I know June is almost over, but I didn’t want the month to pass without a list of current reading events, free books, and new releases. And since this week another heat dome will be covering a good part of the U.S., I have an extra long list of free books and new KU releases so when you’re stuck inside, hiding from the heat, you’ll have plenty to read.
Summer Heatwave is a Beach Read Charity Anthology of novellas published to support FIRE—The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. All proceeds will be donated to this organization. Summer Heatwave brings together a diverse collection of romances that explore connection, risk, and what it means to stand in your truth. From uplifting to emotional, each story delivers a unique take on love in all its forms. This anthology includes my Kingsmill Courtships novella Their Forever Summer.
This month the book club is reading the newest story in my Kingsmill Courtships series, Her Reckless Outlaw. It’s one of the four novellas in the Mending Hearts Anthology, and I’m so excited to talk about it on Thursday, July 9 at 3:00 pm on our YouTube Channel.
June Free & New Romances
Mending Hearts: An Enemies to Lovers Anthology
What happens when enemies are forced a little too close…and the line between hate and desire starts to blur?
Mending Hearts is a Contemporary Enemies-to-Lovers Anthology packed with sharp banter, emotional wounds, steaming hot tension, and that “oh no, I’m in love with a person I can’t stand” moment we all live for.
From grudges to stolen glances, from heartbreak to healing, these stories prove that sometimes the people who challenge us the most are the ones who change us forever.
Don’t Look Back by Roisin Visser
If I should die…
Elizabeth Ahrens believes she needs to find answers about what’s happening to her. Alone. Attending Cornell University she’s close to her new doctor, but her presence in Ithaca is evoking more questions, causing further unease. Are her memories playing tricks on her? Can she trust her new friends?
From the hallowed halls of the elite Rockefeller Amherst University, the House of Eights, a secret society exists hiding a world of power, mystery and influence. Twelve members tasked with protection of the Divine. Shrouded in deep secrecy the members feel the shift. An activation. Elizabeth may be the key or a risky distraction. A chilling discovery starts a race to stop the threat they know is near.
One dangerous enough to end them all.
Reckless Renegades by Skye Jordan
A couture wedding dress designer to the rich and famous, Lexi LaCroix’s image means everything. Raised on the wrong side of the tracks, her years of polish and hard work are finally about to pay off. But when she crosses paths with a sexier-than-sin, bad-boy biker, she realizes how much living she’s sacrificed for her success. And one touch is all it takes for Lexi to turn reckless.
Jax Chamberlin has been screwed over by gorgeous gold-diggers one too many times. Though he runs his own stunt company, all of America knows his Hollywood face even years after he’s given up acting. Finding a woman who doesn’t plan to use him as a stepping stone to success is virtually impossible, so when the charming and mysterious Lexi offers him a chance at a totally anonymous hook-up during an out of town trip, Jax accepts. Only Lexi is more sextacular than charming, and Jax wants more.
Only Lexi’s got a major hang-up over his renegade lifestyle. And if she finds out his connections could catapult her to the top of her career, he’s afraid the fantasy woman he’s falling for might just end up like all the rest.
Right on Target by Blue Donovan
Cassandra Jones attracts trouble . . . or maybe she goes looking for it. But that all changes when she finds herself in over her head.
Now, she’s dodging an ex-boyfriend who refuses to let her go because she knows too much. When she falls into the arms of yet another bad boy, her defense mechanisms go up. Yet, the more time she spends with him, the more she wonders if she’s pegged him incorrectly. When her ex shows up, she’s forced to admit Shane just might be the solution to her problem.
Shane Holand is no knight in shining armor, but when he rescues a damsel in distress, something about her rouses his protective instincts.
Before he knows it, he’s suited up and fighting for her honor. Or at least her safety from a dangerous ex-boyfriend. But can he convince her to trust him before the chance at more slips through his fingers?
One Day by Samantha Young
Getting dumped four times over the course of the past ten years on Valentine’s Day was definitely not in Hazel Benny’s life plan. So when her boyfriend of three months dumps her a week before Valentine’s Day to save her the humiliation of a fifth VD dumping, Hazel decides to take a break from life altogether by borrowing her brother’s camper van and taking off to the highlands.
Life in the camper van is going great—fresh air, beautiful scenery, a deeper bond with her homeland, no work, and best of all no men!
Until Valentine’s Day.
Getting caught in the woods with her pants down is the last thing Hazel expected to happen to her on the dreaded romantic day. Worse still getting caught by attractive American, Liam Brody, an annoyingly sexy man the universe seems intent on throwing her way for the day.
By the time this year’s Valentine’s Day is over, Hazel will have only one question on her mind:
How could one day, one tiny little day, change her life so epically…
The One That I Need by J. Keely Thrall
‘Tis the season for making merry… and keeping secrets.
For married couple Celia and David, Christmas is a time for the spicy romantic role-playing that deepens their connection—especially this year, when they’re dreaming about the future they hope to create together.
But when perfectionist Celia begins hiding something big, it threatens more than her work. It cracks the foundation of the deep trust they’ve built though love, laughter, and just the right amount of kink.
Reeling from her silence, David engineers a seductive intervention to remind his wife that no matter how much life changes, the one thing they’ll always need… is each other.
Ruger by Melissa Stevens
Krissi walked into a biker bar looking for one drink and a little peace. What she found instead was Ruger—the tattooed bartender with honey-colored eyes and a dangerous pull she can’t ignore. She knows better than to trust a man in a cut. She grew up in the shadow of club life, and she left that world behind for a reason. But Ruger is harder to resist than any man she’s ever met.
Ruger knows there’s more to Krissi than a pretty face and a bad day. She’s hiding something, and every instinct says to keep his distance. Too bad he wants her anyway.
In the Demented Souls world, secrets can get you killed. Falling for the wrong woman can destroy everything. But walking away from Krissi might be the one thing Ruger can’t do.
Passion in the Cards by Sadira Stone
Jesse Del Toro struggles to keep his organic farm afloat—hard enough without the delicious, dangerous distraction of Gemma’s return to Trappers Cove. The bewitching vagabond will never settle down in the quirky little beach town he calls home. But once ignited, their fiery attraction sets them on a collision course that could wreck him.
Nursing a wounded heart, Gemma Moore hopes a spell in her Aunt Zora’s metaphysical shop will soothe her stormy emotions. But from the moment Jesse walks in, calm is a lost cause. The hunky farmer is frustrating, stubborn, and oh so tempting. One hot night reveals his hidden side—sweet, sensual, and determined to make her his.
When a harmless secret backfires, Gemma discovers just how deeply she’s wounded the beautiful bull man, and how desperately she wants to keep him.
Moonkissed by Donna Grant
Brought together by chance. Bound together by circumstance.
I was never supposed to want someone like her. Innocent. Brilliant. Human. But the moment Addison Moore walked into my bar, all bets were off. I’ve hunted monsters in the shadows of New Orleans my entire life. I know how to track evil, how to kill it. What I wasn’t prepared for… was her.
She doesn’t just stir something primal inside me—she awakens it. The wolf. The man. The protector. The possessive bastard who will burn this city to the ground to keep her alive. She’s being hunted by something ancient, something cruel—and she doesn’t even know it yet. But she will. Because I’ve seen the way darkness circles her. And I’ve felt the way she trembles when I touch her.
She’s in my blood now. And I’ll destroy anything that tries to take her from me.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Donna Grant gives readers a double dose of the Louisiana bayous in the first book of her sizzling LaRue series filled with suspense, voodoo, and romance.
Reactivated: Oz by Charissa Grace
He’s a former Navy SEAL built to protect.
She’s his teammate’s little sister and off-limits.
“Project Phoenix… find Oz…”
Those were the last words Allegra Steele’s brother whispered before he died in her arms.
Certain Jonah was murdered, Navy intelligence officer Allegra follows his final clue straight to Jack “Oz” Cullen, her brother’s former commander and a lethal operator.
Jack knows better than to want Allegra. She’s brilliant, relentless, and far too tempting for a man still haunted by war and loss. But when her investigation drags him back into the world he barely escaped, long-buried secrets resurface—along with whispers of Project Phoenix, a classified experiment that enhanced every man on his SEAL team.
Then Jack’s ability reawakens. He can hear other people’s thoughts. Including Allegra’s. And her heated internal dialogue is impossible to ignore.
As enemies close in and the truth behind Jonah’s death threatens to ignite a covert war, Jack will do anything to keep Allegra alive—even if protecting her means crossing every line he swore he wouldn’t.
Because losing her would destroy him.
Seal of Her Dreams by Paige Tyler
When Navy SEAL Kurt Travers fills in for his buddy during career day at school, he doesn’t expect to fall for the teacher. But Melissa Drake lives by one hard and fast rule. She doesn’t date Navy guys—ever.
Kurt is making is difficult to follow that rule as he pulls out all the stops to attract her attention. Will saving her life change her mind?
Take Me Home by H.C. Bentley
Charlotte Bedford left her sleepy little hometown in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to make a name for herself as a fashion photographer in the Big Apple. She craved success and independence, but most of all she wanted to be in a place where she wasn’t known as the Bedford girl or Landon Montgomery’s girlfriend. But her life in New York begins to take its toll, and she finds herself longing to return to her southern roots in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. What she doesn’t know is the one man she ever really loved had never left.
Landon Montgomery was a southern boy, born and raised. And as much as he’d loved Charlotte, he’d had no desire to follow her to the big city, instead he’d stayed behind to help run his family’s business. When Charlotte returns home, he knows they have to reconcile their past if they are to have a future. The aftermath of a family emergency makes them realize they were meant to be together, but is it already too late?
An Angel’s Fall by Harley Grym
Before the Angels rose… one fall changed everything.
Samson Ellis is a loyal Fallen Angel, a devoted father, and a man riding straight into fate. When a routine run turns deadly, his brutal death sends shockwaves through two motorcycle clubs—and leaves his daughter Winter shattered in its wake.
As grief collides with loyalty, the Fallen Angels close ranks, bound by brotherhood, vengeance, and the promises they make to their own. What begins as a single violent act becomes the spark that ignites wars, forges unbreakable bonds, and shapes the futures of men who live by a code few understand.
An Angel’s Fall is a raw, emotional prequel that lays the foundation for Her Avenging Angel and Bishop’s Wrath—a heartbreaking glimpse into loss, loyalty, and the moment everything changed.
Perfect for readers who crave gritty MC romance, found family, and the origins of vengeance that refuses to die.
Save the Date for a Cowboy by Jennie Marts
I hope you enjoy this prequel novella that introduces you to the Lassiter Ranch series, my newest western romance series. These books are known for hot cowboys, witty banter, sassy heroines, some steamy sexy times, lots of laughs, and an occasional tear. I hope you check out the whole series and that you love these characters as much as I do. Happy Reading.
In SAVE THE DATE FOR A COWBOY, surly cowboy, Ford Lassiter, named after the truck his dad was driving when he’d left him and his mother, has only known abandonment and doesn’t trust relationships—until he shares an intimate weekend at a wedding with a woman he meets when his golden retriever jumps into her lap. He reluctantly agrees to get set up at the wedding, but then he and his dog fall for the wrong bridesmaid.
SAVE THE DATE FOR A COWBOY is the prequel novella to the Lassiter Ranch series in which three abandoned cowboys, born in heartbreak and bonded by brotherhood, are brought together by the fierce love of the grandparents who took them in and the ranch that’s the only home they’ve ever known…
Off the Hook by Dania Voss
She was headed to college. He was an up and coming pitcher in the majors. Life had other plans and threw them a curve ball…
Abbey Jayne has always been a bit of a nerd. She prefers books and computers over people. Especially boys. She hasn’t worried much about dating and is content taking a backseat to her sister Cassie, the social butterfly. Abbey’s headed to college in the fall anyway.
Everything changes after she reluctantly agrees to join Cassie and her boyfriend for dinner. Hunky pitcher for the Chicago Cobras, Luke Stryker is also coming along. He seems larger than life and Abbey’s surprised by her attraction to him.
At twenty, Luke Stryker is already one of the best pitchers in the majors and the sole heir to his family’s fortune. His world turns upside down when he meets Abbey. Right away, he senses she’s special. That she’s meant to be his.
With their relationship growing quickly, Luke asks Abbey to join him on the road for the adventure of a lifetime before her classes start in the fall, but she’s torn about what she should do. Her mother is upset and Luke’s manager thinks she’s in the way.
Abbey believes she and Luke have a future together, but it won’t be easy.Can young love survive the stresses of family, college, life on the road, and everything that goes along with being a professional athlete?
The Mission by C.S. Smith
Three men. One betrayal. A brotherhood forged in blood and death.
British Special Air Service Captain Lachlan Mackay’s newest deployment to Afghanistan is just like any other until he meets his beautiful Afghan translator. Nadia Haider reminds him of what he’s missing. Home. A family of his own.
US Navy SEAL Lieutenant Nathan Long and his team are riding high on their successes. Not a single man lost this deployment, and he intends to keep it that way. He enjoys flirting with the Brits’ attractive translator just to get a rise out of his new SAS buddy Lachlan Mackay.
Corporal Ryder Montague abandoned his aristocratic life to prove himself in the elite SAS. His job is to escort Nadia as she interacts with the female Afghan villagers. Nadia’s beauty masks a secret Ryder glimpses but can’t define. Or maybe that’s his jaded, broken heart misleading him.
When Nadia tells Lachlan she has information on the whereabouts of Western hostages kidnapped by the Taliban, Lachlan and Nathan convince their commanding officers to green light a joint rescue mission. Determined to save innocents from the evil clutches of terrorists, all three men place their trust in one woman. Will it make them heroes? Or be their undoing.
This novella is a background origin story that introduces the first three heroes of my former military romantic suspense series, Dìleas Security Agency.
Dangerous Seal by Paige Tyler
Her plans didn’t include a Navy SEAL.
Au pair Talia Holland couldn’t deny that the handsome Navy SEAL who saved her employer’s family a few months ago is tempting enough to break all her dating rules, but what could a mousy nanny have in common with a sexy man whose job is as dangerous as a Tom Cruise movie? Besides, she’d grown up with a father who was always away because of his job.
Talia did not want to live that kind of life ever again. But when another au pair goes missing and Talia narrowly escapes an attack, she doesn’t know who else to call for help but the one guy who lives, eats, and breathes danger. Getting close to a SEAL might keep her safe, but how will she protect her heart if she falls for a man who spends more time on foreign soil than in her arms?
But best laid plans…
Petty Officer Lennox Thompson had been hoping for a phone call from the beautiful dark-haired au pair, but not a call from the police station that she’d been attacked.
Unwilling to let Talia go home alone, Lennox offers his guest bedroom for the night. However, once he hears the details, he realizes she’s involved in something more suited to a SEAL Team 5 mission than adventures in babysitting.
Someone is willing to kill to get what they want, and Talia and her young charge are in the crosshairs. It will take help from his Teammates to avoid an international incident, but when Talia and little Maria are kidnapped, Lennox will take on navy protocol, smug CIA, and deadly terrorists to save the little girl who makes him laugh and the woman who makes his heart pound.
Snow Awkward-ish by J. Haney & S.I. Hayes
Contemporary Snowed-in Forced Proximity, With an Awkward Meet Cute
Roped into a week-long writer’s retreat at Keyhouse, the home of acclaimed Author Stiles Key, Indie Author Sterling Olivia has her reservations, especially when she finds out her best friend and publicist has actually set her up for some strange Locked In crazy.
Unable to leave and with serious imposter syndrome, she’s about to find that all those blocks she’s had in her personal and professional life since the last imposed lockdown are nothing compared to being caught between the sheets with him.
As the snow falls can Sterling separate reality from fantasy even as she is being offered the keys to the kingdom?
Alaska Ignite by Lolo Paige
Some voices light a fire before you ever see who is behind them.
Dispatcher Shay Dillon traveled thirty-three hundred miles to escape her old life in the lower forty-eight. She didn’t plan on falling for a smokejumper’s voice over the radio. But when a bush plane goes down in Alaska’s unforgiving Interior, the smokejumper who shows up to rescue her is the one she’s been falling for… one transmission at a time.
Boone Stenson has rules about women he works with, and Shay Dillon is about to burn every one of them down. Alaska Ignite is your invitation into the Blazing Hearts Alaska Wildfire series.
If you love romantic suspense with wildland firefighters, there’s a whole series waiting for you!
