“Dukes and Dekes” is a friends-to-lovers, brother’s best friend romance that deals with grief and chronic illness. It contains adult language and open-door intimate scenes that realistically depict endometriosis (i.e., no penetration).
Dukes and Dekes
Can a professional hockey player reform his rakish ways for a winning shot at his best friend’s guarded heart?
Nestled between rocks and mountains, the slumbering town of Chawton Falls, NH, blinks alive every autumn when the Wentworth Estate hosts the Jane Austen Regency Fair.
For event coordinator Aulie Desfleurs, fall is a dizzying season full of bonnets, muslin, bicorn hats—and, unfortunately, this year, playing the role of the foolish Lydia Bennet. A sensible woman to her core, she has no time to worry about her mysterious chronic illness or love life.
So what if a spicy photo of her best friend Jack Parker in a penalty box threatens to reignite a spark from years ago? If she maintains her distance—an easy feat during hockey season—she’ll be fine.
Jack Parker, the bad boy of the American professional hockey league, is suspended…again. Forced to flee to Chawton Falls, Jack comes face to face with a swell of repressed emotions…and a goat. Seeking a distraction, he soon finds himself in the fair cast as the infamous rake, George Wickham.
Wearing breeches isn’t exactly on brand, but after five years of harboring unrequited feelings for Aulie, Jack’s willing to sport the high-waisted pants if it means convincing her he can be the dashing hero she deserves.
With a less than stellar dating history, and a suspension deadline looming, Aulie knows falling for Jack would be foolish.
But when he kisses her like a man possessed, one day, and takes care of her like a saint, the next, Aulie’s forced to choose: either embrace Jane Austen’s signature truth, “we are all fools in love,” or risk living like the author without a happily ever after of her own.
Author’s Note and TW/CW:
Hi, there! Just a quick note to say—hey! Thank you so much for picking up my book! That was so very kind of you.
Before you start reading, I would like this to serve as a final warning, that while my writing is naturally humorous (I hope) DUKE AND DEKES is not a rom-com. It’s a contemporary romance that deals with heavy topics that may be triggering for some. If that’s you, it’s okay if you use this book as a paperweight or doorstop. Put it on a shelf with its friends, and open it when you’re good and ready, or never at all. Be kind to yourself first and foremost! Please and thank you!
And just an extra special note to those of you with endometriosis or other chronic illnesses. While this book isn’t as heavy-handed on certain aspects of endometriosis as perhaps FINDING GENE KELLY was, it’s still a realistic portrayal of navigating life with an undiagnosed disease, and the transition after diagnosis. Please, please, please be gentle. It’s okay if you can’t handle a book with that journey. Using books to escape is one of my favorite coping mechanisms. I’ll understand, promise!
While this list may not cover every aspect of this book that could be heavy or triggering for some, here are some topics of note:
• Heavy discussion of grief and mourning loved ones as a central theme
• Family member whose death was a result of battling cancer
• Accurate Endometriosis rep (chronic pain, on pain vomiting, blacking out, and other aspects of living with the disease—Aulie will use narcotics on page as well)
• Medical gaslighting – Chapter two is particularly heavy, including a rough pelvic exam, please proceed with caution.
• Incorrect internal dialogue as a direct result of ableism and gaslighting
• Emergency surgery
(I promise there is so much joy and romance in these pages too!)
Content Warnings: This book has many instances of adult language and two open-door intimate scenes, one oral and one with a vibrator. Because this book has accurate endometriosis rep there will be no penetration. Please be kind and mindful that this is a reality for a lot of people battling this disease, and other pelvic dysfunctions.
Finding Gene Kelly
Out Now in Paperback, Ebook and Kindle Unlimited!
“With delicious chemistry, effortless humor, and visceral honesty about navigating life with a chronic illness, Finding Gene Kelly is the most heartfelt and addicting romance of the year. I felt every crackling moment between courageous Evie and charming Liam, even (okay, especially) as they resisted the inevitable: love conquers all.”
– Allison Ashley, author of Perfect Distraction, Home Sweet Mess, & Would you Rather
Evie O’Shea’s stale-as-a-day-old-baguette-life needs a shake-up. Enter Liam Kelly, her childhood best friend, and high school rival, clad in a Henley and equipped with toned forearms and eye crinkles that rival Gene Kelly himself.
At first, Evie is determined to keep her ultimate temptation at a distance while she flails wildly navigating life, love, and endometriosis on the banks of the Seine.
But when a family announcement shakes up Evie's world weeks before her brother’s wedding, Evie seeks her rival Liam’s help to get through the wedding with some semblance of sanity intact.
Her request? Fake date.
Making a deal with the Devil always comes with a cost, though, and when Liam’s conditions which include elaborate backstories and practice dates, reignite passions her disease smothered long ago, Evie has to learn to fight for her dreams and break free from her life measured in ibuprofen pills and heating pad settings. Or else risk being alive but never truly living.
Author’s Note and Trigger Warnings
Hi, there! Just a quick note to say—hey, thank you so much for picking up my book! That was so very kind of you.
But before you start reading, there are a few things in this book that might be too heavy or triggering for some, and if that’s you, it’s really okay if you use this book as a paperweight or a doorstop or put it on a shelf with its other friends and open it when you’re good and ready—or never at all. Be kind to yourself first and foremost! Please and thank you.
And just an extra special note to those of you with endometriosis: Sometimes writing this book was like entering the third dimension of hell, especially when my endo was poking my side and Evie’s simultaneously, and there was just too much endometriosis in my life. Please, please, please, be gentle. It’s okay if you can’t handle a book with endometriosis right now. Using books to escape is one of my favorite coping mechanisms. I’ll understand, promise!
While this list may not cover every aspect of this book that could be heavy or triggering for some, here are some topics of note:
Mentions of depression and anxiety
A toxic mother/daughter dynamic
Multiple instances of on-page vomiting (Sorry, Evie!)
A concussion
Mourning a loved one who passed many years ago
Discussions of infertility
Multiple pregnancy announcements
Conversations about survivor guilt and how people with endometriosis were treated in the past
And, of course, our beautiful soul sucker: endometriosis, chronic pain, and other daily aspects of living with the disease
Content Warnings: This book has many instances of adult language and an open-door intimate scene. With that said, the open-door scene is authentic to the endometriosis experience, so it may be more frustrating than relieving—if you’re looking for good steam, I’d recommend finding another book. Intimacy with endo can get, erm, complicated.
Final note: The chronic illness rep in this book is . . . well . . . chronic. It will affect plot points, and it will be present in major scenes. Use that knowledge to proceed accordingly to your personal tastes.
“A heartwarming novel of love triumphing over life’s struggles.”
— Kirkus Reviews