First line: Another day in Mayberry, Jamie Moore thought as she waved the last two customers of the day out the door of the Chocolate Bar. From the back cover: Keep the heart in Heart Lake. That’s exactly what three small-town shop owners hope to do when they launch their crazy-ambitious “Have a Heart” campaign – asking neighbors to commit one random act of kindness every day. Emma, Sarah, and…

First line: Rain. From the back cover: Busy attorney Catherine Fredrickson loved her job at a submarine base in Washington, but her new boss, Royce Nyland, had her spirits sinking fast. The icy widower was distant, demanding…and incredibly attractive. And though he kept her at arm’s length, he aroused a stormy passion in Catherine that was impossible to deny. Already struggling to keep afloat while caring for his energetic daughter,…

First line: There it sat, a Cloud Nine queen-sized luxury gold comforter with red ribbon applique and metallic embroidery. From the back cover: Take a trip to the charming little town of Heart Lake, and meet three best friends who you’ll never forget… Rachel, Jessica and Tiffany have money problems – major money problems. Tiffany’s whipped out the plastic one too many times, and now a mountain of debt is…

First line: Sunshine splashed into the windows of the Bremerton waterfront cafe. From the back cover: Dear Reader, You’ve probably heard that my wife has left me. Rachel’s pregnant, and she says she can’t handle the stress in our household anymore. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Jolene, is jealous of her. Maybe it’s my fault. As a widower I spoiled her – Jolene was reading over my shoulder just now and says…

First line: More than a few residents of Wynette, Texas, thought Ted Beaudine was marrying beneath himself. From the inside cover: R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year… Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends. One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible – Ted Beaudine – the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The…

First line: Seducing her ex-husband wasn’t going to be easy, Carol Kyle decided, but she was determined. From the back cover: Despite her ex-husband’s bullheadedness, Carol Kyle knew he’d be the perfect man to father the child she so desperately wanted. Yet she also realized that the strong, honorable man would never allow his child to be raised without a father. So Carol needed to plot, to plan, to maneuver,…

First line: They came for her at dawn. From the back cover: England, 1554. In the wake of the failed Wyatt Rebellion, a vengeful Queen Mary has ordered all conspirators captured and executed. Among the imprisoned is her own sister, twenty-one-year-old Princess Elizabeth. Though she protests her innocence, Elizabeth’s brave stand only angers Mary more. Elizabeth longs to gain her liberty – and her sister’s crown. In Honor and Richard…

First line: Snow crunched under the feet of three cloaked figures – a queen, her lady, and a gravedigger – as they hurried along a moonlit path in Windsor Castle’s lower ward. From the back cover: Upon the death of her father, Henry VIII, Queen Mary assumes the throne after a long and bitter wait. Her first order of business is to wed the devout Prince Phillip of Spain, creating…

First line: She would remember this forever after as the night she watched two men die, one at peace and one in terror. From the back cover: London, 1527. Marry or serve: for Honor Larke, the choice is clear. Unwilling to perish of boredom as an obedient wife, she leaves the home of her ward, the brilliant Sir Thomas More, to attend Her Majesty, Queen Catherine of Aragon. But life…

First line: Failure wasn’t a feeling; it was a taste in his mouth, an ache at the base of his neck. From the inside cover: After giving up his post at the Hollows Police Department, Jones Cooper is at loose ends. He is having trouble facing a horrible event from his past and finding a second act. Then, on a brisk October morning, he has a visitor. Eloise Montgomery, the…

First line: Some people are harder to kill than others. From the inside cover: An innocent art student finds $13 million in diamonds. Let the manhunt begin. RUN, RUN, RUN Matthew Bannon, a poor art student living in New York City, finds a medical bag filled with diamonds during a chaotic attack at Grand Central Terminal. Plans for a worry-free life with his gorgeous girlfriend, Katherine, fill his thoughts –…

First line: Marguerite didn’t know where to start. Why I read this: I was trying to finish reading all of Elin Hilderbrand’s older works. From the inside cover: It’s a hot August Saturday on Nantucket Island. Over the course of the next twenty-four hours, two lives will be transformed forever. Marguerite Beale, former chef of culinary hot spot Les Parapluies, has been out of the public eye for more than…

First line: Okay, so I accidentally wrapped my reading glasses in one of the packages I mailed. From the inside cover: As a professional home stager, Sandy Sullivan is an expert at transforming cluttered rooms into attractive houses ready for sale. If only reinventing her life were as easy as choosing the perfect paint color. She’s eager to put her family’s suburban Boston home on the market, to downsize, and…

First line: “My name is Molly Pink and I’m a yarnoholic,” I announced to my crochet group, the Tarzana Hookers, as I put my stash on the table. Why I read this: I bought this book a while ago but had not gotten to it. My mom had read the first in the series and was eager to read the next, so I wanted to read it first before giving…

First line: They used to be called the Firefly Lane girls. Why I read this: I picked this up at a book sale last year after not having read anything by this author in a while. From the back cover: In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the…

First line: Dylan North walked down the streets of Acton, savoring the familiar sights. Why I read this: This is one of Carly Phillips earlier works and when I saw that it was available for my Nook, I jumped on it. Synopsis from Goodreads: You never forget your first love … High school sweethearts, Dylan North and Holly Evans believed their future together was a done deal. But right after…

First line: It’s way too early in the morning for dead people. Why I read this: It’s a James Patterson book that I somehow missed when it came out. From the inside cover: YOU’VE BEEN NICE, VERY NICE Kristin Burns has lived her life by the philosophy “Don’t think, just shoot” – pictures, that is. Struggling to make ends meet, she works full-time as the nanny for the fabulously wealthy…