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Safe With Me
Maverick "Mack" Windsor walked through hell once, and he has no intention of doing it again. As a sheriff's deputy, he sees the good, the bad, and the ugly while out on the streets, but he's also lived it. To protect himself, to protect his daughter, he built walls around his heart. He never expected his daughter's much younger daycare teacher to be the one to attempt to breach those walls. But Mack has demons in his past–demons that almost took everything from him.
Charlie Matthews is determined to get past Mack's tough exterior and prove her love for him, but convincing a man he's worthy–when the lies from his past tell him differently–is easier said than done. When his demons show up again, in his mind and in the flesh, Charlie will find out just how far she'll go to protect him and make him understand they don't own him anymore.
Safe With Me is a steamy, no spice contemporary romance.
Charlie Matthews is determined to get past Mack's tough exterior and prove her love for him, but convincing a man he's worthy–when the lies from his past tell him differently–is easier said than done. When his demons show up again, in his mind and in the flesh, Charlie will find out just how far she'll go to protect him and make him understand they don't own him anymore.
Safe With Me is a steamy, no spice contemporary romance.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2026
About the author
S.C. Selby
4 books18 followersS. C. Selby writes fantasy and contemporary romance laden with heavier themes and a lot of hope. Her romance is steamy, but usually closed door and she has a firm belief that if it's not happy or hopeful, it's not the end.
She lives in the South with her amazing husband/best friend, heathen puppy dogs, and her adult daughter. In her free time, she's a mood reader.
She lives in the South with her amazing husband/best friend, heathen puppy dogs, and her adult daughter. In her free time, she's a mood reader.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Simply put, I loved this one. Mack and Charlie stole my heart right from the very beginning. Emotional romance tends to be my favorite. I love a story that will break my heart a little (or a lot) before putting it together. As such, I've read many books that deal with tougher topics like abuse... but I think this is the first that tackles with domestic abuse where the male was the abused. This one does that so very well with Mack's story. I love that he is someone who is so strong and protective but still has those demons. Not only does this give his character so much depth, I think his story is was a great reminder that abuse can happen to anyone. And then there's Charlie. The way that she shows up for him and helps him break some of those walls down was so beautiful. And my goodness, the chemistry between these two! It was so good and I couldn't get enough of the two of them together. There was such a mutual care between these two that I really adored. I won't give anything away, but this story had a great blend of heartbreak, healing, danger, and chemistry filled romance and is an absolute must read. This is another top read of the year so far!
Safe With Me is a closed-door romance with implied intimacy. While some of the kisses do get a little steamier, nothing explicit happens on the page. There is strong language, to include several f-words.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
Safe With Me is a closed-door romance with implied intimacy. While some of the kisses do get a little steamier, nothing explicit happens on the page. There is strong language, to include several f-words.
**ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own.
June 1, 2026
This book pulled me in from the very beginning. The romance was so good, and the buildup and yearning between Mack and Charlie were top tier. Their love and devotion to each other was so sweet, and I found myself completely invested in their relationship. I also really enjoyed the slow unraveling of Mack’s past with his ex-wife. The tension kept building throughout the story, and the inevitable confrontation had me on the edge of my seat. This book made me laugh, cry, and swoon. It honestly had everything I could want in a romance.
A note about triggers: there is a heavy amount of stalking and domestic abuse involving Mack’s ex-wife, so that is something to be aware of before reading. This is also an age gap romance, with Mack being 30 and Charlie being 20. It is a closed-door romance, but it still has a slight bit of steam.
A note about triggers: there is a heavy amount of stalking and domestic abuse involving Mack’s ex-wife, so that is something to be aware of before reading. This is also an age gap romance, with Mack being 30 and Charlie being 20. It is a closed-door romance, but it still has a slight bit of steam.
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a refreshing read. Mack and Charlie are super cute. The single dad who has had bad luck with the mom. The daycare worker who already loves his child. These two handle the ups and downs of life with an absent parent like pros. The devotion and safe space they provide each other gives you that sigh of relief. A nice change of pace with low steam and a lot of feels.
Review of advance copy received from Author
There hasn't been anything written by this author that I haven't loved. The characters felt like friends at the end of the story, they have so much depth.
Review of advance copy received from Author
4.5 ⭐️
I loved this book! What a fabulous contemporary romance with heavier themes, lots of couple time working through hard things, a wee touch of suspense, and a great cast of side characters! And while this story had heavier themes, it was balanced with lightheartedness so it didn’t feel overly heavy. Selby’s writing style was so easy to read as it felt natural and conversational.
Mack (MMC) used to be married to an abusive woman and it was a unique twist to read about a husband who was the abuse survivor. The book takes place years after that marriage ended, after he has gone through therapy, so while he still suffers from after effects of that trauma, he is also, reluctantly at first, ready to move forward. I loved seeing how Charlie and Mack created safe spaces for each other. And I always love when main characters have supportive friends and family in their corner and that was definitely the case in this book!
There is a big age gap between the MCs which doesn’t usually bother me but it was the age of the FMC that didn’t seem fully realistic for the story. However, she is very mature and nurturing and we do see her take care of him.
Overall I loved the story and I’m looking forward to more books in this series!
Content: some language, closed door
I loved this book! What a fabulous contemporary romance with heavier themes, lots of couple time working through hard things, a wee touch of suspense, and a great cast of side characters! And while this story had heavier themes, it was balanced with lightheartedness so it didn’t feel overly heavy. Selby’s writing style was so easy to read as it felt natural and conversational.
Mack (MMC) used to be married to an abusive woman and it was a unique twist to read about a husband who was the abuse survivor. The book takes place years after that marriage ended, after he has gone through therapy, so while he still suffers from after effects of that trauma, he is also, reluctantly at first, ready to move forward. I loved seeing how Charlie and Mack created safe spaces for each other. And I always love when main characters have supportive friends and family in their corner and that was definitely the case in this book!
There is a big age gap between the MCs which doesn’t usually bother me but it was the age of the FMC that didn’t seem fully realistic for the story. However, she is very mature and nurturing and we do see her take care of him.
Overall I loved the story and I’m looking forward to more books in this series!
Content: some language, closed door
June 30, 2026
Charlie is putting herself through school while working at a daycare. She loves her job, and the kids love her. One day, she finds out that one of the dads will be late picking up his daughter, Sloane, and she volunteers to stay until that dad comes.
Little did she know how that would change her life.
There are parts of this story that come from the author’s life, and that just makes it all the more realistic and relatable. I unabashedly love this book, as I have loved the three books the author has already published. Frankly, if it has her name on it, I’m reading it, no questions asked.
It’s adorable that Hot Dad is named Maverick, and she is named Charlie. Don’t get the reference? Watch Top Gun. It actually took me until halfway through the book that I realized that myself, and then I laughed out loud, prompting my cat to leave the room in a very passive aggressive way.
Maverick usually goes by Mack, and he works for the Sheriff’s Department. His ex-wife hasn’t been in the picture for years, and the moment I found that out, I had a feeling about what was going to happen. And I was not wrong.
Though there’s a ten-year difference between Mack and Charlie, it doesn’t bother me in the least. People love whom they love, and age shouldn’t really enter into it. Age is just a number. Charlie loves Sloane, and would protect her (and any other child) with her life.
Mack and Charlie also have fantastic extended families…mostly. Charlie’s father divorced her mother and later remarried, and the mother is…let’s say…critical, at best. I know what that’s like — being chastised and criticized no matter what you do. It’s exhausting, and it’s hard to love someone like that, especially once you realize that it’s never going to change.
This is an excellent story, with elements I didn’t see coming at first. It will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh out loud, and make you cry, in the best way. Get the book. Enjoy it. And maybe give it a review yourself.
Little did she know how that would change her life.
There are parts of this story that come from the author’s life, and that just makes it all the more realistic and relatable. I unabashedly love this book, as I have loved the three books the author has already published. Frankly, if it has her name on it, I’m reading it, no questions asked.
It’s adorable that Hot Dad is named Maverick, and she is named Charlie. Don’t get the reference? Watch Top Gun. It actually took me until halfway through the book that I realized that myself, and then I laughed out loud, prompting my cat to leave the room in a very passive aggressive way.
Maverick usually goes by Mack, and he works for the Sheriff’s Department. His ex-wife hasn’t been in the picture for years, and the moment I found that out, I had a feeling about what was going to happen. And I was not wrong.
Though there’s a ten-year difference between Mack and Charlie, it doesn’t bother me in the least. People love whom they love, and age shouldn’t really enter into it. Age is just a number. Charlie loves Sloane, and would protect her (and any other child) with her life.
Mack and Charlie also have fantastic extended families…mostly. Charlie’s father divorced her mother and later remarried, and the mother is…let’s say…critical, at best. I know what that’s like — being chastised and criticized no matter what you do. It’s exhausting, and it’s hard to love someone like that, especially once you realize that it’s never going to change.
This is an excellent story, with elements I didn’t see coming at first. It will pull at your heart strings, make you laugh out loud, and make you cry, in the best way. Get the book. Enjoy it. And maybe give it a review yourself.
June 3, 2026
Totally rated my own book because I freaking love these characters
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews