Although I had certainly heard of Fred Harvey and his famous Harvey Girls, it had never occurred to me how much these young women changed the frontier forever. With their pristine uniforms and fresh faces, along with the strict code of conduct Mr. Harvey demanded of them, they were a new version of femininity to cowboys and other males on the frontier. They are widely credited with introducing a new level of civility to what had once been the wild West. *** TRAILBLAZER by Anna Schmidt Cowboys & Harvey Girls #1 MEET THE HARVEY GIRLS: These real-life pioneering women were symbols of elegance in the wild frontier: taming rough manners, falling in love, and changing the face of the West forever. Grace Rogers is ready for the adventure of a lifetime. With her family’s farm falling on hard times, she accepts a position with the prestigious Fred Harvey Company and heads for Juniper, New Mexico. There she meets a handsome cowboy who quickly turns her head. Too bad the Harvey Girls are forbidden to marry… Nick Hopkins has a plan: buy a little land, marry, and raise a family in that order. But after meeting Grace, he can’t keep away….

Colton Garrett, the hero of Hot Target Cowboy, is used to being the responsible one among the three Garrett brothers. But when he meets Misty Dalton, he totally falls in love. He learns to loosen up and lead with his heart instead of his head. Misty, on the other hand, has been trying to hold her family together, though it has been steadily falling apart since her mother passed away. Her father is terminally ill, and her older brother seems to be hell-bent on throwing away their few resources. The one she is trying to protect is her 12-year old brother, Mark. Although she is, at first, reluctant to accept Colton’s help, she learns he is the one man who won’t let her down. She must learn to trust. Colton’s father, Big Jim Garrett, the fearsome patriarch of the Garrett clan, thinks Misty is after Colton for his money. He has to learn to trust his son’s ability to make his own decisions and fend for himself when it comes to matters of the heart. EXCERPT from HOT TARGET COWBOY Misty Dalton scanned the churning crowd for either one of her brothers. Joe was dead set on selling off the…

Over the last week and for the rest of this week, the Reviewers of Fresh Fiction will be sharing some of our favorite reads in various genres. We hope you’ll take another look at these titles, and maybe share your favorites in the comments. We’ll have a different genre featured each day! Be sure to check the blog to see what we’ve already covered. Today, on the last day of our “Favorites” posts, we’re featuring some of our favorite “wildcard” picks – books that we felt didn’t fit into one broad category, one that wasn’t specifically called out, or we thought deserved an extra look! So take a look at our last post of favorite books of 2018. Cheers to more great reads in 2019! Happy New Year! HIDDEN WOMEN by Rebecca Rissman Reviewer: Clare About several African American women who were mathematicians for NASA, something I never knew about, and I enjoyed reading the progress that was made for women and women of colour over the years. Non-Fiction History | Non-Fiction Inspirational | Non-Fiction Biography [Capstone, On Sale: February 1, 2018, Paperback, ISBN: 9781515799634 / ] The unsung heroines who landed others on the Moon Buy HIDDEN WOMEN: Amazon.com…

Over the last week and for the rest of this week, the Reviewers of Fresh Fiction will be sharing some of our favorite reads in various genres. We hope you’ll take another look at these titles, and maybe share your favorites in the comments. We’ll have a different genre featured each day! Be sure to check the blog to see what we’ve already covered. Admittedly, we don’t read a ton of YA on Fresh Fiction, but it’s one of the areas we want to expand on in 2019! Nonetheless, here are a few of our favorite young adult titles of the year. SHADOWSONG by S. Jae-Jones Wintersong #2 Reviewer: Magdalena The gripping sequel to the Wintersong. I found the book to be engrossing from the beginning until the end. Young Adult Fantasy [Wednesday Books, On Sale: February 6, 2018, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250129130 / eISBN: 9781250129147] Shadowsong is a beautifully written story that makes you wish for magic in the world… Buy SHADOWSONG: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR ***…

What is your favorite characteristic in Tess? What about Shade? It’s always so hard to pick just one of anything, but I’ll do my best! Hopefully, having trouble deciding is evidence of well-rounded characters with several admirable traits 😉 Tess Bailey is our captain, rebel heroine…and a thief. She steals from those who have too much in order to provide for those who don’t have enough, but her primary goal is to accumulate vaccinations for populations, especially children, that don’t have access to the galaxy’s undersupplied “cure-all” inoculations, which are hoarded by the oppressive ruling regime and distributed only to soldiers and the wealthy elite. Tess is loyal, capable, compassionate, and determined, but I think the trait I like most about her is her selflessness. Here’s a little snippet from Nightchaser to illustrate that. “There are more people searching for our Tess than for a ghost,” Shiori said, looking across the table at Fiona but not quite hitting her mark. Her milky eyes landed somewhere between Fiona and me. “Exactly,” Jaxon agreed, turning a pointed look my way. His expression regained only enough life to look satisfied that Shiori had helped prove his point. “People everywhere—looking for Tess.” Well, I…

Over the last week and for the rest of this week, the Reviewers of Fresh Fiction will be sharing some of our favorite reads in various genres. We hope you’ll take another look at these titles, and maybe share your favorites in the comments. We’ll have a different genre featured each day! Be sure to check the blog to see what we’ve already covered. It’s all things historical romance today! Check out our picks below. TAPESTRY OF WAR by Jane MacKenzie Reviewer: Clare It was unusual to see Alexandria as a location for a WW2 romance. Contrasted with Scotland which has an influx of GIs. Women greatly involved in business, nursing and war work. Historical [Allison and Busby, On Sale: June 19, 2018, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9780749022990 / eISBN: 9780749023003] Alexandria trembles as Rommel approaches Buy TAPESTRY OF WAR: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR *** MY ONE AND ONLY DUKE by Grace Burrowes Reviewer: Danielle Grace Burrowes is my go-to historical romance author. She writes characters who feel…

Over the last week and for the rest of this week, the Reviewers of Fresh Fiction will be sharing some of our favorite reads in various genres. We hope you’ll take another look at these titles, and maybe share your favorites in the comments. We’ll have a different genre featured each day! Be sure to check the blog to see what we’ve already covered. Today, here are some of our favorite Cozy Mysteries of 2018! IN PRIOR’S WOOD by G.M. Malliet Max Tudor #7 Reviewer: Magdalena I’ve only read two books in this series so far, but I quite enjoy this series about an ex-spy now cleric solving crimes. Perfect for Midsomer Murders fans. Mystery [Minotaur Books, On Sale: April 17, 2018, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250092809 / eISBN: 9781250092816] IN PRIOR’S WOOD is a fabulous whodunnit! Buy IN PRIOR’S WOOD: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR *** KILLER CLASSICS by Kym Roberts Book Barn #5 Reviewer: Debbie This was a tough category for me to pick one but the antics…

Every day from now through the end of the year, we’ll be sharing our reviewers’ favorite reads of 2018. A different genre will be featured every day! We’ll share why these books were some of our favorites and what made them so special. We hope you’ll share yours in the comments, too! Today, let’s chat about our favorite women’s fiction novels (that may or may not overlap into other categories… but what list is perfect, right? LOL) of this year. What do you think? BEYOND BEAUPORT by James Masciarelli Reviewer: Clare I love one woman’s journey for single life in a coastal town to adventure on the high seas as she seeks her pirate queen ancestor. Who wouldn’t want to ditch the humdrum life and explore? Suspense | Women’s Fiction Contemporary [Koehler Books, On Sale: July 24, 2018, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781633936553 / eISBN: 9781633936560] The lure of a pirate queen takes a lonely woman to sea Buy BEYOND BEAUPORT: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR *** THE GREAT ALONE…

A warm holiday welcome to Fresh Fiction Reviewer, Miranda Owen, who is here to discuss some of her favorite holiday-themed romances! If this post doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, we don’t know what will. Without further ado… I love a fun holiday-themed romance. Admittedly, my favorite holiday-themed romances involve Halloween, but I enjoy Christmas ones too. Some of my favorite books by Carolyn Brown and Terry Spear are centered on Christmas and family. The Christmas romances I’ve read this year – by old favorites and new-to-me authors – have had dual themes of “family” and “Christmas” with delightful results. The one story featured here that’s not set during Christmas is a paranormal romance by Cynthia Eden that opens with a catastrophic blind date on New Year’s Eve, but that story also has a lot to do with family. In SOMEONE TO TRUST by Mary Balogh and THE CHRISTMAS KEY by Lori Wilde, the heroes are both drawn to women with big hearts and loving families. SOMEONE TO TRUST opens with an idyllic Christmas house party with the Westcott family and their assorted friends and relations. Colin Handrich, Lord Hodges can’t help but be charmed by these people because…

Every day from now through the end of the year, we’ll be sharing our reviewers’ favorite reads of 2018. A different genre will be featured every day! We’ll share why these books were some of our favorites and what made them so special. We hope you’ll share yours in the comments, too! Today, we’re featuring our favorite Paranormal and Science Fiction Novels (of all types, including romance) of the year! SHADES OF WICKED by Jeaniene Frost Night Rebel #1 Reviewer: Miranda A fan-favorite character and a long-awaited story that lives up to expectations and then some! Romance Paranormal [Avon, On Sale: October 30, 2018, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780062695611 / eISBN: 9780062695598] Everything Jeaniene Frost fans hoped for and much more! Buy SHADES OF WICKED: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Ripped Bodice | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR *** DARK SENTINEL by Christine Feehan Carpathian #32 Reviewer: Annetta She is one of my must-buy author no matter which of her many genres. I love them all Romance Paranormal [Berkley, On Sale: September 4, 2018, Hardcover /…