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| Dare to Love a Duke by Eva LeighIntroducing: Former sex worker Lucia Marini, who, in the seductive guise of "Amina," manages the Orchid Club, where masked strangers satisfy their erotic desires, on behalf of its elusive owner.
What happens: Not long after she takes Thomas Powell, the Duke of Northfield, as her lover, Lucia discovers he's also her employer.
Why you might like it: Like previous London Underground books, this 3rd installment explores the darker side of Regency England. It also features a more diverse cast than many novels set during this period. |
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| The One You Fight for by Roni LorenStarring: siren songstress Jamez and Lucas, the kind stranger who comes to her rescue at an open mic night. (It's a long story.)
Actually: "Jamez" is psychology professor Taryn Landry, survivor of a school shooting, and "Lucas" is Shaw Miller, the brother of the troubled boy who killed her sister.
Is it for you? This heartwrenching 3rd book in the Ones Who Got Away series follows traumatized characters who find love and healing as they rebuild their lives in the aftermath of tragedy. |
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| The Rancher by Kate PearceWhat it's about: While inspecting an abandoned silver mine on her family's property, newly minted engineer Rachel Morgan encounters Cauy Lymond, whose family owns the adjacent ranch. Sparks fly.
What you need to know: Due to their respective childhood traumas (explored in previous installments of the Morgan Ranch series), Rachel and Cauy are loners whose relationship takes them both by surprise.
For fans of: Lori Wilde's Cupid, Texas novels or Harper Sloan's Coming Home series. |
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| The Cottage on Rose Lane by Hope RamsayWhat happens: A surprise inheritance brings Jenna Fossey to Magnolia Harbor, South Carolina, where her quest to learn more about her roots leads her to hire sexy Jude St. Pierre to teach her how to sail.
Why you might like it: This opening volume of the Moonlight Bay series features sympathetic leads and a charming coastal community.
About the author: Best known for her Last Chance series, Hope Ramsay specializes in heartwarming contemporary romances set in small Southern towns. |
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| The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri WilsonWhat it's about: When an allergic reaction sidelines her glamorous, twin sister Ginny, school librarian Charlotte agrees to enter a beauty pageant in her stead. What could go wrong?
Why you might like it: No cattiness here! Although Charlotte and Ginny are very different people, their bond is loving and supportive. Similarly, their pageant competitors are depicted in a positive light.
About the author: Best known for her Royals series, which riffs on classic films such as Roman Holiday and Royal Wedding, author Teri Wilson pays homage to Miss Congeniality in this upbeat novel. |
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| You May Kiss the Bride by Lisa BerneWhat it's about: Gabriel Penhallow seeks a dutiful wife to produce an heir and leave him in peace. Although headstrong Livia Stuart is not that kind of woman, a life-changing kiss results in their hasty engagement.
Series alert: This engaging debut kicks off the Penhallow Dynasty series.
You might also like: Tessa Dare's The Duchess Deal, which also features an arrogant duke whose pragmatic plan for acquiring a wife is demolished by a passionate and penniless woman. |
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| A Rogue of Her Own by Grace BurrowesBest laid plans: "May I prevail upon you to ruin me?" Charlotte Windham asks Lucas Sherbourne, who would rather marry her -- and does, once her scheme (predictably) backfires.
Why you might like it: A Rogue of Her Own offers a marriage-of-convenience story that focuses on the couple's attempts to make their unexpected union work.
Reviewers say: This concluding volume of the Windham Brides series boasts "flawless prose, delicious wit, and an unerring ability to bring complex characters to life" (Library Journal). |
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| I Heard A Rumor by Cheris HodgesWhat happens: Thanks to their lying, cheating exes, attorney Chante Britt and real estate mogul Zach Harrington are already tabloid fixtures. So why not let their soul-shattering kiss turn into a scandalous affair?
Series alert: I Heard a Rumor is the sequel to Rumor Has It, which focuses on Chante's best friend Liza.
You might also like: Deborah Fletcher Mello's Sultry Southern Nights series, which similarly follows career-driven African-American protagonists from relationship disasters to hard-won happily-ever-afters. |
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| Not Always a Saint by Mary Jo PutneyWhat happens: a passionate kiss between a woman with a past and a man with a future.
Starring: Daniel Herbert, a physician whose recently inherited title requires him to find a wife to smooth his path into polite society; Jessie Kelham, a vulnerable widow who needs a husband -- STAT.
Why you might like it: This steamy 7th installment of the Lost Lords series features seemingly mismatched leads who turn out to be perfect for each other. |
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| About That Kiss by Jill ShalvisWhat it's about: After artisan Kylie Masters and veteran Joe Malone share an unforgettable kiss, Joe...doesn't call her. And now she needs his help tracking down a stolen keepsake.
Read it for: a quirky scavenger hunt that takes a pair of would-be lovers across San Francisco.
Series alert: About That Kiss is the 5th book in the upbeat Heartbreaker Bay series, about a magic wishing fountain that brings couples together. |
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February 4th is Thank a Mail Carrier Day-- Check out these mail ordered romances!
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His chosen bride
by Rhonda Gibson
Large print. When Levi Westland discovers he must marry within the year or risk losing the family ranch, he decides any of the recently arrived mail-order brides will make a good bride, but Levi can't stop thinking about the only one who refused his proposal
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In want of a wife
by Jo Goodman
Paperback. Responding to an ad for a mail-order bride needed in Bitter Springs, Wyoming, Jane Middlebourne arrives on the Morning Star ranch where she must battle to prove to her new husband that she is the perfect woman to stand by his side and help him manage his ranch.
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Texas destiny
by Lorraine Heath
Paperback. Arriving in Fort Worth, Texas, to meet her soon-to-be husband, Dallas, mail-order bride Amelia Carson is drawn to him as soon as she steps off the train. But that man is actually her intended’s brother, Houston Leigh, who has been sent to accompany her on the three-week journey to the ranch where she’ll begin her new life.
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His Make-believe Bride
by Martha Hix
e-book. Widowed Linnea agrees to swap places with a reluctant mail-order bride. Arriving in Lubbock, Texas with only his letters she feels hopeful until she meets the ambitious stranger after the stagecoach leaves. Sam knows there's something mysterious about his new bride, but that only adds to her allure. What he doesn't know is that she has an even bigger secret than being a widow-- one that could destroy his reputation and shatter his heart.
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A bride in store
by Melissa Jagears
e-book. Mail-order bride Eliza sets out on her travels a week early, but her plan goes awry when her train is held up by robbers who steal her dowry and Axel, her groom-to-be, isn't even in town when she arrives. Axel's business partner, Will, has no head for business and wants to be a doctor and is just waiting until he can afford medical school. When Eliza arrives, he feels responsible and lets her help around the store—where she quickly proves she's much more adept at business than he ever will be.The sparks that fly between them are hard to ignore, but Eliza is meant for Axel and the store. When Axel finally returns both Will and Eliza must decide what they're willing to do for their future.
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A Chance at Love
by Beverly Jenkins
e-book. Dreaming of seeking a new life in California, Loreli Winters never expected to become a mail-order bride in rural Kansas until two irresistible young orphans and their handsome uncle convince her to give the frontier--and them--a chance.
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Babycakes
by Donna Kauffman
Hardcover and e-bool. While running Babycakes, her mail-order cupcake business, out of Sugarberry Island, Kit Bellamy finds a new place to call home and the sweet promise of love with Morgan Westlake, a lawyer who has come home to the island to raise his goddaughter. Part of the Cupcake Club Romance series.
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The Vampire's Mail Order Bride
by Kristen Painter
e-book. In Nocturne Falls Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think the vampires, werewolves, witches and occasional gargoyle are all for show, but the locals know better. After seeing her maybe-mobster boss murder a guy Delaney assumes an identity and pretends to be a mail order bride. The town he lives in is a bit weird, but it's not as weird as what she doesn't know. Her groom-to-be Hugh is a 400 year old vampire who only agreed to the setup to make his grandmother happy. In 30 days whatever bridezilla shows up at his door will be escorted right back out. Except that he never counted on them falling in love for real. Too bad both of them are keeping some big secrets...
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Dear Maggie
by Brenda Novak
e-book. Maggie, a police reporter in Sacramento, is a divorced mother who works the night shift. She may not have much time for a social life, but she's recently begun an e-mail correspondence. She's also stumbled on the big crime story that will establish her career-- a serial killer who moves from one city to the next. As if things aren't complicated enough Nick, the paper's new photographer, seems to be taking an unusual interest in her and her story. But Nick has a secret-- he's an undercover FBI agent tracking the killer and keeping an eye on Maggie at work and through his email persona.
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Beneath a prairie moon
by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Large Print. Abigail knows exactly how to behave in high society. But when she is cast from the social registers due to her father's illegal dealings, she finds herself forced into a role she never imagined: tutoring rough Kansas ranchers in the subjects of manners and morals so they can 'marry up' with their mail-order brides. Mack, whose father was swindled by a mail-order bride, wants no part of the scheme to bring Eastern women to Spiveyville, Kansas, and he's put off by the snooty airs and fastidious behavior of the 'little city gal' in their midst. But as time goes by, his heart goes out to the teacher who tries so diligently to smooth the rough edges from the down-to-earth men.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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New Hanover County Library
201 Chestnut Street Wilmington, North Carolina 28401 910-798-6301 www.nhclibrary.org |
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