Poignant family secrets

Dorothy Garlock tells a story unique to America’s past in Keep a Little Secret. In 1939, 20-year-old Charlotte Tucker takes a teaching position in a small Oklahoma town and moves into a room in the house of successful rancher John Grant. John is a member of the school board, but he hints to Charlotte that he has another motive for offering her a place to live. What secret is the older man keeping? Other characters on the ranch have hidden purposes as well. Twins Owen and Hannah Wallace are in the area searching for the father who abandoned them. While Owen finds himself romantically drawn to Charlotte, he’s afraid his feelings will get in the way of the revenge he wants—and that his revenge will keep him from having Charlotte. When dangerous events occur on the ranch, everyone is at risk. Will Charlotte and friends survive? Young love and exciting drama combine in this touching story from a not-so-distant era.

LOVE UNDER FIRE
Gena Showalter returns to her paranormal world of gods, angels, demigods and demon keepers in The Darkest Secret. There are demon-assassins too, the “Hunters,” who are pledged to kill the warrior Lords of the Underworld who carry inside them the evil demons freed from Pandora’s Box. Amun is the keeper of the demon of Secrets, and after a visit to Hell is hosting yet more vile creatures—and suffering for it. When a captured Hunter, a beauty named Haidee, is brought to the same fortress where Amun resides, they discover that her presence calms the wicked horde within. So, although they’re sworn enemies, these two discover a connection—that swiftly turns passionate. In order to save Amun from his torment, the pair travels back to Hell, putting their survival at risk. Characters from previous books cross the stage and the interaction between the warrior brotherhood provides a humorous note. At the core, though, it’s a sexy story full of danger as two people from warring factions fight against their pasts and for their love.

ROMANCE OF THE MONTH
Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier by Lisa Dale is about facing regrets and righting old wrongs. Thea Celik spent her childhood with the handsome Sorensen boys in Newport, Rhode Island, and married older brother Jonathan, though she’d once loved Garret. Years later, her marriage has fallen apart, but she’s still strongly tied to the Sorensens through her daughter and her love for her former in-laws. Jonathan moves in with bachelor Garret, re-establishing a bond between the two men long missing: When Jonathan and Thea wed years ago, Garret distanced himself from family, claiming that Thea was the wrong woman for his brother . . . without ever admitting his hostility was because he thought she was the right woman for him. As Thea negotiates her new life, old secrets and longings are revealed. Had she played it too safe by marrying the dependable Jonathan? Should she have given up her family business and gone after some other dream? The questions become more complex once Thea and Garret lay to rest the ghosts of their pasts and other emotions arise. Slow Dancing on Price’s Pier is a tender story that ultimately attests to the power of forgiveness and true love.