Roxanne Snopek embraces the complications of trauma and recovery in Sunset Bay Sanctuary, the first novel of her new series set in the beautiful beaches of Oregon.

Haylee Hansen trains therapy dogs at her aunt’s Sanctuary Ranch, a halfway house that provides tough love and support to foster kids, troubled adults and anyone else in need of a fresh start. Through a strange set of circumstances, including an unsettling blast from her past, Haylee meets Aidan McCall, the town’s new ER doctor, who later contacts her about getting a therapy dog to help with his PTSD. It’s difficult for Haylee to get Aiden to divulge his traumatic past, and Haylee is equally reluctant to share her tragic history. She’s learned to steel her emotions and has determined to keep her life simple, without romantic attachments. But Aiden sweeps her off her feet, and both must decide whether to face their demons or give up a chance at a lasting, profound connection.

Snopek beautifully incorporates her leads’ individual backstories within the central romance, alternating between Haylee and Aiden’s perspectives as they begin the delicate process of sharing their pasts and allowing the other to know them fully. And although Haylee and Aiden are front and center, Snopek also draws the reader’s attention to supporting characters and their struggles—building a community of fascinating people, all with their own burdens and journeys. Replete with surprising twists, Sunset Bay Sanctuary closes on a cliffhanger sure to entice readers to look forward to the next installment of this warmhearted series.

To anyone who asks, Mick Branson is back in the small Wyoming town of Mustang Creek to surprise his friend Slater Carson with a Christmas Day presentation of Slater’s latest documentary. But he also wants to see Raine McCall. There is no denying they are far from each other’s usual type. Yet Mick hasn’t been able to put her out of his mind since the last time he was in town.

Raine is content with her life. She’s self-employed, has a daughter she adores and is good friends with her kid’s father, as well of a decent portion of the rest of Mustang Creek’s admittedly small population. The last thing she needs is a hotshot movie exec to show her all the things she’s supposedly been missing. But Mick isn’t like that. He seems to fit in with her group of friends, her daughter likes him, and he has never made her feel less than the glamorous Hollywood women she is pretty sure he’s accustomed to. And god knows they have chemistry to spare. So when he requests a meeting to discuss a possible job offer for her, she agrees to see him. She even invites him to share a Christmas Eve dinner with her.

A Snow Country Christmas is heaven-sent for Linda Lael Miller’s multitude of fans and is sure to make a fan of those who have not yet had the pleasure of reading her books. Miller fills her stories with rich settings and characters so well-rounded, they cause a reader to feel as if they could be your neighbor, your best friend or the man of your dreams brought down to earth. You might want to add A Snow Country Christmas to Santa’s list, because this is a perfect stocking stuffer of a book!

Susan Andersen is a New York Times bestselling author of 25 romance and romantic-suspense novels.

Braden Montgomery is a game warden in small-town Hotchkiss, Colorado, and has structured his life exactly the way he wants it. His job lets him spend a lot of time outdoors, and the only female he has to tolerate these days—never mind cares to have warming his bed—is his dog Charley. Given Braden’s history with a cheating ex-fiancée, bachelorhood suits him just fine. But then a Texas girl who stars in a televised hunting show and is best known for her short shorts, cleavage and pink camouflage bursts into his life, smelling like strawberries and making his dormant libido rear its head.

Amber Regan’s show is circling the drain, and she’s in search of the perfect location to film an elk hunt she hopes will haul the program back to its glory days. She knows exactly what Warden Montgomery thinks of her—and doesn’t particularly care. Well, except maybe for the part where something about the guy makes her heart beat in Texas Two Step Swing tempo. She knows what a fantastic hunter she is. She grew up hunting with her uncle and if people don’t like the girly wardrobe she often does it in, too bad.

Ready for Wild was my first Liora Blake book, but it won’t be my last. Blake writes with heart, humor and sizzling sexiness, presenting her readers with characters and situations we can sink our teeth into and believe in. Braden and Amber felt like people I would happily hang out with. They didn’t let misunderstandings stand—they talked things through, leaping off the page as fully realized adults. I predict they will leave you rooting as enthusiastically for their hard won happily ever after as I did.