Posted December 29, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Harlequin, Love Inspired Suspense (Harlequin), Modern Western Romance, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Romantic Suspense, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
A witness in danger…
and a protector standing guard.
Pregnant widow Holly Myers just wants a fresh start for her and her unborn child, but when she witnesses a double murder, her quiet life is shattered.
On the run, she finds refuge with former Deputy Sheriff Clive Cantrell, who is determined to keep her safe. But with killers on their trail who’ll stop at nothing to silence Holly, staying alive might just be impossible.
Especially when clues link the murders to a drug trafficking operation hidden on Clive’s family’s ranch. And stopping the criminals could prove lethal for them both.
Titles in the Thunder Ridge Justice series include: Shielded by the Cowboy ~
This is a no-spice romance with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂
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Posted December 24, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Connection to another series, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance, Western Historical Romance / 0 Comments
A woman running out of hope…
A rancher looking for a wife…
And three chaotic sisters and a sheepdog!
On the verge of being destitute, Phoebe Hale enlists the help of the Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company to find her a husband. What she finds instead is disorder, paperwork stacked to the ceiling, and three well-meaning sisters who could desperately use a woman with Phoebe’s practical skills.
Braxton Jones arrives with a similar purpose. Ready for a wife, he turns to the same company, only to discover that before any marriages can happen, the business itself may need saving. Practical, steady, and unwilling to walk away from a problem left unsolved, Braxton offers his help.
Neither Phoebe nor Braxton came looking for love in Chicago. They came for solutions. But as Christmas approaches and the Merriweather sisters press them into service, shared work turns into shared laughter, and cooperation begins to look dangerously like courtship. With the future of the Sisters’ Mail-Order Bride Company at stake, and their own hearts unexpectedly involved, Phoebe and Braxton must decide whether the greatest Christmas miracle might be the one they never planned for.
Because sometimes love arrives not through careful arrangement… but through a little Christmas calamity.
Titles in the Sisters’ Mail-Order-Bride Company series include: Christmas Calamity ~
There is a connection to the Wild Ridge Historicals series, which includes: Val ~ Ella ~ Elizabeth Ann ~ Cornelia ~ Clara ~ Marianne ~ Elinore ~
This is a no-spice romance with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂
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Posted December 24, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
Will sparks fly at Hollyhock Farm this summer?
When a hit TV series sets up camp at Hollyhock Farm, Jersey’s tranquil lanes are turned upside down. Radio DJ Callum Preston is used to high-maintenance guests – but nothing prepares him for interviewing the star-of-the-hour actor Riley Sharp, or meeting his beautiful, overworked PA, Tasha Dodds.
As Callum and Tasha grow closer in the island sunshine, the farm becomes the backdrop for more than just the cameras. But with paparazzi scandals brewing and Callum’s family thrust into the spotlight, will their Jersey summer end in heartbreak – or be the start of something wonderful?
Titles in the Hollyhock Farm series include: Welcome to Hollyhock Farm ~ Second Chances at Hollyhock Farm ~ Love Blooms at Hollyhock Farm ~ Starlight Over Hollyhock Farm ~
This is a no-spice romance with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂
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Posted December 22, 2025 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Special Edition, NetGalley, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
Christmas, canines and courtship…
Dale Wilson’s life hasn’t been “good” since his beloved wife died—at least until Millie Monroe moves to Ocean Breeze. Dale and his dog Juice can’t help but be drawn to the pediatric nurse.
A widow herself, Millie understands not wanting romance. Finding unexpected common ground has given them both a friendship they’ve craved. Plus, their respective pups have become friends, too!
But Dale has a secret—he’s bestselling author WG Gunder. Not something he readily wants to admit to the woman in his heart…and his bed. Perhaps the Christmas spirit can teach him that sometimes happily-ever-after is disguised as a new beginning…
Titles in The Cottages on Ocean Breeze series include: Her Christmas Wish* ~ Beach Cottage Kisses ~ Christmas Cottage Getaway^ ~ Their Second Chance Dance (Jan. 2026) ~ Her Luckiest Christmas (Sept. 2026) ~
This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.
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Posted December 21, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Kindle Unlimited, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
Sometimes the road home isn’t on a map.
After a painful breakup and a stalled career, journalist Kaiah Ross sets out on a reporting road trip down the East Coast, hoping the miles will help her find her way again. But when car trouble strands her in the postcard-perfect town of Coral Cove, she’s forced to stop running–and unexpectedly finds herself drawn into a life that feels like something out of a dream.
Reid Turner has spent years putting others first–his career as a firefighter, his spirited young daughter, Piper, and the small town he’s always called home. The last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. But from the moment Kaiah arrives, her kindness, warmth, and quiet strength stir something in him he thought was long buried.
When Kaiah agrees to help promote the town’s annual “Light the Dark” Festival–a celebration meant to save Coral Cove’s historic lighthouse–what begins as a simple arrangement quickly turns into something more. Late nights of planning under string lights, shared laughter over coffee, and quiet, heartfelt moments with Piper begin to weave Kaiah into the fabric of Reid’s life . . . and into his heart.
But just as love begins to blossom, Kaiah is faced with an offer that could relaunch her career and take her far from Coral Cove. Now, she’s forced to choose between the life she thought she wanted and the unexpected love that’s given her a glimpse of home.
Titles in the connecting stories of Coral Cove include: The View from Coral Cove ~ The Lighthouse at the Cove ~
This is a no-spice romance with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂
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Posted December 18, 2025 by Marsha in Christmas Romance, Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimited, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
On the outside, actress Jules Silver seems to have it all—Rom-com sweetheart, a career on the rise, and the longtime love of Hollywood’s leading man. But after a disastrous red-carpet event sends her life reeling, all Jules wants is an escape into her favorite season—Christmas—and space to figure out what she really wants.
The perfect place to make both happen? Dearing Creek, the magical Minnesota lakeside town where she spent every summer growing up—where the place and people brought her back to life long ago. And where one man has always been there for her.
Ethan Blake has loved Jules since the beginning. She was sunshine and laughter in his world of campfires and starry nights, the girl he’s never been able to forget. So when the stars align—bringing them together for a holiday road trip from Los Angeles back to where they started—Ethan can’t help believing that Fate is tossing him one last chance to prove he is worthy of her.
When a snowstorm strands them in Noel—a Christmas-obsessed mountain town filled with legend, twinkle lights, and holiday magic—the two suddenly find their carefully drawn lines between lifelong friendship and love become blurred. And when Jules’s past comes calling, they both must decide if love is worth the risk—or if happily-ever-after will remain something that exists only in the movies.
Titles in the Dearing Creek series include: Lake I Love You ~ It Had To Be Yule ~
This is a no-spice romance with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂
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Posted December 16, 2025 by Marsha in Choc Lit/Ruby Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, Kindle Unlimited, NetGalley, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
I hate Christmas.
I don’t know who thought every female must love shopping, wrapping, baking, and hosting, but I’m missing the memo. On top of that, I manage a top-end department store. Sprinkle in the fact I’ll be turning forty during this holiday season, and my life is a Christmas cookie recipe gone wrong.
And every year, I become a little more Scrooge-ish.
But the spirit of the most wonderful time of the year (insert sarcasm) seems to have a plan for me and my midlife crisis attitude.
First, my past returns when I attend a high school reunion happy hour and run into that boy—the one I had a summer fling with after graduation and before college—then promptly ghosted me.
The torture continues because that boy is now a man, worldly and wise and sexier than I remember. And he invites me to attend a holiday work party with him.
Which leads to my discovery that there is a lot more to this forty, fine, former NFL quarterback, now fireman, like being a single father to the sweetest little girl, putting me at risk of falling for both of them.
However, I have my reasons not to believe in love and the happiest time of the year. And the first twenty-five days of December test all my strength.
Just what the Dickens is happening? Charles himself might approve of this plot.
Even I’m a little curious to see how it all plays out.
Titles in the Holiday Hotties series include: Scrooge-ish ~ Naughty-ish ~ Grouch-ish ~ Elf-ish ~
This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.
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Posted December 16, 2025 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Holiday Romance, NetGalley, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
Welcome to the Highland Repair Shop, where mending broken things – be they clocks, compasses or hearts – is a way of life.
After a gruelling few years in city hospitals, trainee doctor Alice hopes a new, small-town post will bring quiet to her racing mind. Instead, she finds a place brimming with eccentricity and curiosity, and people who seem to see straight through her carefully controlled facade.
Murray has returned to his hometown with a broken heart and his tail between his legs. Volunteering at the family-run repair shop is meant to be temporary… until a chance encounter starts to crack his emotional armour.
Meanwhile, mountain ranger Finlay lives for solitude and the wild and rugged scenery. But when a broken compass draws him reluctantly into town life, he finds himself pulled not just into a community project, but into the kind of tangled feelings he’s spent a lifetime avoiding.
As a new garden is built and winter weather rages, lives will be patched, polished, and set on entirely new courses. Can these lonely hearts be mended and finally find happiness and love?
Titles in The Highland Repair Shop series include: Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop ~ Mending Lost Dreams at the Highland Repair Shop ~ Making Sparks Fly at the Highland Repair Shop ~
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Posted December 15, 2025 by Marsha in Contemporary Romance, Harlequin, Harlequin Trade, Modern Western Romance, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
A favor owed. An Off-limits romance. Four Corners is in for the hottest Christmas it’s ever seen.
Sheena Patrick has done well, all things considered. After her father’s death, she raised her sisters and did all she could to give them the best life possible. But they’re grown and gone now, and Sheena is ready to do something for herself. But to accomplish her goals, she needs Denver King.
Denver owes Sheena. He spent years watching from afar and making sure she was all right after his father’s illegal activities caused her father’s death. So when Sheena rolls up to the ranch looking to call in the favor he promised, Denver can’t say no. He’ll help her get her axe-throwing bar up and running by Christmas, and consider his debt square. But as the snow falls, sparks fly between the two black sheep of Pyrite Falls. They might be all wrong for everyone else, but are they just right for each other?
Titles in the Four Corners Ranch series include: Unbridled Cowboy* ~ Merry Christmas, Cowboy* ~ Cowboy Wild* ~ The Rough Rider* ~ The Holiday Heartbreaker* ~ The Troublemaker* ~ The Rival* ~ The Hometown Legend* ~ Hero for the Holidays* ~ The Outsider* ~ The Rogue* ~ Cowboy, It’s Cold Outside^ ~
This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.
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Posted December 14, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Contemporary Romance, Paranormal Romance, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance, Time Slip Romance, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments
The point of magic is not to understand it. The point is not to waste it…
Paige Larsen is riding high on her future when she drops into a bar on New Year’s Eve 2019 for a celebratory drink. Will Weber, too, is excited about his life’s direction. Despite clashing personalities—and unexpected physical attraction—they quickly become friends while grooving to 1970s music in this unique joint.
But when Paige and Will each try to find the bar the following day, they realize the night was even more magical than they believed. It seems this bar appears for only a handful of hours every two years in an abandoned city lot on December 31. What’s more, Paige and Will are living in different timelines two years apart.
Over a span of eight years and a multitude of life changes, Paige and Will connect deeply in a fantasy situation that allows them to be their messy, imperfect, vulnerable selves.
Then suddenly, the enchantment—and the bar—disappear for good. Can love offer the magic they need to create a real-life happy ever after?
Titles in the Any Time Now series include: Every Other New Year’s Eve ~
This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.
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Posted December 14, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Kindle Unlimited, Modern Western Romance, Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
I knew ranch life would be messy… but I didn’t expect it to personally attack me.
One minute I’m a newlywed trying to waddle my very pregnant self across our porch, and the next I’m watching my sexy cowboy husband argue with a tractor like it owes him money.
And somehow, between the broken fences, the weather, and Boone stealing every baby sock we own, Tanner Briggs and I are supposed to be building our happily‑ever-after at Rising Star Ranch.
He’s calm, collected, and unfairly gorgeous. I’m hormonal, sleep‑deprived, and absolutely not immune to the way he touches me in the bedroom.
Then the baby comes early. The barn roof gives up on life while revealing past secrets. And the whole town starts treating us like their favorite reality TV show.
I watch him holding our daughter, and it makes me fall for him all over again.
Then life throws a bigger curveball than either of us is ready for.
The scariest part of loving Tanner isn’t the chaos; it’s realizing how easily I could lose everything I’m fighting for.
Titles in the Ironwood Bluff Ranch series include: Rancher’s Unexpected Love ~ Rancher’s New Beginning ~
This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.
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Posted December 13, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Connection to another series, Marietta, Marietta Montana, Modern Western Romance, Montana (Tule), Series, Sexual Content, Small Town Romance, Tule Publishing / 0 Comments
Can they build a future with staying power?
Rodeo champion Rhett Foster walked away from Norah after one unforgettable evening last summer, vowing not to risk their friendship again. He’s parked his hat temporarily in Marietta to help his father recover from surgery, then he’s headed out to discover life after rodeo. But an emergency at Foster Construction lassos Rhett into wrangling renovations—and his feelings—on the Miles’ ranch.
Norah Miles is done putting her dreams on hold. With her family’s redesigned guest cabins nearly ready for tourists, she’s set her sights on Bozeman and a fresh start in interior design. But their magazine feature morphs into a high-stakes design contest, throwing Norah’s plans—and nerves—into chaos. To make matters worse, the only person who can help her finish the project on time is her younger brother’s best friend, the rugged cowboy she’s trying to forgive and forget.
As sawdust flies, Norah and Rhett can’t ignore the sparks igniting between them. Will they risk their hearts for a chance at love, or let fear ride them out of each other’s lives for good?
Titles in The Miles of Montana series include: Choosing the Montana Cowboy ~ The Cowboy’s Christmas Truce ~ The Rodeo Cowboy’s Redemption ~
This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.
Release date: February 24, 2026
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Posted December 13, 2025 by Marsha in Booksprout ARC, Christmas Romance, Contemporary Romance, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
In the snowy mountains of Montana, widowed bladesmith Hart Amory guards his solitude like a treasure. Ten Christmases have passed since his wife’s death, leaving a hollow ache that echoes in the rhythm of his hammer on the anvil. With only Frank, his faithful furry friend, by his side, Hart endures each winter alone with his grief and pain.
But this year, a blizzard brings more than snow to his door. Five days before Christmas, Nessa, a spirited woman with eyes as bright as winter stars, and her teenage daughter Wren, become stranded when they travel up the mountain to interrupt Hart’s self-imposed exile with an impossible request: replicate the heirloom knife Wren’s late father gave her so she can take part in her family’s Christmas tradition.
Only Hart has the skill to pull off the miracle they need, but it means letting Nessa and Wren into his life. With each shared cup of cocoa, each whispered secret, and each smile cast his way, feeling returns to his frostbitten heart.
As Christmas grows nearer, Hart must make the choice between letting go of his grief and misery or letting go of Nessa and the hope she brings. Can he forge not just a knife, but a second chance at joy?
~Standalone~ (although some sites list this as the series: Beneath the Mistletoe #2)
This story may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult 18+ audience.
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Posted December 13, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Kensington Books, Kindle Unlimited, Mystery, NetGalley, No Spice Romance, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
Small-town Wilfred, Oregon, is poised to step into the limelight, and the citizens behind the renovation of the old movie palace—into a brew pub—certainly want that to continue. Until librarian and apprentice witch Josie Way discovers a dead body . . .
Local librarian Josie Way’s life is in shambles. Her magical abilities are on the fritz, and her relationship with sexy sheriff Sam has cooled way off since she told him she’s a witch. On top of that, Josie senses a bad energy she can’t explain, which seems to be interrupting her connection with the spellbound library books, usually her sure-fire way to get to the bottom of any mystery.
When she wakes to a fierce pounding in the library’s atrium, she hurries there—only to find a corpse. But after she goes for the phone to call Sam, she returns to the atrium to find the body gone—and all the doors and windows are still locked. And that’s just the beginning of a mystery that features Josie as the prime suspect, several shady characters, and possible long-lost relatives. It’s just like the beginning of an old movie, but Josie will need a lot more direction than her grandmother’s magic lessons will provide . . .
Titles in the Witch Way Librarian Mysteries series include: Bait and Witch ~ Seven-Year Witch ~ Witch and Famous ~ Witch Upon a Star ~ Gone With the Witch ~ The Witch is Back ~ Witch and Tell ~
This is a no-spice romance/paranormal cozy mystery with either closed doors or fade-to-black scenes. Tension and kisses might be involved 🙂
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Posted December 9, 2025 by Marsha in Closed Doors/ Fade to Black, Cozy Mystery, Kensington Books, Kindle Unlimited, Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Series, Small Town Romance / 0 Comments
There’s no place like Salem, Massachusetts—aka “the witch city”—for Halloween. As residents embrace their historic heritage to celebrate the season, WICH-TV program director Lee Barrett is assigned the decadent task of highlighting the village’s delectable sweet shops—only to learn that some revelers prefer deadly tricks over delicious treats . . .
Casa del Chocolate is one of Salem’s most charming boutique candy shops, making it a perfect profile story. Although preoccupied with her own personal sweet news—Lee and her detective husband Pete Mondello are expecting a bundle of joy—she cheerfully agrees to interview the chocolatier. Since becoming pregnant, the radiant and exhilarated mother-to-be has discovered that she is finally free of the unwanted haunting “visions” she has endured since childhood.
Shirley Parker inherited Casa del Chocolate, housed in her beautiful ancestral home on the waterfront, continuing her family’s sweet tradition of conjuring magical treats for the folks of Salem. Mesmerized by the delightful chocolate-scented aromas filling the air while touring the kitchen, Lee is shocked when she stumbles upon the murdered body of Barney Bingham, Shirley’s estranged husband.
As the police focus their suspicions on Shirley, Lee learns that many people had reasons for wanting Barney dead. Now, with help from Pete, tarot reader River North, and clairvoyant gentleman cat O’Ryan, as well as some new feline friends, Lee must unmask the true killer—and cope with the sudden return of her troubling “visions”. . .
Titles in the Witch City Mystery series include: Caught Dead Handed ~ Tails, You Lose ~ Look Both Ways ~ Murder Go Round ~ Grave Errors ~ It Takes a Coven ~ Spells, Bats, and Murder ~ Final Exam ~ Late Check Out ~ Murder, Take Two ~ See Something ~ ‘Til Death ~ Now You See It ~ Death Scene ~ Sugar and Spite ~
This story may contain language, violence, and/or sexual situations intended for an adult 18+ audience.
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