Spotlight & Giveaway: Exes and O’s by Amy Lea

Posted January 12th, 2023 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Spotlight / 28 comments

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Amy Lea’s new release: Exes and O’s

A romance novel-obsessed social media influencer revisits her exes on her hunt for true love in this romantic comedy from the author of Set On You.

Romance book connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different men—all of whom dumped her because of her “stage-five clinger” tendencies. Nevertheless, Tara is determined to find The One. The only problem? Classic meet-cutes are dead, thanks to modern dating apps. So Tara decides to revisit her exes in hopes of securing her very own trope-worthy second-chance romance.

Boston firefighter Trevor Metcalfe will be the first to rush into a burning building but the last to rush into a relationship. Love just isn’t his thing. When his new roommate Tara enlists him to help her reconnect with her exes, he reluctantly agrees. But Tara’s journey is leading him to discover his own new chapter.

The more time they spend together, the more Tara realizes Trevor seems to be the only one who appreciates her authentic, dramatic self. To claim their happily ever after, can Tara and Trevor read between the lines of their growing connection?

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Exes and O’s

At the half-hour mark, I shoot Daniel a DM, letting him know I’m waiting at the restaurant. He has yet to respond.
At the front of the room, Rogan whispers to the hostess, who has vacant eyes and fuchsia lipstick on her teeth. They simultaneously cast grim expressions toward me. If I had to guess, they’re stressing about the lack of table space. I can’t say I blame them. Mamma Maria’s is a full house tonight. The lineup is out the door, spilling down the brown, slushy sidewalk. I’m the annoying customer needlessly wasting a table, throwing everything off.
I hold my breath as the hostess sashays over. “Do you know if your other party will be here soon?” she asks, brandishing a frighteningly fake lopsided smile. Her name tag is only half-visible behind her blond curls, allowing me to make out the first few letters (Mer). “We have another reservation in half an hour.”
“He’ll be here. In ten minutes,” I say reassuringly, though more to myself.
She gives me a pitiful expression and sighs dramatically, like she’s doing me a massive favor. “Ten more minutes,” she warns, like a weary parent granting their child extra playtime at the park.
I picture an ancient, hand-carved hourglass emptying with just two measly grains of sand stubbornly holding on. At the nine-minute mark, Rogan strides forth to officially kick me out. He clears his throat, cruelly forcing me to look him in the eyes while he does so. “Ma’am, I apologize, but I’m going to have to ask you to—”
“Hey, I’m so sorry, babe. I got held up in a meeting,” a booming voice sounds over his shoulder.
It’s not Daniel.
It’s Trevor.
His eyes are warm, almost amber-colored from the glow of the candlelight. And he’s dressed in a suit, no less, casually taking a good decade off my life-span.
A good suit can elevate any man at least two notches. Some men are just born to wear suits, like the Christian Grey or Chuck Bass types, the ones who command respect when their suave selves stride into a boardroom, their brows raised inquisitively. They smell like mahogany, radiating status and sex appeal with a dash of sociopathic tendencies. The mere fastening of a cuff link is enough to make the postmenopausal secretary shift in her chair. On rare occasions, they may be spotted in the wild in casual wear and it’s jarring, like seeing your first-grade teacher next to you in the condom and lube aisle of the local pharmacy.
Then there are men like Trevor Metcalfe. The rugged, emotionally damaged types who would rather wear literally anything else, preferably their ripped, distressed denim and leather jacket that smells like danger. But in exceptional circumstances when they wear a suit, it’s game over for humanity. Personally, I’m offended I’ve been deprived of such a magnificent sight.
A dark-charcoal jacket spans Trevor’s broad shoulders like a glove, the fabric straining a little over his physique, accentuating his tapered waist. His wavy hair looks like shaved dark chocolate, slightly damp, fresh from a steamy shower straight out of my dreams.
Rogan frowns as Trevor settles into the seat across from mine, relaxed and self-assured.
I bumble out some garbled nonsense, unable to speak English through my shock.
Trevor gives me an easy wink over the menu that makes my heart dolphin flip. In return, I flash him a half-terrified, half-thankful smile while benevolently stuffing a quarter of a breadstick in my mouth.
“What can I get for you tonight?” Rogan asks, callously reaching to swipe the bread basket.
To his shock and horror, Trevor snatches it with superhuman speed, setting it back on the table where it belongs. “Sorry, sir. We aren’t done with the bread. And I’m good with whatever you have on tap, please.”
He certainly did not request to keep the bread for himself. One does not simply get a hard body like that by mindlessly shoveling empty carbs down their throat. He saved that basket of bread for me, knowing damn well I’ll go down in a blaze of wheaty glory in the name of carbs. Maybe I’ve been wrong about Trevor’s romantic lead potential all along, because that was some real hero shit.

Excerpted from Exes and O’s by Amy Lea Copyright © 2023 by Amy Lea. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Giveaway: 1 Finished print copy of EXES AND O’S (US only, 18+)

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Meet the Author:

Amy Lea is an Asian Canadian government analyst who runs the Bookstagram account @amyleabooks, where she promotes and reviews contemporary romance novels. Set on You is her debut novel. Learn more online at www.amyleabooks.com

Buy links: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673410/exes-and-os-by-amy-lea/