A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE – Emma Cane
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-210227-0
February 2012
Contemporary Romance

Valentine Valley, Colorado – Present Day

After a divorce that left Emily Murphy feeling lost, she heads to Colorado with the idea of selling a building she inherited from her mother and using the money to return to college. The very night Emily arrives in town, she runs into sexy cowboy Nate Thalberg. The two hit it off while playing pool in a bar, which soon ends in a sizzling encounter that's left unfinished when Emily realizes where she is and what she is doing. Ashamed of her feelings of uncontrolled lust, Emily wants to get away from Nate as fast as she can. However, a broken down car forces her to accept not only a ride from him, but his offer of a place to stay at his grandmother's boarding house. Turns out Nate is a local rancher and not only a well respected member of the community, but a guy who is always helpful and seems to be around when Emily needs assistance. And Emily is going to need a lot of help cleaning up the old restaurant. Getting involved is not a good idea, yet can they resist the pull of attraction between them?

Nate may be the good guy whom everyone likes, but he feels like the odd man out in his family. His mother's second husband adopted him as a child and brought him under the Thalberg fold. While Nate is grateful, he wonders if he deserves his good luck. When Emily hits town, he does something he's never done before—nearly have sex with a stranger on a pool table. She makes it clear she's only in town long enough to clean up and then sell the old building she inherited. Dare he give into his feelings of lust whenever she's around?  Emily is trying to be independent after years of being the dutiful wife, and she gets annoyed when he steps in to assist. But he can't help it. Besides, when he's around Emily he has to battle within himself—the good guy wants to be a bad boy at heart and have sex with her. Can a fling work for a couple who haven't realized yet how perfect they are for each other?

In Emma Cane's A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE, we are introduced to Emily, who devoted herself to a man and a marriage where she just didn't live up to his expectations. Now divorced, she's determined to do things her way and not to please any man or expect him to tell her what to do. While Nate isn't overbearing, he does always seem to be there at her elbow wanting to help her out. Emily also discovers that the man she thought was her father isn't, and that likely someone in Valentine may be. With a little help from Nate and her new friends, Emily starts a search for a possible father. Will she discover the truth—or end up being hurt?

In her spare time, Emily is cooking delectable desserts that can rival professional chefs'.  Soon she's getting to know many people, like her next door business neighbor, Monica, who has spent her entire life in town and plans to stay here, despite her twin sister's negative opinion. Nate's sister, Brooke, also becomes a good friend of Emily's. She's a cowgirl but a girly girl at heart. Emily, Monica, and Brooke spend time together bonding over Emily's delicious pastries. Her new friends encourage Emily to think about putting roots down in Valentine, but would that mean giving up her dream to go to college? And what about Nate—a fling is one thing, but would it mean being around him all the time, knowing she's already falling for him?

While A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE is mostly Emily's tale, even Nate begins to learn a few things about himself. He's spent his life trying to be the perfect son for his adopted father and half siblings. Slowly he realizes that while his attention has been on Emily as he's falling deeper and deeper for her, another part of him is going to have to give up the control he has placed on his Mr.-Good-Guy- to-the-rescue persona. As such, Nate begins to understand himself and his family better.

A feel-good tale filled with a bit of emotion, humor, and sexiness, A TOWN CALLED VALENTINE is perfect for when you want to read a book that leaves you smiling. Get to ready to know the people who inhabit Valentine and fall in love with Nate and Emily as a couple.

Patti Fischer