Harper Bliss

Lesbian fiction

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FREE: French Kissing: Season One

July 14, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

French Kissing: Season One

You can now try 500 pages of the French Kissing series for zero dollars.

Here’s what it’s all about:

Paris… City of lights, City of love, City of drama!

French Kissing follows a group of Parisian women as they navigate the stormy waters of love and life.

Claire and Juliette have been best friends for twenty years. Together they own a successful PR agency, but their journey to success has come at a price. Juliette and her partner Nadia have drifted apart after ten years together while Claire hasn’t been on a real date for as long as she can remember. Meanwhile, their happily single employee Steph is getting a bit too close to a new, high-profile client.

Warning: This title contains sensual language, ladies making love and possibly more feelings than you can process.

Start this steamy and addictive series for FREE now.

You can get your free copy anywhere you find ebooks:
➞ My web shop
➞ Amazon US
➞ Amazon UK
➞ Amazon CA
➞ Amazon AUS
➞ Amazon DE
➞ Other Amazon Stores
➞ Apple
➞ Kobo
➞ Google Play
➞ Barnes & Noble

Enjoy! 🇫🇷 💋

A few notes:
– If you’ve only read my more recent books, beware that French Kissing is of a much more advanced heat level! Just sayin’. 🌶️🌶️🌶️
– I’ve been re-reading these books myself and even though I wrote them, I sometimes can’t believe what these ladies get up to! And the amount of wine they drink! And the sheer scope of the lez drama, of course… Enjoy! 😍

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Filed Under: News, Sale Tagged With: free, French Kissing

Fantasy Casting ‘The Duet’

May 19, 2022 by Harper Bliss 4 Comments

Here’s my fantasy casting for Lana and Cleo in The Duet.

Can you see it in your head the way that I did in mine? 😉

P.S. Abby Craden has finished recording the audio, which means it’s coming soon!

[Read more…]

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NEW RELEASE: The Duet

May 4, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

The Duet by Harper Bliss

The Duet is now available on all retailers:

➞ Direct from me
➞ Amazon US
➞ Amazon UK
➞ Amazon CA
➞ Amazon AU
➞ Amazon DE
➞ Other Amazon Stores
➞ Apple Books
➞ Kobo
➞ Barnes & Noble

 

★★★★★ “The Duet is another smash hit for Harper Bliss, and one you don’t want to miss.”

Here’s the blurb:

She should have kissed her…

The Lady Kings and their singer, Lana Lynch, have been out of the limelight since Lana’s partner’s sudden death ten years ago. They’re ready for an epic comeback tour, but have to take a young and hip support band with them.

Cleo Palmer and The Other Women are over the moon when they get booked to support their lifelong idols and share the stage with the iconic Lady Kings—especially queer legend Lana Lynch.

But when Lana invites her to sing a sensual duet together every night, Cleo gets way more than she bargained for.

Lana and Cleo’s on-stage chemistry is off the charts, but the differences in their age and life experience, not to mention some dramatic band politics, prove difficult to overcome.

Can Lana and Cleo find their way to each other once the spotlights are switched off?

Best-selling lesbian fiction author Harper Bliss brings you an age-gap rock star romance about what happens when the passion of a performance turns into something real…

Get your copy now and join Lana and Cleo on their hot cross-country tour!

Don’t miss The Duet if you like any or all of these things:

  • Hot lady rock stars 🎤
  • Scorching on-stage chemistry 🔥
  • Lesbian age-gap romance ❤️
  • Meddling celebrities 😎
  • A life-long crush being reciprocated 😲

I wrote this book during that tumultuous time pre-moving house and it was such a joy to escape in Lana and Cleo’s (and their nosy bandmates!) world for a few hours every day. To find words for all the things music can do, all the emotions it can evoke and that special energy it can stir inside us. And to write another age-gap romance, of course! 😊

★★★★★ “No matter what’s happening in the world at large, I can always count on Harper’s books to be a happier place to live and love.”

★★★★★ “The chemistry between the two leads was off the charts, but the masterful rendition of setting and band dynamics is what really sold it.”

★★★★★ “Harper really nailed the rock band vibe in this one, and I loved it!”

★★★★★ “The Duet is intense and keeps every audience in suspense.”

The Duet is available from all retailers:
➞ Direct from me
➞ Amazon US
➞ Amazon UK
➞ Amazon CA
➞ Amazon AU
➞ Amazon DE
➞ Other Amazon Stores
➞ Apple Books
➞ Kobo
➞ Barnes & Noble

Enjoy! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜⁠

P.S. Abby Craden is recording the audio as we speak. I’ll keep you posted on the audiobook release date.

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PREVIEW: The Duet

April 28, 2022 by Harper Bliss 8 Comments

The Duet by Harper Bliss

The Duet will be out on 4 May 2022.

You can pre-order the ebook here >>

Here’s a preview. Enjoy!

The Duet
© Harper Bliss

CHAPTER ONE
LANA

To do any of this without Joan by my side is like doing it with a limb cut off, or worse, a torn vocal cord. I only feel like half a person. Like the better part of me is still missing. Our new single is called “The Better Part of Me” for a reason.

“I’m so stoked,” Billie says. “Let’s do this.”

The Lady Kings recruited Billie as Joan’s replacement almost a year ago. I should be used to her by now. I am in some ways, but in many others, she will never be Joan. The best guitarist to ever walk this earth, in my ultra-biased opinion, with the nimblest of fingers—and I should know.

What distance remains between Billie and me will soon be obliterated by the tour we’re about to embark on. A two-month cross-country journey will do that to you. All boundaries are about to be shattered. But first, we’re checking out our support band, The Other Women, and the show they’ll be opening with every night. They’d better bring it. I haven’t come to watch a rehearsal. The Lady Kings are here to experience a proper performance.

Our tour manager, Andy, greets us at the entrance of the Hollywood Bowl. The first concert of The Lady Kings reunion tour—if you want to call it that—will be a home game. I can’t even remember how many times we’ve played this venue. For The Other Women, I think it might be the first. I try to remember my first time on this particular stage, but it’s too long ago. Too many years have passed and too many things have happened since. Like our guitarist dying.

Most of the crew are here. Some have been with us for decades; some I will get better acquainted with soon enough.

We’ve only settled into our seats when there is movement on the stage. They don’t want to keep us waiting. Good. My expectations are high and low at the same time. I wouldn’t have picked The Other Women as our opening act myself, but according to everyone at our record company, it makes perfect sense. Truth be told, I don’t even know why we need an opening act at all. We’re The Lady Kings, for crying out loud. When I come on, the crowd goes from cold to hot in a split second. I’ve always known how to light up an audience. It’s what I do. It’s what I’m good at. But times change and The Lady Kings haven’t toured for over ten years.

So, here we are. Poised for The Other Women. We’re not coming into this cold. We’ve watched their clips on YouTube. We’ve had their songs on repeat on Spotify. We’ve pored over their pictures and bios.

Roy, our manager since we started out in the early nineties, said, “Fact is, you may need them more than they need you.”

“We’ll see about that,” Deb, our drummer, replied.

“I’m feeling my age.” Sam, our bass player, is looking at the stage as The Other Women take their places. “How old are these kids again?”

“Twenty-something,” Billie says. “With an enormous fan base.”

“Evening,” the lead singer says into the mic, only to be met with an ear-piercing wave of reverb. She steps back and waits until she gets a thumbs-up from one of the sound techs. “Let’s try that again.” If she’s intimidated by having all current members of The Lady Kings and their entourage staring at her from the front row of an otherwise empty Hollywood Bowl, she hides it well. “It’s an honor to play for such rock royalty tonight. Thank you for taking us on tour with you. We promise not to let you down.”

“Polite as well,” Sam mumbles in my ear. “I didn’t know they still made young people like that.”

“Certainly politer than we were at their age,” Deb says.

I let them talk and keep my gaze trained on Cleo Palmer, lead singer of The Other Women. We look nothing alike, yet she reminds me of myself many moons ago, when The Lady Kings took the music world by storm. When audiences couldn’t get enough of us. When security guards had to form a human shield around us after every show so we could get from the stage door onto the tour bus without being grabbed by delirious fans. Long bygone days.

Our fans have aged with us and, so I’ve been told, these days, meet and greets with the band are official add-ons when you buy a ticket for the show. I’ll be curious to see how that goes once the tour starts.

“You may know this first song,” Cleo says. “It’s called ‘Like No One Else.’”

“No fucking way,” Sam says.

“The nerve of these kids,” Deb adds.

“They reel you in with their seemingly polite ways,” Billie says.

I have to laugh at their brazenness. “Like No One Else” is only The Lady Kings’ most iconic song. Our biggest hit. And our support act are starting their set with a cover version. I’m not sure whether to be flattered or offended.

“This better be good,” someone from the crew shouts.

The Other Women respond by playing the first chords of our song.

“Are they even all women?” I hear someone say behind me. “That bass player doesn’t look like a woman to me. Come to think of it, that drummer…”

A female voice shushes them—even when you’re in an all-female band, the men around you still need to be told to shut up sometimes.

I barely notice the bassist or the drummer, or The Other Women’s guitarist, who lays down a mean riff Joan would have approved of. My eyes are glued exactly where they’re supposed to be. I’m getting confirmation of what I’ve known since I was introduced to The Other Women. Cleo Palmer was born for the stage. I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. Her presence, the way she uses her voice, how her body writhes against the microphone stand, the dramatically held high note at the end of the chorus. It’s all there and it commands all my attention.

There’s no denying it. Cleo Palmer is a star. Maybe Roy was right. Maybe we’re the lucky ones getting to tour with them and not the other way around.

By the time the song ends, they’ve already won over every person in tonight’s small audience.

“Fuck. They’re good,” Billie says.

“They are,” I confirm, as an idea sprouts in my head. If we’re going to be touring with The Other Women, with someone like Cleo Palmer, we might as well make good use of them.

 

CHAPTER TWO
CLEO

Opening our show with The Lady Kings’ biggest hit was a bold move. But I didn’t get into this business to be a good girl and only do what is expected of me. On the contrary. And boy, was it a thrill to look into Lana Lynch’s face as I sang the hell out of that song. I’ve had years of practice. When we formed our band, it was the first song we taught ourselves to play—although this is the first time we’ve played it in front of an audience. I hope Lana was impressed.

I cast her one last glance as I let the final note of our set die in my throat. We’re no longer used to playing for such a tiny audience, but they make up for it by giving us a massive applause. Lana holds her hands above her head as she claps for us. Did she just give me a nod of approval? I’m about to find out.

“Thank you. It was such a pleasure. Can’t wait to play here again in a few days.” I tap two fingers to my forehead in a salute and head off the stage.

Backstage, I’m joined by my bandmates.

“That was so tight,” Daphne says. “You smashed it.” I exchange a high-five with our guitarist. Tim and Jess follow hot on her heels.

“Do you think we impressed them?” Judging by the smirk on Tim’s face, it’s not a question.

“Fuck, yeah.”

“Cleo?” I turn around. “Lana would like a word,” Roy, The Lady Kings’ manager, says. “Whenever you have a minute.”

“The King wants to see you,” Daphne says. “Best not keep her waiting.”

“Argh,” Jess groans. She’s had a crush on Lana Lynch forever.

“Come with me,” I offer.

Jess huffs out some air. “We’re going on tour with them. I’m sure I’ll get my moment with Lana.”

“Go,” Tim says. “You must have dazzled the fuck out of her.”

I follow Roy to the front stage where Lana is surrounded by the other members of her band. This won’t be a solo audience then.

“Way to go,” The Lady Kings’ new guitarist, Billie, says, and gives me a thumbs-up.

“Can I steal you for a minute?” Even when she speaks, Lana’s voice is low and gravelly.

“Of course.”

“How daring.” We walk up a few steps. “To kick off with ‘Like No One Else.’”

“It’s a tribute, of course.” When I’m talking to Lana Lynch, I don’t care if I sound like the ultimate fangirl—all of us in the band would cite The Lady Kings as one of our defining influences.

“You did it justice, and it gave me an idea.” Lana leans against a bench.

“Thanks.” It’s still surreal that we’ll be touring with our idols. We were gearing up for a headline tour with our own support act, but we happily gave up on that for a chance to tour with the Kings. All four of us, unanimously, in a heartbeat.

“You might have heard of this duet I’ve done with Isabel Adler,” Lana says.

“Your long-awaited comeback single.” I’m trying to keep my cool. I’ve only had ‘I Should Have Kissed You’ on repeat since it was released—not something I would ever have expected of a song featuring Isabel Adler. “I love it.”

“Yeah, so… on the tour, how about you and I sing it together?” Lana fixes her dark gaze on me.

“For real?”

“Yeah.” She bats her lashes once.

“Sure, I mean, if you think that I’m up to that.” There’s not a lot left of my earlier bravado.

“Good.” She plunges her hands into her pockets. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t think you were up to it.”

“Okay. Thanks. Yes, let’s do it.”

“We should get some serious rehearsal time in. The tour kicks off in three days. I need to talk to the band, but I was thinking we could add it as the last encore. Send people home with some good vibes.”

Some good lesbian vibes, I almost say, but catch myself. Although I don’t know why. Surely, I could say something like that to Lana. But I don’t know her all that well—yet.

“Sure,” I say, instead of all the things I’m thinking. I can hardly blame myself for this starstruck moment. Lana Lynch and The Lady Kings are rock legends and my band are not only going to be opening the show for them; I’m actually going to be on stage with Lana.

“Can you come to my house tomorrow?” If Lana’s excited by this at all, she’s not letting on. Then again, she’s known for being cool as a cucumber under the hottest circumstances. “We’ll do a few run-throughs without the band first. See how our voices match.” Sounds as though Lana’s got this all figured out without talking to the other members of The Lady Kings.

“Of course. Just let me know when and I’ll be there.” Never mind that I have a million little things to take care of before we leave town for two months. I’ll just do them in less time. Even if I didn’t want to get off on the best possible foot with Lana, I’d still cancel everything for a chance to spend a few hours singing with her.

“Roy will give you all the details. Thanks, kid.”

Kid. Jesus. So much for me beginning to think of us as equals.

“You’ve got the right stuff. Any fool can see that.”

Oh, fuck. There’s the blush. Damn you, pale Irish skin. The last thing I wanted was to blush in front of Lana Lynch. Luckily, it’s completely dark, and where we’re standing is not well lit.

“Thanks,” I mumble.

Lana just nods, then walks off.

Even though I take a few deep breaths, I’m still beside myself when I join my bandmates. I tell them what Lana asked.

“No freaking way,” Jess says. “Why can’t I sing like you, darn it.” Jess has always refused to swear with us.

“Fuck. You’re going to be on stage with them.” Tim is practically jumping up and down.

“It’s not a done deal yet,” I say. “Going over to Lana’s tomorrow is more like an audition than anything else.”

“Give yourself a break, Cleo,” Daphne says. “Lana knows what you can do with your voice. You must have impressed her tonight. That’s why she asked you. Besides, they’d be crazy not to put that song on their set list. It’s been at the top of the charts for months. It’s probably the reason they’re touring again.”

“We’ll see.” Heat glows within me. I can’t wait for tomorrow. “Drinks are on me tonight. Come on.”

We head to our favorite Silver Lake hangout spot, where I try to calm my nerves with way too many shots.

<<End of preview>>

The Duet will be available on Wednesday 4 May 2022 from all retailers.
The audio, narrated by Abby Craden, will follow later this year.

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Filed Under: Preview Tagged With: age gap, Preview, The Duet

Cover & Blurb Reveal: The Duet

April 21, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

Here are the cover and blurb for The Duet:

The Duet by Harper Bliss

She should have kissed her…

The Lady Kings and their singer, Lana Lynch, have been out of the limelight since Lana’s partner’s sudden death ten years ago. They’re ready for an epic comeback tour, but have to take a young and hip support band with them.

Cleo Palmer and The Other Women are over the moon when they get booked to support their lifelong idols and share the stage with the iconic Lady Kings—especially queer legend Lana Lynch.

But when Lana invites her to sing a sensual duet together every night, Cleo gets way more than she bargained for.

Lana and Cleo’s on-stage chemistry is off the charts, but the differences in their age and life experience, not to mention some dramatic band politics, prove difficult to overcome.

Can Lana and Cleo find their way to each other once the spotlights are switched off?

Best-selling lesbian fiction author Harper Bliss brings you an age-gap rock star romance about what happens when the passion of a performance turns into something real…

Available in ebook and paperback on 4 May 2022. The audio, narrated by Abby Craden, will follow a few months later.

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ON SALE: If You Kiss Me Like That

March 9, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

If You Kiss Me Like That

If You Kiss Me Like That is on sale for a limited time (and for the first time ever)!⁠
⁠
This book sold so many copies when it came out (almost 2 years ago) and I can only conclude it’s because of Ash’s infamous Céline Dion joke! 😍⁠

Grab your discounted ($2.99 instead of $8.99) copy here:
➜ Direct from me
➜ Amazon US
➜ Amazon UK
➜ Amazon CA
➜ Amazon AU
➜ Amazon DE
➜ Amazon FR
➜ Other Amazon Stores
➜ Kobo
➜ Apple
➜ Google Play
➜ Barnes & Noble
⁠
Here’s the blurb:⁠
⁠
Sometimes love shows up where you least expect it⁠
⁠
Ashley ‘Ash’ Cooper is still reeling after her recent divorce, throwing all her energy into her job in The City. When she’s seated next to one of her mother’s friends at a family party, falling in love is the last thing on her mind.⁠
⁠
After losing her husband many years ago, Gloria Young rebuilt herself as a single parent. Now that her daughters are both at university, she’s perfectly content with her quiet life in the village of Murraywood.⁠
⁠
An unexpectedly enjoyable evening with a friend’s daughter pushes Gloria into exploring a new side of herself.⁠
⁠
Will she overcome her fear of what people think and allow herself a new chance at happiness?⁠
⁠
And can Ash let go of the past and open herself up to love again?⁠
⁠
Best-selling lesbian romance author Harper Bliss brings you a sultry age-gap story about stepping out of your comfort zone and into the warm embrace of love.⁠
⁠
Please note that the price will go back up to $8.99 next week!
⁠
Enjoy!⁠ ❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜⁠

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Fantasy Casting ‘And Then She Kissed Me’

February 11, 2022 by Harper Bliss 2 Comments

The fantasy casting for And Then She Kissed Me is a bit peculiar because I can only (comfortably) share one ‘person of inspiration’.

The woman I fantasy cast as Devon Douglas is not an actress or pop/rock star or famous enough for me to share as inspiration comfortably (and she’s most definitely very real). 😊

I hope Sadie’s exquisite fantasy casting will make up for that… 😉

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: Fantasy Casting Tagged With: And Then She Kissed Me, Fantasy casting

NEW RELEASE: And Then She Kissed Me

January 27, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

And Then She Kissed MeAnd Then She Kissed Me is now available on all retailers:

➞ Direct from me 
➞ Amazon US
➞ Amazon UK
➞ Amazon CA
➞ Amazon AU
➞ Amazon DE
➞ Other Amazon Stores
➞ Apple Books
➞ Kobo
➞ Barnes & Noble
➞ Google Play

 

★★★★★ “Harper Bliss always delivers a delightful and delicious romance with just the right amount of sweet and packed with heat.” – Amazon Reviewer

Here’s the blurb:

When a trip down memory lane sparks an unexpected journey to love…

TV cop Sadie Ireland needs a break from her Hollywood life. She heads home to the beach town where she grew up to celebrate her 40th birthday with her family.

Devon Douglas can’t believe it when she comes face-to-face with Sadie again. They were inseparable in high school until Devon did something she has regretted for more than twenty years—she ruined their friendship on a lovestruck whim.

Sadie is as dazzling as Devon remembers—and she can still hold her own surfing the wild waves of Clearwater Bay.

Devon’s first priority is her five-year-old son, but getting to know Sadie all over again is taking up more and more of her headspace.

Sadie is inexplicably drawn to Devon. It could be nostalgia. It could be remnants of their old friendship flaring up. But what if it’s more than that?

Best-selling lesbian romance author Harper Bliss brings you a steamy, big-hearted romance about two women who used to be best friends, until a teenage crush destroyed it all.

Get your copy now and join Devon and Sadie on their sizzling trip down memory lane!

Don’t miss And Then She Kissed Me if you like any or all of these things:⁠
– A teenage crush gone wrong ❤️
– Heart-warming family vibes ☀️
– Hot surfing ladies 🏄‍♀️
– A feel-good celebrity romance meets a steamy second-chance romance 🥰

In case you missed my repeated use of the term ‘feel-good’, this is a feel-good book. 😀

If you’re in need of some massive upbeat vibes, I promise you this book will deliver them (and then some!) There’s a minimal amount of angst and Devon and Sadie are two smoking hot surfer ladies who get caught in a delicious wave of nostalgia…

Do let me know what you think. 😊

★★★★★ “As always Harper has nailed this feel-good story. It brings all the feels with its journey from best friends to secret crush and more.”

★★★★★ “The steamy scenes range from smouldering to plain explosive and I simply had to devour the novel in one sitting.”

★★★★★ “We all remember that one who got away—we don’t all get the second chance to make it happen. If not in real life, at least here, dreams do come true.”

★★★★★ “If you are new to the author, this would be a great first read. If you are already familiar with Bliss’s work, well, you know…”

And Then She Kissed Me is now available on all retailers:
➞ Direct from me 
➞ Amazon US
➞ Amazon UK
➞ Amazon CA
➞ Amazon AU
➞ Amazon DE
➞ Other Amazon Stores
➞ Apple Books
➞ Kobo
➞ Barnes & Noble
➞ Google Play

Enjoy! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜⁠

P.S. Abby Craden is recording the audio next week. I’ll keep you posted on the audiobook release date.

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Filed Under: New release Tagged With: And Then She Kissed Me, New release

PREVIEW: And Then She Kissed Me

January 20, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

And Then She Kissed Me by Harper Bliss

And Then She Kissed Me will be out on 27 January 2022.

You can pre-order the ebook here >>

Here’s a preview. Enjoy!

And Then She Kissed Me
© Harper Bliss

CHAPTER ONE
SADIE

“Look what the cat dragged in.” My brother grins at me from behind the bar. “If it isn’t Hollywood’s finest TV cop.”

“Happy birthday, Sam.” I head toward him with widespread arms. “It’s good to see you.”

“Ditto and ditto.” Sam gathers me in his arms. “Are you ready for an epic party?”

I want to shake my head. I’m tired after having finished the relentless, against-the-clock period of shooting that always happens before the yearly hiatus of our show. I’d much rather have a quiet drink with my twin brother to celebrate our fortieth birthday, but that’s not Sam’s style and I don’t want to be a downer from the get-go.

“Sure.” I step back to get a good look at him. Owning The Bay beach bar doesn’t seem to have affected his wholesome North-Cali surfer boy looks. His skin is golden brown, his hair streaked with sunlit blond highlights, and his body looks as trim as it was when we were in our senior year of high school.

The door to the back room swings open and a blonde girl who doesn’t look a day over twenty-one walks out. My mind races to what has always been the obvious conclusion—that she’s my brother’s latest age-inappropriate conquest—but Sam swiftly puts me straight.

“This is Cassidy, my most valued employee.”

Cassidy brings her hands to her mouth. “Wow. Sadie Ireland in the flesh. It’s such an honor.” She holds out her hand. “I adore King & Prince. I watch it all the time.”

I’m of half a mind to tell her that the very last scenes ever with both King and Prince were shot last week, but I’m contractually forbidden from doing so.

“Thank you.” Since Cassidy is my brother’s employee—and possibly more than that—I shake her hand warmly.

“Will you be in town a while?” Cassidy asks.

“I might very well be.” I catch my brother’s gaze. I’ll be staying with him to recover from what has been an emotionally draining ten months of divorcing my co-star while simultaneously shooting a show together.

“I’ll see you around then.” Cassidy isn’t the lingering type of fangirl, then. She disappears into the back room again.

I shoot my brother a look that can’t be misinterpreted.

“It’s not what you think,” he says. “She’s the best employee I’ve ever had and I’m not about to mess that up.”

“How old is she?”

“Old enough to work in a bar,” is all he says.

Noise comes from the back. A car door slams shut, and I hear animated voices.

“That must be the caterers,” Sam says. “You relax with a beer on the deck. Look out over the ocean and contemplate the first forty years of your life.” He runs a hand through his thick hair. The man doesn’t look a day over thirty.

He reaches into the fridge behind him, takes out a bottle, twists off the cap, and hands it to me.

“Do you honestly believe that anyone who works on-screen in Hollywood actually drinks beer?” We’ve had this conversation many times.

“You’re forty today and recently divorced. Have the beer. Take all the comfort you can find.”

“Sam!” someone shouts from the back.

“I know I’m only twenty minutes older than you, but do as I say, anyway.” With that, he turns around and disappears through the door to the back, leaving me alone in the bar.

I head out, beer in hand, and take a seat on a stool lining the deck, overlooking the waves. I drag my gaze away from the sea for a minute to study the bottle I’m holding. The beer is called Surfer Juice IPA, which probably means it sells well in these parts. I scan the label to see if any new local breweries have sprouted up since I last visited. Lennox Breweries. Not a small-batch local brew then.

I take a sip. I haven’t had a beer in months—not since Sam came to Los Angeles for a few weeks last March to support me through the worst of the fall-out after my divorce from Mike. Sometimes, when you’re being chased by paps, you need your twin brother’s ridiculously muscular arm around you to shield you from the never-ending scrutiny.

The beer tastes crisp and light and I feel myself relax. It’s hard not to with this view. It’s quiet on the boardwalk between the bar and the beach—the calm before the big birthday storm Sam has planned, no doubt.

It suddenly hits me that I didn’t offer to help Sam and Cassidy set up for the party. I’m about to go back in to offer my services when I hear footsteps approach.

“I came straight from work,” Suzy, my older sister, says, followed by a shriek worthy of a teenage girl at a boy band concert.

I get up to hug her, using the time it takes to throw my arms around her to remember what Suzy’s current job is. Even though we speak on the phone several times a week, it’s hard to keep up with my sister’s employment—a bit like Sam and his women. My sister’s quest for the ultimate professional fulfillment has had her job-hopping for decades.

“I did my first solo coaching call,” Suzy says as I sink into her embrace.

Oh, yes. She works as some sort of life coach on the internet. 

“I knocked it out of the park with my quick thinking skills. My boss was so complimentary after, I could hardly believe it.”

I let my sister rattle on for as long as she likes. It’s her thing. The first ten minutes of any conversation between us are spent exactly like this until she’s gotten everything that’s on her mind off her chest. After which she fixes her gaze on me, and asks me, the way I imagine she asks her clients, how I’m doing and what I’m struggling with these days. Come to think of it, maybe life coach is a great profession for Suzy.

“We are complete.” Sam has ventured outside.

“Oh, Sam,” Suzy says. “I invited Devon last-minute. I hope that’s okay.” 

“The more, the merrier,” Sam says. “You know that.” 

“Sam’s convinced tonight will be epic,” Suzy says.

“You only turn forty once,” Sam replies. “And I’m not the only one.”

I missed our joint thirtieth birthday party because of reshoots that couldn’t possibly be rescheduled and our thirty-fifth because, that season, a few episodes of King & Prince were shot on location in Mexico. But fifteen years on the same prime-time TV show have earned me, alongside the habitual executive producer credit, a bit more say over my schedule. I made it abundantly clear I wouldn’t miss another big birthday party because of the show’s shooting schedule.

“To an epic party with my two favorite people in the world.” I hold up my half-empty beer.

I let my gaze glide over Suzy and Sam. They fall into their easy brother-sister banter. I lean against the railing and, with the ocean behind me and my brother and sister within touching distance in front of me, I revel in the soothing sensation of coming home.

I need it now more than ever.

CHAPTER TWO
DEVON

Sam and Sadie’s party is in full swing when I arrive. I spot a lot of familiar faces, but I’m here for one face in particular. I can see Sadie on my TV screen whenever I want these days, but it’s been years since I’ve seen her in the flesh. When Suzy invited me earlier today, I didn’t have to think twice about accepting. I consider myself a down-to-earth person—you have to be in my profession—but Sadie Ireland has always been the exception to any rule I’ve ever set myself.

I make my way through the throng of people on the deck. I hear two guys I know talking about catching some waves in the morning. I give them a nod of recognition. I try to ignore the coil of nerves in my stomach, even though I know better than most how futile it is to try not to feel your feelings. But again—Sadie’s the exception to everything.

I spot Suzy first. She’s part of a circle of people that have gathered around Sam and Sadie, as if they’re holding court. Suzy’s usually the center of every circle, but maybe she’s happy to surrender the spotlight to her siblings on their birthday. I know all three Irelands and it has always struck me as odd that, out of the three of them, Sadie ended up the TV star.

Not that she doesn’t have the looks for it—she always had. I lock my gaze on her and it all comes back to me, engulfing me like a dream I’m not sure I ever want to wake up from.

We’re both twenty-four years older now, but the slant of Sadie’s nose and the shape of her eyes are as familiar to me now as they were then.

Sadie has spotted me. She does that thing with her eyes when she glances away at first before her gaze is pulled back, as though she has no other choice but to look at me again.

“Devon!” Suzy must have seen something on her sister’s face because she has turned around and is pulling me toward them. “So glad you came.”

“Happy birthday, Irelands.” I stand around awkwardly because I don’t know whether to kiss them or hug them or, more than anything else, how to behave around Sadie.

Sam opens his arms wide and draws me into a bear hug. I’m not a regular at his bar, but I stop by here often enough, usually for a post-surf morning coffee.

“Happy you could make it,” he mumbles, his words slurring a touch already.

“Thank you so much for having me. I’m sorry I didn’t bring a gift. It was all a bit last minute, but it’s definitely forthcoming.”

“Your presence is your gift.” Sam steps back and I have a full view of Sadie again. Does she even remember that day? Probably not. It meant different things to us. That has always been clear.

“Devon!” Sadie sounds surprised to see me. “Oh, my god!” She opens her arms to me and I walk into her embrace. “Wow,” Sadie whispers when her lips are close to my ear. “What a trip down memory lane.”

I’m partial to tight hugs full of intention, but I only manage a limp pat on Sadie’s shoulders.

“I know.” I send her a smile after I’ve stepped back. “It’s been a minute.” I regroup and turn it on in a way that fools even myself.

Sadie arches up her eyebrows and brings a fingertip to my left arm. “Wow,” she says again. “Those are so incredibly cool.”

“Devon’s the most tattooed life coach around,” Suzy says. “Sadie’s right, by the way. You’re such a cool chick, Dev.”

I chuckle heartily. “Cool is the very last thing I’m feeling right now.” I give Sadie a look so she knows I’m referring to her presence.

“Don’t tell me Sadie’s fame impresses the likes of you.” Suzy brings her hands to her hips, as though scolding me. “That’s not what I signed up for when I hired you as my coach.”

We all have our weaknesses, I think, but can’t possibly say out loud. “It’s not so much the fame that impresses me, but that the girl I used to sit next to in class is now on my television every time I turn it on.”

“Professional hazard,” Sadie says.

“Here.” Sam offers me a bottle of beer. I’m not much of a drinker, but tonight, in the presence of Sadie Ireland, I may very well indulge.

“Here’s to you two.” I hold up the bottle and both Sam and Sadie clink theirs against it. I try to catch Sadie’s gaze as we toast, but it skitters away. Maybe a flash of memory surprised her, too.

“You must have turned forty recently?” Sadie inquires.

“A few months ago.”

“Here’s to you as well, then.” She lifts her bottle again, and this time, she returns my gaze for a split second. Her eyes still have the same bottomless darkness to them. Her smile is still as lopsidedly gorgeous as ever. “You look really good, Devon.”

Heat flashes up my neck. Thank goodness the light is dimmed in the bar. Damn you, fair complexion. Unlike the surfer dudes on the deck, and despite all the time I spend in the water and underneath the California sun, my skin only knows two tones: alabaster white and lobster red.

“Thank you.” More people arrive and want a piece of Sam and especially Sadie. According to Suzy, even though LA is only a six-hour drive south, Sadie doesn’t make it back to Clearwater Bay very often. Also, according to Suzy, Sam is the luckiest of the three Ireland siblings because Sadie bought him a beach house and a bar in his beloved hometown, and he gets to enjoy the fruits of their sister’s labor the most.

“I hope we get to talk some more later,” Sadie says, before she’s swallowed up by a group of people I’m not familiar with.

I lean against the bar and cast my gaze about the place. I see plenty of people I know and should chat with, but my eyes are drawn back to Sadie time and time again. I’d best get a grip. I look away and think of my son, Finn, who should be fast asleep right now at his dad’s. It’s easy enough to picture him in a funny, haphazard sleeping position, which is exactly what I need to pull me out of my Sadie Ireland induced trance.

When I scan the bar again, it’s with different intentions. I fully acknowledge that I have some residual feelings left for Sadie, while I also know that twenty-four years later, they no longer hold any meaning. It’s more nostalgia than anything else. Perhaps mixed with a touch of loneliness. I won’t wallow in either, which is why I decide there and then, as my gaze scours the women in The Bay, to kill two birds with one stone—if I feel less lonely, nostalgia won’t stand much chance either.

As if on cue, the music is turned up. Suzy’s the first to start dancing, pulling her reluctant brother and sister along with her. Both Sam and Sadie retreat to the bar, while Suzy is quickly surrounded by other people more than willing to dance.

A woman I don’t know catches my eyes. She has a few tattoos of her own, which is always a way in. I try to focus on her, but it’s as though an invisible force field radiates from farther down the bar, where Sadie’s standing. I can’t help but look—and I can’t help but melt a little more either. Damn you, nostalgia.

CHAPTER THREE
SADIE

Devon Douglas looks mighty fine in that orange top. It brings out the fire in her hair. Even though I could tell that seeing me rattled her for a moment, she looks like she has it all together. Like she has it all figured out. She has that healthy glow about her that comes with successfully keeping existential dread at bay. I suppose it’s a minimum requirement when you claim you can coach other people at ‘life.’

When Suzy mentioned that she’d invited Devon to the party, I had no idea she was referring to the Devon Douglas. For a while in high school, we were inseparable, until we weren’t. Because that’s how things can go at that age.

I smile at her before taking another swig of beer. I don’t remember how many I’ve had. As soon as I finish one, Sam is there to put another in my hand. I should talk to him about that. But not tonight.

Devon smiles back, and I take it as my cue to walk toward her. By now, most people at the party are over the fact that Sadie Ireland is here. I’m just a TV actor. I’m no Ida Burton or Faye Fleming. People get over being starstruck pretty quickly when they meet me in the flesh—look at Cassidy. Devon’s attention didn’t fade though—but she knew me a long time before there was any talk of King & Prince.

“Hey.” I can’t help but giggle like the teenagers we once were. “Are you having fun?”

“It sure is a trip seeing you again, Sadie.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course.” Devon stares intensely into my eyes.

I know I should say something, but I don’t know what. It’s as if my mind has gone blank. The only other time that happened to me was when I had to act opposite Mike again after we separated. Sometimes, emotions catch up with you despite your rational mind’s best intentions.

“Are you okay?” Devon points to the beer bottle in my hand.

“Sam,” I say, as though that should make it all perfectly clear.

“Want me to finish that for you?” Devon holds out her hand. “It might make for less of a headache in the morning.”

“Sure.” I give Devon my beer and watch how she brings it to her lips and tips the bottle back. For some reason, probably severe inebriation, my gaze is glued to her neck as she swallows.

“How long are you in town for?” Devon asks.

“For the entire hiatus of the show. I’m not doing anything else. Just retreating to my home base and licking my post-divorce wounds.”

“I’d love to meet for coffee sometime. Catch up.”

“I’d love that very much, too.” I tilt my head. “You look… I don’t know. Like the opposite of how I feel. Happy. Like everything is as it should be in your world.”

“Looks can be deceiving. You should know that.”

“Oh, I do. But…”

“It’s okay. Whether you’re Sadie Ireland living it up in Hollywood or Devon Douglas enjoying a quiet life in Clearwater Bay, we all go through good and bad times. It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do for a living.”

“That’s deep for a birthday party.” I’ve drunk too much to come up with even the slightest witty repartee.

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” Everything Devon says sounds so heartfelt. “And I’m sorry you’re going through a tough time.”

Of course, she knows all about my divorce. The entire world knows. By lying low, I hope the attention on my former marriage will die down soon.

“I’m here now, with my family.” Suzy has somehow convinced Sam to stay on the makeshift dance floor—The Bay isn’t exactly a clubbing hotspot. My brother has many talents but moving his body in synch with a musical beat is not one of them. He seems to be having a blast, however. So much so it’s infectious, and I feel like I’m missing out—kind of how I’ve felt about their lives since King & Prince took off and I had less and less time to come home.

“Do you want to dance?” Suddenly, I’m curious to see how Devon moves to the beat. If she can maintain that cool demeanor on the dance floor.

“How can I say no to Sadie Ireland?” She leads the way and, as these things can go at a boozy party, one moment I find myself lamenting my private life, while the next I’m going bananas to a Tina Turner song.

Suzy curls her arm around me and pulls me near. “I’m so glad you’re home, little sis,” she yells in my ear. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too, Suze.” My eyes go watery as I look at her. That must be the beer as well.

“I know what we need.” Sam has approached us.

I groan in anticipation.

“Shots!”

“Shots! Shots! Shots!” Suzy joins in.

I’m having too much fun with my siblings to put up much of a fight. And it’s not as if I have to be on set tomorrow. I’ll have two months to recover from what will be a heinous hangover.

Sam orders shots with a few well-practiced hand gestures and next thing I know, liquor is burning down my throat. So much for letting Devon finish my beer earlier. Speaking of, where is she? She doesn’t seem to partake in the reckless knocking back of shots. She’s moved away from where we are clumsily swaying to the music and is talking to a woman I don’t recognize. Devon’s smiling and the other woman is peering intently at the tattoo sleeves on Devon’s arms.

Next thing I know, I’m being lifted in the air, my legs swinging in front of me.

“Put me down, Sam,” I yell. “I’m forty years old, for crying out loud.”

“Only if you do another shot with me.”

“Oh, what the hell.” Thankfully, he releases me from his hold. My legs wobble when my feet touch back down on solid ground. “I might as well.”

“To you and me, sis.” Sam offers me another shot. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior while you’re staying with me.”

“Big words, bro. Big words.”

“I’ll try to remember to put the toilet seat down.” He grins at me.

“That’s it?”

“Some other things as well.”

“How about you try not to bring a new woman home every other night? I would really appreciate that.”

“That’s not a promise I can make.” He pulls his face into a forced scowl.

“Of course you can! We can agree on one night a week and I’ll make sure I’m elsewhere. I’ll stay at Suzy’s or Dad’s.”

Sam shakes his head, then his eyes grow wide. I follow the path of his gaze.

“Someone’s getting lucky tonight,” he says.

Devon and the woman are standing very close but it’s not as though they’re doing anything that might indicate they’re ‘getting lucky.’

“They’re just talking.”

“Yeah right. And I’m a virgin.” Sam elbows me in the biceps. “Maybe you’ve been out of flirting practice for too long, but I certainly know it when I see it. Anyway, good for them.”

I stare at Devon and the woman she’s talking to. Are they flirting? And does it matter whether they are? If so, why does it seem to bother me to the extent that I find it hard to look away because I want to see how it ends?

Is it because Devon Douglas isn’t just a girl I went to school with? She’s also the girl who kissed me, out of the blue, on a sunny Wednesday afternoon.

<<End of preview>>

And Then She Kissed Me will be available on Thursday 27 January 2022 from all retailers. (The audio, narrated by Abby Craden, will follow later this year.)

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January 19, 2022 by Harper Bliss Leave a Comment

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This free download also includes the first 3 chapters of And Then She Kissed Me.

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