On Thursday, I feature a book I adore. This week I am sharing the wonderful  Beautiful Stranger (The Last Roundup #4) by Ruth Wind.

This a perfect sized romance. It houses one of the first and best BBW heroines and an artist hero against the backdrop of the Southwest. The class issues are compelling as well as those of race.  Wind always builds such fine details in her character driven love stories and this book is a showcase for her talent. 

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Raised in a gilded cage, she was the chubby twin sister no one noticed. Now her weight loss made Marissa Pierce the kind of woman every man desired - including Robert Martinez. If only she had the courage to return his seductive gaze. A proud Native American, Robert resented Marissa's privileged lifestyle. Yet this elegant stranger understood his wounded heart. Now Robert was determined to show her how truly beautiful she was - before the princess could escape to her ivory tower forever.

Review

There are endless treasures to be found in the troves of category romances. This love story shines.

Ruth Wind creates excellent nuanced characters that at once embody archetypes in order to explore the themes that draw a reader to a kind of character and then she sketches them so finely we can never see these people as anything but real, human, and compelling.

In this romance, we have a the less traditionally attractive twin as a larger sized heroine from the upper class and a hero who is a seen as a bad boy but sees the world and the heroine through artist's eyes.

The issues of class difference and self esteem around body image are deftly handled. The empathy and compassion that these two find for each other make a love story worth reading over and over again

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

Anyone else a fan of the movie Green Card with Gérard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell? 

I loved that movie.  In case you A: Were not born or B Some how missed it in 1990 here is the plot according to IMDb 

George Faure is a Frenchman who has been offered a job in the U.S. But in order to get the job he must obtain a work permit - green card, and the easiest way is to marry an American. Bronte Parrish is a New Yorker who is a keen horticulturist and just found the perfect flat with its own greenhouse. Unfortunately the flat is for married couples only. A marriage of convenience seems the ideal solution to both problems. To convince the immigration officers they are married for love, they must move in with each other. As the mismatched couple attempt to cope with life together, they start to fall in love.

I love Marriage of Convenience plots!  I adore the couple time and the you must deal with each other.

For a Contemporary Romance what could be a more realisic reason for this kind of marriage that citizen status.  I do wish they had less "we are going to get found out" drama.

Here are some fun Green Card Romances with immigration needs for all kinds of reasons.

My lists are never in any particular order. Enjoy!  

1. An Engagement in Seattle by Debbie Macomber

Aleksandr Berinksi is a Russian biochemist in the U.S. on a visa that is about to expire. Marriage will allow him to stay—marriage to Julia Conrad. If Julia's going to save her Seattle-based company, she needs him as much as he needs her. There's a Groom Wanted in Julia's life. And not just any groom!

2. Rio Grande Wedding by Ruth Wind

One kiss stole her heart. So when Molly Sheffield realized Alejandro Sosa needed a green-card bride, it seemed only natural for her to stand by his side….

But the pretty widow could not predict the feelings she would have for her new husband. After opening her heart to Alejandro, Molly knew she was meant to spend forever with this man. But she and Alejandro had only so many passionate nights, so many warm and loving days, before they said goodbye.

Or before they fell hopelessly in love…

3. Wanted: Outback Wife by Ally Blake

hen Jodie Simpson met her long-lost sister, Louise Valentine, she didn't realize the biggest adventure of her life was about to begin. With her visa about to expire, and desperate to stay in Australia, Jodie has a plan…she'll marry for convenience!

Jodie is offering a one-year marriage, with no strings attached. So why does sexy cattle rancher Heath Jameson, who is almost certainly looking for a long-term wife, want to marry her? Heath seems so sure—and so handsome—that Jodie takes the plunge. Only to fall for a convenient husband who seems to be running from the ghosts of his past…

4. An Inconvenient Wife by Katy Madison

Brandi Yeats wants gold—Olympic gold, but she needs a new ice dancing partner. One man is available, but he's totally wrong for her, and he's the wrong nationality. Marriage is the only way they can compete for the same team. So what's a girl to do when her dreams are on the line? What she won't do is have an affair with the broody, but far too attractive, Russian, even if he is her husband. 

Nikolai Petronof is willing to do anything to skate with a strong competitor like Brandi—even trap himself in a lie he can't get out of. Everyone warns him not to mix fire and ice, but he can't help himself. That is until he's caught in a hands-off marriage of convenience that is far too inconvenient...

5. Mail-Order Groom: by Cindy Flores Martinez

Lisa is about to marry the love of her life, but her world is shattered when she finds her fiancé, Jeff, in the arms of another woman. When he calls off the wedding, she's heartbroken. 

In a twist of fate, she meets Krzysztof Zielinski from Poland on Mail-Order-Grooms.Com. He needs to marry an American woman so that he can stay in America, and he’s willing to pay money for it. His reason for needing to stay is what tugs at Lisa’s heart and convinces her to say “I do” to him. After all, it’s going to be strictly a business deal. 

Lisa races to the altar with Krzysztof, but things become complicated when she finds herself falling for him, and he’s not planning to stay in America forever. Will her heart break all over again?

6. Kissing the Canvas by Billy London

Russian boxer, Pasha Markovitch, has everything in his corner, looks, potential for Olympic greatness, and speed of powerful fists professionals only dream of. There’s just one small issue. If he can’t find a solution to his current visa situation, he’ll be out of the UK and ducking and weaving with government standard silver bracelets on his wrists. The pressures of his father’s greed and the anxiety of a past that continues to knock him down, steadily wear on him until chance leads him to green fingered, sarcastic mouthed, Liliana Asare who offers the light of a reprieve. Coming to an arrangement of mutual exchange, they both get what they want. Pasha gets to stay in the country and Liliana gets the financing for her florist shop. The whole scenario is perfect enough to list. Woman willing to marry him so he doesn’t end up deported and she doesn’t end up losing her livelihood? Check. Avaricious father satisfied? Check. Falling in love with his fake wife? Wait, that’s not on the list…

7. Baily's Irish Dream / Czech Mate by Kate Thomas

She knew all the right moves...

Wendy Marek needs to see green -- as in money to finance her studies in fashion design in Paris. But to claim her inheritance she must marry. Visiting Czech Peter Havel also needs to see green -- as in green card! What will Wendy do with a Czech math genius with the body of an Olympic gold medalist? Well, marry him, of course. However, what will happen to this marriage of convenience when love enters the equation?

8. A Marriage of Convenience by Jewel Amethyst

After being left standing at the altar, Tamara needs someone to share the new home she can’t afford. Enter Kawbena Opoku, a gorgeous Ghanaian scientist in search of a green card, to fulfill Tamara’s needs—and the desires she didn’t know she had.

9. Marry Me, Cowboy by Lilian Darcy

Champion barrel-racer Tegan Ash has nothing left to go home to in her native Australia and every reason to stay in the USA. But her visa is about to expire, and her prospective groom has called off their green-card wedding. 

Jamie MacCreadie doesn’t actually want to marry a woman he can't stand, but his best friend and fellow rodeo rider Chet has just let her down and, somehow, he finds himself offering to do the deed instead. 

There’s no chance it could turn into the real thing, because they have nothing in common… do they?

10. Temporary Wife by Joan Kilby

Veronique Dutot and Burton O'Rourke—each has something the other needs.

Veronique is a talented chef, while Burton happens to need a chef for a new cooking show he's about to produce.

Veronique, on the other hand, needs her visa extended so she can live in Vancouver near her former mother-in-law.

Burton proposees and old-fashioned solution to their very modern problems. A temporary marriage. A marriage of convenience.

Veronique accepts—although there's nothing temporary or convenient about the way she's starting to feel.

So I need more for these. Perferably between working class people. Yeah. 

Whatcha got? Or if you don't have any which writer should we hound to creative more? lol

Vote for the best of the best on my Goodreads list: Green Card: Marriage of Convenience Romance. 

The circumstances where I can accept not telling the father about a child are really limited and don't often come up in Romance Novels. The secret baby isn't my favorite trope but none the less there are some really good books out there with this theme.

I am defining the Secret Baby Trope as the hero and the heroine had a baby or became pregnant, but, due to circumstances, the hero only found out about the child some time later. The couple is the heroine who became pregnant  and the hero who fathered the child. 

Since the Series/Category Romance (Mills and Boon, Harlequin)  has made an art from out of this theme, I thought it would be fun to look at the Best Secret Baby in Series Romance.

Here we go! 

1. Rodeo Daddy by Marin Thomas

The day Hallie Sutton dreaded has finally come. Drew Rawlins has found out the secret she's been keeping—and he's spitting mad! But the rodeo is Drew's whole world and Hallie needs a full-time dad for their boy. Still, how can she deny the injured bronc rider the chance to get to know his son?

All Drew wants is to carve out a place in his son's life. Sorting out his feelings for Hallie isn't as simple. The emotion simmering between them is just as strong—so's the red-hot desire that got them into trouble five years ago. Winning the world championship is still number one on Drew's list. But he figures he can have it all. The title and the chance to prove he's the man Hallie and Nick need.

2. Marriage Material by Ruth Wind

FATHER MATERIAL…

Lance Forrest was the sexiest thing Tamara Flynn ever laid eyes on. Once, he'd hightailed it out of Red Creek, Colorado, on his wild reputation, leaving behind a string of broken hearts and a son he never knew about. A son Tamara raised as her own.

HUSBAND MATERIAL?

When he walked back into her life five years later, Tamara knew she could no longer deny Lance the knowledge of his son, or the joy of his company. But the more time the three of them spent together, the more Lance started to feel like family. Tamara had always thought Lance and marriage didn't mix…until now.

3. Everyday, Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann

All her life Melody Evans has wanted to marry a plain, average man who didn't take risks. But when the foreign embassy where she works as an aide is taken over by terrorists and she's rescued by a daring navy SEAL, Melody blames the extreme circumstances for their ensuing passion. When it comes to ordinary, Harlan "Cowboy" Jones is anything but, and their encounter leaves Melody with a little more than just memories . . .

Seven months later when Cowboy pays Melody a visit, he's surprised to find her pregnant -- with his child. Now all he has to do is convince her that they are meant to be together. That he can be as ordinary as the next guy. The only problem is, once a hero, always a hero . . .

4. The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding

The moment she first saw her best friend's fiancé, Tom, Sylvie could feel her heart rate rising. She quells those feelings and focuses on preparing her friend's wedding as the professional event planner that she is, but then the bride disappears right before the wedding! Sylvie ends up spending a passionate night with Tom, to comfort him during his time of loss. She then sends him a letter telling him that she's pregnant with his child, but when she doesn't hear back from him, Sylvie feels betrayed and unwanted. What are the chances that they'd be reunited by a magazine project to design her "dream wedding," which lands her in the role of the bride and him as the groom?

5. Hold on Tight by Serena Bell

Fighting for his country gave Jake Taylor’s life shape and meaning. Now as an injured war hero he struggles to find purpose, until he runs into the gorgeous woman he dated briefly—and disastrously—before being deployed eight years ago. Turns out Jake doesn’t just need to figure out how to be a civilian . . . he also needs to learn how to be a dad.
 
Eighteen, pregnant, and totally lost, Mira Shipley couldn’t track down the soldier who fathered her child, so she put college on hold and focused on making a good life for her son. Now she’s determined to be something more than Sam’s mom, her parents’ daughter, or Jake’s girl—as hot as she finds her old flame’s take-charge attitude in and out of bed. Soon Mira and Jake realize that their passion didn’t disappear when Sam was conceived—and that instead of running away, sometimes it’s better to hold on tight.

6. Her Secret, His Surprise by Paula Altenburg

Since being disowned by her strict father, Cass Stone has spent her adulthood trying to prove him wrong. Her drive has led to more success than her family ever thought she’d achieve, and life is looking great. Not even an incredible and mysterious one night stand that leaves her a single mom can trip her up...until the father of her baby stumbles back into her life, as sexy and unreliable as ever.
 
Logan Alexander hasn’t forgotten the night he spent with Cass two years ago, but he never expects to end up undercover as her assistant. His job saves lives—like it should have saved his brother—and he can’t afford complications. It’s difficult enough to maintain his cover as a carefree wanderer when he realizes his attraction to Cass hasn’t faded...and then he meets Cass’s daughter.

7. Their Newborn Gift by Nikki Logan

When Lea became accidentally pregnant she decided that she would go it alone. Rodeo star Reilly wasn't the sort of man who'd want to be tied down. But five years later she needs to tell him her secret....

Learning he's a daddy is bittersweet for Reilly, because his little girl is fighting to survive. Her only hope is a new brother or sister. Can he and Lea create a newborn miracle--and a future together?

8. The Billionaire's Baby by Leanne Banks

Garrett Winslow wants a woman to love him for himself, not for his family's money. So when he meets Haley Turner while on vacation in Mexico, he keeps his real name a secret. A family crisis abruptly ends their spring fling, and Garrett heads home, never knowing the night he spent with Haley has changed both of their lives forever...

9. The Secret Baby Bond by Cindy Gerard

But much had changed in the two years Michael Paige had been presumed dead. Though he still loved her, his wife now wore another man's diamond--and Michael had a son. A beautiful boy he'd never seen before. That changed everything.

Tara Connelly Paige thought she'd seen a ghost. But her husband was a flesh-and-blood male. One touch of his hands still stirred her desire.... But when he'd regained his memory, would he recall she'd asked for a divorce the day he'd disappeared? Tara wouldn't keep him from his son, but could they be the family Michael claimed he now wanted?

10. Marrying the Marshal by Laura Marie Altom

U.S. Marshal Caleb Logue walks into Judge Allie Hayworth's office to find the woman who wouldn't marry him—and the son he didn't know he had. Protecting them is his latest assignment, but Allie soon discovers Caleb's main priority is getting to know his little boy—and making her agree to his proposal.

After all these years, nothing has changed—she refuses to marry a man whose idea of fun is dodging bullets. Not after she lost her own cop father when she was just a girl. Allie would do anything to protect her son from that type of pain. Marrying the marshal is definitely out of the question…but how can Allie refuse, when two identical pairs of green eyes look up at her, wanting her to say yes?

Whatcha got? Let me know your favorite Secret Baby Romance in Series Romance! 

It is often the worst of times that bind us most tightly to those we love. In these darker days, we see the essence of a person. 

Here are some  great love story that take place during on in the aftermath of a flood.

1. Angel's Walk by Kathleen Creighton Free! 

Army Corps of Engineers’ John Campbell Harris has no choice--to save Bakersfield, California, he has to raise the height of the local dam in record time. This will flood the homes and destroy the dreams of many on the river, including Susannah Day whose beloved family home, Angel’s Walk, sits on long-designated lake bottom.

Harris didn’t plan to fall in love with an old-fashioned, stubborn, woman-child and then betray her, but who does? As the El Nino soaked the ground, and the water rose towards Angel's Walk, Harris made a dangerous choice for redemption. Would it be enough?

2. Courting Miss Hattie by Pamela Morsi

The news spread like brush fire through the whole county when widower Ancil Drayton announced his intention to start courting Miss Hattie Colfax. She was certainly spirited and delightfully sweet natured, and she'd managed to run her family farm almost single-handedly. But wasn't a twenty-nine-year-old lady farmer too old to catch a husband?

An Irresistable Suitor.

All his life handsome, black-haired Reed Tyler had worked Miss Hattie's farm--and dreamed of one day settling down on his own piece of land with the pretty young woman he'd sworn to marry. Hattie was someone he could tell his hopes and troubles to--someone he looked on as a sister. So he thought, until the idea of Ancil Drayton calling on her made him seethe. Until the night a brotherly peck became a scorching kiss... and Reed knew nothing would bank the blaze--and that his best friend was the only woman he would ever love.

3. All That Remains by Janice Kay Johnson

Wren Fraser can think of better times to go into labor. Say, when she's not on the run, or when there's a hospital nearby. Better yet, when there's not a major flood trapping her in an abandoned house. She needs a rescue…now!

It arrives in one Alec Harper. Strong, competent and goodlooking, the detective keeps her safe and doesn't leave her side. He even takes in Wren and the baby when they have no place to go.

For a woman wanting her independence, it's shocking how quickly she settles in with Alec. The situation seems a bit too domestic. And the sizzling attraction between them is making things worse. She keeps telling herself to walk away, yet she can't. Or should that be, she doesn't want to?

4. Jezebel's Blues by Barbara Samuel

5. Flood Zone by Dana Mentink 

Mia Sandoval's friend is murdered under mysterious circumstances—and the single mother is a suspect. Her only ally is a man she isn't sure she can trust. Search and rescue worker Dallas Black has a past as harrowing as Mia's own, and the police are suspicious of them both. With no choice but to work with secretive Dallas, Mia discovers he's as complicated as the murder they're forced to investigate to clear her name. Yet as a flood ravages their small Colorado town, a killer is determined that Mia, Dallas and their evidence get swept away to a watery grave.

6. A Man Like Him by Rachel Brimble

Changing her life…again.

After two years in hiding, Angela Taylor knows her independence is worth it. As long as she can escape her past, she has everything under control. Until a flash flood hits the park where she works, and hot Chris Forrester shows up the exact moment she needs a hero. 

Chris proves he can save lives—and weaken a girl's knees. But how can she make him understand that she's off-limits, that getting close to her will endanger his life? Her happiness or his safety: it shouldn't even be a choice. Because when you love someone, you protect them, no matter the cost. At least, that's what Angela keeps telling herself….

7. Rivertime by Rae Renzi

Casey Lord needs a break. Her great-on-paper boyfriend, Reed, is pressuring her to marry him—but she's not sure if he sees her merely as an asset to help his political career. A river-rafting trip in the remote wilderness provides the perfect opportunity to clear her head. Until a flash flood sweeps Casey away from her group—and straight into the arms of Jack, a mysterious man also stranded by the flooding river.

Jack won't tell Casey his last name, and her innocent questions about his life are met with evasive answers. Yet they have to trust each other to survive, and as the pair await rescue, their uneasy truce slowly blossoms into friendship—and love. They agree to keep secret whatever differences may separate them in the real world.

When rescue finally arrives, will it spell an end to their budding relationship or can they find a way to stay in RiverTime?

8. A Bird in Hand by Allison Lane

When Lord Symington tries to save a young woman from drowning he almost loses his own life, and winds up compromised—having spent the night (unconscious) with Lady Elizabeth Fosdale in a country cottage. As any honorable gentleman would, he offers her marriage, but she will have none of it. And his lordship is not quite willing to see Lady Elizabeth disappear.

9. Taken by Storm by Tamara Mataya

Leilani’s plan was simple: Return for her father’s wedding, house sit for the happy couple while they went on their honeymoon, then get the hell outta dodge. She’d thought the worst thing would be returning to the town she grew up in (and despised). She was wrong.

A flash flood hits the small town, stranding firefighter, Ryan, and a few strangers at the local bar. Worst of all, Leilani, his old high school rival – and last night’s scorching one-night-stand – is one of the people stuck in the bar. With waters rising, they need to stick together and wait for rescue.

The power grid’s knocked out, and cell phones aren’t working. When the others panic and leave, Leilani and Ryan are left alone in the dark. Fortunately, words aren’t necessary to keep the former rivals warm. But when they’re forced to leave the refuge of each other's arms, they must navigate the flood-ravaged town in order to find safe shelter.

The rising waters brought them together, but rising tempers might tear them apart.

10. In the Shadow of the Ark by Anne Provoost

When ReJana and her family reach the desert plain where the great ship is being constructed, the world has already begun to change. The waters are rising everywhere, and both people and animals are beginning to panic. This is the dramatic story of the weeks and months that follow, as the rain transforms the earth and the people come to understand the magnitude of the disaster. This is the story of one girl who stows away on the ark for love of Ham, Noah's son. This is her story of survival.

To vote for your favorite Romances featuring a flood, go to my Goodreads list: Flooded: Floods in Romance Novels.