Francesca:
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Welcome back to reading under the covers, a romance novel podcast
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where we chat fan girl, and maybe
even swoon over our latest reads I'm
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Francesca from under the covers book blog.
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And today is one of my
favorite days of the weeks.
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As you guys know, it's our hot off the
press new releases episode where every
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Tuesday, we highlight five books that
are hitting the shelves this week.
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And sometimes those books are
recommendations that we have for you guys.
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If we've already read them.
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And sometimes are just the ones that
we are most anticipating to read.
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As a reminder, if you are looking
for even more new releases and
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more trope recommendations, don't
forget to check out our exclusive
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book releases and tropes database.
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That you will have access to.
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If you join our Substack paid community
right now, we're offering a 20% off
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lifetime deal between now and December.
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So it's the perfect time for you to join.
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And I will leave the
link in the show notes.
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If you want to do that and check it out.
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But if you're ready, let's dive
right into this week's new releases.
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So let's talk about the first one.
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And that is mine for the
moment by Catharina Maura.
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If you're in the mood for some
serious emotional tension, then
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this is the perfect pick for you.
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It's a perfect blend of high
angst and emotional tension.
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And especially if you love a,
brother's best friend trope.
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So we've got serenity.
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Who's had her eye on this guy forever,
but of course, life throws a curve ball.
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When he starts dating one of her friends.
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What does she do?
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She decides that it's time to make a
clean break and focus on moving forward.
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And her way of doing that is a to do list.
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At the top of that list is losing
her virginity, but not just to
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anyone, but to Archer Harrison.
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That is her older brother's best friend.
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And also who happens to be her billionaire
boss you can already sense the drama.
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Archer is the classic
emotionally unavailable guy.
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He's got all the billionaire charm, but
he's a closed book emotionally, which
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makes him the perfect candidate for
Serenity's no strings attached plan.
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And that added layer
of him being her boss.
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It definitely just cranks up the
tension in all the best ways.
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So what kicks off as a simple arrangement,
because serenity is an artist and she
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will basically paint anything that Archer
wants in exchange for their secret fling.
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It just spirals into way more as you
can expect, because of course every
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kiss and every stolen moment between
them leaves them both wanting more.
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If you're a fan of that delicious
forbidden romance vibe, then
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this book has got you covered.
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It's got the brother's best friend
trope, which I know we all love.
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It's got a mix of high angst
and steamy billionaire romance.
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And even though this is a spin off
from Maura's Windsor's series you
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don't have to read the others first.
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This one stands alone.
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Just fine.
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But what's going to really hook
you on this one is the chemistry
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between serenity and Archer.
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You just know that the pay off is
going to be worth every second.
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The next book that I know.
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So many of you are highly anticipating
and it is by an author that is such
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a popular scifi romance author.
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This one is more of a fantasy
romance, and I am so, so excited
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for everybody to read it.
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And it is bull Moon rising by
Ruby Dixon, which is just the fun
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and steamy romantasy, I guess.
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You've got all the elements
of a classic Ruby Dixon.
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It's got an independent heroine, a
gruff and unexpected love interest,
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and some fantastical world-building
with plenty of adventure along the way.
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This story kicks off with Aspeth, who
is in a bit of a bind her father in
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true gambling disaster fashion has
lost all of their magical artifacts,
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which by the way, are the key to
her family's power and survival.
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If anyone finds out, not only is her
family going to lose everything, but
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they could actually lose their lives.
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So no pressure, right.
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Aspeth being the proactive and
fearless woman, that she is decides
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that she's going to fix things.
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And so what is her plan?
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She's going to join the Royal
artifactual Guild to hunt for more
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magical artifacts, which sounds perfect,
except for the tiny issue that the
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Guild doesn't allow women to train.
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Of course, she doesn't
let that stop her instead.
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She's like, well, all right,
I'll just marry someone who will
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let me become an apprentice.
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So her solution is a surly
minotaur named Torun.
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Who is part of the Guild and
who needs a favor of his own.
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They strike up a deal.
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She'll help him.
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And in return, he'll
train her simple, right?
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Well, not quite Aspeth and
Torun's dynamic is everything.
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He's this stoic, no nonsense guy,
but there's a vulnerability to him,
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especially since he's about to go into.
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rut.
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Which means his desires are
about to get real intense.
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Add to that, that aspeth is keeping
her Nobel identity a secret.
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And you just know that the truth
coming out will be a ticking time bomb.
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Their growing feelings also make
everything more complicated and
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deliciously tense, especially when
they're forced into close proximity as
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they face dangerous quests together.
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At its core Bull Moon Rising is about
two people who are total opposites.
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Aspeth with her determination to save
her family at all costs and Torun
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with his tough, protective exterior,
but their connection is undeniable.
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There are some adventure magical quests.
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Of course magic and plenty
of heat between them.
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And it's all set in this world
full of magical artifacts and
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dangerous underground ruins.
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If you love stories with forced
proximity, strong heroines who are
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not afraid to break the rules and
a grumpy, but Swoon worthy hero,
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who just happens to be a Minotaur.
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This one will totally be your jam.
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Plus you know Ruby Dixon
is going to bring the heat.
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The heart and some seriously unique.
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World-building that's
just going to hook you.
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All right.
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So let's talk about the next
one, which is Hannah and the
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Hitman by Vanessa Vale Vale.
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I'm not sure how you pronounce her name.
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This one is a wild ride.
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It's got all the sparks
laughs and a touch of danger.
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That's going to really
grab your attention.
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We've got a hitman and a small town,
librarian, two characters that.
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You wouldn't normally expect to collide,
but when they do instant chemistry,
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so our hero is a Hitman and his job
is exactly what you would think.
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Taking out the bad guys
and business is booming.
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He's all work, no play until one
day he's on a plane and he finds
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himself sitting next to a woman
who totally captures his attention.
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And that woman is Hannah, our small
town librarian who might seem sweet
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and unassuming on the outside, but
she's secretly dreaming of a life.
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That's a little more exciting,
especially when it comes to romance.
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And let's just say the romance
novels that she's reading are
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way more smutty than she lets on.
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From the moment our hitmen starts reading
over her shoulder, he's hooked, he's got
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in his head that he's going to be the
one to give her, her happily ever after
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that she thinks only exist in books.
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It's charming and Hey, he's a little
bit cocky, but he's a Hitman he's
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not used to taking no for an answer.
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Except he hasn't really told her
what he does for a living and as
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their relationship heats up, things
get complicated because Hannah
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isn't as innocent as she seems
either she's got secrets of her own.
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And when those start to unravel
the stakes, get high real fast.
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What really makes Hannah and
the Hitman stand out is the
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dynamic between these two.
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You've got this tough no-nonsense guy.
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Who's used to living a dangerous
life, and then you've got Hannah,
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who's this quiet librarian on the
surface, but clearly has a wild streak.
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And the contrast is so fun.
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Watching them navigate their
chemistry while trying to keep
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their secrets is super entertaining.
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And the kicker is there's a supernatural
twist that adds an extra layer to
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the story, making it even more fun.
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There's some heat there's humor
and the suspense with a mafia
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boss breathing down their necks.
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Which keeps the tensions high.
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It's sexy.
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It's funny.
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It's got all these moments where
you're rooting for these two to figure
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things out while dodging danger.
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If you're into opposites, attract
romances with a good dose of steam
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and humor, and you like a little
action and suspense on the side,
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then this is a great pick for you
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plus, I mean, who can resist a
tough hit man trying to win over
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a secretly smutty librarian?
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I think that's the perfect mix.
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I'm a little partial to
Hitman myself only in books.
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And I think this is going to be a fiery
combination and one to really pick up.
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And from a Hitman, let's
go to the holidays.
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The next book that I'm bringing
to you guys is how my neighbor
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stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn.
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If you love enemies to lovers and you like
holiday romances, then this book is going
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to be a fun ride for you imagine, living
in a town that's Christmas, all year long
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nonstop, caroling decorations, everywhere,
and the constant cheery holiday spirit
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for some people, that's a dream, but for
our grumpy hero, that is a nightmare.
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So our main guy who is not exactly in
the holiday spirit, he's more like the
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local Grinch who wants to hide away
from the Christmas chaos in his house.
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And everything's going according
to plan until Storee Taylor.
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His childhood nemesis moves in next door.
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Storee back in town to
help her aunt Cindy.
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And of course she's fully
embracing the holiday madness.
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Entering the town's big Christmas Kringle
contest with full determination to win.
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And naturally this sends our grinch
into full blown competition mode.
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There's history between these two
and it's not exactly warm and fuzzy.
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So to stop Storee from winning the
contest, he decides to enter it himself.
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Even though he swore that he would never
get involved in the Christmas craziness.
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So his plan is to fake being.
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All into the holiday spirit
charm, everyone in crush
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Storee's hopes for victory.
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But as with every good
enemies to lovers story.
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things Start heating up between them
and what begins as fake dating for the
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sake of appearances and maybe a little
sabotage turns into real chemistry, the
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sparks start flying and before you know
it, there's kissing there's banter.
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And an unforgettable night involving
a ladder and some Christmas lights,
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because nothing says romance
like a little holiday chaos.
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Meghan Quinn is amazing at bringing
humor and heat into her stories.
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And this one is no different.
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You've got the grumpy versus sunshine
dynamic, plenty of hilarious moments
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and that satisfying, slow burn as
these two rivals figure out that
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they might actually like each other.
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Plus the holiday vibes are strong
with this one, but even if you're
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not all about the holiday cheer,
the back and forth between these
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characters will totally pull you in.
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So if you're into enemies to lovers,
where the competition leads to
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more than just rivalry, then how
my neighbor stole Christmas will
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hit all the right notes for you.
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It's funny.
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It's spicy.
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It's full of those feel-good holiday
vibes with just the right amount of snark.
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Plus who doesn't love a
good fake dating scenario.
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That gets a little too real.
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Give this one, a try.
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It's guaranteed to make your holiday
season a lot more entertaining.
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And to close out this episode, the
last book that I have for you guys,
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it's one that fits perfectly right
now for fall, little bit haunting.
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And for this one, we're
traveling to Scotland.
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It is.
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If I stopped haunting you by Colby
Wilkens, this one is an absolute treat.
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Also if you're into enemies to
lovers, but it's got a spooky twist.
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So we've got two feuding authors, a
haunted castle in Scotland, and plenty
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of unresolved tension between them.
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It sounds like the perfect
recipe for chaos, right?
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So the heroine Penelope
is a horror writer.
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Who's had quite the beef with Neil storm.
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He's a best-selling author known for his
horror novels that according to Penelope.
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Perpetuate stereotypes.
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She's so mad at him that she
literally threw a book at his head.
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But after that infamous incident,
Pen's career hit a rough patch and
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she hasn't been able to write since.
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So when her friend invites her to this.
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Too.
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Good to be true.
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Writer's retreat at a supposedly
haunted castle in Scotland.
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Pen jumps at the chance to
escape her writer's block.
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It's the perfect spooky setting for a
horror writer to get her groove back.
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Until she finds out
that Neil is there too.
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Now Neil on the other hand is not thrilled
about being stuck in a castle with a woman
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who would not only drew blood with that
book, but also planted a ton of self doubt
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in his mind pen called his work soulless.
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And that really messed with him.
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He's hoping that this retreat
will reignite his inspiration
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minus the drama with Pen.
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Of course this being an enemies to lovers
romance, things get complicated fast, and
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despite their best efforts to avoid each
other, they're forced into the same space.
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And let's just say that the
tension between them is thick.
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There's lots of banter, a lot of
unresolved feelings and an almost
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kiss that neither of them sees coming.
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Suddenly, it's not just the ghost in
the castle that are haunting them.
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It's their undeniable chemistry too.
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And speaking of ghost, the haunted
castle backdrop adds the perfect
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amount of spooky to this romance, Pen
and Neil are thrown into a real life.
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ghost story.
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As things start going bump in the night
and they realize that they'll have to team
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up to figure out what's really going on,
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but let's be real.
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The real haunting happening here is how
much they can't stop thinking about that.
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steamy almost kiss.
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So if I stopped haunting, you has
all the elements that you would
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want from a fun, fast paced.
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Enemies to lovers.
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Romance it's got plenty of laughs
tension that builds beautifully,
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and a spooky atmosphere.
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That's perfect for fall reading.
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So if you like your romance with a side
of ghosts, A lot of witty banter, then
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this one definitely is worth picking up.
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You'll get all the sexy thrills,
spooky chills, and honestly who doesn't
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love a good haunted castle romance.
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And also, I should say, I'm going
to leave a link in the show notes
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down below, where you can find even
more haunted house romance books.
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We got a whole list on the blog
of those, not just this one.
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So you can check those out as well.
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And that's a wrap for this week's
hot of the press new release.
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Before you go, don't forget to
download our fall reading guide
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for free at under the covers.
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insider.com.
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It's packed with over 42 book
recommendations for all the different
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fall vibes that you would want
from spooky to cozy and horror.
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And I guarantee that you're going to find
your perfect read for the season in there.
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Our insider magazine is a monthly
treat for our Substack paid community.
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So make sure that you sign up and
you'll actually get one every single
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month, plus a lot more bookish content.
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Again, we are running a
20% discount right now.
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So I'm going to leave a link to that
deal in the show notes down below.
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And if you want even more book
recommendations, head over to the blog
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at under the covers book, blog.com
and sign up for our newsletter.
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You'll get the latest
straight in your inbox.
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Every single Sunday.
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And don't forget to join us
for a novel night's live show.
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Every Thursday at 7:00 PM.
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Eastern standard time on YouTube or
Facebook, you can also follow us on
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social at UTC book blog on Instagram.
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Tiktok, Pinterest and X or at under the
covers book blog on Facebook and YouTube.
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Thank you so much for tuning
in guys and happy reading.
