Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been reading and writing romance for most of my life, and I found the stories I was truly drawn to were the ones where I got to know the characters deeply and personally before they got their hard-earned happily ever after. I want to feel like not only the main characters are my new best friends, but also their friends and families. I want to live beside them as they go through this wild ride called life. So, those are the books I set out to write...stories telling about life’s ups and downs, dreams cast aside and remade, and families found along the way. Achingly heartfelt romance with resilient characters readers will adore.


I wrote

Branded by a Song: A Small-town, Rock-star Romance

By L.J. Evans,

Book cover of Branded by a Song: A Small-town, Rock-star Romance

What is my book about?

He’s a country-rock legend aching for a real connection. She’s a single mom stuck in the loss of her past.…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Dear Aaron

L.J. Evans Why did I love this book?

Anything―and I mean anything―by Mariana Zapata is an outstanding slow-burn read. Every book gives you not only a gorgeously written HEA but also laugh-out-loud humor, incredible secondary characters, and stories you’ll physically miss when you’re done. Dear Aaron is a unique read that starts with letters and ends with a heat you’ll feel in your bones.

By Mariana Zapata,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dear Aaron as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you loved From Lukov with Love - the sensational TikTok hit that is captivating readers all over the world - then you don't want to miss Ruby's story in Dear Aaron! No one writes slow burn like Mariana Zapata and her millions of fans agree!

'I swooned, I laughed and I loved!' reader review

'Zapata's books get better each time I read one!!' reader review

'OMG I wish I could rate this more than 5 stars I absolutely LOVED this story' reader review

'Sweet, funny and adorable' reader review

'Wow! I couldn't put this book down, yet I never…


Book cover of Making Faces

L.J. Evans Why did I love this book?

Amy Harmon is another author who you can read anything and love it! The emotions drip from her pages in the full range of laughter to anger to tears. It’s an incredible journey! Even though I read this book years ago, I still feel like I know these characters personally. They are, quite literally, part of the fabric of my life.

By Amy Harmon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Making Faces as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ambrose Young was beautiful. The kind of beautiful that graced the covers of romance novels, and Fern Taylor would know. She'd been reading them since she was thirteen. But maybe because he was so beautiful he was never someone Fern thought she could have...until he wasn't beautiful anymore

Making Faces is the story of a small town where five young men go off to war, and only one comes back. It is the story of loss. Collective loss, individual loss, loss of beauty, loss of life, loss of identity. It is the tale of one girl's love for a broken…


Book cover of The Air He Breathes

L.J. Evans Why did I love this book?

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love emotional books. Books where I can feel every heartbeat and every laugh and every smile. Brittainy Cherry always brings this to her stories. The Air He Breathes was one of my first reads by her, so it has an extra special place in my heart.

By Brittainy C. Cherry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Air He Breathes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

I was warned about Tristan Cole. “Stay away from him,” people said. “He’s cruel.” “He’s cold.” “He’s damaged.” It’s easy to judge a man because of his past. To look at Tristan and see a monster. But I couldn’t do that. I had to accept the wreckage that lived inside of him because it also lived inside of me. We were both empty. We were both looking for something else. Something more. We both wanted to put together the shattered pieces of our yesterdays. Then perhaps we could finally remember how to breathe.


Book cover of The Girl in the Love Song

L.J. Evans Why did I love this book?

I love Emma Scott stories not only because they are amazeballs, but also because she’s a pretty incredible human being with her own incredible story. But be warned, her words don’t hold back any punches. I often want to scream and tear my hair out as I’m reading, but in the end, I have the largest smile on my face. Emma Scott knows how to find the perfect ending to her stunning stories.

By Emma Scott,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Girl in the Love Song as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At Santa Cruz Central High School, they called them the misfits, the outcasts, the weirdos. But most of us knew them as the Lost Boys...Miller Stratton is a survivor. After a harrowing childhood of poverty, he will do anything it takes to find security for himself and his mom. He’s putting all his hopes and dreams in the fragile frame of his guitar and the beauty he creates with its strings and his soulful voice.Until Violet.No one expects to meet the love of their life at age thirteen. But the spunky rich girl steals Miller’s heart and refuses to give…


Book cover of Dear Mr. Brody

L.J. Evans Why did I love this book?

Beautifully written words with a lyrical like feel are what I know I’ll always find within the pages of an A.M. Johnson book. The emotions she wrings from me every time are astonishing, and yet I never feel like I’ve been banged over the head with them like you sometimes get in some heartfelt stories. This is a male-male romance, and even if you don’t think this is your sort of thing, I still highly recommend it because it’s just gorgeous.

By A.M. Johnson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dear Mr. Brody as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Parker,

I never meant for any of this to happen, to fall for you. It doesn't matter that we're both adults, or how much we want this to work. The college policy is clear. I can't see a way around this without one of us getting hurt. If I would’ve known who you were when we met online, I would have never pursued a relationship. I'm new to all of this, and besides my daughter, getting to know you has been the best thing to ever happen to me. But I can't make you hide again. I won't. It's not…


Explore my book 😀

Branded by a Song: A Small-town, Rock-star Romance

By L.J. Evans,

Book cover of Branded by a Song: A Small-town, Rock-star Romance

What is my book about?

He’s a country-rock legend aching for a real connection. She’s a single mom stuck in the loss of her past. A letter brings them together and flips their worlds forever.

A heartfelt slow-burn about the lyrical, healing power of love with vibrant characters who might leave a permanent mark on your soul.

Book cover of Dear Aaron
Book cover of Making Faces
Book cover of The Air He Breathes

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The December Issue

By J. Shep,

Book cover of The December Issue

J. Shep Author Of The December Issue

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

J.'s 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

"a fresh narrative whose scale, ambition, and pathos elevate" -Pacific Book Review

"The December Issue warms up the soul from its first chapter to the last." -Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5 Stars

The joys of retirement feel imminent to columnist Paul Scrivensby, a native of the Great Lakes' very own St. Catherine's Cove, but when his penultimate column stirs controversy, the writer soon finds easing into carefree days of leisure a luxury growing more elusive. Embroiled in the unexpected pursuits presented before him while on the verge of retirement, Paul discovers what he and others are capable of and searches for…

The December Issue

By J. Shep,

What is this book about?

The joys of retirement feel imminent to columnist Paul Scrivensby, a native of the Great Lakes' very own St. Catherine's Cove, but when his penultimate column stirs controversy, the writer soon finds easing into carefree days of leisure a luxury growing more elusive. Embroiled in the unexpected pursuits presented before him while on the verge of retirement, Paul discovers what he and others are capable of and searches for understanding of what is truly expected of him at this pivotal point in his life.

A story of discernment amid the challenges and blessings of work, retirement, family, community, and past…


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