He hadn’t had a book out in three years.

“Everything I’ve written since then is awful, trite bullshit. Or some knockoff of a classic, done worse, mind you. I can barely even look at my laptop, let alone open it. I guess I thought a change of scene to someplace wild and completely different would shake me out of my funk—well, my agent did. I’m not exactly here of my own volition . . .”

“How’s that going?”

“Super. So far, all this trip has done is make me strongly consider switching my profession to sheep farming.”

“The sheep are pretty cute.”

That won a smile from him, and it was just as warm and inviting as I anticipated. “Right? I went over to the Westman Islands and I was standing in a field near this cliff, high above the ocean, contemplating my place in the world, and one waddled over to me and booped me on the leg with its nose.”

“Sounds life-changing.”

“Oh, it was. Didn’t cure my writer’s block, but I felt much less inclined to hurl myself into the sea, so there’s that. Anyway, I’ve told you my story, Stella Moore. Now it’s your turn.”

I wondered if I should tell him. What the four of us do on our expeditions is something that we keep to ourselves—after all, treasure hunting has its dangers—but there was something about Huck Sullivan that made me want to spill my soul. Maybe it was because I’d read his books and that made me feel like I knew the kind of man he was . . . someone brave and trustworthy and authentic. Someone who had just been totally vulnerable with me.

Someone who would find my focus compelling instead of thinking I was a stupid dreamer.

I don’t know why, but I didn’t want to hold back the way I normally did.

I wanted to tell him.

Because the Huck Sullivan I knew from reading every word he’d ever written was going to eat this up. I hoped. And not just because I’d been fantasizing about him since book two, The Einstein Endeavor.

I took a breath and tried not to think about the number of times I’d pictured an innocent book signing event ending with us entangled in the back room of Barnes & Noble. I hoped the flush in my cheeks could pass for being alcohol related instead of a lustful fantasy fulfillment. “Believe it or not, I am also searching for something.”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

I pressed my lips together for a moment, preparing to be laughed at.

“I’m hunting for a treasure.”

Understanding flashed in his eyes, an instant of lightning in the glacial pool, and it was as if my body forgot how to breathe. I had to force myself to take in air. He rotated toward me on his stool; in the process, his knee glanced my thigh and practically turned me into molten lava. “And how’s that going?” he asked, his voice low and full of intrigue. “Are you also contemplating a life of sheep farming . . . or have you found it?”

I took a slow sip of my beer, a smile playing on my lips as I lowered the bottle between us. I waved him toward me until our faces were only a whisper apart and made my voice quiet. “So far the only thing I’ve found is you.”

Excerpted from HEART MARKS THE SPOT by Libby Hubscher, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2025

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Heart Marks The Spot’ by Libby Hubscher appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

If Only You by Chloe Liese

This book is bursting with everything I love—brother’s best friend trope, representation of both autism and celiac disease, a lovely evolution from friends-ish, to friends with benefits, to more—and it’s a double dose of sports romance. Ziggy plays soccer and rocks a good-girl image and Seb plays hockey and is her troublemaking bad-boy fantasy. When they play at a fake friendship to change everyone’s minds about them, they win a whole lot more. The longing, everyone. The longing.

The Deal by Elle Kennedy

A fake dating slash tutoring situation between brilliant sarcastic queen Hannah and smug hockey star Garrett turns life-changing in this epic sports romance. The witty exchanges between these two make for some of the best banter of all time and the intimacy is top notch heat. And let us not forget that he calls her Wellsy almost the entire book. This book does deal with some heavy content, so make sure to check out the content warnings before diving in.

40-Love by Olivia Dade

A vacation romance with a chivalrous, former-pro tennis instructor and great plus-sized representation? Yes, please. Tess goes from an ocean-side wardrobe incident to a tennis lesson with her hot, younger gentleman shield that turns into something more. Full of humour and heart with a healthy side of heat and beautiful character development, this one is a winner.

Intercepted by Alexa Martin

This NFL-based sports romance is hilarious, engaging, and super swoony. Marlee is the sassy spitfire you can’t help but root for, and Gavin is the sweet, strong quarterback of all of our dreams who swoops back into her life and sweeps her off of her feet when she’s at her lowest. Sports rom-com magic.

The post Libby Hubscher’s Favourite Sports Romance Books appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Marin Cole has never:
Seen the ocean
Climbed a mountain
Taken a risk on love
….But if her sister’s plan works, she just might do all three.

Ever since her journalist mother died on assignment, Marin has played it safe, refusing to set foot outside the state of Tennessee. Her wild-child younger sister, Sadie, has trotted the globe as a photographer, living off of art and adrenaline. 

When Sadie returns from a tough assignment abroad and looks a little worse for wear, Marin reluctantly agrees to a sisters’ spa weekend on the tropical island of Saba. But her lifelong fear of travel is affirmed when Sadie misses the flight, Marin’s luggage gets mixed up with another passenger’s, and an episode of turbulence sends her hurtling  into the lap of Lucas Tsai, the handsome stranger who stole her sister’s seat.

For the first time in a long time, Marin has to step outside of her comfort zone as she explores the island with Lucas and learns what she’s been missing out on. With each breathtaking new experience, Marin gets closer to her real self, the man she’s falling for, and the heart-wrenching truth about why she’s there in the first place.

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