Lights of the Heart is a fascinating tale of romance and hardship from an author who writes it with authority and tenderness. … read more

Family Issue (Bella Books) is set in southern Louisiana, near the Gulf of Mexico. Denni Hope, who grew up near Fortune Farm, has been asked by her ex-girlfriend, Patty Price, to investigate a rash of violence and vandalism which is plaguing the farm. Denni is a trained insurance investigator, and is quite willing to use her… read more

The Book of Eleanor is mostly told from the perspective of each protagonist: Angie June, a struggling special education teacher and part-time restaurant worker, and Grey Graham, recently relocated to South Padre Island to start a new life for herself after the death of her partner, Mary.  Grey plans to open a coffee house and… read more

Nat Burns’ Identity (Bella Books) starts with a crash—literally.  Liza Hughes has a chance meeting with Shay Raynor when Shay, a newcomer to town, accidentally runs into Liza while jogging.  Shay acts like the accident is all Liza’s fault, which leaves Liza scratching her head, but she can’t stop thinking about the beautiful woman with an… read more

In her complex and beautifully written second novel about small-town life, Nat Burns situates her characters in the little town of Freshwater, North Carolina in the spring of 1985. Widowed and alone at 40, Kaylen Strauder spends her time working and hanging out with her gossipy friends in the Magnolia Club. There, the card playing… read more