Bad Beat.

Flop.

Pocket Rockets.

River.

If you know what all these words have in common, you get a gold star! One of them I had to look up. (Yeah, yeah, I know this is my column but I’m a romance author. Pocket Rockets takes on a whole new meaning when you write romance.) For those of you who are scratching your heads, I’ll fill you in on the secret: the common theme here is poker. Anyone who’s been to Vegas and hung out at the tables has likely heard these words. But if you’re the type of person who doesn’t “get” the hype of poker, doesn’t think it’s interesting or even particularly sexy, then I have a book for you. After reading Text Appeal by Lexi Ryan, you’ll quickly change your mind.

The transition from summer to fall is one I cherish. Gone are the heat, the constant grind of air conditioning, and the mosquitoes. We can look forward to cooler days, crisp evenings, and leaves that begin to change—the perfect weather for curling up with my Nook.

As a reader, I love stumbling upon a new author whose books I enjoy. I especially love it whenthat author comes with not just one or two titles, but a big, affordable backlist that can keep me immersed for weeks.