The Lady Most Willing Winner

The winner of a copy of The Lady Most Willing..., a novel in three parts by 

Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway is

Deb

Congratulations, Deb!  Please send your full name and mailing address to us at

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com

Jodi Thomas winner!

The winner of a copy of Chance of a Lifetime by Jodi Thomas is:

 

Laurie G

 

Congrats, Laurie! Please send your full name and address to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com with "Jodi Thomas winner" as the subject and we'll get your book in the mail. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

New Releases winner!

The winner of a random book from my prize stash is:

 

Jeanne M

 

Congrats, Jeanne! Please send your full name and address to theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) com with "Andrea's winner" as the subject and I'll get your book in the mail! Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Make Your Reservations!

It's time again to mark your calendars and Make Your Reservations for February! Here are a few of the ones we are looking forward to in the "month of love". Are any of these upcoming books on your list? If so, which ones? If not, which books are on your list?

The Temptation of Your Touch
By Teresa Medeiros

Maximillian Burke prides himself on being the man every mother wants her daughter to marry, but after his scoundrel brother steals his bride, Max decides there’s more satisfaction in being a rogue than a gentleman. He flees London for lonely Cadgwyck Manor, and though the tumbledown estate comes complete with a ghost, it’s Max’s no-nonsense housekeeper who haunts his dreams.

Prim and proper Anne Spencer could do without a new master, especially one as gorgeous and temperamental as the Earl of Dravenwood. Even as she schemes to be rid of him, she is irresistibly drawn into his muscular embrace. But when Max vows to solve the mystery of the White Lady of Cadgwyck, he risks both their hearts and tempts them to surrender to a pleasure as delicious as it is dangerous.

(Pocket)


*******

Crystal Cove
By Lisa Kleypas

ONE WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN CURSED NEVER TO FIND LOVE...

ONE MAN WITHOUT A SOUL WHO WANTS HER MORE THAN LIFE ITSELF...

THEY MEET IN A SMALL ISLAND TOWN IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WHERE MAGIC IS IN THE AIR AND FATE IS A FORCE TOO POWERFUL TO DEFY....


In New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas's Crystal Cove, Justine Hoffman has made a comfortable life for herself on the island of Friday Harbor. She is the proprietor of a successful boutique hotel, and she has the safe, predictable life she has always wanted. Growing up with her flighty, nomadic mother, Marigold, has instilled in her a deep longing for stability. But in spite of everything Justine has achieved, there is still something missing. Love. And after years of waiting and dreaming, she is willing to do whatever it takes to change her destiny.

What Justine soon discovers is that someone cast a spell on her when she was born, with the result that she will never find her soul mate. Determined to change her fate, Justine finds a way to break the enchantment, never dreaming of the dangerous complications that will follow.

And when Justine meets the mysterious Jason Black, she accidentally unleashes a storm of desire and danger that threaten everything she holds dear...because Jason has secrets of his own, and he wants more from her than fate will ever allow.

(St. Marin's Griffin)


*******

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover
By Sarah MacLean

Lady Philippa Marbury is...odd

The brilliant, bespectacled daughter of a double marquess cares more for books than balls, for science than the season, and for laboratories than love. She's looking forward to marrying her simple fiancé and living out her days quietly with her dogs and her scientific experiments. But before that, Pippa has two weeks to experience all the rest—fourteen days to research the exciting parts of life. It's not much time, and to do it right she needs a guide familiar with London's darker corners.

She needs...a Scoundrel

She needs Cross, the clever, controlled partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, with a carefully crafted reputation for wickedness. But reputations often hide the darkest secrets, and when the unconventional Pippa boldly propositions him, seeking science without emotion, she threatens all he works to protect. He is tempted to give Pippa precisely what she wants . . . but the scoundrel is more than he seems, and it will take every ounce of his willpower to resist giving the lady more than she ever imagined.

(Avon)


*******


The Good Daughter
By Jane Porter

Love was given to all, except herself...

Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself...

A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight...

 

(Berkley)

 

 

*******

 

 

 The Autumn Bride

By Anne Gracie

 

Governess Abigail Chantry will do anything to save her sister and two dearest friends from destitution, even if it means breaking into an empty mansion in the hope of finding something to sell. Instead of treasures, though, she finds the owner, Lady Beatrice Davenham, bedridden and neglected. Appalled, Abby rousts Lady Beatrice's predatory servants and—with Lady Beatrice's eager cooperation—the four young ladies become her “nieces,” neatly eliminating the threat of disaster for all concerned!

It's the perfect situation, until Lady Beatrice’s dashing and arrogant nephew, Max, Lord Davenham, returns from the Orient—and discovers an impostor running his household…

A romantic entanglement was never the plan for these stubborn, passionate opponents—but falling in love may be as inevitable as the falling of autumn leaves...

 

(Berkley)

 

 

*******

 

 

How to Entice an Earl

By Manda Collins

 

Lady Madeline Essex is the last of the unwed “ducklings” in her family—and by far the most outspoken. But when she boldly enters London’s most notorious gaming house in search of fodder for her novel, even her sharp tongue can’t save her from the horrible crime she stumbles upon there. As luck would have it, first on the scene is the last man she wants to see her vulnerable. The one man who could tempt her heart…

Christian Monteith, the new Earl of Gresham, isn’t much for card rooms and gaming hells. But as a favor to his former commanding officer, he's investigating a gamester for espionage on the night that Maddie ventures in looking more enticing than he's ever seen her. Suddenly, his feelings for his friend aren't so friendly anymore. And when her curiosity brings the impetuous novelist to the attention of a madman, Christian will stop at nothing to protect her—from a sinister plot that is far more dangerous than any stolen kiss…

(St. Martin's)


*******

That Night on Thistle Lane
By Carla Neggers

Librarian Phoebe O’Dunn deals in stories, but her passion for history has taught her that happy endings are rare. Her life in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts, is safe and uneventful…until she discovers the hidden room.

Among its secrets is a cache of vintage clothing, including a spectacular gown—perfect for a gala masquerade in Boston. In the guise of a princess, Phoebe is captivated by a handsome swashbuckler who’s also adopted a more daring persona. Noah Kendrick’s wealth has made him wary, especially of women: everybody wants something.

When Noah and Phoebe meet again in Knights Bridge, at first neither recognizes the other. And neither one is sure they can trust the magic of the night they shared—until an unexpected threat prompts them to unmask their truest selves.

After all, it takes more than just the right costume to live out your personal fairy tale. It takes heart…and the courage to be more than you ever dreamed.

(MIRA)


*******

 The Dark Lady
By Maire Claremont

The Victorian era was full of majestic beauty and scandalous secrets—a time when corsets were the least of a woman’s restrictions, and men could kill or be killed in the name of honor…

Lord Ian Blake has returned from India a broken man. Years ago, he pledged to Lady Eva Carin—his childhood companion and first love—that he would bring her husband back alive. His failure haunts him. But even his jaded soul can’t anticipate the shocking sight of beautiful, independent Eva confined in a madhouse.…

Locked in an asylum, forgotten by society, Eva is adrift in both body and mind. For Ian to break her free, they must cross a powerful enemy—and prove her sanity to England’s unforgiving aristocracy. But the biggest danger of all may come when the secrets of Eva’s tragic past are finally unlocked....

 

(Signet)

 

 

*******

 

 

 Crazy Thing Called Love

By Molly O'Keefe

 

Dallas TV morning show host Madelyn Cornish is poised, perfect, and unflappable, from her glossy smile to her sleek professionalism. No one knows that her iron will guards a shattered heart and memories of a man she’s determined to lock out. Until that man shows up at a morning meeting like a bad dream: Billy Wilkins, sexy hockey superstar in a tailspin—still skating, still fighting, and still her ex-husband.

Now the producers want this poster child for bad behavior to undergo an on-air makeover, and Billy, who has nothing to lose, agrees to the project. It’s his only chance to get near Maddy again, and to fight for the right things this time around. He believes in the fire in Maddy’s whiskey eyes and the passion that ignites the air between them. This bad-boy heartbreaker wants a last shot to be redeemed by the only thing that matters: Maddy’s love.

 

(Random House)

Review - - The Lady Most Willing...

The Lady Most Willing...
By Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway
Publisher:  Avon
Release Date:  December 26, 2012

Some said the legendary storm of 1819 that screamed down from the north pushed madness ahead of it.  Others said the only madness exhibited that night was born inside a bottle of contraband whiskey.  And then there were those who claimed that magic rode vanguard to the snow, sweeping the halls of Finovair Castle and inspiring its laird to heights of greatness...

Or something along those lines.

Determined to secure his holdings and frustrated with his two nephews, one half-French and the other half-English (the heir and the spare),  for not stepping up to the plate and finding good Scots lasses to wed, widowed and childless laird Taran Ferguson decides to take matters into his own hands.  Emboldened by plenty of whiskey and with his equally inebriated clansmen at his side, they snatch three eligible heiresses from a local ballroom - Miss Fiona Chisholm (bit long on the shelf but with a tidy fortune), Lady Cecily Tarleton (English but very, very rich) and Miss Marilla Chisholm (young, rich and the most beautiful lass in the highlands) - and bring them back to Finovair Castle and the unsuspecting nephews.  Everything goes according to plan until they arrive at Finovair and discover the less than adept kidnappers have also snatched Catriona Burns (nice lass, no fortune) and the Duke of Bretton (who had the misfortune of being asleep in the getaway coach...which happens to belong to him).  And then, the snow starts to fall.  We're only a few pages into the first chapter of this story in three parts and, already, the fun has begun!

While each author telling the story of one of the couples injects her portion of the book with her own unique writing style, the flow of the book is so cohesive, so seamless that were it not for the chapter headers it would take a few minutes to realize that the writing had transitioned from one author to the next.

Julia Quinn is first up with her trademark humor and charm as she tells the story of Catriona Burns and the Duke of Bretton.  A more unlikely couple would be hard to find.  She's the feisty, outspoken daughter of a Scots squire and he's been a proper duke since infancy.

Her brows rose a fraction of an inch.  "Do you mean," she asked with careful disbelief, "for me to continue the story about Taran Ferguson going bare-arsed through the village?"

"Precisely," he clipped, since if he spoke in any other tone of voice, he might have to admit to himself that he was blushing.  

Which he was quite certain he did not do.

But, trapped by snow and conveniently forgotten by Taran (they were the ones taken by mistake, after all and Taran certainly doesn't want one of his nephews' potential brides setting their cap for the Duke), the two are left to their own devices.   Proximity leads to conversation. Conversation leads to liking.  And liking leads to so much more.

Eloisa James brings her delicious command of language and wonderful sense of romance to the story of Fiona Chisholm and Taran's nephew, Byron, Lord Oakley.  Stern and serious, Byron will never wed a woman with a soiled reputation, not after finding his fiancee doing the horizontal waltz with her French dancing master mere days before their wedding.  He first sets his eye on Marilla Chisholm -  she is, after all, quite beautiful and has a pristine reputation - but it only takes one encounter to send him fleeing in another direction; that of her older, bookish sister.  The one with the ruined reputation.

He didn't look frightened:  more the opposite.  He looked like an enraged beast, roused from a peaceful den by an impudent intruder.  Fiona loved it.  Her heart sped up, which was utterly perverse.

"Your sister is a menace," he spat.  "Do you have any idea what she did to me?  Any idea?"

"No," Fiona said, tipping back her head in order to see his expression.  "I've been right here all along.  Something lacking sense, no doubt."

He bared his teeth at her.  "I am a calm man."

"Oh, I can see that,"  she said with some enjoyment.

"And I can see that you merely pretend to be a quiet, bookish young lady."

"Well, I did tell you that I had a bad reputation," she said, grinning at him the way she smiled only at her closest friends because...well...this was just so much fun.

At first, he looks to her to save him from her sister's enthusiastic clutches but he gradually realizes this is a woman with whom he could spend his life.  This is a woman who challenges him, intrigues him, makes him a better man, makes him happy.  If only he can overlook that pesky reputation.

Connie Brockway brings her quirky sense of humor and fun to our third story.  Lady Cecily's parents have a love match and that's what she wants for herself.  Her mother has always told her that she will know her future husband when she meets him.

...upon their arrival at Finovair Castle, a scandalously handsome man with a head of loose black curls and a wicked smile had taken her hand and looked down at her with beautiful, black-lashed, laughing eyes, and she had realized, Mama was right.

Robin, Comte de Rocheforte is well known for his easy humor and love of life.  "Unapologetic scoundrel, self-proclaimed pauper, the scandalous Prince of Rakes;" he doesn't know it yet but Robin's fate is sealed in that breath-stealing moment when he takes Lady Cecily's hand and looks deeply into her eyes.  As captivated as she, Robin nevertheless keeps his distance, certain that he would be the worst possible husband for the enchanting lady who is slowly but surely capturing his heart.  Just as he begins to think he may be deserving of the lady, a misunderstanding convinces him otherwise but Lady Cecily knows her heart, knows Robin is the man for her and is determined to show him their future happiness depends on their being together.

If you like thought provoking romances, steeped in emotion and fraught with turmoil then this book is probably not for you.  But, if you enjoy love, laughter, witty banter and delightful entertainment from beginning to end then I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Lady Most Willing...

When Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway get together it is, quite simply, magic.

~PJ

What book have you read lately that had you smiling from first page to last?  I have a copy of The Lady Most Willing...for one randomly chosen person who leaves a comment.  (U.S. and Canada addresses only)

Today's Special -- Jodi Thomas

Today, we welcome back the wonderful Jodi Thomas! Jodi is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of 36 novels and 11 short story collections. In June 2011, WELCOME TO HARMONY, the first book in the Harmony series, won a RITA, the highest award for women’s fiction. Jodi currently serves as the Writer in Residence at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Her latest, CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, is on shelves now and was reviewed here by the lovely Janga. Welcome, Jodi! 
 

 

As the holidays wind down and we cuddle into the cool nights, I’d love to take you along on a journey with me to a small town in Texas called Harmony. 

When I began CHANCE OF A LIFETIME, I started with Emily, a librarian. She’s kind and caring with a secret that keeps her fears compartmentalized in her mind. When a friend from her past asks a favor, she agrees not knowing how far into an adventure they’ll stumble while discovering each other and a secret of the town. 

Writing the story of Harmony in CHANCE OF A LIFETIME has been a pure joy for me. I grew up in a small town and understand how the people’s life stories blend together and how everyone bands together when trouble comes. So come along with me this cold night in January on an adventure that will make you smile and keep you reading long into the night.

 

Jodi Thomas

 

www.jodithomas.com

www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor

www.twitter.com/jodithomas

 

Dear readers, have you ever been on an adventure? Tell us about it and one lucky commenter will win a copy of Jodi’s CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. (U.S. addresses only, please.)

 

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Jodi Thomas takes us back to Harmony, Texas, in CHANCE OF A LIFETIME. The fifth book in her popular Harmony series presents a story where big dreams are brewing—and anything and everything is possible…

Emily, the local librarian, has started a writing group, but as the group stumbles through both the fiction and reality of their lives, they’re learning much more than how to write. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Hamony's library. Now she must deal with a secret she’s kept for fifteen years—a secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future.

Meanwhile, new lawyer Rick Matheson thinks he’s in charge of his world until accidents start happening all around him. Just when he realizes someone is trying to kill him, he meets a beautiful U.S. Marshal named Trace Adam. Now that the marshal has given him an even stronger reason to go on living, he must learn to take a chance on life to dream bigger—and love better—than he ever has before...

New Releases for January

Happy New Year! It’s a new year for new releases. Because of the holidays, I haven’t had a chance to read any of these January releases, but I plan to make time soon. And of course, that won’t stop me from putting those gift cards I received for Christmas to good use and purchasing some of these great romances! If you could see my TBR pile (or mountain, rather), you would see exactly what I’m talking about. lol! I’m looking forward to The Lady Most Willing… by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway, along with True Love at Silver Creek Ranch by Emma Cane and The Seduction of Elliot McBride by Jennifer Ashley. I can’t wait to read them all!                                  

So, which January releases have you read? Of those, which ones do you recommend? Which ones are you most looking forward to reading? Tell us and one lucky commenter will win a random book from my prize stash!

Until February, happy reading! 

 

 

Historical

Forbidden Jewel of India – Louise Allen

Rebel with a Cause – Carol Arens

The Seduction of Elliot McBride – Jennifer Ashley

Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini (Historical Fiction)

Demon’s Curse – Alexa Egan (Paranormal)

A Breath of Scandal – Elizabeth Essex

The Wicked Wedding of Miss Ellie Vyne – Jayne Fresina

Captive of the Border Lord – Blythe Gifford

Revenge of the Knights Templar – Adriana Girolani

Villa Triste – Lucretia Grindle (Historical Fiction)

Never Love a Lord – Heather Grothaus

Wyoming Bride – Joan Johnston

Forever a Lord – Delilah Marvelle

Highlander Claimed – Juliette Miller

Some Like to Shock – Carole Mortimer

Mistress of My Fate – Hallie Rubenhold (Historical Fiction)

The Scoundrel Takes a Bride – Stefanie Sloane

A Convenient Bride – Cheryl Ann Smith

Habits of the House – Fay Weldon (Historical Fiction)

The Husband List – Janet Evanovich & Dorien Kelly

Castonbury Park: Ladies of Disrepute – Marguerite Kaye & Ann Lethbridge

Waking Up with a Rake – Connie Mason & Mia Marlowe

The Lady Most Willing… – Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway

 

Contemporary 

Relentless Seduction – Jillian Burns

True Love at Silver Creek Ranch – Emma Cane

Love Saves the Day – Gwen Cooper (Women’s Fiction)

Sweet Tea for Two – Genell Dellin

Moonlight Masquerade – Jude Deveraux

The Chocolate Kiss – Laura Florand

The Road to Cardinal Valley – Earlene Fowler (Women’s Fiction)

Three Good Things – Wendy Francis (Women’s Fiction)

One More Kiss – Katherine Garbera

His Kind of Trouble – Samantha Hunter

The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen – Syrie James (Women’s Fiction)

Back to You – Robin Kaye

Here I Go Again – Jen Lancaster (Women’s Fiction)

Sugar Springs – Kim Law

The Good House – Ann Leary (Women’s Fiction)

Lying in Bed – Jo Leigh

The Wedding Fling – Meg Maguire

Big Sky River – Linda Lael Miller

Me Before You – Jojo Moyes (Women’s Fiction)

The Officer Breaks the Rules – Jeanette Murray

Taking the Reins – Kat Murray

All She Ever Wanted – Rosalind Noonan (Women’s Fiction)

Perfect Fit – Carly Phillips

The Two Week Wait – Sarah Rayner (Women’s Fiction)

Sea Glass Winter – JoAnn Ross

The Boy – Lara Santoro (Women’s Fiction)

Make Me Yours – Sophia Shaw

The Risk-Taker – Kira Sinclair

Out of Warranty – Haywood Smith (Women’s Fiction)

Foreign Affair – Shelli Stevens

Chance of a Lifetime – Jodi Thomas

Where You Are – J.H. Trumble (Women’s Fiction)

Ashenden – Elizabeth Wilhide (Women’s Fiction)

Afterwife – Polly Williams (Women’s Fiction)

The Plum Tree – Ellen Marie Wiseman (Women’s Fiction)

Timber Creek – Veronica Wolff

Countdown to First Night – Jillian Hart, Margaret Daly, Barbara Minton

 

YA/Teen 

Level 2 – Lenore Appelhans (Paranormal)

Nobody – Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Paranormal)

Rise – Andrea Cremer (Paranormal)

Vortex – Julie Cross (Time Travel)

The Essence – Kimberly Derting (Fantasy)

The Rogue’s Princess – Eve Edwards (Historical)

Crimson Frost – Jennifer Estep (Paranormal)

Just One Day – Gayle Forman

Kiki Strike: The Darkness Dwellers – Kirsten Miller

Fading Amber – Jaime Reed (Paranormal)

Shades of Earth – Beth Revis (Futuristic)

Through the Ever Night – Veronica Rossi (Paranormal)

Altered – Jennifer Rush

Paper Valentine – Brenna Yovanoff (Mystery)

 

Romantic Suspense 

Shades of Gray – Maya Banks

Cowboy with a Cause – Carla Cassidy

Deadly Sight – Cindy Dees

Alpha One – Cynthia Eden

A Widow’s Guilty Secret – Marie Ferrarella

Standoff at Mustang Ridge – Delores Fossen

Killing Time – Cindy Gerard

Bridal Falls Ranch Ransom – Jan Hambright

Native Cowboy – Rita Herron

Shadow Woman – Linda Howard

Dream Eyes – Jayne Ann Krentz

Internal Affairs – Alana Matthews

Home by Dark – Marta Perry

Live and Let Love – Gina Robinson

Soldier’s Redemption – Alice Sharpe

Aftershock – Jill Sorenson

Guarding the Princess – Loreth Anne White 

 

Paranormal 

All For You – Dana Marie Bell (e-book)

Dark Wolf Rising – Rhyannon Byrd

Beneath the Skin – Lauren Dane

Keeper of the Night – Heather Graham

Black Fallen – Elle Jasper

Death’s Angel – Heather Killough-Walden

A Soul So Wicked – Sharie Kohler

A Taste of Ice – Hanna Martine

A Love Untamed – Pamela Palmer

Getting Familiar with Your Demon – Jodi Redford

Gates of Rapture – Caris Roane

Sealed with a Curse – Cecy Robson

Last Kiss Goodnight – Gena Showalter

Ricochet – Sandra Sookoo

Prince of Power – Elisabeth Staab 

 

Urban Fantasy 

The Eldritch Conspiracy – Cat Adams

Unnatural Acts – Kevin J. Anderson

Gilded – Karina Cooper

The Trouble with Fate – Leigh Evans

Blood Winter – Diana Pharaoh Francis

Ever After – Kim Harrison

Blessed by a Demon’s Mark – E.S. Moore

Enchanted Ever After – Robin D. Owens

Touch of the Demon – Diana Rowland 

 

Erotica/Erotic Romance 

Give in to Me – Lacey Alexander

Overdrive – Chloe Cole (e-book)

Cowboys Down – Barbara Elsborg

Rule of Three – Kelly Jamieson

By Private Invitation – Stephanie Julian

Fall into You – Roni Loren

Midnight in Berlin – JL Merrow

Silken Canvas – Natasha Moore (e-book)

Simply Scandalous – Kate Pearce

Lead and Follow – Katie Porter (e-book)

Circle of Deception – Carla Swafford (e-book)

Pamela Palmer Winner

The winner of a signed copy of DESIRE UNTAMED from Pamela Palmer is

Di

Congratulations, Di!  Please send your full name and mailing address to us to claim your book.

theromancedish (at) gmail (dot) dom

Review - - Close to Home

Close to Home

Weston Series - Book One

By Suzanne Ferrell

Digital - Self Published

Release Date:  October 28, 2012

The ladies of Weston, Ohio may think Emma Lewis needs a man in her life but this single mom of twin six year old boys has no desire to walk that road again, especially not with the doctor temporarily taking over his uncle's family practice.  Yes, he's handsome, was her teenage crush and has been the object of many dreams over the years but he not only doesn't remember her, he storms back into her life by accusing her of being a neglectful mother!  Add to that the fact that Emma's scumbag of an ex-husband (a doctor) used her then dumped her the day she told him she was pregnant and is it any wonder Emma doesn't want anything to do with another doctor?  Besides, she already has enough on her hands with two mischievous sons, a mother showing early signs of Alzheimer's, two jobs and a house she's renovating herself.  She doesn't have time for a man!

Burned out from long hours in the ER of a Columbus hospital and the trauma of an abuse case that resulted in a child's death, Clint Preston has come to Weston to take over his uncle's small town medical practice while his aunt and uncle take an extended vacation.  He's looking for peace and quiet but when twin boys charge into his office with matching broken wrists and no parent in sight, Clint's radar goes on high alert.  He fears another abuse case like the one in Columbus that haunts him but soon comes to realize that the two cases are nothing alike.  What he finds instead are two young boys who can't seem to stay out of trouble and their feisty mother who he can't get out of his mind.  Far from the neglectful mother he initially accuses her of being, Emma Lewis is a loving mother who simply has two many balls going to keep them all in the air.

Circumstances - and two boys - keep bringing Clint and Emma together and gradually their initial animosity thaws and a friendship forms. Eventually, that friendship becomes more but just when it looks like a happy ending might be in their future, the past rears its ugly head.  It will take Emma, Clint and a host of family and friends to defeat the threat against Emma and her boys and give them all a chance for a happy ending.

With Close to Home, Ferrell kicks off a new contemporary romance series that focuses on the small town of Weston, Ohio and a rich cast of characters.  Taking time to develop her characters, Ferrell brings us a hero and heroine who I grew to like and care about.  I became invested in them and their relationship.  Emma's twins are realistically drawn and an integral part of the story.  They and their mother are an unit and I liked that Ferrell portrayed them in that way as well as making the boys the catalyst that brings Emma and Clint together.  The suspense element of the story is well written and had me holding my breath, not knowing how it was going to be resolved.  It's not a large enough part of the story to classify the book as romantic suspense but provides an added dimension to the final portion of the book.

If you're looking for a heartwarming small town romance with a touch of suspense, I highly recommend Close to Home.  I enjoyed it immensely and am anticipating a return visit to the town of Weston.  

~PJ

Happy New Year!



Photo courtesy of luckywp.com

The Dishes wish you and yours a safe and prosperous New Year filled with laughter, joy, and lots of good books!

Happy New Year!