Why am I passionate about this?

As a cultural anthropologist I’m deeply interested in the unspoken rules in society. One of the unspoken rules of western society is outright suspicion of women’s sexuality. There is so much back and forth with romance about high heat or low heat, open door closed door, dirty or clean. These dichotomies create value judgments about what makes a book appropriate. Books that center around female pleasure don’t have to be something to be ashamed of and we should question the society that tells us this is so. My novels are a celebration of love and desire, a commentary on society and somehow fun at the same time. 


I wrote

Book cover of Pride and Protest

What is my book about?

Liza B.—the only DJ who gives a jam—wants to take her neighborhood back from the soulless property developer dropping unaffordable…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Seven Days in June

Nikki Payne Why did I love this book?

Whew! Crack the door while reading this gorgeous romance by Tia Williams. The protagonists, Shane and Eva, meet each other broken, they share a fragmented upbringing, a deep love of writing, and seven days in June that changed their lives forever. Fifteen years pass, then Eva's quiet, ordered life is turned upside down when Shane reappears. Dear reader, when they meet again... all bets are off. Shane is a revelation as a leading man: sensitive, vulnerable, and so powerful and erudite that I started to side-eye my partner. There were instances when I swear to you I could smell Eva's migraine ointment, she was so fully realized and tangible to me. I loved this story because at its heart, it is a story of redemption with deep roots. The characters are vibrant, bleeding, pulsing, living creatures that crawl off the page and stomp on your heart. Did I mention the love scenes are blistering? Equal parts swoony and razor-sharp, when it's done, you'll want to go again.

By Tia Williams,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Seven Days in June as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon book club pick is "a heady combination of book love and between-the-sheets love.” (Ruth Ware)

“Tia Williams’s book is a smart, sexy testament to Black joy, to the well of strength from which women draw, and to tragic romances that mature into second chances. I absolutely loved it.”
—JODI PICOULT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Two Ways and Small Great Things

Seven days to fall in love, fifteen years to forget, and seven days to get it all back again...

Eva Mercy is a single mom…


Book cover of Book Lovers

Nikki Payne Why did I love this book?

How can banter be this sexy? Emily Henry’s characters jump off the page. A tough cynical self-described serial dumpee takes a trip to a small town only to find the one person grumpier than her. Nora is a hard case with a soft spot for her hilarious sister. She absolutely should not be attracted to her fellow book agent, but the sizzle is undeniable. It’s not just the kissy parts of this book that will melt your sheets. The reason I recommend the Hell out of this book is because the banter is just so so sexy. The way the main characters relate to each other makes me yearn to be understood this way. If you want a cerebral romp this book is my number one pick.

By Emily Henry,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked Book Lovers as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“One of my favorite authors.”—Colleen Hoover

An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation.

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily ∙ Today ∙ Parade ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Bustle ∙ PopSugar ∙ Katie Couric Media ∙ Book Bub ∙ SheReads ∙ Medium ∙ The Washington Post ∙ and more!

One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn't see coming...

Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream…


Book cover of The Hacienda

Nikki Payne Why did I love this book?

Two words: Hot Priest. Set after the Mexican War of Independence this book put me in a crisis. Too spooky to keep going and too hot to put down. What’s a girl to do? A beautiful impoverished Beatriz agrees to a marriage of convenience with a wealthy elite with a secret. How did his first wife die? One forgets… Once she arrives at the Hacienda, all hell breaks loose. Turns out, these walls can talk. She reaches out to the church for an exorcism (as one does) and in walks the Priest/ Mestizo Brujo of my dreams. What I love about this work is the clever social commentary on mestizo discrimination and the evocative foods and descriptions that transport the reader. The tension, the terror the evocative language will keep you up at night for all the right reasons!

By Isabel Cañas,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Hacienda as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches...

During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
 
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

When…


Book cover of In the Event of Love

Nikki Payne Why did I love this book?

This is the sapphic hallmark debut you’ve been waiting for. Buzzfeed’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Romances of 2022, this work delivers the heat. First of all, how dare this Courtney Kae. To jam pack this book with all of this hot cocoa coziness and small-town charm and have the nerve to make me want to slam the book closed and look around guiltily when the kiddos come around? Morgan is a hotshot event planner that needs an urgent and abrupt break from the LA scene. Moving back home should be easy but she bumps into her old flame and they work together to save a tree farm– a tree farm yall! I told you it was cozy AF. If you are looking for low angst memorable characters, adorable settings, and heat to steam your glasses. This book is it.

By Courtney Kae,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In the Event of Love as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Be one of the first to read this sneak preview sample edition!

Morgan Ross can plan world-class events, but she didn’t plan on returning to the hometown that broke her heart seven years ago—and re-discovering the girl of her dreams . . .

With her career as a Los Angeles event planner imploding after a tabloid blowup, Morgan Ross isn’t headed home for the holidays so much as in strategic retreat. Breathtaking mountain vistas, quirky townsfolk, and charming small businesses aside, her hometown of Fern Falls is built of one heartbreak on top of another . . .
 
Take her…


Book cover of Ice Planet Barbarians

Nikki Payne Why did I love this book?

Oh come on, you knew I was going to do it. I am a dyed-in-the-wool Trekkie and we weren't getting out of this list without some sci-romance. Shipwrecked on a planet of Blue aliens, a cargo ship full of human women must make due. There are at least 21 of these stories and I read them like potato chips. The first story is for Georgie and Vektal; he is friendly, the good kind of possessive, and cherishes Georgie. The planet is compelling and Ruby describes the alien world well. Level 5 for spice, this book does not mince words. Do yourself a favor and start this steamy series. 

By Ruby Dixon,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Ice Planet Barbarians as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You'd think being abducted by aliens would be the worst thing that could happen to me. And you'd be wrong. Because now, the aliens are having ship trouble, and they've left their cargo of human women - including me - on an ice planet.

And the only native inhabitant I've met? He's big, horned, blue, and really, really has a thing for me...


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of Pride and Protest

What is my book about?

Liza B.—the only DJ who gives a jam—wants to take her neighborhood back from the soulless property developer dropping unaffordable condos on every street corner in DC. But her planned protest at a corporate event takes a turn after she mistakes the smoldering-hot CEO for the waitstaff. When they go toe-to-toe, the sparks fly. Liza wants Dorsey Fitzgerald out of her hood, but she’ll settle for getting him out of her head.

As the adopted Filipino son of a wealthy white family, Dorsey has always felt a bit out of place and knows a fraud when he sees one. But when Liza’s protest results in a viral meme, their lives are turned upside down, and Dorsey comes to realize this irresistible revolutionary is the most real woman he’s ever met.

You might also like...

Curiosity and the Cat

By Martin Treanor,

Book cover of Curiosity and the Cat

Martin Treanor Author Of The Logos Prophecy

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Illustrator Reader Jester Quantum physics buff

Martin's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.

Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine, unleashing strange and frightening happenings around her home, which, in turn, reveals a disturbing family history. 

An ominous tale of faerie folk.

Curiosity and the Cat

By Martin Treanor,

What is this book about?

Curiosity is certain she saw fairies at the bottom of the garden. Little does she know . . . they saw her first.

Emotionally abandoned by her mother and infatuated by a figurine of a fairy ballerina she discovers in an old toy shop, eight-year-old Curiosity Portland steals the figurine, unleashing strange and frightening happenings around her home, which, in turn, reveals a disturbing family history.

An ominous tale of faerie folk.



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