fuonlyknew

Wicked Ambition: The Lost Treasure

by Patti O’Shea

(The Paladin League, #7)
Publication date: July 21st 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Ayla Desmond never takes risks, but when she senses her twin is in trouble, she boards a plane to Puerto Jardin—a country teetering on the edge of chaos. As a Public Relations specialist at the Paladin League, she’s used to spin, not bullets. But this mission plunges her into a deadly game where trust is scarce and danger is everywhere.

Special Forces Sgt. Oziah “Wizard” West is the king of one-night stands, but he hasn’t been able to forget the last woman he hooked up with, a mysterious blonde who slipped away from his hotel room. When he spots her in Puerto Jardin, he knows there will be trouble. Oz rushes to her side, determined to keep her safe.

Ayla wants nothing to do with Oz. He’s a mistake she’d rather forget, but circumstances force them together. Surrounded by mercenaries and stalked by mobsters who believe she holds the key to a hidden treasure, she has no choice but to rely on the enigmatic stranger who ignited her passion. As danger escalates, so do their feelings, and then a positive pregnancy test changes everything.

Now, Oz risks not only his heart but also his life to protect Ayla and their unborn child. Can they survive the treacherous game they’re caught in, or will their love become the ultimate casualty?

Wicked Ambition is a stand-alone romance with a HEA. There are references to events that happened in earlier books, but it’s not necessary to read them to enjoy this story.

Indulge in a protective Special Forces hero and a heroine who is a fish-out-of-water, but will do whatever it takes to save her sister. This romantic suspense story features a one-night stand, an unexpected pregnancy, and a second chance romance.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

A while later, the second bus from Rio Blanco rolled in. This one was larger, with a hump on top. Some parts of it had rust, while other parts showed obvious metal patches, and the green paint had faded in the places where it hadn’t entirely flaked away.

He expected a repeat of the first bus, and then another ninety-minute-plus wait for the last one to arrive.

That wasn’t what he got.

Oz tensed as a man disembarked. His hair was cut military short, and he was clean-shaven—nothing like the pictures he’d studied—but there was no mistaking him for someone else. This was the dude he’d been assigned to watch for.

As he reached the sidewalk, he paused and glanced around. He gave the gang members a look that appeared threatening even from across the street and then headed off to the east.

In a minute, Oz would follow him. As soon as a tail wouldn’t stand out. He stood and monitored the man’s progress.

The next passenger who exited the bus froze him in place.

She wore black trousers and a white shirt and dragged a small, wheeled suitcase out of the bus and onto the sidewalk. It tipped over, but she used the handle to put it upright. The catcalls from the gang began immediately. She ignored them, looking up and down the street.

Oz muttered a curse. He’d bet a month’s pay she was searching for a taxi.

The man he was assigned to tail was nearly out of sight. Oz needed to move, needed to go after him, and he couldn’t. He wouldn’t leave any woman in this predicament, but especially not this one.

Because underneath that floppy straw hat she had on, Oz knew her hair was blonde. He knew the way her blue eyes looked when she was aroused and the way she sighed when he entered her. Knew the little noises she made when she came.

Patting his pocket, he felt the familiar outline of the gold-hoop earring she’d left behind.

She walked to the west, away from the gang members. They followed her.

His assignment disappeared around the corner, but it didn’t matter. Oz couldn’t let anything happen to her. She was the woman he hadn’t been able to forget for seven long weeks.

Striding across the street, he went to protect his prissy little blonde.

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About Author Patti O’Shea:

Patti O’Shea’s passions are writing, airplanes and traveling. Fortunately, she’s been able to enjoy all three. After receiving a degree in advertising copywriting, she took a job with a major U.S. airline and now works in 757 Engineering. Besides teaching her about the planes she loves, it’s given her an opportunity to travel to places like Australia, Papua New Guinea and Canada’s Yukon Territory.

Writing, though, remains her primary love. Patti created her first romance when she was in junior high school and has been hooked ever since. She should have figured out she was a writer years earlier, however, since her dolls had such involved lives, complete with goals, motivation and conflict.

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Intimate Secret

by D.C. Stone

(Empire Blue, #6)
Publication date: April 17th 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

A murder was captured on satellite and multiple law enforcement agencies are trying to solve it. One of the detectives on the case, Jake Gonzalez, is led right to the front door of a local author, Francesca Conti. Sparks fly as Jake realizes he’s insanely attracted to his primary suspect, and her father is one of the most ruthless mafia bosses in the city, and someone he’s been investigating for years.

Francesca wants to escape this life her father has set for her and has been putting money away, looking for her opportunity to disappear. And much to her dismay, lately her father has been pushing her toward marrying his right-hand man, someone no woman has ever been able to say no to.

Just when she thinks she’s getting closer to escaping, Detective Gonzalez lands on her doorstep asking alarming questions, and making her heart race unlike ever before.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords

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Enjoy this peek inside:

There’s only so many times one could say they’d been shot by the woman they loved.

Jake stared at Francesca’s shaking hands wrapped around the butt

of a SIG .229. She held the gun with as much confidence as one would

expect with someone who had little to no experience with such a

weapon. Like a toddler taking their first wobbling, unsteady steps. Or

a young child holding a chicken’s egg for the first time and being told

they could break it if they weren’t careful.

Under the full moon, silver tears trickled down her face. A moderate

wind teased at hair that had escaped the messy bun held low at the back

of her head. Russet tendrils brushed along her neck and cheeks like

phantom fingers. She ignored those things. But he saw it all, as if the

world moved in slow motion, tracking the shifting of her eyes and

hands from one person to another. Saw the way her finger tightened

ever so slightly over the trigger.

The safety was off, so if she applied a touch of pressure to that metal

hook, approximately ten pounds for the first shot to go off, the gun

would fire the bullet waiting within.

“Frankie,” he called in a soothing yet firm voice, using the

nickname he’d started saying a few nights ago. One he’d discovered

she liked when he whispered it in her ear as he sank slowly inside the

heat between her legs. Her attention shifted to him for only a fraction of a second before

she refocused on Dante, her father’s right-hand man. A man many did

not want to fuck with. One who’d killed his fair share of folks both in

and out of the city. A man who was known to be one of the most ruthless

enforcers around. Dante did things in the most violent way to set

examples or make a point. It was the only way he communicated. And

it was the way he got into the position he did, leading one of the most

ruthless organizations in New York City.

And lucky, lucky Jake was currently in a three-way face-off, like

something from the Wild Wild West, with a woman he loved and a man

he’d been hunting for years.

And as if his luck couldn’t get any worse, the two had a serious

history he hadn’t been able to wrap his mind completely around.

He quickly glanced around, wishing for that backup he’d called for

about ten minutes ago to show up. But with how deep they were in

Central Park, that wish would never come to fruition in time. The dull

light coming off the yellow haze of a streetlamp reflected dark shadows

of trees in the standing puddles leftover from the rainstorm earlier. The

only sound outside the passing cars on the streets lining the park and

Frankie’s harsh breathing was that of leaves hitting the ground, the

season of fall in full swing.

“Frankie, listen to me,” he tried again, his chest growing tight with

unease. “Put the gun down. Let’s talk about this.”

“I don’t want to be a woman you love,” she said, lips trembling.

Her arms shook with either fear or adrenaline, both equally dangerous

when holding a weapon.

Jake Gonzalez’s heart clenched at the words, but he pushed them

away. He had to stay focused, had to sort through this mess and prevent

any additional loss of life. As it was, there’d already been too much.

And if she pulled that trigger, there was nothing he could do. He

wouldn’t be able to protect her. As frustrating as it was, he had an oath

to uphold. Even against a woman he loved.

Francesca Conti looked broken, disheveled, and cornered. The first

two had him angry and concerned. The last…frightened.

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About Author D.C. Stone:

D.C. “Desi” Stone is a best-selling romance author and full-time fraud investigator. She lives in the northeast with her incredibly supporting husband, two kids, a cat, and the ever-growing family of dogs.

After serving eight years of service with the United States Air Force, she went on to transition into the world of financial crimes and became a lead investigator for many years.

Reading has always been a passion of hers, getting lost in a good, steamy romance is one of her favorite past times. She soon after discovered her own love for writing and recreating stories and characters in her head. Her writing concentrates on romantic with specifics in paranormal, suspense, and erotica.

Now, when she isn’t trying to solve a new puzzle in the world of fraud, she is engulfed with coffee, her laptop, and all those crazy characters in her head. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, Hudson Valley Romance Writers, New Jersey Romance Writers, RomVets, RWA Kiss of Death, and the Liberty State Fiction Writers. She served as the 2014 NJRW Vice President and Conference Chair. Come stop by on Facebook, Twitter, or her website and say hello!

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Lush

by Tinia Montford

Publication date: March 31st 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Laurene King had it all: beauty, wealth, and a sexy secret affair with Reese Ashbourne— the brooding heir of her family’s sworn enemy.
But one reckless night shattered everything.

Tragedy struck. Laurene disappeared. And Reese was left with betrayal, unanswered questions, and scars he’ll never forget.

Now, Laurene is back, forced to return to the life she fled, but her homecoming comes with a cruel twist. Their families, teetering on the edge of ruin, have resurrected an old deal to save themselves: an Ashbourne and a King must marry—or lose everything.

Only this time, Reese is the groom. Not his brother.

Haunted by the past, Reese craves revenge as much as he still craves her. Trapped in a forced proximity neither can escape, their chemistry ignites—and so do their secrets.

But someone knows the truth about that night. The lies that tore them apart are unraveling, and the shadowy danger lurking in their luxurious world could destroy them both.

With their second chance at love and their families’ legacies hanging by a thread, Laurene and Reese must choose: bury the past or watch everything crumble to ashes.

The clock is ticking, and some truths are better left buried…

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

An Hour before the Accident

The laughter spilled from the main hall of the yacht club, bright and careless, tangled with the relentless thump of music. I should’ve been out there, smiling, toasting, pretending.

Instead, I’d been hiding in this bathroom for nearly twenty minutes, like it could stop the slow, sinking dread pooling in my chest.

Smile, Laurene! Smile!

Conrad’s great.

Really? my conscience said. He was great. Great for the family, great for appearances, great for everything except me.

The door opened and shut softly behind me.

“It’s over.”

I refused to look behind me. I couldn’t. If I did, I’d crack.

Instead, I focused on putting on my lipstick, the motion mechanical. I looked immaculate—perfect—the kind of woman my mother would smile at with pride. But I hated the color.

This fucking burgundy.

The same shade she shoved at me for every happy occasion, every moment she wanted to control. A color that screamed her. Everything she expected me to be. Everything I despised.

I met his gaze in the bathroom mirror.

He loomed there, his suit rumpled and tie slightly askew, his dark hair rebelliously unkempt. He looked the exact opposite of his brother—wild, unapologetic, dangerous. Everything I wasn’t supposed to want.

“Don’t look away.” Every word wrapped around me like a challenge, and that rebellious part of me strained beneath my skin. But he wasn’t asking. He was demanding.

And I obeyed.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

I wanted him here. I needed him. But I couldn’t have him.

“I could say the same to you.” In the dim light, his green eyes seemed almost black. “Shouldn’t you be outside? Smiling for the cameras? Pretending you don’t hate every second of this?”

“This”—I pointed between us—“ends now. Get out before somebody sees you.”

His eyes held mine, and the way he saw me, like he was stripping away every layer, every excuse, was almost too much.

I turned. “This isn’t a game, Reese. My mama would burn the entire town to the ground if she knew about us.”

“She doesn’t know.” He stepped closer. “I was careful. No one saw me. We still have the plan.”

“Please.” I had to get through this night without more tears. “Let’s…let’s just cut our losses. I—I don’t know if I can do it now.”

He was behind me before I knew it, his weight trapping me against the counter. I closed my eyes, my breath catching as his exhale grazed the sensitive skin of my neck, hot and tantalizing.

“Can we think of something else?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “She always knows, Reese. You don’t understand—”

“What I understand,” he said, his voice sharp, “is that you’re miserable. You’re about to marry my brother, and you’re standing here trying to convince yourself it’s what you want. Believe in our plan or is that what you want, Laurene?”

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About Author Tinia Montford:

Tinia (TUH-NIA) Montford is a Pisces who’s a sap for romance, especially when there’s (tons of) kissing. Loves eighties sitcoms and will consume anything with chocolate. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in English and Graphic Design. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction.

You can find Tinia at www.tiniamontford.com or on social media: @tiniawritesbooks

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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