Recommendations based on "The Never-Open Desert Diner"

Welcome back to Virgin River with the books that started it all… Shelby McIntyre has big plans—plans that include finding Mr. Right. Her dream man will have a clean-shaven jaw, creases in his pants and hopefully an advanced degree. What she gets is rugged Luke Riordan. At twenty-five, after five years as her mother's caregiver, it's time for Shelby to experience freedom and adventure. Time for travel, college and romance. But when she visits Virgin River, she runs into Luke Riordan, decidedly not whom she has in mind. A handsome Blackhawk pilot, Luke exited the army after twenty years, four wars and having been shot out of the sky three times. At thirty-eight he's tough and jaded. His major was in one-night stands, with a minor in commitment avoidance. Technically, these two are all wrong for one another. But sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things…two very good things.

Inspirational Historical Romance's Rising StarOn his way to interview for a position at a church in the Piney Woods of Texas, Crockett Archer can scarcely believe it when he's forced off the train by a retired outlaw and presented to the man's daughter as the minister she requested for her birthday. Worried this unfortunate detour will ruin his chances of finally serving a congregation of his own, Crockett is determined to escape. But when he finally gets away, he's haunted by the memory of the young woman he left behind--a woman whose dreams now hinge on him.For months, Joanna Robbins prayed for a preacher. A man to breathe life back into the abandoned church at the heart of her community. A man to assist her in fulfilling a promise to her dying mother. A man to help her discover answers to the questions that have been on her heart for so long. But just when it seems God has answered her prayers, it turns out the parson is there against his will and has dreams of his own calling him elsewhere. Is there any way she can convince Crockett to stay in her little backwoods community? And does the attraction between them have any chance of blossoming when Joanna's outlaw father is dead set against his daughter courting a preacher?

And the bride wore...running shoes? Publicly shamed by her former fiancé, Lady Chelsea Ashford Alden has fallen from grace and her intimate life has become fodder for the British tabloids. On the run from the paparazzi, there's only one place for the errant aristocrat to wait out the scandal: her best friend's cottage in Celebration, Texas... Instead of foiling a burglar, rancher Ethan Campbell startles a gorgeous blonde in the bathtub! Chelsea covers up...her true identity. But not her sizzling attraction to the tall, dark and hunky cowboy. Ethan has loved and lost, and until Chelsea, he never thought he'd love again. But he doesn't know her secret, and if she reveals the truth, he might be the one to run this time around.

From homecoming crowns to wedding rings Hunky bull rider Jude Campbell seems to have the world by the proverbial horns. But when the world champion returns to Celebration for his high school reunion, he's confronted by the ghosts he'd worked so hard to forget. Not to mention the high school love who got away... Bridezilla wrangler Juliette Lowell is as gorgeous and genuine as she was as Jude's homecoming queen. And the spark between them burns as bright as ever. But Jules still smarts from Jude's betrayal years before. And as successful as he seems, Jude's struggling with the prospect of hanging up his spurs. But with his queen, Juliette, by his side, maybe this homecoming will take once and for all...

Unflagging courage took them through the valleys of the Badlands to the vast priaries of fertile, new territory. The promise of endless fields of golden wheat, great herds of prime beef cattle, fabulous empires built from railroads and mines lured the ambitiousand the brave to the uncharted country. But war cries soon echoed across the plains as mighty red nations united in a pact of blood to fight the newcomers for their sacred hunting grounds.

With Kiss and Tell, Cherry Adair wowed readers and set their pulses racing. The breathless, adventure-filled books that followed transformed Adair into one of romantic suspense’s brightest stars. No,w in her long-awaited hardcover debut, the award-winning author thrills us with a wild ride through the frozen north, where there are dangers greater than the bitter cold–and passions hot enough to melt ice.Lily Munroe thought she had married an honest, dependable man, but she was painfully mistaken. It didn’t take long for her once-loving husband to become a secretive stranger–mixing with shady people and even shadier dealings. Although Lily nursed him through a sudden terminal illness, her marriage was over long before he passed away. During that difficult time, only her passion for the exhilarating Iditarod race across Alaska gave her something to look forward to–and she channeled her emotions into training dogs for the grueling event. Now single again, she’s more determined than ever to win the race, awaken her sense of self, and leave her past behind.In the competition, the person to beat is two-time winner Derek Wright, a man Lily dubs Mr. Wrong. Extremely sexy and devilishly charming, Derek is the consummate playboy. Or is he? Although Lily can’t deny her intense attraction, she believes he is dangerous to her scarred heart. Little does she know that Derek is an elite antiterrorism agent–or how desperately she’ll need to depend on his skills to keep her alive once the race is under way.

A celebration becomes a crime scene with a killer hiding in plain sight… With the 125th anniversary of Buckhorn, Montana, on the horizon, it’s the job of straitlaced marshal Leroy Baggins to keep the peace during the four-day celebration. But his focus is distracted when private security owner TJ Walker arrives to help with the event. She's clearly someone who doesn’t play by the rules, a loose cannon who pushes him outside his comfort zone. Unlike the marshal, not much flusters a woman like TJ. Having once been a victim of violence, she’s worked hard to become specialized in her field and in protecting her heart. But this assignment is anything but ordinary. She didn’t expect this sudden attraction to Leroy—and she never could have predicted she’d come face-to-face with her attacker from years ago. As thousands of revelers descend on the small town, what TJ and Leroy don’t know is that a killer is among them and that they’re in the crosshairs. Forced to team up together, they’ll have to figure out how to stay alive when anything that can go wrong…does. Bonus novella! When the past comes knocking, Gertrude Durham will have no choice but to open the door—and her heart—in Before Memories Fade by B.J. Daniels. A Buckhorn, Montana Novel Book 1: Out of the Storm Book 2: From the Shadows Book 3: At the Crossroads Book 4: Before Buckhorn Book 5: Under a Killer Moon Book 6: When Justice Rides

Love blooms once more in the quaint town of Mystic Creek, Oregon, from the New York Times bestselling author of Strawberry Hill.Erin De Laney came to Mystic Creek hoping that the slower pace might rekindle her enthusiasm for law enforcement. Instead she feels as frustrated as she did in the city and when her disillusionment with the job increases, she takes a position on her uncle's ranch. Her life has enough complications without her attraction to handsome, deaf cowboy, Wyatt Fitzgerald, the foreman on the ranch. Wyatt has sworn off dating, and Erin fears that nothing she does will ever change his mind. Yet while working with an abused horse under Wyatt's guidance, Erin comes to better understand herself. She also learns that love can heal almost anything. Wyatt yearns to take Erin into his arms, but he's hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. When their work sends them out alone together into a wilderness area, Wyatt is even more determined to hold Erin at arm's length. But out of their time alone together on the mountain blossoms a chance for a once-in-a-lifetime love if only he's willing to give her his heart and make her his.

Johnstone Country. Frontier spirit lives here.Young Matt Bodine and Sam Two Wolves became blood brothers on the day the rancher’s son saved the halfbreed’s life, forging a bond no one could ever break. As years passed, a legend grew of the breed and the white man who rode together—and pulled iron faster than anyone in the West...Sweet Apple, Texas, is the deadliest town west of the Mississippi—where getting killed is as easy as ordering a beer. Which is why East Coast big shot Cornelius Standish sends his lily-livered nephew, Seymour, to Sweet Apple. With Seymour out of the way, Cornelius will own the company that rightfully belongs to his nephew. His plan backfires, though, when Seymour is dubbed “The Most Cowardly Man in the West” by a newspaper and the hardcases of Sweet Apple are too proud to kill him. Soon Seymour thinks he’s bulletproof—until an outlaw gang, some Mexican revolutionaries, a train full of army rifles and a team of hired gunfighters all head to Sweet Apple at the same time. Now, Seymour and his border town are sure to get blown off the map. But blood brothers Matt Bodine and Sam Two Wolves are about to get there first—and they’re setting off some fireworks of their own...Live Free. Read Hard.

For readers of Linda Lael Miller and Susan Mallery comes New York Times bestselling author Joan Johnston’s sizzling contemporary Western romance, where power, money, and rivalries rule—and love is the best revenge. WHILE HE SEEKS A HAVEN, SHE SEARCHES FOR A PLACE TO CALL HOME After a tragic accident leaves Delta sergeant Connor Flynn a widower, he faces the toughest fight of his life: battling his in-laws for custody of his two young children. To win he’ll need a make-believe bride to take care of the kids while he runs his Wyoming ranch. Who better than a woman he already knows and likes—his late wife’s best friend? Ruthlessly forced from her home by her powerful father, King Grayhawk, Eve needs somewhere to go . . . and so does the herd of wild mustangs she’s rescued. Connor’s offer sounds like the answer to a prayer. But Eve has a guilty secret she’s guarded for years: She’s always been in love with Connor. Now forced to live under the same roof as her heart’s desire, Eve must hide the love that has never died, while Connor vows to resist his growing need for a woman who was forbidden fruit during his marriage. Can two lonely people set adrift by fate and haunted by guilt find redemption in the healing embrace of love?Praise for Sinful “Romance steams up . . . in this strong contemporary trilogy opener. . . . [Joan] Johnston’s effortless storytelling propels the novel forward with plenty of emotional struggle and sizzling sex.”—Publishers Weekly “Smart, sexy and satisfying . . . A tense, sensual and conflicted love story set against an epic family drama.”—Kirkus Reviews “Johnston does a wonderful job of tugging on some emotional heartstrings while simultaneously developing a fiery passion. Connor and Eve are lovable characters who fight hard for their happily ever after.”—RT Book Reviews “Johnston captivates with Sinful . . . There are plenty of subplots, family dysfunction, the feud, rescue horses, a ranch for vets, single parenthood . . . I could go on and on, but the emotion rules them all! Contemporary Western at its best!”—Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and FantasyThe passionate Westerns in Joan Johnston’s Bitter Creek series can be enjoyed together or separately, in any order:TEXAS BRIDE • WYOMING BRIDE • MONTANA BRIDE • SINFUL • SHAMELESS • BLACKTHORNE’S BRIDE • SULLIVAN’S PROMISE