Return to Rose Cottage by Sherryl Woods Mira Books November 2010 Format: Paperback, 488 pages First line: The headline said it all: Guilty Man Freed. Synopsis from B&N: New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Sherryl Woods draws you into the world of Rose Cottage, where the D’Angelo sisters reunite with family and find lasting love. The Laws of Attraction High-powered attorney Ashley D’Angelo has finally burned out. After…

Wallflower in Bloom by Claire Cook A Touchstone Book June 2012 Format: Hardcover, 272 pages First line: My brother was dazzling, as usual. From the inside cover: From the acclaimed bestselling author of Must Love Dogs comes a winning and witty new novel about a woman who emerges from the shadow of her overbearing family and finds herself “dancing with the stars.”  Deirdre Griffin has a great life; it’s just…

The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner Ballantine Books May 2009 Format: Paperback, 400 pages First line: I was thirteen years old when my parents conquered Granada. From the back cover: In this stunning novel, C. W. Gortner brings to life Juana of Castile, the third child of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand of Spain, who would become the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne. Along the…

By Hook or By Crook by Betty Hechtman Berkley Prime Crime June 2009 Format: Paperback, 272 pages First line: Nobody noticed the bag at first. From the back cover: Yarnaholic Molly Pink has become known in Tarzana, California, for her sleuthing skills, thanks to the help of her crochet group. But the latest mystery may be too much for these stitchers to unravel… There’s nothing the Tarzana Hookers love more…

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig New American Library October 2006 Format: Paperback, 464 pages First line: I bit my lip on an “Are we there yet?” From the back cover: Modern-day graduate student Eloise achieved the academic coup of the century when she unmasked one of history’s greatest spies, the Pink Carnation, who saved England from Napoleon. But now she has a million questions about the…

Midnight Promises by Sherryl Woods Mira Books July 2012 Format: Paperback, 384 pages First line: The bride wore a cocktail-length, off-the-shoulder gown in shimmering off-white satin and an antique lace mantilla – a family heirloom – reluctantly provided by her soon-to-be mother-in-law. From the back of the book: When Elliot Cruz first courted struggling single mom Karen Ames, it was a romance worthy of any Sweet Magnolia fantasy. The sexy…

Whiplash by Catherine Coulter Jove Books, New York July 2011 Trade Paperback, 433 pages First line: Erin used her third-generation lock picks. From the inside cover: When Yale professor Dr. Edward Kender’s father undergoes chemotherapy for colon cancer and the supply of the critical drug Culovort suddenly runs short, Kender hires P.I. Erin Pulaski to prove that something more sinister is going on at Schiffer Hartwin Pharmaceutical. On the same…

First line: Shane Stryker was determined enough to never walk away from a fight and smart enough to know when he’d been beat. From the back cover: Horse whisperer Shane Stryker is done with passion. This time around, he’s determined to meet someone who will be content with the quiet life of a rancher’s wife. And the fiery pint-size redhead who dazzles him at the local bar definitely does not…

First line: Dare Barron heard the commotion in the police station center earlier as his least favorite offender was brought in on a drunk and disorderly charge. From the back cover: Office Dare Barron has had a crush on Liza McKnight ever since he was a teenager. But despite his lifelong attraction, the closest he’s ever come to interacting with Liza is watching her regularly bail out her brother down…

First line: The rain is coming down on this old stone house so  hard, it seems there are a hundred tap dancers on the roof. From the back cover: It’s been eight years since Ave Maria Mulligan married Jack MacChesney, moved up into the hills, and dug her roots in even deeper. In this enthralling second installment in the Big Stone Gap series, their honeymoon haze has evolved into a…

First line: Tori Sinclair had always prided herself on being a relatively calm person – the kind of woman who kept a cool head and a professional demeanor at all times. From the back cover: Tori Sinclair is basking in the warmth of her new circle of friends. That is until local author Colby Calhoun reveals an unflattering secret about the town’s historic past. He soon finds that when you…

First line: “Everyone, shut up!” From the inside cover: The first time she speaks to him is at midnight. Seven-year-old Autumn Backman needs a hero. When she sees Special Agent Dillon Savich on TV after he’s brought down bank robbers in a Georgetown bank, she knows she’s found him.  She called Savich, but she didn’t use the phone.  They were burying dead people in my daddy’s grave … they’re coming…

First line: A fat winter moon poured light over the old stone and brick of the inn on The Square. Summary from Goodreads: Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family’s construction business with an iron fist – and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen…

First line: A good-looking man in his forties sat in the back row of the auditorium at the exclusive Morton Academy of Music. From the inside cover: Detective Lindsay Boxer is pregnant – and investigating the discovery of severed heads in a movie stars garden. YOUR BEST FRIEND  Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn’t slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down,…