#OctoberTBR #MustReadOctober
Octobers in Tennessee are something I always look forward to. Not only are the temperatures beginning to cool down, but we also get to witness the trees boast their best through vibrant leaf color changes. For those of us here in Lynchburg, it also means that it’s time for the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. The fast-pace of life slows for a bit to give us time to appreciate the changes.
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.”
Unknown
My October TBR List:
This month is full of so many good books. Oh, who am I kidding? Every month is full of amazing reads! Here is what you’ll find on my Kindle and bookshelf this month:
Blue Collar Babes: A Charity Romance Anthology – October 1st
Blue Collar Babes – a romance anthology celebrating men and women who work hard… and love harder.
With stories ranging from sweet to extra spicy, this collection has a little something for everyone!
Participating authors include Dee Lagasse + Victoria Ellis, A.D. McCammon, A.M. Wilson, Aubree Valentine, Breanna Lynn, Indie Sparks, Ivy Jackson, Jennilynn Wyer, Karen Cimms, Kelly Kelsey, KL Donn, Lila Grey, Lilian Luxe, Mignon Mykel, M Leigh Morhaime, Renee Dyer, Shannon O’Connor & Sutton Bishop.
All royalties from Blue Collar Babes will be donated to Jobs with Justice.
Please note: the authors of this anthology are not affiliated with or endorsed by Jobs with Justice.
Dr. Weston (The Billionaire Boys Club) – LM Fox – October 5th
Poppy
I was that girl.
I had it all.
Confident and happy, I graduated college and began working my dream job. I married my devoted, handsome boyfriend. We bought a house and traveled the world.
Focused on our careers, we’d think about kids later…‘til the unthinkable happened.
Now I’m all alone and slowly discovering my fairy tale life was a nightmare shrouded in secrecy and lies.
How do you move on after such betrayal? Can I trust in a second chance at a real happily ever after?
Broadie
I was that guy.
I had it all and threw it all away.
A renowned surgeon, my career was my sole focus. Yet I had a wife and beautiful children and let them slip away. I’ve learned the hard way. I’m more devoted to my family than ever. If only they didn’t live with a new man now.
My ex-wife and I are better as friends, and my kids are old enough to forgive me. If I could only forgive myself. I’m just hoping I can prove to Poppy that despite my past, I’m worth taking a chance.
Watch and Learn – Rebel Shaw – October 10th
Nate
All I wanted to do was be me, for one night. I didn’t want to be the number one quarterback in the league. I just wanted to be Nate. I couldn’t tell you exactly what made me stop at that dive bar on the outskirts of town, but it changed my life.
Our connection was instant and undeniable. Our night together was explosive, which led to another, and then another. No strings. Neither of us had time in our busy lives for more.
When tragedy strikes, we part ways, but those strings we swore were not there tethered me to her. An invisible line from my heart to hers. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed. I still want her.
Oaklyn
After a long day at work, the last thing I should have done was stop at a seedy establishment at the edge of town, but something had me pulling my car into the lot and going inside. The place was empty, except one man. An impossibly gorgeous guy with sexy eyes as dark as the night.
I threw caution to the wind and invited him home. Our night together was magic, and when it came time to part ways, we both decided not to. No strings. Just great sex.
However, our time is cut short when he sustains an injury on the field and leaves, breaking my heart into a thousand pieces on his way out the door. What was supposed to be just for fun turned out to be anything but, and when he returns to town years later, I realize I’m in trouble. My heart still craves him.
Make Me Merry (Oil Barrons) – Marie Johnston – October 12th
From Marie Johnston comes a holiday, age gap, boss’s daughter romance.
Dear Santa,
All I want for Christmas is a quiet week on my mom’s ranch while she’s gone and to watch my nieces and nephews open presents on Christmas morning.
I’d also like to be rescued from a power outage in a snowstorm and be thrown into the warm bed of a hot man. Even better if I’ve had a major thing for that guy for most of my life. If I walk in on him doing laundry when every stitch of his clothing is in the wash, I’ll consider that the best present ever.
What I’d really like for Christmas is for him to get over our age difference and the fact that he works for my mom and finally admit he has feelings for me. But that might be asking for a Christmas miracle.
Christmas wishes,
Nora Barron
The Lost Boys of Barlowe Theater – Jaime Jo Wright – October 17th
It promises beauty but steals life instead. Will the ghosts of Barlowe Theater entomb them all?
Barlowe Theater stole the life of Greta Mercy’s eldest brother during its construction. Now in 1915, the completed theater appears every bit as deadly. When Greta’s younger brother goes missing after breaking into the building, Greta engages the assistance of a local police officer to help her unveil the already ghostly secrets of the theater. But when help comes from an unlikely source, Greta decides that to save her family she must uncover the evil that haunts the theater and put its threat to rest.
Decades later, Kit Boyd’s best friend vanishes during a ghost walk at the Barlowe Theater, and old stories of mysterious disappearances and ghoulish happenings are revived. Then television ghost-hunting host and skeptic Evan Fisher joins Kit in the quest to identify the truth behind the theater’s history. Kit reluctantly agrees to work with him in hopes of finding her missing friend. As the theater’s curse unravels Kit’s life, she is determined to put an end to the evil that has marked the theater and their hometown for the last century.
Hot Mess Summer – Melissa Foster – October 17th
From the New York Times bestselling author Melissa Foster comes a funny, sexy romantic comedy featuring a twice-divorced, stressed-out romance writer who finds out that sometimes true love can be a hot mess.
Who buys a cottage in a New England fishing village on a whim? A stressed-out, twice-divorced romance writer and single mother looking for a fresh start, that’s who. Despite what my besties say about my three-year dry spell, I’m not looking for a man. Or drama. Or sex. I’ve got enough on my plate with writer’s block and a daughter who refuses to grow up. Community. That’s what I need. Unfortunately, it seems the universe has other ideas. Either Chatemup, Massachusetts, has a serious shortage of single women, or I’ve become a hot mess magnet for the male species.
At least I’ve found one funny, good-hearted friend: fish peddler Declan Miller, my brainstorming adventure buddy who stirs my creative juices. I’m his Writer Girl. He’s my Dimple Dude. Just scruffy, granite-chested, deep-voiced, ex-military brawn who happens to be—oh, Nicole, what are you doing to yourself?—stoking a long-neglected fire without even trying.
A self-confessed hot mess, divorced single dad Declan is too old for relationship games. Not interested. Same here. So why do I keep thinking about him? Preferably naked. Because I’m a hot mess, too? At least he’s inspiring me to write. If only real life were like one of my novels. At least then I’d have a better idea of how this was going to end.
Shadows of You – Catherine Cowles – October 19th
It was supposed to be a fresh start. A small town where I could hide my little girl from the shadows that haunt us. A place where I could keep us safe.
The last thing I expected was him.
A surly, broody mountain of a man who helps me save an injured deer in a snowstorm.
Now, Roan Hartley keeps showing up with his glowers and grimaces. But they only make his rare smiles and the gentle way he talks to my daughter mean that much more.
When forces from my past find us, Roan is determined to keep us safe—even if that means sleeping on my ancient couch every night.
As days turn to weeks, his touch has my walls crashing down. But someone out there doesn’t want me to find happiness. He doesn’t want me left breathing at all…
Killing Johnny Miracle – JK Franco – October 24th
Johnny Miracle thinks he’s got it all… and he’s in love, just not with his wife, Mary. He wants a divorce and he’s got leverage. Johnny knows her deepest, darkest secret. He’s going to use that to take everything: her vineyard, her money, and her priceless family heirloom. He’ll do whatever it takes to get it all.
But, as Grandma Nellie used to say, “No man, no matter how smart or strong, can compete with a motivated woman.” Mary is a motivated woman, she’s got her own agenda, and it doesn’t include losing. She’s going to kill Johnny. To get away with it, she needs a plan and an alibi. And she thinks she has both.
Reckless Love: A Small Town Slow-Burn Forbidden Love Romance (The Bennetts of Langston Falls Book 4) – K.G. Fletcher
She’s fiercely protected by her four older brothers. He’s the arch-enemy of the family. Can the two navigate the pitfalls of forbidden love?
Becky Bennett is a YouTube sensation. Her cooking show, The Farmer’s Daughter, is a hit, and her role on the family farm is something she’s proud of. But being an online success and the queen of Bennett Farms hasn’t always been her goal. She’d much rather be working in her garden wearing big floppy hats and overalls, daydreaming about having a little house to call her own. Tired and moody, Becky ponders her lot in life and blames her unforgiving heart on her nemesis, Glen Kirby.
But never in her wildest dreams did she expect to develop feelings for him.
He’s more humble in his sobriety, easy to talk to, and has the best intentions when it comes to her family. There’s something special about the brawny lumberjack of a man she’s known her entire life. But Becky knows her family will never approve and does her best to hide her desire for a man she can’t have—a man who almost killed her brother.
When their secret pining is exposed, Becky hightails it out of town, with Glen following closely behind. These two frenemies can’t fight their feelings anymore, and his respectful chivalry pays off in a night of extraordinary passion. Every moment with him is stamped on her memory. Every second, every touch, every word. Theirs is a love that was never supposed to happen—and when it does, a dark secret is revealed that could destroy them all.
Is Becky strong enough to fight for her own happily ever after? Or will everything she holds near and dear to her heart implode into a serving of heartache?
Author’s Note: A steamy standalone romance about two farming neighbors who fall for each other. One-click if you love a heroine who’s ready to live her life on her own terms, and a small town bad boy who’s been given a second chance. Romantic add-ons include: Slow-burn romance that turns into so much more, secret toe-curling kisses, a swoony beach getaway, rainbow unicorns. This love story comes with a guaranteed Happily Ever After.
