Friday, July 31, 2020

"HARMONY SERIES"--from beloved New York Times bestselling author JODI THOMAS--captivating contemporary romance novels set in the small town of Harmony, Texas--big hearts, big dreams, and sometimes big secrets--anything is possible in a small town (see my reviews)

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Welcome to Harmony

The first novel in the Harmony series from New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas...

Sixteen-year-old runaway Reagan has always wanted a place to belong. She's never had a real home of her own, but perhaps she could borrow someone else's. Under an assumed name and identity, she moves to Harmony, Texas, but keeps her distance from the welcoming townsfolk. Until prairie fires threaten Harmony-and Reagan learns the true meaning of family, friends, and home.


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Somewhere Along The Way

HIDING OUT IN HARMONY...

In the two years since she claimed Harmony, Texas, as her home, eighteen-year-old Reagan Truman has found herself drawn to others who have made their way there, too. Gabe Leary, for instance, whose plan to hide out in Harmony is dashed when he becomes the town hero. Then there's Liz Matheson: Vulnerable and fresh out of law school, Liz has never been needed by anyone --- until an unsettling encounter with Gabe changes everything. And there's Liz's brother, volunteer fire chief Hank Matheson, who's starting to wonder whether the town's sheriff, Alex McAllen, will ever set the date to marry him.

As for Reagan, who's been shaped by the loneliness she's known most of her life, she's finally found a place she belongs --- and doesn't want anything to get in her way. But when her life is put in jeopardy and the whole town comes together to save her, she'll discover that trusting the love that's come into our hearts is the greatest gift of all ...
 



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The Comforts of Home

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas returns to the small town of Harmony, Texas, where the threat of a powerful storm inspires heartfelt revelations...

Twenty-year-old Reagan Truman has found her place, and found her family. But with her Uncle taken ill and her friend Noah lost and disheartened with his life, Reagan is afraid of ending up alone again, and she's not the only one. Harmony seems to be full of people yearning for connection. Like funeral director Tyler Wright, who longs to take his relationship with his friend Kate to the next level, but doesn't know how. And Ronelle Logan, a woman frightened of everyday human interaction, until she meets an angry, lonely man--someone just like her.

When a terrible storm threatens the town, the residents of Harmony are forced to think about what they really want. Because making the connections they so desperately desire means putting their hearts at risk...
 



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Just Down the Road

Harmony, Texas, is a place where dreams are born. As the townspeople face unexpected endings and new beginnings, they also come face to face with themselves—and what’s most important in life...
 
When Tinch Turner lost his wife, he gave up on living. Now he spends his nights brooding, boozing, and brawling. When one of his escapades lands him in the ER, he finds himself staring up at the beautiful new doctor in town. For the first time in years, he feels a spark, but Addison Spencer wants nothing to do with the unruly rancher—or any man for that matter. She’s only in Harmony four months, long enough for the trouble she left behind to be over. But then a vulnerable little boy barrels into both their lives, forcing them out of the past—and into a future where love is just down the road...
 

In the meantime, as Reagan Truman grieves for her beloved uncle, she finds comfort in the makeshift family she’s made in Harmony—and in a new baby, the first born in the Wright Funeral Home in 45 years, proving to everyone that life does go on… 

MY REVIEW:  "Just Down the Road" is my first visit to Jodi Thomas' charming fictional community of Harmony, TX. Where have I been? I was missing something really good--heartwarming romance with a touch of pathos and mystery-suspense. I have read other works by Jodi Thomas, and she always writes heart with humor, and that is a very good thing! Let me just say this about the character of Tinch Turner--the lonesome cowboy with a loving, true heart--where is my very own Tinch? When Tinch married his high school sweetheart and best friend, Lori Anne, he never dreamed that cancer would claim her at a young age. He acts out his grief by boozing, brawling, and brooding about what he'll never have again. A frequent visitor to the ER for after-fight medical care, Tinch sits up and takes notice when he meets the new ER doctor, Addison Spencer. Something about the pale, uptight, lovely woman makes Tinch want to clean up his act. When he discovers that Addison is his closest neighbor, "just down the road" from his place, things really get interesting. Often prickly, and always intriguing, Addison is far from indifferent to Tinch. She only plans to be in Harmony for a few months, and she left her former home to be free from her father and her almost-fiance. Meeting a gorgeous man unlike anyone she's ever known was definitely not on her agenda. Tinch's life takes another dramatic turn when he is suddenly given the care of his orphaned nephew, whose mother was Lori Anne's sister. Jamie is a dear little boy in need of much TLC. His drug-addicted mother's involvement with drug dealers left her dead and Jamie beaten and bruised. Tinch and Addison both feel the need to care for the child, and Addison begins staying at Tinch's house to help with Jamie. The three of them become close, and each has hopes and dreams of what a future together could mean. When the drug dealers return, searching for a fortune in cash, the very real danger they present may bring those dreams to an end. Will two lost hearts, who didn't even know they were looking for love, come together with one small boy and find real happiness as a family? There are wonderful supporting characters in "Just Down the Road"--old friends from the Harmony community who also seek resolution and a happy ending. Part of the pleasure of this book was getting a feel for the town, its people, and a glimpse of down-home Texas living. Even though I have lived in a very small town for most of my life, I never tire of “small town” romances. Small towns sometimes hold big secrets! People are very interconnected. What happens to one person affects someone else, and the ripple effect is started. However, there is an essential sweetness to small towns. Memories of earlier days, some bittersweet, are held dear. People aren’t just faces, they’re family and friends. There’s always a second chance for first loves in small towns.

Book Copy Gratis Berkley Books



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Chance of a Lifetime

Take the "Chance of a Lifetime" and return to the fictional small-town world of Harmony, Texas...

Emily, the local librarian, has started a writing group, but as the group stumbles through both the fiction and reality of their lives, they’re learning much more than how to write. But Emily suddenly has other things on her mind when a friend from her past shows up in Harmony's library. Now she must deal with a secret she’s kept for fifteen years—a secret that changed her life and threatens to shatter her future.

Meanwhile, new lawyer Rick Matheson thinks he’s in charge of his world until accidents start happening all around him. Just when he realizes someone is trying to kill him, he meets a beautiful U.S. Marshal named Trace Adam. Now that the marshal has given him an even stronger reason to go on living, he must learn to take a chance on life to dream bigger—and love better—than he ever has before... 


MY REVIEW:  Take the "Chance of a Lifetime" and return to the fictional small-town world of Harmony, Texas. Author Jodi Thomas once again captivates with in-depth characterizations and a compelling story line filled with romance, humor, and mystery. One thing that you are guaranteed with a Jodi Thomas read is "more"--more detail, more surprises, and more addictive storytelling which makes you long for the next book. In "Chance of a Lifetime", long-ago dreams and new hopes must overcome unknown threats before hearts can truly heal and find the happiness they seek. Emily Tomlinson survived a brutal attack in her teens, but her memory of what happened is muddled, and she only knows that her best friend, Tannon Parker, was not there when she needed him most. Their friendship was forever changed by the events of that night, but Tannon still cherishes Emily and wishes things were different. Emily leads a very quiet and isolated life, enjoying the order and routine of her life as the town librarian. On the nights she works late, Tannon is always there at closing time to walk her to her car. If only she would let him back into her heart, a heart he knows is just as lonely as his own. Local lawyer Rick Matheson hasn't established much of practice in Harmony, yet he has managed to make someone mad enough to want to put an end to his law career for good. Too many close calls must be more than accidents, and he survives serious injury just to be injured again. A beautiful U.S. Marshal named Trace Adams arrives in Harmony, and she sticks close to Rick in order to protect him while she investigates the case. The question is, as he falls head-over-heels for her, who will protect his heart? Two troubled couples--one who must overcome the past, and one who must survive the present. Love has long been there for Emily and Tannon, and it begins to grow for Rick and Trace, but will love be enough to keep their hearts and lives safe? Small-town friendships run deep, but small-town secrets dwell deeper. Everyone is connected in some way or another, and even kinfolk have hidden motivations. Still, all in all, life in a close-knit small town has its irresistible charms, and author Jodi Thomas will make you want to visit Harmony, Texas again and again.

Book Copy Gratis The Berkley Publishing Group



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Can't Stop Believing

Now, a generations-old feud is about to come to a head—and the stakes couldn’t be higher with two hearts on the line… 

Cord McMillan gave up his freedom at eighteen when he went to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. Now, ten years later, he’s about to give it up again for a piece of land. Nevada Britain, his neighbor, has just made him an offer he can’t refuse: If he’ll marry her, she’ll sign over a section of property that their families have been fighting over for a hundred years. Nevada refuses to explain why, but Cord knows the bargain is in his favor. He just has one condition—she has to sleep in his bed every night for as long as their doomed marriage lasts. Nevada only wants to maintain her family’s legacy—and redeem herself for a wrong she did Cord years ago. But as she spends more time with her husband by necessity, she discovers something unexpected—a love so deep it takes her breath away.
  


MY REVIEW:  Every time author Jodi Thomas takes me to Harmony, TX, she shows me something new. Ms. Thomas is a superb storyteller, and my admiration of her grows with each book. The sixth book in the "Harmony Series" is "Can't Stop Believing", and it will make a believer out of you. Cord McDowell was imprisoned at age eighteen for a crime of which he was innocent. A decade later, having been free for several years, Cord works as a mechanic to keep from losing his family farm. Both of his parents died while he was in prison, and by the time he made it home, their savings had vanished. His time in prison had hardened his heart, and the only thing he really cared about was keeping his homeplace, which bordered the land of his rich neighbors, the Britains. An age-old boundary feud still simmered between the two families. Cord is stunned when his wild-woman neighbor, the beautiful and much-married Nevada Britain, makes him an offer he can't refuse. She proposes a marriage of convenience for eight months in order to pool their land and resources, plant a crop and sell a herd of cattle. In exchange, Cord will be given clear title to three hundred acres of the border land, as well as other financial incentives. Nevada expects Cord to live in her home for the duration of the marriage, and he expects her to sleep in the same bed with him as long as they are married. When Cord presses Nevada for further explanations about her impulsive, intriguing offer, she admits that one of her former husbands is bothering her, and she hopes he will be deterred by her marriage to Cord. A relationship that starts as a business deal becomes much more complex when hearts and hopes and mutual attraction are added to the mix. Two people who thought they knew what life held in store are surprised and enriched by an unexpected emotional connection. The town of Harmony and its history, the wonderful secondary characters, and the humor and heartache, all add to the incredible appeal of this story line. If you've ever thought you'd lost it all, and then somehow, you found a second chance and held on for dear life, then you will absolutely love "Can't Stop Believing". Harmony, I hope to visit you again--very soon.

Book Copy Gratis Berkley Books



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Betting the Rainbow

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas returns to the town of Harmony, Texas, where life has a way of making better plans than anyone ever imagined…

Sisters Abby and Dusti Delaney have spent their entire lives on Rainbow Lane, but they dream of something bigger. So when a poker tournament comes to town, Dusti is determined to win enough money to leave. Enlisting expert Kieron O’Brian to teach her the game, sparks begin to fly as they play their hands. But Kieron refuses to stand in the way of her dream, even if it means losing her forever...

After a year of traveling, Ronny Logan is settling into a home on Rainbow Lane, but that’s all the settling she’ll be doing. Ronny refuses to fall for anyone, regardless of the chemistry she has with her neighbor Austin Hawk. Yet something undeniable begins to grow between the two loners—if only they can let their barriers fall and open their hearts...



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One True Heart

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas takes us back to Harmony, Texas—a small town where love blooms and secrets of the past threaten to alter the future…

Millanie McAllen is always logical. But after returning to her childhood home, she learns that some things are beyond explanation—like her undeniable passion for Drew Cunningham…

After finding success as a singer on the road, Beau Yates returns to Harmony to make peace with his dying father—only to find the woman he’s been dreaming of for years. But the secrets they discover might be too much for him to bear…

When Johnny Wheeler is charged with his wife’s murder, he turns to the only person who believes he’s innocent. Fortune teller Kare Cunningham’s life has always danced around reality—but Johnny is able to ground her like no other…

As their paths cross in new, captivating directions, the townspeople of Harmony need to learn to love and let go in order to live together in their little slice of heaven.

 

Jodi Thomas

 


 


New York Times and USA Today's bestselling author Jodi Thomas has published over 50 books in both the historical romance and contemporary genres, the majority of which are set in her home state of Texas. Publishers Weekly calls her novels "Distinctive...Memorable," and that in her stories "[tension] rides high, mixed with humor and kisses more passionate than most full-on love scenes." In 2006, Romance Writers of America (RITA) inducted Thomas into the RWA Hall of Fame for winning her third RITA for THE TEXAN'S REWARD. She also received the National Readers' Choice Award in 2009 for TWISTED CREEK (2008) and TALL, DARK, AND TEXAN (2008). While continuing to work as a novelist, Thomas also functions as Writer in Residence at the West Texas A&M University campus, where she inspires students and alumni in their own writing pursuits.
  
 

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