Love is in the Air

Barking Up the Wrong Tree is a Bluff Point Romance by Jenn McKinlay. Carly DeCusati has returned to Bluff Point, Maine licking her wounds after her life fell apart. She is determined to get things back on track. She starts by trying to find a home for an elderly golden retriever and an excessively chatty parrot she inherited just as things were crumbling around her. Hunky one-night stand, James Sinclair agrees to help her if she will just give him the time of day. He doesn't care that she doesn't do relationships, he is determined to win Carly's heart, but will James's secrets tear them apart before they get their happily-ever-after?

Right Where We Belong is a Silver Springs Novel by Brenda Novak. With her husband arrested for attacking three women, Savanna Gray is in desperate need of a change. She takes her two kids and high-tails it to Silver Springs as soon as the divorce is settled. The old farmhouse her late father was going to renovate looks like a good place to get back on track and take charge of something. Gavin Turner is the one person who can understand Savanna's struggle to start over. Gavin was abandoned when he was five and it wasn't until he found his way to the New Horizons Boys Ranch as a teen that her finally began to heal. In spite of her attraction to Gavin, Savanna is reluctant to let him close; after all, her ex had a similar sad backstory and look how that turned out.

Tomorrow the Glory is a Graham Novel by Heather Graham. Kendall Moore is a high spirited southern belle, but a cruel marriage-bed betrayal forces this proud and beautiful woman to risk her life for freedom. Brent McClain is a Confederate agent who meets Kendall aboard the warship Jenni-Lyn and loses his heart in a single night of passion. When war and treason tear them apart--Brent into a raging battle and Kendall in her determined flight from a vengeful husband--these two lovers can only hold onto the promise of tomorrow and the love that will burn eternally in their hearts.


Other Romances for Your Consideration:

Christmas Romances to Get You in the Spirit

     Sometimes we need a little push to get us in the holiday spirit. That is why I am featuring three of our newest holiday romance novels to kick your Christmas Spirit into high gear!

     First, we have Evergreen Springs by RaeAnne Thayne. Cole Barrett has a lot on his plate, so it's no wonder Christmas is the last thing on his mind at the moment. His ex-wife died in a tragic accident that has left his two children grieving for their mother. Cole is reclusive and he is in no mood for the peppy disposition of Dr. Devin Shaw. Devin has been studying the curative powers of Lake Haven's mineral waters and, unfortunately, the hot springs are located on Cole's property. Devin decides to strike a bargain with Cole: she'll give Cole's children a wonderful Christmas and Cole will allow her patients access to the springs. Will Devin's holiday magic be able to heal this hurting family?

    Next, we have Snowflake Bay by Donna Kauffman. In this charming story, Fiona McCrae has decided to leave her interior designer job and the fast-paced life of Manhattan and return to her home in tranquil Blueberry Cove. She barely has time to unpack before she gets roped into planning her older sister Hannah's Christmas wedding--less than seven weeks away! Amidst all of the hectic planning, Fiona learns that her first love, Ben Campbell, has moved back to the neighboring town of Snowflake Bay. As kids, Ben continually teased Fiona while pining after Hannah. Fiona never thought of Ben like a brother; and now that she has grown up, her feelings haven't changed. Will the romance of the occasion and the spirit of the season ignite a love between these two that will last for many Christmases to come?

     Finally, we have Do You Believe in Santa? by Sierra Donovan. When she was eight years old, Mandy Reese saw Santa Claus and, now that she is grown, she's not afraid to tell the customers at the year-round Christmas store where she works in Tall Pine, California. They love to hear about her encounter with Saint Nick, but when Jake Wyndham--hunky, charming, and oh-so-practical--comes to town scouting for hotels Mandy has a choice to make. Should she deny what she saw, or let Jake think she's "sugarplum crazy?" Jake has never met anyone quite like Mandy before, but meeting Santa? Really? He's not bah-humbugging on her, but he is definitely a skeptic. Jake realizes, however, that there are a lot of things that he had never experienced until he came to Tall Pine: snow in Autumn, mind-blowing kisses, and falling head-over-heels in love with someone he barely knows.

     These and other Christmas novels can be found at the library. Don't forget that we also have many decorating, cooking, and gift-making ideas here as well. Enjoy, and have a very Merry Christmas!

A Sweet Romance and a Lesson of Forgiveness

The Union of the North and the South by Ann Mock is a historical christian romance novel set in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1875. This novel opens with Laura Malcolm reminiscing by the Mississippi River while the young Jenny plays nearby. Laura is Jenny's mother, but the child doesn't know that. Gerald Taylor, Jenny's father and Laura's husband died before the girl was born. Gerald's father, a powerful judge, did not want his son to marry Laura, so he had the couple's marriage annulled after the tragic accident that befell the young man. Laura decided that this betrayal was unforgivable so she conspired with her parents to have them pass Jenny off as their own daughter and her sister so that the senior Gerald Taylor would not try to take the child away. The bitterness and sorrow that grips Laura's heart and soul begins to fade, however slowly, and the truth comes out that Jenny is actually Laura's and Gerald's child. Judge Taylor's heart is also healed and he makes amends with Laura and her family. Laura learns to forgive and, eventually, to love again.
This is a very romantic and sweet historical novel about finding faith, learning to forgive, and having the strength to begin again. If you enjoy clean-cut stories about faith and the power it gives individuals to triumph in the face of adversity and sorrow, then I think you will love this novel. The author was inspired to write this book after taking a steamboat ride along the Mississippi River and touring the historic houses of towns such as Vicksburg, Natchez, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans. The library has one copy of this novel that you may request to be put on the hold list. If you prefer, you may search for the title or author on Goodreads.com or Amazon.com.

Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

It is only fitting that my last blog entry for this blog, hosted by the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, be about a book that astounded me with it's lyrical beauty.   A friend of mine loaned me Gargoyle,  by Andrew Davidson, a few months ago and while I initially was interested in the story, I was distracted by other books and put it down.  I recently took a trip and discovered that the library has Gargoyle on CD, so I jumped at the chance to check it out and

finish it!  The story is simply stunning.  The book opens with the story of the narrator, who is visually beautiful by morally blank, as he is driving along a dark road and becomes distracted by what appears to be a group of arrows.  He crashes into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over most of his body.  He wakes in a hospital and suffers treatments until a somewhat unhinged gargoyle sculptress, Marianne Engel, appears at his bedside and insists they were lovers in medieval Germany.  She then spins the tale of their past life-intertwined with other tales of lovers--in a beautiful, twisting, tale of love and life.  He is eventually released into her care and they attempt to have a life together. The writing is beautiful and the story is intense as is the descriptions of burn victim treatments.  I believe you'll be as entranced as I was with this bookl, whether you check out the library's hardback copy or listen to the audio version.