August 2020 Harlequin Special Edition Showcase + Review The Marine's Road Home by Brenda Harlen

Recently I was looking at my calendar and all of a sudden it struck me that I have not showcased my beloved #Harlequin Special Edition. Sorry to all my SE author friends I blame it on pandemic brain. So today I'm showcasing the August SE series and reviewing The Marine's Road Home by Brenda Harlen.
Enjoy!

The Single Mom's Second Chance
by Kathy Douglass
Miniseries: Sweet Briar Sweethearts (Book #7)

She could use a shoulder to lean on…
Facing the fight of her life after a cancer diagnosis, widow Roz Martin is forced to ask her estranged brother-in-law to help care for her children. Being there for his nieces and nephew is a no-brainer for gym owner Paul Stephens. But being there for the woman who’d betrayed him by marrying his half brother is hard. Especially when he discovers the feelings he once had for Roz never died…

Kathy's Website

A Matchmaker's Challenge
by Teresa Southwick

Everyone thinks they’re made to be…
This matchmaker has her work cut out for her…

Despite his feelings on love and marriage, Gabriel Blackburne works for his aunt’s matchmaking company—but only on the financial side! So he’s not exactly thrilled when, much like his meddlesome family, a teenager shows up and tries to set him up with her mom. But when it becomes clear that Courtney Davidson is equally uninterested—if incredibly compelling—he proposes a mutually beneficial fake relationship to keep both his family and her daughter out of their business…

Teresa's HQN Page

Her Man Behind the Badge
by Stella Bagwell
Miniseries: Men of the West

She’ll show him the family he never dreamed he needed.
Connor’s Rules of Dating:
No single moms.
No strings.
No complications.

Deputy Sheriff Connor Murphy had been disappointed enough in his youth to know that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a father. But when he meets lovely single mom Jazelle Hutton, he soon realizes that she and her little boy are a package deal! And the only way to get in her good graces is to open his heart not just to the woman who is rewriting all his rules, but the child who makes him throw away his rule book…
USA Today Bestselling Author

Stella's HQN Page

Lawfully Unwed
by Allison Leigh
Miniseries: Return To The Double C

Making a case…for courtship!
Is he getting too close to this damsel in distress?

Coming to the rescue of a wronged colleague is all in a day’s work for Wyoming attorney Archer Templeton. But Nell Brewster isn’t just any lawyer; Archer has long had his eye on his stepsister’s best friend. She accepts his help but when their motion to dismiss a growing attraction is overruled by a one-night stand, there are unexpected consequences…

New York Times Bestselling Author

Allison's Website

The Cowboy's Comeback
by Melissa Senate
Miniseries: Montana Mavericks: What Happened to Beatrix? (Book #2)

He’s the one who got away…
You never forget your first…
Anyone can see why Amanda Jenkins fell for Holt Dalton way back when; the hunky rancher and former bad boy is all kinds of adorable. So is his son, Robby, their dog, Bentley, and their cat, Oliver. When Holt asks her for a second chance, it is awfully tempting to imagine them as a happy family. First, however, the charming cowboy will have to convince her that he’s playing for keeps…

Melissa's Website

The Marine's Road Home
by Brenda Harlen
Miniseries: Match Made in Haven (Book #8)

His travels are over, but his journey is just beginning…
It takes a different kind of courage to open up to love.

An explosion ended Jake Kelly’s military career. Now his days are spent alone on his ranch, and his nights are spent keeping his PTSD at bay. But the former marine’s efforts to keep the beautiful local bartender at a distance are thwarted by his canine companion. Every time he turns around, Molly is racing off to the Circle G looking for Skylar Gilmore. Maybe the dog knows that two hearts are better than one? 

Brenda's Website 

My Review:

The Marine’s Road Home
Match Made In Haven series
Brenda Harlen

Brenda Harlen’s latest in her Match Made in Haven series, The Marine’s Road Home, is poignant and heartfelt, filled with painful pasts and hopeful futures. Her small town setting complete with nosey neighbors and doting family is the perfect backdrop for this story and her couple are genuine and likeable and really deserve their HEA and watching them go through the obstacles to get there is worth every page. Readers who love wounded warrior stories and who know the down-home goodness Moto of the SE series will adore this read, and although the story is part of a series they can all be read as stand-a-lones but as with every story are better read in order.

Jake Kelly was still battling many demons after his discharge from the Marines so when he discovered his uncle left him his ranch in Haven, Nevada Jake packed his bags and his devoted dog Molly and headed there hoping he could heal while being left alone to deal with his survivor’s guilt. What he didn’t count on was a sexy bartender who he couldn’t get out of his mind but who he knew he could never be good enough for.

Sklar (Sky) Gilmore has always been unlucky at love so why did she feel an instant connection to a handsome stranger who showed up one night and ordered a beer at the bar where she worked even though he made it clear he didn’t want company. Was she just asking for more heartache or could this finally be the real deal?

Book 1: The Sheriff’s Nine-Month Surprise
Book 2: Her Seven-Day Fiancé
Book 3: Six Weeks to Catch a Cowboy
Book 4: Claiming the Cowboy’s Heart
Book 5: Double Duty for the Cowboy
Book 6: One Night with the Cowboy
Book 7: A Chance for the Rancher