I wanted to tell my blog readers about two sweet romances that I just finished reading. Both are from Harlequin’s Heartwarming line. Although they’re not Christian books, they are sweet and Christians can read these stories without being offended.

Hometown Sheriff by Cheryl St. John

Ryanne returns to her hometown and moves into her mother’s empty house – right next door to Nick, her childhood good friend. When Nick walks into her mother’s house, thinking she’s an intruder, Ryanne shoots sparks of fury toward her former good friend. Now Nick feels apprehensive around Ryanne – why can’t they be comfortable and close as they used to be.

Ryanne has some secrets, one of her secrets is she’s broke. Her former husband has stolen the funds from their business and has disappeared, and now Ryanne is stuck re-paying the IRS for back taxes. Hopefully, if she stays at her mother’s house, rent-free, maybe she’ll be able to find a job and come up with the cash for the Feds.

Nick has his own secrets. One of his secrets is, he suffers from insomnia, and he’s still grieving over the loss of his brother. While dealing with his problems, he’s raising his young son alone, feeling bad that his son has no mother.

I really liked this book a lot. It was a sweet, heartwarming story that’ll touch your heart. Ryanne initially seems like a tough gal in the beginning of the story, but, as you get to know her, you find that she’s soft and lovable, and you want her heal from her past experience and move on. I also loved Nick. He’s such a strong man and has so many problems to overcome. He loves his son, and it’s great to see him interact with his child.

I highly recommend this book.

A Little Learning by Margot Early

Rory is hired by her father to be an instructor in his Mountain School. She’s desperate to prove herself to her dad, after all, he was never around when she was growing up and she craves his approval. Rory has a hard time keeping jobs because she has a smart mouth – she speaks before she thinks – and as a result, she’s gotten fired from a lot of former jobs. She wants to keep this job to prove she’s a competent employee.

However, Rory’s competence is put to the test when she’s assigned Seamus and his four children as her students. She’s smitten with Seamus, and Seamus finds Rory attractive. However, there are certain things about Seamus that make Rory wary – he’s distant from his children, not having a close relationship with them. His behavior towards his children reminds Rory of her own father’s behavior towards her. Also, Seamus is still reeling from the violent death of his wife. Can he move on, raise his children, and get over his wife’s death.

I thought this book was kind of interesting. I thought it was unique that Rory was a fire dancer. I also thought it was kind of neat seeing a hero who developed manga characters for comic books. I liked seeing Rory interacting with Seamus’s children, building a relationship with them. Overall, it was a good, sweet romance story.