Hey y’all, good news! The final book of the new editions of The Ones Who Got Away series is out today! Kincaid and Ash are ready to break your heart and then put it back together again. 😊

About The One For You

Twelve years ago, tragedy struck a sleepy Texas town. Only a small number of those impacted survived―a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away. This is their story.

HER SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE: After spending years struggling to move on, Kincaid Breslin has put all of her energy into making life full and interesting. She may have lost her soulmate, but she doesn't have to let that young tragedy shape who she is now...or continue to complicate her relationship with former best friend turned near-stranger, Ash.

HIS CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT: Ashton Isaacs has spent his life running―from his past, from the best friend he's always secretly loved, and from the truth of how he failed her when she needed him most. Now, over a decade later, it's time to stop running and finally face the girl his heart never forgot.

But Kincaid doesn't know about everything that happened that night. She doesn't know what he did, or why Ash is so certain she'll never be able to forgive him. All she knows is that she's missed having him in her life, and she's willing to fight―for them, for the kids they used to be, and for this one final chance to let the past go forever. With Ash, her heart may finally be ready to heal…or shatter completely once and for all.

By turns heart-wrenching and deeply romantic, this award-winning spicy contemporary romance will challenge the way you see life, love, and happily ever after.

Buy the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Google Play

Audiobook: Libro.fm | Audible

READ CHAPTER ONE HERE

I love that all four of these have gotten such gorgeous new covers and are now available in trade paperback size. (I also loved the old covers even though they were very different, but I know lots of you don’t love the smaller mass-market-sized books.)

And if you’re new to these stories, welcome!

If you collect all four, they do make a very pretty complete picture. :) But you don’t have to start at the beginning if you don’t want to. Each book is about a different couple and can stand alone.

Also, if you’ve already read these, I’d love help spreading the word! Please share with your readerly friends and you’ll get my undying appreciation.

Happy reading!

Roni

Leonard has a mission for you today. He would like you to buy the beautiful new edition of The One You Fight For to add to your shelves so that Mom will stop taking weird photos of him with something he can’t eat.

This is the third book in the series but can be read as a standalone, so feel free to jump in wherever!

About the book

Twelve years ago, tragedy struck a sleepy Texas town. Only a small number of those impacted survived―a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away. This is their story.

NEVER ADMIT THE TRUTH: Taryn Landry was there that awful night Long Acre changed from the name of a town to the title of a national tragedy. Everyone knows she lost her younger sister. No one knows it was all her fault―or the guilt she carries with her every day.

NEVER LOOK BACK: As the older brother of the troubled shooter, Shaw Miller has spent more than a decade dealing with the fallout. After losing everything―his chance at Olympic gold, his family, almost his sanity―he's changed his name, his look, and he's finally starting a new life free from the shadow of the horrible thing his brother did.

Shaw and Taryn weren't meant to meet each other. They weren't meant to fall in love. Now they're left grappling with undeniable feelings, both of them wondering: When the world defines you by a tragedy, how do you defy the odds to build your own happy ending?

By turns heart-wrenching and deeply romantic, this award-winning spicy contemporary romance will challenge the way you see life, love, and happily ever after.

Readers are raving about this white-hot, deeply emotional survival romance:

"Phenomenal. Gets my highest recommendation!"―LORELEI JAMES, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Unforgettable… Roni Loren at her best!"―KRISTEN CALLIHAN, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

"Unique, swoony, and lively. The Ones Who Got Away is the best kind of second-chance romance!"―SARINA BOWEN, USA Today bestselling author

"The Ones Who Got Away is EXACTLY what I love in romance; angsty, hot, conflicted, funny! Roni Loren delivers on all of it! Don't let this book get away!"―M. O'KEEFE, USA Today bestselling author

A few things to know about this edition…

• All four books are (or will be) reissued and the four book covers together form one complete (super pretty!) design. You can see all of them here!

• I’m donating a portion of my earnings from this version to Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that does a number of in-school programs like Start With Hello and Say Something that I think are really fantastic.

• This is the first time this book has been available in the larger, trade paperback size, so make sure if you purchase, you choose that size and not the smaller mass market size (because mass market will have the older cover—unless you want the older cover because it’s great too!) Ebook covers should be the new one.

Buy the book:  Bookshop.org | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Indiebound | Books-A-Million | Google Play

Also available in audiobook: Libro.fm | Recorded Books | Audible

If you’ve already read this story, thank you! I’d love it if you could help me spread the word on social media or by leaving a review! I appreciate you so much!

Thanks, everyone! I hope you enjoy Taryn’s and Shaw’s story!

The new covers are even more gorgeous in person! And I LOVE how they are all going to connect to make one complete picture.

The Ones Who Got Away is already available and The One You Can’t Forget will be here this August and is available for pre-order! (just make sure you select the paperback size not the “mass market” paperback)

About The Ones Who Got Away:

"Absolutely unputdownable! Roni Loren is a new favorite."―COLLEEN HOOVER for The One You Can't Forget

Twelve years ago, tragedy struck a sleepy Texas town. Only a small number of those impacted survived―a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away. This is their story.

THAT NIGHT: He was the star athlete. She was the sharp-tongued Goth girl who never failed to get under his skin. They were never meant to be together, and one terrible night was enough to tear them apart.

NOW: Liv Arias is ready to put the past behind her and move on from the trauma that shaped her young life. But when she runs into her former flame, Finn Dorsey, closure seems harder than ever. Finn almost got Liv killed all those years ago, and their relationship ended in a bitter rift. But when their attempt to say a final goodbye turns into a passionate kiss, Liv and Finn realize that the spark between them still burns as hot as ever.

Theirs was never supposed to be more than a fling, but as Liv and Finn sort through the pain of broken trust and slowly mending hearts, they may come to realize there's something buried deep that's worth fighting for.

By turns heart-wrenching and deeply romantic, this award-winning spicy contemporary romance will challenge the way you see life, love, and happily ever after.

About The One You Can’t Forget:

Twelve years ago, tragedy struck a sleepy Texas town. Only a small number of those impacted survived―a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away. This is their story.

HER SECRET SHAME: The world knows Rebecca Lindt as a survivor, but that impression would crumble if people discovered her secret…and realized she didn't deserve to be the one who got away. But nothing can change the past, so she's thrown herself into her work. She can't dwell if she never slows down.

HIS UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Wes Garrett is trying to get back on his feet after losing his dream restaurant, his money, and half his damn mind in a vicious divorce. But when he intervenes in a mugging and saves Rebecca―the attorney who helped his ex ruin him―his simple life gets a hell of a lot more complicated.

Their attraction is inconvenient and neither wants more than a fling. But when Rebecca's secret is put at risk, both discover they could lose everything, including the one thing they never realized they needed: each other.

Music has always been a big part of my life. I don’t play an instrument like my husband or kiddo, but I’ve always been a big fan. This love was planted early by my mom. She taught aerobics in the 80s as her second job, and I can remember sitting with her and her stack of 45s (records), trying to find just the right songs for her routines.

As I developed my own taste, I shifted into listening to my favorite radio stations, painstakingly waiting for my favorite songs to come on so I could hit Record, and making mixtapes for my Walkman. (Yes, kids, this is how we had to do it, lol.) Eventually, technology advanced and I moved to filling up fat CD binders that I could organize and lovingly flip through. I still have two of those binders even though I have no CD player. I can’t seem to part with them.

Of course, now we have streaming and almost every song we could want at our fingertips, but I find that having the ability to make endless personalized playlists means I’m not exposed as much to music I don’t already know. And I don’t necessarily mean “new” songs but “new to me” songs. I end up making playlists of my favorite songs and listening on repeat (and my master playlist is 80 hours long, so I don’t even have to repeat every often.)

But the fun of discovery and hearing a new song on the radio is lost. This is a bummer in general but also, it’s been shown that listening to music, particularly new-to-us music, is really good for our brains. In addition, I find music really inspiring for my writing. There are some songs that the first time I hear them, I think “I could write a story from that.” Music hits me in a different place than other types of inspiration.

So, I’ve started to make an effort to find new-to-me music. How? Here are some fun ways I’ve found:

1. Watching music competition shows like The Voice and American Idol

   I’ve always loved these types of shows, so that’s nothing new. However, I’ve realized that these shows have been a solid source of new music discoveries for me too. The first time I heard one of my (now) very favorite songs, Sara Bareilles’ “She Used to Be Mine”, was on one of these shows.

2. Books About Music

   There’s a book for everything, right? A few years ago I bought 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die and 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die for the kidlet (who loves music and plays guitar and drums.) Even though he’s 16 now, we still read an entry from one of these together each night. Digging into why a song or album is important makes you want to go and listen to them. And from that article I linked to above, I discovered someone actually created a Random Album Generator based on the book, so you can play with that even if you don’t have the book!

3. Best of Lists

   This is similar to the books but easier to get your hands on. Right now I’m working my way through Rolling Stones’ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. I’m working backward and am at number 489 (listening to that as I type this in fact!). But this has been such a fun exercise so far. I listen to each album from start to finish, not on shuffle, listening to it as it was intended since songs were put in a certain order for a reason. (I’ve blogged before about The Joy of Listening to an Album All the Way Through.)

   And because I’m sticking to the order of the list, I get quite a variety, going from Shakira to Boys II Men to The Ronettes. My brain is definitely getting some exercise! (Although, let’s be honest, I knew every song on that Boys II Men album by heart, lol. Not all of these are new-to-me.)

There are of course other ways to find new music. Going to concerts and getting there in time for the opening bands, asking friends for recs, listening to a radio station, letting the Spotify algorithms guide you, etc. But the ones above have been the most convenient and enjoyable for me.

It doesn’t really matter how you get there, but if you want to change things up from the same old same old of your tried-and-true playlists, maybe give some of these options a shot.

I’d love to hear if you ever search out new music or how you find new things to listen to. Give me your own tips. Or share the best new-to-you song you’ve discovered lately!

It’s that time of year. Tax time. Ugh. It’s definitely not my favorite thing to do, but one of the only interesting parts of the process for me is looking at my bookish stats.

As an author, I get to claim the books I buy as a business expense because part of the job of being an author is reading what is being published and knowing the market. So each year, I put together a spreadsheet with every book I’ve purchased. Then, just for my own curiosity, I divide them by format (print, ebook, audiobook, subscription book club, etc.) and highlight the ones I’ve read.

This gives me some valuable (and often enlightening) information. The first bit of information is consistent year to year—holy crap, how did I buy so many books?

What can I say? I don’t have a lot of vices, but acquiring books is definitely one of them. I’m not murdering people or selling drugs, so I guess as far as vices go, it’s okay.

But the other thing gathering this information gives me is insight into my reading habits and how they change (or don’t.) Over the years, I can see genre shifts for sure. And now format shifts are what’s sticking out. I’ve shifted much more into print reading and audiobook listening than e-reading in the last few years.

When I looked at the stats of what I bought in 2023 and which ones I actually read, here’s how it broke down. (I’m leaving audiobooks out because most of my audiobooks were library listens or Libro.fm early copies and so I didn’t purchase a lot of them. But 31% of my overall reading in 2023 was on audiobook.)

Purchased in 2023:

37% ebooks

62% print books

But here’s the more telling stat…

I read 25% of the print books purchased but only 8% of the ebooks. Ouch.

So, I’m still buying a good number of ebooks (mostly on sales/daily deals) but I’m not actually reading many of them. (At least not the ones I purchased. I’m still reading ebooks from the library if that’s the only format available.)

This probably means I need to stop getting lured in by the sales. I’m stocking up my Kindle, but then those books get lost and languish on my TBR. Ebooks are so much more out-of-sight-out-of-mind than things on my physical shelves. Even though I keep everything in Goodreads, when I’m searching for what to read next, I go to my physical shelves first.

I also think I just enjoy the act of reading a physical book more these days. This might be because we’re on screens all day now and my Kindle feels like more of the same. When I read, I want it to feel like a different activity from everything else. Plus, I like seeing the progress of making my way through a book—moving my bookmark, getting a view of how much is left, etc.

So based on this info, I’m setting a goal to be more discerning about which ebooks I snap up. I also want to put more focus on reading the books I already own (in all formats) because there are A LOT, y’all. My TBR is ludicrously long.

I’ve set this goal before without much success, but I haven’t given up hope! :) I have a few new things I’m going to try. We shall see.

So how about you?

Have you found that your reading has changed over the last few years? Do you have a preferred format? Has anything shifted in your reading tastes? I’d love to know!

This will be a quick one today, but I’m so excited to share that the new gorgeous edition of The Ones Who Got Away is now available!

This series has always been special to me, and I’m thrilled that Sourcebooks has given it fresh life with this beautiful redesign and new available format.

Get your copy

A few things to know about this edition…

• All four books are scheduled to be reissued and the four book covers together form one complete (super pretty!) design. You can see all of them here!

• I’m donating a portion of my earnings from this version to Sandy Hook Promise, an organization that does a number of in-school programs like Start With Hello and Say Something that I think are really fantastic.

• This is the first time this book has been available in the larger, trade paperback size, so make sure if you purchase, you choose that size and not the smaller mass market size (because mass market will have the older cover—unless you want the older cover because it’s great too!) Ebook covers should be the new one.

Want to know what it’s about?

Buy the book:  Bookshop.org | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play

If you’ve already read this story, thank you! I’d love it if you could help me spread the word! Feel free to share the graphic below and/or post a review if you feel so compelled. I appreciate you so much!

Thanks, everyone! I hope you enjoy Liv and Finn’s story!

Hey y’all,

It’s cover reveal time!

As I mentioned in my newsletter, The Ones Who Got Away series is being reissued in trade paperback size with beautiful new covers. And BONUS—the covers, when lined up, make a complete picture! I love this so much.

The first will be released March 12 and then the others will release every few months over the next year. The only one I don’t have an official date on yet is book 4, but I anticipate that one will release in early 2025.

I’m so excited to have these new versions available. When the series originally came out, they were released in mass market size…right before mass market size mostly went away for much of the contemporary romance genre, lol. Oh the fun of an unpredictable book market! So I’m thrilled that they’re going to get a second life in the new size.

And if you haven’t read this series yet, you’ll get to read them all gussied up! If you’re already a fan of the series (thank you!), maybe you’d like the new version for your shelves.

Okay, I’ll shut up. Here they are!

And here they are when lined up!

What do you think?

It’s that time of year again. That time when I ask myself the question—to reading challenge or not to reading challenge?

I’ve gone back and forth over the years with reading challenges. Some years, I’ve simply set a total number goal in the Goodreads annual challenge. That’s basically a gimme for me. I know I’ll read at least 50 books in a year. But I like setting the goal because Goodreads gives you that nice little badge at the end of the year when you complete it. So I know I’ll do that one this year as well.

In other years, I’ve gotten more creative, making up my own challenges. My most long-running challenge has been the Read Wide Challenge. I’ve really enjoyed that one over the years and missed it the year I didn’t do it (and ended up adding it back a few months into the year.) However, in 2023, I did not finish my Read Wide challenge. In fact, I bombed the romance column/category—confirming that I have definitely been in a romance reading slump. I also bombed the YA category. That’s out of character for me, but it has me reluctant to do a Read Wide challenge in 2024.

In 2023, I also tried to do a backlist challenge, focusing on reading from my enormous pile of unread books (with a specific focus on my unread Book of the Month and Aardvark book club books.) I had planned to read 12 backlist books and I only made it to 6. So another incomplete challenge. Gah.

So that has me wondering what to do this year. Reading challenges usually bring me joy, but if they didn’t last year, should I continue?

I’ve given it some thought, and I think that, for now, I need to avoid challenges that are overly prescriptive. I don’t need challenges that assign genre since my reading moods have been all over the place.

However, I really do still have a backlist problem. I have SO MANY books in ebook, audio, and physical format that are sitting there untouched and ignored. I know there are wonderful, amazing stories just waiting for me to discover them. Plus, good money has been spent on those books. I hate feeling like it was wasted money.

So, my main reading goal for 2024 is going to be tackling the books that I already own. This will be a challenge because every time I listen to a bookish podcast or open a bookish email, I want all the new, new, new!

However, I’m going to try to find a book “like” whatever new book I heard about on my own shelves—because I guarantee there’s something I already have that fits the bill. My TBR on Goodreads is over 1000 books—no joke. Some date back 10 years.

Does that mean I’ll buy no new books this year? No, of course not. Let’s not talk crazy. :) But I do plan to give this backlist issue some focus.

Here are some gentle guidelines I’m hoping will help me:

1. When I’m in the mood for a certain genre or vibe, I’ll shop my shelves first.

2. If I need a book for writing research that I don’t have, I will “shop” by library sources first before purchasing.

3. When I get excited about a new book, I will add it to my wishlist instead of immediately buying it. That way I don’t forget about it and can get it in the future but it doesn’t add to the towering pile.

4. I will do random searches and sorting on my Kindle (like sorting by title or author or publication date) so that I can “see” the older books that I may have forgotten about—because many times I’ve just forgotten what’s there.

5. I will feature backlist books that I like here on the blog and in my newsletter so that you can benefit too!

6. I will remind myself why backlist is awesome:

   • usually easier to find with no holds at the library

   • you know if it’s survived the “new release buzz” and stood the test of time (meaning, the reviews are more representative of the general reading public than the early excitement reviews)

   • you get more variety instead of whatever is on trend in your favorite subgenre

I think that’s it for now. We’ll see how I do, but I’m excited about it!

Do you have any reading goals for 2024 or have you joined any reading challenges?

These are a few of my favorite things, er, books.

This year has been a weird reading year for me. (It’s been a weird year in general.) But I’m not one to judge reading choices, including my own. I follow my whims on which books to pick up and see where those moods take me.

So where did I end up? First, a few stats…

• Books attempted: 74

• Books finished: 58

• Number of 5-star books: 11

• Number of 4-4.75 star books: 29

• Number of completed audiobooks: 19

• Percentage of successful books (4 or above): 69%

• Surprising-ish stat: 60% of my reads were non-fiction

That percentage of success is good and a direct result of my lack of guilt over DNFing (did not finish) a book. I’ve learned not to let myself get stuck behind a book. The only one that I’m happy I pushed through (because I was tempted to DNF early on) was Demon Copperhead. It was a library book club pick, so I pushed further than I would’ve on my own, and when I switched from print to audiobook, that format finally opened up the (massive, 550 page) story to me in a way that hooked me.

So overall, the reading vibe of the year was positive!

But that’s not what you’re here to know. You want to know which books are my favorite of the year, right? So, how about I get on with that? :)

Favorite Novels of the Year

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

I highly recommend this one on audio with Julia Whelan as narrator. This is literary, a mystery, has a podcast element and thoughts on true crime and on women and crime. I could go on. This story had so many layers to it and was very compelling. If you like your mystery with more literary heft to it, try this one.

Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Everyone has heard of this book by now because it’s been turned into a TV series, but I really loved this one. From my book journal: So great. If Sheldon from Big Bang Theory was a woman in the 1960s. The best character was Six-Thirty, the dog (who had a POV.) One of those books with such a singular voice that it stands out from everything else.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

This one had so many of the tropes I love: friends-to-lovers, childhood friends, dual timeline. I raced through this one in two days and it’s one of the few romances I read this year. (I’ve been in a romance-reading slump.)

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

One of the other romances I read, but I’d say this is romance with a nod to more literary writing. I adored the sneak peek behind a Saturday Night Live type show and improv acting (I wrote an improv hero in Yes & I Love You for a reason. I’m fascinated by that style of acting.) The characters in this one totally won me over.

I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin

Not a romance. A sad love story but so nuanced and beautifully written that I couldn’t put it down.

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (specifically on audio)

A classic that I had tried before in print but hadn’t finished. The audio version really opened this one up for me and I loved it. Creepy as hell. Gorgeous writing.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Y’all. I enjoy my library book club, but the picks this year have included multiple 500+ page books and it’s killing me softly. However, this one was worth the read. I would’ve never picked this one up on my own, so that’s what book clubs are for, right? They get us to read new things.

This is a beautifully written, epic story about one character whom you follow from childhood all the way into adulthood. There is A LOT of tragedy so be warned, but what saved this for me was the singular voice of the main character. He’s darkly funny and you’re pulling for him so hard. I highly recommend this one in audio because the narration was fantastic and really helped me power through the book. (I did tandem reading where I switch back and forth between print and audio.)

My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

This one is a horror story, so you’ve been warned. The set-up: 17-year old Jade Daniels is obsessed with horror movies and starts to see signs that one is staring in her town of Proofrock, Idaho. But she’s an outcast and no one believes her.

This one is a slow burn and I had to switch from audio to print to follow the unique way the author uses language. I couldn’t skim any of this one without missing stuff. I also wasn’t sure the main character was believable at first, but I’m glad I trusted the author because eventually, you get it—why she is the way she is. This was a compelling journey and I immediately went out and bought book 2. (Though, don’t worry, not a cliffhanger ending.)

Honorable Mentions - Fiction

Recursion by Blake Crouch (sci-fi, fast-paced)

The Local by Joey Hartstone (legal thriller set in small-town Texas)

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell (thriller, very propulsive, read it in one day)

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay (epistolary, historical novel, sad but lovely)

The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon (thriller, dark)

Favorite Non-Fiction Books of the Year

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin

In my book journal I gave this “a million stars.” If you do anything creative, add this one to your list. It will be one that I reread regularly.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith

This is a memoir about divorce and it is heartbreakingly beautiful. Maggie Smith is a poet and it shows. This was gorgeous in audio but I also bought a hard copy afterward to keep on my shelf. I think I’d like to reread it in print as well.

Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek: How 7 Teen Shows Transformed Television by Thea Glassman

Fun on audio. If you’re of my generation and want to remember the years of great teen TV, this is for you. It covers Freaks & Geeks, Glee, Dawson’s Creek, My So-Called Life, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The O.C., and Friday Night Lights. I love books like this and it kept me company many a night while I was cooking.

101 Horror Books To Read Before You’re Murdered by Sadie Hartmann

If you like horror, Hartmann gives modern recommendations (instead of repeating the same old classics.) I loved how this introduced me to many new authors I’m looking forward to trying. Plus, it’s a fun format.

Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig

I mean, it’s a Chuck Wendig writing book. That’s all I needed to know.

Honorable Mentions - Non-Fiction

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh (darkly funny memoir, check trigger warnings, some stories had me rolling laughing.)

In Light of All Darkness by Kim Cross (true crime about the murder of Polly Klaas)

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Clair Dederer (good on audio, not an easy listen, this is an intellectual dive into what to do when creators of something you love turn out to be “monsters”)

Outlive by Peter Attia (good on audio, exhaustive but interesting coverage on health topics and research on how to live our healthiest lives. If you’re not into health books, this will probably be too much.)

From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks (about our careers and how they shift as we age)

Hidden Potential by Adam Grant (about, well, hidden potential ;) )

The Secret History of Home Economics by Danielle Dreilinger (good on audio)

Discipline Is Destiny by Ryan Holiday (stoic philosophy)

Writing in the Dark by Tim Wagonner (on writing horror)

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (re-read, got me to start morning pages in March and I haven’t stopped since!)

Dear Writer, Are You Intuitive? by Becca Syme and Susan Bischoff (I’m going to be working with Becca so obviously I’m a fan of her work, but if you’re a writer and have been told you’re “doing it wrong” by other writing books/instructors, check out her books)

Refuse to Be Done by Matt Bell (on writing)

Whew! I think that’s it. That was a lot, lol. I hope you found something that piqued your interest!

What were your favorite reads this year? I’d love to hear!

Hope you all have a lovely holiday season!

*All links are affiliate links to either Bookshop.org or Libro.fm

Here are some of the places you can get it:

• It’s on Libro.fm if you want to support your local bookstore. (I’m a new member there and loving it!)

• It’s on Audible and is included with Audible’s Premium Plus plan if you’re a member of that, so you wouldn’t even have to spend a credit.

• It’s also on Barnes & Noble. If you sign up for a new audiobook account there, you can get this one free!

• Some other great options: Kobo | Apple

About the book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Loving on the Edge and the Say Everything series comes a new steamy standalone MMF romance that proves good girls can have fun too...especially when she's their good girl.

O'Neal Lory has been taught that one mistake can undo an entire life of right decisions. That it doesn't matter if a person has been good ninety-nine percent of the time. One misstep, one snap judgment, can derail everything. So, she's taken a lot of right steps on the straight and narrow path. Eighteen years of them, in fact. Perfect grades. No rules broken. And definitely no boys.

Until she kisses him.

Auden Blake knows he shouldn't touch his little sister's best friend, knows that innocent girls like her should stay far, far away from him and his roommate Lennox—especially when she could reveal their behind-closed-doors activities to his family. But when sheltered O'Neal goes rogue, ditching her scholarship to a conservative all-girls college and showing up at Bennette State—his school—instead, it's going to take everything Auden has to keep his and Lennox's hands off the curious good girl whose teach me vibes could unravel them both.

Good Girl Fail is a full-length standalone MMF romance with lots of steam, two heroes who like to share and get a little bossy, and a good girl heroine who's about to break every rule that's ever been placed upon her.

I have a new book! And I’m excited about it! And I hope you are too!

And that’s enough exclamation points for now. :)

But truly, I am so happy it’s today and that I can now share this book with you. I worked on this story (sneaking scenes in between writing other books) for two years, so it feels like I’ve been with these characters forever—in a good way, lol. Even though I had no set plans for this becoming a novel (I was just writing for fun after getting inspired by, of all things, Gilmore Girls), these three characters would not leave me alone and they wanted a full (375 page!) story.

I remember telling my friend, podcast co-host, and editor of this book, Dawn Alexander, that I was just messing around with a story because I missed writing erotic romance, and it’d probably be a little novella or something. To which she said, “Uh huh. Sure. I’m sure it will just be a short little thing.” Because she knows me, lol.

So here we are.

If you’ve never read my older books (pre-The Ones Who Got Away), be warned that this is steamier. I started my romance writing life as an erotic romance writer and this falls into that category. :)

Okay, I think that’s all I needed to tell you. Go forth and read! I hope y’all love Good Girl Fail and if you do, please consider spreading the word online and leaving a review somewhere! I’m decent at writing but suck at marketing, lol, so I’ll take all the help I can get.

Get your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble| Apple Books | Kobo

Add to Goodreads

*The audiobook version from Dreamscape media will be available February 28th!

About the book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Loving on the Edge and the Say Everything series comes a new steamy standalone MMF romance that proves good girls can have fun too...especially when she's their good girl.

O'Neal Lory has been taught that one mistake can undo an entire life of right decisions. That it doesn't matter if a person has been good ninety-nine percent of the time. One misstep, one snap judgment, can derail everything. So, she's taken a lot of right steps on the straight and narrow path. Eighteen years of them, in fact. Perfect grades. No rules broken. And definitely no boys.

Until she kisses him.

Auden Blake knows he shouldn't touch his little sister's best friend, knows that innocent girls like her should stay far, far away from him and his roommate Lennox—especially when she could reveal their behind-closed-doors activities to his family. But when sheltered O'Neal goes rogue, ditching her scholarship to a conservative all-girls college and showing up at Bennette State—his school—instead, it's going to take everything Auden has to keep his and Lennox's hands off the curious good girl whose teach me vibes could unravel them both.

Good Girl Fail is a full-length standalone MMF romance with lots of steam, two heroes who like to share and get a little bossy, and a good girl heroine who's about to break every rule that's ever been placed upon her.

Read an excerpt here

Happy reading!

Roni

I’m going back to my erotic romance roots with this one, and I’m so excited to share this one with y’all!

Good Girl Fail will be here on January 17. 2023, but you can pre-order the ebook now! The paperback will be available on release day. The audiobook should release in February (tentative.)

Here’s a little more about it!

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Loving on the Edge and the Say Everything series comes a new steamy standalone MMF romance that proves good girls can have fun too...especially when she's their good girl.

O'Neal Lory has been taught that one mistake can undo an entire life of right decisions. That it doesn't matter if a person has been good ninety-nine percent of the time. One misstep, one snap judgment, can derail everything. So, she's taken a lot of right steps on the straight and narrow path. Eighteen years of them, in fact. Perfect grades. No rules broken. And definitely no boys.

Until she kisses him.

Auden Blake knows he shouldn't touch his little sister's best friend, knows that innocent girls like her should stay far, far away from him and his roommate Lennox—especially when she could reveal their behind-closed-doors activities to his family. But when sheltered O'Neal goes rogue, ditching her scholarship to a conservative all-girls college and showing up at Bennette State—his school—instead, it's going to take everything Auden has to keep his and Lennox's hands off the curious good girl whose teach me vibes could unravel them both.

Good Girl Fail is a full-length standalone MMF romance with lots of steam, two heroes who like to share and get a little bossy, and a good girl heroine who's about to break every rule that's ever been placed upon her.

Pre-Order: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo

Add to Goodreads

If you’re looking for something quick and steamy to read, I’m making my short story “Movie Night” available for download for a limited time. (LINK EXPIRED) This is the short story that I contributed to the Nightingale charity anthology, which is no longer available to purchase. (Thanks so much to those of you who purchased the anthology!)

This is the story that I was inspired to write after a rewatch of the movie Reality Bites. Fair warning: If you’ve only read my contemporary romances, this story is more in the erotic romance zone. (There are three sets of feet on that cover, y’all, so this shouldn’t be a surprise, lol.)

Note: You will have to sign up for my Happy for Now newsletter to get the download. If you’re already a member, don’t worry, you won’t be signed up twice.

Want a signed copy of one of my Say Everything books?

Call & get one from Half Price Books in Dallas (or go there if you live locally).

I signed these at Book Bonanza. Get 'em before they run out! :)

Half Price Books

5803 E Northwest Highway, Dallas TX 75231

(214) 379-8000

It’s been a long year of waiting, but the third and final book in the Say Everything series is here! I’m so excited to share For You & No One Else with y’all. Eliza and Beckham were such fun characters to write, and I’m going to miss living in that world with them (and Hollyn, Jasper, Andi, and Hill.) I hope you enjoy this last adventure!

Scroll down for an exclusive excerpt!

About the book:

She has the perfect life…and it’s a perfect lie.

Behind the careful façade, she’s struggling:

To feel like she fits in. To find her true voice.

Now, finally, she’s ready to start living her own story.

Eliza Catalano has the perfect life. So what if it actually looks nothing like the story she tells online?  As a therapist, it’s part of her job to look like she has all the answers, right? But when Eliza ends up as a viral “Worst Date Ever” meme, everything in her Instagram-filtered world begins to crumble. 

Enter the most obnoxiously attractive man she's ever met, and a bet she can't resist: if she swears off social media for six months, Beck Carter’ll teach her the wonders of surviving the "real world." No technology, no dating apps, no pretty filters, no BS.

It seems like the perfect deal—she can lay low until her sudden infamy passes, meet some interesting new people, and maybe even curate this experience into a how I quit the online dating racket book along the way. But something about Beck’s raw honesty speaks to Eliza in ways she never expected. She knows he’s supposed to be completely hands-off…but as complex feelings grow and walls come tumbling down, rough-around-the-edges Beck may be exactly what Eliza needs to finally, truly face herself—and decide who she really wants to be.

Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound | iBooks | Book Depository | Books-A-Million

Add to Goodreads

Exclusive excerpt:

“What a loser,” Beckham said, disgusted. “He wanted the hot YouTube therapist and knew she was way the hell out of his league, so he stacked the deck in his favor.”

She smirked and dabbed at her mouth. “I am out of his league, aren’t I?”

He grinned. “Eli, he’s not even on the practice squad of your league.”

“And you were right, the dog wasn’t his.”

He snapped his fingers and pointed. “See? I could feel that. No dog would have him. He was definitely holding Fluffy hostage.”

She pressed her fingers to the spot between her eyes and shook her head, but a smile lingered on her lips. “Thanks, Beckham. You have an uncanny ability to show up when I’m at my worst and make me feel better. I promise I’m higher functioning than how I’ve appeared lately. People do pay me to help with their problems.”

He clasped his hands between his spread knees. “Who says you always have to be high-functioning?”

She gave him a droll look. “Um, everyone. I’m a therapist. My job depends on people believing I have it together at all times.”

He grunted. “Tough job requirement. Not allowed to be human?”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Not fully.”

“Well, I’ll keep your secret.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “That you’re not a robot.”

She stared at him for a moment and then gave him a sad smile. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“I’m feeling a little better. I’m going to go and let you get home.” She rubbed her palms along her skirt. “But before I do, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, sure.”

She narrowed her eyes like she was concentrating and trying to find the right words. “I’m not sure how much booze I still have in my system and if I’m processing things correctly, but earlier…were you about to offer to be an FWB hookup?”

The question made tension rush through him and he got to his feet. He should say no, that she’d misconstrued what he’d said. He could back out now, no harm, no foul. She probably wouldn’t even remember half of their conversation tomorrow.

“Never mind.” She stood and wobbled a little.

On instinct, he put a hand to her elbow to steady her. Her skin was warm, silky. The truth fell out of him. “I was. I know that’s not what you’re looking for, but if you ever find the idea of a low-key hookup with a friend…interesting, or just want to have a little fun while you’re looking for the guy, I bet we could figure out some ways to entertain ourselves.”

Her brown eyes were more focused than they’d been all night, her gaze calculating, then a playful smile curved her lips. “Would you let me lick your tattoos?”

He laughed at the unexpected question even as heat rushed straight downward at the thought. “You’re definitely still a little drunk.”

“Maybe,” she murmured.

“But, Eli”—he bent close to her ear—“I’d let you lick whatever you want…as long as I got the same privilege afforded to me.”

She shuddered a little in his grip and exhaled slowly. “I’ll…keep that in mind.”

He leaned back, shaking his head. No way would she remember this conversation tomorrow.

Want another excerpt and to check out some hero inspiration pics? Click here.

Reviews

Hope you enjoy the book! And if you do, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, a bookstore site, and/or Goodreads. Reviews help so much to get a book in front of more readers’ eyes. I often see my books called “undiscovered gems” by readers. Let’s get this one discovered! LOL.

via GIPHY

Thanks, y’all! (And thank you to all of you who have already left early reviews! <3

I explain why I’m doing this and what the process will look like in my Substack letter today if you’d like to read more.

A beautifully emotional new contemporary romance from New York Times and USA Today bestseller Roni Loren.

Everyone knows Miz Poppy, the vibrant reviewer whose commentary brightens the New Orleans nightlife. But no one knows Hollyn, the real face behind the media star...or the fear that keeps her isolated. When her boss tells her she needs to add video to her blog or lose her job, she's forced to rely on an unexpected source to help her face her fears.

When aspiring actor Jasper Deares finds out the shy woman who orders coffee every day is actually Miz Poppy, he realizes he has a golden opportunity to get the media attention his acting career needs. All he has to do is help Hollyn come out of her shell…and through their growing connection, finally find her voice.

Buy the book:  Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Indiebound | Books-A-Million | Google Play

Unlike previous years, I didn’t post my favorite books of 2021 on the blog and I didn’t post my reading challenges. That’s because I did podcast episodes about both those things and didn’t want to spoil things! But the episodes have been out for a little while now, so I thought I’d post things here for those of you who aren’t listening. You can get details on my favorites and on the challenges in the episodes below. However, if you just want the nitty-gritty list, I still wanted to share those things here because it’s tradition! :)

RAD Reading podcast episodes:

The Best of the Best: Our Top Reads of 2021

Let’s Get Nerdy: Setting Reading Challenges and Goals for 2022

My Fave Reads of 2021 (in no particular order)

• In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashely Winstead

• Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

• Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

• The Roommate by Rosie Danan

• The Wallflower series by Lisa Kleypas

• When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn (

• My Life In France by Julia Child

• Share Your Stuff, I’ll Go First by Laura Tremaine

• Shadow and Bone trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

• Vicious by V.E. Schwab

• I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott

• Text Me When You Get Home by Kayleen Schaeffer

• Joyland by Stephen King

• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

My 2022 Reading Challenges

• Roni’s Bookish Subscription challenge - read 12 books from bookish subscriptions

• Roni’s Indie Author challenge - read at least 10 indie-published books

• Roni’s Romance Roots challenge - read 12 foundational romances

Here are the pages in my journal for each…

Feel free to join in with me! And if those aren’t a fit for you, check out my previous challenges:

Roni’s Read Wide challenge

Roni’s TBR Backlog challenge

I finished both this year! Don’t the pages look pretty all filled in? :)

What were some of your favorite reads of 2021? And what (if any) bookish challenges are you tackling in 2022?

Off the Clock is on sale for $1.99! This ebook is normally $15.99, so now’s the time to grab it! This book is erotic romance and the first in a series. It also won the RITA award for best erotic romance.

Grab your copy:  Nook | Kindle  | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

About the book:

Winner of the RITA Award for Best Erotic Romance of the year!

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LOVING ON THE EDGE NOVELS, THE FIRST IN A SENSUAL NEW SERIES

Overtime has never felt so good…

Marin Rush loves studying sex. Doing it? That’s another story. In the research lab, Marin’s lack of practical knowledge didn’t matter, but now that she’s landed a job at The Grove, a high-end, experimental sex therapy institute, she can’t ignore the fact that the person most in need of sexual healing may be her. 

Dr. Donovan West, her new hotshot colleague, couldn’t agree more. Donovan knows that Marin’s clients are going to eat her alive unless she gets some hands-on experience. And if she fails at the job, he can say goodbye to a promotion, so he assigns her a list of R-rated tasks to prepare her for the wild clientele of The Grove’s X-wing.

But some of those tasks are built for two, and when he finds Marin searching for a candidate to help her check off her list, Donovan decides there’s only one man for the job—him. As long as they keep their erotic, off-the-clock activities strictly confidential and without strings, no one will get fired—or worse, get attached…

READ AN 18+ ONLY EXCERPT HERE!

Grab your copy:  Nook | Kindle  | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

First, if you missed my last post, I’ve moved my newsletter to Substack. The good news is that you can view it online before subscribing to see if it’s your jam. Also, it lets you leave comments like a blog post! I have a new letter over there today about Relishing the Ridiculous: Bonkers romance plots, Hallmark-style movies, and the gift of not having to be so serious all the time.

You can read the whole thing for free here!

There’s also a new episode of RAD Reading out today. We’re talking about What-to-Read Decision fatigue and how to read those Amazon and Goodreads reviews because not all is as it seems. :)

Listen in your favorite podcast app:

• Apple podcasts

• Audible

• Spotify

• Acast  

• Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading

I’m also offering a free download of the TBR spreadsheet I use to keep track of recommendations and why I wanted to read something in the first place. Just scroll down in that post I linked to and you can grab that in the show notes.

And in case you missed it, Crash Into You, my very first novel and the start of The Loving on the Edge series is on sale for $2.99 in ebook. It’s usually $15.99 in ebook, y’all, so grab it. Book 2, Melt Into You, is also on deep discount at $5.99!

That’s all for now. Have a great weekend!