Tempting Texas

September 12, 2016
The satisfying third Rebel Moonshine contemporary western romance (after Red-Hot Texas Nights) returns to Rebel, Tex., to match up two flawed, likable protagonists. Hunter DeMassi, a member of the Sawyer family, is the Rebel sheriff; he’s given up his rodeo-riding ways after the death of his brother. While dodging dangerous miscreants, he ends up in the rundown home of Jenna Tucker, a vet at the local clinic. Hunter is dismayed by his instant attraction to Jenna, since she doesn’t fit the model of perfect upstanding womanhood that he believes he should look for in a mate—not to mention the long-standing feud between the Sawyers and the Tuckers. Jenna knows that underneath Hunter’s starched sheriff’s uniform, he’s just the sort of tough guy she’s sworn off of. But they can’t deny the sizzling heat whenever they are together. As Jenna continues to clean out the family home to ready it for demolition, she uncovers some secrets of Hunter’s great-grandmother’s past that help her realize how to embrace her future. Quirky small-town life adds flavor to this charming, sexy story. Agent: Natasha Kern, Natasha Kern Literary.

October 15, 2016
In Raye's (Red-Hot Texas Nights, 2016) latest Rebel Moonshine novel, Jenna is clearing out the family homestead, hoping for a fresh start. Her grandfather died while working on his still on the property, and the people in town look down on her and her sisters for their moonshine and their colorful family history. Jenny used to be wild, and when she is passed over for a promotion at the veterinary clinic, she resolves to walk the straight path from now on. Sheriff Hunter DeMassi also used to have a rowdy reputation, but he, too, now tries to be responsible. When he has to protect Jenna after she discovers the secret underlying a long-running feud, he initially fights his attraction to her. As for Jenna, she thinks she can only fall for nice, quiet men, but finds that she can't resist Hunter. Raye's well-written tale with sexy banter between Jenna and Hunter lifts her characters out of predictable patterns into a lively and enjoyable story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 1, 2017
The minute Torquill Quill Beauchamp, Marquess of Kerr, learns that his late aunt, Lady Celeste Beauchamp, has bequeathed her estate to a group of female scholars, he knows something is wrong. Why on earth would his aunt leave Beauchamp House, which has been in the family for centuries, to a group of complete strangers? Once Quill finally meets the four bluestockings who have taken up residence in his aunt's homeincluding the lovely if bookish Miss Ivy Wareham, whom Quill actually thought was a governess when he bumped into her en route to Beauchamp Househe is determined to make the ladies give up their claim on the estate. Everything changes, however, when Ivy approaches him with information that his aunt may have been murdered. Reluctantly forced to accept Ivy as his sleuthing partner, Quill is surprised to find himself suddenly beginning to think of other kinds of partnerships he might enjoy with her! Displaying a deft hand at characterization, a superb ability to craft an engaging plot spiced with intrigue and danger, and a remarkable flair for graceful writing richly imbued with a deliciously crisp wit, Collins launches the Studies in Scandal series on a high note.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)