Love in the Stacks: 3 romances we're looking forward to this fall
Fall is officially here. Time to plan yummy soups and don sweaters for that evening stroll. It's also time to plan what to read as you sit down at the end of the day after that warm soup and cool walk. I know my plans for such evenings will include the titles below:
One in a Million by Jill Shalvis (Oct. 14)
What it's about (courtesy of Grand Central Publishing):
As the brains behind wedding site TyingTheKnot.com, Callie sees it all: from the ring to the dress, the smiles . . . to the tears. It's that last part that keeps her single and not looking. Getting left at the altar will do that to a girl. But when Callie returns to her old hometown, she finds that her sweet high school crush is sexier than ever. And he makes it hard to remember why she's sworn off love . . .
Tanner is a deep-sea diver with a wild, adrenaline-junkie past-and now his teenage son is back in his life. How can Tanner be a role model when he's still paying for his own mistakes? It's hard enough that gorgeous Callie has appeared in town like a beautiful dream, challenging his best-laid plans to keep his heart on lockdown. Though there's something about being around her again that makes him feel like he can be the man she-and his son-deserve. Little Lucky Harbor holds their past; can it hold a beautiful new future?
Why I'm looking forward to it: This is book 12 in the Lucky Harbor series. Once again, Shalvis introduces her readers to another dynamic couple in this little town. Callie may be an expert at planning weddings, but there's no way she's ever going to plan her own. And when she returns to her hometown of Lucky Harbor to find her ex-boyfriend, Tanner, she is reminded why love only leads to heartache. Callie and Tanner are sure to entice Shalvis' readers with their roller-coaster romance, which will probably get "assistance" from the town's pesky, well-meaning neighbors. It will be a hoot, I am sure!
Captivated by You by Sylvia Day (Nov. 18)
What it's about (courtesy of Berkley Trade):
Gideon calls me his angel, but he's the miracle in my life. My gorgeous, wounded warrior, so determined to slay my demons while refusing to face his own.
The vows we'd exchanged should have bound us tighter than blood and flesh. Instead they opened old wounds, exposed pain and insecurities, and lured bitter enemies out of the shadows. I felt him slipping from my grasp, my greatest fears becoming my reality, my love tested in ways I wasn't sure I was strong enough to bear.
At the brightest time in our lives, the darkness of his past encroached and threatened everything we'd worked so hard for. We faced a terrible choice: the familiar safety of the lives we'd had before each other or the fight for a future that suddenly seemed an impossible and hopeless dream…
Why I'm looking forward to it: Don't hate me, but I am not a huge fan of Fifty Shades of Grey. (Am ducking for cover!) But I am a fan of Sylvia Day's Crossfire series because the series delves beautifully into the darker regions of love. So that's why I am eager to read the next installment, Captivated by You. Although Eva and Gideon are committed to each other now and past demons have been exorcised, there are more secrets left that could threaten what they have worked so hard to build together. (This post previously said Captivated by You was the last Crossfire installment. Thanks to reader Lisa Launius for flagging that for us!)
A Place Called Harmony by Jodi Thomas (Oct. 7)
What it's about (courtesy of Berkley):
Desperate to escape his overbearing father, Patrick McAllen disappears with his bride, heading north to build a new town—discovering strength, honor and true love along the way.
After drinking away the grief from his family's death, Clint Truman avoids jail by taking a job in North Texas and settling down with a woman he vows to protect but never love—until her quiet compassion slowly breaks his hardened heart wide open…
All Gillian Matheson has ever known is Army life, leaving his true love to be a part-time spouse. But when a wounded Gillian returns home to find her desperately fighting to save their marriage, he's determined to become the husband she deserves. Amidst storms, outlaws, and unwelcome relatives, the three couples band together to build a town—and form a bond that breathes life into the place that will forever be called Harmony.
Why I'm looking forward to it: Jodi Thomas offers up another installment in her Harmony series, A Place Called Harmony. The fictional town of Harmony, Texas, is populated with a number of happy endings including the town librarian in Chance of a Lifetime. (Love those librarian romances!) The author has a way of making Harmony seem like home. This time around Thomas introduces readers to three men who are bonded by romantic and brotherly love to help build a little town in the dusty plains of Texas.
Despite being born with a disability, Christyna Hunter has surpassed all perilous predictions. She graduated from college where a friend introduced her to romance novels, started a freelance writing career, self-published two romance novels, and worked at a non-profit organization. Currently she works as a library associate with Loudoun County Public Libraries in Virginia, reads romance novels in her free time, and prays often to her writing muse. Check out her blog at christynahunter.wordpress.com.