Tag: romance novel

My newest romcom was released on July 19th, 2022 and I wanted to share a look inside My Better Life with you.

When East Coast elite and wealthy bachelor Gavin Williams wakes up in a rural West Virginia hospital, he doesn’t remember who he is or where he’s from. His life is full of holes and secrets, desires and dreams, and as Gavin learns more he begins to wonder—will he ever remember? And what happens when he does?

My Better Life is Book 6 in my Soul Mates in Romeo series. 

Check out this look inside My Better Life:

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Look inside My Better Life

I wave my hand in the air, making a chopping motion. “I can’t do it. I’m done. I’m going to tell him everything. I can’t do it.”

It’s late afternoon. I rushed through cleaning houses and called Diedre and Gran so we could have this chat. 

Gran tosses the bean she’s shelling into the bowl. “Now why would you go and do a thing like that?”

Diedre narrows her eyes on me and I flush. “I…uh…well…” 

Gavin’s mouth on mine flashes through my mind, the way he touched me, the way he looked at me, what he said. 

Diedre gasps. “You had sex with him.”

Gran snaps her long, fat shelling bean in half, and I flinch at the violent motion, because if there was ever a woman imagining snapping a man’s willy in half, that was it. 

“Jamie Lynn.”

“I did not!” I deny, but then I go and ruin it because I can feel my face growing hotter. 

Gran shakes her finger at me. “Look at you wiggling like a worm in ashes.”

I hold still and stop shifting my feet on the old tile floor.

Diedre grins. She loves Gran’s old sayings. “Good one, Granny Allwright.”

Granny doesn’t have time for nonsense. “You hush, child. Jamie Lynn, you listen to me.” She points at the pile of shelling beans. “But while you’re listening, shell these. I’ve a truckload of them to get done.” 

I pull out a wooden chair, the one with the old cross-stitched chair pad with a whisk and the phrase “Don’t be afraid to take whisks.” I scowl at it.

I grab a handful of beans and start snapping. “Gran. Diedre. I’m having second thoughts. We thought Gavin was a terrible person, but it turns out, he’s not. He’s really not. I don’t feel right—”

“Listen here,” Gran interrupts. “Did he insult you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Did he sign a contract, have you slave on a project for months, and then renege, taking nine thousand dollars rightly owed to you?”

“I mean, yes, but—”

“And did he cause you to fall and shatter the work you could’ve sold to someone else, robbing you of even that income?”

“Okay, yes, but—”

“And did he then walk out and tell you he would never pay and that your art, your life, and you were ugly and uninspired?”

“But Gran, I don’t think he meant it.”

Gran gives me a pitying look. “He meant it.” 

Diedre sighs. She has a small pile of shells in front of her that she’s shredding into fine strips. By the look of the pile, I don’t think she’s ever shelled a bean in her life. 

“I agree with Granny Allwright. I know a lot about men.” She opens her eyes wide. “A lot. Just the other day, one of those repressed city boys messaged me and…” She looks over at Granny Allwright, then thinks better about what she was about to say. “Well, needless to say, a man never speaks the truth when he’s trying to…err…make whoopie.” 

Gran snaps another shell and I flinch. 

Diedre widens her eyes at me and nods meaningfully. “I can guarantee, if a man is trying to…make whoopie…”

“Diedre, for crying out loud, just say sex. I’m eighty-seven years old. I was doing the deed long before your daddy was even old enough to wank his own stick.” 

Diedre coughs into her hand and I grin at her. Diedre’s dad was a legendary ladies man in his day, and everybody on the mountain knows it.

Finally, Diedre gets her coughing under control. She clears her throat. “That’s all well and good, but my point was, if a man wants to have sex with you, then he’ll say and do anything. If he doesn’t want to have sex with you, his true colors come out. Before Gavin lost his memory, he didn’t want to have sex with you, so he showed his real self. Now, he’s like a bear, chained to a tree, and you’re the only honey pot he can access. Of course he’s going to treat you nice. Of course he’s going to be charming. He’s being nice, right?” She narrows her eyes. 

I nod. “Yeah. Real nice.”

Gran snaps another bean.

Diedre gives a satisfied smile. “I thought so. It’s not that he’s changed. It’s that he thinks you’re the honey pot. Don’t let his charm the honey pot routine distract you from your goal.” 

I look at her forlornly. “What’s my goal again?”

Gran clicks her tongue. “Just desserts, Jamie. Getting what’s coming. And what’s coming is not a biddable wife and dancing in the sheets.”

Diedre coughs. “Uh, thought we were saying sex?” 

I block out the image of Gavin and me rolling on my bed, the sheets wrapped around us. 

“Shush. I’m serious here. Repeat after me.” Gran stares me down like a general preparing her troops for battle.

I nod. “Okay.” 

“Gavin Williams is a no-good, selfish, horrible man.”

I flinch, but say, “Gavin Williams is a no-good, selfish, horrible man.” 

Gran nods. “I will not be swayed by sweet words, handsome looks, or”—she glares—“rampant sex appeal.”

Diedre snorts and covers her mouth with her hand. 

I sigh. “Gran…” 

“Jamie Lynn.” She crosses her bony arms over her chest.

I look up to heaven. She’s right. Diedre’s right. To use a cliché, a leopard can’t change its spots, it can only shave them off, but the fur always grows back. Gavin might seem different, but he’s only being nice because he thinks I’m the honey pot. He’s still the same man underneath. 

I firm my jaw and look at Gran and Diedre. 

“Okay.” I nod. My resolve is back. “I will not be swayed by sweet words, handsome looks, or rampant sex appeal.” 

Diedre grins at me. “There’s my best friend. Go get ’em, tiger.”

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Did you love this look inside My Better Life?

Order your copy

to find out what happens today!

My newest romcom is coming out July 19th, 2022 and I wanted to share a sneak peek of My Better Life with you.

When East Coast elite and wealthy bachelor Gavin Williams wakes up in a rural West Virginia hospital, he doesn’t remember who he is or where he’s from. His life is full of holes and secrets, desires and dreams, and as Gavin learns more he begins to wonder—will he ever remember? And what happens when he does?

My Better Life is Book 6 in my Soul Mates in Romeo series. 

Check out this sneak peek of My Better Life:

---

Sneak peek of My Better Life

“Who the devil are you?”

When Gavin was sad and pleading, like Elijah when he begs to go out and play baseball instead of doing his homework, I sorta felt sorry for him. But now, he’s looking at me like I’m a diseased rat that somehow, incomprehensibly ended up in his pristine world, and all my feeling sorry evaporates.

I stiffen, because honestly, I do have some pride.

“You have two seconds to answer me, or I’m calling the police.”

Not for nothing, but “the police” is Daryl Jones, my second cousin. That’s not going to help Gavin. All it’ll do is embarrass me. Daryl will get a good laugh out of this.

Gavin pulls a phone out of his pocket and holds it up threateningly.

“Tell me your name and what you’re doing lurking in my home.”

Slowly, I stand. I don’t want to startle him after all. When I do, he gets a good look at my dirty overalls, my roughed up boots, and my frizzy hair. His eyes widen and his nostrils flare. I get the impression he just got his first whiff of ol’ Billy.

I really should’ve taken a shower.

I would’ve if I’d known this was going to happen.

“My word, she’s a squatter. I’ve got a squatter in my home.” His jaw hardens and he thrusts his hand toward the open door. “Out. Get out.” He motions at me like I’m some mangy stray.

“Hey!” I put my hand on my hips. “I’m not a squatter. I’m Jamie Sutton.”

He stares at me, his expression uncomprehending. “What did you say?”

I blow out a long breath, the hot air stirring the hair sticking out from my braid.

“I said,” I annunciate and talk real slow for him, “I’m not a squatter. I’m Jamie Sutton.”

He shakes his head like he still doesn’t understand and then he takes slow, careful steps toward me, like he expects some loony behavior on my part. When he’s only a few feet away, he wrinkles his nose and looks at me with utter distaste.

“I don’t know what jammy sudden is, but I want you to remove your person from my home.”

Oh lordy. He can’t understand plain English.

“Jamie Sutton,” I say slowly pointing at myself.

He stares at me, uncomprehending. No wonder the fairy princess left him. He’s gorgeous, but his head is full of rocks. And he has a temper. I know it, because he steps forward and grabs my arm, his fingers hot and calloused.

“That’s it. If you won’t get out, I’ll take you out.”

He drags me toward the front door. It’s funny, a second ago, I would’ve loved to go out a door, now I don’t want anywhere near one. I dig in my heels and tug in the opposite direction. But he’s strong. Real strong.

“Hang on!” I shout, starting to put up a fight like ol’ Billy. “What’s wrong with you? You gave me the code to your place. I’m dropping off my work. Hello. I’m Jamie Sutton. The glassblower. Jeez Louise, you’re yanking me like Granny pulling up a radish on a Sunday. Let go!”

He’s having none of it.

“Unbelievable. I can’t understand a word she utters,” Gavin says in a completely dumbfounded voice.

I step on his foot. Hard.

“Let go! Understand that!”

He stops tugging me. We’re a few feet from the door. I’m panting hard, and I bet anything, that my face is redder than molten glass. Worse, even though I’m infuriated, him holding onto me is sending an SOS through my insides. The message travels up my arm, down my chest, and all over my body, telling me that all that heat I’m feeling means it’s time to strip down naked and cool off the old-fashioned way.

For crying out loud.

Gavin leans forward, towering over me, and brings his face close to mine. I can feel the warmth of him and I can smell the cologne he wears. It’s like fresh air, strength and vitality. Or maybe that’s just him.

My breath comes in short, painful pants, and my heart drums in my ears. In all this mess, I’ve nearly forgotten what I’m here for.

My work.

To get paid.

To start a new life where I can stop working three jobs and start giving the kids all the things I’ve always wanted to.

“Why’d you do that?” Gavin asks between clenched teeth. He jerks his head toward his foot. Apparently, it hurt when I slammed my boot down on his toes.

I try to jerk my arm free, but he keeps ahold of me. I glare at him. Now I know exactly how Billy feels when I trap his wings.

“Because. You won’t let go.” I say it real slow so the words can get through his thick skull.

He frowns and then releases my arm. My brain likes that, but my body doesn’t. It wants that SOS, and my skin still tingles where he was touching me.

Gavin clears his throat and rubs at his nose. Yeah, yeah, I smell bad. Deal with it.

It’s time to take charge. I stand as tall as I can, which isn’t much compared to Gavin, who’s more than six foot. I stick out my jaw and try to look as professional as I can, then I hold out my hand.

“Jamie Sutton. You’re Gavin Williams?”

Apparently, this is too much for him to handle. “How do you know my name?”

I roll my eyes. “You hired me.”

“I hard you?”

Oh my word.

This is probably the worst pseudo-conversation I’ve ever had in my life.

“You hired me to create glass art. The wave you commissioned. I dropped it off, like you instructed in your email.” I point to the wave, sitting in its place of honor on the art table.

Gavin looks from me to the wave then back to me again.

I lick my dry lips and wait for him to connect the dots.

Before, I thought this cabin was expansive, but now it feels claustrophobic. Gavin’s standing entirely too close. Studying me too carefully.

A slow, trickling flame licks over me, and I try to turn it off.

“No.” He shakes his head. “I don’t want it.” Well, that does it. The flame is off. It’s completely off.

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Did you love this sneak peek of My Better Life?

Preorder your copy

to find out what happens July 19th, 2022!