romantic comedy
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Why Romeo Hates Juliet by Anna Mara
Romance writer, Juliet Soma HATES her new neighbor, movie star Romeo Boyd.
From the first moment they meet, when Romeo mistakes the sexy novelist for the hot stripper his friends have hired for him for the night, the duo clash and an epic war begins! And when Juliet gets the partying bad boy arrested by mistake, things only spiral down from there.
One day, as the battle between them escalates, Juliet accidentally shoots him! When Romeo comes to, to Juliet’s horror, he has amnesia and believes that she is his wife. But does he really? No! He’s just faking it to get his revenge on her and make her his slave.
But how far is Romeo prepared to go, especially when he finds himself falling, head-over-heels, in love with the annoying, infuriating but achingly gorgeous, big bitch next door?
And how far will Juliet take things when she discovers how the electrifyingly, handsome bum has been playing her all along? Will she finally admit that she’s completely in love with him too? Or will she exact her own brand of secret revenge on the cad first?
WHY ROMEO HATES JULIET is a funny, romantic comedy, emotional rollercoaster ride filled with twists & turns and highs & lows, spanning an entire summer at the beach. Over 120 5-Star Reviews on Amazon.
The Freefall Trilogy (Complete Collection) by Sadie Mills @sadiemillsbooks
Have you ever knelt at the open door of a plane, gasping in the choke of diesel, the wind stealing the breath from your mouth; knowing that at any second you’ll be falling out of it, plummeting back down to earth, when the stranger strapped to your back pushes you out?
The Freefall Trilogy is a complete box set series of romantic comedy novellas. In these action packed love stories (each between 42 and 52 pages) Sadie Mills grabs the reader by the handholds, drags them to the door and pulls them out of the plane with her, giving a glimpse into a world surging with adrenaline (not to mention insanely hot men) rarely explored in literature.
Parachutes and Peppermints (The Freefall Trilogy Part 1)
Chocolatier, Lucy Simkins, has been unceremoniously dumped by her dithering boyfriend, Phil. She needs to blast him out of her system. She needs to feel alive. She decides to go skydiving.
Joshua Snow is one of the most experienced tandem instructors at the dropzone, with a smile that can charm the birds from the trees. Confident, charismatic, even a little cocky, he soon finds himself on the back foot. He finds his shy little tandem student somewhat disarming.
There’s an instant attraction between Joshua and Lucy, an attraction that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his peers. A distracted student is one thing – they’re all used to that. But a distracted instructor? That’s a whole different story.
Parachutes and Pep Talks (The Freefall Trilogy Part 2)
Lucy is back at the dropzone. She wants to become a fully fledged skydiver and learn to fly on her own. She’s been placed in the more than capable (if somewhat indiscreet) hands of Joshua’s fellow skydiving instructor, Froggy, AKA Jeremy Fisher.
Froggy is a wee, wiry Scotsman who does hopping mad like nobody else, but he has a big heart and he’s got Lucy’s back. Student and instructor build up a bond. Froggy makes a startling revelation regarding Joshua’s past that rocks their relationship to its foundations.
Lucy discovers that in skydiving, life can turn on a dime, and the world can drop away from your feet at any second. A twist of fate leaves not just her relationship with Josh, but Lucy’s life hanging in the balance.
Parachutes and Pepto Bismol (The Freefall Trilogy Part 3)
Joshua takes Lucy by surprise, sweeping her off on a romantic weekend to Paris; dancing her over the Seine. But following a chance meeting with one of Joshua’s skydiving friends, Lucy’s dream quickly turns into a nightmare. It suddenly dawns on her that he might have come with an ulterior motive; a motive that terrifies her. BASE jumping.
Parachutes and Pep Talks (The Freefall Trilogy – Part 2) by Sadie Mills
Continuing from Parachutes and Peppermints (Part 1 of the Sadie Mills Freefall Trilogy), we pick up the romance between chocolatier, Lucy Simkins, and skydiving instructor, Joshua Snow.
One month on from her tandem jump with Josh, Lucy is back at the dropzone. She wants to become a fully fledged skydiver and learn to fly on her own. She’s been placed in the more than capable (if somewhat indiscreet) hands of Joshua’s fellow skydiving instructor, Froggy, AKA Jeremy Fisher.
Froggy is a wee, wiry Scotsman who does hopping mad like nobody else, but he has a big heart and he’s got Lucy’s back. Student and instructor build up a bond. Froggy makes a startling revelation regarding Joshua’s past that rocks their relationship to its foundations.
Lucy discovers that in skydiving, life can turn on a dime, and the world can drop away from your feet at any second. A twist of fate leaves not just her relationship with Josh, but Lucy’s life hanging in the balance.
The Sadie Mills Freefall Trilogy is a series of novelettes (between 48 and 72 pages). These fast-paced romantic comedies are set within the space of a single day. In this action-packed adventure, Sadie Mills grabs the unsuspecting reader by the handholds, drags them to the door, and pulls them out of the plane with her, giving a glimpse of a world surging with adrenaline (not to mention insanely hot men) rarely explored in literature.
Mothers, Daughters, and Other Mysteries by Heather McPhaul
Leann Conklin is thirty-something and still looking for her life’s calling. She has tried several careers, but found nothing that, well, sticks. This is in steep contrast to her famous mother, daytime soap star Ava Gerard.
When Leann stumbles onto a murder case, she finds her life suddenly in danger. Worse, her mother, Ava, has paid her a surprise visit in the Big Apple. Together, the women must work to solve the murder or lose their lives trying.
Fans of Stephanie Plum will love MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, AND OTHER MYSTERIES – a story of mystery, suspense, and danger with plenty of quirky humor that will be appreciated by mothers and daughters everywhere.
She’s Got Dibs by AJ Nuest
True love does not exist…or so event planner Tessa Adams learns the day she gets jilted—twenty-four hours prior to walking down the aisle. One-night stands are much easier, and with sexy philanthropists like David Brenner, how can she resist? Now if she could just get rid of him. Had she known the biggest event of her career would be working for David’s father, she would have cut and run. Instead, she’s unwittingly become a part of his parents’ plan to destroy his life-long dreams. Will sacrificing her love protect him or be the ultimate betrayal?
Wealthy and gorgeous, David Brenner seemingly holds the world in the palm of his hand—his generous heart and infectious smile are just two in an endless stream of attractive qualities. But the one thing he wants, he can’t have—a repeat of the passionate night he spent in the arms of a skittish Tessa Adams. His family’s far-reaching power threatens to crush their dreams. To prove his love, he would risk everything…but will the return of her ex-fiancé be their final undoing?
Scot on the Rocks: Or, how I survived my ex-boyfriend’s wedding with my dignity ever so slightly intact by Brenda Janowitz
When her ex-boyfriend, Trip, gets engaged to Hollywood’s latest It Girl, Manhattan attorney Brooke Miller plans to attend the wedding. Who says a modern girl can’t stay friends with her ex? Besides, Brooke’s got her sexy Scottish fiancé, Douglas, to take as her date. Okay, so maybe he’s not exactly her fiancé, but they’re living together in his apartment, so she’ll be getting the ring any minute, right?
Wrong.
After a fight leaves her without a boyfriend (much less a fiancé) just days before the wedding, Brooke faces the ultimate humiliation of attending her ex-boyfriend’s nuptials alone. Desperate to find a replacement to fill Douglas’s kilt, Brooke concocts an outrageous plan to survive the wedding and win the man of her dreams, all with her dignity ever-so-slightly intact.
Dating In The Dark: sometimes love just pretends to be blind by Pete Sortwell
Jason is single and has been for all of his 32 years. It’s depressing. But not as depressing as being told by his mother that he looks like Humpty Dumpty – after the accident. With a face that not even his own mother can love, it’s hardly surprising that he’ll try anything to get a woman to go out with him, even if it’s only for a single date. With little interest in anything other than his quest for a woman and a nice bit of cod and chips, Jason needs to think outside the box if he’s going to find someone who’ll give him a chance. Along with Barry — his best mate — Jason comes up with the only thing he thinks will work: dating a blind woman. However, to do that, he needs to pretend he’s blind himself, which is a lot harder than you might think … especially when guide dogs are so hard to come by. Eventually Jason’s efforts pay off and he meets Emma, a pretty professional with a host of friends. When he takes her out, they instantly hit it off. But will Jason be able to fool both Emma and her best friend Jerry into thinking he’s blind? With everything to play for, Jason faces the biggest challenge of his life, and nobody — especially not him — can see how it’ll all turn out.
The Dr Pepper Prophecies by Jennifer Gilby Roberts
Mel is a twenty-five-year-old underachiever with a terrible job, too much time on her hands and a perfect younger sister. Her work and love lives hit a new low when she ends up working for her ex.
The one good thing in her life has always been her best friend Will, who has seen her through every crisis from lost toys to pregnancy scares. Now a successful accountant, he looks a prime catch to his girlfriend Natalie, who’s determined to replace Mel as the woman in his life.
Despairing of improving her own life, she sets out to help her friends instead.
After all, what’s the worst that can happen?
A contemporary romantic comedy based loosely on Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’ and similar in style to works by Sophie Kinsella.
Gone Hollywood: A Romantic Comedy by Sally Mason
A comedy about getting lost and finding love. Movie star Cord McCann and farm girl Bobby Champagne collide in Hollywood (Hollywood, Texas, that is!) and start a romance that’s as sweet, sexy and hilarious as it is unlikely.
Aloft by Ben Rovik @BenRovik
Junior technician Ensie Thalanquin is the odd girl out in the Aerial squad. Building flying machines should be an exciting life, but years of being alternately teased and ignored by her fellow Petronauts have turned it into a grind.
Cooper Carper is a hard-working machinist whose boss has made him his personal whipping boy.
Love was the last thing they were looking for when they went to work. But sometimes love pops up in the most unlikely places…
Can they keep a relationship afloat despite the differences in their backgrounds, the meddling of their superiors, and the pressure of a dangerous flight test a few short weeks away?
I’m an author, actor and dad living outside Washington, DC with my wife, baby girl, and a brawling pair of cats.
My current projects are the humorous fantasy series “Mechanized Wizardry” and a related series of medium/short length pieces called “Petronaut Tales.” The Petronaut Tales are set in the same fantasy world, but give me license to play with new characters and genres, including romance.
With “Aloft,” I was inspired to write a romance about characters who weren’t especially beautiful, and who spent most of the lives feeling overlooked and out of place. Meeting each other is what lifts them up to do great things, even through adversity and danger.
Why not write about a passion-fest between two supermodels? Because most of the world’s passion-fests are between ordinary folks. I wanted to explore the reactions of two characters who didn’t ever imagine themselves capable of feeling a love that strong, let alone inspiring it in someone else. And I wanted to show how love can make people stronger, which was easier to do with characters starting from a lower-status place.
Sample from Book:
Ensie smoothed out the dog-eared corner of the blueprints for the dozenth time. She shifted her weight on the bench, feeling the warmth of the sun on the back of her neck. She was too poor to own a watch, but she resisted the temptation to duck out into the hallway again and check the sepia-faced clock mounted on the wall. It had been 10:20 on the spot when she’d checked it moments ago. That meant that, by now, twenty-five minutes at most had passed since she’d left Mister Upforth and the rest of his team. And Upforth had said Cooper—or was it Carper?—would meet her in fifteen minutes. But the drafting room might be hard to find, for a civilian who’d never seen the Aerial compound before. And there had been an awful lot of wood left in that cart for just one person to move quickly. Even someone so tall, with those big arms and broad shoulders…
“You need to get a hold of yourself,” she said aloud, pressing her palm against the desk. She closed her eyes.
You’re an Aerial technician. Your ‘naut wants a consultation from a civilian firm. You’ve been trusted with getting information vital to the success of your project. This is Business with a capital B. Not some kind of private—
—and don’t you dare even finish that thought, because seriously: this is Business.
She scratched the space between her too-thick eyebrows as she looked at the door.
And even if it wasn’t Business, the morose thought crept through her defenses, it’s not as if anything’s going to happen. Any friendly vibes you’re getting are because he’s good at his job. Do you really think that there’s anything about you that would inspire unprofessional thoughts in a civilian guy like him? When he’s meeting all the other wisecracking Aerial girls and the Parade squad knockouts on the same day? Count yourself lucky you’re getting to talk to him at all. You’re just—
The door inched open. Ensie leapt to her feet behind the desk. There he was.
“There you are,” she said, rubbing her hands against her hips.
“So sorry,” he mumbled, turning sideways to come through the narrow door. He sounded a little out of breath. “I… I thought I heard you say ‘third building on the right,’ but I must have misheard. That’s actually the, uh, fuel center, I learned, where you guys are doing some crazy things with petrolatum…”
“Oh, gosh, you went to the refinery?”
“Yeah, through a back door. Got a little turned around with the fumes. But then someone—I forgot his name—pointed me here…”
“Spheres, I led you to the refinery without a mask! I am so sorry. I don’t know why I… I meant to say ‘first building on your—’”
“You did. I’m sure you did. I just heard it wrong—”
“No, no, I’m sure I said… I don’t know what I said!”
“Listen, with these ears, all bets are off. It’s a miracle I’m here at all.”
“It is.”
They stood facing each other with their hands flat against their hips. The sunlight illuminated the lower halves of their bodies.
“I’m Ensie,” she said, for no reason.
Why, oh why, oh why do I speak?
He smiled at her. His teeth were a little small and his gums were a little long, so when he smiled he looked like a kid, with a child’s whole-hearted good humor. “That makes, what, the third time we’ve done introductions?”
“I’m sure, probably,” she laughed. She touched her fingertips to the desk and found herself leaning towards him. “My third time, at least. And somehow I’m still not sure what your name is! Carper? Cooper? Caper?”
“Cooper Carper, actually.”
She felt herself smiling like a porpoise. She ordered her lips to stand down. Business. “Nice to meet you, Mister Carper,” she said, very professionally.
“You too, technician.”
She tilted her head at him. ‘Technician?’ Who are you, Sir Tomas? “You can call me Ensie.”
“Well, then,” he said, pressing the door closed behind him with a click, “you can call me Cooper.”
Business!
“I’m on a project now for a concept craft called the Flicker,” she said, brushing the blueprints with her hands as she stared fixedly at the parchment. Cooper came over to the side of the desk to look. His hands floated in space for a moment as he considered resting a big palm on top of the desk to lean over the plans, as she was doing, which would have brought their heads very close together. But instead his hands interlocked behind his back in a sort of parade rest and he just bent his head to look down. Ensie tried not to watch him as she folded the dog-eared corner back into place for the thirteenth time.
She laid out the specifications for the grasshopper-like craft, discussing fuel projections, the airflow models they’d run, and the properties of the alloys they’d debated for the hollow, curved wings. Cooper’s head bobbed up and down, and he offered a succession of mmm’s and I see’s at appropriate times. As she heard herself talk, she fidgeted with the bottom edge of the desk and only allowed herself quick glances up at his face. It was hard to tell if he was following the run-down at all, which gave her a heavy feeling in her stomach.
Burn me. Maybe Mister Upforth had a good reason for wanting that woman Skye to be the one to talk to me…
“So,” he said at last, shifting his weight. She looked up at him. “What exactly do you need us for?”
“Just wanted to, uh, forge a partnership with Upforth’s for a consultation on our ranine apparatus. That’s all.”
Cooper nodded. His forehead was wrinkled with vigorous thought. Ensie folded her hands together and tried not to let her disappointment show. He had the look of someone at an absolute loss for the right thing to say. Please, please, don’t be stupid.
“Honestly?” Cooper said.
“Mmm-hmm?” she said, tucking one of her bangs back into her hairnet.
For a long moment, he just looked at the plans. Then he shook his head and gave a heavy sigh. His hands reappeared from behind his back and he leaned down so quickly their foreheads almost brushed.
“Mister Upforth’s going to kill me,” he said, “but I don’t think you need us at all. The ranine designs you already deploy don’t have any trouble getting a Bulwark Petronaut off the ground, do they? And a Bulwark ‘naut in full armor’s gotta be eighty percent of the weight of this Flicker; maybe even the same, if their suits are steel and this alloy of yours is as light as all that. And I can’t imagine your test pilots are bulked-up the way Bulwark grunts are. I mean, who flies your things?”
“Knighted ‘nauts and expert techs, mostly,” Ensie said, her eyes widening. There was a whole new energy to him.
“So, right! When I think of a burly man or woman in armor jumping through the air no problem, and then I envision someone on the svelte side—like you—piloting a Flicker that, all things being equal, is the same weight but with, you know, better airflow?”
“Hang on,” she said.
“Sure. Sorry. I know I don’t have the right terminology—”
“Did you say, uh.”
She pressed her lips together. Business! But there was no hope.
“Did you say I’m ‘on the svelte side?’”
Cooper’s looked down at her. His face went gray with horror.
“I hope that word means what I think it means,” he whispered.
She looked to the far wall. Cute? Petite? Is that what you meant? She longed to ask him that like a Parade squad nymph would say it, drifting towards him with an archly raised eyebrow and a lazy, kissable half-smile. But just playacting through the line in her head set a swarm of nervous giggles buzzing around in her throat, perilously close to her voice box, and it was all she could do to keep a lid on them.
“You’re.” Was that my voice? The word was a mortifying squeak.
Ensie swallowed and tried again. “You’re right that the aerodynamic profile of the Flicker sure beats an armored ‘naut,” she said, folding the corner of the blueprints back for the fourteenth time. “And weights are comparable. But the jumping action we’re thinking of is on a different scale.”
“Ah, okay. Higher elevations.”
“Yes, but more importantly, jumping’s the primary locomotion for the Flicker. A ‘naut can leap around from time to time, sure, but most of what they do is run. A totally different use of the coils and their, uh, built-in suspensions. Their legs.”
“Whereas the Flicker does nothing but jump,” Cooper said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Jump, and glide, and jump, and glide. You see? That’s why we need to make sure the coil box we build can handle tons of impacts, and launch with tons of force; but not so much force that the pilot loses control. See? It’s tricky.”
“It’s tricky,” he agreed. Cooper raised his hands. “To be honest, though, I’d trust you Aerials more to make it work right than I’d trust us.”
“But, uh.” Was he really going to walk out of her life because he was too honest to land his company a contract? Keep him. Keep him here! a hungry voice blared out somewhere inside her.
“You must have done something this size before,” she said, hurriedly.
“Oh, sure. We’ve worked big carriage suspensions. A motorized dais that raised and lowered, too, and had a bunch of dancers leaping around on it for, uh, a play or something.”
“See? So Upforth’s could lend experience with scale, while we figure out the whole ‘aloft’ part.”
“Ensie. I just want to be sure we wouldn’t waste your time.”
Ensie took a deep breath through her nose. “It would take a lot of time,” she said slowly. She curled her hands into little fists, rubbing her thumbs against her fingers as she looked up at him. No giggling. No giggling!
“We’d have to meet, uh… quite a few times, probably.”
Cooper looked down at her. His hands unlocked from behind his back and floated to his sides. “Quite a few times?” he said, quietly.
“Oh, yeah. A big project like this could take hours and hours of collaboration.”
He nodded. One of his large fingers pointed to the desk. “Here?”
As he tapped the surface of the desk, Ensie thought of purposes for the wide flat surface that had never even crossed her mind before. She’d never wanted to get started on a collaboration so badly.
“Or your workshop,” she said. “You know. Whichever sounds more productive.”
“Either sounds good to me.”
“Great.”
“Great. Can I say—”
“I just want to—”
They both spoke up simultaneously, and leaned a little closer at the same time. It brought them many centimeters closer than either had meant independently. Ensie froze there. He was so close that her hairnet was almost brushing the center of his chest. She turned her face up to him and saw something very interesting in his eyes.
“You first,” she whispered.
Cooper took a long moment before speaking. “Can I just tell you that I’m looking forward to working with you?”
“Likewise…” Ensie shifted her hand so their fingertips on the desk were touching. “Cooper.”
He shifted his hand on top of hers. Warm pressure, skin-to-skin, flooded up her arm and into her chest. The contours of his rough palm were fascinating as she explored them through the fine hairs and delicate nerves of the back of her hand. Her vision went a little blurry as she dedicated all her brainpower to experiencing his touch against her skin.
A massive noise clattered through the hallway just outside. Ensie recoiled before she recognized the sound of the tool cart for what it was. Cooper started too, raising his hand up and away. He flushed the color of an overripe apple and he refused to meet her eyes as the tech outside pushed the noisy cart from one workroom to the next.
“I.” Ensie brushed the nonexistent dust off the blueprints again, trying to get her voice under control again. Cooper slowly put his hands behind his back.
“That, uh.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. That was unprofessional of me, and I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him.
“I shouldn’t have… I mean, I didn’t mean anything by, by touching you.”
“You didn’t?”
“Well, I… it’s not… There’s a time and a place, that’s all. Unprofessional,” he rambled, shaking his head.
Ensie felt the grain of the desk beneath her hand. “I made you think unprofessional thoughts,” she murmured.
Their eyes met.
“It’ll never happen again,” he said, something low coloring his voice.
Ensie raised one eyebrow in an unspoken ‘really?’ she would have been very proud of if she had been able to see herself.
Sunlight flooded the room as their lips pressed together.
