After abruptly calling off her wedding to her Silicon Valley business partner, Summer Avila stumbles upon a long-forgotten reservation for a rustic cabin nestled in the snowy mountains and decides to take it, even if it means she'll be alone on Christmas Eve. But her plans take an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with rugged mountain guide and lodge manager Forrest Peters and his loyal one-eyed dog, Bodhi. His world of family values and nature is a stark contrast to the tech-driven world Summer's used to. For Forrest, a former Marine scout sniper, Summer's arrival stirs up emotions he's long buried. And as they spend time together, sparks fly, and emotions run high. Summer finds herself torn between the life she's always known and the unexpected feelings Forrest ignites within her. Forrest, too, must confront his fears of opening up his heart, even if it's to someone who may not belong in his world. Will Summer return to her planned, predictable life, or will she dare to embrace the uncertainties of new love? And can Forrest let go of his guarded past to take a chance on a future with someone so different, yet so right?
Meet the ladies of Charles Town, West Virginia, and let their sweet romance stories inspire you! The first three books in the Heartwarming Holidays Sweet Romace series are now compiled in this collection. Each book tells an inspirational story about one young woman looking for romance and letting her faith in God guide her to an everlasting love. Book One: Melody's Christmas Can Christmas magic help her hear the music again? Melody Murphy shared her love of music with her father, but after tragically loosing him on Christmas Eve two years ago, she no longer has any interest in music or Christmas. She returns to her hometown of Charles Town, West Virginia, to help her mother save the family antique business, content to stay focused on her work. However, when a chance encounter with an adorable five-year-old leads her to befriend an attractive single dad, Melody begins to realize she's been putting her life on hold, something her father would've never wished for her. Will she learn to hear the song in the falling snow again? Reid has recently moved to Charles Town to start over after his wife walked out, leaving him alone to raise their son, Michael. When Michael decides he needs Melody Murphy in his life, Reid needs to find out what it is that has his son drawn to the young woman like a magnet. The closer he gets to Melody, the more he begins to believe he might get a second chance at love after all. Book Two: Christmas Cocoa Can two people fall in love over the world's best hot cocoa? Christmas is a busy time of year for Delaney Young, owner of Delaney's Delights, a bakery in small town Charles Town, West Virginia, famous for award winning hot cocoa. When the son of a tree farmer from out of town stops by to sample her number one seller, Delaney realizes Christmas is the perfect time of year to fall in love. Josh Taylor spends every Christmas helping out his parents at the family tree farm, leaving behind his busy life as a computer technician in Washington, DC, for a few weeks every year. When he meets Delaney, he wonders if it's time to leave big city life for good and take over the family business so that he can be closer to the beautiful baker. Book Three: Winter Woods She's looking for peace and quiet in the winter woods, but will she find love instead? Olivia Kensington is an award winning author doing her best to finish her newest novel on time. A trip to the mountains over the New Year's holiday to write in solace takes a turn when she meets a handsome cowboy who keeps interrupting her progress. Will Memphis become a distraction--or something else entirely? Memphis Nix is broken-hearted when he sets out from Texas on a trip to West Virginia to spend some time alone with his family in the mountains, celebrating his grandfather's birthday. However, a knock on the wrong cabin door leads him to a beautiful young woman, and now he's intrigued. Will he celebrate New Year's Eve all alone, or will he start his new year with Olivia in his arms? The Heartwarming Holidays Sweet Romance Series is clean with Christian themes. Each novel tells the story of a new couple, so you do not need to have read the books from the beginning of the series, although it may make your experience more enjoyable to do so. Winter Woods is centered around New Year's Eve.
Union army officer Cameron Scott is used to being obeyed, but nothing about this journey to Lake Tahoe has gone as expected. He's come to fetch his daughter and nephew, and seek revenge on the people who killed his brother. Instead he finds himself trapped by a blizzard with two children who are terrified of him and stubborn but beautiful Gwen Harkness, who he worries may be trying to keep the children. When danger descends on the cabin where they're huddled, Cam is hurt trying to protect everyone and now finds Gwen caring for him too. He soon realizes why the kids love her so much and wonders if it might be best for him to move on without them. When she sees his broken heart, Gwen decides to help him win back their affection--and in the process he might just win her heart as well.
The engagement is fake, but the feelings are real. Gwen Alder is starting over. Divorced and broke, she's come to Billings, Montana for a new beginning. But waitressing at a roadside diner for the summer isn't paying the bills. Heath Montgomery almost has it all—fame, fortune and a mega-watt smile. The one thing he's missing is a date for his cousin's wedding. When Gwen and Heath cross paths, Heath has an idea: what if he paid Gwen to be his date? No strings, no complications, just a simple transaction to get his parents off his back about settling down. When the wedding date ruse goes well, Heath asks Gwen to play his fiancé...for an entire weekend. They're nothing alike. To them, it's just a business arrangement. They definitely don't plan to fall for each other. But sometimes love has plans of its own. Explore all the books in Vivi Holt's Make Believe collection: Make Believe Proposal Make Believe Fiancé Make Believe Wedding Make Believe Honeymoon Make Believe Husband Make Believe Marriage
The Princess of Boheme has gone too far this time...Her father has had enough of her spoilt, selfish ways and has banished her from his kingdom.Cast out from a luxury castle to a lowly cottage, from privileged princess to scullery maid - can life get any worse? Can she learn the lessons that will change her hard heart? Can she learn the meaning of love, and who would want to teach her...'The Reluctant Wife: a romantic fairy tale.Sometimes it takes a broken heart to make a whole heart.
A comprehensive guide that defines the literature and the outlines the best-selling genre of all time: romance fiction. More than 2,000 romances are published annually, making it difficult for fans and the librarians who advise them to keep pace with new titles, emerging authors, and constant evolution of this dynamic genre. Fortunately, romance expert and librarian Kristin Ramsdell provides a definitive guide to this fiction genre that serves as an indispensible resource for those interested in it—including fans searching for reading material—as well as for library staff, scholars, and romance writers themselves. This title updates the last edition of Romance Fiction: A Guide to the Genre, published in 1999.While the emphasis is on newer titles, many of the important older classics are retained, keeping the focus of the book on the entire genre, instead of only those titles published during the last decade. Specific changes include new chapters on linked and continuing romances, a new section on "Chick Lit" in the Contemporary Romance chapter, an expansion of coverage on the alternative reality subset. This is THE romance genre guide to have.
He ran from his past. She's held captive by hers. Could love set them free, bridge their differences in age and race, and survive death? Ezekial gave up on love when his fiance and unborn child died in a tragic accident. For twenty years, he buried himself in the family business, determined to avoid love and the heartbreak that comes with it. Until a layover in Charlotte when a young beauty caught his eye and turned his life on its head. The last thing Aliyah Sway, a young black woman, was looking for was a middle-aged white guy from Texas. But his kindness and attention as she waited on him for lunch had a way of softening her well-defended heart. When he left to catch his flight, she wrote it off as a one-time flirtation, until a few days later when he returned. Is Ezekial having a mid-life crisis? Can Aliyah conquer the demons of her past? And will they cultivate a relationship that can stand the tests of age, race, and time? Loving Your From My Grave is a clean, wholesome, and inspirational romance novel about the power of love in the face of tragic pasts, generational and racial differences, and death. If you like love stories with messages of hope, healing, and harmony, this book is for you.
Elizabeth Rosseau and Abigail Lester were best friends. At twenty-one, they confess their feelings for each other before leaving for winter break. It should have been a love story, only Abigail never came back. Six years later, Elizabeth contacts her one last time, and to her surprise, Abigail answers. Their chemistry is undeniable, but Abigail is hesitant to see her in person. She was in an accident that left her a monster, a wendigo. Now she’s in a support group for other inhuman cannibals and is mostly convinced that she could avoid eating Elizabeth, but Abigail doesn’t trust herself, and even more, she’s terrified that if Elizabeth finds out the truth, she’ll never want to see her again. They want nothing more than to be together, but they belong to different worlds, different lives, and different food groups.
She never wanted to marry. He hopes to make amends for past wrongs. Can love find a way to heal both of their hearts? Sadie Schrock swore she would never marry. All of her other Amish friends could court and marry—she was content to manage the family business and eventually take it over when her parents are ready to retire. But all of that changes when a reckless driver kills both of her parents and seriously injures her younger sister. With mounting hospital bills adding to the pile of debt her parents left behind, Sadie is left with no choice: she must marry. And not just any man—the man who saw her at her weakest and walked away. Aden knows what his brother did to Sadie years ago was inexcusable. And every day since that incident, Aden has lived with the guilt for not intervening sooner. When he is faced with the chance to protect Sadie once again, he can’t let her down—even if it means living with the scorn of the woman he loves for the rest of his life. Working alongside Aden at the store, Sadie realizes he isn’t the same boy who once betrayed her. Just when Sadie starts to let her guard down and perhaps develop feelings for her new husband, dangerous secrets are revealed. Now everything Sadie has worked so hard to protect is threatened, and she must find a way to save her family—and herself.
