Gratitude & Grace

Bethany Monaco Smith
May 22, 2023

Hello my lovely readers!

I'm writing to you today from my back deck, sitting in a not so quiet moment, drinking coffee as my kids yell at my husband in the background (don't worry, he can handle it).

I'd be lying if I told you that May has been a thrilling month for me. The truth is, I've been working through a lot of mental health stuff. It's required a significant amount of grace for myself and gratitude for all the people who love and support me (and if you're reading this, then in at least some small way that means you!)

With that, I'm once again making some changes to this newsletter so I can keep bringing you lots of fun content and writing new books without burning myself out. For the foreseeable future, I'll be sending only two emails each month, one during the first week of the month and the next during the third week. In a release month or with a sale you might get more, but really I want to make them the best I can give you, so I'm choosing quality over quantity.

As I said before, I'm also practicing gratitude as often as I can, so if you're reading this, thanks for being here! I appreciate your support more than I can say (and I'm supposed to be good with words!).

Finally, I wanted to check back with you about the Kindle Unlimited poll I ran a few weeks ago. I want to clarify that for now, my books are staying in KU. It's a major source of income for me, but since everything changes, I want to be open to adapting if I need to. The cool thing is most of you seemed open to that too. But if I ever did leave KU, rest assured, I'd put my books on Hoopla so hopefully it would still be available to a broad range of readers at low or no cost.

Okay, all that housekeeping aside, I hope you're doing well and let's get on to the fun stuff!

Another “holy shit” is in the books…

Literally!! If you don’t know what this means, you might want to check out the Friends Like This series. Those who have read it will know that each book ends with a “holy shit” of some form. This particular one means Heartbreak Like This is done. Or at least as done as it ever is before my betas give me feedback and it goes to my fabulous editor, Lacey.

Heartbreak was a roller coaster of a book featuring drama, plenty of heartache, mental health issues, plenty of swoony and steamy moments, and even a dash of suspense. Here’s a tiny preview of what to expect from the second part of Sarah & Joel’s story…

Mark and Frannie are almost here

Mark & Frannie’s fun & steamy vacation rom com, The Last Lie, is coming on June 6th. Advance copies go out this week & I’m excited for everyone to get to read their story. Here’s a tiny teaser & the blurb to hold you over (and prove that Frannie Baker is super relatable).

What do you do when you're the most hated player in the NFL? Skip town, use your mom's maiden name, and hide out.

From the moment I step on the plane from New York to South Carolina I go from Mark Abbott, hated quarterback, to Mark Hainley, unassuming small town boy on his way to a tiny beach town and a private resort for a two week escape all alone.

At least, that's the plan until I sit down next to football-oblivious and possibly crazy Frannie Baker on my flight. Though her beauty makes me look twice, it's everything else about her that draws me in.

From her fear of flying to her comforting herself with Eminem lyrics to her love of books, I can't help but want to know more.

When we end up at the same private resort, I can't stay away, but as we grow closer without her knowing the truth of who I am and what I'm running from, I can't help but wonder if fate is pulling us together or pushing us apart.

Are Mark and Frannie destined for more than a vacation fling? Find out in The Last Lie, a fun, playful, and steamy vacation rom com.

P.S. Don’t forget this one is part of the Holidays and Hookups Vacation Romance Anthology from The New Romance Cafe.

Last but not least, a Devon & Kennedy tease…

In case you didn’t know… best friends to lovers stories are my absolute favorites, and The Last Key is no exception, especially because I got to lean into Devon & Kennedy’s steamy playfulness instead as opposed to lots of angst (even though I love angst). Here’s a fun little snippet…

“Hey,” she says, as I walk into the kitchen and plop down on a stool. “Breakfast sandwiches are almost done. Are you… okay?”

Is she asking me if I fucked my hand?

Pretending I don’t know what she’s talking about, I ask, “Okay?”

“Yeah. I thought I heard you calling for me. I was worried maybe you needed something.” She says it with such a straight face, she has to know. She’s not that fucking innocent. Especially after what I heard yesterday. She knows.

She turns around and flips the eggs in the pan.

How do I answer that?

Yes. I needed you against the shower wall, water beating down on us as I fucked you from behind.

Then I smile, and I take a page out of her playbook. “No. I was just singing.”

She’s in the middle of flipping one of the eggs when I say it and she nearly drops it and the spatula. I’m wearing a cocky smile when she spins back to look at me, eyes wide.

“Singing?” she chokes out.

“Yeah. I guess we both like singing in the shower.”

Her eyes are massive and locked on me.

Still grinning, I hop off the stool, stroll around the counter, and flick the burner off.

“In case you didn’t know…” I croon the first few lines of the chorus from Brett Young’s In Case You Didn’t Know.

Maybe it’s a little heavy-handed, but I do like the song.

She continues gaping at me until the toaster oven beeps, then she turns her attention to getting the bagels out, buttering them, and assembling the sandwiches.

When she finishes adding the eggs, she turns and shoves a plate in my hand, then sings, “Not like I’m in love with you…”

Now I’m staring at her with wide eyes.

She smiles devilishly. “It’s a song by Lauren Weintraub. My shower go-to.”

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: I am just about to start my newest WIP which may involve fan favorite FLT character, Jesse Wilkinson.
Currently distracting me from those things: A certain main character from FLT whose love story is up next ;)
Currently reading: I have got to dive back into my KU TBR but I’m 100% behind right now.
Currently listening to: Podcasts & playlists… as usual

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!

Hope everything is going well with all of you. Any guesses on who the next FLT character to get a love story will be?? What’s on your TBR? Anyone else in their hockey romance era? That’s all for me today. Until next time, take care & happy reading!