It’s audiobook release day!! A huge thanks to Podium Entertainment! ❤ WHEN HE PROTECTS, the first book in my “Protector & Defender” romantic suspense series, is now available in audiobook!

He knew she was trouble from the moment they met.

Esme Laurent is a con artist. An accomplished liar. A world-class thief. And probably the most beautiful and intriguing woman that Tyler Barrett has ever met. Sure, he has to arrest her at their first meeting, and she absolutely hates him, but…well, he has a job to do. And Tyler always gets the job done.

Turns out, she is the new job.

The people in charge want to use Esme to bring down a very dangerous criminal operation. And in order to do that, Esme has to stay in the land of the living. She needs protection, she needs a new identity, and she needs to disappear, immediately. Because Esme has more than a bit of power, she makes her own deal…her protection needs to come in the ever-so-gorgeous, ever-so-dangerous, and ever-so-law-abiding form of U.S. Marshal Tyler Barrett.

They’ll disappear into Small Town, USA. And they’ll pretend to be newlyweds who just can’t keep their hands off each other.

No, absolutely, this cannot be happening. But no matter how much Tyler protests, the new job is, in fact, happening. He’s being sent to Asylum, Alabama, with the delectable Esme. He’s supposed to be her husband—a role that will give him twenty-four, seven access in order to protect her. He needs that access in order to make sure that Esme doesn’t run from the authorities and that she stays alive. But what Tyler doesn’t count on is the consuming desire he feels for a woman who should be off-limits.

She’ll test every limit that he has…

Esme doesn’t expect her attraction to the rule-following Tyler. He’s big, he’s buttoned-down, and he’s absolutely…delicious. She also suspects that he may be carefully controlling a wild side—one that she would love to see erupt. Oh, if only.

When danger comes calling, Tyler is more than ready to handle any threat. Who knew that falling for the good guy could be so tempting? And so very…heart-breaking. Because there was no way a guy like Tyler would want to stay around once they stop pretending. Everyone knows the bad girl never gets to keep the good guy, especially when she’s still working a very long con.

Author’s Note: Are you in the mood for a strong hero who makes “protecting and defending” his life code? Tyler is big, fierce, and more than ready to step into the line of fire in order to protect his charge. He’s also falling fast under the spell of a woman he should not trust. Everything with Esme is just pretend…everything, except the desire they feel for each other.  And the very, very real danger that stalks her. A danger that may wind up costing Tyler more than he ever expected. WHEN HE PROTECTS, Tyler gives his all, and when he loves…he will fight like hell for the woman who stole his heart.

My upcoming holiday romance/romantic suspense, ICE COLD CHRISTMAS, releases on 11/12/25, BUT…you can read the prologue right now!

She’s coming home for the holidays…and there’s gonna be hell to pay.

Last Christmas, Melody Mage vanished without a trace. The wealthy socialite was presumed dead by her loved ones. But on the anniversary of her disappearance, Melody appears on the doorstep of her family’s estate.  Her memories are fractured, her past shrouded in fog and confusion, but she knows one thing—someone attacked her. Left her for dead. She just has to figure out who the guilty culprit is.  Then she’ll make the person pay.

In other words, Melody has to solve her own cold case mystery. And she’s going to do it—no matter what it takes. No matter how many skeletons she has to drag out of her wealthy family’s closet. And no one will get in her way. Not even her father’s intense—and dangerously attractive—protégé, Victor Alexander. Victor has just taken over as the company’s new CEO.  He’s driven, powerful, and he stares at her with eyes that glitter with far too much…longing?

He ripped apart the world looking for her, and the love of his life just casually knocked on the front door.

Except Melody doesn’t know that Victor had his heart carved out of his chest when she vanished. Their relationship had been secret. On the outside, he and Melody had appeared to barely tolerate each other. In private, they’d touched—and ignited. She’d been his obsession. He’d been her personal attack dog. Now she’s back, saying she’s looking for justice, and he’s going to give it to her. He will give her anything. Unfortunately, Melody has no idea that she once promised to love him forever—or that when she vanished, she was wearing the engagement ring he’d given to her.

He never stopped loving her. Too bad she believes he’s the enemy.

Victor has been working with the Ice Breakers, a cold-case solving crew, and he suspects that Melody’s attacker is someone in the family’s inner circle. He also knows that there is no way on earth he will ever let Melody vanish again. He’ll protect her, he’ll win her heart once more, and he will see to it that the person who hurt his Melody is buried in an icy grave before the new year dawns.

Been in my writing cave most of the day, but I just had to pop out and share some audio book news!! Podium Entertainment will be releasing WHEN HE PROTECTS, WHEN HE HUNTS, and WHEN HE FIGHTS in audio!

WHEN HE PROTECTS will be available in audio on November 11, and it’s actually up for pre-order right now.

I am super excited about these audio versions. My readers have been asking for more audio books–so very happy they are nearly here!

For the next few days, I thought I’d talk about the new books that I have scheduled for the end of 2025 (and into 2026!).

First, well, you know it’s a tradition for me to release a holiday romance. I LOVE Christmas, and I’ve been releasing a Christmas novella for the last few years. This time, I’ll be releasing a full-length Christmas romance, one set in the cold-case solving world of my Ice Breakers. Cold Case Fun + A Christmas Romance = A Real Killer Holiday…

She’s coming home for the holidays…and there’s gonna be hell to pay.

Last Christmas, Melody Mage vanished without a trace. The wealthy socialite was presumed dead by her loved ones. But on the anniversary of her disappearance, Melody appears on the doorstep of her family’s estate.  Her memories are fractured, her past shrouded in fog and confusion, but she knows one thing—someone attacked her. Left her for dead. She just has to figure out who the guilty culprit is.  Then she’ll make the person pay.

In other words, Melody has to solve her own cold case mystery. And she’s going to do it—no matter what it takes. No matter how many skeletons she has to drag out of her wealthy family’s closet. And no one will get in her way. Not even her father’s intense—and dangerously attractive—protégé, Victor Alexander. Victor has just taken over as the company’s new CEO.  He’s driven, powerful, and he stares at her with eyes that glitter with far too much…longing?

He ripped apart the world looking for her, and the love of his life just casually knocked on the front door.

Except Melody doesn’t know that Victor had his heart carved out of his chest when she vanished. Their relationship had been secret. On the outside, he and Melody had appeared to barely tolerate each other. In private, they’d touched—and ignited. She’d been his obsession. He’d been her personal attack dog. Now she’s back, saying she’s looking for justice, and he’s going to give it to her. He will give her anything. Unfortunately, Melody has no idea that she once promised to love him forever—or that when she vanished, she was wearing the engagement ring he’d given to her.

He never stopped loving her. Too bad she believes he’s the enemy.

Victor has been working with the Ice Breakers, a cold-case solving crew, and he suspects that Melody’s attacker is someone in the family’s inner circle. He also knows that there is no way on earth he will ever let Melody vanish again. He’ll protect her, he’ll win her heart once more, and he will see to it that the person who hurt his Melody is buried in an icy grave before the new year dawns.

Author’s Note: It’s Christmas and cold-case solving time…only for this book, the heroine is the case. Melody can’t fully remember her past. She doesn’t know if she can trust Victor—or if he might just be a villain she should fear. No worries on that score. While Victor mayhave a dark side, he’s only a villain to the rest of the world. Never to her.  Let’s deck the halls, solve a cold case, and fall in love this ICE COLD CHRISTMAS.

ICE COLD CHRISTMAS will release on 11/12/25.

Tomorrow is the big day! WHEN HE DEFENDS will release on 09/23/25!

If you haven’t read the first chapter yet, you can check it out now on my website.