#ainsley booth

[jeevesreads]

15 One Night Stand to HEA Romance Books

When it all starts with a one night stand, the path to happily ever after is unpredictable. I love this type of fling to more romance, where one night changes everything for the couple. Sometimes it’s strangers who spend one spicy evening together before discovering that their lives are more tangled than anticipated. Maybe they’re soon to be boss and employee or single dad and nanny. Maybe they…

[dargeereads]

The Scoring Secret by Ainsley Booth

5 stars

These two just connected on so many levels, and if only they had realized that sooner! I loved all the missed moments with these two, as they were drawn to each other over and over again and didn’t even realize it. That made it all the sweeter when everything came to light. They should have known though, because the heat and chemistry between them was absolutely sizzling! (yes, it warranted a second exclamation point). The fact that it was so hot while texting, and pieces spilled over when they were in person, should have been a dead giveaway, but alas, it was simple detective work that revealed all. The emotions they shared with each other, secrets no one else knew, only added the trifecta of things that made them a solid, well loved, couple, eventually <3

[bettslovesromance]

🍓 May Wrap Up 🍓🍓

I read very few books but loved 3 out of 5 of them, so that's a win!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera

Tempt by Ainsley Booth

🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

I didn't like the Outlander graphic novel and I only read it out of curiosity.

[pureshoney]

"i don't see the point in buying a rock, ains. plenty of other stupid shit i could spend my money on," and he did so often. it just came with the territory of having a ridiculous amount of money that wouldn't be deemed necessary under any circumstance. but he worked hard for what he had, even if it came stained with blood. ainsley didn't know what he actually did, not yet, at least. he's content with letting her believe that he's just some low-tier drug dealer. still, he figures that soon enough, he'd have to come up with more excuses because he had far too much money to simply be the guy that stands on the corner waiting for shady-looking cars to pull up and ask for some coke. "good, but make sure they're pretty. i don't want any grandma panties in my car," teases as he gently gives her exposed thigh a squeeze. "i do wanna see you model for me, baby. that sounds fuckin' perfect to me …" already could imagine it. sat on a seat in the middle of her living room, and his girl walked and danced around him in those skimpy outfits she used to wear when she performed on the ice. maybe they should stop talking about it because the more they do so, the higher the urge is for him to turn around and return just so he could see her in those dresses. however, he won't. abel needed to behave tonight; they were going to go on this date and act like civilized humans for at least an hour. an hour because he wasn't actually sure he'd be able to keep his hands off his girl's body for much longer. "the point is i know how to speed, that's different from those fuckin' jackasses that know they can't push over fifty and do it anyways because they wanna be cool," points out in his defense. "i feel like giving a massage is kind of easy, besides … if you touch my shoulders and you can't automatically feel the knot? i think you might have bigger problems to get sorted out," he's teasing her, of course, but regardless, it'd be nice to relax, even if it were for a few minutes. homme just shakes his head as she continues to laugh at the thought of him in those skimpy leotards figure skaters wear; sure, he'd go figure skating with her, but he'd never fold and wear one of those outfits. abel considered them reserved for her and only her. "i mean, you'd look fuckin' sexy, but you'd definitely be getting a lot of stares," but they'd bow their heads once they realized how she'd walked in with. "i agree, that's why i save those kinds of restaurants for rare occasions," once they're at their booth, abel allows her to take a seat first, but he makes sure that he's the one that has the view of the door before sitting across from her.

[b-andherbooks]

my favorite books of 2023✨⭐

For my last five things post of the year, here are my favorite reads (mostly romance) of 2023! Did any of my choices hit your best of lists this year? Any you still need to read?

I’m absolutely loving seeing all of ~your~ favs of the year, and am ready to bust out my brand spanky new book journal for 2024!

Happy early new year pals!

Favorite new to me authors

Sight Unseen Kasha Thompson

Striking Gold Janine Amesta

Whisky Business Elliot Fletcher

Morbidly Yours Ivy Fairbanks

Favorite Historical Romance

Wolf & the Wildflower Stacy Reid

Knockout Sarah MacLean

Marry Me by Midnight Felicia Grossman

The Duke Gets Even Joanna Shupe

The Duke Gets Desperate Diana Quincy

Hotel of Secrets Diana Biller

Favorite Contemporary

Role Playing Cathy Yardley

The Playing Game Ainsley Booth

Technically Yours Denise Williams

Midnight Duet Jen Comfort

Favorite Contemporary

Chick Magnet Emma Barry

Mickey Chambers Shakes it Up Charish Reid

Can’t Let Her Go Kianna Alexander

Georgie All Along Kate Clayborn

Favorite Backlist Reads

The Highlander Takes a Bride Lynsay Sands

Crash Ruby McNally

My Fair Concubine Jeannie Lin

Sweetest Regret Meredith Duran

Firelight Kristen Callihan

Liberating Lacey Anne Calhoun

Favorite Audiobooks

Britney Spears The Woman in Me

Single Dads Club Therese Beharrie

The Art of the Scandal Regina Black

The Seven Year Slip Ashley Poston

Spare Prince Harry

[findingnemosworld]

𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 - 𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬

・𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲: 𝐦𝐞 ( 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢'𝐦 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧 )

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐨 𝐢 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 ( 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 )

𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐝, 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐟 𝐮𝐩.

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟕

The pub was semi crowded with several people coming in to unwind after a long stressful day, amongst those people were twenty two year old Ainsley Kingston and twenty three year old Clara Santori, the two culinary arts students who had decided to step out in order to celebrate their most recent success as well celebrate Clara finally leaving her boyfriend of two years, Jadon Collins.

Ainsley was able to find an empty space, ordering two pints. " I'm so glad you woke up and left that bonehead! " she states.

Clara giggles, " Freedom does taste good! "

To say it has been difficult would be an understatement - she'd met and quickly fell in love with Jadon, an indie musician completely by chance - much to the dismay of Ainsley who advised her to let him go as the blonde was aware that he in fact, wasn't as good as he made himself out to be.

" Now, you can focus on achieving higher grades and think of the future you'll have as a top chef! " Ainsley said before giggling " Our restaurants or bakeries might end up competing, but all in good fun "

The pints were placed in front of them and Clara sighed, " I am not going to let any man distract me, no matter how talented and handsome he might be "

Ainsley lifts the pint up, " To new beginnings, better grades and most of all, no men "

Clara beams, gently clinking her glass with hers. " Cheers! "

They spend the rest of their time chatting over future holiday plans when Ainsley suddenly stopped talking, her eyes widening as though she'd seen a ghost, " Oh my lord! "

Clara frowns, " What? "

" Four Liverpool football players just walked in " Ainsley whispers.

Clara raised a brow, " I didn't know you liked football! " she exclaims.

Ainsley rolled her eyes, " My father does, I only watch it cause the players are cute " she laughs, " but seriously, look " she discreetly gestures to the booth.

Clara subtly turns around to check, the smile on her face falls and her eyes widen. " Fuck! " she blurts out.

" I know right, they're all hot! " Ainsley murmurs.

" No " Clara shakes her head before adding," Fuck as in one of them is my former high school boyfriend who dumped me for his football career "

Ainsley raised a brow, " Wait which one? "

Clara takes a big gulp of her drink before muttering, " The one with the blonde hair, who has a hair tie? he's sitting next to the ginger haired player "

Ainsley takes another look, " Wait ... is that? "

" Fernando Torres, yes? last time I checked, he was playing for Atlético Madrid " Clara groans. " I had no idea he's playing for Liverpool now "

" You should go talk to him " Ainsley shrugs before taking a gulp of her drink.

" And what do you expect me to say? 'Oh hi! remember me, the teenage girl that you said would hold you back' " Clara mimicked a cheerful tone before rolling her eyes, " There is no way I'm going there so let's finish our drinks and leave "

Ainsley shakes her head, " Whatever you say? "

She finished the last bit of her drink right after Ainsley and as they tried to slip out undetected, she stops upon hearing the all too familiar voice calling out her name. " Lara! "

Clara winces, silently cursing herself as Ainsley struggled to hide her smile; the brunette turns around to face her former lover from way back when, " Nando! Hola " she said a bit too cheerfully.

" Hola " Fernando smiles, " I thought I was dreaming when I saw you earlier, I mean ... wow, you look "

" Different, yes I am fully aware of that " Clara chuckles, " I can safely say the same to you, I mean last time I heard you were still in Atletico playing "

" Yes, but when the offer from Liverpool came, it was very difficult not to accept it! " Fernando shrugs, before turning to Ainsley. " It's nice to meet you, I'm Fernando "

" So I've heard " Ainsley smiles, " Ainsley " she turns to Clara, " I'll wait in the car ok "

Clara nods swiftly before turning to Fernando, " It was great seeing you but I have to go now " she gestures to the door.

Fernando nods, before he said. " Do you think we can meet over a cup of coffee or breakfast sometime? "

Clara halts in her steps, gnawing on her lip as she debated whether or not she should accept the offer; a few seconds had passed before she relents, nodding as she rummaged through her purse to pull out a piece of paper she had and a pen, she writes down her phone number and hands it to him. " Here, call me whenever you're free "

Fernando smiles, " I will, it was great seeing you Lara "

" You too Nando " Clara smiles back.

______________________________________________________________

𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

The last thing Clara expected was to restart her life after a rather messy divorce, her former husband had been shamelessly having an affair for five years and as much as she tried her best to walk away as quietly as she can - he was more than hellbent on making things far arduous for her to the extent of forcing her to move back to Madrid and start her life once again with her adopted children, seventeen year old Atlas and eleven year old Sara.

Early on in her life, Clara had discovered her inability to have children which prompted her and her former husband to adopt, and while her husband was more than kind to both children, she couldn't fathom why he up and decided to betray her in such a foul manner yet she opts not to dwell on it, choosing to return to her roots and help her mother with the family bakery while both her children chased their dreams, mostly Atlas whom has been a part of the Atletico Youth Academy.

Clara had noticed early on just how passionate the young boy was in regards to football which fondly reminded her of Fernando, and thus, she helped him with try outs and was proud to see him flourish each time he played. Sara, on the other hand was as passionate as Clara was about bakery which thrilled the brunette as she used her passion as means for them to connect further.

On one evening, Atlas returned from training with a proud smile across his face. " I have big news! "

Clara and Sara, who were in the kitchen both smiled. " What? "

" The coaches were so impressed with me that they want me to feature in the next UEFA Youth League fixture against Bayern Munich " Atlas exclaimed.

Clara smiled widely, " I'm so proud of you " she embraced her son.

" You should have seen the looks on their faces Mamá, they said I possessed an advanced skillset that will shine in the match, I'm going to start practice tomorrow " Atlas said.

" Great job hermano " Sara said with a smile.

" Gracias hermanita " Atlas smiles.

" You are exceptional baby, so there's no doubt you'll fly even higher " Clara said, " you know what, with such big news, I say we order food tonight "

Sara cheers, " Yes! let's order from the new Italian place that opened up "

" Yeah, Ferran said they have great pizza! " Atlas nods.

Clara makes an order than asks Atlas, " When's the match going to be? "

" Next Monday, I was honestly hesitant on accepting but Mister Torres said I reminded him of when he used to play " Atlas said.

Clara's eyes widened at the mentioning of the familiar last name, she looks at her son. " Who? "

" Mister Torres, he was recently appointed as the coach to the youth side after he came back from Japan " Atlas said. " It was so cool playing in front of him "

Clara smiles, " I'm proud of you " she strokes Atlas's cheek; ignoring the way her heart fluttered at the thought of him, it had been twelve years since she last spoke to Fernando, their last encounter happening just mere weeks before he made the shocking move to Chelsea.

" Gracias Mamá, I wouldn't have made it without you and Sara supporting me! " Atlas said.

That night, Clara had lied awake in her bed; her mind clamored by the many thoughts interlaced with one another - she didn't keep up much with his career, but had only heard tidbits from her family that knew his family, so the chances of them ever meeting again seemed slim to none up until now, it would only be a matter of time before she saw him again, given his new status as her son's coach.

______________________________________________________________

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟕

Finding time between studies as well as football seemed rather arduous for Fernando and Clara yet they were somehow able to make it work; she'd often come and attend his matches whenever she can and he became her personal taster before she was set to deliver her assignment, and while they both agreed that their bond was strictly that of two people reconnecting as friends, the soft undertones would peak every now and then to haunt her, causing her to wonder if there was perhaps a future for the two of them

On one evening, Fernando stopped by to spend time with her before Liverpool's upcoming bout against Manchester United, she'd given him an extra set of keys to facilitate his visits, he walked in and was immediately hit by the scent of freshly baked goods with a hint of spice, following the scent to the kitchen - he is met with a distressed Clara who was surprised by seeing him, " I thought you had practice "

" I finished early! " Fernando exclaims, before asking. " Lara, are you ok? "

Clara heaves out a soft breath, " If you count me baking for the third time because there's something missing in this stupid assignment then no I'm not fine "

Fernando sighs, for as long as he had known Clara, he was well aware of her tendencies to strive for perfection; often times leading her to become distressed and disassociated with reality. " Lara! " he walks over to her, " Why don't we go out? drive around the city? "

" Nando " Clara groans, " I can't ... "

" Yes you can, your assignment is not due until a week from now, and I'm very much craving something sweet so let's go out " Fernando said.

Clara shoots him a glare to which he responded with a chuckle as he leads her to her bedroom, " You'll thank me later, now go and change please "

She relents and changes into a shirt and a pair of jeans before joining him on a drive around the city, they barely spoke as the only sound heard was that of the radio playing music, Fernando stops in front of a small café, he leads Clara to the table near the window and orders two slices of chocolate cake for them, " Look at me! " he said.

Clara looks up, " Hm "

" You're beyond gifted when it comes to food, and I'm not just saying that cause I've known you for so long, it's the truth, it's why you got this far and you'll reach even higher " Fernando said, smiling when he noticed the faint smile adorning her lips. " Besides, when you open up the first restaurant, I'll be there proudly boasting about how I've known the amazing Clara Santori since childhood "

Clara's eyes softened, " You think so? "

" I know so " Fernando takes her hand to squeeze it. " I fully believe in you "

They spend the rest of the time eating their cake slices while she asked him about his upcoming matches, " I'm nervous " he admits with a chuckle. " But I'm trying to remain hopeful, especially since the coach believes in me, Stevie believes me as well as the team "

" And I believe in you, you're glowing whenever you play and that makes me happy " Clara smiles.

Fernando smiles back before saying, " I'm really sorry for the way I hurt you Lara! " he said.

" It's fine Nando, we were just two emotional kids " Clara shrugs, " It took us a while to understand, but at least we can be friends now "

Fernando chews on his lower lip before sayin with a tentative shaky tone, " What if I don't want that? "

" What? " Clara said with a confused expression.

" Lara, spending all this time with you made me realize that I don't think I can see a future without you in it " Fernando said, " I know I'm asking for a lot but, do you think we can ... I don't know " he chuckles nervously. " Start this on a different note, because you mean the world to me "

Clara would lie if she said she hadn't thought of the prospect of starting all over with Fernando, he was always her first love and you never forget your first, and reconnecting with him these past few months had shown her just how much she missed him.

" On one condition " Clara said.

" Anything! " Fernando said.

" If by any chance, this doesn't work, we will be very honest with one another and walk away on a good note " Clara said. " I want to try this again but you have to be patient with me "

" I promise " Fernando squeezes her hand. " I'll wait for you, forever "

They end their evening with a stroll in the park and just as the weather had gotten chilly, Fernando had removed the cardigan he was wearing to place it around her before wrapping his arm around her shoulder to tug her close, and for the first time, in a really long time - she felt seen, loved, and secure.

______________________________________________________________

𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

" Mamá "

Clara blinks, drawn back into reality by the sound of her daughter's voice, she turns around and smiles, " Sí, hija "

" Are you ok? " Sara asks her, " You've been acting strange since Atlas mentioned the name of his coach "

Clara sighed, she was certain that her reactions were not noticeable yet her daughter was very much perceptive in certain moments, " I'm fine hija, don't worry "

" Are you sure? cause the second Atlas mentioned name, it was like you've seen a ghost or something " Sara said.

Clara shakes her head, she did in fact see a ghost; the ghost of the past she had worked hard to bury. " Sara, I'm ok. I was just drained from work and to be fair, surprised by your brother's words, that's all there is "

Sara nods, " Ok, but if you're not feeling well, you can tell me "

Clara smiled, Sara might have been ten yet she had such an old soul. It's one of the reasons why she had felt drawn to her the first time she met her during the adoption proceedings. " I know, but don't you worry ok "

Sara nods, reaching to pull her into an embrace. " I love you Mamá "

" I love you too hija " Clara smiled, pressing a kiss to her head.

_

The following morning,

" Fernando is coaching Atlas! " Clara blurts out while she and her mother were organizing the display table, " Did you know? "

Beatrice nods, " Sí, it's all over the news, you didn't know? "

Clara shakes her head, " You know me, I barely check the news! so I was surprised "

Beatrice raised a brow, " surprised or ... something else? "

" Mamá " Clara groans.

" I'm not trying to make you feel guilty but you were the one that refused to speak to him when he tried to reach out " Beatrice said with a shrug.

" I had a very good reason " Clara said, " But it's long gone, and besides it's not like I'm going to run into him, Xavier drives Atlas home from training so that saves me the embarrassment of seeing him again "

Beatrice sighs, " Clara, hija! I think you should talk to him "

" Why? I have nothing to say, the last time we saw each other he outright said that I was holding him back, again " Clara said. " And then no more than a week later, he was seen with someone else so why should I talk to him? for all I know he could be married, and has kids so I'm going to save myself the trouble and pretend he's still off somewhere else "

__

" Who taught you how to play like this? " Fernando asks the young boy while he was helping him practice.

" My Tío, he gave me the basics and I spent the rest of the time watching old videos and trying to work my way into understanding the rest, then my mother helped me with driving me to and from several academies until I was accepted here " Atlas responds.

Fernando nods, " What about your father? "

Atlas chuckles, " He left us, me, my mother and my little sister! all because my sister and I are adopted, and in his words - he wanted actual children, my mother on the other hand gave up her dreams of becoming a restaurant owner to help me and my sister get a better life "

Fernando frowns, " Your mother was a restaurant owner? "

" She was going to be " Atlas said. " We lived in Paris for a while and when my father left, she decided that it was best for us to return here to Madrid "

No, it can't be. Fernando thinks, shaking his head before saying, " I'm glad she helped you get here, you've got a bright future Atlas "

" You think so? it's always been my dream to go professional " Atlas smiles.

" And you will, I believe in you " Fernando smiles, recalling how she used to tell him that each time he felt nervous.

" Gracias Mister, I promise I won't let you down " Atlas said.

" I know you won't " Fernando said. " Listen, why don't you invite your Mamá and sister to come and see you play in the match against Sevilla "

" Sure, I'll tell them " Atlas smiles.

______________________________________________________________

𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏

" What am I supposed to do? " Fernando asked, feeling both confused and slightly afraid after she had convinced him to help her in the kitchen.

" Grab the piping bag " Clara giggles, before she grabbed the other one full of the icing mix.

" Ok " Fernando nods, grabbing the piping bag. " Now what? "

Clara carefully displayed the way in which he places the piping bag over the cupcake, " You slowly press and it creates a flower, see " she said.

Fernando observes her and smiles before nodding, " Ok, let's see " he tries to mimic her, " Like this? "

Clara places her piping bag and leaned closer, placing her hands over his to guide him through. " Try to go slow but not too slow " she said.

Fernando looks at her then looks back at the cupcake, smiling when it turned out quite well. " It's good "

" You're a quick learner " Clara beams.

Fernando blushed at the remark, " remember when we nearly burnt my house down because we tried to bake cookies "

Clara nods laughing, " I think your Mamá almost killed me "

" No, she loves you a lot! she was very angry when we broke up the first time " Fernando said. " And I don't blame her! "

Clara smiled, " At least we managed to find our way back to one another "

Fernando nods, placing the piping bag down on the counter, he cradled her face in his hands and pressed a long yet soft kiss to her lips, smiling against them when she let out a small moan. " Careful Lara, or else we're going to be distracted " he chuckles.

" Maybe I want to distract you " Clara giggles.

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫,

Clara had walked into their shared home, a sense of dread washed over her. " Nando! " she received no response in return, which made her frown in confusion - she looks around, finally realizing that the home was semi empty as any remnants and traces of Fernando were gone, the only thing she noticed was a paper placed on top of the kitchen counter, nervously, she grabs the paper and unfolds it to find a handwritten letter.

___

Lara,

It was hard for me to write this latter, as I have rewritten this plenty of times but I think it's best if I do this instead of telling you because I wouldn't survive seeing you cry, I'll start this by saying that I love you and that I didn't mean for this to happen but - I can't do this, I can't let myself be held back and in turn hold you back.

Chelsea had offered me a good deal, and I couldn't refuse and knowing that you have so many dreams ahead, I can't possibly live with myself knowing that you might give them all up and move to London with me, so I think it's best if we go our separate ways.

I am grateful for all the love and support you've given me but you deserve someone that'll give you the stability and love you're searching for - and I hope that find that person in the end, I don't know about you, but what I do know is that I'll keep you in my mind forever, I love you so much.

Please, don't try to contact me, it's best if we don't talk.

Love, Nando.

___

Clara had taken a moment to compose herself before she rolled up the paper and threw it in the bin, she then grabs her cellphone and dials Ainsley's number. " Hey, ... " she said, " Can I come over? Ok, I'll be on my way "

______________________________________________________________

𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

It's almost as if their hearts had told them, that after such a turbulent period of time; they'd find a way to see one another again, Clara was afraid and so was Fernando - throughout the match, he'd tried his best to be focused yet ever so often, his mind would draw back to the fact that within the crowd of people in attendance to see the match was the only woman he had truly loved, and it didn't truly settle until his side had won and the parents were congratulating their boys that Atlas nearly sprints towards Clara to embrace her.

Fernando watched from where he stood, a mixture of shock and a sense of longing settled; she hadn't changed much save for her brunette locks growing in length and the presence of more lines across the corners of her eyes, her ever bright smile remained the same and it wasn't until their eyes met that her smile fell, yet not for long as it instantly appeared when she looked at Atlas.

Atlas then leads her and whom he presumed to be his younger sister towards him, " Mister, this is my Mamá Clara, and this is my younger sister Sara "

Clara's eyes were screaming as she forced a smile then extends her hand, " It's nice to meet you "

Fernando understood why she would do that, his manner of departure had hurt her more than it hurt him, he shakes her hand with a forced smile. " Likewise "

Clara turns to Atlas, " Hijo, take Sara to the car with you. I want to speak to your coach for a bit "

Atlas nods, " sure, come on Sara " he leads his younger sister away.

Clara watched them then turned to Fernando, " I want to make one thing clear, I don't know you, you don't know me and what we had before, was just an illusion. I'm going to be as civil as I can throughout this time for the sake of my son, but other than that - I am not expecting any kind of explanation, much less an apology "

" Lara " Fernando whispers.

" No " Clara raises her hand, " It's Clara, only those closest to me call me Lara "

[diskaywrites]

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝑺𝒐 𝑺𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝑫𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑩𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕 #𝟏𝟗: 𝑩𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒂 𝑪𝒂𝒓𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝑾𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕 𝒙 𝑰𝒔𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒓𝒂 𝑨𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒚 (𝒐𝒄) 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑶𝒇: 𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒘 𝑮𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒚, 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒎𝒖𝒔 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: 𝑴𝒂𝒊𝒏

.✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽✦✽..✽✦✽.◦.✽

Wade Barrett knew he shouldn't be jealous of what he was seeing across the table as he sat at the pub with his best mates. After all, how many times had he told the woman who now sat running her hands through Stephen's thick red beard that she was too young for him? Ten years should have been too many years for the woman to want him, and yet here they were.

Isadora Ainsley hanging all over another man in an effort to make him jealous.

That was why she was hanging over Stephen, Wade knew that. The younger red-haired woman had pressed him for years, ever since she had come into Drew Galloway's life as an adopted sister. Wade thought it was charming at first. He was a single father of two who had long since given up trying to pursue a relationship with anyone. Having someone as ravishing as Isadora have an interest in him was a boost to his confidence. The problem, other than the age gap between two consenting adults, was his friendship with Drew. Wade respected his best friend too much to pursue Isadora like he so badly wanted to.

Drew cleared his throat from his spot next to Wade, rousing the Brit from his thoughts, "I need a smoke, Stephen. Think ya should join me."

"Not now, mate," Stephen chuckled as Isadora's black painted nails played with the back of his neck, "I'm busy."

"It's okay, love," Isadora's sultry voice seemed to croon, as enticing as the black crop top with fishnet sleeves she wore. "Go on out with Andrew for a moment. The baby needs an escort."

Drew rolled his eyes, standing to full towering height and leading Stephen through the crowd of exuberant bar patrons. Wade took a long drink from his glass of whiskey before finally speaking up, "So...Stephen."

Wade didn't need to look across the table to feel the gaze of those emerald green eyes boring a hole through his very core. "Yes, Stepehen. He's a good man. Kind."

"He's one of my best friends," Wade mused as he leaned back against the wall behind him, "I thought your attempts to make me jealous would be much more clever."

An indignant huff left Isadora's crimson lips, "Make you jealous? I'm not trying to make you jealous, Stu. I'm just...he's just..."

"Think of a good lie, Isadora," he chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. He basked in her floundering for a lie for just a moment, "Though...it worked."

Isadora raised an eyebrow, the triumph in her eyes palpable, "It did?"

He uncrossed his arms, one hand reaching across the table, resting on hers, "Seeing you and Stephen...why do you insist on vexing me so?"

"Vexing you?" Isadora pulled her hand away as if Wade had stabbed it instead, "𝙄 vex 𝙮𝙤𝙪? I've been trying to get you to notice me for years! If anything 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 the one who vexes 𝙢𝙚!"

"How many time do I have to tell you, Is, that you are simply-"

"Too young for you?" Isadora's thick Scottish accented voice mocked what she knew Wade was going to say. She moved from her spot across from him to slide into the booth next to him. Her black nails pressed into Wade's lower cheeks as she took hold of his bottom jaw. "No. No. I've had it with that 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙚. Admit it, Stuart, you're afraid to put yourself out there."

Wade let out a sharp exhale from his nose, though part of him relished in just how close she was. He could smell autumn in her wake, all woodsmoke and cinnamon. It was heady, enticing. One of his meaty hands found itself in her long hair, pulling ever so slightly. The sound she made was small, and the second she let go of his jaw, Wade moved in to press his lips to hers. Maybe it was the drink making his head swim, bad decisions made over alcohol, but Wade was more willing to believe it was simply the fact that Isadora was right. His tongue pressed against the inside of her cheek, only stopping when the clearing of a throat was heard. The two separated, Stephen and Drew both looking on at the two who they had left at the table.

"So it worked?" Stephen smirked, a sly grin across his face.

Wade was surprised, raising an eyebrow, "You mean..."

"He's mine now," Isadora smirked as she laid her head on Wade's shoulder, "Finally."

[clinchcoverenthusiast]

I made some mostly good choices (see an earlier post about unnamed DNFs) and got a lot of reading done in April.  Favorites this month were Sugar, Sugar, The Art of Losing, Mercy, and The Neighbor Favor.  Say Please was a newsletter exclusive, After the Storm, Sugar, Sugar, The Art of Losing, and Mercy were on KU, and everything else was from either Hoopla or Libby.  

After the Storm (Lost is Austin #3) - Christina Berry* **

Saga #63 - Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughan

Two Wrongs Make a Right (Wilmot Sisters #1) - Chloe Liese

Your Driver is Waiting - Priya Guns* **

Sugar, Sugar (Sugared and Spiced #1) - Lady Marie* **

Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata* **

The World Record Book of Racist Stories - Lacey Lamar, Amber Ruffin* **

The Art of Losing - Ruby Lang* **

Say Please - Adriana Anders, Ainsley Booth, Hannah Murray, Sorcha Black

Mercy (Salacious Players Club #4) - Sara Cate

Love Lettering - Kate Clayborn

Eight Billion Genies #8 - Charles Soule, Ryan Browne**

Love at First - Kate Clayborn

The Neighbor Favor - Kristina Forest* **

The Pride of Garnet Run (Garnet Run #2.5) - Roan Parrish

* = author(s) of color

** = main character(s) of color

[the-book-queen]

Hide your wallets, it's that time again! Your daily thread of romance deals is ready, FREE to $2.99!

FREE ✦ A Lighthouse Cafe Christmas by Jennifer Faye

Second chance. Waitress + tech entrepreneur.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4dGtUCg

$0.99 ✦ Reaching for Forever by Tara Eldana

A teacher who is helping a friend out by going undercover as a stripper for the night ends up going home with the hero and oops accidental pregnancy.

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4fmGesP

$1.99 ✦ Dark Desires by Kresley Cole

A ruthless demon mercenary and the lovely halfling Valkyrie who is his fated mate.

TBQ Rec

Paranormal Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/4f4j4ah

$1.99 ✦ The Ghost by Monica McCarty

An undercover warrior and her sworn enemy play a seductive game of cat-and-mouse.

Historical Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/3Yn3Yag

$2.99 ✦ The Scoring Secret by Ainsley Booth

1st POV. You've Got Mail meets Tinder as anonymous sexting pals start to fall for each other, not realizing they're neighbors who don't get along. He's a hockey player.

KU Title

Contemporary Romance (MF) | https://amzn.to/487SB9y

Putting these lists together takes time. If you appreciate this content, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi. http://ko-fi.com/danielletbq

[jeevesreads]

15 Hot Hockey Romance Books

I don’t know what it is about hockey romances, but they keep us coming back for more! Out of all the sports, hockey romances seem to be the crowd-pleasers. You get the sexy hockey hottie who is aggressive on the ice and something else entirely off of it, the team aspect that often ties a series together, and (sometimes) the comfortable predictability of knowing you’re in for a light and sexy read…

[dargeereads]

Title: The Playing Game

Series: Off the Ice #1

Author: Ainsley Booth

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: Second Chance/Hockey Romance

Friends to Lovers

Release Date: March 9, 2023

BLURB

NHL veteran player Kieran Marsh has had more relationships than trips to the sin bin, making him a player on and off the ice. And two years ago, I had a one night stand with him when I thought I would forever stay the anonymous girl in the hockey jersey.

But now my city has an expansion team, and guess who's one of their star players?

Of course I accept an offer to go see the opening night game. I can't stay away, even though hockey destroyed my family, and so much about Kieran reminds me of the worst things my father ever did to my mother.

And when Kieran sees me in the stands? I know nothing is going to be the same again. This is his game, and he knows how to win.

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

UNIVERSAL

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Ainsley Booth is a three-time USA Today bestselling author of erotic romance. Between her two pen names (she also writes contemporary romance as two-time New York Times bestseller Zoe York), she has published more than seventy books since 2013. Notable hits include Prime Minister and Hate F*@k.

AUTHOR LINKS

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TIKTOK

[bettslovesromance]

🌸🌸April Wrap Up 🌸🌸

I went through a horrible slump and novellas and/or short stories saved me again!

Due to the slump, I left a couple of books pending that I hope to continue and love in May.

[mariereadsromance]

I didn't want anyone else. And I never will. She was it for me, even before I knew her name.

-The Playing Game by Ainsley Booth

[somewherelostinbooks]

Time for my April Wrap Up. I finished my reread of Kate Daniels at the beginning of the month and I need more! Then I did some delightful historical romances and an Icelandic thriller that terrified me. I also read four new to me authors: Tay Mo’nae, Shelley Puhak, Chloe Angyal, and Ainsley Booth!

[b-andherbooks]

welcome to a new segment i’m going to try out, #FiveThingsFridays! I’ll be posting a variety of bookish “Five Things” weekly, and would love it if you all would jump on!

This week I’m sharing 📚📚five goodreads shelves📚📚 to get to know b.andherbooks (me!)!

I have seemingly random goodreads shelves amongst the more common ones, and these are just a selection of some of my favs or more obscure shelves. For more, you can always find these on my goodreads (link in bio).

1️⃣ Secret Spectacles: definition—when a main character is discovered to wear glasses and their love interest(s) are absolutely smitten and delighted by this knowledge. ✅Examples: Mickey Chambers Shakes it Up by Charish Reid The Rebel & the Rake by Emily Sullivan

2️⃣Fainting Couch: definition—when lovers actually encounter a fainting couch in the story and hopefully!! put it to great use ✅Examples: Indigo by Beverly Jenkins Can’t Help Falling by Cara Bastone Inside Bet by Katie Porter Stolen Desire by Robin Lovett

3️⃣Blacksmith: definition—a main character’s profession is a blacksmith ✅Examples: That Kind of Guy by Talia Hibbert Beauty & The Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

4️⃣Good Girl: definition—praise k1nk // good girl being uttered during sexy times ✅Examples: The Playing Game by Ainsley Booth A Duke Worth Falling For by Sarah MacLean Her Grumpy Neighbor by Eve Pendle Charming Your Dad by Sarah Blue

5️⃣Sex Pact: definition—love interests enter into an agreement that it is “just sex” or “just this one time” or “just for teaching you what you like//don’t like” and definitely NOT for catching feelings. ✅Examples: Earth Bound by Emma Barry * Genevieve Turner A Wicked Bargain for a Duke For the Love of April French by Penny Aimes Daring Truth by Adrian J Smith

What’s your favorite goodreads shelf? What other “Five Things” would you like me to feature? Let me know!