Karen Witemeyer's "Under the Texas Mistletoe" novella collection

Spend Christmas in Texas this year with these charming holiday novellas from bestselling historical romance author Karen Witemeyer, whose writing is spiced with her signature blend of humor, thrilling frontier action, and sweet romance.

A Texas Christmas Carol: in which a town's wealthy, Scrooge-like bachelor finds his world invaded by a woman set on earning his donation for helping the local poor.

~It's obviously a Texas-romance retelling of A Christmas Carol, and there were a lot of sneaky references to it throughout the story. My favorite line was when Evan Beezer yells to his assistant, "Bob, scratch it!" It was cleverly told. I'm not a huge fan of the original story, but I did enjoy this version.

An Archer Family Christmas: in which the Archer clan encounters an unexpected request for help that will require all their effort and a Christmas miracle to see them through.

~It was wonderful to see the Archer clan again, and I really appreciated that Jim and Cassie finally get their own short story! Their whirlwind romance and marriage took place as a subplot in Short-Straw Bride, so they haven't had a story told from their perspective until now. I hurt for Jim and Cassie right off the bat, but they do get a bittersweet miracle after a pretty hair-raising encounter with an outlaw gang. While not a romance, it is about a couple who are still very much in love and uphold each other in their deepest hurts.

Gift of the Heart (Previously published in The Christmas Heirloom: Four Holiday Novellas of Love Through the Generations): in which a widow uses the family brooch as collateral for a loan from the local resort owner, but the more she comes to know the man behind the stern businessman, the more she hopes for a second chance at love this Christmas.

~The problem with including children in a story is that they tend to steal the show, and Naomi is adorable--both sweet and wise for one so young, as she demonstrates in her unreserved love Beauregard, even before he (by worldly standards) earns it. But the romance is sweet too. Really, Bo is just plain sweet and not at all the stereotypical wealthy tycoon one would expect.

Related novels:

Archer Family 
Short-Straw Bride
Stealing the Preacher
"A Cowboy Unmatched"
"An Archer Family Christmas"

"The Heart of a Cowboy" by Jody Hedlund - Colorado Cowboys, book 2

After watching his ma suffer and die in childbirth, Flynn McQuaid has sworn off women and marriage forever. Headed west to start a new life, he has his hands full not only taking care of his younger siblings but also delivering cattle to his brother. He doesn't need more complications. When Flynn rescues scientist Linnea Newberry from drowning during a river crossing, Dr. Powell promptly hires Flynn--unbeknownst to Linnea--to act as her bodyguard for the rest of the trip. As Flynn fights against the many dangers of the trail, he soon finds himself in the greatest danger of all--falling for a woman he's determined not to love.

Given my love for botany, it was exciting to have a heroine who is a botanist cataloging the flora of the Great Plains and Rockies. It would have been nice if she hadn't spent the book worrying about proving her worth (the trope of a woman proving her worth in a man's profession gets a little old), but it wasn't unrealistic. I always enjoy learning something new, and this time I learned about all the renegade bands of confederate soldiers harassing the trail all the way to Denver--I hadn't realized the Civil War spilled over that far west. 

With the journey on the Santa Fe Trail, it reminded me of the author's earlier work (and my favorite of hers), The Doctor's Lady. They feature different routes west and different time periods, but there's a lot of similar hardship along the trail (and, funnily enough, problems the direct opposite of each other). For me, this one didn't have the emotional punch that loved in The Doctor's Lady, but I enjoyed it. 

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Colorado Cowboys
1. A Cowboy for Keeps
2. The Heart of a Cowboy
3. To Tame a Cowboy

"Autumn by the Sea" by Melissa Tagg - Muir Harbor, book 1

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she's never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who's searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago. If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie's once again caught up in the past, convinced she's finally found her long-lost granddaughter. Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there's something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that's messier than ever. Together, they're pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea.

I don't read a lot of contemporary fiction, but Melissa Tagg is an author whose books I can't resist. This story lived up to that standard and raised it a level (I need the next book! There's a presumably-series-long mystery that is yet unsolved!).

Given her backlist of books full of adorable and/or hilarious meet-cutes, I have no idea how she always manages to top them--she has so many spectacular ones. But this one really cracked me up. There's plenty of humor (in case you couldn't guess that by my previous comment), but Tagg knows how to write a poignant storyline too. I teared up multiple times; Sydney is simply trying to find her place--trying to find out if she has a family somewhere that actually wants her--but is met with suspicion and hostility by the rest of the Muir clan. It reminded me of the 1997 animated film Anastasia, though subverted in many fun ways.

As aforementioned, I'm definitely looking forward to the next book and the one after that! Indi, Lillian, and the dashing private detective all caught my attention--I can't wait to read their stories!

Muir Harbor

1. Autumn by the Sea

2. A Seaside Wonder

3. Wedding at Sea

"Shiloh" by Lori Benton - Kindred, book 2

A year has passed since Ian Cameron reluctantly sent his uncle's former slave Seona and their son, Gabriel, north to his kin in Boston. Determined to fully release them, Ian strives to make a life at Mountain Laurel, his inherited plantation, along with Judith, the wife he's vowed to love and cherish. But when tragedy leaves him alone with his daughter, Mandy, and his three remaining slaves, he decides to return north. In Boston, Seona has taken her first tentative steps as a free woman, while trying to banish Ian from her heart. Then Ian arrives, offering a second chance Seona hadn't dared imagine. But the wide-open frontier of Shiloh feels as boundless and terrifying as her newfound freedom--a place of new friends and new enemies, where deep bonds are renewed but old hurts stand ready to rear their heads. It will take every ounce of faith and courage Ian and Seona can muster to fight for their family and their future . . . together. 

This is essentially the second half of the story begun in Mountain Laurel, but at the same time, it's also a sequel to Burning Sky. It was a surprise how closely the characters of Burning Sky are entwined with the characters introduced in Mountain Laurel, and how some unfinished business from Burning Sky has come to haunt them all. I think the story summarizes events from the related novels well enough, but I'd highly recommend reading both before reading Shiloh. 

I'm glad that there is, at last, a happy ending. There's a part of me that felt like it should have come a lot sooner--doors opened quickly enough for it--but Benton takes a slow, realistic approach. Seona is now a free woman, but she doesn't know how to be free. She has never been forced to make choices before, since as a slave, she'd had none. She'd been hurt badly when Ian broke his promise and married Judith while handfasted to her. Now she has the chance to marry Ian in the eyes of the law, but she's weighed down with fear. He can't keep his promises of safety. As she is reminded, as a savior, Ian will always disappoint. But there is a Savior who won't. 

I did like Ian more in this book; he's much steadier, with a faith that now sustains him. But he has a rough go of trying to woo Seona back to him while making sure that she is choosing him, not just doing what she's told. We get to know Ian's family much better, with all their heavy undercurrents, and even see what comes of Joseph Tames-His-Horse a decade after Burning Sky. It was good; slow, for the majority of the book, but good.

Thank you, Tyndale House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Kindred
1. Mountain Laurel
2. Shiloh
2.5 The Journey of Run's Far

Related Novels:
The King's Mercy
Burning Sky

"A Midnight Dance" by Joanna Davison Politano

All theater romances are tragedies. Ella Blythe knows this. Still, she cannot help but hope her own story may turn out different than most--and certainly different than the tragic story of the Ghost of Craven Street Theater. Yet as she struggles to maintain her tenuous place in the ever-shrinking ballet company, win the attentions of principal dancer Philippe, and avoid company flirt Jack, Ella cannot deny the uncanny feeling that her life is mirroring that of the dead ballerina. Is she dancing ever closer to the edge of her own tragic end? Or will the secrets that are about to come to light offer release from the past?

This was definitely my favorite of the author's books so far--I loved the romance, as well as Ella's personal journey. I could easily relate with her: she's doing what she loves (dancing), but somewhere along the line, joy has become second to the work of being the best she can be (and when one loses joy, that leads to burnout, even--or especially--when doing something that one loves). 

This is book I'd read again just to catch all the foreshadowing and hints I missed before the big reveal in the end. Again, I loved the romance--just something about it struck the right chord in me, though it is definitely second in prominence to Ella's personal journey and the search for answers about her mother. It was beautifully written and an overall delight.

Thank you Revell and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

"The Mistletoe Countess" by Pepper D Basham

Mistletoe is beautiful and dangerous, much like the woman from Lord Frederick’s Percy’s past, so when he turns over a new leaf and arranges to marry for his estate, instead of his heart, he never expects the wrong bride to be the right choice. Gracelynn Ferguson never expected to take her elder sister’s place as a Christmas bride, but when she’s thrust into the choice, she will trust in her faithful novels and overactive imagination to help her not only win Frederick’s heart but also to solve the murder mystery of Havensbrook Hall before the ghosts from Frederick’s past ruin her fairytale future.

This is a fun, light-hearted story that references just about every classical novel under the sun. I don't think I know anyone with Grace's extremely wide taste in books; I love to read, but some classics are more a chore than pleasure to get through, and I don't think Grace has a critical word for any of them. Grace is a lot like Anne of Green Gables, red hair and all, but even more entrenched in her imagination and the world of books. And while she doesn't float down the river like the Lady of Shallott, she does attempt swinging down a rope like Tarzan. Even from the meet-cute, she's clearly a much better match for Frederick than her sister, though the reasons grow deeper as the story goes on.

The first half of the book is more focused on the romance, and the second half delves deeper into the mystery of the attempts on Frederick's life. If you enjoy kissing books, there's a lot in this one. I'm not 100% convinced of Grace's sleuthing skills, or that even with her convolutedly clever mind she should be taking on murderers, but it all works out, and the story is entertaining all the way through. 

Thank you Barbour and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

"Love on the Range" by Mary Connealy - Brothers in Arms, book 3

Wyatt Hunt is temporarily bedridden and completely miserable. Somehow Molly Garner's limited skills have made her the most qualified in their circle to care for Wyatt. But by the time he's healed, she's fed up with him and the whole ungrateful family. For even worse than his grumpiness were the few unguarded moments when he pulled at her heartstrings, and she has long determined to never marry. Molly gets a job as the housekeeper at Oliver Hawkins's ranch. But really she's with the Pinkertons, spying to find out if Hawkins has abused women and if he's guilty of murder. Wyatt refuses to let her risk it alone, convincing Hawkins that he's abandoning his own ranch, angered by his two brothers' coming to claim a big chunk of it. But when another Pinkerton agent gets shot, they realize Hawkins isn't the only danger. The Hunt brothers will have to band together to face all the troubles of life and love that suddenly surround them.

This was an enjoyable end to the Brothers in Arms series. It has a slightly stronger focus on Molly and Wyatt, but a fair amount of the story is told from the perspectives of Cheyenne, Falcon, Kevin, and Winona (so if you missed them, then you can look forward to more of them!). Regardless, it would probably help to read the first two books in the series to best understand this one, as it takes place immediately after book 2 and continues a major ongoing plot.

I was pleased that I was right about certain hints I picked up on in the first couple books, but there was a major surprise I did not see coming in this one. I like being right, but I like being surprised (so long as it makes sense) even more, and with this book I was both!

I wouldn't have minded if Molly's journey to healing was a little more prominent, since she has a pretty heavy past to work past, but I'm glad about the choices she makes in the end, even if it's a lot easier than would be realistic. But this is a romantic comedy (albeit a highly suspenseful one), so it doesn't really bother me to suspend my disbelief that far. Overall, it was a good ending to series. (Oh, and there's a cameo from a previous series--watch for it!) 

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

Brothers in Arms
1. Braced for Love
2. A Man with a Past
3. Love on the Range