Celebrate the middle of the week with a new inspirational
Here are some newer inspirational romance and women's fiction, compiled for you and HEA by some of our favorite romance authors (info provided by publishers and/or their websites.
Kiss of Revenge by Debbie Viguie (FaithWords). Susan and her friends must prepare for their most important battle with the vampire Richelieu, but they find themselves divided. Wendy has been kidnapped by a centuries-old enemy of her ancestor, Carissa. While they search frantically to save her, a greater danger threatens as Richelieu's army of vampires and humans fills the crevices of Europe. Susan learns the rest of the ill-fated romance between Carissa and the formidable vampire Gabriel of centuries ago and soon realizes that history is repeating. But it is the secret of the cross that might save them all if she can discover it in time.
The following new releases were compiled for HEA by Renee Ryan, author of Finally a Bride. Her website is reneeryan.com.
The Army Doctor's Christmas Collection by Helen Scott Taylor. The Army Doctor's Baby, The Army Doctor's Wedding and The Army Doctor's Christmas Baby are three heartwarming stories of love and family that all end happily at Christmas with a Christmas proposal, a Christmas wedding, and a Christmas birth.
Unlikely Substitute by Leah Atwood. Once widowed, once duped Anne Marie Meadows has no desire to be married, but she is down to her last option. In order to save her farm, she sends for a mail-order husband. U.S. Marshal Jude Malstrom is a loner dedicated to his work, but when a dying man asks him to deliver a letter, he reluctantly carries out the task. When nature unleashes her fury, Jude and Anne Marie find themselves in each other's company for longer than they wish. Can they see beyond obligation and find an unlikely love?
The Summer Sisters by Annie Jones. The Dorsey sisters are back in Persuasion, only it's summer now and things are not going the way they had planned. Nic and Sam's wedding plans have been on hold for far too long. Collier is unemployed and uncertain about her future and Petie? She's got something new that may surprise them all!
WOMEN'S FICTION
The following new releases were compiled for HEA by Angela Kay Austin, author of Sweet Victory. Her website is www.angelakayaustin.com.
Dark Witch: Book One The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy by Nora Roberts (Berkley). Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan's directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses. Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O'Dwyer. And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives. When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath. Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horsemen, he's three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package. Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle. But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona's family tree and must be defeated. Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive…
Finding Amy by Sunny Serafino (Double Edge Press). Amy kissed her widowed mother goodbye and set out to see the world before starting art school in the fall. No arguments, no troubles, no warning for her mother, Cathy, that she would never see her again. One month turns into two, and one year into fifteen. Cathy receives three brief postcards and nothing more. What has become of her daughter? When does not knowing become more unbearable than discovering the truth? Cathy sets out to find where her daughter is even if her daughter doesn't wish to be found. Her journey takes her from her comfortable Florida home to the streets of Philadelphia. Her hired private investigator becomes much more than a partner in the search; and following Amy's trail brings them to a dramatic conclusion where Cathy will need the strength of her new found love. Sunny Serafino weaves a probing tale of God's timing and the unique relationship between mothers and daughters.
Due East: A Novel by Valerie Sayers (Northwestern University Press). Mary Faith Rapple is smart, pretty in a rangy, gray-eyed sort of way—and very definitely pregnant. Not an unusual occurrence in the sleepy town of Due East, South Carolina. But when Mary faith announces that she will have a virgin birth and her father, Jesse Rapple, owner of the Plaid King filling station, vows to uncover the truth, the sparks begin to fly.
Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (Wildside Press). A portrait of the bonds of provincial life as seen through the eyes of the free-spirited Maggie Tulliver, who is torn between a code of moral responsibility and her hunger for self-fulfillment. Rebellious by nature, she causes friction both among the townspeople of St. Ogg's and in her own family, particularly with her brother, Tom.
Somewhere Between Luck and Trust by Emilie Richards (Gale Group). Cristy Haviland served eight months in prison, giving birth behind bars to the child of the man who put her there and might yet destroy her. Now she's free again, but what does that mean? As smart as she is, a learning disability has kept her from learning to read. And that's the least of her hurdles. Georgia Ferguson, talented educator, receives a mysterious charm bracelet that may help her find the mother who abandoned her at birth. Does she want to follow the clues, and if she does, can reticent Georgia reach out for help along the way?
Two Lives by William Trevor (Viking Penguin). Two unforgettable short novels by acclaimed author William Trevor, both of which focus on women who retreat into their imaginations until the boundaries between what is real and what is not become blurred. In Reading Turgenev, an Irish country girl is trapped in a loveless marriage with an older man, but she finds release in secret meetings with a man who shares her passion for Russian novels. The second novella, My House in Umbria, tells how romantic novelist Emily Delahunty helps the survivors of a bomb attack on a train by inventing colorful pasts for her patients.
A Nantucket Christmas by Nancy Thayer (Random House). Holidays on this Massachusetts island are nothing short of magical, and the season's wonderful traditions are much loved by Nicole Somerset, new to Nantucket and recently married to a handsome former attorney. Their home is already full of enticing scents of pine, baking spices, and homemade pie. But the warm, festive mood is soon tempered by Nicole's chilly stepdaughter, Kennedy, who arrives without a hint of holiday spirit. Determined to keep her stepmother at arm's length—or, better yet, out of the picture altogether—Kennedy schemes to sabotage Nicole's holiday preparations. Nicole, however, is not about to let anyone or anything tarnish her first Christmas with her new husband.
The Melody of Secrets: A Novel by Jeffrey Stepakoff (St. Martin's Press). Maria was barely 18 as WWII was coming to its explosive end. A brilliant violinist, she tried to comfort herself with the Sibelius Concerto as American bombs rained down. James Cooper wasn't much older. A roguish fighter pilot stationed in London, he was shot down during a daring night raid and sought shelter in Maria's cottage. Fifteen years later, in Huntsville, Alabama, Maria is married to a German rocket scientist who works for the burgeoning U.S. space program. Her life in the South is at peace, purposefully distanced from her past. Everything is as it should be—until James Cooper walks back into it. Pulled from the desert airfield where he was testing planes no sane Air Force pilot would touch, and drinking a bit too much, Cooper is offered the chance to work for the government, and move himself to the front of the line for the astronaut program. He soon realizes that his job is to report not only on the rocket engines but also on the scientists developing them. Then Cooper learns secrets that could shatter Maria's world...
If you're an author who has an upcoming new romance, you can send information about the book (subgenre, title, author, publisher, 75ish-word blurb) to happyeverafterusat@gmail.com. Please include "new release inspirational" (or whatever subgenre it is) in the subject line. HEA will do its darnedest to get your listing into a new releases post as close to your publication date as possible. All romances and subgenres are accepted, including self- and indie-pubbed.