Novel Works Book Recommendations For the Week of February 7

Novel Works is the sister blog to ROMANTIC PICKS. 

BELLE OF CHARLESTON

Named one of THE BEST KINDLE BOOKS OF 2015 by Digital Book Today!

Set against the backdrop of Antebellum Charleston with the martial clash of brother against brother looming on the horizon-here is an absorbing, tantalizing saga of life during one of our country's most turbulent times-Southern Legacy Series.

In a world of pageantry and show, the Montgomery family accepts the way of life that has been antebellum Charleston for over a hundred years. Two cousins, the handsome and debonair, Wade Montgomery and the bold and brooding Cullen Smythe, were born to be brothers. Raised as Southern gentlemen, their character could never be questioned: loyalty, honor, duty to one's country, God and family. It was the tie that binds until...their bond is threatened, not only by the cry for secession but by a woman-Josephine Buchanan Wright.

Josephine BuchananWright is a dutiful, southern belle. Her future seems fated to the two Montgomery cousins...until all she has placed her faith in falls apart. As her life spirals out of control, she tries desperately to cling to the honor and duty that has been instilled in her. But how can she do so when allshe has known is no more?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:--This is a serial!The books may have cliffhangers and hooks to make you want to continue tothe next book. Do not begin if you don't want to become addicted to theseries! Southern Legacy will consist of four books-- Belle of Charleston, Shadows of Magnolia, Born to Be Brothers and The Sun Will Rise

FOLLOW HIS HEART

***USA Today Bestselling Author***

Sara Carson is a 30-something widow with a busy life. Two fun-loving best friends, a caring mom who needs her, and a thriving sweet shop. What more could a woman want? But when the ancient plumbing in her shop springs a leak and a gorgeous, dark-eyed stranger rushes to her rescue, hilarity unfolds—and Sara quickly sees exactly what she’s been missing.

Something most peculiar draws Landon Richards to Ocean City, Maryland—and to the lovely Sara. This woman touches his heart like no other, and the two of them explore the heady attraction that pulses between them. But haunting dreams have a way of encroaching on reality, and the strange phenomenon that brings these two together will also threaten to tear them apart.

This is the first book in the Ocean City Boardwalk Series, where life for three enterprising women, Sara, Heather, and Cathy, isn’t just fun in the sun—love is waiting on those sandy shores!

A FAMILY AFFAIR THE SECRET

Heartache. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Redemption... It's time to head back to Magdalena, New York, and spend a little time with the people we love to love and even a few we love to hate.

Roman Ventori isn't looking for a wife. He's had one of those and it ended badly. He's come back to Magdalena out of duty, not love for the town that drove him away with rumors and judgments.

Angie Sorrento is in Magdalena to do a job, not find a husband. She almost had one of those, until he dumped her days before the wedding.

Roman's father has health problems and his last wish is to see his son settled with a wife, a child, a second chance at a life that doesn't include city life and flashy women. There's only one person in town who can make the impossible happen. Angelo "Pop" Benito, the Godfather of Magdalena, is the wiliest matchmaker in the Catskills and if he sets his mind to it, an old man might see his wish come true.

Oh, and remember Gloria Blacksworth's notebook, the one filled with enough destruction to bring down Magdalena? Well, it's causing trouble again, and this time the target is Miriam Desantro... Pop's going to try to intervene, but he might be too late...

THE LIBRARY

In 1934, the body of a beautiful, but poor young woman was found alongside a riverbank near The Depot. Beaten to a pulp, only recognizable by a tattoo on her ankle, and yet, days after the discovery, the story all but disappears.

Eighty years later, locals claim The Depot is haunted. But in all the years homicide detective Mark Waters has visited the historic 1800s train station turned restaurant, he's never seen proof. Until now.

As he sifts through evidence of a supposed suicide by train, he learns a murder that took place eighty years ago may directly affect his case.

Six months after the strange occurrences at The Depot, there’s another murder. This time, The Library holds secrets of several murders, and the dead won’t rest until the murderer checks out too.

Note: The Library (Where Life Checks Out) is a 50k-word follow-up novel to The Depot (When Life and Death Cross Tracks), which is included in this special edition so readers who haven't read The Depot won't miss anything.

THE HOUSE OF PERSIMMON ROAD

Need Help? Hire a Ghost. She Cooks.Lottie Roberts is restless and lonely. She’s been sitting on her bones for decades, waiting for her ticket to heaven until… Justine Hale and her family take up residence in Lottie’s two-hundred-year-old plantation house. Lottie senses in Justine a kindred spirit—filled with heartache and in reduced circumstances—which Lottie considers mirrors her own situation exactly. Yet Justine is trying to do the right thing. Else why is she burdened with a bankrupt mother without an ounce of common sense? Or an ex mother-in-law who looks like a pickled beet with a tongue sharper than a hatchet? And where is the father of the recalcitrant eleven year-old boy and the eight-year-old afraid of her own shadow? Justine needs help and Lottie is of a mind to provide it. But before Lottie can say squat and Justine even unlocks the front door, Tucker Highsmith shows up to steal her thunder. His dark eyes, lazy grin, and sexy Alabama drawl coupled with the dern braggart’s Mr. Fix-it talents just might be the answer to all of Justine’s problems. Or maybe not, because Lottie has her own agenda since she found her bones on a hidden staircase.

DANGEROUS PLACES

The 7 Deadly Sins have never been so - Deadly!

Or so much fun!

Meet Nikki Holden - she may know 140 characters but social media is not her venue. She's an investigative reporter with more enemies than friends - and her friends are very shady.

She's on the trail of a stunning story at Pleasure Island. And she doesn't mind using her pick pocket talents or a well-aimed champagne cork or even a pair of 38's (boobs not guns) to get her story.

She's tenacious, sarcastic and an ex-con.

Meet Roman Cantrell - ex-army ranger who couldn't stop fighting, he went off the grid doing Black Ops but came back to the US to start an international security firm.

He keeps popping into Nikki's life at the most inconvenient times.

And he knows too much about her past.

He also knows she's not capable of good behavior.

Is Roman looking for the person Nikki's ...kidnapped? Or is he looking for a more intimate connection.

One thing for sure -They're both heading intomurderously Dangerous Places

THE TREE OF EVERLASTING KNOWLEDGE

Highly recommended by Midwest Book Review.

A savage rape on hallowed ground. Secrets buried for decades by the town’s most influential family.

Now Rennie Perini will learn the Great Oak’s secrets as construction begins at the Fagan mansion. She can’t afford to turn down a job that promises to stir up the long-buried guilt—and the passion—she shares with powerful Troy Fagan.

She’s already juggling the most important job of her career with her new responsibilities as a foster mother for young Walt and Emma Korchek. And there’s a hard, older man on the construction crew with eyes void of emotion—cold and killing. The secrets of his brutal past will pose a grave threat to the children in her care. Will she find the courage to face him?

A DEAD RED MIRACLE

Thinking to jump start their careers as private investigators, cousins Lalla and Pearlie Bains partner up with an unscrupulous P.I. Unfortunately, their nifty plan starts circling the drain when they discover he's a blackmailing, two-timing, client stealing dirtbag.

But when he dies under suspicious circumstances, the duo must catch the killer if they want to save their business...and their lives. All they need is a miracle or two.
~~~
"...what a great job the author did in the telling of this fast-paced and action-filled drama. I like how this was presented with an eclectic cast of characters and a mystery that kept me intrigued, especially when all the pieces came together as the author peppered the scenes with red herrings and some twists and turns to keep me glued to the pages as the puzzling case comes to an end. This was a great read and I enjoyed my time spent with Lalla, Pearlie, Caleb and their friends" Dru Ann Love, Reviewer

:Another great book by one of my favorite authors! I am always excited when a new book comes out because they are always good! Ms. Dahlke never disappoints! Lalla and Pearlie are magnets for trouble and they find plenty in this new adventure. By investigating a cold case they turn up dead bodies right and left while trying to avoid becoming a victim themselves. Fast paced and never a dull moment, this is a book you will enjoy! " By Sherry E. Wells

HOLIDAY HEARTWARMERS

Christmas is family time in Carlton Grove...

Please Keep Me
A puppy, a brave little girl and a single mom, who can't refuse her munchkin the chance to get to know her secret father, turn this story into a real heart-warmer.

Snow Pup
A small town’s lovely deputy and a father, who lost his son years ago to a vindictive wife, team up to save the kid from a foster home he hates and an overzealous social worker.

Find Me A Home
An accident changes the lives of: a little girl who loses her parents, a crabby puppy who hates all men, a soft-hearted beauty who fears for her brother and also the cop who can’t escape his destiny.

HER HOMETOWN HERO

Dr. Spence is searching for the perfect woman…but how will he know when he’s found her? From New York Times bestselling author Melody Anne, the second steamy romance in a new breakout series based on her beloved and bestselling Billionaire novels.

In the bestselling books Billionaire Wins the Game, Hidden Treasure, and The Billionaire’s Marriage Proposal, among others, we met the Andersons. Matchmaking patriarchs Joseph and George took matters into their own hands to get their sons to marry and settle down. But now that Dr. Spence Whitman sees how happy his Anderson friends are in married life, he’s itching to get hitched too! But how will he find The One?

After his wealthy dad adopted him and his two brothers at a young age, Spence grew up learning there are more important things in life than money. He wants to find a girl who shares that philosophy, and it wouldn’t hurt to have some similar interests too. Now if he could just stop getting distracted by his gorgeous surgical resident, he could start looking for the perfect wife…