Lindell Series by Marie James – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Lindell Series by Marie James – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com Wed, 12 Feb 2025 07:22:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.books2020.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Lindell Series by Marie James – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.books2020.com 32 32 Tough Nut to Crack (Lindell #4) Read Online Marie James http://www.books2020.com/tough-nut-to-crack-lindell-4-read-online-marie-james Wed, 12 Feb 2025 07:22:56 +0000 http://www.books2020.com/tough-nut-to-crack-lindell-4-read-online-marie-james Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary Authors: Marie James Series: Lindell Series by Marie James
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Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 82747 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)

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What do you do when a night of fun nearly burns your house down?

If it isn't bad enough that Riley Wilson was capable of distracting me enough that I didn't know my kitchen was ablaze, she just won't leave me alone.

Until she does.

Which leaves me in the precarious position of trying to insert myself into her life.

What could possibly go wrong in a roommate situation with a woman I can't get out of my head?

How does he not remember me from the seven minutes in heaven from high school when it's something I relived for years after the fact?

Hooking up with Mac Hammer after he seemed to have forgotten the best makeout session of my life was possibly the worst decision I've ever made.

Now he's on my front porch demanding a place to stay, as if it was my fault he interrupted me while I was preparing a meal for one of his clients.

Guilt made me agree to him moving in, and hopefully, I'll have the strength to keep from sneaking into his room in the middle of the night.

A couple of weeks of resistance shouldn't be all too hard.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter 1

Riley

She threw soup in my face.

How do women like her even exist?

I blink through the sting and stare at her.

Scarlett LeBlanc glares back at me as if she's justified in what she just did.

"You threw soup in my face," I say, my voice low and filled with disbelief.

"That soup is awful," she screeches, her voice pitched high. It drips with disdain and self-importance.

My heart races, and my hands tremble. I spent an extra half hour on my hair this morning. I meticulously applied my makeup to make sure it didn't look like I was trying too hard. Women from the city can spot that sort of thing from miles away. I blame it on the fact that they spend so much time around fake and pretentious people.

Scarlett LeBlanc has a summer home here in Lindell, and I've heard rumors around town that she frequently has parties. The expensive cars coming in and heading down her road are proof enough of that, but no one in town has gotten more than a quick glance of her. She doesn't shop at the local stores, and she certainly wouldn't be caught dead attending one of the town's many festivals.

I was shocked when I got a call from her yesterday saying that she wanted me to cater an event at her house. I could tell by her tone she wasn't exactly happy about having to place the call to me, but I was determined to prove to her that Lindell has more to offer than people who gossip. I know my menu is what she's looking for. I've been told many, many times that it's geared more toward people from the city, not the citizens of Lindell, and although that has always been a point of contention with me, this was supposed to be my shot. If Scarlett was impressed with my food and professionalism, then maybe she'd chat with her friends about it, and my business could really take off the way I've always dreamed.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" she growls, her arms coming up to cross over her chest. Her head is held high, telling me that she doesn't feel an ounce of remorse for what she has done, and I think that surprises me the most.

It's not unheard of for people to do something without thinking, but they usually regret it to some degree. She's righteous in what she did, and I can tell by the way her eyes narrow as she watches me that she'd do it a second time without hesitation.

I swipe a finger down my cheek, grateful that I chose gazpacho instead of a hot soup, considering the amount I'm wearing on my person right now.

I slip the finger into my mouth, feeling a little better when her nose scrunches further.

"It may need a little more cucumber or a hint more of tarragon, but it definitely doesn't taste like cat urine."

She gawks at me as if I'm an alien that just dropped out of the sky and appeared in her kitchen.

She didn't use those words exactly, but as a Southern woman who respects herself, I'm not going to repeat her verbatim.

Her mouth hangs open a half of an inch, and I can tell she's dumbfounded that I'd challenge her in any way.

"I take it you won't be hiring A Taste of Elegance for your event?"

Instead of waiting for an answer I already have, I turn and grab a hand towel from the kit I brought with me. I wipe my face, knowing it's going to take more than a couple of swipes to get myself completely clean. Since the tomato-based soup is dripping from my hair and has soaked through my clothing, that won't be happening here.

"I'll have to admit," I say as I gather the things I brought and start repacking them into my totes. "I never imagined something like this happening to me, especially by someone from the city."

"You can't tell anyone about this," she says, a hint of worry in her tone.

Now? Now she worries?

"You signed a contract."

I turn in her direction, giving her a once-over, and inwardly wonder how often she goes to get Botox injections in her forehead. If she scowls often, like she's scowling at me now, it would have to be very frequent to keep those lines under control.

"I did sign a contract," I say as I go back to getting my things together so I can get out of here before she decides it's fitting to throw something else at me.

I thought the clipboard that she thrust into my hand before she even welcomed me inside her home was weird. Hindsight tells me that I should've been worried then, but I figured she was throwing a surprise party or that I'd be in contact with celebrities, and she wanted to protect their privacy. I also considered it was going to be a type of party that I'd be too embarrassed to speak to others about, but I signed the contract, blaming the books I read on that wayward thought.

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Advertisement With a Grain of Salt (Lindell #3) Read Online Marie James http://www.books2020.com/with-a-grain-of-salt-lindell-3-read-online-marie-james Thu, 13 Jun 2024 07:54:16 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/with-a-grain-of-salt-lindell-3-read-online-marie-james Genre: Alpha Male Authors: Marie James Series: Lindell Series by Marie James
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Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 84250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)

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There are certain rules that make the widows of servicemen off-limits.
As a veteran, I'm well aware that Claire Kennedy is forbidden.
It's why I've kept as much distance between the two of us as I can manage in our small town.
When she came looking for a job at my bar, I refused to hire her.
That didn't stop the gorgeous spitfire from showing up, putting on an apron, and getting to work one day while I was gone.
Not only is she good at tending bar, she's also an expert at keeping me distracted.
Being her boss doesn't matter when she catches me in her backyard.
Instead of asking me what I'm doing, she calls the cops.
Even with the threat of going to jail, I find myself smiling at her.
I knew she was going to be trouble the day she came to town.
Yet, I just can't seem to stay away.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Claire

“Is that right?” I ask Hux, a regular here at the bar, as I wipe the bar top in front of him.

His smile is big and inviting, but the curly blond hair and the bright green eyes aren’t something I usually go for. I’m more of a dark-and-dangerous girl, getting my thrills from the bad boy rather than the star quarterback, boy-next-door kind of guy, and this man has hometown hero written all over him.

“A solid one hundred,” he repeats. “How many people can say that?”

Say it? Nearly every soldier that walks into this place.

It actually being true is a whole other story.

Laughter meets my ears, but I do my best not to look to my right. I know what I’ll find, and I know exactly why my ex, Kent, chose this bar over every other one in town. His feelings are hurt. His pride took a hit when I broke up with him last week. He couldn’t understand why his cheating was actually a problem for me.

I lock my eyes on the man smiling back at me. I can see myself getting lost in a man like him for a few hours, but the cockiness would never work for me long term.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a soldier who made a perfect score on their ASVAB.”

His smile grows wider, and I know that grin has gotten this man out of a lot of trouble and into a lot of beds.

“So I was thinking,” he says, leaning in closer.

“Hold that thought, Casanova,” I tell him before walking down the bar to greet another customer.

I slap down napkins when I approach the couple, waiting for them to get their mouths off each other so I can take their drink order.

When I look back over my shoulder, I see something or someone has grabbed Hux's attention across the bar.

I’ve seen him in here before. I’ve seen that smile and know how easily he wields it to get his way. Women trip over themselves when he points it in their direction. I’d like to say that I’m immune, but I know I’m not.

It’s less than five minutes before I’m standing in front of Hux again.

“You live on base?” I ask, because his answer determines where we end up tonight.

He nods. “Will that be a problem for you?”

“Are you out of training yet?”

He shakes his head, a challenge in his eyes.

He says a lot with his eyes. If I were a certain type of girl who frequents the bars near the bases, I’d never give him a chance. A soldier not even out of training yet doesn’t make a lot of money and there’s no shortage of women around this town looking for a man who has the ability to take care of her.

“Are you good in bed? That’s what I’m looking for,” I tell him, getting right to the point.

“Nothing more?”

I shake my head.

“You’re sure?” he asks, angling his head in the direction of Kent and the woman he’s all over tonight. “That’s your ex, right?”

I lick my dry lips, not sure how I feel about this guy having paid more attention to me on his trips in here than I realized. I don’t like feeling like the one under the microscope. It's my job to pay attention to everyone and it's their job to drink.

My smile grows wider. I might’ve actually met my match with this man.

“One night of great sex, and maybe a little in-your-face flirting,” I say, knowing he’ll easily catch my drift.

His smile never falters, and that mischievous glint in his eyes is somehow familiar because I’ve seen it directed at so many others. The man isn’t exactly collecting notches in his bedpost, but he has perfected his charm.

“Not going to go all crazy on me next week when I come in here and pick up another girl?”

“Not really my style,” I tell him.

“Free drinks then?”

“I can charge you double?”

His laughter is smoky and rough and, despite the warmth in the air, it sends a wave of cold chills over my arms.

He’s dangerous. I can already tell, but not in the way that he’ll cause physical pain. He’s the right kind of flirt, and so confident in himself that he has to be good at what he’s offering.

“One night,” I clarify, smiling as he dips his head. “And then what?”

“Friends,” he offers, holding out his hand as if we're making some sort of deal.

“Meet me after my shift,” I tell him before walking away to help another customer.

Chapter 1

Walker

"Be right back," I tell Maggie before heading to the back.

The bar is crazy tonight, and although it's a great problem to have, staffing has been an issue for the last couple of months.

You'd think in a college town there'd be no shortage of people needing to make some fast cash, but we haven't had many people interested in working. Maybe their parents are providing all they need, unlike years in the past, when almost all students had a part-time job.

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Advertisement Easier Said Than Done (Lindell #2) Read Online Marie James http://www.books2020.com/easier-said-than-done-lindell-2-read-online-marie-james Sat, 30 Mar 2024 18:34:03 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/easier-said-than-done-lindell-2-read-online-marie-james Genre: Alpha Male, Angst, Contemporary, Erotic Authors: Marie James Series: Lindell Series by Marie James
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Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85950 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)

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If you can’t ask your best friend to get you pregnant then who can you ask?

Adalynn Tate made a promise to her childhood friend.
They vowed that they’d do everything together, including marrying their junior high crush and having all their babies at the same time.
Her friend has succeeded. She got the guy, and the first bun is in the oven.
Now it’s Adalynn’s turn to make her own dreams a reality.
When Adalynn’s best guy friend comes over, he sees the pamphlets for her to have a baby on her own.
Cash does what any best friend would do – offers his free, platonic services instead of extra medical bills.
He doesn’t know Adalynn has had a crush on him since junior high, something she’s done her best to lock down deep as not to threaten their friendship.
Adalynn knows in this world you don’t get to have it all: the baby, the man, the fairytale.
But Cash has other plans for her.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter 1

Cash

I press my fingers into my eyes, wondering just how bad it could actually be if I applied just a little more pressure. Surely, the compassionate folks in our small town would give me a break then, right?

“No, Mr. Prichard. That’s not a good reason to call 911.”

“Listen here, Cash Tucker, I’m too old to take lip from you.”

I roll my lips between my teeth to keep from saying something that will have the entire damn town talking for the next several weeks.

“All I’m saying is calling the non-emergency number about this is probably better.”

“No one ever answers the non-emergency number.” Mr. Pritchard huffs. “Margie is missing. That’s an emergency.”

“Margie always comes back home or someone spots her and posts in the online group,” I remind him.

“I don’t think I like your tone.”

I take another deep, fortifying breath. “Calling 911 because your peacock is missing isn’t appropriate. It ties up the county dispatcher. Now, the non-emergency number to the office is—”

“She’s a peahen,” he corrects. “And I know the number, but that still doesn’t negate the fact that she’s missing.”

“I’m sure your peahen will be back soon,” I assure him. “In the meantime, why don’t you head down to Wooden It Be Nice and grab a roll of chicken wire? If you cover the top of her run, she wouldn’t be able to escape.”

“Don’t call me when you have an emergency.” He huffs before hanging up.

The man has to know I’d never do that. If it were a true emergency, I’d call the sheriff’s department.

Lindell hasn’t had a police force for very long, but as the town-designated chief, I field a lot of ridiculousness. I wish I could say the calls from Bobby John Prichard are few and far between, but Margie sneaking out is a regular occurrence.

I guess I should be glad that nothing more serious is happening in town, but I’m catching shit from the county about the 911 calls. Although there are days I wish they’d charge Mr. Prichard for misuse of the emergency system they have in place the way they’ve threatened to, I know I’d never hear the end of it if they did.

Because it’s easy to copy and paste the note I’m required to make about the phone call, I feel a little better about how far behind I am on paperwork. That is until I look at the spiral notebook sitting beside the phone. When I went to college and got a degree in criminal justice, before going through the police academy, I pictured myself fighting crime and putting half a dozen bad guys in jail every day. Maybe that would’ve been the case if I’d stayed in Houston where I did my internship, but here in Lindell, Texas, my day usually consists of calls just like the one that just ended. There are occasions when Mike Hodson, the sheriff, needs help out on the highway or there’s a call just right outside of my jurisdiction. It’s most definitely nothing like how I pictured my life when I was younger, but Lindell is the only place I’ve ever found that fully welcomed me.

As an orphaned child who wasn’t adopted until eight years old, I’ve learned to take the care and concern where I can get it. It’s very possible that I have lower expectations of everyone in my life, but that’s another story for a different day. Right now, I need to focus on getting the mounds of paperwork done before the town starts waking up.

I’m pressing rough fingers into my eyelids and yawning when the chime above the door jangles. It takes blinking several times before Chandler Jacobs, the only other full-time cop the city has, comes into view. We have another reserve officer, Hank West, but he usually only works when Chandler and I just can’t make a shift.

“Brought breakfast,” he says, holding up a familiar rectangular box. “Adalynn was looking good this morning.”

I clench my jaw. I’ve grown used to this routine, so it’s easier to keep my mouth shut.

“Weren’t you needing a little time off?” I ask, the taunt suddenly making me feel like a complete asshole.

Chandler’s dad is sick, and they have tests scheduled later this week. I know they’re fearful that the man’s cancer has returned, so even hinting that I’ll take away his time-off request is a shitty move on my part.

My tease doesn’t bother the man, mostly because he knows better. I’ve always been a very flexible guy. We depend on each other, and there may come a time when that dependence will be a life-or-death situation.

“I think she was disappointed that I’m the one who stopped in this morning.”

“I saw her last night,” I inform him. “Had dinner with her dad and stepmom.”

I lift my hand to hide my yawn.

“Yeah? You seem tired. Have a little something something for dessert?” Chandler is waggling his eyebrows up and down animatedly.

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Advertisement Back Against the Wall (Lindell #1) Read Online Marie James http://www.books2020.com/back-against-the-wall-lindell-1-read-online-marie-james Sun, 03 Mar 2024 19:18:23 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/back-against-the-wall-lindell-1-read-online-marie-james Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Funny, Sports Authors: Marie James Series: Lindell Series by Marie James
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Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 89465 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)

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A small town, single dad, enemies to lovers romance.

Crawling back to this small town was never in hockey star Chase Woodson’s plans.

From hitting hockey pucks in front of thousands to selling urinal pucks at his father’s hardware store, coming back home is his worst nightmare.

But being a (newly) single dad of twin boys means making sacrifices. His boys need stability and his dad needs his help in the store.

Now he needs her.

Except, Chase has been the bane of Madison Kelly’s existence since high school.

She just so happens to be the only available nanny in town.

Besides, high school was ten years ago.

People don’t hold grudges that long, right?

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Chase

“And I apologized for that!”

Rage comes alive inside of me.

An apology, as if I’m sorry is good enough.

How did I ever think this woman was the person I could spend the rest of my life with?

“He almost drowned!”

Emily’s back stiffens, but it’s not because of the reminder of her failure. It’s what she does when she’s growing defensive, the first step in her bid to place the blame elsewhere.

I hold my hand up when she opens her mouth. I don’t have the energy to fight with her anymore.

“While you were in the house fucking my teammate, your sons were left outside playing in the pool. You’re fucking reckless, and I’m done.”

“Done?” She scoffs, as if she can predict my every move, and maybe she could before today.

“Done,” I repeat. “Done with you. Done with Cory. Done with the Ice Crusaders.”

I’d be just as mad right now, even if I hadn’t just come from a meeting with my coaches, the team owner, and the team GM. The fact that I was told my contract wasn’t getting renewed is just the icing on the cake. Coming home to be told by my four-year-old twins that Cole almost drowned while Mommy was inside getting snacks for a really long time with Uncle Cory, well, that’s the real issue.

I left the arena, considering taking the free agent route, but my boys are far more important than anything else in my life. It’s about damn time I make them my only focus. Hockey has always been an integral part of my life, but it’s also what brought in all the toxicity as well.

It seems my life has been a series of mistakes. Mr. Murphy’s Law sticks his nose in my business at every turn, so this shouldn’t surprise me.

Today is a doozy though. Getting replaced by the superstar rookie and losing my job should be enough to satisfy whatever karma god I made mad earlier in life, but somehow, it wasn’t. Somehow, the universe thought finding out that my wife has been having an affair with my best friend and teammate, Cory Jackson, was necessary as well.

“I’m packing up my stuff and the boys’ things and we’re leaving.”

She doesn’t reach for me when I walk past her, and I think that’s the only thing going my way. The relationship with Emily has been unsteady, at best, for years. Our marriage was something she wanted because it put her in the spotlight. It got her work as a model, although that has dwindled in recent years. It’s just one more thing she blames the boys for. The fame and stardom that comes along with me being the lead scorer for so many seasons gained her a lot of attention, and that was all she ever really wanted. I was always just the method to get her there.

Every move is a calculated manipulation, but I question her reasoning for hooking up with Cory. He’s been on the injured reserve list for months after a torn ACL. There’s not much the man can do for her, unless it’s the drama of a messy divorce that she’s looking for which, honestly, I wouldn’t put it past her. There’s no such thing as bad press, right?

She admitted once in an argument, something that happens often, that the boys were only here because she thought I was going to leave her. Getting pregnant was her way of keeping me around. The boys have always been a pawn to her, but to me, they’re everything.

Almost losing Cole today because of her negligence is the absolute final straw.

For the longest time, staying was easier. I didn’t have the energy to walk away. I’d work, come home, and spend time with my boys. Her being around or not was never a factor for me.

“You’re really just going to leave?” she asks as she follows me down the hallway toward my bedroom.

My bedroom, not ours. Maybe that was the first clue that things were never going to work out. She went from being what she must’ve considered every guy’s fantasy, so willing and ready for whatever was laid out before her, to disappearing the second I got home, as if she was hired help rather than part of the family.

I take a deep breath as I step inside my room.

I know there’s going to be the fight of my life soon. I know she’s going to try and milk me for every penny that I have. Deep down, I think I knew it would come to that before we ever said our wedding vows. Honestly, she can have all of it so long as I have my boys. I don’t need anything else.

“I was cut from the team today.”

Her eyes widen, her hand coming up to clutch her throat like I’ve seen so many of the women back home in Texas do when they’ve been offended.

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