Book Tour Stop/Giveaway: Sugar Sand and Land by Patricia Leavy

 

Discover Sugar Sand Land by Patricia Leavy today and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as you would win  a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Check out all the tour stops HERE and this tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Interview with Patricia Leavy about Sugar Sand Land.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? 

Mint chocolate chip. I also love gelato, especially pistachio. I’m also a big sorbet fan, especially in Europe where the fruit is so good. I love all berry flavors, apricot, plum, peach, lemon. In New York there’s a restaurant called Lure that has incredible lychee sorbet, that tastes faintly of rose. In Stokholm there’s an ice cream stand that has marzipan and saffron ice cream. They’re really good.

 You post a lot about traveling and your novels take place in many different places. What are your three favorite places outside of the US? 

Japan. Tokyo is an amazing city. I love everything about it. Sweden is another. Stockholm is my favorite city in Europe. It’s beautiful with all the waterways. I love art and always visit as many museums as I can and the modern art museum there is my favorite. I go most days and write in the café. The seafood is amazing too. Iceland is also magical. The nature is just incredible and like nothing that exists anywhere else. It’s literally like being dropped on another planet. I’ve written two novels that take place there because it’s just so special.

 What’s your favorite place to visit in the US? 

New York City, especially SoHo. I’ve been going there since I was a kid. The cast iron buildings are incredible and there’s a super cool arts vibe. I love writing when I’m there—in my hotel room, coffee shops, and museum cafés. It’s endlessly inspiring. Going there is like getting a big dose of creative fuel.

 Sugar Sand Land is set in many locations—Los Angeles, New York City, Palm Springs, and Las Vegas—to name a few. How did you decide where to set the book? 

Characters and stories always tell me where they should be. This book is a Hollywood story between two celebrities. The paparazzi play a huge role. They needed a break from LA too though, and there were reasons why Emerson’s work would send her to NYC. LA and NYC have very different vibes so that was fun to play with and I know the latter well. The big Vegas chapter is one my favorite parts of the book. Emerson is larger than life and I always envisioned how she would approach Sin City. Renn likes the quiet, and I could picture him having an oasis away from LA in the desert. A little midcentury modern house befitting a star, but in no way showy. Like I said, the characters tell me where they belong. I’m lucky because mentally I get to go to these cool places with them.

 Describe Sugar Sand Land in five words or phrases. 

Romantic and sexy, celebrities, social media, cancel culture, and what’s real versus what’s an illusion.

SUGAR SAND LAND

by Patricia Leavy

Romance

For fans of Ashley Poston and Abby Jimenez, a contemporary romance—with a twist—about a media-savvy reality television star and a canceled country singer. 

Twenty-eight-year-old beauty Emerson Blue is the second most followed celebrity on social media. A self-proclaimed “living piece of art” who rose to fame as a reality star and then parlayed her celebrity into a megabucks career as an influencer, she seems to have everything. 

Forty-eight-year-old Grammy winner Renn Walker is a fallen country music star. Years ago, he was canceled following allegations of sexual misconduct, and he has lived in seclusion ever since. Once a beloved figure, he seems to have lost it all. 

When Emerson and Renn meet, sparks fly. Against all odds, a star obsessed with popularity and a recluse shunned by the world fall in love. Everyone in the public and media has an opinion and thinks they know Emerson and Renn. But in a world dominated by social media—a world that blurs the lines between what’s public and private, what’s real and what’s illusion—do we ever really know anyone?

 Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Simon & Schuster

 

Excerpt Three: 

They smiled at each other, but the moment was broken when several people eagerly approached the pair. A lanky woman with a brown bob and red lips, sporting a black turtleneck and cigarette pants, greeted Emerson with air kisses. “Darling, you look chic as always. I promised everyone it would be a star-studded opening. Thank you for helping me keep my word.” 

Emerson smiled politely. “Glad to do my part, Miranda. You have one of the best spaces in Tinseltown, and the best eye. I’d like you to meet my friend Renn Walker. Renn, Miranda owns this wonderful gallery.” 

“It’s a pleasure,” Renn said, extending his hand. 

“I’m honored you would see fit to come to our little show,” Miranda replied, shaking his hand. Her eyes lingered on him with a mix of awe and confusion. After a moment passed, she stammered, “Uh, please allow me to introduce the artist, Lars Grant.”

           She gestured to a tall man in black leather pants, a white T-shirt with a black peace sign, and dark sunglasses. “Hey. Thanks for coming,” he said. He flipped his glasses to the top of his head and stared at Emerson. “I’m mad for you. Your artistic impulse is singular. You’re ahead of the curve. Pushing the envelope.”           

The others in the group started adding their words of praise. “You’re the embodiment of art,” one spandex-clad woman gushed.           

“The embodiment of embodiment theory,” another added, looking quite proud of himself.           

“Yes, you’ve taken performative to a whole new level,” another concurred.           

Emerson smiled. “All our lives are really works of art. Don’t you think?”           

The group nodded along, hissing oohs and aahs at her words.            

A waiter walked over carrying a tray of flutes brimming with champagne and raspberry sparkling water.           

Emerson grabbed a glass of the pink bubbly water. “Well, we’re going to take a little stroll around. Best of luck with the show,” she said, taking Renn’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you all,” he said, and he followed Emerson through the crowd, smiling politely to people along the way as they admired the art, until they reached the back wall where they had privacy. They stood in front of a large canvas covered in rows of brightly colored paint and a clump of broken glass. Emerson leaned back on Renn, and he comfortably slipped his hands around her waist as if they had been together forever.           

“Are those your friends?” Renn whispered.           

“Hell no. People from the art scene,” she replied.           

“Good,” he said, giving her waist a squeeze. “They were kind of . . .”           

“Pretentious?” she asked.           

He chuckled. “Yeah. I didn’t want to say anything to offend you, but . . .”           

“What?” she asked.           

“They’re so far up your ass. Do you think they have any idea how ludicrous they sound?”           

She giggled. “That’s the thing about art and fame, they don’t really go together, do they?”           

He huffed. “Funny. I never used to think about that at all. I just wrote songs, played my music. Everything else just fell into place. I never gave any of it a thought. Until it went away.”           

“The art never goes away, though. For the real artists, that’s always there at the center. Even when the hype takes on a life of its own, at the core, in the eye of the storm, there’s always the art.”           

“Em, you are very surprising,” he said.           

“So, we’re up to nicknames now?”           

“Yes,” he replied, dropping a kiss in her hair. “Is that okay?”           

“Yes. It’s sweet actually,” she said.           

“Good,” he said, dropping another kiss in her hair. “So, do you think art can survive fame?”           

“It’s like this artwork.” She tilted her chin forward at the piece before them. “Miranda started a major publicity campaign to get this guy’s name out there, create buzz, brand him the next big find, and it’s all just spin. It could have been this guy or that guy or any other guy in some ways. Yet the art is real. This piece,” she said, gesturing, “it’s real.”           

“Do you like it, this work?” Renn asked.           

“Yes. It’s a commentary on the art world itself, or maybe even society as a whole. Pretty pictures and shattered dreams. The filtered image and the broken soul. Illusion and the crash of reality.”           

They stood for a moment, looking at the piece, Emerson’s words in the air. Eventually Renn broke the silence and said, “Are you sure it’s not just some broken glass glued to a canvas?”           

They both laughed.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: 

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She is also the publisher and CEO of Paper Stars Press. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book awards. Her novel Shooting Stars Above was featured on People “10 Romance Books to Read After Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry” and was the 2025 Firebird Book Award First Place Winner in Contemporary Novel, Romance, and Summer Beach Read. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established “The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

 

Website: www.patricialeavy.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy  

X (Twitter): https://x.com/PatriciaLeavy

Book Teaser Spotlight: Wylder Magic by Camille Anthony

Contemporary Multicultural Magic

Paranormal Dark Romance

Date Published: October 23, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press

Eight days...

Elias Wylder, that egotistical SOB, had the gall to trick Moriah into bonding with him during her Opening Ceremony! Now her year of hiding is almost up. Only eight days and she'll be free. In eight days, Moriah can repudiate the bond with Wylder and claim her rightful place in Arcane Society. Until then, she dare not allow the powerful warlock to discover she still loves him, despite his trickery. She must keep her distance, no matter how close she wishes they could be.

But Wylder's not the kind to take no for an answer.

Humbled by her loss, Elias will do anything to find Mariah, even begging the Council of Magick for help. Unfortunately, his year of futile searching is almost up. An Athame Warlock must present his lady to the Council before the year passes, or lose her forever. Elias can't allow that to happen. Mariah's taken more than Wylder's magick -- she's stolen his heart. He's got just eight days to find her, and win her back!

Excerpt

Copyright ©2026 Camille Anthony

Thursday, October 14, 11:00 PM

(Northeastern Division Time)

"By the Lord and Lady! Wylder, how did you come to misplace the academy's most promising student?"

Wylder sneered at Lemuel Westerner, refusing to give the irritating council member the satisfaction of answering. Yet he could not help acknowledging, if only to himself, his utter responsibility for the disaster now facing him. By totally fucking up, asshole. How else?

My own actions had caused this. I saw something I wanted, something wondrous, and with my usual damned arrogance, tried to snatch it for myself.

"And why are you only now bringing this to our attention?"

Just being here, ordered to be here, had his temper flaring hotter than the salamander-ignited fires blazing through San Francisco at this very moment, and here was Westerner, an old enemy, finally mated and a full member of the council, trying to lord it over him.

Elias Wylder -- the most powerful warlock since his evil ancestor, Grimm the Rogue -- glared at Lemuel Westerner until the hairy, burly shifter gulped and hunched down in his seat. Elias narrowed his eyes, bunched his thick eyebrows in an intimidating scowl, until he realized there was more likelihood of the man growing a second head than there was of his growing the balls to truly confront Elias in challenge. "What's gotten into you, little mule? You know better than to speak to me in that tone of voice."

Just the thought of Lemuel trying to stand up to him made Elias's lips turn up in a contemptuous smirk. "Little cat, you couldn't possibly be thinking about challenging me. Even drawing upon the enhanced power bestowed by your mated state, you haven't a hope in hell of defeating me. Any contest between the two of us would be ludicrous -- no contest at all."

The werecat's lips pulled back from his teeth in an angry snarl but before he could do other than posture, another council member spoke up. "I, too, would like to know the particulars of Miss Maganistus' graduation. Where is the record of the ceremony? If you officiated at it, why has she yet to come before this council to receive her diploma and wand? The shock waves we've been attributing to her graduation were felt as far away as the Outer Isles."

Lady Selima's quiet voice worked wonders on his mood, as usual, and Elias turned to face her, sensing her nurturing magick flowing over him, calming his fractious anger. "Until now, I deemed it a personal matter. I didn't feel the council needed the information, as at the time, it did not fringe upon national security. It does now."

Her gentle mind reached out, attempting to touch and soothe his turbulent spirit. He closed his eyes, resting a brief moment in the peace she generated before mentally jerking back with a curse. Giving a sharp shake of his head, he broke contact with the compassionate lady, unable to afford even one second of weakness. The fluctuation in his power continued to increase. His control deteriorated daily. "Stop stroking my aura, Selima. You weren't invited."

The mellow magicker spread her hands out, palm up. "I sense great upheaval in your heart and soul. I but seek to ease --"

"Butt out! I don't need you softening me up." His low growl rumbled through the room like static electricity. "Don't make me tell you again."

The dark menace in his voice would have made any other cringe, but it didn't surprise him to see Selima continue toward him, arms still outstretched. Before she could reach him, her husband drew her back, arrowing an admonishing glare toward the male upsetting his tenderhearted mate.

Antoiyn Grooden placed a comforting hand over his wife's while his other hand furtively sketched a powerful protection rune in the air. "She means no harm, Wylder."

Elias snorted, an imp of adversity temping him to burn a rune of his own into the air. He resisted, knowing the situation was already hot enough. "Stand down, Grooden. I mean her no harm." He enjoyed teasing the stuck-up, tight-assed older male, and a toothy grin curled his lips as he continued to bait the powerful mage. "As if any signing of yours could stop my magick if I were inclined to --"

"Oh, for the goddess' sake, Wylder, cut out all the dramatics and just tell us what happened with the girl. We put you in charge of seeing to her graduation exercises, and now no one can find a trace of her. It's as if she fell off the face of the earth. So, what did you do... kill her?"

Horrified silence cloaked the room's occupants in the aftermath of the daring outburst made by Westerner's mate, until the silence shattered under the bark of Wylder's involuntary laughter. Only Judith would actually come out and say something like that to me! How could I have ever fucked this mentally blonde airhead?

Oh, well, he reasoned a second later, chuckling and shaking his head, my cock didn't give a fuck about her absent thought processes...

His grudging amusement over her customary no-clue-ism gradually faded as his night-dark eyes touched on each of the mated pairs, noting with disdain how they had drawn back, distancing themselves from poor Judith and the anticipated backlash of his anger.

Wylder's black eyes flashed, a grimace drawing his mouth tight. "Look at you, presenting as small a target as possible, pretending you aren't frightened enough to piss yourselves." He taunted them, not bothering to hide his disgust at his fellow council members. "None save Selima and Judith have the courage to speak their minds, let alone meet my gaze." He snorted, mouth curling up in a mocking half smile when even the Elven pair -- next in power to him -- refused to acknowledge his derision. "Judith may not have enough sense to fill a thimble, but apparently she and Selima are the only ones in these chambers with any balls."

Like a caged beast, he paced the parquet floor, running agitated hands through his shoulder-length mass of dense, black hair. Turning on his audience, he shouted, "What has this council come to? Once, this body of rulers stood for something. Now all I see is a pathetic group of cowards. Is this all that remains of the mighty Council of Magick? Well, you need an infusion of new blood. You need me!"

"Not yet, we don't," Lemuel snapped, face distorted with a mix of jealousy, envy and fear. "You don't get to take control of this council until you are mated."

"Meanwhile," Grooden interrupted, smoothly bringing the conversation back on track, "you were telling us about Lady Maganistus --"

"No Lady until she receives her wand, Chairperson Grooden," someone reminded him.

"As for what happened with Lady Maganistus --" The emphasis on the title did not go unnoted by Wylder's listeners. "-- I supervised her graduation, which she passed with glowing expertise. I left her sleeping, recuperating from the rite. When I returned, I found she had escaped."

"Escaped? Why did she need to escape? She was a graduate, not a prisoner."

"What did she do... better yet, what did you do?"

The memory of what he had done made his cock, never totally quiescent since that long ago evening, swell to painful hardness. Wylder chose his words with care, his rebellious thoughts running in counterpoint. "In my judgment, she was too powerful to risk with just anyone, so I chose to personally supervise the ceremony." And I didn't want any Warlock's cock in her but mine!

 

About the Author

A funny thing happened on the way to the grave... In 2006, Cammy was diagnosed with Pulmonary Sarcoidosis and given two weeks to live. She promptly discharged herself AMA -- Against Medical Advice -- since, as she stubbornly informed her doctors, she could die at home far more comfortably than at the hospital. But then... she got an idea for a new story. Then another, and another...

Fifteen years and dozens of fantastic tales later, Cammy passed quietly in her sleep, at home, as was her wish. We miss her. Her work lives on, and we hold her in our hearts. Cammy decided many years ago that upon her passing, she wished to donate her royalties to The Quiet Kitty fund, which helps authors with emergency medical expenses. We do, to keep her in our hearts and minds.

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

 

Pre-Order Today

Upcoming Book Spotlight: Midnight Mooring by Samantha Young

 

TITLE: Midnight Mooring (Scottish Isles Series #4)

RELEASE DATE: Oct 29, 2026 in kindle unlimited, paperback and audiobook.

COVER DESIGNS: By Hang Le

COUPLE COVER PHOTOGRAPHY: By Wander Aguiar

UNIVERSAL LINK: https://geni.us/midnightmooring

TROPES: BROTHER’S BEST FRIEND, SMALL TOWN, FORCED PROXIMITY, SLOW BURN, SECRET TATTOO, HEROINE AND HERO IN DANGER

All about the Scottish Isles Series 

BLURB:

For years I’ve been secretly in love with my brother’s best friend. Forde Dallas is the most commitment-phobic man I know and when our mutual attraction destroyed our friendship, I left for six months in hopes of putting some distance between us.

 

When I return home to our small Scottish island, Forde has undergone a transformation I’m not ready to believe in. Suddenly he wants to settle down and is determined to win back my love and trust. 

 

However, I’m preoccupied with the suspicion that one of my ex’s might be the man the police are hunting for in relation to horrifying crimes. For weeks I’ve been piecing together the puzzle that leads to him. When Forde stumbles across me in the middle of a dangerous mission to uncover the truth, we’re forced together by a chance of fate.

 

As we’re thrown into the shocking realization I may have solved a national man hunt, someone lurking in the shadows starts targeting us both.

 

Determined to live my life despite everything I’m facing, the one thing I’m not prepared for is Forde’s persistence. He’s there, supporting me, protecting me, and setting my world on fire with his passion. Even though we share a complicated history, I can’t help but want to explore the searing connection that’s existed between us for years.

 

But just when I think Forde and I have finally found something real together, we’ll have to face our biggest fight yet. Because someone hiding among us doesn’t believe we deserve our happily ever after…

 

 

Check out Carrie Ann Ryan's Pretend It's Forever today!

 

Pretend It's Forever by Carrie Ann Ryan

Cage Family Series, Book 5

All Buy Links HERE

Contemporary Romance

Sophia Cage doesn’t need a protector—she needs a night to pretend her world didn’t splinter. After her world burned, she found herself a single mom, a struggling dance studio owner, and unable to do the one thing that had brought her out of the darkness.

Dance.

When Carson walks into her life, all she can see is the broken person she’d been when they’d first met. She’s stronger than the ghosts of her past, at least that’s what she tells herself. Yet with each accidental encounter with the mysterious and dangerous man who’s inserted himself into the Cage family orbit, she’s finding it harder to walk away.

Carson Woods doesn’t trust people. He’s spent his life protecting his sister from their family and the world all while making sure his businesses are the best in their fields.

Then he meets her.

One wrong move with the shattered yet pieced together Sophia could not only fracture his working relationship with the only friends he has but harm the woman he tells himself he cannot crave.

Pretend it’s Forever is a single mom, who hurt you, opposites attract, contemporary suspense featuring Carson and Sophia in the Cage Family series. Each book can be read as a complete standalone. An HEA is guaranteed!

Excerpt

One year later.

Tiny dancers swirled along the floor, the glossy wood shining underneath the soft steps of the little slippered feet. Giggles filled the room and I smiled, watching my past blend with my present, knowing there couldn’t be a future.

With a frown, I pushed those thoughts from my mind. Today was about joy. Today was about teaching.

Today wasn’t about what could have been. Those thoughts had no place here within the soft laughter and eager learning.

To pretend otherwise would be to forever lie within misery, wondering when one could find peace. And I wasn’t about to find that kind of peace.

“Ms. Cage! Ms. Cage! Do you like my dress?” Meredith asked as she twirled towards me, nearly tripping over her own ballerina shoes.

I moved forward quickly and held her shoulder, keeping her upright. She had more energy than a few children put together, and I adored her.

I knelt down to be at eye level, ignoring the twinge in my knee and sharp pain in my hip. The reminders of that evening would forever be within my body, scarred on my soul, but I wouldn’t let these children know. “I love your dress. You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” She preened. “You’re always beautiful. Will you dance for us later?” the eight-year-old asked, and I heard a few of the parents whisper beneath their breath, and I ignored them.

Instead, I looked over at my eager students and nodded. “If we have time, I will at the end, something small. Only because you have all done such a good job today. If we can’t today, I will make sure it’s scheduled for next time. Now, let’s work on our turns, because our recital is coming up.”

“I’m nervous,” another student said as she came forward, and a few others nodded, their eyes wide.

This would be their first ballet recital as a class, as we had started a new year, and I was nervous right along with them. However, nerves were how I succeeded in my life. Or at least, how I had once succeeded in my job.

As long as I lived, breathed, and knew my soul could withstand the truth, I would always be a dancer. No matter how long it took for me to stretch these days, or the idea that I couldn’t put all my weight on the same leg as I once had, or the fact that I was no longer a principal dancer at the Denver Ballet, I would continue to be a dancer at heart. Just like many of these little girls were.

My other classes had a mixture of boys and girls within the class, but this particular one just happened to be filled with only little girls. I hoped that soon, more boys would sign up and attend and had great hopes that they would.

Everybody was welcome to dance here, and between myself and the two instructors I had hired, the studio went from toddler age all the way to high school. I had a few college-age students as well, ones that were more one-on-one to prepare them for auditions, and other things, but for the moment I didn’t have anything beyond that. I once had. I once had been sought after even at my age.

But those dreams had been crushed along with so many other parts of my body.

I swallowed hard, rolled my shoulders back, and reminded myself that I was Sophia Cage. And I could do anything. I might not have been born a Cage precisely, but I had taken the name of my family when the worst had happened.

“Okay, girls, plie.”

I began the next section of the dance. And corrected when needed, praised when warranted—and since I wasn’t the cool teacher that I’d once had, or even the far more strict ones, there were always ways to find praise.

By the end of class, I was grateful that we had run over, but I ignored the guilt from that. “Next time. Next time I promise I will show you a little bit of your performance on my own. I promise,” I reiterated. The girls clapped, while some of the parents gave each other knowing looks. I ignored that.

After the incident, I had lost a few of my favorite students. They had needed an instructor who could perform right alongside them, and someone who hadn’t lost the strength that I had in my dominant leg.

It had taken me a year to get to this point in my life, where I could put on tights and do small parts around the studio, but I would never be again.

Not after I had trusted the wrong person.

About the Author:

NYT and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan is the author of over 150 contemporary and paranormal romances where the characters yearn, break your hearts, and make you swoon. If there’s a family of six brothers who need HEAs, she’s your author.

Website

Coming Soon Spotlight: Dread by Harley Wilde

(Hades Abyss MC 15)

MC Romance

Date Published: September 25, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press

I took an oath to save lives. Protecting Katy's more than that -- it's becoming personal.

Dread -- Nothing prepared me for finding a woman and her little girl stranded on the side of the highway. Katy’s terrified, exhausted, and hiding from something -- or someone. She keeps waiting for me to ask questions. I don’t need answers to know they need protection. The Hades Abyss Motorcycle Club takes care of its own. And whether she’s ready to admit it or not, Katy is already under my protection.

Katy -- Running was supposed to keep my daughter safe. Instead, it left us stranded with a broken SUV and nowhere to go. Then Dread pulled up. He’s gruff, stubborn, and impossible to push away. Every day I spend behind the gates of Hades Abyss makes it harder to remember why I should leave. Ellie finally feels safe, and my heart is starting to believe we might have found a home.

But the man I escaped isn’t finished with me. If he comes for us, I know he’ll discover the worst mistake of his life was threatening the woman Dread has claimed as his own.

Excerpt

Copyright ©2026 Harley Wylde

Katy

The highway stretched ahead like something half-melted, the asphalt rippling in the midday heat until the horizon disappeared into a silver wash. No shade. No cover. Just the sun beating down on two lanes of cracked blacktop and the thin strip of gravel shoulder where my SUV sat crippled, the rear end canted at a drunken angle, passenger-side tire blown and gone soft against the stones.

I’d already dragged the spare out from under the cargo hold, heavy and awkward in my hands, and positioned the jack as best I could. The metal base wobbled on the uneven gravel, finding purchase in small divots that shifted whenever I applied pressure. Not stable. Nothing about this was stable.

My fingers kept sliding off the lug wrench. The nuts were torqued down by some mechanic with gorilla hands and a pneumatic gun, or maybe years of highway vibration had fused them to the studs. Either way, the wrench handle grew slicker with every attempt, sweat coating my palms until the metal felt like it had been oiled. I wiped my hands on my shorts, left dark smears, tried again. The wrench turned a fraction of an inch before my grip failed. I adjusted, set my feet wider, and threw my weight into it. My arms shook. Not the fine tremor of fatigue -- a deep, structural quiver that started in my shoulders and ran down through my elbows to my wrists. Shaking that meant my body was running out of things to burn.

Ellie sat on the running board in the narrow strip of shade cast by the SUV’s open door, knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around her shins. Her light brown hair was dark with sweat at the roots, plastered in damp curls against her neck. She watched me with a small, tight frown that didn’t belong on a seven-year-old’s face.

“Are we going to be late?” she asked.

“No, sweetie. We’re not in a hurry,” I said.

“Does it hurt your hands?”

“It’s just a little hard to turn, that’s all.”

“How much longer?” she asked.

“Not long. Almost done.”

Each answer came out in a steady voice I didn’t recognize, a measured calm that lived nowhere near the hollow panic pulling taut inside me. The heat was warping my vision. The horizon kept tilting -- a slow, nauseating roll through my skull, like the world was trying to tip itself over. I planted my feet harder. The gravel shifted under my sneakers.

I got the first lug nut loose after three tries, the wrench finally catching and turning with a metallic shriek that cut through the thick air. The second came easier. My shirt clung to my back, soaked through at the shoulder blades and along my spine. The ponytail I’d tied that morning hung heavy against my neck, the elastic digging a wet groove into my scalp.

The third nut wouldn’t budge. I leaned into the wrench until my body was at a forty-five-degree angle, heels digging into gravel, and felt something give -- not the nut, but the jack. It shifted sideways with a scrape of metal on stone, and the SUV dropped half an inch. I jerked back, heart hammering, and pressed my hand to the hot quarter panel to steady myself. The metal burned. I left it there. The sharpness helped me focus, at least. Something I could feel besides the heat and the fear.

Ellie said my name. Just “Mom,” soft and careful -- the tone she used when she was scared but trying not to show it.

“It’s fine,” I told her. “We’re fine. Almost done.”

I wasn’t almost done. The jack needed resetting. I crouched beside it, my knees popping, and wrestled the base into a new position, digging shallow trenches in the gravel with the edge of my palm. The metal was hot enough to raise a blister. I didn’t check. Sweat ran into my eyes, stinging, and I wiped it away with the back of my wrist, leaving a streak of grit across my forehead.

Back to the wrench. I braced one foot against the tire itself for leverage, wrapped both hands around the handle, and pulled. My shoulders screamed. The nut turned -- a quarter inch, then nothing. I repositioned, pulled again. Another quarter. The progress was measured in fractions, each one costing more than the last.

The fourth nut came free suddenly, the wrench spinning loose and nearly catching me across the shin. I stumbled back, caught myself on the bumper, and stood there breathing hard. The air felt thick enough to chew. My lungs worked and nothing changed.

One nut left. The last one.

I set the wrench, lined it up with shaking hands, and threw everything I had into the turn. My vision grayed at the edges. Not a gentle fade -- a hard, sudden dimming, like someone had turned a dial on the world’s brightness. The gravel tilted under me. I let go of the wrench and dropped into a crouch, head down between my knees, hands braced on my patellas. Breathe. Just breathe.

Ellie said something I couldn’t make out through the blood pounding in my ears.

“I’m okay,” I said, or tried to say. The words came out strained and hollow. “One second.”

The gray receded slowly, pulling back from the edges of my sight like water draining from a tub. I stayed crouched until the gravel stopped moving, then pushed myself upright using the bumper for support. My legs felt like they’d been filled with wet sand.

The last nut was still there. The jack wobbled on its uneven perch. The spare lay in the dirt where I’d dropped it, the tread pattern filling with fine dust.

Almost done.

I wasn’t almost done.

About the Author

Harley Wylde is an accomplished author known for her captivating MC Romances. With an unwavering commitment to sensual storytelling, Wylde immerses her readers in an exciting world of fierce men and irresistible women. Her works exude passion, danger, and gritty realism, while still managing to end on a satisfying note each time.

When not crafting her tales, Wylde spends her time brainstorming new plotlines, indulging in a hot cup of Starbucks, or delving into a good book. She has a particular affinity for supernatural horror literature and movies. Visit Wylde's website to learn more about her works and upcoming events, and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter to receive exclusive discounts and other exciting perks.

 

Author on Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok: @harleywylde 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

 

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Book Tour Stop: If I didn't Have You by Giulia Lagomarsino

Title: If I Didn't Have You

Series: The Last Best Place for Love Book 7

Author: Giulia Lagomarsino

Genre: Small Town Romance

Tropes: Second Chance; Later in Life; Is It Over?; Rediscovering Love; First Love

Release Date: August 24, 2026

I lost my heart a long time ago to one woman.

The love of my life.

The mother of my children.

I could weather any storm with her by my side.

But I lost sight of that somewhere along the way.

Holding her in my arms as she nearly died tore me to shreds.

I vowed a long time ago that I would never let anything happen to her, and I failed.

And now she was ready to leave.

Not because I didn’t protect her, but because I lost sight of who we were.

That was all about to change.

Because if there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that life just wasn’t worth living without her by my side.

 

I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.

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