This week…

• 📅 TWO weeks until Dare Me to Stay release!

• 📘 Early access: Read Chapter 1: My Tattooed Nightmare now!

• 🎨 New Koen & Briar character art

• 🔗 Dare Me to Stay pre-order links

• 👏 The reviews are in!

• 🎧 No Promises No Lies audiobook - Available everywhere!

• ⛸️ New Aidan & Rory character art

• 🤪 In the trenches update

Dare Me to Stay releases in 2 weeks!

It’s hard to believe, but Book 2 in the Devils & Darlings series releases in two weeks, and I’m still a little in shock. This story fought me every step of the way, demanded more time, more emotion, and more honesty—and I can’t be more proud of how it turned out.

Thank you so much for your patience, I promise the extra time was worth it.

Loyalties are tested, lines are crossed, and love gets messy in all the best (and worst) ways. Dare Me to Stay doesn’t pull it’s punches, and I cannot wait for everyone to read it!

Speaking of which…

Before Book 2 releases, I’m letting you in early. 🖤

I’m sharing Chapter One of Book 2 exclusively with my newsletter readers as a thank you for your continued support of me and this series.

Read Chapter 1: My Tattooed Nightmare now!

New Dare Me to Stay Character Art

Here we have Briar & Koen in one of my favorite scenes from the book: The moment Koen confronts Briar after finding out that she betrayed him.

In all it’s dark romance glory.

🎨 Character art is by me.

Pre-Order Links

I’ve made it easier than ever to get your hands on my books 🖤

My newly revamped website is live, with easy to find pre-order/order links, as well as content warnings for each book.

All editions of Dare Me to Stay are officially up on Amazon & Barnes and Noble for pre-order as well as on my website for signed copies. The paperback is listed on other retailers and the hardcover listings are trickling in.

Dare Me to Stay pre-order links

No Promises No Lies order links

Early reviews are in…

Can we talk about my ARC team for a second?! 😮‍🔥

You all did a tremendous job—reading early, leaving incredible and insightful reviews, and sharing and supporting this release in the BEST way!

Dare Me to Stay is 640 pages… You guys SLAYED this read! I don’t take that kind of dedication lightly, and I appreciate every single one of you more than you’ll ever know.

Here are some excerpts from early reviewers…

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“You took the devil’s rose. Don’t be surprised when he sets the whole garden on fire.”

HOLY HEART RACER! AJ Wilding has rendered me awe-struck and speechless from her second book everrrrrr! Dare Me to Stay had me in the biggest chokehold. It’s brutal yet brave. Broken yet beautiful. A dark romance lover’s dream full of chills, thrills, heart, and heat. Pure addiction!

From scorching cover to cover, this mafia romance is perfection. Triggers? Warnings? Nope. Not needed. Trust me. Just go in blindly and enjoy the wild ride. I want to jump into this series and live it … while perhaps running for my life and running toward a lethal but hot hero.

• Karen MC,

  Goodreads review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I don’t know where to begin because this had me on my toes the whole time. The spice was amazing but what was even more amazing the plot! Just when I thought I knew what was coming a curveball was thrown. 5 out of 5 Stars must read!

• Cayley,

  Goodreads review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is everything I could have wanted and more. The duel timeline gives such a perfect explanation of these two and their story. Koen is the ruthless mafia boss with a heart of gold. He he loves with everything he is and more. Briar is fighting like hell to do right by her little girl and navigate a world she truly knows nothing about. Seeing certain scenes from No Promises No Lies from Koen’s perspective was amazing. This story is complex and complicated. The love, the betrayal, the plot twists, the emotions this book had me feeling at 2am because I could not bring myself to put it down. I cannot wait to see what else is coming for these characters. The ending has me absolutely dying to see more from Reagan.

• Taylor,

  Goodreads review

Every review means the absolute world to me. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, raved and shared about Dare Me to Stay. I love you so much!!!

Super huge news for the No Promises No Lies audiobook!

Podium has decided to take the NPNL’s audiobook wide and so our little audiobook is now available everywhere you listen!!! This includes Audible, Hoopla, Kobo, Spotify, Everand, Audiobooks.com, Storytel etc. 12 total platforms!

Please, please, please wherever you listen please consider leaving a review! 💚 It helps more than you know and helps show both the publisher and reader the value of this series.

And to celebrate that… here is some new Aidan & Rory character art!

🎨 Commissioned Artwork by Wallflower Custom Designs

In the Trenches Update

It’s release month!!!

Release chaos is upon us! It’s been a crazy time. I, of course, seem to love gearing up for book releases right through the chaos of the holiday season and so the last couple of weeks have been… a lot.

I’ve been tagged in so many beautiful and glowing reviews for Dare Me to Stay and I’m trying my best to respond to each and every one of them!!!

Apologies for missing the last month’s newsletter. The whole house caught FLU A just in time for Christmas and we had to reschedule the holiday 🤪 and as a mom of two kids, there was just too much going on for me to get it out.

And of course we’ve had pre-release woes, the printer running behind for proofs and pre-orders. And with the updated page count of the book at 640 pages all of the covers and formatting had to be re-done and re-proofed and re-listed. I’ve also been busy gathering art, stickers and a brand new bookmarks for our signed pre-orders!!! So excited for those to go out.

Those of you who have already read Dare Me to Stay may not be very happy with me when I say; I haven’t been writing a heck of a lot this month…

I did take the last couple of weeks of December and the first week of January off from writing as finishing Dare Me to Stay really took EVERYTHING out of me. We’re talking 14-16 hour days, everyday from October-December and I just needed a lil tiny break.

Since I’ve been back authoring full-time, marketing and release prep has taken up a significant amount of time but I’m still trying to get some writing in there.

My main focus right now is on Book 1 in my new and upcoming romantasy series. The book is actually already written and finished but I originally wrote it in third POV, and I’m in the process of re-writing it into first POV as I start self-edits.

And of course, I am starting to plot and block out book 3 in the Devils & Darlings series which will be Reagan’s book.

My goal would be to finish writing BOTH books by the start of the summer, work on edits over the summer with the possibility of a Fall and Winter release respectively but NO PROMISES!

Anyways, it’s been lovely catching up. I adore you all. Dare Me to Stay release TWO WEEKS here we come!!!

xoxo,

Aj

Thank you so much for being here! Whether you found me through social media, a friend’s recommendation, or pure internet chaos — welcome to my little corner of the world.

My newsletter will go out on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. (maybe 🤪)

In it, you’ll find updates on my upcoming books, published books, ARC list, signing events, life updates, bonus content, etc.

Confirmed Book Signing Events

2026

August 14-16th - Sinners & Stardust - Boston, MA