best novels of 2021 so far Audiobooks

A hunky cowboy who’s sworn off women. A Hollywood starlet searching for something real. A road trip that tests their “just friends” deal from day one. When professional bull rider Chase McKay lands in a compromising situation and is booted off the Pro tour until he can mend his reputation—and improve his riding, he escapes, hiding out from this meddling family and making plans to restore his image. Plans that definitely don’t include a woman. Actress Ava Cooper is the tabloids’ favorite target after her celebrity boyfriend publicly humiliates her. She needs a place to lie low and reexamine all aspects of her life. When her former attorney offers her a rent-free cabin in nowhere Wyoming, Ava eagerly ditches LA in search of solitude. So why in the heck is there a brawny cowboy sleeping in her bed? At first, Chase is skeptical of the blonde bombshell invading his space, especially since she’s exactly the type of woman he’s trying to avoid. Once the mix-up is explained, it’s clear one of them will have to leave the small hideaway. When Chase mentions he’s hitting the circuit to get back to basics, Ava convinces him she’s the perfect travel partner. But days spent in forced proximity only increases their mutual lust and they find it harder to keep their hands to themselves. After one wild night, clothes and promises are tossed aside. While the mind-blowing passion isn’t surprising, the trust and deepening relationship is unexpected. After the press gets wind of the affair, can this unlikely pair prove to the world, and each other, it wasn't a meaningless summer fling?

Is a situation ever black and white? Liv knows what kind of boy her grandson is. She knows Seb would never do anything to hurt his girlfriend, Izzy. But could the shadow cast by his father be influencing the boy she loves? Caitlyn, Izzy’s mother, is desperate to reach her daughter, but she only seems to push her further away. Can she help her daughter or are Caitlyn's own demons standing in the way? When an inappropriate photo of Izzy is shared online, no one is prepared for the ripples that threaten to tear their lives apart. Will the truth come out before it's too late? Or is the damage already done? What readers are saying about In The Dark: 'Kept me awake well into the dark, desperate to find out more...' - Louise Mumford, author of Sleepless 'A great, slow-burn family drama with some dark themes, that is packed with emotion and heart.' - Sarah A. Denzil, author of Silent Child 'A powerful and poignant read, with hugely relevant topics at the heart.' 'Must-read for 2021 and very worthy of five stars.' 'I loved this so much, I flew through it in a day!' 'Powerful psychological thriller highlighting current issues and concerns in the digital age.' In the Dark is the new gripping psychological suspense novel from Vikki Patis, bestselling author of The Wake and Girl, Lost. In the Dark will appeal to fans of domestic noir, as well as to readers of authors like C.L. Taylor, Claire McGowan and B A Paris.

A cowboy must face his past Before he loses his heart…again Supermodel Annabelle “Annie” Clementine is back in Whitehorse, Montana. And there’s nothing cowboy Dawson Rogers wants more than to see his ex-lover’s backside…on the road out. He’ll even risk his heart again and help sell her late grandmother’s house so Annie can leave ASAP. Except along with the house, Annie inherited a mystery. And if they don’t solve it soon, someone’s willing to kill for the answer. Whitehorse, Montana: The Clementine Sisters

Last Seen Alive is the fifth book in Joanna Schaffhausen's heartpounding Ellery Hathaway mystery series. Boston detective Ellery Hathaway met FBI agent Reed Markham when he pried open a serial killer’s closet to rescue her. Years on, their relationship remains defined by that moment and by Francis Coben’s horrific crimes. To free herself from Coben’s legacy, Ellery had to walk away from Reed, too. But Coben is not letting go so easily. He has an impossible proposition: Coben will finally give up the location of the remaining bodies, on one condition―Reed must bring him Ellery. Now the families of the missing victims are crying out for justice that only Ellery can deliver. The media hungers for a sequel and Coben is their camera-ready star. He claims he is sorry and wants to make amends. But Ellery is the one living person who has seen the monster behind the mask and she doesn’t believe he can be redeemed. Not after everything he’s done. Not after what she’s been through. And certainly not after a fresh body turns up with Coben’s signature all over it.

Best friends to lovers...or will they always be branded by their pasts? Tattoo artist India Ellison is well-acquainted with preconceived notions. As a walking advertisement for the tattoo shop she’s set up in a small Wyoming town, India is used to comments about her colorful tats and hair. Still, life is good. She’s clean and sober, adored by her family, and best of all, spends most of her free time with her best friend, Colt. Reformed bad boy Colt McKay never expected three years of sobriety to lead to three years of abstinence. Curbing his craving for booze is nothing compared to the ever-increasing yearning for his hot-tempered, hot-bodied best friend, India. Too bad she hasn’t a clue that Colt’s been in love with her since day one. After an unexpected, steamy encounter, all India can think about is riding the sexy cowboy as hard and fast as her motorcycle. But Colt is determined to show her a slower ride is worth the wait. The friendship that helped them conquer their pasts is about to be tested by their new addiction. Each other.

My husband has always been dangerous. But I never thought he was a killer. One phone message changes everything. The cult where I spent fifteen years of my life is preparing for the unthinkable. My son has returned to the fold. I must find him before it is too late. But it’s not just his life that’s at stake – it’s the entire congregation of Garden Temple. thought I was destined to be a sister-wife and mother, but turns out, I am so much more. I am a woman who must stop my husband’s madness before he does something irreversible. I must stop him before it’s too late. This is book three in a new suspense series.

Two twentysomethings struggle to let go of their idea of a perfect world on and off the ice in this emotional third book in the Nashville Sound series. Ambitious, smart, and straightlaced, Nashville Sound forward Jarrett MacPherson is determined to walk in the footsteps of his All-American hockey-playing grandfather. He prides himself on doing the right thing above all, with ethics so sharp they could cut the heart out of a saint. Hard-working Merry Sweet toils by day in a paper shop and coffee bar in Sound Town and at night at the arena, cleaning, selling concessions, and taking tickets. Jarrett notices and admires Merry’s determination and believes her when she says she needs money for law school, even offering to help solve her financial problems. When she refuses him, his esteem for her only grows. But when the public catches wind of their budding relationship, a surprising secret from Merry’s past comes to light. Now, Jarrett must decide if he’ll let his image take precedence over his heart and cost him the chance at something perfectly real. Sensuality Level: Sensual

I’m not the kind of man an innocent girl should fall for. But Marley River says she knows what she wants. And she wants me. She says she can handle a mountain man, after all, this freckled face slice of sunshine grew up in Alaska. But I’m more than a feral mountain man. I’m an ex-drug lord, reformed con-man, an exonerated criminal. Her brothers are the River Boys and they want me off Whiskey Mountain. I want to turn a new leaf, but not if it means giving up what I want. I love Marley more than life itself. But is that enough when the world is dead set against it? It’s high time we find out. Because I’m not going down without a fight. I’ll be here, on Whiskey Mountain, defending what — and who— is mine. With guns blazing.

**A Standalone Romantic Comedy ** Everything in life was going perfectly, but then my luck expired. It all started when I got a new job, which came with a new guy. That’s when I managed to cause an unforeseeable disaster, which took down an entire company in less than a week. The new job, the new guy and a big mouth led to another giant mistake. Then, one more for good measure. Flash forward a couple of weeks, and ... I’ve got milk ... because I’m dating the milkman, and yes, milk did his body good. Not only do milkmen still exist, but I’ve come to learn that some women hire a milkman to deliver more than just milk. I’m not the sharing type, but I also don’t like to cry over spilled—you get my point. So, I can either have a cow or search for greener pastures. Depending on my decision, though, I need to ask myself if I’m prepared to tell my future children that their father is, in fact, the milkman.

Hockey is all he has left. Until a one-night stand with the boss’s daughter gives him something new to fight for… Nashville Sound enforcer Thor Eastrom has been married, divorced, engaged, and dumped. But the hardest thing he’s ever done is bury his twin babies. The last thing he wants or needs in his life right now is a relationship. Over the past nineteen years he’s hoisted the Stanley Cup seven times and won gold and silver Olympic medals. All he wants is one more year in the NHL so he can go out as a member of the twenty-year club. Then he’ll decide what comes next. Tradd Davenport’s dream is to succeed in the hardscrabble world of country music. Being daddy’s little princess has its perks, but it’s no longer enough to fulfill her—especially when she’s lost more than she ever gained by it. She has the talent and the drive—and she’s ready to work hard for something that her father’s money can’t buy her. But sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want. It gives you what you need. Tradd knows her father’s hockey players are off limits. Thor knows that nobody touches the boss’s daughter. But Thor likes to play with fire—and Tradd wants to burn. When they discover their one-night stand has consequences, can they find a way to have everything they want? Or will navigating their new reality be as perilous as a broken skate on slick ice? Sensuality Level: Sensual