Ellen O'Connell

The Outsider, by Penelope Williamson
After Rachel Yoder's husband is murdered by outlaws in an act of outrageous greed, she must raise her 10-year-old son alone on the Montana Plains. One day, a handsome stranger dying from a gunshot wound walks into her ranch. With simple kindness, she treats his injury and nurses him back to health. Soon Rachel finds herself drawn to this mysterious outsider with a violent past--and must put her future on the line for a last chance at happiness.

Deception, by Kris Kennedy
A beautiful silk merchant and a dashing con man join forces in the second scorching medieval romance from Kris Kennedy.

Irishman Kier has a history of staggering successes and one truly awful failure. For years he served as the 'Piper,' enticing wealthy, unscrupulous men into dealings with other wealthy, unscrupulous men. It was a highly lucrative way of life for a man without a conscience, and he was very, very good.

But now, he's on a mission of revenge, and the men who once betrayed him are about to pay. Everything has been put in place, every move scripted in advance, from how he'll lure them, to how he'll hammer the last nail into their coffins. He's planned for everything.

Except the appearance of the woman who can bring the whole thing crashing down around him.

***

Sophia Darnly, daughter of the hanged Judge Darnly, wants the same thing as Kier: the Darnly ledger. Rumored to contain details of the foulest deeds of the richest men in England, it has the potential for extortion on a very grand scale.

Kier needs the ledger. So does Sophia. Neither one is backing down.

It doesn't help that they once were in love.

***

They forge an unwilling alliance. Posing as a wealthy widow and her factor, the duo sets a trap.

But the coals of their rekindled passion burn hotter than either of them could have imagined. And when they discover they, too, are the targets of a deadly deception, the fate of their love, and of England itself, lies in the balance.

Without Words, by Ellen O'Connell
Bounty hunter Bret Sterling kills Rufus Petty, thief and murderer, less than ten feet away from a frightened, half-starved woman. Rufus should have surrendered. The woman should have kin to help her. But Rufus went down shooting, and the woman has no one. Bret figures by the time he finds a safe place to leave Hassie Petty, he'll earn the five hundred dollar reward several times over.

Hassie doesn't mourn Rufus, but the loss of the ten dollars he promised her for supplies is a different matter. The bounty hunter gives her nothing, takes everything, ties the body on one horse and orders her on another. Afraid if she defies him, he'll tie her down tighter than Rufus, Hassie mounts up and follows the icy-eyed killer.

Mismatched in every way, the sterling man and petty woman travel the West together, hunting thieves, deserters, and murderers. Wary traveling companions, friends and partners, lovers, Bret and Hassie must decide what they want, what they need, and the price they're willing to pay for love.

Time Rider, by Jack King (YA, Time Travel)
TJ's an ordinary fourteen year old kid with extraordinary problems at home and school. He has a broken family from his parents' bitter divorce. He faces evil bullies attacking him almost every afternoon, failing grades when he's really a smart kid, boring classes, snobby girls, mean teachers, being cut from basketball tryouts, and few friends. Yes, life is rough for TJ Cockrell. Then a mysterious green book inexplicably throws TJ into the past. And not just any past, but the untamed forbidding forests of 1802 eastern Tennessee, with savage Indians, wild beasts, bloodthirsty robbers, backwoods ruffians, strange characters galore, and rugged log cabin living. Yup, it's definitely not present day Knoxville Tennessee anymore. TJ thought his present life was bad news, but his adventures have just begun. Along the way, he fights off killer beasts, bandits and braves, meets the cocky teenaged David Crockett, gains a world of assurance in himself, finds his first real love, and is befriended by a fantastic frontier family who really has it together. TJ returns to the present a changed young man; emboldened, forthright, and shrewd. He'll need all of his new-found strengths to fend off killer burglars loose in his house, outwit the school bully, charm a pretty new transfer-student, and most intriguing of all, delve into the mysteries of the magical green book...

Never Love a Highlander, by Maya Banks
In a tale of strong ties and true love, Maya Banks' trilogy comes to its conclusion, as the youngest McCabe brother uses sword and seduction to save his clan - and seal his heart.

Caelen McCabe’s young, reckless heart nearly destroyed his clan. Now, putting family loyalty above all else, he steps up to marry his older brother’s jilted bride and salvage the uneasy alliance between two clans. While beautiful Rionna McDonald is a fit wife for any man, Caelen trusts no woman, especially not this sweet temptress who torments him with white-hot longing.

As the sacrificial lamb in her father’s power game, Rionna will do her duty but vows to protect her heart and her pride from humiliation. Despite everything, though, the heat in Caelen’s touch melts her defenses, and she craves the sensual delights of a husband who guards his emotions as fiercely as his clan. But when the ultimate battle for the McCabe legacy is upon them, Rionna’s true warrior spirit emerges. She will risk the wrath of her father, the fury of her enemies, and her life to prove to Caelen that his wife’s love is too precious to lose.