When I was 18, I took a train trip around the United States on my own. I was gone for about 3 months. I would stop in various places and visit friends and family. I spent a lot of time back East and in the South where it is very green. 

 

On my return leg of the trip, when the sunrose over New Mexico, I began to weep. I was homesick. I grew up in the desert and missed the sky, the dirt, and the distance.

 

Enjoy this wonderful Comtemporary Romance Novels set in New Mexico.

 

My lists are never in any particluar order. 

 

1. Walk in Beauty by Barbara Samuel

 

Once, Luke Bernali’s proud Navajo blood and strong carpenter’s hands made genteel Jessie Callahan love him with youthful abandon. But, to his endless regret, Luke faltered and he let Jessie down. Hurt, Jessie left, with a broken heart…and unaware that she was pregnant with Luke’s child. 

Now, eight years later, Jessie was back—with a darling daughter in tow. Luke was older—and wiser—and determined to recapture the beauty lost. Could a fierce, desperate long-ago love soar anew on the delicate wings of a child?

 

2. Just Before Dawn by Rochelle Alers

 

After prosecuting the biggest case of her career, New York district attorney Sara Sterling was looking forward to relaxing amid starry desert nights in her childhood home in New Mexico. Then she met enigmatic neighbor Salem Lassiter, who inspired an inescapable hunger…and made her reassess everything she thought she valued.

 

3. Chayton's Tempest by Aliyah Burke

 

Tempest Burnell was content with her life in the Southwestern desert until the day she came face to face with her past. A tall Native American, blessing him with jet black hair, obsidian eyes, and bronzed skin covering a body packed in muscles. James "Maverick" Lonetree heads to New Mexico because of a vision. When he lays eyes upon a sexy bartender, new life pours into him. He longs to know more about the dark-skinned, curvaceous woman and yet she seems to hate him.When the past comes out, Maverick is faced with a hurdle more crucial than anything he's ever faced in his thirty-six, even recent years as a SEAL. He is however, determined to break through the wall erected around Tempest's heart and earn forgiveness for past transgressions. SEALs are known for many things, giving up

 

4. How to Rope a Real Man by Melissa Cutler

 

Against all odds, the Sorentino sisters saved their family's rundown New Mexico ranch, but the youngest has a dream that just may ruin their hard-earned peace--unless a certain sexy cowboy lawyer changes her mind. . .

Jenna Sorentino is as independent as they come. Despite her wild past, she's grown up enough to keep quiet about the identity of her baby's daddy, go to night college--and hide her plan to escape tiny Catcher Creek. She's also stopped dreaming of happily ever after--except in the case of gorgeous, rugged, Santa Fe native Matt Roenick. Too bad the oil rights attorney acts like he barely knows she's alive. . .

Matt knows only too well that Jenna's alive--in fact, she's driving him crazy with desire. But Matt's got his reasons for resisting her. And when her son's father shows up, those reasons multiply. Trouble is, Jenna's secrets are more complicated than he imagined, and forgetting her isn't as easy as he'd hoped. Matt knows life can be messy as hell. For Jenna, maybe it's time he got dirty. . .

 

5. The Hungry Heart by Brenda Gayle

 

Child advocate Nora Cross doesn't have time for the private cooking lesson her sister won at a charity auction. Hunter Graham, the young chef, is the last person she needs telling her she's forgotten how to have fun. So why can't she get the very hot, very eligible man off her mind? After a stellar debut in New York City, Hunter's back in Santa Fe to open a new restaurant. He lives a charmed life and he knows it. He isn't interested in a workaholic who's glued to her smart phone. So why is he trying to convince Nora to relax and enjoy life--with him? When Nora's apartment and office are ransacked, Hunter comes to her rescue, surprised to find himself playing knight-in-shining-armor to the uptight executive. But when it becomes clear Nora is no random target, Hunter realizes he'll do anything to keep her safe.

 

6. Welcome to Last Chance by Cathleen Armstrong

 

The red warning light on her car dashboard may have driven Lainie Davis to seek help in the tiny town of Last Chance, New Mexico, but as she meets the people who make this one-horse town their home, it's her heart that is flashing bright red warning lights. These people are entirely too nice, too accommodating, and too interested in her personal life--especially since she's on the run and hoping to slip away unnoticed.

Yet in spite of herself, Lainie is increasingly drawn into the small-town dramas and to a handsome local guy with a secret of his own. Could Lainie actually make a life in this little town? Or will the past catch up to her even here in the middle of nowhere?

 

7. Enchanting Baby by Darlene Graham

 

She'll do anything to protect this baby

When TV personality Ashleigh Logan became pregnant by artificial insemination of her deceased husband's sperm, she ignited a media frenzy and attracted a stalker. So she's sequestered herself in the mountains of New Mexico, under the watchful eyes of the midwives of The Birth Place. Here she can be safe until the baby arrives.

 

And so will he

Greg Glazier doesn't have an easy time tracking down Ashleigh. And when he finally finds her, he can't tell her his news—not until she's further along in her pregnancy. Because what he's got to say might come as a bit of a shock—he's the real father of her baby. 

 

8. Almost Perfect by Julie Ortolon

 

A Free Spirit and a Reformed Bad Boy -- a Perfect Match? 

Maddy was always the artistic one of the group, alive with color and mischief from her saucy red curls to her vintage hippie skirts. Her challenge, the friends decide, is to get her artwork accepted at a gallery. A job as arts director at a summer camp near Santa Fe—with its multitude of galleries—seems like a start in the right direction. 

There’s just one catch: The camp is run by Maddy’s high school flame, Joe, whose heart she broke—okay, smashed—and his anger towards Maddy hasn’t cooled one bit. But neither has their attraction. 

Old desires burn hotter than ever as Joe makes it clear there’s only one way back to his heart: She has to get serious about her art. But will falling in love help or hinder Maddy as she struggles to meet her challenge?

 

9. The Midwife and the Lawman by Marisa Carroll

 

If Devon Grant had her way, she'd turn her back on Enchantment. There's simply too much history in that small town. But her sense of honor has her returning to help her ailing grandmother run The Birth Place—even though she's still angry about her grandmother's past actions. And there's also Miguel Eiden, the man who broke her heart ten years before.

 

Then Devon uncovers a secret and must decide what to do and who to trust—because in order to help three innocent children she might have to bend, if not break, the law. Not so easy when the new chief of police is her old love Miguel.

 

10. Cloud Waltzer by Tory Cates

 

Meredith Tolliver has cast off her old gray life as an investment banker. Enchanted by the warmth and bright colors of sunny Albuquerque, she’s made a fresh, buoyant future for herself, turning her financial knowledge and her way with words into a new life as a reporter—far from the wintery secrets that weighted her down in Chicago.

She’s happy with being single, too . . . until she meets the mysterious tycoon Archer Hanson. The conflicting rumors about him intrigue her as a reporter. Is he a self-made man? Or did he inherit his father’s millions? Is he a fair boss? Or is he a ruthless tyrant? But when the handsome Archer takes her for a ride in his hot-air balloon—the magnificent Cloud Waltzer—it is Meredith’s response as a woman that threatens her hard-won peace. Dare she respond to Archer’s rugged charm and soar away into the unknown with him?

 

 

You have a recommendation? Let me know! Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Contemporaryl Romance Novels Set in New Mexic

Call of the Midwife and a rethinking of Western childbirth practice are giving the midwife the spotlight in popular culture but these heroines have always been abundant in Romance Novels. 

 

A powerful part of women's work in any time period, these heroines deserve a starring role.

 

Here is a diverse array of Midwife Heroines from Romanceland.  My lists are never in any particular order. 

 

1. Butterfly Garden: A Sensual Amish Historical Romance by Annette Blair

 

Amish woman Sara Lapp, all but shunned for studying with the English doctor to become a midwife, is shocked that, after months of waiting, her first call to tend a birth comes from self-appointed outcast Mad Adam Zuckerman. For his wife’s sake, Sara boldly tells Adam that he is killing Abby with so many babies so close, but Abby is already dead.

Adam did not call Sara to tend the birth, but to give her his children. Though Sara knows Abby’s girls belong with their father, how can she leave them with a man who seems not to care for them? As much as she loves and wants the girls, she decides that she will only take them long enough to teach Adam to love them.

As a child Adam heard the words, “I do this because I love you,” with his father’s every abuse. Adam is afraid to love his children, afraid that in doing so, he will hurt them. Without Abby to protect them, Adam must find someone else, and he can think of only one woman strong and brave enough, Spinster Sara Lapp.

 

2. Virgin River by Robyn Carr

 

Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. Make a difference against a backdrop of towering California redwoods and crystal-clear rivers. Rent-free cabin included.

When the recently widowed Melinda Monroe sees this ad, she quickly decides that the remote mountain town of Virgin River might be the perfect place to escape her heartache, and to reenergize the nursing career she loves. But her high hopes are dashed within an hour of arriving: the cabin is a dump, the roads are treacherous and the local doctor wants nothing to do with her. Realizing she's made a huge mistake, Mel decides to leave town the following morning.

But a tiny baby, abandoned on a front porch, changes her plans…and former marine Jack Sheridan cements them into place.

 

3. The Secret by Julie Garwood

 

Judith Hampton was as beautiful as she was proud and loyal. Her dear Scottish friend from childhood was about to give birth, and Judith had promised to be at her side. But there was another, private reason for the journey from her bleak English home to the Highlands: to meet the father she had never known, the Laird Maclean. Nothing prepared her, however, for the sight of the Scottish barbarian who was to escort her into his land...Iain Maitland, Laird of his clan, a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered.

In a spirited clash of wills and customs, Judith reveled in the melting bliss of Iain's searching kisses, his passionate caresses. Perplexed by her sprightly defiance, bemused by her tender nature, Iain felt his soul growing into the light and warmth of her love. Surely nothing would wrench her from the affection and trust of Iain and his clan...not even the truth about her father, a devastating secret that could shatter the boldest alliance, and the most glorious of loves!

 

4. Karma by Viola Grace

 

Olive has wanted to take midwife training, but the waiting list is nearly a decade long. When she is offered the chance to take the training and go into space, she takes it. Who wouldn’t?

Assigned as midwife to a pregnant Terran on an alien world, she is immersed in a world of fighters, trainers and paparazzi.

Regaran knows that a Terran would be a good match for him, but the only one he knows is taken. When he meets Olive, he is stunned by his response to her soft words and shy manner. After she gets a good night’s sleep, he finds out that her words are carefully chosen and she is not as demure as she looks. She’s a warrior who picks her battles, and he is looking for a fight.

 

5. Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes

 

By virtue of her profession as a midwife, Tabitha Eckles is the keeper of many secrets. Dominick Cherrett is a man with his own secret to keep: namely, why he, a British aristocrat, is on American soil working as an indentured servant.

In a time when relations between America and England rest on the edge of a knife, Tabitha and Dominick cross paths, leading them on a journey of intrigue, threats, public disgrace, and . . . love. But can Tabitha trust Dominick? Finding true love seems impossible in a world set against them.

 

6.  The Midwife and the Lawman by Marisa Carroll

 

If Devon Grant had her way, she'd turn her back on Enchantment. There's simply too much history in that small town. But her sense of honor has her returning to help her ailing grandmother run The Birth Place—even though she's still angry about her grandmother's past actions. And there's also Miguel Eiden, the man who broke her heart ten years before.

 

Then Devon uncovers a secret and must decide what to do and who to trust—because in order to help three innocent children she might have to bend, if not break, the law. Not so easy when the new chief of police is her old love Miguel.

 

7. This Golden Land by Barbara Wood

 

Eighteen-year-old Hannah Conroy has always dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps as a healer. But in nineteenth-century England, the medical profession is closed to women. She sees midwifery as a back door into that world, but her fledgling career is crushed by personal tragedy. Seeking to escape a possible murder conviction in England, Hannah’s world is turned upside down as she boards a boat bound for Melbourne. Young and naïve, with some laboratory notes and a handful of medical instruments, she hopes Australia is a place of a new beginning and a fresh start, a place where she can begin a midwife practice. Arriving during a period of enormous change in Australia, Hannah faces a myriad of challenges. Not only must she fight for acceptance as a medical professional, but she also falls in love with and must decide between two men: an American photographer seeking a new life in Australia, and a rowdy outlaw fleeing arrest. This Golden Land presents a love story that neither time nor distance can erase.

 

8. Never Less Than A Lady by Mary Jo Putney

 

As the sole remaining heir to the Earl of Daventry, Alexander Randall knows his duty: find a wife and sire a son of his own. The perfect bride for a man in his position would be a biddable young girl of good breeding. But the woman who haunts his imagination is Julia Bancroft--a village midwife with a dark secret that thrusts her into Randall's protection.

Within the space of a day, Julia has been abducted by her first husband's cronies, rescued, and proposed to by a man she scarcely knows. Stranger still is her urge to say yes. A union with Alexander Randall could benefit them both, but Julia doubts she can ever trust her heart again, or the fervent desire Randall ignites. Yet perhaps only a Lost Lord can show a woman like Julia everything a true marriage can be. . .

 

9. A Midwife Crisis by Lisa Cooke

 

Due to her family’s meddling, an Appalachian midwife finds herself with three eager fiancés, but it’s the new doctor in town who makes her pulse race.

 

Katie Napier’s zany family has decided she needs a husband. And when Katie’s family puts their mind to something, it’s as good as done. In fact, they’re so good, they’ve arranged three fiancés for her in less than a week. What’s a midwife to do?

 

Dr. John Keffer is used to helping people. It’s why he came back to the Appalachian Mountains—to build a new practice and leave behind the painful memories of the big city. But usually his help is of a medical nature, not advising the most captivating woman he’s ever met which man to wed. A difficult task, especially once he decides he wants to keep her for himself.

 

10. The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

 

Hannah Levi is renowned throughout Venice for her gift at coaxing reluctant babies from their mothers using her secret “birthing spoons.” When a count implores her to attend his dying wife and save their unborn son, she is torn. A Papal edict forbids Jews from rendering medical treatment to Christians, but his payment is enough to ransom her husband Isaac, who has been captured at sea. Can she refuse her duty to a woman who is suffering? Hannah’s choice entangles her in a treacherous family rivalry that endangers the child and threatens her voyage to Malta, where Isaac, believing her dead in the plague, is preparing to buy his passage to a new life.

 

 

Did I miss your favorite? Let me know! Vote on my Goodreads list: Delivery: Midwives in Romances.

When I saw that this month’s TBR Challenge category called on us to read a contemporary romance, I found almost an embarrassment of choices. Did I want to go mainstream or inspy? Small town or big city? Something serious or more chick lit in tone? In the end, the setting drew me into Return to Tomorrow, a 2010 re-release of a 1990 title.

The premise of this novel is definitely not run of the mill. The characters were all shaped by their experiences in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, and even 20+ years on, the author shows how the war affected them. Rachel McKendrick spent years in a prison camp in Laos, and not surprisingly, has a lot of emotional issues to work through. After her rescue, she never intended to return to the region but a promise made to a priest she respected deeply brings her to a refugee camp.

There she meets Brett “Tiger” Jackson, a man with a dangerous reputation. Tiger fought in the war and has stayed behind working a variety of shadowy jobs and living among a trusted group of expats who, like him, never could quite return home after the war. Rachel’s brother back home knew and trusted him, but on the ground in Thailand, he has a reputation as a dangerous drug smuggler. There is obviously more to him than meets the eye, but readers are only slightly ahead of Rachel in learning this.

This is a partial review. You can find the complete text at All About Romance.

Divorcée Lola Sandler is on a cruise with her mother and two older sisters. After the rather ugly divorce she’s given up men entirely, but her family, especially her mother, are intent on getting little Lola Roly-Pola back on the horse. And what better way than to hook her up with someone on the cruise ship.Enter Eric Lashman. Ex pro golfer turned temporary golf instructor. He’s filling in for his brother that’s recently become a father.Lola, formerly a Sports Editor for a local newspaper is searching for something to get her back in her boss’s good graces after her lout of a husband being implicated into a steroid-abuse scandal back home. And what better way than to get an interview with the elusive Eric Lasham who, a few years back, left the green in the middle of a game (and he was winning), leaving the world of golf as well.But the fact Eric is a fine specimen of hunk and her attraction to him just might prevent Lola from getting her story and get something else out of it entirely. That is, if Eric doesn’t learn her true reasons first.This would’ve been a great little contemporary romance, sweet and sexy, if it weren’t for Lola’s family getting entirely too much on-screen time, relegating the romance (the true crux on the story) into the background. Eric was a wonderful character and it’s a pity he wasn’t developed a little bit more, given a little bit more "freedom of movement", instead getting merely the role of the heroine job- and love-interest without much wiggle room to really get his character to shine.And it would’ve been a great romance if it weren’t for the heroine. Lola just plainly got on my nerves. She was a wreck, had deep issues with trust, she was a little self-centered and rather selfish. She didn’t even want her mother to be happy, for crying out loud. And after confessing the truth to Eric, she just took off without giving him time to actually form any kind of comeback. Didn’t like her one bit.There was a slightly suspenseful subplot toward the end with the ship librarian finally "getting her due" after four book of constantly looking for something (God knows what), and the other subplot spanning the first three books, the antique stealing/smuggling angle, made a comeback, but I wasn’t interested enough to actually pay any attention to it.This book doesn’t have much going for it, besides the hero (yummy!). The pacing was slow, the heroine was obnoxious, the heroine’s family was constantly there, the romance was slightly off-kilter thanks to the heroine and her false pretenses, but I did like the ending. One, because it was cute, and two, because it signaled the end of the book.