G'day, ,

You may want to grab a beverage and get comfortable because I have so much to share with you.

Life has been busy between work, family, and writing.

Mom's condition has deteriorated drastically over the last several months. Dementia is a vicious beast, stealing the last pieces of her cognition. She doesn't even realize she's living in her own home these days and constantly wants to leave before the home owners return and find her in their house. Her lucid moments are becoming fewer and fewer, so more of my time is being spent supporting her.

With everything I need to do, I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed. I'm sure you can relate to how that feels. My problem is that when I feel overwhelmed, I tend to become LESS productive, which doesn't help me at all.

If you have any tips or tricks to deal with this, I'd love to know them.

But, I'm still finding time to write and do all the author-y things that need to be done. In fact, I've dedicated some of my time over the last couple of weeks preparing for the one-year anniversary of our CINNAMON ROLL BOOK BOYFRIENDS Facebook group.

I've been busy working behind the scenes to give the group a fresh new look, as well as working with the rest of the admin team to develop some brand new ideas to share with you. We've also welcomed new members to our admin team and I'm really excited for you to meet them over the coming month.

We're busy getting ready to celebrate our FIRST BIRTHDAY on JUNE 9 with a HUGE party, and YOU'RE INVITED. There'll be heaps of games and you'll have the chance to WIN some fabulous prizes.

If you're not already a member, you can join by clicking the link above in bold, red text or scroll to the bottom of this email to click on the image for the group. Make sure you answer the questions and get ready to party!

I'd love to see you there.

The Trouble with Bad Boys is LIVE!

After months of teasing, it’s time to meet Lincoln, Sophie, and James in Wicked Kisses.

I hope you love them as much as I do.

The Trouble with Bad Boys contains 12 brand-new stories and will ONLY be available for the month of JUNE, so grab your copy and support a worthy charity before it’s gone forever.

I want my copy!

A little tease …

Fuck.

Me.

She looks damn edible.

Sophie struts in wearing a short plaid pleated skirt and knee-high Dr. Martens that leave her gorgeous thighs bare and I’m sure that when she sits, it will ride up and expose the tattoo wrapped around her left thigh. A cropped T-shirt exposing her midriff completes her outfit, and when she reaches up, she’ll reveal the bottom of the tattoo I know to be there. I love that I know she has those tattoos—it’s both intimate and torturous.

I drop my head back on my shoulders with a pained groan.

Did I tell you Shortcake’s been torturing me non-stop?

She arrives every day looking sexier than the last. She’s everywhere I turn with her seductive smile, and I swear she finds any excuse to touch me. I have no idea how I’m supposed to keep resisting her. Especially today. ~ Lincoln Kingsley

How will he ever resist her?

💜WHAT TO EXPECT💜

Wicked Kisses | Monday Knights — Novella Two

✔️workplace—boss/employee

✔️age gap (12 years)

✔️misunderstood cinnamon roll Hero

✔️unimaginable loss

✔️he falls first

✔️single mom

✔️inexperienced heroine

✔️scarred heroine

✔️a woman following her dreams

✔️no third-act breakup

✔️🌶️🌶️🌶️

✔️HEA

I can't believe it’s time to give you a new reading tracker already. I keep saying it: the year is flying by so fast.

I finished the Penelope Sky Buttons series. Phew. That was a commitment ... so many books! The series follows the Barsetti family, starting with Crow Barsetti, then we meet his brother, Cane, followed by their four kids: Conway, Vanessa, Carter, and Carmen. There’s a tonne of alpha possessiveness, underworld shenanigans, human trafficking, and schmexy times (of course)!

I was also honoured to receive an ARC of Alexis Maree's latest offering, Kings of Hell—Harkyn. A demon who really does have the softest heart hidden beneath his hardened exterior and a witch who is just the right amount of sassy! It was definitely my favourite read and I can't wait for the rest of this series to unfold. You really should grab this series.

Lastly, another favourite was Molly McLain's latest release, Measure of a Man. Now you know what a sucker I am for cinnamon rolls and this guy is all the cinnamon-y roll goodness that I love!

How was your reading month?

You’ll be happy to know that I’m just past the halfway mark for Hope and Ben’s story. I found this image online that I think represents them perfectly. Though, to be fair, Ben has hair and Hope has long, honey-coloured, curly hair. But you get the idea. 😉

Here’s a little snippet just for you (of course, this is unedited and subject to change, so please don’t share.) …

“Anniversaries are tough. I’m glad to hear he’s doing better, and that he was looking forward to today. Sometimes you just need something to look forward to.” I tear my gaze away from her. “And how have you been?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the shift of her shoulder. “As good as can be expected, I guess. I … uh … haven’t coped the best with losing my husband. I’ve let Evan down and I promised myself and him I would do better. I think the gas station thing woke me up a little. He deserves a mom who’s more emotionally stable and engaged. Not someone who’s just going through the motions.”

I rub my hand over the top of my hair. “Grief is tough and unpredictable. I’m sure you’ve been doing your best.” Dropping my hand to the back of my neck, I squeeze, tearing my eyes away from her. “Does Evan have a male in his life he can go to?” Yeah, I know I’m fishing for information. Sue me.

Her pup climbs to his feet and runs off to join the others. “He has a few … my dad, Wyatt’s dad, and Shane, Wyatt’s best friend. Although, Shane doesn’t come around so much because I asked him to give us some space. I felt like I was relying on him too much and holding him back from his own life. He carries a lot of guilt and I didn’t want him watching over us out of obligation.”

Interesting. Maybe he wasn’t watching over them out of obligation, but attraction. I can certainly relate to that; Hope is a beautiful woman. Part of me settles at the idea that she has people she can rely on, while another, more selfish part wants her to grow to rely on me. I want to be that person for her and Evan. I shake my head and snap my thoughts away from that archaic nonsense. Mom would slap me up the back of the head as she preached to me about how strong women are in the face of adversity. “Why does he feel guilty?”

Silence ensues and worry worms its way through my gut that I’ve pushed her too far, too soon. She doesn’t know me. “He survived the blast that killed Wyatt. He didn’t come out unscathed, but he felt he should have been the one to die so Wyatt could come back to us.” Keeping her eyes downcast, she plucks at the grass. The desire to drag her into my lap and wrap my arms around her is strong, so I pluck at the grass in front of me, too.

Fuck. That’s heavy. “I can’t imagine …”—I look off into the distance—“can’t fathom the pain he experienced to feel that way.”

She sighs heavily. “Yeah. He’s a really great guy and has been so good to me and Evan. I just want him to be happy. I want Evan to be happy too, you know.”

“What about you?” The words escape my mouth before my brain can engage to stop them.

Her eyes dart up to me, brows dipping low. “What do you mean?”

I stop plucking the grass and lock my eyes with hers, gray to aquamarine. “What about your happiness?”

“I’m happy when Evan’s happy.” Her lips tip up a little. “He’s happy today. Happier than I’ve seen him in ages and that makes me happy.” She steals her eyes away and murmurs, “I had my turn at happiness.” She shrugs carelessly, like she didn’t just shatter my heart into fragments that I’m not sure I’ll be able to put back together. “It’s their turn now.”

“Why does it have to be your turn or their turn? Why can’t you all be happy?” I need to understand.

Her shoulders push back, and I watch her as she steels her spine. Her eyes find mine and lock me in place. “Have you ever promised someone forever, Ben?” She doesn’t stop so I can respond; she pushes on. “Because I did. And even though he’s not here to hold up his end of our promise, I am. Every day for the rest of my life, I will keep my promise to love him. It’s not easy when I miss him with every fiber of my being, but a promise is a promise.” I swallow, absorbing her pain and loss. “Happiness is scarce when your hopes and dreams are stolen abruptly with no time to prepare or come up with contingency plans. My life is no longer how I want it to be. My plans … destroyed. Devastation resides in its place. Happiness can’t survive in that environment.” ~ Benjamin Taylor

You’re going to need tissues for this one, but I promise to make you all better by the end of their story.

I love to support other authors, so please click to learn more.

An age gap, small town romance with a curvy heroine and a grumpy protective hero.

Grab it here: https://books2read.com/BBBbook1

Getting girls has always been easy. Finding one he wanted to keep? Not so much, until now.

A friends-to-lovers baseball romance.

Grab it here: http://www.books2read.com/hittingthegap

A contemporary billionaire romance with dark themes.

Expect angst, steam, and a morally grey hero.

Grab it here: https://books2read.com/ta-1/

Molly O'Connor's debut.

Every second I’m with him is spent either being pampered and spoiled, or showered with pleasure until I scream his name. (Sounds good to me ;) )

Grab it here: https://books2read.com/themusicinme

If you'd like somewhere to hang out and talk about my books, come and join my Facebook Group, Deb's Bibliomaniacs. Be sure to answer all the questions because I'd love to see you there. Just click on the image below. ⤵️

OR

If you'd like to join a reader group that focuses solely on Cinnamon Roll Heroes, come and join Cinnamon Roll Book Boyfriends. Be sure to answer all the questions. Just click on the image below. ⤵️

Happy reading until next time,