THE SECRET THIEF
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Nina Lane
Release Date: April 3, 2018
Behind his beautiful eyes
Lay a thousand secrets and lies.
But my own secrets are all laid bare
The twisted reality of a disgraceful affair.
I once deciphered the mysteries hidden in art
Then mistakes and desire tore me apart.Now I’m shipwrecked at the end of the earth
Desperate again to prove my worth.The lighthouse keeper is a stranger to me
Yet one night with him sets me free.
We find ourselves united by the stars above
Both of us needing the salvation of love.Until our secrets and shame continue to build
And what was flourishing will soon be killed.
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The minute Flynn opens the workroom door, my whole body zings with excitement and anticipation. Even with his dark frown, the remoteness surrounding him like an aura, the clipped tone of his voice, I react to him as if he were stroking my hair and whispering sweet nothings in my ear.Jeremy hadn’t come close to eliciting anything even close to this…which is exactly the reason I’ll go out with him again, if he asks me. Jeremy is solid, grounded, honest. Everything about Flynn is a mystery and a fantasy. I’d gotten caught up in a fantasy with David—whose “mystery” had been a lie—and I’d paid the price.
Never again.
“How was your weekend?” I set my satchel and lunch bag on the desk.
“Fine. Yours?”
“Great.” I give him a once-over, looking for evidence of an encounter with a chick, but while he looks edible in his worn jeans and T-shirt, like a warm, rumpled bed I could nestle right into, his demeanor is as impassive as ever.
Does he ever smile? Every now and then I’ve caught a glimpse of amusement, a twitch of his mouth, but I’ve yet to see him fully smile.
“Any special instructions for today?” I turn on the laptop computer and open my notebook.
“Stay away from Jeremy King.”
Shock bolts down my spine. I jerk my head up to stare at him. He’s watching me with a narrowed gaze, his mouth set in a stern line.
“Um…what?” I can’t get another word out.
“Stay away from him,” Flynn repeats. “He’s not good for you.”
Irritation breaks past my shock. “How would you know who is or isn’t good for me? You’ve barely said twenty words to me the whole week I’ve been working here.”
“I don’t need to say anything to know the facts.” His tone hardens. “I don’t want you around him.”
“Well, you have no right to tell me that,” I retort. “How did you know I went on a date with him anyway?”
His jaw tightens. “You think people around here don’t take notice when their favorite son is out having dinner with the new girl in town?”
Christ. I experience a sudden longing for the cold anonymity of a big city.
“I know people are talking about me,” I snap. “But I refuse to let gossip dictate what I can and can’t do. And for your information, Jeremy knows about what happened to me, and it didn’t seem to bother him.”
“That’s not the point. You can’t work for me and see him.”
My shoulders tense. I focus on the computer, hitting the key to bring up the database software.
“My date with Jeremy has nothing to do with my work here,” I reply stiffly. “I didn’t, and won’t, tell him anything about the job or the fact that you’re my employer. You don’t need to worry about breach of contract.”
“This isn’t about the damned contract.” His voice is suddenly sharp.
He steps closer to me, his soapy, warm scent filling my nose. I hold my ground, not wanting him to see me weaken even though I’m melting inside at his nearness. Impassive though he is on the exterior, I can almost feel the energy coursing through him, his heavy strong heartbeat, the rush of his blood.
“I don’t want you around King,” he repeats.
“Does your animosity have something to do with him wanting to sell the lighthouse?”
“I’m not answering questions.” His gray eyes turn the color of metal. “I’m telling you to stay away from him.”
My pulse races. “You don’t have that right.”
“I’m your boss.”
“That doesn’t mean you can make that demand.” The words snap out of my mouth without thought. “And if you think you can threaten to fire me over this, then step back, mister, because I’ve been through the worst wrongful termination I can imagine. And even though my employer fucking won that battle, I still have plenty of fight left in me. I’ll put on my gloves and go another round with you, if I have to.”
Wow. Go, Eve.
I’m breathing fast, and my knees are quaking with sudden fear that he’ll make me prove my bold statement. I dig my fingernails into my palms. The air between us sparks with electricity. I force myself to hold my ground, to look directly at him and—
Admiration flashes in his eyes, like a silver comet streaking across the sky. His stern expression doesn’t change, but that brief glimpse of warmth eases the tension knotting my shoulders.
“I’m not going to fire you.” His voice is measured and controlled. “But I will not have you seeing King.”
“You don’t like him, so that means I have to stay away from him?” I ask. “Sorry, no. He’s one of the few people in this town who has been nice to me, and I enjoyed our date. I refuse to discount the possibility of Jeremy being my first real friend here.”
Flynn’s jaw clenches. “He wants to be more than your friend.”
“I know.” I put my hands on my hips and look him in the eye. “He even kissed me.”
Anger crashes over his features, and a vein throbs in his forehead. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was jealous.
But I do know better. He’s mad because I’m refusing to do something he wants me to do. Despite, or maybe because of, his isolated lifestyle, Flynn is clearly a man accustomed to getting what he wants.
“He kissed you.” The word grind out of his mouth like broken glass.
“Yes. And I kissed him back. Like our date, it was nice. Nice hasn’t been the norm in my life lately.”
“I could kiss you,” Flynn retorts, his hands fisting. “But it wouldn’t nice.”
“Oh yeah?” My heart kicks into gear, blood rushing through my veins. “What would it be, then?”
He pulls in a breath, his gaze settling on my mouth. “Hot.”
“Prove it.” Borne of my endless nighttime fantasies, the dare flies out of me without thought of the potential repercussions.
Before I can take another breath, he grabs my shoulders and pulls me against him. I freeze, stunned by the reality of a moment I’d imagined more times than I can count—the sensation of his body against mine. And God, he feels exactly the way I’d imagined, a solid wall of heat and muscle pulsing with life. Rock-hard arms that could wrap around me so tightly nothing would get past them.
He stares down at me, his steel-like gaze sparking with intent like iron striking stone. I can’t move, can’t breathe, can’t think.
Then his mouth crashes down on mine, an onslaught, a possession, a claiming. Hunger bursts through me, a desire so sharp and intense it destroys all my defenses in one fell swoop. I moan, everything inside me weakening and aching for more. He slides a hand to my lower back, fitting our bodies together. I yield everywhere, my curves softening against him, any thought of resistance dissolving in a haze of disbelief and craving.
I part my lips tentatively, let him inside. My head spins with the taste of him—something decadent and forbidden. Our tongues touch, breath mingling. Arousal floods me, swift and hard, as if all the fantasies in which I’ve indulged have primed me for this moment. I bring my hands up to his face, his stubble coarse against my palms, slide them down to the sides of his neck where his pulse throbs heavily. He’s like the sea—mysterious, unpredictable, powerful. I could get lost in him, drown, let him sweep me away to a distant land where no one knows who I am and what I’ve done.
He lifts his head, breaking our kiss and stepping away from me at the same time. Heavy breaths saw from his chest, and his eyes are darkened to black. I bring a shaking hand to my mouth, suddenly unsure if the kiss just happened or if I’m like Alice in Wonderland, spinning downward, lost in my intricate imagination.
When I first came to Castille, I’d thought I was running away. But now, my body and soul reawakened, my intellect inspired, my heart open… maybe all along, I was simply coming home.
What a perfectly swoony and incredibly written treat this book was. Having never read a Nina Lane book before, I had no idea what to expect. And now I’m seriously kicking myself for waiting so long to experience this talented author. The Secret Thief was a beautifully crafted tale that kept me riveted to the pages, desperate for more, and incapable of setting it down for even a second.
When a mistake costs her almost everything; her career, her self worth, her respect and life as she knows it, Eve finds herself back in the small town of Maine where her beloved uncle left her his house upon his passing. Desperate to start over, she never expects for her life to take an entirely different turn when she meets a mysterious stranger.
I honestly don’t want to give too much away about this book, because it’s an almost out of body experience to discover the story’s mysteries on your own. The author wove so much beauty into this romance, and being a huge fairy tale fan myself, I absolutely adored the added history that she indulged the reader with.
The plot was perfectly balanced with bits and pieces of some of my favorite fairy tales and their history, along with a well paced, slow burn romance that I simply couldn’t get enough of. I was desperate for more and more tidbits of knowledge about the mysterious Flynn. His history, his broody exterior, and the secrets that he was so clearly hiding kept me glued to the pages well into the night.
The Secret Thief wasn’t just a book. It was also so much more than a romance. It was an experience. A beautifully crafted, incredibly developed, and perfectly paced experience unlike any I’ve read before. If you’re looking for a story that’s different, sexy, and will keep you up all night reading, then look no further. Because this is an absolute must read!
New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances about professors, bad boys, candy makers, and protective alpha males who find themselves consumed with love for one woman alone. Originally from California, Nina holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she’s that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.
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THE BEST MAN
THE END ZONE
Sage is a Grade-A Douchebag-Man-Whore. He is the college quarterback, soon to be drafted, and can get anything he wants, including women. After a recent incident, he is lusting after his roommate, Jolie. He has never felt anything for her before now. Sage and Jolie have been best friends since they were kids. Jolie has been in lurrrrve with Sage since then as well, but OF COURSE he doesn’t know it, and OF COURSE he is a Douchebag-Man-Whore. There is no way she is going to put herself out there only to get hurt and lose her best friend in the process.
L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.
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This weekend I didn’t just read a book, I experienced one. I fell head over heels for an all encompassing, gritty and emotional romance that kept me glued to the pages from start to finish. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve had this phenomenal story on my kindle for over 2 years and only now just read it. I’m kicking myself for it fully for only now discovering the raw talent that is Leylah Attar writing. Because this book? This book was everything. EVERYTHING. It was devastating, passionate, beautiful and dark. It was flawlessly written and entirely unforgettable.
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Meghan March does it yet again. She delivers an erotically charged story full of twists and turns that will leave readers riveted to the pages and begging for more. And this reader? I’m currently rocking myself in a corner as I wait (im)patiently for the next installment.
A New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels, Meghan March has been known to wear camo face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut. Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the most fabulous job she’s ever had.
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