A Bundle of Joy

HATCHER, ROBIN LEE

A BUNDLE OF JOY

Alicia Harris says she's happily married and expecting a baby—but only the last part is true. She can't bear to disappoint her grandfather by telling him she's two months away from single motherhood. Then Grandpa Roger drops in unexpectedly to spend the holidays with Alicia and her husband, and Alicia needs to find a fill-in—fast. Childhood friend Joe Palmero fits the bill, and is willing to play along. Still, the longer they spend playing their parts, the closer Alicia and Joe come to discovering what love, faith and marriage truly mean.

REALLY ENJOYABLE READ. HATCHER CREATES ROMANTIC TENSION RIGHT FROM THE START.

Gingham Mountain

CONNEALY, MARY

GINGHAM MOUNTAIN

A rancher runs head-on into the new school marm, who believes he's made slave labor out of eight orphaned children.

Grant Cooper crowds too many orphans into his rickety house, just like Hannah Cartwright's cruel father. Grant's family of orphans have been mistreated too many times by judgmental school teachers. Now the new schoolmarm is the same except she's so pretty and she isn't really bad to his children, it's Grant she can't stand.

FUNNY AND WITTY AND SO MUCH FUN TO READ. THE ONE-LINERS ARE INCREDIBLE!

A Passion Most Pure

LESSMAN, JULIE

A PASSION MOST PURE

She's found the love of her life.

Unfortunately, he loves her sister.

As World War I rages across the Atlantic in 1916, a smaller war is brewing in Boston. Faith O'Connor finds herself drawn to an Irish rogue who is anything but right for her. Collin McGuire is brash, cocky, and from the wrong side of the tracks, not to mention forbidden by her father. And then there's the small matter that he is secretly courting her younger sister. But when Collin's affections shift, it threatens to tear her proper Boston family apart.

Book 1 of the Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Most Pure will carry your heart from the sophisticated streets of Boston to the green hills of Ireland as men go off to war and women long for their return. Full of passion, romance, rivalry, and betrayal, it will captivate you from the first page.

I FOUND THIS A REALLY EMOTIONAL READ. I WAS EXHAUSTED WHEN I FINISHED IT! EPIC NOVEL -- INTRICATE PLOT. I HAD SOME PROBLEMS WARMING UP TO COLLIN BECAUSE OF THE PLAY BY PLAY OF HIS DEBAUCHED LIFE BUT LESSMAN WON ME OVER IN THE END.

If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where's My Prince?

KANTOR, MELISSA

IF I HAVE A WICKED STEPMOTHER, WHERE'S MY PRINCE?

Modern day Cinderella story with a twist. Lucy Norton's father has remarried and she's moved from sunny California to Long Island. While her dad continues to work in California and flies in for weekends, Lucy is stuck ajdusting to a new stepmom and twin stepsisters. Add in a new school and zero friends you'll know why she's depressed....Until a haphazard basketball comment in the cafeteria snags the attention of the most popular guy in school and the basketball star! Suddenly Lucy 's life takes a turn for the better. She's one of the popular kids, has two new bffs and is dating her Prince Charming...or is he?

WRITTEN IN FIRST PERSON, A LIGHT, FLUFFY READ. SOME LANGUAGE.

Wings

Pike, Aprilynne

Wings

Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful -- too beautiful for words.

Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.

In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.

INNOVATIVE. BEWITCHING. STRONG HEROINE. ALLUDES TO A SEQUEL.

Fit To Be Tied

HATCHER, ROBIN LEE

FIT TO BE TIED

Cleo Arlington dresses like a cowboy, is fearless and fun-loving and can ride, rope, and wrangle a horse as well as any man. In 1916, however, those talents aren't what most young women aspire to. but Cleo isn't most women. Twenty-nine years old and single, Cleo loves life on her father's Idaho ranch. Still, she hopes someday to marry and have children.

Enter Sherwood Statham, an English aristocrat whose father has sentenced him to a year of work in America to "straighten him out". Sherwood, who expected a desk job at a posh spa, isn't happy to be stuck on an Idaho ranch. And he has no idea how to handle Cleo, who's been challenged with transforming this uptight playboy into a down-home cowboy.

Just about everything either of them says or does leaves the other, well, fit to be tied. And though Cleo believes God's plan for her includes a husband, it couldn't possibly be Sherwood Statham, could it?

BRILLIANT WRITER. THE DYNAMICS BETWEEN SHERWOOD AND CLEO ARE INCREDIBLE. THE PLOT, THE PACING, EVERYTHING IS SO WELL THOUGHT OUT. I CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE OF HER BOOKS.

Cowgirl at Heart

LYNXWILER, CHRISTINE

COWGIRL AT HEART

Elyse McCord always plays it safe -- a fact she blames on being the biological daughter of a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Even in the security of her adoptive family, the McCords, the timid dog whisperer keeps her guard up with strangers. But when she discovers a dog being horribly mistreated, shy Elyse transforms into a mighty warrior and charges into a perilous situation, not only risking her life, but also her heart.

Reporter Andrew Stone has been fearless since the day his wife was shot and killed three years ago. He has one mission -- use his Texas Ranger upbringing to find her murdere and clear his own name of any involvement. When he sees a beautiful brunette in the hands of a pistol-wielding maniac, he's forced to abandon his covert surveillance and go to the rescue. The danger surrounding Andrew doesn't scare him at all, but the awakening of his dormant heart terrifies him.

When painful pasts collide, the explosion is deafening. Can Andrew and Elyse pick up the pieces and go forward together? Or will they forever live with haunting memories, unable to forgive, unable to love?

LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE THE MCCORD FAMILY. LOVE ANDREW AND ELYSE. THE DOG WHISPERER ANGLE. THIS VIES UP THERE WITH DEE HENDERSON FOR ME.

From a Distance

Alexander, Tamera

From a Distance

Determined to become one of the country's premier newspaper photographers, Elizabeth Westbrook travels to the Colorado Territory to capture the grandeur of the mountains surrounding the remote town of Timber Ridge. She hopes, too, that the cool, dry air of Colorado, and its renowned hot springs, will cure the mysterious illness that threatens her career and her life.

Daniel Ranslett, a former Confederate sharpshooter, is a man shackled by his past, and he'll do anything to protect his land, and his solitude. When an outspoken Yankee photographer captures an image that appears key to solving a murder, putting herself in danger. Daniel is called upon to repay the debt. He's a man of his word, but repaying that debt could bring secrets from his past to light.

Forced on a perilous journey together, Daniel and Elizabeth's lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined when first they met from a distance.

ALEXANDER IS AN INCREDIBLE AUTHOR. HER MASTERY OF WORDS, THE WAY SHE WEAVES A STORY IS PHENOMONEL. HER CHARACTERS BECOME REAL PEOPLE. HISTORICAL ACCURACY. ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT SO SATISFYING.

Love Finds You in Liberty Indiana

Dobson, Melanie

Love Finds You in Liberty Indiana

In a divided town during a dangerous era, who can be trusted? Liberty, Indiana is home to a stop on the underground railroad operated by Quaker abolitionists anna Brent and her father. Harboring runaway slaves is a dangerous mission: anyone caught aiding them is subject to imprisonment. When Anna's secret work is threatened, can she turn to the handsome yet outspoken Daniel Stanton, Liberty's newspaper editor, to ensure the safety of the runaway slaves so dear to her? Will she and Daniel risk everything for their beliefs -- including their personal liberty?

VERY WELL RESEARCHED. I CAME AWAY WITH ALOT MORE KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD THEN I HAD BEFORE I READ THIS BOOK. EXTREMELY WELL WRITTEN, GRIPPING STORYLINE. ANNA AND DANIEL ARE MEMORABLE CHARACTERS, BUT I FELT THEIR ROMANCE TOOK A BACKSEAT TO THE REST OF THE STORY. WOULDN'T REALLY CATEGORIZE IT AS A ROMANCE SINCE THAT PART REALLY HAPPENED IN THE LAST QUARTER OR SO OF THE BOOK.

Frasier Island

Davis, Susan Page

Frasier Island

After specialized underwater training, Ensign Rachel Whitney of the U.S. Navy is posted to a remote island in the North Pacific, a tiny scrap of rock guarding a highly classified secret. She could love her new assignment if her commanding officer, Lt. George Hudson, weren't so difficult to please.

Despite George's first reaction to her presence on the island, Rachel sets out to prove she is perfect for the job. She doesn't dream of being a heroine -- or falling in love -- but when word leaks out about the prize they are guarding, Rachel and George find that they have few resources besides each other and their faith in God to thwart an enemy attack that could endanger all of America.

LOVE THIS BOOK. FAST-PACED AND EXCITING, WITH COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP LAYERS. BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS. KIND OF SCI-FI TWIST AT THE END.

Soldier Daddy

Wyatt, Cheryl

Soldier Daddy

U.S. Air Force commander Aaron Petrowski leads pararescue teams yet can't find one nanny for his three-year-old twin boys? The widowed father is returning to duty, but not without the best care for his beloved boys. So when Sarah Graham applies, the young woman surprises everyone by passing inspection. Until Aaron discovers Sarah has a secret tied to a tragedy in his past. he can't keep her in his employ -- or in his heart. Until his brave little soldier boys teach him a thing or two about love.

CHARACTERS CARRY THE STORY...EVEN THE SECONDARY ONES. ENJOYABLE READ.

The Substitute Bride

DEAN, JANET

THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE

Fleeing an arranged marriage, debutante Elizabeth Manning exchanges places with a mail-order bride bound for New Harmony, Iowa. Life on the frontier can't be worse than forced wedlock to pay her father's gambling debts. But Ted Logan's rustic lifestyle and rambunctious children prove to be more of a challenge than Elizabeth expects. She doesn't even know how how to tell Ted the truth about her past - especially as her feelings for him grow. Little does she know, Ted's hiding secrets of his own, and when their pasts collide, there's more than one heart at stake.

DEAN TAKES A PREDICTABLE PLOT AND TWISTS IT INTO SOMETHING FRESH AND EXCITING. BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS -- TED IS PARTICULARLY APPEALING.

A Lady Like Sarah : a Rocky Creek Romance

Brownley, Margaret

A Lady Like Sarah : a Rocky Creek Romance

I never did cotton to being called miss. Makes it sound like I’m missin’ out on somethin’ just cuz I ain’t got me no husband.”

Sarah’s lived a rough and tumble life. Orphaned at six and raised by her outlaw brothers, trouble stuck to her like a shadow. We first meet her handcuffed to a U.S. Marshall who is taking her back to Rocky Creek to hang for murder. Oh – did I mention that someone shot the Marshall and stole his horse leaving both Sarah and the lawman lying unconscious, close to death when…

Okay, this is the part where you’re anticipating the ruggedly handsome cowboy riding to the rescue, right? Sorry to disappoint, but Justin Wells is a Boston preacher and he’s reluctantly heading to his new parish in Rocky Creek on the heels of a scandal back home.

Justin has a bible story for every occasion. Sarah hasn’t set foot in a church since they buried her parents. Justin favours long-winded prayers and sees miracles at every turn. Sarah has never had a prayer answered and doesn’t believe in miracles. You know the old adage, opposites attract? Well, it definitely applies here. There’s sizzle from their first meeting and it leads to their unexpected first kiss which Sarah initiates.

“Great sand and sagebrush! How come no one ever told her that kissin’ a man was more fun than fightin’ a bear?”

Of course the road to true love is never an easy one and Brownley makes it even harder for Justin and Sarah by throwing a few little obstacles across their path to true happiness. Things like a dead marshal, renegade Indians, outlaws, an orphaned baby and…oh yeah…that dang hangman’s noose. Luckily Sarah receives some “divine interruptions” along the way and Justin discovers that the blessings God had in store for him far outweigh the loss of the Boston church he loved.

Margaret Brownley has expertly combined humour and drama and the unexpected to give this historical Western a unique twist. This is a must read…even if you don’t like Historicals or Westerns…because once you’ve read this one you will.

In Sarah’s words, “You have to play the fiddle you have.” and Margaret Brownley has created a masterpiece with hers.

ABSOLUTE DELIGHT TO READ.

Killer Headline

GIUSTI, DEBBY

KILLER HEADLINE

Two women in the witness protection program have been murdered in Montana. The connection? The mob...and the victim's green eyes. Coincidence? Not according to journalist Violet Kramer, who's counting on her expose to reveal the truth, protect women in danger -- and establish herself as an ace reporter. Undercover cop Clay West thinks she's making a deadly mistake that could bring the mob to her door. And when the lawman with the piercing black eyes insists on protecting her himself, Violet knows she's already in danger.

DEBBY EXCELS AT FACE-PACED PLOTS AND TRUE-TO-LIFE CHARACTERS THAT LEAP OUT OF THE PAGES AND INTO YOUR HEART. SHE WRITES PAGE-TURNING SUSPENSE WHERE EVERY CHAPTER ENDS WITH A CLIFFHANGER. YOU FINISH ONE CHAPTER AND SHE'S HOOKED YOU INTO READING THE NEXT.

God's Gift

Henderson, Dee

God's Gift

Missonary work in Africa was the most difficult and faith-affirming work James Graham had ever faced, and warm, homey presents from a Good Samaritan back home gave him the hope he needed to carry on. But an injury brought his work to a sudden halt and sent him home to Chicago.

There, James met the woman who'd sent those thoughtful gifts, the charming Rachel Ashcroft, and he was intrigued by the shadow of sadness that haunted her expression. Bringing the light of happiness back to Rachel's lovely face gave new purpose to his life, but was this only a temporary respite? Or would James be able to release his past and open his heart to receive the gift of Rachel's love?

DEE'S RELATIONSHIPS ARE AMAZING. THE GROWTH OF LOVE OUT OF FRIENDSHIP, THE EASY PACE OF THE ROMANCE, CHARACTER DETAIL, FAITH -- THIS BOOK READS LIKE REAL LIFE AND YOU BEGIN TO THINK THE CHARACTERS ARE REAL.

Remembered

Alexander, Tamera

Remembered

The threat of war -- and a final request -- send Veronique Girard from France to a distant and uninviting country. In the Colorado Territory, she searches for the man who has held her heart since childhood -- her father, Pierre Girard left Paris for the Americas to seek his fortune in fur trading, vowing to send for his wife and daughter. But twenty-five years have passed and his vow remains unfulfilled. Sifting through shards of broken promises, Veronique embarks on a dangerous search for a man she scarcely remembers.

His grief finally healed, Jack Brennan is moving on with life. After years of guiding families west, he is now working as a freighter to the mining towns surrounding Willow Springs. What he doesn't count on is an unexpected traveling companion on his trips up into the mountains, and how one woman's search will cause havoc with his plans...and his life.

INCREDIBLE, LYRICAL WRITING. SHE PAINTS PICTURES WITH HER WORDS AND THE READER IS TRANSPORTED BACK IN TIME. JACK AND VERONIQUE'S ROMANCE IS EXPERTLY CRAFTED, GROWN OUT OF FRIENDSHIP BUT RELUCTANTLY BY BOTH. WONDERFUL HISTORICAL DETAIL, PAGE TURNING PLOT, GREAT SECONDARY CHARACTERS.

Cowboy Protector

Daley, Margaret

Cowboy Protector

Two years ago, Hannah Williams left the Witness Protection Program -- and she's been running every since. To stay ahead of the mob, she changes her name and location constantly. So when she takes a job caring for a Montana rancher's sick daughter, she expects to leave soon. But little Misty Taylor tugs at Hannah's heartstrings -- and so does her handsome father. Hannah knows Austin Taylor suspects she's keeping secrets. But how can she tell him the truth without endangering the pair she's come to love?

GREAT CHARACTERIZATION. PAGE TURNING SUSPENSE. THE ROMANTIC DEVELOPMENT IS BELIEVABLE -- SO ARE THE ISSUES HANNAH AND AUSTIN FACE. EMOTIONAL READ.

Christmas Peril

Daley, Margaret

Giusti, Debby

Christmas Peril

Merry Mayhem (Daley)

When single mom Annie Coleman unexpectedly arrives in Christmas, Oklahoma, police chief Caleb Jackson suspects she's hiding secrets. He'll be watching her closely. And his protection is just what Annie and her daughter need, as danger has followed them to their new home.

Yule Die (Giusti)

It's hardly a happy holiday for medical researcher Callie Evans...until she discovers her ailing patient is her long-lost brother. And he's being watched by undercover police officer Joe Petrecelli. When the trio is abducted by a cadre of bad guys, Joe and Callie will have to fight to keep her brother -- and themselves -- alive.

BOTH STRONG, PAGE-TURNING SUSPENSE.

A Forever Christmas

TIPPENS, MISSY

FOREVER CHRISTMAS

Sarah Radcliffe's quiet Christmas back in her hometown will be lost if she agrees to direct the church's Christmas pageant. But when she meets two little boys determined to gain their father's attention, Sarah agrees to help. Then she discovers that the dad in question is Gregory Jones, the man she loved and lost. The single dad is working himself to the bone to give his boys the Christmas of their dreams, when all they want is some family time. Time that includes a new mommy. If Sarah can learn to open her heart, she may receive the most wonderful present of all -- a family of her own.

VERY EMOTIONAL READ. MISSY REALLY EXCELS AT CHARACTERIZATION -- YOU FEEL EVERYTHING THEY ARE FEELING AND SHE PUTS THEM THROUGH THE EMOTIONAL WRINGER...OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. REAL PAGE TURNER.

In the Company of Secrets

MILLER, JUDITH

IN THE COMPANY OF SECRETS

Olivia Mott didn't intend to lie. Somehow, it just happened. And wasn't it all Lady Charlotte's fault anyway?

Now Olivia's position as assistant chef at Pullman's elegant Hotel Florence is dependent upon her keeping her secrets. And sometimes lies have a way of leading to other lies. Should Olivia admit her real past and accept the consequences or keep quiet in order to preserve her comfortable new circumstances?

Deception seems to be part of everyday life in the company town of Pullman, Illinois, where the grand Pullman Palace Car is manufactured. Samuel Howard, Olivia's friend and the town manager, seems to think everything is fine, but Olivia observes something quite different. Could it be that Olivia is not the only one harboring secrets?

WONDERFUL HISTORICAL DETAIL. FIRST IN A SERIES SO THERE ISN'T COMPLETE RESOLUTION. THE ROMANCE BETWEEN OLIVIA AND FRED IS DISAPPOINTINGLY UNRESOLVED. THANKFULLY, THE 2ND IN THE SERIES IS OUT AND I CAN FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS!