Hope Springs on Main Street by Olivia Miles

HOPE SPRINGS ON MAIN STREET by Olivia Miles (October 27, 2015; Forever Mass Market; The Briar Creek Series #3)

Sometimes love is where you least expect it . . .
What do you do when your cheating husband proposes to the "other woman"? For Jane Madison, it means you keep calm, carry on, and sneak candy bars and wine for dinner. Jane's grateful for her adorable little girl, yet she yearns for the love that was missing from her marriage. Only one man ever really "got" Jane-and she's stunned when he returns to Briar Creek. But a single mom can't date her ex's best friend . . . can she?

Jane's still kind, beautiful-and far too good for the buddy Henry Birch tried to stop her from marrying years ago. Laying eyes on her now is like a much-needed ray of sunshine. Back in town to sell his family's old house, Henry wants to close a bad chapter in his life and move on. But time with Jane and her sweet daughter has him flirting with the idea of happily ever after--if he can convince her to take a second chance on love . . . 

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Review: The Highwayman by Kerrigan Byrne

STEALING BEAUTY
Dorian Blackwell, the Blackheart of Ben More, is a ruthless villain. Scarred and hard-hearted, Dorian is one of Victorian London's wealthiest, most influential men who will stop at nothing to wreak vengeance on those who've wronged him...and will fight to the death to seize what he wants. The lovely, still innocent widow Farah Leigh Mackenzie is no exception-and soon Dorian whisks the beautiful lass away to his sanctuary in the wild Highlands...

COURTING DESIRE
But Farah is no one's puppet. She possesses a powerful secret-one that threatens her very life. When being held captive by Dorian proves to be the only way to keep Farah safe from those who would see her dead, Dorian makes Farah a scandalous proposition: marry him for protection in exchange for using her secret to help him exact revenge on his enemies. But what the Blackheart of Ben More never could have imagined is that Farah has terms of her own, igniting a tempestuous desire that consumes them both. Could it be that the woman he captured is the only one who can touch the black heart he'd long thought dead?

I've already professed my Cover Love for The Highwayman; what I was most surprised by is how much I enjoyed the story behind the cover.  The blurb tells part of the story, but Blackwell's true identity and how damaged he is based on his experiences aren't covered.

Blackwell is deeply scarred -- physically and emotionally -- and while he believes he needs Farah in his life, he isn't prepared to allow her to pierce the hard shell he's covered his vulnerable self with.  Watching her do just that, while watching them fall in love again as different people, changed by time and circumstance, was truly magical. 

(A very special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of The Highwayman.)

Review: Heartbreak Cove by Lily Everett

Welcome to a place where love is in the air, fate is in the stars, and home is just a heartbeat away…

Sheriff Andie Shepard may be new to Sanctuary Island but, like everyone else who comes here, she's already fallen under its healing spell. Andie is determined to leave her mistakes behind her and make this scenic haven her home. But she just might have to change her plans--as well as open her heart--when an unexpected visitor shows up on her doorstep…

Heartbreak Cove

Caitlin is the ten-year-old niece Andie never knew she had. Silent, wary, and shy as can be, Caitlin only responds to the horses that run wild across the island. Andie has no idea how to deal with Caitlin--until Sam Brennan enters the picture. A tall, handsome loner who rehabilitates abused horses, Sam is able to help Caitlin break out of her shell. But that's not all: He finds a way to touch something deep in Andie's heart, opening her up to the healing power of love. Together, these three lost souls must face the darkness in their past to build a brighter future. Because here, on Sanctuary Island, anything is possible…

Heartbreak Cove is the first of the Sanctuary Island books that doesn't focus on the Preston sisters, Ella and Merry.  But that doesn't make this book any less enjoyable.  I think part of the reason I love this series is the way Ms. Everett writes: it's lush and emotional and never fails to pull me in.  (She's kind of like Tessa Dare in that respect.)

Andie Shepard is the new sheriff of Sanctuary Island.  She has no time for romance, but that doesn't stop romance from arriving in the form of Sam Brennan.  Unfortunately, Sam has secrets he's keeping from Andie.  Add the unexpected arrival of Caitlin, Andie's niece she didn't know about, and the bond she forms with Sam, and Andie is up to her eyeballs in "problems."  Though all their problems aren't solved, Andie, Sam, and Caitlin form a tight family unit, which is sure to be disrupted when Andie's brother and Caitlin's father, Owen, comes to Sanctuary Island in Home for Christmas. 

(A very special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ART of Heartbreak Cove.) 

Cover Love

I was very surprised to love this cover as much as I do.  As a blonde, I cannot wear yellow without looking either jaundiced or like a banana, so I'm quite in awe that Farah can have full, curly blonde hair and wear yellow.

But isn't it glorious? 

Eagerly Anticipating -- October 2015