Romances of the American West
Below is a current list of all my books, contemporary and historical, in order in their series, as well as notations for which books share characters. Novels run 60-125,000 words. Behind a title, (n) indicates novella which range in length from 20,000 to 40,000 words. For more on the books, visit [Romances with an Edge]. There you will find links to sites other than Amazon. All historicals are currently wide, which means in B&N, Kobo, etc.
Most of the novels involve suspense, which means danger and violence. There is often mild profanity. Heat level in 80-130,000 word novels is 4 stars. Novellas are 2 to 3 stars.
Oregon Pioneer Romances
Round the Bend-- 1852: wagons head out on the Oregon Trail. Amy is naive about what love might be-- Matt disillusioned. Young love faces many challenges with death the greatest. Besides friend to lover romance, the book follows the adventures pioneers faced on their trek west.
Where Dreams Go-- 1855: Martha is a widow and does not expect the return of a man who presents temptations she'd forgotten, but he's too young for her. Will he be there for her if she disappoints her children and accepts his offer of marriage? What about when his duty reclaims him to once against scout for the military?
Going Home-- 1865: Raine thought she found love but the Civil War intervened. Now he is back and heading for his Eastern Oregon ranch. What's she to do? She's not a ranch type woman. All is not what she thought she knew in Portland where a shanghai nearly ends any chance for a happily ever after before Eastern Oregon gets a shot at the couple.
Love Waits-- 1867: Belle is in Eastern Oregon on a mission for the Pinkertons, which might be at risk when she sees the cavalry officer she's been unable to forget. Between conspiracies and Indian wars, this isn't a good time for love. She is trying to find proof of a conspiracy against the government and falling in love with two children she must protect.
Winds of Change-- Arizona Historical Romances
Beyond-Broken-Road: Amazon, and Universal Book Link--
1883: Abigail is dissatisfied with her life but did not have in mind
quite the change that one outlaw, Sam Ryker, brings when he turns her world upside
down. Both follow an impulse that changes everything. From Tucson to Tombstone and the San Rafael Valley, there is an old enemy determined to track Sam down.
--
1885: Priscilla is not going to fall in love with a man who wears a
gun, not even if he's a lawman, but she'll help him when his small
daughter arrives. Their closeness leads to a love that doesn't fit either of their lives. With another man determined to have her, Priscilla must fight for her own chance for happiness. Is destiny the real determiner?
Embracing the Dream- 1898: With a university degree, Grace returns to Tucson, all grown up and ready to fight for the man she loves, who is back from the Spanish-American war. Rafe is too old for her, divorced with a small son he barely can see. When his ex-wife is murdered and his son disappears, he will need more from Grace than he ever imagined..
Rose's Gifts-- 1899: Widow, Rose receives a proposal, but that's not possible at her age. Ollie finds his life complicated by the arrival of a secret. It's too late for people in their late 50s and 60s to find love-- or is it?
Embracing the Dream- 1898: With a university degree, Grace returns to Tucson, all grown up and ready to fight for the man she loves, who is back from the Spanish-American war. Rafe is too old for her, divorced with a small son he barely can see. When his ex-wife is murdered and his son disappears, he will need more from Grace than he ever imagined..
Rose's Gifts-- 1899: Widow, Rose receives a proposal, but that's not possible at her age. Ollie finds his life complicated by the arrival of a secret. It's too late for people in their late 50s and 60s to find love-- or is it?
The following books in the Arizona romance series, Winds of Change will be released in 2025.
Echo from the Past- 1901: Holly comes to Tucson to organize an archaeological dig-- not to fall in love. Vince is too old and has lived too hard a life to ever see it possible with this educated and rich woman. When they head to her dig in Central Arizona, the past from lifetimes ago arises to threaten any future.
Land of Fire- 1902: Lily finds artistic inspiration when she moves to Tucson to be close to her sister-- that and a lot more with Jesse, who might seem slow in some ways but is fast as lightning in others. Jesse can't believe Lily would ever see him as a possible mate. Someone else is determined she won't get the chance.
Bound for the Hills- 1905: Wilhelmina rents a mountain cabin and shockingly discovers the hero of her dime novels is a real man, Cole Taggert, and he's not pleased. What Willy doesn't know is that she has a dangerous secret. From the beauty of central Arizona, to a shootout in Tucson, the west isn't really all that tamed.
Circle of Life-- 1905: Frederica needs to find her daughter. Meeting a real life
retired (mostly) outlaw is the help she needs-- in more ways than one. She has thought she could trust someone but the only one she can really count on is the oldest-- left alive-- Taggert.
Starting Over Contemporary
When life throws a curve ball, sometimes there is only one way forward-- finding a new path and playing by new rulesLuck of the Draw-- 1974: Billy Stempleton, bronc and bull rider, comes to Pendleton for the Roundup and meets Sara, who is young, naive and has no idea what it means to fall in love with a bull rider. That week will change two lives.
Diana's Journey (n)-- Leaving Chicago, Diana and her two Chihuahuas travel the West in an RV. She's not looking for romance, but it might find her. As Diana transits the west, she has to find a place to stay for the winter. Bluff, Utah has more than she expects.
From Here to There-- A Massachusetts elite wedding that is a mistake (maybe) begins with Helena telling the groom that he's not cowboy enough for her. She heads to her uncle's ranch where she discovers and old journal with some truths that might help her find her own happy ending. Phillip is challenged by Helena's uncle to come out to the Rocking H and prove he has the mettle to claim his wife.
A Montana Christmas (n)-- Can a family heal from years of dysfunction? Christmas may not be the easiest time to find out. Following up on From Here to There with a continuing love story on the Rocking H where Helena and Phillip are still trying to merge two lifestyles into one happily ever after.
Contemporary -- Western Romances
Set
in the American West-- Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Montana,
these stand alone books, some with connecting characters, are romances
with danger and suspense. Whether in a city or on a ranch, they all
share the themes of great westerns with challenges to face.Desert Inferno-- Landscape painter, Rachel O'Brian finds a dying man on her family's remote desert ranch and Border Patrol comes to investigate. Jake is an ugly man and no way is he looking to fall in love with a beautiful woman where it can never be. He doesn't know it's not just Rachel who is looking for an ending-- just of a different sort than Rachel has in mind. It all is settled on the desert where only the toughest survive.
Evening Star-- When Portland attorney, Marla Jamison, meets Randy O'Brian, she wants nothing to do with the younger, handsome cop. What we need and want, aren't always the same thing. Marla falls in love but Randy has secrets that endanger both their lives.
Bannister's Way-- David Bannister has been undercover before but when he takes a job in Oregon and reconnects with his artist wife, Raven, undercover takes on a new meaning. David was in Desert Inferno. Characters from Evening Star are in this book set totally in the Portland, Oregon area, with art and danger meeting head to head.
Moon Dust-- For her health, Susan needs a divorce. Dane, a Portland high school principal is facing more than heartbreak as tensions with a militia leader escalate. If Dane can't open up to his wife about his own secrets, an attack by a madman may not be the worst of what he faces.
Second Chance-- Psychologist Barrett juggles being a single mother with an invasive ex. She cannot afford the complications a truck driver, animal rescuer, much younger man would bring to her daughter or her. This book follows up secondary characters in Moon Dust. Judd has done all he can to rebuild his life from early mistakes. He's long been in love with Barrett but it was an unrealistic dream-- or is it? Well, he better survive long enough to find out.
Hidden Pearl-- Architect, S.T. Taggert needs to find his sister who apparently joined a dangerous cult. He doesn't want the complications of a beautiful photo-journalist. As they both delve into the world of a fanatic, they are soon on the run for their lives with a need to stop someone from killing again and ruining more lives.
Her Dark Angel-- Katy has come to Reno to help her uncle while his receptionist is out. Dill, because of a perilous situation, is determined to make her visit a short one. Beauty better be prepared to fight for her beast if she wants a happily ever after. Reluctantly, Dill has been involved in working undercover for the government. He has made a dangerous enemy.
Mystic Shadows Romances
Set
in the mountain West, these stories explore the 'other' side as
ordinary people come up against what is anything but ordinary. Sky Daughter-- When Maggie returns to the mountains of Idaho to heal from losses, she learns her family isn't what she believed. Even more unexpected is Reuben. After he has been kidnapped, he ends up shot by Maggie before she takes him in to heal his wounds. They both have a lot they must face-- the seen and unseen-- before they can decide if they could have a life together.
Diablo Canyon-- combining in one book the following 3 novellas. Set in ranch country, south of Billings, with the spice that the novellas do not have.
When Fates Conspire (n)-- All is not as it seems when star-crossed lovers meet after many years and are ready to break the rules to be together. This is going to take some supernatural help.
The Dark of the Moon (n)-- He sees and talks to the other side. She has a ranch to operate and a son's death to grieve. With a human enemy aided by demonic powers, they are facing more than either imagined. Their spirit guides have their hands full.
Storm in the Canyon (n)—Being a spirit guide apparently isn’t all that is possible for Racine. She is needed to combat an old evil returned to again kill and control the human race. Falling in love with a human wasn’t in the plan—or was it?
Dangerous Match—Denali, oldest of four sisters, all natural-born witches, is asked to help solve a murder. The main suspect, Nick, an ex-SEAL and successful painter has his own secrets, but none are a match for hers. With a murderer still out there, they must find that person before he or she kill again. And somewhere Nick needs to find peace with knowing life is not all he thought.
Capturing the Wolf—Elke, a natural-born witch, believes she can help people better understand those with natural born spiritual powers if she can convince a writer, Mitch Ford, to more widely share his book on the supernatural world. Although she has long used her powers on the street for the good of all, she and Mitch confront a new enemy.
Complicated Bargain--Devi, unlike her sisters, hasn't come to terms with being a witch or using her powers. Living at her mother's home, she wants her own life. What that will be is debatable when she is offered a marriage in name only. It seems an answer for her and Asa Taggert. The problem is he's carrying around past life memories that he has yet to access and she has an enemy she didn't know..
Unfinished Business--Torre, in a family of witches, fell in love too young. Marsh left her with no explanation. He's back-- secrets and danger have come with him. From Tucson to the Navajo lands, love is on the line. Will witchcraft and his bear shifting be enough to save either of them?
Ever as Before -- Maria has now seen all her daughters married. What is she to make of her life as a widow of many years. Time to start over herself. It would be easier if a rising of the living dead was not complicating things.
