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Santa Baby Daddy

By Paula Dombrowiak

 

(Hollow Reign, #4)
Publication date: November 3rd 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Hollow Reigns bassist, Casey Beaumont, came to town for the holidays—to catch his bandmate’s Christmas show and have a little fun. One reckless night with a gorgeous stranger definitely counts as fun.

What he didn’t count on was running into her again… as the show’s costume designer. Or spotting the baby bump under all that holiday sparkle.

Casey was never great at math but he’s an expert at falling—for Ava, for the baby, and for a future he can’t stop picturing.

Ava Ramirez has been burned before. The last man who put a baby in her life walked out and never looked back. She is not handing her heart to a serial playboy no matter how cute he is.

But for once, Casey isn’t running. He’s all in.

Ava can’t make the same mistake twice… but would she be missing out on the family she so desperately wants?

Santa Baby Daddy is Book 4 in the Hollow Reign Christmas Novellas, a series of interconnected, steamy holiday romances. Each book can be read as a standalone and features a guaranteed happily ever after.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

The pregnancy book I’m reading says hormones may increase sexual desire. May, in the same way the ocean may be damp.

So I’m chasing waffles—a safe, legal, closed-toe-shoes kind of craving I can actually satisfy at midnight. Because I’m alone, four and a half months pregnant, in a city where I know exactly four people, and one of them just secretly married a guitarist.

A few months ago, my life was predictable. Planned. I knew where I was going and what the next year was supposed to look like. Now I’m pregnant, living on savings and a theater paycheck, hiding out in Sin City because packing a suitcase felt easier than sticking around to watch that carefully constructed future fall apart.

Vegas was supposed to be temporary. A place where I could keep my head down, sew sequins onto costumes for a naughty Christmas show, and buy myself enough time to figure out how the hell I’m going to raise a human being on my own.

The diner is all buzzing neon and cracked vinyl. There are maybe six people scattered through the place, including a waitress named Lou who looks like she’s been working the graveyard shift since Vegas was built, which is exactly the kind of quiet I came looking for.

Casey Beaumont is sitting at the counter with a milkshake and a stack of pancakes tall enough to qualify as architecture, looking like the universe personally designed him to test the limits of my second-trimester self-control. His blond curls are a little wild, his skin somehow still golden in December, like the sun makes a special exception for him.

He catches sight of me before the bell above the door finishes chiming, and his whole face lights up.

And suddenly, my cravings have been given a target.

“Ava Ramirez,” he says, like I’m the best thing that’s happened to him all day. Considering his band imploded into a tabloid circus before dinner, I’m competing against a remarkably low standard.

I sit. Not because he patted the stool like I’m supposed to come when called, but because the counter is closer to the syrup, my feet already hurt from walking in high-heeled boots—I’m pregnant, not fashion-averse—and refusing a perfectly good seat just to make a point would be childish.

The fact that Casey Beaumont is ridiculously easy to look at has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Lou comes over with her order pad. “Strawberry waffles, extra whipped cream, and a side of dill pickles?” God bless her, she doesn’t even blink.

Casey turns on his stool and looks at me, those pretty blue eyes full of something close to reverence.

“Bold,” he says, lifting an eyebrow. “I respect a woman with range.”

“Don’t judge me, Third Row. My stomach wants what it wants.”

He nudges his milkshake toward me. “Want some? It’s peppermint and festive.”

“I don’t share milkshakes with strangers. Especially ones with carnal knowledge of pretty much the entirety of the chorus line.” I roll my eyes.

“First of all, hearsay. And don’t believe a word of what Denise says—she likes to embellish, unless it’s about certain areas.” He not-so-discreetly gives a nod to his lap before pulling the milkshake back, completely unbothered. “Second of all, we’re not strangers. I know you belt Mariah Carey when you think the theater’s empty, I know nobody touches the thread wall and lives, and I know exactly which pocket the emergency Snickers lives in.” He lifts an eyebrow.

“What are you, the Phantom of the Opera lurking around the theater? It’s creepy.”

“A Phantom sounds badass, but it’s not lurking—it’s called paying attention,” he says, and points his fork at me with delight.

I hold in a giggle. He’s lucky he’s pretty.

That’s the thing about Casey Beaumont. For weeks, I’ve watched him make himself at home in my theater, usually sprawled across the third row with his boots propped on the seat in front of him, radiating the energy of a golden retriever who found the treat cabinet open. He’s Hollow Reign’s bass player and, according to the warning I received shortly after meeting him, “the one we don’t leave unattended.”

My waffles arrive and I stop pretending I have manners. Casey watches me drag the pickle through the whipped cream with the rapt attention most men reserve for playoff games.

“Incredible,” he says softly. “You’re my favorite person I’ve ever watched eat.”

I pause mid-bite and stare at him. “You should get out more.”

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About Author Paula Dombrowiak:

Paula Dombrowiak grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois but currently lives in Arizona. She is the author of Blood and Bone, her first adult romance novel which combines her love of music and imperfect relationships. Paula is a lifelong music junkie, whose wardrobe consists of band T-shirts and leggings which are perpetually covered in pet hair. She is a sucker for a redeemable villain, bad boys, and the tragically flawed. Music inspires her storytelling.

For more ways to learn about Paula and her books, check out her website: @www.pauladombrowiak.com

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Safe in Sound

By Ania Ray

 

(A Blue Spruce Hills Novella)
Publication date: October 29th 2026
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

She’s “happy,” but someone might say she’s “settled.” What happens when the life that makes you feel safe is also the one keeping you small?

Thirty-four-year-old piano teacher Riley O’Connor believes her chance to become a world-class musician has sailed. She’s content-ish with her life in Blue Spruce Hills, a quaint mountain town that is safe, quiet, and predictable. Instead of performing on stages, she teaches the neighborhood kids, hangs out with her best friend Clara, reads books surrounded by her houseplants, and rehearses like she’s about to be called to join the London Philharmonic.

Though she’d be too scared to go. Grammy called her ’Fraidy Cat, after all.

When what Riley thinks is a break-in turns out to be a dog who won’t leave, she’s thrust into a series of events that challenge her to confront her anxiety. First, the social kind: the veterinarian is incredibly handsome. And kind. And grieving his wife. And looking for someone to give his son piano lessons.

She agrees.

Suddenly, Riley is on a winter hike with a man where bears, snakes, and fatal injury are possibilities. And when an opportunity arises to accompany renowned violist Albi Drechsler, the dream she’d long ago decided was out of reach is suddenly within it. To get what she wants, she must prove that fear doesn’t have the final word. But could she actually leave the safety of Blue Spruce Hills?

Safe in Sound is a story about overcoming fears, leaning into friendship, and trusting that even when the night feels darkest, love can hold you through. If you miss your loved ones a little extra during the holidays, you’ll love this redemptive story that proves those we miss most can still find a way to make us courageous.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

I exhale, the breath in front of me a wisp reminiscent of the steamed milk Clara’s grandmother would mix into the hot chocolate we’d share after school. While I waited for Grammy and Pappy to come home from the Mom and Pop store they owned and ran together, Clara was my safe place.

I stuff my gloved hands in my pockets. This morning I am hanging an angel on a doorknob with someone who risked social status by befriending me. The school playground was too giant a target for a skinny eight-year-old with fiery hair. Grammy always said I’d grow into my hair one day, but I’m pretty sure the “big-tempered redhead” myth fell apart with me. Maybe because Clara has always been my fire. I’m more like old embers buried under kindling.

So way back when… gosh, has it really already been over two decades? Way back when Clara asked if I wanted to skip on the sidewalk with her—and my answer was a genuine yes—we began our friendship.

Basically, I’ll do whatever Clara asks. She knew I was the new kid and approached me anyway. Anyone who does that—when kids seem to feel most powerful when they’re being mean and exclusive—deserves to have their best friend wake up early.

And even though I’d love to still be sleeping right now, three blissful hours remaining in my regular schedule, I feel a thrilling anticipation at seeing my best friend. Sure, I see her in passing every weekday, and we catch each other up in text messages all the time, but to sit down and really connect usually only happens when she comes over once a month. And we’ve missed a lot of those lately because she’s doing big baker things.

And I do little piano teacher things.

It’s fine. I’m happy.

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About Author Ania Ray:

Hi, I’m Ania Ray, an author of women’s fiction that dives into the raw, transformative journeys of complex female characters. My books force each protagonist to confront the worst of herself before she evolves into the hero of her own story.

The Cromwell Rules trilogy features interconnected standalones, so you can enjoy each book individually or follow Lily Cromwell’s entire arc from start to finish. In The Cromwell Rules and Breaking the Rules, I explore how boundaries can feel stifling or nonexistent, and how we each must find our sweet spot of self-respect.

When I’m not writing, I lead Quill & Cup, a writing community that helps authors finish the stories that matter to them. Outside of writing, I’m a wife, a mom to a toddler who’d live outdoors if she could, and a tea lover (Cinnamon Apple Spice is my favorite).

If you love reading novels with relatable, complex characters and emotionally gripping stories, you’re in the right place.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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