Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Release Date: September 13, 2021
Blurb:
Basketball has always been his one love, until now . . .
Zeke Armstrong never imagined he’d be back in Vermont, but here he is, living in Colebury and trying to rehab an injury that could mean an early retirement from pro basketball. Running into his former classmate, Mallory Barrett, shouldn’t be a distraction. It shouldn’t mean anything, so why is he accidentally on purpose showing up at the coffee shop where the beautiful writer spends her time?
Mallory Barrett has met a guy. Well, she hasn’t met him yet, except for on the dating app she almost refused to download. “Coby” sparks her interest and gets her jokes--and gives the romance-novel heroes she loves so much a full-court run for their money. When their first date doesn’t work out, she decides to give him another shot . . . just as a man she despises reenters her life. While her interest in the mystery man on the app grows, she clashes constantly with Zeke in real life. She can’t forgive him for humiliating her in high school, yet she can’t deny she’s drawn to him now.
She’s somehow gone from confirmed bachelorette to the tie-breaker between two men. Meanwhile Zeke has a secret--one that will cost him the game if Mallory finds out . . .
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/DoubletalkAmazon
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All the links in one spot: https://shor.by/busy-bean
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Excerpt for Doubletalk by Teralyn Mitchell
She didn’t wait for me to say anything else, spinning on her heels and heading for the nearest store or restaurant where she could sit down. I chuckled and turned to head in the other direction. A hard wall of muscle made me stumble. Two strong hands gripped my upper arms. I looked up to see who had saved me from falling and who I needed to thank. The need to be polite shriveled and died when I saw that it was Zeke holding onto my arms.
“Are you okay?”
The combination of his deep voice and his hands on me caused me to shiver. I shook him off. What the hell? Why was I always reacting to him? I didn’t like him or his stupid good looks. I crossed my arms over my stomach.
“Why are you always where I am?” I snapped.
“Small town?”
“We’re in Burlington.”
“Still small, Ror. You also don’t have a monopoly on all things Vermont.”
I rolled my eyes. He had me there. “So, you’re telling me you normally wander the Marketplace on a cold Sunday?”
“When I have something to do, I wander around,” he said. “And maybe Stacey texted me and told me the two of you would be here.”
I clenched my teeth. Of course, she told him we’d be here. She went out of her way to make my life hell. So even though today had been about me getting her back, somehow, she’d figured out how to stick it to me too. I mean, not really. It’d probably been innocent, but I was going to blame her anyway.
It was frustrating to continuously run into Zeke. He had a point about it being a small town. This was what I dreaded when I realized he was back in Vermont and living in the town I now called home.
“You and Stacey talk often?”
The smirk on his full lips made me narrow my eyes at him. I hugged myself tighter as my stomach clenched. A tingle down below, that I was not acknowledging, had me pursing my lips. Why did he have to be so goddamn handsome? I was sure women fell all over themselves when he smiled at them like he was smiling at me right now. Especially when that dimple in his left cheek popped, but I wasn’t going to. Delight danced in his hooded light brown eyes. His sharp jawline was sprinkled with hair that looked good on him; it wasn’t a full beard but cut close to his skin. Not that I was looking, or rather, staring.
“Jealous?”
I groaned. “Not even a little, but I do want to have the facts right when I confront her about divulging my location to the enemy.”
He let out a deep laugh. “You’ve always been a bit of a drama queen,” he teased. “Stace and I exchanged numbers the last time we happened to be at the Busy Bean. We’ve only talked a few times.”
“Whatever.” I was done with this conversation and being around him.
I started walking, only for him to fall into step beside me. I let him walk beside me for a few minutes before I couldn’t resist saying something.
“Can I help you?”
“I don’t think so, unless you work at Burlington Records.”
“That’s where you’re going?” I asked.
“Yep.”
Release Date: September 13, 2021
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Blurb:
The newest barista at the Busy Bean is about to steam the place up...
Former Marine Mason Rye can make a cappuccino with military precision, but he finds it much harder to serve up a smile. It’s not that he doesn’t like people. But he knows from experience that once you let someone in, it hurts like hell when you lose them. And Mason’s lost too many people already.
So it’s pretty damn inconvenient when his old Marine buddy shows up on Mason’s goat farm with his younger sister in tow. Heather’s work in Washington D.C. has turned dangerous, and she needs a safe place out of town.
Mason doesn’t need a new roommate, especially not a pretty, single one who insists on rearranging his spice rack and giving his chickens cute names. Although there’s no denying the haunted look in her blue eyes. Every time her fear shows its face, he wants to reach for her.
The problem is that she wants him, too. And when Mason breaks all his rules, they practically burn down his bed together. But her life is in D.C. And the threat against her is over.
Unfortunately, neither of their hearts is fireproof...
Warning: this stand-alone novel contains cute goats, bossy Marines, and small-town charm.
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/FireproofAmazon
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Release Date: September 13, 2021
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Blurb:
Ms. Sunshine meets Mr. Grumpy! From USA Today bestselling author R.L. Kenderson.
“Sometimes, not knowing where you’re going will lead you to where you need to be.”
CHARLI
My workplace eliminated my position the same month my relationship ended. With nothing keeping me in Richmond, Virginia, I get in my car and head northeast, unsure of where I’ll end up.
Until I walk into The Busy Bean Café.
With the Help Wanted sign and the quote on the wall meant for me, I know I’ve found my new home.
GABE
I gave up my executive job in Boston to come home to help run my family’s hardware store and to open my own handcrafted furniture business. I have specific plans for my life.
Those plans don’t include the coffee shop’s new flighty barista even if she is cute as hell.
But when I become Charli’s landlord, I find it harder than ever to stay away from her. And soon, I don’t want to.
Purchase Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/SidetrackedAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/SidetrackedApple
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Excerpt for Sidetracked by R.L. Kenderson
To make matters worse, I didn’t see Charli anywhere.
Fuck. Had she already found a guy to take her home?
I looked at the only empty chair at the table and took it as my own.
“Hey, that’s—” Kyle said but shut up when I shot him a look.
I didn’t know Griffin Shipley’s cousins well, so I always forgot who was who, and I didn’t really care either.
I briefly looked up at Lauren sitting on Max’s lap and Audrey sitting on Griff’s and wondered why neither of them had taken this chair.
Before I could ask, someone spoke up before me, “Did you guys figure it out?”
I looked over to see Charli walking up to the table.
“Oh,” she said when she saw me. She smiled, and my gaze went straight to her fuck-me red lips. “You took my chair.”
She bit on the plump lower lip as she looked around, and I had to turn away as my jeans got tight.
“Darn. There are still no free chairs,” she said.
I was about to stand up and give her the seat back when one of the Shipley cousins said, “You can sit on my lap, Charli.” He held his arms out. “The offer still stands.”
Before she could say anything, I slid my arm around her waist and yanked her down.
She yelped in surprise.
I looked at the cousin. “Too late. She’s already found a place to sit.”
She looked over her shoulder at me and, in the process, grazed her ass over my swollen dick.
I groaned quietly.
“Are you okay with this?”
“I set you here, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but you don’t seem very happy to have me sitting here.”
No, I liked it way too much. Tonight, instead of fantasizing about her masturbating, I was going to picture her riding me on this chair.
“I’m fine,” I bit out.
She looked like she wanted to say more, but one of the Shipleys spoke up, “Hey, Charli. We each came up with an answer for you.”
She turned to face the cousins. “You did? Whatcha got?”
“I’ll go first,” the cousin who had offered Charli his lap said. “Are you ready?”
“I am,” she said, and I felt her body relax more into mine.
“Okay. Samuel L. Jackson was in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, which was directed by Quentin Tarantino. Then, Quentin Tarantino was in Reservoir Dogs with Chris Penn. And Chris Penn was in Footloose with Kevin Bacon. That’s three degrees.”
“Great job. What about you?” Charli asked the other cousin.
“Samuel L. Jackson was in Iron Man with Robert Downey Jr. Robert Downey Jr. was in Tropic Thunder with Tom Cruise. And Tom Cruise was in A Few Good Men with Kevin Bacon. I got the same amount.” He sounded disappointed.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked.
Charli looked over her shoulder at me again.
Fuck. I wish she’d stop moving.
“We’re playing Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Do you know it?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Her face brightened. “You do?”
She’d completely missed the unfortunate part of my answer.
“We’re connecting Samuel L. Jackson to Kevin Bacon. So far, Kyle and Kieran got three degrees.”
I snorted. “I could do it in two.”
“No way,” one of the cousins said. “Not that fast. We had to think about it while Charli was in the restroom.”
I rolled my eyes. “Kevin Bacon was in Animal House with Donald Sutherland, who was in A Time to Kill with Samuel L. Jackson. Two degrees.”
“Damn,” the other cousin said.
Charli smiled at me over her shoulder. “Good job, Gabe.”
“Thanks.”
“Do another one,” the cousin demanded. “I want to see if you can do it that fast again.”
I was going to say no, but when I saw Charli’s face, I gave in. “Fine.”
“Charli, does everyone have to be connected to Kevin Bacon?”
“I don’t know the official rules, but my friends and I would sometimes pick two actors and connect them.”
“You pick someone, and I’ll pick someone,” one cousin said to the other.
“I’ll pick one,” Griff interrupted.
“Okay,” his cousin said.
“You say yours first,” Griff said.
“Alyssa Milano. She’s hot. Who’s your person?”
“Dermot Mulroney.”
I smiled. “That’s easy. They were both in Where the Day Takes You.”
“What?” a cousin said. “You made that movie up.”
“No, I didn’t. It’s not well known, but it’s a great movie. You should watch it sometime.”
Kyle or Kieran grabbed his phone. A few seconds later, he said, “Holy shit, Gabe’s right.”
“I know I am.”
Charli smiled at me again, but this time, she looked me up and down, as if she was appreciating what she was seeing. “That was pretty impressive, Gabe,” she said in a low voice so only I could hear.
I wanted to pull her to me and kiss the hell out of her.
A waitress walked up to our table and asked, “Can I get anyone anything?”
I tore my eyes from Charli.
“God, yes,” I said to the server. “A beer.” And a bag of ice for my crotch.
Release Date: September 13, 2021
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Blurb:
A moving second-chance romance where hope can turn history into a footnote.
Sasha Covey needs a rewrite. Or a really big eraser. Her past doesn’t belong in the life she’s trying to rebuild. Her future—and her recovery—depend on a fresh start. Moving to Colebury seems like the perfect test until Penley Brooks waltzes into the Busy Bean. The handsome veterinarian is just as charming as when she fell for him a decade ago. Memories come flooding back, and their connection is as potent as ever.
Trouble is, Sasha has good reason to keep her distance. Her recovery is still new, and the single dad has wounds of his own. After years of being an afterthought, Penley’s goals are finally within reach. As much as she aches to reconnect, Sasha won’t stand in the way of his dreams.
Somehow, that all melts away whenever she’s with Penley. Together, dreaming is a little easier.
But dreams don’t always survive in the real world. Not when the past comes knocking.
Footnote is a standalone small-town romance set in the True North world.
Amazon: https://geni.us/FootnoteAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/FootnoteApple
Kobo: https://geni.us/FootnoteKobo
Nook: https://geni.us/FootnoteNook
Google: https://geni.us/FootnoteGoogle
Excerpt for Footnote by Alexa Gregory
The overhanging bell chimed as the door swung open, letting in a blast of frozen wind. I was slowly getting into the habit of looking up to greet patrons as soon as the tinkling sound echoed through the Busy Bean.
It wasn’t easy. If I was measuring coffee grounds for the espresso machine, I kept focused on that. If I was counting change, I couldn’t look up, too scared to stiff customers or my bosses. Zara, Audrey, and the other employees were pros at multitasking. They were like fireflies of activity, doing twenty different things all at once, including shouting out a kind welcome to the patrons.
I wasn’t exactly good at the whole chipper-greeting thing on a regular basis, let alone in the middle of a task. Besides, a cheerful hello demanded volume and a certain exuberance that I just didn’t have.
It sure wasn’t going to happen with this particular patron.
When I finally looked up to acknowledge the newcomer, I failed to remember a few things.
How to breathe.
Where I was.
Who I was.
My knees forgot how to stand, too. They buckled under me, threatening to twist together like Roderick’s pretzels before they went into the oven. I was a half-baked lump. The only thing I could do was blink. Fast and hard to remove the strange optical illusion standing in front of me.
There was no way in hell this was happening. Not after all this time. Not now. Not here.
And yet…
How many people had eyes the color of a starry night, complete with a twinkle? I knew if I looked hard enough, I’d see a sparkle in the blue depths, a tiny glimmer of stardust floating in the dizzying gaze.
That wasn’t even half of it. There was the smile. The one that was warmer than a preheated oven in the morning. The one that hinted at a dimple that never quite made its way into existence.
Penley Brooks.
He was the only man in the whole world that had all of those attributes. Unless I had finally lost my mind, he was standing in the Busy Bean, grinning at me. Like we ran into each other every day in Colebury. Like we talked all the time.
Like we hadn’t lost touch over a decade ago.
Like I hadn’t left without a word.
My body was still, refusing to move until he confirmed his presence. Maybe he would disappear. Maybe he wouldn’t recognize me.
“Sasha Covey.” He spoke my name like it was a benediction. But maybe that was simply the fizz of hope going off in my heart. I hadn’t felt that in eleven years.
If I had a tongue before, it was gone. Lost. Sacrificed to the gods of deep, rumbling male voices that made kindling out of a woman’s legs. Oh, he had not misplaced his charm. It had doubled. Tripled. Or maybe it was all me. I hadn’t shed my silly crush on him. It came roaring up like time hadn’t made us older.
“Hey, Pen.” Zara beamed at him before arching a brow at me, silently asking me what had turned me into an immobile pile of goo.
“Zara, hey. How’s the family?”
My boss shrugged. “Wonderful.” The oven dinged like a hangman’s bell. “Excuse me. Sasha here will take your order.”
Before heading into the kitchen, she shot me another look. I wanted to reach out and beg her not to leave me alone with Penley, but that would have been too weird. Even for me. I already won the Weird Award daily; I didn’t need to add to my collection of strange exchanges.
I tried to swallow, pleading with my voice to magically reappear, but then he went and did something completely in character. Something that made my gooey body turn to mush.
He leaned on the counter.
That smirk of his was on full display. Was there a spotlight on him? That was the only explanation. No one’s hair shined like that. Was I suddenly allergic to coffee? That was the only reason why my lips were tingling wildly.
A kiss couldn’t reverberate through the decades.
It was impossible.
Scientifically unprovable. Like almost-dimples and stardust eyes.
Kisses didn’t rebound. But then again, I was no expert in first kisses. Or second. Or third.
“How are you here?” Penley’s wonder echoed my own, effervescing in the pit of my stomach.
“I work here,” I answered lamely, even though I knew what he meant. I was definitely not going to tell him how I ended up in Colebury. I’d changed a lot since the last time we saw each other. Not exactly for the better. Penley was the last person in the world who would ever get the truth out of me. It would hurt him too much.
“I can see that you work here.” His smooth laughter glided against my bare arms as he slowly took me in. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Yeah. Same. What can I get you?”
There! A full sentence. Shake it off, Sasha.
Way easier said than done.
Release Date: September 13, 2021
Series page: https://hearteyespress.com/wotn#/busy-bean/
Cover Design: Elle Maxwell Designs
Blurb:
I’m a numbers girl.
Or at least I thought I was, until my formula fell apart. Back home in Vermont, with my dream on hiatus, I’m working at the Busy Bean and taking online classes. As long as I keep my focus, I’ll be back in New York City next semester. Hopefully.
When Declan O’Shaughnessy storms into the café, all muscles and tattoos, wielding his sexy Irish brogue like a weapon, the only equation I can solve is one that lands me in his bed. Even more dangerous is my growing affection for his cherub-faced little boy.
But Declan has complications of his own. He’s cagey, but I’ll win him over.
Yeah, about that focus… mine is all on him. Can we have a harmless fling without getting hurt?
Amazon: https://geni.us/AfterglowAmazon
Apple: https://geni.us/AfterglowApple
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Excerpt for Afterglow by Aria Wyatt
The Busy Bean reminds me of my father’s pub in Galway, where I had my first drink and started my love affair with Irish whiskey. I’ve traded booze for hot cider, but I crave the inviting pub vibe of this bakery. There are plenty of bars in town—like the place right across the car park—but I don’t dare set foot in one. This is the closest I’ll allow myself.
“Hi, what can I get started for you?”
I spin toward the lilting female voice and frown. I come here just about every day and I’ve never seen this woman. She’s a pretty little thing who barely comes up to my shoulder. A black T-shirt peeks from beneath the bright yellow apron that covers her breasts. She’s cinched the tie around her waist, showcasing her hourglass figure.
“Hello?” She props both hands on her hips. “Would you like to order something?”
My gaze snaps to her face and locks on to a set of eyes the exact shade of golden amber as whiskey. With her tanned skin, and thick, honey-blonde hair, I’d swear I walked into a distillery. My throat tightens, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I try to find the words to answer.
Her mouth starts to move again, drawing my focus to her lips. Full and pink, like a wild Irish rose. “I brewed a fresh pot of coffee and the drink of the day is a dirty apple chai.” She licks those plush lips and adds, “With apples from the Shipley orchards, of course.”
My stomach twists into a knot as I glance at the section of countertop that looks like a bar. I’d give my left arm for a pint of Guinness. And I’d give both arms for some whiskey. Desperate to derail that train of thought, I force my gaze to the display of artisanal honey from some of the local apiaries. Funny how the warm amber color also reminds me of whiskey, making my mouth water.
Then again, maybe it’s blondie who’s got me salivating. Whiskey be damned, I’d sell my soul to the Devil for a taste of her.
