New Release: TOPPED by Charlie Novak

 

TOPPED

Charlie Novak

Release Date: September 3 

Meet Charlie Novak:

Charlie lives in England with her husband and two cheeky dogs. She spends most of her days wrangling other people’s words in her day job and then trying to force her own onto the page in the evening.

She loves cute stories with a healthy dollop of fluff, plenty of delicious sex, and happily ever afters — because the world needs more of them. 

Charlie has very little spare time, but what she does have she fills with baking, Dungeons and Dragons, reading and many other nerdy pursuits. She also thinks that everyone should have at least one favourite dinosaur…

Connect with Charlie Novak:

https://charlienovak.com/

Blurb:

Top It With Cream & Say Please

Having spent the summer antagonising Rupert, the gorgeous sweet shop owner next door, I’m ready to make amends. Unfortunately, he thinks I’m a prick. 

Rupert might be uptight and annoying, but he’s also the most interesting man I’ve ever met, and I’m utterly intrigued by him. When one casual hangout blossoms into friendship, I can’t help feeling I’ve misjudged the man I’ve spent months annoying.

But Rupert guards his heart carefully. He’s convinced nobody wants to be around someone so prickly and sensitive, and refuses to let anyone in.  

I’m not one to back down from a challenge, and I know there’s more to the bright, beautiful man next door than he’s ever let anyone see. It won’t be easy, but I’m determined to show Rupert he’s not the unlovable irritation he believes himself to be. 

In fact, we might just be perfect for each other.

Buy Link:

https://mybook.to/lickitthree 

Available in KU 

I was waiting for book 3 in this lovely Lick It! series. 
Rupert guards his heart and hides his feelings until Milo, who is direct, opens Rupert’s heart. 
Milo and Rupert, both being neurodivergent, had some hurdles to overcome, but as they learned to communicate with each other, a deep love blossomed, and a lot of spicy times occurred. 
Milo always played jokes on Rupert, being the sassy man he was; I knew they would eventually become a couple. 
In the bedroom, Rupert was not the shy man at all, which was such a surprise! 
I absolutely loved this book; this series feels so warm and inviting and very easy to recommend!

REVIEW TOUR - The Challenge by Penelope Ward

 

Title: The Challenge

Author: Penelope Ward

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Single Dad, Second Chance, Forced Proximity

Friends to Lovers, Small Town, Found Family

Release Date: August 30, 2026

BLURB

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward comes a new, STANDALONE contemporary romance…

Nothing says welcome home like accidentally moving in with your first heartbreak…and his little girl.

Coming back to my small Wyoming hometown was supposed to be temporary. I only planned to stay long enough to help my ailing mother and sort through the mess of my family’s old belongings.

Instead, I somehow ended up living in Evan Ricci’s house. The single dad now owned a bunch of properties and one of them was the place I’d rented. He’d taken it off the market and moved in before I got there. I just never got the memo. Unfortunately, there was no other place in town available, so Evan let me stay.

Evan—the guy my parents took in years ago after his mother died.

The same Evan who used to dare me into ridiculous challenges that somehow always made me stronger—a game we’d dubbed The Challenge.

The same guy who ultimately rejected me before I left for college after I’d finally garnered the courage to shoot my shot.

Now Evan was a rugged single dad with an eight-year-old daughter, a cocky attitude, and a dangerous ability to make me forget every reason I should still hate him.

Sharing a house with him should’ve been unbearable. Instead, it felt dangerously familiar, nearly making me forget that I had a life and a job to get back to in Chicago. I realized the biggest challenge wasn’t surviving living with Evan Ricci.

It was not falling in love with him all over again.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

Special release price of $3.99

for a limited time only!

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

DUET AUDIO

SPECIAL EDITION PAPERBACK

A model-cover paperback will be live on release day

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

SINGLE DAD

SMALL TOWN

FRIENDS TO LOVERS

SECOND CHANCE

FORCED PROXIMITY

FOUND FAMILY

Audiobook Review: Wow, what an experience! The narrators, Desiree Ketchum as Chloe and Connor Crais as Evan, are a match made in heaven—absolutely spot-on with their performances! 

This captivating single dad spicy romance is packed with all the feels you could ever want! It’s a stunning second chance love story that had so much drama since they last crossed paths. But let me tell you, their chemistry this time around? Off the charts! 

Effie, Evan’s adorable daughter, is such a thoughtful and sweet character, written with so much love that you can’t help but fall for her! 

And can we talk about Evan’s growl? Pure perfection! This audiobook is simply marvelous—absolutely perfect in every way!

Wow! My heart is overwhelmed. The Challenge is a very heartwarming but also emotional story. Of friendships, family, second chances and a little girl who stole the show!

This book is beautifully written. Its packed with emotions and characters that have some very important life choices to make. 

When Chloe has to return to her hometown for her mothers ailing health, seeing Evan again brings back so many memories!

Realizing that the house she booked for her visit isnt just hers, makes for interesting conversations for sure! 

Needless to say with them both having alot on their proverbial plates and their chemistry still shining through, can they co exist happily, or do past emotions become too difficult!

This book was the highlight of my week and I highly recommend it!

AUTHOR BIO

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

With millions of books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over forty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK GROUP
INSTAGRAM

TIKTOK
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OTHER BOOKS BY PENELOPE WARD

SEE ALL BOOKS HERE

New Release: ROOKIE ATTRACTION by Ava Olsen

 ROOKIE ATTRACTION

Ava Olsen

Release Date: September 2 

Meet Ava Olsen:

Ava Olsen writes steamy and dreamy contemporary romances filled with heartwarming characters, cheeky banter and swoony moments. 

Connect with Ava Olsen:

https://www.instagram.com/avaolsenauthor/ 

Blurb:

Selwin
I planned on coming out in the NHL. I didn't plan on having to switch teams to survive it.

With the New York Rush, keeping my head down should be safe—until rookie defenseman Finn Baran shows up. Finn is talented, determined, impossible to ignore. Every late-night conversation and every stolen glance on the ice pulls me closer to a line I swore I'd never cross.

Falling for my teammate was never part of the playbook.

Finn
After going undrafted, I thought my hockey dreams were over. A last-minute tryout with the Rush gives me one more chance—and puts me face-to-face with Selwin Kirkland, a player I've admired for years.

Our chemistry is undeniable.
The timing couldn't be worse.

As friendship turns into something more, we have to decide if protecting our careers is worth losing the one thing we never saw coming: each other.

Rookie Attraction is a bi awakening, friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort MM hockey romance. Book 1 of the NY Rush series—where love doesn't play by hockey rules.

Buy Link:

https://a.co/d/00ZrPfgW 

Available in KU

RookieAttraction ( NY #1 ) by Ava Olsen a rather lovely friends to lovers story.
Enter Sel a seasoned hockey professional who came out as bi but the horific words said to him got worse he wanted to trade to another team he joins a team in NY.

There he reunites with Finn who he met previously at a summer training camp .
Finn know sometimes as The Rookie became great friends with Sel .
The NY Rush team are mostly a great bunch of guys the exception of one! 
In time their friendship grows into love which is wonderfully written.
Not all embrace a different sexuality and things turn nasty .
Through honesty and respect their journey is hard won but beautiful at the end .
They accomplished such a lot I was very proud of them.

A beautifully written story! 

New Release: JULIAN by Sawyer Bennett & Bill Keenan

 JULIAN 

Sawyer Bennett & Bill Keenan

Release Date: September 1 

Meet Sawyer Bennett:

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Sawyer Bennett uses real life experience to create relatable stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and both women’s and general fiction, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

A former trial lawyer from North Carolina, when she is not bringing fiction to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to her very adorable daughter, as well as full-time servant to her wonderfully naughty dogs.

If you’d like to receive a notification when Sawyer releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter (sawyerbennett.com/signup).

Connect with Sawyer Bennett:

https://geni.us/SawyerBennett

Meet Bill Keenan:

Bill Keenan played hockey at Harvard University from 2005 to 2008 and professionally in Europe from 2009 to 2012. After completing his MBA at Columbia Business School, he worked for two years in Deutsche Bank's investment banking division. He currently serves as COO of Graydon Carter's Air Mail.

Connect with Bill Keenan:

https://www.instagram.com/billkeenanwrites/ 

Blurb:

Julian Langley has everything a man could ever want—a sprawling Manhattan townhouse, a multi-billion-dollar portfolio, and ownership of the New York Vipers, one of the most coveted franchises in professional hockey. What he doesn't have, and will never allow himself, is anyone who matters too much. Carrying a devastating loss that completely reshaped him, Julian has since built his life around the certainty that nothing will ever cost him that dearly again.

Harper Hawthorne isn't looking for a billionaire. She's looking for a way to keep the lights on. Single-handedly holding her world together since she was a teenager, Harper works two jobs, lives in a rent-controlled apartment on the Lower East Side, and sacrifices everything for her younger brother. When an unexpected phone call lands her a chauffeur job behind the wheel of Julian’s car, she takes it for exactly what it is: a paycheck.

Julian notices everything about her. Harper tries not to notice anything about him. What begins as a professional arrangement starts to crack at the edges when Harper proves, repeatedly and effortlessly, that she’s unlike anyone Julian has ever encountered before. She’s too sharp to ignore, too genuine to keep at arm's length, and entirely unimpressed by his world in a way that makes it impossible for him to stop thinking about her.

Julian doesn't do commitment. Harper doesn't believe in fairy tales. But some collisions are inevitable and some people are worth every risk you swore you'd never take again.

Julian is a slow-burn hockey romance about a guarded billionaire, the woman who got under his skin without trying, and the long road back to trusting that a second shot at love is always worth the leap.

Buy Link:

https://geni.us/NYV_Julian

Julian is hands down one of the best books I have read this year! All the stars!! 

I devoured it!! This is an incredibly uplifting, emotional story with characters that really captivated my attention and my heart!

Julian is the owner of the Vipers hockey team and a very successful man! 

Meeting Harper as his personal driver is unexpected and he’s even more intrigued by her mind. 

I genuinely loved both Harper & Julian. 

Harper for her passion, her ability to make the most of her life and the way she cares for those close to her, especially her brother. 

Julian is this force of a man, he is private and knows a good thing when he sees it, however he has struggles too. Can Julian let Harper truly in? 

The way the storyline flows is a testament to the creative minds of both the authors. I love this series and this being the second book blew my mind! I sincerely cannot wait for more!!