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Tag Archives: Sweet Romance Book

A romance novel with no erotic content. Considered mainstream.

 

The Ugly Christmas Sweater... Shirt.

In this scene, the hero, Scott, finds the dreaded ugly Christmas sweater, his in shirt form, a gift from his mother.

The Christmas Sweater / Shirt

In his old room, Scott stripped out of his uniform and put on sweatpants and slippers. On his bed was the loose T-shirt with a blond-haired elf on the front that his mother had given him the year before. The elf was shirtless, wearing red boxer shorts with holly on them, and he was licking a candy cane while dangling a round ornament on one finger of his other hand. Some people got an ugly Christmas sweater. His mom gave him the T-shirt version he could wear all year. Yay. Lucky him.

Upon seeing the shirt when Scott unwrapped it, a cousin had started singing, "Don we now our gay apparel..." and had broken into riotous laughter. That didn't stop the family from insisting he wear it. He was sure he'd asked Mary to give it to Goodwill, so how it had shown up again this year he couldn't explain. Yet, there it was. It could only have come from one person.

"The things we do for our mothers." Scott slipped it on over his head and headed for the kitchen.

He leaned against the door jamb, enjoying the sight. His mother was chopping things for the stuffing and adding them to her biggest bowl. His dad sat at the end of the counter, reading a Popular Science magazine. Neither seemed to pay attention to the other, but while his mother was cooking, Dad always kept her company. She'd crochet in a wooden rocker in the garage while he worked on the boat he was building. As if they couldn't bear to be parted from one another, even though they didn't talk much. Maybe they didn't need words.

Scott had thought he and his wife would be the same, but he and Mary had shared a different lifestyle. Both were often busy, and sometimes saw each other only in passing. He'd worked nights, and she'd worked days. She'd had a downtown office, working as an architect for government housing. Time spent outdoors had given her a great tan, but exposed her to hazardous toxins no one had known were in the old buildings being demolished. When she fainted at work, the company sent her in for a check up. After the diagnosis, the project had been shut down immediately, but cancer took a quick toll. Mary was gone in six months. A government investigation into the cause was still ongoing.

Scott now had sole custody of a four-year old daughter and a job that took him into danger every day. He'd shifted to the downtown beat and day shift because it seemed safer, and he could still do what he loved doing: Helping people.

Love Contemporary Romance?

Can you fall in love again when the love of your life has gone?

Try my book, A Romance for Christmas, on all retailers.
A free behind the scenes booklet is included. No sign up necessary.

A Romance for Christmas includes a link to a free behind the scenes booklet

A free behind the scenes booklet included inside A Romance for Christmas

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright Β©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.


Welcome to Book Hooks!

Book Hooks is a weekly cooperative blog hop hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog.
It's a chance each week for you to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors.
Thank you for stopping by.

Links below lead to other sites also taking part. You can "hop" from mine to theirs with one click.

Feel free to say hello or leave a note in the comments.

He's at the mercy of this lovely captain @KayelleAllen |#Romance #Veterans Hop #SciFiWelcome to the Romance Veterans hop! All the authors in this hop write romance and are themselves veterans. We’re excited to have you!

Veterans Hop

To enter the hop, like this post and comment below. You’ll be eligible to win a $50 GiftCard as a gift from all of us.

PLUS, join my reader group today and you will get four bonus books plus be in the running to win an additional $20 GiftCard from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Starbucks from me. Winner’s choice.

Here’s a quick excerpt from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, my sweet science fiction romance, book one of the Antonello Brothers series.

At the Mercy of Her Pleasure

In this scene from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure by Kayelle Allen, Captain NarrAy Jorlan has just met professional thief Senth Antonello for the first time. She’s taking it slow, sizing him up for the job at hand. Usually, men are distracted by her pheromones, but on this occasion, she finds herself on the distracted side.

NarrAy crossed her legs, exposing a good portion of her skin under the short dress. If she’d been sitting opposite Senth, the length might have been welcome. But his father lounged in that chair and Senth sat beside her on the couch. Her position put her a little closer to him.

“Empress Destoiya murdered my parents,” NarrAy continued her story, “as surely as if she’d been the one who shot them in the back. They were scientists working on secret technology. When rumors got oHe's at the mercy of this lovely captain |#Romance #Veterans Hop #SciFiut that they were planning to give their findings to the rebellion, the Conqueror had them killed and then confiscated everything, including their personal belongings. There was a locket my mother inherited from my grandmother, which my grandmother inherited from her grandmother. It’s mine and I want it back.”

She met Senth’s penetrating gaze and held it. She heard rather than saw Encie enter the room and take up a place near the door. Broxus moved to stand beside her. NarrAy couldn’t take her gaze off Senth. How did I ever see him as a boy?

He had a man’s hands, well-groomed nails and sinewy forearms that revealed power and strength. His biceps bulged. Angular jaw, a firm mouth with lips made for kissing. A hot flutter rose within her and she tamped it down at once, refusing to let her pheromones get the upper hand.

Senth watched her, gaze narrowed, head tilted. He gave a sniff and then eased into a smile. His proximity heightened her desire. He smelled clean, fresh and ruggedly male. A tingle signaled the imminent letdown of her pheromones and she clenched her hands into fists, fighting to calm the spike of lust flickering through her like a torch about to combust.

Senth’s faint smile revealed nothing, but he lifted his head, sniffing the air. Kin could smell emotion and desire. Could HalfKin?

He asked me something. Pay attention to business and not your body. She sat up straighter. “I’m sorry. Would you repeat that, please?”

“What I said was no one hires a level-nineteen thief, transports him to another world to break into a government building and then wants him to steal back a locket with sentimental value. Especially one in the custody of the Conqueror. What’s it really worth?”

“It’s a priceless heirloom.” She set a hand against her bosom.

Senth didn’t follow her hand’s movement. Instead he tilted his head as he leaned back against the couch. “I’m more skilled at this job than you are beautiful, NarrAy and that’s saying something. Tell me the truth.”

Her cheeks warmed. When had she ever blushed over such an offhand compliment?

——— Read more about this bookΒ ———

#Entertowin a $50 Amazon #giftcard from #Romance #Veterans Visit each author for a chance to win more prizes Share on X

Remember:Β Β To enter the hop, like this post and comment below. You’ll be eligible to win a $50 GiftCard as a gift from all of us.Β PLUS, join one of my reader groups today and you will get four bonus books plus be in the running to win an additional $20 GiftCard from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Starbucks from me. Winner’s choice.

NEXT STOP HERE: TARINA DEATON

Half-Human Thief Meets by-the-Book Captain (SciFi Romance) #MFRWhooks #MFRWauthor

 

 

In this scene from At the Mercy of Her Pleasure, rebel captainΒ NarrAy Jorlan takes a second look at the young, half-human thief she's hiring.

He's Half-Human but all male...

NarrAy met Senth's penetrating gaze. How had she ever seen him as a boy?

He had a man's hands, well-groomed nails and sinewy forearms that revealed power and strength. His biceps bulged. Angular jaw, a firm mouth with lips made for kissing. A hot flutter rose within her and she tamped it down at once, refusing to let her pheromones get the upper hand.

Senth was watching her, gaze narrowed, head tilted. He gave a sniff and then eased into a smile. His proximity heightened her desire. He smelled clean, fresh and ruggedly male. A tingle signaled the imminent letdown of her pheromones and she fought to calm the spike of lust flickering through her like a torch about to combust.

Senth's faint smile revealed nothing, but he lifted his head, sniffing the air. Kin could smell emotion and desire. Could a half-breed? Might be time to find out...

Sweet Science Fiction Romance with a Kick.
A fast-paced sci fi romance with an adorable, fun-loving hero who's half-human and half-cat and a by-the-book army captain heroine. Hired to steal back a prototype taken by the imperial armada, Senth retrieves it, but his brother is kidnapped to force Senth to surrender the device. Now he has to rescue his brother, outsmart the armada, and keep the item out of imperial hands. All doable, except for one small problem. He must do it in the company of NarrAy, a genetically altered woman whose pheromones could enhance the mission or crumble it into dust with a single siren kiss.

At the Mercy of Her Pleasure by Kayelle Allen
https://amzn.to/1f7FQ2h


JOIN US FOR BOOKHOOKS
Book Hooks is a weekly meme hosted by Marketing for Romance Writers as part of the MFRW Authors Blog. It's a chance each week for you the reader to discover current works in progress or previously published books by possibly new-to-you authors. Thank you for stopping by. Please say hello or leave a note in the comments.

It's "Cinderella vs. Scrooge" #holidayromance Barbara White Daille @BarbaraWDailleI’m excited to have my friend, author Barbara White Daille, visiting today. Her new book is One Week to Win Her Boss, a sweet Christmas romance. In this book, it’s Cinderella vs. Scrooge. You’ll love the story!

Cinderella vs. Scrooge

Single mom Amber Barnett loves family, kids, Christmas…and unfortunately, her boss, confirmed bachelor Michael DeFranco. It’s a crush she really needs to get over. Except, when she’s temporarily forced from her apartment, her only option is to stay at Michael’s private ski lodge, where she’s the housekeeper. No problem. Her handsome boss rarely visits Snowflake Valley unexpectedly, plus he’s spending the holidays with his family. Or so she thinks.

A stormy Christmas Eve reunion leaves Michael seeking the solitude of his lodge, where he finds Amber in residenceβ€”and in trouble. Attempting to save her from her matchmaking family, he announces they’re a couple. His good deed backfires when they’re instantly included in each and every holiday event in town. So much for solitude.

Only the more time he spends with the beautiful, cheery brunette, the more he yearns to make things real between them. But he and Amber want different things, and Michael could never be the family man she’s looking for.
Genre Sweet romance
Book heat level: PG13
Entangled Publishing https://entangledpublishing.com/one-week-to-win-her-boss.html
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076PJ7SNN
Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1127274067
iBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/one-week-to-win-her-boss/id1299758237
Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-week-to-win-her-boss

Giveaway

Check out Barbara’s Book BirthdayΒ giveaway on another site:Β http://bit.ly/owrafyzXtx

Barbara White Daille Social Media

Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest. Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about those subjects, too!
Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed “The End” to her first novel many years later…in the eighth grade. Now she’s writing contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her newsletter to keep up with the latest in her writing life: https://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.
Website https://www.barbarawhitedaille.com
Blog http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/blog
Twitter https://twitter.com/BarbaraWDaille
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/barbarawhitedaille
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille
Amazon Author Page http://bit.ly/azbwd

 

I’m writing the sequel to book one in the Bringer of Chaos series. The first was Origin of Pietas, the second is Forged in Fire. In it, we get a lovely flashback of his first love. When Joss and Pietas meet for the first time, he is young, isolated, and alone. This is from the work in progress. May have final edits before being released. Currently, it’s on track for Sept 2017.

Joss and Pietas Meet (Excerpt)

Joss and Pietas meet (from Forged in Fire, a sweet scifi romance) #excerpt #MFRWhooks @kayelleallen

Pietas didn’t sleep with Joss until he was twenty, but he fell in love with her at first sight.

He was sixteen. She was ageless.

The older woman had plucked him off the streets, fed and clothed him, given him a job and dignity. That wasn’t why he’d slept with her. It had taken several years to become her lover because he didn’t know how to ask. She told him later he’d been too young to know what he wanted and she’d promised herself she wouldn’t make the first move. This time, he knew how it was done, he had no intention of waiting, and he knew exactly what he wanted. Her.

As he hiked beside her, he recalled that first meeting. He’d been starving, standing in lines to join work crews. For days. No one would hire him. He had no identification. No money. His father had thrown him out with nothing. Obtaining his own weapons hadn’t been difficult. He’d wagered his skill to gain those. But a job? He had no war campaigns to claim and no ID to acquire passage for one. He was too proud to steal and far too proud to beg. He refused to buy falsified documents. He’d either earn his keep the right way or he’d starve.

Once you sell your honor, nothing else has value.

Once you sell your honor, nothing else has value. -- Pietas #Quotes Share on X

The day had grown late and it had started raining. He ducked into a covered alley and huddled against the wall for protection from the wind. The greasy food cooking at the diner across the street had started smelling good two days ago. Skinny Ultras stopped by the diner’s back door every night and accepted a handful of scraps. A few picked through leavings. He would bear stomach cramps forever before he’d do that.

A female soldier passing by slowed, looked him up and down, and then stopped. She wore an officer’s uniform: simple black jacket, white blouse, black skirt, shiny shoes. “Hello.”

He stood taller. Finger-combing his hair, he smiled at her. “Hello.”

“Are you looking for work?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She entered the alley, gesturing for him to accompany her.

He turned to follow, staggering with dizziness. No matter what kind of work she needed done, he would find a way to do it, hungry or not. Once they reached the alley’s deepest end, she pulled up her skirt and held out paper money.

It took a moment for it to register what she expected him to do. He’d never been around any women other than his mother and sister. Did people…do that…in an alley? Surely not. He must be mistaken. Surely she needed something else and he had misunderstood.

When he just stood there, she gestured with the money. “I don’t have all day, do you want this or not?”

He turned and fled and didn’t slow down until he reached the Ultra’s union hall. There, he dropped onto the ground in the drizzling rain, back against the wall. Arms resting on upraised knees, he hung his head, sopping wet, cold and miserable.

“Hello?” called a gentle voice.

“I am not for sale!” He clenched his teeth and glared up at her.

“That’s good to know.” The woman looking down at him was not the one who’d offered to buy him earlier.

Pietas clambered to his feet.

Unlike his platinum blond, her hair held tones of gold. Kind blue eyes seemed to look right through him. The rain had ceased and a beam of sunlight illuminated her. Seeing her, a man could believe in angels.

He pushed hair out of his face. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Are you Pietas?”

“I am.” Was this someone who could hire him? It wouldn’t do to look sloppy in front of her. He drew back his sodden hair into a tail and tossed it over his shoulder. Wiping wet hands on wetter clothes, he held himself in militarily correct posture. “How do you know me?”

“From your mother’s description.”

“My mother?” A wave of homesickness arose in him so strong he lost his breath. He might be new to the greater Ultra world, but he hadn’t been raised a fool. He kept his distance. “How do you know her?”

“Helia and I were created at the same time. She was scientist class and I was warrior, but we became friends. I introduced her to Mahikos. Thankfully, she doesn’t hold that against me.” A wry smile tilted her mouth. “She called me, told me she had a son named Pietas and a daughter named Dessy. She said you and your father had a fight and asked me to look for you. She sends her love.”

“You must be Joss!”

“That’s right.”

“Growing up, Mother told me all about you. She said you were the sister she never had.”

“Did she?” Her amusement came through the aether, as warm and embracing as his mother’s had ever been. “I’m glad to know that. I wish she’d told me about you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. That isn’t your fault.”

“Is Mother here? Have you seen her?”

“No. But she was worried so I said I’d try to find you. Looks like I did. She said to try the work halls. This should have been the first place I looked.” Smiling, she spread her hands. “But I finally found you.”

Surely it wasn’t wrong to fall in love so fast. Mother had said not to trust strange women, and from his experience with the one earlier, she’d been right. But this was Joss. Her friend and sister. Pietas took two steps toward her, stopped himself and stuck his hands in his pockets.

Joss offered her hand. When he shook it, she clasped both of hers around his.

The moment she touched him he knew he would survive. He could do anything. His life was not over before it began. He’d had no idea then she was using her gift of Clarity to help him see his path. All he knew was this amazing woman cared about him.

“Thank you for looking for me. Finding me.”

“My pleasure.” She slid her fingertips down his jaw, out to the dimple in his chin and released him. “Now, let’s get you off these streets, into some dry clothes, and find you a meal. If you want to, you can call your mother.”

(download a pdf of the Joss and Pietas meet excerpt taken from Bringer of Chaos: Forged in Fire, sweet science fiction romance – coming soon)

Three ways to know when this book is released:

Get one email notificationΒ http://authoralarms.com/Kayelle_Allen
Follow on Amazon https://amazon.com/author/kayelleallen
Join the Romance Lives Forever Reader Group https://kayelleallen.com/bro

Inside Peek: For Women Only #scifi #romance #sweetIn Inside Peek: For Women Only we meet Mehfawni Ruh, a Kin ambassador who visits the capitol planet of the Tarthian Empire. She meets security expert Khyff Antonello, a human. She falls for the angst-ridden young man and showers him with gifts meant to show her intention of keeping him. A death in her family forces Fawni to return home, but she can’t bear to part with Khyff and takes him along. Her family demands she cast out the human, or abdicate her future rule.
When Fawni searches for an alternative, she stumbles upon Khyff’s secret. The cover-up, if exposed, will betray her world to its enemies and bare her family to open shame. Her duty is clear. Yet how can she leave Khyff to suffer in the darkness that binds his heart?
His secret truth is her people’s darkest lie.

Inside Peek: For Women Only (Excerpt)

In this scene from For Women Only, Khyff awakens beside Mehfawni, the feline-humanoid Kin ambassador to the Tarthian Empire. He’d been ordered to seduce her, part of a complicated ploy by the Empress, who wants to remove Mehfawni from the Kin line of succession. It took no time on Khyff’s part. The moment Mehfawni saw the gorgeous blond and blue-eyed human, she pursued him.Β Khyff has always been a plaything for others to enjoy, never a person to get to know. Until he meets Fawni.

Khyff drifted off to sleep, more comfortable than he could remember being in years and woke sometime later to the feel of a hand sliding down his abs and across his belly. He opened his eyes.

When she noticed he was watching her, mild surprise widened Mehfawni’s big golden eyes with their jade green flecks. “Oh, you’re awake.”

Mmm.”

“I hope I didn’t wake you. You looked…” She sighed. “I wanted to touch you. You’re so smooth.”

“It’s okay. You can touch me any time you like.” He stretched. It felt good to be rested. No light showed at the windows. “What time is it?”

She shrugged. “I pay no attention to such things. Local time. Tradestandard time. Time zones. Time to hold council. Time to sleep.” She hooked her claws into the air, a picture of frustration. “My staff open doors and pour wine and feed me. They lay out my clothes and draw my bath. All the rest of my life is work.” She dragged the tips of her claws down his body.

Khyff’s skin jumped, still hypersensitive after their riotous lovemaking.

“This–” she stroked his belly “–is outside time. This is my time. I will not look at clocks while I’m with you.”

Warmth swept over him that had nothing to do with sex. He turned the feeling over in his mind, unsure what to make of it, and held out his arms.

She moved into his embrace, body flush against his at leg and groin, skin pressed against his. She lay half atop him, leaning a bit to one side, propped on one elbow.

“Are you hungry, Khyff?”

He hadn’t noticed until she asked. “Starving. I have plenty of food in the kitchen. What would you like?”

“Besides you?”

“You can have me, too.”

She tapped his nose and sat up. “I want to take you out to dinner. In Tarth City, surely there is always food ready somewhere.”

“I know plenty of places.” They had told him to prepare to be spoiled. Kin females were accustomed to being in charge. Khyff hadn’t mentioned he was used to women paying his way. They liked to flaunt him to their friends and display him like a new charm on their wrist bracelets. Look what I bought.

“Somewhere quiet.” Mehfawni folded her legs, elbows on her knees. “I don’t wish others to gawk at you when you’re with me.”

Download another For Women Only sample. This one contains the first full chapter of the book. It opens in a new window.

Publisher Romance Lives Forever Books https://bit.ly/bro-womenprint-kl
This book is free on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon https://amzn.to/1f7Ge0P
Amazon (print) https://books2read.com/ab-for-her-only
CreateSpace (Print) https://bit.ly/bro-women-csp
The prequel for this book is At the Mercy of Her Pleasure.
Bro is a free short story set before this book opens. Get a copy here: https://kayelleallen.com/bro
Grab both At the Mercy of Her Pleasure and For Women Only plus a third book all in one boxed set. Available on the author’s website.

Kayelle Allen is a best-selling American author. Her unstoppable heroes and heroines include contemporary every day folk, role-playing immortal gamers, futuristic covert agents, and warriors who purr.
Books https://bit.ly/kayelle-books
Homeworld/Blog https://kayelleallen.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook https://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author

Home for Christmas #MFRWhooks #HolidayRomance @kayelleallen

Who doesn't want to go home for Christmas? In the sweet holiday story, A Romance for Christmas, a widow with a small child answers a knock at her door late on Christmas Eve. When she answers, everything changes. This holiday tale is a story of love, loss, and the spirit of giving.

Home for Christmas...

Home for Christmas #MFRWhooks #HolidayRomance @kayelleallenEveryone should stay home for Christmas -- that was Dara's belief. If her late husband had listened to her, he would still be here. Their daughter would still have a father. But job and duty had overshadowed family, and home. He would never be home for Christmas again...

---

Dara was gaining strength daily, and would finish therapy the first week of January and return to work. Disability paid for the basics - lights, phone, water, trash collection, and she'd never bought anything on credit, refusing to dig herself into a hole she'd never escape once it got started.

She went to the closet and pulled down a box with a ball, crayons, paper, and three books. A friend had brought over a few things as well. This wasn't the grand Christmas she had wanted for her daughter, but all the other valuables had been sold. There was nothing left but her wedding ring.

She didn't wear it. Removing it had been part of saying good-bye to Jack.

They said it would help, and it had. Sort of. But not much.

Dara sank into one of the kitchen chairs and put her face in her hands.

Sometime later, when the doorbell rang, she grabbed a paper towel and dried her eyes. The clock over the stove said nine o'clock. Who would be calling at this hour on Christmas Eve? She stuffed the wet towel in her robe pocket on the way to the door.

Β 

Love Contemporary Romance?

Can you fall in love again when the love of your life has gone?

Try my book, A Romance for Christmas, on all retailers.
A free behind the scenes booklet is included. No sign up necessary.

A Romance for Christmas includes a link to a free behind the scenes booklet

A free behind the scenes booklet included inside A Romance for Christmas

Any of my characters mentioned on this page might be found in multiple books in my story universe. Download a printable book list and check them off as you read.


~ Copyright Β©2024 Kayelle Allen. All rights reserved ~ Kayelle Allen participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, an affiliate advertising program which provides the means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com. If you purchase an item listed on the site from Amazon.com, Kayelle will earn a small commission. Other sites might be affiliate links as well. These will not result in higher prices for you. Thank you for your support!


To experience art, sci-fi, romance, and space opera with unstoppable, unshakeable, unforgettable characters so real you'll swear you've met them, join my newsletter.