Kelly Bryant’s young daughter wants a daddy and sets her sights on her new best friend’s single father. The man may be charming, sweet, and a believer, but Kelly is embarrassed. She extracts a pinky promise from her six-year-old to stop proposing to men on her behalf.
Ian Tomlinson isn’t looking for a wife but does need care for his daughter during spring break the week after his move to Riverbend. He hates to ask Kelly — and plant ideas in the girls’ minds — but he’s rather low on options.
How can two single parents fall in love for real with a pair of mini-matchmakers pushing from both sides — pinky promises or not?
“A cheerful and fun story that just makes you smile!” “What a funny, cute story!”
If you love Christian contemporary romance series that focus on engaging characters, strong communities, and deep faith — clean, wholesome, sweet, and inspirational romances — you’ve come to the right place!
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Pinky Promise, Book 2 in Valerie Comer’s Riverbend Romance novella series. Kelly and Ian are single parents who each have an adorable six year old daughter who share a birthday. Kelly works for the town, looking after the gardens, and Ian is her new boss who has just moved to Riverbend.
Elena and the new girl at school, Sophie, bond straight away and decide they are twins. Ian encounters a childcare problem that leads to Kelly looking after the girls during spring break. Kelly makes a pinky promise with her daughter, Elena, to not ask Ian, or anyone, to become her daddy.
The story is adorable and a lovely romance develops between Kelly and Ian as they navigate the complexities of blending families and a precocious pair of six year olds who are determined to play matchmaker. I recommend Pinky Promise to contemporary romance readers who like fun single parent romances with cute six year old best friends who want to become sisters via their parents marrying.
Paul agrees to a fake proposal with his friend’s younger sister, Becca to appease her parents instead of sending her to college. As as teen, he often annoyed her, but now the five year age gap between them doesn’t seem so big. How they see each other changes when they’re forced to spend more time together.
When Becca suggests they kiss to convince the locals that the relationship is real, she gets way more than she bargains for.
Prequel Novella to the Christian Romcom series set in Clear Creek County, but a complete story in itself.
Sweet and Clean plus lots of kissing!
Next novel in the series is Fake Identity Mistake.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Fake Engagement Mistake, Lisa Renee’s short rom com novella set in a small mountain town in Colorado. Becca works outdoors in the ski fields and loves her job. Her parents are pressuring her to go to college in Denver, and she’s looking for a reason to avoid going to college. Paul is an accountant who’s single, five years older than Becca, and a lifelong friend of her older brother.
Becca gets the bright idea to fake an engagement with Paul to justify her staying in town. Her parents have known Paul for years and consider him suitable husband material. A fun story unfolds as secret crushes from the past are reawakened and Becca and Paul consider if their engagement could be for real. I recommend Fake Engagement Mistake to contemporary romance readers who like short rom com novellas with the fake relationship trope and a light faith element in the story.
How far would you go to find the perfect husband? All the way back to the 1950s?
In a world full of happily-ever-after love, Meri Newberg feels like the last young woman on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she’s handed a strange present at the latest wedding–a 1950s magazine article of “ways to get a husband”–she decides there’s nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can’t get any more single, can she?
Her brother’s roommate sees the whole thing as a great opportunity. Not to fall in love–Kai Kamaka has no interest in the effort a serious relationship takes. No, this is a career jump start. He talks Meri into letting him film every silly husband-catching attempt for a new online show. If it goes viral, his career as a cameraman will be made.
When Meri Me debuts, it’s an instant hit. People love watching her lasso men on street corners, drop handkerchiefs for unsuspecting potential beaus, and otherwise embarrass herself in pursuit of true love. But the longer this game goes on, the less sure Kai is that he wants Meri to snag anyone but him. The only problem is that he may not be the kind of husband material she’s looking for . . .
With droll comic timing, unbeatable chemistry, and a zany but relatable cast of characters, Angela Ruth Strong has created a heartfelt look at the reality of modern Christian dating that readers will both resonate with and fall for.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Husband Auditions, and I especially loved the romcom premise for the story set in Portland, Oregon. The story opens with Meri arriving on her brother’s doorstep in a bridesmaid’s dress with a suitcase and a plan to stay there for the summer. Meri’s last single friend is married, and she needs a new permanent place to live. Meri is unimpressed by her friend’s grandmother who gave her a 1950’s magazine article with 101 tips on how to catch a husband.
Kai is best friends with Meri’s brother, Charlie, who’s about to leave to work in Ecuador. Kai is intrigued by Meri’s marriage dilemma. He offers to help Meri find a husband by creating a YouTube channel and filming her search using the 1950’s tips to attract a man. Kai is looking for film content to use as a demo for picking up a new job on a tv series based in Portland.
Meri thinks Kai is lazy, and Meri’s brother warns her about how Kai is not marriage material. Kai has Hawaiian heritage, and he works the graveyard shift at the local tv station in Portland. Kai shares Charlie’s home with Gemma, a beautiful blonde screenwriter and actor who’s never short of male attention. Kai, Charlie, and Gemma are old friends from film school.
Meri is a nurse and she falls into a routine of filming with Kai after work. The filming situations are hilarious, the interest and interaction from their YouTube followers is immense, and I smiled my way through the story. Meri and Kai secretly develop feelings for each other, and a beautiful friends-to-more romance develops as they get to know each other.
The story is in first person, present tense. I loved seeing the characters challenge each other, consider what makes a healthy marriage, and grow in faith during the story. I recommend Husband Auditions to contemporary romance readers who like light-hearted romcoms with LOL moments and a relevant faith element in the story.
Twelve days. That’s all Lucy Nel has left before her foster daughter, Abby, goes back to live with her biological mother. Twelve days to make this the best, most memorable Christmas of Abby’s young life. Lucy plans to provide a snowman for each day—no easy feat with Florida’s unseasonable temperatures. When an attractive new coworker nursing a wounded heart offers to help Lucy, she reluctantly accepts his generosity, determined not to let his friendship sway her from giving Abby her undivided affection.
Can twelve days of snowmen turn into a lifetime of love?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading this adorable Christmas novella. Lucy is a former foster kid who wants to give back by being a foster parent. Abby has been in Lucy’s care for three years, and her name for Lucy is Mama Lu. Lucy learns that Abby’s mother will be regaining custody of Abby in twelve days. Lucy is devastated, and she puts together a plan for twelve days of Christmas snowmen for Abby to make the most of the time they have left together.
Jonathan has started working with Lucy at the living museum in Florida. The meet cute in the staff break room is hilarious, and Jonathan is drawn into Lucy’s twelve days of Christmas plans for Abby. A fun romance develops that leads to a satisfying ending. Summer and Trent (from Finder’s Keepers, Book 1 in the Carrington Family Romance series) make a cameo appearance in the story. I loved experiencing Christmas in Florida, which is similar my Aussie Christmas summer climate.
12 Days of Christmas, unlike the full length novels in the series, is fully contemporary and not split time. I recommend 12 Days of Christmas to contemporary romance readers who like fun, short, and sweet Christmas romance novellas.
His promise will cost him far more than he imagined.
Guilt has defined Luke Dempsey’s life, but it was self-destructiveness that landed him in prison. When his friend and fellow inmate lay dying shortly before Luke’s release, the older man revealed he left a string of clues for his daughter, Finley, that will lead her to the treasure he’s hidden. Worried that she won’t be the only one pursuing the treasure, he gains Luke’s promise to protect her until the end of her search.
Spunky and idealistic, Finley Sutherland is the owner of an animal rescue center and a defender of lost causes. She accepts Luke’s help on the treasure hunt while secretly planning to help him in return–by coaxing him to embrace the forgiveness he’s long denied himself.
As they draw closer to the final clue, their reasons for resisting each other begin to crumble, and Luke realizes his promise will push him to the limit in more ways than one. He’ll do his best to shield Finley from unseen threats, but who’s going to shield him from losing his heart?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Turn to Me, book 3 in Becky Wade’s Misty River Romance series set in Georgia, despite my initial reservations. When I start reading a contemporary Christian romance, I’ll usually connect with and like one or both of the main characters. I’m in their head, seeing and experiencing the story world through their eyes.
I was intrigued by the story premise of Turn to Me and the mystery of the treasure hunt, but I didn’t initially warm to Finley or Luke. They both brought a great deal of sadness, angst, and emotional baggage from their complex pasts and family situations to the story. It took time to unpack their complicated history and backgrounds. As I read on and gained a greater understanding of their life circumstances and choices, I could empathise with their situation and cheer for them in the story.
Luke was recently released from prison after serving seven years for felony theft. Finley’s father passed away while he was serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter. He was friends with Luke in prison and trusted Luke. Her father’s dying wish was for Luke to keep Finley safe while she undertook her birthday treasure hunt that her father had set up before he was incarcerated.
Finley is an animal loving, flower child vegan who runs the Furry Tails animal shelter in Misty River for abandoned dogs that need new forever homes. The puppies in the story are adorable. She’s a Christian who lost her beloved fiance in a car wreck five years ago, and she believes God’s plan for her is to stay single and care for her animals.
When Luke arrives in Finley’s life, and she learns he’s the reclusive one from the Miracle Five who survived the earthquake in El Salvador almost twenty years ago, she views him as a project to fix and bring back to faith. Finley provides Luke with a job at the animal shelter, and they work together to solve the treasure hunt clues.
Luke and Finley share an undeniable attraction, despite their many differences. Luke wants to finish the treasure hunt as soon as possible and leave behind his home town of Misty River. He’s wrestling with guilt from his life choices, and believes he’s not worthy of Finley. When circumstances in the story put them in danger, they’re forced to reconsider their future plans and feelings for each other.
I liked the fun romantic subplot featuring Ben, from the Miracle Five, and Akira, who works with Finley at Furry Tails. I recommend Turn to Me to contemporary romance readers who like romances with swoony kisses that address challenging topics and include strong faith and mystery elements woven into the story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for the advanced reader copy.
If your marriage didn’t work out once, marry the same person again … said no couple ever.
Piper
Here’s the scoop—I married my former study partner for money’s sake. I promise you it’s not as bad as it sounds. Peter needed a wife in order to receive his dad’s inheritance … so I did what any friend would do, I said yes.
Peter
A marriage on paper—that’s all the guts I had to ask for. Of course, if Piper had wanted more, I would’ve gladly given her myself and all the puppies and chocolate in the world. Instead, I surprised her by paying off her med school bills, then took my broken heart and moved to another country.
Piper
So, here’s the part that does sound bad. I got pregnant (the details of our wedding night are a bit fuzzy). His mom hated me (still does). And we left our baby to be raised by her over-the-top grandmother when we parted ways. I told you it was bad. But now Peter’s reaching out to me and it’s making me wonder …
Peter
Do I have regrets? Absolutely! Turning forty made me realize I can’t waste a chance to make things right with the two most important women in my life. I’ve reunited with our daughter and now it’s time to win over Piper. If only she wasn’t already engaged to another man …
The Fab Forties series was written by an over-40 author with readers of all ages in mind. This rom-com is guaranteed to tickle your funny bone and help you escape reality. So, sit back, relax, and be prepared to laugh!
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I loved the story premise for Retying The Knot (The Fab Forties, Book 1) and enjoyed reading this fun rom-com set in San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area. Peter and Piper were best friends during college when they were studying medicine. Piper offered to marry Peter to help his family secure an inheritance. The fake marriage produced a daughter and a breakup that resulted in Peter’s mother raising their daughter. Piper became a paediatrician in NYC and Peter worked as an ophthalmologist in China for many years.
The story opens fourteen years later with Piper travelling from NYC to the Bay Area to reconnect with her daughter, Mimi, while Peter’s mother is overseas in China. A delightful and hilarious romance unfolds as Piper and Peter are forced to deal with their messy past and their more-than-friends feelings. Mimi is in therapy which means Peter and Piper can’t avoid thinking about their faith, their future, and their complicated co-parenting situation.
I recommend Retying The Knot to readers who like contemporary romances with a relevant faith element and main characters in their forties who have complex family relationships to untangle. I’m looking forward to reading more books in The Fab Forties Series.
How far will a girl go to win back a guy she can’t stand? This funny, sweet, and romantic story proves that opposites do attract—and that God has a sense of humor.
Samuel Payton is a passionate youth pastor in Virginia, but below the surface, he’s still recovering from the blow of a failed business and insecurities he can’t shake. His coworker, start-up expert Kimberly Foster, is brilliant, fearless, and capable, but years of personal rejection have left her defensive and longing for a family. Two people have never been more at odds—or more attracted to one another. And every day at work, the sparks sure do fly.
When Kimberly’s ambitious plans for Sam’s ministry butt up against his risk-averse nature, Sam decides that obligations to family trump his work for the church. He quits the ministry and heads home to Australia to help his sister, Jules, save her struggling farm. As Kimberly’s grand plans flounder, she is forced to face the truth: that no one can replace Sam. Together they strike up a deal: If Kimberly comes to work on Jules’s dairy farm and lends her business brains to their endeavor, then maybe—just maybe—Sam will reconsider his future with the church.
As Kimberly tries her hand at Australian farm life, she learns more about herself than she could’ve ever expected. Meanwhile Sam is forced to re-evaluate this spunky woman he thought he already knew. As foes slowly morph into friends, they wonder if they might be something even more. But when disaster strikes the farm, will Sam find it within himself to take a risk that could lead to love? And will Kimberly trust God with her future?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading A Girl’s Guide to the Outback by Aussie author Jessica Kate. This is my favorite Jessica Kate book, and the story is hilarious. It’s primarily set on a dairy farm in Queensland, Australia.
Kimberly is an American city girl who has a difficult working relationship with Sam, the Aussie youth pastor who is living in Virginia. Kimberly wants to expand Sam’s successful ministry into new locations, but Sam’s fear of failure means he rejects Kimberly’s ideas. Sam quits his pastor job and returns to Australia to help his sister save the family dairy farm.
A deal is struck that results in Kimberly landing in Australia and working on the dairy farm while trying to woo Sam back to his old job in the US. Kimberly is a fish-out-of-water on a farm in outback Australia. An incident at the dam involving Kimberly sets the tone for a series of farm-related LOL funny situations that draw Kimberly and Sam closer together.
My favourite character in the story is Sam’s sister, Jules. The romantic subplot with Jules and Mick, her childhood sweetheart who’s now a vet living on the Goldie (Gold Coast) is both sweet and hilarious. Jules is very Aussie, and her character is a great example of what Aussie’s affectionately call ‘the little Aussie battler’. Farming is a tough gig, and Jules is fighting to keep their family farm from going under financially. For readers who don’t like any barnyard animals to unexpectedly die during a story, they may need to brace themselves toward the end if they have any emotional attachments to chooks (free range chickens who lay eggs).
I recommend A Girl’s Guide to the Outback to contemporary romance readers who like enemies to love romantic comedy set on an Aussie dairy farm.
Rainbow Falls…where life is painted in vibrant color.
Olive Green’s world has turned upside down. The future she thought she was building is gone. Now she’s an unemployed CPA forced to move back home and sleep on an air mattress at her sister’s while picking up temp work to survive. Only, this latest temp job requires an NDA before she even goes to the interview. And the man who opens the door? Yeah, he’s not at all what she expected.
Damien Rhoades had it all – or so he thought. His voice was on every country music station, and he had the bank account to prove it. When reality crashed in on him, though, he ran from the bright lights of fame and from the God he’d once promised to serve. Isolation has become his self-inflicted punishment, his way of atoning for past sins too numerous to count and too dark to face. Then Olive bursts into his life driving her muscle car and lighting up his home with laughter.
Can a woman who feels adrift in her life be a guiding light? Will a man barricaded behind shame be strong enough to let the light in?
Each book in the Rainbow Falls series is a complete romance that can be enjoyed on its own. Due to the nature of this close-knit community, though, it may be best to read the books in order.
Can God turn the worst day of her life into the best thing that has ever happened to her?
In the wake of a very public—and very scandalous—breakup, country music star Lydia St. Peter finds herself in need of a place of refuge. She doesn’t know why she thinks she’ll find it with the family she never knew she had in River Falls, Tennessee, but at least the small town will offer her the privacy she so desperately craves.
She never expects it to offer more—in the form of her new landlord, Liam, and his troubled teenage daughter.
When single dad Liam returns to his hometown of River Falls, it’s with the intention of taking care of his mother and protecting his daughter. He knows his own happiest years are behind him. They died with his wife.
What he doesn’t see coming is the instant connection with the new tenant staying in his mother’s carriage house.
As Lydia feels the pull of family and Liam allows himself to open to the possibility of love again, a new relationship starts to blossom. But when Lydia is presented with an opportunity that could rocket her to household-name status, she has to decide whether she’s willing give up everything she’s gained in River Falls to chase her dreams—or if her heart has finally found its home.
*A shorter, novella version of this story was previously published as Heart’s Home in the limited edition Love’s Treasure Collection.*
Is there, like, anything more totally awesome than the fun, feel-good rom-com blockbusters of the 1980s? The women who make up the online Just Another 80s Rom Com Lovers Club don’t think so. Join these digital friends as they each live out their own swoon-worthy love stories, minus teased bangs and mini skirts, reminiscent of some your favorite romantic comedies from the most righteous decade.
The Fix Up by Mikal Dawn: Henley Morris and Not-the-Movie-Star Brad Pitt are teamed up on a home renovation show with tools, limited time, and a budget. The home they’re assigned to renovate is a money “pitt” and they’re sure it’s out to get them. So is the general contractor. And don’t even get them started on the family of squirrels living in it…
Falling For a Price by Bell Renshaw: Amie Lewis prefers writing about the escapades of others, but when a mysterious note arrives, it’s time to start her own adventure. Hiring Malcom Price, a handsome but obnoxious guide, is her first mistake. Being caught in the middle of his feud with Russian treasure hunters is the second. The third? Falling for him.
Lake Shore Wandering by Jennifer Rodewald: Hazel Wallace is working on a plan to keep her peaceful, remote life. When Bennet Crofton shows up pretending to be something he’s not, she knows she’s running out of time. Luckily for her, he hit his head and can’t remember a thing. With a sudden inspiration thanks to an 80’s RomCom, she’s got a whole new plan.
Evie Tyler’s Day Off by Betsy St. Amant: When Evie Tyler plays hooky on her 30th birthday to complete the remaining 9 items on her “30 Before 30” bucket list with her best friend, she never expected her childhood crush—her BFF’s brother—to tag along. Red convertibles, impromptu concerts, and a hilarious comedy of errors collide into one day off Evie will never forget.
Just Like That by Teresa Tysinger: New York City-based influencer Jane Holland is about to reel in the biggest partnership of her career. Life takes an unexpected turn when she’s needed in North Carolina to care for her niece. Will Jane find where she truly fits in her rural hometown—and with Andrew, her all-grown-up crush? Or, will opportunity draw her back to the life she always thought she wanted?
Sure About You by Jaycee Weaver: Editor, foodie, and 80s movies lover Isley Bradford lives by her trusty planner. Securing her dream job means traveling to a conference with the too-charming coworker she loathes. But with each bump in the road—some literally—he challenges her perceptions and makes her laugh. She’d had her future perfectly planned. Now? She’s not so sure.
Oriana Sanders shouldn’t be drawn to Nicanor Pessoa. The handsome, brooding tango dancer couldn’t ever be interested in an elementary school teacher. He reminds her of her inner-city students—troubled but full of potential, if only she can point him to the joy of the Lord.
Nicanor has known many beautiful women, but none with the vibrant zest for life that emanates from Oriana. She attracts him like a moth to a flame, making him want to forget the secrets and guilt that have burdened him for years. But how can he forget, when the worst secret of all is the one Oriana won’t be able to forgive?
Their growing feelings for each other seem unstoppable until they face a darkness that threatens to tear them apart. Can God help them forgive the unforgivable and bring them through the shadows into the light?
(A note to readers: If You Light My Way was previously published as This Shadow.)
When the ever-cautious Val Locklier moves cross-country with her son for a secure job, everything she’d planned unravels within the first week. After Val reluctantly agrees to rent an apartment from her best friend’s brother, an unexpected chance at an elite filmmakers’ mentorship ignites fresh hope for a dream career. But as Val’s community begins to expand, so do her insecurities, especially those heightened by her growing attraction to a certain friendly landlord.
Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term mission trip to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he’s also been reassigned to a local ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he distracts himself by throwing his energy into a host of new projects–not the least of which is pursuing Val–without stopping to consider the future.
As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they’ll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.
Christi Reece is desperate. The one-time golden girl’s life has tarnished, and a cascade of setbacks has left her reeling. She needs help, and she’s certain Jack Colby is in a position to provide it.
When she shows up in Hope Harbor, however, Jack wants nothing to do with the woman who betrayed him. He’s built a new life on the Oregon coast–and there’s no room in it for Christi, even after she takes refuge in a charming but mysterious cottage nearby. Yet it soon becomes apparent his opinion of her may need revising . . . especially when he ends up needing her help.
Can these two hurting souls make peace with their past and open their hearts to a new beginning?
Come home to Hope Harbor–where hearts heal . . . and love blooms.
Living life to the fullest always requires sacrifice.
Avery Robinson decided to be a physician after helplessly watching her mother lose a battle with a terrible disease. Now at risk of developing the same illness, Avery guards her heart from love. She’s driven to protect her loved ones as a workaholic doctor in the tiny mountain town of Riverbend Gap, North Carolina.
Contractor Wes Garrett is hiking the Appalachian trail, in memory of the man who died saving his life, when an illness racks his body. After an agonizing fifteen-mile hike to Avery’s clinic, he collapses on her doorstep. He recovers to find himself in debt again, this time to a beautiful doctor.
When he decides to help her renovate a rundown carriage house, the obstacles to their attraction sprout like weeds—starting with the woman waiting for Wes at the end of the trail. Will he be able to relinquish the debt he owes his best friend? And will Avery find the courage to risk everything for love?
The second book in Denise Hunter’s popular Riverbend Romance series explores what it might be like to live fearlessly and free.
That’s how Julia Price feels after years of being passed over in foster homes. All she has ever wanted is a family, but when she finds herself pregnant and homeless, her dreams seem further away than ever.
Strait-laced good guy Alex Morgan has waited his entire life for the woman God has prepared for him. When he makes it his mission to help Julia, he wonders whether she could be that woman. But why would God lead him to a pregnant non-believer?
As Julia struggles with issues of self-worth and trust, can she open her heart to both God and Alex? And can Alex trust their relationship to the One who holds Julia in His hand?
Emma Woodson is hoping the cobblestone streets of Nantucket and the charm of her late husband’s family cottage will be the fresh start she and her young son, CJ, need. Securing a dream job at an art gallery is one more step along the path to a new life . . . and away from a piece of her history she hopes will never be revealed. Falling in love with the kind and handsome guy she hires to clean out the rental apartment above the garage wasn’t part of the plan.
Jameson Shaw came to Nantucket for one reason: deliver his letter to Emma and never return. But when he sees an opportunity to help her, he takes a chance, desperate to atone for his past. He never planned to keep his connection to her husband a secret or to fall in love with her. After all, he knows that their new relationship might not survive the discovery of who he really is.
Could their unexpected reunion lead to a second chance?
She broke his heart years ago
But now she needs his help
Veterinarian Maya Roberts has complicated feelings about her ex—Iditarod racer Ace Reynolds—returning to Owl Creek, Alaska. But he’s the perfect person to help with her dog rescue. Now they’re working together, caught by their tangled past and still-unresolved feelings for each other. But a second chance with Ace isn’t just about forgiveness. It means sharing the secret that’s kept them apart…
A safe, quiet life—that’s what shepherdess Clementine Simon wants for her niece and nephew. There’s nothing safe or quiet about globe-trotting cameraman Liam Murphy. It’s only right that life pulled them in separate directions. But when he returns—temporarily—old feelings resurface. Can she take the biggest risk of all…falling in love?
Just when Emery Guthrie thinks she’s put her childhood trauma behind her with the help of her beloved service dog, Beau Wilde returns to town. She can’t believe her high school bully now has guardianship of two orphaned children. But Beau has changed. And with her help, he’s determined to prove he can be a father…but can he convince Emery to become part of their family?
Fatherhood wasn’t what Bradley Ainsworth expected to find at Henny House. The run-down Victorian is his best shot at proving himself as a historic renovator, but the new owner has no interest in recreating the past. Claire Woodbury and her foster daughter, Emily, are focused on the future—until everyone learns that Emily is Bradley’s daughter. Does that future have room for him as a father…and more?
Placed in WITSEC while his brother testifies against a terrifying criminal, Tony Ortega must guard his young niece and nephew from the hit man hunting for them. Death Valley local Willow Duke’s hideout might just be the difference between the little family’s life or death. When bullets start flying, can they thwart a killer long enough to survive and become a family for real?
Surviving an attack by her serial killer cousin five years ago left police officer Morganne Kimball his number one target. But she refuses to be his next victim, even if he has now escaped prison and is seeking revenge. Her only choice is to team up with US deputy marshal Colt Nelson, who is determined to capture the fugitive before he’s able to strike at Morganne again…
Hot on the trail of a ruthless drug cartel, FBI agent Randy Ingalls is nearly killed in an ambush—and left with amnesia. Now FBI agent Katherine Lewis must protect her undercover partner from the ruthless drug cartel pursuing them across the rugged Colorado mountains. Can she decipher the clues in his lost memory, or will she lose the case—and her partner—for good?
When the investigation into her look-alike cousin’s death stalls, former army intelligence officer Brooke Moore arrives in Texas searching for justice—and is thrust into the middle of a deadly conspiracy. Now she must turn to her cousin’s ex, FBI agent Colby Avery, for help. But with every clue leading them deeper into danger, they must uncover the truth…before they are buried with it.
When Della Mae Wagner’s train arrives in Missouri, she’s shocked to find that the couple who hired her don’t just want a teacher for their grandsons but a wife for their son! After a broken engagement, marriage is not in Della’s plans. And Hank Lamson isn’t pleased—with his parents, with his unexpected guest or with Della’s unfairly appealing smile. But his plans to send her packing are foiled as his family comes to love her…and he feels the walls around his wounded heart start to fall.
Moving to the wilds of California is just the fresh start Major Benjamin Sheffield hoped for—but first the widower needs a mother for his two little girls. So when feisty New York socialite Moira Blackthorne’s reckless nature puts her reputation at risk, Ben’s sure a marriage of convenience can solve both their problems. Setting sail for a new home as the wife of a stranger isn’t quite the life Moira pictured. But the more she gets to know the dignified major and his adorable daughters, the harder she falls…and begins to wish for more than a marriage in name only.
After a harrowing attempt on a judge’s life at the courthouse, Deputy US Marshals Madison James and Jonas Quinn are tasked with finding a missing woman and an endangered child in connection to the murder of the judge’s wife. What seems like a fairly straightforward case becomes hopelessly tangled when the marshals discover that the woman they are searching for is not who they think she is.
Madison and Jonas are forced into a race to find the woman and the child before the men who want her dead discover her location. And in a final showdown that could cost her everything, Madison will come face-to-face with the person who murdered her husband.
“I didn’t do right by your mother. Find her and do what I never had the courage to do.”
Her father’s deathbed confession changed everything for Aspen Kincaid. The mystery of her mother’s disappearance was unsolvable, or so she’d believed.
Her dad had lied to her all her life.
After inheriting a house in New Hampshire—a house Aspen hadn’t known her father owned—she travels thousands of miles, desperate to fulfill his dying wish. But some residents of Coventry don’t want Jane Kincaid’s daughter digging into things they think should remain hidden forever.
Renovating the secluded old house on the mountain should be the next step in Garrett McCarthy’s contracting career, but Aspen’s arrival stirs up old animosities in Coventry that he’d known nothing about. All he wants is to complete the job, hoping it’ll open doors to new opportunities. But when he’s asked to keep an eye on Aspen’s activities, he feels he can’t refuse. How can he honor his beautiful, vulnerable client and remain loyal to the people who need his help?
Join Aspen and Garrett as they attempt to solve a thirty-year-old mystery–without becoming its latest victims.
To save the innocent, they must face an insidious evil.
Wren Blythe has long enjoyed living in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, helping her father with ministry at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess who is believed to still roam the forest. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coonses’ cabin ruins and a sinister mystery she is determined to unearth.
In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last several years carrying the mantle of mystery since the day she emerged from the woods as a thirteen-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger’s ax. She has accepted she will never remember what happened to her family, whose bodies were never found, and that the people of Tempter’s Creek will always blame her for their violent deaths. And after a member of the town is murdered, and another goes missing, rumors spread that Ava’s secret is perhaps more malicious than previously imagined.
Two women, separated by time, must confront a wickedness that not only challenges who they are but also threatens their lives, and the lives of those they love.
An antisocial cat, an elusive investment broker, and a hope-selling psychic raise suspicions in a western Kentucky community.
Someone’s broken into Miss Louanne’s house. Campbell McBride and her father Bill have moved their home and detective business into an old Victorian house. Their new neighbors bring in unexpected cases for True Blue Investigations to unravel. While helping Miss Louanne look for her missing cat, Campbell learns of other suspicious activities in Murray. Another neighbor tells the detectives about a stranger in town who’s peddling an investment plan. They aren’t sure any crimes have been committed, but they’re intrigued enough for Campbell to visit a psychic along with police detective Keith Fuller’s mom and to start checking up on the financier. Things heat up when a customer threatens the psychic and then she vanishes.
In wars eighty years apart, two young women living on the same Appalachian estate determine to aid soldiers dear to them and fight for justice, no matter the cost.
1944. When a violent storm rips through the Belvidere attic in No Creek, North Carolina, exposing a hidden room and trunk long forgotten, secrets dating back to the Civil War are revealed. Celia Percy, whose family lives and works in the home, suspects the truth could transform the future for her friend Marshall, now fighting overseas, whose ancestors were once enslaved by the Belvidere family. When Marshall’s Army friend, Joe, returns to No Creek with shocking news for Marshall’s family, Celia determines to right a long-standing wrong, whether or not the town is ready for it.
1861. After her mother’s death, Minnie Belvidere works desperately to keep her household running and her family together as North Carolina secedes. Her beloved older brother clings to his Union loyalties, despite grave danger, while her hotheaded younger brother entangles himself and the family’s finances within the Confederacy. As the country and her own home are torn in two, Minnie risks her life and her future in a desperate fight to gain liberty and land for those her parents intended to free, before it’s too late.
With depictions of a small Southern town “reminiscent of writings by Lisa Wingate” (Booklist on Night Bird Calling), Cathy Gohlke delivers a gripping, emotive story about friendship and the enduring promise of justice.
After Catherine Reed’s husband dies in a tragic logging accident, Catherine and her four-year-old daughter, Clair, move home with Clair’s mother and brother in order to accept a new position as the teacher for the town’s one-room schoolhouse. But Catherine carries a dark secret that she hasn’t even shared with her mother. Will she ever find forgiveness?
Samuel Harris has suffered his own loss, losing his wife and unborn child over a year prior. Although he is the town’s preacher, he struggles to trust God, blaming God for allowing him to be absent when his wife died. The guilt has burdened him ever since. But when his old flame Catherine Reed comes back to town, he wonders if they can find healing together.
Catherine believes that anyone who wants to learn should be allowed to learn, but she is quick to find a town divided on that issue. As she and Samuel set out to change people’s minds in a post-Civil War era, they find themselves drawn to each other over and over again. As they join together for the same cause, could they also find a second chance at happiness?
With her family’s legacy on the line, a woman with everything to lose must rely on a man hiding from his past…
Oklahoma, 1890
Frontier women don’t ride off alone to track an outlaw—not even women as capable as tomboy spinster Willa Malone. But Willa desperately needs the bounty money offered for her father’s killer if she’s to keep their homestead and take care of her sisters. That means she needs an expert tracker’s help. Gideon Hartley has the skill, but the handsome trail guide also has a troubling secret…
Gideon has spent years trying to numb his pain with whiskey. Little by little, their quest—and Willa’s belief in him—is restoring the sense of purpose he thought he’d lost. Journeying into the heart of danger, they’ll have to face down the past together if they hope to protect their future…
She’s fiercely independent. He’s determined to protect her.
Wisconsin, 1933—When a routine mission becomes an ambush that kills his team, Craft Agency sniper Miles Wright determines to find the persons responsible and protect the woman he rescued. But the fierce independence that led Lily Moore to leave her family’s dairy business for the solitary life of a dog trainer and the isolation of her farm don’t make that easy. Neither does his unwanted attraction to her. Meanwhile, escalating incidents confirm that she’s far from safe.
Lily fears letting the surprisingly gentle retired marine into her life almost as much as she fears whoever is threatening her. As Wisconsin farmers edge toward another milk strike, one that will surely turn violent, it becomes clear that the plot against Lily may be part of a much larger conspiracy. When the search for her abductor leads close to home, she must decide whether to trust her family or the man who saved her life.
Charlotte Anne Mattas longs to turn back the clock. Before her husband, Sam, went to serve his country in the war, he was the man everyone could rely on–responsible, intelligent, and loving. But the person who’s come back to their family farm is very different from the protector Annie remembers. Sam’s experience in the Pacific theater has left him broken in ways no one can understand–but that everyone is learning to fear.
Tongues start wagging after Sam nearly kills his own brother. Now when he claims to have seen men on the mountain when no one else has seen them, Annie isn’t the only one questioning his sanity and her safety. If there were criminals haunting the hills, there should be evidence beyond his claims. Is he really seeing what he says, or is his war-tortured mind conjuring ghosts?
Annie desperately wants to believe her husband. But between his irrational choices and his nightmares leaking into the daytime, she’s terrified he’s going mad. Can she trust God to heal Sam’s mental wounds–or will sticking by him mean keeping her marriage at the cost of her own life?
We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
In a season of loss and change, Wren Crawford and her great-aunt, Katherine Rhodes, share the journey as companions in sorrow and hope. As Katherine prepares to retire as the director of the New Hope Retreat Center, she faces both personal and professional challenges―especially after the arrival of the board’s candidate to replace her. Not only must she confront more unresolved grief from her past, but she’s invited to embrace painful and unsettling insights about her own blind spots. How might disruption become a gift that opens the way to new growth? Wren’s world is shifting and expanding as she presses forward in recovery from a period of deep depression. Still processing open questions around the death of her best friend, Casey, Wren stewards her grief by offering compassionate care to the residents of the nursing home where she now works. But the shedding of her old life is exhausting―especially as she doesn’t yet see what new life will emerge. How might art continue to provide a pathway for deepening her awareness of God’s presence with her? In this sequel to Shades of Light and Remember Me, fans of the Sensible Shoes series will not only be able to attend Katherine’s final retreat sessions at New Hope but also encounter old and new friends along the way.
Former Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson returns to Nashville ready to begin his training with the elite warriors known as the Shepherds. He thinks he knows what to expect when he arrives on the sprawling, state-of-the-art facility but quickly realizes he’ll have to find his place as the rookie leader of a new team. Then he starts having visions of an imminent attack overseas, and with the clock ticking, Jed and his team are dispatched to neutralize the threat. All the while, Jed hears whispers of another threat . . . a name that raises unexplained fear and anger throughout the Shepherds organization.
Once a military man, Nicholas Woland betrayed the Shepherds and all they stood for when he joined their enemies. After years in prison, Woland is eager to get back in action spreading chaos and death. And he has been freed for a purpose: a sinister plot that will result in hundreds of casualties and incite worldwide religious warfare for years to come.
As Woland and the Shepherds race toward a collision, Jed must rely on his gifts, his training, and his untested team to make critical decisions on a global stage—never realizing that a secret servant of the enemy is growing closer and closer to him.
They can’t agree on anything—except that the job comes first.
Dandelion “Andi” Bloom has sacrificed a lot for her career in the Army. Now that she’s retired, playing security guard at Bloom’s Farm for high-profile events is a welcome change of pace. That is, until hosting a string of political events means working with a Secret Service detail – including a certain special agent she would have rather left behind in Virginia.
Special Agent Ross McClain takes his job seriously. Even if he has to come to Middle of Nowhere, Indiana to work events for the vice presidential candidate. On Bloom’s Farm, Ross runs into a familiar—and unwelcoming—face. Could this assignment get any worse?
Despite their mutual disdain, Andi and Ross must work together to provide security for the farm and the candidate. As the assignment goes on, it becomes impossible not to clash over every decision—and even harder to deny their growing chemistry.
Dancing with Dandelion is Book 6 in the Bloom Sisters Series. This small town, family saga is full of heartwarming themes, swoony-worthy kisses, and sweet happy endings.
Book 0 – Hoping for Hawthorne Book 1 – A Date for Daisy Book 2 – Poppy’s Proposal Book 3 – Lavender and Lace Book 4 – Longing for Lily Book 5 – Resisting Rose Book 6 – Dancing with Dandelion
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Dancing with Dandelion, the final book in the Bloom Sisters series. The story opens with Andi, who hates people knowing her real name is Dandelion, in the process of discharging from the Army. Her sister’s husband is the Governor of Indiana, and now Poppy’s husband is running for Vice President. Andi’s plan is to move home to the Bloom family farm in Indiana and take charge of the security for the various businesses her siblings manage on the farm. Andi prioritises her health, and she is a regular at a martial arts studio near her home in Virginia.
Ross works for the secret service, and I loved the meet cute between Ross and Andi at the martial arts studio in Virginia. Ross is intrigued by the mysterious Andi, and he’s stunned when he’s put on the security detail for a Vice Presidential candidate in Indiana who turns out to be Andi’s brother-in-law. Andi spent years in Afghanistan and she’s a tough cookie for Ross to crack, despite their growing attraction. She’s not happy when she’s forced to spend time with Ross and work with him to keep her family safe. Both Andi and Ross have control issues, and they struggle to let God be in charge of their lives.
Andi is the last of the Bloom offspring to meet a future spouse, and her romance story includes a light suspense thread. I recommend Dancing with Dandelion to contemporary romance readers who like the enemies to love romance trope with suspense and faith elements in the story.
She can’t stand him. He blames her for his company’s woes. Now, they have to work together.
Nia has devoted her career to fighting for life-saving medicines for Ugandans with HIV. But when first-line treatments begin to fail, she must find a new source of affordable drugs before patients start to die. Too bad she just publicly bashed the head of a pharma company that owns a powerful new anti-HIV drug.
Magnus is poised to market a game-changing HIV drug, but an avalanche of bad PR threatens to destroy his company’s reputation and kill his bottom line. When he travels to Uganda to boost his social justice credentials, he’s not expecting to feel such a deep attraction to the woman whose viral blog post led to all his troubles.
To get what they want they must work together. He’s out to rescue his company and she’s trying to save lives. Neither dreamed their hearts would be on the line.
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading Falling for the Foe, book 1 in Milla Holt’s Color-Blind Love series set in Uganda. Nia is a public health activist who works in Kampala. She lives with her grandmother and, when she was younger, her parents contracted HIV and passed away. She gained a scholarship and completed her university studies in the UK, and she wants her people in Uganda to have access to affordable HIV medicine. Nia writes a disparaging blog post that goes viral about how a pharmaceutical company used her people in Uganda as guinea pigs for a clinical trial, but won’t provide affordable access to the medication now the drug is going to market.
Magnus is the multimillionaire owner of a pharmaceutical company in the UK who developed the new HIV treatment. His family is furious when Nia’s blog post threatens the share price and profit margin on the new HIV drug they’re about to list on the stock exchange. Magnus’ father is ruthless, and he has given Magnus a chip on his shoulder about not being good enough.
Nia picks up a new job with the Ugandan Ministry of Health to assist the HIV Outpatient Service gain access to the new HIV drug. Magnus hatches a plan to go to Uganda with his sister and spin the narrative. He wants to negate the bad publicity from the blog post and show how his company is helping an African nation to access affordable healthcare.
When Magnus meets Nia in Kampala, he doesn’t remember that he was briefly in her university study group class in London. Nia and Magnus work closely together while he’s visiting Uganda, and they fall in love despite many obstacles, including living on different continents.
I loved the African setting and the cultural aspects in the story, especially their trip to the country where Magnus discovers how the village people live. I recommend Falling for the Foe to contemporary romance readers who like fish out of water and enemies to love romance stories with an international setting and a strong faith element.
