princess Mayhem all my life became old fast, and I found myself forging my iron crown with the blood of our enemies.

To The Brothers of Kiznitch, I was nothing but a little brat that always got my way. I was the sister none of them asked for, but they’d find themselves needing. He was no different. Loving Keaton Cicero was never going to be easy. There was evil within him that would never be accepted.

They thought their over-protectiveness had kept me safe all these years, but they were wrong. Everything they thought they knew… was about to burn around them. I wasn’t someone who needed protecting…

They were.

Secrets don’t keep.
Lucy’s are life-changing and dangerous.
Her darkest one is an abusive ex who will stop at nothing to control her, leaving only a smoking ember of who she used to be.
She thinks she’s alone in the battle to get her life back.
Then she meets Tate.
The one man who seems to tear down every defense she’s built around her heart.
The problem is…he doesn’t want a relationship and she wants it all.
 
Tate’s no stranger to secrets, but he’s content until he meets her.
At first sight, he’s enamored by Lucy.
But the more he discovers, the deadlier her truth becomes.
Now he’s determined to keep her safe whether she wants his help or not.
Suddenly— the ice around his heart is melting, leaving him helpless to fight his feelings for her.
Can they overcome their pasts and the real danger they face to give love a fighting chance, or will they keep hiding from the truth?