August is Read-a-Romance Month
Celebrate the joy of romantic fiction with this selection of newly-published novels owned by the Mercer County Library System:
One Wish by Robyn Carr
Starting a new life as a flower shop owner, former champion figure skater Grace Dillon begins a no-strings-attached relationship with high school teacher Troy Headly. When Grace's past comes back to haunt her, Troy doubles down on their relationship and brings it to the next level.
The Flying Circus by Susan Crandall
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Whistling Past the Graveyard comes an adventure tale about two daredevils and a farm boy who embark on the journey of a lifetime across America’s heartland in the Roaring Twenties.
Set in the rapidly changing world of 1920s America, this is a story of three people from very different backgrounds. Set adrift by life-altering circumstances, they find themselves bound together by need and torn apart by blind obsessions and conflicting goals. Each one holds a secret that, if exposed, would destroy their friendship. But their journey of adventure and self-discovery has a price—and one of them will not be able to survive it.
As they crisscross the heartland, exploring the rapidly expanding role of aviation from barnstorming to bootlegging, from a flying circus to the dangerous sport of air racing, the three companions form a makeshift family. It is a one-of-a-kind family, with members as adventurous as they are vulnerable, and as fascinating as they are flawed. But whatever adventure—worldly or private—they find themselves on, they are guaranteed to be a family you will not forget.
“An engaging road saga." (Kirkus Reviews)
“Historical fiction with appeal to both romance and adventure fans.” (Booklist)
The Highlander Next Door by Janet Chapman
From The New York Times bestselling author comes this delightful tale of a young woman who has had enough of men . . . until she meets her spectacular new neighbor.
Birch Callahan has seen the trouble men can cause. After witnessing her mother's four marriages, Birch now runs a women's shelter and doesn't want a man in her life. But there is something about her neighbor, Niall MacKeage. Birch cannot figure out how the cop can be so big and gruff and yet so insightful and compassionate--and sexy. Or how she is falling for a man who acts like someone from the twelfth century. Niall knows that Birch is attracted to him, even if she seems to distrust all men. Yet he also knows she has a secret--something that drives her to place herself in harm's way for the women of her shelter. Niall would gladly rush to Birch's side to protect her from harm, but with their secrets standing between them, he will have to reveal his own truth if he wants to keep her.
Dreams of Lilacs by Lynn Kurland
Isabelle de Piaget is determined to elude her overprotective family by means of a hasty escape to France. But instead of making a surprise visit to her brother there, she winds up shipwrecked on the French coast with no memory of who she is or how she ended up in the dark and forbidding castle of an equally brooding lord. Gervase may have rescued her but he puts her to work as a scullery maid. He soon realizes that Isabelle is actually from a highborn family who will be furious at her treatment and she may be the one who can help him keep his title and lands together.
The Liar by Nora Roberts
“Shelby Foxworth married a liar. Of course, at the time she had no idea that everything her husband, Richard, told her was false. It is only after he disappears, and presumably dies, in a boating accident that Shelby discovers the true depth of her husband's deceptions. Their lovely home in Philadelphia is mortgaged to the hilt. All of their credit cards have been maxed out. Most of Shelby's jewelry is fake, and now she is left to pay the piper. While going through Richard's papers, Shelby discovers a key that leads to a safe-deposit box at a local bank. What's inside the box shocks Shelby even more: hundreds of thousands of dollars, passports and driver's licenses in a variety of names, and a gun. Shelby now realizes that not only did she marry a liar, she may also have married a very dangerous man. When she returns to her Smoky Mountains hometown, Rendezvous Ridge, with her daughter, Callie, she meets a man who isn't concerned about her past. Roberts excels at effectively incorporating lots of domestic details about her heroine's life in a slow-burning fuse of a plot that ultimately explodes in a nail-biting conclusion. The Liar is another sexy, suspenseful read from the Queen of Romance.”—Booklist (Starred Review)
“Appalled by the depth of her husband's deceit and the debt he leaves behind when he is lost in a boating accident, Shelby Pomeroy Foxworth takes her three-year-old daughter, Callie, and heads home to her family and her Smoky Mountain roots. Reconnecting with her past and building a life for herself and Callie is the order of the day. Having another man in her life-especially one as appealing as Griff Lott-or realizing that something evil and dark has followed her to Rendezvous Ridge is certainly not on the agenda. VERDICT A strong, capable heroine who comes into her own, a hero with the intelligence and patience to wait, and a cast of engaging secondary characters combine in an intense, complex (but not too surprising) mystery that links superlative writing and character development with plenty of down-home Tennessee charm. Riveting.”—Library Journal
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
In the tradition of his beloved first novel, The Notebook , #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with the remarkable story of two couples whose lives intersect in profound and surprising ways. Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together—how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth cannot possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage. A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest College senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death—loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans—a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he is keeping does not destroy it first. Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.
The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel's salvation is their maid Adelle's belief in her strengths, and her deep, life-long friendship with Jestine, Adelle's daughter. But Rachel's life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father's business. When her husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Frédérick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.
The Idea of Love by Patti Callahan Henry
Ella's life has been completely upended. She is young, beautiful, and deeply in love--until her husband dies in a tragic sailing accident while trying save her. Or so she will have everyone believe. Screenwriter Hunter needs a hit, but crippling writer's block and a serious lack of motivation are getting him nowhere. He is on the lookout for a love story. It does not matter who it belongs to. When Hunter and Ella meet in Watersend, South Carolina, it feels like the perfect match, something close to fate.
Paris, He Said by Christine Sneed
Jayne Marcus feels directionless and is struggling to pay her bills in Manhattan when she is given the opportunity to move to Paris with her wealthy lover and benefactor, Laurent Moller, who owns and operates two art galleries, one in New York, the other in Paris. He offers her the time and financial support she needs to begin her career as a painter and also challenges her to see who and what she will become if she meets her artistic potential. Laurent, however, seems to have other women in his life and Jayne, too, has an ex-boyfriend, much closer to her own age, for whom she still has feelings.
Starting a new life as a flower shop owner, former champion figure skater Grace Dillon begins a no-strings-attached relationship with high school teacher Troy Headly. When Grace's past comes back to haunt her, Troy doubles down on their relationship and brings it to the next level.
The Flying Circus by Susan Crandall
From the bestselling and award-winning author of Whistling Past the Graveyard comes an adventure tale about two daredevils and a farm boy who embark on the journey of a lifetime across America’s heartland in the Roaring Twenties.
Set in the rapidly changing world of 1920s America, this is a story of three people from very different backgrounds. Set adrift by life-altering circumstances, they find themselves bound together by need and torn apart by blind obsessions and conflicting goals. Each one holds a secret that, if exposed, would destroy their friendship. But their journey of adventure and self-discovery has a price—and one of them will not be able to survive it.
As they crisscross the heartland, exploring the rapidly expanding role of aviation from barnstorming to bootlegging, from a flying circus to the dangerous sport of air racing, the three companions form a makeshift family. It is a one-of-a-kind family, with members as adventurous as they are vulnerable, and as fascinating as they are flawed. But whatever adventure—worldly or private—they find themselves on, they are guaranteed to be a family you will not forget.
“An engaging road saga." (Kirkus Reviews)
“Historical fiction with appeal to both romance and adventure fans.” (Booklist)
From The New York Times bestselling author comes this delightful tale of a young woman who has had enough of men . . . until she meets her spectacular new neighbor.
Birch Callahan has seen the trouble men can cause. After witnessing her mother's four marriages, Birch now runs a women's shelter and doesn't want a man in her life. But there is something about her neighbor, Niall MacKeage. Birch cannot figure out how the cop can be so big and gruff and yet so insightful and compassionate--and sexy. Or how she is falling for a man who acts like someone from the twelfth century. Niall knows that Birch is attracted to him, even if she seems to distrust all men. Yet he also knows she has a secret--something that drives her to place herself in harm's way for the women of her shelter. Niall would gladly rush to Birch's side to protect her from harm, but with their secrets standing between them, he will have to reveal his own truth if he wants to keep her.
Dreams of Lilacs by Lynn Kurland
Isabelle de Piaget is determined to elude her overprotective family by means of a hasty escape to France. But instead of making a surprise visit to her brother there, she winds up shipwrecked on the French coast with no memory of who she is or how she ended up in the dark and forbidding castle of an equally brooding lord. Gervase may have rescued her but he puts her to work as a scullery maid. He soon realizes that Isabelle is actually from a highborn family who will be furious at her treatment and she may be the one who can help him keep his title and lands together.
“Shelby Foxworth married a liar. Of course, at the time she had no idea that everything her husband, Richard, told her was false. It is only after he disappears, and presumably dies, in a boating accident that Shelby discovers the true depth of her husband's deceptions. Their lovely home in Philadelphia is mortgaged to the hilt. All of their credit cards have been maxed out. Most of Shelby's jewelry is fake, and now she is left to pay the piper. While going through Richard's papers, Shelby discovers a key that leads to a safe-deposit box at a local bank. What's inside the box shocks Shelby even more: hundreds of thousands of dollars, passports and driver's licenses in a variety of names, and a gun. Shelby now realizes that not only did she marry a liar, she may also have married a very dangerous man. When she returns to her Smoky Mountains hometown, Rendezvous Ridge, with her daughter, Callie, she meets a man who isn't concerned about her past. Roberts excels at effectively incorporating lots of domestic details about her heroine's life in a slow-burning fuse of a plot that ultimately explodes in a nail-biting conclusion. The Liar is another sexy, suspenseful read from the Queen of Romance.”—Booklist (Starred Review)
“Appalled by the depth of her husband's deceit and the debt he leaves behind when he is lost in a boating accident, Shelby Pomeroy Foxworth takes her three-year-old daughter, Callie, and heads home to her family and her Smoky Mountain roots. Reconnecting with her past and building a life for herself and Callie is the order of the day. Having another man in her life-especially one as appealing as Griff Lott-or realizing that something evil and dark has followed her to Rendezvous Ridge is certainly not on the agenda. VERDICT A strong, capable heroine who comes into her own, a hero with the intelligence and patience to wait, and a cast of engaging secondary characters combine in an intense, complex (but not too surprising) mystery that links superlative writing and character development with plenty of down-home Tennessee charm. Riveting.”—Library Journal
In the tradition of his beloved first novel, The Notebook , #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with the remarkable story of two couples whose lives intersect in profound and surprising ways. Ira Levinson is in trouble. Ninety-one years old and stranded and injured after a car crash, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together—how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth cannot possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage. A few miles away, at a local bull-riding event, a Wake Forest College senior's life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death—loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans—a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he is keeping does not destroy it first. Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.
Growing up on idyllic St. Thomas in the early 1800s, Rachel dreams of life in faraway Paris. Rachel's mother, a pillar of their small refugee community of Jews who escaped the Inquisition, has never forgiven her daughter for being a difficult girl who refuses to live by the rules. Growing up, Rachel's salvation is their maid Adelle's belief in her strengths, and her deep, life-long friendship with Jestine, Adelle's daughter. But Rachel's life is not her own. She is married off to a widower with three children to save her father's business. When her husband dies suddenly and his handsome, much younger nephew, Frédérick, arrives from France to settle the estate, Rachel seizes her own life story, beginning a defiant, passionate love affair that sparks a scandal that affects all of her family, including her favorite son, who will become one of the greatest artists of France.
Ella's life has been completely upended. She is young, beautiful, and deeply in love--until her husband dies in a tragic sailing accident while trying save her. Or so she will have everyone believe. Screenwriter Hunter needs a hit, but crippling writer's block and a serious lack of motivation are getting him nowhere. He is on the lookout for a love story. It does not matter who it belongs to. When Hunter and Ella meet in Watersend, South Carolina, it feels like the perfect match, something close to fate.
Paris, He Said by Christine Sneed
Jayne Marcus feels directionless and is struggling to pay her bills in Manhattan when she is given the opportunity to move to Paris with her wealthy lover and benefactor, Laurent Moller, who owns and operates two art galleries, one in New York, the other in Paris. He offers her the time and financial support she needs to begin her career as a painter and also challenges her to see who and what she will become if she meets her artistic potential. Laurent, however, seems to have other women in his life and Jayne, too, has an ex-boyfriend, much closer to her own age, for whom she still has feelings.
-Lisa S.
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