Publisher: Independently Published

#BlogTour #BookReview The Sea Witch’s Son by Jade Everhart #TheSeaWitchsSon #JadeEverhart #TheVillainsOfWolfHollowSeries #KindleUnlimited #DarkRomance

#BlogTour #BookReview The Sea Witch’s Son by Jade Everhart #TheSeaWitchsSon #JadeEverhart #TheVillainsOfWolfHollowSeries #KindleUnlimited #DarkRomance Title: The Sea Witch's Son

Author: Jade Everhart

Series: The Villains of Wolf Hollow #1

Published by: Independently Published on Apr. 7, 2025

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Pages: 482

Format: Paperback

Source: Jade Everhart

Book Rating: 10/10

Welcome to Wolf Hollow. Home to the most ruthless criminals of our time and the last place my stepfather should have brought me.
He said it was for work. I said it was an early grave.
My soon-to-be classmates are the heirs to a black throne. The children who have been raised in a town that has no rules, no laws and no heroes.
They are wealthy, powerful and violent. The kind of monsters that sneak into your bedroom at night and leave blood behind.
Marlin Seaborn is the most twisted one of them all. Captain of the swim team. Analytical genius. Master manipulator.
He’s a shark dressed in designer suits and he’s just found himself a new prize.
Me.


Review:

Spicy, gritty, and menacing!

The Sea Witch’s Son is a twisty, sultry tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Melody St. James, a young woman who, after returning to her late mother’s hometown of Wolf Hollow, finds her life turned upside down after she meets the intense and dangerous Marlin Seaborn, the son of the sea witch who is not only broody and seductive but driven by an obsessive need for power, control, and manipulating using one’s fears.

The writing is fervid and intense. The characters are secretive, consumed, and tormented. And the plot is a salacious, ominous mix of twists, turns, temptation, desire, deception, mystique, introspection, sizzling chemistry, palpable attraction, violence, depravity, love, and romance.

Overall, The Son Witch’s Son is a tension-filled, dramatic, darkly sexy thrill ride by Everhart that is a creative, contemporary mix of Disney Easter Eggs and a villain origin story that does a brilliant job of reminding you that sometimes the line between good and evil is often very blurry and happy-ever-after endings are not always simple nor sweet.

This novel is available now in paperback & KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

Thank you to Jade Everhart for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jade Everhart

Jade Everhart writes heart-warming romances with flawed characters and laugh-out-loud banter. When she's not using her own terrible meet-cutes as inspiration for her next novel, Jade spends her time listening to loud music and tearing up dance floors from the prairies of Southern Alberta to the glistening beaches of Miami.

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Rival by Jade Everhart #IBlametheRival #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Rival by Jade Everhart #IBlametheRival #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited #NewAdultRomance #SportsRomance Title: I Blame the Rival

Author: Jade Everhart

Series: Taber Tigers #4

Published by: Independently Published on Sep. 23, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Pages: 332

Format: Paperback

Source: Jade Everhart

Book Rating: 10/10

Lacey

All I wanted was a friend. That’s why I responded to the note another therapy patient left behind. To find someone who knows what it’s like to have scars no one else can see. To have secrets no one wants to hear.

I was looking for a friend. I didn’t know he was the rival.

Skylar

I fell in love with someone I’ve never met. A faceless pen pal, I wouldn’t be able to pick this girl out of a crowd and yet she owns every piece of my battered heart. She’s the colour to my darkness and I didn’t know what would happen if we ever met in person. I didn’t know how my life would change once we did.


Review:

Absorbing, intense, and emotional!

I Blame the Rival is an intimate, touching tale that sweeps you away to small-town Alberta and into the life of Lacey, an eighteen-year-old girl who, after experiencing a sexual assault from her first serious boyfriend, struggles to find the light in her life until she accidentally becomes pen pals with another broken soul who may be considered taboo but whose patience and trust may actually be the perfect balm for healing both their shattered hearts.

The writing style is heartfelt and smooth. The characters are tormented, fragile, and endearing. And the plot is a rollercoaster ride of life, love, friendship, family, trust, shame, self-blame, loneliness, sexual assault, childhood trauma, mental health, comfort, support, pain, accepting love, and undeniable attraction.

Overall, I Blame the Rival is a tender, immersive, sensitive conclusion to the Tiger Tabers series by Everhart that packed a real emotional punch and had just the right amount of intensity, angst, romance, and passion to keep me invested from start to finish while also leaving me a little sad to say goodbye to all these characters I’ve come to know and love over the past four novels.

This novel is available now in paperback & KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

Thank you to Jade Everhart for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jade Everhart

Jade Everhart writes heart-warming romances with flawed characters and laugh-out-loud banter. When she's not using her own terrible meet-cutes as inspiration for her next novel, Jade spends her time listening to loud music and tearing up dance floors from the prairies of Southern Alberta to the glistening beaches of Miami.

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Club by Jade Everhart #IBlametheClub #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited

#BlogTour #BookReview I Blame the Club by Jade Everhart #IBlametheClub #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited Title: I Blame the Club

Author: Jade Everhart

Series: Taber Tigers #3

Published by: Independently Published on Jun. 10, 2024

Genres: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, New Adult

Pages: 282

Format: Paperback

Source: Jade Everhart

Book Rating: 10/10

Nico
Did I offer to service our new assistant coach at the lacrosse banquet last year? You bet your ass I did. Maurice O’Brien is arrogant, disciplined, sinfully handsome, and I would happily sell my soul for one night of fun. The fact he hates my guts is a minor inconvenience compared to the other obstacle I’m up against.
He’s as hetero as they come.

Mo
If the team goalie hits on me one more time, somebody is going to get hurt. Nico Montez is cocky, infuriating, unprofessional, and I would gladly kick him off the team if he wasn’t our best goalie. Nico has a knack for getting under my skin and if he keeps this up, it won’t just be the team he destroys.
It’ll be my self-control.


Review:

Compelling, passionate, and steamy!

I Blame the Club is a provocative, heart-tugging romance featuring the self-assured, flirty goaltender Nico and the restrained, haughty, sexy assistant coach Mo as they discover that the heart wants what the heart wants and that some things are definitely worth fighting for.

The prose is sweet and spicy. The characters are multi-faceted, vulnerable, and endearing. And the plot is an alluring mix of palpable chemistry, sizzling tension, heartfelt emotion, flirty banter, friendship, tricky situations, tender moments, and explosive heat.

Overall, I Blame the Club is a seductive, swoon-worthy, heartwarming tale by Everhart with scrumptious characters and an intriguing storyline that is not only a fantastic addition to the Tiger Tabers series but, hands down, one of my favourite MM romance novels of the year!

This novel is available now in paperback & KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

Thank you to Jade Everhart for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jade Everhart

Jade Everhart writes heart-warming romances with flawed characters and laugh-out-loud banter. When she's not using her own terrible meet-cutes as inspiration for her next novel, Jade spends her time listening to loud music and tearing up dance floors from the prairies of Southern Alberta to the glistening beaches of Miami.

 

#BookReview I Blame the Alcohol by Jade Everhart #IBlametheAlcohol #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited

#BookReview I Blame the Alcohol by Jade Everhart #IBlametheAlcohol #JadeEverhart #TaberTigerSeries #KindleUnlimited Title: I Blame the Alcohol

Author: Jade Everhart

Series: Taber Tigers #2

Published by: Independently Published on Nov. 27, 2023

Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

Pages: 258

Format: Paperback

Source: Jade Everhart

Book Rating: 9/10

STELLA I’m not saying kissing the lacrosse captain was a bad idea, but it definitely wasn’t my best. To make things worse, my brother invited my gym buddy-turned-make-out partner to stay at our house over winter break. So now we are stuck together for the next 3 weeks with nothing but the top reason why we can’t be together keeping us company.

CODY If I can make it through this break without my mentor’s younger sister kicking me in the nuts, I will be overjoyed. That stubborn firecracker has become more of a distraction lately, and after that kiss, I knew I had to pump the breaks. Everything about our friendship borders on the edge of control, and right now, I’m flailing over the edge.

One tiny push and I’ll be done for.


Review:

Engaging, angsty, and sassy!

I Blame the Alcohol is a sweet, steamy college romance featuring the hunky, outgoing Cody, who is finding it harder and harder to keep from falling for his mentor’s younger sister, and the intelligent, feisty Stella, who knows what she wants she just needs to figure out how to get it.

The writing is honest and lighthearted. The characters are scarred, kind, and endearing. And the plot is an alluring blend of friendship, family, drama, emotion, attraction, heat, insecurities, self-discovery, happiness, taking chances, awkward moments, college antics, witty banter, and budding romance.

Overall, I Blame the Alcohol is a spirited, passionate, swoon-worthy addition to the Taber Tiger series by Everhart that will leave fans of New Adult novels delightfully satisfied and definitely hoping for more.

 

This novel is available now in paperback & on KINDLE UNLIMITED.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

Thank you to Jade Everhart for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jade Everhart

Jade Everhart writes heart-warming romances with flawed characters and laugh-out-loud banter. When she's not using her own terrible meet-cutes as inspiration for her next novel, Jade spends her time listening to loud music and tearing up dance floors from the prairies of Southern Alberta to the glistening beaches of Miami.

#BlogTour #BookReview Trust in You by Julia Firlotte @juliafirlotte @rararesources #TrustinYou

#BlogTour #BookReview Trust in You by Julia Firlotte @juliafirlotte @rararesources #TrustinYou

#BlogTour #BookReview Trust in You by Julia Firlotte @juliafirlotte @rararesources #TrustinYou Title: Trust in You

Author: Julia Firlotte

Published by: Independently Published on Apr. 6, 2020

Genres: Romantic Suspense

Pages: 276

Format: Paperback

Source: Julia Firlotte

Book Rating: 7/10

From the moment she met him, Ella Peterson had questions. As always, though, she’s too shy to ask.

Older and sexy as hell, mysterious Adam Brook soon sweeps sheltered Ella off her feet; but is he as perfect as he appears to be, or is there more to him than he’s telling her?

Ella’s world has already turned upside down after moving from England to rural Kansas. She and her sisters were hoping for a more secure future, but instead find that life can be tough when jobs are scarce and the stakes often higher than anticipated.

When events spiral out of Ella’s control, she learns the person she needs to rely on most is herself and her instincts on who to trust in the future.

It’s just that her instincts are screaming at her to trust Adam; it’s what he tells her that makes that a problem.


Review:

Intense, angsty, and fervid!

Trust in You is a taut, menacing tale that takes you on a journey into the life of Ella Peterson, a sweet, naive young woman who after moving to a new country to start afresh inadvertently finds her life turned upside down after the secretive and dangerous Adam Brook enters her life.

The prose is edgy and tight. The characters are troubled, impulsive, and possessive. And the plot is a push-pull tale of life, love, attraction, emotion, familial dynamics, smouldering chemistry, deception, secrets, and violence.

I have to admit that Trust in You captured my attention from the moment I read the synopsis and for the first half of the book I was exceptionally intrigued, and even though I felt the second half dragged a little and had too much repetition it is certainly a solid debut for Firlotte, and I look forward to reading what she comes up with next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

 

 

Thank you to Julia Firlotte for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Julia Firlotte

Julia is an avid reader of all things romance, and she has read hundreds of books across a variety of sub-genres and began writing her own novels in 2018. Four books are currently in various stages of editing and completion, the first of which is finished and will be on sale in spring 2020.

Julia has always been passionate about languages and fiction and has a degree in Languages And Trade and an A-Level in English Literature. When Julia is not writing or editing her own novels, she usually has her nose in books by other authors and is otherwise kept busy caring for her family, going to the gym and carrying out her day job. Julia lives on the South Coast of England with her two children, husband and cats.

 

#BlogTour #BookReview The Cottage on Wildflower Lane by Liz Davies @lizdaviesauthor @rararesources

#BlogTour #BookReview The Cottage on Wildflower Lane by Liz Davies @lizdaviesauthor @rararesources

#BlogTour #BookReview The Cottage on Wildflower Lane by Liz Davies @lizdaviesauthor @rararesources Title: The Cottage on Wildflower Lane

Author: Liz Davies

Published by: Independently Published on Feb. 14, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 209

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Rachel's Random Resources

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Esther’s life isn’t perfect (whose is?) – but she’s happy enough living in her little flat with her boyfriend, Josh.

But that’s about to change.

Bored out of her mind in work, she wishes that something, anything, would happen to liven her life up.

Unfortunately, her wish comes true when Josh calls her from the airport to tell her he’s going to work in a bar in Spain, and she’s not invited, Esther is devastated, and her unhappiness is compounded when she discovers she can actually view the bar via a webcam link and watch him chatting up other girls.

But when she inadvertently clicks on a link to another webcam which shows a pretty cottage and the rather hunky man who lives in it, her interest is piqued and she wishes she could get to know him.

Wishes don’t really come true, though – do they…?


Review:

Sweet, heartwarming, and delightfully charming!

The Cottage on Wildflower Lane is a lighthearted, uplifting tale that takes you into the life of the lovely, heartbroken Esther who after being bamboozled by her boyfriend Josh spends her days going on some uninspiring internet dates, mooning over her ex, scanning online webcams, starting a new job, and lusting over a handsome stranger.

The writing is fluid and crisp. The characters are charismatic, genuine, and endearing. And the plot is an amusing tale full of life, love, heartbreak, friendship, palpable chemistry, humorous moments, witty banter, and dreamy romance.

Overall, The Cottage on Wildflower Lane is a warm, comical, engaging tale by Davies that will make you chuckle, smile, and potentially swoon.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

 

 

Thank you to Liz Davies and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Liz Davies

Liz Davies writes feel-good, light-hearted stories with a hefty dose of romance, a smattering of humour, and a great deal of love.
She’s married to her best friend, has one grown-up daughter, and when she isn’t scribbling away in the notepad she carries with her everywhere (just in case inspiration strikes), you’ll find her searching for that perfect pair of shoes. She loves to cook but isn’t very good at it, and loves to eat - she’s much better at that! Liz also enjoys walking (preferably on the flat), cycling (also on the flat), and lots of sitting around in the garden on warm, sunny days.
She currently lives with her family in Wales, but would ideally love to buy a camper can and travel the world in it.

 

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Glass Half Full (Barflies #2) by Katia Rose @katiaroseauthor @XpressoReads

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Glass Half Full (Barflies #2) by Katia Rose @katiaroseauthor @XpressoReads

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Glass Half Full (Barflies #2) by Katia Rose @katiaroseauthor @XpressoReads Title: Glass Half Full

Author: Katia Rose

Series: Barflies #2

Published by: Independently Published on Jan. 8, 2020

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 315

You win some, you lose some.

Back at home with half a college degree after the fiasco of the century sent her packing, it’s safe to say that Renee Nyobé is losing some. She’s a hot mess, and not the cute kind. No, if hot messes had categories, hers would be ‘littering the stairs of the metro station with your sweaty underwear because you were too busy rushing to the job interview you’re already late for to zip up your yoga bag.’

A job—any job—is just what she needs to get her life back on track, and it might as well be at Montreal’s most famous dive bar, Taverne Toulouse.

Dylan Trottard is winning some. As Taverne Toulouse’s new manager, he’s got one rule for himself: don’t screw up. Following that rule gets a lot harder when the woman he’s spent the past three years trying to forget starts working behind the bar.

They were never supposed to want each other, and they sure as hell aren’t supposed to want each other now. She’s the girl that got away before he even had her, and he’s the guy she didn’t think would ever give her a second glance.

Now they can’t keep their eyes off one another, and the stakes are even higher than before. There’s a lot to lose, but as the pull between them gets harder and harder to ignore, Renee and Dylan start asking how much winning is worth.

Glass Half Full is part of the Barflies series, a set of standalone romantic comedies that chronicle the lives and loves of the staff at a Montreal dive bar.

 

 

 

 

About Katia Rose

Katia Rose is not much of a Pina Colada person, but she does like getting caught in the rain. She prefers her romance served steamy with a side of smart, and is a sucker for quirky characters. A habit of jetting off to distant countries means she’s rarely in one place for very long, but she calls the frigid northland that is Canada home.

 

GIVEAWAY!

$10 Amazon gift card (Blitz-wide International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

XBTBanner1

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Can’t Buy Me Love by Janet Elizabeth Henderson @XpressoReads

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Can't Buy Me Love by Janet Elizabeth Henderson @XpressoReads

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Can’t Buy Me Love by Janet Elizabeth Henderson @XpressoReads Title: Can't Buy Me Love

Author: Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Series: Sinclair Sisters #3

Published by: Independently Published on Dec. 25, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 259

Three awesome series meet in one explosive book!

It turned out hell was a small town in the Scottish Highlands. Oh, sure, the locals called it Invertary, but Agnes Sinclair knew better—the town even had an old woman everyone called Satan. If that wasn’t a sign she was in hell, she didn’t know what was. All Agnes had ever wanted was to get out of Scotland, and now she was stuck there with no escape. And all because of one teeny, tiny incident (he totally deserved it!) that got her blacklisted in the hotel industry. Now, her only career option is managing a hotel owned by a guy who looks like Disco Santa, in a town where everyone marched to their own damn beat. And, as if being trapped in hell wasn’t bad enough, a spate of thefts at the hotel makes the owner call in a member of Benson Security to help her get to the bottom of them. Agnes doesn’t need help. She especially doesn’t need it from a sexy single father whose every breath tempts her to reevaluate what she wants out of life. A man who makes her wonder if Invertary is where she truly belongs.

***This is a full length, standalone romance with an HEA***
**It includes characters from the Invertary (Scottish Highlands) series and the Benson Security Series**
*You don’t need to have read any other books in any series to enjoy this one!*

 

         

 

 

 

About Janet Elizabeth Henderson

Janet is a Scot who moved to New Zealand fifteen years ago. Among other things, she's been an artist, a teacher, a security guard at a castle, a magazine editor, and a cleaner in a drop in center for drug addicts (NOT the best job!). She now writes full-time and is working on her 19th book. Her books have won several awards, including the Daphne du Maurier award for excellence in mystery and suspense. When she isn't living in her head, she raises two kids, one husband, and several random animals. She survives on chocolate and caffeine.

 

GIVEAWAY!

$25 Amazon gift card (Blitz-wide International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

XBTBanner1

#BookReview Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen @ninabocci

#BookReview Moonlighter by Sarina Bowen @SarinaBowen @ninabocci Title: Moonlighter

Author: Sarina Bowen

Series: The Company #1

Published by: Independently Published on Oct. 22, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 370

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: Nina Bocci

Book Rating: 9/10

Only in my family could a professional hockey player earning seven million dollars a year be considered a slacker.

I’m at the height of my athletic career. Yet my arrogant brother is always trying to recruit me into the family business: a global security company so secretive that I don’t even know its name. 

Pass, thanks. I don’t need a summer job. 

But the jerk ambushes me with a damsel in distress. That damsel is Alex, the competitive, sassy girl I knew when we were kids. Now she’s a drop-dead gorgeous woman in deep trouble.

So guess who’s on a flight to Hawaii?

It’s going to be a long week in paradise. My job is keeping Alex safe, while her job is torturing me with her tiny bikinis. Or maybe we’re torturing each other. It’s all snark and flirting until the threat against Alex gets serious. And this jock must become her major league protector. 

Moonlighter is a stand-alone novel. No cliffhangers, no prior experience necessary. Contains: hackers, hockey players, and a hotel room with only one bed.  


Review:

Humorous, romantic, and suspenseful!

Moonlighter is a smart, seductive tale that features the cocky, handsome, hockey player Eric who reluctantly turns amateur protector for an old friend, and the driven, independent Alex whose new tech project has suddenly made her a large target for hackers worldwide.

The prose is witty and light. The characters are spirited, amusing, and lovable. And the plot is an entertaining combination of family, friendship, temptation, desire, sizzling chemistry, palpable attraction, sexy times, and a sliver of danger.

Overall, Moonlighter is a fresh, fun, steamy start for this new series by Bowen that will not only please fans of her previous Brooklyn Bruisers novels, but will also warm the heart, have you laughing out loud, and will without a doubt leave you eager for more.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                                       

 

 

 

Thank you to Sarina Bowen and Nina Bocci for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarina Bowen

Sarina Bowen is the RITA® Award winning author of over two dozen contemporary and LGTB romance novels. She most recently hit the USA Today bestseller's list in February, with Brooklynaire. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.

Sarina Bowen is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. On a few wooded acres, she lives with her husband, two boys, and an ungodly amount of ski and hockey gear.

Sarina's books are published in a dozen languages on four continents. In 2016, The Romance Writers of America honored HIM by Sarina Bowen & Elle Kennedy with a RITA award for Best Contemporary Romance, Mid-Length.

 

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Summer Bucket List by T.K. Rapp @TKAM78 @XpressoReads

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Summer Bucket List by T.K. Rapp @TKAM78 @XpressoReads

#BookBlitz #Giveaway Summer Bucket List by T.K. Rapp @TKAM78 @XpressoReads Title: Summer Bucket List

Author: T.K. Rapp

Published by: Independently Published on Jul. 15, 2019

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 221

Recently graduated from high school, Holland Monroe had no expectations for her last summer before heading off to college to be anything but ordinary.
 
Until she got a job as a waitress at the local country club to make extra money for school.
 
Milo Davis was smart, cute, and absolutely not interested in Holland. At least that was what she believed. But the day she started working at the restaurant, everything changed.
 
Finally together, they were left with only three months to spend time together before she moved away.
 
Good thing they decided to make their time as memorable as possible.
 
But will they remain friends? Or will checking off items on their summer bucket list lead them to something they didn’t expect — Falling in love.
 

Goodreads/Amazon/B&N/iBooks/Kobo

 

EXCERPT:

“Have you ever gone swimming at night?” he asked.

Slowly I shook my head and looked over at him. All my fears, real and completely irrational, were beginning to choke me.

“No.” It was the only thing I was able to eke out.

“You don’t like it,” he questioned, but it was more of an observation.

“I’m terrified,” I admitted.

“But you can swim, right?”

I laughed, thankful he had lightened the mood. I nodded and turned my attention toward the dark abyss in front of me.

“What scares you?”

“Whatever might be in the water. Like the Loch Ness Monster.”

Milo laughed and reached for my hand. “Not real.”

“I know that,” I scoffed. “Doesn’t make me any less scared.”

“I’ll protect you.”

Milo opened his door, and reluctantly I opened my own. As I stepped out of the car I felt the fear travel up my spine, but I wanted to overcome it. He stood at the front of his car and waited for me to join him. Every step I took toward Milo felt heavier than the last until I finally reached him. He took my hand in his and carried a large backpack over his other shoulder.

“What’s the bag for? Are you going to kill me?”

Milo threw his head back and laughed hard. “You’re awesome. And no. It’s towels and some snacks.”

“Why night swimming? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Well yeah…that’s why it’s the perfect date,” he answered.

My stomach flipped, and not because he was holding my hand. I found my nerves were working overtime and a flood of possibilities came to mind.

“Doesn’t sound so perfect.”

“Trust me,” he said as we continued to walk.

When we got to the shore, the water looked like glass, barely a breeze to make the surface move. Milo spread out a large blanket and set the backpack on top of it while I looked out at the horizon. In the distance, I could see the lights shining from homes across the way. The lake had few public spots that were accessible, and the park always closed at ten. I glanced at my watch and sighed because it was only eight. We had plenty of time to drown before anyone found us.

Milo pulled off his T-shirt and tossed it to the side by the bag. I tried not to look, but when I was caught staring at his stomach, I was thankful for the moonlit darkness.

“Are you going to get in?” he asked.

“I’m not sure.”

I figured he would be frustrated or that he would sulk because I didn’t jump at the chance to go with him. Instead, he walked over and kissed my cheek before walking toward the water.

As he took his first steps into the inky darkness, I watched his figure, admiring the way the moon illuminated his physique. Milo was not one to show off the muscles that he wore beneath his clothing, but they were on full display for me. I wanted so badly to follow him and let go of my fears, but all I could think of were the wild creatures that I saw in movies.

“It’s a little chilly,” he said as he stood waist deep, looking back at me.

“Not helping,” I laughed.

“Not trying to,” he answered with a chuckle.

I grabbed one of the towels that he had set out and opened it up so I could sit down. The warm air covered my body and I started to sweat. Maybe I was sweating because I was nervous, but whatever the reason I began to grow increasingly warm. Milo was still walking deeper into the water when I took off my cover-up, revealing my black bikini.

“Grow up,” I muttered to myself, hoping to gain some courage.

“How you doin’ over there?” Milo asked from the water.

“Great,” I said unconvincingly before laughing softly. “How ‘bout you?”

“Not too bad.”

His body disappeared beneath the water and I watched, waiting for him to come to the surface. When he didn’t come up right away, I sat up a little taller to see if there were any ripples in the water. Panic began to course through my veins and I started to get up as I searched for him in the darkness.

“Milo?” I called out, trying to contain my fear.

I walked toward the shoreline, the water lapping at my feet. Just as I started to take a step in, he surfaced with a loud splash.

 

About T.K. Rapp

T.K. Rapp is a Texas girl born and raised. She earned a B.A. in Journalism from Texas A&M and it was there that she met the love of her life. He had a contract with the U.S. Navy that would take them across both coasts, and ultimately land them back home in Texas.

Upon finally settling in Texas, T.K. worked as a graphic designer and photographer for the family business that her mom started years earlier. She was able to infuse her creativity and passion, into something she enjoyed, but something was still missing. There was a voice in the back of her head that told her to write, so write, she did. And, somewhere on an external hard drive, are several stories she started and never finished.

Now at home, raising her two daughters, T.K. has more time to do the things she loves, which includes photography and writing. When she's not doing one of those, she can be found with her family, which keeps her busy, hanging with family and friends, and mostly relaxing. She is a lover of raunchy humor, gossip blogs and a good books.

 

GIVEAWAY!

$25 Amazon gift card + signed copy of Summer Bucket List 

(Blitz-wide, International)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

XBTBanner1