The Nashville Anti-Belles: Books to Make You Laugh, Cry, & Swoon
Not Suitable For Work
Anti-Belle Book 1
by Skye McDonald
Genre: Contemporary Romance
The competition is stiff. The stakes are high. But is the gamble worth it? Can a shattered heart be mended as Celeste Greene and Ben Addison navigate office rivalry and sizzling attraction?
Celeste Green has returned to Nashville broken-hearted and penniless. Getting back on her feet is the only goal after she threw everything away on love and empty promises in New York City. Ben Addison needs a day job. After he foolishly risked his heart and his reputation on a pretty face and a shot at a music career, Ben’s only goal is stability.
Sparks fly as Celeste and Ben battle it out for a crucial web design position. It’s a job they both can't afford to lose. While they're used to competition, the magnetic pull they share is a whole new challenge. With the pressure rising, Celeste's choice becomes clear: risk heartache again, or sacrifice more than her paycheck. Will love or ambition win out? Buy now and out in this rollercoaster of emotions that'll keep you hooked from start to finish!
“And Ben...oh my goodness Ben...add him to my favorite book boyfriends of all time. Not only is he a killer web designer, but he's also a musician/songwriter. YES, PLEASE.” – Amazon Review“The chemistry between the main characters made it impossible to put down. I was willing a HEA all the way through (no spoilers). I immediately downloaded the author’s next book.” - Amazon Review
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Not Suitable for Work
Ben
Drinks, food, and conversation filled the table. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Celeste cradling her beer while she listened to the group talk about college football. She twisted her head to look around the room, and I abandoned subtlety and watched her until her gaze landed on me.
Her mouth softened into a tiny smile, just a flash, but it was enough. Here we go. I took another swallow of beer and stood up, rounding the table to the vacant chair beside her. My sleeve brushed against her silky white shirt. She sat up straighter, knees angled toward me.
“Why did you come out tonight?” she asked abruptly, saving me from asking the same thing.
“Because I wanted to.” Because I wanted this moment right here. Because I’ve been dying to talk to you.
Her chin lifted, a saucy little move, almost playful. “You said you wanted to come if I did. So, don’t you mean because I wanted to?”
“No, I said I’d go if you did.” I chuckled. “It seemed right to see if you could compete with me on a different playing field.” What am even I talking about?
Celeste flipped her hair and went with my nonsense. “I can compete with you with one hand tied behind my back.”
My blood began to pound at the host of filthy images that statement conjured. I let my gaze travel over her face, down to where one lock of hair rested against her collar. It looked dark brown in the dim bar, but I knew her hair was a rich auburn that blazed when the light caught it.
I met her eyes again. “I’m sure you can, Ms. Greene. Now, ask me a different question.”
“Why would I do that, Benjamin?” she asked, her voice all throaty.
I swallowed a groan, but her brows twitched and told me she knew how much I liked hearing her say my name. To return the favor, I damn near hissed hers when I said, “Because that’s what people do when they’re having a conversation, Celeste.”
She squirmed. Aww, what’s the matter? Feeling a little tense? Want me to make it better—or worse?
“You’re another roadblock in my life. I hate fighting for a job I know I can do very well. Plus, you’re a jerk.”
I itched to ask for elaboration on that roadblock comment but knew better. Instead, I widened my eyes and put a hand on my heart. “I’m a jerk? Ouch. Maybe I could say the same thing about you.”
She didn’t smile. In fact, she looked away, lips parted to take in a breath. “I know. I’m good with that.”
Bullshit. “No, you want me to think you’re a jerk. The real question is why?”
The flush of alcohol that had begun to tinge her cheeks morphed into an angry blush.
“Next question, please,” I said before she could shut this down.
It worked. Her pinched forehead smoothed as her color ebbed. “Are you glad you’re here, Benjamin?”
I reached for my beer, suddenly thirsty again. Once I’d drank, I looked into her expectant eyes and gave her the God’s honest truth. “Definitely.”
“What do you think, Addison? Do the Vols have a chance this year?”
I didn’t want to look away, mostly because I knew the guy who’d spoken—Joe, I think his name was—had been eyeing Celeste across the table all night. His loud, pointed question was clearly a way to butt into our conversation.
The Not So Nice Girl
Prequel to Not Suitable For Work
Read the prequel to NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK and find out where it all began! Go back to the summer of 86 for this friends-to-lovers romp.
Eleanor Field wants nothing more than to spend a drama-free summer in Nashville, listening to rock n' roll and baking pastries. But her plans are derailed when she walks into a local record shop and meets Sam Greene, a newly graduated, newly single guy who's looking for a stress-free summer of his own. Despite their instant attraction, neither of them is looking for anything serious. But as they continue to spend time together, their friendship lays the groundwork for something deeper.
Set in the summer of 1986, The Not So Nice Girl is a heartwarming romance about two people who find love when they least expect it. Eleanor and Sam share a mutual love of music, a deep connection, and a group of friends who bring them even closer. But can they overcome their baggage and fears to take their relationship to the next level? Can Eleanor, a free spirit who's always on the move, admit that she's found a home in Sam? And can Sam, a sweet guy who's too nice for his own good, be bold enough to say what he really wants?
With its 80s setting and rock n' roll soundtrack, The Not So Nice Girl is a nostalgic and romantic read that will transport you to a time of mixtapes, pastries, and first love. Don't miss out on this charming story of friendship, love, and the power of taking a chance.
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Sam
Setup: It’s the summer of 1986. Sam is hanging out at Stacked Records, his favorite spot, manning the counter when a stranger walks in.
When the door chimed, Sam was absorbed in an article about Berlin and the music of a divided country. “We’re closed,” he muttered without looking up. “Come back in an hour.”
“I called about an album—”
“Closed,” he insisted, flipping the page.
“You’re definitely open. Door: unlocked. Register: manned.”
Her voice got a lot more insistent—and a lot closer. A small hand with dirty fingernails spread across the maga- zine, so slowly Sam looked up.
Sea glass. Emeralds. My undoing.
Sam found himself gazing into the most unreal green eyes he’d ever seen. Half a second later, everything got worse. The face that held those eyes was the same one he’d seen on Monica’s couch two weeks ago. That fair skin and golden-blonde hair which had glowed in the moonlight were impossibly better in the light of day.
A heartbeat after that, things got even worse. She smiled at him.
All of this couldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds, but Sam felt every moment in his pounding pulse.
She cleared her throat. “Well?”
“Well?” he echoed.
Another smile twitched her lips. “Well, I’m right, right? Open?”
“Oh, uh, well.” Sam fell over himself, running a hand through his hair and looking toward the back room. “Uh, it’s,” he fumbled again.
Myrtle saved him by shuffling around the counter to greet the new customer. Her tail wagged as she sniffed the air.
“Ooh, what a cutie!” the girl exclaimed.
Thanks, girl. Sam thanked the dog for the double bonus of distraction and the flash of cleavage in the V-neck tee he caught when she bent to pet her.
“That’s Myrtle,” he said, semi-coherent at last. “She is pretty cute.”
“I wasn’t talking about the dog,” she murmured. The teasing flash of green eyes through her bangs did something almost painful to his lungs.
Sam’s jaw hit the counter.
She straightened and threw her head back with a delighted laugh. “I always wanted to have the setup to use that line. Read it in Cosmo years ago. What did you think?”
“Extremely... smooth?” Sam reached for the right adjective, beginning to smile at last.
She leaned elbows on the counter across from him so they could regard each other. Her dark blonde brows drew together. “Smooth? Are chicks supposed to be smooth?”
“What were you going for? Alluring? Surprising? Flattering?”
She struck a deep-thinking pose with her chin in her hand. Sam furrowed his brows in mock-serious commiseration, relieved to at least be verbal again. Finally, she said, “I think I hoped it’d be—”
“It was. Absolutely,” he assured her with a nod before she could finish. She laughed again, and Sam was tempted to punch the air in triumph.
“Look, I’ve got places to be. Are you going to help me or not?”
“Do you?” he asked.
“What?”
“Have places to be.”
She made a show of studying the magazine’s cover. “Not really,” she admitted. “But I want my album. You promised it would be in today, and—”
Sam stood up straight and shook his head. “I really don’t work here. The owner, Mac, is busy... But, um, what album are you looking for? Maybe it’s in this pile.”
“Red Hot Chili Peppers.” She began to examine the mountain of LPs on the counter.
“What? Is that the album or the band?”
“Both.”
Sam moved behind the stack. It was so high that he couldn’t see her anymore as they began switch-hitting, pulling titles off to create two new piles. When they’d moved enough of them that she reappeared, he was treated to another smile as their eyes locked. The happiness this girl radiated made it very damn hard for Sam to not look like a total fool in front of her.
To be fair, he thought he usually looked like a total fool in front of distractingly gorgeous women.
Skye McDonald writes books that will make you laugh, cry, and swoon. She believes that falling in love with yourself is the real path to happily ever after.
Skye’s first novel, Not Suitable for Work, won the Linda Howard Award for Romance in 2019. Her co-authored Unlikely Pairings series (written with Sarah Smith) have been Amazon bestsellers and #1 New Releases. Skye writes about living life with your heart open in her “A Bit Much” Substack.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Skye spent years teaching English in Brooklyn, New York. Now, she lives in Montclair, New Jersey, where she writes and facilitates a women’s group. In her free time, she hikes with her dogs, runs Spartan races, travels, Scuba dives, and is learning to ski. Someday she’ll take a break and chill out, preferably on a beach. But not yet. There’s so much life to live first.
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