For yours eyes only!

Bethany Monaco Smith
February 01, 2023

In this email...

Together Like This cover reveal!
Your first TLT teaser!
A sneak peek at the secret freebie
P.S. Don't forget...
This week's featured book
Behind the scenes of what I'm working on right now

Together Like This cover & blurb reveal!

I'm getting right to the point today! Because you all are my super special people, you get to see the cover and blurb for Together Like This TWO DAYS before everyone else! Do you feel special yet? But remember, this is for your eyes only!

I cannot wait for you all to fall in love with Sarah and Joel, so without further ado...

This might be a slippery slope.

Joel Wilkinson is many things. Funny, charming, charismatic, the best snuggler in the world. The boy who I share a bed with every single night… even though we’re not dating.

Did I mention we also kiss sometimes?

Yeah, it’s definitely a slippery slope, but it’s one I want to slide down—just slowly.

Because here’s the thing, I’m messy at best. And Joel… isn’t.

One more thing about him? He’s the most loving, patient guy in existence. He gives me everything I need, often before I realize I need it.

But I know I’m not in a place to give him the same. Joel has been my friend since I was five. He’s been my safe place in hard moments, never giving up on me no matter what I do. I can’t lose that.

No matter how strong I seem right now, knowing me, if I rush into this, I will mess it up.

So I’m taking it slow, blurring lines I refuse to cross, and praying that I don’t push him too far and make him walk away before we ever truly get started.

A teaser too!

The cover and blurb are NOT enough. I have to acquaint you with the epic swooniness of Joel Wilkinson. You are not ready for this man and the way he LOVES Sarah. All the heart eyes. All the swoon.

“What do you want out of your future, Joel? We saw Jamie get a big part of his future handed to him today. Rae and Aaron are a few months away from getting married, and they both know what they want to do for careers. What about you? What do you want?”

He drops down onto his back and takes my hand.

“Happiness,” he says softly. “I mean, I know it won’t always be like that, but at a base level, I want happiness. Doing a job I enjoy—even if it’s not perfect. Coming home to the person I love—even when it’s hard. I want to love someone and be loved. Build a life and a family. Raise kind kids who know they’re loved and wanted, and who never question if their parents love them.”

Tears stream down my cheeks because I know he’s talking about us. In different ways and at different times, we didn’t have the love we deserved. We felt alone. Isolated. Not something I ever want my future children to feel.

Tears come faster when I realize that when I imagine that future, when I imagine having a child, Joel is the one there with me.

I roll over, my wet face slamming into his chest as I wrap my arms around him. I’m afraid to tell him I want the same things. Afraid to make a promise I’m not sure I can keep, but like usual, he doesn’t force me to.

He kisses my head and whispers, “Most of all, I want to hold my wife like this every night, look into her deep blue eyes, and tell her she’s not alone, and she never will be.”

Freebie sneak peek!

Coming in your next newsletter! I'm so excited to share this with all of you! Until then, here's a little tease, from a chapter entitled Tease, because she may have been teasing him about whether she was wearing underwear on their date. Let's just say... he finds out. ;)

P.S. Don't forget about cupid and his mischief!

Love and Other Kerfuffles is out February 7th! It is a charity anthology with all proceeds going to breast cancer research. If you haven't pre-ordered, be sure to do that. There are loads of great authors involved and you can find a short story from me in there as well!

Featured book

Viola King's birth has never been a day for celebration. She vows this year will be different. First up on the list: Lose her virginity before graduation. She’s always had a thing for guys in uniforms, so she why not go to a bar frequented by cops? She soon meets a man in a uniform guaranteed to give her the one night stand she seeks. Mike Sinclair is just looking for a badge bunny for his usual night of casual sex. Except, his latest conquest definitely isn’t a bunny at all and is gone before he can explore things further. Maybe he shouldn’t have given her a fake name. What about when all her best-laid plans go out the window, and she ends up at his door with nowhere to turn? What happens when he learns she’s the youngest sister of his best friend and partner?

Badge Bunny is the first book in the Legacy in Blue series. It is standalone with a guaranteed HEA. There are at least six books planned in the series. Each book will follow one of the siblings from the King Family.

Behind the scenes with me

Want to know what I'm working on right now? Listening to? Reading? What's rumbling around in my head? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway!

Currently working on: Formatting the secret project & about to start Mark Abbott (Rae's cousin) and Frannie Baker's (side character from RBTY) sexy vacation romance novella.
Currently distracting me from those things: Jesse Wilkinson and [redacted]. There is something REALLY fun in store for him.
Currently reading: Still on my Elle Kennedy binge, but I'm looking forward to some ARCs
Currently listening to: All the love songs for Valentine's Day!

If you want more fun behind the scenes info, make sure you join my FB reader group! It's where we talk about books, romance, my characters & their love stories, and where I share random unedited snippets of what I'm working on and other fun teases! And this year there might be an exclusive giveaway or two as well!

How do you feel about Sarah and Joel's cover? Are you ready for the start of their love story? If you haven't started the series yet, keep an eye out around Valentine's Day for a 99 cent sale! Until next time, take care and happy reading!