OUT NOW: Brock and Bloom from USA Today bestselling author Esther E. Schmidt. Life is hard enough for a single mom without adding a man to it. Yet, when a stubborn biker appoints himself as her personal protector there’s no running him off. Get it here: https://books2read.com/Brockandbloom Author & Cover Design: Esther E. Schmidt Release Day: October 6, 2026 Brock – Relocating our motorcycle club to a small town entails switching from outlaws to upstanding citizens. My president and I hit a roadblock when a threat from his past unexpectedly becomes relevant again. An innocent chance meeting lays a foundation, one I find myself fully committed to the more time I spend protecting the woman and her daughter. Bloom – I consider my mother’s funeral the final step in the closure I need for our lacking and distant relationship. Except, where I assume I’m the only one paying my respects, a group of bikers show up and change my life as well as my daughter’s. Enjoy the light suspen...
Synopsis
Lexi’s Reminders
* Work.
* Don’t think about your birthday tomorrow. Or debt, your crappy apartment, and nonexistent social life.
* Re-stock wine and ice cream because that’s coming.
* Die in a raging blaze of humiliation when the super-hot and very delicious fireman waiting in your office is not in fact the strip-o-gram birthday present you suspected.
* Reschedule the fire safety inspection you 100 percent failed because of said humiliation.
* Figure out how you, in fact, agreed to fake dating Mr. Not a Strip-O-Gram Fireman to help him with a bet.
* Oh yeah, and do not fall for this guy. Seriously, they call him One Night O’Neil. Red flags all over the place.
* Remember, this is fake dating, even though his very talented, very real lips are doing some sexy things you definitely like.
* Realize bending one tiny rule can’t be that bad, can it?
* Except bend too far, and something breaks. Something you can’t get back.
Review
It’s a fun, lighthearted, and a beautifully written contemporary romance story. Perfect for a lazy winter afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to all romance fans. Both the main characters are adorable and the chemistry between them is explosive. I also loved the side characters; the banters between friends and how each character interacted with the others; it was well worth the read.
Lexi is the sweetest woman who often gets her heart broken by men taking her for granted. After one nasty breakup, her best friend challenged her, betting that she will not date for six months. She was all too happy to agree to the bet, but that’s until she meets Dyson. He is the nicest man she has ever met. First, he offers to fix the safety code problems at the center where she works. And then, when they decide to fake-date, he treats her better than any of her boyfriends ever did. He, however, has problems of his own. Where he is okay with a fake relationship, he is not ready for a real one. And the more time they spend together, the more they realize they belong together. But can they break their own rules and follow their hearts without getting hurt in the process?
It’s an entertaining story with lots of laugh-out-loud moments and many romantic ones, too.