Publishers Weekly - March 7, 2016

likes the changes. Inevitably, the former ne’er-do-well Edward must reveal the truth to Julia; quite realistically, she is appalled and saddened to realize her actual husband has died. Edward’s deception creates several barriers to happiness, and once he and Julia realize they’d like to continue being spouses, they must overcome an ancient English law that forbids relatives by marriage to marry each other.

Readers will eagerly follow Edward and Julia’s pursuit of an unusual happy ending.

Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (May)

Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply

Terry Spear. Sourcebooks Casablanca, $7.99 mass market (352p) ISBN 978-1-4926-2186-7

The Silver Town Wolf series, spun off from Spear’s long-running Heart of the Wolf books (A Silver Wolf Christmas), kicks off with this anemic paranormal romance. With two alpha werewolves in the lead roles—park ranger Eric Silver and forester Pepper Grayling—why is their courtship so low-key and ultimately disappointing? Pack leader Pepper isn’t satisfied with her dispassionate first mating with a beta (who then gets himself killed, conveniently for the later romance plot). She knows a fellow alpha would be a more interesting and exciting mate, but also a threat to her authority.

Eric is eager to involve himself in Pepper’s life, but he woos her subtly to avoid scaring her off. By convincing her that he’s strong enough to be her mate, yet not so strong that he’ll overpower her, he nearly eliminates the animalistic sexuality that readers have come to expect in shape-shifter romances. Instead, the action focuses on weed-growing werewolves using San Isabel National Forest in Colorado as their base of operation, and the machinations of a dangerous pack leader attempting to win Pepper as his mate. (May)

Every Bride Has Her Day

Lynnette Austin. Sourcebooks Casablanca,

$7.99 mass market (416p) ISBN 978-1-4926-

1800-3

Austin’s engaging second Magnolia Brides contemporary (after The Best Laid Wedding Plans) brings a Yankee into the heart of the South. N. Y.C. detective Sam DeLuca rides his Harley into Misty Bottoms, Ga., to claim the neglected house he inherited from his aunt.

Wounded both mentally and physically
by the betrayal of a woman, Sam needs a
place to heal, and where better than the
small town where he spent boyhood sum-
mers? He feels like he’s being watched,
and his city instincts scream danger, but
across the country road, trusting Cricket,
the new owner of the flower shop in town,
doesn’t even lock her doors. Sparks fly
when the two meet, and the attraction
increases as Sam, claiming he’ll only stay
long enough to fix up his old house, gets
sucked into Southern life via an old man,
an abandoned dog, and a juvenile delin-
quent. The charming side of small-town
living and some creative flower-arrange-
ment tips make this sweet romance a
delightful read. Agent: Nicole Resciniti,
Seymour Agency. (May)

Built to Last

Aurora Rey. Bold Strokes, $16.95 trade paper (264p) ISBN 978-1-62639-552-7

Rey’s frothy contemporary romance
brings two women together to restore an
ancient farmhouse in Ithaca, N. Y. The
dilapidated house is perfect for trans-
planted Southerner Olivia Bennett, who’s
now a tenure-track English professor at
Cornell University. She just needs to hire
a local contractor to fix it up. When Joss
Bauer of Bauer and Sons Construction
answers the call, she instinctively appreci-
ates Olivia’s vision for the old place. Even
though they can both see the home’s
potential, they don’t really appear able
to see each other.

In fact, when they first meet, Joss totally misreads Olivia and tries to set her up with Joss’s brother Ben.

That’s just the
first of several
misunder-
standings that
threaten to derail the women’s mutual
attraction. Tension mounts as Olivia’s
colleagues and her snobbish family collide
with Joss’s down-home demeanor. But
the women totally click in bed, as well as
when they’re poring over paint chips, and
readers will enjoy finding out whether
love conquers all. (Apr.)

; ’Til Death Do Us Part

Amanda Quick. Berkley, $27 (352p) ISBN 978-

0-399-17446-9

Quick’s ambitious Victorian historical mixes witty, occasionally self-referential banter with gothic undertones and a solid

; The Obsession

Nora Roberts. Berkley, $28 (464p) ISBN 978-0-399-17516-9

Romance queen Roberts entices readers with a winning tale in which a woman tries to embrace love even as horrific events of her past threaten her happiness. Naomi Bowes was just a young girl living in West Virginia when she discovered a cellar where her father was keeping his latest rape victim. After helping the victim escape and getting the police involved, Naomi and her mother and brother try to go on with their lives, though it’s a constant struggle. The past seems to constantly encroach on Naomi’s life, even though she changes her name and lives with her uncle and his husband. Years later, Naomi is a successful photographer who finds solace in the small town of Sunrise Cove, Wash., where she buys an old house and works on remodeling it. She also finds unexpected love with local mechanic Xander Keaton. As she lets him into her heart, her world is shattered by a series of gory murders. Roberts has an unparalleled ability to paint a picture with words—readers will easily picture Naomi’s photographic art and her rambling home with its beautiful view—and the story is expertly executed.