A Cowboy’s Proposal

Carmichael (More than a Feeling) launches her Shannon Sisters series with this light and sweet second-chance romance. A year ago, cowboy Dylan McLean was the lead suspect in a murder case and jilted his fiancée, Cathleen Shannon, on their wedding day to avoid dragging her into the scandal. So he knows not to expect a warm welcome upon returning home to Whitefish, Mont., after months away on the rodeo circuit. He’s correct: no one in town is happy to see Dylan—least of all Cathleen’s protective sisters. Cathleen is also far from forgiving him and, in the midst of opening a B&B, she has no time to deal with him—no matter how much her heart still responds to the sight of him. But when Cathleen learns that Dylan’s stepfather, now the mayor of Whitefish, is abusing Dylan’s mom, she and Dylan join forces to topple the mayor off his pedestal. They make a formidable team, and though Carmichael focuses more on the intrigue surrounding the McLean family than on the couple rebuilding their lost love, she still manages to make their reconciliation believable through frank examinations of their feelings. This emotional story gets the series off to a strong start. (Sept.)