Duke of My Heart by Kelly Bowen

Captain Maximus Harcourt, the unconventional tenth Duke of Alderidge, can deal with tropical storms, raging seas, and the fiercest of pirates. But he's returned home from his latest voyage to find a naked earl - quite inconveniently deceased - tied to his missing sister's bed. And he has only one place to turn. Now he's at the mercy of the captivating Miss Ivory Moore of Chegarre & Associates, known throughout London for smoothing over the most dire of scandals.

Miss Moore treats the crisis as though it were no more serious than a cup of spilt tea on an expensive rug. As though this sort of thing happened on the job every day. Max has never in all his life met a woman with such nerve. Her dark eyes are too wide, her mouth is too full, her cheekbones too sharp. Yet together, she's somehow...flawless. It's just like his love for her, imperfect, unexpected - yet absolutely true.

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Review: Hope Springs on Main Street by Olivia Miles

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 . . .

Watching Jane navigate the aftermaths of divorce and co-parenting with her husband (who is now engaged and has a baby on the way) was very true-to-life.  It's not easy for Jane -- she hates the thought of her daughter being shuttled between two parents' households, and she feels guilt and anger at how her life has turned out -- but she handles the pressures well. 

Jane and Henry's romance was also very true-to-life.  They knew each other previously, and their friendship at that time didn't seem forced or strained.  If anything, Henry stood in the background while Jane continued her relationship with Adam, her now ex-husband.  As Henry returns to Briar Creek, he expects to see Jane every now and then, but not to need her as much as he does. 

Hope Springs on Main Street was a sweet end for the third Madison sister.  And that's exactly what Jane and Henry's romance brings to each of them -- hope. 

(A very special thank you to Forever Romance, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Hope Springs on Main Street.)

Review: Saved by the Belles by Beth Albright

Life is finally wonderful for Tuscaloosa’s Blake O’Hara Heart: a rekindled love affair with her high school sweetheart and a precious new baby on the way. But when she gets an unexpected call from Harry Heart, her soon to be ex-husband, Blake’s new sweet world is turned upside down. Harry vows his love – but soon Blake discovers he is running from a sex scandal—one that could ruin Harry, the freshman senator from Alabama, and bring down Blake right along with him.

Blake is in a fix so she does what any southern woman would do: she rounds up her Sassy Belle sisters to try to prove Harry’s innocence. Blake, Vivi and Dallas band together to fix this scandal and get that man back to Washington if it’s the last thing they do. But Blake is running out of time. Her new baby is waiting for no one as Harry’s new political career is hanging in the balance.

From a trailer-park brothel to the high-society neighborhoods of Tuscaloosa, y’all grab your best girlfriends and some sweet tea and join Blake and her girls on this twisted tale of intrigue and hilarity, southern-style.

Saved by the Belles picks up where Wedding Belles ended.  Dallas Dubois, Blake's former step-sister and frenemy who is the main character in Sleigh Belles, also makes an appearance toward the end of the novella.  I didn't believe Harry's scandal would go away as quickly as it does here, and given the bad feelings between he and Blake, I was surprised to see tender moments between them.

I was happy to read this novella over the holidays and escape to Tuscaloosa with Blake O'Hara Heart and her BFF, Vivi.  Unfortunately, I became so irritated and distressed by spelling and grammatical errors, I was glad to come to the end.  A shame really, because the first two books of the series were well-written and fun.