Another in the Haw Springs Romance series, in which lawyer Gracie Langhorst is home to help her grandmother in her last days. When she orders veterinaAnother in the Haw Springs Romance series, in which lawyer Gracie Langhorst is home to help her grandmother in her last days. When she orders veterinarian David McBride to halt when she catches him carrying something out of the barn in the dark, she encounters someone she never expected--a man who would not hurt her body or her heart, but she doesn't know that right away.
Instead, the two of them can't seem to butt heads with each encounter until Gracie's pathetic alcoholic father shows up and David makes clear that the man is not to hurt Gracie or her dying grandmother. But will David be able to convince Gracie that she really doesn't want to go back to her lawyerly life in Kansas City? Or will he have to move there to be with her? Read to find out. ...more
What makes a mother or even a grandmother? The birth of a baby triggers questions about who is a mother and who is not but could be. After Graham's deWhat makes a mother or even a grandmother? The birth of a baby triggers questions about who is a mother and who is not but could be. After Graham's death, Lilia and Marina each vie to become or remain little Toby's guardian and maybe mother, in spite of the interferences by Ellen, who never really knew how to mother but now wants to be grandmother to Toby. But can she? Should she? And what about Marina? After all, she gave up the baby early on. Does she deserve a second chance with him?
For all that angst, the strength of Lilia as she works through what she's going to do shines through. A story that is a testament to graciousness, to a willingness to share. But is she making a mistake?...more
Will Lark Smith find her way after she's kicked off the Oncology service and bumped down to the ER because she weeps too much when her patient dies? MWill Lark Smith find her way after she's kicked off the Oncology service and bumped down to the ER because she weeps too much when her patient dies? Maybe, maybe not. Then she's approached by the unapproachable Dr. Satan, a surgeon renown for his skills with the scalpel and his inability to connect with people. But, he needs a fake girlfriend on his arm at his sister's upcoming wedding to make his dying grandmother happy, and Lark agrees. Not because Lorenzo's offer is something she likes; no, she feels badly for the grandmother.
Thus begins a journey that includes rethinking why she wants to be an oncologist, how that decision is linked to what happened to the little boy who took her to the nurse's office in kindergarten and what it means for her life when she is suddenly confronted by the firefighter who helped her when she most needed it and who happens to be Lorenzo's sometimes estranged brother. Oh my. What a story. ...more
Is divorce the end? Not necessarily, but writer Darla Manning learned from her mother that men can't be trusted, even as her heart tells her that NickIs divorce the end? Not necessarily, but writer Darla Manning learned from her mother that men can't be trusted, even as her heart tells her that Nick Cammareri is the exception to that rule.
As if that weren't enough to keep Darla up at night, her previous cancer diagnosis continues to plague her when she's asked to speak with a young woman newly diagnosed with the same cancer Darla has beaten. And when her latest mammogram shows something bothersome, Darla's fears escalate just as she's begun to think that she and Nick may really have a future after all.
What to do with all this angst? Nick doesn't give up on Darla, but will Darla give up once and for all on Nick?...more
Three women, each with issues, one with two daughters, are challenged to make changes in the lives they've been living even as they gather together toThree women, each with issues, one with two daughters, are challenged to make changes in the lives they've been living even as they gather together to discuss books during the summer when none of the other members of the book club join them.
Men figure in their lives in the past, but will they in the future? In one case, Laurel's preteen daughters have concluded that men are bad people and not to be trusted. Paris has yet to trust herself not to overreact in any kind of personal relationship. After all, that's why her marriage was destroyed years earlier. And then there's Cassie, who doesn't know what she wants from her life after her older sibs challenge her to leave home and find out what her late uncle gave her in little Los Lobos, California. What she finds there turns out to be more valuable than the cases of cognac hidden in a cave on the property. But what will she do with the largesse?...more
First in the Devereaux Inc. series, in which Trey Devereaux engages in a scheme to take over the business currently run by her grandfather, in order tFirst in the Devereaux Inc. series, in which Trey Devereaux engages in a scheme to take over the business currently run by her grandfather, in order to prove to her father that she deserves to be viewed as the rightful CEO of his company, too. But when she meets with her grandfather's 2nd in command, that particular COO changes Trey's focus from all-business to business plus romance, if not true love.
The question then becomes who--or what--will win out and can she ever get her father and grandfather back together before the elder gentleman dies of cancer?...more
Who better to write about a best-selling author than one who also has reached that particular pinnacle? But this tale is about more than that. Namely,Who better to write about a best-selling author than one who also has reached that particular pinnacle? But this tale is about more than that. Namely, parent-child relationships and how each partner in that duo can see the same events so very differently; that friendships can harbor deeper feelings and yet remain unrecognized for years; and that second chances at love are deserved by all, no matter their ages or the number of marriages they have endured.
A timeless story that rings true in so many ways....more
Another in the Cowboy Academy series, in which Bess Glover isn't sure she can keep the family ranch now that she can't manage it by herself and her grAnother in the Cowboy Academy series, in which Bess Glover isn't sure she can keep the family ranch now that she can't manage it by herself and her grandfather is too fragile to help. When Griff Malone offers to help her, she turns him down re: the ranch but does agree to allow him to help her with the high school rodeo team that she runs in the summer. Doing so also regenerates Bess' feelings for Griff, but she fears that their friendly bickering and mad-good kisses can't go any further. After all, Griff let her down back in high school. Can she really trust that he won't do so again, even after she learns why he did so?...more
It's not easy reading about the impending death of a loved one, anymore than having to experience that loss. But this tale does a great job focusing oIt's not easy reading about the impending death of a loved one, anymore than having to experience that loss. But this tale does a great job focusing on how to confront the dying person's wishes as well as what will soon happen.
Additionally, the dying person becomes the conduit to bring a pair of divorce-hurt people come to the realization that their previous failed relationships doesn't have to predict their present or their future....more
FIrst in the Blue Moon Bay series, in which tech expert Sarah Lewis comes back to Blue Moon Bay to oversee the sale of her late grandmother's B&B, onlFIrst in the Blue Moon Bay series, in which tech expert Sarah Lewis comes back to Blue Moon Bay to oversee the sale of her late grandmother's B&B, only to discover that she needs to renovate it first. She hires her high school crush, Wes Sharrun to help with the construction and soon finds herself helping his 9-year-old daughter with an app the girl has created on her own. Clearly, she's a genius!
Wes is attracted to Sarah and is thrilled that she seems to be the perfect mentor to his daughter until a pervert sends little Marissa some less than appropriate pictures. That wouldn't have happened if Sarah hadn't uploaded Marissa's app onto the web. But is Sarah really at fault? How can Wes blame her when what he really wants is to love her? Especially after Sarah leaves her job at a key time in order to attend Marissa's last day at summer camp. Such a mess these misunderstandings are. Will they kill what was such a promising set of new/old relationships?...more
A tale within a tale that links three women through the man who was their father during his life, but who only showed them how much they were a part oA tale within a tale that links three women through the man who was their father during his life, but who only showed them how much they were a part of his life after he died.
The retelling of the grandmother's WWII adventures is the froth that adds to how the three sisters--Tess, Charlotte, and Natalie--come to know and appreciate each other even as they learn more about their father when they are forced to come together at the world-famous winery he owns but has never run. Created from loss, two of the sisters are graced with love, one unexpected, one sought but never thought to be possible, even as the middle sister finally divests herself of a marriage that should have never been and nearly destroyed her ability to engage in her passion regarding home design.
A winner in all regards and long awaited. I'd love for this to be the beginning of a new series, but am not privy to such a possibility. Would that it were so. The characters are so worthy of a reprise in a future story or two or more....more
Another in the Matchmakers of Harts Haven series, in which Sophie EIcher moves with her sister to Harts Haven, seeking a town where its members don't Another in the Matchmakers of Harts Haven series, in which Sophie EIcher moves with her sister to Harts Haven, seeking a town where its members don't think of her as yet another victim of the cancer that killed her mother and grandmother before her and also cost her a breast. She loves her work as a teacher, but Karl Graber, from whom she rents a little house, is most bothersome--mostly because his presence reminds her what she has always wanted but fears she can never have.
Karl, too, is dealing with his own demons, not least of which is the death of his wife, also from cancer. He knows he has to do better as a father to his two young daughters, but can he do it? Will he? And will Sophie's help be the salvation he is seeking when reaching out and thinking she has a future is almost too frightening to consider?...more
Another tale guaranteed to spark numerous emotions and the need for tissues. Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart become friends in middle school and that relAnother tale guaranteed to spark numerous emotions and the need for tissues. Kate Mularkey and Tully Hart become friends in middle school and that relationship carries them through adulthood, even as their life paths diverge. Kate becomes an at-home mom consumed by the needs of her husband and three children even as Tully becomes what she has always wanted to become: a full-fledged star of newscasts in multiple venues.
But how their friendship is shaped also affects the people who orbit around these two, especially Kate's headstrong daughter and Kate's husband, whom she is certain picked her as second-best after Tully.
What is most striking about this story is what the author reveals about inflammatory breast cancer and the journey Kate must take--alone at long last, with her friends and family around her. Be prepared to reach for tissues and then send in a donation to whatever cancer center you prefer. It seems the least every reader of this compelling story should do....more