Hamish MacBrieve left his home in the Scottish Highlands because his love, Selah MacMhathain pledged her love to his brother, Robert. Hamish has been gone for twelve years and is now returning because of a threat to his clan from an estranged clan warrior. Hamish returns and finds that in twelve years, the younger sister of Selah, Mairead, is now a voluptuous, intriguing beauty. The attraction between the two is real, the problem is that it takes forever to get to the apex of the story. I really enjoyed the plot. I felt like the story got bogged down by the constant “tit for tat” game by the two main characters. I managed to get to the end of the story but felt like it was dragged out and filled with nonessential prose. I did like the story and the characters, just wish it had been more to the point.

Never Kiss a Highlander by Michele Sinclair is now available from Zebra, an imprint of Kensington Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Cottonbloom, Mississippi is just across the Mississippi River from Cottonbloom, Louisiana and my oh my, it is so good to be back! In Laura Trentham’s newest Cottonbloom installment the river is rolling, the weather is getting warm and love is even steamier! Sutton Mize is the beautiful rich girl from the Mississippi side of the river. She brings her fiancé’s classic car to be restored at Abbott Brothers Repair and Restoration where she meets with the head restorer, Wyatt Abbott. Wyatt has known Sutton since elementary school, always admiring her from afar. They begin to clean out the car and what they find turns Sutton and Wyatt’s lives upside down. Oh, Laura Trentham, I love the way that you weave stories together so that I CANNOT put the book down. I feel like I’m in Sutton’s skin, taking in the fragrance of Wyatt’s pine and grease aroma every time he comes near! I loved this book and highly recommend it and all of Laura’s Cottonbloom series. So sit back, grab a sweet tea to go with your fried fish and get ready for one of the best contemporary romance books ever!

Leave the Night On by Laura Trentham will be available on August 1, 2017 from St. Martin’s Press. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Abby and her friend dream of living in New York City and leaving the little town of Hooper’s Crossing, New York in 1952. A big festival is going on in town and a big-time photographer for Life magazine, Boone Tatum, comes to town to do a story. There are also two men who come to town, pretending to be tourists but really are planning a bank robbery. Their lives all collide in this realistic, historical romance about “small town U.S.A.” I appreciated the nicely designed characters who could be anyone next door! I felt the tender, sweet ambiance of a small town in the 1950’s. Dorothy Garlock does an amazing job of creating an engaging story with likable characters. A great addition to historical romance!

The Nearness of You by Dorothy Garlock is now available from Grand Central Publishing. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Graciela and her friend are attending a wake for a friend who has passed away from a freak accident when the two widows decide that at age 35 they should be enjoying their lives and having fun. They decide to attend a pleasure club that night to begin Graciela’s fun. It’s been ten years since her husband died and she is horrified by the things taking place at the club. She also sees her adult step-son and his best friend, Colin. Colin comes to her rescue and the rest of the story is a delightful read! I found the characters to be engaging and fun. The plot moved rapidly and successfully. I finished the book in literally one sitting (couldn’t put it down) and think that it is a wonderful new addition to the historical romance genre.

The Scandal 0f It All by Sophie Jordan will be available July 25, 2017 by Avon/Harper Collins Publishing. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Paige has a new gig, one that includes dressing in a Santa Baby costume and working as an usher for her friend Emma’s production. She ends up mistakenly barring the VIP member of the show, Cash Colton. Cash is a famous country singer who has had a rocky year and is looking for a comeback as soon as possible. He takes his mistaken identity in stride because he knows that Paige is doing her job and besides, she has cute, cinnamon freckles. He ends up moving next to Paige and the hunt begins. I usually enjoy contemporary romance very much but this story rang untrue and hollow to me from the beginning. There was very little character development and a rushed attraction which didn’t fit with the dynamics of the story. I found Cash to be flawed with few redeeming features other than his music. His brazen tactics were so stereotypical for someone famous, I really did not find him attractive. I’ve read lots of contemporary romance with endearing characters and engaging plots; this was not one of them.

Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside by Lori Wilde will be available October 31, 2017 by Avon Books/Harper Collins Publishers. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Shay is a convicted felon and serves a prison sentence. After her release, she is dropped off on in front of a downtown Seattle church. She meets the kind pastor, Drew, who has recently lost his wife. Drew leads her to a rehab facility so that she can get her life back together! The rest of the story is about the relationship of Shay, Drew and his children. I do love Debbie Macomber and think that the original plot of this story is creative and interesting. I felt that the story stalled about midway. First, the development of Shay and Drew’s story was too abrupt without any real interaction that was a sign of attraction. All the development was between Shay and the children. I was really not in “love” with her character and really didn’t feel the attraction. I usually am able to picture each main character by description and personality. With Shay, I couldn’t picture her at all (no physical descriptions) and her interactions were mainly with the children with a smattering of her friends and coworkers. I guess I didn’t feel a connection with her and thought that she and Drew’s relationship sort of sneaked up on the reader. The story line about Drew’s son and his issues, especially at the end were tiresome and annoying. Do I really think that Drew was in love with Shay? No! I think that his children were. I give it three stars for the basic plot but I lost interest in it about three quarters of the way through.

Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber will be available August 8, 2017 by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Jake Harkner IS the last outlaw. The West is changing; it’s the time of the wild West becoming more tame. In this new era, Jake is a rough, tough man who hates the change and wants to do it his way by slinging a gun and fighting for who he loves and believes in. He and his wife Randy are a beautiful couple that show the definition of unconditional love. Rosanne Bittner has some of the best western, historical romance books ever. The Last Outlaw is the fourth of the series, “Outlaw Hearts”. This book is a wonderful narrative that lets you meet the characters, really get to know them and follow them through their life. Ms. Bittner has a knack for developing her characters and stories so that they become your friend, and feel all of their pain, love, and courage throughout the book. If you love western historical romance, you’ve got to try this book!

The Last Outlaw by Rosanne Bittner will be available September 5, 2017 by Sourcebooks Casablanca. An egalley of this book was made available by the author in exchange for a honest review.

The story of a hockey player, Jed West and a librarian, Breezy Angel. (Really?) I guess that the most un-sexy job that the author could think of was a librarian. So the author names her Breezy (Briana) and makes her a klutz, but still sexy. (Ha!) Of course she ends up with a hot hockey player that visits her library. (Right!) And of course he knows that she is different from all his other women and feels like he is falling for her! (Double right!!) Sorry, but I can’t recommend this book.

Mister Hockey by Lia Riley will be available July 11, 2017 by Avon Impulse, an imprint of Harper Collins. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Elizabeth Elham has just inherited a fortune from an old uncle. She gathers together cousins and an old relative to chaperone and moves to London. She immediately redecorates, has beautiful new clothes made and begins to make her rounds in the “ton”. She meets plenty of men who wish to woo her, including her neighbor, Derek Wincannon and a strange Mr. Jarrett who tells her that he wants to marry her for money! The characters in the book are well-developed and interesting. The story will keep you reading to see who she ends up with! Satisfying to read and a good historical romance.

Last Gentleman Standing by Jane Ashford will be available September 5, 2017 from Sourcebooks Casablanca. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Jill Colby is a beautiful, young attorney who has gone through an ugly divorce. She goes to a party with her sister and meets a handsome, professional football player, Jayce Spurling. Jayce was married until his wife used a hammer on their television set. It was a sad divorce for Jayce and his four young boys. When Jill and Jayce meet, they are instantly attracted to each other and decide to have a fling until he is able to make amends with his wife and go back to his family. This precious story is about young children and their fragile feelings after a divorce. It’s also a sweet love story about new beginnings and trying to recapture the past. The characters are realistic and charming while the story is endearing and fulfilling. A great contemporary romance for those who love sports stories.

Play Mates by Kate Donovan is now available from Beyond the Page Publishing. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.