Christy McKinley, successful attorney in Boston, has her routine life interrupted when unexpected events force her to take a leave of absence from work and fly to Colorado to find her two years old stepbrother, Matthew. Jared Reed, a rugged rancher finds himself in charge of a failing ranch and a two years old nephew when his brother and sister-in-law die in a car accident. Two more different people as Christy and Jared could not be and they seem to disagree in everything except their love for little Mathew and the determination to save the ranch as his inheritance. As weeks go by and the two get to know each other better, the attraction grows and the old saying that opposites attract comes true.

    

    This beautifully written book will keep you up all night. There are plenty of clues and there are a lot of hints, but even when you put them all together, it will be close to impossible to puzzle your way to the ending. If you are looking for a book, you can't put down, then Governor's Road is just right for you. Excitement, frisky loving, a mystery of epic proportions and traditional southern pathos make this book a fun and rewarding read. The terrorized children of Governor’s Road grew up without resolution or closure to the most devastating event of their young lives. Their friend, a child their age, disappeared one afternoon and somehow, they never seem to learn what happened. Saddened parents decide to protect their children and the obvious fear recedes in the face of the calm that settles back over the neighborhood. But, fear never really disappears until it's confronted. As adults, JoBeth and Billy set out to discover what happened to little Petey Shiner. The answer brings them to conclusion that there is no perfect childhood, even in a perfect town in a perfect decade. Every town hides its secrets and puts on a good face, even at the expense of its residents. Along the way, JoBeth and Billy discover love and romance. Their kindling of love takes you to places you can only want to return to…and their future makes you happy. It’s their past that is so hard to reconcile. As well as a lot of fun, a dark mystery and hot southern romance, JoBeth and her friends also encounter the harsh reality of Alzheimer’s and aging. Sometimes, a loved one can be lost more than once. The malevolent specter of mental illness surfaces when the reader meets Lucius Sifer and begins to understand the unusual existence the boy leads. The ending is grim but satisfies that need everyone has for justice. The most humble people can achieve heroism without fanfare or acknowledgment. As always, enjoy your adventure into the south...and remember, thoughtful book reviews are welcomed with open arms. Please see Observations of a Transplanted Southern Belle for more of Laurie Byrne Smith's work.

    As they spend an unexpected two weeks together beneath the Caribbean sun he knows he wants more. Can he learn to forgive and reclaim the only woman who's claimed his heart? Floral shop co-owner Vivian Michaels believes she has finally put her past to rest. But when a wedding in Jamaica brings her face-to-face with the man she loved and had to leave behind, she realizes that she never stopped loving Devin. Every kiss reminds her of what she's missed, and perhaps what she can still have if she would only trust him with the truth. **This is a novella, work of approximately 37k words**

    As the Son of Sam and a scorching heat wave plague New York City, Laila Levin, a Jewish sociologist from Long Island, meets Dr. Eduardo Quintana while giving a speech on the epidemic problem of teenage pregnancies. Laila is relationship-shy after a disastrous marriage, and Eduardo has never completely recovered from his high school sweetheart’s desertion. He is finishing up a residency in New York City and plans to open a family practice near his hometown in New Mexico.The unlikely pair share strong family values and an interest in helping prevent teen pregnancy. Their mutual passion is so intense it stuns them both. After a brief courtship, Eduardo persuades Laila to accompany him to his family ranch near Española, New Mexico, a rural area with one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in North America.  Once in New Mexico, Laila is blatantly rejected by Sylvia, Eduardo’s controlling mama. Sylvia desperately wants Eduardo to marry Violet, his high school sweetheart. Violet has just returned to New Mexico after a failed flight attendant career, and a walk on the dark side of Hollywood. Her mama and Sylvia cook up a plan to get rid of Laila and reunite their children. The Quintanas hold a large pig roast and invite a menagerie of tattooed cousins, rodeo stars, and mariachis, where the drop-dead gorgeous Violet makes a grand entrance.In the midst of the pandemonium that results, a shocking family secret is revealed, and Laila and Eduardo’s love for each other is severely tested. Can their relationship survive the fierce clash of cultures, the murderous intentions of a Son of Sam copycat who has stalked Laila from New York City, and their own uncertainties about the upheavals that their union will cause in their lives?

    He was supposed to be a one-night stand. Now he’s hiring me to be the nanny. I wish I could say I regret it, But that would be a big FAT lie. Ever meet a guy that makes you sweat with one stare?Brian’s that guy.Loving, powerful, and damaged, all in one package.And I’m the dummy who thought I wouldn’t fall for it.Now my heart aches every time he talks to his daughter.Brian has a dangerous past,And I’m the pawn about to be taken.A mistake they’ll regret—Especially now that I’m carrying his baby.

    I was abducted and shipped out, meant to be sold. My freedom stolen. My body no longer mine. My life…over. Or so I thought. The Guardians swooped in. They saved me from a living Hell, but my life is still in danger. The men who took me want me back. They’re out there, hunting me. Once again, the Guardians step up. They assign me a Protector to keep me safe. A former Navy SEAL, Brett’s not only easy on the eyes, he’s a living hero with a unique skillset. Tough as nails, he takes his job seriously, and he’ll do anything to keep me safe. Even if it means risking his life while saving mine. There’s one problem and it’s getting bigger each and every day. The longer we’re together, the more I want Brett to guard more than my body. I want him to be mine. He can never be mine, but I want him anyway. BRETT My mission is to protect her, not make her mine. As a former Navy SEAL, I’m used to dodging bullets. I’m used to living by a code. Protect and defend is a motto seared into my soul. Now, I’m a personal protection specialist, a Guardian Protector, and my first assignment comes with a different kind of danger. Danger wrapped in the sinful curves of Sybil Niles incredible body. Which is why I made three rules. Rule #1: protect my client at all cost. Rule #2: no emotional entanglements. Rule #3: Don’t break rule #1 or rule #2 My rules keep things professional, but day by day, night by night, and touch by touch, my control is slipping. I’ll put myself in harm’s way, risk my life to save hers, but the one thing I can’t do is protect her from myself. Loving her could kill us both. I broke my second rule, but I won’t break the first. I’ll protect Sybil if it's the last thing I do. After all, Sybil is the siren who stole my heart.

    But when tourists start dying under suspicious circumstances, she never imagines that the biggest battle she’d have to fight is within her own department. That is, until her friend, Dominic Burel, and the FBI Task Force he’s a part of, prove she’s right to be concerned.As an FBI agent and former PJ with the elite Air Force Pararescue Unit, Dominic Burel has been happy to move through life solely focused on work. But when a family visit leaves him shaken, he realizes his friendship with Anika could, and should, be so much more. Now he has to change her mind about them and he’s not above using his investigative skills to finagle his way into her case—and life—to do it.As Anika and Dominic hunt a killer, they quickly realize they’ve uncovered something much more sinister. The simple murders aren’t so simple and there’s a much grander plan at play. And when they find they aren’t the only ones hunting, it will take everything they have to stay out of the true killer’s crosshairs.If you revel in escaping into a story, this friends-to-lovers romantic suspense will keep you turning the pages.

    I’m just me. Opening Klein’s with my brother, Canon, was meant to be our step in our own direction. We proudly injected our Jamaican and German heritage into the food, but the rest was just us. I still wanted to be the laid-back guy I’d been before, but that wasn’t conducive with being a business owner. And then along came Heidi. If I hadn’t been in that day, I never would have met her. Now I can’t stop seeing her and wanting to find out more about her. My past scares her and makes her think I’m not in this for the long run, but I’ve never been more serious in my life.HeidiLife as a single mom isn’t easy. Sure, I’ve got other friends who are single parents, but running a business with a toddler requires navigational skills I haven’t quite finessed yet. The last thing I needed was Bond damn Klein steamrolling into my life. Initially, it’s easy to say no to him because our personalities clash, but then I saw another side of him, and it ruined me. I want to stick to my path and be good, but being bad has never felt so right. That counts still, though, right?

    Her husband, a powerful senator, has hurt them one too many times. But it’s hard to hide from someone with keys to all the powers in government. She stops in a little town in Wyoming—too tired, too scared, and too broke to go further.Sheriff Luke Wilson has worked his family’s ranch in Wyoming nearly all his life, save for a few years playing big-city cop in St. Louis. The draw of his family’s home pulled him back and now he runs his ranch and takes care of what little crime Hope, Wyoming has to offer.It’s Christmas, the time for magic and the unexpected miracle. Fate throws a twist into Hope and Luke’s lives, leading them to a new future...if they can escape the clutches of her abusive husband.

    HE SAYS HE’S SURVIVINGOutdoor instructor Max Carlton lives a peaceful and tranquil life in the mountains. He’s not hiding, he simply loves the freedom wilderness living brings. The downside is that sometimes he has to deal with people.Including Junia Fox, the attractive case worker who arrives with a group of troubled teens for a week-long retreat.City dwelling Junia prays the retreat will be just what the teens need. She knows what it’s like to be misjudged and shunned. Plus, the week-long escape from the city might do her good as well.It’s a pity the ruggedly handsome instructor is so offhand and rude.DANGER LURKS IN THE MOUNTAINSDespite their dislike for each other, Max and Junia are thrown together in a fight for survival when one of the teens places the whole group in danger. Can they get past their differences and learn to trust each other? Can Max protect Junia—and her carefully guarded heart? Or will his beloved mountains ultimately become their death trap?The Heroes of Eastbrooke series features clean, Christian, pulse-pounding romantic suspense in and around the picturesque town of Eastbrooke. Each book stands alone. Grab your copy now.

    

    Instead of making beds and serving coffee at the Penmarrow hotel in Cornwall, she’s making notes on her manuscript while sitting in a French cafe, meeting famous writers at private dinner parties, and trying to ferret the secrets behind the author’s unfinished future novel. It’s glamorous, it’s breathtaking … but it’s also an ocean channel away from the place that she loves, and, more importantly, the person to whom she just recently confessed her deepest feelings. Separated from Sidney by distance and circumstances, Maisie fears that their connection will be lost despite her words to him – and maybe because of those words, and the ones she didn’t allow him to say in return. Meanwhile, there are plenty of things in her new life trying to distract her – the professional editor hired to critique her novel, the eager young literary agent who sees pie-in-the-sky potential for Maisie’s talent, but Maisie finds solace in the eclectic group of amateur writers into whose midst she finds herself by accident. Their critique and advice is fast becoming as important as the editors – maybe even more important than the published author Maisie believed held the keys to refining her skill. But it’s missing Sidney that fills Maisie’s thoughts the most, along with her life back in Port Hewer, and she can’t stop wondering whether his feelings are the same as her own. His unspoken answer has become one of the most important pieces of her life, even as she struggles to match the pace of her new life and keep her dreams in sight. And when she unwittingly becomes privy to a seeming literary conspiracy, she must decide what to do in light of its truth – and decide what’s most important in her quest to become a professional writer. Join Maisie in a whirlwind tour across two of the world’s greatest cities, filled with questions, dreams, and a chance for fame that she believed far beyond her grasp, as she discovers herself as a writer, and how to embrace an unexpected future on her own terms.

    Over 800 pages of big love in a small town for readers who love hunky Southern men and the women who make them want to settle down. Big Love in a Small Town features the following three novels: Down A Country Road The very last thing on Grier McAllister’s Someday List is going back to Timbell Creek, Virginia, the town where she grew up. Timbell Creek holds too many bad memories for her, memories finally put to rest with a successful image consultant business in New York City and a hefty therapy bill. When an opportunity to choose a “Jane Austen Girl” for a visiting duke falls in her lap, the only catch that she must be from Grier’s hometown, Grier tells herself she’ll do what she needs to do and then leave it all behind for good. But Grier doesn’t count on finding that her mother is no longer the person she used to be. She certainly doesn’t plan on falling for an old boyfriend’s really hot brother! And it isn’t long before she begins to realize Timbell Creek is not only a part of who she was, but might be a part of who she is as well. Good Guys Love Dogs Desperate father Ian McKinley moves his delinquent teenage son to the small Virginia town of Keeling Creek, a place very unlike the New York City life he has been leading. Love takes him by surprise when he falls for Colby Williams, a woman unlike anyone he has ever been drawn to, a small town vet with a heart for animals and a fierce love for a teenage daughter she is also struggling to raise. But Colby has a secret in her past, a secret she's not sure her daughter will ever forgive her for. And as for Ian McKinley, he seems too good to be true. If she had learned anything from the one time she had thrown her heart fully into love, it was that it didn't last. Truths and Roses When Will Kincaid’s professional football career comes to an abrupt end in a single night, he’s left to figure out what he’s going to do with the rest of his life. He heads home to the small Virginia town where he grew up and crosses paths with Hannah Jacobs, the only girl in high school who had ever rejected him. It’s Hannah who once made him question the choices he had made, and it’s Hannah who’s making him question them all over again. But with the weight of a secret he’s managed to hide from the world his entire adult life hanging over him, he can’t afford to question his choices. Hannah Jacobs had once made the choice to deny her feelings for Will Kincaid, at the time finding it the only possible option for a young girl intent on burying a nightmare she only wanted to forget. The life she’s made for herself as a librarian in Lake Perdue is a quiet one, and she’s hardly prepared for the day when Will rams his fancy Ferrari into her dependable old clunker. But for Hannah, Will Kincaid can only stir up memories she had long ago put away forever. And there’s nothing at all good that can come from bringing them back to life again.

    But a terrible event changes everything for her. Marj cooks and waits tables at the wine bar, under the watchful eye of Martin, a chef of undoubted genius, despite his passion for women. Why has he never noticed Marj, though?As the shopkeepers struggle to make a living, each of them finds their life changing over the course of one eventful year.