Salt air and the rust on your door...

Author

Bethany Monaco Smith
August 25, 2023

Hello my friends and happy August! (Yes, I’ve had august by Taylor Swift stuck in my head for weeks now) I know it was August in my last email, but I was in a release day haze. Speaking of release day, thank you all so much for helping me have a great one (seriously my best one ever!) and get another little orange #1 new release banner in a couple of categories on Amazon. I appreciate you all so much!

I’m writing today as my kids are watching Lightyear and I’m trying not to cry because I’ve never met a Pixar movie I didn’t cry at. School starts here in about two weeks, and my littlest will be in all day preschool for the first time (insert sob here). I’m sad but also excited because I can’t remember the last time I had the house to myself for more than an hour. Are your kids back in school yet? If not, I’m sending all the chill vibes to get you through the tail end of summer vacation. And to all the teachers out there, y’all are the heroes & I appreciate what you do every single day!

Now onto the bookish things…

The Forever Fight cover & blurb reveal!

What happens when the grumpy girl meets the charming (former) player? Sparks fly. But they aren’t all sexy ones.

Dani Malone has gotten under my skin.

When the whirlwind with ice purple hair and a don’t-look-in-my-direction attitude sits down next to me at the bar, it's game over for my heart.

I've known Dani for years, but we've never truly known each other.

Fresh off broken hearts, I'm ready to find my forever love, but Dani is guarded. The sunshiney girl I remember is grumpy and closed-off, and she has zero interest in the player she remembers me as.

I'm not that guy anymore, and even if I was, Dani is not a game. She's more. She's what I want, and I can tell she wants me, too, even if I'm stuck at the top of her hell no list.

What she doesn't understand is I'm no quitter. It’s now my mission to find out who hurt her, fix what they broke, bring out her smile again, and protect her heart.

Nothing worth having is easy, and Dani is worth everything. So I'm going to be patient, put in the work, and keep fighting for the forever I want. With her.

Last chance to win!

🏖☀️KU Steamy Summer Fest Giveaway☀️🏖

Join a group of amazing authors partnering for this steamy summer giveaway!

One Grand Prize Winner will receive a $150 Amazon Gift Card!

Runner up will receive a ticket to Lust in the Lowcountry Romancecon and an item off their Amazon wishlist!

Giveaway will close on 08/31/2023 at 11:59pm EST

PLEASE NOTE BY ENTERING INTO THIS GIVEAWAY YOU ARE AGREEING TO RECEIVE NEWSLETTERS FROM ALL PARTICIPATING AUTHORS INVOLVED.

One last reveal…

If you’ve read Heartbreak Like This, you already know who the seventh book in the Friends Like This series is about & the title, but if you haven’t gotten there yet, here’s the reveal…

I can’t wait to reveal more about their story from their tropes to their cover, but for now, I’ll leave you with this little teaser…

He wraps his hand around the side of my neck, then dips his head down and gives me a soft but powerful kiss. The kind that tells me no matter what lines I’m trying to draw, they’re formed in wet sand, and soon enough they’re going to be washed away. Just like my resolve.

Thanks again for helping make the Heartbreak Like This release such a success. Stay tuned for all kinds of exciting things coming in September, including The Forever Fight teasers and release, stuff your Kindle day, plus trope and cover reveals for Family Like This!

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 JUST finished writing Family Like This!

  • Currently distracting me from those things: No distractions right now, just rewarding myself for finishing Family Like This with the movie version of Red, White, and Royal Blue. I am OBSESSED.

  • Currently reading: About to start an ARC from an author friend & also Pucking Wild!!

  • Currently listening to: Lots of playlists right now!

If you want more fun behind the scenes info, make sure you join my FB reader group, Bethany’s Book Besties! 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!

Until next time, take care & happy reading…