Blog Archives
Allison Turns The Page
Allison Turns the Page, by Leslie A. Rasmussen, is a warm, comic novel about a bestselling author whose professional success arrives before she’s emotionally prepared for it. Allison Hoffman has written a celebrated romance, but she’s blocked on her second novel and increasingly convinced that her own love life proves she’s a fraud. Her search for inspiration leads to disastrous dates, a self-published revenge story, an anonymous correspondence through a neighborhood book box, and a romantic choice that forces her to confront how often fear has shaped her decisions. Rasmussen gives Allison a lively first-person voice, full of anxious observations, pop-culture references, and jokes that often reveal more than Allison intends.
The book’s strongest feature is its combination of humor and emotional self-scrutiny. Allison can turn an awkward pharmacy line, a family meal, or a blind date into a comic set piece, yet her humor also functions as armor. Beneath the running jokes about dating apps, biological clocks, terrible reviews, and her rescue dog Sally, she’s dealing with abandonment, envy, creative insecurity, and a deep fear that loving someone gives them permission to leave. Her family and friends are drawn broadly, but they have enough affection and friction to feel like people who’ve known one another for years. Olivia, Allison’s blunt younger sister, is especially effective because her teasing can be irritating, funny, and unexpectedly perceptive within the same conversation.
Readers who enjoy Bridget Jones’s Diary will recognize the appeal of a heroine who narrates her romantic mistakes with embarrassing honesty. Allison shares Bridget’s gift for spiraling from a small uncertainty into a complete personal catastrophe, but Rasmussen places more emphasis on creative identity and the publishing world. The novel also has some of Sophie Kinsella’s comic rhythm, particularly when Allison’s attempts to protect herself create increasingly complicated misunderstandings. Still, the story’s emotional center belongs to Allison’s development as a writer. Her failed second novel, essays about her personal life, and eventual return to fiction aren’t side plots. They mirror her gradual willingness to stop performing confidence and begin telling the truth.
At times, Allison’s romantic indecision may test readers who spot the healthier choice before she does. Yet that also captures the mind of someone who can recognize her habits intellectually while continuing to repeat them emotionally. By the conclusion, her growth feels earned because the story lets her make selfish, frightened, and messy choices before she learns to take responsibility for them. Allison Turns the Page is an upbeat, character-driven romantic comedy about writing your way through failure, trusting happiness when it appears, and realizing that becoming ready for love begins with becoming honest about yourself.
Pages: 270 | ASIN : B0GX32GQHM
Matters of the Heart
Wrecking Ball centers around an environmental safety inspector recovering from a dead-end relationship whose life is jolted by a charming construction worker and a series of misunderstandings. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Many people have found themselves in a relationship where difficult decisions must be made. Is my partner good for my future? Are they dragging me down? What about my own dreams? Matters of the heart are never simple or easy. Although this story is a rom-com with exaggerated situations, there is an underlying theme about relationship choices that I believe many people can relate to, which became my inspiration for this work.
The novel blends romantic comedy with genuine emotional vulnerability. How did you find the balance between laughter and heartbreak?
The pain of heartbreak can be unbearable, but sometimes things happen for a reason. Whether you believe in fate, karma, destiny, or just plain luck, things have a way of working out. Later, we can laugh through our pain and occasionally discover that the new situation we find ourselves in turned out for the better.
The novel has a wonderfully playful sense of humor. Which scene made you laugh the most while writing it?
For those who work in an office setting, I believe everyone can relate to the “office gossip” and the people responsible for it. The Cluck Club from the story represents the group that likes to spread rumors and be the center of attention. I found it humorous writing about those ladies, especially when other people might find themselves wanting to be part of the gossip!
Can fans expect more stories set in this world or featuring some of the supporting characters?
Unfortunately, no. My novellas tend to be stand-alone tales across multiple genres. I very much loved getting to know Bethany, Leon, and even young Rosaline as I wrote Wrecking Ball and gave them their own world.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
*From the award-winning author of Naked Interview and The Uninvited Guest – Alice Re: Wonderland*
Love letters spark the heart, but when white lies smother the flame, Bethany and Leon encounter a mountain of trouble!
Bethany works in the office conducting safety inspections. Leon sweats it out in construction wielding heavy machinery. The two couldn’t be more different, and an initial encounter in a parking lot leaves both fuming.
However, pen and paper bring the awkward couple together in ways that surprise them both. From terms of endearment to shy feelings, Bethany and Leon explore an undefined relationship through the written word.
Unfortunately, secrets and misunderstandings shatter their connection before things really heat up. Add a smooth-talking, conniving ex into the picture and things really go south fast. Can Bethany and Leon sift through the madness and mistakes to salvage the delicate beginnings of love, or will a hypothetical wrecking ball leave their emotions in the dust for good?
This spicy romantic comedy follows Bethany and Leon’s story of miscues and mayhem. The romance is tense and the poor hearts sensitive as the lovers try to find common ground. This fun story contains the following tropes:
-Love letters
-Meet-cute…nah!
-Ex interference
-Troublesome white lies
-Enemies to friends to enemies to lovers (whew!)
-HEA
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball, by Pamela Summers, follows Bethany, an environmental safety inspector trying to recover from a dead-end relationship with career-obsessed Joshua, only to have her orderly life jolted by Leon, a construction worker whose charm arrives with concrete dust, hard hats, and several spectacular misunderstandings. What begins as irritation over a filthy car and an awkward confrontation becomes a workplace-adjacent romance full of missed signals, handwritten notes, old emotional bruises, family complications, and the stubborn hope that two people can still build something solid after making a mess of the foundation.
I enjoyed how Bethany is written as both capable and gloriously fallible. She is not a glossy romance heroine gliding through conflict with perfect hair and perfect instincts; she overthinks, snaps back, spirals, embarrasses herself, and occasionally turns a small problem into a full civic emergency. That made her feel relatable. The humor works best when the book lets her private commentary run wild, especially around the “cluck club,” the construction crew, and her own unwilling attraction to Leon. The story has a bright, unruly energy, like a romantic comedy that wandered onto a job site and refused to wear proper protective gear.
Leon works because he brings warmth without becoming bland. His “Fuzzy Hero” hard hat, his devotion to Rosaline, and his careful attempts to reach Bethany give the romance a sweetness that balances the book’s steamier moments. I was most drawn to the sections where the comedy gives way to hurt pride, miscommunication, and second chances; those scenes give the novel its emotional ballast. The misunderstandings pile up in a way that feels almost theatrical, but that heightened quality is part of the book’s engine. It wants the chaos, the fluster, the door-slamming embarrassment, and then the catharsis of people finally saying the thing they should have said three chapters earlier.
This book is a good fit for readers who like contemporary romance, workplace romance, romantic comedy, and second-chance-adjacent love stories with open-door heat and a lively heroine. Fans of Tessa Bailey’s blend of blue-collar attraction, humor, and emotional sincerity may find a familiar kind of pleasure here, though Pamela Summers gives the story her own chatty, combustible rhythm. Wrecking Ball is a romance about demolition, repair, and the reckless little miracle of trusting someone near the scaffolding of your heart.
Pages: 114 | ASIN : B0FNKZ9H5K
A is for Amy
A Is for Amy by Steven Crandell is a romantic comedy novella about Amy, a young widowed mother of three trying to find her way back into desire, confidence, and choice after grief, betrayal, and exhaustion have narrowed her life. The story follows her alphabetically through encounters with Charlie, an alluring ex-milkman with his own wounds, and Quentin, a gentler surprise who eventually becomes the more grounded romantic possibility. It’s funny, messy, and deliberately intimate, a romance that is less about being rescued than about remembering that wanting something is allowed.
I really liked the voice. It’s sharp, playful, and sometimes outrageous, but underneath the jokes there is real loneliness. Amy’s thoughts move the way a tired parent’s mind moves, bouncing from breast-feeding to unpaid bills to sex to self-help books to the weird emotional weather of being seen again. I liked that the humor doesn’t polish her life into something cute. It lets the house be chaotic. It lets grief be ugly. It lets motherhood be loving and boring and gross and sacred, sometimes all on the same page.
Crandell makes a bold choice with the alphabet structure, and I think it works because the book itself feels like Amy trying to name her life one piece at a time. Attraction. Baby Bartlette. Freedom. Nutella. Yes. The structure gives the novella a quick, bright rhythm, almost like flipping through snapshots. I did sometimes feel the comedy pushed hard, especially with Bart and some of the broader side characters, but even then, the excess seems tied to Amy’s way of surviving. She turns pain into punchlines because otherwise the pain would just sit there, heavy and unmoving.
As a romantic comedy novella, A Is for Amy will probably appeal most to readers who like love stories with bite, warmth, and a little domestic chaos. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven romance, especially stories about second chances after loss. This book has sass, it has crumbs on the floor, kids at the door, and a heart that keeps choosing to open.
Pages: 95 | ASIN : B0GL9VKNXS
Old Hurt and New Possibility
The One Who Ghosted Me follows a guarded geologist who discovers her new project lead is the man who ghosted her five years ago and now wants a second chance to make things right. Why explore ghosting as a central emotional engine?
Ghosting has become such a familiar wound in modern dating, and my first instinct was the same as most people’s—it felt like a cowardly act. But I wondered, what if it wasn’t? What if someone disappeared not because they didn’t care, but because they cared so much they didn’t see another way out? That question, and the emotional wreckage it leaves on both sides, became the foundation of Amelia and Jonathan’s story.
What drew you to writing Amelia as someone fiercely protective of her independence, and what makes her different from typical contemporary romance heroines?
I’m a deeply independent woman, and I’ve always been drawn to a heroine who can take care of herself rather than waiting for someone else to provide for her. But romance also holds this fantasy of being truly taken care of by your partner, and the friction between those two desires can cause real internal conflict.
Amelia is different because she’s a scientist and outdoorsy, which isn’t common in the genre. After twenty years as a geologist myself, I wanted to write a woman whose competence is just part of who she is, not a quirk, not a fake-it-til-you-make-it costume. She knows what she’s doing out there. Trusting someone with her heart was the harder job.
Why do you think readers are drawn to unresolved love stories, and what makes second-chance romance especially powerful for you as a writer?
I believe most people carry at least one unresolved love story—the one that got away, or the one that ended before it should have. Reading about characters who get back together and finish what was left unfinished lets us vicariously experience that possibility. It’s about hope.
As a writer, second-chance romance gives me something a first-meeting story can’t. The characters know exactly which buttons to press and exactly where the wounds are. That history creates a kind of tension that’s impossible to manufacture from scratch. I find that space, between old hurt and new possibility, compelling to write. And for this series in particular, the idea of second chances runs far deeper than one book. But readers will have to keep reading to understand what I mean by that.
Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?
The One Who Ghosted Me is Book 1 of the Fontaine Series. Book 2, Melanie and Brandon’s story, will be released early in 2027. Book 2 turns up the heat with an enemies-to-lovers pairing that readers will have already seen coming.
Melanie Foxx doesn’t believe in soulmates. Brandon Fontaine definitely doesn’t believe in past lives. Forced to team up for Amelia and Jonathan’s wedding-venue challenge, they clash over everything—except their inconvenient attraction.
But when old family wounds collide with eerie flashes of “we’ve been here before,” they’ll have to choose: repeat the same heartbreak … or finally rewrite the story their souls keep trying to tell.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
Rainmere, Washington. In this close-knit Pacific Northwest town, Amelia Preston refuses to give up control. With people counting on her at home, the romantically gun-shy young widow stays focused on turning her contract job into a full-time career. But her opportunity to land a position with benefits comes under threat when she learns the new project lead is the guy who swept her off her feet five years ago… and then vanished.
Jonathan Fontaine longs to make things right. Still shouldering a mountain of guilt over the woman he let slip away, the outdoorsy geologist hopes the next three months of working side-by-side will end in forgiveness. So when she needs help avoiding her friends’ unwanted matchmaking, he steps out of his carefully constructed personal life and offers himself up as a fake boyfriend.
Insisting on strict boundaries to avoid getting burned again, a nervous Amelia softens her rules in the face of their undeniable chemistry. But though Jonathan might be hearing wedding bells, he doesn’t know how to break free from family duty and embrace his own happiness.
Is this an all-too-common repeat heartbreak, or a rare second chance at true love?
The One Who Ghosted Me is the flirty first book in the Fontaine Family contemporary romance series, featuring second-chance workplace romance with touches of the supernatural. If you like emotional depth balanced with humor, characters you’ll want as friends, and places that feel like they’re part of the cast, then you’ll adore Erica Devon’s addictive tale.
Buy The One Who Ghosted Me for a swoon-worthy escape today!
The One Who Ghosted Me
Erica Devon’s The One Who Ghosted Me drops me into a second-chance collision: Amelia Preston, still raw from being abruptly cut off by Jonathan five years earlier, is rebuilding a life in Rainmere, Washington, juggling contract geology work and a strange, high-security assistant gig for an unseen employer (WJ7 Inc.) at a looming estate. Then Jonathan reappears as the lead on a high-stakes merger asset project, and the past isn’t just unresolved, it’s booby-trapped, with old loyalties, new pressures, and a secret that finally explains why he vanished.
That old-school, can’t-look-away tension Devon builds when two people know each other’s soft spots and still choose each other’s bruises is enthralling. Amelia’s voice has a flinty, self-protective edge that feels earned (she’s not “guarded” in the decorative way; she’s done), and Jonathan is written with a believable burden, competent, loyal, and quietly wrecked by the consequences of doing the right thing. When the book finally lays out the whistleblower/protective-custody truth behind the ghosting, it doesn’t erase the damage, but it does sharpen the moral dilemma into something you can bite into.
I came for the romance reparations and stayed for the atmosphere. The story keeps slipping little splinters of mystery under the skin. An old journal, a tucked-away map, a chapel with a digital lockbox, and those recurring “that’s odd” sensations (the metallic smell, the forest’s almost-guiding presence, the too-perfect feeling of rightness) add a faintly uncanny undertow without tipping the book into full paranormal. And when the external world punches in, merger fallout, professional brinkmanship, and the Brazil transfer that lands like a guillotine, the love story doesn’t float above “real life”; it gets dragged through it.
If you like contemporary romance, second-chance romance, workplace romance, slow-burn, and a dash of romantic suspense / gothic-leaning mystery, this is aimed squarely at you, especially if you enjoy heroines who insist on stability and still risk tenderness, and heroes who have to choose integrity over the neat, impressive life-plan. The late-book glow-up (including wedding plans and the found-family warmth) lands like sunlight finally hitting a cold room. If you’ve ever devoured a Nora Roberts romance for its grounded emotion plus a low, steady hum of secrets, Devon’s approach will feel like a close cousin, modern, outdoorsy, and just a little haunted. The One Who Ghosted Me is a story about the cost of silence, and the fierce, stubborn relief of being chosen out loud.
Pages: 488 | ASIN : B0GDSKD3LS
Unconditional Love
The Sound of Violet, 10th Anniversary Edition follows a young programmer with autism and a woman caught in a web of exploitation as their worlds collide in a way that offers them both hope. Where did the idea behind this novel come from?
The inspiration for The Sound of Violet came from a conversation with a friend about the challenges of dating in Los Angeles when I was single. I was often naïve and overly trusting, and I built those qualities into Shawn’s character. I was intrigued by the idea of him unknowingly starting a relationship with a woman being trafficked.
Initially, I created Violet as the typical “empowered prostitute” you see portrayed in movies. But as I researched and talked to organizations that fight trafficking, I discovered a devastating reality: women in prostitution are most often victims of trafficking. This realization dramatically changed how I portrayed Violet, altered the entire story, and ignited a passion in me to spread awareness about this critical issue. What began as a story about my awkward dating life evolved into something much deeper—a tale about unconditional love, redemption, and the courage it takes to truly see and fight for another person.
What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?
At the heart of the story is the idea that everyone needs to be seen and cherished. I wanted to create characters who challenge us to see past surface appearances and stereotypes. Shawn’s autism and synesthesia give him a unique way of experiencing the world as he sees beauty that others miss. Violet’s story confronts the reality that trafficking victims aren’t the “empowered” figures often portrayed in media, but people trapped in exploitation who deserve dignity, rescue, and hope.
The novel explores themes of unconditional acceptance, the transformative power of love, and the courage to fight for another person. It also emphasizes that everyone, regardless of how society labels them, has inherent worth and the capacity for redemption and healing.
Where did you get the inspiration for Shawn’s traits and dialogue?
I built my own naivety and overly trusting nature into Shawn’s character. His literal interpretation of language and difficulty reading social cues comes from extensive research into autism and from personal relationships, as well as working with autistic individuals during the production of the film adaptation. On set, one of our key autistic crew members regularly consulted with our lead actor and helped fuel how he portrayed Shawn.
Shawn’s synesthesia, experiencing colors as sounds, adds a unique sensory dimension to his character. This trait allows readers to experience the world through his distinctive perspective, turning everyday moments into rich, sensory ones. His dialogue reflects his direct, factual communication style and his genuine, unguarded approach to relationships.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
As both an author and filmmaker, I’m juggling two creative projects simultaneously. On the film side, I’m developing my next motion picture, aiming to go into production this year. At the same time, I’m writing my next novel, which is a fantasy story that takes me into entirely new genre territory. It’s exciting to explore a different creative landscape while still focusing on the same core themes that drive all my work: authentic characters, meaningful relationships, and stories that make a genuine difference in people’s lives.
For readers who want to follow along with these projects and get updates on when the fantasy novel will be available, they can sign up at forms.sendpulse.com/319b8ea6a1. I send occasional updates about what I’m working on, including behind-the-scenes glimpses of both the writing and filmmaking processes.
Author Links: GoodReads | X (Twitter) | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Shawn dreams of finding a lifelong relationship, but only finds frustration-until he meets Violet, a beautiful, mysterious woman who sees past his autism to the man within. From the moment their eyes first lock, something sparks.
But behind Violet’s quiet smile lies a world of pain. Trapped in a life of exploitation, she’s learned that closeness brings danger. Yet, something about Shawn feels different. Safe. Real. Worth risking everything.
As their bond deepens, they must defy impossible odds and find the courage to fight for each other, no matter the cost. Because only love has the power to heal their deepest wounds and break them free from their past.
This inspirational contemporary romance-now a motion picture-returns as a newly revised 10th Anniversary Edition, with expanded storytelling and greater emotional depth.
The Sound of Violet, 10th Anniversary Edition
Allen Wolf’s The Sound of Violet follows Shawn, a young autistic programmer who longs for connection, and Violet, a woman trapped in exploitation who hides behind a practiced charm. Their worlds collide in ways that neither one expects, and the story weaves romance with themes of trauma, hope, misunderstanding, and the hard work of seeing someone for who they truly are. It moves between humor and heartbreak with surprising ease, and the plot leans into both the sweetness and the messiness of love.
I found myself rooting for Shawn almost immediately. His inner life felt vivid. His sensitivity to color and sound created moments that were oddly beautiful, and I kept pausing to imagine how overwhelming the world must feel to him. I liked how the writing didn’t try to polish his edges. It let him be blunt and awkward and sincere. Those traits gave the story its emotional heartbeat. Violet’s chapters hit me differently. I felt the tension behind her confidence. I felt the fear tucked between her jokes. The writing made her pain feel present even when she tried to hide it, and that contrast kept me pulled in. I caught myself more than once whispering, “Please get out of there” as her world closed in on her.
What surprised me most was how simple the prose often felt while carrying so much weight. Scenes slid quickly from funny to tense, and I liked that the book didn’t pretend those shifts were unusual. Life works like that sometimes. A moment is warm, then it isn’t. A date feels hopeful, then it falls apart. The story’s rhythm captured that truth, and it kept me leaning forward. I also found myself getting irritated with certain characters, which I count as a success. The book wanted me to feel the discomfort of exploitation and the sting of people who misunderstand others. It worked. I felt it.
By the end, I was glad I stayed with the story. It made me think about how people judge each other, and how much quieter the world becomes when someone finally listens. I would recommend The Sound of Violet to readers who enjoy heartfelt romances, stories about neurodivergent characters, or narratives that explore heavy themes with gentleness. It would also appeal to book clubs that like talking about big emotions and complicated choices.
Pages: 319 | ASIN : B0FMP438MV
