Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham
Book 3 of the Cottonwood series.

Cottonwood, Louisiana and Cottonwood, Mississippi couldn’t be more different. One side is home to the “swamp rats” and the other is the “tea sippers”. One side has the Fournette family and the other doesn’t. Sawyer Fournette has loved Regan Lovell since they were in school together, but that was years ago. Now they’re both grown up but still on opposite sides of the river. Sawyer has joined his brother’s business and is Parish Commissioner. Regan is the mayor of Cottonwood, Mississippi. Regan’s mother told her many years ago that Sawyer was not good enough for her, but for Regan, it didn’t matter. She loves Sawyer with love that is real and encompasses her whole body and soul. Thrown together so many times through the years had her feeling hate at first, but now its different. Someone is threatening Regan and who does she turn to? Sawyer, of course. The result is a story of love, healing and destiny.
I have to say that I have really enjoyed reading all three of the Cottonwood books. Laura Trentham has the talent of being a great storyteller and developing deep, emotional characters. You not only read her books, you pull up a chair, grab a glass of sweet tea and get to know them like any good friend would. I want to live next door to the Fournettes; to see their fierce pride and close family bonds. I want to become friends with the main characters and enjoy their easygoing lifestyle. Now that’s how I know that I’ve loved a book! I couldn’t wait until I could read more and let myself fall back under the warm sun in Cottonwood. Kudos to you Laura Trentham! Forgot to mention that this book has a little mystery tied into it. I highly recommend the series to anyone who loves a sweet but spicy love story.

Till I Kissed You by Laura Trentham will be published August 2, 2016 by St. Martin’s Press. An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Rose Harbor Inn is a place of healing. If you don’t believe, it just ask the owner, Jo Marie Rose. She has many stories, including her own, to tell about the Inn’s cathartic healing power. This book is the fifth and last of the Rose Harbor series. Again, author Debbie Macomber writes a vivid and engaging story of love, loss and triumph. The two plots of the story are about Jo Marie and her friend, Emily. They both are broken-hearted and have suffered loss, but somehow they find love again. I consider it a honor to be able to review a Debbie Macomber novel. I have always enjoyed her books and this one is no exception. I always feel like I’m sitting in a cozy room, covered by a warm blanket ( even if it is 93 degrees outside) enjoying a hot cup of coffee when I read her books. There is a warm, inviting and realistic plot to enjoy in every book. The story of Emily Gaffney and Nick Schwartz was WONDERFUL! Emily is a teacher who is staying at Rose Harbor Inn until she can buy a place. She finds the perfect home, the problem is it belongs to Nick, and he has no intentions to sell, in fact he doesn’t even want anyone near his house or property. Nick is in pain from events in his life and finds healing in Em, as well as Rose Harbor Inn. If you love cozy romances, you must read Sweet Tomorrows. It is a gem, guaranteed to make you fall in love and feel warm and cozy, even after you’ve read the last words of the book.

Sweet Tomorrows: A Rose Harbor Novel by Debbie Macomber will be published on August 2, 2016 by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House. An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham
Book 2 of the Cottonwood series.

Tallulah Fournette is the younger sister of those Fournette men.  They live across the Mississippi River, on the Louisiana side of Cottonwood.  Nash Hawthorne has been “Talley’s” best friend since they were children.  Nash was always there for her until his mother died, daddy left and he had to move in with Aunt Leona on the Mississippi side of the river.  Nash left for college but now he’s back and of course he’s out to find Talley.  Did she change?  Is she still his best friend or can their relationship be like his dreams?
I’ve decided that I love to read books by Laura Trentham because of her endearing characters and sweet and sexy romantic plots.  I started this book with anticipation after reading the first of the series, Kiss Me That Way.  I was not disappointed.  The dialogue is “real” and entertaining.  I latched onto Tallulah and Nash and loved them from beginning to end.  Yes, that’s what I like!  Characters that I cheer for all the way to the end.

Then He Kissed Me by Laura Trentham will be published June 28, 2016 by St. Martin’s Press.  An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Nolan Perry is a private investigator with a heart. When he offers to be the lead on a case of an illegal immigrant who has been charged with the murder of her son, he feels like his choice is something he must do. There is something that draws him to the case. Something that makes him feel that justice has not been served, but with his help, that could change. He doesn’t realize that he will be paired with Lila Garcia of The Freedom Project to do some investigating. Lila turns out to be a smoldering, sexy attorney that has a different reason for getting into the case. The story has twists and turns and a plot that sucked air from my lungs with its “noir-like” style and snappy dialogue. The whole tone of the writing style had me envisioning Phillip Marlowe walking into the scene with wide lapels saying, “What’s up, doll?” Huge surprises in the story make this book jump up in the ranks as a “must” read for mystery lovers who like sexy, smoky-hot scenes. The only problem was that I wanted to read more!

Reclaim: A Recovered Innocence Novel by Beth Yarnell will be published July 5, 2016 by Loveswept, an imprint of Penguin Random House Publishers. An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Savannah Webb is the owner of Webb’s Glass Shop. She has just hired her friend, Amanda Blake to be the new manager and teacher of a new class in glass art called “Upcycling”. A quirky group of characters make up the class, including a diver who brings in glass bottles that look like they may be more valuable than an empty vodka bottle! The next day a death is reported on the beach. It turns out to be one of the Amanda’s glass students and Samantha finds herself and her friends being pulled into the murder investigation. This book is a great read for lovers of cozy mysteries. I really enjoyed learning something about glass recycling and glass art. The plot was interesting and enjoyable. The author is from Florida and her descriptions are so thoughtful and vivid that I could feel the warm sun and sand between my toes all the way through the book. Cracked to Death is the third of the Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery Series.

Cracked to Death by Cheryl Hollon will be published June 28, 2016 by Kensington Publishing. An egalley of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Sheriff Hank Worth is new in the tourist town of Branson, Missouri. The sparkling city of Branson boasts of singers, dancers and beautiful venues for various entertainers. It also has a beautiful, old showboat, The Branson Beauty, on a neighboring lake. Hank is called out to the Branson Beauty after it runs aground on the lake with over one hundred tourists aboard. He helps the trapped visitors off the boat but what he doesn’t plan to find is the body of a local teenage girl in the captain’s private dining room. The sheriff’s investigation leads to a county commissioner and business owners who are hiding dirty secrets. And of course in the end the killer is unveiled!
I really enjoyed The Branson Beauty. Claire Booth is a debut author, but a very talented one with a bright future! Her characters were well-developed and easy to like. The plot was quite interesting and the dialogue was sharp and entertaining.  I also loved all the nicknames that the sheriff gave to various characters. I love mysteries and this one kept me wondering about the culprit until the end. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery.

The Branson Beauty by Claire Booth is book one of the new Sheriff Hank Worth series It will be released on July 19, 2016 by St. Martin Press. The egalley of this book was given to me in exchange for a honest review.

Jonathan Gebhart is a professor of history in Virginia. He goes to Fairfield Orchard to do some research on the historical buildings on the property. First he has to get permission from the owner of the property. He doesn’t plan to meet the new owners, Amy Fairfield and her brother Tyler. Amy and Tyler are twins who have put their lives on hold to come back to the family orchard to take over for their retiring parents. Jonathan is doing research on Thomas Jefferson and is caught up in the rich history of Fairfield Orchard. He has few friends in the area and begins to become friendly with the twins and their family. The relationships evolve and ……well, you must read this book. At Fairfield Orchard is a sweet and engrossing contemporary romance. I liked the characters, the plot was interesting and spicy. I love to read books that give the reader plenty of characters that they can identify with. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves contemporary romance.

At Fairfield Orchard by Emma Cane will be published on August 29, 2016 by Avon Books. I received the egalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Annie Rush and her husband Martin lead a charmed life. Martin is the sexy, handsome host of The Key Ingredient, a televised cooking show with his on-screen partner, Melissa Barrett. Things are just perfect, Annie’s just found out that she is pregnant. She rushes off to the TV studio to talk to Martin and in a few minutes, her whole life is changed forever. Waking from a yearlong coma, Annie must face heartache, loss and betrayal. I gave Family Tree three stars for a good plot and well-developed characters. Susan Wiggs is a great author and has another solid story to add to her growing list of contemporary romance. I did enjoy the story but I am not a fan of stories that jump back and forth from past to present. The story progression was very predictable and though I did enjoy it, this book needed a little more originality to be one of my favorites.

Family Tree by Susan Wiggs will be published by William Morrow on August 9, 2016. I received the egalley of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.