Could her closed heart… Still have room for him? Olivia Donoghue’s life has turned a corner. The radiologist’s eleven-year-old daughter is finally healthy, and she just moved to her best friend’s dreamy hometown of Adelaide Creek, Wyoming. If only her friend’s prodigal brother, Jeff Stanhope, wasn’t complicating matters. It's clear Jeff's kindness knows no bounds, having taken in his late roommate's teenage son and also offering her a cabin to stay in, but Olivia’s heart is already full…and safe. Is the former rancher worth the risk? From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging. Back to Adelaide Creek Book 1: The Rancher's Wyoming Twins Book 2: The Doc's Holiday Homecoming
A marine returns to his Texas hometown, where an accident takes his memory—and gives him a second chance at love—in this inspiring holiday romance. Sergeant Joe Wilcox never thought he’d come back to Brighton Valley, Texas. But he made a promise to a friend that he refuses to break. After spending years trying to forget his past, Joe finally gets his wish . . . when an accident robs him of his memory. Chloe Dawson, who offers to nurse him back to health, is a light in the dark . . . but the mysterious, beautiful blonde is strictly off limits. And the discovery of a letter Joe was carrying—addressed to Chloe—only deepens the mystery. An undeniable desire sizzles between them. But as Christmas approaches and Joe’s memories, Chloe must help him face his past if there is any hope for their future . . .
The manger or Macy's? Americans might well wonder which is the real shrine of Christmas, as they take part each year in a mix of churchgoing, shopping, and family togetherness. But the history of Christmas cannot be summed up so easily as the commercialization of a sacred day. As Penne Restad reveals in this marvelous new book, it has always been an ambiguous meld of sacred thoughts and worldly actions-- as well as a fascinating reflection of our changing society. In Christmas in America, Restad brilliantly captures the rise and transformation of our most universal national holiday. In colonial times, it was celebrated either as an utterly solemn or a wildly social event--if it was celebrated at all. Virginians hunted, danced, and feasted. City dwellers flooded the streets in raucous demonstrations. Puritan New Englanders denounced the whole affair. Restad shows that as times changed, Christmas changed--and grew in popularity. In the early 1800s, New York served as an epicenter of the newly emerging holiday, drawing on its roots as a Dutch colony (St. Nicholas was particularly popular in the Netherlands, even after the Reformation), and aided by such men as Washington Irving. In 1822, another New Yorker named Clement Clarke Moore penned a poem now known as "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," virtually inventing the modern Santa Claus. Well-to-do townspeople displayed a German novelty, the decorated fir tree, in their parlors; an enterprising printer discovered the money to be made from Christmas cards; and a hodgepodge of year-end celebrations began to coalesce around December 25 and the figure of Santa. The homecoming significance of the holiday increased with the Civil War, and by the end of the nineteenth century a full- fledged national holiday had materialized, forged out of borrowed and invented custom alike, and driven by a passion for gift-giving. In the twentieth century, Christmas seeped into every niche of our conscious and unconscious lives to become a festival of epic proportions. Indeed, Restad carries the story through to our own time, unwrapping the messages hidden inside countless movies, books, and television shows, revealing the inescapable presence--and ambiguous meaning--of Christmas in contemporary culture. Filled with colorful detail and shining insight, Christmas in America reveals not only much about the emergence of the holiday, but also what our celebrations tell us about ourselves. From drunken revelry along colonial curbstones to family rituals around the tree, from Thomas Nast drawing the semiofficial portrait of St. Nick to the making of the film Home Alone, Restad's sparkling account offers much to amuse and ponder.
Visiting your family can be stressful. For Commander Natalie Taylor of the Commonwealth Navy, it's doubly so, since it means traveling across enemy lines to her homeworld of Centauri, occupied by the Illyrican Empire for the last twenty years. And when you're a spy with a job to do, well, it can be downright deadly.
A dead body in the parking lot of her family’s business, a killer on the loose, and a handsome detective asking a lot of questions… Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot. Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional. Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.
From #1 bestselling Irish author Cathy Kelly comes a witty, warmhearted novel about friendship, forgiveness, and second chances... They say you can’t go home again, and truth be told, Eleanor Levine never planned to. Yet here she is, back in Ireland after a lifetime in New York, moving her treasured possessions—including her mother’s handwritten book of recipes for living—into a cozy Dublin apartment. With its picturesque Georgian villas, redbrick houses, and central garden, the Golden Square is just large enough for anonymity. At least, that’s what actress Megan Bouchier hopes, when a tabloid scandal sends her fleeing the paparazzi, back to the place she felt safest as a child. Rae, manager of the local café, has noticed the lovely, sad-eyed girl. There’s little Rae doesn’t notice, and every customer feels nourished by her food and her kindness, yet Rae’s own secret remains hidden. Connie O’Callaghan—with her fortieth birthday looming—has a secure teaching job, an abundance of blessings...and a deep-seated loneliness only her new neighbor Eleanor understands. And as the lives of the four women intertwine, each in her own way is learning about love, letting go—and that finding your way can lead to the last place you expected.
Snowbound with a millionaire Faith Shaw can't wait for another hometown Thanksgiving with the good people of Jasper Gulch. Turkey, mashed potatoes, apple pie--and this year's centennial celebration. Yet there's one person who isn't happy to be there: Dale Massey, the Shaw family's reluctant houseguest. When a winter storm strands the big-city millionaire in Montana, he is far from pleased. But the mayor's daughter suspects Dale's all-business attitude is masking a deeper hurt. Faith can't help but feel he was sent to Jasper Gulch for a reason. Can an old-fashioned girl and some holiday tradition help bring his weary heart home? BIG SKY CENTENNIAL: A small town rich in history...and love
When Artist Shelly Foreman leaves Charm City for the Windy City to search for her estranged father, she thinks that she's seen the worst that life can throw at her. But when her new boutique property starts to reveal its haunting secrets she soon discovers that finding her father is the least of her problems. Shelly's initial social call with her father in a decade is unforgettable. P.I. Shelton Foreman wasn't her dad anymore. She'd mistaken him for family! Despite their stormy reunion, Shelton is determined to regain his adult child's trust once again, and soon they restore their father/daughter bond. The detective is committed to helping her solve the mystery regarding the mine shaft underneath her building and stop a family of thieves from threatening to destroy everything a group of store owners have worked so hard to achieve in the run-down business community.
Homecoming Queen is a thriller chronicling the plight of Anika Raven, who faces the challenge of a lifetime after returning to Miranda, Texas to rescue her little sister. Time is of the essence as the hurricane of the century, predicted to obliterate everything in its path, barrels toward Anika’s hometown. But the deadly storm is not her biggest problem. Not long ago, she was the high school’s beloved homecoming queen, but now she finds herself on the run from the law and running out of time after family troubles force her to pursue vigilante justice. With the storm approaching and tensions in town increasing, factions brace for battle with Anika and her sister trying to survive. Homecoming Queen was written for adults of all ages with a love for fast-paced thrillers. With a unique plot line, memorable characters, and page-turning storytelling, the book packs intriguing substance into a quick read.
