Marry Madeleine Decker? Not in a million years! Rodeo cowboy Channing Richardson has absolutely no intention of marrying his mother’s best friend’s daughter despite their maternal machinations! Yes, he’s the only unmarried son she has left, but he has no interest in marrying anyone, let alone scholarly city girl Madeleine Decker. It’s the only thing he and Madeleine agree on. No matter that he’s drop-dead handsome—and smarter than she wants to give him credit for —Madeleine still prefers spinsterhood to marrying infuriating Wyoming bull rider Chan. But mothers who have a PhD in genetics and years of anthropological fieldwork are disinclined to take ‘no’ for an answer. There’s only one way to convince them: Chan and Madeleine will go down the road from rodeo to rodeo together that summer. Sure, it’s drastic, but proof is the one thing their mothers understand. Spending two months butting heads, dealing with pulled muscles, ornery bulls, and so many miles of road in an RV the size of a walnut, is maybe not the greatest idea they’ve ever had. The best they can hope for is to escape unscathed. Unless, of course, their mothers are right.

“Home and family” aren’t on Jess Cooper’s Christmas List. In fact, the Colorado cowboy doesn’t make Christmas lists at all. Jess knows better. There is no Santa Claus. There are no gifts. Jess works for what he wants – and right now he is working to buy the Rocking R ranch. Then Alison Richards returns to the Rocking R and turns Jess’s world upside down. No longer the innocent girl he remembered—and could resist—this Alison is all grown up and more enticing than ever. Alison considered Jess Cooper part of her foolish past. But face to face with him again, she’s as smitten as ever. Suddenly her teenage dreams of sharing a ranch, a home, a family with him are back in full force. Jess doesn’t trust dreams. He doesn’t trust hope. They always let you down. But what if this time they don’t? Can a guy with no hope trust in a future with a woman who has dreams enough for both of them?

Montana cowboy turned Hollywood heartthrob. The last time Polly McMaster missed a meeting, she got elected mayor of Elmer, Montana. This time, she gets to organize a cowboy auction to save a neighbor’s ranch—bringing her face-to-face with the one man she never wanted to see again. Former local cowboy turned Hollywood star Sloan Gallagher, with his roguish grin, easy charm, and to-die-for good looks, is every woman’s dream. But he’s Polly’s nightmare. Now a widowed mom of four juggling two jobs, a daydreaming sister, a mother at loose ends, and way too many rabbits, for once Polly is grateful for all the distractions. Besides, Sloan won’t remember her anyway. Forget Polly McMaster? Not a chance. Polly was Sloan’s teenage dream. Of course, he’s moved on now. Seeing Polly again will let him finally shut the door on the past…right? When the bidding is over and the auction has ended, will they be able to turn their backs on each other? Or can love conquer the obstacles between them?

Jace Tucker Always Gets What He Wants! Well, not this time. Celie O’Meara has had enough of the boy who was once her teenage crush, and then the devil-may-care rodeo cowboy who inspired her fiancé to jilt her. Now, working alongside him every day is driving her crazy. She needs a new job, a new life, a whole new world that Jace is not a part of. She left! One day Celie was blushing at Jace’s teasing, the next she’s halfway around the world! So much for going slow, giving her space, letting her realize she’s the one woman who matters to him—and always has. Jace has waited—through the years she blamed him for her being stood up at the altar, through her misbegotten infatuation with that Hollywood actor, through that ridiculous singles’ cruise she took to “broaden her horizons”. He’s had enough of waiting for Celie to come to her senses. But can he convince Celie that he’s the man for her?

A lot can happen in eight seconds. One … Two … Three ... JD McCall lives his life fast and focused on exactly what’s in front of him: the next woman, the next drink, the next eight seconds on a rank bull. As best man in his brother’s wedding, JD scoffs at the idea of love—where’s the fun in that? The one good thing about the wedding is Everly Mitchell, the maid of honor—a tall, gorgeous, feisty redhead who hails all the way from New York City. He figures it’s only polite to show the city gal the ropes of being with a cowboy. After all, isn’t that what a Southern gentleman is supposed to do? Four … Five … When the National Bull Rider tour leads JD to the big city, he saddles up with Ev, who ends up dealing him an even faster lifestyle than his own, full of lights, cameras, and plenty of action. Now on Ev’s concrete turf, JD realizes a simple bull rider is no match for a savvy businesswoman. Six … Seven … JD is used to being the one who does the heart breaking. He likes to fool around, not be made a fool. Eight. The McCall curse strikes again. How is JD going to get out of this one? Beyond Eight Seconds is the newest adventure in the In the Reins series, includes all of Green Briar’s herd members, and continues the love stories found in In the Reins, Cowboy Away, and Show Pen Promise. The In the Reins series: Kick off your boots, lasso a love story, and let a handsome cowboy take you away. Passionate, captivating, and full of equine epiphanies, this romance series of four books and counting is sure to touch your inner cowgirl. Start at the beginning and read them all: Book 1: In the Reins Book 2: Cowboy Away Book 3: Show Pen Promise Book 4: Beyond Eight Seconds

You’re invited to a sunny beach town for a witty, heartwarming romance that’s perfect for fans of Debbie Mason, Lee Tobin McClain, and Jenny Hale When Brody broke up with Paige and went to Europe, he suggested that someday, they’d pick up right where they left off. A hopeless romantic, she believed him. But when they meet again, Brody’s dating a gorgeous actress. They’re all going to attend the same wedding, and Paige plans to win Brody back. She even enlists her best friend’s brother, Aiden, to pretend to date her and make her ex jealous. A breezy, charming restaurant owner, Aiden actually avoids serious relationships, but as a fake boyfriend, he’s perfect. As old friends and exes take part in wedding preparations and enjoy the beauty of the Florida coast, they begin to see themselves—and each other—in a new light. This summer romance includes a free Hallmark original recipe for BBQ Brisket Tacos with Sunshine Slaw.

Due to high adult mortality and the custom of remarriage, stepfamilies were a common phenomenon in pre-industrial Europe. Focusing on East Central Europe, a neglected area of Western historiography, this book draws essential comparisons in terms of remarriage patterns and stepfamily life between East Central Europe and Northwestern Europe. How did the specific economic, military-political, legal, religious, and cultural profile of the region affect remarriage patterns and stepfamily types? How did the greater propensity of widowed parents to remarry in some of the East Central European communities compared to Western ones shape the children’s lives? And how did the routine divorce before Orthodox courts by ordinary men and women shape relationships among children and adults belonging to blended families? By drawing on quantitative as well as qualitative approaches, the book offers an historical demographical narrative of the frequency of stepfamilies in a comparative framework, and also assesses the impact of stepparents on the mortality and career prospects of their stepchildren. The ethnic and religious diversity of East Central Europe also allows for distinctions and comparisons to be made within the region. Remarriage and Stepfamilies in East Central Europe, 1600-1900 will appeal to researchers and students alike interested in the history of family, marriage, and society in East Central Europe.