The Next Round

<p><strong>Shaken <em>and </em>stirred.</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Five years is a long time between drinks for old friends.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Meet Andreia Herrera</em></strong>. Strong-willed foul-mouthed. A PR executive but a writer and designer at heart. Generous but stubborn. Judgy by her own admission.</p><p></p><p>Shaken by a series of heartbreaks Andie's fear of jumping into new relationships leads her to run away and keep her distance from the possibilities of love even with restaurant and bar entrepreneur Chris Vaughn.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Meet Christopher Vaughn</em></strong>. Passionate about two things: his family's legacy and Andie. The reluctant CEO-in-waiting and heir-apparent to his family's bar and restaurant empire.</p><p></p><p>After five years apart Andie and Chris are unexpectedly thrown together in a mix of professional and personal circumstances as they work on the launch of a new bar establishment. Is this their chance to re-ignite their friendship and heal the rupture from the last time they saw each other?</p><p></p><p>The heady cocktail of familiar warmth heated conversation and undeniable chemistry in their shared moments has Andie questioning what she really wants: friendship-or maybe even more this time around.</p><p></p><p>Can Andie face her demons and move beyond her deep-seated fears to finally take the leap of faith and meet Chris halfway? Is it possible that the person who knows her best might be the love she's been missing?</p><p><strong>_____</strong></p><p><strong>⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</strong></p><p>A contemporary romance that will take your breath away. A feel-good book with a casual vibe that screams summer reading by the pool with a fruity cocktail in hand. Between the novel's breathtaking setting the multidimensional (and aesthetically pleasing) characters and the stirring romance you'll get all the feels you need from this endorphin-boosting prose.</p><p><strong>-Reader Views Reviewer's Choice Literary Awards for Romance (Finalist)</strong></p><p><strong>⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐</strong></p><p>Real people inhabit this love story; the dialogue sparkles the situations are down to earth and the characters easily relatable.</p><p><strong>-IndieReader Discovery Award for Romance (Winner)</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> _____</strong></p><p><strong> Winner - 2025 IndieReader Discovery Award for Romance</strong></p><p><strong> Winner - 2025 Passionate Plume Award - Contemporary</strong></p><p><strong> Winner - 2025 HOLT Medallion Award - Best First Book</strong></p><p><strong> Winner - 2025 Emma Awards Best Debut Author of the Year</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2025 HOLT Medallion Award - Long Contemporary</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2025 American Fiction Awards - Romance</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2025 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards - Romance</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2025 Literary Global Book Awards - Fiction/Romance</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2025 Emma Awards Best Romantic Comedy</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2025 DWRI Romance Book Literary Award</strong></p><p><strong> Finalist - 2024© Reader Views Reviewer's Choice Literary Awards - Romance</strong></p><p><strong> Honorable Mention - 2025 Beach Book Festival - Romance</strong></p><p><strong> Honorable Mention - 2025 New York Book Festival - Fiction</strong></p>