The Bollywood Bride by critically acclaimed author Sonali Dev starts with a bang when an impulsive act by Ria Parkar, the Bollywood scene’s reclusive Ice Princess, threatens to expose her family’s history of mental illness—a history she’s sacrificed everything to keep private. In a moment of vulnerability, Ria agrees to attend her cousin’s Chicago wedding. She knows she shouldn’t go, because the last person she wants to see will also be attendance. But she’s so homesick for her favorite cousin, aunt and uncle that she can’t stay away.

Vikram Jathar, Ria’s first friend and only love—the man she fled 10 years ago in the most bridge-burning manner she could devise—is every bit as furious with her as she expects. In his eyes, Ria exchanged their relationship for a glamorous life in the spotlight. Yet he can’t seem to stay away from her.

Objectively, Ria knows better than to get involved with Vikram again. She understands that they have no future and that she should return to Mumbai. But it’s so wonderful to be back with the family who gave her childhood normalcy, who provided the best summers of her life. And no matter how sternly she tells herself that she must go back to India, she can’t tear herself away from them, nor from Vikram. Then everything changes.

I fell in love with Dev’s writing in her first novel, A Bollywood Affair. The Bollywood Bride is its polar opposite in tone: darkness and angst to her first novel’s lightness. Yet it’s filled with the same complexity of characters, rich sense of family love and enticing peeks into a culture of which I now have a bit more knowledge. Dev’s ability to weave these elements throughout the story is admirable, and she has created a lush, satisfying second-chance-at-love tapestry.

Susan Andersen is a New York Times best-selling author of 23 romance and romantic suspense novels.

New York Times best-selling author Jodi Thomas introduces readers to her new series, Ransom Canyon, with an eponymous novel about four families struggling to hold it all together. Set against the beautiful, rugged landscape of a West Texas town, Ransom Canyon is a subtle, sweet start to a new small-town saga.

Rather than focus on a couple trying to make a romance work, Thomas deftly weaves multiple characters into the narrative of Ransom Canyon: a widower coping with the loss of his son; a lavender farmer helping her late best friend’s husband through his grief; a man recently released from prison who finds acceptance from the residents at a local retirement community; a young girl trying to navigate life and the pangs of first love, despite her sheriff father’s overprotection; a teenage boy longing to shake his humble roots with a fresh start in college. All call Ransom Canyon home as they struggle to make sense of loss and love. Each of these characters is compelling; their emotions and actions are as realistic as the setting Thomas paints. Regardless of where each character is in life, some experiences are universal, like redemption and first love.

The setting of Ransom Canyon, though, is a character in and of itself. Watching the characters interact with the setting, the ranches and the animals is on par with seeing them interact with one another. With great, easy pacing, readers won’t realize that they have fallen in love with the charming Ransom Canyon until the very last page.

Thomas could make a city girl hang up her pumps for a pair of boots with her descriptions of clear, blue skies and dusk-red dirt. Each characters’ journey is worthy of a happy ending, and it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite. Fans will anxiously await the next book in the series because, like meeting with old friends, catching up with the characters of Ransom Canyon can’t come soon enough.

Brown-Eyed Girl is the final book in the Travis Brothers series by beloved romance author Lisa Kleypas. This contemporary series is about a family of rich Texans, and each book in the quartet works as a stand-alone.

Avery is a wedding planner with a huge fear of commitment. Both of her parents were serial cheaters, and her last boyfriend left her at the altar. So when she meets Joe Travis, she refuses to consider dating him—despite the fact that he’s quite the charmer. But Joe is a determined guy, and he will do whatever it takes to convince Avery to try a relationship.

Meanwhile, Avery has a wedding to plan for a reluctant groom and an overbearing mother. She also has a new dog and a romance to referee between her assistant and her sister, Sofia. On top of all that, Avery is auditioning for a show filmed in New York. With all these demands on her time and a thousand reasons to avoid a serious relationship, will Joe win her over?

As is usually the case with Kleypas, you can expect a lot of humor in this book, along with incredibly engaging characters. Joe is pushy in the sense that he persists in courting Avery despite her saying that she's not interested, but he is also kind, generally respectful, and sweet to his family. Avery's competence as a professional is never in question and never used as a mark against her—her combination of competence and ethics are a significant part of why Joe is so attracted to her. The supporting characters are engaging (or, in the case of the antagonist, gratifyingly evil). The sex is hot, and Avery and Joe make sense as a couple—she has drive, and he can offer a kind of stability and depth of relationship that she's never known.

This is a feel-good book, especially for those who don't mind a rather aggressive male lead. The theme of family runs throughout the book, and while Brown-Eyed Girl is fine on its own, readers of previous installments will be pleased to see the other Travis siblings passing through the story. This is a sweet, satisfying conclusion to the series.

USA Today best-selling author—and our very own romance columnist—Christie Ridgway returns readers to Blue Arrow Lake in Can’t Fight This Feeling, the third book in her Cabin Fever series. Former soldier and current landscaper Brett Walker is content with his bachelor life in the mountain resort town where his family has lived for generations. His past involvement with spoiled rich girls, however, has left him with a scarred heart, and he no longer believes in love. Therefore, he fights his attraction to beautiful heiress Angelica Rodriguez, unwilling to believe she’s any different than the other snooty women who frequent Blue Arrow Lake.

Angelica is equally drawn to the handsome, tough Brett, but she’s baffled when he kisses her, and then avoids her for days. He’s the first man she’s ever really lusted for, and she’s clueless as to whether he dislikes her as much as he seems to desire her. But Angelica has bigger problems than her confusion over Brett because her father, a hedge fund manager in Los Angeles, has been arrested for financial misdeeds. She quickly learns that he drained her personal savings, and she’s now without funds. Within a very short time, her situation becomes desperate.

Brett’s determination to stay far away from the enticing Angelica goes up in smoke when he overhears her tell his sister that she’s been sleeping in her car. Every protective instinct he has kicks in, and before Angelica knows what’s happening, she finds herself wrapped up in the generous Walker family circle. Angelica is an only child with distant, uncaring parent, and the big, bustling Walker family is everything she’s always longed for.

Blue Arrow Lake feels like home to Angelica, and she desperately wants to stay. But her financial circumstances and uncertainty about Brett’s feelings make her question whether she can remain in the welcoming town. As she struggles to reach a decision, only Brett can keep her anchored—but will he be able to forget the pain of the past and claim a future with her?

There is so much to like about this latest novel from Ridgway. Brett and Angelica’s struggle to reach beyond their emotional scars and trust each other is heartwarming and powerful. The heat between them is volcanic, the romance tender, their need to protect each other endearing. The story has everything romance readers love—a broodingly handsome hero, a beautiful and smart heroine, lots of hot sex, many heart-meltingly sweet moments and a wonderful ending.

Lois Dyer writes from Port Orchard, Washington

Authors Laurelin Paige and Kayti McGee, writing together as Laurelin McGee, offer up their charming first collaboration, Miss Match. A standalone novel featuring a cheeky matchmaker and her businessman client, this romance is a flirty love story complete with plenty of laughs.

Andrea Grayson, called Andy, finds herself employee non grata in the corporate world following a bitter parting with her former boss. The last career she wants to pursue is the position of matchmaker for a businessman who is too lazy to find his own dates. And not just dates—he wants the matchmaker to find him a wife. However distasteful Andy finds the idea, she’s also fond of eating and is tired of allowing her sister, Lacy, to carry the financial load for both of them. So when Lacy presents the interview opportunity as a fait accompli, the least Andy can do is look into it.

Blake Donovan is far too busy to find a suitable wife. His Craigslist ad for a matchmaker seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution—until he discovers that most of the matchmaker applicants are hoping to snag the wife position. Then Andy Grayson strolls into his office with her crazy auburn hair, scrumptious scent and smart mouth. She’s the antithesis of everything he’s looking for in a woman. But she’s skilled and exciting, and suddenly he can’t imagine hiring anyone else.

Andy can’t believe a man as rich, successful and attractive as Blake needs help getting dates, never mind a wife. Then he opens his mouth—and she can’t imagine a woman alive willing to put up with him. But she needs the money (there's that whole liking-to-eat thing), so she takes the job. And that’s when the fun begins.

This isn’t your mother’s matchmaker story: the author duo Laurelin McGee has penned a hip, sizzling tale, and Andy and Blake’s mismatched personalities and red-hot mutual attraction take the reader on a wild ride. I found it difficult to put this book down; it made me smile, laugh out loud and root for this couple’s happy ending.

Jenna Sutton’s All the Right Places is the first in her new contemporary series about siblings determined to keep Riley O’Brien & Co—their iconic, 170 year-old denim company—viable in a changing industry. This kickoff book features Quinn O’Brien, who has become an all-work-no-play kind of guy upon taking over the business from his ailing father. His stoicism hits a serious hiccup, however, the day he follows a curvy redhead up the escalator and discovers she’s the new accessories designer his sister hired to breathe life into the nearly nonexistent women’s division.

Amelia Winger was born and raised in a small Texas town by a ne’er-do-well mother, and her hardscrabble background makes being named the company’s accessories designer a particularly delicious dream come true. The last thing she needs is an immediate, overpowering sexual attraction to the strapping CEO. No one’s going to say she slept her way to the top—she will be taken seriously as a professional.

Quinn struggles with a similar problem. It’s bad enough that the first thing he said to Amelia was “Nice ass.” Make a move on her, and she’ll likely hit him with a deserved sexual harassment suit. As hard as the two try to stay away from each other, however, their chemistry proves impossible to ignore. In addition, Quinn soon learns how talented, hardworking and sweet Amelia is, while she is blown away by, well, just about everything about him. She’s never met a man as aggressively sexual yet so kind and decent. Plus, they’re two consenting adults, right? So maybe it won’t matter that they’re burning up the sheets every chance they get. But then there’s the fact that Amelia is keeping a huge secret from him. And Quinn is sure to have a large problem with it.

Peopled with complex, believable characters and set in an interesting business, Sutton’s debut novel is a sexy, sassy and hot hit.

New York Times best-selling author Shannon Stacey starts a sweet and satisfying series with Under the Lights. A former high school football star returns to his charming hometown in order to help out the man who changed his life—his old coach. What he doesn’t expect is his attraction to the now-grown coach’s daughter, a woman who may still be off limits after all these years.

Chase Sanders is not exactly having the best year. His girlfriend has just left him, and his business partner cleaned out his accounts. Returning to Stewart Mills, New Hampshire—where he used to be the big man on campus—at his lowest point would just be the cherry on top. But when Kelly McDonnell, his former coach’s daughter, calls him asking for his help in saving the hometown’s high school football team, he can’t seem to say no to returning home. With budget cuts wreaking havoc, Kelly puts together a two-week fundraising extravaganza to save her father’s passion, and Chase can’t leave his coach hanging out to dry.

Chase and Kelly weren’t necessarily on friendly terms when they attended high school together. Since Kelly was two years behind him, she wasn’t even on Chase’s radar. Plus, showing any interest in the coach’s daughter meant trouble. Seeing Chase and Kelly relive their high school experiences had me longing for Friday night lights, fresh popcorn at the concession stand and swathes of team colors in the stands.

Kelly, a local police officer, is a headstrong heroine motivated by such earnest feelings of love toward her father and her hometown that it’s difficult not to get misty-eyed at her dedication. However, she does have a stubborn streak when it comes to Chase. Neither wants to admit to their attraction; Kelly wants to save face and Chase fears driving a wedge in his relationship with his mentor. Watching them try to reconcile the things holding them back while being forced into close contact is a slow, torturous burn, but it makes Chase and Kelly’s chemistry that much sweeter.

Stacey also does an impeccable job of introducing the town’s characters and Chase’s former teammates. Chase’s jokes with his old friends and Kelly’s interactions with the high school’s current football players are practically guaranteed to produce smiles, and readers will look forward to seeing these two, as well as their friends, again in future books.

With yet another great start to a series under her belt, Shannon Stacey clearly knows her way around building the perfect contemporary romance. Under the Lights is a nice reminder that people can change and grow, and that sometimes, forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

In Christina Lee’s adult contemporary romance debut, Two of Hearts, former sweethearts are brought together under tragic circumstances. However, they are soon able discover the beauty of getting a second chance with the one that got away.

Because they grew up on a Native American reservation together, Dakota and Shane share the same culture—a culture that Lee does a respectful and thorough job of representing. But after college, Dakota remains on the reservation while Shane leaves in order to become a U.S. Marshal, a decision both of them can’t seem to forget. Though years have passed since they last saw each other, Shane immediately returns to the reservation upon hearing about the murder of Dakota’s father, a man who was cherished in the community. With the excuse of checking out the questionable circumstances of his death, Shane finds a reason to stay on the reservation with Dakota a little while longer.

Left in charge of her father’s casino, Dakota, along with her Dutch mother, must fend off those that either wish to demolish the casino completely or turn the business over to someone with full Native American blood. Independent and headstrong, Dakota becomes the foundation for her family, though it’s Shane who is there as her safety net. Soon, the temptation of the love they once shared proves to be too great to resist.

As the local council gets closer to voting on whether or not Dakota and her family get to keep ownership of the casino, threats against Dakota become physical. And when Shane discovers evidence that the death of Dakota’s father wasn’t just a wrong-place-wrong-time scenario, the threat of losing the love he’s only just rekindled becomes very real.

Two of Hearts is a tale of love and loss—and how the former can help to soften the latter. Not many people get a second chance with their first love, and Lee expertly blends Dakota and Shane’s earnest longing with the hesitation of something seeming too good to be true. Dakota, self-sufficient and determined, isn’t used to feeling vulnerable, but Shane provides the perfect complement by giving her the space she needs, as well as affection when she’s too scared to ask for it.  Lee shows readers that a great love may never really end, and that sometimes, the second time is the charm. 

“Time is precious. Waste it wisely.” Haddie Montgomery can’t forget those words after her beloved sister dies, but she can’t get far enough past her grief to think about anything more than the next moment. In K. Bromberg’s Slow Burn, burying the pain of loss in a whirl of high spirits, stiff drinks and hot sex is Haddie’s modus operandi—at least at first.   

That’s how Haddie winds up in bed with Beckett Daniels, the gorgeous, laid-back guy she met through her best friend. He’s Country to her City, the kind of well-mannered, boy-next-door type she’s always ignored in favor of the reckless bad boys who inevitably wind up breaking her heart. But one night with Becks, as Haddie calls him, is far from the no-strings fling Haddie was looking for, because afterward, she can’t get him out of her head.

Beckett is no better off, and Bromberg gives a look at the male’s point of view by offering him a few first-person chapters. The technique brings both voices vividly to life and allows the reader to see just how much blonde, bubbly Haddie has affected Becks, who suspects from the start that something serious is lurking under her party-girl facade. 

But what begins as a sexy romp—and continues that way, given the chemistry between Haddie and Becks—develops into something deeper early on. Bromberg isn’t afraid to address the kind of sobering issues that young women face, even if Haddie is. Haddie rarely thinks farther than the quick remedy of sensation—which sex with Becks admirably fulfills—to blot out worry and grief. It’s a time-honored panacea, but one that only works for so long.

Thinking past the present moment will only lead to acknowledging just how much can be lost.

And Becks is what Haddie calls a “forever” kind of guy. The kind who might want more than one steamy night between the sheets and who will expect a little more emotional honesty than “make me feel good.” But Haddie can’t do forever, not when both her mother and sister have been claimed by breast cancer. Thinking past the present moment will only lead to acknowledging just how much can be lost. In Haddie’s mind, “caring leads to devastation.” 

Bromberg gives Haddie’s voice plenty of humor and snark, but the brave face Haddie puts on every day masks real fear. And when Haddie herself is faced with a frightening diagnosis, she’s forced to face her future—and how she wants to spend it.

The romance serves up the physical intimacy between Haddie and Becks with lots of spice, but it never shortchanges the true emotion that underlies their developing relationship. In the end, Slow Burn is a perfect balance of heat and heart, and another fantastic addition to Bromberg’s Driven series.

Amy Garvey is a freelance editor and the author of several romances and two novels for young adults.