A Modest Proposal


Michele Ashman Bell - 2008
    With my super-hero stitching I would save you mothers and daughters crying in dressing rooms over yet another "the straps are just too small" prom dress. Don't worry, I even thought of a catchy tagline for my brand: "Modest Is Hottest." I told you I was good! So I moved to New York and am finally living that dream . . . well, almost. I am at one of the top fashion companies, and my designs are definitely modest;but let's face it, when it comes to outerwear, would you want to buy a skimpy trench coat? Didn't think so. Even though I don't have my dream job, my family is a mess, and my love life stinks, I have a feeling things are going to change. I mean, they have to soon, or I'll be forced to marry Jace. I did promise to become his wife only if I turned thirty and was still single, but I honestly didn't think it was possible. Now twenty-nine, I'm cutting it way too close. Right now I'm flying back to Utah for our Butterfly Girls reunion. And since it is the Mormon Mecca, I might find myself a modest proposal. Utah engagements can take mere weeks. Never mind, I'm not that desperate. Really. But maybe the girls can help. We've been best friends since high school. We Butterfly Girls are not the typical Pink Ladies, although we've definitely had our share of drama. We'll laugh and cry over memories, from pageant glory to tragic endings, but the ones stored inside our butterfly box will surprise you most. We only open it when we're all together, and our lives never seem the same after.

Table for Two


Sheryl C.S. Johnson - 2012
    But when Jana determines that the move can help her get away from Brad—the overly adoring man in her life who she really doesn’t have any feelings for—she decides to go.When Jana arrives for her new adventure, both Alex and his young daughter, Elise, are easily enamored with her—as is Jeff, the ward member who becomes Jana’s first date in her new town. However, Jana is not so sure about her feelings for any of them. And as she works side by side with Alex to transform a shabby house into a charming boutique, it becomes clear to her that Alex wants more than a friendship. Though Jana resists, she knows she has to work out her confusion before she loses everything that is becoming so dear to her. Will she be able to come to terms with the fact that Alex’s deceased wife, Vanessa, will always be a big part of his life, as well as Alex’s and her differing religious convictions and so many other complications that might not fit at a table for two?

Ariana: The Trilogy


Rachel Ann Nunes - 2008
    In the second volume, Ariana: A Gift Most Precious, Ariana's faith is tested as she faces life-and-death consequences of past choices. And in Ariana: A New Beginning, Ariana discovers that her reliance on the Lord and her love for her famiy can make the dramatic difference between triumph and tragedy. This rare and compelling series was originally published more than a decade ago and immediately established author Rachel Ann Nunes as one of the most popular romance writers in the LDS market.

Promise of Spring


Kristen McKendry - 2008
    But after a painful divorce, she decides that life on an isolated farm in the Texas panhandle is exactly what she needs. Fiercely independent, Melinda is determined to live completely off the land and keep other people at a distance. But then Ryan Delaney, a handsome widower with a two-year-old son, moves in next door. He insists on helping Melinda with her farming chores and is stubborn enough to make Melinda's carefully built walls of self-isolation begin to crumble. Meanwhile, sinister acts of vandalism make it clear that not everyone is happy about Ryan Delaney's arrival. Whoever is behind them wants him gone—and is willing to resort to just about anything. Will Ryan and Melinda's blossoming relationship be able to withstand the storms?

Brianna, My Brother, and the Blog


Jack Weyland - 2009
    And who better for the job than Robbie’s brother, Austin? He can keep the other men at bay while giving Brianna guy-type help, like hauling her harp around on weekends to play at wedding receptions. Austin needs a friend, too. And Brianna is the perfect choice since there's no romantic involvement-of course not, how could there be, she's waiting for his brother, after all. As a friendship develops between Austin and Brianna, Austin is free to learn what it means to be "true and faithful friends" with a girl. He begins posting his findings in blog entries that quickly gather a following of interested readers. But what will happen to his friendship with Brianna when she finds out who the real author of the blog is? Because the truth is, Austin isn't looking for just a friend anymore, but something more. Will he have the courage to tell Brianna the truth-before Robbie comes home?

Heart of Gold


Jeanette Miller - 2015
    A year after the tragic death of her husband, the young widow discovers a horrifying secret. Heartbroken and humiliated, she resolved that no one could ever know. Now, back in her hometown with her three-year-old daughter, she’s ready for a fresh start. But Ashlyn is unprepared to find that an embarrassing memory, buried deep in her past, is about to resurface... Ryan Anderson was the last person Ashlyn expected to see. After the unexpected kiss they’d shared years earlier, she assumed she’d never see him again. Though she tries to avoid him at all costs, Ashlyn finds herself running into her former flame far more often than she’d like. Between her uncomfortable history with Ryan and the series of well-meaning suitors pursuing her, Ashlyn finds herself disenchanted with dating altogether. Yet as she and Ryan slowly become reacquainted, she feels her resolve to avoid a relationship slipping. But when moving forward with Ryan means revealing the secret she’s worked so hard to keep, will Ashlyn have the courage to leave behind her late husband’s legacy of deceit and learn to love again?

The Heart Has Forever


Kerry Blair - 2000
    Despite his conversion to the gospel, Greg is surrounded by people who want to exploit his fame and wealth. It is a constant battle to find time for his new faith…and his new love. Meanwhile, Andi’s sister Clytie, an anchondroplastic dwarf, is also discovering the magic of romance, but hers comes at a terrible price because intelligent, cynical, funny Thaddeus is dying. Will she be able to give her heart, knowing that soon all she will have left of their love is her memories?

Christmas in Haggerty


Betsy Brannon Green - 2006
    Not everyone, however, has caught the Christmas spirit. Kate Iverson doesn't want to accept that there will be more babies in her future, even though her doctor is certain that her childbearing years are behind her.Despite her discouragement, a recurring dream has Kate convinced that there is yet work for her to do. Through faith, prayer, and the assistance of inspired friends, Kate soon becomes part of a modern Christmas miracle- and learns a powerful lesson about the true meaning of Christmas.(This comes after Backtrack, #8 in the Haggerty Mystery Series.)

Counting Stars


Michele Paige Holmes - 2007
    What she wasn't expecting was Paul Bryant's completely original and sincere pick-up line: Hi. I'm Paul. I have terminal cancer. My wife was killed in a car accident, and I'm looking for a woman to raise my children.

The Secret Journal of Brett Colton


Kay Lynn Mangum - 2005
    Her family talks as if he were perfect! All Kathy knows for sure is that Brett is dead. He died of leukemia when he was sixteen and she was only two. But when Kathy turns sixteen, she discovers her brother s hidden journal - a journal written especially for her - and learns about the brother she never knew. At the same time, Kathy is mortified by an assignment to tutor the popular high school quarterback Jason West, a football jock who, even worse, is a Mormon. Author Kay Lynn Mangum brilliantly weaves the dual stories of a dying brother and a coming-of-age sister who learn the importance of loving our family and our friends and nurturing our faith.

To Have or to Hold


Josi S. Kilpack - 2004
    At eighteen she married her high-school sweetheart just days after graduation. Three years later she’s a twenty-one-year old divorcee with a 15-month-old daughter looking at life in a different way. She moves to Utah with a broken heart and a head full of shattered dreams hoping to start over.She also tries to find her place in the LDS church again, but it’s easier said than done. As always she doesn’t fit the Mormon mold and wonders if she ever will or if she even wants to.Andrew Davidson’s life is going exactly according to plan. He has the lifestyle he’s always wanted and spends his days working hard at his development company and his weekends enjoy the perks of being a rich bachelor. When he learns of a substantial inheritance through the father he never knew, he can’t say no. Even if it means he has to marry — something he never planned on.When Andrew makes Emma an offer she can’t refuse, a marriage of convenience in exchange for a portion of the inheritance, she feels life is taking a turn for the better. She knows everything will be fine so long as she doesn’t fall in love with her temporary husband. But as with everything else in Emma’s life, things don’t go as expected.Before she knows it she’s fallen in love with Andrew, but holds no illusions that his expectations of their merger have changed. However, Andrew is caught up in conflicting feelings of his own and when he finds himself faced with everything he never wanted, he desperately seeks answers.

Royal Target


Traci Hunter Abramson - 2008
    And she certainly doesn't expect to fall in love with him. Janessa resists her feelings, fearing conflicts in her personal and professional life, yet when the Prince admits his feigned affection has become genuine she can no longer pretend. Matters of security, society, and spirituality make their unlikely romance even more complex, and escalating political intrigue gives Janessa an excuse to ignore the questions in her heart. But when a terrorist plot against the royal family endangers them both, Janessa and Garrett must face the challenges of loyalty to family, to country, to God—and to love.

At the Journey's End


Annette Lyon - 2006
    As an American Indian living in the Utah Territory—and not a member of the Mormon Church—Abe faces everything from simple ignorance to outright bigotry. To make matters worse, the only woman he has ever loved has chosen to marry another man. It is past time for Abe to start his life over.At the urging of his devout mother, Abe settles in Snowflake, Arizona, where he promptly meets Maddie Stratton. Maddie is at first wary of Abe, yet she detects a sensitivity and goodness beneath his embittered exterior and they soon become friends. As Maddie draws ever closer to Abe, he begins to push her away, knowing that her faith-and his lack of faith-will prove to be too large a barrier to result in happiness.From tender matters of the heart and the anguish of a life-threatening accident to the gentle whisperings of the Spirit, author Annette Lyon completes the powerful story of Abraham Franklin, which began in the best-selling novel House on the Hill. At once romantic and adventurous, At the Journey's End is a captivating story of love and loss, sacrifice and, eventually, understanding.

Smart Move


Melanie Jacobson - 2012
    Conversation flowed easily, so after they parted, she waited eagerly for his call. It never came. A high-powered career woman at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, Sandy feels she has had her heart broken one too many times, and now the redheaded trendsetter is facing a major quarter-life crisis. After some introspection, Sandy determines that helping others may be the key to helping herself. When she's presented with a job offer in Washington DC as the director of New Horizons, a nonprofit organization benefiting women in poverty, it seems providential.But now that she's moved, two major obstacles threaten the success of her first assignment: The first is her mother and her constant fog of less-than-helpful New Age advice. Secondly, plans to build another New Horizons outreach center have come to a screeching halt, thanks to the interference of a pesky lawyer and his attempts to reverse zoning approval for the building project.After weeks of verbal sparring over the phone, Sandy is in for a shock when she comes face-to-face with her foe. The smooth voice at the other end of the line is a heart-wrenching blast from the past. In this twist of fate, Sandy sees the perfect opportunity to ensure the success of the outreach center — and to enact a little payback on this man she thought she'd left behind. And so the battle of wits begins. Will Sandy's "flirt-to-convert" plot sway her nemesis' determination to block the center, or will his charming and undeniably attractive ways convince the sassy redhead to give love a second chance?

Beyond Summer Dreams


Jennie Hansen - 2001
    The last thing she wants to do is spend the summer in a sleepy, little town watching over her 78-year-old grandmother, Lily.Upon arrival, Taylor quickly discovers that her grandmother isn't in as bad a shape as Taylor was led to believe. She also finds that her grandmother has rented out part of her house as office space to Clay Curtis, a young, dashing veterinarian. Taylor and Clay's introduction is less than cordial, and they both end up irritated with each other. Taylor thinks that Clay is just using her grandmother; and Clay thinks that while Taylor is one of the most attractive women he has ever met, she is a snob and a fake—just like Clay’s ex-fiancée.When the home and office are burglarized, Taylor and Clay are thrown together in an effort to find the people responsible and keep their loved ones safe. But they soon learn that Clay has some powerful enemies, who will stop at nothing to get what he has.