College student Ada has found the one thing that really revs her engine: Coffee. And she's found the perfect coffee shop in Perk Me Up. She likes the baristas, the other customers, and she especially likes their lattes. She likes it so much, she decides to apply for a job.
But that's when the perfect brew turns cold. The owner of the place, Nate, is a real pain in the coffeepot. He's a bit older than Ada, a bit wiser, but a whole lot grumpier. But on top of those hunched, overworked shoulders is a big brain with big dreams. His secrets threaten to take the whole café down with him if he doesn't get help. But all that is just a façade to disguise a failing business. And as Ada works her tail off to save this small town coffee shop, she might just find herself getting closer to the man himself.
Brew yourself a pot of coffee, because this small town contemporary romance from New York Times bestseller Krista Lakes is sure to make this an all-nighter!
Tag Archives: books
Single Dad’s Surrogate
Posted on
https://www.amazon.com/Single-Dads-Surrogate-Family-Billionaire-ebook/dp/B08KJJG5JH
A month ago, Radish invited me to their application. I'm always looking for new and exciting ways to sell books, so I decided to give it a try. I'm having a blast with their read-by-the-chapter model. It's a slightly different style of writing (each chapter is under 4k words and needs to end on a cliffhanger to entice readers to buy the next chapter!).
I wrote “Single Dad's Surrogate” under a different pen name, but it fits so well under the Radish design that I wanted to bring it back to Krista.
So, I did!
The book is now published on Radish, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Apple.

I hope you enjoy reading about a former surrogate mother turned nanny turned love interest!

Free Romance Novels!!!!
Posted on
Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR free books! From now until the end of Tuesday 11/13/2018 all four of these books will be available for FREE!
Please spread the word! If you haven't read one of these books, now is your chance! If you have and you loved it, tell a friend 🙂
Happy Veteran's Day with FREE BOOKS!
Bad Boys and Babies
Posted onThree new books! Three new books!
Not one, not two, but three new Krista Lakes books!
Book #1: Family Doctor's Baby!
When I left my small hometown years ago, I never expected to come back. I certainly never expected that when I did, I'd be working for him.
He's the town's doctor. He's supposed to be a respectable member of society, a pillar for the community. He's supposed to have come a long way from the bad boy who rode a motorcycle in high school.
But he hasn't. One glance from those lustful eyes looking at me tells me that he has the same voracious appetites that he did when we were younger.
Only it's not quite the same stare. It's more urgent. It's more intense. I'm not the same nerdy girl who tutored him. I've grown up, developed fertile curves that I know he finds irresistible.
In this small town, rumors travel fast, and the family doctor can't be seen as a player. So he does try to resist. And I do too. But with every smoldering glance and moment of sexual tension, we find our barriers breaking down.
After a stressful night of touch-and-go baby delivery, a moment of elation overcomes our inhibitions. It seems like maybe we'll need to confront those rumors sooner rather than later, especially before I begin to show the results of that night.
Can I give this doctor the family he has always desired?
Book #2! The Billionaire's Baby Arrangement
Billionaire CEO Jackson Weathers needs a family for a PR boost, and I've signed a contract agreeing to give him one. A doting girlfriend in public. A wedding ceremony to invite all the socialites to. And finally, a baby for him to parade around, to show he's really a wholesome, down-to-Earth man.
I've tried to remain cynical about it. He's going to make all my dreams come true. So what if it's supposed to be a loveless marriage?
Only, his tenderness in private has me hooked. The way he kisses me drives me wild. When we make love, I lose myself to him. His body feels like it was meant to be on top of mine, like we fit together like two puzzle pieces. I can't help but begin to fall for him.
I can't tell him, or I risk losing everything. And nobody else can find out about our little “arrangement” or it will destroy his reputation. Still, I feel like I have to know how he feels, before the marriage, before the baby, before I give my entire life over to him.
Is it still just pretend?
And Book #3! Crime Boss Baby!
I am a mafia princess.
My family is making me marry a rival crime boss.
At first, I go along with it because it's important to my family. But then I meet him.
Dante is dangerous and sexy as sin. I want him physically and mentally. His talented fingers and mouth have me panting for more before he even knows my real name.
But there are parts of my past that can ruin everything. My mother's murderer is catching up to me. If he finds me, he could ruin everything. Not only that, not everyone in Dante's family is as excited about the wedding as they appear.
And then, there's news that both overjoys and terrifies me. I'm pregnant.
Can Dante save me and give me the future we both desire? Or will my past destroy everything and everyone that I care about?
They're $2.99 for a limited time only!
A Sneak Peek at Mr. Darcy’s Kiss
Posted onPREORDER AVAILABLE on iTunes
Coming to all retailers Dec. 26th, 2017
I kept dancing across the dance floor, moving my hips and having fun. I could see Lydia out of the corner of my eye shaking her booty and having a great time. For once, I wasn't worried about her getting kicked out. She seemed to be behaving herself.
A cute man came up and started dancing with me. He was mid-height with blonde hair and a couple of tattoos peeking out from under his shirtsleeves. I offered my hand, and he spun me into him, putting his hands on my hips and moving with me to the music.
At first, the dance was fun. Cute-guy kept his hands on my hips, pulling me into his body and moving to the music. It was worlds away better than dancing with Collins, but then he started going too far. He grabbed my ass instead of my hips, and he didn't let me go as he thrust his pelvis into me.
I stepped away, no longer enjoying what was going on. I wanted to dance, not to be groped.
“Come on, baby,” he said over the music, flashing me what I assumed was his best smile. He was no longer Cute-guy. He was now Cute-but-awful guy. “It's just for fun.”
“I think I'm done,” I said, turning to leave, but he grabbed my hand.
“Just another dance, baby,” he cooed. “I'll behave. Until you don't want me to.”
I tried to wrench my arm from his grasp, but he was much bigger and stronger than me. I wasn't sure what to do. Should I play nice until he let me go and then run? Should I kick him in the balls? Scream bloody murder?
“She said she's done,” a strong voice said behind me. I turned to find Mr. Darcy out on the dance floor. For the first time since meeting him, I was glad to see him.
“Wait your turn,” Cute-but-awful guy told him. He still had my wrist in his hand.
“No,” Mr. Darcy said, putting his hand on my shoulder. He looked dangerous. “Either you leave now, or they help you out.”
He nodded to the three muscle-bound bouncers in black watching them. Cute-but-awful guy dropped my wrist.
“You need to chill, man,” Cute-but-awful guy said. He blew me a kiss and walked away.
I stood there on the dance floor breathing hard even though I wasn't moving. Mr. Darcy had rescued me. I knew I could have done it myself, but his method was way more effective and didn't involve bodily harm.
“Thank you,” I told him over the music.
He shrugged like it was nothing. “Want to dance?”
He held out his hand, waiting for me to take it.
I hesitated. Not because I thought he would end up like Cute-but-awful guy, or because I didn't want to. I really wanted to dance with Mr. Darcy. I wanted to dance and then do so much more than dancing. And that's what scared me.
“Okay,” I replied before I considered all the consequences. It was just a dance. What harm could a dance do?
The music changed to the next song. A steady, pounding bass beat thrummed across the dance floor like a heartbeat. My hips moved on their own to the tempo, dancing to the sultry music all on their own.
Mr. Darcy's hands went to my hips. They were strong and confident as he guided me in the motions of our dance. He knew exactly what he was doing as he put my body against his. I could feel the strength of his muscles under his jacket, and he moved with a natural grace.
The music throbbed, and I ached with it as Mr. Darcy danced with me. His hand glided down my side, teasing me with his touch while still being completely PG. The trace of his fingers left my skin tingling for more.
I wrapped my arms around the back of his neck, drawing the two of us in closer. There was nothing now but the two of us and the heavy, throbbing need of the music. His hips went slow with mine, keeping just enough distance without letting me forget where he was.
Every move was primal and sexual. Every cell in my body turned on, wanting to know what it would be like to feel this without clothes. My pulse pounded to the beat of the dance.
I bit my bottom lip, trying to keep myself grounded as I lost myself to him. Mr. Darcy was in complete control, and I was fine with that. He made every motion, every move, sexy as hell. It was sex on the dance floor and the hottest thing I'd ever experienced with my clothes on.
I looked up, my lip still between my teeth as I met his eyes.
Blue like the ocean, even in the dark of the club. They captured me and held me there, stronger than any rope. I didn't want to leave the gaze of those eyes.
Emotions that I wasn't ready for flooded through me. I wanted him. I was incredibly attracted to him. I wanted to feel his skin under my fingers and see if he was this good a dancer in the bedroom. Heat flooded my core at the thought of the pleasure he was sure to give me. I was going to give into him.
Yet, somewhere, my brain came back. I knew he was an ass. He was a jerk just looking for his next lay. In that respect, he was no better than Cute-but-awful guy. He was just a better dancer.
I stumbled back, needing to figure out why my body was so attracted to him when my head knew better. I should never have danced with him. I should never have let myself feel the strength of the man under the suit.
My heel slipped, catching on the dance floor and my balance flew out the window. Yet, I didn't fall. Mr. Darcy rescued me, yet again. He pulled me into his body, holding me directly against him. His heart pounded with mine. I heated instantly, my skin crying out for his touch. If anything, the desire this time was almost unbearable.
I looked up again, finding those ocean eyes. They held a storm that I wanted to experience. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to do so much more than just kiss him, but that seemed like a good starting point.
I licked my lips. He tipped his head, apparently thinking the same thing I was. I couldn't believe that I was about to do this, yet I wanted to so badly. My body was overriding my head and taking what it wanted.
I closed my eyes, letting myself go. This was what I wanted. A kiss to start.
Mr. Darcy's Kiss is coming to all retailers December 26th, 2017
Preorder available on iTunes—->
Cover Winner
Posted onThe winner of this round of covers:
Cover #2!
Don't worry if your favorite cover wasn't the most popular! I will put the pictures back in and reuse them for the next book (which is already percolating in my head) Be sure to vote for the next one too!