• Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    I Want to Hold your Hand by Marie Force

    For the Abbott siblings, the Green Mountain state has always been an idyllic place to call home. But it isn’t until they open themselves up to love that they’ll truly discover how fulfilling life can be…

    Almost seven years after losing her husband in Iraq, Hannah Abbott Guthrie isn’t sure she’s ready—or able—to move on, but the attentions of a lifelong friend are making her think about it for the first time. The memory of the sweet kiss she shared with Nolan Roberts hasn’t strayed far from her thoughts, but she also fears that pursuing something with him would mean betraying her husband’s memory. Nolan has loved Hannah for years, but he’d been giving her the space she needed to heal from her devastating loss. Now, when an opportunity arises to show her how he feels, Nolan can’t resist, but he knows earning her love will take more than a kiss. Somehow he has to prove to Hannah that finding love twice in a lifetime is possible—and well worth risking her heart. The author’s favorite inspirational quote:

    Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
    Calvin Coolidge

     

     

  • Best Christian Romance Books,  Best Romantic Suspense Books

    Secrets at Cedar Cabin by Colleen Coble

    Her mother lied about her identity and her husband wasn’t who she thought he was. Can Bailey even trust herself anymore?

    Running for her life in the wake of her mother’s murder, Bailey Fleming escapes to the only place she can think of—a remote, dilapidated cabin in Lavender Tides. Intending to finally get to the truth behind the lies of her past, Bailey only finds more questions when bodies are discovered near her cabin hideout along with traces of a dangerous human trafficking ring. In an unlikely partnership with FBI agent Lance Phoenix, Bailey races to understand the mystery surrounding her life and circumstances before the murderer tracks her down. Meanwhile, Lance is determined to rescue his sister, Ava, who was abducted after running away from home as a teenager. An unexpected lead brings him to the remote cabin, and he wonders if Bailey—with her suspicious past and strange connections to his sister’s case—is really who she claims to be and if she can somehow lead him to Ava.

    A five-star review on the novel:

    “From beginning to end, Coble’s conclusion to the Lavender Tides series kept me riveted and riding the action-packed suspense. I loved that all the characters from previous books appeared in this book, and many of the loose story plots were brought to wonderful conclusions.”
    Loraine –Goodreads

     

     

  • Best Historical Romance Books

    Not Like a Lady by Judith Lynne

    She could lose everything if she can’t behave. She can’t behave.

    Letty’s lost everything but one friend, and her horse. She desperately needs to convince the fierce baronet to buy any horse but hers. Now she’s causing her own problems, because she cannot stop touching a man she’d been prepared to hate.

    The only way Sir Michael Grantley knows how to be the baronet of Roseford is to do what his father did. But he’s not his father, he’s a salty ex-sailor who lost half a leg in the war and has a far worse temper than his father ever did. Struggling to fill his father’s role, he’s desperate to get outdoors again – but for that he needs a biddable horse he can ride. He’s not prepared for the horse to come with a woman who wants her own life… and who decides that the key to her future is helping him ride again.

    Letty has never been anything even close to a lady. Sir Michael imagines that the lady of Roseford Manor will be like his mother: calm and elegant. Neither of them can resist the one person they ought to refuse.

    The author on the character Sir Michael:

    “Some people’s fantasies may include men who are mean, or transforming men who are mean, but mine don’t. Michael is never mean. When he’s thoughtless or dumb, he corrects himself. And he shows with his actions every day that his gruffness hides a big goofy heart.”
    Judith Lynne

     

     

  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    The Problem with Planning by Claire Cain

    Single dad. Divorcé. Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army. She’s got a plan for love, and it’s not him.

    Livie Anderson’s got a plan for her life and she’s on track for her next step. The last three years traveling Europe and working on a US Army base helped her experience all the adventure she wanted before she settles down in one place and stops the nomadic life. Now, her deadline to return home and start a family is fast approaching and there’s a wrench in her perfect plans. Lieutenant Colonel Eric Wolfe came into her life and it’s getting hard to picture leaving this world behind—but the Army life is the opposite of what she’s always planned for.

    Eric can’t deny his interest in Livie, which is monumental in itself considering his total disinterest in everyone since his divorce three years ago. Despite his efforts to remain just friends, he can’t resist Livie’s pull—her joy, love for life, and genuine way of dealing with people. But he can’t see a way to be with her without subjecting her to the military life that ruined his first marriage, and Livie’s leaving anyway, so why can’t he bring himself to let go?

    Their lives are too different, and their plans don’t match. They definitely shouldn’t date, and they certainly shouldn’t develop feelings. Too bad neither one of them can seem to stay away.

    The author’s view on setting goals:

    “I tend to make goals for every aspect of my life, and sometimes that’s overwhelming, but usually it gives me peace of mind—I feel focused when we get back to work and the routine crushes in. Some things fall by the wayside, but I view that as clarifying more than anything. I’d argue it’s ok to set a goal that you fail to attain—failure isn’t what keeps us from succeeding at accomplishing our goals. As so many smart minds tell us, never starting is the bigger issue.”
    Claire Cain

     

     

  • Best Historical Romance Books

    Who’s That Earl by Susanna Craig

    Will scandalous secrets stand in the way of a second chance at love?

    Miss Jane Quayle excels at invention. How else could the sheltered daughter of an English gentleman create lurid gothic novels so infamous someone wants their author silenced forever?  Fortunately, Jane has taken steps to protect herself, first by assuming a pen name, and second, by taking up residence at remote Dunnock Castle, surrounded by rugged scenery that might have been ripped from the pages of one of her books. Her true identity remains a secret, until one dark and stormy night . . . After years of spying for the British army, Thomas Sutherland doubts the Highlands will ever feel like home again. Nevertheless, thanks to a quirk of Scottish inheritance law, he’s now the Earl of Magnus, complete with a crumbling castle currently inhabited by a notorious novelist. When the writer turns out to be the woman Thomas once wooed, suspicions rise even as mutual sparks reignite. As danger closes in, can Jane and Thomas overcome their pasts to forge a future together?

    The author’s inspiration for the novel:

    “My inspirations for this series were my favorite romantic suspense TV series from the 1980s, such as Magnum PI and Remington Steele… I had a lot of fun both researching and imagining Regency-era spies and secrets, so that each book is full of intrigue, adventure, and, of course, romance.”
    Susanna Craig

     

     

  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    The Sweet Talker by Gina Azzi

    I’ve sworn off hockey players. Until the pregnancy test turns pink.

    Noah Scotch is revered in Boston, a veritable god on the ice. I’m a nerdy, newly minted college professor who would rather color code my planner than hit the club scene. Noah shouldn’t look at me twice but when he does, I falter. Who can blame me? The sweet talker with the deliciously chiseled abs and sinful chocolate eyes is a force. On and off the ice. One hot and intense night with Noah has me second guessing my lack of a dating life. Growing up in a hockey family, I know better than to get serious with a player. But the more time I spend getting to know Noah, the more my intention to keep things casual rings false. Now, I’ve got a hopeful heart and a baby on the way. I just need to tell Noah. But when I do, will I end up with everything I never knew I wanted? Or on my own?review of the novel:

    “Indy is a great character: smart, driven, focused and still fun. Noah is super sweet and funny, so I liked them both immediately. The supporting cast is Indy’s family, Noah’s brother and other players for the Boston Hawks and I liked them all. They set up the next story in the series well and make me want to read the next one. This is a low-angst, HEA story with real heart and lots of laughs. I highly recommend it.” Daisy Knox

     

     

  • Best Christian Romance Books

    Hope for the Cowboy by Hannah Jo Abbott

    He’s committed to the ranch he loves, she’s just here for a job, but they just might find each other too.

    Katie Wadford is devastated after being fired from her job as an account manager. When no other large firms in town will hire her, she’s desperate to find a place to prove herself. Reluctantly she returns to her hometown in hopes of working for a small business to boost her resume. Sawyer Macklin is certain that his family ranch doesn’t need a business manager. When his father hires one anyway, Sawyer agrees to get along. But the woman who shows up in high heels isn’t anything like what he expected. When Katie offers the ranch as the location for a church fundraiser, Sawyer volunteers to help, but only so he can tell her it’s a bad idea and put an end to it. He finds out Katie is a hard person to say no to. As they learn to work together, will Sawyer’s fears of his past mistakes keep them apart, or will they both find a future they didn’t expect? A five-star review of the novel:

    “Hope for the Cowboy is a well written, sweet, heartwarming, small town romance. I love the characters, the family dynamics (6 brothers, wow!), small town nosiness and more. For both Katie and Sawyer, life has not worked out as they had hoped. Their first meeting is upsetting for both, but as they work together, their relationship grows in a realistic way. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their story unfold.” Bernadette Cinkoske – Goodreads

     

     

  • Best Contemporary Romance Novels

    One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

    A breathtaking new love story about a woman unexpectedly forced to choose between the husband she has long thought dead and the fiancé who has finally brought her back to life.

    In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure. On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever. Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness. That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves. Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly? The author on her inspiration for the novel:

    “I really wanted to write about an impossible situation. A woman who has to choose between the husband she thought she lost and the fiancé who has made her believe in love again felt pretty impossible to me. I kept asking my friends, ‘If this happened to you, what would you do?’ The fact that no one had an answer felt like a great place to start a book.” Taylor Jenkins Reid

     

     

  • Best Christian Romance Books,  Christmas Cheer

    Snowstorm by Jennette Green

    She’s traded everything for her job. He’s turned his back on the world. Can two stranded souls open themselves up to love?

    Tabitha has her sights set on the top of the corporate ladder. She has all the plans in the world to make more time for her family after locking down her Wall Street promotion. But when her stubborn father needs convincing about heart surgery, she jumps in her car and speeds toward home… straight into a snowbank…

    Arnie doesn’t ask for much. All the widower war vet wants is his farmland and his privacy. But when a fast-talking city slicker crashes her car near his house during a blizzard, he’s forced to take her in. After Tabitha pries into a past he’d rather forget, he wonders if he’d be better off in the storm…

    As the snow piles higher and Christmas approaches, Tabitha and Arnie begin to warm up to each other. Is Arnie willing to open himself up to a better future? When the snow melts, will Tabitha make a sacrifice for what her heart truly desires?

    “I wanted to write this book because I know firsthand ho easy it is for work to eclipse other things in life that are more important, like family and meaningful relationships.”

    Jennette Green

  • Best Christian Romance Books,  Christmas Cheer

    Christmas in Good Hope by Cindy Kirk

    Ami and Beck would rather forget the past, but this Christmas of love is one to remember.

    Amaryllis “Ami” Bloom’s cheerful smile greets everyone in Good Hope, Wisconsin. But her merry facade hides a dark secret she won’t ever forget. Still, she throws herself into celebrating Christmas—and convinces her handsome, and stubborn, new neighbor to join her.

    Beckett Cross, however, is determined not to celebrate the holidays. He moved to Good Hope to leave behind reminders of how he’d had it all…and lost everything. But it’s hard to resist adorable Ami, the designated keeper of the small town’s holiday traditions, when she asks for help with the Twelve Nights celebrations. And Ami has a hard time resisting Beck’s soft Southern drawl and gentle eyes. Will a Christmas miracle give them a second chance at love and the hope to heal both of their hearts for good?

    The author on the message of the novel:

    “It’s a book about love and second chances in the context of family and community. Ami and Beck would rather forget the past, but this Christmas of love is one to remember.”

    Cindy Kirk