Midnight Kiss by Robyn Carr, Jean Brashear, Victoria Dahl Harlequin Anthology November 2010 Format: e-book, 320 pages First line: Sunny Archer was seriously considering a legal name change. Synopsis from B&N:These are New Year’s resolutions worth keeping   Take a risk. At the inaugural New Year’s Eve party at Jack’s Bar, two lonely revelers decide the best balm for their broken hearts might just be each other.   Find the…

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen Ballantine Books July 2003 Format: Paperback, 400 pages First line: Today I watched a man die. From the back cover: It is a boiling hot Boston summer. Adding to the city’s woes is a series of shocking crimes in which wealthy men are made to watch while their wives are brutalized – a sadistic demand that ends in death. The pattern suggests one man: serial…

Back Fire by Catherine Coulter Putnam Adult July 2012 Format: Hardcover, 400 pages First line: Judge Ramsey Hunt listened to the lapping water break against the rocks below, a sound that always brought him back into himself and centered him. From the inside cover: San Francisco Judge Ramsey Hunt, longtime friend to FBI agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich, is presiding over the trial of Clive and Cindy Cahill –…

Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts Harlequin MIRA September 2012 Format: Paperback ARC, 400 pages First line: Manage your relationships well and your business will go well. From the back cover: Sweet Dreams Chocolate Company has been in the Sterling family for generations, ever since Great-Grandma Rose literally dreamed up her first fabulous recipe. But now it looks as if they’re about to lose Sweet Dreams to the bank –…

The King’s Damsel by Kate Emerson Gallery Books August 2012 Format: Paperback ARC, 368 pages First line: Star of Hartlake sensed my troubled spirit. From the back cover: Handmaid. Spy. Mistress. Anxious to secure his own success at the glittering court of Henry VIII, heiress Tamsin Lodge’s ambitious guardian obtains her a position as maid of honor to young Princess Mary Tudor. Tamsin soon comes to love the neglected child,…

Sheltering Hearts by Robyn Carr Harlequin May 2010 Format: e-book (free) First line: As Dory Finn pulled her twelve-year-old Pathfinder up the drive to her little house in the country, she noticed the engine was skipping, and something was making a very ugly noise. Synopsis by B&N: New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr takes readers back to her beloved Virgin River country in this heartwarming tribute to Rhonda Clemons,…

Raising Wild Ginger by Tara Woolpy Bats in the Boathouse Press July 2012 Format: e-book ARC, 217 pages First line: For our anniversary, Sam and I trekked in to the site of our first kiss. Synopsis from Goodreads: Parenting is hard. That’s what Edward Rosenberg has always assumed, although his only experience with children has been as the drunken uncle. Now the love of his life, Sam DaCosta, is yearning…

The Good Woman by Jane Porter Berkley Trade September 2012 Format: Paperback ARC, 368 pages First line: He was good. From the back cover: The firstborn of a large Irish-American family, Meg Brennan Roberts is a successful publicist, faithful wife, and doting mother who prides herself on always making the right decisions. But years of being “the good woman” have taken a toll and though her winery career thrives, Meg…

Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen Ballantine Books August 2012 Format: Hardcover; 352 pages First line: We called him Icarus. From the inside cover:  For the second time in his short life, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre. Two years ago, he barely escaped when his entire family was slaughtered. Now, at fourteen, in a hideous echo of the past, Teddy is the lone survivor of his foster family’s mass…

 At the King’s Pleasure by Kate Emerson Gallery Books January 2012 Format: Paperback, 351 pages First line: “This latest news from the court pleases me,” said Edward Stafford, third Duke of Buckingham, “but my brother’s continued confinement in the Tower of London is worrisome.” From the back cover: Married to one man. Desiring another. Beautiful Lady Anne Stafford, lady-in- waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, is torn between her love…

A Stitch in Crime by Betty Hechtman Berkley February 2010 Format: Paperback, 304 pages First line: “Molly, please try to get through the weekend without any dead bodies,” Mrs. Shedd said, pushing the rhinestone-encrusted clipboard across her desk to me. From the back cover: Molly Pink and her crochet group friends are packing up for a creative weekend away. But with danger following them, trying to solve the latest mystery…

The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber Ballantine Books August 2012 Format: Hardcover, 330 pages First line: Last night I dreamed of Paul. From the inside cover: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber comes a heartwarming new series based in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove, where a charming cast of characters finds love, forgiveness, and renewal behind the doors of the cozy Rose Harbor…

Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr Mira Books March 2010 Format: Paperback, 409 pages First line: In the two weeks Aiden Riordan has been in Virgin River, he’d hiked over a hundred miles and grown himself a pretty hefty dark red beard. From the back cover: With her beloved younger siblings settled and happy, Erin Foley has empty nest syndrome. At age thirty-five.  So she’s hitting the pause button on her…

Split Second by Catherine Coulter G.P. Putnam Sons July 2011 Format: Hardcover, 419 pages First line: Nonfat milk, Fritos, and bananas, Savich repeated to himself as he pulled into the parking lot of Mr. Patil’s Shop ‘n Go. From the inside cover: The number-one New York Times-bestselling author returns with another pulse-pounding thriller featuring FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, and introducing Speical Agents Lucy Carlyle and Cooper McKnight. A…

The Color of Tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe Scribner June 2012 Format: Paperback, 336 pages First line: We arrived in Macau at the end of the Year of the Golden Pig. From the back cover: Macau: the bulbous nose of China, a peninsula and two islands strung together like a three-bead necklace. It was time to find a life for myself. To make something out of nothing. The end of hope…

Return to Willow Lake by Susan Wiggs Harlequin MIRA August 2012 Format: e-book, 486 pages First line: Moments before the wedding was to begin, Sonnet Romano shuddered with a wave of nervousness. Summary from Goodreads: Sonnet Romano’s life is almost perfect. She has the ideal career, the ideal boyfriend, and has just been offered a prestigious fellowship. There’s nothing more a woman wants – except maybe a baby…sister? When Sonnet…

When First They Met by Debbie Macomber Ballentine Books June 2012 Format: e-book, 27 pages First line: I’ve always been a big football enthusiast. Synopsis from B&N: Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street and Cedar Cove series have won thousands of fans, thanks to her signature blend of heartfelt romance, delightful humor, and warm wisdom. Now, in this original short story available exclusively as an eBook, Macomber shares a sneak peek into…

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson Vintage Crime/Black Lizard February 2012 Format: Paperback, 655 pages First line: Dr. Jonasson was woken by a nurse five minutes before the helicopter was expected to land. From the back cover: In the concluding volume of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy, Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition in a Swedish hospital, a bullet in her head. But she’s fighting for her…