Howdy!

Buckle up, y'all, I'm feelin' chatty today!

It's only been two weeks since Jeremy's first book, Four Letter Feelings went live, and to be honest, my feet haven't touched the ground. I'm blown away by the love and feedback for Jeremy's first book. This week, today in fact, I just finished writing up the last scene in Jeremy's second book Let Me Love You. It's officially ready to go to the editor and get the once-over. It won't be out until December though, so don't get too excited.

In the mean time, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite reviews ever, in case you're new-to-me and are on the fence about reading Four Letter Feelings...

"This book gave me ALL the four letter feelings. I had tears! That’s right people I cried. This rounds out five books in my lifetime of reading that have made me cry. I had love, soul, grit, and so much more.

Jeremy’s story covers so much. I cannot fathom the gumption it took this author to write such a piece that moves you to your core. It is a raw telling of life’s ugly realities and beautiful hidden gems. This book is so much more than a romance book. There is some romance in here but it is a multitude of things above this genre. We are on Jeremy’s life journey with him. We see him at his weakest and are hoping he will end at his highest. I say hoping because this is a cliffhanger. We are left wanting more and desperate to root for the underdog to come out on top.

Lasairiona wrote from a male POV flawlessly IMO. She grasped their feelings, demeanor, and attitude. I was fully submerged into Jeremy’s life and what a roller coaster ride.

If you are looking for a phenomenal read with passion and all consuming life lessons then check this story out. The plot line flowed, the subplots went well with the story and weren’t frivolous. The characters are well developed and multidimensional.

This reader gladly gives five pointe shoes and a standing ovation for this read. It has made the list as a top read of 2020 for me. It is also the first book in 2020 to make me cry so brava Lasairiona brava.

What a review, eh? I am THRILLED! If you're curious about the book, you can snag it here, it's free to read in KU, too.

In other news... How is everyone doing?

I went out last week, it was Thursday and only cause the weather was good. My weekly breakfast with my bestie Heather has become 'whenever it's not pissing down and Baltic outside' so we can sit in her garden with our hoodies and to-go breakfast and keep each other sane for an hour. Who knew there'd come a time when washing your hair and putting a bra on would feel like going to a gala ball?

Sigh.

I want to be peppy, y'all, I really do. But the truth is, this week I'm salty AF. My three-week-late (2020 stress) period is kicking my ass and my country is about to go into second lockdown. They're calling it a 'circuit breaker', but if it looks like a turd and smells like a turd... right?

I've been one of those people who have done everything right since day one. We've followed every guideline to the letter. My husband is a vulnerable person with diminished lung capacity (a combination of asthma and a spontaneously collapsed lung when he was twenty-one) and if he got this virus, I have no doubt he'd very likely need a ventilator. So, we're still living in our wee bubble, only going out when necessary (click-and-collect groceries and the post office once every two weeks), I'm changing my kid's school uniform every day, we're carrying twelve things into school every day because we aren't allowed a school bag, I'm not going in to friend's or family's houses, I'm doing everything I'm supposed to. The masks, the sanitizer, the handwashing, the distancing - I'm doing it all.

And effing I'm over it.

This week I'm jealous of those who have just said 'screw it' and done their own thing. I'm jealous of folk who have gone on holiday, or had parties in their houses or been out at the bars. Why? Because we're staring down another lockdown and I'm big mad. I'm worried about my six-year-old's mental health, but I'm also worried about my own. A second lockdown might, in fact, break me and all because other people got bored or thwarted the rules and our number of cases has exploded worse than before.

Again I say: sigh.

It's not often I vent in my newsletter, but I know I'm not the only one feeling kinda blue right now, so I wanted to lay it out there for everyone to see, and to say if you're feeling this too, you're not alone. I know things will get better and I know I'm stronger than I believe, just as you are, too.

Don't give up.

I know how hard it is to resist doing something reckless and carefree, but we've come this far and we can keep going, right?

Right.

Just to ensure this newsletter isn't a ball of misery delivered directly into your inbox, I'm gonna share chapter one of Four Letter Feelings below. I hope y'all like it. Also, don't forget to check out the recommended reads section - especially if you have Kindle Unlimited, there's a ton of books that can be found here which are free on KU!

Until next time, stay safe!

Chapter 1

“Do you mind if I sit here?”

A weary voice disrupted his thoughts. Jeremy slowly pulled his gaze from his phone and gave a quick glance around before settling on the owner of the voice. The game hadn’t started yet, and while Huntsville Alabama wasn’t exactly the hockey capital of the universe, Jeremy was surprised at just how many people had crammed themselves into Buffalo Wild Wings for a Thursday night this early in the sporting season.

There must be another game on tonight, there’s no way everyone is here for hockey – even if it is the season opener!

“Sure,” he answered, gesturing a dismissive hand toward the empty seat facing him. “Go ahead.”

Turning his attention back to Tinder, Jeremy’s stomach grumbled loudly and he wondered just how long he was going to have to wait for his food to appear.

“Thanks, man.” The stranger sounded grateful as he pulled the stool back and sat down, placing his table number next to Jeremy’s. He let out an exhausted sigh. “It’s the only empty seat in the house; must be a baseball game on or something.”

“Season finished last week,” Jeremy replied, not lifting his eyes from his screen. “Basketball, probably.”

“Lil early, no? It’s only the 5^th.”

“Pre-season.”

“Ah, my bad. Still a big crowd though, maybe I missed a Freshers’ memo,” he mused as he scanned the busy restaurant.

Jeremy shrugged and hoped that was the end of the polite chit-chat. He was here to eat chicken, wash it down with a few beers while watching the game, and that was it. He’d caught a glimpse of a few beautiful women congregating at the bar, though, and the stirring in his pants reminded him it had been way too long since he got laid.

Like two weeks too long.

The unsolicited guest fell silent and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Excellent.

Jeremy’s food arrived just as the anthems finished. The teams were settling in for the opening face-off and he realized that his table buddy was there for the hockey game as well. There were TV screens of varying sizes dotted around and there was a different sport showing on each. The guy sitting across from him had angled his chair so he could better see the large screen Jeremy was settled in to watch too. Jeremy smiled to himself as he wondered whether the stranger, who was also wearing his ball-cap on back to front, was cheering for Jeremy’s beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, or the Buffalo Sabres. As the server placed the baskets of steaming food on the table in front of him, he noted the visitor’s eyebrows rise in surprise, probably at the sheer volume of food Jeremy had ordered.

“That’s a lot of chicken,” he commented, with a smile and a disbelieving shake of his head before returning his attention to the game which had finally started.

“I have no shame, man. I’m famished, feel free to help yourself until your food arrives, though,” he offered, with a tilt of his chin toward the table. He found he had to almost shout to be heard over the busy bustle of the sports bar.

What the fuck? Why would you even offer that? You hate sharing your food at the best of times, never mind with a complete stranger!

Stunned at his own offer, Jeremy watched as the stranger cocked his head with a knowing smirk and he wondered if his face was betraying his horror at having made such a crazy offer.

“It’s ok, thanks. I’ll wait.”

“Nah, for real, go ahead. There’s obviously plenty for both of us,” he insisted, feeling a flush creep up his spine. “I mean it.” He was trying to sound genuine but from the look of uncertainty on the visitor’s face, Jeremy was pretty sure he was quickly regretting having sat next to the weirdo with too much chicken. He momentarily wondered if he was giving off ‘murderous don’t-touch-my-chicken vibes.’

“AJ,” the stranger smiled and reached his hand across the baskets of food scattered across the table between them.

Jeremy eyed the outstretched hand with curiosity.

“Well, I kinda figure if I’m gonna eat another man’s chicken wings, I should probably introduce myself first, y’know?” AJ gave Jeremy a lopsided grin.

“Oh! Right, yeah. Don’t take another man’s meat if you aren’t on first name terms – that’s a good rule of thumb, or… eh, wing I guess,” he nodded towards the food with an exaggerated wink as he closed his hand around AJ’s and shook. “Jeremy,” he paused. “Jeremy Lewis.”

“Ah the adventurer has returned!” AJ announced, as he let go of Jeremy’s hand and proceeded to help himself to a chicken wing.

“Uhm… what?” Jeremy paused; chicken wing in hand.

“The hockey team met with the coach a couple days ago, he said our golden boy, ‘hotshot’ hadn’t yet returned from a year abroad and would be a little late to the party.”

As he spoke, Jeremy could have sworn he picked up a slight Canadian lilt to the man’s accent, but considering how bad he was at placing accents, he could as easily have been from Minnesota. He dismissed the thought as a desperate pang of homesickness making him hear things he wanted to hear rather than what was actually said.

Hot shot, eh? What the hell else did Coach tell you guys in my absence?

“Ah, yeah. I got back late last night. I figured nothing really happens during the first week of term anyway.”

“You rebel, you!” AJ barely looked up as he picked up his third wing and started to pull the meat from the bone with his teeth. “Year out, eh? Where’d you go?”

“Europe,” he answered, curtly.

And please just let that conversation die right now ʼcause I don’t want to talk about why I took a year out right now, thank you very much.

When AJ seemed to take the hint and didn’t reply, Jeremy took a bite. “Fuck.” He closed his eyes for a minute and savored the experience. “And damn did I miss chicken wings.”

“Not just wings, man.” Jeremy opened his eyes in time to see that AJ was very clearly amused at how close Jeremy’s experience with the wings seemed to come to being spiritual. “Bdubs,” he waved a wing in a small flourish as if for effect.

“Damn straight.”

He polished off a few more wings as the men watched the game together in contented silence – or rather as silent as anyone could manage while surrounded by newbie college students getting very quickly drunk. The server brought AJ his food and another round of beer for the both of them. The huge and noisy crowd that had overwhelmed the place began to dissipate before either spoke again.

Guess they weren’t here for a game after all, then.

“So, you’re on the team too, eh?” he gestured at AJ with a half-eaten wing.

“Yeah.” AJ nodded, as he plowed through the mountain of food on the table between them. “I’m ‘The Muscle’.” He used his barbecue sauce covered fingers to air quote his title and flexed his bicep before throwing an eye roll and turning his attention back to the food.

“Ah, you don’t seem nearly assholey enough to be, well, an asshole.”

“Thanks, I think. Though I don’t need to be an asshole, until I need to be an asshole, y’know?”

Jeremy nodded and glanced at the TV in time to see the Sabres get their second goal of the game so far. He cursed, loudly. The second period had just started and they’d scored in less than a minute.

AJ chuckled and shook his head. “We have no hope.”

“Keep the faith, man,” Jeremy insisted.

AJ looked at him as though he’d lost his mind and shrugged as he ate another wing. Without taking his eyes off the screen, AJ asked, “So, which part of Canada are you from, Jer?”

“What makes you think I’m not from right here in the beautiful south?” Jeremy added a deliberately thick southern twang to his question while side-eying his new teammate.

“Dude, c’mon. I spent most of my childhood up north; I know a Canuck when I see one. Bet you’ve even got a flask of maple syrup strapped to your ankle and everything,” AJ joked, pausing from the diminishing pile of chicken wings to take a pull of his beer and sliding back against his chair.

Ah ha! I was right!  

“West Lorne, Ontario. You?”

“Born right here in Huntsvegas, but we moved up to Toronto when I was a baby.”

Jeremy nodded. “What brought you back to the deep south for college?”

AJ shrugged and tugged at the label on his beer. “Seemed like a good idea at the time. You?”

“Same.”

It’s pretty much as far away from home as I could get.

Home.

A pang of homesickness struck in his chest, and pushing it down quickly, he turned his attention back to the game. Realizing AJ’s gaze was still on him Jeremy glanced back across the table.

“What?” he asked, shortly.

“Nothin’.”

AJ held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. “Family trouble.” It was a statement rather than a question, but it still managed to ignite something within Jeremy.

“What?” Jeremy demanded again, feeling his anger bubbling not too far beneath the surface.

Jesus, Jer. Calm the fuck down, the guy’s just making polite conversation.

“Well,” AJ paused, flexing his jaw, clearly reconsidering his decision to bring up the conversation. “Things with my dad were getting tense up north. He was getting on my case about what I was going to do with my life and what he thought I should be doing with my life. I just couldn’t take the pressure anymore; I needed space.”

“So you said, ‘Fuck you, Dad. I’m moving to the heart of the south and as far away from you as I can get without buying a sombrero and learning another language.’ I getcha.” Jeremy nodded thoughtfully, recalling similar conversations with his own father.

“Pretty much,” AJ smirked. “He was big mad at first, especially when I told him I was going to do a sports management degree and play hockey. He came pretty close to cutting me off. Mom talked him down, though. In the end he kinda threw his hands up and said ‘learn your own damn mistakes’, which is pretty much all I wanted in the first place.”

“Except now you’re in Alabama.”

“Yeah, except that.”

Jeremy picked up his bottle and raised it. “To the heart of the south.” He grinned. “And epic fucking chicken wings.”

AJ clinked his bottle and glanced back to the TV, grimacing. “And to loving a team that’s never gonna win shit, but we love them anyway.”

“Woah, woah, woah, there. Dude.” Jeremy took a gulp of beer and put the bottle on the table with more force than he intended. “The season has barely started; you gotta have faith, playa!”

Jeremy winced as the Sabres scored their third goal of the game and AJ grinned. “Seems like what we ‘gotta have’, Jer, is a mother fuckin’ miracle.”

“Touché!” 

Read on for FREE in Kindle Unlimited, or grab your copy now.

Have you joined my reader group yet? If not, then head over to: Margaritas, Men and Mischief with Lasairiona. As the name suggests, it's a place for my readers to chat about all things romance - with a healthy dose of sarcasm, sharp wit, conversations comprised entirely of GIFs, sneak peeks, giveaways and a plethora of memes. It's one of my absolute favorite places on the internet and I'm really enjoying getting to know readers that bit better over there. Don't be shy - we don't bite... much! Come on over!

Seducing the Star

Maggie Bloom doesn’t know why she’s at this party.

Recently dumped by her serious boyfriend, she would much rather be ringing in the new year at home in her pajamas. If she were cozy and warm on her couch, she wouldn’t have to worry about the dreaded midnight kiss. She has to figure out what to do and time is running out.

Enter Phoenix Westbrook.

He’s sexy, he’s nice… and he’s a porn star? This information may have initially come as a shock, but just makes the idea of kissing him all the more tempting. They make a pact to share a kiss at midnight, with no strings attached.

They didn’t count on the kiss leading to more.

Stealing Home

Going home is rarely a good idea, until you discover what home really means.

After the disaster of Westland’s steroid scandal, Chuck Mathis knows his baseball dreams are kaput; so he decides to focus on his other dream: psychology. He’ll graduate from Westland University, then he’ll leave Madison to earn his master’s and PhD. Nothing is going to stand in his way. Not his overbearing father. Not even baseball.

Except maybe Sophie Tipton.

Chuck decides to work for his father and play on his father’s slow-pitch softball team over the summer. Sophie manages the team. She’s not about to let some college baseball player take over either. And Chuck wants to do more than just play ball with the fiery beauty.

Just as things are falling into place, they start to fall apart. Chuck has to choose between his love of baseball and the girl who has stolen his heart.

Echoes of the Past

When Connor Walsh, a business lawyer in London, receives news that his estranged father is terminally ill, he returns to Fermosa Bay, a little coastal town in Australia. With the memories of his childhood years tucked away in the back of his mind, he finds his father and kindergarten friends rallying around to remind him of the past. But he’s unprepared for the growing attraction he feels for Emily, and it doesn’t take long for Connor to feel regret that his life could have been so much different.

Emily Bradshaw has waited for over twenty years to see Connor again. And although he can’t remember her, let alone their first kiss, her childhood crush is still in full swing. Eager to pick up where they left off as children, she’s determined to enjoy the short time he is in Fermosa Bay, accepting her heart will break when he returns to his life in London.

Will the echoes of the past lure him into staying in Fermosa Bay?

Look after you

In Tuscan Italy, Bruno Rossi works day after day on the Finley's vineyard. He lives with his younger brother and his grandfather. Their small land borders the Moretti's property, causing strife between both families for years.

Tired of the constant attacks by the Morretti's, Bruno finds himself at a breaking point until a beautiful young woman restores joy to his bland life.

She has no memory of where she came from, but when Bruno decides to look after her, little does he know there would be great consequences.