Mistakes Were Made is a spicy opposites attract, forced proximity, smalltown romance and it is the second book in Lucy Score’s Story Lake series of interconnected standalones. I would highly recommend reading Story of My Life first as it introduces readers to the smalltown of Story Lake and it nicely sets up Zoey and Gage’s story.

Mistakes Were Made features themes and topics like ADHD and neurodiversity, adoption, abuse, strained relationships with parents, self worth, perfectionism, fear of failure, loss and grief, divorce, disability, and infertility. I also want to mention that a past car accident resulting in death and permanent disability, as well as the sentencing of the driver, is mentioned quite a bit in this novel and could be triggering for some readers. 

“‘Why do you wear a disco ball around your neck?’ ‘Because I like broken, sparkly things.’”

First off, I enjoyed the imagery of the disco ball that is used throughout the novel and on the cover art. The book talks a lot about mistakes, and I love how the disco ball almost symbolises how mistakes (or broken things) can sometimes be beautiful and not always a negative thing. Furthermore, not only is the word “disco” used as a way for the main characters to be honest with each other, but physical disco balls are also used by Gage to woo Zoey, which I thought was super cute. As with book 1, I loved reading about the hilarious laugh-out-loud shenanigans that go on in the quirky yet closeknit smalltown of Story Lake; it definitely reminded me of Pawnee from Parks and Recreation so if you love that show, you’ll probably also love Story Lake! I especially loved the smalltown shenanigans involving the cute yet mischievous animals in town (like how Gage’s dog Nana puts her paws on the horn when she is left alone in a vehicle for too long). Also, as a reader, the Reader Weekend that the town puts on to celebrate the release of Zoey’s best friend Hazel’s romance book (which is based on her own love story in Story Lake) was so fun.

On the downside, the court case regarding the driver who killed Gage’s brother-in-law and permanently injured Gage’s sister was definitely more emotional and not as enjoyable to read about. Additionally, it was hard to read about Zoey constantly putting herself down (and being put down by others at times) throughout the book, usually in regard to her tendencies to make mistakes. But I appreciated that Zoey sought a diagnosis to understand herself better and I felt like her self worth was improving by the end of the novel.

I’m definitely excited to see what (and who) the next book in the Story Lake series will be about! If you enjoy spicy romances with forced proximity, opposites attract, and quaint small towns, then I highly recommend picking up a copy of Mistakes Were Made (and book 1 in the series, Story of My Life). This book is perfect fans of spicy smalltown romances like If It Makes You Happy by Julie Olivia, In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams, Freeing the Wild by Paisley Hope, Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver, and Seven Year Itch by Amy Daws.

Mistakes Were Made is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 10th 2026.

Will you be picking up Mistakes Were Made? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score, whose smash hit Things We Never Got Over captured millions of hearts, invites you back to Story Lake for a swoon-worthy new small town romantic comedy.

He’s looking for the perfect wife. She’s looking for the perfect one-night stand.

Literary agent Zoey Moody doesn’t like small town life, but here she is: exiled from Manhattan’s publishing scene and trapped in a tiny Pennsylvania town with her BFF and only remaining client, Hazel. The problem? She’s totally broke.

All she needs is for Hazel’s next romance novel to become a gigantic hit, and Zoey will be back in New York. Nothing will stand in her way. Nothing except her six-foot-two-inch landlord, Gage Bishop. He’s smart, serious, and sexy. Worst of all, he’s ready to settle down.

Zoey might be the most beautiful woman Gage has ever met, but it’s clear they’re all wrong for each other. She’s allergic to commitment and can’t work a calendar app; he’s looking for a wife and has the next five years all planned out. She’s afraid of animals. He lives in a literal barn. But when Gage’s world is rocked by a devastating family secret, he turns to Zoey for one night to forget everything. That one night just might change everything…or ruin it.

Perfect for fans of the heart, humor, and hope found in Things We Never Got Over and Things We Left Behind, Mistakes Were Made is a steamy escape to small town romance―full of emotional twists, slow-burn tension, and Lucy Score’s trademark charm.

The post Review: Mistakes Were Made by Lucy Score appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

But when Nikki announces a tell-all memoir about their messy past on the Nik and Andy show, Andy’s carefully rebuilt world starts to crack. One impulsive text later, Nikki is standing in her flower shop, demanding answers and stirring up feelings Andy never fully buried.

Now, old sparks are flying, tempers are flaring, and Andy must decide: protect her peace, or risk everything for a second chance with the one woman she never truly got over?

Have you ever read a second-chance romance and actively rooted for the couple to not get back together? Because I have.

But let’s talk about the good things first.

The premise of the novel is exceptional, putting a spin on beloved tropes and with the gorgeous cover in mind, the juxtaposition of a life lived in Hollywood with the quiet, unassuming serenity of a flower shop just really worked for me. The setting truly feels like a home, not just because of Andy’s best friends in the novel that add a lot of comic relief and genuine support, but also because of how she is treated in this town by others.

Beyond the setting, my favourite part of the novel were definitely all the little glimpses and background tidbits we get from Nikki and Andy and their time in Hollywood. Stories about celebrities can be a bit of a hit or miss, but this aspect worked really well in the story.

It’s fascinating to peek behind the curtain of such an extraordinary world, and Dugan truly shines here. She offers sharp, insightful observations on how growing up young and impressionable— especially in Hollywood—can distort your sense of self, trap you in a manufactured identity, and warp your understanding of life beyond the spotlight. The juxtaposition of those memories with how Andy is now living her life and fearing to be back in the spotlight were handled so well and despite Nikki not getting her own POV in the book, we still learn about her time in Hollywood and the ways that has affected her choices, especially in terms of writing that tell-all memoir.

There is also undoubtedly chemistry between Nikki and Andy. If you ignore some of the underlying issues, the two of them really rocket up the heat whenever there are intimate moments. And even with what we learn about them when they were younger makes you think that there might have been potential for a true romance if the stars had aligned in their favour back when they were on the same TV show.

Now, I’m a huge fan of second-chance romances when they are done right and with Anderson in Bloom, I have to be honest, I just couldn’t connect with the romance. Don’t get me wrong, both Nikki and Andy work so well as individual characters. They’re intriguing, a bit catty, struggling with a lot on their own beyond their feelings for each other and overall just leave you wanting to spend more time with them—but again, individually.

The moment these two are on the same page, every interaction suddenly feels like a battle, and not in the good way that makes you kick your feet and giggle because you can tell it’s all a lead-up to one of the greatest romances of all time. There’s push and pull between them, yes, but it never really amounts to anything beyond more hurt feelings, more toxic behaviour or more altercations that do make you wonder how these two ever were together in the first place without actively plotting to plan each other’s murder. This is in part due to the fact that for Andy Nikki is the villain of the story whereas Nikki never seemed to harbour any antagonistic feelings toward Andy (despite some scenes that definitely make you as a reader question this). The middle part of the novel especially suffered from this lack of communication – and miscommunication on both parts – that just never seemed to end.

The thing that took away from my enjoyment here is that the characters themselves seem quite self-aware, yet it amounts to nothing in the grand scheme of things. At one point in the book, one of them even realises that this back-and-forth and the “relationship” in general is making her regress to some very toxic behaviour she thought she’d left behind her right with the other trappings of Hollywood. So Andy’s self-aware enough to understand that…but does not have the agency to do something about it, which just felt frustrating. Especially in Andy’s case I was also sad to see all the growth she had made after leaving Hollywood and all of that sort of flying out the window once Nikki comes back into her life. There’s a lot to say about show and tell in this book because Andy has such a different understanding of who she is and then the actions that actually make her completely go against those values because she’s led by her hurt feelings. It just amounted to a character that’s indecisive and led by the actions and words of others, which didn’t work for me, especially with how it placed her in relation to Nikki. Alas, I am known as a hater of the miscommunication trope and this was so present throughout the entire story (even with the obligatory third-act-break-up) that it might just be my own preferences that made the romance fall short and not one I could root for.

Nevertheless, I did have a good time reading this book. Dugan’s writing flows as easily as always and has you turning page after page without noticing how quick the time passes. So if you’re a fan of the miscommunication trope paired with a second-chance romance about former Hollywood co-stars falling back in love, then Dugan’s Anderson in Bloom might be the perfect fit for you!

Anderson in Bloom is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 3rd 2026.

Will you be picking up Anderson in Bloom? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

From the author of Love at First Set, a hilariously sexy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance rom-com about a reclusive former child star turned florist whose quiet life is turned upside down when her annoyingly hot ex (and former costar) shows up in town, with plans to write a tell-all memoir.

Former child star Anderson “Andy” Ducharme is hiding—has been for a long time, if she’s honest with herself, which she isn’t.

When she suddenly cut off all ties and left LA six years earlier to work in a flower shop in coastal New England, she wasn’t just running away from toxic relationships, embezzling agents, and all the rest of her Hollywood life; she was running to something… sort of, if you squinted, and if you accepted that what she was running toward was little more than a vacation daydream she had made up with her (in)famous ex, and former costar, Nicole “Nikki” Price.

Then Nikki announces her plan to write a tell-all book about growing up in Hollywood and their tumultuous time on the Nik and Andy show, and Andy’s feelings of hurt and betrayal come rushing back. Emboldened by anger (and maybe one too many drinks), Andy does something very stupid: she texts her ex for the first time in years. No one’s more shocked than Andy when Nikki actually shows up to her small florist shop, looking for answers.

Andy is fully prepared to send Nikki away, but it seems Nikki has some unfinished business as well. Now that she finally knows where Andy’s been hiding, she’s not letting her go so easy. And with each passing encounter, Andy can’t deny the simmering physical attraction that threatens to boil over every time they get close.

But can the two of them really reunite without wrecking Andy’s carefully rebuilt life? Or is she setting herself up for a fresh heartbreak?

The post #ReadWithPride: Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from A Thousand Perfect Lies by Monica Murphy, which is out March 3rd 2026.

Secrets don’t die. They just transfer schools.

New York native Billie Vale arrives at Wickham Academy, England’s most elite boarding school, with a forged identity as Belinda Winters and one mission: clear her sister’s name. Isla lies in a coma, accused of killing her best friend. Billie has one shot to uncover the truth in a school built on privilege and deception. Succeed, and her estranged father will finally help her mother. Fail, and it will tear what’s left of her family apart.

But Wickham’s secrets run deep, and not everyone wants them exposed. The school’s golden prince and its brooding outcast both seem to know more than they’ll admit—and both have reasons to keep Billie close. As she digs into the lies that built Wickham’s empire, she discovers that loyalty is just another currency, every hallway hides a motive, and everyone here protects their own at any cost.

But someone at Wickham knows what really happened…
And they’ll bury Billie before they let her find out.

EXCERPT

The moment we’re alone, I glance around the room but don’t spot Sophia anywhere.

“She’s outside. Sophia.” It’s as if Connor can read my mind, or at the very least he’s paying attention to me. And while normally I would be defensive about that, I can’t deny that the consideration leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

I like that he pays attention. That he seems into me and wants to spend more time with me. I should probably stay far away from him, considering what an emotional wreck he is, but I can’t help being drawn to him. He may have been tipsy when he mentioned our connection, but that doesn’t make it less real.

“They seem nice. The Pembrokes.” I’m trying to break the weird silence that has fallen between us.

“They are.” He grabs hold of my hand. “Come on. Let’s go find somewhere quiet so we can chat.”

“Chat about what?”

Connor ignores my question and leads me through clusters of people. He walks as if he knows exactly where he’s going, and he doesn’t seem to notice the many curious stares directed our way as we pass. I feel each one, though, like dozens of tiny pinpricks on my skin. I’m sure they’re wondering who I am, which is fine. I’m wondering who they are, too. Specifically, I’m wondering which one of them put my sister in the hospital.

Only after we slip into a quiet room that looks like a library (what’s with rich British people and their over-the-top collections of books?) does Connor finally speak.

“Sorry. Couldn’t think in that crowd.” He scratches the back of his head. “I, uh, wanted to apologize to you.”

“Again? For what?” What did he do now?

“For last night.”

“You already did,” I remind him.

“Right. I did. But an apology over text is hardly an apology at all.” He takes a step closer, and I can smell his intoxicating cologne. His body heat radiates toward me, and I want to lean in. Press my body against his. “In person is more…genuine.”

I blink hard to snap myself out of his spell, but it doesn’t seem to work.

“You don’t need to apologize again. I accepted it the first time.” I smile, though it wilts when he takes another step toward me.

“Funny thing is, my memories from last night are still a little fuzzy. But I do recall telling you that I felt a…connection between us.” He touches me. A barely-there graze of his fingers across the top of my hand, but I feel it everywhere, leaving tingles all over my body.

“Yes.” I nod. Clear my throat. “You may have mentioned that. But you also said—”

“That I don’t trust it.” He scratches the back of his head again, and I wonder if it’s a nervous tic. “Let’s just say I haven’t had many reasons to trust people lately. But I want to trust you. And I think, probably, the best way to figure out if I should…”

He crowds me against the wall, his body pressed against mine. Blocking me from escaping, not that I want to leave. The air between us crackles with tension, and he dips his head the slightest bit, aligning our mouths so we share breath. He leans in closer, pausing just shy of pressing his lips to mine. “Yes?”

“Yes.” My lips brush against his when I whisper my reply. I can feel his breath ghost across my skin right before his mouth meets mine. Once. Twice.

And then he’s kissing me. Really kissing me. His lips are warm and smooth and undoubtably persuasive. One big hand curves around my cheek, holding me in place. I tip my head back and return the kiss, my lips parting, his tongue teasing. Circling mine over and over.

With a sigh, I give in, sliding my hands up the firm wall of his chest until I’m gripping his broad shoulders. His hands land on my waist, and his fingers press into my flesh, keeping me pinned against the wall. He shifts closer, our bodies pressed so tight a piece of paper couldn’t be slipped between us. I can feel him all over me, and I revel in it.

Want more of it.

Everything becomes a blur. His persuasive lips, the rhythmic slide of his tongue against mine. His fingers tease the hem of my sweater before slipping to the bare skin beneath. I gasp into his mouth, and he pulls away slightly. I open my eyes to find he’s watching me, concern in his gray gaze. I offer the tiniest nod.

The dimples appear briefly before he ducks his head, his mouth finding my neck. I tilt my head back to give him better access while I stare up at the ceiling. All of my thoughts and worries disappear the moment his mouth is on my skin, licking and nibbling, and I close my eyes, desperate to escape my life for even a few minutes and lose myself in this.

I hear voices in the corridor, but I ignore them, which is a bad move on my part, since the door cracks open mere seconds later, letting in a sliver of light.

Connor rears back, the panic on his face obvious. I decide not to think too hard about why he’d panic if we were caught making out and instead grab his hand to drag him down behind the nearby couch. Whoever’s coming into the room won’t spot us unless they purposefully walk behind the furniture. I rest my finger against my lips, and he nods, both of us remaining silent when someone begins to speak.

Excerpt from A Thousand Perfect Lies By Monica Murphy Copyright © 2026 by Monica Murphy. Edited by Rebecca Heyman

About The Author
Monica Murphy is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Both traditionally and independently published, she writes mostly new adult and contemporary romance. She has also written as USA Today bestselling author Karen Erickson. A native Californian, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, children, one dog, and four cats. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. Or reading. Or binge-watching something. Or traveling.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘A Thousand Perfect Lies’ by Monica Murphy appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt for Over and Over by Becky Hunter, which is out now.

Lissa is at a low point in her life when she meets Ash, but she can’t deny their instant connection. It feels as they have met before, like she knows him somehow.

And then the flashbacks start. Images of places she’s never been to and times long since past. It shouldn’t be possible, but she becomes sure: these are memories of past lives. And in those lives, there is always one person. A person wearing a different skin but who has the same soul. She falls in love with him, every time. And every time, it ends badly.

She knows she needs to do something different this time. She can’t keep making the same mistake, over and over. But how is she supposed to do that when she’s not sure where she went so wrong?
Can Lissa and Ash learn from the mistakes of the past and find a way to be together? Or are they destined to never have their happy ending?

Prologue

He turns away from her. He can’t do it anymore, can’t stand here watching her throw this all away. It’s over now. Done.

He waits for the relief to hit as the rain grows heavier, sliding down his neck and under his jacket. Maybe even for the excitement—because this means a new start, a new location. Neither comes. Instead, all he feels is flat.

Maybe it was a mistake to come and say goodbye.

“Wait.”

Her voice stops him as though his body is physically connected to her. He turns, slowly. Watches her as she takes a step toward him, those hazel eyes level on his in a way they weren’t moments before, her blond hair damp and scraggly with the rain.

He can’t help it. He mimics her, moving toward her so they are standing opposite each other in the middle of the road.

She tilts her face up to him, rain pouring in sheets around them. “I love you,” she says. And his heartbeat stutters.

It’s the first time she’s said it. The first time, he knows, that she’s been brave enough to. He stares at her, waiting to see the doubt that sometimes flickers in her eyes. But this time, there is none of that.

He finds his mouth tugging up into a smile. “Yeah?”

She nods. “Yes.” Her voice is steady. Certain. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”

His smile grows. “Better late than never.” And there it is, the relief. Not at leaving her for good, but at knowing for sure that she feels the same. But still he doesn’t reach for her. Because even if she loves him, it doesn’t necessarily mean she wants him.

“I don’t want you to leave me,” she murmurs, answering that question. That’s the permission he needs to reach for her waist, feeling the heat of her skin under her damp jumper. And then he’s kissing her, and he hears her breath catch as he takes her mouth in his, feels her arms come around his neck, pulling him closer. God, he’s never been able to get enough of this. Of her.

A car horn sounds somewhere nearby, making him remember that they are still, in fact, in the middle of the road.

They are both laughing as they pull away from one another, as he tugs her to where his car is parked. He lifts her, propping her on the bonnet. He can taste her smile as he kisses her again, the rain beating harder on both of their heads.

“I hate to say it,” he says against her mouth, “but I reckon we need to make a break for it.” A car passes, proving the point by splashing through a newly formed puddle. He cocks his head, his hands resting on her thighs. “Your place?”

“No,” she says, jumping down from the bonnet. “Let’s go somewhere.” He considers her, then concedes with a nod, fishing out keys and unlocking the car.

Inside, it’s all steamed up. And it is tempting, right then, to reach for her again. But he knows that if he does, he won’t be able to stop. So instead he starts the engine.

“Where shall we go?” he asks.

She laughs, and it’s so joyful he feels it like a bolt through his core. “Anywhere!”

He takes her hand as he drives, thumb traveling a small circle over her perfect skin. “You know I love you, right?”

She links her fingers with his, gripping tight. “I have always loved you.” Her voice is so beautifully certain. And he knows what she means, because he can’t imagine ever not loving her either. Jesus, he really fucking loves this woman. He wonders if this is what everyone experiences when they find the person they’re meant to be with. This certainty, the sense of rightness whenever they are near.

The sense that their souls were made for one another. Because for him, meeting her made everything slot into place, like there were pieces of him missing he hadn’t even known existed.

He glances down at her, sees her looking at their joined hands, a perfect smile on her heart-shaped face.

It’s just a fleeting glance, but it’s enough that he misses something on the road. So it’s only when he looks back out of the windscreen, peering through the rain, that he sees the headlights. Coming toward them through the gray.

Too big, too fast. A lorry, he realizes, almost absent-mindedly. A lorry is skidding over to their side of the road, coming right at them.

It’s going to hit them. It’s obvious in that moment. It’s going to hit them, and there’s nothing he can do about it. He has already snatched his hand from her grip. He is already turning the steering wheel, trying to control the car. But they’re going too fast, and the road is too wet.

His name comes as a panicked plea as she reaches out to grab the wheel, like that might help. Her eyes turn to his, wide, pupils dark. And in the moment their gazes meet, he sees that she knows it too. That she was right. That this deep sense of dread, of déjà vu that is flooding through them, isn’t misplaced.

He’s going to die, he knows that.

But it’s not this that sends a shock wave running through him. It’s the realization that this is not the first time it has happened. It’s not the first time he’s met her, not the first time they have fallen in love.

It is not the first time he has died.

Excerpt from the book OVER AND OVER by Becky Hunter. Copyright © 2026 by Becky Hunter. Reprinted with permission of Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.

4

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Over and Over’ by Becky Hunter appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

A Girl Like Her is the first book in the Ravenswood series of interconnected smalltown romances. It deals with themes and topics like autism, racism, reputation, abuse and harassment, family, parental illness, friendship, secrets and lies, trust, loneliness and isolation, social standing, guilt, self worth, appearance versus reality, gossip, infidelity, and military life. A Girl Like Her is perfect for fans of forced proximity romances like Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows, Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday, No More Secrets by Lucy Score, In Your Dreams by Sarah Adams, and Fall I Want by Lyra Parish.

A Girl Like Her has been on my TBR list for a while now and I’m so glad that it is being rereleased as a deluxe edition as it gave me an excuse to finally pick it up. The book took a while to get going, but once it did, it became much more engaging to read. Ruth’s ASD and quirky, comic book-loving personality were super relatable; Evan and Ruth’s “friends/neighbours to lovers” relationship was super swoony and spicy. I loved how Evan was super patient and sweet with Ruth and that he formed his own opinions, instead of believing the town’s horrible false impressions of Ruth. I also appreciated that A Girl Like Her introduced a few of the other main characters in future Ravenswood books, as I feel like that will make the series flow nicely as a whole.   

I’ve read quite a few of Talia Hibbert’s books in the past and, even though I enjoyed A Girl Like Her, some of her other books, such as her Brown Sisters trilogy, were a better read. Furthermore, much of the plot in A Girl Like Her revolved around Ruth’s toxic ex and the bullying that Ruth endures, which was challenging to read in tandem with Ruth and Evan’s budding relationship.

A Girl Like Her is perfect for fans of spicy smalltown and forced proximity romances. I’m excited to see what’s up next for Talia Hibbert—I previously enjoyed her romantasy book Mating the Huntress and I’ve heard that she’s been working on another fantasy book, so I’m definitely watching out for that one!

A Girl Like Her is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 3rd 2026.

Will you be picking up A Girl Like Her? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis

She’s hard to hold onto, but he’s good with his hands…

Prickly, autistic, and shadowed by a scandalous past, Ruth Kabbah will always be Ravenswood’s black sheep. It’s a lonely life, but at least it’s safe… until Evan Miller comes to town.

Calm, confident, and instantly accepted by their small English town, Evan is Ruth’s opposite in every way―yet he meets her suspicion with a smile, handles her awkwardness with ease, and watches her with a hunger that threatens to tear down her all her defenses.

The gossips want to know how she’s bewitched him. Ruth just wants to know when he’ll get bored and leave. Because if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that girls like her don’t get happily ever afters.

But when a monster from Ruth’s past comes back to haunt her, she’s forced to make a choice: should she trust Evan completely? Or is her heart safest alone?

The post Review: A Girl Like Her by Talia Hibbert appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Without A Clue by Melissa Ferguson, which releases on February 17th 2026.

Penelope Mae Dupont has one superpower: keeping her cool. Which is essential when you’re the personal assistant to renowned mystery author Hugh Griffin. But when Pip organizes a luxury book cruise featuring The Fabulous Seven–a glittering cast of seven bestselling authors known for both their brilliance and their drama–her trademark composure starts slipping. One boat. Seven egos. Hundreds of fans. What could possibly go wrong?

Well . . . murder, for starters.

On day two, Hugh is found dead–and the cruise security team proves to be utterly incompetent. Stranded in the middle of the Atlantic with no help in sight, Pip realizes if anyone’s going to solve the case, it’ll have to be her. And so, with her friend and ally Nash, the dreamy Western author who’s just as rugged as the cowboys he writes about, she puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test.

As Pip and Nash navigate an ocean of secrets, shocking twists, and one too many red herrings, she’ll have to decide whether she’s meant to stay behind the scenes–or finally step into the spotlight . . . and maybe, just maybe, find love along the way.

Loading…

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Without A Clue’ by Melissa Ferguson appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray, which releases on February 17th 2026.

If she builds it, they will come.

Scout Porter is screwed. Not literally, of course. Literally, she’s a twenty-six-year-old virgin, thanks to a relationship so disastrous she swore off love and sex for good. Metaphorically, she’s screwed because the entire office of BuzzCorp, the sex toy start-up where she’s head engineer, just found out. Scout needs her team to stay focused on their upcoming launch, not her lack of a sex life, so she finds the simplest solution: lose her V-card—and fast—then get back to business as usual.

Enter Hudson Bailey, the nerdy and charming software developer hired to build the app for Scout’s latest creation. The only problem is, he’s as inexperienced with sex toys as she is with sex. Fortunately, he’s all too eager to learn, and they agree that one very educational, totally professional hook-up will solve both of their problems. All for research, obviously.

But their little experiment yields unexpected results—chemistry so off the charts Scout starts to think she might actually want more than just a one-time fling. When their budding relationship is threatened by the return of Scout’s notorious ex, both Scout and Hudson will have to decide if they’ve reached their climax as a couple, or if they’re willing to risk everything for a chance at true love.

EXCERPT

Hudson Bailey, a software engineer with zero experience with sex toys who just got hired at a sex toy company, walks in on the company’s chief engineer, Scout Porter, looking through an online dating website. The entire office just found out she’s a virgin, and she’s very keen to fix that little problem…As soon as possible. But choosing a partner is difficult when Hudson is the only one she really wants.

“And what is your type, Scout?”

Oh, no. I shouldn’t have brought up the type thing. I idly picked at a stray thread dangling from the cuff of my cardigan sleeve. Anything to avoid telling him the truth. That I didn’t want any of these guys because they weren’t him. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Don’t overanalyze it. It’s that zing. What guy makes you zing?”

               I don’t know how to answer that without totally giving myself away, dude. And I can’t give myself away. Not to you.

He tried again. “Or maybe this: when you’ve imagined what sex would be like – real sex, good sex, the sex you’ve wished for – what’s that guy like?”

Say something. Say anything. Just don’t say, he’s exactly like you. “Um. Tall.”

“Pity for the short kings out there, but at least it’s a start.”

Hand back on my mouse, I scrolled down the seemingly endless pages of dating profiles, mostly for something to do. But the longer I talked, the longer the partialism of it all – shirtless torsos, crinkle-eyed stares, buzz-cut heads – spiraled me into something like a trance. Before I knew it, I was doing that nervous talking of mine. The one where I said entirely the wrong thing.

The truth.

“And gentle. And thoughtful. And maybe like he wouldn’t necessarily beat me in a fight – you know, a little softer or lankier or whatever. None of those big burly types. Curly hair. Long fingers, nice hands. And he’d smell good – really good. He’d be able to talk to me about stuff that wasn’t sex. Science or math or philosophy or the last museum he went to.  But he can’t be too serious. He needs to be able to have fun, too. A nice laugh. A good smile. Looks good in a pair of jeans. Bookish. Nerdy. Kind eyes – I don’t care about the color. I like glasses. And…”

I trailed off, the weight of one particular set of kind, bespectacled eyes bringing me back to reality. Closing the tab on my screen, I stood up from my chair and leaned against my desk to face him.

“And I want him to care about me. When I do have sex for the first time, I don’t want anonymous. I probably should. It’d be safer. Less risky. Easier to wham, bam, thank you m’am. But I want to be with someone who actually likes me. I don’t need forever. Just a one-night stand. But still. I want to feel safe. To know that it’ll be good.”

For a few moments, all we heard was the whir of the 3-D printer as it went about its work.

“Quite the Mr. Right,” Hudson mused.

“Don’t make fun. I’m fully aware that it’s ridiculous.”

“I wasn’t going to. I was going to say…”

As he trailed off, something strange happened. Something absolutely baffling. Hudson raised one perfect hand, ghosted the tips of his fingers up my knee, and lightly, almost incidentally, traced the hem of my skirt.

My entire body erupted in goosebumps. I licked my lips involuntarily.

Was he…was he touching me on purpose?

“Say what?” I prompted.

Hudson glanced up at me from under his eyelashes. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn he looked…hungry. “Your dream man sounds a lot like me.”

I’m not sure how I managed to concentrate with his fingers dancing across my knee.

But somehow, a snap plan occurred to me.

Problem: Need to lose my virginity.

Proposed Solution: Find someone to have safe, emotionally unattached sex with.

Test: Have sex with Hudson.

Result: Some potentially amazing virginity-losing shenanigans?

“I have an idea,” I said, breathless.

“Yeah?”

“Would you…How would you feel about a trade?”

His fingers paused on my knee. “I’m listening.”

“If you still want those sex toy lessons, then I’ll give them to you. And in exchange, we should have sex.”

The air between us pulled – a bridge jumper’s cable about to snap and break our necks or rebound and send us soaring.

Hudson let out a long breath. His expression turned wolfish. “I think that’s a fair trade.”

“It only makes sense,” I said, trying to tamp down my swell of sentiment with good, old-fashioned practical, scientific thinking. “I’ll get to know what sex is like, which can only improve the quality of The Fantasy. And you’ll know more about sex toys, which will achieve the same result.”

“You don’t need an excuse to do what you want, Scout,” he said, leaning closer. “You can just have it. You can just have me. If that’s what you want.”

“I do.”

“Good,” he said. Once again, those fingers did their dance across the skin of my thigh, awakening deep, primal lust in me. “Because I want you. You’re my type, too.”

“That’s so hard to believe,” I muttered.

Hudson’s gaze flattened, as if it was the height of stupidity not to think I was eminently bang-able. “Haven’t I made it obvious?”

Obvious. I tried to think back over the last few weeks we’d known each other, examining them in a different light. Yeah, he held doors open for me. Gotten me cookies at the conference. Listened to me. Stood up for me at the airport. Accidentally kissed me.

And yes, sure, he’d gotten an erection during my talk at the sex toy convention. But that wasn’t…

He wasn’t…

My surprise made him shake his head.

“You clearly don’t know what you look like bent over a drafting table.”

He’d been ogling me in the office? He’d been lusting after me from afar like Mr. Kinkz-william Darcy?

“And,” he continued, “that kiss at the airport might not have been on purpose, but ever since, I’ve had a very hard time thinking about anything else.”

Wow. Maybe the Lloyd thing messed me up more than I originally thought. Had I really gotten so bad at realizing when someone was into me?

Or had I just been hiding from it?

Well. No more.

“Prove it,” I challenged.

“Gladly.”

In a single bound, he stood, captured my cheeks with his big hands, and breathed in my surprised gasp as our lips touched.

Excerpted from A Little Buzzed by Alys Murray Copyright © 2026 by Alys Murray. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘A Little Buzzed’ by Alys Murray appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from And Now Back To You by B. K. Borison, which is out now.

Jackson Clark likes life neat, predictable, and preferably viewed from the comfort of his radio booth.

Delilah Stewart prefers hers wild, spontaneous, and preferably in the eye of the storm, out in the field.

For years, the two have clashed like thunder and lightning – until they’re partnered against their will to cover the snowstorm of the century, finding themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together.

Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal. If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With an undiscovered chemistry burning beneath their clashes, the unlikely partnership quickly tumbles into an easy and surprising friendship.

But when other feelings start to enter the equation, can Jackson and Delilah withstand the storm? Or does what happens in the mountains, stay in the mountains?

EXCERPT

We pull on our snow gear in near silence, nothing but the swish swish swish of our jackets and the quiet sighs of zippers. Jackson snickers when I start jumping up and down to get my socked feet through the bottom of my cinched snow pants, reaching over and holding me steady with one hand curved against my hip while I wiggle and kick.

“I can’t believe you thought you could sneak out of here,” he says, his fingers holding me tight. Five distinct pressure points that I could probably map into a constellation later. “How were you going to do all this without waking me up?”

“I assumed you were a deep sleeper,” I grunt, blowing my hair out of my face once my feet are through. My socks are mis- matched. One of them is bunched at the ankle. In fact, I’m pretty sure one of them is Jackson’s.

“What made you assume that?”

“Your overall disposition? I don’t know, Jackson.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re standing in the lobby of the lodge, staring out the window at the wall of pink-tinged white that’s waiting for us.

“Just to confirm,” he says, “you want to go outside. In that.” Outside the windows, we can barely see across the parking lot.

It’s a wall of white, the very tops of the trees swaying in the wind. “You don’t have to come.” I tug on my hat, pulling it low over my ears. “You can wait in here.”

“You invited me,” he says, somehow making it sound like an accusation.

“Yes,” I say slowly, “but I’m not holding you at gunpoint. You are free to do as you wish, Jackson, and that includes staying in- side and watching from the window.”

He glances down at his legs. “After I put on these snow pants?

I don’t think so.”

Jackson’s snow gear is utilitarian black. Sleek and formfitting. He looks like Jack Reacher’s nerdy little brother, snow expedition edition.

I snicker.

His forehead creases. “I really don’t understand your fascina- tion with the pants.”

“They’re just so . . . undercover agent. I didn’t realize we were going on a top-secret mission while in Deep Creek.”

He rolls his eyes. “And I didn’t realize we were making a side trip to Candy Land.” He reaches over and pinches the very top of my snowpants. “How does Mark let you on camera with these?”

“The camera hits from the waist up. You, too, could have had hot pink snow pants, if only you dared to dream big enough.”

“Maybe next time.” In front of us, wind whistles around the door. It’s blisteringly cold, and we’re still inside. Jackson sighs. “Will you finally tell me why you feel the need to do this?”

I avoided the question the first three times he asked, self- conscious. I tuck the edges of my gloves under the sleeves of my jacket. “Because I want to,” I sidestep.

Jackson stares hard at the side of my head. “You want to lose your fingers to frostbite in the middle of the night?”

“Not particularly, no.”

I pull the set of keys I stole from Jackson’s backpack from my pocket. “I need to get something from the van.”

“I brought our bags in.” “You forgot something.” “What did I forget?” “Something.”

Something doughnut-shaped with pink frosting.

Jackson’s gaze narrows, turning suspicious. “Delilah,” he says, “are you getting your sled out of the van?”

I roll my lips together and refuse to answer.

“Oh my god. You’re out here at two in the morning because you want to go sledding.”

“I checked the projections,” I defend. “By the time we wake up tomorrow, the snow will be too deep. I won’t be able to sled at all.”

He plucks the keys out of my hand. “You’re ridiculous.”

Fire lights in my belly. I snatch the keys right back. “Yeah, I’m ridiculous. Silly and absurd and a little bit stupid, too, yeah?”

Jackson rears back. “I didn’t say that.”

“No, but you were thinking it. I’m not an idiot, Jackson. I know what people think about me.” That I’m some manic pixie dream girl, hell-bent on toxic positivity and crying over cute little dogs in tiny teacups. That because I wear high-waisted hot pink snow pants, I don’t deserve to be taken seriously. “This is what I want to do. For me. The last twelve hours have been—” A shit show. Catastrophic. Completely and totally humiliating. “It’s been a lot, and I’d like to have this one thing for myself. I don’t care if you think it’s silly.” I pull my zipper all the way to the base of my throat. “I’m going to do it anyway.”

I tip my chin up and attempt to stroll confidently through the door, but Jackson hooks my elbow and tows me right back. He manhandles me until both of his hands are heavy on my shoul- ders, his face ducking down to mine. He tries to force eye contact, but I stare resolutely at the middle of his nose. At the two small red marks left behind from his glasses.

“I do think it’s silly,” he says quietly. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it with you.”

I drag my gaze up. “Yeah?”

He nods. “Someone has to make sure you don’t sled yourself into the middle of the lake.”

“I was going to sled on the other side of the parking lot.” I sulk. “There’s a little bunny hill with two bumps at the end.”

“Have you been scouting sledding spots?”

“I brought a sled with me, Jackson.” I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s the practical thing to do.”

I get the distinct pleasure of watching his face soften, bit by bit. I might hide behind the costume other people have dressed me in, but I think Jackson wears some masks of his own.

He lifts his hand and fixes some of my hair that’s tangled under my hat. “I don’t think you’re stupid, Delilah.”

My nose crinkles. “All right.”

“Did you not listen to my lamp speech? I thought I explained it.” “You did.”

“Not well enough, apparently.” His hands firm over my shoul- ders and he shakes me a little bit. “Tell me you believe me, or I’ll say it again. Weird metaphor and everything.”

My stomach hollows out, something warm curling low. I try to fight my smile, but it can’t be helped. I grin at him. “Please don’t repeat your weird metaphor. Once was enough.”

A deep groove forms in his cheek as his smile grows. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah.” I rub my gloved fingers over my nose. “I may have . . . overreacted just then.”

He shakes his head. “You didn’t. Like you said, this day has been . . . unexpected. I think we’re both trying to recalibrate.”

What we’re doing is tiptoeing around the issue instead of ad- dressing it. I shared the high-level notes from my Keith call with Jackson as soon as he got back to the room. I told him Keith said it was fine, as long as we focused on the weather. I didn’t mention anything about being a puff piece.

I scuff my boots against the faded rug in the lobby. “I think I’m carrying around a lot of frustration about how I’m treated.”

“Good.” He nods. “You deserve better. It’s time you start ask- ing for it.”

“And now?” I step closer. “Can I ask for this? You sledding with me?”

He looks patiently amused. “I will watch you sled.”

I shake my head. “Nope, that’s not the deal. If you come out- side, you sled.” I dig one finger in the middle of his chest. “Those are the rules.”

He grabs my finger.

“Ah, how can I resist that?” He folds our hands together, holding my palm over his chest. Right over the steady thump thump thump of his heart. He grins at me. “You know how much I love rules.”

WEATHER ADVISORY FOR DEEP CREEK LAKE AND SURROUNDING AREAS: LOCAL ROADS CLOSED DUE TO LOW VISIBILITY. HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY PRECIPITATION TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

 ‘And Now, Back to You by B.K. Borison, published by Pan, RRP: $22.99.’

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘And Now Back to You’ by B. K. Borison appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Muscles and Monsters by Ashley Bennett, which releases on February 10th 2026.

After a wedding cake catastrophe on the street, local baker Tegan lands in the most unexpected place—a solid wall of fur and fangs named Atlas. She’s never met anyone like him and finds herself enamored by his wolfish charm. After their sweet encounter, Atlas invites her to his gym anytime she needs his cake-lifting services.

However, Tegan is through with being a damsel in distress. She signs up for a membership with Leviathan Fitness, determined to build her strength…and if she sees the handsome wolven again, it’s a win-win scenario.

Atlas can’t believe his eyes when Tegan walks through the doors of his gym, and nearly goes snout-over-paw to offer her personal training. Shared glances over the barbell and accidental touches at the water fountain set Atlas’s heart racing in a way he swore it couldn’t again.

Primal desires emerge as Atlas and Tegan test just how much their new love can lift. Could Tegan be the unexpected mate of Atlas’s dreams?

EXCERPT

My bingo arms shook from overexertion. Yes, that’s right—bingo arms. You know, the kind all the old bats at bingo night have when they’re waving their dabbers around. Yep. At thirty, I had a set of those bad boys.

“Steady, steady. Just a little bit closer,” I said. I’m sure I looked ridiculous, talking to myself as I struggled to load the largest tier of the wedding cake into the back of my SUV.

After yesterday, I should have known Selene was going to call out sick. I was glad she wasn’t spreading her germs all over the place, but carrying the biggest tier of the cake was proving to be a real challenge.

I was so close to having the cake safely in the back of the SUV that I could almost taste the sweet, sweet flavor of victory—when disaster struck. The muscles in my right arm cramped and I gritted my teeth in agony. It felt as if time slowed. The box slid from my grip and toppled to the ground, sending hunks of red velvet coated in thick, rich cream cheese icing all over the sidewalk.

Splat.

“No, no, no,” I groaned as I rubbed my arm, trying to work out the knot.

I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The defining cake of my career was splattered all over the ground. Luckily for me, it was the bottom tier, and I had the backup sheet cake—but it was still an embarrassing mistake. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as my knees hit the pavement. My lip quivered as I piled pieces of cake back into what remained of the box.

As I wiped away a tear, a giant shadow blocked out the sun. A pair of large furred feet, complete with sharp black claws, appeared in my line of sight. I looked up slowly, taking in the wall of dark gray fur standing in front of me. He was solid muscle, strong calves and thighs topped with a stomach that I’m sure had a six-pack his shirt was hiding. My eyes continued upward, over his broad chest and thick neck to his face. His muzzle was long and pointed, the fur deepening to a dark black that matched the color of his canine snout. Briar Glenn was home to a lot of monsters, but he was the first wolven I’d seen around.

Did he just move here? Is he visiting?

I would have definitely noticed him . . .

The corners of his muzzle curled up in a kind smile and his ears twitched as he looked down at me. “It looks like you’re having a bad day. Can I give you a hand?” he asked in a deep, rumbling voice.

“That—that would be great,” I sniffled. Any other cake and I would have refused, but this was a two-person job.

His body swayed back and forth slightly, a fluffy mass of gray and black popping out from one side and then the other.

A tail.

He was wagging his tail at me.

My lips twitched, fighting back a smile, because it was just so damn cute.

He bent over, his gym shorts straining against his tree-trunk thighs, as he scooped up handfuls of ruined cake with his massive, claw-tipped hands and tossed them into the box.

I stared at him for a moment, admiring the way his muscular physique flexed with his movements. Gods, he was handsome. Dirty thoughts crept into my mind, like what it would be like to feel that furred, muscular body rubbing against my naked skin. If the other aspects of his anatomy matched his stature, he would probably be more than I could handle.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I’d officially reached a new low. I just dropped the most important cake of my career, and now I was having sexual fantasies about someone I’d just met.

“I’m assuming this was for the wedding today?” he asked in that delicious gravelly voice.

To hide the fact that I’d been staring at him instead of helping, I grabbed a few chunks of cake and tossed them into the box. “Of course it was.” I swiped my hair out of my face, smearing icing along my brow. “Dammit!” I hissed. “This is just my luck. My assistant called out today and the cake was too heavy for me and my muscles cramped—” I was spiraling in front of a complete stranger. A hot stranger at that.

One of his icing-coated hands gripped my arm, making my breath hitch. He was so gentle, careful to avoid piercing my skin with his sharp claws. “Hey,” he said calmly—sweetly even. “It’s okay.”

I stared into his bright yellow eyes. Against his dark fur they looked like full moons on a cloudless night. I wasn’t sure if it was his words or his demeanor, but all of my embarrassment and worry slipped away.

He cleared his throat, letting go of my arm to point a clawed finger down the street. “Do you see that gym down there? Leviathan Fitness? That’s my gym.” He gestured to the T-shirt on his chest emblazoned with a tentacle holding a barbell. “Anytime you need help with a heavy cake, come see me.”

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Muscles and Monsters’ by Ashley Bennett appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Enchanting the Fae Queen by Stephanie Burgis, which is out now.

Queen Lorelei is a notorious fae seductress, with a trail of broken hearts in her wake. But behind her glamorous lifestyle and sparkling mask lurks a dangerously intelligent woman who’d do anything to keep her people safe, including kidnap the empire’s most famous hero.

The virtuous high general Gerard de Moireul represents all that is moral and true. He has to, after his parents were executed for treason. The last thing he needs is the Queen of Balravia, who showers glitter and rainbow-colored sparkles everywhere she goes without the slightest regard for good taste, decorum, or royal dignity.

They’re opposites in every way, but when they’re swept up together in a grand–and deadly–fae tournament, they discover all of each other’s most hidden truths–and how perfectly they might be suited for each other after all.

Loading…

Taking too long?

Reload document

| Open in new tab

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Enchanting the Fae Queen’ by Stephanie Burgis appeared first on The Nerd Daily.