Melissa Lenhardt

True love never fades--and old secrets never die... Nora hasn't looked back. Not since she fled Texas to start a new life. Away from her father's volatile temper and the ever-watchful gaze of her claustrophobically conservative small town, Nora has freed herself. She can live--and love--however she wants. The only problem is that she also left behind the one woman she can't forget. Now tragedy calls her back home to confront her past--and reconcile her future. Sophie seems to have everything--a wonderful daughter, a successful husband and a rewarding career. Yet underneath that perfection lies an explosive secret. She still yearns for Nora--her best friend and first love--despite all the years between them. Keeping her true self hidden hasn't been easy, but it's been necessary. So when Sophie finds out that Nora has returned, she hopes Nora's stay is short. The life she has built depends on it. But they both find that first love doesn't fade easily. Memories come to light, passion ignites and old feelings resurface. As the forces of family and intolerance that once tore them apart begin to reemerge, they realize some things may never change--unless they demand it.

The Secret of You and Me

Wrongfully accused of murder, Dr. Catherine Bennett is destined to hang... unless she can disappear. With the untamed territory of Colorado as her most likely refuge, she packs her physician's kit and heads West. But even with a new life and name, a female doctor with a bounty on her head can hide for only so long. Sawbones is the first novel in a gripping historical fiction series. "Packs a big punch with grit and raw passion....A GRAND SLAM OUT OF THE PARK." -RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!) 4.5 stars "Thoroughly original, smart and satisfying...perhaps a new subgenre: THE FEMINIST WESTERN." -Lone Star Literary Life "DAMN BRILLIANT and I absolutely loved it!" -Bibliosanctum (4.5 stars) "I COULDN'T TEAR MYSELF AWAY... An epic story of love and courage that sweeps from east to west, Sawbones will rip right through you." -Marci Jefferson "A PAGE-TURNER" -Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times bestselling author "YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE with Catherine." -Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author

Sawbones

Big secrets run deep. Former FBI agent Jack McBride took the job as Chief of Police for Stillwater, Texas, to start a new life with his teenage son, Ethan, away from the suspicions that surrounded his wife’s disappearance a year earlier. With a low crime rate and a five-man police force, he expected it to be a nice, easy gig; hot checks, traffic violations, some drugs, occasional domestic disturbances, and petty theft. Instead, within a week he is investigating a staged murder-suicide, uncovering a decades’ old skeleton buried in the woods, and managing the first crime wave in thirty years. For help navigating his unfamiliar, small-town surroundings, Jack turns to Ellie Martin, one of the most respected women in town—her scandal-filled past notwithstanding. Despite Jack's murky marriage status and the disapproval of Ethan and the town, they are immediately drawn to each other. As Jack and Ellie struggle with their budding relationship, they unearth shattering secrets long buried and discover the two cases Jack is working, though fifty years apart, share a surprising connection that will rattle the town to its core.

A Jack McBride Mystery

Stillwater

"An all-out women-driven, queer, transgender, multiracial takeover of the Old West . . . and that's exactly what Melissa Lenhardt delivers in her unapologetically badass western, Heresy." - New York Times "Lenhardt has created a bold new story where women have taken their rightful place in the narrative of the Outlaw Western genre; where wit, wisdom and wiles could mean the difference between life and death, and where the fellowship of women bested every challenge." -- Kathleen Kent Margaret Parker and Hattie LaCour never intended to turn outlaw. After being run off their ranch by a greedy cattleman, their family is left destitute. As women alone they have few choices: marriage, lying on their backs for money, or holding a gun. For Margaret and Hattie the choice is simple. With their small makeshift family, the gang pulls off a series of heists across the West. Though the newspapers refuse to give the female gang credit, their exploits don't go unnoticed. Pinkertons are on their trail, a rival male gang is determined to destroy them, and secrets among the group threaten to tear them apart. Now, Margaret and Hattie must find a way to protect their family, finish one last job, and avoid the hangman's noose. "Readers who relish an unusual narrative structure will enjoy this unique take on the traditional western." -- Booklist

Heresy

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this nonstop sequel to Sawbones. Laura Elliston and William Kindle are on the run -- from the Army and from every miscreant in the West eager to claim the $500 bounty for Laura's capture as their own. But the danger isn't just from those pursuing them. Laura and Kindle have demons of their own and a past that won't stay dead. Exhausted, scared, scarred and surrounded by enemies, neither realize the greatest danger is yet to come. "A fast-paced page-turner, kill or be killed historical romance with bandits, Pinkerton agents, bounty hunters, mystery and more. Melissa Lenhardt writes with passion and does not hold anything back. Her research on the historical facts and people she portrays enhances the plot without overwhelming." RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars, Top Pick!) on Blood Oath "Packs a big punch with grit and raw passion. There is mystery, murder, Indians, bounty hunters and intrigue. The women are brave, intelligent and don't take crap from anyone. Lenhardt is a talented, creative writer; she has a grand slam out of the park with Sawbones." -- RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!) 4.5 stars "Raw, gritty and sometimes graphic, Melissa Lenhardt has crafted a page-turner. In Sawbones, the women are smart, brave and at times 'incorrigible.' The plot twists, unique characters and intriguing story of passion and betrayal make this a book well worth discovering." -- Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of A Light in the Wilderness "Absolutely loved it! I couldn't tear myself away from Sawbones. An epic story of love and courage that sweeps from east to west, Sawbones will rip right through you." - Marci Jefferson, author of Girl on the Golden Coin "You will fall in love with Catherine, as I did, as she struggles to assert herself in a violent and treacherous world, fighting not only prejudice but evil."-- Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author "Sawbones is a thoroughly original, smart and satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new subgenre: the feminist Western." -- Lone Star Literary Life Laura Elliston novelsSawbonesBlood Oath Badlands

Blood Oath

A Novel

Run Baby Run

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in the conclusion to Melissa Lenhardt's fast-paced historical series. "A fast-paced page-turner, kill or be killed historical romance with bandits, Pinkerton agents, bounty hunters, mystery and more. Melissa Lenhardt writes with passion and does not hold anything back. Her research on the historical facts and people she portrays enhances the plot without overwhelming." -- RT Book Reviews (4.5 stars, Top Pick!) on Blood Oath Laura's worst fears have been realized: Kindle has been taken into custody and she is once again on the run. The noose awaits her in New York, but Laura is realizing that there are some things worse than death. Finally running out of places to hide, it may be time for Dr. Catherine Bennett to face her past. "Packs a big punch with grit and raw passion. There is mystery, murder, Indians, bounty hunters and intrigue. The women are brave, intelligent and don't take crap from anyone. Lenhardt is a talented, creative writer; she has a grand slam out of the park with Sawbones." -- RT Book Reviews (Top Pick!) 4.5 stars "Raw, gritty and sometimes graphic, Melissa Lenhardt has crafted a page-turner. In Sawbones, the women are smart, brave and at times 'incorrigible.' The plot twists, unique characters and intriguing story of passion and betrayal make this a book well worth discovering." -- Jane Kirkpatrick, New York Times bestselling author of A Light in the Wilderness "Absolutely loved it! I couldn't tear myself away from Sawbones. An epic story of love and courage that sweeps from east to west, Sawbones will rip right through you." -- Marci Jefferson, author of Girl on the Golden Coin "You will fall in love with Catherine, as I did, as she struggles to assert herself in a violent and treacherous world, fighting not only prejudice but evil." -- Sandra Dallas, New York Times bestselling author "Sawbones is a thoroughly original, smart and satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new subgenre: the feminist Western." -- Lone Star Literary Life Laura Elliston novelsSawbonesBlood Oath Badlands

Badlands

When the dust settles in this Texas town, who will be left standing? It’s been six weeks since Jack McBride’s life went to hell: the resolution of his first case as chief sparked a countywide drug war, his brother Eddie rode into town with a pocket full of cocaine and trouble on his mind, his estranged wife returned from her one-year sabbatical determined to win him back, and Ellie Martin ended their brief affair. To the Stillwater natives, the increase in local crime can be traced directly back to the day the outsider McBride took the job, and they’re gunning to get rid of him. One particular group is led by Joe Doyle, a successful local businessman who’s running for city council against Ellie and her plan to revitalize downtown. Now Jack has discovered proof Doyle is the biggest crime lord in the county, and, with murders piling up and the drug war intensifying, Jack suspects the crimes aren’t business, but personal—and he’s the target. The bitter election and Jack’s investigation spark old rivalries and new jealousies, making Ellie and those who love Stillwater most wonder if it’s even worth saving.

Melissa Lenhardt

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