The ‘tale as old as time’ has always been a lie…

 

There was no such thing as a “beautiful girl who stumbles into an enchanted castle and falls for a beast.”

My older sister is a liar, and she’s always been far more calculated than that.

 

I don’t blame you for buying into her compelling fairytale, though.

She’s always been an incredible storyteller.

 

Truth is, deep in The Whispering Woods, far past the Seven Sinful Kingdoms, several secrets remain untold.

They’ve lain dormant for centuries, protecting the true hero of this story, a dominant “villain” destined for Hell…

 

Until now, until me.

The other Belle…

Whitney G. is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author. Her books have been published in twelve languages.

Whenever she’s not penning a new novel, you can find her blogging about self-publishing at The Indie Tea, drinking hot coffee, or traveling the world in sweater boots.

It started on a dance floor after too much tequila and ended with looking into the handsome face I never thought I’d see again. In person, at least.

I saw his face all the time on magazine covers.

To the world, he’s Parker Callahan—famous rockstar.

To me, he was the boy I loved, the stepbrother who left me behind to follow his dreams.

After our tequila-fueled encounter, he wants me back but that’s not a road I’m ready to walk down again. He broke my heart once, and even five years later, I’m not sure I could handle another blow.

When a once-in-a-lifetime offer comes my way, even my broken heart isn’t enough for me to be able to turn it down. I agree to join the band’s tour and help Parker write his next album–but this time I’m not falling in love.

This time I’ll walk away.

But if there is one thing life has taught me, it’s that love never goes according to plan—especially when Parker is involved.

The last person on earth I want to be stranded with is Gianni Lupo.

But thanks to the blizzard of the century, I’m trapped in a roadside motel room with that cocky bastard for two straight days.

With one small bed.

Some women might thank Mother Nature for delivering a polar vortex that maroons them with six feet of solid muscle, those deep blue eyes, that sexy grin–but not me. I’ve known Gianni Lupo all my life, and he’s never brought me anything but bad luck and trouble.

So when the tension between us explodes with enough fiery heat to melt my icy defenses, I should have known what the disastrous end result would be–

A big fat plus sign.

After the snow melts, I’m left with more than just memories of the night we spent keeping each other warm. And he might be a rising star on the culinary scene, but he’s got no idea how to handle this bun in the oven.

He says he wants to do the right thing, but I’m not about to spend the rest of my life feeling like someone settled for me.

But just when I think I’ve got Gianni Lupo all figured out, he gives me a taste of the man he could be, of the family we could become, of the way he could love me if I let him.

I’m terrified of falling for him.

But one taste might be all it takes.

USA Today bestselling author Melanie Harlow likes her martinis dry, her heels high, and her history with the naughty bits left in. When she’s not writing or reading, she gets her kicks from TV series like Schitt’s Creek, Homeland, and Fleabag. She occasionally runs three miles, but only so she can have more gin and steak.
Melanie is the author of the CLOVERLEIGH FARMS series, the ONE & ONLY series, AFTER WE FALL series, the HAPPY CRAZY LOVE series, the FRENCHED series, and the sexy historical SPEAK EASY duet, set in the 1920s. She lifts her glass to romance readers and writers from her home near Detroit, MI, where she lives with her husband, two daughters, and pet rabbit.