Category: Closed Doors/ Fade to Black

Stop Taking Me For Granted by Roselin Brown

Posted October 12, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Marriage In Crisis Romance, No Spice Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Damon never once said, “I love you.” Not at the wedding. Not in three years of marriage.  Mandy waited anyway. Then she stopped.

Now the city’s most ruthless divorce attorney — the man who’s built a career on winning — has to grovel his way back into the one case he can’t afford to lose: his own wife.

Mandy

My whole life, I waited for Damon Walker to actually choose me.  Turns out I was never the choice. I was the fallback.  Until I heard my husband promise his first love: ” Mandy will understand. I’ll be there soon.” That’s all it took to kill hope.

I drew up the papers myself. Took nothing from three years of marriage. Asked for exactly one thing: quick and quiet.  Damon had other plans.  The man who built a career on never losing won’t sign. He wants a trial — fighting for a marriage he suddenly can’t stop defending, three years too late to matter.

Now I’m walking into a courtroom to end a marriage the whole city thought was perfect — and the only question left is whether Damon will finally lose something for once in his life, or lose me for good.

Damon

I never lost a case. Never lost an argument. Never once thought I could lose my own wife.  I built my life on being needed, admired, right. I told myself that was the same as being loved.

Mandy knew the difference. I didn’t — not until the night I chose being someone else’s hero over being her husband, and she signed her own way out of our marriage rather than wait for me to notice.

Now the applause means nothing. The wins mean nothing. I walked away from every case that made me somebody, and I’m starting over from zero — no reputation, no leverage, no guarantee she’ll ever look at me the way she used to.

I don’t know how to lose. I’m about to learn — one unglamorous act of humility at a time — because the only verdict I care about now is whether Mandy will let me back in.

Titles in the Begging for a Second Chance series include:  If You Forget Me ~ Talk to Me ~ Stop Taking Me for Granted ~ Stop Treating Me Like a Footnote ~ Stop Showing Me Off Like a Trophy ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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The Grumpy Lawyer’s Christmas Romance by Davina Harrison

Posted October 12, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

He hates Christmas.   She lives for it.   Falling in love was never part of the plan…

Ben Carter has no time for holiday cheer.  As a big-city lawyer with a demanding career—and painful memories tied to Christmas—he’s only in Haden Creek for one reason: work.  Then his rental car breaks down during the town’s Christmas parade.  And suddenly… he’s stuck.

Holly Winters loves everything about the season.  As Haden Creek’s event planner, she’s determined to make this year’s festival unforgettable—and she refuses to let one grumpy outsider ruin it.  Especially not Ben Carter.  But when he ends up staying in the room above her office, avoiding him becomes impossible.

So Holly makes it her mission:  Show him that Christmas magic is real.  Between late-night planning, festive traditions, and moments neither of them expected, Ben begins to see Haden Creek—and Holly—differently. 

Because behind her bright smile is a woman carrying her own loneliness.  And for the first time in years… Christmas doesn’t feel so empty.  But when Holly discovers the real reason Ben came to town—and what his work could cost the community she loves—everything between them shatters.

Now Ben must choose:  The life he built… Or the one he never knew he needed.

Titles in the Haden Creek Hearts series include:  The Rancher’s Second Chance ~ The Doctor’s Second Chance ~ The Firefighter’s Unexpected Love ~ The Sheriff’s Snowed-In Temptation ~ The Bartender’s Fake Girlfriend ~ The Chef’s Unexpected Love ~ The Cowboy’s Second Chance ~ The Lodge Boss’s Secret Heart ~ The Rescuer’s Unexpected Love ~ The Rancher’s Secret Child ~ The Bookseller’s Convenient Marriage ~ The Grumpy Lawyer’s Christmas Romance ~ The Sheriff’s Forever Love ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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Talk to Me by Roselin Brown

Posted October 12, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Marriage In Crisis Romance, No Spice Romance, Series, Standalone / 0 Comments

I stayed quiet for years, smiling through my mother-in-law’s cruelty, so he’d never have to choose between us.  He chose anyway.  Just not me.

Lucy

Talk to me, Ryan.  That was all I ever asked for. I never asked him to choose between me and his family.  His mother did that for me — telling him, to his face, that I simply wasn’t capable of giving the Harris family what it needed.

I waited for Ryan to say no. He didn’t.

It was his composure I fell for first — that quiet, unshakable calm. I thought it meant safety. He gave me that same composure instead — reasonable words, a divorce signed without one argument, wrapped in a settlement generous enough to look like love.

I took the papers. I left the marriage. I left the name.  I never imagined the calm I fell for could be the thing that ended us.

Ryan

Marrying Lucy was the first time I ever said no to my mother.  It took losing her to realize I should have said more.

One signature. A settlement generous enough to look like love. I called it protecting her.  I never asked what she wanted — I just decided, alone, the way I’d been taught to.

Composure was never strength. It was just obedience with better manners.

So I stopped obeying. Walked away from everything that name ever meant — for good. Let the real me be seen.  It was the first honest thing I’d ever given anyone.  I don’t know if I get to ask for another chance.  But I’m done asking for it quietly.

Titles in the Begging for a Second Chance series include:  If You Forget Me ~ Talk to Me ~ Stop Taking Me for Granted ~ Stop Treating Me Like a Footnote ~ Stop Showing Me Off Like a Trophy ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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Twice Tempted by the Princess by Nina Milne

Posted October 11, 2026 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Romance, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Once upon a royal reunion…

Lorenzo shared a magical night with a captivating stranger before discovering she was both a princess and his best friend’s sister—Liyana.

Years later, past and present collide when Lorenzo is the best man at Liyana’s brother’s wedding…and realizes she’s still forbidden temptation personified!

Lorenzo knows he’s flirting with danger—widowed Liyana deserves long-term commitment, but his faith in love has been rocked by his own history.

Only, surrounded by wedded bliss, can they resist their oh-so-glorious connection again?

Titles in the Long-Lost Rossi Siblings series include:  The Bride Wore His Convenient Ring ~ Twice Tempted by the Princess ~ Tycoon’s Tuscan Reunion ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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The Hero Who Came Home by Lexi B. Hart

Posted October 10, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

I promised myself I would never fall for Luke Callahan twice.  The first time, I was eighteen.

He was the boy who kissed me beneath the Willow Ridge covered bridge and promised we would leave our tiny hometown together.  By morning, he was gone.  Twelve years later, I’ve built a life without him.

I own the bakery my grandmother left me.  I know every crack in Main Street.  And I have absolutely no interest in reopening old wounds.

Then Luke comes home.  Older.  Quieter.  Infuriatingly handsome.  And apparently still capable of making my heart forget every sensible decision I’ve ever made.

But that’s not the worst part.  Luke has inherited the building where my bakery is.  And a developer is offering him enough money to walk away from Willow Ridge forever.

I should hate him.  Instead, he’s repairing my leaking roof before sunrise.  Driving me home in thunderstorms.  Helping save the Harvest Festival.  Making his grieving niece laugh again.  And looking at me like twelve years haven’t passed at all.

The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to remember why loving Luke Callahan is supposed to be a terrible idea.  Until I discover the truth.  Luke never stopped loving me.  And the reason he left all those years ago changes everything I thought I knew about the worst night of my life.

Now the boy who broke my heart has become the man fighting to protect it.  But second chances don’t erase first heartbreaks.  And before I can give Luke my future, we may have to uncover who stole our first one.

Titles in The Hearts of Willow Ridge series include:  The Hero Who Came Home ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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If You Forget Me by Roselin Brown

Posted October 10, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, Marriage In Crisis Romance, No Spice Romance, Series, Standalone / 0 Comments

This long-awaited wedding was supposed to save our drowning marriage.  Colin shattered it himself, in front of everyone I loved, with no good reason:  He said, “The wedding is off. You know exactly why.”

Nora

I used to believe love could conquer all. Maybe it can—but it takes two people actually trying.  When Colin had nothing, he swore he’d give me the world. Now that he has everything, all he’s ever given me is an unlimited credit card.

I shrank myself smaller and smaller, told myself it was just the price of loving a man who was scared of losing everything he’d built—including me.  Then, again and again, he crushed every effort I made and every hope I held onto—absent, dismissive, suspicious of nothing—until he delivered the final blow.

I didn’t cry. I didn’t beg. I just left—and some things don’t stay buried. Colin isn’t the only one with a secret that’s about to change everything.

Colin

I thought loving her meant giving her a life she’d never have to worry about—a mansion, a fortune, a name that opened every door. I thought money could stand in for the things I never had time to give her.

I was wrong. Completely, unforgivably wrong.  But I can’t survive losing her.

If it takes tearing myself apart and building something better from the pieces, I’ll do it. I will do it. Whatever it costs me, I’m going to become the man who actually deserves her again.

Titles in the Begging for a Second Chance series include:  If You Forget Me ~ Talk to Me ~ Stop Taking Me for Granted ~ Stop Treating Me Like a Footnote ~ Stop Showing Me Off Like a Trophy ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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Cocoa Cottage at Peppermint Falls by Liv Hollis

Posted October 8, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

She came home to start over. Falling for Cal Mercer was not on the menu.

Rachel Ashby expected Christmas in Peppermint Falls to be temporary. She never expected to find the first thing she’d wanted for herself in years.

Now Cocoa Cottage is hers, and Rachel has a plan: turn her love of baking into something of her own.

Then the oven dies.

The only kitchen she can use belongs to Cal Mercer—the infuriating owner of the Cocoa Café and the man Rachel has spent years blaming for taking the future they once planned to build together.

Cal remembers things differently.

But with New Year’s approaching, he’s suddenly short a baker. Rachel needs his kitchen. Cal needs her help. One reluctant bargain means spending every night side by side, arguing over recipes, competing over pastries, and discovering the chemistry between them has nothing to do with baking.

As old resentment gives way to something neither expected, Rachel must decide whether being needed is enough—or whether she’s finally ready to choose what she wants.

Even if what she wants is him.

Titles in the Peppermint Falls series include:  Mistletoe Cottage ~ Cocoa Cottage ~ Peppermint Cottage ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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Mistletoe Cottage at Peppermint Falls by Liv Hollis

Posted October 1, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Second Chance Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

Merritt Ashby came home to Peppermint Falls for one last Christmas. She has no intention of staying.

At fifty, newly divorced and facing an empty nest, Merritt has a plan: restore the Vermont cottage her grandmother left her, sell it as soon as the will allows, and get back to her life in Hartford.

Then she finds Nate Holloway standing in the driveway.

Nate was Merritt’s first love—the man she left behind when she chose a future outside their tiny hometown. Now he’s fifty-one, frustratingly handsome, and the contractor her grandmother secretly hired before she died to restore the family’s three Christmas cottages.

Nan left one final condition: the cottages must be made whole before Merritt or her sisters can sell.  Which means spending the weeks before Christmas repairing Mistletoe Cottage alongside the one man Merritt has spent three decades trying not to remember.

But as Christmas draws closer, old traditions return, and Mistletoe Cottage begins to feel like home again.  She came home planning to sell a cottage and return to Hartford. Instead, she may have found the one thing she never expected—a reason to stay.

Titles in the Peppermint Falls series include:  Mistletoe Cottage ~ Cocoa Cottage ~ Peppermint Cottage ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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The Widowed Rancher and the Nanny by Jancy Marlowe

Posted October 1, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series / 0 Comments

Five years ago, I lost her. Now I have eight weeks to keep her.

Hiring a nanny for the summer seemed like a good idea. Finding out she’s Ivy Sullivan– the woman I never got over? Not so much.

At first, we’re just trying to survive sharing the same ranch. Then Ivy starts helping my six-year-old daughter create a memory book to honor her mother, winning over my grandmother, and turning family dinners into my favorite part of the day.

The more time we spend together, the harder it becomes to ignore the feelings we left behind years ago.
Especially when my daughter is convinced we’re in love and keeps collecting “evidence.”

For the first time in a long time, Hartwell Ranch feels whole again.

Then Ivy gets accepted into the Nashville program she’s dreamed about for years.
Suddenly, the woman who feels like home has an expiration date.

Now I have eight weeks to convince Ivy that the best things in life aren’t always the ones you plan for.

Titles in The Hartwell Ranch series include:  The Widowed Rancher and the Nanny ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

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Planting Roots by Ava Donato

Posted September 29, 2026 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments

I came to Willow Creek to decide whether Nash Cordero’s struggling farm was worth saving.  I never expected him to make me question the life I’d built in Seattle.

Nash is stubborn, guarded, and determined to save the land his father left him, even if it means doing everything alone.

Unfortunately, I’m the consultant who could determine his future.

A devastating frost forces us to work side by side, and three professional days become muddy fields, late-night conversations, and a guest cottage I’m finding increasingly difficult to leave.

The closer we get, the more dangerous it becomes.  Nash is terrified I’ll choose Seattle and leave him behind.

I’m terrified getting close to him could cost me the career I’ve spent years building.  Then my boss discovers the truth and forces me to choose between the future I planned and the man I never saw coming.

I came to Willow Creek to decide whether Nash’s farm was worth the risk.  Now I have to decide if love is.

Titles in the Harvest Hearts series include:  Planting Roots ~ Wild Harvest ~

This is a no-spice romance, perhaps with closed-door or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved.

Publication Date:  October 1, 2026

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